The rest of the Ohio Trip- Serpent Mound

One of my favorite things to do when I travel to a race is to get out and explore the surrounding area. My interest is usually oriented more towards the natural and scenic areas and I also have an interest in the historical sites. Although I do occasionally enjoy some of the modern attractions I especially like to get a feel for an area and try to imagine what it was like long before my arrival. Exploring questions about why a town or city ended up where it is, looking at the old architecture, what drew people to the area. Of course with Cincinnati , the Ohio River was the main influence for it's development.

So on the Monday morning after the race with Jerry already back in Raleigh and the Werners back in Dayton, I set out by myself to check out the area. My first destination was to Serpent Mound Historical Park which is located about 60 miles east of Cincinnati. This is an archeological site,that was built about 1,000 years ago by the best estimate of the scientist that have studied the area. I have known about the existence of the park for many years and always wanted to visit if I got the chance. The drive over was pleasant with little traffic as the region is very rural once you leave the city of Cincinnati. It is mostly flat with the occasional rolling hill, green with pastures and farm and woodlands that could easily pass for the eastern peidmont area of NC.

Upon my arrival at the park I started over to the small museum but as seems to be normal with my luck it was closed for renovations but most of the information about the site is on the signs around the area. It is a beautiful area with the mound winding around a parcel of land on a small hill with cliffs on two sides overlooking the Ohio Brush Creek Valley. The mound itself is quite large and is nearly 1/4 mile in length from head to tail. They have an observation tower that you can climb up to get a look over the whole site. At the end past the head there is an overlook with great views of the surrounding countryside.

After checking out the mound I hiked down a trail that leads to the base of the cliffs and passes underneath the overlook. There is a small creek at the bottom that flows into the larger Ohio Brush Creek that was very pretty and there were numerous wild flowers in bloom and a small waterfall across the creek. Due to heavy rains over the weekend the creeks were high and the trail was flooded after a short distance so I hiked back up to the mound. Just past the serpents tail , the trail goes down the other side so I decided to see if I could get a better look from the bottom on that side.

The first thing I saw as I started down was a green snake lying across the trail. I got a few pictures and wondered if his ancestors were the model for the mound. Further down the trail you can see small caves in the cliffs and just before reaching the flooded portion of the trail I could see up to the overlook.

After hiking back up to the top I walked around to explore the rest of the grounds. There is one effigy mound in the park but there are many more in the surrounding area on private land. The park keeps a meadow maintained for wildlife and I saw another large brown snake sunning himself. He didn't seem to mind me taking his picture or walking around him and he hadn't moved as I continued on. The Buckeye trail passes through the park on it's long 1400+ mile journey around the entire state of Ohio. Anyone up for a real long run?

After leaving the park I headed South for about 30 miles until I came to the Ohio river at Aberdeen Ohio, with Maysville Kentucky on the other side. The river was swollen from all the rains and an amazing amount of debris was washing downstream. I took Highway 52 West from here back in the direction of Cincinnati. This is the same Hwy 52 that passes through NC from the Virginia border , into Winston-Salem and on South.

Lots of nice sights and views as the Hwy meanders along side the mighty Ohio River. I stopped along the way at another historical park, the site of a village that was built for the families and workers of one of the many locks that were on the river from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi. This one was called Chilo #34. Several of the original buildings remain including the power house which is now a museum and of course it is closed on Mondays. The locks here were replaced when a newer and more modern dam was located about a mile downstream and the area where the locks and the promenade were located is now under 30 feet of water.(A few more feet on this day with the flooding).

My next stop was the birthplace of U.S. Grant in Point Pleasant. And of course it is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. It is a very small white wooden home with an interesting story to it. You can read it on a placard that I photographed. They have a small park along the river here and although I was a bit tired and sore from the marathon I wanted to get in a little run and this looked like a good place to do it. Most of the area you are either running flat parallel to the river or if you head away from the river you have to do a lot of climbing up the bluffs. I was hoping to avoid the hills so with Big Indian Creek flowing into the Ohio here I thought maybe I would run on the road beside the creek.

It was about 82F but no humidity and as I hoped the road was a very gradual climb with some flat and a little downhill. I felt ok and was glad I chose this route to run. Not far along a small creek passed under the road several times and it was one of the prettiest I have ever seen. It is called Col Colzater Run and is named after one of the first trappers/explorers that settled in the region. The creek flows in little falls over the shelf of layers of sedimentary rock until it flows into the larger Big Indian Creek a mile before ending in the Ohio River. After my run I drove back up the road to get a few pictures before heading back to Cincinatti and a good nights rest.

Here is a link to all the photos I took on this day.

Catch Me If You Can 5k, Garner NC 5-9-2010

I really hadn't planned to run this race this year mainly because I didn't think it would be too smart to race a 5k just a week after the Flying Pig Marathon. However, after a couple of easy running days and a day off for a massage, my legs have actually felt very good this week so I began to consider maybe going anyway. Other than feeling good I actually had a couple of other good reasons to go. Number one is that the race is held 2 miles from where I grew up and Mom and Dad still live in the same house so it is convenient for me to come race, and then go to church with them for Mother's Day. And two, I get a free entry since I work part-time for the sponsor giving out the awards cards, The Athlete's Foot -Cameron Village.

The race is three years old now and I have run each year. The race has been lucky to have nice weather each year. Just yesterday we had a very warm muggy morning but today was in the mid-50's and lower humidity, perfect conditions for racing.

I arrived in plenty of time to get in my usual warm-up routine so I was very relaxed. I have had several of my usual running friends here each year but none of them showed up this time around for various reasons. I did get a pleasant surprise when I saw that Susan Karnatz was running. She has been mostly out of the sport the past 2.5 years due to having two fine sons with husband Tom but she has been training and getting back into shape. Also Gavin Coombs one of the very fast young men I work with at TAF and winner of the Tobacco Road Marathon was there to go for a fast time in the 10k.

About 166 of us lined up for the start of the 5k and since there weren't too many fast looking runners I lined up right near the front. Once we started Sue,took off like a rocket. I felt I was going fast enough so I let her go and stuck to my plan. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling in the early going. It is flat and slightly downhill so you can really get a good start. I never saw a sign or mark when I got to the area I thought should be the one mile mark, and when I checked my watch I saw nothing that looked right and I thought I must have pushed the wrong button at the start. Oh well , I would just have to run by feel but I doubt it would have made a difference. I run by feel anyway but like to have some feedback on my pace. I had passed Sue just before this and she wished me luck.

Just after the one mile mark the course climbs a little hill and the next mile is gently rolling. About halfway , I looked down at my watch and then I realized I just had it on the wrong screen and it was actually working. My overall pace there was about 6:57 and I still felt great. Mile 2 is at the top of a little hill and at that point I was at 14:00 so I had slowed down just a little over the hill. The last mile is mostly flat with a couple of small rises which slowed me just a little but as soon as I hit the top I was pushing hard again.

I passed several people in that last mile and was able to go strong to the end and held off a late challenge from a 32 year old guy, unlike getting out kicked two weeks ago in Asheboro. When I saw my time of 21:33 I was very happy to see more improvement over the past year. This was the 2nd fastest time I have run a 5k since the 1980's and the fastest since Oct. of 2005 when I ran 21:12 in the Selma Railroad Run. Despite coming in 10th overall and running this fast, I was 2nd in my age-group. That's OK though, I'll take the time and be very happy with it.

Sue was the overall womens winner and Gavin was the overall men's champion in a smoking time of 30:16.

So what's next? Well the plan is to hit the hills and get ready for the Boogie 50 miler next month. Strange to go from 5k to 50 miler? Well, it seems that most of best ultra times have come during marathon training and when I was running well at the shorter distances so we'll see. And maybe, I could jump into another 5k between now and then if the urge strikes me.

Here is a link to the race results

Gettin' Jiggy with the Piggy

The big question on everyone's mind was how bad was the weather going to get? Rain was a given, but hopefully no thunderstorms and high winds to go along with it. The band of storms that had caused flooding and havoc in Tennessee looked like it might be heading our way.

We awoke about 4 am Sunday morning to a steady rain and about 62 degrees so being in no hurry to stand in it too long Karla , Frank, Jerry and I lingered a bit longer in the Millenium Hotel lobby before walking the 6/10ths of a mile to the start at Paul Brown Stadium on the riverfront. I had a disposable poncho just for the occasion and it was great to keep me warm as we finally headed down to find our places at the starting line. I had made the decision to race it after looking over the course so I wished my friends luck and made my way close to the front near the 3:20 pace group. I had no intention of running that fast but it seemed folks were reluctant to fill in the space and I didn't want to get trapped behind a lot of slower runners with a crowd of 18,000 in both races.

