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DSC_0103, a photo by Triple F on Flickr.

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DSC_0104, a photo by Triple F on Flickr.

Medoc Trail Marathon Preview

Looking forward to running this race for the first time. As you may know if you follow the blog, I have trained on the the trails at Medoc many times in the past. I don't find my way up there too often any more but beginning back in the late 80's it was a frequent stop for training runs on the way home from the Roanoke Rapids area.

I finally made it to the Medoc Meltdown this summer and now I am an entrant in the marathon race. When I originally signed up for it my plan was to use it as a long training run for Mountain Masochist. The timing was perfect with it being three weeks after Hinson lake and three weeks before MMTR. However , with my shortened run at Hinson I have recovered very quickly and have gotten in some solid training the past two weeks. Everything seems to be going well, I'm feeling good and with a forecast for great weather I have decided to give it my best effort and race the thing. That of course depends on how my legs feel after the first couple of miles which I plan to start at an easy pace.

Here is the race website.

Hinson Lake 24 hour 2011 Preview

Getting excited and looking forward to returning to this wonderful event courtesy of Tom Gabell and family. This will be my 3rd attempt at running a 24 hour event, all here at Hinson Lake which is located in Rockingham NC.

here is the race website.



My first year I was able to go for 103.36 miles and my goal is to exceed that amount with a target of 106. Hopefully I can use what i learned from that experience and other events since then to pace myself a little better in the earlier miles and keep up better with the fluids and nutrition. I hope that if I can run that far it will place me in the top 10 overall. In 2006 there were about 69 runners and I finished 8th. this year there are 277 entrants and at least 20 have run over 100 in a 24 hour event and several others I know that have gone under 24 hours in 100 mile races so that may be a hard challenge for me.

here is the report from 2006.



I returned in 2007 but was not having a good day and quit after 69 miles in just under 16 hours. Here is that short report.

some pictures.

Iron Mountain 50, errr, 32 Miler

It's a lot more fun to write reports for races that go well but just because things didn't go like I had hoped doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it.

I made the drive out to Damascus early Friday afternoon, alone on this trip. I took the scenic route enjoying driving over roads that I haven't been on in probably 15 years. I used to make frequent trips through the area in the late 80's into the early 90's with an old job but haven't been this way since then. I found my way to the town gazebo for packet pick-up and talked to Kevin and Anne for awhile before heading to Abingdon for the night.

I was not too happy with the forecast for the race this year. I never perform well in heat, even with a whole summer to acclimate and it was already near 70f and the high was heading to about 90F and humid. Yuck ! This was going to be tough enough without having to deal with that. I lined up with the camera going just a few seconds before the start and then Kevin yelled go and off we ran across the grassy field and onto the old railroad bridge of the Virginia Creeper trail. As soon as I crossed the bridge I stopped to let most of the faster runners go by. This was going to be a long hard day and I didn't won't to get sucked into starting too fast mixed in with the 16 milers.

After about 1.5 miles I caught up with one of my good friends in the sport, Anita Finkle. We would run together for the next several miles on the flat Creeper, enjoying the scenery and catching up on things. By two miles I was already drenched from the humidity and we could all tell it was going to be a sticky , hot day.

After 5 miles we hit the first aid station, then crossed over the road and onto the first single track section. This was a really nice trail, some rocks and roots but overall in good shape as we climbed steadily up the mountain. I said later to Anita and picked up the pace a bit, feeling good and climbing strong. The climb continued for a couple of miles with a nearly level section every now and then so I could do some running. Near the summit the sun was rising over the mountain and it was a beautiful morning. The only bad thing was with the heavy foliage there were no real views to admire so I focused on the trail. It was nice to get in some nice running on the ridge line with gentle ups and downs. Pretty rocky in places but a really sweet section of trail.

The runners had already was spread out quite a bit but there was a small group of us close together. A couple of young ladies in the 16 miler and one in the 30 had been a bit stronger than me on the climbs but I would catch up on the flats and downs but now as the trail turned down toward the aid station on some really sweet , tight single track winding gently downhill we had come together. This continued for about a mile but I finally had to go around as I was running much too slow now when I needed to be making some time. It was hard to pass in this narrow section and the fast 16 milers were coming back already but I finally got a chance to pass and moved quickly ahead. Another mile later and I was into the aid station, FSR 90. Good to see Tammy Gray helping out there. I took over 1.5 hours to get there.

I was really surprised at how long that section took considering some good running over a portion of it. At that rate it was going to be hard to chase the cut-offs all day. I didn't waste anytime and headed out on another bit of climb. The rest of the day would be pretty lonely out there. I passed the one lady that was in the group earlier that was in the 30 miler and then I would not see anyone else for quite a while. The next section was a lot of up and down with some single track and some rally washed out rutted double-track. After a couple of miles I was caught by a guy named Killian with a thick Irish accent and we ran and talked for a mile or so before he pulled ahead. It was really getting warm out there now and I was sweating profusely and trying to drink as much as I could.

This section took about 1.5 hours too and I was thinking I should have carried two bottles for this race, especially on a hot humid day like today. 1.5 hours is just too long for me with just 20 oz. and I think that was the main reason that would lead to my eventual dnf. Anne was working this aid station so I talked to her while getting my bottle refilled and I drank some extra while I was there before heading out again.

The next section started with a climb of course, up a gravel road. After awhile it turned into more of a jeep road and eventually a double track. grassy, weedy undulating trail that reminded me of some of the Promise Land course. It was feeling powerful warm by now and I welcomed every little hint of a breeze but there wasn't too much of that. There had been someone behind me for a long time and a young man finally caught up as we reached a summit. I stopped to drink and let him pass but he stopped too looking just as tired as me and so after a drink I began running down and never saw him again.

I finally made my way into the Hurricane Gap aid station and grabbed some food and some coke and plopped down in a chair for a short breather because by now I was feeling the effects of the weather. I didn't feel bad but I sure didn't feel good either. That section had taken around another 1.5 hours and although I didn't know what the cut-off was I knew I was not very far ahead of that pace. They told me it was 7 miles to the next aid station which would be water only and then 3 miles back to this location so I put a little extra food in a baggie in my pocket and headed out.

The next section started out on a smooth gravel road, mostly a gradual downhill with just a little climbing so I was able to run at a decent pace. After a mile or so we made a turn onto the Barton Gap trail. It was another really nice section of single-track with gentle ups and downs which continued for a 2 miles before dumping me back onto another gravel road. This was predominately downhill and I was happy with that thinking I could make up some time. I caught up to Killian but only because he had slowed thinking maybe he missed a turn but when I assured him we hadn't he ran ahead again.

As I was walking up a short hill I saw four young teenage boys sitting by the ditch, a couple of them had guns . I spoke to them and one asked me if I had seen any squirrels. I told them no, that the squirrels were probably smarter than me and hiding in a cool spot somewhere.

Once the road turned downhill again I began to run and was moving along at a nice pace and actually caught up to and passed a guy. By now I was out of water and really looking forward to getting to the next water stop and getting out of the sun on this road. I caught up to Killian again and by the time on my watch that we had run since hurricane Gap I told him we should be seeing it soon.

And then finally after more than another 1.5 hours it came into view and I was so happy to see that it was not just a water stop but a full service aid station. Even better than that it was being serviced by a beautiful bee and a lovely fairy/butterfly? No it was not a mirage but Jennifer Nichols and Beth Minnick. Robin Grossman was there too and she took the photo of me resting on what seemed to be a very popular rock for weary runners. I really thought I had stumbled into trail heaven when Beth offered me a popsicle. Oh yeah, that hit the spot.

I was hot and tired but had been running well although the last mile I was beginning to drag before coming upon this oasis. With 3 miles to go back to Hurricane Gap I was confident that I had plenty of time to make the cut-off and would finish this thing. I talked a little to a nice young man named John that was sitting on the next rock. He seemed to be having a tough day in his first 50 miler but was training for a 100 miler in a few weeks. This one would certainly toughen him up for that.

Popsicle done and it was time to move on up the Rowlands Falls trail. It started of innocently enough but quickly began to climb and I was surprised at how hard it felt going up. I had been running so well most of the last section but the downhill pounding and dehydration had caught up to me. I was gasping as the trail turned steeper and after about a mile or so I had to find a rock and sit down to let my heart rate go down. This was really the best section of trail on the course that I had seen but it was hard to enjoy it right now. Very gnarly single track , narrow and twisting with steep drop-offs in some places. Very rocky at times and we had to cross the creek probably a dozen times. The water was low so I didn't have to get the feet wet too much but they were already soaked with my sweat anyway.

