Georgia Snail

Pine Mountain 40 Mile Trail Run

2011-12-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to start writing this report while it was still fresh in my mind. So many awesome moments, this will go down as one of the best runs I've ever had.

In preparing for this race, I read so many PM40 race reports that I had a very humble respect for the distance and the terrain. I've never run a 40 miler, my previous distance PR was 35+ miles this summer at the Hot2Trot 8 hour. Every report I read mentioned the thick carpet of leaves that covered rocks and roots. So, two brand new twists in my running journey.

Saturday evening, I met up with my buddy Tom and we drove the 30 minutes from La Grange to the FDR State Park to pick up our packets. Getting a chance to look around and see the trail conditions, this race was going to be fun. Can you say rocky?!?!?

(Yes, there is a trail in there somewhere!)

We had dinner at Longhorn, watched a little college football and tried to get some shut eye-4:45am always comes too quickly!

Arriving back at the park in the pre-dawn hours, we participated in the best pre-race ritual, saying hello to all of the "GUTS family" runners that we hadn't seen in a while. Eventually, Sarah used her bullhorn to wrangle us up and force us out of the warm group shelter, up to the top of the dam, so we could get started. The race started and we ran down a 1/4 mile stretch of road, giving the runners a chance to fall into line before we slipped into the woods and hit the trail.

I love the hush that falls over the group as we head onto the trail. There is always a moment of quiet trepidation as the runners contemplate the day ahead. It usually doesn't last long, nervous energy breaks the silence and old friends cut up and swap tall tales, allowing for the first few miles to pass effortlessly. Tom and I had a simple strategy this day, start comfortable & easy and run from aid station to aid station. We made no major attempt to pass anyone in the early going, only slipping past runners when it was really warranted. We were going to stay together for as long as possible and were in no hurry to get there.

I was able to turn my headlamp off in the 2nd mile and a quick 400' climb found us at Buzzards Roost enjoying a beautiful sunrise, overlooking the surrounding county.

About 80 minutes into our day, we arrived at the first aid station; Fox Den Cove. A short stop here, I grabbed a few chocolate chip cookies and topped off my water. In and out in less than a minute. Those. cookies. were. so. good! This would be the theme of the day. Roll into the aid station, grab some food, thank the wonderful AS workers, exclaim out loud how awesome the food tasted and roll on!

Somewhere along this point Tom reminded me of his favorite poem,
"Melinda Mae", by Shel Silverstein.

Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae,
Who ate a monstrous whale?
She
thought she could,
She said she would,
So she started in right at the
tail.

And everyone said,"You're much too small,"
But that didn't
bother Melinda at all,
She took little bites and she shewed very slow,
Just like a little girl should...

...and eighty-nine years later
she ate that whale
Because she said she would!!!

That would be our plan, we "ate our whale" one aid station at a time, trimming our 40 mile trail run into a much more manageable race of 4-5 miles. It didn't take long, 10 miles in, we arrived at the next aid station, Mollyhugger Hill. The running was going smoothly, it was early enough that we still had enough strength in our legs to pick our feet up and avoid the hidden roots and roots. You could never drift too far of the task at hand, a hidden root or rock would always grab your attention if you were sleeping. I commented to Tom that I had forgotten to leave an offering to the trail gnomes, so I dropped a portion of my chocolate chip cookie on the trail, hoping that would be enough for them to leave me upright.

Eleven or so miles in, we came around a bend and I saw something I'd never seen before-widespread trail destruction. On the evening of April 28th, a powerful tornado ripped through F.D.R. State Park and the surrounding area. I had heard about it on the news and had seen pictures, but did not fully understand the strength of Mother Nature until we reached Hines Gap. Unbelievable. I cannot find the words to describe what we saw and ran through. Giant trees snapped in half like toothpicks. It was as if we were running through a scene from Apocalypse Now. Photo's cannot do justice. A very surreal experience.

Just a little after the 3 hour mark, we found ourselves approaching the Dowdell Knob Aid Station. We had drop bags here, but did not need them with only 14 miles in(we would be coming through this AS again at mile 28 probably wanting them) Kim Pike and her wonderful crew got us in and out, like lightening. Heading back out onto the trail we met "Peachtree City" a nice lady named Kim, from, yep, you guessed it - Peachtree City. She hung with us for a while but then zoomed ahead. Probably scared off from our antics.

Tom and I were having a blast. Singing, quoting stupid movie quotes, making fun of each other. I was having a fantastic time and the miles were passing effortlessly. Easy peasy, 12-13 minute pace.

We were motoring along and expecting to reach the Rocky Point AS(mile 17) when all of a sudden, I heard folks yelling my name. WTH, how do all of these people know who I am? AHA! It was Jason Rogers, Jenn Coker & Jaydene Reardon! To be fair to the others, there were many more awesome aid station workers here (and at ALL of the other aid stations), I just happen to know these kind folks by name. What an uplift to pull into an aid station and have people cheer for you and wait on you hand and foot! I need an aid station set up in my living room. (um, sweet boo?) In and out, 1,2,6. Back on trail.

This next section was a 7 mile loop passing through the TV Tower AS at the 5 mile mark. A lot of really runnable trails in this section, extended periods of trail that had little or no major obstacles (i.e., rocks & roots) There were also a collection of creeks and waterfalls that we crossed and ran alongside. Quite possibly the funniest moment of the day (for me at least) was when I had Tom laughing his ass of at some random reference to us being like the guys from "Dumb & Dumber". He was laughing so hard that he tripped and fell; almost falling head first into a waterfall! It was also in this section that we caught back up to "Peachtree City". She told us she wanted to run with us because we were "having so much fun".

Even though I had been taking in a lot of calories at each aid station, I was really getting hungry around mile 21. Tom mention hearing about awesome grilled cheese sammy's, but I was sure he was thinking of the fried egg sammys at the Pinnacle aid station at the Pinhoti 100 miler. The next thing you know, we roll into the TV Tower aid station and guess what? Yup, there stood Frank, cooking GRILLED CHEESE SAMMYS!!!!
SO
GOOD!~
Once it hit your lips, it was so good!

Reenergized, we moved out, knowing that next stop was only 2 miles away. Our trail running trio was now moving at a good clip and having a blast. Peachtree was having a little trouble hanging on with us on the downhills, but she was certainly paying her fare by dragging our butts up the climbs! Rocky Point arrived quickly and we didn't linger long. I think this is where Tom discovered how wonderful Red Vine Twizzlers taste! Before we knew it our 7 mile loop was over and we were back at Rocky Point.

In and out quickly, the trio moved on, knowing that we had 4 miles to our drop bags. I really wanted to change my socks and check on a few hot spots on my feet. Without trying to jinx it, Tom and I could not believe how good we felt. Typically by this point in a race, you are running out there by yourself. The fact that the three of us had been running together for so long, the miles were just flying by. Soon enough we arrived at Downdell knob and I sat down for the first time. (After the fact)Looking at my Garmin, this was the slowest mile of the day(22:40) but we stopped to change our socks. Kim Pike did have to yell at me to "Get out of here", to which I replied, "You're not the boss of me!" Thank you KPP for pushing us back out there and not letting us dilly-dally any further!

Back through the sun-exposed, tornado cut. it finally hit us and it hit collectively. A major low point. Seemingly endless climbs. Painful rocks. Stupid roots. 3.5 miles never seemed so far. I lead my fair share of the day, but did not want any part of the front during this stretch. Head down, eyes on the ground in front, we quietly worked through this section. I believe Peachtree quietly pulled us through this section. Just when I thought I didn't want to go any further, the aid station appeared. Our spirits were lifted and I then knew that we would all finish together.

It's funny, we didn't realize we were in that low spot until after it was over. Our silence must have been a huge clue, as we had been bouncing off the walls the majority of the day! The mood was much more jovial in this next section and eventually we pulled into Fox Den, the last manned aid station. Joel told us we had 3 mile to Buzzard Roost for a water stop and then 3 miles downhill to the finish. Two words. Stinger. Waffles. If you know, then you know, if you don't go find out. Now! They are so good, Tom ordered a case as soon as he got home. Peachtree tried them with peanut butter and she said that was amazing. Mmmm, new ultra fuel.

The climb out to Buzzard Roost was hard, we got rolled up a few times, I think 2 or 3 runners passed us. We just didn't have it in us to hold on to our pace. When we finally saw the water coolers, we knew we had done it. Funny, either Tom or Peachtree asked, "Are you sure there is no hidden climbs in the last 3 miles?" Nope. All runnable downhills from here on out. We left Buzzards Roost with 9:10 on the clock. As we were winding down the miles, I was calling out the trail markers. There were wooden stakes in the ground painted red, with letters on them. I think we started at M and worked our way down. Every marker we saw, we yelled out a word or phrase that started with that letter and pertained to the trail, the day, or just plain finishing. (M="Man, this is a long way to run", L="Last Frickin Mile", K= ah, I forget, but you get the picture)

"I hear voices!" - me

"You mean besides the ones in your head?" - Tom & Peachtree

"Well, yes. I think" - me

"I hear them, too!" - Tom/Peachtree (You hear the voices in my head?!?!)-me, in my head

"I see the clock!" - one of us

(Sarah Tynes, most awesome RD, over the bullhorn)
"Get out of the woods!"

Peachtree lead us in and we finished together. 9:41 after we started, our day was over.

Hugs and high-fives all around. Bring me the finest meats and cheeses for a clubhouse feast!(anyone?)

After writing and rereading this report several times it appears a key portion is missing.

The part about the running.

That's what was so awesome about Pine Mountain. I don't really remember it. I know we ran 40 miles. Sure there were roots and rocks. 5000' of climbs & descents. Tom & Peachtree feel a few times. (I didn't...but I did bang the $h!t out of my head on a blow down) I remember the fun. The jokes, the laughter, the awesome volunteers at the aid stations. The smiles, I remember the smiles. This is just what I needed after RnR Savannah. I love being a part of GUTS and the ultra community. I can't wait to get back out there again!

Huge props to RD, Sarah Tynes, & the awesome volunteer captain, Kirsten. Also, thanks to Joel, Kim, Jaydene, Jenn, Jason, Frank, Rachel, Sally, Marty, Janice, Woolery and every other volunteer I can't remember by name! Oh, thanks to Jim "Picklehopper" for marking the course, but no thanks to Joel, who marked it with him, but according to Jim decided to leave branches on the course because they were "part of the obstacles". Finally to JoJa Jogger for stopping by to say hello before the day started!

Photo Credits - Susan Donnelly, Ultra Runner Bad Ass

R&R Savannah Race Report

2011-11-08T04:36:00.000-08:00

When I last left you, we were discussing my race plan and my vision for the race. Quick recap. Run the tangents, visualize whirled peas & run a 3:29:56.

Let's play "The price is right". 4 of those 5 numbers are correct and in the proper slot. Which number is wrong?

We'll come back to that one.

Drove into town on Friday and headed to the hotel, which happens to be right next door to the Trade Center where the expo was taking place. I had heard that only 3,000 of the 23k runners had picked up their packet on Thursday. Can you say traffic jam trying to get to Hutchison Island?

Luckily, I knew a couple of "short cuts" and it only took us about 20 minutes to get onto the island and to the hotel.

We got settled in and headed over to the expo. I've only been to a couple of "big race" expo's, I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan. Don't get me wrong, looking at every single type of running accessory is cool, I just don't like being herded around like cattle.

My sweetest boo and I meet some friends, had a light dinner, and I sacked out at about 10pm. I slept for sh!t. Anxiety & nerves. Boo!

Waking up and grabbing a quick shower, I headed to the lobby to meet up with my buddy Tom and his wife Trang. With them were several other University of Tampa classmates of ours, Yung & Bea. Pause for photo ops! For some reason, I decided to turn on my Garmin & check it - as soon as I did, it flashed "Battery Low" WTH?!?!? I fully charged it right before I left Smyrna. I ran back to my room and got my charger and plugged it into the wall in the lobby so it could get some juice while we were hanging out. Would it be enough?

(See, we are spelling "Tampa" because that is where we went to school...never mind)

Short water ferry ride over to the start. Holy crap there are a lot of runners here. The pre-race energy was awesome. After a short mile warm up with Tom, we headed into our corral. It was really cool to be that close to the start. For me, it gave me the familiar feeling of being in a small race. I was only 25 yards from the starting line; I could see the stage with the race officials.

The temps were perfect. However, Tom & I noticed the flag on top of city hall was blowing out at a 90 degree angle. Winds of up to 20mph, this could be bad.
I waited until the last minute to turn on my Garmin. Within moments of the official start, our corral was moved to the starting line and we were off. Really cool running straight down Bay St. with 20,000 other runners.

As we left downtown and headed into Garden City, everything was perfect. I felt fresh, my breathing was good, it was as if I were out for an early morning jog. Hit the 5k mark in 26 minutes and started dialing down the miles. The crowd support in the early miles was awesome. These folks were lining the streets, welcoming us to their neighborhood, and wishing us well. There was a lot of debate amongst the local runners as to the course route; the decision to run through the "seedy" part of town. Honestly, the crowd support in this section of the course was one of the highlights of the day.

Passing through the 10k mark at 52 minutes, I was right on pace. I was looking forward to entering back into downtown and was hoping to see a few familiar faces along the way. I popped my 2nd gel and grabbed a water, checking to see my Garmin was still running and my HR was sitting around 152. A little high, but manageable.

Around mile 8, we turned right onto Liberty St and all I could see was spectators. IT. WAS. AMAZING!!! The crowd was 4 and 5 deep - spilling onto the road. There were little kids hold out their hands for "high fives". I must have low 5'd about 30 kids. The emotion and adrenaline was overwhelming. I am not going to lie, I got a little choked up. I turned to the runner next to me and said, "This is effin awesome, I feel like I am running NYC" By far the best mile and section of the race. This turned out to be my fastest mile of the day.

I cruised through mile 10 feeling good, hitting my goal of 1:22. We were heading out of downtown and into Gordonston. The neighborhood did a great job of welcoming us, I learned later that the neighborhood association had gotten together the day before and planted flowers in the median, along the course. Everyone was out cheering and having a great day. I must say, Savannah made me proud!

We soon split from the half marathoners and entered the Truman Parkway for a short section, going towards the baseball stadium. Miles were ticking away and my times were running great.

Mile 15 found us headed towards Savannah State University and we were once again blown away from the support. For about a 1/4 of a mile, lined on both sides of the streets, were students and athletes for the university. Amazing energy! I felt like such a rock star! I was initially envious of the half marathoners when we split off; they were getting to head to the finish. In hindsight, we were the lucky ones, as we were able to experience the crowd support at SSU.

I started to struggle with my HR at mile 17-18. I was running in the high 160's and knew this would be recipe for disaster if I couldn't bring it back down a little. I knew my 3:30 was gone but had a good distance on the 3:40 pace group. I was just going to HTFU and work through the next 8 miles.

Mile 20 found us heading back towards downtown and working our way over to the Truman Parkway. I knew this was going to be a tough section - just not this tough. Then it hit. Cramps. left calf, right calf. How can I cramp in both legs? Walk it out, stretch. HTFU & run. Beep! The Garmin dies. I can hear the bells and whistles sounding, this jet is going down in a blaze of glory! Enter onto the parkway and we are now running straight into a 20 mph headwind. DOH! This sucks!!!! How do I get out of this? Fake an injury? Marathons are stupid. I hate my coach. Why can't I just be happy running 5k's & 10k's? I ran a great half marathon today, cruised through to a 1:47. That is what I should be doing. How am I going to run a 40 mile trail race next month?

I had to regroup and stop with the negative thinking. Shit, there goes the 3:40 group. Mile 23, just a 5k left. Focus on 5 minutes of running and then take a 30 second walk break.

I am too familiar with the "death march", it's never fun. I just kept moving forward. I was looking over my shoulder, waiting for Tom to roll up on me. Lol, I didn't want him to catch me, but was hoping maybe he would and he could carry me in to the finish.

Finally off of the blasted Truman and out of the wind. 2 miles to the finish. We have rejoined with the halfer's. I was struggling, still cramping. Still no Tom. Keep moving forward.

I was less than half a mile away and could hear and see the finish crowd. I started running faster and my calves were screaming. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the back of the legs. I was cussing out loud. Poor kids. "Do as I say, not as I do" Apparently my wife, her mom, and our friend Kate cheered for me as I ran by - I didn't see them. Too focused on keeping my legs from seizing up.

I hit the finish line at 3:59:56. Exactly 30 minutes over the goal. New PR. I had a thousand yard stare. I was a little shell shocked. It took me a little while to wade through the finishers chute. Finally, I found my sweetest boo and was overcome with emotion. (Yes, even teh Snail can shed a tear)

The highlight of this race was the crowd support. With the exception of the 3 mile stretch on the Truman, It was amazing. If I never have to even drive on that road again, I'll be a happy man. running has high's and low's- the Truman was the low. It's funny, I was talking to a friend afterwards and I told him, "I just kept thinking, 'this will change, the next mile will be better' but it never changed" Only a day or two after did I realize that it did indeed change, the change just didn't take place until after I crossed the finish line. I needed to broaden my scope a little.

I had a blast seeing old friends and making new ones. I PR's by about 30 minutes. I put countless miles of hard work into getting ready for this race and although I missed my A goal, I feel like this race was a success. Now just to figure out this stupid cramping issue.

Oh, here is a finish line photo...a little pain is good, right????

Race Plan

2011-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Crackhead has asked those of us running R&R to write a race plan and submit it to him. I thought I'd like to put mine up in my blog so I'll have it to review down the road. I'll share it.

“Our mindset in the moment creates our experience.”
A Race Plan, by Thomas Armbruster

The week of the race coincides with “Month End”, which is a labor intensive, stressful period of time at my job. In order to offset this process and not allow it to overly affect my race week, I will devote a large amount of time on the 1st & 2nd of November to finishing as much as possible before leaving on Thursday the 3rd. When I leave the office to head to Savannah, I will completely check out and leave all of my work at work. I will also use the previous weekend to relax and catch up on any lost sleep. I have been getting 8+ hours as of late and do not feel that lack of sleep will be a factor.

While on taper, my nutritional focus will remain on the healthy side. Good carbs, lean proteins & minimal fats. I am keeping in mind that now that I am tapering, I will not require as many calories. I don’t want to continue eating like I am running 40+ mile weeks when I am NOT running 40+ mile weeks. The week of the race, I intend on “topping off” the carb levels, but not gorging. A little extra good carbs each day, whole wheat pastas, brown rice & quinoa.

I have had my race splits printed out and posted on my cube wall so I see the times and am very familiar with the timing breakdown. I also plan on either making a “timing bracelet” or writing certain splits on my hand for race day.

We will arrive in Savannah on Thursday, we will be staying with my mother in law for the night. 8 hours of sleep.

Friday, before checking into the Westin, I will review the race map and try to drive as much of the course as possible, running the tangents in my mind. I will eat small healthy meals throughout the day, knowing that anything I consume up to 12 hours before the race will be of no use to me. I will get my packet at the expo and lay low for the remainder of the day. I’ve already told my wife I would like to eat dinner early & turn in 9pm at the latest. She may spend some time with friends…I’ll be going to bed.

RACE DAY!
I plan on getting up between 4:30 & 5 am. 16oz of water immediately.
I’ll either get coffee from the lobby or make it in my room, depending on hotel service. ( I will know the answer to this by Friday) This is a pre run ritual. 8-12 oz of coffee with breakfast to “get things moving” Breakfast will be a whole wheat & egg Sammy. Quiet time in the morning to center my thoughts. Review the race map and timing splits. Visualize the course. Run the tangents. Stay centered and “in” each mile.

Shower & prepare to get to the ferry, I will have my race gear laid out the night before. Shorts & short sleeve shirt. Visor. Sunglasses(?) BIB. Do not forget bib. Garmin & HR monitor. Gu’s (2 reg, 2 Rocktane) & a water bottle to drink pre-race.

I would like to leave the island by 6am, I’ll be close enough to the water ferry that I can monitor the lines and decide if I need to cue up early or not. Depending on the weather I may have throw away clothes to wear before the run.

Getting to the staging areas, I will find my corral but not enter. I don’t want to be penned in too early, knowing once I enter I may not be able to leave. Finding out this info will be helpful. This early time is when I will meet up with others and chat. Ideally, I will run a warm up mile with Tom around 7:00am. Follow it up with a few striders to feel the effort, but not too hard. Finish w/u by 7:15 and move into the corral. This is when the focus begins. Visualize the race. Run the tangents. Know there will be times when it hurts and I will want to quit. Make the decision ahead of time that when it happens, I will NOT give in to the pain. Run each mile, one at a time. Remember that “everything changes, the next mile may be different” “Relax & Move” When it gets hard, focus on form. “Relentless Forward Progress.”

Grab a water at every stop. No need to drink entire cup, drink when thirsty.

Just before the race I will say the Serenity prayer and ask for guidance & strength and for everyone to run a safe race within their ability.

Go Time.

Easy, comfortable. Don’t get caught up in the moment and try to jockey for too much position. I can’t win the race in the first mile, but I can blow my race. Remember I have a slow start built into my pacing. 8:19 for the 1st mile, 8:17 & then 8:16. By the time I get to mile 3 I should have plenty of room to run.

Grab a water at every stop. No need to drink entire cup, drink when thirsty.

25 minute 5k. Relax.

Mile 5 – 41:20. Take a GU

Mile 7, 57:42, heading into downtown, enjoy the crowds, smile. Feel the positive energy. Use it to my advantage.

Mile 10 – 1:22:04. Take 2nd GU

Mile 11 1:30:08…full splits from ½’s. I shouldn’t be hurting at this point but will be jealous that all of those people get to go that way and I have to get on the Truman and run all the way the fu@k to Pearl’s Elegant Pelican. It will get lonely. Stay in each mile. Get off the Truman & enjoy running through Daffin Park. Enjoy the crowd. Smile. Positive energy.

Mile 15 2:02:10. Take 1st Roctane. This is the 1st sub 8 mile. We are working now. Relax

Run past SSU. Stay focused. Remember the countless speed sessions you ran with the Hammer at the track. Cuss him out for not being there.(j/k) Stay positive.

Mile 18 2:25:57. Say goodbye to the Marsh. We get to go back into town now. We are still holding in the 7:50’s. Relax and move.

Mile 20 2:41:41 Last Gu. Time to HTFU. This is what we’ve worked for all summer. 40+ mile weeks. Double speed sessions. 160 miles in September. You are ready. Let’s work. One mile at a time.

2:49:30 5 miles left. We will get to see Jim & Stewart’s band. Hopefully this will give a adrenaline push. 40 minutes left.

Remember Hal Higdon’s quote “Concentrate! You can't reach your potential if you drift through your races”

2:57:18 4 miles left - This is going to hurt. We are going under 7:50. HTFU. Fast is sexy.

3:05:05 Less that 30 minutes left.

3:12:50. We get to get off the Truman. 2 miles

3:20:34. Last chance for glory. Leave it all on the course. Feed off the crowd. Pass 5 runners before the turn to the park.

Make a right and leave it out there.

3:29:56

It's not you, it's me....

2011-10-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to talk with my "other lady" this evening. I need a little space, some time away. A break.

It's not her fault, she is always there for me. Never judging me for what I wear, how I smell, or how much I may sweat on her during our time together. Even though she is constantly causing me pain, I always come out the other side stronger.

I do love her.

However, we've been seeing each other a lot lately. A LOT! Twice a week. More than an hour at a time, sometimes close to two hours. I need a little time to recover.

So, today I make my last trip to the track. Yasso's. 10 x 800 @ 3:28.

Then I break the news. I'm torn. Should I tell her before or after? One last go around for old times sake? Or just tell her and leave, a clean break?

Rock & Roll in 15 days. Bib # 2081; corral # 2!

Let's do this!

Odds & Ends

2011-10-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

R&R Savannah is less than a month away! Training is starting to wind down, or maybe I should say it's in full swing??? I still have several key workouts left on the schedule. This weekend I will be running back to back half marathons. Saturday I will run the pacing for the 2nd half of the marathon (goal time 1:42:53) and Sunday I will run the 1st half pacing (goal time 1:47:06). It is still a little wierd to see it on paper. Let's consider a few things: My half marathon PR is 1:48:xx, which I set in March of this year. Soooo, my 2 half mary tests this weekend will be faster than my existing PR. Granted, I know I am currently in better shape, lighter & faster than I was in March, but still! The crackhead has some interesting training ideas.

We will follow up this weekends half mary's with another 3 hour LSR next weekend. The following weekend I will run an 18 mile pace run, following the pacing for the marathon. Then TAPER! At this point we will assess all of the data and decide what my chances are of running a 3:29:59 in Savannah. I'm a little nervous. This is becoming very real. Crunching the data, looking at pacing & HR info - I am real comfortable at a 8:20-8:40 pace. My HR stays real constant in a high Z1, low Z2. An 8:20 doesnt get me sub 3:30. My fitness at 8:00 m/m is rapidly improving, two weeks ago, I ran my last 8:00 min pace run of 10 miles. Avg HR was 146, low to mid Z2. So, it's getting there, the question is will it get there in time?

I had my first running dream last night. Well the first one I can remember in a long time. Seems I was running the Pinhoti 100 miler, which I actually do intend on running in 2012. Well I got to the top of Bald Rock, about 40 miles into the race. At the aid station, we had a cooking challenge! Turns out you had to prepare a dish and present it to the celebrity guest judge before you could continue on. Gordon Ramsey was the guest judge. I prepared a delishious oven roasted Chilean Seabass with a sweet potato puree. I think I also sauteed some squash or cauliflower. It's a little fuzzy. Anyways, Gordon seemed pleased with my offering and gave me 3.5 out of 5?!?! Enough to allow me to continue on with the race. To tie it all together for you, dear reader, I think the key to staying ahead of the sweepers at Pinhoti is to get through Bald Rock before the sun goes down. Going through "Blue Hell" in the dark is incredibly slow. So I think this is why I dreamt about that. Several of my friends will be toeing the line at Pinhoti the same morning I will be toeing the line at R&R. I guess we know where my thoughts are these days.

