Race # 21 - Pilot Mountain Payback

Pilot Mountain Payback Trail Marathon
2/18/12
9:00 AM
Pinnacle, NC
Time: 4:01:48
Place: 16th out of 72 overall



Today I ran my second Pilot Mountain Payback. This was my first marathon a year ago so after a year of training, and three ultramarathons, my main goal was to improve my time from last year. This was also a toss up as to whether or not I'd get to run as Summer is due with our first child on Tuesday the 21st. She could literally go into labor at any point so I was hoping all week that she would hold off on making her debut until the race was over. She did! And as I write this, we're still waiting. Now, to the race.

Same course as last year, we start at the Yadkin Island Park area, run through a creek 30 feet from the start, then run up and down trails to Pilot Mountain, then up the mountain, around the knob, down the mountain, and then back to the start/finish. It's over 4,000 feet of elevation gain so definitely isn't flat!

We headed to the start an hour before the race, picked up my bib and free copy of Ultrarunning magazine, which apparently planted the seed last year of the whole 'ultrarunning' concept. I had never heard of ultrarunning before this race. Now I know who my wife can blame.

The race director announced a few things to everyone and happened to mention my name and gave Summer and I a big congratulations for coming out to run under the conditions we were in. He had emailed me the day before the race and said that he had informed all the volunteers that bib #341 had a pregnant wife and if need be, would take a DNF at an aid station. So now everyone knew our story and I was known as 'the guy with the kid on the way' for the rest of the race.

The race started and we crossed the first creek. I was wearing my new Hoka Mafate waterproof trail shoes and Drymax socks so I was interested to see how all the creek crossings affected my feet. I didn't know how to pace myself for this race so I just ran by feel for the beginning. After the first two miles, I thought that I went out too fast, but said the heck with it and I was going for it. There is a baby on the way, so I used that as motivation to finish as fast as possible! I used the downhills to pass a few people (probably stupid to pass so early), but I really wanted to run my own pace and not be behind anyone. As I progressed through the road crossings, Summer, her mom and my parents were all there to greet me and take pictures. They were my crew for the day.


My gear for the day. Love the Hokas.


Creek crossing at the beginning.


Summer, my awesome crew, at one of the aid stations.


A little 'Boost' before heading up the mountain.

The first part of the race was uneventful. Up and down hills, running the downhills hard, and the uphills slow, seeing if my hill repeat workouts would pay off. Once I got to the half marathon turn around point, I changed out of my long sleeve shirt into my singlet. Temps started in the mid 40's but would be getting up well into the 50's and maybe 60. The next section would be the hardest. The first part goes up about 500 ft. in a mile, then a little downhill. The next section goes up about 800 ft. in 1.4 miles, ending at the summit. Obviously, this is the toughest part of the race. In training, I try to run these parts as much as I can but today, I was forced to walk a lot of it. I figured I'd conserve some energy this way as well. I used it as a way to meet a new runner who I talked with for a little while.


My temporary running partner, Robert and I walking up to the summit.


Sometimes it feels good to just squat.


For the second consecutive year, we were graced with some excellent weather for this race. The view from the summit is worth the trip.

Once I reached the summit, Summer informed me I was in 19th place or so. I enjoyed the view for a minute, sucked down a Boost meal replacement drink, and headed on. I love those types of drinks because of their nutritional value and liquid calories are my friend. But for some reason, it almost gave me a queasy feeling after I drank them. It seemed though after a few minutes my body 'absorbed' it, and everything was fine. Who knows. I didn't have this problem when I used Ensure in my 40 miler last October. Maybe I should just stick with what works.

After the summit, Robert, my new running friend, and I headed around the famous Pilot Mountain knob. The views are great on this part of the trail. After this section, we head down the back side of the mountain. A lot of rock climbers were out enjoying the south side of the mountain on a gorgeous February day. This section is mostly a lot of man made rock steps. Pretty hard on the knees and you really have to watch your footing or you could easily bust it big.

The trip down the mountain via the Grindstone trail can be pretty speedy. I said goodbye to Robert and picked up the speed and used gravity to take me down the trail. I was feeling good at this point and knew that it was only 2-3 miles before I hit the home stretch 7 mile run back to the finish.

