Moutain Masochist Trail Run

Prologue
In 2007 I started out the year planning to do the Lynchburg Ultra Series (LUS), made up of Holiday Lake 50k, Promise Land 50k, and Mountain Masochist Trail Run (MMTR) 50 miler. Then I got the opportunity to go to Ecuador and I got a stress fracture, so I missed the chance to run MMTR. Mical, Lorrin and Mark ended up completing the LUS in 2007 and getting really cool jackets. When 2008 rolled around, I decided I would try again for the LUS. I pitched the idea to Amanda and she took the bait, so as the year rolled by we did Holiday Lake 50k, Promise Land 50k, Capon Valley 50k, Highlands Sky 40 miler (I did half), Cheat Mountain Moonshine Madness 50 miler, and Gunpowder Falls 50k together. I also threw in Black Mountain Marathon, half of HAT 50k, and Catherine's FA for good measure. Mark, Joe, Lorrin, Paul, Mical and Megan joined in for many of these adventures, it's sure good to have friends to share all those miles with!!

MMTR finally arrives!
MMTR has always held an allure for me, it's historic, it's hard, it has the word "masochist" in the name, somehow I had to do it. Frankly it scared me, how would I ever manage to cover 9,000 feet of elevation gain and 7,000 feet of loss in under 12 hours with 16 cut-offs along the way?? Well here's the story of how I just barely made it!

The Start
The bus leaves at 5am from the back of the hotel. We come close to missing bus because all the elevators are full and the stairs say not to use, you will set off an alarm. Finally someone gets smart and pushes the up button and we get on an empty elevator and finally get to the bus! It seems to take forever, I think we got to the start about 5:50am and then spent time standing in line for bathrooms and deciding what to wear.

The race kicks off promptly at 6:30 am in total darkness, probably in the 40s, the stars are beautiful, we do a quick out and back on the Blue Ridge Parkway, past a roadkill beaver, and then start on some rolling roads until we reach mile 5.7 and start in on trails. From this point on, I think we were either climbing or descending, I can't really recall any flat stretches after this point. Up or down will be the theme for the day!

AS#2 (mile 5.7) to AS#8 (mile 22.3)
I can't say anything stands out. We were on single track and climbing at first, then all I remember is we were on jeep roads, fire roads or FS roads. As I mentioned, the cut-offs in this thing made me anxious. But Mical had drilled in my head that I needed to be comfortable being close to them. So as the miles rolled by, we fluctuated between 10 and 20 minutes ahead of them. The temps were still comfortable, it was pretty shady, we were running pretty easy, but Amanda's IT band was starting to bother her. As we came around a corner we saw Megan heading toward us, that was sure a nice surprise. She ran us into AS#8 and worked on boosting our confidence by telling us how great we looked. We came into 8, saw Bill, fueled up and headed out, we were about 14 minutes ahead of cut-off here.
















AS#8 (22.3) to AS#13 (mile 33.6 and mile 38.6)
OK, so here I remember the stories from others, from this AS we climb steadily to AS#10 which is about half-way through the race at 26.9 miles. And then we're still only half way up Buck Mountain, we still have to climb to AS#11, this is where will hear the music long before we get to the AS. I frankly don't remember a heck of a lot from 8 to 10. I know we were psychologically happy to hit AS#10, get our drop bags, and see Megan and Bill, but I also remember starting to feel pretty hot and wishing for some clouds. From 10 to 11 the only incident of note was coming across three guys in their 20s trying to rally. One guy was doing really poorly and I gave him some ginger to try to settle his stomach. Come to think of it, somewhere in here my digestive system started to bother me. I think I took two tums at 10 and it settled down for a bit. We finally hit AS#11, Buck Mountain, I admit it did get you pretty pumped to hear Rocky and other motivating tunes as you approached that AS. We were 15 minutes ahead of cut-off here.


So after Buck Mountain we headed downhill to AS #12, saw our crew, and then continued on to AS#13 and the famous loop trail. MMTR is a point-to-point race with a loop thrown in at mile 33.6, so the "loop" is from mile 33.6 to 38.6, and then you continue north toward the finish at Montebello. When we entered the loop we were 20 minutes ahead of the cut-off, when we came out we were 12 minutes ahead, but physically and mentally we were both hurting. The loop starts off beautifully, nice wide easy trail, beautiful mountain laurel, FLAT, but that does all change. And my digestive system started to rumble, I took a nature break and told Amanda to continue on and I would catch up. Shortly after I caught back up, the trail started uphill through some serious rocks and roots, wow, finally some technical trail, just when I needed it 30+ miles into a 50++ race!! NOT!! We plodded along and I remember Amanda saying when are we going to get to something that's runnable, I know she was worried about us making it out of the loop under the cut-off. She had a Garmin on so had some sense of our progress. I didn't know and didn't ask what she had for mileage, I think I mumbled something like I could only do what I could do and that would be good enough or not. We finally stopped climbing and came across a guy sitting on a rock with his head in his arms. I asked if he was ok, if he needed anything. No response. Definitely not your typical friendly trail runner! We continued past then I felt a twinge of guilt and worry, what if there was something really wrong with him and I left him. I turned to look back and he had lifted his head up and was looking at us. At this point I decided he was just feeling like crap and didn't want anything from anyone, he just wanted to wallow. We went on. The trail started to descend but it was leafy and rocky and I could tell Amanda's IT was really hurting. As soon as we hit runnable stuff, I tried to rock and roll, I almost lost sight of Amanda behind me, now I knew her knee was bad. I ran into Bill Potts and then Megan coming out to check on the runner that wasn't feeling well. At long last we exited the loop, only 12 minutes ahead but still ahead!

AS#13 (mile 38.6) to AS#15 (mile 43)
We started downhill from 13 and Amanda's IT was bad, she was trying to hold off on taking more vitamin I. I had my own worries about my digestive system. Nothing about 13 to 14 stands out except we started to really cut it close on the cut-offs. We arrived at AS#14 only 4 minutes under! And then 14 to 15 really sucked. 14 to 15 was only a measly 1.5 miles but it was all climbing, out in the open, the sun beating down on me. Amanda was better on the uphills and I was dying. I had that old internal battle going, "I hope I don't make the cut-off and get pulled" versus "no way I'm getting pulled, if I make this one, I can at least finish, even if I'm not an official finisher under 12 hours." I tapped into all the positive vibes I knew friends and family were sending me. I vowed to finish no matter what. We finally reached AS#15 with just under 5 minutes to spare.

AS#15 (mile 43) to the finish
Next section was 4.1 miles, there's a cut-off at AS#16 (mile 47.1) but I was pretty sure they wouldn't pull anyone that was close here. This section has a couple of short, steep climbs to throw out at you just when you're ready to crack. We clawed our way up, I think I let a few folks pass here. It was starting to cool off and the light was fading in the woods, we heard a Barred Owl hooting in the distance. I tried to take this as a good omen that I'd finish. It finally leveled out and we knew we needed to run, then my digestive system kicked in again. I told Amanda to take off at this point, I wanted at least one of us to be an official finisher. She took off and I rejoined the fight after a nature break. I vowed not to eat anything else, I thought I'd throw up, and I was barely drinking anymore. I spotted 3 people coming behind me which surprised me, I thought I was the last person out there, I decided I'd do my best not to get caught. I ran and ran and finally hit AS#16.

I had about 49 minutes to cover the last 2.9 miles, which everyone says is closer to 3.5 or 4, and make it under 12 hours. The course is literally all downhill from here. As I left 16 I passed a guy I'd been flip flopping with and asked him if we'd make it, he said he was sure gonna try, I ran by. I literally ran almost every step of this last section, I kept reminding myself I need to take advantage of gravity. It was a somewhat rocky, leafy wide trail/road and I ran as fast as I felt able. It felt like forever! Then I saw Megan coming up the trail toward me. She said it had taken her 31 minutes to walk to this point and that I had 25 minutes to make it to the finish, which would be no problem since it was partly downhill and since I was running. I was not entirely convinced of this logic but bought in anyway. At long last we hit the "1 mile to go" painted on the road and I had 15 minutes, wow, I might actually do this! We hit pavement, made a left turn, then another left, Megan told me exactly where the finish was and then dropped off. I ran across the finish line in 11:57:11 and I was an official MMTR finisher!! I got my finisher shirt and I was going to get my LUS jacket!!

Amanda, Mark, Megan, Bill and I all exchanged hugs. Amanda finished in 11:45:56 and Mark finished in 11:52:45. Amanda was psyched I made it and had been bummed about having to leave me. Amanda and I vowed never to run another 50 miler. We heard about Mark's struggles with calf cramping. Then we got in the car for the hour drive back to the hotel.