Rock & Roll Savannah

2011-09-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

...a huge road mary & a return to Savannah is on the horizon.

Yesterday marked 2 years to the day that I ran my first marathon, the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska. What a great race. A lot has changed in my life and in my "running career". I have since run several marathon & ultra distance events. I have moved from Savannah to Atlanta and have deepened my love for trail running. I never vowed to "never run a road mary" but didn't really see one in the future anytime soon.

That was until they announced that Competitor was going to bring it's Rock & Roll Marathon Series to little ol' Savannah, Jaw-ja. Hmmm, inagural road marathon in the town that I have grown to love and call "home"? Yeah, where do I sign up? Early estimates had 12-15,000 runners filling our city streets. I guess the powers that be grossly underestimated the Siren like power of a super flat course in a city known for it's debaucherous St' Patrick's Day parade and celebration. The race was capped at 23,000 runners and sold out 2 months before race day. I will admit that I had a hard time coughing up over a $100 to enter (this is double/triple what I usually pay to run a trail ultra) however, you only live once and my Sweet Boo wanted to make this trip to Savannah, so...

After a decent trail season, looking back through my training log, the Crackhead and I had decided that I had built a solid mileage base of close to 1000 miles this year; we were now going to tune it up with a healthy dose of speed work. "They" say it takes 1-2 years to build a solid base and 5-6 weeks to add speed. That feels like the case with me. Since running the 'nox 2 years ago, I have averaged over 100 miles a month; 120 over the last 3-4 months. Over the last 4 weeks I've been cranking out 40+ miles a week, with 5-6 days of running, including - 2 speed sessions and a tempo run. RUNNING FAST HURTS!!!!

I have settled in on a 3:29:59 goal time at Savannah and my workouts of late have been nothing but successful. I really don't want to jinx myself, but since the summer temperatures have left us, my training has been awesome. I feel really good about the progress and am seeing great results in my overall running efficiency. Avg HR @ MP is dropping week after week, even as the MP runs are getting longer. Today is a big test as I dial up Yasso's x 10 @ 3:29. If I am able to trim another 5-8 pounds over the next 4-5 weeks - all systems go! (A shout out to Wes for the push to drop those pesky pounds)

Here is the best part. I'm excited to go to Savannah and run - I really am! I want to have a great race and finsih in the top 10%...but that is not what I'm really looking forward to that weekend. It's seeing old & new friends. Sharing a city I love with 22, 999 other runners. It's meeting up with college friends & bloggers that are coming into town for the race. Having fellow GUTS runners come from Atlanta to share the course with me. Being able to toe the line with the Crackhead and other Savannah runners for the first time in a while. It's the comraderie and fellowship of like minded people that I am really looking forward to expierencing. November 5th is going to be a great day, regardless of the time I see on the finisher clock...

(but it better not show 3:3x:xx!)

Hot 2 Trot

2011-08-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

...or celebrating my 37th birthday by running around in circles for 8 hours.

I know it's been a while since I've posted a blogpost - I wouldn't be suprised if this post goes mostly unread...that wouldn't be anything new! However, I am going to recap yesterday's race, mostly as an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong & what went right and as record for me to look back upon as a training tool.

Let's get to the good stuff! First, here's a few photos Sean Oh took yesterday. He is a great photographer and also a fantastic ultra/trail runner! Thanks Sean!

The H2T course is a 1.18 mile loop at Sweetwater Creek State Park, a personal favorite of mine. It is a really enjoyable loop with a majority of the course being shaded trails, there was some nice downhill sections and two "walking hills"(Unless you are eventual winners Jim Bickelhaupt & Kate Brun, then you ran them. Every. Damn. Loop!)

Due to the fact H2T landed on my 37th birthday, it was only fitting to set my goal at 37 miles - 32 loops on the day. My pre race plan was to go out with an average pace of about 10:30 m/m and grind for the 1st 4 hours and see where I ended up. There were to be a lot of factors that would determine the type of day I had. The first being my less then stellar long runs recently. The 22 miles I ran at Chattooga 5 weeks ago was my longest run since SweetH20 50k in April. I was a little worried my legs wouldn't have the endurance to go 37m.

The second concern I had going into the day was the predicted record temps we were going to get. I don't run well in the heat & humidity and every Summer I whine and complain to my wife and tell her to not let me sign up for ultras in June, July & August. Of course after the weather passes and I run in fall, spring & winter temps, I forget how horrible I feel and sign up anyways. Plus it was on my BIRTHDAY! How could I not run H2T?

The morning was overcast and a few minutes before the race started, it began to rain. It was a light sprinkle that never really picked up or became annoying. The rain was welcome by most runners as we knew this would keep the heat & humidity down. The rain left us within the first hour, fortunately the cloud cover lasted for a majority of the day.

I ran with a bunch of different runners for the first few hours and held a comfortable pace. I hit the 11 mile mark before my 2nd hour and was feeling good. I was concerned that my HR was a little high, sitting in the low 140's, ocationally spiking to 150 on the hills. Typically my HR is in the low 130's at this pace. In hindsight, this may have been a factor in the remainder of the day as I was having trouble keeping my core temp down. (note to future H2T runners - have a plan in place for cooling core temp)

By the 4th hour, I was rolling past my 22nd mile - still feeling strong. My fueling plan was to take an Ensure replacement drink, every hour on the hour, and grab whatever looked good off the aid station table. For fluids I was alternating water & Powerade in my handheld, aiming to drain my bottle at least twice an hour. As the temps rose I was going through three bottles an hour. So to recap, I was taking in a minimum of 250 calories and 60oz. My energy was perfect, I never felt sluggish. However, midway through the 5th hour, the cramping started.

The good news about the 5th hour was my awesome Sweetest Boo showed up! It was great to see her face and she arrived just when I needed to see her. She brought Holla and my favorite ultra treat - Rice Crispy treats! I brought her up to speed and told her my concerns about managing my electrolytes. I continued my loops but was having to walk more than I wanted to walk. She joined me just after I completed my "marathon" loop. I took a second bottle out on that loop to focus on replacing fluids and spiking my electrolytes. This worked and the cramping stopped.

As soon as I started to feel better - Everything flipped while I was running downhill. My left hamstring cramped again, it felt like I was hit in the leg with a baseball bat. I was ready to end my day and hangout with the other runners. Except, the night before I told Holly that no matter what I said, "you can't let me quit" ...and she didn't. She came out for another loop and pushed me when she could.

Upon finishing what I thought was my 26th loop, the counter told me it was my 25th loop. I was mentally defeated. This changed everything. I sat down and put a towel over my head and wanted to cry. I was forced back out and decided since I couldn't give up, I wasn't going to give up. I focused on finishing one loop at a time and running when I could. In these last couple of hours I spent more time running and talking with other GUTS runners. I ran with a couple of guys I hold in great esteem; Ray K & Laz. I learn so much from the stuff they post on the ultra list, it was great to meet them in person. Fellow bloggers Brad G, Joja Jogger, C$ & Jason R were out there keeping me company and helping me forget the cramps.
I finished loop 29 with 15 minutes to spare. Too close to not try for one more. I ran as much of the beginning of the loop as I could. The legs didn't have it. I missed "officially" finishing my 30th loop by 2 minutes. On paper, I ran 34.22 miles in 7:45. I finished my day with 35.4 miles in 8:02. I now have a new distance PR!

Sarah Tynes & the volunteers were awesome! The race was top notch - under some extreme conditions. The heat index topped out at 101 degrees, humidity of 94% What a great way to spend my birthday!

Let it be officially recorded, I do not want to run H2T next year; I will volunteer!

Chattooga 50k 2.0

2011-06-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

F#@K!

I'm still processing yesterday's race.

It was hot.

It was humid.

I was running well, and then I wasn't.

Dropped at mile 21(4:45 in).

I could have continued but I knew it would be a death march and I wasn't that invested. I didn't have it in my legs and I didn't want to be trashed for the next 2 or 3 weeks.

I still have some lingering questions & remorse for my decision. This is my first DNF, I guess there is a lesson in here, I'm still trying to sort it out.

Filtered!!!

2011-06-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

So.........the big bad corporate machine has added a new filter to the network...this filter is the biggest, baddest 'blog' filter I have ever seen. Hell I couldn't even look up the results from the Black Mountain Monster 12/24 hour run because the web address was "BMMonster24.org" which somehow hit the filter as sex...Any road, I can't read blogs, post blogs or even think about blogs from work.

Guess they want me working.

So, until I figure out a way around this filter, there will be less of me around, posting & commenting.

I will still write a race report from next weeks Chattooga 50k.

I'll see ya on the other side.

GS

Tuesday = Trip to the Georgia Aquarium

2011-05-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

As a sign of appreciation, our department is taking us to the aquarium today, that's kinda cool. Hey, we get to wear jeans & leave the office at noon, I'll take it!

Last week I finished a 40 mile training week. Last week & this week are my final big weeks before Chattooga 50k, then there will be a 20% reduction in miles as I begin a semi-taper. This past weekend I did a combined 25 miles. Saturday's workout was "Dixon" (I don't know what that means, that's just what the Crackhead called it. It must be the name of the guy who invented it - or maybe maybe that is what you say about your coach after you do it. "He's a dixon for making me run that." No?)

Anyroad - the "Dixon" is 10 minutes warm up, zone 1, then 10 minutes zone 2. For the next 60 minutes, you run Z2, with every 4th minute zone 4/5. Man, what a workout, I really started to feel the effort about an hour in, making those last 4 to 5 - 1 minutes surges difficult. In the beginning, my zone 4/5 was about a 6:45 m/m pace, the last few I was struggling to get to 6:55 m/m. At the end of the day I covered about 9 miles and got a second speed session in for the week. As we are working towards getting faster this season, I am getting two speed sessions a week.

Sunday's long run was done at "Sean's Run Like Hellathon", Sean B. is a local trail runner who hosts a hellathon usually twice a year. It's pretty straight forward, he sets up and aid station on his front porch and people come out and run a 1.1 mile loop in his neighborhood. The Hellathon lasts for 12 hours, 7am - 7pm. You can run as little or as much as you want.

I had 2.5 hours on the schedule, so I got there early to get my miles in before it got too hot. Sh!t, summer is here. It got hot & humid real fast. I managed to squeeze out 16 miles on tired legs....It was great being able to run with a bunch of GUTS runners and see some old faces. However, I plan on getting out even earlier for this weekend's 3.5 hr long run. Distance running + Summer + Me = HOT MESS!

Speaking of running in the summer heat, what type of tricks do ya'll use to beat the heat?!?!?!

Do you run pre dawn?

Cut back on the miles?

Run indoors?

Just write numbers in the log but not actually run???

Fight For Air Climb - Official Results

2011-05-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, there was a timing error the day of the race and it took a while for them to sort it out.

Let's get to the important stuff - Thanks to the following friends - Team Snail raised $490, contributing to the overall fundraising total of $32,328.

Alaska Snail 2.0
Mark & Kelly Erwin
Taryn & Eli Black
Jerry Blankenship
Loren Morgan
The Hurndons
Wes
Heather Brown
Amanda Tichacek
Sarah Tynes
Goose
Fabio
JojaJogger
The Freedom Runners
J-Dogg
Dizzle
Julie Solomon
Muriel

Due to a last minute venue change, the event took place in the Equitable building, a 35 story building in downtown Atlanta. Deciding against taking the easy way out & only doing the 32 floor climb, Team Snail performed brilliantly in the 64 floor climb. My fellow teammates, Holly & Kristi were not snails on the stairs & vow to return next year!

64 floors you ask, but you just said the building was only 35 stories tall?!?!? What gives Snail? Well, you see, you do it twice! Climb up 32 floors, the timer stops, you take the elevator down, timer starts again and you climb the 2nd set of stairs. (And now you see the timing issue)

I am happy to report that yours truly had the 6th fastest overall time of 11:27. The overall winner ascended in a blazing 8:19. The 2nd finisher was recorded at almost 2 minutes slower, 10:14.

My time was fast enough to put me atop of the Men's 30-39 AG podium, gotta love a little AG bling! (1st place, yo!)

Another interesting trivia tidbit, I took the shortest "break" between sets and recorded the fastest overall time! (13:28) Much to my surprise, after the event, they announced my name as the winner. I almost fell over and turned red with embarrasment - I looked at Holly and exclaimed, "No way! That's impossible! Really!?!?! Fu@k!" Real nice Snail, real nice! Keep it clean for teh kids....

Of course, those faster (all 5 of them) didn't believe it and demanded a recount!(J/K) After the discovery of the timing error, they promised to properly sort out the results and post them online & mail the awards.

I'm still a winner!

While looking online for the results, I googled Towerrunning & stair running and found some great clips on youtube. This is a serious underground sport with world rankings?!?!?! The youtube clips demonstrate the importance of always takign 2 steps at a time & using the handrail for effective climbing speed. Just in trying these tips out, I was amazed at how much easier it was to ascend my 4 flights of stairs at work. I only wish I had seen the clip BEFORE the climb...I think I could have taken 2nd overall...

So, here is the plan. NEXT YEAR, I will have a little more training in my pocket & Team Snail will also be recruiting other climbers.

My goals for the 2012 climb (in order of importance)
Recruit 20 climbers to Team Snail
1st Overall Team Fundraising (2010 winner - Gwinnett Fire & Rescue $6272)
1st Overall Fastest Team - top 3 climbers time combined (2010 winner - Team Lincoln 17:45)
1st Overall Climber - (2010 - Victor Serrano - 8:18 (also a GUTS runner!)

Team Snail does not discriminate! We welcome all climbers! Who is with me?

__________________________________________________

HR Training

2011-05-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

So...The Crackhead had me do a Lactate Threshold Test last week to gauge my progress. This method of determining my LT is done by running 30 minutes at an all out effort. 10 minutes into the run, I am supposed to hit the lap button, using the final 20 minutes to determine my LT heart rate & pace. My last LT test was back in January where I averaged a 168 HR and 7:53 pace. On Thursday I average a 7:37 pace with a HR of 162.

Initially I was concerned about my inability to get my HR into the high 160's, low 170's. When I ran my 5k last weekend, my avg HR was 163. I was questioning the fact that maybe I wasn't pushing hard enough, not really giving it 100%. The Crackhead said the fact that I am able to run faster at a lower HR is great. Coupled with the fact that I haven't been doing any speedwork geared towards shorter distance racing; I shouldn't really be able to go "too deep into the red." All of my training lately has been focused on the 50k, including the speedwork.

He then informed me that would soon change as we begin to focus on the Peachtree Road Race 10k. DOH!

I mean, I'm cool with the idea of getting faster. In order to run faster, you have to run faster....but, but....but running fast hurts! I'm kind of a wimp like that. Guess I need to HTFU and get my swerve on!

Actually, truth be told, I like how I feel immediately after a good track session, just not so much during. The hardest interval? The 2nd to last one. Which also happens to be my favorite interval-sort of like Thursday is my most favorite day of the week because I like to spend it thinking about "how tomorrow is Friday"...It might be sort of telling that I spend a lot of time "in the future"...need to stay a little more in the moment I guess.

Moving on.

This is the final week leading up to the Fight For Air Climb. Team Snail has has great success in the fund raising department. The American Lung Association will be the benifactor of recent generous donations by some awesome bloggers such as Wes & Muriel. also a few ultra/trail runners like Sarah T., Amanda T., Fabio, & the Black Family. Thanks to the Freedom Runners & also the Alaska Snail. If you can, please click here and help Team Snail reach our goal!

Times a Flying!

2011-05-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wowzers! I have been a little absent from blogland - Sorry. Looks like GQH has moved again. Totally understand that one...

I just got back from Phoenix, Adam, RTP, and several other bloggers are lucky to have the weather they do. Of course, revisiting in August may sing a different tune.

While in Phoenix, I rose with the sun (5:15am) and got my miles in each day. Wednesday, I hit the trails on Camelback Mountain and ascended to the top. Those familiar with Kennesaw Mountain here in Atlanta, the elevation gain is about the same, with a rockier terrain. Great view - if you are ever in the area, this is a must do!

Me and Holla also spent a little time in the cactus garden located at the hotel. I believe he is still picking out a few cactus needles.

Upon my return to the Dirty South, I ran the Jonquil Jog - a local 5k in my town of Smyrna. With all of the training and weight loss over the winter, I had it on good faith that I would be able to lower my current 5k PR of 24:01. My goal was an achieveable one - without going into great detail, the day was perfect for running and I ran a 23:06. I held the pacing needed for a 22:59(my goal) but the course seemed a little long. No excuses, I am extremely happy to lower my PR. I don't run 5k's as much as I used to, so it is nice to get out and run hard - see where I am.

Lastly, Team Snail is less than two weeks away from the Fight For Air Climb and can use your support. The American Lung Association is a great cause - if you can, please donate to help us reach our fund raising goal. A few dollars will go a long way for us reaching our goal! Thank you to those who have donated! Sarah, Muriel, Alaska Snail, Julie & the Freedom Runners - you rock!

P.S. - After further review, Georgia Snail will stay Georgia Snail. Although I did consider Steve Q's suggestion.

Fight For Air Climb 2011

2011-04-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

You know....because climbing steep hills during an ultramarathon just isn't enough...

Holly & I have decided to join the Fight For Air and support the American Lung Association by participating in a 64 floor climb at the Equitable Building in downtown Atlanta on May 14th.

These events take place all over the US and it's a great way to raise awareness of lung diesases. Both of our families have been affected by lung disease in one form or another - be it cancer, asthma, or COPD. Lung cancer is the 2nd most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, however, it is still the most common cause of cancer death.

As taken directly from the American Lung Association webpage:

Your donation to the National Headquarters of the American Lung Association supports research, development of programs, directing public policy, and sharing up-to-date information on respiratory illnesses; their treatment and management.

Why support the American Lung Association

RESEARCH:
The American Lung Association supports basic and clinical research through training and "seed" grants for researchers who are at the early stage of their careers. Throughout its history, the American Lung Association has funded talented scientists who have furthered their careers in academia and lung research and have made significant contributions to the fight against lung disease.

PROGRAMS:
The American Lung Association provides in-depth and timely information on lung issues including asthma, tobacco control, and environmental health. Your donation supports programs such as: Open Airways for Schools, Freedom from Smoking, Better Breathers Clubs, Not On Tobacco, and Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative.

PUBLIC POLICY:
The American Lung Association has served as the hub of a nationwide Legislative Network that enables state and local Lung Association volunteers to participate in grassroots advocacy on a variety of lung health-related public policy initiatives. Your support will enable the Lung Association to update reports such as: State of Tobacco, Big Tobacco on Campus and State of the Air.

If you can find it in your budget to donate $5 to Team Snail you can donate to either Holly or myself...and/or perhaps a little bloggy lurve and give us a repost or shout out, that would be awesome - every bit counts!

Time for a Change?

2011-04-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

The rumblings have been growing louder.

At first it was just an occational, "You need to change your blog name." Then I lost a few pounds, got a little faster and pushed the PR bar a little lower.

A few more posts appeared in the comment section. "Pretty soon, we won't be able to call you Teh' Snail."

I still didn't feel comfortable about dropping the name.

For one thing, I've aquired all of these cool snail pics - what will I do with them if I change the blog name?

I was on trail Saturday and two different runners mentioned to me that I was no longer a trail snail...

So, I am taking it to the blogosphere!

What do you think?

Change the blog name or no?

Any name suggestions?

SweetH20 - A Score to Settle

2011-04-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

Last year, I ran the SweetH20 50k, it was my first ultra and it was an eye opening experience. While I openly admit it kicked my A$$, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience & a new love of running was found. This year's race had the makings of a great story. I've had a great winter of training, everything was coming together nicely.

There was a lot of email banter in the week leading up to the race - folk's penning down desired finish times. From the beginning, I have not been shy about admitting my goal - 6:45, almost an hour & a half faster than last year. Whoa, that is still a bit bite buddy....

Friday night, just hours before race time, the Atlanta Metro area was pounded with severe thunderstorms, including reported tornado activity in Douglasville, just outside of the park. Luckily, the rain lifted before the race - but the damage was done. The creek was raging & the water was high. The current was so strong in fact that the RD had to make a last minute judgemnt call and change the course, removing the famed creek crossing.

we were all curious to find out the conditions of the course, luckily we didn't have to wait long. After a few instructions from Johnny Buice, the RD, we were off!
(Me and my buddy Tom, just before the start)

The race starts down a paved road, leading out of the park for a mile and a half, this gives the runners a chance to thin out before hitting the trailhead & the spillway. Tom & I went out a little faster than planned, running about 8:45 on the 1st mile, while I didn't intend on going out that quick, I didn't want to get stuck behind a large number of timid rock dancers once we hit the single track.

We quickly hit the spillway and there was already a little backlog waiting for the ropes.(Jason Rogers working up the wall)

The weather was awesome the entire day! Clear skies & temps in the low 60's at the start, warming up into the 70's by the afternoon. These temps made the early miles feel effortless, I was clipping along at a comfortable 10 minute pace, enjoying the first 6 miles of the course. We ran along the creek early on and saw the ropes where the creek crossing was located. As the day progressed, the creek continued to rise and the crossing surely would have been unsafe.

Before long, I was running through the 2nd aid station, topping off my bottle with Gatorade - wanting to stay on top of my electrolytes. My fueling plan was simple, a gel every 45 minutes & grab anything off of the table that looked inviting. With aid stations every 4-5 miles, I ran with one hand-held bottle and intended on emptying it between stations. I was making perfect time, staying right on schedule as we left the comfort of the gentle, tree covered trails and began our trek over to the gas & powerlines. After a short climb up a gravel jeep road, we quickly turned left and were greeted with an all too familiar sight of what seems like endless roller coaster gas lines.

The first few climbs are not entirely taxing - It's the mental game of not knowing when they will end that gets you. Last year my biggest mistake was bombing down the hills and stressing my quads early on. This year, I was more cautious, knowing I would need to save my legs for the 2nd loop.

We dropped down to creek level at one point and had to go up the ravine, this is a killer climb, especially the 2nd time through.

Rolling through gas lines, Sarah Tynes is waiting for us at the top of the final climb, a good 200 ft jaunt straight up! As only the truely wicked can be, she can be found yelling at us that we need to be running!

There is a short little run out to the Top of the World, a 360 panoramic view of the surrounding area - no photo truely does justice of this view.

We had a mile out & back to the 3rd aid station, this is a great chance to recover and do a quick "systems check" before hitting the powerlines. I was feeling good, keeping my HR in the low 140's, maintaining 10 minute miles on the flats and didn't have any noticable pain. Rolling into the aid station, I am all smiles knowing the hardest part of this loop is behind me. Or is it?

I think this out & back section of the course is my favorite part of this race - probably my most favorite part of trail running. It is here that you get to see the other runners either in front of you or behind you, depending on which way you are running. (Most) everyone is cheerful and offers words of encouragement. "Good job" "Nice work" etc. You also get to see your friends and whoop it up a little bit. Seldom do I ever experience this in road racing and that is really too bad. I always get motivated & run a little easier when I am able to offer encouragement & receieve the same. You should try it, running with a smile on your face does wonders to improve the way you feel.

Having my spirits lifted was surely needed as I entered the next section - the dreaded powerlines. This open section contains some serious elevation change & is usually exposed to the midday sun. The footing is usually very loose making even the decents difficult, this day was no exception. However, the cooler temps did make the trip through a little easier.

Not long after going through the powerlines, I am heading up Jack's Hill and completing my 1st loop. I spent a lot of time in this section with Todd Henderson, the RD of the Pinhoti 100 miler. Last Fall I crewed for Psyche & Charles at Pinhoti and plan on making this race my 1st 100 miler. It was really cool to run with Todd and get to know him a little better-not that knowing him will my make my hundy attempt any easier!

(me & Todd cresting Jack's Hill)

So, just under 3 hours, I finish my first loop and begin to head out on the 2nd. Grabbed my lucky Moon Pie Jersey out of my drop bag and headed out. All systems are a go and one by one, I am picking off the runners who went out too fast. Careful not to become one of those victims myself, I stay within my plan and try not to let my mind wander forward to a faster than predicted finish time. Of course, without the creek crossing, I know my time will be better than planned so I allow myself to think about how much time will be shaved off. The distance will still be the same with the added mileage, but not havign to tackle that monster hill on the yellow loop will probably give me back about 15 minutes.

I'm cruising along the creek around mile 21 without a care in the world when I feel this sting in my left calf. it was almost like someone reached out and grabbed it! Crap, cramps?!?!? I stopped and stretched it and tried to move forward, this was not a good section to have calf cramps as there are a lot of rocks to hop & steps to climb. I was a couple miles away from the next aid station, I knew it would be a minute before I could get some electrolytes. I worked through the pain for several miles, every time I thought I worked out the cramp, it would come right back.

The aid station didn't have any S-caps, so I had them pour some salt into a cup and I mixed it with some water and drank it like a shot. Horrible taste but better than the alternative. I continued to work through the issue and repeated the salt intake at the next aid station. I also had them fill my bottle with Gatorade instead of water at these stations. In hindsight, I don't really know where the cramp came from, I was fueling properly & alternating water and gatorade at each aid station leading up to the cramping issue. Nothing a dose of HTFU can't cure I guess.

I was hoping to get the cramps behind me before I enterd the gas/powerlines, otherwise it would be a long day. It was here last year that I "quit" running forever several times and decided that I would "stick to running flat 5k's in Savannah." - A very low point in the day. There were no drastic lows like that this year. The course was hard, it kicked my ass, but mentally I was sharp and stayed engaged. I worked through these sections and before I knew it I was motoring back up Jack's Hill, in hot pursuit of Todd, who had passed me while I was working on my cramps.

