Mountain Masochist Report

What fantastic weather we had for the 27th running of this event. I, unfortunately was not in my best shape and suffered for most of the day. I still got it done and ran really well at the end - just too much damage was done the previous 10 hours. Still, with an 11:38 it was not even my worst time here. For starting basically "off the couch", I suppose that is not so bad. I got to run with a lot of good folks including Rebecca Phalen, Ed Marsh, Ashley Funderburk, John Teed, Melinda Yelton and DC Lucchesi. I wasn't with DC or Melinda long as they ran great races. DC posted a 9:37 and Melinda got 10th female! I also spent a good amount of time towards the end with Tom Green - the only person to start all 27 editions of this race.

I really did have a good time even though the ego took a hit with my performance. The road trip up with John was a blast with a stop at Lexington BBQ and lots of old school country music and southern rock blaring the whole way. The trip up is usually as much fun as the run. The trip back however, is no fun at all. Now, I have to decide if I am still game for Hellgate...

Mountain Masochist Preview

Tomorrow I head up to Virginia to run the Mountain Masochist Trail Run. This will be my third start and I am really excited because the temperature looks to be near perfect. Lows in the 40s with highs in the 60s and sunny! It will be cooler at the higher elevations but looks to be a fabulous day in the mountains. Many of my running friends from all over will be there so it will no doubt be a fun time all the way around. I have no real goal for the race other than to do my best. Hopefully that will mean a PR for the course but who knows. With Hellgate looming in just over a month, this is going to be more of a training run. Sure a 50 mile one, but a training run nonetheless. I will post a report as soon as I can. Wish me luck.

Quick Post

Red Rocks was incredible. I ran about a 12 mile or so Loop inside the park and had to hustle a bit to finish up before it got too dark. It was amazing scenery and pretty cool how it is so close to "The Strip". I took it really easy and was please that the temps were pretty mild. Maybe they always are in Vegas in October. I did notice how dry the air was. Given I live in NC, where it can be pretty humid it was a nice change. Other than this, I spent the rest of the time in Vegas at a conference and caught the redeye back to Charlotte. I plan to visit Red Rocks again (hopefully for a longer trek) next time I am out that way.

After I got back to town, I hit Crowder's for a about a 3 hour run with a good bit of climbing. It was great to be out there again after a few months. There was a lot of cloud cover so I didn't even drink the two bottles I had with me. Felt really good and manage a sub-8 pace on the road back to the Linwood parking area.

Had a couple of good runs last week - sandwiching some tempo pace stuff into a couple of 10 to 15 mile runs. Felt nice to stretch the legs out but I am not where I hoped to be for Masochist. Oh well, I have run the race twice before and know what to expect. With Hellgate looming, Masochist will be an ideal training run. More to come.

I am alive!!!

Just been extremely busy so I haven't been able to update much the last several weeks. Work travel has been crazy and my running has taken a bit of a backseat. I am still getting quality miles in just not as often as I would like. I am headed to Las Vegas tomorrow for a work conference that I am speaking at. I am not a gambler so I plan to check out Red Rocks Canyon during my free time. Looks like some nice trails only 15 miles or so from "the Strip". Will be nice to hit some trails in a different locale. Mountain Masochist and Hellgate are fast approaching so I will need several quality outings to ensure I am prepared. Good news is the work travel is abating some. I will update after my trip.

Laurel Valley Report

I had another great time at Laurel Valley this year. Time, as in fun, not performance. For those unfamiliar with Laurel Valley it is a run of about 35 miles along the Foothills Trail in the South Carolina upstate. The run is self-supported as access is basically nil from Rocky Bottom where the race starts to the Upper Whitewater Falls parking area (where the race ends). While the run is very scenic, the self-supported nature does add a bit of intrigue to the run. No biggie though, just grab some of whatever you like to eat, a couple of water bottles and throw it in a pack and get going. Don't forget the iodine tablets to treat the water and a little dose of humility. If you forget the latter, the trail will provide it for you.

Two years ago, when I first ran LV, I got my a$$ handed to me. Yeah, it was over 100 degrees but I was still unprepared for what was ahead of me. I got some lovely blisters on my heels as a souvenir. Remember this lovely picture?

Last year I ran great and had an absolute blast, running much faster than 2007. Cooler temps helped as did being in really good shape. What would 2009 hold? Well, I ran slower than last year, but faster than 2007. About what I expected. I am not in as good of shape as last year, but one thing that matters at LV is experience and I had two of these under my belt.

The temperature was certainly warmer than last year but the humidity was what I really noticed. I made great time early. In fact, my buddy John and I were really cruising the first three hours or so. I knew I couldn't hold the pace and let John go ahead. He went on to post his fastest time on the course. I got to Toxaway a bit before 9:00 and was really wiped - not a good sign at LV. I took it easy on the next sections walking all the hills and running easy on the flats and downhills. When I got to the Horsepasture River (about 2/3 home), I did something I have never done in my previous two runs - got in the water. Man was it great! I spent a solid 25 minutes in the water there and it made a big difference. I left around 11:45 and figured I was about 3:30 from the finish. Last year, it took me about 3:15 from this point to finish.

As the temperature rose, my spirits tanked. I was drinking well and eating a gel about every 30 minutes. I was also taking two S! Caps every hour (about 700 mg sodium). My legs were just dead. I moved along as best I could and eventually ran out of water. Bill Keane, a grizzled veteran of this race and many throughout the southeast gave me some of his water to try and lift my spirits. Bill is 64 years young and is still cranking these things out. Awesome! I felt better running than walking which was weird given the situation. Eventually I got to Thompson River, which is about 5 or 6 miles from the finish and the last major water stop. Guess what, I got in the water again for about 20 minutes and it felt great. A couple of folks joined me and it was really hard to get out. I left just before 2:00 and decided I would walk every step in. My race was shot and it would be nice to know how long it would take walking every step. I ran really well last year and covered this in about 1:25.

It was very uneventful the rest of the way. After all, I was walking! I crossed the falls and had the final doozy of a climb between me and the finish. Last year, I did the final climb (about .8 miles) in around 18 minutes. I would need to do it in about 25 minutes this year to break 10 hours. So, I took it easy and made my way up. Then I ran the last 1/4 mile or so in to post a 9:56. Not my best but not my worst. I had a lot of fun and really took it easy so I am not sore at all as I type this. What a great event! They even had ice cream at the finish - thanks Mike Day!

It's funny, Mark Long and I remarked as we were sitting in Thompson River, why we come back every year. The answer is actually pretty easy - we're stupid and never learn!! Seriously, LV is as pure a run as you can get. If you are looking for fancy aid stations, nice awards and to be pampered - go find a local road 10K or even a marathon. If you are looking for a scenic trail and a great group of folks to share it with and nothing more than maybe LV is for you. There actually was a shirt this year but finishing this race is the best award I get all year. Now, with three LV finishes, one that starts with a 10 (10:24 in 2007), one with a 9 (9:56 this year) and one with an 8 (8:06 last year), I need one that starts with a 7. Guess where I'll be the second weekend in August 2010?

