Saturday was a fairly good day.

Started with a solid run. I ended up running with a group of runners that are super fast and included a former all SEC track star and professional runner and a couple of other former college cross country runners. And they ran fast. Very fast. We started out at a fairly pedestrian pace, but the pace quickened. At that point pride sorta kicks in and you force yourself (or at least I force myself) to stay with them. And I did. Surprisingly I felt pretty good. Almost like I was trying to prove to them I belonged up there.

Fortunately after running this pace for several miles my brain kicked in and I laid off. I ended up running the rest of the route by myself and still kept a pretty decent pace, just not the lightning fast pace that front group had. Got back to the Whites and visited with Mike for a little while but needed to leave early so I didn't stay long.

Considering I haven't run a lot in the last 6-8 weeks, I felt good about the run. Not a long run, but definitely had speed. It felt great to get out there and stretch my legs.

After running I got ready for the basketball game. All three boys said they wanted to go, but predictably front yard football took over and they decided to stay. I went alone and watched an absolute dismantling of St. Bonaventure 105-53. The Bonnies were leading the country in FG% coming into the game at over 55%. On this day they shot around 35%. This was the State team I expected to see this year. Good win.

The afternoon brought with it the SEC Championship game. I really thought Florida had enough to get the job done. Missing Dunlap turned out to be key. The defense was on the field way too long. Tebow never developed a rhythm. Hats off to Bama, they played really well. McElroy managed the game and Ingram showed why he is a Heisman contender. His performance likely at least earned him a trip to New York.

And the night had the Big 12 Championship game. Most people overlooked Nebraska, but Bo Pelini's defense was outstanding. If you like defense this game was outstanding. Both defenses rose to the challenge. It was a fun game to watch with a ton of hitting. The game also had the extra intrigue of if screwing the BCS up if Texas lost. There was still a chance that Florida would sneak back into the title game and play Bama in a rematch. Of course TCU and Cincinnati would also make strong arguments. As it turns out Texas won on a FG as time expired. Interestingly though, the officials had to review the last play and put 1 second back on the clock because time expired when Colt McCoy nonchalantly threw the ball out of bounds. They made the right call and there should've been 1 second, but here's the interesting part: I'm not sure that play is reviewable. I'm not sure the officials are allowed to review a play when the only thing they are looking at is time. Certainly if they reverse a play they can then look at the time to see what should be on the clock, but I don't think they can review and look ONLY at time. In any event, Texas won in unimpressive fashion.

As I said, yesterday was a fairly good day.

2010 Race Plans

Time to start making the 2010 race plans.

I failed to sign up in time for Mountain Mist 50K - one of my favorite races - and it is now full. So, unfortunately that race is out. I really want to run Bel Monte outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Gill, Frannie, and Marty do a great job with races and I think it would be a lot of fun. Not to mention how gorgeous it is over there. I ran the sister race (Great Eastern Endurance Run - GEER) two Septembers ago. It was easily the hardest 50K I had ever done with something north of 10,000 feet of elevation gain alone. Bel Monte is at the end of March.

I would like to do the Carl Touchstone race again. I did the 50 mile race two years ago and the 50K last year. If I'm doing Bel Monte I will likely do the 50K, if I pass on Bel Monte then probably the 50 miler.

I still want to run a 100 miler and I am back looking at the Vermont 100. That would be my goal race for 2010. If Vermont is out, then I may be back to signing up for the Arkansas Traveller in November.

2009 was an up and down race year. I started out strong running Mt. Mist in January and the Carl Touchstone 50K the end of February. Unfortunately I never got completely motivated to train for the 100 miler and the rest of my race year fell off. So, time to gear up for 2010 - should be a fun, good race year.

Egg Bowl 2009

Wow. Not sure anyone saw that coming, or at least not in that way. But the bottom line is the Dawgs absolutely trucked the Rebs in the 2nd half. It was complete and total domination, every bit as dominating a half as the Rebels put on the Dawgs a year ago.

The offensive philosophy was fairly vanilla in the 2nd half, run it, run it, run it, run it, mix in a pass, run it, run it, mix in a pass, etc. And it flat worked. The energy was electric. The place was rockin' in the 3rd and 4th quarters, especially for an 11:21 a.m. game. Chris Relf played mistake free ball and ran the read option well. Boobie (Anthony Dixon) ran hard as usual. After having just 17 yards in the first half, he ended the game with 133, all but certainly locking up the Conerly Trophy.

