Georgia Jewel 50 Mile Race

I stood at the finish line at 14 + hours and kept saying, "I never thought this would be so hard."

Of course, ANY 50 miles of running is hard, but this was a total shock for me.

I will go into more detail about the race, but first let me say how impressed I was by Karen (Race Director) and all of the volunteers who made this happen.  Everything flowed smoothly from picking up my bib number to finishing the race.  The trail was marked with perfection and the aid stations were plentiful.

On top of all this, the trail was beautiful.  I was expecting a run through some small wooded hills with a few decent views, but I was totally wrong.  A big part of this 50 miles ran on top of ridge lines which gave a constant overlook of some stunning valley views.  Then the mountain top views after the climbs were outstanding! 

I had originally planned to run the 100 miler, but decided to drop down to the 50 as a training run for the Pinhoti 100 miler in November.  Now I can't wait to go back next year and run the 100 miler at the Jewel!

Ok, the race....

The host hotel is only about 2 minutes from the start line so it was nice to have a little extra "sleep in" time on Saturday morning.

Me, Weezy, Bo, and Christian decided to make this a "bro run" and take on the challenge together.  We lined up at 6 AM to begin the race in the dark with a 1.5 mile climb up a paved road to the trail.  This was a well thought out start because it allowed all of the runners to spread out into their own pace without congestion.  The 35 & 50 milers both started together.  100 mile runners had the privilege of starting at 4:00 AM.

At the 1.8 mile mark the course throws you into some rocky & gnarly single track which runs along a ridge for about 3 miles.  It was beautiful to run through here and watch the sunrise over my right shoulder.  Christian had motored ahead of us, but the three of us set into a very easy pace as it begin to get light.

I loved that the course was setup with unmanned water stops in between regular aid stations.  This kept runners from waisting a lot of time and gave you just what you needed without carry a lot of fluid.  I made it through the entire course comfortably by carrying just one 20 ounce water bottle and a small 5 ounce slur mix shooter.

We ran along at a very "chill" pace for the first 23 miles and I laughed several times about the trail being so easy.  I stopped laughing at mile 23.1.  50 mile runners were doing 25 miles out, then turning around and coming back.  Around mile 23 the trail takes you up this crazy long & nasty climb to the top of a mountain.  I didn't really get too beat down on the climb, but the trail quickly earned my respect and attention.

We caught up with Christian through this section and the four of us spent longer than normal on top of the mountain enjoying the incredible views.  I was a little jealous at this point that I wasn't running the full 100 miles because those runner got to explore 25 more miles before turning around.  Next year!

Of course, the climb back down the mountain was much easier and it was nice to see where all of the other runners were in regards to the course.

The climb up and over to Snake Creek around mile 31 was the toughest on the course.  It was moderately steep and went on for nearly 2 miles.  Plus it had gotten much warmer during this part of the day and that beat us down even more.

Yea, like a stumbling idiot, I took down a ham & mustard wheat wrap.  Then ate another wheat wrap.  Then threw down about 6 cups of coke and handfulls of candy.  I thought I was gonna blow like a gyzer going up the next climb and told Bo that things were not good.  He ran on ahead - smart dude.

It eventually got better after about a mile.  Man, I'm glad I didn't have to lose all of that food.  The 100 milers would have had a mess to deal with on their way back the next day  :]

The climb went up & up from the aid station and I felt better.  I felt very controlled with my breathing and climbing rhythm so the new training must be working out some.

Weezy decided to call it a day at the mile 34 aid station and the three of us continued on.  I briefly considered pushing the pace, but stuck to my original plan of just trying to stay consistent and saving the hard running for Pinhoti in November.

We were happy to see Bo decide to push the pace and move ahead.  He was running his first 50 mile ultra and I believe that he could have finished 100 miles out there.

I'm glad I did decide to stick to my steady running plan cause' it was cool to run with Christian for a while.  He is normally miles and mile ahead of me in an ultra, but due to his recent health issues he was pushing to just finish this tough 50.

Surprises always happen during ultras.  It suddenly looked like I could be caught in the woods without a light.

I left my headlamp with the volunteers at the mile 10 aid station earlier that morning just in case I needed it for the return trip where I would pass through again at mile 40.  It was looking like I may indeed need to use it to finish, but they had sent them back to the start!  I panicked for a minute, but then decided that I would just pick up the pace a little to make it out to the road where I could easily finish in the dark.

I ran with Christian up through the next 5 miles and then decided that I better pick up the pace to make sure I was outta the woods before dark.  He did have his light, but it is nearly impossible to safely share one between two runners.

I'm so glad that it worked out this way because I arrived at the road about 30 minutes before sunset.  Just in time to sit on a huge rocky overlook and catch one of the most amazing sunsets that I've ever seen.  I reflected over the day as I watched the deep purples & orange creep down behind the blue mountains on the horizon.  This had ended up being one of the best days I had ever spent as a trail runner.  Great friends, awesome trails, and being part of something much bigger than myself.

Christian and I took the paved road down together to the finish for about 1.5 miles carefully dodging traffic at dusk.   As always, the finish line couldn't have looked better when we finally made it in.

I guess there is no need to say that I highly recommend this race to any lover of gnarly trails in the mountains, but I do!  I cannot wait to go back and hit the hundo next year.

This was an absolute perfect training run for my 100 miler at Pinhoti.  I spent 14+ hours on my feet and was able to get right back into solid training after one day of rest.  Plus, it re-kindled the fire to go out and give it all in November.  Just what I needed.

Congratulations to Bo Millwood for blasting through his 1st 50 miler.  You made it look easy man!

Here is the garmin info if you're interested.

Laurel Valley 2012 35.7 Mile Race

Laurel Valley featured the usual suspects this year.  You can see some of them pictured to the left.  It was great to have Kelley and Vic in the mix too for their 1st trip through this remote wilderness course.  Christian even made this his ultra comeback race willing to man up and start the race with a paralyzed lung.  Tough , stupid?  Either way he was going in and you gotta respect that.  Then you have Fejes on the right who made the USA 24 Hr. team this year.  He was playing it safe and not running this year due to the race.  At least one of us has some sense.

Wayne and I had a classic race on the course last year.  He finished about 2 minutes before me and this year we decided to try and push each other to a sub 9:00 hour finish which would be personal best for us both.  Either way it was gonna be a "Bro Run" - Good hard running while spending a day on the trails together enjoying some of the finest single track that the Carolinas have to offer.  That's exactly what we did.

The race started promptly at 6 AM in a unusual cool August rain.  We slowly made are way up the first climb in the dark with headlamps glowing up and down the trail.

This race is special to just about every runner for different reasons.  It always has that family reunion vibe to it.  From the pre-race dinner on Friday night through the end of the event on Saturday.  There is just something special about the Laurel Valley trail, but the race weekend is even better.

To be completely honest we both had 8:30 as a finishing time goal this year.  We worked the hills and ran everything that we could hard.  We were right on track for our goal time through the first half of the race.  We hit the 8 mile mark in 1:50 ahead of pace schedule.

