"Touch of Grey"

Disneyland 2007

All runners have some experience, event, or person who triggers the desire to take that first run.  I was curious about Clint's inaugural event.  He talked a lot about running with his mother when he was young; when running was just to experience the freedom and adventure, and not as a competition.  But the real motivating factor was a photo. We've all heard the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words," but in Clint's case, a photo triggered "a thousand miles of running,"  and a complete change in lifestyle.

In 2007, Clint took a family trip to Disneyland and photos were taken.  Clint acknowledged that marriage, fatherhood, a promotion at work, three knee surgeries ten years ago, and a year-long recovery contributed to the extra pounds on the scale that the Welch family did not even own.  "I was a big guy.  And I handled my pant size and advancing notches on the belt as a big guy would. I owned it - but I didn't realize it."  It wasn't until he saw this photo that he realized he had a problem. This photo is the impetus that completely changed his life, with trail running as only a part of the transformation that came after nutrition changes and lots of miles on a treadmill.

Rebecca Welch, Clint's wife and anchor, said that living with Clint was not so easy when he was 330 pounds.  "He wasn't happy with himself.  And that transferred to the family.  He wasn't the same guy that he is today.  He is loving now, peaceful, and very conscious about keeping balance with family."  Becca admitted that the 330-pound Clint was more uptight and self-centered.  Clint's entire world is different today as a direct result of running and smart eating choices.  This transformation began ten years ago, and still continues today, despite the many ups, downs, bright spots, and touches of grey that all of us experience.

I asked Clint to describe how he went about making this lifestyle change.  He started by working out on the treadmill.  "I love to run.  I really wanted to run, but I wasn't in shape.  So I started by walking on an incline on the treadmill.  And making smarter eating choices."  He wasn't yet a vegan, but shared that he is also a reader.  He read the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  The book included a meat eater's guide and a non-meat eater's guide.  "I started by limiting my protein to turkey and fish.  But when I read more and more, I realized that the authors of these books were heart surgeons, and they were vegans.  I began to shift." Heart disease is in the Welch bloodline, so eventually Clint dropped all animal products from his diet.  "I'm not an 'asshole vegan.'  I still wear leather boots and don't preach being a vegan to anyone.  It's a personal lifestyle choice."  I actually interrupted Clint at this point because I had absolutely no idea he was a vegan.  I didn't know Clint on a personal basis prior to this blog relationship, but we've had enough beers at common parties that I would have thought that being a vegan would have been dropped at some point. Clint says that my reaction of total surprise is normal because he doesn't preach about it.  "It's a personal thing.  The more I read and live this life style - the more I'm moving away from all animal products, as much as I may not want to openly admit that."

Bad Bass 1/2 Marathon 2011

Clint says he was mortified when he took a close look at the Disneyland photo. So the change started with recognition and acknowledgement that a problem existed.  Then he started with walking and eating wiser. Finally, he was able to run and completed his first road half marathon.  Running started taking a bigger role in his exercise routine, so Clint did some research online and eventually discovered FTR, or Folsom Trail Runners.  FTR is a trail running group founded in 2008 by Diane Cressey Hanes to organize group trail runs for all levels of runners.  This is one of the most supportive groups of people who welcome runners of all shapes, ages, and speeds.  In July of 2011, Clint signed up for and completed the Bad Bass Half Marathon Trail Run in Castro Valley. Running in a trail race with people from all different backgrounds and lifestyles who share the same love for running, adventure, and freedom changed everything.  "I have a tattoo on my leg from that race because it was another life changing event.  I get shit about it because it's 'only' a half-marathon, but it was the beginning of trail running for me."

This was just the start.  In 2012, Clint ran three more half marathon trail races.  In 2013, he upped the mileage to two half marathons, a 10.4 miler (Blood, Sweat and Beers), two 50Ks, and the American River 50 Miler.  This became the qualifying race that was Clint's first ticket for the Western States lottery. And this is where the Western States journey began.  Later that year, he ran his first 100 mile race, the Rio Del Lago in Granite Bay, CA.  At that time, the Rio Del Lago was not yet a Western States qualifier, but Clint was ready to add a 100-mile race to his training plan.

