Race Report - 2020 Aravaipa Strong 100 Mile Run

Looking back down my street...halfway up the first hill.

While I do enjoy running just for running's sake and to connect socially with my running buddies, having been physically distancing myself for the better part of the last 2 months I won't deny that I always like to have a carrot in front of me that keeps be motivated to not skip out on a run, even when I may not feel highly motivated. During this pandemic, virtual races have come to fill that void for me. It's allowed me to pound the same neighborhood roads over and over without losing my mind. It gives my running or rather my goal to run consistently direction and purpose.

Huntsville does have hills.

So far, I've probably had 5 big races cancelled on my already, so when Aravaipa Strong announced it's latest virtual race series that included a 100 miler, I did not hesitate to register. Unfortunately, I registered without ever even thinking about the course I would use to run this rave while under a statewide stay at home order. I quickly decided that I wasn't quite "desperate" enough yet to pound the treadmill for 100 miles as the Quarantine Backyard Ultra (50K or 8 hours for me) was still fresh on my mind from 2 weeks earlier.

That meant mapping out a neighborhood loop that would allow me access to my own home for aid to avoid having to utilize other resources like convenience stores, etc. as that would not be really in the spirit of physical distancing and possibly even violate the state order. So I had to resort to working out a loop in our quite hilly neighborhood. In the end, I put together a 4 mile loop and a 4 mile out and back from our house, allowing me access to food, water and other supplies every 4 miles. I did end up getting close to 100' per mile, which made for a challenging course, both mentally (because I would be back at my house every 4 miles) and physically (because of the added vert).

Part of the out & back section...may be a while until I can return to this former "go to" route:-)

Next, I needed to figure out how to give this craziness purpose. After all, if I was going to run loops all day and night, maybe there is a way to give back to the folks that are taking care of us without much care for their own safety during this pandemic. In the end, I found a couple of charities that were both working to provide protective personal equipment for health care workers at the front lines of this pandemic. Not only would this be a great way to support them, it would certainly be a massive boost to my motivation not to quit. That and I didn't want Cary Long to shame me publicly on Facebook, of course.

One of the two major hills on the course.

Along the way, I roped in my good buddy Vic to join in the fun from the west coast. He signed up just a couple of days prior to our planned race day. We decided to start at the same time to be able to keep checking in on each other while running, so he started at 11AM PST and I started at 1PM CST on Friday afternoon. I had a lofty A goal of sub 20 hours that went out the window after an unusually hot day of running that turned my stomach, forcing me to rely almost exclusively on liquids (Coke). Thankfully, I was able to eat my fave Spring Energy gels throughout the day. Other than that, my wife kept refilling my bottles with Nuun Sport electrolytes at record pace. Luckily, Nuun came out with a limited release of my favorite Kona Cola which hadn't been around in at least a couple of years. I am addicted to that stuff and definitely need to stock much more of it before they end production.

At first glance I thought this may have been put there by someone I know...but then I realized it was just bored kids:-)

The first 3 hours were super hot, but otherwise uneventful. I settled into a steady pace pretty much from the get go always making sure to keep in mind what lay ahead. After 3 hours, I had the first of my friends from my neighborhood join me for a couple of laps. This was the beginning of a continuous flow of one or two running friends at a time showing up to run with me for various loops, anything from 8-26 miles. In the end, I did not run a single mile alone after the first 16. I did make sure that physical distancing as observed as much as humanly possible. While I never considered quitting, I am quite certain I would have struggled mightily to finish had it not been for all of those friends showing up at different times to keep me company.

Aid station at the top of the driveway because...why not add extra vert:-)

The weather kept throwing me curveballs, from unusually hot temps during the day to hours of rainstorms and high windchill during the night. Progress was slow, but steady. After 81 miles and just past daybreak, I decided I would give myself a one hour break to rest and shower before tackling the final 19 miles. That did the trick and rejuvenated me both mentally and physically. It was the first time I ever tried to sleep during a race of any distance and a perfect test for my upcoming Triple Crown of 200s. While I slept maybe a total of 10-15 min, that combined with a hot shower and clean dry clothes worked like magic. I ate and enjoyed my first solid food since the day before, a stack of pancakes covered in syrup prepared by my awesome crew/wife, ready to tackle the remaining distance with another friend of mine, who had patiently waited at our impromptu aid station downstairs.

One happy camper with a shiny new 100 mile finisher buckle at the impromptu start/finish line banner:-)

After another 5 hours, I was finally done. I had earned myself another sub 24 hour buckle, but my first solo 100 mile buckle. Running a virtual race is quite different from running with/against others on the same course, but it does provide just enough motivation to keep you going. At the end of the day, you're still competing alongside other athletes, even if you are separated my miles, state lines or even oceans. Thanks to Aravaipa for putting on a great virtual event. I will be displaying that finisher buckle proudly:-)

Race Report - 2017 Boston Marathon

Huntsville peeps chilling at the athlete's village a couple of hours pre-race.

Well, Boston didn't quite go as planned. In fact, if it weren't THE Boston Marathon, I'd say it was a complete bust. But since this is THE Boston Marathon, just getting qualified to be allowed to toe the starting line is an amazing opportunity and the reward in itself. I always felt the BQ to be more important then the actual participation in the Boston Marathon itself, but after getting my first finish last year, I decided that I would try to push for a performance close to a PR. While I do not like to place blame on factors outside myself, I will say that the second hottest conditions on record in the last ten years certainly didn't help. This was to be my wife's first Boston Marathon and my second. I won't talk about her race as I know she prefer I didn't, but I'll summarize how my race went.

