TRT 100: Sometimes Things Just Gotta Play Hard

In one of my favorite episodes of The Wire, Detective Kima Greggs refuses to fudge the identification of one of the gang members who everyone knows was one of the shooters who shot and almost killed her in a drug bust gone bad. Bunk tries to tell her that things will play a whole lot easier in court with an ID, but Greggs refuses by simply saying, “Sometimes things just gotta play hard.”

I’ve always loved that line because it was just plain good writing. It was exactly what a cop like her would say in that situation. She believed in doing things the right way. All the time. No matter the outcome. I identify with that. And that line was the refrain that got me through a tough night at TRT 100. Well, that and a whole lotta help from my family and friends. It’s a good story (if you’re into 100 mile race reports), so grab venti cup of coffee and settle in.

I didn’t do a blog after Eastern Divide and before TRT because we were in the thick of moving and I was teaching summer school. Couple all that with my focus on being a new dad, and the blog just had to give. TRT, though, it’s worth the time. I just put PT to bed, so I should (I hope) have a little time to get all this down.

Chris, Sean, and I set off for Reno by way of Charlotte on the Wednesday night before race day. With a little airport sprinting (along with Andy) we made our connection in Salt Lake and arrived in Reno in time to hook up with Brett, Michele, Jordy, Kristin, Josh Starner, Josh Hamilton, and Matt. Thursday and Friday were dedicated to race prep. We started with a little start line recon Friday morning:

Rolling Deep: Photo Andy

Saturday morning at 3:45 we set out for the start line.

The gun went off at 5, and Brett, Jordy, Josh, Torrie, and I set off on the first of two 50 mile loops. We settled into an easy pace and chatted happily for the first few miles. After a bit, Jordy was warmed up. He said his goodbye for the day and took off to join the front of the pack. The rest of us kept cruising knowing that, for us, this was a race that would reward patience.

The first 30 miles were pretty uneventful. Brett and I stuck together through Hobart, Tunnel 1 and the Red House loop. We came into the first crew spot at Diamond Peak  (mile 30) together.

Seeing PT, Ginger, and Lois there was really the highlight of the first 50 miles for me. I wasn’t sure if they’d be there, and my sprit soared when I saw them.

Photo array credit: Pawel

The crew got me in and out and outfitted with an ice bandana. (Thanks, Kirby. Those things were crucial for keeping cool.) I was in and out a little slower than my normal AS routine, but I decided pretty early in this race to not worry about that. There was so much sand and grit on the course that I felt like it was worth it to give up time in aid stations to take care of my feet so that I could avoid blisters later.

I took off from Diamond Peak to catch up with Brett, and was happy to hook back up with him before too long. 

Brett and I mostly ran together on and off for the first 50 miles getting separated here and there. Sharing the first lap with Brett was a huge help. Time in the mountains with him is something I treasure. We had a blast chewing up the miles together and keeping each other happy.   

We got split up somewhere after Hobart 2 (I stopped to avail myself of the facilities). The climb up to the Boy Scouts at Snow Valley was a bit of a valley (see what I did there, Brett?) for me on lap 1. I got behind on calories and didn’t realize it until I found myself getting irrationally angry at the signs leading into the aid station. The Boy Scouts were awesome, and they stuffed me full of food and got me moving again for the 7 mile descent (mostly) to the Stonehenge 50 mile aid station.

 When I got there,  I got a little more love from PT and Ginger to stoke the stoke. 

Ginger, PT, and Lois, were there with the Blacksburg Crew (Josh S, Kristen, Michele) and my awesome race team (Chris and Sean) to get me turned around and back out on the second lap. I told them we could take it easy and not rush. I came into mile 50 a touch over 12 hours. I knew a negative split was not going to happen, so sub 24 was no longer a realistic time goal. The goal was to take care of my feet, get some clean clothes, and make sure I was chilled out going into the second lap. Chris and I got all geared up and started out on lap 2. I needed to walk for a while to let the food I had crammed in settle, and Chris was cool with that. I promised him that we would not repeat Grindstone and that we’d run plenty tonight. We ran off and on for a bit.

