20150509 - Back to Sams Gap for another fantastic day of A.T. running. Lots of backpackers and hikers out. More prep for the Quest for the Crest 50k. Ran north from the trail head, out over Big Bald to the Bald Mountain shelter. Back to the trail head where I restocked and headed south. Planned to run 20, but I started really slow. I did a hard 15 on Thursday, then a very hilly 5 on Friday, purposefully coming into this run on tired legs. Yep, they were toasty. Cut the run down to 18 so I could get home by my promised hour. Good practice for taking what the day gives you and just moving through it.
Submitted by Rush 5/16/2015 1431803517
20150502 - Completed a good chunk of the Quest for the Crest 50K today. Up early, dropped my old mountain bike off at the Colbert Ridge trail head, then drove back over to Woody Ridge. Up Woody into the early morning gloom. Topped out onto the Crest Trail and turned south. An hour out to Deep Gap, then left down the Colbert Ridge Trail for about 9 miles of running and 6400' elevation change. Hopped on the bike and peddled the four plus miles back to my car. Climbing Shufford Creek Rd on the bike was HARD.
Submitted by Rush 5/16/2015 1431802545
This morning I did a run that I've been thinking about for a while. I started at 6:00 am and ended 12,200' later.
I left the Woody Ridge trail with a headlamp illuminating the dusky morning. The forecast was for rain and a few stray drops pattered down. My plan was to climb Woody Ridge (3100' climb in 2.2 miles), traverse over and descend Bowlens Creek (3000' in 4.4 miles). Then turn around and run back to the bottom of Woody Ridge. This is the beginning of the Quest for the Crest 50K which I've signed up for. The race is May 30th. The race will not go back down Woody Ridge. After climbing back up Bowlens Creek, we'll stay on the Crest Trail out to Deep Gap and descend Colbert's Ridge trail.
My shin is healed up, though my sesamoids are still not 100%. I started off pretty easy. I'm convinced you can ruin your day attacking Woody too hard. I topped out in 1:18 into a strong wind and harder rain. A quick jaunt north and I began the 4.4 mile drop down Bowlens Creek. Really felt the sesamoids for about the first 10 minutes. Down through the seven switchbacks onto that fantastic section that takes you down past the campsite. Hit the bottom around 2:02. After a brief stretch, I headed back up. I was a little more aggressive climbing up Bowlens Creek, making myself run some of the steeper sections. It took me 1:15 to get back to the top. Clouds and fogged had totally socked in the Crest trail as I scampered back over to the Woody Ridge cutoff. I pushed the descent a little harder and made it back to my car in 4:40 overall.
I ate breakfast just before leaving so I didn't take my first gel until one hour into the run. Then, every 30 minutes thereafter. Water about ever 15 minutes. Two electrolyte tabs once an hour. 1 Tylenol about an hour in.
Submitted by Rush 4/25/2015 1430002133
Last Saturday I ran 12 miles along HWY 19 in a pair of Brooks Ghost 7's that I lowered the heels on. On Sunday, I ran 8 miles out at Cane River Park (all dirt) in a pair of Altra Superior 1.5 trail shoes. Monday, my left, lower anterior shin hurt. The muscles along the outside of the tibia felt very tight and sore. Totally out of the blue. Years of running regularly, and I've never had shin splits. I took several days off and things improved somewhat. Yesterday, I went up Bolens Creek. Today I climbed Woody Ridge. That's almost 12,000' of elevation change over the two days. Tonight, my shin feels swollen and very sore. Sigh. So, I'm icing. I'll take some Aleve, and I probably will have to rest for several weeks until this clears up. Wondering if this is a side-effect of the sesamoids on the left foot. Maybe I've been compensating for the sesamoid pain and I've mucked up my mechanics?
Submitted by Rush 4/6/2015 1428281329
Up at 4 am for dense oatmeal, a banana, and some coffee. Around 25' in Black Mountain, but I decided to run as lightly clothed as I possibly could. UD vest, pockets packed with gels and some saltier bars, CamelBak bladder instead of bottles. Lots of snow, ice, and deep, deep cold leading up to this race. RD had sent out some emails saying that YakTrax, or similar, were highly advised. All of the stores in AVL were sold out. Ended up ordering a pair of YakTrax Run from Amazon. Delivery was delayed a day, due to yet more snow, and they were on the porch when I got home Friday night. Took them out to the back yard in the twilight, practiced strapping them on, then ran little loops through the snow just to get some kind of feel for them. Knew that due to the projected conditions and the amount of climbing, and the kind of training I'd been doing of late that this would not be a PR day. So much like January's 50K, I decided to focus on just feeling good and enjoying the moment, and taking in the experience of a race I'd never done before.
