Just when I was really starting to recover from the hip-related PT, building a foundation for heading into fall, a freak accident dislocated the 5th toe on my left foot. 2 attempts at closed reductions failed ( and hurt like hell) and I had surgery on 8/29. After cutting a tendon to realign the joint, the doc initially inserted a K-pin lengthwise through the toe bones to keep them aligned. But, the resulting circulation was so poor that she decided to remove the pin while still in the OR. I was sent home with no pin but a ZERO activity order until I'm re-evaluated on 9/15.
This is the longest I've gone with no running (no walking, no anything but crutches) in a long time. I can feel the morning air starting to cool up here in the NC mountains and the first hints of the leaves thinking about turning. I'm sad about not being out there in it enjoying the season in the way that is so meaningful to me: being alone deep in the mountains.
Submitted by 9/9/2022
Folks, don't ever play high school football. My senior year, the fall of '84, late in the season at practice, I was tackled from behind in such a way that it drove my left knee hard into the sod. I immediately felt a burning sting around the inside of of the knee, just under the kneecap. I hobbled back to the huddle and coach Tolley asked if I was ok. Told him my knee was burning like I'd never felt it do. That night my knee swelled up like a balloon. I went to a sports clinic in Asheville where they drew fluid off and through a series of painful manipulations, diagnosed me with a torn medial meniscus. I had no idea what that meant. I recall spending maybe a week in a knee brace, maybe some time on crutches. I'm pretty sure I played again before the season ended.
Fast forward 20 odd years and I started running the year I turned 40, progressing through 5k, 10K, half-marathon, marathon, and then into ultra distances. The knee almost never bothers me other than two instances that share some common characteristics.
In June, 2014, my friend Ken asked if I wanted to run the Rhododendron 10K in Bakersville. I put him off as I was focusing on my first 50K in the fall. A few days before the race, Ken pinged me again offering to pick me up and do the driving. I agreed and I ended up winning our age group in what was the NC Track Club road 10K championship. The race ended down a short steep drive, with a hard left turn and a 50 yard sprint to the finish. Rain had fallen during the race, the asphalt was just a little slick and I felt my knee open up pivoting in that left turn. That race was on June 21. In my running log on 7/9/2014, there is a note, "I think I hurt my knee at the Rhodo 10K." By early August, my notes say the knee is feeling much better.
Fast forward to late April, 2022. I haven't done an event in 2 years due to COVID, but the numbers are looking better so I morning-of register for our local spring 5K. I've been doing 25-40 mpw for 2 years but no specific 5k training. Likewise I've transitioned all my running off of hard surfaces. I made myself lay back until the last 3/4 of a mile which finished on a long gradual uphill then a sharp left hand turn to the finish. I noticed my knee throbbing after the race and it's been bothering me ever since.
Now, at age 55, its definitely slower to heal and for the first time I've had moments where my knee felt like it was locking up. I don't know if I have some floating debris or what but it's annoying. Some of my hip & core exercises seem to aggravate it, too. So I should probably stay off of it for a couple of weeks and see if it will heal up. Irritating as my recent stint of PT really helped my hip and I've been having some good runs. I'm asking myself, "would you rather run 100 miles or 100 years?"
Submitted by Rush 6/14/2022
Sleep has been rough lately. I slept right through an early alarm yesterday so I put off my "long" run until this morning. Still didn't get on the trail until 9:20 am, so I missed what cool temps there were for the morning. I ran the Mountains to Sea trail from Buck Creek Gap to the Black Mountain Campground and back. I knew the temps were going to get up into the low 80's so I took the out leg easy. I immediately could tell I had no pop at all. My legs felt heavy and my joints stiff. I hoped that as I warmed up I would start to feel better. I crossed Neals Creek in 1:45 and trotted in the Campground trailhead parking area in 2:17 feeling so-so ok. I spoke with a man who was taking his young daughter on a short hike to the water fall trail and two older ladies from Florida.
Feeling the day warming up I headed back up the climb and fatigue and soreness fell on me like an Acme safe from an old Road Runner cartoon. I had to hike almost all the uphills. My legs hurt like hell. I don't know if it's my diet lately or poor sleep or the temps getting above 80 degrees or what. I just know I felt like dog meat and it was going to be a long back leg. The trail is very remote and I often do the whole thing without seeing another soul. Today was different as I encountered a couple of other younger trail runners who must have left BMC shortly after I did. They had a more elaborate route planned. Nice to see some other runners out. I ran what I could and actually took 2 sit down rest breaks on the way back. Unusual for me, but there is no bailing out on this out and back. As I was nearing the overlook where my car was parked a motorcycle pulled in blaring AudioSlave, "..go on and save yourself, take it out on me!!" Indeed. I did the back leg in 2:28. This run is predominantly downhill on the out and uphill on the back. Not the day I wanted, but I still managed to move my body 15.2 miles and climbed 2000+ feet of vert.