Coming into Hobart 3, I realized we might not make Tunnel 4 before sunset. No worries, I had a headlamp in my pack (I think). That was important because we’d hooked up with an awesome guy named Shannon from Vegas (by way of Hawaii) who was in need of a headlamp. He asked if he could just hang with us until Tunnel so he wouldn’t be out in the dark alone. I told him I could do him one better: I could give him a headlamp at Hobart that he could just use, so he wouldn’t have to wait on us. I was feeling a little beat up and knew I was going to need to mostly hike for an hour or so. In the end, I ended up running the last two miles to Tunnel sans headlamp.  I couldn’t find it in my pack easily and didn’t want to waste time looking for it, so I just used my Marine Issue Night Vision and jogged it into Tunnel without a light. Shannon tried to give me mine back, but I couldn’t take it. It just felt wrong. It was not a big deal anyway. Shannon ended up being happy to have the company and he hitched himself to our train for the rest of the race. It was great having the extra company.

As we hit Tunnel for the fourth time and set out on the Red House loop for the second time (mile 62ish), things stopped being fun and games. Red House Loop 2 was the beginning of a rather dark period of the race for me. Not literally, I had a baller Petzl Nao headlamp in my drop bag there. I just fell down into the bad part of the nothing box for a few hours.

 I couldn’t get into a running rhythm for very long. My HR kept spiking and I just felt weak. That can spiral out of control, and I fought it throughout the loop. I ate a pile of bacon wrapped tater tots at Red House (thank you amazing Red House Aid Station people!) and tried to get the train going again as we left Tunnel for the 5^th time (1 more to go). We met up with Brett and the Bon Jovi of Math Education- Andy (who ran his first ultra pacing Brett!!!!), and Josh Hamilton. We left in a train heading up the mountain towards Bull Wheel. I just couldn’t keep the rhythm and started a bad spiral for about an hour. I had to unhitch from the train and let Josh and Brett go off into the night.

Chris and Shannon cruised along with me mostly in silence for quite a while. Somewhere on the climb to Bull Wheel is where Detective Greggs came into the picture. 

I’m not ashamed to say I considered bagging it on that climb. I was pushing calories as much as I could, but I was just so sleepy. I just wanted to lie down on a rock and sleep. So BADLY. Double fisting caffeinated gels only made my stomach feel bad. I did it anyway. It didn’t help. Sleep beckoned me like the sirens calling to Odysseus. Luckily, Chris had lashed me to the masthead and was driving us forward.

For a couple of miles, Chris, Shannon, and I climbed in silence. I considered how I might get out of the 8-mile descent to Diamond Peak and the 2 mile brutal climb out of the mile 80 aid station. I’ll admit to considering just turning the wrong way after Bull Wheel and ignoring the protest I knew would come from Chris if I headed down to Diamond Peak off course. I knew he wouldn’t LET me quit. I’d have to force it. I considered that for a few minutes. And then, I thought about some things things:

•  I. Do. Not. Quit.    Ever. 
•  I am here to set an example for my son. Your word is your bond. Do what you say you are going to do. That’s what you have in life, so never give it up.
•  My mom. She’s going through chemo right now, and I’m carrying the little Smurf mountain climber in my pack that she gave me. How am I going to quit at my hobby when she’s acting like chemo is no big deal? Not an option.
• Sean. He flew all the way out here. How could I deprive him of the chance to see the these mountains? My friend Star stuck it out at WSER last year in far worse circumstances so I could see the course. Gotta live up to that.
• Detective Greggs. Good Ol’ Detective Greggs. Sometimes things just gotta play hard. Well, TRT let’s dance. So we did.

I sucked it up and pounded two more caffeinated Chia gels and did my best to run it back into Diamond Peak—using the term run very loosely. Chris, Shannon, and I rolled into Diamond creek a couple of hours past the time I hoped to be there. But I honestly didn’t care about the clock. I had one goal left: Play this thing out-- hard.

My main goal going into the race was to run the last 7 miles. Sure, I had other goals (sub 24; sub 30; finish no matter what). But, I have had trouble closing 100s. I have a history of walking in the last 20 miles and not really pushing myself. I needed to prove to myself that I can close hard, and I went into TRT with that being my #1 goal. I felt like this was a chance to re-define myself as a 100 miler. I was damn sure not going to let a few hours of feeling sorry for myself get in the way of that. I didn’t. And Sean wouldn’t have let me anyway.