There was some lightning in the area but the race was in direct contact with the weather service and with assurances that the severe weather would stay well to the south of the city, the race began on time. Despite the large crowd, I was able to run without any problems early other than dodging a few idiots that were walking who had lined up at the front and one woman trying to avoid getting her feet wet ( in the pouring rain !) nearly bumped me off the course. My plan was to take it easy until things thinned out a little bit and soon enough I was stepping onto the bridge heading over to Kentucky and the one mile mark which I hit in 9:30. Not too bad with the congestion so far and now I was able to run at my on pace.

I guess I picked it up too much and passed mile 2 in 7:55 so I quickly backed off the pace and settled into a relaxed but steady run. Our visit into Kentucky was a short one and we hit the 3 mile point as we began climbing up the bridge back to Ohio. It was here that a runner from Raleigh named Jim came up and began talking to me. He was a lot younger and a bit faster but like me was planning to wait until we got over the HILL before pushing the pace so we stayed together for most of the next 8 miles.

By now I was settled into pace and was enjoying the sights around me and the large cheering crowds in town that had come out and braved the rain . By now the rain had slacked off quite a bit and would just be an off and on light rain for most of the remainder of the day. Actually the rain felt good and helped to keep the temperature down and allow for a faster pace than if the sun had come out.

A quick mile through downtown on 7th street and everything was going along perfectly. Now with the HILL looming just ahead I should get a real test of how the day was going. My plan was to just take it easy going up and pretend I was just on a training run in Umstead. Jim and I were taking about just that as he trains out there regularly too. The real climbing begins just at the 6 mile mark and my time was just :33 seconds off of my goal pace for a sub 3:45 for the day. The good thing about the climb is it is never very steep and every half mile or so it levels out a little bit and there are even a couple of very short downhills to break it up a little.

At mile 7 I felt fine and was satisfied with the time and at 9:27, the slowest mile since mile one. I high fived Elvis there at the Krohnn Observatory and then crested the first part of the hill and entered into the little park and overlook of the Ohio River below. This was one of the breaks and I felt great. The worst of the climb was already behind but it would still be an uphill for about 2 more miles. Mile 8 was 6:55 and although I forgot to hit a split at 9, my average for 9 and 10 was 8:30, so I was right back to goal pace now as we began running mostly downhill.

I was still holding back some even with the downhill and was planning to wait until halfway to pick it up some and see just how fast I could go. This course seems to be ready made for running a negative split and that's what I was intending to do. Then just before the 11 mile mark there is a slight incline and then the course makes a sharp left turn up a steep hill but it is only about half a block long. But that's when I knew something was wrong. Jim begin to pull away and I felt I had no strength to run up the little hill. Very strange. I had been drinking plenty and was well hydrated, the weather was cool and I had already had a couple of gels so where was my energy suddenly?

The next few miles are predominately downhill but the best I could do was about 8:50 pace. No matter how I tried to pick it up. I had no zip in the legs. I can usually run this fast or faster on my training runs at home and here I was just nearing the halfway point and I couldn''t run goal pace going down a hill !!!!

The half-marathon point is on a sweet gradual downhill and I passed it in 1:53:11, Just 41 seconds slow but I was already slowing more instead of picking up the pace. I wasn't too worried just yet. It is still mostly flat or downhill and the energy level does return sometimes in these things for me so I just tried to relax and keep going as fast as I could comfortably run. Several more miles passed by an still I could run no faster than 8:56 -8:57. I then accepted that there would be no fast time for me today but hopefully I would be able to maintain what I was doing and hang on for at least a 3:50 or so.

And then when I knew I had nothing but downhill for a few miles after the 18 mile mark the wheels started coming off quickly. A 9:55 mile and the race was over for me. Now I was wishing I had just run with Karla for fun after all. I tried to keep my spirits up but the miles were passing so slowly now and finally at mile 21 , feeling like I was doing the Ultraman shuffle, I began to take walk breaks. Now I was running a while then walking backwards looking to see if maybe Karla was going to have a great day and catch up to me so we could run it in together. The difference between this and OBX though was that on that day I had gone out at a suicidal pace and blew up big time. Today I was just slowly deflating so at least my finishing time would be a lot faster and would be much less painful than in November.

The last several miles are back close to the riverfront and with about 3 miles to go I could see the Baseball Stadium where the race finishes. Wow, it sure looked a long ways away. I continued to look back for Karla now not caring about the time as each mile continued to be slower and slower and now even a sub 4 was beyond my reach. There is one last climb just before the finish and after one last look back and no sign of the Marathon Princess I dug in to get it over with ,picking the pace back up a little bit. The rain had come back a little heavier too and I was relieved to finally see the Finish Swine ahead.

My time was 4:06:44 and after getting my medal I waited just over the line under an overpass to wait for Karla. She finally came in at 4:22, after not having a great day but with a smile on her face.

Jerry would have a miracle race considering he had surgery last December and didn't start running again until sometime in February and was as happy as ever after a marathon. Frank had run the half but the hills slowed him down a few minutes over his normal time.

Despite the disappointing time for me, it was a great event. The have a great organization, great volunteers and everything went very smoothly. Even with the rain the city came out in large numbers to cheer us on. I doubt I return since there are just too many other things I would like to do, especially in April and May but I would recommend that everyone put this on there bucket list and do it once just for the fun of it.

Here is the race website with the results and some photos that show just how wet it was.

I didn't run with my camera for two reasons: I was planning to race so taking pictures would not be very easy and it was raining but I did take some pictures touring the course and a few others around town. Here is the link to the pics

Time to get my oink on

It's a bit odd I guess that I ended up coming to run this marathon. I usually don't travel this distance for one, usually saving my travels for ultra's with the exception of Boston. I usually don't go for urban marathons with big crowds either, preferring smaller low=key races. I know that Karla and I had talked about this one a few years ago because it looked like fun and she really liked the cute Flying Pig theme. Years went by and nothing else was ever mentioned.

Late last year as I was making our plans for trying to get our Boston qualifiers, I was going over the schedule at marathon guide.com . We had already chosen Tobacco Road as our primary choice but I was looking for a back=up just in case around this time of the year. So when I saw that the Flying Pig was around the first of May, and usually had cool weather I mentioned it to her and she was all for it.

So we signed up and here we are. Frank and Jerry are here too with Frank running the half and Jerry joining in , woefully under-trained in the full. Since we have both gotten into Boston I was debating with myself on how I wanted to run it. A part of me would love to run alongside Karla as I have done in 10 others and her first 50K. But I'm in good shape right now and focusing on the marathon so I also want to race it and see how fast I can go. I didn't make up my mind until this afternoon after Jerry and I drove over the course. It has a serious climb, from mile 6 to9 but is mostly flat or downhill on the remainder of the course. I'm going for it. No guts no glory right ? But I still wish I could run it with her. She will be deciding after she gets going whether to go for her pr. Either way it looks like we'll have a lot of fun.

Randolph County 5k Health Run

I was hoping to find a little speed and I guess I found it.

I met Frank and Karla in Cary to ride with them the rest of the way to Asheboro early Saturday morning. The trip passed quickly and we had no problem finding parking at the race site, Memorial Park. Despite having over double the normal number of entrants, packet pick-up went quickly. Karla and I then went for a warm-up mile about 30 minutes before the race start.

We were going to be really lucky with great weather for the race with the thermometer around the mid-50's and mostly overcast. It looked like they were going to have a timely start so after a few strides we lined up near the front. With 390 entrants, it didn't look like there were too many fast runners so we lined up near the front. Mark Long from the Mangum Track Club was there, the only other person we knew in the race. Mark is now in my age-group so it looked like he may be my main competition.

The course was a little hillier than I remembered but nothing too steep or really long but there was a little rise at the start. I began easily , not getting caught up in the excitement. There were a bunch of young guys in front of me but I figured they would burn out quickly and most of them did. They had the half-mile of this certified course marked and I went through it in 3:29, right where I wanted to be. Mark passed me then and I just let him go and stuck with my planned pace. If he was feeling better than me then he could have 1st place. I wasn't going to blow up early trying to race him.

As we headed down a nice hill, I was steadily passing people that had gone out too fast. Mark had moved about 20 yards ahead but as we neared the mile mark I was closing the gap. I passed the mile in 6:54 and felt great, feeling confident I could achieve my sub 22 goal unless there were some really tough hills ahead. The course made a little climb to the halfway point where they had a water stop, totally unnecessary in a cool 5k and it was here I eased by Mark. I know he has had some injury issues lately so was not in top shape. We had a nice downhill again now and I finally passed the last of the kids that had started out so quickly. At about 1.75 we hit probably the steepest hill but it isn't very long so I just eased off the effort slightly. However, this is the beginning of a gradual rise for about the next 3/4 mile. The course flattens a little then climbs a little more. Even with the nice downhill portions, I still slowed down the 2nd mile to 7:06, or 13:58 for 2 miles.

