Test time. Let's see where I'm at.

This weekend I will have a real chance to see how my training is going as I prepare for the upcoming Ironman. I'll be heading down to the White Lake Half-Ironman Friday afternoon with my buddy Jerry. It was here in 2004 that Jerry and I first became friends. I had been a regular at the NCRC club meetings for a few years and had met Jerry but never really talked to him before. At the club meeting a few weeks before the race Jerry announced that the race needed volunteers for the Half-Ironman which is held the day before the sprint in which he would be doing his first open water swim. I was also doing the Sprint Tri on Sunday so I told Jerry I would volunteer to take my kayak and help with the swim on Saturday and then race on Sunday.

I learned as we made our plans that Jerry was late becoming a swimmer after having a near drowning experience in his youth so we decided that I would go with him with my kayak out to Falls Lake and let him practice while I paddled along beside for safety. These practices helped boost his confidence and afterwards we had a great trip together down to the races and have since become great friends sharing many marathon and triathlon trips over the years.

White Lake is a great venue for the events with a calm, clear sandy bottom lake for the swim and flat, lightly traveled roads for the bike and swim. My first race there was in 1999 and it was staged at Goldston Beach. My younger son Jeremy and I went and spent a great weekend there together and I did the sprint. The following year the race moved to the FFA camp on the other side of the lake where it has been held ever since. The camp makes it even more special and is one of the reasons for the races popularity. Many athletes and their familys make a weekend out of it staying on site.

I did the sprint again in 2000 and 2001 and then in 2002 I finally entered my first Half-Ironman. It was a real learning experience for me. I wore a wetsuit for the first time and had leg cramps early in the swim. It was also the longest swim I had ever done and I was so glad to finally get out of the water. I was struggling to get out of the wetsuit and as one of the young lady volunteers was trying to help pull it off my legs I cramped in both calves. Despite the troubles I still had a decent swim time and was right at my goal pace.

I efet good on the bike early and was cruising along at a better than expected pace but at 5 miles or so I reached for my flask of energy gel and noticed it had fallen off my bike. So for the next 51 miles I had no source of calories to replenish what I would be burning. I still pedaled along at a great pace, even better than I had hoped until the last 10 miles. Then the wheels seemed to become made of stone and I struggled as I began to bonk badly. My longest ride leading up to the race had been 30 miles and I had just ridden nearly twice that far and my body was depleted. I was soooo happy to finally get my butt off that bicycle seat and start the run. But again I had only missed my target time by 5 minutes so I was still hopeful I could reach my goal with a good run.

Unfortunately I didn't have a good run. My legs were dead from the bike and I was never able to recover from the glycogen depletion from having no calories in the first 4hours of the event. It was also very hot and humid so I had to do a run/walk the entire run portion and ended up with my slowest half marathon ever before or since. My goal had been 6 hours but due to the slow run I didn't even break 6:30, finishing in 6:30:47. I then decided that I never wanted to do an Ironman. I just didn't like riding the bike that far and going twice as far seemed like the last thing I would ever want to do. I also didn't care for being in the water that long. Maybe if I could run the 140.6? Anyway I continued to compete in shorter sprint and olympic distance tris for another 3 years until I quit to focus on my ultrarunning. Which brings us back to last summer when I began riding and swimming again for the first time in 3 years and in a momentary lapse of reason, signed up to do the Ironman this summer.

I look forward to the weekend. Bill And Margo will also be competing in the half so I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun no matter how the race turns out. I'm feeling good and confidnet I will do well even though I have not tapered for the event. It is just a stepppiong stone in my training for the big one but I still hope to do well. My training ids going ok. I'm confident on the swim and the running is going ok. I still have not ridden the bike nearly as much as I had hoped up to this point but I have been riding strong. Just not long.

Look for a report soon.

Riverwood Golf and Athletic Club Sprint Triathlon

On Saturday April 25th I traveled the short distance over to Clayton for this sprint triathlon for a workout in my preparation for my upcoming Ironman in 7 weeks. I had never participated in this event because I usually find myself running a couple of ultra's in April. My main reason for choosing this one this year other than needing to get in some practice and have some fun is that my friends Bill and Margherita Scott live in this neighborhood. I knew it would be a fun event and I'd get a chance to visit with my friends.

I headed over a little early and after some coffee at the Scotts, we rode our bikes the short 1/4 mile over to the race site at the Athletic Club. Heat had finally arrived with Spring in the area and it was already a warm morning, but very pleasant for hanging around waiting for the start. This one had a pool swim and my start time was 8:46 so I had a little time to kill while I waited. Bill and Margo were doing a relay with their daughter Stephanie doing the swim and she was going to start about 2 minutes before me.

There was nowhere to warm up for the swim close to race time so I was going to go in without a chance to get adjusted. I felt smooth in the water but was wondering if I was taking it too easy. I had predicted I would do the 300 yrds in 5:30 and after I climbed the ladder out of the pool I looked at my watch and it was at 5:36 so I was dead on with that prediction.

I was quickly in and out of transition and started on the bike. I was happy to feel good right from the start. One really good thing about the bike course is that the 1st 5 miles or mainly flat and slightly downhill making for easy pedaling and also it allows you to get your legs warmed up. I felt I was making good time and as I passed the 5 mile mark I was averaging 19.6 mph.

The next 5 miles would be a little more difficult with a few hills but no really steep or long climbs and a bit more of a head wind. My average at 10 miles had slowed to 19.0 but I still felt great. The course saved the worst for last though. The biggest hills including the toughest one in the last half mile slowed me to 18.4. I made a mistake and shifted too quickly into a bigger gear near the top of that one and had a sharp pain shoot in my hip at the ITB connection causing me to have to stop pedaling and lose my momentum. Fortunately the pain subsided after about 30 seconds after I finished the climb and would not bother me the rest of the day.

I knew as soon as I climbed off the bike that I would not be running well today. As I ran my bike through transition my legs felt completely dead and I was moving so slow. I was regretting not doing any bricks since the Azalea Festival Tri 6 weeks ago. All I had to do was rack my bike and take off my helmet so I was quickly out on the run course. The good part was it was mainly downhill to start allowing me to get the legs moving and control my breathing. The bad part was I would have to come back up that hill.

