Holy crap

The moment has passed. But I'm sure everyone gets it...

This weekend I met with Greg, who will be crewing for me at the Umstead 100. It was good work session to let him know about my tendency and what he could expect to have to do. Everything was OK. My run that morning wasn't too bad. I stayed out of Umstead and drove up to the Mountain-to-Sea Trail along Falls Lake after taking my parents to the airport. I was planning on 40 miles; my longest training run to date (excluding actual races). Due to being unfamiliar with the course, it was just 35. The course was serene, but I wouldn't say scenic or beautiful. After about 5 miles it all seems the same.

Any hoot, it wasn't until Sunday while at work. I just suddenly thought and realized "Oh, sh*t. I'm running A HUNDRED MILES IN 33 DAYS."

I don't freak out. But I was probably a fidgety for a while.

5 weeks to go. One week of solid training and then I start tapering.

My run this morning: 35-39 F the whole time. Raining the WHOLE TIME. Trail shoes have lost most traction. Hands were numb. 3 stream crossings at calf level or higher. I had a hard time opening cereal bags (I like real food late in my runs, so I carry the bags from those single-serving cereal boxes.). Just wet wet wet wet. Probably ran more than I should have. Next week I'm trying out the Mountain-to-Sea Trail at Falls Lake.

Holiday Lake 50K Race Report

SIDEBAR: Apparently I just won't let this blog die. This weekend I ran the Holiday Lake 50K++ (HL50K) which consisted of roughly 32-33 miles of trails in Virginia near the Lynchburg area. This wasn’t my first ultra marathon, having run the Terrapin Mountain 50K, Promise Land 50K, and Mountain Masochist 50M in 2012. All of these races make up the Lynchburg Ultra Series. And they are within the much larger Beast Series that tacks on the Grindstone 100M and Hellgate 100K. Last year I missed out on Holiday Lake because I ran the Black Mountain Marathon and did not complete the series. It looks like I’ll fall short again this year, since I’m running my first 100M at the Umstead Endurance Run at the beginning of April (two weeks after Terrapin, three before PL). There was a group of us from the Raleigh-Durham area that was running this race; Daren, Elaine, and Todd were experience with ultra marathons, while Michelle, Maria, and Mitzi were running their firsts. Todd and I had carpooled up Friday afternoon, arriving just before the pre-race dinner. Michelle and Maria got there earlier and saved us spots in a lodge, luckily with heat. We picked up our packets, dropped off our luggage, and returned to the dining hall to eat. It was a simple array of salad and pasta, my choice being the lasagna. I caught up with the rest of the gang. The girls were a little nervous, but excited. After a while, Dr. Horton gave a comprehensive pre-race briefing. Dr. Horton is great to listen to and has his own quirky motivation. He tells you the race is tough, that you’re gonna suffer; you’ll want to give up, “But don’t! Finish!” We’re all there together, sharing in the experience. You can tell from the audience that there is tremendous camaraderie and community. Trail races in general have an amazing advantage over road races in that they are a group effort, and Dr. Horton always brings out the best in the runners (and the volunteers!). After some giveaways and promotions (of some interesting-sounding books), we break for the night. Dr. Horton met with the first-timers to provide some how-tos. I listened briefly, but eventually turned in for the night. SIDEBAR: There’s always the pre-race race plan, and then the actual race plan. This race was suppose to just be a nice change from the local trails but to avoid racing too hard so that I would get back to training for Umstead in two months. I didn’t think I would take longer that 5:30, but I didn’t want to finish faster than 5:00. I got up sometime between 5:00 and 5:30 after a fitful night sleep. For some this predicts doom, but I shrugged it off, got dressed, and headed to the dining hall to check in. The girls were up, and I joined them to eat and chitchat before running. I had about a cup and a half of coffee; I’m not ritualistic about drinking coffee, but I enjoyed it for its warming feeling. We started promptly a 6:30am, predawn, so it was dark and I was wearing my headlamp. This first spat was on the pavement heading out of the camp. The field was crowded, but not mob-ish like a lot of big road races. There was a bottleneck heading off road. I try to be patient to begin with, but shortly I started calling out “on your left” and move my way up. Several people were courageously running sans lamp, and I was eager to pick my way across the ground and forward. The terrain for most of the race was very similar. It’s not quite bridal trail, not quite single track. I think Dr. Horton describes it as a jeep trail, whereas I would say “ATV.” I’ve never run at Holiday Lake. However, I began notice it was very similar to other VA state Parks I’ve run on, where you have a mildly—rugged, not-very-technical trail that parallels a paved road. I was running just fine, at this