Race Report - 2016 Boston Marathon

Team Nuun

I had never run Boston, so when I got a qualifying time of 3:02 at the 2014 Rocket City Marathon, I couldn't wait to sign up. I know, I know, initially I said all I cared about was a BQ, actually running the race wasn't that important. I guess I was wrong about that one. Luckily, my wife agreed to come along. Would not have been the same without her there. We were able to split a room with a couple of our friends (Kelsey and Andrew) just a couple of blocks fro the finish. Andrew knew the area and chose the hotel, which was perfect.

Race Report - 2015 Rocket City Marathon

This face says it all and sums up how this race went for me.

This race was meant to be a training race, while at the same time helping some fellow runners accomplish some personal goals, personal records or maybe even a Boston Qualifier. Unfortunately, the weather did not play along.

Race Report - 2015 Strolling Jim 40 Mile

Most of the Huntsville running crew at the start of the SJ40.

I was looking forward to yet another birthday run at the Strolling Jim 40 Miler (well, it's really 41.2 miles, but there's no point in being too specific once you go beyond the 50K distance:-). I hadn't been feeling exceptionally fast these last few weeks, so I knew this could be a long tough day out there in the rolling hills of Tennessee.

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.

Race Report - 2014 Southern Tennessee Power Classic Marathon

It was Thursday night and I was roaming on Facebook to see if I anyone was looking for a long run this weekend. Pinhoti 100 was only 4 weeks away and I was in need for another long run. When I came across Ryan's post about running a marathon or half marathon race in Winchester, Tennessee about an hour north of Huntsville, I was immediately interested. I looked up the Southern Tennessee Power Classic Marathon to find out more. I was still undecided when I came across a post where a fellow runner offered up her free race entry coupon. Initially, she was asking for a nominal fee, but when we both realized that online registration had closed prematurely, she offered the coupon to me for free in hopes that the race director would still honor it. When I contacted the RD, she did just that. Now I had a free entry and a free ride (compliments of the Chaffin family) along with great company (Blake came along to run the half with Ryan while Aleisha was doing the marathon as a training run), so how could I not go.

Race Report - 2014 Cookie Dash 5K

Always the best tech shirts at this race:-)

This was my first short distance "race" event in quite some time, almost 2 years to be exact. I had run other short distance races since I started my recovery, but I had been taking it easy, not trying to push at all. My main goal was just to return to running, not to break any personal speed records. My recovery had been going well and my return to ultras had gone extremely well for me personally as well. I ran my first ultra since my return from my health woes in January of this year at what I would call a "leisurely pace". I managed to get a finish and I my endurance base and speed continued to gradually improve from there. A month later, I started to put more focus on my diet, which I had been neglecting for the most part. Just like most people, I had gained a few pounds every year since high school, but my running had kept that gain somewhat in check. So when I started to see some positive results in my training, I figured why not improving my diet as well, since it was about to be time for another annual check up with the doc.

Race Report - 2014 Bridge Street Town Centre Half Marathon

My favorite pic of my wife and I. No need to zoom in to see us both smiling war to ear:-)

The local inaugural Bridge Street Town Centre Half Marathon was part 2 of my weekend of running adventures. After running the SweetH2O 50K just outside Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, I had signed up for this half marathon to pace my wife to what hopefully would be a new PR for her. My body was a little stiff on race morning, especially my quads were shot, but I was hoping that I would be able to keep up with my wife once we started actually running. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened.

Race Report - 2013 Rudolph Run 5K

Another great little local 5K race just before christmas. I had signed up the whole family for this one. I decided to run with my wife once again as I plan to do for all of my upcoming shorter distance races. My son decided to go at a slightly faster pace to improve on his previous 5K. He'd been taking it easy, not really running at all following his first High School Cross Country season. Every athlete needs to take some time off anyway and this allows him to just run what he feels.

I decided to pace my wife again to see if she couldn't edge out another PR. This course was hillier than the Frosty Freeze 5k course a couple of weeks earlier, so it would be tough to beat that time. We kept a steady pace throughout the race, but didn't manage to get that PR for my wife. Didn't really matter anyway as I'm the only one in this house that is driven by finish times:-) Being thankful for just being able to run after dealing with numerous setbacks over the last year has made me rethink that approach. This next year I will focus on just enjoying different events without pressing for time. Crossing finish lines with a smile on my face has become my only goal for the foreseeable future.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Race Report - 2013 Rocket City Marathon

I really had no intention of actually running this race to finish it. I had no place at the starting line to begin with. The only reason I even toed the line?...I had registered months ago in hopes of my recovery and rehab going better than expected by the time December rolled around. All in all, rehab had gone quite well, but I continued (and continue) to have episodes of "worry". Worried that I'd reinjure my ankle without any notice or even a warning of anything being wrong, worried that I'd develop another blood clot and on and on. There was really no rhyme or reason to it, I just started to feel like this sometimes and as a result, I would back off my training. I would increase my mileage, never really pushing my pace just to be safe, but then I'd back off again on barely run at all.