Then the 13.3 Toxaway Bridge mark around 9:20 - still ahead of the 8:30 pace.  It was great to see my brother & sister-n-law here with a small aid station setup for runners.  We had a quick laugh with them, grabbed a nutty buddy and kept cruising.

We handled the first tough climbs of the course well and we were both excited to be at mile 21.7 Horsepastuer River in 5:45.  We were only about five minutes behind our goal time and still moving well.  No mental or physical issues to speak of.

We both knew that the toughest part of the course was ahead of us.  The final 11 miles or so is about 85% uphill.  Not just uphill, but relentless climbs that look the same and just demoralize you.  Many make you feel that you are lost in the wilderness and just running in circles.  If the course was not so beautiful it would be enough to drive you into madness.

Wait, it did drive us into madness......again.

We attacked the climb after the river as hard as we could.  Still no real problems to speak of.  We climbed and climbed the long fire road until finally reaching some nice running stretches into Bear Creek. 

The course threw another obstacle at us.  One of the suspension bridges had been hit by a falling tree and it was all twisted up over a big ravine.  Runners were forced to shimmy across it the best they could in hopes that it would not give way leaving you to a 50 foot rocky fall below.

I kept mentioning that we had the toughest climbs ahead.  Probably too much talking and not enough going.  At this point we begin to lose steam.  From Bear Creek up to Thompson River you just climb and climb.  I mean stupid climbing where get 60-70 steps, take a turn and then a nearly vertical fire road is in your face.  You climb up that and then it looks exactly the same again. 

By the time we made it up these series of climbs we were spent.  We forced ourselves to run the flats and downs hard, but even that was a struggle.

Thompson River marks the 28 mile mark and you have about a 10K to go which is over 6 miles.  Once again the climbs keep coming and this set of hills ruined our chances of a sub 9:00 finish.  It nearly ruined our chances of a sub 10:00 finish.

With that being said we enjoyed the run and decided that clock would not dictate what kind of experience we would have on the trail.

We kept plugging away running some with Grant, Jon, Mullet, and some others.  We finally made it to the final climb and finished out the torture of climbing up another 1,300 ft. mountain and stairs, rocks, and roots.

We finished up around 9:49 together  and enjoyed catching up with other runners at the finish.  Laurel Valley continues to top my list in the ultra world.  It has all of the elements that I love about trail running.  When you mix in about sixty other like minded runners it just makes it that much more special.  This was my 4th race finish and 13th time running through the entire course.  I hope to have 1,000 more opportunities to enjoy it.

Thanks to Claude & Martha for putting this race on for so many years.  Also to Will Brown and Bill Keane for hosting the dinner and helping with many of the race duties.

Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run

How did I end up on the Start line at Western States in 2012? 


I began running as an overweight offensive college lineman who had been laying on the couch doing nothing for 10 years after college.  The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics caught my attention as I watched the women's marathon race unfold before my eyes.  It brought back vivid memories of the many football practices where I would occasionally glance over at the cross country team and wonder what it must feel like to actually enjoy running.  I decided it was time to give it a try.


In July of 2008 I laced up my yard working shoes and huffed out about a 100 yards.  Completely out of breath, I excitedly walked back to the house with a new challenge before me.  Run 1 mile without stopping.


Within two weeks I ran a whole mile without stopping.  I ambitiously set a new goal - run 3 miles without stopping.  It took me about two months to make it, but I did and lost about 20 pounds in the process. 


Over the next few months running became a little easier and I set my eyes upon an even bigger goal.  The Myrtle Beach, SC Marathon.  I decided that I would also run the Charlotte, NC Thunder Road Half Marathon two months before in preparation.  I looked up some novice marathon training plans on the net and gave myself six months to train for it. 

Basically, I had no idea what I was doing, but it was fun.


270 pound road runners are BIG targets.  I had bags thrown at me, multiple dog attacks, threats yelled from cars, and several other unpleasant gestures during my days of road training.  I loved my long training runs, but despised running where any traffic was.  I had yet to discover trail running.


To sum this up, I finished my first half marathon in 1:58 and then went on to finish the Myrtle Beach Marathon in 4:33.  These are very average times and I was immediately hooked on going the distance.

I wanted to go longer.


I was so tired of training on roads after the marathon finish and I began to search the net for "trail running".  I quickly discovered that runners actually have longer races than a 26.2 mile marathon called Ultra Marathons and that many of them are on trails.   I found that Terri Hayes had a series of Trail Ultras that were practically in my backyard.  The SC Ultra Trail Series.  So in March 2009 I contacted Terri and she invited me to run my very 1st ultra - The Buncombe 55K Trail Run.


I was instantly hooked and began to run even more of them.  Since May of 2009 I've ran 45 ultras of distances from 30 miles up to just over 100 miles.

Some of the toughest runs have taken place on The Foothills Trail.  Terri introduced me to the sport and Claude Sinclair brought out my love of remote wilderness running with the Laurel Valley 35 mile race.


Along the way I picked up a copy of Dean Karnazes popular book Ultramarathon Man.  I read it cover to cover in a day and was blown away by his experience of running The Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run.  It instantly became my dream goal race and I hoped to do it one day.


In December of 2011 I ended up getting into the WS100 lottery with a slim 8% chance!  I was so excited and trained as hard as possible for the six months leading up to the race.  GUTS president Janice Anderson coached me and I owe her another "thank-you" for giving me a solid training plan to follow that helped me achieve my goal.


Enough about how I got to the race, it's WS100 race time!


My wife, two kids, and brother in law flew out with me to the race on the Thursday before.  We got settled into our hotels near the start line and spent some time exploring the area.  I was in instant shock when I saw the first 2 miles of the course.  It seemed to climb up at a 15 % incline forever into the blue California sky.  The unknown of the course revisited my mind several times throughout the day.

WS100 requires you to have a basic medical check before the race begins on Saturday morning.  This check takes place on Friday morning and I was shocked to see my blood pressure at 160/101 !  It made me feel a little better to hear that just about everyone else reported similar high numbers with anticipation building towards the race.  I'm just glad that they didn't require a blood pressure screening on race morning.  It would have probably been well over 200/150 at that point.








Pre-race meeting on Friday Afternoon:

We had some Subway for dinner before heading to bed early on Friday night around 7:30.  As the kids watched TV and I layed in the bed drifting, I reminded myself of my last six months of training.  I told myself that if I wasn't ready now, then I probably never would be.  Surprisingly, I drifted off into a deep & relaxing sleep before waking up just before the alarm buzzed on Saturday morning. 

I was up and very well rested on Saturday morning at 4 AM.  I quickly ate a Cliff Bar and a Starbucks Espresso before heading down to check-in and get my bib number.  I still felt strangely relaxed.  The feeling reminded me of one that I get before going on a long training run that I'm very familiar with.  With what the day held, this couldn't be farther from the truth.


