In awe

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  • [626] C&O 100

    I had a good run. Here go, I would be having a few 100 mile races stacking close one after another.

    I wanted to say I am fine after the first 100 of this year, but as I am writing this, my back is killing me.

    Somehow, I have been ignoring my coach’s advice on foam rolling after each of my run, and now they come back to bite me.

    I have been resting. Force-rest through this whole week.

    As for the race, it went more than well. I ran my personal best time (PR’d).  Set a personal record.

    I finished 25:28.

    I did not intend to break my time of 26:17 from last year on a similar course. I set out to run a 28-30 hour race.

    There is no such thing as taking a race easy!

    I had a pace chart too but that went out the window early on.  My friend and started out 7 AM.  We took it “slow” at a 11-12 min pace but the rest seemed to took off at 8-9 mins pace and an hour later, we ended in the back of the pack, with only 25 runners behind us.  I think about 180 started.

    I was a bit worry that we would not able to keep up, but we were two hours ahead of pace!

    It was good to take the gain early and hold on to it.

    However, that was short lived.  Soon after 10 miles we switched to run and walk. Another 10 miles later, we switched to the dreaded dead walk.  We locked our knees and matched to mile 40.

    In the interim, rain fell the next couple hours.  My buddy, partner in crime, Lynne, didn’t bring her wet weather gear and was completely soaked. No shoe change and no extra socks.  So soon she had to bail on me.  I thought she would accompany me to the dead of night.

    She was struggling with possibly an IT band injury. Grudgingly, I told her to go home. I know it was not my decision to make. She was happy to step off the course and turned in her bib.

    By mile 40, we gave up all our earlier gains, but we were still perfectly on pace for a 28 hours finish (otherwise, we would be targeting at 26 hours or less).  Don’t be too greedy because night fall was about to arrive.

    Kind of PSA or runner wisdom here, I brought plenty of flashlights and headlamps for this run, but about three of them died.  The first one, after I put in some fresh batteries refused to turn on.  The contact points were corroded.  OK. Try the next one. The next one worked.  I didn’t carry fresh batteries on me, by 5 am, this also died and my cellphone as well. Luckily, daylight was only less than an hour away. I was saved.

    I planned to entertain Lynne and all other runners with my chest strapped neon lights, a $10 knock-off of NOXgear, and it was pretty. I put that on. I also had those blinking bike red led clip ons.  I snapped one on my pack.  It was 5:30 pm and it would get dark in a few hours. I was at mile 40.

    The night was quiet. The rain has stopped long ago but there were still puddles. I tried to avoid as many as possible.  

    It was my time to shine. Having walked the last five or six hours, I felt pretty fresh and so I began my chase.  Chasing who?  I had a few friends doing this race. One was probably 8-10 miles ahead.

    Midnight came.  The fast people already finished.  The first place came in 16:11, at 11:11 pm. We the slower folks would brave the sleepless night. 

    Temperature wise was decent around probably 60 degrees.  It was windy from time to time. I was sweating because I was putting in the effort to keep up. I was moving maybe 15 min pace, run-walk.

    I would like to have a bed to sleep in.  I learned a little close eyes would do wonder. I was too stubborn to stop. Time is money.  There was nothing much to do but press on.

    I got sleepy at one point and was moving / swerving from side to side. Soon that passed and morning came as I arrived to the last turn around point at Brunswick.  Emily, the co-race director was there. She and her staff sent me back out.  I took a coffee to go.

    Morning has dawned. My spirit was high.  I realized I passed all but one friend during the night. Only John H was left and he was two miles ahead and we had 6 miles left.  I said, there is no way I could catch him, but I had to try.

    We finished “together”, John was two minutes ahead and was still there at the finish when I came in. I did not beat John but it felt good I was not too far behind.

    Many other friends came. They either were supporting someone and waiting for them to come or just there for the fun. I could not keep track of who’s who. 

    We had good celebration. Caroline brought me a cake! They joked I must have found it at the side of the trail.

    Jana gave me a rock! One of her specialty is an eye for finding rocks in shape of a heart.  She said I have to carry it to the finish. Someone joked, to give “him” the 1 kg one.  Teeheehee, I probably would have refused.

    Anyway, the race is done.  This year we had one of the most finishers. 120 runners.  The last runner came in just as the clock about to turn 1 pm (30 hours).

    I am happy. Along with many others.  If only my back would stop hurting, I would say, this race is a resounding success for me.

    Thank you RD, and all friends and volunteers to allow us have a fun day on the canal.

  • [625] Roanoke Marathon

    I finished the Roanoke Blue Ridge Double Marathon. It was my third time at this event. It might seem so long ago when I did my first event there. Roanoke Marathon has it history and how it shapes me to be a runner indirectly at least. My friend was studying at Virginia Tech at the time and did it as her first marathon.  I wanted to run it too to test my own ability. Yet I was afraid of the course at the time and did not do it until 2019 after I was more confident as a runner.

    The year I did it, I found out there were people crazy enough to run it twice the same weekend. It was unbelievable who would do such a thing. I believe one of a few if not the only marathon in the whole nation that does that.  It started imformally and later became as a real event.  This year there were around 80-90 runners who attempted it.

    For those who know, I attempted it last year but did not finish (due to weather cancelation). This year, I got to have it done. 

    We had good weather. Optimal weather for running, 50-60F.  I could see my breath during the night but it was not cold. 

    I started on time this year (see last year, 2023 or 2019). I did not try to sleep beforehand, due to being afraid I might overslept like last year. I got to the course early around midnight, which was only 5 mins away from my hotel and elected to start at 1 am. We could choose to start either at 1 am or 2 am.  Last year I needed 6:20 to finish the first marathon.  1 am start would give me that 6 and half hour needed. Spoiler, I finished the first run in 5:30 hours, so I had about an hour rest before starting the second marathon.

    I ran into a friend, Chrissy, at the parking lot. She remembered me from the Lake Claytor event last year. We talked and got ready.  She said she would rather choose the 2 am start.  I said, she must be fast.  Indeed, she finished almost 45 minutes ahead of me.  My fastest time was in 2019, when I ran it in 4:45.  So to do it in that time is fast. Her second loop is almost as fast.

    As I remembered not many people picked the 2 am start. There were about 75 finishers.  I think might be 80-90 runners.  About 10 did not start, but they might have swapped to the 2 am. Chrissy could have done the 2 am and be fine.  She told me she actually preferred the 2 am start so that after she finishes she could start the second marathon immediately.

    As for me, I like a little buffer in between the two marathons instead of feeling under pressure to finish the first under a certain time (6:30 max). Note, if we could not get back to the start of the second marathon in time, we would be disqualified. It is not like a 52 mile run where you could take your time early and catch up later at the end.

    It was quite fun to see such a big group of runners who were just as crazy as I was as we ran on this middle in the night marathon to “preview” the course and then run it again in the morning with the general crowd. I missed all this last year. I felt it was very boisterous.

    This year, running with a bunch of people, I didn’t have the fear of getting lost going up to the Roanoke Mountain.  In fact, I felt like a pro.

    Later though, when the race was spreadout, I did rely on my turnsheet to get me through.  By mile 20 or so, the three guys I was running with took off ahead and I did not see them again (They finished like 20 mins ahead of me). Overall, there were a lot of people around me in the beginning. Finding the way around the course was not an issue. The course was well marked. Some navigation skills though also required. The course was not marked like an ultra with ribbons, so there is a chance of missing a turn. It was an urban adventure.

    Last year, because of my late start, I had to chase up to the last runner, which was hard and lonely time.

    This year, I started in the rear as the last guy to leave the start line.  “Cooper Emily” dropped her bib.  An older gentleman picked it up for her and chased her down.  I chased with him.  We caught up to Emily and handed her the bib.  By then she and I were the last two runners.  I told her there was no need to rush, we still had plenty of time. 

    She was getting out of breath.  In my mind, I know the pace needed to do a 6.5 hr marathon, you could do walk and run and make it to the finish.  After talking to her a bit, found out why she did not pin her bib on her shirt was because she did not have the safety pins.  I gave her two of mine.  Usually I only pin the top two corners of the bib and leave the bottom corners unpinned, so I had extra pins to spare.

    She also said due to her mom’s passing away in the winter, she has not trained since.  It seemed this was her first marathon. I had no clue why she wanted to run a double marathon.  She seemed to be not ready for this extremely hard marathon. I wished her the best because her pace was too slow for me.

    After that I ran my own race.  I was surprised I could catch up to many earlier (faster) runners once we reached the climbing section to the Roanoke Mountain. I was kind of in the mid pack.  There maybe 20 or so runners in front. Probably were more, but front runner pack were just too fast.

    People around me were pretty strong runners themselves.  We ran and hiked to the top. This year, I am more familar with the distance between various point on the course. I knew the top of the mountain was 7 miles. 

    Once we reached the top, we ran back down.  I love the downhill.  Many people were way stronger than me. Many passed me by on the downhill stretches.

    I mostly stayed with the three guys. I called them the three brothers. They seemed to be friends and they kept a steady pace. I usually don’t pass anyone unless they were super slow.

    We reached Mill Mountain.  It was still downhill. We had a good view of the city from here. This year the weather was good. we could see way into the distance. Supposing you could see Tinker Cliff, Dragon Tooth and Mc Afee Knob – the triple crown of the Appalachian Trail from here.

    We continued the descent and reached back to the city. By then there were directional signs and stickers on the road for us to follow. It is easier to navigate. We headed to Peak Mont. This is not as high as Roanoke mountain but by then mile 15-18, it was a hard climb.  The top was mile 18. To me the toughest climb of the night.