And yes, if you think you saw me in the middle of the pile with Corey Broomfield after his 65 yard pick six, you did. I got destroyed. While I was congratulating Broom on the pick a solid 10+ guys jumped on. My sunglasses went flying, piece by piece. It was all I could do to stay upright. I tried gently reminding them that I'm not quite 5' 10" and oh by the way, I don't have pads on. But to be honest, it was worth it. It was an incredible moment.

The defense played well, limiting arguably the most exciting player in the league, Dexter McCluster. He had a couple of big plays, but he was never allowed to establish the 6, 7, 8 yards per carry that he had done the last several games.

So, for 365 days, the Dawgs are kings of the state.

Go Dawgs!

Long weekend. Jamie and I ended up going to Little Rock to the State game. Left town around 1:15 - of course the plan was to leave at noon. Got to The Peabody in Little Rock just short of 6:00 p.m. Team arrived shortly after us, so I visited with some of the players and coaches before heading to dinner.

We stayed at this same Peabody when the Dawgs played in the NCAA tournament here two years ago. The hotel itself is okay, but Little Rock has done a really nice job with its downtown. A little like a mini-Memphis downtown revitalization. There is a neat, hole-in-the wall restaurant called the Flying Fish. Had a bucket of PBR's and a fried oyster sandwich. After eating and drinking all of that we needed the stroll back to the hotel and to find the bed.

I got an early start Saturday with a 4-5 mile run. With soccer, I haven't run a lot lately. It was nice to run along the Arkansas River and through downtown Little Rock. Nice time to relax. After the run it was time to suit up and head over to War Memorial Stadium for an 11:21 a.m. kickoff (those odd times crack me up. 11:21. that "21" is funny to me). Dawgs showed some life early and then came out in the second half and went 95+ yards to get within a touchdown. Unfortunately mistakes and the lack of attention to detail cost us. That coupled with the fact that Ryan Mallette is really, really good. At the end of the day it was Arkansas 42, Mississippi State 21.

Time to load up and make the return drive to Starkville.

Sunday brought church and Total FC soccer in Tupelo. I thought we played well enough to win on Sunday, but we just couldn't get the shots to fall. We had at least 6 corner kicks and we usually score off a corner when we have that many, but not today. We left with a 4-4 tie. On a positive note, I drove and carried AJ (Jamaica), Desire' (Ivory Coast), Alco (Spain), and Tundy (Nigeria) with me. I felt like an ambassador to the United Nations. They are really good guys. A few of them will be here alone over Thanksgiving. Jamie and I are thinking about inviting them over to our house for Thanksgiving. I hate to think of them spending it alone.

Soccer friendly

What a great time last night. Our Total FC soccer team played a friendly with Columbus High School in Columbus. We only had 10 players so we had to borrow a keeper from them. Of course they gave us a 9th grade kid that weighed maybe 140 pounds soaking wet. To his credit he played a really nice game.

We have a few guys on our team that are incredibly good. As a result we jumped out early and never really looked back. I think we won probably 10-3 or 10-2. I thought we controlled the ball at times and made several really good runs. I felt much more comfortable and played my best game back. There is not a better feeling when playing defense than making the sliding tackle when the forward is inside the 18 with an empty net because the keeper got caught out of position on the other side. There is just something awesome about sports, team sports in particular, when you make a great play and the rest of the team runs over to help you up and congratulate you. Really cool feeling.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Pretty sure I re-injured my left quad but nothing several motrin and a wrap can't cure!

Unfortunately as great as last night was, it's back to the reality of it's only Thursday. Wow, how is it only Thursday?

The weekend roundup . . .

Great weekend! Friday was a great day despite the Jackets' 51-7 loss at South Panola. Friday brought with it some rough weather but I love weather - good or bad.

Saturday turned out to be a great day. Got a near perfect run in Saturday morning. I didn't run too hard, just a nice comfortable pace.

Spent a fair portion of the rest of the day watching college football and even throwing the football around myself some. Obviously Saturday night brought Mississippi State football and trick-or-treating for the kids. Went over to friends' house for both. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you were the kids) most of the houses in the neighborhood we were in were empty, which meant we got back to the game quickly.

If you know me you may know I am extremely superstitious when it comes to sports. I usually find a particular spot to stand in when we are doing well and stick with it. Or I may develop some ritual I repeat throughout the game. Well, last night I found spots for all the guys and made them sit (or stand) in that exact spot. It took me until halftime to find our spots. We even had offensive and defensive spots. I know, I know. I'm fairly out of control with this stuff, but I'm at least a little convinced I had a small part in the win. Anyway, after all rituals, the Dawgs picked up a 31-24 road win in the SEC, always a tall task.

