Ultra Kraut Running

Training Log - Monday, June 4, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:36:00 +0000

My 100 mile training has officially started again. Ed and I met up at Rich's house (everyone else chickened out for different "mostly legitimate" reasons;-) for a nice ranger station out and back trail run starting at Five Points for a total of 10 miles. After taking it easy for a couple of weeks, we decided to take an easy pace as we climbed Monte Sano on the Toll Gate Trail. It ended up being a twilight run with plenty of rain and some thunder and lightning. I usually avoid running in lightning, but the weather actually looked fairly decent with only a slight drizzle when we took off. The temps were nice enough and the rain provided a nice cool off during the run. The first 5 miles of the trail run gave us about 1300 feet of climbing before we descended the same elevation on the 5 mile back leg.

Training Log - Sunday, June 3, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 16:40:00 +0000

I decided to join my wife for a nice early morning loop around UAH after a nice cup of coffee. I ended up taking her to the Cross Country course from yesterday´s Eurocross 5K78K race along the way to show her the creek crossings that were so much fun yesterday. We ended up with almost 5 miles at an easy pace. The weather has been absolutely perfect the last couple of days, just the way spring is supposed to be. Looking forward to starting my serious training regimen again next week in preparation for the reamining big goals of 2012, the Georgia Jewel 100, the Pinhoti 100 and hopefully a few PRs along the way;-) My goal is to run one of those two 100 Milers in under 24 hours, which is going to be a very very serious (nearly impossible) challenge.

Training Log - Wednesday, May 30, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:31:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a while since I've logged an actual training run, but this one wasn't just overdue because of my lack of training runs. This one was meant to regain some dignity after my poor performance at the Cotton Row Run 10K just 2 days ago.

I was still feeling down (and still kinda am) about my race performance from a day earlier when I received the following text message from James on Tuesday: "6AM at Richards? Go for 8-10 hills?" to which I responded "Sure, what time? I need to run that hill after walking it yesterday." I guess I need to provide some background here. A hand full of my running buddies and I had been doing hill repeats on "puke hill" somewhat religiously over the past few months as part of our training for various ultras. It had actually paid off for me in a couple of very hilly races. Unfortunately, that was not the case on Memorial Day when I lined the starting line for the Cotton Row 10K. To make matters worse, puke hill, as we all affectionately call it, is actually the hill we all have to run about midway through the Cotton Ron Run. Since I decided to walk the better part of it on Monday, it was only fitting that I would return 2 days later to show it once more who's boss...well, kinda anyway.

James and I met up at 6AM at Rich's house to run the warm-up mile to puke hill before doing our hill repeats. Before we even approached the hill, James wisely exclaimed that we would do "only" 8 repeats today. Fine with me. I wanted redemption, but I also realized that I was somewhat in a funk. Otherwise, I wouldn't have turned in the performance I did on Monday. About halfway into the repeats, I felt done. When we finally did complete the 8th repeat, I was definitely done. I opted for a short recovery walk after the last repeats before running the last mile back to Richard's house.

While I don't feel fully redeemed by any means (this feeling won't go away until I finally PR another 5K or 10K again), I was at least able to prove to myself that I can run this hill, not once, not twice, but multiple times.

Race Report - 2012 Mercedes-Benz Cotton Row Run 10K

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Another cool T-shirt for the 32nd Cotton Row Run.

This was my fifth consecutive year of running the Cotton Row Run 10K and it was supposed to be my best, yet. For some reason, I had never really posted great times at the CCR over the past few years and since I'd been training and racing hard (everything from 2 to 200 miles) for the most part of 2012, I figured I'd set a new PR for the course. In short, that didn't happen...that didn't happen at all. Instead, I've had the worst race performance in 3 years. I didn't just miss a course PR, I missed my 10K PR by almost 5 minutes. I still don't know what happened exactly, but I probably never will.

It all started out like any other road race. I arrived at the starting area with my 13yo son Mace with about 30 minutes to spare. I had plenty of time to catch up with old friends, but I also noticed that I wasn't able to meet up with many of my fellow racers. The race's popularity and over 2000 runners just make it very difficult to find anyone. Instead, I hung out with my son near the Fleet Feet canopy until it was time to line up at the start. I had decided to start the race conservatively and to run with Mike (fellow training buddy and Dixie200 team mate) early on in hopes of cranking up the pace after climbing puke hill. However, instead of cranking it up, I slowed down even before reaching the hill.

Emerson Network Power sponsored my fellow coworkers and me by paying our entry fees and providing shirts...thanks guys;-)

I am pretty sure it was both physical as well as mental as I remember thinking to myself "no reason to kill yourself today, it's so hot, just take it easy, start pushing after the hill". Well, I never had anything left to really push. There was no second or third gear to shift into. I felt flat and I ran flat and the result was a disappointing finish. Congratulations to my fellow finishers for sticking it out in some seriously hot temps. On a side note, half of the Dixie200 relay team finish the Cotton Row 10K as I later realized that Ed had finished just behind us in the chute. However, his start in the middle of the pack gave him a better chip time than both Mike and I had. allowing him to finish seconds ahead of both of us. Too bad results only consider the official gun time....just kidding Ed, well done!

I normally write a lot more but today's race can be summed up like this: I started slow and I got slower. The End. Now I have to try to put this one behind me and look ahead to refocus my training and work on getting faster again.

Training Log - Monday, May 14, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Ed and I met up at 5AM for a nice and easy Monte Sano ranger station out & back trail run. We ended up with our usual 10 miles in 1:49. A constant drizzle kept us refreshed, but also cautious. We were taking it very easy, watching our footing on slippery wet rocky trails as we were ascending and descending Monte Sano mountain on Tollgate and other connecting trails. It seems our remaining training buddies and Dixie200 team mates are already tapering for Friday's event. It's gonna be a blast!

If you're bored this Friday or Saturday, follow ultra team "I Lost My Sock In Huntsville"'s progress in the Dixie200 Relay Race from Atlanta to Birmingham via Twitter at #Dixie200 and @raceupdates.

Race Report - 2012 David McKannan Run For Research 5K

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:01:00 +0000

Another nice race t-shirt for a worthy cause.

