2013 Laurel Valley Ultra Marathon Race

This was my 5th Laurel Valley race finish and I think my 14th time actually running the entire course.  I'm surprised that I've made it through that course so many times and am still alive.  I say that jokingly, but not really.  There is so much that can go wrong and you are literally in the middle of no where for so much of the race.

You can read about the course details on some of my other race reports and I'm just going to hit the highlights in this one.

The course runs fairly evenly through NC & SC  during the race.  The NC part of the race is the cruelest part of the course.

My theme for this race was to "finish with dignity."  So many times I've found myself crawling (literally) up the last 1,000 foot climb gasping for breath and my next step.  This was often from over doing it during the first half of the race and trying to post a better finishing time.

I began the run with Annie & Bo who are both also training for 100 milers in the fall.  Since the three of us just wanted a steady pace and "time on our feet" type of training run, we ended up sticking together for the entire race.

This year Claude (Race Director) started all of the runners together at 5 AM which meant running in the dark for well over an hour.  This was fine, but I think it did end up adding a little more time to everyone's finishing time.  I actually enjoyed it because I like night running & it meant getting finished earlier in the day.

The first 13 miles zipped along fairly quick in about 4 hours (well, they were quick to me) and then the race started to get interesting.  I always joke that the real LV course doesn't begin until you reach Rock Creek around mile 12.  I think that saying held true again.

I began the climb up the infamous "Canebrake" section away from Lake Jocassee feeling stronger than I ever had during this run.  The three of us just slowly chipped away at the climb and I was surprised to feel so fresh at the top.

We gradually made our way through the next 6-7 miles and eventually hit Horsepastuer River which meant about 10-11 miles to go.  This is when the course unleashed her fury.  Extremely heavy storms moved into the area and the temps dropped from 87 to 75 nearly immediately.  This was a mixed blessing because it was cooler, but footing became very tricky as the trail turned into a creek/lake/river.

The three of us all seemed to zone out through this stretch for the next 5 miles until after we climbed away from Thompson River with about 6 miles to finish.  I think we were all feeling in good spirits, but it was storming so hard we literally had to scream to talk to each other.  Just not worth the energy at the time!

We nearly lost Annie into one of the flash flooded creeks.  As she shuffled across a small wooden bridge she slipped and nearly went head first into the current below.  It was definitely strong enough to sweep her away and in a split second I could just see Bo and I jumping in behind her.  Thankfully she was able to balance herself so that didn't have to happen.

"Life is not worth living if you can't feel alive" - Some movie I think.

I had never seen the water that high through the course.  There were a few areas where I was really concerned about us being able to safely cross, but I knew that we were climbing higher with each mile.  I don't think I've ever been so happy to climb in LV!

We finally made are way up the Whitewater River and crossed the beautiful bridge which leads to the finish.  It was fun to relive the adventure between our little group as we made our way up the final climb.

I think most runners either love Laurel Valley or hate it and all three of us finishing with big smiles plastered on our faces.

Full run details can be found below if you're interested:

Random Running Ramblings (Some Non Running Content Too)

I write because I enjoy it, maybe even love it.  This is very weird because I hated English class all through school.  Poetry, essays, literature, yep - I hated it all.  Until I started running - then it all made more sense.  Guess I should've ran cross country in high school instead of playing football.  Nah!

I've left Facebook twice over the past three years, but this week I've decided to say goodbye and make it permanent.  My decision is personal, but the main reason is all the time I've wasted on the site.  I've been tempted to go back (still weak after only 2 days away), but I know I won't.  I will miss all of the running updates, but then again I won't.  What I mean by this is every post I used to see about a long run or race made me feel inferior.  I would think "I just don't train enough" or "That runner is better than me" or "I will never be that good."  A lot of that is my silly insecurity, but some of it is a show-off contest about who is doing more than the other person.  At least in my head it was and I was doing it too.   Never mind the fact that I may have ran thirty miles yesterday, I can hear Paula Abdul singing in my head, "What have you done for me lately..."!

It's not a healthy outlet for me, but for many I'm sure it is.

Either way, I'm not here to hate and good for anyone who gets up and moves forward for any distance.  I'm way to analytical and it gets the best of me from time to time.

Speaking of moving, I came to another realization last weekend during the Landsford Canal 50K.  I'm an explorer, not a racer.  I emphasize the word explorer in more ways than one.  I love exploring myself on a personal level, through other people around me, and of course the beautiful area that I'm fortunate enough to be traveling through.

I don't remember much of anything about racing through a course as fast as I could go, but I remember nearly all of the friends, sunrises, sunsets, waterfalls, landmarks, and animals that I've taken time to enjoy.  Losing ten minutes of race time to make a lifelong and often life changing memory is worth much, much more to me.

Nearly every time I race against a clock or other runners I become bitter about either my performance or some other facet of the event.  The only real competitive emotions I have at my disposal are from 10 years of football and those don't carry over very well for me into ultra running.  However, I would probably win a lot of races if I started throwing open field blocks like I did in college football!

The question of why any person runs ultra marathons is normally abstract and confusing.   I'm no different, but it often boils down to inspiration.  Mainly receiving it from others, but also giving it when I can.  It has driven me through Nor Easters and freezing rainy nights to finish lines filled with tears and gladness.

And then there is "The Fight".

There comes a place in just about every ultra where my body begins to fight my mind and vice versa.  For example, my feet may be in horrible pain from running over four miles of rocks at mile 38 in a 100 mile race, but my mind is fairly content to go on.  It knows the pain will probably just pass.  On the other hand, at mile 68 my mind knows that I have 32 more miles to go and it just wants my body to quit.  It says, "What's the use in running farther?  Look how far you've already went."

I believe the soul steps in here and helps to impose my will over both of them.  Sometimes in the final miles both the body & mind rebel and that is where "The Fight" really begins.  I've learned so much about myself at this point and it's one of the reasons I continue to love running ultras.  There is beauty in suffering and "The Fight" is no different. 

So on the week before running my 5th Laurel Valley Ultra race and 59th ultra marathon I'm excited about my remaining fall races with the explorer's spirit.  This will be my 14th trip through the 33 mile Laurel Valley course and I look forward to the stories & memories that come from it too.