December 20, 2009
Art Loeb Trail Adventure Run

The 8th running of ALTAR saw a large group of over 20 runners. The weather looked fairly mild again with the warmest start. Some rain and wind were expected, which would be magnifies significantly at the higher elevations.

I picked up Kevin Lane and headed south of Canton to Camp Daniel Boone. Some folks were just tearing into some spaghetti. We said our hellos and joined the feast.

The cabin has seven bunkrooms, a bevy of showers, a full function kitchen and a large lodge room.It's just about the perfect place to start and finish an ultra.

I wound up bunking with Charlie Roberts, David Horton and Jennifer Pharr-Davis. David is one of the most revered ultrarunners of all time. He has held the AT speed record and still owns the Pacific Crest record. In addition, he puts on the Lynchburg Ultra Series, the most popular ultra series in the east. Jennifer just set the female AT speed record this year. I followed her blog throughout her journey. It was nice to meet her in person. Ultrarunning has the most accessible superstars. You usually can't tell who is an ultrarunner by sight and even the most elite are friendly and supportive. If they have major egos, they hide them well.

We followed the buddy system to make sure everybody made it through. There are few exits and a wrong turn can mean a life threatening situation. I was paired up with Dennis Michel, a 61 year old heart attack survivor. He had just run a sub 4 hour marathon so I didn't expect him to drag me down. He didn't. I had trouble staying with him.

The trail starts out flat but soon starts climbing and doesn't stop climbing for long for 17 miles. At mid elevation the town of Brevard recedes and views of Looking Glass Rock get more impressive. It's nice to watch the play of light off this enormous granite outcropping throughout the morning. It's a favorite of rock climbers. I did a follow up run to the summit the day after ALTAR in 2006.

At Gloucester Gap, we got some company in the form of Scott Brockmeier and Liz Bauer, followed closely by David Kirk and Andy Ritger. I stayed with Scott and Liz for the first of the truly hellacious climbs. Pilot Mountain starts out in a relatively difficult fashion but becomes much more steep. The switchbacks hit a 30% grade briefly. We simply took our time and enjoyed it the best we could. Instead of looking toward the summit, we looked back at what we'd accomplished in such a short time. The escarpment approaches 75 degrees and appears even steeper! The layout of the first 13 miles presents itself for those who want to see what has so far been attained.

Pilot Mountain has a couple of false summits, which are an enormous energy zap. The yoga I've been doing helped to calm me and keep my mind off of the horrendous climbs still awaiting me. After two false summits, we finally crested and I rested and took in the view. Everyone got ahead of me but I wasn't concerned.

I could see five bodies making their way down the numerous switchbacks. I got a burst of energy and started to close in on them rapidly. I unleashed the dinosaur in me and B-Rex picked up steam, knocking down trees and gobbling up trail. At the bottom of the descent I was again by myself. My knees held up and I felt absolutely fantanstic!

I got to a shelter on the next climb and rested for a bit. Scott and Liz quickly caught me and we searched for a spring to refill. We were off again on another ridiculous climb up to the Parkway.

Eventually, everybody caught and passed me. I took some rest breaks and wasn't too concerned with bringing up the rear. I just wanted to be near other runners at the top of this climb.

Everyone was having a snack at the Parkway when I reached them. It was getting windy and it had started to sprinkle. I put on my raincoat and trudged up my final climb.

A mile later, Patty Kirk and Melinda Daye had water and food for us. The plan was for no aid stations, in part because it's very easy to call it a day after the brutal climb.

I opted out of traversing the balds, in part to get out of the wind and in part because I didn't wan't to be stuck out after dark again, in the rain. I followed the road to the Ivestor Gap trail and took that to the Shining Rock Wilderness.

The rain fell faster and may have had some sleet mixed in. I tried to avoid puddles and keep my feet reasonably dry. It became increasingly difficult but I made it to the horse trail with fairly dry feet. This descent is much prettier than the normal ALTAR drop through the mud. It begins in a spruce forest and then drops through beach, hemlock and mixed hardwood forests on its gradual descent to Daniel Boone.

The only drawback from this route was the dearth of blowdowns. In most cases, they were minor but there was one monster of a tree which took considerable off-trailing to surpass.

