FROSTY FIFTY and Training Again

After a very inconsistent December I'm finally back to some fairly serious training. I thought I'd spend the last few weeks of November recovering from the Mountain Masochist.... but recovery mode continued all the way through December. Physically and mentally I just wasn't with it until the new year.

I pretty much scrapped doing the Frosty Fifty (50K) but after a hard 10 mile run on Friday 1/7 I looked at the calendar and realized I really needed to start doing some 4+ hour runs if I was going to run 100 miles in April so I called the race director and asked if I could squeeze in at the last moment the next day(do I make a habit of this??) I wasn't ready to race so figured I'd just trot along at 9 minute pace and get my 31 miles in. It was a cold morning and for the majority of the run I was clicking along in the 8:20's. A race atmosphere will do that to you. On the way out on the second out and back I caught up to Konrad Gannon and ran with him a bit. Konrad is Winston Salem's very own "Anton Krupicka"... big bushy beard, said he rode his bicycle to the race and was wearing some super thin "Nike Waffle Racers" that he got for $30 on Amazon. He even shaved off some of the sole to get them just right. Looked to me like he lived the super simple lifestyle. I think he liked that I was wearing an old pair of ski socks as "high tech" gloves. Konrad is the only runner that has completed every single Frosty 50. I pulled away from Konrad but was still slowing a bit (really wasn't ready for 31 miles at anything but a jog). We had a hard snow at one point which dusted the trail and then the last 3 or 4 miles I slowed a bunch after running out of fueling options. The last 3 miles were into a super hard wind and I was fine with just moving along. I finished in 4:30 which was about 8:41 per mile. Faster then I planned. I think one 50+ year old was ahead of me but had I been in racing mode I think I would have gotten him. {Congrats need to go out to my friend Jenny Nichols who ran the Frozen Sasquatch on the same date and was 2nd overall female... SHE'S BACK! Rick Gray had a great day as well and celebrated a birthday.... bad news for me, Rick is now in my age group!}

The Frosty 50 has jump started my training. I've run 20 of 21 days the past 3 weeks and have had weeks of 84 mi, 91 mi, and 81 mi. I'm excited to be back to training. I've run consistently during the week and each weekend have done some back to back long runs in prep for Umstead (100 mi) on 4/2.

The first weekend post FF I did back to back 20 mile runs at Salem Lake.

Salem Lake on 1/15/11

We had a some snow during the week and temps stayed cold so we had snow on the trail. 90% of the trail was packed snow. A great surface to run on. I wore my Inov 8 X-Talon trail shoes which I don't really like all that much but found out they are perfect for running in the snow with the knobby sole (great traction). I ran alone on Saturday but the surface was so nice that I talked my friends Tom and Chuck and we all met up and I did another 20 miles the next day.

Salem Lake on 1/16/11

The next week was really pleased to get over 90 miles. Good runs during the week and more quality then usual for me. I ran 22 mile on Saturday at Salem and did the first 17 miles with Chuck at 8:20 pace and below. On Sunday I found a new trail to run. I drove up to Pilot Mtn and ran on the Corridor Trail which is about 6.5 miles long and runs right into the State Park.

Along the Corridor Trail with Pilot Mtn in the distance

I did 4+ hours of running on 1/23 on the new trail and never saw a single runner or hiker the entire day. Did find 3 guys on horses but that was it. So nice! Since I did 2 "out and backs" and the guys on horses were as well, we passed each other several times. The 2nd time we passed one of them said "you must be training for one of them marathons"... I told him something like that but actually did 50 mile trail races (didn't figure training for a 100 miler would be believable). When we passed one more time the guy asked how many days it takes to do a 50 mile race. I told him that so far I had finished them in one day!

Taking a re-fueling break at Pilot Mtn

This past weekend I did another 4 hour run at Pilot Mtn and ran most of the Pilot Mtn Marathon course... did the Corridor Trail again, then hit the Mountain Trail which was extremely tough up to the summit on very technical single track. Got to the summit then ran Ledge Spring Trail, down the Grindstone Trail, then to Grassy Ridge and back to my car on the Corridor again.