And of course like all 5 K's the last mile starts to hurt if you are racing and giving it all you have. The good thing is that the pain only last a little while. I was looking forward to getting through Downtown Asheboro knowing I had a sweet 1/4 mile downhill finish ahead. As usual I probably sounded like I was dying to anyone nearby but I was still passing a few people. I went by the 3 mile mark in 21:14, (7:16 for mile 3) so I knew I had the sub -22 in the bag as I passed a young 20-something guy. As we neared the line I could hear him trying to come back on me so I kicked it up a notch but then just before the finish he found an extra gear that doesn't exist anymore in the legs and he nipped me at the line. Sprinting is not what I had wanted to do and I paid for it with a minute of dry-heaving inn the chute but I got what I came for.

Then it was time to wait for Karla. Mark had come in about 30 seconds behind me but no Karla in sight. I finally spotted her but there would be no PR for her today. She crossed the line in 24:23, which is still a great time for her on this course. I'm pretty sure she could have done it on a flat course. I told her I was pretty sure she won her- age-group because I hadn't seen many women finish and none looked 50 but then neither does she. We waited for Frank to come in which he did in a very good time for him , especially considering how little training he has been doing and then made our way over to the park for refreshments.

Karla and I went for a 2 mile cool-down and then waited for the results and awards. As I thought, she not only won her age-group but was 1st place Masters female. I won the 50-54 age-group and Mark was 2nd. And Frank was 3rd in his. Even with 390 finishers I was amazed to come in 21st place overall. This is a very nice race and the local running club, the Randolph County Roadrunners does a great job. Here is a link to the club and race website where you can check out the results.

One really cool thing is that my time of 21:54 was exactly 1 minute faster than I ran here in 2002, the last time I was here.

Looking for a fast time in Asheboro

With marathons, ultra's and the occasionally triathlon being my focus for the past 8 years, I haven't entered very many shorter road races but every no and then I like to race one just to see how much speed the old guy can still produce. normally in April I would be looking forward to running the Promise Land 50k on this weekend or maybe the Bull Run Run 50 in April but with my focus on getting faster the past year I decided to enter more road races.

Back in 2001 and 2002 when I was mainly concentrating on tri's and a few road races for fun but with my mileage and conditioning much less than it is now, I went to Asheboro to run the Zoo Run 5k. It was a great little low-key local race and was sponsored by the NC Zoo. It made a great excuse to go run a race and then spend a nice Spring afternoon walking around the zoo. It was great to be able to take my then teenage son Jeremy along for a fun father-son outing. the race is no longer sponsored by the zoo but that doesn't mean you can't still go and see the zoo anyway. I had talked about it several times with my running partner Karla but it never worked out that we could go but this seemed to be the perfect chance. She and Frank have never been to the NC Zoo and she loves meerkats so that was all it took to make plans to make this the year.

The race, now called the Randolph County 5k Health Run is held at Memorial Park in Asheboro. It is a relatively flat course considering how hilly the Asheboro area is, at least I seem to remember it that way. And that's what I had told Karla, but looking back in the journal I seem to have noted that the 2nd mile was hillier than the first. Hmmmm, We'll find out tomorrow I guess.

Anyway I'm just looking to run as fast as possible. I hope to run under 22:00 for the first time in almost exactly 2 years. Karla will be shooting for a Pr and Frank will hope to run well and maybe get an age-group award.

Look for report soon

Here is a link to the race website

Tarheel 10 Miler

As I was making my plans for racing in 2010, this event was not in the plan. The focus was on getting ready for the Tobacco Road Marathon and then going to Cincinnati in May for the Flying Pig Marathon as a back-up in case I didn't qualify at TR. It's not that I don't like 10 milers. In fact in my younger running days it was my favorite distance. It's just that a hilly 10 mile race didn't fit the plan. But then Karla was featured on the cover of Endurance Magazine promoting the race and along with that was a comp'd entry for her. And since the proceeds were going to the Cancer Hospital she was excited about it so I decided I would enter to run with her.

We thought it would be a good chance for her to go for a 10 mile PR and the pace she needed was just slightly faster than my current marathon race pace so it would be a good workout for me as well as enjoying running with her again. We had actually run her first 10 miler together back in 2005 at the Dash for Cash in Greenville on a very flat and fast course. She ran 85:07 that day, just two months before being diagnosed with cancer. Her comeback seems to be complete now with her qualifying at Tobacco Road but it would take a great effort to PR on the hilly Chapel Hill course.

I met with her and Frank and our friend Jerry who is on the comeback trail now at 6am in Chapel Hill but Lisa was sick and wouldn't be joining us. Too bad because I know she would have run great on this course. We were very lucky to have perfect weather for running with the start in the upper 40's and only reaching a high of near 60F.

Despite our early arrival we didn't plan too well and had to line up without a warm-up but that didn't turn out to be a problem. We lined up with the 8:30 pace group and in just a few minutes the race began. The first mile was a loop with some downhill, some uphill and several sharp turns and with the crowd we were having to be careful making those turns and dodging around other slower starters but amazingly we passed that 1st mile in exactly 8:30. Wow, I'm good at pacing.

The next couple of miles went well but were a little frustrating with the narrow streets and crowds and already the leaders were coming back toward us after doing another small loop. Despite that and more little hills we were building a little cushion with `an 8:24 2nd mile and then once the crowd thinned out we ran mile 3 in 8:16. The next couple of miles were relatively flat for this town and we were cruising now. Karla was looking great(as always)and feeling fine. We hit mile 4 in 8:19 and then turned onto Franklin Street.

I was enjoying a great workout and trying to entertain The Princess with stories of my visits to CH over the years and pointing out landmarks along the route. we passed the halfway point in 41:42,with mile 5 in 8:13. At that point she said she was getting a side stitch so I told her we would back off the pace a little for her to recover since we had a nice cushion to work with. Mile 6 took us 8:39 and included a hill so we really didn't lose much time.

Mile 7 is awesome, all downhill. We took advantage to relax but not push too hard because we knew that we would soon have to be making up that elevation. Mile 7 was 8:16. Mile 8 was mainly flat with a little rise and we hit it in 8:35 just as we hit the beginning of Laurel Hill Road. This mile would be almost all uphill with a very short little break about halfway up. It is through a beautiful residential area of older homes with large wooded lots. It was cool that we were passing people and I was trying to keep Karla's mind off the pain of the hill by pointing out things along the way. I knew if we could get her to the top without losing too much time that the PR should be in the bag.

That 9th mile took 9:15 and like that the cushion was gone but she still looked strong and after letting her relax for minute once things leveled out I started to push. Normally I run beside her but now I was running ahead and looking back trying to get her to chase me. This last mile was almost all flat and downhill with only a small rise just before turning toward the football stadium and I knew we were making good time. We finally entered into the stadium but I was unsure of the time it would take to get around so I kept pushing. She responded like the Champion she is and we ran that last mile in 7:58 ! Woohoooo. Pr by 36 seconds by my watch with a time of 1:24:31.


We waited and soon Frank and Jerry came into the stadium. Frank had a great race for him and Jerry did well considering how little training he has been able to do this year after having some elective surgery.



Overall it was a fantastic day and a wonderful run with my amazing training partner. The race itself needs a few tweaks but overall they did a good job too.

Tobacco Road Marathon=Ticket to Boston

3:45. That was the magic number. My finish time? 3:45:00. How sweet is that !?!?

We're going to Boston in 2011 !!

As race day approached I had no doubt that Karla an Lisa were going to qualify but I have to admit, I knew that for me to make it I would have to have nearly everything fall in to place perfectly. Good weather, a good strategy, good hydration and a lot of luck.

Well, the weather cooperated. It was a cool and dry morning and with all but the last three miles in the shade overheating would not be a problem. The strategy was to go out easy on the rolling hills in the first three miles to the trail. Did that successfully hitting 3 miles in 25:21.

Once on the trail the plan was to use the slight up and down grade to my advantage. Most of the time the ups and down are almost imperceptible but at times it is noticeable if you are paying attention and if you are familiar with the trail you can adjust the effort accordingly. Soon after turning onto the trail I noticed a group of 5 or 6 runners that all seemed to be aiming for about the same time as me. When I would notice a slight incline I would back off the effort a little and they would pull ahead but then when the trail started going down I would slowly pick the pace back up and gradually reel them in.

The first turnaround was about the 7 mile point of the race. It was a little hectic for a few minutes with runners trying to figure out which side of the trail to run on to avoid the runners coming in the opposite direction but soon the crowd thinned out and was never a problem again. I was enjoying looking to see who I knew in the race in front and behind me but waiting to see where my ladies were at. When I spotted them they were hanging with the 4:00 pace group and looking great. Our friend Eric Nesbit was running with them at this point too.

Over the next many miles everything was going well and really quite uneventful. My strategy was till working well and my energy level was smooth. I passed the halfway point in 1:50:57, about a 1:30 minute cushion over what I need to run and I was still doing the yoyo thing with the others around me since mile 3. I got a great boost at about mile 16 when I saw The Trail Angel out cheering and taking pictures. As I passed by I was feeling great and now I just had to maintain for another 10 miles. Easier said than done but I was very confident now with everything going so well.

