"Hill" Repeats in Korea

I finally got out to the mountains. I have a lot more pix of rocks
specifically for you all, because I know you love rocks as much as I do.
But for now, here is the overview:

Bukhansan Park

After looking at these pictures, you might wonder "how steep was it
really?" -- today, my ARMS hurt more than my legs from PULLING myself up the
mountain.

JFK 2006

Here are pictures from JFK.

MMTR Report (it's way too long...like the race)

Arrived in Lynchburg Friday night after a frustrating drive in traffic. Get to the dinner in time to pick up packets and get some food before the pre-race briefing. I recognize a girl from Buff Betty [October women’s adventure race] and we talk, she is is there for Odyssey Adventure Racing and is going to volunteer at the Loop. We talk about possibly meeting up for some training runs and I tell her to come try to run Highlands Sky next year.

Organize my stuff Friday night at the hotel- what to have in the van for after, what to have in a drop bag, etc. I sleep terribly because I’m nervous about the race and worried I’ll sleep through the 3:20 AM alarms. 3:20 finally comes, I get up, dressed and we meet Angelo in the lobby to go to the high school. Paul drives us to the high school and we get on a bus for the hour ride to the James River Visitor Center. Paul gets to go back to sleep for a few hours, but then goes for a Blue Ridge Parkway bike ride (he reported it was quite beautiful but nearly got frostbitten toes). We hang out on the bus for about 40 minutes after arriving. It’s cold- 22 degrees, we’re told. I had eaten a banana on the bus but realized I was starving and had not prepared for this. No food at the aid stations til 6ish miles. Oh well, I’d catch up on eating later. I agonize over what to wear, and decide on 2 thin capilene long sleeves (WVMTR shirt and Highlands Sky finishing shirt!!) with my lightweight but windproof Mountain Hardwear running jacket, and tights, gloves and earband. I carried 1 handheld bottle. We were warned if we were going to be late finishers to make sure to have warm clothing at the drop (26.9 mi) since we gain so much elevation and though we’d warm up in the middle, we would get cold later. I just planned to have my warm fleece and also a hat to pick up. I also packed an extra shirt and gloves, just in case. I figured it really couldn’t get much colder than the 22 degrees it was at the start.

We start w/ a 1.5 mi out and back on the Parkway. It’s dark but beautiful. We could see the Big Dipper on the way out, and Orion on the way back. Cool to see those constellations so low in the sky- I’m rarely out at 5:30 AM! Angelo and I were really in the back of the pack. The aid stations posted the 12 hour pace, and they give you a 10 minute grace period after that, or you are cut off. Except at mile 43, where there is an absolute 3:35 PM cut off. I just thought of the 12 hour pace as the cutoff and was happy to be ahead of that, and mentally kept track of whether I was “gaining” or “losing” time on the 12 hr pace. We were only 15-20 mins ahead of that pace for the first few aid stations.

After 6 miles you turn onto some trail, which mainly climbs to the next aid station. It was leafy but not technical. We walked (fast) most of it, as did most of the people around us. We were in with a pretty large group of people still. Angelo and I were mostly together, he pulled ahead at some points since he seemed better able to run the uphills, and I would catch him eventually. I made more pit stops than I would have liked in the first few hours so I kept falling behind the group we were running with, then I’d eventually catch back up. I met some interesting people during this stage of the race, including Masochist legend Tom Green who was going for his 24th finish. Everyone was friendly and fun to talk to and the veterans offered good advice about the course.

As far as how I was feeling at this point-- I wasn’t in a groove yet, and was concerned I was working too hard. But I knew that I couldn’t take it any easier since we were not far head of 12 hour pace. After the singletrack section, the course became forest service roads, which were leaf-covered and tricky in parts- rocky, mud puddles, slick in some places. The sun came out, my mood brightened, the views were beautiful, and I did start to feel much better.

Climbing up the long hill to the “halfway” point at 26.9, Angelo dropped back. I figured I’d see him again and that I needed to just go at my pace and continue on. I saw Anne at 26.9, left my earband and flashlight (which I hadn’t used), grabbed my fleece hat from my drop bag, and gave Anne my bag to transfer to Paul if I needed my warmer clothes later (I didn’t).

The next section is the climb up Buck Mountain. I was feeling pretty good, though getting annoyed I had to stop to pee every half hour or so (I swear I spent at least 15 minutes of this race on pit stops…). Halfway up Buck Mountain you start to hear music from the aid station blaring across the valley. It’s cool yet frustrating because you know you are a half hour or so from that AS. Finally got there and was quite happy to be done climbing for now! Had some soup and enjoyed running the next downhill section. Earlier in the day, I had figured if I felt bad I could drop at 27. I just woke up that morning thinking it may NOT be my day but I also felt like I came all the way out here, and Paul came out with me, for the weekend so I had to really try and not just give up. This was different than my normal race mindset- I usually go into races confident and wanting to run the best I can on the given day. Anyway, at this point in the race, over halfway, I became dead-set on finishing under 12 hours. I didn’t care about time (too much ;) ), I did NOT want to DNF, and I wanted that water bottle holder. The determination had set in!

Got to 31 and saw Anne again. No Paul yet, but I looked down the road and saw adventure van, so he was there. He had just gotten there but not gotten up to the course yet. He drove by me and we waved and chatted briefly as I made my way up the road- I was very happy to see him! Coming up, I had The Loop to face. I heard that this section, and the section from 43-47, are the most psychologically challenging so I was gearing up for it. I saw Paul and Susanna (my Buff Betty competitor!) as I came into the AS so got a boost from them. I was about 35 minutes up on the 12 hr pace and feeling good. Had some chicken soup as I walked through the AS, and Paul ran/walked with me for a few minutes as I started the loop.

Things seemed to start great on this supposed 5-mile loop- nice flat singletrack. Oh, then we start climbing. And climbing, and going over big and small rocks. I’m still not hating the loop though, still pretty happy. But we keep climbing, and when we are not climbing, it’s all rocky and leafy and slippery and I don’t have the strength to rock hop or keep myself from falling, so I don’t run much. Normally, I would LOVE this type of trail. Not now, not today. Finally, a downhill! But no, I can’t really run down this because I’ll fall and kill myself… now I’m hating it. And I’m getting passed by old guys who seem to be able to run this crap. OK, done with the tough downhill, only have less-tough downhill. Pass some hikers who tell me I have a half hour to go. ?!!!? I’m discouraged thinking I had to be close. I see Paul, so I must be close. No, he had hiked in ¾ mile, which sounded far at the time. Argh. OK, finish the loop, get a hug and cheering from Susanna again. More soup and I start off down the road after a hug from Paul, glad I’m back on “roads”. I had lost time to the cutoffs, was now only 20 mins ahead of 12 hour pace. That is frustrating! The Loop was pretty though, and truth be told, normally the kind of trail I like to run. Just at that point in the race, it’s not pleasant. Some people say the Loop is more than 5 miles, some say it just feels like more than 5 miles. Who knows, it took me a long time though!

