Race Report - 2011 Recover From The Holidays 50K

A hand crafted and very unique RFH50K finisher's award.

Pre-Race
Having torn the pereneal tendon in my right ankle at Dizzy Fifties and subsequently having rolled it during my last training run just 2 days prior to RFH50K, I decided I needed to something else beside the ankle brace I had been wearing. I started looking at YouTube for some clips on how to tape your ankle. After a brief search, I decided to follow along with a clip posted by an athletic trainer at Bellevue University. Having checked out different clips, they all seemed to follow along the same techniques, unless they used KT tape instead of athletic tape. I opted for athletic tape, even though every one seems to feel that KT tape is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Why, you ask? Well, I tried to use KT tape and only managed to tape my fingers together while trying to tape my ankle. I basically suck at taping anything. The tape just keeps getting all tangled up and wrinkled. Since athletic tape is cheaper and apparently easier to manage, I chose that method. I still screwed it up, but I managed to stabilize my ankle. I followed my tape job with Injinji socks. I also put the ankle brace over the tape and the sock to get even more support. I'm happy to report it worked!

Race Day
I headed to the Cross Country course at Huntsville Running Park off of Airport Road at 7:30AM. The race started at 8AM, but I live just 10 minutes from the park. I arrived just in time to pick up my bib, sort out my gear and have a quick chat with Richard and a bunch of other local runners. The weather was perfect. This event has grown significantly in the last few years and this year, almost 150 runners registered. While RD Eric Charette has billed this race as a "no frills" event, he has certainly run it like any other full-blown ultra I've participated in. In fact, he has the most original finisher's award I have received and at any ultra. Agreed, I've only being running ultras for two years, but come on, look at the picture. These handcrafted "medals" are cool.

I decided before the race that I would try to hold back my pace as much as possible. Due to my ankle injury, I have just not been getting in my long runs and I wanted to avoid another blowup like the one I had at the Rocket City Marathon just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, Richard was feeling good as he usually does on race day, and no matter how much I reminded him to slow down to avoid a blowup later on (by the way, he had trained even less than me;-) he just wouldn't back off, not really anyway. Thanks Rich, really. If he hadn't continued to push until mile 20, I would have never been able to do as well as I did. We weren't really flying, but we were steady. Steady enough to keep me within reach of a 50K PR. However, I continued to doubt that it would be possible and while Rich continued to dream of a sub 5 hour finish, I just wanted to finish in under 5:30. My PR was 5:18 and I just knew I would falter late in the race. I just didn't have the legs. I know, I know, lots of negativity. I just wanted to be realistic with my goal.

If I remember correctly, Richard backed off the pace right around mile 19 or 20 and I was feeling okay, so I continued on at our previous pace. Until mile 24, I was still okay, but that changed very quickly when I exited the aid station at the start & finish area. As soon as the trail changed from flat to slight grade, I was pooped. I started walking for the first time on a section other than the hill on the backend of the course. Just two tens of a mile before the turnaround point of this out & back course, there is an extremely steep hill that I use for a "walk break" allowing me to take a gel, some salt and liquids. I only walked through the aid stations to grab a gel and refill my bottles. I did not linger one time, always moving through without stopping other than to refill my bottle. This strategy worked very well all day, but when I started to walk on other sections of the course starting during the 8th of 10 out & back loops, I figured I had lost any chance to PR. But I forced myself to run as soon as the climbs ended and I was able to maintain some pace, if not my target pace.

The weather stayed perfect throughout the day and when I entered my final lap, I was tired but committed to dig deep, if needed...or so I thought. I was barely hanging on, huffing and puffing with each and every step, but when I saw Richard coming out for his last lap half a mile before I reached the finish, shouting at me to finish this thing strong and get it done, I actually started to push. I had been slightly nauseated for the last 6 miles or so and I thought that this might get ugly if I completely exhaust myself. Oh well, I did not want to come up short by mere seconds, so I put the pedal down. I ended up running an 8 minute mile which at this point of the day was pretty amazing. I kept thinking, how can I still be running, in the last two months I didn't get in half the training that I needed, or even any long runs. I kept pushing and as I ran the final loop around the field just before the start/finish area, I started looking for the race clock. With about a tenth of a mile to go, I realized that I could PR, maybe just by a few seconds, but I could PR. I pushed some more. I crossed the finish line in 5 hours 17 minutes and 45 seconds, beating last year's time and PR my one minute. I know it isn't much, but a PR is a PR. I'll take it. What a great way to finish out the year.

