Mopsothoth: Run With Lakas - Are You Tough Enough 2014

Lakas is more than Tough Enough

Brian, Kary, Jenny, Jim (RD), Dan, David

Intro (Dan reporting)

Lakas means strength in Filipino.

I think of my son Lakas’s strength when I run - he rode loops on his bike on our driveway, one end of which had a serious climb, it is difficult to even walk up. As soon as he started learning to ride (he had me ditch the training wheels on day one), he would attempt to climb to the top of the driveway. At first stopping around half way up, sometimes jumping off the bike as it crashed to the ground with him shouting ‘I’m ok, I’m ok!’, so he would not be called in early from his ride. As time went on day by day, he pushed harder and harder until he was finally topping out with a big grin saying that he 'did it!' and then coasting down on the grass and to go back and do it again. I have fond memories of standing in the driveway as he would do his loop, rooting for him as pushed to crest the top of the steep driveway and watching that big grin as he pushed through to coast back down and do it all over again. He had tenacity and he pushed himself, all the while having a blast and laughing. For me as his Father it was a serene moment, a pure moment.

I’ve been biking a bit lately due to a stress fracture and I think of Lakas as I push to get the RPMs/BPMs up. Sometimes I imagine him laughing and pushing down on my knees to help me to keep going, I channel his strength and miss him dearly also as a strong biking partner for Celine, Bayan and myself. We went biking offroad together and found some steep dirt fire roads at CSM to go on, we would coast down, his wheels fish tailing, but he stayed in control and then he would turn around and push hard to ride back up, he was determined and was not afraid to push himself, it is something he loved to do. We found a crazy jump that would have sent a rider about 20’ in the air over a road and Lakas said ‘Dad, I’m going to do it!’ Which of course freaked me out, and he agreed that it would be ok if he just posed on it. I imagine him thinking that later when he was older he was going to come back to that jump with his pals and see what they could do.

I know about Lakas’s strength from his fencing. In his last fencing class, he made some quick, deep lunges that I only saw in some of the better students in the more advanced class. He would extend far, legs spread with a powerful push. One time he extended so far, he could not immediately recover and instead comically fell down on his side and jokingly fenced from the floor for a couple of minutes. My spirit and heart felt warm seeing again some of those pure sporting moments from him. I have had some myself running or picking off the perfect pass in Ultimate, but this was different. It was the joy in seeing our treasured son move in a strong elegant way, a glimpse of his future, his athleticism and go for it spirit.

I miss Lakas, his physicality, wrestling with him in the family room as Bayan circles us, looking to help out his brother. I yearn to hear his jokes, see him and Bayan heads down telling each other stories, watching him snuggle in Celine’s lap after dinner, his big boy body overflowing his perch on Mom where he used to be a little bundle. It is so hard that he suddenly and unexpectedly passed away-- without prelude-- and I love him and miss him so much.

Our team ran this beautiful 65 mile relay race in the Santa Barbara mountains to honor our wonderful, strong and adventurous son Lakas who lived a full, strong, but far too short 8 years.

I appreciated joining with good friends and family to run this race in the spirit and strength of Lakas. Our team consisted of myself, Jenny, David, Brian and Kary. Celine and Sachi supported us by making food and Ink n Burn shirts with 'Run With Lakas' emblazoned across the front of the beautiful material colored like a swirl of our surrounding, blue oceans and California arroyo.

Jenny is my sister and Lakas’s Aunt. She and her family love Lakas and he loved playing with her boys and visiting their house. Jenny helped pace my first 50 miler and I ran with her in her first 50K in December last year, just weeks before Lakas died on Christmas last year. Jenny ran RUTE with us in 2012.

David is Lakas’s Godfather, and he knew Lakas from birth. Lakas often visited the Thompson house to play with the boys. I still see echoes of Lakas in David’s youngest son who was Lakas’s best pal. David and I are great running buddies, we ran our first Ultra together on the backside of the mountains that we were going to Run With Lakas. David has run all the RUTE races with us.

Brian is our great friend from Santa Barbara who we met through Lakas when he was an infant. Brian’s wife Paksy met Lakas and our nanny during an activity in Santa Barbara and craving diversity decided she just had to meet the family of our very cute mixed race boy. Lakas always liked visiting their home and family on trips back to Santa Barbara. Brian has run all the RUTE races with us.

