Mohican 100 Mile Run
June 21, 2008

I really enjoyed this run last year. It was my second 100 miler and looked forward to running it again. It will remain on my schedule for next year.

The drive to Ohio went quickly. In Cincinnati, the cicadas were so loud I had to put up the windows briefly. That was on the highway with all sorts of noise to drown them out and they were still deafening.

I got to Mohican and checked in with Amy Kaylor, who had been my pacer last year. She took over registration for the event this year. Her husband, Chris, was back with all of his trail running goodies for those who forgot anything, like me. They actually met while working an aid station last year.

I got a camping spot along the river, thinking it'd be peaceful. The group next to me was up until 1 am partying. I had to be up around 4:15, so that was decidedly inconvenient for me. When I did rise, there was a group several sites down who were still partying.

I had originally planned to run this in under 24 hours. I had Achilles heel issues last year which slowed me down on the descents. I figured I would have run it in 25 1/2 hours if I hadn't had that pain.

What a difference a year makes! I'd experienced myriad overuse ailments. Nothing which completely stopped me but many issues which slowed me down dramatically. I hadn't been on the bike much and hadn't been doing yoga or lifting weights with any frequency, all three of which had been integral parts of my training. I paid the price for it this year.

I started off moving well. I passed runners going uphill. I want to increase my uphill hiking stride a bit more but it worked well for me. When I hit the first big downhill, I let gravity take over and I moved more quickly than I had in ten months. I still didn't want to go 100% but I was quite pleased with how well my body responded.

I ran back and forth with Jay and Anita Finkle. Everything felt fine and I had some lungs as well. It was nice to get to the trail section, however.

I really plowed through this last year but still moved okay this year. The trails are fast and very runnable. I had forgotten just how smooth they were. I only wished I were in better shape so I could really push myself. I caught a runner out of the corner of my eye doing something that shouldn't be done so close to the trail. He was only about ten yards off and not well concealed. I conversed with a group of three women ahead shortly afterward but fortunately they didn't bear witness to the defiling of forest.

I ran with Kim intermittently. She's a larger bodied runner but it was all I could do to keep pace with her. We both felt proud when we passed up a very thin runner on a climb.

We came to the third aid station more quickly than anticipated. I continued to move well along the green loop. The trail grew wider and had more gravel, which was my enemy. I avoided it at all cost since my metatarsalgia caused great paind whenever the ball of either foot struck a rock.

Soon the tower was in site and I made my way to the aid station. I was well ahead of cutoff but well back in the pack. The portion to the covered bridge contained excessive amounts of large gravel so I wound up hiking more than I'd liked to.

The orange loop was different than last year. The course now has more singletrack and a road section has been eliminated. I started this with Todd, whom I met while trying to beat the cutoff at Massanutten. The orange loop from the covered bridge to the state park entrance is the highlight of the run. This is by far the most scenic section. The trail rolls along surprisingly tall hills on mountain biking trails. The trails undulate like a roller coaster with countless twists and turns.

Getting to the Grist Mill was not a pleasant task. The temperature had warmed up and this grassy expanse was quite exposed to the sun. This was a step down from last year's course and will hopefully be eliminated next year. The loop after the Grist Mill was removed. This loop was the steepest part and caused great pains the second time through last year so I was okay with it getting gone.

The trek back to the covered bridge was extremely hot. The climbs were tougher than I'd remembered and the flats alonf the river just kept going. When it was time to ford the river, I welcomed the cool water. It was a challenge getting through it since it was littered with large rocks. I stumbled and plodded my way across.

The blue loop was up next. Last year this almost broke me due to the intense heat. It was later in the day this year so I didn't experience all that much direct sunlight. It seemed much easier this year. The 75 degree incline was tough. You have to pull yourself up through roots and rocks. Every run should have a part like this!

Making my way back to the covered bridge again, I ran into Terri Hayes. She didn't have a chance of making the cutoff so she was opting for a 100k route of her choosing simply to get in as many miles as possible. I felt the best I'd felt all day coming off the blue loop.

Heading up on the red loop, which followed a slightly different course from last year, I was soon gasping for air. The high I'd just felt was replaced by exaspiration. I'd made the last cutoff by an hour and planned on making up time here. That wasn't the case and then some rough weather moved in on me. At the top of a ridge, it was calm and then all of a sudden, small trees were at 90 degree angles and large ones were at 30 degree angles. The wind whipped across the trail and branches snapped. I was hit by one but kept on moving. figuring rougher weather was soon to come.

