As I mentioned before, Jody and I made it back to the hotel where I must admit it felt pretty good to grab a shower and hit the sack.
We got up the next morning and were able to talk to a few folks at breakfast who had both finished or had family members recovering in bed from finishing.
We made a final stop by the rec center to pick up gear from the bus ride, see who all was hanging around and enjoy some coffee before beginning the long drive home.
I was glad to see Ed, the other runner from Kentucky up and about at the breakfast. Had a great chance to introduce myself and compare our race experiences. As I mentioned earlier, Ed and I made it the same distance only I didn't realize he was the one warming up in the car while I was waiting on my ride.
Also had the opportunity to see another runner shortly after finishing who I'd run with for awhile in Nashville. It seems ultrarunning like all subcultures servers to make the world that much smaller which is one of the things I love about it. He had finished in about 27 hours and still looked good to go and even had an appetite afterwards.
Last we heard before heading out was that at about 10:30 there were approximately thirty folks who had finished and another 20 or so out on the course. If not for the drive ahead we would have loved to stay for the awards but needed to get back.
The drive home went well and I tried my best to keep my leg stretched out for most of the trip.
48 hours after the fact I was able to get around pretty well although the first 24 hours made me think I might have messed something up as the tendon behind my knee was still super stiff, unlike anything I had experienced before. If it was just muscle stiffness that would be one thing but having point tenderness at the top of my calf made me a bit nervous. To date I still haven't ran on it but have just done some light cross training. I'm shooting to run Otter Creek Marathon here in a few weeks so I guess I better get out there a bit.
Having had almost two weeks to reflect on the race I've come up with the following possible reasons why I didn't do as well as I would have liked.
The first and foremost was not enough long runs consistently throughout my training. More often than not the reason for this was simple boredom and lack of accountability. As the majority of my training was on my own I can think of several occasions where I cut my runs short simply because I lost interest or got tired of being out there in the dark on my own. In the future I would definitely like to get hold of some like minded folks and commit to some long runs in unique places. It is always hard to accomplish but I definitely need to make it a priority.
In conjunction with the first is the possibility that I ran my fifty miler too close too my hundred. Not having even ran a marathon distance in over six months the fifty was quite a jump as far as my long runs were concerned. While the fifty went near perfectly I don't doubt that it took a toll on my body, especially being mostly on asphalt.
While I would not hesitate to do a fifty so close to a hundred in the future I certainly feel that I should have started at the fifty and went back bi-weekly with my long runs by 45-40-35 etc. to prepare myself.
Similar to my previous marathon preparations I would love to be at the point where I could run the entire length of a fifty prior to doing a hundred. I definitely think this is a doable goal, especially given the right type of 50 miler.
I must again say that Steve Durbin is my hero for being able to knock out a sub 8hr 50m and go on to run his hundred at mother road in under 22 hours! Maybe in twenty years I can be that good!
Another factor in my race I strongly believe was just being extremely busy between the fifty and the 100. I think I probably put too much of an emphasis on rest and recovery and subsequently sat around working on my senior project at the computer and put on weight and got stiff.
I know for a fact that I put on probably five pounds between the two as a result of inactivity while researching, writing and resting. While it is important to replenish calories after a big race I think I may have over did it!
Mentally I struggled to remain focused on the event and not let it psyche me out. It is such a difficult distance to get your head around, for me at least that it is easy to second guess yourself and play what if games. While I was confident that I could gut it out physically it was the hundred intangibles that were hard not to let go of. The planning, tinkering, gear buying etc. went on right up until the end of the race ending with a mad dash of assembling all my supplies and making a mental plan of what would go where.
Of course this is all part of the learning process and I am already thinking of ways to make it smoother next time.
The 24 hours prior to the start also was rough physically. The stress and constraint of driving eight hours in a hurry then being stuck in traffic didn't help my outlook. Barely making the pre-race meeting and not feeling like I had time to unwind was another stressor. Then the maybe four hours of sleep plus two hour school bus ride to the start and then onto the trails probably didn't help much.
