Pilot Mountain- What'd I Do To You?

"Pilot Mountain Payback," they call it. The question I kept asking myself is what I did to the mountain to deserve such harsh retribution. Dang. It was rough & totally unexpected.

The worst part is it was my own fault. I completely underestimated despite having been to Pilot Mountain, knowing the area, seeing the elevation profile... Still, I thought, "Yeah, but come on- it's not the real mountains." "Yeah, but come on- I go to State Parks all the time. The trails are usually wide with no rocks. They say this course is rocky. Yeah right." And the most arrogant of all, ""Yeah, but come on- it's just a marathon. I've done 100 milers, run Mt. Mitchell, run hour upon hour on the Appalachian Trail... this will be nothing." I honestly expected a well-manicured crushed gravel path for most of the course. There was about a mile or two of that & it was a pretty decent climb. Looking at the profile, I expected miles 9, 11 & 12 to be tough, but thought everything before that was gradual uphill & gradual downhill. I could not have been more wrong. I am an idiot for thinking otherwise.

Pilot Mountain Payback is the hardest race I've ever run under 50K. It's way harder than Black Mountain Marathon (if both are run in equal conditions). And, I'm going to say something here that people who have run MMC will shudder at, but without the incredibly harsh conditions at Mt. Mitchell, I don't think the Mt. Mitchell is significantly harder than Pilot Mountain. WHAT?! Hear me out. Pilot Mountain is 4500' of elevation gain over a marathon. Mt. Mitchell is 4300' over 40 miles. Though there are some steep ones for sure, most of the climb at Mt. Mitchell is long and gradual. The Toll Road there is completely runnable. There were several hills at Pilot Mountain that were too steep for me to run. Mt. Mitchell has a scrambly rock section you (or at least I) can't run. Pilot Mt. does too.  I see those sections as breaks more than actually being hard. Mt. Mitchell was has had incredibly brutal weather & running it, I've wondered about survival, which was never even close to crossing my mind yesterday, but the courses themselves on equal conditions... I just don't think Pilot Mountain is a joke by any means. Eh, maybe I'm just out of shape & maybe the last race is always the hardest, so my judgment could be clouded on this, but I dunno.

There was supposed to be a wintery mix during the race. It snowed pretty hard as a I drove up, but we only got a little snow at the beginning and no rain. So glad there was no rain. Cold rain is the worst. ...but we did get wet. I got to see my good friend of 25 years, Brendan Gannon. I have run with his brother Konrad many times, but first race Brendan & I have been in together since the State XC Meet of 1988!

50 meters into the race, you cross the first of 12 water crossings. Nice way to start. Even nicer was a steep climb on the other side. 1 minute into the race & I'm gasping for air. Great. At this point I was very conscious of how many people were ahead of me. A year ago, I would've tried to place Top 5 in this race. I was still in that mindset. I know I'm not in Top 5 shape, but was shooting for top 25 out of 100 or so. The whole first 8 miles to the real climbing was a series of ups & downs. Again, not what I expected at all. No flats. For the first 4 miles, I'd run at a decent pace up the hills, maxing my HR out and then instead of recovering on the downhill, I'd push it & hit the next uphill, the whole time, very aware of who passed me & who I passed.

After 4 miles, I literally stopped in the middle of the trail, let a group pass & had to tell myself, "Relax. Have fun. Run within yourself. You've just run a 4 mile tempo run. You can't keep that up." From then on, I did just that. Started talking to people. Appreciated the fantastic scenery & had fun. It was much more enjoyable and I would've blown up if I had kept the pace I was going.

At mile 8, the trail got incredibly rocky and started going up. The entire trail was a scattering of 12" rocks. Not anything you had to use your hands on & not gravel. Just really unrunnable sharp rocks you had to try to bounce between. This went on for 2-3 miles as it went uphill. I think my slowest mile was 19:00. Oh, and I disrespected the course so much, I decided to wear Brooks Launch- a lightweight road shoe. They were fine for most of the course, but I finished with a hole in the side of them from all the rocks.

Around mile 10, you came out on a wide, groomed path & got to the summit and went around the pinnacle. This was a neat section with a rock face on your left. From there, you descended an uneven set of hundreds of rock... steps isn't really the right word, but I guess you could call them that. My calves were shot from going up. Going down, my quads & knees were shaky. If there was any hope of a "fast" time, it was lost here. I was having fun. That was good enough. Also around this time, I developed severe stomach issues but they only lasted for about 5 miles. Kept me stationary for 10 minutes total.

The trail back to the finish was kind of lonely. I didn't see anyone until I started passing a few people towards the very end.