The Pilot Mountain visitor's center aid station is across the street from the trail. I ignored it last year and did the same this year and just kept on trucking. On the 1.75 mile grassy ridge trail, I ended up catching up with another runner and we hit a big hill at the same time. We walked and talked a little and he said 'you're the one with the kid right?'. Nice guy. But once we reached the top of the hill, I took off again and was heading at a faster pace than he so I left him. One other runner was up ahead and his body language said he was either hurt or tired as I have found my body in that same position before. I went around him and just said to keep running strong. These were the last two runners I'd see the rest of the race.


Coming off the Grassy Ridge Trail about to hit the 7 mile home stretch.

Once I reached the Pinnacle Hotel Road aid station, which is the half marathon turn around, this meant I was headed home. I run this section all the time when I go out for training runs. I know it pretty well. And I was feeling great. I knew how many miles I had left, and I started doing some mental calculating to see what my finishing time could be. If I really ran hard, I could go sub 4 hours, which would blow last year's time out of the water and exceed my expectations immensely. So I turned on the jets (relatively speaking). In hindsight, I turned on the jets just a little bit too soon.


Feeling good about 19 miles in.

I ran two solid miles and then it happened. I started feeling bad. I was feeling tired, and leading up to this race, I knew it was on this section last year that I was doing what I'd later learn is called the 'death march'. Similar to last year, I didn't continue my nutrition in the last hour. I guess I was so focused on the finish that I didn't eat enough and ran out of steam. Lesson learned.


Coming to a road crossing, I had lost that wonderful feeling and was starting to feel tired.

I had a three mile stretch where I ran 11:09, 10:09, and 11:02, compared to the sub 10 minute miles I ran the rest of the race (except those going up the mountain where I had to walk). My last full mile I gathered it together mentally and ran a 9:43. As I headed for the finish, one more big creek crossing and it actually felt pretty good to get a little wet. With the finish line in sight, I looked at the clock and it said 4:01:xx. At that point, I was not in a hurry. No one behind me about to pass me. I saw my crew waiting for me, I grabbed Summer's hand and we crossed the finish line together.


My 9 3/4 month pregnant wife running the finish line with me


Saying thank you to our little baby for staying in there and letting me run and giving her a little kiss.

With a Garmin time of 4:01:48 and a gun time of 4:01:53, this was a 42 minute improvement on last year's time on the same course and a new trail marathon PR. I finished 16th overall out of 72 finishers. I am very pleased with my result and now I have a goal for next year to go sub 4 hours. And just so you know the winner finished in 3 hours flat. He beat me by an hour. I can't fathom that. Pretty amazing!


My parents and I after the race.


My mother-in-law who ran around all day and took pictures.


Summer and I comparing our bellies :)


Talking with Jason Bryant (yellow singlet). He won the first two PMPB's but got second this year. Jason has been a great person always taking the time to talk to a me being a new runner. His next big race is the Nueces 50 miler in two weeks.


Elevation profile for the race. I never get tired of looking at this.

Time to rest up and get ready for the Virginia Creeper Trail marathon in March!

Race # 20 - Frosty 50k

Frosty 50k
1/7/12
8:00 AM
Winston-Salem, NC
Time: 5:10:xx
Place: 55th out of 114

Today I ran the Frosty 50k in Winston-Salem, NC. This race is essentially the closest ultra I have to where I live. So when I started getting in to ultras last year, I knew I'd have to do this one this year. Unfortunately, my training leading up to this race was, well, not very much. After the NC marathon in November, I was foolish and did not take enough time to rest and let my body recover. So I started having problems with my Achilles. This made for a long December with not much training, and a lot of hoping that the rest I was taking would help me get through this race pain free.

I took my lunch break the day before and went to do some recon work and check out the race location since I had never raced here before. The 'trail' was really just a hard packed dirt/gravel road. This year they also added a 25k and a 50k relay. The email we received days prior to the race stated they were almost at the 300 person capacity.

Summer and I headed out early Saturday morning. She was going to 'crew' for me even though the race was just a double out and back that went around Salem Lake. So the race was essentially cut into four quarters. The 'out' which went from the start/finish, around the lake to the other side, and then back. 25k runners did this once and 50k runners did it twice.

Now for the race. I wore my Hoka Mafate's as I knew I would need all the help I could get for my foot to hang in there for 5-6 hours. My goal was to run this under 5h30m. When we started, I was in the back. I didn't care about going out fast. And rule #1 in ultras is simple: Go. Out. Slow. So I did just that. I was concentrating on running between 10-11 minute per mile pace. That was still probably too fast but it felt good so I went with it.

