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

300 calories and the night

Last Friday I finished a long week of work and headed to Percy Warner Park for some time on the trails. Some solitude in training- I planned 23 miles or so, the hilly red/white/blue circuit x2. I had a water bottle and a couple of small granola bars and 1 single serving packet of sunflower butter (about 300 calories total). I thought little about my nutrition and actually wanted to go thin, hoping to encounter and work through a bonk or 2. Deficit training can be useful, but there are obvious risks involved.

The first 14 or so miles went off well as the leaves fell in the breeze and the richness of Fall flooded my senses. After my second white loop, I grabbed my headlamp and ate what little food I had. It gets dark so fast in the forest, almost like God reaches out and flips a switch on some old oak.

At about mile 19 I started to get nauseated, and when I looked up at the stars through a clearing- they were spinning. I had a moment of wanting to stop, turn around and walk to my Jeep. I fought this urge. My head began to pound. Three hundred calories in and somewhere around 4000 calories used. I was there man. The "place" brought back visions of the night during the Tahoe 100, I tried to use my breath to get control, clapping my hands together and talking to myself to get through the last miles. I crested the final hill, zoomed to my Jeep, a quick stretch and I made a straight line to the nearest fast food joint.

Another note: I have taken to wearing the Swiftwick black Aspire 12's while running. A nice transition between shorts and compression tights when the temps are not too bad. I've long used the 12s as recovery socks but they are good during running as well.

In Christ,

JMS

Threshold

He stood poised beneath an oak in the late afternoon sun.

His body crouched and twisted, hands up and at the ready, eyes watching some point in the distance.

He burst forth, exploding from his stance with a grimace, bearing teeth.

He was sprinting. Running, pumping his arms in his faded gray shirt and red sweat pants.

His short cropped gray hair encircled his head. He was an older black man.

He was running repeats yesterday.

Fleet Feet Race Team Announcement!!!

Some very exciting news! The Adams and Fleet Feet have asked me to join the Fleet Feet Race Team. Endurance Sports has been a faithful sponsor and superb partner but is going through some transitions and the time seemed right and I have prayerfully and thankfully accepted.

My training partner, big dawg @Ashly Dewberry will be on FF Race Team along with a few other folks I have yet to meet but hear good things. I have known FF owner, Matt Adams since highschool. He was captain of the Brentwood Lax team when I was just a freshman middy, it was here that I got my first real taste of pain in athletics and liked it.  It is great to reconnect and run for a store that just does it right. The Team will be small with a focus on racing, fitness promotion and cultivating the FIRE in all who seek road, dirt, mud, rock and trail. It is ON.

God speed,
JMS