Since Masochist - Rehabilitating the Body and Mind

2012 is long gone.  It ended as years normally do, just the way they start I suppose.  A yearly recap is 62 days late and I'm recalling the events of 2012.  2012 was the most eventful year of my life to this point - with that said, running (in terms of mileage) was at a career low.  I moved to Virginia from Ohio in January only to move right back to Ohio in May.  I started one grad school, left and started another in an 8 months span.  Oh, and in that time, I married my beautiful wife, Bobbi.  That is eventful in itself.

2012 was also a year of less blogging; I went from 75 posts in 2010 to 33 posts in 2011 and just 11 posts in 2012.  That is a 61% average decrease of posts over the last two years so if the trend continues I'll be making about 3.5 posts in 2013 - and this is one.  2.5 more to go.

My left leg has given me trouble for several years.  In 2007, while doing 20 x 400 meter intervals on grass, I slipped on the start and felt my left groin "pop."  I kept running and for 5 years I handled the groin by frequent heating, icing, stretching.  The injury would usually only pop up 3-4 times a year and last for a week or so before it would go dormant for a few more months.  It never hindered me or stopped me from doing what I wanted with running.  Last year, it caught up to me.  In March, most of my muscles in my upper left leg were so tight that I had a hard time running past an hour.  I took some time off and with more dedicated stretching it went away again. 

After a 50K and two 50 milers later, the pain was so constantly dull and debilitating that I knew running in this state would only make my leg worse.  Not that I wanted to run - by that point the injury reduced my motivation for running almost completely.  Even on "good" days I would go out with intentions of running longer only to decide to head back inside after just two miles.  I still tried to run the Frozen Sasquatch 50K in early January but dropped after the first 25K loop.  I was done.

A DNF at Frozen Sasquatch after winning the previous three year

Running had played such a major role in my life for 5 years and for the most part I floated through it.  I ran a lot of miles without worry and was able to dictate how long or how fast I wanted to go.  I scheduled my days and months, trips, and basically life around running.  I have been reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg in which he talks about how the choices we make are not actually decisions, but instead are habits.  Over time, after repetition upon repetition, habits are formed.  Running Free and long became a habit for me by training my mind to do so day after day and week after week - the "10,000 hour rule."

Motivation is a strange thing too.  It seems like motivation is only around when things are going well and that it acts upon a continuum.  I was riding that motivational wave until it collapsed.  I had been overcompensating for weak and imbalanced core and upper leg muscles mile after mile for five year.  When the time came that running was no longer fun for me, it didn't take long for my motivation to shift directions.  It was easy to use the time for other parts of life.  I was spending more time working on grad. school, teaching, being a husband and working on a house. 

From November to mid-February I ran very little.  By the end of the time off I realized that I still love running.  I have been slowly rehabbing my body and building a little mileage into my weeks.  Motivation for running is creeping back into my life and I find myself dreaming of long trail runs in the forest.  I am not sure when I will race again - I am just focused on getting to a point where my body can sustain a decent week of mileage so I can enjoy rugged hills and trails.  When you go without something like this, you only ask for the small things back... and they're coming.

#Karhuthedog approves this message

WMO

Run On 

New addition to our family - Ellie

2012 Mountain Masochist 50 Mile Trail Run Race Report

I found myself walking up another hill... mountain.  I've just passed the Wiggins Spring aid station (31.5 miles) where I had just switched into a new pair of shoes.  Whether I consciously blamed my 3 mm heel-to-toe drop Inov-8's for being the reason for my tight calves or not was beside the point - I did it because I convinced myself the only way I was staying in the race was if I changed shoes.  Must be a mental thing - I was hoping I could start a new race with 19 miles to go in the middle of 50.

As I climbed I kept peering up the gravel road, noticing the increase of snow.  Everyone had warned about the high volume of snow the second half of the course received via Tropical Superstorm Sandy.  1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, until I veered off onto The Loop (33 miles)  where the snow became a constant 6-8 inches deep with drifts coming up to my knees.  This trend continued until the final 2 miles of the course where we finally dropped below a certain elevation unknown to me.  Sun was bright in the mountain sky nonetheless.

 

I clumsily trudged my way up to Mt. Pleasant and punched my bib at the overlook.  I wanted to stay there and enjoyed the snowy expanse of the surrounding slopes.  But it was cold and I had just been passed by two more runners making my position 15th place.  I was supposed to be racing!  I turned around taking one last glance at the view and continued my way, knowing I had nearly15 more miles of snow.  While running off the summit I questioned my intent of being in the race; I knew I was going to finish, I had already overcome the temptation of dropping out 4 miles prior.  Now I debated whether to simply run in or actually try to pass people and improve my position.  Without much debate from the evil side, my competitive spirit told me to blitz the downhill and see what would happen.  After all, running on the soft snowy downhill warranted less risk of injury upon a fall.