Post-script
Damn was that hard! I'm glad it's over. No I'm not planning to do it again. Seems that 50k's are more my distance. Somehow when I go over about 9 hours my digestive system goes bad. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if my system can't handle it. But my plan is to stick with 40 miles or less (Highland Sky is still in and so is Maryland Challenge as Amanda and I qualified our vow to Bill later). Oh, and I still would like to try the Applachian Crossing.

And I had one other realization. I'm not actually a masochist, I don't derive pleasure from pain or suffering. I can tell you I was not deriving any pleasure for most of that run! I'm willing to endure pain and suffering to achieve a goal. When I achieve it, that's when I'm happy!

Thank you everyone for running many miles with me, as well as for your support and positive vibes, I couldn't have done it without you.

Here's the url to some more pictures.

Virginia Happy Trails Running Club Women’s Half Trail Marathon, 9/13/2008

This is Megan's report posted under Michelle's Straggling Irregulars account.

First, the good news:
1) The shirt is pretty nice. It’s a women’s short-sleeve v-neck Race Ready technical shirt in a shade of light greenish-grey. Neither one of us is wearing the shirt in this pre-race photo, but hey, don't we look tough?

2) Despite my best effort to remain unprepared for this race, I somehow finished. You might expect such a dramatic sentence in a race report for a 50-miler or a 100-miler but since I’ve already bronzed my ultra shoes and sworn off the longer distances, I’ve only got the half marathon distance now to show-off my Drama Queen side so get used to it.

3) There was so much ice left over after the Park’s Half race on Sunday, I took some of it home and got a free ice bath out of it.

4) It was great to see so many familiar faces at the race. Among the most notable: Mark McKennett, Volunteer Extraordinaire both Saturday and again on Sunday at the Parks Half. Mark introduced us to his friend Brooke---who must be pumped for more information the next time I see her. Jim Cavanaugh sure knows how to work an aid station. Running the race: Kimberly (2nd in her age group, 14th overall), Susie Kinnecome (1st in her age group, 8th place overall), Michele McLeod, Erica Yuan, Monika Bachmann (2nd in her age group, 9th place overall), Pam Gowen (3rd in her age group).

5) I now know that I can survive a pretty stupid race blunder (or at least I did one time, “past performance is no guarantee of future gains” as they say in the investment world.) Here’s the deal. During the first part of the course, approximately 8 miles including the area called the Do Loop, I convinced myself that I would stop running at the aid station located at the start/finish area. Some people call that quitting. It was really hot and humid, and I wasn’t well trained for even a half marathon. Sure, I kept telling myself “Well at least it’s not as difficult as hiking for 5 and a half hours in Shenandoah with 30 pounds on my back when I was only expecting to hike for about 2 hours max.” You can see I was channeling Mical and Lorrin at that point. So when I got to the aid station, I sat down and was prepared to stop. Again, some people call that quitting. I waited a minute or two for this woman to come in to the aid station. We’d been talking a bit for the last mile or so. She was the mother of a mother-daughter team. She was experiencing some low moments out there, too. Anyway, when she got there, I asked her if she was going to go on and she said yes. So I debated with myself for a few more seconds and agreed to the following: a) If I didn’t finish, I couldn’t wear the shirt. And it is a nice shirt. b) If I did finish, I wouldn’t ever have to run another half for the rest of my life. THAT was a big motivator. And c) I could crawl 5+ miles in 2 hours---the time left before the cut-off.

So, I gathered my wits and took off like a flash. A very slow, sweaty flash. Unfortunately, I failed to refill my water bottle before taking off. I had about 2 inches or so left in the bottle when I left the aid station. Even more unfortunate is the last aid station ran out of water before I got there, so for the last 1 hour 25 minutes, I only had about 4 ounces of water. That was pretty tough, and a good lesson that did not come at too high a price.

Now, the not-so-good news:
Michelle twisted her left ankle (the one that was fractured back in JFK 2 years ago) so she decided to cut her losses after about 8+ miles and start healing in the hope of running at least some part of the Gunpowder Falls 50K on the 20th.

Here's a picture at the finish line. In light of everything, I'm pretty happy simply to have finished.

Shenandoah backpacking trip

I'm sneaking this post in here because I think our 'epic' weekend of hiking with heavy packs needs to be documented, if for no other reason than to keep us from trying this again!

Michelle and Joe had completed 50 miles the previous weekend, I was 28 weeks pregnant, [edit: Lorrin was also pregnant but no one knew it at the time!], and Megan really wanted to make sure she didn't train too much for the Women's Half, so an easy, relaxing backpacking trip was discussed. I found some trails that appeared to lend themselves to a basecamping adventure- that is, hike in a few miles with the heavy packs, set up camp, and go for day hikes for a few days, then hike out.

We started on Thompson Hollow Road and quickly connected to the Overall Run Falls trail. There were a few good camping spots near water within the first hour or so. I believe it was a unanimous decision that it was too early to stop to camp at this point. So we hiked on. And on, and on, and mostly uphill. With the heavy packs (well, not me, Paul was carrying most of my stuff. I was carrying all my weight on the front...). Did I mention it was hot and humid? Anyway, when we all had enough, there wasn't anywhere to camp that was flat enough, didn't have bear poop all over, wasn't bug infested, and had water. So we hiked on some more. Eventually we did find a great spot and set up camp for the night, along Jeremy's Run. There wasn't too much complaining, considering we had hiked 6+ hours, nearly 8 miles, mostly uphill. Dinner tasted great, the guys had some wine and whiskey and we were probably all sleeping by 8pm. No bears visited us. A big one did cross our path about an hour before we had stopped to camp though!

The next morning we considered our options. We were now about 7 miles from the car, via a different route that appeared mostly flat or downhill. We could stay here, do a short day hike, and hike out on Monday, or we could pack up, head towards the car and hope to find a nice spot to camp before we were too tired to go on. We packed up.

So we hiked up to the AT and stopped to stuff our faces at Elkwallow Wayside. That was a nice rest! We continued on toward Overall Run Falls, where we hoped to camp. Of course, there were no good sites to be found. The major-looking stream on the map was bone-dry. We hiked on (sound familiar?). After another 5+ hour day, we found a nice spot by some nice water. It was close quarters for 3 tents but who's complaining at this point? We ate, rested, and finally rolled ourselves into the tents. No bears visited us.

The next morning, we were pretty delighted to find we were only about a mile from the cars! We hiked out, in good spirits because we knew a greasy Apple House breakfast was waiting for us.

Much like ultras, I think it took a few days for everyone to agree that it was a fun (though strenuous) trip. Thanks for coming everyone! Here are my pics and Michelle's pics.

Cheat Mountain Moonshine Madness 50 Miler

Months ago I was intrigued when the WV Mountain Trail Runners decided to debut a new race, a 50 miler in August that would start at 9pm on a Friday night. I hate heat so a night race in August seemed like it would work better for me. Since I've been planning on doing the Mountain Masochist 50 miler in November, I wanted to get another 50 miler in so I knew I could make the distance. I've only done one 50 miler, Bull Run in 2006, and dnf-ed from jfk twice at mile 38, so I was very concerned about doing another one prior to MMTR. One potential conflict was that the race finished on Saturday, Megan's birthday, but she generously agreed to stay up much of the night and go to WV for her b-day!! So all the stars aligned and I sent in my entry.

Pre-race
What a weird feeling starting a race at 9pm! We got out there in good time on Friday afternoon, but then it was just hanging out and waiting. I occupied my time helping out some putting supplies together for the aid stations and chatting with various folks. Finally it was time for the 8pm race briefing and then at long last time to start.

Start to AS1 (mile 5.7, 1:08 split)
It was weird running in the dark. Other than Amanda and Mark, I lost track of other folks I knew pretty quickly. All you could see were glowing headlamps, you really had no idea who was around you. This section was all either paved road or gravel road, it seemed like we made it to the AS in no time. There were a lot of volunteers there to help, this AS was staffed by Kaydra, the RD's wife and their families. They took great care of us and had us out of there in no time.

AS1 to AS2 (mile 12.9, 1:33:11 split/2:41:12 cum)
This is the aid station where Lorrin and Mical were volunteering with Dan Todd so we were really looking forward to getting to this AS to see those guys. But first we had to climb and climb up the gravel road to the top of Cheat Mountain at 4,000 feet. This seemed to take forever. We turned our lights out to check out the stars, they were amazing! The breeze picked up and I was really happy that the weather was working out, I'd guess it was in the 60's at the start and the 50's for much of the race. We continued on the gravel road and finally saw lots of light up ahead. We had arrived at the AS, they had lots of food and really cool lights and were full of encouragement. Lorrin was concerned that Joe wasn't with us, I thought he was ahead of us but it turns out he wasn't. At this point I was still running with Amanda and Mark as well as several other folks, Ashley, Tracy and Dave.

