BIB REPORT: The Barkley Fall Classic 50K (Outrunning failure)

The Skinny:

10:29:18
19 of 101 "finishers"(214 actual starters at race time)

I had been looking forward to/dreading this event for a while. I knew last years event was tough and some of the really great local ultra runners had turned in times in excess of 8 and 9 hours at last years event. That may seem ridiculously slow for a 50k but this is not your ordinary race. This is The Barkley Fall Classic, offspring of the infamous Barkley Marathons at Frozen Head which has seen less than twenty finishers in its nearly 30 year history.

This years event was set to be even tougher with a lot more elevation and a few more features to be included that are staples in the daddy Barkley. I took all this into account in my training leading up to The Fall Classic, and did nothing but as much vertical running and climbing as I could. I even made a handful of trips to Frozen Head and got in as many miles on the trails as I could. I felt like I had prepared as well as I could but still didnt know really what to expect on race day.

The night before I couldnt sleep at all. No matter what I tried no comfort could be found. Not many races have kept me up the night before, but Barkley did. No matter. 4:00a.m. and the alarm was going off. Race time was set for 7:00 and I wanted to be sure to get there early and let the nerves wear off hopefully. My wife being a willing sidekick for the day certainly helped. She planned on hiking up to the fire tower on top of Frozen Head after the race start and waiting for me at the top of Rat Jaw, a knarley one mile climb from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary following a power line cut straight up the side of the mountain. More on that later.....

After milling around for a bit at the field where everything was being staged at and talking to a few friends from Knoxville that were running as well, it was time to head to the road leading into the park and get ready for race start. Im sure Durb(race director) or Laz(Barkley Marathon evil genius) were saying something important on the megaphone before the race, I just couldnt hear them. As a matter of fact, I never even saw Laz light his cigarette signalling the start. All at once though the field surged forward and we were on our way. We headed up the main road into the park as light was just starting to break and ended up running into several friends from Knoxville that were also running. About six of us "locals" from Knoxville ended up running together for the remainder of the road leading up to the famous Yellow gate just before the single track started up Bird Mountain.

Once we got onto the single track the long line of runners immediately slowed to a walk as it was a long, steep two miles to the top from here with over a dozen switchbacks. By the time we got to the trail the sun was all the way up and lighting the way. I had settled in just behind another friend from Knoxville with a couple more just a few spots back. There was plenty of time for conversation going back and forth up the mountain, but the pack was still keeping a good pace. Once I finally hit the summit of Bird Mountain, the pack picked back up to a run. We started back down immediately on narrow single track with a lot of switchbacks, but the trail on the backside of Bird wasnt quite as well worn as the trail up. At this point the front runners were already out of sight and the pack I was in was a little too slow for my liking but I kept telling myself that it was a good thing to be a little slower at this point.

after another couple of good climbs the course started to become a little more "Tennessee flat" and a little more runnable. Just around two hours in according to my cheap Casio I finally saw a red arrow pointing the way down a side trail toward the first aid station at Bald Knob.  I hadnt really drank any water from my bladder, but I went ahead and topped it off any way and quickly grabbed a couple of Slim Jim's which Laz said to make sure and do, then it was back up the short side trail to North Bird Trail and on to Deja Vu Hill.

Once we got to Deja Vu Hill we were to make a counter clockwise loop around before heading out on Coffin Springs Trail toward the second aid station at Tubb Springs. This is the first spot of the day that I can say I lost time. An apparent left instead of a right just before starting on Deja Vu had several of us that were running together follow a trail that vanished in about 200 yards at the top of a hill and left us all reaching for our maps and trying to head in several directions to try and find another trail marker. After several minutes and no luck, we all decided to back track to the intersection. Once we got there there were already several other runners that had caught up and were also trying to decipher which way to go. I ran into a few friends from Knoxville that I had gotten a little ahead of after the Bald Knob aid station and we ended up running in the same pack for the next several miles. Deja Vu was a tough section because once I got lost the first time, I stayed turned around the entire time. I was glad to finally be done and get onto Coffin Springs which I was more familiar with.


Coffin Springs was a nice wide jeep road but it wasnt well used so it was a little overgrown and rutty, but it allowed a lot faster pace than I had been able to go the first several miles. I ran about halfway to the second aid station at Tubb Springs with a friend from Knoxville. After a little bit though I was running alone until I got to Tubb Springs where I was greeted by my wife who had hiked up North Old Mac trail to meet me. After a quick fill of water once again and a good luck kiss from my wife, It was onto the jeep road down to Armes Gap. Four hours in and only 13 miles covered at this point. Kinda lets you know how much climbing there was on this course so far. It would get much worse though.....

On the way to Armes Gap I was able to catch up with a couple of other Knoxville runners I knew and ran for a brief while with them until I was able to pull away from them a little before crossing highway 116. Once I got in sight of the highway I could hear somebody call my name. Turned out to be my friend Kirby Russell who was there cheering on runners along with a couple of other of my Knoxville runner friends. It was nice to see some friendly faces and get some encouragement before the big climb ahead. Kirby let me know that I was in the top 25 when I passed. That was a nice motivator too.

