I am home from the wet, muddy, windy, cold, and down right nasty Hyner Trail Challenge. For all of you that aren't aware, Hyner is a 25K+ Trail Race. The race is actually 16.3 miles long.
When we started this morning, it was cold, about 40 degrees and high winds. It was also raining. The race started about 15 minutes late because of the runners waiting to get their bibs. When you arrive, you pick up your race packet at the parking area, but you pick up your bib at the start finish line. It is about a 3/4 mile walk from the parking area to the start finish.
I arrived at around 7:40 and had plenty of time to pick up my race packet and walk over to the start/finish and then back to the car to get dressed. Time management is a big thing at this race. Some of the racers were smart and picked up packets and then took a drop bag to the start/finish area to have dry clothes to change into after the race. This is a great idea. I wish I would have done the same. It was a long, cold run back to the car after finishing the race.
Anyways, on to the race. The race starts out at the Western Clinton Sportsman's Association. From here, you run about a 1/2 mile to route 120 and then make a left. You run on route 120 for about 1/2 mile and then make a right onto another road. You get to run on this road for about 3/4 of a mile. At the end of the road, you enter a trail known as "Cliffhanger." Yes, the trail lives up to its name. This trail is a single track and immediately to your left is a drop off. If you fall off of this trail where there isn't a fence, you have about a 100 to 150 foot fall to the railroad bed. It is a nice rolling trail and very runnable.
Once you get to the end of "Cliffhanger", you get to meet "Humble Hill." Yes, this hill lives up to its name. This is an endless climb from the river to Hyner View. There are some runnable sections, but while doing this, plan on holding the person in front of you. This section of the trail is straight up and the person in front of you could sit on your hands.
At the very top is Hyner View. First of all, I am afraid of heights. The View is at 2000 feet. The bottom of the trail is at 600 feet. As you come around the wall at the view, you are on a singletrack that is about 12 inches wide with a wall to your right. To your left, is a river. 1400 feet below. If you fall, this will be the last view you ever see. It is a beautiful view for the 1/2 second that I looked.
From here, you get to run on the Hyner View Trail Challenge Trail. This is a great downhill that takes you to Johnson Run. Johnson run is a stream that you cross over approximately 20 times while running up the gorge. The water was high and cold, but after about 6 crossings, you didn't even know that you had feet. This is a very runnable section.
Once at the end of Johnson run, it is time for another climb. This climb is long, but not very steep. Good climb to make some passes and make up some time.
After this climb, it is back down again. Another good section of running.
At the end of the trails at the bottom, it is time for the SOB. And yes, this climb lives up to its name. This is a very, very, very long and steep climb. This is a slow going section of the course. Once at the top, you get to run on some fire roads and work your way to the descent on Huff Run Trail. Huff Run Trail is a very fast downhill. It is not too steep, but very fast. This trail takes you back to the road.
From here, you make a right and then head back to route 120. You make a left and then take 120 to the entrance of the Sportsmans Association. You don't run the road the whole way up though. They throw in one more climb to the finish.
After you finish, they have all kinds of food from pizza to pulled pork sandwiches, to cupcakes and cookies. Oh yeah, they also have Bud Light, Yuengling, Miller Lite, and Troegs. Not a bad deal for $50.
I successfully finished the Hyner Challenge in 3:31:20. That was good enough fo 95 out of 1100. A good finish for a run today and not a race. I was very conservative for the first 10 miles running an easy pace. I raced the last 10K and passed a good number of runners.
I would have to say that this is my favorite trail race and course. I will be doing this course 2 times for the Try-All-By-Fire in August hosted by Try Chips.
I highly recommend this race to everyone. But do me a favor, if you are going to register for a trail race, please put forward an effort to finish. Don't take a spot from someone else who can and will finish the race. These races are tough and if you can't finish, please save the spot for someone else. (Sorry, had to get that off my chest.)
Cheers to all and see you on the roads or trails.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tiadaghton Trail Half Marathon - 3-26-2011
I am home from the 2011 Tiadaghton Trail Half. This is another fine race put on by PARunners.com. The race is located at exit 199 (Mile Run) on Interstate 80.
Getting there this morning was easy as usual. We left Altoona around 720 and arrived at the race site at around 850am. Pulling into the lot I looked at the outside temp on my car and it read 18 degrees. Oh fun. Getting outside was even worse, it was windy. Yuck.
