2013 Year in Review

"People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed." - Tony Robbins

What a year 2013 has been.  It started off with a 2^nd place finish at a cold and muddy 50k in February.  Then in March I had my first win in an ultra at the Oak Mountain 50k.  After that my wife and I decided to move from Nashville, TN to Charleston, SC.  My running slacked for the next few months until we moved in May but I regained the motivation to start logging miles again after the move. 

I have run this bridge many times since moving to Charleston

I quickly realized that running in Charleston is completely different than running in Nashville.  There are very few trails and zero hills other than a bridge in Mount Pleasant leading to downtown.  A lot of the runners here seem to care more about 5k and 10k times rather than 50 mile or 100 mile times but this has benefitted me greatly.  I have joined several running groups, and I run a lot more track workouts now.  My speed has increased, and I have kept the fitness needed to be successful in ultra running. 

I took another win at the Cremator 50 Mile Ultra in July.  It was hot and I did not eat nearly enough calories but managed to build up a big lead and hung on for dear life in the last 12 miles.  The Cremator helped me take a major step forward in my running because it was in that race that I realized I need to take in a lot more calories and stay hydrated in order to finish strong in my races.  I know this should be common sense but it is easier said than done. 

I tested out my new found epiphany at the Long Cane 50k.  Even though I started off with plans of running the 55 mile option I had to drop down to the 50k due to a knee injury.  I felt great taking gels every 20-30 minutes. Even after 5 hours of running I felt like I could have kept going, aside from my knee issue.  The big test was the last weekend of September at the North Face Endurance Challenge in Atlanta.  I took one hour off of my previous years’ time and finished in 3^rd.  I was in the lead through mile 44 but ended up losing it to two great runners.  I took 20 gels in the span of 8 hours and it kept my energy high.  I lost, not because of my nutrition, but because of my fitness.  I finished off the year with a win and course record at Mad Marsh 50k.

Thinking back to the beginning of 2013, I never imagined it would turn out to be such a great year. I had planned some big goals for myself and ended up surpassing all of them. Looking forward to 2014 I am very excited about what lies ahead.  Lowcountry Ultras is starting a points system for their races and at the end of all 5 races whoever has the least amount of points (points are given cross country style; i.e. 1^st = 1 point, 5^th = 5 points….you get the idea) wins the series.  The winner will get some swag plus entry into all 2015 races.  The races include Delirium 24hr, Bad Marsh 50k, Cremator 50 Miler with the option to run the Double Cremator, Homestead 10x5k and finally the Mad Marsh 50k.  I have all 5 races on my schedule for 2014 as I have every intention of winning the series.  If you think you have what it takes, check out their website and come out and challenge me. 

Also on the schedule for the first weekend of October is the Grindstone 100 in Swoope, Va.  This race has a measly 23,300 feet of climbing and 23,300 feet of descending on some of the most technical trails in the nation.  I get goose bumps just thinking about it.  Here is a description of the race on their website: “Grit, endurance, temporary loss of sanity.  You might need all of these if you want to attempt Grindstone.  If you want to finish, well, just keep in mind this is, without a doubt, the hardest 100 miler east of the 100^th meridian.” I have read race reports from all levels of runners, and they have all said this is one of the most difficult races they have ever attempted.

Other than the races I mentioned, I would love to add 1-2 more races to my schedule. Right now I am thinking I would like to add a 50 or 100 mile race in the spring on the East Coast - so if you know of a good one, please let me know. 

Thanks for reading all about my adventures in running the ultra mile. If any of you are ever in the Charleston area, I encourage you to reach out to me so we can go for a run. There’s no better way to explore a new city than through running – trust me.

Lowcountry Trail Half Marathon Recap and Future Plans

"The more I train, the more I realize I have more speed in me." - Leroy Burrell

Not much has been happening since my North Face race in late September.  I recovered well from the race, and I was back running within a couple of days.  Two weeks after the race, I decided to run in a half marathon.  Just to be clear, my first love is ultra running and that is what I focus on. I don't run many races shorter than the 50k distance; however, I was lucky enough to win a free entry into the inaugural Low Country Trail 1/2 Marathon on Johns Island and couldn't pass up the opportunity to run in a new area.  Plus, this race gave me the chance to see how fast I could run a trail half marathon. Since this was a last minute decision to run this race, I had not done any half marathon specific training but figured I might be able to finish in a decent time.

