Ultra Kraut Running

Not expecting to get drawn in the lottery, I had already entered a couple of other competitive ultras in Europe that I considered bucket list races, which now needed to be cancelled. After all, this may be my only chance to ever run States. As such, I planned my entire summer around it. That didn't mean that it would be my only ultra this summer or even my only 100 miler. You see, the Western States 100 is the crown jewel of the US Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which requires completion of four of the five oldest 100 mile ultramarathons on the United States. Since it is extremely difficult to get drawn in the WS lottery, I decided to go for the Slam. This meant entering another three race lotteries  (Old Dominion 100 didn't require a lottery entry) and keeping my fingers crossed. Ultimately, I chose to run the six oldest 100 milers in the US over the course of 14 weeks, called the Last Great Race with States the second in the series. This summer's slogan: "Go big or go home!"
Once I knew I was running States, it was time to jump on booking flights and accommodations. I reached out to Rick Rawls, a friend of mine who had run in two years prior, for advice on travel and ended up booking a place about 50 yards from the startline. My wife and I decided to travel to Squaw Valley, CA the Wednesday prior to race weekend. Race activities started on Thursday and I did not want to miss out on any of them. Luckily, I was able to convince my good buddy and training partner Paul Morris to give up a long weekend to accompany both to assist my wife Anya in crewing and as a pacer for the final 38 miles of the race.
Upon our arrival in Sacramento, Anya and I headed straight to Walmart for food supplies, a large cooler and a couple of camping chairs before grabbing lunch at a great vegan spot before making the beautiful drive to Squaw Valley, CA near Lake Tahoe. We arrived with plenty of daylight left to check in to our place and to check out the village, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Paul would arrive the following day, just in time for the crew meeting at one of the conference centers.
The plan for race week was to take it easy. After all, I had no idea how much or how little I was truly recovered from running the Old Dominion 100 four weeks earlier. However, I did take time for a short and easy shakeout run with Matt Hawkins Thursday morning and another with Paul about a mile and a half up the Escarpment and back on Friday morning. It is during this run that we bumped into my good buddy Brian Fisher from Seattle. It was great catching up with him. On top of that, he was kind enough to catch me during the race and snap a coupe of pics (and a video clip) during and after the race, thanks man!
Friday consisted mostly of getting checked in, checking out the expo and catching up with friends, old and new, including the "large" Huntsville contingent of DeWayne, Liz, Emily and myself. After a lunch at the local Irish gastro pub and watching the US women play in the World Cup, I headed over to the mandatory pre-race briefing. Afterwards, Anya had kindly agreed to pasta dinner in our studio apartment to ensure I didn't experiment with foods the night before what would likely be my biggest ultra adventure ever. I had already dropped off my nine drop bags (mostly nutrition only) that morning, so after dinner, it was pretty much lights out for me aside from watching a little TV. After all, the 4AM alarm would come soon enough and I needed to get up right way to take a quick shower and to tape my feet as usual before a 100 mile race.
After six months of training, race morning had finally arrived. I took a shower, taped my feet and went back and forth between wearing a windbreaker and not wearing one due to the low 38 degree temps at the start of the race. However, knowing that we would take on a massive climb up to the Escarpment, the highest point of the race at 8400', I decided to ditch the windbreaker and just use arm sleeves, instead. Headlamps wouldn't be necessary either. I had checked video footage from years prior to be certain.
The atmosphere 30 minutes prior to the start of the race was electric. Runners, friends and family were hugging and high fiving each other while staying warm inside the building right at the start line arch for as long as possible. I was rearing to go. When the traditional start gun was fired, the throng of runners yelled, screamed and hollered along with the crowd of spectators as we made our way under the startline arch and up the Escarpment. The only other time I experienced such excitement (albeit on a larger scale) was at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. It as awesome!
I carried that excitement and it carried me for the entire climb up the Escarpment. Near the top we started to encounter the first signs of hard packed/frozen snow. This snow cover would continue for the next 15 miles plus a few more patches here and there after. Mostly they were snow banks that required quite a bit of attention as we made our way along cambered sections of snow and ice. If it weren't for the course flagging, I would not have been able to find my way across.