View from top of Pilot Mtn

Race Plans for 2011
1/8/11 Frosty Fifty (50K)
2/12/11 Holiday Lake 50K++
2/19/11 Pilot Mountain Payback Marathon
4/2/11 Umstead 100
4/23/11 Promise Land 50K (maybe depending on recovery)
June Grand Canyon R2R2R (unlikely but possible with a friend in Austin, TX)
11/5/11 MMTR

Training Summaries for the past 3 weeks:

Training Summary 1/24 - 1/30
Monday
AM Easy 6 mile run
Tuesday
AM 12 mile run, after an easy 3 miles, ran hard for 7 miles @6:50-7:20 pace, passed thru 10 mi in 78 min, then easy 2 miles
Wednesday
AM Planned on 2 hours but knee was hurting so stopped at 10 mi's.
PM 3 miles easy testing knee in Vibram Five Fingers
Thursday
Rest Day
Friday
AM Easy 10 miles
PM 4 miles in Five Fingers
Saturday
AM At Pilot Mtn. 4:02 for 22 miles
Sunday
AM Easy 14 miles at Salem Lake

Weekly Total = 81 miles


Training Summary 1/17 - 1/23

Monday
AM 4 miles easy
Tuesday
AM 10 miles at 8:20 pace
Wednesday
AM 12 miles with Tom and Chuck, solid pacing.
Thursday
AM 10 miles easy
Friday
AM 10 miles with Chuck, 8:24/mi
Saturday
AM 22 miles at Salem
Sunday
AM 23 miles at Pilot Mtn

Weekly Total = 91 miles

Training Summary 1/10 - 1/16

Monday
AM Easy 8 miles
Tuesday
AM 5 miles in snow
Wednesday
AM 10 miles, much of it at 7:45/mi
Thursday
AM Easy 4 miles
PM 8 miles incorporating 3 miles at 6:50/mi
Friday
AM Easy 10+ miles
Saturday
AM 20 miles in packed snow at Salem
Sunday
AM 20 miles in snow at Salem

Weekly Total = 84 miles

Recovery, Rest and (Staying Positive?)

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Salem Lake (before the leaves fell)... my weekend trail scene

It's been four weeks since the Mountain Masochist and I feel like I'm still somewhat in recovery/re-charging mode. I took 9 of the first 11 days off from running post MMTR and even a couple of days last week. I haven't seemed to recover as quickly as I did from my first 50 mile effort over the summer (of course that trail race wasn't called "Masochist".) My legs have just generally felt tired over the last few weeks. Not really stiff or sore but just tired. So I guess I needed this break. I've had a dull ache in my left hamstring/buttocks which was a lingering injury I had prior to transitioning from marathons to ultras... so that's a concern and I'm in no huge hurry to get into serious training once again. I think I've only done a few double digit runs. Did a nice paced 17 miler a week ago with my friend Chuck who is running the Kiawah Island Marathon this weekend, and a 14 mile run with him this past weekend at 7:59/mi. Also even threw in a 6:40 mile during one of my runs to just be sure I could still run fast. It's been a LONG time since I've run anything fast.

To back track a little, when I returned home from the Masochist my wife mentioned to me that I wasn't as excited as she thought I would be after finishing a mountainous ultra. And she was right.... it was a great experience, loved the race, the course, the friends, the atmosphere BUT I really felt like I should have/could have run faster (although this slow recovery makes me wonder if I ran better on race day then I'm admitting.) I realize that I'm still learning how to train for and race ultras (particularly mountain races)and I hope to soon get it figured out and RACE to my full potential. I think it all hit home when I read one of the many race reports in the blog world. I was reading one of the reports from a guy that finished in 8th place. I was reading his blog thinking 'wow, this guy finished 8th, he's a really good runner', well he finished in 8:02, damn good time. It was when I got to his last paragraph and he said I've had a really good year, finished top ten in several ultras, and set my PR in the marathon this year at Boston, 3:04. And his goal next year is to take 5 minutes off his marathon time to get under 3 hours. WHAT? My last marathon was at Boston and I ran a 2:59..... soooo I can beat him by 5 minutes in a marathon(on the same course) and he whipped me by 1 hour 54 minutes at MMTR? Whoa..... from the time I was a kid, the longer the race, the better I did. So I mean no disrespect to anyone but something seems odd about this. Now.... for a time I got really down about it but after some time to reflect I've begun to think if I ever get this thing figured out maybe I can be pretty good at this.