Packet pick up was very easy. They had everything very well coordinated and made things quick. One of the people that went with me was not pre-registered and it only took him about 5 minutes to get registered.
The cool thing about this race was that I was able to spend some time this morning with my running friend Shelly Starkey from Oregon. Shelly also brought her brother John to the race. John has never run a race and this was going to be his first race ever.
The race started right on time at 1000am. The start is a nice run up a gravel/dirt road to the trailhead. At the trailhead the cluster started. It was a free for all to get across the stream and there were people falling in the stream and crossing anywhere they could find. I actually walked about 100 yards up stream and crossed to avoid the headaches.
From here, the course varies from single track to jeep/fire roads. The course is very well marked. It would be really hard to get lost on this course.
The fun part was, there was snow everywhere. But the course was in good condition.
There is only one MAJOR climb in the course that is pretty much not runnable. This big climb is at about the 8.5 mile mark. The course itself is very runnable with some rolling terrain and some climbs and good downhills.
As you approach the end, the course winds to I80. When you get to I80, you have to run through a culvert under the interstate. Needless to say, a stream also runs through this culvert. You can figure it out, the race was held in March, there was snow on the course, and the water was FREEZING cold. But, being that it is at the end of the race, this FREEZING cold water felt really good on the feet.
Once you cross out of the culvert, it is approximately 3/10 of an uphill run to the finish.
This race does give a finishers medal to all finishers. They also have hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, Sheetz sandwiches, and donuts at the end.
I listened to everyone and did not push myself during this race. I made this a fun run and still finished at 2:52:34. I found a great pace and the pace I ran today will be great for the Oil Creek 100.
I highly recommend this race for anyone that wants to do a trail half. Very well organized, good course (not too hard, but not too easy), a nice long sleeve shirt, good food, and good times had by all.
See you on the trails or the roads.
Matty L
Getting there this morning was easy as usual. We left Altoona around 720 and arrived at the race site at around 850am. Pulling into the lot I looked at the outside temp on my car and it read 18 degrees. Oh fun. Getting outside was even worse, it was windy. Yuck.
Packet pick up was very easy. They had everything very well coordinated and made things quick. One of the people that went with me was not pre-registered and it only took him about 5 minutes to get registered.
The cool thing about this race was that I was able to spend some time this morning with my running friend Shelly Starkey from Oregon. Shelly also brought her brother John to the race. John has never run a race and this was going to be his first race ever.
The race started right on time at 1000am. The start is a nice run up a gravel/dirt road to the trailhead. At the trailhead the cluster started. It was a free for all to get across the stream and there were people falling in the stream and crossing anywhere they could find. I actually walked about 100 yards up stream and crossed to avoid the headaches.
From here, the course varies from single track to jeep/fire roads. The course is very well marked. It would be really hard to get lost on this course.
The fun part was, there was snow everywhere. But the course was in good condition.
There is only one MAJOR climb in the course that is pretty much not runnable. This big climb is at about the 8.5 mile mark. The course itself is very runnable with some rolling terrain and some climbs and good downhills.
As you approach the end, the course winds to I80. When you get to I80, you have to run through a culvert under the interstate. Needless to say, a stream also runs through this culvert. You can figure it out, the race was held in March, there was snow on the course, and the water was FREEZING cold. But, being that it is at the end of the race, this FREEZING cold water felt really good on the feet.
Once you cross out of the culvert, it is approximately 3/10 of an uphill run to the finish.
This race does give a finishers medal to all finishers. They also have hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, Sheetz sandwiches, and donuts at the end.
I listened to everyone and did not push myself during this race. I made this a fun run and still finished at 2:52:34. I found a great pace and the pace I ran today will be great for the Oil Creek 100.
I highly recommend this race for anyone that wants to do a trail half. Very well organized, good course (not too hard, but not too easy), a nice long sleeve shirt, good food, and good times had by all.
See you on the trails or the roads.
Matty L
Saturday, March 19, 2011
2011 Lt. J.C. Stone 50K Ultramarathon - Pittsburgh, PA
I am home from the 2011 running of the LT J.C. Stone 50K at North Park, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. Let me tell you, it was one hell of a weekend.