Founded in 1974, Western States is the world's oldest and largest 100-mile endurance race that is the 'mecca' of trail races.  Thousands of people from all over the world apply for a lottery ticket to enter the race.  The Lottery was instituted back in 1981, and in 2015, the Western States admin increased the qualifying standards for the lottery to 100K and 100 miles races that meet or exceed the difficulty of the Western States course.  There is a specific list of qualifying races all around the world.

Clint attended the lottery live and was not selected.

Every consecutive year that runners qualify, the number of lottery tickets get doubled.  The word 'consecutive' is important here. If a runner fails to qualify one year, the number of tickets return to one.  So in 2014, Clint completed four 50Ks:  The FOURmidable, Mokelumne River Tail Running Festival, the Canyons Endurance Runs, and Gold Rush.  And then in June, he finished his second 100-Mile qualifying race, the San Diego 100 in Lake Cuyamaca, CA which earned him two tickets for the lottery.  Clint attend the lottery live again, and again, was not selected.

Training continued, but in 2015, Clint entered a year that was not dark, not black, but included a 'touch of grey.' He adopted a training plan that included a massive number of miles without strength, core, or speed workouts.  He started the year with the FOURmidable half marathon in February, Way Too Cool 50K in March, the K2 Challenge and Mokelumne River Trail 50K in April, the Gold Rush 50K and Born to Run Ultra 30 Miler in May.  In July he entered the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile race as his Western States qualifier to earn his four lottery tickets.  The extreme miles of his training plan that year must have added too much stress on his body and knees.  He ended up dropping out of the race at mile 80.

2014 Javelina Jundred - "Touch of Grey"

In order to continue his consecutive streak of qualifying races, Clint entered the Javelina Jundred in Fountain Hills, AZ less than 90 days later.  Luckily for Clint, his wife was by his side as his crew chief.  "Becca is the easiest person you will ever know, but as a crew person, she is a hard ass."  All trail runners know that ultra races include dark times when racers need to dig deep and find the ability to push through pain and the desire to quit. When I asked Clint about the support of his family, he shared this photo with me and said that it perfectly exemplifies Becca's role and importance to him on his journey to Western States.  He knows full well that without Becca's support and crewing, he would not be one of the lucky lottery winners.

When I met with Becca, I asked her to share the story behind this photo.  She explained that the Javelna Jundred consists of a 22.3 mile loop followed by four 19.4 mile loops.  The runners change the direction from clockwise to counter-clockwise after completing each loop.  Clint had been suffering with knee pain all year and came into the aid station after completing 60+ miles.  "He was in a dark place.  He was in pain. And he was having a hard time keeping down food."  Becca had him sit down and try to eat.  She gave him some Advil and then became the 'hard ass' crew chief.  "Look, you signed up for this.  This is your qualifier for Western States.  You will finish."  If you look closely at Clint's face in this photo, you can see that Becca is reaching through to his inner core and he is hearing the reality of her words. Obediently, Clint gets up and with Bill Clements as his pacer, he goes on to finish the race, earning his four Western States lottery tickets. It takes a team of supportive people to train for and run ultra marathons. Clint is blessed with the best of the best right in his own household.