I was a little surprised at my one mile split and the 2nd mile I actually picked up the pace a bit. But then I hit the hills on the return and reality set in. I just do more hill repeats. And bike riding.

But overall it was a great day, a lot of fun and nice to hang out with the Scott family. Unfortunately I have no photos from this one.

Here is a link to the race website

Umstead 100 volunteering and photos

Yes, I'm a little behind on my writing and not much to report here. It was a pleasure to once again be in attendance at the Umstead 100 miler. I love the atmosphere of the event and it is so nice to have a weekend with so many runners that come year after year to race or help out. So many volunteers come from the NCRC as well as quite a few MTC folks. And there are always some from the clubs in the races to cheer on. I think it is so neat to see new volunteers and pacers that come out for the first time and see them become excited about the event only to return as an entrant in later years.

I started my volunteering a little later this year. I knew that I would not be pacing my normal 37.5 with Anita Fromm this year since her husband Tim would be sharing in that duty so I decided to go ahead and run my normal workout with Karla Saturday morning. It was a gorgeous day and we had a good run while watching the race and cheering on the familiar faces as we made our way through the park. Afterwards, about noon I headed over to Camp Lapihio to check in and begin my day of helping out at Sally's Asylum aid station. We had plenty of hel;p during the day so there wasn't too much to do but it was great to watch the race and give out the occasional assistance to the runners.

About 6:30 I changed clothes and prepared to meet Anita to begin her 6th lap. She had been having a good day but was a little behind her hoped for pace. She seemed in good spirits when we went out but she was already tired and not feeling too well and knew that today was not going to be a pr day for her so we just planned on having our usual good time running together and get her to the finish as comfortably as possible. We did have some fun and it was nice to get caught up since we hadn't seen each other in a year and it had been two years since last I paced her. But apparently she had been running too much too hard recently and her energy was fading fast. I hoped to keep her motivated and moving but after a break at the end of the loop she called it quits so I only got to pace her 12.5 miles this year.

I went back up to the lodge and changed clothes. I considered finding someone else to pace but there were plenty of volunteer pacers waiting for runners when I got up there and some had been waiting for an hour for someone to come in to run with. I had already run 25 miles for the day and since I'm not really in ultra shape right now I decided to just hang out in the lodge and offer any help as needed. If a friend had come in wanting a pacer and no one was available I'd have gone out. It was a lot of fun hanging out in the lodge watching the runners come in after finishing and others that were preparing to head out for another loop in the night. It was all the more pleasureable since Laura The Trail Angel was working the night shift. It has been way to long since I'd been able to see her too.

Here is a link to the few photos I took.

And here are some Laura took in the lodge

Raleigh Rocks ! Half-Marathon

With my focus on getting ready for the Ironman this summer and the fact that my running is not yet back to where I want it to be, I hadn't planned on running this race. I was looking forward to another wonderful long run in Umstead Saturday morning with my usual training partner , The Marathon Princess and possibly The Ultra Angel who joins us on occasion. I went into work at my part-time job Thursday at The Athletes Foot CV which is one of the race sponsors and saw that two free entries were not being used so I called Karla and asked her if she would rather run the race Saturday and after a few hours deliberation she called back and said sure.

So on a warm and muggy Spring Saturday morning we found ourselves preparing for the race with no real plan other than to have some fun. I knew I was in no shape to race a fast time so I was just going to run it with her for the fun and training. On Friday, I had decided I wanted to get back started with some speedwork so I had done some half-mile repeats thinking they wouldn't have much effect on todays event. Karla wasn't sure how fast she wanted to run so we decided to take it easy the first mile, then try and settle into 9 minute pace and see how it felt and go from there.

We lined up in the middle of the 1,600 or so starters and as planned took off easy. The course begins with a big loop of downtown Raleigh and is fairly flat and we hit the first mile in 9:05. That felt fine so we just settled in for the long run. I was already drenched from the high humidity but it was not too hot and was comfortable enough. We were having a lot of fun and chatting away as is usual on our training runs.

As the course turns away from downtown and heads west along Hillsborough St it begins a long steady climb and our pace had slowed a little as the effort stayed the same. Around the 4 mile mark , Chris Damico joined in with us. The three of us shared the next several miles enjoying the music from the bands along the way and our conversation. At around the 8 mile mark the course turned onto the greenway at the NC Museum of Art, a very pretty area but also hilly. I was still feeling good as we made the long descent and I snapped a few pictures along here. But then as we hit the first little hill I could tell I was not feeling strong and felt I was giving out too much effort for the pace we were running. I think I was feeling those repeats from Friday and I realized I had not been drinking and was probably getting dehyrated from the warm muggy conditions.

We made the final big climb and then over the I-440 pedestrian bridge onto the Meredith College campus at 9 miles and I could tell Karla was pushing the pace now. I was struggling a bit to keep up and fell a few steps behind her and Chris as I tried to recover from the hills. Mile 10 was just past the College and I stopped to take a gel and drink some water thinking with my leg speed I could catch back up on the predominantly downhill of the next 5k. I took off in pursuit feeling a little better and running a good pace on the slight downhill, slowly gaining ground on Karla. After a short time I realized that she was also picking up the pace some more. I would make up some of the gap and a few minutes later look up and see the gap had widened again. This went on for another mile and a half and I finally accepted the fact that I was not going to catch her today. The rubber band broke and I backed off the effort. And then by mile 12 the wheels came completely off and I shuffled my way to the slowest half-marathon time of my life.

Karla went on to run a strong finish and Chris pushed it in for a good time for him. We stayed around watching finishers and listening to the rock band at the finish line stage, Airiel Down until I had to leave to get ready for work. Other than a disappointing time and not being able to hang with Karla the last three miles it was still an enjoyable morning. The race went off very well I think and is a great asset to the Raleigh running community. My old friend Butch and his staff have a winner in this event.

