Uwharrie 40 miler 2014

Here I sit after a hard Sunday workout, 45 mins of a 1 hr run with some Fast TrailHeads. I was reminded 'Where's your race report?' Not really sure myself.

I started my wait for this years event last year volunteering. Planning all year about running the 40 miler. In December the TrailHeads do a recon run. This year was one of the largest groups running the recon. I ran the 20 mile option. We were amazed at the amount of damage the trail had incured during a wind event in May. Many places on the trail where hard to navigate from the amount of trees covering the entire course. This all gave way to one of our TrailHeads Edge to put together a trail work day 2 weeks before the Uwharrie race. A host of persons showed up at Yates store trailhead to clear 3 miles of the heaviest damaged trail section.

 Here is a shot of the great crew who made this section of trail visible again. I should insist that everyone who runs trails to give back. These trails are a retreat that we all care so much about. When you get to run on your race day through the sections you worked on it lifts the sprits up.

The race.  A chest cold began moving through our house 2 weeks before  the race. I'm always the last one to come down with the family illness, Tuesday of race week symptoms started.  Called out of work the next 2 days and laid on the couch drug training like a Pro. Could not sleep for the life of me. Started with the chest-lung hacking Thursday. Sweet.

We had rented a cabin right down the road from the 8/32 AS. Great place. Minutes from every piont on the course. 2 other TrailHeads joined us Friday night. I was the only one in the house running the 40m. 2 doses of NyQuil in the night and arose feeling rested at 5:20.  Took my morning cocktail of drugs and off to the races.

On the way to the start noticed most people wearing shorts. Jumped in the Uhaul and changed in my shorts as well. Good call.

Here was the sunrise at the top of the first climb. Glad to get that climb and warm up done. Settled into a great pace for the next few miles. It was hard to run and not talk because my throat hurt and I was so short of breath. Aid station after AS went by and was on pace for a 4:15 first 20. Made it to mile 15 before getting passed by the 20 mile front 2. Now I got to see all my friends returning down the course. Took a lot of photos with people on the way to the 20. Had a great turn around as I was crewed by fellow TrailHeads. Changed to new shoes socks and shirt for the return 20, 3 minutes in and out. More photos and more walking. My cold was really taking it's toll on my breathing as I hit any substantial incline I coughed up a trail marker. Saw my wife Lawst right where we thought we would meet. It amazes us how good we are at doing this.  I was having a hard toime regulating my body temp at this point. Sucking on numbing throat lozenges is aweful. Saw the last of my TrailHead mates at mile 26. The trail was now quite and slow. I was hitting and swelling into a low point. I walked and walked and walked for what seemed miles.  More food more drink and slowly pulled the pace back up. My splits had been well gone from my 9 hr goal. Smiling that's good. As I ran into the 32 AS I saw Lawst pull up into the AS having just gotten done with her 20 miler. Really the timing is insane. I was told to engage the butt by the resident TrailHead Physical therapist goddess Terra. No words could have pulled me throughout the next 6 miles as quick and comfortable as engage the butt. A year of working on my arse muscles had paid off. At the 2 to go AS I new I was going to finish,when? If I could run the last 2 in under 30 minutes I could come in under 9:30. Run I did almost the rest of the way up the final climb pushing and hacking my way up. I flew down the rocky section under the mantra 'he's racing and pacing he's plotting the course yearning and burning for the cup' Cake lyrics. After deftly maneuvering down the trail for 40 miles I crossed the line for a 9:23 finish.

So proud and grateful for all the people out there supporting this event. I really look forward to giving my race spot to someone else next year as I will enjoy volunteering again.

Until that time, keep the trail ahead smooth and full of smiles. Galoot

Medoc Trail Marathon 2013

                                                     "Among many we are strong."


I started training for this race with an 8 week taper. I took 2 weeks of of running after my last event then started training. 2 short/slow CC Pacer Kids runs and a long run on the weekends, 1.5-2.5 hrs.  No real commitment to this race as the goal is to have fun. Then with 2 weeks to go I thought about racing this one. I told people about how I never race, always just run and have fun. Then I changed my mind with a few days before the race.

I took the week off before to rest and recover....ha...freaking....ha....lets spent 36 hrs bending, stooping, laboring awkwardly building a deck. This is proper and completely logical (The deck turned out very nice, the hard work paid off for that.)

By Thursday my thighs were burning, knees swollen and underused upper body muscles hurt. Perfect. I'm sick in that way now. It doesn't surprise me any more the suffrage one can achieve when that's a goal.

Jenny and I showed up about 3 Friday, few people were there yet. We located your tents in group 3 area. Nymph and Merlin were joining us later. I met Irene, who was cursing Frank Lilly for not being there, even though he promised someone would help her set camp up. I offered to assist her through encouragement in her abilities. Irene is 67 and just finished Chicago Marathon the weekend before. To date that was marathon 108. I told her it was fully in her capabilities to set this tent up. Frank shows up and starts to help. If this scene was written for a weekly comedy sketch then Emmys would be won. I kept giving my 2 cents at the friendly fire banter being hailed from the tent pad.  My weekend had been made and it wasn't even dark yet.

Our friends arrived and after a short while we walked to packet-pickup. A very well stocked bag with Medoc tattoos.  Let's eat. We all had our own meals planned. Eating by the fire enjoying the groups company. Then the stories ensued. Broken bones, epic fails, random mis-judgements, oooh the painted paths can seem endless.

Feel off to sleep about 10 to crackling fire and distant laughter.

Woke up race morning to a chorus of zippers. Why, when the weather is good, your coming right back and no one has the time or interest to go in your tent do we have to seal the tent tight. Save the zips for when you really need them. Eat, bathroom, drink, prepare and leave the watch behind(new race strategy). A short walk to the start greeting all the other friends you drove up that morning and 30 seconds to go. Bathroom, 10 seconds and steal last kiss from Lawst, Conch Shell start.

