THE RUNNIST

My Marathons and Ultras

2016-06-13T05:49:00.003-07:00

Marathons (14)
Richmond Marathon, 2011
Wrightsville Beach Marathon, 2012
Richmond Marathon, 2012
Umstead Trail Marathon, 2013
Triple Lakes Trail Marathon, 2013
City of Oaks Marathon, 2013
Myrtle Beach, 2014
Medoc Trail Marathon, 2014
Richmond Marathon, 2014
Outer Banks Marathon, 2015
Tobacco Road Marathon, 2015
Umstead Trail Marathon, 2016
Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie (26.2), 2016
Grandfather Mountain Marathon, 2016

Ultras (10)
Hinson Lake 24 Hour, 2013 (57)
Derby 50k, 2013
Black Mountain Monster 12 Hour, 2014
Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie (30), 2014
Hinson Lake 24 Hour, 2014 (43)
Black Mountain Monster 12 Hour, 2015
Derby 50k, 2015
Run the Rock 50k 2015
Hinson Lake 24 Hour 2015 (100k)
Yeti 100 Preview (33 miles), 2016
Medoc Meltdown 50k+ (34 miles), 2016
Hinson Lake 24 Hour, 2016 (50k)
Tideland 24 Hour, 2017 (33 miles)
Dam Yeti 50k 2018 (32 miles)

Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra Classic - 2015

2015-09-25T14:30:00.001-07:00

Tweets about #HinsonLake24Hour

The Big Reveal - My Spring 2015 Race Plan

2014-12-01T05:26:00.001-08:00

Queue the music!

It's #Dec1 and as promised I am announcing my spring 2015 race plan (and pretending anyone really cares).

Let's start with the races I considered but didn't pick. I know, some of these are for pretty lame reasons.

All American Marathon - This one made it to the final two. Looks like a fun race and I'd love to watch @chasingoprah #beatoprah. Negatives for me were 6:30AM start plus 90 minutes away, and post race runner shuttle.

Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon- (SPOILER ALERT) Decided that one flat beach race is enough for the season.

Race 13.1 Wilmington Half Marathon - Same reason.

Jordan Lake 12 Hour - Like the 12 hour daytime format but decided $75 is too steep for a new race I don't know much about.

Falls Lake Fatass 26+ - Free, local, and MST made this tempting but 8 miles on the trail yesterday were hard enough. If they decide to allow halfers I may still run this one.

Tarheel 10-Miler - May be my best distance but wasn't feeling the Chapel Hill race day traffic I have heard a lot about. Plus I hate the Tarheels.

Race 13.1 Roanoke - Love Roanoke but not in the budget since it's 3 hours away and a hotel would be in order.

Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie - Ran this last year and had fun but I didn't love the 6PM start or the two hour drive home at 1AM.

Looking for good races is exhausting!

And now the real reason you are here. My 2015 spring race selections!

#1 Myrtle Beach Half Marathon - The wind can't possibly suck as bad as last year and if it is at least I'll only be running 13.1. Great PR course. Hopefully, friends will be running. Found a hotel on the beach with ocean view for $50/night. Awesome Marathon Maniacs race discount.

Don't I look happy running like the wind last year?

#2 Umstead Trail Marathon - Ran this one two years ago and it was the toughest race that I've done but also the most rewarding. Cedar Ridge Trail still kind of haunts me but at least I know what I am in for this time. No travel, no hotels, 9AM start are big bonuses. May try the Caroline Wozniacki training plan.

#3 Run the Rock 50k - $50, only an hour away, 9AM start, race day packet pickup, and mid-April gives me plenty of time to get ready. Also heard good things about Raven Rock trails.

#4 Black Mountain Monster 12 Hour - Loved this race last year but missed my goal. Lessons learned and hope to make it to 50 this year.

#5 Race 13.1 Raleigh - Last race of the season in Raleigh and I want to see if I can make it up Lassiter Mill hill without walking.

Last mile of the race.

#6 MTC Shirt Run (15 mile) - Date TBD. Planning to run this as long as I have no conflicts.

Fall 2015

Not ready to make my fall race picks but as of today here are some of the candidates...