Walking

The snow was great!  Never being a solid downhill runner, I was surprised when I started passing people on the downhill side of the loop.  Soon I realized I had passed 5 people and by the end of the loop I was back in 10th place.  I continued to push on the gravel downhill and passed another runner.  Suddenly I wasn't feeling as bad.  Maybe the change into more cushioned shoes made the difference for my legs.  With 10 miles remaining my spirits were lifted and I continued to have a solid race.  Running on the ridge, we all experienced great difficulty with footing in the snow and legs took a beating.  Although I was having a better time “racing” than the first half, I continued to push my legs to experience feelings they probably didn’t want to feel.  I learned to accept the uncomfortable feelings the remainder of the race having brief moments in 8th before finishing 9th overall.  Top 10 was an enticing finish considering the valued Patagonia Down Sweater awarded!

 

This was my lowest finishing place out of the 7 ultras I have run.  But, Mountain Masochist was my most satisfying ultra to date.  The vibe this race has and the place attachment the Blue Ridge Mountains have on me really made it an experience worthwhile.  I came into the race with little training and preparation to run 50 miles.  What I did do though was mentally prepare myself for what was to come and although I battled with the psyche all day, I was able to win the mind-game.  I am proud of that. 

Clark Zealand has continued to make Mountain Masochist as special as it was when Dr. Horton started it in 1983 and directed for 20 some years.  The 30th annual of MMTR ended up being as eventful as ever.  The ultra-community in central Virginia is great and the people that go to all the Lynchburg area ultras are great people!  Mountain Masochist was also the first ultra my wife had been too, making it a more shared experience for me this time.

 

WMO

 

April 2012 in Review

April seemed to fly by.  The month also seemed to kick off the ultra-racing season - races have been popping up throughout the country that provides excitement around the ultra-community.  The early trend seems to be fast times and course records.  One can't help but to be impressed with Dakota's performance at Lake Sonoma, crushing the 'not-too-shabby-themselves' field and simply obliterating the previous course record.  Timothy Olson seems to be standing on a podium somewhere along the west coast every other day.  A couple more studs are engraving their names on the Western States entry list.  Perhaps the best performance of the month came at the Promise Land 50k++; Eric Grossman outsmarted a fast field and achieved his goal en route to take down a 10 year course record previously held by Clark Zealand.  I was glad to be able to witness the showdown in the Blue Ridges.

Speaking of fast races and Western States, I join a cast of fast runners in two weeks vying for the final few spots on the WS entry list at the Ice Age 50 Mile race.  If the trend continues, this could be a quick race in itself.  Fast dudes like Timothy Olson, Matt Flaherty (out), Zach Bitter, last year's winner Shaun Pope, and Karl Meltzer (out) are all going to be making it interesting in the Kettle Moraine woodlands.

Running for me has been more relaxed than it ever has been.  I decide what to run when I wake up in the morning and go do it.  Some days I decide I don't want to run so I don't; other days I decide to run a good bit so I do that.  This is probably the least amount of structure I've ever had in my training and what I am finding out is that I am appreciating almost every aspect of running.  Hopefully a fresh perspective brings a fresh race on May 12th.           

March 26-1:    64 miles (10:18:52)

April 2-8:        41 miles (4:55:20)

April 9-15:      70 miles (9:07:08)

April 16-22:    80 miles (11:44:35)

April 23-29:    90 miles (12:54:45)

Total for April:  313 miles (43:45:28)

January:  535 miles (69:34:15)

February:  476 miles (65:18:24)
March:  221 miles (30:52:32)

Total Year:  1,545 miles

March 2012 in Review

2-3 weeks early.

As I mentioned in a previous post I have stopped logging my mileage online, and have moved solely to chicken scratch record-keeping with pen and paper.  I've continued to "keep track" of weekly mileage and time but it is particularly less formal and simply less to look at - so far I've enjoyed this psychological freedom from the heinous mileage wager I had been in.  Here is what I collected: 

Feb. 27-4:    33 miles (4:20:07)

March 5-11:    52 miles (6:42:01)

March 12-18:  41 miles (5:26:49)
March 19-25:  70 miles (10:49:10) – Terrapin Mtn. 50k

Total for March:  221 miles (30:52:32)

January:  535 miles (69:34:15)

February:  476 miles (65:18:24)

Total Year:  1,232 miles

As pictured, mileage has dropped substantially.  The beginning of the month was a time to rid myself of tight leg muscles and body fatigue that had built in January and February.  I have spent a lot more time daily (that is not shown in weekly time) stretching and performing drills to increase flexibility and movement.  Results are slow but noticeable to this point - in the long run I suspect it being beneficial.  The less miles and added mobility has given me a newfound pep in my stride over gnarly trails and hills.  Performance did not seem to decrease in the Terrapin Mtn. 50k either; if anything, it was beneficial to slash the mileage.