I was also guilty of violating the cardinal rule of racing which is don't race with anything you've never used before. Although I did this with my shoes and they were great I probably didn't need to carry an extra water bottle or gear like I did. Oh well.
All in all, I had a great time just wish I would have had more time on either end of the race to get to know some folks, chat and hang out. I'm looking forward to heading to Otter Creek in a few weeks as it was my initial race that launched me into trail racing and ultras. It is also a great race for relaxing, meeting new folks and enjoying a laid back race atmosphere.
Next on the horizon?
I plan on entering the lottery for Massanutten on December 1st and make my plans from there for my next hundred. If I don't get picked I will probably head to Illinois for McNaughton in April. In the meantime I'm going to try and hit all the Kentucky Ultras again including Lovin the Hills 50k and Land Between the Lakes.
My loose goal is still to try and get in at least one race of marathon distance or longer each month for an entire year. I may have to travel in January a bit to meet my goal but that's alright.
As for my next 100 attempt my training goals will be twofold and common to most runners.
More miles and less weight. Sounds simple but the holidays and weather often conspire against us when the nights turn long.
If you took the time, thanks for reading and feel free to make comments. I look forward to increasing my local ultra community.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Pinhoti Report part 3
Bald Rock to Silent Trail...
Heading out from Bald Rock I knew that the daylight was running out and nighttime would soon be catching up with me. I'm guessing there was probably 3/4 to a mile of pavement before we peeled off back onto the trail and the infamous "blue hell".
It is easy to see where this portion of trail gets it's moniker. There is numerous blue paint to mark the trail at this point and it basically consists of probably 500 feet of rock garden descent over large, sometimes slick boulders. Fortunately at this point in the race we were descending blue hell as opposed to the Cheaha 50k where runners encounter it near the end of the race. I was just happy to get through this section in the last hours of light and not have to use my headlamp just yet.
After getting through the descent their was probably only a half mile of running on the trail before it kicked us out on the road. The remainder of this section was either on pavement or jeep road ending at aid station #8 and 45 miles. Jody was here again and I took advantage of a quick break to don my windbreaker and get a little hot cider. The temperature was definitely dropping and it was officially dark.
Silent Trail to Hubbard Creek
Heading out again, I knew I was in for a long section of trail at 6.8 miles. I was actually feeling great for the first couple of miles and able to make some decent time running as the trail was pretty mellow at the beginning. I was passed by a pacer looking for his runner early on. It is always a little disappointing to see someone so fresh when you've been running for twelve hours but also encouraging that they are out there helping someone out. At what was I guess halfway I ran into a runner who was literally laying down across the trail. He asked me how far I thought we were and I told him I guessed about halfway. He was looking rough and I was thinking that's not a good sign to be laying down on the trail. After probably an hour I saw him again when I thought I had taken a wrong trail and backtracked fifteen minutes or so. Again, he laid down on the trail while I went back to make sure we were where we needed to be.
While a very long section, and at night I can only imagine how pretty this section must have been in the daylight. I ran through several small creek crossing and along side what sounded like some beautiful cascades. Also ran by probably a half a dozen folks camping along the trail with big fires going, guitars playing etc. Awfully tempting to stop and visit!
Eventually I got through this section and ended up at the small aid station at Hubbard Creek.
The aid station was staffed by a volunteer boy scout troop who were super friendly and helpful as was everybody. I had a few potato chips, ibuprofen and coke and headed out.
Hubbard Creek to Adams Gap.
This next section was deceptive in it's description. At only 3.3 miles I figured I could easily knock it out in an hour or so. Unfortunately it seemed my leg kept getting tighter and tighter, especially after sitting in a chair in the cold for even 5 minutes. This section also contained lots of tight switch backs and a good deal of climbing. I got passed early on by the pacer who had now found his runner but continued on. All in all I think this short 3 miles took me over an hour and a half to complete.