Laurel Valley Preview

Every year, when the mercury really inches northward I know that Laurel Valley is around the corner. Hard to believe that it is already August this year! It has really been an up and down year for me both in terms of running and life in general. However, things are definitely back on track and I am very excited about running Laurel Valley for the third time. With a race in SC in August, temperature is a big factor and it looks like this will be a warmer year than last. No worry though, I am looking forward to really enjoying the scenery along the way and will just give it my best effort. If that is 8 hours or 10 hours, I am fine either way. As I have written in years past, Laurel Valley is a pure race with no fuss about shirts, awards or even aid stations. There are none of these! All you have to worry about is one foot in front of the other and treating your water so as to avoid guardia. This minimalist approach is a great mental test 9at least for me) as it helps you learn to rely on yourself more than most races. I am just psyched to be on some nice trails as it has been a while. Look for a report early next week.

Grandfather Mountain Report

I ran the Grandfather Mountain Marathon back on July 11 for the first time. Have been traveling for work and on vacation since then so the report is a little overdue. What a great time! The race is very well organized yet low key so that it is a lot of fun. I saw many familiar faces including Tom O'Donnell, Leon Harmon, Mark Long, Joey Anderson, Julia Engel, Ashley Funderburk and Byron Backer. My family went along for the weekend and enjoyed Grandfather Mountain park while I ran. It was a beautiful day and finishing at the Highland Games was really cool. I took it pretty easy, keeping my heart rate under 150. I managed to run around 4:33, which I was pleased with considering I took it so easy. I will definitely be back for this one.

I have the Laurel Valley Whitewater Run next weekend so I have been attempting to acclimate to the heat. More to come on that race. It feels good to finally be getting back in decent shape once again.

Happy Fourth of July!

I love the Fourth of July. I am a patriotic person for sure but this holiday brings so many fond memories of my childhood. I am trying to pass many of those same memories on to my own kids. No matter what ones political and/or social views are, it is important to reflect on our independence as a country and pay homage to those who fought so hard to establish the good ol' USA. Hope everyone has a good day.

On the running front, things are going very well. I have the Grandfather Mountain Marathon next weekend. I have always wanted to do this race and am excited to finally be in it. Hopefully it will be a nice training run. More to come soon.

Back on Track

Well, I have finished "licking my wounds" from the pathetic DNF at Massanutten and am now gearing up for training in full force. I don't want to ever be as out of shape as I clearly was going into MMT ever again. That said, the DNF is a great motivator to get myself back in gear. I am still putting together my fall schedule but I just signed up for Mountain Masochist. I have run the race twice and have always had a terrible effort there - 11:40 in 2006 and 11:15 in 2007. Both times I ran the GEER 100K about five weeks prior but so have many others. In any case, I want to run the race really well this year.

I am really excited about ramping up the training again. I really missed running on a regular basis earlier in the year when I was surrounded by the "dark clouds". I am also doing the Laurel Valley Whitewater Run again this year. I love this race as it some of the most beautiful trail around and a great group of folks show up every year for it. Not sure what else I am planning but will update as plans firm up. Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments regarding my DNF at Massanutten.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the key to DNFing MMT...

Respect. Seven simple letters that speak volumes. I didn't have enough of it for the MMT course - going into the race under trained. If you have looked at the results from Massanutten, you know that either I was confused and thought it was a 40 mile race or the race did not go as planned. Either way, I suffered my first DNF ever this weekend at my favorite race. What happened? It is pretty simple, the heat wore my under trained body out. I had hoped to get my third MMT buckle, but that will have to wait until next year.

I went into the race under trained but felt that mentally I could get there. There is a saying in ultrarunning: "Ultrarunning is 90% mental, the other half is physical". When it came to the "second half" I was waaaay short. I still had a great time up at the race and chalk this up as a great learning experience. The first DNF was bound to happen eventually and in some ways, I am glad to have the first one over with. Here is the brief (remember I only did ~40 miles) story.

I started out running fine but noticed it was very humid. Many of us remarked before the start how much warmer it felt compared to previous years. I got up the road and up to Buzzards Rock with no issues. I was drinking often and hitting a gel every 30 minutes. I was soaked to the bone in sweat due to the humidity. I came into the first aid station feeling good and kept on truckin' after refilling my bottles. Felt good all the way to Veach Gap, where I stopped for a pancake and sausage and again refilled the bottles. I also drank two cups of water here.

The section to Milford Gap was uneventful and I tried to take it really easy since there was plenty of time. Plus there was a 4 mile road section coming up where I could make up time if I needed to. I was taking an S! Cap every 45 minutes or so and things were going well. On the way to Habron Gap, I was running good and having lots of fun. I had to stop and pee a couple of times which was a good sign in terms of hydration. I did get passed by some folks but I was still moving along at a good pace. I was very focused on running my own race.

When I got to the road section to Habron Gap, I turned on the Ipod and cruised along the road. I ran the early couple of miles a little too hard and had to back off some towards the end because I ran out of water. Still, I got into Habron Gap later than I wanted but was not concerned. I sat and rested for a few minutes and then got moving. I drank a Boost, restocked on gels and S! Caps, downed a couple of cups of water and headed to Camp Roosevelt.

I deliberately took it very easy on the climb here trying to not wear myself out. Was moving along okay when WHAM!, the heat just zapped me. I had to stop and rest a few times but still was able to keep moving. When I would run, I started to get dizzy - not lightheaded but room-spinning dizzy. When this would happen, I stopped and rested. I have had heat exhaustion before, and knew this was an early sign. I normally do okay in the heat and humidity but being under trained, I obviously was more vulnerable. Lots of folks went by and all asked how I was doing. Eventually, I came around a bit and started to move pretty well. I was able to run some downhill sections pretty well but then the dizziness came back. Also, I started to shiver some (think teeth chattering). This was a BIG concern, since it was likely close to 80 degrees. From there, I basically "death marched" to Camp Roosevelt where I hoped to recover.

The volunteers were great, stuffing my bandanna with ice and making sure I had plenty of fluids. I picked up an extra bottle at Habron Gap and drank all three on the way to Camp Roosevelt. In fact, I was empty for the last 15 minutes or so. I stayed at Camp Roosevelt for about 30 minutes, then refilled and decided I would see how I felt at Gap Creek. I was worried that if the dizziness didn't go away, my race was done. I started out to Gap Creek and soon a wonderful thunderstorm started - it felt fantastic and really cooled me off. I actually made decent time on the climb up and then started to run down at a good clip. But, the dizziness was there still. I had to stop and get it under control. I was continuing to eat and drink, and take S! Caps regularly.

To add to the frustration, I slipped and somehow wrenched my back. Now not only did I get dizzy when I ran, but my back seized up as well. Finally I got to the aid station around 4:00 p.m.! I was almost at the next aid station at this time last year. I had an hour to get things under control and get moving. I stretched the back, lied down, sat up, did everything but just couldn't get it right. So, I dropped out when the 5:00 p.m. cutoff came. I hated to do it but it was definitely the right decision. If I had continued, maybe I would have finished or maybe I would have gotten hurt much worse. Who knows. I am actually proud that I was smart enough to pull the plug. Folks often say DNF is an acronym for "Did Nothing Foolish" and well as "Did Not Finish".

