The Holidays

This ends week #2 of winter break.  So far, it has been very nice.  I left Nashville on a Friday, drove to north Georgia to spend the night with my uncle, aunt and cousins.  I then drove down to Gainesville, FL, to spend a couple nights with my sister and brother-in-law, who are in med and pharm school, respectively.  Go Gators!  Finally, on Monday, I drove home to Brooksville.

My running has been mediocre.  I ran short 3-4milers on Mon, Wed, and Thurs, followed by a long run on Saturday on the trail.  The three short runs all felt bad.  My legs feel tired; my left achilles is very sore, and my right shin would tighten up.  I don't know what is going on.  I wanted to do the 15mi trail loop on Saturday out at the Withlacoochee State Forest.  The trail is all sandy, sunny, singletrack the the oak and pines of central Florida.  I was feeling pretty good and going along fine until I took a wrong turn.  The bonus miles added about 2mi and some scenic lakeside running.  As I was looking at a map, I flagged down a ranger in his SUV.  After asking him for directions and if the park had any water, I soon learned that he knew nothing and was absolutely useless.  I'm glad I wasn't in any danger.  After getting back on track, I ran for a few more miles and then just felt worn out.  It wasn't so much a wall feeling, just tired and sore already.  Not really feeling like pushing myself mentally or physically, I decided to walk the last mile or two back to the car.  All together I probably did around 12 or so.  I am not really sure.  It was over 2.5h though and a beautiful day.  Hopefully, I can just start feeling better and doing better.  Those 31 miles in Huntsville are going to be a bear at this rate.

Christmas was great.  The family all enjoyed nice family meals on Christmas eve and Christmas lunch.  Our tradition is to go to the gramps' place on Eve to eat dinner and open gifts from family (as opposed to those from Santa).  The last few years we have enjoyed prime rib and fixins.  After dinner we all sit down and distribute the gifts.  Then we go around and open them one at a time in age order, so my little sister starts.  This was the first Christmas for my sister and her husband, so it was nice to share with them.  It was also the first Christmas that she was not at home Christmas morning.  When we wake up, which came around 9am this year, we first eat some breakfast.  The grandparents used to come over early but now they wait until lunchtime.  My parents and we children gather around and enjoying present opening - round 2, again by age.  All together, it was a very nice holiday spent with family!

I have also gotten some good hangout time with friends this break.  My buddy got me into tie-dying, so we have done a couple batches.  This time, I dyed 3 shirts and a set of bed sheets.  They turned out really well, and my collection is growing.  Also, today I am getting some good hangout time with a friend who is home from Fairbanks.  Yesterday there was a 99degree difference in temp from Fairbanks (-32 F) and Brooksville (67 F).  Welcome home!

Some relevant gift highlights include a new Timex Ironman watch (w/ lap memory) and money for a climbing rope and draws.  I am drawn to the Petzl stuff, but may go with BD or Metolius.  If you have any suggestions feel free to post.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Finals Finale

What a week!  This was the hardest finals week I have had in my five semesters at Vanderbilt.  All five of my classes had exams.  Fortunately, the exams were spaced well, but I was still study non-stop for most of it.  I haven't been in that stressed out 'get er done' mode since last fall in the midst of eighteen hours.  All of this meant that my running has been sporadic.  This is the fourth week since the marathon.  My mileage has been 0, 26, 15, currently 22.  I've been feeling progressively better since the marathon, which only makes me want to run more.  One achilles has been bothering me some in the last couple weeks.  

Most of my runs have been general aerobic 6-8mi runs with friends about 8:00/mi pace.  They have been good for keeping me in shape and helping me run faster.  I have also fit in some short runs before exams, even one ten minute jog.  

Today I enjoyed a very nice, and tough, twelve miler on the trails of Percy Warner.  The "Red, White, & Blue" was a soggy, muddy, leaf covered track this morning making footing vital.  My Brooks Cascadias handle the mud pretty well with their aggressive lugs.  Those logs tend to be rather slippery and hard when wet though, so I was extra cautious.  These will carry me through Mountain Mist, trail very similar to that of Monte Sano, so it's good to get some good running in on similar trail and similar winter conditions.  

I plan on getting some 5-8mi in tomorrow and then heading home to FL for a couple weeks for winter break.  There, I'll have to make do with the sandy and flat trails of Withlacoochee Forest.  I plan on getting several back to back 10-15mi runs in out there.  

Ah.  It is winter break.  Five semesters down, three to go.  Here's to you Vandy!

Little by Little

That's how I'm approaching the next 5weeks or whatever until Mountain Mist.  I am definitely still in recovery mode, still overcoming some aches and pains and tight spots.  This last week was aboout 26miles total.  That makes my weekly total equal to the amount I ran two Sundays before.  That's okay.  I'd rather be well recovered and a little undertrained than overtrained and injured.  

This is the beginning of finals week(s), so things have picked up fast.  I will definitely be getting my miles in though.  In fact, they will be a much desired break and release from studying and exams.  

The last week had some very nice runs with friends.  Saturday was particularly nice because it was a beautiful crisp morning on the trails of Percy Warner with a really good friend.  We had blast.  The 7mi were just about what I wanted and needed too.  

This week I plan on doing a 12mi run at PWP on Wednesday morning with locals and friends.  Should be fun.  I will be resisting the hammerfest that may develop.

*sigh*

It's been over a week since the marathon.  The first couple days were great, a real high, after such a successful race.  Since then, though, I've been down.  At home for Thanksgiving break, I just didn't feel motivated to run.  I didn't do much of anything in fact.

I was pretty sore for the first couple of days after the race.  I'd say the soreness was gone by Thanksgiving (4 days) and I attempted to go on a run with my dog.  He was uncooperative, though, and I was getting pain in my left knee (the one that was hurting earlier in the year).  That was a very short run.  Today was the first real run I've done.  It was a short 49mins with two friends at a real casual pace.  I felt very lethargic and slow.  Going up an uphill, I felt worn out.  Plus, the left knee and left leg just didn't feel good - almost like it needed support.  

Anyway, I am going to go at the running kind of slow for the next week or so.  I want to really focus on my body and my health.  That means I need to do a lot of stretching, leg exercises, and crosstraining.  I'd like to incorporate some running drills like kareoka, skips, bounding, etc. along with some sort of lateral exercise, such as tennis or raquetball. 

We'll see what happens.  All I know is that I have to take care of myself in order to get to race day before I can worry about performance.

**P.S.: I'm lucky to have these friends in particular who keep my spirits high and are always entertaining and fun!  I look forward to more runs with them.  Hopefully we can do some Christmas runs to see the neighborhood lights.

My First Marathon: Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey

It may be impossible to summarize the thing in words, so I will just go straight to the details.

-Prerace

Classes ended Friday, and my roommate along with most students had left town, so I was focused on the marathon. Friday night my running partner and I made caramel apples to bring for the potluck meal post race. They turned out very well, especially considering it was the first time for either of us. We melted down caramel candies, dipped the apples (organic from Trader Joe's) and then rolled them in peanuts and/or chocolate bits. Saturday I slept in until around 9:30am. Vanderbilt football played its last home game against UT at 11:30am, and we were predicted to win, but I didn't want to stand for the game or brave the cold, so I went to a friend's home to watch it on tv. That was a good choice - her family was so hospitable. It was really nice to be in a house rather than a dorm. After seeing our beloved Dores get trounced by UT, we went to packet pickup. All I have to say is, "I hate Tennessee," and even at home, the crowd looked "like a garbage truck workers convention" because of that "puke, inside a pumpkin orange, and I don't like pumpkins." (youtube Alabama Hates Tennessee) My friend and I picked up her friend and my running partner, and the 4 of us went to packet pickup. There, the RD, dressed in a fine long-sleeve tie-dye shirt, handed us our customized bibs, tee shirts, customized long-sleeve synthetic tee, and more. We also bought some custom Hatch Show Print posters he had made - sweet swag! At this point, we were stoked and headed back to the house for dinner.

Back at la casa, my friend's mother was kind enough to fix us a wonderful prerace dinner of chicken & penne, chees-stuffed zuchini, and salad - delicious. We goofed off, took some photos, and lounged by the fireplace for awhile. I taught the girls how to make a fireball using your hands and a lighter (neat trick). Then it was back to school for me to slumber.