AS2 to AS3 (mile 17.7, 1:34:46 split/4:15:58 cum)
We were finally leaving the road and heading out to single track trail, I was looking forward to this! This is when I discovered it's really hard to appreciate single track like you would in the daylight. You really can't afford to do anything other than focus on the circle of light in front of you while at the same time keeping an eye out for trail markers. Adam really did an amazing job of marking the course, I don't think we ever went off track. But you still had to pay close attention to the trail, there were moss covered rocks and roots and a fair number of short muddy sections. Pretty quickly Joe, Pete and Tim Daly caught up and passed us in this area. Mark took off with them too. Amanda, Tracey and I continued on our way. This section of the course seemed to take forever. I couldn't believe this was really 4.9 miles. We finally hit the gravel road section I was expecting and then that seemed to take forever. At long last we smelled a campfire and guessed we were close. We entered another energetic and totally well stocked aid station. Bradley Mongold greeted us all, Paul, Laura and others filled up our hydration packs and water bottles. We were surprised to see Joe and Mark there, we thought they were long gone! We all ended up leaving the AS pretty much together up the Whitmeadow Trail.

AS3 to AS4 (mile 23.2, 1:28:14 split/5:44:13 cum)
It would be an understatement to say I was nervous about the cut-offs in this race. They were at mile 23.2 at 6 hours and mile 33.3 at 9 hours. This seems generous to some, scary to others like me. I was now very stressed, AS4 was 5.4 miles away and we had about an hour and 40 minutes to get there. The last 4.9 mile section had taken us 1:34, I knew we'd have to push it.

Almost immediately we hit an uphill section and lost sight of Mark and Joe. It was Tracey, Amanda, Dave and me, we passed another guy in short order. We finished the climb and hit runnable trail. Tracey started out pushing us forward. Somewhere in here Amanda had an apparently spectacular fall. I was in front of her so I missed it but Dave said it was pretty amazing. Luckily Amanda hit a soft, rotting log instead of a rock with her knee and was quickly able to recover. We took off again, all pushing it as we were all aware of the cut-off. We hit the gravel road again and turned left toward the AS. The road wasn't flat so we had a number of ups and downs on the top of the ridge before we finally saw the light of the AS and we knew we had made the cut-off. These folks were even more energetic if that's possible! I knew who the volunteers were going to be at all the AS's and it really helped to look forward to seeing each group. And I must say that Bill Potts, Willie Lehmann, Joel and Katie Wolpert did not let me down!! They got us everything we needed, offered words of encouragement, lied about how good we looked, etc. And then we were off...

AS4 to AS5 (mile 27.8, 1:15:14 split/6:59:27 cum)
Still mindful that we now had about 3 hours and 10 minutes to cover the next 10 miles, we still tried to push it. We started out for about a mile on the gravel road and then turned left onto Stonecoal Trail. It was Tracey, Amanda and me again. We passed another woman walking in here. I don't remember much about this section. I think because it was now about 3am, I was totally concentrating on the circle of light from my headlamp and moving as fast as I could. We hit a gravel road finally and I knew we should be close to AS5. And finally we were greeted by the Hooks family as we refilled and refueled. This was a bustling AS, not only were Joe and Mark there but so were Pete and Tim Daly, Ashley and several others. We got in and out quickly and headed out on another section of gravel road.

AS5 to AS6 (mile 33.3, 1:21:13 split/8:20:41 cum)
First gravel road, then we hit the Shavers Trail. Mark and Joe were in the lead, then Amanda and me, then Ashley, Dave and Tracey. The Shavers Trail was an adventure, it was through a tunnel of big mountain laurel, some runnable and some washed out rocky and rooty areas. Then there was an uphill section where I couldn't discern the trail at all it was so rocky and rooty. Somewhere in here it dawned on me that after this trail, we'd be on gravel road the rest of the way. Before the race I had wished there was more single track, now I was relishing the fact we'd be off the single track. My eyes were getting real tired from staring at the patch of light in front of me. I told Amanda I felt like I hadn't blinked in hours. Finally we hit the road and I didn't even care that it was uphill, I was just happy it was a road and I didn't have to concentrate as hard to keep my footing. Amanda and I were on our own at this point, we alternate walking and running, wondering when we'd ever get to the AS. AS6 was the same as AS4 so we were really looking forward to seeing those guys again. And then we were finally there and we had made the cut-off by 40 minutes! And Joe and Mark were there too! Tracey, Ashley and Dave soon arrived. We all fueled up and heading out close to the same time.

AS6 to AS7 (mile 37.1, 55:17 split/9:15:59 cum)
Here's where I had my low point. This section was 3.8 miles and would bring us back to Lorrin, Mical and Dan Todd. But it's like 5:30 in the morning, still pitch black, and I find myself climbing hills again. I guess I had hoped this would be a mostly flat section of road, but no, it was just as hilly as all the rest and it seemed to take forever. Also, I had worked really hard to make the cut-off, made it to mile 33, and I was now ready to be done! After all, I've mostly done 50k's and this is when I would be done. Amanda kept up the encouragement and eventually I rallied, it started to get lighter, and we finally made it to see our friends. Continuing our previous pattern, we found Joe and Mark at the AS. The rest of the folks we had been with had gone on ahead. I figured I'd better get out quick or I'd want to stay and ride the rest of the way in the car with Lorrin and Mical.

AS7 to AS8 (mile 44.3, 1:30:47 split/10:46:46 cum)
Here I tried really hard not to focus on the fact that I still had almost 13 miles to go and that this segment was 7.2 miles. At long last we had been able to ditch our headlamps, that was a glorious feeling. For hours after the race I swear I still felt as if I was wearing it. Daylight helped too. After several miles of rolling road on top of the mountain we finally started to descend in earnest. Although it hurt to run, I had to use gravity while I could. Somewhere in here we passed Dave and then Ashley, we never saw Tracey again. Mark and Joe had taken off and I wasn't sure I'd see them again. Amanda and I ran and ran and ran and we made it to the LAST aid station at long last! Kaydra was still there as were several other folks. I could barely eat or drink anything, I was done. We left for the last 5.7 miles.

AS8 to the finish (mile 50, 1:07:57 split/11:54:43 cum)
I left first, Amanda, Mark and Joe quickly caught up to me and we continued our descent. Down, down off Cheat Mountain we went, we started to pass some houses. Amanda's Garmin had matched exactly with the course info so far and she started to tick off miles to encourage me. We passed two guys walking in here. Amanda said we could break 12 hours but we needed to move it. I was not all that into this idea but tried to rally again. I couldn't have been happier when we saw the 1 mile to go sign. The only downside is that it was now sunny and warming up, but heck, it was still before 9 am so it wasn't that hot! Joe was in the lead and as he crested a hill he yelled back to us that he could see the finish and he wasn't going on without us. Bringing up the rear, I crested the hill myself to join Joe, Mark and Amanda for a short run down the hill, up the driveway and across the finish line.


Reflection
I am so happy that's over with!! It's a big weight off my shoulders to know that I made it. A couple of times during the race I remembered Adam saying this was an "easy" 50 miler. I remember him clarifying that by saying 50milers aren't easy, but compared to some others, this is "easy." I've now confirmed there is not such thing as an easy 50 miler. I almost lost it after the finish, it took so much mental effort to keep myself together those last 17 miles that I just felt like I wanted to cry. Eventually I rallied after a shower and some food.

Thanks to Amanda for keeping me going all those miles. I definitely would not have wanted to run all those miles in the dark alone!! And Mark and Joe, you guys were awesome to run with! Lorrin and Mical - I know you didn't get any sleep but it was sure nice to see you at crucial parts of the run, it definitely helped keep me going. And thanks Megan for agreeing to spend your birthday sleeping briefly on the 4-H floor and getting up at 3:30 am to work the finish line, you rock!

Here are the results. And some pictures from Mical as well as some others.

Comus 5k

And here are a few pictures from the Comus 5k.

North Fork

It's August so that must mean it's time for the annual West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners trail run on the North Fork Mountain Trail! It was a beautiful, cool, low humidity weekend and a great day for a run Saturday. The trail is about 24 miles along a ridge top with many incredible views, you can run the first half, the second half, or the whole thing. This year I ran the second half with some extra miles at the start to get about 16.5 in. Other times I've run the first half or the whole thing. I had a realization this year...the second half is much more enjoyable if you skip the first half!! Duh!