We left Altoona on Friday, March 18, 2011 after me getting a few hours of shut eye from a long night at work. I crawled into bed around 830am and was back up at 11am to get ready to go to Pittsburgh. I got the car packed up and away we went after picking the kids up at school.
So we are just outside of Murraysville, and it dawns on me that I left my hydration pack and S-caps (electrolyte tabs) sitting on a chair at the house. Well, too late to go back home, gotta get to race packet pick up.
As usual, we got to Lou D'Angelo's Office (Race Director) and had a nice talk with Lou. Once again, for $50 you get a long sleeve and a short sleeve tech shirt along with a fully stocked aid station, a water and gatorade station, door prizes, and the fun time of running 50K. I expressed my concerns to Lou about my hydration pack and S-caps. Lou sent me to Second Sole in Cranberry. Very small, but great running store. They put on a lot of races in the Pittsburgh Area. I was able to purchase the LAST Nathan Hydration pack that they had in stock and a bottle of Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte tabs. Unfortunately, I dont use Hammer, so this was going to be an adventure.
After getting this stuff picked up, and adding an unexpected expense to the trip, we got checked in to the hotel. From there I had my typical pre race dinner of a medium rare steak, potatoes, and brocoli. Yummy.
We got back to the hotel and I got everything ready for the morning. We all crawled into bed around 8pm. Well, wasn't it just my luck. There was 4 bus loads of elderly folks staying in the hotel. Well, none of them could hear and I think all of them needed to do walker races around our floor at 10pm. Yeah, so much for sleep.
We got up at 440am and got ready for the race. The weather was saying that it was 40 degrees out, and was to hit mid 50's by the middle of the day. I opted to wear a short sleeve tech shirt, shorts, arm warmers, and leg compression sleeves.
We got to the park and I got out of the car to get my timing chip. I was definately warm enough at that time. Then, I stood outside for a few minutes and started freezing. The thermometer in the car read 33. Ooops, bad choice Matty.
So I went to the race briefing at 715am and we were all off at 730am. The start of this race includes a 1.1 mile loop and then an additional 6 five mile loops. I was feeling good and rocking through the course. I came through the first 6.1 miles in just over 43 minutes. My second 5 mile loop was just over 37 minutes. The third loop was just over 37 minutes. I came through the 16.1 mile mark in just over 1:58. I was so excited. Gonna go under 4 hours for a 50k which would have put me around 3:15 for my marathon time. Then tragedy struck.
I came around the turn around the 18.5 to 19 mile mark and started powering up the hill. Well, it felt like someone was jamming a dagger into my right quad when I would push off on hill climbs. The pain was radiating from the bottom of my right quad up into my groin. Yeah, not as much fun as it sounds. I ended up finishing this loop in just over 45 minutes. The next two loops were just painful. The good news was, the pain wasn't getting better, but the pain wasn't getting worse. When I came through marathon distance in around 3:43, I decided to power through the pain for the last 5 miles and get my medal. I told Rachelle that I would see her in about an hour. I was able to hold right around 10 minute miles for the last 5 and finish in 4:34.
This year was 13 minutes slower than last year, but sometimes an injury will do that to you.
I was able to see a Doctor that was on site after I finished and he used some kinesio tape to tape my right quad. Within about 10 minutes, the pain was gone. The way he taped it was just awesome and it really took care of the pressure and the pain.
By the way, it was only 44 degrees at the finish with pretty good winds. So much for mid 50's.
I was happy with my first half of the race, but not so happy with the second half. This happens, and we have to learn from each race.
I will go back and do J.C. Stone again next year. I really believe that I can go under 4 hours for this race and maybe make the top 100 fastest 50K times in UltraRunner Magazine.
By the way, the winning time this year was 3:22. The course record was broken by over 20 minutes. And I was really disappointed with being passed by Ultra running elite coming into the 20 mile mark. I was leading one of the top women in Ultra Running for 20 miles.
This is a great race to run and is well worth the fun/pain. And yes, they have a generous cut off time of 8 hours.
Run strong and See you on the roads or trails very soon!!!!
We left Altoona on Friday, March 18, 2011 after me getting a few hours of shut eye from a long night at work. I crawled into bed around 830am and was back up at 11am to get ready to go to Pittsburgh. I got the car packed up and away we went after picking the kids up at school.