To back track even further.... I began running when I was a young teen in the early 70's. It was evident early on that the longer the race the better I performed. I remember after my first cross country season the xc team ran in one of the first road races in the area (it was so long ago that we all wondered why they would have a race that was 6.2 miles long.... haha no one had ever heard of a 10k before) and I began passing all the high school kids that beat me in cross country races. The pattern of the longer I race the better I do has continued up until my MMTR results. Now I do have to admit that after running long races, including marathons as a teenager.... I also had a break of 24 years with no running at all and just began running again in December of '07. So... I've come a long way in just 3 years of running in my "second running life." Hard to believe I'm talking about racing 50's and not just talking about finishing them.

I look forward to getting back to some serious training after my extended break and prepare for the Umstead 100 in April. I will likely do some 50k's early in the year. Probably won't make it to the Frozen Sasquatch but instead will run the Frosty 50, a 50k on the same date at Salem Lake (my home course).... I guess I rambled on a bit with my frustrations, but I know I will get this figured out and perform like I know I capable of. Stay tuned....

Mountain Masochist Race Report

I'm finally sitting down to write my 2010 Mountain Masochist Race Report. It was an incredible weekend and I just couldn't seem to put it into words. I'd hoped to run a little faster and faded a bit but still very very pleased to get under 10 hours and learn a bunch about running a mountain race. To put it in perspective, the following is from Running Times:

The Mountain Masochist 50 Miler is an indisputable stronghold of tradition in the ultrarunning world. In line with some of the other time-tested endurance events around the country, like JFK, the Masochist draws crowds from the tight-knit ultra community year after year.

Started 28 years ago by ultra icon David Horton, the race continues to gain in popularity as running insanely long distances has become trendy.....

...the Mountain Masochist’s reputation and history puts it in a league of its own. The 50-mile trek begins near Lynchburg, Va., and weaves through the Blue Ridge Mountains along roads, logging trails and single-track trails to finish in Montebello, Va. With a net gain of 9,200 feet and a loss of 7,200 feet, this course isn’t for the faint of heart. What’s more, the largest elevation climbs come later in the race. The most brutal climb begins at mile 22 and continues upward until mile 29.5 over the top of Buck Mountain.

After that lung-busting uphill, the notorious “Loop” presents itself at mile 33. The biggest terrain challenge on the course, the 4-mile loop takes runners over a rocky single-track path. Many report the loop is more like 6 miles rather than 4, and that the course itself is 54 miles, not 50. These “Horton miles” are the stuff of legends and part of the race’s charm and mystique.

“The Masochist is one of the classics,” says Zealand. “It really reflects the history of the race and the sport itself.”

I was able to leave work a bit early on Friday and got on the road for the 2 1/2 hour drive up to Lynchburg. I wasn't as nervous about the tough course as I was about possible bad weather. I had a bad experience last year with temps in the 30's and a hard rain so I couldn't imagine those type conditions for 8-10 hours... but the last time checking weather.com it looked like the rain and snow would have already passed and likely it was just going to be in the 30's with maybe some snow on the ground at higher elevations late. I tried to keep my mind off the race and listened to some good music... Dylan (Blood on the Tracks), Keller and the Keels, and my new favorite mountain/appalachian/bluegrass band Big Daddy Love.) I went down early to get my race packet and drove a couple of blocks to a Kroger and got bananas and some waffles for the morning.

The pre race evening program was wonderful. Good pasta (thanks Clark for having a vegetarian option) and inspirational words (and instruction) from Race Director Clark Zealand, Masochist David Horton and Jennifer Pharr Davis who holds the womens record for running the AT and next year will attempt to break the all time record. Fun to talk to JPD about her run on the AT and my experience hiking 1/3 of the AT 30+ years ago. (I guess she'll never forget my name since she told me her 6th grade teacher's name was Robert French, her first male teacher.) I headed back to my room ready to lay down, but first laid out all my gear for the race... pinned bib on my shorts, mixed up bottles of Perpetuem, counted out my gels, laid out shorts, shirts, gloves, sleeves.... after I realized I didn't have anything left to do I went to bed.

I was up at 4 a.m., took a warm shower, ate a banana, 2 waffles.... packed up my drop bag that would be laid out at the 26.9 mi mark and a bag of warm clothes for post race. Jumped on one of the busses at a few minutes before 5 a.m. and we were off to the start at James River Visitor Center. I saw a few rain drops hit the windshield and got nervous but the weather all day was nearly perfect, so no worries.