point yo-yoing with several runners. This early in the race, it’s impossible to tell who is on pace or who will blow up (myself included). Given that, I was worried about going too fast, but also letting some competitive nature creep in. I was also getting hot. A couple of hundred yards from the first aid station, I took off my light windbreaker and stuffed it in the back pocket of my UltrAspire Spry (threw my headlamp back there too). At Masochist, I wasted a lot of time doing the same thing with a Nathan pack outer bungee cord, and this went much faster. I felt much cooler, but by fumbling with the jacket, I probably grabbed less food at the aid station that I should’ve. The next section included similar terrain, with a deep stream crossing and more mud. And at aid station 2 IT happened. Another runner (seemed like a LU student) asked the aid station volunteer how many people had come through. The response? 95. My immediate thoughts? “That’s too many.” I won’t say I greatly sped up, but I forgot all thoughts about taking it easy. I was anxious to start reeling runners in. And this was really where I started to find my rhythm. Through this sections, past aid station three, I just tried to manage that rhythm and keep it steady. The yo-yoing gradually tapered off. To be honest, I never know it it’s because my pace increases or theirs slows down. Once we started skirting the lake, I started seeing the returning runners. After the first several, I lost those outlandish illusions of a grandeur top 10 finish, and continued to work on bringing runners in. My strong points were on some of the climbs, following the advice to walk [/climb] with a purpose. Closer to the turn around point I saw some familiar faces particularly close competitors that I mysteriously became very anxious to catch (as a NC State grad, I was putting the VT ultra runners in the cross hairs). At the turn around I was surprised and glad to see Rush, who I’d met at some of the previous races and some local Fat Ass races. After a strong first loop, I was ready to focus again on control, but we both looked at my 2:21 split and Rush says, “You can totally break five hours. You could probably negative split.” Well. OK. I was hedging any bets, but coming through every subsequent section, I was mentally doing the math and trying to gauge my fatigue. Not too long after turning around I crossed paths and encouraging words with Daren, followed by Todd. A little bit later Mitzi went by, all smiles. Farther along, Maria, Michelle, and Elaine were all together, climbing a steep hill while I was descending. I was really starting to feel the fatigue sometime after aid station three on the return. I was pretty sure my pace was solid, but the visual contact with runners ahead was less frequent. I also think since I had started to watch the clock; even some of the few walking sections were making me nervous despite trying to remind myself, I didn’t NEED to nor SHOULD I being trying to race this (negative split, damn it!). I also misjudged the stream crossing on the return section. For some reason, I thought it was between three and two. When I passed aid station two, I sort of forgot about it. So when I DID cross it, I was slightly demoralized about having heavy, wet shoes again. Those last few miles I did relent a little and let myself walk some of the smaller humps (not really hills), content with my situations and wanting to have a little reserve for the very end (for what good it would do). I figured I would likely even split, or go slightly over 4:42. Like most races, the last section is a gradual (or steep!) downhill, and I felt much better after passing the 1-mile-to-go mark (Rush was also just driving past and shouted some encouragement). The pavement wasn’t much good on the feet, but excellent for striding out a little farther. Past the cones, I ran strong through the finish in 4:36:44! Definite negative split! Dr. Horton was there like he is for every runner and shook my hand, though mangled the name (It’s ok! Everyone does it! (It’s just like Duran Duran)). I waited around for the rest of the gang to finish. Maintaining their order, Daren came through followed very closely by Todd and then Mitzi. Much later we saw Michelle and Maria, while after struggling with stomach issues, Elaine rounded us out. Everyone blasts me for feeling “bittersweet” about this race. I loved claiming a 4:36 finish and 29th place. But I know I still have a first 100 miler coming up, and I’m not taking a standard recovery period, which puts me in an injury-prone zone. I’ve kept the weekly mileage lower, but not low, and next week it will back to the grind. Also, everyone is keyed up for the rest of the series. I would LOVE to join them, but have to be content with plugging my ears. Though the whole series is not the books, I’m considering going for the Grindstone 100M and Hellgate 100K this year with an eye on the whole Beast Series next year. Half of it is too accomplish something amazing. Half of it is that this is such an inspiring and support group of runners, and I always leave these races anxious to see everyone again.

