Monte Sano trail run

The fog was extra thick near the river crossings. I made a quick trip before dawn Saturday to Monte Sano State Park in Alabama to preview the Mountain Mist 50k course.  I was excited to try out my new kicks- Fleet Feet Nashville now has the new Brooks Pure series in. The awesome FF team set me up in a pair of their trail version of the new minimalist line- the Pure Grit. Here they are, waiting to leave, at about 4:35 am...

vroom vroom

I arrived at the park just at sunrise and the fog succumbed to the warm light. I had no true route plan, just an idea to warm up for 30 minutes, hammer for 2 hours, and cool down for 30 minutes. I figured to get about 21 miles.

smiling on the inside

I ran trails as they came, figuring things would either make sense for a big loop or I would make it an out and back. I ended up doing some of both. The terrain was rocky, wet and covered in leaves. The Grits held form. They have a snug fit everywhere but the toe box, which opens up to allow for greater toe spread and push off. They felt light and kept rocks from entering. Although they are a minimal shoe, I did not feel compelled to watch for every sharp little rock. All in all the shoes performed in an exceptional fashion and after 10 miles I forgot they were new.

Swiftwick Aspire 12s 

A great run, got 21+ miles checked out the course and found out in a hurry I am gonna have to return to my TRT training routes, looking for hills and gnar whenever I can. This course is going to challenge me. I want to be ready.

Fall

Training on the Appalachian Trail

from high on the AT

This past week was a hundred mile week. It was capped off by an out-of-towner with my boy Mash. We headed east Friday afternoon and stopped in Oak Ridge for a pre-dark run on our way to the Smokeys. Our Friday run plan was a 16 mile out and back on the North Ridge Trail. The start of the trail looked sketchy and the trail itself looked unused... still we headed out around 4:30 pm. Parking awkwardly by houses as the trail head started in a neighborhood. I took point and in a quarter mile was high-stepping through tall grass and thorn bushes... the trail was just not well traveled, we ended up taking several wrong turns and had to double back. It was hot- I neglected to bring my headlamp and the trail well... was not much fun. It wound behind houses and across roads. It dumped us out after about 3 miles in a large opening on a grassy ridge. Powerlines ran along but the trail just ended in a thicket. After much tramping and prodding for the trail to pick back up, we relented and headed back to the truck and did a 3 mile out and back in the mostly vertical roads of the neighborhood in which we had parked.

breaking down camp

We finished with 9 miles and headed to Elkmont Campground. We reached our campsite by 9:30 and made haste in the truck's headlights to set up camp, get a fire going and have a cold beverage before bed. We spent a few minutes puzzling over a number of maps and books planning our route for the morning- we wanted as much climbing as we could get and we wanted 30+ miles. The prevailing sentiment was- Clingman's Dome would be our start and from there, we would make our way to the AT and follow it for 15+ miles and back in. We slept on cheap inflatable pool rafts-  I in my 6 man, huge tent and Mash in his minimalist Northface. I did not know it at the time, but Mash used a towel as a blanket. It got cold by pre-dawn and our site sat beside a small river, the sound of running water filled the night air.

Infinit and nutrition check

Time to get down to business. We broke down camp, prepped our Infinit in our Nathan packs and counted out gels, cubes and waffle stingers. Hydration was a concern as I estimated we would be in the woods for 6 to 7 hours. I was able to carry 60oz in my Nathan plus I planned to carry 2- 20 oz hand-helds. So 100oz would be cutting it very close. (I would need 120-140oz)

Clingman's Dome start

We headed up the paved path up Clingman's Dome and dropped into the trail following signs to Mt. Mitchell and the AT. We were both surprised by how far we seemed to be descending and then climbing. The trail itself was relentless, jagged rocks, twisted roots, sharp descents, and mind numbing climb after climb. This quickly wore the newness and freshness off the day. By mile 6, we were hard at work, maintaining our footing watching for wildlife (snake, bear, pig), and trying to remain relaxed.