I learned that a course like Massanutten deserves much more respect than to go into it under trained. That is a lesson that I will not soon forget. Congratulations to everyone who started, especially the finishers. Massanutten is a tough race and finishing it is quite an accomplishment.

Massanutten Preview

I can't believe Massanutten is already here! This is one of my favorite races and I am glad to have completed it twice. In fact, this is the only 100 mile race I have run (due to my DNS at Umstead this year). My training has been very lackluster but I am still very excited. I may not be 100% physically ready but I have plenty of mental fortitude that should help a good bit. Plus, I am a big believer in experience and having some familiarity with the course will be key to my success. The weather looks to be a little volatile - some rain, possible t-storms and warm temps during the day. I have heard that the course is already a little sloppy in places but hopefully things won't deteriorate too bad. The course drains very well and should be fairly dry as long as a ton of rain does not fall right before the race.

My plan for the race is to really take it easy early on. I am going to really try and get ahead on fluids and calories in the early stages. Easier said than done but hopefully I can pull that off. The toughest sections for me are later in the race when I tend to get really lazy during a couple of long 8 mile sections. I would like to really cover these sections better this year. Keeping myself in check early will be a key to this happening. In terms of a goal, I really don't have one as I just want to get the finish. But, I would certainly like to be closer to my time last year (31:34) rather than my 2007 time (35:02).

I feel very blessed to be able to even contemplate something as demanding as a 100-mile run. I am really looking forward to enjoying my time in the beautiful Massanutten mountains of Virginia. You can follow myself and other participants on the VHTRC's MMT page here.

Speaking of other participants, check out the entrants list as it is a very competitive field including the likes of Meltzer (my pick to win), Walker, Sproston, Kulak, Casseday, Mongold, Knipling and on and on... Look for a report from me early next week. Best of luck to everyone who is running/racing this weekend.

Update

Wow, things have been very busy the last few weeks. The new job is going great but I have been extremely busy. I am having a lot of fun again with work, which is a nice change. Running is going reasonably well. Massanutten looms next weekend and I am very excited to run this year. Despite not being in ideal shape. I love the course and am hoping for a fun time this year. I will do a more in depth preview next week. I recently saw "Running the Sahara" and thought the movie was very well done. It had just the right balance of drama and intrigue. No matter how tough one is or how elite an athlete, you have to be impressed with 111 days of running without a day off! Add in the variety of conditions from sandstorms, searing heat and even freezing temps, and it is quite epic. Look for more on Massanutten next week.

In the Loop

Well, I have left BofA altogether. I have signed on with a smaller private investment bank named Loop Capital Markets LLC. Loop started as a municipal bond shop about 12 years ago and has diversified into corporate finance so that about 50% of revenues are from the municipal side. Smaller firms like Loop are poised to capitalize on the current environment as the big banks are shedding jobs and delve further into making money at a client's expense. I like Loop because they are client focused and if telling a client that the best thing to do is nothing, that is okay. At BofA one would be chastised to no end for not "putting the firm first".

It may sound hypocritical coming from a banker (especially to some anonymous "fans") but I truly believe that clients interests should be absolutely a top priority, not lining your pockets with fees from structures that make no sense. So, I am excited about this opportunity. Loop wants to expand its presence in the southeast and I am "getting in on the ground floor". I have long sought something more entrepreneurial in nature and now I have it. I will update the blog as things progress.

Running is going very well but it was wise to bag Umstead. I could have definitely finished but it would not have been pretty. Lastly, the weather has been fabulous in NC this weekend. I always love this time of year.

Update

So, my "explanation" post is long overdue. Here's the deal. I got whacked by BofA (or Merrill) on February 26 after 10 years. it was not a surprise but still a disruption. I got a new gig at the bank within 5 days. Not an ideal job but it keeps the money coming in to support my family until something better comes along. In this economy/job market, I feel fortunate to have it. My work life as been prety hellish since January. I worked hard in 2008 and exceeded all of my performance targets and got $0 for incentive compensation. This makes up a major portion of my total pay so a zero is a big pay cut. There has been a lot of to do lately about bonuses. Sure, there are certainly abuses at all companies, but for many jobs like mine, folks should get paid if the bring the revenues in the door. Obviously, I am biased. Then a month later, I am gone. Oh well, it is in the past and in hindsight, probably a blessing. In talking with my former co-workers, Merrill is doing a great job of blowing things up and flushing morale down the toilet.

The Mount Mitchell Challenge/Black Mountain Marathon on February 28 was a nice release after such a rough week. The weather was tough and I was ill prepared for the wet and cold conditions. I was one of many who were sent down the mountain at the marathon turn around due to the Park Service closing the summit. It was a smart choice as many folks had hypothermic conditions. I likely would have too had I continued to the top. Still, it was a fun day and I got a nice solid training run in.

My good friend Rich Daileader started his AT trek northbound on March 1. His plan is to average around 15 miles a day and finish up sometime in late July/mid August. I hope to join him for a couple of days in April or June.

Running is going pretty well and I am anxious to get cranking with the race schedule.

Up for the Challenge!

It has been a loooong time since I have posted. I have had a lot going on in my life outside of running that has been a major distraction. Training has fallen off severely. I will write a post over the weekend giving more details. Tomorrow I am running in the Mount Mitchell Challenge 40 Mile. Am I ready? Not hardly but I am well rested and have lots of frustrations to take out on the trail. I have always wanted to do this race and am excited to do it this year. I am not worried about time but want to have a good time and just enjoy the day in the mountains. Speaking of which, the day will start early as I am leaving at 4:00 AM for the ~2 hour drive to the start in Black Mountain. So I am off to bed. Look for a report and more details about what has been going on (hint: I work in financial services) of late over the weekend. Peace.

GEER 2009 - Buy 50K Get 50K Free!!!

I have written many times about how much I enjoy the Great Eastern Endurance Run. It was my first trail ultra back in 2006. I talked with Gill, the RD for the event this week and he informed me of a special for early registrants for GEER this year. The first 100 entrants in the 100K will pay only half of the entry fee! That's right - 50% of the cost. Trust me when I tell you that the event is worth every penny of its full fare, so it is an absolute steal at $62.50! I have run the race three times and think it is one of best coordinated events I have participated in. It is not for the meek as it features rugged terrain, lots of climbing and descent and unpredictable weather. This is balanced out by an excellent venue, great aid stations and enthusiastic volunteers. Gill and Francesca do a great job of planning the event complete with several training runs beginning in July. Entry opens on February 2, so there is plenty of time to get this on your 2009 race schedule. You can sign up for the event here. Feel free to post a comment with any questions about the race.

Sign up soon so you can grab one of the half priced spots - they will surely go quickly. Get signed up and then get out there and run!