Post-Race
Because I was undertrained and because I was hurting pretty good after the Rocket City Marathon a few weeks ago, I figured I'd actually try to take an ice bath once I got home. I would drink low fat chocolate milk as well to assist with the muscle recovery. In addition, Ibuprofen have become a regular part of my routine as well since I messed up my ankle. My doc suggested to use it to assist with the inflammation. The ten minutes in the ice bath were absolutely miserable. I had never been so cold in my life, but I think it actually helped with my recovery. I think I will do this after every ultra moving forward.

Thanks to RD Eric Charette and his crew of volunteers for putting on a great season ending ultra event. Hopefully, I can continue my PR streak at this race next year;-)

Training Log - Wednesday, December 28, 2011

After work today, I met up with Richard at his house for another trail run. Wow, the second run this week already (insert sarcastic undertone here)? He had worked out a nice trail loop which would take us mostly uphill before descending the mountain on the road again to save my ankle.

Training Log - Monday, December 26, 2011

I finally got my tail out of bed early this morning to meet up with Rich for a nice long overdue trail run. We chose our usual Pratt Ave to Monte Sano Ranger Station out & back trail run, but we made one slight adjustment for the return leg back down from the mountain. Instead of running down on the trails, we chose to head down the old & new Bankhead Parkway to accommodate my ankle injury. I've found that I'm mostly okay running trails uphill, but that I am much more likely to roll my ankle on downhill trails.

Training Log - Friday, December 23, 2011

Today was my first training run since Monday, not what I would call a rigorous training schedule. I had been pretty busy with work and christmas errands for the most part of this week, but I finally managed to squeeze in a run.

Training Log - Monday, December 19, 2011

The days are getting shorter and busier and it shows in my ability to find peeps to run with me:-( I've been finding plenty of excuses not to run, so it's always helpful to be held accountable by a friend. Luckily, James was up for the challenge and ready to give his tender ankle a try. He'd spent most of last week on crutches after rolling his ankle on our last training run together. We decided to give the ol' Redstone Federal Credit Union loop a try. It's a one mile loop circumventing the credit union lot on what could be described as a flat cross country course as it consists of .5 miles of asphalt sidewalk and .5 miles of semi-marked cross country trail.

Race Report - 2011 Rudolph Run 5K

A cool design, both the shirt and the "medal/ornament"!

Another quest for a sub 20 minute 5K foiled. But this one didn't sting quite as bad, because I was accompanied by my best bud, my "soon to be a teenager" son Mace, who turns thirteen on Christmas. I wasn't even going to run this race, but he decided Friday night after I picked him up from his mom's house that it would be cool to run a 5k again. He hadn't done it in a while and just felt like it. I was glad to hear it, I'm ALWAYS up for a race;-)

We slept in as long as possible and left our house at 7:30AM just 30 minutes prior to the race start. The race started and finished in downtown and we were just 5 minutes away. We got lucky and snagged up a parking spot that became available just as we pulled into the otherwise packed parking lot. Over 1000 runners had registered for the race, so parking could have been a lot worse.

We made our way to the race start with 5 minutes to spare. The temperatures were barely above freezing and Mace opted for track pants and a long sleeve shirt with gloves and a hat, while I went short sleeves and shorts with gloves and a hat. 'Twas cold. I spotted Jason and a few other of the usual suspects. I felt ready to go, but I knew that it would close as usual. I lined up in the third row while Mace line up somewhere in the middle. He wanted to run a steady race and work on pacing himself. He did a great job, finishing steady and strong. It helped him not to have his dad tagging along and annoying him along the way;-)

Not my strongest finish, but a second place age group win nonetheless.