-Race Day

Even though I didn't sleep particularly well the night before or much of that week, I woke up feeling fine at 6:30am. After eating my usual oatmeal and V8 V-fusion, I picked up my runing partner and headed to Percy Warner. It was cold. At race time the temp was high 30s. I jogged a tiny bit (over to the woods to pee) but figured I had plenty of miles to warm up. My attire consisted of shorts (w/ pockets for granola bars), a short-sleeve synthetic (from Stump Jump), gold & black argyle arm warmers from last year's Vandy Cycling Club kit, SmartWool light socks, Mizuno Inspire 4 shoes (in black & gold), some wind proof Outdoor Research gloves and a thin Pearl Izumi cap. I was a little chilly at the start but the outfit was very good for the conditions throughout the day.

The Race

-Feeling it out

My plan was to start conservative and to build. My goals were to finish and to go under 4 hrs. At the gun our group of four started out together as the leaders nearly sprinted away. Everyone was very chatty and giddy at this point. Afterall, we hadn't done any climbing yet. The first mile marker came quickly (perhaps too quickly). My watch said 6:30 for the first mile. It might have been 8:00. We cruised along, trying to warm up and get into the groove. Many people passed by. We would chat some and move on. One older gent went by with a sign that read "Old Man Passing Thru." I encountered him later. There were a lot of signs, most comical, some demoralizing, and wonderful characters at the aid stations. There was even a fully dressed gorilla riding a bicycle ringing a bell (that was actually kind of annoying). I don't remember very much from those first few miles. I felt somewhat numb due to the cold, relaxed and excited. I chatted with friends and didn't worry too much about pace. Some of the group's family members were there cheering us on. That was a great boost throughout the day. Probably around mile 6 or so, I was feeling good. A 2-time Monkey finished was running near us and he had a similar goal time as I, so I decided I would cruise along with him. That was when I left the group of four. They stayed together and separated throughout the day but all finished strongly within 5-10 minutes of one another.

-Finding my groove

For roughly miles 6-18 I ran with two guys: the one I just mentioned with a similar goal time and another gent who had run the Monkey lastyear and had completed several other marathons and Ironmans throughout the 70s and 80s. It was nice cruising along with them. At almost every aid station I grabbed either water or gatorade, even though I had a handheld. That strategy granted me the flexibility of using the handheld whenever while not having to stop and refill it anytime. I wasn't feeling absolutely stellar - some left knee soreness (reminiscent of the nagging injury a couple months ago) and a little bit of cold-induced stiffness but not too bad. Through the half marathon mark I was a 1:50:xx, putting me on pace for a 3:40 finish, 20mins ahead of my goal! That got me excited and put some fire in my belly to hold the pace.

-Getting after it

If you don't know the course and are not familiar with Percy Warner Park, it is very hilly. Those hills are greatly amplified on tired legs. When mile 18 came along, the long winding hill that usually isn't too bad was pretty bad. A female had torn by a few miles back as if she was "on a mission from God" (like Jake & Elwood) but I kept her in my sights (she had some rad armwarmers on resembling tatted up arms). It was on that last long ascent where I decided to attack. Like an old John Deere, I just kept chugging along uphill. I was worried about an upper harmstring (possibly butt) cramp but the old legs held out. I considered that hill the last big challenge of the day BEFORE the race. Again, on tired legs, every incline is amplified. The Luke Lea Loop comes right after that hill and is a short but hilly 0.6mi segment of road to an overlook. That segment might have been the best part of the race. Why, you ask? Because a kind soul offered Raisinets at the entrance. They are my favorite candy, so when he shoved that bowl my way, I nearly stopped in my tracks to grab a handful. SO tasty! I even called him over for a second handful on my return. They definitely gave me a boost -atleast mentally. Not long after the loop, I caught up to the "old man," to whom I called out, "Young whipper snapper comin' through!" We had a laugh and a chat and I moved on.

-The Pain Train

I had been feeling some fatigue for awhile. I was happy to see the 13.1 marker, and the 10mi to go mark was very encouraging. Like everyone says though, those last 6 are the toughest. Miles 22/23 were when it really hit me. The back part of the park is fairly flat with winding roads through meadows and by the historic steeplechase. It's usually a nice, relaxing portion of the run. I was very glad to have that flat portion! Unfortunately, though, there is one steep, short hill that you must overcome. Just like a stairmaster, you pump the legs like pistons in short choppy steps. It was at this point where both quads cramped. What to do? Run through it. A sign and sidewalk chalk encourage you, reading, "This is not a hill!" Thanks. Within the next mile, the cramps were gone. I was trying my best to trick myself into thinking the finish was near, but those miles didn't get any shorter. At this point I was running hard! Like Yogi said, it's "90% half mental," and I was determined to finish strong. The final turnoff to the finishing field was magnificent! I kept on cruising right into the finish with a smile! 3:35:41

-Finished

I was finally done! What an awesome feeling (on the inside). On the outside, my body was suffering. As the volunteers were tearing off my bib and hanging the medal around my neck, I nearly fell over. Abruptly stopping after running for 26 miles is no easy task. All I wanted to do was sit. I didn't though. After some high-fives and small talk, I got a massage, a change of clothes(the walk to the car was difficult) and some chow (from the pot luck meal). Then it was my turn to play cheerleader. My friends all came in around 4:16-4:25. I was so happy for all of them, especially my running partner. She had been sidelined for 3 weeks with IT trouble and was unsure how this run would turn out. After 6 months of planning and training, I really wanted to see her finish and her determination prevailed. Even through pain, she pushed through. Awesome job! Out of the four of us, she was the only one who had completed a marathon before, so finishing the Monkey was really monumental for us. It was great to share it with friends, family and a GREAT group of runners and volunteers.

I can't say running the marathon was all that fun. I mean, 26.2 miles is a LONG way, and that course is brutal. BUT it was an incredible experience. It was hands down one of the most fulfilling accomplishments and one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I have loved every bit of this running journey, and I know there will be many more miles (after the 600mi I have accumulated in the last 6 months). The next big challenge will be Mountain Mist 50k on January 24th. I'm already nervous.

Countdown

T minus three days until the Monkey.  This is the culmination of the last six months worth of running and planning.  I've come a long way since May when I started this whole marathon thing.  I've seen my fast runs go from 8:00/mi to under 7.  My distance has increased from a first week long run of 6mi and weekly distance of 15mi to a monstrous 22.4 mi long run and near 40mi for weekly total.  I've had a couple weeks of injury scare, one disasterous twenty mile attempt, and learned a ton.  I've gone through running shoes, locations, running buddies, diet regulations, stretching routines, and a ton of web browsing.  It really has been a great 6 months.  I am super stoked for the marathon.  I have put in the work, and feel comfortable and confident.  Today was my last run pre-race.  It was a little faster than planned, but I do have a couple more days to rest.  Now I just rest up, make sure my mind is in a good state come race day and wish for good feelings and weather.  Packet pickup is Friday.  I plan on watching the VU v. UT came on tv, so I don't have to stand.  The prerace meal will be hosted by a fellow student and first time marathoner and monkey.  Her mom is going to cook us up some good food.  I'll try to get a good night of sleep, though I am sure I will be anxious.  Fairly early wakeup on Sunday to eat some oatmeal, juice and what not before heading over to the start.  I am excited!  Then I will fly home to Tampa Monday morning to relax, pig out, and celebrate both Thanksgiving and my birthday (on the same day).  I will be sure to post as soon as I collect my thoughts and feel like it - probably Monday/Tuesday.  Cheers!

Some totals from the last 6 months:

- 577 total miles

- over 90 hours

- one 18 miler, one 22 miler

- most of this done on a 4 runs/wk schedule

The Beautiful Bluff

Today was an awesome day!  An outdoor rec climbing trip scheduled for yesterday was postponed to today due to weather, and it was well worth it.  The sun was shining, the river flowing, and the cool temps were just right.  It is just so nice to be out there climbing on the cliff right next to the Cumberland River with the rising sun shining at your back.  The group of seven knocked out about six or eight beginner routes ranging from 5.5-5.7.  I got to lead some more sport climbing, which is always good.  I'm a pretty conservative top-roper, so I don't think my leading skills are that far behind.  I was hoping to lead a 5.8 today for the first time, but time didn't allow.  Doing those easier routes was really fun though.  We implemented a more educational approach today as well, which really paid off.  The group of participants were eager to learn and take action.  They did a lot of belaying each other and learned everything from tying in to gri-gri use and the basics of leading and cleaning.  Everyone seemed to have a fun, rewarding day.  Great Success!