But the defining moment of my run came about half way through when I had an encounter with a rattlesnake. I was in a totally shady part of the trail, in the middle of a really rocky section that had just started uphill so I was walking. Then just to the left of the trail (we're talking 12 inches to the left of the trail, not 12 feet!), in a beam of light next to a rock I see a snake.
I believe I said "holy s***" quite loudly and moved back to a safe distance. It was pretty clearly a Timber Rattlesnake. At this moment I really lamented the fact that I was running alone. Where are my buddies??? Lorrin, Amanda or Mical would know what to do!! Why isn't there anyone coming up behind me?? So I took a few pictures and tried to decide what to do. I don't believe in killing snakes so that was out, not to mention I wouldn't want to get close enough to try. I didn't think throwing anything at it was a good idea, don't want to get him riled up! So, despite the risk his buddies could be close by, I decided to bushwack around. I made it safely by, took a few more pictures, and then spent the next hour trying to get my heart rate down. For awhile afterwards I was turning every stick into a snake as well as going through steps of what I would do if I did get bitten. It was nerve racking there for awhile but I finally calmed myself down and went on my merry way.

I finally got to the last really rocky section and enjoyed the great views before descending 2,000 feet to the finish. I'm happy to say I had no more snake sightings, turns out I was the only one that saw a snake. It was my lucky day!! The rest of the day/evening was spent enjoying cold beverages, much food, great conversation and smores around the campfire. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Catoctin results and pictures

	Here are some pictures Lorrin took at Catoctin. Results are up on Kevin Sayers' site.
Catoctin 2008

"Catoctin" (by Joe)

Prologue
Saturday was the dreaded "Catoctin 50K." I completed it in 7 hours and 10 minutes -- by my watch -- the exact time, to the minute, as my 2006 finishing time.

In preparation for my return to Catactin, I dusted off my plan from 2006. In '06, things went pretty well. In March of that year I’d completed my first 50 miler, a slog through the cold rain and mud at Bull Run (introduction to hypothermia). In June of that year I completed my first 40 miler through the hot sun at Highland Sky (introduction to dehydration). With these experiences in mind, I approached Catoctin with the respect it needs. I planned ahead to go out slow enough in the beginning, hold back enough that I could complete the second half of the race in the same time, or faster time, than the first half.

This plan is based on the fact that the first half of the race, while difficult, is easier than the second half. We start on high at the Tea Room, and run “downhill” to Manor Campground. The first half gives you a net descent of probably 1,000 feet over 16 miles -- albeit with plenty of ups and downs along the way that disguise that statistic. At Manor Campround we turn around and cover the same trail, with the same net elevation gain. The second half, therefore, is essentially a long, tough protracted uphill, feeling all the tougher with the terrain and fatigue of the first half.

Based on the timing splits that Michelle gave me (thanks Michelle!), I knew I had to be at Hamburg Rd (mile 6-ish) in 1:35 (race time). Then be at Delauter Rd (mile 8.5) about 35 minutes later. I didn't know any other times, but somehow remembered that my turnaround time at Manor (mile 16) was 10 minutes slower than my time coming back. That would mean it around 3:40 minutes. All of this was flexible, of course. The overall goal was to finish in not too much pain, and somewhere in the vicinity of my earlier time.

A Surprise Appearance
At the start I saw and greeted many of the people that I'd seen last week at Catherine's Furnace F/A. I saw Mark Radan (aka "gym" Mark), and the Gowens and some others. Always nice to see folks. I was sitting on the window sill in the Tea Room, looking at the view of the ridgeline stretching south into VA. I heard a familiar voice, looked up and there were Mark M, Angelo, and Phil. They looked awful, dripping wet. I figured they got caught in some isolated downpour that happened only on the other side of the building. But really they looked like the already ran the race. So I joked, "you guys look like you already ran the race." And Phil replied in his characteristic undertoned way, "yeah, we started at 2am at Manor and ran in just now." I only believed him because I knew Angelo was involved, and it sounded like one his hairbrained schemes.

So eventually we all gathered for the prerace briefing. Race director Kevin explained things - basically run on the blue blazed trail until Manor, then turnaround and come back. It's really that simple. This is a sparten sort of race. Very few markings, no trail clearing ahead of time. Nothing special, though very good aid and support along the way. The race director, Kevin, shared some nice thoughts about his wife, who passed away earlier this year from cancer, and to whom the race is dedicated. He thanked everyone for being there, told us to be sure to have fun, bid us good luck, and launched the race with a simple, "one, two, three, go!"

The First Half
Phil and I let everyone get ahead of us, and started in a slow trot at the end of the field. So far, everything was going according to plan. We kept this pace down the first hill, up the next, down the next (through the lovely stream valley where Lorrin and I saw the rattlesnake a few years ago), passing people only occasionally. As we headed up the second of the two initial hills, the timing was right, but I was surprised at how many people were around us. We were close to a cutoff pace, and it looked like we were in the middle the main field. Maybe everyone had the same plan.

We got to Hamburg Road in 1 hour 35 minutes. Right on plan. Then on to Delauter Rd in about 35 minutes. Kim, Phil's girlfriend, was volunteering there. She cheered us on and helped load us up with the provisions needed for the push to the Manor turnaround, a long 6.5 miles ahead. Well stocked, we moved on, and without trying, we started to kick it up a notch.

There is a long hill after the Delauter Rd aid station that typically I would walk and use to hydrate and eat. But at the Catherine's Furnace run, a funny thing became clear to me - running a slight uphill is sometimes less painful than a downhill. So, here at Catoctin, if I'm slower than usual on the downhill, I had to make up for it on the uphill. With that in mind, I started running. Phil followed, and the push was on. There is a very long downhill leading to Manor, and I did my best, but could feel the legs getting stiff and wondered how long I could keep up the pace. I'd been noticing an ache in my left hamstring that got a little worse as I went downhill. I hate to focus on things like that, but knew I had to monitor it a little.

The Turnaround
At the turnaround we were welcomed by Lorrin, Mark, Jim, Pam among others. they took to us like a pit crew, and when I returned from the loop around the bathhouse, my pack was already stocked. I changed out of my long sleeve shirt, into a short sleeve. I grabbed some pringles and was ready to go. Then, luckily, I remembered that I needed more salt pills. Phil said, "I'll just get a head start," and took off. Phil had been hinting that he was slowing down a little - afterall, he started running at 2am and was now finishing the first 50k of the day. I figured I'd catch him going back up that long hill.

I started strong, but still cautious. As they say, the last half of Catoctin is really the last two-thirds. I was overtaking people pretty consistently, and running the less steep parts of the climb, but still no Phil. By the top of the hill, I determined he must have gone off trail for a nature break or something and passed him and wouldn't see him again. So on I went, continuing a good pace. Near the top of the hill I passed Caren and Mark Z. who looked strong and optimistic as ever.

I noticed a strange sensation that when the trail leveled out, it seemed harder to run. The slight uphills, for some reason, were the most comfortable. The general aching in my legs grew and grew. I no longer felt the ache in my hamstring. Either it got sorted out, or it got absorbed into the more uniform pain in my legs. The sun was coming out more, for longer periods, and the afternoon heat was combining with the morning humidity. The sweat was getting bad. I knew I had to keep drinking and taking in sodium.

On the way out, hours before, I ran the long hill after the Delauter AS. Now I approached the same hill, but going down. Normally I would welcome this opportunity to harness the power of gravity. But today, with the fatigue already searing my legs, I looked at this long downhill as one cruel bit of torture with every pounding step. I shuffled down the hill as best I could, almost angry at that damn hill when I finally got to the bottom. The pain in my legs was real now. Running hurt, pure and simple, and it would hurt from now until the end, nine miles on. At about that moment, the balance of effort shifted from physical to mental. As long at the physical structures held out, getting to the finish was henceforth a matter of will. I felt my spirits sag, and knew I was hitting a low point. My mother always says that she'd rather have a root canal than run 30 miles. At these moments I understand what she means, and as I pounded down that hill, clenched teeth, it would be easy to question why I was doing it at all.

From the bottom of that hill, I knew, it was slightly uphill (runnable) to the Delauter AS. I ran to it, and Kim was there to greet me. I had to sit down for a minute. I'm sure I didn't seem too cheery. I told her I didn't know where Phil was. I lost him at the turnaround, he must have gone off trail and I passed him. "Oh no, he's up ahead about 5 minutes," she said. My low point sagged lower. There I was running my heart out and a guy who started at 2am was gaining time on me. To add to it, I was falling behind schedule on my personal goal and would have to increase my pace to the end if I wanted to finish in my goal time. Increasing my pace was not really an option. I sat and picked rocks out of my shoe and wallowed a bit. Kim got me a cold towel and some watermelon. (It can be so helpful to have a friendly face to help you along the way). I pushed myself on.

