Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)

[bentley]

Bentley: Asking WWGD is typically not advisable. Be careful out there.

Disagree. Those are words to live by!Nice ride, BTW!

This went pretty well. 5.5 miles @ 9:02 per. Finished off the run with the other two Titan IPAs out of the six pack.

 

[Sand]

Sometime next year I'll be nipping at you guys' heels. (I hope!). Ran 15 miles last week and got off to a good start on this week. Got 5miles at 43:40. Was shooting for 44-45 minute range. I sure do get a rush from watching the seconds melt away. (thanks to whoever mentioned that)

First, anyone who is a Clemson guy is welcome around these parts!Second, you are well on your way. Just don't try and set a PR on every run. Quick way to hurtsville.

 

[tri-man 47]

Ran 20 on Saturday at 8:18...felt easier than I expected...almost regretted not going for 22. 3 weeks to the marathon, it's time to taper.

Where??Also, I think I'm going to create a Google doc "upcoming races" spreadsheet for the group. It'll be a good way to keep track of what everyone's doing, results, etc. I'll do this in my "free time."

The Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.

We have good friends who live north of Shore Drive east of the inlet. I've enjoyed a few runs on the trail in the First Landing State Park.

 

[sho nuff]

Ran 20 on Saturday at 8:18...felt easier than I expected...almost regretted not going for 22. 3 weeks to the marathon, it's time to taper.

Where??Also, I think I'm going to create a Google doc "upcoming races" spreadsheet for the group. It'll be a good way to keep track of what everyone's doing, results, etc. I'll do this in my "free time."

Here's a start. Feel free to ad your races: FBG Race Calendar

Nice...added the 3 I know about.

Won't know a date in October for the other half Im planning on running (if it does not fall in with fall break and our florida trip.

May add a few 5ks in there as well later.

 

[Hang 10]

Ran 20 on Saturday at 8:18...felt easier than I expected...almost regretted not going for 22. 3 weeks to the marathon, it's time to taper.

Where??Also, I think I'm going to create a Google doc "upcoming races" spreadsheet for the group. It'll be a good way to keep track of what everyone's doing, results, etc. I'll do this in my "free time."

The Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach.

We have good friends who live north of Shore Drive east of the inlet. I've enjoyed a few runs on the trail in the First Landing State Park.

Nice. Yeah, I do most my long runs at First Landing. Seen a whole lotta that place lately.

 

[Ned]

Just thought about how lucky I was not having to check my blood sugar every 1/2 an hour and all the people who had supported my campaign and were behind me. Mile 25 was an 8'25" pace, mile 26 was an 8'40" pace (downhill pavement). We turned back onto the trail and I said to myself, time to do the work son and go catch some people. I passed three more in the next mile and then just cut loose. I knew I could walk it in now and meet my goal. The next two hours flew by...seemed like a half an hour. I think I went 5 or so miles without seeing a single soul. Just me, beautiful views, and the average pace on the watch going in the right direction in a hurry. Mile 37 was a 9'14" pace, mile 38 9'49" pace, mile 38.5 9'28" pace, and finished the last 1/8th sub 7 min pace. These were flattish type miles. I put 4 minutes into four people I caught with roughly two miles to go.The last 1/2 mile circled a small lake and the old Ernie Banks quote went through my mind..."Let's play two".

More! Great stuff BnB.

Such a tease!!

 

[gruecd]

Hey, everybody. When we did the Bourbon Chase last fall, I created a special Facebook group page for our team. Since that's come and gone, this morning I renamed the group "FBG 10K Thread." I figured it's a good place for us to share race pictures and that kind of thing. Plus it's a lot easier to post race results to Facebook (instead of the boards) when you're away from your desk.

If you're already friends with me on Facebook, just shoot me a message and I can add you to the group. If not, friend me via the link in my signature. Ciao.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Hey, everybody. When we did the Bourbon Chase last fall, I created a special Facebook group page for our team. Since that's come and gone, this morning I renamed the group "FBG 10K Thread." I figured it's a good place for us to share race pictures and that kind of thing. Plus it's a lot easier to post race results to Facebook (instead of the boards) when you're away from your desk.If you're already friends with me on Facebook, just shoot me a message and I can add you to the group. If not, friend me via the link in my signature. Ciao.