Heading to the AS at mile 41, I talk with someone running his 18th MMTR. He tells me that he feels he needs to be at 41 by 3:00 PM or he won’t make the 3:35 cut off at 43. He tells me that the 1.5 miles from 41.5 to 43 is a big climb that usually takes him a half hour. Crap, I was not really worried about cutoffs but I now start worrying, and also worrying about Angelo because I’m hearing he’s 15 minutes back. We get to 41 by 2:50-2:55 so I’m happy, and I get to 43 by 3:18, so feeling pretty good about myself to finish before 5:30, since I’m not really feeling a major energy crash or much pain.

Oh, but the fun awaits after 43…. We start climbing and climbing and climbing on a leafy slick section (old section of the AT). It’s no fun. I’m still pretty positive I’ll finish though so not terribly discouraged, but wish I had more energy to run faster after it flattened out. I pass a few people. I did get to chat with some people who really helped keep the positive attitude- leapfrogged and chatted w/ a guy named Bedford who passed me on the road section at the end and finished a few minutes before me. And had a fun conversation with a guy from Michigan about beer and drinking, which helped pass a mile or so. This section seems to never end- no way it’s only 4 miles- and I get to 47 at 4:30. The sign says 2.9 miles to go, but it’s probably closer to 4. I try to run faster, thinking I can “kick it in” for this last downhill section. Everyone tells you this is section is very runnable. It is, if you can stand downhills at this point, and have something left in the tank. But I’m pretty beat so end up running VERY slowly with a few walking steps here and there. I got passed by some people on this section- strong runners who actually had something left to kick in with. I figured Angelo might come flying by.

With about a mile and a half to go, I see the group carrying Vicki down and see Paul walking up. He was planning to pace me in but ended up helping out up there instead. So, I get to the 1 mile to go sign, which is actually accurate, and am very happy. I finish by running it in slowly (race time is 11:49) and get a hug from Dr. Horton and my Nathan pack. Then nervously wait with Anne for Angelo to come in a few minutes later (11:56). Watched others finished- the group was really yelling for people to hurry as 12 hours approached! I find out that in the Iron Ho bench press competition that the reps to beat (75 lbs for women) was 23, so I give it a shot. I do 22, and let me tell you, the last 2 were a struggle. However, I don’t think the running affects the bench press THAT much. Next year, I’ll train for this high-rep bench press thing more specifically!

A few thoughts on the race…
I loved it. It was a fun weekend and very cool to be running with old school legendary ultra runners (I cannot imagine having run this race 18 or 24 consecutive times…these guys are impressive) and also people running their first ultras. The camaraderie was awesome. The course is TOUGH- more from a climbing standpoint than having technical trails. All that climbing over 54 miles wears you down. I think that I could run this in the 11-11:30 range but I have to get stronger over the long distances. I haven’t really been close to cutoffs in a race before but knew that was possible here. I also think this is a race that knowing what to expect on the course is very helpful, as far as the terrain and climbs.

Splits at some of the aid stations (by memory):
AS 1: :25, 3.3 mi
AS 2: 1:30-1:35, 5.7 mi
AS 9: 5:15, 24.6 mi
AS 10: 5:35, 26.9 mi
AS 11: 6:30, 29.5 mi
AS 12: 7:15, 32.1 mi
AS 13: 7:30 and 8:48, 33.6 and 38.6 mi
AS 14: 9:25, 41.5 mi
AS 15: 9:48, 43.0 mi
AS 16: 11:00, 47.1 mi
Finish: 11:49

Buff Betty Women's Adventure Race

I couldn't find any teammates for this race so I headed out to Cunningham Falls State Park to race solo. It was a blast! The race had 2 phases... here is the report:

Phase 1:
Prologue run 1/2 mi around parking lot to spread out the field
Trek to beach where the boats were (1/2 mi)
Paddle to 2 checkpoints (CPs) on lake then back to beach
Trek back to transition area (our vehicles)
Transition to bike
Bike to 2 CPs (gravelly service road and paved road)
Drop bike at top of big ass hill and navigate to 2 CPs and back (1.5 mi trekking)
Bike back to transition area
Trek back to beach
Paddle across lake and dock boat
Trek to Cat Rock hitting a CP on the way (5ish mi roundtrip) then back to boat
Paddle back to beach
Portage boat
Trek back to transition area to get map for Phase 2

There were only a few other solo racers and maybe 40-50 teams of 2 or 3. Seemed like 80-100 people at the start. I tried to get up front in the prologue run because I didn’t want to be in a mass of canoes veering everywhere. I succeeded and was probably the 4th or 5th boat on the water. Did pretty well with the paddle though I really tired myself out trying to paddle hard! I had borrowed Lorrin’s (very cool) boat and this was my second time in this boat, probably my third time ever in a kayak. But I guess I had developed some skills canoeing with Paul during the summer.

Got back to the bike and decided not to switch to my biking shoes (my pedals have little platforms so it was OK). Sure, it would have been easier to bike with them but I didn’t want to do the off trail navigation that was in the middle of the bike course, in my biking shoes, or waste time changing shoes twice. So, out of the parking lot to a CP then up the service road. Missed a turn and had to hike my bike up a steep pitch to get back on the road. Then hit the pavement, and headed up the big ass hill. There was no one around me at all, so I was sort of worried I was going the wrong way, but I was OK. Got to the top, there were only 6 other bikes there. Drop my bike, and started to make my way off trail to the CPs and started to see lots of others out there close behind me. Got CPs and back on my bike. Hit 30 mph even w/ my knobby tires on the way down the big ass hill. That was fun and scary.

Dropped the bike and took off back to the boats, taking a ClifShot on the way. The other solo chick who I had followed down the hill was changing her shoes so I got ahead of her. As I was getting in my boat the volunteers were cheering and telling me I was in 3rd place overall, first of the solos (though everyone, team or solo, competed in the same “category” for this race). Nothing like a little pressure to not let people pass me. Paddled in a nice straight line to the boat dock, portaged to a parking lot and promptly took off in the wrong direction. Quickly corrected and then ran over (off trail) to the CP. Checked in then up to the CP at Cat Rock.