Seeing Cindy & her Gnome at the last aid station is bittersweet - you know the finish is near, which means the joy of this day is almost over.

Only a few miles of gentle trail seperated me from the finish, glancing at my watch, my goal was within reach. it was time to put my head down and do a little more work. A few miles later, I rounded the corner of the last hill(Really Johnny? That hill after the day you put in front of us?) and climbed four steps to the finish line - greeted by a collection of finishers, volunteers, GUTS & Rogue runners - and my best cheerleader, my Sweetest Boo!

Final Results: 6:42:23
68th out of 235 starters
9/37 AG
1.5 hours faster than last year.

THANK YOU to all of the volunteers & to Johnny, the RD.

I had a blast, I smiled the entire time and sitting here right now, I wish I was still out there. Well, except for the part where it hurts to climb the 4 flights of stairs to my office.

Thank you fellow bloggers for all of the support & encouragement. We run because we can, never take it for granted.

**Photo's taken by: N. Kumar, S. Donnelly, C. Strickland Ralston & R. Hines.**

Must focus....

2011-04-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

I can’t frickin take it anymore! I’m sitting here at my desk working on a stupid “Owner’s PPT” and all I can think about is the Sirens’ song that is Sweetwater… I do about 10 minutes worth of work, finish off a slide and then I sneak back over to the elevation profile from last year’s course and examine all of the ups and downs – trying to figure out which one will break my heart…

Then I try to get back on task and bust out another slide-

Oops, here comes another email from C$, this one was written as if he was in my own head. “ the start (first 3-6 miles) is waaay tame and chatty.” This course lulls you to sleep, it starts so gentle. Last year, early on, I remember thinking I had found the new love of my life – little did I know this temptress had two sides….

Crap! I really need to get this PPT done – but I don’t wanna

Just look at her, she’s so pretty. Look at those purty white caps running down the river, stones jutting out of the shoal. Mmm, running effortlessly along the shore, listening to the waterfalls in the distance. How can this ever turn for the worse?

Damn – another email from the Director asking for a Q1 comparison of lead booking window for 2010-2011

Screw them, the Owner’s meeting isn’t until the 20th. Back to SweetH20 – I can see myself barreling down the decents, trying to hold back a little as to not blow up too soon…Whoa!?!?! What about those scrumptious rice krispy treats that were at the river crossing aid station last year? I hope that they will have those again!

Okay, I need to get another slide done – only 6 more to go…

Careful, don’t forget how hard that 2nd pass was through the gas/powerlines last year. How many times did you “quit running forever”? “Maybe ultras aren’t for me, I’m going to stick to running flat, 5k’s in Savannah – this is stupid” shhh, don’t listen to them. Embrace the pain, you know it will be coming this year, manage the course better – this is your choice.

How am I going to get ANY work done this week?????

Is it Saturday yet?

(only 5 more slides to go)

The Hay is in the Barn...

2011-04-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

All of the training over the last 4 months has been in preparation for this race; my 1st "A" race of the year.

SweetH20 50K!

The time to beat is 8:12:25 - Last year's result.

In prep, I've run about 350 training miles, lost 20 pounds & spent a great deal more time on trail this year. I have great expectations!

While out running this weekend, my mind wandered over to the idea of my goals for this race. I established a time goal early on in the training process and looking over the numbers, I believe this goal is most certainly within reach. I've run with a lot of runners this year who have previously run Sweetwater and come in with times similar to my goals. My level of fitness is far greater now than a year ago. Last year, this was my first trail race & first 50k. I am certainly not saying I am no longer a trail/ultra noob - but I am very familiar with the course and have a better idea of the mentality required to tackle such a monster. With about 3000+ ft of gain (and loss)over the entire route, it is not "too much" but relentless none the less. The gas/powerline cuts are brutal and unyielding. It's the 2nd loop that really takes it's toll.

Knowing all of this - I have a few goals that are not time related.

*Stay in the moment - This course breaks up into several manageable sections. I am going to work each section with a strategy in mind.

* Enjoy the company - Music is typically reserved for long, solo runs. No need for music here, Top of the World will be singing to us. The race having sold out, there will be 250 registered runners stretched out over the 15 mile loop - Many whom I have had the pleasure of running with previously. this is going to be a giant party and I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!

* Keep the R.I.S.C. at bay.(Running is Stupid Committee)
There will be several low moments during this race, I intend to work through them and veto any legislation passed.

* Not get "Schicked"
Richard Schick, 61, is a local running stalwart and he "schick's" A LOT of people....he ran a 6:33 last year and finished 32 out of 155...chances are, I will get "Schicked".

In the interest of full disclosure - I do have a time goal in mind. I thought about setting an A, B, & C goal -sort of give myself an out. Nope. We are aiming for the stars!

6:45

Almost an hour and a half faster than last year. This will put me in the top 20-25% of finishers I think. This is an achievable goal and I look forward to seeing how it plays out. The weather forecast is decent, high of 63, with a 20% chance of showers. I can handle the rain & I love the temp range!

So - send some good running karma our way and I will let you know how it went!

I've come a long way in a few short years...

March, March, March...

2011-04-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Quick post. March running stats. 133.41 miles, including 1 Half Marathon PR. This will go down on record as the most miles recorded in a month. To add onto that, there were also another 15-20 miles not recorded. I noticed the work paying off yesterday during a 40 minute easy run - HR under 145. I was running high 8's(8:50-8:55) and my HR was sitting in the low 140's. Usually my zone 1 runs sit around a 9:10 pace. I am really happy with my fitness right now and this is a great mental victory going into the 50k. Relentless forward progress!

The Barkley Marathons start sometime tomorrow. Rumor on the B list & the interwebs is that the "bad thing" this year might be a night time start, that would be a game changer...I understand it is hard enough to navigate your first loop(or any loop for that matter), having to do your 1st loop at night is unthinkable. There were a few emails going around on the B list about a meth ad that reminded someone of their time "Out There" at FHSP.

To be successful at Barkley, you need to come in with the mindset that you are going to finish. Just that simple - I will not quit. Everybody quits.

This quote is posted over on Marmot Trailhead's page, MT is a Barkley Virgin:

"When your body starts to betray you and you feel totally defeated mentally, remember this: You are not this body. You are not these thoughts. You are a beautiful and perfect soul deeply connected to a much larger universe. And running five loops at Barkley is but a drop in the ocean of all of the Self's potential achievements. So. You will keep going.

Try, as best you can, not to identify with the body or with the thoughts. Get connected to something much, much bigger than the small self. Let the mind empty of everything else."

I think Marmot has it in him to go deep, at least finish the Fun Run (3 loops). I'd really like to hear of him going strong on the 3rd day.

I mean come on...you have 60 hours to travel 100(130?) miles. It's only 5 loops-2 clockwise, 2 counter clockwise, & 1 runner's choice. You can even run with someone, until you get to the last loop. Laz GIVES you the course map the day before the run!

Why is it only 9 people have ever finished?

#BM100
#BarkleyMarathons

I'm going to the Top of the World!

2011-03-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

A little less than a month away, the SweetH20 50k is rapidly approaching!

Photo courtesy of DCRR website

I am really looking forward to this race, all of the training is setting me up for a great day out on the trails with a bunch of awesome, talented runners. Seldom do you get a chance to run with 250 like minded individuals; we will share the trails at Sweetwater Creek State Park and all come away stronger. Stronger in our bond as trail runners and stronger as people. This race really forces you to push into that dark, unknown place. A place we seldom see and a place most do not like to explore.

Not to be overly melodramatic but last year at this race I was forced to come face to face with the "Running Is Stupid Committee" and overcome some huge obstacles; literally & figuratively. The second loop-that second pass through the gas & power lines, really brought me to a point where I didn't know if I could continue, but I knew that somehow I must. I pushed through, finished, and came away with a new understanding of myself. It is this exact result that I have since relied upon in my everyday life. When a situation gets really difficult, I am able to push through and know that it won't last and I will survive. Far greater writers have done an amazing job of translating this feeling into words - but I get it. I know it inside and am grateful to have the ability to go out and deepen that experience.

I am putting a lot of miles in the bank, last week going over the 40 mile mark for the first time this year. This being my second year running ultras, I am beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the mileage and am now working on improving my time on trail. Having taken the time to really focus on nutrition and weight loss I am seeing great progress. LOL, who would have thought that losing 20 pounds would make me that much of a better runner!?!?! I have another 3 1/2 hour long run on the schedule this weekend and then I will begin a two week taper. (I think - gotta check with the Crackhead) Let's do this!

photo courtesy of P. Sebastian

photo coutresy of C. Ralston

photo courtesy of A. Ligon

_______________________________________
3/21/2011
Weight - 185.4 (down 15.6 YTD - 5.4 lbs to race day goal)

Training Schedule
Mo - Rest
Tu - 1:15 hilly run
We - 30 min easy
Th - trackwork
Fr - rest
Sa - 1:19 trail run
Su - 3:30 long run

Pernilla C.

2011-03-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life deals you cards that cause a dynamic shift in your priorities, this week was one of them. My wife found out one of her oldest and dearest friends died in a house fire. This news came as a complete shock and has devistated my wife and several of their close friends. Luckily, Holly and her friends spent a weekend at a cabin in North Georgia with Pernilla at the end of January. They had a wonderful weekend full of joy & laughter; they will always have the memory of that weekend.

Rest in Peace - Pernilla C. 2/10/1978 - 3/12/2011

_______________________________________________

We were to head to Savannah early Sunday morning to organize the memorial service; I had a 3 hour long run on the schedule. I knew I would need to get up extra early in order to get my miles in - otherwise there would be no long run last weekend. I got up at 4:30am (which felt like 3:30am due to Daylight Saving Time) and headed down to the river. Cochran Shoals is a very popular place to run in Atlanta; you will see hundreds of runners and walkers while out for a regular day. I was the only person there. It was so quiet & serene, just me - running in the dim light of my head lamp. I managed to complete 2 full loops on the 3.5 mile trail before I saw another person. I had a lot of time to reflect on the important people in my world and contemplate the direction of my life. I spent a few miles thinking about the times we spent with Nilla, I felt like she was running with me a one point - although she would have certainly fallen out of her chair laughing at me if I had asked her to go for a run! I am so grateful I had the time and ability to run those 19 miles before Holly & I headed to Savannah.

My wife is such an amazing woman, she was so strong in the organization of the memorial. At one point when we were alone, I asked her how she was doing. She said she was holding up okay. I mentioned to her that I thought she was amazing and was being a rock for her friends, that her taking the lead in this was really awesome. She just looked at me and said, "I have to - this is for Pernilla. She deserves it." One of our favorite quotes is, "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have!" - Unknown

Please take the time to tell those most important that you love them, you will never know when you will no longer have a chance to tell them how you feel.

GS

GRR!

2011-03-08T12:09:00.001-08:00

That makes a great blog title!

The inaugural Georgia Reactor Run (GRR) 100 mile trail race on Saturday had the makings of "one of those days"...Forecast calls for rain!

This particular network of trails is really runnable during dry conditions, however it stays muddy up to 5 days after a good rain. (Must have something to do with the previous owner's nuclear power facility...)

...and it rained! AND RAINED. AND RAINED!

28 of the 30 hours the course was open, you guessed it - it rained.

Between the 3 races, there were a total of 211 registered runners.

72 - 100 mile runners
72 - 50 mile runners
67 - 50k runners

6:30am came early and everyone started with high hopes!

The course was sort of a 20 mile, figure 8 loop, with the start/finish in the middle of it. The left loop was a 13 miler & the right was a 7 miler. If doing the 100, you were to complete those loops 5 times. There were three aid stations, one on each loop and one at the start/finish(pictured below)

(blogger & badass ultra runner Psyche in the white sweatshirt)

The AS's on course were awesome, great signs & great volunteers!

(To think they actually ran out of bread at one point)

As the day progressed, the war of attrition waged on! Countless runners were dropping down to the lower distances; 50 mile runners were hitting the 50k distance and dropping and 100 mile runners were hitting the 50 mile mark and dropping. The common statement I heard from the runners was, "I've had enough! The course was great and the volunteers were awesome - but this rain & mud is too much!"

I arrived at the timing table for my 4:30pm-2:30am shift and settled in for a fun night!
(that is me with the grey ball cap on)

As you can see a "DNF banner of shame" had begun to form. Other's called it the "Wall of Smart Decisions"

The GUTS crew maintained the attitude of HTFU and everyone was having a great time helping the runners as best we could. In true GUTS fashion, a pool was started to see how many of the 72 100 mile starters would finish the race hundo.

Betsy hit it on the nose with 17.

Yes, you read that correctly. 17 out of 72 earned their buckle, completing the full 100 miles. A 23% finishers rate. That is just a small description of how brutal the conditions were.

.

Below is a picture of the 100 miler winner, Garth Petterson, with an amazing time of 20:10...a fast time for any 100, considering the conditions - it was even more amazing. Here is a link to all of the results from all three races

(1st female finisher)

I don't have any photos from the trail, I spent my 10 hour shift at the timing table - but I understand it to have been quite a day "out there". Click on this link to Cindy Ralston's Photos from on course.

My hat is off to every runner and pacer that logged one mile on the course, truly the definition of HTFU!

To the members GUTS, what can I say? I am so lucky to be a member of such an awesome running club that puts on top notch events time after time! People will talk about this race for years and next year, everyone is going to want in on this race...it may be for redemption...or it may be just for chance to test their limits. I plan to be there!

(Denise Martin - amazingly worked all 30 hours helping massage runners)

**Photos courtesy of P. Wimberly & K. Pike

Berry College 1/2 Marathon

2011-03-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

What a race! I will be brief with the write up - the event; the course and the organization were awesome! The weather was ideal for me, we caught a break and the rain was reduced to a drizzle for a majority of the morning. Starting temps were somewhere in the high 40's to low 50's to take a guess. Just comfortable enough for shorts, short sleeve tech shirt and gloves. Some may say the weather was less than stellar but I like running in cool, overcast conditions. The rain did make a few sections of the course a little more difficult, there were a couple of sections that covered dirt & gravel roads, this might have caused a slight slow down of pace.

I arrived on campus a little after 7am, quickly found parking and was on the shuttle to the start. I could have walked the 3/4 of a mile to the start but it was raining and the shuttle happened to be there. It didn't take long to grab my bib & race packet-I found a spot along the wall in the Ford Hall and changed into my running gear and went out to find a porta potty & get a quick warm up. The lines weren't too long and my morning coffee did it's job. (That was for Adam)

Considering there were about 700 1/2 & 400 10k runners, I managed to easily make my way towards the front of the starting line. The 10k & half marathon runners were starting together at 8am, the 5k runners started at 8:20am. After a few instructions, the race was underway, I wasn't too far back from the start it took about 11 seconds for me to cross the starting area. My goal was to hold back a little at the start, the prescribed plan was to go out at 8:37 and drop 3 seconds per mile through the first 9 miles. I hit the first mile mark at 8:15 and it felt really easy. Listening to conventional wisdom, I tried to just bank that time and drop back to the pacing. Not so much. The second mile was a little slower, 8:22. I had already banked 35 seconds, I "tried" to run closer to the plan, it was just coming too easy. My HR was settling in the low 150's so I wasn't concerned about going too hard. Mile 3 came in at 8:25.

The course is mostly an out and back; it was easily broken up into three parts. Miles 1-4 were flattish, with a few rollers, 5-8 a couple of nice climbs and descents through the Mountain Campus and 9-13, the return to the main campus -again, some rollers, but an overall elevation loss through this section.

As we were starting to hit the hills in the middle portion of the race, I put up my slowest split of the day, 8:40 for mile 4. I was purposely trying to hold back. At about this time my buddy Weezy rolled up behind me and we started chatting about some upcoming ultras. He and I ran Sweetwater & Chattooga together and I was on hand to watch him finish his first 100 mile race at Pinhoti last November. We were hooting and hollering-having a big time out there. I think a few runners around us were put off when we starting yelling at each other and talking sh!t about the "hills". Miles 5 & 6 had a couple of 100' ft grinds but they didn't last long and didn't take a huge toll on my pace - 8:33 & 8:29 respectively. After hitting the Mill, we were on our way back.

My favorite mile had to have been mile 8, for two reasons. The first was that we were winding through this really cool section of the campus that reminded me of being back in Germany. The buildings were stone mason type buildings and the roads were narrow & winding. Mix in a couple of sharp descents and I was flying to my fastest mile of the day @ 7:46.

After another mile out & back on a gravel road, the remaining portion of the race went by without much fanfare. We were on a bike trail labeled the Viking Trail that pretty much was a 3 mile straight shot along some power lines. There were a couple of small rollers but mostly really flat & boring. This was where I did most of my work. Picking off runners one at a time, I turned in some great splits. 8:09, 8:03, 7:59.

One mile and a little extra separated me from the finish. I had selected my next victim, the runner a 1/4 mile up the road with a bright red jacket on. My final mile of 7:47 had me over take that runner and about 10 others. In the 2nd half of this race I was only passed twice and I probably overtook 30-40 runners. We rounded a couple of turns and the finish line appeared out of nowhere. In the distance I could see the clock roll over to 1:47. I knew I was well ahead of the goal pace of 1:48:59, however, I had another goal in mind - 1:47:59. I kicked it in and drove to the finish, crossing the line at 1:47:55; later finding my chip time to be 1:47:41.

NEW PR and an awesome race.

I can't say enough about the folks who put this event together. Going in I had only heard good things about this race. Every single one was true. GREAT COURSE! Perfect for running a negative split, the hills mixed in the middle really broke it up nicely. There were aid stops with water, powerade & gels every two miles...and the volunteers were amazing, very friendly & energetic! If you are looking for a great course to run a solid half in the Southeast, put this race on your list!

thanks to Weezy for pushing me through the middle portion of the course and helping me not mail it in- congrats to you for turning in a good 1:49 as well. I ran into another GUTS runner and blogger C$, who threw down out there with a blazing 1:31:33, nice job Christian, all of your hard work this winter is turning into a phenomenal 2011 season.

I could spend a whole blogpost devoted to the idea of negative splitting and the likes, all WR's have been set on neg. splits. I love the idea and execution of it. The bottom line is that I am going to run slower miles, either at the beginning or the end. i'd rather run those early miles slower and feel good at the end then bust it in the beginning and trudge it in at the end. (...and the look on the faces of the other runners who want to go with me as I pass them, but can't, remindes me of a Karate Kid quote, "Finish him!")

Now, all focus turns to SweetH20! 40 days until my first 50k of the season and all systems are a go!

GRR

2011-02-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Georgia Reactor Run - 100 Mile Endurance Trail Race is this Saturday!

This event is being put on by GUTS. So- why is it call the "Georgia Reactor Run" you might ask? Well, the Dawsonville Wildlife Management Area was once known as the Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory. It was a nuclear test site in which the US government was researching and trying to develop a nuclear powered aircraft. So, during a run out there, you may see a few remnants of the nuclear test site, one being the hot-cell building where the nuclear reactor was housed.

(One of the few remaining buildings on the 10,000 acre site)

Thankfully I am not running it, however I will be working the timing table from 4:30pm - 2:30am on Saturday, so if you are in the neighborhood and want to see some trail running first hand stop by! There are about 200 runners registered to take part in either the 50K, 50M, or 100M race.

I will be beginning my morning by heading off to Berry College to run the annual 1/2 marathon held on campus.

This is the final "test run" in my build up to Sweetwater. A little half marathon effort, to see where I am and what progress I have made since the Freedom Run last month. The Crackhead has reminded me that this is not an "A" race and I will not have a full taper, so the results are not going to be completely indicative of what my full potentional could be - translation, "I am still running you hard, so don't set you hopes on a superfast time and remember, this is a lead up to Sweetwater, not the goal race. Follow the pacing"

He has me set up to run a 1:48:59. The prescribed pacing has me starting out at a 8:37 mile, dropping 3 seconds per mile (i.e 8:37, 8:34, 8:31, etc.) Of course this is all ideal running and following the pacing is harder than that. (For me at least)

I attempted a 9 mile practice run of that, this past Saturday with decent sucess. I managed to hit some of the times and overall ran a negative split. The whole theory behind this pacing is to slowly build through the HR zones, arriving at mile 10 without ever really going into the LT zone (164-170 -My run on Saturday was perfect in that regard.) Arriving at mile 10, with a 5k remaining, the race begins in ernest. I can leave everything on the road and run the remaining distance at lactate threshold and see what I've got.

So, I've got a full dance card this weekend! Then we begin the dreaded 3 hour runs!

Oh, a quick shout out to Her Name Is Rio & She Runs Thanks for the contest! ( I won a "Run" magnet!)
_____________________________________________________

2/28/11
Weight - 188.0 (Down 1 lb from last week; 13 on teh year)

Training Schedule
Su - 1:30 zone 1
Mo - rest
Tu - 60 minutes - hills
We - trackwork
Th - rest
Fr - easy running & drills
Sa - 1/2 Marathon Race
Su - rest/recovery run

And He Was Running...

2011-02-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

There is an ultrarunner by the name of John Price, who recently departed Venice Beach, CA, beginning his trans-continental trek to Virginia Beach, VA. You can follow his progress here.

I am SO fascinated by the idea of running across the U.S. I had first heard of the concept as a kid, but my first real exposure to the actual process was back in 2003, when recent college grad's, Scott Sehon & Dave Bronfenbrenner completed their run from New Jersey to Oregon. They had a website tracking their progress and I logged on every day following them. Two friends, running across the country with a baby jogger, relying on the kindness of strangers. How awesome is that?

I have followed the progress of several other trans-con runs over the years, most recently was the trip of Patrick McGlade. He left California on New Year's Day, 2010 and ran to Tybee Island, GA. Being he was finishing in my home town I was excited to follow his progress and see him run through Savannah.

Bjorn Suneson has to be the most interesting story that I never had a chance to follow. On July 18th of last year, Holly said, "Let's go to Tybee." Okay, sounds fun. We loaded up the beach gear and headed out. As we were driving the 15 or so miles to the beach I saw a guy running along the road pushing a baby jogger. I knew he didn't have a child in there and I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder where he started his run." I figured it was a guy training for a long run, or perhaps running across the state. For a moment I contemplated the fact that he could be running a trans-con run. "Nah, he would have some sort of entourage, he's almost finished."

About an hour later we were in the ocean playing around when I looked up to the beach and there was my new friend with his baby jogger! There were a few young people(turns out it was his children) clapping and taking pictures. They put a lei around his neck and gave him a bottle of champagne. He took off his shoes & jumped in the ocean. After he played around a few minutes, curiosity got the best of me, so I waded over to him. "Hi, I'm Thomas. What are you celebrating?" He told me his name was Bjorn and he just ran from Seattle, running across the U.S. the second time in his life! I was amazed by this trip, but even more amazed at how low-key the finish turned out, no pomp & circumstance, just Bjorn & his family.

My Sweetest Boo & I have talked about this idea for a while now and I would one day like to complete a run across the U.S. The logistics can be as simple or as complicated as I want. The basic premise is 3000 miles coast to coast. How do I want to cover them? 25-30 miles a day. 5-6 hours of running per day, probably with a baby jogger holding supplies. Maybe with someone in a support vehicle. We've always talked about buying an R.V. upon our retirement and traveling the country, a run like this would have to wait until I am retired or closer to retirement...so who knows. Right now I'm just putting it out there.

Here is a link to a comprehensive list to those who have completed a tran-con trek by foot.

____________________________________________________
2/21/11
Weight 189.0 (down 1.0 from last week; 12 pounds on the year)

Training Schedule
Su - 2:30 long run
Mo - Rest
Tu - 60 minutes - hills
We - 30 minutes - zone 1
Th - Trackwork
Fr - Rest
Sa - 9 miles progression - follow pacing for next week's half mary
Su - 1:30 long run

The Only Constant In Life ...

2011-02-17T07:23:00.001-08:00

...is change.

It seems everything Boston related requires mutliple attempts-this is my 3rd attempt to post my thoughts on the recent news that the B.A.A. has changed the qualifying times for the 2013 marathon. The last time the B.A.A. made QT's more stringent was for the 1980 race. There have been several changes to the QT's since then - always easing the QT's.

In 1969 the field of entrants was listed at 1152 runners and organizers decided to include a qualifying standard of 4:00 for the following year. This did little to filter the entrants; they lowered the time to 3:10 for the 1971 race-dropping the field to 887 runners. At one point in the 1980's you had to run a sub 2:50 to qualify.

Standards were relaxed and in 1990 they had the largest running field in the history of the event with 9362 entrants. Six years later, the centennial running quadrupled that number with 38,708 entrants. In true waxing and waning of popularity, the race was back down to a manageable number of 11,274 in 1999. Keeping in line with the running boom and as a result of relaxing the standards in 2003, the number of entrants began to rise-breaking 20,000 again in 2007. Registration was closed in February, two months before the running of the 2008 race, as the number of entrants reached 25,000. Registration for the 2010 race was closed after 64 days...and we all know about the 8 hour sellout for the 2011 race.

The discussion of changing the timing standard has been on the table for quite some time. There are those who say the gender gap of 30 minutes is too great, the gap between elite male and female runners is now 10-15 minutes. There are those who say it is much easier to get in for the "more seasoned"(older)runners-they get a 10 minute bump at 55 and a 15 minute bump at 60. Finally, there are those who say there are too many charity runners. In 2009, 1200 charity participants raised 10.5 million dollars.

This change was a foregone conclusion. I believe that lowering the QT's by 5 minutes all across the board this the most fair outcome. As a 36 year old male, I need to run a 3:15:59 of better to be eligible for the 2012 marathon; a 3:10:00 for the 2013 race. That is a difference of 13 seconds per mile.

Now, the rolling registration idea...that is a whole other ball of wax...one that I think Amby Burfoot covers very well right here.

Why Boston & Why Me?