After taking a pretty long break from racing 5K road races (other than pacing my wife at Cookie Dash 5K), it was time to toe the line for the first time this year. With the Cotton Row 5K and 10K races just two weeks away, I needed to see where I was speed-wise. I had mainly done longer, slower ultra distance races this year and while I had been doing lots of challenging trail training runs and hill workouts, I have not been working on speed specifically. Even worse, I haven't done any track workouts or 400 or 800 meter repeats in over a year. It showed. While I was able to run almost exactly the same pace as my most recent 5K races, I missed a sub 20 minute finish by 25 seconds, which means the Spooktacular 5K last year still stands as my only sub 20 min 5K finish time. In any case, I did come to the conclusion that I need to start doing track work if I want to break 20m minutes again and do so consistently.

The David McKannan ALS Run is a worthy cause and I was happy to see that almost 250 runner registered according to the RD in only its third year. Unfortunately, it appears only 140 or so runners actually finished the race, but it is definitely a success in my book, since 250 folks donated funds through their registration to this worthy cause.

I didn't decide to enter this event until Saturday morning. My buddy Ed Johnson had mentioned that he was registered during our trail training run the day before and while I had no plans to race initially, I needed to gauge where I was. I wanted to do well at Cotton Row and this would be a great tune up race. Ed and I stayed together for the first 1mile or so. I was able to maintain target pace through the first mile and while I did drop of during mile 2, it wasn't as dramatic a drop as in previous races. Unfortunately, I slipped a little further during the third mile as well. Overall, 8 seconds per mile faster would have gotten me the sub 20 minute finish I seek so desperately. While there are some small hills, this is a rather fast course and folks should sign up for this one next year as a perfect place to see the Old Towne neighborhood and challenge a PR at the same time.

When I crossed the finish line in 20:26, I had missed a PR, but I had won 8th overall and first in my age group and that is fine by me. Hopefully, some actual track work will help me improve. Thanks to all the volunteers and the RD for putting on a great event just 5 minutes from my house:-)

Training Log - Friday, May 11, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:54:00 +0000

Perfect running weather this morning, high 50s with a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Ed and I met up shorty after 5AM to run up to the Mont Sano ranger station and back. We ended up doing the 10 mile round trip in 1 hour 50 minutes at an easy pace. 1300 feet of climbing still made this a pretty good workout.

Training Log - Wednesday, May 9, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:36:00 +0000

Toughest workout of the week: Hill repeats. Richard, Ed and I met at Richard´s house for hill repeats on Cotton Row´s ¨puke hill¨. We had it all to ourselves today. I guess a little drizzle keep some folks from running outdoors all together. It was actually perfect weather for hill repeats with temps in the 60s and the light drizzle cooling all of us off nicely. I decided to do 10 repeats, since it had been a while. Felt good enough. Next run Friday morning, ranger station out & back.

Training Log - Monday, May 7, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:47:00 +0000

I met up with Richard after work for a quick mountain run. A 10 mile out & back trail run to the Monte Sano Mountain ranger station should do the trick. 1400 feet elevation gain while running straight up and back down from the mountain. Temps were in the low 70s and humidity levels were pretty high. I picked up the pace a little on my way up the mountain and when I reached the turnaround point, I realized that I was close to my best pace for this section, so I decided to push it on the way back down as well. When I got to Rich's house, I was barely one minute short of my previous best. Time to get this training thing going regularly again.

Training Log - Friday, May 4, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000

After an easy run on Wednesday, it was time to see if my legs could handle a little bit of trail running and hill climbing again. I met with James and Rich and 5AM and we took off. Temperatures were already in the high 60s, but the humidity levels were not quite as bad as Wednesday. My legs weren't sore at all, but I still felt a little exhausted so a pace much slower than usual was fine with me. I'm going to DNS at the Strolling Jim 40 tomorrow. It's time to take a break, recalibrate, set new ultra goals and start proper training all over again. I'm still recovering and the next time I do SJ40, I want to get at least sub 7 hour shirt. With my current training I wouldn't have had the speed nor the rest to put in a decent performance.

Training Log - Wednesday, May 2, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Today was my first run since the Grand Canyon (I´m still working on the write up) and instead of the scheduled hill workout, we decided to just run the Cotton Row 10K course. Well, only after some serious persuasion by me did we decide to do that;-) I just didn´t feel like running hill repeats, yet. Rich, James and I ended up running it at a very easy pace, just enough to feel it without really pushing. I need some recovery before cranking up the training again. The current record high temperatures don´t make it any easier to push yourself.

Race Report - 2012 Grand Canyon Rim-To-Rim-To-Rim

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:59:00 +0000

Coolest T-Shirt design ever, courtesy of my friend and co-worker John G.

Sometimes, you are able to strike something off your bucket list very unexpectedly. It all happened very fast. About two weeks earlier, I had received an email asking me to present at a corporate conference in Phoenix, AZ during the week of April 23. First, I checked to see if the Zane Grey 50 Miler still had slots available. Nope. Then I started wondering how far of a drive would be from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon. I had never been and would've loved the opportunity to go and check it out. Ugh, 4 hours of driving. That didn't sound like an appealing road trip my own. But what if I could convince a couple of my running buddies to join me? A few Facebook messages and online travel searches later, Richard Trice and Dan Burstein had both booked flights to and from Phoenix and the final plan was made. We would attempt a double crossing of the Grand Canyon (also called Rim to Rim to Rim) on Friday morning April 27 at 3AM. Approximately 42 of the most beautiful miles in the country lay ahead of us with roughly 15,000 feet of climbing to and from each rim for a total elevation change of over 30,000 feet. Sometimes I love how things just come together. None of us had ever attempted this challenge and all of us were eager to strike it off our bucket list. What an adventure!

By Thursday afternoon, we all had arrived in Phoenix, ready to head to the Grand Canyon National Park. Rich had arrived earlier and I had already been there since Monday, so we picked up Dan at the airport and took off straight from there. We arrived at the halfway point in Sedona, AZ just in time for a late lunch. One of the Phoenix locals had recommended this quaint little town a little off the beaten path but definitely on the way to the Grand Canyon as a great spot for lunch. After refueling on sandwiches and soda we continued on our trip, eager to make it to our destination. After another couple of hours, we finally arrived.

