Sponsorship Announcement!

I am happy to announce that Swiftwick has elected to sponsor me for 2011. This company produces top level socks and more that reflects my personal views on ultra running gear- keep it pure, no frills, and form should follow function.

Thanks to the entire SWIFTWICK team! Here we go.

life, training and the LBL 50 miler

Saturday 19m, (last loop at threshold pace) 

Roy, Mash and Stevie
Highland Rim Ultras, back to Deep Wells

Light from the rising sun flickered like an old projector through the damp black branches on my right. I breathed hard and worked to keep my pace above comfortable. The trail was difficult to make out with the golden rays flashing in my eyes. I was glad, it has been so gray for so long. Small black birds with yellow triangle beaks exploded from mud puddles formed in foot and hoof prints before me. I was startled by a large deer as I lighted a serpentine downhill- suddenly aware of her presence, we were no more than a foot a part. Glad I didn't get the hoof!


Looking Forward
I sent in my registration and booked our hotel for the Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler  on Saturday. February is going to be a high mileage and high intensity month in preparation for the LBL50. My wife, Julia will run the 23k, so we are going to be trading time to get trained up and care for our baby boy, who was sick with double ear infections Sat. night. I sat in our rocking chair holding him through in deep hours of the night. It is tough to watch someone so close, hurt, I wished I could take it from him, but all I could do was be there. All our plans and schedules can be made, but life is not by our design, but He that made us. Glad to report he's way better today!

some pics from Sat. run:

post thresh hold... need coffee

now to sit on a white couch

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.

Lookout Mtn. 26+

This past Saturday I headed down to Chattanooga to run Lookout Mountain with Mash for some mountain training- I left my house at 3:30 am. To prep for the Tahoe 100, we're gonna have to spend lots of time on mind numbing, lung burning climbs... until they become a place of relative peace. Long distance mountain running is the ultimate running experience in my opinion.

Some Notes From the Day...
-I ran with a camelbak for the first time and really liked it- it will take some getting used to but I think this is the only way to go far, sans aid.

frozen in the pack

-Surprised as how warm my feet were in my Swiftwick Olefin 2s... I had been wearing 2 pairs of regular socks for really cold days and this was one- teens to single digits on top of the mtn for sure. Ran the whole day blister free- I rub sportslick on my feet for anything over 15m.
-Mash's water pack tubing froze early in the day, which took a bit of finagling.
-We were chased by a dog that was either insane or just really didn't like that we were running.
-We ran a few sections extra and had to back track due to the complexity of the trail system and limited signage.
-I somehow- left most of my major nutrition in the truck- thus running in a state of caloric depletion for some of the later miles (all climbs).
-We went off piste (off trail) after 26+ m, charging up the final ridge through thorn, thicket and snow. We could hear cars so it was a calculated gamble to make it back to Covenant College, where we had parked in the early dawn. We emerged from the woods, not 100 yards from the parking lot. Whew.
-Mojo Burritos was our reward - excellent!

-This was a pretty epic trainer. The scenery was just amazing and as we descended, ascended and circumnavigated around the mountain, we could really feel the massive and wild nature of Lookout. The trail was totally new to me so every turn was like a new scene in a movie, just amazing, thanks be to God!

2011 Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile

This is the year I run the Tahoe Rim 100 Mile Race. It will be my first 100 Miler and I will be tackling it with my partner in crazy- Mash who has recently moved from Iron Man competitive athlete to long distance ultra running. Setting his new journey off with a Nashville Ultra Course Record and win in 2010.

I have Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler on tap on March 12 and will race it, then my focus will be primarily upon the TRT 100 which will happen July 16th and 17th.

This weekend- Mash and I will head to Lookout Mtn for a 22 mile mountain trainer. It will be on the heals of a pretty good week as I begin to ramp it up training wise.