My allure with the Boston Marathon began in 1987 when my A.J.R.O.T.C. Instructor walked into our classroom with his finisher's jacket. He had run the marathon several times and was more than willing to tell us all about the race. I found it facinating and vowed to run it one day. Fast forward 15 years and my life was a far cry from what I had envisioned. I was overweight & out of shape. Finally having had enough, I began to run again. 3 minutes at a time. All the while I had a goal of Boston, thus returning to the glory of my youth. Something changed along the way. I stopped planning the result and began to plan the action. I live in the moment and take each run day by day. No longer driven by the idea of being able to tell people I ran the Boston Marathon, I now am happy to run and share trail time with friends. My happiness comes from the inside, not from a jacket I get to wear on the outside. I still hope to run a BQ someday and toe the line in Hopkinton - but it no longer defines me as a runner. Afterall, it's only a race in Boston...and I am a lifelong Met's fan...we've already beaten them once....

(All stats taken directly from the B.A.A. website)

Burying The Lead

2011-02-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

(Happy Valentine's Day from Teh Snail)
The gratitude I possess towards my wife cannot be accurately conveyed with words. I am a better person because she is in my life.

Let's start with a thank you for all of the great feedback from my last post. Even GQH had something productive to add, as he reminded me of one of the primary reasons I started running again - to reduce my cholesterol level and improve my overall health. Now if we could just address his addiction to all things phanatical.

The takeaway from last week's post is that I am not getting enough protein and too much carbs in my morning meal. The Crackhead (my coach) has been relentless in his insistance that I take in more protein in the morning(as were several commentors). Overall, my daily consumption should fall somewhere around 0.5g - 0.75g of protein per pound of goal body weight. Using the short term goal of 180 pounds, I should be consuming 90-135g of protein a day. The well documented ideal is that your body takes longer to breakdown the proteins, feeling full longer. The other side of the coin being too many (simple) carbs sets you up for an insulin crash a few hours later. The trick for me is finding the right balance. I am right in the middle of training for my April ultra and need plenty of carbs and protein (and good fats) for training.
The other frequent comment from the last post was to consume 5-6 smaller meals per day. For the record, I am already on this band wagon and I love it. I eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking - 7:30am, have a "snack" around 10am & lunch around noon. Then there is the 2:30pm snack break, usually a 5pm snack break & dinner around 7pm. My snacks are usually fruits and nuts - quick & easy.

Let's put it all on the table. Holly & I have become regulars at the local farmer's market, we are using whole foods in all of our cooking. Very little, if anything in our kitchen is processed. I'm maintaining the desired weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week; needing 10 pounds in the next 8 1/2 weeks to be at 180 by the time SweetH20 rolls around. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Speaking of SweetH20...I got a message from and old buddy last week telling me he just signed up for the SweetH20 50k! Very cool Tom!(Anyone named Tom is cool, right G?) I've been trying to convince him (and CJ) to do this race. At least one of my buddy's has the set to step up to the line...

Last but not least, mini RR for the Freedom Run 10k last saturday. This was a very small, low key race. At most 100 runners between the 5 & 10k. The runners thinned out quickly as we spread about the 3.1 mile course(the 10k'ers did 2 loops) I was supposed to run a progression run, negative spliting the race. I got out fast and felt really good. 1/2 mile into the race I saw I was holding a 7:30 pace and backed off trying to get to the proposed 8:35 pace. Coach said go out "slow" don't worry, trust the pacing. It just felt easy and I was holding 8's without too much effort. I figured it would come back to haunt me at the end. There was a good size hill 2.25 miles in-it really came into play on the 2nd loop. Of course the other side of that coin was the nice downhill closing out the 2nd mile. I really took advantage of it in mile 5 and made up some ground(7:25 split).

Long story short, I didn't blow up, I didn't get passed after the first 1/2 mile and rolled up 5 runners in the last mile. I ran a great race and all of the work is paying off! This was a Peachtree Qualifier, my time will get me into the "B" corral. There will be 60,000 runners this year, I want to be as close to the starting line as possible. As it stands, 56 seconds seperates me from the A corral. My last chance at moving up a corral will be the Berry 1/2 Marathon I am running on the 5th of March.

Proposed splits/actual splits
1 - 8:35/8:00
2 - 8:23/7:53
3 - 8:10/8:16
4 - 7:58/7:57
5 - 7:45/7:25
6 - 7:33/7:58
.2 - 1:46/1:24
Total time 49:59/48:53

PR's Rock!
__________________________________________________________
2/14/11
Weight 190.0 (down 1.8 from last week; 11 pounds for the year)

Training Schedule
Su - 2:10 Long Run Zone 1/2
Mo - Rest
Tu - 30 minutes Zone 1
We - Strength
Th - Trackwork
Fr - Rest
Sa - 50 min total(20 min zone 1/2 - 30 min zone 3)
Su - 2:32 min Long Run Zone 1/2

This is a recovery week, we are working on a 16/5 cycle - 16 days hard/5 days recovery

With Increased Mileage...

2011-02-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

...comes increased calorie consumption.

February has found me reaching a "plateau" on my weight loss journey. To be fair, we are only 9 days into the month. I experienced a large loss(4.4 pounds) in the last week of January, so I expected a correction of sorts for my first week of February. My weigh in yesterday put me at 191.8, which was up 2.6 pounds from the week before. Again, I'm not complaining as I have lost 9.4 pounds in 40 days. I suppose I am reaching out to blogland for some feedback.

As my weekly mileage has increased into the 30's, my hunger is also increasing. It is a fine balance between proper fuel consumption and binge eating. I am making a concerted effort to consume more protein & carbs in my morning meal; homemade 5 whole grain breakfast bars & Kefir, for example. Lunch also is filled with healthy carbs - quinoa & edamame salad is a staple. I suppose I could stand to increase my veggie intake...and dairy is slowly slipping back into my diet. My thinking is I am working towards a nutrional shift - not a crash diet.

So, to my running breathern...How do you fuel? Do you follow the prescribed 50% carb/30% protein/20%fat ratio? Do you try to consume 25% of your daily calories within an hour of waking up each day? Do you budget more calories in bigger training weeks?
___________________________________________________
Weekly Stats
2/8/11 191.8 (up 2.6; 9.4 lost on the year)

Training Schedule
Su - 2 hrs on the trails
Mo - Rest
Tu - 1 hr hills
We - Trackwork
Th - Rest
Fr - Drills on grass
Sa - Freedom Run 10k Race
Su - 2 hr 10 min LSR

...and the winner is...

2011-02-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

...Ben & Steph.

Another deserving couple, so I am happy with the outcome. Thanks to all that voted. My entire family was overwhelmed with the outcome of support - it was very humbing. My sister said it best, "We have already won; with the love from our family & friends." Very awesome!

Speaking of awesome, CJ nominated me for Athlete's Plate. Jason over at Cook Train Eat Race designs really cool recipes for athletes in training...I guess this makes me a real-live endurance athlete now, SAH-WEET!

Although we have not been dumped on with snow like many of our midwestern friends, the rain & cold have been brutal this week. Tuesday night I had 50 minutes of hill running on the schedule, I had to head out in the rain to get my miles in...way to HTFU. I looked like a drowned rat upon return. My loving bride meet me at the door with a couple of towels, all she could do was shake her head and tell me, "I love you...but your crazy!"

Speaking of crazy...looks like Fatpants has decided she wants to become a trailrunner too - as decided by her interest in Terri Hayes' website for South Carolina Ultra Trail Series. Terri puts on 5 races a year, that are FREE! Low key & awesome...homemade finisher medals. Best kept secret in the south!

9 1/2 Weeks...

2011-01-31T06:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, actually it is 10 1/2 weeks until the SweetH20 50k...but 9 1/2 Weeks makes a better blog title...drives that traffic to the blog.

A quick update on the contest. THANK YOU to each and every one of you that voted. With a grand total of 1463 votes, Marriah & Mike finished in 5th place and will move to the judges round. A panel of judges will read the essays and score them. The winner will be announced Friday morning! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!

Running this week was awesome. I wish I had some witty anecdote to share about my runs this week. Everything was textbook and I guess that is a good thing. I did discover a new trail yesterday on my 10 miler. I was "supposed" to do 1:40 of easy, flat miles-keeping my HR under 145. So, um...an average of 151 is close right?!?!

See, what had happened is...I was about 3 1/2 miles in and running along the 'hooch...I looked up and saw a trailhead with blue trail markings. "Hmm, this looks like fun!" So I started up the trail...and up...and up..and up! Turns out I was on the Palasades West loop. There was about 500' of gain in the first mile, not too bad. Of course, what goes up...must come down. The decent was tricky, there was a lot of loose rock, roots & leaves-recipe for disaster if not careful. I finished this loop & took the Rottenwood Creek trail back to Bob Callen. Ran along back over to Cochran Shoals and did a half loop there. 10 miles on the day 1:44, with 2850 in elev. gain.(So says Garmin)
________________________________________________________
1/31/11
weight - 189.2 (down 4.4 from last week; 11.8 YTD)

Training

Su - 1:40 zone 1
Mo - Rest
Tu - 50 min Hills - zone 3
We - 20 min - zone 1
Th - Trackwork
Fr - Rest
Sa - 45 min (25 tempo)
Su - 1:52 zone 1

January is drawing to an end...

2011-01-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

My least favorite month of the year...limited daylight, cold(er) temps, snow & ice storms. The good news is that February is right around the corner! Speaking of good news - My sister is currently in 5th place for the contest ending January 30th. Please take a moment to click on the link to the right & vote in the wedding giveaway contest(please vote daily). Thank you to all that read the post about her story & have taken the time to vote. If you haven't read the post, you can do so here. An extra special thank you to Kate, Glavin, RockStar Tri, Xenia & Neil Z for linking and devoting space on their blog. If I have missed your link lurve, please let me know as I want to give everyone credit for being so awesome!

The roads here have cleared, everything is back to normal. I logged 24 miles last week, capped with a 3rd place AG at the PTC 5k, this past weekend...

With the recent weight loss, my times are starting to improve! Visions of Spring PR's are dancing in my head!
As always, one foot in front of the other; one step at a time!
______________________________________________
1/24/2011
Weight - 193.6 (1.8 down from last week, 7.4 on the year)

Training schedule
Su-90 min LSR
Mo-X-train
Tu-30 min zone 1/2
We-30 min
Th-Trackwork
Fr-Rest
Sa-40 minutes (20 minutes tempo)
Su-100 min LSR

Calling All Bloggers

2011-01-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

The Tennessee Snail, or perhaps The Snailette, has entered a contest with a local radio station in Clarksville, TN. You see, the winning couple will receive an all expenses paid wedding. We could really use your support. If you look to the right, you will see a link that will take you to the page to vote. it will only take a couple of minutes and you can vote once a day until the 31st of January.

I'd like to take a moment and tell you a little about my sister and her fiance' Mike. My sister is the glue that holds teh Snail clan together. Being the youngest, she caught a lot of hell from her two older snail bro's, but we love her dearly. As we grew older and began our own families, she naturally did the same.

Not more than a year after having her first child, we began to notice Xavier was developing a little slower. He was diagnosed with Autism. My sister quickly began to devour information and talk to people, learning as much about Autism as she could. She continues to work 110% to make sure Xavier has every opportunity available to him to grow into a bright & vibrant young man.

When Xavier was 4, Marriah became pregnant with her second child, a beautiful young girl, Skylar. Skylar reminds me so much of her mother, but that is for another blogpost. Shortly thereafter, she was expecting #3. There was a great deal of complications with this pregnancy. A week before her due date, my sister was rushed to the hospital, only to find out she had lost her infant son. Sebastian holds a special place in my sister's heart.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the difficult road my sister was to travel. Less than a week later, her now ex-husband, was on the front page of the local newspaper- ensnared in a scandal of infidelity, prostitution & general asshattery. (Okay, the asshattery part was my opinion, just sayin') She picked herself up by the bootstraps and soldiered on, moving to Tennessee to stay with my parents until she could get her family back in order. Here she continued to further her education and provide for her children. In an effort to learn more about Autism & how to provide for those with special needs, she completed a two-year Occupational Therapy program at the local college and now works in that field.

It had been over six years since losing Sebastian & dealing with the ex; my sister had lost her faith in men. The prospects on the horizon didn't look great, until Mike entered her life. I can honestly say, I don't know how he did it - She is a tough nut to crack. His patience & persistence will go down in the books, they may even use his courtship as a training tool in future generations. I meet him for the first time at my parents house last Christmas, watching him with my sister and her children is beautiful, he is quiet and gentle. Months later, I was equally impressed at my parents house, preparing for the retirement BBQ for my father. He just showed up the day before, asking what needed to be done. There is sort of an unspoken rule in our family while preparing for a BBQ, you just work, we know what needs to be done and we just do it. He fit right in.

He is currently deployed in Iraq, returning on a two-week leave in June; this is when they plan to get married. Winning this contest would be an amazing gift for their family. Please, as a personal favor to me, take the time to vote for Marriah & Mike! If you feel compelled, you could give me a little link love and blast this out on your blog too!

The Christmas presents Mike "fired from a cannon" in Iraq to Tennessee.

Pine Mountain Recreation Area - Cooper's Furnace

2011-01-17T08:54:00.001-08:00

Still thawing out from last week's "Snowpocalypse", I was itching to get some trail time. John Cremers, a GUTS member I recently met at the Red Top training run, had posted on FB that he wanted to introduce some runners to this trail system near his house - I jumped at the opportunity. With snow still covering a majority of the trail and a starting temp of 32 degrees, I could not wait to get my trail on!

The location of this trail could not be any more perfect. Travel north on I-75 to exit 290. Exit the interstate to the right and make a right at the first light. (at the Wendy's) Travel on Hwy 20 Spur for about 3.2 miles, just after seeing the sign for Bartow Beach Road, the parking lot for Pine Mountian Rec Area & trail head will be on your right.

The trail network itself is not that large, the East & West loops are each about 6 miles - but the payoff is the gnarly single track & elevation. We started out on the East Loop (at around 900 feet elev.) and hit the trail running. Immediately greeted by uphills, my HR jumped. I thought to myself, "Oh shit, this is going to be a long morning, John is going to drop my a$$ in the first five minutes!" No sooner than I thought that did the trail start to level off. We ran some nice rollers and worked our way back towards the US Army Corp of Engineer's land & Coopers Furnace. The Furnace is really cool & there is also a great picnic & play area for families during warmer seasons.

After showing me around the furnace, we got back on trail and started to head over to the otherside. the footing was still pretty good; the real climbing had yet to start in earnest. As we hit about 4 miles on the day, John looked at me and said, that this next mile was going to be tough, we were heading to the "summit".

The footing on the switchbacks heading to the top was a little more difficult; we managed to run most of this, hiking at the steepest parts. We went from 900 ft to 1562 in about a mile...good climbing!~

(This photo of the summit was "Borrowed" from the 'net)

After enjoying the view for a few minutes and talking about the Indian Mounds in the distance, we began our decent. Man, talk about fun. The back side of this loop was steeper than the front and the trail was icier. We were sliding & "skiing" at certain sections, having to grab onto tree limbs to stay vertical. The best part of climbing is getting to run back down!

This trail network is a hidden gem that I can't wait to revisit. The climbing to the summit reminds me of going up the front of Kennesaw Mtn and the view is equally beautiful. from talking with John, Pine Mtn is a lot less crowded than KM. Thanks John!

_______________________________________________________
Weekly weigh in
1/17/11 195.4 (up .2)

Schedule
Su - 77 minutes zone 1/2
Mo - Strength
Tu - 50 minutes zone 2
We - 30 minutes + Strength
Th - Trackwork
Fr - rest
Sa - 30 minutes ( I might race a 5k)
su - 88 minutes zone 1

A New Snail in teh Fold...

2011-01-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

Allow me to introduce Alaska Snail 2.0.

Very few(if any of you) have ever read this blogpost, which was my first entry, explaining the beginning of this quest and this blog.

My brother has joined the blogosphere, hoping to chronicle his quest towards living a healthier & happier life. I am humbled that he draws inspiration from my efforts - as I am routinely inspired by his effort. He has a score to settle with the 'Nox and I am laying down the line early, the time to beat is 5:40:11...I look forward to the days when the Armbruster siblings are able to share the road or trail in the coming years. We have a 3rd "snail" in teh fold that has started a "running club" with her son, for now we will call her the Tennessee Snail...hmm, what do you call a baby snail? Anyroad, please welcome AS2.0.

FYTO 5K Report

2011-01-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

Good day race fans!

A special shout out to Pam at Thirty Schmirty who ran a 5k to celebrate her 31st birthday. In honor of her birthday, I wore the #31 race bib for Adam's Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k.

I woke early Saturday morning and headed down to the river. It was brisk 28 degrees out and there was a cold wind coming in from the West...I looked around for some of the fellow bloggers. I saw the race favorite and course record holder Lily (& her handler-The Sean)
But rumor has it if Jamoosh can stay on course, he is a contender.

I did a little sizing up of the other runner's while warming up. Seems I am a lock for the M36-Smynra, GA catagory...I hope the RD has some good bling. I was recently informed by Adam that the mix up with the race shirts were sorted out and mine was "In the mail". Whatevs.

With no pomp & circumstance, we were off!

I felt good as I hit the 1st mile marker at 7:45. I was running solo, as the pack had thinned out quickly. However, this was an "open" course and there were ample pedestrians to give me that extra push. The pace dropped slightly as I approached the 2 mile mark at 15:50. This is where we make the money! Last mile, feel the burn.
I approached the 3 mile mark as the clock rolled over 24 minutes. Just a little push, hitting the "tape" at 24:40 for the entire 3.1 course. I was using todays race for a trio of results, the final third being a 30 minute Lactate Threshold Test. I had another 5 1/2 minutes remaining in this effort. As I glanced at the Garmin, I saw my HR roll into the 170's, I knew I only had a few minutes left to hold...total time, 30 minutes-3.76 miles. Average pace 7:59.

Special thanks to all who came out to enjoy this lovely morning.

I am happy with this effort as it is the first hard effort I have done of any kind since October. I am extremely pleased when comparing the 24:40 to my 5k PR of 24:01. I haven't done any speedwork in the last few months-I am begining a training cycle that includes weekly track work-I imagine my 5k PR will drop in the Spring race season.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Results from the weekly weigh-in:
1/10/11 195.2 (down 3.8 lbs)

upcoming training schedule
Su-70 minutes Zone 1 (recovery
Mo-Strength
Tu-50 minutes Zone 2
We-20 minutes Zone 1/2 & Strength
Th-Track workout
Fr-Rest
Sa-20 minutes Zone 1/2 & Strength
Su-60 minutes Zone 1/2

Don't Be Afraid to Fail, Be Afraid Not to Try.

2011-01-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have set some lofty goals for the year 2011.
I will lose 30 pounds.
I will run a sub 6:45 Sweetwater 50k.(8:12 in 2010)
I will run a sub 7:00 Chattooga 50k. (8:46 in 2010 w/bonus miles)
I will toe the line at R&R Savannah with the goal of 3:15:59 in sight.
I will run my first 50 mile or 100k event. (Distance depends on schedule)
I will run 1500 miles for the year. (1176 for 2010)

I have now sat at my keyboard for the last 5 minutes staring at those goals. The Running Is Stupid Committee has already called an emergency session. "Is this guy off of his rocker?!?!?"

Realistically, everything hinges on the first goal...Holly & I have committed to a nutritional plan that, if followed, will deliver on that promise. Low glycemic carbs, i.e. brown rice & sweet potatoes. Lean proteins such as chicken, fish, & turkey. Salads; spinach, romaine & bibb lettuces. Nuts, fruit & veggies. All of these things are stuff that I should be eating more frequently. It's just that I LOVE pizza & hot dogs & cheeseburgers....But I also LOVE RUNNING FAST!

So, as I begin my 14 week build up to SweetH20
I will also honor my pledge to take my diet to the next level. dropping 20 pounds before April 16th will put me one step closer to those goals...I am also going to hold myself accountable on this public forum by posting my weekly weight and training progress.

1/3/2011 - 199 bs.
Workouts scheduled:
Su-70 minutes - Zone 1/2
M-Rest
T-20 minutes - Zone 1/2
W-Strength
Th-Track Drills
F-Rest
Sa-Lactate Threshold Test
Su-70 minutes - Zone 1/2

CJ - has already gotten a jump start on his 2011 progress...now if I can just convince him for another duel...

If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes

2010-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

Things here at the Snail's Place are winding down for the year. We have crossed the threshold of Winter; we are daily gaining minutes of sunlight here in the South. I can't help but reflect back upon the year and be grateful for all that has transpired.

I have been fortunate to maintain gainful employment, I have even managed a transfer from the sleepy resort located in Savannah, to the hustle & bustle of Atlanta. In this new city I have connected with a wonderful running club(GUTS)and have started forming relationships with some very cool trailrunners.

With these awesome trailruuners, I have been exposed to some fantastic locations and events. The Pinhoti 100 Mile Run being one that really sticks out in my mind. I plan to return to Helfin, AL to toe the line at this race in the future.

Looking forward to 2011, I am currently in the base building stage of training, working towards 2 50k's(Sweetwater & Chattooga) and the Savannah Rock & Roll Marathon in November. I might even throw in the Wood Ferry 24 Hour run for fun....who knows. I think the race that I am most looking forward to is the RC Cola & Moon Pie 10 miler in June. This race will take place the weekend my sister is getting married and I will get to run it with my brother. The only thing that may make me happier than seeing my sister get married, will be the chance to log some miles with my brother.

2011 will bring a year of continued fitness for myself & my Sweetest Boo...On the trails and in life in general. To have my family back together again is the greatest gift given to me in 2010.

Thank you to all who have been on the journey with me, you all inspire me in so many different ways. I look forward to continuing to "trudge the road of happy destiny" with you all!

Bartram Forest 100 Mile Race

2010-12-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

**All photos provided by P. Sebastian

I spent the weekend crewing & pacing for Psyche & Charles at the Bartram 100's...

**Psyche-grabbing fuel, Me-being of no help

Okay...where do I start? Bartram Forest 100 mile & 100k trail race in Milledgeville, GA. In a word, sneaky.

After having a tough go at Pinhoti and missing the cutoff at mile 65, Psyche & Charles decided to give the hundy another go and run Bartram. This race reads as an easier race; less elevation and a longer cutoff.

100 miles is still 100 frickin' miles!

The awesome RD's Chris & Mike ( I believe there was a 3rd, I can't remember his name) set up a 5.56 mile loop that was to be run 18 times. Each loop started & finished at a pavilion where there was a fully stocked aid station. A word about the AS? Awesome. As the day moved on, the food selection changed, soups as the weather got colder & doughnuts in the morning. They had Wendy's burgers at one point and even had pizza delivered. If a runner wanted anything the wonderful volunteers went out of their way to provide it! It had a really homey, family feel.

The 5.56 mile course was very unassuming. It was well marked and compared to a lot of trail races, had minimal elevation, about 200-250 feet per loop. There were two big hills along power lines, the 2nd one, along mile 3, was the harder of the two. I believe Ashley Walsh had the best quote about this hill as we were traveling up it on loop 17, "I wish this hill would die!"

The day started out much like any other...Nerves before the start. Runners were questioning whether they tapered too much or not enough. Had their training really prepared them for the day ahead? I, as a crew/pacer was comfortable with my ability to cover 25-30 miles and was thankful to not be toeing the line...

After a few instructions, the runners were off. I saw Psyche and Charles almost an hour later, 1st loop in 59:37. Quick bite & back out on trail. By design, this course had an unattended AS about halfway through the loop, a little water & mini clif bar stop. The best part was that there was a short cut for the spectators and we could getthere in about 1/2 mile. Great design of the RD's. Throughout the day, I spent a lot of time over in this area to break up the monotony for the runners and give them encouragement.**Charles, the runnin' pirate!

The day was unfolding quietly, Pscyhe & Charles were holding a good pace, each loop only taking a minute or two longer than the previous. All the while I had a chance to encourage other GUTS runners: Kena, Beth McCurdy, Ashley Walsh, Rico Dorsey, Lane Vogel & Big Easy, Jason Sullivan. I also had a chance to meet several other amzing runners & bloggers. Check out Tiger's blog, this amazing woman is battling cancer!

The sun began to set and the runners were switching to headlamps and long sleeves to hold off the chill. An enormous fire was lit; I stated looking for marshmellows.
I was tracking my runners progress, recording each loop & the amount of time spent in the AS. I was happy to see the consistency in the numbers, nothing to cause any alarm. Moving further into the evening a few runners were dropping...to be expected. Passing the 50 mile mark a little over 11 hours in, Psyche & Charles were a little off pace for their hopes of a sub 24 finish-they were still moving strong. Soon the finishers for the 100k started rolling through; Congrats to Beth for 2nd female.

While my runners were on loop 12, I went & changed into my running gear, I would be going out with them next loop. Forecast called for rain around 3am, I dressed warmly. As team Scallywag rolled in to finish #12, I posted my last race update via FB & Twitter and off we went!

Charles was feeling strong & pushed ahead a little, Psyche & I motored along at a good pace, my goal was to get her around in 90 minutes. The mood was light and I entertained her with various stories of my sordid life..."What is said on the trail, stays on the trail." We finished the loop in 93 minutes and were looking forward to the next. I knew the rain was coming and grabbed my rainbreaker. I thought about grabbing a couple of poncho's but thought we would be back before it hit.

Halfway through lp 13, I wondered aloud if I was halucinating & seeing snow. Psyche said no, it looks like snow flurries. Ahead of us was Lane and his pacer, he yelled back that he would rather have snow than rain and we agreed. Not longer after that the "snow" switched to rain. It was light and not too bad to deal with until Psyche told me she couldn't run anymore, her hip flexor was killing her. We were power walking at a nice 17 minute pace, I knew I could get her in soon.