My plan for this race was simple, just stay ahead of the sub 24 hour pace. the Western States staff had taken the guess work out of pacing, by creating pace charts based on both terrain and previous years' finishers, so all I needed to do is keep an eye on that pace. I started extremely conservatively without ever checking my watch until about mile 10 at the first aid station Lyon Ridge, when it showed that I was actually 20 minutes behind sub 24 hour pace...say what??? The snow had caused my progress to be much slower than anticipated. However, I did not let that stress me out at all. Instead, I relaxed and continued on. I fully expected to make up the time latter as long as I didn't try to start chasing the pace and splits. Eventually, I did just that, but if you were to look at the splits posted so kindly by WS staff, I never had a sub 24 hour buffer larger than 15 minutes throughout the entire race. In fact, most of the time, I barely had 5 minutes of cushion below the 24 hour pace. While that did ultimately add a little bot of stress, it also kept me more focused than I had been in a race in a long time. It gave me a carrot to chase without causing me to blow up. I had no desired time goal other than to earn that silver buckle, so there was no reason to even attempt to build a bigger cushion (though I'm fairly sure, I couldn't have done that anyway). It seemed I only had one gear in the latter stages of the race, but fortunately enough, it was fast enough to get me there.
After Lyon Ridge, the snow continued all the way until Red Star Ridge AS around mile 16 and I continued my controlled pace, taking in the amazing scenery of Tahoe National Forest around me. I kept my GoPro Hero 7 close at hand and kept taking short clips. This also kept me from going too hard too early. The next 15 miles from Red Star Ridge via Duncan Canyon AS to Robinson Flat AS were fairly uneventful. I kept an eye on my nutrition and hydration in anticipation of the hottest part of the day in the famous canyons. I did enjoy the cooling effects of the Duncan Creek crossing in the bottom of the canyon before starting the first "warmer" climb of the day. The four mile climb out of the canyon and to Robinson Flat AS was slow and grinding, but I was in great spirits and I was looking forward to seeing my crew for the very first time. When I arrived, they were all set up for me and got me reloaded with fuel and cooled down with my cooling bandana contraption. I spent some time here to enjoy the moment and the break and to chug a can of Coke:-)
Once I left Robinson, I knew I wouldn't see my crew again until 25 miles later at Michigan Bluff. In between, I would have to run up and down a couple of canyons and conquer the massive climb up Devil's Thumb. My first "troubles" started around mile 43 at Last Chance AS. The very runnable mile leading into this aid station, I was reduced to a walk. I knew I was overheating (yes, even in this year's "cool" temps) as I was no longer feeling hot. Once I arrived at the AS, I asked for hot soup rather than ice. In fact, i declined any and all ice from that point of the race forward. Food had also become much harder to stomach. While I continued to force down a gel every once in a while, most of my calories now came from Gu Brew Roctane and Coca-Cola. Eating was no longer an option. Once I arrived at Michigan Bluff and saw my crew again, I forced down some salted potatoes, but I felt like throwing up at this point. I left Michigan Bluff in great spirits, knowing that Paul would join me 6 miles later at Foresthill AS at mile 62. I kept a controlled pace, never really pushing but still getting worn down as the race progressed.
I was confident that I could continue to chase that sub 24 hour finish as long as I stayed just near the required pace. I had "warned" Paul that if I was close to sub 24 hour pace when I joined me, his job was to keep me moving and to get me in under 24 hours...no pressure:-) We ran most of the next 16 miles to Rucky Chucky and didn't have to reach for our headlamps until the section between Cal 2 and Cal 3 aid stations around mile 71. The final section leading to the Rucky Chucky river crossing seemed to last forever as did the section climbing out of Rucky Chucky. One of the highlights of my day was actually sharing the boat taking us across the river with Dave Mackey, a true living legend in the sport of ultrarunning. If you don't know Dave and his story, do yourself a favor and read up on him. I dare you not to be inspired!
Unfortunately, I would see Dave again around mil 93 just before he had to call it quits for the day, but not until putting down the hammer in the previous section. He was well on pace to run sub 24 hours and if you need to know why that is special, look him up. Paul and I continued our grind and by now, I was never more than 5 minutes ahead of the 24 hour time cutoff. Ultimately, I decided to start running through some of the latter aid stations to try to make up some time and it worked.
My friend and pacer Paul and I finally entered the famous Placer High School track with my wife waiting and cheering as I ran the final 200m to the finish line of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. I crossed the line just under 23 hours and 44 minutes earning that coveted Silver Buckle. The latter miles of this race were pretty much a blur, grinding up the hills and trying to muster more than just a shuffle on the flats and the downhills and I owe it to Paul to actually keep me in the game. I'm thankful beyond words to both Paul and my wife Anya for joining me on this adventure that at times was probably way more challenging for them than for me. After all, I signed up for this things and I actually got to run it. For now, I am still processing this race. However, I also already have decided to enter the lottery again next year. While I knew this race was huge, I did not know just how epic this race course was and I hope tog et another go at it some day.
Thanks to all of the volunteers, board of directors and staff that make this amazing event possible. This experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. I hop to be back in Squaw Valley and Auburn, CA in the near future, be that as runner, crew or pacer.
Please see section below for my race and drop bag gear choices. Further edits to follow.