Hinson Lake 24 Hour

Medoc Trail Marathon

City of Oaks Half Marathon

Old Glory Trail Trot 50k

Crooked Road 24 Hour

Running Against the Wind - Myrtle Beach Marathon 2014

2014-02-18T04:44:00.000-08:00

Shortly before I boarded the hotel shuttle to the Myrtle Beach Marathon start I checked the forecast on my weather app one last time.

6AM - Light rain, 48 degrees, 12 mph winds.
7AM - Light rain, 48 degrees, 14 mph winds
8AM - Cloudy, 49 degrees, 16 mph winds.
9AM - Partly cloudy, 49 degrees, 16-18 mph winds.
10AM - Partly cloudy, 51 degrees, 20 mph winds.
11AM - Partly cloudy, 52 degrees, 20-23 mph winds.

Less than ideal running conditions but I convinced myself that I could fend off a couple of hours of strong winds after warming up on the first half of the race. I tried to remain positive even though it looked like this could be 26.2 miles of suck.

But as bad as that forecast looked, the actual weather was much worse. When the shuttle dropped me off about a half a mile away from the start it was already pouring rain with temperatures below 40 degrees and winds in excess of 20mph. Shorts and a short sleeve shirt with no gloves was looking like a tragic wardrobe choice.

Leading up to race day I was feeling really good about my training and confident about beating my goal of 4 hours and 15 minutes, which would be 10 minutes faster than my previous best marathon time. The flat and fast course at Myrtle Beach is ideal to take a shot at running a PR. This would be my 7th marathon and it was the best I had felt physically going into a race.

But at 6:15AM on race day, as I stood near the start shivering in the rain and severe winds, I was having some doubts about even getting through 26.2 miles, let alone setting any personal records. I think there were a lot of runners questioning whether they should just throw in the towel and go get some pancakes. "We've got this!", I said to my friends, but I wasn't so sure I believed that.

When the race began I tried to use the unpleasant conditions for motivation, thinking "let's try to get this over with as quickly as possible". I ran the first two miles at an 8:20/mile average pace or 1:20 faster than the pace for a sub-4:15 marathon. I had planned to run a little ahead of goal pace to bank some time but 8:20/mile was an unrealistic and imprudent early pace based on my past marathon experiences. Thankfully, the rain stopped after a couple of miles.

I usually try to take in the marathon scenery and the atmosphere and not think too much about mileage early in the race. But in this race I didn't look around that much or interact with many runners or spectators. I was focused mostly on my Garmin, hydration, nutrition, and of course the wind. I also knew exactly many miles I had left at all times. Unlike my last marathon (City of Oaks, in Raleigh) where I chose not to listen to music, I had my iPod playlist going from the start to finish and the music turned up loud. No aid station stops (I carried my own). No iPhone photos (until the very end). Head down to avoid the wind. Very few smiles. Have I captured the fact that I was a bit of a cranky runner during this race? And I slept great the night before too.

My average pace decreased slightly at the 10k mark to 8:23/mile but still way too fast for me with 20 more miles to go. Somewhere around mile 7 or 8 the course turned onto Ocean Boulevard and the wind was at my back for the first time. I was at 8:27/mile by 13 mile mark but with 22mph winds pushing me along it felt comfortable. This was one of the few points where I relaxed and enjoyed the race. At the halfway point I was on pace for a sub-3:45 time and had run a half marathon PR, two good signs that I was running this marathon way too fast.

At mile 17 the course off turned off the beach and back into the wind. Feeling slightly refreshed after Ocean Boulevard I was able to keep a decent pace for a couple more miles. By mile 19 my average pace was 8:40/mile and I was still on track for sub-3:45. I kind of knew this was a ridiculous notion but a big part of me wanted to believe. A much bigger part of me wanted to be done with the wind 30 minutes sooner than my goal.

By the last 6 miles the winds picked up to 25+mph with some brutal in your face gusts. It was significantly worse than the strong winds at the start, and where the wheels came off of my race. I lost significant time on every mile between 20-25 and there was a lot of unplanned walking and failed mini-goals like "I will run to that next stop light before walking again".

