Catamount 50k

Things have been pretty good in the running department this season and this race was no exception. Coming almost 2 months after the Bear Mountain 50 miler, there had been plenty of time for rest, serious miles, and warding off possible injuries. I had been weary of how much I could build up my mileage. With 3 ultras within the past 3 months (and 5 in 10 months), I've been wondering if I've been going about my training well enough to avoid injury. My right quad had been pretty hammered the past few weeks so with a week of rest and moderate mileage this week, I was ready to toe the line at the Catamount 50k in Stowe, Vermont.

Waking again at the heart warming time of 2:40AM, race day was underway as I headed over to Keith's to pick him up and drive just over 2 hours north to the Trapp Family Lodge. Set in the Green Mountains, the early morning views from the start/finish area were quite spectacular. The course itself was a 25k loop which we would complete twice. With roughly 2,500ft of elevation gain per lap, there was quite a bit of up hill battling.

 Armed with a hand held bottle and an extra 10oz of fluid in a flask in the front of my vest, (Note to self: DO NOT try and "clean" bladders and bite valves the night before a race and break them.) we started the 4.5 mile ascent to the highest point on the course. At this point in the day the air was still relatively cool, but the humidity was high. I was trying to push fluids early on as not to find myself in a hole later.

This first initial climb was via a series of cross country ski trails, which wound their ways around the front of the mountain. It was steep in sections but mostly runnable, or at least I made it runnable as to keep pace with the immediate guys around me, and even gain a bit on them. Cresting the top of the hill was the first aid station, which I stopped only long enough to fill my bottle before taking off on the long down hill section.  Aside from a few wet spots, the next 5.5 miles to the next aid station were quick and easy. Lots of great scenery to be had as well.  

I come into the second aid station in the rising heat of the morning to refill my bottle and grab a thing or two to eat. They also had a chia fresca shot which was outstanding! The next few miles of trail were in and around the woods and fields of Trapp Lodge. I was feeling great and running right where I felt I should have been. And that's when the extremely urgent need to "use the woods" hit. Not an issue, as I'm pretty much a zen master of this activity, but I did lose at least 4 to 5 minutes, which was kind of disheartening when I was running as well as I was.

The next four miles started out crossing a cow pasture, complete with compliments of the cows previously grazing on said pasture, before ducking back into the woods for what seemed like forever. In this section I was able to catch up to one of the runners I had lost during my bathroom break. We both noted that the miles in this section seemed extra long. The trail here was a bit rougher, with uneven footing, making it imperative to pay attention to where your foot was landing.

After a brief pass of another cow pasture, the trail meandered up to a dirt road and straight back to the start finish area where we would begin our second lap. I came into the half way point at 2:22, ready to refill my bottle and replenish my GU supply, which I had been steadily eating one every half hour along with an S-Cap. When refilling my bottle I may have gotten a little too excited and pounded the rest of the gatorade mix from my drop bag. I left for my second lap with a not so settled stomach.

Starting the 4.5 mile climb again, only this time in much warmer, bordering on hot, temperatures was not so much of a treat. There was a lot more walking on the steeper sections here, which if you could muster up the strength, you could use it in your favor and catch up to a few people who were walking themselves. I joined in with a few other guys that way as we trekked up to the top, which seemed a lot further for some reason this time. The race photographer found us looking really sharp in this section too. Why can't they ever get my finishing kick?

We crest the top again at mile 20 and come into the aid station where I filled my bottle and ate some orange slices. While eating there, one of the runners from the trek up the hill notes that he is having a "squarely mediocre day" to one of the volunteers. I wanted no part of his shitty day. I grabbed a slice of watermelon and took off down the trail.

The next few miles provided some much needed relief from the up hill. Cruising down the backside of the mountain while listen to a banging DJ mix put me right back into it. There were even some cooler breezes blowing through the woods at that point. Things were alright!

I came into the next aid station, which had quite the crowd of cheering spectators. I filled my bottle again, had their fine chia fresca shot, and took another watermelon slice for the road. 6 more miles to go.

It became clear that focusing on nutrition was going to be key to success. While I was putting down a GU every half hour, it seemed I was feeling worn before it was time for the next one and the hole I would find myself in would happen quickly. The second I found myself getting low I ate another GU and within minutes was back in the game.