I was cruising along the next few miles but as I approached the turnaround at mile 19 I noticed I was feeling a bit tired but when I checked my split I was almost shocked to see that I had slowed down so much that mile. 9:08 for that one and just like that I had lost a 3rd of my cushion. This was not good. I couldn't begin to fade this fast with 7 more miles still to go. I grabbed some water and a Gu and walked around the turn barrel while I mentally prepared myself for the push to the finish. This was beginning to look like a repeat of Myrtle Beach 2006 and I knew that I needed to keep my focus. Once again I thought about Karla and how important it was to both of us to get back to Boston. I thought about my parents that I knew were watching the clock at home and praying for me. I thought about Lisa and all my friends that were out there pulling for me. And I began to run again knowing that I had to go for it whether I felt good or not.

Fortunately once I began to run I did feel good again and despite the short walk break I still ran mile 20 in 8:20. Now if I could just hold on, stay calm and relaxed and keep moving. I backed off the effort a little not wanting to push too hard now.

I saw Eric again about a mile behind me. He had left the ladies and was pushing the pace now. When I saw him at the finish he said I looked intense when I ran by. A few minutes later the ladies went by , still hanging with the pace group and looking strong. I waved to them gave them a bit of encouragement on then re-focused on my race

I was beginning to feel that my hamstrings were starting to cramp up and I knew if they did my qualifying bid was over. I was praying and asking God that if he would just let me run without cramping, I would do my part and run my heart out to make it in time. I backed off the pace slightly hoping to hold on and not lose too much more time until I could get back on the road and the mostly flat and downhill finish. I once again passed by Laura and told her it was going to be close as she cheered me on. But I was still losing time and my energy was waning. I turned onto the road with less than 3 miles to go but mile 24 was a slow and painful 9:24 and like that my cushion was gone.

It would have been so easy to give up now. I was slowing down every mile, I was tired, and I was hurting, but I was not going down without a fight. I had a mission to complete and if I was going down I was going down in flames. 2.2 miles of pure pain to look forward to but I had to go for it. So I picked up the pace one more time determined to hold it as long as I could. I know everyone I passed by in the race or spectating must have thought I was dying the way I was gasping and groaning with a look of near death on my face. Every fiber of my body was begging me to stop and walk but I knew I couldn't . I had to qualify and then be there to wait at the finish to celebrate with Karla when she would come in soon behind me. So I pushed and groaned and gasped fighting off nausea and cramping until finally when I could see the 26 mile mark ahead and checked my watch I finally knew I had done it.

What a relief to cross that line and know I had done it. And what a difference in 4 years. In 2006 I finished in tears knowing that my dear friend was facing surgery and months of chemotherapy and radiation and may not even be able to make the trip to Boston that we had trained so hard to do. This year there was only sheer joy and celebration. I quickly joined with Frank who had run the half, Jerry who was out to cheer for us and Belinda, who had also run the half to wait for Karla and Lisa.

We didn't have to wait too long before we spotted Lisa making the turn for the finish. Not only did she qualify and set a pr but also broke 4 hours with a 3:59:03, good enough for 3rd in her age-group. And not too far behind was the Marathon Princess finishing well under the qualifying time in 4:00:49, her 2nd fastest marathon. The 3:45 was also my 2nd fastest marathon.

What a great day. All three of the training team are Boston Bound.

Here is a link to my photos. Jerry used my camera, Frank took some and a couple of friends took some at points along the course.

And here is a link to some that Laura took.

Race results can be found here

Another Boston Qualifying Attempt Coming Up

Well, actually the last attempt was pretty lame. I knew going in I didn't have a realistic chance but this time I am hoping things will be different. Karla and I had made the decision it was time to get serious about getting back to Boston last year since she was finally getting back to normal and I was getting over the injuries. We began training on a regular basis and after I finished my Ironman last June it was time to focus on running.

Since June I have increased my weekly mileage considerably and tried to stay consistent. We began going to the track again in the Spring but really got focused on that in the summer. Looking back over the training log I was actually surprised how well we had done, only missing three workouts since last August and all three of those were the weeks after racing a marathon and two 50 K's. We have been meeting on Tuesdays doing a mix of interval workouts from 330's, 1k's and 2k's in the summer to mostly 800 and mile repeats over the Winter. I have seen steady improvement and it's been really fun to watch Karla reach a new level with her running.

We picked up a new running partner early last year too, Lisa "Mountain Girl" Howell who is in the picture of the three of us at Grandfather Mountain last July. She joins us on our Saturday long runs and we occasionally get together for about 10 miles on Thursdays. If I don't run on Thursday with the ladies I usually do a tempo run. I've also been doing a marathon pace workout on Mondays.

I feel good about my chances for qualifying this Sunday morning, especially since I now can run 10 minutes slower ! I need a 3:45 now. The plan is to go out conservatively and get the qualifier and worry about running faster and shooting for a marathon pr later.

The ladies are both running exceptionally well too and I expect them both to qualify easily. They both need 4:05 and they will also be running just for the time. If she is successful it will be a pr for Lisa. Karla could probably run a pr too but like me she will save that for another day.

Here is a link to the race website

Stay tuned for the results !

20,000 visits

Today I had my 20,000th visitor to my runjoey blog. I originally started the blog in 2006 simply as a place to record my race stories to make it easy to share them friends and family that may be interested in reading of my little adventures in running. It really hasn't changed too much from that although I occasionally post on other things.

I know many people do a search for a report on races they are interested in running but sometimes it seems that others stumble upon it by accident. The funniest ones to me are the ones that are obviously looking for porn when searching for "dirty girls", thanks to my link for Dirty Girls Gaiters.( I will now be getting dozens more hits over the next few days since I mentioned it again).

I really appreciated the comments I receive from some people that they were inspired by one of my stories or races to go out and push themselves on to bigger things. And it is really cool to have people recognize me at races from them having read my blog. But most of the hits I think are due to a bunch of my regular readers and friends. Thanks Mom and Dad !

Well this past weekend I was suppose to be racing and have a report for you but Mother Nature had other plans. I headed down to Myrtle Beach to run the half-marathon with Mountain Girl, Ultra Angel, Marathon Princess and Mr Minimalist, also known as Lisa, Jenn, Karla and Frank. Frank was running for fun, Karla and Lisa were aiming for PRs' and I was going for a fast workout while Jenn was running the full and hoping for a Boston Qualifier.

Well, it snowed a little bit and the city decided to cancel the race at 10:30 pm Friday night but that didn't stop us from getting in a run. We headed out about 8:30 am from the Breakers Resort for our own Half Marathon on Ocean Blvd. It was about 32F, a little windy but felt great after we warmed up. Mark Dowd was with us for the first 9 miles and pushing the pace a little bit. The roads were clear except for an occasional slushy spot so running was not a problem. It was great to see hundreds of other runners out on the course too and many people were handing out water bottles from their cars and cheering us on. The police cruised by several times but never said anything to anyone about running in the streets.

After dropping Mark off at the Breakers we headed out the other direction for a couple of miles. We were enjoying the beautiful landscaped beachfront homes covered in the rare snow. Just before turning around we spotted Mike Walsh and he joined us for the last two miles. A great run but it would have been nice to race.

While eating lunch at the usual place, we found out they were handing out the medals for finishers over at the Ballpark so we stopped by to pick those up on the way home.

Thanks to all of you for reading and I hope to be a little more prolific in my writing this year.

more snow running

After work I was able to make my way over to Umstead Park this afternoon for another run in the snow. I was looking forward to getting into the park and having a peaceful run. I knew the roads would be treacherous today with cars getting out and about and the slush and ice getting more slippery.

The gate to the Reedy Creek entrance was closed so I parked on Old Reedy Creek Road. When I ran the half mile to the bridle trail I was a little surprised at how many others had already been out in the park this weekend. Lots of foot prints and bike tracks had made for a rough running surface in the snow. Once I got to the fountain footing was a little better as I begin to run in the tracks the Park Ranger's truck had made but I still had to be very careful, especially running downhill.

The forest was beautiful as I expected and it was a wonderful day to be out but it took a lot more than my normal effort to run and my pace was about a minute per mile slower than normal. I practically had the place to myself for the 10.4 miles I ran. I only saw a couple of people walking dogs and four other runners. That was a bit funny. I waved and said "good Afternoon" to the first two I saw. No response. Twenty yards behind them was a woman. I wave and say "hey". No response. The 4th runner was another woman another 20 yards back. Same result. Hmmmm, either these are a bunch of self-absorb snobs or I had forgotten my Ultraman Joey powers include invisibility.

I took some more pictures while I was out there and added them to the photo web album from this weekend. Here is the link again.

January Running

The year has gotten off to a great start so far. I've put in 226 miles for the month while staying healthy and pain-free. Things are going as planned with each workout having a purpose. After starting off with a good 5k and a week later setting a 50K pr, I've recovered well and back on track. Having fun is still top priority and there has been plenty of that with lots of running with my normal training partners a couple of times a week. Karla and I get on the track every Tuesday for some quality running with the emphasis now on some 800 meter yasso's to get ready for the marathon in March. Lisa usually joins us for our Saturday long runs and occasionally we get in a Thursday afternoon run together. And on a really good day Jenn gets a chance to run with me too.

