An open letter to my students

To my 5th & 6th graders-

I hope your Christmas breaks were great and I am sure you are ready for classes to resume. My training has been going great! I have been in Texas the last few weeks visiting family, friends, and having some running adventures. 

I wanted to write you this letter to tell you a couple things regarding my race. 

1. 1) Over the past six weeks you all have been praying over me and my race. If my race does not go great it does not mean your prayers were not answered. Only that The Lord has different plans so do not be discouraged. I may win, I may finish last, I may not even finish - but I will run in such a manner that glorifies the Lord and that is the happy ending I would love.
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3. 2) It's ok to chase a dream. It's ok to openly go after something that has meaning in your life even if you fall short. 
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5. 3) Your identity is not found in anything but Christ and if you fall short chasing your goals Jesus does not love you any less. 
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7. 4) Go big or go home. 

When I am running on Saturday I will certainly be thinking about you all and the amazing amount of support you have offered. I guess at the end of the day if I run in such a way that not only glorifies The Lord but inspires you too chase something, to go on adventure, and to be bold then I cannot ask for much more.  Thanks for all you have done for me over the last month and a half, I couldn't have asked for anything more. I will see y'all on Monday so make sure you wear your PE shoes.

-Sincerely your PE teacher,

 Mr. Pauley 

Product Review: Budstraps

My name is Joshua Pauley....and I have recently started wearing Budstraps.

Budstraps clip effortlessly to your buds

Budstraps to put simply; a budstrap is a strap that goes around your neck that has clips on both ends - which is used to clip to your earbuds (see photo). I run with music maybe once a week, twice if I am just feeling the tunes. The goal of Budstraps is to, "eliminate tangles, prevent the earbuds from getting accidentally yanked out of the ears, and being able to keep the earbuds nearby if they're removed temporarily."

After using this product for a few weeks I found that they accomplished this goal.  While using Budstraps I never had tangles or irritation. To be honest most of the time I forgot that I was even wearing them! Although, after many runs they needed a good washing which was quick and easy to do by just hand washing under warm water. Whether from sweat or washing they dry pretty quickly as well.

Budstraps wear pretty well and I did not experience any discomfort from rubbing or chafing. They offer two different products: Flex Sport and Free Flow Budstraps. Flex Sport are light and breathable. I am sometimes a sweater (as in I sweat buckets occasionally) but with the mesh fibers of the Flex Sport the sweat is wicked and the material stay light. Free Flow are a little bit thicker and are great for day to day use. I found that these were hand when doing the dishes or playing with the dogs.

For those who are fashion savvy Budstraps offer seven different color varieties!  But I find that all of them are pretty snazzy though. I'm not much of a selfie taker but this was worth at least one.

All in all I would most certainly reccomend this product for the runner, gym rat, or just the person doing work around the home or office.  With Christmas right around the corner these would make an excellent stocking stuffer!


~J. Pauley

Enjoying the Process: a year in review

My name is Joshua Pauley and I am enjoying the process.

I have just completed my first year of trail and ultra-racing. It has been a year of lows and highs, learning and patience, and some tears but mostly laughter. I really could not have asked more of this past year. I am truly blessed. Here are some high points from the year plus a short synopsis of my last few races.

•   I ran 10 races ranging from 50k-100k.
•   5 top 3 finishes (three of those being wins), 4 DNF’s (sucks to suck)
• My wife and I moved to Flagstaff to train
• Stayed generally healthy for the entire year
•  Became a member of Trail Racing Over Texas

JFK 50- This was my biggest race of the 2014 for me. A true learning experience above all else and also my first completed 50 miler. I finished 11^th over all in roughly 6:30.

Brazos Bend 100 (50 mile) – This race was just three weeks after JFK and I had quite a few issues here. Ranging from still being fatigued after JFK and battling the humidity. I decided to drop at 50k in hopes of leaving some in the tank for Bandera 100k just three weeks after. One day I’ll run well while Rob Goyen is around.

