Jul 09

Merrill’s Mile 24 Hour Endurance Race!

So the first part of my 100 mile endurance quest is in the books – Merrill’s Mile 24 Hour Endurance Race!

I’ll provide a short, just the facts version, as well as a full race report for those less familiar with ultra endurance racing. So you get to choose because people like choices…

Short version – I chose the 24 hour option starting at 9am Friday until 9am. Saturday. Two incredible thunderstorms in between incredible sweltering heat – yes I paid to experience this! It’s a one mile paved loop. When all was said and done I covered 67 miles and some change and finished 3rd out of 20 in the 48 hour race and 2nd in my age group – winner was in my age group!

Full Race Report – This will answer a lot of your endurance racing questions!

Merrill’s Mile is held at Camp Merrill in Dahlonega Ga, an Army Ranger training camp. Today will be a family affair! My daughter Katelyn, and my two son in law’s, Seth and Sam, will be running the 6 hour option then cutting out leaving me running a true solo race.

Upon arrival we set up camp. This race is known as a timed event. This just means you try to cover the longest distance in a specified amount of time as possible. So yes, you can walk, sit, run, or whatever. So, many people set up a campsite with a canopy and chairs and if running the 48 hour version then some pretty elaborate campsites are set up on the infield of the loop. The advantage of timed events and running in circles is you get to go by your camp every loop. This means you can provide your own nutrition.

Nutrition!

Nutrition plays a BIG factor in ultra racing. Food has a hard time digesting when your digestive system is shaking up and down for hours on end. Ultra race directors typically provide excellent food at aid stations. Excellent food if it rides well on your stomach that day! Otherwise you find yourself throwing up every so often, and do that enough and your day is finished as you must have the calories. Or worse, you may find yourself melting! You want to avoid a rumbly in the tumbly at all costs on race day. These calories can be gotten either through liquids like Tailwind, GU gels or real food – or any combination thereof. So it’s important that you practice your nutrition before race day as it has the biggest impact on performance. Be the best athlete in the world, in the best shape of your life but find yourself throwing up and having diarrhea every so often and even I’ll eventually pass ya! So nutrition is big!

Gear

So I decide to go the minimalist route with just a Rubbermaid tote and a cooler with water. I decided to use my cooler as a chair. In my tote are 3 changes of clothes, another pair of shoes, Tailwind Powder, Bread, Peanut Butter and Honey, Stax potato chips, a light jacket, a rain jacket, Saltines, Black Diamond headlamp and extra batteries, body lube,a buff for my head, and a few other essentials like band-aids, chap stick, handheld water bottle, etc… My decision with this setup will cost me dearly later.

Goals

I try to set several realistic goals for every ultra I enter. One that will stretch me a little and eventually one that stretches me a lot. For this race… To still be able to walk/run at 9am. Saturday. To race farther than I ever have, which meant anything over 50 miles. Then the one I really hoped to accomplish – to make it to 65 miles. Then the last was 75 miles.

The Race

We are called to the starting line. We’ve all been given a bib number that has an embedded chip on the backside so our laps will be electronically measured. For this race we also have ankle bracelets that also track our miles and I heard that live tracking was available for this race. That means you can log on and track a runners progress throughout the race – but I didn’t know that until after the race. This will also means you can see where you stand on a large flat screen monitor on each pass. Oh well. I need to take a break in the action to discuss Ultra racing strategy now that we’re about to start…

Strategy

In ultra running strategy plays a key role. I’m going to be running a long time, at least for me – 24 hours. Every runner has to have a strategy, or I think they should have. Yes, you’ll need to build in some walking, but you need to walk with purpose – remember you’re racing. Get your walk/run/rest strategy out of wack and you lose. Then there is the heat and sleep deprivation. Do you want to take it easy during the hottest part of the day and then haul the mail at night? Possibly. Or would it be better to bank miles while it’s early and your legs are fresh? Will you have set timed rest breaks? How many? That’s why there is so much strategy involved in the Ultra world.

Back to the Race without Interruption

The funny part of an Ultra start is that when the starter yells go, some start running while others start walking – it’s back to strategy. I decide to start at a really slow running pace and just make myself stop and walk later. The biggest error made, in my opinion, in ultra running is starting too fast. So the saying goes, walk early and walk often and that’s what I did – I mean 24 hours after all.

And it was all going so well until it wasn’t. We start in sweltering heat so you are quickly drenched – no problem I heat train regularly by intentionally finding the hottest days I can to run. I also rain train, trying to run in pelting rain when possible. When you’re ultra trail running (over 32 miles) point to point, you must continue moving forward regardless of conditions.