All hell broke lose around mile 4 of that loop (76 on the day). The freezing rain began to pummel us and we were in an open section with nothing to break the 20 mph winds. Stopping was not an option, we would be destroyed if we tried to go to ground. I told Psyche to stay right behind me & we pushed as fast as we could to cover the last mile and a half. We passed DCRR member Shawn Prewett & his pacer Johnny Buice. Shawn was motoring as best he could(I learned earlier while talking with Johhny, that this was Shawn's third race ever!). Psyche was such a champ, I knew she was in extreme pain, she never once complained. She stayed right behind me; one step at a time.

Finally we pulled int othe AS and I sat her down by the fire to warm her up. I grabbed our bags and got her some dry clothes and sent her to get changed. After soup & fire, she was starting to come around. "I'm feeling much better, I'm ready to go back out." Almost an hour had passed since we came in, it was time to do work. As we headed out she looked at me and said "I can't walk". I pushed her to get to the end of the road. At that point she said that her hip flexor was killing her and she thought it was something serious. After talking it over we agreed to go back to camp and rest, see if we could work it out, we had a lot of time on our side. Charles had finished another loop and ran into us on our way back. After the two of them talked for a minute, Psyche decided to drop. On the record, I think she absolutly made the right decision. I know we could have pushed through the last 22 miles, but it would have cost her so much moving forward, turning a potential injury into a serious injury with a huge layoff.

Psyche Wimberly is one of the strongest runners, strongest people I know. It was an honor to run with her at Bartram. We shared a moment out there I will never forget.

She told me I should run Charles in & I picked him up with two loops to go. He was feeling strong and we headed out. It was 30 minutes to daylight, we were pushing 22 hours into the race. Out of nowhere, Charles started running, running like the devil himself was behind him with a cattle prod. Not just on the downhills, the uphills too! WTF?!?! This dude has run 88 miles and he is about to drop his pacer? Oh, hell no! Let's go big cat! We were knocking down 9's for about 2 miles and then he finally slowed down. We ran when we could and hiked the hills. lap 17 done in 81 minutes.

The last lap was tough, Charles pulled through like a champ. I ran ahead to make sure Psyche and his son Alex were at the finish. 26 hours and 17 minutes after it began, Charles crossed the finish line., completing a 100 mile trail race for the 1st time.

As I sit here today, I am full of a variety of emotions. I have a new respect for the 100 mile race and those people who choose to run them. After Pinhoti, I thought that a hundy was a good idea. I thought that with the proper training I can do it. I learned after this weekend, that the beast of a hundy has so many variables. So many different things can go wrong. As I tried to explain to Charles on his last loop(I don't know how much made sense-in our sleep deprived state) "It's really all a gamble Charles. A certain small percentage of people are going to have a really good day, everything goes right. A larger percentage will finish-doing so with great amount of suffering. Then there are those who will have to be the statistic of not making it, so the others can. The problem is, it is a crap shoot at the start of the race to see who is going to draw what number that day..."Me and Lil Weezy!

Double Pumping...

2010-11-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

...at The Savannah River Bridge Run.

It's that time of year, all of the locals and a few out of towners test their will against the quiet, but back breaking, Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge. There are three seperate offerings; the 5k, 10k and Double Pump. This will be my 7th overall bridge run, and for the second year in a row, I will be running both races - thus completing the "Double Pump" and earning my finisher's glass.

Last year, my combined time was 1:25:43, for an overall pace of 9:11 per mile. I ran the 5k in 27:27 (8:50 pace) & 10k in 58:16 (9:22). Currently, my steady state training runs are around 9 - 9:15's...So I am feeling really good about going well below last year's time. I am thinking 1:20 total time is a reasonable goal. McMillian says I should be able to run a 1:17 15k; 8:18 pace. There are a few differences in my training this year over last. Namely, all of the trails & hills I have been running in the last 3 months... Just these last two sunday's alone, I have been been doing a couple of 1.5 mile repeats up Kennesaw, with about 700' in climb. The best part is getting to run back down said hill!

Enough about me, my Sweetest Boo will also be tackling the bridge this year, completing her 3rd BR. Perk of the job, we finally get to stay at the hotel whereI used to work. The best part is the hotel is about a 1/4 mile from the starting line!!!!

We will have to leave the dudes at home...I hope they will get by...

Getting Settled In for Winter...

2010-11-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us...It's that time of year when there are delicious treats around every corner. If we are not careful we will end up as rotund as ol' St. Nick
err, ignore that last statement...

For me, it's all about the Turkey Day Feast...I like to start my day out with a turkey trot, that way I may enjoy the meal that follows...

This year I will not be running in an actual "Turkey Trot", I will get up early and quietly log my miles, reflecting on all that I am grateful to have in my life.

I have my health. I am continuing to develop my fitness and slowly shedding pounds...turning myself into a lean, mean trail running machine!

I have my Sweetest Boo at my side. I am so grateful to be in the same city, same home, same bed as my beautiful wife. Together we are creating a warm, comfortable home.

I have recently made many new friends, with whom I have shared miles on the trails. It is wonderful to have awesome people in my life who have the same passion I have for running.

I have my freedom. Take time to thank a soldier for their service, many of them will be away from their loved ones this holiday season.

Finally, I have my sobriety, without this, none of the above would be possible. Thank you to those that have been there with me along the way.

Take some time to log some miles this week and reflect on what you are grateful to have; it is time well spent.

Pinhoti Baby!!! A perspective of a 100 mile trail race from the crew***

2010-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

The Pinhoti 100 Mile Endurance Run was everything I expected plus a whole lot more…Sit back and relax as we take a tour of Alabama and the Talladega National Forest from the perspective of a crew member supporting two racers.***(This is a long RR...but so is a 100 mile trail race)

After finding out one of my favorite bloggers, Psyche, was going to attempt to earn her buckle at Pinhoti, I immediately reached out to her and offered my support as a pacer and crew. I have been admiring the 100 mile distance from afar and decided I needed an up close and personal view of it to decide if I actually wanted to toe the line with these insane people. She gladly accepted my offer and team “Run like you stole sumthin' from a Georgia Snail” was born.

Friday night we meet up in Sylacauga, Al at the host hotel after the prerace briefing. This race was to be a point to point trail race with 18 aid stations along the way. Psyche and Charles had set up several drop bags that the race crew would drop off at different AS’s and they also gave us a few things to carry as we would be supporting them at different AS’s. After finalizing the last few details we bid Psyche a good night, knowing she was going to need to get some rest before toeing the starting line at 6AM Saturday morning.(Finding out the would be no fires at the AS)
(Big Easy & Lil Weezy)

Not needing to be at the start of this race, Holly and I slept in a little as it would also be a long day for us. I was to help Holly crew for the runners until AS#13(mile 68). I was then going to jump in and pace them through the night and the last major climb up Mt Horn to Pinnacle, 900’ of elevation gain in 1.15 miles. It was all “downhill“after that, arriving in Sylacauga 30 miles later…
We picked up our runners for the first time at AS 3, they rolled through in great spirits, 18 miles into their day. It seemed they were regretting not taking us up on the offer for a ride to the starting line, instead opting to ride the bus set up by the RD with the other runners. The ride was bumpy and there was no coffee to be had. Knowing that there was no crew access at AS4, we got our runners back on trail and told them we would see them at AS5, about 13 miles later.

With a few hours to kill until our runners were expecting to get to AS5, we headed to Anniston to get a little fuel ourselves…Hello IHOP! I knew I would be running in about 18 hours so I was making this my last real meal and jammed on some ‘cakes & scrambled eggs. We grabbed a couple of to-go coffees and headed back to the trail. Arriving at AS5 about 20 minutes ahead of our runners I got to see a lot of my friends who were either crewing or racing. Christian G, Jason S(Big Easy) & Lil Weezy(Wayne D) all came through looking strong. I also saw several GUTS runners, Kena, Perry, Jason, Scott S., Jon O., and a few others. This was turning out to be quite the GUTS party as there were also a bunch of GUTS members crewing. Our runners finally emerged out of the woods into the AS, 45 minutes before the cutoff. We refilled their water bottles, got some fuel in them and also scored huge points for bringing them hot coffee. From the beginning of the day we knew we would be battling the elements as the forcasted overnight low was 29 and the high for the day was to be around 50 degrees. Great running weather…’cept if you planned on being on course for up to 30 hours.

Before sending the runners back out, I gave them a time update, they were 45 minutes ahead of the cutoff pace but had some tough sections coming up. They needed to “bank” a little time on these easier sections, as it would get harder to hold pace as the night's cold air moved upon them. AS 6 was a “no crew” AS so we wished them well and headed to the top of Mt Cheaha, the highest point in all of Alabama. The view from Bald Rock was absolutely breath taking. Holly and I hiked out to the overlook and I was quickly reminded why I run trails. You can’t see this stuff slogging miles out on sidewalks in the middle of Nowhereville, USA…

The parking lot at Bald Rock was overrun with crew and volunteers. I felt like we were tailgating at a football game. We were walking around chatting with everyone, checking out their set ups. Crew members had little propane grills set up everywhere, preparing food for themselves and their runners as they arrived. Tom & Tony were hooking up some serious grilled cheese sandwiches. The actual AS had some chicken soup on the stove and you could feel the electricity in the air when a runner would pull into the AS and everyone would cheer. The best part would be when a regular tourist would give in to curiosity and ask, “What’s going on?” “Oh, they are running a 100 mile trail race.” “What? Is this the finish line or something?” “Oh no, you see this is the 40 mile mark, they still have a ways to go.” The looks we got were priceless.

As the runners came and went, crews packed up and moved onto the next AS. I knew our runners were due, I hated seeing everyone move on; I knew this meant our runners were in the back third of the pack. I received a few phone calls while at this AS; some of my friends had dropped. I was getting anxious to hear word from my runners. Finding out Christian G was struggling with an elevated heart rate and that Big Easy went 5 miles off trail didn’t rest my nerves. I felt like a parent eagerly waiting on a teenager that was out past curfew. (Although I do not have kids-or ever put my parents through that…lol) I decided to walk out to the overlook and wait on my runners. As I turned the last corner, up from the trail pops Charles & Psyche!
“There’s my runners! Welcome to the top of Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in the state of Alabama!” Charles was shocked. “What? We are at the top? That section wasn’t nearly as hard as they said it would be.” Unfortunately, Psyche didn’t look as good. I told them the AS was a ¼ mile down the trail and they quickly made their way down trail to a waiting Holly with her afro wig.

We got some soup in them and assessed their condition. Charles needed a sock change, I helped while Holly took care of Psyche. She was struggling but a couple cups of hot soup was lifting her spirits. They managed to bank a little time and arrived at the AS an hour ahead of the cutoff. The problem, we couldn’t get them out of the AS very easily. 20 minutes later, then were heading down the trail again. Holly and I looked at each other and our expression said it all. They were struggling and the sweepers were looming. As the sun was setting, so was their chance at finishing this race under the cutoff. The next section was a short 4+ mile section; mostly downhill. I found out from others that there were a lot of really steep sections and this section wasn’t completely runable. Hopefully my runners would “wake” up and start feeling stronger. We made it to the next AS in time to see Lil Weezy, he was feeling good and was starting to turn it on. His pacer took him through that last section quickly and they were building steam. This gave me great hope!

About 45 minutes ahead of cutoff my runners came rolling into AS8. We gassed them up and pushed out quickly, Charles was still feeling strong and Psyche was waking up. Perhaps all of my worrying would be for naught! “Off you go! AS9 is no crew access; we will see you at AS 10 by 9:30pm!” We had about 3 hours before they were do to arrive at AS10 so we drove the 20 miles into the nearest town for our second pitstop of the day, our AS was a Chick-Fil-A. A quick bathroom break and a grilled chicken sandwich and back up the mountain raod to AS10.

AS10 was rockin'!!! The directions to the AS were simple, "turn right on Hwy 281 and go until it ends." We were traveling down this road at 9:30pm and it was pitch black outside. They are absolutly correct when they say "The stars are bright above Alabama", beautiful. Anyways, we are traveling down this road in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden we hear Gun's & Roses blaring and see two bright spotlights...We must have made it to the AS. Since we were at the end of a road and no homes for miles, it was perfectly acceptable to have a roadside party...This was by far my favorite AS. The trail ended right on the edge of the road, crew members were all standing near the trail opening and as a runner popped out everyone would cheer. Lil Weezy appears out of nowhere and his crew surrounds him. They were like a NASCAR pit crew, one guy was pulling off his shoes and taking care of a blister, another guy was stuffing food in his mouth. all the while Christian was trying to get him to eat some pie!

All of the crews were getting their runners out and moving onto the next station, we were gettign nervous. The cutoff for this AS was 10:30. At 10:15 we saw two headlamps coming to the edge of the forrest, Holly was yelling into the woods, "come on Psyche & Charles!" Out pops a runner, but not ours. This fellow named Adam stumbles into the AS and looks terrible. He was running unaided. I sat him down and started talking to him, "Are you hungry, do you want some soup? How about chocolate?" Holly took his bottles and refilled them. He told me he lost 30 minutes on that last section. He didn't know if he could go on. I told him the next section was 5 miles downhill on a jeep road, very runable. We pushed him back on trail and I told him I would see him at the next AS.

At 10:22 our runners appeared at the edge of the woods! We set them down for a quick second and refueled them. I told them that they could not stay long, they were 8 minutes away from the sweepers. The good news was that the next section was very runable and we would see them in 5 miles. I ran down the road with them for a 1/4 of mile making sure they were feeling good.

The cutoff for AS 11 was 11:59PM. We pulled into the AS as Lil Weezy and his pacer Sean Oh were running into the station. He was in great spirits, telling us how "Sean had me doing fartleks on that last section" they were running strong and reeling in other runners. 60 miles in and that man was full of piss and vinegar, I love it!

11:45 and here come our runners! They managed to bank 15 minutes on that section. Jeep roads are a blessing. Good news, next section has 2.5 miles on jeep road and 2.5 miles on the trail. The bad news was that the first thing Psyche said when they pulled into the AS was, "Charles, go ahead without me." He said, "No, we are doing this together." We all tried to put on our best face but deep down inside I knew we were finished. As we hurried them out of the AS, I told Holly I was dressing early. If they made it to mile 65, I was hitting the trail with them. We hung around the AS for a minute, I hadn't seen Adam. Psyche & Charles told me they had passed him on that section and he wasn't doing well. He rolled in a few mintues later and threw the towel in. I tried to convince him to continue through the next section. He told me he was freezing and could not continue. They got him in a truck and let him start to warm up.

We drove down to AS 12 and waited. There was a fire and the remaining crews were waiting. Weezy comes blazing in, yelling for some hot soup. That dudes energy was sick! I have run with him at two other races this year and those are some of the best times I have spent on trail! He was in and out and gaining time on other racers.

The clock was ticking and the remaining runners were coming through the AS. Our runners were nowhere to be seen. They had until 1:30AM...1:20...1:25...I see two headlamps coming down the trail! This must be them! Nope. Another runner and his pacer. Holly and I prepared for what was to come next. We got the heater blasting in the car and waited. At 1:37AM I saw two headlamps coming down the trail. I ran up to our runners hoping to hear good spirits. For the first time the entire day, Charles told me he was not doing good. Ironically, Psyche woke up on that last section and was feeling stronger. I told them that they missed the cutofff but that the volunteers seemed to not really know that and might let them continue. They both said no, they were finished. They knew with Mt Horn's 900' climb coming up, there was no way they would stay ahead of the sweepers. We sat them by the fire and let them rest.

I am so proud of Psyche & Charles! Covering 65 miles in 19 1/2 hours, they maintained such good spirits and are the true defintion of Ultrarunners. This just wasn't their day. I have learned so much from this expierence, I learned so many things from all of the people involved with the Pinhoti 100 miler. A Huge thank you to Todd the RD and all of the wonderful volunteers, what an undertaking! Congrats to all of the runners, those that got their buckles and to those that gave it everything they had.

BTW-Weezy got his buckle! 28:31 finishing time!Weezy's "pit crew"

So, Pinhoti 2012...it's right around the corner. I need a crew and some pacers...who is with me?

Adam & Charles after a little rest

Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.

2010-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm in heaven! I love this time of year. The cool evenings, turning of the leaves, effortless runs at a brisk pace...

I could go on for days about the things I love about Autumn. But I won't.

So, I last left you bidding adieu to my long time home of Savannah, GA. I have spent the last 13 years, just over a 1/3 of my life in Savannah. I am not one to look back to the past for too long...So we move forward to my new home.

Smyrna! No, not the ancient Greek city, a smallish town just outside of Atlanta, GA. This location is perfect, central to everything I need/want in my life. Work is an easy 30 minute commute. There is a county indoor pool 7 miles away. (swimming will soon become part of the cross training) Trails e'rewhere!

Speaking of which, I went out to Kennesaw Mountain this past Tuesday and joined up with the GUTS runners for their weekly run. A little more than 5 1/2 miles on the trails out there was just what the doctor ordered...I can't wait to get more involved with this group.

Stay tuned for an update on the Mystery Mountain Marathon and also my crewing/pacing for Psyche at Pinhoti!

Heart of Savannah 5k...Farwell

2010-09-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up early Saturday morning and went through my usual pre-race routine. Fumble around in the dark and find my racing kit and shoes...walk the dogs, try and drop the kids off at the pool....Headed out to Forsyth Park, which is only 1/2 a mile from my apartment.

I planned on taking a slightly different approach to this race, as I have felt like I went out too fast at my last 5k. I ran the Pooler 5k last weekend in a time of 25:42. I was happy with the effort due to the weather (hot & humid) and lack of speedwork. I did feel like I went out a little fast and my 2nd & 3rd miles were 30 seconds slower than the 1st.

For this race, I lined up about a 1/3 of the way back and at the gun moved forward with the surge. It was crowded at the start and I was forced to hold back a little, playing into my plan perfectly. I hit the first mile at 8:03 and felt good. The 2nd mile was a little slower somewhere around 8:10. The difference between last week and this race was the 3rd mile. I felt strong and dropped the pace, reeling in runners ahead of me. This course winds through the squares of downtown, there are a lot of tangents to run. I took the most direct line at every chance and and managed to effortlessly gain ground on those runners who were rounding the turns and not managing the course well. 3rd mile, 7:52.

I had enough in the tank for a strong surge at the finish, beating out the guy in front of me. As the photo demonstrates, it appears that I beat out this older gentleman at the line. Perhaps he was 20 years my senior and I should have beat him...but does this make the victory any less sweet? NO. What the photo failed to demonstrate was the gap between us a minute earlier.

24:16 was my chip time. 15 seconds slower than my current 5k PR, which was set this past spring. I am feeling really good about the work I have been putting in lately and can't wait to race in the cooler temps of the autumn calendar. If I can run a 24:16 in 80 degree weather, I think in the next month or two I can break into the 23's or maybe even into the 22's...

There is this nagging question. My Garmin read 3.03 miles. did I run the course perfectly and shave of some of the distance by hitting every tangent? I run this route several times a week and know exactly what lines to run through the countless turns...Did they measure the course wrong? What does my 24:16 translate to against a 3.1 mile course. Does any of this really matter? It is not like I set a world record or even broke my own PR! I am just a numbers dork and like everything to line up...

Moving on...This race was also bittersweet. It was my last race as a Savannah resident. I move on Friday. I have run this particular event more times than any other event in town so it was fitting that I ran this one one more time before I move. Oh, and I won a raffle too...what was the prize? A year membership to Savannah Striders, the local running club. Perfect! LOL!

Fire up the moving truck...

2010-09-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

"It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches."
— Lemony Snicket

I have short-timer-itis.

Next Thursday will be my last day at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa (try saying that five times in a row!) I will be moving to Atlanta to work for the Atlanta Metro Market Cluster office. Same company, similar job, just on a larger scale. think nine hotels instead of one.

Great things await! first and foremost, being in the same city as my Sweetest Boo! There will be other perks of living in the A. TRAILS!!!

I will submit my membership to GUTS and really look forward to becoming active in that running community. I have already met many GUTS runners in the last few ultras that I have run and I look forward to meeting more as time moves forward.

On other running related notes, The Sean is headed to Bend, Oregon to compete at the Xterra Nationals! that is so awesome. Sean is an amazing runner and even more of an amazing person...Stop by his blog to wish him well.

I have a few things on the race calender myself. The YMCA Heart of Savannah is held this Saturday. It is one of the best races held in Savannah, the T-shirts are usually pretty sweet. My go is to go sub 25, I am still coming back from taking a month off in July, my speed is not exactly where I would like it to be.

10/10/10 is the Mystery Mountain Marathon & 12 miler. I signed up for the full mary back before my knee injury, so I may opt to run the 12 miler. Or, I may just do the marathon at a conservative pace to prepare myself for my crew/pacing duties at PINHOTI 100 (pinhoti baby!!!) Psyche over at Run Like You Stole Sumthin' is a bonafide BMF! She will be running Pinhoti in November and I am lucky enough to be able to run with her for a while. I am very excited!

I know my blogging has been suspect as of late...The Running Is Stupid Committee had formed a couple of sub-committes; the "Try Running with a Bum Knee Comm. & Try Blogging While Living in Two Cities Comm" As things settle down and my life is a little less hectic, I will return to posting once in a while instead of once every blue moon...I still enjoy reading everyone's blog, sometimes I am just not sure what I bring to the table.

The Sean's tag really came at a perfect time. I have been spending a lot of time reviewing my running goals and trying to assess where I want to go with running. After logging over 1200 miles in the last 12 months(including 2 marathons and 2 50k ultras) My body revolted. I am taking the time to focus on dropping that extra 20 pounds and am looking at a more realistic race schedule. As the weather has begun to cool off, I find myself enjoying the run more and focusing less on statistical analysis. Of course that will all fall to the wayside as I get to Atlanta and start running trails every week!?!?!

Hometown Pride

2010-08-11T08:54:00.001-07:00

November 5th, 2011

Mark it down on your calendar! This is quite an accomplishment for my sleepy little town of Savannah, GA! Typically, R&R Marathons are held in larger cities, we not only got a marathon, they are hosting a 1/2 option as well. This has been something
in the works for a long time. I remember running a long run in April of 2009 with the marketing manager of the local running store when he mentioned they were putting a plan together. After months of hard work and maybe a little luck, we will welcome the world into our fair city.

November running weather in Savannah is a runner's dream. Cool, crisp mornings. Average temp's in the early morning usually range from the high 40's to the low 50's. As the morning sun rises over sleepy Tybee Island, it warms up to the low 60's; occasionally peaking into the 70's. Running is this weather is effortless.

I have always wanted to run one R&R mary, I always figured I would go to San Diego or somewhere out west. I will jump at the chance to run this race. They have committed to hosting this race for the next three years, I am committing to run this race for the next three years!

I will most likely have to come back to Savannah to run. As some of you may know, I have been in Atlanta for the better part of the last 30 days. I work for Starwood Hotels (Westin, W, Sheraton, St. Regis, et al)and I have been up here working in the newly formed Atlanta Metro Market Cluster office. There are two jobs open, knock on wood, one of them will be offered to me in the next 30 days.

While I was up here, I went out to my favorite park and watched them run the Hot 2 Trot 8 Hour Endurance Run. Psyche was there (of course) as was the usual suspects. I saw Charles R., Jason R., and Tony G. Tony is the Rd for the inaugural GRR 100. The Georgia Reactor Run 100 miler will take place in March of 2011, I made a verbal commitment to participate, luckily there will be a 50k and 50 mile option.

The H2T race was awesome! It was held on a 1.13 mile loop~very spectator friendly. I brought Chloe along to see the start of the race and we later picked up Holly and spent a few hours out there. Great time was had by all, the eventual male and female winners ran 53 and 47 miles, respectfully.Female Winner Kate Brun
Male Winner Jon Obst

I return to Savannah on Thursday and will return to my usual running schedule.(Hopefully) I do have an appointment next week to check further into this nagging injury. Knock on wood, they don't put me on the DL.

Breaking News

2010-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am almost finished with my stint up in Atlanta...
It may turn into a full time gig...

Running has been craptasic...struggling with a nagging knee injury...

Oh, and, Savannah will be the next addition in the Rock & Roll francise!

That's right, November 5th, 2011. Come on down. I will save you a place.

The official announcement will come on Wednesday, I scooped it on active.com

click here

I can't wait....

A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke.

2010-07-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

July~mid year, time to review the "non recap" recap blog post from the beginning of the year.

Let's see...there was a nifty daredevil snail pic...CHECK!

Tybee Half Marathon 2/6/10 This will be my first race at this distance~Instant PR!I will be shooting for a sub 2 hour performance. Also, I will get to meet CJ...should be fun

I ran 1:54:38...CHECK

Met CJ (Also, victorious at the Duel in the Dunes)...CHECK (Double CHECK!)

I plan on using that marathon as my final training run for the Sweetwater, wait for it,....50K U L T R A on April 3rd.

completed said ultra and ran a second 50k. CHECK!

By this time, I will know if I got a lottery slot into the NYC Marathon. Otherwise I will add another Autumn marathon to my schedule.

Did not get into NYC Marathon. FAIL!
Registered for 2 Autumn marathons & a 50 miler. CHECK!?!?!

Looking at the shorter distances, I plan on running the Savannah Mile, with a goal of 6:45 or less. I ran it in '09 with a mile time of 7:19.

Ran the Savannah Mile in 6:41. CHECK

(It is going to get a little grey...)

My number one goal for 2010 is to stay healthy and continue to improve my overall fitness. I lost 25 pounds during 2009 and would like to lose another 20 in the next year. As I continue to lose weight, my times will continue to drop. I would like to break 4 hours in the full, 49 minutes in the 10k and dare I say it, 22:59 5k...

Stay healthy...
hmmm, I may be nursing a sports hernia...waiting to hear back from the doctor...currently icing after my runs. Pain is 1/2 of 1 on Steve Q's tough as a n*ts@ck scale of toughness...