Here are the few photos I took including a couple courtesy of Brad Broyles, NCRC President who was a spectator on the course today

Azalea Festival Sprint Triathlon

It seems a little odd that my last post two weeks ago was about snow and now I've just completed the first triathlon of the season. But that is March in North Carolina for you. Wild swings and unpredictability in the weather. Last weekend it was in the upper 70's but then we had another big change and the forecast for this weekends race was not looking good. Highs in the 40's and rain are not ideal conditions for a triathlon and I was really not looking forward to going. I was reminded of why I said I'd never sign up for another one in March.

So on Friday afternoon I began driving in the pouring rain towards Wilmington while thinking I should just go home and write this one off. As I got closer to Wilmington the rain began to taper off and by the time I arrived it was not raining at all. A good sign but the forecast was still for rain in the morning. I went straight to packet pick-up at Two Wheeler Dealer where I saw fellow NCRC members Bruce and Nancy Bokish and talked to them for awhile before heading to my motel.

At 6:30 I went to meet Chris Damico and Amber Groves, a young couple from the NCRC that I had met through the clubs social series . Amber would be going for her triathlon debut and Chris would be along for support and to take photos. All of the ones here were taken by Chris and yes, that is me swimming in the top photo. We had a very nice time at dinner and it was great to get to know these fine young people better.

I was up at 6am and very relieved to see that it wasn't raining although it was still quite cold outside. There had been a little mist and drizzle so the roads were going to be slick in spots too. I made the short drive over to UNCW and soon had my transition area set up. Amber and Chris arrived and after greetings from them I made my way into the natatorium to get warm. I was going to have a long wait because with the staggered start times of the swim I would not be beginning my race until 9:30. I found a comfortable spot and relaxed to watch the other racers and soon was joined by Amber and Chris after getting her bike gears fixed.

At 9am I went down to warm up in the diving well before getting in line for my swim start. I was happy to be the last in my group so I wouldn't have to worry about anyone swimming over me. I felt strong and smooth in the water but I was not doing a good job of changing lanes at the end of each 50yds causing me to lose mometum. I still caught up to a slow swimmer after halfway but then I had to wait for three more coming the other way before I could make my pass which caused me to miss my predicted time by several seconds. It was still a very good effort for me and one of my best times for a pool swim sprint.

I was really dreading running outside and over to the transtion area in that cold air but I had no choice so out the door I went. It was certainly uncomfortable but not too bad. Because of the distance from the pool to the bike transition area it took about 2.5 minutes just to run over there. I quickly toweled off and then put on a long sleeve shirt and a cycling vest that my wonderful friend Margo gave me that she had gotten from her brother in Italy. And I was very glad that I remembered to bring some winter cycling gloves. It was well worth the time it took to put them on to keep my hands comfortable with the cold air and the windchill I would be creating on the bike.

I got off to a good start on the bike but I had no choice but to just go on effort and hope for the best. My cyclocomputer was broken so I had no idea how fast I was going or how far I was along the course. It is a very flat course but there are a lot of speedbumps and turns. The course was better this year though with just one big loop instead of two. The newer parts had some long straights as well as smoother surfaces. At one 90 degree turn onto a main road , a rider that had just passed me a little while earlier wiped out on the slick road going around the tight corner. He was ok and I eased my way around him and made the turn safely. I was feeling good and keeping a good cadence but I could only hope it would relate to a good time. As the bike finish came into view I looked at my watch to see how long I had been riding and was very please with what I saw. This would be one of the fasted average mph rides I had ever done and much faster than I had done in my previous 5 attempts here in my past triathlon life.

I was quickly off the bike and running thanks to a good transition and was happy that my legs were feeling good. I have done a few bike/run bricks the past couple of weeks and they seem to be helping. I was trying to keep a high running cadence and soon settled into a strong pace. there were no mile markers that I could see but I felt I was running a good pace and after 7 or 8 minutes I was in a good rhythm and running stronger. It was an out and back course so I could tell at the turn that I was on a better than expected pace and a good time was in the bag. I was only passed by one young guy early in the run and I was passing quite a few which is a good indicator that I was havng a good one. I finished strong and was thrilled with my time. I was sure it would be my fastest 5k time in a triathlon and after checking in my log books it is confirmed. Overall this was the best sprint tri overall I think I've ever done and certainly my best at Wimington. Amazing considering that I did my 1st one here 10 years ago. Not bad for a 53 year old to still be improving in the sport and after a three year layoff from swimming and biking.

Afterwards I waited at the finish with Chris for Amber to complete her race. She did great and was very happy and excited with her debut. I think now Chris has the bug and will be looking to enter one soon. Overall it was a great weekend and I'm glad it didn't rain and I didn't let the cold keep me away. Wow, only 3 months now until Ironman time!!

Umstead Snow Day 3-2-09

It's not too often we get snow in NC in March so I was a little surprised that the forecasters were right this time. It had not been below freezing much lately so the ground was warm and we had gotten a lot of rain Saturday and Sunday so I didn't expect it to stick either. Well I had about 4 inches in my yard this morning but the roads were in pretty good shape. After work I went to William B. Umstead State Park, my favorite training area to take a hike in the snow. I had been wanting to take some pictures of the park with snow for a while but hadn't had the chance to get out there with snow still on the ground.

I decided to take the Pott's Branch trail, one of the shorter of the parks 25 miles of single-track because I knew it had some nice views of the creeks that flow through the park. Even though the ground was mostly covered in snow, the trail itself was clear. I suppose the heavy rain soaking the worn areas of the trail with no natural ground cover was the reason for the snow not sticking to the trail. I had a nice little walk. It was about 30F and the wind was calm so it was rather pleasant.

Here is a link to the photos I took.

Myrtle Beach Marathon 2009

An uneventful but pleasurable drive down to MB on Friday afternoon. It was especially nice driving the Jaguar XK8 convertible, Jerry's wife Lynda's car. Zooooooom !!!! Frank and Karla followed us down and we stopped by the expo as soon as we arrived to pick up our race packets. Saw a few friends but didn't hang around too long before checking in to the Breakers resort and then heading up to the pasta dinner hosted by Mark and Terry Dowd and friends.

