tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34469805755192549532024-03-19T02:30:00.348-07:00Running 4 LifeTales from my adventures in running.running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-36460073118208847502013-11-18T17:39:00.000-08:002013-11-18T17:39:11.553-08:00Stone Mill 50...part deuxIt's been two years and too long to get back to the place where I ran my first fifty miler. November 19, 2011 <a href="http://jamierunning4life.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html" target="_blank">(race report)</a> I fumbled my way through 50+ miles and felt good about finishing but not so good about the time it took me and the way I felt after. Like many runners, I felt like I needed redemption. <em>Or maybe that is just an excuse to get back out there.</em><br />
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2013 has been a year full of dealing with injuries. I started the year getting used to running in custom orthotics. I slowly built my mileage but it seemed that one thing after another kept me from getting in any sort of rhythm. Hyner in April went well for me but seemed to affect my feet a lot. I spent the summer months slowly building up yet again. I had some good weeks and some bad week. I found myself trying very hard to not do too much - mostly managing the miles and off days. I had a great time pacing at OC 100 in early October. But I had work to do after that. Unfortunately, the work didn't really happen. 8 hours/24 miles of mostly walking at OC. Other than that I have to go back to mid summer for a 20 mile run and before that to April for 31 miles at Hyner. Not exactly what I would call good training leading up to a 50 miler. "I would just fake it", I kept telling myself. "How does one fake a 50 miler?", I also asked myself. "I dunno", I answered myself. But I was certainly going to find out. <br />
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Leading up to race day, I had been dealing with strange legs pains for 2-3 weeks. I was trying to nurse it as much as possible but also wanted to be mindful if it was something that would turn serious. I had a good 17+ miler a week prior to the race and then one 5 miler during the week just to shake the legs out. The day before the race is always the worst. The anticipation...the waiting...the wondering. Let's go already! <br />
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Race Day - wake up super early, already had my gear packed in the car, I'm off. I no longer stuff myself before races as I used to. I think eating too much really worked against me in the past. Eating <u>during</u> the race is more important. I get to the race site early mainly due to "parking issues" that the RD alerted us to. My fear was having to park far from the start/finish. My fear came true. I parked probably a half mile away and this simply threw me off mentally. Only crazy ultra runners would complain about having to walk another half mile after running 50+ miles!!! <br />
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Met up with some fellow RA runners and handed out some shirts for Team Wegman's. Too bad Marie was not here to enjoy this since it was her idea and her doing. <br />
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Not much going on prior to this race. Pretty much everyone gathers at the start area and the RD yells "go". There were still runners arriving so people started whenever they could. <br />
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The beginning of the race was rather uneventful. Everyone had headlamps or handheld lights which would only be needed for 30+ minutes or so. A trip around the school to supposedly thin us out but into the woods and of course it was a conga line anyway. A short little out and back and we then headed onto the lollipop course. It had rained overnight making the course muddier than I anticipated but it wasn't too bad. <br />
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The first half the race was great. My plan was to go slow and steady the entire way. I did not want a repeat of two years ago. It was a beautiful morning. As the sun came up, the fog started to lift. The ground was slightly wet and the sounds of footsteps through the leaves would be the sound of the day. <br />
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Most of the time during longer races, you find yourself alone for long periods of time. That didn't happen too often on this day. At one point, I looked around my shoulder and there were 10-12 runners all bunched up - around mile 20 no less. I slowed a bit and let them pass. I don't mind running with others but I generally don't want to listen to their conversations (or attempts at singing). <br />
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<em>side bar</em> - <em>generally speaking most trail & ultra runners are humble and extremely friendly. Getting closer to the halfway mark, I was passed by two male runners who I had seen flip flop with me a couple of times - one of those times was a pit stop for them to take off their shirts, place them somewhere on the course, and then sprint on down the trail. But somewhere around mile 23ish, they passed me and one of them puts his hand up and says to me "high five dude". I'm thinking hmmm...ok I'll play along. So I high fived him. Now there is nothing wrong with a high five, a fist bump, a pat on the backside or whatever, but his tone of voice was very condescending which is out of context for this type of laid back race. They passed and I kept on my consistent pace. A mile or two down the trail and I see him hunched over in the middle of a field with his buddy by his side wondering what was going on. I run closer and ask "you ok?" which I usually do for a runner stopped on the trail. He answered "well yea" (again in a condescending tone) and asks "what about you?" I never stopped to chat but kept running and simply said "ok". </em> <br />
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I had lost the fellow RAers even before we started so I didn't know if they were in front of me or behind me. I made my way into the halfway Aid Station at 4:30 (ahead of schedule), hit the port o potty and feasted on a great variety of food. I left out and saw the same two shirtless runners looking like they were struggling and still at the AS. I am not a mean person but inside I had a sense of "haha" in me as I left them there.<br />
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I made my way onto the C & O canal for 3+ miles of the most boring and flat running so I put in the ear phones hoping to distract me from the pure insanity of running on such a straightaway. Not far into the canalway I turn around and see James gaining on me. He caught me. Of course I had no idea he was behind me in the first place. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZw1WwmarOHaKnMfyX6Ljq4O3MIk9834am-NcrYminHoQXzvlv9UEbbtPMR3TqIk7F__W8m95-y7XWQvPHOsSy2yu3IrPSNo4WBE20mlM4MaDhjd7y4e4L5oXPKZt0WyWykuXREWtbrc/s1600/Oct+Nov+13+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZw1WwmarOHaKnMfyX6Ljq4O3MIk9834am-NcrYminHoQXzvlv9UEbbtPMR3TqIk7F__W8m95-y7XWQvPHOsSy2yu3IrPSNo4WBE20mlM4MaDhjd7y4e4L5oXPKZt0WyWykuXREWtbrc/s400/Oct+Nov+13+052.JPG" width="400" /></a>We ran the rest of the way to the next AS and chatted. This helped me more than any music would have to distract from this section. <br />
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We hit the first drop bag AS and took some time to get ready for the rest of the race. Almost 29 miles into the race at 5:15 and things were looking good. James left out of the AS and I figured I would not see him again. I made my way up the road with him in sight but was slowed by needing to settle my stomach. I must have downed my drinks too fast. <br />
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Miles 29 -32 were a struggle as I could not find the consistency I had for most of the race. I settled in a bit and tried to just stay at one pace even if it was slow. Around mile 32 I remember hearing two runners behind me. Most of the time I veer to the right slightly and give the runners a chance to pass. But I noticed they were not trying to pass. I assumed they just wanted to stay on me and stay at my pace even though I felt like I was going so slow. I was a bit annoyed at first but after a few minutes I realized what they were doing and why. So for three quiet miles the two of them stayed with me to the next AS. When we got there the one runner thanked me for the pace. I simply thanked him back for pushing me. To be honest I probably would not have kept pace if they were not pushing me. It was a win-win. <br />
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The AS at mile 35 was a godsend. I ate a quesadilla, a big fatty piece of bacon and a cup of the most heavenly soup. <em> Note to self, always take the soup when offered</em>. I lingered a bit. I noticed the two guys that pushed me had taken off already. I needed to linger a bit longer. I left out and walked for a short while before I settled in on a slow pace. I had lost some time on the last 7+ miles. I was in 35 miles at 7 hours. I know I hit 38 miles at 7:40. Then the next 5 miles seemed to go on forever. It was rolling hills and I never could get any consistent running. All the hills were small but at that point in the race, they seemed huge. I stayed motivated by seeing other runners ahead of me and trying to reel them in. I was successfully able to pass 5 or 6 runners (I am pretty sure they were all struggling). Eventually I was also passed by some myself as I was progressively becoming slower. I hit 43 miles at around 8:50. I sat down at the AS and this did not help. I ended up not eating any food here but should have. I relied on Gatorade the rest of the way. Not sure if hallucinating is the norm for 50 milers but I saw a few things I am not sure existed - for instance there was the giant man eating beavers coming out of the creek. Then there was the haunted deer skeletons.<br />
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I slowly made my way out knowing there was 7 or 8 miles left. I was relegated to pulling 15 minute miles by my estimation. I hit the last AS (mile 48) at 10 hours. I had not made my goal. I was confident that 10 hours was attainable but I just could not manage. I pushed and pushed and eventually finished at 10:57ish. I was happy to be done. <br />
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So apparently faking a 50 miler is possible. I know the one piece I was missing was the long run. Runs between 4-7 hours just were not happening for me leading up to the race. I feel fairly confident that sub 10 hours will be relatively easy (no not easy but doable) with more focused training. I don't feel like I went into this race too cocky. I was ready for a bonk and even having to drop due to leg issues. So I am happy with the result. <em>(*disclaimer - I do not recommend "faking a 50"...it is reckless and stupid!)</em><br />
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Thanks to all the volunteers that put on Stone Mill. The AS workers were fantastic - asking what runners needed - kicking them out when they lingered too long, making some great food. All this for 35 bucks. <br />
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Thanks to the fellow RAers for the motivation of just being on the same trails on the same day.<br />
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Thanks to Wegman's for sponsoring us. Got a few compliments on the shirts: "Go Wegman's....I love that store". "For a minute I thought your shirt was advertising an Irish Pub since it was green", and my favorite "Hey did you see there is another guy that has a Wegman's shirt?" Hmmm...what a coincidence. <br />
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So, what's next? running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-24413727416605856922013-04-22T19:31:00.001-07:002013-04-24T11:03:23.064-07:00Conquering Hyner<span style="font-size: large;">Hyner cannot be conquered. It conquers you! Hyner is an epic event that has grown in popularity over the last few years. Located in the "middle-of-nowhere" in central Pennsylvania amongst the hills and valleys, the trails of Hyner boast never ending climbs, gnarly down hill, grueling gradual climbs through the river runs, and amazing views. Instead of doubling the already popular 25k course to make a ridiculous 50k course, the race coordinators created a new section to add to the 25k course for an adventurous and moderately difficult 50k course. I do not have a ton of experience in 50k courses but I would bet this is one of the toughest east of the Mississippi. It boasts of 7000ft+ of climbs and 7000ft+ of downhill. This was my third year at Hyner - second for the 50k version. It has quickly become a favorite of mine.</span> <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Respect</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This I have come to learn: YOU MUST RESPECT THE HYNER! You must respect the hills of Hyner. If you do not, they will chew you up and spit you out. And since there are so many, you could find yourself all kinds of messed up. You could find yourself like this (see below) poor soul. And this is only the first climb. You must respect the downhill. If you do not, your quads may just explode. You must respect the long trudge through Johnson Run and Ritchie Run. If you do not, your brain may explode with the numbing rocks, fallen trees, and creek crossings. You must respect the trail. She can work for you if you show her proper respect. You must respect Hyner. Don't say I never warned you!</span> <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Preperation for the Hyner</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 2012, I limped into the inagural 50k at Hyner with knee tendonitis that had hampered my training plans. I managed to get through it and live to tell about it. After some time off, I set my sights on increasing my mileage and run a couple ultras in the fall. Unfortunately, summer brought a <em>foot issue</em> that I originally thought was Achilles Tendonitis. I started a pattern of time off followed by trying to run again. The time off needed to increase as the discomfort wasn't going away. I finally made the decision to take an indefinate amount of time off which included bypassing my race plans I had for the fall. I ended up taking a bit less than two months off and also started to see a physical therapist since the discomfort did not go away - infact my other foot began to also give me problems. The PT assessed a mechanical issue in my gait and said due to that and the higher mileage, my tibialis tendon was flaring up. "My what?", I said. It's a tendon that runs through your arch and up near the achilles tendon. Long story short(er), I struggled to run again even with permission to run. I did many exercises to strengthen weak areas in my feet/ankles/knees. I ended up getting custom orthotics. Things started to go well. I surprisingly got used to the ortothics and had built my long runs up to the 15-17 mile range on technical trails. Things were going too well. More issues with my feet arose - some of which seem to be exaccerbated by the orthotics. Despite this, I managed to continue to run, build my long runs, do some strength training, continue my PT exercises and sign up for Hyner at the end of February. I was not confident that I would be ready but I would show up anyway. Overall, my mileage has been low (no weeks over 38 miles) with my longest LR of 24 miles. This period has been very difficult for me. I have had thoughts cross my mind numerous times that I should just quit running altogether. I have had bad days (achiness in my feet/lower legs), good days (where I feel like I could get back on track to run ultras), and a few really bad days. My solice has been the runners that have dealt with their own chronic injuries for longer periods and were resilient in staying the course. Through persistence and patience I continue on. This is not a conversation I have had with too many people. Most would not understand the emotion behind it. I am strangely emotionally attached to this thing called trail running. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I recently reviewed my race report from 2012 for the same course and here is what I ended the report with:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>"My recommendation is only do this event if you are a demented & sick person who loves to inflict self-pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Ask me if I would do it again? I think I distinctly said "no way" during and right after, but you never know."