In the coming weeks leading up to Western States 2017, I'll continue sharing Clint's journey and describing all the very special people who are supporting and helping him realize this dream.  And every week, it's important to continue sharing his current training schedule:

This week's training 03/20-03/26/17
Mon - Cap Tappers shakeout run - 5 miles
Tues - The Ranch - strength, mobility, flexibility, tissue quality
Wed - 4 mile speed workout
Thur - The Ranch
Fri -  Rest and recovery
Sat - 16.7 mile hill repeats at Stagecoach Trail (2 mile hill with 900+ feet elevation gain repeated 4 times)
Sun - 4.3 mile 40th birthday fun run at Claimstake Brewing Company

Next week is Clint's 40th birthday.  My birthday wish to him is some abatement to the knee pain that he is currently suffering, caused from arthritis and prior surgeries.  In 2001, doctors literally 'broke' his leg in order to reposition his patella tendon, and added two screws to hold it in place.  In 2011, he needed another surgery to add a cadaver tendon to his right knee. That same year, his left knee required arthroscopic surgery to scrape off arthritis and to add support to the patella tendon.  I asked Clint to describe the pain.  "It hurts all the time, like my knee caps are bruised.  But when I run, especially down hill, the pain intensifies.  And I don't feel like my knees have the stability to take downhills at a fast pace."

Clint wants to inspire people to run. He wants everyone to enjoy the freedom and adventure that trail running provides.  And many of you reading this blog right now are absolutely capable of running 100 miles.  But, he thinks it is important to present the reality of the experience, which includes all spectrums of color, including some dark times.  "We will get by.  We will get by.  We will survive."

#seeyouinsquaw  in 89 days.

"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"

Since we are chronicling the training and workout program that Clint Welch is following for Western States, let's back up and share his training philosophy and some races that are included as part of his preparation. Clint shared that he does not work with a coach and has used online 100-Mile training programs in the past. One plan included a massive number of trail miles leading up to the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance 100 Mile run in Carson City, NV in July 2015. This was his planned 2015 Western States qualifying race.   As it turns out, this was the most challenging 100-miler and the only one that Clint was unable to finish.  He ended up dropping out at mile 80.   Based on this experience, he has modified his training program around what has worked best in the past.  When he was lifting weights and working out in the gym, he had some of his best races. So the Western States program now includes two weekly strength, agility, and core workouts with Seth Kotelnicki, owner of The Ranch in Loomis, California. I met with Seth and will share a more detailed description of Clint's personalized strength, agility, flexibility, and tissue quality workout next week.

In addition to the workouts and training runs, Clint has included trail races to fine tune his pace, gear, nutrition, and mental focus under racing conditions.  The first trail race just a month after the  Western States Lottery was the La Cuesta Ranch Trail Run 25K in San Luis Obispo, CA on January 7, 2017.  It was part of a winter camping trip with his Born to Run family and Dirtbag Runners. "It was a good run with incredible views." It was challenging and muddy, but Clint finished in a time of 3:43:41.

The second trail race followed a pretty severe two week illness, and Clint conceded that this was his "ugliest 50K ever."  He started off the FOURmidable 50K in Auburn, CA on February 18th feeling "just okay," but the ability to breathe became a challenge on the uphills.  With total elevation gain of 6,000 feet, the FOURmidable includes four major climbs:  Cardiac Hill, K2 (Training Hill), Knickerbocker, and Overlook Hill. Knowing that he was weak and still not fully recovered, Clint's adjusted goal was to finish the race in less than 8 hours. With only one 3-mile run logged in the prior two weeks, he knew this would be a training race to just endure. With a time of 7:56:19, the goal was met, but this will be chalked up in the 'ugly' column of training races. For the record, Clint completed the FOURmidable in 2014 in 12th place overall with a time of 5:41:00.  All runners have to expect life to happen. Clint does not like excuses.  There will be good training days, there will be bad training day, and there will be ugly days.  It's all part of the trail running experience.

