In awe

Tag: weekend

  • Day491 IMTR run #2 (Training week 5)

    I went to Damascus (VA) and had my second and last on-site training run for the IMTR (Iron Mountain Trail Run), a race I will be doing in a couple week.

    This is similar to the trip I took about amont ago in July. Last time, we covered the second half of the course, from Skull Gap to Skull Gap (a loop, shaped like a p) which is from mile 15 to mile 35 on race day.

    This time we covered the first half (mile 1-15 and mile 35 to mile 50) from the town of Damacus out to Skull Gap. It is almost an out and back, with the first 5 mile being a loop, and follow by a 10 mile of out-and-back, think of it being a like a lowercase letter d. The full course is like a q and a d stack together, connected by the handle, or think of it as an elongated figure 8, where the middle is stretch out really long.

    My expectation was this first half (30 mile in total) is easier than the second half (which is on 20 miles). I don’t think I was wrong, but these 30 miles are just as hard too.

    The first half is not a walk in the park as I first thought it would be.

    A reason I might have the wrong impression was, we have 5 miles on the Virginia Creeper Trail and this is the easiest portion of the race, for being flat and on a bike trail. We ran this portion with fresh legs and so it felt fast. Then there is a mile of climb using Bleech Trail to get onto the Iron Mountain. This is hard stuff, probably the hardest part of the entire section, or the whole 50 mile course. After that, It is generally a roller coaster ride of ups and downs to Skull Gap, but I believe mostly up. Here my last year memory apparently blocked out all the ups. There were at least half of the 9 miles being climbing. And when it is not climbing, it is slightly on an upward incline. There are some descends too. The trail in this portion is not technical. However, I am probably out of shape as I couldn’t get into a good running stride for a long substainable time. I was exhausted at the turn around at Skull Gap. Of course, on race day, we would have to do the 20 mile loop out to Hurricane Gap (as we did on the first training run), plus a 13 mile back to the start.

    About halfway to Skull Gap is FS 90, where on our race day will be one of our aid stations. During training run, this was a life-saver, because we had our water there. On race day, that will determine if I will get cut or not.

    I was fortunate to be able to run with Greg (someone I met) on the return portion (about last 13 miles). Greg generally is a much faster runner than I. He was a mile ahead of me by the time I was near halfway. Because it was an out and back, I turned around and ran back to the start when I saw him. He has done the race 5 times and this year would be his 6th. He is well familiar with the trail and the race. He shared some of his race strategies. He said he normally allots 7 hours for the first half and 5 hours for the second half of the course (first half meaning from Damascus to Skull Gap and back to Damascus). Coming back is supposed to be easier than going out.

    On our training, it took us 7:18 minutes to do the out and back. Greg considered that was decent for a training run. It might have taken me a bit longer because I skipped a mile. I imagine it should have taken me 7.5 hours, if I had run the full length as Greg.

    The second portion took me about 6 hours during the last training run. The combined gives me an expected time finish time on race day of 13.5 hours. Note, the race only allows for 12 hours. I have to run faster meet the cutoff on race day.

    I am in a serious trouble of not being able to finish on time on race day. If I must, I can drop down to a 40 mile option. However, I really want to flex that I can run a 50 mile in 12 hours.

    I went back out on Sunday, doing the same loop, hoping I could shorten the time. On Sunday, I was actually slower. It took me 4 hours to descend from Skull Gap to Damascus and it took equally as long from Damascus back to Skull Gap, where I parked. It ended up 8 hours.

    The time is not indicative of what it will be like on race day. I hope I will get faster. I know I run faster when it is an actual race than on a training run.

    Even though I did not reach my target time, I enjoyed my training runs. The weather was generally much cooler. I haven’t been able to have a 70-75F day since the Catoctin Run. It has been 90+ everyday the last few weekends. So this weekend, we were lucky. Sunday, I ran in the rain during the afternoon. The rain felt refreshing. Not just the rain, but the sound of raindrops on leaves and the mist that came as the result was amazing. It was foggy. I like fog.

    Originally, I thought I would have trouble with the logistics being that it was an out-and-back run. On the first day, we had a water drop at FS 90 (halfway point) and I ran out of water exactly by halfway (maybe 8 miles in). However, on Sunday, there was no water drop because I was by myself and I did not know the way to FS 90 where the trail crosses to leave myself water ahead of time. I was concern about where to get water for my run. Then the idea came to me to park my car at Skull Gap and run down into town. I could then go to a gas station to get water and then run back up to Skull Gap. I did just that. While I was in Damascus, I got myself lunch at a Subway. It also was a good practice to ser how fast I could get down from the mountain (no fast as I original had expected).

    No big conclusion. I am fatter and heavier. I regained much of the weight I lost before the MMT event in May. I have been slacking in my training. It shows. I do want to be better. I have three weeks to get myself in shape. I was out of breath.

  • Day473 Impromptu race

    TL:DR; Ended up running in a nameless race overnight last weekend. The race was called 24-hr Adventure Trail Run by Athletic-Equation, but that is a generic name.

