It’s been quite some time since I’ve done any blogging. But,
I just finished the Umstead 100 this weekend, and I wanted to take the
opportunity to thank my amazing crew, the RD, the volunteers, and the
organizers of Umstead 100. What better way to do that than to share a race
report? So here goes:
A Little Backstory
Shortly before Ginger and I moved to Blacksburg, we met some
amazing VT Ultra folks at the Terrapin Mtn 50K last year. Brett Sherfy, Jordan
Chang, and the rest of the VT Ultra crew made us feel welcome and they’ve
really helped Ginger and me feel inspired about running since we moved to town.
The community here in Blacksburg is amazing. Brett and Jordan encouraged
me to get a slot in this year’s Umstead 100, so I did. And, I’m so glad.
Since I haven’t been blogging, I’ll start with talking about
training. I had hurt my ankle last fall right before the Barkley Fall Classic
(not the big boy Barkley Marathons, the BFC is a 50K that offers just a little
taste of the real Barkley). Because I’m who I am (not a smart man) I kept
racing and training through the fall. I had a rough, but satisfying day at the
BFC, and then PR’ed at the Marine Corps Marathon and the Mountain Masochist 50
miler in October. I took some time off, and then paced Brett at Hellgate, where
I rolled my weak ankle yet again. I had already signed up for Umstead, so I
took the rest of December off and dove headlong back into training on January 1st. I didn’t get to train as much as I normally
would for a 100 because of lingering ankle issues and a bout with the flu, but
I had a solid training cycle and managed a little over 400 miles from Jan 1 to
March 22. Not ideal. But, good enough. I hoped.
I assembled a plan to have a good day. My goal was (1) to
finish, (2) to get a PR (Less than 24:53:49), (3) to go sub 23, (4) sub 22.
More important was than my plan was my crew. First, Ginger was at the helm
again as my crew chief. I know that when she is the one looking out for me, I
will have everything I need to be successful. There is not a more supportive
wife and best friend anywhere in the world. She is also one hell of a pacer.
Second, Ginger’s mom Lois was going to be there to help manage the crew. She’s
dynamite. Her encouragement and enthusiasm are unparalleled. Then, the pacers:
Josh, my brother from another mother, was going to be there to motivate me
through the dark places. I look up to him in ways that he probably can’t figure
out because he’s so humble. And Jordan, the most encouraging and nicest human
being anyone has ever met would also be there to pace, fix my ailments, and
make me laugh.
Fast Forward to Race
Day
I showed up at the starting line for Umstead feeling good
but apprehensive. My ankle was feeling better thanks to a lot of help from
Jordan. He told me I’d be just fine at Umstead. But, there’s always that
nagging question. Can I do it? 100 miles is a long way. My last two 100 mile
attempts (Leadville and Rocky Raccoon in 2014) had not turned out well. I timed
out at Hope Pass at Leadville in 2013 and hurt my ankle at mile 60 at Rocky in
2014. I HAD to get this Monkey off my back. Umstead was my chance to do so.
I woke up at 4 am on Saturday feeling good. That’s saying
something because I don’t do mornings. It was cold. Like in the 30’s. I had slept
well in the back of Jordan’s Honda Fit (it’s actually quite roomy), and I got
dressed and all ready to go. I wore a long sleeve shirt, shorts, my red bandana
(a tradition), 2XU calf sleeves, and a pair New Balance 1210. It had rained
Friday and Friday night, so I had 3 other pairs of shoes at the ready, but I
hoped that it would stop raining so I wouldn’t have to waste time with shoe
changes. Brett and I made our way to the start line after some time with our
crew. Here's a shot of my and my awesome Crew Chief/Pacer
The race began in the dark. No rain. Just cold. The
atmosphere was electric.
Lap 1: Miles 1-12.5
Planned Time: 2:20
Brett and I planned to run together as long as I could keep
up with him. The first few miles went great as the explained the course layout
to me. At mile 4, I had to stop at the port-o-john. My anxiety about getting
the 100 monkey off my back was wreaking havoc on my stomach, so we split up so
I wouldn’t slow him down at all. I managed to make the stop quick, and I was
back out on the loop. I felt great and ran easy. I managed to have a great lap
in spite of a few pit stops. I was quick in and out of the crew stop. So quick
that I forgot to give Ginger a hug before I got too stinky. I felt bad about
that.
