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The Year That Was

The Year That Was

My 2019 was a year of contradictions, marked in equal measure by thrilling successes and crushing failures. I raced my longest-distance race to date at the Forget the PR 50K and I got a new full marathon PR one month later at The Flying Pig … but I also experienced the longest furlough in my running career after breaking my ankle.

A spring filled with mindful training and successful racing was…

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Back from the Break

Back from the Break

(or, How I Spent My Summer Vacation)

From the week of Memorial Day through the week of Independence Day, my life was defined by an accident. A single misplaced step left me with a broken ankle and a serious case of summertime blues. I had to spend nearly two weeks on crutches and almost seven weeks in an air cast, which transformed my much-anticipated return to the Pacific Northwestfrom an…

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I’m now three weeks removed from the misstep that left me with a broken ankle, which means that I’m (hopefully) halfway through my tenure as a member of the aircast boot brigade.

I’ve had good days and bad days since I started walking without crutches, but my overall condition has remained largely the same: simple activities like taking a shower or walking to meetings at work are a chore, getting a full night’s sleep is a challenge and muscle loss continues to be unavoidable.

Since it’s still too early for me to begin any physical therapy work to start building back strength in my left leg, I’ve had to restrict my workouts to core and upper body exercises. This has definitely led me to a newfound appreciation for the amount of strength training content that comes with my Peloton subscription. I had just been ignoring this part of the service prior to my injury. I actually sprung for a set of Peloton’s bootcamp weights and resistance bands a few days ago and I was pleasantly surprised by their quality. I feared they might be similar in quality to Peloton’s heart rate monitor or headphone options, which aren’t great.

Life has otherwise progressed as normal. Rebekah and I braved thunderstorms and tornado watches on Saturday to catch Vampire Weekend in concert at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion at Riverbend. Vampire Weekend was one of the first emerging indie acts that I covered for the now-defunct PAUSE Culture Magazine. After writing about the impending release of their first album, I caught them in concert in the garage performance space at Cincinnati’s also-now-defunct Gypsy Hut (currently the Northside Yacht Club) in 2008. That crowd was full of hipsters quipping about how much the band borrowed from Paul Simon’s Graceland, which sounded as baseless to me then as it does now.

A lot has changed since that small 2008 club gig, obviously, and the band that emerged on stage this weekend was nearly twice the size of the original Vampire Weekend quartet (obviously missing founding member and all-around utility player Rostam Batmanglij). If this band wasn’t wearing the Grateful Dead influence on its sleeves before, the two percussionists, extended instrumental jams and late-in-the-set covers (“Son of a Preacher Man” and Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over”) certainly drove the fact home.

There’s been plenty of commentary over the fact that “Harmony Hall” reuses Ezra Koenig’s lyrics from “Finger Back:” “I don’t want to live like this, but I don’t want to die.” I think those lyrics have to be a nod – or maybe even a response – to Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia’s “Run for the Roses,” with its refrain of “You don’t want to live but you’re chicken to die.” “Harmony Hall” even references “Run for the Roses” in its stuttering guitar solo that begins at the 3:40 mark. Again, Graceland is hardly the driving influence for this band.

Vampire Weekend in concert at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion on June 15, 2019. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

Vampire Weekend in concert at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion on June 15, 2019. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

Vampire Weekend in concert at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion on June 15, 2019. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

I’ve seen Vampire Weekend in concert more recently than 2008, but not since they graduated to headliner status. They played a dense two-hour set in Cincinnati, performing hits and deep cuts alike (who expected “Jonathan Low”?) and even took audience requests (“Ottoman”!). The sound in PNC Pavilion didn’t do justice to every song, and a few numbers from Father of the Bride were mixed particularly poorly. It was a hell of a show, though, and when giant beachballs fashioned after Father of the Bride‘s planet Earth album artwork were launched into the crowd for set-closer “Walcott,” I actually forget about my broken ankle for a few minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Here’s the full setlist:

