Run Until You Drop Challenge - 2016

So there I was on January 6 minding my own business when I received notification that I had been added by John Price to a "Run Until You Drop" Facebook group. What's this? A quick read of the rules revealed in February you have to run miles or kilometers equal to the day of the month. February 1, run one mile or one kilometer. February 2, run two miles or two kilometers and so forth. Distances can't be banked or rearranged. Walking is allowed. Fair enough.

The first thing that struck me was this is a leap year so there would be "bonus" miles on February 29. I fired up Excel and calculated one would need to complete 435 miles for the miles challenge or 270 miles for the kilometer challenge. I looked farther in the thread and found someone had created this nice chart.

The second thing that struck me was how difficult the final week would be in miles or kilometers. I didn't believe I could complete the miles challenge, but I made the commitment to myself to give it a shot. As John said it was okay to start doing miles and switch to kilometers if necessary.

So I started out as a mile challenger. The first week was very easy to complete.

I didn't run into any issues until Saturday the 13th. I wore myself out running over nine miles of hilly singletrack trails and then I walked almost four miles with Marie to finish out the day.

February 14 was the St. Valentine's Day massacre for me. We woke up to about three inches of snow on the ground. It was cold and raining when I headed out. I got soaked and ended up wearing a disposable transparent yellow poncho in order to keep going. I felt really beat up. I think I ended up walking the entire fourteen miles. Fortunately, Marie walked the last three miles with me. That night I decided to switch to kilometers.

Switching to kilometers meant I only had to run 15 km (9.32 miles) on Monday. That drop off in miles was all I needed to recover and got my mojo back.

Wednesday, February 24 was notable because strong thunderstorms were forecast for the evening. I told my boss I would be in late. I ran eleven miles and got to work at 10:30 a.m. Later that day we not only had strong thunderstorms, but several tornadoes in the area. I was able to squeeze in four more miles after work. I saw a partial rainbow and then more storms and tornadoes arrived in the area.

On Saturday, February 27 I felt totally burned out. One of the UK based RUYDroppers posted photos of the beautiful hills where he was running and that motivated me to go run the Berkeley Ravine Trail at William and Mary Woods. That was just the spark I needed to keep going.

On Monday, February 29 I took the day off and ran my eighteen plus miles at Freedom Park, a very inspirational place for me. A very nice park attendant took a finisher's photo for me.

Lessons Learned

1. Being a part of a Facebook group was great. Everyone cheered and encouraged each other. Since most of the runners were based in the UK and I'm an afternoon runner I would see their posts about finishing long before I had even gone out for a run. It was very motivational.

2. The challenge needs to be respected and treated as a month long ultramarathon. You have to fuel and recover properly. The foam roller is your friend. You have to take care of yourself. If you don't you will drop.

3. On some days you will need to make unexpected adjustments. The Hokas were starting to hurt the tops of my feet and ankles. I switched to cushioned zero drop Mizuno Cursoris shoes a couple of times and it really helped.

4. If you can get your daily miles in a single run it is probably better than splitting it up. Sometimes you have to split it up due to work or other reasons.

5. Sometimes you have bad weather or you need to run at night - deal with it.

6. Some days are great, some aren't.

7. You must commit to finishing before you start.

8. You will need support from your spouse, employer, etc.

9. You need to plan your days out as much as possible and have your gear ready to go.

10. Sometimes it's easier to run than it is to walk.

I really enjoyed the whole experience. I like facing challenges like this.

I have to thank Paul Ali for setting it up and John Price for adding me to the group.

Here is my Run Until You Drop Kilo Hero finisher photo. 330 miles for the month. I can't wait until my finisher shirt arrives.





 

DFL and Loving It - The 2015 Barkley Fall Classic - Stream of Consciousness Version

Did I really just hear a conch blow and Laz saying one hour to go?

Change into the Hokas, check. Put on bug spray, check. Bring flashlight or headlamp? Bring both. It's going to be a long day.