Then I got up this morning, went to town to grab doughnuts for the kids and got the day off to a great start. Now it's a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and I am preparing to head to Tupelo for our soccer match. We are in a must-win position if we are to make the playoffs. We are somewhere in the 7th or 8th spot out of 12 and have to finish in the top half to make the playoffs.

Big week ahead with a ton to do: 3 flag football games, 2 kids' soccer games, my soccer practice, circuit court trial in Lee County on Wednesday and Thursday, and several other important deals. It's one of those weeks you just do your best.

Yesterday started outstanding and included a nice 10+ mile trail run at Noxubee Hills trails. The Dawgs kicked it off against the #1 Florida Gators at 6:30. All of the pieces were present: 57,000+ people on hand, fired up team, and an energy around Starkville and Davis Wade Stadium I haven't seen since the 90's and perhaps not even then.

After a 60 minute battle, the Gators left Starkville with a 29-19 win.

The day was capped with a rockin' post game party, including Mr. Disco and the DJ. All-in-all a solid day even without the win. But playing the #1 ranked team in the country will give the Dawgs confidence the rest of the way.

Today I get to play in my first soccer match with my new team. We play in Tupelo around 3:30. Considering I haven't played in years and have never played with this team, today should be interesting to say the least. I will make the solo trip around 2:00 p.m. today and should roll back into town around 7:00 I think.

Fletch Runs . . . the weekend edition

I'm looking forward to starting Friday by teaching two more classes at Mississippi State. I will teach an 8:00 and 9:00 o'clock a.m. Business Law class for a friend. It's nice to park at Barnes & Noble and take the easy stroll to McCool Hall.

Friday night is Homecoming at Yellowjacket Field as the Starkville High School Yellowjackets host the Olive Branch Conquistadors at 7:00 p.m. As always, air time on 96.1 is 6:45 p.m. Just like last week, a win and the Jackets are in the playoffs.

Saturday looks like a trail running day. Several of us are going to meet at the Noxubee Hills trails at 6:30 a.m. and be running by 6:45 a.m. Hope to get up to a couple of hours in.

Then Saturday night the Florida Gators come calling. Gametime is 6:30 p.m. Also, our tailgate group is hosting our annual DJ after the game. It is usually a lot of fun especially since most people tend to "let their hair down" a little. I have a little surprise in store this year that should prove pretty funny.

The Starkville High School Yellowjackets went on the road last night to Southaven to play the Chargers in a Division 1-6A game. A win for the Jackets and they lock up a spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately the Jackets just could not get out of their own way, turning the ball over 4 times and several snaps over the quarterback's head. As a result, Southaven went to 7-1; 3-1 on the year winning 27-16. The loss dropped the Jackets to 3-5; 3-1.

Broadcasting the games is a lot of fun, but admittedly getting back to town at 1:00 and to bed around 1:30 a.m. was tough, especially since I haven't been sleeping well lately. Not sure I am any good providing color commentary but I really enjoy doing it. It is a great way to relax and not think.

Got up today and got a P90X workout in before the Mississippi State game, and hope to get a 7 or 8 mile run in later today. Still looking for a late '09 race or an early '10 race.

Training is going fairly well. I got a short early morning run in yesterday that was really nice. Then I got another cardio workout in last night with plyometrics on P90X. Was hoping to get 5-7 miles in today, but the weather is not cooperating.

I was bummed to hear that Mountain Mist 50K was already full. This was the race that Brian, Mann, Damien, and I did last year. We had a blast. We went up on Friday and stayed at one of the CCC cabins. The race was awesome and the companionship better. So now we will just have to switch our focus to another race. Mann and I talked briefly this morning about doing Bel Monte outside Charlottesville, Virginia in March 2010. It is put on by Russell Gill and Bad to the Bone Endurance Sports/Charlottesville Running Company. This is the sister race to GEER that I ran last September. The countryside is absolutely gorgeous. I highly recommend this race to anyone on the east coast or anyone willing to travel to the east coast.

Some of you already know this, but for those that do not (it's funny how I write this blog as though someone is actually reading it - maybe it's just therapeutic), I am now the radio color commentator for the Starkville High School Yellowjackets' football team. If you are in the listening area of Starkville, Mississippi, tune in to 96.1. We usually go live about 6:45 p.m. CDT for pre-game and then wrap up about 15 minutes after the game ends with post game. Interestingly, one of my law partners is the voice of the Starkville Academy Volunteers. Surely that's newsworthy right?

Have a great Thursday.