I was feeling the pain as I hiked up as fast as I could and tried to run as much as I could. It also occurred to me that I needed to start drinking some water- it was getting kinda warm. Got to the top of Cat Rock and saw the 2 teams in front of me on their way down- everyone was super friendly and supportive. Volunteer at Cat told me I was 6 mins behind 2nd and 11 mins behind 3rd. I was pretty sure I couldn’t catch them even with my mad trail running skills (ha). I channeled Michelle and Lorrin’s downhill-running-bad-ass-ness and tried to fly back down. I’m seeing everyone coming up and am trying not to careen out of control into them. I see my competition is really only 5-10 minutes back. [Later, I noted there was a power line cut I could have taken back down but it didn’t appear to shorten the run that much].

Back to the boat, paddle across the lake, do my portage- managed to get the boat up on my head amidst a bunch of guys who seemed a little worried I was going to hurt myself (they were calling it the team challenge but I really think they just wanted us to get the boats off the beach ;) ). Run to transition where I get my map for the orienteering course.

Phase 2:
Orienteering course with 20 CPs you could get in any order but had to be back by 4:00pm or else you start losing points. Distance- probably 8 miles running/hiking. If more than one team gets all 20, whoever does it fastest wins, etc.

I knew I had a lot of time to do this and should be able to get them all, but also knew that I could easily make a mistake and lose time. I’m immediately overwhelmed because there are points all over this map, and I’m physically exhausted, arms shaking, out of breath, etc. And now I’m expected to think intelligently. It appeared that I was going to have to do a fair amount of back tracking anyway so I just pick a direction and start collecting points, sort of hitting the outliers first and making a plan as I go along. This was a lot of fun, and I ran into very few people til I got back much closer to the start. And you have no idea how you are doing relative to other teams so I just kept pushing myself to run as hard and as much as I could. I only bushwhacked for 4 or 5 points and didn’t need to use the compass much, only a few times to check myself. There wasn’t a huge advantage to going off trail as the terrain was rocky and steep (and there could be snakes lurking!) so it was easier and faster to stay on trails for the most part. I also routed myself up that big ass hill I had biked up earlier- that was pretty evil!

Some of the CPs were tricky and you had to really pay attention to the map features and descriptions or it was hard to find the darn things. I finally got all the points, and think I made good choices with the order I got them, and then checked in at the finish! I was 3rd overall (final time was 4:40) and was thrilled and amazed- this was my third adventure race ever! First and second place were the same ones who were in front of me the whole time. I met some cool people and chatted some with the winners, and other volunteers, etc. I do think these races are more fun on a team rather than solo though! This sport is really cool though I know I need to develop some more bike skills and get better at navigation on tougher courses too. The organizers did a great job w/ the race making it fun, challenging, and very interesting. Cunningham Falls State Park was gorgeous this time of year.

Camping at Dolly Sods

Joe reports on his camping trip with friends Adam & Giuseppe:
We drove out to Hawk on Thursday night, got there around 8pm and it was rainy and foggy, but not cold. We sat around my camp candle for a fire and drank Giuseppe's wine and some beer.

Friday we got going, drove out rte 55, raining the whole way to a trailhead about halfway up the H. Sky road section. Dripping muddy and cold. I wore my Vasque Velocity out, which worked wonderfully on my summer hike on the AT, so I wanted to see how they'd do in other conditions. My feet were wet within minutes and I immediately started to worry that the next few days would be cold and wet. I was not much wrong. Aside from the water, the Vasque worked great. Goretex Vasque are going on my Xmas list.

As Friday continued, we reached the Red Creek, far upstream from where Lorrin and I forded when we were out. I figured it would be easier there, but not so. After 1/2 hour of seeking a suitable ford, we just had to plunge in, each using Giuseppe's Tevas, then tossing them back to the next person. In that way my shoes stayed dry, but I lost all my heat from waist down. My rolled up pants were soaked to the hips. Joy. It was fun, no sarcasm.

We continued on up a big hill, through mud, and found a nice riverside site filled with the noise of many cascading rocky falls in the river. All lined with hemlock and rhodendron, it was beautiful. We were happy to stop. We made camp, did dinner, sat by a fire (Adam managed to build it with his paraphin egg cup things), sipped a little bourbon, then off to bed.

Saturday showed promise of sun. A wonderful golden light inched its way down our side of the ravine till it reached our camp. The temps rose, so did our spirits. We started out up the high hill and soon came out in the first of the many amazing "sods." The colors in the sunlight were phenomenal. Throughout the day as we passed through these fields with wild cranberry and strawberry and shrubs, bushes, grasses, lined with beach and fir, spruce, hemlock all around, I
thought back to the how similar clearing made for the toughest parts of the HS race. Now I could appreciate the beauty. We hiked on and on through the sunshine and camped early, before 3pm, in a sod transected by a creek. Pitching the tents on the sunny banks, and spreading out the wet clothes from Friday, everything was renewed. We all agreed that this spot was the reason we came out there. We sat and read, relaxed.

As it got darker we made a nice dinner, built a nice fire and enjoyed more bourbon. The stars were brilliant, it froze, but it was lovely.

I didn't sleep well that night. The dinner didn't agree with me. And I'm sure I heard something walking near the tent. I stuck my head out and shined my light but saw nothing. I always suspect a bear, but who knows. In looking out of the tent, however, I saw one of the clearest starry skies ever. I didn't even mind getting up to take a "natural break" so I could take the sky in a little more. All over the tent and field you could see the frost glistening in the starlight.

But alas, upon waking, the clouds rolled in and threatened an end to the easy-going sunshine. We hiked to a trailhead on the road Sunday, about three miles from where we camped, and about three or four miles north of the trailhead where we left the car on Friday. The weather changed from rain to sun and back. Calm and warm one minute, windy and cold the next. When we got to camp we pitched tents and made tea, and headed down to get the car (3-4 miles south). Along the way Giuseppe finally succeeded in hitching a ride in the back of a pickup, saving us a mile or two. By unanimous decision, we agreed that, since we were in the car, and it was cold and wet, we may as well drive into town and get some hot food and beer. This we did, eating someplace in Canaan Valley, then driving back with more drink than we could use.

Back at the camp, we built a fire, drank till 9pm or so, watched the weather fill the whole spectrum of possibility, with the exception of thunderstorms or hail. It went from partly cloudy to starry, to light rain, to heavy rain, to partly cloudy again. The coup de grace finally came around 3am when I got up for another natural break and, looking over at a nice patch of stars in one part of the sky, I noticed little white specks falling through my headlamp beam. Yes, once back in my tent, unable to sleep, I enjoyed the noise of snow falling on the tent for about an hour. Through all the changing weather, the only constant was wind. You could hear the wind starting like a deep bellow somewhere way off in the valley, then creep closer and change tone till it was a thundery alto just over our heads. All the while you hear each intonation of wind at different speeds in different points along its path. We were happily sheltered from the worst of it by a grove of hemlocks above us.