4:30 came early on race day but we were happy to find that there was no rain and the temperature was a mild 55F which seemed perfect. We timed our arrival well and only had a short wait before the race begin just before sunrise. All four of us came here not in the best condition and were just hoping to get through the race in decent shape in a reasonable time and not hurt anything in the process. Frank went to join the half-marathoners while Karla, Jerry and I found a spot in the middle for our race.

Our plan was to just start out easy and then taper off so at the gun we eased out onto the course, not worrying about the time as we crossed the early mile markers. Jerry was planning to run with us as long as he could so the three of us were having a good time enjoying the near perfect morning.

By the 6 mile point, I was not feeling bad but I sure wasn't feeling as good as I hoped that early but I wasn't too worried about it just yet. Things change in a race this long so I just tried to relax and settle in for a long day. Jerry was starting to feel very good and by 9 miles he begin to pull away from Karla and I, so we just let him go and stuck to our pace and plan. We went through the half in 2:11 which was very close to the pace we were hoping to hold for the race but I actually wasn't too confident at that point. Already my legs were a bit achy and tired and my energy level was a bit flat. I didn't say anything to Karla but I was expecting that by 16-18 miles I would have to start doing some walking. I was hoping she was feeling better than me.

Things stayed the same for the next several miles but by 17 we were slowing down each mile and Karla was beginning to show signs of fatigue too. I almost had the urge to walk at 19 as we crested "MT Myrtle" but we kept trudging along. By mile 20 I commented to her that I was actually feeling better overall than I had at 14 except that my hip flexors were tired and sore and that our pace was still getting slower and there was nothing I could do about that. And I was thinking to myself that maybe I was actually going to be able to run this whole thing afterall.

And that was about when the rain started. Just a sprinkle at first but by mile 21 a steady rain as we turned into the slight wind along the highway for the next several miles. But despite the deteriorating conditions and our energy levels sinking, the last few miles were quite special as we used the invisible bond that holds two close friends together to push and pull each other to the end. We crossed the line in 4:33:04 to finish our 9th shared marathon. Although nowhere near our best we were very happy with the time considering the past year and lack of training for us both. It was an improvement by a few minutes from last year and 12 minutes faster than her last marathon. Very encouraging as we both look forward to a much better year of running in 2009.

Jerry would hold on to run a great race actually running the 2nd half faster than the first and Frank finished the half faster than he has run in a long time. Quite a few runners from the MTC and NCRC ran great races and fast times and pr's. And sadly some had disappointing days but overall it was another wonderful day at the Myrtle Beach Marathon. It was especially nice to see my good friends Fred and Susan Dummar afterwards. They are wonderful people and it was so nice to se them if only for a few minutes. Fred ran an outstanding 3:34 as a new masters runner and Susan had a good run in the half with a friend.

Will I be back again next year? I don't know for sure just now. With Boston filling up in January now, you can't count on using MB as a last minute qualifier like I did in 2006. I do love the race and would hate to miss it but there are some other things I'd like to do in February like return to Holiday Lake. We'll see. But one thing for sure, I will look forward to running with the Marathon Princess again soon. ( I've talked her into running the Grandfather Mt.!!)

Heading to Myrtle Beach Marathon 09

Once again it is time to make the drive down to South Carolina for another Myrtle Beach Marathon. This will be my fifth year in a row running a race that I wasn't sure I would have ever planned to run. It was my friend Jerry that was probably most responsible for getting me to go the first time. Jerry was the one that introduced me to Karla about a year earlier and he told me that she was going to run the 2005 race as her first marathon and attempt to qualify for Boston. Up until that time she and I were only casual acquaintances and had been on one training run with Jerry and Margo and I on New Years. I decided that I would go and run the race with the two of them and handle the pacing duties. I never knew that would be the beginning of this great friendship and training partnership we have shared these past few years.

I am not in very good running shape now due to last years injuries and Karla hasn't been running too much in that time either. Since I began training again at the beginning of the year we have been able to get in some good long runs the past several Saturdays including a few in Umstead. Training is going well but we aren't in shape to race a marathon just yet, so we plan to just run it together for fun and training. This will be the 4th time running it with Karla with 2006 the only year I ran by myself as I was qualifying for Boston that year.

This will be my 27th marathon and 9th running with Karla. If I'm not racing for a fast time I can't think of a better way to enjoy one than running it with Karla or one of my other friends and I look forward to sharing many more thousands of miles. As always there will be a large group of runners from the NCRC and MTC and I look forward to seeing many of them and hopefully some of you my readers. I'll be riding down with Jerry as usual with Frank and Karla following along. Frank will be running the half again.

The photo was taken by Frank after the 2006 race where I ran my pr and Boston Qualifier of 3:35.

Back to my other hobby

 A couple of years ago I started another blog to track the construction of a model railroad layout I was beginning to build. But then I got busy doing other stuff again and when my son moved back from Florida it got very crowded in my little abode so nothing was done for about two years. Well lately I"ve had a bit more free time on my hands and I've started back working on it. Hopefully progress will continue to be made although it may be slow. Trainng for an Ironman takes a big chunk of time out of a week but this hobby is very relaxing and a good way to spend my resting time in the evenings. The link is in the margins of this blog for your future reference but here it is now for you convenience if you care to check it out.

 Smoky Mountain & Southern RR

snow day Jan. 20th 2009

A rare and beautiful sight here at home. The roads were much too slick to make it into work so I went for a walk in the snow this morning to take some pictures. The snow was still coming down so it's very gray and overcast.

Here is the link to the pictures.

Finally a little hope.

 So how have things been going the past couple of weeks in this new year you may ask?

 Well, I am happy to say that my legs have felt better this week than they have in over a year. Since that test run on New Years Day with Laura, I have been out running 5 more times and it just keeps getting better. I was amazed at how much better I felt a week after that first run compared to how I was huffing and puffing at 10 mp. After just a few 4 mile runs I was running as fast as I usually do if not faster for those short runs. Last Saturday I met Karla for a 10 miler and that went very well and was pain-free. However the next day I was in pain behind my left knee !! What's that all about !?! I was limping around at work Sunday and Monday. By Tuesday it was better and I had a massage that afternoon that helped a lot. We think it was just muscular, no joint problem caused by the weakness in the hamstring from the injury. I rested it until Thursday and then went for a 4 mile run at Lake Johnson. I was almost afraid to run but after a few steps I felt no pain and it ended up being a great run with no problems afterwards.