Anyway, I was feeling like crap and moving at a turtle pace, watching my time cushion tick away. I couldn't believe this was happening to me. I really did want to finish this thing but unless the aid station miraculously appeared in the next few minutes I knew I would miss the cut-off. I passed by the falls and would have loved to get closer to take some pictures but I didn't have the energy to make the short climb down to them and I couldn't afford the time. Shortly after that the trail turned to double track and much easier to negotiate but still a steady climb and I was toast.

Eventually I emerged into the clearing at the top, well past the new cut-off that Kevin had just updated this week but 4 minutes under the old cut-off. Even with this 4 minutes, in the condition I was in I would never had made it to the next one and I really had no desire to punish myself by trying. John was just ahead of me and he dropped out too so I was able to hitch a ride to the finish with him and his crew, the wife of his best friend that was also in the race. It felt sooo good to get into the A/C and relax in the ride back to Damascus.

One I made it back I enjoyed the next several hours sitting in the shade eating hot dogs and cheeseburgers while hanging out with the Finkles. Also enjoyed talking to Melinda while we waited for Mike to finish. It had been a rough day out there with Mike and several of my friends finishing but way slower than usual and a lot of dnf's by some good runners. Amazingly even under these conditions, race founder Eric Grossman set a new course record !

Thanks to Kevin, Anne and all the volunteers for putting on a wonderful low key event with first class aid and post race picnic including ice cream !

here are the pictures I took

Onto the next one.

Iron Mountain Endurance Run- part 3

Iron Mountain Endurance Run-part 2

Iron Mountain Endurance run- part 1

Preparing for The Iron Mountain Trail Run-50 mile

During the late 80's and early 90's I had to make frequent trips into Western Virginia for work and one of my favorite places to visit while I was out there was Damascus VA. At the time I had never heard of the Virginia Creeper or the Iron Mountain Trail but I was very happy to find them as well as the Appalachian trail which I already knew about.

I did some running on all three trails and really love the area so when I heard Eric Grossman was starting a 50 miler there a few years ago I was excited and hoping to run it sometime when I could squeeze it into my schedule. Well, sometime has come as I will be heading out there this Friday afternoon for the race on Saturday. Eric moved but some others wanted the race to continue so Kevin Townsend stepped up to be the new race director.I met Kevin at Holliday Lake several years ago and many other of Horton's races since then so it will be nice to see him and run his race.

It will be a tough one,with about 8,000ft of climbing over a mix of single track and jeep roads. It also has a 12 hour cut-off making it even more difficult for getting an official finish. Even Horton has said it is harder than MMTR. We shall see. I know that one thing that will make it harder for me is the warmer weather. The high is going to be in the mid 80's and will probably be humid. MMTR is usually cold with really nice mid day temps.

Unfortunately none of the Angels or Princesses will be making this trip but I will have several friends there that will be running. My goal is really just to finish and have fun. There will be no online updates. This is a low key event with aid at a bargain price, much like the MTC events.

Here is the race website. Check out the race video. I will have some pics and a report for you soon afterwards.
Stay tuned

August training update

Recovery from Tahoe Rim has been a little slower than I had hoped for but I finally feel like I can began to train normally again. I had taken off 4 days from running and then slowly worked my way back into it. By the end of the 2nd week I thought I was ok but after one or two good runs I would have a bad day. Attempts at moderate distance longer runs (12-13) the past two Saturdays were failures. I quit at 10 and felt wasted the first time and this past weekend was worse , quitting at just 8.2.

It has now been four weeks and it seems that this is about the way it was after Leadville in 2006 so I guess it is normal for me after running one of these tough mountain 100's at altitude. My recovery after my other 100's has been a lot quicker. After OD in 2006 I ran the Boogie 50 just two weeks later and even after my first one at Umstead I did the tough Promise Land 50K++ just three weeks later.

The good thing is that I had and have had no pain or injury issues. Just the normal soreness for the first week and the blistered areas were fine within a few days.

So I rested again on Sunday and then went out for an easy 6 on Monday. Nothing great but I got through it feeling ok. Today was the real test. I went back out to Umstead to once again attempt a 12.5 miler this afternoon. Success ! I felt good the whole run and after I was done I felt like I could have easily kept going. The lower humidity helped I'm sure.

Now I think I can finally resume my training. I have several more ultra's on the schedule for the year and I plan to do as well as I can in each of them with at least some specific training geared to each one but the main focus is to build toward a PR attempt at the Umstead 100 next March.

A few more thoughts on the Tahoe Rim

The slogan for the race is " A Glimpse of Heaven, A Taste of Hell" and you will find it inscribed on the finisher's belt buckle. For me the race turned out to be a lot more than a glimpse of heaven and the only taste of hell if I could call it that would be the climb up the ski slope. Even that offered a heavenly view every time I took a look back.

It seems odd to me that although this was definitely one of the toughest things I've ever done, I can truly say I have never felt better from start to finish than I did in this race. As I chronicled in the long winded race report, I did encounter a few challenges along the way. Falling down is never a good thing but in both cases I escaped with minor damage and was able to continue with no problems resulting from them. I did have a few blisters and a couple of them were very painful but the pain faded quickly and the worst one at least waited until just two miles to go.

I am still amazed at how good I felt throughout the race. Not once did I ever regret being out there or have to fight off the urge to quit. There was never any doubt I was going to continue. Usually at least for a while I reach a point where all I can think is how stupid it is to run 100 miles and if I ever do finish I'll never do another one. There were no "oh God I'm tired, this sucks" moments. My energy level was good and my stomach was completely happy the entire race. I could eat or drink as much as I wanted at anytime with out worrying about nausea or lack of desire. Although I could feel the altitude up above 8,000 ft it didn't affect me other than cause me to slow down more than I normally would at sea level.

I had averaged a little more mileage leading up to the race but not a lot more than in 2006 and 2007 when I did most of my other 100's and I had not done nearly as many ultra or marathons in the past couple of years so I don't know how any of that explains it. The weather was certainly perfect for me at least. It was just the type that I perform my best in so I know that it not only helped me physically but mentally. And speaking of mental I think that my race preparation, attitude and strategy going into to it were the biggest factors in my success.

It was so nice to have Jenn and Karla and Frank along for part of the trip. It's especially nice to know I have two of my special Angels and Princess Team there to wait for me to finish. We sure have put in many miles on the trails and roads together over the past several years and they are such a Blessing to my life. They each have their story to tell of this amazing weekend experience. Despite some problems with the altitude early on , Jenn was able to complete 50 miles before making the wise decision to drop. The next day she didn't look like she had just run 16 of the hardest hours of her life and was moving along so well.

Karla had completed the 50k, certainly her hardest race to date on much less than ideal preparation and was looking fresh as well. I am so proud of both of them.

This is a fantastic event. The directors and their staff of volunteers do an outstanding job facilitating the race for our enjoyment. I can recommend this to anyone looking for a great race and a gorgeous course. But if you do decide to give it a try, you need to make sure you bring your "A" game. This is a tough one and it wouldn't have taken too much to go wrong and my great race could have been a dnf.

Frank was able to get some pictures of Karla at the start and finish and then came back and got a few of me at my finish. Karla also ran with a camera and took some nice shots along the way. I have added several from them both to my album so if you desire , here is the link again with the added photos .

Tahoe Rim Endurance Run 100 miler-Part 3

tahoe rim endurance run 100 mile, part 2

tahoe rim endurance run 100 mile, part 1

Tahoe Rim Endurance Run 100-Part 2. The last 50 miles

Halfway to Hobart- Miles 50-56

I took nearly a 20 minute break to take care of business, change my socks and eat some food so when I started to head back out my legs had stiffened up quite a bit. I was not happy to see that the skin on my left forefoot had peeled off, probably from some damage at the Boogie 50 miler last month. I could only hope that the tender new skin would hold up for the next 50 miles. I was looking at a cold night ahead with the forecast for the low to mid 30's so I put on a short sleeve shirt over my long sleeve to give me some extra protection. I had my vest stashed at Tunnel Creek but thought I could get there before it got too cold. The sun was setting as I began my journey into the evening and I began walking to get the legs to loosen up and then started running toward the Marlette Lake trailhead for the second time.