This morning, with frost and light snow all around, we were all pretty happy to have the car right there. We packed up fast (too fast for me, really, the scene was sooo beautiful). We were on the road and heading toward a nice hot breakfast in Davis by 8AM.

How we DNFed at Venture Quest

Quick brief on how VQ works: The race changes at least somewhat every year, and you don't find out what the course is until the day of the race, when you are given a map with checkpoints on it. The way the race works is there are several sections, each of which involves either running, mtb or paddling. The sections are set up so that you come back to a central transition area several times which contains all your gear/bike and also is the start/finish. You have to do some checkpoints in order. Other checkpoints are "wildcard" checkpoints that you can get at any time. There are no aid stations and you are not allowed to be "crewed" so you have to plan to carry water/food and resupply yourself when you pass by the transition area.

1st off, it was very hard to get good beta on VQ. The only race report I could find was from several years ago and, let's just say, was written by someone not very detail oriented. Just enough to say, "yeah, did some canoeing, did some biking, tried to find some points in the woods, survived." So while I had an idea of what an adventure race was (watching EcoChallenge back when it was on TV - "Gee that looks cool! Lets do that!") I didn't really know what to expect from VQ. Then about a month prior to the race Mical and I realized we had no partner for our 3-person team. I guess it says something about the amount of trust Michelle has (had?) in Mical and I that she agreed to be on our team with no info as to what she was getting herself into, and less then a month to do any preparation, like learn to mtb. Maybe that means Mical and I are great people. Or maybe it means Michelle shouldn't be so trusting.

But surely we'll have no trouble; we've all run Highland Sky right? The logic is infallible.

A week before the race Mical, Michelle, Megan and I went and tried the mtb loop at Fountainhead, where we know at least part of the race will be held. The biking can't be too hard, because this isn't an "expert" dedicated mtb race, it’s an adventure race, right? We attempt to ride the loop.... hmm, this biking trail is really hard. It’s taking us a long time. We don't have enough time to do the whole loop, lets take the by-pass here that cuts off 3/4 of the loop. Gosh, this "Shockabillly Hill" is really steep. I'm not even going to try to go down it. Surely they'll let us go down the bypass during the actual race.

Afterwards Megan asks us what we think about the mtb section, seeing as how we could only do 1/4 of it in an entire morning and there will be cut offs at the race. Michelle's answer shows true character and her ability to unflinchingly assess reality: "Maybe the rest of the loop will be easier. Flatter, with fewer rocks. And not as slippery." Mical and I feel that Michelle has just voiced exactly what we were thinking and wholeheartedly concur. Surely this will be the case.

We go to the pre-race briefing the day before where they give you your passport, which contains just enough information to be maddeningly uninformative: 1st stage run down to the lake and back. 2nd stage: do mtn bike loop, stop at checkpoint midway through. Check in at transition area, drop bike, go run to another checkpoint. Get in canoe, paddle back. Portage canoe to transition area. See if you made 1:45 cutoff. If so, get on bike and do loop again. See if you make the 3:15 cutoff. Portage canoe back to lake. Canoe to another check point. See if you make another cutoff. Do unknown challenge. Run back.

Race day - the race starts at 8:00 am and you can register @ 6 to get your map. We decide to get there before 6, so we get up @ 4:20. After a week of low humidity and temps in the low 70s in the middle of the day, it is already 75 and humid @ 4:20 am. Not a good sign. Pick Michelle up by 5 and get down there a little before 6. Set up the bikes and gear in the transition area in the bike and Mical registers and gets the map for us. Look at map. Hmm, lots of different sections to in order to make 1:45 cutoff, think we can make it? Mical has read that "not so good" mtbers can do the bike course in 2 hrs. Having nothing else to judge on, we definitively state that if we can do the loop in less then 2 hrs we can make the cutoff. Gee, that paddling section looks pretty long. Should we try to figure out distinguishing features so that we'll know how much farther we have to paddle? Nah, it’s not important. It’s a lake, how hard can it be to know where you are? Plot course. Have everything set up with 15 minutes to spare. Go wait in long port-a-potty line.

Race starts! Go slow on the opening run so that most people wont be bunched behind us on the mtb portion, screaming obscenities at us as they pass us doing our mtb version of the slow guy in the fast lane on the beltway. Think we do a good job of getting towards the back of the pack during run. Do a great job in the transition area. Head into the mtb loop. Immediately bunch up large group of bikers behind us. Let them go by.

Fountainhead is a bi-polar mtb trail. If you can go fast you float over the roots/rocks, the bike bouncing around like a live animal. If you go slow all of the roots/rocks grab you, trying to make you fall over as you try in vain to get your foot out of the pedal to catch yourself. After the first few hills we are no longer going fast. We find out that the rest of the trail is, for the most part, slightly easier then the portion we previewed. Slightly easier. Finally get a downhill of nicely packed trail, now we're flying! Uh oh, why am I pedaling, but the bike isn't moving? Broken chain! Take 15 minutes to fix chain. To add insult to injury the course goes down Shockabilly. We all walk our bikes down it, not wanting to give the cameraman the "Agony of Defeat" picture of us going over our handlebars.

Get back to transition area. It’s only taken us 1:50 hr to do the mtb loop so we're under our self-imposed 2 hr time limit. Should be able to make the cutoff no problem. Do great in the transition once again. Now to our strong point, trail running! Make good time running down the trail. To cut off a portion of the trail we do a quick bushwhack to a streamcrossing. There is another team already there with the same idea but is afraid to cross the water. Mical and Michelle are tough, they jump right in and cross to the otherside, and we start running down the trail while the other team sits on the other side of the stream taking off their shoes. We rock! Make the right decisions orienteering to the wild-card checkpoints, and end up farther along the trail then I thought. It’s good when that happens!

Get to the canoe. Portage it down to the lake. Mical in front, Michelle in middle, I'm in back. After we get situated Michelle synchronizes her paddling with Mical. We leave a wake behind the canoe, passing teams with 2 guys/girl combination. They look at us slack jawed in amazement. We are kicking butt now! Just a few bends around the lake and we'll get to the transition area. Plenty of time to make the cutoff. Marina does not come into view after a few bends in the lake. Wake behind canoe starts to fade, then dies. Everyone getting tired. Still no marina. How much farther? Should have paid more attention to paddle leg on map. It’s hot and humid out here. Lake goes on and on. Hope of making cutoff fades.

See the marina! "More paddle, less talk." May barely make it. Get out of water, pick canoe up and throw it over our heads. Darn, Michelle is too short to carry it on her shoulders! Mical will have to carry the front herself. Mical wishes she were shorter. Michelle is secretly glad she is not. We get the canoe up the long steep hill to the transition area, and talk a team leaving into taking it off our heads so we don't have to drop it. Suckas!