Upon arrival, we found a friendly group of German tourists to take a group shot. Vielen Dank!

We decided to check into our cabin first (Dan had hooked us up with a lodge for 2 nights right at the South Rim and inside the actual National Park. Thanks, Dan!) before doing South Kaibab trailhead reconnaissance in anticipation of our early morning start the next day. There is no parking allowed at the trailhead, but we found a parking spot just a short three quarter mile walk from the trailhead. After we arrived at the actual trailhead, I almost lost it: "We were gonna do what? Run across that? No way, the other side is like 2 states away. It didn't look this big on the map. There is no way we can make that! I can't even see the bottom". After my inner voices stopped talking for a moment, I decided to stop thinking about it and head back to the cabin for some much needed rest after carb loading at the lodge cafeteria. By 7PM, I was out.

First view of the Grand Canyon from the South Kaibab trailhead.

My alarm went off at 2AM. I had spend about 30 minutes the night before lining up my gear and loading up my pack. I ended up with close to 20 lbs in my Inov-8 Race Pro 22 pack mostly due food and water. I had also received some very sound and helpful advice from local ultra runner Eric Charette who had just completed the run weeks earlier. He willingly shared of of his gear and food lists with me, allowing me to cut down on some serious logistics time. In hindsight, I overpacked...as usual. However, while I plan to run much lighter if I ever do this run again, it is definitely better safe than sorry on this run. In addition to some essential gear I was also carrying trekking poles (the most challenging piece of gear to stow away for the downhills) and a GoPro Hero HD camera (video footage to be shared online at a later time) as well as some other non-essential gear.

Gear & Food List

After a quick cup of coffee we bundled up in some warm clothes and grabbed our packs on our way out the door. Temperatures were in the high 30s as we drove the 10 minutes to the trailhead. I decided to wear my winter running jacket, which was nice and comfy for the first 30 minutes. After that, it quickly became a heavy piece of non-essential gear stuffed in my backpack. At 3:06 Mountain Time, Dan, Rich and I started our adventure, running down the South Kaibab Trail in complete darkness, our path illuminated only by the light of our headlamps. I was kinda glad I couldn't see where we were going. It just seemed too daunting. We kept shining our headlamps just to the side of the trail and there was nothing there, no bottom for the light to bounce off of. Most if not all of the trail is basically cut into the side of the canyon, so one side is generally the canyon wall and the other side is what I like to call "the abyss".

Me running on one of those trail sections.

About 2-3 miles from the trailhead, we got lost for the first and last time at a mule station just along the trail. Instead of bypassing the station we though we had to turn right. Well, it was dark and you really couldn't see where the trail continued. After about 5-10 minutes, we finally spotted the trail to continue our journey. Richard and I would "dart" ahead (I'm using the term dart ahead very loosely) with Dan and his 40 lbs pack following behind. We had hoped to cover the first six miles to the Colorado River and the bottom of the Grand Canyon rather quickly, but the lack of light coupled with the steepness of the trails made speeds faster than 15 min miles nearly impossible. I know, I know, that's crawling and not running, but that is the nature of the Grand Canyon....unless you're a genetic ultra running freak and not a midpacker like us;-)

We arrived at the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon about 2 hours after we started around 5AM. Just before we arrived at the bridge crossing the river, a caravan of hikers started to kake their way up the South Rim. They had started their hike just minutes earlier at the Phantom Ranch and already the majority of them was soaked in sweat and breathing heavily. Oh great, so this is what we'll get to do on our way back during the hottest time of the day. This is gonna be fun!

The South Kaibab Trail bridge crossing.

We had just completed the first of four legs of our double crossing, making our way down the South Rim in just over 2 hours. After we crossed over to the North Side of the Canyon via one of the two hanging bridges, I realized that the sun still hadn't come up. These two trail bridges near the Phantom Ranch are the only bridges crossing the Colorado River within 200 miles. I hadn't snapped a single picture yet, but that would change as soon as the sun came out. We would reach Phantom Ranch in about a mile to refill our water bottles and hydration bladders before continuing our trek up the North Kaibab Trail.

Approaching the hanging bridge across the Colorado River from the North Rim on our way back.

We passed the Bright Angel Campground just before arriving at Phantom Ranch. At this point we had descended almost 5000 feet from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We now had about 6000 feet of climbing to the North Rim ahead of us. Although it was still dark, there were already some hikers and trail runners scurrying around and getting ready for the day ahead. We found the water spicket just outside the Phantom Ranch canteen to refill our hydration bladders. The canteen was still closed at this time. I was already looking forward about stopping here on the way back for some ice cold lemonade. Still struggling with my new pack, I took some time to refill my hydration bladder and shove it back into my pack.

Dan and Richard crossing one of the many Bright Angel Creek bridges on the North side of the canyon.

After about 10 minutes we continued our trek up the North Kaibab Trail. This trail was about 14 miles in length and led us through the Bright Angel Canyon criss-crossing back and forth over the Bright Angel Creek along the way. We hoped for good weather on the North Rim and for making it to the top in a reasonable amount of time.

Richard and I climbing to the North Rim.

We moved slowly but steadily and the temperatures never really got too cold on the way up. Dan and I reached the top in a little over 7 hours with Richard right behind us. I couldn't believe it, but there was actually still snow at the North Rim, how cool was that!

The obligatory North Rim picture at the North Kaibab Trailhead.

We took a 30 minute break to refuel with the snacks we had packed and to top off on salt. I had been taking salt and gels quite regularly during the entire duration of the run so far, but it seemed like I wasn't taking in enough salt. I devoured my first bag of Fritos and ate a cereal bar. Once Richard caught up to us, we adjusted our packs, stowed away our trekking poles (Rich and I, Dan was using any) and started the second leg of our adventure.

There wasn't a lot of snow, but just enough for a picture:-)

I was now wearing the GoPro HD Hero camcorder and holding my digital camera, ready to snap tons of pictures. After all, this run wasn't about being fast, but about taking in this amazing scenery. However, no matter how hard I tried, none of the pictures or videos I took truly captures the enormity and grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Around every corner there was another breathtaking view, literally. I still tried to capture these images, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

Dan charging ahead down North Kaibab Trail.

