The North Face 50 miler
September 28th, 2013
*with an intro!!
I'm not really sure how to even start this race report, since I have not written one since 2011. The last time I wrote; I was newly married, only had one child, and was in great shape although I had dealt with injuries. Let's bridge the last few years. I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter now to add to my handsome 15 year old son, I have been married over 3 years, and I am trying to get myself back into shape. The trying to get myself back into shape has been occurring since 2011. I have never stopped running, but definitely put it on the back burner as I had a little one to take care of, and my free time has dwindled.
I entered 2013 with a plan on getting back into shape and running another 100 miler by the end of the year. I was coming out of another small injury and a winter that found me with various colds and flu bugs. I never used to get sick, but I hadn't been tested in a long time by the germs that the little ones bring in that can totally wipe you out. I began the year by changing my diet and beginning to slowly ramp up some miles. In February I was running Red Top Rumble and the Yeti Ultra Beer Mile, two easy races just to get my competitive juices flowing again. I had Mississippi 50 miler in March, Chattooga 50k in May, Snakebite 50k in September, TNF 50 miler in September, and finally Pinhoti 100 in November. January and February went as expected, In March I injured my foot on a 24 mile run right before MS 50, guess what? I also got sick on race day, so it turned into the MS 25K. Two weeks later I'm back at it, I had an 11th overall showing at Chattooga50k which was my return to Ultra Running, finally!
The summer was heavy mileage.....good. I took a trip to Costa Rica, which was great, but....yup, 1/2 inch piece of glass in the bed of my foot was one of my souvenirs. I lost another couple of weeks of training. Shortly after I was back at it. Snakebite 50k netted me another 11th place overall finish in extremely hot and humid conditions. I recovered quickly and set my sites on TNF 50 miler. The week before I managed a 5th overall at The Warrior Dash 5k, was my second of three races in September.
Finally, race weekend! TNF 50 miler, mentally, was the focus of my year. I have run Pine Mountain 40 miler here a couple of times(see previous race report), and I have been at TNF 50 miler before. Every time I run here I leave defeated in some way or another. In the peak of my training I finished my first PM40 miler with a poor time, the following year my time was even slower and I finished injured. The first time at TNF 50m was two months after my daughter was born. 17 miles in I realized I should be at home and not at the race so I ran into the aid station and quit. Needless to say, FDR State Park is not my favorite place to run! My running demons live there. This time I had family and friends down, and I was at least determined to have a good time and stick to my plan.
4 A.M. I was pulling in to the familiar parking lot to catch the shuttle to the start line. The start is at 5 A.M. which in turn lends itself to a couple of hours of headlamp running on technical trails. I spent my pre-race time talking to Brandi Garcia and Deano Montreuil, who both ended up killing it. A few minutes to 5, Dean Karnazes did his standard North Face pre-run talk and we were off into the dark. I usually take off to get in front, but I knew this year I was taking it easy so I just blended right in to the pack. Of course 200 yards in I was at a complete stop as the bottleneck of runners tried to enter the woods. The first mile or so is mostly downhill and fairly easy. We all took turns passing and being passed as the group started to get into their respective spots. Shortly after the first mile you hit a series of stream crossings and technical single track that is tougher to pass on. The next 45 minutes was fairly uneventful. Rocky, root filled , meandering single track which I knew like the back of my hand. I kept a conservative pace. I knew that; 1) I couldn't afford an injury this close to a 100, and 2) I couldn't push too hard this close to a 100 in my current shape. Two years ago would have been a different story. I love running in to the first aid station. You emerge from the quiet dark trails where the only sounds were crushing gravel and heavy breath and Boom! A flash goes off in your face as your picture is taken and you are surrounded by cheering people, police lights from traffic control, and tons of questions from aid station volunteers. This is all before you are guided right back into your quiet little dark trail world. I love it.
By the end of the next 6.1 miles I find myself looking forward to the light. The best view in the park is missed by running this next section in the dark. You get it on the way back, but its not the same. Of course on the way back your not the same either. I enjoyed running with some people I had just met during this section, we kept together for about 30 minutes and had some laughs, then I ceded the trail for them to take off. Finally, a little over 11 miles in the second aid station came in to view, and so did the trails with the daybreak. Oddly enough, I knew once I passed the next aid station at 16.7 miles(Mollyhugger)
, that it was all down hill from there. That was my one and only obstacle mentally. Physically I knew 50 miles was always a possibility for me, but never underestimate the mental portion of Ultra Running, which in my opinion is more than 50% of it. I like this section of the trail, neat rock formations and a few stream crossings, so I just kept plugging along until Mollyhugger Aid Station.
Like I said, after Mollyhugger Aid station the race was mentally over for me. I just had to keep moving and I would finish. The next 19 miles went along pretty well, the only thing that I noticed that was strange was my appetite. For me its unusual, but I was ravenous, all day! Every single aid station I went to I ate 4 or 5 items and drank 4-5 cups of varying fluids before thanking the volunteers, filling my bottle, and leaving. I looked at my Garmin after the race and had 58 minutes of stoppage time! That is unreal for me. I usually pride myself for not spending much time at the aid stations. The section of trail from Mollyhugger to the TV tower takes you through a lot of tornado and fire damaged parts of the park. It had been a couple of years since I ran here so large portions of the trails were unrecognizable. There was a new section in the race this year that took you out to a horse farm. It was more horse and jeep trails than single track. I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. Definitely easier, but I'm a scenery junkie, and I think single track trails give you the best scenery. The final mile into the horse farm aid station was in an open field at the hottest part of the day, blah!
From here to the TV tower is the best part of the course, beginning with gentle rolling pine straw bedded trails and turning into numerous creek crossings with 3 named waterfalls. This is a very beautiful section which allows you to cool off before hitting more open tornado ravaged parts of the park again. As I hit the open areas I was singing along to my iPod, I know some people don't like them on trail races, but they keep me sane from time to time.
