Ultra Kraut Running

This isn't really a gear review, per se. Instead, it is more of a "DIY" article. With much of the United States under snow and ice advisories, it may be a good time to share some thoughts and tips on how to allow yourself to still run outside even when the ground is covered in snow and/or ice. Sure, you've got the layers worked out, you have your gloves and beanie to protect your hands and head, your buff to protect your neck and face, a long sleeve shirt and jacket to protect your core and your tights that you only pull out only when the temps dip into the single digits, but what about your footing? How do you make sure you stay upright and not slip and break a hip? Hopefully, this short "How To" will help you with that as well.

Certainly, you could just go online or find your local retailer to purchase a set of those fancy traction devices. There are Kathoola Microspikes and Nanospikes, Yaktrax Pro and Run, Stabilicers, and so on. They are all great and provide a solid solution for different surfaces and conditions. The Kathoola devices work great on trails while the Yaktrax devices are great for roads. However, if you live in the regions that barely see any snow and ice, it is often hard to justify such a purchase. After all, you may never need them or only once or twice a year. However, there is a much cheaper and just as effective solution out there for all of us. First, go to your shoe closet and find an old pair of runners, trail shoes or road shoes will do. Second, you will need a traction device. This is where your local hardware store comes in. They all carry what are called sheet metal screws. They are available for very little money, just make sure they aren't very long. You must also make sure that your outer and midsoles are deep enough to take the full length of the screws once you screw them into the bottom of your old shoes. However, before you proceed, be sure to lay out and arrange the screw pattern for your traction shoes. Avoid placing them in the center of your shoes as that may prove uncomfortable when you step or jump on hard surfaces. Be sure to have traction near your "landing spots", both on your heels for walking and on your forefoot for running. The exact pattern is entirely up to you and nothing keeps you from rearranging the screws once you've been out there to test them.

Sheet Metal Screws

Hopefully, this little article has provided some useful info. If nothing else, it's another tool to get you outside this winter. Feel free to comment with similar ideas or other comments.

If you're a Huntsville local, chances are you first learned about the sport of ultrarunning in connection with the Mountain Mist 50K. As one of the oldest ultramarathons in the Southeastern United States and now in its 25th year, the Mountain Mist is still considered one of the toughest by many. It may not have the most vert, but every year trail runners are humbled when they attempt to finish this race.

Every year, a slew of new Mountain Misters take off at the start gun at paces that resemble that of a 5K road race and this year as no different. That usually comes back to bite them, maybe not after 17 miles, the unofficial halfway point of the race, when they ran past or jump over the red gate at the Fearn Street crossing, but certainly at mile 23ish, when they start their climb up Waterline Trail. And if they still aren't humbled, they certainly will be by the time they make their way up Crybaby Hill or the final climb to the top of Rest Shelter. Hey, I'm not judging, it took me multiple times to figure out that even though the first half is actually very runnable, it still has nearly 2000ft of vert over 17 miles, which makes the second "half" or remaining 14 miles and 2000ft of vert over 2 major climbs even more challenging, if you failed to hold back a little on the front end.

Luckily, It only took me 5 finishes to learn to latch on to "the" veteran of this race, let's call him DeWayne, who is like the metronome of the Mountain Mist. If you want to see what consistent pacing looks like, just watch DeWayne. He's not only one of the fastest runners ever to run the Mountain Mist (9 wins speak for themselves), he also one of the smartest. Oh yeah, he also makes for great conversation on the trails.

While many of us get humbled by this race, we come back over and over and over again and it's not just for the coveted 10 time finisher jacket, it much deeper than that. It's a family reunion, but not just for local runners, it's a reunion of runners from around the Southeast. I spend more time catching up with runners before and after the race than I actually do running the race. That is not an exaggeration. It is the reason this is my favorite race year after year. It is also the most important race for me. Whether I have trained for it nor not, I never ever not put it all out there. There is nothing more fun than to race your friends whom you usually train with the rest of the year.

This year marked my ninth start and finish and while it was fun, it is never easy. In December, I had some grand ambitions of trying to run a personal best. This goal did not change until the weekend before the race, when I bruised a rib during a trail run and woke up with a head cold the following day. Not a great omen for a PR attempt. Feeling sluggish all week, I finally admitted to myself that a PR was out of the question. I entered race weekend with a slightly adjusted goal still ready to run as hard as possible. The plan was to save some on the front half to see how I would have some left in the tank in the latter part of the race to push the pace. I am happy to report that plan worked out for the most part, anyway.

After some start line banter and the loud bang of the start signal, we were off. Having run this race 8 times, you kind of fall in with the same group of runners year after year. This year was no different. Even though DeWayne was running with a torn meniscus, he still set the perfect pace. The first few miles went by fairly quickly and were rather uneventful. I tried to make sure not to raise my heart rate too much too early. That also meant hiking rather than running some of the stepper sections of the hills.

I cruised into the 17 mile aid station at red gate feeling pretty good and still on target to hit my A goal for the day. The tried and true formula requires you to double your red gate split to come up with your approximate finishing time. If you end up much slower than that, then you most definitely started the race too fast.

I was still running by feel. In fact, I checked my time for the first time at red gate AS. I continued to drink a bottle of fluids in between aid stations and take one gel every 45 minutes. I chased that with a couple of SCaps every hour, which kept me fueled evenly and cramp free all day. My pace would fluctuate only very lightly. I would zone out and slow my pace, mostly on the High Trail and Bluffline Trail sections. Eventually, I would snap out of it and pick it back up again. By the time I reached the top of Waterline trail, I started the smell the barn. Another 10K and this thing would be done. I had some renewed energy coming through the Trough Springs AS, but that slowly started to fizzle as I made my way down Natural Well Trail. By the time I reached "slush mile" or the bottom of McKay Hollow Trail, I was ready to be done. One more slow climb up Rest Shelter and all that was left was a 1.7 mile flat stretch to the finish.

I declined the beer and chili at the final AS and tried my best to sustain a decent pace. When I finally crossed the finish line, I had reached my A goal and was another step closer to my 10 time finisher jacket. I spent the next 3 hours reminiscing about the day with my trail family. I am already looking forward to 2020 and my 10th finish.