I was warming quickly once I began running so I took the extra shirt off and tucked it in my waistband. It didn't take long for it become dark enough for my light so I settled in for a long lonely night on the trail. The only sounds were my own breathing, the wind in the trees and occasionally the sound of rushing water in the small trail side creeks. Life was good. Just ahead on the trail I caught a deer in my flashlight beam and after standing his ground for a moment he moved off the trail.

The long climb passed without further interruption and soon enough I was dropping back down to Marlette Lake. I was surprised to see someone in a pickup truck that worked for what I think is a small fish hatchery on the banks of the lake, the only person I had seen since leaving Spooner Lake. From there the time passed quickly as I resumed climbing and soon I was back into Hobart. It was cold and windy again up here at 8,000 ft so I went inside their tent to warm up for a few minutes and get some chicken broth.

Hobart to Tunnel Creek- Miles 56-61

The extra shirt went on and I headed back out into the cold wind to continue the climb up Marlette Peak. I was shivering in the strong wind as I reached the top and was looking forward to getting back into the trees, but the view of the moon over Lake Tahoe was incredible. I was not looking forward to getting back into the snow and trying to navigate in the dark. The next few miles would be very tricky and I found myself losing the trail several times but I was very cautious to not wonder far and each time I was able to find my way back on track. I was very happy to find that some volunteers had cut some steps into the biggest snow drift that I'd had to butt slide down earlier.

It helped that another runner was around and we helped each other to find trail markers through this section. My little light was malfunctioning and he was kind enough to loan me one until I could get to Tunnel Creek where I had my main light in my drop bag. He and I would leapfrog for the next 10 miles or so. Once we cleared the snow and started the descent I was moving faster on the downhill and moved on ahead. Once I reached the aid station I picked up my main light and handed his back to him as he came in just as I was about to leave. I decided not to get my vest just yet because I expected it to be warmer and less windy back down in the Red house Loop.

Tunnel Creek to Tunnel Creek - Miles 61-67

Running down the steep quad buster was really not fun this time around. My quads were already so sore, the first time I think I've felt like I had DOMS in the middle of a race. This forced me to be much slower than I wanted to be because other than the painful legs I was still feeling pretty good overall. When I reached the first water crossing I was beginning to wish I had put on the vest after all. It was cold down here and there were some windy sections and the freezing cold water made it worse. Unlike during the day, the cold water made my feet numb and hurt like soaking in an ice bucket chilling me to my core. Fortunately I warmed up again once I got moving again.

I had to smile as I came back in sight of the Red House aid station. They had a generator going and had strung Christmas lights in a tree and several other decorations. They had also placed some Halloween decorations around to cheer up the runners. All but one of the volunteers were asleep so I quietly took what I needed and headed back out into the darkness.

I hadn't gone far when suddenly without warning I had a big blister form on my left big toe. The pain was intense and I couldn't believe this had happened to me. I rarely get those type of blisters and I really didn't want to deal with this kind of pain for another 35 miles. I was going to have to have it tended to and I hated to have to waste anytime. I hobbled along and amazingly the pain quickly subsided and I was able to return to my normal stride after just 10 minutes or so of intense burning pain.

I reached the steep climb back out of the loop and my flashlight friend caught back up to me so we climbed up together. I had to weigh in again at Tunnel Creek and I was back to my pre-race weight again which impressed the doctor. I grabbed my vest out of the drop bag and took off without bothering with the blister since it was now just a dull aggravation.

Tunnel Creek to Bull Wheel- Miles 67-70

With the Red House loop behind me now I was looking forward to the next 10 miles. I would be alone for almost of of this time and was enjoying being alone with my thoughts on this cold , dark evening. A recurring topic of my thoughts were that Karla was able to safely finish her 50k and hoping that Jenn was somewhere not too far behind me on her way to a buckle finish.

The trail climbed again for nearly all the 3 miles to the Bull Wheel and was almost all above 8,000ft. The wind was very strong and it was very cold but I was loving it. As long as I was moving everything was fine. As the trail crossed over to the East facing side of the ridge line I could see the lights of Carson City to the Southeast and way off to the Northeast Reno was glittering, both cities about 3,000ft below me.

This section seemed to pass quickly and after another trip through the boulder garden I was back onto the Bull Wheel. The wind was really howling over the ridge here and all the volunteers were sleeping in their tents now at about 4:30 am. I quickly refilled my bottle and moved on to get out of the cold wind.

Bull Wheel to Diamond Peak Lodge- Miles 70-80

I enjoy running in the night and the full moon was spectacular but by now I was ready to have some natural light to run by. The next several miles were mostly a steady climb to the 2nd highest point on the course around 8,800 ft so progress was slow. The good thing was that I was still feeling very good overall. After a few miles I began catching up to and passing a few people, Dawn was just beginning to break when a woman ahead shouted back and asked if we had seen any markers. She was concerned that she had missed the sharp left turn to head down the mountain. I remembered the turn was very well marked and had a big sign and I knew I hadn't missed it so I kept moving confidently ahead while she continued running back down the trail. Soon enough a man ahead said he spotted a marker and within another 1/4 mile I came upon the turn.

It had now become light enough to turn off my flashlight and I was eager to begin running this sweet section of trail again. Despite having a good energy level for running, my quads hurt so bad with every step that I had to take many more walk breaks than I would have liked to give them some relief. Once again the early morning views of the lake down below were spectacular. The moon was still above the lake and the sun behind me was just casting a golden haze onto the distant snow covered peaks on the California side.

I was getting hungry and I was hoping that the aid station would have some type of breakfast food as I made my way down through the parking lot and onto the deck of the Lodge. While being weighed once again and still at my pre-race weight, a volunteer ask me if I would like a pancake. Yeeeeesssss ! Oh happy happy joy joy, exactly what I wanted. I scarfed it down and begin to prepare myself for the 2nd trip up that awful ski slope.

Diamond Peak Lodge to Bull Wheel- Miles 80-82

I was really not looking forward to this climb again but I felt if I could get over it without losing too much time and using up too much energy that I would have no problem finishing under the cut-off. I began slow and steady and was surprised at how relaxed I was climbing in the early portion. As I began to climb higher I was looking back down toward the aid station and hoping so much to see Jenn come into view. I was also wondering if Jim would catch up to me again on this climb. He was doing so well the first half and I was hoping that he would continue to have a good race and claim his buckle too but as I climbed higher I never saw either of them.

Just as I began the steeper section I was surprised to see Rob Apple coming down the mountain. I thought he was in the race but he didn't start and was just out on the course. I spoke to him briefly and he was very encouraging as always and then I trudged on. For a while I actually thought I might climb faster this second time but as I neared the top it was getting to me again and my progress slowed considerably. Several people were passing me and by the time I made it to the top I was beginning to think I may be in last place.( I think I was told at one point I was 3rd from last that were still in the race)

I was so happy to finally reach the top and make the short run back down to the Bull Wheel. They were packing things up after a long cold night and morning so I thanked them and hurried on my way.

Bull Wheel to Tunnel Creek- Miles 82-85

I had recovered quickly from the climb, I was feeling great and looking forward to this nice predominantly downhill section back down to Tunnel Creek. The morning was gorgeous and warming up nicely. I felt confident now that as long as I didn't do anything stupid that I was going to finish this things in good shape. I was moving along well and passed a couple of folks that had moved by me on the ski slope and in no time I was heading back into the aid station for the 6th and final time.

Every time I had come through here I was happy and smiling, even when I had my hand bandaged and when I climbed on the scale for the last time and weighed in exactly at my pre-race weight once again the doctor just said I love you man. You are awesome. I thanked everyone one final time, emptied all the stuff from my pockets and dropped off the extra shirt and vest. Traveling light the rest of the way.

Tunnel Creek to Hobart- Miles 85-90

Heading out I had some easy running for about 1/2 miles before some steady climbing back up Marlette Peak. It was really starting to get warm now and I was very thirsty for the rest of the race in the dry high altitude. It was during this next section that I began to have some really cool hallucinations. I knew what was going on and have had the same thing before so I was just going to enjoy them. The only other 100 that I had this experience was at Massanutten and they started there at about the same time in the morning of the second day. As each one would occur I knew they weren't real. Well one of them had me fooled. I was convinced that the guy sitting in the Gator 4 wheeler was real but he too turned out to just be a debris pile.