I picked up Sean (or rather Shannon and I picked up Sean) for the second trip up the 2 miles of HOLY HELL that is the climb out of Diamond Peak. It went on forever. (Kudos to the RD for putting that sandy bastard of a climb at mile 80). Brett and Michele slipped away from us on the climb- not be seen again until the finish. Josh Hamilton was long gone. He crushed it after the 100K point and never looked back (Well done, brother).

I spent the time from Diamond Peak to Hobart mentally preparing myself to get down to business once we started the climb to Snow Valley. I kept making myself eat so I wouldn’t hate on the Boy Scouts and their signs on the climb. Sean did a great job as a pacer on this leg.

For 13 miles he chatted with Shannon and me, told jokes, kept it light, and never let us give up on ourselves. Once we went through the Snow Valley Aid Station, Sean cajoled me into running. He made me keep my promise to myself.

We left Snow Valley at like 27 hours and 45 minutes. We had just a little over 7 miles to go. I really wanted to run hard and try to get in under 29 hours. I didn’t bother doing math (Don’t tell me the odds. Ever. I’m like Han Solo that way, and Pawel is always right when it comes to odds anyway). I ran hard. I blew out my quads and dug deeper than I’ve ever dug to close out a 100. Instead of doing the “Who cares? Walk it in” thing this time, I cared. I kept Detective Greggs, PT, Ginger (and all the sacrifices she made to help me train and be at this race), my mom, and the promises I made to myself at the front of my mind and kept eating gels.

Sean probably had a good time laughing at me grunting in pain as I tried to power my way down the hills and up the little rollers. He was probably running without breathing hard, but I ran with the intent of dropping him. 

I knew I couldn’t, but I’m never one to let reality get in the way of effort. 

We passed a few people and I felt the surge of happy that comes from that kind of thing late in a race (FEED ME, as Sam Evans would say).  

Sean and rolled into the finish line at 29 hours and 14 minutes.

The prize: Seeing my family smiling at the finish; Seeing my friends basking in their accomplishments (and the pain that comes with them) at the finish; And that Buckle. That sweet ass BUCKLE.

So to wrap up this long report (I told you get a Venti), I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to my amazing wife who made it possible for our family to be together out here. Thanks for making the trip and helping Ginger,  Lois (mother-in-law of the year).

 I also need to thank Chris and Sean for getting me through.  I owe you guys BIG TIME and look forward to returning the favor.

Brett, thanks for sharing the miles with me. Looking forward to many more.

Jordy, seeing you out on the trail in the night was a big lift. You always inspire me, my friend.

Josh Hamilton- way to crush it! Thanks for another awesome adventure. Grindstone is going to be a party.

Kristen, Michele, Josh Starner, and Andy: Thanks for the love and support.

Mom, thanks for the inspiration. Keep fighting. We need you around for a long time.

George (the RD) and all the amazing volunteers at TRT 100: You put together an awesome race.

Here’s a link to the Strava data. Strava took some liberties with the last 7 miles so the splits are not accurate.

Shoes: Hoka Speedgoat 2. I recommend.

Bonus: Ginger, Lois, and PT headed off to Yosemite for a week of exploring.

We finally made it home on Sunday with a little help from our friends. You guys rock! 

Starting off 2016

I kicked off serious Umstead 2016 training on Jan 1 after taking a couple of down weeks at the end of December. The new year started with some work on cleaning up the diet and sticking a little closer to the Whole 30 principles, which I think went pretty well. So far, I've been feeling strong in training, and I've been having a lot of fun out on the trails.

The first race of the year (Lakeside Trail Race 15 miler) was  blast. Ginger, Sean, Josh, Jill, Chris, Julia, Lou and I had a blast on the trails.

The race went well for everyone. I was able to take 18 minutes off my time from last year and come in at 2:03, which was good for 2nd in my AG and 10th overall. It's nice to start the year with a top 10 finish. Mostly, I was happy to have a good day on the trails and run hard for the full 15.