While we didn't meet any fellow runners or many hikers for that matter while descending the South Rim early in the morning, on the North Kaibab Trail there was almost constant back and forth traffic of runners and hikers. There were still many hours of solitude, but we were definitely not alone out there. I think we might not have been the only ones that had this one on our bucket lists (add sarcastic undertone here).

Breathtaking views everywhere we turned, waterfall as seen from North Kaibab Trail.

We continued our steady descend back down through a man-made tunnel and on trails so narrow, I kept wanting to "hug" the canyon wall on the other side of the trail. I kept wondering how they actually built this trail so many years ago and how they even decided on where to build it. We were fortunate enough to see some park rangers and volunteers on the trail so we could actually thank someone personally for the work they do to maintain these trails and this amazing place for all of us to enjoy.

Dan exiting the tunnel just past the ranger station.

About a mile out from one of the ranger stations near the bottom of the canyon, I finally ran out of water. The North Kaibab trailhead has access to water about 1.5 miles away from the trailhead and neither one of us felt like going there just to fill up. Instead, we figured 70oz would be enough to get us up and down from the North Rim. And it did...almost. Thankfully, the water had already been turned on at the ranger station, so we were able to refill our hydration bladders here rather than wait another mile or so to reach the Cottonwood campground. After washing the salt off my face and refilling my water, we continued on to Cottonwood campground. Dan had stashed about 20lbs of food and gear there on our way to the North Rim and it was now time to retrieve it for a lunch break.

Dan opening our ¨lunchbox¨ at Cottonwood campground.

Dan had thought of everything. There were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and even three full-size oranges, one for each of us. Dan, you are the man! Instead of refilling my hydration bladder again once at Cottonwood, I refilled a collapsible bottle I had brought along for emergencies with Gatorade. I guzzled down the Gatorade and my last bottle of Ensure (I had finished the other bottle on the way out). We took our time before continuing on. The heat was starting to climb. The sun had finally reached the bottom of the canyon, which is exactly where we were at.

Richard nearly at the bottom of the big ditch.

While we were still running somewhat together, the three of us now stretched out over a mile. It gave each one of us the opportunity to let our thoughts drift and to take it all in. We knew we would catch up with each other at the Phantom Ranch. To me, the running part of this adventure had become all about the final 6 miles up to the South Rim. We had chosen the traditional route (South Kaibab Trail - NorthKaibab Trail - South Kaibab Trail) and climbing the 6 miles up South Kaibab Trail would be a significant challenge. Approaching Phantom Ranch, I was still feeling pretty good and actually pushing a little. When I arrived, the place was hustling and bustling. Folks were eating their lunches and hanging out in the canteen or under one of the many shade trees surrounding the ranch.

The whole gang during a brief break.

I grabbed a seat at one of the picnic tables and refilled my bladder before heading into the canteen for a big cup of lemonade. By the time I came back out, Dan had arrived as well. I sat down and started chatting with another group of ultra runners , who were doing the R2R2R as well, but they had chosen the Bright Angel Trail as the route up and down from the South Rim. We all started to compare notes about ultra races past and future. As it turned out, quite a few of us had run in some of the same events, proof again that the ultra running community was still fairly small.

Another spectacular view. Can you spot the trail on the right side of this picture?

Richard arrived at the Ranch a few minutes later and we all took our time to refill and refuel. We knew what lay ahead and none of us were very eager to "get on with it". No matter who we talked to, guesses ranged from 3-4 hours as the time it would take to reach the South Rim from Phantom Ranch. We decided that we would all go our own pace up to the South Rim. It would be a crawl and each one of us crawled at a different pace. My camera battery was running low and I started to slow down on the picture taking. To be honest, I quickly became too focused on putting one foot in front of the other to even think about snapping pics. Every switchback felt like eternity. Luckily, the sun started to disappear behind the canyon, but it was still hot. I continued my climb, literally stopping every half mile to catch my breath and to regroup.

The South Kaibab Trail snaking its way up from the Colorado River.

Dan was fairly close behind me, while Richard took his time about a mike back. During the initial climb, I would still see him on the trails below, but as we progressed upwards, I stopped seeing him. I knew he was there, struggling with the rest of us. I slowly started to get concerned about reaching the top in a reasonable amount of time. We had taken some long breaks and I was now starting to think that we might not make the top of the South Rim before sundown. It didn't make a difference, I couldn't go any faster if I wanted to. Instead, I decided to pull out my camera again to try to capture some of these amazing views and images from the South Kaibab Trail.

The neverending switchbacks up to the South Rim.

I reached the bottom of the final set of switchbacks around 6:30PM local time. Dan was right behind me and he somehow convinced me that these switchbacks were another mile or so away from the trailhead. At this point, I had no recollection of earlier in the day, when we first descended this section. I just believed him. I agonized over this final section, but I wanted to get it done. I started to push and after just 6 quick switchbacks, I couldn't believe my eyes, I saw what looked to be the trailhead sign.

One of my favorite views.

After 15 hours and 44 minutes I had reached the South Kaibab trailhead, the place were it all started earlier in the day. I was ecstatic. Looking back over the canyon, I still could not believe that I had crossed it, not once but twice.

Final switchback to the finish. Can you spot me?

Dan arrived just a couple of minutes later and we decided to get the car, take a shower and pick up some food, so we could meet Richard at the trailhead with food and beer at hand.

I guess we were supposed to take 4 days rather than do this in half a day;-)

Just a little over an hour later, Richard had completed his journey as well. We all enjoyed the cold beer and headed back to our cabin for a 2 hour nap before taking off for Phoenix Airport. It all was still a little surreal and it still really hasn't sunk in all the way.

Too tired to smile, but super excited to have made it:-)

A photo album with a collection of images taken by Dan Burstein and myself during our adventure run can be found here and video clips from the double crossing can be found at the bottom of this blog.

RunningAhead.com statistics based on Garmin FR 310XT readings.

Training Log - Wednesday, April 25, 2012 (Phoenix, AZ)

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:24:00 +0000

An old ruin about 1.5 miles from the National Trailhead on South Mountain.