*If you don't know, King's Bluff is a climber owned and maintained property on the Cumberland River in Clarksville, TN.  For more information, check out www.seclimbers.org.

Time to Shut 'Er Down

It's taper time.  Last week, after completing the double 11.2 the previous Saturday, I had a pretty typical week.  I ran 3 times during the week and 11.2 on Saturday with a friend who was attempting to double.  Well, I just felt slow all week.  I tried some tempo on Thursday and was pretty spent, earlier than usual.  Even the beautiful hills and peace in PWP seemed harder.  Every hill seemed longer and steeper than I remember.  

Today I did about 8mi with some friends at about 7:15-7:30 pace.  That is fast for me.  I run my tempo between 6:30 and 7:00 afterall.  Generally, I felt okay, but my shins were tight and my knees are still feeling it.  Since the double, I've had the reoccuring nagging knee problems.  All these aches and pains and sluggish feeling tell me one thing - it's time to shut it down.  I have just under 12 days before the race, and I need to rest.  I will resume using the foam roller and stretching hardcore to make sure the knees are good.  And I will be running easy from here on out.  

The time is close - I get more excited with each day.

The Week in Review: Long All Around

Big, busy week.  Three wks out from the big day, it had to be a big week of running for me.  On top of that, this is when the semester gets really busy.  

I got some good runs in Mon and Tues with friends.  Each day we did about 7-7.5mi.  One guy is running New York tomorrow, so we both encouraged and joked with him about his first marathon.  Wed is always busy, so I usually take it off in exchange for a solid 7-8mi on Thursday.  However, this week I had a bunch of assignments and a big PChem test on Friday, so my Thurs was spent studying.  That meant that I was well-rested going into my longest run of my preparation.  I even took it easy halloween night in order to get some good sleep.  

Now to the run.  The plan was to double the 11.2mi loop in Percy Warner Park.  My running partner has been sick and battling IT band trouble, and she ended up turning around about mile 3 or 4, so I went most of the way solo.  I felt like I started really feeling good about 6-8 miles and was keeping a faster than usual pace (around 9:00/mi).  After finishing the loop counterclockwise I refilled my bottle and ate a granola bar and then hit the loop clockwise.  This was the second time I've done the loop in reverse(clockwise) and it is definitely harder!  Percy Warner is a geographical anomaly - I think it is uphill in every direction.  I was pretty pumped going into the 2nd loop and seeing the mile markers countdown was a big boost.  About mile 16 is when I started feeling it.  My legs were just feeling fatigued.  As the mile marker number got smaller, I knew the mental and physical test was only going to increase.  I'm big in self-motivation and encouragement so I was talking to myself - knowing that I was not going to be stopped.  Crossing 18mi made it the longest run for me, but going past 20 was incredible.  At that pt I was feeling every step from my toes through my hips.  When I finally came down the final hill to the parking area and stopped, MAN, my legs were hurtin!  I just wanted to sit down.  I got to the car quickly, stretched a little, and drove back to campus.  Hands down, this was the best ice bath I've had.  I drank too Ensures, showered, stretched a little, and ate half a pizza.  I've been trying to rehydrate.

In other news, The Gators are getting me pumped up!!  Stick it to the Dawgs.

I may run a little bit tomorrow depending on my schedule.  I'll mostly be sleeping and studying for three tests though.  Sunday's sleep-in is going to be amazing, especially with the time change.

Cheers.  

WAR - Ha, Good God Ya'll

WAR II, the Warner Adventure Race took place at beautiful Percy and Edwin Warner parks last Saturday.  Two outdoor rec coworkers and friends and I chose to participate on a bit of a whim when our boss suggested it.  We had done an awesome adventure race for staff training earlier in the year, and this seemed like a great chance to get a taste of the real thing and to have some fun.

The great WAR volunteers and RDs instigated a costume contest, in which we immediately chose to participate.  We donned green tees with safety pinned yellow bellies (complete with pecs and abs), head and arm bands, and turtle shell covered backpacks in our representation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I was also sporting my new Rayhawk hairstyle in support of the home team in their world series bid.  We looked great, got lots of compliments, and WON the competition, winning some recovery drink.  

The race was tough but a lot of fun.  It started with all the teams running (I chose to sprint) across a field to get our maps, which were cut up into pieces.  As one teammate assembled the map, the other started plotting our UTM coordinates (he learned how from ~15min of web browsing the morning of), and I began transferring the points from the topo to the trail map.  We then set off.  The first half was all on foot.  We were very quick and efficient and easily found all pts.  We returned to the start, switched maps, and hit the bikes.  It was soon realized that biking was the nemesis of some teammates.   :)  I navigated the first couple pts (sometimes reading the map while riding hands free).  Our pace slowed some and we lost some time on the bike but stayed steady throughout.  Feeling strong on the bike from my past cycling experience, I tried to keep the morale high with bantering, singing, and even some bike seat surfing (standing up on the seat on a downhill).  Throughout the bike portion, we all took turns navigating.  

One neat part of the race was that there were intermediate challenges along the way.  We completed an obstacle course complete with a wheelbarrow push and dizzy-izzy(spinning around a baseball bat followed by attempting to run), tried to find points from memory, and tested our compass skills, all for extra pts.  I learned that my compass skills from high school NJROTC orienteering are a little rusty.  We finally got going on the right track after I pointed us in the direct opposite direction.  

When we came in, over the five hr mark, we were all adequately tired and glad to be off the bikes.  We laid around in the sun, ate candy, and then refueled on some pizza.  The awards ceremony yielded a 3rd place Coed finish, 10th overall, a nathan steel bottle, door prizes (socks and a wallet for me), in addition to the recovery drink.  

A big thanks to the Trailblazers AR club and the Heichels for putting on the race.  It was a great first taste of the AR scene.  I think I'll be back.  I really enjoyed racing with my two friends.  

Things I learned:

- take adequate food and water in a well-secured pack

- must be efficient in use of effort, time => balance haste & planning

- trust teammates

- stay cool and collected

- pay attention to the needs and pysical and mental status of partners

- try to fully utilize strengths of each member

- have a well balanced team = only as strong as weakest link

Linville Gorge Climbing

Last Saturday through Tuesday I was at Linville Gorge, NC, with the Vanderbilt Outdoor Rec camping and climbing.  We drove the 6 or so hrs out there Saturday morning, set up camp and had a little skills clinic/review session on anchor building, rope systems, and multi-pitch climbing.  It was cold and windy up at the chimneys.  We then came down to camp, cooked dinner and decided to boulder some near the parking lot.  We started on this one problem about 15ft tall or so that had a sit start on sharp little crimpy holds.  After a couple attempts, I decided to skip the first move and just work on the rest.  It took about 8 tries, but I finally got it smooth.  It felt great to top it out with my buddy.  That was my first outdoor bouldering.  

We were all so jacked from bouldering (mind you that we had Tupac going in the background), that we decided to go for a night climb.  I teamed up with a real experienced young climber who soloed El Cap last summer to climb the North Ridge with another 2-man party.  We hiked out there, wandering through the woods to finally emerge onto a very exposed, windy, and probably 10 degrees colder ridgeline.  Quickly we got our gear together and set off trailing the other party.  About 20ft up, the 2nd guy's head lamp fell off (fotunately right down to me at the belay), so he did the first pitch by moonlight.  Even more of a bummer was that I left my partners first piece of pro.  Really cold with numb fingers and in a hurry, I figured we could always come back rather than spending a long time screwing with it.  That, I admit, was the wrong decision.  I will not leave a piece of gear again unless it is completely hopeless.  When I got to the first belay, it took three repititions to convince the guy that I really did leave his cam.  He just kept saying, "No you didn't.  Give it to me."  My bad.  He did get it back fortunately.   For whatever reason, he then blasted through both the 2nd and 3rd pitches of the climb, taking every bit of the rope to reach the anchor, which was a very untrustworthy steel pipe sticking out of the ground.  After topping out, all I wanted was to hit the trail back.  My fingers were so cold that I could barely feel the rock.  At least I didn't need any chalk.  The moon and stars were incredible.  I only wish it had been a smoother and warmer evening so that I could have taken it all in more.