Once across the highway the trail started to climb again immediately up toward Fodderstack Mountain. It was a nice wide jeep road, but really steep. Just as it started to level out a little, there was an arrow pointing left. Testicle Spectacle was what awaited. The picture below doesnt come close to showing how steep it really is. If I had to guess, its maybe somewhere between 1/2 and 3/4 mile to the bottom. The extremely steep grade was topped off with overgrowth of briers, large rip rap rocks that were covered with grass and weeds and not much if any trail to speak of. Once we got to the bottom and got our bib punched, we were informed that once we got back to the top, we would be halfway. Only halfway, and still a couple of huge climbs left in the second half of the race.

The reward for finally making it back up the grueling climb of Testicle Spectacle was a quick breather at the top and a little more encouragement from Kirby Russell, DK Stanford, and Steve Barber who had made the walk up to the top of Testicle after I had passed them earlier at Armes Gap, then, it was the long, twisted, rutted downhill of Meth Lab Hill. Meth Lab wasnt easy to navigate by any means, but at least it was all downhill. Once at the bottom it was a little run through the woods then onto asphalt for about a half mile as we came back out onto highway 116 just below Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

I got to the front gate of the prison in 18th place. I was with another runner I had followed up the highway. He was still moving a little faster than I was and stayed about 70 or 80 yards in front of me as we worked our way up to the front of the prison. I looked down for a second at one point and when I looked back up, poof, he was gone. I had no clue where he had went. For some reason at this point I must have lost all sense of awareness. I thought to myself, " maybe he went around the prison wall to the left and up the gravel road", so, without even looking around at all, thats where I headed. Once I got around the corner of the wall I expected to see him, but he was nowhere in sight. "Where the Hell did he go!" I thought. At this point I decided to backtrack to the front of the prison so I ran back down the gravel road and just as I turned the corner I saw it. A read arrow stuck in the grass right in front of the front door of the prison. How did I miss that? My little side trip allowed about 5 or 6 other runners to catch up with me by the time I got into prison finally. Once inside I was with a couple other guys as we tried to make our way through the maze of rooms the course lead us through as we tried to find "The Hole" where we got our next bib punch.

Unfortunately, in my search for "The Hole", I ended up takking a detour once again. We ended up misreading a sign and went up a set of stairs and back outside which isnt where we were supposed to be. Back in the front once again we went. This time though I got my flashlight out  and we figured out where we went wrong. I ran down into the hole, shining my light quickly into each cell. On the fourth try, Boom! There was a face grinning back at me. It was the guy we needed to find to punch our bibs. He seemed to be really enjoying his job today.

Once my bib was punched it was back outside where there was an arrow pointing the way to what I already knew was going to be the hardest climb of the day, Rat Jaw. Im not certain of the exact details, but Rat Jaw is roughly 45 degrees  and steeper for over a mile straight up a power line cut to the peak of Frozen Head. Its covered with impassable saw briers, so your best bet is to stay in the wood line on either side. The first problem I encountered with Rat Jaw was actually getting onto it. Once we made the initial climb up off the prison grounds, we came out onto an old overgrown jeep road. There were a couple other runners ahead of me at this point so I just followed their lead which proved to be a mistake. The jeep road disappeared into the woods and suddenly we were all guessing once again where we were.

After a few minutes worth of figuring on where we had passed the trail and a couple of us decided the best approach was to backtrack. There was one brave soul that kept going on up the mountain through the woods though. Never saw him again.....

Once I finally got to the power line cut, I knew I was on the right route. It started out as a jeep road, but that quickly turned into a forest of saw briars. Head high saw briars. I decided to head for the wood line off to the side of the power lines to avoid the briars and to hopefully make better time. Even in the woods though the going was extremely slow. The climbing was through rocky loose soil while trying to use trees to pull yourself along the entire way. about halfway up I popped out onto the old Prison Mine Road. I had been down the Mine Road a couple of weeks earlier during a training run, so it gave me a good reference to where I was and how much farther I had to go up Rat Jaw. I crossed the power line cut a couple of times trying to find the easiest way up at all times. When one side was to steep, I tried the other side. I eventually ended up coming out at the Frozen Head tower on the right side of Rat Jaw. Took over an hour to go slightly less than a mile.

Once at the top, the reward was a climb up the fire tower to get another bib punch. That hurt more than it needed to. Once back down the tower I jogged over to the jeep road and spotted my wife standing by the edge of Rat Jaw still looking down the hill watching the other runners struggling to get up. I caught her by surprise as she wasnt expecting me to come up on the opposite side of the power line cut. After a quick kiss she decided to run the half mile or so back down the jeep road to the Tubb Springs aid station with me. Just as we were about to the bottom, who do I run into once again but Steve, DK, and Kirby on their way up to the fire tower to watch the action on Rat Jaw themselves.I stopped for a second to talk and Steve hands me some "adult" hydration. Man, that hit the spot! Its good to have friends!