I played leap frog with one girl a couple of times as first I stopped for a nature break and second I saw a family of deer walking through the woods and slowed to watch them. So I ended up talking to her. Come to find out, she was another Marathon Maniac that was racing. I noticed one other person on the MM website that was running this race in addition to me, so we talked and ran for a few miles. It was nice meeting Andrea, who said she was down here from Columbus, OH. I then came up on the first turn around and talked with Summer for a few minutes and had some gummy bears at the aid station. I hit the first turn around in 1h20m, which would be a pace that would equal out to 5h20m if I could hold that for the remainder of the race. I would be happy with that, but then I started thinking about maybe going sub-5 hour. After the turn around, I headed back to the S/F.

The second leg (of four) of the race was uneventful. Trying to stay at a slow pace, paying careful attention to my right foot and hoping that it never would start hurting. I made my way back around the lake giving the normal 'good job', 'looking good' comments to other runners. The leaders were definitely out there to prove themselves.

As I came in to the S/F halfway mark, I was feeling good still. Halfway I was at 2h37m. I took a 3 minute break to eat and drink some and headed back out for the third leg. This was where I made a stupid mistake. NOTE: just because you feel good after half of a 50k, doesn't mean you should pick up the pace that soon. I messed up and tried to pick up my pace. I got to thinking about this sub-5 goal and calculating what I'd need to run in my head. Stupid. I was running 9-9:30 pace on this leg. I ate something at each aid station, ate gels along the route, trying to keep myself fueled.

As I neared the final turnaround, I saw Summer and asked for some shot bloks and didn't really take time to rest. I started the last leg headed back to the S/F and I could feel my legs fatiguing. It was then that I could tell I didn't train much in the last month. Around mile 24-25, I was really feeling tired. I wanted to walk. The mental demons started showing up. This is where you find out what you're made of.

Even though I wasn't out there to compete with others, it's still a race, and we're all human. If I see someone walking, that is fuel for my fire to keep running and pass them. It's just human instinct I think. So I kept passing folks, and that also encouraged me to keep running so they did not catch up and pass me. I kept telling myself to just keep running. These last seven miles were a true test, mentally and physically.

With four miles left, I wanted to walk. I was tired. My legs were hurting (but not my achilles). I just kept repeating to myself, sometimes out loud, "just keep running, just keep running. No matter how slow you go, just keep running. You're going faster than those who are walking. Pain is temporary. It'll all go away when you finish. Pain is weakness leaving the body. It's all mental." I kept saying all of this to myself to keep me going. Then I thought about what a guy said in an article regarding Badwater (I think). He said something to the point of "I'm going to keep moving until my body will not let me take another step". So I said to myself, "keep running until your body will not let you run another step, then you can walk". As I battled the pain, I never stopped running. I passed many people, simply because I took it easy in the first half (yeah I almost blew it on leg three), but they had gone out too fast at the beginning, and simply ran out of gas. I wasn't breaking any speed records on this last leg, and actually was running a slower pace than what I was running in the first half of the race. But I was moving forward, and still running.

I made my final pass on a young lady and was nervous about it. I knew if I passed her, and since there was less than a mile left, I knew I didn't want to get chicked and have her pass me back. So that helped me hang on at the end. There was one final guy up ahead I thought about trying to catch. And I would have. But then I noticed his wife and three little girls came out about 20 yards onto the race course and he carried the little one while the other two held his hand as he crossed the finish line. I didn't want to steal his moment of glory just to pick up another finishing place. And I have a little girl that will be here in a month or so, and I thought about that day when she'll be coming to watch her daddy race. So I let him finish and I came in after him.

I finished in 5:10:xx. I was pleased. Not only did I beat my goal of 5:30, I have a new 50k PR, and I did the entire race without my Achilles flaring up and hurting like it did back in November. This time though, I will definitely take adequate recovery time!

Thanks to Summer (and baby to be) for spending half the day following me around and supporting me on another crazy running adventure.

A few pics from the race below.


Before the race start. I was freezing and I forgot my gloves!!


And we're off!


Coming into the first turn around with fellow Marathon Maniac, Andrea.


The guy who I decided not to sprint and try to pass so he had his moment of glory with his kids.


Coming in to the finish!