I finally got most of the climbing behind me after being harassed by a Stellar's Jay for a couple of hundred yards and was soon back in the snow fields. I was just being careful but also noticing if I looked higher up to the ridge just how much snow there was still up there. Sure glad we didn't have to try to climb up there. Once I was out of the woods and back over the treeline I was enjoying soaking in the views once again and since I had been over all this part several times now I could really look around and figure out where I had been and where I was going over a lot of the course. I could actually see the bull wheel off in the distance now, 8 miles away by the trail.

A little dip back down into Hobart, feeling great and looking forward to just one more climb as I once again refilled and fueled quickly one more time.

Hobart to Snow Valley Peak- Miles 90-93

As I ran out of the aid station I was feeling a lot of excitement. Everything was going great, I felt as good as one expect after 90 tough miles and it was a beautiful day. It just doesn't get much better than this. Just one more long but not too steep of a climb back to the high point of the race and then I could cruise it on down to the finish.
I was careful not to poke myself climbing over the twin dead trees blocking the trail this time and continued on my way passing a few more people now. Funny but I don't think I saw a soul between Tunnel Creek and Hobart.

As I climbed back out above the treeline towards the summit I began to look back down the mountain still holding out hope that I would see Jenn come into view. I wanted her to finish almost as much as I wanted it for myself and it would have been so cool to run this last portion together but she was nowhere in sight.

Over the last snow drift and into the aid station I was now a man on a mission. I refilled quickly and was out of the aid station in less than a minute, even turning down the offer of some sorbet that they are famous for.

Snow Valley Peak to Finish- Miles 93 to 100

Alright ! No more climbing and some sweet downhill single track running down the mountain to claim my buckle. And it was looking like my finish time was going to be a lot better than I had figured 20 miles earlier as I climb the ski slope.
I began running carefully down the narrow rocky section along the side slope of the mountain when suddenly my race nearly came to an end barely half a mile from the aid station. I was having a hard time lifting my tired legs over some of the larger rocks when I felt my foot snag on a rock and I knew I was going down. Normally I know how to fall to avoid injury but as I was going down I knew I was going to land on a big rock so I tried to land on all fours. I was successful but the force of the fall caused me to slam the side of my face into the rock.

Which brings us back to the beginning of this long winded report. Fortunately what could have bee a disaster turned out to just be a deep bruise so I put my glasses back on straight and stood up slowly assessing the damage. Once I was sure everything was ok and I was steady on my feet I began moving again. I decided to walk the rest of this rocky section but as soon as the trail smoothed out I was off and running well once again. The next several miles are just some awesome trail gently moving down nearly 2,000 ft over the next 5 miles.

I was almost giddy with excitement as I tried to push the pace a bit. A guy caught up to me and was pacing off of me and we had planned to continue that way when out of no where with just over 2 miles to go I had another blister bomb go off, this time on the left forefoot. How does this happen !! No warning that a blister is coming on, just wham OUCH !!!!!!. The pain was so bad I couldn't walk normally. This was ridiculous ! I really didn't want to have to hobble the last two miles especially considering how good I was feeling.

I tried running slowly on the side of the foot for awhile and then finally the pain eased off enough that I could resume running normally if not comfortably. I came into Spooner Summit and was happy to see they had a cold water cooler there because I was really dry and hot now but there was only 1.7 miles of flat running to go. As I approached the lake I could see and hear the finish line on the opposite shore and I tried to savor the moment. Over 4 years since my last 100 mile finish. I felt that now with probably my hardest one yet, I was officially back to being Ultraman.

Half a lap around the lake and then the trail went back into the woods for a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifshort distance before once again heading to the shoreline and 100yds to go. I could see Frank taking pictures and there was the Lovely Marathon Princess cheering for me. And somewhat sadly Jenn the Beautiful Ultra Angel was waiting there for me. I would much rather have seen her come in behind me soon but it was just not to be.

I ran across the line and was greeted by some nice hugs from the ladies and a hearty handshake from Frank. I found a chair and sank down into to it wondering immediately how I was able to just run 100 miles and now I'd be lucky to walk far enough to get something to eat. The ladies took good care of me as we moved over to the medical tent. I wanted to get a clean bandage on my hand and sit in the shade for a few minutes and get my shoes off. Ahhhhh, it just doesn't get any better than this !

Here is a link to the photos I took along the way

Tahoe Rim Endurance Run 100-Part 1. The first 50 miles

I was stunned, down on all fours and afraid I was going to lose consciousness so I didn't move. Did I know who I was? Where I was? What I was doing? Yes to all three. There was no blood, teeth seemed to be ok and I could move my jaw and the cheekbone was still intact. I adjusted my glasses and slowly stood up and begin walking. My head was clearing quickly now so I resumed running down the mountain. I had friends and a buckle waiting for me just 6.5 miles away and time was wasting.

Excitement was in the air at Spooner Lake State Park as we stood in the darkness awaiting the start of an adventure of nearly a day and a half of running up and over the trails of the Sierra Nevada on the Eastern side of the Tahoe Basin. Jenn,The Ultra Angel and I were lined up together along with our friend Jim Plant, trying to stay warm. At 43F it was a lot cooler than we have been used to in NC so far this summer but it was a refreshing and welcome change.

Start to Hobart AS. 6miles

We began promptly at 5am and headed out into the darkness with about 111 others. The first mile was on a dirt road, mostly flat but we began very slowly and soon enough we were among the last few on the course. That was of no concern because I knew if I finished at least half of them would end up behind me or out of the race. A lot can happen in 100 miles.

After about a mile we entered the Marlette Lake trail as it became light enough to see where we were going. The next several miles were quite enjoyable as we warmed up to the task ahead. We had began at about 7,000 ft of elevation and would climbing steadily for the next several miles. This section was through a heavily forested area with an occasional meadow to cross and snow melt streams beside us. The trail climbed very gradually with lots of switchbacks and was runnable for most of the climb but we still choose to do a lot of walking. The three of us were just about alone already with just a few others in sight.

After about 3.5 miles we were at 8,200 ft and began a decent down to Marlette Lake, about 300 ft below. It was as beautiful sight as I had imagined and we all stopped to take photos before turning onto another dirt road and the final climb up to Hobart. It was very runnable to begin with but then became steeper and as we moved above 8,000 ft again all three of us could feel the strain of climbing in the rare air. I had not really notice it so much until now but for the rest of the day going uphill above 8,000 was very noticeably more difficult.

Although we had been taking it easy I felt we were moving along at a decent pace but there was no aid station in sight and we were getting much to close to the cut-off already. I began to pick up the pace and quickly put some distance on my friends. Jenn is usually a very strong climber and as I looked back and saw her falling behind I was worried that she wasn't keeping up with me. I knew it had to be the altitude. I hadn't planned on trying to stay together the whole race but had really been hoping to share as much of it as possible with her but I had to let her go and hope she could possibly catch up later. I finally reached the aid station just 5 minutes ahead of the cut-off, quickly refilled my bottle, grabbed some snacks and began the climb out.

Hobart to Tunnel Creek. Miles 6-11

Just beyond the aid station the trail crossed the first snow drift on the side of the mountain. I looked back and Jim was a minute behind me and Jenn was just leaving the aid station. I crossed the snow carefully and began the climb up Marlette Peak. I was really looking forward to the view from up there of the two lakes but a cloud was moving over us and as I rounded the turn I was disappointed that all I could see was fog. The wind was howling from the west and it was very chilly as we crossed the meadow.

The next several miles would be some of the most difficult terrain with numerous snow crossings over the next several miles. Some were just a few steps and over but a few went on for hundreds of yards. They were very slick and slow going so I just had to take my time and be careful. One in particular was quite deep, at least 12-15 ft and very difficult to get up. I was worrying about how we would get down that one coming back later. The race volunteers had worked very hard to try and mark the snow and cut some steps in it but there was no way they could do all of it. It was cold up here too, probably in the upper 30's and windy.

I was really surprised at how quickly the leaders of the 50k and 50 mile began to pass by considering we had an hour head start on them but by 7 miles I was getting passed. Amazing ! The course continued to climb for awhile and we ran through a lot of rocks before finally beginning the descent into Tunnel Creek. I was wearing my "Too Dumb to Quit" shirt and half the people passing me in the other races the remainder of the day would comment on my shirt as the went by.