Kary knew Lakas from his school in Santa Barbara, and her family came over for our famous Wii Waffle Sundays. She saw him in his natural element, playing games, having fun leading other kids in wild game both indoors and out. Kary was our 'ringer' in our first RUTE run in 2009.

Quick race report:

Start

This year we all rode together in one car, braving the fire road between the Gun Club and Broadcast peak (which I didn't think was too bad, but I was running that part.) It was good to be together, funny stories, talking about Lakas and how at previous races he would meet us with all the families at the last handoff and then race to the finish to run in with us.
We did a huddle at the start to thank Lakas for being with us in spirit and in our memories for the run and how sorry I was that he was not alive to join his brother and friends enjoying the day in the pool while they waited for us to get close to the finish.

Leg 1 - Starting Line (Brian reporting)

7:49 pace, 744’ vertical gain, 466’ vertical loss, 6.4 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/473893522
There is something surreal about the few minutes before the start. Time seems to slow down. Eager to get going but also knowing that there is world of pain awaiting.
Dan led an emotional huddle in prayer for Lakas. A reminder to cherish our memories, infuse our day with Lakas's energy, and make the most of the time we have.
A moment of supreme clarity.
Then we were off.
I have a tendency to run too fast the first few minutes. Like a child. "Look at me. We are in 1st. We are in 1st. We are the champions. Oh, no. Now we are in 2nd. Ok, well 3rd.” Measuring each passing person defining my place in the RUTE universe. After the 7th or 8th runner, I kept pace with two runners clocking 6:30s.
The first two miles on 192 were mostly downhill to the base of Ortega Ridge. The next two miles rolled through Montecito estates with massive Eucalyptus trees lining the road. Averaged in the 7:20s.
Turning at The Pharmacy at San Ysidro Rd, this is were the climbing (and the fun) begins. 7% grade. One of the runners fell away. Team NFT kept pace as we turned west on to E. Mountain. Running mile 5 in the 9:30s felt glacial compared to the downhill sprint. Lakas kept chanting, “No walking".
Mile 6 was more of a roller coaster. The last half mile (to 6.5) was super steep with 10%+ grade to the hand off at Cold Springs. I thought I had a very small appreciation for what lied ahead on Gibraltar for Dave and Jenny. Unbeknownst to us, the super strong Santa Ynez winds had other plans on the hill climb …

Leg 2 (David reporting)

I just want to start off by saying that this year's RUTE race was really something special for me. It meant so much to me to be able to run in support of my dear friends the Shimizu Clan and run together with friends to celebrate the amazing positive spirit of Lakas. This year Dan wanted to keep everyone together in one vehicle for the first time and it was awesome. I had so much fun celebrating and supporting with the team all together. Usually at the beginning of the RUTE race, we all gather to support the lead runner and then we are off in our vehicles to provide support and cheers on the road. However, this year before the race we circled up and Dan put this year's race into perspective with some heartfelt words reminding us all of the beautiful spirit of Lakas.

My leg started at the creek crossing on East Mountain Drive, after a blazing lead pace set by our ringer Brian. I had never run this leg for the RUTE race, but I have trained on Mountain Drive and I love this part of the course . I was a little more nervous during this race because I just started training again since my 2 year hiatus from running. However, this time I had a greater cause to make it back out on the course, and I am so grateful to support my friend Dan and be a part of this team once again. The leg initially starts with a small climb onto Mountain Drive that leads into 4 miles of mellow mountain running through the foothills of Montecito. The views on Mountain Drive are incredible and can really help distract a runner. I felt strong out of the gate, but man did my heart rate spike on the little climb up to Mountain Drive. Things did settle in after the first half mile and I quickly found a comfortable pace that I was able to maintain. It was a very quiet and beautiful scenic part of my leg, and for the first 4 miles I had a major tail wind that was pushing me along.
The solitude gave me time to reflect on my wonderful memories of Lakas and the beautiful friendship my family has with the Shimizu’s.

Things changed dramatically after the first 4 miles as I am redirected up to the grueling 2 mile climb up Gibraltar mountain. My pace slowed and my heart was pounding out of my chest, but eventually I settled into a grove. I had tons of great support up Gibraltar Mountain from the gang and I felt pretty good. After getting all of that support from the great tail winds on Mountain Drive, things flipped completely for the last mile of the leg up Gibraltar mountain. Now I found myself battling a crazy headwind. I did my best to push thru, but Gibraltar is tough enough without any extra added challenges. Luckily the yells and support from my team helped push through to the hand off to Jenny. Really I couldn’t complain too much about the wind because Jenny had to deal with it for her entire 5 mile climb up Gibraltar. Way to go girl!