After "refreshments" were done I headed on into Tubb Springs and refilled my Camelbak for the trip down North Old Mac trail to see Laz for the first time. I was still feeling really good, even after a couple of HUGE climbs. Luckily North Old Mac was all down hill. Once I was at the bottom I was greeted by one of the awesome volunteers that went and grabbed my bag for me. I had a few goodies stashed in there like a pack of Tuna in Olive Oil(a personal favorite) and a bag of dark chocolate covered Goji berries. I ate the Tuna there while I changed my socks and bandana. Once I was done I walked over to Laz to get a Bib punch. Before he punched me though, he asked "are you done, or are you going all the way?". At this aid station, runners had the option of opting down to the "Marathon" finish or continuing on for the full course which meant another 8-10 miles. I told him "I paid for all of it, Im running all of it". He grinned, punched my bib, and I was on my way again.

After leaving Laz's  aid station there was a little less than a mile until the Chimney Top trailhead. Chimney Top is a deceptive climb. Its a switchback climb for the first mile or two before leveling out briefly. The second part of the climb is by far the worst, especially after having had three huge climbs already and now being around 8-9 hours into the race. Straight up. Literally straight up. No switchbacks. Thats how you finish the climb up Chimney Tops. This is where I started to feel it for the first time. About halfway up the switchbacks I heard someone above me that sounded like they were coughing loudly. I heard it a couple of more times before I caught up to the guy on the side of the trail bent over dry heaving. This part of the race was starting to take its toll on those who had continued on it looked like. I continued on and quickly caught up to another runner. He stayed ahead of me for a short bit but decided to walk over and take a break on a rock. I made the rest of the straight up climb of Chimney Top very slowly. It was the worst part of the race for me by far. My legs were screaming and telling me they were done. I would push for a hundred feet or so, then stop or walk for a second. Near the top I had spotted another runner who appeared to be having the same issues as me. Amazingly though, I was still closing the gap on him little by little. Once I caught up to him we talked for a while and ran when we could. We both decided that it really helped having someone else to run with for motivation.

After we crossed the summit of Chimney Top we started back to a decent jog on our way down to the aid station at Spicewood. Running down hill at this point actually seemed to hurt worse than the climbs. Once we ran in to the Spicewood station and got our last refills of the day we were off on our last leg to to finish. I had had hopes of a sub 10 hour finish, but unfortunately I still had about 3 miles to go at the 10 hour mark. Now that I was on a good downhill and I knew the end was near I had renewed energy. Seemed like I was to the end of Chimney Top Loop and back to Laz's aid station again in no time.

After a quick "Congratulations young man" from Laz as I passed through the aid station It was through the parking lot back onto the main Park road for what felt like about a mile. The asphalt finish was not a welcome site, but I was able to keep a slow trot all the way to the finish thankfully for 19th place overall in just under 10 1/2 hours. The race was an awesome experience and was just as tough as Laz had promised. Im looking forward to next years race!

#Brookscascadia #Trainuphill

BIB REPORT: Rock & Root 30K 2015

The Skinny:

3:07:33
3 of 42


Before:

Ever since I ran the inaugural Rock & Root 30K last September, I have been looking forward to this years event. For one reason, I truly enjoy the atmosphere created by all the guys at Peak Mountain Sports surrounding their events. Secondly, I had a little bit of redemption on my mind since I ended up bonking pretty badly just past mile 14 last year which led to a time much slower than I had hoped for.

Race morning was sunny, but somewhat cooler which was a bit of a relief since the race date had been moved up to late August for this years Rock & Root. After milling around talking to some new friends as well as old friends, it was time for the race start. I had been training quite a bit at Haw Ridge Park leading up to this event and felt like I was pretty well prepared. Still, I knew this years course was going to have quite a bit more elevation to it. Just like last year though, most of the elevation would come at once with each lap of the two lap course including a climb up the dreaded "Hill of Truth". This year the climb up the H.O.T. would be a little earlier in the lap. I actually hoped to use this as an advantage because I would be a little fresher by the time I got to my first climb. My plan this year was to maintain a strong pace, but not so strong that I had another late race burnout like last year.

During:

A short run through the field at the main staging area and we were onto asphalt greenway for a short distance then into the single track. The greenway gave the crowd a good chance to thin out a little. I remember hearing a guy running next to me on the greenway saying "If I could keep this pace it would be a short day". I started to laugh until I looked at my watch. 6:50 pace said the screen. I thought "that cant be right, Im barely moving" A mix of feel good and nerves always makes for a fast early pace it seems. The arrival of single track slowed me down a little closer to my intended pace. A quick count as runners entered the trail put me at eighth which I hoped to maintain through the race.

A couple of miles in and a couple of runners passed on a short climb, I settled in with another runner named Andy. We talked a little along the way, but mainly, I was just glad to have filtered out with someone running the pace I wanted to run. Just after mile five we began a long slow ascent up toward the Hill of Truth for the first time. It was on the lead up trail to the H.O.T. that Andy started to walk for the first time. I had already made up my mind I wasnt walking until I actually got onto the Hill. I power hiked to the top, got a fast refill of water from the awesome Hill of Truth Hooligans, then headed on to the Ridge trail which had several short climbs as well.

