Long Time No See

Wow. Has it been since June 10 that I last wrote something on here? If I was one of those mega-blogs, I suppose I might feel kinda bad. But really not a whole lot has been going on this hot hot summer.

I have had no major problems due specifically to the Thunder Rock 100, or to the mater of doing two 100 mile races within 6 weeks of each other. I made sure to take it nice and easy. However, there have a few tough weeks and missteps, from a variety of factors. First, it's hot. I remember last summer when I was in Chapel Hill, and having a markedly slower pace. Of course some of that was attributed to the hilly nature of that area, definitely a lot of it was because of the weather. Definitely at least 15 sec per mile it seems. Secondly, I have a bit of weightlifting. For the majority of the summer, it's been on my own, at the Y. Nothing crazy long and hard, but there were definitely some squats in there, which I could always feel during my runs. And then, last week, I buckled down and joined Morrisville Community Crossfit. Crossfit is a pretty unique mix of exercises. Heavy loading, gymnastics, dynamic lifting... it's hard to explain exactly. If you know what it is, you probably either love it (and are a member of a gym) or you think it's the devil. I'm not a hard convert. But I definitely seen my brother benefit from it. It's in NO WAY WHATSOEVER going to replace my running. However, I want to see myself become as balanced an athlete as I can, and it's a fun community.

This past week, my running got sidelined for a little bit. Everything was fine and dandy, but over my 15 miles run on Saturday, I just had an ache in my foot; afterwards, it felt terrible. I've had issues with stress fractures in the past. It's developed before from either too much mileage, or ill-adjusted sheos. I'm sure adding some of the dynamic lifting from Crossfit didn't help. I also did not respected the rest day (Thursday), which I'm sure didn't help. Lastly, I was experimenting with a pair of Altra zero drop shoes. Even though they are nicely cushioned, they may still have promoted too aggressive forefoot running that stressed the metatarsals. Since it felt similar and in the right location, I decided to be safe now. Better to take a week off now than 4-6 weeks later if it really goes south. It felt pretty much resolved by Tuesday, but I took yesterday and today to do some swimming and enjoy getting settle at the Crossfit gym.

The job front is still in limbo. But that may be OK. I've got the Assessment Center for Durham County in about three weeks, but also some other things going on. I'll hold out for a little bit. I'll just say I'm feeling very proactive and motivated.

Soundtrack:
Reckoning by Pillar
My Enemy by Hans Zimmer (this is an instrumental piece from The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

Let the Summer Come

I guess it's been a while since my last post. There hasn't been a whole lot to talk about.

It's almost too late now to properly reflect on the Thunder Rock 100. There were several ways that the race went differently than Umstead, which may prepare me for future races. Like, I think my hydration was better; I never really felt like I couldn't stomach ANYTHING. They actually had these really delicious flaxseed, oatmeal bars that [they said] you could get at Costco. I really enjoyed using my minimal pack and handheld water bottle. It was much simpler and quicker for refueling at aid stations than having to try and work the bladder in the Nathan pack. I was also surprised that the overnight running didn't bother me too much. I never really felt fatigued from being awake all night; it was more bothersome to be tunnel-visioned with the headlamp.

My recovery has been a little bit more relaxed, now that there isn't another race coming up. I needed it too. My legs got beat up more from TR100 than Umstead, and in the days afterwards I could feel it. I eased back into running much more slowly, though I was still able to begin running after just a week.

There's still no rush to run another race, and I expect to wait until the fall for another major ultra. I only have a handful of races in mind. I had actually been offered a chance to run the inaugural Uwharrie 100 that's going to be staged in October. I ended up passing on that to focus on other races; two in particular. Actually, the first one isn't even a race; more of a challenge. The closest comparison is to when runners like to make Rim2Rim[2Rim] attempts (that is, they try to run from one rim to the other of the Grand Canyon; some times back). Some of those guys like to try and get the fastest time, some just to do the run, but for all of them, it's all guts and no glory. No starting line, no packet, no T shirt, no medal. Just the personal satisfaction. For myself, there's a route in the NC mountains called the Pitchell challenge. You start at the summit of Mt Pisgah and run to the top of Mt Mitchell. Following the Mountain-to-Sea Trail for the majority of the route, it ends up being approximately 100K. Obviously with no organized race/event, I can do it whenever I want. However, October is supposed to be the ideal time to do it, and at the moment that will be my timeline. Secondly, I want to run the Hellgate 100K. It's best known as the last race in the Beast Series. Developed by Dr. David Horton, it's a gruesome race, starting at 12:01am, it's a 100K that feels like 100 miles. I really like the community around these events, but I haven't done one of the races yet, and I'd rather not tackle the Grindstone 100M, and I'd like to take a break from Mountain Masochist.