Bandera 100k (US Championship) – Here I was having the race of my life. Everything was clicking. I had moved up from 13^th all the way up to 7^th and showed no signs of stopping. It was really one of those days where everything just clicks. It was almost perfect. Then I took a small fall and was just planning on walking for three minutes. And long story short I got hypothermia. I don’t remember a lot about that portion of the race, I just remember “coming about” in a camper trailer with some awesome people trying to warm me up. This was the biggest bummer of the season I think. I couldn’t have asked for things to go any better up until then. But what do you do? The Lord was definitely looking out for me and it is so evident that people were praying for me that day and I’m glad that it was nothing more severe. His provision really is all I need.

So now what?

 

Now I look to ride out the winter here in Flagstaff and shift my focus to a spring marathon. I don’t think you can ever have to many tools in your arsenal of ultras so I hope to add a quick marathon time to that bag of tools. I’ll  be running under the guidance of long time mentor and coach Jacob Phillips. To learn more about some of his coaching options check him out here: Phillips Coaching . After the marathon I don’t really know what The Lord has in store from me. Maybe a quick turnaround to a 50k that summer. Or maybe another marathon. Who knows, only time will tell. Races always pop up.

A year ago I decided to set out on a journey of becoming an elite ultra-runner. But that is a long process. Let me say that again. It is a long process. It does not happen over night! I will continue to train and to learn. I have an amazing community and support around me so I know I cannot go wrong if I just keep plugging away. All in all I would say I had a decent year. It’s a step in the right direction. I just need to be patient (which is really what I struggle with most).

 

As I conclude this I do want to thank some people. My wife Mary, who always supports me and all my crazy ideas. She is so much braver than I am – and I really do admire and love that about her. If I raced as brave as she lives then anything would be possible. My family whether they were helping out financially or just through words of encouragement: my gratitude for them is insane! Rob Goyen (Rob's races), this guy just keeps believing in me and giving me opportunities. He’s like some sort of weird mix of brother/insightful uncle/old friend. It just works for us.

And all my running friends, from Texas to Flagstaff. There is really way too many to list and I would certainly leave someone out. Whether it was just lending an ear to hear my thoughts, write training, kick my butt on a run or give me insights about a race…it has just been great. Speaking of which, if you are interested in getting some great coaching check out Chris Vargo’s website (Vargo Running) – you cannot go wrong by trusting your next training block to this rad dude!

Thanks for keeping up with me. I know I have been a little inconsistent with my blog, but as I have more time this spring I hope to be a little bit better about writing. Whether I win every race or drop from every race all the glory to The Lord – only His love can sustain me.

~Keep Moving Forward,

J. Pauley.

T.R.O.T.

My name is Joshua Pauley and I am proud to announce my partnership with Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT).  Every great story begins with someone taking a chance and believing in someone else and that is what we have here.

I met Rob Goyen in February at my very first trail race. I think we had crossed paths via Facebook prior to the race and I knew to keep an eye out for him. As I was on my final 10 mile loop I ran through an aid station and there was a guy cheering me on – Rob Goyen. I stopped momentarily to shake his hand and introduce myself and he told me to get on my way. Since then we have had countless conversations about dreams and plans, him and his Ultra Sports Live crew have visited and broken bread with Mary and I, and now he has asked me to join his team and support his dream as well.

A partnership with TROT means a couple of different things to me. It means that I get the pleasure of representing a team which is something greater than myself. And it also means that maybe my goals are a little bit more attainable and realistic. And lastly but probably the most important a sponsorship by TROT means that someone believes in me. With just over a month until JFK 50 this is great timing. You can checkout the TROT website here:http://www.trailracingovertexas.com/team-t-r-o-t/ . And you can also checkout the races they put on at: http://www.brazosbend100.com/.

I have been incredibly blessed and I aim to make the most of it and not waste the gifts that I have been given. 