Homemade finishers medal

Race # 19 - Pilot Mountain Challenge 5k

Pilot Mountain Challenge 5k
12/17/11
9:00 AM
Pinnacle, NC
Time: 30:36
Placed 16th Overall

I never got around to writing a report for this race so here goes nothing. I registered for the PM Challenge 5k excited as this was the inaugural year for the race and it runs almost from the bottom of Pilot Mountain, to the summit, via the Grindstone trail. I've ran these trails numerous times so I knew them very well.

I didn't know what to expect on race day but there were a lot of people who showed up for this race, including Jason and Allison Bryant, both LaSportiva runners. Jason has won all three Pilot Mountain Payback trail marathons that have been raced on these trails. He's a super nice guy and would have been a favorite to win. However, he informed me after the race that he broke his arm back in the fall and was told not to run for 6 weeks. Luckily, that time frame ended right before this race. So he was game.

We all lined up on a chilly Saturday morning, me donning the Hoka Mafate's as I was still having some achilles issues from the November marathon. Actually more like the week I didn't take off after the marathon (stupid mistake). So I was nervous about how my foot would react to a mostly uphill race.

I started near the front and made my way through the crowd to get out in front of the mass. I wasn't going to win, but I didn't want to have to weave through the crowd by starting in the back. I settled in to a pace that was quick, but it's only a 3 mile race so I knew I just had to give it all I had for those 3 miles. Since I knew the trails, I made it through some semi-technical sections easily. It was mostly up and down until one big hill, and then it was all uphill from there.

This is one of those races that you just put your head down and go, without looking up to see how far ahead you have to go. So I did just that. I ran with a couple other guys and we made our way up. Once you get to the split where the Ledge Springs trail forks to the right, that's when the real fun starts. Man-made steps always give me trouble on this trail. I tried running around them so not having to 'step' each one. There was one water stop on the steps but I passed and kept going. I started power hiking while the guy in front of me was running. He did not gain any ground. So I decided to conserve energy and continue to power hike. Once the stairs were over, I picked it up again and we entered the summit parking lot.

The last section we headed around the Pilot Mountain knob. We passed the leader, and Jason was in second about 10 seconds behind. That's where he'd finish. Not bad for taking 6 weeks off. As we headed around the knob, I was the middle man in a pack of three. We stayed this way and I had planned to make a pass about 200 meters from the finish. This was thrown out the window as this section was crowded with people starting their run around the knob while we were ending our run around the knob. So I didn't have a chance to pass. We ran up some steep steps in the same order, and once we got to the top, the guy in front of me started sprinting. My legs were like jello. I started sprinting too late when I saw the finish and knew I couldn't catch him, I just hoped I could hold off the guy behind me. I did, and finished in 16th place with a time of 30:36. Most importantly, no achilles pain!

I enjoyed some homemade chili and then headed home. It was a good race and I look forward to doing it again next year!

Race # 18 - Frosty 5k

Frosty 5k
12/4/11
2:00 PM
Kernersville, NC
Time: 19:52
Placed 8th Overall; 1st place Age Group

Today I ran the inaugural Frosty 5k in Kernersville, NC. My sister, who works for the sponsor, Kernersville Medical Center, got me a free entry to the race so I was all about racing it! I haven't ran a 5k since March of this year so I was interested in seeing what 8 months of training for two ultras and a marathon would do for a 5k time.

The race included students from a local elementary school who all decided they had to line up at the front of the start line. Kind of aggravating but I think they were soon told maybe they needed to back up a little so they did. Glad I didn't have to weave and dodge them all. Somebody would have probably went down.

The air horn sounded and we were off. The first part was a slight downhill so I took off a lot faster than I should have. Oh well. The entire course was flat. Not like the beach flat or anything. Some slight ups and downs, but nothing major, so it was basically flat. I tried to settle in as quickly as possible and just pace myself knowing that I wanted to run at least 6:30 or less per mile, and hopefully beat 20 minutes, which was my ultimate goal. I would be satisfied to beat my March PR of 21:05 as well.

A young kid, maybe 10 years old, hung with me for a while. I was hoping that I would not get beat by a 10 year old. But you never know. I passed the one mile mark with the youngster in 6:16, a bit faster than I had planned but too late to change anything at that point.