Manage to get to transition area 5 (?) minutes ahead of the cutoff. So we have to do the 2nd biking loop. Maybe should have paddled a little slower, since we only have 1:30 to do the mtb loop to make the next cutoff. Don't think we'll make it but we'll try. Start doing second loop. Team getting tired; have to push bikes up more hills. See Michelle's friend Steve through the trees as he is running the last section towards the finish. He looks as fresh as a daisy. I suddenly notice that I smell. Slog through the death march that is the second mtb loop. Realize we will not make cutoff. We all push our bikes up the last hill to the transition area, 10 minutes behind the cutoff. A valiant effort. Secretly, I'm glad that I won't have to get into that damn canoe again for the next leg.

So, that’s the report. The race was actually a lot of fun, and I think we learned alot that we can apply to future adventure races. Bottom line is its alot different then ultras, especially the team aspect versus running yourself. My hat is off to both of my teammates, especially Michelle who put up with Mical and I and was a good sport even though she didn't really know what she was getting herself in to and hadn't been mountain biking for very long at all.




NO, I’m not trying to show off my belly!

Baker Trail UltraChallenge Report

In July, I came across information on the Baker Trail UltraChallenge while looking at Pennsylvania race calendars and was immediately intrigued. I mentioned it to a few people and Angelo in particular was very enthusiastic. None of us wanted to sign up early so we were waiting until after Catoctin [50k] and North Fork [WVMTR camping weekend] to see how we felt. I signed up a few days before the race and Angelo signed up the night before. Lorrin had decided it sounded interesting and fun and decided to join us and help support and pace (and use some of the downtime to write her wedding thank you notes!).

So on Friday, Angelo, Lorrin, and I drove the adventure van up to central Pennsylvania and arrived at a private farm/finish line where we would camp the night before the race. We arrived right around sunset as we had taken a long tour of Amish country (i.e. got lost) and saw way more horses/buggies than cars… The hosts at the farm were wonderful and so happy to have a group of runners gathering there. We set up our tents after dark and chatted with some people about the race. The course was described on the website as 42 miles on the Baker Trail followed by 8 miles on roads back to the farm. We found out the night before that the Baker Trail isn’t all “trail” as we think of it, and that it was going to be 8 miles of singletrack with the rest on dirt/gravel/paved roads. We were somewhat disillusioned at the thought of 40+ road miles and the speculation that we would be on exposed roads for most of a 90-degree day. There were 11 aid stations so I figured I’d have ample opportunity to drop!

Saturday morning we got up for a 6:00 AM ride to the start line. It was dark and foggy- humid yet very comfortable temps. The race started a little after 7:00 without any fanfare (31 solo runners and 4 relay teams started) and we took off up a gravel/dirt road. Angelo and I started off in 28th and 29th place, with only 2 hikers behind us (the cut off time was 14 hours). It was very comfortable running, with lots of up and down (race info said approx 7k elevation gain and 7k elevation loss over the 50 miles). There was some fun railroad track running followed by nice trail in the first 8 mile section, and we also had our only off-course navigation in this section. There were no course descriptions given nor was the course flagged- you were told to follow the yellow blazes for the Baker Trail section, then they did have signs on the last 8 mile road section. We did have a helpful map with us that we consulted a few times! You definitely had to pay attention (though it was well-blazed for the most part) or you could end up off-course.

We cruised along and passed halfway in about 5.5 hours, feeling good. The talk of only 8 miles of “trail” was a little low, I’d estimate it was closer to 15 or so miles on trails, (including some really nice trail sections in the Mahoning Lake Recreation Area) broken up with sections of various types of road (mostly dirt/gravel with minimal traffic). I wore my road shoes and gaiters (lots of gravelly roads) and was very happy with that decision. The weather was not horrible for the first half- it was definitely hot and humid, but a lot of the course was in the shade and we had a nice breeze for much of it. I knew the heat would eventually wear us down though. The views of the farmland and Pennsylvania countryside were beautiful- we often would climb up to ridges where the views were great. Overall, despite the roads, I found the course to be very enjoyable and interesting.

We passed a few people after mile 30, and then cruised into the aid station at 35 miles where Lorrin was meeting us to run the last 15. She wanted to get a run in and we were happy for some company! I had a bad spot and some nausea just before that aid station but had mostly recovered. Angelo seemed to be having some trouble getting enough to eat and drink but was hanging in there. The heat was really getting to us. Angelo dropped back from us after the aid station though we could still see him behind us for the next few miles. At one point, we were chatting away and took a wrong turn up the driveway of an Amish farm but they set us on the right path!

Lorrin was a huge help and I would have slowed much more if I didn’t have her telling me to run occasionally. We got through the aid station at 42 where they seemed excited to see us and told me I was the third woman (out of 4, ha!). Then we ran through the town of Plumville and I was able to run most of that stretch of flat. However, things were starting to fall apart. I was super warm, and was just thinking “aid station to aid station” and “it will stop hurting when you finish”… the next aid was 2.5 miles and I swear it took us almost an hour. I liked the ups better because I didn’t have to run and was really frustrated that I could only shuffle the downhills. Lorrin was super patient and would look at the map and tell me our progress. We got to the aid at 45.6 and I asked if anyone knew how hot it was earlier in the day. One of the guys said his car was saying anywhere from 94 to 97 in the sun. I felt pretty good about myself for making it this far after hearing that! We continued on (and up) and FINALLY made the turn-off to the farm. It was a short grassy uphill (with an awesome view at the top- thank goodness Lorrin was there to point it out so I could actually appreciate it!). Everyone could see when you popped over the ridge and they would start to cheer. We descended to the farm and it was great to finally be done-- to stop running and just sit down! They told me my time was 11:49.

They gave out cool medals which represent a third of the Baker Trail- if you do all 3 sections you will have a 3 piece medal that fits together. The Baker Trail is about 140 miles and they held the first annual race last year on the first third of the course, and will do the third section next year (this was the second annual race). [Apparently the second section of the course has alot of roads because they haven’t gotten landowner permission to route it onto trail, but they hope this race and another one they have will help bring some awareness to this.] And I also got a trophy for 3rd place woman which is kind of funny since 2 other women had finished probably 2 hours ahead of me and there were only 4 of us in this race. It was really neat to win something though! We hung out at the farm to see Angelo and 3 others come in (we heard there were 25 solo finishers). He came in smiling about an hour before darkness. After we were all showered, we ate and ate and ate until Angelo, Anne, and Brandon headed out to drive home. Lorrin and I decided we’d rather enjoy some beer and just crash in our tents again that night and go home in the morning. A thunderstorm made the night interesting and we packed up early Sunday to head back. It was a really fun weekend with friends (maybe with the exception of miles 42-50 ;) ) and the volunteers and organization were great !!!