After getting up the Hill of Truth, in fifth place now, I ran by myself until just past the third aid station which was manned by a couple of running friends this year. I knew it was just a little over two miles to the start finish area and the start of the second loop from here, so I decided to just say a quick hello as I ran by. One of the great things about Haw Ridge Park for me is that I know the trails really well since its where I do most of my training runs. My familiarity with these trails also led to a mistake on my part oddly enough. Just after the third aid station the trail splits. Turning left at the split takes you to a parking area. The race course went to the right, but without any thought at all, muscle memory took me left toward the parking lot which is how I end most all my training runs. By the time I got to the greenway, I realized that I didnt see any course markers. I ran back up the trail a short ways. Still no course markers. One thing I knew though was that the course had to cross back at a particular junction, so I headed out the greenway a few hundred feet and ducked back into the woods. As I was coming up the trail to where I thought the course would cross, I see Andy coming down the trail from the proper direction. I shrugged and said "guess I missed a marker somewhere huh".

After cruising into the main aid station with Andy I got a quick refill of water and headed back out. I still felt like I was too far up in the running order and I knew there were still strong runners behind me. I felt really good, but didnt think my placement would last the entire second loop. After running the short section of greenway leading to the trail at the start of the second loop I noticed something laying in the middle of the asphalt. At first I thought "stick", then as I got closer I thought "Black Snack", then I realized a few feet away what it really was, a Copperhead. I steered clear and decided to hang around a second or two to make sure Andy saw it as well. After we got around it and got onto the trail again we ended up running together again for a short distance. After a while though I was by myself again as I headed back toward the Hill of Truth for a second time.

Just before the Hill of Truth climb I started to catch glimpses of another runner through the woods ahead of me. I lost sight of them for a little while and thought they had taken off and left me, but once we got out into the open on the second climb up the Hill of Truth I realized I was catching him. About halfway up the Hill one of the "Hooligans", came down and met us to get our water bottles filled so they would be ready when we got to the top. Now thats service! I out hiked the runner I caught up with to the top of the hill and headed back out onto Ridge trail again by myself. Once again I ran for the next few miles alone until I got within a half mile of the third aid station. At that point I began to catch another runner on Lake Road. Just as I saw him in a straightaway he went down. I ran up and checked on him. He wasnt hurt, but he let me know that he was done physically. I headed on to the aid station and let them know about him as I got a quick refill of water. Misty let me know I was third overall as I was leaving, which I had thought, but was still surprised to hear.

After I left the last aid station, I had two things going through my mind. First and foremost, dont miss the course sign this time! Secondly, I was thinking, whats going on here? Im in third overall. How did that happen? I started questioning everything from my pace to missing the course somewhere else along the way. A check of my watch confirmed the correct distance though. The last mile was the toughest all day for some reason, but once I finally got back to the field where the finish line was, I could hear the R.D., Brad calling me in. It was a great feeling to not only be done, but to have been able to actually follow my pre-race plan all the way through trimming 42 minutes from my time last year



                                   
                                  

After:

After Party is more like it. Like I mentioned before, of all the events Ive ran, the atmosphere at the Peak Mountain Sports events is by far and away the best. Everyone is encouraged to hang around and cheer for the remaining runners after they finish, but with free Terrapin Beer being a staple at Peak events, it really doesnt take much encouragement. As if having Terrapin as a sponsor wasnt good enough, there are also sponsor booths from Altra and Blue Ridge Mountain Sports which supplied some awesome post race swag and door prizes. You'll not find a better swagged race, trust me. Looking forward to next years event already!

BIB REPORT: Lakeshore Trail Trek Marathon

The Skinny:
4:58:21
9 of 30

The weather leading up to this race had been pretty brutal. No rain to speak of and it had been in the 90's. Fortunately we caught a break on race day as the forecast called overcast skies and wind. as well as a good chance of rain. This being the first year for the Marathon length Lakeshore Trail Trek, this was a good thing.

I hadnt preregistered for this race due mostly to procrastination and the fact that I have been battling a nagging shin issue for a while now and wanted to make sure I felt up to the race distance. I had been planning on this race for a while though, so after my ritual two packs of oatmeal and coffee, I was out the door with my wife who was running the 10K version. We arrived early and I got registered and had plenty of time to mingle around with several of my running friends.

The race started on the road just in front of the Coytee parking area with the Marathoners facing one direction and the 10Ker's facing the other. After a few final race instructions from the R.D.'s we were off. Within the first 200 yards the Marathoners crossed the Coytee foot bridge just like in last years 16 mile Lakeshore trail race.

My plan was the same as the one I had followed in the Fall Creek Falls 50K a couple of months earlier. GO SLOW! I couldnt help taking the opportunity to run hard to the bridge on the short distance we were on asphalt though. I ended up crossing the bridge in eighth place. In hindsight, running hard to the bridge was a good idea as I would basically end up staying right there pretty much all day.