    My plan for the weekend was to go to the MMT race course to have one more practice after finishing the Easter Chocolate Bunny night run. But by Wednesday or was it Thursday morning I woke up and saw a post in my running group about a 24 hour race in my local area, with openings for last a minute signup, since there were a few spots made available. 24 hour would be a bit too much for me with this close to my A race (MMT) but they also had a night event for an 8 hour run and that was perfect for me to do.

    To me it was a no brainer to run it. The race was relatively inexpensive, and it was about the same as a tank of gas if I had driven out to the MMT. This race was in the city so, it saved me a trip to the mountain. They provided good aid stations as expected. I wanted to do a long run on the trail this weekend. Rather than me having to drive out to some godforsaken place and running by myself with zero supports, a race was a godsend. At least all the food and safety issues would be taken care of by them.

    A race that promised a night run was all I was looking for to get ready for the 100 mile race. This race was held at the Prince William Forest, where I failed to finish the Devil Dog 100K last December, so I knew the course should be tough enough. I felt this could give me training to the Devil Dog as well. I signed up immediately.

    On my race day, I was pretty busy. I had my usual Saturday morning run (16 miles ish), which I finished around 2 pm. I rested a bit until 4 pm and I got up to get ready for my race. Remember, it’s a night race but I wanted to be there at least an hour before the required time, 8:30, for the director’s briefing, plus I remembered parking being a bear when I did the Devil Dog there. I wanted some buffer room in case things go south. You never know in the DC area, because traffic could occur any time even in the middle of the night. 6:30 was the latest I would leave and still feel safe in making to there.

    My friend earlier in the week had asked if I was available to help him move a piano that day, so I promised to help. I asked if he could move up the time from 5 to 4. I don’t mind helping him. The moving project was relatively fast but the place we moved the piano to was about an hour away. It took us about 2.5 hours total. There were 5 of us, but two of the men were elderly in their 70s (my friend’s dad and his dad’s friend) and we did not want them to lift anything, especially a piano. The difficult part was getting the piano from the basement. The stairway was narrow. There was not much room to grab onto the piano except on either end. That thing weighs a ton (not literally) but it was too heavy for just my friend and me to lift, because we are not body builders. We couldn’t move it even with three people. We needed four. I think it must be around 200-300 pounds.

    Originally, I promised to help until 6 pm since I had to be at the race by around sun down. But seeing the lack of helps my friend had, I felt sorry for him. I knew the two old men while helpful were not able to lift. After we loaded the piano onto my friend’s van, I went with him to his house to unload it as well. The unloading process took only 15 minutes. It was pretty fast getting the piano inside his house. By then I was really pressed for time to get to the race site. I knew I would be late. It was already 7:30 and I was an hour later than planned.

    I never felt so rushed to get to a race. It was about an hour to get to the site. By the time I arrived, it was exactly 8:30 pm. However, there was no group briefing, so I was not technically late. Luckily, it was a low key event. I thought there were going to be hundreds of people, but most were already done and left. Parking was not an issue. The start location was the same as the Devil Dog at Happyland (camp #5) so I was familiar in getting there even after sunset. The 24 hour people started 13.5 hours earlier, in the morning. The 50K and 100K people already finished theirs. There maybe only 30 people on the course by the time I arrived. The 8 hour people already started too. Originally, the 8 hour people (the event I signed up for) were supposed to start at 9 pm. The race director gave me my bib number, pointed me to the course and said I could start whenever and run however I wanted. There was a prepared course, but the first few hundred yards or so were unmarked and it ran through the campsite. It would be obvious during the day which way to go, but at night everything was dark. It was going to be a “fun” run, since he knew I signed up to get training time and not for any awards or placement. Off I started. The time was 8:45 pm. I asked if I could skip the portion around road and cabins, he said sure if I want to. I was not going to be DQ. Of course, I didn’t do so, but that was how low key and chill vibe the event was. The director probably did not sleep since the day before and at this point it was just me running this, and who really cares if I followed the actual course. Later, I found out there were 8 of us doing the 8-hour run, but I never once saw them.

    I had a volunteer (Kevin) who wanted to do one loop with me. He was there since early in the morning doing parking lot duty and later served at an aid station. He had finished his shift. He has the same ultra running interests as I am. The director pointed to him saying he is doing what you are doing. He didn’t mean running in this race but about doing ultras in general. We got off well. He shared his race stories. He also injured his hamstring back in February and had a similar experience as I did, having literally pain in the butt and of not being able to train/run the last couple months. His next race is the Old Dominion 100, so he has one extra month than me to train. He showed me the course. He was well familiar with it since he did the 24 hr last year and he had run the Devil Dog 100k many times. I felt I met an angel. If I need any tips regarding the course, this guy knows every turn and bump. He ran at my pace too without complaining. He actually told me to go in front of him but I prefer following him since it was my first loop. I’m a pretty slow runner.

    We ran fast. We had our fastest lap time. After finishing the loop, he went home. I continued on. The night was quiet. We occasionally saw those who ran the 24 hour event. I believe I was the only one running on the course. The rest were just struggling through by walking. The 24 hour people were having a rough time since the day was hot (75-80 F) (or hotter than we normally used to for this time of year). Some had dropped earlier due to the heat. Those that remained were not in any better shape. The night was cooler around 50-60 F.