Coming into Adams Gap, however, I was greeted with some AC/DC blasting out of a stereo set up at the aid station. It was like a mirage when I finally got there. Jody was again at this aid station as was a big bon fire and several other runners. By this point I was certain I could not make the 30 hour cut off but wanted to get in a few more miles. I sat around the fire for probably 10-15 minutes while my wife told me stories of other runners who were having troubles of their own. The most frustrating part was that I really felt great other than my leg. If I could have just swapped it out I felt like I could have hammered away easily for the rest of the night. At Adams Gap I had three bowls of soup, another Starbucks double shot and a coffee brownie. Jody assured me that the next five miles was all Jeep Road so I knew I could make it that far.
So I headed out armed with my ipod shuffle and set out to enjoy the remaining two hours of my race and began the reflective process of what I would do differently next year. I was passed by one other woman who I had seen earlier in the race who was looking weary but still running. I wished her luck and kept walking. Once or twice I tried out running, just for fun but the tendon behind my knee immediately would tense up on me, especially down hill.
I wound up making it to aid station 11 @ clairmont gap with probably 15 minutes to go till the cutoff for that aid station. It was almost midnight and I knew I wouldn't make the next cutoff so called it quits.
Jody had forgotten our sleeping bag at Adams Gap so drove back up to get it while I waited another ten minutes.
Apparently there were two other folks at mile 60 who had dropped, one of which wound up getting a trip to the ER for dehydration from what I hear.
We were able to call and get a room at the same hotel in Sylacauga so headed back to town and crashed out. I enjoyed hearing Jody's stories of how others were dong and some of the experiences she had waiting at the aid stations.
I'll try to post my conclusions tomorrow.
Heading out from Bald Rock I knew that the daylight was running out and nighttime would soon be catching up with me. I'm guessing there was probably 3/4 to a mile of pavement before we peeled off back onto the trail and the infamous "blue hell".
It is easy to see where this portion of trail gets it's moniker. There is numerous blue paint to mark the trail at this point and it basically consists of probably 500 feet of rock garden descent over large, sometimes slick boulders. Fortunately at this point in the race we were descending blue hell as opposed to the Cheaha 50k where runners encounter it near the end of the race. I was just happy to get through this section in the last hours of light and not have to use my headlamp just yet.
After getting through the descent their was probably only a half mile of running on the trail before it kicked us out on the road. The remainder of this section was either on pavement or jeep road ending at aid station #8 and 45 miles. Jody was here again and I took advantage of a quick break to don my windbreaker and get a little hot cider. The temperature was definitely dropping and it was officially dark.
Silent Trail to Hubbard Creek
Heading out again, I knew I was in for a long section of trail at 6.8 miles. I was actually feeling great for the first couple of miles and able to make some decent time running as the trail was pretty mellow at the beginning. I was passed by a pacer looking for his runner early on. It is always a little disappointing to see someone so fresh when you've been running for twelve hours but also encouraging that they are out there helping someone out. At what was I guess halfway I ran into a runner who was literally laying down across the trail. He asked me how far I thought we were and I told him I guessed about halfway. He was looking rough and I was thinking that's not a good sign to be laying down on the trail. After probably an hour I saw him again when I thought I had taken a wrong trail and backtracked fifteen minutes or so. Again, he laid down on the trail while I went back to make sure we were where we needed to be.
While a very long section, and at night I can only imagine how pretty this section must have been in the daylight. I ran through several small creek crossing and along side what sounded like some beautiful cascades. Also ran by probably a half a dozen folks camping along the trail with big fires going, guitars playing etc. Awfully tempting to stop and visit!
Eventually I got through this section and ended up at the small aid station at Hubbard Creek.
The aid station was staffed by a volunteer boy scout troop who were super friendly and helpful as was everybody. I had a few potato chips, ibuprofen and coke and headed out.
Hubbard Creek to Adams Gap.
This next section was deceptive in it's description. At only 3.3 miles I figured I could easily knock it out in an hour or so. Unfortunately it seemed my leg kept getting tighter and tighter, especially after sitting in a chair in the cold for even 5 minutes. This section also contained lots of tight switch backs and a good deal of climbing. I got passed early on by the pacer who had now found his runner but continued on. All in all I think this short 3 miles took me over an hour and a half to complete.