I was thinking about this the yesterday as well. Do you think we could use the events calendar in there to put peoples races up, that way wouldn't they remind us when people are racing. I am not sure how that events piece works on FB.----------6 easy recovery miles for me already today. It was the first time in quite awhile I have gotten up before work to run. I will try to make this a trend as I forgot how peaceful it was. Tomorrow I will attemp to get up at 3AM in order to get 14 or 15 in. Should be a fun time.4 more recovery in store for this afternoon and possibly laps tonight at the pool. After two weeks on my new diet, i have lost about 5 pounds. Hoping for more of that in my future.Have a great day all.

 

[sho nuff]

Switched my interval workout yesterday with an 8 miler that was scheduled for Wednesday.

Looking like storms here tomorrow and I would rather do a shorter workout on the TM at home than do 8.

Legs were a little tired though some of that may be that I am pretty sure Ive got a sinus infection starting up.

May hit the doc today as Id like to get this cleared up before the half on the 10th.

 

[jb1020]

I added two races to the spread sheet...out of order. I didn't want to tinker too much.

What about races already run in 2012? Should we add them?

 

[prosopis]

4 miles this morning. Feeling better

 

[prosopis]

Hey, everybody. When we did the Bourbon Chase last fall, I created a special Facebook group page for our team. Since that's come and gone, this morning I renamed the group "FBG 10K Thread." I figured it's a good place for us to share race pictures and that kind of thing. Plus it's a lot easier to post race results to Facebook (instead of the boards) when you're away from your desk.If you're already friends with me on Facebook, just shoot me a message and I can add you to the group. If not, friend me via the link in my signature. Ciao.

msg sent

 

[gruecd]

I was thinking about this the yesterday as well. Do you think we could use the events calendar in there to put peoples races up, that way wouldn't they remind us when people are racing. I am not sure how that events piece works on FB.

Not really. It's more for parties and stuff like that where you want to actually invite people to attend.

I added two races to the spread sheet...out of order. I didn't want to tinker too much. What about races already run in 2012? Should we add them?

Just did a sort. You're all good. And I wouldn't worry about races you've already done, but it's totally up to you. I'll add a "Results" column. Oh, and to whoever changed "Big Bock" to "Big ####"....well played. --------------Easy 5-miler this morning. Life is majorly stressing me out right now, to the point where I'm hardly even motivated to run. Trying to grind through it, for the stress relief if nothing else.

 

[sho nuff]

Why I run...

I know BnB received a lot of support, and I don't expect to find that much.

But anything you all could do by clicking that link...even good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

This is one of the main reasons I started running last year (with a stupid goal of trying to run this half last year that fizzled quickly).

 

[BassNBrew]

Why I run...

I know BnB received a lot of support, and I don't expect to find that much.

But anything you all could do by clicking that link...even good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

This is one of the main reasons I started running last year (with a stupid goal of trying to run this half last year that fizzled quickly).

Hope that helps. When you cross the finish line at St. Judes, shoot me a pm and I'll match that.

 

[comfortably numb]

Sorry, haven't come back to post any progress.

After doing a 5k, i set my goal for 2012 to complete a 10k.

Ned has taken me under his wing and given me a schedule to work with to gear me all the way up to a 10k.

My 10k is on 3/25

This past weekend I did a 4mile beach run.

Was an awesome experience.

I timed 44:18 and more importantly felt good and had a good time with the surrounding people.

When I tried the 5k, I thought 10k would be a task that would be pretty hard to achieve, but after 6.48K on sand, I am really starting to feel 10k is close within reach.

Next few weekends I will be hitting 4.5m/5m and 6m, the most I have ever done by a loooong shot.

 

[comfortably numb]

Outta the clouds but still feel like I'm on a cloud. Race report and the Ned details on Monday.

Executive summary - Greatest race experience ever. Most beautiful course ever. Challenges from boulder fields, ice flows, -30 degree wind chills, creek crossings, wicked winds, snow bursts. Huge long range views, scenery like you're in the Canadian Mts. If you're a runner, this has to be on your bucket list. Sanded the first 5k. Gru'd and Tri'd the entire race. Beat my goal by about 1hr 45m. Got stronger in the second half and could have gone another 10 miles. Not just a little stronger, sub 9 min flat miles at the end. Felt alot of inspiration from the posters here from all the generous donations to JDRF...going to surpass $3k. That must have been the difference because nothing in training prepared me to do this.

More on Monday eve when I have some time and access to the data.

ETA - Family/girlfriend wanted to see me finish. She asked what my best possible time would be. I said anything less than 9 is not possible, closer to 10 would be my guess. I actually was so far in front of the that I got my finishing swag, made the mile trek to the start and relexed a few minutes before driving back near the finish, hiding my truck, and running the last mile again so they could see me finish. When I told they afterwards they got a huge kick out of it.