    This year, I reached it around 5 am.  I was hoping to get down before sunrise.  I headed back to the start. The three brothers already left me.  I was mostly by myself. I was hoping some of the faster runners would be out of breath soon and I could catch up.  There might be one or two runners I passed. There were more than a few that passed me. They were probably the 2 am starters.  I reached back at the hospital and I knew I had about 5 miles left.  It was still dark. It distinctively remembered running this section in  the morning light last year, so to be still dark made me feel quite good.

    I did not remember when the sun rose. Probably at my mile 24 at the last aid station. It felt good knowing this year I was ahead of my pace. Soon I reached the finish coming in under 5:30 (actual time of day was 6:30 am). I then had 1.0 hr before the next marathon start.

    I felt good. My legs were tired but they were not too tired.  I went to my car, had breakfast and tried to keep myself fresh. I stretched a bit. Others who finished aheaded of me were there too in the parking lot.  Supposedly, they had a conference room at the host hotel for us to rest while waiting for the second start. It felt better to just stay at our cars. I did not got to the host hotel.

    The second start was great. I met many people. Many were surprised that we already did a marathon during the night and ready for a second go.

    My goal on the second marathon was if I could keep the 6 hour pace. Initially, it was hard to run again.  I could not keep up with the pacer during the first mile. Gradually, my legs warmed up and the fatigue faded away.  I was able to move with my usual ultra pace around 12 min mile. I felt my legs were as strong as the first lap during the hard climb up to Roanoke Mountain.

    I knew I would not able to run nearly as fast as I did in my first marathon.  I tried. I passed the 6 hour pacer, then the 5:45, then 5:30.  I was joking with the guys who were doing the double marathon that we should aim for a negative split. I was hoping to catch the 5 hour pacer but they seem to be too fast.  Secretly, I hoped to stay in front of the 5:30 pacer. I knew deep down though eventually, they would catch up to me.

    The rest of the race was uneventful.  I saw a lot of same people on the out and back sections.  We cheered the double marathon runners. I almost recognized everyone. A lot of them were much slower on this second half. I felt so good to be ahead unlike in other ultras where I was normally in the sweep position. Some were in way back even behind the slowest marathon runners near the sweeper.  Our Sweeper was on a bike. I know as long as they keep moving the would finish. I gave them words of encouragement.

    I knew my pace was decaying as is normal. Even running down hills was hard for me. Harder still was going up. Peak Mount was even harder still. I was struggling with all the marathoners.  I encouraged them. This is where we face our wall I said.

    I pulled through setting up goal of a mile at a time.  Many marathoners were passing me at the last 5 miles.  I again was hoping there got to be some who went out too fast and would slow down so I could pass them. There were a few but not as many as those who passed me. I just had to struggle the last three miles. There was no way I would not finish.  I had about 1.5 hours to do 2 miles.  Having been on the course just 6-8 hours beforehand, I knew the turns and upcoming hills.

    At the final miles, those around me picked up their pace and so did I.  I was able to follow a lady who pulled me in to run fast. I finished the second marathon to my surprised in a time of 5:30. I was only a minute behind the 5:30 pacer. So my total combined time was just under 11:00.   I was pretty pleased.

    Afterward, I stayed and watched the finish until the last runner came in. End up, the last runner is my friend I met at Rock n the Knob in PA two years ago, Sean. We had a happy reunion.

    I had a good run.  It is a good preparation of some harder races I will be doing. I just enjoyed my day out there with some runners.  My soul had its fill. The race had it shenagans, like jello shots, “Moo-mosa”, and likes.  I took part in all those. That what makes running fun. 

    Runners arriving at Mill Mountain – the Star (our second big climb of the night). We stop here every time to take a picture
    Lining up for a second start – I lined up with the run/walk group, 6 hour target finishers. The last corral. Pacers are to my right (not shown). She was kind. We were just here lining up earlier at 1 am. It was supposed to start at 7:20, but was delayed (no reason given) until closer to 8 am. I did not mind.
    finishers
    Roanoke City view, day vs night. See various mountains in the distance
    The Star of Roanoke on Mill Mountain

    There was something I wanted to write but forgot what it is. I did a lot of marathons. They are usually the same. I went there, accepted the challenge, completed it. Sometimes I asked if there is any deeper meaning. Yes, there is.  For this marathon, I had to climb some mountains (on the Appalachian Trail — I did almost the triple crown, hiked over 16 miles) on the following day. I got my answer I was seeking. I did not come down from the mountain until after 10 pm, but that is a whole different trip and I don’t have time to tell. Mostly, it was being at peace with myself and nature. It was part of a bigger journey. For those who know, yes, I have many bigger races coming up, kind of a secret but not a secret. I hope to lead everyone through my experience. Roanoke Marathon is only the first.

  • [624] – I’m feeling it

    My excitement is bubling up as we step closer to May!

    Wait, April is not even over.

    To other people, I always have a bunch of races. True, so many, even I can’t keep track of them.

    We just finish the BRR 50, which was a big race for me.

    Before then, I ran the New Taipei WJS Marathon, kind of big.

    And before then, it was the Clearwater Marathon.

    I tried to cover up my excitement. It is just the first one. A izzy bitzy race. Nothing to it.

    All them is setting up for this month! My first true 100 mile for this year (coming in two weeks).

    I will be running with a friend, Lynne, in two weeks and I am getting her excited too. (Trying to persuade her to sign up another 100 mile, Forgotten Florida, before we dive into this monster, aka, C&O100). I tried to hide it, like you not suppose to name it before the race start, otherwise bad thing will happen.  Think of Burning River.  I told my mom don’t get too excited before the race because you don’t know if there will be a finish at the end. Runners (me) are superstitious. Don’t jinx it.

    Actually, I will be running with many friends. It is near where I am so a lot local runners will be doing it. Which race? The C&O Canal!  I have been waiting for this race since the begining. A very long time ago.  I will write more in my race report when it is done.

    But for now, here for this week, I will be doing the Roanoke Double Marathon (last year event). This is also a marathon I wanted to do for very long time ago.  I can’t remember when I did the first time, in 2019 maybe?  It is billed as America’s hardest road marathon with 7000 ft of climbing (I think they lie, because they might of included the down elevation with the up, maybe only half of that is real), but yes it is very hard compare to a normal marathon, where usually you see 100-200 ft change with the exception of Lake Hayden in Idaho.  Most people want to run on a flat course, but for those into bruishing themselves with hill workouts, come to run the Roanoke Marathon.  It’s actual name is something like Blue Ridge Bluecross Anthem Marathon or something.  I always call it the Roanoke Marathon.

    Here is the kicker, I want to do a doubler, that is to run it twice.  Run one at night before anyone show up and run it again with everyone in the morning. It is actually a thing.

    Huhuhuhu.  I am puffing myself up.  Actually for trail runner, the elevation is not that much.  It ia a lot but compares to trail, it is quite normal. A lot of my friends actually are heading to the Promise Land to do real mountain running.  So I can’t really brag that mine is the baddest. Where for them, they would say what are you crying about.

    Why I am doing it?  I needed a bit of road running for my up and coming 100 milers.  This is a good fit.

    A bit of bad news, my one and only marathon in a new state this year, Providence Marathon in Rhode Island, has been canceled.  That state is messed up. I should have run the New Port Marathon last weekend if I knew earlier it was going to be like this.  There is another Newport Marathon in the fall. Yes, the state is messed up, trying to confuse out-of-state runners. How many new ports are there? (3)

    I am a bit heart broken. Yet it is also an opportunity.   I quickly signed up for a 100K in Atlanta, the Great Southern Endurance Run.  I have been also longing to do this one since I started my 100 mile journey in 2020.  Those who have been followed my post for long would remember couple summer  ago, I took two trips to Atlanta but came back with nothing.  This year is it! I am doing it. (GSER first attempt, second attempt). Granted those two times were a 100 mile attempt, this time it is just a 100k (62 miles). Also this time, we no longer need to climb up to Kennesaw Mountain to start the run. That was a wicked climb. We will start at the foot and no need to climb up. Park service would not allow us to go in. Oh well. I wish I could stay an extra day to snap a photo up there. Please let me finish this big project. GSER.

    Why am I doing this?  Last heat training session and last long run before everything goes crazy. (MMT and OD100).  Yes everything. And Western States. Saying it 10 times fast. I am going crazy and hyberventilating. I will talk more about it in my race report.

    Anyway, there are just too many races to keep track of.  I will take one race at a time. If I am to die today, I am dying happy, but I always want to do just one more race! Just one more time.

  • [623] Bull Run Run 50

    Last couple years my spring training has been mainly for two races, the first is BRR 50 (Bul Run Run) and the second MMT 100 (Massanutten Mountain Trail Run). I read initially the running club VHTR came to be because of these two races.  They still host them and they are still their signature races. They are as good as always.

    I am late to the party. I ran many other races. I was only fairly recent I found out about BRR and MMT. I did MMT first before I did BRR. They are so good. They are hard trail runs. The club behind it made them so fun to run.  I found people who share the same interest. Almost every trail runner in the area and also some from far and wide have at some point ran in one of these. So I am preaching to the choir to say these are good races.

    I give both races a deep respect because, I felt they are just a bit beyond what I could do. It now seems silly to say this, but I trained for them to finish. Now I did it.

    I don’t remember much from last year BRR event except it was hot and the run was slow and I was almost could not move by the time I finished. (report 2023) (I did reread it now, wow, that was a good race, to have so many memories). Today run was nothing less.

    This year, I wanted to run faster. I usually don’t care about finishing times. You go out and run your best and I would take any results. Usually my goal is to finish. I had a few DNFs, so even if I get a DNF, I learned to live with it.

    But a 50 mile can be used as a qualifier race for some bigger races like the Vermont 100, which requires finishing a 50 mile under 12 hours. I have done a sub 12 hour couple times (at Stone Mill 50 and at JFK 50) but that was more than a year ago.