At mile 35.5 my neighbor Nicole joined me for the final 14.5 miles. She is a new trail runner who hasn't done much distance, but is a good triathlete, and I was looking forward to the company. The change in the course made it possible for me to have a pacer. The old course would have required a pacer for the last 23+ miles which my family and friends that were with me weren't up for. This is really the first true pacer I have ever used in my life. People have joined me from time to time before, just never paces me....there is a difference.
We took off at a good pace and made short work to the 40 mile aid station. We were back on rocky trails, which I was used to by now. After a few miles we were backtracking the first part of the course, and I knew what to expect. I chatted with Brad Ballard for a minute and was off to Mollyhugger for the second time. This stretch was almost entirely in the open, technical, and hot....I had two of my fastest miles of the day heading through this section. Probably because I wanted to get out of the heat.
Through Mollyhugger with 8 miles left. 5.4 miles to the next aid station. I was able to share some of the pretty views with Nicole and relive some of the early morning running I had done on the way out. The only point on the entire run where I almost lost my mental point of view occurred about .33 of a mile from the 47.6 mile aid station. I was starting to hurt and the mileage on my Garmin had this section as long. For about 25 seconds I bitched that I just wanted to get out of the woods. The aid station came into view and I knew it was just a short 2.6 to the end.
We retraced some of the pretty creek crossings and headed uphill to the finish. It seemed like it took forever to hit the field, and according to my Garmin the course was like 50.7. Its no problem, but I started my sort of kick tot he finish too early and ended up walking the last major hill to the finish. Finally the field came into sight where we sprinted around the field and finished. 12:11.....my slowest 50 miler to date....by a lot. Needless to say I still considered it a victory over FDR State park. I don't know where I finished, nor do I really care.....it was somewhere in the top 1/3.
All in all....North Face puts on a hell of a race. Yes, it is expensive, but is extremely well marked with tons of great volunteers. You also get a lot of your entry fees back via a great schwag bag. The biggest touch? Greeting every runner and pacer with a North Face water bottle filled with ice cold water at the finish. What a simple gesture that has left a lasting impression.
Up next? PINHOTI! And guess what? I'm currently sick with my daughters' cold and have just recovered from some overuse knee thing after this race. I will probably only have 100 miles total between TNF 50m and Pinhoti 100.....well, I guess I'm going for the well rested approach!
Mystery Mountain Marathon
Post Race
Showing posts with label Ryan Cobb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Cobb. Show all posts
Monday, October 21, 2013
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thrill in The Hills Trail Marathon
Thrill in the Hills Trail Marathon,...I'm not really sure how to start this one. This was an XTERRA Race, which means I knew it was going to be on mountain bike trails, which are not always my favorite. I tend to enjoy more technical running surfaces. The race took place at Ft. Yargo State Park in Winder, GA. I had never been there before, which is a little odd considering I went to UGA, and it was not too far away. Nevertheless, I showed up race morning, early! Mapquest told me it would take 1 hour and 25 minutes, but I made it in an hour flat. I noticed driving in that the park was pretty with a large lake and the namesake old fort taking up the majority of the center of the park. I found my parking spot, put on my jacket because it was chilly, and headed to registration. The first thing I noticed at registration was a line about 50 people deep...sigh. The next thing I noticed was that the long line was for the half marathon option, and no one was in the full marathon registration line. I walked right up, grabbed my number, and headed back to my car for a little heat. I kind of chuckled to my self really. This race was my consolation for LOST 118, which I was supposed to be running this weekend. But, If you have read my previous reports, I'm just fresh from an injury, and not ready for a 118 mile race, unfortunately.
I sat in my car pondering the race. I wasn't feeling a 100% in my knees, not bad, but not perfect either. I also really haven't raced too many marathons. Considering all of the Ultras I've run, I have only raced 4 marathons. Weird huh? So, I tried to ponder what time I would run. I set my goal at sub 5 hours because I wasn't feeling race ready. I run street marathons at about 3:30, and my fastest trail marathon was 3:57 at Scenic City last May.
About 15 minutes to start, I put on my brace, grabbed my aid, and headed towards the start. As I jumped out of my car, the girl in front of me looks up and says "Are you Ryan Cobb"? "Why yes I am!" It was Jenn Coker, who I had not met before, but she told me that we shared some mutual friends....one of whom was my 6th grade girlfriend from Texas. How random! Anyways, that's another story altogether. I had not seen anyone I knew until I reached the start and chatted up Beth McCurdy, I saw Cindy Ralston, and heard Blanton yelling Chef Cobb...Chef Cobb!!! At least I felt a little bit more at home now, GUTS and the Rogues were represented.
And we're off! The first .7 miles were on asphalt to spread out the runners, which was necessary as there were 500 of them. Finally, in to the trails by the lake. There had been a recent brush fire, which encompassed the first two miles. The air was thick with smoke, and some of the tree stumps were still smoldering. Despite the spreading out, there was still alot of jockeying for position through the first couple of miles, which were rolling switchback, heading down towards the lake. Then, back on to a half mile of road, across the viaduct at the north end of the lake, and towards the first aid station at about 4 miles. I felt pretty good at this point, the next three miles were real easy, and I found myself battling it out with people I knew were only running the half, but I felt fast, so I went for it. I blew through the second aid station, just like the first....nothing for me yet. The next notable portion of the course came in the 7 to 8 mile mark when we arrived at the bottom of the dam...left the trail, and headed towards this dreaded power line section I had heard everyone talk about before the race. Ummmm......not so much, a gentle groomed hill about .4 miles long, followed by an easy downhill....obviously the vast majority of these runners hadn't run Sweetwater!!! After winding around the lake for a little less than a mile, we hit the second power line hill which was similar to the first, maybe a .10 of a mile longer.