The cigarette is lit. We're off. Running a mile on pavement up to the trailhead.

Wait! There's the famous yellow gate! Take a photo! Some guy dropped his water bottle.

We're power hiking on singletrack now. Up, up, up, up. Switchbacks galore. This is the easy part?

Finally we crest the hill. Great. This is some of that glorious downhill Laz promised.

Up and down. Up and down.

Cool! We're crossing Sonofabitch Ditch. Take a photo!

Finally at Bald Knob aid station. Good, I beat the four hour cutoff comfortably. These AS workers sure are young.

Oh, look. There's John Price.

So this is Deja Vu Hill? Crap, we have to run around here twice. Chat with John.

So this is the famous Garden Spot? Very nice.

Up and down. Up and down.

Wow. This double track leading to AS 2 isn't bad. They weren't lying, some of this course is very runnable.

Oops. I'm pretty much out of water.

Arriving at Tub Springs AS still well under cutoff. Do I dare eat the Slim Jims? Why not? AS workers say go down that road, it will take you to the prison. Awesome!

Down, down, down. This is no road! A bulldozer has run through here and packed the dirt really hard. My quads are going to hurt tomorrow. Down, down, down.

Oh look, a paved road. Why are there ambulances here? A crossing guard tells me to go ahead.

Wait! Why am I going uphill again? Where is the prison?


Holy crap! It's Testicle Spectacle. Scenic side trip! More like scene from hell. Why are several runners laying on the ground wiped out? Gee, it's hot. We have to go way down there and back! A guy tells me it will take at least 50 minutes.

I can't stand up. Guess I'll have to slide down on my butt. Someone says to go to the right side on the edge of the woods where there's shade. That helps, plus you can grab onto trees to keep from falling over. Down, down, down, down.

Finally at the bottom. Get the bib punched. Turn around and head back up.

Oh, man. This is steep! Breathing heavy. Heart rate through the roof. Stop here and rest on this rock.

Can't walk. Use the trees to pull up. Stop here and rest on this log. Crawl on hands and knees.

I'm not going to make it. It's too steep and too hot.

I'm hours away from the start/finish line - and my car. Marie is an hour drive away. Cell service is spotty. I have to make it back or she'll worry about me.

Finally, back to the top of Spectacle! Take a break and chat with fellow runners. We've missed the cutoff. Crap!

Going down Meth Lab Hill now. This is great and the prison is down there! Down, down, down.

On pavement now running past houses.

On a highway now. Out of water! I sure hope there is water at the prison.

There's the prison. This is so cool.

And there's a water stop. Fill up with water and electrolyte drink. Yay!

Into the prison. Arrows pointing the way. Gee, this is creepy. Look, James Earl Ray's cell. Take a photo! Keep following arrows down to The Hole. Get the bib punched. Ask if I can drop here and get a ride back. Nope. The shortest way back is to take Rat Jaw. Damn, I guess I have to do Rat Jaw.

How do I get started up that first hill? Hmm, maybe I can grab those guy wires and pull myself up. Sure glad they told us to bring gloves.

Man this is steep! Crawl up the hill. Rest on rocks. Grab the discarded electrical conductors to pull up.

Here come the saw briers. Try to follow the path. Work with John Hord to figure a path up this monster. Man it's hot.

The path isn't very good. Getting cut by briers. Maybe if we go left. Up, up, up. Rest on a log. Crawl. Up, up, up. Rest. Crawl.

Hiram Rogers shows up. Says he's the course sweeper. Crap! That means we're last. He says we're moving pretty well and still have a chance to finish the Barkley Marathon. All we have to do is get to the watch tower and get our bibs punched and then it's a six or seven mile run to the finish.

We pick up two more runners and slog our way to the top. Finally we see the watch tower. Yay!

I crawl up onto the gravel roadway and lay on the ground. While I'm laying on the ground a park ranger drives by and says great job.