Coming into Adams Gap, however, I was greeted with some AC/DC blasting out of a stereo set up at the aid station. It was like a mirage when I finally got there. Jody was again at this aid station as was a big bon fire and several other runners. By this point I was certain I could not make the 30 hour cut off but wanted to get in a few more miles. I sat around the fire for probably 10-15 minutes while my wife told me stories of other runners who were having troubles of their own. The most frustrating part was that I really felt great other than my leg. If I could have just swapped it out I felt like I could have hammered away easily for the rest of the night. At Adams Gap I had three bowls of soup, another Starbucks double shot and a coffee brownie. Jody assured me that the next five miles was all Jeep Road so I knew I could make it that far.
So I headed out armed with my ipod shuffle and set out to enjoy the remaining two hours of my race and began the reflective process of what I would do differently next year. I was passed by one other woman who I had seen earlier in the race who was looking weary but still running. I wished her luck and kept walking. Once or twice I tried out running, just for fun but the tendon behind my knee immediately would tense up on me, especially down hill.
I wound up making it to aid station 11 @ clairmont gap with probably 15 minutes to go till the cutoff for that aid station. It was almost midnight and I knew I wouldn't make the next cutoff so called it quits.
Jody had forgotten our sleeping bag at Adams Gap so drove back up to get it while I waited another ten minutes.
Apparently there were two other folks at mile 60 who had dropped, one of which wound up getting a trip to the ER for dehydration from what I hear.
We were able to call and get a room at the same hotel in Sylacauga so headed back to town and crashed out. I enjoyed hearing Jody's stories of how others were dong and some of the experiences she had waiting at the aid stations.
I'll try to post my conclusions tomorrow.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Pinhoti race report part 2
As I mentioned in the first post I felt kind of in the hole from the start doing many of the things you shouldn't do from the get go before a race of this size.
A. Sit in a car for eight hours the day before.
B. Sleep about 4 hours.
C. Not be able to hydrate well prior to the event.
D. Run in stuff you haven't trained in.
Oh well, so it goes.
The race started out cool, probably in the mid 40's and I wore a long sleeve t-shirt for probably the first couple of hours feeling comfortable in the shade of the trees and not wanting to get a ton of sun, wind exposure when we were out in the open. Starting literally in the back due to getting all my stuff together I passed a few people early on and tried to take a very leisurely pace and settle into a rhythm.
I caught up and talked with a real nice woman from Colorado (Hi, Anne) for awhile and walked/ran at a pretty mellow pace till I passed her about a mile before the first aid station at mile 6.7.
Unfortunately for some unknown reason there seem to be no results available for the race yet and I didn't keep very close track of my splits so I can only guess at most of my later times. I do know it took me about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to the first aid station and I was thinking it was going to be a long day. Up to this point none of the trails were super challenging, just time consuming with lots of switch backs, several easy creek crossing and lots of debris still down on the trail from previous storms.
The next aid was 6.5 miles away so off we went. Sometime between the start and middle of this section I caught up with three other guys who had done some training together and seemed to be keeping a pretty decent pace. I stayed with them up to the next aid station at 13 miles. The course had been rerouted from aid station 2 to 3 in response to a tornado earlier on in the year and basically the absence of trail. So instead we ran the entire distance of 5 miles on roads till the next checkpoint.
The devastation was pretty drastic and the whole area looked like a clear cut. Not sure whether this was the case after the storm or what but can definitely see where any forward motion on that part of the trail would be extremely challenging.
From aid station 3 to 4 we had about 4.5 miles to cover. Our little group stayed together for the duration of this distance taking turns swapping leads and chatting. Running in a group definitely helped the time go by and in retrospect I should have spent more effort staying in contact with these guys as we were making good time and staying right at the 24 hour mark.
At aid station 4 (22.7 miles) however, I stopped to mess with my bottles, gear food etc. and wound up losing contact with my former group. In retrospect I definitely should have made more of an effort to stay with them because we were making good time and the conversation was helping me out mentally. I didn't see them the rest of the day and wish them well.