This week's training 03/13-03/19/17
Mon - Cap Tappers shakeout run - 3.4 miles
Tues - The Ranch - strength, mobility, flexibility, tissue quality
Wed - 10 mile run (2 easy, 6 push, 2 easy)
Thur - The Ranch
Fri -  Rest and recovery
Sat - Ruck-A-Chuck 50K
Sun - 11.5 Lake Loop around Lake Natomas

When I first interviewed Clint about his Western States journey, two things stood out. First, he kept referring back to family.  He shared many stories and experiences but they all circled back to either his mother, his wife, or his children.  And second, when I pressed and asked for details, he got choked up and tears welled in his eyes when he shared a few stories.  One I will share this week. The second story, about the unexpected support he received from his dear friend Bill Yeates, I'll save for a future blog. But I realized then and there that I was sitting in front of a man who had depth. A man who is so much more than this Western States story.   He has a tough, beer-drinking exterior but that is only the tip of the hilltop. Underneath that tough surface is so much more: intelligence, compassion, emotion, kindness, and love for all those around him.   And soft spots for his mother, his wife, his children, his siblings, and his close friends.

I asked Clint to describe his history of running and athletics.  He said that when he was younger, running was never a 'thing' for him. He didn't know that 5K, 10K, and marathon races even existed. His twin brother Chad was good at sprinting and was the quarterback of the football team.  "He was definitely the athlete in the family."  Clint played football in high school. He also played a bit of baseball and did some rodeo bronco riding.  But all the while, he knew that running came naturally and even looked forward to the requisite mile runs in PE during high school.  But when I pressed, "Where did the running come from?"  Clint kept coming back with,  "When I was young, I ran with my mom. We ran just to run."  Running wasn't put on the scale alongside of competitive football or soccer - running was just running.  Freedom and adventure. So in actuality, it is Clint's mom who planted the seed that grew into a full blown passion for running, freedom, and adventure.

So, let's go back to the first of the two stories that caused Clint to tear up and pause to take a few deep swallows of his Breaking Bud from Knee Deep before he could continue.  Clint was describing the importance of his family's support and approval to indulge in this extreme sport. He was telling me how he had established a sort of tradition of stopping to pick up his young daughter Halle prior to finishing his major races. He is even willing to give up a place (and did so in 2015 at the Mokelumne 50K) in order to allow his daughter to participate in his success.  "I will look back and remember the hours, the pain, and the difficulty of these races.  But I want Halle to look back and remember that she was so important to me that I made sure she finished with me."

Young Halle chasing after her dad at the finish.

But there was one occasion when things didn't work out quite as planned; another experience for the ugly column, or in this case, by Clint's own admission, maybe even the the bad column. Clint was experimenting with nutrition on his 2013 Run On the Sly 50K in Pollock Pines, CA. His experiment was not a success, and he had to dig deep at the finish line to keep from upchucking and sharing the nutrition with the dirt trail. As he approached the finish line, he saw Halle's excited little face, anxious for Dad to sweep her up in his arms.  But he couldn't.  He had to focus.  When he made eye contact with Halle, he had to press a finger to his lips to hold back the rising spew.  He finished with an applaudable time of 5:30.24, and Halle eventually caught up to him.  This race photo of his finish is indelibly etched into his plan for all future major race finishes.  If Halle is present, you can bet she will be holding her dad's hand - even if he is crawling.

In addition to Halle, Clint is very fond and protective of his mother Nancy and his wife Becca.  Nancy shared a story with me about a time that she was running on trails with her son a few years ago.  At first, she and Clint could run together, but slowly Clint grew faster and faster, and his mother could no longer keep up with him.  So, Clint would run ahead and then every so often he would circle back, re-run the trail backwards to check on his mother.  She would try to shoo him off, "I'll be fine!  I'll be fine!  Just run on ahead!" But Clint argued that the extra running and mileage were good for his training.  "He is such a good person - always taking care of everyone.  He's a twin, but has taken on the middle child 'peace keeping' personality trait."  In the short 20 minute conversation with Nancy, I think she said she was proud of her son at least five times.  What she loves most about him is that he is a family man first and a runner second.