I felt good the last few miles and came through the last water crossing about 200m from the finish. It was the deepest one & you can see the finish line from there. I guess it was the cold water or the fact that I was running a little faster, but my hamstring cramped up. I couldn't move for 4 minutes, with the finish line in sight. People said, "It's right there- come on." Yeah, but I couldn't move. So I stood there yelling- more like exclaiming really for 4 minutes & then was able to half run across the finish line. 4:51:01. 39th out of about 100 starters. Ehh, for now, OK.

I was so completely dumb, when estimating my finish time, I thought, "OK, my fitness is not so great & I've got all of this excess weight right now... I think I could run a flat road marathon in 3:45. Add about a minute per mile to that for the trail & I'll be about 4:10." I can't begin to explain how horrible that logic was. If it were a flat trail race with moderate rocks & roots, I should add a minute per mile. Add to that, the elevation change & the rocks, bathroom break, hamstring cramp & yeah, I'm fine with my time.  But this race should've never been about time or place. It was about getting back out there, enjoying myself and using this as a stepping stone for something bigger. It had a humbling effect but also gave me motivation to keep working. I will surely put this race on my 2014 to do list. I know I'll have a better showing next year & be able to run more of the hilly & technical sections.

Today is the start of that renewed work. We got 3" of snow at home yesterday & I guess I have to go take advantage of that by an hour long trail run at ASC. And by "hour" I mean 4-5 miles. :) I'm sore, but it'll feel good to be out there!

Night Running & Feeling Lucky

I had a lot packed into today including some dental work & I couldn't manage to get the run in until late tonight. Ran 90 minutes on my favorite local trails at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Ft. Mill with a headlamp (Probably not supposed to be there at night. Shhh.). New shoes. Light rain. Felt magnificent. I hadn't felt good all day. Felt sick & sleepy. I could've given myself the day off, but I know I ALWAYS feel better after running if I feel lethargic. Tonight was no different.

Injuries always make you love running more. Always give you new perspective & make you appreciate what you have. I haven't run as many days per week as I should lately, but the 4-5 days a week I run are almost always 1-3 hours. I'd like to get the regularity thing down, but life gets in the way. I'd MUCH rather put the longer days in than run 30-40 minutes everyday... and part of that is the endorphins generated on these longer runs. I feel incredibly alive. I smile. I think. I don't want the run to end. I feel lucky to be able to do this stuff.

(The Brooks Pure Grits were amazing too!!! I saw a prototype at a Brooks Coaching Camp they sent me to in central Washington about 18 months ago. I was really impressed but never got a pair until today when the original Grits & the Grit 2 arrived at my doorstep. I tried both on... wasn't sure I would like the bigger lugs on the outsole of the original Grits (why I haven't picked any up yet), but that wasn't an issue once they were on my feet. Fit like a glove & felt more nimble than my trusty Cascadias. If I get a couple more good runs in them, I'll wear them for Pilot Mountain Payback Trail Marathon Saturday.)

I stopped in at a convenience store after my run and had to wait in a long line. The 3 people in front of me- none of them together- each bought cigarettes, alcohol & lottery tickets & the people behind me had beer in their hands too. Maybe this sounds judgmental. Maybe it is, but once again, I felt lucky to do what I do. (Note the not so subtle use of the word "lucky" in a paragraph that also mentions lottery tickets. Did you catch that? :)  )

Character Defining Long Runs & Thoughts

In the past month, I've put myself through some difficult longish runs of 1.5-3 hours. In an 11 day stretch, I put in 6 runs of at least 2 hours including one nighttime 20 miler. Keep in mind I was running 0 miles for a 6 week stretch in October & November due to injury. All of these longer runs have been on trails and most have been in really challenging conditions (i.e. cold, snow & mountains). I've been lucky enough to get in 2 four day trips to the mountains in the past month, taking advantage of a 4 day weekend that ended yesterday.

I stayed with my parents in Beech Mountain around New Year's & one day was much colder & windier than the rest. My dad, a runner himself asked, "Why did you do your longest run of the week today when it's so bad out & why did you only run 45 minutes the other day when it was kinda nice out?" I was shocked he would ask such a thing. "Dad. It's BECAUSE it was miserable out that I did my longest run today. I planned it that way." He didn't understand as I explained how much I love days like that for several reasons: 1) The intrinsic value of knowing, "Yeah, I could've curled up on the couch by the fire, drank hot chocolate and watched college football all day, but I didn't. I had the will power to go out and suffer to achieve my goals & maybe in the process learn something about myself..." That's immense; 2) The confidence gained from knowing I got through such a hard run makes more pleasant conditions seem like a piece of cake; 3) There's something thrilling about not being certain I'll make it back alive. Call it masochistic, reckless, self-loathing, or whatever, but I really get something out of not knowing exactly where I am, not knowing if I have enough clothing on, not knowing if a wild animal will attack me, not knowing if I have enough food & water... Makes completing the run all that more of an accomplishment. It's not like I set myself up for failure by purposely going without water or anything, but the danger involved motivates me.