1. Sympathy⁣ 2. Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa⁣ 3. White Sky⁣ 4. Unbelievers⁣ 5. Bambina⁣ 6. Holiday⁣ 7. This Life⁣ 8. Sunflower⁣ 9. Don’t Lie (tour debut)⁣ 10. My Mistake⁣ 11. Stranger ⁣ 12. Horchata—->⁣ 13. New Dorp⁣ New York 14. Jonathan Low⁣ 15. Big Blue⁣ 16. Hold You Now (tour debut)⁣ 17. Harmony Hall⁣ 18. Diane Young⁣ 19. Cousins⁣ 20. A-Punk⁣ 21. Oxford Comma⁣ 22. Hannah Hunt⁣ 23. Flower Moon⁣ 24. Obvious Bicycle/Son of Preacher Man⁣ ⁣ Encore:⁣ 25. How Long?⁣ 26. Don’t Dream It’s Over (Crowded House cover)⁣ 27. Ottoman (request)⁣ 28. Walcott

Waddling Along to Vampire Weekend I'm now three weeks removed from the misstep that left me with a broken ankle, which means that I'm (hopefully) halfway through my tenure as a member of the aircast boot brigade.

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I’m now two full weeks removed from the fateful stumble that left me with a closed avulsion fracture of the lateral malleolus of my left fibula. I was finally able to ditch my crutches three days ago, which has certainly made life a bit more manageable.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that I’ve already seen a noticeable amount of muscle wasting in my left calf thanks to the 12 days spent on crutches. I started experiencing discomfort in my lower leg seven or eight days into my recovery (bad enough that it would wake me up in the middle of the night), but it took me a few more days to realize that this discomfort was being caused by muscle atrophy. I’ve never broken anything more significant than a toe, so I simply didn’t realize that I would start to lose muscle mass so rapidly. My fracture occurred late in the evening on May 25th. Here’s how my calves compare as of June 9, 2019:

The state of my muscle loss on June 9. 2019.

The state of my muscle loss on June 9. 2019.

I was having a hard enough time coming to terms with my inability to run, cycle or spin for the next month. Knowing that my injured leg is basically eating itself while I continue to convalesce is only adding to my frustration and despair!

I’m expected to be in an air cast for at least four more weeks. While I should be able to hobble around without crutches from this point onwards (fingers crossed), I have no idea how much muscle I’ll continue to lose while stuck in this boot. It’s tempting to ignore my doctor’s orders and start trying to incorporate weight bearing back onto my injured leg now, but I realize that increases my chances of other complications and would likely just prolong my recovery.

Since a broken ankle makes my regular workout regiment impossible, I’ve started taking one or two of Peloton’s strength classes each day to keep the rest of my body from wasting away. I’m relegated to upper-body exercises at this point, which isn’t going to do much for my marathon or 50K finishing times, but it’s keeping me from feeling like a total blob while I give my body time to heal.

Well, there were a few unplanned “days off” at this point.

I never would have guessed that this is the route my life would take roughly halfway through 2019, and my fitness goals seem more unattainable than ever before, but I’m going to do my best to recover from this set back as quickly as possible and continue my pursuit on one of the World Marathon Majors. Everybody loves a comeback story, right?

The Road To Recovery: Aches and Atrophy: I'm now two full weeks removed from the fateful stumble that left me with a closed avulsion fracture of the lateral malleolus of my left fibula…

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Forty and Fractured

So … funny story: 48 hours after turning 40, I joined some friends for an evening run only to have one split-second decision impact the next few weeks of my life. I took an unplanned step off of the sidewalk, rolled my left foot and subsequently broke my ankle.

Just like that, my summer race plans were ruined and my upcoming trip to Mount Rainier and Mount Hood was put into jeopardy.

The little…

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Last May, my wife and I spent a few days camping at Mammoth Cave National Park before heading to Nashville to catch Fleet Foxes in concert at the Ryman. During one of our caving tours, a park ranger told us about another (somewhat) nearby cave in Tennessee that served as a music venue. One year later and we finally had a chance to check out that unlikely concert space – formally known as The Caverns – for a taping of the PBS program Bluegrass Underground featuring one of my absolute favorites: Gregory Alan Isakov.

A trail marker for the Mountain Goat Trail outside of the Amish Hippie. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

The Caverns venue is nestled in the valley of Pelham, which is located northwest of Chattanooga. We stayed in the nearby town of Monteagle and were delighted to discover a “rails to trails” recreational path located mere feet from our motel. Known as the Mountain Goat Trail, the path runs alongside country roads and winds through forests en route to the neighboring town of Sewanee. As a very frequent visitor to Tennessee, I wasn’t expecting to find such a pedestrian friendly feature adjacent to our motel, nor was I expecting to find vegetarian-friendly eateries along the path! On our five-mile-long morning run along the trail, we discovered Mooney’s Market and Emporium, which carries fresh produce, locally-sourced kombucha and other sundries. We picked up some kefir and kvass from Short Mountain Cultures and then grabbed lunch at the Crescent Cafe Juice Bar, a small camper situated just behind Mooney’s that serves up vegan wraps and a great cup of coffee, amongst other things. God knows how many times I’ve had to live off of nothing but slices of cheese pizza and Sub-Way “Veggie Delite” subs when traveling through the south, so Mooney’s and Crescent Cafe were a real treat!

