Preamble
Decided to drink the kool-aid and signed up for my 1st 50k trail race last November. I thought it would be a good way to spend the winter months rather than hibernating. I was shooting for a March race date and the only ones that were relatively close to home were ones in Augusta, GA and near Birmingham, AL. I opted for the Oak Mountain 50k near Birmingham because I had been mountain biking there before and it seemed like an challenging, grueling and beautiful place for a trail race. I was not wrong on any of those accounts. I wore my yellow Vivobarefoot TrailFreaks. They were great throughout my training plan and through the race. The lugs are just aggressive enough but the shoe has that "barely there" feeling. This is my favorite trail running shoe. Yes, it has high proprioception, but I feel that makes my feet stronger. (Quote of the race from other racers in regards to the shoes: "Those will break your feet.")
I followed the Competitor magazine 1st 50k training plan which consisted of 5 running days per week with Saturday being the long run followed by an hour run on Sunday. I liked the plan because it has a mix of time and distance-based workouts. There was some hill work thrown in as well . I was finding it difficult to run 5 days per week after a few months so Renee (who already has two 50k races under her belt) encouraged me to not worry about missing the shorter runs during the week and just focus on the weekend. The plan encouraged an easy swim or bike here and there but I was so tired from all the running that I took 2-3 rest days per week. I did most of my long runs at Kennesaw Mountain which has a steep climb up the mountain at the start then a technical downhill section then mellows out for the remaining 13 or 14 miles. I did one Blanket's and Rope Mill combination run that totaled about 22 miles. My longest run was the Ft. Yargo marathon which I just used as a training run with different scenery. I ran once at Bear Creek for about 12 miles. The rest were at Blanket's, one at Pine Mountain in Cartersville and then some around my hilly neighborhood area. Ideally I could have made it up to Snake Creek Gap and Raccoon Mtn. for some much-needed technical and steep hill running as this would have perfectly mimicked the Oak Mtn. course.
Nutrition was nothing remarkable during the plan and a 180-degree departure from last winter's all-Paleo effort. Perhaps too many carbs and not enough protein and fats this go around. My usual weight-training over winter was also put on hold because, well my legs were too tired for squats and deadlifts! Oh, and it is not much fun to go out into one's garage when it's in the 30s outside!
(It is also worth noting that I was under a tremendous amount of stress for about 3 months of this plan due to leaving my current job and consequently getting a new and better job.)
I kept going through the plan and was starting to enjoy the long run on Saturday even though I may have relied on K. Mtn a bit too much for convenience and safety's sake. My 24- miler there was a breakthrough workout and the furthest I had ever ran. I was feeling no joy for those shorter workouts during the week around the house and at local trails. (We are so fortunate to have access to amazing trail systems in our area!) I was discovering new levels of tiredness that cycling and other endurance sports cannot match. I was wearing out hot-water salt baths at home. I was reduced to a whimpering fetus-man after some of the longer runs. February came around and I entered the Ft. Yargo trail marathon to shake things up. I had a deliberate pace and didn't care too much that I was passed by most racers. I had a good first half of that run and a horrible second half. Just getting through!
After Ft. Yargo, I began a 4-week taper period and took next Saturday to go up to Ellijay and run a 12-miler at Bear Creek which was pretty much a steady uphill mountain climb the whole way. Renee was having a blast on her mountain bike too and it was so awesome to be able to hang out together. I'm not sure who was pacing who...
Started to get back into swimming over the last 3 weeks of the plan and scattering in some mountain biking here and there (already anticipating triathlon season!) Didn't do much running over the final weeks and took off last week before race. Race weeks are usually tough due to the inactivity and the doubts about "Did I train enough?" and the feelings that brings.
Day before the race arrived and I took a half-day off from work and we drove to Pelham, AL the night before the race. It started raining once we got near Pelham which was just... fantastic. Paid way too much for a hotel but at least it was nice. Had a huge meal at Ruby Tuesday and got maybe 5 or 6 hours sleep. Woke at 6am and could tell it had been raining overnight but was just sprinkling at 6. Had some fake eggs at the hotel , sadly the rest of the food was glutinous dough balls. Also choked down a Kind bar and was sipping on Lime Skratch pre-race. Starting to feel like I was going to my own funeral. The race was still on and maybe 85-100 racers were there. I couldn't decide whether to wear rain jacket or not but not many were so I just kept it in my pack. I had 6 gels and 4 solids. I ended up only doing 3 gels and 1 solid, which is probably undernourished, but I didn't feel hungry for first 2 hours of race.