That is nuts!Wow, just saw the video of this run, that is truly amazing.

Congrats on experiencing that.

 

[pigskinliquors]

First, anyone who is a Clemson guy is welcome around these parts!

comfortably numb: Great job making the big step by signing up. Post all your workouts here, and ask any questions you might have. This group will keep you honest, and motivated. sho nuff: Great cause , and never doubt the power of the FFA. Grue: Awesome spreadsheet!!pmb: 3:00 am I've only run at that time once, and it was after partying until then. I had a 12 miler to get in, and knew I'd be too hungover the next day to do it. I have made smarter decisions in my life, as I easily could have gotten a RWI. ____________________My update: I did one hour on the elliptical and P90x arms/shoulders yesterday. Today I woke up for my 21 mile ride, and there was a light rain. Like others, I told myself if BnB can do the #### he did, I can handle this. My legs were extremely dead, and my HR was high early, but I got it in. I likely need to take a day off soon, as it's been awhile.

 

[jb1020]

I'm so anxious for this race on Sunday I completely spaced and forgot about this ####### licensing class I had to be in this morning.

Showed up to work, filled out grues spread sheet then went about my daily reading. Boss walked in asking why I wasn't in class!

The class is 3 miserable days.

 

[sho nuff]

Why I run...

I know BnB received a lot of support, and I don't expect to find that much.

But anything you all could do by clicking that link...even good thoughts and prayers would be appreciated.

This is one of the main reasons I started running last year (with a stupid goal of trying to run this half last year that fizzled quickly).

Hope that helps. When you cross the finish line at St. Judes, shoot me a pm and I'll match that.

Thanks to you and all who have already stepped up...quicker than my friend's and family have (well, some of the initial donation I put in there was from others who already gave me money).

 

[pmbrown_22]

First, anyone who is a Clemson guy is welcome around these parts!

comfortably numb: Great job making the big step by signing up. Post all your workouts here, and ask any questions you might have. This group will keep you honest, and motivated. sho nuff: Great cause , and never doubt the power of the FFA. Grue: Awesome spreadsheet!!pmb: 3:00 am I've only run at that time once, and it was after partying until then. I had a 12 miler to get in, and knew I'd be too hungover the next day to do it. I have made smarter decisions in my life, as I easily could have gotten a RWI. ____________________My update: I did one hour on the elliptical and P90x arms/shoulders yesterday. Today I woke up for my 21 mile ride, and there was a light rain. Like others, I told myself if BnB can do the #### he did, I can handle this. My legs were extremely dead, and my HR was high early, but I got it in. I likely need to take a day off soon, as it's been awhile.

I am not banking on actually getting it in, but it is my plan. It is supposed to be raining and if at all possible, I love getting my runs in before work. Kind of starts the day with a bang. Good chance that I will wake up, say WTF was I thinking and go back to bed. And then again, I may do it just to say I did it.

 

[gruecd]

I am not banking on actually getting it in, but it is my plan.

This better be the first and last time I ever hear a FBG say that they're not planning on "getting it in." You should be --->

 

[pigskinliquors]

This better be the first and last time I ever hear a FBG say that they're not planning on "getting it in." You should be --->

Fully agree. I always plan on getting it in.

 

[gruecd]

This better be the first and last time I ever hear a FBG say that they're not planning on "getting it in." You should be --->

Fully agree. I always plan on getting it in.

Yuppp.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Just wanted to share.

 

[pmbrown_22]

I am not banking on actually getting it in, but it is my plan.

This better be the first and last time I ever hear a FBG say that they're not planning on "getting it in." You should be --->

Yes, well maybe I should have said that I am always wanting to get it in, but the wife always has other plans. Since she is mostly running on about 4 - 5 hours sleep everyday, she really does not have any desire.

 

[gruecd]

I am not banking on actually getting it in, but it is my plan.

This better be the first and last time I ever hear a FBG say that they're not planning on "getting it in." You should be --->

Yes, well maybe I should have said that I am always wanting to get it in, but the wife always has other plans. Since she is mostly running on about 4 - 5 hours sleep everyday, she really does not have any desire.

Wait. You people regularly get more than 4-5 hours of sleep??Serious question. How much sleep do you guys typically get per night? 5-6 hours/night is pretty normal for me.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Serious question. How much sleep do you guys typically get per night? 5-6 hours/night is pretty normal for me.