Gear List and Drop Bags

Drop bag contents, running gear and other supplies being laid out and organized before packing for the Western States 100.

While I do pack and plan differently for a 100 mile race when I have the luxury of a crew and/or pacer, the content of my drop bags is essentially the same. As is evident in the picture, I am fairly organized with my race logistics (with some OCD tendencies that I have more or less under control until its 100 mile race week). I create and print aid station and pace charts as well as drop bag tags and I go as far as laminating them. You never know weather conditions on race day and there would be nothing worse than not being able to read our pace chart or identify your drop bags because the pen or ink has bled all over due to being rain soaked. Anyway, that's my reasoning and I won't be convinced otherwise.

My drop bags mainly contain all of my nutrition (both vegan gels by Spring Energy and Gu Brew Roctane) necessary to get me from one drop bag to the next drop bag location. Since the distance between aid stations with drop bag access varies, I sometimes carry as little as 1 gel and as many as 5 gels (one for every 45 minutes of running) as well as the appropriate amount of drink powder (for one 16oz bottle of Gu Brew for every 60 minutes of running). This ensures that I consume about 300 calories per hour from the start of the race. This number may taper down as I slow down in the latter stages of the races, thereby both requiring less calories and desiring less calories. While I don't usually have stomach issues, my appetite does taper down as the race progresses into the later stages and during hot segments.

It was a very valid question. After all, it is highly unlikely that I'll get back into Western States any time soon, so if I was ever going to attempt the Grand Slam, now was the time to give it a shot. But just because you want to do something doesn't mean you get to. After all, the Grand Slam consists of running four of the five oldest 100 mile races in the US over the course of fourteen weeks and all but one of them require participants to enter a lottery to win an entry. After gaining entry into Western States and after deciding to attempt the Grand Slam (lottery gods willing) I immediately signed up for the Old Dominion 100, the only race not yet requiring entry via a lottery system. Next, I made sure to enter the Vermont 100, Leadville 100 and Wasatch 100 lotteries.

In order to complete the Slam, I just needed to get lucky enough to win entries in two of these three lotteries. As I was awaiting the different lottery results to be announced, I started to do some research on the Grand Slam to find out how others have prepared for this challenge. In the process, I found out about another intriguing challenge, the "Last Great Race", running the six oldest 100 mile races in the US over the same 14 weeks. This challenge included running and finishing all five Grand Slam races plus completing Angeles Crest 100, which is sandwiched between the Vermont 100 and the Leadville 100 races. By default, it also includes the "Western Slam", which consists of Western States, Angeles Crest, Leadville Trail and Wasatch Front. Three Slams over the course of one summer, what could possibly go wrong:-)

Ultimately, it took a lot of help from Lady Fortuna and a couple of helpful friends and race directors to even allow me to attempt this challenge. Next, I needed to start planning out logistics. Six race locations across the US, none of them within driving distance meant booking 6 different flights, at least six different accommodations (point to point races like WS and AC requiring multiple bookings) and six rental car reservations and the earlier I'd lock them down, the cheaper it would be. It definitely helped my budget that I had collected enough frequent flyer miles to pay for at least 3 of the trips.

Next, I started to check with my friends and training buddies to see who was interested to share in the adventure, i.e. either crew or pace or do both at one of the races. As everyone knows, it is always more fun to share adventures with friends and family rather than going solo. That said, I've run at least half of my 100 mile races to date without any crew or pacers and am very comfortable running solo while utilizing drop bags at different check points. After checking with everyone's schedules, I was stoked to see that I would have either one of my friends or my wife along for at least four out of the six events.  