I've been averaging about 59 miles a week so far for the year, and I've been able to put in some solid climbing (35K feet, which is more than double last year at this point). I think the climbing is building good strength for the Umstead laps. I've also logged 303 miles so far. Last year, I was at 220 at this point.

The first real long run of the year was the VT Ultra Fat Ass 50K at Pandapas. Brett, Jordy, Dave, and I ran together and got it done in a little over 6 hours.

Ginger and I have mixed in some good hikes to the Cascades with the buddies to take in the frozen scenery.

A huge snowstorm has made things interesting, and it turned the first Catawba RunAround of the year into a real sufferfest. We began the day at the gas station parking lot because the Dragon's Tooth lot was covered in ice. Jody, Brett, Matt, Josh, and I set to work on a long day of slogging through the snow.

The technical parts of the first climb were fairly clear, so we made decent time. But, other parts slowed us down quite a bit.

Climbing Macafee's Knob went really well, and we made up some time on the packed down or thawed sections, and made the summit quickly.

We got through some of the more runnable sections in good time.

After Tinker's we thought we might make it all the way around before dark.

















But that was not to be. North Mountain was an epic slog. The waist deep snow drifts and seemingly endless sawtooth climbs along the ridge really took a toll on us as the sun quickly dropped behind the ridge.

We ended up back at the gas station parking lot a little over 11 hours later. Not bad for 35 snowy miles. Here's link to the Strava file:
https://www.strava.com/activities/482296318

I thought this was a great way to kick off the week of my 43rd birthday. This run was my 43rd Ultra. I didn't plan it that way, but sometimes things just work out right.

We were all a little scarred by the adventure, but I think it's safe to say we are ready for the next CRA. Here's hoping for less snow in February.


We rolled into February with some decent runs at Pandapas and last weekend we hit up some miles from Mountain Lake to Barney's Wall and the Cascades and back.

The boys and I have had some great adventures already this year.

And we are just getting started. This weekend we all have Holiday Lake 50K on the books. I know Sean will do great with his first 50K. Royce and Brett are ready to smash the course, and I know Ginger is going to exceed her expectations and have a great day. Just look at her smile when she came across the line last year.

And, no February post would be complete without a big shout out to everyone who made my birthday special. Ginger rallied the gang to set up an awesome birthday party. She's really the BEST!! We had a lot of good food, (She got me a birthday pizza from Benny's again, people brought donuts, peanut butter balls, and Smores), and we introduced Christmas Tree Burning to our Blacksburg friends. THIS is a FIRE:

I'm looking forward to a great year with my awesome wife and amazing friends.

Whole 30, running while changing my diet, and the start to Summer

I've had almost two months to rest and recover since Umstead. Recovery was by far the easiest recovery from any 100 that I've done. I was, of course, all busted up feeling for a few days. I flew out to Wyoming for work on Monday after the race, and getting through the airport was a bit of a challenge. But, after a few days, I was even ready for some easy runs on the trails around Laramie. They were too good to resist.

After a few weeks of running just a bit (25ish mile weeks), I started getting back to normal mileage. With no big races on the calendar, it was easy to just run for fun (which is how I normally roll anyway). Umstead did light a bit of a fire for me though. For the first time, I'm thinking about races as a chance to really push myself to go a little faster and see how fast I can go instead of just finishing. That being said, it's really still all about having the chance to explore cool places with my friends.

As part of my effort to see if I can speed things up, I decided to join Ginger in attempting the Whole 30 diet. Here is a little info about it. Basically, it amounts to cutting sugar, grains, and junk out of your diet. We weren't really eating POORLY, but I was drinking a lot of coke, eating candy, and too much ice cream. I thought it would be a neat experiment, and Ginger really wanted to do it. I really like doing cool stuff with her, and I wanted to be a good teammate, so I signed on.

Here's kind of how it went. 