So far, I have yet to hear back from the Wake EMS about their EMT position. I haven't heard back from Cary either, but they are only just getting started even looking at the applications. The Raleigh Fire Department just opened up recruiting for a fall academy, and I will probably apply as a chance to get into Emergency RESPONSE, even if it's not directly Emergency MEDICINE. In the meantime, I have started working part time for a medical transport company. My brother has been working for them for a while now, and the whole time during my EMT class, hinted that they were looking for folks. So, I contacted them, and started working. I could use full time right now, but I will technically be part time, given I plan to work full time for EMS or the fire department. Still just crossing my fingers.

Soundtrack:

"Saving Grace" by Flyleaf

"Last Resort" by Papa Roach

The Third Chimpanzee

It's taken me a while to get through another book. The previous book I read was Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. This guys has written several books in the same field, and since I found it fairly interesting, I picked up another one. The Third Chimpanzee was actually written back in 1993, many years before Guns, Germs, and Steel. I'll admit this book took me quite a while to get through. I checked out the book from the library, and from looking at my original receipt (which I always use as a bookmark), I had gotten the book way back on March 23. So we are talking about a good two months to get through the book.

The premise of the book is this: human are most commonly related to chimpanzees, of which there are two species in existence. Our genes vary by only TWO PERCENT from chimps, yet we are obviously vastly different from our evolutionary relative. So what about that two percent makes us different? What about us is so unique? Dr. Diamond sets out to understand the traits that make humans "special." Along the way he tackles a wide variety of biological, as well as cultural traits. Probably a lot of them, most people wouldn't consider important (certain sexual features). Others are things we take for granted (art, cooperation, communication).

It's a fairly complex subject. If anything it hints at the nuisances of evolution. Some traits we only share with our closest relatives. Others we share with the strangest of creatures (did you know some ants also practice agriculture and animal domestication?). It illustrates that the evolution of some traits depend a lot on the context and history of a species as well as the contemporary situation that they're in. Another important conclusion is that humans are not unique in our uniqueness. It's just the specific set of circumstances and timeline of events that led to our current stature in the world.

As a read, it's so-so. I think coming off of his other book; I was a bit fatigued with his writing style. Diamond sticks very well to the structure of an introduction, supporting information, summary, which often leads to a feeling of redundancy. Also, a book about human traits, which includes analysis of mass murder and genocide, environmental pollution, cannot exclude some highly opinionated statements. I think he keeps it in check, but just barely. Some of the dire circumstances he wrote about in 1993 would be interesting to see how bad it actually is, now, 20 years later.

I originally planned to read his follow up to Guns, Germs, and Steel; a book called Collapse, which is about what causes societies to fail. But I think I may take a break from some of this social analysis. I've been meaning to read the book "Lone Survivor." I haven't seen the movie specifically because I've heard it's better to read the book first. Hopefully it won't take me a full month.

Thunder Rock 100 2014

Chattanooga, TN. Near the finish for the Head of the Hooch

How to begin a race report about the Thunder Rock 100? A race "mistakenly" measure almost as bad as a Horton race. A race with 3 storms within the first 5 hours. A race with a definite bushwacking section. Probably my toughest race to date. But some of the most incredible memories and experiences I've had in a race.

For most of the beginning, I was immensely worried about being too cold. The forecast was much cooler than I anticipated. It hadn't climbed out of the low- to mid-50s, and here I was standing in a singlet. I was eager to begin running. Despite a forecast of only 10% rain, we were greeted with a downpour and thunder, not 20 minutes before the start. Was this going to follow us the whole race? My concerns of hypothermia were increasing; but the weather abated within 10 minutes.