My dad responded, "You're a weird dude." My mom worries about her 39.5 year old baby. Neither will understand, but then again, I don't think many people would. It kind of goes against our basic desire for comfort. Oh well.

I'm not one to get all "quote-y" and dazzle people with my "book learnin'," but I stumbled across a book by a psychologist and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl. Two quotes stuck out to me & I'm pretty sure he never ran for pleasure a day in his life but I think they have everything to do with running... and I'm paraphrasing here:

1) When we find meaning in suffering, it ceases to be suffering.
2) All that shines must endure burning.

I used these with the team I coach. Not sure it spoke to them, but that sums up running to me pretty much. For me, the meaning & lessons learned are not in the PR times run. Race day is almost insignificant to me. It's the process that matters to me. I can have good races & bad races. That's one day when, because I've paid my entry fee, I'm sort of forced to race at 8 AM on a particular day. Doesn't take into account how much I slept the night before, how my stomach feels that day, if I'm injured, how much training I've put into it... To define my running or myself on even a higher level, based on race performance is silly to me. To me, it's about what I did to get there. It's about the long, lonely days in the woods. It's about sacrifice, determination and hard work. When kids tell me, "I don't understand why I didn't do better in the race. I really tried," I kinda chuckle. Of course we try hard in the race. It's not about effort in the race. It's about effort leading up to it & the same goes for my personal running.

SOooo, yeah, I had a wonderful 4 day weekend this past week. It snowed maybe 4" in Boone and more at higher elevations. I ran twice for 2 hours each time at Moses Cone. Up to Rich Mountain was quite snowy. Down to Bass Lake was spotty. The 3rd day, I ran on the closed Blue Ridge Parkway to the Tanawha Trail. Conditions varied from dry road to extremely icy road & from 6" of snow on the trails to sections that were just a little muddy that I could move a little faster on.

The 4th day, I knew would be the most brutal conditions. When I got to Roan Mountain, it was 6 degrees with 40 mph winds. -22 wind chill. This is the coldest I've ever run in. Mt. Mitchell Challenge a couple of years ago was a close second and honestly felt more severe. Maybe it was because yesterday was sunny and clear but very, very harsh. The Roan Balds are one of my favorite places on Earth & I've been there in some really bad weather. The snow wasn't nearly as deep as I expected & I was able to run as much as I wanted.  I ran up Round Bald, Jane Bald, Grassy Ridge Bald & then turned around and ran up the park entrance road once I got back to the car. 36 hours later, my face is still a little numb. Nothing else was particularly cold. Overall, I was colder the day before, finishing up at 30 degrees and windy but wearing shorts. I was bundled yesterday.

A couple of nights ago I talked to a young friend of mine. We talked about, you know, life stuff and I mentioned the running I'd done. She's wise beyond her years and though she doesn't run (or at least not much), she said some things that made me think... Why am I doing this? Why do I seek out the "worst" conditions possible? Is running 2+ hours a day for 4 days straight really the best thing for my body? Does the running define me or do I define it? Am I running towards something or away from something? Hmm...

Every 6 months or so, I put in a big chunk of mileage (for me at least, I know some people who put in much more than I do even during these weeks), run through incredible beauty and have a lot of time alone with my thoughts. Before this week, the last time was driving and running through Oregon by myself last summer. Often I figure stuff out. Sometimes I'm left with more questions. But I thought about what she said. Yeah, running helps me balance things out in my life, helps me gain perspective, gives me time to think, gives me a sense of accomplishment & reduces stress. But why am I doing it to the extremes that I do (again, not as extreme as some and I'm not bragging here)? At times, I have felt out of control. Most of 2011 was one of those times. In December of 2011, I was doing a track workout after several days of going hard and I was going absolutely as hard as I could, picking myself up off the ground after every interval. Why? To get better? That's what I said, but you don't run for decades and read shelves of books and still think training works that way. I'm no Gerry Lindgren (though I admire the training he put in). I think I have a healthy focus now and to be honest, just being healthy enough to run again makes me want to do all I can. I'm still too scared of "failure" to attempt anything faster than a tempo run and I suppose it's because I don't want to know how slow I'm running that I haven't run on roads or flat greenways lately, but it'll come... or not. At the moment, I'm more than satisfied. In 2008-09 when training for Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler, I overtrained and did so because I thought I had to. It was a bit of a chore. I think there was a 5 week period where I ran solo training runs of 30, 40 & 60 miles & ran a 50K race. I'm running long now because I want to. Big difference. It's fun.

Maybe my dad was right. Maybe there's something a little weird about someone who runs for hours in the snow with a huge smile on his face.

Back. With a Race Schedule Even!