Umstead Training

So, I have been thinking about my training plan for Umstead a lot the past few days. With the current state of the banking sector, this is at least a positive topic. I am not too worried about the 100 mile distance at Umstead (I know that sounds ridiculous) as I have completed the distance twice and "know" what I need to do to complete it. The terrain is not technical and the weather is usually moderate. I have had few nutrition issues in races and have a good idea of what works best for me. My biggest concern is the repetitive loops that I will run (8 to be exact) to complete the 100 miles. I paced my friend John Straub last year, running his final two loops with him. He suggested breaking the race up into "day" and "night". In his experience, the loops started to really wear on him after about the fifth loop (62.5 miles) and is just before it starts to get dark. It sounds like a good approach and worked great for him last year as he ran sub-21.

I have been base building the last month or so while battling some plantar fascitis pain but am overall pleased with my progress so far. The extra pounds from the holidays are starting to drop off and my endurance is starting to get pretty good. Two key areas for me to work on are speed/intervals and practice running loops. During training I am a big proponent of at least one speed workout per week. Not all out sprints but some 400M, 800M and even 1200M repeats at or above threshold heart rate. This worked great for me during the season last year and I will incorporate it again. Besides helping you run, well, faster it also breaks up the "monotony" of the training cycle. I don't do speed workouts during recovery weeks.

Round and Round

Other than an 1980s metal hit by Ratt, round and round is what I will be doing at Umstead and running all those loops is a big concern for me. One of the reasons I love running in the mountains is all the scenery and generally point-to-point or single loop nature of the courses. I want to get myself "mentally trained" for it so I have started doing this at least once a week. For example, today I ran 5 miles at lunch on the indoor track at the YMCA. You have to run 9 laps to cover a mile so I did 45 laps today in a little over 40 minutes. Not killing it by any stretch but it was a comfortable pace. I figure getting past the "boredom" of loops will only occur through practice. I plan to do at least one run per week that incorporates multiple loops and every other week it will be my long run.

I don't need to run technical trails for Umstead but will need the practice for Massanutten, which is about six weeks later. I am running a very hilly and technical 50K next weekend and the Mount Mitchell Challenge 40 Mile in late February. My final "long" run will be on the weekend of March 14 or March 21 and the plan is to do a loop 40 to 50 mile run. I will likely measure a 10 to 12 mile loop and use that as a final practice for Umstead.

Other aspects of training include the following:

Weight train twice per week - one workout will coincide with a recovery run day and a more rigorous workout on a "rest" day.

Core (ab crunches, sit-ups, push ups, etc.) every day - easy to do at night after dinner and will be very important for overall fitness. I slacked here a lot during the late fall.

Run 5 to 6 times per week - these are the types of runs I will typically do:

1 long run (typically 2 to 3 hours or so) every other week as a loop run,

1 speed workout (standard repeats of 400M, 800M, etc.),

2 - 3 recovery runs (45 minutes to 1h 30m) - one of these will be the "loop" run,

1 tempo/cruise run (1 - 2 hours) - this will include a warm-up, then a segment at marathon pace and then a cool down

The running part is evolving but this is what it will mostly look like. I will follow a 4-week cycle of build, build, peak, rest. All runs will occur every week (except no speed during rest) but will vary in length and intensity. Also, in about a month, I will incorporate some hill repeats into my training schedule. For now, I want to work on getting my speed and leg turnover back up. Also, I will often include some speed intervals inside some long runs to assist with this. Say the long run is 15 miles, 2 miles warm-up, 3 miles at 10K pace, 1 mile recovery pace, 3 miles 10K, 1 mile recovery, 2 miles marathon pace, 3 miles cool down. This has worked very well in the past for me.

I feel good going into the training and am excited to get the blood flowing again. I hope to run really well at Umstead and set a solid 100-mile PR for myself. Plus a hard effort there is a great excuse for a slow run at Massanutten. Just kidding. I will continue to update as things progress. Now, I've gotta go run some more.

Happy New Year!

Well, 2009 is here - amazing how quickly 2008 went by. I am not a big New Year's person so my "celebration" is at best mundane and most likely boring to most. I did manage to see the "ball drop" though. Any way, now that 2009 is here, I am back into training mode big time. I actually have been for the last several weeks but now, with a little holiday trimming around the waistline, my regimen will be more consistent. I got in a nice trail run out at Crowder's Mountain yesterday of about 3 hours. After running mostly on gravel/dirt roads down in Georgia the last week, the trails were nice.

The Umstead 100 looms large the first weekend in April. So, my training will focus largely on getting ready for that. That means a lot of flatter, fast workouts and less of the rocky, rooty terrain with lots of climb. However, Massanutten is on the horizon so I will need to mix in some runs to gear up for that as well. I will put more detail to my training plan in the next few days. Hope everyone enjoyed Christmas and New Year's.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone. I am always excited this time of year. With three daughters, Christmas is a BIG deal. It was a long night helping get everything ready but fortunately I got to be before Santa came. Hope everyone had a good day.

Massanutten 2009 - I am in!

Well, the Massanutten lottery was held yesterday and I was lucky to get chosen for the 2009 field. Actually, the lottery the VHTRC employs is pretty interesting. All applicants sign up online between December 1 and 8 where they are assigned a random number between 0 and 999. This number is the key to getting selected. The lottery was based on yesterday's closing value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The final three digits of the Dow close (including decimal places) are the "starting point" of the lottery and the direction of the market (up or down) determines which "direction" the lottery moves in selecting entrants. My random number was 914 and the final three digits of yesterday's close was 133. Once the selection reaches 0, it starts with 999 and continues to move down. No preference is given to anyone for the selection but there is preference given on the wait list. Regardless, I am in.

Personally, I think all past champions should get automatic entry along with folks going for a 10th finish. It is ludicrous to me that past champions Todd Walker, Ian Torrence and Marti Kovener are on a waiting list, although they do have the highest priority. But then again, I think first come first served is just as fair. Last year, there was a ridiculous amount of whining from folks who did not get in when all you had to do was get in front of a computer that morning. Heck, I was literally at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet above sea level on an airplane and I made arrangements for someone to sign me up. I find it pretty funny that several of the folks that complained didn't even sign up this year. Maybe the lottery is fairer. No matter what process is used, everyone is not going to be satisfied.

I am really excited to run MMT again in 2009 and several fellow Goats are in as well including Brennen, Steve and Amy with Deb and Mike Mason high up on the waiting list. In addition, my buddies John and DC from Charlotte are also in. The original plan back in 2007 was for the three of us to run MMT together as our first 100. However, DC injured his knee so John and I ran the entire race together. Glad these guys are giving it a go again. Look forward to kicking some rocks again come mid-May!

Turkey Running

Whoa, two posts in one day...

I got in some solid running on and around Thanksgiving this year. Joy and I did the annual Turkey Trot 5 mile run on Thanksgiving morning and had a ball. I was her first race ever and as we left the house the kids exclaimed "Mommy, beat Daddy". Man, was I glad for all the support... In short, Joy did great and ran a very solid race in about 46 minutes. She was worried about walking and the only walking she did was around the water stops. Joy is not new to running and she is very active. Running is just not her passion. She is more into the athletic conditioning classes at the Y. I hate those classes cause they kick my butt... Oh, and by the way, Mommy did beat Daddy by about 5 seconds.