    I finished my 2nd lap by 12:30 am. It was much slower. Then the third lap by 2:30 and fourth by 4:15 am, I found my groove. My time was up by 5 am, so I did not plan to do a 5th lap. I felt pleased with a pretty strong run, considering I did 26 miles in 9 hours the previous week. Today, 25 miles in 7.5 hours was more than I hoped for. I found the trail was not as tough as I remembered, probably having trained on the MMT course, got me adjusted well to rocky trails. This local trail has become a childplay for me.

    Near the end of my last lap, I passed a runner who seemed to want to follow me, However, I was going too fast for her to keep up. I told her if she wants another lap and needed pacing I will be available at the aid station, which was also our starting and finish line.

    She (Anna) came in around 4:25 and decided to go for another lap. Most runners though already gave up of doing another lap since it was not likely they would make it back by 7:00 to have the lap counted. By then most have an idea how much time needed to finish a lap. Anna told me she has been running 2.5 hour a lap (a lap being 10K). It would be a close call to get her final lap in before 7 am since I could see at that point she was exhausted and would likely be much slower on this final lap.

    At this time, her pace was visibly deteriorating, but she was determined to go back out. I was willing to pace her. She asked if I think she can make it. I said I am her pacer and always believe in my runner (even if I don’t, I wouldn’t discourage them)! We did not spend too much time at the station. She just refilled her bottle and we went out immediately. Since I came in much earlier, I had time to change and ate up and be refreshed. I already changed into my good shoes and warm clothes. The temperature now was maybe around high 40s and dropping but it was cold without a jacket.

    In her struggle, we reached halfway by 5:45 am. It was not bad but not ideal either. The return leg would probably take an hour and fifteen minutes, and likely much longer because she was in pain. At the halfway point, she sat down on the trail. I thought it was done for her. The station manager laid out the options for her. If she wanted to quit, she could stop there and her miles would be counted up to that point. She was trying to clarify if she finished after 7 am would her lap be counted. They radioed in to the race director. Basically she has to finish before 7 for it to count. She was determined to finish. She turned to me pleading, to run (mostly to reaffirm her own conviction). It must have been so painful for her to go into a run since earlier we were only walking and she was struggling. She was counting on me to pace her. I told her, running is not an issue for me because I was still fresh (I felt I could do a good job). So we ran. At first, I was just fast hiking and she was running. Later her pace was too fast for me to be hiking and I had to go into a slow jog. She wanted me up in front. Usually one paces from behind (for trail races). So I tried to keep a pace that was slow enough for her but not too slow. Surprisingly it was easier now with fully lighted (pre-dawn). I could see the trail even without my headlamp. It was easy. Miles flew by. Anna was pretty good. She kept up all the way until the last mile where she needed more frequent walking break. She was able to transition back to a run time and again. We finished with 30 minutes to spare! She crossed the finish line at 6:30 am.

    No other people came in after her. A few went out after the race director informed them that they could get a half lap counted if they reach the halfway aid station before 7. Three or 4 people did. We saw them go out when we were close to the finish. Those were all her friends who came from Mexico to run in this race. She somehow inspired them to do a half lap. Not sure if she actually came from Mexico for this race or she is a resident here with diplomatic ties. It is not strange for our area to have people from all over the world.

    We had breakfast and an award ceremony in the mess hall. There might be only 10 of us out maybe 50 in the race. None of the 8 hr people stay. Many others had left already. I felt close to this small group of runners. I ran with them through the night. I was battling sleepiness and the good food was only putting me to sleep quicker. I slept in my car for a couple hours before driving home.

    This concluded my weekend. My new friend Kevin summarized for me when I first met him at the race. He said so you spent the morning running, the afternoon lifting weight and then still doing an all night run. Ya…this might seem like a lot, but as my 100 mile race is approaching, the body should be able to handle the load. It is reasonable for me to be able to do this. As for my hamstring, I think I am at 100% (recovered) now.

  • Day471 BRR volunteering and Easter

    The Bull Run 50 mile Race, took place last weekend. At the last minute, they reopened their registration, however, I already had other plans especially since I signed up to volunteer at one of their aid stations. It would be bad karma to promise to serve and then go back on my words.

    This BROT (Bull Run/Occoquan Trail) 50 Mile Race is the race I have been wanting to run but was never able to catch their sign up. I joined them a couple times on their training runs (BRR #1 and #3) recently. BRR stands for Bull Run Run and is how the training runs are named. BROT is the abbreviation for the trail name and I think it is the official race name.

    When I heard the registration being reopened, I was torn. I needed some longer runs for my 100 mile training. A 50 mile race would be about right. However, being this near to the 100 race, it might not do me any good. I am about a month out from my race.

    I knew I was going to volunteer when they made a call for us. And volunteering was fun. We made a lot of runners happy. Our station was the first stop at about 7 miles into their race. Many faster runners did not need anything from us. The course was an out and back in both directions, with the race starting near the middle (Hemlock Overlook). We were stationed near the Bull Run Park end point, so we saw runners coming toward us and back again for a second time after a turn around at Bull Run. By 9 o clock, all runners had passed us. We then were able to close the station and go our way an hour and half ahead of our scheduled time. There is no official cutoff at our station, but the extremely slow runners knew and was partly encouraged by our station manager to drop from the race if they couldn’t get to our station by 9-ish.