</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">So why am I back????? To seek revenge on this wicked beast! <span style="color: red;">(oh but you must respect her...)</span></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The days leading to Hyner</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The days leading up the event are usually filled with many checks of the weather, checking gear, fighting off some of the anxious feelings and tapering. This year would not quite live up to the same process. The events on April 15th, 2013 during the Boston Marathon turned my attention from Hyner to the tragic bombings, the victims, the heros and the manhunt for the sick & twisted souls who did this. On the one hand, my anxiety about Hyner was minimal but my heart was breaking as the week went on. I did manage to keep an eye on the weather and because it appeared that there would be a potential for strong storms rolling through on Friday, I decided not to stay in the area Friday night but rather make the long drive in the early hours Saturday morning. The night before I was glued to the TV as law enforcement caught up with the lone suspect that was alive in the bombings. This gave me a little peace as I tried to get a few hours of sleep. Three AM rolled around and I was out of bed and started my routine. As I read my Bible, as I normally do in the morning before a run or workout, maybe it was coincidence or maybe it was meant to be but I was at the story of David & Goliath. Hmmm...whatever could this mean for Hyner? Was this the day I would slay the giant? Don't say that too loud, she might hear you! <span style="color: red;">(you must respect her...). </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I grabbed some food and made the drive. As I hit route 80, the dark skies slowly became illuminated behind the mountains. The sign read "Welcome to the Pennsylvania Wilds". That gave me a great feeling. This is a beautiful part of PA. I made my way through the winding road that led directly to the site of the event where hundreds of people would gather to suffer the same pain --together!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was colder than I anticipated. Fortunately I had stuffed a bin full of various clothing items so I could choose what I would need when I arrived. It felt like a winter day. This seems to be another facet of the Hyner. She likes to mess with your mind. The weather is always unpredictable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I looked at my car and was reminded that people were pulling for me. My wife found a way to send me a message (even without cell phone service - another way that madame Hyner gets you - <em>no calls for help</em>).</span> <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Friends at Hyner</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Before the race, I was able to meet up with a couple of regulars that I seem to see at many different races. Run these races enough and you will recognize a lot of people. I was also able to meet up with some of the fellow RA crew. I think everyone had a good time.</span> <br />
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Craig, Me, Marie, Tania, & Stacey </div>
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(why am I always the tallest one in the crowd?)</div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Challenge</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"10...9...8...7....6....5....oh wait" (interruption) "Let's start that over again". This is how we started. No one cared. It's a 50k. It's a long day. It made most of us laugh. Not so sure how that would go over in a 5k. Off we go, start with a warm-up over the bridge looking up to the right to where we will be in a little less than an hour. "I will own you today" I thought of saying but then thought better of it </span><span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">(you must respect her...). <span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">I did come into this race with a strategy today. It was very simple: Just beat Marie. That was it - that all I wanted to do. </span><em><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">She beat me last year - lulling me to sleep with her sob story of it being her first 50k. Ok Marie. I get it. You played a game with me last year. Last year, we got to one stretch of 3 mile downhill and you took off. You stayed at the "cabin" aid station long enough to see me come in bruised and battered and then took off laughing. Not this year. I will get my revenge.</span> </em></span></span><br />
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I see you Marie. You won't escape!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;">We hit the trail called "Cliffhanger". It is a narrow trail with a nice drop on the right. We are still in warm-up mode as we made our way along. There is no reason to be impatient here. Part way through, the guy in front of me steps a little too close to the edge and off he goes tumbling down the cliff. No not really. But he did get too close to the edge and a nice size boulder went tumbling down towards the train tracks. I think his response was "oops". Ok let's just get off of this narrow trail. I don't want to end my life so early in the race. Let's wait until much later when the pain is too much to bear. And then it begins. The climb up "Humble Hill". It is relentless and steep. I wish I could say there were great views but all I could see was the muddy trail and the back of the shoes of the guy in front of me.</span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><em>I know she is there. She haunts me.</em> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">Two false summits later (but how false can they be since I knew they were there?) and we were at the top of Hyner View. It was beautiful. I stopped to snap a couple of pictures. Every year I say I need to spend a bit more time there enjoying the views. But alas - there is work to be done.</span> </span></span><br />
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Can I get a hang glider?<br />
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The view from the escarpment leading to Hyner View<br />
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Spectators heckling the runners at Hyner View<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">At the top - wish I had time to stay.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;"> <em><span style="color: black;">I looked behind - no Marie. Where is she? Did she somehow get in front of me and I was oblivious to it? Couldn't be.</span> </em>In an almost paranoid fashion, I started the descent down the other side. It was a beautiful switchback followed by a steep pitch into a serene area of great running. Someone was breathing down my neck. Was it....no not Marie. It was Tania. She passed me and took off down the trail like she was on a mission. I whispered "don't forget to respect the trail". Not sure she heard me. Didn't matter - she was killing the down hill. Mental note to self - I must work on my technical downhill skills. Just before the entrance into Johnson Hollow, a member of the DCNR stood where last year an aid station stood. I hesitated for a moment and chatted with him a bit. I thanked him for their service over the last week. A few storms had ripped through during the last few days dropping many trees. The DCNR and the Trail Dogs did a great job of clearing what they could. <span style="color: black;"> </span><em><span style="color: black;">A quick glance over my shoulder to see if Marie was there. I thought maybe I saw her white hat. Got to get going here!</span> </em>The entrance into Johnson Run is a bit of an uphill and then a short blast straight into the run. Johnson Run in a beautiful remote meandering trail in and out of the creek, over downed trees, rolling terrain but all at a slight incline. The first section is mostly runnable. I made my way to the "50k loop". About halfway through Johnson Run, we caught a side trail up to "sledgehammer" which is a pure uphill slog. It is not too technical but just up. <span style="color: black;"> <em>I kept looking behind me but no Marie.</em></span> I thought I saw Tania up ahead so I chugged along. The climb up was typical for the day in terms of weather. It changed every 10 minutes. We had part blue skies, part clouds, some snow, sleet, cold, warm, and lots of wind. I thought it was odd to see blue skies over there, sun out but then snow blowing in from behind me. This was the day in weather - repeat over and over again. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Here's an example of the weather (end of the race). Can you see the difference? Pictures only 1 min apart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">The 14 mile loop that only the 50kers are privileged to run is a beautiful remote and mostly runnable section of trail. After a quick aid station stop, I ran the rolling trail. It was here that my right calf area started to seize up. This was a similar pain to a previous training run that seemed to turn into a strain and took days to heal up. I believe it is related to my feet issues. I suddenly became very worried. I was not even 10 miles in and this was starting. I started to contemplate how I would get through the day with that kind of discomfort. The thing was - it wasn't that bad yet but I was thinking it would get worse and with many miles to go, it could get ugly. But the pain never did get any worse. Eventually I forgot about it. I came to Farley Vista. I stopped and took a couple of pictures. As I was doing so, a handful of runners passed me by. Honestly, I didn't care (<em><span style="color: black;">unless if it would have been Marie</span></em>).</span> </span></div>
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Farley Vista</div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"> A quick look down the trail and I was off in my favorite section. A downhill meander of 3 miles or so. <em><span style="color: black;">This is where I really became paranoid. I thought for sure Marie would catch me here. Afterall, this is where she lost me last year.</span></em> I did my best to stay consistent on the downhill. And then it happened! Blam! Pow! Bang! I was passed. I had heard someone coming up behind me and gave a slight glance. I saw "the white hat". So as to not look like I was really paranoid, I didn't give a big look. Instead I acted as if I did not care that she was passing me - no sense of urgency. She pulled up on my left and I gave a "hi, how are you?" as I do to so many others runners. She answered with an "ok" or something like that and kept going past me. <span style="color: black;"> </span><em><span style="color: black;">Wait! That's not Marie. Same build, height, similar hat but definitely not Marie. Whew!</span> </em>I had a renewed energy and bombed down the hill. My favorite of favorites was to come. At the end of this three mile downhill was a very steep downhill that dropped us into Ritchie Run. Because of the rain and runners in front of me, it was pure mud. It felt like skiing on mud. I have no idea how I stayed on my feet but I was swishing back and forth like I was on a ski slalom. Ritchie Run greeted me with joy. It is Johnson Run's "little brother".</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">I remember last year getting so frustrated with it. Not much was runnable for me. So I decided this year to just power hike it. This was a smart decision as mentally I was not as exhausted by it. I passed by Tania, gave her some much needed chocolate, and chopped my way up the severely muddy log flume trail. I was truly christening my new Cascadia's.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;"> A meandering up and around brought us eventually to "the cabin" at mile marker 17 or 18 - really unsure at this point in the race. It all becomes a bit blurry. I took adavantage of my drop bag and changed out into dry socks. It felt like heaven. <em><span style="color: black;">Tania came waltzing into the Aid Station and then it hit me. I had positioned myself on the porch of the cabin so I could see down the trail. Marie came round the corner right for us. This time it was her. I knew I didn't have time to lose. I exchanged a few kind words and then got a quick bite to eat and I was off. Port-a-potty stop? No. I have to beat Marie! </span></em>So off I went in my nice dry socks thinking this is what I needed. Enjoying the trail and SPLAT! A huge mud puddle. I think I literally said out loud "Really??? What was the point of changing my socks?!?" Oh well. It wasn't long before we hit the top of Sledgehammer to make our way down to Johnson Run again. I have to admit, I don't think I respected this hill. I bombed it and passed a couple of guys along the way. I had only wished this would not come back to haunt me. In Johnson Run again, I was at another tough running section. I once again power hiked it. This is where I died last year. It felt like eternity last year to get out of Johnson Run. Not so much this year. I had a renewed energy and enjoyed the power hike. I did my best to encourage all of the hikers along the way. At the top, there was a welcomed aid station but I stayed barely a minute to grab and go. There were 25kers standing around - either done for the day or really not caring how long they lingered at the aid station. Off I went down Post Draft. Something seemed off though. It was eerily quiet and without people. I must have been by myself for a good 10 minutes. Eventually a 50ker caught up to me and passed me. I had just passed him in Johnson Run - unaware he was in the 50k. More hikers passed and (2) more 50kers that caught up <em>(<span style="color: black;">but not Marie</span></em><span style="color: black;">!</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">).</span> We then chugged our way up Cleveland Hollow and eventually to the dreaded SOB. I literally crawled up on my hands and feet. It was the only way to relieve the pressure off my lower back. It worked. Another brief stop at the aid station and I had 4.5 miles to go. Looked at my watch and amazed at how I was doing (compared to last year<em>). <span style="color: black;">But all that mattered little. I just needed to beat Marie</span></em><span style="color: black;">.</span> A horseshoe trail around the mountain and then a downward trek down Huff Run. I passed a handful of 50kers. It was at this point that I knew I was having a good second half of the race. One guy bombed past me on Huff Run. I tried to keep up but he was simply too good on the technical downhill. Another note to self - must practice the technical downhills! Back to the pavement and a simple jaunt over the bridge and I might just do it. Too bad the bridge feels like an eternity. The only flat surface of the entire race and the feet just rebelled. I kept looking over my shoulder but I think I finally realized that she (<em><span style="color: black;">you know who</span></em>) would not catch me. A little climb at the end and I was home free. Fifty feet from the finish as I was exiting the woods, I felt footsteps behind me. I heard footsteps coming fast. Before I could fully turn my head, I was passed. I had eased just a bit to walk the last hill and got passed at the finish. <span style="color: black;"><em>But it wasn't Marie so I let the runner go</em>.</span> I crossed and smiled as I quickly realized what a great day it was.</span> </span><span style="color: white;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN8S_GEWN7qsFq67SAh-QtjSBKTWuB-DgK1nQo6oJVKSFOp7k7k0Tg89f2_uS8OAAGpNRW8yzn5f6XPOpVDQJE2DWElnWHAa2y5nLfy_proGW3OVFAdkE3JPrzDULDQNL9VZCxd4_Juk/s1600/Running+083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN8S_GEWN7qsFq67SAh-QtjSBKTWuB-DgK1nQo6oJVKSFOp7k7k0Tg89f2_uS8OAAGpNRW8yzn5f6XPOpVDQJE2DWElnWHAa2y5nLfy_proGW3OVFAdkE3JPrzDULDQNL9VZCxd4_Juk/s640/Running+083.JPG" width="640" /></a> Marie finishes - AFTER ME!!!!!!!! Sweet victory! </div>