Leg 3 (Jenny reporting)

Always close to each other, Dan and I found an even greater bond in running. Long distances running together meant hours spent talking about our families, our parents, our children and ourselves. The wonderful adventures that our boys spent together figured strongly in our conversations as did our hopes and dreams for them. I miss Lakas - his joy, his strength, his infectious energy when he is the part of a team. The last time we ran RUTE together, our families joined us at the end to celebrate our race. Lakas, his cousins and his "cousins" Miles & Parker met us with smiles and congratulations. This year we ran with Lakas in our hearts.

In the early dusk, Kary picked me up at the hotel with coffee - thank you! - and we headed to the Thompsons to pick up the rest of our team. With their wonderful hospitality, the Thompsons had packed so much amazing food that we could barely fit in our "all-terrain" rental SUV! All wearing our Run with Lakas Ink n Burn shirts and traveling together in one car, we were together the entire race, sharing memories of Lakas and inspiring each other with stories of his athletic joy. At the start, Dan, Kary and Dave re-connected with SB runner friends, but we reserved a moment before it started to dedicate our race to Lakas. Dan spoke beautifully about Lakas, and we all expressed our love for him and each other.
Brian ran the first leg with crazy speed - keeping pace with the top runners and staying loose. Kary tried to take out the top three runners with her car door, but luckily they were not only fast, but extremely agile! I love watching Brian run downhill - he looks like he's flying. I had run the first leg last time and remember how tough the last hill felt; Brian took it on with speed and gusto. Dave ran inspired on leg 2; looking comfortable and in control.

I remembered how he had powered up Gibraltar and was getting really excited to get started. I opened the car door and it almost blew closed on me!! What?! It was crazy windy outside - I even heard that someone's sandwich was blown out of her hand! Dan gave me some encouraging words, and I felt really emotional as I started my leg.

Dave passed me our GPS baton (great idea, Brian), and I was off! I was so excited to get started and with an incredible tailwind behind me, I felt like I was flying.

Then I turned the corner, and the world slowed down...or at least I did. I looked over at our awesome team on my left and at a tree on my right. It felt like I was running in place next to them! I was heading up Gibraltar against those crazy Santa Ynez winds.
With my team yelling out support, passing me water and bringing me Lakas' spirit, I regrouped and refocused. I just had to keep running, not just moving, but running. Thinking of Lakas, I started to cry; I love him so much. Then I looked around at this beautiful place where I was running - the ocean that he loved below me, the hills that he climbed around me and his father and friends next to me. I tried to smile and pictured Lakas smiling, too.
Mile 3 was the steepest, but I remembered that I was supposed to hit a "saddle" which would ease up on the climbing a little bit. At mile 3.5, I slipped through that portion (finally an 8:00/mile!) and continued climbing. I hadn’t seen many people on my leg, but then a runner passed me with ease…didn’t he feel the wind/hill?!

Finally the end was in sight, and Kary was there ready to go! I passed her the GPS and was happy to have this leg over!

Stats (according to my Garmin watch)

5.24 miles
10:59 pace (wow – slow!)
2, 142 ft elevation gain
…no info on the windspeed ;-)

Leg 4 (Kary reporting)

Watching my RUTE Teammates Run with Lakas was incredibly inspiring. Brian got the team off to a great start and we could have been in an even better position had my timing been a bit better! I was reminded of Dave's mental toughness as he powered through Leg 2 and up the first part of Gibraltar. This was my first time meeting Jenny and she was amazing to watch as the wind was relentless, pulling her back, as she charged up Gibraltar. I was excited to do my part and run with wild abandon on Leg 4. This was the first time my body moved quickly in over a year. I pictured Lakas on top of the mountain, running as fast as he could, breathing in the joy of the moment. I just wanted to run, not look at time, not look at pace, just run and enjoy. The view was amazing! I loved knowing my team was with me and hearing their words of encouragement as I ran with Lakas. Woo Hoo! There were two runners ahead of me and I so wanted to catch them. I knew the last couple miles were straight down hill and that in a prior RUTE had felt like I had wings as I flew down them. I had planned to do the same except my body thought differently. As soon as I was ready to take flight, my hamstrings snapped at me. I ran on tip toes trying to keep them from making any more noise. I finally made it to the bottom where my team was waiting for me and Dave was off running! I was grateful for the time between my two legs and the opportunity to spend more time with my teammates and watch them in action! Again, Dave powered through Leg 5 with amazing grit. Dan wanted to run Leg 6, the hardest leg while dealing with a stress fracture. He was pure determination. He was truly running with Lakas.