Overall average pace:
Mile 21, 8:49/mile
Mile 22, 8:52/mile
Mile 23, 8:56/mile
Mile 24, 9:00/mile
Mile 25, 9:06/mile

But even after that demoralizing 5 mile stretch I was still well ahead of my sub-4:15 goal and somehow still had a chance for sub-4:00 if I could muster a strong last mile.

But alas there was no strong last mile. Mile 26 was probably my slowest of the day.

Official finishing time: 4:01:02 9:09/mile (a 24 minute PR!)

-506 out of 1610

-56 out of 154 AG

I'm a little disappointed to miss four hours by only a minute but am thrilled with my time and have a great goal to go for next time!

Great schwag and finisher's medal. There was a cool
backpack too but I already gave it to my wife.

My view as I headed for the finish. Thankful it was over!

Enjoying a post-race Honest Abe IPA at Liberty
Tap Room w/ friends from @RiverRunClub
Photo credit: @thillruns

Even though the weather conditions were really challenging this year the Myrtle Beach Marathon was a fantastic, well organized race that I will definitely run again. A huge thanks to the amazing volunteers, spectators, and musicians who all beared the same difficult elements with smiles and enthusiasm to help motivate the runners!

Derby 50k Ultra Run - Race Report

2013-12-03T07:47:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a really good day at the Derby 50k in Derby, NC. This was my first 50k and the culmination of a challenging two months of races that included Hinson Lake 24 Hour Race, Triple Lakes Trail Marathon, and the City of Oaks Marathon.

I started looking for a 50k in October shortly after running Hinson Lake. There I managed to compile (operative word) 56 miles over about 19 hours and technically join the ultra marathon club, but I knew shortly thereafter that I wanted to solidify that with a 50k. I had heard of Derby from a runner I met on the trails at Medoc last year and he had said it was a great race for a first ultra. I wasn't ready last year but it fit well into my schedule this year, four weeks after City of Oaks Marathon so I wouldn't have to do another super long training run in between.

I didn't know a lot about this race except that the organizers and many participants were also involved at Hinson Lake and that it was a small road race in rural NC within two hours of where I live. I visited the race website and a the banner photo really captured my attention. It looked like Renoir had painted a hayfield with a few random people in the background and I found myself checking it out several times as I contemplated running in this race.

As I read about the race it fit my other first 50k criteria of having no scary elevation charts or time cutoffs. The one thing that worried me most was that there were only three loops, which meant a potential 10.5 mile loop of shame if I didn't pace myself properly. After reading a few positive race reports I completed the registration form and mailed it in along with my $35 check.

On race day I woke up well before my 4AM alarm to temperatures in the upper 20's, about 15-20 degrees colder than usual for this time of year in NC. After some breakfast and coffee I packed and defrosted the car and was on my way to Derby. It was an enjoyable one hour and forty five minute drive from my home in Wake Forest with just one pitstop at a gas station along route 211 past Southern Pines. The clerk asked where I was heading and it felt very great to say I was going to run an ultra marathon. He responded that he should really start running.

At 6:30AM I arrived at the race headquarters, the Derby Community Center, a nondescript white building which may have been the only building on the road. There was nothing about the setting that gave any indication that a running event would take place here and yet it seemed like the perfect place for an ultra marathon. I looked forward to meeting some other runners, many of whom would also be doing their first 50k.

It was still around 30 degrees outside which was a stark contrast to the 74 degree temperatures inside the building. As runners stayed warm and conversed inside it was tempting to shed layers but that temptation disappeared after stepping back outside.

Shortly before 8:00AM the 85 or so runners were called out to the starting area on Jones Springs Church Road, one of the five different open country roads that made up the course. There were no start or finish signs, no loudspeakers, no music playing, no road closures, and no pace groups or corrals. Just a quick overview by the race director who wished us well and then sent us on our way.

