2012 Is Now On The Horizon; And There's Much To Be Excited About!

Where do I start? Well let’s begin with the back end of 2011. More specifically TRT100. Really all I have to say is that TRT100 was the highlight of 2011 for me.  Long story short TRT100 has got to be one of the premier ultra’s in terms of beauty, race support, and difficulty. I will return!


Now… it’s all about 2012. I’ve got some really exciting news in terms of new sponsorship, training plans, and racing schedule.

Oh, did I forget to mention this small beutiful addition to my life?

MORE TO COME SOON!

TRT100 Race Report To Come Soon!

3 Mountains 3 Days 60 Miles

Thursday afternoon after packing the truck I quickly jumped on 24 East heading down to Chattanooga for Rock/Creek 2011 Chattanooga Mountain Stage Race. Driving there I had a lot on my mind such as: I need to use this as a training opportunity as racing this close to TRT100 may not be in my best interest as Tahoe 100 is just weeks away and it is an “A” race this season; I MUST stay healthy and not get hurt; I’m sure there will be competitors there who are far more fit at the ~20ish mile range than I as I’m really, at this point, geared towards the 50 to 100 mile distance. The set up for this stage race was 18 miles on Raccoon Mountain, 22 miles on Lookout Mountain, and last, 20 miles on Signal Mountain in so many days.

When I arrived in Chatt I had reserved a bunk at a newly opened hostel appropriately named The Crash Pad which also acted as the official race headquarters. I’ve got to say staying at The Crash Pad really made my weekend experience one that I will not forget. Co-owners Max Poppel and Dan Rose were so cool and friendly that I can’t imagine ever staying anywhere else when visiting the area. The hostel was clean, with a full kitchen available to all occupants along with offering free wifi. Really it doesn’t get any better than that for me fo sho! So, if it’s not clear, WHEN YOU VISIT CHATTANOOGA STAY AT THE CRASH PAD!

Raccoon Mountain Stage 18 Miles

Everyone knew stage 1 would be the easiest lifting of the three in terms of mileage, terrain, and elevation change. At the starting line there was the typical strong stench of uncertainty, male ego, nervousness, apprehensiveness, and out rite “sizing up” between the athletes! As I look around I knew there was a hand full of strong and well established trail veterans, however it’s the “young bucks” who you don’t know that, in the shorter distance races, can often leave one at the end of the day wondering “where the hell did he come from?” However, I typically don’t see that in longer distance races. As Randy Whorten stood at the starting with the mega phone uttering out race instructions, jokes, and finally: three, two, one, GO it was on! I seated myself somewhere around 10 or so competitors back in what would eventually become the chase group to four athletes who took off like rabbits. At the time it was my intention to lie back using as little effort as possible but still maintaining positioning for a top 10 finish. Other than some rock literally reaching up and grabbing my right toe causing me to take a very hard fall (I swear it wasn’t my fault), the day was uneventful. I will say that my legs never really woke up during the 18 mile stage so it’s my thought that that’s actually a good thing as I mentioned earlier I’m really in 50 and 100 mile shape, not half marathon shape. At the end of the day, I came down the finishing shoot in 7th place. I was expecting to be abit further back to tell the truth.

Gear and Food:
Swiftwick Aspire 2's
Inov-8 Roclite 285
Gu Roactane Blueberry-Pomegranate
Infinit Nutrition
saltstick


Stage 1: 2:11:44 / 7th overall

Lookout Mountain Stage 22 Miles

After having a great night at The Crash Pad with some of the other athletes including eventual overall winner Daniel Mueller, soon to be 3rd place overall finisher Daniel Hamilton, and womens overall winner and Montrel Team member Annette Bednosky to name a few, I woke early having a much needed Starbucks Via coffee with my usual bagel peanut butter and honey race breakfast.  I was then ready to get to the mountain. My since of “things” that morning was much different than the prior stage. Everyone seemed to be much more settled and laid back. I think we all new today would be measurably more difficult not just in terms of miles, but topography. No doubt Lookout Mountain has the reputation of have some nasty climbs and some very technical areas that if one is not carful their day will be soon over or their race will be MUCH longer than planned. For me personally I was abit psyched as during 2010 Lookout Mountain 50 Mile Trail Race I injured my right Achilles eventually DNF’n mid way only to be set back several months rehabbing. It was my time to re-claim what I lost out there in 2010! As the stage kicked off, I settled in again around 12 to 15 back behind the main chase group. I found myself running with Rock/Creek Team member John Wiygul for the first five miles or so, then decided I needed to hasten my pace as I really didn’t want to lose total contact with the main chase group. Things were uneventful for the first 10 miles as I was just clicking them off making sure to run a solid and consistent pace with as little energy and strength as possible. It became very apparent to me that for whatever reason on this day I was running very well. As a competitor, you sometimes have those days where it’s just all good! When I hit the 10.7mi feed station I asked how far the chase group was and one of the volunteers yelled with much excitement “man their only about 5 minutes up and they all look tired!” At that point I said to myself; self, screw training, lets race this one out! I dropped the hammer and went. Like my training partner J-Dog and I say; sometimes you got to take what the race gives you. From that point I started hunting, and one by one I picked off what I guess to be around 10 competitors give or take. Eventually I knew I was running in 5th expecting to end the day with what I guessed was 2 miles out from finish. When I got to the top of the mountain I rolled up on Brandon Mader who is a Cliff Bar Team member and a monster of a runner. At some point late in the race Brandon tweaked his right knee and was held up on the side of the trail. From there I knew he was a strong athlete and if I wanted to maintain 4th that day I had to again drop another gear as he was fully capable of catching back up to me at any point. I crossed the knee-high stream and booked it down the finishing shoot for a 4th place stage finish. As I look back, that may be the strongest 11 miles I’ve ran in any race. After that finish I moved from 7th overall for the race to 6th overall.  What a great stage!

