Grandfather Mountain Marathon 2012

 Normally I would have been really excited about traveling to run this race but although it is one of my favorites and this would be my 7th, I knew this year was going to be a tough one for me. The 4 weeks leading up to it had been a bit rough on me physically. My recovery from the dog bites and the 62 miles at Boogie had been a lot slower than I had hoped for. Usually I would be feeling fine and ready to rock a strong effort within 2 weeks of a 100k but the combination of the effort along with the dog bites and bleeding, two weeks of antibiotics and some really hot weather had me feeling pretty worn down.

  I had taken a week off and I normally don't even take off that much time after 100 milers but my legs were in a lot of pain and because they couldn't suture the punctures I was still bleeding through my bandages and clothes for several days. But the rest I'm sure was good for me and after I began running again I felt like I was slowly recovering back to normal. I was finally able to run pain free after the end of two weeks and was running close to my normal mileage but by 5 miles or so into a run I was really starting to  get tired. Then last Saturday I was hoping to get in an easy 10-12 miles with Karla on the greenway but I had to bail at 8.6. Not the way I wanted to feel going into race week.


So , I tried to take it easy the remainder of the week leading up to the race with just a few easy shorter runs and headed up to Boone with a plan to just run to survive. There would be no fast time for me and I am so glad I hadn't planned anything foolish like a "Double" this year.

  I arrived at  the ASU track at 6am, and the morning thunderstorm had moved on leaving us with 100% humidity for the day. The temperature was in the mid to upper 60's and expected to move to the mid 70's so although it wasn't going to be a hot year, it was going to be a miserably muggy one. It was great to see so many friends from the NCRC and MTC and others from the Triangle area.  I found  The Trail Angel and then  lined up with Lisa and Dale Tiska for the start.

  We began at an easy pace and were enjoying the conversation as we headed out on the slight downhill through town. Shortly after turning onto Winklers Creek Road the first climb begins and we hadn't gone far past the two mile point when I let them pull ahead. I was enjoying the company but needed to stick to the plan. Shortly after that, Gene Meade and I started running together. It was his first time running here so I was giving him info on what to expect out on the course. We were both content to take it easy and walk the steeper portions of the climbs in these early miles. By three miles everyone was already dripping wet  from the oppressive humidity. We were running through a light fog nearly all morning and you could see the water droplets forming on the hairs of my arms. There would be no evaporative cooling effect this day.

  Gene and I were enjoying these early miles and we passed the 5 mile point in 1:00:00 even. With the walking I was a little surprised with the 10 minute average pace but there was some downhill mixed in there. We continued on until we came to a water stop at mile 8. It was on a downhill and  as Gene stopped to refill his bottle I continued on. I looked back as we made the turn onto Shulls Mill road and begin the next long climb to see if he was close enough for me to wait but he wasn't there so I went on ahead.

  I was moving a long well on the next climb and continuing to walk the steeper portions of the hill and generally just enjoying myself. Around the 9 mile mark I was disappointed to see Lisa about 1/4 mile ahead.  If she was having the kind of day we expected I should not be seeing her until the finish. She quickly disappeared around a curve and I didn't see her again for awhile.

  Every year that I have run this race since 2008, I have passed by the 10 mile point in the race with one of the Angels along and we have stopped at a small turnout on the road that the first view of Grandfather off in the distance. Well, today I had no Angel along for company and the view was nothing but fog and clouds. I stopped anyway for a self portrait and then a young lady came up and took one of me and then I was off on the run again. I was really shocked at my split for that 5 miles. There had been a couple of miles of downhill but mostly climbing and I had walked most of the steep parts. That made me a little optimistic because I was feeling pretty good and had not been pushing the pace at all. 

  A mile later the course reached the Blue Ridge Parkway and I was looking forward to the nice 2 mile downhill that lay ahead. IT is not too steep so you can run it pretty fast without too much effort or damage to the legs. I ha;t gone far when I spotted Lisa up ahead. She seemed to be moving well but I was gradually closing the gap. Just as we reached the bottom of the hill I came up behind her and told her I was really not expecting to see her. She said she had been having some trouble breathing earlier but was feeling better so I just stayed behind her since we are suppose to run single file on the Parkway, hoping to run with her for awhile. We went through the half in about 2:17 and the way I was feeling I began to think maybe a 4:40 was possible.

  Just past this point is where you get your second view of the mountain, much closer across a meadow but all we saw this morning was more fog. At least I knew where it was. The road begins a gentle 2 mile climb at this point and within a few hundred yards  I was having to chop my stride too much to stay behind Lisa so I had to go ahead and pass her and hope she would be able to hang on. I continued to run well all the way uphill to the end of the parkway section and the 15 mile point and was once again very happy with my pace for the past 5 miles.

  It gets a bit tougher again from this point. there is a fairly steep hill once you exit off the parkway and I walked most of it to the water stop at the top and the beginning of the gravel road section. It is relatively flat for about a mile and then we come to "17" hill. It is quite a bit like a couple of the hills on North Turkey Creek in Umstead and it is a walker and the humidity today in the woods was stifling. Of course the humidity was  still about 100% everywhere anyway but it sure seemed worse on this climb. At the end of the gravel, the course turns onto Hwy 221 which it follows for the remaining miles to MacRae Meadows and the finish. And it continues climbing fairly steeply to the 18 mile point and then it levels out a bit. I was able to start back running again but already I could tell I was slowing down a lot.

  The course continues mostly uphill from here with an occasional little bit of downhill so you can relax a little bit. I learned from doing the double in 2010 that there is a lot more uphill on the return trip than you would think but after 20 miles or so coming this far on this tough course it seems ALL uphill. To make matters worse I was starting to wheeze when I was walking. the wheels were coming completely off now and my energy was not just fading but going completely away. My hamstrings were aching and my heart was racing and slowing down really didn't feel much better. Now I just wanted to get it over with as I mentally thought,  with each passing mile, well there goes 4:45, there goes 4:50 to finally , I',m not even going to break 5 !

  I should have packed it in those last  few miles and walked it in but being the hard head I am I kept pushing as hard as I could, determined to end the suffering as soon as possible.  Finally entered MacRae meadows and as i entered the stadium for that last 1/4 mile I was fighting back tears. I'm not sure if it was because I felt so bad or I was  just so happy that I could  finally stop. The crowd was great cheering me and the kilt and I was getting lots of comments and I was blowing a few kisses to them as I slowly circled the track.

 Can't wait to get back next year ! 

 here is a link to the rest of my pictures.

Boogie 100K 2012

   I've really been struggling to find the motivation to write a report for this event and even now as
I begin  writing this I'm not sure exactly what if anything I should say about it. So anyway let's just see where it goes.

  As I said in the original post that I sent out just an hour or so before starting, the 100 miler was something I had been planning and looking forward to all  year and was really excited that the time had finally arrived. I knew Amy was planning to come and spend some time with me but I really hadn't expected her to be meeting me at the start but she is a dear friend and one of my special running Angels so I was really happy that she would be there to share in this with me. I arrived just a few minutes before 6am and she was already waiting for me. It was a beautiful morning and the forecast was for cooler than normal Boogie weather, but actually about normal for this time in June.

  We began precisely at 6 by my watch and slowly  moved ahead with smiles on our faces and excitement about what the day would bring. After about a mile we stopped to get some pictures of the the gorgeous golden sunlight breaking through the trees. Little did we know that just over the next hill our day was about to take a horrible turn for the worse.

   I'll just let you read about it here. The Dog Attack.

 As the owner led the dog away, we began to run again , stunned, angry, confused and in pain.  We didn't really know what to do at this point. Should we call the sheriff? Go to the hospital ? Well, all we could do for the moment was keep running until we finished the first 6 mile loop. The adrenaline was really flowing so after 2 very fast miles I told Amy that maybe we should slow it down a little. My left leg was not hurting too much to run but the right leg was very painful because of the location of the punctures were right in the side of the quad that absorbs most of the shock of each step. Amy was hurting too but she said it wasn't bad.

  We made it back to the cars and stopped to clean up a little and decide what to do next. I was really torn at this point. I knew the sensible thing to do would be to go ahead and go to see a doctor but I wanted to do this run so bad that I didn't intend to let anything stop me as long as I could handle the pain. I was concerned for Amy and although I was glad that she was there I should have insisted they she go ahead and get treated. I felt so bad that she had gotten up so early and driven this far just to run with me and now she was bleeding and in a bit of shock from the ordeal.

  We decided to keep going and finish the first  10 miles and see how things would go so we headed down the hill. Running down the hill was pretty bad but once I had been running for awhile it kind of went numb and was just a dull ache. We were making the best of a bad situation and tried to get back to normal  with smiles and joking around like we usually do and soon we were back at the church, only about 6 or 7 minutes behind the pace I had planned for the first lap. Not too bad considering the attack and stopping to clean up.