After we got off the bridge, we began on single track immediately. I stayed with the lead pack for roughly the first mile, but I kept reminding myself not to try and keep up so they eventually faded into the distance and I lost sight of them. After the lead pack was out of sight it was just myself and another runner immediately behind me. I never knew who the other runner was, but after pacing me for another mile or so, the footsteps began to fade out and I was by myself until I got to the aid station at mile 4.5.

As I stopped briefly at the first aid station manned by Tony Owens and Leah Jones. Soon after I had three other runners catch up, two men and a woman. I recognized the female runner from previous races and knew I wouldnt be able to keep up with her. i was right. Within the next mile I was beginning to lose sight of her and one of the two male runners. I was able to pass the other male runner back though as he stepped aside and let me pass.

The next 3 miles to the second aid station were pretty uneventful as I was once again by myself. At about mile 7 of the 8 mile out and back the leader, Sho Gray, passed me on his return. One of the best and worst things about an out and back course can be seeing how many runners are ahead of you and who they are. I was still in 8th place by the time I got to the second aid station at Lotterdale Cove. A quick drink or two and I was back on the course to Coytee

Just after leaving the aid station at Lotterdale the course follows a trail that runs right beside the road as it passes the lake for about a half mile. It gave me a chance to see every other runner in the race and how far behind me they were. Kind of makes you pick up the pace a little whether you actually need to or not. I ran by myself once again for the four miles back to the mile 12 aid station(same as mile 4). At this point I couldnt resist the offer of a popsicle. Unfortunately, that slowed me down just enough to get caught by another runner. I kept up with her for the next two miles as we had a little conversation. I could tell by the way she was talking about our pace that she expected that we would be running together
for a while. Not to be though. Her pace was faster than what I could maintain and I eventually lost sight of her and was once again by myself.

At about mile 15 I tripped on a small low cut stump. I took one stab at saving myself, but I was too far gone. Bam, I hit the ground pretty hard, but luckily didnt get hurt, just a little scuffed up. After sitting there for a second or two on the ground and putting the lid back on my handheld, I got up and continued on to the main aid station at mile 16.

After I finished up a quick snack at the aid station, I headed out on a short section of road that lead to the next section of trail that was roughly a 5 mile out and back. Once again I was running alone for the most part. Once we got to the mile 19 aid station we had a quick 2 mile out and back to the golf course left and it was in this section that I actually caught and passed two runners. One on the way to the golf course turn around and then another shortly after we started back to the aid station. As soon as I stopped at the aid station again, now mile 23, I decided to have another popsicle. One of the volunteers was keeping a tab of who had came by and in what position. She remarked on my return that I had passed two people in that section. My response was "I'll pay for it", and I did. As soon as I said that, one of the runners I had passed earlier caught me. I left right with him from the aid station, but I couldnt keep pace with him and lose sight of him pretty quickly.

The last 3.5 miles back to the finish I was by myself once again. The last segment was pretty uneventful except for a strong shower that started around mile 24. The shower quickly turned into a downpour. A heavy downpour. It was raining hard enough at one point that I actually questioned whether or not it was hailing. I couldnt keep the water out of my eyes for a short distance, but luckily the cover from the woods thickened up and it wasnt too bad. By the time I was at mile 25, the rain was over, but my shoes stayed full of water until the finish.

All in all a great race as I finished with a time of 4:58. I had planned on coming in at around 4:30, but I definitely didnt want to be over 5 hours. I really didnt have the training I needed leading up to the race, so I wont complain about the 9th place finish. I also ended up with my first ever overall Masters win in a trail race.

Looking forward to another great run next season!

BIB REPORT: KTC Expo 10K

The Skinny:
44:06
50 of 361

Another team race for KTC and the Tennova running team. I went into this race with somewhat of an expectation of a P.R. for a 10K. I had a P.R. earlier in the year at the Strawberry Plains 10K, and that was a tough course with an uphill 3 mile return to it.

I didnt really feel like I was pushing  during this race, but I still ended up with a time that was only 5 seconds off of Strawberry Pains. The run started on a nice downhill which quickly turned onto Gay Street then quickly went onto a long, grinding uphill on Broadway. After about a mile of uphill on Broadway the course turned into a section of town that I have never been through before. A section of the historic 4th and Gill neighborhood with some beautifully restored old homes. This section of the course was pretty flat with just a couple of small rolling sections. I was able to keep my pace at just at just under 7:00 for the first loop.

As the second loop started though, we were treated to a second trip up the long slow grinding uphill of Broadway. I swear that road is dead flat in a car. My pace unfortunately slowed a little over the next two miles. The first two miles of the second loop were both 7:14. I was a little tired from the climb and I also let myself get caught behind a slower runner for a bit not paying attention. A short out and back just before mile 5 didnt help matters either. As we turned off of Broadway the second time and began making our way through the neighborhood the course monitors had moved over and were directing the 10ker's down a very steep hill. Made good time on the way down of course, but I all but toasted my legs on the way back up the hill just trying to stay in the low 8's. It took me a good half mile the rest of the way through the neighborhood to recover somewhat.