    I was disappointed last year, I didn’t get any 50 mile under 12. For me running that fast is hard because I am a very slow runner. 12 hours is usually the standard for a 50 miler (many people I look up to could do it in 10 or less). The minimum is 12.

    It was a motivation that I want this year BRR to be under 12 hours. It came about as a wishful thinking. Having ran it once and I compared it to a similar race, Stone Mill (finished at 12:47), I ran six months ago, I did not think it would be possible. It was kind of shooting the moon goal when I told my friend, I would do it, half kidding to fool myself. I felt BRR should be harder than Stone Mill. I wanted it for the Vermont 100 mile qualification, to be doubly sure I can get in, even though I don’t really need it because my qualification race was a year ago.

    Early in week, we checked the forecast. This year run would be pleasant in a cooler weather of 37F low and 50s high (around 10C), runner weather for us who just came out from winter. Heat exhaustion should not be an issue this year. For me, I am trying to heat train, so the temperature actually cold for me.

    I decided to “camp” out. They offered free cabin camping for runners to stay the night before the run. For me is why not. It added the fun to spend more time at the race and to meet more runners. My friend who ran BRR gave me an impression that it would be a lot of fun. I had only MMT camping experience to compare to. However, there was only me and another guy who stayed the night. I met him a few months before during the Devil Dog, and we shared a cabin that time as well.

    We had our dinner and quickly turned in for the night once it was dark. Volunteers would arrive starting at 4 am.  I set my alarm for 5:30 and snoozed it for couple times. But as usual, I like to run in the clothes I went to bed with so there was no need to change. It saves time. When I woke up, I just pinned the bib on my shirt. Collected my bedding and stuff to take back to the car. I had breakfast laid out but it was still too early for me to find an appetite. When all said and done, the race was about time to start at 6:30.

    I did not see a lot of my friends (Jesse was in it, but I missed him). I lined up in the rear. I did not prepare any dropbag (they allowed two). I figured I should be fine.  This was completely different from last year. I grew up! I had my breakfast in one hand (chicken pasta from Costco, which was also my previous night dinner).

    Cheryl would be waiting for me at Fountainhead, at about halfway point, I did not need anything from her, but it was good to know a familar face there. She hadn’t left the house yet, so she could could grab me any last minute things to take to the aid station. I wanted to tell her I will be there by noon but then held back because I did not want to put an extra pressure on myself to make a time goal. Noon was my internal goal.

    Having done the run the previous year, I knew the start would be slow with 200+ runners trying to jam into a single track trail. They had us run around the parking area, through a water crossing. This did slow down the crowd a bit (and let the faster runners spread out). I knew it.

    Vlad, the friend I met me the night before, asked me what my game plan. I am pretty poor in term of coming up with tactics. I love brute force method, but strategies, eh, while I am intrigue by them, I am not that good in coming up with schemes. My overall plan was trying to get to the turn around by 12 and I would be good. The back up goal if I couldn’t make the first, is to meet the cutoffs. I also remember not to go out too fast, because this course is hilly. Many runners burn all their energy early on. I have seen it last year. My plan is to be extremely patient with the “slower” runners.

    While we were behind a bunch of slower runners trying to cross the water, I rehearsed in my head to go slow and to focus on my game plan.

    I checked the crossing the day before and did not cross it thinking it was a foot deep. Then I told my friend Vlad about it and he and I went back to the crossing for a look. After taking a look, he started crossing it, in his clean shoes at the time. I was shock. We found out there was a concrete layer under the water. Water was not that deep. Maybe less than quarter an inch, but the reflection of the water made it seemed much deeper. So I saw him walked across like Jesus walking on water and not sink in, without his shoes even getting wet.

    Now on race day, 200+ runners were not willing to step across this water, but trying to go around on either side. It was actually deeper on either side. Only Vlad and I and maybe a few other bold runners knew how deep it was. I waited until my turn at the crossing, and I showed off walking across like Jesus crossing the water.  People behind me started shouting to others, hey it is not that deep!  By then it was already too late, maybe only 20-30 runners are left. I was laughing inside. This crossing did not get my shoes wet, but I expect later crossings would. Pro tip: don’t afraid of water!

    Bull Run Run takes place each year during the full bloom of the blue bell flowers. The course was lined with these purple bell shape flowers. It is quite a sight. The ladies in front of me were exclaiming, oh how beautiful. Me and a friend came back and did the loop again the following day to enjoy the beauty. For many, it  was their first time running on this course. We ran toward Bull Run Regional Park first where there is a mile loop of just Blue Bells. It is our first turn around point, of this end of the Bull Run Trail (mile 9 ish).

    While running near the Centreville aid station, where I volunteered there two years ago, we heard Kevin’s loud voice half a mile out. He was the former MMT race director, with his megaphone encouraging runners (and heckling them) — this year, he didn’t have a megaphone but his voice still carried. I always love the Centreville aid station.  We would pass by twice. He was later back at the Hemlock station.

    After Centreville, the course get muddier. Here we saw runners returning, so we shared the same trail.  My coworkers and neighbors were out for their day hike, since it was a beautiful day. Kimberly called out to me, and I was surprised of having a local crowd supporter.  Vlad was already back from the other direction. He was in maybe 15-25 places. Not bad. I was still in pretty far back. To me, I was even further back than last year. I expected he might try for the podium. We waved and called out to each other. He ended up finishing top ten!

    I finished the loop and came back to Centreville, but while doing a water crossing, which was about knee deep and maybe 6 feet wide, I tried to jump to the other side at the final few steps but missed, so I felt in and landed on my hands and knees. Note, later I found out one side is shallower than other. I took the deeper side since there was a rope there to aid the crossing. I was okay but got myself muddy. So when I got into the aid station, they were teasing me, that I won the award for the muddiest runner. Yes I felt into a mud pit. Twice.

    Another incident while trying to head back to Hemlock (mile 17). I was about a mile out, just ran through some 3-4 big hills and now it was just a flat section before Hemlock aid station.  I was feeling good at the time. I was in the flow, but I stepped on some mud and lost control. Usually I could recover my footing, but this time my calves seized up. Down I went again. It might look dramatic from the back the way I gave way. A runner came up to me and asked if I was fine. I was fine in term nothing broken, but my calves were cramping and I was in a lot of pain.  I knew I could walk it off.  It was a decision time, should I continue with the race or should I stop? It was only two hours in. I still had a full day ahead, but I also have so many races coming up, I did not want to aggravate any injury and so would miss my other races. I got back up, gingerly tested my strides. Aid station was not that far away.  I reread last year report, I was saying how can people falling and tripping this early on, and here I was! I was laughing at myself here.

    I got to the Hemlock aid station. I passed some runners who were in worse shape than me. I tried to encourage them, asking their gameplan like what they expect to get at the aid station. Some said they would change their shoes.  Some said they would get salt, pbj (sandwiches), and water. I also prioritized in my head too what the most important things to do so since I want to be a quick in quick out.  Hint! or Pro tip, before getting to an aid station, plan out what you need!  This helps speed up your entrance/exit as when give you something to look toward.

    Charleen, a dear friend, met me at the Hemlock aid station. She asked what I need. I had everything fine.  I did get some food, some broth, etc.  I reused the cup to stock up on food to carry some out. I pour some salt over it. That should help with my cramping. I gave her update on John, her SO. I passed John earlier. John was one of earliest memory I had while training for MMT, since I ran mostly at his pace. We had done many other events together since. There were a lot of people in many of races we did, but John and Charleen left me a deep impression because of their kindness.

    From Hemlock to the next aid station (Marina) was hard for me. It was just four miles. I headed out from Hemlock with five or six others. They were stronger runners. They were not people who came into Hemlock with me. They had a bit of rest before going out, and they looked so strong. A few of them were friends in their own group. I knew I wanted to pass them but their pace was too fast for me to overtake. I followed like 10-20 paces behind and never could get really close for me to pass.

    We came to some hills and I could close the gap a bit. It was maybe by mile 3, about mile 20 in the race, the guys got tired and I passed them on a straight away at the big soccer field.  When I pass people, I want to pass them for good. I don’t want to do frog leaping kind of things on a trail because it can be very exhausting. Indeed, I passed them for good.  I was getting stronger and I was familar with this area.  I knew the aid station was about a mile out after another series of hill climb.

    At the Marina aid station, a friend I met at last year CAT 50k was there greeting me.  I did not remember him until he asked me if I do know him. Then memories came and he pulled out his phone to showed me the photo we took at the end of that race.  I do remember that, like how can I forget since both of us finished dead last there (DNF). Indeed, I had another personal crew at every aid station! This was unplanned. He sat me down, refilled my hydration pack. He said he would wait until I came back later in the afternoon (5 pm). I did see him again. It was good to have a personal cheerleader. Another dude too, who often reminded my own time at my first MMT of carrying an Italian sub, and he said this time, our food is good but not as good as a Subway Sub. He was referencing my MMT run. I was balling.  Gosh. It gave me the motivation to run harder. My subway hoggies is legendary.

    From the marina, my feet were moving better. There was no more thoughts of quiting. The next section were much familar to me since my friend Caroline and I ran on it a few times.  We did it when there were still snow on the ground and when it was flooded. I know the course. Every turn came as expected. I like knowing the course like the back of my hand.  I passed a few people and finally got to Wolf Run Shoals.  I love this aid station’s name. Again I had a personal crew! Jamie and Alex were there. Jamie got me everything I possibly needed. Alex said he loves me in a brotherly way. I again have my own cheerleader. Out I went. She was still there four hours later when I came back around 4 pm. Alex was the aid station head here. The goofy aid station. They gave me encouraging words.