We came upon trail workers, fairly often- made sense- it was National Trail Day. We celebrated by running them. We made our way to New Found Gap- the terrain changed and although we were climbing and descending most of the time- a cool, sweet smelling breeze hit our sweat covered faces and we watched as the forest floor became a sea of small green ferns beneath the canopy. I was finding rhythm now, and by the time we made it to the New Found Gap Overlook, things were just fine.

tourists at New Found Gap Overlook

From here we ran on the AT. Ascending dusty terrain littered with rock and boulder. We came to a sign that said "Ice Water Springs 1.7m". Now this sounded promising! We continued on- I was keen on refilling a bottle if possible, but would take no chances unless we could get word that the spring was drinkable. We came upon a shelter where a couple was resting. They confirmed my hope, the spring was just ahead and clean, AND cold! And ohhh was it- Ice cold water in the middle of nowhere.

beauty in the wild

The remainder of the run consisted of making it to our turn-around point and heading back. It got hot and the terrain was vicious catching toe and ankle as I grew weary and less cautious. Ashly finished the final 2 miles with 2 oz of water, refusing to use my Infinit I had saved in my pack- it was warm and I had fought through some nausea in the mid 20 miles.

Smokeys mile 21 or so

We ascended the final climb, which was 2 miles up the back side of Clingman's Dome and emerged on the paved path laughing and shouting; just celebrating! Many tourists looked on with curiosity, we must have looked like shipwrecked sailors paddling on a homemade raft finding a beach resort. So 32 miles, 13,166 of elevation gain 13,141 of elevation loss. It was all I wanted and more in preparation for TRT100.

Thank you @swiftwick- Ran in Aspire 2s, both days in 2s. Recovered in 12's and legs feel good today- these socks make a difference, and my legs and feet are better for it!

Thank you Dan & @Endurance Sports for the Infinit. Putting this stuff through the paces. You know how to DIAL IN NUTRITION and I am stronger for it.

LBL 50 Mile Race (the prep)

I just want to take a deep breath and say ahhh. Spring is here and the days of cold fingers and snow are all but passed. Last Saturday I hit the LBL 50 Miler for an intense "A" race experience. My plan and goal was to break 7 hrs which I felt was at the very top of my ability, kind of that- if everything goes exactly as planned, and its a dream-day on the trail kind of goal.

it is time

The day began in the moments before daybreak, my favorite time- pre-dawn twilight, the mysterious moments between. The whole world seems to pause in a dream. The start was at a marina, I watched the sailboat masts bob and sway in the soft breeze, a perfect 45 degrees as we lined up to face pink hues of dawn replacing the stars and the blue water sky of night.

I was as prepared as possible- I had my Nathan Mutation Pack- a single bottle pack with one small pocket in front. The bottle sits in the small of the back at a slanted, optimal angle. It is light and comfortable and perfect for a course with so many aid stations. It features a Velcro strap and the zip pocket is actually lengthwise in the strap for easy access. The strap has a bit of elastic give to it which helps limit the potential affect of having something pressing on the GI.  I hear this pack is discontinued. Get 'em while ya can.

My sock choice was a toss up between some new Swiftwick prototypes that will debut on shelves soon and the Swiftwick Aspire "2s". I have had in the past a slight anterior issue with my right ankle so I chose the Aspires gauging the compression as most appropriate.

My shoe choice was another toss up: Innov8s either the Flyrock 310s - my 4x4 go anywhere trainer vs the ascetic, super light, rockets: Innov8 F-lite 195 (195 grams). I choose the later in a gamble. I knew there was a chance that the minimalist trail flats might destroy my feet in the long miles, but I also knew that the trail was packed dirt, not technical, and the light shoe with a low heal would give me a serious advantage if I could handle it. Endurance Sports has Innov8s in Cool Springs.

Nutrition was dialed in: Infinit (available at Endurance) in my bottle and at every one of the 4 loops in a drop bag which is actually a box. Powerbar Gels every hour.

Clothing:
Edurance Sports and Rec K-swiss singlet and ES&R visor. Swiftwick arm sleeves.
mizuno therma gloves.

This gets me to the starting line... I'm working on the report- coming soon!

starting out- time to roll

Running on Infinit

Dan Powell, owner of Endurance Sports and Rec in Cool Springs has been explaining to me the science behind Infinit, a new sports powder that claims to be the all in one nutrition source for endurance athletes. To which I admit to glassing over. The long and short was that this had 4 different molecular compounds of carbohydrates, so the body would continue osmosis thus keeping the systems fed. I am so blessed to have incredibly smart people in my life who share a passion for endurance- Endurance Sports  being up there for sure. So the carbs along with a myriad of other necessary components made up this not so sweet formula. Testing the product this past weekend was a bit of a fool's parade for me, but when in doubt, jump in.