After a brief warm up on the course, I quickly realized that the course was going to be slower than I thought due to thick grass and sandy trails but nonetheless I wanted to go out hard.  After coming through 2 miles in 11:30 I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain that pace but I still continued to run hard without holding back.  Naturally the part of the course in which we ran twice was the most difficult due to the thick grass. There was also a lot of twists, turns and roots which made me slow my pace down - but I wouldn't expect anything less from a trail race.  I was ecstatic to see 1:23:19 when I crossed the finish line.  All in all the course was awesome. It was well marked with every mile noted with a sign so you knew where you were on the course at all times.

Going out 'balls to the wall' for this half marathon made me think about trying to run a fast 50k. Being so close to Charleston I think the Mad Marsh 50K would be a perfect course to set a fast 50k pr.  I am hoping I can find the right balance of speed work and mileage over the next couple of weeks to put a good race together. I have come up with a plan, and pending any injuries, I think that I'll be able to achieve my goal.

Beyond that, I am thinking about running in the Lookout 50 miler in December. I heard it is an awesome race to compete in.  I think I am most excited about the Delirium 24hr race in February. I am intrigued by the thought of running for 24 straight hours to see how many miles I could log in that time frame.  I will be making my decisions about what races to compete in for the remainder of the year and early next year very soon. I look forward to testing my new strategies and seeing what this 29 year old body of mine can do.

Revenge at The North Face Endurance Challenge Atlanta 50 Miler

"Racing is pain, and that's why you do it, to challenge yourself and the limits of your physical and mental barriers.  You don't experience that in an armchair watching television."- Mark Allen

After last years debacle at North Face in Atlanta, I vowed to never run that race again simply because it beat me up so badly physically and mentally.  However, there I was Saturday morning at 4:55 a.m. standing at the start line in pitch black darkness, thinking about the events that happened last year and trying not to let them happen again this year.  I wanted my revenge.

At 5:00 a.m. sharp the first wave of runners headed down the open field toward the Pine Mountain trail where we would spend the next 2 hours stumbling through the darkness. Right before we stepped on to the trail, I realized that I was leading everyone. This surprised me as I was running a very modest pace.  After a couple of miles we had established a group of about 5 runners.  It was a great group to run with as we were all chatting and getting to know each other.

5 miles down... 45 more to go!

We came into the first aid station, which was 5 miles in, and I decided to run right through without stopping.  We only had 6 miles to the next aid, and I had enough water and gels to get me through this section.  The trail was lined with glow sticks which made navigation easy so the only thing I had to worry about was not falling over the many rocks that were on the course.  I was concentrating on taking a Clif Gel every 25-30 minutes.  I wanted to stay ahead of my nutrition plan early as I knew it would be difficult for me to take in calories later.  Every time we came to a hair pin turn, I would glance behind to see how many we had in our group.  We had 4 in our group with Jonathan Allen just behind.

Refilling at 11 miles

After a quick bathroom break, which relieved me of my pacing duties, I filed in the back of our group. At the second aid station I refilled my bottle, restocked on Clif Gels and grabbed a pack of Clif Shot Blocks.  Even though it was less than 5 miles to the next aid station I wanted the calories.  I was feeling great and was excited about how the race was going, even though it was early.  When the sun finally broke through the trees I turned off my headlamp and... fell flat on my face.  Are you kidding me!!!!  I make it through 2+ hours of pitch black darkness on this technical trail without falling and within 30 seconds of turning the headlamp off I do a face plant.  Lucky for me, I didn't hurt myself too badly.

Our group of 4 was still together at the 16 mile aid station. As we left, I remembered from the year before that the next 7 miles was one of the harder sections of the course so I wanted to keep a steady pace. Along here our group dwindled from 4 down to 3 and then down to 2.  Not knowing it at the time but Russell Jones and myself would spend the next 5 hours separated by no more than 30 seconds.

Coming into 29.1 aid station

Knowing the 23 mile aid station was just up the trail I stopped to use the bathroom, giving Russell around 30 seconds going into the aid station.  While at the aid station, I ate a few bananas and headed down the trail back in the lead.  After a mile or so there was still no sign of Russell.  I turned onto a new section of the trail and started running up a long dirt road.  I glanced behind me and saw Russell making his way up the road.  I am glad he decided to catch up as it was easier to run with someone than by myself.  Every time we turned the corner, I saw that the trail kept going up; and I would grow more and more frustrated. Finally we turned off the dirt road  and on to a trail. We were then immediately faced with a short but steep climb.  This was a hands-on-knees kind of climb.  I was lucky to have Russell with me as we worked together to stay on the trail.  Some sections were tough to navigate so it was good to have 2 sets of eyes looking for the orange markers.  We finally broke through the trees and into an open field with the 29 mile aid station in sight.  We were running together into the aid station. We made quick work of the stop - refilled water bottles and stocked up on gels.