   I decided not to even bother with trying to clean the wounds anymore. I knew I was just going to bleed anyway so I just ate some food. grabbed another couple of gels and refilled my bottle. Amy was still wanting to continue so we started out on the 2nd loop. We were very cautious as we approached the dogs house again. Amy had her pepper spray but we really didn't want another encounter. We were very pleased to see the dog was in his pen and no sign of the other dogs. As we were running down Cartledge Creek Rd, a truck pulled up and it was Lee Watson. He asked if I was Joey because he had seen my post on FB. He wished us luck and then went on about his business but later he said he wasn't aware of the attack at that time.

    After we passed the dog pen and headed down Holly Grove Church Road , Amy got a call from Jenn checking up on us. She had seen the post from Amy about the dog attack and  was worried about us. Another one of my dear Angels. She was encouraging us to get the wounds taken care of but I told her in my best Jessie The Bod Ventura voice from Predator that "I ain't got time to bleed"

  Amy assured her that I was doing a great job of drinking and eating  since I apparently was not going to stop running. And I was. I made sure I drank a full bottle between trips to the car plus drink more at each stop and was eating and taking gels regularly. Other than the pain  from the bites I was feeling great.

 The next 10 miles were pretty uneventful. I was running well and it was still a beautiful day. As we were nearing the marathon point it was getting very warm and by now there had been no shade on the course for a couple of hours. I had plenty of sunscreen and I had prepared for hotter weather so it was not a problem but I knew I had a long day ahead of me and I had to be sure and keep my head in the game.  As we approached the church at mile 26 we saw Bobby Cordell had arrived early. He was concerned after seeing the dog bites. By now I had bleed through both layers of my shorts and they were caked in blood.

  Amy left after running the 26.2 and now I had about 6 hours ahead of me before the others in the real race would be joining me for the evening. I headed down the hill once again trying to maintain a good attitude and block out the pain as well as I could. About halfway up Bethel Church Hill I saw Bobby driving towards me. He was worried about me being out there in the sun and bleeding but I assured him I was doing fine at the moment. As I completed the first 30 miles I was pretty happy with how things were going. My feet were in great shape and feeling no ill effects from pounding the pavement. Usually by this time at the Boogie my feet are hurting but I had been making a special effort to land as lightly as possible on my feet and it seemed to be helping.

  I went to the porta pottie and wouldn't you know  it. I got my hand stuck in the door and when I pulled it out I cut my left hand and it was bleeding worse than the dog bite. I sat down to eat a turkey sandwich for lunch and Bobby saw my hand and thought it was from the dog but I told him it was just some random injury from a porta toilet of all things. I'm a little foggy on the details but around this time Frank Lilley and Paul Heckart arrived on the scene and it was great to have them around to give me support and encouragement each time I came back by the church.

  I had taken about a 15 minute break so it was time to go if I was going to stay on schedule. It took awhile to get the legs moving again and the  bites were hurting quite a bit but fortunately after I warmed up again the pain eased off again. It was getting hot now and the sun was beating down so I was taking it very easy and making sure I didn't get over heated. I seemed to be handling the heat very well and I was really glad I had stashed a cooler at the dog pen so I could refill every  3 or 4 miles during the day.  Just as I was coming back up at mile 36, Jeff Kimrey drove by and told me it was now 84F. Not too bad but with no shade it was still a bit uncomfortable and I had to be careful.

  I got the 4 mile out and back done and now just one more lap before the real race would begin. As I headed down the hill to start lap 5 I saw Doug arriving in his truck and he stopped to set out a trash can at the bottom of the hill. I showed him the bites and he said he was real sorry it happened but I told him there was nothing he could do and it would be alright. I was still feeling pretty good and confident I could keep going.

  I was still feeling ok other than the pain but I was a little slower at 40 than I had hoped so I had to push the pace just a little bit more than I wanted to from 46 to 50 so I would have at least 15 minutes to get ready for the start of the 50 mile race. I made it back in 11:45 and headed straight for my chair to rest and eat before the start. Jeff went to get my number for me and Jenn and Lisa were there and took care of making me another turkey sandwich and re-filling my bottles while I made my preparations.

 I waited until the last minute to make my way to the line and then I waited until everyone had started before I headed out after them in last place.  I was still moving at a decent pace and not feeling bad for a guy that had just run 50 miles. I was happy to see some shade had returned to the course and was looking forward to the cooler night time temperatures. I made the first 6 mile loop doing well and it was great to see the volunteers and the other runners out on the course. I was quickly out and headed down the big hill and enjoyed seeing my friends that were ahead and coming back up encouraging me along.

  As I made it back up  the hill to complete mile 60, I was a little disappointed in my lap time but I was in no hurry and figured I should be able to maintain about that same pace and amount of running each lap. I went back by my car to get some coke and finish my sandwich before heading back out again. As I made my way over to the aid station before beginning the next lap I noticed my legs were not too steady but I thought once I got back to running again they would be fine like they had been all day. Fred gave me some marshmallows and I ate them as I walked down the hill. Once they were in my belly I started to run. Or I tried to. The legs were not cooperating. Hmm, this is not good. I decided to walk until I got to the top of the first hill and then get going but halfway up the hill I was beginning to stagger a little.

  I'll be ok I was thinking. Once you get to the top you can run downhill and everything will be fine. I did and then begin walking up the next hill but my legs just begin to crumble beneath me. As I staggered up the hill I was really getting worried. I knew I had been drinking and eating plenty so something else was going on. Was I going into shock? I didn't know. All I knew was I was in trouble. I stopped and tried to decide what to do. I wanted to finish this run so badly. Maybe I could make it to the next aid station and take a break and everything would be alright. That's how it usually works when I hit a bad spell  in an ultra. I stumbled on for another 100 yards and then just stopped. I knew I would never make it to the dog pen and I was not going to collapse in the road and have someone have to send help. That was one thing I couldn't do.  I knew when I mentioned this to Doug in January that he trusted me to know how  to take care of myself and I did not want to be a liability for him or this race that I love.

  So I turned around and begin walking back to the church. And then the tears came. I was so frustrated angry and I was  just so tired of hurting and bleeding and  there was not a thing in the world I could do to change any of it right now. I was thinking about Amy and worried about her too. It took me about 30 minutes to slowly stagger back to the church where I was surrounded by many caring friends that helped me into a chair and propped my feet up for me. So many. Vickie Fogelman, Marie Lewis , Doug, Tom Herbst, Ben Dillon , Fred Dummar , Charles West and probably some others but my mind was not the clearest . Thanks to all of you.  Someone brought me some ice bags for the bites which were swollen very badly by now.  After a few minutes the pain was so intense that I had to get up but I could barely walk. Tom  helped me and asked me where I wanted to go . They wanted me to go inside and eat but I had to go lay down so we made it over to the church steps and I stretched out there.

  That felt much better and Charles kept a check on me and Ben brought me some teryaki chicken. Lisa had dropped out of the marathon so I was going to wait for her to drive me back to Wake County and to the hospital in Cary. While I was waiting a pretty young angel came over and said, Hi I'm Kelly. I'm an ER nurse at Richmond County Medical center and I would really like to take you to the hospital. I told her I needed to talk to Lisa first since she was driving me. Lisa was fine with the plan so I rode with Kelly to Rockingham and Lisa followed behind.

  Lisa of course is one of my Angels and what a great friend. I was in the hospital for 4 hours and she had to wait patiently in the waiting room bored and tired until 3am and then drive me back to Cary.

 So that's how it ended. 62 miles and a trip to the hospital for cleaning, and IV antibiotics and fluids. They of course thought I was crazy when they found out I had run 60.5 miles after the attack.

  Not exactly how I had envisioned this when I started. So now that it's done I still have a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts about it. Yes, I am glad in a way I ran the 62 but I also realize it was really dumb. And I really feel bad about how it turned out for Amy. If it wasn't for her being such a great friend she would not have been there to get bitten. I know she wanted to be there but I hated to see her get bitten. I am disappointed in myself for not being more cautious when we saw the dog and I really didn't assess the situation properly. I've had dozens of dog encounters over the years but sure mis-read this one. Well, nothing I can do to change it now so it's time to move on. The wounds are healing nicely 3.5 weeks later. Just some swelling and a little tenderness now.

 here is the link  to some pictures.

The Dog Attack

       On June 16th 2012, Amy Surrette and I began our run from Bethel Baptist Church at precisely 6am according to my watch with the intentions of enjoying a long day of running. We were proceeding easterly on Grassy Island Road in the left hand lane facing traffic. After approximately 1.5 miles around 6:15 am we heard a dog barking and observed a large hound dog on the right hand side of the road near the  edge of the woods just before the intersection of Bethany Rd. As we got closer I begin to talk to the dog in a calm friendly manner calling him a good dog and he seemed to respond in a friendly matter. He approached us with his tail wagging and quit barking so we assumed he was friendly and was just going to run along with us. I was closest to him and Amy was to my left near the shoulder of the road. The dog circled behind me and then suddenly charged up behind Amy and bit her hard on the the upper left thigh. I immediately jumped between her and the dog and began yelling at him to get away but he was standing his ground. I began to search around for a stick or rock or anything on the side of the road to use as a weapon but there was nothing there when he suddenly charged me and gave me a hard bite on the upper outside of my right thigh.