Near 9 miles I was feeling great and running on a sweet section of trail and was about to pass a lady but a fast 50k runner was coming up behind me. I was trying to decide whether to pass then, let him go or wait until he passed us both and as I sneaked a peek over my shoulder to see how fast he was coming I snagged a stick and down I went. It was a soft landing, more like a head first slide into 2nd base and I jumped up quickly and took off running knowing nothing was hurt. Well nothing other than two scraped up legs, a bruised left arm and a chunk of skin torn off my right hand.

The next couple of miles were quite enjoyable, easy downhill running mostly and the pain in the hand was subsiding and soon enough I was coming into the aid station. I handed off my bottle to a volunteer , dropped off a couple of items in my drop bag and then walked into the medical tent to get some gauze on my hand. The Doctor said I was his first customer as he quickly taped it up and I was out there door and headed down the trail.

Tunnel Creek to Tunnel Creek via Red House Loop. Miles 11-17

Tunnel Creek sits at about 7,900 ft and from there we headed down the first real quad busting descent on a rocky, washed out dirt road on the way to the low point of the course around 6,800. I was really not enjoying the pounding and was glad to reach the bottom. Along the way we had one creek of ice cold snow melt to cross which was refreshing to my feet. This was followed by a steep climb ,still on a dirt road, before another little descent to the Red House which gives the loop it's name at about the 14.5 mile point. Just below the house was another cold rushing stream to cross. I was surprised to see an aid station here. We had been told there would not be one but some volunteers decided they wanted to set up and camp here anyway. I took advantage to refill again and headed out quickly to began the climb out.

After a short bit it became flat or gently rising for awhile on a nice trail, through a meadow bursting with wildflowers and some nice views. It had warmed up to the 60's down in this lower section and was a very pleasant day. This was a keyhole loop and soon I reached the convergence point and the very unpleasant steep climb back up to the aid station. Ever since I had seen how difficult some of the course was I had been worrying about my Marathon Princess Karla in the 50k. She had been slow in recovering from a foot injury and was not in her best shape yet. She also is not a very experienced trail runner and has never done anything even remotely as difficult as this. I worried for her safety and hoped she would speak to me again for getting her into this. with the out and back spur here I was hoping perhaps I would see her coming down the hill as this would be the only opportunity to see her until after the race, but by the time I was in and out of Tunnel Creek again I never saw her.

Tunnel creek to Bull Wheel Miles 17-20

By the time I left tunnel Creek I had an 1.5 hour cushion on the cut-off so I was quite relaxed now and settled in for the long haul. My mood was great and everywhere I looked I was awe struck by the beauty of the course. I feltso thankful for just the opportunity to be here having this amazing experience and to make it better everything was going great with my body. My legs felt good and the energy level was steady. It just doesn't get much better than this.

The next few miles were one of my favorite parts of the course on some very sweet single track climbing up the ridge through several really cool boulder gardens. At times there amazing views of Lake Tahoe and then on the other side we could look down into Carson City and Washoe Lake with Reno way off in the distance. The wind was whipping around pretty strong up hear and it felt much cooler again. I was in heaven and loving life as I came into the Bull Wheel at 8,000 ft.

Bull Wheel to Diamond Peak Lodge, Miles 20-30

I knew I needed to get some calories in so I grabbed some things and half of a peanut butter sandwich and hurried out of the wind and back onto the trail. Normally I walk and eat but the trail was climbing and with the 8,000 foot altitude I was breathing too hard to eat so I found a nice rock to sit down for a few minutes while I ate. Up quickly and back on the trail, more nice single-track which continued to mostly climb reaching about 8,800 feet at the race marathon mark.

I was was looking forward to the next descent and a chance for some sustained running. The course finally took a hard left turn and headed down the mountain. This section was AWESOME ! The Tahoe Rim Trail is very popular with mountain bikers but a lot of what I saw I would not care too much for trying to ride, but this 4 miles down to the valley was amazing. Gently weaving it's way with bermed turns and butter smooth. A few jumps had been built but were easily bypassed. The views were amazing too and I intentionally stopped to take some pictures to give my quads a break. It wasn't very steep most of the way but with 75 more miles to go I didn't want to trash them so early in the race.

All too soon I had reached the bottom and ran onto the only pavement in the race, 1/4 mile down to the Diamond Peak Ski Lodge in Incline Village by the lake and back down to the race low point of 6,800 ft. Once again it was feeling warmer, probably near 70 as i came into the aid station. I was weighed for the first time and was down just 2 pounds which was no problem. I had my bottles refilled grabbed some food and sat down for a few minutes to get in the calories and prepare for the ordeal ahead.

Diamond Peak Lodge to Bull Wheel- mile 30-32

Many races have legendary sections that sometimes seem to fail to live up to their reputations. This is not one of them. this was every bit as hard as I had heard it would be and maybe worse.

It doesn't look that bad as you head out of the aid station onto a dirt service road. A steady climb but not any steeper than say, powerline in Umstead but as it climbs it does get gradually steeper climbing 600ft in the 1st mile. But then the real fun begins as you go around a tight switchback and see what lies ahead.

It was at this moment that I heard Jim call out my name and saw he was just behind me. I was a little surprised to see him but he was obviously having a great day and it was nice to see him climbing so well. I asked if he had seen Jenn lately and I was relieved to here him say she was only about 10 minutes back at the last aid station. I was really hoping she would come on strong and finish this thing too.

But right now I hard a hard task ahead. As I looked at the tiny dots of the runners just up ahead and waaaaaayyyy up there on the ski slope words like ridiculous and insane were the only things I could think of to describe the scene. This was beyond steepand to make matters worse it was a loose sandy surface making it very hard to gain traction. I was quickly reduced to a near crawl as the hill at times climbed at a 35% grade. The higher I climbed the more I gasped and my heart rate was reaching max. Jim had moved past and found a shady spot to sit so I moved over and sat next to him to allow my heart rate to return to near normal before resuming the climb.

The sun was bearing down on us making it even more fun. The only way to keep moving was to switch from climbing on my toes to walking back wards for awhile to use different muscles. Then it was side step to the left and then to the right and then repeat the process. To make it even more cruel there was a false summit hiding another 1/4 mile of the steepest climbing. If there was any saving grace for this little bit of torture, it was the incredible view of the lake behind us.

As I was finally approaching the top a helicopter began circling overhead. when I reached the top there was a runner who was a firemen signalling to it to land in the clearing near the bull wheel. He said there was an injured runner and we needed to get out of the way so the helicopter could land. I was very happy to move on and head back into the aid station. That last mile covered 1,200 of climb and I was looking forward to running again. That 2 miles took me 1:14 !

Bull Wheel to Tunnel Creek = miles 32-35

What a relief to get back out of the sun and on to that nice section of trail heading back to Tunnel Creek. It would be even more fun this time because it was predominately downhill in this direction. I had recovered completely from the climb and overall I was feeling great and loving the day. I quickly passed by Jim in what would be repeated for most of the remainder of the day. He was climbing strong and would move ahead but then I would pass by running faster on the flats and downhills.

I was able to relax a bit and let my mind wander and my thoughts were going out to Karla and Jenn. Both of these ladies are very dear to me and would be in my thoughts all the way to the end of this long long day and night. I was hoping for a safe finish for Karla and that Jenn would be right behind me and on her way to a buckle finish. I was also thinking about my friends and family each time I went through a checkpoint knowing that many were tracking my progress online. I was having so much fun and overall I couldn't have felt better or enjoyed myself anymore than I was right now.

Tunnel Creek to Hobart- miles 35-40

I was weighed in again and was dead on my pre-race weight. That made the Doctor very happy and I was quickly on my way out once again. The first half mile wasn't too bad but the course would climb again to 8,600 feet over the next couple of miles and once again I could feel the effect of the altitude. I was way ahead of the cut-off so I was content to relax with many more miles to go so I just tried to enjoy the views.

Soon I was back up into the snow sections and was dreading the big drop off the tallest drift. When I got there it didn't look like there was any good way down and after a few tentative steps i just slid down on my butt. Apparently that is how most folks made it down too judging from the chutes going down each side.