I haven't written much on here in the past year because I haven't done anything that's remotely noteworthy. Several people have contacted me out of the blue in the past couple of months telling me I inspired them to start running, start doing ultras or run a particular race or trail. I never think anyone reads this, but it's good to be proven wrong.

Rough rough 2012 from a running perspective. One injury after the other. Was only able to run 40% of what I normally do for the year... if that. In November I hit sort of a running rock bottom. Longest I'd ever been without it & didn't see how a return would happen. My first month back felt extremely awkward. I wouldn't run around people because of the weight I'd gained during the time off and because my arms & legs just didn't want to work properly. I had to think about every step and it was a lot of work. I can't tell you how out of control my limbs felt.

5 weeks ago, I finally realized there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Things started clicking again but running was still hard. 3 weeks ago, I put in a 50 mile week. The week after that, 60. I spent 4 days running at Beech Mountain and ran at 5,000' elevation in 4" of snow, 20 degree temps & 30 mph winds. Ran 2 or more hours 4 times that week. Good week last week too. These recent solo runs have brought me more joy than you can imagine. I was running around lost with ice crusted onto my leg hairs with a huge smile on my face... and other days have been quite similar. Finally feel like a real runner again so it's time to make plans.

I feel during this period of dormancy, I have not only let myself down but have also not lived up semi-sponsorships with Brooks & TrySports. A periphery goal will be to be able to fit into the TrySports singlet again (I swear those things were too snug to begin with!). A year ago, I truly felt like the TrySports "Believe. Achieve." motto was something I lived by. Since then, I suppose I've been a positive influence through coaching but my own running was wrecked. I am thankful that Brooks & TrySports have continued to help me out and see me as an ambassador for the sport & their brands. Time to go big again and put the work in to attain these goals.

Race Schedule for the next 4 months:
Saturday, February 16- Pilot Mountain Payback Marathon, Pilot Mt., NC
Saturday, March 23- Gator Trail 50K- Lake Waccamaw, NC
Sunday, April 7- Mountains-to-Sea Trail 50K, Durham, NC
Sat-Sun, April 27-28- C&O Canal 100 Miler, Knoxville, MD

I feel like I could get through a 50K or whatever distance now but the time would be slower than I became used to in 2011. I am very purposely not running road races this spring where I might be disappointed in not setting PRs. I'll let the speed come later, but for now, I'll set very challenging goals of endurance. 

When I first started doing 24 hour races, I liked the feeling that I could bailout at 60 miles, 70, or whenever. Now that I've done a lot of them, the willpower to keep going is extremely tough. Knowing that you pass your car every 15 minutes wears on you. I think I need the idea of a definite finish line the 100 miler will give me.

Really looking forward to working hard these next few months & see where it goes!

Finding Purpose

2011 was great. 2012 was not. Concussion. Broken toe. Messed up ankle. Weight gain. ...there hasn't been a whole lot of running going on. I've been running for 2 weeks now after a break of 2 months while my ankle got better. It's still not great but I can run. I've had two weeks of about 25 miles each. The ankle won't be a limiting factor. Being out of shape will limit my speed quite a bit and will limit my volume for a bit, but can't limit the frequency of my running.

I've had a lot of time to think. Of course a lot of the time, I've felt like I was never going to get back to running or at least not near the level I was at last year. But I'm not going down that road. I've thought about the things I love about running & what it means. Can I run 17:52 for 5K or 3:08 for marathon like I did last year? Can I win a 50K like I did last year? No. Not now. Does that matter? Yeah, kinda. But what's more important- running 17:52 or the enjoyment of running and seeing beautiful things in nature?

I do need something to work towards. I can't just get out there and run everyday with no goal. I can't. I sat down this weekend and figured out a few race options for the next 4 months... still thinking, but I have a few options. Pretty sure these plans will include more trail races than road races.

Being forced to take time off because of injury always makes you appreciate running more- at least it does for me.

Great 2 Weeks of Training. Terrible 5K. OK.

I have been overdoing it a little bit, but feel good. Good, but tired. Ran hard 14 days in a row. Tomorrow, I will rest. 7 tough mountain runs, 8x800, hill repeats... and yesterday, I ran 14 miles just about as hard as I could. Not that anyone was racing, but I ran faster than anyone on the team for those 14 miles. Incidentally, preseason rankings have our boys #2 in the state regardless of classification.

Running 14 miles all out is always a good idea the day before a 5K, right? :) Well, truth is I decided to run the 5K just a couple of days before, I didn't care about it & the hard 14 miler is way more important to me than a 5K. 

