Not Quite 40 - 40 Mile Run

For the past few years I have tried to find a way to celebrate my birthday (month) by doing something that will stretch me and challenge me.

• In 2013 I ran 36 laps around a local track to celebrate my 36th birthday. 
• In 2014 I ran the Inaugural Dopey Challenge at Disney. Four races in four days. Starting with a 5k and going all the way up to a full marathon. 
• In 2015 I ran my first 50 mile race the Cloudland Canyon 50 mile run put on by RunBum Tours.

This year is no different as I decided to create my own challenge to celebrate my 39th Birthday by running 40 miles at a local park. I have decided to call the event Adam's Not Quite 40 - 40 Mile Run!

The Challenge:

On January, 30th I will be running a 2 mile paved loop around Veterans Park in Watkinsville, GA. Each loop I will be stopping by my car to mark off a count sheet to mark my progress. I will need to make 20 laps around the park to run 40 miles.

I have a friend, Ross, who is planning on doing the whole challenge with me, and there are other friends who are planning on coming out to run 1 or 2 laps with me. This will also be a kind of training run for Ross and me as we are both signed up for the Georgia Death Race in March. 

Only a crazy ultra runner celebrates his birthday by running really far, but it's a way to make your birthday memorable!

2015 Year in Review

As we move into the new year I begin to think through what running goals I would like to accomplish this year.  Before I can look ahead to what is next it is always good to look back to where I have been.

So here are my highs and lows from 2015.

Highs:

Racing: The year started off with running my first 50 miler the Cloudland Canyon 50 mile run in Rising Fawn, GA. This was the first year of the event, and was a really great first 50 miler for me. The day was filled with lots of highs and lows, but in the end I finished the challenge and felt very accomplished.

Training: I made a new friend this year who shares my interest in going long and it has given me a lot more accountability in my training. Also, I now have someone to log those long runs with which makes training more fun.

Adventure: I was able to get out on some new adventures this year running a 12 hour endurance run as a part of a relay team, running to the summit of Rabun Bald, running the Coosa Backcountry trail, and exploring some other great trails around the North Georgia Mountains. I love being outside and running gives me opportunities to go places and see the beauty of God's creation.

Lows:

Lack of Motivation: After I finished Cloudland Canyon I felt a lack of motivation for running. I struggled to get out and run each day. Even with big races coming up I know I didn't put in the training that was necessary.

Bad Racing:  Because of my lack of motivation and not training properly I went into some races extremely undertrained and paid for it. I was able to finish all my big races from the past year, but a lot of them were ugly.

Missed Goals: I went into 2015 with only one big racing goal - to finish the Cloudland Canyon 50 which was in January. Because I didn't have any other big goals to be accomplished after the 2nd week in January I wasn't able to get it together to meet my goal of running 1,200 miles for the year. I missed that one by a lot by only running 862 for the year.

As I move into 2016 there are some big goals that I am trying to set for myself that will hopefully push me to train and work hard this year!

How did your 2015 year of running go?

Sky to Summit 50k - Race Report

  

I had been watching the weather leading up to the Sky to Summit 50k put on by Run Bum Tours all week hoping that there would be a break in the weather. The race director, Sean, had been sending out emails a few days out warning us of the cold weather and rain that was expected on race day. This was not the kind of weather that I was looking for as we were heading into this race.

On race morning I got up early and headed over to my friend, Ross' house to head up to Sky Valley, GA and the start of the race. We got to the check in about an hour before the start and got checked in while a light rain fell on us. We then headed back to the car and started loading up our packs and getting our rain gear ready for the race.

At 6:45 Sean called everyone together for a mandatory race meeting, and finished up the meeting by having us all say together, "We are here to have fun!" Then at 7am we were off and running.

The race started off on some roads in the Sky Valley Resort, but we were greeted immediately with some big climbs. Ross and I settled into some hiking and running when we hit some flats and the occasional downhill. We ran/hiked the first 3.5 miles with a bunch of other runners up to the top of Rabun Bald which is the second highest peak in Georgia, and we had already climbed a little over 1,500ft. We then started to head down off Rabun Bald on the Bartram Trail. Ross and I had done a training run on this section of the course and blasted the downhill, but ended up paying for it on the way back up during that run. We knew that we wanted to take it kind of easy on this section of the course because we knew that climbing back up Rabun Bald the second time was going to be a bear.