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A look back at Madame Hyner. "I do respect you" I said as I drove away for the day. I will see you again next year. </div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">On the day I finshed <span style="color: red;">68</span> out of <span style="color: red;">108</span> finishers with a time of <span style="color: red;">7:36:55</span> (avg pace of <span style="color: red;">15:02</span>). I bettered my time from last year by <span style="color: red;">43</span> minutes. Not bad considering I am not in the shape I would have liked for this race. I would like to see <span style="color: red;">sub 7 hours</span> for next year. It's possible - with some respect.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">I will admit that my fueling and hydration was very poor for me but somehow it worked. During the race I had my 70oz bladder filled with water and Hammer Endurolyte Fizz. I drank a mere 35 oz of that during the entire race. I had maybe 2-3 cups of gatorade at aid stations. I had (3) half bananas, (2) PB&J squares, (2) small pieces of chocolate, half a snickers bar, some assorted nuts, and an ensure at the cabin aid station. How I had the energy I did during the second half is beyond me. If the weather was warm, it might be a different story. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">My feet held up during the race. Two days later as I write this - it's a different story. I am in a decent amount of foot pain (near but not on my achilles) on both feet. My legs are sore but minimally so compared to last year. I was strong on the climbs - I owe some of that to the stair machine at the gym. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">All in all, it was a good day. I am happy with the results but not satisfied. I can do better. <span style="color: red;">Next year! I will conquer you madame Hyner!</span><span style="color: red;"> (</span><span style="color: red;">with all due respect</span><span style="color: red;">)</span></span></div>
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running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-6423563675327468492013-02-17T11:31:00.001-08:002013-02-17T11:40:11.970-08:00This is why I run trail...All week I was filled with that bottom-of-the-stomach anticipation. I envisioned what the trails would look like. I kept an eye on the weather - snow or no snow? My biggest concern for snow is getting to the trail head. One last check of the weather - it should be clear. Just rain the night before. <br />
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Up early, prepped, and out the door. Still dark but light was a comin'. I anticipated 25 minutes or so to the trail head parking area. Wait - why didn't I know exactly? I have been there before. But it's been a while. As I exited the highway, I saw the mountain I would be climbing. Another 9 miles of driving parallel to this ridge. It was hard for me to keep my eyes on the road as I continually gazed at the snow topped ridge line. What an amazing sight to see the lower half of the ridge bare and the upper half <em>painted</em> with white icing! The butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. How I longed to get out on the trail. This is a feeling I will never figure out. I don't understand this anticipatory anxious yet excited feeling for a date with the trails. Maybe it's a feeling that shouldn't be figured out. There it was - the dirt - no mud drive up to the state game lands parking area. No snow or ice to worry about getting up this hill - just mud. What a mess! But there it was. The trail head beckoned me to come quickly. I did not let her down. <br />
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Off I went. Down and up the trail. Spots of snow and ice but mostly bare. I entered shortly after a good warm-up to the first climb. Up and up it went. There were no switchbacks. I followed the gas line clearing up <em>Second Mountain</em>. But were was first mountain? I don't know. I just know this is called <em>Second Mountain</em>. Halfway up and I met snow - such beautiful fluffy, fresh snow. The rain we got the night before was snow up there. I was first on the trail today - of a human kind anyway. Lots of tracks but none of the homo sapiens variety. This is why I run trail. <br />
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On the other side I bombed down the hill but shortly down the snow turned to crunchy ice. Such a beautiful winter wonderland I thought. There were many moments I just took it all in and appreciated the beauty of nature. I did not know it yet but for the duration of this run, I would experience dry trails, wet muddy trails, icy trails, snowy trails, and really snowy trails. This is why I run trail.<br />
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I made my way over the rolling logging trail down to the valley floor. In the middle of two beautiful ridges was a creek and a rail trail. It's quite a sight to the eyes to view the corridor of nature all around. Quickly I made my second ascent. This was the big one - 1000 feet in one mile and most of that in the last half mile. It is a lung burner. The water tank trail follows a trickle coming off the mountain. It was below freezing out, but this water still found a way to keep moving. Once in the middle of this climb I had two choices - continue straight up the Water Tank Trail or veer to the right up the Janie Trail. I went to the right knowing it was slightly less streep but would add a little distance to my trek. At the top I bushwacked my way through low lying rhododendron and thickets weighed down by the snow. It was so thick I almost lost the trail. My legs were cold and cut up from making my way through this winter wonderland jungle. I made it to the top. Before me was a jeep trail that traveled the ridge line. I looked down to 4 or 5 inches of snow. Glorious! This is why I run trail. <br />
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It was here that the adventure started. I had read about a fire tower at the top of this mountain but had never been there. It was a side trail that only led to the tower. The snow seemed to be getting deeper. Probably only my imagination. But then before me appeared the tower. As I approached it, I marveled at such a simple concept - a fire tower in the middle-of-nowhere. Probably more contact with the animals than humans. A 9-foot fence with barb wire with signs that said <br />
"Authorized Personnel Only". Hmmm....but the gate leading in is wide open. I can't pass that up. So I carefully made my way up the tower. Ok before I go on - I do not condone trespassing or vandelism or houlaganism but THEY LEFT THE GATE OPEN! I just had to see what I could see. I got some great views. Too bad my minor fear of heights (and being stranded in the wilderness during the winter) kept me from going to the top. I estimated the tower to be 100 or maybe 125 feet high. I could tell the tower was rusty and with the snow cover, it was hard to tell how rusty. So I went as far as I felt comfortable with. But the views I saw were worth what I could do. This is why I run trail. <br />
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The trip down the mounatain was incredible. One mile of snow top mountain followed by 3 miles of glorious downhill. Once back in the valley again, I knew the trail went through the creek. NO other choice but to wade through it. On any day of the year, this mountain fed creek is cold but in the middle of winter - well you get the picture. Thankfully my Salomon shoes and drymax socks work wonders with getting rid of the wet. Half a mile up the trail I never would have known of the ice cold soaking my feet took. This is why I run trail. <br />
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The rest of the journey was mud filled followed by my last climb up to the snow again and finished with more shoe sucking mud. In the end, I finished 17+ miles in just over 4 hours. One human sighting, multiple white tails, too many tracks in the snow to count, ice, snow, mud, single track, jeep road, logging road, rail trail, steep ascents, long downhills, flat, snowing, sunny, cloudy, windy, calm, cold, warm...This is why I run trail. running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-36899868220934741502013-02-16T13:35:00.001-08:002013-02-16T13:35:33.460-08:00PA Grand CanyonMy blog entries are normally 85% running stuff and 15% other. Running for me lately has been up and down - both physically and mentally. I had the opportunity to get away and go camping - something I don't get to do often but love. I wanted to blog some of teh details to share but also to later refresh my memory on a great place. <br />
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The place - PA Grand Canyon. Camping at Leonard Harrison State Park - literally a few hundred yards from the overlook on the east rim. Having been to the "real" Grand Canyon (as I described it to my 7 yr old), I was wondering how this would compare. In reality I knew it wasn't even close in magnitude but PA has it's own unique beauty. <br />
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We arrived late Friday afternoon - myself, my brother, a camping buddy and my 7 yr old son in tow. After a 3 hour drive, we arrived to nice weather and pleasantly surprised to a decent campground. This isn't always the case with state parks in PA. The bathroom was nice and clean. We set up, started a fire as the sun started to set and cooked some hot dogs over the flame. But we knew the storm was coming - just praying it would blow to the north. It started with the wind and then the rain. We hunkered down under the canopy and just hung out for a while. My 7 yr old just thought it was cool to play out in the rain at night. Maybe it would have been but this front brought in cold air with it. We ended up going to bed around 9 simply because it was cold and not much to do. <br />
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After a cold rainy night, we woke early (thanks to my 7 yr old who has way too much energy) to a nice rising sun that eventually helped dry things out. After a very full breakfast, we headed out to explore and hike the trails. Because we were so close to the east rim, we were there at the overlook quickly and treated to a beautiful sight. After some gawking and plenty of pictures we hiked a short trail - the overlook trail I believe it was called. My 7 yr old says he enjoys hiking but always seems to complain during the beginning of a hike. I think he might just become a trail runner as he was bombing his way downhill on the trail. Normally I wouldn't care but since there is a nice drop on one side of the trail into the canyon, I had to squash that quickly. After this trail we made our way down the Turkey Path Trail which led down to the canyon floor. This trail is only one mile but was absolutely beautiful. My standard of beautiful is certainly different than most as I think in terms of trail running. The signs all said "Beware - this is a rugged and steep trail". To me that meant it was probably perfect and it just about was. It was one mile of pure switchback heaven. But there one problem - I was not running. We were hiking. All I kept thinking was <em>I need to run this trail</em>. It was begging to be run. But first , we hiked! We came to the bottom of the canyon floor to a beautiful sight of a wide creek meandering through the canyon. There was also a rail trail that followed the creek. There were many bikers using the rail trail on this day. We sat on the creek on large flat rocks and ate some lunch and snapped some pictures. We saw an unusualy sight - dozens of rock towers. I have seen these before on trails but usually very small. These were large (a couple huge towers) and wide spread over this part of the creek. It was a strange occurence but rather interesting. After relaxing for a bit on the rocks, we started our trek back up. <br />
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Let me break for a moment to describe the trail: From the top it starts with nicely groomed trail that would go for a few hundred yards and then turn sharply for a switchback. After several of these the trail met up with a run that displayed numerous waterfalls and pools of water. The trail portion became rugged and steep, sections of mini caves, steep ledges off to one side and many (many) steps. Some years back steps were built in the more difficult sections to navigate. My son counted 127 on the final section. There were at least 3 other sections of steps and in between were sections of rugged trail. The run of course made it's way to the creek at the canyon floor. <br />
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Back to the climb back up. It started with steps, and more steps and so on. My 7 yr old took off and led us up the trail. At times he is an endless ball of energy. We made our way to the top in a much faster time than we descended mainly due to all the pictures we took on the way down. Once at the top, I couldn't stop thinking about running that trail. I contemplated doing it later that day but with all the people visiting, I thought I would get caught up in passing people and get annoyed. So I waited until morning. <br />
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And so it began, woke up the next morning. It was cold. I am not used to camping in the cold. I was bundled beyond bundled. I milled around for a bit trying to get warm by the fire. And then I thought, there is no time like the present. So I got ready and started on down the road towards the trails at the canyon. One problem - the park didn't open until 9am and I was early. There is no gate but there was a DCNR worker cleaning up around the entrance area. So I went into stealth mode and found a trail that went around the entrance. I was able to get a good warmup for 2 miles and then snuck my way behind the entrance. It was here that I realized that there was a strange fog in the canyon making it impossible to see down to the canyon floor but there was also blue skies and the sun beaming down. After gawking at this sight I took off down the Turkey Path Trail. I figured I would have it all to myself and I did on the way down. I had the time of my life. I was flying down the switchbacks enjoying every single step. It was one of those truly epic moments I will never forget especially descending into the foggy abyss. The lower half of the trail is very technical and also has some stairs thrown in so I slowed down considerably. As I got down to the canyon floor, I was out of the fog. I looked up and could not see the blue skies. This fog was settled in the middle of the canyon. I figured I would add a little mileage so I ran a couple more miles out and back on the rail trail. On my way back up the Turkey Path Trail, I pushed and pushed. It was tough but oh so fun. I passed a few people coming down and realized the park had opened. In the end I made good time ascending. The imagery of this run will never leave me. It has to be my favorite non-race trail moment up to this point in my life.<br />
I can't wait to go back and run the Turkey Path again. <br />
<br />
Posting this 6 months after this trip, I still remember ths trails vividly. Unfortunately (for now) I cannot find my pictures of the area. Until I can find them, you may have to use your imagination. running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-48500006320182390962012-08-19T11:59:00.000-07:002012-08-19T11:59:06.420-07:00On the Rocks Trail Run 30kAugust 18, 2012<br />
<br />
On The Rocks Trail Run - 30k<br />
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<br />
It was a tough day! That about sums it up. This is the shortest race I have run since the same race a year ago. Last year at On The Rocks Trail Run I ran the 16.3 mile version. Since then I have run (3) 50k races and (1) 50 miler. This year they increased this event to a 30k. No problem right? <br />
<br />
Last year I didn't take this event very serious. I added it at the last minute as a training run. I finished in 3:08 on a fairly technical course. I was very happy with it. This year, I knew they had added the needed distance to get the 30k. What I wasn't prepared for was that they reversed the direction of the course from last year. <br />
<br />
Leading to the race, I was late. I am typically early for races - many times one of the first ones at a race. I had not given what time I needed to leave much thought. I left home on a beautiful morning and was excited to have a good race. I had to get there first though. I hit a detour and not knowing the area, I was a bit stressed. Finally I found my way there but displaced by 15 minutes. I arrived at 7:15 for a 7:30 race and had to walk a bit to get my bib and then back to the car. I briefly met Stacey on the way to get my bib (sorry Stacey I would have enjoyed talking more but I was late). Back to the car, changed my shirt, shoes and made the decision to wear the hydration pack vs. carrying nothing. This was at least one good decision I made today. Off we went. The 30k runs with the 15k except we would simply run the loop twice. We were humming along and apart from getting weirded out by running the course in reverse, all I could think of was "wow this course is rockier than I remembered". I really felt terrible the first 4 miles. I have no clue why I felt that way but I just pushed on. I found a runner that I thought was running a nice comfortable pace and followed her - I think I was either right behind her or in eye sight of her for 10 miles or so. This helped me. Towards the end of the first loop (where I knew we would dump a bunch of runners since most do the 15k) I was really feeling my left achilles which has been acting up over the last few weeks, I had been worried about this coming into this race but made the decision to run anyway and evaluate after how it was. It crossed my mind to stop at the 15k and call it a day but I am too stubborn for that.<br />