I went up the the hill out of the AS. I was annoyed somehow that Phil was still ahead. Not because it was Phil, of course, and not because I hate getting beat (I'm a middle of the packer, afterall), but because it signaled to me that I wasn't doing all I could do. Phil had been running since 2am. He'd covered, now, over 40+ miles to my 20-something. Phil expected me to catch him long ago. He was having a fantastic race.

Getting into the Right Gear
I guess somewhere deep down I have a competitive bone, but mainly against myself. I ran the situation through my mind again: my legs were screaming, I was still 8 miles from the finish, I had miles of rocks still to go and two crushing hills at the very end, the heat was becoming a real factor, I wanted to slow my pace when I needed to speed it up. I took all that, bundled it up and threw it away. Way back, early in the race, I had found a "gear" that worked - a connection between mental and physical that would keep me moving within the limits. I'd been running in that gear ever since. But the gear was now painful. So, I made the decision that I did not need to speed my pace, just keep it. Stay in that gear, up hill and down hill, and don't think about anything else. And so it was. The only real limit was the physical one, and I could feel that my legs, though throbbing and exhausted, were sound.

I've asked myself "why am I out here," and it is this kind of moment that helps me answer that question - the moment when I kick myself past the invisible barrier of my mental limits. Because five years ago I would have been incredulous at the suggestion that I could run 30 miles, especially on this terrain. And because a year and a half ago I couldn't walk down a supermarket aisle without pain. Because right there, at that moment, I could be out there, and there is no guarantee of that later. I thanked the heavens for it. I caught up with Phil about two miles after Delauter, just before Hamburg Rd. We shook hands and ran to the Hamburg aid station together. We fueled up, and he told me to go on. He was finished, he said, and would just have to drag himself to the end.

I went on, getting back in gear and regaining my focus, churning the trail away step by step. I was passing other runners continuously now. That is encouraging in and of itself, but also reassured me that my plan was a good one - keep some energy for later - and that I had stuck to it well. But no matter how far I'd come, I knew the last two miles were the real test.

With about four miles left to the finish I came to the first two final hills. I had to get down the hill, then up the other side and stay focused. There was nothing to do but to do it. So I did. At the bottom of the hill I caught up with Mark Radan. We exchanged a phrase or two in commiseration, and I pressed on up the hill. I stayed in gear, running when I could, walking otherwise, but a solid pace always. The heat by now was oppressive, true Catoctin heat. I swore that I had never sweat as much as I was right then. When that hill was done, I moved to the next hill, on down to the bottom.

The Final 'Hill'
The climb to the finish line began, and for the first time in ages I hazarded to look at the watch: 6:53. I had about seventeen minutes left to stay on goal, but that didn't matter. I was doing what I must, and whether I came in a few minutes ahead or behind that time was almost irrelevant, and out of my hands now. I took another slug of the salted honey mix that had been fueling me all day, and dug in, up the hill.

I came up on Allen Gowan just at the mid-way point, where it levels off to go to the mountain bikers' parking lot. I went on, crossing the road and onto the yellow trail. For the first time I allowed myself to think that I might actually finish this race running, not crawling, and I wanted to weep. But no time for that now, I had one last stretch of hill to go. The last half mile or so is probably 300 feet of elevation gain, most of it on a steep, rooty section of the "green trail," about a quarter mile straight up. Then it levels off and the last quarter mile is a shallower technical uphill around the back of the Tea Room, some rocks and roots, and a final last pitch up 30 feet or so to the road and the finish line.

But first the green trail, and it's always steeper than I remember. That didn't matter, my gear held firm. I churned up it in a fast walk. Near where it levels off I heard the shouts of Lorrin, Kim and Mark cheering me on. I could only raise my hands briefly in acknowledgment. I turned left and ran the final stretch, not noticing the rocks and roots, walking briefly to climb the final pitch. Just ahead of me a guy heard me coming and kicked into a sprint. Thank goodness, I thought, I don't want to 'wargo' anyone today. But then I saw another guy walking - Tom Corris, with cramps in his legs - and I called to him, "Run, Tom, I don't want to pass you." But he waved me on. He couldn't speed up, and I couldn't slow down. I ran across the line, and stopped my watch at 7 hours 10 minutes. Every bit of me wanting to crumble apart. I staggered to a picnic table and fell onto the bench. In the end it all came together. The variables of weather, hydration, nutrition, etc., were managed as best they could be. I had to dig deep for it, and am happy with the result.

Phil came in about 20 minutes later, a bit ashen and understandably tired. He had an amazing day. He covered 48 miles over about 13 or 14 hours - outpacing me for most of it! Caren and Mark Z. pulled off their own endurance feat coming in at 9 hours and 45 minutes -- meaning they got caught in the three thundery downpours that hit after I finished. Great work on finishing, you guys.

Catherine's Fat Ass 50k

Well we found ourselves in the car heading out to the Massanutten Mountains for another adventure this past Saturday. The weather was fairly pleasant at 5:45 am in the park and ride where we met to drive out to the race, but we knew it wouldn't stay that way!

We got out to the start in plenty of time and then hung out applying bug stuff and sunscreen until Jeff Reed gave us instructions. The funniest part of the intro was when Gary Knipling presented Jeff with a silver necklace with what he said was a bear tooth attached, this was to recognize Jeff for all his work on Catherine's over the years. Gary claimed that he and Quatro found a road-killed bear a couple of weeks ago and sawed the tooth off, then used it to get the necklace made. With Gary I suspect anything is possible... Anyway, with thoughts of bears, ticks and rattlesnakes in my head, we started off on our run at approximately 8am.

There's a detailed course description as well as maps on the Catherine's website so I won't bore you with all the gory details. Results can also be found on the site. There were 5 aid stations that were really well stocked. The course was marked anyplace where you might have a question about which way to go. The after-run food and drink were amazing! VHTRC sure does put on one heck of a Fat Ass, pretty impressive for a free event.

In terms of comments about the course difficulty, I will say that I thought the course had a fair amount of runnable stuff and wasn't too technical. The rocky parts are really only on the climb up Bird Knob and then the Yellow Trail. The Purple Trail is somewhat rocky but its bite isn't in the rocks, it's the fact that it gets steeper and steeper as you go and you don't think the switchbacks will ever end. And since that's your 3rd climb of the day and it's pretty darn warm, it's downright unpleasant.

The nice thing about a Fat Ass is that there are no cut-offs so I really was just out trying to do my best to enjoy the day. I mostly succeeded at that. The only thing I really hated was that it got really buggy and that it was hot and humid. But hey, it's July, what can I expect?? I did have some cramping issues the last 8 miles and took all my endurolytes. I know now that I should have had more with me and been taking them more frequently.

But in the end, I had a really good day. I finished all 50k, it took me about 8:53. I spent a lot of time running with Bob Phillips and we entertained each other with ultra stories as well as discussions about politics, cop shows, life, etc. I didn't step on or see any rattlesnakes and didn't get any ticks. I did see plenty of great views, pretty rocks, one probable watersnake, and beautiful streams. So I'd recommend the CFA to anybody looking for a run next July! Here are a few pictures I took along the way.

And if you want other opinions on the run, Joe and Mark can fill you in. They both finished way ahead of me, Joe in 7:17 and Mark in 7:34. The first finisher did it in 4:36, wow!

To those running Catoctin this Saturday, good luck and have fun out there!! Better you than me!

Night Training Run #2

Friday night found several of us traversing the Greenway Trail from 28 to Riley's. It was a beautiful night with a full moon rising to the east. Joe, Mark, Amanda and I enjoyed a nice run to Riley's and then ran several more miles on the towpath. As we were running, our adventurous crew of Lorrin, Bill and Megan were riding their bikes in the dark on the towpath! And people think we're crazy to run in the DARK! Anyway, we did see a snake, raccoon, Great Blue Heron, several toads and two startled "hikers" (male and female) on the trail after Berryville. We also discovered that Riley's Lock is quite the happening place at night. This is apparently where many people come to fish, barbecue and hang out late at night -- there must have been 20-30 people there. Who knew?! Here are some pictures from the evening.

Cranky Monkey 12 Hour Race

While we wait for reports from our bad ass mountain bikers, here are a few pictures from the VERY hot day in Quantico.




More pictures here!

pictures, night training run, etc.

Here are a couple of pictures from Highlands Sky. I hope all are recovered from the day and looking forward to their next trail adventure! And if you get a few minutes, check out Joel Wolpert's race report from HS, he won and broke the course record, pretty interesting read. The course is about 41 miles, his time comes to something like 8:39 pace per mile...impressive.