At that time as I was trying to fend him off, a slightly smaller chocolate brown mixed breed dog joined in the battle. Fortunately two other smaller dogs were keeping their distance. At first I had just been angry but now I knew that things could take a much more serious turn for the worse. The two dogs were engaging in typical pack dog tactics of having one come to the front while the other tried to attack from the side or rear so I was doing all I could to keep an eye one both of them. The brown dog came at me and as I tried to scare him away the hound once along lunged and gave me another hard bite on the upper left thigh and then retreated. My fear now was making sure I stayed on my feet or I would have probably died  or been mauled badly soon after. Sure enough the brown dog moved in again but this time I was able to land a solid right hand punch to the side of his face which seemed to take away his desire  to fight and he retreated far enough away that I was confident to give my full attention to the hound. The hound charged once more but I was ready and just as he nicked my right leg I was able to grab him around the throat with both hands. As I held on to him his attitude changed to fear as he struggled to get away and unfortunately before I could choke the devil dog to death his collar slipped off and I lost my grip and he ran away and finally the owner who I had not seen at all since I had my back turned to the house which was about 50yds away. I think this is what I find most disturbing about the whole ordeal. Why was he not running out and calling the dog during the whole time I was in battle with his two dogs?  I estimate the total time of the fight was about 2 minutes from the first bite on Amy until the owner controlled the dog. At least he did apologize for it happening and when he asked if there was anything he could do for us I just told him yes, to please make sure he restrained the dog for the remainder of the day.

      I then examined my wounds and found huge bites on both legs. There were several deep punctures that were oozing subcutaneous material so I could tell that they were indeed serious. I also had a small one tooth bite on my wrist just below my right thumb from him trying to bite me when I had him around the neck.

Once I finally decided to quit my day and go to the emergency room I was treated by scrubbing and then irrigating the wounds. The ER nurse showed me how far she was able to insert the catheter into a couple of the punctures and it was over an inch on one and a half inch on a couple of others. I was also given an IV of fluid and a IV dose of Unasyn, a high powered antibiotic. The Dr. did not apply any stitches to the wounds because the risk of the high risk of trapping infection inside so for the past two days I have been oozing blood through the dressings which I change about 3 times a day as well as through my clothes and at night through the sheets and mattress cover on my bed. I will be taking an oral antibiotic for 10 days and I have a follow up dr appt on Tuesday to make sure that it is healing properly and not getting infected.

Boogie 100 miler ???

  The first time I ran in the Boogie was back in 2005 which was the first year that Doug had added the marathon to the event. Karla and I had just began training together the month before so I thought it would be fun to run with her for training for my upcoming 100 in Vermont. The slogan for the new "half " Boogie was "A little Boogie is better than none at all" which I paraphrased in the song I wrote into "a little bit of Boogie is better than none".  Well, that got me to thinking that twice as much Boogie should be pure ecstasy !

 Right now most of you are thinking, ok, he has finally completely lost his mind and you may be right.

 I got the idea to do this on the way home from the 50 miler last year. I was joking about it but by the time I got home I had made up my mind that unless I got into Western states this year that my summer 100 would be the Double Boogie. Of course I had to wait until the lottery for WS in December but as soon as I got the rejection from them the plan was set.

  I met with Doug "Boogieman" Dawkins the race director at Weymouth Woods back in January to let him know what I was planning. He just looked at me and said OK. Is there anything I needed for him to do ? I told him no, that I had planned on being self-supported for the first 50 miles and then I would use the race aid for the second 50. We agreed that it was best to keep it quiet which I had planned to do anyway. The only ones that were let in on the plan were my trusted Angels of course.

  If things go according to plan I will begin my race at 6am Saturday morning giving myself 12 hours to complete the first 50 miles so that I can start the official 50 miler with everyone else. Ultramom Amy  is planning on coming out early Saturday to keep me company and run a little bit and crew for me until around noon. After that I'll be on my own again until later. Ultra Angel Jenn is running the 50 and Mountain Girl Lisa is in the marathon. Hopefully they can give me a little encouragement before their races start and then afterwards Lisa is going to drive me back to Raleigh so I can get some rest after completion of the first and only Boogie 100 !

 With the great weather report it looks like this won't be quite as much the ordeal I was expecting. I had planned on temps in the 90's most of the day but now it's looking like about 82F is the projected high. It is still pretty warm and a challenge on this hilly course and the pounding of the pavement will still give me a beat down I'm sure. Barring injury I plan to finish this thing and secure my spot in the Idiot's Hall of Fame.

 I look forward to seeing many of you competing  and volunteering out there this evening !

35 years and still loving it !

   Today marks the last day of my 35th year of running and tomorrow on June 7th I''ll begin with year 36. To celebrate this milestone I organized a run in cooperation with Capital RunWalk  on a course that would include the 3 mile loop that I used to run on when it all began back in 1977. The store where I have been happily employed part-time for nearly 5 years now is just about 1/2 mile away from that loop so it was very convenient to use as a staging area.

Thanks Sophia Frey for the wonderful picture

  It turned out to be a beautiful evening for it with temps in the mid-70's and moderate humidity.  I was joined on this tour down memory lane by about 20 friends including all 4 of my most frequent Angels and training partners for an easy paced run. A few others including The Labella sisters and kids came by to wish me well but didn't run.

   I mostly led the way until about the 2 mile point where we came by the house that I was living in at that time. We had a humorous moment there. There was a lady with a baby sitting in the front yard and I stopped and was telling her that I used to live in the basement of her house and that was why we were running by. Just as I started to run ahead her husband stepped out and  said he would love to hear the story sometime because he had heard people used to live in the basement. He had a heavy accent which I would guess was Eastern European and I then realized why his wife was looking at me so strangely. I don't think she understood a word I was saying and just thought some weirdo was pointing at her house and yakking about something.

 So anyway after everyone had gone by the house I took off at tempo pace to try and catch back up to the front of the group making sure to speak to everyone as I ran by. Once we returned to the store I did a little show and tell with my first real pair of running shoes which I got for Christmas in 1977, a pair of Nike waffle Trainers. I also had some bibs and race info from several of my first races in 1978 and a couple of t-shirts including the one I wore from the 1st Great Raleigh Road Race of June 1978. Among the archives were newsletters form 1978 for the North Carolina Track Club, The 1981 North Carolina Roadrunners Club and 1982 Cary Express Track Club. I even brought out the plaque and newspaper article from the one and only race I ever won, the 1987 Featherfest Turkey Trot 5k in Goldsboro.

  After the show and tell we shared a toast with some sparkling juice followed by some delicious cake and Yoohoo's ! Woohooo !

  5 years ago, before I was working at the store and before Facebook made it so easy to connect I celebrated 30 years with a run from Pullen Park which is on the loop with my very dear friends Karla, Jenn and Jerry. Here is a link to the post from that run which includes a little more of the history of how it started.  I'll not repeat it over in this post. I would like to say how thankful I am to still be able to run as well as I am now at 56 years of age after so many years. A lot of life happens in 35 years as you can imagine and many of you can relate so it really seems a miracle in so many ways that I have been fortunate enough to stay healthy over all these many years. And what is really amazing is that over half of my lifetime total of over 39,000 miles has occurred in the past 10 years. And after all that time and all those miles I am enjoying it as much and feel as passionate about running now more than ever.

 Here is another link with a bit more history.

 and here is a link to some pictures Baker took yesterday

  Thanks to Mike Zimmerman and Jon Baker for hosting this run and the cake and refreshments. And a big thanks to all that came out to support me and the many many friends and family that couldn't be there but had us in their thoughts.

May Madness 50K

 When Doug Dawkins, aka The Boogieman posted this event for his Wild Card run for 2012 I was already looking forward to it  and hoping it would fit my schedule before he ever posted the date or the details. It turned out that the chosen weekend fit my schedule perfectly and with it being just three weeks ahead of the Boogie the timing would be just right for training.

 But this would not be your normal 50k. Rather running straight through like a normal race we would be running 10 x 5k beginning at the top of each hour with our finishing time figured by adding the total of each of those individual 5k's. This would involve a little strategy trying to figure out how hard to run each lap. Go fast and have maximum rest time in between or take it nice and slow?

 The event was going to be held on some Gamelands in the Sandhills near Hoffman NC at the lodge where hunting dog field trials are held. Doug had rented the area for the weekend so we could camp on site so after work Friday I made the drive down to hang out with some friends and get ready for the race the next morning. Around 7pm I hopped in the back of Doug's pick-up with Jimmy Ballard to go out and mark the course which Doug had already wheel measured to give us an accurate distance for the race. This tour would play an important part in my strategy as you will soon see but first a little description.