At this point I was hurting a little, or at least I thought I was....maybe it was all in my head, I hadn't run long much this year. at 9.8 miles I smiled for the photographer, raced down a hill, and took flight after meeting a root head on with my toe. That's what I get for playing to the camera :). Anyways, I jumped up and continued on through the 10.5 mile aid station, up an 8 foot dirt wall, and towards the start/finish. The last mile towards the start/finish area seemed to take forever...my knees were aching. finally, I turned a bend, up a hill, and I was being ushered out for my second loop. I was thinking that I knew the first lap was done, and I didn't have to push it on the second lap. I slowed down, took a GU, and was passed for the first time in the day at 13.5 miles in. I kind of looked over my shoulder, saw no one else, and started jogging, at a much slower pace for the next two miles. I had let a sense of complacency set in...odd for me at only 15 miles.
Then, it happened. I remembered who I was. I am an ultra runner, and have gone through much worse than this. The pain was really minimal, and why was I bitching? I picked the pace up at about 16 miles and felt fine. I continued on for the next 3 miles without stopping, or seeing anyone else. My I-pod was cranking, and I felt good. At about 19 miles I saw another runner coming behind me. My competitive juices started flowing, and I picked up the pace some more, and left him. I was now approaching 20 miles and hit the mini power line section again...breezed up the hill, caught a runner, which energized me, picked up the pace some more, and continued to feel even stronger. The next major hill, I caught another runner, and breezed by him Sally Brooking style with a low to the ground power hike!!! On the second power line Jason Spruill caught up to me. He actually took me surprise and startled me! I didn't think anyone could have caught me because I felt so strong. We chatted for a minute, but I was determined not to be caught so I really kicked and took off. After I passed my landing area from the previous lap, I dropped my pace to 6:50's and never went above a 7:20 pace the remaining 3.5 miles in. I just kept smiling because I couldn't believe how great I felt. It had been a long time since I had caught the runner's high,and I was basking in it. With 1 mile left I caught the one runner who had passed me at the 13.5 mile mark, much to his dismay. I dropped to a full on sprint for the final .5 mile and finished strong....3:56. A PR for a trail marathon race. I was totally stoked, and actually wished that the race was a little longer!!
The time was good enough for 16th overall and 3rd in my age group, which meant I would bring home some hardware. I coudn't have been more happy. I stood around and talked to Sean Blanton, we shared a box of his Tag-a-longs, and I headed home, re-energized and ready for my next run. Good job XTERRA an thanks Tim.
Whats next? Southern Blue 200 mile relay, running the Silver Comet unsupported,...then what?.......
---happy running!!!
I sat in my car pondering the race. I wasn't feeling a 100% in my knees, not bad, but not perfect either. I also really haven't raced too many marathons. Considering all of the Ultras I've run, I have only raced 4 marathons. Weird huh? So, I tried to ponder what time I would run. I set my goal at sub 5 hours because I wasn't feeling race ready. I run street marathons at about 3:30, and my fastest trail marathon was 3:57 at Scenic City last May.
About 15 minutes to start, I put on my brace, grabbed my aid, and headed towards the start. As I jumped out of my car, the girl in front of me looks up and says "Are you Ryan Cobb"? "Why yes I am!" It was Jenn Coker, who I had not met before, but she told me that we shared some mutual friends....one of whom was my 6th grade girlfriend from Texas. How random! Anyways, that's another story altogether. I had not seen anyone I knew until I reached the start and chatted up Beth McCurdy, I saw Cindy Ralston, and heard Blanton yelling Chef Cobb...Chef Cobb!!! At least I felt a little bit more at home now, GUTS and the Rogues were represented.
And we're off! The first .7 miles were on asphalt to spread out the runners, which was necessary as there were 500 of them. Finally, in to the trails by the lake. There had been a recent brush fire, which encompassed the first two miles. The air was thick with smoke, and some of the tree stumps were still smoldering. Despite the spreading out, there was still alot of jockeying for position through the first couple of miles, which were rolling switchback, heading down towards the lake. Then, back on to a half mile of road, across the viaduct at the north end of the lake, and towards the first aid station at about 4 miles. I felt pretty good at this point, the next three miles were real easy, and I found myself battling it out with people I knew were only running the half, but I felt fast, so I went for it. I blew through the second aid station, just like the first....nothing for me yet. The next notable portion of the course came in the 7 to 8 mile mark when we arrived at the bottom of the dam...left the trail, and headed towards this dreaded power line section I had heard everyone talk about before the race. Ummmm......not so much, a gentle groomed hill about .4 miles long, followed by an easy downhill....obviously the vast majority of these runners hadn't run Sweetwater!!! After winding around the lake for a little less than a mile, we hit the second power line hill which was similar to the first, maybe a .10 of a mile longer.
At this point I was hurting a little, or at least I thought I was....maybe it was all in my head, I hadn't run long much this year. at 9.8 miles I smiled for the photographer, raced down a hill, and took flight after meeting a root head on with my toe. That's what I get for playing to the camera :). Anyways, I jumped up and continued on through the 10.5 mile aid station, up an 8 foot dirt wall, and towards the start/finish. The last mile towards the start/finish area seemed to take forever...my knees were aching. finally, I turned a bend, up a hill, and I was being ushered out for my second loop. I was thinking that I knew the first lap was done, and I didn't have to push it on the second lap. I slowed down, took a GU, and was passed for the first time in the day at 13.5 miles in. I kind of looked over my shoulder, saw no one else, and started jogging, at a much slower pace for the next two miles. I had let a sense of complacency set in...odd for me at only 15 miles.