So when marathon week arrived and my running had actually gone pretty well for a couple of weeks with increased mileage at a "safe" pace, I figured I'd just head downtown to see how far my feet would take me. I was hopeful that I could maybe complete 20 miles before the wheels would come off either due to pain or exhaustion. I hadn't run more than 15 miles at a time in the last 12 months and that only once, but I had been running and logging at least some miles. I figured finishing was out of the question, but maybe 20 miles would be realistic.

In order to accomplish my goal, I decided to be extremely conservative with my pace to increase my chances of completing 20 miles, but not too conservative because my wife and I had tickets for the Nutcracker that afternoon, so I really needed to be done in 5 hours to allow myself to limp home and take a shower before heading to the concert hall. 5 hours was the goal no matter what distance I would cover. Missing the Nutcracker with my wife really wasn't an option:-) I was very happy to read on FB the evening before the race that there was 4:55 pace group (thanks Suzanne and Carrie), so I figured I'd try to stay with them as long as possible (read: until the wheels came off).

As luck would have it, the skies also cleared somewhat just in time for the race start. After mingling with some familiar folks at the Holiday Inn (for the last time before it gets torn down), I headed outside and to the start line. The temps were perfect and the rain had mostly stopped. I was going to have a great 20 mile training run. With my cell phone in hand (to call my wife for pickup along the course), I started my fourth Rocket City Marathon.

For the first time, I was able to talk while running anything shorter than an ultra marathon. I usually push so hard from the start that I never really have the extra energy required to carry on conversations during the race. I always felt bad, because peeps must have thought I was just rude. Nope, I was just busy breathing:-) It was great to actually be able to carry on conversations while I was out there, presumably for 5 hours or less, hopefully reaching my goal of 20 miles. The conversations continued and the miles slowly clicked away.

I continued to check my splits every mile but other than that, I just kept going, enjoying a nice long run. An hour went by, then two, and I continued to feel great. No pain anywhere. I was starting to feel confident that 20 miles was very possible today. I kept a steady 11 minute pace and wasn't great. I wanted to pick it up, but I kept reminding myself that it's all about making it to 20 miles today, just like the days when I first started running and it was all about just completing the distance for me, never about pace.

The miles continued to pass and as I approached mile 20, I was still on track to actually finish the full distance in 5 hours. Not only that, I was still feeling great, even ready to pick up my pace. I also started to pass some people, which really has never happened to me before in a marathon. Why? Because I ALWAYS blow up. Not today. I decided to take it one mile at a time until I started to hurt or slow down. Neither happened and when I made the final turn to the finish and saw David Bier's confused look, it finally sunk in that I was actually going to finish my fourth Rocket City Marathon. I was just as confused as him and I have never had a bigger smile on my face when crossing the finish line than today. Yes, it was my slowest marathon ever, but I managed to finish it, just a year after my "little health scare" and just 10 months after reconstructive ankle surgery.

I'm looking forward to whatever is next!

Race Report - 2013 Frosty Freeze 5K

While I'm not quite ready to do any sprints or all out race in any official event, I do enjoy participating in our local 5k races regardless of my abilities or pace, so I signed up my whole family to run the Frosty Freeze again. My son is now part of his high school XC team, so I figured he'd enjoy the friendly competition or at least an opportunity to get a run in.

My wife and I decided to run together and not worry to much about our time, so it was a big surprise when we found out later that she had actually placed second in her age group almost 3 minutes ahead of the lady in third place, but who's keeping track. I'm certainly not;-) It turned out to be a very enjoyable race. It was pretty cold, as usual for this race. Thanks to Jon and Kelly and their team of volunteers for putting on another great event. It felt great to be back out there, just to run, nothing else.

Race Report - 2012 Fleet Feet Monte Sano 15K

Very nice new tech shirt this year...and the 15K State Championship no less.

Yet another perfect day for a race atop the beautiful Monte Sano Mountain. However, unlike my usual adventures on the local mountain, this 15K race course is run entirely on roads. It starts and finishes inside the Monte Sano State Park. Runners are lead on a couple of out and back sections on State Park roads before exiting the park and entering the adjacent neighborhoods. While this is a road race, it is definitely a challenging course that leads runners along rolling hills throughout the entire race.

Me on a picturesque road section inside Monte Sano State Park just after the race start.

Anya and I had registered for this race a couple of months ago as part of Anya's training for her first 25K race in Nicaragua in Februrary 2013. While she had been dealing with severe bone bruising and swelling in her right knee along with severe plantar fasciitis in her right foot, she still wanted to toe the line. I had offered to pace her, but she wanted to stick it out alone at a pace comfortable to her. I had sincerely hoped she would let me pace her as the alternative meant that I had to battle it out with my usual "foes".

Anya looking very relaxed early in the race.

When we arrived just about 30 minutes before the race start, the place was already buzzing with tons of people warming up and getting ready. It was foggy and just a little chilly, perfect temperatures for the race. I quickly spotted Jason Shattuck as well as Mike DeHaye. Oh boy, I really had hoped I wouldn't have to "man up" and try to race these guys. As it turned out, it wasn't much of a race anyway as both guys left me in the dust very early on in the race.

As the race start approached, I decided I would try to stay with Jason as long as possible and if I couldn't maintain pace, I'd lust drop off and take it easy. However, I was still running with him with a mile to go, I was going to give him a run for his money. RD Mike O'Melia signaled the race start with the traditional musket (or whatever that riffle is called) and we were off. BTW, it was absolutely great to see Dink Taylor out there looking just like his old self (minus a few pounds). From what I hear, his recovery is going rather well and I am extremely glad to see and hear that.