As the day was getting hotter, I was pushing more fluids. The hand held bottle I had was draining faster than at any other point in the day. I finally reached into my vest pocked for the small flask I brought with me for such and occasion, and dumped that into my main bottle. Just a few more miles. Let's do this.

Running back in the cow pasture section, the miles seemed to take forever. Sections of the course that I remembered from my first pass through, which I was sure were just around the next bend, were nowhere to be seen and it wasn't getting any cooler out there.

Finally I find myself turning onto the dirt road that brings me into the finish. I quickly find a tune on my ipod that will get me there in no time, and start hauling ass into the finish.

Its funny how the visual of the finish makes every issue your body has completely disappear. My toes, which had been slamming into the front of my shoes for the past 10 miles (nails will be lost), suddenly were fine in my dash for the finish. I cross in 5:14, good for 20th place. The pint glass finisher's award and complimentary Trapp Lodge Brewing beer fill topped off one solid day of running!

Green Flash 30th St. Pale Ale

Its almost game time, and any injury, or possibility of one, has long since disappeared. And it's probably a good thing too considering I'm now less than 24 hours from the Catamount 50k. So while I try to figure out just how prepared I am for this race, you can enjoy this fine beer review...

Green Flash - Road Warrior Rye Imperial IPA

I've been rather lacking in the beer review department as I've been running a lot more and filming less, but I did shoot a few reviews last week while trying to pretend I'm not injured for my upcoming 50k on the 28th. C'mon leg let's do this!

This is running.

There are a lot of runs that rank in the maintenance miles category. Runs that you do just to get the miles and keep your head above water so to speak. Other runs though, are the kind that you logged all those previous miles to get to. The runs, not races, that you will remember for years to come.

Tonight's run ranked high on the later category. It might have only lasted less than a mile though had it not been for Keith pointing out that there was a porcupine in the trail about 20 feet in front of me. And after a brief stop to watch the little guy run off into the woods, we carried on.

The general idea I had for this run was to run the Surry loop, but branch off onto the single tracks that line the trail we've never deviated from. Even though I've never run those trails, I was sure that I could somehow manage to get down the hill to the trail that goes to Dort Rd. How hard could it be?

With the first step off the familiar jeep trail on to the single track, we were flying down hill over rolling turns and stream crossings. At each new trail juncture, we hazarded a guess as to which way to turn. Eventually we found the much heard of, but never seen, Lily Pond. After that, we followed a less traveled single track downhill towards some nice waterfall type areas. At this point the trail seemed to fade out and we weren't quite sure what to do or where to go.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. We could have bushwacked our way downhill to the lake, where we were sure to find the trail I was thinking of. But it was getting late. The skies were cloudy and the forest was getting dark. Neither of us packed our headlamps, so time was of the essence. Rolls of thunder could be heard in the distance and rain drops started or occasionally graze our skin. This was not a place to be for much longer.

We decided to turn around and retrace our steps back to the last trail juncture which I was familiar with and I would be able to get us out of the woods in a reasonable amount of time. I knew the run we had to the water falls was a solid downhill effort and every step back uphill reinforced just how burly it was. As we wove our way back up to safety, the woods darkened more and the rain drops became more frequent. The thunder became louder.

Once back on the usual trail, we began our decent through muddy trail and dark forest corners. Lightning lit up the sky above and the rain became steady as the temperature dropped. The trail was pretty damn dark right now. It was time to hall ass out of the woods and get to the comforts of Gunn Rd, where we could run the roads back into town with relative ease.

Out on Gunn Road, we ran the initial downhill mile in a cold down pour. Thunder was breaking right overhead and it was somewhere in this moment that we noted how bad ass this was. Nobody else was out doing this. Keith just started laughing at one point as the sky lit up yet again. That's when I noted, this is running. This is what I signed up for. This was the real deal. We were soaked head to toe, pushing the pace to keep from getting hypothermia, and deriving joy from every moment of it. It was a solid 15 mile effort, worth every maintenance mile I've run.

Return to Form

I gave myself a solid week off after the beast that was the Bear Mountain 50 miler. In the few days after the race my body began it's recovery process and the blistered centers of the balls of my feet healed up.

Mother's Day the weather proved too damn nice not to warrant a run, so with a cautious few hundred yards, I knew my body was ready to go. I went on to log 5 sub eight miles, the final mile clocking in at 6:15. Yep, it was all good in the hood.