  I've also gotten on the bike trainer 3 times the past week.  I started with 20 minutes and then 30 minutes the next two times. That went well also. This summer it didn't hurt the hamstrings to pedal the bike but they would be stiff and painful when I got off so I hadn't ridden since mid autumn. There was no pain and tightness afterwards which is a very good thing because I have many hours to put in the saddle over the next 6 months to get ready for the 112 miles I'll have to ride at Ironman Cour D' Alene .

  The swimming is also continueing to go well. I'm still in the pool about 3 times a week and usually swimming at least 2,00yds, or about 1.2 miles each workout. Somedays I do a long continuous swim. On other days I may do a pyramid workout and somedays I do just 100 and 200 yd intervals. Last week I lowered my mile pr once  again to 34:47 and yesterday I did a 100yd time trial in 1:36 which is about 6 seconds faster than ever. Not bad for an old runner.

Looking ahead to 2009

2009 promises to be an interesting one and a lot different than the past several years have been. The biggest difference is that I don't plan on running any ultras this year with the exception of Derby next November, if I feel I'm in PR shape for it. I will probably get in at least one "non-official" ultra in April when I pace the Trail Princess for 37.5miles at Umstead for the 4th time.

There are three reasons why I'm not planning on the ultra's. Number one is that I had DNF's in my last three 100/24 hour attempts and I feel my body as well as my mind need a break from the long ones. Number two, is the injury issue I've been dealing with all year. And number 3 is because this is the year of the Ironman. This will probably be my only attempt at doing one so I have devoted the first 6 months of the year to training for June 21st. After that I will focus on getting some leg speed back and try to qualify for Boston again in the Fall. I promise if I am physically able, I will be back strong into the Ultra's in 2010.

So here are the plans I'm sure of:

Feb. 14th- run the Myrtle Beach Marathon with the Marathon Princess

Mar. 14th- Azalea Festival Sprint Triathlon

Apr 4th- Pace and volunteer at Umstead 100

April 25th- Riverwood Sprint Tri

May 2nd- White Lake Half-Ironman

May 30th- Over the Mountain Olymoic Distance Tri

June 21st Ironman Cour D' Alene

July 11th Grandfather Mountain Marathon

Aug 8th Bandit's Challenge Olympic Distance Tri

Aug. 22nd- Sportsplex Sprint tri

Sept 12th- Patriots Half- Ironman

Nov. 8th OBX Marathon ( Boston Qualifier attempt hopefully)

Nov. 28th - Derby 50K

Happy New Year 2009

Greetings friends and readers. I hope everyone has a great year ahead of them. Mine got off to a pretty good start this morning. I was up much earlier than I needed to be on a Holiday, but so far I haven't missed one of the NCRC Resolution Run 5k's. I've only ran the race one time but have volunteered every other year which is what I was planning this morning.

I arrived around 8 am and spent the chilly hour waiting for the race greeting many friends from the club. I was a course monitor as usual and took my position along with Alan Hughes and Laura The Trail Angel. After everyone had gone past the last time, we ran back up the hill and I went to shed some layers of clothing and go out for my test run. The run went very well and was especially nice since Laura chose to slow down and run it with me. We ran a little over the 5k distance due to missing a turn while we were busy chatting about music and other such things we discuss, and averaged about 10mp for the run. I could sure feel the effort going up the hills but otherwise felt good. And I ran pain-free. I'm still not sure if it's over yet. There is still a little tightness this evening but so much better than before.

Thanks for running with me Laura!

2008 in review

In many ways, 2008 has been a frustrating year. For the first time in nearly a decade since I tore my knee up playing soccer, I have been dealing with pain and injury over most of the year. Prior to 2008, I have really had some great years with my running,achieving goals and taking on challenges I could have only imagine in my dreams that I would be doing at this age. Over those years I've been doing around 10 to 12 ultra's a year and 5 or 6 marathons, I have only completed two ultra's this year. I did complete 6 marathons but all of them but one were slow by my standards.

Like all years there were other ups and downs but we're not going to dwell on the downs. It's time to move on and look back on all the good things about the year. And there were some very good things because they were times shared with my friends, and that is always the best part of any year.

January got off to a good start at the Frosty 50K. I was hoping for a 50k PR, I missed it but ran my fastest race here in my 5th time running it by over 30 minutes. And afterwards I had the coolest blister ever.

February got off to a good start too with a road-trip to Tybee Island with two of my closest friends, Jerry and Karla. This one was my idea and they just went along for the fun as I attempted to qualify for Boston. I failed but we had a great trip anyway and I got to see several other MTC members there too.

Two weeks later we all went down to Myrtle Beach again for the marathon. It's a great race and a lot of fun because so many friends and aquaintences from the NCRC and MTC run it. I was just planning on running with the Marathon Princess this day which is about my most favorite thing in the world to do. She was a bit disappointed in the time but it was a pleasure sharing the miles anyway.

March was mostly training and then the Umstead Trail Marathon. I like the race and seeing a lot of good friends but in 4 races there I have never ran well. This year was again a slow miserable experience but I got to run practically all of it with my partner in pain, Tony Rouse and that is always a good day.

April and the Umstead 100. I love this race although most of the time I just volunteer. This year I had high hopes of running well and improving my 100 mile PR. I still don't exactly know what happened out there. My legs hurt all day but they weren't a factor in my dnf. But even in such a disppointing result, there was much good going on. Especially gratifying was seeing several friends run their first 100 milers, most notably Dorothy Hunter and the most lovely Jenn. I didn't get to pace the Trail Princess Anita for the first time in 3 years but passed that duty on to my friend Eric Nesbit who did a great job keeping her going and in the process covered nearly twice as many miles as he had ever done. I'll will be taking back over the Princess pacing duties in 2009.

