It's Almost Hell Time!

We are just a few days away from the Hell Hath No Hurry 50k and I am feeling dem ole taper blues. I am also excited! Excited for the race and some quality time in the woods with friends! Excited for the Marathon Maniacs qualification! Excited for the next training cycle and getting back to big miles! So the dichotomy is alive and well. All at once I am happy and a bit sad, or should I say endorphin deprived?

The course is 10k loops. While this may bore some I am happy that I can set up my own personal aid station/drop bag along the course. A cooler with icy beverages, a chair, extra shoes, and a mini first aid kit are priorities on the list.

This will be my second ultra distance event. My A-goal is to finish under 6:45. The B-goal is under 7:30, and the C-goal is simply to finish. 

All the Run Foods!

Over the past few weeks I have been trying different nutrition products. Most recently I have been using Tailwind for long runs. I also used it at the God's Country Marathon.  True to their advertising, I found I could use solely Tailwind and come out of a long run in pretty good shape.  That said, at God's Country I think I mixed it too strong leading to excessive water retention. We live , we learn.  I plan to have pre-measured bags of Tailwind to add to my bottles for HHNH.

One of my favorite distance tasties has been Hammer Perpetuem Solids. They are not as sickeningly sweet as gels and have a good flavor.  Recently a friend of mine was moving and cleaning out her apartment. I was fortunate enough to be bequeathed a bag full of Hammer goodies. Recoverite, Perpetuem Solids, Perpetuem Powder, and Gels.  I likely will try a Perpetuem Powder on Saturday's race with Recoverite afterwards.

Thanks Coach Cupcake!

Training

Since God's Country Marathon was only 3 weeks before HHNH I took care in planning my training/taper out.  God's Country was the longest training run for the 50k. The following weekend I ran back to back 13 milers; one on road and one on trail. Overall the mileage was kept low and reducing week to week.  At the time of writing this the orange fields are actual mileage and white is what is to come. 

Taper madness has got me, but not for much longer! Packet pickup Friday and then a day full of nature and camaraderie! Vive la run!!

41st Annual God's Country Marathon Race Report

Marathon Maniacs Qualifier #2: God's Country Marathon complete. Official finishing time 4:45:23

This was a tough race, but I knew that it would be heading in. The first 18 miles are uphill. The last 3 of those uphill miles, the locally infamous Denton Hill, are very uphill! 

I arrived at the Coudersport Courthouse Square at around quarter to 5 AM. It was still dark out. A few runners had arrived and were stretching or just milling around.  At 5:30 we boarded 2 school buses which would take us about 20 miles East to the town of Galeton, our starting point. During that ride we traversed the majority of the race course in reverse. As we came up to Denton Hill and began the 14 mile descent to Galeton I sat at the edge of my seat taking it all in. As we kept dropping mile after mile my stomach dropped too. In the next few hours I would be running up this monster. 

We arrived at Galeton High School around 6 AM. I grabbed my packet and started getting ready, which included pinning my race bib on and using the bathroom a couple of times and walking around to loosen up.  I met Ron Brown, of the Steel City Road Runners.  I had seen him running the Pittsburgh Marathon. At that race he had donned his full fire fighter gear. Helmet, jacket, pants, SCBA tank. What an inspiring guy! We chatted for a bit and ran the first mile or so together. I also ran into the pacer I had run with at Pittsburgh. At least I had run part of the race with him.  He and his wife were running and she was doing so with 3 broken ribs and a broken wrist from a recent accident.

There is never a lack of inspiration and dedication within the running community and that ,as much as the running, is what draws me in.

 The temps were a bit lower than anticipated (low 50's) with cloudy skies making for perfect running weather aside from the headwind in some spots, which seemed considerable to me. 

A few things that made this race difficult for me were GI issues the whole race (I only needed the port o john at mile 15 thankfully) and waking up the night before the race to my right calf charlie horsing. It was still hurting race by morning.

The first 4 miles of the course were all within Galeton town limits. There was great crowd support  and I found the town to be enjoyable to run through. Leaving town we hit the open road of scenic Route 6 to and through the Susquehannock State Forest. I love running along open, hilly country roads. The surrounding mountains, some wreathed in morning fog, created a backdrop that is etched in my mind.

For me, the first 15 miles leading up to Denton Hill were worst than the big climb itself. Big hills..I am used to those to a degree, but a gradual and constant uphill grade is not something I train on often. The first 15 miles had 430 feet of gain which averages to a little under 30 feet per mile. Denton Hill averages 189 feet of gain per mile for 3 miles, which is more in line with the hills I have trained on and I found that part of the climb the easiest in some ways.

Somewhere around miles 7-8 I briefly talked with girl as I was passing. Her name is Amie. She would catch up to me around mile 10-11 and give me the boost I needed. I was really starting to drag a bit after mile 10. The long climb was wearing on me and the mental was creeping. Once she had caught up with me we started talking and the miles started flying by. It is amazing how an occupied mind can influence performance so greatly. We ran together until the Mile 15 aid station, at which time I visited the Port O'John due to those GI issues I have mentioned earlier.

The break at the aid station gave me a moment to switch out bottles of Tailwind and the rest a moment. Those 5 minutes or so did me so much good. I started up Denton Hill feeling fresh and moving at a good pace.Smoky the Bear was at the top of the hill giving high fives and if there is one thing I have learned about distance running it is this: Never underestimate the power of a high five.


From this point on it was all downhill and flats! Cake, right?