I had one 20oz bottle filled with "the protien mix". It foamed like cheep keg beer. I topped off my bottle after 7 miles and then headed out for 13 more - 4.5 of which were to be thresh hold (7's) and then the final 2 ended up being a pace push from some of Highland's best. I used one gel for the entire day, and finished feeling unusual... as in I usually finish longer days incredibly hungry and in some shape or form depleted.

post 20 miles of trails at Percy Warner

Although I am not ready to toss out my boxes of gels and powders and cubes and gues and on and on... I am impressed with its initial use. This looks like the next progression in the area of  ultra nutrition. This Saturday Mash and I have 33+ at LBL to do and I hope to dial this in for the race. Much Goodness- THANKS DAN!!! Now, how big is a scoop of this stuff?

The Science of Endurance

The physiology of ultra-running has been one area of the sport I have yet to fully explore.
I am excited to announce a new supporting sponsor: Fitness Wave owned by David Harris an expert in exercise physiology.

In the coming months we (Ashly Dewberry and I) are going to run some tests, shoot some video and learn from Fitness Wave. David does RMR (resting metabolic rate testing), hydrostatic body fat testing and Vo2 Max testing. All these tests will produce data to better dial in nutrition and training.

Fitness Wave is located in Endurance Sports in Cool Springs, Endurance S. is run by people who know the sport because they live endurance sports. They are on the front edge of new developments in gear, nutrition and training.  It will be a far cry from my minimalist approach to running long trails, but I am willing to work to integrate the "why" into the "how".

Lunch with Jamie Dial, TRT100 and winter training

winter

Jamie Dial is one of the very top ultra runners in the mid south. His race resume although impressive only tells a portion of his story, as his personal journeys into the great outdoors are that of local lore. Jamie was willing to sit down over lunch on Tuesday with Mash and me at Ted's Montana Grill and give us a run down of the TRT100. He came in 4th overall in this epic.

J. Dial arrived and proceeded to hold class on the race pouring information out. We would need to learn to run on full stomachs, go run after dinner and run late into the night after a day of work. We discussed hydration ideas and pack vs handhelds. Jamie said, we'd be fit enough, that was the "easy" part, (?) he said the mental part was what we were going to have to really work on. Saying, "I can't tell you how bad your gonna feel at mile 70." Jamie knows how to endure, how to overcome and most of all how to train creatively. He shared with us some little known trail routes where we could get the mountain training we most certainly will need to be ready.

Yesterday I went out for a 6 mile run at lunch with a tempo sesh of about 1.5 miles over the pedestrian bridge and around the Titans' stadium. I keep running over the conversation in my head, each time coming to new conclusions about the future months.

One thing is for certain, for now, I am going to focus on the LBL50, it is nothing to overlook and will be an incredible challenge. There is some comfort in that, being able to look only 5 weeks ahead- one training week at a time- it is much like my effort in races-  I can only run one mile at a time - so I run the one I'm on.

PWP early am

This morning Mash and I got 9+ in on the PWP red trail x2. It was snowing a bit when we started at 5am and was a not quite 20 degrees.

the wind and I

Today I managed to get over to Bowie for a steady 6.5 miles. My wife and son joined me beforehand. She's the photographer of the family and we couldn't pass up the chance to capture the heavy snow blanket that covered Fairview the night before.

I then hit Perimeter Trail and Loblolly Upper. I caught sight of a large owl but it was far after he had seen me. Ashen wings dressed with black tipped feathers. He was in flight and half gone by the time I was close, sending showers of snow to the ground as he brushed through the trees. Sounds are gobbled up by the snow and leave a silence, a deep peace. The youngest pines bowed in submission across the trail from the weight of the snow, while the old gentlemen, the big pines, stood as if in fine white suits.

Quiet Training

It is one thing to train with a race on the horizon. It is quite another to train with nothing in front of you. Right now I have 7 workouts per week 2 of which are 2-a-days but nothing to focus on. I suppose the question I have been avoiding is... "Why". Why am I dedicating so much time and energy with no specific goal. I suppose general fitness is one answer but it doesn't really satisfy the continued intensity. Last Thursday I ran 20.8 miles because I had the time. I had the time to run for three hours.

I do this with a shoulder shrug and a smile/grimace. Frankly, I do not have the answer to why I am upping my own ante. I just know that I feel compelled, even driven, to continue the increase. Now swimming and biking have made it onto my regimen, and with each passing day I find myself peering into the future wondering what race or adventure awaits.

I suppose I want to be ready, for whatever the real reason is. I pray Lord Jesus will direct my path.