    I brought my running gear with a hope to do my long run right after volunteering. I explored the Bull Run Park end of the trail. Because it had rained the previous night, the park wouldn’t let the race take place in a loop in their park (the usual turn around point for this race). Thus, I think the race was about 2-3 miles short from a true 50 miler, but I don’t think runners mind. The Bull Run’s end was indeed extremely muddy. I ran there out of curiosity to check and did a loop around the park, the part other runners were not allowed in. By the time I finished, I was like 2 hours from the last runner of the race.

    The trail was open to the public. I felt I was far behind from the pack so people wouldn’t confuse me as being in their race.

    I did not have a goal when I first started. I hoped I could get about 20 miles in for my long run day. While on the trail, I felt great and decided I could push for a 50K. I knew running a 50 mile was out of the question since I started late in the day. I planned to push for 10 miles out toward the Fountainhead side where runners were and come back before getting back to my car. I already had about 10 miles in and just needed 20 miles more for a 50K.

    I passed by their finish line (and it was their starting line too) at Hemlock Overlook. It was past noon, but no one had finished yet. I went for a few more miles and saw the first place runner coming in. He was ahead by 3 miles of the 2nd and 3rd place. He cracked a joke saying if I see the second place, to give a shout so that he would know how close the second place is behind. There was no way a second place would be on his tail that day. I did see the second place a long while after. I kept running until I was at the Bull Run Marina, which was another Aid Station. By then I think 5 or 6 runners had passed through on their way back to the finish. Normally, Bull Run Marina is my turn around point.

    It was still early in the afternoon. I had about 15 miles. I still needed a few more miles before turning around since I wouldn’t be going again all the way to Bull Run. So I ran to the next aid station from there. In this section, I saw more runners coming through on their way back. When I reached my turn around point (my mile 19), the midpack runners arrived. These runners walked the hills more often. They are still strong compared to me. They were all fast. All of them passed me. For them it was their mile 40. I haven’t even reached my mile 25 yet. I hustled with them.

    I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the Marina. It was after 5 pm by then, a bit later than I had hoped. I was out of water. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t mind if I asked for some at the station. I forgot to bring my own filter. In the past, when I ran on this trail, I used to be out of water too and had to filter water from the creek. While I was debating to stop for water a fellow volunteer recognized me and called. I, therefore stopped and asked for their water. Of course, they filled me up. Their station would be open for another hour and half.

    I was nervous I might get to my car after dark and the park might tow my car since where I left my car does not allow overnight parking. I had about two hours and at most three hours before sunset. For some reasons, I felt my destination was much farther away and I might not make it.

    At least five or six runners caught up to me in this stretch. Probably 30-40 in total had passed me by then. They were all rushing to the finish. These were the 11 hour finishers (strong runners). About a mile out from their finishes, they were all sprinting. They all knew they were near and there was a bit of a competitive spirit among us. They didn’t know I was not in the race I think. Of course, I couldn’t keep up as I had no reason to. I still had five miles to go before reaching my car, beyond their finish line. I walked by then after I made my turn off toward my trail away from their trail which leads to their finish line. I was hitting my bonk. I was at my mile 27. My water soon ran out again, but I knew I only had a few miles left to go. I had my gels leftover from my last weekend race. They came in handy. I slurped them and after a mile or so, I regained my strength. I reached my car before 7 o clock with the sun still up. The fear of getting there after dark was moot because we have like an hour more daylight.

    As for the race, runners still had an hour left. They had 13 hours to do it. Personally, I don’t know if I could run 50 miles on that trail under 13 hours. I felt I might need 14 hours or more to do it. I only did about 30 miles and it took me about 8 hours. I think another 20 miles might take me longer. However, that was not my race. I was just happy I got my training run in. I reflected on if I were running my 100 mile today, what condition would I be, knowing I still have 60+ miles to go. I should not be this tired yet. I believe my 100 mile is on a harder trail.

    The next day of course, I was still tired. My friend from DC messaged me (the same guy I did the marathon together a week ago) if I want to do a bunny run since it will be Easter coming up. He likes to draw shapes using his runs. He planned to draw a bunny on Strava (gps map) this weekend. He planned the run, and I was there just for the fun. He called up a few others to join in. I asked him how many miles. He said 8. Eight was a reasonable amount I could do after a 50K. Some streets were closed. My bunny turned out OK. It had some extra features/an appendage, because I didn’t want to pause my watch for the road detours. Some of you already saw them on my Strava.

    Bunny Run for Easter Celebration

    I told him, his run was my recovery run. I was happy for my weekend. It was not a race but I got my runs done both the BRR and a little fun run on top. Happy Easter everyone!

  • Day445 Fall Classic 10K

    I have been doing a lot of longer runs and while they are fun, sometimes running a shorter race is a break in the routine one needs.