I was feeling pretty good very early on running sub 7 min pace. Jason was just ahead of me and Kathy Youngren and Dana Overton were just behind me. I figured it would only be a matter of time before they'd pass me. As usual, Mike had taken off like a rabbit. He never faltered and had a strong race. Congrats Mike! I kept Jason right in front of me, but at just 3 miles into the race, I started to feel pooped already. I immediately turned inside and started to argue with myself. "Why am I even out here? I just ran a 50K and a 100 miler just 3 weeks ago. I have neither the pace nor the mental fortitude right now to turn it on, so why don't I just walk it in. Seriously, who cares." Well, I care, so while I slowed down significantly, I decided to treat this as a tempo run. I allowed myself to slow my pace to at least talk to fellow racers or shout words of encouragement, but I more or less maintained this pace til the finish.

I crossed the finish line in 69 minutes, about 4 minutes slower than my goal. Oh well, it was still a course PR and a fantastic race nonetheless. I actually got to enjoy the scenery this time, able to take it all in. The view just after the start with the sun breaking through the fog and the trees and hitting road and us runners below was amazing. I look forward to running this race for the fifth time next year and hopefully, I get to battle it out again with my running buddies, cause this time it was no contest! Congrats to Jason, Mike, Andy, Kathy and all the other runners who finished this race.

A special congratulations goes out to my wife and better half Anya for completing her first 15K road race and for doing it not only in style, but extremely well. Running negative splits on a challenging 15K road course like this one is no small feat. I am extremely proud and excited to see that her training and hard work is paying off. Nicaragua, here we come!

Anya crossing the finish line looking strong!

Race Report - 2012 HTC Twilight 5K

One of my more memorable 5K t-shirts, since I just ran only my second sub 20.

I would be lying if I said I did not expect to run this one in under 20 minutes. When I say expect, I mean I actually changed my training schedule around to give myself 24 hours of rest between my last training run and this race.

The HTC Twilight 5K race is within walking distance of my house at the campus of the University of Alabama Huntsville. As the name indicates, this race takes place in the evening, which makes pre-race activities quite different from other early morning races. I skipped my long run in the morning and i had a light brunch only. There were quite a few familiar faces at the event and I was glad to arrive very early, allowing me to swap race plans and do just a little bit of smack talking as well;-) To be honest, I did that to increase the pressure on myself. I was excited to see so many guys that I knew would push me in the race. There were at least 4 runners I knew who would run either right ahead of me or right with me.

A siren started the race just after 6:30PM and we were off. I had double tied my shoe laces and warmed up with a short jog to try to do everything right, unlike in previous 5K races, were I hadn't done so due to stupidity or because it had to be done as part of my training (e.g. sandwich a 5K in the middle of a long run). I had decided that I would stick to Jason Shattuck right from the start and when he would usually leave me behind after 2 miles, I would NOT let him leave me behind. My plan worked, but I actually ended up passing Jason just before the halfway mark. At that point, Mike Dehaye had already pulled way ahead of both of us and my suspicion that he started off too fast was proven wrong. Mike never looked back and he never faded. Well done, Mike!

What made this race a tough one to try to break 20 minutes at was the heat and humidity and that tiny little hill half a mile from the finish. It is very short and would normally be considered a bump in the road, but running it after having run 2 1/2 miles at full speed really makes this is tough one. My first mile split was on target, 6:08. I figured I would slow down eventually. For some reason, my second mile is always the slowest, but not so today. My second mile split was 6:18. I was still on sub 20 minute finish pace, but I knew I still had the hill ahead and that would most definitely slow me down. I tried to push on the hill and even passed a couple of guys (one of them passed me with 10 yards to go to take my top ten finish away from me, argh!). My third mile was the slowest, 6:37.

When I passed the 3 mile marker I heard my split and I knew I was cutting it close, very close. I knew I had to really kick. I finally crossed the finish line in 19 minutes and 51 seconds. Good enough for 11th overall and 2nd in my age group. Hopefully, I can keep running sub 20, considering that the conditions were pretty tough today. Congrats to Mike Dehaye, Jason Shattuck and Timo Sandritter on their respective age group wins, very impressive! And thanks to all the volunteers for putting on a great event.

Race Report - 2012 Sherwood Park 5K

This race logo just looks better than the crappy picture I took of my shirt and race bib;-)

I had registered for this race a while back, but since I also needed more than 3 miles for the day, I decided to run to and from the race to get closer to a half marathon for the day. I made sure to print directions, just in case. I also triple checked the map online, cause I didn't want to miss the race start because I got lost. I was prepared. And yet, I still managed to get lost. If it hadn't been for a fellow runner, I would have missed the race start. Instead, I got an extra mile on the way to the race.

When I arrived at the race start, Ed had already arrived. He had also run there from home. The race start was scheduled for 7AM and I got there just in time to put on a dry shirt I had packed in my new CamelBak Octane XCT that I was testing for an upcoming race. When Ed and I lined up at the start, I noticed a coworker and a couple of other familiar faces in the very small field of runners.

After a few comments by the RD, we were off. I kept the lead runner in sight from the start, but I had no intention of blowing up early. Instead, I followed in third place just behind a female runner who was off to a great start. I figured I would fade sooner or later, since I already had a few miles in the bag. Ed and another runner stayed just behind me and the rest of the field was a little farther back. The five of us were pretty much on our own, with the lead uncontested, but the four of us fighting for second place pretty much for the entire race.