Lose 20 pounds...
I have lost 10...

Break 4 hours in the Marathon...
Kiawah Island Marathon, 12/11/10; we will see.

49 minute 10K/22:59 5K
I lowered my current 5K to 24:01 in March. I am currently on pace to hitting both of these goals in the fall/winter race season.

So, no CHECK or FAIL at this time.

In 2010 I will give back and work towards being less selfish. I would like to volunteer at a couple of races and move forward with my goal of organizing a race to benifit the local Autism Foundation. I am going to try to help my fellow man whenever my HP allows me.

DOH! I have not moved forward on any of this...I need to get working here. BIG FAIL!

Okay, so all in all, 2010 is shaping up to be a pretty good year. I see the sucess and see where improvement is needed.

An interesting side note, starting Tuesday, I will be in the big A for three weeks for work; three weeks of the big H's people! Holly, Hills and Hotels!!!

9 weeks until Long Cane 50

2010-07-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Birfday 'merica!

9 weeks until the Long Cane 50 and lasts week's running had me sweatin' like a whore in church. Literally and figuratively. June has gone down as the hottest month on record and my running has suffered this wrath. The pacing was horrible and I had begun to question my fitness and dedication. Case in point, Thursday, I had 7 miles on the books and bailed 3 miles in...I walked the remaining half mile back to my car chalking it up as "Just one of those bad runs".

I know that I will have bad runs. I also wasn't setting myself up for success by running this particular route(Dairy Farm-thick, grassy route) at this time of day (6pm- 92 degree). That long walk back to my car had me replaying my last few weeks worth of running and it was all the same song. Slow pace, high HR, and a struggle to finish the workout. I had finished my second 50k of the year just a few weeks ago, I couldn't understand why these "easy" runs were so durn hard!!!!

Then, almost as if it was a birthday gift from Mother Nature, a low pressure front moved in over the southeast and we were treated to a wonderful weekend of weather in the mid to low 80's. Running anyone?!?!?!

Like a red-neck with a box full of illegal fireworks, I. WAS. EXCITED!!!

Saturday morning I slipped on my new Brooks Ravennas and met up with Cubbie for a 5 miler. - Effortless.

They just look fast!

Sunday, Watermelon Crawl with the local running store. They had a 6 and 8 mile course mapped out. I needed 10, so I planned on running the 8 and adding on 2 miles on the back end. My goal was to go out easy an try and run 10:30's with a little pick up on the last 2 miles.

The first few miles flew by and I had to keep telling myself to slow down or I was going to blow up. Every time I would slow down, I would look back at my watch and see that I had crept back to 10's. By mile 5 I decided to stop trying to control my run and just let it happen. As I continued, my times were dipping 10 seconds per mile. 9:50, 9:40, 9:30. Last mile, strong finish, 8:32. What a great feeling to have my legs back under me.

I know that this weather won't last. I took full advantage of it...the most important thing is that I reset my mind as to understand that I will struggle in the heat. When the oppressive heat lets up, my times will return. I need to keep putting my miles in the bank and finishing my workouts. I have also decided that in addition to my regular speed workouts, I need to get up at 5am once a week to run longish, just to remind my body of what the effort feels like when it is still in teh 70's...

Oh yeah, PINHOTI BABY!!!

Buzzzzzzzzzz

2010-06-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was 25 miles into my first marathon, there has been this persistant buzzing going around in my head. You see, it was at that point during the Equinox Marathon that there was a person standing on the course directing the marathoners to the right, to run the last mile or so to the finish, and the ultramarathoners to the left, to complete a 5 mile loop before finishing the 50k. I wanted to "have" to go left and run the 50k. At that point, I was also glad to be directed to go right and finish for the day.

Fast forward a couple of months and I am tooling around online looking for my next race when I discover the Sweetwater 50k. Aha! Now I have found my chance to become an ultrarunner. Not long after finishing Sweetwater, that damn buzzing was back....
"You can go further!" "50k is not enough" "What about 50m, or even 100m?" Why would I even entertain thoughts like this...Clearly I have lost my mind! Well, I mean I could finish 50m, I did just run a 50k...

I decided to put those thoughts out of my mind and focus on the task at hand. BQ. that is the real goal right? Except, my heart really isn't in it right now. My heart belongs to the trails. Case in point, I jump at the chance to run Chattooga and rework my training schedule. Even though I got slightly lost and perhaps suffered from serious dehydration, I had a blast. Blog post after blog post I read, there are trail runners everywhere. Ican hear that damn buzzing again.

Then I find out about this race called the Barkley Marathons. More Buzzing. I wonder if I could complete a loop...maybe even the Fun Run...Always in the back of my mind. It's like the running equivilant of "Field of Dreams", if you train for it, your application will come....100 miles...

I swear off all crazy talk and refocus on my winter marathon.

My new friends are all facebooking about trail runs.....Laurel Valley this, Chattooga that. Over night trail runs. Lil Weezy's voice in the back of my head yelling, "Pinhoti Baby!" I see Tony G's face all over FB talking about GRR100. Sully, Charles and Psyche are all talking about trail runs....BUZZZ

100 miler...

Then Western States fever starts heating up....a couple of southeastern runners make the trip out west to attempt a run at a belt buckle. BUZZZ "you should run WS100"

Geoff Roes runs out of his mind and sets the CR....BUZZZZZZZZZ

Then it happens. I crack. "I think I would be best served to pace someone at Pinhoti 100 to see if this is really for me."

Psyche says she would love to have me run with her.

So it's in motion. Pacers can join in after aid station 7, 42 miles in. Hmmm, should I run the remaining 58, you know, to get feel for an attempt at 100?

Then without even thinking about it, I send off my application for Long Cane 50 miler. you know, just for "preparing" to pace at Pinhoti...whatever that means. I'm sick, I tell you...

BUZZZZZZ...Pinhoti....BUZZZZ WS100...BUZZZZ Barkley?

SufferSummerfest 2010

2010-06-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Summer of base building and marathon prep...

As June begins to wind down, the temps around here are on the rise. I knew this day would come. I told my running buddies this winter, that we would miss the cool, morning runs. It was reported earlier this week that Savannah was the hottest place in the country. Back-to-back days of 100+ temps. I went for my 5 miler on Tuesday and was I in for a rude awakening...Struggling to run a 10:30, my HR was sitting in the high 150's. Yesterday's run was a little better, about 8 degrees cooler and I held a 9:40 for the overall pace. Striders afterward were a struggle to hold proper form...Is this what I am in for all summer???

I keep setting the alarm in an attempt to wake up and run before work. I end up playing teh snooze bar game. it is not in my genetic make-up to rise early and be a dew sweeper...So, I will b!tch about the heat for another week or two, before my body gets used to it.

I am in week one my Mystery Mountain Marathon training program. This race will be held on 10/10/10 (same day as Chicago); I will piggy back off of this training and ~~attempt~~ run a 3:30 Mary at Kiawah in December. This all hinges on me dropping about 20 pounds over the next 4-5 months...very achievable goal.

So, here is my training schedule...What do you think?

Chattooga 50k Race Report

2010-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Terri Hayes is a firecracker of a little ultrarunner and every year she puts on the South Carolina Ultras on Trails Race Series. The series consist of five races that are free of charge, Terri does accept donations to offset her expenses. In the world of sky rocketing road marathon fees, this is a welcome change! At the urging of The Sean and Psyche, I emailed Terri to see if there were any slots left. The races are capped at 74 runners; this one was full. Luckily, there were a few drops and I got in! Just recovering from my first 50k at Sweetwater, I continued to log miles and planned on running it "just for fun" (If that is ever the case...)

Holly and I drove up from Atlanta and found a hotel room about 30 miles from the Cherry Hill Recreation Area, where the race was to begin. We drove over Saturday evening to scout out the place and meet a few people. As I drove into the campground I immediately spotted The Sean and got out to talk to him. We also meet Jim and his wife Jade, this would be Jim's first ultra. Not longer after that, Terri and Psyche came back from a course-marking trip. (In hindsight, this is really funny; I think I will let Psyche explain it though...) After meeting Terri and Psyche we hung out in the campsite for a bit before calling it a night.

Arriving early Sunday morning, my plan to run easy was quickly dashed and I had visions of "PR's" dancing in my head. The usual suspects were milling around and after a short briefing from Terri, we were off and running. We started on a 3.5 mile out and back on the Winding Stairs Trail. I fell into a line mid-pack with some great characters. Jim was leading us down the 1000 ft decent, while Lil Wheezy and Jason Sullivan were keeping our minds off the task at hand with some light banter. Some of this "banter" is not fit to print, let's just say we had fun going down the trail...As we were getting close to the bottom, the leaders were coming back. The Sean looked comfortable in second place. Hitting the gravel road we began our climb back out. The return trip took a little more energy and I slipped off of the back of the line.

Reaching the first aid station at about 6.5 miles in, I refueled and crossed over Hwy 107, entering the Big Bend Trail. Not long onto this trail we were blazing down some rooty, single track. As I approached the first wooden bridge the runner 20 yards ahead of me yelled back a warning that the bridge was slippery. "Okay, thanks!" Yup, then I wiped out on the bridge. Landed square on my left side and blasted the cap off of my water bottle, 15 feet into the creek. DOH! luckily It hung up on some branches and I was able to retrieve it and save half of the water in my bottle. We were told to only drink the creek water if we treated it; I did not carry anything to treat it.

I spent the next ten miles by myself, Allowing the morning to unfold, taking in the beauty of the forest. I ran several miles along the Chattooga, listening to the serenade of it's beautiful song. As the temperature slowly rose, I was coming close to taking a dip into the cool water of the river.

As I began to climb away from the river, the quiet of the forest began to wear on me, I did not hear or see anyone for miles. A lot goes through your mind when you are out in the middle of a national forest all by yourself, especially after you learn this is where they filmed "Deliverance".

Then I turned a corner and running right towards me was The Sean. He looked cool and comfortable. Man was he a sight for sore eyes. He asked how I was doing, I told him good now that I saw him; I thought I was off course. He assured me I was going the right way and wished me well. After that, I did not see another runner for over ten minutes ~ He was cruising!

As I climbed out of the trail, back to Hwy 107, I saw the familiar sight of Holly's car. Ha! My Sweet Boo was at the 2nd aid station! Out of water from my earlier mishap, I refueled, grabbed some food and head out for a 2 mile out and back. As I entered the station Jason and Wayne were leaving; It was my goal to catch them and run with them for a while. Those last ten solo miles were tough and I didn't want to run by myself. I caught them at the turn around and we ascended the next two miles back to the aid station together. Since this section between aid stations was so short, I made good use of it and drained both water bottles in attempt to get my hydration back on track.

Pulling back into the aid station we all must have looked refreshed because the volunteers commented on how good we looked. I remember Holly looking at me and saying "You are doing really great!" I stuck with those guys going back onto the Foothill Trail and must say, I really enjoyed running with them. Wayne kept us fired up, even taking time to talk a little shit to the trail markers. I was like a rubber band stretching out on the climbs and snapping back on the down hills. As the climbs grew longer, my band eventually broke and I was dropped.
I tried to keep them in sight as long as possible; I eventually looked up and they were gone.

They disappeared into the distance somewhere around mile 24. I was prepared to finish alone but was secretly hoping someone would roll up on me and we could run in together. I drained my second water bottle around mile 26 and still had not been caught from behind. I caught occational glimpses of Wayne and Jason on the trails above me, giving me motivation to continue "moving forward" Somewhere in this mile I made a critical navigational error (Yes, I got lost) I found myself going straight up this runoff. it was so steep I had to concentrate on every step and I had stopped looking for trail blazes.

Interestingly enough, before starting mile 27, I had decided to run that mile for my father. I had a few chats with him on the climb and drew strength from his example. My dad's mile took me 33 minutes, he always gets his money's worth. Reaching the top of this gut wrenching climb, I discovered a road. Wait, there is not supposed to be a road here. We were never to go on a road! FML! What did I do?!?!?! No?!?! Do I need to go back down that hill? What if this is right and I go back down only to have to come back up again? How about I just sit her until someone comes and gets me??? I needed to push forward. I began to backtrack looking for a blaze, when I came across an intersection I remembered from the morning. Do I go left or right? Let's go right. Being back on trail, I was rejuvinated and running strong, albeit downhill. 1/4 mile in I see two runners coming toward me? Huh? They tell me I am going the right way but that makes no sense. After a short discusion ("We are going this way!"), I decide to follow them. At this point, my pace is terrible and I cannot hang onto them. Without fear, I know I am going in the right direction and keep moving forward. I continue to work my way through the final couple of climbs and come back to Hwy 107. A quick left turn and I am soon on the road to the finish.

As I look in the distance, I see the most beautiful woman in the world. (Standing next to her is my wife. J/K) My sweet boo is holding the clipboard at the finish line, recording times. Every runner dreams of being greeted at the finish line by their loved ones, this was no exception. Without saying a word, we both knew what we had gone through over that last ten mile stretch. Thank you for being there.

Speaking of thank you...THANK YOU to all of the volunteers at the aid station and the finish line, as runners we get to enjoy our love of this sport, but without those people behind the scene, it would not be possible. Special thanks to Terri for putting on this great event!

On the car ride home, we had this great discussion about getting out of your "Comfort Zone" I pushed myself to the edge with muscle failure and dehydration. I was forced out of my comfort zone and into that dark place I don't like to see. There was a point where I was longing for the comfort of my bed, wrapped up in my blanket. Instead, I was forced to push through, see that the dark place isn't that bad, it will not last forever. It is hard to put into words, but everytime I go into that place, I come out the other side a little stronger...as long as I keep putting one foot in front of the other; one step at a time.

Final numbers per Garmin:
8:46:26

Now that I am familiar with the course (and some areas around the course) I look forward to running this race next year...maybe with The Sean...

randomness

2010-05-31T11:57:00.001-07:00

Adam, from I am Boring, tagged me with the Versatile Blogger tag, indicating I should come off of 7 things that are random...

Without freddy adu..

1. I cannot wait until the beginning of the World Cup and plan on having a viewing party for the U.S. opening match against England. (indeed, Freddy Adu is not on the 30 man roster)

2. I will be tackling my 2nd 50k of the year next weekend. I look forward to meeting The Sean(CR holder), Psyche(trail newbie/badass) and Terri Hayes, awesome RD.

3. I share my birthday with my mother, her twin brother and my cousin.

4. My dream retirement job is to be the old guy at Disney that has the little broom and dust pan walking around sweeping up things.

5. I look daily for a job transfer to Atlanta so I can be with my Sweet Boo and have countless running trails in my backyard...

6. Have just recently become facinated with the Barkley Marathons.

7. Logged 132 miles in the month of May. THE. MOST. EVER.

In the spirit of things random, I will tag a few bloggers.

Psyche
The Sean
CJ
Glaven
Steve Q
Al
Ryan

p.s. set a new mile PR this weekend at the Savannah Mile; 6:41.

In These Footsteps

2010-05-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I travelled to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky this weekend, home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) "Screaming Eagles" for my father's retirement after 35 years of service in the U.S. Army.

I grew up on Army posts all over the world. I had become acustomed to the lifestyle, it was normal to have helicopters flying over my house, see tanks driving down the road while I walked to school, or have daily conversations with uniformed men and women carrying assault rifles. Two different events this weekend caused me to reflect upon the humble sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces make daily.

The first being the actual retirement ceremony. My father is not the norm in the length of service he has given to our country. Typically, a soldier will retire with full benifits after twenty years. My father almost doubled that commitment, 35 years. There were about 20 soldiers retiring at this ceremony, of those 20, four or five served between 21 and 26 years. 10-12 retirees had served the typical 20 and a few had served a little less. In total, they were celebrating a combined 440 years of military service; 38 years served in combat. I am gratful for the gift these men and women have given us. There was a receiving line after the ceremony, I took the time to shake the hand of every one of the retiring soldiers, offer my congratulation, look them in the eye and thank them.

My second opportunity for reflection came as I rose early Saturday morning to run a 18 mile long run. As I began my run, I slowly moved away from the housing area on post, past the stores and the bowling alley and towards the barracks that housed the different units. I ran past motor pools full of Humvees and tanks. I ran along the fenced-in airfield and hangers that the helicopters called home. Then I began to run past this stretch of trees spaced evenly apart, lined in perfect rows. These trees were tall, as if they had been there for a long time. At the base of each tree there was a monument. I had an idea what these monuments were, the picture became even more clear when I saw another monument. It was about 20 feet tall, made out of marble, on the monument walls were names, names of fallen brothers and sisters from battles past. For me, the most stirring part of this monument would be the four life sized "sentrys", marble statues of uniformed soldiers standing guard around the perimeter of this monument. The next few miles passed while I reflected on the commitemnt and sacrifice so many had made. I was running along a well worn path, a path that 1000's of Air Assault soldiers ran daily. 100 people join the military for 100 different reasons. Some to get away from their family or hometown. Some are "forced", some volunteer willingly. Some are seeking educational assistance or some join out of a sense of civic duty. They all serve proudly. It was an honor to run amongst these warriors this weekend, it is a great honor to be the son of a retired U. S. Army soldier.

Hop on the good foot!!!

2010-05-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I received an awesome email from Terri Hayes, the RD for the South Carolina Ultra on Trails Series. A few slots have opened for the Chattooga 50K on June 6th; I am in!!!!

This should be a lot of fun. The Sean and Psyche will be running at this race, as well as several bloggers I met at Sweetwater 50k.

I've got a fever and the only perscription is more trail races!!!!

Account closed due to inactivity

2010-05-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, that is what I expected to read when I decided to finally post a blogpost around here...excuse me for a moment while I tidy up, seems to be a great deal of cobwebs around here....

Well, other than me posting, a lot has been going on. I have been lurking, keeping up with some of my favorite blogs.

Big shout out to Ryan for tearing up Ironman St. George and punching his ticket to Kona.

CJ has been grabbing life by the horns and finished a century ride...crying? Really? I kid....Just don't pick up that smoke, brother!

Jamoosh has moved yet again...but I like the new digs...

Adam is hugging trees and dropping sick 5k times(without speedwork)...

The Sean ran an amazing 3rd place finish at the Valle Crucis 25k, with a time of 1:37...I can't even wrap my mind round that kind of speed....

Glaven is getting older...and has a thing for guys named Thomas/Tom, G, I wonder why?

Steve Q has bounced back from another injury and seems to be getting ready to toe the line yet again...

However, today's big shout out goes to Psyche...and this is two-fold. First, I won her giveaway contest and will be receiving a new, Blackhawk Boys T-Shirt(even if they didn't use any of the ten names I submitted for the other giveaway)! Also, she will be running the Enoree 40 miler on Mother's Day! Stop by and give her some lurve...hehe

On to some quick running housekeeping...My mileage is up, my times are down and the weather is there. Good god man! my trackworkout last night was tough! I have been focusing on 400's getting ready for the Savannah Mile at the end of the month. In the last few weeks, I have been running my 4's around 1:35. Last night? Averaged 1:42...FML, where did the spring weather go?

I am currently on the fence about a 50 miler is September. This would mean 4 and 5 hour long runs in the Savannah Summer, I am not sure if I want that. As it is, I will be logging several 20+ LSR's getting ready for the Mystery Mountain Marathon in October. Do I really want to pummel myself this summer??? I say no, but sometimes "no" means "yes"...wait, this is going in the wrong direction....

Gotta go.

SweetH20 50K Race Report

2010-04-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

After months and months of preparation race day had finally approached. "What will this day hold? Will I struggle? Will I finish? Has my training been enough?" All of these negative thoughts were running through my head leading up to SweetH20. I had to push them out of mind and trust my training. What I experienced at this race will stay with me for the rest of my life. In my entire life I cannot recall suffering and pain that can compare to what I went through between miles 26 and 28. It was a test of my mental fortitude that I continued to move forward. There were lows and there were highs. Settle in race fans, grab your favorite beverage and join me as we go back through this 8 hour heavyweight fight.

The course layout was simple, a 15 mile loop that we traveled twice. After uploading the race information from my Garmin I was not shocked in the least to see there was over 3000 feet worth of elevation gain. We learned about halfway through the day that "the course is a little long". WTF??? 32.67 miles, 1.6 miles long to be more exact. Before I go any further, the most important thing I will write today is that the course volunteers were in a word, AMAZING!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Douglas County Rogue Runners, Johnny Buice(RD) and every single volunteer that was out on the course for this event. Without you this day would not have been possible.

There were about 175 runners casually standing around at the start of the race. We were to begin at 7:30am. A unit from the Sons of Confederate Soldiers were on hand to fire their cannon to start the race. A quick aside, I am always tickled when I hear the Civil War referred to as "The War of Northern Aggression" We began the race heading down the road, out of the state park, going around the lake. I purposely started at the very back of the pack, I did not want to go out fast. I did cover the first mile in 10:29, I wondered if this would haunt me later, the second mile came through a little slower as I was trying to hold off.

The first "water" crossing came up quickly, there is a concrete overflow canal that was about 50 yards across. They attached a couple of ten foot ropes that we used to sort of rappel down the wall, run through the six inch deep water and pull ourselves up the same set up on the other side. Pretty cool. Continuing on we were now running along the banks of Sweetwater Creek. We saw the area where we would later be crossing the creek, a little preview to think about for the next 15 miles.

We soon began the gradual ascent up the bluff, single-track switchbacks. I was running with a group of about 10 runners, the mood was light, people were joking and enjoying the camaraderie. Reflecting back on all of the races I have run, only the Equinox Marathon & 50k(which also was a trail race) had this sort of "vibe". There is something about the Ultra/Trail community that I really love. Everyone is laid back and friendly, always quick to share a story and offer simple "Good Job" which goes a long way during a tough run. The first few miles were passing effortlessly and the blog report that was shaping up in my head had this for a title.

"I have a new love in my life and her name is Ultra!"

The title to this report will change several times throughout the day. The course was in pretty good condition, there were several areas near the banks of the creek that were really wet and muddy, but that was to be expected. Around mile 5, we began to leave the creek behind and worked our way to the power lines and the entrance to the "Top of The World".

Training in Savannah I was not ready for the power lines, surprisingly, my first trip through this five mile section was not that bad. I later discovered I may have gone a little too hard on this first pass. There were five(I think) major climbs in this section, each becoming more difficult. We were ascending a couple hundred feet in each 1/4 mile. Going through this section with my new found friends made the time pass quickly and before I knew it we were on Top of the World and the view was spectacular. There is a 360 panoramic view that pictures cannot do justice, it was worth the effort. We arriving at the 2nd aid station, I popped a S-cap and refilled the hand held bottle and continued on. preparing for the descent. I should also mention that over the entire day I consumed 7 GU, many of which I had received in the mail from Psyche for entering her "Boys on the Run" contest. Thanks!!!!

The descents were tough, my quads were burning and my toes were throbbing from being jammed into the front of the toebox of my trail shoes. Due to the angles I had to carefully walk down most of the hills, only allowing gravity to take full effect on me when the hills began to level a little. I threw caution to the wind more frequently than most of the runners around me and managed to get down a lot quicker than most. I like to think of myself as a fast descender, mostly due to my 200 pound frame!

Miles 14-16 found us rolling through the flattest portion of the course, it is in this section I recorded my best mile splits, hitting 15 in 10:28 and 16 in 10:29. For those keeping score at home, total time on the course at the completion of mile 16 - 3 hours and 10 minutes. I was well on pace to come in around my goal time of 6:30.

Creek crossings rock!

Yet another short lived blog post title... Mile 17 brought about the first creek crossing. There were two guide ropes set up, one for those going across, the other for the returning runners. The creek was waist deep and the water was cold and rushing. IT. WAS. AWESOME! Refreshing and exhilarating, just what I needed. This joy was short lived. As we exited the creek the returning runners looked at us with a wry smile and said, "Just a little hill and then some roller coasters before you come back down."

Jerks.

A 1/4 mile out of the creek and I was staring down(up) a trail that would almost bring me to my knees. In 3/4 of a mile we climbed 400 ft, only to descend 400 feet in the same breath. I look at the elevation graph on my Garmin and still am in shock as to the numbers of that section. During the first half of the race I managed to keep my heart rate in the mid 150's while running. While walking up this hill, my HR skyrocketed into the 170's and I thought my heart was going to explode. I had to stop to catch my breath and allow my HR to go down. I have never felt suffering like this in my life, each single step was a chore, my mantra was simple, "Keep moving forward". I was grateful that I would not see this hill again. It's all cake from here, right? I enjoyed the decent back to the creek bed. The return creek crossing was fun and I pulled into the aid station to refuel at mile 20.

The best rice crispy treat I have ever eaten. EVER!

While at the aid station I grabbed another S-cap and more water and Gatorade. Just before I left the tent, I spotted a container full of rice crispy treats. "Dude, I lurve those things, let me grab one for the road." The saint who labored in the kitchen to produce this majestic treat will forever hold a place in my heart. They managed to combine regular crispy's and cocoa crispy's with just the right amount of salt. As soon as I took the first bite, my taste buds exploded with joy. I literally considered turning around to get another. It is a good thing I had already left the tent before I took my first bite of this slice of heaven. Otherwise, I would not have left the aid station. Thank you to the person who brought these to the race, you are an artist and will hold a memory in my heart forever.

We traveled along the creek bed for the next few miles and worked our way back to the entrance to Top of the World. This second pass separated the men from the boys. At this point I cannot tell you in which column my name was entered. From mile 21 to mile 27 I saw four runners. My pack of friends from earlier had broken up, some were far ahead and some lagged behind. It was lonely, but I was in great spirit. Until I began the climb up the power lines.