Up to this point my nutrition plan was perfect.  The Clif Gels were still tasting great and I was able to stomach them.  My legs were starting to get a little fatigued but that's what should happen after running 30 miles on a technical trail.  In the next 6.5 miles Russell and I continued to run together.  If I walked up a hill then he walked.  If I picked up the pace on a downhill or flat - he matched it.  We were making it a point to stay together and if someone caught up to us we hoped we would have the legs to stay with them.

Russell and I coming into 35.5 aid station

As we were nearing the 35.5 mile aid station I started to get really hungry.  Luckily I had some crackers in my race belt so I stopped to eat them even though the aid station was less than a mile up the road.  When I got to the aid station I planned on eating a little bit of everything they had.  I did not want to feel hungry again for the rest of the race.  I ate several bananas, Clif Shot Blocks, potatoes, saltine crackers and 2 gels all while the volunteer refilled my bottle.  To make it go down easier I even had a little bit of mountain dew.  Russell and I left the aid station once again, together. Knowing this was one of the easier sections we decided to run at a good pace in hopes that we could hold off whoever was behind us.

Over the next several miles we were never separated by more than a couple of seconds except when I stopped to use the bathroom.  We were passing 50k racers going the other direction and I was trying to catch back up to Russell.  A couple of the racers stopped to let me by and as I went by my foot hit a rock and down I went.  Yelling words that should not have been said (sorry Mom!)  I stood up and was hit with a cramp.  After a few seconds I started running and finally caught back up to Russell.

39.7 aid station

Coming into the 42.5 mile aid station we were once again together.  We refilled our bottles and went down the trail for the final 7.5 miles.  The problem with running in the lead is you don't know who is behind you and how far back they are.  While Russell and I were staying together, Jonathan Allen was inching closer and closer to us.  We figured he was lurking back there somewhere and it was only a matter of time before we saw him.  We hoped he used all of his energy trying to catch up to us and that we would be able to stay with him. Unfortunately, he passed us around the 44-45 mile mark while we were going up a hill, and I knew I could not match his pace. Russell moved on with Jonathan while I remained behind.  Once I made it to the top of the hill, I tried to put in one last effort in hopes of keeping it close but my legs just weren't able to keep the pace. After a long uphill leading to the final aid station, I knew there was no hope.  They had put a couple of minutes on me with only 2.5 miles left.

2.6 miles left

I made quick work of the last aid station as I wanted to finish in the top 3.  Once again I was in a position of not knowing who was behind me or how far back they were so I pushed with everything I had.  A couple of cramps stopped me in my tracks but I was able to run those out. Finally I came over a small hill and could smell the finish line food.  I looked up and saw the tents of the festival. I took one last glance behind me just to make sure no one was back there.  As I came out of the trail and onto the open field where we started more than 8 hours ago, I was so excited.  I put my hands up in the air as I crossed the finish line in 8:08:05.  I was ecstatic, not only because of my 3rd place finish, but because I got my revenge and knocked almost 1 hour off of last year's time.  I could not believe it.




It was congratulations all around.  Jonathan ran an extremely smart race to finish in 1st with a time of 7:59:20.  Russell pushed Jonathan in the final miles and came in 2nd at 8:03:51.  This was the closest race in North Face Endurance Challenge-Atlanta history, and I was glad to be a part of it.   Below is a quick interview with the overall Top 3 from the race.

                        

Top 3 from North Face: Jonathan Allen, Russell Jones and Me

There were two things that made my race go so well.  For the second race in a row Clif Gels did not let me down.  I cannot express how great these things are.  I ate around 20 gels during my race and not once did I have to force myself to take it because they taste so good.

The second thing that made my race go so well were my shoes.  Thanks to Chris from Fleet Feet in Mount Pleasant for getting me into the Pearl Izumi N1's.  After about 30 miles of trail running the week before the race without any knee problems, I decided to use them at North Face.  With the trail being as rocky as it was I wanted a little more protection than the NB110 could provide, and the PI N1s did not let me down.