It seemed likely to be in the 30's all day so I decided on my favorite short sleeve runners shirt (from a trail race in Dupont Forest), arm sleeves, and a thin long sleeve shirt over that, shorts and gloves. The first 6+ miles were on the Blue Ridge Parkway and paved roads and everything clicked along pretty well. I felt like I was running faster then I should have but also figured I should run faster before I hit the tougher trail climbing. I forgot my headlamp at home but with so many others with light and being on the road it wasn't a big deal. It was really a great feeling as the sun rose and you could begin to make out the mtn. ridges in the distance. I hit the first Aid Station at Cashaw Creek and was in and out quickly and headed up the trail. I was happy to be on the trail and passed many runners as many were slowing on the uphills.

My memory of some of the early sections is a big foggy but I do remember that time seemed to pass quickly. I wasn't running real fast but I felt like I was moving along well. Before I knew it we were at the Dancing Creek Aid Station and I tip toed across the creek with minimal wet feet. Again it seemed quickly that we approached the tunnel under the Blue Ridge Parkway at the 14 mile mark and this time no keeping the feet dry.

The remainder of the "first half" of the race was for the most part uneventful. Ran several miles with a nice kid, and I do mean kid, he was 18 yr old Jesse who I left behind only to be passed by him in the final mile. Jesse was only a few minutes off the best time ever for an 18 yr old. I got to the Long Mtn Wayside Aid Station and my drop bag in 4:42.... couldn't believe I'd been running for that amount of time but energized because I felt good and was more then halfway. I had a slow stop, at first because I couldn't find my bag and then fumbling around with loading up on gels, full bottles, grabbed a cap, etc.

I started the long climb up Buck Mtn and I played it pretty conservative knowing it was a long way up and I had the difficult "loop" ahead of me. I'd run the training run on the final 23 miles of the course so I knew what was ahead of me. Fun to hear the Rocky music playing at the Aid Station at the top (thankfully we were warned the night before that you hear the music through the canyon long before you get there)...

As we approached "the loop" I got pretty excited because lot's of crews were cheering us on and just a lot of activity. I can't remember if this is where we started to see snow dusting the ground, but it seemed to energize me. I headed into the loop and purposely decided to take it pretty slow. I really enjoyed the single track... particularly the first section in the rhododendrons. I realized it was one of the more beautiful sections of the race and I wanted to enjoy it and not tumble. I did trip one time but barely nicked my knee and slipped on my bottom heading down a really steep downhill. But not much blood to report so no chance of me winning the "best blood" award (much to the surprise of my NC running buddies who know I have a history of kissing the earth from time to time).... I was pretty slow coming down the second half of the loop, passed by a bunch of runners, but not being the best of downhill runners, I expected that.

I won't go into a whole lot of detail.. but I began to have stomach trouble heading up Buck Mtn. I stopped a total of 4 times before and after the loop and as one of my friends said... with most of the leaves on the ground it was a bit difficult to find a spot to do my thing. In addition to those stops, I stopped to water the bushes a BUNCH of times(I'd say double digits). Anyway, I guess it will always be something but my stomach trouble seemed to cost me at least 30 minutes or so. In my first 50 mile effort I had no stomach trouble and I sure hoped for the same but I guess I'm more surprised that I didn't have trouble last summer.

After some good running after the loop, we eventually headed up to some tough single track with lots of leaves on the ground and a hard trail to follow but it was marked extremely well so I made it through that section and the really steep final climb. A whole load of people passed me over the last 8 miles or so but as long as I was moving I was happy. Some people were literally flying down off the ridge. I spent way too much time at the last Aid Station talking with the volunteers. A couple of the guys wanted to talk to me about my minimal New Balance 101's and after a few minutes of talk I finally interrupted one of them to say, hey man I'm almost done this race I gotta go. They yelled as I trotted off asking if I slipped on the leaves any with that sole... I just waved and yelled YES as I took off for the final 3 "Horton Miles". I moved pretty good over the last miles but so many people passed me that I lost count. I got to the painted sign on the ground saying "1 mile to go ?" and I had to just laugh at Horton for messing with us one final time. I hit the pavement for the final mile into Montebello, still being passed by runners including the 18 yr old and then Marlin Yoder who was the first "older" guy I noticed zipping by me.