In May I headed off to the Dakotas for the first time ever to run the Fargo Marathon with the amazing Italian running machine and close and dear friend Margherita. I knew I didn't have a qualifier in me but was hoping to run with Margo but I began fall apart before I ever reached the 9 mile mark and had a miserable race. Once again though I had wonderful companionship and got to see a part of the country I'd never seen.

A few weeks later in June, I was back on a plane to the Dakotas but this time to South Dakota with Frank and Karla. This was a great trip and so nice to visit with Karla's family and see where she grew up. We ran the Swan Lake marathon together and although it was another slow one it was a joy to run my 8th marathon with her. And afterwards I had a great vacation in the Black Hills. Cool !

A week later though and I had to drop out of the Boogie 50 at the 1o mile mark. I just couldn't stand the pain any longer and there was no way I could run another 40. I took a couple of weeks off and they got a little better.

As soon I as I got home I rejoined the YMCA to began swimming and cross-training. Margo had gotten me interested in signing up for a triathlon in Wake Forest and I had two weeks to get ready for it. All the Scotts were there as well as Frank and Karla andI thoroughly enjoyed it, my first one in 3 years. And then I got stupid and signed up for an Ironman next year.

And then in July I was back at one of my favorites, the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. I knew there would be no fast time this year. I just wanted to run it for fun and hopefully not damage myself. After the first mile I joined in with a couple of lovely young ladies from Raleigh, Camilla and Lori but after about 5 miles they were going faster than I wanted. About that time I saw my Trail Angel struggling so I dropped back to run with her. We ended up spending the rest of the race together making it my slowest but most enjoyable GMM ever.

Over the next couple of months I would do more biking and swimming than running and participated in a few more sprint tri's. In July I went with Bill and Margo to Burlington for one . Then in August I did one in Chapel Hill. Margo and the Werners were there but it was especially satisfying to see Jenn do her first Tri and do it very well. My last tri was one in Hillsborough that I shared the trip with Margo again.

Over the next several months I mostly just trained but my running mileage was half of normal and the pain wouldn't go away despite the treatments I was getting. I did a couple of more tris and a couple of 5 k's but was really hoping to be able to enjoy the Autumn running.

In October Jenn and I went to the mountains for a nice training run on the Mt Masochist course. I was surprised that my legs felt pretty good and was hopeful they may be getting better but once I was home they hurt again. We went back Nov. 1st to run Masochist. I was not confident at all but just wanted to run as much as I could with Jenn. It actually went better than expected for a while but then I couldn't hold the pace and eventually dropped out at 33 miles. But it was so nice to see Jenn's big smile as she made the finish. I was so proud of her once again.

And then there was Derby 50K. Nice and slow but thankfully my legs held up one final time with very little pain and although it was slow it was the easiest 50K I've ever run and the best job of pacing myself.

And then I quit running. Almost 5 weeks now. Things are feeling a lot better and I hope to test things out on the first.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my friends an readers in cyber-space.

All I wanted for Christmas is a new pair of hamstrings. I didn't get them so I'll have to do the best I can with the ones I have. They have finally felt a lot better the past couple of days but I'm still waiting at least another week to try running.

So how is the swimming going?

Thanks for asking. Well, mostly very boring although I seem to be able to get into a groove after about 15-20 minutes and then the time seems to pass quickly.

I'm actually very happy with the way things are going right now. My weekly yardage totals are the highest they have ever been. Back when I used to compete regularly in triathlons in 1999-2004, I never swam as far as I'm doing now in training. My usual workouts in those years were 1,000 to 1,200 yards. The only time I ever swam further was in a few of the International distance tri's I competed in and one half-Ironman swim. Since I have started back swimming over the last 6 months, my workouts now are almost always at least 2,000 yds with one long continuous swim each week of at least a mile. Last week I swam a new mile PR and today I did my longest continuous swim ever of 1.5 miles.

I would rather be running.

The legs continue to improve but I am going to hang tough and wait at least two more weeks before trying them out.

14 Days and Counting

14 days. That how many days it's been so far without running. If all goes according to plan, it will be another 3 weeks before I test things out and see if I can finally run pain-free again. I sure hope I can finally put this injury behind me and begin the new year with a fresh start. There is always some discomfort when you train and race hard but this has been the first time I have had anything like this before. It has been a very frustrating year as I've tried to cure the injured hamstring only to have it keep hurting. Compared to the problems I was having in the summer, I feel great but I finally had to accept that I will have to take time off to let it heal completely.

In the meantime, I have and will continue to spend more time in the pool to stay in shape and be prepared for the upcoming years' schedule of triathlons that I will be using to prepare for next June's Ironman. I'm also doing some weight work in the gym. I should be lookin' good by June! I am already swimming faster, longer and stronger than I was in my earlier years when I competed in triathlons from 1999 to 2004.

Derby 50K 2008

5:37:10. If you had me last year asked what I would have thought about running that time at this years Derby, I would have said, very disappointed. But as I was nearing the finish this past Saturday, I was and still am thrilled with the time and my race.

I've said it many times before that I love this race for many reasons but I almost didn't come run it this year. I have had so my set-backs with my injuries this year that I was afraid of doing further damage and I also knew I probably was not in shape to run it anyway. Things had seemed to be improving very much lately but then on Tuesday before the race I did a 10 mile run and by halfway I was hurting and by the time I made it back to my car my hamstrings were a mess. So knowing it was probably foolish to come run, I decided to do it anyway. I really wanted to be there and I also was going after my 5 Year Veterans Vest. I didn't care about the time but just had two goals this year and not 3 like last year. One was to finish and two was to not do any further damage.

I drove down to Pinehurst Friday night and then awoke Saturday morning to see a cold rain outside. Great. I would get to be slow AND miserable. Seeing the friendly faces of my MTC friends when I arrived in Derby quickly lifted my mood and the rain almost stopped completely as the time to start arrived. It was about 43F but calm and I knew I'd be warmed up soon as long as the rain held off. And then, Mark Long the RD sent us on our way.