This past Saturday night I found myself in the DARK on the Appalachian Trail trying to keep up with Joe. What were we doing you ask? Well, I've signed up for Cheat Mountain Moonshine Madness 50 miler in August and Joe is contemplating signing up, so we decided we should do a couple of night runs to "practice" under real conditions. Fortunately Joe made it easy on me, not only did he go first to clear all spider webs and scare off any snakes, he slowed down whenever I asked! Other night runs I've done I never found scary, probably because there were usually like 8 of us running. Saturday was different, every time Joe got more then 30 feet in front of me, every noise would spook me and I found myself sprinting to catch up or asking Joe to slow down. Weird! Somehow, between now and August, I'll have to get over my fear of running alone in the dark in the woods because Joe is a lot faster than me!! Of course I can work on all of you to sign up for this madness and join me on August 22 at 9pm at the starting line!!

Still Learning!

Well I was unsure whether to write anything at all after DNF'ing at Highlands Sky this weekend, but I decided to do something brief to share the experience. One thing's for sure, there is no sure-proof formula I've found yet to do these ultras right every time! I'm still learning. After overanalyzing the whole experience for the zillionth time since I dropped, here's what I think happened.

On the physical front, the humidity was really high so I was sweating a ton and working what felt way too hard for much of the 2300' climb to AS#2 (mile 10.6). We came in about 10 minutes slower than last year which started to bum me out. I was looking forward to the downhill on our way to AS#3 but dreading that next uphill section. When we got to that uphill, again I felt really low energy and that I was working way too hard. After I made it up the hardest part of that uphill section, Lorrin was waiting for me at the top, at this point I told her she better go on, I was really dragging and needed to walk and recover a bit.

As you can probably tell, the mental part of my race was not going so well. I was afraid I'd make her miss the cut off so I told her to go on; I also told her I thought I'd drop at AS#3. Lorrin was the voice of encouragement, trying to keep me positive, but I wasn't buying it! I walked a lot of the slightly uphill railroad grade until the stream crossing. I hung out in the stream a few minutes enjoying the cold, cold water and wishing I could just lie down. Then I decided I wanted to at least come into AS#3 under the cutoff so I tried to walk/shuffle to get there asap. I got there about 20 minutes under the cutoff. Megan, Bill, Joe, Jennifer, Hollis, baby Daniel, Pam, etc were all there encouraging me to rest and get some fuel but also to go on if I could. I talked with Jennifer about what I had eaten so far (1 hammergel, 1 package of luna moons, 1/2 package of clif shot blocks and a pb&j quarter at AS#2). I'd also been drinking lots and lots of water and taking an endurolyte about once every 30 minutes. Jennifer surmised I was feeling wiped out because I hadn't been taking in enough calories. She also convinced me I'd feel a lot better about dropping if I at least made it to the next AS at about mile 20 (that's the crazy wisdom of another ultrarunner talking, thanks Jennifer!).

Somewhere during this visit to AS#3, I found myself eating several pieces of banana and some cheese-its and refilling my water. Next thing you know, I'm trudging out of AS#3 up the still climbing hill. It finally topped out and I found myself running (well shuffling really). I ran everything that was runnable in that section and made it 10 minutes under the cutoff to AS#4. I felt a lot better in this section and decided Jennifer was right.

I now realize that because of the heat/humidity, I didn't really want food so I wasn't eating enough. Also, on the mental side, I did pretty much everything you're not supposed to do. I didn't really have a realistic goal, I was looking at my splits from last year when I was running generally everything faster than I have been this year. I really should have just been planning to run just under the cutoffs, like I've done SEVERAL other races this year and been fine with. But somehow aiming for those faster times and missing them was demoralizing for me. I couldn't seem to stay focused on the successful strategy that's gotten me through a bunch of other races; run AS to AS, don't think about the whole race. That led me to think about how far I still needed to run, including the dreaded road section, and my spirits went lower. So by the time I got to AS#4, my spririts had recovered somewhat, but I was still thinking I was only half-way there and I REALLY did not want to run on that darn road.

In hindsight, I realize that I actually ran the section for AS#3-4 just 2-3 minutes slower than last year. I also think I had forgotten how much more the heat/humidity takes out of me AND that I know how to run through it anyway. I've run Rattlesnake and Catoctin under pretty trying weather conditions and still made it. Losing track of my fueling was bad, not keeping a positive mental attitude was pretty much what ended my race.

I'm actually sad I missed sharing some of the second half highlights Lorrin shared: dodging lightning bolts through the boulder section of the course, climbing the ski slope, descending the buttslide on slick mud she described as being worse than Bull Run 2006, etc. But I did have fun hanging out at the finish line and seeing all the finishers. It's inspiring that's for sure!

Some other highlights include:
- seeing Amanda finish in 8:47, taking 50 minutes off her time from last year, wow
- getting to see Mark finish his first Highland Sky
- watching Lorrin finish 10 minutes faster that last year
- hanging out at the finish line helping hand out finisher shirts
- enjoying great beer from Mountain State Brewing compliments of Willie Lehmann
- chatting with many fellow ultrarunners about HS and future adventures (Cheat Mountain!)

So one way or the other, I'll be back to HS next year, it's a great race whether you're volunteering or running. I know I'll be there either way!

Highland Sky - Race Brief

Results are up. Amanda is a trail monster, top 10 female and 40th overall (8:47). Let no-one doubt her trail prowess! Mark Radan (our friend from the gym) made his Highland Sky debut in 30th place. Mark McKennett, also a Highland Sky first, stormed in with an awesome sub-10hour race (9:53). Lorrin brought it home 10 min. faster than last year at 10:36. Michelle suffered through the heat and high humidity in the morning, and knew it wasn't her day, but gutted it out through aid station 4 (the start of the dreaded road). As Dan Todd put it, 'No sense doing the road if you're not sure you'll finish.'

What a day: fog, humidity, heat, bright sunshine, thunderstorms, driving rain, lightning, mud, lots of mud, more thunderstorms! As promised, it was wild and wrocky, but the most beautiful course we've run! And, of course, thanks to the awesome volunteers Bill, Joe and Megan! And to Dan Lehmann for putting on the race - good luck at Western States!

Highlands Sky Training Run

We lucked out on the weather and Saturday turned out to be a great day to be running at Dolly Sods. It was probably in the 40s in the am and got no higher than the 60s with sunshine all day. We did the first 19 miles of the Highlands Sky 40-miler with an optional add on of some road running for some at the end. The course was in great shape thanks to Monongahela Forest folks and great volunteer work by West Virginia Mountain Trail Runner volunteers.

I can say that the course was the wettest I've seen it, particularly the Roaring Plains Trail. At one point Lorrin and I were running through ankle to calf deep water continuously for what seemed about 15-20 minutes - I'm not sure if it was really that long but it seemed like it! The water just sits on top of the rocks and you really have no choice but to just run on through. It was pretty fun until my feet froze up. We actually had to step out of the water briefly and jump up and down to get the feeling back in our feet. But the views were spectacular as always so it was all worthwhile. We saw lots of cool wildflowers and beautiful ferns, unfortunately no Pink Lady's Slipper this year. We fueled up at about mile 13 with aid hiked in by Megan and Bill and then continued up the South Prong Trail. The South Prong Trail on top of the ridge after AS#3 also had a lot of water on the trail. The picture below is actually the trail, not a stream!
As always, we enjoyed the wet, wild and wrocky trails of West Virginia!


We finished up with a fast trot down FS19 back down to where we started in the morning at Laneville. What a fun day!! We wrapped up back at Seneca Shadows campground with lots of food and ice cold beverages! Here are pictures from the weekend.

Finished! Capon Valley 50K, May 10, 2008

Megan's Race Report
Hmmm...does the report title mean "I finished." Or, "I'm finished!" The answer is both. Check out this photo.

As Bill jokingly asked me before the race: When you finish, will you have your shoes bronzed and hung on the wall? Well, I hadn't thought of that before but that turned out to be a great idea.

You all have heard me belly-aching about how I don't like to run and two hours is just about my limit before I get even crankier and start wondering why on Earth I would want to keep going. Believe me, I'm not suggesting that other people wanting to keep going is anything other than incredibly tough---it's just not for me. So, my goal on Saturday was to finish Capon Valley, and get it out of my system for good. When I got sick before Greenway this year and didn't think it wise to approach the starting line, I needed something to scratch the ultra itch. Capon Valley seemed just the thing---I'd done it before twice and it has the reputation for being relatively easy. Plus, the extra time would allow me to train a little more responsibly than I had been training before Greenway. Good intentions gave way to good margaritas between March and May, but still, we'd put in some good work-outs, eh? Adventure Day at Lorrin and Joe's. Greenhorn with Lorrin. That really cold run with Michelle, Mical, Lorrin, Mark and Gillian on the Catoctin Trail.