I know I am around 10 years older than you, but I'd keel over if I averaged that little amount of sleep. I average more like 6.5 to 7.5, with closer to 6 at least once a week.

 

[pigskinliquors]

...but the wife always has other plans. ..she really does not have any desire.

Serious question. How much sleep do you guys typically get per night? 5-6 hours/night is pretty normal for me.

Lately...7-8 Monday through Wednesday nights

5-6 Thursday and Friday nights

1-2 Saturday nights

10-12 Sunday nights

 

[sho nuff]

Sleep...

7ish hours.

Sometimes less.

Does not seem to change much on weekends.

Kids are up by 6:30 and Im usually up by then to run on Saturdays.

Sundays we are up by 7.

So a little more than I was getting when I was working...which has helped in my training.

 

[jb1020]

Im in the 5-6 boat on the sleep.

Generally in bed 10 and asleep at 11. Mon-Friday I'm up 4:30-5:30 depending on the training.

 

[17seconds]

I get about 7hrs a night on average, never get more than 9. Kids are up by 6:30.

Wife and I try to let each other take naps on weekends when we are particularly exhausted.

Last night I got about 5.5 and I felt it on my 5mi recovery run today. Anything less than 6hrs definitely affects my running performance.

 

[Ned]

I get about 7hrs a night on average, never get more than 9. Kids are up by 6:30.Wife and I try to let each other take naps on weekends when we are particularly exhausted.Last night I got about 5.5 and I felt it on my 5mi recovery run today. Anything less than 6hrs definitely affects my running performance.

We work the same exact way. Kids are up like clockwork around 7-7:30 every day. Zero complaints since we are pretty consistent with 8hrs/night.

 

[tri-man 47]

Typically about 6 1/2-7 hours sleep, though with the extra doctoral work, some nights are less. Sometimes I get 8 hours on the weekends.

The key for me (and since the university I work at is a mile from home) is going home for lunch and grabbing a 15 minute nap.

 

[sho nuff]

Found my new 2nd favorite way to carb up tonight.

Not that I was looking to carb load.

Decided I had a hankering for Cajun Chicken pasta and made up a little recipe.

Holy crap that was good.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Typically I am trying to get 7-8 hours every night, but usually end up with less than 7. I don't get to sleep in at all or take naps on the weekends because I take early morning feedings and am usually running during everyone else's nap time at the house.

I consider myself relatively old (even at 35) in that if I don't get to sleep at night, I am usually done for the next day. I never really sat down and looked at my schedule, but I am on my feet almost every minute that I am at home, even on the weekends so it may take more out of me than I realize.

I do know that chasing kids around takes a ton of energy out of you though.

-----

As expected this morning, I was awakened by the thunder, lightning and wind in my area. Bagged the run this morning and will run later tonight as it is supposed to be clear by then.

Have a great day all.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Found my new 2nd favorite way to carb up tonight.Not that I was looking to carb load.Decided I had a hankering for Cajun Chicken pasta and made up a little recipe.Holy crap that was good.

I hate to Lhucks and/or Martha Steward this thread up, but do you mind posting it?

 

[sho nuff]

Found my new 2nd favorite way to carb up tonight.Not that I was looking to carb load.Decided I had a hankering for Cajun Chicken pasta and made up a little recipe.Holy crap that was good.

I hate to Lhucks and/or Martha Steward this thread up, but do you mind posting it?

If you don't mind my inexact recipe.I will just tell you what I did.3 boneless chicken breasts...seasoned with salt, pepper, and whatever your favorite cajun seasoning is...depending on your cajun or blackening seasoning of choice...you can add stuff. I added some smoked paprika as I love the stuff.Put those on the grill to cook.Once they were off, sliced them up into chunks (bite size for me, my wife still cuts them a bit) and set them aside.Brought about a tablespoon of olive oil maybe 2...to heat and added fresh garlic (again, no real clue how much I used...) once it started smelling good from that, added the chicken and gave it a quick stir, then added a small container (pint size I believe) of fat free half and half.Let that simmer a bit til it starts to thicken. May need to thicken it a bit (I did with a little corn starch)...then added about 1/3 of a cup of grated parm. Also depending on how much you seasoned the chicken you may need to add some more cajun and perhaps salt and pepper here. I did add a little more. If you cook the chicken in the pan you are going to use for the rest of it...probably won't have to season it as much.Served it over mini penne pasta with a little extra cajun (as I like my food a bit spicier than my wife does) and some shredded parm.On the non-food end...got a nice 6 X 800 m in at 10k pace...total of 5.5 miles run with warms ups, cool downs and recovery between 800s.Hope to get a 4 mile recovery run in tomorrow before the zoo with my daughter before enjoying a big fat steak, a glass of wine and a blizzard dessert for my birthday.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Thanks Sho Nuff! I'll try it soon.