I wound down until I came to a stream. The trail deadended so I figured a ford was in order. Across and down a bit, I noticed someone running so my feet would be soaked but there couldn't be much further to go so I quickly crossed.

Seeing another runner pumped me up. I'd hiked most of the last six miles so I had had plenty of recovery time from the beastly climb. This was also excellent trail with a slight drop and enough rocks to make it interesting. I plowed past Andy and Dennis and then David and kept going. This was the fastest I'd run in quite some time. It felt fantastic to run at 8 minute pace again, even if it was downhill.

Eventually, I approached the camp. I made it off the trail in 9:44, which was a personal best for ALTAR, but the easier descent likely took off 1 1/2 hours, so it wasn't truly my fastest.

B-Rex

November 27-30, 2008
Shenandoah and Pandapas runs

I'd met up with Melissa Beaver for a 9 mile run in the Iron Mountains and then got together over Thanksgiving for a series of runs. We started with an AT/ Neighbor mountain run. I did about 6 and she did a bit more. We followed it up with a hike in Whiteoak Canyon. The trail dropped alongside a series of waterfalls. This is a popular destination so it was good to hike it as opposed to running it.

Back in Blacksburg, we hit Pandapas for two days of running. The first day was an out and back along Poverty Creek, followed by a run around the lake. I logged about 7 easy miles. The following day climbed up Snake Root and down Jacob's Ladder, followed by Poverty Creek and another lake run. I logged about 9 miles, but these weren't as easy as the day before.

There was ice coating the trees at the highest elevation. I didn't get to run with Melissa for much of it. She's quite a bit faster than I but I hope to be able to saty with her for longer periods in the near future.

B-Rex

November 1, 2008
Shut-in Ridge Trail Race

I kept my goal reasonable this year. The primary goal was just to finish under the cutoff. 4 1/2 hours would be nice but didn't much matter to me. I was feeling recovered from a year of overtraining and two nagging injuries.

I started out very slowly, managing to stay ahead of just several runners over the first few miles. Slowly, I passed several more. I experienced long periods without seeing anyone else. I climbed slowly and trotted the levels. I made it to the halfway point to be greeted by Adam and Suzanne Hill. She was the second half sweep.

I continued to plod along, thinking 4 1/2 could be a reality. The last two miles quickly turn that perceived reality over on itself. These last two are legendary in their difficulty, but are easier if you've taken it easy to that point. After giving all you have for 16 miles, the final push turns many runners into whimpering blobs, barely able to put one foot in front of the other.

I made it off the trail under 5 hours, but just by 11 minutes. Three straight finishes despite severely lagging times. Adam paced the final two and we all went out to Papas and Beer for a fine Mexican dinner.

B-Rex

October 11-12, 2008
New River 50k & Dupont Marathon

This was my volunteer weekend. I traveled to Fries, VA, to help out Annette with her inaugural 50k race. This took place on the very flat New River rail trail. I worked at the primary aid station. I stayed in a house right by the start/finish and spent the eving with Annette and George and David and Patty Kirk.

Morning came quickly and I tried to assemble my group of volunteers. We rode out with the forst service and set up all of the goodies for the runners. Many friends were racing so I got to see a multitude of friendly faces.

There was a lull between the outbound and inbound traffic so we went out on a fantastic rail bridge and hung out in the sun. I got to talking with one volunteer, Melissa Beaver and we hit it off rather well.

We made our way back to the station and readied ourselves for the returning runners. They came in slowly at first but soon we were again inundated. It was fast and furious but also very enjoyable.

Afterward, I got to know Melissa a bit better and knew she was someone I needed to be in touch with. The entire experience was well worth it for me and there was a bonus on top of it all.

That Sunday, I worked the primary intersection at the Dupont Marathon. I acted as traffic cop, signaling directions and attempting to avoid collisions. This was my frst ever marathon, in 2005, and I'd volunteered in 2006. There is a waiting game at the start but once they start coming, things really take off.

Watching the dynamic of the front runners and how they gain or lose is something I rarely get to witness as a middle to back of the pack runner. Everyone passes the intersection five times so we get a different view of the race each time.

Some interesting sidebars; a geo cacher came by and was looking under some rocks right next to us. People use coordinates to find stashes and take something from the container and leave something in its place.