On Saturday, Mike Mason and I met in Black Mountain and drove to Bent Creek for Adam Hill's Bent Creek Gobbler run. The run consists of two loops that make a figure eight. Both loops are about 16 mile and Mason and I opted for just one loop. He is running a 40 mile race this week and I just wanted a nice solid run. I got to see several old running friends including Rick Gray, Nick Whited and Annette Bednosky. I also met several new folks, many of which I felt like I already knew including Matt Kirk, Ed Marsh and Doug Blackford. In short the run was a blast! Temperatures were in the upper 30s and with overcast skies, rain was a bit of a concern but it stayed at bay. The loop started with a fire road that climbed and descended for about 7 miles. I ran most of this alone until Rick and Annette caught up to me. I ran with them for about two miles and then stopped to take a gel and water the plants. I caught back up as they were turning on to the Shut-In trail. The Shut-In trail is amazing as it undulates sharply up and down (mostly up!) but the trail is a joy to run. Annette finally left Rick and I as she got her legs back and we never saw her again until the finish. We had a good time chatting as we meandered through the woods on the trail. Jason caught Rick and I and as he passed, I followed (Rick stopped to take a pit stop). I didn't know the course very well and he was moving at a bout the pace I wanted to.

We were treated to some great trail with some wonderful rolling sections that were a joy to push hard on the ups and then blast the downs. We were on the Shut-In for about 7 miles and I hated for it to end. The final 2 miles were all downhill on a gentle dirt road. It was fun to open up the legs and hammer in to the finish. the temperature was dropping pretty quickly as we socialized afterwards and soon Mike and I headed back to Black Mountain. After a good lunch with some yummy broccoli soup, I rolled back to Charlotte. What a great run and a wonderful way to burn off some Thanksgiving calories.

2008 Year in Review

Hard to believe that another year is pretty much in the books. I always enjoy to reflect back on the years events and "remember" the lessons learned and celebrate the successes one last time before shutting the door on the year. My focus this year was simple - to improve my general trail running ability and run better at Massanutten. I am still relatively new to trail ultrarunning having started back in August 2006 but I still feel like I should be improving, and I am.

My first race of the year was a road marathon in February. I trained hard through January focusing on speed and tempo workouts. I have never run a fast marathon (and with a PR of 3:33 most would argue I still haven't) and wanted to see how much I could improve over my PR (was 3:48). I was pleased but the biggest win for me was finding how the speed/tempo workouts really helped augment my training. I now include some form of speed/tempo work in my training every week except for during recovery/rest weeks.

I ran a less than stellar 50 mile race at the Bel Monte Endurance Run in March. I tweaked my ankle pretty bad in the run but even without that, I just didn't have it. The course was rugged and I chalked up the death march to a 12:20 finish as mental training for Massanutten. Fortunately, the ankle healed completely within a couple of weeks.

Massanutten loomed large in May and I went in to the race physically and mentally ready. The course conditions were sloppy and wet but I battled through it and ended up improving my time by 3.5 hours, clocking a 31:34! I kind of imploded a little bit at the end due to some IT band issues but was thrilled with the result. I definitely can run the course faster, I just need to keep coming back and applying the previous years lessons.

I took some time off post MMT to reconnect with the family. I next ran the Laurel Valley Run in August. Laurel Valley is a run of about 35 miles with about 8,000 feet of gain on the very scenic Foothills Trail. LV is tough because it is unsupported and in South Carolina in August! You carry all of your calories and drink from the many streams on the course. The temperature and humidity can be brutal but we were treated to highs in the mid-80s this year so the event was much more enjoyable. I ran a solid race in 8:06, which was a significant improvement over the prior year. The temps helped but mostly it was I was able to run every downhill and had a solid climbing pace on the uphills - an area that has plagued me before.

My last race was the GEER 100K up in Virginia. I should have only run the 50K but was too stubborn to drop down. The course was very wet and I was definitely under prepared. My quads were shot at 25 miles. I lumbered on a finished about an hour slower than usual. It was a lot of fun nonetheless. I had a heel injury for all of October and most of November but have managed to heal up and have clocked in a couple of 30 to 40 mile weeks. I will close out the year as a pace group leader for the Thunder Road marathon in Charlotte. I am running the 4 hour group and am using it as a nice medium long training run.

A couple of non-running highlights include coaching my oldest daughter's (Caroline age 7 at the time) soccer team in the Spring. I was also an assistant coach on daughter Ella's (age 4) team. With games every Saturday, this definitely made me put good time management skills to use in order to train for Massanutten. Despite this being the first time I was on a soccer field and having no clue what I was doing, it was an absolute blast. The kids and parents were very patient with me and I learned a ton. In the fall, I helped coach Caroline in softball. As a former baseball player, this was right up my alley. Many of the girls were new to the sport but through their hard work they made the league championship semi-finals. What a blast!

I am excited for what 2009 brings for my running. I am psyched to be part of the Wasatch Speedgoat Mountain Racing Team for next year. My schedule is still taking shape with definite plans for the Mount Mitchell Challenge 40 Miler and the Umstead 100. I also entered the Massanutten 100 lottery this morning and will know about that in a couple of weeks. I hope to do a western race next year and have my sights set on Tahoe Rim, Leadville or Cascade Crest. Although, the "Hundred in the Hood" out in Oregon looks pretty appealing also. Any readers who have a suggestion are free to add them in the comments section. I also hope to volunteer at Hardrock. This is a race I want to do someday and it is about time I got out that way and check things out.

Overall 2008 has been a good year for me running wise. Other than the heel injury, I had no big problems and I finished every race I started. I am having tons of fun with trail ultras and hope to continue with this sport well into "old" age. I am excited for 2009 and hope that everyoine has a good December.

Bedrock is a Speedgoat!!!

Today I got the official word that I am part of the Wasatch Speedgoat Mountain Racing Team (WSGMRT) for the 2009 season. Needless to say, I am really psyched with the news. This team was started up earlier this year by Scott Mason and Tim Barnes. The initial team included a very diverse group of trail runners from around the U.S. I knew a few of the folks such as Bryon Powell, Brennen Wysong, Steve Pero and Tim Long and they have raved about the team so far. Scott mentioned they were expanding the team in 2009 and asked if I wanted in. The team remains very diverse and I feel very honored to have been included. As I have written recently, I have had a rough couple of months running wise with the heel injury. This is just the kind of news I need to get my butt back in gear. Not only am I close to 100% injury free, I am also mentally pumped for 2009. I will post more details as they become available and will update the sidebar as sponsors are finalized. Lots and lots of scrapes for this news!!