Race Start
We started promptly at 7:30am with an unceremonious "OK go" from the race director after he said some stuff about course safety, etc. There was no cannon shot or unleashing of ceremonial pigeons. I was toward the front of the pack and loaded for bear with a full Nathan pack. Water wasn't all the way full which left room for rain jacket, which I ultimately didn't use. The run started on pavement briefly then we were off into the woods and climbing right out of the gate. I was maintaining a 12-13 minute pace and did some walking up some of the steeps, which was pretty common. As a new ultrarunner, I really didn't have an idea on race pacing so decided to walk and hike more on the steeps. Made it to the 8-mile aid station and didn't need to pick up anything from Renee ,who was waiting. Had another huge climb up to a pretty flat ridge that went on for a few miles. I was doing a 10:30 pace on top of the ridge. We were in the clouds at this point and everything was pretty wet.
Eventually made it to Peavine Falls at mile 16 and had an interesting climb out of the falls. It was so steep that I had to use my hands to scramble up. These were some beautiful falls!
Made it through the next aid station without stopping and onto the White trail and a long, rocky ridgeline climb that ended up at Shackleford Point, the highest point in the park at 1260 feet. Renee surprised me again when she was waiting at an unmanned aid station. It was such a huge mental boost to see her! After this gorgeous view I came up on a hiking group that was training for a mission trip to Nepal. They said "Hey it's you again?" since I had passed them around mile 8 and I thought that it was rather serendipitous that they remembered me just after breaking from their prayer in celebratory whoops and hollers. Next, had a murderous, rocky descent that was unending and then mercifully had some flat trail heading to mile 21 aid station.
Renee was waiting there and was proving to be extremely mobile on her mountain bike :) I took a short break and had some scratch and gatorade. I kissed her and told her I'd see her at the finish. What followed were the longest 12 miles of my life. It started to rain while I began climbing up an jeep road that was extremely rocky. I had remembered this road from mountain biking and it is pretty arduous on a bike. This was a low point in the race and my climbing legs were done. There was a lot of hiking. The pack of runners in front of me was pulling away and my competitive drive was waning. Finally made it to some flats and was able to shuffle down the trail a bit. At this point my watch powered off and took forever to come back on. When it did come back on, it was in Swim mode so I had no idea of mileage or pace.
Next the course doubled back on the same horrendously rocky ridgeline that went on for miles. This was a definite time-sink and my toughest challenge during the race. I had to keep telling myself to just keep going and I must add that the isolation for hours on end was tough to deal with also. Finally made it to the last aid station at mile 26 and had some coke and water. I only had one solid during the race, some clif shotbloks. Gasp!
My heart-of- darkness, my Bridge on the River Kwai death march ,began over the last 7 miles. The trail was the most forgiving but was unending at this point and I was really fighting it. I was thinking about calling Renee for a rescue.. We finished up on the rolly, snakelike Red Trail. I was being passed by runners now, who apparently did a better job of pacing, fueling or perhaps were simply doing their 12th 50k (Ha!) My parents called to check on me because they thought I may have gotten turned around but I was just cooked beyond belief and was swearing to never do another. Renee met me about 1/4 mile before the finish and was a sight for sore eyes. She encouraged me on to the finish where I gave my parents and Renee a huge hug. My odyssey was over!
Total finish time for this 50K+ , which was just over 33 miles I heard, was 7:13 and well over my anticipated 6:15 to 6:30 time but I was honestly just glad to finish this one.
Parting thoughts
This race was the hardest endurance effort I have ever done from a physical and from especially a mental aspect. I have done road bike centuries, 6-hour mountain bike races and a 70.3 Ironman. This training plan was the most difficult also. I found that exclusive running wore me down mentally so I think that if I attempt another ultra that I will mix in more sports despite how tired I feel. The biggest hurdle was not letting my chronic plantar fasciitis hold me back. In fact, my PF feels great 4 days after the race and as of this writing, I am just now able to walk without pain in my calves, knees, quadriceps and hip flexors. This is probably the longest recovery period I've had after a race.
Some say that running is not really fun but that it is rewarding. Finishing my first 50k is definitely a rewarding experience and I would encourage anyone to heed the call who is looking for a true challenge in life.
Huge thanks and love to my wife Renee for all her support from a coaching, nutritional, and emotional standpoint. She encouraged me to get out when I wasn't feeling it and when the weather wasn't great but also let me know it was okay to skip a run here and there. It's invaluable to have someone in your corner as supportive as she is.
Also thanks to my parents for being there at race finish for Oak Mountain and Fort Yargo. You guys kept me going! Thanks for all the phone conversations about my training amidst a tumultuous last part of 2015.
#trailrunning
#ultrarunning
I am also doing a Swimming Fundraiser charity for Heifer International, check it out here: https://give.everydayhero.com/us/fish-out-of-water-swimming-fundraiser
I would appreciate any donations!
Thank you for reading!