Throughout the day it seemed my stomach was not cooperating very well. While I kept up with my eating and drinking as my plan it just seemed like all my fluid intake was just sloshing around inside of me and I had bouts of nausea but never any vomiting. I kept thinking throughout the day the when night came and it cooled off I would feel much better. I did make the decision to carry two water bottles, one in my hip pack and a hand held and looking back I think one would have been fine, especially for a cool weather race like this one.
Also, probably ten miles into the race I began having an injury I had never experienced before. The tendon behind my knee (popliteal tendon) began getting tighter and tighter throughout the day resulting in me not being able to run at all by about fifty miles. I had never experienced this before and attribute it to being tight from travelling and also just not being able to get as much mileage/cross training in as I had been before the race due to work, life and mostly sitting at a desk working on my paper for my senior project.
I struggled all the way down to the race with trying to get in the right frame of mind for racing and probably didn't get there until it was too late but more on that in the what I would have changed section.
By this time I'd made it to Aid station #5 27.6 and the first place where my wife was able to meet me. It was nice to see her as I didn't think she'd make it due to getting confused earlier but just made it in time for me to come through. I don't know the exact times but I had fallen off the 24 hour pace already and was kind of disheartened by how slow I was going. Later, Jody said I was looking pretty pale and dejected. I ate and drank a little, changed socks and insoles and headed off for another long 6,9 mile stretch. These long stretches are not so tough physically, but mentally being isolated and alone it was hard for me to make good time. Again, my stomach was still feeling cruddy and it is so hard to not compare your progress with what you know you can run on flat ground, for me that was usually doubling my time. For this particular stretch I think it probably took well over two hours.
Jody was at aid station 6 (34.5 miles) again when I came in and was a big help to the couple there as they were busy doing their thing and she was able to check off runners coming through. By the time us back of the packers had come through they had run out of water and had only HEED to offer which for the life of me I can't figure out why race directors keep supplying as I have yet to meet any runners who like it. Jody had water for me but I was in pretty good shape to start with.
I was actually looking forward to the next section since A it was shorter and B I knew it would be an emotional and literal high point of the race arriving at Bald Rock and the top of Mt. Cheaha. It would also serve as the transition into night. I was able to actually run a good portion of this section with a group of folks from Wisconsin who had come down and were doing very well. I was expecting a much greater climb but the section was really not too bad. A good portion was run on a ridge so the scenery was fantastic. After running all day in the hollers and switchbacks it was fun to feel like you were getting somewhere. Then all of sudden you hear noise, look up and there are probably a hundred people on the boardwalk at the top of the mountain cheering you on. Apparently Cheaha is a big tourist attraction and there were all sorts of folks up there. I even took the time to pose for a couple of pictures with my camera that died shortly thereafter.
Jody was in the parking lot waiting for me with my tights, long sleeve top, sandwiches etc. I took the time to get a red bull in as well since I knew it would be the beginning of a long night. Having just switched to daylight savings and being in the far eastern part of the central time zone the sun was gone by 5 O'clock. Jody wound up getting some great sunset shots that I'll try to post later.
While getting changed, fueled etc. it was fun to listen to her stories of how others were doing and I envied her opportunity to see all the other runners. Stomach wise I was finally starting to feel better, although my leg was getting tighter.
Heading out from Bald rock (40 miles) I would be on my own again for the rest of my time in the race.
I'll continue part 3 from there tomorrow.
A. Sit in a car for eight hours the day before.
B. Sleep about 4 hours.
C. Not be able to hydrate well prior to the event.
D. Run in stuff you haven't trained in.
Oh well, so it goes.
The race started out cool, probably in the mid 40's and I wore a long sleeve t-shirt for probably the first couple of hours feeling comfortable in the shade of the trees and not wanting to get a ton of sun, wind exposure when we were out in the open. Starting literally in the back due to getting all my stuff together I passed a few people early on and tried to take a very leisurely pace and settle into a rhythm.
I caught up and talked with a real nice woman from Colorado (Hi, Anne) for awhile and walked/ran at a pretty mellow pace till I passed her about a mile before the first aid station at mile 6.7.