Running Is Stupid Committee burns the midnight oil

The pain I felt at the climb back in mile 18 was nothing compared to the battle of wills I encountered between miles 25 - 27. I fear I will not be able ot adequately convey these feelings in written word. Endless hills, each step bringing about greater pain. My sanity was questioned over and over again. I "quit" running for the rest of my life 5 or 6 times during this stretch. I decided marathons and trail races were not for me. I was going to stick to 5k's back in flat Savannah. I had to frequently flush these negative thoughts out of my head. "Keep moving forward!" I repeated that mantra over and over again. "Just make it to that rock." "We will rest at the top." I could see the remaining hills at the top of each climb, taunting me. There were runners on those hills, I knew if they could do it, I could do it. Looking back on this, I learned a lot about myself. Never did I consider quitting that race. I considered quitting running in the future, but not that on that race. My question was always, "How am I going to finish this?" I can freely admit that I have never suffered as much pain in my life as I did during the second pass through the power lines. I at one point I found myself wondering if this was equal to the pain women feel during child birth...too bad there wasn't a woman nearby to ask.

Four more miles!

Arriving at the Top of the World, I was greeted with those words by a course volunteer. I could not fully comprehend that statement. My mind was mush and I could only focus on the idea of getting off of that mountain. Pulling into the aid station I gassed up and I think I was a little delirious. The nice lady gave me water and Gatorade and tried to get me in out of the sun. Right before I pulled into the aid station, a runner exiting said, "Four miles. That's it. They are offering rides down to the finish, don't take it" When the lady tried to get me to sit down in the shade I knew she was going to try and put me in a car and take me off of the mountain. I wanted nothing of that and quickly left the aid station to begin my trek back down the mountain.(Just to clarify, I don't think she was going to kidnap me and take me off the mountain, my thinking was just really screwy at that point."

The return trip down was a chore, I spent a large portion of the time with two separate discussions taking place in the RISC. First and foremost, running is stupid, let's pass legislation to outlaw it. Secondly, I dissected my training and decided I was completely under trained for this event. In hindsight, I was strong through the first 22-23 miles, the wheels fell off on the second pass. There was really no way I could have trained for the elevation. I was revamping my training plan for next years race before I had even finished the current race. Good sign? Well, I did have a score to settle with the power lines.

The last few miles were difficult, I walked most of them, running for short spurts on the downhills. I found myself back at the creek bed mile 29 and a water station. There was a young lady in her teens filling up water bottles and I looked at her directly in the eye and asked, "Are there anymore hills?" She paused for a second, knowing she could not lie to me and quietly said, "Yes". The expression on her face was priceless, it said, "I am so sorry, but there is still two miles of ass kicking climbs ahead" Off I went, encountering race volunteers every half mile or so. Their presence was uplifting and helped me to "stay focused, finish strong"

50K Plus

I mentally checked out when my Garmin hit 31 miles. I knew the finish would be ahead but I didn't know where. The path went on and on. When. will. this. end? Why am I here? I can't wait to give the RD a piece of my mind. Where is the finish? I made it back to the starting line and the volunteer told me to go the other way. Wait? What? I can hear the music, I can see the people! My watch says I am finished! Finally I rounded the corner and everyone started cheering! I crossed the finish line and was immediately greeted by the race director who shook my hand and thanked me for coming out. I was given a sweetH20 hat, a bottle of water and directed to the food table. Finally, I could stop.

Finishing time 8:12:25
115/155
17/25 AG
32.6 miles

I spent an entire work day running.

A final recap...
I loved it, I hated it. I want the movie....

I vetoed the legislation the RISC passed, I will not quit running, I will probably run sometime this week. I will however change a few things in my running philosophy. I had no business being on this course at 205 pounds. I need to lose 20+ pounds before I attempt another marathon or ultra. I am not in this to win the the race but I do want to have a good showing and not fade in the end. To answer the ultimate question, "I loved it" It was an experience I will never forget. In one word?

AWESOME

I do have score to settle...

Who's with me?

Thank you again to DCRR and all of the volunteers.

Photo courtousy of Perry SebastianPhoto courtesy of Perry Sebastian

That is me in the blue shirt, we were climbing out of the ravine on the way up to TOTW.

Photo courtesy of Beth Blackwell

Last Mile Brewing

2010-03-26T08:01:00.001-07:00

PICK ME! PICK ME!!!

SweetH20 Creek 50K

2010-03-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Race day is right around the corner! This Saturday I will head up to Lithia Springs, just outside of Atlanta, to run the Sweetwater Creek 50k. I have been looking forward to this race since I decided(gave in to peer pressure) this past winter. I think having to cross the creek twice during the race was what really sealed the deal...Plus, the 50k distance is only 5 miles longer than a marathon, but you still get to check off "Ultra" on your running bucket list.

Now with marathons, a quick aside. It seems as more and more people enter the sport of distance running, the full mary is seeing an enormous boom. Races are selling out faster and faster and new marathons are popping up everywhere. Sure, the purist will say that us middle and back of the packers are watering down the sport, but that is not to take away anything from each individual runner who pays their dues and toes the line on race day. You can't half ass your way through a full mary, if you try, you will be found hobbled on the side of the road.

(If you look closely, you can see people on the trail to the right near the top of the ridge)

Speaking of half assing it...There will be no half assing this race. This course is the real deal, water, elevation, single track...what more could you want in a race? Luckily they moved the race up a month so we are running in early April versus early May like last year. I am ready. I have been logging 100+ mile months since November and have run three 20+ mile runs in the last six weeks. Unable to find too much elevation in Savannah, all of my long runs have included the big bridge by my house.

I have no expectations. I wouldn't know where to begin. I ran a 4:30 flat marathon last week. So, I could probably run 31 flat miles in 5:30. I ran the Equinox Marathon six months ago in 5:40, looking at the elevation chart, the courses are similar. So does that mean I would have been looking at a 6:40 50K last fall?

Here are my two goals:
Finish the race healthy and under 6:30.

Top secret goal that I won't tell anyone? Sub 6

I look forward to this race and being able to share my journey. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Wrightsville Beach Marathon

2010-03-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

So I have been holding off on writing this report as I "only" ran this race as a training run. I wasn't sure if I should have written a report because I didn't "race" it. After much thought, I did run the race, therefore, I should write a recap...A PR is a PR, training run or not.

Let's start a couple of days before the race. I got off of work Thursday night and headed to Atlanta to pick up my Sweet Boo. We were both excited to spend the weekend together, I think she was more excited to spend the weekend at the beach(she will never admit to that though!) We woke up early Friday morning and got on teh road for Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach. The drive is primarily spent on I-20 and man is it boring....almost as boring as the drive on I-16 from Savannah to Atlanta. Most of you will never understand that statement but for those who do, well, you know....

We arrived in WB around 5pm and quickly got checked into our room. The Shell Island Resort was the host hotel for the race, they contracted a discounted rate for runners! Every room had a balcony and ocean view, the water was a stones throw away. Fantastic!

This was the first running of this marathon and the "expo" proved so, no pomp and circumstance...just your regular run of the mill packet pick up. don't get me wrong, I thought the race was well organized and they did a fantastic job putting it together...I guess I just keep seeing photos of NYC and Chicago's race expo.

Early rise on Sunday morning, I slowly jogged the mile and a half to the start to warm up. There were shuttles running from the hotel to the start; I chose not to take one. I had a simple game plan for the day. This was only to be a training run for the upcoming Sweetwater 50k. I wanted to make sure I didn't kill myself and not be able to compete next week. 10 minute miles and shoot for a 4:20-4:30 finish.

Between the half and the full mary there was probably 1500 runners, interestingly I think the male/female ratio was 65/35 in favor of the fairer sex. (A good reason to come back next year)

6:30am came quickly and we were running! "Just stay comfortable and run easy!" The first few miles ticked off with relative ease. I was hitting low 10's and my HR was sitting right around 137. As I approached the 10 mile mark I was feeling good and had to resist the urge to go faster.

The 13 mile mark informed me that I was moving along nicely and it felt just like another Sunday run. The crowd support was nice, spaced out but not too many dead spots. The course set up was that of a double/triple loop. Let me see if I can explain. We started on Wrightville Beach, ran over the bridge and off the island towards Wilmington. Turned right onto Military Cutoff Road and ran through a business district. In this area we saw the most crowd support. We turned right into the Landfall Homes neighborhood. There were some lonely parts in this area as most people were probably asleep. We came out of the neighborhood and turned right, at this point we completed the first loop and merged back onto the race course at about mile 2. The full loop was about 10 miles, marathoners did this loop twice, 1/2er's only once. (obviously) I only had one bone to pick with this layout. After completing the second loop (or first for 1/2er's) There was one point we had to make a left turn across traffic. There were police on both sides of the road directing traffic but I just didn't feel comfortable running along the road having drivers glare at me as they were held up in traffic waiting for breaks in the runners to get through the intersection. That was my only issue with the race course.

Okay, back to the actual running part of this recap. I left you off at the halfway point. Garmy says hit it at 2:14:07. HR was at 139. Wow, I was really running within myself. At this point my HR was climbing an extra beat or two per mile. I continued to plug away, hitting the miles at about 10:15 per mile. As I approached the 18 mile mark I began to wonder where this "wall" would be. I thought since I wasn't pushing the pace I may avoid it. My last training run was 22 miles and the last two miles were a mental battle. I quickly approached the 20 mile mark and all systems were a go! HR was now in the high 140's. 21, 22 & 23 easy, peasy...

Mile 24
The early warning systems were starting to sound. I could hear the gavel pounding in my head. "I would like to call this committee to order please. Gentlemen, it has been several months since the Running is Stupid committee has met, we have a lot of work to do, let's not waste any more time." The committee quickly formed and they began peppering me with questions. "This is only a training run Thomas, you should start walking." "Why are you even here, it is not like you are racing? Why don't you quit and save yourself for the ultra?" "You are never going to be able to run a 50k if you can't handle this distance!"...I suppose this is the "wall" people speak of...
It was a mental struggle to continue. "Just keep moving forward" I was able to push through this mile and was very happy to see the mile 25 marker...It's all down hill from here. I managed to fight my way through the remaining mile and was happy to see the finish line.

26.2 miles
4:29:34
Avg HR145
Max HR152

After making it back to the hotel It was time for my ice bath. However, I was going to try something different. The ocean. Let's see, the Atlantic Ocean in March, very cold. I would have preferred to run into the ocean to just get it over with but my legs would not cooperate. I had to SLOWLY wade into the bone chilling water. Instantly, my feet began to scream. It was as if someone was stabbing them with a hundred needles. I began to wade deeper and my knees soon joined in on the pain. As I made it into waist deep ocean water, the pain was becoming unbearable. I was not going to make it 15 minutes. The worst part was the waves breaking toward the shore and splashing my chest and face with water shaped daggers. I think I lasted 7-8 minutes, there were onlookers from the shore that could not figure out why on earth would I subject myself to such torture. I got out of the water and headed to the hotel, planning on trying out the outdoor pool(It was not heated) to see if that was any easier. The pool water was a little warmer, I managed to stay in the pool for 10 minutes. I am happy to report that as of right now, two days later, I am at 95% and plan on running today. It was totally worth it. I was a mess for a week after my first marathon.

Final thoughts....
I enjoyed it. I ran a very conservative training run and am completely confident in my ability to complete the ultra in 10 days. I am happy to know that I do not have any more 20 mile training runs on the books for the near future. I will post a pre race report for the ultra in the coming days.

GW,MA!* 6.66 MR RR(Part Deux)

2010-03-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, Yes, Ya'll...We are still racing!

We last found our hero gliding through the finisher's chute as he just notched another PR in his belt.(These are the only addional notches being made in said belt these days...)

Only allowing myself 36 hours to bask in the glow of a 20th AG placement, I refocused my attention to the task at hand. "Where is the registration table for the second half of the GW,MA! 6.66MR?" "Where is the course map? Does this race have Johnny-on-the-spots?"

After a quick review of the fine print in the online race registration, I decided to include a portion of my "Pi Day LSR" as the remaining 3.56 mile race course. Had I properly planned ahead I would have raced 0.42 miles yesterday, leaving me with a nice 3.14 mile run scheduled for today. Let's be honest, who here really wants to read a race report for a 0.42 mile race? Looking at the bigger picture, is there anyone even reading this race report besides Razz, who has to read it as it is his job as RD.... I kid...I know my mom reads this. Hi Mom!

I had nineish miles planned(9.8696044)today so I was going to run three warm up miles, virtually race 3.54 miles and then cool down with 3.14 miles...give or take.

The warm up was great, it was a cool and breezy 55 degrees in Savannah and the St. Patrick's day festivities are gearing up. I took a wrong turn somewhere near the park and ran head on in to a gaggle of Shriners!

Close call...As my warm up was drawing to an end I reached into my pocket and pulled out my race bib. It was quite the dickens pinning that thing on mid run. In hind sight, I guess I could have stopped and pinned it on, but you saw those Shriners....

After finishing a heart stopping rendition of the National Anthem, Part Deux of the VR was underway. I quickly moved to the front of the field of runners, I could hear the Kenyan's muttering under their breath that I would crash and burn at this pace. Maybe they were right, only time would tell.

As I approached the 1st mile marker, I felt as if someone was running in my wake. Never one to look back in a race, I paid no mind to the runner drafting off of me. "Let's see what this freeloader has in the tank, you want to draft off of The Snail, you gotta pay the price!" I dropped it into the next gear for a 10 step acceleration..."Whatchu gaut boy?" Damn, still there...He was hanging on through mile two, never wanting to come up and take his turn pulling...

Mile 3 was a blur, the lactic acid was building and my legs were burning, "Please stop Snail, you are a monster!" Surely, that is what the guy behind me was thinking as he was holding on for dear life at this break-neck pace.

We were now rounding the corner to the (virtual) finish line, I could see the clock ticking...

It was at this point I glanced over my shoulder to see if my challanger was still hanging on...What the hell!?!1! Ryan Hall????

Man was he trucking....but not today Mr. Hall, today victory will be mine. As he attempted to pass me, I gave him a little elbow and banged him into the course barrier...(What? Did you think I was gonna beat him one on one with my legs?)

Victory is mine!!!

Garmin time for 3.56 miles - 29:40

Overall Combined Time - 53:41

Overall Pace - 8:03

Apologies owed - Ryan Hall, ING NYC Marathon, Savannah Shriner Outfit

Many thanks are in order...

First, I would like to thank "The Snail" for without him, none of this would be possible...

Secondly, I would like to thank the Snail's parental units and the Great NYC Blackout of 1973...for without them, well...let's not go there...

Lastly, let's give Razz, et al, a round of applause for organizing this fantastic event. The course was friendly, the volunteers beautiful and the water was cold...

I plan on returning next year, who is with me?

Global Warming, My Ass! 6.66 Mile Run Race Report (Part One)

2010-03-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Or....
The March of Dimes Shamrock 5k Race Report

It's all about timing...Razz's virtual race worked perfectly with my plan to run the annual Shamrock 5k...

"But Snail, even someone with a middle school education knows that a 5k does not equal 6.66 miles!" Very true, lucky for me Razz left a nice loop hole in which we can break up the distance into as many increments we choose.

I have chosen to run two separate races.

On to the recap...

The March of Dimes Shamrock 5k marks the beginning of the spring race seasom here in Savannah. The best of the best local runners show up...and they also have a costume contest. After many hours pondering what to wear to the race this year, I settled on something simple and sleek.

Since I live downtown, The Crackhead and Cubbie meet me at the house and we walked to the starting area of the race. Stressing the importance of following a pre-race routine, The Crackhead suggested we do the same warm up we do before track practice. We did an easy 10 minute jog to warm up, followed by a few drills and finished up with strides. I had a good sweat going and got my HR up, with a few minutes left before the start we moseyed over to the starting line and wedged ourselves in with 1600 green clad runners.

My goal for this race was simple, lower my 5k PR of 25:52. I knew this would be a given as I ran a 8:02 pace for a race two weeks ago that ended up being 3.54 miles. That would have computed out to a 25 minute 5k. So my real goal was to run in the 24's, pie in the sky was to dip into the 23's.

We were off and I spent the first 1/4 mile trying to work my way around the slower runners and walkers. I had a hard time getting clear and into a stride. Just before I got frustrated, the course opened up and I was able to run freely. I knew the pace was quicker than normal but I had already decided before the race that I was going to "red-line" it and see if I could push myself to the point of blowing up.

I hit the first mile at 7:40, "WhoaPat!" Bring the pain!

As I labored through the second mile, I knew I had gone out too fast and was trying to hold on. Halfway through this mile I noticed I was being passed more than normal. glancing at Garmy I knew why, 8 minute pace..."Come on, Thomas, get the lead out, this will be over before you know it."

Second mile marker 15:41 (8:01 mile split)

A majority of this race course makes up a portion of my favorite 5 mile loop. The last mile of the race course is mile 4 of that loop. I feel at home on this course and knew just when to step it up. I found an entire other gear and began reeling in runners. A quick glance at the watch showed I was back at a 7:45 pace. "1/2 mile to go, last 800 of the day." As I rounded the final square, I knew the finish was 1/4 of a mile away.

The Garmin beeped three miles and I could see the finishing clock come into focus.

"Does that say 23:xx?"

Push through the finish, don't leave any room for regret.

24:09 Gun Time

Final Stats:
24:01 Chip Time - New PR
7:44 Avg Pace
223/1600+ Overall

23/71 AG

WOW!!
Where did I find that effort? The weekly track workouts are starting to payoff. a quick shout out to the Crackhead who finished 15th overall with a time of 18:15. I also managed to grab this photo of him off of the local paper's website.

Wait, What!?!1!...I still need to run 3.56 miles? I am only halfway through the Global Warming, My Ass! 6.66 Mile Virtual Race...Does anybody have a GU?

A Series of (un)Fortunate Events

2010-02-27T07:39:00.000-08:00

Rise and shine runners, we are gonna sneak in a little 5k this morning to see where our fitness level is going into the spring race season.

This is the 4th year they have held this race and the start is 1/2 a mile from my house. Cheap entry fee and a small field mixed between the 5 and 10k made this race very appealing to me.

I woke up and weather.com told me it was a chilly 32 degrees outside, the 5 minute dog walk confimred that indeed it was cold outside! Quick run down of available running clothes left me with the decision of tights, long sleeve under armour, gloves and skully for today's race.

I ate a quick Clif Bar and hopped on my bike to ride to the start and get a warm up jog. As I looked around I noticed most of the guys that win my age bracket were wearing 10k numbers. SAHWEET, maybe I can place in my age group...a win is a win.

After doing a few strides I headed over to the start.

The 5 & 10k course is pretty much the same, we go out around the park and down Bull st. The 10k'ers are to turn left onto Washington Ave. and head to Daffin Park, while the 5ker's turn around and come back. Easy enough.

Listened to a few announcements and we were off!

The pack quickly thinned out and I watched the fast snails disappear down the road. Within in the first 400 meters I was into a comfortable stride and had planned on settling into a comfortable(mostly) 8 minute pace.

I hit the first mile marker at 7:58. I was pretty happy with this and my goal was gonna be to drop about 5 seconds off of that pace in the 2nd mile.

"The lead 5k'ers should be coming back soon, I wonder how far back I am...I can see the turn... why is it that nobody is coming back?"

EVERYBODY is turning left.

I get to Washington Ave. and the water ladies are telling us to keep going.

"Hmmm, that's wierd, Garmmy is telling me we are at 1.75 miles. I should be going back by now?!?!1!"

I can see the 2 mile marker for the 10k in the near distance. There are two cops holding traffic at the next intersection. There is a 5k'er 100 yards in front of me who is equally concerned. I hear him ask the cop where is the turn around for the 5k. He says, "keep going down the road it is up ahead." The other cop, pointing in the opposite direction says, "No man, the turn around was way back there!" FML!

I mutter a few choice words under my breath and hang a hard U turn at the intersection and hear the foot steps of my equally confused and slighty distraught 5k friend. I glance at my Garmmy and see that I have covered almost 2 miles...Simple math says it will take longer than 1.1 miles to get back.

As he pulls up beside me I ask, "How much further do you think we went than the actual turn around?" After thinking about it for a moment he responds, "Too far!"

We are back on Bull st. heading to the park and I see on the road marked in white tape, "5K TURN"...AND there is nobody standing there....

Then I hear from the runners on the other side of the road that are still heading out, "Good job, you are in 2nd and 3rd place!"

WHAT???

as I watch my running companion pull away I think to myself, "I am in 3rd place...I can hold onto this for another mile..."

As my Garmmy beeps to mark mile 3, I look and see 24:20 on the display. LOL, there goes my chance of breaking 25 minutes today.

I run this route enough to know I have about 1/2 mile left. I hear the faint sound of a runner behind me.

Don't look back, just keep pushing forward.

Into the park, 1/4 mile to go... Relax and Move

As I go around the fountain, I take this chance to look back and see I have a 100 yards on the next guy. I have this!

Push through the finish, don't let up!

28:20
3.54 miles
8:02 average pace

3rd Place Overall!

Talking to the two guys that finished ahead we all agree that something went wrong big time....During the award ceremony the MC took credit for the failure stating he was supposed to be the guy at the turn around but he was dropping of other volunteers further along in the course and didn't make it back in time...

I know for a fact several much faster 5k runners just continued on and completed the enitre 10k course.

A win is a win, right?

The award was a "Savannah Gray" Brick with a plaque on it. Fitting seeing as how this race was for the Historic Savannah Foundation.

Afterwards, I ran into several old college friends, Tom & Trang Black. We caught up on old times and talked about future runs. All in all it was a great morning...

One foot in front of the other, one step at a time!

Week in Review

2010-02-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

I was just given a good kick in the arse by my younger, but not nearly as good lookin' or svelte, brother. He informed me that I have been slacking in the ol' blog department. I must admit, blog posting has fallen to the bottom of my list. not to worry, I am still reading and commenting on YOUR blogs, It's just that I have not been updating mine. Let's be honest, you really only care that I comment on your blogs....

T'anks a bunch for all of the words of encouragement after my pity potty fest, well thanks to everyone 'cept for LooMoo...something about whining and bad weather...It is hard to understand her Moscovian accent. Anywho, to the rest of the readers, you will be happy to know that I embarked on a week of successful, fairly enjoyable runs. Tuesday found me braving 50 degrees and sunny skies while I traversed the Talmidge Bridge for a nice 7 miler after work...

Thursday I had to struggle through the melting snow as we had unseasonably cold temps peaking in the low 60's. Not to be defeated I meet the Crackhead at the track for speed work!

The meat and potatoes of my training was the scheduled 20 miler on Sunday. I was a little unsure about this run seeing as how I bailed on the 18 miler the week before and this run would be 5 miles longer than any distance covered since the marathon last September. Setting myself up for success I planned a route that included the bridge as I need to add as much hill work as possible over the next 4 weeks to prepare for the 50K at Sweetwater Creek.

I put water out the night before and Cubbie met me at my house at 7am. She was going to do the first ten miles with me. Off we went at a conservative 10:30 minute pace. By mile two we were almost over the bridge and I was beginning to question wearing my windbreaker as the temps were rising like libido during rutting season.(Cha-ching, that was a keeper!) We decended the bridge and began the 1.5 mile trip across Hutchinson Island to the race track. As we were winding around the two mile road course I began to feel the call of nature. Luckily I work at the resort that is located on the island and we were able to pull into the golf club for a quick pitstop! (see how I did that? because we were running on a race track. pitstop, get it?) After dropping the kids off at the pool, I felt much faster and we headed back over the bridge to my house.

Within minutes of finishing off the first 11 miles and making it back to my house, the Crackhead pulled up to my house, put on his trainers and we said our farewell to Cubbie. He needed to get 50 minutes of "easy" running in before he began his "real" workout.(Whatever, dude. You will always be the crackhead if you continue to talk to me like that...) We headed out for 5 miles at a 9:30 pace. Those miles flew by and before I knew it, he was off to the park to get his step down's in. I was left with four miles of solo running. I followed to the park for a couple of laps to take in the scenery. Savannahian's love to come to the park when it warms up. The local's were out in force. Running, picnicing, sunbathing...you name it, they were there.

I finished up my 20 miler in a total time of 3:26:26.(Editor's note, I stopped the watch while at the pitstop and also the few minutes waiting for the crackhead to put on his shoes) Overall this run turned out to be a huge boost to my mental game. In the words of the immortal poet LL Cool J, "Don't call it a come back, I've been here for years!"

I don't wanna...........

2010-02-16T11:51:00.001-08:00

I have had some sort of post race blues. I haven't had any desire to run. The runs I have done have been "blah", I even bailed at mile 11 on my scheduled 18 miler this past Sunday. Everyone tells me this is normal and I will snap out of it but the problem is that I am smack dab in the middle of training for my 50K...Hello!?!? I can't bail on my 18 miler when I have an Ultra to run in 6 weeks. I think part of it is the continued Winter Snowpocalypse that the mass media is force feeding us. Granted I live in the deep south and our Winter's are much more subtle than our northern counterparts, but COME ON! Let's warm it up a little Mother Nature....pretty please...

Spring is right around the corner and we kick it off with a bang here in Savannah GA!!! The St. Patrick's Day parade is second only to NYC in size and it turns into a week long festival! I no longer participate in the drunken debauchery, I have since replaced it with the annual March of Dimes Shamrock 5k.

In an attempt to bounce back from my post race blues, I allowed myself the week after the half-marathon to run at my leisure. Staring today, it is back to the grind. We have 6 1/2 weeks until the ultra. I have sprinkled in a few fun races between now and then, nothing too hard, just a 5k and a 10k. We will take each training week as it comes and before I know it I will be in my taper leading up to Sweetwater!

One foot in front of the other; one step at a time!

Critz Tybee 1/2 Marathon

2010-02-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

I am not sure who is more excited about this race report...you lucky readers or me for posting it!

Packet pickup had me and Cubbie driving out to sleepy Tybee Island right after work on Friday. We picked up our race numbers and our 2010 Critz Tybee Run T-shirt. We ran into a couple of our running buddies and everyone exchanged pleasantries and discussed dream race goals...I was very apprehensive to tell people I was shooting for 1:55, but that was my goal.

