Post World's Toughest Mudder

What an adventure! I am home from the World's Toughest Mudder last weekend, and it was very tough! We battled many tough obstacles and freezing water and sub 20 degree temperatures. The winner ended up completing 6 laps and I ended up completing 4 laps within 24.5 hours. I took a break for a few hours during the night as the temps dropped to approx 15 degrees wind chill and resumed again close to when the sun started coming up. I wanted to return with all my fingers and toes :) Very grueling event. As I only completed 4 laps I was not considered an official finisher, but with my performance I ended up 36th out of 1,000 who signed up. I am working on a complete race report, which I hope to post within the next few days. Thank you for everyone's support! With your help we ended up raising over $1,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project!

World's Toughest Mudder!

Thank you so much everyone for all of the support and also to all of those who have helped me raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project! As of tonight Ihave officially reached my goal of raising over $1,500! Please feel free to still donate if able before midnight on 12/18/11 when that fundraising link will close after the event.

In case you missed these great articles you can access them here. A big thanks to the Placer Herald and The Loomis News!

Placer Herald: http://placerherald.com/detail/195639.html

The Loomis News: http://theloomisnews.com/detail/195537.html

Time for bed so I can wake up and compete! Thanks again to everyone who has supported me and your prayers!

The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Mile Championship - San Francisco 12/3/2011

This was the perfect last long training run for me as icing on the cake to get ready for the World's Toughest Mudder coming up on Dec 17 in less than 2 weeks away! Getting ready for the WTM I had been doing some unconventional training mixing ultra running with core and upper body strength training. See this blog post by Clif Bar for an idea of the training I have been up to: http://www.clifbar.com/play/team_clif/johnson_takes_on_the_toughest_mudder/#top-post

Signing up for TNF 50 mile was for training to get in a long run and also thrash my legs up quite a bit as I had not been running long continuously during my recent training runs. People always tell me that I look to fresh at the end of these long races, so during this race I kept telling myself that I couldn't be fresh at the end and needed to push hard during the actual race. I pushed as hard as I could with the goal to leave it all on the course and not feel good at the finish. Well.... it worked! My quads and legs were toast by the time I finished. The course was very hilly with a lot of rocks/roots to jump over, off of, and the Dip Sea trail featured many large steps that went uphill for miles.

I finished in 8 hrs and 21 mins, 51st overall. Beautiful weather on the coast and breath taking views of the ocean and San Francisco in the background. It was so much fun to see Holly, Warren, and my In-Laws, the Boberg Family waiting for me at the finish line. After I finished, I enjoyed laying in the grass at the finish line watching warren play with the finishers medal, spending time with family, and catching up with some running friends.

Now time to add the finishing touches of training so I am ready for the World's Toughest Mudder next week in NJ! A big thanks to all my sponsors listed to the right on my blog who have made it possible for me to afford to go back and compete in this event!

And especially a huge thanks to all of you who have helped support me in raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project! I am getting close to my $1,500 goal and I would really love to exceed that if possible to help our fellow brothers and sisters who have and will sacrifice so much for us! I added an orange link at the top on the right that will take you directly to my fundraising page if you have a few extra bucks you are able to spare for this cause. 100% of the donations to my fundraising page will go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Help Me Support the Wounded Warrior Project!

Hi Friends and Family,

At a recent local Tough Mudder event, I qualified for the World’s Toughest Mudder series World Championships which will be held on December 17, 2011 in Englishtown, New Jersey. Clif Bar made it possible for me to fly back and compete for the title of the World’s Toughest Human Being. This will be a non-stop 24 hour military boot camp style obstacle course that has been designed by British Special Forces. For more information on this race, please click on this link: http://toughmudder.com/events/worlds-toughest-mudder-series-finals/.

All proceeds of this championship race go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project, which exists to honor and empower wounded warriors who incurred service-connected injures on or after September 11, 2001. For more information please click on this link: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.

To show my support for the Men and Women who courageously risk their lives daily for us to continually enjoy our freedoms, I have established my own fundraising page online to accept donations which will go directly to the Wounded Warrior Project. Growing up with my Father serving in the US Army who is still currently serving our country as a Major General, and with several friends who have fought in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, I have developed a very deep respect for these men and women who give our country so much. We can’t repay them, but we can help them.