So we are just outside of Murraysville, and it dawns on me that I left my hydration pack and S-caps (electrolyte tabs) sitting on a chair at the house. Well, too late to go back home, gotta get to race packet pick up.
As usual, we got to Lou D'Angelo's Office (Race Director) and had a nice talk with Lou. Once again, for $50 you get a long sleeve and a short sleeve tech shirt along with a fully stocked aid station, a water and gatorade station, door prizes, and the fun time of running 50K. I expressed my concerns to Lou about my hydration pack and S-caps. Lou sent me to Second Sole in Cranberry. Very small, but great running store. They put on a lot of races in the Pittsburgh Area. I was able to purchase the LAST Nathan Hydration pack that they had in stock and a bottle of Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte tabs. Unfortunately, I dont use Hammer, so this was going to be an adventure.
After getting this stuff picked up, and adding an unexpected expense to the trip, we got checked in to the hotel. From there I had my typical pre race dinner of a medium rare steak, potatoes, and brocoli. Yummy.
We got back to the hotel and I got everything ready for the morning. We all crawled into bed around 8pm. Well, wasn't it just my luck. There was 4 bus loads of elderly folks staying in the hotel. Well, none of them could hear and I think all of them needed to do walker races around our floor at 10pm. Yeah, so much for sleep.
We got up at 440am and got ready for the race. The weather was saying that it was 40 degrees out, and was to hit mid 50's by the middle of the day. I opted to wear a short sleeve tech shirt, shorts, arm warmers, and leg compression sleeves.
We got to the park and I got out of the car to get my timing chip. I was definately warm enough at that time. Then, I stood outside for a few minutes and started freezing. The thermometer in the car read 33. Ooops, bad choice Matty.
So I went to the race briefing at 715am and we were all off at 730am. The start of this race includes a 1.1 mile loop and then an additional 6 five mile loops. I was feeling good and rocking through the course. I came through the first 6.1 miles in just over 43 minutes. My second 5 mile loop was just over 37 minutes. The third loop was just over 37 minutes. I came through the 16.1 mile mark in just over 1:58. I was so excited. Gonna go under 4 hours for a 50k which would have put me around 3:15 for my marathon time. Then tragedy struck.
I came around the turn around the 18.5 to 19 mile mark and started powering up the hill. Well, it felt like someone was jamming a dagger into my right quad when I would push off on hill climbs. The pain was radiating from the bottom of my right quad up into my groin. Yeah, not as much fun as it sounds. I ended up finishing this loop in just over 45 minutes. The next two loops were just painful. The good news was, the pain wasn't getting better, but the pain wasn't getting worse. When I came through marathon distance in around 3:43, I decided to power through the pain for the last 5 miles and get my medal. I told Rachelle that I would see her in about an hour. I was able to hold right around 10 minute miles for the last 5 and finish in 4:34.
This year was 13 minutes slower than last year, but sometimes an injury will do that to you.
I was able to see a Doctor that was on site after I finished and he used some kinesio tape to tape my right quad. Within about 10 minutes, the pain was gone. The way he taped it was just awesome and it really took care of the pressure and the pain.
By the way, it was only 44 degrees at the finish with pretty good winds. So much for mid 50's.
I was happy with my first half of the race, but not so happy with the second half. This happens, and we have to learn from each race.
I will go back and do J.C. Stone again next year. I really believe that I can go under 4 hours for this race and maybe make the top 100 fastest 50K times in UltraRunner Magazine.
By the way, the winning time this year was 3:22. The course record was broken by over 20 minutes. And I was really disappointed with being passed by Ultra running elite coming into the 20 mile mark. I was leading one of the top women in Ultra Running for 20 miles.
This is a great race to run and is well worth the fun/pain. And yes, they have a generous cut off time of 8 hours.
Run strong and See you on the roads or trails very soon!!!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Frozen Sasquatch 50K Trail Race - Charleston, WV
I had the opportunity to run the Frozen Sasquatch 50K at the Kanawha State Forest, on Saturday, January 8, 2011. . I survived and got a friend of mine through his first 50K Ultra.