On Sunday we went multipitchin.  I climbed in a party of three, and we completed Hidden Crack and Jim Dandy, two easy routes with great scenery.  I even got to lead a sport pitch of Jim Dandy, my first lead on a multipitch route.  

Monday we headed down into the Gorge (we had mostly been on Table Rock) to climb the Mummy and the Daddy, two classic mutlipitch trad routes overlooking the gorge.  After the tough scramble of an approach, my 3man party hit up the Mummy first.  It was really good.  At the top, we just sat and soaked up the sun and scnenery for awhile waiting for another party to top out the Daddy.  Together we rapped down the sketchy gully and switched routes.  I didn't enjoy the Daddy as much but that was probably due to mental anguish.  See, I was planning to lead the 3rd pitch, an easy 5.3 mostly traverse sort of thing.  Well, we thought we were a little belay the 2nd belay so I was planning on going through the 2nd belay and onward to the 3rd pitch.  It turned out that we were at the correct belay, so I started going a little off route.  An onlooking friend corrected me (from a climb on a neighboring cliff - The Prow) and I got back on route.  Well, not realizing I was at the 3rd belay, I continued onto the fourth pitch.  All this involved about 20ft of climbing up to the right, ~30ft traverse left on a ledge and then about 40ft more climbing up to the right.  As you can imagine, the rope drag was similar to hauling a dead body up behind you - not fun.  I was getting pretty flustered not knowing where I was and almost just stopped where I was to set up a belay but couldn't find good placements.  Finally, I found the 4th belay, set up the anchor, and belayed my partners.  So I ended up doing 2 pitches of trad leading (my first trad leads) on a great classic climb, and my partners said the pro was great = overall success.  The sun went down as we topped out the Daddy and we hiked the long trail back to camp to enjoy a delicious, well-earned dinner.  

On Tuesday, most of us headed back to Table Rock to set up some tougher top ropes.  We had a 5.9 crack and a 10d face adjacent to one another.  For whatever reason, crack climbing is close to my heart.  I have not done very much and am not all that good, but it fascinates me.  In fact, I dream about climbing in Indian Creek one day.  So I really enjoyed the 5.9 crack and felt completely comfortable.  I didn't bother trying the 10d - out of my league now but it was great to watch my buddies do it!

Overall, Linville Gorge & Table Rock are great destinations.  You have to work for the climbing - long rough approaches, heavy vegetation, but it's worth it.  The plethora of good routes - especially for beginner leaders - and good views make it an exceptional weekend (or longer) trip.  I'm sure to return.  I'd really like to wander farther into the gorge to try the NC wall and some of the untouched, but heavily forested, other walls.

Be sure to check out pics on my shutterfly site (in the links section).

Shut Down

Lights out.  That's how my 20mile attempt ended on Saturday.  Here's how it went down.

My running partner and I met at 6am to run from VU to Percy Warner Park, around the 6mi loop in PWP, and back for ~20mi.  Neither of us were feeling particularly motivated at the start.  We were both tired, and I figured I would have to be the cheerleader today.  The first 6-7mi to the park went well - nice and slow, through the dark and sunrise.  Towards the end of the run to the park, though, I was feeling impending trouble in the nether regions.  There was a stirring in the intestines going on.  Being a well-bred young man, I chose to hold the gaseous discharges in around me lady friend.  MISTAKE: better out than in!  When we got to the park, I dumped my electrolyte drink in favor of water, hoping it would help.  At that point, she probably could have done the 6mi loop but I suggested the 2mi scenic loop.  Midway, I watered some flowers and let out a couple toots without relief.  The following 2.5mi down Belle Meade Blvd to West End were not fun.  I was getting bad stomach cramps, getting chills, and generally feeling very poorly.  Although I really wanted to stop and walk (and to go drop a deuce in some rich man's mansion), I pushed on, getting my energy from having my friend running next to me.  When we got to West End, though, it was lights out.  I stopped, and headed directly to Kroger.  I let my friend continue on back to campus.  After 10-15mins of being doubled over expelling the demon from within, I went back outside.  My face was pale with sunken eyes - not looking good.  From there, it was long and very introspective 3.5 mile walk back to campus.  During that time I had a very nice, comforting, and convicting confession and dedication chat with the Lord.    I just admitted and reminded myself that I will not be defined by and seek my worth from running, academics, friendships, etc.  I will be a child of God first.  Despite my daily failures in all of those, I will always have His unfailing love and grace.  

It was definitely a learning run.  A reminder of my priorities.  Also, I learned to respect the distance.  20miles is no joke, and I did not treat it as the marathon preparation run it should be.  I will try again in 3 wks.  I plan on putting in some good steady mileage this week.  I will be at Table Rock, Linville Gorge, NC, Sat through Tues climbing with the outdoor rec for fall break.  Should be good.

OCMS

Old Crow Medicine Show is INCREDIBLE!  Just figured I'd share that with you all in cyber space who might have missed the concert at the Mother Church this evening.  One of the most fun nights of my life I think.  Infinitely better than ChemE homework and biology studying which is what I should have been doing.

I'm Whooped: Stump Jump & More

Yeah, it was a very physical weekend.  Here's the story.

-Stump Jump

A buddy and I headed down Friday afternoon to Chattanooga.  We checked in, pick up our packets and had a great dinner outside of RockCreek.  The food was very good and the loot is just crazy.  I got a very fine Mountain Hardware tech tee, a little TNF bag, some samples, some SmartWool Trail running socks.  In addition to that, a raffle was held for shoes, clothes, packs, and all sorts of other gear.  Two of my friends won some Hammer Gel and a running jacket.  I caught a frisbee!  After dinner, my buddy and I headed out to find a camping location up at the school, which was open for racers.  Not really knowing where to go, we fortunately pitched our tent about 200 yds from the start line.  Unfortunately, I managed a maximum of 5 hrs of sleep.

In the morning, we chowed down on some oatmeal, drank some Gatorade and broke down camp.  The 50k started at 8am, the 11mi at 8:45 so we had some time to wake up, relax, and see some friends start the big run.  I chose the same old gear I've been wearing all summer: some Nike DryFit shorts, poly tee, headband, SmartWool light socks, and Brooks Cascadias.  I also opted for a 20oz handheld bottle full of Gatorade.  

At the start line I lined up near the front and headed off at a moderate pace at the gun.  Almost immediately, a fast lead group formed and I well into the 2nd group on the stretch of road before the double track started.  Once in the woods, I tagged along with some older runners who were discussing previous races.  I wanted to just sit in, watch and learn, while keeping a good pace.  I wanted to see if I could keep a 9:00/mi pace, but it was hard to gauge on the trail w/o markers.  After following for awhile and passing a good number of people, I felt good enough to bomb a downhill and break away from the older guys.  I ran solo for a little bit before coming up to another runner right before the first steep climb.  At that point, I sat in and hiked the steep sections with him.  The trail was narrow preventing passing, and I didn't want to push anything this early on.  Once on flatter section, we ran and started passing the leaders coming back from the halfway turn around.  Going into the aid station/turn around, I figured I was in about 15th place and felt confident and strong.  Since I had the handheld and was feeling good, I quickly downed a cup of water and headed out.  The runner ahead of me decided to stop, so I gained one stop.  I ran the steep sections for awhile before setting my sights on two runners up ahead on a climb.  Being patient, I still walked this steep uphill leading up to an aid station.  They stopped; I didn't, hence two more places.  The next few miles were all solo on mostly flat terrain.  It was here that I kicked it in.  I didn't want to get caught and was eager to catch another runner.  I bombed the downhills and pushed the ups.  The longer I pushed, the closer I wished the road to finish was.  Finally, I spotted a runner, and he looked to be struggling.  It was right at the turn onto the road that I caught him.  Then for a couple hundred feet we chatted.  After realizing he was not in shape to battle, I accelerated the last uphill and flew into the finish.

