2012 Rock Bridge Revenge 25K

Saturday, I ran the Rock Bridge Revenge 25K.  This year there was no 50K since there have been very few participants for the 50K in the past.  Overall between the 7 miler and 25K, there were 101 runners, but 65 ran the 7 mile.  This year the 25K race started at 8 am and the 7 milers started sometime after.  I warmed up for 1 mile which was enough to make me want to use the restroom one last time and had a few minutes to spare.  The temperature was 49 F at the start and sunshine.

I had no idea what pace to try to run.  I ran the course in 2:22 three years ago but wasn't sure I would be able to run any faster this time.  I started a new weight routine 7 weeks ago that has me doing squats 3 times per week, deadlifts once per week and my legs have felt like lead during my runs.  I have not been running very fast since August 7th.  This week, I lifted on Tuesday and then gave myself 3 days rest.  My legs were still a bit sore for the race but energy level and legs were feeling pretty good and lead was gone.  Weight was just over 160 lbs  which is the highest I've raced at in a long time.  I decided not to carry a water bottle.  I figured since my weight was up so much and it wasn't that warm, I could just use the first aid station and I wouldn't need much nutrition since I am carrying some extra fat.

At the start we ran down the driveway and turned around which spread out the runners before entering the woods.  Once we entered the woods, I eventually caught up to Whitney and another woman who then sped up.  I could hear her behind me so kept pushing the pace so I wouldn't be passed back.  I caught up to a guy just before the creek crossing at about 3.5 miles and easily passed him, but then he stayed close behind.

Once I reached the Devil's Ice Box parking lot at 6 miles, I took a gel and stopped to drink 2 small cups of water. As I was leaving the guy behind me came into the aid station.  The course then goes over the road to the Gans Creek Nature Area for a loop of 8 miles.  The park ranger informed me I was in 5th place as I crossed the road.  I had to wait for 5 cars so was delayed a few seconds.  The Gans Creek part of the course it the most difficult.  For the first 6 miles, my pace averaged 8:03 per mile and each mile was between 7:56 and 8:13.  Mile 7 was uphill so slowed down to 8:38.  There were scouts at the boy scout camp and they asked if I was winning.  I wasn't sure if they were kidding or if they had just woke up.  I went a little crazy in mile 9 and ran 7:36, the fastest mile on the course.

I didn't see any other runners from mile 3.5 to the end, but managed keep pushing myself and felt really strong.  There was water at 10.5 but since I had opted not to carry a bottle I kept running.  I had carried 2 gels, but ended up only using the one at 6 miles.  This part of the course had several good hills that slowed the pace.  The last hill at mile 13 is short and steep and I usually don't run up this hill but ran part of the way, walked, and then ran the rest.  Mile 14 which included the big hill was 9:39, my slowest of the race.  I had to wait on a couple cars as I crossed the road.  I could have gotten water about 1.5 miles from the end but skipped since I was so close.  The next mile I ran in 8:13 but included part way up the hill towards the finish.  Even though up a hill, I was able to sprint to the finish.  Overall, the course ended up being 15.2 miles on my Garmin.

My finshing time was 2:07:30 (8:24 pace for 15.2 miles) which was about 15 minutes faster than I ran the 25K in 2009.  The winning time was 1:48.  I placed 5th overall of 36.  I felt great and like I should continue running but did not since I had only planned 16 miles for the day..  Normally, I don't feel like eating right after a race, but I ate a couple pancakes and sausages.  I ran the race on only 1 gel and a little water and felt fine.

Pre-race meal, was half protein shake, 1/2 tbsp peanut butter, a few chia seeds, coffee, and half banana - about 350 calories.  I wore my Innov8 Roclite 295s and had no isssues with them.  I did feel and slight twinge in my right calf at 14 miles, but it is just a little sore today and I was able to run 17 miles on the trail this morning.  No race results yet but I think there were around 35 finishers for the 25K.

Map/Splits

Water bottle, socks, sticker, and block for finishing the 25K

2012 Heart of America Marathon

I registered for this marathon last December since I figured I would want to keep up my streak of running it 9 times in a row. I was not that excited about running it and no clue really where to pace myself. I was thinking somewhere between 3:10 and 3:30 with closer to 3:30 being more realistic. I've not been feeling as fast as I used to run and really didn't train to run a marathon since I ran 100 miles about 5 weeks ago. Also, I've been trying to gain weight and was up 10 lbs from last year's HOA.

Temperature was 72F and humidity 96% which is pretty typical for this marathon. I positioned myself back from the front and took 3 seconds to cross the timing mat. Talked to the guy running in the suit (trying to break a world record - he didn't). He eventually went ahead and then I passed him at around 3 miles. 7:30 - 7:40 pace was feeling good and I didn't feel like I could go any faster. A guy caught up to me around mile 8 and I ran with him until the bottom of Easley hill around mile 12. We also ran a bit with another guy that caught us at mile 11. They called out my time at the half at 1:40:30 so I decided my goal was 3:21 or less at this point since I was feeling pretty good.

I didn't see the first guy again, but the other guy ran behind me for a few miles and then slowed down. I passed 8 people in the second half and was passed by no one. The sun was shining and humid, but didn't feel too bad to me. I passed 2 guys in the final mile which I ran in 7:20 so finished strong. Even though I finished feeling strong in 3:20:27 this was my slowest HOA for the 9 years. The first year I ran in 3:18:59. Placed 10th out of 212 and 3rd out of 18 in my age group. The first 4 in my age group were very close. I ran the last half ran in 1:39:57 so a negative split. I do hope to run again next year and see if I can take 10 minutes off my time.

After we attended the pizza party and awards ceremony at Shakespeare's Pizza and then went home to nap.

Splits/Map/Elevation

Race Results

Pictures

Race Director's Report

2012 Burning River 100 Miler

In spite of my lack of motivation during the last 7 weeks of training I survived running the BR100.  I considered not running it after Kettle Moraine 100K in June.  That race went well, but I was beginning to feel burned out on ultras having run a 50 miler 2 weeks before Kettle.  I cut back mileage and started weight lifting again and began to feel better, but still not feeling like I really wanted to run the 100 miler.  People were being nice and asking me about the upcoming 100 miler and I really didn't want to think too much about it.  Eventually, I accepted that I would show up at the start line and everything would be fine.  Also, making it easier to accept I reasoned that maybe this might be my last hundred miler or at least for awhile and the idea that I don't have to do these things would get me through it.  The economic side of me reasoned that I had already paid for the hotel and the race so it made more sense to go and give it my best effort rather than forfeit the money for the hotel and entry fee.

The drive was long (about 8 hours) to Columbus one day and 2 more hours to packet pickup at Cuyahoga Falls, OH the next day.  I got to meet Kimberly and George there and we took a few pictures.  Also, saw Bill Thom (runrace.net) and wife Michelle whom I would end up seeing several times during the race and she also took some great pictures.  It was good to see a familiar face at this race since I recognized only a few people.  CTC has used runrace for the past 3 years for our race registrations and I had no idea until my first 100 miler in 2010 that Bill ran ultras and got to meet him since he was timing Kettle Moraine.  I gave a ride to Aaron from Tulsa to his hotel and agreed to pick him up at 2:45 am (1:45 am Central Time).  He mentioned he had volunteered at the Post Oak runs that I ran in February but I had not met him previously.  After I dropped off Aaron I had a yummy steak and sweet potato and Longhorn, checked into the hotel, in bed by 6 pm, awake at 6:40 pm, back to sleep at 8 pm, and awoke at 1:30 am. 

The bus ride to the start did not seem too long and we were there plenty early to use the restroom and sit down in the castle. It is Squire's Castle and it was dark but I assumed I was inside some part of the castle.  George somehow found me in the crowd before the start and took more pictures.  At 5 am we started.  I stayed with George and Kimberly at first and then got ahead.  I figured I would be seeing George later.