  Sand. Lots of sand. They call these the Sandhills for a reason. Fortunately Doug was able to avoid most of the hills. We began on a sand road which became very deep, like running on the beach at high tide. This worst part was only about 1/4 mile long but since this was a lollypop shaped course we got to finish up each lap with this at the end.  So anyway we then made a left onto another sand road but it was not as bad. About 1/2 mile later we made a right turn onto another sand road and then a quick left into the woods and a harder packed sand jeep path with pine straw and dead limbs. To this point it was predominately a decline from the start but never steep, about a 1% grade. At the 1 mile mark we had about a 50 yard hill, the only real hill on the course.  We continued on a little further and then came out of the woods and made a left turn onto another sand road with one short section about ankle deep. Then  another left onto another sand road, mostly flat. This was exposed along a field until the 2 mile mark when we re-entered the woods for a short time again and a little harder packed dirt surface. Then we started slowly climbing back up that slight incline  again coming out of the woods and making a left and then a quick right turn which put us back on the spur section to the finish.

  So on race morning I lined up to start  at 7am for the 1st of 10 laps with 35 others, of which about 1/2 were friends. It was a very pleasant morning and I was looking forward to enjoying the day. I had decided on a strategy of beginning slowly and just getting a feel for the course and see what a reasonable overall pace I could expect. After that I would pick it up a little and see how long and steady I could hold the pace. Things were going according to plan and I was way back around 20th or so for the first half mile but then as we made the right to begin the loop I saw that people had missed the quick left turn into the woods. I begin yelling for them to turn and then led the  ones behind me and the ones that were close by onto the proper course. I was still taking it easy and snapping a few pictures with 5 or 6 others right around me as we passed the 1 mile mark in about 9:50 when It dawned on me that all the runners ahead had missed the turn. I decided to go for the glory and see if I could actually lead the race for the first lap and took off picking up the pace considerably. So much for my pre-race strategy.

 Well, it was fun while it lasted. My lead lasted for about 1/2 mile before the eventual overall leader , Tommy Neeson would blow by me. I made it another mile before Marie-Ange Smith, the women's winner would pass me. I ended up coming in 5th in 28:02 for that first one, feeling good. I would spend most of my time resting between laps with Jay and Anita Finkle under their tent. I met these super nice folks back in 2003 at the first Carrboro 50k when they had just started dating and have had the pleasure of calling them friends for a long time over many miles since then. Anita was racing today while Jay was crewing and watching their dogs.

   I decided to see if I could run close to 9 minute pace on lap two  but rather than start slow and then go crazy like lap one I would try an even pace. That worked out ok and I actually ran a couple of seconds faster than lap one in 27:58. I knew then for sure there would be no 9 minute average on this tough course. the deep sand just zapped to much energy out of you and I knew it would be compounded as the day wore on.

 By lap three it was starting to get pretty warm and with the sun rising higher in the sky things would get tough with only about 20-25% of the course in the shade. I just settled in to a comfortable pace for the next several laps with my pace gradually slowing a few seconds per mile each lap. In between I would drink up and get in some calories and sit in the shade until about 5 minutes before the start of the next lap when I would get up and loosen up a little bit.

  Things were going well and I was feeling pretty good and having a lot of fun but by lap 7 it was just HOT and I was forced to take a walk break through the deep sand at the end of the loop. Doug had a hose set up by the lodge and so after each of the next few laps I would hose down to try and cool off as much as I could. I thought I had been taking in enough fluids but being not too bright I had not been carrying water on during the laps so before going out for lap eight I got a little smarter and filled up my hand held to carry the rest of the day. It was probably too late but it did help some and keep me from completely dying out there.

 The thermometer in the shade by the finish area said 88F as we headed out for lap 8. I still felt pretty good overall and was able to run almost all of it except for the worst sand at the end again. Lap nine  was tougher and I walked the little hill at mile one for the first time and then I had to add a few more walk breaks to keep the heart rate down.

 It was up to 90F as we headed out for the last lap and by now I was toast and looking forward to calling it a day. I had hoped to pick it up a little bit but there was nothing left and I struggled in with my slowest lap of the day. Phew.  Ended up 10th place so I was happy with that. Results are here
 It was a wonderful day overall and I enjoyed the time spent hanging out with a great group of people, most if not all of which are MTC members.  Thanks to Doug for putting this together  and the 3 volunteers that gave up a whole day for us to play, Charles West, Chuck Bingham and Rupert Medford.

Time to re-focus.

It occurred to me a couple of days ago that since the Umstead 100 miler I have "just " been running. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I think the time has come to get back to training again. Other than a random tempo run or the occasional few mile repeats on the greenway I have not done any speedwork since the Boston Marathon in April 201l. As soon as I ran that I immediately began focusing on the 100 and geared all of my workouts toward running as well as possible there which meant a lot of practice laps on the course.

 Looking ahead, my schedule for the year is still mainly focused on ultra's with my biggest goal of running as many miles as possible at the Badgerland 24hr Labor Day weekend and 6 weeks later the Oil Creek 100.  One is pancake flat on a track and the other is on single track trail with 19,000 ft of climbing. I will have some specific workouts for each of those as the time draws nearer but they really are quite different.

 But that brings me back to the point of this post  which is to explain what I mean by training again. Well, in 2005 when my friends prodded me into trying to run a Boston qualifier which was 25 minutes faster than I had ever run a marathon before while I was in the middle of a full ultra schedule ( I did 13 that year) I began the Grand Experiment. Was it possible to train as a marathoner, knock off 25 minutes off my pr while still performing well in the ultra's. Well the answer proved to be yes, I can and in addition to getting the BQ, I set a lot of course pr's and finished some tough 100's over the next year.

 Recently while running with one of my Angels, and training partners,  100 miler Amy, she told me her goal now was to back off of the ultra's and focus on running a BQ by next March at Tobacco Road and then do     Boston in 2014. It just happens that her qualifying time and mine are the same, 3:40. So I figured, what better way to stay motivated than to try and help Amy achieve her goal and have fun doing the training in the process. My hope is that it will once again bring some speed back for me so I can run some quality marathon times and help with my ultra ambitions over the course of the next year. With the new entrance policy for Boston we really need to run under 3:35 to guarantee getting into the race which means setting a pr for me. To be honest I find that to be very unlikely but miracles do happen. They sure did in 2006.

 Stay tuned !

Capital City Classic 10k

 and now for something completely different;

Back when I was much younger and early in my running,  10k was the most popular distance for  road racing but now it seems they are pretty hard to find with 5k's and half-marathons being more popular. Of course nowadays I hardly ever do any short road races but every now and then I'll do one for fun.  Looking back it was exactly 3 years ago on Mother's Day weekend that I last ran a 10k. I did that one in about 49:30 a day after a 51 mile bike ride and running in the Clayton 5k with Karla. I wasn't really planning on running one this year but since I work for Capital RunWalk part-time and they are a sponsor , I was able to get a free entry. the date fit  in the two weeks right in the middle of my schedule of 50k's so I thought it would be fun to see how I could do and get in some faster pace running.

  The weather couldn't have been better for May with the temperature in the 60's and not very humid. There were a little over 300 entrants including my co-worker Bobby Mack, the course record holder , and several other from our store sponsored racing team. I did my usual pre-race warm-up routine and then lined up with about 5 minutes to go. My only plan was to run as fast as my body would allow and hope that I could average about 8 minute pace which would be about the same time as I ran in 2009. I haven't done any fast paced running lately and have just gotten back to normal after Promise land so I really wasn't very confident and I was feeling pretty sluggish during my warm-up.

  As they race began I started easy and eased my way up to race pace. As we approached the 1 mile mark I was thinking to myself that I hoped it would be at least 8 minutes because I knew I wasn't going to be able to go any faster. I must say I was very relieved and happy when I checked my split and saw that it was a 7:31 opening mile. Phew, now I could just relax and settle in. Mile 2 was a little slower in 7:47 which was fine with me. I was still building a cushion and feeling good.

  Mile 3 had a lot of downhill and I was cruising along and enjoying the day. One really cool thing was that the 3 mile mark was in the neighborhood and along the course I ran on 35 years ago when I first began running. At that time I was living just one house off the course on Lenoir and Boylan Ave.  The mile 3 marker was in the wrong place but I saw the mark where it should have been so that mile was 7:37 and shortly after that I passed the 5k mark in 23:37 with visions of a sub 48 dancing in my head.

 Well what goes down has to go back up. Most of the next mile was on a boring section along MLK JR Pkwy with a long gradual rise. It didn;t slow me down too much because I hit mile  4 in 7:47 but it was wearing me down and as soon as the course turned onto Wilmington St and the little hill there, I could feel the effort and the cadence slowed down. I had to back off the effort and re-group a bit until after passing the Capital Building where it turns slightly downhill again. The 5 mile mark was two blocks down from there and I was disappointed that I slowed down all the way to an 8:22 as  I had really hoped to keep the pace under 8 the whole way.