USA Soccer . . .

Congratulations to the men's US Soccer Team. With the recent 3-2 win over Honduras the boys in red, white and blue qualified for the 2010 World Cup. If you've never been to a World Cup game you owe it to yourself to try to attend one. I went to the quarterfinal match Brazil v. Netherlands at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas during the 1994 World Cup. Brazil won 3-2 and went on to win the Cup. It was amazing.

I've been back running for a couple of weeks. Had an unbelievably good start back with a couple of incredible runs. Unfortunately my last few haven't been nearly as good and in fact seem hard and laborious. I am also doing P90X for general fitness and especially core work. That has gone fairly well except I skipped yesterday. Yesterday was as bad day all around as possible I think and I just couldn't get the workout in. In fact I fell asleep in the chair in the den.

From a workout standpoint at least, today was a solid day. I did P90X this morning for 1:15 then got a 7 +/- mile run in midday and I am about to start my second P90X workout shortly.

I was disappointed that I didn't do the Arkansas Traveller earlier this month. I intend to train like mad between now and July 2010 and do the Vermont 100. Would like to find someone to go with me and crew for me and maybe even pace me. The area is gorgeous. It will be a blast and I will absolutely be ready.

Back? Really?

It's ironic that the last post is one about how I'm back on track and ready to gear up for the Arkansas Traveller. Ironic because I didn't run it. I thought I was mentally focused and ready to put in the hours of training needed to do a 100 mile race, and do it well. I wasn't.

I missed a week of training and never got back on track. I went to Memphis, Tennessee to run a fairly easy 50K, but even that went badly. I went out strong and was in 7th or so place when two other guys and I made a wrong turn. That wrong turn cost us a good 20 minutes plus and I never recovered. For the first time in just about anything I've ever done I DNF'd at 20 miles. I was walking back to my truck to feel sorry for myself and drink a couple of cold, dark beers when I realized that the top to my cooler was off, the ice melted, and the beer was fire hot. Just one more slap to the face.

But to give the whole story, let's go back one night to the night before the race. I decided to camp alone in a state park about 30 minutes from the start/finish line. I am fairly methodical when it comes to packing before a race. I make a list, check it several times, and then pack and load. Well, I overlooked two very important things: 1) bug spray, and 2) the fact that it would be close to 350 degrees inside my tent on an August night in Tennessee. I was eating dinner at my campsite around 7:15 p.m. It was a race. I was racing to get the food into my mouth before the mosquitos carried it or me away. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and had to get in my tent. At 7:30. In daylight. I tried to settle in and watch Entourage on my iPhone (btw, if there is a better show than Entourage - ever - I haven't seen it. That show is pure gold baby). It was hard to even do that because it was so freaking hot.

Finally around 9ish I started to doze off. Just about the time I was falling asleep a group of kids cut through my camp. I thought I was under freaking attack until I realized that genius over here set up camp right next to a trailhead. Nice work sucko. So I finally fall asleep, if you can call some semi-conscious state asleep. I woke up, just happy that the battle was over.

Now fast forward to the race, getting lost, and finding hot beer. Just not my day. I returned home to Starkville and realized I was not ready for the Traveller.

So instead I took 3 weeks off in September and had a great start back running this past Saturday with a nice 10+ mile run followed by a fairly quick 5+ miles on Monday. Both runs were awesome. I am glad to be back, hopefully for good this time!

As for the Arkansas Traveller, good friend Cade Smith ran it. And ran it well. Cade finished his first 100 in 20:49, good enough for 3rd place overall. Great run by Cade.

Back on track . . .

Training has been up and down the last several weeks. As my coach, Gill, says, I hit the wall a little. Not entirely unusual, but the first time in my 2 1/2 years of doing ultras that I hit it. Originally I planned to run Vermont 100 (this weekend) as my first 100 miler. Because of scheduling and other issues, I opted to run the Arkansas Traveller 100 (October 3-4, 2009) instead. I think pushing it back hurt me mentally.

The good news is that I feel back on track. Much of that is certainly due to Gill and the help he provides, but also a great part of it is because the Badwater 135 just wrapped up yesterday. I always keep up with that race on the Badwater webcast. It is definitely on my "bucket list." It gets me fired up to watch that race. I just finished watching "The Distance of Truth," a documentary on Ferg Hawke and his second Badwater.

I will do the 50K or 40 mile race at the Bartlett Park Ultras in August and then get at least one 50 mile training run in before Traveller. I feel good. Onward I go!