Operating with the tagline “A little bit Bluegrass, a little bit Underground,” Bluegrass Underground is a televised showcase of bluegrass, jam band, roots, folk and Americana concerts. The PBS program has featured acts like Andrew Bird, Jason Isbell, and Old Crow Medicine for nearly a decade, so Isakov was a perfect fit for the show’s upcoming ninth season. The May 19th taping (which will apparently air in fall of 2019) included sets by Gregory Alan Isakov along with country rock institution The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a more mainstream country outfit called Brothers Osborne. That last act didn’t sound very “bluegrass” or very “underground” to me, but it seems like most of the crowd was actually there for Brothers Osborne.

We arrived early to give ourselves time to explore the venue before the first taping began, but we were surprised to find there was already a sizable crowd tailgating in The Caverns’ parking lot. Next time, we’ll know to bring camp chairs and a cooler! After picking up our will call tickets at The Caverns’ barn HQ, we walked a short distance to the mouth of the cave, which felt very much like descending into Mammoth Cave’s Historical Entrance (complete with temperature drop). I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the cave truly was a fully functioning concert venue with concessions, modern bathrooms, merchandise tables and other amenities that you don’t normally associate with … y’know … a cave. It was all a bit surreal.

We found our seats and soon enough a production manager was on stage to explain how the taping would proceed. Videographers spent several minutes shooting audience “reaction shots” as we clapped and laughed on command. Once that footage was in the can, the performances began. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was up first with a great set of originals and covers, including Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonkin” and a fine take on Bob Dylans’ “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”

Up next was Gregory Alan Isakov, a Colorado-based singer-songwriter who I’ve admired for sometime but never before seen live. Isakov has been making great records for a long time, but his 2016 live concert LP with the Colorado Symphony is a real standout. Isakov’s music helped soundtrack my last two summers in Colorado, including my time at Great Sand Dunes National Park, so it was only fitting that his recent music video for the song “San Luis” centered on that stunning park.

Isakov and his five-piece band played an impeccable set for Bluegrass Underground and the natural acoustics of the Caverns only enhanced the cinematic sound of songs like “Big Black Car,” “Chemicals” and – appropriately enough – “Caves.” Due to some sort of technical difficulty on the part of the PBS production team, we were treated to two complete renditions of “Time Will Tell,” with the entire band gathered around a single microphone for an absolute highlight of the set.

Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Of course, the to-be-broadcast format of this concert meant that Isakov had to stick to TV-friendly lyrics, meaning the great “Saint Valentine” was unfortunately left off of the set list. Here’s a spry rendition from 2014’s Pickathon Music Festival, which was actually my introduction to Isakov:

The morning after the concert, my wife and I made our way from southern Tennessee to eastern Kentucky to spend a few days camping at Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest. While I’ve been making sporadic trips to RRG and Natural Bridge State Resort Park for nearly 20 years, this was only my wife’s second visit to the area. After setting up our tent at the Whittleton Campground, we made the most of our two and a half days in the park: hiking portions of the Sheltowee Trace Trail, exploring the trails around Natural Bridge and making frequent stops to the newly-renovated Miguel’s Pizza.

We got back home just in time for me to celebrate my 40th birthday. Without a doubt, it was the perfect way to cap off my 30’s and set the tune for all of the adventures to come this summer.

Gregory Alan Isakov Graces the Underground Last May, my wife and I spent a few days camping at Mammoth Cave National Park…

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Kristian Matsson, the Swedish folk singer-songwriter better known as The Tallest Man On Earth, has been an absolute favorite of mine since I first heard the title track from his sophomore album The Wild Hunt nearly a decade ago. It wasn’t until 2016’s Nelsonville Music Festival that I finally got a chance to see The Tallest Man on Earth in concert, though. That summer, Matsson was touring with a full band in support of Dark Bird Is Home and he played a tremendous set at Nelsonville.