I began at a very conservative pace, something new for me here. In the previous 4 years I had been seeking a 50K pr and was successful in that endeavor in each run. This year would be all about making it to the finish as comfortable as possible. I found myself running alongside Jimmy Ballard and we were having a nice conversation for a couple of miles but then I slowly began to pull ahead. The segment to the first aid station is the easiest of the course so I was relaxing and enjoying the easy running. Soon enough but probably 5 minutes slower than last year I came into the aid station which was being run by the Doom family. Just said Hi and grabbed some water and started back up the road.

The next section is where a few hills start and I was thinking this year I'd be walking almost all the hills but I was feeling good and fresh and decided to go ahead and run them this first lap. I'm glad I made that choice because I felt great and was soon arriving at aid staion 2. A cup of ginger ale and I was quickly out again. I spotted my buddy Tony Rouse walking up ahead so I took off to catch up to him. I was thinking he was going to miss his first Derby because I didn't see him before the race but when I caught up to him and Eric Fogelman, I found out that they had started early and were on their 2nd loop. I walked with them for a coupe of minutes and then we began to run together. Eric dropped back to talk to someone as we arrived at the dirt road so Tony and I ran on. It was great to run with him since I haven't seen him since the Boogie in June where we were running together until I dropped out in pain at 10 miles.

The next couple of miles passed quickly and we cruised up the hill to aid station 3. Just before we arrived it began to rain steadily. I left just ahead of Tony and assumed he would catch me but that would be the last I would see of him. For the remainder of the race I would be alone except for a couple of minutes later on when I would pass someone. Only two people would be passing me today which kind of surprised me as slow as I was going but it is normal in the race for things to spread out quickly.

My left hamstring was beginning to hurt but I found myself running in a good rhythm so I was just going with the flow. As I arrived at aid station 1 again, my leg was in quite a bit of pain and I was beginning to worry. Susan D. offered me some ibuprofen but I declined since I had taken some before the start and took off running again. Despite the pain I was still running well and feeling strong so I once again decided to run the hills. By now the rain was a little harder and a breeze had picked up and now I was getting cold. The only thing that was really bothering me were my hands . I hadn't worn gloves and wouldn't have needed them if not for the rain. I just pulled my hands inside my sleeves, but by now they were soaked and not offering any warmth as I ran directly into the wind.

The next several miles were pretty miserable but amazingly as I ran up the hills to the end of loop #2 my legs had quit hurting and my energy level was great. I was very happy that the rain was stopping just as I finished the 2nd loop. I continued to run easily toward aid station 1 for the last time but expecting at anytime for the crash to come. I just couldn't believe how good I still felt. As I left and headed up the hills for the last time, I was expecting to have to walk some of them but once again I had no problem, although I was beginning to slow down a bit. I was drying out and warming up a bit now although there would still be an occasional sprinkle, so I was much more comfortable this last lap.

I passed the marathon point in 4:40, about 42 inutes slower than last year but I didn't care because I was doing much better than expected. Surely I would start to suffer soon I was thinking to myself but the miles continue to fall behind me and as I hit the dirt road with roughly 5k to go I knew that today there would be no crash. I thanked God for giving me the strength to run so well today and enjoy a great race.

In all my years and many 50k's I have never been able to run all of one without walking. Even in my past two fast pr years, I had to walk a little up the last hills. So now I had a new goal. Run up those last hills for the first time. When I got to the end of the dirt road and began the climb I was again amazed that I didn't even feel the need to walk. Not walking was easy. I didn't have to dig deep or anything. I just ran like I was out on a regular training run and when I made the turn for the last 2 /10ths to the finish I was so happy. I had truly expected at the start to be well over 6 hours and exhausted but instead I felt great and thought I could easily have gone on and run a good 50 mile time. Awesome !

Thanks to Mark and the wonderful volunteers. It was a cold raw day out there for them sitting and standing around for hours and they stayed upbeat and friendly all day.

Riverwood Elementary 5k

I guess it's about time I got used to running in cold weather again, but I was sure glad the wind had died down when I woke up early this morning. It was bad enough on Friday with the temperatures in the low 40's facing the wind but with it only about 25 this morning, the calm was welcome.
As you know I don't run many 5k's anymore but I do enjoy testing myself every now and then. The only reason I chose this one is because my friend Maureen was the race director for this first time event and it was held in the neighborhood where she and her husband Todd live as well as my other friends Bill and Margherita Scott, The race is a fundraiser for the school PTA. A lot better way to raise money than having the kids sell over-priced junk to their friends and family I think and also a way to encourage participation by the children and their parents.

I arrived just 30 minutes before the start and was happy to see the school was open with packet pick-up inside where I found Margo and the Werners. Frank just had thyroid surgery this week so he would not be running but Karla was going to give it a shot too. I quickly got my number and then went back out to do a warm-up. I finished my routine with just about 3 minutes to go and took my place near the front. there were 196 entrants but many were kids and casual runners there to support the school and I wanted to get out quickly.

I got off too a good start, not too fast and settled into a good pace. Since I don't race at these quicker paces too often I 'm not quite as good as judging my pace but when I passed the first mile in 6:52, I was feeling good because I was hoping for about 7:00. The course was a bit hilly but with the low point being at the turn-around I knew that the second half would be predominately uphill. As we ran downhill to the turn, I was trying to gain as much time as I could without crossing over the redline.

I made the turn and then dug in for the climb. It's funny but apparently power walking up the mountains in an ultra don't do much for preparing you to run fast uphill in a 5 k. I slowed considerably and was moaning and gasping my way to the top. I recovered quickly but I also knew I would not be running uder 7mp anymore today. I hit 2 miles in 14:41, a 7:49 mile. I hoped to maintain that pace at least but another hill with half mile to go and I was slowing even more.

My legs have at least gotten better to the point that I can usually run pain-free now but I was feeling the left hamstring the last half-mile. It didn't affect my pace or form so I kept pushing and finished in 23:28. That was good enough for 2nd in my age-group but then there were only two of us in my age-group.