Submitted by Rush 6/12/2022
Got up at 5:00 am this morning and was on the trail at Spivey Gap at 6:30. The birds a chorus in the trees. Temps in the low 50's, no wind, a sunny morning that became overcast. My plan was to run about 8-9 minutes past Temple Hill Gap, and back, for a 15 mile day. I've done this stretch many times. The streams were running full as we had heavy rain several times this week. This meant all the rocks and roots were particularly slick. This is very technical trail so I was very conscious of my footing. A steep climb from the trailhead gives way to nearly 4 miles of gradual downhill with a bump right before No Business shelter at mile 5. The shelter was full of through hikers having breakfast and I was greeted by a chorus of, "Hey hey trail runner!". Very cool. I made the shelter in 1:23 then THG at 1:58 and turned around at 2:05. I'm guessing this out is 70% downhill. I moved well through the mostly uphill back leg. My hip stayed solid (thank you S.E.P.T!!) as I've continued my hip and core work 3x/wk. I even split this run; 2:05 and change in both directions. Not the fastest I've run it but to hit the 7.5 mostly uphill miles in the 2nd half as fast as I ran out felt pretty encouraging. One step at a time.
Submitted by Rush 5/29/2022
Friday night my partner and I hiked up Bowlens creek about a mile and camped out just off the trail. Around 7:30 the next morning we started to hear the first of the Quest for the Crest 50K runners coming down the trail. We greeted and spoke with several runners catching a few on their way down and then again as they were climbing back up toward the Black Mountain Crest Trail Full results of this year's run here.
Sunday I got up early and ran the A.T. from Sam's Gap north to Big Bald and back. I could just about do this run with my eyes closed but there is nothing boring about this 13 mile, 3200' of climbing, round trip. Steep grinds, runnable stretches, and fantastic 360 degree views from the bald. Spoke with one older through hiker, making his way from Georgia to Maine. He said it was the first time in his life he'd gone eight days without a bath or shower. Gotta love it! My run felt good. Six weeks of PT have done wonders for my hip, though my left knee is still a little tight from the road 5K I jumped into a few weeks back. Note to self: stay off the hard stuff and forget about trying to run fast.
This video about Sage Canaday's recovery from Pulmonary emboli is worth a watch.
Run with humility, gratitude, and joy.
Submitted by Rush 5/24/2022
It's been 3 years now since I've run an event, but I'm still running. I've been averaging between 20-40 miles a week depending on the week. Caution around COVID kept me from signing up for events until 2 weeks ago when I ran a local 5k, with zero training other than my ongoing "maintenance mileage". One issue I've had to deal with is that during COVID, I stopped doing my supplemental core, hip, and glute strength work and ended up with a BAD case of tendonitis in my right hip; re-aggravating an old injury from 2011.
My employer offers free PT so I'm ending a six week series of visits that has definitely helped. I'm back in a routine of doing strength work and completely convinced that I cannot run more than 20 miles a week without the additional strength training. I'm very busy with a couple of home remodel projects in addition to my regular 9-5 job so I haven't put any events on my calendar. I did a steep 8 miles on the Buncombe Horse Trail yesterday and it felt good to be in the woods and to have everything in working order when I got done. About to go out and do an easy 3 at lunchtime. My running is still important but it has transitioned into a more laid back part of my routine vs the hyper focused, 110% total dedication when training for an event. I'm happy to be still running.
Submitted by Rush 5/16/2022
Writing this up almost a year after the event. I finally made it back to the Fontandango 50. This race was my first attempt at 50 miles back in 2015, but that year I went out too fast and stopped at 30. As a consolation, I did come in 3rd at the 50K distance, but I'd never DNF'd before and that nagged at me so it was great to come back and knock this 50 miler out.
The race is 5 loops around a 10 mile loop of single track and some road grade. The terrain is mostly rolling with a few short steeper sections and one brutal mother of a hill at mile 8 that feels damn near vertical on the 5th lap. RD Aaron Saft was at the start/finish line every lap cheering runners on, offering encouragement, smiling and telling jokes.
My plan was to start out easy, stay comfortable until 30 and then see if I could push some in the final two laps. The last lap was my fastest of the day. I finished just after darkness fell super elated to have come back and managed the race much better the 2nd time.
In 2015 I got up super early the morning of the race and drove 2.5 hours from my home. This year, I booked a room at the Fontanna Village for Friday and Saturday nights and that made the experience much easier.
I finished in 12:14, 15th out of 51 finishers and 2nd in my age group.
Submitted by Rush 2/11/2020 1581428943
Or - how I felt bad from the minute I stepped off the bus.