I was feeling better now and knew I could push the pace back down a bit so I knuckled down and even with the climb back up to the capital I was able to run mile 6 in 8:03.I must say i was very pleased with my final time of 48:37, a 7:50 average pace at this point. The race only gave awards to each age group winner but I was 4th in my 55-59 group. considering I mostly run ultra's these days I'm very happy to be able to make a decent showing when I jump in with the regular road racing crowd.

 that's it for now. the next couple of races will be back in ultra distances.

Promise Land 2012 or Running with Miss Leah

 I thought about titling this post  "Two Races in One" due to the Jeckyl and Hyde nature of the days weather but we'll get to that later. As I posted in my preview, I was hopeful for good weather and conditions and that my recovery from Umstead would allow me a shot at a course pr.
After emerging from my tent at 4:30 am before the start it appeared that at least the weather would cooperate. It was in the upper 40's, clear skies with a million stars overhead and a forecast of upper 60's with only 10% chance of rain. Oh yeah !

 With about 10 minutes to go I headed over to the starting line eager to began the day's journey. I lined up with Jenn  the Ultra Angel but I knew we probably would not be spending much time together on this day. I had the splits from each aid station from my 2007 course pr written on my arm so I could quickly tell if I was on pace for a good run. Promptly at 5:30 am after singing the National Anthem and a prayer from David Horton we headed up the gravel road in the darkness for the first 2.6 miles to aid station one at Overstreet Falls. The road is flat for the first quarter mile but then gradually begins to climb becoming ever steeper as we ascend to the trailhead.

  I tried to run as much as possible until the gradient became too steep and then settled in to a strong powerwalk. It's really hard to judge how you feel and how the pace is going on the section so I was very happy when I passed by the aid station and I was exactly to the second  for that first split compared to 07, arriving in 42:07. I didn't need anything so I immediately started up the steep and rocky trail that would take us to the top of Onion Mt. Within moments I heard a young lady behind me ask how if I had run this race before. I replied that yes, this was my 6th time racing. She then said this was her first ultra and would I mind if she paced off of me.  Without looking back I told her that she was welcome to run with me as long as she wanted.

  It's a good thing I enjoy talking and running with people because she sure was full of questions about not only this race and the course but running in general. After a few minutes I could tell she seemed to be breathing pretty hard and my initial thoughts were that she was in way over her head and I would be alone again before too long but she seemed like a really nice young lady and I was glad to have the company. By now the sun was rising and I was pointing out some of my favorite views and describing the next section of the course. I couldn't feel much better at this point if I had to and in these early miles I was feeling confident of having a good day.

  As we ran along on the grassy Glenwood horse trail I felt I was making good time. We were having a great conversation interrupted occasionally as I would pass or be passed by one of the many friends out on the course. This is a longer than advertised section  and I was explaining "Horton Miles" to her when we finally came within sight of the aid station at Reed Creek. Leah seemed to be in a rhythm now and running well so for the first time I glanced back to see what she looked like since it seemed we were going to be together for awhile. At this point it was still all about me and my quest for the course pr so I was in and out of the aid station quickly but she was determined to be my shadow so she followed me out  while stuffing some food in her mouth.

 I was almost 4 minutes behind pace now which was a bit disappointing but I still felt good so the quest for the pr was still on. We began the climb up to the top of Apple Orchard Mt still chatting away. She must have had a hundred questions about everything and I was happy to answer them and encourage her. She told me she had only run one marathon before so now I was really thinking she was in for a rude awakening before long. By now the day was gorgeous with the temps rising but still very comfortable or in a word, perfect for the race.

  We made a good effort going up  to the parkway and then ran strong all the way down to Sunset Fields. I felt great and she was still my shadow matching me step for step as we came into the aid station. I lost yet another  2 minutes in that section so once again I was in and out very quickly with Leah right behind me. As we once again entered the rocky single track I told her my story of "dancing" through the rocks and in a few minutes she said yep, it looked like I was dancing. Well she was doing a fine job of staying right with me despite her lack of experience. The questions continued and I continued to describe the course as we moved along finally reaching one of my favorite sections of the course where the trail parallels the whitewater creek down to the Cornelius Creek Aid Station. This section is so beautiful and every year I wish I could spend hours slowly walking down to the creek, playing in it and taking pictures but even taking a glance is risky business on this rocky downhill trail.

  We enjoyed crossing the creek and cooling off the feet and soon enough we were into the aid station. I saw my friend Charles West there and he asked me how I was doing on time. Well, I had lost yet another 4 minutes despite feeling great and running well .I guess feeling good is a  lot slower when your 5 years older at my age. I was now down 10 minutes and a pr was out of the question but I still felt great so I was going to keep going as fast as possible and still have a shot at a decent time and maybe my 2nd best at least.

  The next mile or so is a flat gravel road so I was running pretty hard hoping to make some time. For the first time Leah was starting to mention that her legs were getting really sore and tired so I told her that was completely normal after that long downhill pounding we had just finished. I could sense that she wanted to walk some  but I told her there would be a chance for a little breather when we hit the White Tail trail. She did really like that section and before long we were at the Colon Hollow aid station where once again I lost 2 minutes off the pr.

  It was soon after leaving the aid station that I think I had unknowingly began to lollygag a little. We were enjoying a great conversation and she was still peppering me with questions. We enjoyed a good laugh over the joke of how I became "Ultraman" I told her all about my Angels and when she asked if I'd ever run Boston I got a bit emotional as I told her Karla's story. 6 years now and every time I tell it to someone new I get choked up. About this time she confided to me that she didn't ever finish that marathon she had ran had but dropped out at mile 21 with heat exhaustion. About this time that we heard the thunder and in just a few minutes the rain began to fall along with the temperature.

  I could tell she was tired but was still in great spirits and I guess it was somewhere about this time that my focus went from running fast to seeing to it that Leah made it to the finish. I began to run and told her we needed to keep it going now. Within just minutes it seemed my hands began freezing and before long we were soaking wet. We finally we made it into Cornelius Creek for the 2nd time losing a whopping 11 more minutes off my goal pace but by now it didn't matter. I started heading back towards the bridge and was waiting for  Leah. She lost sight of me and thought I had left her behind  but I wasn't going to do that to her. Not now with just the last big climb to go.

 Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Apparently someone had told her about the steps and how tough they were but since she was not familiar with the course my description of where they were was not helping her too much. We began the steady climb trying to run a little bit while we still could before it got too steep and rocky. It was raining pretty hard now and the higher we climbed the colder it got and I was beginning to worry about hypothermia, not only for me but especially for her because she was just wearing a racing singlet over her sports bra so I know she had to be cold. The trail was getting very muddy  and treacherous in spots now and I kept looking back to make sure she was still right behind me.

 We finally made it to the falls and I would have loved to have taken some time to enjoy and take some pictures but I knew we had to keep moving as the conditions continued to deteriorate. Ok Leah, now here are the steps !  See, they aren't that bad and look at that beautiful view ! Yes the worst is over but there is still a lot of climbing to go before we reach the top.

   Well, normally the worst is over but today it just kept getting colder and getting windier the higher up the mountain we climbed and to make matters worse the dirt had become a mud with the consistency of chocolate pudding making for some slow slippery progress. Leah was still right there but she mentioned she was getting a little dizzy feeling. I knew that was an early sign of hypothermia as well as low blood sugar but all I could do was keep climbing and encouraging her along and that we were almost to the top. Surprisingly we made it to the top under those conditions only 6 minutes slower than on my pr day. I think the cold was really motivating me to push it  so we could head down to hopefully warmer temperatures.  The rain had stopped but the wind was blowing and I was freezing so a quick gel and some coke and time to roll !

   We had a slight downhill   for 3/4 mile and then the last little climb for about half a mile back to the top of Onion Mt. I told her that now it really was all downhill and she had it made. About that time there was a bright flash of lightning with a quick crash of thunder as another storm hit right on tip of us. Leah flinched and asked if we were going to be alright. I told her, well the only thing we can do about it right now is to run and pray. She took me at my word and the girl took off ! The trail going down here had turned into a river of mud covering the rocks beneath. I was trying to be careful but still trying to keep up. She looked back a couple of times and asked if I was alright and I assured her I was coming, just trying not to get hurt. She opened up about a hundred yard gap on me but we both passed several people that were not even trying to run on the treacherous trail.  I was finally able to close the gap and was just a few steps behind as we came off the trail and onto the steep downhill gravel road.