Catoctin 50k

pictures from Catoctin

Lorrin reports:
The weather was cool in the morning, and there were promises that the already low humidity would burn off by the afternoon. Angelo, fueled by Oreos, took off like a shot. He never seemed to feel the effects of last weeks' Catherine’s, and I believe he should be tested, because he has become a machine.

Joe paced with me, Michelle, and Mical so as to get a very conservative start. He took off after Delauter. At the end of the race, Gary Knipling asked Joe "Do you run up all the hills like that?" and someone said, "oh, did you run with Joe?" and he said, "Yeah, for like 30 seconds, then he smoked me." Well, not all of us are lucky enough to be able to run away so quickly from a grown man with Mango panties on his head.

I got stung 40 min. into the run and am luckily still not allergic to bees. I'm so happy Michelle was carrying the anti-sting After Bite pen thingy. The poison/adrenaline gave me power for the next 3 miles. I hope they don't test for bee venom!

On the way down to Manor turnaround we started to see everyone coming back. Serge was 1st with the next guy 5 min behind him. A lady I didn't recognize was leading the women, with Bethany about 13 min. behind - she really made up time to come in first female. Then we saw what seemed like *everybody* else. Was there anyone behind us? We did see a lovely black snake off to the side, and luckily no rattlesnakes.

Michelle tripped over a rock, which the chivalrous fellow behind her picked up and punished by chucking it into the woods. Michelle wanted a second close examination of the trail, however, and went down again. She had persistant calf cramping the entire second half but persevered and won the prize haggis!

Paul and Megan were at the turnaround, so it was cheering to see them, even if they wouldn't let us stop & drink beer, but they did give us more ice. Thanks so much for volunteering. Next time, make sure I join you.

Somehow I was able to keep up with Mical and we actually managed to pass a few people, and other than some annoying blisters, I felt pretty good, not miserable and heat-stricken like some of the training runs. At one point, I thought, "wow! I am not passing out or vomiting! this is great!" The climb back up to the Tea Room actually seemed short, so I think we paced well and conserved our energy. The only navigational error was here, thanks to all our training runs, but a fellow we'd been leapfrogging up & down the hills called out and he & another guy actually waited until Mical & I regained our position in front of them. Would this ever happen in a road race?

I'm not good with remembering exact finishing times - I'm more focused on the Beverages for Enhancement of Endurance Running at the finish line. We all finished, which is the key thing, because it means we'll never have to run it again, right? Right?!!

Michelle reports:
Nice report, thanks Lorrin! I'm glad you mentioned the guy who took care of that rock for me. I have no idea who it was, I was so caught up in my disbelief that I had actually flown through the air and done a belly flop on the trail. I need to thank him for getting rid of that thing for me.

Like Mical said, it's hard to figure why the course takes so much more time. sed on my vast experience (right!!), here are my difficulty rankings for 50k's I have done: 1. Catoctin, 2.Capon Valley, 3. HAT, 4. Gunpowder Falls, 5. Greenway

By the way, have any of you seen my haggis?? It somehow did not make it into the car Saturday. If one of you guys didn't pick it up, I'm guessing some raccoon had an interesting snack Saturday night!

Mical reports:
Wow, Serge beat the next guy by almost 40 mins. Looks like 114/132 finished, 28 women. I'm proud of us! :) Results

I don't think I have a lot of other reporting to do. As far as reflecting on the race, it was interesting. It was never a death march, or really miserable (thank goodness it was in the 80s instead of the 90s!) and never really had any really "bad" spots like in some of my other races. I just can't believe it takes SO freaking LONG to cover that course. We were running at every point that wasn't an uphill and we were definitely moving faster than our training runs. I guess it's the rocks, and the numerous climbs, together with temps warmer than most of us ever race that kind of distance in. And that beer at the finish line tasted so good. I guess that was the best part. I'm glad we did it, I'm glad it was not as hot/humid as it has been lately, and I guess I did like the challenge of something like that.

Angelo compares the various local 50k races:
Pretty clear that Apple Orchard Falls at Promise Land is the toughest trail climb of the toughest 50k. Since it's a Horton race, I would have to say it's probably one of the toughest on the east cast. Apple Orchard Falls climbs from about 23.? to 26.? and it took Scott Jurek 42 minutes. It took Bob and I 1:15-1:30. It's so late in the race, that if you ran hard early (which you have to since you have a massive climb to start the race), you're beat. The race also ends with a long 5 mile downhill which you are begging your legs to do at 10 minute pace and wondering why you can't go any faster. Obviously I will be there next year and I implore many of you to come out and camp with David and friends at Promise Land. We can have our WVMTR Mid Atlantic Branch tent and induct new members.

Catherine's and Catoctin are fairly even for toughness. Catherine's has a very difficult climb (about 1:15) on the purple trail from Catherine's furnace to the top. It comes in the heat of the day from about 20-23 miles. You run a lot on gravel roads so you don't pound your muscles like you do on Catoctin rocks. Catching your foot on rocks when you are tired causes muscle spasms that really sap morale. The placement of the last two climbs at Catoctin are tough, but I'll conquer them next year. I had such a boost of energy from the overlook to the stream valley and passed quite a few people and I was very sad when I couldn't carry it through to the last two climbs and one downhill. 4-5 people passed me on the last two climbs (including Farouk) and Bob caught up to me. It would be very interesting to do the race in the opposite direction.

It's great that you can do both races for $20, huge difference compared to the $, travel and planning required for you roadies. Thank goodness I'm done with that stage of my life ;). I've now done 11 50ks versus 9 marathons.

Holiday Lake is long (34) so that just barely ekes out Capon. Capon was long the first year and was shorter this year. HAT, Gunpowder and Greenway round it out without much difference.

Joe reports:
Yes, it was a good race, after all, but tough. I don't know what it is about that trail, but the 16 miles you cover, then re-cover going back feel tougher than almost any 16 miles I've run. Nowhere else around has the loose rock, roots, erosion barriers and washouts on continuous rolling inclines like this. Add to that a few bee stings and rattlesnake sightings. The trail stands outside of time and space. I agree with Mical that when you're running it you have no idea how or why it's taking so freaking long. You just have to accept that you can't effect time as it ticks away.

Only the 2,000 ft climb at Highland Sky stands out in my mind as decidedly harder - and that only because it's longer. I'm sure a lot is psychological, but foot for foot, or mile for mile, Catoctin feels the toughest. The HAT course, Gunpowder Falls, Greenway, or the toughest parts of Bull Run have nothing on it for difficulty. Even the JFK section of the AT feels easy to me compared. Caren said it great when she exclaimed "there are sharp jagged rocks sticking out of the ground!"