I avoided focussing on the mile splits and instead focussed on running alone. I wanted to make sure I stayed close to the runner ahead of me and 1.5 miles into the race, I moved past her. She continued to run strong just behind me and when I started to fade with about a quarter mile to go, she made her move. I was too tired to try to pass her again and instead, I focussed on staying with her. She finished in 19:59, which left me with a finish time of...you guessed it....20:00 flat...for the second time in 4 days...ugh!!! Oh well, I finished 3rd overall and 1st age group, not bad for a training race. However, I am so ready to run sub 20 for a second, third, fourth time...

I believe the race had a total of 41 finishers, but I really think it should grow to a bigger event. The race course was reasonably flat with lots of turns and very few long stretches of road. Lots of shade as well which is a good thing when temps rise above 90 degrees by 8AM. Thanks to all the volunteers and the RD for putting on a fun event. I will be back next year, determined to break 20 minutes;-)

Race Report - 2012 Firecracker 5K

The race temps were definitely "as hot as a firecracker".

This was the fourth running of the Firecracker 5K race put on by Morningside Baptist Church and sponsored by Fleet Feet Sports of Huntsville. I participated in this event for the first time, adding to its record setting attendance of 336 runners, exceeding its record from the previous year by over 100 runners.
While the field was probably not as deep as other recent road races (how else would you explain my 3rd place overall in the Male Masters Division?), it was certainly a large field.

While I had hoped for a 7AM race start to avoid the heat, an 8AM start still made it much more bearable than any other time of day (hey, always look for the positives, right?). I had run the Summer Cross Country races the night before, but I had made sure to go much slower than the previous weeks as I was set to attempt a new 5K PR at the Firecracker. At least I wanted to break 20 minutes. I didn't, but that's ok. I walked away with a 3rd place finish in the male master division (oh, did I mention that already?) and 16th overall and a small stack of Fleet Feet gift cards...score!

The race started at 8AM sharp and i had lined up in the second row to ensure a good start. As soon as the race start was signaled, I pressed the start button on my Garmin FR310XT and took off. I planned to stay with the lead group as long as possible before fading away as usual but still maintaining pace for a PR. Well...there was only a small problem with my approach...I had forgotten, for the first time, I might add, to double knot my @!$#%&^ shoes. Sure enough, less than a quarter mile into the race, my right shoelace came undone. After exclaiming my dismay with an unfortunate word choice (note to self: In the future, exclaim dismay in your native German language rather than in the locally recognized tongue), I stepped aside and retied my right shoe. I took off sprinting as soon as I was done, but the lead group was way ahead of me now. Rather than take my time to even try to catch up (which would have been the smart way to go about it), I decided to try to catch them right away, with little success. While I did manage to catch up to a couple of runners that I expected to run at my pace, I spent all of my energy just playing catch up. I had nothing left for any final mile push or finish line sprint. I was physically done and the sun did the rest.

As we approached the final mile of an out and back race course that utilizes much of the Aldridge Creek Greenway, we became fully exposed to the sun again. Thankfully, the mid section of the course had nice shade cover. Not so the first and final mile of the course. I just had nothing left to push and it took all I had to just stick with David Bier, who was chugging along ahead of me (unbeknownst to me, he was pushing for and on track for a new PR himself). I decided I wouldn't even bother to attempt to pass him. Who was I kidding, I had nothing left to even try. Instead, I tried to just hang on and not let him drop me. Of course, he heard me huffing and puffing behind him and like any decent road racer, he wasn't going to be passed on the final stretch, so he picked up the pace. Crap! I wanted to tell him "slow down, buddy...I'm not gonna pas you, I can't, I'm tired, just slow down so I can follow you to the finish", but I didn't even have the energy to do that. I was too busy taking in all the oxygen I could to keep moving.

When I saw the finish clock I tried to sprint, I really did. There was a slight chance that I could still break 10 minutes, but life can be cruel indeed....my final clock time was 20:00 exactly, not 19:59 which is what I had hoped for, even if that wasn't going to be a PR. Oh well, I was glad to hear that David not only broke 20 minutes, but that he blew his previous PR out of the water. Awesome job, buddy, well deserved. The weather conditions certainly weren't perfect for a PR attempt and you did it anyway.

Thanks to the friendly volunteers at the church and to the RD for putting on this event. I will be back for more next year, which double knots in my shoelaces, determined to break 20 minutes!

Race Report - 2012 Heel & Crank Duathlon

Another cool shirt for a cool event...and a nice bottle and some Hammer product samples to boot:-)

Today, I moved outside my comfort zone once again. This time, I toed the line at the 2012 Heel & Crank Duathlon (2.5 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2.5 mile run). What was I thinking! I hadn't been on my bike, a bike, any bike really, in a long time. As a matter of fact, the last organized bike ride of any distance greater than 2 miles was last year at the AYCE century ride. So why did I sign up for a duathlon? Well, I wanted to change up my training a bit and throwing in a bike ride between two short runs sounded like a great idea...until I actually had to do it.