  I had been needing to pee for a long time so I finally stepped off to the side thinking I would have no problem catching up to her now that I didn't have to worry about the footing. Boy was I wrong. Within a few minutes she was out of sight and I was running just about as hard as I could. After a few minutes a man caught up to me that was from Raleigh and I fell in pace with him. Finally in  a few minutes I spotted Leah up ahead and could tell I was closing the gap. Just past the mile to go mark I caught up to her. She was happy to see me and told me to go on ahead but I slowed down and told her, no were finishing this thing together.
and that is what we did.

 I thought that feeling as good as I did  that I would be disappointed with the time but it turned out to be a very enjoyable day thanks to sharing it with this 19 year old young lady from Va. Tech. Despite the rough conditions over the last 3 hours she never whined or complained and I was so proud of her gutsy performance. This rookie exhibited all the necessary attributes to be an Ultraman's angel for sure. It was truly a pleasure to meet her and spend the day on the trail with her and I know that there is nothing she won't be able to do if she puts her mind to it.

 Saw this elevation comparison for Promise land and Boston. this kind of puts it in perspective next time someone says Boston is a "tough " course.

Off to the Promise Land

The Promise Land 50K++ that is. This is one of my favorite races so I'm really looking forward to going back and racing it while I'm in decent shape. The race is held in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virgina just North of Bedford over a very rugged and scenic course. See pictures here.

 This will be my 6th time racing the course and one year when it didn't fit my racing schedule I swept 25 miles of the course. I ran my best time back in 2007, running 7:11 that year but then I was not able to return until 2011. Of course last year was just 5 days after running in the Boston Marathon so my goal was to just have fun and run as much as possible with my friend Jenn. you can go back to the blog archives from last April and see the videos from that one. To give you a comparison of the difficulty of the course, my 50k pr is 4:44 compared to that 7:11 here

. I've been feeling great and seemed to be recovered from the 100 miler 4 weeks ago so I'm hoping to run well this year. The plan is to get the first big climb done and see how I'm feeling. If all is well then it's game on and I'll shoot for a course pr. I've got my splits from that 2007 race so as long as I'm close I'll keep pushing. But if I'm not feeling that good or way off the pace I can still enjoy the beauty and have some fun.

Umstead 2012- A look back

It's been three weeks now since the race so I've had a lot of time to look back on it. Not much time for writing though due to a busy time at work. Although my time was a little disappointing to me, over all it was a really great weekend in so many ways. I think that one reason I can look back so positively is because m recovery has really been a bit amazing to me. By Monday after the race I was not feeling much more soreness than if I'd done a long training run and was walking around normally. By mid-afternoon I ran across the parking lot just to see if I was really feeling that good. Gave serious thought to going for a run after work but I decided to play it smart and rest a few days. i waited until Thursday and then went for a 4 miler and was almost shocked at how good I felt. No pain and my pace was about normal for my easy runs. A week later I put in a normal 45 mile week of training and followed that up this week with another 45 miles. Sweet !

Once again I must thank Blake and all the staff ad volunteers that make this race so special. It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to put on an event like this and do it as well as they do. I'll be looking forward to once again being one of those volunteers for the next few years and maybe I'll give it another shot in 2016 or so. Other than my own race, it was a lot of fun keeping up with the training of quite a few local runners that were either going for their first 100 or giving it another shot after a dnf last year. Congratulations to Charles Akers, Jeff Sackoroff, Shannon Johnstone, Lauren Wilkins and Linda Banks as well as the 64 total first timers. Oh and no I am not forgetting one very special first timer, Amy Surrette. I think that watching Amy finish was more satisfying to me than my on effort out there. I had the pleasure of meeting Amy nearly four years ago, not long after she moved to Raleigh. At that time her longest race had been a half marathon and she was hoping to run her first full marathon that November. She asked to join with me and my Angels on our long training runs and soon we became friends. I decided that I would run the last portion of that race with her and it was there under tough conditions and under-trained that I saw she had something special about her spirit and tenacity. I guess I was a bad influence on her along with the other Angels as well as several others in the local community because a year later she was headed off to run her first 50k at Derby. Soon after she asked me if I thought she should do the Boogie as her first 50 miler and without hesitation I told her I had no doubt she could do it. Despite some who would doubt her, she not only finished but made it look easy. So when she said she wanted to do the Umstead 100 this year I was committed to giving her all the encouragement and advice I could as we continued to train together nearly every weekend as well as the occasional weekday run. Well, she once again proved her great spirit and determination in a gutsy performance that moved many to tears. Yep, I'm mighty proud of this young lady and so happy to have her as a training partner, friend and Angel. I'm linking to her report on her blog here

for your reading pleasure.

Me and Umstead. Part 8. The 2012 Race

As always there was much excitement in the air as I arrived at Camp Lapihio for the Friday evening check in and spaghetti dinner. It was a wonderful afternoon and early evening for catching up with old friends and getting in the mood for an adventure.. Everything was going well with my training and I was brimming with confidence as the eve of the race approached with my only concern being how the weather would turn out for us.

Rain. Hmmmm, not what I was hoping for as I made the drive back to the park early Saturday for the race. At least it was a warm rain in the upper 60's but my real concern was what would happen if the rain stopped. Oh well, nothing I could do about it so no need to spend anytime worrying about it. I made my last minute preparations and headed over to the start. I lined up with Amy and gave her some last minute advice and planned to stick with her for the first couple of miles before it would be time for us to go and chase our separate dreams.

Things went as planned and just about the two mile mark she slowed down and sent me on ahead. The rain was not heavy, just light and steady and it was really a non issue for me at this point. Lap one went exactly as I had planned. I was feeling great, and hit my time goal of 2:17, just like I had practiced it. I was using my car for my drop bag because part of my plan to save time was to stay out of the lodge until the race was over. It is a time sucker in there with too many people to talk to and and too cozy when the going gets rough. Jenn the Aid station captain in training was there to greet me and I gabbed a bag of food to carry with me and was out in about 1 minute.

The next couple of laps were just about the same with the light rain continuing and my splits close to what I wanted them to be. Everything was going well, my energy level was good, the legs had adjusted to the task at hand after the usual tiredness that kicks in around mile 25. I did feel a blister coming on my right big toe since the 2nd lap but it was just a minor irritation that I chose to ignore. I was also developing a hot spot on the left forefoot but I chose to ignore it also and hope for the best.

At this point I had been hoping it would remain overcast with some drizzle all day to keep it cool but by the time I was heading out for lap 4 the sun was breaking through. As I feared the temperature rose and the humidity stayed very high. I don't think it ever got hotter than the upper 70's but with the humidity it felt stifling along the trail, especially on Turkey Creek. I tried to slow down and back off the effort hoping that I could stay close to my goal during the day and maybe pick up the effort once the sun set. My time for that lap was over 15 minutes slower than I hoped for and already I knew my fantasy goal for 21 hours was not going to happen but if I could just hold it together the 2nd half the pr was still likely. I did get a new 50 mile pr of 10:02. It may seem odd to break a 50 mile pr in a 100 miler but my previous best was halfway in the 2007 Rocky Raccoon 100. Although I have done quite a few 50 milers , they have all been on tough courses or under tough conditions. Maybe someday I can find a fast course and a cool day combined.

So anyway, back to this race. I had made the decision to allow myself some pacers for the first time and about a week before my buddy Jerry Paul called and asked if he could come run a lap with me. We haven't had a chance to run together in a couple of years so I was happy to have him come join me for lap 5. As we started out I was still feeling ok and hoping to run well but it still felt awful out there. I was moving along well but as we approached the Turkey Creek aid station I could feel the wheels coming off. I took a few minutes to try and gather myself and get in fluids and some calories but nothing seemed to be helping.

I was doing some suffering on North Turkey Creek and my nemesis , the spasming diaphragm kicked in full force making my life miserable. I assured Jerry that I was not dying despite all the noises, the struggling breathing and all the moaning and groaning. By now I was really not having much fun and if I couldn't get this turned around soon dropping out was beginning to sound like a really good idea.

One great thing about this race are the many wonderful volunteers and I am lucky to know so many of them through my connections with this race, the ultrarunning community and the NCRC. Every time through the aid stations I had people looking out for me and lots of cheering. Also due to the out and back spur and the return trip on Reedy Creek Road from Graylin to the Camp, you get to see so many of the other competitors many times through out the day. Lots of support out there and it was especially nice for me to see several of my friends that were either running their first 100 or seeking redemption from dnf's last year.

Of course my training partner and dear friend and Angel, Amy was the one I was most concerned with. I feel partly responsible for getting her into this stuff and I was thinking of her quite often throughout the day and even in my current misery on lap 5. I had seen her several times on the spur and she was looking good and moving well in good spirits. This time though as I was I nearing the turn back to camp she was not looking too happy. I stopped long enough to give her a hug as she told me about having major blister issues and having to spend a long time in the lodge having them tended. I felt bad for her but tried to give her some encouragement to continue and then I ran on back towards camp.