I took P90x off last night and just did 50 minutes of elliptical. Tonight will be P90x Back and Chest.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Next BNB? 7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 5 Days

 

[BassNBrew]

Next BNB? 7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 5 Days

"You hit a mega wall." What a whimp.I did see any bears, but did see a bear crossing sign. Saw coyote scat on rocks in several locations.

 

[Ned]

Patience is a virtue.

After last week's struggles, this week has been great. A pair of easy recovery runs on Monday/Tuesday and then a 10mi GA this afternoon in the rain. Legs felt fresh. Very fresh. At some point around the 6th mile, I felt like I had a running orgasm. Things just, I dunno, released at that point. Suddenly all the tension was gone. Things were flowing effortlessly. I was floating. This is why we run.

5 days ago I suffered through a 10mi GA @ 9:30/158

Today was a 10mi GA of sheer bliss @ 9:23/151

I still think I'm high.

 

[BassNBrew]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part 1 (pre-race to the Parkway)

Packet pick up was the night before and the pre-race meeting a relatively late 7 pm. Chatting with some folks beforehand, there were a lot of multiple ultra vets in the room. One female pro had flown in from California for the event. The race director went over the cut-off times with the key one being the parkway just shy of mile 15 at 3 hours. Although I had heard about this a week earlier, I was still a little preturbed that it had been bumped up from 3.5 hours. Other than some speed work in the last week and a half, I hadn't been training for this pace.

Only one notable event prior to race start which I'll get back to. Took the morning dump at the local MickieD's and went to my go to breakfast of coco crispies. They advised us to park near the finish and walk to the start as we wouldn't want to make the trek at the end. Being a guy that lives in the moment and the temp around 30 degrees with howling winds, I grabbed a parking spot exactly 5 feet from the start line. I stayed in my toastie truck while most were trying to stay warm. The number of people in shorts still amazes me. Really the highlite prior to the race was waking up to a note from my girlfriend and her kids. My girlfriend shared her usual positive thoughts, her youngest son said good luck penishole, and her diabetic son's messsage was "Do the work son" and he left a needle to carry as a good luck charm. I tucked it in my fuel belt as inspiration and a reminder that anything I would be facing would pale in comparsion to his daily life.

Race plan was basically 4 parts.

1) Sand the beginning and bank time.

2) Make the 3 hr cutoff by mile 15.

3) Make it to the summit.

4) Hang on to walk/jog the downhill in.

I positioned myself roughly around row 10 and the director started us off on time.

mile 1 - 9:00, 150 hr, 92 ft up. My goal was 9 min so this was a good start. I didn't get a chance to do a shake out run so the legs were sluggish. Traffic broke up quicker than I expected and we were on wide roads. The first mile went by so fast that I didn't tap my watch until 1.1 miles in.

mile 2 - 8:33, 152 hr, 79 ft up. This included a train wreck as a gust of wind blew off a guy's cap and he stopped dead in his tracks and we piled into him. Shocked at this time and now I have banked 6+ minutes towards the cutoff. Thinking Sand would be proud.

mile 3 - 8:40, 153 hr, 157 ft up. It's an ultra so you can't just Sand the first mile, you have to Sand the first 5k. 9 minutes banked. Already running the claculations at 12.5 min miles will get me to the cutoff. Wondering if I started to fast.

mile 4 - 11:05, 155 hr, 279 ft up. Off the backtop to a gravel road as I recall. People are already walking but I'm determine to get off to a good start. 10 minutes to the good.

mile 5 - 11:46, 156 hr, 299 ft up. Hit some amazing single track here. Absoultely stoked that every mile has been under the 12 min average needed. Heart rate is starting to become a concern.

mile 6 - 11:22, 151 hr, 223 ft up. Crossed the 6 mile mark at 1 hr and 29 secs. Constantly crunching the numbers and now I just need to do 9 miles in 2 hours....13'20" pace will get me there. I'm gaining confidence, it's not in the bag, but I'm feeling good. I'm also running uphill single track miles 2 minutes faster than training.

mile 7 - 12:08, 151 hr, 220 ft up. This included a couple of quick drinks at the rest stop. First mile below cutoff pace, but I tickled it took this long to to reach that point. Sun is now up and I'm sweating and getting hot. Gloves have come off. Huge views to the east.