Then, it happened. I remembered who I was. I am an ultra runner, and have gone through much worse than this. The pain was really minimal, and why was I bitching? I picked the pace up at about 16 miles and felt fine. I continued on for the next 3 miles without stopping, or seeing anyone else. My I-pod was cranking, and I felt good. At about 19 miles I saw another runner coming behind me. My competitive juices started flowing, and I picked up the pace some more, and left him. I was now approaching 20 miles and hit the mini power line section again...breezed up the hill, caught a runner, which energized me, picked up the pace some more, and continued to feel even stronger. The next major hill, I caught another runner, and breezed by him Sally Brooking style with a low to the ground power hike!!! On the second power line Jason Spruill caught up to me. He actually took me surprise and startled me! I didn't think anyone could have caught me because I felt so strong. We chatted for a minute, but I was determined not to be caught so I really kicked and took off. After I passed my landing area from the previous lap, I dropped my pace to 6:50's and never went above a 7:20 pace the remaining 3.5 miles in. I just kept smiling because I couldn't believe how great I felt. It had been a long time since I had caught the runner's high,and I was basking in it. With 1 mile left I caught the one runner who had passed me at the 13.5 mile mark, much to his dismay. I dropped to a full on sprint for the final .5 mile and finished strong....3:56. A PR for a trail marathon race. I was totally stoked, and actually wished that the race was a little longer!!
The time was good enough for 16th overall and 3rd in my age group, which meant I would bring home some hardware. I coudn't have been more happy. I stood around and talked to Sean Blanton, we shared a box of his Tag-a-longs, and I headed home, re-energized and ready for my next run. Good job XTERRA an thanks Tim.
Whats next? Southern Blue 200 mile relay, running the Silver Comet unsupported,...then what?.......
---happy running!!!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Red Top Rumble 'Lets get Ready to Humble!!!!'
I will try to keep this a short report for a short race. Red Top Rumble 2011 took place in a veritable heat wave in comparison to last year. No Ice on the ground! The race sold out in less than 24 hours this year at over 300 runners. This is the largest race in number of people that GUTS puts on. The race takes place at Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth, GA, on the shores of Lake Allatoona. The park got its' name from the past iron mining that took place there, and as the iron was exposed it would turn red due to oxidation. The trails are fairly un-technical, and consist of numerous rolling hills. The RTR is an 11.5 mile trail race, if you ran all of the trails out here you could get in 13.1.
This year, as it was last year, I was able to volunteer and run. I prepare the post race food for all of the runners, and get out on the trails and run the race while other volunteers tend to keeping the food hot. I really enjoy the opportunity to volunteer, and place that over actually running the race. The fact that it is a GUTS sponsored race means that I will have a bunch of friends out there, and get to see alot of people that I haven't seen in awhile too. This year, instead of BBQ, I prepared breakfast food for the post race runners. I thought that this would be easier than last years massive BBQ, but keeping breakfast food hot is a challenge...eggs lose heat fast!
As the race start neared, I started to mentally prepare for the race. This time last year I was running for the lead, and was in great shape. This was the week before IronHorse last year in which I went on to run a top 10 finish in the 100 mile event, and easily go sub 24 hours. If you have been following my blog, you know that I am not in that shape this year. Today only marked one week of pain free running, and I hadn't run over 6 miles since FA50k. I told myself that if anything hurt I would turn around at the halfway mark and saunter back to the start to keep an eye on the food. I had very low expectations, and figured sub 2 hours would be a good time for me.
I threw on my I-pod, cued up some Lil' Wayne, and toed the start line. Ready, Set, ruuummmblle!!! We were off, I left the gate faster than I had planned, but still conservative enough not to stress anything. The first 3.7 miles of this race is the easiest part, which takes place on the Iron Hill Trail. The Iron Hill is a mountain bike trail with only about 187 feet of elevation gain and loss....in other words flat. I was only giving 80%, and had no intentions of anything else. Nevertheless, I was in the top 20, and was surprised. I spent some time taking in some pretty lake views, and the last part of the sunrise. At 3.7 miles you take a left and hit a little single track trail over to the other side of the park, and the hiking trails. This is my favorite part of the race, I don't know why, it just is. There are two little creek crossings, and some good roots. At the end of this section the runners end up at the Visitors Center and head out on the Homestead Loop.
Upon entering the Homestead Loop I felt pretty good, and I think I ramped it up just a touch. I reached the creek, gave Aaron Dwileski, who was surprised to see me running, a high five, and headed towards the road crossing. After passing the road crossing and an aid station the runners are out in the heart of the Homestead loop...roughly a 5k of continuous switchback rolling hills that weave in and out of the Lake Allatoona's little finger coves. There isn't a single difficult climb, they are just never ending. For some reason, I always get lulled in to a false sense of ability, and take them too hard and pay for it on the last hill or two. Today was no different, and on the last climb I had to stop and walk for a hundred yards. My knee was tweaking just a little, so it was probably a good break.
Eventually the runners return to the road crossing aid station, then parallel the road on the Sweet Gum loop that takes them by the old Lodge. Back in to the woods there is a bout a mile of slight descent back to the creek, then a slight climb up to the Visitor's Center loop, a sharp descent and ascent that is about .6 miles back to the main road. At this point I was feeling the fact that I had lost some of my endurance, but I knew it was almost done, so I shrugged it off and headed back on the campground loop and on to the funky little single track. I was still giving about 80%, and was happy for that even though about 30 runners had passed me in the last 7 miles. I need this humbling, its good for me. I learn from it.
As I returned to the Iron Hill Trail my knees felt about 85-90%, which was better than I expected. I made the final turn back towards the Start/Finish and mustered up a sort of weak kick to the Finish Line. 1:35, 8 1/2 minutes slower than last year, and about 35 places further down the list. I was cool with it....Two weeks earlier I was thinking I would never run without pain again.
Post Race was the best part, as my wife joined me with the dogs, and we got to hang out with some great GUTS people. If you haven't volunteered for a race, this is a part you cant understand. There is just a different comradery than just running the race. Oh, and by the way, I had no left overs!!! The food seemed to go over well!!