Actual time 2:11
Lap 2: Miles 12.5-25
Planned Time: 2:30
Lap two was uneventful. I managed to chat with some new
friends along the course, and I just ran easy- keeping my heart rate low and
reminding myself that this was going to be a fun day. The course was great. I
was enjoying the short climbs at a hiking pace and running the flats and
downhill stretches. I got in an out of the crew stop and HQ aid station quickly
thanks to my amazing crew. As I came through each time Ginger, Josh, Lois, and
Jordan quickly changed out my hand bottle and gave me what I needed. I think I
remembered to give Ginger a big hug. I hope I did.
Actual Time: 2:12
Lois keeping warm and Jordy Hanging out
Lap 3: Miles 25-37.5
Planned time: 2:35
Lap 3 was awful. My right knee felt like it got a knife
stuck in it right before Aid Station 2 (mile 6.8 on the loop). I had been
having a great race up to that point. But now, my knee was killing me. I was
really worried. I kept thinking: “Oh no. Not again. I am NOT going out like
this. There HAS to be a solution to this problem.” I decided to just walk the
rest of the lap and get help when I got there. I was not ready or willing to
give up. I saw Brett a few miles from the Start/Finish and Crew area and told
him quickly that I was having trouble. I felt bad about spreading any bad
vibes, but he made me feel better. I came down the hill to the Crew Station on
my way to the S/F and told Jordan, Josh, and Ginger that I was having trouble.
I knew they could help, so I went to the S/F aid station, fueled up, and then
went to get fixed up. Jordan, Josh, and Alan Needle (my buddy who’s an athletic
trainer at App. State) were on me like white on rice. Josh said, “It’s going to
be OK, brother.” Jordan went right into fix it mode, made sure I was only
hurting and not injured, and busted out the Kinsio tape. He taped me up and
then Allen added his Athletic Trainer skills and made sure the tape would stay.
They were like a NASCAR pit crew banging out the dent in a wrecked car and
sending it back on the track. Within 30 minutes, I had a taped knee and dry
socks (to avoid blisters). I grabbed my headphones so I could listen to some
podcasts to get me out of my own head. Off I went. I decided I would just walk
until I couldn’t walk anymore. I figured that if I was really injured my knee
would swell and that would let me know. If it didn’t I was HTFU and push
through. I had lost 30 minutes by walking so much on this lap, and I knew I had
just lost lap 4 time with the taping, but I shifted my goal. Now finishing was
the goal. I didn’t care of it took me 29:59:59. I was just going to finish.
Actual Time: 3:03
Lap 4: Miles 37.5-50
Planned Time: 2:40
I set out limping onto lap 4. I said, “Walk to the end of
the airport spur. When you get back to the gate, you can bail if you have to.
If you can, in the words of Gordy Ainsleigh, “Take one more step. Take one more
step and just keep going until you can’t.” I felt a little better at the gate.
I decided to push for AS #2 at mile 6.8 of the lap. I figured I could get a
ride back from there if I had to quit. But, I didn’t want to quit. By the time
I reached AS#2, I felt great. No more knee pain. It was MAGIC! Even though I
started the lap with 30 minutes spent sitting in a chair, I finished the lap in
3:04! I was 10 minutes faster in actual moving time than I had planned. I came
in at 10 hours and 40 minutes for 50 miles after losing an HOUR to the knee
debacle. I knew from this point on that I would finish. And finish strong. My
crew had saved my race! I am so grateful to them.
Actual Time: 3:04
Lap 5: Miles 50-62.5
Planned Time: 2:50
I left the Crew Station with buoyed spirits and Ginger at my
side. I was so excited to finally have her pacing me at a 100 miler. Lots of
people might not understand what this means, but to me it was glorious. To be
able to share the trail and this special goal with my wife and best friend is
just something special. We talked about running, our life since moving to
BBurg, and our hilarious dog and cats. It was so much fun. She kept me moving
and kept my spirits high. We speed hiked up the hills and Ginger laughed
because I was walking up the hills faster than she walks at the Kroger, which
is fast! We crushed that lap and came in way under my planned pace. We made it
past the 100K mark with daylight to spare.