In August of last year, I ran 17:52 on a flat course in the only 5K I'd run in years. I'm not in the shape I was then, but was shooting for under 19:00 at the Blue 5K which started at Panthers Stadium in conjunction with Fan Fest. I really had no clue what to expect. Woke up and could barely move. Legs felt like they were going to explode. Went anyway. Sore warming up. Someone I knew said "Course is tough. Easy first mile & then hard 2nd mile." First mile started with decent hill but then went downhill to the mile marker. 6:05. OK. The turned & went uphill. Went up the infamous Morehead Hill that I ran up several times 25-30 years ago in the Charlotte Observer 10K, which was a big deal then. Grete Waitz & other big names ran it & the Marathon. Anyhow, my biggest weakness now is hills. Camp pointed that out. This course was full of them and I was tired. Finish time of 20:20. Ouch. A little embarrassing but I know I can run a lot faster if I planned better. Guess I'll have to seek out a flat 5K somewhere & take an easy day before it to prove it. 

It's OK. Got a nice Panthers shirt out of it. The improvement in training exponentially outweighs the slow 5K time. Not really a disappointment.

Knocking the Rust Off. Getting Back.

It's been almost 9 months since I've posted anything. There are a few reasons for that, but I'd like to think I'm back...

One of the reasons I haven't posted is that someone who had a lot of influence on my life told me I was too hardcore & a bad role model kids I coach... that by example, I show them you need to take risks, push yourself too hard, and do things people just aren't supposed to do. "Everyone else is happy running a 5K but you have to run 100 miles." I was told I shouldn't run hard with the team but should be more like Coach K or the XC coach who sits on the golf cart and instructs but doesn't run himself. I couldn't disagree more. Often, kids have told me they respect the fact I'm out there running hard with them, not giving them something I'm not willing to do myself. Frankly, sitting on the golf cart wouldn't be fun for me at all and I don't know that I'd continue to coach. They told me I shouldn't write in my blog or post about running on Facebook because it's too extreme & negative. It's true, running hours & hours at a time rarely happens without some problems but I can't remember a single long run I've regretted and most, I see as enriching my life, often in profound ways. Anyway, that person no longer has influence on my life and I didn't think I was doing damage to kids in the first place. By all means, they should learn from my mistakes. I've told plenty of people they're not ready for a marathon or over & that they use my own setbacks as examples of what not to do.

Things kept getting better & better for me running-wise in 2011. PRs in everything from 5K to 100 miles. I ran with a huge level of confidence, which was something new for me. When I stepped onto a starting line, it wasn't a question of if I was going to run a PR, but by how much. I got more & more competitive with myself. I kind of hit a low in December.

I ran Kiawah Marathon in early December & threw up a couple of times. Any calories I took in, I lost. I was doing OK through the half, but could feel sub-3:00 slipping away. By the last couple of miles, I was wobbly & not doing well at all. I finished, immediately collapsed & somehow ended up in the medical tent. I really don't remember it. After a couple of IV bags, I was OK. Instead of using that as a warning, I was mad at my body for failing me. I pushed even harder in training and went through a 2 week period where everyday seemed harder than the next. Everyday was the hardest workout I've ever done. 10x800 in under 2:40, 3x2 miles in 12:30, 3x5K under 19:00- more, more, more. My health was not good. I'll spare the details. I was working hard toward Frosty 50K & having run 3:54 for 50K in November, was looking for under 3:50 and to place fairly high. Around December 20, I told someone "One of 3 things will happen with this race- 1) I'll come in top 3 and absolutely crush it; 2) I'll have to drop out; 3) I'll be in the hospital before it starts. The person gave me good advice and told me to take it one race at a time. "You have a race in 3 weeks. Be as healthy as you can and train as smart as you can in that time. Then move on to the next. You of all people know you have to recover." I did. I do.

So, I cut back a little & felt good going into Frosty 50K, though felt a lot of pressure. On the way up to Winston-Salem, I threw up on the side of the highway. I assumed it was nerves or something. I went out with the leaders and felt fine, but just a few miles into it, my stomach started feeling bad again. Threw up a few more times. With no calories & fluids in me, my legs started cramping up badly. The last 6 miles were pathetic. I'd run 2 minutes at a decent pace & then BAM!, legs would seize up again. The last mile was the worst. I was forced to stop in my tracks every 30 seconds or so and for as long as 2 minutes. My 3:45 dream race ended up being 4:24 or something. I would've be ecstatic about that time a year earlier, but it felt like a miserable failure even if I knew it was something out of my control. AS IT TURNED OUT, it had nothing to do with running. I came home & threw up all night & was hospitalized with a bad stomach virus. 4:24 with a stomach virus & the worst leg cramps I can imagine seems alright now, but I was still upset about it. Felt like that was going to be the beginning of the end. And it was.

I didn't run for a week, recovering from the virus. I had been back for about 2 weeks when I got hit in the face with a volleyball. I knew I had a concussion because I had a 5 day headache. That was the only symptom I had, so I thought I was OK. Went out & ran a tempo run and passed out afterwards. After that, for 6 weeks, I couldn't think, couldn't run, couldn't do much of anything. Still came to school, but was really out of it.