The first 6.2 miles was a trail loop heading back to the start that had some wide gravel sections and some single track.  Everything seemed to be going smooth as we were running along (lots of people together at this point) and suddenly we see a large group running towards us.  They thought they had missed their turn.  Someone asked if anyone had a phone but soon realized we wouldn't know who to call.  Eventually someone decided where we should have made a turn even though no arrow but I guess everyone followed. We saw a marker fairly soon so knew we were going the right way.  This didn't add much to my distance since we had just missed the turn as the others we coming back and probably lost just a few minutes.  I heard though that the leaders went 3 miles longer on this loop.

After that loop we headed back out the same way which I wondered if this was right, but eventually figured out it was since they had closed off a turn to the right.  There was quite a bit of road running early on.  I stopped at the 12.4 mile station where Brooke was working the aid station.  We had met a couple times before and was good to see her again.  Our paths crossed the first time in a Body for Life group and we actually met in person in Florida about 10 years ago.  Then in 2007, I met her and some other runners at Hocking Hills where I ran my first ultra.  Since then she has become an ultra runner so it is kind of interesting how are paths have crossed since BFL when neither one of us ever imagined that one day we would be running ultras.

I felt I needed a bathroom soon at 12.4 miles, but didn't see one so waited until I got to mile 23. I saw George as I exited the bathroom.  At this point I am still feeling good (in 52 place) and keeping a good pace and wondering if too fast.  However I reasoned the course was pretty easy and a lot of road so the pace might be okay.  I'm guessing the temperature was in the 70s and likely didn't go above 80 all day due to the cloud cover and rain.  However it was still quite humid, but no one seemed to complain so I guess they were all used to it.  At mile 25 there was a creek crossing and just before  I had caught up to a girl I had been running with.  We noticed the guy a bit ahead of us motioning us to go around on the road over a bridge so we avoided getting our feet wet as this wasn't a creek that we could jump.  George caught up to us at this point since he crossed the creek.  The girl running with us had no bottle and it was her first ultra.  She seemed to be a strong runner but it was also early in the race so wondered how she would do.

At mile 26.2, I saw Michelle and she took my picture.   My overall time at this point was around 4:20 so 10 minute pace which was a half minute faster than I expected up to this point.  I picked up some stuff in my first drop bag and continued on.  The course was still pretty easy from what I remember.  There was some easy flat trail (towpath) on the way to the 40 mile aid station and my next drop bag.  I had a feeling George was ahead of me at this point and indeed he was since I got to see him and his wife, Liz when I arrived.  Up to this point I had been drinking Succeed Clip2 and Fizz, ate an almond butter, and maybe 1 gel.  Also, had watermelon and potatoes mostly at aid stations.  Overall, I thought I was feeling decent. 

I am not sure my placing at this point but am guessing I hovered around 30-something since I had passed some people.  My pace did begin to slow after the 40 mile aid station.   I caught up to a really nice group of runners that I had passed earlier before arriving at the aid station.  They asked if I wanted to go around, but I decided to try running with them for awhile since I was starting to feel crappy.  They were going a bit slower than I had earlier but it got me through the next 6 miles where I refueled at the aid station and decided to take off on my own since they weren't quite ready to leave. 

Soon after I left the aid station, I decided that maybe I would feel a lot better to get out of my wet shirt.  I kept thinking eventually it would dry out, but it had rained off and on through the day and was humid and not drying.   I felt much better without the clammy shirt by the time I got to mile 54 aid station.  At some point I noticed on my GPS I was about 1 mile ahead of the markers so actually arrived at all future aid stations 1 mile later according to GPS.  I decided to put on a dry pair of socks since I had ended up crossing some streams earlier and they were wet.  It was also an excuse to sit down since I rarely ever change socks.  I left my just in case I am super slow flashlight since it was still early and only 3 pm.  I was about 25 minutes behind my goal since I had slowed.  It didn't take long to lose the cushion I had built up early in the race.  The group I ran with earlier arrived but again I took off ahead of them.  Actually, I walked out of that station with one of their members that was going to get a head start and let them catch up.  Later on when he would pick up a pacer, he passed me.  I started running again and went ahead.  This was the section where the runner girl in the tutu passed me looking strong like she was having a really good run.   It was good to see since 2 years ago at KM I was at the aid station waiting for a guy I was crewing and she dropped out at that point clearly not having a good day.

At mile 65 I picked up my headlamp and charger for my GPS.  I planned to charge the GPS until mile 71.  It had been running close to 13 hours and had 30% charge.  It was at 93% by the time I reached the next aid station.  At mile 70, I passed the girl that didn't have a bottle earlier.  She was walking and had a regular water bottle she was holding.  She didn't look the greatest to me but at least was still moving.  My pace during this section which I remember to be challenging was around 13 - 15 min and feeling nauseous.  The section seemed to go quicker than I expected maybe since I couldn't see the mileage on my GPS as it was charging.   

I dropped off the charger at 71 and continued on to the next aid station 3 miles away.  I was still running a slow 14 minute pace and of course walking all hills.  In fact there was a pretty big hill out in the open as soon as I left but then it went down.  It was a great view from the top.  Around mile 75 or so I see a bathroom and go inside since I think I might need to go but did not.  Upon exiting I decide to take a Succeed Cap although I am not sure if I actually have too much salt since salty foods didn't sound good.  A couple guys had caught up to me when I stopped and I was running behind them.  I was coughing and realized the capsule had not gone down and drinking wasn't helping.  I kept up the forced coughing for a few minutes and out popped the capsule at my feet.  I took as a definite sign that I didn't need one.  I passed the 2 guys and kept on running on some grass trails.  At some point we are routed to running on the edge of a corn field.  I had to pay very close attention to markings especially at night to stay on track, but overall didn't have any problems.

I made it to the Covered Bridge station mile 80 around 9:30 pm. An aid station worker that had run the course was describing the rest to me.  She said a tough section coming up and then later would be easier up until the end.  I tried some soup at the station but could only get the liquid down and had to discard the rest.  I decided I would stop eating for awhile although I did use a few of the Perpeteum solids in the next few miles.  I was also having a tough time drinking but continued to take small sips of plain water.  The pace was very sad during this section at about 19 min per mile so a lot of walking.  I felt awful and I remember a you've got to be kidding me type of hill that I had to stop several times.  I couldn't believe how much I was sweating just walking up these hills.  Earlier I had thought I was dehydrated, but not anymore.  Also, part of the trail through here was challenging to navigate and stepped in a hole at some point walking but was fine.

At mile 85, the guy gave me a banana and a cup of Gatorade even though I asked for Ginger Ale.  I drank it and it actually tasted good.  He told me to take the banana and eat as I walked out and just toss it if I didn't want it all.  I ate about half plus a packet of peanut butter and still didn't feel well.

At mile 89, I was feeling pretty awful.  I got to the aid station and each time I would get to one for the past several it was becoming more difficult to figure out what to eat or drink since nothing sounded good.  I started off with a ginger ale and a ginger chew.  Then just for the heck of it I decide to try a sip of Gatorade.  Immediately started to feel better so filled up my bottle with Gatorade and continued on. 

It was looking more and more like I would finish.  Even though I was feeling better I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep running since motivation was low.  However calculating in my head how long it would take to finish walking was motivation enough to try running.  Then I get to a towpath trail which is smooth and flat.  I can run again even though only 12-something for my fastest miles.  At mile 93 aid station I had a drop bag but told them I didn't need anything.  The last aid station is at mile 96 and I check in, say I don't need anything and continue on.  A policeman escorts me across the bridge across the Cuyahoga River.  I'm getting closer to the end and feeling hopeful and even passed a guy walking.