<br />
The second loop started by following the same female runner. I don't know if she was annoyed by me or not but I would like to think I served as her guardian angel a couple of times. I saw her go down (hard by the looks) during the first loop. I asked if she was ok and she obviously was because she got up and kept chugging. On two occassions during the second loop, she started going off the course so I hollered at her. I suppose she would have realized it after a while but what was I supposed to do - let her get lost? About mile 15 I couldn't keep up with her anymore. This was sad because she was not going fast. She was very consistent though which kept me focused on being consistent. But at mile 15 (or so) I just felt miserable. My achilles was sore (mostly in my heel), my legs felt bad, feet felt torn up (thanks to the ridiculous amounts of rocks on this course). I felt sorry for myself and slogged along. A couple miles to the end and I was passed by a runner. This was the only runner who passed me from mile 4 to this point. That in and of itself was strange. <br />
<br />
Finally I finshed - not in the 3:45 I predicted for myself or even under 4 hours which I had changed my prediction to mid race. I finished in 4:13 (after a 1:55 first loop) and 4th to last place (I believe the last three came in together no more than one minute after me). Now I believe there were about 30ish participants in the 30k. All in all, it just didn't feel right. I can't blame my achilles or lack of training runs on technical trails since Hyner in April but the bottom line is it just sucked! It's ok though. A bad day on the trails is still a good day overall. <br />
<br />
All I can do is take some time off to heal and re-evaluate what I can do to improve. I have to do some strength training (something I have been telling myself for a while now - time to do it!) This I know is lacking and contributing to my little injuries. I have no right putting myself in longer races without being prepared. I get through them but it's not how I want to run them (anymore). <br />
<br />
The great thing about trail running and running in general is how it is a challenge against myself and not anyone else. Despite not liking the place I cam in today, it wasn't about anyone else. It was about me. I can't control how anyone else does. In fact maybe they all had good days. But I can control how I prepare. <br />
<br />
I will forgo the next race. I had hoped to run a 40 miler (Trails 4 Tails) in late September but at this point that would be beyond stupid. I will be my best to get healthy and be smart about whether I am ready for another 50 miler in November.running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-12182922502412055122012-04-22T12:15:00.000-07:002012-04-22T16:50:30.970-07:00A Kick in the Hyner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is what this trail event truly is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The </span><a href="http://hikerun.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Hyner Trail Challenge</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> has been around now
for 5 years and up until this year has only had a 25k (16.4 mile) event which
has grown immensely in popularity since it began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have sold out the last few years with
over 1000 participants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is arguably
the most popular trail event in central PA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The </span><a href="https://ultrahike.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Megatransect</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, affectionately known as the “Mega”, is another popular
event which sold out this year within hours of registration opening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Hyner cannot boast that, it still sells
out and gets 1000+ participants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
trails of Hyner are remote and very technical located in the “middle of
nowhere” in central Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
event has attracted folks of all ages and abilities from hikers to the some
really strong trail runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take for
example the winning time last year of 2:22 (in bad conditions) and the last
person came in at 7:42 (and 9+ hours in years past).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But yet at the start, everyone is equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 2011, I entered in this event and ran (well ran some,
hiked some, slogged some) a time of 4:21 in what has become known as “the year
of the monsoon”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conditions were
cold, rainy, windy and mud beyond mud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For trail runners, it’s just another day on the trails but truly not
ideal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It certainly didn’t slow the
front runners down but by the time I got through the trails (with 300 or so in
front of me) it was a royal mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
vowed to be back someday and prove I could run a much better time on a brutal
and beautiful course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the summer of 2011, a rumor was spreading that the folks
that put on this race (the trail dawgs) were working on putting on a 50k
version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first thought was “No Way!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I read more about the rumors, it soon
became a reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They opened
registration in August 2011 for a course that wasn’t even finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more I thought about it, the more I was
scared to even become serious about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was also during the time I was training for and running my first
ultras (two 50K races in October and a 50 miler in November).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thoroughly enjoyed those experiences and
then got serious about doing what I thought would be an epic event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I signed up in January and solidified my
place in the first running of the Hyner Trail Challenge 50k.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Training: For me all I wanted to do was to continue what I
had going for my ultra experiences in the fall of 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I ran the Stone Mill 50 in November, I
eased up my running in December to “recover”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was in good shape from the 50 except for my right hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had taken a nasty fall early in the 50 and
it remained sore (mostly on runs) for months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In January, I ramped up the long runs again and made sure I got out to
some similar terrain as Hyner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used
some trails north of Harrisburg which has become known as the Buzzards Marathon
Course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contains a series of trails
linked together with big climbs. It was just what I needed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the warmest and driest winter I can
remember, I was getting in some decent runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wasn’t pushing my weekly mileage but on weekends I was able to get out
for easy 2-4 hour runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked my way
up to March 11, 2012 where I did what is unofficially known as the Buzzards
marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It essentially was a training
run for me – 6 hours, 26 miles, rocks, climbs, downhill, and a chilly creek
crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a nice run except for one
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My knee had really been bothering
me during the second half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no
choice but to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To make a long
story short, this was the beginning of a bout with tendonitis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that 26 miler, I had intended on
getting in another 22-26 mile run on the same trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no dice! I reluctantly had to dial down
the mileage and long runs and ended up even taking a week off from
running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A week before Hyner, I felt
mentally unprepared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had been 5 weeks
since my last real training run – nothing over 11 miles since that 26
miler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I went out for a 19 mile trail
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Felt pretty good up until I fell at
the halfway point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I landed on – wait
for it – my ailing knee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am unsure if
the blow to the knee or the tripping over the rock with my right foot which
sent a vibration through my joints caused the pain but the rest of the run was
hampered by the same tendonitis pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
runs for me the week leading to Hyner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
look back and ask “was it worth it?” to get out and run 19 miles because my
weak little mind <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">needed</i> it to feel
confident again? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fast forward to race day: Because Hyner is in the middle of
nowhere, runners either camp near the start/finish, get a hotel in Lock Haven
(30 minutes south) or drive to the site that morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year I stayed with a friend 40 minutes
north of the site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t sleep – at
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this year I made the decision to
just drive the 2.5 hours in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not ideal but I don’t sleep well anywhere but my bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So at 4am, I left the house and made the boring
drive north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, I had learned
that I could do such a thing when I drove in the 2 hour range to two previous
ultras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what does one do on a 2.5
hour drive to a race? Eat of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
spent the drive thinking about what the day had in store and feeding my face full
of yummy carbs, protein and powerade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">This event was awesome and horrible all rolled into one.
Here is why:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The weather was close to perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forecast of rain said it would hold off
until midday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the funny thing was –
the rain never came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It stayed in the
50’s – maybe crept into the 60’s the whole day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beautiful day to be on the trails. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Met up with some fellow trail runners prior to the race –
Kelly & his wife Jo, Marie, & Pat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was very nice to meet them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also caught up with a few runners I quite often see at some other
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I would give
a blow by blow description of the race and describe how I was feeling and how I
dealt with various aspects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I can
summarize the race very shortly: monster steep climb, followed by gnarly
downhill, followed by long slow trudge up through a hollow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Repeat x4 with occasional flat trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of rocks – big, little, pointed, round,
crushed – you name it, we ran/hiked over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="font-size: large;">Elevation Profile (for 25k only)</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">That was my day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
event is not a running race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me
repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This race is not a running
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a test of endurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
chatted with many 50k participants who consider themselves good “runners” but
on this day and on this course, they were struggling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure if they underestimated the
course or were just used to plowing through 31 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not that kind of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took more than physical conditioning to
get through this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took mental and
emotional fortitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really was at a
loss of how to predict a time on this thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have run a 50k two others time - a 5:50 on a rolling hill trail course
(Blues Cruise) and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7 hours flat on a bit
more challenging trail course (Fire on the Mountain).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished in around 8:20 or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a long day. There are no excuses that
can be made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My knee held out ok
(probably thanks to ibuprofen).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My lack
of training the last 6 weeks may have contributed but realistically maybe I
shave 20 minutes off that time if I had been able to run more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was, simply, what it was on this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have a few lowlights on this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like to complain so I will keep it
short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aid stations had a poor
variety of food. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ate way too many
bananas and PB & J squares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(If you
want to see an ultra with good food – see Blues Cruise 50k). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, these hollows we have to meander
ourselves through really sucked! They were the worst part for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could deal with the big climbs but a slow
trudge in and out of the creek beds over and over (and over) again with blown
over trees was just so slow and annoying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s it. I can’t complain about anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok maybe just one more – to the Trail Dawgs (who
put on this race) – can you please remove some of those darn rocks! Haha.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have a bunch of highlights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First was meeting some fellow Runners World
trailers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kelly and Marie had good days
on the trail – both are strong runners and humble. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also got to meet Pat – unsure how he did in
the 25k. One of the things I looked forward to most for this event was the
amazing scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did not disappoint.