But then, the rain came and came and came… Athens Alabama had not provided me the luxury of training in rain like I was experiencing and it was hitting me in the chest so hard it felt like piercing needles – and no I’m not being dramatic – it hurt! Normally you could see the entire mile loop from end to end but the rain had now blocked that type of visibility. 48 hour people could spare a little time and found cover in their camps with their canopies. I had no canopy and furthermore if I opened my tote to get any nutrition it would have filled up with rain water – lesson learned, I’ll have a canopy next time! I can’t afford the time to get out of the rain as I have no idea how long it will last. Then comes the lightening, where am I going to go? So I just keep racing. Then it lets up and what a relief not to have the rain pounding and pounding for I’m sure over an hour. I wait for the humid sun to return to bake me again and it does not disappoint! This means I will have time to change into dry clothes because I couldn’t be any wetter if I’d jumped into a pool. But by now my worst nightmare was transpiring…

My feet were soaked and so were my running shorts, then blisters on my feet, and chaffing of my inner thighs had begun. Don’t under estimate the pain of chaffing of your inner thighs. Oddly enough this is all part of the allure of Ultra running – whoever is willing to suffer the longest finishes the highest. You just have to deal with problems. Running in the North Georgia mountains as I did one year, and have a problem, there is no one there to help you when you get blisters or chaff or diarrhea or throwing up – you just have to deal with it. So I dealt with them by getting into new socks, shoes, shorts, etc… And so all was good again, and I was feeling fresh! Until…

Until the torrential rain hit again a few hours after the first monsoon. Now I’m in the same predicament again. I’m soaking wet, blistering and chaffing but I can’t change because it’s still raining cats and dogs – if I open my tote all my gear gets soaked – again note to self about bringing a canopy! Plus, I can’t forget I’m still racing and others are in the same boat. But if I can suffer longer then I might get ahead.

Nutrition at this point is stellar. I decide to drink Tailwind for my calories and use an S-Cap periodically for my sodium intake. I’ll later start eating some real food while drinking Tailwind. Worked like a charm the entire race and I must admit I had he best aid station food of any I’ve ever had – kudos to the RD. Food included watermelon, freshly cooked grilled cheese, humus burritos – really good and I’m not usually a humus fan, Ginger Ale (helps settle your stomach) etc…

The rain eventually quits and I get into my dry clothes once again. I’m feeling pretty good with my walk/run strategy and slowly clocking miles. But nightfall quickly approaches and the track is not lighted. So out come all the headlamps which looked really cool around the track. I haven’t stayed up all night on purpose since Jr. High and was wondering how long before this too goes south. I’ve decided not to sleep or stop during the race but keep moving forward no matter how slow it gets. I have also decided not to run using music just to make all aspects of the race mentally as hard as possible – ever tried running in a circle for 24 hours? Me either at this point. Surprisingly it goes pretty well, in fact better than expected as far as the night goes. My legs, not so much…

Somewhere during the night my quads get trashed. They have filled with lactic acid is my guess. So now I need to sit for the first time during the race. I know it’s going to be painful – little did I know how much. I get the the chair Katelyn has left me – that I didn’t think I needed – I was wrong and lesson learned. Problem is the chair sits really low and I’m tall. I can’t tell you how excruciating the quad pain was as I stretched them trying to sit down. Then I used my leg roller and tried to roll the pain away. They felt better after sitting about 10 minutes. But then…

Then something happened that I can’t explain, the chaffing started immediately as I started walking again. By the way, when the early morning hours came there was more walking than running, everything was so painful now. Oddly enough the chaffing quit after about 5 minutes of walking or at least I no longer felt the pain. But now whenever I thought about needing to rest, which I did 2 more times for about 10-15 minutes, it became a mental thing knowing the pain I’d feel while trying to get into the chair and the chaffing pain after getting back up. In total I sat down only about 3 times during the entire race.

Late into the race it became apparent that I would make my 65 mile goal. When that came and went by a couple of miles I was done! I was spent. To give you an idea, I like a 10 minute and 30 second mile. In ultra racing I like to start at about 11 minute pace and settle in on about 12 minute pace late in the race. On my last few miles I was clocking a few 30 minute miles and was personally impressed I could pull it off with all the quad pain, blisters and chaffing! I decided to leave an hour and a half on the table and take my 67 miles and take it to the house. I wrestled with just doing whatever I could for that hour and a half but felt I had made a good run at my goals and was satisfied, called Julie and Katelyn to come and pick me up and I said goodbye to Merrill’s Mile feeling this might just be the race that helps me retire from ultra running.

What I’d have done differently

Canopy, chair that sits high for my height, moleskin for my blisters, starting even slower than I did, walk more during the heat to run faster at night, long poncho so my shorts didn’t get as wet, take care of issues sooner than I did. Other than that I think for my first 24 hour event I got it close to dialed in.

At the end of the day

Was sore for the afternoon after the race, but was pretty good the next day as far as being able to walk. Blisters on feet are healing and all is good. The following day I was already thinking about my next race and how I’ll do it differently. Finished the Merrill’s Mile with 67 miles with a 3rd place finish out of 20 in the 24 hour race overall and 2nd in my age group. Shout out to the race directors for having the best aid station food I’ve ever experienced. Only wish this race was in the fall!