More trail through the woods and up stairs soon to follow.  Eventually there were 2 long flights of stairs.  I don't remember but seemed like over 100 stairs.  One set I counted there were 60 so can't be far off.  When I get to the top I am looking for an arrow to point which way to go.  Then am wondering if I am off course even though I know that can't be.  Next thing I hear lots of growling and dark dog-like creatures running through towards me from the side, but I am still on the stairs.  I am thinking coyotes or wolves?  I know I am not hallucinating.  Is the end near or will I just be attacked.  I yell "no" and they stop snarling and are in defensive mode.  Soon a man appears and at this point I realize they are dogs.  He said to not kick them which I had no intention of going anywhere near them as long as they didn't come near me.  I asked if he knew which way I needed to go and he didn't answer.  He didn't even apologize  for his dogs and I noticed as he is leaving they have multicolor glow collars.  I found interesting I hadn't even noticed those but they were moving so fast I didn't see at first.

I am really ticked off about the man with the dogs and still trying to figure out which way to go. I see a sign had fallen off and I am thinking it had pointed left so I start running.  It seemed like I had run awhile and I didn't see any flags so I decided to go back just to make sure I am headed the right direction.  I decide to try right and see a woman in her backyard which seems odd at 2-something in the morning.  She says she hasn't seen any runners.  I go a little further and see an exit and no arrows so determine I had gone the correct direction the first time.  At this point my GPS already has over 100 miles.  I am a little pissed that I have wasted nearly 15 minutes, but still hope I can finish under 22 hours.  I had hoped I would finish around 21:45 or so.  I see someone coming up the stairs yell at them to go left and take off as fast as I can run at this point.  I wasn't about to let anyone catch me so close to the end.

I finally get to the street and there are arrows and eventually cones where we should be running.  Someone mentions half mile to the end.  I am very aware of 2 people running behind me, a runner and his pacer.  I pick up the pace.  I ran the last 0.6 miles 7:53 pace!  Time was 22 hours 53 seconds and 102.6 miles on the GPS.

Overall, I placed 34 out of 199 finishers and I think 360 starters.  2nd in age group 40 - 44 out of 32 runners and also 2nd place USATF.  The 1st place guy in my age group was only 9-something minutes ahead of me so I am pretty sure I would have caught him if not for the dogs and the sign that was down.  Bad luck for me since I lost out on $250 but am more thankful to have not been attacked by the dogs.  The guy that won my age group was his first ultra and talked to him the next day and got to congratulate him.

George and Liz were at the end.  George had finished a little over an hour earlier.  I had to go retrieve a bag of luggage out of the car to leave for the guy I had given a ride to the bus.  Then I followed them home.  George and Liz took good care of me at their home.  Liz made me some toast and tea in hopes it would help with the nausea I was feeling again.   After sleeping about 5 hours, I had some chocolate milk and cherries.  Food still wasn't sounding good.  We made it back to the finish in time to see Kimberly just as she finished 18 minutes from the 30 hour cutoff. 

Looking back on this race and I am not sure I remember everything clearly  due to how I was feeling, but looks like things started to fall apart for me around 40 miles which is way too early for a hundred miler.  The unmotivated training, the worst and longest case of nausea I have experienced (still feeling 2 days later a bit), the dogs, the lack of marker at the end, I feel like overall it was a really decent effort for me.  I had hoped to run 2 hours faster, but the trail was tougher than I expected later in the race.  If I had been feeling better, I think the tougher trail wouldn't have seemed quite so bad.  The positive is that other than the nausea I am physically okay and walking well.  I walked 1 hour with the dogs this morning.  I'm glad I ran it and am thankful for the experience, but am going to be taking a break from ultras for awhile and see if I miss them.  I do have an event in October I have signed up for, but I can go as far as I want so I am not obligated to make it an ultra distance.  Beyond that event, I am not sure what is next for my running.

GPS Map/Splits

Photos

Overall Results

Age Groups

2012 Psycho Psummer 50K

I've lost a bit of motivation recently for long slow ultra training but decided to sign up for this 50K for my last long run for Burning River 100 miler in 2 weeks.  I was reading through my training and I had  similar lack of motivation at the same time last year.  The "problem" this time is I have a 100 miler coming up in 2 weeks rather than 3 months so not time to recover from lack of motivation.  The training plan has ceased for the past 6 weeks since I ran Kettle Morraine 100K.  I cut back mileage from what I had planned and started lifting weights.  I look more like I am training for a marathon than a 100 miler but have been feeling better the past couple weeks.  Normally, I would stress out a bit which I did at first and considered not doing the 100 miler.  I am now totally at peace with running the 100 miler and looking forward to getting it over with.  I am kind of looking at it as closure and may not attempt to run another one ever again.  I do have a chance to run that far at the Back Yard Ultra in October, but there is no pressure to do so.  I am looking forward changing things and doing less running.

Hugh rode with me to Kansas City the morning of the race, leaving at 4:55 am and arriving around 7 am.  I picked up my packet which included a shirt, glass, and a 50K Trail Nerds sticker.  I brought a small cooler for my  bottles and had filled them with Succeed and ice.  I also packed 2 Powerade Zeros in case I wanted one after the first and second loop for extra hydration.  I had 3 gels and a packet of almond butter and peanut butter plus 6 Succeed caps.  The aid stations were serving Succeed Ultra and also had Succeed caps.  I started off with the Ultra and topped off with more Succeed at the manned aid stations or diluted with water at the unmanned stations when I got the chance.  After each loop I started with fresh bottle of Succeed Clip2 instead of the Ultra.

The race started at 8 am.  I started out at a slower pace than last year.  Hugh took a short video where I appear at 19 seconds crossing the bridge at the start.  I didn't feel great but not bad either.  I felt like I needed a few miles to warm up.  The temperature was about 70F and didn't feel too bad for awhile.  I went shirtless and sweating and cooling mechanisms were working very well.  I don't think there was much humidity since we started so late and it has been extremely dry.  The 20 milers started off at the same time with us and the 10 milers would start an hour later.  Eventually, I caught up to where I had to pass quite a few people to continue running the pace I felt I needed to run.  I took a Succeed cap early at 40 minutes and kept taking one about every 40 minutes.  I stopped at most of the aid stations to refill my bottle even though it wasn't always quite empty.  I ate a few boiled potatoes with salt at some of them and had a piece of watermelon at one.  I pretty much followed the same food routine each loop.  My pace was around 10-something per mile.  The hills always start to feel a little brutal during the last 3 miles of the loop but I walked up them at a pretty quick pace and this year they were completely dry.  I finished the first loop in 1:49:02, 10th place overall and the distance measured around 10.7 mi per my GPS which came out to 0.3 mi longer than last year and the course was changed a bit.

I picked up a new bottle after the first loop and totally forgot about drinking the Powerade.  I did eat an almond butter.  I started the 2nd loop feeling good and passed a few guys.  There was 2 miles or so where I had a guy close behind me but he never said he wanted to pass.  I almost wanted him to pass though since I felt like I might be slowing him down.  I thought maybe he would pass after I stopped at the next aid station but he did not.  I had my first gel at 3 hours where I used to have one an hour into the race.  About mile 18 I was starting to feel much warmer.  Going up the big hills near the end there were a couple guys sitting on one of the hills at various points not looking or sounding well.  I finished the second loop in 1:54:19 (5:07 slower than 1st), and had moved up to 5th place.  Hugh refilled my bottle with ice and Clip 2 and I drank a bottle of Powerade Zero.  Also, had a packet of peanut butter and then I was off to complete the final loop.

The 3rd loop I barely saw anyone else on the trail and didn't see anyone for the first several miles other than at aid stations.  Later, there was one guy sitting on the side of the trail not looking well.  He was fairly close to an aid station though.  Once I got to the next aid station I heard a fire truck pull in and there was a guy there lying on the picnic table and they started asking him a bunch of questions.  I think it warmed up to 95F and the heat was starting to get to me as well by slowing my pace.  Each time I stopped at an aid station or took short walk breaks, I felt better.  The last 3 miles with the hills felt brutal. Heart rate felt high and breathing difficult just walking up these hills.  The 2 previous loops I walked up the hills and felt okay, but this definitely was some exertion just walking.