The air was electric with excitement at checkin. Nearly 400 runners and their families swarmed the start area making last minute adjustments and giving hugs.  I always enjoy the looks on runners faces before a big race.  Some are super focused with a stone look on their face.  Others just can't stop smiling because they know they are about to spend a day (and night for many) doing what they love.  I'm the 2nd.

I panicked as soon as I opened my big white envelope and saw my name on the race bib.  This was really going to happen to me in just a matter of minutes.  My mind began to race in a hundred different directions with anticipation.  As I had Nick help me Velcro my timing chip around my ankle I felt as though I was being sentenced to "Wilderness House Arrest" for the next 30 hours.  I would be under constant surveillance and expected to get to the finish 100.2 miles down the trail.  It was now my "sentence". 


I took the task on with pride as we lined up on the start line.  Nick jogged up the course a bit to see the runners off and I gave Beth & the kids a quick hug.  As the clock began to tick down from 2:00 minutes I briefly thought of all the well deserving runners who wanted to be here and couldn't for whatever reason.  In a sense I was running for them today too.


For the next 30 hours I would lay it all on the line.  However, living in the moment and making good decisions "now" is how you get through 100 miles.  That was my plan.
100.2 miles.  Things are gonna happen that I can't control.  Keep running.  No excuses.

It has been said that runners show up to Western States in the best shape of their life and finish in the worst.  I was excited to see how that would hold true for me.


A tear rolled down my check when the clock ticked down under one minute.  I had wanted this moment for nearly four years.  It was here and I was living my dream.


My mind had now switched over to race mode.  I felt like a horse in the start gate, nervously waiting for the gate to open.  All of the fanfare was over.  Swag had been delivered, stories had been told, now it was time to do what I loved.  Run!


The clock hit 10 seconds and well over 1,000 people began to chant the countdown 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - GO!!!


And we were off!  Off and walking - ha ha!


The first four miles of the course features a 2,200 foot climb taking runners to the highest point of the course around 8,800 feet at emigrant pass.  I had no idea what I was in for.  Only the elite runners jogged this portion and I quickly watched in amazement as they disappeared up the mountain together in a very small group.  I struggled to hang with the back of the pack.

I was trained well for this climb.  I wanted to power hike it around a 16-17 minute/mile pace.  I did that for the most part, but what I didn't factor in was the weather.  None of us really factored it in. The forecast for the race was unusually cool with highs expected to reach only around 80 at the warmest part of the day.  Lows were expected to be in the mid 30's at the start.


Honestly, when you see all of the promotional posters from the race showing runners jogging in the sun beside beautiful lakes & rivers you just can't imagine facing a winter like storm.  As a matter of fact I kinda chuckled at some of the bundled up runners around the start line with me.  What in the heck were they thinking?  They ended up being much smarter than most of us.


Around 400 of us climbed the steep road to the top.  After the 1st mile, the temperature must have dropped 15 degrees and the wind began to howl.  I was totally exposed with nothing on but a short sleeve technical shirt and basketball shorts. 

One of my favorite moments of the race occurred here.  I looked over to my right and there was the man!  Gordy Ansleigh.  About 30 years ago he was in a horse race on this trail with many others.  His horse got sick and couldn't make it so he decided to race it on foot.  Thus, Western States 100 was born.  I was running with him!


As we kept climbing the mountain continued to dial the thermostat down and eventually the wind was gusting to well over 50 MPH.  My arms were burning from the cold and I was thrilled to see the top of the mountain as we started into the clouds of blowing sleet. 


Unfortunately, a local runner informed me that we still had over 1 mile to go to reach the top!  By this point I was beginning to worry.  I couldn't close my hands and my arms were turning bright red from the wind / sleet / and hail pounding down on us.  For a second I even thought of retreating back down the mountain in order to avoid hypothermia that was becoming a very real threat.  How embarrassing would it be to drop out of the race after three miles?  Then the super ego kicked in and I decided to press on up with the rest of these maniacs. 


I reached the 3.5 mile aid station and shoved my frozen limb into a bowl for some M&Ms.  When I brought my hand out of the bowl, the candies just fell back to table because I couldn't close my fingers.  I picked up the bowl and shoveled some in and kept going.  Hard to believe it was nearly July!


As a bonus, one of the aid station volunteers dumped some water all over my hand.  It didn't matter, couldn't feel them anyway.


The final half mile climb to the top was just ridiculous.  All runners were on all fours trying to make it up a nearly vertical climb in a 60 MPH sleet storm.  The clouds where rushing by us at 8,800 feet.  Runners were sliding down as fast as they could climb up.  It was a real mess, but I managed to get up and over the top in 1:15. 


I was the only one laughing deliriously as we scaled the climb.  I felt that we were all climbing to our certain death.  For a belt buckle - you gotta admit that is kinda funny.


This slow down put me just minutes ahead of the 30 hour finishing cutoff time from the very beginning of the race.  I didn't panic, but tried to run some and generate heat as the trail began to descend off the peak.  It was all about survival at this point.  Watching my footing and moving were critical to us all.


The first 20 miles or so are in the "High Country" section of the trail.  Generally around 7,500 feet with a lot of rocks as you are still running above the tree line.  I was very surprised at the amount of rocks through this section.  Not only rocks, but at many points we were literally running through creek beds of freezing water.


I quickly understood that I would not be gaining much time on the cutoff through here.  It was too risky to push the pace and twist an ankle on the beds of rocks.


As we entered the 2nd aid station I was shocked to have my own volunteer greet me and take my bottles to be refilled.  He told me to not worry about the cutoff times and to just keep running.  Easy for him to say when he is not the one 6 minutes ahead of the 30 hour cutoff!


I bolted in and out of the station with a hand full of sandwiches and cookies.  Choking them down as the weather began to get even colder and the sleet turned to a steady rain.


As I ran along a ride at 7,500 feet I could see the gray clouds rushing by me below in the valley.  The views must have been amazing through here, but not today.  Everything was covered in clouds.


I ran back and forth with a runner from Chicago named Shelley.  This was also her 1st run at WS and we were both eager to find some relief from this weather.  There was no relief, it just kept coming in the form of wind, hail, sleet, rain, and rocky trails.


I left the Lyon Ridge aid station shivering.  I would have dropped $100 bucks right on the trail for some sleeves.  My arms were completely numb and that left my hands utterly worthless.  I had a lot of trouble getting my water bottles from my waist pack so I just stopped drinking for the time being.  I don't think I was losing a lot of fluid anyway.


At this point in the race I was certain that I would get pulled for being behind the cutoffs.  I had literally pushed myself about as fast as I could go and still couldn't maintain a fast enough pace.  I hit a low spot here very early in the race.  Too early and it caused concern.  I decided to just keep pressing on.  If the sweepers caught me I would sprint ahead of them for as long as I could.
The trail warmed up and became a little more runnable from miles 10 to 13 so I tried to take advantage of the situation and pick up the pace.  I arrived at Red Star Ridge aid station and slammed down some PBJ sandwiches and forced down 10 ounces of GU Brew sports drink.