When we made it to Wilson Gap Aid station (8ish miles), and we were greeted with some needed snacks and we were able to refill our water bottles before heading on down to the next section which would be an out and back. Thankfully the rain had let up by the time we got to the summit of Rabun Bald, so Ross and I were able to pack up our rain jackets and not have to deal with them for a while.

The next 3ish miles we crossed a number of streams that were between ankle and calf deep. Then we got to the one water crossing that we had been warned about. I jumped right in knowing that there was no way to go around this without getting wet, and immediately the water was up over my knees. I just had to laugh at the whole situation and kept on running to the next aid station Darnell Creek (11ish miles).

Darnell Creek aid station was the turn around point and we would then climb over 2,000ft back up to the top of Rabun Bald before heading down the back side. The climb back to Wilson Gap was tough going, and when we finally made it back we took some extra time filling water bottles and getting some food before heading back up Rabun Bald. It was going to be 7ish hard miles to the next aid station.

Leaving Wilson Gap we got back on the Bartram Trail climbing up to Rabun Bald. This is where I began to have a rough time. To be honest I don't think I was fully prepared for all the climbing that was required for the Sky to Summit course. It took me a long time to hike/run back up to the summit. Ross was ahead of me encouraging me, and pushing me to keep going. When I finally made the summit I was tired and took some extra time at the base of the fire tower before heading down the mountain.

Leaving the summit Ross and I were in a line of other runners heading down the trail. The back side of the mountain was really steep and very technical for the first few miles, and it was made even more difficult with all the slick rocks and leaves from all the rain. We all continued slowly making it down the mountain until we hit some runnable sections where the group began to pick up the pace. I wasn't feeling great at the time, so I let everyone pass and continued to slowly make it down the mountain.

Then it happened...I was making my way down the mountain and I slipped on some leaves taking a small fall. It wasn't a big deal, so I just got back up and kept moving.

SLIP!

I take another fall this time landing on my backside in the mud. A little mad at myself I get back up and again start heading down the trail trying to be a little more careful with all the slick leaves and rocks.

SLIP! CRASH!

This time I did it. I took another fall on some slick leaves, but this time I landed on a rock...HARD! This immediately shot pain up my tailbone and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get up. I took a few minutes then made myself get up, and began walking down the trail to Three Forks Aid Station. On the way down my brain made the decision that I was going to drop. I was disappointed, mad, upset, and so many other feelings at the time. I have not had to DNF any ultra yet, and it looked like this would be my first.

I finally got down to Three Forks and took my time. I hung out in the aid station and tent for a while watching other runners come in and leave. I had come into the aid station planning on dropping, but I hadn't told any of the workers of my plan yet, so when one asked when I was going to head on I decided I would suck it up and grit out the last 9 miles to the finish. My brain was saying stop, but my heart wouldn't let me give up. I really wasn't thinking clearly and filled up one water bottle with Gatorade and the other with Coke and then headed up the gravel road.

The next few miles were very painful. Every step hurt, but I was determined to finish this race no matter what. We left the gravel road and headed down a trail to Holcomb Creek Falls before heading back up the trail and back to the gravel road. I walked most of the gravel road hiking as quickly as I could and trying to ignore the pain that I was feeling on my tailbone.

I finally hit the Bartram Trail and it was time to head back up to Beegum Gap. This part of the trail was really beautiful and it took us by a number of waterfalls. I continued to try and run when I could and fight through the pain as I hiked up the hills to Beegum.

At Beegum I filled my bottles with water this time, and shuffled off to the finish line. The last 2.5 miles were mostly downhill and on the road, so I was able to make my way down without too much trouble.

I finally made it to the finish line where I was greeted by Sean and Ross and the other runners hanging out at the finish line. My finish time was 8:29:38.

I had finished this race.
I was tired.
I hurt badly.
I was frustrated with myself.
I was happy that I pushed through to the finish!

Sky to Summit is the hardest 50k I've ever run, and probably the most beautiful race I've ever run. I am so glad that Ross talked me into running this one with him. I learned a lot from this ultra, and I hope to be able to take what I've learned into my next race.

Next up: Battle for Black Rock 24 mile on December 5th!

Photo Credits: The top two photos and the last one were taken by Ross Wise. You can read his race report here, and see his race video here. Congratulations to Ross on completing his first 50k!

