SHITR Report Coming Soon!

Here is a little preview of my SHITR report.  I hoped to have it done but it's not, deal with it.

Not long after the 12hour run back in November, Chuck and Robin of ROCK Racing told me they had an idea for an unsupported trail race at Lost Valley in Weldon Spring. It sounded like a great idea, and I was all in. What could be better than a trail half marathon in January? Simple, a trail half marathon in January at night! To make it even better they told me that in lieu of an entry fee they would suggest participants make a donation to the 100+Project. How awesome is that?

That's all you get for now.
If you are interested though here are some reports from people quicker than I.

 http://mlkillian.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/shivering-icy-trail-run-the-shttiest-trail-half-marathon-non-race-ive-ever-done/

http://kate-my-mind.blogspot.com/2013/01/shitr-happens.html

http://adventuresofdog.com/2013/01/15/latex-gloves-and-a-sticker/

I will finish my report and I think there is one more out there somewhere but I can't find it and I need to leave for work.

See ya!

 

Who Is?: Chuck Vohsen

When Patrick asked me to do a Who-is, it sounded easy enough, so I agreed and started writing.
Chuck Vohsen is ….some guy ….just like everyone else.

And that was all I had.
I had to come up with something better or this would be the shortest post ever. I read the previous
awesome who-is posts to get some ideas. They were great, but there was nothing there I could blog-
jack and call my own. So it was time to do some real thinking. A couple of days later when I was out on
a run, I was finally hit with my ‘Ahhaa’ writing idea. (Does that happen to everyone? ALL my ideas come
during runs and bikes.)
Nobody wants to read how I am like everyone else. Lets face it, as much as we like to pretend otherwise
there are more similarities between people on this planet than differences. We all eat, sleep, fart, work,
drink, and live and die.
So what makes me unique? My ‘Ahhaa’moment said experiences and memories are what define us. So
here’s my list of random memories that happen to be floating around my head today in no particular
order of importance. Maybe some of you have shared in them with me:

Seeing my first kid being born by C-section
Second kid being pulled out with giant pliers
Elbowing wife on altar after getting married
O’Fallon Gold Ale
Crashing Chevy Monza into a telephone pole
Buying my first ‘real’ moutain bike
Group snow run at Lewis and Clark
Finishing my first bike century
Trekking through flooded cave at Lightning Strikes AR
Paddling the last leg of 2011 Berryman 36hr AR
Finishing my first adventure race – Castlewood 8hr
Running through ankle deep rainwater in Berryman marathon
Hanging from my climbing harness over a canyon in Moab
Standing on top of my first 14’er in the cold sunlight with youngest kid
Stinging nettle and thorns at Thunder Rolls AR
Wife falling out of boat at Lake Taneycomo in December
Youngest kid catching monster brown trout at Taneycomo
Oldest kid driving my old jeep in the snow
Building my first set of bike wheels
Paddling across Kentucky Lake in the most amazing fog
Coyotes howling at midnight in LBL
Running along river during Colorado Relay
Pelicans on the Mississippi below Winfield dam
Saying: ’I will never do that again’ after 50K trail run
Thinking about doing 50K trail run again
Discovering I have two birthdays
Whitewater rafting the Nantahala River
“Chuck Vohsen, you are an Ironman”
Swimming laps in that little f’n pool training for IM
Riverboarding on the Colorado river
Sliding down dirt hill and in creek at the CAC
Kids behind house in underwear carrying a rabbit in fishing net
Grandpa Vohsen saying, “Don’t get old Chuck!”
Riding lost valley first time without putting a foot down
Navigating Moab canyons in the dark with crappy headlamps
Pulling kids in little wagon down trail to fishing spot
Rattlesnake at Berryman Duathlon
Hanging out with oldest kid in garage removing transmission from his car …. again
Foggy graveyard after dark in mountains
Jeeping Breakneck trail in Colorado
Every Berryman Epic mtn bike race
Bacon Donuts
Man, I seriously could go on all day! I’ve got some great memories. But I’m stopping with this and
hopefully that list gives an idea of who I am.
++++++++++
I’ve had a two week break since I made this list. Looking back over the random memories a second time
made me notice a few obvious exceptions.
All the years I’ve spent in school - not one
25 years at my current job – not one
All the TV or movies I’ve ever seen – not one
I think the exceptions speak even louder than the list about what is important to me. FAMILY, FRIENDS,
and DOIN COOL STUFF.

I Love My Dog

Who Is?: Lukas Lamb

I am Lukas Lamb, and I am nobody. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’d like to think that I’m someone
special to my wife, my four children, and my close friends. It’s just that I’m nobody compared to most
people.

I’m not that bright (it took me 13 years and 3 different schools to graduate college), and I’m not
even that athletic (although I used to be a mediocre high school wrestler if that counts). And I don’t
really have any unique talents, skills, or abilities. But if there’s one thing I have in abundance, which
I’ve always had in abundance, it’s an unadulterated willingness – a willingness to try new things, a
willingness to test myself, and, perhaps above all, a willingness to fail.