Margo would take 1st in her age-group ( thats her getting her medal from Maureen) and Karla would take 3rd in hers so we all brought home some hardware today. Maureen and her volunteers did a great job putting on a first class event.

Mountain Masochist 2008

" We could be in a Marching Band" Jenn said as we made yet another the long climb about 16 miles into the race. The only sound we could hear was the scuffing of our footfalls on the gravel Forest Service road in perfect lock-step. Amazing really when you consider my legs are somewhat longer than hers, but she is a strong woman and can walk a quick pace. We were both feeling pretty good at this point and satisfied that we were slightly ahead of the cut-offs.

What a wonderful weekend for an ultra-race over the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The leaves were as pretty as anyone could remember and the weather was near perfect. One improvement this year was the buses would be picking us up at the host hotel instead of having to drive over to the high school. It was about 45F with a near perfect forecast for the day as we boarded the buses for the 45 minute drive to the James River on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was much excitement in the air even at this early hour of the day as we made our way to the back of the pack at the start. My two goals for this day would be to stay under the cut-offs, and do whatever I could to see that Jenn made it to the finish line in her first attempt. I was very confident in the latter, but not so much the former.

We started in the darkness at an easy pace, running all of the first section and passing the first aid station in about an average time for me. It was beginning to get light as we turned onto Highway 501 headed toward a.s 2. We were quickly in and out and then hit the trail for the first real climb of the day, the first of many on this tough, mountainous course. I was surprised to see Sylvana and Dean, MTC friends ahead of us here. We shared the trail for awhile but soon we passed them and moved on. Once you make the top of the climb there is some nice running before arriving at a.s. 3. When we arrived the sun was peeking over the mountains tops , brilliantly illuminating the bright yellows and reds of the surrounding trees making a pleasant distraction from the long climbs to come.

The miles passed quickly and mostly uneventfully as we enjoyed the trail and companionship over the next several miles. We both felt good and I was very happy that so far I was not experiencing any pain in my hamstrings.

So back to the Marching Band. We finally made it to the top of the climb, refueled at the aid station and were glad to finally be able to run again as we started down . The next section is 90% downhill and we were soon running the fastest we would all day, passing quite a few other runners on the way down, still matching stride for stride. We came into a.s 8 and had built a little more cushion on the cut-off which was a relief. Now we could just maintain effort and relax for awhile. After all we still had 30 miles to go.

After we left a.s 9, I was finally beginning to feel a little fatigue. I wasn't too worried as this is normal for me when I approach the 25 mile mark to have a bad spell. I had forgotten that there was an awful lot of climbing in this next section and I was beginning to feel some pain and weariness in my climbing muscles that have not been used much over the past 6 months. I was glad to finally have the course flatten out a little as we came into view of Buck Mountain. Jenn was also slowing some too and as I checked my watch I was not liking what I saw. I couldn't remember exactly what the cut-off was at Long Mountain Wayside at 26.9 miles, but I knew it was getting close. We finally made it in but our cushion was now down to about 6 minutes. Annette Bednosky and Sue Norwood were there giving us encouragement and smiles but we had to hurry on our way.

I was not feeling too bad as we began the climb but it was becoming evident to me that I was not as strong as I had been earlier. We had gotten maybe halfway up when I noticed I kept dropping behind Jenn and she had to wait a couple of times for me. That's when I reluctantly told her to go ahead and not wait for me. I told her I'd try to catch up if I started feeling better and then watched as she slowly disappeared ahead. I tried to keep up the pace but I could only push for a few strides before I would slow down again. This was the toughest part of the day for me as I realized I would not be able to cross the finish line with Jenn today. I was almost shocked when I finally reached the top and still was under the cut-off. In years past I have been able to run all of the next section, which is mostly downhill with just a few short easy uphills, but today I was spent. I assumed I was the last one on the course by now but as I came into a.s 12, I was passed by the last one.

The next section is short, only 1.5 miles but is uphill all but the last few hundred yards. It is on a rough dirt road and there is a little traffic on this section from runner's crews as well as other users of the National Forest. I was most tempted to hitch a ride up to the loop since I knew I would be going no further once I reached the loop, but I resisted the temptation and finally dragged into the Mt Pleasant loop aid stations. I missed the cut-off by two minutes. The volunteers offered to let me go ahead but I declined the offer knowing there was no way I would make up anytime on the loop and I didn't want to make the volunteers wait for me to drag myself out of the woods. I found a shady spot to lie down and watch as friends and aquaintances ran out of the loop and continue on their journey to the finish.

Although I was disappointed I did enjoy watching friends come out of the loop. One I especially looked forward to seeing was Dorothy Hunter, who I had crewed for at Hellgate last year. She is always sweet and smiling her way through these things. When I saw her come down the hill , I got up and walked over to the aid station to talk to her. I noticed the blood running down her leg from her knee so the first thing I said was "Dorothy, I think you may win Best Blood this year". She seemed quite proud of her boo boo and sure enough at the awards dinner she was the winner this year. Finally Jenn came running down the hill looking strong and had built her cushion back up to about 15 minutes. She seemed in great spirits as I walked with her out of the aid station. I handed her my last two Gu's from my pocket thinking they may come in handy later on. After she ran off I was able to quickly catch a ride with another runners crew back to the finish line.

Once I arrived in Montebello, I quickly changed clothes and then went to hang around with friends that had already finished and others that were coming in. It is an exciting place to be but I really wished I was out there on the trail looking forward to my own finish. It is tough to have to explain over and over why I couldn't make it this year. As the final cut-off neared I stood by the road looking and hoping to soon see Jenn come around the curve for the final quarter mile. I was relieved when she finally came into view know that she would make it. I was so proud and happy to see her finish making the cut-off by about 7 minutes.

Overall and despite not finishing myself, it was a wonderful weekend. The atmosphere of the race is so special and makes it one of my favorite events of the year. New race director, Clark Zealand did a great job, but it was nice to have Horton still around. Hopefully I can convince Jenn to write an account of the run from her perspective and if so I 'll post it here.

These are the few photos I took. Unfortunately, I unknowingly had the camera set-up for video at the finish line. If I'd known I would have tried to do a better job of it.