I was happy to be finished with the winter weather until by surprise it came back again.
Just after the aid station the sleet really started to fall heavily and the wind picked back up.  I just couldn't believe that after the hundreds of miles and hours of heat training this was happening!  It didn't see fair, but like I said before the race, "Things are going to happen that I didn't plan for - keep moving."

As I made my way past mile 20 into Duncan Canyon the weather finally started to warm up into the high 40's.  The clouds had lifted some too, but the sun was a long way from coming out.  It was still cold, raining, and very dismal.


I always seem to become a bit unglued to reality around mile 20-25 for some reason. Today was no different. I began to question why I was out in the wilderness alone on vacation? Why was I asking my family to crew for me on their vacation? It wasn't fair. I'm a selfish person. I should drop out and never do this again. This is stupid. Who runs 100 miles?


On top of this I ran upon a lady who had taken a nasty fall and crushed her knee in one of the many miles of rock gardens.  She was hobbling down the trail with tears bursting from her eyes in agony.  She didn't want to accept the fact that her race was over, but it was.  She looked to be in stellar physical shape and I doubted that I would ever finish this race if she couldn't.

From experience I know that this means my body is converting over to burning fat from it's short term energy stores. In addition my blood sugar was getting low which always triggers brief depression and self-loathing.


I told myself to suck it up and get to the Duncan Canyon aid station.  This would be the first time I would see my crew (family) and I could pound down some sugar to get revived there too.  I at least had to make it that far before getting pulled out of the race.  I thought that maybe one year in the future I could come back better trained and try to finish this race.  It was a bad spot to be in.


The aid station finally came.  I was bracing myself for not having a crew here because I knew it took a very long time down some dangerous mountain roads to get there.  I was pleasantly surprised when I came running in to see them there waiting for me!  This instantly lifted my spirit, even before the sugar.


Seeing your family/friends during a 100 mile race plugs you back into reality.  It gives you hope that there is a finish line somewhere down the trail.  Not only that, but you have some living humans that you can touch who want to see you succeed.  Besides, daddy would never quit in front of his children.  It just won't happen.

I was freezing cold again and I'm sure everyone else was too.  The sacrifices of your crew/pacer are incredible.  Nick literally gave me the long sleeve technical shirt off of his back which left him shirtless in the cold rain.  He even packed his gloves into my waist pack.  That sacrifice made my morning and was a vital turning point in the race for me.  I told lots of runners down the trail that I had the best crew.  I left my pacer half naked a few miles back in a sleet storm.  They agreed.


My mind snapped out of the funk and I was back into race mode.  I took inventory of myself and everything was fine, I was just moving slower that I had planned.  This could be fixed - move faster!


At this point in time I was just a few minutes behind the 30 hour cutoff, but show me my family that loves me and you will get results soon!


With a quick refuel and lifted spirits, I was finally getting off of those exposed ridges, and happy to be going down deep into the canyon.  On a "normal" WS100 year, the canyons are often dreaded due to the heat, but today they were a welcome sight.


There was a looooong downhill into Duncan Canyon.  It was at least 3 miles, maybe more.  A big part of me wanted to just rip lose and start flying downhill, but I knew with 75 miles to go, trashing my quads now would not be in my best interest.  Instead I focused on taking smaller strides and reducing the time my legs were putting on the brakes to stop me from flying off the mountain.


I crossed an icy stream at the bottom of the canyon while a few other runners were trying to play leap frog over the rocks.  In my opinion, its just not worth taking the risk of snapping your ankle to avoid a little water on slick stones, but to each their own.  Besides, I like plowing through water!


The climb up and out of Duncan Canyon would prove to be the most difficult of the day.  It went up for miles and at times got very steep with a lot of false summits to rob you of your hope at the top.  I started getting a little delirious and laughing through here as I was reliving some previous Laurel Valley runs where you think the top of the mountain will never come.


Yea, the blood sugar was probably getting low again. 


The next eight miles were spent with a runner from Texas and an international runner (from England I think).  We chit chatted and enjoyed some nice runnable trails, but every time we went into an aid station I was never more than 15 minutes ahead of that annoying cutoff!  No matter how hard I worked, I just couldn't seem to gain ground on it.

I knew I would be seeing the crew again at mile 38 - Dusty Corners - so I just kept plugging away trying not to worry about the cutoff. 


I let the guys that I was running with know that I had a plan if the course sweepers caught us.  I was going to sprint ahead for as far as I could to stay ahead of them.  I would continue to do this for as long as possible until course officials had to cart me off the course from exhaustion.  They just laughed and agreed to run with me just to see the spectacle if it ever happened.
The temps had finally climbed into the 60's at this point and the weather was starting to clear up.  Seeing the sunshine really gave me a big mental boost.  I was certain to keep drinking and taking 1 Scap (electrolyte tab) every hour.


Dusty Corners came around fairly quick and it was great to see the crew again!  I was feeling much better at this point, but still only 15 minutes ahead of that cutoff.    I downed some Ensure and grabbed some homemade peanut butter cookies for the road ahead.  I can still taste them - they were incredible!

So now I had 100K to go (62 miles) and I was only about 15 minutes ahead of the cutoff.  This was not the situation I had hoped to be in, but my body and mind were feeling fresh so I just rolled with the punches.


This would be a long, difficult stretch ahead of me before seeing the crew again at Michigan Bluff (Mile 56).  I had several canyons to run into and climb out of.  These canyons are for many the toughest part of the course and I was most concerned with this section.  I was even more concerned about my time.


I hooked up with Andon (fellow GUTS runner from GA) and a few other guys through these sections.  We worked the canyons together as a team and it made a huge difference for all of us.  We spent hours laughing and sharing trail stories.  This was almost a mini "vacation" from the stress of the cutoff and the tough terrain.


The views in this section were simply phenomenal.  At many points you could see for miles down into a canyon and hear the thundering roar of rapids below.  It was bigger and badder than anything I had ever seen on a trail.  It was a reminder of how small I really am out in this huge/remote wilderness.  I loved every minute of it.


There was no time to sit down for a picnic and enjoy the view.  I had to keep running!


All of us worked together and we actually ended up making up about 15 minutes on the cutoff time which gave a little more wiggle room. 


We climbed together up the dreaded Devil's thumb 36 switchback climb, but I still believe that the climb out of Duncan Canyon was tougher.  The Devils thumb aid station was rocking at the top of the climb!  Lots of music, volunteers, handmade posters, and food.  Oh man, this was a serious ultra buffet.  I felt like I was at a all you can eat dinner theater.  They even had Popsicles!


As nice as the aid station was I only stuck around for about 2 minutes.  I wasn't about to give the course back all of that time that we had gained.  It's just too hard to get back.


I was now only about seven miles away from seeing my crew again at Michigan Bluff (Mile 55).  I was also very close to the half way point of the race!  Nick told me that he would probably start pacing me at Michigan Bluff and I was really looking forward to that. 