The race starts at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, which hosted the '96 Olympic whitewater events. It began with a tunnel across a suspension bridge, resonating questionable with the pounding of the runners. We turn off on to trail and off we go! This first sections is pretty benign single track, with various switchbacks for short rollers. Of course it's slow, when at the start there wasn't much room for the pecking order to get settled out, but we are all patient and manage. After a little bit we are back down to the river, crossing at the Thunder Rock campsite. Wee get with the first large climb of the race. Once near the top, the hail starts! Pea-sized balls sting my skin. The temperature is fluctuating like crazy and I'm torn between breaking out the armwarmers and gloves. Probably within this same section, though the hail wanes off, rain and thunder join in. We also get this insane trail jump, aka bushwacking. No marked trail, just a guy tells us to tun let and follow some yellow cones for nearly 1/4 mile. This following section is nearly 10 miles as we make our way to the Deep Gap aid station. Usually aid stations are where lots changes in place occur as some runners take longer or shorter. This section is a mix of single track and very ungroomed ATV trails. It's another 10 miles before we get to the small of Reliance, crossing the bank of the river to the aid station. The hills have kind of tough. I feel ok, but wondering if I'll regret the pace. But the sun is out, and I'm glad I decided to leave off the warm clothing.

The starting area.

Already I can tell some very distinct things about these Wild Trails races. First, part in the course guide that says "flat" or "descending" just means average/by TN standards. Everything are rollers, with STEEP inclines. Second, aid stations are more sparsely stashed compared to Umstead, or a Lynchburg race. From listening to the race director, Randy Whorton (pronounced just like Horton!), he is ALL about preserving the remoteness and natural beauty of the trail. We'll see later that many other runners weren't exactly happy. For Mr. Whorton, course markings are rare. You'll see them at every junction and turn, but otherwise, MAYBE every half mile.

OK, so now we get too some actual flat portions, but unfortunately there's 1-2 miles on pavement that is actually hurting a lot more than the rolling trails. I'm so grateful to reach the Powerhoue aidstation. At 32 miles, this is the first time I've taken to refill my bladder. At first I'm ecstatic that the aid station does spill a drop. Yet, I only make it about six miles until I'm dry! I'm sure my drinking has increased, but drinking in 6 miles what took me 32 before? Now I'm paranoid, and for awhile, I'm getting filled at every aid station which is really time-consuming. Until mile 39 at Coker Falls, we're right next to the river bank. Unfortunately it's incredibly rocking and treacherous. Lots of kneeling and stopping to find the best path around the rock beds.

I couldn't say much about the next part. It's mainly fire road, with several steep climbs, but also with steep descents. There's nothing gentle or gradual about any of these hills. The next aid station is Manning Cabin (I actually later meet the woman who lives there. Who will be going to compete in a 30 hour adventure race later this month!). Suddenly a huge crowd of 4 other guys have caught up to me! It catches me a little off guard, but I try no to show it. It's getting closer to sunset, and cooling off. I pull out my headlamp for the ready, and put on my gloves. This whole next section is knee-killing pavement. It's residential and every home has it's guard dog out (Randy warned us that the county residents are some of the poorest in the country, and not the friendliest). And this point my knee can't decided to cooperate or not. It'll stiffen up at every aid station when I stop moving, and even for a 30 second pee break. Mainly down hill to begin, I chat with one of the guys as we kind of ebb and flow with his main group. We a gradual, but walk-able incline up to the Servilla. It's a crew accessible, no aid, and right at 50 miles! Half way! At this point, I've hitched on with three of the guys who've kept going. And this starts some of the best running I've had.

Ryan, Alex, and Dave introduce themselves, and I keep up. I've felt pretty good about how hard I've worked, and definitely agreeable to their walk/run moments. And it's less awkward than silently yo-yo-ing with them for the next several miles. We're just chatting away about everything, really feeding off each others energy, pushing each other when it's needed. Randy planned for most of this section to be fire roads, since it's all in the dark. I'm going into my first all-night race. We've climbed up to Iron Gap. I'm at my first drop bag location. I change into a T-shirt, and exchange my Nathan pack for a minimalist vest and handheld water bottle. Everyone else takes care of stuff too, but we all agree to stick together. We head on out. We hit another aid station called Bullet Creek uneventfully. The BIG station, 65 miles in, is Starr mountain, is probably the closest in comparison to Umstead. But still, the fanciest REAL food is broth. Ryan is seriously/jokingly craving a grilled cheese that he just can't get. Now we head back out, and we are making out way back to Iron Gap. It adds in some single track. By now our legs are trashed, and the course is muddy, mucky, full of debris. We're all kind of zoned into ourselves and keep focused by calling out obstacles. I think we're finally glad to exit back to the fire roads for 1.5/2 miles back to Iron Gap. I planned on switching to ear warmers (instead of my cap) and exchange for a fresh headlamp, but I'm doing OK on both accounts. I very glad the weather has dipped significantly But now we're back on single track, and bombing downhill too. We're all getting very anxious about the next part.