I started slightly faster than I should have, but coasted back just in time to average 6:17 minute per mile pace. I clocked the second mile in 6:30 and felt like I was still on track, but I dropped off too much to stay in contention for a sub 20 minute finish. In the end,I crossed the finish line in 20:12, missing a sub 20 minute finish as close as ever. Oh well, while this was my last chance in 2011 to run sub 20, I managed to do it in October at Spooktacular 5K, so I know I can do it and it's just a matter of time for me to do it again. In the end, I finished 24th overall and second in my age group. Plenty of opportunities to do reach new PRs next year and hopefully run many more races with my son;-)

Me and "Mini-me" (my son Mace).

Training Log - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Second recovery run day. I logged 8 miles at a slow 8:30 minute per mile pace with Rich running the UAH figure 8 loop a couple of times this morning. It has been perfect running weather the last couple of days with temperatures in the high 40s to low 50s.

Training Log - Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Today was my first run since Saturday's disappointing performance at the Rocket City Marathon. While I did finish, I didn't get anywhere near any of my goals, oh well. Better luck next time. With that in mind, I'm ready to get back into training. My next big event is the Fuego y Agua 100K race in February in Nicaragua, but I have a couple of ultras and possibly another try at a BQ at a local road marathon before then. I plan to shift my focus to distance and time on feet rather than speed. I do plan to continue to do the speed work, but I will be extra diligent in ensuring that I get my long runs in. In other words, if you have to skip something, skip the speed work but not the long run.

Race Report - 2011 Rocket City Marathon

Cool race swag for finishers!

If I had to sum up today's events in one sentence, I would say: "The last 6 miles were just plain ugly!" But this wouldn't be my race report, if I said it all in one sentence;-) Due to the ankle injury I suffered about three weeks ago at the Dizzy Fifties 50K (tear/strain of right peroneal tendon), I had already taken the goal of attempting a BQ off the table before I even toed the starting line on Saturday morning. As the race went on, my secondary and tertiary goal had to be tossed out as well.

My better half was kind enough to roll out of bed at 7AM to take my butt to the starting line at the Holiday Inn in downtown Huntsville. Luckily, we only live 2 minutes away. I arrived at the hotel with plenty of time to spare, so I went into the lobby as usual, mingling with the other 1300 or so runners. I saw a couple of familiar faces, some first timers and some veterans getting ready to race. I double-checked the shoe strings on my Brooks Defyance 3's and my ankle brace to make sure nothing was rubbing. I had opted to use my cushioned road runners rather than my minimalist Brooks Green Silence to give myself some extra cushion for my battered ankle. I had also picked up an old long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of cheap gloves at the marathon expo the night before, so I could toss them during the race once I warmed up. I actually remembered to bring a yard trash bag to use as a heat blanket at the starting line and that worked like a charm.

As I walked towards the starting line ten minutes before eight, I started looking for the 3:25 pacer. After letting go of the BQ goal of a sub 3:15 marathon, 3:25 was my "A" goal. I spotted him very quickly along with a follow coworker of mine, who was attempting this race as his second marathon in preparation for the Kona Ironman next year. I also had a brief chat with Christian Griffith, who had his own handicap to deal with for this race, coming back from quite a serious ankle injury. As it turned out, he did hit his target. Congratulations, buddy, well done!

When the start of the thirty-fifth Rocket City Marathon was signaled with an old fashioned riffle, I embarked on my third running of this event in the last 4 years. I decided to stick with the pacing group as long as I could, or, in other words, as long as my ankle would let me, hopefully all the way to the finish. I was feeling pretty good, breathing well and chatting with fellow racers in the early miles. After 3 miles, I had warmed up enough to drop the long sleeve t-shirt. Pacers were instructed to take fluids at every water station, so I decided to follow this regimen by taking just a few sips at every aid station. Our pacer kept it pretty steady all the way and I never felt like I was struggling except for a couple of slight course inclines were I did have to push to keep up the pace.