I've had a couple of pretty solid days training. Had a nice hill workout on Tuesday after a track workout on Monday. Legs were a little dead yesterday during my recovery run so I just coasted and had a nice easy day.

I will probably take today off and do 12 +/- tomorrow with 5 or 6 miles at marathon pace and then 20 or so on Saturday. I finally feel like I'm back in training mode after a few weeks floundering some.

Off-topic, but if I were Kenyan Martin of the Denver Nuggets I would have had a hard time not finding Mark Cuban last night to make sure he knew how I felt after Cuban embarrassed himself with his actions recently. Someone needs to tell Cuban that just because you have money that cannot make up for being an idiot.

Training

I am continuing my training for the Arkansas Traveller 100 in October - my first 100 miler. I am pretty fired up about trying it, but I do not think it has really dawned on me that I am going to run 100 miles, +/- 24 hours. Straight.

I have not been killing it training wise the last month. I have been running, but my long runs have suffered. Work has been busy and I coach my oldest son and middle son in coach-pitch and t-ball respectively. Extra time is fairly precious right now. I am going to have to start getting out of the rack early enough to get 6 - 10 miles in before work and then maybe another workout in the evening.

The training I have done in the past for a 50 mile race and a number of 50K's was tough but not incredibly difficult. Time to step it up.

I am looking for at least one and maybe two 50 mile races in June - August, preferably within driving distance (around 10 hours or less). Any suggestions?

100 Miles? 100 Miles!

Well, I have finally done it. I signed up (paid money and everything) for my first 100 mile race, the Arkansas Traveller 100 on October 3-4, 2009 outside Perryville, Arkansas. I originally planned to run the Vermont 100 in July, but just couldn't make it work schedule wise. So, I will train a little longer, but be able to drive to the race instead of fly.

Obviously it will be a tremendous challenge, but I believe I am up for it. I have done a four 50K races (31.1 miles) and one 50 mile race. I am in better shape earlier in the year than in the past. If I work and train hard I'll be ready. If you run sub-24 hours you receive a special belt buckle. If you run sub-30 hours you receive a bronze buckle. I'd like to think I could do sub-24, but for my first I suspect my goal should (and will) be just to finish.

100 miles? Yep.

We are never promised tomorrow.

Death is a terribly difficult concept for most adults. It is incomprehensible to children. Yesterday my son's kindergarten teacher passed away suddenly and unexpectedly following complications from pneumonia. My thoughts and prayers go out to her husband and her family. My heart hurts for them and the pain I know they have to be in.

I am also saddened by the fact that a class full of kindergarten students, who loved their teacher very much, is now left to wonder why she won't be back. While she is undoubtedly in a better place and free from pain, they will question why and how. I find it difficult to answer those questions.

Please keep her family, students, and extended school family in your thoughts and prayers.

Carl Touchstone 50K - my first podium!

This was my second time to run in the Carl Touchstone 50K (aka MS 50). The race features three distances: 20K, 50K, and 50 miles. I ran the 50 miles last year but since I was using this as a training run to peak for the Vermont 100 in July, I opted for the 50K this year.

I decided to camp at the start/finish this year with Stacy, Mann, and Mandy. There is plenty of space to camp, but it is primitive camping only. I recalled last year arriving at the start/finish the day before the race around 4:00 p.m. and it being almost completely empty. This year, however, was a different story. This race is run on the Longleaf "Horse" Trail in the DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi. The key word in the preceding sentence is "horse" because when we arrived at camp we felt like we were at some type of horse commune. The place was packed with horses, trailers, campers, etc. We were treated to various horse sounds for much of the night.

After setting up camp, Stacy and I went into town to pick up the various items each of us left at home. We returned to camp to eat and sip on a cold beverage. Mann and Mandy came back after the pre-race pasta dinner. We visited for a while and then each headed off to bed until morning.

We were up by 4:00, dressed by 5:30, and racing by 6:00. It was fairly warm when we woke up, a sign of a very warm day to come. The National Forest Service was doing burns in the area, so the race course had to change at the last minute. Hats off to Dennis and the other race volunteers for making the needed changes and updating the website promptly. Basically it meant we would run an additional out and back on each loop that we had not run in previous years. For the 50K, our first loop was a 16.7 mile loop and the final loop was 15.2 (yeah, I know, that adds up to 31.9, or .8 more than a 50K . . . what can I say? We got the extra .8 free with our race fee).