I left Altoona on Friday afternoon around lunch, picked up Jeff in
Cumberland, and then headed to Charleston, WV. The drive to Charleston is
rather fast, 4 1/2 hours, but at one point I needed to stop and get gas. I
should have listened to Dusty and not stopped on I79 for gas. You know it is
going to be bad when the guy at the gas station says "Yup, Just had the last of
my teeth pulled this morning" as he talks to a 10 year old kid that is spitting
chew in a cup. Anyways ...... we got gas and left.
We got to Charleston and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and headed to
the State Forest to pick up our race packets. It was about a 20 minute drive,
but wow did the scenery change. Typical backwoods WV by the park.
We got there and met Mike Dolin(RD) and Dan (head of WV Trail Runners) and
had a nice talk about the race. The packet pick up was very simple and easy.
Lots of free SWAG. Mike and Dan said that there was about a 1/2 inch of snow
on the trails and they were only expecting a dusting over night. We were good
with that and went to get dinner and back to the hotel.
At about 3:40 am, I was rudley woken up by snow plows. I chose not to look
out the window. Then the alarm went off at 530am. I looked out the window
and there was about 4 inches on the ground. So I did my morning routine,
loaded up the car, and told Jeff that it wasnt that cold out. It was 23
degrees.
We arrived at the race site at about 720 and there was snow everywhere. So
much for a dusting. We got ready to run and the race was off at about 810.
There were some late racers so they postponed the race a few. The late races
crashed their cars on the mountain road headed into the race site.
The race starts out with a 1/4 mile run up a paved/snow covered road and
then makes a sharp right onto a 1/2 mile single track climb. Needless to say,
it became bottlenecked and it was a long, slow climb. Once at the top, there
was a lot of rolling trails and fire roads. Really nice running. Then you
make a sharp left and go straight down the mountain on single track. This
downhill was a blast. There were switchbacks and drop offs and the turns were
slick, but it was fast. Once at the bottom was the first aid station. They
had the usual stuff at the aid station for ultras, but no PB&J. (but I packed my
own).
From there, you go through some pines and several stream crossings on some
nice singletrack. This section was a little more technical and somewhat slow
going. Then you hit another climb.
On this climb, there is a awesome cave system. I was planning on taking a
picture, but my camera died from the cold.
At the top of this climb is more fireroads and single track that winds down
to some campgrounds. This downhill was pretty nasty, rocky, and slick. Once
in the campgrounds, you get to run on a fire road for about 2 miles, turn onto
the hard road and run on it for about a 1/4 mile. Then there was aid station
2. This was in a pavillioin with a big fire, hot chicken noodle soup, and lots
of food. But no PB&J (but I packed my own.) From here starts the longest
climb of the course. This climb is about 1.25 miles long and is winding trails
up about 800 feet of gain. Once at the top, it is more single track and fire
roads into aid station 3. From AS3, you are back on single track to the
transition area. But, there is a 1/2 mile section of switchbacks that come
from the top of the mountain back to the start finish area. This was steep and
very technical.
We hit the start finish area in 2:55. We went to the cars, filled up on
water, changed clothes and headed back out again.
We started running again and I lost all feeling in my thumb, pointer, and
middle finger on both hands. I couldn't move my right fingers at all and hand
warmers were not cutting it. I told Jeff that if I couldn't feel my fingers by
the first Aid Station, I was dropping. During this section, there was an older
guy that had his dog with him for this section of the run. The dog was running
with us and really took my mind off of my hands. Great inspiration and a lot of
fun.
Miraculously, about 1/4 mile from the AS, I got all of my feeling back in my
fingers, and it was on again.
We headed out and were holding a pretty good pace. Jeff was actually
getting a little frustrated with the pace and was starting to feel the effects
of the distance. Then the really bad happened.
As we headed down the switchbacks to AS2, I hit a rock and rolled my left
ankle completely over. I think I felt my tib and fib in the left let hit the
ground next to my ankle. I stopped, yelled a few choice words, and continued
on. The more I ran, the more it hurt and I could feel something moving in my
ankle.
While we were on the road through the campgrounds at a slow pace, the
winning female came up on us. She asked if we were alright (she heard me
yelling) and I told here what happened. She gave me some happy pills and I
hobbled into AS2. When I checked in, I sat down and worked my ankle and things
were really loose and sore and I could feel tendons and stuff slipping. The
girl at the AS asked if I was going to drop, I said - "NO- I am 7.5 miles from
the finish and this is his first Ultra."