After having to endure such a long wait to see him perform live for the first time, I was thrilled to hear that The Tallest Man On Earth was returning to the Midwest this May and I jumped at the chance to catch his show at the Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky, on May 8th.

The Tallest Man On Earth live with full band at the 2016 Nelsonville Music Festival. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

Unlike the full band performance at Nelsonville, The Tallest Man On Earth is a one-man act for his current tour. I’m sure this reflects the sparser nature of the arrangements on his latest album, I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream. This new album didn’t leave much of an impression on me after my initial listen (perhaps because it hasn’t been released on vinyl yet and I’m less likely to really concentrate on an album I’m listening to on a computer), but my opinion was completely changed after seeing and hearing these songs performed live last night. Songs like “My Dear,” “What I’ve Been Kicking Around,” I’m A Stranger Now” and “The Running Styles of New York” are all brilliant additions to the Tallest Man on Earth songbook. I’ve spent the days following the concert listening to I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream on a near-constant loop.

As a performer, Matsson has enough energy and charisma to fill a stage by himself. He spent the duration of this concert rotating between electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo and keyboards. This did mean that his set list leaned heavily on songs from the new album and The Wild Hunt, since it’s hard to do justice to many of the tracks from Dark Bird is Home without a band (“Little Nowhere Towns” sounded great, though, even without the backing vocals from the studio and 2016 touring versions). He also threw in an unexpected cover of “I Say a Little Prayer,” the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song popularized by both Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin.

The Tallest Man On Earth in concert at Madison Theater on May 8, 2019. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

The Tallest Man On Earth in concert at Madison Theater on May 8, 2019. Photo by Curt Whitacre.

I’m not sure where the new live video for the I Love You. It’s A Fever Dream. standout-track “I’m A Stranger Now” was shot on Matsson’s current tour, but his stage setup was identical at the Madison Theater on May 8th.

I’ll be heading to Chicago in October to see Joanna Newsom‘s “Strings/Keys Incident” solo residency at Thalia Hall. The Tallest Man On Earth has set a high bar for this kind of solo performance. Like Matsson, I first saw Newsom perform live backed by a full band at the 2010 MusicNOW Festival. I can’t wait to see how these two solo performances will stack up.

As for Matsson, I’ll keep catching The Tallest Man On Earth in concert any chance that I can get, without or with a full band. You should do the same. Here’s a bonus video to help convince you, featuring The Tallest Man On Earth performing with the great chamber sextet yMusic:

Besting the Revelation Blues With The Tallest Man On Earth Kristian Matsson, the Swedish folk singer-songwriter better known as The Tallest Man On Earth, has been an absolute favorite of mine since I first heard the title track from his sophomore album…

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Race Report: The Flying Pig Marathon

Race Report: The Flying Pig Marathon

And then there was the Pig. 29 days after running my first 50k, I ran my eighth full road marathon. I seemed to recover fairly quickly from the Forget the PR Mohican 50k, so it didn’t seem entirely crazy to put all of this season’s speed work to the test at the Flying Pig Marathonroughly one month later. There were complications from the very start of this year’s Flying Pig, though, so it quickly…

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Four Months In And #NoDaysOff

Four Months In And #NoDaysOff

I blinked and April was over. In what seemed like no time at all, my first 50k was in the record books and I had already returned to training with the BERunProject team. Since the turn of the year, I’ve run 626 miles, pedaled 676 miles with Peloton and spent about 14 hours in semi-private personal training sessions at Beyond Exercise. That’s a combined 135 hours worth of training over the last 18…

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Race Report: Forget the PR Mohican 50k

Race Report: the Forget the PR Mohican 50k

After training for 18 weeks, 539 miles and 22,675 feet of vertical gain, I finally completed my first ultra distance on Saturday, April 6, 2019. The weather was just about perfect for the Forget the PR Mohican 50k, which is held in northern Ohio’s expansive Mohican State Parkeach spring. While not everything went according to plan during the race, I still had an awesome time in a surprisingly…

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Bon Iver‘s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spring 2019 tour passed through Cincinnati on March 31st and the show provided the perfect opportunity to bid bon voyage to a hard winter. Despite occupying space in my record collection for over a decade, this was the first time that I’ve actually seen Justin Vernon and company in concert.