Most people are familiar with the phrase “decision through indecision” - by not making a decision, you
are essentially making a decision. To put it another way, Henry Ford said, “Indecision is often worse
than wrong action.” For me, the same thing applies to adventure. By not trying something at which I
might fail, I’ve essentially already failed. I think never attempting something difficult is far worse than
actually failing. And that’s why I do the things I do even though I have failed pathetically at many of
them.

When a friend asked me to do my first adventure race over ten years ago, I could have (and in hindsight
maybe should have) said no, but I didn’t hesitate to try it. Although I was woefully ill-prepared, I
was willing to jump in over my head. That race ended in complete disaster. Since then, though, my
teammates and I have finished the 36-hour race twice.

When another friend asked me to be part of a duo and do half of the Dirty Kanza 200 with him, I agreed
to do so fully aware of the high probability of failure. And I did fail when I only finished 60-ish miles out
of 100. But the following year both of us went back and completed the full 200 miles of gravel with the
rest of our teammates.

I’ve DNF’d several other races, I’ve come in last place many times, and I’ve even been DQ’d from a race
before. Failures? Sure. But without those “failures,” I never would have experienced any successes
either. Without those “low points,” the high points would never be so high.

So I’ll just keep failing. And then I’ll fail some more. Maybe next time it will be a 5-day expedition
adventure race. Or perhaps it will be a 50- or 100-mile ultramarathon. Whatever it is, I’ll be willing to
give it a shot. I’ll just keep failing until I succeed.

I am a failure. I am nobody. I am Lukas Lamb. Who are you?

Old Goals and New

2012 was the first year that I set some goals to try and achieve.  I will spare you the suspense I only achieved one of the three.  My thoughts on only being successful in one goal are a mixed bag that I will explain in full.  The first goal, while technically being a failure, was sort of a success.  The second goal I totally dropped the ball on.  Whoops!  My bad.  The third goal was very much a success, and I am proud of my efforts.

Goal #1:  Get 12 bag nights

I got ten.  Several times I could have gone out and picked up the other two but I always opted to stay home and spend time with Beth.  So while this is technically a failure to meet the goal, I failed on acceptable terms.  It is also worth noting that ten bag nights is way more than I normally get in  a typical year.  Some of the nights I spent outdoors were terrible, and others were enjoyable.

Campsite on Two Branch

Here is a list, in no particular order of where I spent my bag nights this year:

3 nights spent out on the Katy Trail.  During these 3 nights everything was conspiring against a good nights sleep.

1 night camping at Carlyle lake.  The day of our arrival the lake was too choppy to have any fun paddling, the next day it was smooth as glass.

1 night camping on Two Branch island.  My nephew and I paddled down the Cuivre to the Mississippi.  Horrible stretch of river after we left.

3 nights during the Kayak100+ (MR340).  I have never been so exhausted in my life.  Paddled 340miles in 76hours.  Very little sleep.

1 night on a random boat ramp on the Missouri river.  100miles from Jefferson city to St Charles, we decided to take a nap.  Bad idea.

1 night camping on Two Branch again.  I enjoy paddling out to the river islands.  Last time we were racing the dark this time a storm.  We lost.

During Kayak100+ I was trying not to look exhausted.

ROCK Racing teammates Chuck and Robin (among others) met me at the finish of Kayak100+

 

    Goal #2 Increase level of fitness

I think subconsciously I made this goal as vague as possible so that I could claim success in the end.  Even with a vague goal I have to admit to failure.  It wasn’t all failure though.  Leading up to Kayak100+ I was doing great.  Then the wheels fell off and I now at my heaviest weight (can’t weight to eat?) and feel like crap.  Epic fail y’all.  Being heavy is not the only area of failure in this goal.  I am also not any stronger, but that is probably because of all the workouts I missed.  As far as running goes I am doing okay, not great just ok.  I have a plan to correct all of this though because 2013 will be one of the most physically demanding of my life.

Goal #3 Build on the foundation of the 100+Project

I would call this one a success!  While the 100+Project is not widely known around the world, I have been working hard to spread the word and draw attention to the efforts put forth.  In 2012 I had a couple mentions in the media, completed Cycle100+ and Kayak100+, and also held a very successful 12hour run/fundraiser.

Cycle100+ was 240miles on the Katy Trail.  Gary Wilson and I rode the entire length in 4days.  What a great ride it was.

Kayak100+ was a 340mile paddle from Kansas city to St Charles along the Missouri river.  Cycle100+ was a joyride compared to this.

Page of the Health in the St Louis Post Dispatch section (below the fold) 

Blurb in a local Sunday magazine.