Since this was my first 50k I had been hesitant to declare a time goal but I decided to shoot for six hours, about one minute slower than my usual marathon pace. One of the things I have noticed about the two ultra marathons I have done is that when the race starts there is no real sense of urgency and most runners quickly settle into their super slow pace. It is also acceptable to walk at any time necessary during the race, especially when moving uphill. These factors played right into my race strategy which included a lot of slow and a lot of walking.

There weren't many signs at this race but I thought this one was pretty cool:

I have run a number of marathons over the last few years and am pretty consistently a middle of the pack finisher at around 4 hours and 30 minutes. Despite good intentions I usually head out too fast, fade significantly on the last five miles, and finish with little to nothing left in the tank. I have certainly never finished a marathon and said "I could have done another five miles". Most recently my overly exuberant pacing has resulted in a seven mile hike at the end of Triple Lakes Trail Marathon in early October and an implosion at mile 21 at the City of Oaks Marathon in early November. I had both of these races in the back of my mind at Derby and was committed to not be that guy this time.

The 50k course consisted of a 10.5 mile loop on scenic wide open country roads and one section on a packed dirt road that was covered three times. There were definitely some hills but they were mostly rolling and very runnable. Here is a look at the course elevation chart, which looks a lot hillier than it felt while running.

When the race started I began running at a conservative pace of about 11:30 minutes per mile, about two minutes slower than my typical long run pace and about a minute slower than my average marathon pace. It felt really slow but I resisted the urge to go faster so early. The first few miles were cold but it soon warmed up just enough to make for perfect running weather. During this first loop I recognized a few friendly faces who were running at just the right pace for me. I kiddingly advised them that they had been selected as my official pacers. They obliged and I was happy to have good running company with me or nearby for most of that first loop.

At the end of the first loop I stopped at my personal aid station (my Honda Fit). There I topped off my water bottle, inhaled some cookies and gummy bears, and removed some layers. I took stock of how I felt with a third of the race completed and was pleased that nothing hurt and I wasn't feeling tired.

The second time I headed out on the course there was suddenly nobody else around. Not sure if I lost my pacers or if they lost me but it turned out the next 21 miles would be mostly solo. There were a lot of miles that looked something like this:

I went to my music playlist, which I must have cycled through at least three times, and after that I listened to a few podcasts. The Joe Rogan Experience is a great choice for distance races because the podcasts are about three hours each and often venture into deep philosophical topics.

In the photo below I was still feeling good at mile 14 and I had picked up the pace by about a minute this time around. My fear of not finishing had subsided and I let the thought enter my mind that this race could go very well. Way too early for thoughts like that though. They have burned me before!

The next time I checked my mileage I was at around 18 and I knew it was a good sign that four miles had gone by without thinking much about distance. I snapped a self photo on the dirt road and checked Twitter, which you can do during an ultra marathon because there are plenty of walk breaks. I was happy to see some quick words of encouragement from friends and fellow runners.

When I reached the end of the second loop the temps had reached the mid-40's and I ditched my hat and some more clothing. Inadvertently, I also ditched my water bottle which I realized about a quarter of a mile later. In the interest of being green the race director had asked runners to bring their own water bottle or hydration vest in lieu of providing cups (an idea I hope catches on). I wondered whether I'd be waterless for the last ten miles but there was no way I was running back a quarter mile to my car at that point, so I proceeded onwards. Three miles later at the first aid station the awesome volunteers hooked me up with a water bottle and luckily that potential disaster was averted.

Speaking of volunteers I want to give a huge thanks to all of them, many who traveled a good distance to be there and sacrificed an entire Saturday. It was a comfortable day for running but otherwise a very cold one, especially for the first several hours.

The cool part of volunteering at an ultra marathon is that there is such a low runner frequency so you can also take a nap and work on your tan.

#bestaidstationphotoever

Heading into the last six miles my legs started to feel heavier but I was still able to maintain a consistent pace. I heard someone at the aid station say "10k to go", which is usually the point in a marathon where I'm feeling whooped. I felt like I still had six decent miles left in me. During this last six miles I started to pass a number of runners, which rarely happens for me towards the end of a marathon. It always feels good to be the passer and not the passed, however at almost five hours into the race I was also happy to find someone to share a few minutes of conversation with before moving on to some more solo running.