This year, as it was last year, I was able to volunteer and run. I prepare the post race food for all of the runners, and get out on the trails and run the race while other volunteers tend to keeping the food hot. I really enjoy the opportunity to volunteer, and place that over actually running the race. The fact that it is a GUTS sponsored race means that I will have a bunch of friends out there, and get to see alot of people that I haven't seen in awhile too. This year, instead of BBQ, I prepared breakfast food for the post race runners. I thought that this would be easier than last years massive BBQ, but keeping breakfast food hot is a challenge...eggs lose heat fast!
As the race start neared, I started to mentally prepare for the race. This time last year I was running for the lead, and was in great shape. This was the week before IronHorse last year in which I went on to run a top 10 finish in the 100 mile event, and easily go sub 24 hours. If you have been following my blog, you know that I am not in that shape this year. Today only marked one week of pain free running, and I hadn't run over 6 miles since FA50k. I told myself that if anything hurt I would turn around at the halfway mark and saunter back to the start to keep an eye on the food. I had very low expectations, and figured sub 2 hours would be a good time for me.
I threw on my I-pod, cued up some Lil' Wayne, and toed the start line. Ready, Set, ruuummmblle!!! We were off, I left the gate faster than I had planned, but still conservative enough not to stress anything. The first 3.7 miles of this race is the easiest part, which takes place on the Iron Hill Trail. The Iron Hill is a mountain bike trail with only about 187 feet of elevation gain and loss....in other words flat. I was only giving 80%, and had no intentions of anything else. Nevertheless, I was in the top 20, and was surprised. I spent some time taking in some pretty lake views, and the last part of the sunrise. At 3.7 miles you take a left and hit a little single track trail over to the other side of the park, and the hiking trails. This is my favorite part of the race, I don't know why, it just is. There are two little creek crossings, and some good roots. At the end of this section the runners end up at the Visitors Center and head out on the Homestead Loop.
Upon entering the Homestead Loop I felt pretty good, and I think I ramped it up just a touch. I reached the creek, gave Aaron Dwileski, who was surprised to see me running, a high five, and headed towards the road crossing. After passing the road crossing and an aid station the runners are out in the heart of the Homestead loop...roughly a 5k of continuous switchback rolling hills that weave in and out of the Lake Allatoona's little finger coves. There isn't a single difficult climb, they are just never ending. For some reason, I always get lulled in to a false sense of ability, and take them too hard and pay for it on the last hill or two. Today was no different, and on the last climb I had to stop and walk for a hundred yards. My knee was tweaking just a little, so it was probably a good break.
Eventually the runners return to the road crossing aid station, then parallel the road on the Sweet Gum loop that takes them by the old Lodge. Back in to the woods there is a bout a mile of slight descent back to the creek, then a slight climb up to the Visitor's Center loop, a sharp descent and ascent that is about .6 miles back to the main road. At this point I was feeling the fact that I had lost some of my endurance, but I knew it was almost done, so I shrugged it off and headed back on the campground loop and on to the funky little single track. I was still giving about 80%, and was happy for that even though about 30 runners had passed me in the last 7 miles. I need this humbling, its good for me. I learn from it.
As I returned to the Iron Hill Trail my knees felt about 85-90%, which was better than I expected. I made the final turn back towards the Start/Finish and mustered up a sort of weak kick to the Finish Line. 1:35, 8 1/2 minutes slower than last year, and about 35 places further down the list. I was cool with it....Two weeks earlier I was thinking I would never run without pain again.
Post Race was the best part, as my wife joined me with the dogs, and we got to hang out with some great GUTS people. If you haven't volunteered for a race, this is a part you cant understand. There is just a different comradery than just running the race. Oh, and by the way, I had no left overs!!! The food seemed to go over well!!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Fat Ass 50k 'Suffering is a Choice'
Fat Ass 2011 brought a change of venue, but the sub-freezing temperatures remained the same. I guess to be fair it was warmer this year. It was a balmy 19 degrees at the start, up two degrees from last year! At 5 a.m. when the alarm went off, I still wasn't sure if I was going to run this. I have hardly run at all since Pine Mountain a month ago, and I hadn't run one mile in the last two weeks. After Pine Mountain, I had a really painful bout of tendonitis flair up in both of my knees. I have been trying to be really good; lots of rest, minimal if any running, taking anti-inflamatory meds, broke out the knee braces, strengthening the quads, etc, etc. I had suffered with a bout of this two years ago, and basically with the help of a brace and anti-inflamatory meds I ran through it. I keep hoping the same will happen here, but it hasn't. I have seen slight improvement, but when race morning came I considered my right knee questionable and my left knee was definitely still in pain.
Nevertheless, three hours later I toed the start line with one of my good friends and upcoming 100+ pacer Brett Luna. In my head, before the start, I planned on being a 'half ass' and only running 15.6 miles. After the first step, I knew I was going to run the whole thing....no matter how long, or how bad it hurt. At the moment, I had no idea on the answer to how long or how bad it was going to hurt though. I did have one thing on my side , this years' race was at Sweetwater State Park, and I knew these trails like the back of my hand.
Off on the first loop, and I felt great! We ran down the parking lot and headed for the blue trail. The blue trail is a gently rolling fairly easy 2 mile stretch with good views of the river. Brett and I settled in somewhere in the back of the top ten runners, and started our 31.2 mile conversation. There was no one else I'd rather run a Fat Ass race with than Brett. I knew that the entire day was going to be one joke after another, and we would truly be embracing the spirit of a Fat Ass run. After two miles, we were down some washed out rail tie stairs, and off on to the White Trail. The White trail is my favorite of all the marked trails at Sweetwater, three miles long with great river views and Jack's Hill. A little over a mile in to the White Trail, I felt the first twinge in my left knee....and so it begins. Nevertheless, I tried to ignore it, and up Jack's Hill we ran and then through the pine forest to the Start/Finish. One loop down, five to go.