Unfortunately for some unknown reason there seem to be no results available for the race yet and I didn't keep very close track of my splits so I can only guess at most of my later times. I do know it took me about an hour and forty-five minutes to get to the first aid station and I was thinking it was going to be a long day. Up to this point none of the trails were super challenging, just time consuming with lots of switch backs, several easy creek crossing and lots of debris still down on the trail from previous storms.
The next aid was 6.5 miles away so off we went. Sometime between the start and middle of this section I caught up with three other guys who had done some training together and seemed to be keeping a pretty decent pace. I stayed with them up to the next aid station at 13 miles. The course had been rerouted from aid station 2 to 3 in response to a tornado earlier on in the year and basically the absence of trail. So instead we ran the entire distance of 5 miles on roads till the next checkpoint.
The devastation was pretty drastic and the whole area looked like a clear cut. Not sure whether this was the case after the storm or what but can definitely see where any forward motion on that part of the trail would be extremely challenging.
From aid station 3 to 4 we had about 4.5 miles to cover. Our little group stayed together for the duration of this distance taking turns swapping leads and chatting. Running in a group definitely helped the time go by and in retrospect I should have spent more effort staying in contact with these guys as we were making good time and staying right at the 24 hour mark.
At aid station 4 (22.7 miles) however, I stopped to mess with my bottles, gear food etc. and wound up losing contact with my former group. In retrospect I definitely should have made more of an effort to stay with them because we were making good time and the conversation was helping me out mentally. I didn't see them the rest of the day and wish them well.
Throughout the day it seemed my stomach was not cooperating very well. While I kept up with my eating and drinking as my plan it just seemed like all my fluid intake was just sloshing around inside of me and I had bouts of nausea but never any vomiting. I kept thinking throughout the day the when night came and it cooled off I would feel much better. I did make the decision to carry two water bottles, one in my hip pack and a hand held and looking back I think one would have been fine, especially for a cool weather race like this one.
Also, probably ten miles into the race I began having an injury I had never experienced before. The tendon behind my knee (popliteal tendon) began getting tighter and tighter throughout the day resulting in me not being able to run at all by about fifty miles. I had never experienced this before and attribute it to being tight from travelling and also just not being able to get as much mileage/cross training in as I had been before the race due to work, life and mostly sitting at a desk working on my paper for my senior project.
I struggled all the way down to the race with trying to get in the right frame of mind for racing and probably didn't get there until it was too late but more on that in the what I would have changed section.
By this time I'd made it to Aid station #5 27.6 and the first place where my wife was able to meet me. It was nice to see her as I didn't think she'd make it due to getting confused earlier but just made it in time for me to come through. I don't know the exact times but I had fallen off the 24 hour pace already and was kind of disheartened by how slow I was going. Later, Jody said I was looking pretty pale and dejected. I ate and drank a little, changed socks and insoles and headed off for another long 6,9 mile stretch. These long stretches are not so tough physically, but mentally being isolated and alone it was hard for me to make good time. Again, my stomach was still feeling cruddy and it is so hard to not compare your progress with what you know you can run on flat ground, for me that was usually doubling my time. For this particular stretch I think it probably took well over two hours.
Jody was at aid station 6 (34.5 miles) again when I came in and was a big help to the couple there as they were busy doing their thing and she was able to check off runners coming through. By the time us back of the packers had come through they had run out of water and had only HEED to offer which for the life of me I can't figure out why race directors keep supplying as I have yet to meet any runners who like it. Jody had water for me but I was in pretty good shape to start with.
I was actually looking forward to the next section since A it was shorter and B I knew it would be an emotional and literal high point of the race arriving at Bald Rock and the top of Mt. Cheaha. It would also serve as the transition into night. I was able to actually run a good portion of this section with a group of folks from Wisconsin who had come down and were doing very well. I was expecting a much greater climb but the section was really not too bad. A good portion was run on a ridge so the scenery was fantastic. After running all day in the hollers and switchbacks it was fun to feel like you were getting somewhere. Then all of sudden you hear noise, look up and there are probably a hundred people on the boardwalk at the top of the mountain cheering you on. Apparently Cheaha is a big tourist attraction and there were all sorts of folks up there. I even took the time to pose for a couple of pictures with my camera that died shortly thereafter.