We just had the first real snow in a year so I've had the weekend to relax at home and get caught up on some stuff around the house. And some running. Since it didn't look like we could get to the trail to run together on Saturday, Karla and I met Friday afternoon for a nice 20 miler on the American Tobacco Trail. Just as promised the snow began Friday night and by Saturday morning there was about 5 inches on the ground and it was sleeting. I waited until late afternoon before heading out for a little run in the snow. I took the camera along and here is a link to the pictures.

It was overcast, cold about 22F and very windy for that 4 miler. On Sunday the sun was out the wind had calmed to a little breeze and it warmed up to about 32F making for much better running conditions so I went for 6. I was lucky that so few cars have traveled out on the roads in my area that the roads were not slippery as I ran along on the crunchy snow.

Looking forward to a great February now!

Salem Lakeshore Frosty 50K 2010

I think the worst thing about running on a cold winter day is thinking about the cold. But once you get going and warmed up a bit it's not so bad and you can think about other things.

I met with Karla, Jenn and Lisa in Cary at 5am for the drive down to Winston-Salem and we made good time and were able to snag the best parking space in the lot, directly across from the port-a -potties and 50 ft from the starting line. With the temperature at about 17F there was very little socializing before the race and we spent most of the time sitting in the car staying warm while we prepared to run. With 5 minutes to go we finally headed over to the start and the beginning of the days journey.

My plan was to go out for the PR attempt but I knew I needed to hold back a little until I got warmed up and not push it too much the first half of the race. So at the sound of Don Besse's bugle we headed out onto the trail. I was running along very comfortably sticking to the plan at just under 10 minute pace until the hill at 1.3 miles in and after reaching the top I gradually picked up the pace. By the time I reached the 1st aid station around the 3.6 mile mark I was ahead of pace and feeling great. I just grabbed a cup of water which I poured half down my chest and was quickly on my way.

The next 3 miles I knew I was going a little too fast but I was having a hard time slowing down. Quickly into the 6.5 mile aid station, I just grabbed some gatorade, spoke to friend Charles West who was crewing and helping out and then I began the next section on the paved greenway. This is a good place to make time but it is also a pretty section ,especially where a creek goes through a rock cut between bluffs with the railroad up on the hill. When I got to the 1st turnaround, I was just a little over a minute ahead of pace averaging about 8:50 ( shooting for 9:00) so I made a real effort to back off the pace on the return trip. Three minutes after making the turn I saw the ladies, Lisa, Jenn and Karla and I stopped just a few seconds to snap a picture and took off again.

Back at the aid station I grabbed a couple of chocolate chip cookies and ate them as I walked up the short, steep hill from below the dam back up to the lakeside and then took off running again. The next several miles were uneventful as I settled in and relaxed. I was maintaining a very even pace, feeling good and enjoying the day. It was nice to see many friends on the out and back course and to offer and receive encouragement. I had several people tell me that I looked strong and relaxed but looked like a man on a mission. Normally I do a lot of talking but not when I'm racing for PR's !

I reached the halfway point exactly on pace in 2:20:10 and was quickly on my way out again. The race was really just beginning now and a lot can happen in the second half of an ultra, but I knew if I could just stay relaxed and stick to the plan I should be able to hold it together. A little less than 5 minutes out I saw the ladies once again still smiling and looking great. But I knew they were still too fast and told them to slow down as I snapped another photo.

My split to the next aid station was exactly the same as the last time through and dead on 9 minute pace. A quick gel and gatorade and out I went. The next 3 miles I began to slow slightly but was maintaining the same effort. I reached the final turnaround about 2 minutes behind 9 minute pace but still ahead of pr pace. I felt a surge of energy and excitement and ran the 1.25 miles back to the next aid station in 8:40 pace and then walked up the dam hill again. Just as I crested the top I saw Karla and Jenn. I could tell they had finally slowed down but they looked great. Of course being the beautiful ladies they are they always look GREAT ! I was sad to hear that Lisa had taken a fall and had decided to call it a day after about 20 miles.

At this point it looked like I had the pr in the bag as long as I didn't fall apart so I backed off the pace a little again just trying to stay comfortable until I reached the last aid station. Including the walk up the hill I averaged 9:39 pace to the last aid station where I took one last gel. All I had to do now to guarantee the pr was maintain at least 10 minute pace the last 3.6 miles. I hit the split on my garmin and over the next several miles I was very happy to see that I was not only well below the 10 minute pace but was actually speeding up a little.

I finally came to the last hill and knew when I reached the top I had less than 1.5 miles to go and so I started to push the pace knowing I didn't have to worry about bonking now. And it was amazing. Although a much slower pace, I was pushing the effort like I was finishing up a 10k and as I crossed the line I had set the new pr by 2:47 in a time of 4:44:11. Lisa was there to greet me and then we waited for Karla and Jenn to finish. I was eagerly watching the clock and hoping to see them come out of the woods in good shape and sure enough they finished strong and smiling. It was Jenn's 2nd best ever and Karla improved from her Derby debut by 3 minutes.

Here is a link to the results. I was 31st place out of 137

I am very happy and proud to have come back so far in the past year to be able to set a 50k pr at age 54. It was also amazing because I did not do any Chi running or any Pose Method. I have not done any Cross-fit classes or leg weights. And most amazing of all I actually wore shoes !!!! So how did I do it? The old fashioned way. I ran a lot and trained hard and smart. And most of all I have to thank God for giving me the strength and health to do what I love and for wonderful friends and family to support me.

Here are some pictures that Alan Wiggs took with Ben Dillons camera on the course.

And here are the few I took.

I didn't want to stop and take many since I was trying to run fast. I only paused for 2:30 seconds the entire race at the aid stations, to snap the two photos of the ladies and to pee one time so I obviously wasn't lolly-gagging around or wasting time .

Frosty 50k Preview

2007 when this picture was taken I called it the Not So Frosty 50. As you can see from the short sleeves, things were a bit warmer than usual in January.

My first time running this race was in 2003 and it was my 2nd 50k and 2nd ultra so my time then of 5:56:49 was a pr for me. I returned in 2004 running in a couple of inches of snow and set a new pr of 5:50:52. I returned for my 3rd visit in 2005 on a cold day that never climbed out of the mid-20's and lowered my pr again to 5:34:40 in my 17th ultra.

These times seem so slow to me now but at the time I was very pleased with my improvement. I had to skip the race in 2006 as I was focusing on trying to get in a Boston qualifier in February. I had just lowered my 50K pr by a huge amount at Derby in 4:55:53 as my training had reached a new level. I really hated to miss it that year because it was the ultra debut of my dear and lovely friend Jenn now known as my Ultra Angel and I really wanted to run it with her.

In 2007 , the warm year I returned once again and this time shared the run with Jenn. It was a wonderful day despite Jenn having some lower leg pain issues.

I returned again for my 5th time in 2008, hoping to go for another pr which had since been lowered twice more at Derby and was now at 4:46:58. I made a good effort for 20 miles and was slightly ahead of pace but by 22 I was beginning to slow and nothing I did could turned it back around. After tripping at mile 26 I knew there was no point in pushing it anymore but I was still able to manage a course pr of 4:59:09.

I had to miss it again in 2009 due to my injuries and taking off the whole month of December. Part of the plan for my recovery and comeback was to take a complete year off from running ultra's and I did that, going back to Derby this past November which I ran with Karla.

But now it's time to go for it once again. At age 54 and after 32 years of running and going into the 8th year of running ultra's I will be running my 6th Frosty 50K and my 53rd ultra (not counting a few dnf's over 50 miles) I will be going once again after a PR ! The training is going great, I feel better than I have in years and feel confident I have a good shot at running faster than ever.

The only thing I don't like is that I can't run with the ladies. Jenn will be going with us, Karla has the bug and is ready to run her 2nd ultra and Lisa is making an attempt to cross over to the darkside for her ultra debut.

Stay tuned to see how Ultraman Joey and his Angels and Princess's perform. It's definitely going to be Frosty this year with the starting temperature forecast to be in the teens Brrrrrr.
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Starting the New Year off right

What better way to kick off the New Year 2010 than with a race? Well, for most of the past several years I have started it off as a volunteer at the NCRC Resolution Run 5K but I decided I wanted to give racing it a shot and get an idea of how the training has been going so far.

The race is held on NCSU's Centennial Campus and is by no means a flat fast course. You don't expect to run a pr here unless you've never run a 5k before. Of course I'll never set a 5k PR again but it is fun to see how fast I can push myself and occasionally do well in age-group placing.

We were really lucky with the weather, in the mid-40's and the rain from last night had stopped. I arrived about an hour before the start and with about 30 minutes to go I went for a warm-up mile with Jenn for company. A few last minute preparations and we headed over to the starting line. A quick look around revealed a lack of some of the really speedy runners from the area so we lined up right at the front with a couple of hundred others behind us.