Just before the aid station, the sky opened up and it poured and hailed. Todd and I huddled under the tent to wait it out. There was a report of a tornado in the county so we stayed put a while. Eventually, we headed out into the driving rain. Our cushion of time had almost evaporated so we had no choice.

Todd went ahead on the first big climb and I was left alone with my thoughts. The red loop had several stream crossings. There was no way to stay dry. I'd had some chafing issues before the rain but they were exacerbated after the steady downpour. Soon it hurt to walk but surprisingly felt less painful to run. I knew I was very likely the last runner to leave the previous aid station.

The climb away from the stream after the final crossing went on forever, just as it had during the night last year. I finally made it out to the road and then back onto the last section of trail I would run. It was a soggy mess.

A climb on dirt road brought me back to where the trail section had started earlier. One loop was all I would do this year. I was 52 miles in but in tremendous pain. I had just an 8 minute time cushion. My feet hurt almost as much as the chafing so I knew it was time to stop.

There is a consolation finisher's medal is you get to at least 50 miles so I did receive a medal. My finish percentage for 100 milers was now at 50. I wasn't all that bothered by not finishing. I'd overdone it lately and experienced constant injuries. I still look forward to the next adventure.

B-Rex

Chattooga 50k

My body doesn't handle hot weather very well. When it's in the 80's, I slow down significantly. When it's in the 90's, I'm reduced to a snail's pace. No problem, on this day it would only be 102!

After failing to make a cutoff at Massanutten, I vowed to start out much quicker. Even though there was no time limit, I wanted to get moving and cover as much ground as possible before it got ridiculously hot.

I started out near the front and avoided the early logjams. Most races start on the road and the field is opened up a bit before hitting single track. This one started and remained on single track the entire course.

I kept my pace for a good while but started to experience shin splints so I was forced to ease up a bit. That kept the pain at bay but I was still on the verge of it for a few miles. Many runners passed me at this point.

The trail heads down to the river and follows it for a good while. It then veers away, returns and then exits into the hills. It's on a portion of the Foothills Trail, which is also used for the Laurel Valley 35 miler and is the site of the February Foothills Trail (76+ mi) run, which will be revisited in November.

The heat didn't feel all that bad at first but the humidity was extremely high. I was drenched an hour and a half into the run. The humidity started to drop but the heat really kicked in.

After my shin splints faded, I got moving pretty quickly. There was an extended downhill and I jumped to the front of the train and led a group down. I stayed in the first position for a while on the flat but overdid it and had to derail.

I was forced to slow down my pace and it would remain slow the rest of the day. I ran with Gregg Shockley for most of the outbound section. I got behind him for a bit and took a wrong turn but corrected myself quickly.

At the first aid station, which took an eternity to get to, I caught up to several runners who had passed me much earlier. This was a boost and Gregg and I took off for an extended downhill. Brian Kistner came toward us, about ten miles ahead of us. He was followed by several more and then after a lull, others did as well.

By the time we made it to the turn around point, the heat was stifling. I hadn't realized just how hot it actually was, surmising that it was in the mid 90's. It had hit 102 in nearby Greenville so it was within a couple of degrees of that where we were.

It was really stinking hot at this point. I dreaded climbing back up the mountain we'd just descended. We started out and Gregg went ahead. On the long climb, I suffered from heat exhaustion. I'd experienced it at Laurel Valley last year but this was worse. At first, my body would start to shut down after just 30 yards of running. Later on, I was shutting down from simply hiking uphill.

I tried to keep moving but felt faint and knew I was risking passing out by continuing. I battled over whether or not to continue. This was just a 50k but the heat was ruining me. I sat down for a while to collect myself and had to do this a couple of more times. When I made it to the aid station, I dowsed myself with cold water, which did help. Feeling better, I opted to continue.

With smaller climbs ahead, I felt much better mentally. Getting that big climb out of the way equaled having a large weight lifted from me. I was able to run a bit on the downhill. I was still overheating but was no longer approaching heat exhaustion. It would be an incredibly slow go the rest of the way but at least I knew I was able to keep moving.

It seemed like forever before I got back to the river. Having cool water next to me for much of the remainder was extremely comforting. I hopped in and it felt like bath water, not what I'd expected. At least it was wet which helped. I jumped in again and found a cooler spot in the shade. It would have been easy to stay in for a half hour but I trudged onward.

I took in some of the scenery which I missed in the morning. Hemlocks towered along the shores, appearing to hit 150 feet or more in height. The blight was taking its toll on them but many healthey specimens still reside.