As I headed into the huge downhill into El Dorado Canyon I decided to take a risk.  I began to push the pace and see how much time I could gain on the cutoff.  I was hoping to gain at least 20 more minutes on it through here and give myself close to an hour of buffer time.  If not, then I would put a ton of pressure on Nick and I for the long night time portion of the race.  I pounded this downhill section, just zoning out mentally and letting gravity pull me.  It was free speed and I was using every inch of it that the course would give up.


I zigged and zagged down long runable stretches and cornered switchbacks like a Nascar driver.  I was tired of fighting the clock all day, I wanted some relief and I was gonna get it here!


Finally, I began to hear the river and another aid station at the bottom of this canyon.  Once again I just quickly gulped down some Ginger Ale and solid food and was back on the trail quickly.  The aid station volunteers saved me at least 30 minutes during the race by filling my bottles for me at each stop.  That was extremely helpful!


The climb up out of El Dorado was long, but not as tough as the one from Devils Thumb.  I was on a mission to pick up my pacer and head into the night for the final 45 miles.  This gave me a lot of drive as I climbed out.  One of our friends in the group decided that he was going to drop at Michigan Bluff near the middle of the climb and after briefly trying to talk him out of it, we went around him.  I felt horrible doing this, but we were all running our own race and it had to be done.  He was a veteran of the race who had already finished so that took a little of the sting out of it.

Michigan Bluff finally came and it was strange to see an actual paved road after spending all day in the wilderness.  It was awesome to see my family again!  Nick met me with a Starbucks Double Shot which was fantastic!  I also took down two Ensures and changed shoes, shirt, and socks.  I wanted to change my shorts, but didn't want to waste the precious time taking my bib number off then back on.


At this point I was about 35 minutes ahead of the cutoff.  Nick & Beth let me know that he would be joining me 7 more miles down the trail at mile 62 instead of here (Foresthill School).  This killed me to hear on the inside, but they kept my hope alive by telling me the reason for this was because I was running so well.  I was sure they were lying to me, but it sure felt great to hear.


Nick ran a short way with me down from the aid station and I felt like we had all made the best decision here.  Nick would be pushing for a new PR (personal record) distance of 38 miles with me during the night on a tough trail.  Adding seven more miles to that could be disastrous and leave me to finish alone.  After nick sent me on my way from there I was heading into Volcano Canyon.  The final substantial canyon of the race.


I was quickly feeling better about Nick holding off pacing duties as the sun began to set over the Sierra Nevadas.  Several runners around me had already picked up their pacer and they were laughing together down the long dusty dirt road.  I slipped my headlamp on and enjoyed one of the most peaceful and beautiful sunsets I've ever seen and I descended into Volcano Canyon.  God had painted purples, blues, pinks, yellow, orange all over the sky as the stars begin to twinkle overhead.  This was one of my favorite memories of the day.


This canyon was a huge dust bowl.  It seemed that every step I took was like plopping my size 13 shoe into a bag of flour.  There were several switchbacks which eventually took me down to a small creek crossing at the bottom of the canyon where I switched my headlamp on for the night.  I ran into Shelley from Chicago again through this section and she seemed to be moving well with her pacer. 


For some reason I ran part of the climb out of this canyon.  I think I was just in a hurry to pick up my pacer.  I really didn't care about the cutoff pace a whole lot anymore.  I knew in my heart that I was going to finish this race.


I normally put together some decent running 2-3 hours after dark and today would be no different.  I hit Bath Road (about 1 mile of pavement) and a volunteer lady named Barb offered to run up the hill with me into Foresthill School.  I kindly accepted the offer and it turned out that she knew Terri Hayes from South Carolina.  They used to run out west together and she was very pleased to hear that she was doing well.


This section went by very quick (thanks to Barb!) and before I knew it I was running into Foresthill!   Just like clockwork there was my crew.  Nick was all geared up and ready to run.  Beth gave me a kiss goodnight as she would now be heading to the hotel with the kids for the rest of the night.  I felt bad that she had to do this, not knowing what was going on all night, but I'm sure she was ready to get some rest too.


Nick and I didn't waste much time getting out of Foresthill.  We accidentally ran past a turn just out of the aid station and some folks on the street let us know.  Thank you!


We sliced and diced this first section very well which was nearly all downhill.  I think we gained about 10 more minutes on the cutoff through there before reaching the Cal 2 aid station around mile 71.  


At this point I had been running about 17 hours and my mind was starting to check out for the night.  I began to have mild hallucinations of snakes on the trail that would cause me to jump when I saw them.  They always ended up being sticks or leaves as I got closer.  I told Nick that I really hated snakes and he assured me that there were none around.


Nick did a great job of making sure that I was eating, drinking, and taking my salt caps.  We worked each aid station just like I did during the day.  Quickly checking in, grabbing what we needed for a minute or two, then heading back on the trail.


It seemed like we were gaining time on the cutoff through most of the night aid stations.  This gave me even more hope.  As the hours stretched to midnight, my mind became more and more hazy.  Nick would often be talking to other runners as we met them along the trail, but I was only happy to listen.  I rarely had much to say as I enjoyed focusing on the run.


We finally reached the Rucky-Chucky river crossing aid station a little around 2:30 AM.  This place was rocking with volunteers and they were serving up some incredible breakfast burritos fresh off the stove.  I enjoyed one just before heading down into that cold dark water known as the American River.


As we headed into the river crossing Nick went first.  This was a big help because I could gauge the deepness of the water by watching where he was stepping.  There were several volunteers in the water and lots of green glow sticks showing rocks on the river bed.


I must admit that I completely zoned out from here and for the next 3-4 miles.  I don't remember much about it except drinking some Ensure and walking up a very long/steep gravel road to Green Gate.  I didn't hit a low point here, but just checked out mentally.  I couldn't really focus on talking or thinking so I just kind of "existed" for a while.  I knew that I was fed, watered, and clothed, oh - and moving so everything was OK. 


I chuckled under my breath when several volunteers yelled out, "great job runner."  Runner?  I must look like a zombie wobbling up this road.  I ate up every little compliment like it was food which fed my spirit.
Thank goodness that Nick was here at this point.  Who knows where I would have ended up through here?!  From time to time I would ask him how he was doing.  He always responded "fine", but I knew that he had to be going through some ups & downs too.  I was happy to have him lying to me because I didn't have any extra mental energy to give away.

At one point he stopped to doctor up his feet a little bit and I knew that he was probably in some sort of pain.  The truth is everyone on the trail at 2 AM is in some sort of discomfort.  It just happens to go with the territory.


Like an idiot, I started doing math in my head.  I thought the river crossing was mile 70 and that we had about 30 miles to go.  I ran the numbers in my head and got very down on myself.  There is no way that I'm going to be able to finish.  I will need to average like a 14:30 min/pace.  Oh well, I didn't want to get Nick down so I just trudged on up the climb behind him.


Nick started talking about our pace on up the climb and said that we were probably about 17  miles from the finish.  I thought WHAT?  I thought we were 27?  NO, the river crossing was mile 80, not 70!   This is GREAT!  I'm really going to finish!  This means that we can do 30 min/miles all the way in and still finish under 30 hours!