I finished the 3rd loop in 2:10:43 (16:24 slower than the second) and placed 4th overall out of 82 runners.  There were an additional 33 50Kers that dropped down to the 20 mile.  Overall I finished 27 minutes faster than last year and the course was 0.9 mi longer at 32.2 miles.  I was pleased my loops were more even than last year and ecstatic with the first 2 loops only being 5 min apart.  Last year the first and second loop were 20 minutes apart and second and third were 25 minutes apart.  Another difference with this race is I only used 1 gel and had 1 almond butter and 1 peanut butter packet which was a new thing to try.  That really seemed to help with not feeling as nauseous.  I still felt a little nauseous at the end but not as bad as usual.  I drank a Powerade Zero and eventually was hungry enough to eat a few almonds.

Hugh had been out running on the road while I was running the race and the only food in the car was almonds so he was getting hungry.  We left around 3 pm and made a stop at Trader Joes in KC and decided on Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  Around 5:10 we at the Cheesecake Factory and actually got seated by 5:30.  Nothing on the menu really sounded good to me even though I was hungry.  I ended up getting the Shepherd's Pie which was probably good since it was so salty.  I had the Caramel Turtle Cheesecake for dessert.  Even after as much as I thought I was drinking, I was still a bit dehydrated but not nearly as bad as last year.  Drinking to thirst on such a hot day would definitely not have been enough.  I ran 5 miles the day after the race so don't feel too bad.

My Pictures

Results

Course Map/Splits

2012 Kettle Moraine 100K

I signed up to run the Kettle 100K to get prepared for Burning River 100 mile in July.  I like to run at least one 50 miler or 100K before a 100 mile.  I ran the 100 mile at Kettle 2 years ago so I was familiar with the course.  Since I was only running the 100K, I left on Friday.  The drive is normally just under 7 hours, but I took a detour through Iowa to visit my mom so the trip was 10.5 hours counting the visit with her and stopping for food a couple times (Roly Poly in Rockford for dinner). 

I picked up my packet around 6:30 and headed back to the hotel in Delavan.  I got everything ready to go and headed to bed at 9 pm.  I had set the alarm for 4:30 am, but woke up an hour early and felt well rested.  Arrived at the start shortly after 5 am and got a pretty good parking spot.  The lot now fills up completely due to the popularity of the 100 miler and 100K  There is also a 100 mile relay and 38 mile fun run.  Also from Columbia running the 100 mile were Johnny and Tom.  Tiffin was running the 100K.

The race started at 6 am.  Everyone was standing back about 10 feet from the timing mat and no one wanted to be up front.  I generally like starting back in the pack a little so I don't start too fast but decided to start in front this time instead.  I was soon passed by many exuberant runners and I started pretty fast myself with the first mile in 8:23.  The temperature was 52 so nice and cool and the first part of the course is pretty fast but still tried to reign in the pace a bit.  I started out with Fizz in the bottle and had one gel and 3 Perpetuem and a packet of Succeed.  At each drop bag that were 15.8 miles apart I had more of the same.

The 100K race has 5 timing mats to cross counting the start and finish and the results are webcast which makes it easier to keep track of the runners.  The first aid station was Emma Carlin at 15.8 miles which I arrived at 2:25:55, 9:14 pace, and 9th place.  I dropped off my shirt since it had warmed up and picked up my supplies from the drop bag.  I ran with a guy on a relay  team for a lot of the first and second section.  He asked if I was from Columbia due to Race for Recovery shirt I had worn had some local businesses on the back.  He was from Columbia as well and a graduate of Rock Bridge.  I didn't know him since he was only 20 years old, but enjoyed chatting with him.  He goes to Beloit College and is now back in Columbia for the summer working in the Physics department at MU.  Part of the course that goes from Emma Carlin to Scuppernong turnaround is grassy meadows in the sun and quite flat.  He led the way through most of that and the pace felt perfect.  Eventually, we parted at an aid station he stayed at longer before we got to the turnaround.

My GPS hit 50K at 4:57 and the 31.6 mile turnaround at  5:01:25.  The split time was 2:35:30 for the 15.8 miles, and 9:50 pace so slowed down 10 min for that section.  I had moved up to 8th place and thought I had counted seven 100Kers ahead of me before the turn around.  My goal was to be at the turn around by 5 hr 20 min so I was a  bit faster.  The weather started off really cool so maybe good to run faster before it warmed up.  I was just a bit concerned the 50K time was my fastest trail 50K (on a course that wasn't short) and 2nd fastest 50K I have run. I can't seem to run even splits in a race where the temperature warms up too much but was hoping to be around 6 hours for the second half.  The temperature got up to about 75 which was quite a bit warmer than we started but could have been far worse as warm as it has been recently.

After leaving Scuppernong I started to have a rough time through the meadows.  The sun was getting to me and my left knee was bothering me.  It felt like muscles were pulling it out of whack.  I would stop to massage and walk a little and it would be fine.  My heart rate felt high at times so I was dehydrated a bit as well. Also, had a bee sting me a little on the finger which hurt for about 20 minutes.  After that happened I kind of wished one would sting me on the knee and then maybe I wouldn't notice the actual knee pain.  Tommy (a runner from MO) and I kept passing each other back and forth as well as a few other runners which were running the 100 mile.  My energy level was feeling very low and I was feeling nauseous.  I was worried it was going to be a long day since this a large part of this section is flat and I was having a tough time.  I decided when I got to Emma Carlin at 47 miles I would stop and try to eat something at the aid station.

The 3rd 15.8 mile section took 3:08:01 and 11:54 pace which was disappointing since the terrain is so runnable but the sun and other issues didn't help. I had moved up to 6th place (at 47.4 miles) so can't complain too much.  I started off with eating some banana and orange slices.  Then I ate several pieces of boiled potatoes (tried for the first time ever) dipped in salt.  Filled my bottle with a Succeed and took off feeling about 100% better and like I could run again.

It was good to be back amongst the trees where it felt cooler.  I also noticed now that the hills were back my knee had quit hurting.  Tommy and I continued to pass back and forth which was quite entertaining.  He was running the 100 mile but had decided he would stop at 100K due to his knee issue and didn't want to risk it.  He is a faster runner than me and it seemed like he wanted to go faster since he would just blaze past me at times but it was only certain terrain that he felt like running fast. I was looking forward to getting to the Bluff Aid station which is 8 miles from the finish.  It goes back to wide trail and have to deal with the Moraines and could often run to the side and stay in the shade since there were some trees.  I wasn't running nearly as fast as early but a decent pace and I felt pretty good.

I made to Bluff Aid station and had more boiled potatoes.  I didn't see Tommy again before the finish, but a couple hundred mile guys caught up to me so the rest of the way I would chase them.  They were walking more hills so would catch them just a little every time there were hills.  The very steep downhills were tough for me to run down so they slowed me down a bit.  At five miles from the end there are mile markers every mile and they seemed to come pretty quickly.  Once the course flattened out more the 2 hundred mile guys got further ahead of me.  I was hoping to finish under 11 hours.  I did hit 62 miles under 11 but still had 0.9 miles to go.  The course is advertised as 63.4 mi and I had 62.88 miles on my GPS.

I arrived at the finish in 11:06:39 (10:33 overall pace).  I ran the last 15.8 section in 2:57:11 (11:13 pace) and it was more difficult terrain than the previous section so I bounced back a bit.  Overall place I had moved up to 5th (out of 55 finishers and 71 starters) and 2nd in Masters (40-49).  The guy that beat me was only 4 minutes ahead of me and at one point I was 45 minutes behind him so I was catching up to him but not quite soon enough.  I am sure I could have saved 4 minutes somewhere!  I got my copper kettle, a plaque for my age group and a bottle opener.  There were a few people taking pictures so hope to have those later.  My left ankle is sore but not as bad as after the Berryman 50 mile 2 weeks ago.  I won't be wearing the Mizuno Ascend shoes again for anything over a 50K. I think they may have contributed to the knee issue due to too much heal since I have been running more in lower drop Innov8 295 shoes.  They also almost rubbed a blister on my little toe which has been an ongoing problem with these shoes for many years.