I like food, yes I do!

Happily Running.

WMO

2012 Terrapin Mtn. 50k Race Report

An alluring feature of Central Virginia and the local Blue Ridge Mountain area - a prominent reason I pursued attending grad school at Liberty - is the trail running community, trail running opportunities, and also the races with these people and on these trails.  Saturday, I had the opportunity to run my first race in this area with the Terrapin Mtn. 50k.  Since moving to VA in January, I’ve had the opportunity to meet the local trail running guru’s and be shown around the trails in the Washington and Jefferson Nationals Forest.  After all this training in the mountains, on Beast Series courses and the Appalachian Trail, I was ready to get my first race underway.

Dr. David Horton: an inspiration to many.  Photo by Amanda Medlin

Registration for Terrapin filled and before too long a few top names surfaced on the entry list - Jake Reed, course record holder and previous year’s winner received the #1 seed; veteran ultra-runner and personal inspiration Eric Grossman (last year’s runner-up) was seeded #2;  Kalib Wilkinson, who won Holiday Lake the month before and holds a 2:19 marathon best, was seeded #3; I was at #4 and other local accomplished runners such as Jeremy Ramsey, Chris Reed, Sean Andrish, etc. were seeded in the top 10.  I was excited for the added competition compared to previous years and much talk in the weeks leading up to the race revolved on who had the best chance for the win and how the race would unfold. 

After a long Friday working registration I slid into my tent with the forecast calling for rain.  I slept well, even with the rain pounding on the tent roof – I woke up and it was still raining as I made my way to the starting pavilion.  I remember thinking how hectic everything seemed compared to the casual early morning long runs in the mountains the weeks before with only a few people.  Soon enough though, the race energy seeped into me as I sorted my gels, tied my shoes and filled my bottles.  It was go time…

I was shaking Kalib’s hand as the gong sounded signaling the start.  With surprise, we all took off and soon enough everyone but the top 4 seeds drifted back.  We entered the rocky climb up to Camping Gap aid station (4.2 miles).  Jake led up the hill, with a gap, there was Kalib, another gap, me, another gap, Grossman.  I looked down at my watch and we were sub-35… Jake was over a minute ahead of me already… I knew last year he went through this aid station at 39 minutes.  We were flying…

Looking at my watch going into Camping Gap at 4.2 miles.  Photo from Eco-X 

Grossman joined me as we headed down the long gravel downhill to Hunting Creek.  We both noted how we were surprised to be gaining on Jake and Kalib who were running together just up the road.  We figured the speedsters would be killing this section… soon enough all four of us were together.  Jake had to make a pit stop in the woods and we never saw him again.  The three of us kept pushing and Grossman stopped at the small aid station 2.2 miles before the Goff Mtn. aid station (9.2 miles).  Now, it was just Kalib and I clipping off quick downhill/flat miles leading to the only crew assessable station.  We covered those 2.2 miles in 13 minutes… 5:55 pace. 

Jonathan and Joni, who were really supportive coming from Ohio to visit for the weekend, were waiting with a full bottle.  I tossed my shirt and empty bottle on the ground as Jon threw the bottle too me; I caught it without breaking stride and headed up another gravel road.  With the quick exchange I had gapped Kalib by about 15-20 seconds and adrenaline flowed through my veins like fire.  Whenever taking a definite lead in a race, it is always tempting to keep pushing to widen the gap with hopes of never seeing the competitor again.  With it being so early though, I kept patient and Kalib caught up and led us into a slick singletrack trail that looped around to the gravel road that we had went down a few miles prior. 

This uphill section to Camping Gap #2 (16.4 miles) was probably my best section of the day.  I stayed super relaxed and seemed to be getting stronger as the hill continued to steepen.  At some point I caught and passed Kalib on the climb and was in the lead again going into the aid station.  While filling my bottle Kalib came in and got out before I could and was a few strides ahead of me as we began the White Oak Ridge Loop (WOR).  If you are keeping track that is 5 lead changes between Kalib and myself… unfortunately for me it would be the last lead change as Kalib pulled away going up to the highest point on the course.