Jun 18

100 Mile Endurance Quest Part Two

So I lost and entire week of training. More on that later…

So the dream or nightmare continues. My quest to attempt a 100 mile endurance race. Notice that it’s a race and not just a run, so yes, walking is part of the strategy.

Step one of my plan is to do a 24 hour timed event on a 1 mile closed course – a 1 mile track. Part of the challenge is to fight off the boredom of running in a one mile circle for 24 hours – with no sleep. Then, once I can determine my athletic condition I will determine my next step in the quest. Most likely that would be a flatter 100 miler somewhere in the US.

So back to me losing 1 week of training which also slows things down for the second week of subpar training… I joined Strava and a few virtual running clubs to gauge my training efforts against other local runners each week. I was logging great mileage for several weeks. I was somewhat competitive on Strava. Until…

Until I decided to be my usual self when it comes to extremes. I love to run on the hottest and coldest days I can find just to see if I can take it. It’s a mental thing as you never know what race conditions may be on any given race day. On this particular day I thought it might be a great idea to run in the heaviest monsoon rain I could find. For about 7 miles, puddles and all. Thought it would be great training as I have often run races in adverse conditions. Weather can change a lot in 24 hours. The run went well as it rained harder and harder.

Then it happened…A couple of days later I developed an intense sinus infection. Now I’m not saying that there is a cause and effect thing here but… I’m pretty sure running in the rain COULD have contributed to the infection. I got so sick, lost sleep, felt so tired that it shut down all training. It got so bad I even went to the doctor, I know, I know. I lost an entire week of training. I was logging some pretty good mileage – for me, until then. But if that wasn’t bad enough, now I need to slowly ease back into some high mileage days, and race day is quickly approaching.

In case you’re wondering what high mileage days look like for me… I subscribe to the one long run per week mentality. You run quality miles during the week but you real effort is put into the long run on weekends. My long run is 20 miles each week. Just in case you’re wondering. For a 225 pound guy that’s a lot of miles!

So I’m back on track. I’ve officially registered for the 24 hour race and now working on nutrition and strategy ideas. More about that in another post dedicated to just that.

Stay tuned as this could end in a big fail!

May 15

100 Mile Endurance Quest Part One

If you’ve read my post on my Walter Mitty Life then you already know I go past what some believe is normal. I think that’s up for debate! I will say that there are times that I question myself as to some of the things I attempt to do. This could be one of those.

Wondering how anyone would even consider getting into ultra running – distances that typically start around 31 miles. You can read about how I started in my post Ultra Experiment.

Ultimately I feel that the shorter races are a young man’s game, it’s all about speed, which left me long ago. But as the distance increases to the ultra distances, strategy and nutrition slowly works their way into the equation. You see, it’s an endurance race, which means there is a combination of walking and running. You need the best combination of each dependent on the course to be successful. If that weren’t enough, then enters in your nutrition. You can be in great shape, have a great plan, but have your race nutrition go south on race day and your day is over. A lot of factors play into endurance racing. It’s a game of strategy.

My longest race to date was 50 miles. I often get asked if I walked any of it. Many seem disappointed when I say yes – it’s an endurance race, not an endurance run. Walk or run in the wrong ratio and you lose. Remember, it’s about strategy, how much do I walk to hang on for hours of being on my feet verses running. Then I ask if they’ve ever tried to just walk 50 miles. That seems to bring it back into perspective! You can see a light bulb go off…

So before I retired from running a couple of years ago, I had been obsessed with toeing the line for a 100 mile endurance race. Once again, some would say not normal. Again I’d say that’s up for debate. You see I believe the mind/body is capable of things that many never tap into. I think this could be one of those things.

So, my quest to run a 100 mile endurance race begins…

Stay tuned.

Please leave comment on your thoughts.

May 08

Back in the Running Game Again!

I thought I had it out of my system! I ran for several years and really enjoyed it. But I reached a point where I felt “I’d been there done that.” So I thought I’d retire from competitive running. As it turns out I guess I was only taking a break! Little did I know!

So, how did it happen? After all the years of trying to get my grown daughter into running she finally entered the arena – after I had already quit! Then she started pounding me to run a race with her. So I started playing a game by telling her that I might be entering a race she was in, with no intention of entering. She likes the shorter distance stuff which I think is for young people and not for those of us over 50 runners. Short distances seem to be just a “speed only” race which lends itself to youth – in my opinion. With longer distance races it seems to level the playing field when strategy enters the field. That distance for me begins after 30 plus miles which is known as an ultra distance.

Then I get a message on my phone… Hey dad I’m running the McKay Hollow Madness trail race on Monte Sano, you in? Then in a moment of weakness I found myself on ultrasignup giving them my money and the training began. Only problem is the short distance of 7 miles – I don’t stand a competitive chance. Oh well, it’s a start and we’ll be running our first race together which will be awesome. As an added bonus my two son in law’s are running it as well. It’s a family affair.