The marathon runs simultaneously with the Mt Mitchell Challenge. About 200 people in each race, starting together on Cherry Street. We ran up Montreat Road, through the picturesque little college, climbed a steep hill to trail head. There, many people took a seat and strapped on their traction gear. I was a amazed at how many people I saw wearing their Yaks on the road, when the manufacturer clearly states that will void the warranty, ruin the product, and contribute to the general decay of civilization.
The trails were INCREDIBLE. Deep with packed snow, the woods quiet in that quilt-like stillness. The grade was uphill but runnable. I tried to be patient on the single track, running behind or among a line of runners, but twice I pushed around groups to find solitude on the trail. Mostly, though, I ran a very comfortable pace, focused on staying relaxed and trying to drink more than I usually do to see whether this might have a positive impact on late-race cramping. As such, I took my time at the aid stations. Drank a lot of Coke during this race, ate two orange slices at each stop as well as gels every 25 minutes or so.
Sometime after transitioning to the Old Toll Road, I realized the water line on my CamelBak was frozen, so I ran the tube down my shirt next to my skin and ate several handfuls of snow. Eventually, the line thawed. Climbed 3277' up to the Blue Ridge Parkway turnaround in 2:48 (so it took me exactly 2 hours to get back to the finish). I wouldn't have wanted to linger much longer at the Parkway due to the exposure, so after refueling, I was grateful to head back down into the tree line, definitely starting to pick up the pace for the second half of the race. After the Bill's Knob aide station, with 9 miles to go, I started letting the line out a little more, steadily letting my pace increase, singing Tom Waits God's Away on Business and Cemetery Polka for timing.
As the race runs back toward Montreat, the course changes from the out route, and dumps the runners back to asphalt on the very steep Appalachian Way. A quick stop to remove and stow the YakTrax, and I was lumbering down that steep grade, my knees and quads very unhappy with the hard surface. I began my mantra, "stay in your head", trying not to focus on my hamstrings and calves which are prone to cramping at that stage. Running along Flat Creek Road, a runner came flying by me. "How much further?", he yelled. "I don't know!", I called back to him. Turns out he was the first Challenge finisher, completing the 40 mile journey about 4 minutes faster than I completed my 26.2. A nice bunch of race watchers cheered us on, telling us "only a mile to the lake." Great vibe and energy at the lake as you are marshaled onto the dirt track to make a loop around. I was able to push hard and finish strong. No cramping!
Submitted by Rush 3/7/2015 1425746287
15 tough miles on the A.T. today. Sams Gap south for 2 hours brought me almost to Rector Laurel Rd. Gods that climb back up to the top of Frozen Knob is KILLER! About 8700' total elevation change for today's run. On the positive side, my left knee gave me no trouble at all today; didn't feel it a single time. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the sesamoids in my left foot, which remain irritated and inflamed, but bearable. Ran through a lot of snow this morning. The northern slopes were four to six inches deep in fine dry powder.
I bought some shoes online. I know, I know, I preach all the time about supporting my local running shop (FootRX...you are still my guys), but I wanted to try a pair of Altra trail shoes. I got a pair of Superior 1.5's for about half price. (which for me is buying two pairs: one for my smaller left foot and one for my normal size right foot) I gotta say, I LOVE the roomy toe box. LOVE IT. The zero drop has not been that big of a deal as several of my Brooks are 4-5mm drop so this wasn't a huge change. Brooks, I love you guys, but you have got to follow Altra's lead on this and build the shoe in the shape of a real foot, accounting for the fact that the foot wants to spread out on landing. Anyway. I like the Altras (see below)
There was a group of runners out from Johnson City running this same stretch today. I leap frogged them several times then caught up with three of the guys at the trail head. Nice fellas. We've run a bunch of the same stuff.
Got the Black Mountain Marathon coming up on February 28th.