After a brief slow down for recovery, I was able to pick up the pace for the last mile or so to the finish. Mile 6 was a 6:48 pace. The course steadily winding downhill did help. The final turn to the finish was onto cobblestone which was a little tricky with tired legs, but the quick steep uphill to the finishline was a challenge. I was glad it was over when it was done. Also glad I have been able to take my 10K pace average down about 45 seconds since running this race for the first time last year.

BIB REPORT: Beatin' a Hastie Retreat 9 miler

The skinny:
1:24:46
18 of 66

This was the fifth race in the Knoxville Track Club's "Treddin' Troddin Trails series and was a new race on the schedule for 2015. The course wound its way through William H. Hastie Natural Area which is also part of Knoxville's Urban Wilderness.

Race morning was a little on the cool side, at least for May. There was cloud cover and light rain that morning as well. The light rain, along with the fact that The Knoxville Family Challenge Triathlon was being held the same morning made for a little bit of an adventure getting to south Knoxville where the race started. After a few detours for cyclist in the Tri, I made it to the Anderson School where the race start was.

At first, it looked like the race was going to be pretty lightly attended. Honestly, my first thought was "good, rain is keeping a few folks away". As it turns out, the race start was delayed a bit because several folks, like myself, were having trouble getting to the start because of the Triathlon closures in downtown. As 9:30 approached there was a pretty sizeable crowd though. The extra wait wasnt too bad because it did give me a chance to talk a little longer with a couple of my "running" friends.

The race didnt start out too bad. It was an asphalt start which led to a faster pace getting to the woods and allowed the crowd to thin out before the trails started. It was only a short distance into the woods when I could tell I wasnt going to be able to keep up with the lead pack. Try as I might, I finally lost sight of them and settled in to run a while by myself. Seems to happen every race. not fast enough for the lead pack and too fast for the rest of the pack.

At around mile 3 the 9 mile runners took a right and headed out onto an out and back of about 4 miles, most of which seemed to go downhill. I was pretty happy to see that I wasnt passing any runners coming back up the trail for quite a while, it let me know that I was still fairly close to the front. We crossed a couple of wooden bridges along the way which were a little treacherous in my Salomon Speedcross  trail shoes. I tip toed across them on the way out without any issues though.

At the end of the out and back section a race volunteer was standing on a turn in the trail and was letting us know that we needed to run to the road and turn around. As I was coming back to the corner where the volunteer was standing after turning around I had a major slip. Completely lost my footing on the damp and slick trail for a second. When I did I immediately felt my right hamstring pull. I do remember hearing the woman volunteering say "nice catch" as I went by her because I never hit the ground. I have no idea how I stayed upright though. For the rest of the way up the out and back I started to feel more and more discomfort. By the time I got back off of the out and back section I felt like I was limping pretty good. I did have a guy that I had caught up with that was setting a good pace which helped a lot, but eventually I lost sight of him and ended up being passed by 7 runners before the finish.

Not the race I had hoped for after taking a couple of months off from trail racing, but its always a great time running the trail series regardless of outcome.

BIB REPORT: Heels and Wheels Duathlon

The Skinny:
1:19:51
23 of 90

It was my second year running this event since finding only finding out about it the year before. I have had inclinations of trying to run a Triathlon the last couple of seasons but this is as far as Ive gotten so far. The Heels and Wheels Duathlon is a 5K run to start, an 18K bike in the middle, and a 3K run to finish. In my first running at this event last year I felt pretty good about myself finishing in 1:19:58 which put me 10th overall and 1st in my age group. So this year I was eager to see how much I could improve!

The morning of the race started off well. My wife and I made our way out to the Campus of Johnson University early where the event was held. The weather was good as well. A little cloud cover and decently cool temperatures. I did notice on the way in that we were in a line of vehicles with bike racks on them all apparently headed to the same place. I thought, "It looks like theres gonna be a good turn out this year." I had no idea.

Once we got there I unloaded the bike and started to make my way to the staging area. Just as I started to head that way though, I had a feeling of dread come over me. "I forgot my helmet!" I said to my wife. My brain went into panic mode at that point as it was a good 30 minute drive back to the house to get it. There wouldnt be time. My wife suggested trying to look for one at a Wal-Mart or something, but I didnt want to start a wild goose chase this close to race time. We decided to call my son, Dakota, who was still at home, and get him meet my wife halfway with my helmet. This would allow her to get back with it before I would be back to the bike transition area after my first run.