Going into Camping Gap for the 3^rd time (22.1 miles) Dr. Horton told me I was 1:30-2:00 behind Kalib.  It was nice receiving encouragement from the other runners I passed on the WOR loop (thanks Micah, Jared, and Kevin!).  I still wanted to try to make it a race.  I knew a lot could happen going up to Terrapin (the hardest single climb of the day) and I was confident in my uphill running strength.  I walked the majority of the way up to Terrapin and I constantly peered up the foggy trail hoping to see Kalib.  I punched my bib at the peak and meandered my way through Fat Mans Misery.  Still no sign of Kalib...            

Exiting Camping Gap with cheeks full of GU Chomps in pursuit of Kalib before the Terrapin Climb.  Photo from Eco-X 

A super technical section going down Terrapin called the “Rock Garden” was another challenge… footing was minimal at best and the quad crushing steepness was enough to question the reason for going up.  I was surprised when I made it through this section feeling peppy and without falling.  To get to the Terrapin Mtn. Lane aid station (25.6 miles) runners do a short out and back section before turning left onto a trail following the Forest boundary on the front of the mountain.  In this out and back section I passed Kalib making his way back up to the trail… I was only 1:30 behind him and I noticed he wasn’t looking particularly good.  Maybe I could go for him in the last 5.5 miles…

As soon as I turned around at the aid station I knew that would be a hard feat.  The crushing downhill off Terrapin had my legs reeling.  Even though the trail was somewhat flat on the side of the mountain, I had a hard time getting any rhythm and I imagined I was not making up any ground on Kalib.  I was right.  As I turned left off the trail and made my way to the finishing mile on the road there was no sign of Kalib and with a few minutes to go Dr. Horton told me Kalib had just finished.  I ran in with a finishing time of 4:06:04, 7:14 behind Kalib who set a new course record.  He must have run that last section fairly strong!

Kalib winning.  Photo by AM

Photo by AM

Photo from Eco-X

Here are the RESULTS   

PICTURES

MORE PICTURES

Splits:

Camping Gap 1 (4.1) - 34:00

Hunting Creek (9.1) - 1:05:00

Camping Gap 2 (16.4) - 1:58:00

Camping Gap 3 (22.1) - 2:43:00

Terrapin Lane (25.6) - 3:19:00

Finish (31.1) - 4:06:04

Photo by AM

Left to Right: Grossman, Reed, Wilkinson, myself.  Photo from Eric Grossman's Facebook

I couldn’t be more pleased with how this race went.  Kalib ran a really strong race and I am glad to have met him and be competitive with him.  It will be fun to race him more in the future.  Clark Zealand runs a pretty tight ship with his races and it was fun getting to help with marking the course, registration, and then actually getting to run it!  All the people were great and it’s always a pleasure hanging out after races talking with them.  Trying to play mind games and talking trash with ‘old man’ Eric Grossman might be the most enjoyable part though. :) :)

Next race: Ice Age 50, May 12

Photo by AM

Terrapin peaking through the clouds.  Photo by AM

WMO

Spring is Here.....

"All endeavor calls for the ability

 to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, 

endure the last hours toil. 

The fight to the finish spirit is the one... 

characteristic we must posses 

if we are to face the future as finishers."

-Henry David Thoreau

From January 2007 to last week, I had recorded every mile I had ever run on an online site.  At the time, it was a way to keep motivated and disciplined... train through my last season of high school and into collegiate running.  Then, I became addicted.  This sounds juvenile to say - being addicted to logging runs?  In a very real sense it was.  The numbers owned me and too often than not, logging miles was the only reason I was running miles.

So, last week when I stopped logging on the site I frequented daily for the past 5 years, I felt relieved.  I was tangled in a mess of distances, times and graphs that did what for me?  Lead to burnout or injury?  Probably.  I am still logging my runs, on paper.  It's just nice to not be engulfed in everything the website showed.  Unlike running short races as I did for the first 5 years of my running career, successful ultra-running is a lifetime journey that cannot happen with short and quick training stints... it is eliminating the downs and consistently making forward progress in physical and mental understanding (but also happily enduring the struggles).

I am racing the Terrapin Mountain 50K this coming Saturday.  The miles in March have decreased nearly 70% compared to the first two months of 2012 - the downtime has me feeling peppy on the trail!  Plus, it's given me much more time to focus on important things in life.  So, with a talented and fast field, I'm excited to run my first local race since moving to Virginia.

Spring is here.....

WMO