Well … that’s not entirely true. I’ve watched and rewatched the band’s 2012 Austin City Limits performance countless times. Following the 2011 release of Bon Iver’s self-titled second LP, the ACL appearance seemed to catch the touring band at the height of their powers. It’s a great set and remains one of my favorite ACL performances.

The version of Bon Iver that we just got at the Taft Theatre is a leaner, louder ensemble: a quintet featuring two percussionists and a heavier reliance on synthesizers, which is more-or-less in line with the glitchy aesthetics of 22, A Million. Even in this trimmed-down formation, Bon Iver’s sound remained large.

Bon Iver in concert at Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre, March 31, 2019. Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Bon Iver in concert at Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre, March 31, 2019. Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Bon Iver in concert at Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre, March 31, 2019. Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Bon Iver in concert at Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre, March 31, 2019. Photography by Curt Whitacre.

Billed as “An Evening with Bon Iver,” the concert had no opening act and was divided into two distinct sets (not unlike a typical Grateful Dead performance, a band referenced at least once by Vernon during the evening). A digitally-manipulated voice helpfully announced the beginning of each set over the Taft Theatre’s PA.

I’m sure the lack of opener was due in large part to Bon Iver’s elaborate stage setup, which saw each member of the band framed by tiered columns of lights. The production values were as high as anything else I’ve seen at the Taft, and that includes a staggering performance by Sigur Rós that I attended back in 2006.

Of course, the end of March also means that I’m now three full months into 2019 and still committed to #nodaysoff … although I’ve been faithful to my taper now that my race is less than one week away. I’ve decreased my mileage and the intensity of my cross training and strength training, all while putting more of an emphasis on recovery and general race preparation. Ready or not, the Forget the PR Mohican 50k will be here on April 6. All the more reason to enjoy a night out before I tackle my first ultra!

Spring Beckons With Bon Iver Bon Iver's blink-and-you'll-miss-it spring 2019 tour passed through Cincinnati on March 31st and the show provided the perfect opportunity to bid…

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The Road To 50k: Taper Time

The Road To 50k: Taper Time

We are now less than two weeks out from race day and my highest-mileage weeks of this training season are officially behind me. I topped out at 50.1 miles for the week of March 18-24, which included Saturday’s 21-miler. My calves were a little on the stiff and sore side after last Tuesday’s speed workout, so I intentionally tried to take things easier for the remainder of the week. I still…

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The Road To 50k: Signs Of Life

It's the spring equinox and my first 50K is 18 days away. Here's how things are going so far:

The Spring Equinoxis here and the Midwest is finally starting to show signs of life again. The days are getting noticeably longer and hints of green are starting to emerge from beneath the ever-present muck of this year’s cold, wet winter. While it’s too early to pack up my running tights for the season, I’m happy to report that I haven’t needed to wear my headlamp on my after-work runs for…

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Two Months In And #NoDaysOff

Two Months In And #NoDaysOff

And just like that … February is behind us and another month of training is in the books. Despite the constant rain and the frequent cold, I’ve managed to consistently increase my weekly run mileage while maintaining my cross training schedule. That’s easier said that done with Cincinnati’s unpredictable winter weather, but I’m now two full months into 2019 and I’m still enjoying #nodaysoff.

My…

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The Road to 50k: Back To Bockfest

The Road to 50k: Back To Bockfest

This weekend marked the return of Cincinnati’s Bockfest, an annual series of events that celebrate the coming of Lent and – eventually – spring. It’s Zinzinnati’sGerman Catholic heritage at its finest and the festivities begin with a delightfully absurd parade on Friday evening that’s filled with monks on Segways, sausage queens and Krampus carts, goats and goatmen, and casks of blessed bock…

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Sharon And Chi-Town

My wife and I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago to catch the incomparable Sharon Van Etten in concert at Thalia Hall. I first encountered Van Etten’s music about a decade ago during the release cycle for her second studio album, Epic. I was working as a music journalist at the time and that LP’s hypnotic standout track “One Day” had become one of my favorite songs of the year.

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The Road To 50k: You Spin Me Right Round, Peloton

The Road To 50k: You Spin Me Right Round, Peloton

As an amateur endurance athlete who has to strategically squeeze workouts into an excessively busy work schedule, I have always struggled to make time for consistent cross training. It’s hard enough to fit runs and strength training into each week. Finding that extra time to bike or swim or row or whatever frequently feels impossible, especially during the winter months.

Who wants to cycle in the…