I struggled up the last climb and then started to zone out. I focused all
of the pain away and picked up the pace again.
We hit the finish line slower than we had hoped, but we still finished. I
finished 21st overall, and Jeff was 22nd. Our times were 6:36 and 6:38. Not
sure on exact times yet.
Now, at the start, it was 23 degrees. At the finish it was around 15
degress with high winds.
The Frozen Sasquatch lives up to its name. It is Frozen. The course was
very well marked, very well organized, and beautiful trails.
The cool thing is, you get an original finishers award. It is a slice of a
log with the race name, date, and a sasquatch on it.
The drive home took over 7 hours due to some pretty bad snow storms in WV.
I would definately recommend this race to anyone. They have a 25k or a 50K
option. Each lap is 15.8 miles, so it is a little longer than a 25k or 50k. WV
trail runners does an entire race series throughout the year of all different
lengths. I may be going back to WV for more.
So now, I am sitting at home, nursing an ankle, and debating on going for a
run. Legs feel great, and I am ready for more.
See all of you on the trails or roads, and hope everyone had a happy new
year. I know mine started out the right way. And congrats to my racing
partner, Jeff Gunter - MD, for finishing his first ultra.
I left Altoona on Friday afternoon around lunch, picked up Jeff in
Cumberland, and then headed to Charleston, WV. The drive to Charleston is
rather fast, 4 1/2 hours, but at one point I needed to stop and get gas. I
should have listened to Dusty and not stopped on I79 for gas. You know it is
going to be bad when the guy at the gas station says "Yup, Just had the last of
my teeth pulled this morning" as he talks to a 10 year old kid that is spitting
chew in a cup. Anyways ...... we got gas and left.
We got to Charleston and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express and headed to
the State Forest to pick up our race packets. It was about a 20 minute drive,
but wow did the scenery change. Typical backwoods WV by the park.
We got there and met Mike Dolin(RD) and Dan (head of WV Trail Runners) and
had a nice talk about the race. The packet pick up was very simple and easy.
Lots of free SWAG. Mike and Dan said that there was about a 1/2 inch of snow
on the trails and they were only expecting a dusting over night. We were good
with that and went to get dinner and back to the hotel.
At about 3:40 am, I was rudley woken up by snow plows. I chose not to look
out the window. Then the alarm went off at 530am. I looked out the window
and there was about 4 inches on the ground. So I did my morning routine,
loaded up the car, and told Jeff that it wasnt that cold out. It was 23
degrees.
We arrived at the race site at about 720 and there was snow everywhere. So
much for a dusting. We got ready to run and the race was off at about 810.
There were some late racers so they postponed the race a few. The late races
crashed their cars on the mountain road headed into the race site.
The race starts out with a 1/4 mile run up a paved/snow covered road and
then makes a sharp right onto a 1/2 mile single track climb. Needless to say,
it became bottlenecked and it was a long, slow climb. Once at the top, there
was a lot of rolling trails and fire roads. Really nice running. Then you
make a sharp left and go straight down the mountain on single track. This
downhill was a blast. There were switchbacks and drop offs and the turns were
slick, but it was fast. Once at the bottom was the first aid station. They
had the usual stuff at the aid station for ultras, but no PB&J. (but I packed my
own).
From there, you go through some pines and several stream crossings on some
nice singletrack. This section was a little more technical and somewhat slow
going. Then you hit another climb.
On this climb, there is a awesome cave system. I was planning on taking a
picture, but my camera died from the cold.
At the top of this climb is more fireroads and single track that winds down
to some campgrounds. This downhill was pretty nasty, rocky, and slick. Once
in the campgrounds, you get to run on a fire road for about 2 miles, turn onto
the hard road and run on it for about a 1/4 mile. Then there was aid station
2. This was in a pavillioin with a big fire, hot chicken noodle soup, and lots
of food. But no PB&J (but I packed my own.) From here starts the longest
climb of the course. This climb is about 1.25 miles long and is winding trails
up about 800 feet of gain. Once at the top, it is more single track and fire
roads into aid station 3. From AS3, you are back on single track to the
transition area. But, there is a 1/2 mile section of switchbacks that come
from the top of the mountain back to the start finish area. This was steep and
very technical.
