This week I decided to try and get in 70 miles. I've learned that 60 a week is doable given my roles, responsibilities and discipline. 70 is pushing it. In May I'll choose to get up really early even more often and even run in the dark. That's with the purpose of getting in some more miles and specific training -- e.g. running trails at night with a headlamp. Form follows function. I'm running the Mohican 100M in June. There's no way I'm going to finish before dark. Hence the need to train at night. There's also no way I'm going to run the entire 100 miles. Besides having the fitness capacity to cover 100 miles, patience is the key to finishing and giving myself a chance at accomplishing the goals that I've set. But patience isn't easy. If it was everyone would be patient and our world would look very different. I've become a decent runner over long distances but I'm a terrible hiker. I've always been a very slow walker. As a kid walking bored me. I'd rather just run. Or if I did walk I preferred to be in the woods with a 50lb pack on my back giving purpose to why I was walking and not running. I'm going on 33 on these things haven't changed. 

This week I figured out, on paper, how to squeeze in 70 miles. It didn't happen. On Wednesday afternoon I was getting in a quick 8 miler on Bull Run when my left calf suddenly felt quite uncomfortable. It slowly grew more and more uncomfortable with every step. Fortunately I only had about 2.5 miles to go. Unfortunately I decided to just push through. I don't think I caused any damage but I did promote inflammation. I'm not sure what the problem is. It doesn't hurt to stand on my tip-toes or walk but the bouncing of my calf when I run hurts. It's the base of my calf and could simply be that there's a mild strain or some micro tear type stuff with the base of the soleus muscle.

After taking Thursday off, I decided to see if I could slowly jog. Started down the trail from Hemlock to Bull Run. Felt uncomfortable and fairly awkward for the whole 3/4 mile. When I got to the water, I knew I wasn't running anymore but realized how good I felt walking. So I set off to hike as far out and back as I could get in 3 hours. Surprise, I enjoyed it! Quickly setting aside disappointment in losing my Friday long trail run, I reframed the day as an opportunity to work on my poor hiking skills. So I zoomed (I use that word loosely) along, taking "lap" times at each mile marker. As the miles went by, up and down hills, I continued to work on my form and efficiency. By the time I made it back to my car I was strangely content with how the day turned out. I hiked almost 14 miles in 3 hours. 

Hiking does allow more time to stop and smell the bluebells

I do hope my calf heals quickly (I've got a 100k on April 21!) but I'm grateful for the perspective. In all my 50M+ efforts last year (4 of them) I was deathly afraid of not running because of how slow I hike. Becoming a proficient hiker will give me another tool in my development, an essential one for Mohican. I won't necessary start hiking more in races but the capacity to hike quickly up hills and over rocks and roots while getting in some needed calories or hydration (or simply giving myself a break from running) is a really nice skill to have. Plus, my butt hurt this morning. A sign that even in hiking, I'm still getting in a solid training effort.

Finished up my hike with a stop at the Clifton Cafe for a fantastic cup of coffee and a fantastical crepe with chicken, guac, and mango salsa

Last year I ran Seneca Creek and loved it. The race was simply and superbly executed by race director Ed Schultze. Park at Riley's Lock (near the finish line), catch a bus to Damascus Regional Park, hand $20 to a volunteer and enjoy a day running beautiful singe track back to your car while making a few new friends along the way. No mystery while I came back this year for a reprise. Last year Seneca was my first ultra race and I did well finishing 12th in 4:40. After a good winter of training I came in ready to build on last year's time and my experience on the trail. Ed announced weeks ago that a new piece of trail was completed and was added to the course. So I looked forward to that as well. And finally, my buddy Todd traveled (thanks for driving!) with me as well for his first Seneca experience.

Fast forward a bit...