The 12hour fun run, was a just a great day all around.  This was something that I was doing as a training event for Run100+ and decided to invite people to join my friend Cheri and me for as much as they wanted.  I suggested a $5 donation.  We started at 6am and I don’t think there was one lap that we had to run alone.  In total 30people showed up and many donated a lot more than the suggested $5.  We raised a lot of money for a good cause.  My only regret is not keeping track of everyone’s miles.  I wasn’t expecting that many people to show up and it was difficult enough keeping track of my own miles.  Maybe I can reconstruct them.

Cheri (far left) and I with some of  the people that came out for the 12hour run.

Summary

I think in the goal department I broke even.  I’m not happy about #2 but can only blame myself.  I couldn’t be happier about #3 although I have some things that I need to work on in the future to make it even more enjoyable for everyone following along.  As previously stated I’m ok with how #1 turned out.  I didn’t get 12 bag nights but I did get 10 and that is pretty good for me.

Goals for 2013

I like these goals so I will keep them for 2013 but with a few modifications.

1. Get 20 bag nights.  I will have 8nights associated with Hike100+ so 12 would be to low a number.  Increasing to 20 cancels out the hike nights and leaves me with 12nights to get on my own.
2. Increase fitness.  This will be measured a success by meeting two of three minor goals.  Weight 170, pass the Army PT test according to the standards when I was still serving (pushups, situps, 2mile run), and break a running PR.  Within these there is certainly criteria by which success can be measured.
3. Build on the success of the 100+Project.  There are big things in store for 2013.  Run100+ and Hike100+ will be two of the most demanding challenges of my life.  They both have such a slim margin of error, one tiny mistake could mean failure at both.  I am thinking about adding another 100+ mile journey but as of yet haven’t decided what.  More fundraisers apart from the big events might be a good idea.  I would also like to get the 100+Project on TV in 2013.  That a lot, but I assure you it is all one goal.

That is how my year went.  Hopefully 2013 will be much better and more successful, and I hope yours is the same!

Elevator Manifesto: Part 2

In part one of the Elevator Manifesto I introduced you to the most important rule of being a responsible and considerate elevator passenger.  Just to remind you that rule is, “Exiting passengers have the right of way”.  If you only take one thing away from my frustration with elevators I hope it is that one simple rule and not that I am slightly deranged.  There are however other rules should you be interested.
Rule #2 Don’t be a Space Invader.
I’m not talking about the video game from the 80’s, what I am talking about is people that stand way too close when it is unnecessary.  Seriously give people some room.  We are passengers in an elevator together not lifelong friends.  I like to maintain my personal space, and in doing so help you to maintain yours, but some people just don’t get the concept.  Now I fully understand that everyone’s personal space diminishes as the elevator gets more and more full.  I don’t expect everyone to be jammed into the corner to accommodate my needs.  However if the there are only a few people in the car then there is no reason that someone should be shoulder to shoulder with me.  Spread out and explore the space, enjoy the ride.  That’s how I feel.

Why would strangers choose to invade your personal space?  I don’t know.  Maybe they are lonely. Maybe they are conducting a psychological experiment (this happened to me once).  Maybe they just don’t know any better.  Whatever the reason it’s not cool. 
Space Invaders come in all shapes and sizes and you never know when one is about to strike.  One time I was riding the elevator and it stopped on a random floor that we will call the third floor.  A woman in a power chair came cruising in at a high rate of speed and did not stop until she made it all the way to the back where I was standing.  Sometimes people in power chairs do this in order to have enough room to turn around so they can exit the elevator facing forward.  I get it, looking ahead is easier than trying to look behind, and since we were the only two on the elevator I assumed it was her plan.  Nope.  She did however inch her chair even closer to me so that the chair was almost touching my shoe.  She stayed there until she reached her floor and then had to back up before she could turn around and exit.
Normally I step away from the Space Invaders if there is room and sometimes I will tell them they are a little close, but I couldn’t believe that the woman in the power chair purposely inched even closer after she was already too close.  I had to see what was going to happen. 
I don’t think it is rude to ask for a little space if you feel uncomfortable, but if there is room you shouldn’t  have too.

Who is? Dave Zaple

Hello! That's me, DZ. I'm big fan of bright shorts. I was the team medic/photographer on Dave Cornthwaite's most recent expedition Swim 1000.

The final farewell photo as I left the team to head back to the UK to start working on these:

I'm a paramedic, scout leader, photographer and general adventure nut...

I haven't always been those things though. I was lucky enough to be part of the inaugural Prime Ministers Global Fellowship where I spent 6 weeks in China. It changed my life. I worked in an engineering office for a year but I wasn't that good at it. So I saved my money, worked 3 jobs to then travel the world. Then I really got the bug, the travel bug (and a significant stomach bug in India but we won't talk about that). I went to university to train as a paramedic and now I'm here, writing about myself for the wonderful Patrick Albert.

I have the best job in the world and some big plans to see it all from a bicycle. Myself and Em Bell are are planning to cycle around the world. Nearly Naked. For MCAC and Coppafeel!

I'm super new to all this technical website making stuff but stay tuned on www.davezaple.com for updates on everything. Providing I can work out how to update it!