This past weekend I had to attend a client board retreat up at the Biltmore in Asheville so I took the opportunity to hit the trails in the area. I emailed with Adam Hill who gave me several good options to consider on Saturday and we planned to meet up on Sunday morning to run on the trails at Warren Wilson College. This was literally on my way home Sunday so how could I pass it up. Last Tuesday, was my first run of any consequence since the GEER 100K in late September. My left heel has been giving me fits with some sort of injury but has been on the mend the last couple of weeks. I have definitely lost some fitness and put on a few pounds but was psyched to run in the mountains again.

On Saturday afternoon I logged a very solid two hour run on the Mountains to Sea trail. I accessed the trail just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a blast running the trail. Adam later informed me that where I started was about mile 25 or so of the Pitchell Challenge - one of the excellent fun runs that he puts on each year. The weather was near perfect with temps in the upper 40s/low 50s and a slight constant breeze. I was amazed at how much dexterity I had lost on the trails, then again they were ankle deep with leaves. Despits a couple of minor falls, I managed a prety good pace and really worked hard on the hills. As twilight ensued, I had to really hoof it to get back before darkness fell. I then got back to the Inn and got cleaned up for a dinner with the board.

My heel was a little tender on Sunday morning but nothing a little stretching couldn't fix (I iced it on Saturday evening as well). I met up with Adam at the trailhead and the temps were just above freezing with light snow falling. My legs definitely felt the run from the day before but I was psyched once again to enjoy the trails. Adam is a much faster runner than I am and even though we moved at a snails pace at times, he never complained and just enjoyed the day. We talked the whole time about our kids, great runs and boneheaded mistakes (like running 30 miles on 1 gel a 20 oz. of water - something we have both done). We both remarked how we enjoy running in inclement weather. Especially on trails. I absolutely loved this run. We saw several folks on the trail out hiking with their dogs and enjoying the beautiful day. Despite the cooler temps, we were comfortable in shorts and short sleeve shirts. Man, I have really missed running in the woods.

After the run, we chatted briefly and then headed our separate ways. He had to get home to the family and I had a Denny's Grand Slam with my name on it! I am excited for Adam's next fun run - the Bent Creek Gobbler 50K, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I am not in ideal shape but I am sure it will be a fun time. Hopefully, we will have a bit of winter weather to enjoy.

These runs were a blast despite "hurting" more than normal. The bright side of the hurting is that it serves as a great motivator to get my butt out the door. I hope the heel stays cooperative because I am really glad to back out there shuffling, hopefully some real running will come once I get back in decent shape.

I AM NOT DEAD

I am still here just haven't had a alot to update lately. Since GEER, I have been nursing a nagging heel injury that resulted in 0 miles in October. In fact, my first run of any substance since GEER was earlier this week! Good news is that it felt great. The heel is still a little tender but 10X better than it was a month ago. I have a work conference this weekend in Asheville and am psyched to hit the trails while I am up there. I am planning on running in a low key 50K on the weekend after Thanksgiving if all is well. I am getting really excited for 2009 and am putting the finishing touches on my schedule. I plan to do several races that are new to me and also plan to do some races that don't involve gnarly mountain trails. While I love the mountain single track, I want to challenge myself to run faster on some easier terrain. I will several newsworthy items that are "in process" that I hope to share in the coming weeks. Look for an update post on my mountain trip early next week.

GEER 100K

I ran the GEER 100K on September 27th. This was my third time running in this fabulous event in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Charlottesville. On the way, I picked up Kevin in Staunton who was coming out to help out as well. Kevin is a very fast runner (2:20 marathon) and is a freelance writer, contributing often to Running Times. Needless to say, we had a lot in common. I also met Jay Perry, who is a client of Gill's from Mississippi. He, his wife and three boys drove 13 hours for the 50K - now that is dedication! I met up with Sniper and after the briefing, we all headed back to Waynesboro to grab some dinner and make final preparations. I was only using one drop bag (I would see it three times), so my preparations were fairly quick and easy. The rain was coming down in monsoon-like sheets all night and we knew the trail would likely be very slick for the race. Slept okay but 3:30 came much quicker than I hoped. Still pouring in the morning and thunder and lightning was thrown in as a bonus!

At 6:00 AM, we were off and on our adventure. Sniper had Grindstone looming so he was running as the sweep so I wouldn't see much of him today. I made good time on the first mile climb that literally goes straight up the mountain. It was very foggy and misty so a headlamp was a necessity. Once on the ridge, Jay and I ran together. He was running the 50K so I tried to set a good pace for him to follow. We had a good time chatting and cruising the trail. Unfortunately, there were no views due to the fog. Jay moved on ahead and I ran solo for most of this until I caught up with Ragan Petrie. I met hear at Laurel Valley this year and it was good to visit with her again. The visit was short as she soon blasted down the trail on the way to a top-3 women's finish in the 50K. Soon I was headed on the long road portion all the way down to the Priest Mountain Vista aid station (@ 15 miles). Once at the bottom, I said hello to Jeff Wilbur and then headed back up. Things were pretty uneventful and soon I got to the next trail section and made my way back to Camp Marty (mile 23).

I felt pretty good but my stomach was a little irritated. I made my way up the long climb up to the Bald Mountain Jeep Road and finally got to the aid station (mile 25.4). I was pretty wiped out so I rested for a bit. I ate a couple of grilled cheese and some soup and my stomach started to feel better. My only concern was my legs were pretty tired and the real "fun" had yet to begin. I ran very well down the Kennedy Ridge Trail and was soon at the aid station (mile 31.2). Half way home mileage wise but probably about 70% of the work remained. I ran most of the rolling gravel road the next 3 miles and checked into Stony Run (mile 34.2). One of the hardest climbs of the race follows so I sat and rested a bit and chatted with Gill. My stomach was unhappy again and I ate a few crackers and drank some ginger ale. I found some motivation and got going to get the climb over with. Soon I caught up with Erika from Florida who was running her first 100K. She had a very solid hiking pace going so I tagged along and let her pull me up the climb.

We got separated when I started running when the trail leveled out and soon I arrived back at Bald Mountain aid station (mile 40.7). I was pretty spent so I again rested a few minutes and filled up on the calories. From this point on, my stomach felt great. The next section is 100% runnable so I soon took off and made my way down to the valley floor. I was making really good time until I twisted my knee when going under a blow down. It really hurt and I walked/hobbled for about 15 minutes. After stretching and walking some, it started to feel better and I was able to resume running. At this point, I knew that I would likely run slower than last year and that was a little discouraging but I kept forging on. I passed a runner about 1 mile from the aid station and that motivated me to go into the Turkey Pen aid station (mile 47.7) with high spirits. I filled my bottles, ate some potatoes and headed off on another 3+ mile road section. I ran most of it but wanted to save energy for another tough climb that loomed ahead. I got to Kennedy Ridge (mile 50) and headed up the climb. I pushed pretty hard and made it to the top in about 52 minutes (a PR for me on the climb). I then ran the jeep road as best I could. It was really foggy and the light reflected back at me which was a major pain. I actually made better time power walking so that is what I did.