The miles ticked by and I felt good. I took my first gel at mile 12 and continued to run loose without any muscle or joint pains. I reached the half way mark at 13.1 miles right on pace. If I could maintain this pace until mile 22, I felt I would definitely PR, e.g. run under 3:36. Everything continued to go great, until around mile 15. This is the part of the course where runners turned back towards downtown Huntsville. Unfortunately, the weather served runners a very strong headwind all the way to the finish and that was an unexpected obstacle on tired legs. I continued to stick with the pacing group for another 4 miles when my ankle started to flare up. I also started to realize why my legs started to burn.

I had run a 50 miler in early October with a lengthy recovery period. Afterwards, I decided to focus on shorter distances and speed work mostly on roads. I wanted to get faster. My last big races were all long ultras and I felt I had slowed significantly over the last 6 months. It was time to get faster again, especially if I wanted to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately, I realized that I had not spent enough time on long runs. Somehow, there was always some reason why I could not make it, so when I rolled my ankle at Dizzy Fifties just a month before the Rocket City Marathon, I had only done two long runs since the Firetrails 50 Miler in October...bummer. My speed work had paid off, but now 19 miles into the marathon I was paying the price for having neglected my long runs. Lesson learned.


Around this time, I spotted Jason Shattuck along the course. He stood on a street corner a couple of yards from his house cheering on the runners. While I never like to show weakness in front of my fellow running buddies, he wasn't running this one anyway, so I didn't get the motivation I had hoped to get from spotting him on the course;-) I slowly dropped off my target pace and I started to forget about my "A" goal and focus on my "B" goal, a finishing time under 3:36 to achieve a new PR. I kept slowing down and before I knew it the 3:30 pacing group passed me.


Just as I wanted to give in and walk, I spotted Jon Elmore about 100 yards ahead of me. I didn't expect to catch him...ever...in any race, so I knew he had some type of problem. I had to push to catch him and when I did, he told me that he was struggling with cramps. Luckily, I had a couple of SCaps to share. Now we just needed water. When we arrived at an aid station just past Airport Rd, they were giving their last bottle of water to the runner ahead of us. Really, I couldn't make this up. So Jon was still cramping, not able to get any water to wash down the salt pills. We finally got fluids at the next aid station, but by this time, the 3:40 pacing group had passed us as well. Ugh! Well, I actually blurted out something else under my breath. So long, PR, it was nice thinking about achieving you:-(


Thankfully, Jon pulled me right out of my funk. "Well, we are definitely gonna finish and we will finish under 3:45." He was right about that. When I spotted the final turn and the clock indicating the final quarter mile, I pulled out a final push. As always, I crossed the finish line completely exhausted and extremely elated with my better half Anya waiting on the other side of the finish line. 

Are my eyes closed? Weird!

Training Log - Friday, December 9, 2011

Last run before the big race tomorrow. Schedule called for 2 easy miles, so I met up with Richard after work for an out & back from his house at Five Points. That little hill near his house combined with the cold air made my lungs burn, even on that short 2 miles. Felt good overall. Gonna give it my best shot tomorrow, as long as my ankle holds up.

Training Log - Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Today was my second to last training session before the 2012 edition of the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama this Saturday, and before I took to the streets for my workout I made a tough decision. My sub 3:15 hour BQ attempt that I had trained for so diligently (until my ankle injury at Dizzy Fifties) was off the table. Instead, I decided to set myself three different goals. First, I would shoot for a 3:25 hour finish. If I felt good after 20 miles, I would try to pick up my pace. If I felt bad, which was much more likely considering I hadn't been able to do a long run in almost 4 weeks, I would just try to PR (which meant any time under 3:36 would suffice).

Race Report - 2011 Frosty Freeze 5K

Cool winter themed t-shirt, a gift card and a medal...success!

I recently read a great article on Twitter called "How to Be a Greener Runner" by Runner's World and in an effort to be "more green" myself, I decided to share a ride to the Frosty Freeze 5K in Decatur with Jason Shattuck. Both of us have old Jeep Cherokee gas guzzlers and this would save both money and contribute to a greener environment on a very small scale;-)

Training Log - December 1, 2011 (Plantation, Florida)

Rather than risk another annoying encounter in the hotel gym, I decided to go for a run outside and instead of driving to the beach, I opted to just run from the hotel in an effort to follow Runner's World's advice in its latest "go green" tips for runners.