I checked the weather before I went to bed and the forecast was fair; overcast and in the mid 40's at the time of the race start. I woke up early Saturday morning to a pleasant surprise, the weather forecast was wrong and it was 54 degrees out PERFECT!!! It was still overcast and there was a 20% chance of rain.

We drove out to Tybee and swung by CJ's beach house to pick him up and head to the pier where the race crowd was starting to form...Finally putting a face to the blog it was nice to meet CJ and I immediately engaged in the age old Snail tradition of pregame trash talking.

As we were quietly stretching and milling around a light sprinkle began; nothing was going to deter me, it was race day! I went for a 10 minute jog to loosen up my legs and get a 1/2 warm up in at race pace. The rain let up not long after my warm up was over.

The 5k started at 8am so as we were lining up for the 8:30am start of the 1/2 mary, we were able to see the eventual winner and others pass through the finishing corral. I was able to locate CJ again in the crowd before the start of the race but could not make my way over to where he was located. I made a mental note of his location and planned to keep him in my sights...my southern friends always warn me to "not trust anyone from the north", even if it is North Carolina...

The race started and we were off!

The rush of adrenaline and large crowd of runners carried me off to a much faster pace than I had planned, I was going to try and hit 8:45's for the first five miles and then reassess. Mile marker #1 told me I ran that first mile at 8:17. I told myself to put that time in the bank and pull back a little. I let off the gas and had to remind myself that these people that were passing me would all get passed by me later when they blow up.

Looking ahead I still had CJ in my sights. I was honestly a little surprised to have seen him go out that fast. Never mind, I would not even think of worrying until we were much further in the course. Mile #2 came and went, I held a 8:30 pace for the second mile. Hmmm, I really need to let off the gas or I will blow up at mile 10. Then again, maybe I can hold this 8:30, it is race day after all...

I decided I would just try and keep my HR in the low 160's and see how it played out. At about this time I came up on CJ. He told me he went out too fast and hit the first mile mark at 8:06. We ran side by side for a few minutes and then I surged ahead. We ran past his beach cottage and began the winding section of the course on the north end of the island. I began ticking of miles at a 8:30 pace.

I hit the 5 mile mark at 42:45 on the watch, popped a GU and told myself all I had left was an easy Sunday 8. The course took us out of the neighborhood of the lighthouse and we were about to begin the long, trudging road of crossing to the south end of Tybee. Mentally this is probably the toughest part of the race. You run almost two miles on a straight, slightly uphill road. It is during this part of the race that it began to rain. It was just a light misting to start but the possibility of more was looming. I tucked into a group of runners and glanced at my garmin as I hit 6.55 miles. 56:47. I was on pace for a 1:54.

Not long after passing the 7 mile mark I looked off to the left and saw my Sweet Boo standing along the course cheering wildly, she made the trip down from Atlanta to surprise me and could not have been stationed at a better place on the race course. I really was energized after having seen her. The race course took a turn into the southern point of the island and I knew this was where my race would see the work. quiet neighborhood's and sparse runners, it was all mental at this point. Hold the pace and tick off the miles.

The ten mile mark came at 1:26 into the race and I popped another GU. I thought to myself, "Just a 5k, we are gunning for 1:55. This is going to happen!" Pass 5 people this mile and don't get passed. I passed 8 people during the 10th mile and got passed once. Mile 11, "pass 5 and don't get passed." I slipped in behind two runners and managed to shield myself from the wind for 1/4 mile. I passed my quota plus a couple extra.

I saw the 12 mile marker in the distance and I was spent. My mind wandered to every Yasso I have done over the last 6 weeks. "Two more reps Thomas, you have been here every week for the last month and a half." I dropped the pace and began reeling in runners. I glanced at my watch and saw I had half a mile left. I pushed as hard as I could for the last 4 minutes, grateful for every 800 I had done. I turned the corner into the final straight away and left everything on the road. About 100 from the finish my Sweet Boo was cheering and I drove through the chute leaving it all on the course.

1:55:04 Gun Time
1:54:38 Chip Time
32/80 AG
391/1256 Overall

According to the chip, I broke 1:55...I'll take it!!!!

I was able to walk through the chute, grab some water and make my way over to the side of the course to cheer on the finishers as they ran the last 200 yards to the finish. I began looking for Cubbie and CJ. I saw other finishers and cheered as much as possible for them. Out of nowhere I see Cubbie come around the corner with a great look of determination her face. Turns out she shaved 15 minutes off of her PR time from last year. Not far behind her came CJ; he was trucking! I cheered as loudly as possible and he too set a 5 minute PR at Tybee!!!

Winners all around!!

Breakfast at the Breakfast Club brought 6 of us together to rehash our race and talk about running. What a great weekend. Big shout out to CJ for running a great race and making the trip to Tybee to compete in the 1st annual(?) Duel in the Dunes...Who's got next?

Duel in the Dunes ~

2010-01-31T16:00:00.000-08:00

Race week is here blogger fans...The miles have been run, the carbs are being loaded and the trash is still being talked...

Come Saturday, yours truly and CJ will be toeing the line with 3000 of our closest friends in an attempt to break 2 hours in the half marathon.

After logging a personal best of 126 training miles in the month of January, this snail is entirely confident is his ability to finish this half-mary under 2 hours! This past Thursday I finished my last track workout. Yasso 800 x9...If Mr. Yasso is correct in his marathon speedwork preparation then I should be in great shape for going after a 1:57 1/2. Here are my most recent 800's.

3:51
3:53
3:55
3:56
3:55
3:53
3:51
3:44
3:42

After a heavy mileage month, I am really taking the time to enjoy the mini-taper on the schedule for this week. Tuesday I will do a 6 mile run with 4 miles at race pace in the middle and then a 4 miler on Thursday just to keep the legs loose...

Let's make it official and post some goals...

A. Cross the finish line before CJ.

B. Cross the finish line in less than 2 hours.

C. Average 8:45's and break 1:55.

All kidding aside, I am really looking forward to Friday's packet pick up. Hopefully I will get to meet up with CJ for a minute on Friday, a chance to talk with him a little, you know, compare the size of our...blogs...

Out of the loop...

2010-01-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

So, I have been house/dog sitting for a friend and I have not had internet access...Surprisingly enough, I have not gone through complete withdrawal!

There is a ton of stuff for me to catch up on....Countless blogs to read, witty retorts to think of, polls to vote on, insults to sling at the shrinking CJ and a Half Marathon to run!

First things first! Jamoosh tagged me in the 10 Things post so it is only right that I grant you people a little glimpse into the inner workings of teh Snail....ala Letterman's Top 10!

#10...David Letterman...(come on, gotta pay some props for stealing his bit!)

#9...Getting a new pair of running shoes two months after having just bought a new pair.

#8...Winter in the South...(I will not post pictures for fear of hurting any feelings)

#7...That feeling about five minutes before a race starts...

#6...That feeling right after crossing the finish line...

#5...Getting a "perfect" song on the shuffle during a run.

#4...comments on my blog (seriously, those emails make me giddy like a little kid!)

#3...The second to last interval on track day.

#2...Smoking CJ at Tybee...

#1...my Sweet Boo!

11 days until Tybee, I completed my last long run of 15 miles on Sunday. I will get one more track workout this Thursday~Yasso 800's x 9! Last weeks Yasso's were awesome, my times are dropping and I ran my last rep at 3:36! Somebody might be fitting into a size 32 after I get done beating that a$$ at Tybee....I am definately in race form...

check this guy's blog out...

2010-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

Patrick's Running Blog

His name is Patrick McGlade and he is running accross the US to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. Basically he will be doing a marathon a day and relying on the kindness of others to put him up for the night. He began is trans continental run on January 1st, in Huntington Beach, California and plans to finish his run April, 16th in Tybee Island, GA. My back yard!!! SAHWEET!!!

Here is the link to the main website for the run.

Patrick's Cross Country RUN for Arthritis

Please~
1. Donate if you can.

2. If you or someone you know lives near his route try and put him up!

3. Follow his blog and show as much support as possible.

I look forward to following his blog and plan to be on hand as he plunges into the ocean... Maybe I can even run with him for a little while...

Case of the Thursdays...

2010-01-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

First and foremost congrats to The Sean for an amazing sub 3 hour Disney Marathon, his recap is fantastic. I draw a ton of running inspiration from my fellow bloggers, I love reading his blog.

I have been on a running "high" for the last week or so. I can't stop thinking about running. I find myself watching the clock at work, waiting for that blessed hour when I can clock out get out of there and go run. The weather conditions be damned, I am running!

This past Saturday, Cubbie and I met early for a 5 miler. It was cold but I couldn't wait to get there. 28 degrees at the start, I loved it. Ran without my watch, I just was happy to be out there.

I meet Cubbie at 9am on Sunday for our weekly long run. 9 miles was on the schedule as it was a cycle down week. 24 degrees~WHO CARES!!! We are running! What a great morning to get out and enjoy the world.

Having logged two easy, slower runs over the weekend, I wanted to test out the legs a little on Tuesday. I decided to give it a go and do 6 miles at an all out pace. I was like a little kid filled with stomach butterflies as I rushed home from work to change. 52:06 minutes later, I dropped an 8:40 pace on downtown Savannah!

Cubbie joined me on my favorite 5 mile loop downtown last night, she has never run this route with me. It was fun to share this route as it has a few different elements. The first two miles takes us down a couple of busy streets, I get the feeling like I live in a big city when I run along this part of the route. Then a quick couple of turns and I spend the next mile and a half traveling underneath a canopy of Spanish Moss covered oak trees that are hundreds of years old. House after house I pass, each with its own story to tell, some dating to before the Great Fire of 1820. At this point we loop around Forsyth Park, located in the middle of downtown. My run's last mile is spent traversing the revitalized tourist mecca known as City Market and Broughton Street. Shops, restaurants, and bars. There is always a energizing feel as I finish my route down this road.

This all brings us to tonight's trackwork! Yasso's 800 x 7! I really felt focused and was not let down by the effort.
3:48
3:52
3:55
3:56
3:52
3:50
3:41

Amazing workout. I made it through that last 800 by reminding myself that this was the last 800 for an entire week!

As I reflect back on some of the great runs I have had in the last week, I can't help but get excited about this base work and what it will mean as I move forward into the 2010 race calendar. Good things to come. Not to get ahead of myself, I must remember, it all starts...
...one foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Trackwork Thursday

2010-01-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Mind over matter people!

I sent the Crackhead a text message "informing" him how cold it was going to be at the track tonight. Don't you people listen to The Weather Channel? This is an "Artic Blast"...

His response:

Just think. The competition won't have the dedication u have so u will crush them on race day.

Looks like I will be doing my track workout afterall~6 sub 4 minute Yasso's on tap....update with stats to follow.
GS

***Update***

I got to the track and we did a leisurely warm up jogging around the complex. Moving onto some drills; high knees, kick butts, strides, and cross overs.

Light stretching and then onto the fun. Yasso 800's with 400 recovery. My schedule called for 6 this week with my goal pace being a 3:55 pace.

3:53
3:55
3:55
3:56
3:53
3:43

Smokes! I seriously don't know how I hit that last 800! I looked at the watch at the 400 mark on that last rep and it read 2:01. I dug deep and found a 1:42 400 on the back end of that workout. After thinking about it for a while I noticed that on that last 800, especially the last 400, I was really focused. I know that on some of the pervious 800's I was thinking about my day at work, what I was going to have for dinner...just sort of going through the motions. On that last 400 I was really just focusing 100% of my attention on running. "Relax and Move" (Thanks Sean) While doing this I was able to run hard focusing on the effort, know it wouldn't last forever. I feel like I have not fully tapped into my potential yet. Exciting things to come!

I am really starting to like speedwork!

Zen in 2010

2010-01-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

I promised myself I wasn't going to fall prey to the "recap" blog. "We will not regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it"...

Day by day I read great recap blogs. My "non-recap" recap blog began forming inside my head during my runs over the last week...lol. I thought about all 11 of the races I ran last year. There were some highs and some lows. Feb. '09 I ran the Tybee 5 mile race in 53:10. This past Tuesday I ran 5 miles in 43:32. Holy Toledo, I have taking 10 minuted off of my 5 mile time this year!

I began in earnest training for my first marathon last year. I have had barstool dreams of running a marathon most of my adult life. I even started training for one back in 2004 with Team In Training, only to drop out halfway through the program. I was determined to run this marathon and running the Equinox Marathon absolutely was one of the greatest experiences in my entire life.

Much like the stock market in the beginning of the year, my PR's plummeted. Race after race I continued to drop my PR with the final one coming last night as I ran a 51:35 10K at a race held on the golf course at the resort I work.

Let's look forward for a minute to the year ahead. I have a full race schedule planned and will attempt to cover almost every race distance available from the 1 mile to 50K.

Tybee Half Marathon 2/6/10 This will be my first race at this distance~Instant PR!I will be shooting for a sub 2 hour performance. Also, I will get to meet CJ...should be fun

I am looking at two different marathons in NC on the 21st of March. Either the Tobacco Road or Wrightsville Beach.

I plan on using that marathon as my final training run for the Sweetwater, wait for it,....50K U L T R A on April 3rd.

By this time, I will know if I got a lottery slot into the NYC Marathon. Otherwise I will add another Autumn marathon to my schedule.

Looking at the shorter distances, I plan on running the Savannah Mile, with a goal of 6:45 or less. I ran it in '09 with a mile time of 7:19.

There are a handful of 5 and 10K's I will add to the schedule just to round it out. This gives me a lot to look forward to in the upcoming year.

My number one goal for 2010 is to stay healthy and continue to improve my overall fitness. I lost 25 pounds during 2009 and would like to lose another 20 in the next year. As I continue to lose weight, my times will continue to drop. I would like to break 4 hours in the full, 49 minutes in the 10k and dare I say it, 22:59 5k...

Although this blog is titled Georgia Snail; it is not all about me.

In 2010 I will give back and work towards being less selfish. I would like to volunteer at a couple of races and move forward with my goal of organizing a race to benifit the local Autism Foundation. I am going to try to help my fellow man whenever my HP allows me.

I want to finish this post with a great thank you to all of my fellow bloggers. Your comments and constant encouragement has made a huge impact in my life and on my running. Every blog that I follow continues to serve me with great motivation.

2010 is going to be a great year. One foot in front of the other; one step at a time!

G-Unit???

2009-12-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

Murry Effin Crimas!!!

This snail has started turning heads...
~True story~

Overheard on last three runs with my new training buddy....

~Who is that hawt guy with the sahweet Garmy?

~Gawd I wish I had one of those, oh and I like the watch too...

~You'd think with that high falutten watch, he would look both ways before crossing the intersection...

Okay, so some of that might have been not actually said out loud but they were thinking it. Especially the second, er, third one...

Big shout out to my little brother and his beautiful wife for totally hooking me up at the family Crimas celebration. We have been talking about this watch for quite some time and he really shocked me when he told me he got it for me! How lucky am I?

So of course I had to take it out for a test drive that day. It corners like it is on rails! (anyone?) My only question is why does my Garmy not beep at the mile marks? I figured maybe I don't have it set up properly and have poured over the instruction manual to no avail....any help?

I was in Tennessee for the holiday visiting with the family and it was cold! Damn, long runs at 30 degrees is not what I signed up for man! However, in the grand scheme of things I will take cold over the summer heat and humidity any day...It only took a few minutes to warm up and get comfortable in the cold. I can never get comfortable in Savannah's heat.

I'd like to thank everyone for weighing in on my "Ultra" debate. I am really close to pulling the trigger on this deal...I just wish it wasn't so close to the spring marathon I am looking at, maybe I can use the marathon as a long training run...okay, so I am looking at a March 21st Mary, with the Ultra being run on April 3rd. I will defer to the experts; is 13 days long enough between the two events?

Holy Holidays Batman!

2009-12-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

Dude! It was just Halloween like last week!?!1!

Okay, I have been a little remiss in my blogging as of late~but I have not been neglecting my running. The Snail has been running out of his shell!

45 days out from the Tybee 1/2 Marathon & 5K and I am starting to get excited. We have really been hitting it hard lately. I am running 5 days a week averaging 30-35 miles. My speed work last week was awesome! I did my Yasso 800's; 5 laps.
3:56
3:57
3:58
3:58
3:52
The crackhead was doing K repeats and he was coming into the turn as I was rounding out my last 800. He pulled me through to that 3:52 and it felt great.

I ran my long run of 11 miles on Sunday in 1:47. I am stoked with the time, it is just around a 10 minute pace. My goal pace for the 1/2 will be about a 9 minute mile so I am feeling pretty good about how things are shaping up.

In other running news, I am shaping up my 2010 race calandar. I am looking at a Spring marathon, probably somewhere in North Carolina. Also, I would like to put a Fall/Winter marathon on the calandar. I will enter the lottery for NYC; I do have a couple of plan B's though. I do not want to run another early fall marathon, as I do not want to go through another Savannah Summer training for a full mary...those long runs in July and August were just cruel...
I have a half on the schedule(Tybee in Feb.) and would like to add one more. Somewhere in the Southeast, if anybody has any suggestions. We will scatter some 5&10k throughout the year just to keep it fun.

Then there is the Ultra.

There two goals that lurk in the back of my mind that I don't speak of often.
1. BQ and eventually run Boston.
2. Complete an ultramarathon.

The ultra is currently more attainable...and because I don't do anything half-a$$ed; just half-cocked...I am thinking about the SweetH20 50K...
You actually cross a creek(twice) Not like, "splish, splash, I am running through a little creek" but more like waist deep, hang on to this rope so you don't get swept away in the current, creek...This ultra might have to wait until 2011 because I am a skeered...

Full race calandar post to come soon....I am looking for ideas on regional runs...any info would be great!

Housekeeping and Kiawah Island

2009-12-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

This week is the official ramp up week to Tybee. I would usually insert some derogatory comment about CJ and how I am going to beat him at The Duel in the Dunes; in the spirit of the season I will not.(Okay, maybe just one shot...)

My workouts this week consisted of two, five mile runs done at an 8:45 pace, speedwork, and I will be running long (10 miles) tomorrow. I'd like to take brief moment to mention my speedwork before moving on to what I really want to talk about here today.

Brief Moment:

YASSO 800's

Wham~bang~doodle!?!1!

This was just an introductory attempt at the 800's, I did 4. At a goal pace of 4:00 minutes. McMillian says I should be able to do a 1:59 half and 4:12 full marathon so I figured for the sake of my 800's I would shoot for 4 minutes....I have work to do.
4:05
4:00
4:03
4:05
I am going to try four again next Wednesday before bumping up to five the following week.

On to bigger and better things!!!!

THE KIAWAH ISLAND MARATHON
My buddy was attempting to qualify for Boston today and ran in this marathon. Without telling him, a few of us got together and drove the two hours up to Kiawah Island to cheer him on. We got there about 30 minutes before he hit the half-mary mark and he was flying! 1:33:23. This place is gorgeous! It is fast and flat; people come here to run BQ's. We are thinking of coming back to run the half and/or the full next year. I might come up with the hopes of seeing what a 4 hour marathon looks like...What's that? How did my buddy do? He finished 68th out of 1001 full marathon runners with an outstanding time of 3:15:46.

Congratulations David Howard, you have qualified to run in the Boston Marathon!

Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run Report

2009-12-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

Otherwise known as "It's my glass now, I keep it!!!"

So they gave out glasses instead of mugs....I am okay with that...This report may run long, I am warning you ahead of time!

Now for the meat and potatoes!!!

The weather forcast was less than favorable and waking up race morning the weatherman actually got one right this time...Way to go Pat Prokop...
It was raining and in the low 40's when I woke up. Not to be discouraged, weather channel's website said the rain was supposed to lift by 8am. Just in time for the race.

I headed to the start and got on the trolley be taken over the bridge to the start of the 5k. It was cold and wet. However, my spirits were high, I had a double pump to run. The hotel I work for is on the island where the race starts so I ducked into the office to stay warm and dry until 15 minutes before the race. I changed my shoes, had a small cup of coffee and tried to calm the pre race jitters. I really didn't know what to expect, do I hold back for the 5k to save a little gas for the 10k? Is the 15 minute break gonna cause me to get cold and stiff?

I headed to the start with about 2000 other runner/walkers and before I knew it I was off.

I settled into a comfortable pace, tried to run at 75-80%. Five minutes into the run the rain stopped and never returned! On my way up the bridge and caught myself thinking, "What a dumbass, I have to do this two more times?" I pushed out the negative thought with my standard, "Seven minutes to the top, Thomas. Then it is smooth sailing back down."

Cresting the bridge on my first pass, I saved my usual, "Get off me bridge!" taunt. I didn't want to anger my foe so early in the battle. I looked up and saw another runner from my Sunday running group and we chatted for a minute on the way down. I, being far heavier, let gravity go to work and pulled ahead from her, only to have her catch me and pass me in the last 1/4 mile. Coming into the last turn I saw the clock hit 27 and I cruised in for a 27:27 5k.

413/2188 5k runners

Quick to grab some water and eat the Powerbar that was in my pocket, I headed over to the start area where about 1500 runners were preparing for the 10k start.

I had 15 minutes to get my heart rate down and keep loose. I felt really good and was happy to run into another couple of Sunday runners who were doing the 10k. Rob was hoping to break an hour, I silently decided I would keep him behind me...

After announcing a joint race run simultaniously in Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan(Those soldiers ran their 10k on a 1/4 track loop!), they played the national anthem and we were off!

My goal was to hold down 9's for as long as possible. The first mile was a loop around downtown, pulling us to the onramp for the bridge.

WTF!?!? Who put these bricks on top of my quads??? That first mile sucked! LOL! My legs were heavy and my right quad was very angry!!!

As I approached the bridge one of two things happened. Either my legs loosened back up or the pain of climb became greater that the pain of my quads being tight...

From weeks of training on this route I knew this half mile section was the toughest(Steepest)portion of the entire race course. "Fast, Fluid, Form" Take me to the top buddy!

I crested the bridge for a second time and knew I was almost through with the battle....It's all academic from here! LOL...

Did I mention there was a costume contest?

That's me on the left and that look says, "I can't believe it took me this long to pass those Horseshoe Crab runners!"

According to my splits I was pacing just over 9 minute miles. I saw Rob ahead of me on the downhill and opened up a little to catch up to him. We exchanged grunts and I surged ahead. Coming off of the bridge we looped back under to the other side. The was about 1/2 a mile in the flat until we would be going back up. Rob passed me in the flat but I let him go, I knew he wouldn't be able to keep that pace on the last climb.

The last trip over was governed by Crackhead's mantra. "Fast, Fluid, Form." Every left step "Fast" "Fluid" "Form" Before I knew it I was halfway up and had already caught Rob and was reeling in a lot of runners. I resisted the urge to tell them this was my third trip over the bridge...

"GET OFF ME BRIDGE!" I yelled as I crested The Eugene Talmidge Memorial Bridge for the third and final time.

I opened my stride and felt like I was flying down the bridge. I knew I could run reckless until right before the off ramp and then I would need to reel it in and get my running in check for the final hill...sneaky, sneaky; most runners don't know about this hill! After you come off the bridge you loop under and there is this 1/4 mile that you don't feel in your car. After running five miles of the 10k course, you definately feel it!

I was gassed but was in the final mile so I laid it all out there. I saw my buddy Seth ahead of me and tried my best to catch him. I was only passed twice in the final 1/4 mile. Push hard for the final 800 yards, "two laps around the track Thomas"

58:16.
697/1458 10k runners

Total time 1:25:43
Total miles 9.3

22/41 in my AG

211/349 overall Double Pumpers

I got my glass....thank you very much, runner # 1247, where ever you are!

I can't wait until next year. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run "Double Pump"

2009-12-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

HeHe...I said Double Pump...

So this all started with a resentment. This will be my fifth running of the bridge run, but this year I will be running the "Double Pump".

Imagine the scene: It was almost a year ago, it was a cool, crisp Savannah morning. All of the local runners had come out to prove their athletic ability against our famed bridge in either the 5k, the 10k, or the Double Pump. Your's truly had just finished the 10k and was walking through the chute to the water table when I saw another runner with a finely crafted mug emblazoned with a bridge run logo. "Excuse me kind runner. I could not help but notice that beautifully crafted glass mug in your hand. Where ever did you obtain it and how might I get one?" She scanned me up and down pausing at my race bib and mockingly said, "Um, you have to have run the Double Pump to get one of these..."

Hmmm, my 10K effort was not enough.

I swore at that moment to run the double next year and find that runner and let her know I had been gunning for her all year....I will get you runner #1247!

What's that? She will have a different number if she runs this year?!?1! hmmm...Karma!

So, Saturday morning I will wake, attend to the usual morning business and join the masses as we cross the Savannah River via ferry boat to the start of the 5K. I will contain myself as best as possible not to repeat the soul crushing glare of runner #1247 while intermingling with the 5k runners...

8:15am, with great fanfare, the 5k will start. We will cross the Eugene Talmidge Bridge and run into downtown Savannah. As I cross the finish line (goal time 26 & change) I will grab a little water and head over to the starting line of the 10k, which will start promptly at 9:00am.

9:00am, after hearing the national anthem for a second time this morning, the 10k will start with a mile loop through downtown Savannah before the route takes us up and over the bridge. We will quickly loop under the bridge and begin to go back up over the other side. Thus making our third, and final trip over the bridge. I am going to leave it all on the bridge and shoot for sub 55 minutes.

This race is billed as "The South's Toughest Bridge Run" and for good reason. From start to finish the bridge is 1.5 miles long with an average of 5.5% grade on the ascent. Peak elevation of 196 ft. So, in 3/4 of a mile we climb almost 200 feet...fun right? I know, let's do it three times....

I will get my mug. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time.

(Unless they aren't giving out mugs this year????)