Finally, I was at Bald Mountain aid station for the final time (mile 56.5). I learned that the last runner was about 30 minutes ahead so I knew I wasn't catching them. I headed off and picked my way down the very technical Torrey Ridge trail. We climbed it earlier in the day and I swear the descent at night is harder. I got to Camp Marty (mile 58) around 9:20 or so. I knew I was about an hour from the finish so I headed off immediately. I didn't see or hear a single person the whole way. I did take a nice face plant as I was coming off the trail. It was pretty funny actually and I got a nice mouth full of dirt. I crossed the finish in 16:29, about an hour slower than last year. However, it was good for 16th place overall. Of the 71 starters in the 100K, only 29 finished! Just finishing appears to have been an accomplishment this year.

Although I ran a much slower time, I had a good race overall. I was definitely under trained for this race as my longest run since Laurel Valley (early August) was only 21 miles. In hindsight, I should have run the 50K since I was better trained for that distance. It took about 5 days for the soreness to fully subside (compared to only 3 after Massanutten). This validated my thought about being under trained. Oh well, I still had a great time. I plan to take a little break from running now and will not do another ultra until 2009. I will start my training back up again in November and am actually looking forward to the down time.

GEER Preview

This weekend I will running the Great Eastern Endurance Run 100K for the third straight year. GEER was my first trail ultra two years ago and I am really looking forward to enjoying the course once again. Gill, Frannie and Marty do a great job with this race (and all the races they direct) including awesome aid stations, great volunteers and just a fun all around experience. I am feeling pretty fit even though my training has been somewhat minimal. I have had a couple of nagging "mini-injuries" the last couple of weeks but feel pretty good going into the race. The course has a good bit of climb and descent with some pretty technical sections. There is also some road and jeep trail so one gets good diversity of running surfaces throughout the race. The weather looks to be great temperature wise (high in 70s and lower on the ridges) but it is likely we will have some rain during the race.

I plan to go pretty minimal here with only one drop bag and relying largely on aid station fare for calories (especially during the first half of the race). Plan to wear the Streaks again since they worked so well at Massanutten and Laurel Valley. I am really looking forward to sharing some of my favorite trails with some of my favorite people. Most of the CRC/Bad to the Bone team will be there so it will be cool to see all of them. I am not really worried about my time, okay that is a lie. While I would like to run faster than last year, we will see how the day goes. I have learned that I perform better when I just run and let the cards fall where they may. Hopefully, they will fall on the good side of 15 hours ;-).

There are several good races this weekend including the Bear 100 in Utah/Idaho and the Vermont 50 in, well, Vermont. Both of these are races I want to do someday. I have running friends doing both so it will be good to hear first hand how they both go. Good luck to everyone who is racing this weekend. If you are not running this weekend, check back next week for a GEER report to vicariously through.

Catching Up

Wow, it has been a few weeks since I posted. Amazing how fast time goes by sometimes. I have been running a good bit focusing mostly on medium distance (2 to 3 hours) runs at a quicker pace. On my long runs I have been mixing in much more tempo pace segments to break the monotony and have really enjoyed it. The last few days I have been nursing a sore foot. Not sure what is wrong but I think it stems from stepping on a rock last week. No big deal. I am really excited for the GEER 100K in three weeks. While my training has been a bit unconventional, it will be interesting to see how things go. Hopefully, I can imporve over last years time.

My buddy Mike Mason finished Ultra Trail Tour de Mount Blanc last weekend in 31:19 to grab 106th place out of over 2,000 starters. He said the race is purely epic and extremely rewarding. Mike is writing a report and I will post it to the blog once he completes it.

It never ceases to amaze me how popular ultrarunning has become. You will recall how quickly this year's Massanutten filled - less than 2 hours. The registration for the Umstead 100 opened up today at 12:00 PM (ET) and filled 200 spots in 19 minutes! They reserve 50 or so spots for mail-in entries and do maintain a wait list. But, most folks that weren't at a computer during lunch today are out of luck. I was fortunate enough to get in at 12:09. This brings up the controversial question of what is a fair way of selecting entrants for a race. I argue that first come, first serve is just as fair as a lottery system. I knew I was going to be flying at 30,000 feet when Massanutten entry opened last year so I had someone sign up for me. For Umstead this year, I made sure I was ready to go right when entry opened. An interesting debate but many think lotteries are a fairer way to go. I just don't see the logic behind how "chance" is any fairer than someone making entry a priority and taking the steps necessary to get in.

Lovin' Laurel Valley

The Laurel Valley Whitewater Run was as close to ideal as it likely gets for me. The weather featured relatively low humidity and high temperatures in the 80s. My hope was that these factors combined with some course knowledge gained last year would allow for a good improvement in my time. The wild card was my running fitness. While I felt good, I had not been training very hard. However, I had been fairly consistent with tempo workouts so perhaps that would be enough. Plan was to go very light this year, taking just enough gel and shot blocks to get me through the day. I hoped to improve my time by 30 minutes to an hour.

Upon arriving in the Traveler's Rest area on Friday afternoon, John, Mo and I went to Walmart to pick up some last minute supplies. We then caught up with several folks at the Pizza Inn for our pre race dinner. Those in attendance including us were Byron Backer (who was putting us all up), Christian Griffith, Jim Musselman, Larry Lyda and Mike O'Melia. I knew of Larry and Mike from the ultralist so it was great to finally meet them in person. After dinner we headed to Byron's house to make our last minute preparations and then turn in for the night. We had less people at the house this year so I was able to sleep in a bed, which was great. We had to get up at 3:30 to drop cars and shuttle to the finish. Byron arranged to rides for us all - talk about a full service host.

We cut it close on time but made the start by about 5 minutes. One problem immediately surfaced - it was really dark and I didn't have a light! Oh well, that meant I would have to latch on to someone with a light for 30 minutes until dawn and hold back a bit. Actually, not a bad plan. I got separated from John and Mo early but we soon caught up with each other and made our way towards the first water spot. We were making great progress and I relayed my goals to John. Last year I ran a miserable 10:26 here and hoped to break 10 hours this year and maybe have an outside shot at going under 9. My plan was to be at the Horsepasture River by 12:00 so that I would have four hours to get in under 10 hours. I did not have more aggressive goals because I was unsure how my fitness was. I had only run over 15 miles once since Massanutten in May and most of my training had been on roads. John has battled Achilles problems all summer so we agreed to just run by feel and see how it goes.

We continued to make great progress and were really having fun pushing the pace on the downhills. The weather really helped us make good time as did the clearing of many blowdowns along the trail. I can only think of a few spots where we had to deal with blowdowns this year. We got to the Toxaway River bridge in great time and spirits and John remarked that we would hit Horsepasture way before 12:00. I still wasn't convinced but continued to move along. I was eating gels and shot blocks and drinking Nuun (adding it once the water purified). I did feel like I was a little behind on water some so I drank an extra bottle at Toxaway. I also noticed that I likely did not have enough gels (only had nine). I bought some pretzels at Walmart but mistakenly forgot to put them in my waist pack. Oh well, too late to worry about it now.