NCRC president Brad said go and I took off at what felt like a fast but reasonable pace. The first half-mile is downhill so it's important to get a fast start but not too fast because the hills are coming. Before the race I had wondered if I might be able to break 23 minutes here. I felt confident of going under 22 on a flat course but I knew this would a difficult and painful race. At the last minute I decided to go ahead and aim for 22:30. If I couldn't do it at least the pain would still be over quickly. Blowing up in a 5k is a lot different than blowing up in a marathon or ultra.

I passed the one mile mark 6:46 which was about right considering that it was mostly downhill. I could count the runners ahead at the turn and I was in 38th place. Mile two was a different animal altogether. A short uphill, a short downhill and then continuous climbing. I backed off the pace trying to maintain the effort but it was still hurting and I huffed and puffed that mile in 7:28.

The course continued to climb and by the time it finally leveled off I was gasping but as soon as I made the turn I quickly recovered and was able to get back up to speed and began the push to the finish. I was now in 35th place at the turn and steadily moving by people on the downhill and with a 10th to go I found a bit of a sprint. It's nice to have zip in the legs again ! Woohoo !! 22:20 !!!

I'm not sure what my overall place was but it was in the top 30 and that was good enough for 3rd in the 50-59 age-group. I feel the effort was my best since 2005 when I ran 21:12 on a flat course in Selma. Obviously the hard work, higher mileage and track runs are paying off and I believe as good as I felt today that there will be a lot of good times in the year ahead. Now lets see how it pays off when I go 10 times the distance at the Frosty 50k next weekend !

Looking forward to 2010

Well, I'm looking forward to 2010 but thought I would share a picture from the 1979 Great Raleigh Road Race 10k.

As I shared in my last post, the training is going very well and I am hoping to build on that and hopefully it will lead to some good performances in the upcoming races. So here is the plan.

Jan:
I will start off the year with the Resolution Run 5k on New Years Day. This is not a fast course so I don't expect an impressive time but hopefully I can put in a strong effort and use it as a good workout and have some fun in the process.

A week later on the 9th I will be running my 6th Salem Lakeshore Frosty Fifty K. As always there will be lots of my ultra friends and a few making the move into the ultraworld. I will be attempting a new 50K pr and feel confident I have a good shot at it.
Feb:
I'll be returning once again to Myrtle Beach but for the 1st time I will be racing the Half-Marathon and not the full. With my new plan for Boston qualifying it made sense to run the half here as a test and strong workout.
Mar.
And the reason I'm just running the half at Myrtle is because I have decided to go for my Boston qualifier at the new Tobacco Road Marathon on March 21st. This should be a fast course with most of the course on the American Tobacco Trail, a converted rail trail in the Cary-Apex area.
The following weekend will be a return to the Umstead 100 miler but not as a runner but as a volunteer and pacer once again.
April:
No set plans for now but possibly a 5k or 10k. Thinking about returning to Asheboro and doing the 5k there that I haven't been to in about 10 years. A fun local race and afterwards spend the day at the Zoo.
May
Looks like Karla and I will be running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinatti for the fun of it. What kind of pace will depend on how the Tobacco Road qualifying attempt goes. Our friends Lisa and Jerry may also be going and Frank will be running the half with one of his high school friends.
June
It's back to the ultra's again with a return to the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 miler. I dropped out after just 10 miles in pain in 2008 and I look forward to going back healthy and I hope to attempt a 50 mile PR.
July
I'm looking forward to return to one of my favorites, the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. I may have something special planned for this year. Stay tuned this summer.
If possible I may also return for some fun at Catherine's FA 50k and visit with my VHTRC friends.

Other than that I'm not really sure what the last 5 months may bring but whatever it will be FUN !!

70.7

70.7 ?

That's how many miles I logged training last week which is by far the most I have ever done in a week that didn't include running an ultra.
Sun: 5 miles at home
Mon: 10 miles at Umstead
Tues: 6 miles at Shelley Lake with Jenn,
6 miles at the track with Karla
Wed: 12 miles at home
Thur: 10.5 miles at Umstead with Karla
Fri: 6 miles at home
Sat: 15.2 miles at Umstead with Karla

In my younger days I was never a high mileage trainer and never went over about 1,600 miles in one or two years. During one 7 week stretch in 1982 I averaged just a little over 50 miles per week before cutting back. Then when I began my ultra career in 2002,I was only running about 20 miles a week. When I really got into it in 2003 I bumped that all the way up to 25 miles a week before my 1st 50 miler and then in 2004 I was all the way up to a whopping 29 miles a week. Over the next few years I got up to around 42 miles per week until the injury riddled 2008.

After taking the time off at the end of last year and beginning to re-build this year I have done a lot of thinking about what I hope to accomplish over the next few years. First I needed to rest my mind and body and then I could start the process. What I now have planned is to concentrate more on training and hopefully training smarter while racing less often over the next couple of years. I feel that I never realized my full potential as a runner over the past years and now I want to try and see what I have left in this aging body.

I will be trying to build up to the highest training volume I've ever done while still incorporating the tempo runs and track work into my schedule. Consistency will be of key importance as well as allowing rest and recovery periods in the building process. Over the next two years I will mainly concentrate on the marathon with the occasional shorter Ultra and I believe I can set new personal best at every distance from the half-marathon up and by the end of the next two years also set a new 100 mile pr. Will it be easy? NO ! And I fully realize the challenge of taking on such a goal at age 54. But I also know that the reality of age and time will soon prevent me from improving anymore despite my training. That is why I am making the effort now. I hope you will enjoy the trip with me.

2009, the year in review

With no more events planned for the year, it is time to take a look back over the past years highlights. 2009 was a bit unusual in that it was a re-building year; a new beginning of sorts. 2008 had been a good year in many ways but was also a year of disappointing races, dnf's in several ultra's and a lot of nagging pain and injury. As the year ended I knew I needed some time off mentally as well as physically to heal and look forward to starting over fresh in 2009.


So after taking the entire month of December off from any running or biking, I was eager to began anew on New Years Day at the NCRC Resolution Run 5k. No, I didn't run the race but volunteered and afterwards did my first training run. It wasn't easy but was great since the Trail Angel slowed down and ran it with me. The rest of the month was spent getting back to slowly building mileage and Karla and I resumed running our Saturday long runs together.

By February things were going well and on minimal training other than a few long runs, I ran the Myrtle Beach Marathon with Karla. We both got through it feeling ok and in a decent time and best of all my legs held up well and now I was confident that the pain and injuries were finally behind me.

In March, I did my first triathlon of the year and was amazed to do so well considering I had only been on my bike once since last Fall and I had a great run off the bike. It was nice seeing Amber Groves in her first Tri and have Chris Damico to watch and take photos. Two weeks later I would run the Raleigh Rocks Half-Marathon with Karla and Chris ran several miles with us. I fell behind with about 3 miles to go and my time was my slowest half ever but I still enjoyed the race and the company, knowing that faster times were coming back as long as I could stay healthy.

Training continued to go well and on April 25th I did the Riverwood Sprint 5k in Bill and Margherita Scott's neighborhood. That went well but the run course was tough ! Then a week later in the first weekend of May I made the trip down to the White Lake Half-Ironman with my buddy Jerry. I love the location and atmosphere of that event and we met a new friend, Donna Short-Webster. The race was a little disappointing. The swim was great, the bike was windy and wore me down and the run was hot, and humid and very slow with a lot of walking. Not a good omen with my debut Ironman only 7 weeks away.

May would continue to be a busy month of training as I tried to get on the bike more and swim as well as keep up the running. A week after White Lake, I rode my bike 19 miles to Clayton, ran the Clayton 5K with Karla and then rode another 32 miles back home. The race was slow but fun and the whole workout was a confidence boost for my Ironman ambitions.. The next day was much cooler so I decided to run the 10 in Garner. I was really amazed to run as well as I did after the big training day on Saturday. Then on Memorial Day, Margo organized a group to ride with me for portions of my 100 mile bike ride. The day went great and it gave me the confidence I needed heading into my upcoming Ironman

June was the big month I had been looking forward to for a year and now the time was approaching. I ran the Race For the Cure 5k on the 13th in a decent time on a hot humid morning and then it was time to fly to Seattle and drive from there to Idaho for Ironman Coeur D' Alene. I was very excited to be able to finish my first attempt at an Ironman on a tough day. The swim was a nightmare and almost ended my race early but I had a decent bike ride despite winds between 15 and 20 mph all day on the difficult rolling course and then held on in the wind and rain on the run course. It was one of the biggest thrills of my life to run strong that last half-mile towards the glow of lights and cheering crowds, then to cross the finish line and hear " Joey Anderson, you are an IRONMAN !!