I was super happy to round the corner and see the clock at 9:56 and Clark Z. and David H. with smiles and reaching out a hand to congratulate me. From the photos it looks like they greet each and every finisher! What a heck of a nice thing to do. It was a LONG day and they are there to greet all of us.

I headed to the bus and put on dry socks and shoes, put on a bunch of layers and milled around to cheer on the finishers coming in. I ate more "junk" then I have all year but didn't stop eating for long. I jumped on the second bus heading back to Lynchburg and finally got cell coverage to call home and let Sara (wife) know I was finished and healthy. Enjoyed reading all the back and forth emails from family "following" me from the comfort of their homes on the computer.

The post race meal, awards and breakfast the next day were great to swap stories and learn from other masochists. I learned a lot and will likely do things much different next year. I feel like I left something out on the course. I really was nervous to fly down the more runnable sections like most of the ultra folks do. I will likely push it a bit more uphill (my strength) and for sure push the section before the loop, beginning of the loop, and post loop. We shall see for sure since I can't imagine ever missing this event unless I'm unable to toe the line. I had a lot of time to think about this Horton fellow. The best way to describe Horton on a Masochist weekend is like a kid on Christmas morning. I don't think I ever saw him all weekend without a huge smile on his face and an encouraging word for every masochist. In closing, a big thank you to Clark, David and all of the wonderful volunteers.

One final thing I forgot to say is that when you look at the race results and view my "Runner Results History" it lists several DNF's and 11 hour MMTR's.... not sure how that happened but that wasn't me.... I swear this was my very first MMTR! Not sure if someone else with my name ran it before or why that shows up.

Final Mountain Masochist Preparation

Writing this with 6 days until the 2010 Mountain Masochist Trail Run. (Hope I didn't break some blogger rules/etiquette by swiping one of Beth's photos to finally put a pic with my blog.... let me know if I broke any rules) All the work is done and I will just do some easy light running this week and maybe a couple of complete rest days. I feel okay about my training but not super pleased with the last month or so. I didn't do much during the week days over the last month but continued to get some good long runs on weekends. I'll try to focus on the positive and know that I'm ready to run long for many hours. My long runs were good... over the last 12 weeks or so I've done 9 runs of 24 miles or longer (two 30+ milers, two 28 milers, 26.5 miler, two 25 milers, 24 miler, 23 miler on the MMTR trail, and the two weekends that I didn't go super long I did back to back 20's and back to back 21's.)

Last weekend I decided late in the week to head up to Lynchburg and join a bunch of other MMTR runners in a training run on the second half of the course. It was a perfect cool morning but warmed up nicely. So good to see some familiar faces, meet the famous David Horton and make some new friends. I didn't know much about the course so I stuck with some folks that I knew and a few that had run the course before. Lot's of slow uphills on Forest Service type roads. The uphill running was intimidating but I know I'll do fine climbing slow and steady. The "Loop" was just as advertised (thanks Rick).... nice single track that started gentle but had more climbing and some good technical downhill. My group got ahead of me on the downhills but I usually was able to catch back up on the uphills. After the loop had some trail that was difficult to follow but I should be able to find my way next week. Parts of the trail were so covered with leaves and so minimal of a trail that I felt like I was just running through the woods following blue blazes on the trees with no real trail. One super steep hill late is VERY steep and will be difficult just hiking up without resting on race day. The last several miles were generally downhill but I'm sure my quads will be trashed by then so that may be difficult as well.

It was a great day to be running in the mountains. I somehow got hooked into driving to the starting point (I'm sure everyone would have rather had their car at the finish) but with the beautiful weather and great friends it was nice sitting in the sun and enjoying the post run chatter. A few folks got "lost" but all made it back with a smile. Finally a driver offered to drive folks back to pick up cars. A bunch of us jumped up and hopped in his car... didn't get to say a proper goodbye but I was ready to get on the road. We had 7 hairy, smelly guys piled into a small Toyota... thank goodness for open windows! I had an uneventful ride home and was able to interrupt my music listening to tune in the LSU game on Sirius. Got home in the 2nd quarter and there was pasta boiling on the stove and I had enough energy to chop up an onion, tofu, mushrooms, green pepper, steam some bok choy and mix it all up with the pasta and ate bunches all afternoon.

I did learn a a valuable lesson about the MMTR course. As I joked with the post run crowd, I'll have to have a big lead on Beth if I intend to beat her to the finish line. She's a heck of a downhill runner! I'm a bit worried about possible bad weather next week but we shall see. Maybe that will take my mind off the difficult course.