I finally emerged from the forest and back onto the slopes of Marlette Peak. I was very happy that the clouds of the morning had passed and I finally got that gorgeous view of Marlette Lake with Lake Tahoe in the background. After many pictures I made my way down into Hobart once again.

Hobart to Snow Valley Peak- miles 40-43

Leaving Hobart I was looking forward to seeing another 10 miles of the trail that I had not seen yet. Snow Valley Peak is the high point of the course at just over 9,000ft but I couldn't help but think that didn't sound too bad after climbing 1,200 in just one mile earlier. Still it was nothing to sneeze at so I settled in for a hard three miles. Most of the climb was quite gentle and I was making good time. There was one place with two dead trees across the trail and I poked myself in the calf on a piece of a branch. I would learn that Jenn hit the same tree.

As we neared the top there were a few more snow fields to cross but these were not nearly as bad as the ones in the last section. Jim had pulled ahead on the climb and I could see him just ahead crossing the last snow as we reached the summit. I finally made it to the aid station which is "manned" by a boy Scout troop every year and they would send one scout running up the trail to greet each of us as we made our approach.

Snow Valley Peak to Spooner Lake- mile 43 to 50

I was quicker once again than Jim leaving the aid station, feeling great and looking forward to the next 7 miles of mostly downhill and flat running. The first few miles were above the trees along the side slope of the mountain on a narrow rocky single-track. Brush and weeds were grown up over the trail brushing up against my legs and irritating the scrape on the side of my left leg from the morning fall so I was really glad when the trail widened a bit as we entered the forest once again.

From this point on the running was sublime. Gently downhill on mostly smooth trail. It just really doesn't get any better than this. At the 48.3 mile mark we passed by Spooner Summit which was a checkpoint with just a water cooler for a quick refill and then beyond that it was basically flat over to Spooner Lake. We had to make about half a lap around the lake on a smooth flat trail to the halfway mark. I was feeling still feeling great and the only negative was that my time was slower than I had hoped for. I had hoped to come in at 14 hours or better but my time was 14:35. This was the slowest first half of any of my previous 100 milers by far. This had been a very hard day and it wasn't going to get any easier.

Tahoe Rim 100. Coming up July 16th

The elevation profile above if you noticed is just for the first 50 miles. We get to do two loops ! Woohooooo !

Hmmm, wonder what I've gotten myself into here? And why Tahoe Rim you might ask?

There are a few reasons why I chose this particular race for my return to the 100 mile distance after an absence from the distance for several years. The first reason is simply because I think it is one of the most beautiful places in the country. I had always enjoyed seeing photos of the lake and I finally got the chance to see it in 2007 on my trip out to Western States. I spent a week in Nevada and California that year and took a day trip over Mt rose and down to Lake Tahoe. It was every bit as gorgeous as I had imagined and the mild summer temperature and lack of humidity caused me to fall in love with the place. I would be so happy to be able to spend my Summers there and get away from the oppressive heat and humidity of North Carolina.

My friend, The Ultra Angel Jenn had been wanting to do a big beautiful 100 out West after having run at Umstead a couple of times so we agreed to look for one that we could both run. There were a couple of others we considered but the timing for this one and the chance of getting in easily made this one an easy choice. It also turned out to be a race with a 50k option that The Marathon Princess could run and is close enough to one of Frank's old friends home that we were able to convince them to make the trip too.

Although I knew it would be a difficult race, it wasn't until I began to research it a lot closer that I realized we had signed up for one of the most difficult 100 milers in the USA. The race has 24,000ft of climbing making it one of the the top 5 most difficult races out of the 90 or so on the calender in the USA. The elevation is mostly between 6,500 and 9,000 ft so it's high enough that we flatlanders will feel the lower air pressure. Although it is not nearly as high as Leadville which I ran in 2006, it is a much more difficult course. fortunately it doesn't have the terrible rocks like Massanutten or I don't think I would be able to finish this one

Here is the race website.

and here is a link to Realendurance.com's section on Tahoe Rim. It takes a little bit for this page to load but it has a world of information and it's really cool because my blogpost appear on it !

This should keep you busy for awhile. I'll have another update before we leave.

Tahoe Rim , Bonanza and The Ponderosa

The countdown continues until I head out West for the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run on July 16th. Right now I am tapering and doing some planning. I'll have some more updates and info on the race in the coming weeks but in the meantime let's talk about Bonanza.

Being a baby boomer and a child of the 50's and 60's I grew up watching the show every week. I was 4 years old when the series began it's 14 year run on TV and like most boys I was a huge fan of Westerns. I almost felt like the Cartwrights were friends of the family. As I prepare to head out to Nevada I was remembering the map of the Ponderosa from the opening credits and from frequent references to Virginia City I knew it was close to Lake Tahoe. That made me wonder just how close I would be to the fictional ranch while running in the race.

Upon examining the map, it looks like the entire race is held within the boundaries of the Ponderosa ! How cool is that ! You have to note that the map is turned wrong but if you notice the compass is turned with North off to the left then you can get the proper bearings. The little blue lake near Lake Tahoe is Marlette Lake which we run by several times. The 30/80 mile mark in the race is just above Incline Village which is where the opening credits of the family riding up on their horses was filmed. A replica of the Ranch was built there and still stands today but is no longer open to the public.

So as I run around the course I will imagine Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe riding along on the trails welcoming us to their Ranch. And maybe Hop Sing will be cooking something for the aid stations.

ultra training-Part 2

Ok, here is the training plan all of you have been eagerly awaiting. Well, maybe one or two of you.

I hope you aren't too disappointed because there isn't much to it and I don't have a "schedule" to present to you with the details of any particular plan. I could just continue doing things the way I have over the years and probably do well in my upcoming races but I'm curious to see how a slightly different approach will work for me.

High Mileage. Yep, that is the plan. High mileage is a relative thing I guess. For many , averaging 45-50 a week would be high but I've been at that level for most of the past 7 years or so other than the injury year so my body has reached a plateau and there just isn't much possibility or room for improvement staying at that level. There have been a few weeks with higher totals and I did have that one week experiment last October when I ran 102 but that was just one week.

So over the next few months I will be putting in a lot more slooowwwww miles with some longer than usual runs. Unlike when I'm in marathon mode, these runs will be more like long excursions, with walk breaks and not caring about the time or pace at all. I would like to see my weekly average creep up over the next couple of months to about 70 and see how my body reacts to that. If things go well I will gradually bump that up and hopefully by next Spring I'll try and handle 80 to 90 for awhile. The fact is unless something changes drastically with my work situation I have plenty of time to get in as many miles as I want.

I will still include at least one run a week with some miles at half-marathon to marathon pace and I'll throw in some strides on some runs occasionally to keep the fast twitch fibers alive but the focus now is on building a monster aerobic base. tThere will a day or two a week when I will double up with 2 workouts in a day. I have experimented a little with this in the past and it worked out well.

In addition to adding more slow miles I will still tailor some workouts to the unique demands of the next event on my race schedule. Right now that next one is Tahoe Rim 100. Well, not much I can do about that one now but taper so the high mileage plan will actually have to wait until after I recover from that one.

When I'm healthy I always try and plan my racing about a year in advance and I usually have one or two events that I hope to be in peak condition. Right now the big long range goal as I stated in an earlier post(go here for plans)is to get a 100 mile pr at Umstead next year and about everything I do between now and then is geared toward helping me achieve that goal. My race schedule is always there in the margins of my blog home page so you can see what I'm up to and as always I'll have previews and reports for those that are interested.

I am very excited moving forward and I can't wait to get out there and make these goals a reality !

ultra training-Part 1

I can't say that I have not ever focused my training on ultra's but in a way I haven't. At least not in the way I'm planning to over the next year. After my first ultra in Feb. 2002 I went back to training for triathlons which had been my main focus for a few years since tearing up my knee playing soccer in 1998. I had entered that ultra more or less on a whim and was only running about 20 miles a week on average and had done two runs over 13 miles in the year leading up to it.

I ran my next ultra in Jan 03 but was still mixing running with tri training. I had a more ambitious plan for the year including the Lynchburg Ultra Series but was basically just using one ultra or marathon as training for the next one. By the time I ran my 1st 50 miler that November I was only averaging 25 miles a week of running and really had no plan.