All that said, I had a great day and felt great throughout the run. I took the hard lessons of hydration from HighSky and the Cat training runs, and kept eating and drinking, and walking to let it get in me. I think I paced just right. I started out conservatively, so that during the last 2/3 of the run I kept improving my pace and passing people and keep running till the end. I had a faster 2nd half than first half, which is usually the sign of a good run for me.

Michelle, that's terrible, I'm sorry you can't find the haggis. I was looking forward to bringing over some of the nice patés we brought from France and having a smorgasbord soirée of fine ground meat products.

Megan reports:
To all,
1. Congratulations on very successful finishes on Saturday. Each one of you has an individual triumph to relish, and collectively you probably pulled each other along in some way whether you finished first of the group or last. I'm glad to have volunteered: even though I choose not to run these things, you all make me feel part of the group and that is a very good thing in my mind.
2. As for the pictures, look for a Snapfish message later on this evening. I'll try and upload them this evening.
3. Like Pinkbottom, I believe Floyd and hope to be convinced with a credible story when Landis solves the mystery. (Reference to Get Fuzzy character)
4. Seriously---does anybody know what happened to the haggis?
5. As you all continue to follow Beelzebub, and outright encourage Him to greater depths, I look forward to watching the drama enfold.
See you all soon. When is the post race party?

Highlands Sky 40 miler

Pre-race, before it got hot!

Lorrin reports:
-Phil got taken out early by Bobcat Fever; Joe is beginning to show symptoms
-Joe, Mical, Amanda, Paul, Lorrin, and Michelle finished
-The course is very, very exposed: this bride has a blistering farmer's sunburn
-There are some very, very loose definitions of "trail" in some sections (i.e., bring a rope)
-Future participants should also improve their bouldering skills
-Dirty girl gaiters are awesome, but I am still hallucinating 'Trail Candy'
-Wallace & Grommit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is an awesome recovery movie. bunnies!
-Joe & I are already planning for 'next time' - what is wrong with us?!

Angelo reports:
Phil dropped at Aid 3. Phil is pretty sick, probably from a bug he picked up from Brandon.

Everyone ran a great race. It was very hot. Lots of drops from the front runners. Twin brothers were 2nd and 3rd in Aid 3 and dropped at Aid 7.

I only witnessed part of everyone's race but it appears as if everyone really enjoyed the course and were thrilled at defeating a course on a very tough day. My time from last year pales in comparison to the effort expended by everyone on such a hot day.

Joe reports:
Maybe Angelo is the original carrier [of Bobcat Fever]. Gave it to Brandon, then to the rest of us. I can tell you that the "Bobcat Fever" is no laughing matter.

I'll spare you the most gory details, but mine started about 8am today [Monday] and I have been lying in bed ever since drifting in and out of sleep - sometimes with chills, sometimes with sweats.

This thing hit me like a freight train. I honestly cannot get up. When I move around I quickly feel nauseaus and regret it. I haven't been sick like this since I was a little kid. The good news is that I feel good enough now to type, and I just had a glass of "Emergen-C" vitamin drink which seems to be doing all right.

Angelo will now be dubbed "bobcat-fever-Angelo" and will share a place in history with "Typhoid Mary," "Smallpox Charlie," and "heat-stroke-Dan-Lehmann." (ok, I made up two of those last three).

All said and done, the weekend was great. Keep me updated on others' status, I hate to suffer alone.

Phil reports:
Sorry to hear how you are all also suffering. I'm wondering if it was something we ate and not Brandon (Angelo) afterall. Either way next year will skip the pre race dinner just in case.

Bobcat fever aside I had a great weekend and really impressive race by all in that heat. As Noel Coward said only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid day sun. On this day it was only the Maryland Mad dogs - great job. Not smart mind (smart would be quitting) but great effort none the less :)

I made it this morning [Monday] to my New York road runners duathalon class at 6am in the park. Was expecting some chit chat and maybe an easy ride around the park but turned into a pretty competitive duathalon run bike run “race”. The instructor said that from now on - no more easy workouts. One way to get bobcat fever out of you.

And lastly and only because of Paul 'Tyler' Honigfort I'm sending in my application this morning. The kaiser of Catoctin? We'll know in 6 weeks…

Paul reports:
I think I might indeed have bobcat fever. Everytime I bend over I feel nauseous and there have been a couple times when I have felt a little short of breath. Right now my knee is saying "no one every got hurt by quitting."

Did you see Jan Ulrich win the Tour De Suisse on OLN yesterday? Made up 54 seconds in the time trial plus won by an additional 14. In the rain. Phil Liggett kept saying "the Kaiser is back, the Kaiser is back!" That's what I'm going to say when our own Phil wins Highland Sky next year.

Mical reports:
I would also add that this whole idea of the 2nd half of the course being much easier is quite misleading. The terrain plus the sun exposure we had through that whole section was just tough. AS 6 to 7 is not to be taken lightly. And, the gaiters are awesome!

Race pictures here. And pictures from our May camping trip/training run are here.

Highlands Sky Training Run

pictures from the training run

Capon Valley

Pictures from iPlayOutside

Michelle Price:
Lorrin, Angelo and Michelle ran Capon this year. The weather was perfect, not humid at all (unlike the past two years), it never got too hot, and there was a nice breeze all day. The course was once again a little bit different than the year before so I'm not sure whether or not prior year times are really comparable. However, I'm pretty sure that Angelo's improvement of something like an hour and 40 minutes over his time last year demonstrates real improvement. Official results aren't up yet for this year but I believe his time was about 6:15. My time was about 6:51, nine minutes better than last year. Lorrin was a few minutes behind me with about a 6:54. MCRRC did really well. Rob Magin and Mark Hoon tied for 2nd place with about 4:19 and Monica Bachmann was the first woman at 5:15. The overall winning time was about 4:02, amazing!!

And fyi, for those of you curious about the Inov8 shoes, I ran in the Inov8 Flyrocs the whole way and they felt great. I tested them last weekend in a 15 mile run and the club XC run and they felt fine, so I went with them for Capon. They drained really well on the many stream crossings and felt very comfortable. This is not a rocky course at all. I don't think I'd wear them for something in Dolly Sods (eg Highlands Sky) but I think they are fine for Greenway, HAT, Capon
type terrain.