Another incident involved some horse riders, who were less than congenial. Despite knowing there was a matahon in progress, they chose to ride on the course without regard to the runners. Horse riders have right of way on trails which allow horses but one rider gave absolutely no respect to the runners and trotted out in front of a couple of them. She acted like she owned the trail. I called out to alert the runners, since it was a somewhat blind intersection, and another rider complained about me hollering. I had a few choice but polite words for her. The next group of riders was very polite.

All in all, things went well. I paces the second to last runner to within 200 yards of the finish and then went back to pace the final runner for about a mile to within 100 yards of the finish. The Dupont Marathon had been her first ever maraton the previous year, at age 50, and it was her second marathon this year. She beat her time by one minute this year.

B-Rex

Oct. 4, 2008
Looking Glass Loop

This was to be a 40+ mile trek up the Art Loeb Trail, the Mountains to Sea Trail and the Monutains to Sea alternate. It's a neatly packaged loop but I saw it as taking 12+ hours to complete and opted to start up top. I left Charlie Robert's vehicle at Black Balsam road, after relaxing in the surprisingly warm sun for a couple of hours.

I started out before noon, so I could get a head start and take my time. My goal was to enjoy every bit of the run. I would start out hiking and run when I felt like it. My feet had recovered from the metatalsalgia issues and my knees felt better but still flared up on occasion. Starting out slowly seemed to benefit the knees and as a bonus I could take in more of the trail, as I had been on the first portion of the MTS only once before and had never done a six mile stretch of it.

The trail starts on a slight decline, occasionally following an old railbed. It's been washed in portions but much of it is still intact. Soon, switchbacks lead down to a trail junction, which leads to the Graveyard Fields area. A gorgeous heath tunnel then swallows you up in a sea of green. The rhododendrons are mature and emit odoriferous decaying scents which are most pleasing to the olfactories and help to energize. I sped up and surprised some hikers. I'd heard voices for some time but took a while to prove that I wasn't simply hearing voices.

Shortly thereafter, I happened upon a group of senior hikers. They were surprised at how fast I was moving downhill and I was impressed just to see them out hiking. The trail then opened up into a mixed forest with a fair number of large trees. I had thoughts about visiting Yellowstone Falls but opted to pass and save the extra mile.

It was then downward toward Skinny Dip Falls. I'd been here only once, in support of Adam Hill, on his Pingman's quest in 2007. I was pushed off a rock into the swimming hole, which made for a nice photo. Matt Kirk was slated to start here and finish off the run with everyone else. I missed him by about an hour but expected him to reach me at some point.

I was very pleased with the decision to skip the arduous Art Loeb climb. I still had some climbing in store but nothing like that 7,000 feet of climb. I only do that once a year, at ALTAR.

The trail crossed the Parkway and 276, skirting the Blue Ridge escarpment, until the alternate MTS turns right and heads toward the Pink Beds. There's a short bomber descent and then it stays flat for a while.

I expected to see someone come from behind but there was no one. I moved quicker than I thought I had and soon started a gradual climb up toward Black Mountain. I was unfamiliar with this portion as well but recognized a few spots. It had to be the correct route but I still couldn't help to wonder if I'd taken the wrong trail.

Things got steeper and gnarlier. Some mountain bikers were coming toward me at about two miles an hour. How they navigated the ridiculous rock formations is beyond me. Reaching the top of Clawhammer, I enjoyed a brief downhill but to my dismay, Black Mountain loomed ahead. Both peaks are quite rocky and steep.

The other side of Black Mountain was a bit smoother and made for an extended, enjoyable descent. As I enjoyed the drop, dog tags rattled from behind. Uwharrie had been sniffing me out just like she had at the Bartram run on New Year's Day. Matt Kirk wasn't far behind. We ran together for just over a half mile but my lungs didn't permit me to stay with him. The rest of my body felt strong but I'd forgotten just how much effort it took to downhill at a rapid pace.

The downhill went on for miles, one of the better downhills I've run. I made it out well before dark, which was in doubt about seven miles earlier. The rest of the gang, Mohammed, Charlie, Matthew and Adam met us in the parking lot. Mohammed, Charlie, Matt and Lily dined in Brevard.

I got in 24 miles with a bunch of downhill. My knees held up and everything felt right. It was evident that I wasn't in the best of shape but now things could progress as I was again running without pain.

B-Rex