Jody was in the parking lot waiting for me with my tights, long sleeve top, sandwiches etc. I took the time to get a red bull in as well since I knew it would be the beginning of a long night. Having just switched to daylight savings and being in the far eastern part of the central time zone the sun was gone by 5 O'clock. Jody wound up getting some great sunset shots that I'll try to post later.
While getting changed, fueled etc. it was fun to listen to her stories of how others were doing and I envied her opportunity to see all the other runners. Stomach wise I was finally starting to feel better, although my leg was getting tighter.
Heading out from Bald rock (40 miles) I would be on my own again for the rest of my time in the race.
I'll continue part 3 from there tomorrow.
Pinhoti race report part 1
Well, here it is, the long awaited race recap from my first 100 miler attempt.
I am still having major issues trying to get the photos to upload correctly on this site so may have to include some of them later.
Jody (my wife) and I were able to leave out of Frankfort a little after noon on Friday and had about a 7.5 hour drive ahead of us. Everything went well until we got just outside of Birmingham where we hit stand still traffic and travelled about 5 miles in an hour.
We made it to Sylacauga just in time to catch the last of the pre-race meeting and eat some cold bland pasta and bread. Jody said the only salvation was the bananna pudding.
Anyway, we were able to check in, get our goodie bag which had some decent swag in it and hang out for the door prizes. We did alright and picked up a new fuel belt and large jug of hammer gel with dispenser! Along with the entry fee I did get a long sleeve tech t-shirt, short sleeve cotton t and some fancy socks so that's not too bad.
Off to the hotel room where I assembled my gear, took a bath to relax and was in bed by 9 in preparation of getting up at three to catch the shuttle! At midnight Jody woke me up thinking my alarm was going off and I missed it. Needless to say after that I was awake every 15 minutes looking at my watch and waiting to get up which I did a little after 3 and began eating. Unfortunately I had a 2 hour school bus ride ahead of me so declined the coffee and usual pre-race hydration since there would be no place to go when nature called.
Arriving in plenty of time I said goodbye to Jody for awhile and loaded up on the lovely Sylacauga school bus. I was probably able to get an hour of sleep in fitfully on the way up. Our route was delayed a bit by a wreck on the way up so we arrived at the start at about 5:45 with a beeline being made for the three pit toilets. I queued up last so just about missed the start of the race by the time I was done.
So at the start here I was, hurried, stiff, in the back running with more stuff than I usually do. Kind of an ominous way to kick it off.
Stay tuned for part 2.
I am still having major issues trying to get the photos to upload correctly on this site so may have to include some of them later.
Jody (my wife) and I were able to leave out of Frankfort a little after noon on Friday and had about a 7.5 hour drive ahead of us. Everything went well until we got just outside of Birmingham where we hit stand still traffic and travelled about 5 miles in an hour.
We made it to Sylacauga just in time to catch the last of the pre-race meeting and eat some cold bland pasta and bread. Jody said the only salvation was the bananna pudding.
Anyway, we were able to check in, get our goodie bag which had some decent swag in it and hang out for the door prizes. We did alright and picked up a new fuel belt and large jug of hammer gel with dispenser! Along with the entry fee I did get a long sleeve tech t-shirt, short sleeve cotton t and some fancy socks so that's not too bad.
Off to the hotel room where I assembled my gear, took a bath to relax and was in bed by 9 in preparation of getting up at three to catch the shuttle! At midnight Jody woke me up thinking my alarm was going off and I missed it. Needless to say after that I was awake every 15 minutes looking at my watch and waiting to get up which I did a little after 3 and began eating. Unfortunately I had a 2 hour school bus ride ahead of me so declined the coffee and usual pre-race hydration since there would be no place to go when nature called.
Arriving in plenty of time I said goodbye to Jody for awhile and loaded up on the lovely Sylacauga school bus. I was probably able to get an hour of sleep in fitfully on the way up. Our route was delayed a bit by a wreck on the way up so we arrived at the start at about 5:45 with a beeline being made for the three pit toilets. I queued up last so just about missed the start of the race by the time I was done.