This year's QftC was preceded by days and days of rain, to the point that a portion of the race had to be rerouted on race day to avoid what had become a potentially dangerous creek crossing. The course was reduced to miles and miles of inundated trails running like creeks, shin deep puddles, and shoe sucking mud. If the conditions weren't bad enough, this was the first race I've ever done where I felt like crap from the very first step. Not the way you want to start a 32 mile, 12,000+ feet of climbing kind of day.
The weekend before the "hardest 50K in the east" as RD Sean Blanton calls this race, I'd done the Cradle to Grave 30K. I took that race very easy except for hammering the last 4, very flat miles. I think that effort took more out of me than I realized. In addition, there was no warm up time before the Crest started. We got off the shuttle bus, lined up and boom, we were running. The morning was warm with 100% humidity and I could tell immediately I had very little in my legs.
We log jammed up Woody Ridge, people slipping and falling in the mud. Topping out on the Crest Trail was spectacular as always. The descent down Bowlen's Creek was uneventful and the climb back up was tough as I had no energy or pop. The sawtooth Crest trail with it's endless short steep climbs and drops was challenging to move with any sense of speed. Dropping down Colbert's Ridge trail I heard someone talking about the 12:15 cutoff time. 12:15 ???? What??? Then I remembered Sean coming onto the shuttle bus at 4:30 in the morning and making announcements and somewhere in my sleep deprived brain I then recalled him saying something about adjusting the Colbert's Creek Rd cutoff to account for the course change. Holy crap, this was going to be close! I'd never, ever, run anywhere near to an aid station cutoff, but as I emerged off the Colbert's Ridge trail, a guy with a clipboard said, "Number 361, you have SIX MINUTES to get out!" In what felt like only a few seconds he bellowed, "You've got FIVE MINUTES to get out!" And so on. I scrambled with my drop bag. Stuffed as much food in my face as I could and got out with three minutes to spare; heart hammering, feet slapping down the pavement.
We ran up Rock Creek Rd about a mile and half, and cut back into the woods. At the next aid station I did some math and realized that I'd have a much more generous window to make the next cutoff. So began the long slog up Buncombe Horse trail; still nothing in my legs, though I do recall starting to pass a few people. The climb up Big Tom Spur was brutal, but only a harbinger of scaling Big Tom and Mount Craig with their near vertical rock faces. On top of Craig, you can see the Mt Mitchell parking lot and a very cheery photographer told me that I only had one more mile to the aid station. I started to pick up steam a little.
The Mt. Mitchell aid station was where I finally found my mojo. I had some good food and cold Coke, but I think it was knowing that the bulk of what was left was downhill that flipped my mental switch. Likewise, I had done this section a couple of times recently so I knew exactly what the terrain was like. My legs felt strong and my head cleared as I powered up to the observation tower and began to pound the 5 mile descent. True to form, the skies opened up just as I was entering the Black Mountain campground. I sprinted as hard as I could go to the finish, where Sean greeted me with a high five, a pint glass, and a wooden finisher's medal. I said, "man, I've never felt so bad for so long, and I've done THIS race before." The post-race food was plentiful and delicious. My friend Aaron Saft won the thing. My young friend Tim, who I saw many times running up and down Bowlen's Creek trail in the weeks leading up to the race, finished 9th.
This race is amazing. I've done it twice and now, with the full route approved by the State Park, it has reached its full, glorious, leg-crushing, potential.
Submitted by Rush 9/4/2018 1536096846
I hadn't climbed the unrelenting steepness of the Woody Ridge trail since May of 2015 during the Quest for the Crest 50K. In preparation for that race, I climbed the 2.5 mi, 3100' elevation gain four times, then again on race day. I can't really describe how steep this trail is other than saying it gets to nearly 70% grade in a few places.
I started up the trail at 7:30 this morning, mostly hiking but running where I could. At 30 minutes, I hit what I call the boulders where the trail just gets insanely steep. This morning that's also where the snow line began and I trekked up through 3,4,5 inches of snow. Without trekking poles or YakTrax, the going was slow. The temperature was around 40' and the air was dead still, until I reached the Crest Trail then POW!! the wind was unbelievable. Deep drifts of snow and a dark sky in the west as I traversed over to the Bolens Creek trail. I ran the four miles down to the bottom, touched the gate, turned around and headed back up. When I reached the Crest trail an hour and thirty eight minutes later, the clouds were sitting right on top of the mountain and everything was socked in.
Descending Woody Ridge with several inches of snow was downright treacherous and I had two hard falls. I'm convinced I'm ready for trekking poles.
15 miles round trip, 12,000' of elevation change.
Submitted by Rush 3/11/2018 1520776695
I spent this Father's Day with my son in Chapel Hill, NC. We got up early and did a sweaty 4+ miles together in the Carolina North Forest. He's only just started running on trails and to share this experience with him was a real treat.
Submitted by Rush 6/18/2017 1497796437
follow along
