Review - Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest

Ultimate Direction SJ Ultra Vest

As I prepare for the ultimate adventure and one of my top ten bucket list items, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in France in August 2015, I will be testing out and evaluating different gear options that are either going to be part of the mandatory gear or are optional but that I consider essential for my ability to reach the finish line.

Race Report - 2015 Georgia Death Race 68M

The coolest race shirt design I've seen to date.

I had been looking forward to this race for a long time. It was meant to be my first official "training race" as I slowly ramped up my training for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc later this summer. The UTMB is a bucket list race for me, so I wanted to prepare for it like I'd never prepared for a 100 miler before.

Race Report - 2015 Mount Cheaha 50K

My Huntsville crew.

Coming off a very satisfying performance at Mountain Mist 50K in January, I had big goals for this year's Mount Cheaha 50K...and then I got a sinus infection along with a cold just one week after the Mist. A steroid shot and a round of antibiotics eventually fixed it, but I did lose a whole week of training. I got back into my weekly training routine and ended the week with a self-supported training run, the Dismal 50K, which boasts over 12,000ft of elevation gain, feeling great. Weather kept me to only two training runs the following week, but I had the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham to look forward to as a training run. I had signed up as the 3:45 pacer and was looking forward to helping some folks accomplish some goals or maybe even qualify for Boston. I arrived in Birmingham the afternoon before the race and settled in to my hotel, when sickness struck for the second time in less than two weeks. Without being too graphic, I spent the next 24 hours more or less exclusively in the bathroom of my hotel room before driving back home. Suffice it to say, I did not run the marathon Sunday morning. Whats more, my last run had been 4 days earlier and I was unable to run for another 3 days due to the stomach flu. I was also on yet another round of antibiotics that I would have to continue to take all the way thru race day and beyond. Let's just say I drove down to Oxford, Alabama feeling slightly underprepared and undertrained to be having any goals other than finish the race, hopefully in better shape than last year, but that was not a given considering my last 2 weeks.

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

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

Race Report - 2015 Mountain Mist 50K

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

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

Race Report - 2015 Pistol Ultra 50K

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

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

2014 - My Return to Running

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

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

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

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

2014 Race Results

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