Below is a brief summary of the last two weeks of training: (301 miles for October)

Monday 10/25
Rest Day (travel to Dallas for work meetings)
Tuesday 10/26
AM Easy paced 8 mile run
Wednesday 10/27
AM Steady 7 mile run early AM
PM Quick 4 miles on the treadmill after being in a classroom all day
Thursday 10/28
Rest Day/Travel Day
Friday 10/29
PM after getting home at 1am, did an easy afternoon 6 mile run
Saturday 10/30
AM Steady paced 14.7 miles in 2:02. 36 degree morning, but no wind. Felt great and real good to run with Chuck again after a few weeks.
Sunday 10/31
AM Nice morning... 7 miles in 60 minutes. Legs feel good.
Total 46.5 miles

Monday 10/18
AM 6 miles of easy flat running. Legs tired.
Tuesday 10/19
AM Repeat of Mondays 6 miles.
PM A lot of quick brisk walking
Wednesday 10/20
PM Steady 7 mile run in Ewood.
Thursday 10/21
AM Easy 7 miles on a cool morning
Friday 10/22
AM 10 miles of steady running with Tom in the neighborhood.
Saturday 10/23
AM 23 miles on MMTR course!
Sunday 10/24
Easy 11 mile run on the mostly flat Greenway
Total 70 miles

MMTR!!!

I got the exciting news on Saturday morning that my late overflow entry into the Mountain Masochist Trail Race had been accepted. So I'm runing a 50 mi mountain race on Nov. 6. I wanted to run another 50 miler and decided on MMTR for a few reasons... first off, well it's the Mountain Masochist, enough said! Excited to be participating in one of the east coast's premier ultra events. Plus I wanted to do another ultra sooner rather then later, feeling like my body needs a rest before I begin Umstead training. So it worked on the calendar... I've averaged around 80 miles a week since late May. So I'm excited yet nervous, concerned that I haven't done the proper mountain climbing in training. I feel like I'm a decent uphill runner, but I guess I'll find out in a few weeks.

After the high of the New River race last week you'd think I would have kicked it in training this week. Didn't exactly happen (at least not until the weekend.) I did learn a bit about my legs.... I figured out I can run 25-30 miles at an easy 9 min per mile pace and bounce back quickly with little recovery time. But running 31 miles at 8-8:20 pace really took it out of me. I just don't seem to have much energy and my legs have been dead. We moved out of our house (renting it out to the big furniture market in High Point and re-located for 8 nights into an extended stay hotel in Winston-Salem) and things weren't settled and routine for several days. So I ended up taking two days off (with a rest day prior to New River and rest day the next day).... so have taken the same amount of rest days in the last two weeks as I took all of 2008!

After not much during the week, I did have a decent weekend. Saturday I headed over to Salem Lake on a beautiful day and ran a VERY slow 24 miles. Legs were tired the whole time but I just learned of my MMTR entry so I was determined to spend a few hours on the trail. Sunday I found the closest mountain I could find and ran for 3 hours at Pilot Mtn. State Park. The trail was decent and nice to do some climbing in prep for the VA mtns. I went up to the summit twice (approx 1200'+ ea, so probably over 3,000 of climbing) and on the second time down hit an alternate trail and back up looping around the stone face of the summit... lots of rock climbing. Not sure how far I went but it was 3 hours of climbing and downhill. Legs still very tired so I have to figure out what I'll do over the next ten days before I taper. Hopefully I will head up further into the mountains this upcoming weekend.

Brief Summary of Oct 11 - Oct 17
10/11/10 Monday
AM- Easy paced 7 mile run with Chuck and docs on Ewood loop and downtown.
10/12/10 Tuesday
Busy all day long with moving out for Market so took a rest day
10/13/10 Wednesday
12 miles in Winston Salem... struggling and going slow.
10/14/10 Thursday
10 miles in W-S in a cold rain. SLOW
10/15/10 Friday
Another unplanned rest day... feeling tired and burned out
10/16/10 Saturday
Easy 24 mile run @ Salem Lake. Slow and enjoyable!
10/17/10 Sunday
@ Pilot Mtn. 3 hours, to the summit 3 times. Not sure distance, but 3 hours is 3 hours right?
Total miles: 70

New River Trail 50K Race Report

Had a great day at the New River 50K. The experience ranks a close second to my sub 3 hour marathon as a 50 yr old at the'09 Boston Marathon. The utra marathon crowd is so different then a "normal" road race or marathon. It is a very close knit family that I now feel apart of. I know I will cross paths again on another trail with many folks that I met on October 9th.