I only wish I had brought a camera out with me (the pics below I stole from someone else).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were beautiful waterfalls,
flowering trees, brilliant colored rows of wildflowers trail side and the views
– oh the views!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My second favorite part
of the event was coming to a vista about the 10 mile mark where you see for
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To the right, you could see the
first big ridge we climbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost
think I saw the 25k participants making their way up (since they started an
hour after us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But right in front of us
was a mountain that had three ridges coming out towards me all in a row – it
almost looked symmetrical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stayed for
a couple minutes just to take it in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
my favorite moment was another mile down the trail – I got to see a black bear
– my first. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had heard something
rambling down the ridge in the leaves toward the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked up and thought I would see a
deer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a young black bear playing around. He
clawed a tree a bit and then made his way back up the ridge. He was probably
100 yards away or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best part was
that I told myself the day before this event that I wanted to see a bear – not
actually believing it would happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
last highlight was finishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was
such a tough event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was literally
half hiking, half some kind of running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I beat the down hills to death and they beat my quads right back. (There
was one stretch of 2 mile downhill that was simply awesome! No other words for
it.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back to a “Kick in the Hyner.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what they refer to the 25k version. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the 50k… let’s call the 50k a double kick
in the hyner, or flat out just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sick</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">My recommendation is only do this event if you are a
demented & sick person who loves to inflict self-pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or as an easy training run for an event such
as Hardrock 100. Ask me if I would do it again? I think I distinctly said "no way" during and right after, but you never know.</span> </span></div>running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-25983676536303449282012-03-18T19:31:00.000-07:002012-03-18T19:31:18.823-07:00Death of the Buzzards<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunday March 11, 2012 was a beautiful day for a run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not just head out the door for an easy 26
mile trail run over mountains, through creeks, watching for rocks? So I
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there is more than to it than
just deciding to go out and run 26 random miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me go back before I can go forward…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In October 2011 I stumbled upon an odd part of a running
club’s website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was visiting the
Lancaster Road Runner’s website and saw the word “Buzzards” in the lower right
corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I clicked on the link and
discovered the world of the Buzzards Trail Marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am always looking for new races and so I
continued to look for details on where this race was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my wonderful surprise, I discovered it was
located in Dauphin County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This “non-event”
has taken place since 1998 on trails north of Harrisburg every March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why had I never discovered this before? By
the description it looked awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Various people had written race reports and posted on the website and by
the descriptions, this was some tough trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I just had to check it out…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Later that weekend I somehow found the time and searched for
the DCNR parking lot that led to this set of trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I found it and suddenly felt a sense of giddiness (similar to a child
walking upon the Christmas tree first thing Christmas morning with all the
glittering gifts under the tree).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I
broke out the description and a map and was on my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it up and over the first ridge and had
a good view of the second mountain (which is actually called third mountain –
sorry for the confusion).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have
a lot of time so I just considered this run a “scouting run”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end I think I did about 7 miles and
saw enough to be <em>sold</em> on these trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t set out on those trails again for a couple of months – mainly because of
hunting season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This area is a state
game lands area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to get out
on Jan. 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> for a long run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did what is known as the “baby buzzard” which is a 16 mile loop that includes
three large climbs and a creek crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Due to making sure I was going the right way and checking things out, it
took me 4 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I may have
added a mile or two to what is known as the baby buzzard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was fun discovering new trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went out a few more times to make sure I
knew the entire course before I tackled it in March.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fast Forward to March 2012 – I was excited to do a long
trail event close to home and especially one that would cost nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to do this to get ready for Hyner
50k but also because this is truly a tough course – and in my own back
yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So early on a Sunday morning, I
set out to the start of the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumors were flying
that this event wasn’t happening due to the DCNR having a fit about an
“organized” event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I saw on
the website, there is nothing organized about this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But apparently the DCNR was serious this year
about enforcing this rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived at
the parking area to basically see a few runners who all left in different groups or alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There might have been 15 in all – no race
director from the past and from what I could figure out – not too many people
who have done the Buzzards before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it
was – the death of the Buzzards Trail Marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I, and the others, still ran it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started out and felt good climbing up the first of five big
climbs, started running over the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Essentially I was by myself for the next few miles – didn’t see a living
thing until I hit the rail trail and thought I saw the group of 4 guys that
started 15 minutes ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
looked to be a half to a mile down the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Knowing that they probably would be turning soon to head up the water
tank trail, I gained come confidence and set out to catch them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I trudged my way up the water tank trail
(1000ft in one mile with most of that in the second half of the climb).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it to the top and started running
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at my watch I was right
where I wanted to be (1:45 and through 7ish miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I was on a jeep trail – good
running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I neared the turned
off the jeep trail and thought I heard talking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Voices in my head? No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure
if was the group of 4 guys but I had not been able to spot them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made my way up the third climb (relatively
small in comparison to the others but I still walked it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon I hit the famous Appalachian Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This portion, although having a net decline, was
tough running due to the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
encountered a few hikers which I was not surprised at – at this point the sun
was out and it was warming up quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Towards the end of the AT section – I saw them! I caught up to the “four
horsemen”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually passed them (only
because they had stopped to look at a map).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They passed me back and for the rest of the course, I was not far from
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started up the other side of
the Water Tank Trail and I was really feeling rough for the first time that
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made my way up the mountain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">slowly</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the top I trudged along for a bit even though I knew it was a nice
jeep road again and would make its way down the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs were getting heavy and the rising
temps were getting to me (note the temperature at the start was 30 deg. and by
noon was up to mid 50’s).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got down the
mountain and knew I was close to crossing the creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had seen the four horsemen round the corner
coming down the mountain but then lost them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I entered onto the rail trail and saw a runner up ahead but he wasn’t
running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I entered into the woods again
to soon cross the creek, the other runner followed behind me as he had been a
bit lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This point in the written
directions for the course state to cross the creek and then “find the trail”
going up the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this other
runner followed me and we made our way through a muddy section and then when things
cleared up, he took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for the
company!! Anyway, we faced the last climb of the day and it was a straight shot
up the trail so you could see up most of the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To my surprise I could not see the four horsemen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly was trudging along and ¾ of the way
up, they passed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huh? How did that
happen? They must have crossed the creek further up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they passed me and I had no gas left
whatsoever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I blame it on poor
refueling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made my way down the other
side and finished the mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny thing
is three of the four horsemen took a wrong turn before the end and the fourth,
after finishing, came back to find them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the end, clock read 6 hours on the nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all – good run, felt very drained,
legs were dead, energy low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what
I like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buzzards may be dead but I’ll be
back on these trails – soon! </span></div>
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<br /></div>running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-81886434845752660562012-02-19T06:48:00.000-08:002012-02-19T06:48:16.884-08:00My Favorite Trails<span style="font-size: large;">I thought about doing a Fave5 (as made famous by Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade with the T-Mobile commercials) list of trails but there's no way I could only pick my 5 favorite trails. So instead, I broke it down into sub categories. I like this better:</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Favorite Trails from Races</span></strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;">My trail racing "career" is still relatively short so I could easily put all the trails I have run a race on and get away with it. But I didn't include them all. I chose the top four and ranked them (with "1" being my fav). Here they are:</span></em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>4.) Rocky Ridge County Park - Home of On the Rocks Trail Run </u>- this county park contains a variety of trails, some of which are flat and runnable while others are hilly and rocky. If I lived closer to this trail system I would certainly be running there a good deal. There are some nice views, and the trails are easily accessible. The only time I have run these trails was during the</span><a href="http://ontherockstrailrun.webs.com/"><span style="font-size: large;"> On the Rocks Trail Run</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">. I can imagine these trails being fairly popular because of the accessibility. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>3.) Rothrock Trail System</u> - there are numerous trails in the Rothrock State Park area. I don't know them by name. Running on these trails as part of the </span><a href="http://www.rothrockchallenge.com/index2.html"><span style="font-size: large;">Rothrock 30k trail challenge</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, I got to experience the intense climbs, steep downhills, some beautiful runnable "bike trails" and a gnarly boulder scramble that seemed endless.</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFtcw6gN1k5kGzYnN1grsp1ZpBUu8KBgEkcndA6wop6b3psoRZAztP08dOYzho31d64PtYZ2ArTMi4j167VNycKzKWoE8NipbmntE8nsVn5h2Q8Vug4BfGV1FcjJOUbbiXDUSeLRmLsI/s1600/Rothrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFtcw6gN1k5kGzYnN1grsp1ZpBUu8KBgEkcndA6wop6b3psoRZAztP08dOYzho31d64PtYZ2ArTMi4j167VNycKzKWoE8NipbmntE8nsVn5h2Q8Vug4BfGV1FcjJOUbbiXDUSeLRmLsI/s320/Rothrock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>2.) Hyner View </u>- the trails of the Hyner Trail Challenge are truly epic. I do not know all the names of these trails but they are simply amazing. I ran the </span><a href="http://hikerun.com/index2.html"><span style="font-size: large;">Hyner 25k Trail Challenge</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> on my birthday - April 16, 2011 - a day I will never forget. Despite the day being quite miserable with cold, rainy and windy conditions, the views from Hyner View were amazing. But I have to see it on a nicer day. With three distinct climbs that would bring most anyone to their knees, these trails are difficult. The downhills are quad busters. The hollows are gorgeous. This could become my number one come April 2012 when I run the Hyner 50k - a new trail event.</span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayZIPGkr_Lbj08KY5PsGdymVRdGMeHXUgE1-QDTJ7tLAI6gbNY9UnN3D6qKdEWSsGrNJo7mlNyEUKXTZiCX7_2D7ksIemQs1s98wkwUMyqRQZF9sscfaUFVg_3EZlOhR_MayBRw5VBGE/s1600/hyner+elevation+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayZIPGkr_Lbj08KY5PsGdymVRdGMeHXUgE1-QDTJ7tLAI6gbNY9UnN3D6qKdEWSsGrNJo7mlNyEUKXTZiCX7_2D7ksIemQs1s98wkwUMyqRQZF9sscfaUFVg_3EZlOhR_MayBRw5VBGE/s320/hyner+elevation+profile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>1.) Conestoga (MDT)</u> - this trail was site to my first official trail race. It was September of 2010 and I had the bright idea that the Conestoga 10 miler (which was billed as arguably the hardest 10 miler on the east coast) would be equivalent to a half marathon. And since I was in my half marathon training cycle, why not implement something new? This <em>event</em> turned out to be the hardest run I ever had up to that point in my life. The RD said to expect twice your "normal" 10 mile run time. That's exactly what happened - 2 hours 41 minutes of pure hills: small hills, large hills, rolling hills. I don't think there was one ounce of flat running as part of this trail. The hollows were deep, the peaks were high, the views unbelieveable. This portion of trail is used as part of the </span><a href="http://www.kta-hike.