As we rolled through the downtown area, a lot of people were lining the streets for the Christmas parade that would follow after the race. They were cheering us on and I kept hearing people say things like, "oh my gosh look at that guy", "oh wow that's hardcore", "dang that guy's running an pushing a stroller!". Yes, I was closely followed by a guy pushing a baby jogger. Not just any baby jogger, but a double baby jogger, with two kids in it! And these weren't small kids. Probably three and four years old maybe. I kept telling myself 'you'd better not get beat by a guy pushing a double baby jogger'.

As I neared the turn around, I saw the leaders. I had been in the top 10 for the first half of the race and was hoping I could hold that position and maybe pick a few people off in the last mile which was supposedly downhill according to the website. I kept on trucking and my senses sensed something I've never experienced in a race. With the parade waiting to start, and many civilians waiting on the sidewalks, there were food stands here and there. Cotton candy, funnel cakes, hot dogs, all kinds of food along the route. The smell. Oh the smell. Usually I love it. But not what you want to smell when you're going balls to the wall running as fast as you can for 20 minutes, lungs burning and your brain saying 'let's stop and eat'.

I powered through the main section and clocked my second mile at 6:27, which was perfectly in line with going sub 20 minutes. I just wanted to give it my all for this last mile, no matter how bad it hurt. And man did it hurt. I could see one guy in front of me and really wanted to catch him. As we neared the last half mile, I could tell I was gaining on him. I hit a slight downhill and turned on the jets. I passed this guy with ease as I came up on the last turn to head to the finish.

I was in a state that I rarely get in. I could tell I was giving it everything I had. I rounded a slight corner and saw the clock and the finish line. Clock said 19:40 and I knew I had done it. I crossed the line in 19:52. I was relieved that I was done, but more so that I had broken the 20 minute wall. I've always considered a sub 20 minute 5k to be 'pretty darn good', and I can't believe I actually did it myself. Overall, obviously very pleased with my time.

I finished in 8th place overall and took first in my age group.

Coming into the finish area


Post race with my age group award

I saved a life today - A Thanksgiving Miracle

Today, Thanksgiving, 2011, I saved a life.

I went out for a run. Wanted to get in about 10 miles. I ran the roads I always do, nearby my house. Ran up through the local high school and saw the football team going through what I assume is a walk thru gearing up for tomorrow night's semifinal game for a chance to get to the state championship.

I was running down my last road before I made the turn for home and I noticed an old tobacco barn with it's tin metal siding bent in and the rear end of a white Chevy Impala. I said to myself 'well that's not normal'. Looked on the other side and the front end was smashed and had cracked through the other side. I thought someone probably was drunk driving and wrecked and fled the scene, or this literally just happened and I'm the first person on the scene.

I ran around to the back and said "Hello?". A woman responded. "Are you ok?" I said. She said she was paralyzed. However, she could move her hands and head. I asked if she had a phone and she said no. I didn't carry mine either. I heard a car coming. It was one of the high school football players. I flagged him down and luckily he had a cell. I called 911, gave them the situation and they sent emergency response. Luckily, the EMS station is right up the road, and across from my neighborhood. They were there in a few minutes.

She is a 58 year old female and she said she had been there since Tuesday (it's Thanksgiving day so that's 2 days!!) I later got to thinking about the last two days/nights. Tuesday night it was raining like crazy and wind blowing very hard. I guess luckily she was inside this barn. Wednesday night, it got down to 36* so it was very cold. Again, she was inside the barn which I would assume is better than outside, exposed to the cold. I'm so thankful I found her when I did.

Once local police showed up, I overheard them say she had been reported missing on Tuesday. I gave them my info and my wife pulled up about that time to pick me up (even though I'm less than a mile from the house). We left the scene and all I could say was I was thankful that I went out on that run this morning, and I bet that woman is thankful for me. Everything happens for a reason.

Race # 17 - NC Marathon

NC Marathon
11/19/11
8:00 AM
High Point, NC
Time: 3:28:38
Placed 34th Overall; 3rd place Age Group

Yesterday I ran my first road marathon. After running trails all year long, except for a road half marathon and a couple 5k's, I knew this was going to be a different race for me. I didn't know how to pace myself. I knew my half marathon time (1:38) and I knew that 3:30 would be a good goal for myself. However, the two weeks leading up to the race, and asking advice from other more experienced marathoner's, made me decide that maybe I should lower my goal. A few people said that running 3:30 is very hard for someone with my half time and that most people just fall apart toward the end. I changed my goal from sub-3:30 to 3:30-3:40. I would be happy with anything under 3:40, but really wanted to go sub-3:35 and would be ecstatic if I could beat 3:30 (yes I kept that goal in the back of my head).