I suddenly had a new surge of strength after realizing this, but it was soon beaten down by the difficult footing that the trail from mile 80 to 85 had.  This was a very tough section for me.  Lots of rocks, crevices in the trail, and un even footing.  I wanted to run some, but it was just to tricky for me at this point so we had to do a lot of hiking. 


It was great to finally hit the aid station at mile 85 and we now had a very nice downhill to Brown's Bar at mile 90.  The sun came up through this section and we now had a surge of hope with the daylight.  We walked a lot of this section too because I was honestly just dragging through here.  This made the section go on forever.  At one point we heard the music from the aid station, but it was still about 2 miles away.


After what seemed forever we arrived at mile 90.  I let Nick know that I needed to start running again because the walking was taking a toll.  It hurt more to walk than run at that point and I knew that running would mean finishing quicker.


I began to fantasize about the finish after mile 90.  What would it feel like to be on the final mile?  How great would the Placer High School track look?  I could sit down and not worry about a cutoff time.  Then all of the sudden my mind would snap back to reality, sometimes with a hill to climb, sometimes with a runnable section.  If I was lucky, there would be an aid station close by.


Miles 91-94 took us along some nice fire road with the river to our right.  It was a beautiful sight as the sun began to get higher over the mountains.  The road turned into single track trail around mile 93 and got extremely steep as we climbed towards the HWY 49 aid station which would signify only 6 miles to finish.


This climb hurt.  I was running out of steam and climbing was becoming more and more difficult.  We finally began to hear the aid station and then the trail turned back away from it.  I was getting very frustrated and started my delirious laughter again.  I think I told Nick that this was so awesome and I hoped that the aid station was 10 more miles away.  At least I did in my mind.  Pure sarcasm.


We were finally greeted by aid station volunteers just before crossing the highway and had actual police officers escort us across the road.  I felt like I was being led into a chamber to be questioned by authorities.  I looked around at the aid station, very dazed and confused.  Sure enough, there were faces all around me asking me questions.  Do you need water?  Do you need Coke?  How about some candy?  Do you have a drop bag?  How are you feeling?  I just glared ahead and said yes.  Seriously.  Yes, to everything!


Someone grabbed my bottles out of my hand and told me to get on the scales for medical check.  I was 1 lb. light and they asked me how I felt.  I said "marvelous", where is food?  The doctor just laughed and pointed me away from him.


I glanced over at Nick and he was plowing, I mean plowing through a plate of bacon.  I heard the food volunteers roaring with laughter as he made his way through the calories infested table of goodies.  I walked over to the table and just began eating whatever was in front of me.  Some kid from the area was yelling, "Only 10K to go , you've got this!"


He continued with his antics until he cracked a smile out of me and I told Nick that we had to go.  Transitioning from the peaceful forest to the hustling aid stations was beginning to be too much for me mentally.  I felt like I should be doing something for these people since they had done so much for us all day long.  I still can't express enough thanks for their relentless enthusiasm at even the most humbling duties.  I wanted to cry and scream in happiness at the same time.


Leaving this aid station into the final six miles is another memory that I will never forget.  We climbed a short hill and exited into a bright golden meadow dotted with huge green oak trees.  All that you could see for miles was gold & green.  The trail winded through this meadow and it literally left Nick and I speechless with it's beauty.


We then began a long & easy descent to the final aid station of the day - No Hands Bridge around mile 97.   I ran what I could but walked some due to lots of rocks and shaky footing.  Nick went on ahead of me a little bit and pulled me down the hill the best he could. 


My emotions began to get the best of me through there.


Suddenly down below us was the bridge.  The bridge I had dreamed of crossing for nearly four years.  It was the gateway to the finish.   My eyes filled with tears as soon as I saw it.


I don't think I ate of drank anything at this aid station.  I was in absolute awe.  I do remember Nick throwing a little cracker off the bridge just to count the seconds until it hit the water.  I think it was about 8 seconds.  I told him that I had dreamed of....and then I just got too emotional to continue.


After the bridge, we had about 2.9 miles to go and we were now on some rolling fire road.  There were several locals out jogging and encouraging us to finish.  We past a few runners through there and were passed by a few too.


The road eventually took a hard right and turned into a steep climb up to the final checkpoint of the race - Robie Point which was about 1.5 miles from the finish on pavement.  A husband and wife were out on the trail telling runners how much they loved them and how encouraged they were by us all.  All that I could do was stare at her.  She oozed of kindness and sincerity.  This was the perfect place for her to be today.


At this point I was too shook up and "rocked" to eat or drink and the temperatures had began to climb.  I was pushing hard up the final climb and ran into a little trouble at Robie Point.


Two guys ran out to meet us from the checkpoint and I nearly passed out when we stopped.  I had suddenly gotten very hot and told them that I needed cold water.  Within seconds they had me covered from head to toe with huge ice sponges that instantly brought me back to life.


Hitting the pavement never felt so great.  We ran through a residential neighborhood for the final mile which was partying and carrying on all over the place.  At the crest of the climb a huge neighborhood band was assembled on the right of the road with a big band of drums playing.  It was just too much to take in as they cheered us in.


As we crested the hill there was only a half mile to go until the finish.  I ran what I could and probably hobbled the rest.  It was great to hobble and see the finish.


There is was - the entrance to the high school track!  Less than a quarter mile to go until my dream becomes a reality!  I gave Nick a victory punch into the shoulder and I heard the announcer shout out my name as we entered the stadium.  Beth and the kids appeared out of nowhere and ran the lap with us.


I screamed and cheered with the crowd as we circled the lap realizing that this event was not just about me, but a celebration of the human spirit.  Proof that we can do more and go longer than we think we can.  It's OK to try something you may fail at - that is where greatness is discovered in each of us.  I was honored to be a very small part of the HUGE 2012 Western States puzzle.


Finally Nick and the family broke off to the side and I made my way towards the finish line.  The dream came true in 28:56 and the race director congratulated me with a hand shake and medal around my neck.  I felt "finished" like never before.  Highly content and proud to be across the line with the others who were either walking around or getting IVs.


I was directed to the medical table to give blood for the doctor's study of endurance athletes which I chose to participate in.  After this was done I went over to sit with my family and watch some of the finishers.  I eventually had to lay down from sheer exhaustion.  After laying there for 45 minutes I tried to get up and collapsed back down.  I sent for the medical staff and they assured me that it was only my blood pressure because I was trying to get up too fast.

We made it through the awards ceremony and finally got the buckle!  It looked even better in person!


After the ceremony I treated us all to a huge feast of Chinese food and took a nice long nap at the hotel.

Congratulations to Nick for his 38 mile personal distance record.  It was a real pleasure to share that with him.


I wanted to sincerely thank my family and friends who sent me so much encouragement before, during, and after the race.  It all meant so much to me and that kind of love & support is what life should be about.  Even my sick mother stayed at my house to dog sit and cheered me on!

Chattooga River 50K 2012

Terri Hayes setup another 50K on the Foothills Trail in June!  Guess who didn't miss the chance to run it?  You guessed it - yours truly.