Leaving the aid station at Clopper Lake (already having run the lake loop) about 19 miles into the race, I glanced at my watch: "2:33, good stuff...just over 8min pace...need to settle in and cruise...3 add'l miles since last year...won't get Route 28 station for about 9.5 miles...all's well just keep clipping along." Not a mile later, "ok, white blazes...up this hill...around this bend...back down...road crossing...hmm, no volunteers, that's weird...crap, did I screw up?...little bit further to make sure...up another hill." And that's when I saw it. Clopper Lake. On a point-to-point course with a single loop around a lake already run, I should not be looking at said lake again. I paused in utter disbelief and disappointment. As the reader you may insert whatever phrase you might imagine me saying at this point. It's possible I thought and/or said it. I turned around and starting running like I was being chased by a wolf pack back to where I was pretty sure I detoured.

As I came back down the first hill I climbed on the white blazed trail, I could see people streaming ahead along the actual course. I bolted past a bunch of folks and continued that way for at least another mile until common sense caught up and I realized my pace was both unsustainable and causing all sorts of detriment to finishing the race with both legs still attached. But I knew my wrong turn cost big time and in a 50k I couldn't make up the 15+ minutes I had lost.

Backing up a bit...

It rained all day the Wednesday before and then again Friday afternoon through the night. The rain turned to mist in the morning and tapered off just before the start of the race out. Judging by the muddiness at the park and the streams of water flowing down the middle the asphalt path, my imagination ran wild with dreams of what was awaiting us on the trail itself.

The first 5 miles of the course are primarily downhill. There were early signs of mud but I was most looking forward to the first, and biggest, water crossing of the day about 3 miles in. We were not disappointed!

(download)

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seneca-creek-greenway-race-report-pldalqjnmIidtAvEgAwH.zip (11.81 MB)

At 7 miles we hit the first aid station -- Brink Road. I dashed along the next 4 mile stretch to Route 355. The mud was full bore now. In all honesty there was so much mud for so long that I feel like it was deeply muddy far more than the course was purely runnable. I could be wrong but I felt like I ran a lot of hopscotch. Nevertheless I kept churning, hoping that the onset of muscle fatigue from all the mud would hold off long enough for adrenaline to set in and carry me to the finish. Despite the extra effort to charge through the mud I made it to Route 355/mile 11 in 1:28. So far so good.

Quick aside. Ed has a great course description on the course site. My memory is not detail oriented to begin with. The muddy theme of this year's edition made viewing the scenery a bit more difficult than last year so I'm working off mental snapshots at best.

I remember the section from Route 355 to Clopper Lake being especially tasty. Legs still felt strong so I just kept churning. We run under I-270 along this section and in a few more miles arrived at the lake aid station. At Clopper Lake the marathoners continue on while the 50kers run around the lake. My premonition held true -- driest section of the entire day was the lake loop. Trail around a body of water? I hoped that the trail drained well and fortunately I was right. I actually picked up time on my pace on the approximate 4 mile loop. I was right at 2:00 heading out and around 2:30 arriving back.

With the additional 3 miles of trail added to the section ahead, I'd decided to refill the pack when I got back to the aid station at Clopper Lake. I recently started using the new GU roctane drink mix. It's tasty and provides some good amino acids that pair up well with my hammer gel base and occasional roctane gel add in. I carried a package of the drink mix to empty into the pack but I should have put it in a ziploc. I wasted 2 minutes refilling my pack because my semi-numb fingers lacked the dexterity needed to open the package. I really should have just asked the kind woman holding my pack to open it for me. Stubborn fool! Anyways, I finally got my pack filled up and I was off and running away from the lake in fine form.

That brings us back to my lovely detour. To simply add insult to my mistake, I reread the course description this past week.

You will run on the wooden walkway until it takes a sharp left - you do NOT take a left. Instead, you're going to GET OFF THE WOODEN WALKWAY AND TURN RIGHT.

I turned left.

Running off course was going to happen to me in a race. It's just a big deal to me because it's the first time. I then made a second mistake. I didn't adjust my hydration and fuel. In my focus of trying to make up lost time, I stopped paying attention to how much I was drinking. Since I mix my gel into my water that means I also got behind on calories. No question I felt the effects much of the last 10 miles. I believe the strength of my fitness coming into the race helped me ignore the dehydration rather than address it.