Due to the date of the race I was not able to train as much as I’d like and hey it’s only 7 miles. I’ve run as far as 50 – but I was in great running shape. Not the case this time. The McKay Hollow Madness, like other races on Monte Sano, was a legit trail race. That 7 miles felt like a 7 mile climb! When I finished I realized I don’t need to run if I’m not in great shape.

When all was said and done I finished 42 out of 96 with 19 that DNF’d overall, and 10 out of 18 in my age group with 3 that DNF’d. In my age group only 3 were older than me that beat me. So, overall it was a good first race back from my running retirement. Plus and the real “win” was I got to spend time with my family!

So, what’s next? Well let’s just say I’m into some serious training and I have a race lined up and entry fee paid… Could be the longest distance I’ve ever attempted… Stay tuned…

Jan 08

My Walter Mitty Life

I’ve always been amazed at what people have been able to accomplish in their lifetime. I enjoy reading about people that have done a lot of crazy things in search of adventure. I loved the movie the Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  So in light of this, I decided to write down all the crazy things that I’ve been able to do – so far in my life. I would encourage you to do the same because you probably have lived an awesome life that others might enjoy reading about!

These may not be in a chronological order but here we go:

Once lived in Cuba – dad was in the Navy

Registered myself for the first grade without my parents knowledge – walked to the school and went to the office to register – who does that?

Owned several motorcycles – Suzuki Trailhopper, Yamaha 100, Honda XL-125, Honda CR-125, Suzuki RM-250, Yamaha FZ-1, Yamaha V Star 1100

Started college at 17

Earned a private Pilot License just after High School

Ran a small sport airport on weekends for free flight time

Flown in homebuilt airplanes, flown in a world war II fighter – T6 and almost crashed

Once started building a homebuilt airplane – EAA Acro Sport II

As a child rode a Trailways bus to my grandparents

Set trot lines in a creek at night

Hunted quail on my grandfathers farm

Fished  in Ray Scott’s personal pond (founder of Bass Masters)

Was a Chimney Sweep apprentice

Held the ribbon for the Flying Mayor to tear while flying inverted – worked several airshows

Once searched for a skydiver whose chute failed to open while attempting a state record high dive

Got lost on my first cross country solo flight

Got to go whale watching in Boston

Visited the John Lennon memorial in Central Park New York

Saw a play on Broadway

Visited the Rocky Mountain national park

Saw Cirque Du Soleil’s – La Nouba

Been on two cruises – Nassau Bahamas,  Cozumel

Visited Key West – saw Hemingway’s House

Have vacationed in Disneyworld

Visited Elvis’s – Tupelo home and Graceland

Visited Beale street in Memphis

Attended a Superbike race at Barber motorsports park

Crashed a motorcycle on the street while skipping school

Was a passenger in a car that was totaled in a crash

Have seen a Gutenberg bible in person

Walked down Wall Street

Walked around Times Square

President Carter lectured in one of my Seminary classes

Attended a Professional Bull Riding event (PBR) with VIP tickets – was in room with Ty Murray

Had my picture made with Evil Kenevil and Roy Clark at a celebrity golf tournament

Was a High School softball and basketball official

Have coached basketball

Have been with rescue team while dragging bottom of a river looking for a body

Have been a Police Department chaplain riding with officers on patrol

Graduated from Candler School of Theology

Served multiple churches

I’ve run a 65 acre ranch for delinquent boys

Worked at an all girls treatment facility

Ultra-runner – Longest race was 100 Miles then a 72 miler, multiple races of 31 miles, marathons, etc…

Non-christian concerts that I’ve attended – Styx, KISS (in the early days),Commodores with Lionel Richie, Doobie Brothers, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Elvis – yup, Elvis!

Became a PADI(Professional Association of Dive Instructors) scuba diver with multiple certifications – Open, Advanced, Rescue, Nitrox, Divemaster

Lettered in tennis in High school

Set several state records in competitive powerlifting

Was once a personal trainer

Have participated in multiple sports – Jr. High basketball, baseball, softball, football

Taught myself to juggle – 3 and 4 ball, rings, Diablo, various balancing tricks. clubs

Owned several cool cars – 72 Chevy Nova, Datsun  240 Z, 55 Chevy 2 door hardtop, 68 Chevy Camaro

Married to the same wonderful lady for 37 years as of this writing

Great kids and son in laws

Had throat cancer but survived – at least as of this day!

Run a YouTube Channel – allthingstonyj

I’m sure there is a ton I’ve missed. But I have tried to take John 10:10 seriously when Jesus said I have come so you can live the abundant life.

Accepting Christ was the greatest thing I’ve ever done. Getting married and raising kids has been the second greatest thing I’ve ever done.

Take time at some point and write down all you’ve been able to accomplish, you might be surprised at how good a life God has given you. As a bonus others might be interested in reading it – I know I would.

Jan 02

Split Head and the Dizzy Fifties!