While getting for the Black Mountain Marathon (run in conjunction with the 40 mi Mount Mitchell Challenge), my biggest worry is specificity of training. The race is hilly. As in, mountainous. As in, you run UP UP UP the freakin' mountain. It's very hard to mimic that type of topography in the Triangle. So I'm a little anxious about being completely ready for the race. My hope relies on two things: 1) a training run last weekend at the Uwharrie National Park (with an upcoming race) was fairly hilly. I didn't feel fast, but I felt prepared and confident I would know when to run and when to walk; 2) my training mileage has me pretty much prepared to run an ultra, so although my race is only (HAH!) 26.2 miles, with the 13.1 miles UP, it's comparable.

I've returned to the social run at The Athlete's Foot (sorry, Capital RunWalk), which is always fun. It usually ends up being a stress-less tempo run. Recently I've been running with a high school sophmore who's shown up. Sometimes I don't know if he's trying to brag, or if he's overconfident, or just being a typical teenager. I definitely wouldn't say yet I'm mentoring him, but I hope he'll pick up some good tips. My biggest worry is his ambitious goal of professional sports. He fully intends to pursue either professional baseball, or professional running. For the former, he shouldn't be concentrating on getting in a half marathon. For the latter, he should be more realistic. This past Tuesday, I easily dropped him after 4 miles with a 7:30 pace. I know I'm quick for rec runners, but this should've been a breeze for pro-potential.

Ah well. This morning was a drizzling-to-raining-to-POURING single track run at Umstead. I've had to walk for safety due to trail technicality. This was a first that blinding rain (also using a headlamp) slowed me down significantly. Heart-racing run.

My New Years Resolutions:

Given up artificial sweeteners. At least the packets, so diet sodas, certain sugar-free products and what not are still in. It's just been a bad habits that's worth working on kicking. My biggest worry was removing it from my coffee, but so far it's been pretty good with out it.

Stop weighing myself daily. I'll still do it about once a week, but in my efforts to not be so controlling of my diet and weight, and to let my energy and performance rather than my weight dictate my eating habits, staying of the scale should be helpful.

I have a few other ones, but they'll stay a little closer to the chest.

Let me say how much I love oatmeal. I've really come to appreciate it's versatility. It's a fantastic base for just about anything. It's great just plain, with a little sugar or honey or jam or maple syrup or .... During the holidays my favorite was with pumpkin puree and some dairy such as Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. The utility really came to light when I discovered a more savory dish by adding turkey sausage and some cheese. The result has been a phenomenal meal that is reminisce of sausage gravy (so think a porridge-y version of biscuits and gravy). So in savory dishes, oatmeal can work a lot like grits, especially if you're using the coarser Steel cut variety.

In honor of such, I happened across this website with a little oatmeal devotion:
Kath Eats

I hate to admit it, but rest/easy days are useful. Instead of another run, yesterday consisted of an afternoon sessions with the bike trainer (think spinning). Low intensity and low impact, it gave this morning's run a lot of energy and pep. It felt really good. Probably killed my energy for tomorrow's race (the 10-mile Little River Trail Run), but as a low-priority event, I won't be terrible anxious about it.

2011 Follow up

I promised a review of 2011, so here it is. I realized I was just planning on going over my running, but I guess it's worth saying something about my swimming and biking.

Though I planned on racing a half-Ironman, my biking turned out to truly just be a training tool. Just a yearly summary, from my beginnertriathlete.com log, I biked 3098 miles, for 177 hours, 53 minutes. I know some of my cycling was on the trainer, where I can't track mileage, so I don't know how, or if that was factored into that summation. For 2012 I don't really have any cycling goals. It would be nice to hit that stride where I feel ready again to train for a half- or full Ironman, but I'm not holding my breath.

Swimming I completed a total of 472,497 yards (268.5 miles) for 117 h, 41 minutes. I was pretty good about tracking distance AND time together. However, in some of my later workouts it was impractical to match distance to actual swimming time (i.e. excluding rest time on the walls). For races, I completed four open water swims. Three one miles, and one two miles, they were all part of the Triangle Open Water Swim Series. In each I placed first in my age group (though only of about two swimmers). In 2012 I'd like to do as many as possible, but I've already spotted some trail races and obligations that may affect that. Like last year, I'm also keeping my eye open for a convenient marathon swimming event. There were two in October that caught my eye, but my enthusiasm and motivation for cold open water swimming may stand in my way.