My time for that lap was way too slow and now it would take a miracle for me to turn things around and still get the pr. I could still do it IF I didn't slow down anymore. The humidity was still stifling and I was struggling to get calories and fluids in. The stomach was just shutting down and not processing what I was putting into to it so I sat for a few minutes and tried to eat some soup before heading out on lap 6 by myself. I said goodbye and thanks to Jerry and then headed out knowing that darkness would be coming soon and hopefully cooler temps.

Let me tell you. Lap 6 was awful. The breathing and spasming issues just got worse and I had mentally lost the desire to continue. The one bright spot of this lap was as I was running down the hill to the aid station on Turkey Creek in the darkness I heard the voice of a real angel, my first grand-daughter Aurora ! My son Jeremy and wife Mandy had come out with the whole family, Johnny, Nick, Aurora and Ariel to see Grandpa. Thanks to my meltdown and slow times I was about 2 hours behind what I had projected to be there so they had been waiting all that time. I sat down for about 10 minutes with them while super volunteer BD Sechler took care of getting everything I needed. I really hated to have to go but I needed to get moving so they walked with me until I disappeared onto North Turkey Creek.

The rest and soup didn't help and the rest of the lap stunk and I was miserable. I debated over and over again with myself about dropping out. If I didn't have Lisa waiting to run lap 7 with me and knowing how we had planned it and looked forward to it for so long I don't know that I would have been able to face going out another lap. I finally finished lap 6 and Lisa was ready and raring to go with me. I sat long enough to eat half of a cheeseburger and while we were waiting to head out someone gave us the latest weather report. No rain expected, a cell over Greensboro so we should have a clear night. Boy howdy was that ever wrong.

It was still rather warm around 11pm and I was still sweating in the thick humidity but Lisa was smart enough to convince me to let her carry a long sleeve shirt just in case. Well, we got about 3 miles out when the big thunderstorm hit. Great weather forecast. It was an impressive show for sure although never quite as exciting as the Boogie last June. It did rain very heavy for awhile and it was a cold rain but thankfully it stopped before we got to the aid station. The shirt Lisa had brought for me was soaked but I had another in my drop bag so I dried off and changed shirts and just before we headed out it began raining again. So happy we hadn't gotten out on the trail before it hit and gotten me soaked again. We got some trash bag ponchos from the volunteers and then headed out in the rain and darkness.

I was still feeling like crap and still having the spasms and about to have a total meltdown on those steep North Turkey Creek hills. On the last climb I had to sit on the resting stump to let things calm down and Lisa waited patiently for me. This was not the way we had envisioned this going but Lisa is an awesome friend and an awesome pacer and her company was invaluable while I wallowed in my misery. After a few minutes it was time to move on and get back to camp. One more lap if I could just hold it together.

Lisa would have loved to have gone on my last lap with me but she has Boston coming up and it was in her best interest not to go out for another lap. I sat down at the main aid station and decided to eat a hot dog before going out. This last lap was going to be special in many ways. Most importantly I would get to share it with Karla, my Marathon Princess ! I was wearing my hot pink gaiters and had gotten dozens of compliments and comments all day and into the night. Several times I was able to share the story of my reason for getting them in the first place back in 2006 and how I was going to have the honor of wearing them with Karla to finish the race .


I warned her as we started out that it was going to be a long slow lap and I was going to sound like I was dying and not to worry about me. We stopped by my car so I could grab my vest because it was chilly now and I was not moving fast enough to stay warm any longer with just the shirt. Although I felt horrible and continued to have meltdowns and all the other problems it was wonderful to share it with Karla and she was great company. Slowly but surely we counted down the miles. I was hoping that the hot spots on my feet would not be a problem but halfway down powerline with 3 miles to go I felt an explosion of pain on my right forefoot that brought me to a screeching halt. In a minute the pain subsided enough that I could continue running down the hill but I was sure glad I didn't have much further to go.

Just as we were about to make the final turn at the fountain to head back to the finish I saw Amy walking towards us with her husband Andy. She was in tears and my heart was breaking for her. Her feet hurt so bad but I knew she had no quit in her. I just hugged her again and mumbled something that I don't remember about getting through this last lap and then left them to put an end to my own little misery.

I did surprise myself and ran up the last hill to the finish and looking at the pictures it hardly looks like I had done anything. I was of course a bit disappointed with my time but glad that I stuck with it and got another finish. I spent a few minutes talking to Joe Lugiano at the tent and then after some pictures with my angels I finally went inside the lodge to rest and eat an omelot before hitting the showers.

I was shocked to find a honking big blister on my big toe and wondered how it fit in my shoe especially without popping. It supplied many moments of entertainment to friends and spectators while I waited for Amy to come in.

It was a joy to finally see her come running up that last hill hand in hand with Andy. A very emotional moment for a lot of us that know her.

That's it for now. I don't expect I'll be running this one again anytime soon. Next year I'll put my volunteer hat on once again and find some other Spring race to run.

Me and Umstead. Part 7. Going for the PR in 2012

It was Friday night before last years race while I was working in registration that I knew it was time to make another run for it at Umstead in 2012. It's hard to describe if you haven't been there but there is a special feeling in the air at Camp Lapihio. I'll never forget the feeling before my first 100 and it is so cool being around and seeing the newbies and relating to the excitement they are feeling. One of the great rewards of volunteering is watching people meet the challenges and especially the new ones. Ultra running has really grown in the area since I began in 2002 and I really love to see many friends crossing over to the dark side !


Since coming back from the injuries of 2008 I have been getting better every year and putting in more miles than ever. I knew when I made up my mind to enter that I was not just going to run to finish but I wanted it to be something special. At my age I have to face the reality that there won't be many more opportunities for me to improve and go for pr's so after getting Boston behind me last April , I immediately turned my attention to getting back into the best ultra shape possible. Just 5 days after Boston I was doing the Promise Land 50K for training with Jenn and then began my training. Of course I was doing other races and having a lot of fun but the focus in my mind was preparing for a PR attempt this weekend.

My trip to Tahoe Rim last July was a very important step in the process, mainly because I had not completed a 100 since Feb of 2007. I needed to get a tough one under my belt (and the big shiny buckle on it) to regain the confidence I would need. As soon as I recovered from PL I began trying to get out to Umstead and do a practice lap just about every week. I used these practice laps to work on different pacing strategies and visualizing how I would feel and what I planned to do each lap in the race. My PR is 23:15 but I planned to go big and try for 21 hours. I'm afraid it's going to be a lot warmer than I had hoped but if I use my head I'm confident that I have a real shot at obtaining my goal.

One of the best things of course will be that I have so many friends that will be out volunteering and racing. It boggles my mind to know that barely 10 years ago I was a near hermit. And one entrant in particular that I am most excited for is one of my training partners and special Angels, Amy Surrette. She will be running her first 100. I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished since we met and I will be so happy to see her cross that finish line for her first buckle/pendant, hopefully in under 24. You can do it AMY !

One thing that I have always done in all my ultra's is to go crew less and without pacers but this year I do plan to make an exception to that rule. Since it is local and is so close for so many friends I wanted to share this one with my wonderful Angels that have shared so many miles over the past few years. I was hoping for all of them to run some but it's looking like that's not going to be possible since Amy is running and Jenn is working as co-captain for the main aid station. Margo will be out of town and Laura is suppose to pace another lady but hopefully it will work out that she can run one with me. Karla and Lisa are planning to run the last two with me at least. A non Angel but dear friend Jerry is suppose to pace me on lap 5.

Well, this concludes our Umstead series of post for now. the next one will be my report on the PR!

Me and Umstead. Part 6. 2005 through 2011

After completing the race in 2004 I went ahead and did the Lynchburg Ultra Series as well as another full schedule of Triathlons over the summer months. by 2005 I was a committed ultrarunner and had lost interest in the he tri's so when the 2005 Umstead rolled around I was eager to be there to volunteer for the entire weekend, enjoying spending the time with friends and meeting new ones. This would also be the first year I would be a pacer following a day of helping at the aid station. I had a wonderful weekend and would continue doing this for the 2006 and 2007 races.

Unfortunately I spent most of the months preceding the 2008 race with a lot of pain which began with a really dumb move, not running in early 2007. The dumb running part was racing and racing through the pain. I was not able to mentally or physically prepare for the race but was hoping to at least be able to finish. Jenn was running in her first 100 and I was really hoping to stay with her as long as possible but early in lap two it became obvious I was not having a good day and had to let her go. te day ended up with a DNF at mile 69. If you are really bored you can read that report here.

I had written a long personal report but it disappeared into cyberland so I wrote this shorter one here.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 I returned as a volunteer and pacer for the weekend again. 2010 was especially nice because I got to run the last lap with Jenn as she set a pr with a 21:55 ish finish. Karla was pacing her too so that made it extra special.