    There I left the station with Charlie P.. He was a friend of a friend, and we did the MMT together last year. He and several of us have become friends because of the MMT. He was moving at a good pace and I felt his pace was too much for me to keep up because I would start to breath hard and sweat. I did not want to push that hard just to keep up with my friend. So like before, I kept back running at my own pace, following in the back. The next aid station, Fountainhead, was only about three miles but it seemed long.  The time was already 12:15 when I felt Wolf Run Shoals. I knew I was behind on my goal pace (since I wanted to arrived before noon) and so I shifted to my the next goal, which was to make the Fountainhead by cut off time. Fountainhead in my mind the cutoff was 1 pm, but actually was 2 pm. I needed to reach it before 1. I arrived at 12:50. This was about the same time I had from the previous year.

    Sheryl was the time/bib recorder there. She came and helped me.  I had been running a bit hard so my mind was all over the place. Seeing Sheryl slowly calmed my mind. She too asked me what I needed. I handed her my cup and asked her to fill it with food. I had all kinds of wraps. There were vegeterian options (she knew I was on a diet). I took some water. Then I sat down for a few minutes on a bench. This was the second time I paused. She offered me a Red Bull, but I said to hold it for me until I finish the Do-Loop, which was a 9 mile loop at the Fountainhead Regional Park. Charlie already left. My game plan was not to stay at any aid stations for too long. Being able to sit down couple minutes, helped.

    Fountainhead was our turn around point but before we could run back, we had to go through this maze (at least to me), called the Do-Loop. It was not too hard, but when you are tired, and it is sort of a loop, some runners, would get lost here either doing the loop multiple times.  Last year, I lost maybe half hour (20 mins after looking up) in getting lost inside the do-loop with a bunch of fifteen other runners. 

    This year, I was praying I would not get lost. The plan was keep my head up to follow the course markings and trust my training I had there. We trained specifically here several weeks ago. I got lost during my training too. Each time, I tried to remember, which wrong turn I took, so hopefully on the race day, I would not wander off onto a wrong trail.  Ram a friend who guided me on this portion during my training run.  A word, the course was marked well, with red tape over trails we should not turn on (but sometimes runner still went over them, due to brain fog).

    The Do Loop section went well. I finally overtook Charlies and others. I passed a few more runners as I exited the loop. I noticed my pace slowed down but others too were slowing down more.

    Coming back out at the Fountainhead, Sheryl handed me her Red Bull. Dan’s wife (her name escaped me) refilled my water pack. I gave her the update on Dan. Dan is the current MMT RD. I saw him on the Do-Loop along with some other runners.  I knew he was cutting close to the cutoff and hope he would be able to make it.  Dan ran the BRR several times in the past. He had some fast records, way faster than I could possibly run.  When I first met him about 5-6 years ago at the VDM (I had a post of that day somewhere), he was no longer as fast a runner as before due to some knee issues. VDM run was what initially drew me into the running club and Dan was the first person I met.  I didn’t see Dan finishes but checking the results, he did reach it with plenty time left on the clock!

    The time now was 3 pm. I was pretty pleased. Last year, I was here at 4:00 and with cutoff breathing down on me that time. At least today, I knew I would finish, since I am an hour ahead (4.5 hours to cover 12 miles, I would have to run a mininmum 22.5 min per mile to finish, a very slow pace). My plan now was to chase the 12 hour goal. I felt I was still 7-14 minutes behind the 12 hour finishing goal. However, there is a chance. I would need to run all the way back. We had about 12-13 miles left.

    By 4 pm (3:50), I reached Wolf Run Shoals station.  I did not need much there. I only stopped to reset my pace.

    I passed one more runner but the trail was completely empty afterward. In my mind, the 12 hour finisher group must be ahead of me. I needed to catch up to them. However, as I ran, there were no other runners. They were all going at my pace or faster. Normally, I pass people or people passing me. So today was rare.

    Uneventfully, I reached Bull Run Marina again.  I was strategizing when best to take my Red Bull. I felt I should do it when I felt I could not run any more. Just before the Marina, my foot felt dead. While climbing a hill, I opened the can and drank the Red Bull.  I did not know how soon it would take effect. Normally I don’t drink this stuff. I can see it could be useful in a 100 mile race, but in a “short” 50 mile, it might be an overkill. I was not sure if my stomach could handle it. My head felt a bit dizzy maybe for running a bit faster than I should.

    At the Marina, I got some fluid and fruits. I took some Gatorade with me. I stayed only long enough to reset. My other friend was still there but I don’t need anything. He was saying, he knew I would make it.  This is not the CAT50k.  I asked him if he would run the CAT again, he said he already signed up! I said me too!

    Now there were only six miles left. Still I did not see any runner before me. In a sense, it was good. We had some technical sections and I could “breeze” through them without slower runners hindering me.  In the previous year, a lot of people were there, not this time. I praised God there was no one on the rocky sections. I am proud of my footing skill. I am not the best, but I am better than many in this city running event. Most runners are too cautious to go fast on rock because one fall would mean a serious injury. I usually run at the pace of slower runners, and so would be around people who are extremely careful near rocks. Today I scrambled over them like I did during training.  In my mind, I had to beat the clock. There was no time to go slowly.

    While reaching the last mile, I saw a group of 4 runners walking on a flat segment of the trail. I found it just interesting. Were they the 12 hours runner? Why were they not rushing? I thought I was on the edge of the 12th hour mark. Any would be rushing to make it.  So I passed them. Later of course, I learned they were part of a team, they stayed together for their friend’s sake. They made it under 12 too.

    Maybe 500 ft ahead was another runner. This guy was gunning it for the finish. To me that is more like it. I chased him though he was faster so I was not able to catch up. In my mind, I said, I just have to keep up and I might make it under 12.

    We entered the finishing chute.  The time was 11:32:xx. I saw 11:31 from far away, but my head with runner fog thought I missed my goal by couple minutes.  Somehow I read the clock as 12:32. I still held my head up smiling but in my heart, I felt a let down of coming in just a couple minutes late. There were a bunch of what-ifs. The guy next to me sense my mood and asked if I were I aiming for under 11? I said no, I wanted to be under twelve. He was kind of gave me a confused look. So I rechecked the clock again. Oh dang, it is 11:35! I did have it under 12! The euphoria rushed in. I was laughing from ear to ear. What a crazy thing expectation can have on me. One moment thought I missed my goal and the next moment, I bested it by a big margin. Yes, if I ran with a watch I would not have been so clueless. Lately running races without one free me.

    I stayed to watch the race until the end.  David, my DC friend came out. I glad he came. He was on indecisive if he should try this 50 miler. I told him do it next year.

    Vlad, I thought he had left already because he was probably 6-7th place finisher coming in 2 pm ish, was there with his family. I chatted with him and some others.

    Charlie came in under 12, though he did not stay but left immediately. I congratulated him since he said 12 hour was his goal as well. He came in on the dot and well done. We shared like 5 miles together.

    A new runner I met, Laura from Alexandria, she finished under 13 hours maybe 5-10 minutes before the course closed. She was exactly at my pace the year before. I was happy for her. We ran together for a long while maybe the first 5-10 miles. She was asking me about ultras and MMT, and of course, I told her all I knew! Mainly to try it. BRR was her first 50! I hope she has some great memories. JFK 50 was my first and I would forever remember that race. I could have stayed with her the whole way, but I decided this year, I wouldn’t wait for anyone.

    The guy who helped me when I felt, also came in. I went and congratulated him as well. I didn’t know his name, but I was glad he pulled it through. The reason I said it was I normally was the unofficial trail sweeper in most races, for coming in last or near last. I know how hard it is to struggle from cutoff to cutoff. When those final few came in, I could identify with them. Later, we learned there were two more came in after the clock expired.

    I had a wonderful day. I was tired. My legs held up. While the race was hard, there will be many harder races coming up in the next few months. This was just the beginning. I do not need the extra qualifier for Vermont 100, but knowing I still could run a 50 mile under 12 hours give me a boost of confident, that is at least, I still met its minimum requirement.

  • [622] fire on the mountain and bridge collapsed

    Wow these were news that hit home on the day I got back from Sydney. The Baltimore bridge is no longer there. I am not sentimentally attached to it, being on it maybe once or twice in my life  but seeing it on the news the next day, was a OMG, what just happened. Those who watched the news knew all about it already. I won’t add more here.

    A much bigger and personal news was my beloved mountain MMT is on fire. Not sure if it was accidental or part of a controled burn, but MMT (Massanuttan Mountain) has several wild fires raging from north to south. Before I went on my trip, I heard the forest service was trying to do a controlled burn on one of the peaks, maybe it went out of control. MMT training run No. 3 was rerouted due to it.  Basically, we have to stay away the whole area for now. Meaning, the Chocolate Bunny run (Easter midnight/sunrise celebration, MMT training run) was canceled.

    There is a possibility the MMT race itself too might get canceled. We are standing by, once the fire is put out, and a call for trail maintenance put forth, we would fix up the trail for the race. It might be a tall task. OD100 sent out their assessment that their race will still be held since the burn area doesn’t affect their course. OD100 and MMT100 do share a similar course. MMT100 though mostly is on the MMT trail and does go through the fire area. I will be running in both events.

    Instead of the Chocolate Bunny Run, I was invited to join the CAT runners (Charlottesville Area Trail) for their weekend run. I always want to run on the Priest and Three Ridges, having hiked and backpacked there many years ago (when I was 18) long before I was into trail running. It was be good to go back and see how things have changed. 

    Initially, I wanted to write about it, but there was very little to share. My heart about the run was not in it. I got off work, packed, then went to the trailhead. It was a three hour drive. I got there around 2:30 am, which was perfect for me since I was still suffering insomnia from jetlag. Morning was night and night was morning to my body.