“I do not yet know what I am capable of. But if I am ever going to explore the limits of my own capabilities  then I must be uncomfortable and desperate. Running facilitates discomfort and desperateness – and that is why I love to run. For the pursuit of limits and discomfort.”

Mt. Taylor/Stagecoach 55k Race Report

My name is Joshua Pauley. And I have just been reminded that things do not always go as planned.

Gordon Ainsleigh the man himself. 

Mary and I headed out to Grants, NM on Friday to race the Mt. Taylor 50k. After waiting all week we were excited to be traveling.  At the race dinner that night Gordon Ainsleigh spoke to us about his origins. Somehow that turned into a discussion about cocaine…it was a little weird.

The next day the race started promptly at 6:30 and we headed towards the East to greet the sunrise. This race starts at 9,000’ and immediately climbs to roughly 11,000’. I took my time in this section and was comfortably in third. As the race went on and things were smooth until about 12.5 miles. I tripped on a something and felt a pop in my hip. My entire lower right side was hurting very badly and with every step it seemed to be getting worse. I was afraid that continuing on would only increase the damage done. It was a tough call and as I hiked four miles up to the next aid station I thought about it and prayed about it. As I pulled into the aid station thirty minutes late I knew that my day was done. Seeing Mary there waiting for me really did make things better though.

All of the planning and preparation for Mt. Taylor straight down the drain. But I would move on…and sooner than what I had thought.

As we headed home I got a text from a friend saying that the Stagecoach 100 had been canceled due to bad weather and there was going to be a 50k instead the next day. If my hip/glut felt better the next morning I knew I would want to be at Ian Torrence’s race.  He was gracious enough to invite me with arms wide open. Now it was about recovering and seeing how I felt the next morning.  I ate, I hydrated, foam rolled, and heated hoping to get things moving again.

Course profile for Stagecoach 100

The next morning I was sore but felt capable of running so we headed out to the starting line at 7 am. The race was the first 34 miles of the Stagecoach 100 course. I was not familiar with the course and did not know the details of it. Before the start I met up with Chris Vargo and he suggested we just run together – which sounded great to me. The race started and 50 meters later I looked to Chris and said, “I don’t know that this is a very good idea.” But we trudged on (which really means he told me to suck it up).

The race started with a five mile climb and my body warmed up.  I felt decent. Sore but capable. The next thing I know I was pulling into the first aid station. The volunteers told me that I was actually the first runner in and that the people ahead of me were relay runners. This came as quite a shock to me because I was content with hanging out for the day. But I figured I’d give it a shot to go all the way.

Then I made a mistake. I ran out of fuel before the next aid station (which was at mile 20). For some reason I thought there was an AS at mile 16.  I crawled into 20 out of water and fuel. But I was happy to see people. Ian coached me through the aid station as I drank coke and grabbed a couple of gels. Before I left I asked if there was another AS and he told me this was the last one….I went back and grabbed another gel.

It was a downhill race from here. I was hurting pretty badly the rest of the time. I had no idea who was behind me and if they were coming or not. The last 14 miles were all on wide and exposed trails – not single trek like I prefer. Before I knew it I was out of water again and I began overheating. I shuffled along step by step inching towards the finish line. At mile 31 I looked over my shoulder and to my dismay a runner had caught me. I tried responding but the legs were shot and the gas tank was just about on E.

I finished second in the first annual Stagecoach 55k in roughly 4:22. I just felt really depleted and empty. The previous day really had taken a toll on me that I was not expecting and that lead to my unraveling. I was happy to have been able to race this weekend and get in a great long effort.

This weekend was a great reminder that I am not in control and I do not know what the Lord has planned. If I just keep moving forward and trust in His will I know that things will work out…they always seem too.

Finishing up

It ended up being a good weekend. A special thanks to my wife Mary for supporting me in the ups and the downs, Ian Torrence for putting on good race (this guy is a true professional when it comes to race directing), and to Chris Vargo for the continual guidance towards my bigger goals.

-J. Pauley.