Oh, man. We have to climb the tower to get our bibs punched.

On top. The view is spectacular. Take photos and get off the tower.

Time to run. We've split up, but we're all running down to the finish line.

Hiram catches me. We discuss the real Barkley. He has done it. Turn on headlamp.

Run, run, run. There's Laz! Thank him. Run, run, run.

I'm going to make it! Walk some here. Save energy.

There's the finish line. Run! The crowd is applauding. People are yelling, go Jim!

There's Durb! Here's my finisher medal. How did I like it? Great! Will you come back next year? Yes!

2015 Singletrack Maniac 50k

If this was a normal race report I would tell you about the beautiful, somewhat hilly course right here in the Burg. I would tell you about Ellen, the awesome race director. I would tell you about my fellow runners, two of whom came up from the Outer Banks to join in on the fun. I would tell you it was hot and humid. I would tell you Kate Nguyen, the person I ran the previous two Singletrack Maniac 50ks with, didn't make it this year due to a bad ankle. I would also tell you Chris Robertson and I became the only three-time finishers of the event. But this isn't a normal race report.

Basically, I ran the entire race solo, which is unusual for me. It's not that there weren't other runners out there to chat with. I just didn't feel like it. I was feeling rather introspective, probably because I realized it would be my very last race in the 55-59 age group.

Running solo for hours in the middle of the woods gives you lots of time to think.

Turning 40 and 50 didn't phase me a bit. Getting ready to turn 60 seems like kind of a big deal. Why? Every day something reminds me I'm not young anymore. For example, if I sit still for too long, I get stiff and it hurts to move. Why wasn't I prepared for this? I could go on, but won't.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I don't plan to change my behavior. I want to keep running. My times haven't slowed down yet, but I know it will happen eventually.

The other thing I was thinking about a lot was why do we run ultras? I know there are many answers. We like the challenge. We like to see what we're capable of. We like to spend time outdoors. We like the social aspect. We like to run.

Gary Cantrell says the only true test is to attempt something where failure is a real possibility.

To my fellow ultra runners, why do you run ultras?

My First Hundred-Miler

 

On Pea Island

The Setup

My Graveyard 100 journey began one year ago on the side of NC12 in the darkness, somewhere between the temporary "Lego Bridge" and the village of Rodanthe. I had just told my crew I was dropping out of the 100k event. Somehow Josh and Scott came up with the brilliant idea of a handshake agreement between us that we would run the 100-miler in March 2015. Here I had just utterly failed at running 62.2 miles and the solution to that was to attempt to run 100 miles! It didn't make any sense, but I went ahead and shook hands with them.

Eventually several of us from the Outer Banks Running Club signed up for the 2015 race. We had lots of adventures training and running races together. We all enjoyed the process but never lost sight of the fact that finishing the 100-miler was our ultimate goal.

For me this was one big, hairy goal. As the race date neared, it seemed to take over my entire consciousness. The only time I wasn't thinking about it was when I was at work. In a way I enjoyed having that singular purpose. In another way I found it very disconcerting.

The Course

I don't want to call the Race Director, Brandon Wilson, a genius because he would get a big head, but the way he planned out the 100+ mile course is pretty impressive. I would say the race is designed to be doable, but if you get careless or make a miscalculation you may not finish. This year's DNF rate was 27% so the race isn't a gimme by any means.

Here are some of the factors that you have to plan for or deal with:

The race is held in early March, a time of notoriously unpredictable bad weather on the Outer Banks. Wind speed and direction can pose issues here for runners even during relatively fair weather. The race starts at 5:00 a.m. so most runners are sleep deprived going in. There are an adequate number of water stops, but only four aid stations during the entire 100 miles, so you must plan accordingly.

The first half and the second half are completely different.

During the first 45 or so miles you are running mostly through highly populated areas so you have lots to look at and be distracted by.