    I was not sure where to park my car. The lot seemed small and full. I pulled into a space I found. Everything was quiet. I walked and hiked up a bit on the trail and then found a place to pee. I decided not to wander too far in case I might get lost, so I headed back to the car. I set alarm to wake me up later. About 5:30 other people arrived. Somehow everyone managed to fit their cars into the small lot. We ran. We finished pretty early. It was only 20-ish miles. I wanted a 30 mile day but I needed to use the restroom again, so I did not continue for climbing the Priest a second time as some of them did (it was a hill repeat day, 7000 ft) but went into town for food and to rest.

    Afterward, I felt the Wild Oak Course would be a good follow up to the Priest since I didn’t want to do another loop at the Priest. The Wild Oak Trail was only an hour away and my favorite place to be. I celebrated Easter there (by tuning in to a church in Sydney). The night passed quietly, with a storm came at midnight but I slept through it.  The morning came. I wanted to start early so I could finish the run early, however, my legs were more tired than I anticipated.

    After hiking up for a mile, I decided to trust my instinct to go back to my car. Wild Oak course would be a 20-mile loop (I was thinking of skipping Big Bald, and using the road to Camp Todd; this was Grindstone 100 training loop). I had a nagging feeling that it might not be a good idea to hike Wild Oak at this time. The good feeling was not there. Usually my gut feeling is right, and I told myself to trust it.  Nothing bad happened to me but I met a fisherman who said a tree has fallen over the main road and blocking access into deeper in the park. I felt better when I decided turn back. I was able to leave since I parked outside of it.

    I am writing this because, normally, I like doing a big run. The day before, while the run was hard, I felt it was not enough. The next day, the run on Grindstone was supposed to be hard, but I did not have the mental prepareness to handle it. So, I canceled it. So I felt the trip was unfulfilling as I was leaving.

    While driving back home, I stopped at Ashby Gap near Sky Meadow State Park, which was much closer to home and finished my 10 mile hike/run on the AT, by visited the Wiskey Hollow shelter. Someone wrote in the Logbook there “Happy Easter.”  I doubted they stayed there for the night. The hike on the AT felt very good. I guess I wanted to see people on the trail and Sky Meadow area was a better choice compares to the Wild Oak Trail. I still got a significant hill workout. The AT is never easy.

    I have been trying to get back into my normal routine now I am back home. The marathon I did in Taiwan was such a high point, now everything else seems so normal. I have been asking myself what to do next. I do know what I wanted to do. I have a huge to-do bucket list, but none of the items seems inspiring at the moment. They were when I made them.

    I want to feel goals with urgency. I want to do everything. Feed the fire.

    Seven years ago, running in all 50 states seemed like a good goal, maybe because it was eternal or impossible to me at the time. Now, it is just tedious. Should I continue? I concluded, yes, as long as I still enjoy running marathons. And I do enjoy.

    I am reading Into the Wild, and that kind of life excites me, it was a short one, but it fully embraced the ethos of pursuing ones ideal, and not many people live like that — walking the walk to the point of foolhardy  — he chose to go to Alaska during a winter with insufficient provisions and so ended being trapped and dying there, which might be too simplistic an explanation; surely he must have known the consequences and I am sure he did not want to die. My running is like that. I want something that I feel worth living for and worth the pursuit.

    I need to do some soulsearching to find out what I really want. (Hint, a podcast I am listening, said try to ask yourself the 5 Why deep question, like why do I like running?, If my response is I feel good while doing it, then the next level, why does it makes it feel good. So usually by 5th level, you get to the motivation)

  • [621] Trip to Taipei and Sydney

    I ran in both Taipei and Sydney but did feel out of place while running there because there were not a lot of runners around except on a weekend. Running in Sydney felt more at home, due to less chance of running into people. I usually run in early morning to avoid people. Taiwan though felt small and often time the sidewalk is narrow.

    The Sport arena in New Taipei where we picked up our runner’s package. It was about 30 minutes train ride. Notice, the signs are bilangual. Also, see the 7-eleven in the corner. They are everywhere. I felt they are better than ones we have here in the US. They serve (cheap but acceptable) food too. I was told that public bathroom requires squatting. I did not use one while out and about.
    While taking the bus to Wanli, we passed by Taipei 101. There was not enough time to stop  for sight-seeing around the area. My Taiwan friend gave me a list of suggestions of places to see and food to try.  I did several of them, especially the beef noodle dish, which Taiwan is famous for.  And yes bubble tea (at the airport). Not that we did not have enough time to do everything, I just did not want to rush to rush from place to place. I had about 12 hours of sleep each night! Usually, I sleep from 6 pm to early morning (due to jetlag).
    We did walk around the memorial square, was it freedom square? Quite a big area. I climbed the stairs to one of the palaces.  I think it is a concert hall
    Marathon location, Green Bay (Fei Cue Wan).  We ran past other wan (bays) too but I couldn’t remember their names. Green Bay the most famous one.
    Leaving Taipei, the city is so organized viewed from the air. Taiwanese people are well known for their organization skill. There are a lot of future developments
    Grace Point Church in Sydney. We stayed near there. Arrived in Sydney but did not take many photos on my own. Houses, churches, school almost look the same. Everything is very blocky/rectangular. They love round-abouts. These two roads are main roads but only have single lane. People don’t mind going slow.
    On my way out from Australia, the security guard tossed out my sealed and unopened bottle of Vegemite (yeast, for bread spread). Just a few moments later, I found the “taste like Australia” stuff in one of the airport stores, bigger than the bottle that was tossed out. I did not want to be scammed again (by our TSA once I reached SFO), so I didn’t purchase it. I still have no clue what Australia tastes like

    Hard to believe my trip of the decade/century is over. I don’t remember when I last went to Sydney. Some believed it was 2009. I was there for another cousin’s wedding previously and again this time. It was actually my third time. Was it really that long ago?

    We did a lot the previous times, all the tourist stuff, like visiting the Opera House, taking a train ride, the walking through the Botanical Garden, the Aquarium, the ferry ride, the monorail, Blue Mountain, and the beach.

    This time, I spent more time with my relatives and mostly just “partying”. We ate a lot.  It was too boring stuff to post. Food blogging is not my thing. Also, blogging about family or the wedding is not my thing either.

    I did try to remember what the wedding dress look like, since the last wedding I went to, a friend later asked me about the dress and all I said was I don’t know — to me all wedding dresses look like a wedding dress. Well, I tried, but I can’t recall the wedding dress this time either. Unless you have to pick one dress over another, I could not tell one from another. I could tell you about ram sticks and their clock cycle and latency, but dress, eh, they don’t capture my imagination as a piece of ram drive. Such is life.

    My Uncle who has to be over 80 was driving me home one night, my last night there. I was thinking the whole time, how did I get myself in this situation. He was a safe driver, but if anything were to happen on the ride, my cousins would be blaming me for not declining his ride. My cousins love their uncle/father a lot but no one wanted to speak up telling him he shouldn’t be driving late at night. I was thinking, I could have taken the Uber. He was still a strong man.

    He and his wife just wanted to spend more time with me. We went to his house and we looked at his plants (his pride possessions) and such and he also did not want his nephew to drive us home because they had kids and it was a school night (that was an excuse though because we could drop the kids off first). There are many of this kind of stories, I felt there was no point to share, but they were wonderful and weird memories for personal reasons, maybe too personal to share.

    Yes, such as we did laundry and then drying them on clothlines (this is quite normal thing to do). Houses typically do not have a clothes dryer. I am just not used to airing my laundry. I think it was funny. Everyone seems to use the clothline. We are spoiled here in US.

    Also, they do not have zoning laws like in the States or at least I think they don’t. I was running in a residental neighborhood, which seems to stretch forever, and occassionally, I would come across a business in someone front yard, a legit business like a cafe or a physical therapy or a hotel. It was just weird, but also good, I could stop any time to have a coffee in someone’s yard, and I did at the Swinging Monkey, which was just a small camper trailer parked in a front yard. It was just weird. Coffee was good. Aussies love their coffee.

    At least, in my area in the US, if I leave one neighborhood, there is a distinct difference of a boundary. We use dead-ends to our advantage here. We have neighborhood with just only townhouses, single houses, or apartments. We don’t put it all mangling together. Usually, one community here is semi walled/separated from another, usually by a road or park or some natural/man-made barrier (trees, ponds, even fences, gated community). In the US, if I go into a community, I would get lost, unless you know how to follow the main road out. Because, usually in the US, roads just get smaller and smaller as you get deeper in and you eventually reach a dead end no matter where you turn.

    Not so in Sydney. I ran like through 10-20 communities on just one street, and they seem no different from one before other than a change of name (street sign). There are no natural borders.

    I have to give it to them of the good signage — they are pretty good in tell you which town you are approaching in a certain direction. I was looking for Burwood during my run, and luckily there were signs pointing me there.

    In theory, I could wander around without a phone, without fear of getting lost and I tried exactly that. It was just a giant grid system.

    For us, at least according to my experience, we build our community in a hub-and-spoke system, like a tree, trunk, branches, stems and leaves (because, we don’t want cars to go through local secondary or smaller roads) if they don’t belong there. It is rare where houses would be facing the main road in where I live.

    Sydney is not like that. They do have interstates (Motorways), and main roads, but their secondary roads are their residential, and usually just one lane. There is no further subdivision. Houses are everywhere. There is no separation.

    Their schools also are small. Elementary is just a small building that one could almost mistakenly think an apartment or something. They love their fences. Most properties are fenced off with metal fences as tall as a person. They don’t have big sport fields like we do for schools. They also don’t have school buses, at least I didn’t see any. So there is no drop off zone at school. I think eveyone walk or take public transport. There are no big parking lots (they call it car park). They do have parking decks (but not at a metro stop like we do). Like what! everyone parks on the street. Just so weird to me. Learning to parallel park is a must.