Final time: 1:49:19 for 9th place

I was and am still stoked to have finished in the top ten (out of 170)!  This was my first trail race, and I LOVED it.  Rock/Creek and the Boonies did an awesome job!  The trail was nice, the event was well run, and the people and environment were super friendly.  I will be back!  

Congrats to my friends Mike and Justin who ran strong races in the 11mi and 50k respectively!

-The Game:

We booked it back to Cashville after the 11mi awards ceremony.  After eating some food, showering, and napping, I headed over to the Vandy v. Auburn football game.  IT WAS AWESOME!  I don't know where all this has come from, but the Dores are on fire this year!  We came from a 13-0 deficit to hold onto a 14-13 lead.  The most impressive things were the hardnosed determination of of defense, which started the game by stopping AU on 4 straight plays inside our own 10, and the stellar play of back up QB Adams.  After the game, the students just hung around soaking it up, and the team came back on the field for an encore celebration.  Not a bad Saturday!

-Climbing:

EARLY Sunday morning I met up with other students and faculty to head over to Foster Falls with the Vandy Outdoor Rec program.  Although a trip coordinator, I was a participant on this one.  Foster is a great area and there were a lot of climbers enjoying the nice day and rock.  I just need to climb more.  I also need to learn to warm up, for both a mental and physical benefit.  I started on this dihedral crack and had a lot of trouble getting the lay back technique down, so right off the bat, my arms and attitude were thrashed.  Fortunately, I succeeded on the neighboring face climb, which gave me good practice edging and using small features.  On down the trail, I did manage to do a good pumpy crack route, so that was good, but again had trouble on another climb.  What really frustrates me is how long I take to climb.  I don't know what happens, but when I get to a hard section, I get slower.  If I have any trouble on it, it just gets worse, and I end up just hanging there and burning myself up.  That happened over and over Sunday.  On one climb, I tried this one section maybe 5 times unsuccessfully, hangdogging between attempts.  THEN, I just crank it out and do it no problem.  What the heck?!  Maybe I need some endurance work or practice on attacking the difficult sections, but most of all, I just need to climb more!  In the meantime, I'm going to try to focus, keep breathing, and learn from my mistakes and frustrations .  

I did get to lead some more.  I did a 5.6 and 5.7 no problem, and also cleaned some routes.  Leading is pretty neat.  I enjoy the feeling of not being restrained by the rope.  For one, I can't lay on it.  My moves are more intentional that way and I think I feel less fear.  So right now I am top-roping 5.9s and leading 5.6/7 sport.  

Despite the frustrations, it was a good day.  We left Vandy about 7:30am and returned about 8:30pm - long day.  I got back, ate, and showered and then attempted to study some environmental chemistry.  Fail.  I could not hold my eyes open.  Even after taking a 20min nap, I still could not hold on, so I curled up and called it a night, despite others hanging out in the room(they had no effect whatsoever).  It was good night sleep!  Unfortunately, I am feeling sick with a runny nose and all.  Hopefully I can get over it quickly.  I will be taking it pretty easy this week.

Goodnight.

http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump/

Hop, Skip and Stump Jump to Chattanooga

Getting ready to head down to Chattaboogie Friday afternoon.  A buddy and I will pick up our packets, eat a nice meal, and then camp out near the start.  I'm excited for it.  I'd like to push myself this Saturday both to guage my fitness and to not sell myself short.  I want a good glimpse at what a tough trail race is like.  

Running this week has not been the best.  I had a test last Friday, this past Tuesday morning, and just tonight.  I did get the good 18miler on Sunday and made it out to Percy Warner Tuesday after my test as well.  There, I ran 3 laps of the white Warner Woods trail (~2.5mi).  The first two laps I averaged just about an eight minute pace (and that trail is no joke).  I dogged the 3rd loopt.  It was a good run and a good preview for this weekend.  However, I have not run since then.  So that is 7.5mi for this week.  This time last week, I had 19mi under the belt.  Oh well, I will run Sat and climb on Sunday and make do.  

Sunday I will be climbing ALL day at Foster Falls.  It's a great place and I hope to really build some skills and learn how to place some protection (I love trad climbing).  I'll update this as soon as possible after running SJ and climbing.

Get 'er Done! - 18 under the belt

A little saying I picked up from those boys with the circular imprint on the back pocket. 

What a great weekend!  The weather in Nashville is gorgeous.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  Being from mono-seasonal FL, I find the changing leaves and cool temps glorious.  Saturday was spent playing in a 2 v. 2 beach volleyball tournament with friends on a whim, tossing some disc (frisbee), watchin a little college football (disappointing Gator loss), and enjoying a good dinner with friends.  Great.  I got to bed at a reasonable hour in prep for my big run this morning.

The Run

That big run was to cover the entire marathon course.  One of the neat things about this marathon is that it is based entirely in Percy Warner Park in Nashville.  It's a gorgeous, 2000+acre(or something) park with beautiful woods and hills and overlooks of town.  There is one large 11.2mi loop with several crosspoints for shorter options.  The marathon covers this big loop in both directions by utilizing one cross road.  The route my running partner and I did this morning was taken from the RD's suggestion made to another runner online.  It essentially covers the first 14mi of the course plus some.  I have run the 11.2mi loop several times now but always in the counter-clockwise, with-traffic direction, which is the direction the marathon takes first.  In order to change it up, I simply took an opposite turn and did the route in reverse.  Hills are completely different in reverse.  I actually think the reverse direction is tougher.  Adding on a little extra, including a wrong turn, we ran about 18miles - my farthest yet.  What's more is that the pace was faster as well.  It was a great run.  

Lessons

I still need to drink more volume and more often.  Before the run I ate a granola bar and banana - not adequate.  I get really hungry about 6-8mi in.  Today I was somewhat prepared and brought some gels.  Well, I decided that I don't really care for them.  I prefer snacking on some wheat thins or whole grain pretzels.  I'll work on that this weekend at Stump Jump-11mi.  Body glide has worked well.  Headbands work well.

This week was SOLID.  The last five week's totals were: 36, 24, 28, 12.5, 7 -- not ideal.  You can see the big time drop there during the injury.  The 24,28 were just weaksauce weeks for whatever reasons.  While I planned on being conservative and doing maybe 30-32 this week, I felt great.  I kind of took the "run what I feel plan" which resulted in 38mi, my all time high.  Hopefully my healthy body will remain that way.  Those 38 included one 8mi run(4mi under 7:00 pace), a 7mi, and a 5mi.  This coming week I plan on keeping it moderately low intensity so as not to be completely burned out for Stump Jump.  I may throw in a hill workout for kicks and hope to make it out to some trails to reorient myself with them before the race.

How Fast is Fast?

My idea of running fast just keeps getting faster.  Back in the day (i.e. high school) I could run a ~20min 5k (the only one I've ever run) and a 9:00 1.5mi (for NJROTC).  When I started this marathon training, though, I figured I cruise long distance at about a 10:00/mi pace.  Over the summer, 3mi at 8:00/mi was my faster run in the week.  

Recently, my LSD runs are getting faster, 9-9:30/mi (even in PWP),  and I've started doing more tempo stuff.  A few weeks ago I started doing 7 or 8mi once or twice a week with a friend at 8-8:15/mi pace.  It was faster than what I was used to but by no means terrible.  Today we headed over to Centennial Park right by campus for some tempo on a 1mi loop.  We warmed up for ~2mi at 8:30 pace or so, then got after it.  He recommended I go at about a 7:30 pace, and I was thinking 85-90% of max HR, so I just got going, keeping him in sight as he ran a 6:00 pace.  

Lap 1 went by in 6:40 at about 86% max HR, so I decided to stay within the 7:00 ball park.  All in all, I did 4mi tempo, all under 7:00 pace.  That is the "fastest" I have run in years.  And it felt good!  I would like to do a 5k or time trial sometime to really push myself to the limit.  

I plan on doing ~15 on trails this weekend in preparation for the Stump Jump 11-mi on Oct 4th.  That'll put me at about 34mi for the week.  I would like to get up into the 40s within the next few weeks in preparation for the marathon.  I also plan on running as much of the course as possible, including a double 11.2.  We'll see what happens.

Climbing

I got my new Black Diamond Momentum harness in and am dying to give it and my new Mythos shoes a go!  Soon . . .

Oh Yeah!