So race day came. Summer and I headed out early into the cold 28* weather down to High Point. I picked up my packet and the found a place to park. Headed to the start and then did some warmup running. I wore shorts and a singlet, with my Pilot Mountain Payback arm warmers. Yes it was cold, but I knew I'd warm up fast. Plus, with the arm warmers, I had somewhere to keep a couple of gels. I knew I'd need these in the beginning as they didn't offer gels until the mile 12 aid station. We gathered at the start, listened to the national anthem, and soon thereafter, we were off!

I took off at the front of the pack, amongst a lot of half marathoners and what seemed like a few marathoners. HM's wore red bibs while marathoners had blue. All I was seeing was red. I really didn't know how many people were doing the full. Out of the gate, I started getting passed, but I didn't care as I knew most people were doing 13.1 and they would be going out faster than I. I tried to keep it slow, but the first 2 miles were either flat or downhill. Hard to go slow when you haven't ran much all week and your body has been loaded with carbs for a few days. Even though I knew to run a sub-3:30, I'd have to run 8 minute miles, I didn't want to do that in the beginning. But I did. The first and second miles clocked in at 8:01 and 7:45 respectively. At that point I just decided to go for it. Pretty stupid when you think about it to decide you're going to 'go for it' 2 mile in to a 26 mile race. Oh well. I just said to myself, try to stay around 8 minute miles and we'll decide where we are towards the end.

Another tough thing is what to do on the downhills at the beginning. Do I use gravity and the hill to go fast and make up time, potentially risking things later on in the race? Or do I just keep it slow, conserving for the entire race? Decisions, decisions! I decided to use the downhills to my advantage and run them fast, knowing there would probably be some uphills that I lost time on.

The first 6 miles were uneventful, grabbing some gatorade at the aid stations as I went, just to keep my mouth wet and get a few calories in. I decided to take gels every 45 minutes so I had my first at 47. Around mile 12, I realized I had to pee and really didn't want to deal with that thought the rest of the race. A guy I played leap frog with the first half of the race ducked off in the woods and I said that looks like a good idea. So I jumped in some woods just past him and had a nature break. I was coming up on the first place Summer was going to try and meet me. As I headed up the hill, I saw her. She snapped a few pics of me and I gave her a kiss and said thanks. I also informed her that I was feeling good, but in order to run sub-3:30, I'd have to run a negative split, meaning run the second half of the race faster than the first.

Soon after seeing Summer, I hit the halfway mark. They had a clock there and my time was 1:44:40. Perfect. But also meant I'd have to run almost the exact same time in the second half to beat 3:30. I got to talking to my 'nature break' buddy and asked him what he was shooting for. He said sub-4 and I said that'd be easy. He said maybe, but this was his 4th marathon in 5 weeks! Impressive! He also informed me that the second half was more hilly than the first. That got me thinking that maybe I couldn't run a negative split and filled my head with doubts. But I kept trucking.

Miles 16-18 were mostly downhill, so I used them to my advantage running 7:48, 7:48, and 7:46 respectively. The next two miles were mostly uphill so I ran those slower at 8:04 and 8:02. It was this point I could feel my legs fatiguing. Darn this dreaded wall people speak of! I was still eating gels, sometimes two at a time just before an aid station then washing them down with some water. Summer made a couple of surprise appearances to take some pics of me in the second half as I figured after seeing her the first time I wouldn't see her again until the finish.

I thought I could feel my left hamstring starting to cramp and I was just praying that it would hold off. I really think the gels and gatorade I was taking in kept that from becoming worse. Who knows. Mile 21 was again mostly downhill and I did it in 7:48. But followed it up with two miles of uphill at 8:08 and 8:11. These uphills were the difference maker. A lot of people were starting to fade. Most either running very slowly or walking. I kept running just trying to hold it together, passing people steadily.

At the 24.5 mile mark, the uphill started. It was long, and I could see it up ahead. It was all uphill. I had runners in my sight, and with 1.5 or so miles to go, I said to myself 'just keep running'. I had made up some time on the downhill miles that I also knew it'd be ok if I ran a couple 8:05 or 8:10 miles. So I ran. And I passed. One guy was close behind me and I could hear him trying to keep up with me. when I hit mile 26, I decided it was time to slowly increase pace. I decided I wanted to run a sub 8-minute 26th mile and then go all out for the last 0.2. It hurt. My legs hurt. But pain is only temporary and most say that it's just weakness leaving the body. So I ran. And ran. And ran. I passed all the runners I could with one person left in sight ahead of me. It'd be a stretch to catch him but I was going to try. The guy who was on my tail faded as I picked up my pace. I reached the last water stop and was told 'up the hill and half mile to go'.