I waited around with Tiffin (she stopped at 50K due to IT Band problems) at the end.  Also talked to Marty from LCAR that had met I think at Chicago several years ago.  He also helped me fill my bottle several times at aid stations.  He was pacing a runner for the last 38 miles later.  We waited for Tom to come in and he arrived around 6:15.  He was doing great time-wise, but decided to call it a day due to nausea.  Tiffin and I went to the General Store to get food and then came back and we all waited for Johnny.  He came in around 9 pm and went back out and finished in 27 hrs, 26 minutes.  There were 118 finishers for the 100 mile out of 219 starters so seemed like an excellent finishing rate for the 100 milers this year.

Splits, Map, and Elevation Profile

2012 Berryman Trail 50 Miler

Race Results

Splits and Map

Photos of Columbia Runners

Race Website

All Race Photos

I ran this 50 miler twice before and most recently 3 years ago. It has always been a challenge either with mud, rain, heat or trees down. The 2 times I ran the marathon the conditions were pretty good and if it did get warm I didn't have to deal with it as long.  This year the biggest obstacle was going to be the heat since the trail was dry and in great shape.

I drove down with Jeff and David on Friday and we met Shawn and Susan at the campsite. We all fixed our dinners and headed to bed around 10 pm. I kept the rain cover off of the tent and the sleeping temperature was perfect. I woke up several times but overall slept pretty well.

The 50 miler started at 6:30 am so we all got up at 5 am to get ready. This year the marathon did not start until later at 8 am so there was less competition to use the bathrooms. It was already in the 60s at 6:30 am (guessing about 65) and it was warm enough to run without a shirt. We were allowed a drop bag at the start and Brazil Creek at 16 miles. Due to the heat I doubted I would be eating much at the aid stations so planned to fuel on my own fat, gels, Succeed, and Nuun. The plan was to alternate between Nuun (zero calories) and Succeed, take a gel every hour, plus electrolyte caps as needed.  I dislike gels so rather than torture myself with the same kind I tried out some of the new peanut butter GU, and also used some Accel and Hammer Gels.  The peanut butter GU was not too bad, but it is still gel.

The trail had been reworked since last year so we no longer had to run a short out and back on the road at the beginning to make up the difference for 50 miles. The loop is now 25.4 miles so we headed straight into the woods at the start which made it difficult to get into the correct position for the pace that I wanted to run. Most runners seem to start out too fast so I started out near the middle of the pack. I am guessing around 60 runners started the 50 miler. Between the 2 distances there is a limit of 150 and there were several no-shows.

Due to the heat I had planned to run conservatively for the first loop. There is also the theory to get as much running done while it is cooler, but at 65F it was already too warm for me. My first mile was 10:45. I then passed about 3 runners and ended up behind 6 runners that were running a decent pace. I stayed behind them until about after the first aid station at 5 miles after it seemed like they were slowing.

Not a whole lot happened the first loop. I tripped over a few things, but never fell. I threw my water bottle trying to regain my balance at one point. I was running behind a guy (John) and switching back and forth until about mile 10 and then didn't see anyone until I came up behind John and 2 other runners (one was Stuart) at mile 22. I passed all 3 and then John passed me again. I stayed behind him and he said to let him know if I needed around. I told him I would try to stay with him until the end of the first loop and we ended up finishing the first loop together. I felt good at the end of the first loop. I was hoping for no more than 4.5 hours on the first loop and ended up with 4 hr 34 min.

Steve was there to pace me for my second loop which I had really been looking forward to since it was kind of lonely for most of the first loop. Karen and Andy P. were there to cheer us on and Karen filled my bottle for me while I retrieved gels from my drop bag. We took off and passed a few runners probably within the first 8 miles. The temperature got up to 90F, but there was cloud cover at times and it didn't feel humid. However, the heat made running very difficult and pretty much killed my appetite for food. I stuck to the one gel on the hour every hour for the entire run. Aid stations were 3 - 6 miles apart and one bottle wasn't quite enough at times so I drank a little extra while at some of the stations. Also, got ice in my bottle whenever I could. I felt pretty good until about mile 40 when it seemed like it was getting warmer and my heart rate was climbing.

We had not seen any runners in a long time which was kind of strange not to pass anyone or have anyone catch up. I heard several had dropped out. We did see 1 marathoner that was still out on the course at mile 41. I had to start walking a few hills at times since my heart rate felt like it was getting high probably due to dehydration. Also, my right ear felt a little plugged for awhile and felt a little dizzy but otherwise not too bad. After we would walk up a hill for awhile, I was ready to try running again. Steve stuck right behind me as my pacer and it helped to know he was behind me. He was also feeling the effects of the heat and this was also his longest run ever at 25.4 miles for the loop.

We were pretty quiet those last 10 miles. It seemed like it took longer than it should have to reach the last 2 aid stations and then the last 2.5 miles seemed to take forever even though it really wasn't that long.  We did walk the hills so that took some extra time.

I crossed the finish in 9 hr, 39 min, 44 seconds (11:25 pace overall), so 5 hr and 5 min for the second loop and I was hoping for around 5 hours. After I crossed the finish, Victoria (co-race director) walked over to me and handed me a plaque for the 1st place Masters which was a shock to me since I've never won anything at this race.  They told me I ended up 4th overall which was also a shock since I probably only passed about 10 runners and thought there were a few more ahead of me.  I was quite happy with my finish and how I felt considering the heat.   A slowdown of 30 minutes didn't seem too bad for 25 miles.

After the finish, I was drinking a bottle of water and at the campsite and felt incredibly nauseous but didn't puke.  I attempted to change clothes in the car and my upper quads kept wanting to cramp.  Also, noticed I was covered in salt from front to my entire back, my head, and my arms.  I got down a bottle of chocolate milk and about 1.5 hours later I tried eating a little (plain brat no bun and a little coleslaw) and ate a little more again (plain hamburger and macaroni salad) later but just didn't have much of an appetite.  David finished not too long after me, and then Shawn and Jeff.  Everyone looked good and it was a good day to just say you had survived the heat and finished.  Definitely not a day for PRs unless it was your first 50 which was the case for David.

On the way home, Jeff and I stopped at Subway and I ate again.  We got home and Hugh had some food for me from the graduation party and I ate yet again.  It took awhile, but my appetite came back since I ate 4 times between finishing and going to bed.  I am guessing I only consumed about 1600 calories during the run which is about 170/hr and actually felt better than when I try to eat more. 

After finishing I noticed my left ankle was a little sore.  Yesterday it was really sore and still sore today, but maybe a little better but looks swollen.  I didn't turn it during the run and just feels like it used to feel after I would run a road marathon.  I guess it is time to do the PT exercises again to strengthen it.

Andy, Jeff, Shawn, David

Me in blue shorts by tree and Jeff on left

I am in the blue shorts.

From behind.

Finishing with my awesome pacer, Steve!

2012 Free State 100K

Pictures

Results

Map and Elevation

Short Video Clip of Red Trail (Ron Ruhs)

Saturday I ran my second 100K which was the same course as my first 100K.  I drove with Jeff on Friday afternoon.  We set up camp, grilled steaks, had a fire, and headed to bed around 10 pm.  I slept on my air mattress in the Element.  The temperature got down to around 37F.  I slept pretty poorly since the air was slowly going out of my air mattress so not quite as firm as I needed.  The alarm was set for 5:30 but I woke up about an hour before.

We headed over to the start around 6:30 am.  This race allows 2 drop bags but I opted for only 1 at the start since they were serving Succeed and S-Caps, gels, and always have good options at the aid stations.  The KC Trail Nerds, Ben Holmes, and the volunteers always do a superb job with their races.  The trails are marked clearly and they have plenty of volunteers on the course.