The turnoff back to the finish area took an insane amount of time to reach. I thought I'd missed it. When I made to the turn, I entered the home stretch. Knowing it was less than a mile to go got me moving a bit. I despise being passed late in a race and generally do not allow it. That meant pushing a little harder but the heat had eased and I had only a short while to go. Entering the final turn, My body just went into overdrive and I went into a full sprint across the finish, nearly taking out the scorer's table and distributing the finisher's awards all over the parking lot.

As it turned out, I had almost caught two runners and the next one after me was 18 minutes back. 10 1/2 hours seems like a poor effort but I gave all I could under the conditions and was proud to finish. I'd never been so tempted to drop out of a 50k but I didn't. This boosted my confidence and hopefully has started me back to my previous level of mental fortitude.

The finisher's award was a wood cutout shaped like the state of South Carolina with a photo of the course on it. Terri Hayes put the race on practically by herself and asked only for donations.

B-Rex

May 17-18, 2008
Massanutten Mountain Trails 100

This had been my first ever 100 mile run in 2007. I was in much better shape and injury free last year. This year was a different story. Multiple overuse injuries had hampered my training and slowed me to a crawl. I wasn't about to drop out however.

The comraderie at these events draws me back as much as the runs themselves. It's always refreshing to see so many familiar faces filled with eager anticipation.

I had some foot issues but my knees were finally feeling strong. I started out at a nice pace but soon slowed due to shin splints. My lack of training invited this uncomfortable condition. I soon found myself nearly last as I entered the trail. I felt I moved fairly well on the road portion but the trail is where I excel.

The first climb coinsides with the coming of twilight. Near the top, the sun piqued my curiosity as it peeked over the distant peaks. I was a bit further along last year when it first appeared.

The first ridge is one of the highlights of the run. It's very rugged but you have fresh legs so it's easy to move quickly.

I noticed the that runners around me were ones who often flirted with cutoff times. I motored ahead but some caught me at the aid station. The first major descent allowed me to make some time on them.

The descent led to an extended road stretch. I despise flat road stretches but managed to move fairly well on it this time. Still, I was running well behind schedule, just 45 minutes ahead of the cutoff time.

The next section was one of my favorites from last year and where I made up time on all of my buddies. I moved alright, running with Leonard Martin for a good while but I had to take a few short breaks and I lost him. I made solid time heading downhill but my feet were causing a good deal of distress. Every time I landed on a rock, I had a pain in my left forefoot. This pain increased when my stride increased. I came upon a runner resting by a stream. We took off and I went ahead after a while.

I thought I was approaching the aid station but it was just a small parking area and I still had a couple of minutes to go. The cutoff time was nigh as I scooted in with 1 1/2 minutes to go. I had to be out of the aid station in five minutes' time.

I took off with Todd, the guy from the stream, and we moved very well for a while but I'd run myself out. I reduced my pace to a crawl and pretty much called it a day. David Hughes approached me as I was sitting on a log. I knew my day was about to end. He opted to try and make the next cutoff.

I lazily made the last climb after fording several streams. The trail was quite muddy as opposed to last year's dry conditions. The only wet part was the descent that was coming up. I took my time descending as well. I passed a sign pointing out where there had been a rattlesnake earlier.

I turned in my number at the aid station and filled up on food. Both Todd and David returned to the station after starting the next section. That was the section which gave me the most trouble last year. We hung out for a good long while and watched the lead runners come through for the second time. Mike Mason decided to call it a day, despite running fifth, which eased my pain a bit.

I was majorly disappointed at not having the opportunity to finish. I had foot issues and very likely would not have been able to complete the entire circuit but certainly wanted to try. The cutoff times aren't all based on 36 hours. the early ones are based on 28-30 hours. This puts undue pressure on runners to push themselves too hard early on. I'm a strong finisher and a slow starter so this weighed heavily on me. I never failed to keep moving but was unable to move fast enough.

This was the first time I'd ever been pulled from a race, and at just 39 miles. Hopefully, I'll be able to train more and get my fitness back to where it needs to be. There is no question about my endurance. I also lacked a bit of the mental focus and drive which pushed me through last year. That's something which needs to return as well.

After getting a lift back to the ranch, I ate and hung out, then went to sleep. In the early morning I got up to watch the finishers and helped keep track of those who crossed the finish line. Before I knew it, I became a volunteer and continued for next ten hours. This was extremely enjoyable and made the trip more complete.

B-Rex