    Most houses are built with concrete. Maybe wood is more expensive. We saw many rebuited homes. Some are two levels. They are quite beautiful and nice. Yes, their houses are smaller than in the States, but they were also nicer looking. They love their houses with long glass panels and concrete (modern architecture style). Almost all have a balcony of some kind. They love porches. And they were not obsesses with bathrooms as we do. The whole house usually only has one bathroom!  My uncle’s house is a bit better to have a separate water closet (just the toilet with no sinks!). I don’t get the rationale of having a room just for the toilet. Maybe because it is a less frequently used? My little place here in the US has four bathrooms! It was not typical for Australians to have a bathroom in the master bedroom and separate one for guests or other family members in the hallway or one for guests or a mud room. It is a reason their houses are smaller.

    I did some real running while in Sydney. I did not track how far, but probably between 30-40 miles. Could be even 50. I wish I did a night run. It was my best day in Sydney after the wedding day of course.

    Unfortunately, I was not able to find some dirt trails to run on. I ran on the Cooks River cycleway (paved), it was better than nothing. There were nights, I could not sleep and I wish I could go out and run, but I did not want to wake up the whole house with my nocturnal activities.

    There were not a lot of changes I noticed on this trip. It has been 15+ years since I have been there so I had expected something new or an evolution. Yes, they have more US brand stores like Costco or McDonalds than last time. They love Krispy Kreme like we do. They have Planet Fitness like we do.

    One change I noticed was probably at the airport where almost everything was checked by biometric. Taipei even required finger printing of both my index fingers at custom. Hong Kong required facial recognition for even boarding, no need a passport or boarding passes (they trust their system). Sydney is still like the US, they still manually check our ID cards at the boarding gate with our boarding pass (which we scanned), but facial recognition is used at border entry and departing at security checkpoint. Note, in the US, we as passengers could pay for the biometric scan (just weird, to look at the machine and it determines if we could enter the country – Global Entry program). There were only 10 or so people using the Global Entry while there were several hundred people (maybe even a thousand), lining up for the normal border check. I was pretty sure, the normal line was also using biometric. I arrived early around 8 am. So what the difference? Not many people were willing to pay for the Global Entry for the shorter line.

    I glad I went. I like Taipei more but Sydney was not bad. I would have gone any way, just for the wedding. I wanted to run and I did run. I reached my objectives. I was there for a wedding and it went well. I met my relatives. checked. I don’t know anything more I wanted to do, other than if I could go for camping in the desert or mountain. Also, I wish I could run on some mountains. Maybe that something for the future. Also, New Zealand is still a goal and it was not too far from Sydney.

  • [620] New Taipei WJS Marathon – What’s Next

    I did many races. This is probably most awesome yet.

    A year ago, I went to Toronto for my international debut. Yes, I felt like a hot stud. US is no longer my playground, now the whole world is. We are going international! Maybe one day, we get to run on the moon or another planet or galaxy!  One can only dream.

    Seriously, running in another country is not as easy as it seems. First of course is the cost. Airfare of couple thousand dollars is no joke. Then hotel and various expenses. Unlike in state, I can’t sleep in the car at the start to save on cost. Then also the culture and language differences, which can be a huddle to get over.

    Anyway, since I started running, I wanted to go oversea. It might be since 2020, I set a goal to save up for an oversea marathon.  Sydney was my target as well as Viet Nam, India, and Ireland. Maybe one day Greece.

    Unbeknown, I ended up in Taipei, Taiwan as my first destination.  Of course, it was not completely unplanned.  My cousin informed me of her wedding about two years ago. I would be going to Sydney, however, the marathon I wanted to do there was not available (I couldn’t meet their requirement of running a 4:20 qualifying marathon time) and long story short, New Taipei WJS Marathon fits my schedule and there was no qualification for entry for foreigners. So I made a side trip to Taipei. For such a far away trip, it would have been a shame if I could not run a marathon.

    The marathon registration website was not available until October.  There was very little information if it would be happening. I was a bit nervous to plan a trip around this race. In the back of my mind, I was doubtful if the organization is reliable.  Once it opened, I signed up. The website had partial English translation and it was a bit confusing to navigate but eventually, I got my foot in the door. 

    It was a competitve event for the locals. Many would enter through a lottery system. As a foreigner, I bypassed the lottery.  I think they reserved 300-500 entries for foreigners.  I felt lucky. There were about 6000 runners total.

    It is an out and back course. I read up on prior reviews and watched Youtube videos. I knew I would be in a treat.

    As for the logistics, they recommended to stay in Taipei.  We would take a bus near the Taipei Main Station, at Kuo Kuang Bus to Wanli, Green Bay (Fei Cui Wan), in the direction of Jinshan Youth Activity Center. All these names and places meant nothing to me while I was in the US, because I had no frame of reference.  I could not remember any chinese words I read. Once landed, it was not hard to figure out where my race was and things were very easy to figure out. Most signs and places in Taipei have English translation.  Google Lens was an invaluable tool I learned to use by the third day. It can do Chinese to English translation on the fly.

    The course had a time limit of 6 hours. The first cutoff was at halfway and we had 3:05 to reach it. It should not be a  problem to me. Somehow, I had an impression that the course cutoff was 5 hours and I tried to run a 4:30 time to beat it, which I did handily (bib time 4:30:38). There was a bit of stress before the race because I felt everyone was a faster runner than me.

    We had 4 different waves for lining up at the start.  I was assigned Wave C.  I decided that C might be a little too fast after taking a look at the runners there (5:00 hr pace team lined up in wave C). It did not matter. In most marathons, I usually in the last wave. I know once the race start, people would spread out. If I am fast, I could catch up.

    Lining up for race

    Because the gun time is the official time, some people in my wave tried to go as far to the front as possible. In many marathons I ran, unless you are an elite runner, gun time bears little significant. Most races place the emphasis on the chip time (such as sorting and ranking). But here, we are ranked by gun time, so runners wanted to be as close to the start as possible to get that couple minute advantage. Those who arrived late to the coral were pressing up to get to the front. We were packed in. I thought it was a bit rude to fight for a little distance. It created a bit of crowding at the front of the wave. I wanted to tell them calm down. We are all in D wave, and there is no point to fight for that bit of distance.

    Once our wave crossed the start, everyone rushed forward and sprinted as if we were in a 5k.  I found it quite funny.  Many people passed me even though I think I ran at a very good pace.  About a mile or so, I passed the 5-hour pacer. Still many in my wave were rushing forward.

    The course was still very crowded even though we had both sides of the road to run.  Later they ushered us to use only the left side of the road, and to leave the right side for the returning runners.  I accidentally elbowed someone and someone accidentally tripped me from behind. It was fine. It was not until halfway when the crowd thinned out.

    At 14km I saw the first runner coming back from the other direction. I estimate, it was about 1:20:00 into the race. The first runner finished around 2:10.  They were fast. I think they were running around 5 min mile pace.

    The course was scenic. We had good weather. The sky was mostly overcast.  Temperature was 65-70F, which was hot for me but cool to the locals. I was sweating early on.

    Crowd support came from the nearby town people and villagers. It was a joy seeing them as we passed through one town after another and they were there chanting and cheering us.  However, there were very little fans from family or friends because the course was in kind of a remote place and many friends and family couldn’t make it out.  They also blocked the roads so transportation was not so easy.

    Our charter buses only transported runners but not family or friends.  My mom stayed in Taipei and did not come with me. I could have planned better of having a hotel at the start so that my mom could cheer me.  However, I saw many others also did not have friends or family there.

    Unlike marathons in the US, there were no impromptu signs held up by fans and family. I normally love reading those while running. Also, there were no unofficial aid stations unlike many races I did in the US. I think it was against the running rules for runners to accept unofficial aids from crowd and so on.  The race was so serious. Those rules normally only apply to the elite runners and not to us. I only saw one runner went to the crowd and someone handed him a beer and he drank it. Oh, how I wish I could have a beer. However, I did not want to risk a DQ (disqualification) for accepting aids.

    The course was mostly flat but there were some hills especially toward the end section. At least this was my impression. For some, it might be a hard course.  The hills got me too. I could not run on some at 35 km. Not that they were steep, but I was out of energy.

    Aid stations were plenty and well stocked. At no point were we out of water.  They had fluid at every station which was about 3 km apart. “Food” which consisted various kind of snacks were available at about every 6 km. I utilized them fully since I no longer use gels. Runners around me though mostly stayed away from snacks and gels.

    By halfway, I started to make gain on runners.  Those around me were strong runners but pretty soon after halfway, there were a lot of people slowing down to a walk. I take it there were a lot of first time marathon runners. They hit the proverbial wall.

    I was not the fastest. There were a bunch of other runners passing me too. I swallowed my pride and ran my own race and walked when I needed. I knew I had started too fast and now I was out of steam. I leapfrogged with some runners.

    We had distance marker at every KM. I found them useful but I preferred mile marker in mile. I had to translate km to mile in my head. It was not too hard. I knew every 5 km is 3 mile (roughly). I usually count by five to make it easy for my brain.

    I ran enough to know my wall is around mile 20, so at 30 km, it was expected to get hard for me. I got myself to 35 km. There was brief periods when I regained energy and pressed forward again, especially after 35 km. There was a long section of downhill. I ran my heart out.

    Near 40 km (tunnel), I met a lady. She could speak English a bit. She was going strong. I have been chasing her for over several km. She had ran this marathon in 2016 according to her shirt. I asked if she has done it every year. She said she is a slow runner.  This was her 17th marathon. I congratulated her. I told her the last two miles usually is the hardest for me. I knew I should not quit now when the finish is so close. I knew no more than 5 minutes the finish line should come in sight.  She said something to me I don’t recall now, but it put a fire in me to run my hardest.  I ran without stopping, encouraging those around me to press forward too. A guy took up my challenge and ran along side. I sprinted into the finish.