We started promptly at 7 am.  When I ran this course 2 years ago it was muddy and I ran in 11 hr 25 minutes and was taking it easy since this was before my first 100 miler.  This year the course was completely dry so I was hoping for around 10 hr 30 min or at least a PR.  At about 0.3 miles I took my first fall and of course there were 2 runners behind me. I am thinking it is pretty embarrassing that I fell so soon but had not fallen in a couple months so I was due.  There were lots of rocks and roots on the course to trip over and somehow I kept hitting them with my big toes but didn't always fall.  After about 10 miles I was pretty much running alone the rest of the day.  I wore a long sleeved shirt over my short sleeve plus gloves for the first 10 miles.  Then I removed the long sleeved and had to carry for the last hour of the first loop as it warmed up.  Temps at the start were around 40.  I ended up falling one more time during the first loop this time when I passed a walker going up a hill and landed on my butt.  I finished the first loop in 3:22 which was a little slower than I had hoped even though I had run most of the hills since they were pretty short.

I refilled my bottle, picked up a couple gels and started the second loop.  Staying consistent with the first loop I fell 2 more times!  This time there was a guy I had been passing back and forth for a few miles.  I fell running in front of him and within a minute I fell again somehow landing on my back.  My problem shoulder hurt a bit so I started walking and it soon felt better.  As the guy passed me again he said was glad he wasn't the only one falling.  I was getting pretty frustrated with all the falling and banging my big toes.  I just wasn't quite in the groove for some reason.  I finished the second loop in 3:50 so quite a bit slower than the first one.

I filled with Succeed grabbed some gels and quickly took off before I changed my mind and stopped at 40 miles.  Shortly into the 3rd loop, I passed the guy I had passed back and forth earlier.  I was hanging on moving forward and feeling strong but just not running as fast as I had hoped at this point possibly due to the warmer temp since it got up to 75.  I walked more of the hills these last 2 loops.  I ended up falling 1 more time and this time I hit my left big toe pretty hard.  I go flying and my gel goes flying out of the pocket of my water bottle.  This time there was no one there to witness my spectacular fall.  Both big toe metatarsal joints were hurting.  In all these falls I just ever so slightly had a small knee abrasion so was pretty lucky. I was worried I was going to hit the toe again and that I'd break it so tried to be extra careful. 

When I got to the rocky part that runs close to the lake I was still running okay even though I had big rocks to run over and this part of the course was a bit more technical.  At this point a guy catches me and says he doesn't need around since he is pacing the guy behind him.  Knowing they were behind me kept me moving.  My water bottle was nearly empty and I was feeling too warm.  I wanted to take my shirt off but was afraid I would fall so wanted the extra protection for my skin.  Shortly we get to the next aid station and the volunteer filled my bottle with Succeed and ice.  I had a quick bite of melon and some chips and took off feeling 100% better and running faster.  This part of the course was also in the trees and felt cooler.

I skipped the last aid station about 3 miles from the end since I was so ready to be done.  This course goes mostly out and back along the lake but is on 2 different trails that run very close together.  In some places you can see runners on the other trail.  There were times I heard people but weren't sure which trail they were on.  The course is also very curvy.  About 2 miles from the end I hear a couple guys talking and see one.  I was pretty sure it was the guys that had caught up to me on the rocks earlier.  Not wanting to be passed at this late stage I keep moving and ran all the hills the rest of the way.  It seemed like most of the 3rd loop I was keeping a pace fairly close to the latter part of the second loop.  I finished the third loop in 4:03 (slowed 13 minutes from the second) and the guy with the pacer was just less than a minute behind me.

I placed 4th overall out of 40 finishers.  There were more that started but some dropped back to the 40 miler and others didn't quite finish the 3rd loop.  There were 12 that started the 100K and dropped to the 40 mile.  Overall time was 11 hr 14 min so a 11 minute PR over 2 years ago.  I hoped for better but can't complain placing 4th.  The trend for almost all except the second place guy was to run each loop slower.

I wasn't able to eat anything at the end so consumed a chocolate milk before taking a shower and heading home.  My mouth felt extremely dry so had a Powerade as well.  I had noticed my mouth getting really dry in the latter part of the race even though I was drinking so I must have been a bit dehydrated.  My left big toe metatarsal joint looked a bit swollen on Sunday, but looked much better today so damage wasn't too bad.  I remember the first time I ran this course the day seemed to drag on forever since it was the longest I had run at this time.  I was out there almost as long this time but didn't seem so bad compared to running 100 miles.

2012 Sedalia Half Marathon

My policy this year has been only to write about races that are half marathon or longer, but will mention I ran the St. Patrick's Day 5K the week after running 3 Days of Syllamo and ran quite well at 18:41 and 11th overall.  I did take it easier that week and only ran 37 miles.  I  signed up for the Sedalia Half Marathon so had 3 weeks out from Syllamo which I ran 2 track workouts plus mile intervals workout on a Saturday and have gotten my average mileage back into the 50s.

It has been unseasonably warm this year and the day of the half we started with temperatures in the 60s.  I missed running the half last year since I had just started running again after back surgery the week of the half so I ran the 5K.  I wasn't tapered for this half but still wanted to attempt my PR which was 1:23:51 two years ago.   I started out running with Katie hoping I could keep up with her since she runs faster 5Ks than me.  I noticed right away soreness in my legs running fast on the road but it got better after a few miles. We caught up to another guy in a green shirt and stayed close. The miles were close to goal but the pace felt tough to me for this early in the race.

About mile 6, I ran ahead of them and was in second. Ryan was way ahead. About at 6.5 miiles I notice both my calves are feeling sore. Legs were working fine so just hoping I could run through the pain and the hills weren't too bad or it wouldn't have been easy.. It was more just muscle soreness like I felt after Syllamo and I guess at this speed it made a reappearance.  Eventually, the pain subsides and the guy we had run with earlier catches up to me. We pass back and forth for about 2.5 miles until mile 11.5. A young guy running his first half blows right past us like we are standing still. I speed up a little and then the calf soreness returns and green shirt guy passes me. A couple years ago when it was 32F on race day  I finished this with faster average splits the last 2 miles, but I slowed down a little this time and ran them in 6:36.

Overall pace was 6:30 and time 1:25:33 and felt I really had to work for it and it was good I had some runners to actually push me or I may have given up sooner. Overall placed 4th of 161 and first place 40 - 49/masters (26 runners in AG) and got one of the usual glass blocks. I think there were 140 runners. A fun trip too since we road tripped with friends and many others were there as well. We all went out to eat together after.

Splits

Results.

Running with Katie

Hugh on left

2012 3 Days of Syllamo 150K Stage Race

Day 1 - 50K:

I ran Syllamo in 2008 and 2009. There are some races that are worth repeating and this is one of them.  The scenery is beautiful, the course is challenging, and it is fun to see the runners from before and meet new ones doing it for the first time.  Jeff and I drove in on Thursday since the first 50K was on Friday.  Karen caught up to us on the way down since she was going to run her first 50K on Friday and drive back on Saturday.  We had dinner at Pizza Inn buffet which I will say is not as good as Incredible's Pizza but it fueled us for the next day's race. 

The race on Friday started at 9 am.  It was about 37F at the start and temps would get up to 63.  Jeff planned to wear a tank so I decided to go with sleeveless. I was never cold so that was the right decision and the temps warmed up quickly.  The sun was shining so we were exposed most of the time since the leaves were not yet out on the trees.  My plan was to race conservatively so I would have something left for the 50 miler.  The 2008 Syllamo was my first 50 miler and was one of the toughest races I have done.  It was my first 50 miler and followed by a sub-5 hour 50K which was not smart.  In 2009 we ran an easier course due to the ice storm knocking down the trees.  I did not want a repeat the awful day in 2008 so raced conservatively. 

For the first 15  miles I often ran with groups of people, but only if they were running a pace that I felt I could be running.  Sometimes I am better off running alone or I get caught up in pace that I will pay for later.  Or if someone is running behind me I don't like the pressure of trying to keep up a pace if I feel like they want to pass me even though they say they don't.  If I feel like they want to run with me and my pace then all is well.  At the 15 miles aid station I went ahead of the last 2 guys I had run with.  The aid stations were about 4 - 6 miles apart which seemed to work out perfectly for me.  If you were a slower runner or if it were warmer 2 water bottles might be a good idea.
 