Please join me in raising money for this wonderful cause. With no personal benefit to me other than the satisfaction of knowing I have helped in a small way, I have set a personal goal to raise over $1,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project. If you would like to join me in showing support for those who sacrifice so much, please click on the following link today to donate any amount you wish. 100% of your donation will go straight to the charity: https://www.RaceIt.com/fundraising/fundraise.aspx?event=4528&fundraiser=3433.

Thank you for your time and consideration. If you would like to follow my progress as I train for this world championship event, you may access my blog at: http://www.ericwjohnson.blogspot.com/.

Regards,

Eric Johnson

World's Toughest Mudder

At a recent local Tough Mudder event I qualified for the World’s Toughest Mudder series World Championships which will be held on December 17, 2011 in Englishtown, New Jersey. Clif Bar has been generous to cover the cost of the entry fee and offer me a finisher’s incentive so I am able to fly back and compete for the title of the World’s Toughest Human Being. This will be a non-stop 24 hour military boot camp style obstacle course that has been designed by British Special Forces. For more information on this race, please click on this link: http://toughmudder.com/events/worlds-toughest-mudder-series-finals/.

Thanks Clif Bar, Camelbak, Princeton Tec, and Mountain Hardwear!

2011 Western States 100 Mile Run!

I finished the 2011 Western States 100 Mile Run in 20 hrs and 48 mins! A new PR for this race by 1.5 hours. Looking forward to shaving off a lot more time on my next WS! I will have a full race report up shortly.

Eric Johnson, Holly Johnson, and Warren Johnson at finish of 2011 Western States 100 Mile Run

Eric Johnson at finish of 2011 Western States 100 Mile Run!

Miwok 100k May 7, 2011

The month of May was very busy. With Busy season officially over, the month of May is very busy with many different trainings at Ernst & Young, which is one of the great things working for EY. They are always investing their money and resources in us to gain very valuable and useful skills and knowledge for auditing financial statements. I found myself flying to the Los Angeles area each week during the month of May.

With that said, I was in LA the week of Miwok. Friday, the night before Miwok, I caught a flight at 8 pm and landed in Sacramento around 9:10. I did not get home until about 10 pm and it was time to say hello to Holly and Warren, and quickly pack my running gear for Miwok the next morning. I had to be to the coast a little over 2 hrs away before the sun came up at 5:00 am.

I finally got to sleep a little after midnight and woke up at 1:30 am. I am very fortunate to have some good friends and supporters of my crazy adventures that I work with. My friends from work, Kendall and Ronnie, were very nice to drive me down to Miwok leaving Sacramento at 2:30 am! Kendall drove and I rested in the back.

We got to the race site with about 30 minutes to spare. I quickly checked in and finished my final preparations for the race. I filled my small waist pack with my Clif Shot gels and a package of Clif Shot bloks. I grabbed my favorite Camelbak Quick Grip bottle, threw in one more Clif Shot gel into the little zipper and the three of us walked to the start line on the beach at 5 am. It was pretty cold just standing there in only running shorts and a race top, but very beautiful with the a hint of the sun now thinking about coming up and the faint sight and noise of crashing waves behind us.

The gun went off and I quickly fell into my conservative race pace. I am the type of runner that performs better by starting out at a conservative pace and continue that pace all the way through not slowing down much and keep pushing hard.

With my nagging plantar faciitis still in both feet, I was curious how I would hold up. After a few miles I started feeling it again. I knew it was not going to go away so I just embraced it and mentally prepared myself for the long run with the pain.

Eric Johnson around Mile 18 at 2011 Miwok 100k - Photo by Pedro Martinez

The race progressed well. I stayed in control and didn't overdo myself. I stayed hydrated with my Camelbak bottle and kept my electrolytes up with my Clif Shot gels. For pain management I made sure to keep some Advil in my system, which I later learned it is not good to use ibuprofen during these long races.

I got to the turn around point around the 35 mile mark after a substantial and long downhill. I was excited to see Kendall and Ronnie there waiting for me to pump me up mentally again and restock my supply of Clif Shot gels and Shot Bloks. I refilled and began pushing back up the hill. I had a good stretch up the hill and felt really good. It was also a mental uplift to see and say hi to many running friends coming down the hill in the opposite direction down towards the turn around.