After some frustrating false hopes (we can see the lights of the camping areas), we reach the Hiwassee River for the crossing. We're all dead. But we have to essentially repel 5-6 feet down the bank to the water. Then, using a safety rope, cross waist deep, freezing, fast-moving water. One wasn't bad enough. We crawl out, only to have to dip back down for another, albeit shorter crossing. We run a couple hundred yards over to another aid station where I have my drop bag. We're about 17 miles from the finish. This aid station has a nice selection and I get to munch on some peanut butter cookies. My stomach held up WAY better than any other ultra. I've done better about having a consistent, steady intake of both calories and water. Even though I have a drop bag here, all I do is reapply some lubricant; I don't feel as cold coming out of the water, and the temperature has stayed agreeable throughout the night. We head out, though I have a brief scare when I get about 200 yards up course when I realized I left my handheld and turn around to get it.

We are now in the longest, most frustrating part of the course. 4 miles with 2200 feet of climbing. I don't think this is as bad as Apple Orchard Falls in the Promise Land 50K, but after 80 some odd miles, it's torture. Nothing but walking. We're a little upset when we realize we took FIFTEEN minutes at the last aid station. This is the one section decide to put on my jacket. We would all be swerving all over the place, except we have the narrowest of switchbacks with barely a foot's worth of cliff before plunging back down the mountain.

As we near the top, Oswald Dome, we get a boost when the sun finally returns. We've made it through the night. At the aid station at the top, the end becomes so near; we're only a half marathon away. We make two pacts: we're going to aim to finish in under 21 hours, but more importantly, we're going all cross the finish line together. Ryan, Alex, and I have helped each other out the last 50 miles, and we'll see it through together.

However, this last part turns into the most irritating two sections of the course. Randy described this as all "mostly flat and downhill." See my statement above. Sure, we have plunging miles of down, only to be turned right back upwards. There's nothing flat about this. Worse, we're wincing over some pavement. The VERY last aid station comes into sight that signals 5.8 miles to go, and we have 1.5 hours to make. Seems doable, and again, it's suppose to be all down hill. Not. At. All. It seems for every mile downhill, we take another quarter to half back up. We're positive the last aid station was misplaced, because it's been WAY more than 5 miles. There's a long section of rock fields worse than Terrapin Mountain. Reminds me a bit of the southern terminus of the Uwharrie trail. WE get back on some un-groomed ATV trails, but it just won't end. We're passing a couple of other runners. Alex is an intense guy. Any time we're passing, we surge. In his words, "when you pass, leave no doubt."

There's little warning as we come around a switchback and see the finish line 100 yards away. Alex, Ryan, and I link hands, and cross the finish in 21:04.

It's an incredible feeling. To compare it too my two years an Umstead, the fatique is like the first year. Within seconds, even walking seems impossible. But we're done, and we got it done. The finish line is very unassuming, almost LESS than an aid station. But we hop in a shuttle and are taken to a nearby rafting center. I get a lukewarm shower. They have bunks, but being up a huge set of stairs, I take a power nap in a rocking chair. Alex's crew is a true testimony to the trail running community. I've only Alex for 12 hours; I've been in the presence of his crew for less than 20 minutes. But they congratulate me like I was their own runner, and they give me a space blanket, no questions asked. I hang out for the next couple of hours. Unapologetically, I devour a cheesburger, four [bite-sized almost] slices of pizza, and two Gigi's cupcakes. I end up just sleeping in my car for about 1.5 hours before turning back to Raleigh. I didn't plan to go all the way home. I'm stopped a little less than halfway in Black Mountain (I love this little town), and I'll make the final leg in a little bit.