The race starts in the dark, but a headlamp is not needed because light is fast approaching and we run on nice wide, pine trails for a nice stretch. We then took a left for the first of two out-and-back sections. This first out-and-back was wide and wet. There were several creek crossings that were wide enough that you just had to hammer through them and let the shoes drain later. I felt really good the whole first lap. I hooked up with a fellow Starkvillian, Steve Elder. He and I chatted a bit as we clicked the miles away. We were both running strong and feeling good. We went out with a group of 8 or 9 runners. The front 3 or 4 quickly distanced themselves from us and we settled in in that next group. We leap frogged a couple of guys several times.

Steve and I finished the first section in 2:25, which is about 8:40 a mile. While we were on the 2nd, shorter loop, Steve mentioned that he had run a sub-3 hour marathon. It was about this time that I realized I was an idiot for trying to run with him. While I'm in pretty decent shape, I am not a sub-3 hour marathoner, at least I don't feel like one. Predictably, Steve started to stretch it out in front of me some. Also, I started to get just a little nauseated. It was getting insanely hot for this time of year. The temperature was in the 70's already and it was still early morning. I made a rookie mistake of running out of water between aid station 1 and 2. Fortunately I was without for only a short time. I am still tinkering with my sodium intake. I used Nuun for this race for the first time, and really like it.

By this point it was just survival. I was trying to be cautious and not hammer too hard. I would be conservative on some uphills and run the downhills. This seemed to work well, and kept me in the game for a while. Mentally I was just working on the constant forward motion mantra. I knew I was in the top 5 at this point, but not sure whether I was 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th. When I got to the last aid station, I was fairly certain I was not going to catch Steve, but badly wanted to make sure no one caught me. I continued walking the uphills and running the downhills. I kept thinking "what if someone passes me and it is for 3rd place." As I approached the final half mile I made my last look behind me. Seeing no one, I stepped it up and ran as hard as I could, finishing in 5:01.36, a personal best by 46 minutes, good enough for 3rd place. Had it been a traditional 50K (31.1 miles), I would have broken 5 hours. I was shooting for 5:15-5:30, so I was very pleased, especially considering the heat - it was close to 80 at this point.

Running another great race, Mann was not far behind. Mandy finished her first 50K in under 6 hours, no small feat in that Mississippi heat. Stacy pulled out a top 25 finish as well.

Several other Starkville runners braved the heat Saturday, all running the 50 mile race. Candy ran her first 50 miler and finished in 8:40, good enough for 4th female. Cade notched his second 50 mile finish at MS50. Becky ran a great race, but the heat made it tough and she ultimately dropped down to the 50K somewhere late in the race.

Tim Fromm, from New Mexico, ran strong the entire race, winning the 50K comfortably in 4:21.59. Local favorite, John Brower, defended his title winning the 50 mile race in 7:21 - 20 minutes ahead of second place John Cobbs of Alabama. Kris Whorton was the 1st female 50 miler in 8:05. Lisa Dahl, Minnesota, won the women's 50K in 5:30. Full results are here.

All-in-all, a great day on the trails with friends.

UPDATE: After returning home and unpacking my car, I found an oval "Ford" keychain with 2 Ford keys on there. I feel awful thinking about someone looking for these keys, but have no clue who they belong to or how they got in my truck floor board. If you have any clue, please email me or leave a comment here.

Yes to Carl Touchstone!

Looks like I WILL be doing the Carl Touchstone race.  Turns out enough people dropped out that I got in the race.  Training wise I am supposed to run the 50K instead of the 50 mile and then do one or more 50 mile races in April and/or May.  So, I signed up for the 50K, but wonder if I should still do the 50 mile race instead?

I was originally scheduled to run the Ouachita 50 mile in April, but it is on a weekend that is really bad for me.  So, I will likely have to simulate a 50 mile race of my own.  That is going to be no fun at all I suspect.  

Oh well, at least I'm in Carl Touchstone.  

No Carl Touchstone 50M this year . . .

I did not get into the Carl Touchstone 50M race this year.  It filled quicker than last year and I did not sign up in time; however, I am on the waiting list so there is still some hope I get in.  I will continue training as though I am in the race.  Oak Mountain has a 50K in mid-March that is an option as well.  The trick comes in deciding whether to sign up and pay for Oak Mountain or wait as long as possible on Carl Touchstone.  Obviously if I wait to long I run the risk of Oak Mountain filling up too.

I also need to pull the trigger in the next week on whether I am going to try a 100 mile race this year or not.  I was thinking hard about the Vermont 100 in July.  The problem with Vermont is that it is so far for people to travel to help me as pacers and crew.  I may push my 100 miler out a little while and do the Arkansas Traveller October 3-4, 2009.  We'll see.