I carried one water bottle with Succeed Ultra and used either Hammer Gels or Accel Gels.  I also had some Succeed Caps and Endurolytes  that I took about every hour.  I used 5 gels and 3 packets of Succeed and ate a little at aid stations but since it was only a 50K it wasn't more than a few chips.  Stomach seemed to be happy with this arrangement.


I ran alone for about 12 miles.  At 26 miles, I was at 5 hours and 5 min so I was taking it considerably easier than in the past.  I walked all the bad hills too.  I caught up to Stuart at this point and passed him and we ran together for a few miles.  This seemed to be just what he needed and he took off the last couple miles and finished a bit ahead of me.  I finished in 5:42:30 and had 29.3 miles on the GPS but we make it up on the last day since the 20K is about 1.3 miles long.

I drank the Recoverite they included in our race packets and went to soak the legs in the creek with some other runners.  Since the air temp was in the low 60s it didn't seem too bad standing in the water.  I stayed for 20 minutes and legs were quite numb.  I got in barefoot so the rocks were kind of painful on my feet and it was hard to pull myself out.  I went back to the finish line to wait for Jeff and Karen to come in.  They crossed the finish in 6:54 and Karen had completed her first 50K.  

I managed to complete the first day without falling and felt pretty good going into day 2.  I wore the Innov8 Rocklite 295 shoes that I also wore for the 50K at the Post Oak 2 weeks ago.  They performed extremely well on the variety of terrain and my feet were very comfortable and no issues at all.  We went back to the cabin and Karen cooked us a yummy chicken and rice dish for dinner to fuel us for the next day.

Map and Elevation
Splits


Day 2 - 50 mile:

Saturday's race started at 6 am.  We got up at 4 am so it was going to be a long day. plus we would be losing an hour due to DST.  Temperature was a bit cooler at 6 am and was down to 32F at the start.  Even though I don't normally drink coffee each day I had coffee before the race since it seems to help get me going.  I kept breakfast pretty much the same each day with a Lean Body protein shake, a banana, and some grapes.  Once were were up and moving around my legs felt pretty good and energy level felt normal.

My body was ready to race and I could have easily convinced myself that I had not run a 50K the day before.  The 50 miler worried me a bit since I lost over 160 miles of training in January and February due to a stress reaction in my foot so I was forced to cut my mileage way back.  The Post Oak Double 2 weeks ago was a confidence booster since I made it through that race strong and foot did not hurt at all so I just had to believe that everything had healed quickly and I was going to be fine.  I went to see Dr. Curt on Wednesday and he worked on me so I felt as ready as I could be.

The 50 mile goes up for the first mile so once we start and get to the hill I walked most of the up and ran where I could.  We were told to bring our lights for the first few miles but I didn't need it.  If you were going to be running past 6:30 pm you would definitely need one later. This race claims over 25,000 feet of elevation gain and loss over the 3 days, but my GPS had about 35,000.  The 50 mile course is a very tough course.  There are some flat sections, but there is everything from sand, rocks, running along the edge of rocky cliffs, and rock over your head as your are trying to run.  There are also some stair step rocky places and one part that you have to squeeze your way through.

The course is marked by the forest service so we follow the markers each day plus each race had it's own color of ribbon that was placed at intersections where there was more than 1 way to go.  It is not a well-marked course so you really have to pay attention which adds to the challenge.  There were several runners each day that made wrong turns and I think a lot of them were the faster runners. They got back on track and were still ahead of me.  In one portion I was told they laid some logs across a road so others would not make the same mistake.  It is great the faster runners were looking out for the other runners.

On the way out I ran behind some runners for a few miles but passed them since I wanted to go a little faster.  I could often see a runner or 2 behind me but ran alone for most of the day.  I stuck to the same nutrition plan of gels and Succeed as the day before plus a little food at the aid stations since I was getting hungry.  I had chip and peanut butter crackers.  Once I ate some chocolate toffee stuff and felt a brief sugar crash but recovered from it.  I didn't realize what it was when I ate it but it was quite yummy.

The 50 mile was out and back and we could have drop bags at 9.5/40.5 and 18.4/31.6.  I opted only for the 18.4/31.6.  Since it was cooler at the start I wore a long sleeve shirt and left it and my light in my drop bag at 18.4 miles.   The next aid station was at 22.6 miles and then we had to run out  to the turn around at 25 miles, read a sign, and back to the aid station to let them know the code words.  Just after the 22.6 mile aid station I started seeing the first runners coming back.  The leading guys were less than a half mile apart.  I saw Ashley that I ran the 50K and part of the 50 miler in 2008 running with a group.  They had made a wrong turn or would have been further ahead but she was still the leading female.

There was a girl running not far behind me since before the last aid station.  After the turn around she was about 0.2 miles behind me.  My GPS had the turnaround at 24.8 miles so pretty darn close to 25 and my overall time was 5:15 so seemed pretty reasonable to me.  On the way back I started seeing quite a few runners.  I saw Jeff when he was about 2 miles from the turnaround and he seemed to be doing well. Eventually the girl (Mindy) caught me after the turnaround and we ran to the next 2 aid stations together.  She had run the Heart of America Marathon in Columbia in 2004 and 2011.  We had a good time chatting together and the 31.6 mile aid/drop bag station came quickly.  She didn't spend much time and took off and I told her I would try to catch her.  I restocked my gels and Succeed and went to refill my bottle and realized I had barely drank anything for the past 4 miles.

I did not see Mindy again during the 50.  I started to feel crappy and figured it was dehydration.  I consumed my entire bottle.  The next aid station would only be 4 miles at 35 miles and the unmanned one at the creek crossing.  I made to the water and filled my 20 ounce bottle drank it and filled it half full and drank more.  Then filled it all the way up and continued across the creek.  This was the only deep water we had to cross during the 50 miler where we had a couple deep ones during the 50K the day before.  I wasn't sure I was going to recover from my dehydration.  My heart rate felt elevated so I kept the pace really slow.

I was starting to recover a little and heard a couple runners behind me talking.  Eventually they caught up and it was James that was staying in the cabin next to us and Teddy, a runner from Louisiana that we realized we had run the same 50K in 2009 when I ran the Q50 there.  They passed me and I stayed with them for a bit before they went ahead.  Before I got to the 40 mile aid station I started to feel good again and James and Teddy were there.  I drank some ginger ale, refilled my bottle and continued on.  After awhile, I could hear them behind me but they didn't ever catch me.

At the last aid station I refilled with plain water and headed to the finish.  I could still kind of hear James and Teddy behind me but I think they were further behind than I thought.  Thinking they were close kind of gave me the push I needed to keep going.  I was really looking forward to getting to the last 1.3 miles since I knew I could fly down that hill we walked up in the beginning.

I finished in 10:45:26 with 49.4 miles on the GPS.  I went to soak my legs in the creek again but this time I kept my shoes on.  Then I ate a small bowl of the food they were serving to sustain me until Jeff finished and we went back to the cabin to cook our steaks.

For the 50 miler I wore my newest pair of Mizuno Ascend and they rubbed the outside of my little toe on each foot.  The one on the left was a blister.  The fact the trail was so slanted in places and these shoes tend to rub the outside of my little toes was a bad combination.  I decided I would put a Band Aid and on it for the next day.  We didn't get to bed until 10:30 and then set the clock ahead so actually 11:30.  The next day's race started at 9:00 am, but we planned to get up at 6 am to pack our stuff and check out.