The second loop was fairly uneventful, this was the one loop that I chatted with some other runners. I got to see Javier de Jesus and Kate Brun on this loop. The pain was still there and becoming more evident on the downhills, which is common for patellar tendonitis. The Blue Trail was the main aggravator of my knees for the rest of the day, and I often looked forward to getting next to the river on the White Trail. At the start of the thirs loop I was entertaining the idea of only running a half ass. I was really upset that the downhills hurt so bad. I am, after all, nicknamed The Salamander....because of the way I pick through technical downhills. By this time the level and uphill sections hurt too, so I guessed it didnt really matter. On the thids loop, I had to stop and walk for aminute or so....I was hurting. At least the company was good, and the weather had not yet turned bad. We decided that we wanted some tunes, so at the end of the third loop Brett grabbed his I-Phone, we cranked up some Bob Marley, and headed out on the fourth loop.
At this point, I had gotten really quiet. I really wasn't sure if I was making the smartest decision continuing on. Sharp pains had started in my knees whenever I landed anything but perfectly square on my foot, and on trails that meant greater than fifty percent of the time. Brett was doing a lot of talking, and I was doing alot of listening, to Bob Marley that is. We made up our own lyrics to the songs, one of my personal favorites was 'Buffalo Runner'!!!! I would have moments that I could perform, but more often than not I was just in pain. At the end of the fourth loop, I spent alittle extra time at the aid station refueling, which was a mistake. In the matter of a couple (literally) minutes, my knees had cooled down enough to when I started running again, they didnt want to. The pain was really excrutiating, and I started some weird kind of hitch in my step where I would kick my left leg way out in a roundhouse motion to keep going. And why did I keep going, especially in a Fat Ass run? I DONT DNF....PERIOD!!!! We had switched to listening to Incubus on the fifth loop, and that is pretty much all I did. Listen to the music, and talk trash about myself, and my performance. The fifth loop was the longest loop of the day, both in time, and in my head!
At the Start/Finish Line after the fifth loop, I knew there was only one more loop!!!! I tore away in an odd hobbit style gait, and headed for one more punishing loop. After a short period of time my knees warmed back up, and I actually started a somewhat normal run. The sixth loop brought some weird hard core metal that Brett had in his phone. Oh well, whatever does the trick. The last loop brought a bunch of trash talking and jokes that we hadnt seen for a coulpe of hours. I got to take one more look at the beautiful Sweetwater Creek, one last painful descent down to the creek from blue to white trail, and one more trudge up Jack's Hill. My knees were shot....
In case you didnt know, The definition of trudge is "to walk with purpose". I always do, and always will.
We finished in 6:30, my second slowest ultra ever, and 1 hour and 45 minutes slower than last year. Te weird thing was, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I faced demons and crushed them. I proved one more time that I am just that tough. I had a blast running every step with one of my best friends. I enjoyed being humbled, and I learned from it.....and that was the best part and the most important lesson to me.
See ya at Red Top....in one way or another....
Nevertheless, three hours later I toed the start line with one of my good friends and upcoming 100+ pacer Brett Luna. In my head, before the start, I planned on being a 'half ass' and only running 15.6 miles. After the first step, I knew I was going to run the whole thing....no matter how long, or how bad it hurt. At the moment, I had no idea on the answer to how long or how bad it was going to hurt though. I did have one thing on my side , this years' race was at Sweetwater State Park, and I knew these trails like the back of my hand.
Off on the first loop, and I felt great! We ran down the parking lot and headed for the blue trail. The blue trail is a gently rolling fairly easy 2 mile stretch with good views of the river. Brett and I settled in somewhere in the back of the top ten runners, and started our 31.2 mile conversation. There was no one else I'd rather run a Fat Ass race with than Brett. I knew that the entire day was going to be one joke after another, and we would truly be embracing the spirit of a Fat Ass run. After two miles, we were down some washed out rail tie stairs, and off on to the White Trail. The White trail is my favorite of all the marked trails at Sweetwater, three miles long with great river views and Jack's Hill. A little over a mile in to the White Trail, I felt the first twinge in my left knee....and so it begins. Nevertheless, I tried to ignore it, and up Jack's Hill we ran and then through the pine forest to the Start/Finish. One loop down, five to go.
The second loop was fairly uneventful, this was the one loop that I chatted with some other runners. I got to see Javier de Jesus and Kate Brun on this loop. The pain was still there and becoming more evident on the downhills, which is common for patellar tendonitis. The Blue Trail was the main aggravator of my knees for the rest of the day, and I often looked forward to getting next to the river on the White Trail. At the start of the thirs loop I was entertaining the idea of only running a half ass. I was really upset that the downhills hurt so bad. I am, after all, nicknamed The Salamander....because of the way I pick through technical downhills. By this time the level and uphill sections hurt too, so I guessed it didnt really matter. On the thids loop, I had to stop and walk for aminute or so....I was hurting. At least the company was good, and the weather had not yet turned bad. We decided that we wanted some tunes, so at the end of the third loop Brett grabbed his I-Phone, we cranked up some Bob Marley, and headed out on the fourth loop.
