Race Report - 2015 Dismal 50K (Self-Supported)

I had first heard about the Dismal repeats of Dismal 50K a couple of years ago and I had never had any interest in actually attempting it, at least not more than one repeat. The route was actually devised by Rob Youngren while he was trying to create training routes that would allow him to accomplish serious elevation gain over as short a distance as possible in preparation for one of his Hardrock 100 finishes.

Race Report - 2015 Mountain Mist 50K

Traditional pre-race photo of my training group (Paul missing).

I've had a great year since I was able to come back to running and ultrarunning exactly one year ago, when I toed the line of the 2014 Mountain Mist 50K. This time around, I've had a full year of training under my belt, ready actually race this thing. In previous years, I'd either been injured, training for another race or undertrained. This time, I was feeling pretty good about my training. In fact, I even decided to "taper". Actually, I didn't really taper, I just decided to rest my legs for a full three days prior to the race. Longest break I had from running in 12 months:-)

Race Report - 2015 Pistol Ultra 50K

#3 finisher (on right) and me (on left) running "side by side" early on.

The Pistol Ultra offers distances of 50K solo/relay, 100K and 100M. It is the epitome of an urban ultra. The race takes place on the paved Alcoa-Maryville Greenway near Knoxville airport, a linear path that runs along Pistol Creek. Runners basically run a 5.5 mile out & back section with lollipop loops at each end of the course, totaling approx. 11 miles per loop. That means runners run anywhere from 1 loop (50K relay) to 9 loops (100 miler). The race is perfect for first timers  as the RD provides very generous cutoff times for all distances. The entire course is paved with tiny sections of concrete as well as a 10ft dirt section and the elevation gain added up to just 1500ft for the 50K distance and even that seems a bit generous. It is most definitely a fast course, which also makes it a perfect race for those of us looking to get a 50K, 100K or 100M PR. A 100 mile runner might even get away without a headlamp as the majority of the path is well lit 24 hours a day. There were a total of 3 well stocked aid stations including the start/finish area that runners pass by at least 5 times per loop and warming areas and tents were provided for runners as well.

2014 - My Return to Running

2014 has been an amazing year of running for me. After suffering from multiple DVTs and bilateral pulmonary emboli that were nearly fatal in late December of 2012 and spending most of 2013 recovering from reconstructive ankle surgery to fix the issue that caused the blood clots initially, I was ready to get back to running.

My return to running and racing was rather slow going in the beginning and that was painfully evident in the first two ultras of the year, my favorite local race, the Mountain Mist 50K in January and Mount Cheaha 50K in February. It would probably be more accurate to say that I covered the distance rather than actually race these events. Either way, I finished them and that gave me the confidence to get back into training and participate in races again. Now that I had been given a second chance, I had also decided to become more aware of and concerned about my overall health and fitness. That decision resulted in some serious changes in my training and diet, which produced positive results almost immediately.

As the year progressed my results started improving, resulting in my first overall wins at a couple of smaller 5K races, a local road marathon and a gnarly 35 mile ultramarathon. Along with these wins came a number of PRs over various distances throughout the year culminating in my third attempt and first finish of the Pinhoti 100 Mile Endurance Run, my first 100 miler in more than 2 years. This was my goal race and I had trained the better part of the year for it. It went nearly perfect for me as I reached my B goal finishing in under 22 hours and placing 16th overall.

This journey wouldn't have been possible without the support of my family, both in Germany and here in Huntsville as well as my awesome training buddies Jerry, James, Richard, Ed, Mike and Paul and my Pinhoti crew in particular, Cary, Jeff, Scott and Benj along with all the other cool peeps I've met, hung out and shared the trails with along the way. I ended the year completing 42 races (including 13 ultramarathons) with 6 overall wins and 9 master's wins and if everything goes according to plan, I will have run 3000 miles for the year. It has been amazing and I can't wait to continue this journey to see what adventures 2015 has in store for me.

2014 Race Results

I wish everyone a healthy, happy and adventurous New Year 2015 and I look forward to sharing the trails with all of you.

Race Report - 2014 Rocket City Marathon

Lots of anticipation 2 minutes before the race start.

This race probably would've worked out as I had originally planned, had I not decided to take care of a bucket list item three weeks before RCM. I had just completed my big 2014 goal race, the Pinhoti 100 Miler, on the first weekend of November and was still feeling giddy when the opportunity presented itself to run the JFK 50 Miler, the oldest and largest ultramarathon in the US, just 3 weeks after Pinhoti and 3 weeks prior to RCM. Adding a 50 mile race sandwiched between a 100 miler and a marathon PR attempt is probably not a good idea, but I decided that I could not turn down the chance to run JFK, even if that meant not being properly rested and prepared to PR at RCM. There were a few experienced runners who said as much before I toed the starting line at RCM. Regardless, come race day, I would still try everything I could to achieve that elusive sub 3 hour marathon time. I had fallen just 150 seconds short 9 weeks earlier, when I ran another local marathon as a training race, so I felt that I might still be able to get it done on less than perfectly rested legs. I had stuck to easy running for the 2 weeks leading into the race, hoping that it would help my legs to recover and regain some of their "spring" in time for the marathon. However, I wouldn't know if that was the case until I actually ran the race.