Running over the two and a half mile Bonner Bridge can be an adventure in itself because there is no pedestrian walkway and the road is not coned off for the runners. It's just you and whatever vehicular traffic there is on the bridge. I've done it three times now and it doesn't get any easier.

The last 55 miles is like running on the Moon. I call it beautiful desolation. I enjoy running past the giant sand dunes once you get on Pea Island. The inhabited villages are few and far between. You are running at night and temperatures usually drop significantly. If it's overcast, you can't see much further than your headlamp will allow and you start getting tunnel vision on the two lane highway. Runners get spread out and you may not see anyone else for hours. Traffic is often speeding by at 60 or 70 mph, sometimes mere feet or in some cases inches from you! Late at night the traffic that was annoying you suddenly stops. When it's clear you can see the villages and the Hatteras Light for miles and it seems like you will never get there.

The Goal

Since this was my first attempt at 100 miles my goal was to simply finish. Nothing more, nothing less. There was no Plan B.

I decided to not let myself get caught up in any pre-race excitement. Last year I was so hyped up during the race briefing by just sitting at the same table as the Badwater 135 record holder, Valmir Nunes. I was going to try to treat the event as just another long training run.

The Plan

My plan was to alternate running 25 minutes / walking 5 minutes with Laura for at least the first 50 miles. We had recently done the 42.7 mile FCA Light2Light Run together using that approach with good results. Rich was Laura's crew chief and since Laura and I had agreed to run the first 50 together, he was sort of my crew chief by default. Ron agreed to be my crew chief on the bottom half of the course. I knew it was likely that Laura and I would split up eventually. Several people from the Outer Banks Running Club volunteered to pace me once we got over the bridge, where pacing is allowed.

I told myself if I could make it 62 miles to Aid Station #3 in Rodanthe, there was no way I wasn't finishing. I knew I could run, walk or crawl to the finish line from there if I had to.

The Race

Rich picked me up at 3:30 a.m. and then we drove to Laura's house to pick her up. When we arrived at the start area it was 21 degrees. We checked in with race officials and got our gear ready. At 4:55 a.m. ninety runners lined for a very cool electric guitar version of the Star Spangled Banner. Then we heard Thunderstruck by AC/DC start to play. We took a few quick OBRC photos and we were off into the darkness at 5:01. The energy level of everyone was very high. It seemed very surreal to me.

OBRC members at the start

Laura and I ran with Wendy for over ten miles I believe. The sun came up but it was still cold for quite some time. It was fun chatting with and seeing some of the other runners. I was trying to learn all I could by observing how they approached a 100-mile run. Eventually Wendy went on ahead of us.

In Duck - Photo Courtesy of Susan Scott

Before we even made it to the first aid station in Duck, both Laura and I were having issues. Laura was running with a head cold and her knee was starting to bother her. My left hip flexor was bothering me. When we got to the first aid station I took a couple of Tylenols and that seemed to solve my hip flexor pain.

The aid station reminded me of a NASCAR pit stop. We refueled, changed clothes and went to the restroom in about six minutes according to Rich's advice.

Once we made it to the beach road, we started running with a guy named Bryan from Manassas, VA. He said it was his first attempt at 100 too. It was good to have a new person to chat with and it helped to pass the miles. By the time we got to the Epstein St. water stop it had gotten pretty warm. I was wishing I had changed into running shorts.

By the time we reached Aid Station #2 in South Nags Head the temperature had started dropping and the wind picked up. Kathy was there and helped me change socks and worked on my feet and muscles for a few minutes. She used some fancy essential oils which really seemed to help. I had a cup of hot potato soup which really hit the spot. Rich and Kathy told us to get going so we left the AS and headed for the bridge.

Surprise support from the bridge catwalk

Once you leave South Nags Head everything changes. You turn left on NC12 and you leave civilization behind. We made it to the bridge in fairly short order. We ran all the way to the steep part of the bridge and decided to walk the "uphill" part. As we ran to the far end of the bridge we heard people talking. Some of our supporters surprised us by hiding on the catwalk on the other side of the guardrail. It was kind of funny. We had beat the cutoff and were over the bridge with about an hour and half to spare I believe.