Eric Johnson and Karl Hoagland around Mile 45 during 2011 Miwok 100k - Photo by Rick Gaston

I continued along my way and kept up my pace. Making my way down to the Muir Beach we ran through many dense weeds that stood 6'4'', the same height as me. The weeds hung over the trail and scraped up both my legs. Thankfully I did not see any poison oak down in this area as I am very allergic to it; however, soon after the race my skin on my legs started to burn and developed large welts. I am not sure what plant caused it, but I think it may have been stinging nettle.

I continued towards the finish. As usual, I like to push to the end, often running close to sub 7 minute miles. I usually pass people in the final mile and I often think that they think I am a jerk running them down the last mile after a long race, but I just like to push myself hard to the end and am not worried about catching and passing anyone.

With about 400 meters left I came around a turn and saw Kendall and Ronnie waiting in the middle of the road. The sight of them gave me a last minute adrenaline boost as I knew the finish was very close. They sprinted in with me and I finished in 10 hrs and 12 mins. I was 35th overall. I was very happy with my finish especially given the little sleep and lingering injury. It was fun to hang around the finish for a little bit, grab some food, catch up with some running friends, and receive the nice finisher's gear.

My good friends Kendall and Ronnie drove me back and that wrapped up another good day. Recovery from Miwok was pretty good, but by pushing myself my plantar faciitis flared up again and it would take a few weeks until with started to feel better again.

American River 50 Mile Run April 9, 2011

Still battling plantar faciitis in both feet and lack of sleep from new born baby Warren :) going into this race I did not have any big expectations other than run the race smart, see how my feet would hold up, run hard, and have fun.

I stuck to my plan to run smart, stuck through the pain, and finished the 50 miles in 7 hrs. and 7 mins. I was very happy with my time as I was only 24 mins. slower than my PR from the 2010 race. I finished 22nd overall and 3rd in my age group (18-29).

Way Too Cool 50k March 12, 2011

Eric and Holly Johnson at Way Too Cool 50k

This was an exciting race as it was my first race for the year and Holly was only a week and a half from her due date with Baby Warren! I had been also battling a bad case of plantar fasciitis since New Years so this was also a painful race. I had made a deal with Holly that I could run the race as long as when I woke up that morning she was not in labor. The other part of my deal was that I had to run with my cell phone in my waist pack in case she did go into labor I would find the fastest way back to my car and get her to the hospital.

As a public accountant, this race is in the heart of busy season for me every year. At this time of year I always find it difficult to get in any quality training time. So, this race always ends up just being a training run for me as I try to loose the busy season weight and this year each step hurt with my plantar fasciitis.

I did the best I could and finished in 4 hrs and 59 minutes. I was 125th overall. Although this was not my PR for this race, I was very proud of my performance given my circumstances!

Eric Johnson at Way Too Cool 50k Finish

Eric Johnson at Way Too Cool 50k finish

Introducing Warren Michael Johnson

We were blessed to welcome Warren into this world on March 22, 2011 at 2:30 am! He is a healthy big boy born at 9 lbs. 1 oz. and measured 20 3/4" long. I find it interesting to note that when I was born I weighed 9 lbs. 1 0z. and measured 21"! It will be fun to watch him as he grows to see if he turns out like me :) We are so grateful to have Warren in the family now and look forward to the many great memories to come!

Baby Warren Should Make His Debut Soon!

Holly and I are very blessed to welcome Baby Warren to our family soon! Due date March 15, 2011! We are very excited and can hardly wait. I am entered to run Way Too Cool 50k on March 12, but it all depends on when Warren decides to come! I will decide the morning of the race whether or not I will be able to make it as Holly may go into labor that same day. If you do not see me out there, it is safe to say Warren is on his way! If I am able to run, I don't have any big expectations for myself with this race as I have been battling a bad bout of plantar faciitis since New Years, and I have been working 80 hour weeks during the public accounting busy season right now! It makes it a little hard to get out for a run. So, WTC will be nothing but a training run for me this year with Western States 100 Mile Run as my main focus at the end of June. See everyone out on the trail!