fftorched-blog - Tumblr blog

[fftorched-blog]

Putting Mileage into Context

I like running ultra races over conventional distance races because I am a slow runner. It is not until I get out to those further miles that I find my flow and become a mid-pack runner. So because I run these longer distance races, typically my training runs are longer than most peoples. So when someone asks, “How far did you run?”, my answer can come off as flippant when I respond just 10-miles.

I am not trying to devalue anyone who just runs a 5k in distance because the context is I train to run up to 50-miles a week. This is not an attempt to humble brag, but to explain the context. If you are training to run a half-marathon or a 10k, most likely you are running twice the speed I am. Your run is quite possibly harder than I run as you build speed into it. I am a casual runner who picks a distance and runs at a pace that will guarantee that I will achieve it.

Also, there are plenty of runners in the ultra community who run further and faster than I ever hope to. So in the reality of it, I’m just a slow runner who likes to draw out my runs.

Get out there and have a good run!

[fftorched-blog]

Uwharrie Mountain Run: Redux

Last year Uwharrie defeated me. I had a terrible finish, so of course I wanted to go back and do it again. This time, I signed up for the series (three races hosted by Bull City Running) along with several of my friends. Uwharrie is the second race in the series.

 The Race

The Uwharrie Mountain Run takes place on the Uwharrie National Trail, a 20-mile point-to-point hiking trail that runs north to south in the Uwharrie National Forest. The race has three distances you can choose from: an 8-miler, a 20-miler or a 40-miler. I was doing the 40-miler.

Pre-Race

One of my favorite parts about this trip is getting to go camping with my friends Ben and Terry. On Friday afternoon we drove out to Uwharrie to find a place to camp. We found a nice spot at the West Morris Mountain Campground and set up as the last rays of sunlight died. Ben made burgers over the fire and we kicked back to recount stories while enjoying our beer. Then it was off to bed (later than I would have liked) because we had to be up at 4:30 am to tear down camp.

It was around 20-degrees outside when I awoke to my alarm. I quickly changed into my running gear, layered up and crawled out of the tent to make a quick breakfast of ramen noodles and instant coffee. As I poured water into my pot I watched it freeze into slush. I put it on my stove and started heating it. Once Ben and Terry were up, we started tearing down the camp and tossing it into the back of my truck. It was time to head to El Dorado Outpost to check in.

The First Half

The race starts on a steep climb that goes up to a ridgeline. By the first ¾ of a mile your legs are already screaming. The nice part is you hit the top of the ridge just in time to see the beautiful sunrise. Then you follow along the ridgeline and start descending down again.

Terry and I were pacing up together until we hit the steep technical descents, then I would slow. I had foolishly decided to change my inserts before the race and had yet to get my shoes dialed back in. So where I previously would be dancing down the steep, technical descents while chortling with glee I was instead cautiously picking my way down the hills. This I did not like.

Another change I was trying to make was to avoid the siren song of the aid stations. They typically are staffed by the best people lauding you with praise and offering all sorts of foods. Unintentionally, they become like the mermaids of lore beckoning the weak willed to disaster. My challenge was to keep hustling through the aid stations as fast as possible.

I did a great job of that through the first half with my longest stop being to refill my water bladder. I also found myself in a competition to beat my friend Terry. Terry is a strong runner who drops me with ease on most training runs, but for some reason I somehow best him on race day. The friendly competitiveness between us became a theme on the trip out to Uwharrie and during the race.

Finally after the first 20-miles we made it to the turnaround, and that is where everything changed…

The Second Half

Terry bested me out of the turnaround. The entire first half while I lead he was never far behind me, haunting me like a ghost. Ben, who was acting as our crew, was trying to go between the two of us at the turnaround. A nice volunteer stepped forward to get me soup and HEED (sports drink) as I struggled to change my socks, shoes, and shirt then re-lube for the return trip.

Terry was gone and, when I realized it, I think I yelled some profanity in front of children.

I took off catching glimpses of Terry’s Ultimate Direction race vest ahead but never closing the distance. During this time, I saw several runners I knew coming in. First was Scott, who was pacing himself through the 40-miler. Next were several runners from my running group, the Raleigh Trail Runners. I saw Pete, then Carla, Alana, Jeff and Kelly. We passed each other shouting quick greetings and encouragement.

Then I started to fall apart…

At the turn around I switched to a more minimalist shoe, the Columbia Conspiracy Razors. I went from poorly dialed but well padded shoes, to shoes that could feel the entire trail. This had its positives and negatives. On the positive side the smaller shoes improved my agility as exhaustion made my footwork sloppy, but on the negative side my feet hurt like hell.

I plodded along in a walk/run style until Scott finally caught up to me. The year before it was I who picked up Scott who was really struggling and ultimately dropped out of the race. This year Scott returned the favor and buoyed me through till the final 8-miles.