I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona three days earlier for a conference at which I was going to be a participant as well as a speaker. After three interesting but long days I decided it was definitely time to check out the neighborhood. I had never been to Phoenix, but I knew they had trails here. I had already made arrangements to meet up with a couple of friends who were flying in, so we could make the 4 hour drive to Grand Canyon National Park on Friday to attempt a double crossing (or Rim-To-Rim-To-Rim) of the Grand Canyon. I needed to shake the cobwebs lose. After checking with the Ultralist and getting some pointers about great running locations, I went online to find a trail map of South Mountain. It looked very promising.

Gnarly trails indeed, but not too technical.

I arrived at the trailhead just before 6. I had no idea how long I would go out for, but my goal was between 6 and 10 miles. I had brought my CamelBak and I needed it with temps approaching 100 degrees and humidity levels in the single digits. When I arrived at the park, I had no idea which way to go.

Spectacular views of Phoenix were just around the bend.

There were numerous trails heading into all directions, so I stopped a local runner for some info. Luckily, he sent me just the way I wanted to go, down National Trail, the longest of the trails in this park. I figured I would turn around whenever I had enough, rather than running multiple loops of a shorter trail or worse, getting lost after dark.

Beautifully winding trails in the middle of Phoenix.

I had brought a headlamp just in case. I really didn´t want to be one of ¨those¨guys, visiting town and going for a short run only to get lost in a park. The weather cooled off ever so slightly and with a slight breeze, it was actually bearable. There were lots of other runners and hikers around. The views and scenery were fantastic. I always get excited when going to a new place that has unique plant and wildlife and Arizona with its desert terrain and weather conditions is definitely one of those places that makes you go Ohhh-Ahhh!

Great trails with just enough elevation changes for an easy day.

When it started to get dark, I decided to cut my run short and call it a day after 6 miles. After all, I was going to do plenty of running on Friday. And truth be told, I was embarrassed at how tired I was after the run after realizing that I didn´t climb quite as much as I´d thought. Either way, it was another great run in an amazing place. I´m a pretty lucky guy.

The obligatory self-portrait at the turnaround point.

Race Report - 2012 Cookie Dash 5K

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:48:00 +0000

Race swag: A bright colored NF tech shirt and.....COOKIES!

Today´s race plan was an easy choice. This was the third time my ¨wife¨ Anya and I ran the Cookie Dash 5K. It still feels strange to call her my wife. After all, we had just gotten married six days earlier. I had paced her the previous two years and this year was to be no different. This was the first eyar that my thirteen year old son Mace ran this race as well. He had just come off his first High school JV soccer season and was ready to go. I basically told him to stick with us until he felt he needed to go faster or slower. Well, he left us behind after about one mile, but we kept him in sight for most of the race. Not bad for someone that barely runs for running´s sake these days. Just one more proof that soccer creates all around athletes:-)

Anya had had a great week of running and I was looking forward to helping her reach a new PR, even though she was convinced that a PR was not to be. We took off in the middle of a crowd of a bout 600 runners. I guess cookies at the finish line really attract large crowds;-) Hey, that´s why we come back every year. It was my goal to keep Anya running even splits, 8:30 min per mile for 3.1 miles. However, I told her we would be running 9 minute miles. She had had some really good training times and based on that, I knew she was selling herself short.

After about two miles, I could tell she was in much better shape than last year. She had been doing following a fairly strict cross training schedule along with her runs and that really helped her. She was still keeping up conversations compared to last year, when she barely wanted to nod in response to my ¨coaching¨. With about a quarter mile to go I told her to just leave it all out there and she did. Folks were cheering her on and I couldn´t have been happier for her. Her training paid off and a good result had her asking for more. To top it all off she finished third in her age group. What an accomplishment!

Mace was waiting for us at the finish line after having run his best race in a while. I couldn´t be prouder, smart and athletic, I wonder where he got that from;-)

Pacing my wife of 6 days to a new PR, what could be more rewarding:-)

Training Log - Wednesday, April 18, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:44:00 +0000

First tough workout since the Connemarathon Ultra in Ireland this morning. Rich and I met up at 5:30AM for hill repeats at Cotton Row's "puke hill". Lots of other runners in the area this morning prepping for the Cotton Row run next month. I decided to do 10 repeats with the usual 1 mile warm up and cool down before and after. I wasn't really feelin' it initially, but as soon as I got the first two repeats under my belt, I was feeling better. I'm glad to slowly be getting back into my training routine again. After all, my Grand Canyon R2R2R attempt is coming up next week.

Training Log - Saturday, April 14, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:37:00 +0000

After arriving back in the US yesterday, I figured I´d tackle the usual jet lag with an early morning run. The fact that I gained a few pounds during my trip added to my motivation to go for a run. I met up with Richard and Mike and we went for our usual Ranger Station out & back. With our R2R2R attempt just 2 weeks away, I decided to try out my new trekking poles (Black Diamond Spire Elliptic) and Pack (Inov-8 Race Pro 22) to test for comfort and convenience and to add some training weight as well. Both performed well, but the pack has one friction point at the back of my neck, which I will need to resolve somehow before R3.

Not having done this run in a while, I decided it was time to set a new baseline. Mike stayed with me pretty much all the way, while Richard backed off just a little (swimming the day before a hard trail run takes it outta you;-). I used the trekking poles only at a couple of sections on the way up and collapsed them for the entire trip back down from the mountain. When I arrived back at Richard´s house, I had completed the close to 10 miles in 1 hour 28 minutes, well below our long term goal of sub 90 minutes and 30 seconds per mile faster than ever before. I was pretty happy with that effort, but what should be the next goal for this training run?

Training Log - Friday, April 13, 2012 (Dublin, Ireland)

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:13:00 +0000

4 hours before my flight back to the US. After lounging around in my hotel room for the last 24 hours I decided to check out the hotel gym. Since the hotel was located just a mile from the airport, there really weren't any great running routes available, so I opted for a quick 5K tempo run on the hotel treadmill before heading to the airport. 7 minute pace definitely woke me up. Time to increase my training regimen to get ready for R3.