Yeah.  Check it out in all its magnificent purple glory.  I just got my brand new pair of La Sportiva Mythos shoes.  They are the first new pair I have bought.  The pair I used in CO this summer were used Sportiva Cliffs.  The rubber was peeling off and I had enough room for hiking socks plus some in the toes.  I am psyched to hit the crags with these new puppies.  I should have a new Black Diamond Momentum harness in the mail.

Great Success!!

Back in the Saddle! (figuratively speaking)

Today I ran for an hour!  Hooray!  That follows a short 1.5-2mi excursion last night.  Finally, after about 10 days of resting and rehab of sorts to deal with my painful left knee, I am running pain free and glad to be back outside.  I was starting to get depressed.  

Saturday night, after working all afternoon belaying climbers at the rec center, I tested my knee with a short run over to neighboring Belmont University.  There, my roommate and some friends were running for the1st place prize of a year's worth of Chick-fil-A.  Yeah!  Although, they may not have been in the top of field, they all did a great job!  I enjoyed being out there, cheering on other runners.  I especially love seeing folks who are obviously not born runners putting in the hard work and have a great time!  Kudos to them.  I will respect them over an uptight elite athlete anytime.   Anyway, congrats to all the runners including my friends.  

So now the focus becomes the Stump Jump 11-miler Oct 4th.  These next two weeks I plan on getting some more trail time to prepare.  I'm looking forward to it!  I need to get back in the running groove while not jumping in too quickly and reigniting any problems.  

Review

-Foam Roller:  If you have not tried out these incredibly simple tools, you are missing out.  I was just introduced to one 2wks ago, but it has made a big difference.  Essentially a hard rod of dense foam, it is used by rolling over it, which gives an almost deep message feeling (imagine rolling dough with a rolling pin).  It hurts SO good.  I've been using one once a day or so for the last week.  I bought my own little roller - 18in x 4in diameter, which is convenient and does the job just as well as the 3ft roller.  AND it cost me a whole 10 bones, as opposed to $30-40 of that other skinny, handheld massage device (I actually have never used it, but it is $$$).  So I definitely recommend one.

Big thanks to Vandy Sports Medicine who helped me get over the knee pain.  

No Progress

Atleast I had fun climbing today.

I ran several laps on the track and grass yesterday and the pain behind the kneecap came right back.  It lingered for the rest of the night as well.  I have been stretching and exercising it with rubber bands 2-3 times a day, but no real improvement.  

I've only been running consistently for 4.5 months, but I have really enjoyed them.  It's been a real bummer to not be able to run.  The Stump Jump 11-miler is coming up in 2 weekends.  I want to be back running painfree.  Part of me says to just run through the pain, but the smarter part of me says listen and take care of your body.  If I do not get improvement in a few days, then I am going to a doctor.  I'm still hoping its not structural like cartilage and just some tendon/ligament irritation.

MidWeek Injury Report

Out of commission for the time being with a knee problem. The good news: I got on my bike for the first time since April. After a rough second season of road racing last year, I felt burnt out and have just not ridden since. Today's easy ride felt great though. The weather is wonderful right now in Middle Tennessee. The knee didn't hurt while riding.

In addition, I saw a sports trainer today. He gave me some rehab stretch bands and showed me exercises and stretches, so I will be working on that. My hip, knee, and ankle flexibility are really bad. For example, I cannot sit indian style. I also ordered a foam roller lastnight after being introduced to them within the last week. They are great. I have been using one several times in the last week and I think it will make a big difference for me - hopefully soon.

Climbing
In other non-running news, I ordered a starter kit (harness, biner, chalkbag), some sweet new rock shoes, and some extra biners today. I used some beat up ol' Sportiva Cliffs for my CO trip that I bought used. They were/are worn out AND too big. I'm looking forward to breaking these new babies in soon before going to Table Rock/Linville Gorge, NC for fall break. More news on this later.

Shucks.

Disappointing week. In an effort to increase mileage and coordinate with my schedule, I did 8, 4.5, 7 mi on T, W, R, respectively. I liked how it flowed. However, Wednesday, I suddenly got a sore knee - real sore, right behind the knee cap. Crap. I finished the 4.5 miles and rested. All night and Thursday, though, I could feel it. Hoping it would go away, I ran the 7 on Thursday anyway with some friends. I was wrong. About halfway or less into the run, the pain was sometimes strong enough to make me grimace, but I pushed on. After that, I iced it and took ibuprofen. Friday I iced it, took IB, but the discomfort persisted throughout the day especially on stairs. I think it could be the infamous "runners knee," but I can't be sure. Both Friday and Saturday and did a lot of rock climbing and it didn't bother me at all - strange. This morning I went out to the trails early hoping to get in atleast 12. About a 1/4mi in, the tightness and pain were back, so I called it quits and went home, not wanting to aggravate or intensify the problem. Man! I need to get my mileage going, and this is at a bad time. I'll try to see the sports med on Tuesday and continue icing, IB, and rest. Maybe I'll give a bike ride a try.

In other news, I swung by Team Nashville and picked up a new pair of shoes from Terry. He joked with me about my upcoming Monkey Marathon saying, "Gee, I sure hope its not your first," to which I responded, "It actually is. Thanks for the blessing." He helped me out and suggested some Mizuno Inspire. I'll take a couple weeks breaking them in while I get the most out of my current pair of Asics. Soon I hope to pick up a foam roller. I used one the other day and it's pretty good.

Hopefully things get better and I can get back to normal running.

What a Weekend!

Just got back from Outdoor Rec staff training and it was rad! We went over to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (or something like that) to car camp, practice skills, etc. Saturday was good. We discussed and demonstrated some skills like stove maintenance, water filtration, etc. We also did about 6mi worth of hiking - some good overlooks. We also ate very well at our campsite. I think I had four s'mores after my chicken and rice and peppers and bananas and curry and peanuts and raisins dish.

Sunday though - whoa! In order to practice our skills and to have some fun, we had a miniature adventure race of sorts. We had our map with checkpoints (orienteering flags). The first ~5mi consisted of hiking to a couple points. Then we got to the river, grabbed our PFDs, and rappelled off of the bridge! Into the river! It was great. From there, we paddled and portaged down the river to grab two checkpoints and finish. After a little direction confusion and lack of proper orientation, my partner and I battled from 4th place to 2nd when we rapped. From there we powered down the river in a fight for the finish with the 1st place team. We passed them and had a couple hundred meters coming into the boat ramp. Unfortunately, though, she and I both had trouble tying our canoe on the trailer which allowed the other team to not only catch up but finish at nearly the exact same time as we. Ultimately, we called it a tie and shared the prizes. I took home a new Petzl E+ headlamp - sweet.

It was an awesome weekend. I look forward to getting to know the other staff throughout the semester and doing some awesome trips! I LOVE NATURE!

Plus, the 11+ mi of hiking, plus paddling and other activities gave me some good additional time on my legs. Only doing 12mi on Friday - albeit a grueling 12 through the rain - turned out to be very wise (kudos to my running partner). One more thing: I used my Brooks Cascadias for the entire adventure race including the canoeing (which meant they got very wet). For a good bit of the paddling section, I was out of the boat, pushing it over rocks, then diving in as I got it going. They showed no sign of giving in and felt good. I can't comment on the draining, but they are atleast diversely usable.

Another Week Down

Well, it was an interesting week. Ran 5, 8, 3, 12.5. The eight mile run was good. It was a pretty tough tempo with an ultrarunner friend and a shorter distance racer. It was their easy day and my hard day. It was real enjoyable except for the sensation in my stomach similar to swallowing a gold fish and all the water in the bowl with it. It was bad enough that they could hear it!

I had to move my runs forward a day this week because I am going on an outdoor recreation staff training weekend. This is my first year working for the Vanderbilt Outdoor Rec program. I am working the indoor climbing wall, working equipment rentals, checking the fuel-powered stuff, and co-leading four trips this year: 2 climbing, 1 canoeing, and 1 trail maintenance.