With the Ironman behind me it was time to get back to what I really love. Running and training and working towards my goal of returning to Boston qualifying shape. So, three weeks later on July 11th I was happy to make the trip once again to the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. It is one of my favorite weekends and this year would be extra special since I would be sharing the trip with the Werners. I would be running my 10th marathon with Karla and we would be joined by Lisa Howell who had begin sharing our long runs back in the Spring. We had a beautiful day for the race and although I tired near the end, still feeling the effects of the long day at Ironman I had a wonderful time sharing the first 22 miles with the ladies.

The next couple of months would be dedicated to more focused training as I looked ahead to the qualifying attempt coming in November. The training was fun and going great. Karla and I had been starting back doing track workouts every Tuesday just before my trip out West and now we were really able to get into it and begin building some speed and stamina. And I was gradually building my weekly mileage back to a level it had not been in a couple of years The long runs with Karla and Lisa and occasionally Jenn and Eric were going well too.

My only competition in August was at the Mayo Lake Sprint Tri on Aug 15th. It was a lot of fun and I saw several friends there. Despite very little biking I had a very strong ride and overall had fun and a good time.

In Sept I traveled to Williamsburg/Jamestown VA for the Patriots Half- Ironman with my oldest son Steven and daughter-in-law Bethany there to watch me. Despite a fiasco of a swim in the James River, I had a good ride and the best run ever in a triathlon and was still able to PR. And that would end my tri career for the year. I have not been on my bike or in the pool since that day.

Now I could really concentrate on the running and on Oct 3rd, I returned to the Selma 5k for the first time since 2005. On a warm humid Indian Summer Day I ran a decent time and several friends did well, especially Karla who set a new PR ! The following weekend , Karla and I rode down to Greenville for the 1st annual Run for the Booty half-marathon. Cool weather and a mostly flat, fast course would provide a good test for our upcoming qualifying attempt. I missed my goal by a minute but ran strong and had fun. I knew then that I would not be qualifying this year but my legs felt great so I just need to keep training smartly and take care of myself.

And then in November it was time to go for it at the OBX Marathon. Despite knowing it would take a miracle for me to run 3:35, I decided to go for it anyway. And as expected I crashed and burned making for a slow and miserable 2nd half to the race. It was a great weekend though sharing it with the Werners and my wonderful hosts, Mike and Lisa who graciously invited me to share their home for the weekend in Nags Head. The weekend before the OBX race was Raleigh's City of Oaks Marathon. I wasn't entered but had the pleasure of running the last 7 miles with Amy Surrette, the latest member of Ultraman Joeys Angels and Princess's.

The last race of the year was another very special one as I returned once a gain for the Derby 50k for the 6tht time. This would be my first ultra in exactly a year and to make it even better I would be running it with the Marathon Princess in her debut into the ultraworld. The race went even better than I could have imagined with Karla doing amazingly well. I felt better than I ever have running an ultra and my legs had no sign of pain. It was wonderful sharing the trip down with Mountain Girl and Ultra Angel and seeing many of my ultra buddies. And Margo, also running her debut ultra ran incredibly even splits for the race and was 2nd woman overall at age 49 !!

So 2009 will have to go down as a very special year spent loving doing the thing I enjoy most and being able once again to share many of the highlights with great friends. The training is going amazingly well, especially when you consider I just turned 54. We are still getting to the track every Tuesday and the times just keep improving and the zip is back in my legs. The long runs and weekly mileage are also going well and I look forward to 2010 to continue the success of the past year.

Derby 50K 2009

Welcome to the Darkside . We have cookies. Big Cookies.

Wow, what a perfect day for running. Clear blue skies, in the 30's to start and warming quickly into the 50's with just a little breeze. We couldn't have asked for a better day for Karla's first ultra. We had originally planned for her to run her first at the Frosty 50k in January but with the way the Boston qualifying situation has turned out she changed those plans and decided on Derby for her debut. This will work out better for me too. I hope to make another 50k PR attempt and I think I'll have a better shot at that in January than right now. Whichever one she chose I was going to run it with her and it couldn't have worked out any better.

We met in Cary at 5:30 with Mountain Girl Lisa and Ultra Angel Jenn for the ride down in Jenn's truck. Lisa and Jenn were going down to volunteer and support us. We made it to Derby about 7am giving us plenty of time to make final preparations and mingle with friends, some which I haven't seen since the Boogie.

Right on time at 8am Mark led us outside to the start line. It was a little cold but already it was obvious this would be a great day. We lined up with Mike Walsh and Lisa who was planning to run the first loop with us before beginning her volunteer duties. Mike asked if we were going to be walking the hills and I told him only we if we had too. Normally I would advise a first timer to walk the hills which is normal for all but the front runners in an ultra but I had told Karla we would just take it easy and if things went well I thought she should be able to run just about the whole race.

We did start off easy and it helped that just about all of the first mile is downhill. Mark Long, the RD had altered the course this year so we would hit the first set of hills just past one mile instead of 3 miles. We settled into an easy pace and the hills were soon behind us and we approached the first aid station where Jenn and Susan D were working. This one is located at the corner of Sycamore Lane and Karla was impressed with the beauty of this stretch of road. It is also my favorite section because there is a nice easy downhill for about a mile before turning onto the dirt road of Cedar Lane.

Soon we were coming into the 2nd aid station and the beginning of the new section on the back of the loop. Like the old route, it has an uphill climb of about a mile. It seemed to not be quite as steep but was also a steady climb without the flat parts that gave you a little break in the past. The first loop seemed to pass quickly and we were back at the lodge. After a quick pitstop we headed out again with Lisa still with us. We had averaged around 9:45-9:50 pace for that loop and Karla asked me if we would be able to hold a sub 10 pace the rest of the way. I said, I won't so no but I will say probably not.

Tony Rouse passed us while we were at the aid station but we caught up to him within a mile and he would stay with us for the next several miles. It was nice to spend some time with him. He and I have shared many hundreds of miles in these ultras over the years but not in over a year. Once again we moved easily over the hills and soon were back at Jenn and Susan's aid station and Tom Herbst was also there now. Lisa dropped here to begin her volunteer time so Tony , Karla and I headed off again after taking a short break to snap a couple of pictures.

When we passed the 17 mile mark Karla commented that it was hard to believe we had already gone that far. We were feeling great and making good time but I knew that a lot could go wrong quickly in one of these. We passed through the next aid station quickly and headed onto the new section for the second time. About halfway up the hill I had to stop and water the weeds so Karla and Tony ran on ahead. I didn't want to work too hard going uphill to catch them and Karla was running strong. She begin to pull away from Tony and it took me nearly 3/4 of a mile to catch back up to her. Tony would continue to drop behind but it was nice to run with him for awhile.

Although we were still moving strong we had fallen below that 10 minute mile pace now but both of us still felt great. After another short break we headed out again for loop three. Mike Walsh was just ahead of us and we caught up to him for a few miles of this last loop. Karla wondered if we would be able to run the hills the 3rd time but once again we cruised up and over them easily. Soon we were back at the aid station where Jenn and Lisa were waiting for us. In and out quickly and just a short time later we passed the marathon mark in about 4:30. Mike had already decided to take off again and was soon out of sight.

When we passed the 27 mile mark on the dirt road Karla commented that she had now crossed over to the darkside and I told her that yes, every step she took now was a pr. We counted down the miles and soon reached that last long hill. We were feeling the effects of the previous 29 miles but were still running strong. When we reached the final turn and a half mile to go , Jenn and Lisa had walked over to cheer us on and take some pictures. It was a joy to reach the finish line and celebrate Karla's first ultra. She did a great job, felt great, ran the whole way except for potty breaks and refueling at the aid stations and did it with a smile. I have also never felt better running an ultra.

We never saw Margo out on the course but Lisa and Jenn were keeping us posted on how she was doing out on the course. She had already finished and headed for home by the time we were done but Margo did awesome in her first ultra. 2nd woman overall and a fantastic time of 4:53 !!

On the way home I think Karla was already thinking about the next one. Welcome to the Darkside Marathon Princess !!!

Here are the photos I took.

Here are the results

Turkey Trots and Derby. Must be Thanksgiving

Seems my Thanksgiving Holidays are getting quite predictable. As always, there is the great time and food shared with my family but my day usually starts quite early when I could be sleeping in. I think it was 1999 when I ran the Ridgewood Turkey Trot and that was the last time I have run in it but I have been a volunteer every year since. At first I helped with registration and finish line and as a course monitor but the past three years I've been working the water stop. The race has grown quite a bit the past few years and reached about 3,000 runners this year making it a hectic time handing out the cups but it was still a lot of fun. I enjoy seeing so many friends out on the course and this year Karla helped out too. After the race I went out for a nice easy 5 mile run on the Greenway from Meredith College to the Art Museum and back.

And then the real fun is going back to the Derby 50k for the 7th year in a row. The first year I went down and volunteered and then ran one 10.5 mile loop with the Finkles. I have run the race the past 5 years earning my Veterans vest last year.