I arrived at the race site at Research Park in Huntsville, Alabama almost an hour before the 7AM race start. Finding a spot on the bike racks was a "first come, first served" activity and not knowing anything about how these events worked, I figured better be safe than sorry and show up a little early, instead. Once I arrived, I quickly found a place to "hang up" my bike. Afterwards, are started roaming the crowd to find some familiar faces. I knew there there would be at least 4 coworkers of mine at the race as well as a few running buddies as well. I managed to spot most of them for a little pre-race chat to calm the nerves. Almost all of them had either borrowed a bike, failed to train properly or were first timers like me and while I was confident in both my ability to run and my ability to "cheat" my way through the bike leg. After all, I had a decent road bike. Yes, it was from the early 1980s, and yes, there has been a lot of progress since that time, but it was actually a very light bike and it truly was a high end bike of its time, a Cinelli bike handmade in Italy and weighing in a just above 20 lbs, which was incredible for a steel frame bike. How much difference could some serious bike training coupled with a serious bike really make, right? Well, I was about to find out the hard way.

I met up with Timothy Pitts at the starting line and both of us seemed a little outside of our element. Like me, Timothy was more familiar with trail running than with road biking, but we figured we would push on the runs and see what the bike leg would hold for us. Since Timothy is a faster runner than me, I decided I would try to stay with him as long as possible to accomplish a decent time on the first run. I managed to stay with him and we both transitioned to the bike leg pretty much at the same time. When I checked my time for the first 2.5 mile run later, I was very happy to see the clock at 15:53. I added just over 50 seconds during the transition before starting the bike leg.

I remember seeing Tim grab his bike in the transition area and we both pretty much left at the exact same time again. He passed me shortly after the start of this leg before I passed him again later on, but we basically stayed pretty close to each other once again. This section was new territory for me. I didn't know what to expect. I had had a very good first leg, but how long could I hold off the real cyclists. As it turned out, not very long. Not only that, when I started to get passed, it seemed like I was literally standing still as they flew past me. And this would repeat itself multiple times over the course of 10 miles. I would pedal for a mile or so and here they would come, three at a time, passing me at close to twice my speed (my average speed was 20mph for the entire leg, so you do the math). While I handily beat some of them during the first running leg, they took back the time they lost and then some. It was quite the humbling experience, but it was still a lot of fun. I did manage to get into a couple of duels out there with a couple of other cyclists. I would pas them on the climbs and they would fly past me on the downhills until the final mile, where I was able to hold them off for the remainder of the bike leg.

I completed the bike leg in just under 30 minutes and added another 50 seconds in the second transition before the final 2.5 mile run. I was feeling pretty good until I dismounted my bike and tried to start running. What the he!!? Why are my legs so wobbly? Why can't I run faster? Why am I so exhausted? What is going on? Once again, I tried to keep Tim in my sight, but it became clear to me that I just did not have the motivation (or maybe fitness?!?) to stick with him for the entire leg. I decided to let him pull away and tried to settle in a slower pace instead. Not long after, a couple of runners tarted to pass me. I did not care, which is very unusual for me. When I reached the first water stop, I just wanted to cool off with some water and walk for a bit. So I did...I doused my head with a cup of water and grabbed two cups of Gatorade to hydrate...all while walking. Ugh, if I wanted to get this over with, I probably needed to get running again. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the first two legs of this race, but the last leg felt pretty brutal. Clearly, I had pushed just a little too hard early on. Fighting the two tri athletes earlier during the bike leg was probably not the best idea. I was sure I was paying the price for it now. But man, it sure was fun while it lasted.

I was merely able to manage what felt like a slow jog at this point. There were still a few runners passing me, but I kind of settled into a steady slow pace and I knew I could hold this for another mile or so without killing myself. Then I started hearing someone breathing behind me. I figured he or she would just pass me and I would be on my way, but it seemed he was laboring just as much as me to get this done. Since he didn't pass me and he did not fall back, I figured he'd make his move on the final stretch. I never turned around, but I could tell this would be a push to the finish. Dang, why do I get sucked into these things? I could've just let him pass me...but with less than .5 mile to go there was no way I was going to let anyone pass me without a fight. It was on! I slowly picked up the pace and he stayed with me. I knew it was a guy just by listening to his labored breathing. I also remembered that I had my age marked on my calf, so this guys must have realized that I am in his age group and he was going to move past me in the final standings. He had licked blood as they say and so had I;-) I knew there would be one last incline before the finish and that's where I would try to put the hammer down. As the road rose before us, I started to shorten my strides and pick up the pace fast. I wanted him to just say to himself, "heck no, this is stupid, why should I pick up the pace on a hill just to beat one runner? I'm not playing this game". And he did fall back a little. I kicked a little harder and when I crossed the finish line, I was just glad to be done and happy to not have been passed one more time on the final stretch. When I checked the results later, I realized that I barely beat the guy by 3 seconds. Thanks for pushing me, buddy, I truly appreciate it!

Thanks to the organizer and the team of volunteers who put on a fantastic event. I will be back next year for more fun in the sun...but better prepared for the bike leg;-)

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

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.

Race Report - 2012 Dixie 200 Relay Race

Another cool T-Shirt design, courtesy of John G.

For some reason, I had been procrastinating over the write up for this one. The race itself was very different from anything else I had ever participated in since I started to compete in races beyond the marathon distance just three years ago. It required a lot more coordination and logistics planning than any previous race I attended, nut just prior but during the race as well. However, I have no one to blame but myself, since I am the one that put the team together. I was the one that signed us up, I was the team captain. While there were many things I messed up in my role as team captain, I did do one thing right. I signed up a bunch of engineers and that meant that the majority of the planning and logistics would be taken care of by people other than me. Hey, that's just the way it works out when a bunch of engineers are involved. Everything gets planned out to the minute, every detail gets addressed. While I am known to be "slightly" obsessive compulsive when it comes to preparing for anything, all I could do in this case was to let nature take its course, i.e. let the engineers have at it. Thanks again guys for making my job as team captain so easy and for allowing me to focus on the important things, e.g. who to "motivate" to run faster.