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=12&Itemid=76"><span style="font-size: large;">Keystone Super Hike</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> - a 28.4 mile ultra run or for some or a really long day of hiking for others. I was signed up for 2011 SuperHike but thanks to some SuperFlooding, this SuperHike was cancelled. Maybe 2012?</span> <br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Favorite Training Trails</span></strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;">The trails to choose from for this list certainly is longer than the races I have run. They are all pretty much local trails relative to me so if you are not from southcentral PA (or familiar with it) then this list might be obsolete to you (that is unless you choose to visit me someday....)</span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Darlington Trail</u> - this is for sure my favorite trail. First of all it is the closest trail to me. A quick 7 minute drive and I am at a nice trail head and can go two different ways on this "</span><a href="http://www.explorepatrails.com/singletrail.aspx?id=24"><span style="font-size: large;">darling</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">" of a trail. The trail itself is only 7+ miles from the west end (merges with the AT and the Tuscarora) and the east end (terminates at Tower Road north side of blue mtn). This trail has a nice variety making it a good trail for training purposes. It has hills (nothing huge but enough to feel it), rocks, flat, and nice views (mostly in winter when the leaves are gone). It follows Blue Mtn on top of the ridge </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIqW6tlw9mQ"><span style="font-size: large;">(check out this video that someone else shot), </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">just below the ridge and then dips to it's lowest point into Bryson Hollow. This hollow is a hidden gem - a creek lined with 100 ft trees that reach for the sky. It helps that the Darlington links to other trails making it easy to do loops. I have gotten out for quick 5 milers on the Darlington and also used the Darlington to link to the AT for 3+ hour runs. I have to admit though, at first I didn't give the Darlington the time of day. I used to run a section of the AT (see below) that met the Darlington and never seemed to think that it "looked" like a good trail. So I never bothered with. Finally one day my curiosity got the best of me and - well - I fell in love. Sorry Darlington, but better late than never - right?</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>HorseShoe Trail</u> - this is a fairly new trail to me. I discovered it when I stumbled upon the Buzzards Trail Marathon site. The Buzzards are a bunch of trail runners that get together for a crazy marathonish distance in March every year. They use a series of trails that includes the HST, AT and a few other connector trails. It includes killer hills that simply climb the mountains straight up - no such thing as switchbacks here. The part of the HST that I have run is the western most section. The </span><a href="http://hstrail.org/"><span style="font-size: large;">Horse Shoe Trail</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> is about 140 miles long stretching from the AT in Dauphin County to Valley Forge National Park in Chester County.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Water Tank Trail</u> - this is one the above mentioned connector trails used with the HST and the AT as part of the Buzzards Trail Marathon. It'</span><span style="font-size: large;">s probably no more than 2 miles in length but simply climbs up Third mountain on each side. It is one of the steepest and most difficult trails I have been on. Not much "running" on this section. It follows a beautiful cascade of water (I am sure at certain times of the year this cascade is rushing waters) that makes its way down the mountain towards Stony Creek.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">From the picture below you can see the trail going down - this picture really doesn't do the descent justice. You must see it for yourself to understand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Boyd's Big Tree Preserve</u> - I discovered this 12 mile series of trails in the middle of 2011. </span><a href="http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/boydbigtreepreserve/index.htm"><span style="font-size: large;">Boyd's Big Tree Preserve</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> is a beautiful area nicely kept. Beautiful tall trees, nice variety of wildlife, and some good hills. It even has some nice views at the powerline clearing. But watch for snakes!</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Trail System of Pinchot Park/Lake</u> - Pinchot has a series of trails around the lake. Some of these trails are very well groomed and runnable, while others are a bit more technical. Depending on what time you of year you go, you may find very muddy trails or dry trails. Some sections seem to always have mud pits going on. This series of trail connects with the Mason Dixon Trail System.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Appalachian Trail</u> - One of the more famous trail systems in the world, I feel lucky to have the </span><a href="http://appalachiantrail.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Appalachian Trail</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> in my own back yard. I started my trail running on a stretch of the AT about 15 minutes from my house. In all, I have only hiked and/or run from just north of Duncannon, PA on the AT to a few miles south of Boiling Springs on the AT (in sections). I consider myself to be very familiar with these sections. My first (and for a while my favorite) section of trail I ran was a 5 mile out-n-back from Rt 850 (in Perry County) to the top of Blue Mountain and back. I continued to challenge myself to run this section more efficiently and faster. It was my favorite section of trail to run until I found the Darlington (see above) which ironically intersects with this 5 mile section of the AT at the top of Blue Mtn.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Green Belt - Harrisburg, PA</u> - So if you know what the Green Belt is in Harrisburg, PA, you are probably scratching your head and wondering why I would include this as a "trail." It really isn't a trail - or at least it's not in comparison to the above. But I included it becuase it is a trail of sorts that the city uses to encourage exercise in an urban setting. This green belt stretches about 19ish miles and does include some dirt trail albeit only 5-6 miles of the 19. Otherwise it contains paved path and some road connections. I have run sections of the green belt many times and on two occasions the entire 19ish miles. The Harrisburg marathon uses some of the green belt for it's course. The green belt also runs through a nice "natural setting" in Harrisburg called Wildwood Park. Wildwood is a 5k distance that makes its way around a beautiful lake with an assortment of wild life. I run Wildwood every so often and love the rolling hills.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Favorite Trails Yet to Run </span></strong><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;">I know what you are thinking. How can a trail be a favorite if I have yet to run it? Let's just say I think these will be some nice trails to do - ones I want to do. Some may be more "bucket list" options but none the less, I still think about doing them someday. </span></em><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: large;">Local</span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Flat Rock Trail</u> - I have read this is a nice climb to a gorgeous view. Got to try it. It also connects with the Tuscarora so could get in a nice long run. One of these days...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Appalachian Trail</u> - I need to branch further out and run sections my feet have yet to find...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Victoria Trail </u>- located in Northern Dauphon Co. and conects with the AT</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And others as I find them...</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: large;">Dream Trails</span></em><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Western States Endurance RunTrails</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">R2R2R at the Grand Canyon</span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Appalachian Trail</u> - ALL of it</span><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Trails of the Presidentials - sometimes called a </span><a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~ellozy/presidential-traverse.html"><span style="font-size: large;">Presi Traverse </span></a><span style="font-size: large;">this includes traversing over some of the highest peaks in New Hampshire (including one George Washington)</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Pikes Peak</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Dipsea</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Anything</em> in Yosemite National Park</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Anything</em> through Redwood or Sequoia in California</span></u><br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Trails at Leadville, Colorado</span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Trails I am not so fond of</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Mason Dixon Trail (near Pinchot Park)</u> - I tried running out of Pinchot Park area on the MDT and it just kept following ROAD. No thanks! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Tuscarora Trail (near where it intersects with the AT)</u> - I have only been on a 3 mile stretch from where it connect with the AT and Darlington on top of Blue Mtn. Wasn't impressed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Conewago Rail Trail - Elizabethtown, PA</u> I am not a big fan of rail trails mainly because they are flat. I would definately pick a rail trail over road anyday but it doesn't help that my 2 or 3 runs on the Conewago were not "good" runs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe time to post a "Bucket List" of Races???....????</span>running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-74149124576380380412011-12-28T11:58:00.000-08:002011-12-31T18:11:58.768-08:002011 Year in Review<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Year of Challenges<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As 2011 comes to a close, I reflect on an amazing year of
running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had many highlights, a few
lowlights and various challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since I am fairly new to blogging and don’t have much of a
history of posts to rely on, let me reflect for a minute on running prior to
2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began my running journey during
my junior and senior years of high school (1991-1993) where I ran cross-country
and learned to both love and hate running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hated it because I was not fast (which seemed the point of cross-country) but loved it because we were running trails in beautiful back
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast forward to 2008, after
many years of inconsistent running I decided to take up, what seemed like for me,
the most improbable challenge – to train for and attempt a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a late winter day and I stepped onto
the track at the local YMCA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Here I am”
I thought, “time to start”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sixteen laps
(one mile) later and I felt like I would cough up a lung and die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt that bad. Eight months later and I
finished my first marathon in just under 4 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on top of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next two years were spent trying to
figure out where I fit in distance running. I wasn't fast and struggled at the end of my only half and full marathons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
added another marathon in 2009 and a handful of half marathons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I improved my times at the half, got slower
at the full and could never manage to improve on my 5k or 5 mile times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Late in 2010, I entered a 10 mile trail
run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still not sure what
specifically drove me to enter it but I vaguely remember thinking that my time
on a 10 mile trail run should be about the same as my road half marathon
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy was I wrong! I entered the
Conestoga Trail 10 miler which self-proclaims to be “arguably the toughest 10
miler on the east coast” (or something like that). How hard could it be? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The RD
tells us at the start to plan on a time of “twice your normal 10 mile
time”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really? That would put me at 16
minute miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s absurd! Well 2
hours 42 minutes later (right on 16 min/mile pace) I finished the hardest run I
have ever had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is exactly what
I told my wife when I hobbled in my house after the race. It was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> 10 miles but tougher than either
marathon or any training run I completed in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>But I loved every second of it!</strong> That day, I
fell in love with trail running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The weeks that followed that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">crazy</i> 10 miler, I researched other trail events in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also researched further the idea of an ultra-marathon.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it doable? Was it possible? Am I
crazy? The answer to all was yes, at least in my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent more time concocting a plan that
would allow me to run a 50 miler the end of 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Would I really be ready for it? I had <strong>a lot</strong> of work to do. </span>The plan was simple though – work my way up to
specific trail events strategically placed throughout the year, use those trail events as training runs and when it came
time to the fall, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> be ready
for a 50 miler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2011 started off with maintaining 15-25 miles per week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This doesn’t seem like a lot but for me to
maintain this over the winter months was more than I had done in years past. At
the end of February I slowly increased my mileage and was able to make my way
out on the trails every so often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
hit the middle of March I knew it was time to really start getting in some time
on my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one month to my first
trail event and I knew I needed more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
put in the time, the miles and the hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
Was it enough?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Challenge #1 - <a href="http://hikerun.com/index2.html">Hyner View Trail Challenge</a></span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Calibri;">This race is 16.5 miles of gnarly (translation = technical)
trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Close to 4500 feet of ascents
with an equal amount of descents. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jI6PNcLKz4k/Tvtjc9NnDQI/AAAAAAAAACU/rzti8EBVq2g/s1600/hyner+elevation+profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #e06666;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jI6PNcLKz4k/Tvtjc9NnDQI/AAAAAAAAACU/rzti8EBVq2g/s320/hyner+elevation+profile.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #e06666;">This
event contains one of the better vistas in Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was looking forward to it but somehow felt
that I hadn’t been able to get enough time on hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I wasn’t “racing” this event, I did
have a finishing time I thought doable in the back of my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four hours I thought was plenty of time to
get through this course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the days
before the race, I did what most trail runners do – continually check the
weather forecast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was looking good
about 10 days out, 9 days out, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, oh, and then the outlook
changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big system was forecasted to