Training Log - Wednesday, April 11, 2012 (Flensburg, Germany & Sandager, Denmark)

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:51:00 +0000

"Gendarmstien" trail marker.

After slacking off for almost a week, I finally stepped on to a weight scale and realized that all that good German food and no running had added a couple of pounds. It was time to get off my butt to go out for a fun run around my old stomping grounds. To keep it interesting I opted for a run in two countries, Germany and Denmark.

Europe has numerous long distance hiking trails that are often several thousand miles long, creating an amazing network of trails that span the entire continent. A couple of these trails run through Northern Germany and Denmark. I decided to run part of the Gendarmstien trail that is part of the E6 European Long Distance Trail and runs along the Germany-Denmark border. Since the border also has a coastal border along the Flensburg Fjord, most of the Gendarmstien trail runs along the coast of Denmark.

The entire length of the Gendarmstien is approximately 50 miles long and I started my run almost at its Western trailhead. I parked my car and after running a quarter mile, I arrived at the "Schusterkate" which is the name of this particular border crossing that also happens to be the smallest border crossing in Europe and the only bridge connecting Germany and Denmark. The picture below shows the German side of the border, which is no longer manned by border police as it is now an internal EU border.

The old border marker on the German side (Deutsches Reich, Preussen).

I took off on my run around 2PM from West to East, deciding to take pictures on my way back as I was going to go out for 5-6 miles before turning back. Since I wasn't very familiar with the trail, I tried to pay special attention to the trail markers. I went slightly off course once on the way out but was okay otherwise.

The old border marker on the Danish side (Denmark).

At mile 5, I passed the Ox islands, a well known group of two islands just off the Danish coast. I decided to turn around at the 7 mile point, stopping briefly to eat a gel and drink some water. I had decided to use my Inov-8 Race Pro 22 pack on this training run to see how it rides on my back with water in the hydration bladder but little else. It worked pretty well and I decided to opt for this pack during my R2R2R attempt at the Grand Canyon in 2 weeks. It compresses very well without anything in it but is bug enough when fully expanded.

The old toll booth at the German-Danish border "Schusterkate".

On the way back I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to get off course at all. I kept a close eye at all trail markers and after passing the Ox islands again, I noticed a marker sending me left that I had missed previously. Cool, I was doing better already than on the way out...or so I thought. I continued on and after about 2 miles, I didn't notice any more markers. I continued on until I reach another town (Kollund) and continued on the highway expecting to see a turn off to the trail any time. Instead, there were no turn offs at all and I was running even further inland and further away from the coast and the trail.

When I reached the next town of Krusa, I had almost reached the border again, just at a completely different location. Finally, I was able to ask a local pedestrian for directions and she ended up sending me on the shortest route back to the border. After crossing the border, I started to make my way back to my starting location where I had left my car.

When it was all said and done I had logged 16 miles in just over 2.5 hours. Not the expected pace and certainly not on the planned course on the way back, but definitely an adventure. Two countries and 16 miles in 2.5 hours. Maybe I will be able to squeeze in another run during my layover on my way back to the US in Dublin, Ireland tomorrow.

Map of entire Gendarmstien trail along Germany-Denmark border.

Training Log - Thursday, April 5, 2012 (Connemara, Ireland)

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Derroura Trailhead in Connemara

I was able to convince my local colleagues and friends Cecil Looney and Mike Mulligan to take me for a trail run after a busy day at the office. At 5:30PM we met at the Derroura trailhead in the Connemara region on the west coast of Ireland after a 45 minute drive from Galway. Neither one of us knew what to expect. Me, because I'd never been to this area and they, because they had never been on a trail run. Hey, with a little luck, I'd turn these two road warriors into trail runners by the end of the day.

These sheep weren't quite sure what we were doing here.

Mike and I had researched the course beforehand and expected a 10 mile trail loop. However, neither one of us knew anything about the elevation profile. As luck would have it, the first half was mostly uphill while the second half was mostly downhill. This surrounding area was just as amazing as the area surrounding the race course 4 days earlier, but this time I took the time to take pictures, plenty of pictures.

My running mates Cecil and Mike.

Wherever I looked, I saw Hallmark picturesque sceneries waiting to be captured. Unfortunately, I have no talent in that area, so my pictures could be considered snapshots at best.

These "bridges" were used to cross bogs in several swamp areas.

Although I spent most of my time snapping pictures, we still managed to run a decent pace for the entire 10 miles. It even stayed dry until the final mile of the run, when it started to drizzle. By the time we arrived at the trail head, both Cecil and Mike sounded like they were ready for more. I have yet to meet a road runner that didn't enjoy a nice trail run to break up the monotony of road running....even if it is in Ireland.

Two "Bens" in the background just off in the distance.

Race Report - 2012 Ronhill Connemara International Ultra Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:39:00 +0000

Cool medal, cool shirt "slogan" fitting for an amazing race course.

"The Hell of the West"

This was yet another "adventure" race. We were just about to take off at Atlanta airport when the captain announced on the PA that our plane had engine trouble, something about one of the engines revving too low. I could've lived with that, but then he came back on the intercom to announce "We're going to be delayed a little longer. The mechanics will try to identify and fix the problem...I guess?" Really? I guess? Is that how pilots reassure their passengers these days? That's not really the message I'm looking for from a pilot who is about to the me across the Atlantic Ocean for 8 hours. Everyone around me just smiled nervously, in disbelief what they just heard. Thankfully, we took off 2 hours later and arrived safely in Dublin, Ireland.

After arriving in Galway, Ireland after a 2 hour drive I quickly checked into my hotel before being picked up by local colleague and friend Mike Mulligan to pick up our race packets. I would have an early Sunday morning (European races usually take place on Sundays), so we opted to get an early cargo dinner at an Italian restaurant. I love pasta with a side of garlic bread. By 8PM I was back at my hotel, laying out my running gear and nervously looking ahead at 39.3 miles of the Connemarathon, lovingly referred to as the "Hell of the West" due to its road course mainly consisting of punishing rolling hills.