Belt buckle and finisher's gift, a WARM blanket

I had to crawl up these to get food.

I'll reflect more on the goals and race execution at another time.

New Horizons

I had a pretty good couple of days. Work was so-so uneventful (until today), and some good stuff with my EMS future. I feel pretty good physically for Thunder Rock next weekend.

I let my mileage build up somewhat over the past few weeks. Not in preparation, because I'm still trying to just recover from the last race. I just like running farther distances. Nevertheless, I felt sluggish. However, I guess over the weekend I had a breakthrough because this week I was doing pretty good. I still need to remember that I still need to taper, and bring the mileage back down over the weekend and into next week.

My plan is to leave Thursday to head out to Chattanooga. I'll stay in town Thursday night, and drive back east about an hour to the start, which is at noon. I'm still not sure how I'll get home after the race. Well... I mean, I know HOW I'll get home. It's more of whether I would brave the trip that afternoon, or linger around for a while, stay overnight, and drive back Sunday morning. The smart thing would be to wait. But the smart thing would also be not to run two 100s only six weeks apart.

Things are wrapping up with Pool Pros. Most of my inspected pools got handed over to their managers, and with only two pools left to be inspected, I was pretty relaxed most of the week. Today was stressful as I had my last two inspections. Crazy as it sounds, I passed and ended this inspections season 14 for 14 (pools passed to pools inspected). I probably have a few more days of work. But my race is next week, and I have a couple different parts to an EMS interview, that I'll have good chunk of time away.

The EMT jobs are in sight! Yesterday, after checking every couple of hours, my certification was finally posted. I didn't really have anything to worry about. I already passed the exam and was waiting for a background check to clear me. Nevertheless, it was a relief to finally see that because for future job interviews/applications I don't have to make a little asterick for that certification.

Furthermore, my brother put me in touch with his employer which is a medical transport company. It involves moving stable patients back and forth between medical appointments and hospital treatment. It's all BLS; anything goes wrong and they pull over and call 911! However, it's some cash flow while I wait to hear back EMS, the first responders, which is what I really want. I've got assessments for Wake County EMS over the next few days. And just yesterday (the same day I got my certification; coincidence?) Cary Area EMS posted that they are hiring. I'm hoping to have good news over the coming weeks.

Soundtrack:

"Arise" by Flyleaf

"Fading Away" by Demon Hunter

The post title is a reference to the third album by Flyleaf (the song is from their second album, Memento Mori).

Next Race

Alright. Promise breaking time.

I had told myself, after the Umstead 100, no signing up for races until July, June at the earliest. I didn't want to have a training mindset. Well, if I sign up for a race, but don't (/can't) train for it, that's still in the "spirit" of that promise, right?

A few days after Umstead, I made the silly mistake of emailing the race director for a race, asking if there was a waitlist or any openings. I really wasn't expecting for there to be any. That is until last week, I got a reply from the race director, saying there IS an opportunity I can use.

So the race? May 16/17 is the ThunderRock 100. It's a trail race in the mountains around/near Chattanooga, TN, held by as part of a race series called Rock Creek. It's not quite like the Lynchburg/Beast Series where you strive to complete every race in the series; it's just a bunch of races, with an overall point series. One of the really cool parts about this race is that it's the inaugural run.

This is mainly meant to be a fun experience, but of course there will be some challenges. Even though the race series has several ultras under its belt, as a first go, there's bound to be hiccups. A video from a training run, shows VERY technical sections of the course. The race starts at noon of Friday, so I will HAVE to be running throughout the entire night. And likely, I'll be attempting it without crew or pacers. I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that I met many other ultra runners who have done races without much support because of travelling long distances.

That race is only three weeks away. I'm still in the recovery phase from Umstead, and it's been steady. Nothing crazy, and if I am doing this ThunderRock, I won't be pushing anything. By the time I could get a longish run, it'll be time to taper back down. I'm too worried about that, and I'll play it by ear.

I'll be interviewing with Wake County EMS just before I go to the race. Wish me luck!