sit over the entire central part of Pennsylvania on Saturday April 16,
2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day before – absolutely
perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday – cold (37 degrees F),
rainy and windy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh man – the one
weather condition I loathe running in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I arrived in what I thought would be plenty of time to find that the
weather didn’t keep too many people away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>900 out of 1000 registered runners/hikers showed up. I was
surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first decision of the day
came at my car – shorts or pants? I never wear pants (when I run) but it was cold, wet and I
knew I would be out there for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Funny – the guy parked next to me was thinking the same thing as he actually said
it out loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I chose the shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good decision as the pants would have been
soaked and heavy within the first 2 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I closed my car and looked up – you could see the first climb that
hovered over the parking area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The peak
is used for hang gliding on better weather days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was I getting myself into? I made my way
to the starting area (a good walk away) to find a rather long line waiting to
get bibs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at my watch I soon
realized this wasn’t working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race
ended up starting late as the volunteers literally scrambled to get everyone’s
bibs to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They called everyone to
the starting line and I was 2/3 of the way back in the group of 900.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my first mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race winds down a dirt road onto the main
road, across a bridge over the Susquehanna river, onto another road and then, 1.5
miles into the race, onto single track trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is where I realized that 2/3 of the way back in the starting crowd
hurt me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the next mile plus it was
stop and go on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not
trail where passing was possible so it was all patience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got to
the first climb and passing here was definitely possible but it was also 1200’
plus of climb in less than a mile and a half so why bother passing. Everyone was at a snail's pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two false summits later and we finally made it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh sweet downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time we were all completely soaked,
cold hands (despite two pairs of gloves) and mud covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just embrace it became my mantra for this
race and many others to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>16.5
miles, 4 hours 21 minutes later, I was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a tough run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, a
great day was had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
not-so-ideal weather, I had fun and completed the challenge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the next few weeks I concentrated on keeping my mileage
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit my first 40+ mile week in May
and best of all, I was staying healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>40 mile weeks are the norm for many runners but for my short running
“career” it was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My body struggled
over mt first three years of running to do higher mileage weeks and back to
back running days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In training for my
first marathon I only ran 3-4 days a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is certainly not ideal and I would not recommend that to anyone
training for distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the way I see
it is I am not a natural runner, barely an athlete, and it took me three plus
years to build a base to where I could do 40+ miles in a week and not be injured
or too fatigued to run. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Challenge # 2 - <a href="http://www.rothrockchallenge.com/index2.html">Rothrock 30k Trail Challenge</a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">This trail event is called "Hyner's southern cousin" – it contains climbs
followed by downhill followed by rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But this one had more rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots
of rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rocks beyond rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s called Rothrock for a reason ya know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different from Hyner, we had a beautiful –
almost perfect weather day for June in Pennsylvania.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, many hills, many rocks but what
a gorgeous trail system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found my
groove halfway through and hit the first two (of four) aide stations in under
the times I projected for myself. My goal was sub 5 hours for this event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on par for around 4 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I go out too fast? Was I pushing too
hard? Not sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I hit a downhill section
that was so steep that there was a rope to guide people down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Down the hill and into the third aide station
I realized I was slowing a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
bypassed the aide station with minimal refueling (learning point here).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up the trail and round the corner and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">BLAM!</i> there it was – a huge boulder
scramble going up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJnHCxaXHQ4/TvtmHNuayeI/AAAAAAAAACg/ARiFJ_MGauA/s1600/Rothrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DJnHCxaXHQ4/TvtmHNuayeI/AAAAAAAAACg/ARiFJ_MGauA/s320/Rothrock.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">It was a climb and a
half in my book and just about killed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I finally made it to the top and my lack of refueling during the last
aide station hit me hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long story
short – I had to walk for a while due to a total lack of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I was doomed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally made an effort between the last
aide station and the finish putting me at 4 hours 48 minutes (or something like
that).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a race of two halves –
great first and close to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">walk of
death</i> for the second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lessons
learned – I knew I needed better long runs and I knew I needed to work on my
refueling.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My next official event planned was not until September so I
had three months to work out the kinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the next trail event would put me in the “ultra” category so long
runs and overall mileage were the keys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My goal going into the hot n humid summer months was to get a nice LR in
once every 3-4 weeks, run moderate LRs other weekends,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and do a few higher mileage weeks in
between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some random reason, I chose
to run every day of July, prior to which I had never run more than 8
consecutive days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So July 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
I started it with a bang – 22 miles on trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most of the days that ordinarily would have been off days for me, I ran
just 2 or 3 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The important factor
that my body adjusted to was just staying in motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel this month was important to get my
legs more accustomed to the rigors of running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But don’t get me wrong, I was grateful to get to August and change
things back to having <em>real</em> off days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
goal for August was to implement some good solid trail runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In August I pulled my first 5 hour run which
ended up being 24(ish) miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
hopeful because I was recovering well from my long runs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Challenge #3 - <a href="http://ontherockstrailrun.webs.com/">On the Rocks Trail Run</a></u></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #38761d;">This was not on the original plan for trail races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know it existed until August and
stumbled across the website for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looked like fun and also looked to be somewhat close by (as opposed to
races like Hyner which ended up at 3 hours driving time one way).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a 16.3 mile two loop race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ran the first loop with others who were
running the one loop 8.3 mile version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I had difficulty understanding if I was running at a good pace or not due to most runners dropping off after they finished their 8.3 miles and then running most of the second loop by myself. </span>I
finished in 3 hours 8 minutes – not bad for a training run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished 11<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> out of 27
finishers which made me feel pretty good about what I was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This course had – yup you guessed it – lots
of rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I seemed to be getting
used to that by now.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ledFVGrOYNk/TvtpHMSAxXI/AAAAAAAAACs/A6oL4HXtm00/s1600/On+the+Rocks+Trail+Run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ledFVGrOYNk/TvtpHMSAxXI/AAAAAAAAACs/A6oL4HXtm00/s320/On+the+Rocks+Trail+Run.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">September for me was supposed to start my ultra distance
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had scheduled the <a href="http://www.kta-hike.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=12&Itemid=76">Keystone SuperHike</a> (28.4 miles), the Blues Cruise 50k and then my fifty miler in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But plans are always subject to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first full week of September brought
many days of rain and massive flooding to the central Pennsylvania area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having already run in rain and mud, I wasn’t
concerned with that going into the SuperHike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But as it got closer to September 10<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, it became painfully
obvious that the race would not happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The flooding wiped out much of the course we would be using, parking at
the finish line and many of the back roads that led to the start and finish
lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This became a huge
disappointment as the race was cancelled, not postponed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was looking forward to this event more than
any of the others, but in the scheme of life and devastation, running needed to take a back seat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was scheduled for
Blues Cruise 50k three weeks later so I had to scramble to figure out my long
run schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t about to go out
for 4-5 hours a week or two prior to the 50k.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Challenge #4 – <a href="http://www.bluescruiseultra.com/">Blues Cruise 50k</a></u><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">This ended up being my first official ultra-marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Was a bit cold to start but ended up being perfect running weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There was plenty of mud as these trails were covered by the flooded lake in the previous weeks. This was about the only factor that slowed me down. Then there was the creek crossing that took a bit of tip toeing to navigate:</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H_WobiwaKmY/TvttArlhpaI/AAAAAAAAAC4/U0bkt8zAnAM/s1600/Blues-Cruise-50k-2011-730-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H_WobiwaKmY/TvttArlhpaI/AAAAAAAAAC4/U0bkt8zAnAM/s320/Blues-Cruise-50k-2011-730-M.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">This event in the past was an out and back on
trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year they stretched it out
to be one giant loop around Blue Marsh Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turned into a great choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
started out too fast as I always seem to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I found a grove and ran the first 10 miles in 1:40 (10 minute
miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I could not keep this
pace up for 31 miles but I was riding my wave of energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aide stations at this event were
incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stations were manned by
experienced ultra runners who were very encouraging and knowledgeable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I experimented a bit with various foods and
amounts to determine what would work and not work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a good race to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many choices of food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the last aide station at 26.5 miles and
realized I had just run my furthest distance ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I struggled the last 4+ miles but in the end
I finished in a respectable 5 hours and 50 minutes good for 82nd out of 224 finishers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My outside goal was 5:30, more realistic goal
was sub 6 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt good after the
race and concentrated on fueling up to speed up recovery – I
think it worked well.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seven weeks to my first 50 miler and I knew I needed one
more 5+ hour run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I would be
on my own for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t planning on
entering another race but one came up last minute that seemed perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Challenge #5 – Fire on the Mountain 50k</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">This event was supposed to be run the last weekend of
October which would put it three weeks out from my 50 miler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Perfect”, I thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in a year of weird and wacky weather, we
got hit with 6+ inches of heavy wet snow the day before the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On no – another SuperHike? Cancelled?
Thankfully they rescheduled for the next weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This 50k turned into 32 miles of much more
technical trails than Blues Cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
going to take it slow and steady regardless of the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This race consisted of four sections, three
of which were trail and one was an 8 mile stretch of fire roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fire roads did me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hated them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I somewhat regretted the decision to enter this event while I run/walked/shuffled the fire roads. I went back to what used to get me through tough cross-country practices in high school - quoting <a href="http://bibleresources.bible.com/passagesearchresults.php?passage1=Isaiah+40%3A31&passage2=&passage3=&passage4=&passage5=&version1=49&version2=0&version3=0&version4=0&version5=0&Submit.x=25&Submit.y=11">Isaiah 40:31</a>. I did this literally for an hour. I could never have gotten through that section (miles 17-25) without doing so. God was trying to teach me something - "just wait - it will come".