It's hard to believe, but this was my final long run before Western States which is now only 19 (GULP!) days away.  Since my taper was set to begin just after this race I decided to race it hard.  Give it all that I had and see where my fitness level was.

My heart was heavy driving into the parking lot knowing that this race would be memorialized by several runners over the recent loss of Angela Ivory.  The sweetest trail runner that I've ever met.

Thomas was kind enough to provide some Ivory colored ribbon for us to wear during the race and I pinned my on along with my number a few minutes before the start.

The first leg of this 34 mile course features a 7.0 mile out-n-back down a trail called "Winding Stairs".  The name fits because you rapidly run down 3.5 miles of winding switchbacks before reaching a gravel road and then climbing back out.

I gave myself about a mile to get warmed up before starting to push the pace on the downhill.  Even then I settled in behind some other runners at a moderate pace to save some quads for the river section of the course.

I climbed back up to the 1st aid station around mile 8 in about 1:30.  I grabbed enough food to carry me down the river for 6-7 miles and filled my bottles with Powerade.

This ended up being a mistake.  I was experimenting with drinking all calories instead of just water and I learned that this doesn't work for me.  I can handle a half-n-half mix, but either way I need plain water.

Thomas, Tom, Bo, and I ran this entire section together down the historic & scenic Chattooga River.  Banjo music played far away over the mountains in the distance behind the beautiful blue Carolina sky.  (That's a joke)

Halfway through this section I took a horrible fall into some rocks.  It was the kind of fall where you just immediately hit the ground without sliding.  It nearly knocked the wind out of me and ended up straining some muscles in my chest.  I jumped right up and kept up with the pack.  No time for medical evaluations now - If I could breath, then I was running!

Viktor and D-Ray caught us on down the river about 2 miles before running into the next aid station.  Man, they passed us like we were standing still.  It was great to see Viktor moving so well after running the course just the day before too.

I ran into aid station two very thirsty and hungry.  I had brought my Steri-Pen to treat some extra water along the long stretches, but I was jonesing for some soda.  Like an idiot, I swilled down 4 cup fulls and crammed my mouth full of food before taking off.  This didn't settle too well and I felt like I had a baby lamb in my stomach.  After a mile of burping I started to feel good and and began to push the pace harder on this downhill section.

I've also learned that I need 1 SCap in 80 degree weather and can use up to 2 per hour when it gets over 85.  These kept my kidneys functioning perfect and held general fatigue and cramping at bay too.  I need to be drinking water with these, instead of sports drink.

So, I make it back to the aid station and there is now about 10 miles left to go back down the Chattooga to finish.  I ate as much food as my stomach would allow, refilled bottles with water, grabbed some food for the road and hit the trail again quickly. 

I felt like I smashed this section!  I ran all of the downhills & flats and even jogged a lot of the uphills.  I ended up filling up my two 20 oz. bottles two extra times through here so I was going through a lot of water.

I made the final turn towards the finish which meant there were three miles to go.  These three miles usually go on FOREVER, but I knew that it would go much quicker if I made myself run them.  My legs and body were beginning to red line in this section and I though of Angela.  How she fought cancer for so many years and still managed to come out and finish these ultras.  Her spirit for life helped push me faster and harder up that final climb to the finish. 

At last, I crossed the highway and headed into the campground towards the finish line.  My watched showed a 7:35 finish time which was my fastest time ever by about 30 minutes.  It felt good to do that for Angela.

In closing I would like to share this photo and poem about her.

Slipping into Brightness

Angels rose before sunrise
To slip along a trail greeting
Nature as she found it
And the sun which lit
An already Angela brightened day.
Angela sang of exuberance
Since joy was the only way
She accepted the world
As she found it
And the people who lit
An already Angela brightened friendship
Angela faced each day
Each race
Each opportunity to experience
With an embrace
Angela runs now
Well after sundown
Darkness unable to dim
The memories lit by
An Angela brightened life

Poem By Ray K

Laurel Valley Training Run For Western States 100

I love some Laurel Valley running!  It's hard to believe that this would be my 11th time taking on the 34 mile course.   This time would be with my soon to be Western States 100 pacer & bro-in-law Nick. 

We met up early at the gravel Whitewater Falls parking lot and drove over to begin our run at 7:00 AM.  The run began with a very comfortable cool mountain breeze which we enjoyed for the first 8 miles of mostly downhill single track.

I've learned that you may as well run the first 8-9 miles as fast as you like because the next 25 normally slap you around pretty good.

We hit the bench at Lake Jocassee in 3:04 which is about 15 minutes faster than I ever have before.  As we began the relentless climbs the valley begin to heat up.  It's amazing through this stretch of trail.  Not just the beauty, but the obvious temperature swings.  As you crest one mountain you feel a 10 degree cool down, then head back down into a valley and the heat quickly begins to smother you again.

Your mental ups & downs also begin to vary as much as the terrain.

This trail follows a painful pattern for the entire length.  You climb a very steep mountain, run atop a flat ridge for a short time, then head straight back down to water.  Water is always a welcome sight because you can get some fresh liquid and cool down, but then you find yourself starting the pattern all over again of climbing.

I was instantly shocked at how easy the 6 sets of stairs seemed to me at Heartbreak ridge.  I normally struggles up these at about 12 miles into the run, but going into this run 25 lbs. lighter made a huge difference.  I power hiked right up them and was surprised to see the top so easy & quickly.

We ran around the lake and I knew that another killer 2 mile climb was coming out of Canebrake.  Once again, I was surprised at how much better I was making my way up the steep hills.  I felt almost like I was cheating in some way.

It was great to see the Laurel Valley race RD - Claude Sinclair through this stretch.  He was out on a weekend backpacking trip and we were able to help him purify some water and get some salt pills into his system.

We hit the halfway mark in pretty good spirits and started running into a few folks on the trail.  We were both surprised to actually see lots of people out near Horsepastuer River and around that area.

Nick and I took some time to take a dip in the river under the bridge and the water was perfect.  Just cold enough to take your breath away at first, but then it felt cool enough to stay in for the rest of the afternoon.  I reluctantly started getting out after I saw Nick getting ready to head back on the trail.

The next 10-11 miles from here to the finish are BRUTAL.  I would guess that you have about 8 miles of uphill and maybe 2-3 of downhill.  Many of the climbs/descents are so steep that you could actually do them on all fours.

We ran up on a man hiking with two dogs through Bear Creek.  One of the dogs begin to charge us and show his teeth.  Of course the man said that he was friendly, but I still jumped out of the trail and gave him room.  I think Nick was in the zone because he just kept trudging ahead.

After running about 35 miles during the week leading up to this run my legs were starting to feel some fatigue, but nothing like I normally experience.  We both kept attacking the trail, pushing ahead as best as we could.  Power climbing the steep ups and running everything else.

We made our way past Thompson River and it was great to finally hear Whitewater River roaring which meant we only had about 3 more miles to do.  With about 1200 foot of elevation to climb of course.