The downhill and flat 8 were tougher on me than the hill climbs. I dread long downhills on the back end of a long race. That said this went off well. I caught back up to Amie around mile 18-20. We ran together for a little while before I needed to walk a bit. I wasn't looking for any specific time so I walked often and just enjoyed it..and when I couldn't enjoy it I just plowed on towards the finish.

As I rounded the last turn onto the final stretch I fell into form and ran to the finish. I could hear Tara cheering from 0.1 miles away! After crossing the finish I gave sweaty hugs to Tara and received my medal. Another one down! That is Marathon 4 (5 if we count 50ks).

About 3 hours after I finished the race I was feeling good. Tired, but good. There will be no walking backwards down stairs for this guy!

The event was well run, friendly, and challenging. Everything the reviews have made it out to be was true. Tara told me that as runners approach the finish line the announcers said there names and a little about them. I heard none of it, but apparently I got a good talk up with name drops for the Epilepsy Foundation.

In 3 weeks training culminates with the Hell Hath No Hurry 50k. From here out it is taper and more trail miles. Marathon Maniacs save me a number! I'm coming

Next up! God's Country

The Pittsburgh Marathon is now about 3 weeks behind me and the God's Country Marathon less than  2 weeks ahead.  After Pittsburgh I took some extra rest Monday and Tuesday and got back to running on Wednesday. On Saturday and Sunday I ran 11 miles of road and 9 of trail.

 Mission accomplished! I set out to run Pittsburgh at an effort easy enough so that I could quickly resume training. While I did run it harder than I planned (and had a course PR by over 30 seconds) it wasn't an all out effort. Continuing the reverse taper brings me into two higher mileage weeks and then a cutback before God's Country.

God's Country Elevation Profile

My focus is moving more to trail running now as I prepare for the Hell Hath No Hurry 50k. And what a beautiful time for it!! Week by week I see the forest come more and more alive and it makes me feel more alive.

 I challenge you all to this one thing: Get a friend or two and go out to a trail an hour or more before sunrise. Early enough so it is still pitch dark (don't forget your headlight and extra batteries). It is quite the sensation running through the forest at night! I often go alone for long runs out of necessity. I wouldn't recommend night running in the forest solo, but I do it anyway.  A night forest run tends to have an edge of anxiety for me. You see the eyes of deer, raccoons, and other furry critters reflecting back at you.  Every tight bend in the trail leaves you wondering what you might see as you come around it. There is a certain peace with it too. And then when the sun rises! Oh, when the sweet sun rises. Relief, warmth, and solitude. It is rare to find another soul out on the trails at these times and that is it's own reward. The beauty of nature all to yourself, even for just a few minutes. What a way to start the day! 

Here Comes the Sun! 

So back to the race at hand: God's Country. This should be a great training run and hill climb strength builder/assessment for the 50k.  The first 18 miles are uphill and the last 8 downhill. To prepare I have run a good bit of hilly roads and some big elevation trail running. Ultimately, this is just another training run and it will be the last large week before a 3 week taper leading to HHNH.

Memorial Day Weekend

As I write this it is Memorial Day and this weekend was a big one for running! After this I will do a mini taper for 2 weeks before God's Country.

Saturday I was fortunate enough to get a long trail run in on the HHNH course with John, Alyssa, and Sanchez. It was Sanchez first trail run and he ran like he had been in the woods his whole life.

Our first loop around the course there were some missed turns and some backtracking. All in all we did well though. By the second loop we had the course down pat. After 13.5 miles my trail friends departed and I hung around for an extra 10k of fun.  I picked up my pacing just a hair and strided a few of the flatter sections out. The extra pace and movement awoke something inside me...something primal. Like a bear I went off trail and lightened my load.  Strong like bear! Rawr! This run brought me to over 700 miles for the year and this monster had a gain of just under 2800 feet.

It amazes me that somedays I can run 5 miles and feel wrecked...entirely wrecked. Then there are days,like Saturday, where 20 miles and all of that gain did nothing to me. I felt great! Loose, relaxed,hungry as all hell, but not sore.

Pic stolen from Alyssa

Sunday was supposed to be 12-16 flat city miles. I say :supposed to" for a reason. I got bored running the same route I ran last week and the wanderlust took over. After 3 miles in the Southside I crossed the Smithfield Bridge and headed up the Liberty Bridge. On the other side is the PJ McArdle Roadway. PJ is one of,if not, the longest steady climb in the city area and I have neglected it for far too long. No More!

After the climb you are treated to some of the best views of the city from the aptly named Grandview Avenue. I didn't have my camera with me, so if you are curious you will just have to join me for a run there sometime ;-)

I dropped down towards the city on East Sycamore, a windy steep road. Near the bottom I saw a park I hadn't known about. Emerald View is a part of Grandview park. I couldn't resist, could I?
Road and trail make for a fine mix indeed! After thoroughly enjoying a few miles of park and the sporadic city views through the trees I found myself going up Arlington Ave. At the intersection of Warrington Ave a bell rang in my head and I thought it best not to continue on in this direction towards Allentown, Carrick, and Mt. Oliver. I made my way back to the Southside and rounded out a few more miles.

This made for my highest mileage weekend ever at 33.1 miles and my highest elevation gain week at 4521'.  I am thoroughly satiated and looking forward to a rest day and tons of food. Really...piles of food..like a serving platter used as a plate food. All the miles+all the hills= all the foods .

I hope you all are enjoying this holiday weekend. The food, friends, and family are great, but keep in mind the many brave men and women who gave all to defend us and protect us. Really that is what this day is all about.