I completed another ultra race – 31 miles and some change on Monte Sano.  Here are the details from the race and my new training routine.

I decided to try a new diet this year called the Primal Blueprint in hopes of losing some belly fat. I combined that with heart monitor training. Heart monitor training is designed to help you race faster by training slower. You use a formula to determine your minimal and maximal range and keep your rate within those limits when training.

Heart rate training was incredibly frustrating in the beginning. I had to run a LOT slower than I was accustomed to in order to stay within the parameters set. But over time I graduated to a faster pace while keeping my heart rate low. Win, win!

The day before the race I began to monitor what I ate – if you recall this was the same race last year I lost my cookies and continued to do so for the rest of the day!  I decided not to eat after about 4 pm. in hopes of eliminating a repeat.

The race starts at 6:30. I want to be there an hour before the start – parking is sometimes a nightmare. This means I need to leave the house by 5:30am., which means I need to get up around 4:15 – 4:30am. That’s early folks!  I get up on time, get all my nutrition in the car, load all other gear, extra shoes, socks, blister repair kit, hydration pack, etc…  standard ultra fare for any race day. Find a great parking spot, set my phone alarm and try to relax until race time.

Alarm goes off. I get out of my car. Whatta you know! All the skinny people have shown up once again.  They ALL look more serious than I do. That may have had something to do with my decision to only do one long run per week leading up to the race. Of course I still ran multiple shorter runs but my longest run was probably no more than 13 miles. I was pretty loose figuring I’d start off near last and see if I could pass a few before the 4 or 5 hours passed. Yup, it takes a while for a 54 year old to run an ultra these days.

Things were going as scheduled for most of the day.  I had already decided I wanted to enjoy this race. Being out in the woods in the solitude of nature is pretty awesome – until my legs start to hurt! I spent a lot of that time talking to others but eventually I pretty much center on praying. All my nutrition decisions were going well so far.  No gels, just bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, some Gatorade and Coke.

Then it happened. One of my goals in every race is to not fall.  I know, I know, it sounds funny. But many ultras are run in the late fall and early winter.  That means that leaves are all over the trails. Add sunlight, shadows and leaves and you have a wonderful hiding place if you’re a rock. I use the term rock loosely, think more of an iceberg concept. The tip of the iceberg is just a small sign of what lies beneath. Same is true of rocks on many trails but certainly true on Monte Sano. If you’re even afforded  the  luxury of seeing  it, it looks like a small rock that you could kick down the  trail.  Usually not the case! What you see is just the tip of the unmovable boulder that lies underneath.

So here’s the usual chain of events for me and many others… Eventually your legs start getting really tired and want to cramp. Combine that with the fact that if you ever start leaning forward, as when one kicks a rock (attached to a boulder that’s not going anywhere) and you get a worst case scenario.  The perfect storm – leaves, shadows, rock, cramping legs, leaning forward and I can’t get my legs back underneath me. Then it happened, I went down.  I went down harder than any time before.  Picture in slow-motion… Legs are  tired, I’m cramping, I hit the tip of the rock, I start leaning forward, I try as hard as I can to get my legs back underneath me, not happening, I go down in briers then something happens that has never happened – I hit my head on a rock! Seriously, are you kidding me? Then I realize that it REALLY hurts. I reach up with my awesome yellow Nike running gloves, I pull it back down, BLOOD. Seriously?  I’ve cut my head? My knees are cut from briers and now  I’ve got to figure out if this could  be bad.  So I begin  to rub my head, just seemed like the thing to do to assess my situation. My gloves are getting bloodier and bloodier. Because I’ve been a lifelong fan of boxing I decided to jam my index finger into the cut like they do a q-tip in a cut in boxing.  After about a total of 10 minutes I get the bleeding to stop well enough to continue – I’m only half way done so I have to complete the race – right!

From this point forward when I run by the medical folks I do my best to turn my head or whatever it takes so they don’t see it.

Eventually I finish the race in one of the goal times that I set for myself and all is good.  My head still stings but I don’t think much about  it until a lady about 8 feet away says what did you do  to your head?  At that point I took a cut head selfie to see how bad it was. It actually took a few weeks  for all the scabs to disappear. Whatever!

All in all another great ultra with another great story.

Not because of the fall but this may have been my last ultra.  Been there done that. Will continue to run shorter distances for exercise but probably no more ultra distance stuff – but who knows?

 

Apr 06

Delano 12 Hour Endurance Race 2016

delano-parkShould I or shouldn’t I?  Do what?  Attempt to enter a 12 hour endurance race?  Still haven’t reached my limit so why not?  How do you set goals for something you’ve never done before?  Just take a stab…

Goals:

  1. Show up
  2. Finish
  3. Sub Goal 1 – Finish an ultra distance of over 31 miles
  4. Sub Goal 2 – Go farther than longest race attempted – over 35 miles
  5. Sub Goal 3 – Run 50 miles!