Anyway, with a lot of help and encouragement, I finished Capon Valley and now I'm thinking about focusing on being a really good support crew member, getting in some 5 - 10 mile runs in the woods, and feeling really good about that instead of thinking that I've fallen short of my own expectations. It does feel great---can you tell?

Ken's Capon Valley 50k Report

Infidelity. It is a betrayal of trust. It requires lies and deception, perhaps not intentionally and perhaps in words when spoken that are not meant to deceive. But the result is still the same - unfaithfulness. Can a runner be faithless?

The first of the seven alarms I have set goes off at 4 a.m. I’m up like a shot, having gotten 4 and half hours of sleep since getting home from the Nats game, a loss to the Marlins, on Friday night. I have some toast and OJ, grab my bag and drive off to rendezvous with Michelle and Megan. I have the address but the house looks different than I remember, but I recheck the address, the light is on and I gently knock on the door. It opens, and instead of Michelle, an old woman, fully dressed, promptly opens the door and says, “What the hell do you want?” I glance at her hands and silently give thanks that she isn’t armed. “I’m looking for Michelle,” I stammer, “at 4412.” “You’re two blocks off,” she snaps, “This is 4612. You better be more careful next time.”

I quickly retreat, get to the right address, and with Megan behind the wheel, we pick up Luc and head out to Yellow Spring, WV. I grab some sleep in the car.

Much to my dismay, the morning is cool and there is a light mist in the air. I am resigned to getting my feet wet due the rain the past couple of days, as I know from 2007 that the stream crossings will be swollen with runoff, but I really dislike being rained upon, especially when it isn’t warm. I can’t decide whether to wear long pants or a jacket, and finally decide on long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve one, a light shell and a hat. After some vacillation I decide against gloves and long pants.

Ruritan Club to Goleman Barn – 3.4 miles
After some technical difficulties, the boom box plays the National Anthem, the local reverend offers a prayer and at 8 a.m. we are off. I am concerned about my hip, which has been bothering me since the Difficult Run 5 Mile Cross country race five weeks earlier. Because of pain in the hip, over the last 26 days I have only run only once, and that a 5K. I take two ibuprofen at 7:30 and pack another ten in case I need them. I have doubts how far I can get and whether I can finish at all. I resolve that if the pain starts to get worse I will stop. If I need a reminder, I meet into a friend Friday night who tells me he is about to have a hip replacement. He is younger than I. “Don’t do it, dude,” he says, when he hears of my plans for this race.

I tell Megan that I will stay with her for the race and we start off together near the back. In the meantime, Michelle, Amanda and Lorrin take off. We are not a mile into the run, having just crossed the bridge over the Cacapon River and headed up the short stretch of Milk Road when I regret the decision to wear the shell. I remove it and tie it around my waist. Megan is saying that I can go ahead as we walk up the first steep hill on the course. “Oh no,” I say, “I’m with you the whole way. I ’m worried about my hip. I have hardly run in weeks and I’ll be glad just to be able to finish. I won’t leave you.”

We reach the first downhill, and I ease into a longer stride, trying out the hip. It seems OK. At the bottom we turn left and head up a stream course and splash back and forth across it eight times in the next three-quarters of a mile. The water is up and there is no avoiding it. After the last one, we begin a steep climb out of the stream course. Part way up the hill I look back and Megan is just approaching the last crossing. I’ll have to do some walking and she’ll catch up to me, I think.

The course levels out a bit and as we enter the field leading to the barn I am surprised to find myself catching up to Michelle, Amanda and Lorrin. The three are hardcore ultra runners. Last year Michelle convinced me last year to run Capon Valley as my first ultra when she neglected to remember how challenging, at least for a beginner, the course is. I know that they are likely to run the course in 7 to 7.25 hours, and I am beginning to worry that I will burn myself out or blow out my hip. But that’s when it strikes me – my hip is not bothering me! I have no explanation but it is good news and I figure that all I need to worry about now is whether I can run 31 miles on a month of almost nothing but rest.

Golemon Barn to the Water Stop - 3.4 miles
I use the Michelle NASCAR approach to the aid station – no lingering, and keep moving. Michelle, Amanda, Lorrin, I and several other folks run together. At one point we have to yell to some runners ahead of us who have missed one of the very well marked turns. More stream crossings, another seven, all unavoidable. The water is cool, bordering on cold. We push on and at somewhere in here I get ahead of them, likely on the steep descent to the water stop by the Cacapon River.

Water Stop to Capon Springs Road – 3.7 miles
This section contains perhaps the two most challenging parts of the course. Immediately upon leaving the water stop is a very steep ascent. A short while later the trail turns under some power lines. They hum and buzz in the mist while the trail goes down a steep descent down a partially eroded path. The power lines get left behind for some wooded trail and a gravel road down to Back Creek, where we ford knee deep water to the aid station. I shed my shell, remove the long sleeve shirt and stick both, along with my hat, in my drop bag.

Capon Springs Road to Milk Road – 3.9 miles
The course follows Back Creek upstream and there are plenty more opportunities for wet feet. That’s not actually accurate – my feet don’t ever dry out during the day. It’s more like they are refreshed and re-cooled when they start to feel like they are drying out, or at least when the retained moisture has reached body temperature. And even where there are no streams, there is mud and puddles and soggy ground along plenty of sections of the trails. Leaving the stream valley I start to experience a ‘bad patch’ one of those times during which one begins to lose faith as to the reason for what one is doing. It’s brought about by the continuing misty drizzle and the uphill climb. Fortunately, it doesn’t last long and when I come to a place where I can look out over a green field to green mountains in the distance, it’s just about entirely banished. And the rain seems to be coming to an end.

Milk Road to Capon Springs Grade – 4.3 miles
If the climb out from the water stop is the most single challenging feature of the course, this section is the most overall challenging. First, more stream crossings to keep the feet wet. Then the short road to the cabin surrounded by rusting vehicles, including an old school bus being used for storage, and the signs warning trespassers away. But there by the cabin is a pickup truck with two men with water and Gatorade. They are taciturn but I get water because I know what lies just beyond.

More junked cars, true, but more relevant to me, the very long climb up North Mountain. At the top is a dirt road and I can run stretches of it, but at one point I slip and go down slightly scratching my right shin and wrenching my left side. I get up, check for other damage, find none, not even to my previously problematic hip, and go on.

Capon Springs Grade to Capon Springs Road – 5.7 miles
This is the longest, but easiest portion of the course. It’s almost entirely downhill on forested paths. I’m running with [Debbie?Rhonda?] and we are pretty much staying together, with me leading on the downhills and she overtaking me on the uphills. After we cross a road I start to run down a beautiful grass covered road, but she yells to me to come back. I stop and see there are none of the pink ribbons that mark the course so well. Down another stream valley we crisscross the water several times, then start uphill. I fall in with Stephanie and we begin chatting as we approach Aid Station #5. It is her first Capon Valley run, so I offer her previews of what is to come.

She is worried about making the cutoffs, but I assure her that we have nothing to fear, barring injury. She plans to take part in a sprint triathlon the next day with her 12 year old grandson. “I don’t want to embarrass him,” she says, by doing poorly in the tri. I assure her that it’s more likely that the only chance of her embarrassing him is if she smokes him. She denies that is likely to happen, but later tells me she came in first in her age group in the first tri she entered.

Capon Springs to Golemon Barn – 3.2 miles
Stephanie and I grab some refreshment at the aid station, and head up the first of the two significant remaining climbs on the course. Then it is a steep downhill to the final stream crossing of the day, the 32nd by my count, and the 27th time I have to step in water in a stream or creek. This time is the riskiest, as the rocks are at an angle and are slippery and I do a split as a foot slips. I avoid falling in and offer Stephanie a steadying hand so she can avoid my fate.

As we head uphill again, she begins to pull away from me. But the course levels out and I put on a push to catch up because there is something ahead that I want to show her. I catch her and tell her that we should be alert for the tombstone that I saw last year in this stretch of trail. No sooner do I say it then Stephanie points and says, “There!” We stop and read the inscription for Jemima, and as I did last year on the same spot we wonder why she is buried there, and what is the story of her life beyond the ‘wife of’ and the 62 years that her dates span.