So at the start here I was, hurried, stiff, in the back running with more stuff than I usually do. Kind of an ominous way to kick it off.
Stay tuned for part 2.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
2 days till the start...
Lo and behold the race is near.
After having it in on my radar for over three months it's hard to believe that Saturday morning I will set off on my 100 mile adventure.
I would like to report that the week prior has been spent doing what your supposed to do before a big race, mainly resting, stretching and eating properly but that hasn't been the case.
Instead I've spent most of my time working on the paper accompanying this project and trying to make sense as the project continues to mushroom.
The sheer size of this event can seem overwhelming at times as I've been working to assemble equipment arrange drop bags and the like.
I finally feel like I have all the equipment I need, mainly new shoes, compression tights, gels, headlamps, redbull! etc. and am in the process of assembling drop bags and crew bags for my wife to have available as she meets me at various locations along the trail.
I wish we were able to leave first thing tomorrow morning, arrive early in Sylacauga, look around have lunch and catch a movie but again this is not the case. Instead we will try to get out of town by noon since Jody has to work in the morning, get to Bama by 7, which fortunately is 6 there time and check in, weigh in, dig in and settle in the hotel for maybe six hours sleep.
The plan Saturday is to get up about 3, eat something and head to the rec dept. in Sylacauga to catch the shuttle to the start at 4 am. Race check in will be from 5 to 5:30 and the race will start at six!
If all goes as planned, (what could go wrong) I would like to finish between 24 and 26 hours at which time I will hopefully be able to shower, change and convert the back of our toyota matrix into a portable mash unit complete with sleeping pad and blankets.
After other ultras I'm fairly certain my body would not tolerate sitting in a car seat for another eight hours home so I'm hoping that by lying flat I may delay the inevitable. Sunday evening we should be back in Frankfort and good to go!
It will be interesting for sure to see what challenges will be thrown in along the way.
The weather looks to be perfect for Saturday although some of the course might be a bit muddy since it is supposed to rain on Friday. Maybe it will soften the trail up a bit and make it easier on the legs!
Well, now back to writing my paper.
Look forward to the next installment with the full weekend report!
After having it in on my radar for over three months it's hard to believe that Saturday morning I will set off on my 100 mile adventure.
I would like to report that the week prior has been spent doing what your supposed to do before a big race, mainly resting, stretching and eating properly but that hasn't been the case.
Instead I've spent most of my time working on the paper accompanying this project and trying to make sense as the project continues to mushroom.
The sheer size of this event can seem overwhelming at times as I've been working to assemble equipment arrange drop bags and the like.
I finally feel like I have all the equipment I need, mainly new shoes, compression tights, gels, headlamps, redbull! etc. and am in the process of assembling drop bags and crew bags for my wife to have available as she meets me at various locations along the trail.
I wish we were able to leave first thing tomorrow morning, arrive early in Sylacauga, look around have lunch and catch a movie but again this is not the case. Instead we will try to get out of town by noon since Jody has to work in the morning, get to Bama by 7, which fortunately is 6 there time and check in, weigh in, dig in and settle in the hotel for maybe six hours sleep.
The plan Saturday is to get up about 3, eat something and head to the rec dept. in Sylacauga to catch the shuttle to the start at 4 am. Race check in will be from 5 to 5:30 and the race will start at six!
If all goes as planned, (what could go wrong) I would like to finish between 24 and 26 hours at which time I will hopefully be able to shower, change and convert the back of our toyota matrix into a portable mash unit complete with sleeping pad and blankets.
After other ultras I'm fairly certain my body would not tolerate sitting in a car seat for another eight hours home so I'm hoping that by lying flat I may delay the inevitable. Sunday evening we should be back in Frankfort and good to go!
It will be interesting for sure to see what challenges will be thrown in along the way.
The weather looks to be perfect for Saturday although some of the course might be a bit muddy since it is supposed to rain on Friday. Maybe it will soften the trail up a bit and make it easier on the legs!
Well, now back to writing my paper.
Look forward to the next installment with the full weekend report!
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