The story…

Race starts at 6am. So I have to leave the house no later than 4:30 am so I need to get up at 3:45 am.  Everything is already laid out – clothes, change of clothes, food, drink, visor, etc…  Like most races I can’t sleep so I’m up earlier than usual.  Take a shower then load the car and head to Decatur for my first endurance race.

Now for those who don’t know about endurance racing…  They are timed events, simply run as far as possible in the allotted time.  You can drop at any time.  It’s chipped timed, which means you wear a timing chip on your shoe and it keeps up with your laps. Pretty simple right?  Did I mention 12 hours.  This one will be from 6am until 6pm if I can hold out.

As I get to the race I get one of only a few parking spaces left.  I’m early because that’s just me!  Now it’s time to get some rest.  I pull my jacket up on me, recline my seat, and close my eyes, about 45 minutes until race time.  All went well for about 5 minutes.  That’s about how long it took someone to find the parking spot across from me, backs in and leaves his lights on – which of course were now shining in my eyes and they weren’t turning them off!  So yes, I turned mine on and flashed them on and off SEVERAL times to no avail.  OK, whatever.

Eventually it’s time to get to the starting line and I recognize my 2 nemesis have shown up.  The 2 ladies that pass me toward the end of what seems like EVERY race we’re all in.  But they are really good runners and they always let me run with them so it’s all good.  We all toe the line and the horn sounds…  Were racing.  Now racing is a relative term in ultra racing.  They all at some point become a trade off of running vs walking.  You can choose to run a lot and slog toward the end of the race, or walk too much and not finish well.  The optimum solution is to hit a sweet spot of combining the 2.  You just have to have done it enough to know what you’re body is telling you and listen to it.

Did I mention that most timed races are oval anywhere from 1 mile to 3?  Delano? 1 mile loop!  So now the race is also mental having to deal with the same 1 mile for 12 hours.

There’s an old saying in ultra running – if it hurts to run and it hurts to walk – then run! So you know at some point it becomes all about who’s willing to suffer the most.  For me, ultra running is a big head game, you must overcome the mental aspect.

So throughout the day my strategy was to never stop.  Literally, never stop.  In the end it worked out pretty much like I had planned – FOR ONCE!  Unlike the Dizzy Fifty Ultra where I messed up my nutrition, I hit this one spot on.  What did I eat throughout the day?  Peanut butter sandwich triangles, fruit and a lot of Mountain Dew.  Every so often i would slow down to grab something to eat while still moving for the most part.  I would walk just long enough to gulp down any liquid without spilling it all over myself, and I did that for 12 hours, only going to the restroom once.  I was for the most part moving for 12 hours.

What about those goals when all was said and done – glad you asked. I saw 35 miles plus, pass with time still left on the clock.  Then I had to make a decision.  Could I actually get to the 50 mile mark?  I started to calculate my time per lap and realized if I could keep this pace for the next 4 hours then I could do it with about 10 minutes to spare.  But what it was going to do to my body to keep this pace may not be worth it.  So that occupied my mind for a lap or two.  I mean, if you’re not an ultra runner, nobody really understands running 50 miles, what it does to you mentally and physically.  Even if I did it, who else would even care?  Well, I would!  I still had a goal ahead and I’m goal driven. So for the next several hours I kept the pace, then I started to really try to speed up – some.  Yes it was a gamble as I could cramp and not make the 50.

In the end I made the 50 with 15 minutes to spare.  As I came across the finish line for the last time, the race coordinators were encouraging me to run that last mile.  Nope, I’m good!

Finished 18th overall out of 80 runners that day in the 12 hour solo.

Finished 5th out of 17 in my age group.

 

Jan 12

2016 moment of weakness!

Mountain Mist1It seems to happen every race. I’m in the middle portion and all I can think about is I’m not sure when I’ll do this again!  Those thoughts usually hit when you feel like you’ve been running forever.

It happened last year during the Mountain Mist. It’s billed as the southeast’s toughest trail race.  That alone should make you want to skip it.  But NOOOOO!  That’s not how I operate.  That would be too easy. If you read my 2015 report on this race then you remember that it rained the day before and then snowed that night.  Not exactly great conditions to run in. But that’s part of the allure of trail racing – to see how much you can physically endure.  Why else would people run 31 plus miles, 50 miles and even 100 mile ultras?  I remember at some point of the 2015 race saying that running in these conditions just isn’t fun. It was just nasty!  Even after missing the last cutoff time I remember thinking that I’m glad I entered, but I’ll never do this one again.  I was fine with a DNF (did not finish) ran the best race I knew how to run and it just wasn’t good enough on that day.

But then it started as it often does for me, on the drive home.  I started thinking about what I had done wrong, in training and on race day.  Once I spoke with Eric, who has been my unofficial coach, he pointed out a key point – on a course as muddy as that one you can’t try to go around all the mud.  You must run through the mud!  Running around  the mud had cost me precious time.  I was ok with that, learned something for the future.  My legs were cramping, I was cold, it was  muddy and wet, I missed my last cutoff, I’m good.  I tried, don’t really care if I ever run that one again.