What that means is that my long run fell on a Friday. I would have liked to do around 18mi, but with the additional activities going on this weekend and the burden of running long on a school day, I lowered that to 12-13mi. So my long run partner and I hit the road at 5:30am this Friday morning, greeted by a steady mist of rain. Running mostly along sidewalks and on the shoulder, we made the 6-6.5mi turn around in even heavier rain. Despite wet shoes, wet feet, wet everything, the first half wasn't too bad. The second half was a different story though. I just felt tired, sluggish, lethargic. I was not enjoying this run. Sidewalks, cars, rain, and 5:30 = awful. So I got my 12-13 miles in, hit the shower, drank an Ensure, and got about 20mins of sleep before waking up for class. Lunch time brought my 4th meal by 1pm.

Hopefully this all day rain doesn't hang around for the weekend and put a damper on our staff training. We are going to learn and practice some skills and then do a mini adventure race. Should be fun! Plus, I'll get some time in my favorite Brooks Cascadias.

-Lesson for the day:
Get some bodyglide and apply. Fortunately, I didn't get any blisters, but I did get some chafing on my thigh from wet shorts. Plus, the previous two long runs brought chafed nipples. What? I've been wearing the same clothes, running similar distance in similar conditions. One more thing to deal with.

Knocking them out

I'm just chuggin along. This week was kind of an off week. I was going to try a new run or two, so my traditional T, W, R schedule didn't work. I ran short Tuesday, and shorter-than-usual tempo run Wed because I was going to run longer on Thursday. Well, that didn't work out so I went out for a trail run with a friend at Percy Warner. It was good, but he sprained his ankle after about 2mi. :( So we hobbled him back a ways before moving him to the main road nearby where I could pick him up in the car once I ran back on the trail. Really unfortunate for him.

It's okay though, for everything worked out for the long run. Fortunately, I have a friend who is running the Flying Monkey with me in November, and she and I make really good training partners. We had another great run at Percy Warner - the 11.2 + Warner Woods trail + some for about 14.5mi.

Also, this week I have struggling with some (probably) IT band trouble. It has been recurring for a couple months and seems to be linked more with higher intensity runs. Fortunately, it didn't bother me today during the long run. I will continue to stretch and strengthen and take care of it.

Summer Stats

313.5 miles
2 days, 3 hrs

Good start, good summer. Many more ahead.

Welcome to Cashville

I'm back at Vandy, moved in to my spacious double dorm room, and celebrated by running the wonderful 11.2 mi loop in Percy Warner Park. The famous loop is known for it's undulating terrain and beautiful wooded scenery, AND makes up most of the Flying Monkey Marathon in November. This run felt great. I ran with a friend who is doing the FMM with me. We cruised at a faster than expected pace, chatted, enjoyed the scenery and peace and quiet. I just soaked it in. I have ridden the loop many times with the VU cycling club and have always admired the park, but running it is even better. Next step is to cover the network of hiking trails!

We finished up the run with 5 more miles on Belle Meade Blvd, which is a stretch of street through a very nice neighborhood. Both sides of the road are littered with cyclists and runners - it's very motivating.

Overall, a great run. I just have to work out my recovery routine now that I'm at school. Since I was late for church, my refueling consisted of 2 Ensures for the following 2 hours before lunch (McDougals Chicken - delicious but terribly greasy). And since I'm in the dorm, I don't have access to a tub or ice = no ice bath. :( I'll have to figure that one out. Well, classes start tomorrow, so posting may be sporadic.

I finally got my weekend long run in Sunday night. I couldn't sleep Friday and Saturday, so when the alarm went off each morning before 6, I chose snooze. On this run I tested out some new stuff: running with my iPod and running with a hydration pack. The iPod was okay; I kind of like the silence. Same with the pack. It was an improvised pack - a small climbing pack with a bladder. It bounced around some but felt alright.

I did 8mi out & back one way on the parkway trail and then 6 out and back the other way for a total of 14. I kept a good consistent conservative pace. I'm realizing that pavement is far inferior to trails. My feet and legs just ached while running. Even after the 14, I felt decent overall but the pounding had really gotten to me. After running 11 or 13 miles on trail I don't get that. Hopefully putting in long miles on the road will condition my legs for the pounding and I will acclimate.

This is my last long run in FL before the marathon in November. I'm headed back to Vandy this Friday which will hopefully soon yield cooler temps, friends & running buddies, and hills. I would like to run the Percy Warner Park 11.2 mi loop for the first time this weekend. It is the main portion of the marathon.

Oh yeah, Saturday was also spent lounging on a gulf island with a friend. We cruised around awhile on his boat, found a nice little island and just relaxed and took in some sun (too much sun in my case). Awesome close to the summer. That's what living in FL is all about.

Surprise, I CAN Go (kind of) Fast

Last week's midweek run with the youngsters from the high school XC team made me realize that I can push myself and run a fairly fast pace (i.e. 7:00/mi-ish). That revelation inspired me to incorporate some tempo runs into my schedule, especially since I need a 4:45 marathon time (on my very hilly course) to qualify for Mountain Mist 50k. Today I had a 6-7 mile run scheduled with about 5 of that at about LT. During my warm up I spotted the XC team heading down the roadside trail, meaning I had a target. They were heading out a couple miles to do some hill repeats. It felt good to catch and pass right by them. At about the 1/2 way point of my tempo run, I decided to wait for the XC guys and go ahead and join them for a hill workout (I need it for the monkey!).

Hill Workout
The hill was not very formidable (that's west central FL for you) but it was sand and got the heart rate up. We did four sets (over and back - about 0.5 mi) at around 6:00 pace. This was all at about 4:30pm on a very humid day. Throw in a couple sets of push-ups in between sets and it was a really good tough workout. There is something about hard workouts that I enjoy. In the heat of it when spits slingin out of my mouth and sporadic grunts give me extra power (grunting = atleast 15% power increase - try it :D), I just get into that groove and push. It's rewarding - reminds me of my football days.

The fellas ran back with me a ways for a cool down before their coach picked them up. Then I did the rest of the 3.5mi run home solo - a not-so-cool down. A good strong day overall. Three-four mile regular aerobic run tomorrow and then a planned 16miler Saturday.

The Sound of Sizzling Fajitas

You know that sound of the meat and onions and all just sizzling on that cast iron plate they serve you for fajitas. I was the meat and onions today, my sweat dripping off like hot oil onto the pavement. By the end my legs felt like grated cheese floppin around too.

Change of Plans
I went out to Withlacoochee State Forest today to run the 14.8mi loop. It was pretty early - 7:30am - when I arrived. After only 5mins, I stopped, turned around and drove home and decided to run on the pavement trail next to home. I finally got enough spider webs. Within those first few minutes, I hit at least 3 webs IN THE FACE. Think, 15mi, 2.5hrs+, that's over 100 webs!!

It was the hardest run I've done to date. About 15.5 miles, 2.5hrs, in both high heat and humidity. It was mid 80s at 8am. The occasional tree canopy or breeze was divine blessing. My heart rate was 10bpm higher than normal, I assume due to the heat. I dragged on and on with my soaking wet shirt and finally got home. My legs were really feeling it. I dipped in the pool and drank an Ensure shake, then took an ice bath and drank another Ensure, then showered and stretched, then ate a hearty helping of Pizza Huts new "The Natural" healthier whole grain pizza - very good. The run made me glad that I still have a couple months until The Monkey.

Still 3 1/2 months to the marathon and I am going to focus solely on that. That's right, I decided against running the Stump Jump 50k trail race in Chattanooga in October. I am still running the 11mi option. Reason persuaded me. I figure I have much more to lose than gain by ramping up early for SJ. I'd rather play it safe, stick to plan, and try my best at the Monkey. If I can't qualify for Mtn. Mist with my Monkey time, then so be it. After all, I've only been running consistantly for 3 months and am enjoying - Nothin' wrong with that!

Decisions Decisions

Back in FL, in the heat, on the flats. I ran with the high school XC team this morning. I never ran XC in high school. I was mainly a football player with 2 yrs of track, and a year of both baseball and basketball. I like the coach though and its nice to finally run with someone else. Anyway, it was a good run. I went 5 miles at or below an 8:00 pace, and did a mile more on the track at about 9:00. It was tough, no doubt. I have run low 8's on 3mi runs but never any farther, so it is a big boost for me. I have been worried about my speed lately.