Finally, I had to put together a training plan. Since I wasn't training for a single goal race but rather a series of 100 mile races over a short period of time, the main focus of my training would be on consistent running and trying to "beat up" my body with volume to get used to running six back to back 100s over the summer. I opted for a five months build up, where I focused on slowly increasing mileage in three week training blocks followed by a down week with my peak mileage hitting 100 miles about four weeks out from the first race of the summer. In addition, I upped my weekly core & weight training sessions to three. I also tried to focus more on running rather than training for vert with my only "speed training" being various trail half marathon to 50K distance races thrown in for good measure. When it was all said and done, I had racked up more than 150,000' of vertical gain and 1500 miles of running in the five months leading up to the first race in the challenge, the Old Dominion 100 Mile Cross Country Run on June 1, 2019 in Woodstock, Virginia.

In the final week leading up to race weekend, I only focused on selecting my race day nutrition, gear choices and packing my drop bags and putting the final touches on my pace chart (cheat sheet) that would provide some general guidance for me throughout the race.

My Friday morning flight to Dulles, VA departed Huntsville, AL at 5:30AM and I was thankful that my better half was kind enough to get up even earlier than usual to take me to the airport before she had to get ready for work. I had already packed and tagged a total of 7 drop bags inside my giant duffel that contained anything ranging from zip log bags with gels and drink powder to spare trail shoes and socks and tape, sunscreen and bug spray. The latter proved to be the most important item as horse flies do not take pity on a runner having slowed to 13 min per mile pace 70 miles into the race.

I arrived in Dulles Airport around 11AM, picked up my rental car, stopped by a local Whole Foods (to ensure vegan food options during race weekend) and then drove 90 minutes to Woodstock, VA the start and finish location of the Old Dominion 100. I had enough time to check into my AirBnB conveniently located a short 3 min drive from the county fairground, before heading to said fairground for race check-in and the mandatory pre-race briefing.

When I arrived at the race HQ for my check-in, I did not recognize any of the other runners. In fact, I've seen more familiar faces while running races in Europe. However, that would change the following day, when I got to meet, run and share stories with nearly a third of all starters as we made our way through Fort Valley and the Massanutten Mountains in our efforts to complete the Old Dominion 100 Miler in under 24 hours to earn a silver buckle or 28 hours for an official finish.

Just after placing my drop bags at the appropriate drop off spots along the wall and before the 5PM mandatory pre-race briefing started, I managed to find Sean Nakamura, the only other nutter attempting the Last Great Race who also happens to be a fellow Altra Team Red athlete, so I could introduce myself. Sean and I would attempt to only be the 38th and 39th runner in 30+ years to complete this challenge. The pre-race briefing included not only an extremely helpful walkthrough of the race course and its markings (easing my initial fears for the potential of getting lost on a course with quite a few course overlaps and intersections), but also an awesome overview of the race history by its founder Pat Botts.

By 8PM I was back at my AirBnB eating Vegetable Fried Rice and laying out my final pieces of ear before trying to get some sleep prior to my 2:45AM wakeup call for a 4AM race start. I arrived at the fairgrounds 30 minutes ahead of the start for race day check-in and for some last minute pics. True to its old school vibe and low key feel, we took off unceremoniously at 4AM sharp. We would be led around the horse race track for one loop to the sounds of "Chariots of Fire" before we followed a police car through the town of Woodstock and headed towards the first major ascent of the race.

I had lined up in the final third of runners as my goal was to be conservative from the start and run entirely by feel. Sub 22 would be great, but a sub 24 hour finish was the main goal. I did not want to leave Virginia without a buckle:-) However, I had to make sure not to chase any particular time goals other than an official finish, since I had 5 more 100 milers to finish in the next 14 weeks. That would be my overarching mantra throughout the day. Don't chase any times, just keep it steady and continue to move. Thankfully, I fell in with an awesome group of runners until we hit the first 50K mark. Rebecca, Walt, Jacob and I kept each other entertained and made the miles fly by. Each of them had some amazing stories to share and I can't wait for our paths to cross gain.