As it turned out, my wife was able to make it back in time to see the race start after putting what I thought was "my" helmet on my bike in the transition area. The first segment of the race is a 5K which starts on a slight uphill on asphalt before flattening out and turning onto a gravel road after a hairpin turn around 3/4 of a mile in. The course follows the gravel road for a short distance up a slight incline before turning to grass. The course follows a "mowed" strip through a rolling route until about the 1 1/2 mile mark. The course starts back on a gravel road again briefly at this point before heading back to the grass. At about the 2 mile mark the course jumps a small creek and begins a slow right hand turn until we reach the woods and a very steep uphill  section for about a 1/4 of a mile. A lot of folks begin a walk here which is a good opportunity for a few passes. The course continues through the woods on a rolling trail for around a 1/2 mile before coming back out onto the grass briefly and then heading to the asphalt for around the last 1/4 mile or so to the transition area.

The crowd thins out a bit in transition as some of those that were running the 5K course were only running that portion and continue on to the finish. The rest head to transition to begin the bike portion. I got to my bike and checked my watch. I was about 3 minutes ahead of last years time after the run which I was pretty stoked about. In hindsight, I may have let my intensity down at this point a bit thinking I was a good bit ahead of where I wanted to be. I grabbed my bike off the rack and my wife handed me my helmet. I grabbed a quick Gel, and started to put my helmet on, only it was way too tight. I took it back off and tried to loosen it. Still too tight. I tried a third time and finally got it to buckle, but honestly, it was still too tight, but I went ahead and started to make my way out of transition. Once I was on the road the helmet still bothered me a little, but I couldnt take time to stop and adjust it any more. Finally it dawned on me. This wasnt my helmet, it was my daughters helmet and my son had grabbed it because it was the only helmet he saw. Why was it the only helmet he saw at home? Because my actual helmet was where it always is, in the extra cab of my truck. Its always there. My mind was so clouded that morning trying to remember everything as I headed out the door I apparently fooled myself into thinking I had forgotten it at home. Although it was a little uncomfortable, the wrong helmet didnt really effect my ride. I ended up finishing with almost the exact time on the bike as the year before. Also ended up getting passed by at least 7 to 8 riders with actual Tri bikes, just like last year. I did notice in transition that there where a LOT more bikes on the rack than last year and several more "elite" athletes as well. Its hard to maintain the lead I gain on the 5K portion when there are folks out there with $2000 bikes. On the bright side, my wife got a good laugh out of my helmet fiasco when I got back to transition.

After transitioning off the bike I headed out for the final leg of the race, a 3K run over much of the same course as the 5K except for the trip up the big hill and the rolling woods section of the course. I ended up running this entire leg by myself. I did end up catching another runner toward the finish, but I wasnt able to pass them before the end.

Overall, I ended up feeling a little disappointed with my effort because I had felt great before and during the race, but wasting too much time in transition(four times as much time as last year) it cost me a better finish. In the end I ended up finishing exactly 7 seconds faster than my overall time last year. I was still a respectable 23rd out of 90 though. Still a great event though, and Ill be back next year with another years worth of training.

BIB REPORT: Fall Creek Falls 50K

The Skinny:
5:30:53
9 of 51 (1st in A.G.)

Well, its been a month now since running my first 50K at Fall Creek Falls. After a lot of procrastinating and trying to catch up a few other "Bib Reports", Im finally getting around to the one that Ive been waiting for a few years to get to write.

The story of this race actually starts a little before we checked in at the Fall Creek Falls Inn on Saturday night. The race fell on the first weekend of Spring Break and we had a trip planned with the kids to Washington D.C. My wife, who was thinking a little ahead for me, pushed back our hotel reservations in Washington until Tuesday in hopes that I would have time to recover somewhat before driving several hours. It made for a shorter vacation but was a good idea in the long run.

The week leading up to the race I was probably more obsessive about watching the weather than I had ever been. Rain was being predicted early in the week, but I figured it would change drastically by the time race day arrived. It did, but not until the very last minute. It was raining pretty much all day Saturday at the house and it continued to rain the entire drive down. I admit, this started to concern me, especially since they had been calling for clearing skies all day. A friend of mine and his wife had ran this race the previous year and it was a downpour the entire time for them. I was hoping it wouldnt be the same story for me. As we went to dinner at the Inn that night, still raining. When we went to packet pick-up, still raining. When we got back to the room, still raining. At one point, fairly late, I remember hearing a loud roar of a noise outside. Just before I started to ask my wife "what is that?", I realized it was rain. Hard rain. My hopes for the predicted sunny race day were pretty much gone by now.

After a sleepless night, I got up early to a misty foggy morning. My first thought was, "at least it quit raining". After heading down to the restaurant at the Inn for breakfast, which I kept very light, I noticed that the fog had started to clear and reveal clear blue skies just in time. Headed to the race start right after breakfast and milled around for a little while with my wife and daughter. After I changed shoes I decided to do a couple of laps around the parking lot. I didnt plan on warming up at all before the race, but I couldnt stand the nervous energy I had and decided I would just do a quick "body" check to "just make sure".

I felt great that morning overall. The only thing that was bothering me slightly was my lower back. I have a compressed L-1 disc and I slept on a hotel bed the night before the race. Not the best combination, but I didnt figure it was going to be an issue once I got started. After milling around a bit longer, the crowd suddenly began to move at once to the starting line. I kissed my wife and started finding my spot in the crowd. No sooner had I gotten to a comfortable spot, the gun went off. It kind of caught me by surprise it was so quick.