We hit the start finish area in 2:55. We went to the cars, filled up on
water, changed clothes and headed back out again.
We started running again and I lost all feeling in my thumb, pointer, and
middle finger on both hands. I couldn't move my right fingers at all and hand
warmers were not cutting it. I told Jeff that if I couldn't feel my fingers by
the first Aid Station, I was dropping. During this section, there was an older
guy that had his dog with him for this section of the run. The dog was running
with us and really took my mind off of my hands. Great inspiration and a lot of
fun.
Miraculously, about 1/4 mile from the AS, I got all of my feeling back in my
fingers, and it was on again.
We headed out and were holding a pretty good pace. Jeff was actually
getting a little frustrated with the pace and was starting to feel the effects
of the distance. Then the really bad happened.
As we headed down the switchbacks to AS2, I hit a rock and rolled my left
ankle completely over. I think I felt my tib and fib in the left let hit the
ground next to my ankle. I stopped, yelled a few choice words, and continued
on. The more I ran, the more it hurt and I could feel something moving in my
ankle.
While we were on the road through the campgrounds at a slow pace, the
winning female came up on us. She asked if we were alright (she heard me
yelling) and I told here what happened. She gave me some happy pills and I
hobbled into AS2. When I checked in, I sat down and worked my ankle and things
were really loose and sore and I could feel tendons and stuff slipping. The
girl at the AS asked if I was going to drop, I said - "NO- I am 7.5 miles from
the finish and this is his first Ultra."
I struggled up the last climb and then started to zone out. I focused all
of the pain away and picked up the pace again.
We hit the finish line slower than we had hoped, but we still finished. I
finished 21st overall, and Jeff was 22nd. Our times were 6:36 and 6:38. Not
sure on exact times yet.
Now, at the start, it was 23 degrees. At the finish it was around 15
degress with high winds.
The Frozen Sasquatch lives up to its name. It is Frozen. The course was
very well marked, very well organized, and beautiful trails.
The cool thing is, you get an original finishers award. It is a slice of a
log with the race name, date, and a sasquatch on it.
The drive home took over 7 hours due to some pretty bad snow storms in WV.
I would definately recommend this race to anyone. They have a 25k or a 50K
option. Each lap is 15.8 miles, so it is a little longer than a 25k or 50k. WV
trail runners does an entire race series throughout the year of all different
lengths. I may be going back to WV for more.
So now, I am sitting at home, nursing an ankle, and debating on going for a
run. Legs feel great, and I am ready for more.
See all of you on the trails or roads, and hope everyone had a happy new
year. I know mine started out the right way. And congrats to my racing
partner, Jeff Gunter - MD, for finishing his first ultra.
Monday, February 14, 2011
2010 - A Year in Review
2010 was a pretty good year for me. 2010 was my first year entering the world as an ultra runner and increasing my mileage. I would have to say that going into my first ultra, I was very nervous. I enjoy running, but the distance (only a 50K) really scared me the night before. Fortunately, I was able to get up the next morning and have a great run.
The first ultra and race of the year was the LT J.C. Stone 50K at North Park just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. This is a great road course, but it is 6 loops of a 5 mile course. I was concerned that this would be a horrible day. I felt great, made some new friends, and really surpassed my hope of finishing under 5 hours. I finished this race in 4:21:05. What a great start to the year and what a great first ultra finish. And by the way, this ultra boasts the biggest medal in the ultra world and two tech shirts.
I continued the year pounding out miles on the roads and the trails. I hit up some awesome trail races and really got comfortable running 20+ miles every Saturday.
Here is a review of the races for 2010:
1. 3-20-2010: Lt. JC Stone 50K- 4:21:05
2. 5-2-2010: Pittsburgh Marathon - 3:45:14 (not a bad run although had a really bad sinus infection)
3. 5-23-2010: Blair County Family Services 10k - 43:24
4. 6-5-2010: Rothrock Trail Challenge 30K - 4:36 - This group puts on one hell of a nasty series of runs!!!!
5. 6-27-2010: Tussey Teaser #5 - 10.6 miles - 1:38:13 - Great prep for the Tussey Mountainback 50 mile Ultra
6. 7-4-2010: Hollidaysburg YMCA July 4th 15K - 1:08:52 (nice hot and humid morning in Central PA)
7. 7-25-2010: Run with the Deer Flies 25K Trail Race - 2:57:44 - This is a great race, but the race doesn't start until the last 10k. And yes, you will get eaten by Deer Flies. OUCH!!!
