Blue Ridge Outdoor Athlete Team

 

I am honored to be included in the 2015 B.R.O. Athlete Team.

"These 40 elite athletes compete and participate in nine different sport disciplines: trail running, mountain biking, road cycling, whitewater paddling, climbing, road running, fly fishing, long-distance hiking, and triathlon. Our team includes teenagers and masters athletes at the top of their game. They hail from eight different states across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, and they will compete in over 120 events this year. Look for the BRO Athlete Team at events near you and follow their adventures here. Each of these BRO athletes will be posting in-depth, behind-the-scenes personal stories about their adventures all year long."

It will be fun competing and sharing some stories -- here and online at http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/.

Dirty (Trail Running) Secrets

I am honored to be profiled in a Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine article by Adam Hill:

http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/running/trail-running-secrets/

Virtues of Treadmill Training

Over the last four years, I have learned the virtues of treadmill running.  Prior to obtaining a treadmill (so graciously gifted to me by my friend John) I could never have imagined how a treadmill could actually become a useful, let alone enjoyable, as a training tool.  Obviously winter time reveals the treadmill's utility more readily, but I have found it to be a viable training tool year round.

Reasons to use the 'mill:

1. Avoidance of the cold, dark, morning runs.
2. Avoiding dangerous ice and all the perils that entails.
3. Steady state tempo runs: The treadmill won't slow down, so you can't either!
4. Recovery runs: Decreased pounding/impact.
5. Injury Rehab: You can stop at the first hint of pain/discomfort . . . instead of limping miles home.
6. Time Crunched: You can sneak in a training run any time.
7. Hill Training:  All the benefits of the uphill, but no injury-risking down.
8. Catching up on TV or movies.

My Favorite Treadmill Training Runs:

1. Commercial Intervals:  Pick-up the pace for the duration of a TV commercial.
2. Steady-State Tempo
3. Long Runs: Ok . . . so not my favorite, but I have a streak of four years running a marathon on the treadmill.  Usually on a nasty Saturday in February where running 20+ miles outside is equally detestable.
4. Hill/Tempo Combo:  2M Warm-up, then for each 0.25-mile I increase the pace by 0.1 mph and every 1-mile I do a quarter at 6% grade (btw: I always keep the grade at least 2.5% to take it easier on the motor).

Anyone else have any love for the treadmill and/or favorite workouts?

Frozen Sasquatch 50K 2015

I had the pleasure of running my fourth Frozen Sasquatch 50K this past Saturday in Charleston, WV.  After my broken rib/s hiatus from racing during the fall of '14, I was more than happy to hit the buttery single track -- actually, extremely muddy this year -- at Kanawha State Forest.

My training has been leisure over the past couple of months, but I have been running a decent amount of mileage -- just no real quality or specificity since early October.  I was excited to test my base fitness a bit and to measure the amount of work needed to be done before my stout spring racing schedule.

Courtesy of Nick Billock

Being a 2-loop 50K, the race lends itself to a solid assessment of pacing.  I came through the first lap in 2:17 -- feeling fine, but as if I was running a little too "fast" for it to be sustainable.  The little slips of the extremely muddy course were starting to take their toll on my hip flexors.  I believe I came through lap one around 2:14 in the two years that I ran 4:34 and 4:35 -- so considering my fitness . . . not too bad at all.  I knew I would inevitably slow, but at least I had two runners in front to cajole me along.

After AS 1 on loop #2, I simply wanted to cruise the last 10+ miles and be done.  I was feeling a little apathetic and tired; sometimes it's just a whole heck of a lot more fun running with someone!  After the Johnson Hollow AS (#2), I luckily found my second wind and really picked up the pace.  It wasn't intentional; I just felt really good and felt like running hard.  Eventually I saw Brian Talon up ahead.  We had chatted a few moments as he passed me on the first loop and learned that he was from CT.  He seemed like a great fellow from our brief exchange and I could tell he was a talented runner.  I was hoping for a sneak attack since Brian was still running well, but alas he looked back and saw me while I was still a good 200-meters behind.  Brian picked up the pace and I knew that he was going to be a great competitor and make me work for it.  The race was on!  This was the most fun I had the whole race.  Brian took off and I slowly reeled him in over the next mile.  Nothing like some good clean competition to get the motor running!  Man I love that . . . 

Regardless, I ended up finishing strong in 4:49 -- good enough for second place overall.  Not my slowest time, but not my best -- given the days conditions, I am well pleased.



Photo: Dan Todd

Congrats to young gun Andrew Rhodes who stoically ran out front all day and performed well to win in 4:35.  I believe this is Andrew's second ultra win in the last 12-mths, but I expect many more out of him. 

Many thanks to Mike Dolin and the rest of the wonderful volunteers at the Frozen Sasquatch.  Such a great grass-roots event and a wonderful way to start the New Year!  Full results HERE.


And I nearly forgot . . . How many races do you get the opportunity to moon a sasquatch?

The aforementioned post-mooning chuckle

2015 Racing Plans

"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." - John Lennon

. . . and there is a serious chance of a whole lot of "life" getting in the way of these plans, but this is my tentative schedule for 2015.

January: Frozen Sasquatch 50K

March: Thomas Jefferson 100K

April: Promise Land 50K

May: Massanutten 100-Mile

July:  Multi-day fastpack trip (Where:? TBD)

September: Iron Mountain 50-Mile

November: Pinhoti 100-Mile

Western States Lottery

I will have my fingers crossed for the 5th time -- third in a row -- for the 2015 Western States 100 lottery on 12/6. 

Here's to a 17.6% chance!

http://www.wser.org/2014/11/22/2015-lottery-statistics/

Good luck to everyone on Saturday.

Bitten Twice by a Rattlesnake

Jenn Thompson's incredible story!  

Vernon's First Race

Ten Years and Counting

What I've been up to

It has been over a year and a half since I posted to this blog.  Honestly, I nearly forgot it existed.  For posterity sake and for the rare occasion of having anything remotely profound to formally convey . . . I believe I shall keep this thing going!

2014 marked ten years of ultrarunning.  The 2014 Capon Valley 50K was my first foray in to the sport that I have grown to love.  As an "anniversary" of sorts, I returned 10-years later.  Over the past year I also ran Catawba Run Around, Haulin' in the Holler 50K, and the Iron Mountain 50M.  One of the most satisfying adventures was a three-day self-supported fastpack with my friend Dan Lehmann.  

None of the runs/races were huge "A" efforts and my fitness level was never where I have been in the past.  I had fun, but finding the time to train 80+ miles/week has been too difficult to balance with work and family life.

The goal race for fall was the Pinhoti 100 in Alabama and I stealthily got my self in very fine shape -- the best I've been in about 3-years.  After a really solid 12-weeks of training, I was ready to roll and start tapering about 3-weeks out.  While returning from the Trilogy on Sunday night I unfortunately decided to sneak in a run at dusk.  While descending the Spring Ridge Trail, I bit the dust harder than I ever have and ended up breaking a couple of ribs.  I was lucky to escape with only that.  End of season.  Bummer.

Six weeks later, I still have lingering pain in my ribs but they are nearly 90% healed.  My eyes are firmly fixed on adventures ahead.  I am once again in the Western States lottery and have a solid supply of tantalizing races in the likelihood of not getting my name drawn.

Blogger . . . I'm back.

New Balance Leadville 1210

I'm loving these shoes.  Great review at IRF: http://www.irunfar.com/2013/05/new-balance-1210-leadville-review.html