    My time was 4:30:38 (bib time), official gun time was something like 4:32:56.  I had my medal. The rest was good. We had a lot of good food and drinks.  We were given a towel for shower. I picked up my clothes from bag drop and changed into cleaner clothes. The swag was way better than many marathons I did. Most runners stayed behind to chat in the resting area tent.  Unlike in all the US marathons I did, the race was a bit difficult for runners to go back to the finish line to cheer other runners.  Everyone was waiting at the resting area. There was also no family reunion area, because many of our family and friends could not make it out to the country side.

    My thoughts were, I am grateful to come from so far to be able to do this race.

    Around 5k mark, beautiful course throughout. Everyone was so focused and no one was chit-chating except me. Also unlike in the US, not many rely on their watches for pacing. There is very little crowd on the roadside. No cowbells and such.

  • [619] Seneca Creek 50k and news

    This week run was similar to one I did last week. It is spring so we have a lot of rain. As you can guess, it makes running “fun”, meaning running in mud and being wet and cold.

    I take it all.  Give me the toughest conditions for me to be ready for my future races. No complaints.

    We ran a 50k on Saturday.  In truth, it was not as muddy as the weekend before.  We started our race with slight sprinkling. The temperature was warmer, at least by 10 (F) degrees than previous week. It was around 60F, so some runners ran in t-shirt and shorts. We knew rain was coming, so a jacket or a rain poncho or a houdini was a must.

    I dressed pretty much like last week to make sure I was warm. I had long pants, long sleeves, an inner layer, and a jacket. It was not raining heavily, so I didn’t put on my rain poncho. I figured once it came down heavier, I put that on too to keep me completely dry. I was probably only one wearing hiking boots.  Someone noticed and said, are those boots! Yep! The heaviest pair I got. At least they would keep my feet from mud, and that was the plan. Rain did get in later on, but for half of the race, my feet were totally dry.

    We started on time. Several of my friends and running buddies were there. We started together but everyone quickly spreaded out.

    Paul, the dude I recently met from Rock n the Knob and other races, like the Naked Bavarian, the previous weekend was there also. I was surprised to see him. We joked around. Since I arrived early, I was standing at the front of the line with Caroline and others. Paul joked we should go a bit to the rear. He was right indeed. We being slower runners shouldn’t try to claim first at starting out the gate.

    So I went all the way to the last place. Paul shifted back too but to about middle. So I went to join him.  He seemed to be familar with the course because he told me instead of trying to be first out the gate, we should get to the part where the trail narrowed and he and I would slow down to block off everyone from the rear. We were joking of course. Usually everyone slow down to a walk once we hit the trail. We saw some frustrated runners trying pass people there. For me, I knew the race will be long, and those who were trying to pass at this point, would get overtaken soon.

    I ran this race, the Seneca Greenway 50k the last several years and so I knew that the race would get harder toward end.

    The first few miles were the happiest miles. I ran with Paul for a bit until he left me, which was fine. He usually is faster. He has improved lately. Caroline my other friend was already long gone.  Adeline, another friend, was a few paces in front but then she dropped back once we reached the creek near Riffleford AS.

    Adeline usually is much faster than me, so once she slowed down, I did too. My shoelaces came undone a few times and I made frequent stops to have them tied again.  It was unusual. Usually I double knot them so it would stay. They wouldn’t stay tight for some reason, probably due to sand and mud from the previous weekend that got into the fabric and the laces lost its elasticity.

    By mile 4-5, I caught up to my friend Caroline. She was a happy runner, singing and leaping here and there. I followed from behind. Her pace was decent. We crossed a bridge, I took a wipe-out but was ok.  She said something about suck it up, showing me tough love. I know, either turn around or press forth, there was no sitting around. I got up and caught back up to her. Everything was ok and I wasn’t hurt, just maybe my bum and pride.

    We arrived at our first Aid Station. It was at where I expected. I have done this race a few times, plus the Stone Mill 50, which was on mostly the same course, they used the same location for their stops too, at Rt 28.

    Here, I decided to leave Caroline behind. My goal was to catch up to Paul and the initial pack of people I started with. Slowly, I reeled people in one after another. The pack has dispersed but I recognized most of the runners when I passed them.

    We crossed another creek and came to Mike and Mike unofficial stop (AS). Unofficially, because they said to pretend that they are not there, they were to support some biking event. I knew he was pulling my leg. I saw no one biking on a rainy day. These two were my “coaches” for my Stone Mill training runs back in November.  Mike helped me at Devil Dog 100 each year, usually by reminding me to put on my jacket and then rushing me to the cafeteria for some hot food. They had true ultra food at their aid station and the food was glutin free. They proudly advertised it. Mike was grilling some hot food for us.

    It was good to see Mike here. I started to feel tired, so I stopped and chatted for maybe 10 minutes. Mike E just finished a 200 miler two weeks ago. It was a race I wanted to do. He gave me some information for next year race (registration will start on April 1).

    Now it started to get colder and rain was about to get heavier. Reluctantly, I left to continue with the race. I had to keep moving to stay warm. Once stopped, the body was cooling quickly.

    I decided not to put on my rain poncho at this time until I get to the aid station, since it was a hastle to take it off to fill up water and my water was about to run out. I wanted to wait after refilling water to do it all at once. In the end, I didn’t wear it. My friend Caroline got very cold, but unfortunately, I was not with her to give her my poncho. She survived.

    Trail became much worse and there was nothing dry but mud everywhere and on occasion there were pools of water, and they were so large there was no point but to go through it. My boots got wet on one of these crossings. I could not wait till reach the turn around point. There was nothing there, but it was a goal for me to push on. I put in more effort to catch up with people. We reached the road section. I saw three or four runners ahead.  I was glad some slowed to a walk.  I kept my pace and soon I passed them.  I told them the next aid station, Berryville Road should be near, though exactly where I was not sure. 

    I reached the aid station. It was at the creek crossing (the Stone Mill Big creek crossing). They also had our dropbags. It was good to be refreshed. I recognized one of the volunteers. He said we finished together at the JFK 50. I did not remember. It must have been awhile ago. The next section was not too memorable. It was muddy and swampy. This section is same as the Stone Mill and I used that knowledge to recall some familar trail markings I would come across.  All trails look alike for first time runner. It was hard for me too and I challenged myself to recall some specific things to keep myself from boredom. I remembered crossing two open fields, ran up some hill, and more fields, then couple bridges and a river crossing before seeing the highway. Often you hear it first before seeing it.

    I passed more walkers and reached Rt 28.  A runner felt on one of the bridges.  I told him I did too earlier. He seemed to be struggling and had a knee brace on. I hoped he could make it. He said he was ok but he was limping. I believe the aid station was only a mile away.

    From Rt 28, we had about a 8-9 miles stretch.  It was less muddy here on the Seneca Ridge but we had many (big) hills to climb.  This is the section that I usually get hurt or “destroyed”. The elevation here kills me each year. Hill were runnable but after 4-5 of them, legs just could not manage any more. I knew this would be a good training for me.

    I was able to catch up to more runners, including Paul after mile 20.  I joked with him on how many people he and I had blocked so far. He spreaded his arms to try block me from passing him. I knew we were only goofing around. I was hoping he would stay my pace, but not long later, he had dropped farther and farther back. He asked me how many more miles to go. I said, probably 4 miles, but I think now looking back, it was probably 6 miles instead of 4. Sorry, I always underestimated how long this section section for me.  This section always seems too long.

    I made it to the last Aid Station, Riffleford at mile 27. It was half a mile to the decision point and another half mile for the marathon finish (total 28 miles). I had maybe 4 miles left, which included a run around the lake.  If I wanted to, I could take a shorter way back, but that only means a marathon finish. I wanted a full 50k. They called this part the decision point to whether choose for more suffering or have it done quicker. I think most would prefer the quicker end for a day like today.

    I finished before 8 hours.  I hoped to finish before her. I came in at 07:45, and she did it at 7:59. I was hoping to see her come in at the finish. However, I was too cold to stay outside to wait and I went to my car to change into dry clothes and missed her arrival. I only saw her half hour later when she went to her car for changing clothes.

    I was 5 minutes slower than last year. My friend said to be thankful and enjoy the day. Indeed.

    —

    So what is the point.  I am training for some tougher races, especially the Western States, plus the rest of the grand slam, which some are equally as hard or harder even.

    People want to know how my training been.  It is like that. Tough.  Sorry for not posting much about my training because there was nothing much to share. I know the actual race (WS100) will be even tougher. I don’t have any confident on finishing. I gave myself maybe a 10% chance. My friend said stop being wishy washy. Yes, I hope to get my odds above 51-49.

    Of the four grand slam races, I got into three of them. This week, I made certain to get into the last one (Vermont 100) through a coaching program. They would accept 5 entrants who are willing to be coached through their affiliated training program. They still had rooms for one or two more, so I contacted the RD (M) and she put me in touch with the program manager (R) and who got me a coach (V). Yes, I will reveal my coach once I did my race.

      I am excited having a coach. My training will get tougher.  When I am my own coach, I took a lot of rest days. I expect my new coach will push me much much more. I want to earn the compliant every single week. He said he plans to me stronger. I thought it was gym, but he said he would give me certain workouts to make my legs stronger (like box hopping). I totally agree. I need to be stronger for my races.

    A runner at the creek crossing, I love rock hopping. My wolf pack for most of the race. I caught up to all but one runner in my pack

    conclusion.  I have my eyes on the big races, and use the smaller races as training runs. Things are looking good. Up next, I have some exciting news to share. Wait and see! Hint, 2024 International debut!

    2023 Seneca Race report.  I have been getting slower every year

  • [618] Naked Bavarian

    I am addicted with running, my friend commented.

    My life consists of work work work and run run run.