Soundtrack:
Breath Again - by Red
Last Night - by Skillet

Umstead 100 Race Reflections

It's been about a week and a half since the 2014 Umstead 100. During my initial race report I had started to write about some of my reflections and insights I gained from the race. I'm sure some is still there, but a lot of it I thought complicated the reading, and I also wanted it separated out, kind of for my own benefit.

I guess first things first. Did I reach my goal? Well, my "soft" goal was sub-17 hour, and my "hard" goal was sub-16 hour. I made the first, but not the second. Still, like most people, I'm both very satisfied with my PR, but frustrated not to break 16 hours. I had set a goal and didn't meet it. And I don't like to give/make excuses for not having the discipline to follow through.

BUT, I also look at what I was actually aiming for. Sub-16 was really the means to the end. I knew sub-16 was a perfect weather, perfect day goal. Everything had to be going right for it to be "easy" to reach. The purpose was to set a goal that was well beyond my known capabilities, so that I would see how hard I would make myself try.

So, did I reach THAT goal? Overall, I would say yes. At least twice, maybe three times, I had terrible low points. During those instances, I was hurting and told myself that I'd worked hard enough, and could take it easy the rest of the way. Yet somehow I was able to say NO, and keep going.

On of the biggest revelations from this struggle was what I was fighting. I've also supported the idea that our physical limits are really based on the "central governor." Without too many details, it's the belief that our limits are all in our nervous system; receiving physiological cues from our body, and stopping it before we exhaust ourselves to our grave. For me, that mental limit was always manifested in physiological limits. That is, I just felt like I couldn't go any harder. However, during and after this race, I realized a lot is NOT subconscious. I was rationalizing to myself that I didn't need to run harder. I was consciously thinking that "reaching my goal isn't really that big a deal." If you think about it, it's really scary. It makes "mind over matter" seem easy compared to what boils down to "mind over mind." Or, put another way: it's not like this third person experience. You always seem like you're fighting this "other" person. But in the moment, it's just you, and and you are totally in control of your thoughts and decisions.


With that, a few of nitty-gritty analysis comes out.

1. I need to talk more to my crew about how I'm feeling, both good and bad. If I'm feeling bad, I need time to ease up to collect myself. But then when I'm feeling good, if I say things like above "I've worked hard enough... I just want to take it easy the rest of the way" then they know it's time to pick up the pace again.
2. I still have gotten the nutrition down just right. I did a better job of forcing down gels and stuff. But I wasn't as good about sipping my HEED later in the race. I think I want to experiment more with the handheld, because it was easier to get water that was cooler. The problem is carrying enough gels, particularly when I move toward more remote trails/races
1. I will say that having experienced the GI discomfort last year made me at ease with it this year. I was't freaking out as much about what the hell was going on.
3. Some of it may be learning to eat more frequently. During training I stick pretty much to 100 cal (either in gel, blocks, sports beans) per hour. That's meant to get me to keep going on less. And that's usually just enough to keep from bonking on the longer runs. But I'm guessing the big jump in calories/hour in the hundred is what's getting to me.

So what to now? I don't want to sign up for any fall races until June or July. I want several weeks of unstructured base building. It never really feels like training. I first experienced this around New Years, when I postponed my buildup for Umstead, and I think it gave me several weeks for good mileage, but without the stress of trying to hit training goals.

My recovery is going GREAT so far. The first few days were of course painful. I've got a good regiment of using The Stick in the morning, and using the foam roller in the evening. Last Thursday I started some easy spinning on a stationary bike. Saturday I went for a easy three mile run. I know I may be flirting with disaster: last year, two weeks out it was PAINFUL and I wasn't finally good to go until four week out. But I PROMISE I'm listening to my body (really, if I think about it, I didn't even want to for those first two weeks). And my body told me "RUN." I alternate days of spinning and easy 3 milers. I'm fully prepared to stop at the first sign of trouble.

Even though I'm not going to register, I have to admit I am looking at races. There's so many cool ones out there. I've got some pressure to go for the Grindstone 100, which is just up near Lynchburg. It's tempting because, though I haven't done it, I know a fair bit about the race and the group that organizes it so it's somewhat familiar territory. But then, that's what would be challenging about going to a race that isn't so well-known [to me].

I also do NOT want to run any looped courses.

Soundtrack:
David has got me hooked on movie theme songs. So far:
Thor 2
Man of Steel
Iron Man 3
Captain America 2