See, my running goals have been to run the Flying Monkey Marathon in Nashville on Nov. 23rd and then run the Mountain Mist 50k in Huntsville on Jan. 24th. In route to the marathon I was planning on running the 11mi option for the Stump Jump in Chattanooga on Oct. 4th. I was comfortable with that plan. It has come to my attention lately, however, that there will be a registration requirement for Mist: a 4:45 marathon or previous ultra finish. I'm confident I can run 4:45 but the Monkey is very hilly! Out of the 200 registrants, most of which are experienced runners, a 5hr finish is pretty average. Now I am worried that I may not be able to register for Mist either because I don't make the 4:45 or it is too late even if I do.

I've considered some options:
1) skip the Mist and run the Mt. Cheaha 50k in Feb: good plan but disappointing considering all the good running I got on Monte Sano in July.
2) skip the Stump Jump 11mi and run the Greenway Marathon in Nashville Oct. 4: flat course, very doable, but takes the fun out of making the Monkey my first.
3) run a flat marathon course between Monkey and Mist, possibly Huntsville's Rocket City: again, may be too late and too much.
4) run the full Stump Jump 50k: sounds awesome but adds a lot more stress on me this fall. I can prepare for the SJ 50k, as long as I stay healthy. It will give me a solid 18wk block of training (I mean running w/ a race goal). However, it will give me 7wks to recover and prepare for Monkey.

I'm still contemplating what to do. I will probably decide after this weekend's 15miler on trails. I definitely have to consider my fall schedule. I'll have 15 tough credit hours - all science/engineering. Doh! My engineer type personality wants everything to be planned out and run perfectly. I just don't want to screw up my body or race goals. Basically, I go into this head first with high goals and want it all. We'll see . . .

In the meantime, I am considering doing a bit of speed work and/or treating these last 3 weeks of summer as a training camp. I just don't want to burn out. I'm pretty good at listening to the body though.

Big Finale

I'm leaving Huntsville for home (central FL) tomorrow, so I wanted to get a good run today. I was slated to do 15mi and I thought I'd do them on the road, maybe part of the Rocket City Marathon course. I decided to do trails instead because of some fortunate run-ins with people. Thursday night I ran into a Huntsville trail legend at a Jason's deli - coincidentally right before seeing "Ultramarathon Man". Then Friday I ran into another stud and race director of the Mountain Mist (which I plan to run). All that good fortune of running into people inspired me to do one last run at Monte Sano. I set my sights on the first half of the Mountain Mist course. After cutting out one section and forgetting another, I finished strong with about 12/13 mi on technical trail. My trail pace is still slower than I'd like, but I'm really happy with how I'm progressing. Being here in Huntsville has been a blessing for me in many ways, and having the opportunity to get involved with trail running and its community was one of those. Now it's back home to FL where I will continue my running, spend time with family and get ready for school.

Trail Report
-Mountain Mist(2.5mi): run this one before; nice trail; not too bad; some rocks
-Warpath Ridge(~1.5mi): going south is better since it's got some incline; a lot of rock; alittle overgrown in summer
-Powerline Trail(~1.0mi): it was nice to get out of the trees and into the open sun and air for a little bit; came with a cost - the trail was BRUTALLY overgrown with briars and waste high grass, leaving me slow tired and cut up midrun; don't run this in summer
-Flat Rock Connector: this short section of trail is all uphill, rooty, and rocky
-Goat(2.6mi): for the 2nd time, the goat was nice; while technical, it's curvy and undulating nature makes time go by nicely
-Stone Cuts: good hike; rocky; goes uphill through some tunnels and cuts in stone (go figure); interesting and cool but not the nicest running area in my opinion
-Sinks(1.2 mi): nice, somewhat hilly; I was running harder and focused on finishing at this point so refer to past review

Equipment Review
-SmartWool Adrenaline Ultralight sock: this sock feels really nice. Compared to the tight stretchy hug of the synthetic socks, merino wool is nice. I can't fully rate these socks yet because I haven't used them in many circumstances, but for the hot summer trail run on dry ground they worked pretty well. Given this was a long hot run, but the socks were pretty wet when finished. My feet felt a little more soggy than with synthetics but no blisters or anything.

Committed
In other news, I am now officially registered for my first marathon, The Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon!!

Blog Privilege & Ultramarathon Man

It has been really nice to have the liberty and free time to blog as much as I have over the last 2 months. I'm going to miss this when I start back at Vandy.

Anyway, after Wednesday's weaksauce run, I wanted to just run free on Thursday. I could have just taken the day off but I want the miles. I didn't have a route, just wanted to run roughly 4miles/40mins. About 50mins later I made it back to my friend's house, having run almost the entire run in the rain, and having to get directions back from a man at a dog park. Once again, I praise God for the cleansing of a good rain.

Finally, I saw Ultramarathon Man with Dean Karnazes last night. I was impressed. 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days - pretty awesome. The emotion and passion shared between him and the other runners - inspiring. Running for the sake of enjoyment - beautiful.

No More "Training"

Today's plan was a 7mi tempo run on a 3mi loop. The first loop I ran right on time and felt good. about 1mi into the second loop my heart rate was much too high for my pace. I tried to slow it down, took some walking breaks, ran some more, more walking, speed walking (which didn't lower the bpm). Then I just stopped. I stopped pushing myself and started casually walking the remainder of the loop. I wasn't happy. My running here in Huntsville has been good. I've gotten good time on the trails at Monte Sano, experienced more hills, stayed on track, crossed into the teens on mileage. Lately though, I think its been too much. I've started incorporating some faster running into my training. My long runs have been around 10:00/mi. On my two 3mi runs each week, I try to keep the pace low 8's, and on the mid week 6/7mi run I have tried to be around 9:00/mi (or run on trails which gets the heart rate up).

My thoughts:
- "speed work" too early on
- too much increase in simultaneous distance and intensity
- added stress of running after working construction during the day
- added stress of high 90s temps and humidity

I don't know why I suddenly feel tired, stressed, and a tweak in the knee, but I am realizing one thing. If I don't reign in my competitiveness and training mindset quickly, I am going to burn out. I will only run if I enjoy it. Losing the joy is what has made me drift from cycling this year.

Therefore, no more training. I won't even use the word. My goal is to enjoy running. I want to run and finish my first marathon and then a 50k, enjoying every minute of them. How will I accomplish it? By running. I will keep to my plan, but focus much more on running by feel. I read an awesome online statement by an ultra runner today. Rick Schick writes, "I do not train in a manner that ever makes me dread a training run nor will I enter a race that I would dread doing." Amen, brother! That will be philosophy because I am not running to go fast or necessarily far but for FUN! When I was walking today, I started talking to God, thanking Him for the enjoyment in running and the ability He has given me so far. I won't let one bad day or week get me down. I know sooner or later I will be back in the saddle per se. God is teaches me patience constantly. Unfortunately, patience can only be learned through trial. :)

So this weekend I have an awesome 15mi RUN scheduled. I'll give it a go, have fun, and see what happens.

The Groove

As I was running a light 3miler on Friday, I started thinking that one must just get into a groove when going uphill in running (I know you do in cycling). That 3mi route has one short steep hill. For my weekly long run Saturday I decided to test my theory by ascending Monte Sano. Out the door and up to the park entrance is roughly 5.6mi. Make that a round trip and I have a nice 11miler of both climbing and downhill training - both of which I will need for my hilly marathon in November.

The sky was overcast and sprinkled occasional drops as I ascended. The elevation gain is 800-900 ft over the 5.6miles and it is pretty steady the whole way. Like I had planned, I just sat in at about a 10:00 pace and took my short-strided self up the mountain (no offense to you more serious climbers frowning or laughing at this measly hill). I felt pretty decent at the top, took about 10 secs of walking and headed back down.

Going down was fast-er. The ascent took 58:00. The descent took only 46:00. Average pace of 9:20, which is good to me. I am still slightly uncomfortable with steep downhills, so I tend to catch myself quite a bit as I run downhill. Otherwise, I feel out of control and jack my heart rate up in addition to still pounding the crap out of my legs. Practice . . .

Anyway, it was a nice run - not as tough as I thought it would be. A couple hours later, my knees were pretty sore It was a tougher last couple of days really because my schedule was shifted some. Rather than running T, W, R, I had to run T, R,F followed by the long run today. I might have benefited from resting today and running Sunday, but I am increasing mileage next week and want to keep that long run on Saturday because I will be headed back home to FL.