Clint filling some big boots

And true to form, Clint's supportive wife Becca was with Clint this Saturday when he logged in more miles at SingleTrack's Ruck A Chuck 50K.  This is a great training race that is run 100% on the same trail, but running in the opposite direction towards Forest Hill, as the Western States course.  To keep things real, Clint had to acknowledge that this run wasn't one of his better runs.  Plagued with osteoarthritis in both knees, the elevation climbs of over 5,000 feet are always tough, but the downhills were even more of a challenge.  "I usually make up time running downhill, but this time I had to take it easy."  Enjoying a can of Moonraker's Zulu Haze on Sunday afternoon, he was honest about the experience and even admitted he had a bout of sulking at the end of the race when he was forced to face the reality that he is not currently performing at the level he has performed at
 in the past.  One thing that Clint really doesn't like is excuses.  "All ultrarunners have their 'thing' that they deal with.  We all have to suck it up and work through our 'thing.'  (#dbp)  We all have to play the hand we are dealt."

Wall hanging made by Shawna

Before I left, Clint showed me a wall hanging that his sister Shawna made for him. He showed me several other things that were made for him by family members who support his Western States dream, but let's start with the gift from his sister that very much represents the strength of character that he may need to be reminded of a few more times as he faces all the challenges of realizing this dream.

#seeyouinsquaw   (in 96 days)

Western States 2017 Bib #347

One year ago, I knew very little about the Western States Endurance Run.  My trail running experience started in the summer of 2015, and I ended up volunteering at the Forest Hill aid station in 2016.  And now in 2017, I get to experience the most famous and prestigious 100-mile race in a much more intimate way;  I get to chronicle the five-year journey of Clint Welch, Bib #347, Western State runner for 2017.

In a roundabout trajectory of meeting the right people at the right time, and saying the right thing to the right person at the right time, I find myself sharing in Clint's Western States journey and sharing it via this blog. And so the big story starts:  a big person with a big heart, who has a big dream, will take us on a big journey.  Clint Welch - son, husband, father, runner, beer drinker, vegan - and Western States runner.

Trail Runners are a unique breed of people.  Most are healthy family members who run to stay fit and run so they can indulge; indulge in hours and hours of training alone on trails out in nature; indulge in the expense of running shoes, hydration gear, and race fees; and indulge in craft beer.  Clint has shared all of these indulgences with Tyler Clemens and Paulo Medina, who are the owner/founders of Dirtbag Runners and SingleTrack Running.  The Dirtbag Runners is group of runners founded in 2014 by Crista Scott and Tyler Clemens.  "Run Free Get Dirty" perfectly describes the essence of Clint's passion for running.  Tyler Clemens will be one of Clint's pacers for Western States.  SingleTrack Running, owned and directed by Paulo Medina, is an organization that provides chip timing services, community events, and trail races.  Paulo and Clint have been running together, and Clint has been helping Paulo direct races for the past three years.

I met with Clint, his wife Becca, and their beautiful daughter Halle to begin the process of capturing in words Clint's realization of a five-year dream to run Western States.  We are planning for a weekly blog that will share Clint's history, his training, his nutrition, his races, and ultimately, his experience on the Western States trail.  It will include interviews with many who are sharing in this journey, so that all perspectives will be shared for a well-rounded picture of the Dirtbag Ambassador.

Let's start the moment this dream became a reality:  December 3, 2016, at about 11:30 am, Placer High School, Auburn, CA. The Western States admin had just selected the lucky 250 runners at the 2016 Lottery. 4,248 runners had entered the lottery with a total of 11,021 lottery tickets.   Clint was present, along with Becca, Paulo and Samantha Medina, Bill Clements, Ryan Smith and some other Folsom Trail Runners.  With 8 lottery tickets, Clint had an 18.1% chance of being selected at the lottery according to wser.org.  This was the 4th consecutive year that he attended the lottery live, and sadly the 4th consecutive year that his name was not called. For the first time, he was pissed, and if you know Clint, you know that this reaction is out of character for him.  He had already started slipping into a running slump and was losing the motivation to train.  He pulled out his phone to distract himself and to work through the feeling of rejection that thousands of other non-selected entrants were experiencing at that same moment around the world.