Week 1:
EATING: Life as I knew it was over. I felt hungover all week. I was tired, and grumpy. Really. Ask Ginger. I'm normally ridiculously positive, but week 1: I. WAS. NOT. A Happy. Camper. At one point I said something like: I've eaten a sandwich for lunch every day of my life. This sucks! Then, our faculty meeting at work was full of Panera sandwiches and cookies. Walking away from that and eating a salad with some chicken on it was no fun at all. But, I didn't want to disappoint Ginger, so I didn't cave. If I'm honest, I have to say that was my only motivation at that point. I hadn't bought into the concept fully. I am incredible skeptical of any kind of fad diet. I also don't like absolutes or any website or book telling what I can or can't do. At that point, it was really just about the team. I was also super stressed that I had a really hard run on tap for Saturday. An all day affair on the AT that would include over 6,000 feet of elevation gain. How in the hell am I going to do that without sugar?

RUNNING: All week, I felt crappy on my runs. In fact, I felt crappy from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to bed. But by Saturday morning, my blood sugar had stabilized, and I felt OK. On the run, all I ate was 3 Vespa packets, 3 Lara Bars, and some bacon that Josh and I cooked up the night before. I felt great all day. It was crazy. No gels. No cookies. No Coke. No added sugar. I normally would have been bone crushing gels and Honey Stinger waffles. That run made a believer out of me. During week 1, I ran 49 miles with over 7,000 feet of elevation gain. So, you CAN run a lot on this diet.

Week 2:
EATING: Things got a whole lot easier. I wasn't craving sugar as much, and I wasn't mourning bread the way I had during week one. During trips to the grocery store, the Reese's Cups were glaring at me like I was some kind of snob, but it wasn't too bad. Again, Ginger deserves the credit here. I have never liked cooking, so she was carrying the load of making sure we had good, healthy food to eat each day. I did lots of dishes, but that's really not much help when you're trying to figure out how to feed two ultra runners who are mourning their old eating habits. She was a rock star. Cooking up Paleo Pad Thai, awesome meatloaf, and a host of amazing dishes. We were also bone crushing scrambled eggs for breakfast every day like we had an army of chickens in our backyard. Trips to the grocery were a constant part of the daily routine. I found that adding salmon to my lunchtime salads (on days when we'd eaten all the leftovers) was a great solution. I'm grateful for all of the research that Ginger did to make sure we had interesting things to eat. Ask her for some recipes, she'll hook you up.

RUNNING: Daily runs during week two got easier. I was no longer worried about how I'd feel without gels or any other kind of sugar. On Sunday, Jordan and a few other VT Ultra folks and I partook in the annual VT Ultra tradition of the "Oldfarathon" which is 9 trips up the Gateway trail out at Pandapas pond. It is a BRUTAL day. Up and down Gateway for 7 hours (much less for everyone else). 7,000 feet of elevation gain. Again, no gels. Just Lara bars, apples, and one Vespa packet. It was HARD. I'm already not looking forward to next year. OK, that's a lie. I'm looking forward to seeing how much faster I can do it next year. During Week 2, I ran 53 miles with almost 10,000 feet of gain. I felt even better during week 2, so this diet works.

Week 3: 

EATING: Now, things are exponentially easier. I've noticing that I'm losing weight. I'm also waking up at 6 am ready to get going. I'm still drinking coffee, but now I'm drinking it because I enjoy it. Not because I HATE mornings. Ginger is rocking things out in the Kitchen and there is always something good to eat for lunch, dinner, and breakfast is getting better and better with Ginger experimenting with frittatas. Still missing bread, but not really missing candy. When I pass by the pastries in the grocery, the pull to grab one is not all that strong.

RUNNING: Running this week was easy. I didn't even think that much about how hungry I felt without a PB&J before a run after work. I was eating a Lara bar before I went out some days. Other days, a handful of almonds was enough. On Saturday morning we went up to the Hat Creek 24 hour relay with Royce, Jordan, Kristen, and Linda. This was a little bit of a challenge. We had to figure out how to fuel for a 24 hour relay without a kitchen. But, we had already figured out the plan of grilling a bunch of chicken to have in reserve all week, so we just grilled some extra and brought it with us. Royce brought a camp stove, and we cooked up eggs and other stuff. Problem solved. I have to say I was really surprised at how easy it was to ignore all the cookies and candy that normally make up aid station fare. We won our division, by the way. We ran 135 miles in 24 hours. The way to the podium for me is to team up with my fast friends in a relay :)

The only real challenge was Sunday afternoon after the race. I was STARVING. We had eaten all of our food, and the race fare didn't have anything for us. I was GRUMPY as we drove through the middle of nowhere looking for somewhere to eat. I was unhappy that finding food was such a challenge. Ginger and Royce were patient, and we found a Panera bread where I got a great salad with chicken. During Week 3, I ran 43 miles and felt great. I also noticed that I was losing a bunch of the fat I was carrying around.