mile 8 - 10:39, 149 hr, 138 ft up. This was nice dirt double track as I recall. Felt flat at the time and I focused on opening up the pace.

mile 9 - 11:13, 149 hr, 249 ft up. Holy moly, where is this coming from. Unless I do something stupid, this is in the bank. Getting behind in my nutrition.

mile 10 - 14:33, 144 hr, 305 ft up. Well I do something stupid. Towards the beginning of this mile there's a 30% inclined for a couple of hundred feet. I'm feeling good so I decided to sprint this section. Ouch, I immediately start feeling sick to my stomach. We're now on a rock road that's 50% gravel, 50% small boulders. Decided to play it safe and walk a bit. This is a good time to down a Clif bar I'm carrying. Don't bring Clif bars when the temp is around freezing, they become rocks. Had to break it up by hand to keep from breaking teeth. The small meal hasn't helped my stomach. Re-filled my bottle at a rest stop somewhere in here.

mile 11 and 12 - 14:13 / 13:11, 148 / 148 hr, 400 ft / 262 ft up. Not feeling good, but making progress. I'm mixing up running and walking now. Hit mile 12 at 2 hr 16 min and realize that 15 min miles gets me to the cutoff. Recall the course flattening out soon and feel a sense of relief that barring injury, I make the cutoff.

mile 13 - 11:47, 145 hr, 184 ft up. Getting back on track. Still not great in the stomach but my main thoughts are now starting to focus on the rest of the race.

mile 14 - 13:52, 141 hr, 233 ft up. Getting more conservative as I start to think about saving energy for the rest of the day.

mile 15 - 11:56, 139 hr, 49 ft up, 75 ft down. Hit the parkway at cutoff pt at mile 14.5 on my watch. Supposedly we're between mile 14.5 and 15. Stop at the rest stop. The downhill was on the parkway blacktop and I was moving to break 12 minutes with a couple of min stop.

I'd made the cutoff point by ten minutes and hit mile 15 6 minutes ahead of schedule. I was now 5220 above sea level and knew the summit was at 6,700 ft. We had started at 2250 ft and I had close to 3500 ft of climbing behind me.

 

[tri-man 47]

Lovin' it, BnB!!!

 

[BassNBrew]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part2 (Parkway to the Summit)

Mile 16 - 13:49, 141 hr, 312 ft up. All black top as we enter Mt. Mitchell State Park. I remember walking some of this.

Mile 17 - 14:04, 134 hr, 144 ft up. Transitioned to some single track Walked a lot of this and remeber the stomach not feeling good. Winds were kicking.

Mile 18, 19 - 12:33/13:85, 133/129 hr, basically flat. We're now on a grass/rock road tranverse the side of the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Biggest issue here was that there was water runoff / ice every 20 yards which varied from a couple of feet across to roughly five yards. I kept my feet mostly dry picking my way around the edges of the road. Did chat with one guy for a good bit here as we were going the same pace. The funniest part was when we were walking and one of the 40-50 mph wind gusts hit us and instantly had us in full run mode just to keep from falling forward. A light snow must have just fallen as the mountain was dusted. Lots of coyote scat up here, I wonder what they're eating this time of year.

Mile 20 - 19:20, 126 hr, 312 ft up. Stopped at the rest stop and the winds were whipping. Reach in my pocket and my wool cap was gone. Must have blown out. Hands were freezing and I had brought a second pair of gloves. One of those was missing too. Decided to give the right hand the benefit of the doubt. The spout of my water bottle was frozen shut and the lid frozen on too. The coke and sports drink the volunteers had poured was basically a slushy. The volunteer said the temp was 8 degrees and the wind chill minus 30. On to the top.

Mile 21 - 29:05, 135 hr, 673 ft up. This was basically a hike, actually there's no basically to it. It was also where I learn about ice flows. I had to crawl across two areas where the trail was nothing but ice and rocks. My hands are now so cold they are screaming like they are being pricked. Fortunately a kind soul who passed me had an extra pack of those chemical hand warmers which I tucked away. I couldn't move my fingers now and couldn't get my gloves off. I'm at 6585 ft and know the top is in sight. I also know there's a warming shack at the top. I crumbled and disolved another Clif bar in my mouth here. As hard as this was, my legs were feeling great. Normally this would be hard, but my stair master training paid off. I was a little scary being in the woods with the winds gusting like this.