    I was originally going to go up to Philadelphia for their trail marathon race. I have been contemplating and maybe was even agonizing a little over it. Those who know, I am the person who is hard to make up my mind on anything.

    Maybe its a story for another time — but by the time I came to a decision to go ahead with the race – you know what!? the race registration had closed by then but if I want to still go I could register on race day. They closed the registration a week before the race to assign bibs (and to purchase the event insurance). So I was worked up to make that trip up to Philadelphia without the assurance whether I can race at all.

    TL;TD, I ended up didn’t go at the 11th hour. However, also I had a back up plan to run with local training group on their training run for the Stone Mill 50. Plus I signed up to run the Fall Classic 10K on Sunday.

    I pride myself now to run without much advance preparation a 20-30 mile distance. So on Saturday I woke up early and drove to the training run location in MD. I ran the Stone Mill 50 miler last Fall, as my second 50 miler. At the time then, I was nervous about the race and I put in weeks of hard training for that. I am not running it this year. For those who want to, you could look up the training runs and race report from last year.

    The training run this time brought back memories of my own race and training runs I did. We ran on a section I had the most difficult with because I got a bit confused there during my race. This time however, I know the way. It was a cinch. Except I almost ran out water on my run. Any way, I ran to a gas station and got some fluid to quelch my thirst.

    The run was over 20 miles and we finished it by noon. It was one of the quickest weekend training runs ever. Usually, I don’t start my weekend long run until after 12. This time, we finished by 12.

    Then on Sunday, I went out to Ashburn and did their Fall Classic 10K. It has been a while since I ran a 10K. This was the exact route of their spring Pot of Gold 10K. It was my second time on this course.

    The weather was perfect. It was maybe around 55F (12 C) in the morning. It maybe a bit chilly but I decided to go light and wore a T shirt and shorts. There were maybe 200 (177 results). I did not have a target time in mind or a target pace. Since my 100 miler is coming up, my so call race pace for the 100 miler is around 17 min a mile. So as long as I am able to run 4 miles an hour, I am happy.

    With such a long break since I last ran a 10K, I don’t even know what speed I was still capable of, so I started the race at a slow and steady pace, pretty much at my marathon pace. People left and right passed me. I stayed with a lady for the first mile…I think she was going out too fast though, because she was panting while I hardly broke a sweat. I didn’t bother her though. This was a 10K and not a marathon – no one talked. I dropped her after first mile because she couldn’t keep at my pace. There were a few too got drop behind too. I believed I maintained a pretty steady pace. It is fun to see those who blasted out the gate and died on after the first mile.

    Second mile came around. The course was familiar to me, all we did was making right turns. In a normal 10K I won’t stop for water…you pretty much can hold in (some marathons I did, water stops are spaced like 6 miles apart, and I usually only drink/stop at every 13 miles). But that day, I felt if I didn’t stop, I wouldn’t able to keep my pace. So I did a full stop and took a water bottle. I lost maybe 20-30 seconds on the clock but it was worth it. Those who didn’t stop were not that far ahead and I was able to catch back up to them.

    Mile 3, halfway. By now, my pacing was better. I felt I was breathing well and my legs were fine (even after running a 20 miles the day before, they were fresh that morning). I was hitting the pace well. So I started to pay attention on my ETA for the next mile. This stuff is like a second nature to me now. I was running like between 9-10 mins pace, so the calculation was very easy.

    Mile 4, we came to another water stop. This time I didn’t stop. It was unmanned. I ran through but was slow enough for me to grab a bottle and I ran and drank from the bottle without skipping a beat.

    Mile 5, I found a guy who was running strong. He was with me pretty much since mile 2. But he was pushing a bit faster and faster at each mile. He and I was passing a lot of people. Though at that time it did not occur to me, we were speeding up. I was just running my own race, but he was always like 5-6 steps ahead. We were always at an ear shot away.

    Before mile 6 there was a bit of hill climb (not that much but enough to get people to slow down). The dude and I basically crushed it and we started passing people now. I know it was just quarter mile from the finish. I expected maybe 2 min till the end. I called out to those around, we got to sprint to the finish. There is always that extra energy for me to sprint. I out sprinted the dude I was with, though he still bested me with his chip time since he crossed the starting line 20-30 seconds later than me. He did win. For me, it was still the thrill to be able to race with someone in a friendly competition.

    Note usually I don’t do race report for a 10k or training run. I did it this time, because it reminded me how much fun it was. The vibe was different. It was a fast race and I could run my heart out. I was able to do 6 miles under an hour. It was not my fastest 10K. I think I did it in 56 mins, but it was very reassuring to have the feeling – ya you still got it in you to run fast. I know fast is relative (1st place winner is usually around 30 mins), but it was fast based on my time. It felt really good.

  • Day434 New River

    I wanted to use a cop out title Brain Dump 3 / Memory Alpha. Sorry, this is another filler post – skip it if you like.

    Why so many filler posts? I am lazy and have been also busy doing the same thing every day, that is to finish up the Race Back Across Tennessee (GVRAT) the rat race. I have less than 2 weeks to go. It ends at the end of the month. They kind of sap all my mental energy.