At this point, I had gotten really quiet. I really wasn't sure if I was making the smartest decision continuing on. Sharp pains had started in my knees whenever I landed anything but perfectly square on my foot, and on trails that meant greater than fifty percent of the time. Brett was doing a lot of talking, and I was doing alot of listening, to Bob Marley that is. We made up our own lyrics to the songs, one of my personal favorites was 'Buffalo Runner'!!!! I would have moments that I could perform, but more often than not I was just in pain. At the end of the fourth loop, I spent alittle extra time at the aid station refueling, which was a mistake. In the matter of a couple (literally) minutes, my knees had cooled down enough to when I started running again, they didnt want to. The pain was really excrutiating, and I started some weird kind of hitch in my step where I would kick my left leg way out in a roundhouse motion to keep going. And why did I keep going, especially in a Fat Ass run? I DONT DNF....PERIOD!!!! We had switched to listening to Incubus on the fifth loop, and that is pretty much all I did. Listen to the music, and talk trash about myself, and my performance. The fifth loop was the longest loop of the day, both in time, and in my head!
At the Start/Finish Line after the fifth loop, I knew there was only one more loop!!!! I tore away in an odd hobbit style gait, and headed for one more punishing loop. After a short period of time my knees warmed back up, and I actually started a somewhat normal run. The sixth loop brought some weird hard core metal that Brett had in his phone. Oh well, whatever does the trick. The last loop brought a bunch of trash talking and jokes that we hadnt seen for a coulpe of hours. I got to take one more look at the beautiful Sweetwater Creek, one last painful descent down to the creek from blue to white trail, and one more trudge up Jack's Hill. My knees were shot....
In case you didnt know, The definition of trudge is "to walk with purpose". I always do, and always will.
We finished in 6:30, my second slowest ultra ever, and 1 hour and 45 minutes slower than last year. Te weird thing was, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I faced demons and crushed them. I proved one more time that I am just that tough. I had a blast running every step with one of my best friends. I enjoyed being humbled, and I learned from it.....and that was the best part and the most important lesson to me.
See ya at Red Top....in one way or another....
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
MMM 2010(Mystery Mountain Marathon) a little late!!
Mystery Mountain Marathon 2010.....for me a chance at redemption, and a chance to share some trail with my 12 year old son Avery. Fort Mountain Park in Chatsworth is my absolute favorite state park to run in Georgia. Dramatic views, cascading waterfalls, challenging terrain, and tons of wild life, make for a great trail run. This was my second year running it, and the first for my son. Avery volunteered last year, and ran the 12 mile option this year.
Early that morning the temperatures were running about 42 degrees, some of the first cold weather of the season. I knew that it would be pushing up in to the 80's later in the day, so I hoped to run fast early. It was a neat feeling to shift some of my pre-race jitters on to worrying about my son's race. We chatted with some of our other running friends, and lazily made our way over to the start line....all the while I was giving my son last minute instuctions and pep talks.
And we're off!....My son took his place at the middle of the pack, and I took my usual spot at the back of the lead group. After one mile around the lake, I smiled as I made the correct turn on to the Gahuti Trail. Last year, not knowing the course, I followed a group back around the lake and lost 15 minutes!!! At this point I was running 5th, and feeling good. The first thing I noticed about the course as we crossed Big Rock Creek was that it was bone dry. There is usually a healthy creek with a substantial waterfall here. This is extremely unusual for Fort Mountain, which is usually full of water and springs. The next portion of the course consists of fairly short climbs that lead you up to a ridge that you follow in to the first aid station.
As I rolled in to the first aid station, I was able to announce my most recent news that my wife and I were expecting. I actually announced this at every aid station that day! Other than that, I blew through the aid station, and continued on. Sean Blanton came up behind me and we shared a couple of miles chatting about Costa Rica. He took off, putting me back in 6th....he would end up in 5th for the day. The next portion of the course was a decent climb to the summit of Ft. Mountain and the mysterious wall....the best overlook in the park is here too. I passed one guy, but was passed by two, now Im in 7th, but feeling great. In my opinion the next 4 or 5 miles are the easiest on the course....rolling hills that normally take you through a picturesque and wet part of the park. But alas, the creeks were all dry here too. I ran these miles with some of the 12 milers, and when we rolled in to the aid station at 11.5, I said goodbye, feeling great about the second half of the race. The temperatures were no longer cool, probobly around 65-70 degrees by now, which still felt good as I traveresed the long steep powerline hill. I had some time here to wonder about my son, Avery, had I trained him well enough for this?
Downhill....after cresting the powerline summit there is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles of continuous downill rugged terrrain. This is generally my specialty, but after not running much in August or September, I felt it in the quads. The next aid station was just after the half-way point....I ate some S-Caps due to the increasing heat, really hydrated and took off. I knew that it was 5.2 miles to the next aid station, and 80% of that is uphill. The temperature reallly started to shoot up on this section, and I lost another spot....8th place....still felt good running in to the aid station, and stopped to chat up Bryce for awhile. The next aid station was a 5k away, and extremely difficult. It is a massive climb next to one of the most beautiful cascading mountain streams I have ever seen....but once again...dry, or almost dry. It was at this point that my lack of training for the last couple of months caught up, as did four other runners. It was a little discouraging, but my fault for being slack in my training. I settled in to 12th....and was prepared to start towards the last two aid stations and the finish.
I had forgot to mention that by this time I was cramping...it started at about mile 18, and I never recovered from it. The cool morning gave me a false sense of being hydrated, so I didnt take in the proper amount of water. As the heat picked up, and the sweat started to pour I was behind in my hydration and just couldnt catch up, even though I tried. Anyways the next 4 miles were fairly uneventful, and not the most scenic areas of the park, so I put my head down and gave it all I got. I actually picked up two of the runners that had passed me, and I really got a burst of energy thinking that I could still pull off a top 10 finish.
AT mile 25.2, I was flying down the power line hill that we had previously ascended at mile 12. I could hear Susan Breeding cheering for me, and I took off. And then it hit...a cramp in my side that almost put me to the ground, and made me completely stop for about 15 seconds. One runner passed, then I started to walk...then another runner passed....the pain was getting worse. I have never before, and have never since had a side stich/cramp like this. I can only assume it was from my hydration issues. For a second I wondered if I would finish....but I dont have quit in me...and would crawl if I had to. I rounded the lake in some real pain and crossed the finish line holding my side. I had shaved off 8 minutes from the previous year, and finished 12th, 8 spots better than last year.....I should have been thrilled, especially since this was still only my second year running, but I felt twice as bad as when I had finished the year before. I was upset with myself for not coming in prepared.