We held on and climbed out and finished in 10:35.  I still can't believe how fast we covered this course.  We shared a Steripen to treat all of our water for the entire run.   We stopped eight times to do this and it took us 10-15 minutes each time.  We also stopped to talk with Claude and some other hikers for about 30 minutes.  Add in our 15 minute swim break and I would say that we stalled on the trail for at least two hours.  The fastest I've ever ran this course was at last years race in 9:13.  Plus, neither of us were "racing", but just out covering the distance. 

This has me very encouraged about WS100 which is only about four weeks away!  I should be able to shed at least another 15 lbs. between now and then which should go a long way in helping me finish.

This was a terrific run and I'm very proud of Nick & I both for toughing it out and finishing strong.  This was his 3rd ultra finish.  His other two were Laurel Valley and a 30 mile night run with me down the Chattooga River.  I even had the pleasure of seeing him toss up a belly full of creek water on the drive back to get my car at the start.  That type of tenacity will be what I need to cross that finish line on June 24th in Auburn California.

Can't wait!

Long Cane 50K "ish" Race Report 2012

This was another training run for Western States which is coming up in seven short weeks.  I didn't run well so I guess thats why I'm calling it a training run.   Well, OK, either way it was a training run.

First off, it's a HUGE pleasure to have an ultra only about 1 hour from my home.  Thanks again to Terri Hayes and all of the great volunteers who helped out.

This was my 42nd ultra and I have to say that it is the most runnable trail race that I've ever done.

  The start was perfect.  I arrived about 10 minutes before it began (which I love) and had plenty of time to check-in and get my number pinned on my shorts.   It was fairly cool on the Lake and I was surprised to see nearly 100 runners on the start line.  It was great to see so many friends and familiar faces.  There seemed to be a lot of 1st time ultra runners too which is something that makes a race even more special.

I've banked about a 50K run for the last five weekends or so and this one was going to be nice since it included aid stations and support.  I started off way too fast while keeping pace with Chris & Bo for a while.

I had completely forgotten how flat and runnable this trail system was.  The first eight miles flew by quickly and I feel behind my friends after stopping for a break in the woods.

Runners can either do a 50K or 55 miler and I chose the 50K which actually measured out closer to 34 miles in the end.

My legs didn't really turn heavy until about mile 20 where I left a nice aid station and walked up what seemed to be one of the few climbs of the day.  I was following some other runners out of the aid station and we all took a wrong right turn at the top of the hill.  I'm guessing we probably ran about a mile the wrong way before realizing that we had all screwed up.  

My head checked out of the run when I realized we went off course.  Suddenly my legs felt tired and I just wanted to walk.  I was on pace for a sub 7:00 hour finish at that point which really didn't matter any way, but it was keeping me motivated to run more.

I've learned that my body/mind always seem to hit a low point around mile 20-25.  Most people's bodies begin to convert over to burning fat at this point and I'm thinking that has something to do with it.  Either way, I just put on my music and went somewhere else mentally.  Today's random thoughts took me to chain link fence.  Who ever thought that stuff up anyway?  How did they just "make" it?   I wonder how many feet of it are in the world?  How much would it take to fence in this entire park?

And before I know it I'm at the next aid station, feeling a little better and getting some water and food.

I honestly walked a lot of the final stretch of this race.  I know, I should have at least shuffled more of it, but I just didn't care to fight it that day.   

There are a series of rolling hills at the end of this course that will just drive you crazy!  It looks like the lake & finish line is right over the next hill, but then you just find another one waiting for you.  The course must have followed this same pattern about a dozen times.  I finally just started laughing as I would crest one hill to only see another one waiting to torment me.

It was great to see Jason Rogers and Mark Connolly walking back down the trail after finishing.  I stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes.  Jason had ran his fastest 50K time ever and Mark seemed to be happy with his race too.  Both guys looked much leaner and stronger than last time I had seen them.  Very encouraging!

I walked it in over the finish line in about 7:58 totally about 36 miles.  I was just thrilled to have covered the distance again.  There were good, bad, and ugly parts of this run which is what a long training run normally is all about.

I joked around with Jeff, Merle, Viktor, Lynne, Epic, Bo, and some other briefly before driving back home.  Congratulations to Jeff Dixon, who I believe was the race winner with a 5:08.

Landsford Canal 24 & Sweet H20 50K Race Reports

Both of these runs were meant as training runs for Western States 100 in June so I thought I would consolidate them both into a single entry.

I've never had this much fun with my training.  NEVER! 

I'm nervously anxious about the 100 miles out west.  I've never ran in that environment.  I do feel that some pressure is off of me because I'm not "racing" it.  My goal is to simply get to the finish line under 30 hours and have the most fun possible while doing so.

With that being said, here is what happened at Landsford Canal 24....

Weezy came up and stayed with me before the race and we drove down to the park on Saturday morning.  We arrived about 10 minutes before the start which was perfect for me, but not so much for him.  I love to just be putting my bib number on as the gun goes off.  Either way, it was no big deal for either of us and we were off and running.  Fast.

My training called for 34 miles and Wayne wanted to hit 50.  Since we knew this was just a "laboratory" to test out gear and nutrition we both went out like leopards hunting prey.  I covered the first mile uphill in about 8:20.  The next three miles were similar and finished the first 4.25 mile loop in about 35 minutes.

Pretty stupid for an ultra I know, but we were just having fun and clowning around.

We ran the next three loops together and a nice steady clip.  Wayne pulled ahead around the 4-5 loop and I settled into a shuffle.  This course is 80% road, 20% hard packed dirt trail and I spent a lot of time running over Fire Ant mounds on the side of the road.  I'm not used to logging high mileage on pavement and I sure didn't want to wreck my body. 

I ended up averaging about 50 minutes for each 4.25 mile loop and completed my 34 miles in 6:59.  Weezy also had a solid training run with about 51 miles under 10 hours.

I also wanted to throw some love to Andy Bruner who ended up tied for 2nd in the race and logged 100 miles in under 20 hours.  Great racing!

Claude Sinclair put on a great ultra event in this beautiful little park.  I'm not much of a road runner, but the mix of trail & pavement made for a nice hybrid event.

After Landsford I drove down to Weezy's house the next weekend and we ran the Sweet H20 50K ultra just outside of Atlanta.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE this race and the course!  With only about 1.5 miles of pavement, tons of varied single track,  twin river crossings, sandy beaches, and quad burning hills - well it just rocks on about every level of ultra running! 

My goal for this two loop course was to run steady all day.  Get in and out of every aid station in 60 seconds and try to simulate 32 miles at Western States.  My plan worked perfectly until I had some nausea issues on the final 5 miles.  Something just didn't sit good on my stomach so it was not a big deal.  I left it beside the trail and just kept running.  I ended up with a 8:14 finishing time which was a little slower than I wanted, but not enough to matter.

My legs were not very sore after the race and I was able to run the next day without any problems.  I'm feeling very confident about finishing the 100 in June and it's exciting to really be bumping up the mileage for the next month.