    I have less than 150 miles left. So every day I was cranking out about 13/14 miles. Back then – like even a year ago, this is an unthinkable number – no even a month ago I didn’t run that much. I really pushed myself this time.

    Hey, last year, when I looked at people who finished the GRVAT, I was thinking, how some of them were able to pull humongous miles daily. Here I am. I am not like the people at top yet, but I am nearer. I am currently ranked 119 out of like 3000-4000 people who are taking part in this virtual race. Of course, this year there were fewer runners registered. Last year, there were 12000 or more. Might have been as high as 15000 or even 20000 people.

    So every day, I am out on the road, doing my miles. This week was the first time of me running in the rain (this year). Almost every night was raining but one night was especially in the rain. I was lucky the other few nights either I ran after the rain, or rain was light or skipped our area or the rain was about to start but I finished my run. It was not a heavy downpour, but was enough to get a feel how it is like to do it. They say, you got to train in any weather especially the nasty ones. It was not that bad once I was wet. I actually liked it because it was cooler finally! I have been running in the heat ‘extreme heat’ they say or ‘killer heat wave’ as reported in the news. The rain was a relief. I actually ran fast during training that day, which is rare. Usually, I just dragged my feet and took my sweet time in my run.

    So these last 30-40 days, I have developed some habits of running after work almost daily because I can’t affort any days off. And on the weekend, I usually ‘travel’ for my runs. A pretty good habit but also means I have no life.

    This weekend, I am at the New River National Park. I will have a half marathon there in couple hours and also in November I will be doing a 100 miler here.

    This was a surprised half marathon race. I just happened to come across it during the week and I checked it out. The 100 miler has been on the back of my mind nagging me that I need to do some onsite trainings. So the half marathon came at the right time to kick off my lazy training for the 100 miler. Not like I have been slacking on my running but I felt I need to run secifically for the 100-mile race. One thing was to visit the site. So here I am.

    New River NP has been gaining some recognition in recent years and people are ‘flocking’ here to see this new national park. I think President Obama designated it. It has been a best kept secret of West Virginia before then, but now the secret is out.

    This is my first time visiting the New River. Actually, I’m staying at a hotel instead of camping out (as I should be doing both to save money and to be ‘closer’ to nature). Ya, I have been a bit lazy with the camping thing recently. I used be enthusiastic about camping at every (outdoor) places I go. But camping is a lot of work. I rather now to pay someone to have a roof over my head.

    Anyway, finally I got to train on the actual trail for my 100-mile race. I am nervous about the race for same reasons I have been worrying about other races this year. It will be out of my comfort zone in term of terrain, distance, and possibly challenge. I fear failure too. I did fail to finish the 100 mile distances twice last year. No longer do I have the confident to take on any races. Trail races are much harder and demanding. I ran with real trail people and saw how I stack against them. Not good.

    So here I am at the New River, hoping to explore some trails, do some running, and enjoying the outdoors of this new national park.

    Oh by the way, the drive there was long. I arrived at 2 AM last night – It was kind of my fault to leave late. Actually I am not in the Park yet, since I am staying in a ‘cheaper’ hotel that is half hour away. Got to go prep for my half marathon soon. Maybe will write about it next week.

  • Day428 retrospect

    I rarely ever was under-prepared for a race. Over prepared for one is just as shocking and my first for this Catoctin 50K.

    For some reason, when I signed up to run the Catoctin 50K, I signed up to only running half the distance. In the back of my mind I always thought I was doing the whole thing. I trained for it and had that respect for the course that this race would require a lot of me. Maybe that was the reason that this year would be just a scouting run and next year would be the real deal.

    It was not until at bib pickup when they couldn’t find my bib in the 50K group that I went back to check the signup confirmation email that I realized I had made a booboo.

    Still I did not mind running just the 25K. It was only that I was overly anxious preparing something for weeks that did not happen.

    I would have to wait another year to run the true Catoctin 50K.

    Another thing that did not reach my expectation was immediately after the Catoctin 50K, I was to go to Pennsylvania to do an endurance event (at Camp Anderson). I signed up to run the 3 hr event, but you could really run as far and as long as you would want. The event started on Friday and would last till Sunday. The official event was only for Saturday morning till evenning though (6 am to 6 pm). I was hoping to catch the tail end of it.

    I got to Camp Anderson (very late) after they closed. Needless to say, the event was over and no more running. I knew the course and could do it on my own if I wanted to. Many had left or on the verge of leaving. By night fall there were just four groups of us at this 100 acre land (maybe 10 of us in total). It was a bit lonely. The race director and his people had left too. I was in no mood to run my 3 hour endurance event that night on my own (by myself). I set up camp and deferred my run till the next morning. I woke up in a rain shower, which dampened my mood even more. Who want to run in wet and cold and on a muddy trail? I was not wet but the trail was wet and it could rain again. So I packed my tent and went home. The sun came out and brightened the day an hour later but I was already far away and was in no mood to turn around. Really was in no mood to run, or else no matter how far I would travel to run.

    It was not the race organization’s fault there was no one left at the camp. It was wholely mine to arrive there late. I could have gotten there earlier even after my 25K run if I wanted to and I could have run my 3 hour event too that night. You know, my motivation was no longer there.