Decided to drink the kool-aid and signed up for my 1st 50k trail race last November. I thought it would be a good way to spend the winter months rather than hibernating. I was shooting for a March race date and the only ones that were relatively close to home were ones in Augusta, GA and near Birmingham, AL. I opted for the Oak Mountain 50k near Birmingham because I had been mountain biking there before and it seemed like an challenging, grueling and beautiful place for a trail race. I was not wrong on any of those accounts. I wore my yellow Vivobarefoot TrailFreaks. They were great throughout my training plan and through the race. The lugs are just aggressive enough but the shoe has that "barely there" feeling. This is my favorite trail running shoe. Yes, it has high proprioception, but I feel that makes my feet stronger. (Quote of the race from other racers in regards to the shoes: "Those will break your feet.")
I followed the Competitor magazine 1st 50k training plan which consisted of 5 running days per week with Saturday being the long run followed by an hour run on Sunday. I liked the plan because it has a mix of time and distance-based workouts. There was some hill work thrown in as well . I was finding it difficult to run 5 days per week after a few months so Renee (who already has two 50k races under her belt) encouraged me to not worry about missing the shorter runs during the week and just focus on the weekend. The plan encouraged an easy swim or bike here and there but I was so tired from all the running that I took 2-3 rest days per week. I did most of my long runs at Kennesaw Mountain which has a steep climb up the mountain at the start then a technical downhill section then mellows out for the remaining 13 or 14 miles. I did one Blanket's and Rope Mill combination run that totaled about 22 miles. My longest run was the Ft. Yargo marathon which I just used as a training run with different scenery. I ran once at Bear Creek for about 12 miles. The rest were at Blanket's, one at Pine Mountain in Cartersville and then some around my hilly neighborhood area. Ideally I could have made it up to Snake Creek Gap and Raccoon Mtn. for some much-needed technical and steep hill running as this would have perfectly mimicked the Oak Mtn. course.
Nutrition was nothing remarkable during the plan and a 180-degree departure from last winter's all-Paleo effort. Perhaps too many carbs and not enough protein and fats this go around. My usual weight-training over winter was also put on hold because, well my legs were too tired for squats and deadlifts! Oh, and it is not much fun to go out into one's garage when it's in the 30s outside!
(It is also worth noting that I was under a tremendous amount of stress for about 3 months of this plan due to leaving my current job and consequently getting a new and better job.)
I kept going through the plan and was starting to enjoy the long run on Saturday even though I may have relied on K. Mtn a bit too much for convenience and safety's sake. My 24- miler there was a breakthrough workout and the furthest I had ever ran. I was feeling no joy for those shorter workouts during the week around the house and at local trails. (We are so fortunate to have access to amazing trail systems in our area!) I was discovering new levels of tiredness that cycling and other endurance sports cannot match. I was wearing out hot-water salt baths at home. I was reduced to a whimpering fetus-man after some of the longer runs. February came around and I entered the Ft. Yargo trail marathon to shake things up. I had a deliberate pace and didn't care too much that I was passed by most racers. I had a good first half of that run and a horrible second half. Just getting through!
After Ft. Yargo, I began a 4-week taper period and took next Saturday to go up to Ellijay and run a 12-miler at Bear Creek which was pretty much a steady uphill mountain climb the whole way. Renee was having a blast on her mountain bike too and it was so awesome to be able to hang out together. I'm not sure who was pacing who...
Started to get back into swimming over the last 3 weeks of the plan and scattering in some mountain biking here and there (already anticipating triathlon season!) Didn't do much running over the final weeks and took off last week before race. Race weeks are usually tough due to the inactivity and the doubts about "Did I train enough?" and the feelings that brings.
Day before the race arrived and I took a half-day off from work and we drove to Pelham, AL the night before the race. It started raining once we got near Pelham which was just... fantastic. Paid way too much for a hotel but at least it was nice. Had a huge meal at Ruby Tuesday and got maybe 5 or 6 hours sleep. Woke at 6am and could tell it had been raining overnight but was just sprinkling at 6. Had some fake eggs at the hotel , sadly the rest of the food was glutinous dough balls. Also choked down a Kind bar and was sipping on Lime Skratch pre-race. Starting to feel like I was going to my own funeral. The race was still on and maybe 85-100 racers were there. I couldn't decide whether to wear rain jacket or not but not many were so I just kept it in my pack. I had 6 gels and 4 solids. I ended up only doing 3 gels and 1 solid, which is probably undernourished, but I didn't feel hungry for first 2 hours of race.