And from a yahoo groups posting from Jennifer Wickerchic (WV)

What a great run! The weather was great-no rain. :) JL and Bradley placed in the top ten overall! What you tied for 4th place, right? I missed running with Erin but still managed to finish strong at 5th overall for women. It was neat to see Matt Yeager, actually a surprise because we didn't know he was coming. I hadn't seen him in prolly almost a year. Mark Offutt finished his first ultra at 15th or 16th place. Dan from Fairmont (I forget your last name) struggled with knee problems but still finished. Tony Morris did a good job. We actually ran together for a piece. Angelo, Michelle, and Lauren had fun out on the trails too! I had forgotten that Lauren ran North Fork with us last year. They will all have to add in on their experience.

I know they changed the course from last year and I don't think it was the same as 2004 either. I guess it's one of those runs that's never quite the same!

Another good story: From what JL relayed to me while I was still out running was that my tent tried to fly up into the power line and onto a BMW. Yeah for him and some other kind soul who reanchored it. Lesson to be learned 1) Keep lots of junk in the tent in case the wind blows and 2) make sure to take off the fly before you go out to run for hours. JL saved the day too when he came out swinging my car keys that I'd spent a good 15 minutes attempting to find in the grass and tent and car!!! I'm not sure what I learned about the keys. I thought they were safe in the tent.. haha. What a great time!

Bull Run Run - Report from the 2006 Battle

Links to VHTRC report and photos

Joe Kilcoyne:
"I'm never doing this again. Where's Lorrin?"

Angelo Witten:
I felt good the entire run. Ran with Ed roughly from about 30-39 so that mentally pulled me through. Didn't have to do much complaining then, just run with Ed.

I passed people most of the way after Centreville. It's pretty funny since I remember thinking that I had 40 miles to go last year and felt sunk. I totally remember Paul at Centreville saying 40 to go! I was much more comfortable with the course this time around so the hills weren't so high or so long. Highland Sky also gave me confidence at that point.

Ran with Joe from the start to Hemlock. I stayed just barely ahead of him most of the way. I think he just lost some time at aid stations.

I started off pretty positive and stayed that way. A few times when it was really cold, i fell in the mud or when my shoe was sucked off I got negative but I was able to turn it around. It helps when you know so many people and when you are actually catching up with people.

This is definetly a boost in confidence for me. Even though the quality of my training runs aren't so good, my overall mileage is likely transforming my metabolism. It's a pain sometimes to slog out 50 miles weeks, esp. since I'm currently 70 miles behind my target (somewhere in the 45 per week range).

Pete Ponzer:
The Do Loop Aid Station had a lot of business. I fell about a mile before the station and the start of the Do Loop. I got a two inch gash about a half inch above the left eyebrow running north to south (no concussion, but it bled like a sun of a gun). At the station we wiped it down with alcohol and put a compression bandage on it. I held it in place with direct pressure at first and later by cinching my hat tightly. After I finished the do loop, they stopped me to clear off all of the blood from my face. It must looked pretty bad. My regret is that I didn't get a photo to enter into the "best blood" contest.

I needed to clear my face because my wife, Margaret, and my two daughters were going to be at Fountainhead. If they saw my blood covered face and hat I would have caught some real grief.

I finished the race, but went to the urgent care/emergency room afterwards. The doctor decided against stitches because of the time lapse, additional scarring, and the improvements in surgical glue. They used surgical glue to seal the gash. It looks pretty interesting today. I will have a good "battle" scar from the run.

Angelo passed me at about mile 47 (after the Marina). He was looking strong. Joe also looked great when he finished. I wanted to stay longer to talk and cheer, but I knew that I needed to get to a doctor to look at my head. Fortunately, they could not look inside.

I have enjoyed running and talking with you'all. I hope everybody is doing better today and we can run together soon.

Lorrin Harvey:
Five things I learned at BRR:
1. Friends really come though for you -- thanks Megan for driving me around and thanks to Anne for coordinating everyone and lending us her GPS map thingy
2. Should carry 2 water bottles to protect each hand
3. Carry my insurance card - good thing my hand wasn't critical!
4. Leave valuable jewelry at home
5. You should only ice for 15 min every couple of hours - leaving ice on could lead to frostbite

I felt like despite the weather I was running a good race, I felt strong, even though it was slow going. I saw Joe in th Do-loop & he was so cold his lips were blue - they gave him bread bags for mittens at the aid station. I hope there are some pictures of that! I came across a lady in the Do-loop who stopped to pee but was so cold she couldn't button her shorts back up so I helped her.

I was about a mile out of the Do-Loop aid station when I kicked a root or rock & went down. I felt a finger hitting rocks & when I pulled it out, the ring finger on the left hand looked really really wrong, so I immediately pulled it to straighten it back out & hoped that it was just dislocated, not broken. There was no screaming pain, and only blood on my palm, so I figured it wasn't broken. I told Katie to go on & decided the mud back to the Do-loop was not as bad as forward to Fountainhead. Unfotunately, it was the only finger I had a ring on - the heirloom engagement ring, which they had to cut off at the aid station so that it didn't cut off my circulation. I feel the worst about that, but hopefully it can be fixed.

So then I had the grueling adventure of getting out of wet clothes, getting to my insurance card which I did not have with me, then finally going to the hospital. It was a little challenging to explain to the staff what exactly happened and when they found out I was trying to run 50 miles in the freezing rain, we're lucky they didn't check me into the psych ward as well.

I was so glad to hear about Angelo's triumph over the BRR demons of the past and Katie & Michelle overcoming tremendous challenges for a first BRR (katie)/first 50 (michelle)! Yay team! Next year will belong to me & Cathy tho, so watch out!

Cathy Blessing:
It's great to see that you guys pushed through the weather yesterday and finished the race. All but poor Lorrin who tried hard but sacrificed herself so I wouldn't be the only team MCRRC member to drop out. Thanks Lorrin! Hope you're hand isn't in too bad of shape.

Special congratulations to Angelo for a great finishing time yesterday - a big improvement over his past 50 mile time and in such tough conditions.

I'm still jealous I didn't get to play in the mud any more yesterday. It was a good thing I came home though. After losing over 2 pounds leading up to the race, I continued to drop another 3+ between leaving for the race and this morning. I've got a lovely dehydration headache to show for it. The good news is that my stomach seemed to finish cleaning itself out about the time Angelo finished the race yesterday. I'm looking forward to eating more today than a handful of Triscuits and a piece of toast.

I think I'm lucky in that my system behaved rather well while I was running. I just had zero energy and got passed by EVERYONE enroute to Centerville. The hills made me dizzy, and I even wanted to walk the flats I was so drained. When the leaders were coming back after Centerville I could smell Pringles - and instead of feeling hungry, I felt a little nauseated by the smell. I knew I couldn't make it further because I wouldn't eat anything and drinking wasn't attractive, either. About an hour after I stopped running, after Anne brought me and another DNF, Joe, back to Hemlock, the stomach started acting up again and my back got rather painful as well.