Peachtree Road Race - Race Report

I have been asked for years if I have ever run the Peachtree, and when I told people 'no' they would always respond by saying that I had to run it one year.  I haven't really given it much thought to running the Peachtree because I have been focusing on longer races, trail running, and it just didn't seem to be something that interested me.  However, after finishing my first 50 miler this past January I was trying to find some races that I could focus on that wouldn't require as much training time, or running time.  So, this past March I signed up for the Peachtree lottery hoping that I would be one of the 60,000 that would be selected to run the world's largest 10k.  I found out that I got selected, and really just forgot about the race up until the week of the race.  In fact I did a 6 mile trail run the day before the race (not the best idea).

My dad and I got up early on July 4th to head to Doraville to catch the MARTA to ride down to the start line.  It had been raining off and on as we were heading to Atlanta, and once we got off the MARTA near the start line a big rain storm came through.  We were able to find some shelter, and wait out the storm.

Around 7 we headed up to the start line to get lined up in our corals.  I had a good qualifying race time which placed me in coral A.  This meant that I would be running with some really fast people.  Dad was placed in coral E, so we each went to our corals to get ready to run.  While we waited in the coral there was no rain, but you could see that the rain was heading our way.

View of start line from Coral A

At 7:30 the elites, and sub seeded corals both had taken off, and my coral was right behind them.  Almost right as we started there was a light rain that began to fall on us.  This didn't stop the people that lined the streets to cheer us on as we raced.  I was told that there weren't as many people as there usually are, but there were still a lot of people that braved the rain and lined the street pretty much the whole way.

Going into the race I hadn't really done a lot of training.  I have been running, and I have been running long distances, but I haven't been doing any speed work.  This was the shortest race that I have run in the last four months, and really only the second road race that I have run this year.  I forgot how much the road and running fast for a long period of time can HURT!  I have to admit that I was not ready for the race like I should have been, and definitely struggled the last 1.5 miles to the finish line.  I ran across the finish line and stopped my watch at 50:59 for the 6.2 miles.  This was a 8:13 pace.

I was a little disappointed with having to run in the rain and not being able to enjoy the stuff they had going on at the finish line in Piedmont Park.  I guess it could have been worse though having to deal with the July heat.  I also, learned that I need to start putting in some regular speed work if I'm going to run shorter distances.  Overall I enjoyed my Peachtree experience, and may want to redeem myself in the future.

Dusk Till Dawn Endurance Night Race & Relay - Race Recap

On May 29th I set out for a different kind of adventure by joining up with two friends, Austin and Ross, to run all night.  This was the second year that they have held the race, but it was the first year for the relay.  Not knowing what to expect we all set out for a new adventure.

We arrived at McIntosh Reserve around 6:30pm on Friday night to get checked in, and begin setting up our tent area.  Each relay team had an area close to the start where they could set up at tent, and have a place to rest when they weren't running.  After we all got everything settled we headed up to the group shelter for the info meeting before the race started.  The RD went over all the instructions, and then gave us about 5 minutes to talk to some of the other runners before the race began.

Austin ran our first lap so he could become familiar with the course in the daylight, and because he has gotten lost in a few other races in the past.  Our strategy going in was that Austin would run one lap, then Ross would run two laps, and then I would run two laps.  After that we would see how things were going.  Austin and all the other runners took off on their first lap while everyone else hung out back at camp.  I was already feeling tired, so I laid down in the tent to get a quick power nap.

About an hour after they took off I began to hear people yelling, and clapping for the first runners coming back from their first lap.  I got up out of the tent in time to see Austin run by and up to the check in point.  Austin passed off our slap bracelet to Ross and he was off for his first lap.  It was about this time that it really started to get dark.  I pulled out my headlamp and headed up to the group shelter to hang out with Austin, and Joshua who was hanging out and serving as our crew for the race.

Slowly we would see headlamps in the woods off in the distance begin to get closer to us, and we would cheer for the individual runners as they came to check in from their lap.  When Austin came in we realized that he was the third runner in, so we were hoping to keep this up.  We began to see some of the relay teams come in and switch off runners, and then we saw Ross running up to check in.  He was covered in mud, but in good spirits.  He got a refill on his water, ate a few things at the aid station, and changed his socks before heading out to run a second lap.

I was really getting anxious at this point because I haven't run one step yet and it continued to get later and later.  I got my water bottles and pack loaded up so that when Ross came in I would be ready to go.  As I was hanging out talking with other runners and listening to them talk about the course I started getting more anxious.  I was ready to go!  I became a little nervous though because I heard from a few runners that they had gotten a little off trail at a few points.  I knew that I was going to have to pay close attention to make sure I didn't get lost.