Mountain Mist 50K

Friday three buddies and I traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for the Mountain Mist 50K at Monte Sano State Park.  It was insanely hot on Friday (77 degrees) and rain was moving in, hopefully bringing some cooler temps with it.  

We were lucky enough to reserve a cabin less than a mile from the start/finish line.  We rolled into the lodge for packet pick-up a little after 6:00 and then down to the cabin to get our stuff ready and a good night's sleep before the race.  The cabin was perfect.  And rustic.  It has a great screened in porch and a wonderful stone fireplace.  While we all joked and nervously laid our stuff out for the next morning, Mann started a fire.  Problem one.  The chimney was obviously clogged somehow because not long after the fire began roaring, the smoke began flowing . . . right inside our one room cabin.  What was cool and rustic a few minutes earlier was now far too small to handle the smoke.    

After the smoke was gone we finished watching A Few Good Men (okay, so the cabin wasn't that rustic) on television and got some sleep.  Part of a one room cabin means sleeping arrangements are, well, not perfect.  Mann and Damien were forced to share a full size bed, Brian slept on a twin mattress on the slate floor, and I took the twin bed - now with only a box springs.  

We were up between 5:00 and 5:30 and began making final adjustments to our nutrition plans and packing our gels, electrolyte replacement drinks/pills/etc.  We were out the door and headed to the lodge by 7:15.  After a few pre-race comments, and a picture of the four of us while we were all in good condition, Mountain Mist 50K 2009 was under way.  The weather was in the 30's with a strong wind to start.  It rained during the night so some of the course was sure to be muddy.  

The race follows a paved road for a short while until we take a left and into the woods for the duration of the race.  The 340 +/- people stayed really bunched up for much of the way toward aid station #1.  I was hoping not to even slow down at aid #1, but was worried that we would get held up as the volunteers checked us through the aid station.  Fortunately the volunteers did a great job and I was able to breeze through.  

Brian took off early in the race and I wouldn't see him again until the last section.  Mann and Damien were behind me somewhere but I was never sure where.  So, I ran the race alone, insofar as the four of us were concerned.  One of the great things about running an ultra is that you are never alone.  There are always others to share stories with and share in the pain together.  I had the pleasure of running with a gentlemen from Douglas County, Georgia for a while.  

The first half of the course is not terribly difficult; however, that changes for sure on the second half.  Don't get me wrong, there are still some tough parts on the first half, but nothing like the water line trail at mile 23 and the last trail out of the bottom at mile 28.  Because I had been warned that the second half was really tough I was doing my best to keep my heart rate down and run a smart race.  When you are going 31.1 miles with 7000+ feet of elevation change, running fast at mile 6 hardly makes sense.  

I  knew the water line and the water fall climb were tough.  Understatement.  The water line trail is rocky but not super technical, that is, until you get to the water fall.  At this point, you literally have to rock climb up a water fall until you rejoin the trail.  This wouldn't be so hard if it weren't at mile 23!  

This course is a really rocky course in sections.  Some of the water falls were frozen and were gorgeous to see along the course, but there was no ice to speak of on the course itself.  The rain made it slick and muddy in parts but frankly the course was in great shape. 

Once you make it out of the water line you are at about mile 24.5.  You get a very small reprieve until about mile 28 when it goes up, up, up.  The climb out of the bottom is long and steep.  The good news is that once you get out of the bottom you only have 1.8 miles left.  The bad news is it feels like you'll never get out.  

I was cramping pretty bad but, having done a few ultras, I knew the cramps would come and go.  My legs started cramping in the groin area around mile 20.  I knew my legs would improve if I could just keep moving forward.  Indeed it stopped, errr, moved.  The cramps went from there to my hamstrings, and to my quads, and calves.   I felt like my nutrition plan was solid - I was getting plenty of sodium thanks to S! Caps and GU gels and thought my carb intake was good.  The second half of the race I added in Cliff Shot Electrolyte Replacement drink, but still the leg  cramping.  I'm not sure what is causing the cramping unless it is simply leg fatigue.

Finally I hit the final aid station and the top of the climb.  I grabbed some salty pretzels and hit it, determined to run the final 1.8 miles.  This last section is smooth trail.  I felt pretty good at this point, having held some back early in the race.  I was able to pick it up a little.  Off in the distance I saw Brian with a distinct limp.  I figured he would run the race in 5:15 - 5:30 so I knew his I.T. band was giving him issues.  As I caught up to him he confirmed that the I.T. band started hurting around mile 10.  Very impressive to finish a tough 50K with a sore I.T. band.   We ran together a bit and I pulled ahead the last half mile and finished in 5:47.  

