tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74377069993528467402011-07-30T19:45:34.245-07:00"Blessed are the cracked for they shall let in the light"Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-6053922846430498312009-10-19T14:56:00.000-07:002009-10-19T15:02:56.475-07:00

My wife, Kourey (2nd from right), her sister Shami (2nd from left), and our 3 daughters Evin, Jordan and Shannon.

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-25425878597129582302009-10-19T14:47:00.000-07:002009-10-19T14:54:52.156-07:00

My Girls. Jordan (Jordo) left, Shannon (Beans) middle and Evin (Boo Boo) right. They're awesome and 3 of the 4 reasons why I get up in the morning. Kourey, their mom and my wife being the 4th. I'm a lucky guy. BBB Feels like I'm going to start running again.

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-86719398316260367402009-08-29T08:15:00.000-07:002009-08-29T08:17:12.545-07:00

All,Dan passed away from complications in late June. I will miss him as I'm sure many others will as well. Working on getting ok with this.BC

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-84906532441433395722009-06-02T16:15:00.001-07:002009-08-29T08:11:56.315-07:00

From: Bill Cotton [mailto:William.Cotton@darrigo.com] Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 8:27 AMTo: auburnrunningco@sbcglobal.netSubject: RE: vote for best trail running town!Shit! I’m so sorry to hear that. I was hoping for better news as I’m sure you were as well. I want to encourage you to hang in and keep up the fight. I just know you can do it and I will keep up the good thoughts and positive energy

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-16910995101532740642009-04-28T16:19:00.001-07:002009-04-28T16:26:05.933-07:00

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-26934017623276251742009-04-28T16:09:00.001-07:002009-04-30T07:34:32.319-07:00

Did it agin...din'cha?No more posting or training log entries for me for a while. Running is starting to get that familiar "WAY TO STRUCTURED" feel again and I'm going to back off and let the fun factor back in. I'll be back when the inspiration tells me the coast is clear. Seacrest OUT!Big Sur was windy, cold and a good time. Race report to follow.... BBB

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-89229098687814757572009-04-14T07:36:00.000-07:002009-04-16T09:53:53.901-07:00

Somewhere after Negro Bar (about 24 miles in):Friendly Spectator: You are number 125 overall.#187 (me): You have got to be shitting me! I have never been this far up.Friendly Spectator: Definitely 125...LOOKIN GOOD LOUIS!!#187 (me): FEELIN GOOD BILLY RAY!!! (I was floating - no bullshit)Just when I thought I had a clue...got this stuff kinda dialed in...I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW. SOMETHING BIG. Who

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-49681496116643713472009-03-20T13:45:00.000-07:002009-03-20T14:43:15.990-07:00

Email from Dan on 3/19. Now in the middle of his bone marrow transplant. Dan,Just checking in to say hello and see how things are going. I hope all is going according to plan for you. Let me know when you get a minute. By the way, I have been receiving calls from all the friends that supported the Run A Mile For Dan saying that you sent personal thank you notes to them. Classy move bro. They all

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-63370242073019750362009-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:002009-03-19T10:35:42.706-07:00

Overheard at the Goat Hill AS, mile 26.8 into the race....Or, did I just imagine this?Friendly Aid Station Person: "Welcome to Goat Hill aid station. What do you need?"Runner #139 (me): "(gasp) There's nothing on that table that can fix what's wrong with me (wimper)!"Friendly Aid Station Person: "What's the matter?"Runner #139 (me): "My self diagnosis is age and LACK OF FITNESS!!! Can you fix

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-17926604773323475512009-03-02T07:18:00.000-08:002009-03-02T08:43:45.472-08:00

From one of my running partners with TRT experience....."Wow, great course - you'll love it. Be mentally prepared for the bow out options on this course. As its a 2 loop course, there is the obvious one at halftime. Additionally, the course goes out with 50km runners so at about 15 and 65 miles, you'll have the option to cut short and skip an out and back section (like I did). I'm sure this plays

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-73997227925557920392009-02-23T11:47:00.000-08:002009-03-09T19:20:15.315-07:00

After further consideration, the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile run is now in the lead and putting distance on the other 100's I have had on my summer running radar. I will be making a final decision soon but have to say that this will most likely be the one if/when I get around to making up my mind. It's tough for sure with an elevation low of 6,800 feet / high of 9,214 feet and 19,788 feet of climb/

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-14655204282559851872009-02-11T08:47:00.000-08:002009-02-11T16:23:36.772-08:00