The following paragraph directly taken from the race's website truly reflects the experience. "The key to the event's success has been its ability to offer a unique package of experience. The popular sport of long-distance running is transformed for runners and walkers in the dramatic setting of mountains, glacier lakes, rugged green-brown landscape which winds in and around the challenging mountain wilderness of Galway in the west of Ireland. The course meanders past bogs, hills, lakes, and the Twelve Pin mountains rising up over the great expanse of Killary Lough, through the quiet village of Leenane, around the Maam Turk Mountains and all the way back up to Maam Cross. International participants enjoy the Irish welcome, the sense of comradeship on the lonely route and unmistakable buzz throughout the day. No other sporting event sends people away with such a taste of Ireland and all its highlights."

The race host a half marathon, a marathon and an ultra marathon. The ultra marathon started just outside Maam Cross about an hour outside of Galway and a race start of 9AM for the ultra and a mandatory pre-race briefing at 8:15AM meant that the 200 ultra runners would be picked up in Galway by shuttle at 7AM. We arrived at the "Peacocke" hotel in Maam Cross for the pre-race briefing and after a few welcoming words by the race director and a some very interesting introductions (see picture below), runners placed their drop bags in the aid station buckets that were lined up inside the meeting room. I was very surprised to see so many runners place so many items in the various collection bins for the aid stations and would find out later (and too late), why.

World 100K Champion Giorgio Calcatella (center) and RD Ray O' Connor (on right)

All runners including myself placed drop bags at the finish area just behind the hotel. Afterwards, we got onto another shuttle bus that would take us to the starting line just a mile and a half away. We arrived at the starting line with 15 minutes to spare, just enough time to chat with other runners and to check out the front runners. This was also only the second ultra I attended (the first one was in Germany) that had TV crews recording the race. I believe there were two TV crews from Italy, one following the current 100K world champ Giorgio Calcatella and one following an extreme athlete from Italy for a reality TV show.

The race started right on time. The RD had explained the race course in great detail: "You run about 1.5 miles and then you turn right. You run about 9 miles and turn right. Then run another 10 miles and turn right. Now run another 10 miles and... ?" - "Turn right!" responded 200 runners.

When looking at a map the course looked fairly flat and fairly almost shaped like a square. Well, once you hit the actual course, you realize that reality looked differently. While the race's nickname "Hell of the West" was intimidating, the course was actually very exciting with just the right amount of hills at just the right times...right in the middle and right at the end of the course. I has opted to run in my new Hoka One One Bondi Bs, lovingly referred to as "clown shoes" by my fiancee. I figured that 40 miles of asphalt might be easier on my joints in a pair of Hokas and I was right.

The first 10 miles went pretty smoothly and quickly, but I also realized why everyone had packed so much stuff in their drop bags. Unbeknownst to me, the aid stations only carried water and two of them Lucozade, an isotonic drink popular in the UK and Ireland. However, nothing else was provided, no food or snack of any kind other than "Fig Newtons" with 3 miles to go. Luckily, I had packed 6 energy gus and that would have to do.

As I was plodding along at sub 9 min pace, I was able to take in the amazing scenery. Connemara has to be one of the most beautiful areas in Ireland. The course led us in between the mountains, so we were basically surrounded by the so called "Twelve Bens of Connemara" the entire time. About 25 miles into the race, the pounding of the road couple with my busy ultra racing schedule of the past couple of months caught up with me. My quad muscles started to hurt and would continue to hurt for the remainder of the race. Instead of pushing through I decided to just back off and try to enjoy it.

The course led us through a couple of quaint little Irish towns along a couple of little lakes and rivers. It was just beautiful. The race course was basically one giant loop and marathoners would join the same course about 13.1 miles into the ultra marathon followed by the half marathoners, the largest group by far with 2200 runners, 26.2 miles into the ultra course. That allowed every runner to cross the same finish line. Bottle necks were avoided by race organizers by having the marathoners and half marathoners start 30 and 60 minutes after the ultra marathoners, respectively.

The final climb was a 2 mile stretch of road that would slowly take runners to the top of a hill before we would finish the race with another 2 miles of downhill running. I had decided to just walk that final hill as my legs were feeling rather tight at this point. I normally would not walk a road race, but this was not one of my key races but rather an "experience race". Instead, this allowed me to chat with another couple of runners who were running their first marathon and had slowed to a walk as well.

When I reached the top of the hill, I was itching to start running again. I said my goodbyes and started running and running fast. I think I clocked a 7 and an 8 minute mile or so it felt. I did pass quite a few runners who had passed me previously on the climb. I just wanted to finish strong and finish the race running. I succeeded and was thankful to cross the finish line to earn a nice medal and another unique t-shirt with a cool slogan. I has missed my original goal of sub 6 hours, but it was still my fastest pace over this distance. I even had an unofficial 50K PR of around 4:48.

The profile below shows the course, but doesn't show the amazing scenery. I can only recommend this race to anyone who ever wanted to visit Ireland and to do an ultra while there. The race organization was absolutely fantastic and the course provided the most interesting sightseeing tour I had ever participated in. If you count the times I used the words "amazing" and "fantastic" in this race report, you know this is a must do event.

Training Log - Friday, March 30, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:39:00 +0000

So my usual running buddies all decided to be out of town, which meant a lack of ¨motivation¨ on my part to go out and get my run in. But after I finished packing for my trip to Europe this afternoon, I decided to at least stretch my legs for a couple of miles before I´d be stuck on a plane until tomorrow. It would also be my last run before Sunday´s Connemarathon 39.3 mile ultra on the West coast of Ireland.

I figured I´d just go out for a short UAH loop and call it a day. However, as I was waiting for my old Garmin FR305 (I had already packed up my 310) to get a satellite signal, I remembered the 5 mile Endomondo challenge Dan Brooks had put out there for our Dixie200 relay team. I figured I´d at least give it a shot and put up a decent time before ¨really¨ going for it. As it turned out, I did manage an okay time without truly challenging James Duncan´s current best. You better watch out, James, I´m gunnin´ for ya;-) Now I can relax and rest until my next adventure on Sunday.