Here's a photo of one of the runners I met up with briefly on that last loop. He was awarded a custom chair with two beer holders for completing his 10th Derby 50k. These veteran ultra runners are so inspiring and hopefully I'll still be racing in another 15 or 20 years.

With five miles to go at just over 26 miles I checked my Garmin and was at 4:41. As slow I had gone on that first loop I was really surprised that I wasn't too far off of my average marathon time and thought I might have a chance to break 5:30 if I could just pick up the pace a little. I did some quick math and figured I'd need to do about a 9:30 pace for five miles to get there and thought I might actually have a shot.

Here's a photo of my approach to the finish. They say photos don't lie but I'd like to think I felt better than this one lets on!

As it turned out I couldn't quite get to 5:30 but I got pretty close. I finished with a Garmin time of 5:32:22 (average pace of 10:33) and ranked 38 out of 84 overall. I'll take it!

I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone involved in organizing, volunteering, and supporting this race and making it such a great experience for the runners. I am thrilled to have participated in this race and would definitely run this one again!

Race Report - Jimbo's East Coast Summer C.R.A.P. fest

2013-08-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted here since the Umstead Marathon, which for those of your keeping score was five months ago. Perhaps I've been lazy or life has gotten in the way, but more likely it's just that I haven't had many particularly interesting running experiences motivate me to sit down and type. That changed yesterday at Jimbo's East Coast Summer C.R.A.P. fest in Sanford, NC.

About a month ago I received a Facebook invite to this event from a friend in my local running club who ran this event last year. I was intrigued by the unique format (we'll get to that in a moment) but had already committed to running the Medoc Meltdown the weekend before and didn't think my legs and body could take on back to back distance races in the August North Carolina heat.

As it turned out, something came up last weekend that conflicted with Medoc and I signed up for the CRAPfest as plan B. The schedule would fit perfectly into my fall marathon training schedule and I figured this race had to be much better than running 20 solo miles in the summer heat. That turned out to be a giant understatement.

The CRAPfest is run on a 1.6 mile figure eight course at Beaver Dam that is about 80% on trails with one short but punishing section through a grassy field that exposed runners to direct sunlight and a 15 degree temperature rise. The course was not extremely technical but there were a fair share of rocks, roots and hills to make it interesting. There were also plenty of mosquitoes, horseflies, and ticks with which to contend, but for me the biggest challenge was the heat which became a much more imposing foe over the course of the 6+ hours that I was in the competition.

The format is that each loop must be completed one minute faster than the previous loop. The first loop starts at 37 minutes, then 36, 35, etc. and if a runner has not completed a given loop by the cutoff time he or she is out and becomes a well fed spectator. If they finish a loop early there is time to recover and relax because the next loop does not begin until the full time for the previous loop has expired. This made for an interesting game of strategy amongst the runners. Some runners would walk all of the early loops and preserve energy while other runners would run the early loops to maximize the breaks in between.

My main goal was just to survive long enough to make my 20 miles that I was supposed to run this weekend. On the first several loops time was not a big concern but out of habit I still felt the desire to do a lot more running than walking. I tried different things on each loop but usually opted for the "run faster and get a longer break" approach, and all of my loops were between 19 and 23 minutes (even the ugly ones at the end). I enjoyed the long breaks on these early rounds and getting to know runners during this time. It was interesting to hear folks talk about strategy and their mental and physical state throughout the race.

Several hours into the race I was still feeling strong and on track to reach 20 miles and for a couple of loops I had even begun to entertain thoughts of running a few bonus loops once I reached that point. But things started to spiral downward pretty quickly somewhere around loop 9 or 10. I found myself looking at my watch much more frequently and it had become all about how long until the next break. By this time in the race I had already been walking a lot of the hills but my definition of hill suddenly became much more liberal. Towards the end I had even convinced myself that the flat grassy stretch (below) was a moderate incline.

Around loop 11 even walking started to feel difficult. At one point I found a nice seat on a log for 30 seconds and knew that was the beginning of the end for me mentally. I think I managed to tack on two more after that and make my 20+ miles but ultimately my desire to enjoy an awesome BBQ sandwich and a chair overtook my desire to head back out again. I tapped out and quietly avoided the starting line and the peer pressure that might have made me go out for another even uglier loop.