8. 8-21-2010: Central PA Run For the Fallen: 20 miles in 2:40:35 - Great run to log miles for the fallen soldiers.
9. 9-11-2010: Curwensville Dam Scramble 30K Trail Race - This ended up being 21 miles total - just a tad longer than advertised, but a great race - 3:57:00 - 3rd Overall
10. 9-19-2010: Dam Full Trail Marathon - 5:06 - Awesome trail race at R.B. Winter State Park near Lock Haven, Pa.
11. 10-2-2010: Bald Eagle Megatransect - 26.4 miles of incredible trails - 5:47. This is a must do race for any trail runner. This is one of the hardest courses I have ever done. Great boulder field scramble, great trails, and great friends.
12. 10-16-2010: Tussey Mountainback 50 mile Ultra - 8:31:49. Great course, minus the relay teams.
All in all, 2010 was a great year of racing. I will have to say that I am really happy with my finish at Tussey. I finished 16th overall in the USATF 50 mile championships. I surely can't complain about that for my first year of running ultras. I also did a bunch of local races in distances from 5k to 15k. I finished pretty well all year long. I am hoping that 2011 turns out to be an even better year. As of right now, I have already completed the 2011 Frozen Sasquatch 50K in Charleston, WV and the JC Stone 50K is approaching quickly.
The first ultra and race of the year was the LT J.C. Stone 50K at North Park just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. This is a great road course, but it is 6 loops of a 5 mile course. I was concerned that this would be a horrible day. I felt great, made some new friends, and really surpassed my hope of finishing under 5 hours. I finished this race in 4:21:05. What a great start to the year and what a great first ultra finish. And by the way, this ultra boasts the biggest medal in the ultra world and two tech shirts.
I continued the year pounding out miles on the roads and the trails. I hit up some awesome trail races and really got comfortable running 20+ miles every Saturday.
Here is a review of the races for 2010:
1. 3-20-2010: Lt. JC Stone 50K- 4:21:05
2. 5-2-2010: Pittsburgh Marathon - 3:45:14 (not a bad run although had a really bad sinus infection)
3. 5-23-2010: Blair County Family Services 10k - 43:24
4. 6-5-2010: Rothrock Trail Challenge 30K - 4:36 - This group puts on one hell of a nasty series of runs!!!!
5. 6-27-2010: Tussey Teaser #5 - 10.6 miles - 1:38:13 - Great prep for the Tussey Mountainback 50 mile Ultra
6. 7-4-2010: Hollidaysburg YMCA July 4th 15K - 1:08:52 (nice hot and humid morning in Central PA)
7. 7-25-2010: Run with the Deer Flies 25K Trail Race - 2:57:44 - This is a great race, but the race doesn't start until the last 10k. And yes, you will get eaten by Deer Flies. OUCH!!!
8. 8-21-2010: Central PA Run For the Fallen: 20 miles in 2:40:35 - Great run to log miles for the fallen soldiers.
9. 9-11-2010: Curwensville Dam Scramble 30K Trail Race - This ended up being 21 miles total - just a tad longer than advertised, but a great race - 3:57:00 - 3rd Overall
10. 9-19-2010: Dam Full Trail Marathon - 5:06 - Awesome trail race at R.B. Winter State Park near Lock Haven, Pa.
11. 10-2-2010: Bald Eagle Megatransect - 26.4 miles of incredible trails - 5:47. This is a must do race for any trail runner. This is one of the hardest courses I have ever done. Great boulder field scramble, great trails, and great friends.
12. 10-16-2010: Tussey Mountainback 50 mile Ultra - 8:31:49. Great course, minus the relay teams.
All in all, 2010 was a great year of racing. I will have to say that I am really happy with my finish at Tussey. I finished 16th overall in the USATF 50 mile championships. I surely can't complain about that for my first year of running ultras. I also did a bunch of local races in distances from 5k to 15k. I finished pretty well all year long. I am hoping that 2011 turns out to be an even better year. As of right now, I have already completed the 2011 Frozen Sasquatch 50K in Charleston, WV and the JC Stone 50K is approaching quickly.
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