Me and Umstead. Part 5. My first 100

I hadn't really planned on Umstead being my 1st 100 miler for a couple of reasons but mainly because I had no desire to run 100 miles on rough gravel roads. For those of you newer to the area, through 2003 Old Reedy Creek Rd and Graylin Rd were just that. Rough, rutted gravel roads that only existed because before it was a park, people lived and farmed in the area. They were especially rough going down the hills as you would expect. I hardly ever ran out there because it was not very comfortable or fun so when I did run in the park it was on the single track. I don't remember exactly when but I heard sometime later that year that the park was going to re-surface the roads like they are today and that put the seed in my head that I would go for it in 2004.

So after a couple of 50k's I finally did my first 50 miler at Mountain Masochist in October 2003 off of 25 miles a week of training, just barely making the cut-off in 11:54. Over the next 6 months I bumped my training up to a whopping 29 miles a week with a couple more 50 k's and the inaugural Umstead Trail marathon before the race. For some reason I had it in my head that I was going to go for sub 24 despite everyone I knew advising against it. After all my 50k pr was still only about 5:30 but I was confident that I would do it.

In 2004 the race was 10 laps beginning at Camp Lapihio as it does now. We turned left at the fountain onto Reedy Creek and ran all the way to the gate at Trinity Rd. Turkey Creek did not exist yet so the aid station was where the picnic table and new fountain are located now at the start of South Turkey Creek. From there we ran back down by the lake and up Corkscrew to Graylin where we turned right and ran up Powerline. A left turn and through the B&B parking lot to Group Camp Road and then up that hill and back into camp.

I had a plan and had done many practice laps and the day went pretty much the way I had visualized it. Although I was much slower over all the 2nd half I was still running the same amount each lap. Amazingly when it looked like I was falling behind pace after 70, I was able to pick up the pace to mile 80 running that lap faster than any since mile 50.

One of the coolest things to happen was as I came in finishing lap 9, Matt Kirk a friend who had won the race earlier in the day in 15 hours was still hanging around at the finish taking a nap on the hood of a truck. When he saw me he jumped up and seemed more excited than I felt at the time saying you got it ! You can do this ! 24 hours ! I had to go down to the lake behind the camp for the last time( We had to start the race at the bottom of that hill and each lap we ran down there and back up to the lodge). When I got back around Matt was there trying to get me to eat something but I didn't feel like it and just wanted to get going. He finally convinced me to eat some cheese which sounded good to me. The only reason I didn't run as much the last lap was due to big blisters on the forefoot of both feet and it hurt worse to run downhill. It didn't slow me down too much though and I was a man on a mission. I accomplished my goal finishing in 23:48 and Matt was there to greet me. What an awesome experience !

Me and Umstead. Part 4. The Birth of Ultraman

After the ACL blowout I began going to the Y for swimming and weight work to strengthen the legs and stay in shape as well as biking more. I figured while I was doing those two ,once I began running again it was time to try a triathlon which was something I had always wanted to try. Like ultrarunning I had subscribed to a triathlon magazine in the early 80's but never got around to doing one. SO from 1999 through the next 5 - 6 years I participated in about 30 tri's but that again is another story although it does have a little something to do with this one. My running during this period was around 20 miles a week and I still was getting out and running some shorter runs on the trails, usually about 6 miles.

In 2001 I decided to enter the Uwharrie 20 miler which was my longest run since the mid 80's. I probably had not done more than 5 or 6 runs of about 13 miles over the previous years and that race turned out to be about the hardest thing I had ever done but I loved it.
In late 2001 I was going to enter it again for 2002 but found out that they would not be holding the 20 miler that year. I was disappointed but knew there was no way I was going to try for 40 with my running mileage still in the low 20's per week. I had only done a few 12-13 mile runs again and one 16 mile trail race in October but then I noticed a beginner friendly ultra in Va, Holiday Lake put on by David Horton whom I was familiar with and had met at the Virgina 10 miler. I'd always wanted to eventually enter an ultra so I decided it was time and sent in my entry.

That December of 2001 I also decided it was time to re-enter the world and meet some people so I began going to the then monthly NCRC meetings. I met Joe Lugiano there and told him what I had planned and he was great at giving me a lot of advice. I also met the Squiers and eventually made friends. On a side note, I noticed a beautiful young lady at one of those meetings around this time. Figured she was about 23 or so. It would be a couple of years before we ever actually talked at one of the Umstead series runs in August before I took on leading that social series. Turns outs ended up being one of my best friends and training partners, The Ultra Angel Jenn, but I digress.

So I did run that 50K plus in Feb of 2002, and loved it but I was still dedicated to doing my best in the upcoming Tri season so I would not run anymore ultra's that year. My first one of the season would be on Sunday April 7th which just happened to be Umstead weekend. I volunteered on Friday helping park cars and then working in the lodge with the pasta dinner. It was great meeting more ultrarunners and getting to know some of the local runners and volunteers better and was a bit sad that I couldn't be there for the race since I had already made plans to be In Wilmington on Saturday for the Tri on Sunday.

In January 2003 I ran my 2nd ultra at the Frosty 50K and was doing much better at meeting people, making friends and opening up a little more. I was planning on doing several more ultra's in the coming year leading up to my first 50 mile attempt in November but I was still trying to improve in the tri's at this point during the warm Spring and Summer months. Once again I had the April tri in Wilmington on Sunday of Umstead weekend but this time I volunteered on Friday and then came back and worked at the main aid station for 4 hours on Saturday before heading to Wilmington for the packet pickup. I really hated to leave for by now I was really loving being around the ultra community and although I wanted to do well in the upcoming tri season I could feel my heart was moving to the ultra world.

Me and Umstead. Part 3. First race impressions

And now back to our regularly scheduled Umstead stories.

The Umstead 100 was first held in 1994 and included just two entrants, RD Blake Norwood and Tom Newman. Beginning in 1995 it became an "official" race. I'm not really sure when I first became aware of it becoming an event as most of my memories of the 90's a blur. I refer to most of that era in my life as "The Dark Years". I won't go into any of that right now. Maybe a book someday? Anyway by 1991 I was hardly running at all and had no social life outside of immediate family and was living in depression without realizing it through most of the decade. So, anyway things were starting to get better for me emotionally by 96. I had taken up whitewater kayaking. mountain biking and I had began playing Soccer in an over 40 league so at least I was staying active. I ran a couple of hundred miles per year and did an occasional 5k or so but hardly considered myself a runner anymore and still had no friends and didn't really want any. I was always ready to retreat to my cave and other than kayaking when I had to go with a group on the dangerous stuff I did everything alone.

In 1998 I happened to have a soccer game around noon in Cary so before game time I decided to go by and check out this 100 miler I had heard about. I'd been aware of ultra's since very early in my running back in the 70's and had actually subscribed to ultrarunning magazine in 1982 or 83 but never got around to doing one. In fact I had only run one bad marathon in 1981 but back to this story. So I stopped at Camp Crabtree which is where the race HQ was that year and walked around to check things out. The only familiar face I saw was Joe Lugiano but I didn't really know him other than from knowing he was NCRC President at one time and I had seen his name in some ultra results. I hung around for about an hour and it looked interesting to me so after playing my soccer game I decided to return for awhile longer.

Once I returned and began hanging out I decided to offer to help at the aid station. After awhile of this and enjoying and learning about this sport of ultrarunning first hand, Blake asked me if I could sit at the finish and write down runners numbers as they came through each lap. I ended up working there until 11pm when I finally left for home. I was really having a great time and didn't want to leave. I don't have too many memories of the race but I did meet Joel Zucker as he came through a couple of times. You couldn't miss him because he was quite a character, a loud and loquatious New Yorker. Joel was one of the founders of the ultralistserv and unfortunately passed away several years ago after the Hardrock 100 which he loved so much.

One of the highlights for me was seeing Eric Clifton who I knew was one of the top ultrarunners in the country for many years and is still running quality times as a masters runner. He is famous for running in his homemade "jester" running tights. I was amazed to see him running so strong and consistently for so many laps. Just before he was due to come in to finish, Blake came over and handed me a card to give to Eric when he won. Blake had to leave to take care of something important and regretted not being able to be there to congratulate Eric as he crossed the line. How ironic it seemed that I, the walk on volunteer that no one knew was given the honor of meeting the race winner ! I thought it was funny that as soon as Eric finished he walked straight to a picnic table to sit and then after doing all that great running had to be helped into the lodge.

The other major impression that I got was a young lady that came through a couple of times and was always smiling and seemed to be enjoying herself. She had planned to stop at 50 but told me she couldn't believe how good she felt and decided to go out for another lap. Several hours later she came walking in very slowly and when I asked her how she felt she said "that was a really bad idea".

Later that year in October in the middle of the Fall soccer season I tore my left ACL which proved to be a pivotal moment in my life. I suddenly realized how much I missed running regularly,competing and training , setting goals and working to achieve them. I did a lot of praying over it and committed myself to doing all I could to get back to running. I was ready and willing to give up soccer, as well as pick up games of basketball and any other sport that may lead to further injury and keep me from running again. Well you know how that ended up.