Week 4: 
EATING: During the last week, it was really pretty easy. Ginger had really figured out a system, and we were stocked with good food in the house all the time. I also found that I actually CAN cook. She went out of town on Friday night. I was left at home to figure it out. I sautéd some potatoes and grilled some chicken for my salad. I even marinated it using Ginger's recipe. I have to say I was proud of myself. Normally, I would have just gone out to get pizza or made sandwiches all weekend. Now I found out that I can contribute to the cooking. And it's kind of fun. Who would have thought?

RUNNING: Week four was a light running week. I was wrapping up the semester, and with nothing to really focus on, I took it easy. Ran mostly around town with a couple of trail runs for fun. I felt great on most of my runs, but did have some sluggish days where I didn't eat enough. Mostly though, I felt really good. The biggest thing I noticed is that I'm feeling faster and lighter. Week four was 30 miles with about 3,000 feet of gain.

END RESULTS: 

It's not really the end. For me, I think I'm done with the strict, "I can't eat" this or that. But, the results are so good that I will keep going.

Over 4 weeks, I lost 14 pounds. That's significant. I mean, I know I'm not some skinny, fast runner, but I run a lot. I'm not bad shape. To drop 14 pounds is a lot. But, I feel great. So, here's my plan as I get ready for the Eastern Divide 50K in June and beyond:
I'm going to continue to eat good, whole food without ingesting added sugar or eating junk as a regular part of my diet. If I want to have some ice cream, I'll go out to Ben & Jerry's. I won't just have it in the freezer and eat it all the time. I plan to keep eating actual food instead of sandwiches for lunch each day. Sure, If I'm out somewhere and I want a sandwich, I'll get one, But, it'll be thoughtful. I want to see how this new way of eating shakes out over time. I think it can really make me healthier and faster.

My Take-Aways from 30 (now 31) days of Whole 30  eating: 

1. If you think about what you're eating and why, it's a lot easier to make good choices.
2. If you think you're hungry, ask yourself if you would take the time to cook something up. If the answer is yes, you are might really be hungry. If you just want to grab a bowl of Chex Mix, you don't really need to eat.
3. You don't have to eat a bunch of junk to run ultras.
4. For me, eating a lot of meat isn't a bad thing. We ate A LOT of veggies, but more meat than I normally eat. But, I happened to have to go to the Doctor for a normal check up during week 4. The labs results were excellent. Lots of meat and eggs didn't raise my cholesterol. In fact, all my results were the best they've been in years.
4. Sugar is the devil. No seriously, they put it in everything. And you don't need it. Let it be a fun treat, but don't let it rule your life. I didn't think it was ruling mine, but Week 1 was pretty strong proof otherwise.
5. If you're going to do this, partner up with someone you really love. It makes it a lot easier to suffer though the hangover. Misery loves company. Being accountable to someone you don't want to disappoint will help get you to the place where you're actually doing it for yourself. And that's where you have to get to stick with it long term.

This is just my take on it. I'm not a doctor (well, OK I'm a PhD, but not a real, prescription-pad carrying medical-type doctor), and I'm not a nutritionist. This is my experience. If you find it interesting, do your research. Even better ask a nutritionist. My friend Kristen Chang is a bad ass athlete and a RDN. Her blog is a great place to start. She's not a Whole 30 person, but her advice will set you on the path. Whole 30 might not even be for you. But, if you want to be fitter, healthier, or faster, she can help. 

Umstead 100 2015 Race Report

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 1^st.  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

 Brett, Michelle, and Jordy

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:

https://app.strava.com/activities/276173281

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.