Actual time: 2:26
Lap 6: Miles 62.5-80
Planned Time: 3:05
Josh joined me for lap 6. Josh is a special kind of person.
I won’t talk about his job because he’s too humble for me to talk about his job
without making him sound like the bad ass that he is, but let’s just say he
deserves more respect than anyone can ever show him. More than that though,
Josh understands friendship and brotherhood in ways that few people do. I
treasure spending time suffering with him out on the trail. He’s uniquely talented
in the art of HTFU, and he kept us moving at an amazing clip! He told me
stories that made me laugh, and we talked about everything under the sun as we
passed runner after runner. We’d set our sights on someone, and track them
down, tell them they were doing great, and then blow by them. It was awesome!
Actual Time: 2:40-
That’s a 12:48 average pace for miles 62-80. Seriously!
Lap 7: Miles 80-92.5
Planned Time: 3:20
Ginger was ready to go to take me back out for Lap 7. I was
feeling great. I was tired, and my quads were shredded. But, the energy at the
Crew Station was high. Lois was full of encouragement. I was psyched to get to
spend another lap out on the course with my awesome bride. We stepped it out
and Ginger just kept encouraging me and telling me how great I was doing. She
picked up right where Josh left off in terms of helping us pass person after
person. It was so much fun. One of my favorite memories of the race was just
walking with her, running where I could manage, and talking about how great our
life is. We are so lucky. One of my other favorite moments of the race was
meeting up with Dan Lenz early in the lap. Dan was crushing the course. Early
in the lap, we ran into Dan when he was on his way to the finish. Dan is an
amazing guy and one of the strongest runners out there. I called after him to
tell him he was doing great and tell him that he was an inspiration. Dan, who
was in contention for the win, stopped, walked back to me, shook my hand and
told me I was doing great. I was so impressed by that. Here he is in contention
for the win and he stops, goes back down a hill to encourage me before heading
back out to turn in an amazing performance. That’s why I love Ultras. That’s
what this community is about. So cool! Ginger kept me moving quickly and we
made it back to the S/F ahead of schedule.
Actual Time: 3:10
Lap 8; Miles 80 to
100
Planned time: 3:35
As Ginger and I came into the Crew Area, Josh was all ready
to go to take me on the final lap. Brett Sherfy was nearly finished at this
point. Jordan was out pacing him to the finish, so it was up to Josh to get me
home. Josh was still wrapped up in a sleeping bag (it was cold), but he dropped
the bag and said, “Let’s go brother. We got this. It’ll be the easiest 12.5
mile ruck of your life because you won’t have a ruck on. Let’s go!” So we did.
We moved it out as quickly as I could manage. Another race highlight: Josh and
I are walking along telling stories and someone comes HAULING ASS up from
behind us. We were like, Who THE HELL is moving that fast at this time of
night? Of course it was Jordan. Not content to only get Brett finished in a
good time, Jordan literally sprinted from the finish line out onto the course
to track us down. I’m sure it was good Boston Marathon training for him since
we had a four mile head start. He joined us and laughed and encouraged us as we
moved through the final lap. We had a blast. I loved every second of the
stories he had to tell about Brett’s final lap. Maybe Brett write a race
report. I hope so.
Actual Time: 3:25
Total Time: 22:51:00.
New PR by 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 49 seconds. All thanks to my amazing crew!
I can’t say thank you enough to Ginger, Lois, Jordan, Josh, Brett, and Michelle. You helped me reach a goal that was really important to me. More than
that, I am grateful to have shared the weekend with you.
Here’s a link to my Strava data if you’d like to see more
about the course profile:
What you need to know
about Umstead 100
· If you haven’t done this race, do it. The RD,
the organizers, and the volunteers are literally the best. They want everyone
to be successful. They take care of every runner. From first place to the last
runner, they make everyone feel welcome and cared for. They take care of your
crew like you would want them to: like family. That’s important. And uncommon.
·
The course is fast, the footing is great, the
aid stations are top-notch, and the vibe is electric.
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