Mark Dowds

A Lifesytle of Adventure

It has been a while since I posted anything here as I have been doing more writing on the MileASmile and Brainpark websites. A couple of years back I made a personal vow that I would look for something adventurous to do everyday even if it only took 15 minutes. I have been true to doing this for the most part and wish I would have logged it all down. Well, there are somethings I couldn't write publicly about but it would have been good to have a record of events.

Adventure for me is when my heart pumps a little faster and I am reminded that I am still alive. Over this past season I have ridden motocross, jumped out of a plane, won an ultramarathon, ran 100 miles, biked Mt Diablo, Jetskied Shasta Lake, got a tattoo, sang karaoke, mooned a restaurant, turned 40 and laughed until my heart is content to name a few. I think I may start doing some shorter posts to log some of the stupid things I get myself into.

I hope that I can still keep this rolling as old as I become. I always want to be caught with a sparkle of mischief in my eyes. I have met too many people who get focused on money, career, fame, or wanting to be liked. I hope that I can continuously navigate around these things without getting stuck and boring. This post was prompted by someone who I haven't seen for 20 years asking about me and whether I was still "mad". The response is a resounding "YES".

For this next season I am not sure all I am going to try. I am doing my first triathlon next month and think I will try an IronMan somewhere within a year. This means I need to re-learn how to swim properly and buy a road bike and learn how to do that as well. On top of this I am noodling on a very stupid running adventure that will make 100 mile race look tame. All this will precede the day I get to ride a motorcycle around central and south america for 6 weeks.

Oh, forgot to mention. I do work as well.

Rodeo Beach Ultramarathon

I am sitting at home feeling quite at peace and relieved that I completed it yesterday. I honestly had no idea if I could possibly run 50K as the furthest I had ever run was about 30 before that. I had no experience with regulating energy and hydration so I made sure I always had a full pack of water with gels and snacks between stations. I had a good amount of Salba in my porridge and smoothie before the run which I believe made all the difference. Or maybe it was the aerodynamic beard I grew for the day.

The run started and hundreds of people cheered and started gunning for it. This is when I began my shuffle. I let almost everyone run ahead of me and I just took it very slow and steady. The first hill was long and grueling as it was still quite foggy and cold and the wind was blowing in our faces. I think I may have cursed it a few times. One thing I learned from a few  books and other long distance runners is that if you start feeling the burn and you still can't see the end of the hill, walk. This is exactly what I did. Once at the top there were some fantastic single tracks which is where I am at my best.

Running around the Marin coastal headlands was spectacular. It reminded me of some of the coastal cliffs back in Ireland. I got distracted with the beauty a few times and almost fell of the tiny track I was running.

The hardest part of the day was the final 20K. The main reason was more mental than physical. The trail is laid out that we arrive back at the finish line with the 30K runners who are all excited and are then fed and watered and sent back out again. It felt like "well done, now go and do it again". If you really want the gory details I took a 10 minute bathroom break as I felt all of my insides would come out at some point and I prepared. Mind you that break cost me as I would have come in under 6hrs otherwise. Going back out and running around what I had just completed was rough but at least I knew what I was facing.

On the final 10K I was feeling a little disoriented and was convinced that I was dead last in the race as I had not seen anyone behind me since the 30K station. When I got to the final aid station I thanked them for waiting for me and asked if I was the last one. They laughed and told me that they would be there for another couple of hours as I was in the middle of the pack. On that note I had a couple of salted potatoes and gummy bears with a can of sprite and got all excited and ran off like 2 men and a wee lad.

I completed the run in 6hrs 8mins which was at least an hour faster than what I thought would be my best. This was my first official trail run. I have never run a normal marathon or any of that caper. A bunch of my friends were concerned and thought I was nuts but they know me well enough that if I say I will do something there is no way I will let it beat me. There is also high motivation as the prize is legendary. I am now the proud owner of a coaster.

The details and stats on the run are below. They are a little messed up as my garmin watch did not separate it from a short run a couple of days before. There is one of these in northern California mid January I am considering if anyone out there wants to join me?

Rodeo Beach 50K

Map your trip with EveryTrail

Let the Kids Ride

Supercross

I have been a fanatical motocross guy my whole life. It was what I wasted my childhood and teenage years doing. I gave it up for a while but have recently got back into it. One thing we never had in Ireland was Supercross which is like the premier soccer league of motocross. The courses are built in stadiums and are pretty extreme to say the least. I had the chance yesterday to go with my son experience the carnage. Here are some pictures of the competition.

Via a friend we got behind the scenes to meet the people. This is a picture of Shaughan with Kevin Windham (one of his heroes) who finished 2nd and 4 seconds behind Chad Reed