When 2004 rolled around I was entered in my first 100 at Umstead. The only thing I did specifically for that was to do at least one practice loop on the course each week planning my race strategy to go under 24 hours. Once after my practice lap I walked a second lap just to see how it would feel to walk one. My weekly average in the 6 months leading up to that race was a whopping 29 miles. Really cranking out the miles.

After that I did become a bit more serious and began to lose interest in tri's so I entered more events and increased my mileage to around 45 miles a week over the next few years. The only thing that I did do differently other than add more running was to try and do at least one workout specific to the demands of the next race.

By 2005 I had quit swimming and biking but rather than doing ultra training I was doing a lot of ultra's while beginning to train like a marathoner. That is when I started running with Karla after Massanutten in May. I think I did 10 ultra's that year while doing my long runs like a marathoner and doing twice weekly track workouts on the weeks I wasn't racing. It was hard but I knocked 25 minutes off my marathon pr by 2006 and saw big improvements in my ultra running setting pr's and course pr's all the way through the end of 2007. Of course 2008 was the year of pain and injury as most of you know, 2009 was the return to tri's and Ironman. 2010 to the present was all about Boston training with a return to trackwork, tempo and marathon pace runs. Which brings us up to date.

Now I have decided it is time to get serious and try training specifically as an ultrarunner for the next couple of years and see what happens. No tri training and no marathon training. Details in the next post. Maybe. Stay tuned.

In the meantime , here are some pictures from my "first" long ultra training run last Saturday with The Ultra Angel

Halfway through 2011 already

With all the training I'm looking a lot younger and more fit it seems.

Ok, nothing else happening this month so lets look back and see how things have gone so far this year.

Things got off to a pretty good start with a decent time on a terribly windy day at the Ocean Isle Beach Half. That was followed by a faster time on a cold wet miserable day at the Goldsboro Heart and Sole Half. Then things got even better when I finally had some good weather at the American Tobacco Road Half in March and ran better than expected with my fastest time since 2006. It was a bit unusual for me to run 3 half marathons in 3 months. I usually don't run that many in a year but this year I had a different focus than in years past.

After coming off the injuries of 2008 I spent June 08 through June 09 foucsing my training on doing my first Ironman. After that I changed my focus until March 2010 on getting a qualifying time for Boston. From that date to this April everything revolved around Boston so the half marathons fit into my plans. But as I posted in April, all the planning was for naught and for some still inexplicable reason I had a very bad day from the beginning.Oh well. Thats life.

But it was now time to move on and I was already eager to move into a new phase and renew my focus on getting back to doing lots of ultra's again. I jumped in head first with the tough Promise Land 50K++ 5 days after Boston and had a wonderful day running with Jenn, The Ultra Angel. Slow time but I felt great and it just doesn't get much better than a beautiful day on beautiful mountain trails with a beautiful friend.

Had a great trip and a fun time in the inaugural New River Marathon in May. I felt much better than expected and got in some good training. After that I spent the rest of the time getting in some good run/walk training in Umstead and started spending a little more time on single track trails, something I had avoided for most of the past two years with my emphasis on Boston training.

I finished up the last of the competition for the first half of the year with my best Boogie 50 miler. And now it is time to really kick up the ultra running and training as we move into the 2nd half of 2011. I'll have that promised blog post on my training for you soon. Stay Tuned.

Lightning, bugs and other notes on the Boogie

Lets start with lightning bugs. They were out for awhile this year before the rain but I feel sorry for folks that have only run the Boogie in the past couple of years. That's when the super bright light was installed at the boat landing which now shines all into the trees on the opposite side of the road. Before they had to go and screw that up it was nearly pitch black in that section and it looked like a million stars flashing from the river up to the top of the canopy. What an amazing show it was. I don't guess there is anyway we'll ever get them to turn that light out for the Boogie in the future.

And speaking of the storm, as I mentioned in my report I was never worried about the lightning but that's not to say that I don't have a healthy respect for the power it possesses and I have had times when I was certainly very nervous. It was certainly a spectacular show for awhile and being out on those lonely roads around midnight may have made it seem that more intimidating to some but there were always several seconds between the flashes and thunder so I never felt in danger. As a child I was always fascinated by lightning and my Mother always remembers when she would look in to check on me during a storm, thinking I may be afraid, would find me on my knees with my head through the curtains staring out in wonder. Sometimes I still just open the curtains and watch the show.

Over my 34 years of running now I have been caught in many thunderstorms where I did feel a bit scared, including a couple times in the NCRC August Umstead Series. I remember once in particular a year or two before I started hosting it and the course still ran down powerline hill. Lightning was crashing all around as I began the climb back up and I was actually trying to duck down a little (like that did any good)to avoid getting hit. Last year we got out of the park just in time as a major thunderboomer hit the park and flooded Glenwood Ave.

But the scariest event had to be back in the 90's when I was working in Columbia SC. I was planning an easy 4 miler out and back on a greenway along the river. Just before heading out I could see that a storm was brewing off in the distance. I figured I would be done before it reached the area so I headed out. Bad decision. It turned out to be a fast moving storm and hit just as I got to the turnaround. Violent crashes were hitting in the trees all along beside me and I was nearly sprinting the whole way back and praying the whole time. It stopped just as I finished. Later back in my motel room I heard on the news a couple were killed on the opposite shore of the river at the zoo.

A couple of years ago I was driving to Durham during a violent storm when suddenly a huge bolt hit a tree on the side of Highway 70 right beside me and the concussion was so strong it moved my car like a gust of wind and I could feel it inside the car. Yep that got my attention.

Back to the Boogie. As I said in my report, Doug and all the volunteers are wonderful but this year was even more special thanks to the support of a contingent of Raleigh area cheerleaders. Andy Surrette and the kids were down to crew for Amy and Angela Dukes was there for her husband Bryant. And Amy Schimmel and Lauren Wilkins came down just for the fun of it spending some time riding bikes on the course before dark. All of them offered help but I am used to be self-sufficient at these things after 60 or so ultras without a crew but it was still great to have more smiling familiar faces cheering me through each time I passed by the main aid station. Thanks for the support everyone.



I am also very happy to report that all of my Angel Team did an outstanding job. Lisa "Mountain Girl" Howell improved by 3 minutes over last year and was first woman Grandmaster in the marathon. And in the 50 miler my ladies went 1st,3rd and 4th place overall with Trail Angel winning and improving over last years time by a considerable amount. Ultra Angel in her first 50 mile Boogie was third and Ultramom Amy in her first 50 miler ever did outstanding in 4th. I take no credit for this of course. One of the reasons they are on my Angel Team is because they have proven to be Superwomen, tough as nails mentally and physically. Just wish the Marathon Princess could have been there. She and I ran the marathon together my first year when we had just started training together and I was hoping she would be there again. We need to get Margo down for some Boogie fun sometime too.

I guess that's enough of the Boogie for this year. Next year depends on whether or not I get lucky and have a chance to return to Western States. Stay tuned for more on that.

here are the Boogie results for this year

Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 mile 2011

OK, I give up. This is not the race to run a 50 mile pr. But is is a race to have a lot of fun sharing a unique experience with a community of wonderful running friends. This year was made more special by having a large contingent from the Raleigh area come down just to offer support.

I rode down with two of my Angel team, Lisa and Jenn. We arrived early so I had plenty of time to meet and greet with a lot of friends before getting dressed to run. Especially enjoyed the excitement that the first timers were showing. It was hot and a little humid, near 92 but not nearly as bad as last year and the forecast was for it to be cooler during the night too so I was hoping for at least a strong run.

Loop 1

Just before the start there was a storm off in the distance and a breeze kicked up and dropped the temperature several degrees. I hadn't really planned on it but found myself running with Jenn early on. We train a lot together and our easy pace is about the same so it just seemed natural. We spent some of the early miles running with Robert Crosby which was nice. I've seen him at ultra's for many years but never have run with him before. We also had the company of Jimmy Ballard in these early miles. As we made our way to the far side of the first 6 mile loop the road was wet from the shower and now steam was rising from the road and the humidity had become oppressive.