When it was all said and done, we had spent a total of 31 hours, 27 minutes and 54 seconds out there, setting the ultra division record, which wasn't too difficult since we were the only ultra team that competed this year. While most teams had 12 runners to complete the distance, we had 6. Who is we, you ask? That would be crew chief #1 and team volunteer James Duncan, crew chief #2 and driver Ryan Ezell, and runners Mike Trice, Richard Trice, Ed Johnson, Dan Brooks, Jay Naves, and yours truly, team captain and instigator of this adventure. Together we formed team "I Lost My Sock In Huntsville". We were the only team from North Alabama as well as the only entry in the ultra division of the inaugural Dixie200, a 200 mile relay race from Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama.

All eight participating teams started Saturday morning at 7AM just outside Atlanta, Georgia at the Silver Comet Trailhead. We would continue to run the entire length of the Silver Comet Trail before continuing on the Chief Ladiga trail once we crossed the Georgia/Alabama state line. Once we reached the end of the Chief Ladiga Trail, runners would continue to run on open roads along a preset course and with some assistance from local police on busier roads (especially during the night). However, for the most part, runners were responsible for their own safety and following the rules of the road once we left the trails.

Team "ILMSIH" had arrived in Atlanta the night before the race via van, courtesy of a friend of Ryan's (thanks again). I had picked up the van at Ryan's friend's house and driven it to the predetermined meeting spot at a local office at Research Park. Mike was still slaving away while Rich, Jay, Dan, Ed and I were already loading up the van with out gear. James had already driven down to Atlanta to recon the course and to camp out near one of his volunteer stations along the course. James had volunteered for the race in order to save our team 100 bucks off the registration fee (thanks so much). As it turned out, fewer teams than expected meant more volunteer duties than initially expected, so James ended up having to work at two exchange points rather than just one. In the end, I don't think he minded too much. He still had enough energy to continue to crew for us once his volunteer duties were completed (thanks yet again;-).

We took off from Huntsville just after 3PM in order to make it to Atlanta in time to pick up Ryan from the airport. He had volunteered as our crew and driver, but a work assignment had him travel out of town the week of the race. But instead of stepping down as our crew and driver, Ryan just rerouted his return flight to Atlanta, so he could still crew and drive for us. What a trooper! I'm not sure he would have done so had he known what to expect. A bunch of sweaty, stinky and sleep deprived runners cooped up in a van for 33 hours with no access to showers or clean clothes (I'm referring to you, Richard;-). At the end, Ryan had to me more sleep deprived than anyone else. After all, he had to drive the entire time, while some of us managed to squeeze in a few minutes (or hours, if your name is Jay;-) of shuteye.

We arrived at Atlanta airport with a slight delay due to a stop at a Greek-Italian restaurant for dinner, or was it Italian-Greek? Sorry, Ryan, I know we told you the poor weather conditions delayed us, but it was really just our need to eat and drink beer. What made it worse was the fact that Ryan had just ordered food and was about to eat his own dinner when we pulled up at the airport, giving him no time to eat nor to grab his food to go. I know I would have been grumpy as @W#!$, not Ryan though. After traveling all day, he just had a big smile, introducing himself to everyone and stating how excited he was about the adventure we were about to embark on. Little did he know...

Dan had arranged two hotel rooms for us near the race start and we finally made it there around 9PM the night before the race (thanks, buddy). We split up in two groups and decided to hit the sack as soon as possible, knowing that we wouldn't get much sleep over the next 36 hours. I remember talking to Rich, wondering how much of the course James had already surveyed and when he would share his intel with us. I also remember worrying about James. We did hit some severe weather as we were arriving in Atlanta and I was certain that his camping spot would be hit as well. In the end, my worries appeared to be unfounded and James made it through the night just fine.

Our alarm clocks (e.g. Blackberrys, iPhones and Androids) went off at 5:30AM, allowing us time for a quick breakfast before heading to the race start. We wouldn't meet up with James until we would make it to his first volunteer station and exchange point. By 6:30AM, we had arrived at the trailhead, ready to check in and ready to get our first runner Richard on his way. With only 8 teams toeing the starting line, the race start was a little anticlimactic in a funny sorta way. We all yelled and screamed and before the runners had even covered 10 yards, one of the 8 runners took a wrong turn. Thankfully, it wasn't Richard. This should be fun...

The race was broken down into 36 legs, each leg ranging anywhere from 3-10 miles. Because we had opted to start in the ultra division, we only had six runners. In addition, only 4 of us were actual ultra runners, which meant we would assign more legs to the 4 ultra runners. We would also assign the longest legs to the ultra runners. This ended up working reasonably well. We would need to make some adjustments along the way , but that was to be expected from an event like this one. Being one of the ultra runners, I was assigned 7 legs ranging from 5 to 7 miles each for a total of just over 40 miles.

My first leg would the the fourth leg at just under 7 miles to start just after 9AM. And what did I do? I missed the arrival of my teammate and ended up sprinting to the exchange point to take over for him and chase down the guy ahead of me. Of course, you don't really want to sprint the first mile of a relay race when you will be running over 40 miles. I paid the price for a 6 minute mile soon after, but I was able to maintain a pace of just under 7:30 minutes per mile for the entire leg.