But then something happened this year. In a moment of weakness I found my hands on the keyboard and before I knew it I had somehow registered for the 2016 Mountain Mist!  What?  How did that happen?  I’ll tell you how…

Last year I had the hopes of Grand Slamming with the Huntsville Track Club.  To Grand Slam you must complete these 4 races:

Dizzy Fifties 50k on November 21, 2015,
Rocket City Marathon on December 12, 2015,
Recover From The Holidays 50k on December 31, 2015, and last, but by no means least,
Mountain Mist 50k on January 23, 2016.

Last year though I had  to miss the Recover Ultra, so I was out  of the Slam…

But this year I had finished all of the required races and finished top 10 in my age group at  the Recover from the Holidays a few weeks ago.

Then I made  the mistake of texting Eric to  let him know about my finish at the Recover from the Holidays Ultra and he subtly reminded me that I was on track to Grand Slam.  I had no intentions of running  the Mist but now I’m in – again.

I honestly question whether I’m in good enough shape to finish but I will line up at the start and see if I get pulled again!

So that’s how, in a moment of weakness, I registered for a race that I said I’d never run again.  Never say never!

Jan 01

Recover from the Holidays – 2015

HTCAnother 31 mile ultra in the books!

At the end of each year the Recover from the Holidays ultra is held on December 31 – New Years Eve.

It’s somewhat of  a misnomer to even have the word “recover” as part of this race name.  Not much “recovering” takes place in a 31 mile endurance race!

Here’s the skinny on this one, at least as I experienced it.

For me, it starts the day before.  It’s all in nutrition the day before.  Get this part wrong, and months of training are out the window on race day.  I decided on Chic-fil-A for lunch.  Original chicken sandwich and a side salad – with buttermilk Ranch.  Perfect choice and will go with this in the future.  But here is where things get dicey – dinner.  I like to eat early around 4 pm.  For this one I decide on a breakfast burrito that I’ll create myself.  I should have stopped there.  Two eggs and shredded cheddar cheese on a tortilla. But then I decided to make a side of grits – love grits!  Good there.  But then I decided a little fat would be nice.  So I decided on some bacon.  Not 1 slice, not 2 slices, not 3 slices, but 4 slices.  Seemed like a pretty good choice.  In retrospect too much bacon fat – can’t believe I just said that!

Race starts at 8 am. at the Huntsville Cross Country Course on Airport rd.  This is when it gets really interesting as  I have never run this course For whatever reason I was under the impression that  it was a pretty flat course.  Note to self – go run the course in advance when possible.  The race starts with a loop to spread everyone out then you run the same 3 mile loop 9 times.  Course was not flat!  Had one killer hill.  Not killer like you might have on Monte Sano, but it was tough since you had to go down it and back up it 9 times or so.  Now, if you’re not a runner, going downhill just thrashes your quads and knees. There were several long grinding uphills that weren’t necessarily steep but taxing nonetheless. Overall it’s a fantastic course.  Just enough flat parts to get your breath for the next uphill.  Then there was the really flat field run to the aid station which you passed on every lap.  GREAT aid station, coke, Mt. Dew, Poweraid, soup, candy and so much more.

When all was said and done I finished, which is always my first goal.  No real mishaps on this run.  Just had a great time and I’m really sore.

Following the race I was extremely hungry!  Problem, I was muddy and pretty sure I had a not so pleasant aroma!  But I was only a few miles from my favorite Mexican restaurant – Little Rosie’s.  You’ve already guessed what I did!  I went to Little Rosie’s in all my running gear.  Muddy legs, shorts, compression socks, and that lovely aroma!  It  was one of the best chicken burritos I’ve eaten.

This will be one that I will probably do again in 2016, including Rosie’s!

Dec 16

2015 Rocket City, Altercation and Huntsville PD

Rocket city

Here’s the skinny on my attempt at another Rocket City Marathon (26.2 miles).

From the start…

If you read my snafu from the 2015 Dizzy Ultra 31 miler then you know I got sick mid race.

So, for this one, my last meal was at 4pm on Friday..

Clock is set for 4:10am.  I get up at 4 pm., figures when I’m getting up mega early I’d get up even earlier than I needed.

Laid out all my gear the night before.  Car packed night before.  Like getting to a race one hour before.  Normally takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to drive to the VBCC in Huntsville.  WRONG!  Get there way to early!  At first can’t find where I need to park.   The deck I thought was to be open was blocked off.  Finally find a top secret entrance to the parking deck. No one else is parking there.  I start to wonder if my car will get towed.  Then, the super power of common sense kicks in – I don’t even care, I’ve got a great parking spot – for now!

Because I’m too early I decide to recline my seat in my awesome 1999 Ford Explorer with over 300,000 miles – more on that later as it comes into play before I get back home!  With my Ford it can start with a drive and end with a hike!