When I finally came back from that, bronchitis. Not a good Spring! In the process of taking all of that time off, I gained about 25 pounds after losing 50 in 2011. Ugh. Summer in Charlotte is always a bad time for me. I sweat a ton & last year had a lot of dehydration issues. I was smart enough to limit myself this summer as I still wasn't in good shape and didn't want to have more problems develop. I did some long runs in the mountains & at night & I've gotten by. I'm just significantly slower.

This past week, however, things seemed to finally click!!! We had running camp at Appalachian State University. Camp there is very unstructured & teams do what they want with the runs. I took that opportunity to take 30 kids to places I absolutely love- Moses Cone, Tanawha Trail, Boone Fork Trail, Linville Gorge (gravel road, not the trails). At the start of the week, I realized how utterly slow I was up hills, but still had it on the flats & downhills. Part of that must be gravity. As the week went on, I got stronger & felt better.

By Saturday, I had driven the bus back to drop the kids off and driven back to run the XTERRA Beech Mountain 15K. This was my first race since early January! I had been feeling like a total lump and a disgrace to my TrySports team & Brooks sponsor. More than anything, I needed something to get back into things. Tired of saying, "Ah, I'm in terrible shape. I'm really slow now." Needed something to get me out the door and back into racing, which would, in turn get me motivated to run faster. It worked.

Even after running up mountains all week at camp, I felt OK going into the race, but was incredibly nervous. I picked this race as a first race back because it was an odd distance on difficult terrain. That way I couldn't worry about my time (1:36 for 9.3 miles. Ha! I'm telling you it was hard. I think I could run just under an hour on flat road right now, but...) I didn't have many goals in mind, but wanted to: 1) Place top third, 2) Not let anybody pass me in the last 10K, 3) Finish feeling good, 4) Be careful & don't fall & get hurt even if it means being too cautious, 5) Have fun. Accomplished all of those goals. The first mile was straight up. I ran it in 12 minutes! Whew! No one passed me after the first mile & I picked up 11 spots. After the first mile, the course was hilly, rooty & muddy. I lost my shoe in the mud at one point. A mile from the finish, you went back up to the highest point on the course (over 5,000') and finished on a steep downhill. I flew that last mile. OK, well, going up, I was going pretty slow, but given the fact that I was literally running up a ski slope & caught several people, I felt like I was moving. I smiled a lot, talked to some people and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Results still aren't out but I'm guessing I was about 30th out of about 130.

Woke up a little sore Sunday, but decided to do another run at Moses Cone on my way home. Smiled a lot there too & felt really strong. Today, ran hills at practice- my traditional first official day of practice run. Tells me a lot about the team. Told me a lot about myself today as I didn't struggle at all. Felt very fresh. If you've read this far you might be saying, "Didn't this guy just tell us it was dumb to go hard everyday & his body broke down on him last winter because of it?" Well, yeah, but there's a difference in feeling strong running harder courses & pushing yourself to the limit everyday. In the race & in today's hills, I definitely ran within my limits & I am fully aware of those limitations at the present.

I still need to figure out what races I'm doing in the next 6 months, but I'm excited about the road/trail ahead!

3:54:52 for 50K! Huge PR. Won the Race!

Stats:

Previous 50K PR: 4:41:00

Today's time (half mile longer than 50K): 3:54:52- 47 minutes faster than old PR

Pace: 7:24/mile

Winning margin: 23 minutes

First, let me say I know there are tons of faster people out there. I know I'm nowhere near them. The Mad Marsh 50K with 68 competitors wasn't the largest, most competitive race out there. BUT, I am really happy with my accomplishments lately & was proud to say I won a race for the first time since 1988. People have asked what the secret to my improvement is...

* Significant weight loss.

* Experience & putting things into perspective during a race.

* Pushing myself in training (though my long runs could be more frequent).

* CONFIDENCE!

I have raced way more than ever before this year and I think all but one race was a PR. After Kiawah, I will have raced 552 miles this year. There's simply no doubt in my mind that I'll PR in every race I run. The question is by how much. Maybe that sounds cocky, but it works. I used to worry a ton and doom myself to a bad race before I even started. 6 years ago, I started doing ultras & trail races because I didn't like the pressure I put on myself in road races & didn't like the disappointment that went with it. Things went downhill when I turned 30 & I thought I had not hope of getting better or returning to where I was.

Switching to trail running & ultras helped relieve some pressure but I still had a bad attitude. I made up excuses but could hide it with "Oh, but it was an insane mountain trail. How was I supposed to do well?" My return to more road running and trying to run fast has been way more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be though I do still enjoy the rocks, roots & especially the scenery of trail running.