5 of our 6 runners resting at one of the stage finishes.

After each leg, I would immediately change into dry clothes and discard my running clothes in a mesh bag. I had brought 7 complete sets of running clothes, hat, shirt, shorts and socks, one for each leg. My next leg would be leg #10. This leg was just over 5 miles and I was just hoping that I could maintain a reasonable pace. It was just under 4PM and nearly impossible to find any spot that wasn't swelteringly hot. It was during this leg of the race that I would reach the end of the Silver Comet trail to continue on the Chief Ladiga Trail, crossing from Georgia into Alabama in the process. Ryan had started to join runners on a bicycle to provide moral support and entertainment. I completed this leg of the race in just under 8 minute per mile pace.

Next for me would be leg #16, just over six miles. It was now just after 8PM and I needed to wear a reflective vest as well as a headlamp and a red blinking light for the back while out there at night. Ryan accompanied me once again, this time providing a soundtrack to listen to while we were running. This leg of the race was once again a transitional stage of the race. I would exit the Chief Ladiga Trail at the end and enter a town called Weaver. I had to run on the main road leading through town and to my surprise, I received a personal police escort for this section of the leg. A patrol car followed Ryan and me to keep traffic behind us until we exited the main road a mile and a half later. We now had to start paying attention to the race signage. We were no longer just staying on a straight trail. Instead, we were running on open roads, having to take multiple turns along the way. I completed this leg in an 8 minute per mile pace.

My next leg would be #20, just before 1 in the morning. This was another 6 mile leg. It felt like I was running one 10K after another. I managed to keep a pace of just north of 8 minutes per mile. I was slowing down a little, but that was to be expected. This leg was way out in the country with not much light other than our headlamps around us. The biggest challenge was the sheer number of loose dogs eager to take a bite out of some runner's legs. Luckily, I had packed some pepper spray and we kept a crew cyclist with each runner during these late night legs. I was glad to finish this leg without any serious dog encounters, ready to take a nap at the next stop.

I was able to get about 90 minutes of sleep prior to leg #27 on top of a picnic table at one of the race transition areas. I had to cover 5.5 miles and the daylight and a little bit of sleep helped me drop my average pace to just below 8 minutes per mile again. During this stage, I was matched up with some seriously fast runners and even though I was getting faster, I was being passed multiple times during this leg. However, I was able to pick off one runner just a few yards before the end of this leg. The race was taking its toll on all of us. While the other teams had 12 runners and two vans each, we were covering the same distance with half the runners and it started to show. While we were finishing 3rd and even 2nd during a couple of the early stages, we started compete for second to last and it felt like a battle for first, we were working so hard.

Leg #32 was another 5.5 mile leg. It was my second to last leg and I was spent. It showed in my pace. While I still managed to run the entire leg without any walk breaks, my pace slowed to almost 9:30 minutes per mile. I needed every bit of motivation that I received from my accompanying crew member. My mind was in such a poor state, I couldn't even recall who was riding alongside me at this time. I only know I needed the support as I was running on a Jeep road early on during this leg before heading back onto black top roads that started to heat up nicely with little to no shade to speak of. I also got to enjoy some rolling hills just to add a little challenge. I was soooo glad to complete this stage, knowing that I only had a short 4 mile leg left, leg #36 to the finish line....or so I thought.

Mike was scheduled to run arguably the toughest leg of this race, leg #35. This leg provided basically no shade and included the toughest climbs over the course of 6.6 miles. In fact, this leg had as much elevation gain as my previous 6 legs combined, almost 800 feet. Unfortunately, Mike was in a bad place. He had struggled severely during his last leg, basically walking half of it because of exhaustion. So discussions started about who was still able to run at all. Ed, Dan and I seemed to be the only ones left still able to put some running in, although I certainly didn't feel like it. Since Ed had the leg just before leg #35, he was not allowed to run another leg right after. And since Dan wasn't an ultra runner, it seemed like a bad idea to have him run the toughest leg, yet. Who did that leave? Unfortunately, me. We decided to have Dan pick up the final leg (you're da man, Dan!) with me running the second to last leg. Well, what I was doing was barely qualifying as running. James was kind enough to pace me...on foot. He was running/walking right alongside me and that helped a lot. I finally had to tie in and walk a couple of sections of this leg. The climbs were ridiculous. My pace had now slowed to just under 11 minute per mile pace and I was ecstatic to finish my last leg.

When we arrived at the finish to join the rest of our team and Dan who was running the final leg, i couldn't have been happier. My first relay race and we all made it. While it was sometimes a struggle to keep going, I had a great time and I am glad I decided to put a team together. I can't wait to do something like this again...well, maybe I can wait a year;-) Thanks again to all of my team mates for making this happen and for making my job as team captain easy. I really didn't have to do much at all...well, other than running that ugly leg #35:-) Hopefully, I will get to do something like this gain. I would've loved to be able to write about the other legs that my team mates ran as well, but my brain just couldn't keep up with all the action on the course. All I remember is how badly I wanted to catch some sleep between legs, but was never able to. Thanks guys, I had a great time! Thanks also to the RDs and to the crew of volunteers that made this amazing relay race a reality for all of us.

Team "I Lost My Sock In Huntsville" at the finish of the inaugural Dixie 200.