The rest of the week provided plenty of opportunities for some decent length runs. Wednesday night's run was just a spectacle of awesome. With the leaves starting to bloom and the scent of spring finally making it's way into the air, it was one of the most welcome times of the year. It reminded me of being a kid, ready to go outside and turn the day into anything you wanted.

The ascent up Drummer was beautiful, so much so that I ran the upper trails to the top in a fashion that I was able to summit twice. Weaving through the single track, greenery was taking hold of the old, brown leaf ground. Streams had backed off their early spring levels and made the crossings a little less wet. 10 miles later, it was time well spent in the woods.

The trails are getting good out there... really good.

The North Face Bear Mountain 50 miler

If registering for the Bear Mountain 50 miler back in February, while in the warm sun of Florida didn't seem like a good idea, I'm not sure what would qualify as one. Coming off a winter of spotty running and a recent 50k, I felt I had enough in the pocket to get this one done.

Per usual, Keith and I loaded the car on Friday with enough gear to give the appearance of leaving for weeks on end, and headed to Bear Mountain State Park, just off the Hudson River, in New York. The race would start at 5AM the following morning, which made for a rather criminal 2:40AM wake up time. It was a little bit earlier than I prefer to wake up and run, but the grandeur of the event made it that much easier, and by 4AM we were in the mix of the event. We took care of the basic logistics of getting our bib numbers, t shirts, other associated swag, and our drop bags tagged for the aid station we wanted them to be sent to. It was about 20 minutes to go time and the hot cup of coffee in my hands was sitting well in the cool morning air.

Still dark out, we converged on the start line outfitted with head lamps and most of our essential gear for the day. After some words of encouragement from Dean Karnazes, we were unleashed unto the mountains of New York. The first few miles went back easy. Running with Keith and Cedric, we made jokes and bullshitted our way up the initial wet and muddy climbs. Wet and muddy would be a continued theme for the day as the area had just had 3 straight days of rain.

Around mile 2 or 3, Cedric backed off the pace and it was just Keith and I headed up the trails towards the now ever so faintly lit morning sky. Much like the Twin State 50k, Keith had the extra gear to grind up the hill just a bit faster. 50 miles is a long way to go and it would be imperative to run my own race. I let Keith go and settled into a rhythm with those around me. As we neared the peak and ridge line of the first climb, the views were becoming majestic. Fading darkness on the horizion outlined the surrounding mountains, while the stars were still visible directly above. The sound of train whistles echoed through the valley. I could run in that moment all day.

We head down the backside of the mountain and through the first aid station. Some people dropped off head lamps and ditched layers. I grabbed some water and kept on my way. The next several miles went by quickly. I eventually put on my ipod and enjoyed some good tunes while running up the next set of hills and ridge lines. Compared to New Hampshire, this part of New York was already well into spring with greenery blooming everywhere. After the long, hard winter we just endured, this was a welcome sight. After a few more climbs up the exceptionally rocky terrain, and a run through of the second aid station on the course, I found myself traversing a ridge with large trees, a grassy ground cover, and fantastic sun lit morning view. It looked like the kind of forest in which gnomes would live. I could also run this section all day. Despite what it demanded in technical running, the beauty of the area made it well worth the effort.

At mile 14, I finally stopped at an aid station to refill my race vest and have a few things to eat and drink. I hung out for a few minutes and I was off. This next section of trail was very much in a valley. Meandering around streams and large pine trees, it the most twisty and turny section of the race we would run. It was also the first, and thankfully only time, I took a brief detour off course with a few other people. We probably only lost a few minutes, so in the big scheme of things it wasnt a big deal.
As we rejoined the course, I run into Cedric, who I shot the shit with for a bit before he was no longer behind me.

Moving closer towards the next aid station the ground became significantly rockier. I found myself jumping from rock to rock and over streams. I was trying my best to keep my feet dry, but the course just wouldn't allow for it. Some streams you could cross via rocks of logs, other left you with no choice but to go straight though. While it does feel fantastic to soak your feet for a second in the cold stream water, running roughly 30 miles more in wet socks and shoes can lead to some pretty beat up feet.