Coming into the 32-mile aid station I was struck with the immediate need to make a BM. After I hustled across the highway, I was met not only by Ben, but also by all the 20-miler runners who had come to cheer us on. I felt awkward as they greeted me and encouraged me to keep running but I dropped my pack, grabbed some baby wipes and darted for the port-a-john.

With my business concluded and a cup of soup downed, Ben and the others sent me off to complete the final 8-miles of the race. Through this section I internally recreated the scene from “The Empire Strikes Back” where Luke fights himself.  The punk song by Hear the Sirens “Reason to Run” began playing in my head. I was alone, evaluating what I was doing and why. I will not say that I discovered the meaning of life or answered my own question, but at least I have a few ideas that I can attempt to flesh out in later blog posts.

I finally finished the race in 9 hours, 27 minutes and 26 seconds. I did beat my previous time, but not as well as I would have liked. Currently I have no plans to return to this race because it is time to move on and find the next challenge.

Closing

All I want to say is that I recommend this race. It is one of the toughest races I have run, it will test you physically and mentally, but for all your suffering you will be rewarded with a well organized race and amazing volunteers. So get out there and run!

[fftorched-blog]

Snow Running

Down here in Raleigh, North Carolina we got our first snow. The amount of snow that Blizzard Jonas left us was nothing compared to the amount it left farther north. Either way, it was snow and a free long weekend for many in my area. It was a weekend I spent joyfully chasing down the miles.

The first two days of snow and ice I wore my YakTrax with my Salomon Sense Mantras. This was a winning combination as I had no issues with traction, including rock-hopping across a stream. The YakTrax were more than capable at handling the icy pavement that I traversed to get to the trails.

By the third day the melt had been fairly effective. Though I began running at first light, which meant that the sidewalks were sheets of ice and the snowpack was tough. My dogs did not care for it as they were not heavy enough to break through the crust and able to get traction. I trudged through with little trouble. On this day I decided to forgo the YakTrax and instead gave my new Columbia Conspiracy Razors a real test.

The run went well with the parts of the trail that had melted just being soggy. The shoes never failed to grip and I had a nice run. Overall I survived the snow running without falling once and it reinvigorated me. It left me wanting more.

My best experience with snow running was the first year I ran the Frozen Sasquatch 50k in Charleston, West Virginia. The course was great, and the volunteers endured below freezing temperatures to keep us fed and motivated. It was truly a great race.

So as I ran this past weekend I was brought back to the highs of that race and how much I enjoy the peaceful nature the forest takes on in the snow. Maybe it takes me back to the fun days of my childhood in the north, but either way the snow motivates me. Hopefully where my adventures take me next will have snow and mountains, because that’s what I enjoy (for now, until I have deal with it for months on end).

[fftorched-blog]

Augusta, GA: A Running Report

November 30, 2015

My wife (Silvia) and I recently returned from spending the Thanksgiving holiday with our friends who live just outside Augusta, Georgia. While the main focus of trip was catching up with old friends and learning how to fry a turkey (without burning down the house or becoming the Human Torch), I was able to fit in some trail running.

The first place I went was the Forks Area Trail System (FATS) just across the Savannah River in South Carolina. The trails make up about 37 miles of mountain bike trails in Sumter National Forest. The trails are well marked with signs providing direction and distances to other locations. Also the trails were easy to see and it is obvious that the local community takes a lot of pride in maintaining them. I got there early Friday morning for the start of my participation in REI’s #OptOutside initiative for Black Friday. I did an easy 6-miles without running into anyone else so I did not have to dodge any bikers coming up fast on me. I started early, but as I was leaving several mountain bikers began to arrive.

That afternoon as part of #OptOutside we loaded up with our friends and headed out go for a hike on the Modoc/Steven’s Creek Trail. Like the FATS trails this one also is a multi-use trail for both hiking and mountain biking that follows Steven’s Creak for 5.5-miles one-way. While mostly we just hiked, I did stretch out the legs on the way back in a race with one of our friends’ children. He learned a valuable lesson about pacing and traction as he found himself sliding off the trail and me vaulting over him to win the race.

On Saturday I desperately needed some miles to reach my weekly goal, so I decided to go for a bit of a longer run. This time decided to check out the Bartram Trail which runs along the southern shore of J. Strom Thurmond Lake. Again this is a multi-use trail for hiking and mountain biking. The trail is easy to follow with little elevation change. It offers a wonderful trail that one can easily cruise along while enjoying the views of the lake. Aside from the occasional fisherman who was anchored in a cove, I only saw one other runner on the trail.

The last place I checked out for a short run on Sunday was the Augusta Canal towpath. This is an old worn path that was originally used by draft animals while the canal was in operation. Now it is a popular path for runners, walkers and cyclists to get their morning exercise. The track is hard-packed grave with many potholes, but is absolutely flat. The draw of this would be the gorgeous views of the Savannah River and the trees covered in Spanish moss.