Mile 22 - 31:47, 120 hr, 240 ft up, 374 ft down. Got the the shack and they direct us to the top saying go there first and then come warm up. This trail was paved and I found the energy to run it. Some brave soul is up top signing our number for verification and we have to touch the highest peak in the east sign. I remember stopping at the top and and doing a 360 taking in the view. I thought about Cy and his daily struggles, I thought about all those who supported my campaign. I'm on top of the eastern US. 100 yards to the shack. Some great volunteers here. They helped me get my gloves off and I fired up the hand warmers. I ate, thawed my bottle, and found the joy of Coke. Decided to put on my jacket here which they helped me with. Figured the descent would be cold. Problem was after I stopped, even in the warmth, I started shivering uncontrolably. Time to go before the medical folks started sniffing around. Hadn't come this far to quit and knew that the quicker I got off that godforesaken mountain, the better I would feel.

 

[BassNBrew]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part 3 (Summit to Parkway stop)

Mile 23 - 19:20, 139 hr, 594 down, 174 up. It's almost all down hill from here. Problem is the downhill is treachous. Ever tried running down a cliff? Me neither as you can tell by my pace.

Mile 24 - 13:32, 140 hr, 184 down, 167 up. Finish the trail down and now have the last climb up a gravel road. Well that Coke kicked in like an imperial ipa on an empty stomach. Picked off my first runner on the climb. I'm freaking running an uphill. Right at the end of this mile was another rest stop. Down two cups of Coke, wanted to mainline the stuff.

Mile 25 - 8:25, 139 hr, 489 ft down. Left the rest stop and 50 yards later volunteers direct us onto the blacktop road down and out of the part. The said two miles straight and then left ont he Parkway. I ask, "All paved?". The reply was yes. Like some nut, I scream, "Hell Yeah!" and immediately broke to what seemed like a sprint. I knew I was moving and it felt great. Wondered how smart it was and then thought what would Sand do? Realized that smart pacing and Sand don't belong together and looked for other fbg guidance. Thought about Triman, but lunges didn't seem appropriate here. Thought about pigskin which got me thinking about my junk which got me thinking about how cold it was so I changed the subject. Thought about what Gru would do, but he'd be at the finish drinking at beer by now. So the obvious place to go was Ned and just watch the watch checking my hr and pace.

Mile 26 - 8:40, 134 hr, 354 down. Had to back off here. I you watched the video you saw the snow on this road with the tire tracks. That was then, now it was more liek black ice if you got outside the tire tracks. Feeling great and realize that I'm one mile away from my lengthest training run. I'm also just shy a minute shy of 6 hours which is my longest training. Thought about how wiped I was on that run during the last two hours and wondered how long until that feeling hit.

Mile 27 - 12:50, 135 hr, 49 ft up. Made it to the Parkay rest stop. Passed three people walking the small hill there. I was running and feeling like I was going into beast mode. Stop and the rest stop, ditched the jacket, and downed two cups of hot noodle soup and more Coke.

 

[BassNBrew]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part 4 (Parkway stop to Finish)

I'm now 6 hr 12 min into this event. The first female finished 15 minutes ago, the first male 75 minutes ago. Worst case I'm 13 miles out, best case given a short course or gps hiccups, 11 miles out. Tried to keep it contained, but I'm thinking that I have a very good chance of breaking 9 hours. Worst case I can walk and make the 10 hour cutoff.

Mile 28 - 10:05, 138 hr, 213 down. Back onto the fire road, mostly dirt here.

Mile 29 - 9:59, 139 hr, 121 down. Picking some people off here and stepping on the gas. A sub 10 min mile...wtf...I'll take it.

Mile 30 - 11:16, 133 hr, 279 down. Make a couple of stupid mistakes in my haste and nearly bite it. Some of these sections I ended up walking.

Mile 31/32 - 13:49/12:44, 125/130, 407/335 down. Don't remember much here other than steep and rocky. Enjoying the views and am in a section where I don't see anyone for 4 miles. Time is flying by and I'm not feeling any pain. I think there was a rest stop here. On second thought, I actually backtracked here to check the markers as there were trails everywhere in this section. Lost a couple of minutes here.

Mile 33 - 9:49, 131 hr, 249 down. Hit a smooth path of trail and focus on speeding up.

Mile 34 - 10:43, 135 hr, 95 down. Transition form trail to blacktop.

Mile 35 - 11:35, 129 hr, 971 ft down. I kid you not, this is a real road. I think this is where my toenails bit it and why my quads now hurt. I really need someone to teach me how to run this. I had to stutter step it to stay upright.