The next aid station offered another chance to put down some food and refill my pack. After some screwing around with my pack and trying several times to put it on the right way, I'm good to go again. The next section of the trail was rather boring and involved a bit of road running into Camp Lanowa. Camp Lanowa was the mid point in the race and featured an aid station from which you would run a 5 miles loop before passing through the aid station again and then head out of camp. This was the aid station I had my drop bag sent to, but before I riffled through my gear, I decided to run the loop first. This for me was the most boring part for the race. 5 miles of not so scenic anything and some crappy trail conditions. I was happy to see the paved road that the loop merged with signifying the end of it.

I ran back into the aid station, shoveled down some of the food and soda at the tables and went to get the now very sought after drop bag. From previous races experience I learned that having a change of socks and shoes in the middle of the race was a great thing. I ran the first half of the race in my old Hokas. I could feel them becoming less and less supportive over the course of the day, as they had many miles on them and were at the end of their life. Luckily, I purchased a new pair of them the previous week and broke them in with a few days of being worn to work. I also had a brand new, never worn before, pair of compression socks to put on as well. This would be the ultimate treat for one"s self in the middle of an event like this. Oh, the luxury of dry feet and fresh shoes!

The main problem here, at least for me, was that I was pretty damn tired and sore. Bending over to try and put on a brand new pair of compression socks might have been the hardest thing I had to do all day. Every time I would reach for my feet, muscles in my hip or leg would cramp, causing me to have to retreat from the simple act of putting on socks. To make matters worse, brand new compression socks are TIGHT, with little give or elasticity. They took me at least, and this is no joke, 10 minutes to get on. If The Onion were writing a story about it, it would read: Area Man Over Comes Adversity and Puts On Socks. Armed with dry socks and new shoes, I was a new man. The bag of chocolate covered espresso beans I ate small handfuls of every so often, helped put a little pep in my step too.

The next few miles were rather uneventful. I eventually came out to a road and ran the rather steep, paved, down hill out to a main road. After crossing the road around mile 30, the group I was running with at the time was immediately greeted by the first "really freaking big hill". We shuffled our way up and enjoyed some nice cruising down hill trails for a bit before being dumped back out on a main road. Once at the main road, we needed to go up it for just under a mile. I chose to walk this section, as I was feeling pretty beat and didnt want to contend with this hill out in the heat of the day.

Once regaining the trail at the top, the next several miles were rock, mud, and water laden. Having put on dry socks and shoes at the halfway point, I was trying my best to keep my feet dry, but this course was just not going to allow for it. With the course in the condition it was, it was hard for me to keep a steady rhythm before needing to negotiate swamped out or muddy sections of the trail. It made for slow going and the miles just didn't seem to be coming as easy. I ran where I could and walked where I couldn't, forging on to the aid station at mile 40.

Coming in to the mile 40 aid station was a great relief. Just 10 more miles, what could be easier? I tried eating and drinking, but I just wasn't feeling it. I was doing it more because I knew I had to than I wanted to. Ugghh. Leaving that aid station was rough. I walked from it, trying damn hard not to lay down on the ground and sleep. I walked for almost a mile through a parking lot following two other women who were running the 50k. We passed a guy in the parking lot playing bag pipes, most likely because anyone he lived by him would kill him for playing them that loud. As I caught up with the two women, we talked for a moment before I realized I would probably need to eat more of the espresso beans in order to carry on. I took a big handful and offered some up to the ladies to which they claimed were even better than the ice cold coke back at the aid station.

It was then that I knew I had to soldier on. I started running with small baby steps. Those baby steps lead me up to another group of runners who I joined, then quickly departed. I started setting goals. Run for just one mile straight. After that it was, just run till the Garmin clicks off the next full mile. Run till the turn in the trail. Run to that hill. I put back a few miles that way, surprised at my own ability to distract myself well after my ipod battery died. There were some damn serious climbs up ahead. The sun and rain combination made for some humidity and the black flies engulfed my head. This was not the best the race had to offer. My feet were swamped and I could feel blisters growing on the balls of my feet. Running would have been so much easier without them, but the goal of the finish was so much more alluring, so I ignored them and pushed on.

With a stated 2.9 miles to go on the final aid station sandwich board, I came in with spirits high and guns blazing. A boy just out ahead of the station, who was no more than 8, was shouting things like, "Don't give up, anything is possible! You can do anything!" To which I replied, "Are you sure, because I'll never be pregnant." That roused the spirits of everyone else at the aid station and I grabbed a few last items to drink and eat.