Maps and Elevation
Splits

Day 3 - 20K+:

When we left on Thursday we knew the weather forecast was not looking good for Sunday.  When I went outside to load the car it was lightly raining but a few minutes later it had stopped.  I had planned to wear my Mizuno Cabrakan trail shoes.  I bandaged and taped my blister on my left little toe and put on the shoes and they just seemed to rub right up against it like the Ascend.  My Innov8 Rocklite 295 had dried from Friday and I put those on and perfect fit and no rubbing.  I wished I had worn them for the 50 miler.  They are more foot-shaped (at least my foot) than the Mizunos.  The Mizunos are usually fine though but not for the beating they I put my feet through on the 50 miler.

We headed over to the race and stopped for coffee.  The cashier checked and said an 85% chance of rain at 9 am and 100% at 11 am.  Five minutes before the race started it started to rain.  It was 50F but felt cold so both Jeff and I and many others wore our rain jackets.  It rained the entire race.  I was warm at first but ended up being the right decision since I was comfortable the rest of the time.

The 20K course is actually closer to 14 miles and this makes up for the first day being a little short.  Starting out did not feel good at all and I started extremely slow.  After 1.5 miles my legs suddenly felt better and I picked up the pace a bit and passed quite a few people (some which would pass me later).  I could not run up most of the hills since my calves were very sore.  Downhills and flats I was flying, but with the uphills average pace wasn't that great.  There was a girl I passed back and forth about 2/3 of the race.  She had not run the previous 2 days and could run up the hills but I could run faster than her on the flat and down.  I caught up to Paul and Stuart and passed them.  A few miles later than go flying past me.  It is weird how everyone feels better at different times but you just go with it on this last day.

Around mile 8 or so, Teddy, caught up to me and said I don't want to go around so I felt like she really wanted to run with me.  I was still running okay but not feeling as good as I had earlier, but we still had several 10-something miles.  I was glad she ran with me since it really made the time go faster.  Near the end a guy said take a right at the next intersection and when we got there we doubted what he had said for a minute or so.  Our minds just weren't working at this point in the race.  If we had gone the other way we would have completed another loop which we were warned someone had done so a few years ago.

We crossed the finish together in 2:33:55 and 13.8 miles on my GPS.  I went to soak my legs again in the creek.  When I was done I decided to shower while waiting for Jeff since I was cold and it was raining.  The shower really made me feel better and I had a coke and 3 small cookies.  I really didn't feel like eating much.  Jeff finished about an hour after me.  He was going to shower but they were full so he just dried off, got dressed and we headed home.  We stopped to eat around 3:30 pm and I was starving by then.  It rained on us all the way home except when we stopped to eat.  When we went out to the car it was pouring rain.

No official results yet, but first day I placed 22nd, 2nd day 18th, and 3rd day 32nd.  There were other runners in the races not doing the stage race or ones that had to drop out for various reasons so not sure how I placed overall yet.  My overall time should be around 19 hours and 2 minutes.  This is about 51 minutes faster than in 2008 when I think we pretty much ran the same courses.  It is really hard though to compare on these events when there are so many factors that can change things.

There is something about running for 3 days that really clears the mind so I will likely be running this race again.  Even though this is a very difficult race, I am thankful it was a little easier for me 4 years later.  I am also glad we got to run on the trails like in 2008.  In 2009 it was a lot of forest roads which made it easier in some ways but was kind of boring.

Maps and Elevation
Splits

Day 1 - 11:42/mi - 5:42:32 - 22 of 78
Day 2 - 13:09/mi - 10:45:27 - 18 of 43
Day 3 - 11:10/mi - 2:33:55 - 32 of 69

Overall - 12:21/mi - 19:01:54 - 12 of 31  There were 65 signed up for all 3 races but not sure how many started the first day.

I think the 50 miler is harder than two of the hundred milers I have done between the course and the fact I have run a tough 50K the day before.

Post Oak Challenge Double - Marathon - Day 2

Overall this went very well considering I had run 50K yesterday. I decided to repeat the same meal at Incredible's Pizza on Saturday night and ate about 10 pizzas of pizza, pasta, and desserts.  It was a little less than the day before since I had eaten a little right after the race and stomach was a little queasy.  I headed to bed a little earlier but woke up before the alarm went off.  I even found a way to the race start avoiding road construction.  I got a better parking spot too.  I picked up my chip, drank a coffee, and used the bathroom while waiting for the start.  The temp was 46F so 18 degrees warmer than the previous morning.  I left a drop bag at the start since I assumed 2 loops meant we would go back to the start before completing a second loop.

I started with the guy I had run with the day before and he let me lead the way.  I felt pretty crappy the first 4 miles.  Breathing was difficult and stomach didn't feel quite right.  My pace was about 9:30 and no way I should be breathing so hard for that pace.  At about 4 miles, I suddenly felt really good and kept the same pace.  I didn't see my running friend until after the race.  I didn't think I sped up but I did kind of take off faster.  The second day ended up being 75% road and 25% trail and was a lot like the first day but fewer hills.  There was a little confusion with some of what I read on the web site and in some e-mails.  I thought the course had been changed to 50/50 based on what I had read.  We ran on some of the same trails as before and some new trails.  As the day before the trails were marked really well.  Also, the same rocks sticking up to trip me, but no falling.

At about mile 8 I noticed a bunch of people merging onto the trail I was running.  I was confused at first and then realized they must be running a different race. I asked a guy if he was running the half marathon and he said quarter.  I got behind 3 people running the quarter that were running my marathon pace.  At about 10 miles, we ran on the pavement to run out 1.3 miles and back.  I saw the guy I had run with the first 4 miles about a half mile behind me.  Once we got back I was directed to take a trail rather than up a huge hill back to the start.  I assumed the volunteer knew what he was doing although I was hoping to go back to the start to get 2 more Accel gels and a packet of Succeed.  I had to formulate a new plan since it was getting warm and I needed to refill my bottle.  The temp got up to 63.  My time for the first 13.1 on my GPS was 2:06.  At the next aid station I got plain water and drank a cup of Gatorade.  I also picked up two GUs and ate one.  The GU was just awful but I think it helped.

I am guessing I passed about 10 marathoners during the 2 loops and I was passed by 2 guys.  If someone had an orange sticker on their number I knew they had run one of the races the day before so I always tried to look when they passed me.  One of the guys that passed me did have an orange sticker.  The temp was warming up and I was running a lot in the sun as the previous day.  I took small sips of water but could not bring myself to take the other GU.  I had 2 pretzels at an aid station and decided I probably didn't need to eat anything else.  I was feeling pretty good but closer to an 11 min pace rather than the 9:30 - 10 pace I ran in the first half.  Slowing down my pace made me feel even better.

I was keeping the doubler guy that was in his 20s in my sights that had passed me earlier.  I got to the pavement to run out again and noticed he was walking up the hill and I was running.  After the turnaround I caught up to him.  I asked if he had run the 50K the previous day and he said he had run about 5:50 and asked how fast  I had run.  We were going downhill at this point so I took off and left him behind.  My last 2 full miles were a 9:30 pace.  However, the last 0.6 miles included a huge hill that slowed me down to 11-something for that section.  My running ahead map shows it going straight up at the end.  It wasn't a long hill but it was short and steep and I walked it and didn't have to worry about the guy behind me catching up.  I really thought this hill was worse than the hill from hell the previous day.  I can run a long gradual hill but a short steep is impossible to run.

My overall time was 4:35:28, a 10:22 pace so 22 seconds slower pace than the 50K.  The last 13.5 was 2:29 so slowed a bit but still passed a lot of people.  Splits are here.  Overall I placed 22 of 108 and 8th of 21 in my age group so no age group award the second day.  I got another medal like the day before and a special doubler award for running both the 50K and the marathon.  I went inside and once again they were serving the marathoners 2 meals and 4 drinks.  I waited awhile before eating and I was able to get 2 bowls of chicken chili down but it wasn't easy.  I had 2 drinks and took 2 to go plus the corn chips that I didn't eat.

I wish someone could have gone with me to this race but it turned out to be an enjoyable weekend and a fun event.  I am now 2 weeks out from Syllamo so a good dress rehearsal for that 3 day race.

So far no pictures but they do have results.  The picture below I had a woman take for me at the end.