Laura picked up her pacer and took off ahead of me. Ron, Deb and others helped me change into warmer clothes and I took off with Robert, my pacer. Robert and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and a gorgeous sunset that seemed to last for hours.

On Pea Island - Photo Courtesy of Susan Scott

Eventually we made it to AS#3 in Rodanthe. My crew got me some food. I had brief dizzy spell because I had become overheated in the warmth of AS. Once I got out of my hot, damp clothes I recovered almost instantly. Kathy worked on my feet and muscles again with the essential oils.

Running with Laura in South Nags Head

Kathy paced me through the next two water stops. It was nice catching up on what was going on with each other during those miles.

Next Terry, Ron and Deb paced me at various points all of the way to the finish. I enjoyed a cup of hot ramen soup and part of a hamburger at AS#4 at the Hatteras Lighthouse. Those last 13 miles from the lighthouse to the end were a struggle. I was hoping that sunrise would re-energize me but it didn't.

I did get energized once we arrived in Hatteras Village. Dee and Scott drove up in their van and cheered for me and took photos. From there it was a quick jaunt to the finish.

OBRC at the finish line

 
My official time was 28:37:47. Nothing spectacular, but I did it. I was very conservative with my energy, having never gone that far before. If I was to try it again I think I could cut a couple of hours off of my time. I would be tempted to run it solo next time. My hat is off to anyone attempting it solo. Solo has to be a lot more difficult than running it crewed like I did.

Lessons Learned

1. Tailwind Nutrition worked well.
2. Hokas and Injinji toe socks worked well during the first half. During the second half I switched to regular socks and got big blisters because of it.
3. I was very surprised when my feet and ankles swelled up after the race. I never had that happen before. Maybe I should have worn compression socks?
4. I'm pretty stubborn. There was no point in the race where I thought I wouldn't finish.


It was a great experience. Kudos to Brandon and his family for putting on such a top notch event. I would recommend it to anyone.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Light2Light Run

I feel very fortunate to have participated this relatively small event for a great cause. The organization, volunteers, community support and fellow runners were all fantastic. The run started at the Currituck Lighthouse at 7:00 a.m. and finished 42.7 miles to the south at the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Runners had the option of signing up as a relay team or running the whole distance solo. Runners needed to finish the run by 5:00 p.m.

A few of us who are training for the Graveyard 100 in March signed up to do it solo. It made a perfect training run to test our pacing, nutrition, gear, general readiness, etc. on the actual Graveyard 100 course.

The Start - 33 ℉

It was great chatting with all of the runners at the beginning of the race while we were still bunched up together. After a while the field spread out.

With Rich 7 miles in at Pine Island

I ran the entire Light2Light event with Laura. We have decided to cooperate during the first half of the GY100 when no pacers are allowed. Rich will be Laura's crew chief. He has agreed to help me out during the first half too. Thanks, Rich!

Somewhere below Duck a guy asked us if we were running the FCA Light2Light Run. We said yes. He launched a helicopter drone and filmed us from overhead. It was pretty cool. I wonder if we will be on YouTube.

Jennette's Pier Aid Station mile 35.5. Me fumbling with a Tailwind packet.

Laura and me holding up our finisher medals at Bodie Island

Here are my lessons learned:

1. Hokas are awesome! The extra cushioning in those shoes really helps reduce the pounding your body must absorb on a long run like this.

2. Tailwind Nutrition is great! During the first two thirds of the run I was very conscientious about drinking my Tailwind and felt great.

I got a little lax about drinking it later on and paid for it. I started to bonk after we left Jennette's Pier aid station. Fortunately, Terry was at the side of Old Oregon Inlet Road and gave me a GU gel. My blood sugar and energy level started coming back up after that. I've bonked so many times now I can feel it coming on and know what to do before it's too late.