Ahh, now to running. There's a discrepancy between my two logs (beginnertriathlete and excel) and I'll defer to my excel spreadsheet.

January - 112.38 miles
February - 207.53
March - 234.62
April - 234.49
May - 0
June - 43.08
July - 187.99
August - 280.24
September - 318.12
October - 259.55
November - 402.65
December - 325.44
Total of 2606.09 miles for 363:48:27, with an average of 8:23 min/mile.

The obvious increase in mileage came from my ultra training. The lack of miles in the spring was when I broke my foot. I should disclose that in the later part of the year, with so much running on the trails, there was a bit of estimation on certain runs, based on my perceived pace or extrapolation from parts of the run I could measure. My average pace was much slower from 2010 (7:36), but my mileage was way up (from 1769), and my training was different. Different focus (ultra running vs. short triathlons) and different terrain (mix with majority trails vs. essentially all road).

2012 is going to be an exciting year and I can't wait to see what it will hold. In the short term I have another local trail race in about two weeks, and a full marathon in February that will involve climbing Mt. Mitchell! Over the horizon, I'm just dying to slug out some ultras. March is looking to include either a 50k or 50 miler. In June, there's the North Face Challenge OR the Chattanooga Stage Race. My big interest is doing the JFK 50 miler in Novemeber, and there may or may not be another race sometime in September or October. Right now the sky's the limit.

Like everybody else, I'll do a little year in review. It's certainly been a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs. Luckily my memory sucks, so this shouldn't be too lengthy. Most of what I will remember will come from reviewing my running log.

This time last year I was just coming off of my IT band issues after I started training too soon after the City of Oaks Marathon. At that time I was still committing my training to triathlon. Following my step-wise progression, this was suppose to be the year of the half-Ironman, so I signed up for the White Lake Half since several other friends were doing so.

Training was going great. I had a high volume routine with a couple of two-a-days and lengthy brick workouts. I still wasn't completely satisfied with my cycling. In April, I had a full race weekend where I ran both the Tarheel 10 mile and the Raleigh Rocks Half Marathon on back-to-back days. I met my goals in both with sub-7:00 min miles (which happened to be a PR for my half marathon!).

Unfortunately only two weeks before the race, I developed a stress fracture that sidelined my race plans. This meant a solid 4-6 weeks without any running, again devoting most of my energy to swimming and cycling. It wasn't until July that I was able to start hitting the pavement and trails again.

At some point I decided to put triathlons on the back burner. I don't casually give up on goals like that, but I ended up weighing my sparse enjoyment of cycling against the things I didn't like about it: the costs, the time commitment, the hazards, etc. For the moment, cycling and I just aren't in-sync, so for it's just a cross-training activity.

What I did fall in love with was trail running, which I guess I started after Greg invited me to a weekly trail run headed by Daren Marceau, Meredith and his father[/in law]. The focal point of my training became the Medoc Mountain Trail Marathon in October. With a lengthy build up, I hit some incredibly mileage goals that, given the time to publish, I would proudly boast. The training paid off with a first place in my age group, and fourth overall.

That race quickly moved into my first attempt at an ultramarathon. I had eight weeks to get ready for the Lookout Mountain 50 miler in December. If my marathon training was grand, then this was epic. 6 hour runs, 5 and 5 back-to-back long runs, 3x3 hours, etc. One week I will proudly say I broke the 100 mile mark.

Sad to say, a week before the race I fell of my roof and broke two ribs. Still able to run; however the "nagging" was just too distracting and unpredictable that I decided to postpone the race. What's followed since is some pretty typical weekly mileage, but broken down differently where I've been running based of what I want to do, as oppose to a set schedule.

Yesterday, my final run was the Carrboro 50k, where I successfully ran all 3 laps. It doesn't make me an ultra-runner since it's not an official race, but it settled some frustration I had from not being able to run my 50 miler.

Now, it's time for a run. Maybe a follow up post I'll put in some of my basic stats from the year, and speculate on what 2012 will bring.