As is the hallmark of running a 100 mile ultra marathon, things are bound to go wrong. The trick is to deal with them and not let anything throw you off your path or ultimate goal, which is to cross the finish line. Running 100 miles is 90% mental and 10% physical. Well, I received my first curve ball no more than 6miles into the race, when my GPS watch decided to fail. The battery was fully charged, the latest software and firmware loaded, yet the screen froze up on some type of reboot screen. I was never able to resolve it as Suunto only allows hard resets via a computer, so I was basically SOL in the middle of the woods. After carrying this brick on my wrist for another few hours, I finally opted to leave it in one of my drop bags. After just 6 miles, I was running "naked". While I had planned to run by feel, I had planned to use the watch to remind me when to eat, when to drink and when to take salt. Just eating or drinking when I feel like it just does not work for me in a 100 mile race. 

However, while I would normally have lost it and spent hours being frustrated with this situation, I quickly acknowledged this as being something outside my control and that there are things a lot worse than equipment failure. At least my body was working without any noticeable physical issues, which was a win. And with that, I moved on. At least I had my little aid station and pace chart, so I could verify my pace at each aid station after asking for the time. I would also keep an eye on my nutrition by tracking my expected time between aid stations and ensuring that I would drink one or two bottles of fluids between each check point as well as eat the appropriate amount of gels. Thankfully, runners around me would always be willing to share the time of day with me as well, so I could keep an eye on my nutrition that way as well. All in all, running naked had no negative affect on my race or my race performance.

After 50K, our little running group of 4 split up as we left the aid station at different times. We would not see each other again until the next day during the awards breakfast. From hereon out I would run the next 20 miles more or less solo. Speaking of solo, I cannot thank the amazing volunteers enough. As a solo runner, I was relying solely on my drop bags for support and the volunteers at each aid station were just incredibly helpful with getting your stuff and getting you fueled and back out on the course in no time. More than one volunteer had to spray me down with both layers of sunscreen and bug spray on more than one occasion.

Around mile 50, I fell in with yet another small group of runners for a brief period of time before we would stretch out again and I was left running alongside local runner Raymond Rogers, who'd finished this race a couple of times before. He was great company and we ended up basically running the entire second half of this race together. His knowledge of the course and split times from previous years provided valuable info as we made our way along the course. I was also glad to have another human being around when I finally had my very first bear encounter around mile 65 or so, a black bear mama with her cub climbing in a tree adjacent to our trail. This was definitely the most excitement I had all day. While I did manage to capture the encounter on video, the photo I grabbed barely distinguishes the two bears.

After that rush of adrenaline of having to wait out the two bears before continuing on, I out my focus back on the task at hand, arriving at mile 75 before dark as I had made the rookie mistake of not carrying a small backup torch in my pack. Either way, it as great motivation to just keep moving to beat the dark before my next drop bag. Raymond and I made it in time. I also finally changed out of my Altra Duo road shoes after 75 miles of running and into my Altra Timp 1.5 trail shoes as I was told the next 13 miles would be rather technical, especially considering that we would be covering much of it in the dark. It turned out to be a good choice, but because it as so dry, road shoes would have been fine, too.

I restocked my pack and off we went to tackle the final 25 miles. Again, I'm grateful for Raymond's company over the next few hours as I have the tendency to get quite sleepy in the wee hours of the night and his company and conversation kept me awake and moving. Again, his trail knowledge also made for a much better experience as he always knew exactly what to expect in what lay ahead. 

After we completed the final climb, Raymond finally took his feet off the brakes and flew down the long descent towards Woodstock. I was quite a bit more conservative on the descent, especially on the first mile. However, once it started to drizzle with lightning and thunder in the distance, I decided to push just a little bit to avoid any surprise thunderstorms. After all, I was within reach of a sub 24 hour finish and I wanted to avoid any risk of jeopardizing that. I caught up to Raymond again just before Woodstock and we stayed together until about a mile to the finish, when I opted to walk it in rather than keep pushing. I'm not proud of that, but I knew I had 24 hours in the bag and I had much more races remaining for the summer. When it was all said and done, I crossed the finish line after one final loop around the horse track in 23 hours 9 minutes and 1 second. Raymond had waited at the finish and after quick high fives, we both took off to get some sleep.