So, after 9.5 course miles (plus ~2mi extra that I ran) I arrived at the Berryville Road aid station. It took me 1:41 and overall I was running 4:15 and increasingly fatigued all around.

The final miles are a bit blurry. I never felt nauseous, light-headed or anything else but I knew I hadn't taken care of myself very well. By now the sun was out and it was getting rather warm. As all ultra runners are acutely aware, if you keep moving the destination will eventually present itself. I kept running with my single hiking episode of the day coming on a short hill.

When we popped out on the gravel road I took off running hard. And then I promptly slowed down when my leg turnover went to molasses. I picked up a buddy and we cruised it in together. I finished in 5:18, good for 20 out of 178. In all likelihood I ran at least 36 miles. Looking at the results and times I can't help but think I would have finished top 10 if not for the detour and poor hydration management. Regardless, I enjoyed the day running and there's no question I hope to return!

After I finished I totally gourged myself on the homemade banana bread and oatmeal cookies made by a volunteer. Clearly this woman could tell my immense gratitude as big smiles included huge cheeks. After reaching baked good satisfaction, I made my way back down the gravel road we traversed to the finish to cheer in more runners. I really enjoyed sitting and chatting with others that had finished. When I tried to get up 30 or so minutes later my legs cramped up so badly I couldn't move. The scaps in my pack came in handy. I took a couple with a bunch of water and the legs relaxed. Another sign that I didn't do a very good job taking care of myself during the latter half of the race. Very good lessons learned.

This year's race was RD Ed's last hurrah. On behalf of hundreds of runners, thanks for all you've done to create and sustain a great race while never losing sight of the simplicity of trail running. Congrats.

There is no doubt: tomorrow is going to be really wet and probably really muddy.

That said, I am really excited to get out and race. It's been an all-time great winter of warm weather here in Northern Virginia. I don't know what the average high has been but it's ridiculous whatever it is. After battling a sinus infection in January, I've been humming along in training. Each week I've put in a tempo run, long hill climb and long trail run. Those are my staples. I've seen some significant growth as a result. My cruising speed is by far the fastest it's ever been. On Fridays I've been cutting off big chunks of time on familiar routes.

After 4 months off from racing I'm totally stoked about running the Seneca Creek-Greenway 50k, again. I thoroughly enjoyed the race last year. Well organized, friendly volunteers, point-to-point course, picnic at the finish and all for 20 bucks! Since last year, a new piece of trail's been completed so the course will pick up 3 additional miles so we can scope it out. So the race will be closer to a 55k and that's a good thing -- anything to help me close the gap on the speedy marathoners!

It's go time.

Bryon Powell, owner of the preeminent ultrarunning journalist blog, irunfar.com, has established some regular guest writers to bring added perspective to the ultra community. One such writer is the legend that is Andy Jones-Wilkins. In addition to having a great name, he's finished in the top 10 at Western States the past seven years. I love his perspective and as a husband, dad and someone with a full-time job I resonate with the heart behind the perspective.

AJW's Tap Room makes a regular appearance on irunfar.com. A couple weeks ago, he wrote a post on lessons learned from all the years and miles on the trail. AJW introduces his reflections, "I have come to realize that I have personally learned much about myself and how to live through my involvement in ultrarunning and that while it may be an optional, leisure activity for me, the lessons I have learned have allowed me to become a better, more complete person."

This post is a terrific read and applicable to any pursuit or discipline where persistence and long-term commitment is paramount to success. 

Check out that sweet belt buckle! With the price increasing in just a couple days, I just registered for Mohican 100 (OH) in June Unfortunately I'm already really excited about my first 100 but I've got a lot of work to do between now and then. It's been a good winter -- great weather and consistent weekly mileage.