Overall I would rank Augusta as not a fun city. The downtown district was quite dilapidated; while there were some cool businesses that were trying to turn it around, it just was not enough. They lacked a decent foodie and Craft Beer scene, which is something that my wife and I both look for. A shout out to some of the better businesses we encountered: The Book Tavern (And independent bookstore), The Hive (Craft Beers and decent food) and FarmHaus (A craft burger joint).

COMING SOON: I’m building a website and will be moving my blog over to there. Huge thanks to Deanna Beech (She has an awesome children’s book out you should check out if you are in the market for them), who encouraged me to take the step and buy the web-domain. Also thank you to my wife Silvia who with Deanna has been working with me to craft my branding. Hopefully I can keep the content coming!

[fftorched-blog]

A wonderful morning of singletrack. #expandyourplayground #dirtbagrunners #run #trailrunning (at Bartram Trail: Petersburg Trailhead)

[fftorched-blog]

First part of my participation in @rei 's #optoutside. Everyone skip Black Friday and get outside! #dirtbagrunners #expandyourplayground (at Forks Area Trail System (FATS))

[fftorched-blog]

Trying Something New

November 18, 2015

I find most training plans to be too rigid for me. If life gets in the way, you start re-arranging everything in an attempt to keep your training plan. You begin dictating your life based on an arbitrary calendar of suggested distances to run.

So I have decided to try something new with my training regimen. Instead of following the typical training plan I have just sent distance goals for each week. Simply put currently I must run 40 miles a week. How I achieve that goal is up to me. Typically the threat is if I slack off too much then I’ll have a really long run at the end of the week.

What I like about this method is that it allows me adapt to what life throws at me. This morning I woke up with a really stiff back and no desire to run. So cooked myself up some eggs and relaxed this morning. Today I had planned to do two runs, but instead I will just do a slightly longer afternoon run.

The most unique part of all this is that Strava is keeping me honest. I have become weirdly obsessed with Strava data and earning their digital badges (Are we really that much further evolved from our primate cousins?). I will say I am not utilizing this data in any useful way though, except just to see if I am getting faster in my average pace.

Next month I move up to 50 miles a week. This unfortunately coincides the winter holiday travel and feasting. This will really put the challenge on time management and motivation as I head up North for the holidays.

In January I will peak at 60 miles per week. With my 40-miler in early February, I’m sure I’ll start cutting two weeks before. From there I plan to continue to maintain my 60 miles per week through the spring as I may run one last 50K in June.

So I will see in February if this method works, if it doesn’t I think I’ll be doing the Tough as Trails race series again.

[fftorched-blog]

#thistrain is exploring some urban singletrack. #expandyourplayground #dirtbagrunners (at Coker Arboretum)

[fftorched-blog]

#thistrain is exploring some urban singletrack. #expandyourplayground #dirtbagrunners (at Battle Park and Forest Theatre, UNC-Chapel Hill)

[fftorched-blog]

at William B. Umstead State Park

[fftorched-blog]

Running, My Respite from the World

16 November 2015

Like much of the world I watched the news in abject horror as the terrorist attacks on Paris unfolded. The senseless violence left a lot of internal conflict within me as my brain rain attempted to rationalize an irrational action.

I’m a self-professed news junkie and consume news media and political commentary throughout my day, so being exposed to staggering statistics of numbers killed every week due to terrorism is not something new to me. Something about the events in Paris was different and had a different effect on me. I think part of the reason was that suddenly I was inundated with angry rhetoric on social media and I began to experience fatigue and actually wanted to avoid the news.

Saturday I had a long run scheduled with my friend Terry. While the events in Paris obviously came up, we commonly debate current events and politics while running, it was a more rationed discussion on where does society go from here. The major thing though, was that while picking my way down the familiar trails I had a break from all the talking heads and all the rhetoric.

I got to enjoy the fall leaves and the heaviest thing weighing the fear of finding that root or rock hidden in the leaves that would wreck my ankle. I took the time to just enjoy the run.

When I got to Monday, I started my routine as normal. I turned on the local news and caught up with the world. By now anger and rage had become the mainstay of social media and you could easily feel it pulling you in.

I leashed up my dogs and went out for a run around my neighborhood. As I pounded out the slow miles on the local sidewalks I tuned out to the band The Subways. Even this neighborhood run, which I typically dread, had a mind-clearing and rejuvenating effect on me.

It’s times like these that I remember, that running is my respite. It’s always good to have that reminder that when the world wears you down or are stuck on a problem that the best prescription is to go for a run and clear your head. Running is the best medicine.

[fftorched-blog]

at William B. Umstead State Park

[fftorched-blog]

A beautiful Carolina day at @uncmjschool.

[fftorched-blog]

[fftorched-blog]

Happy #nationalstoutday everyone!

[fftorched-blog]

We train in the rain! #dirtbagrunners #expandyourplayground (at William B. Umstead State Park)

[fftorched-blog]

The pups cooling down after some morning singletrack. (at Holly Glen, Holly Springs, North Carolina)