I lost John and Mo for a bit when I stepped off the trail to take a pit stop. The next section was awesome - all rolling hills and I ran every step trying to catch them. This was where I got three yellow jacket stings. I finally caught up only because John had fallen and was walking it off. Eventually we arrived at the Horsepasture River at 10:50! I was over an hour ahead of plan and feeling great. From here it was between 3 and 4 hours to the finish - closer to 4 for me. We planned to get in the water here but the levels were pretty low so we just filled up. John urged me to push ahead and go for a great time but I was reluctant. I figured sub-10 was in the bag so there was no hurry. I decided to start walking up the trail and said I would meet him at Thompson's where I planned to get in the water if the levels were better. Thompson's is about 4 miles from the finish but I didn't realize this at this point - I thought it was closer to 7.

I caught up to Jim Musselman, Andrew Hacket and Jason Barringer. I moved past them on one of the downhill sections but soon Andrew and Jason caught up and we ran together for a while. In fact, Jim would also catch up and pass me to finish about 5 minutes ahead. Jason commented that we had a great chance of breaking 8 hours. What!!!! I said how is that possible and he told me the finish was only 4 miles from Thompson's. He would know as this was his sixth time here. We battled the yellow jackets off and on (I got stung two more times) and soon were at Thompson's. He said he was just going to top off his bottles a push to the end and go for sub-8. I decided I would go with him and see if I could do it too. We got to Thompson's around 12:40 so to break 8 hours I needed to cover 4 miles in 1:20. Seemed doable. Only problem was I only had 1 gel left for food and I was starving. So, I ate it and took off.

Jason and Jim had left before me (and Andrew before them). Tom Gabell also passed by as we arrived into Thompson's. I continued to move forward and played leapfrog with Jason and Andrew for a bit until they finally pulled away for good. I started to really bonk and was hitting a low point big time. I decided to get in the water for a bit to see if this would help revive me some and stayed for about 10 minutes. It helped some but the bonk was still there. I just decided to keep pushing as best I could. Soon Mo and Jim caught up and passed me. I soon realized that sub-8 was not going to happen but I could probably get in under 8:15 if I could make good progress up the last beast of a climb.

I pushed and I pushed and was surprised to be at the top quicker than expected. As I came down the paved bike path I could see another runner about 50 yards ahead. I kicked up the pace to a full sprint and was getting very close when the "crowd" told him to hurry up. He picked it up as well and we ended up crossing together in 8:06. I ended up covering the stretch from Horsepasture in 3:16, which is much better than I expected. I was tired after that last hard effort but it was a good kind of tired. I drank several cups of sports drink and water and then relaxed at the finish and cheered in the other finishers for a couple of hours. Mo ran an 8:01 and John did 8:28 basically off the couch. If fully trained he would have been a good hour faster.

This race went very well for me despite two dumb mistakes - no light and not enough food. I thought about putting a small flashlight in my waist pack but decided against it. Probably didn't impact my time much but who knows. Going too light on nutrition was really dumb as the late stage bonk definitely hurt my time. Perhaps the soak in the water was unnecessary and a waste of time. I am splitting hairs here but I always try to garner some lessons from every race. I blew away even my most aggressive goal and felt terrific at the end. I used Desitin on my feet and again had no blisters or any foot problems. The Nuun worked very well and I plan to use it in all races going forward.

Thanks to Claude for putting on such a great race and to Byron for his hospitality. Also, congratulations to John Teague for getting his tenth finish at Laurel Valley. Man, what a race!

Laurel Valley Preview

Never say never. After my suffer fest at Laurel Valley last year I uttered those infamous post race lines of "I will never do that again". Ha! How many of us have done that before? After my blisters healed and I recovered, I realized how much I enjoyed the trails and the overall low-key nature of the event. The RD has done a lot to promote running throughout the Carolina's for a long time and puts on great events. So here I sit, a mere 90 minutes from heading down towards Greenville, SC for the Laurel Valley Whitewater Run.

I am traveling down there with running buds John and Mo and we will meet up with several other folks for a pre-race meal. Byron Backer is letting us all crash on his floor tonight and tomorrow we are up early to drop cars and then start promptly at 6:00 AM. The good news is the temperatures look to be much lower than last year with highs expected in the upper-80s. Much better than the triple digits we endured last year. Even the humidity looks to be relatively mundane between 50% and 60%. I feel pretty fit but will not treat this as a race but rather a leisurely training run. Definitely part of the race plan this year is several cool dips in mountain streams. I neglected to do this last year and paid the price.

I will post a full race report early next week. By the way, Karl continues to make progress south on the AT. he is off to a great start on his quest to traverse the trail in 47 days. You can follow along here.

13,150 days

That is how old I am today. The more common expression of my age as of today is is 36 years old - officially in the late 30s. Birthdays are always good times for me to reflect on the "status" of things. For now, things are going great. I have a wonderful family and continue to be blessed with good health. I also continue to remember what things are important. Long gone are the days of being consumed by material possessions and living a life focused on getting "stuff". There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things but I was on a path where that was the focus. I attribute discovering trail running a couple of years ago with starting the "metamorphosis". Bottom line is now I am driven by experiences and doing the right things rather than keeping score against the "Joneses". My job is going fine despite the volatile environment we are in (I work for a bank). Anyway, I feel better and fitter at age 36 than I did at 26, which is a great feeling. I hope to continue the trend well into my old age. Funny how ten years ago, the thought of running anything further than a 10K was inconceivable - I was content to sit on the couch and watch t.v. Now, I would rather do something in the outdoors (especially with my family or friends) than just about anything. As I get older (wiser?) I am amazed how much there continues to be for me to learn about priorities and life in general. Anyway, thanks to the many readers who have already sent me birthday greetings.

There has been some great running going on over the last couple of weeks. Not the least of which is Jamie Donaldson's smashing of Pam Reed's women's course record at Badwater. Jamie was third overall and beat Pam's record by more than an hour! Jorge Pacheco took the overall win running an impressive race from start to finish. I am relatively new to the ultra world but this appeared to be one of the most competitive fields for Badwater ever. Andy Jones-Wilkins successfully defended his Vermont 100 title and Devon Crosby-Helms won the women's race at Vermont in her 100 mile debut. This past weekend had the White River 50 mile race in Washington, which serves as the USATF 50 Mile Trail Championship. Mike Wardian ran a very solid 6:52 to take the title and Susannah Beck ran 7:42 for the women's win. Perhaps the most impressive performance was Nate McDowell running a 5:43 at the Speedgoat 50K in Utah. This RD for this race is the Speedgoat himself (Karl Meltzer) so you know the course would be tough. How about 10,000+ feet of elevation gain over the course and topping 11,000 feet elevation twice in the race. Ouch! Anita Ortiz ran 6:02 to take third overall and the women's title. Congratulations to all these folks for such impressive performances.

Meltzer is getting ready for his AT Assault in a week. This will be really cool to watch and I expect we will see an impressive performance from Karl. There is a website set up to follow his route and get updates. Check out the cool RV he and the folks at Backcountry have put together as a rolling home base. Well that is enough for now, time for ol' Bedrock to get off his arse and hit the trails.