I had set my alarm for 8:30AM the next morning as I did not want to miss the 9AM awards breakfast. I only got about 4 hours of sleep, but I was right awake. It was great to see everyone again after the race and hear how each other's races unfolded. I was stoked to receive my OD100 silver buckle along with 37 other runners. Another 22 runners received their official OD100 finisher awards, completing what turned out to be the highest or second highest finisher rate in the history of the race. It was a warm day as expected, but what surprised me the most were the climbs. There were steep climb and technical climbs and steep descents. Granted, there was also a lot of runnable terrain, but my legs and especially my quads felt this race way more than I would have expected. 

The varied terrain and beautiful countryside along with the old school vibe and low key feel definitely make this one race that must be on everyone's bucket list. There is a reason this race has been around for more than 40 years. It is truly a gem and anyone not toeing the line is doing themselves a disservice. You want to know about the history of ultrarunning and what it is all about? This race is it, so come check it out. I promise, you will not regret it.

UPDATE - Gear and Drop Bag Choices
Since I would be running entirely solo, without crew or safety runner, my drop bags and gear selection would be key to minimize issues related to either fuel or running gear. Old Dominion 100 allows drop bags at 9 of its 24 aid stations. Runners would hit two of the aid stations with drop bag access twice, so I only needed to prepare 7 drop bags in total. I made use of all of them as it would allow me to spread out my fuel along the course and minimize the weight I had to carry. I would calculate 1 Spring Energy gel for every 45 minutes of running, 1 1/2 scoops of Gu Brew Roctane for a 16oz bottle per hour and 2 Scaps per hour. I spread a total of 32 vegan Spring Energy gels and 25 zip lock bags of Roctane powder across all 7 drop bags. I ended up not using all of it, but it provided all the nutrition I needed for 23 hours of running along with one banana and half a veggie burger.

I also strategically placed spare trail shoes, spare shirts and shorts, socks, buff, bug spray (very important to combat horse flies) and sunscreen as well as precut tape (for hotspot/blister treatment). I also put a LEDlenser MH10 (600 lumen) headlamp in my 75 mile drop bag, which worked out perfectly. I also placed some hand bottles in one of the drop bags in case I got too hot in my Salomon S-Lab Sense Ultra 5 vest in the humid and hot Virginia summer.

Finally, I carried an iPod Shuffle and placed another in one of my drop bags. On a side note, I have yet to actually use my iPods during a race, but I like the idea of having music there to get me through some lonely rough patches. FYI, iPods in general are a hot commodity these days as they are no longer produced or even sold by Apple. It is even rarer to find iPod Shuffles that have been waterproofed. If you live and train in the hot and humid southeast, then you know why. I've burned through multiple iPods back in the day, before I realized that my sweat was literally destroying them, because they aren't waterproof as is.

I started the race in a fresh pair of Altra Duo road shoes paired with merino wool CEP compression socks and didn't change into a pair of Altra Timp 1.5 trail shoes until mile 75. I probably could have finished the race in the Duos due to the dry conditions. Both shoe choices combined with CEP socks worked perfectly. I chose Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts and an Altra Singlet 2.0. I always pre-tape my heels with KT tape and I use a thin paper tape inside my big toes and balls of my feet. This combo has worked great for me for two years now with only minor hot spot issues even in constant 24 hour downpours. I reapplied sunscreen and bug spray regularly, but thankfully I never needed to use my extra tape (for blister treatment), ginger candy (for upset stomach) or Benadryl (for allergic reactions to insect stings). I used my Petzl Reactik (300 lumen) for the first 2 hours of the race due to the 4AM race start before dropping it in one of my drop bags.

Overall, all of my gear and nutrition choices worked out perfectly. I used less than I packed, but better safe than sorry. Worth mentioning, the only thing that failed on race day was my most expensive piece of gear, my (former) Suunto 9 Baro. Less than one hour into the race, it went blank and I wasn't able to reset it in the field. Apparently, Suunto watches can only be reset when connected to a computer (#SUUNTOFAIL). Finally, I used Squirrel's Nut Butter for the important bits and reapplied a few times during the day. I used to swear my 2Toms, but the Squirrel's sticks are a lot less messy, are a more natural product and are also easier to wash off your hands.

*I have no financial incentive to share the product links, I am merely sharing them for the benefit of anyone who wants to look for or check out a specific product mentioned in my gear list. Feel free to hit me up in the comments or via other means, if you have further questions.