This part was coming back in to downtown High Point. Flat. Finally. I picked it up. The 26th mile I did in 7:39. PERFECT! Now time to go! I started sprinting, or what I felt like was sprinting. My Garmin at one point said I was running 6:12 pace. The crowd was cheering me on and I was grimacing and giving it everything I had. I couldn't catch the runner in front of me, but I didn't care. I was going to BEAT 3:30, prove those people wrong who said I couldn't do it, and surpass my goal. I crossed the line in 3:28:38. I was so relieved and Summer was there to capture the moment.



Absolutely elated! I couldn't believe that I did it. My legs were hurting, but I didn't care. I. DID. IT. No it wasn't a Boston Qualifying time (have to shave off 24 minutes for that), but I completed my first road marathon and surpassed my goal....by 82 seconds!!! No that's not a lot of time, but in running, it is. What an amazing day, amazing race, and I just can't say enough how much I enjoyed it. And always remember, if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Just give it everything you've got and you may just surprise yourself!

Thanks, of course, to Summer who again gave up half her Saturday to come follow me around in the cold.

Thanks for reading!

Race # 16 - Triple Lakes Trail Race 40 miler

Triple Lakes Trail Race 40 miler
10/15/11
8:00 AM
Greensboro, NC
Time: 7:48:20
Placed 20th Overall; 5th place Age Group

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

This Charles Dickens quote came to my mind Saturday during the Triple Lakes Trail Race 40 mile ultramarathon in Greensboro, NC. After my first ultra three weeks ago, I knew it'd probably be a while where I have another race where everything went that well. This one was no exception. This 40 mile ultra is on 99% trails according to their website, and I'd say that's a fair statement. I was looking forward to that aspect of this race.

About 45 minutes from my house, I was able to sleep in my own bed the night before, and Summer and I headed out early on Saturday morning. It was cool at the start, in the 40's I believe. The half marathon started first, followed by the marathon, 40 mile and 40 mile relay starting altogether. I had somehow came up with a sub-7 hour goal for this race, which would equal a 10:30 pace for the race. With no mountains or huge hills that I knew of, I figured that would be attainable for me. Boy was I wrong.

The first 1.4 miles were on roads and I was saying to myself "I thought I signed up for a trail race". Finally we made it to a greenway, and then onto some trail. Mentally I knew my goal, I knew what pace was needed to meet that goal, and I blatantly disregarded one of the top five rules of ultrarunning: GO. OUT. SLOW. This was the advice Ian Sharman gave me before my first race, and it worked like a champ. I did not heed this advice this time. With my goal in mind, I knew I didn't want to run TOO slow, so that I had a lot of time to make up in the second half of the race. So I tried to run 10:30-11:00 miles.

Somewhere around the 7 or 8 mile mark, I started having some pain in my left foot. A week after my first ultra, I did a 6.5 mile training run up and down my local mountain in my new Hoka trail shoes. Sometime after the run, it felt as though I bruised the ball of my left foot. This pain would come and go for the next week and the week before the race, I tapered enough that it went away. Well, it decided to make an appearance after those first 7 or 8 miles, forcing me to slow down. I knew at that point my goal was gone so mentally, I threw it out the window and said lets just try 8 hours. So I continued on. Even though I was not too far into the race, it seemed like I had been running for miles and miles and miles and I was 4-5 hours into the race, when in reality, I was nowhere near that. My legs just were not cooperating with me, and just hoped the tides would turn at some point.

The aid stations were not the greatest, so I relied on Summer (my crew) and my own supplies for majority of my nutrition. However, 'crew access' was not accessible at each aid station. The toughest stretch was an 8 mile section only the 40 milers ran, and it was an out and back. This section I really struggled on. It was here I started seeing the leaders come by in the opposite direction, already making the halfway point of the race and heading to the finish. Me on the other hand, I just wanted to get to that next aid station. Finally, I made it. The course markings said I was around 19-19.5 miles. My Garmin said 18.15. But with the tree cover, it could have been skewed. I do know I was 3h35m into the race, and not feeling good.