I want to take some time to enjoy this race so I am not sure what the near future holds for me. I might take the rest of the year off from racing and focus on the Delirium 24hr race in February, or I might compete in the Mad Marsh 50K or Lookout Mountain 50 Miler later in the year.  Whatever my next race is I hope to build from this race.

Long Cane Ultramarathon Race Report... well sort of

"Everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

Sometimes making the right decision is not easy; and in the case of the Long Cane 55 Miler, I had to do something that I had never done before. In the middle of the race I dropped my distance from the 55 mile race to the 50K due to an annoyance in my knee.  For those of you that know me or have met me, you know I never quit anything.  It doesn't matter how bad I feel in a race or how much further I have to go, I would rather walk the rest of the way than quit.  But with two weeks until the North Face 50 I had to think about that race and did not want to do anything that would prevent me from seeking my revenge at North Face this year (read last years report on how North Face beat me up.)

Long Cane Ultra is a part of the Ultra on Trails series that Terri Hayes puts on.  This is a series of FREE races that promotes the sport of trail running in South Carolina and Florida.  Terri does a phenomenal job at these races as the aid stations are often stocked just as well, if not better, than some of the other ultras I have competed in.

Instead of boring you with details about my race, I am going to give you the good, the bad and the ugly of what happened at Long Cane.

The Good - With North Face 50 in two weeks, I wanted to use Long Cane's 55 miles as a chance to get a long run in on some trails and to test out my new nutrition plan.  In past races I have always struggled with going out too fast so I was also concentrating on pacing myself.  I did not go into Long Cane looking for love but by the time it was over I was in love with Clif gels.  I ended up running about 35 miles total on Saturday, and not once did I have a low point or lack of energy.  I never became fatigued, and I could have easily run another few hours before I slowed down.  I took a Clif gel every 40 minutes and it did wonders.  It not only gave me energy but it tasted amazing.  I even joked that I might start eating them for breakfast.  I am extremely happy with my fitness and my new, established nutrition plan heading into North Face. Additionally, I ended up placing 1st in the 50K. All in all, it was a nice run.

The Bad - I was fighting an inner battle with my mind on whether or not I missed a turn. The course was well marked and made perfect sense when looking at it on a map, however for about 10 minutes I was arguing with myself that I was going the wrong direction.  Finally, I decided to turn around and run back until I came across another runner.  It took about a mile until I finally saw someone else, who then confirmed I was going in the right direction. In the end my paranoia about missing a turn was wrong and cost me about 2 miles.

The Ugly - About 25 miles into the race my right knee started to hurt.  I have no clue where this came from as I had never felt this before.  I came into the 27 mile aid station right at 4 hrs into the race, and physically I felt fine except for my knee.  It was hurting badly but I knew I at least wanted to finish the 50K option.  I took some ibuprofen and ran/walked the last 4 miles to the finish.

With the knee issue aside, when I reflect on my run at Long Cane I can be happy with the fact that I got 5 hrs of running in on a beautiful trail without any muscle fatigue or soreness.  The Long Cane trail had a good mixture of rocks, roots, hills and even a water crossing or two.  It was definitely a good trail to run to help prepare me for North Face. Hopefully my knee will not hurt at North Face because I have the fitness and nutrition plan that will allow me to get my revenge.

Off we go!

5 hours later - finally finished!

Here's to 2013!

"Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." - Les Brown

As I transition into 2013, I feel accomplished and confident after a very successful 2012.  I qualified for Boston. I finished my first 100 miler (the Leadville Trail 100) in 21:26 (19th place) which was 3 1/2 hours ahead of my goal time. In October, I ran The North Face Endurance Challenge-Atlanta and placed 5th behind some very accomplished ultra runners.  As successful as 2012 was for me, I want to make 2013 an even better year of ultra running. I have several lofty goals for this year that I plan to accomplish - here we go:

• Run at least 4,000 miles (77 mpw)
• Run 120 miles in the 24hr Adventure Trail Race in May
• Run at least 5 miles everday until May 5th
• WIN 1 ultra marathon
• 20,000 push ups (55 per day)
• 36,500 sit ups (100 per day)
• Run the entire 444 miles of the Natchez Trace Parkway in 1 week all while raising $10,000 for the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital (more to come on this adventure)

By accomplishing these goals, I hope this will serve as proof that a fruitarian diet is not deficient in anything.  I know that if I ate the Standard American Diet (SAD), I would not be able to run as much as I do now without sustaining injuries.