3. Don't overdress. I wore an old race shirt that I wouldn't mind throwing away if I got over heated. Sure enough, I started to get hot on the beach road.  I took the shirt off and tossed into someone's trash can. I felt much better after that.

4. 25 minute run / 5 minute walk works great. The secret is to do it from the very start and to be consistent about it.

5. Aid Station stops are very important, but just don't stay there long.

6. Reduce caffeine intake before an event like this. Then when you get droopy during the event by all means have caffeine, whether it's in your sports drink, Coke or Mountain Dew.

7. Injinji toe socks work well. I didn't have any major blister issues.

Next up Graveyard 100!

Seashore Nature Trail 50k 2014

The furnace was running at 4:45 a.m. when my alarm went off.  I knew it was cold outside. I told Marie I wanted to skip the race and go back to sleep. She said I would regret it if I didn't go. She was right. I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and drove an hour an a half down to First Landing State Park near the Virginia Beach ocean front.

The park is a really beautiful place to run. The trail system takes you through several habitats including cypress swamp, salt marsh, maritime forest, freshwater wetlands, dunes, and bay shoreline. It reminds me a lot of Florida when you pass through the sections where Spanish moss is hanging from the trees. I believe it is actually the northern most U.S. location of Spanish moss.

Seashore 50k Map

I got to the park early and met Chris from Williamsburg. We realized we could have car pooled so we exchanged phone numbers so we can coordinate any future events. I also got a chance to chat with Jeff, who had done the traffic stop for us during the Graveyard 100k.

Some of the Outer Banks Running Club contingent prior to the start

I met Andy at the starting line. We met each other through the Williamsburg Riders Motorcycle Club, but we have both since transitioned into doing endurance sports.

Andy's wife took this photo just after the start

This was my third year running the Seashore 50k. Having recently done the Graveyard 100k this event felt pretty low key. I didn't have any particular goals other than to have fun and get some training in. I usually bring all sorts of changes of clothes and shoes and a drop bag but this time I didn't even bother. I guess I'm becoming a veteran now.

In the beginning of the race I remember chatting with Andy, Wendy, Laura and a few others.  Eventually the field spread out. By the time we reached the first aid station it was just fellow Graveyard 100k runner, Laura, and me running together.  We decided to run the whole first loop and then switch to run 25 minute, walk 5 minute intervals to practice for the upcoming Graveyard 100 in March.

Running the first loop was routine until we reached the Bald Cypress/Osmanthus section. Shane, who should have been way ahead of us came running up behind us. He had mistakenly run that section twice in a row. Fortunately, he was able to work things out with the race officials. They let him skip that section on the second loop. He ended up running the full 50k course, just in a slightly different order than everyone else.

Seashore always has great volunteers and aid stations. I ate peanut butter sandwich squares and drank Mountain Dew or Coke at every aid station. At one point in the race my right calf started cramping up so I ate a bunch of potato chips and pretzels for the salt at the next AS. It seemed to help because the problem disappeared.

Laura and I at Aid Station 2

I think the highlight of the race for both Laura and me was the surprise appearance by Kathy. Kathy ran several miles with us in street clothes. It was a great chance to catch up on what was going on with her because she moved away and we don't see her so often anymore.

Laura, Kathy and me.

On the second loop coming back toward the finish I started picking off runners. This is something I'm not used to doing. Laura wasn't having the best day. When we saw a runner up ahead she would say, "Oh no, I know what's happening next."  Then we would accelerate, even on the uphills, and pass the runners. We must have passed at least a dozen people this way.

When we finished I was surprised it wasn't a PR. I was about a minute slower than last year. I think I ran faster in the beginning last year and paid for it at the end. This year I was definitely more consistent throughout the race and had some more in the tank at the finish.

Laura and I coming down Cape Henry Trail

Next up - 2014 - The year in review.