I was pleased with my time.  It was a PR for me at the 50K distance.  I wasn't in great shape and thought I would run 6:00 - 6:30, so 5:47 was a pleasant surprise.  Mann ran a great race and finished a little behind Brian and me.  Damien, running his first ever ultra event (Damien, try an easier run next time!), finshed well under the cut-off.   

All-in-all, we had a great day.  Running among the beauty God provided for us and with great friends is awesome, regardless of one's time.

Running and crashing . . .

I needed one more long trail run this past weekend in preparation for Mountain Mist 50K.  Brian and I agreed to again meet at 6:00 a.m. and ride to the trails together.  Indeed, we met at 6:00 and in the dark and rain, we ventured toward the trailhead.  

Unfortunately about a mile or two south of town a deer decided he did not particularly care for the west side of Highway 25 and would much prefer the east side.  I have no problem with that decision; however, admittedly I wish he had decided to cross at pretty much any other time than the time he did.  Instead he crossed at the exact moment that my truck was traveling south at about 65 - 70 mph.  Brian and I both saw the deer a fraction of a second before impact.  Nothing we could do, other than hold on.  Fortunately I didn't swerve or slam on my brakes.  I tapped the brakes slightly and collided with the deer on the front left corner of my truck, which wouldn't have been so bad; however, it spun the deer around and into the driver's door.  Now the driver's door will not close all the way and will need to be replaced entirely.  Excellent.

What is even better is that Jamie recently hit a tree at our church in her car.  So now, I get to visit with the local body shop and try to cut some type of two-for-one deal.  Perfect.  

On a positive note, Brian and I decided there was really nothing we could do at 6:15 a.m. on the side of the road in the rain, so we went ahead and got our run in.  Did a nice 21-22 miles.  It was incredibly humid and took a lot out of us.  The temperature was 60-65 most of the run.  I felt pretty good most of the run although I am still fighting some cramping issues in my lower quads.  I suspect it was the humidity and being a little low on sodium.   I had much rather it be 25 degrees with lower humidity than 60 with high humidity.   

Now to the body shop . . .

Unreal

Just wow . . . 

This is outstanding.  Some people consider running 30, 40, 50, 100, 100+ miles as extreme??  Not even close.  Check these guys out.

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

That's the way to ring in a New Year!

By and large New Year's celebrations are grossly overrated.  I mean, let's be honest, we basically pick a date to close businesses so everyone can head to the bar, pub, tavern, watering hold, etc. to get hammered and play with things that blow up aka fireworks.  Now that's smart.

I am much more of a relax with friends and family (but still play with the things that blow up!) kind of guy for New Year's.  Jamie, the boys, and I did just that Wednesday night.  The boys rode 4-wheelers and we all sat by the bonfire and hung out.  Perfect way to spend New Year's Eve - good friends and family.

Then on New Year's Day a few of my friends (Mann, Damien, and Brian) and I hit the trails at Choctaw Lake for a long run.  We meet at the trailhead around 6:30 a.m. and got started close to 7:00.  Mann and Damien planned to run 20ish and Brian and I hoped to get in 25 or so.  We had a great run.  The weather was perfect, awe inspiring.  It was 25-29 degrees when we started with a slight breeze but warmed up into the 40's by the time we finished.  

We left Choctaw Lake and hit the Beaver Lodge Trail over to the North Trail by way of Lost Cemetery Road.  We followed the North Trail and ultimately took Charlotte's Web to the cemetery.  After a brief re-fueling we began the trek back taking the Sheepranch Trail to Rockcrusher Road and back to Lost Cemetery Road.  Lost Cemetery Road was wet.  At this point we are at about mile 18-19 and I have thus far remained dry, including my feet.  Unfortunately that streak came to end as both of my feet sank into the cold, muddy holes on the trail.

We made it back to the lake for what was 21-22 miles.  Brian and I couldn't stop long or that would be the end of our day.  So we said our goodbyes and took off around the lake toward the trails on the other side.  We ultimately ran what was basically Mann's 10K course in the Choctaw Lake race, so we added around 5.5 - 6 miles giving us 27-28 miles for the day.

I have posted about these trails before, but they really are fantastic.  Charlotte Fuquay does an excellent job keeping these trails in great shape.  We got lots of good ups and downs.  All four of us are running Mountain Mist in a few weeks so we need the trail time.  I am not in great shape but hopefully this training run gave me the "oomph" to get through the race, even if slower than I would like.

Now, this is the way to ring in  New Year!