The final few miles into the finish were rather boring. I ran alone the entire way, wondering where exactly the finish was. I couldn't hear a crowd, only the sound of trains in the distance, which Paul Simon loves... me too. GPS read outs had been off all day. EVERYONE was reporting that their watches were saying they had gone a mile further than the aid station sandwich boards were reporting as the current distances. How much more did I really need to go? All I really wanted was for the watch to click off 50 miles and my time to be under 12 hours, yet I have no idea how much further after that I would really need to go. Before long, I realize I'm running under the little over pass bridges we ran through on our way out of the start. The finish was right there. All of a sudden I could see the finish and hear the crowd. Coming into the park people were playing basketball. Kids were on swing sets and Keith was yelling my name from the sidelines as I made the final push into the finish. I crossed the line and hit stop on my watch a full 11 hours and 55 minutes since I had hit start. Distance read exactly 50.00 miles.

Post race is a wonderfully surreal experience. You still feel like you've stumbled out of a bar at 2AM, yet you're completely aware of what you've just accomplish. It was the first time in 12 hours that I allowed myself the pleasure of sitting down, and oh how grand it was. My feet were water logged and the new pair of Hokas looked like I had been running in them for months. Keith pointed out that I could walk right over to the booth where Dean Karnazes was doing a meet and greet thing, but that line looked awfully long. Sitting was king. And besides that, Keith had already done enough talking to him for the both of us.

Ultra Half-Assed

There are a lot of distances one can embark on. A 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon and beyond. The beyond part qualifies as an ultra marathon, any distance greater than 26.2 miles. So, what if I run a little further than a half marathon? Say, 14 miles? It's further than a half marathon, so therefore, we have now deemed any distance between the half marathon and marathon an Ultra Half... seems more badass, right?

Thats just the distance Keith and I set out on today. I've been battling a cold since the later part of Sunday and Tuesday's 15 miler was no treat as the cold had be by the balls the entire way.

The gist of the run was simple. Head out of town on the railroad bed and then venture up a trail to Arrow Rock, a spot on top of a hill that has Native American carvings of a bow and arrow on it.

It wasn't long before I had to confess that the mere fact that the transvestite who Keith works with might get hot and bothered by children's drawings of me in drag (true story) was enough call this day a win. As always, things were going well and the conversation unsuitable for minors.

This might be the first point in the run where the food choices I made throughout my day, while delicious, were catching up to me. No problem. If I was a Boy Scout, I would have long ago received my shitting in the woods belt loop. I found my favorite tree in my favorite "using the bathroom" section of the trail, and took care of business. At first, and as always, I grab some leaves to clean myself. The problem here is that at this point in the season all the leaves are  dry and brittle. Nothing but leaf shards left in my ass.... awesome! Thank God I also carry a bag of TP in my pack for such an event. Problem solved!

Back to running. We keep on our way, bounding streams and finding new ways to possibly injure ourselves a week out from the Bear Mountain 50 Miler. As if my cold wasn't trouble enough, a busted ankle should all but seal the deal.

We summit Arrow Rock in just over an hour. We suck down a GU and S-Cap and head back DOWN the trail. Every thing to this point has been a climb. It felt good to open up the stride a bit and just cruise down the trail.

Annnnnd then there was that feeling again. The "was that lunch meat too old" feeling. Time to duck into the woods again. A little wiser this time, I avoid the leaves, and take the opportunity to put on my head lamp, as the sun was hanging low in the sky. I head back to the trail and catch up with Keith, who has been logging miles while I cuddle up with large pine trees.

The air is cool and its the first time this year that the temperature felt comfortable in the late dusk hours as we headed east. It was in this span that things felt easy, like the simple joy of a double Tweezer Reprise encore (Hell yeah, Hartfort 2010!) It was in this peak moment that.... gonna need to drop a deuce again.

Really? What the hell did I eat? How could there be any more?

Back on the trail, I catch up with Keith. Our watches beep in unison as we put back another mile. However, as Keith ran during all my ventures into the woods, his beep was indicating he was a mile ahead of me. He had logged an additional mile. I had done exactly one mile of shitting. Put that in your log book! ....Boooooooooooooooo.

The final miles back to where we started from were light footed and easy to come by. I was finally ready to start running. It just took and Ultra Half to get there.