Leading up to the 50k, I had a fairly easy week. I did a 2 hour run on Wed. but just light running the other days. I did have back to back long runs a week ago. So not a complete taper but still more rested then usual.

I made the trip alone. Got up at 4:45 a.m. and was on the road shortly after 5. Besides all the running gear, I brought a banana, coffee, and 3 whole grain frozen pancakes that I popped in the toaster for a pre race meal on the drive. The drive was less then 2 hours so I had plenty of time when I arrived for the 8 a.m. start. The temps were in the low to mid 40's at the start and it was likely to be in the 70's at the finish so I really argued with myself about what to wear. I ended up deciding on short sleeves with gloves. I could always drop the gloves when it got warm.

I didn't really talk to many folks prior to the race other then in the porta john line. Of course that reminded me of my mother always meeting people at the bathrooms when we took family camping trips. Also chuckled to myself about the Keller Williams song "I Fell in Love in the Porta Pottie Line"... no I didn't fall in love but enjoyed the pre race chit chat.

The race started promptly at 8 a.m. with the sun just coming up and fog lifting over the river. The New River was wider then I expected up in Virginia. It was a beautiful sight. The entire course is on dirt (with road crossings and wooden bridges), about the width of a forest service road, all along the river. It was an out and back course. After the initial mile I sort of fell in line with Jenny, from Bristol, VA. Jenny was all decked out with fancy gear. Sports sunglasses, compression socks, vest for gels and drinks and such. She claimed to have only run two previous ultras but she talked and ran like a true veteran. [Correction: Jenny has run a bunch of ultras but I did get it right that she only had one previous 50 miler!] She was running great just 4 weeks after her first 50 mile mountain race. I noticed her Garmin chiming at what I figured were mile intervals (no marked miles on the course). Jenny let me know we were running pretty even splits, right at 8:20 per mile or so. A little faster then I planned but very comfortable. Jenny and I also had a Louisiana connection as she went to SLU in Hammond, LA. I took an early pit stop to water the bushes and quickly caught back up to her and felt like we were slowing a bit so I moved on down the trail.

I didn't really know what pace I was running, but it was cool and the views were beautiful so I just kept moving along. The trail was much like Salem Lake, only smoother and flatter. Enjoyed the course so much... shaded trail, over many foot bridges, through a very dark tunnel, past a small waterfall, farmland, crossed Chesnut Creek.... Off and on my knee was hurting but seemed to go away as quickly as I noticed it. Ultra's seem to have more good older runners and talented women. There seemed to be a bunch of over 40 guys in front of me and several women. I got to the turnaround in 2:09 and noticed at least one gray haired guy in front of me. Coming back I realized no one had passed me since probably mile 5 and I was picking off runners, so either they were slowing or I was moving along pretty good. I tried to concentrate on keeping my cadence quick and keeping my legs under me and not heel striking and braking. I was in my very minimal New Balance 100's and felt like I kept a mid foot plant the whole way.

One guy did pass me on the way back, Chad from Mooresville, NC. Chad promised me I wasn't slowing but that he had gone out very conservative and had picked up his pace. So the last 2/3 of the race he was the only one that passed me. I did a total of 5 gels, and since this was a "green" event and didn't have cups, I stopped at a few aid stations to fill up my water bottles. I opted for a fuel belt and not a hand held for fluids. My legs were feeling tired probably in the 16-25 mile range but then actually started to feel pretty good again. I guess I got in enough fuel to rid myself of the glycogen depleted leg feel (dead legs). With about 2 miles to go I ran out of water/gatorade and started to fade a bit but with so little left it wasn't a big deal. I never did catch the white haired guy but finished feeling pretty good in 4:18:56 for right at 8:20 per mile. Very pleased... and much faster then I planned to go. It was getting pretty warm late in the run and I could feel it but didn't feel like I pushed myself too hard which was my goal.