And it did come. I ran well the last 5 miles of the race - a big boost to my confidence. </span>I finished this event in just over 7 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tough race but was feeling good about
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recovered well and mentally felt
good about being on my feet for 7 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This being the first race I could use a drop bag, it was once again a
training of sorts in regards to refueling and having a change of shoes, socks
and clothes if I needed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It worked
out well because I needed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two weeks until my 50 miler and I certainly took it
easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran only 5 times in 13 days. I had no thoughts of pushing any kind of significant miles those two weeks. I was trying to prepare myself mentally during this time as well as reflect on a full year of training specifically for this event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Final Challenge -</u> <a href="http://stone-mill-50-mile.org/">Stone Mill 50 Miler</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">See my full RR for details: <a href="http://jamierunning4life.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-first-50-miler.html">My First 50 Miler Racer Report.</a> It truly was a great way to end the running year for me. If you read the full RR, you can see all the difficulties I faced. But I learned a lot. I learned that some of these issues I faced during the race are fairly normal things that ultra runners must face. I hope my next chance at 50 miles (or more) will have fewer combined issues. The highlight of the race for me and for the year came in the days following Stone Mill when I learned that the race distance was closer to 55 miles than 50 miles. I was initially disappointed in my final time of 12+ hours. But when I learned that I probably hit the 50 mile mark around 11 hours and that my body held up for 55 miles, it made the entire experience, the whole year of training, and the long day all worth it. It makes me hopeful that with more training, putting into practice what I have learned, and logging the miles that I can do anything. What's in my future - more 50k events, more 50 milers, a 100k, or maybe someday a 100 miler?</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GN4BuSaQuC8/Tvt0hXIXvgI/AAAAAAAAADE/cgq7d2-v76k/s1600/Stone+Mill+50+miler+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GN4BuSaQuC8/Tvt0hXIXvgI/AAAAAAAAADE/cgq7d2-v76k/s1600/Stone+Mill+50+miler+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I finish the year with just over 1400 miles run, 6 official races completed, my first three ultra marathons, and many hours on trails. This year was about going longer and facing the challenges that come with running - and with life. So what's my identity as a runner? I still don't know but I am having fun figuring that out one mile at at time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next challenge: I started a PhD program on December 5th which should take me the next 4 years to complete. It certainly interrupts any thoughts of piling on the races but with any luck and planning, running will not cease. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I end this post with an illustration: I was running on a trail the other day with no real plan where I was going - just out for a run. I came to a split in the trail. To the right the trail looked well groomed, relatively flat and a safe bet to be easy. To the left the trail had rocks, ascended the side of a ridge and looked dark & ominous. Which do you choose? I chose the trail to the left. It wasn't much of a decision. In the past I would have stuck with the right but my running has helped shift my thinking to take up the challenges of life. I hope you do the same. </span></div>
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<br /></div>running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3446980575519254953.post-29599467573949290302011-11-20T18:13:00.001-08:002011-11-23T19:02:30.316-08:00My first 50 miler<strong>Stone Mill 50 Miler - November 19, 2011</strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>From couch to 50 miles – three and a half years ago I
started this journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally, after
years of making excuses, made the decision to start running and work towards my
goal of running a marathon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a cold winter
day late in February 2008, I ran a mile on a track at the local YMCA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I literally thought I was going to die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow I stuck with it. Three and a half
years later I complete my first 50 mile race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You see, I am not a natural runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am not built like a runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am tall and very thin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs look just
as thin now as they did three years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No bulging calves, no manly quads – just skinny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I shouldn't be able to complete 50 miles.</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">November 19, 2011 will go done as a very memorable day for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first 50 miler is in the books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me start off by saying it was, as many
ultra-runners state:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a mixed bag of
emotions and experiences all rolled into one event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an ultra,
it’s easy to go from running a good race to a terrible one and possibly back
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Stone Mill 50 mile race was birthed in 2010 as an “alternative” to the
JFK 50 miler which is run on the same day no more than 30 miles away in Maryland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as there were 1000 or so JFKers running
50 miles (some of them very fast by the looks of the prelim results), we had
300 or so running mostly single track trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weather
was perfect – a bit cold to start but truly was perfect running weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crystal clear skies and little to no wind. The
race fee was a mere $35 (got to love race fees that are less than the miles
run).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For that fee there was little in
the way of swag which I personally didn’t care about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No tee shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a flashlight and a finishing medal but really it was just the
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thoroughly impressed
with the amount of food at aide stations and the incredible volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would recommend this race to anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is low key but very fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The theme of this report is “It was not my day!” I could
easily say that because I finished in 12:20 and had expected to finish somewhere
between 10 and 11 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the end,
the time doesn’t matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What matters is
the entire experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(disclaimer – I
want you to be informed of many complaints through this RR – not complaints
about the race but about my health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No I
am not a hypochondriac.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just wasn’t
my day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t write these things for
anyone to feel sorry for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was
simply my experience on this day.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The day started with an early rise and a long drive to race
central.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a 6am start, they got
packet pick-up going at 5am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived
shortly after 5 and there was already a nice line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got my bib, dropped off my drop bags, and
waited in line for the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Race
started promptly at 6am (which was nice).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first three miles were in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the coolest things I have seen was the line of head lamps bobbing
through the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since this was the
start, most of the 300 runners were together through this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got to the aide station at mile 3 where most
people did not stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far, I was
feeling good but had thoughts of what the day would bring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this is when things started to fall
apart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me back up by saying a couple
days prior to the race, I must have slept in an awkward position because for
those days leading up to the race, my neck and upper back were very sore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was concerned as to how they would hold up
for 50 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the race, it was
painful at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed a tendency
to run with my head tilted to the right – seemed to take some of the pressure
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught myself a few times doing
that and wondering what others thought of this dude running with a tilted
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok back to mile 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said it got worse and it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had major GI problems pretty much miles 4
through 25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept looking for a nice
big tree along the way but it just wasn’t happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Runs” on the run ain’t no fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was fortunate to come across a gas station
at a road section 8 miles into the race that I nicely took advantage of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two more pit stops along the way between there and mile 23.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Prior to this first pit stop, I took a hard fall. </span>Just after an aide station around mile 7 I
went to plant my right foot on a downed tree to catapult myself over (something I have done many times before) and to my
surprise someone greased it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok no
not really but I essentially went down like a ton of bricks directly on my
right hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow that hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With 3 or 4 runners behind me saying
“Ohhhhh….ouch” before asking if I was ok, I got up, dusted off my ego and kept
on down the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew for sure this
would hurt the next day (and it does).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pain went numb for a while but kept coming back periodically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The trail was beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made it’s way through suburban like areas
but was far enough in the woods at times that we didn’t feel like we were in
civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times we were deep in
the woods and other times we were literally in people’s back yards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was trying my best to enjoy the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I settled in a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just when I didn’t think it could get any
worse though, it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To balance my GI
issues, I also started feeling sick to my stomach around mile 16.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these things combined really slowed me
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it through mile 11 in 2
hours which was great pacing, but then it took me almost 3 hours to go the next 12 or
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never had so many thoughts in
a race of wanting to quit. I felt beat up and the worst part was that I wasn’t
even halfway done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mind was really
against me here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I could manage was
a shuffle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit a section of the C
& O canal way (same that JFK 50 uses except we were further south on the
Potomac River).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully we only did 3
miles of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite being absolutely
beautiful, it was a tough hard packed canal road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My left leg abductor area was really tight
(an area that seems to flare up when doing anything on pavement over 10
miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there I was shuffling along
wondering how I was going to make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was praying something fierce at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“God just grant me the strength to get through this”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My g</span>oal going into this race of wanting to run
around the 10 hour mark were out the door and I was simply in survival
mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was too early in the race to be
in that mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aide station at mile
23 served as the first drop bag section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I spent some time trying to refuel, popped two ibuprofen and despite an
upset stomach I forced myself to eat and drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was off and settled into a mode of just getting to the next aide station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, I was not even halfway and at
5 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the next few miles where
my stomach grew more uneasy. I really needed to throw up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stomach was acting like it was trying to
and I was very close to helping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only reason why I didn’t is because I knew if I could somehow keep it down, I
would need those nutrients to fuel me for the next 26+miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked through this section as best I
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mile 29 was the next full aide
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of walking from 23-29.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I finally convinced myself to just walk
until my stomach settles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me
about 30 minutes or so of a straight walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then I started running again and kept flip flopping with a guy who also
looked like he was struggling (for other reasons I am sure).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 3 or 4 times passing each other I passed
him and never saw him again. It was funny how I wondered how he was doing
through the rest of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never did
find out how or if he finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit
the aide station at mile 29, ate and drank what I could and took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I hadn’t eaten enough but had
such a hard time mentally – thinking that my stomach would turn again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I walked from the aide station I saw a
sign that said “Only 21 miles to go”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><em>Only???</em> I know I can do the math but still mentally this is a tough
thing to see after struggling for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It wasn’t too long after that aide station I started running again and then it happened –
the race flipped on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt a renewed
energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know where it came from
but I didn’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GI issues were all
but gone, stomach had settled, pain in the legs and back were going numb
(ibuprofen??).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea where this came
from but I was thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To summarize, I
ran miles 29 – 42 running at a pace of between 11 and 12 minute miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not pushing it but felt very
comfortable. If it were not for this good section of running, I would not have
made it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed many people who had
passed me previously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t know how
long it would last but I wanted to ride the wave as long as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept doing the math and thought I had a
chance at 11 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the aide station at
mile 42, we were told that there is a 3.5 mile out and then the same 3.5 miles back to this aide
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there it was 1.5 miles to
the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure why but this news
was defeating to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if I
thought we were further along or what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was also around mile 42 that my IT band in my right leg started flaring up and
never stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I struggled on the 3.5
miles out big time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was again in the
shuffle and walk mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other pain
crept back in my legs on top of my new IT band issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was at a point where I literally couldn’t
get my legs to move any faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Energy
wise I was fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just the
legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a cold creek crossing close to the turnaround which refreshed my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cold kind of woke my feet and legs up a
bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the turnaround was another aide
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What great volunteers to be out
on the edge of the race serving food at sunset and beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an Indian family who was pushing their
hot apple cider, soup and roast beef that they claimed was the best ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what did I do? I tried the roast
beef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I don’t know if you have ever
eaten Indian food but everything is spicy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t know what they rubbed this with but it had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kick.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was probably bland
to them but my mouth felt it the next half hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section, like I said before, was 3.5
miles out to this aide station and then back again so you saw a lot of runners
going the opposite way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite not
being able to make the 11 hour mark, my pride kicked in and I didn’t stay long
at the aide station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to be
passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I made my way back (4.5 miles
to the finish ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this time it was
getting dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really got dark
fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had carried my head lamp all day
(note that I originally thought that I would not need a light for the late part
of the race because I was confident that I would finish in the light – which
would be an 11 hour finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy was I
wrong.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last 3+ miles were in the
dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only had a head lamp and
struggled to see the ground well enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many tree roots and leaves covering the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was tough just staying on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was again a shuffle but I wanted so bad to
finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To add insult to injury, a tree
very nicely decided to stick out a root and trip me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t fall but hit my big toe very
hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was getting late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
thoughts now of beating 12 hours, and my legs, feet and hips just couldn’t take
anymore not to mention this new pain in my toe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ended up limping the last 1.5 miles to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em>It was what it was.</em> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An aside:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I saw many runners still making their way out on the out and back
section which meant they still had a ways to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a lot of respect for them for
persevering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure when they would
actually pull runners off the course but these people were not quitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gave me a bit of inspiration to finish
what I started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finish line, also
where we started, at a high school, gave us one last challenge – we had to
climb a very steep (but short) hill right up to the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a girl directing runners in with a
flashlight and she kept saying “come on, you can do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Run the hill hard, finish strong!” If it
wasn’t for the fact that I was grateful for the many volunteers, I might have
given her a piece of my mind at that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Limping the last 1.5 miles in the dark, I was <em>not</em> running that
hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clock read 12 hours, 21 minutes
and some change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the race was
advertised as 50 miles but the race director, in an email a couple days before
the race, said the course was actually 51.5 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really not that big of a deal but by my watch
I think I hit the 50 mile mark around 11:40 (that is if the 51.5 miles is accurate). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure how they get an accurate measure
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not stay long after the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wished I was in better spirits -
I would have stayed and cheered for the runners behind me. At that point, I just wanted in
my car and to drive home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pain I
felt the night of the race and the next day is more than I have in a long
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like I was hit by a car
(more specifically like a car with a low front end hitting me in the legs while
flipping me up in the air landing my on back.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ask me if I will run a 50 miler again? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1Td2g1DxXBrP6LpcQCi9h9In91MJIqAGrhzYqHHINZFjyt39d3bujfCUKJLRoxLr4lSeCsa4lDUyTf3AN5u-kNQFBx7ClSRGvr0TSpwjL0vkPUt2iXesIz4pvE-wrE2kfqQHUCROMLM/s1600/Stone+Mill+50+miler+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1Td2g1DxXBrP6LpcQCi9h9In91MJIqAGrhzYqHHINZFjyt39d3bujfCUKJLRoxLr4lSeCsa4lDUyTf3AN5u-kNQFBx7ClSRGvr0TSpwjL0vkPUt2iXesIz4pvE-wrE2kfqQHUCROMLM/s1600/Stone+Mill+50+miler+3.jpg" /></a></div>
Update: Race was actually around 54.5 miles not 51.5 miles!!!!!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thoughts from this experience:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First and foremost I have so much more respect
for ultra-runners after this experience – especially those who have done the
100 milers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t imagine doing
twice what I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do realize that you
don’t enter a 100 mile race without being well trained for that distance but I
do understand, at least on a minimal level, the mental challenge coupled with
the physical challenge that is ever changing through those distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does not surprise me that 100 milers have
such high DNF rates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is my opinion that ultra-runners enjoy
pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow you have to embrace the
pain of a distance like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes
ultra-runners so sadistic? I don’t believe that distance runners believe that
they can ever achieve a “perfect” day where there is no pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultra-runners find some way to accept the
pain/discomfort and work with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was the hardest thing I have done in my life
to this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew it would be, but I
still did it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have so much respect for
anyone that “toes the line” of an ultra no matter where they finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.)</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have learned a few things that I must do to
enhance my training for the next time I run a 50 miler (or 100k???).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First is I absolutely have to get back to
strengthening my core – specifically my hips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was told two years ago that this is a weak area for me. I didn’t do
enough of that. Second is to implement more back to back long run days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sold on this but would be something
to try more for next time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My overall
mileage was low (when compared to others) but I do not think that mattered for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third is I might want to try running
the next one with someone and/or have a crew to help me as well as training
with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw many runners with a
partner or having a crew out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, on
the other hand, did it alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the great
volunteers and aide stations allowed me to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to underestimate the value of
support from others. And lastly, absolutely need to run in a pair of shoes that are 1/2 size larger than I normally wear. The feet and toes swell and I felt much too much rubbing of my toes on the ends of my shoes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.) Ultras are fun. They are doable for most any runner that wants to put in the time and mental effort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy Trails! <o:p></o:p></span></div>running4lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00065763682397047230noreply@blogger.com4