Mile 36 - 11:22, 133 hr, 220 ft down. Back onto a trail here. Last rest stop, last Coke.

Mile 37 - 9:14, 137 hr, 108 down. Pass four people here. Just dropping the hammer or what's left of it.

Mile 38 - 9:49, 143 hr, flat. Pass another. Absolutely pumped and almost wished we had more distance so I could reel in some others. I've been running for 8 hours and I jsut dusted off two sub 10 min miles and feel like I'm holding some back. Let's play two!!!

Mile 38.5 - 9:28 pace, 142 hr, flat. Loop around Lake Tomahawk. No one to catch and 8:15 is not possible.

Finishing 1/8 mile - 5:36 pace, 153 hr, flat. I'll decicate this last 1/8th of a mile to Gru since I approached his pace here. Cross the finish. Obviously stoked, but my welcoming commitee isn't scheduled to be here for 45 minutes. That was a little let down as I wasn't able to share it with them.

 

[sho nuff]

Epic race and report there BnB.

 

[Sand]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part 1 (pre-race to the Parkway)



1) Sand the beginning and bank time.

2) Make the 3 hr cutoff by mile 15.

3) Make it to the summit.

4) Hang on to walk/jog the downhill in.

I positioned myself roughly around row 10 and the director started us off on time.

mile 1 - 9:00, 150 hr, 92 ft up. My goal was 9 min so this was a good start. I didn't get a chance to do a shake out run so the legs were sluggish. Traffic broke up quicker than I expected and we were on wide roads. The first mile went by so fast that I didn't tap my watch until 1.1 miles in.

mile 2 - 8:33, 152 hr, 79 ft up. This included a train wreck as a gust of wind blew off a guy's cap and he stopped dead in his tracks and we piled into him. Shocked at this time and now I have banked 6+ minutes towards the cutoff. Thinking Sand would be proud.

mile 3 - 8:40, 153 hr, 157 ft up. It's an ultra so you can't just Sand the first mile, you have to Sand the first 5k. 9 minutes banked. Already running the claculations at 12.5 min miles will get me to the cutoff. Wondering if I started to fast.

Yeah, we know you did all that training bull####, but really these are the keys to a good race. It works in 5ks through ultras. I need to figure out how to can this stuff and sell it. Great report, BTW. Please post your garmin file (garmin connect?) when you can. That would be awesome to see!

-----

After 5 days of nothing and a business trip this week, I have managed two pretty quick runs (8:12s, 8:04s). Not too shabby. Did 2500 in the pool tonight. Felt great, but the times were the suck. Maybe has something to do with a 16 hour day yesterday, waking up at 4 to catch my flight back, then doing another full day of work. Tomorrow more yardage. Friday will be a quick shakeout run. Saturday will be in New Orleans before the race Sunday.

BTW - JB1020, please post your number in case I see you. I know there's 15,000 of us out there, but weirder things have happened. I am in corral 2. Prolly wearing the FFA standard uniform (neon yellow FFA Bourbon shirt).

 

[BassNBrew]

Mt. Mitchell Ultra Race Report - Part 5 (Finish Part Deux and wrap up)

Rather than a medal they give you a jacket at the finish. Way cool. Went to check out the food and re-learned a hard lesson. To the fast people go the spoils. They had hotdogs and the rest of the junk had been picked over by the marathoners and the fast people. I've learn this at tri...the fast people get the Chick-fila sandwichs, the slow people get the crumbs. I think I grabbed a handful of chips and the last of the diet soda. I really needed another Coke fix here.

Now what, my girlfriend and her family were 45 minutes sway, I had no phone, and was a mile form the start. I started hiking back to my car hoping someone would offer me a ride. 2 blocks later and that happened. Hung out at my truck and decieded to run the finish again since they would now be waiting. Ditched the truck and got back on the course and started to run again. When I got the lake lap I saw my girlfriend and her family. I told her to join me for the last lap. She was so excited that I had made it and was giving me congrats on crushing my time. Well uh....I actually finished over an hour ago and came back to cross the finish line since you guys all drove out here for this. She said, you told me that the absolute best case would be nine hours. I don't know what happened, it just never got hard and nothing in training gave any indication this was possible.

Anyway, that's that. Thanks to all who supported my campaign. That was a huge factor and inspiration in completing this event. Not sure what's next. May do some short tri stuff and give a run at the USAT national championships.

I will say that any of you runners need to add this to your bucket list. If I can do it, you surely can. A year ago my longest race had been 4 miles. The course is spectacular and the event is totally first case.