This year will be a very special one for me. For one thing it will be my 1st ultra since running it last year. I was just happy to be able to finish it and feel good while not doing any more damage to my injured muscles. After that race I took off 5 weeks from all running and biking so I could finally finish the healing process and now I am looking forward to easing my way back into the ultra world.

And this year is really going to be special because I will be running it with the Marathon Princess as she attempts her first ultra. Although she has run 15 or more marathons, 10 in which I ran with her, she has never entered an ultra before. As you know from reading my blog over the years, she is in great shape now and is excited to be crossing over to the Darkside. I also expect my friend the Boston Queen, Margherita to make her first ultra attempt if family obligations don't keep her away. If she runs I know she will do great. Maureen gave her the Boston Queen nickname because she easily qualifies for Boston just about every time she runs a marathon on her quest to complete 50 States and DC. Stay tuned. Report and pictures coming soon !

Happy Thanksgiving

Boston 2010 is already Full?!?! Oh well.

I was really surprised when I heard Boston was already full in record time. When I ran in 2006 I was able to qualify and get in in Mid February. Last year it filled up by mid January. But Mid November !?!?! I wonder if there are actually that many more people that have qualified or that more of the charity organizations are filling up slots? Well it's no big thing. I had pretty much figured out it would be 2011 before we would be going anyway.

And there are a couple of good things about this now. First, there is less pressure to have to perform by MB. We will be able to put in a good training program for the Spring and if we don't succeed (but we will !! ) then there will be plenty of other chances. It also lets me have the luxury of going ahead and making some plans for next year that I was having to put on hold.

So now the plan is to go ahead and run Derby 50K this month and not worry if my recovery is a problem. Karla , Lisa and I will all run the half at Myrtle Beach and then make our first attempt at the new Tobacco Road Marathon in March. I'll have more on the schedule later when I do my annual year wrap-up and plans for the New year.

OBX Marathon 2009. Reality Check

Boston or Bust ? Well, I'm afraid it was bust this time around but that didn't stop it from being a great weekend. After working Friday morning, I made the 3 hour drive down to Kill Devil Hills. I decided to go straight to the race expo and pick up my packet. That turned out to be a good idea because soon after I arrived I found Lisa Howell. I would be staying with her and her husband Mike for the weekend so making arrangements for dinner would be easy now. Belinda Brown , one of her friends and former training partners that now lives in Richmond was also there and after a call Frank and Karla met us with us. After a nice dinner we headed to the house and were soon off to bed.

Saturday morning we were up early to go and support Lisa who would be running the 8k. The race started and finished at the local schools and toured through Nags Head Woods before returning to finish on the track. I had a chance to visit with James and Rebecca Moore from the Virgina Happy Trails Running Club who were also watching the race and would be running on Sunday. Lisa did great after just coming off an injury that forced her to withdraw from the marathon, finishing in 1st place in her age-group. We hung around for the awards and then off to a delicious breakfast followed by a nice afternoon of lounging around the Howell residence.

Mid-afternoon I headed out for an easy run and was joined by Belinda. We did a slow easy pace for 3.5 miles along a portion of the course since the house is just a block away and near the 6 mile mark. It was a gorgeous day and we were all hoping that Sunday would be the same.

Sunday morning turned out to be a bit warmer and was already about 6oF as we headed to the start. I was unable to go through my normal warm-up routine due to a long wait in the potty line and was disappointed not to be able to give Karla our normal pre-race pep talk. I found a spot close to the front of the 3rd wave and then all too soon the race began.

I was hoping not to go out too fast hoping for around 8:45 the first mile. Overall I needed to average 8:11 and I like to start a little slow and gradually pick things up. I felt great and the pace seemed ok but I hit the first mile in 8:15. Not really too fast so I didn't think too much about it. Just settle in and hope to be on pace at mile two. That one was 8 minutes flat, I was feeling good and easing off on the effort just a little I was ready now to put it on cruise for the next 24 miles. Miles 3 and 4 were perfect and although I could tell I was running harder than normal I felt good so I stuck to the plan.

Just past mile 4 the course turns off of a bike path and up a short but steep little hill so I backed off the effort not wanting to go into oxygen debt this early in the race. Quickly over the top and then relaxed down the other side and back onto the flat. Whoops, mile 5 was 8:27. I relaxed just a little too much. I picked it back up and as I neared the 6 mile point I saw Mike and Lisa watching for us. A quick greeting and I was gone concentrating on the task at hand. I hit mile 6 in 7:57, so I was happy to be able to easily get back on track but already I was thinking that I would not be holding this pace for another 20 miles.

But I wasn't ready to give up just yet. Things can change quickly and I know from past experience that sometimes you can start to feel better after the first hour. the next few miles are nearly perfectly flat and I was back no pace knocking off the miles like clockwork. Then as I neared Nags Head Woods and the 10 mile mark it was now obvious I was working too hard for this pace to be able to continue and when I hit the 10 mile mark and saw I was already 30 seconds behind qualifying pace I immediately shut it down. That mile was 8:21 and I knew there was no way I was going to be picking up the pace today. I hoped that by shutting down early I could avoid a total meltdown.

Now the plan was to just run as comfortably as I could to the finish and hope for decent time. If things went well I could still run close to 3:45, which is the timee I should have realistically been try9ing to run in the first place. I decided to take it real easy running the small hills through the woods and then picked it back up a little once I got back on the road. That's what I did for the next 3 miles and after crossing the halfway point I picked it back up to 9 minute pace. Soon I was passed by two young guys and they were saying that they were still on 3:45 pace which sounded good to me.

A part of me just wanted to start walking and wait for Karla to catch me and then run with her but as much as I would have enjoyed that, I felt I need to at least try to continue and maybe I could at least run my 2nd fastest marathon. Well by mile 15 I couldn't hold 9 minute pace and with each mile I got slower and just before mile 18 the axle broke and the wheels began coming off. I gave in and walked just before that mile marker and the survival shuffle set in.

As I left the mile 19 aid station I did some calculations and figured that Karla should reach 20 miles in about the same time I was going to get there if she was still on pace for her qualifying time. So I began walking backwards periodically looking back for her. At mile 20 I still couldn't see her but maybe if she caught me before 21 there was still a chance she could do it. But after a very slow mile, in 12 minutes, still no Karla. By now I was really shuffling along and finally as I neared the bridge about the 22.5 mile mark I saw her coming up behind. She still looked ok and was moving at a decent pace but now there was no way I was going to be able to stay with her. I ran with her about 30 seconds and then told her I'd see her at the finish.

The last few miles got really ugly. I noticed that I have actually averaged a faster pace in three of my 100 mile races than I did for the last 5 miles of this race. Lisa was waiting for me at mile 26 to run the last little bit and I was so happy to reach the finish line.

My time of 4:28:13 was disappointing but I was really expecting that outcome since I was not in shape to run 3:35 anyway. Karla missed her time by 8 minutes finishing in 4:13 but it was the fastest marathon she has run since being diagnosed with cancer in 2006 so that is a very positive thing. Now we just have to recover and get back on track with the training and hopefully if things go well we will be ready to give it another shot in February at Myrtle Beach and hope Boston isn't filled by then.

Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Boston or Bust? Heading to the OBX Marathon

After the way things turned out for Boston in 2006, Karla and I agreed that someday after her recovery we would return and race Boston, not just finish it. I don't recall the exact moment but sometime last year we decided it was time to get serious and start back training for it. Of course first I had to get over the nagging injuries of last year and I did have an Ironman I was committed to training for this past June. But you have to start somewhere so after taking off all of last December to let my legs finally heal we started meeting on Saturday mornings to build up to the long runs that we knew would be neccesary.

Once I completed the Ironman in June then we could really get serious and I could devote more energy to running and less on the swimming and biking. A couple of weeks after CDA, we began making weekly trips on Tuesday to the track to began trying to find some long lost leg speed. I also began running more days per week, getting up early before work some days to get in those extra runs. I also would do some tempo runs or repeats on Thursday. About this time Lisa Howell began to join us on our long runs. She is in the same age-group and had the same goal of running a Boston Qualifier at OBX. It is nice to have her along and on the days I had to miss the Saturday runs she and Karla could still get in a long one together.

Things have been going well. I am feeling better and running faster than I have in a couple of years. Karla is completely recovered from the cancer and is stronger than ever setting a 5k pr and just missing one in the half-marathon. Unfortunately Lisa had a hip injury and although she is back running again she had to drop out of the marathon this weekend. She will be running the 8k though and she and husband Mike are hosting me for the weekend in Nags Head.

To be honest, it will take a small miracle for me to run the 3:35 I need. All the indicators of recent races and workouts point to a more realistic chance at running 3:40-3:45 but hey, no guts no glory right? So I'm going to line up with the plan to give it my best shot. Most likely I will end up in a world of hurt but you never know. It could happen. Really it could.

I think Karla is in great shape and will run a great race and qualify easily and if not for the injury Lisa would have been there too. But whatever the outcome we'll have a wonderful weekend. Look for a report soon.