The race started on a slight uphill on a paved road for about 3/4 of a mile. The uphill start was actually something I was glad to see as it helped me keep my pace intentionally slow although I did have to remind myself several times to "back off". After we reached the turnoff onto the Fire Road the surface immediately took a serious turn for the worse. The day long rain the day before had turned the dirt road we were on into a rutted sloppy muddy mess. Some just toughed it out and ran in the mud. Most, including myself, tried to run on the edges of the road where the leaves had gathered and made it somewhat more runnable. A little shy of three miles and we were hitting the first aid station. I decided to skip it and continue on as the course took a right and began its first true "trail" section.

After the turn, the crowd thinned out quite a bit more. Thats the nature of single track I suppose. I found myself running second in a small group of five or so folks from what I could gather by the voices behind me. The guy in front wasnt doing any talking, just trying to concentrate and keep a nice steady pace, just like myself. The same cant be said for the two guys immediately behind us in line though. For mile four thru eight they talked. A lot. First it was about the course. Apparently the guy fourth in line was only running the half marathon distance. Once everybody became familiar with who was running what distance, the conversation turned to what they had each ran before and then what their friends had ran and biked before. Turns out the guy immediately behind me had ran Leadville, which he proceeded to tell the guy behind him about in detail. Then, somewhere in there the conversation turned to heating and cooling as the guy behind me who had ran Leadville was apparently also an HVAC contractor. As luck would have it, the guy behind him was also a contractor who built homes. Everyone in our little pace group endured approximately two to three miles of HVAC talk. No one else ever chimed in at all mind you, but by the volume the "Leadville" guy was talking, he wanted to make sure everybody heard everything he was saying. Thankfully, around mile eight the trail widened for a bit as we came to a wooden bridge. Leadville and his buddy both took off around us and set a faster pace. The remainder of us had a little chuckle to ourselves but kept our own pace.

At some point between mile eight and the second aid station at mile nine(ish), I lost track of the guy I had been following for the first part of the race. I stopped briefly at the aid station though and tried to eat as much as I could as quickly as I could. Fig Newtons were a welcome sight and I remember eating three or four of them and drinking water from my Camelbak. I still felt good and was keeping a decent pace to this point. It was only three miles or so to the next aid station, and I figured I would stop for a bit longer there and fuel a little better before I started the second loop of the course.

Once I got within sight of the mile twelve aid station, I saw my wife and daughter waiting there for me. That was a nice surprise and actually helped me to relax some more. I ate several more Fig Newtons and took a Hammer Gel. I drank several cups of water that were lined up on the table as well to try and preserve what I had in my Camelbak for a little longer. After a quick hug and kiss from my wife and daughter, I was off onto my second loop.

The second loop started after crossing the paved road we had began on and went straight onto the rutted up fire road. Fortunately though, by now it had began to dry out and was a little easier to run this time through. About half way down the fire road I began to catch up with another runner. Turns out it was the same guy that I had ran the majority of the first loop with. I didnt push it to try and pass him. It was actually nice to have someone to help meter my pace off of. I was probably running too hard while I was by myself as it was. We ran together for the next several miles but still had not spoken a word to each other. About halfway through the second loop we encountered a hilly section and this time he slowed to a walk. I did likewise. I had been running, with the exception of the aid stations, for a little better than three hours by now so I welcomed a walk break. We did talk briefly at this point. He said that this was also his first Ultra, and that he had come down from Kentucky to run it. Not much was said, we were both too tired to carry on a long conversation. It was a little after this point that he pulled out and let me pass him. I got the impression I was pushing him too much. As I passed him, a female runner had caught up to us and passed both of us. I tried to keep her in sight for a while, that was a mistake, I didnt have the legs for it.

I ran by myself for the remainder of the second loop until I reached the aid station back on the lead in road at around mile 25. After a few more Fig Newtons, another Hammer Gel and several cups of water I grabbed a bag of regular Lays potato chips because I was craving salt. At this point I was just shy of 4 1/2 hours on the trail. This was also the beginning of what turned out to be the toughest part of the race for me. From aid station 3 at mile 25 we had to double back to aid station number 2 for the third time and then return again to aid station 3 which added the extra 6 miles required making the total 31. The back and forth between these aid stations felt relentless. I had now covered this section of trail four times before getting back to the lead in road for the final time. Just as I was starting the final three mile segment to the final aid station I caught back up to "Leadville". My first thought was that I was going to have to endure this guy again all the way to the finish. Thankfully though, as soon as I caught him, he pulled off the trail and let me pass.

After a final aid station stop, one final left turn and a 3/4 asphalt run was all that I had left. Thankfully, it was all down hill. If you had told me three years ago that I would be competing in an Ultra Marathon just three years after taking up running I would have thought you were crazy, but there I was, finishing in a time I couldnt believe I just ran.