I have had the Cascade Crest 100 (photo by Glenn Tachiyama..thanks G!) on my wish list for 2009 for the past couple months thinking that if everything fell into place, it would make a nice first 100 mile finish. Plenty of elevation gain/loss..a challenging course...and a chance to reconnect with some friends and acquaintances from the Pacific Northwest. Your chances for entrance into this race

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-43990762427340456022009-02-02T06:03:00.000-08:002009-02-03T09:29:50.199-08:00

Last week, while cruising the Internet for a bit of running information, I stumbled across a post from a gentleman by the name of Chihping Fu (Ultraholics from left Anil Rao, Chihping, Peter Lubbers, Alan Geraldi and Rajeev Patel at TRT) asking if anyone would be interested in doing all night, mid week Mission Peak (Fremont CA) repeats. To the innocent bystander, I'm sure the thought of running

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-16818405424262345092009-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:002009-01-27T13:24:43.387-08:00

On Saturday, 1/24 I did a 3 hour run in Garland Ranch Regional Park, Carmel Valley. A map of the park can be found here: http://www.mprpd.org/parks/garland.htm Andrew McClellan, Dave Pratt and I met at my house and carpooled to the Running Iron in Carmel Valley, the meeting point for the run. There we met up with 4 other guys at 5:30am and set off for a 3 hour cruise in wet conditions. There is

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-90384084590764607692009-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:002009-01-22T08:01:11.092-08:00

For simplicity's sake, (read; I'm lazy) I have moved my run log to Attackpoint.org I really like this site because it tracks a lot of the information I was tracking manually, automatically. I found it while checking out Andy Jones Wilkins site and swiped the idea. If you have never been to his site you should check it out. Good writer and a better runner!

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-17111857129869336732009-01-16T14:12:00.000-08:002009-01-16T14:15:09.163-08:00

Hi RAMFD’rsIf you are receiving this email it’s because you are one of the generous people that made a donation to the Run A Mile For Dan fundraiser. I want to say thank you very much for stepping up to help a friend in need. I have to confess that I underestimated your generosity. When deciding to do something for Dan, I thought that if I could get everyone in, $500 would be in the range of

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-77494746596712041642009-01-11T20:31:00.000-08:002009-01-20T11:00:04.457-08:00

Sun 1/11, 0Mon 1/12, 45 min work loop @ moderate pace with Scherpinski.Tue 1/13, 55 min work loop solo w/20 min @ TH, lift legs.Wed 1/14, 0Thu 1/15, 45 min work loop solo @ moderate pace.Fri 1/16, 1:30 Fort Ord loop with Chico @ moderate pace.Sat 1/17, 2:00 Fort Ord loop with Scherpinski @ moderate pace.Total 5:55 , 1/11 weight 178A decent week with a couple of longer efforts and a tempo run. 1

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-43007021971248487732009-01-05T14:48:00.000-08:002009-02-03T15:28:44.370-08:00

Dan's a friend of mine. Not the type of friend I call or see everyday or have over for holidays or my daughters birthday party but a good friend just the same. Truth is, I'm not sure he knows my daughters names - still, a good friend. But isn't that the way it is with many of the friends we have in ultra running? We run into each other at different events or share a few miles together during a

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-72076817425735298592009-01-04T07:51:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:41:45.229-08:00

Sun 1/4, 2:20 @ easy pace. Fort Ord loop with Chico. Legs a little tired but felt great being on trail again.Mon 1/5, 0Tue 1/6, 1:20 tempo TMWed 1/7, 47 min work loop @ moderate pace with scherpinski. Felt great. 15 min TM warmup, Lifted legs.Thu 1/8, 1:20 TM @ easy pace.Fri 1/9, 0Sat 1/10, 0Total 5:00 , 1/4 Weight 1813 zero days but overall a pretty good week. I got a semi long run in and a

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-2687104907828615492008-12-27T20:13:00.000-08:002009-01-05T14:17:15.135-08:00

12/28 Sun, AM 20 min TM warmup, lift legs, total time 1 hour.12/29 Mon, 012/30 Tue, AM 1:05 min TM @ moderate pace (8:00,15), PM 45 min work loop @ moderate pace, total time 1:5012/31 Wed, AM 1:00 TM @ easy pace. 179 lbs this morning.1/1 Thur, 01/2 Fri, 01/3 Sat, RUN A MILE FOR DAN, 4:00 track run, 25 miles. Late start, tired legs last 7 miles.Total 7:10, 12/28 Weight 181 A pretty good week. In

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-73620196047110490412008-12-19T15:18:00.000-08:002009-01-16T14:15:44.089-08:00