With about 45 minutes before the start I go into the VBCC.  Wouldn’t ya know it, all the skinny people have shown up – again.  While all the superstars are stretching and jogging, I find a seat and try to get some sleep!  I never stretch before a long race anyway.  I just usually get out of my car and go run 26 – 35 miles – HARDCORE!  Today I’ve decided to look like a marathon superstar and race without a handheld water bottle or my usual hydration backpack – in retrospect I can sum this up for you…  Didn’t take long for my thirst to remind me I’m no superstar!  They did have aid stations fairly close to each other so it wasn’t so bad!

The announcer then told all runners to find their way to the starting line.  A TV station had their drone flying above for the start.  I have already found my Pacer.  I decided on a pacer as I was hoping to finish in under 5 hours.  The pacer would assure me that I would finish in 4:55 or less! If I can keep an 11 minute pace for 26.2 miles and 5 hours.

Started off well but let’s cut through the chase.  I held on to the pacer for over 13 miles stopping only long enough at each aid station to drink a cup of water.  Now what’s awesome for the Rocket City is that they have a spirit trophy for teams alongside the road that show the most spirit.  There were HS drum lines.  HS cheerleaders…  Full classic rock bands, etc…  Somewhere around 13 miles I started to slow a little.  Just enough that I started to see my pacer start to pull away.

Over time I started to realize that with the heat I was not going to make my goal of under 5 hours.  It was at that point I started to really enjoy the race – using that term liberally.  Once you reach a certain point in the race you realize that just running a slow and steady pace will not be far behind the time accomplished going all out.  So I now set another time goal and start trying to make that time.  That was 5:30.  Not too far behind my original goal.

The course takes you all throughout Huntsville. Old historic downtown, little five points and out to and through the Space and Rocket Center.  You actually get to run under the Rockets that you see from the street.  Best part is the Huntsville Police Department stops ALL traffic for the race.  So you never have to stop for traffic!  WoooooHOOOOO!  It’s awesome.

Awesome except for the pain!  Seriously, running on pavement for long periods of time just beats you down.  Your legs just ache.  Since I’m a running hack, my legs begin to hurt early in races then It becomes a head game of how much suffering I can stand and for how long.

As with the majority of Ultra and Marathon runners there comes a time where you will start a walk/run strategy.  Since I ran the majority of the first 13 miles I needed to start a walk run to maximize my potential for a good finish.  Now, when employing this strategy your walking portion has to be a power walk, not a mall walk pace!  Toward the end I was starting to just pick a point to run to hoping I could trick my mind into running more than my body wanted to.  The superstars don’t have to do this but again, I’m no superstar!

When I reached the 25.2 mile marker something interesting happened.  Part of the race takes you through a rough part of Huntsville.  In the morning when we past the government assisted housing there was a man just sick at his stomach throwing up everywhere. Lovely.  But this time, in the same area, something more was taking place.  I run by there two men… Standing nose to nose while one screams at the other.  Apparently the smaller of the two had the “f bomb” as one of his spelling list flash cards as a child, as he kept using it in as many sentences as he could.  He really knew that word and wanted to let others now too! It did not take much to realize this wasn’t going to end well as they were about to fight.  Luckily there were police nearby and I told them about the altercation that was taking place and they sent a car to take care of the issue.

Now I’m running in a group.  I now decide that I want to race with just over a mile to go.  I pick out a few people that I decide will not beat me!  So the race begins for 1000th place and a mile to go!  I begin to actually pass quite a few people then get on the shoulder of another man who has no clue I’m about to blow past him.  But I decide to do it strategically to beat him down and break his will.  Cause I’m racin’.  So the finish line is inside the VBCC and it’s awesome as you come from outside to inside with people cheering and clapping and you get your finish line picture.  So I get on his shoulder and he’s not even aware – stealthy I am.  Not fast but stealthy – I’ll take stealthy over speed any day – Ninja like!  So, as we make the last turn from outside to inside, finish line in sight, the crowd is roaring as I begin to pass with incredible speed to beat him at the line!  Awesome!

Time?  5:26.  Accomplished my plan B goal!

After the race, I get my hat and my metal and drink 3 cartons of chocolate milk!  It was the greatest!  But all I was really craving were the 4 Mountain Dews (Real Men drink the Dew and not Sundrop, which is only a Mountain Dew wanna be).

Another Rocket City is in the books and now there’s nothing left but the drive home.  I walk up to the deck.  I notice that it’s now half full (half because the all finished before me!).  I open my door, go to sit down and all but get a hernia as I forgot that when I arrived I had reclined the seat and I fell backwards.  Wonder I hadn’t pulled something.  That would be my luck, run a 26.2 mile race and pull something getting into the car.

That’s my story of the 2015 Rocket City, Altercation and Huntsville PD, and I’m sticking to it!

Next race?  Probably the Recover – 31 mile ultra in a few weeks.

I don’t have time to write anymore on this a I need to go running!