Now that my goals are listed for your viewing pleasure, I have another reason to work hard to achieve them.  I am certain I will be able to accomplish each and every one of these goals - so stay tuned for the ride!

Happy Trailing!

The North Face Endurance Challenge – Atlanta 50 Miler Race Report

When I returned to Nashville after Leadville, I started running with a couple of my buddies who were training for the 50K North Face Endurance Challenge in Atlanta. My buddies and wife quickly convinced me that I should compete in the 50 miler of the North Face Endurance Challenge – so I signed up. I had a month and a half to prepare for the race – so I immediately started researching the course. Since this is a relatively new race – there weren’t very many race reports. All of the reports I read mainly discussed the amount of rocks covering the trail. I was not looking forward to this race and my motivation was slipping. I was running around 65-75 miles a week for the month leading to the race.  Even though my fitness was not where I had hoped it would be – I still wanted to finish top 3. 

My wife and I drove down the night before the race to Pine Mountain, which was about an hour south of Atlanta.  My wife was nice enough to drive so that I could try and get some sleep.  We arrived to the parking lot around 3 a.m. and hopped on the shuttle to the start line for a 5 a.m. start.

On the start line, I positioned myself at the front and listened to Dean Karnazes give a motivational speech before the race.  The gun shot off, and we made our way toward the trail in complete darkness.  I did not know what to expect since I had never run in F.D. Roosevelt Park before. As we entered the trail it was even darker than it was at the start line, and we had to constantly avoid rocks and roots.  I was in the top 5 and running right behind Hal Koerner (North Face) and Jason Bryant (La Sportiva).  It was pitch black, and we could hear people yelling behind us as they stepped on rocks.  The first aid station was 5 miles in, and I arrived in 3^rd place – feeling great.  I grabbed some dates from my wife knowing that I would not see her again until mile 28.    

There were no unrunnable climbs in this race, just rolling hills and LOTS of rocks.   I was talking with the other runners as we ran at a decent, steady pace.  We pulled into the second aid station realizing that Hal Koerner was not with us.  I figured this was not a good sign as he was the defending champ and probably knew something we didn’t.  Within about a mile of leaving the second aid station, I looked behind me and saw two headlamps.  Hal Koerner and Jason Bryant came flying by me – I managed to keep them in eyesight for a little while.  Around the 17 mile mark I lost sight of everyone in front of me and was running in 4^th place.  I was not feeling well and could barely run.  I was getting frustrated at the rockiness of this course.  In fact it was so bad I briefly thought about dropping out of the race at the next aid station.  I was running/walking when I was passed by someone else.  Now knowing I was in 5^th place I could only hope that I would get my energy back and slowly catch the runners in front of me.

I finally started to get my legs back around the 24 mile mark.  I cruised into the 28 mile mark in 5^th place and about 10 minutes behind 3^rd.  Since I was feeling good I wanted to get in and out of this aid station.  I was able to run for about another 5 miles and then I lost all of my energy.  At this point I knew finishing in the top 3 was out of the question, and I just wanted to merely finish.  I told myself to try to enjoy the rest of this race as much as I possibly could. It was hot, rocky and I felt miserable.  With about 10 miles to go I did not care what my time was, I just wanted this to be over.  It was like a terrible nightmare.  I knew I was somewhere near the finish as I saw more and more of the relay runners.  I kept asking them how far it was and they told me just a mile or so.  I crested over a small hill and could see the white tents of the finish line.  I came out of the woods and jogged to the finish line in 5^th place.  I was disappointed but at the same time relieved it was over.

I went to search for one of my friend’s (Jamie Schuer) who ran the 50K and found him soaking in the ice bath. This was his first 50K, and he rocked it!  We grabbed some food and waited for our other buddy, Mitch Pousson, to cross the finish line.  Mitch finished under his goal time and ran a fantastic race as well.  The rest of the day was spent enjoying the post race festivities. 

Mitch, Me and Jamie

This course was brutal and a lot rougher than what I normally run on. Even though I didn’t have the race I had hoped to have – I was still glad to finish.  I would like to thank both Jamie and Mitch for convincing me to compete in this Challenge.  Most importantly I would like to thank my wife for driving all night long and crewing all day without any sleep.  She really is the reason I am able to do these adventures with complete focus.