Training Log - Thursday, March 29, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:39:00 +0000

Today, I only managed a slow 5 miles in the morning with Richard. We met at my house for an easy run around the UAH campus. Once again, the temps were already nice and warm at 6AM. With a 40 mile race on Sunday, I plan to have my last run Friday morning, but I might abandon that idea, if I´m not feeling it in the AM. More rest is better than too much training before a race, at least that´s what I´m telling myself:-)

Training Log - Wednesday, March 28, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:47:00 +0000

After not having run for 3 days, the hill workout on the schedule for today sounded a bit intimidating, but that worry disappeared very quickly. James and I met up at Richard's house to run a 1 mile warm-up to the bottom of "puke hill" on the Cotton Row 10K race course. My training plan called for 12 hill repeats and while I was perfectly fine settling for 10, James "convinced" me that we should do 12 as originally planned.

At 6AM, the temps were already in the low 60s and I think it would be fair to say that once again, we are skipping spring and heading straight into summer. My legs felt pretty good after the warm-up mile, but I wanted to make sure I didn't start the first repeat too fast. My goal was to start slow, but not too slow and to keep my pace either steady throughout or to slightly increase my pace over the course of the repeats. As James counted down our repeats and we approached the twelfth and final repeat, I decided to see one again how fast I could run the last repeat if I really pushed. I beat my previous best by 6 seconds, running the final hill in 52 seconds after averaging around 73 seconds per repeat. Overall, it was another great workout and I feel like I'm just about recovered from my recent races.

Race Report - 2012 McKay Hollow Madness 25K Trail Run

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 02:05:00 +0000

One of the coolest finisher´s shirts out there.

It was that time of year again, the middle of March, when there isn't just a 10% chance of rain, but a guarantee of it. Why, you ask? Because it's the week leading up the the McKay Hollow Madness 25K Trail Run and you're not going to have this race without the proper amount of rain to guarantee the mud fest that is "the Madness". But why was it called Madness? That's easy, because it's a lung burnin', quad bustin', hamstring shreddin' and mud slingin' type of a race and this year was to be NO different. In short, it's one of the most fun times one could have while trail running on Monte Sano mountain in Huntsville, Alabama, IF you're into that sorta thing and from the registration numbers this year, a whole lotta people were into this kinda thing.

Don't get me wrong, if you're looking for a "Tough Mudder" or "Warrior Dash" or "Viking Race" type of event, this was definitely not it. I'm not trying to take anything away from those events. They're great fun and they present their own challenges, but they are also generally flat and short. Neither was true for "the Madness". This thing had participants climbing a total of 2300 feet over 25 kilometers (or about 15.5 miles for the metrically challenged folks). And as a special treat, runners got to climb 700 of those feet over the last mile from the lowest point of the race course to its highest point at the finish. In short, it was one awesome race!

To add to the uniqueness of the event, runners had to "earn" their race shirts. It's not really a finisher's shirt, you just had to make it across the finish line to receive it and it's well worth it. The actual design of the shirt warranted two pics (front image above and back image below) just because it's that cool. There was pizza and cake and soda and beer at the finish line, but overall, it's pretty low key which was probably another reason that it continued to gain popularity.There were no age group awards, which didn't mean there wasn't plenty of trash talking before the race (you know who you are and if you don't "I was talking to you Cary Long";-)

Even the back of the shirt is worthy of a pic;-)

The race started just after 7AM and while I tried to keep a faster than originally planned pace for the first mile or two, it wasn't quite fast enough to avoid getting caught in the congo line that formed once we hit single track trails (note to self: next year, sprint the first mile to avoid the congo line only to get passed by everyone later on when you're completely exhausted from the mindless push early on). My plan was to keep a PR pace early on and to see how I felt after the early miles. I was still struggling to recover from a few tough races over the last 5 weeks and if I needed to, I was going to back off as needed. As it turned out, I didn't need to back off too much.

I was able to maintain a 9:30 minute per mile pace for most of the race with the exception of the climbs and the really muddy sections peppered throughout the race course. Overall, the race went as well as I could have expected. My pace was almost 30 seconds per mile faster than 2 years ago and if I get just a little stronger on the climb another PR is definitely possible again next year.

I am smiling...I´m just too busy watching my step.

Throughout the race, I kept excellent company. I stayed just behind Jason Shattuck for most of the race and I even had a brief chat with Cary Long early on in the race before I made him eat my dust (you know i'm just kiddn', Cary. I had to get in a couple of jabs for your MM50K comments;-). For the rest of the race, I pretty much focused on the trails ahead and on my breathing. There was lots of mud....and then there was some more. I'm still wondering how Eric Charette finished second overall with barely a splatter of mud on him. He must have been in Brandon Mader's wind (read: mud) tunnel. What a performance from Eric while being seriously sick with a stomach virus.

When I finally ran out of gas during the final climb to the finish, I realized that a sub 2:30 finish was out of the question, but I continued to push anyway. During my last training run on this particular section a few weeks ago, Jason smoked me and I didn't want that to happen again. I crossed the finish line after 2 hours and 39 minutes, completely exhausted and thankful for the familiar friendly faces and helping hands at the finish. A couple of Cokes and slices of pizza later, I felt whole again.

Thanks to RD Blake Thompson for putting on another great version of "the Madness" and thanks to all of the awesome volunteers. One of these years, I'll actually be able to part-take in the after party as well;-)

This ¨little¨ trail race packs a punch (read: elevation gain), especially the final climb.

Training Log - Wednesday, March 21, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ultra Kraut) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:22:00 +0000

"Hill repeats" was the name of the game this morning as I arrived at Richard's house and met up with Rich and James. We hadn't done hill repeats in forever, so I decided to do 10 repeats before increasing to 12 next week and 14 the week after. The temperatures were already above 60 degrees again, indicating another hot day. This was day 3 of my new training regimen and it felt good to have some consistency back in the training schedule.

We left Rich's house at 5:30AM and ran to the bottom of the Cotton Row hill, which gave us a little over a mile warmup. Then, it was time to attack puke hill. I tried to focus on keeping it steady. I wanted to avoid blowing up the first time back on this hill, so I pushed, but not too hard. I even increased my pace over the final 5 repeats. James pretty much did the same workout while Richard backed off a little due to his continuing battle with severe allergies. When it was all said and done, I had to admit that I actually enjoyed it a little. I used to hate hill repeats, but doing it with a couple of running buddies makes it quite enjoyable.