For the first time, the 2017 race would include a wait list in order to start as close to the maximum number of 369 runners as possible.  So the barrel containing the remaining 10,871 lottery tickets was turned and race officials prepared to begin selecting 50 tickets for the Wait List.  The ticket was drawn and the name Clint Welch was called out as the first person on the wait list. He heard his name off in the distance, but nothing really registered until Becca screeched in a voice that was reserved for intense, life-changing moments. He was up and running down the aisle, still not fully aware of what was happening.  Melissa Johnson, a friend of Clint's who had already been selected, was sitting in the front row and gave him a huge bear hug just before he arrived to the stage.  Emotional, and still in a blur, Clint reached down and gave another huge hug to the woman who drew his name.

After receiving his goody bag, Clint moved to the back of the stage behind a curtain to wait for any more locals to be selected for the wait list.  Melissa Johnson, Paulo Medina, Paul Grimes, Tina Frizner, and Jodie Wood are friends who had already been selected. Terry Hall was the 20th name selected for the Wait List. Clint was still very much in a daze. Like myself, hundreds of Western States enthusiasts were watching the lottery live online. Clint's phone and all his social media accounts blew up instantly.  With a slight tremble in his hands and with tears welling up in his eyes, it started to hit home - Clint won the Western States Lottery.

When the lottery was over, Clint was standing outside, still somewhat in a whirlwind of emotion. "ClintLikesBeer! ClintLikesBeer!" He felt an insistent tapping on his shoulder. When he turned around, there stood Eric Byrnes, former major league baseball player who ran Western States in 2016. Eric's journey is documented in Sierra Studio Films'  Diamond To the Rough. Eric Byrnes congratulated Clint and gave him a heart-felt hug.  "And that's what's so cool about our community!  He came to 'nobody me'.  And this hammered home the importance of what just happened."

After five years, all the training, qualifying, and sacrificing finally paid off.  And just three days later, Clint was moved from the wait list to an actual runner for the 2017 race to start in Squaw Valley on June 24, 2017 - just 103 days from the posting of this blog.  All the crazy thoughts swirled and reeked havoc on his emotions, but it all became real when the race fees were processed and the money was withdrawn from his account.  At that time it was 'game on.'  All hints of burn out vanished and motivation to train moved into overdrive.

Clint is no novice to the 100-mile trail running scene having completed three 100-Mile races in the last few years: Rio Del Lago in Nov 2013, San Diego 100 in June 2014, and the Javelina Jundred in Oct 2015.  The training routines have varied for each race, but for Western States, Clint has modified what worked in the past and added a few days of strength, cardio, and core workouts to the mileage on the trails.  Every week, this blog will include his actual training.  It will include the good workouts, the bad workouts, and the ugly workouts so that a realistic view of the journey is portrayed.  The current training plan includes three weeks of increasing mileage and one week of lower mileage.  The week just prior to the interview happened to be a lower mileage week:

Training 03/04 - 03/12/17
Sat - 25 miles
Sun - 10 miles at Claimstake
Mon - Cap Tappers 2 mile shakeout run
Tue - The Ranch gym workout
Wed - 10 miles on bike trail
Thur - The Ranch gym workout
Fri - Rest and Recovery
Sat - Treadmill speed work - 5 K "tasting my heart"
Sun - 12 1/2 miles

This blog is for all those who "run just to run," who are not super competitive and enjoy the freedom and adventure of running on the trails and out in the elements.  "If I could run naked, I would.  I don't like to run with 'stuff.' I even get irritated when I have to carry a water bottle," shared Clint as he enjoyed a few Breaking Buds from Knee Deep.  "Some day I'd like to run 100 miles outside of an organized race."  Clint is about as down-to-earth as they come.  It is very clear that family comes first in his life, and that without the support of Becca, Kaleb, and Halle, he would not be on this big journey.

And Clint is a firm believer that he is living proof that almost anyone can train and run 100 miles. This blog is for everyone who wants to, but don't think they can.  And for everyone who supports the Trail Running Community.

#seeyouinsquaw