Right after Thanksgiving, my friend Dan Moores of the Auburn Running Company in Auburn CA was diagnosed with leukemia. Quite a shock to say the least. How this disease picks its targets is beyond me. Dan, besides being a wonderfully generous person, is an accomplished ultra runner. I just cant say enough about Dan and how much I appreciate having people like him in my life. As an example, I am

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-74067649148698987912008-12-19T06:00:00.001-08:002008-12-28T16:55:55.737-08:00

12/21 Sun, 012/22 Mon, 012/23 Tue, 1:05 (20 TM, 45 work loop with Scherpinski) easy pace. Lifted.12/24 Wed, 012/25 Thu, 55 min @ easy pace, Fort Ord with Chico.12/26 Fri, 3:20 @ easy pace, Toro Park with Grant.12/27 Sat, 1:20 @ moderate pace, Fort ord with ChicoTotal 6:40 12/21 weight 181Merry Christmas! An interesting week. 3 zero days with 3 quality days including a session of lifting that left

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-75117077860776230812008-12-16T13:31:00.000-08:002008-12-25T13:10:11.432-08:00

Hello Blogsters - What follows is a quick recap of my first shot at running an official ultra event - The Dick Collins Firetrails 50 on Oct 9th in Castro Valley:I slept well friday night. Better than I have all week. The race went really well, pretty much just as I had planned it. I was surprised at how good I felt almost the entire way. I ate and drank continuously staying well hydrated. The

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-91705728700991453052008-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:002008-12-22T09:08:37.958-08:00

12/14 Sun, 90 min @ easy pace, Fort Ord with Chico12/15 Mon, 012/16 Tue, 60 min TM pyramid @ moderate pace (8:00,10)12/17 Wed, 60 min TM @ easy pace (10:00), lift legs12/18 Thu, 63 min @ moderate pace, Fort Ord with Chico12/19 Fri, 40 min TM pyramid @ moderate pace (7:30,5), lift legs12/20 Sat, 0Total 5:13 12/14 weight 181Another good week with consistent effort. Everything is feeling good with

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-57439867465724820332008-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:002008-12-19T10:52:01.578-08:00

At 8:00am Sunday morning, I duked it out (virtually) with who knows how many other runners for an entry into the Way To Cool 50k. Each year, registration for this event fills in about 10 minutes so a fast internet connection, an Active.com account and a little luck are what's needed if you want in. I got lucky. After about 5 minutes of flogging the mouse/refresh botton, I got through. Now that

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-43304986816817880092008-12-15T07:12:00.000-08:002008-12-28T16:42:14.839-08:00

12/7 Sun, 2:23, rolling hills @ moderate pace, Laguna Seca loop12/8 Mon, 012/9 Tue, 47 min, flat work loop @ hard pace12/10 Wed, 43 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico12/11 Thu, 012/12 Fri, 55 min, tempo, flat work loop with Scherpinski12/13 Sat, 60 min, rolling hills @ easy pace with ChicoTotal: 5:48, 12/7 weight 181Good week with some quality runs. Feeling good and trying to be smart

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-52673948626630974042008-12-15T07:07:00.000-08:002008-12-27T20:09:03.269-08:00

11/30 Sun, 55 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico.12/1 Mon, 012/2 Tue, 55 min, cement bridge loop @ moderate pace.12/3 Wed, 012/4 Thu, 012/5 Fri, 65 min, rolling hills @ moderate pace with Chico.12/6 Sat, 0Total: 2:55, 11/30 weight 185Light week - just getting back into it. Feeling fine with no injuries/physical issues. Now running in Brooks Adrenaline and loving them. Brooks just seem

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-89749403022440461652008-12-13T06:18:00.000-08:002008-12-19T10:52:19.030-08:00

Last month, I finally admitted to myself that I have an obsession with the Western States 100 and that if it's the last thing I do, I need to complete the race. Simply put, I have unfinished business with that trail and the score needs settling. The dnf in 2006, while at the time made sense and was what I considered to be my best option, has set up camp in my mind and can't be bumped out until I

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7437706999352846740.post-26514458786492975282008-12-12T15:30:00.000-08:002008-12-19T11:31:02.602-08:00

HelloI'm starting from scratch.All the running I've done until now is ancient history...done in a way not condusive to training for and completing a 100 mile trail ultra.I have started this blog in order to track and record my progress as I train to ultimately complete a 100 mile trail race sometime in the future. My previous attempt at Western States in 2006 ended in a dnf at Michigan Bluff and

Bill Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15717546186324850903noreply@blogger.com0