Golemon Barn to Ruritan Club Finish – 3.1 miles
I have not brought a pace card with me, so it’s hard to judge our progress relative to last year’s 7:10 finish. I sense I have walked more than last year, but on the other hand, I have not lingered at the aid stations. Stephanie and I are out of the aid station in 45 seconds, and for the first time I voice what has been in the back of my mind since somewhere before aid station #5, “I think we have a chance to finish in less than seven hours.” I have never done so in my four previous 50Ks, but I sense a chance. Stephanie and I keep up a good pace, and she urges me on. We have ten minutes to make it as we turn on to Route 259 and now I urge her on as I’m getting a bit tired from the push to this point. She goes on and I’m walking and running as I can, all the while taking glances at my watch and trying to gauge time and distance remaining. Stephanie yells encouragement over her shoulder as she runs strongly on, but it is also clear that she has accepted the goal as her own as well. Up the road I run and walk, and when I reach the final path of 100 yards or so to the finish I run. There is no clock at the finish line, but the timer says the time as I finish: 6:57. My place is 83/115.

Afterwards
Michelle, Amanda and Lorrin remain steadfast to each other and cross the line side-by-side-by-side in 7:12.

Luc, with the advantage of age, being only 20, finishes before any of us in 6:37.

We have some anxious moments wondering where Megan is, but Michelle spots her when she is still hundreds of yards from the finish line, and we all cheer her in as she is done in 8:03. Was I unfaithful to have left her so many miles and hours earlier after saying I’d be with her? Was Stephanie wrong to have abandoned me in what seemingly became her own desire for a sub-7 hour 50K – a quest that I gave her? Or do we all really run alone, and fool ourselves into thinking otherwise?

Anyway, after enjoying the fine chicken dinner that the Ruritan Club serves, especially the homemade desserts, we head back to Washington. The sky has cleared to a brilliant blue, with scattered puffy clouds, and we stop for ice cream at a roadside stand admiring the beauty of fields and mountains covered in verdant greens in the late afternoon sun.

Greenhorn Update

Somehow Megan convinced me to sign up with her to do Greenhorn. It might have been more 'PromiseLand avoidance' than anything, but I've wanted to try out an Adventure race for some time now, so I agreed. Snakes on Terrain would ride again!

The course this year was at Rocky Gap state park, rather than Prince William park. I was promised the mountain biking portion last year was on forest roads, nothing too technical. The weather forecast was a little alarming, with predictions of thunderstorms, but during the drive up, a lot of the road was socked in by heavy fog.

Gillian came along as our 'team manager' and hoped to get some hiking out of it. We checked in, then sorted out our gear, and picked up our map and started planning. Running a trail race is easy - point A to point B. The adventure race was challenging, because the rules required you to grab the numbered checkpoints in order, but you could pick up 'colored' checkpoints whenever, except the 'water' one, which you basically had to tube or swim to pick up. So you had to strategically think when would be the fastest time to grab a checkpoint, whether running or biking. And the sneak-attack rule was you couldn't drop your bike and go off-trail a quarter mile, if you were biking, you had to keep your bike with you, even up a steep off-trail incline.
The topography and names of some of the trails (e.g., Rocky, Twisty trail. Steep Ravine filled with Shark Rocks trail. Death to Bikes Trail.) led me to question whether a trail would be suitable for biking. Because I am not a good mountain biker. I am filled with terror by anything other than a smooth flat surface, and particularly by steep downhills covered in rocks. These trails sounded suspiciously technical.

Megan suggested we ask a staff member for some details as to the technicality of the routes, so I fluttered my lashes and got some crucial info, which I think helped us strategically.

They sent us off with a mass start, beginning with the canoe portion. Megan & I did rock/paper/scissors because we each had practiced steering once. In our lives. Megan "won." Canoes were careening around and one even capsized, but Megan did an excellent job of keeping us in a straight path toward the opposite shore, where we punched in, then ran off down the trail.

We cut through the woods and shaved some time and distance on the running portion, except when we went up what turned out to be the most brambly, and completely wrong, side of the dam to grab checkpoint green. We got a couple other checkpoints, then did the ridiculous tubing/paddling thing because we thought the water would cool us off between running and biking - and best to get it over with.

We then went through the transition area and grabbed our bikes and were off - straight into a hike-a-bike up the side of the hill, then back down a 'trail' that had been cut like, the day before. Then I went over a scary concrete thing on my bike, so I guess I might be bad-a$$ but I blocked it from my memory.

After getting our final checkpoint, we were on the road to the finish. There was a lady who seemed to be by herself, or with a group of guys, but definately more than the 100 ft from her teammate that the rules require. We leapfrogged with her a bit on the road. I rode into the finish line first but couldn't figure out where to punch in, and by the time the race officals told me, she was already in the box, with another female --- WARGOED!

Well, 4th place is pretty awesome anyway, and we are proud of how we rocked the course. We beat the cut-offs by far, we beat the thunderstorms, and Megan & I got to experience something we've never had at an ultra... hot pizza!!!

"Jet Lagged" at the Rocky Gap Adventure Race

Rocky Gap Adventure Race is described as a “pint sized version of Venture Quest” which is the longer adventure race that we finally finished last fall. RG is supposed to be 3-6 hours, and roughly 18-24 miles of various disciplines (running, mountain biking, paddling, bushwacking, tubing, swimming….). We thought RG would be a great early-season race (because we’re not in very good shape right now!) and a lot of fun. It turned out that Paul would be on a 10 day work trip to China, coming back the night before the race. “Luckily” he didn’t really sleep much while over there, so he never really adjusted to China time. Team “Jet Lagged” was ready to race on Sunday morning. Thankfully, the hot weather that the Promise Land runners faced had moved out, and we had a nice overcast day in the 60s. I can say with assurance that had it been 85 and sunny, I would not have been able to finish. We met up with Joe and John (“The Team”) on Sunday morning at the race site and they told us they were “out for a promenade”. We agreed with that sentiment and just wanted to finish, have fun, and not require medical attention.

We got our maps and the order of events was laid out as follows: run, paddle, bike, paddle, run, and bike. And at some point you had to get a ‘water checkpoint’ in the middle of the lake. You could swim or paddle your team on 2 tubes/1 paddle. We thought swimming was the fastest option, but probably the dumbest.

The day started off well, and it was quickly evident it was going to be a muddy, wet day. We ran for about 30 minutes before we started the paddling leg, which took us about 15 minutes. We transitioned to the bikes and started our muddy journey around the lake. We made the first of a few bad route-finding decisions at this point, and it took us about an hour to hit the next few CPs and get around the lake. We switched back to running gear and then got back in the boats. After about 20 mins of paddling, we had a long trekking section ahead of us with a daunting climb. We needed to get 3 CPs and we opted to get them by going up the ridge the steep way (1000’ climb) and hoping the gentler downhill would be runnable and we could make up time. The uphill was exhausting and difficult- no switchbacks, just straight up 1000’ in a mile, on a gas pipeline clearing (not a real trail). After we got to the top, we were happily able to cruise the downhill, do a bit of bushwacking (Paul took us over a boulder field) back to the lake, and a few miles back around to the transition area.

We decided to get the ‘water checkpoint’ now, and thought (stupidly?) that swimming would be faster. Swimming likely was faster, but was exhausting, and cold. It’s hard to swim in a lifejacket (though I may have drowned without one…), but we made it to the boat, checked in, and headed back. I tried to zone out on my way back and just backstroke my way in. The current somehow spun me around and I ended up heading back to the boat. Luckily I heard screaming and realized what was going on…and figured breaststroke was the safer option. Paul almost cramped up on the way in (and realized why he doesn’t do triathlons… he thought this was the hardest 20 minutes of the race!).

We were now back on the bike for 2 more colored CPs, then back around the lake, and to the finish line! We probably chose poorly at this point too, and ended up bushwacking our bikes up a steep hill, before hitting some nice singletrack (we could have taken this trail up but didn’t realize it- it wasn’t on the map. Grr.) For the next CP, we had a little biking on some nice trail followed by a very steep slope (cliff face, basically) we carried our bikes down, followed by a very long, steep, relentless uphill. My legs were absolutely trashed and I couldn’t imagine that I still had 4 muddy miles to go around the lake, after all this climbing. The rest of the lake loop was uneventful, except I was having some bike rage on a team of pink-shirted b*^@*!$ who eventually got past us. Of course now I’m a little annoyed that they beat us by a few minutes but I was so tired I really didn’t care who passed us at that point!

We hit the last CP, then cruised the last bit of singletrack into the finish area. We were covered in mud, soaking wet, and VERY happy to have finished. We chowed down some pizza and collected our pint glasses for our 4th place finish (race time of 5 hours, 52 minutes) in the co-ed duo division. So much for Rocky Gap being VQ’s “little” brother!