I sat down with Summer on a blanket and seriously debated on quitting. There was no way I could run another 20 miles with the pain in my foot, if it kept getting worse. But I knew I didn't want to quit. I ate a 1/4 PB&J, some shot bloks, and switched out of my Salomon's and into the Hokas, hoping that the cushioning they provide would help with the foot. Then I headed off, knowing the next 12 miles would be the turning point of the race, either for the good or bad. It was 12 miles until I'd see Summer again. I got about 10 yards into the trail and the light bulb came on. I'd try some ibuprofen. I had thought about that before I got there, and almost forgot as I left. So I turned around and went back and popped three of them.

Then I headed off. Immediately, I could tell a difference. Not from the ibuprofen, but maybe from the food or just the rest. The Hokas were amazing too. I see now what all the fuss is about. The cushioning in these shoes made me feel as though I was running on clouds. Seriously. Yeah the pain was still there in my foot, but it wasn't as noticeable. So I continued on. I felt better as I went, running quite a bit and not walking very much at all. I knew if I could get through these 12 miles, I'd have 9 left and if I kept feeling better as I went, then maybe I could pick up the pace and try to pick off some runners to improve my placement.

Solid foods didn't do it for me all day. I was eating gels, shot bloks, and drinking accelerade and would have an Ensure every 10 miles at roughly mile 10, 20, and 30. The liquid diet was in full effect.

I passed a few people on this second half of the out and back section. They were walking and I was feeling good and kept running. I made it to the next aid station, filled up with some water, ate a gel, then continued on the last four miles to the next crew access point. Passing people as I continued, I finally made it to the crew point. I told Summer I was feeling good and wasn't spending much time there. Downed an Ensure, grabbed some pretzels and kept on trucking.

Mentally, I was feeling better, but I really wanted to be finished. After the events of the day, I was exhausted in many different ways, but all I could think about was finishing. I had somewhere around nine miles to go, supposedly. I say supposedly because at the beginning of the race, we were told the 40 mile course would be somewhere around 39.5. My Garmin was off all day, but I figued it was due to tree cover. The last nine miles there were signs on trees saying 33/40 etc. so I just went by those, counting down to the finish. I came off one trail to a road and there was the final aid station. I filled up with water one last time and headed to the last trail section. I had passed a few more people on the previous section, but didn't see another person the rest of the race. My goal at that point was to not let anyone sneak up on me.

With three miles (or so) to go, I had about 29 minutes to beat 8 hours. I knew I couldn't run 9 minute miles due to my legs feeling so fatigued, and I had to walk occasionally, but still making sure no one was coming up on me. And here I was, with what I thought was a little over two miles to go. I hadn't been paying much attention to the mile markers, just watching for the yellow arrows to make sure I was still on course, as there are so many trails that branched off from the one I was on. Soon enough, I could hear a voice coming from some speakers so I figured I was getting close to the finish, but wasn't sure if the course just came close to the finish before wrapping another two miles in some other direction before coming back here. I then came off that trail and saw a man that said "Through the cones, around the pond, and to the finish." I was like...umm.....ok, sounds good to me! I picked it up almost to a sprint. Ended up passing a guy who was doing the marathon and he was walking. I told him good job and keep it up. I came to the finish, happy I was done, looking down and stopping my watch at 7 hours, 48 minutes, and 20 seconds. Good enough for 20th place overall and 5th in my age group. However, there must have been a screw up somewhere with the mile markers. My Garmin said 37.45 miles. As I said earlier, tree cover can skew the Garmin, but no way it did so by 2.5 miles. But at the end of the day, we all run the same race.

So I did it. I faced the mental and physical demons in this race. I battled them the first half of the race, but conquered them in the second half, and finished. Key word being FINISHED. I definitely learned a lot from this race, and I'm glad I did it. Of course I had aspirations of going longer, but I think I'll hold off for a while. I want to do a 50 miler, but that'll have to wait until at least late 2012. But hopefully I can continue to train, and get there someday.

Thanks again to Summer for giving up her entire day, and to our little girl who will soon see me race in person.



And we're off! Starting in the back of course.


1.5 miles in, finally hitting some trail.


One of the lakes we ran around.


Near the half way mark, not feeling good.


Feeling strong with 9 to go, sporting the Hokas.


The Hokas that saved me!


Finally finished!


Finisher's medal