Leg 5 (David reporting)

Leg 5 was great because the race director made a last minute change to the course due to a road closure that shaved off one mile from my leg. This was an early sign that this was going to be a great leg. However, cutting out the first mile of the leg, which is flat, meant that I had to come out of the gate with a pretty hefty climb up West Camino Cielo. The winds mellowed out by the time my second leg had started, but the sun was out in full force and I could definitely feel the heat. Initially, the climb is very steep and brutal, but once you get about 2 miles up the views overlooking Goleta are spectacular. I could see my home and where we and the Shimizu clan lived and grew up together, and it was a nice reminder of Lakas and our purpose for the race that day. The climb continued and I kept pushing until I could hear the sounds of gun shots from the shooting range. I know it is weird to say that I was happy to hear gun fire, but It meant that my hand off to Dan was just around the bend. Leg 5 felt really good for me. I didn’t have any runners around me to worry about, and I felt like I could just run my own race with no worries. Now it was Dan’s turn to take on the long mountain run of West Camino Cielo, and run for Lakas.

I have had the fortunate opportunity to run this race four different times with many of my teammates, but this run was absolutely different and special. I felt so grateful to be able to be a part of friends who feel like family to me and to spend time together celebrating our friendship and accomplishing an incredible journey for Lakas. He always went big when it came to things in life and running in his honor felt like he was with us every step of the journey.

Thank you Dan for putting this on over the years, and bringing our families together.

Leg 6 (Dan reporting)

This was mostly fresh territory for me, running up and down on fireroad on the crest of the mountains getting beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean (where we sank Lakas's pirate ships with messages of love) and the Santa Ynez Valley where we took family day trips together when Lakas was young.
I was being careful about my stress fracture, watching to not slam my left leg down, but still pushing hard and keeeping the pace.
It was nice to have to have the company of the support car, encouraging cheers and shouts of 'Run With Lakas'.
I wore Lakas's Fitness Friday shoe necklace, proud of our strong son. He ran 17.25 miles to earn all the shoes on that necklace, I appreciated the light jingle of his shoes on my chest as I ran this leg.

Leg 7 (Brian reporting)

7:02 pace, 1850’ vertical drop, 6.0 miles
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/474215676
During Dan’s Leg 6, we had a blast off roading on West Camino Cielo in the Mercedes behemoth.
Dan had a stress fracture. It was fantastic watching him run so strong. Leg 6 is very difficult, long and hilly.
At the handoff, we were in position for a top ten finish. There were no teams immediately in front. The other two teams were chasing from behind.
Mostly downhill so I pushed forward at 6:50 pace for the first two miles.
Very beautiful, serene, and humbling to run on a ridge several thousand feet in the sky. Felt Lakas with me and kept pushing.
At mile 3, the road leveled out and I struggled a bit. Lakas was telling me that his dad went much faster on this leg and I had to pick it up.
As I crossed the saddle facing the back country, a stiff wind gave me a small taste of Jenny's Gibraltar experience.
Summoning Lakas’s spirit, I was able to finish the last three miles with each mile faster than the one before.

Leg 8 (Kary reporting)

Brian took charge of Leg 7 and I knew my turn was quickly approaching. I so wanted to run hard for my team. Leg 8 starts with a lot of off road down hill. I tried to do the best I could with legs I had at that moment. I pictured Lakas' huge smile and laughed out loud many times. I was so grateful to be on team Run with Lakas and tried my best to power through what were some tough miles. I was grateful Dave could tag team with me for the last bit of my turn as my body had no more to give. I joyfully watched as Jenny ran Leg 9, looking incredibly strong and determined - like brother, like sister! And soon we saw Celine and Sachi and the Boys! Dan ran the last leg, charging to the finish, "Running with Lakas".