My son, Avery, rocked the twelve miler. He is currently the youngest to ever finish(but just by months), and ended up around 48th out of 140 or 150 runners. I was completely ecstatic for him, and sooo proud as many of the stories at the finish line contained someting about him. He immediately asked when the next big race is, and I am still beeming ear to ear. How proud can a father be when he hears things like "...and he hasn't even begun to reach his potential", or " keep this up and you'll be running in college!".
All in all, another amazing GUTS run. I am lucky to be a part of, in my opinion, the best ultra and trail running club in America. Thanks to all of the volunteers that made it possible, and a special thanks to Kim Pike for doing an amazing job at RD!!! See ya next year!!!!!....or better yet, see ya a t Pine Mt.
Early that morning the temperatures were running about 42 degrees, some of the first cold weather of the season. I knew that it would be pushing up in to the 80's later in the day, so I hoped to run fast early. It was a neat feeling to shift some of my pre-race jitters on to worrying about my son's race. We chatted with some of our other running friends, and lazily made our way over to the start line....all the while I was giving my son last minute instuctions and pep talks.
And we're off!....My son took his place at the middle of the pack, and I took my usual spot at the back of the lead group. After one mile around the lake, I smiled as I made the correct turn on to the Gahuti Trail. Last year, not knowing the course, I followed a group back around the lake and lost 15 minutes!!! At this point I was running 5th, and feeling good. The first thing I noticed about the course as we crossed Big Rock Creek was that it was bone dry. There is usually a healthy creek with a substantial waterfall here. This is extremely unusual for Fort Mountain, which is usually full of water and springs. The next portion of the course consists of fairly short climbs that lead you up to a ridge that you follow in to the first aid station.
As I rolled in to the first aid station, I was able to announce my most recent news that my wife and I were expecting. I actually announced this at every aid station that day! Other than that, I blew through the aid station, and continued on. Sean Blanton came up behind me and we shared a couple of miles chatting about Costa Rica. He took off, putting me back in 6th....he would end up in 5th for the day. The next portion of the course was a decent climb to the summit of Ft. Mountain and the mysterious wall....the best overlook in the park is here too. I passed one guy, but was passed by two, now Im in 7th, but feeling great. In my opinion the next 4 or 5 miles are the easiest on the course....rolling hills that normally take you through a picturesque and wet part of the park. But alas, the creeks were all dry here too. I ran these miles with some of the 12 milers, and when we rolled in to the aid station at 11.5, I said goodbye, feeling great about the second half of the race. The temperatures were no longer cool, probobly around 65-70 degrees by now, which still felt good as I traveresed the long steep powerline hill. I had some time here to wonder about my son, Avery, had I trained him well enough for this?
Downhill....after cresting the powerline summit there is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles of continuous downill rugged terrrain. This is generally my specialty, but after not running much in August or September, I felt it in the quads. The next aid station was just after the half-way point....I ate some S-Caps due to the increasing heat, really hydrated and took off. I knew that it was 5.2 miles to the next aid station, and 80% of that is uphill. The temperature reallly started to shoot up on this section, and I lost another spot....8th place....still felt good running in to the aid station, and stopped to chat up Bryce for awhile. The next aid station was a 5k away, and extremely difficult. It is a massive climb next to one of the most beautiful cascading mountain streams I have ever seen....but once again...dry, or almost dry. It was at this point that my lack of training for the last couple of months caught up, as did four other runners. It was a little discouraging, but my fault for being slack in my training. I settled in to 12th....and was prepared to start towards the last two aid stations and the finish.
I had forgot to mention that by this time I was cramping...it started at about mile 18, and I never recovered from it. The cool morning gave me a false sense of being hydrated, so I didnt take in the proper amount of water. As the heat picked up, and the sweat started to pour I was behind in my hydration and just couldnt catch up, even though I tried. Anyways the next 4 miles were fairly uneventful, and not the most scenic areas of the park, so I put my head down and gave it all I got. I actually picked up two of the runners that had passed me, and I really got a burst of energy thinking that I could still pull off a top 10 finish.
AT mile 25.2, I was flying down the power line hill that we had previously ascended at mile 12. I could hear Susan Breeding cheering for me, and I took off. And then it hit...a cramp in my side that almost put me to the ground, and made me completely stop for about 15 seconds. One runner passed, then I started to walk...then another runner passed....the pain was getting worse. I have never before, and have never since had a side stich/cramp like this. I can only assume it was from my hydration issues. For a second I wondered if I would finish....but I dont have quit in me...and would crawl if I had to. I rounded the lake in some real pain and crossed the finish line holding my side. I had shaved off 8 minutes from the previous year, and finished 12th, 8 spots better than last year.....I should have been thrilled, especially since this was still only my second year running, but I felt twice as bad as when I had finished the year before. I was upset with myself for not coming in prepared.
My son, Avery, rocked the twelve miler. He is currently the youngest to ever finish(but just by months), and ended up around 48th out of 140 or 150 runners. I was completely ecstatic for him, and sooo proud as many of the stories at the finish line contained someting about him. He immediately asked when the next big race is, and I am still beeming ear to ear. How proud can a father be when he hears things like "...and he hasn't even begun to reach his potential", or " keep this up and you'll be running in college!".
All in all, another amazing GUTS run. I am lucky to be a part of, in my opinion, the best ultra and trail running club in America. Thanks to all of the volunteers that made it possible, and a special thanks to Kim Pike for doing an amazing job at RD!!! See ya next year!!!!!....or better yet, see ya a t Pine Mt.
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