I set some goals in July & one of them was to break 4:00 for 50K. I honestly thought it was the hardest goal on my list and wasn't sure I'd get it. Frosty 50K in January was going to be my big attempt. I found out about the Mad Marsh 50K a couple of weeks ago & just decided Wednesday to come down to Beaufort, SC and run it. I told some people on my team I was going to win it & run under 4 hours. Most believed me, I think, but some asked, "How do you know? You don't even know who's going to be there?" I told them I didn't care. I was going to do what it took to win. If that meant I had to run 3:40 to win, I would just have to do that. If it meant I could run 3:59 and win, then so be it. Wait, did I mention 4:41 was my PR before?? :)

The race was 7x4.5 mile loops around an abandoned golf course. I guess it was on what was once unpaved cart paths. The surface was sandy and a little loose, but better than I expected. There was one short section where the grass was pretty tall and rough, but other than that, it was a great surface though calling it a trail is a bit misleading. More like grassy/dirt/sand path. I enjoyed the course and always like loop courses.

I have to talk a little junk. There were some "cool guys" decked out in fancy gear who yelled at me a minute after the start to slow down, that I didn't know what I was doing, that they were the ones setting the pace & for me to fall back. I turned around & said, "I think I want to run a little faster if that's OK." They indicated they'd see me in the last half of the race- implying I'd die & they'd catch me. I must say it brought me a little joy to lap them on my 5th lap. I felt like I was pretty encouraging to the people I lapped, but not to the guys who yelled at me. Maybe that's mean.

I went out with another guy for the first lap. I ran right on his shoulder for 4 miles and then beside him for the last half mile of that lap and we talked a little. He was just running 3 laps- a little over half marathon & I left him shortly after the end of the first lap. There was one other guy in sight behind me for the first 2 laps but that's all. I led the whole way but wasn't sure how much of a lead I had. 

Things went perfectly other than frequent bathroom breaks (what's new??) & I was able to run very consistently. I hit the marathon in exactly the same time as I ran last week at Thunder Road! 3:08. After that, knowing I'd be under 4:00 & would win, I backed off the last 5 miles. I kept looking back, seeing if I needed to pick it up in case someone caught up, but I didn't realize how much I was leading by. I won by 23 minutes and had a 47 minute PR! Actually, the course was a little long, at 31.7, so it would've been a few minutes under 3:54. I usually like to finish races strong, but I'm OK with easing up at the end here. I think the best I could've done would've been 3:51. 3:51, 3:54... not a big difference. Had I been able to get under 3:50, I would've gone for it.

Below is the breakdown, not by 4.5 mile lap, but by 5 mile increments. Each lap included a bathroom break &/or aid station break & the last 2 laps included a minute of stretching each. I kept it pretty even and cruised after the marathon.

First 5 Miles- 35:19  (7:04/mile)

Second 5 Miles- 35:15 (7:03/mile)

Third 5 Miles- 36:12  (7:14/mile)
Fourth 5 Miles- 36:11 (7:14/mile)
Sixth 5 Miles- 37:50 (7:34/mile)

Seventh 5 Miles- 40:41 (8:08/mile)

Last 1.7 Miles- 7:52/mile

This race gives me a lot of confidence for Kiawah & Frosty 50K, both in the next 6-7 weeks. I know both will be PRs & I'm looking forward to it!

3:08:34 Thunder Road Marathon- 9 Minute PR

Q: Why would a 9 minute marathon PR be kind of ho hum? 
A: When you know you could've done better.

I decided to run this race less than 48 hours before the gun went off because Wren's soccer tournament times were different than expected & I could make the Saturday game and still run. So my training wasn't exactly what I'd want for an "A Priority" race. I am focused on the Kiawah Island Marathon Dec. 10 & Frosty 50K in January, with a big push after that for a couple of spring marathons. Thunder Road was just thrown in there because it was close to home, I knew I could PR & wanted to test some strategy.

I was confident for the 2 days before the race until I tried to go to sleep. Sitting in bed, I started letting my mind get to me. A friend texted me, "You will have a great race. Your training has been great. I will be thinking about you while you're running." That did the trick & I fell asleep by midnight.

I've really been on a roll this year of running well with confidence & focus I've never had before. In this race, though, I just never was that into it. Didn't seem... I don't know... important for some reason. I still gave my best effort but things didn't exactly click. My running's been different the past 3-4 weeks. I'm going as fast or faster than ever, but it seems to be more of a struggle. My legs feel heavy and not really sluggish but like every step, the muscles are flexed. Feels like I'm pushing- like running uphill, instead of the light, quick (for me at least) feeling I had before this. ...just muscling through. Every step seems like an individual effort that has to be thought about rather than just moving along with fluid motion.

The first 8 miles were uneventful except for a bathroom break that cost me a minute. It was my only one of the day, so not a killer. My sciatic nerve gave me problems starting around mile 8 & I remembered I hadn't taken ibuprofen. I was surprised by the number of spectators I knew who yelled.