Seeing how I didn't have a watch I just ran along pretty mindlessly. Walked the steepest part of the "mountian" jeep path. Stayed insight of Merlin for the entire first lap. He was running his first Marathon and looked very good through the first 9 miles.
Walked at the beauty berry bush on the mountain again. Eating and drinking was fine. Felt happy through the next few miles. Had a great surprise when crossing the bridge Lawst was on the other side . Stopped for another kiss. Yeah. Tripped and landed on my bottle squirting half the contents into the woods. Save. Little dirty but sound. Lost sight of Merlin. Continued with the same group for the next few miles before hitting AS1 in the field. I made a quick refill thanks to Dave Steeps son. I had coached him during Pacers. That was awesome. Grabbed camera guessing we had missed the rain.

 SDB Medoc was not going to take me this time. Gave a fellow racer my last 2 salt pills and wished him luck. He finished 45 mins after me.  Walked the entire way up the Mountain this time. It amazes me how little time you lose when taking short walk breaks. I hung out at the AS on the jeep road and had some SODA.  Running from AS I was Rambling the fun of not wearing a watch. I am so proud of my performance so far. 6 more miles to go, hey take it easy down this hill and rest to save some for the last 3 mles

   Splat    wack   kaboom    

Upside down and side ways.  3 runners stopped, even the lady in front came back. I got pulled to my feet and was asked 'how you feeling'? I think I broke my finger. 'You don't need that to run' said one of the runners. He's right, lets run. 
adrenaline is a motivator like no other. By the time I hit the bridge for the last time my index finger was as big as a frankinfurter. Whatever organ digests adrenaline did so and dumped into my gut with a nasty foul taste. My legs were feeling good and continued to move along passing a few runners in the last 3 miles. Walked the final turn and saw my time, 4:10

The Trailheads represented well achieving a 4 for 4 finish. Medals and glory. Thanks to the race crews for a wonderful race experience.

RunT-rail

                           Iron Mountain Trail Race

  
I would like to thank all of the TrailHead Family for there unwavering support. All of the advice paid off. The attention to details is what makes a great race. Special props to E.T. and Gyro for strengthening the rest of my body to handle the stress, this truly made the event controllable.

Elevation profile by Wisp (Rachael Bell Kelly)

 

 

 This tattoo was more helpful than I had intended. I could look over and justify time, pace and effort in an instant. It slowly wore off from elbow to wrist, just like the race.

A well matched group of TrailHeads

The race started right on time 7a. 5 miles of creeper trail stretched the field out before the first mountain climb began. 5 mile 44:09. My goal was to make AS 16 mile near 10a. Ran, walked and stopped twice to adjust left shoe. Made AS 16, 3:04. Refilled bladder adjusted shoe and resupplied from drop bag 3:08.

 Continued pacing well finishing to AS 22 holding a 11:45 ish pace over all. This was a 7 mile section with a lot of runnable fire road. Left AS 22 for another 7 mile AS gap. Stood in a river for about a minute. The swelling in my feet lessened. What a relief.  Dropped my bandana on a short technical section of trail, Sad. Began to hear claps of thunder from the Damascus side of the ridge.

 Made it to AS 29 5:51. Popsicle and some candy. The next 3 miles where up a muddy ascent to AS 32. I gave myself a goal of 1 hr, walked the entire section. I found a bandana and used it to dip in the multiple creek crossings to cool down. The mud was more than ankle deep for a good 1.5 miles along the creek bank. I was with 3 other runners on this climb. We enjoyed the cool breeze coming down the ridge line  from the rain on the other side of the mountain. The temp must have dropped 10 drg. Made AS32 in 51mins.

   

Left AS 32 headed up again. You have to go up to fulfill the 8000 ft of elevation on the course. Took my left shoe off looking for a rock, toenail hanging on just flopping around. my hip cramped up while attempting to put my shoe on. it took a long time to put the shoe on. UGH. Caught up to a runner, Lisa, who I followed down a technical descent in the pouring rain. We were both glad to have company as it took your mind off pain.

I had a goal to reach AS 37 felling good. I did that. I had done that well. A runner came in with my bandana on his pack, sweet. Changed shoes, removed toenail threw over shoulder, Hoppa!, reloaded pack from drop bag and off to finish.


Baby food squeeze packs keep you going. Run anytime you can, run anytime you can, run anytime you can. Guess what I did.

The ridge line was a stirred up mess from all the racers and rain. Mud was flying as I made forward progress. I made AS 43 1n 9:43, a full half hour before the cutt-off. The staff asked if I had thrown up yet. No. Well you wouldn't be the first so don't fell bad if you do. Okay. Filled bladder with Gatorade,  grabbed bananas, watermelon. Left Lisa's handheld she had dropped.

Every step since mile 33 has been a personal best. every second beyond 6:38 hrs is new territory. This is the point of the event where all of the collected knowledge I am surrounded by gives you piece of mind. I could hear every TrailHead in those woods, encouraging me. As I stared the final 2 mile highly technical decent, "Focus...Focus...Focus" was my mantra. Knowing the finish was at the bottom I only needed to focus here and right now. Pavement.

Waiting to cross a road for traffic at 49.6 miles felt silly.

Only time I 'hit' the ground (photo Anthony Corriveau)

11:24. 50 miles. Thank you to a well staffed group of race volunteers. Thanks to everyone who made this crazy quest a realty. Enjoyed the weekend hanging out with Shannon, Anthony, Jay, Brandy, Jeff and of course the most caring of all Jen.

Stayed up with sweat-chills all night. Lost just over 4 lbs.

Run Smooth, Galoot