Overall, I'm happy with how I did in this race even if I broke the cardinal rule of "no stopping until you are eliminated". I met some great people and hope to be back again next year. Thanks to everyone who organized and participated in this race for making this such a fun experience!

2013 Umstead Marathon - A First Timer's Race Report

2013-03-11T07:47:00.001-07:00

A few days before my first Umstead Trail Marathon I had a dream about the finish. I rarely remember my dreams but in this one I saw myself breaking through the finish line tape in slow motion at 4:56 (It's my dream so I am allowed to be overdramatic!). I had no recollection of the other 26.199 miles and thought this was a good sign going into the race. I also decided that this would make a reasonable goal given the challenging course elevation and my first timer status in this race.

My plan at the start was to run at a 9 min/mile for the first couple of miles then slow down and enjoy the single track at an easier pace. Another early objective was to banish the mythical bike reaper from my mind. I had heard all about the various cutoff points from race veterans and I wanted to eliminate that variable from the equation as early as possible.

For some misguided reason I had envisioned the first couple of miles being flat and easy, but 5 minutes into the race I was breathing heavier than expected. Way too early to not feel great. Little did I know I was climbing the first hill and would feel fine again when I reached the top, a theme that would continue for close to five hours.

I looked at my watch as I entered Company Mill. On schedule at 9 min/mile.

I had run the single track section several times during training and and I knew it would be my favorite part of the course. In my opinion there is no better place in the Raleigh area to add some awesome to your day. I maintained a conservative pace through the end of Sycamore Trail and managed to stay upright. Good call leaving the trail shoes at home. Didn't need them.

My average pace was a little over 10 min/mile at mile 7. Still feeling good.

Time to relax and just run for awhile. I covered up my watch with my shirt sleeve and didn't look at it again until around mile 18.

For the next half an hour or so I tried to let my mind wander and stop counting miles. Just another training run I pretended. This isn't so bad.

Things started to get real when I reached Turkey Creek. In Umstead you are usually either running uphill or downhill, and nowhere is this more pronounced than on this 9 mile section of the course. It was all about surviving the long climbs with your dignity intact then trying to recover lost time on the downhills.

But when I looked at my watch it confirmed my suspicions. Turkey Creek had tacked on 30 seconds to my average pace.

I don't remember much about miles 20 and 21 which means they either weren't too bad or more likely there was more downhill than uphill.

When I reached Cedar Ridge it started to get ugly. Maybe it was the fact that it was later in the race, but this stretch of hills seemed longer and more diabolical than any of the others. I'm not gonna lie. There was a LOT of walking with a little bit of running thrown in.

Somewhere in the middle of Cedar Ridge, I saw a friend (thx Ken!) out for a Saturday run and he offered to pace me for a bit. The timing couldn't have been better since there was no point where I needed it more. We ran together and chatted for less than a mile and this gave me the mental boost I needed to finish off what I thought was the toughest part of the course.

Well played Cedar Ridge. I looked at my watch and it read 4:26 at 24 miles. Splits continuing to trend positive.

At this point I did some fuzzy marathon math and realized I could still beat my goal if I just walked in the last couple of miles. Never a good sign when that thought creeps into your brain.

With one last hilly stretch to go I tried I tried to think positive thoughts to help me close this thing out. Moe's burrito's. Friends at the finish. How my new pint glass will look filled with beer. I can do this!

I managed to fend off Cemetery Hill and finish strong on the downhill. Seven minutes faster than in my dream.

Official time: 4:49:24
11:03 min/mile.

I'll take it!

Thanks to all the organizers, volunteers, spectators, and amazing community of fellow runners who made my first Umstead Marathon such a great experience. It was the hardest race I've ever done... and I can't wait for next year!

Here's a photo (thx Claudia) that makes it look like I was ready to run 5 more miles

...and another one taken 5 sec later (thx Gail!) that reflects how I was really feeling

...and another taken back home about 90 minutes later.