A little after 11:30 Ross came in from his second lap and I was off.  Immediately I went from the excitement of the aid station and being around people to running on a trail in the dark by myself.  The trail was a little torn up because of some rain earlier in the week that caused a lot of muddy sections.  The wet trails plus the fact that people had been running on the trail for 3.5 hours already made the trails even muddier and more slick.

I run by myself a lot, and run in the dark a lot, so being out on the trail was peaceful to me.  I was able to enjoy the sounds of the night.  Most of the loop was a series of horse trails, and gravel roads to connect the trails.  Because I had heard so many people talk about missing flags and getting off trail I was hyperaware of looking for the next flag and making sure I was on track.

I finished my first lap and came into the aid station for just a moment before heading back out for my second lap.  The second lap I felt myself slowing a little and I had to make sure to push myself to run as much as I could.  The last two miles were in a big field where I was able to cut my headlamp and run by the light of the moon.  I finished my second lap and passed the bracelet off to Austin to head out for two laps.  I was beat, but I knew that I would need to be ready to head out again for a third lap.

I stayed in the aid station to catch my breath, drink some water, and eat a little food.  I then headed down to our tent to get out of my sweaty clothes and sleep a little.  I told Joshua to come wake me when Ross headed out for his next loop.  I quickly fell asleep and before long heard Joshua waking me up.  I was groggy, and sluggish at this point.  I got enough of myself together to get my shoes back on and my pack together to head up to the aid station to wait on Ross.

I was slowly getting everything together when all of a sudden we saw Ross charging in from his third lap.  He passed the slap bracelet to me and I quickly threw my pack on to head out on my third lap.  I was not as ready as I would have liked to have been, but it was my turn to head out.  Right away I could tell that my whole body was tired.  Not just tired legs, but tired all over.  I knew that this lap would be kind of slow.

I made the most of the lap as I worked my way up the hills, and tried not to slip too bad in the shoe sucking mud.  I even ended up running through the small stream crossing after a failed attempt to rock hop it.  This was not my lap.  I just kept telling myself that I needed to be done by 6:30am at the latest, so that Austin would have plenty of time to head out for one more lap.  I finally made it back to the aid station around 6:15am to pass the slap bracelet off to Austin for one more lap.

Trail Dawgs: Ross Wise, Austin Hall, Adam Reed, & Joshua Warren (crew)

Austin was able to get one more lap in for our team and all total we ended up with 60 miles!  This was good enough to be tied for second.  After the last runner came in we were treated to a catered breakfast where we were able to talk with the other runners and hang out talking about the night.

This was my first team relay event, timed event, and loop course.  I had fun, and definitely learned a lot from the experience.  I hope that we are able to get the Trail Dawgs back together next year for this event.

My Current Training & Taking it Easy

Last fall I was in the middle of training for my first 50 miler, Cloudland Canyon 50, that I ran earlier this year in January.  My daily runs were scheduled, routine, and intense to make sure that I was ready for my "A" race of 2014 (even though it was in 2015).  After the race I took some time off to recover, and I also had a busy time at work.  So not a whole lot of running was happening.  I started running more regularly in March, and now I am just enjoying the run.

I am loving my training schedule right now! 

Here's a overview of what my current training is like:

• I still run 3-4 times a week.  I have broken up my running by adding in some weights, finding a new running partner, and even trying out a group run at a local running store.  I also take an additional day off to spend with family, and we have been going hiking, geocaching, and just enjoying being outside together.
• I run till I see something interesting and take a break.  Since I am not training for anything specific I don't mind taking breaks in my running.  I'll run a trail and when I get to a nice view I just stop.  I spend time enjoying the view, praying, dreaming, and just being able to be out there.  
• I don't worry about milage, pace, or mile splits.  I still use my Garmin watch to record how far I ran, but I just turn it on and then ignore it till I'm done.  I don't set out on a run to go a certain distance.  I just run, spend time outside, enjoy the surroundings, and then get back to the car.  Whatever milage my watch says I ran is okay with me.  

I know that this will all come to an end as I approach a difficult fall racing season, but for now it's just fun to be on the trail.

Trail Running Film Festival

I don't remember where I first heard about the Trail Running Film Festival put on by Rainshadow Running, but I knew that I wanted to get to one of their shows.  So I was excited when I found out that they were bringing the Festival to Athens, GA!

It was a great night meeting some new friends, and enjoying some great films.  James Varner did a great job introducing the movies and hosting the night.  If you love running, trails, people, and movies then you'll love the Trail Running Film Festival!

I also ended up winning a door prize for a free race entry to one of Rainshadow Running events this year.  Time to get to training!