We just caught a few sprinkles but as we made it back up to the church, the road was soaked so we had all just missed out on the first storm. Now the skies were clearing and it was just warm and humid. The Surrette kids, Kayla, Drew and Ashlynn were waiting to squirt runners down with there water guns so I let them hose me down before heading down the hill. My plan was to take it a lot easier the first loop this year, so despite feeling pretty good I went ahead and walked just about all of Bethel Church Hill. Finished the first lap about 8 minutes slower than last year and everything was going well. My shirt was doing me no good just being soaked with the humidity so I took it off after letting the kids squirt me again.

loop 2

After a mile or so I began to pull away from Jenn and soon caught back up to Jimmy. We would share the next loop and it was mostly uneventful. As the sun set the moon was out and bright so I was really enjoying having a true moonlight Boogie. However there was lightning in the distance and it seemed another storm might be on the way. We ran a bit of the hill this time but my left foot had been bothering me for a while so I decided to check it out now before it got worse. I have a plantar wart that bothers me sometimes on long runs especially when my feet get wet but there was something else going on. I took off my shoe and saw nothing but when I took off my sock I found a large piece of debris that I had been carrying around since the beginning. Ahhhh, it felt so much better now.

I was a little disappointed that I had slowed down from the first lap and knew the pr attempt was not going to happen so I now planned to just run as well as possible and not worry too much with the time.

Loop 3

While I was sitting Jimmy had gone ahead and Jenn had caught up and continued on. I was still feeling good overall, legs were great and my energy level was fine so I was able to run well over the next several miles. By the time I hit the dog pen aid station the clouds were now covering up the moon and it was getting dark with lots of lightning flashes getting closer. I finally caught up with Jenn at the church at 26 miles so we started off down the hill together. The rain started about halfway down and by the time we reached the bridge it was coming down very hard. Lightning was flashing all around but it didn't seem to be right on top of us so neither one of us worried too much as we walked back up the hill.

Loop 4

We began this loop with the rain still pouring down. I had gotten a little chilly walking and thought about putting on a shirt but it would just be soaking wet and I don't know that it would have helped hold in any warmth so I decided not to put one on just yet. As we began running again though I warmed back up nicely. I was really glad to have Jenn's company at this point. It would be real easy to get discouraged being alone in the dark in the middle of a thunderstorm and it was really nice having her along because in many ways she is a female version of me. We were both fine with the storm and not worrying at all. There were always a few seconds between flashes and thunder so we felt no fear this evening.

As we ran down the road though my fear was I wouldn't be able to keep up with her. She was the one pushing the pace now and I must say I would have probably walked a bit more of this loop had I been alone. She is a natural at this ultra stuff and so efficient and consistent in her running style. Just before turning back up to the hill at the church and the 36 mile point I was beginning to feel my energy waning and my head getting a bit out of it. I realized I had not been taking in many calories over the last couple of hours. We stopped at the car long enough for me to grab some gels and put a Nunn tablet in my water bottle before hurrying on our way. By now the rain had slacked off to a sprinkle and the clouds seemed to be thinning. We talked to Lisa while getting ready and was happy to hear she had improved over her time from last year in the marathon.

We headed off down the hill but Jenn was running stronger than I wanted and kept pulling slightly ahead. Finally as we reached the bridge I had to let her go. I backed off on the flat section but as I began the climb up Bethel Hill I began to feel better again (amazing what a little sugar to the brain can do) so I was running about half of the time going up the hill. I could see Jenn's light up in the distance and was actually gaining ground on her. With about 1/2 mile to go Laura MacLean ran by strong on her way to her finish and repeat her win. I was so happy for her because she had some knee pain and wasn't sure she could run the whole thing let alone win.

Loop 5

Just as I finished loop 4 I caught Jenn in the aid station but she ran on and didn't see me as I stopped long enough to drink 2/3rds of a can of Pepsi. Ahhh it was so good and gave me a boost of energy going into the last loop. I congratulated Laura and headed out into the darkness once again. I was really happy with the way I was feeling and felt I was running as strong as ever. I didn't need anything at the Dog Pen so I just thanked the volunteers one last time as I continued running up the formerly dirt road. Just before I had noticed that the stars were coming out and the moon had set so I was enjoying looking at the skies in the total darkness of that lonely stretch of road. I ran the entire race without a light once again except for the miles with Jenn.

By now I had just about enough fun for one evening so I was happy to reach the church and see the cheering squad one last time. I told them I'd see them in a few minutes, I just had one more little hill to go. I was pushing the pace a little now heading down. With only four miles to go there was no reason to save anything. I had not looked at my watch since finishing loop 2 so I had no idea what my time was now. I was hoping to at least get a course pr and go under 11 hours and felt I should be close to that goal considering how much better I felt compared to last year.

When I reached the turnaround at mile 48 I looked at my time and saw it was 10:19 so I smiled knowing I had the course pr in the bag. I had not even gotten as far as the bridge when I saw Amy Surrette, another of my Angel team and Charles Akers less than 4 or 5 minutes behind me. Wow, they were really doing great and were moving along at a strong pace. I continued up the hill running about half the time once again and crossed the line in 10:46:05. I was picking out my finishers mug when I was shocked to see Charles and then Amy. I was expecting to wait a few minutes to see them finish but they had killed it coming up and were just over a minute behind me. Woohoo ! So proud of those two running an amazing time in their first 50 miler and finishing so strong !

Every boogie, even the ones that hurt are fun but this one was great and I have never felt better. What a great venue to hold a special event like this. Boogieman Doug does a wonderful job putting this together and the volunteers that come out in all kinds of weather to spend the night helping a bunch of crazy runners are awesome.

Here is
a link to some pictures that Laura took along the way

and here is a link to a bit of un-edited video I took the first two laps

I do believe it's a lovely evening for a Boogie

Well, I was hoping for "normal" temps this year but it looks like another hot one although it should be a few degrees cooler at the start and hopefully cooler overnight than last year. Forecast is for 92 high and low around 68 with a chance of some showers.

Like last year I am once again attempting a 50 mile pr. Yes, I know that is really a dumb thing to do but I'm going for it anyway. I do hope to employ a slightly different strategy this year so that is some evidence that I'm not insane. Not completely anyway.

Whatever the outcome I do plan on having some big time fun once again. As always there will be quite a few of my ultra friends, MTC friends and NCRC buddies joining in the festivities. I especially like to see the ones coming down for their first Boogie experience. Ultramom Amy Surrette will not only be doing her first Boogie but her first 50 miler. I look forward to seeing one of my Angels getting her first finish here. It has been fun to watch her come so far after sharing a small part in her first marathon 2 years ago. Ultra Angel Jenn is going for her first Boogie 50 after doing the "fun run" aka marathon in 2009. She is an experienced ultrarunner with a couple of 100 mile finishes so she will do great.

I'll be riding down with Mountain Girl Lisa who will be trying to improve on her outstanding debut in the marathon. The Trail angel Laura is returning to defend her title from last year. Good luck to all my friends in both races!

It's Hot !!!

And I hate it !!!

I don't like summer. I don't like being hot. I don't like running in the heat. For a little over a week it has been in the 90's with high humidity. Nothing out of the ordinary for NC this time of year but I still hate it. I was born and raised in it and this will be my 55th summer in it and I still hate it.

For many years I would hardly run in the summer. Almost never more than 3 or 4 miles and usually in the morning or early evening hours. I hardly ever did a long run and probably never more than 10 miles and hardly ever a race over 5k. (funny thing though my 5k pr was set on July 4th)

With that said you are probably wondering why I now run 5 or 6 days a week, sometimes 12-13 miles a couple of times a week during the mid afternoon heat? And why am I running as much as 4 hours or more on Saturday mornings. And why in the world am I getting ready to run a 50 mile race AGAIN that is known for high heat and humidity ? Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I guess I'm just not too bright, or maybe I killed off too many brain cells when I was younger. (Shhhh, don't tell anyone , I'm really from another galaxy).

Well, back in 2002 I ran my first ultra. I didn't go long again until the next year and started meeting some really cool people and finding out about a lot of really cool events but in order to be prepared for doing extra long distances in the Fall I would need to train in the summer. So,it was my desire to push beyond my self-imposed limitations and try to succeed at longer and more difficult ultra's that made me make the decision that I would embrace the conditions, whatever they may be to prepare myself for anything a course could throw at me. One of my favorite lines in a song called "Bottom" by Tool is spoken by Henry Rollins. "I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain" I think of that line often when it's 97F, 90& humidity, the sun is beating down on me and I've got miles and miles to go.

No ! I have no desire to do Badwater !!! Noooooo !!!!! Is it almost October ?