    Why am I writing this? I felt like the weekend was a deja vue some sort though I am sure this was the first time it hapened. I felt it happened before or somehow I anticipated it. It was just a strange feeling.

    Gains. I did my 25K run (even though I did it like a 50K). I had a good time and was able finished it way earlier than I orginally planned. The run was not an issue for me. I trained on the trail. I did get lost maybe for 5 minutes, that was nothing to write about.

    I caught up with some friends like Ben and Carl at the race and made new ones like Scotty and Kendra. Even Camp Anderson which was a dud to me, I met Ferrari. He has similar aspiration as me to run in all 50 states. He finished 38 of them but he has an adversion to flying, so the remaining states are some what hard to get to for him. I only completed seven states so far. It was like looking at a legend as he recounted his experiences. He was the guy they were wispering that he cramped up and now passed out in his tent and that the race director should check in on him. So cool to have met him. He was one of the few who stayed for the night.

    Why was it called a trip? I planned the weekend like it was one big trip. The first race was not far from me (only a little over an hour), but I stayed at a hotel anyway thinking I would have to get well rest before the long day. Saturday I did go camping at Camp Anderson, that was kind of far (three- hour drive) and was only back on Sunday. So in reality, I had to pack for the first 50K, a camping trip, and possibly another 50K run (was going to run it both on Saturday and Sunday at camp Anderson), plus a hotel stay. It had been go go go mentality.

    It was some sort of cosmic comedy being played out – a strange twist of fate for my weekend. Things happened for a reason, only maybe one day I will know why. Be thankful that is all I got to say.

  • Day426 go go go

    I have nothing to post, but going to post something any way because possibly this will be my last posting before a trip to the Smokies.

    As always what they say, man proposes and God disposes, one of the camp sites where I had a reservation got canceled due to bear activities. Scary. I might seem like an outdoor man but I’m not. How many times have I gone camping? Less than what I can count with my fingers.

    Any way, I called the park this morning and I was able to find an alternate site that is 8 miles away from the canceled one. Not bad. It will be a shelter on the AT. At first, I tried to avoid AT shelters because people snore and there are rats/mice at night. uhh, I know, right? 8-10 people in a dingy three sided house in hot weather. And I haven’t showered for a week? I don’t like sleeping next to anyone, you know what I mean?

    Well they say it is part of the AT experience (Appalachian Trail, in case anyone is wondering).

    I will be the guy hiking to the shelter after dark and make a lot of noise cooking my meal, while everyone’s else try to sleep. I figure, hopefully I get to camp by 9 pm that day.

    —

    This weekend is supposed to be a down time — cool chill vibe weekend. It still is. What’s next?

    Laurel Highlands race was supposed to be the highlight of the year. It took two to three years to get me there. Finally I did it. I hiked/ran the whole thing – in a day (under 22 hours). Wooo. I had in mind 2/3 years ago, you finish one big race and you hang up your cap and that’s it for 2-3 years.

    In the end, it felt just like any weekend. I am neither happy nor sad. Just, I was a bit tired afterward – ya couldn’t move the next morning – but couldn’t really sleep in either — my body wouldn’t let me. Maybe I drank too much Coke/cola during the race, I was up by 6 then even though I had the hotel till noon. After writing up the blog (day425) I decided to grab breakfast then headed back home. It was a long drive and after two hours, I had to pull over to get some close eye because I couldn’t keep them open any more. I did sleep until noon-ish and then continue my drive home. Got home, got things cleaned up and has been pretty much laying low.

    I am totally recovered by now. I have been back to running. Nothing broken. Still can run pretty well. I haven’t tested myself on any longer run than 4 mi. Still, I think I could do it.

    This Saturday, I will be attempting a 20 miler fun run. Sunday, I am doing a 4 mi race with the Potomac River (a shoes store here). I haven’t done anything like that since COVID19 happened. This is my first attempt back into a ‘real’ fast run.

    On the schedule, I have a couple races in July – Catoctin, and Camp Anderson. In August, I have the Moonlight Falls and Iron Mnt. In September, I have Eau Claire Marathon. Something something in October and then River Gorge 100 in November.

    My schedule is pretty stacked. Yet I am not stressed out about them after finishing the Laurel Ultra. It is all perception on how we see time. Happy Holiday everyone, enjoy your weekend…found out we have a new federal holiday today.

  • Day391 short news cycle

    Lack of news because I did the Stone Mill 50 and then the Devil Dog 50K, and ran my last race of the year, I am relatively free this weekend. I was going to do the WTF 50 (course preview), a new course I found by the Virginia Happy Trail people. They are weird I tell you. Ever since I ran their Vicky’s Death March a few weeks back, I am more into their club things and they have tons of set trail courses to run. Last weekend, I joined a few of their members to do the Buck Hollow/Mary’s Rock run and this week I was going to do their MGM stands for Big Butt in latin or Fat Ass Run on the BRR (Bull Run Trail/Run/Ultra – the last R escapes me). They love accronyms. But there the WTF, that a few of them wanted to do today and I like the name. I read it is a tough course. WTF does not mean I thought it means but it stands for WaTerFall. Cute. I guess it is the name of the local mountain or maybe an actual waterfall or a trail name but I couldn’t find it yet on the map.