Submitted by Rush 2/7/2015 1423343529
Always fun to do a new event and the crew at FootRx has got this one dialed in. Fantastic course. Miles and miles of runnable trail. Enough hills to get a good mix of muscle recruitment, but no gut-busting climbs. Lovely views of the lake (which was dam-controlled super low)
This was pretty much a race-day decision for me. My left knee has been bothering me since the Spruce Pine run several weeks ago. Despite drastically dropping my mileage, the knee has been sore (medial meniscus), and yes, it hurt Saturday, but I didn't think this race would have the vertical demands of the AT. Started hurting in the first mile, but that initial flair died down some and I was able to bear the discomfort with the help of a Tylenol every 90 minutes. I do not recommend this and I don't take Tylenol when running on a regular basis. The knee kept me from running hard and that was ok. I came to the event with zero expectation and I left my ego at home, committed to accepting whatever the day brought.
I ran with true and utter joy, grateful to the universe for just being there. Just an extended weekend long run, with the occasional brief chat with a fellow runner. The weather was absolutely perfect, even tending to warm on the southern side of the hills. I did have a little bit of calf cramping on the long final uphill, which wasn't steep, but climbed steadily for a mile or more. A few walking strides here and there and the muscles relaxed. Coming down the grade, in the last mile or so before the finish, my right toe caught a root and sent me sprawling. The fall didn't hurt, but in suddenly/severely pointing my right foot, my calf cramped unbelievably hard. It took a few minutes to relax, then I gingerly made my way down the trail. Made the finish line in 5:31 and found my friends Bryan (4:50), Jason (5:10) and Gene (5:15). We shared a few thoughts on the day. I found some chips and some delicious scones someone had made, had a couple of cups of Gatorade then walked gingerly down to my car to head home.
I'm happy with the time. Back in October, I ran 5:19 at New River, but that day was a disaster as I was chasing a marathon time, blew up at 17 with horrible calf cramps, and had a nightmarish slog back, cramping the whole way. Today, I ran carefree and just blissed out being on the trail. I'm registered for the Black Mountain marathon in February, but whether I run will depend on how my knee progresses.
Numbers: I probably didn't drink enough water. The day was cool and I was drinking to thirst rather than on a fixed schedule. I did drink 4-6 oz with every gel. Took gels every 20 minutes to consume a minimum of 300 calories an hour. Since I wasn't redlining my effort, I thought this would be enough cals. Supplemented at aid stations 2 & 3. Two Enurolytes every hour. 100mg caffeine every hour. One Tylenol every 90 minutes. Head stayed clear. Energy levels were good. Coming out of aid station 3, with about 7 miles to go, I felt really good. I had stopped, refilled my water. Had two cups of Gatorade. Ate some chips and two mini Crackel bars. I really like the Huma chia-strawberry gels. They taste fantastic and despite the temps, stayed the consistency of applesauce, and go down super easy. In contrast, the Gu gels were hard blobs that I had to really squeeze out of the packets and sat in my mouth like a lump (but I DO like the salted caramel). I also carried a couple of Kashi Dark Mocha Almond bars, which were crunchy and have just a hint of salty taste, a nice contrast to the gels.
Submitted by Rush 1/20/2015 1421722400
I made the pad described in the following video and it seems to be helping, at least while walking. I also cut 5mm off the heel of my old Ghost 6, so they should be around a 4mm drop, like my other shoes (PureGrit, PureFlow) that put less stress on my sesamoids.
Sesamoid Pad
Submitted by Rush 1/7/2015 1420660082
As I've mentioned a couple of times, my sesamoid bones of my left foot have been bothering me for several weeks. I think I aggravated them running a LOT of vertical in November and December. In addition, my long road run to Spruce Pine and Ledger have reignited pain in my left knee, which I injured in May, 2014 at the very end of the Rhododendron 10K. So, running hurts right now. As a result, I'm not running very much. I've been experimenting with various padding, trying to take weight off the sesamoids. I went out on the AT Sunday afternoon, going south from Sams Gap, and barely managed 30 minutes, out. Granted, that first 30 minutes is pretty steep. After 15 minutes, both my foot and my knee were hurting. The stress of the pain just kills my energy and leaves me frustrated.
Submitted by Rush 1/6/2015 1420573227
10 low key miles or so on the A.T. (Spivey Gap) this cold, crisp morning. Some light snow up high. Saw a couple of folks out hiking. Saw some trees clawed apart by a hungry bear. Nursing some nagging stuff but wanted to start the new year in the woods, these fragile, fragile woods. Old beyond time, they call to me, pull me from my bed to come glide among the trees (and huff up the steep parts...let's be honest, here). Happy 2015!
Submitted by Rush 1/1/2015 1420145547
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