Soon I'll be racing trails again with a reprise of the Seneca Creek-Greenway 50K. It's an absolute gem. Well organized, beautiful point-to-point course, super cheap and a great picnic at the finish. Erin and the boys were able to stand at the finish line as I crossed last year. How cool is that Unfortunately I won't be running Bull Run 50M again in April. We've got a family wedding so I scrambled to pick up an alternative mid-spring race. Decided to go with the Prince William Nat'l Forest 24HR Adventure Run. I am not running for 24 hours! However I do like having the choice of distance. The course is a series of 6.25 mile loops with ~800' elevation gain. Currently planning to run a 100K - 10 loops.

This is my first post of 2012. Eesh. I promise more, soon and often.

Within a couple days of the race I had most of this race report written. And then I got busy. And then posting this just went to the back burner. No question this is still worth posting so here goes...

The nutshell: I ran a very flat race for 40 miles. Then something happened and I ran from a place I've never experienced over the final 14 miles.

To Clark Zealand and all the volunteers who ran the aid stations, marked the course, etc. You put on a incredibly well organized and executed race. Thank you!

While I didn't want to admit it, as a first year ultra runner, I was not interested in running Mountain Masochist. By "not interested" I mean freaked out. In the midst of running my first 50K and 50M last spring (and even a 77 miler in June) I was not considering MMTR as part of my fall race plans. Maybe it was the name, the elevation, the reputation of Horton, I don't know if I can pin point it. After running Laurel Highlands and debriefing on the experience with my wife, she gave me some sage advice. "Maybe you should work on getting stronger at the 50M distance before continuing to go after longer races." My pride reacted immediately but after ten years I'm (often) smart enough to hold my tongue. It didn't take long to recognize that she was right on and so I immediately started formulating a plan. Bottom line: I wanted to run two of the hardest 50 milers I could find within a few hours driving distance. After some research I ultimately found myself staring down the 50M stage of the West Virginia Trilogy and the Mountain Masochist Trail Run. Done. Sold. Let's do this.

By the time my entry off the wait list was accepted to MMTR, the hotel and race bus were booked. Then, I connected with fellow Cedarville Alum, Rebekah Trittipoe. Both her and Gary's graciousness and that of their son, Caleb, became my saving grace and brought peace to the logistics. It was a joy to get to meet Rebekah and finish my first MMTR while she completed her 14th! Huge milestone awaiting her next year.

After 29 years of MMTR, there are a million race reports available, written by folks whose memories are waaaay sharper than my own. Or they've run it so many times that they know the course like I know Bull Run. If you want fantastic, blow by blow course descriptions google them. I'll share a few more roundabout facets of my race experience.

Saturday morning, we took off into the cold darkness of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I simply cruised along hoping to warm up a bit before hitting the trail. I was warned that the road section was longer than advertised so along with every aid station mileage posting throughout the day, I simply ignored it.

Within a few miles I began to notice that I just wasn't cruising as effortlessly as I had hoped. At the close of the initial road section, we hit the first aid station and then head uphill on trail. I was efforting far harder than my pace dictated so I begrudgingly pulled back. Things stayed pretty slow for the first 2 hours. Right about 9am, I came around a ridge and caught my first glimpse of the sun. I'd been running in daylight for a little more than an hour but I hadn't seen the sun until now. At the same time, I started a nice long downhill. My energy level renewed and I felt amazing. I started cruising easily and hoped I'd found my rhythm.

Taking in a gel as I approach the Reservoir aid station (photo by Jim Wei)

Unfortunately, this was short lived and I went on to spend many miles at closer to a trot than anything resembling a cruising pace. The lowest point of the race for me was the stretch between the Reservoir aid station and Long Mountain aid station at mile 26.9 - marking the halfway point of the race. My legs hurt, my mind was completely fragmented and I was frustrated by how long it was taking me to reach the halfway point. I'd hoped to make it in 4:30, 4:45 at the latest. Instead I made it in 5:15. I honestly felt embarrassed. I retrieved my drop bag from Caleb, Rebekah's son, and refilled my pack and started trudging up Buck Mountain.