    I felt a bit lazy and couldn’t will myself to wake up early in time to haul my butt to the trailhead. They were running at 6 AM in the dark and the place is about two hours away. Also I didn’t pack last night so it was not happening. I might try tomorrow morning, which will be another great day.

    Last night a guy was running a 100 miler on my, yes my track, the W-OD (Washington/Old Dominion Trail). That is awesome. No I don’t own it. I am just surprised any one would use that trail for a 100 miler since it is ‘boring’. I didn’t know it was that long either. The guy ran from Arlington and out past Leesburg to Purcellville and back. It was not exactly 100 miles so he did some loops in the middle of night at the other end point before coming back. I normally ride my bike there but never occur to me to run it.

    That kind of give me an idea. Maybe I could do the same!

    Why am I going all over the place? I was or am still trying to find out what I want to do today. I could head to MGM for the Big Butt and see some club members or go to WTF for some waterfall or go see this guy who is doing a 100 mile; he is also a club member. Or doing something completely different on my own.

    On other news, I signed up to be a sweeper for the World’s End Ultra for mile 35-50, roughly. Sweepers ensure no one left on the trail. We sweep the runners/or herd them to the Aid Station for pickup. Usually sweepers have a tough job to encourage the desperate few who are about to be cut to hurry up. No one was taking this segment so I took it. It will be from 5PM to 10PM. I think no one took it because of the emotional aspect to “sweep” people off the course after they have been running for 12 or more hours but likely won’t be able to make it to the finish. We are the person to break that news to them. It will be a fight. You know ultra people have the indomitable spirit and I will be the one to break that in the nicest possible way.

    There was an application process. They would like the sweeper to have first aids knowledge. Usually runners fell behind because of an injury. So I am thinking on signing up at a local REI to have a refresher. I learned those stuff like 25 years ago, so might need a bit of update.

    As for the distance, 14-15 miles shouldn’t be too bad. They asked me what my experiences on trail. The race is billed as the toughest ultra in PA, so ya I got to be able to run the trail. I plan to go to the trail in the spring and run it. I am excited. The race will take place in first weekend of June, a week before my A-race Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail Ultra. I was just looking into that. I told them I should be able to handle the trail by then.

    Why I am even a sweeper? My friend is doing the sweeping first 20 mile. He said to come down and join him to spend the day there. I think he is also doing the Laurel Ultra, that how we meet last year.

    As for the Rocky Raccoon 100, I said I have to book the campsite couple weeks ago. I didn’t and ended up all camp spots are taken! Anyway it means I have run my 100 and not sleep, since no campsite. I might snooze in the car afterward. I won’t have any pacer coming with me, so not having a campsite to set a base camp is not a problem. As I said, I will be running through the night, so no need a camp. This will be in first week of February. Still about a month out.

    Yes, I said after Stone Mill, I have to focus on Rocky Raccoon. I need to get up to speed soon. Very soon. That’s the news for this week.

  • Day359 random friday?

    I will just leave a bunch of stuffs here. Never mind I usually do that any way.

    I signed up for a marathon! Not going to say it for fear of jinxing it. But yes there is a real marathon! There will be social distancing and stuff. I signed a waiver saying I won’t sue if I got Covid19 from it. I am excited. Yet just like Rock N the Knob I have to stay quiet! There are spots left…People if you are reading this go sign up. It is a real race except I try not to be too hyped about it.

    Did I finish the report for Rock N the Knob?

    I had this plan you know – I need a lot of miles and now my workplace has moved closer to where I live, it only takes me 45 mins to get to work instead of 1:20 min, I am thinking of running to work.

    I haven’t planned it out yet. This is likely what I want to do. Take the bus in, and then run home at the end of the day. I am looking at a 18-20 mile run. It is doable. I get home before midnight.

    My training also is calling for a night run. Someone on a local cycling group posted a 70 mile route in my area. I kind of want to try it. I have done part of it over the summer when I went for a out-and-back 60 miles. This is a loop course, so I want to try it one Friday night. My workplace is nearest to the trail head, so I am thinking of driving to work and leave my car there then head for the trail at the end of the work day and run 70+ miles. I should be done by Sunday and either sleep in my car or attempt to drive home in the wee hours. One of the problems I could think of is will they let me leave my car at work over the weekend? It would be a bummer at the end of my 70 mile run and my car is no longer there and have to run another 20+ miles home.

    Laurel Highland race is this weekend (Tonight actually) for those who are doing it. They will get to the bus stop by 3 in the morning. I already defered my entry. Still I wanted to attempt a 70.5 mile run this weekend. I know it won’t be as hard as the Laurel run since there won’t be any elevation here in the city. But this weekend is pretty booked. I got work being spilled over (end of the fiscal year). I really want to do the run though even if it is a local run.

    Yes, I need to focus on my rocky raccoon training. Week 1 is over and I have done about 13 miles so far.

    remind me – I need to get a training plan in place.