Around mile 12, when the half marathoners went one way and the marathoners went the other way, there was a big letdown. There always is, but this time was different. I HATE running a marathon alongside a half. I certainly have nothing against people running a half marathon, but it just messes with my head. I guess I was in about 35th place in the combined race, but I was told I was 12th after the split. For about 4-5 miles, I didn't see a single person in front of me. 11th place must've been pretty far ahead. Then a group of 3 passed me around mile 17. At mile 18, my sciatic nerve was hurting more and I stopped for a second to stretch my hip. It was one of those moments where I thought, "I just gave up. I am still on pace to break 3:00, but in this one instant, I've told myself I can't."

I started back up after 20 seconds of stretching and was fine for a half mile before noticing an unusual pain in my chest. Never felt anything like that. Got worse as I went along. By mile 20, I had decided there was a decent chance I was having a heart attack. I backed off by about a minute/mile and really took uphills easy. I knew even if I managed 9:30 miles, I'd set a PR but hopes for sub-3:00 were over and breaking 3:05 didn't look likely. I focused on 3:10... but more than that, just surviving! That's all I could think about and I kept going back & forth in my head, "Should I drop out & go to the hospital? No. You're going to set a  PR & it's probably nothing." If I saw anyone looking remotely like an EMT or something I probably would've stopped.

I ended up in 3:08:34, breaking my PR (set in June in Seattle) by 9 minutes. That's a major accomplishment but I'm disappointed because I knew I could do a lot better. I went to the medical tent afterwards & they said I had a tight diaphragm and worked on it for 20 minutes. No heart problems.

So, I'll push hard to Kiawah, have better luck there & expect another big PR.

1:24:15 Half Marathon- Almost 10 Minute PR

I entered the Rocktoberfest Half Marathon on a whim. I knew I could PR. I wanted to test out sub-3:00 marathon pace and see how progress towards that goal was coming. It also just fit into my schedule and was close to home. I was very pleased with the results.

The course was fairly hilly and ran along roads used in Charlotte road races for at least the 30 years I've been running- Morehead, through Myers Park, etc. I couldn't sleep the night before, worried about pace and how prepared I was. Silly to get nervous about a half marathon, maybe, but I was. Just didn't know what I was capable of. Regretted not knowing what 6:45 pace (my initial goal) really felt like anymore since I haven't been wearing a GPS watch lately.

I ran the first mile with some of my new TrySports teammates who I knew were going to run my target pace of 6:45/mile. It was downhill and I think we hit it in 6:12. I felt good so I picked up the effort in the next uphill mile and ran the rest of the way by myself. Hit the 10K mark in 40:12. I was nervous about a race of this distance but I really enjoyed it. Seemed really short (not bragging at all) and I was able to divide it up easily. "Half way there? Crazy! I just started!" or "Just 35 more minutes. That's nothing." I kept a very positive attitude & was confident the whole time. Once I hit the 2nd or 3rd mile, I knew I wouldn't slow down and I averaged 4 seconds per mile faster in the last half than the first, which is pretty remarkable pacing if I do say so myself. Though I was pushing it hard the whole way, I can't describe how easy it felt. Knew I'd finish strong. Thought about every step. Told myself to run as fast as I could each step. But still, ZERO fatigue, no problems, no slowing down, no getting passed, etc. Couldn't ask for anything more.

My PR had been 1:33:58, set in January. I was just looking to break 1:30 Saturday but ended up at 1:24:15 because everything just clicked. I took a gamble not knowing exactly what would happen because of my inexperience at that distance but I think I played it perfectly. A little faster early & I may have died. The ultimate goal is sub-3:00 by this Spring. There are a lot of "what ifs," but I feel certain I could've run that Saturday. Experiencing no fatigue, no problems & no negative thoughts, I'm pretty sure I could've kept that 6:25/mile pace until 20 miles and then fallen back to 6:45-7:00- let's go high & say an average of 7:00 for the last 10K. That would've given me 2:51. Even 7:00 pace for the last 13.1 would've given me 2:55 and that would've been a big slowdown. Will I go out in 6:25 for a marathon? I don't know why I can't be close to that and still have a good marathon. More work & testing, but I feel very confident. It's a good feeling.

I finished 12th place out of 709 finishers. Top 1.6%. Strange being that alone in a pretty big race.

Now, I register for Kiawah Island Marathon which is December 10 to see what I can do.

Really enjoyed my Sunday 10 mile run at ASC trails just before sundown. I used to love squeezing in as many miles as possible before dark on Sundays out there but haven't been in a couple of months. And sadly, with the faster paced, non-trail running I've been doing lately, I noticed it on the trails. I wasn't as nimble & didn't see the trail like I used to. Still fun.