Leg 9 (Jenny reporting)

By now, I am well-fed and well rested from my Gibraltar leg and ready to redeem myself (I thought I was ready to run hills…ha!). Kary ran a great Leg 4 – I had no idea that her hamstrings were bothering her; she ran beautifully, gazelle-like. Dave took on Leg 5 and really pushed it up those crazy, dry, hot hills. Dan finally got his first run on Leg 6, one of the toughest of them all. We decided to follow him in the car on the “passable” roads. It was a good idea – our team loved being together for the entire race. It was truly inspiring to watch him run, channeling his love for Lakas, yet ever mindful of his stress fracture. It was a powerful, emotional moment. Leg 7 was all Brian – his favorite downhill madness; ever striving to maintain our placement in the top 10. Kary showed her grit in Leg 8 – a tough one for her with legs hurting and a brutal rugged trail road to run. Dave passed me the “baton,” and I was off on my final leg – running to our families at Alisal Ranch and to my brother who would finish out the race.

We were still yo-yoing with a couple teams, so I really wanted to push it this leg. I felt like I still had something in me after my first leg. I headed straight out, remembering Dave’s wise advice that the beginning feels good, but don’t go crazy because there would be a couple hills in my future. I hit a good rhythm and even remembered landmarks from when Dan & I supported Dave last time. As I turned toward Solvang on Mission Drive, I was totally motivated to keep up my pace and distinctly recall grabbing a Gu from Kary and tearing it open with my teeth – yikes! Miles 3,4 & 5 felt easy and fast, averaging around 7:30s. I mentally prepared myself for the “longest golf course in the world” and kept pushing, looking for Dan and our families. Finally I saw him, our families and the Thompsons. I gave him the Garmin and he was off to finish the race, for himself, for Lakas, for Celine and Bayan, for all of us.

Stats (according to my Garmin watch)

6.78 miles
7:50 pace
elevation: up n down ~750 ft

This race meant more to me than any I have ever run. Being able to express my love for Lakas, my brother, Celine, Bayan and my family through this event felt right and true. I am grateful to have been included and am thankful that my brother and his family has friends in Dave, Brian and Kary.

Leg 10 (Dan reporting)

Running to the finish and home with our family and friends.
A journey with Lakas and also sorrow for him, that he can't be with us in the same way and grow up with our family, his mother, his brother,his cousins, and his friends that were all with us today as he has been in the past.
Ran through the finish to hugs from Celine and Bayan, hugs from family, hugs from friends.
Lakas in all of our hearts.

Overall Run with Lakas Team RUTE performance and thoughts (Brian Reporting)

8:20 pace, 9300’ vertical gain, 9K’ vertical loss, 63 miles, 9th place (out of 33), Team record.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/474211623
We had a stacked team this year. Among us, accomplished ultra runners and marathoners … and me.
Attending our Friday evening pre-race meet up at Fresco’s Goleta, I was welcomed as "the ringer.” Houston, we have a problem.
Injuries and life kept most of us from serious training. Yet, I could not have picked a better group of people to run our race. Powered by Lakas’s spirit, my teammates could "walk on" a very tough course and set a team record in a competitive race.
For almost 50 miles, three teams (including CARE For Paws and Team No Fun Time) ran neck and neck. It was an epic "Wide World of Sports" worthy endurance race lasting almost 9 hours with the lead shifting back and forth among the three teams.
[MUSIC TAGS] Tee up the Rocky I “Going the Distance". Announcer, George Jergens, in tears. “What is keeping these three teams going?”. [/MUSIC TAGS]
CARE ended up finishing 8th, four minutes ahead of us. Team NFT finishing six minutes behind. Team Run with Lakas reveled in 9th.
I am very proud to be part of the Run with Lakas RUTE 2014 team. I will remember that day and Lakas warmly for the rest of time.

The whole Run With Lakas crew.

Brian brought a Garmin for a baton.

Post-race stories, Lakas would have liked the hats we got as SWAG.

Jenny, Kary, Celine and Sachi at the finish line.

Prior to this year, our mixed team, Beauty and the Beasts, ran RUTE since 2009. The team consisted of one woman and four men. Our prior year Beauties, pictured together here, run for and with Lakas this year.

The boys also wear their cool Run With Lakas shirts. These are the very same shirts that Lakas himself wore a lot. He loved his Ink n Burn shirts. It was disconcerting to see his shirts on the boys, imagining they were Lakas!