Personal Summary

Always striving to push my limits and see how good my best is.

• TRAINING LOG



• Athletic Summary
• Upcoming Events


• Adventure Racing
• October 22-24, USARA Nationals, Pilot Point TX
• 2009 Fall Sprint; Story Indiana
• 2009 Indianapolis Adventure Race, (2nd Overall)
• 2009 Thunder Rolls 24 Hr AR, (2nd Overall)
• 2009 PA Urban Sprint, (1st Overall)
• 2009 Midget AR, (1st division)
• 2009 Mission 18 Hr AR, (1st Overall)
• 2009 Planet Adventure Sprint, (1st Coed, 2nd Overall)
• 2009 LBL Challenge 24Hr, (5th Coed, 5th Overall)
• 2008 PA Sprint Redux
• 2008 Indianapolis Adventure Race, (1st Coed, 4th Overall)
• 2008 PA Urban Sprint (2nd Coed, 2nd Overall)
• 2008 Infiterra Adventure Rage 30 hr (7th)
• 2008 Odyssey Wild, Wonderful 24 hr; New River Gorge, WV (4th overall)
• 2007 PA Urban Sprint; Indianapolis, IN (2nd coed, 2nd overall)
• 2007 Odyssey Wild Wonderful 24 hr; New River Gorge, WV (1st premier)
• 2007 PA 24-Hour Challenge; Tell City, IN (5th co-ed,7th overall)
• 2007 Sunflower 24 hr; Lawrence, KS (13th overall)
• 2006 Adventure Rage 30Hr; Cadillac, MI (8th overall)
• 2006 Odyssey Wild Wonderful 15-Hr; (1st Male, 4th Overall)
• 2006 PA Sprint; Brown County, IN (2nd co-ed, 3rd overall)
• 2006 PA 24-Hour Challenge; Leavenworth, IN (17th overall)
• 2005 Indianapolis Adventure Race (2nd Division, 3rd Overall)
• 2005 PA Sprint; Valley Branch, IN (2nd Division, 5th Overall)
• 2004 Circle City Sprint - Indianapolis (10th division)
• 2004 PA Sprint; Clark State Forest, IN (1st Division, 2nd Overall)
• 2004 PA 24 Hr Challenge; Owen-Outman Counties, IN (15th Overall)
• 2003 Midwest Fury; French Lick, IN (1st overall)
• 2003 Wild Scallion; Chicago (10th Division)
• 2003 Indianapolis Adventure Race; Long Course (10th Overall)
• 2003 Circle City Sprint - Indianapolis
• 2003 Benchmark Appalachian; Portsmouth, OH (2nd Division, 18th Overall)


• Orienteering & Rogaines
• 2009 ICO Orienteering Meet, Story, IN
• 2009 Conquer the Crossroads Rogaine, (1st, 6hr course)
• 2006 ICO 12 Hour Rogaine - Brownstown, IN (4th overall)
• 2005 Conquer the Crossroads 12 hour Rogaine (1st Overall)
• 2004 Conquer the Crossroads 12 hour Rogaine (3rd Division, 7th overall)
• 2004 Indianapolis Metrogaine (3 hour)


• Running
• 2009 TNT 5k; Horizon Camp, 8th
• 2009 Dances with Dirt; Gnawbone, IN
• 2007 Tecumseh Trail Marathon
• 2003 Tecumseh Trail Marathon
• 2003 River to River Stage Run (Illinois)
• 2002 Chicago Marathon
• 1998-2005 Indianapolis mini marathon


• Cycling
• 2009 Three State Three Mountain Century; Chattanooga, TN
• 2009 Brown County State Park Road Race


• Other
• Downhill skiing since 1990
• Climbing and mountaineering since 1992

Mike Garrison

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Monday, May 11, 2009

2009 GnawBone Dances with Dirt 50 mile relay

A couple of months ago Paula Pearson began assembling an all women's team for the GnawBone edition of Dances with Dirt. This is the second year for the event in Nashville and they offer a half marathon, a full marathon, a 50k ultra and a 50 mile ultra as well as a 50 mile relay.

The relay for the most part has a pretty casual and laid back vibe. They construct the course so that you can "cheat" if your team is falling behind. You record all your cheat time, and it gets added back in to your total time so that when places are figured, it doesn't really give you an advantage. Teams are also encouraged to wear costumes and paint their support vehicles. It made for a pretty cool vibe for the day.

So Cristal got recruited to run and at some point the team became a "promotional" team for NSAAR, the Indiana women's adventure race. Unfortunately Cristal found out about four weeks ago that her foot was broken, so there would be no trail running for her on Saturday. Trying to be the good husband I offered to run in her place. I even offered to wear the team "uniform" that Paula has done such an excellent job making popular in recent months.

Here is what I have learned after wearing a pink tutu for the

better part of a day...

1. When drawing attention to onesself is the goal, a man in a tutu is a highly effective marketing tool.

2. Guys don't like it when other guys in pink tutus pass them. I mean they REALLY don't like it...

3. When wearing a pink tutu do NOT pick your nose or do anything else remotely embarassing at any time during the day as the probability of someone taking a picture of you at that exact instant is actually quite high.

4. Stay as close as possible to the guy in the Monty Python knight's costume to redirect at least a portion of the strange looks from yourself.

5. If you want to win the costume contest, don't wear anything under the tutu. If you want to maintain a shred of dignity, keep your shorts on. (I chose dignity, kudos to the guy in the patient gown that "hung it all out there" in an attempt to win the costume contest.)

6. A grumpy redneck referring to you as a "fairy" is fantastic motivation to get the mile pace under 7 minutes.

7. When the women are complementary of your willingness to wear a tutu for the day they generally mean it. The men who commend you are lying. In reality they think your are a pansy, and are relieved beyond belief that they did not agree to do anything like it.

8. You have to be willing to not take yourself seriously for a day. Seriousness. Pink tutu. I don't believe further elaboration is needed.

9. Did I mention that guys don't like to be passed on the trail by other guys in pink tutu's? This one is worth mentioning twice. It should also be noted that you can use this for entertainment. Once you have been identified by a male runner in front of you maintain a 20-25 foot gap. Watch him struggle in the mud to not get passed. Good times, good times...

10. Be prepared for the pink tutu to become part of your legacy. Digital photography and Facebook are forces of nature stronger than gravity.

11. One must be comfortable with their masculinity and the proposition of losing said masculinity for an unknown amount of time, (see point 10).

12. Most of all though; Have fun!!

In all seriousness, (I'm not wearing the tutu now, so I can be serious) I had a blast Saturday and the conditions were perfect for an event like this. Muddy sloppy trails from the rain the night before, but sunny skies to run under. My fellow runners (Ashley, Becky, Paula and Rachel) were great and our coaches/managers (Cristal and James) were awesome! Everyone had a blast and put in some good effort on the trails. (One runner was so into the effort, that she did a little bonus mileage.)

Hopefully we got the word out about NSAAR and we'll see plenty of ladies out there racing this fall, and men volunteering. (Tutu's optional, but encouraged.)

Mike Garrison

Indy Rootstock

Labels: Running

posted by Garrison at 9:48 AM