    When I was in school, we had the motto to work hard and to play hard. We often use a blowfish to represent us which can drink up 10x – 20x their body weight. Meaning, we take things to the excess. Not much is change now. I don’t drink or party in excess but I do love running.

    For me nothing is more fulfilling than to be out on the trail and run.

    This past weekend I was at the Naked Bavarian 40 miler.  Of course, it has been raining the whole week. Luckily the race was not canceled.  However, the Race Director had reduced the distance from 40 miles to 20 miles.

    Many of us did not mind a bit because the trail condition was horrible.

    It was a mud fest.  Every inch of the trail was in a foot deep of mud.  I might be exaggerated a bit but not by much.

    It was slipping and sliding.  By the time we finished the first 20 miles no one wanted to go back out for another 20.

    This was my first time at the Naked Bavarian but the race organization is known to me.  I ran their Naked Nick twice (the 50k in December).  I got to know them through the Philadelphia trail marathon, though the year I wanted to run it, it was canceled due to the pandemic and I still haven’t had the chance to return to do it. I almost did in 2021, but decided not to at the last moment, so 2022 and 2023, I ran their Naked Nick.

    Naked Bavarian was at the same location as the Naked Nick at Blue Marsh, Leesport, in central Pennsylvania, near the town Reading. The course is run on the north part of the lake as oppose to the south side.

    The trail is generally runable.  We had a bit of climbs about 2000 ft total.  There were about 200+ runners, which is really big for a trail race.

    My friend Jana was there.  She was there during my last two Naked Nick run too. This time I did not see her at all during the race until later seeing her social media posting. I finished first, but I was away from the finish line (in my car changing).

    I generally don’t like rain or mud but once I am on the trail I don’t mind it.  It was a hard run but fun. 

    I came prepared.  I had on two raincoats (a jacket and poncho).  One is enough but two…I don’t know why, maybe I like my legs being covered too. I felt better with two on me.  The day was cold maybe around 40 F.  It was raining but not heavily.  The trail turned muddy once runners were on it.  It meant every step, we had to put more effort in picking up our feet and also watched where we were stepping.  In the end it did not matter, because everywhere was mud.  Mud acts like suction cups, so our feet were stuck with each step.  It was gross all over.

    Aid stations were good.  We had good supports.  I stopped at every one. 

    A runner, Paul, was with me for the entire race.  I have seen him at other races.  He has become quite a runner like me. 

    We chatted and such.  I finished around 12:38 (about 4:38 hr for the 20 miler).  I stayed in my car the next hour or so to change and get warm before heading back out to watch the finish.

    I then stayed till the last runner came in.  The race closed around 3 pm.  I had good soup from the station.  The rest of the day and weekend was uneventful.

    Ah the next day I went out to the Roller Coaster of the AT had a day of hiking.  Nothing much to be said.  I put in probably another 20 miles. It was my cool down day and I felt so much better after an intense Saturday. I could say a lot more. I got my training in.

    Time flew by. I could not remember much.

    The place where I almost lost my phone. Luckily two hikers (backpacker, or thru hiker) found my phone and brought it with them to the trailhead.

  • [617] Surprise 3rd winter storm (the Reverse Ring)

    The Ring and the Reverse Ring. Those who are in the know know. It is not a secret but the Ring and the Reverse Ring is like a secret club run. I think because it is hard and very few people do it. It ends up as a clique thing.

    First, it has certain entry requirements especially for the Reverse Ring.  Runners cannot sign up unless they did the Ring (summer version first).

    Typically, you are looking at a dozen of so runners and some years there were just a handful.  When you finish, your name is written forever on tge club page and you are part of the fellowship of the Ring. It is like being in a selective club. The Reverse Ring they say is harder, though it is on the same course but run in the reverse direction (counterclockwise).

    About the course, it is 100% on the Massanutten Trail. This trail is the central to many of the club runs with the most notably, the Massanutten 100, the 100 miler everyone knows and loves.  The Ring only runs about 70 miles (71) on it, the northern half. You would think that would be easier for those who have done the 100 mile version to do this one.  Maybe is true, but there is less fanfare about the Ring, so maybe runners are not seriously as prepared to run it as in the 100 miler.

    I myself truly did not know for I have never done it. Like most races from the Virginia Happy people, I’ve heard of the Ring in passing but once come to running in it, it gets tricky in the signing up process. I usually don’t pay attention to when it is open for signup and usually a lowly club event falls off from my radar.

    Thankfully the MMT 100 signup has moved to the normal website (ultrasignup) and thus, I was able to run it the last two years.

    The Ring is the free version, a fatass they call it.  Maybe because it is free, not many people sign up to run it.

    Those who have done it love it.  It is their Orange trail. Orange because the trail is blazed with orange color paint.  I heard of the Orange trail etc.  It is rocky and difficult. Those who did it always complain that they hate it but always will come back next year for more.

    This year was doubly hard because in the middle of the event we had a surprise winter storm (snow) on the mountain.  The race/run continued.

    I had a free weekend. The two RDs for the Reverse Ring sent out a call for volunteers.  It was their first time in charge.  We had an unusual high number of participants (30+ signed up), 24 toed the start, but only about 10 finished.

    I was put my name to join the first Aid Station at Woodstock Tower which was about 13-15 miles in the race.  The race started at 6 am.  I was at my station by 7.  We had a bit of time before the first runner showed up, which was predicted to be around 8:10.  Daisy and Jesse (the two RDs) said, let’s climb the Woodstock Tower since none of us never been up there.  I always wondered in the past when I ran by it during my race or training run, exactly what’s the view is up there. Curiosity got better of us.

    Lookout from Woodstock Tower, facing east

    All three of us were scare of height and we quickly descended once we took some bragging selfies. 

    The First runner arrived right on the dot at 8:11/8:12. (He will be at the Western States 100).  He was sure fast.  Carl, another fast runner came not long after.  Then there were a trickle of runners.  Lastly all my slower friends came in, including, Wayne, Jamie, Q, and Carol.  These were people I often get to run with.

    Our AS was the first one so there was very little for us to do to help runners.  All were happy people.  Also the time spread from the first to the last runners were still kind of close, about two hours apart unlike at the later stations, which could be as long as 12 hours. We were done by 10:30 in the morning.

    I had the rest of the day to myself, so I decided to drive about 45 minutes down Fort Valley Road to Camp Roosevelt (Camp Roo as it is known among us).  This is the last crew station and final cutoff at their mile 50.  It was still early and the aid station at Camp Roo had not set up yet. 

    I then went out for a run, decided to head up to Kerns Mountain intended to do my MMT 3rd training run.  It would take about 12 hours for me to tackle this 35 mile run.  Little did I know the weather had other idea.

    I got on Orange around 11 am.  Went down toward Duncan Knob. Duncan Hollow was as muddy as ever. Took Blue trail and climb up on Gap Creek.  From Gap Creek to the little bridge, crossed over Crisman Hollow Rd and climbed Jaw Bone.  Then I realized my mistake of not bringing a rain jacket or winter clothes because it started raining and quickly turned into snow.  Soon before I reached Kerns Mnt, the trail started turning white. I heard later it was at least 4 inches.

    Trail turning white.

    The trail was completely covered. There was no longer any rock seen. It was slip and slide.  A few runners from the Ring run caught up to me.  The front runners (1-4) already had been through but these who were passing me also are pretty good runners and they were battling the element (Justin, Jaque and Luc).

    I was glad the trial finally ended for me once I got back on Crisman Hollow Rd.  The runners who were doing the Ring, they had to descend the Waterfall trail which was notorious steep.  No thanks for me.  I took the Road back to Camp Roo.  The Road portion is same for MMT 100 and Old Dominion 100 (to Four Point AS).  I have never ran from here to Camp Roo before so it was a good run for me.  It was about 8 miles back.  I was happy to be back.

    Bird Knob was my original plan after Kerns Mountain but with the snow, no way would I want to ascend Bird Knob.

    I stayed at Camp Roo from 5 to closing at 10pm.  The three runners I met eventually made it to Camp Roo and they also called quit after arriving.  I took the honor to drive them back to the start at Signal Knob.

    A side story, was I became kind of sick afterward.  The mountain road of the Fort Valley Road made my head dizzy.  I made it back to camp Roo around 8/9 o clock but I was feeling dizzy.  Wayne came in.  I helped him with what he needed.  He stayed about half an hour before heading back out. They were asking me if I would accompany him (pacing).  I would but I was kind of sick so I turned it down.  He did fine without me any way and finished. 

    Jamie came in.  Her friend Larry helped her and paced her through the night. 

    John H and John C came in. Nick too. These were the final runners. John H decided  it was enough of Orange for him. John C and Nick were cold. They also stayed a while at the camp fire to warm up. Someone donated a jacket to John and thank God, that got him through the night.

    The Reverse Ring showed grit some runners had.

    I took the easy way. I drove to Signal Knob after the last runner came through. There I slept till 6 am in the morning.  Wayne said he would arrive at 6 am.  I know that was just a prediction.  He came in a little after 7. He was happy as so were other runners, John and Nick and Jamie. They all made it back.

    I was not running in it. I was happy to experience their thrill.  We were tracking them from station to station. 

    On a personal note, once the race was over, Dan, and his wife and I decided to climb the  Signal Knob. It was about a 10 mile to go around. This is my stumping ground so I am pretty familiar. I took the Meneka Peak path. It was an awesome day for me.

    I fnished my short version of the run and was exhausted.  The night sleeping in the car was not fun, but it definitely beat being out on the trail that night.  I heard the temperature was around 24 at the base. With wind chill factoring in and elevation, it might have been in the teens.  Those runners survived the night. Hat off to them. Yes, the winter storm was not in the forecast. It was beautiful nonetheless.  I slept the next 14-16 hours after I got home.  I call that a great weekend.