At the pre-race dinner the night before I met Dane Czaplicki as well as his dad and brother who were there to crew for him. Within two minutes of my ascent up Buck Mountain I heard someone call my name. Dane caught up and we spent several minutes catching up on how things were going. He was clearly feeling a lot better so eventually Dane took off up the mountain. I was quite certain that'd be the last time I saw him.

Finally crested Buck Mountain and then on to Wiggins Springs before arriving at the Loop. Coming into the race I was super intrigued by this piece of 5-7mi single track. I enjoyed it quite a bit considering my overall demeanor. I remember moving past the aid station at 6:45 and hoping that it wouldn't take much past an hour to meander around it before popping back out at the aid station. I spent most of the loop running with a few guys. There was a bit of back and forth but we essentially ran together.

After a nice long downhill, I made it back out and made a quick stop at the aid station. As much as I love pulled pork I decided that would be a bad idea. The guy next to me grabbed a sandwich, stuffed it in a cup and said he'd snack on it. That was hilarious to watch for a few minutes.

I left the Loop aid station with 7:50 on my watch. Over the next 5 minutes my race transformed. I found more than a second wind or burst of energy. I became completely determined, focused and driven. I ran with a overwhelming sense of conviction. Everything changed. I passed a couple guys who'd passed me on the loop. That felt good. Then I saw a couple more runners hiking an uphill. I ran it and passed them. On the way to Salt Log aid station and then to Forest Valley, my tenacity continued to grow. I ran everything and seeing runners ahead of me only pushed me to run harder. As I passed more and more people, my determination grew sharper. I went predator and there was a synergy between my mind and my body that I've never experienced in running. My body allowed me to do everything my mind wanted. I started catching people I hadn't seen in several hours.

Coming into Forest Valley, I saw Dane leaving. I'm not sure which one of us was more surprised to see the other. As I mentioned earlier, I'd last seen him as we left Long Mountain together for the climb up Buck Mtn. The "long" 4 miles between Forest Valley and the final aid station, Porters Ridge, is one of the more technical of the race with LOTS of leaves, ups and downs, and some rocky sections. It wasn't long after leaving the FV aid station that I caught up with Dane and a couple other guys running together. We gave each other good luck sentiments and I pushed ahead. I felt like I was flying over this beautiful, wooded single track section. 

I popped out of the woods, stopped just long enough at Porters Ridge to grab a cup of Mountain Dew (powered by Yellow #5!). When this rally began, I knew I couldn't do anything to change the fact that my overall time was not where I'd hoped it be. But I was thoroughly enjoying the latter stages of this race and was ready to destroy the final 4.5 downhill miles to the finish. I left Porters Ridge in full-fledged cheetah mode and flew down the switch backs. Everyone I passed cheered me on as I zipped by.

I don't know what exactly what position I was in when I left the loop (somewhere in the high 80s), but I finished 58th. I ran final 14ish miles in 2:10 and the last ~4.5 miles in 26 minutes and passed something like 30 people during that stretch to the finish in Montebello. I finished in 10:02. I negative split a course who's second half is notably harder than the first. More than that I tapped into something that I've never experienced in a race.

On the drive home Saturday night, I began wondering what I needed to do to not loose what I found on the MMTR course. Only time will tell, but I believe I've begun to learn how to race an ultra. It's only fitting that it took a Masochist to serve as the catalyst.

This coming weekend I'm returning to where ultra running began for me...Magnus Gluteus Maximus 50K! Last year I suffered through it three weeks after finishing the Philly marathon. I've run very little since MMTR but I'm looking forward to enjoying this fun run. Nothing like a good fat ass!

I find myself again on the precipice of a race and no time to give a proper race preview!

Mountain Masochist is a headliner in the ultra community. It's a tough as nails 50M point-to-point course with 9200' climbing and 7200' descending. For me, MMTR is the capstone of my first year of ultrarunning. I'm excited to race and determined to employ the wisdom I've gained to pace well and finish strong.

I heard a long time ago that the best way to communicate is to show not tell. Found a flyover video of the MMTR course for your viewing pleasure.

With compliments to Run Scout