Race Start
We started promptly at 7:30am with an unceremonious "OK go" from the race director after he said some stuff about course safety, etc. There was no cannon shot or unleashing of ceremonial pigeons. I was toward the front of the pack and loaded for bear with a full Nathan pack. Water wasn't all the way full which left room for rain jacket, which I ultimately didn't use. The run started on pavement briefly then we were off into the woods and climbing right out of the gate. I was maintaining a 12-13 minute pace and did some walking up some of the steeps, which was pretty common. As a new ultrarunner, I really didn't have an idea on race pacing so decided to walk and hike more on the steeps. Made it to the 8-mile aid station and didn't need to pick up anything from Renee ,who was waiting. Had another huge climb up to a pretty flat ridge that went on for a few miles. I was doing a 10:30 pace on top of the ridge. We were in the clouds at this point and everything was pretty wet.
Eventually made it to Peavine Falls at mile 16 and had an interesting climb out of the falls. It was so steep that I had to use my hands to scramble up. These were some beautiful falls!
Made it through the next aid station without stopping and onto the White trail and a long, rocky ridgeline climb that ended up at Shackleford Point, the highest point in the park at 1260 feet. Renee surprised me again when she was waiting at an unmanned aid station. It was such a huge mental boost to see her! After this gorgeous view I came up on a hiking group that was training for a mission trip to Nepal. They said "Hey it's you again?" since I had passed them around mile 8 and I thought that it was rather serendipitous that they remembered me just after breaking from their prayer in celebratory whoops and hollers. Next, had a murderous, rocky descent that was unending and then mercifully had some flat trail heading to mile 21 aid station.
Renee was waiting there and was proving to be extremely mobile on her mountain bike :) I took a short break and had some scratch and gatorade. I kissed her and told her I'd see her at the finish. What followed were the longest 12 miles of my life. It started to rain while I began climbing up an jeep road that was extremely rocky. I had remembered this road from mountain biking and it is pretty arduous on a bike. This was a low point in the race and my climbing legs were done. There was a lot of hiking. The pack of runners in front of me was pulling away and my competitive drive was waning. Finally made it to some flats and was able to shuffle down the trail a bit. At this point my watch powered off and took forever to come back on. When it did come back on, it was in Swim mode so I had no idea of mileage or pace.
Next the course doubled back on the same horrendously rocky ridgeline that went on for miles. This was a definite time-sink and my toughest challenge during the race. I had to keep telling myself to just keep going and I must add that the isolation for hours on end was tough to deal with also. Finally made it to the last aid station at mile 26 and had some coke and water. I only had one solid during the race, some clif shotbloks. Gasp!
My heart-of- darkness, my Bridge on the River Kwai death march ,began over the last 7 miles. The trail was the most forgiving but was unending at this point and I was really fighting it. I was thinking about calling Renee for a rescue.. We finished up on the rolly, snakelike Red Trail. I was being passed by runners now, who apparently did a better job of pacing, fueling or perhaps were simply doing their 12th 50k (Ha!) My parents called to check on me because they thought I may have gotten turned around but I was just cooked beyond belief and was swearing to never do another. Renee met me about 1/4 mile before the finish and was a sight for sore eyes. She encouraged me on to the finish where I gave my parents and Renee a huge hug. My odyssey was over!
Total finish time for this 50K+ , which was just over 33 miles I heard, was 7:13 and well over my anticipated 6:15 to 6:30 time but I was honestly just glad to finish this one.
Parting thoughts
This race was the hardest endurance effort I have ever done from a physical and from especially a mental aspect. I have done road bike centuries, 6-hour mountain bike races and a 70.3 Ironman. This training plan was the most difficult also. I found that exclusive running wore me down mentally so I think that if I attempt another ultra that I will mix in more sports despite how tired I feel. The biggest hurdle was not letting my chronic plantar fasciitis hold me back. In fact, my PF feels great 4 days after the race and as of this writing, I am just now able to walk without pain in my calves, knees, quadriceps and hip flexors. This is probably the longest recovery period I've had after a race.
Some say that running is not really fun but that it is rewarding. Finishing my first 50k is definitely a rewarding experience and I would encourage anyone to heed the call who is looking for a true challenge in life.
Huge thanks and love to my wife Renee for all her support from a coaching, nutritional, and emotional standpoint. She encouraged me to get out when I wasn't feeling it and when the weather wasn't great but also let me know it was okay to skip a run here and there. It's invaluable to have someone in your corner as supportive as she is.
Also thanks to my parents for being there at race finish for Oak Mountain and Fort Yargo. You guys kept me going! Thanks for all the phone conversations about my training amidst a tumultuous last part of 2015.
#trailrunning
#ultrarunning
I am also doing a Swimming Fundraiser charity for Heifer International, check it out here: https://give.everydayhero.com/us/fish-out-of-water-swimming-fundraiser
I would appreciate any donations!
Thank you for reading!
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| Garland Mtn. |
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| Ft. Yargo finish |
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| Ft. Yargo finish too (weird face!) |
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| All smiles |
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| After Oak Mountain 50k |
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| My dad |
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| Finisher medal for Ft. Yargo |
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