I finished in 20th place out of 130 finishers and as I suspected quite a number of 40+ guys in front of me, also was beaten by one 55 yr old, a 60 yr old (the gray headed guy I was hoping to catch) and 4 women. I think the post race experience is what really made the event so special. A woman that finished a few minutes behind me said she was heading to the river to soak like last year.... sounded like a great idea. So I made my way down to the banks of the New River and found a nice rock to sit on about 20 feet out into the river and was able to soak my tired legs in the cold clear water up to about my thighs. I ended up talking a good bit with Chad, who was the only one to pass me after the initial miles. I joked that he had ruined my day. He is also running in the Umstead 100 mile race in April. I sat back with my legs in the cold water, warm sun on my face, mountain ridges in the distance taking it all in and feeling satisfied after running 31 miles.... listening to the "ultra talk"..... "oh I heard you ran blah blah blah 50 miler, how was that?" "it was great, 20 miles of forest service road, 12,000' of climbing, the last 20 miles on gnarly, single track, thick mud and rocks.... it was so awesome" "hey do you do 5 hour back to backs or limit it to 4 hours?" "what's your next ultra?"..... I'm not sure anything could have made me happier at that moment.

I ate some great veggie soup at the post race feast, along with bread, bananas, apples, chips and lot's of cookies. I hung around some more around the finish line area chatting and cheering on the later finishers. One old guy finished and it was announced that he had just completed his 242nd ultra. He also said they don't get any easier... the finish line crowd loved it.

I said goodbye to all my new friends, thanked the race director and headed to the car to hit the road, almost not wanting to leave. BIG thanks have to go out to Annette Bednosky, the world class ultra runner, who gives back to the sport she loves by directing this wonderful race. Now on to finding the next 50 miler or 100k before I attempt 100 miles at Umstead in April.

Brief training summary from Oct 4 - Oct 9
10/4/10 Monday
Easy 5.5 mile run with Chuck and Docs
10/5/10 Tuesday
Slept in, easy 3 mi jog (semi tapering)
10/6/10 Wednesday
14.5 mi run with Chuck, 2:04. Felt good in cool crisp temps
10/7/10 Thursday
Real easy 6 mile run alone. Okay after a few miles
10/8/10 Friday
Rest Day
10/9/10 Saturday
NRT 50k 4:18:56 8:20/mi
10/10/10 Sunday
Rest Day
Total 60 miles

Training Summary Sept 27 - Oct 3

82 miles
3648' vertical
11 hrs 40 min
20 miles on trails

A good week of running as the weather turns cooler. Did another back to back long run weekend. So 2 weeks ago did back to back 21 milers, last week a 25.6 mile run, and this week back to back 20 milers. My leg/knee still an issue but it seems to be getting better. Need to continue the hip stretching to lengthen IT band. Other then that all feels pretty good. I will try to do a solid 50k this weekend at the New River 50k but don't want to have a marathon race effort and have to recover. I will decide on a 50 mile race after I see what the upcoming weekend takes out of me.

Monday 9/27/10 (8 mi, 455')
AM- w/ Tom in a light rain. Easy paced 8 mile run in Ewood and downtown.

Tuesday 9/28/10 (5 mi, 225')
AM- Busy and a little tired so just did an easy 5 mile recovery jog. Legs were okay after initial minutes.

Wednesday 9/29/10 (14.5 mi, 705')
AM- w/ Chuck... steady paced 14.7 mile loop in 2:01:55. 8:20 pace and under. Not a hard effort but faster then last week. Decent temps so solid run. Leg feels better.

Thursday 9/30/10 (0)
No running, up much of the night dealing with heavy rains and water in the basement. Unplanned rest day.

Friday 10/1/10 (14 mi, 675')
AM- Easy 2 hr run with Tom. Pleasant morning temps. Pace approx 8:40/mi. Leg ok except for a couple of patches.

Saturday 10/2/10 (20.6 mi, 963')
AM- Slept in w/ a cool morning. On roads alone, ran for 2:59:55 for 20.6 miles. 8:44/mi. Did 3 gels. Right knee gave me some intermittent pain. Iced after.

Sunday 10/3/10 (20 mi, 625')
AM- Cool morning, w/ Chuck at Salem Lake. Water at the Dam so out and back for 14 mi and added 6 more miles for 20 miles in 2:51, 8:33/ mi. Felt quite good. no leg issues. Felt better today on my second 20 mile run. Good sign. Did 2 gels and one at conclusion of run.