Gear and Food:
Swiftwick Aspire 2's
Inov-8 Roclite 295
Gu Roctane Vanilla Orange
Infinit Nutrition
saltstick

Stage 2: 2:40:54 / 4th overall

Signal Mountain Stage 20 Miles

Another uneventful night at The Crash Pad, which is how I like it! Just hanging with the athletes enjoying a beer along with a post race gathering to watch a photo slideshow of the first two stages. By then I had become known as the guy with all the “intense” faces. I swear the photographers edited all my pics… I prefer to think the intensity of my facial expressions was purely pain driven… or something like that. Let’s just face it… the hand held image machine is no friend of mine! The final stage although 2 miles shorter than the previous stage was without doubt significantly more technical and dangerous. As all the athletes gathered at the start line we, by then, knew exactly what was going on along with who was to be watched. There was no doubt with those athletes there to race which guys we needed to be in front of at the end of the day and by how many minutes or seconds to improve in final standings. As I mentioned before my original intentions were to train these three days, but at mile 11 on Lookout Mountain my intentions changed. For me to move into fourth overall for the race I need at least one minute on Brandon Mader and around two minutes on Feb Boswell. Both athletes were very talented. No doubt that Brandon is a faster and much younger athlete than I and Feb is a well known and extremely experienced athlete. Both guys were sponsored by numerous companies. Once the race started I again fell into a small group of four runners probably eight to ten back. My plan was to take the first six miles easy and at that point, it was all or nothing. At about mile 7ish, I spoke loud to the three athletes in front of me and told them I was moving ahead of them. After finally pulling in front of the last of four at the well know “Scenic Feed Station” on top of the mountain it was time to get to the business. This trail was about as nasty as they come. The trail was extremely exposed, with multiple “rock garden” areas. Really it became more of a fast hiking stage than anything as much of the course was unrunable. Not to drag on, but after getting lost twice and taking another fall I finally popped out of the woods onto the gravel path that lead for around two miles but felt like 22;  I could hear people, which in a race, is the best sound in the world because you know the finish line is close. I hit the finishing shoot and looked at my time. At that point it was a matter of waiting to see if Feb or Brandon would finish in the next three minutes. While on the massage table I watched the time tick away. It would be 4th overall for me in the 2011 Rock/Creek Chattanooga Stage Race.  Congrads to all the podium winners this year!

Gear and Food:
Swiftwick Aspire 2's
Inov-8 Roclite 295
Gu Roctane Blueberry-Pomegranate
Infinit Nutrition
saltstick

Stage 3: 3:06:57 / 4th overall

total time for all stages:  7:59:35 / 4th overall

I would like to thank Rock/Creek, Wild Trails, The Crash Pad, Randy and Kris Whorten, all vollunteers, and all my sponsores (Swiftwick, Endurance Sports and Rec, Fitness Wave TN) along with all the competators for such a fun event.

dirtbag is the only way to ultra...

> 1050 MILES n 2011, > 270 MILES n 20 DAYS, OH YEAH... 32 MILES ON CLINGMANS DOME TRAIL n < 7 HOURS (need i say more)

Looking back over the last three weeks I'm really reminded of how blessed I am not only to be where I am at this point in time, but how incredible it is to be giving the honor to experience what I have with the health and God given talents I possess over the last few months. As my homeboy J to the DOG and I prepare for TRT100 we have been doing and experiencing some incredible "shiz" for a lack of better words! Whether it's 100mi weeks, 600 calorie double cheeseburgers, rattlesnakes, 4000ft climbs, tweaked body parts, or even the inability to even talk as for being so severely fatigued and calorie deprived at any given moment whilst training we, at the end of the day, are making/creating memories that will never fade!

Months leading up to last Saturday has been chalked full of track speed sessions, hill work, long slow miles, experimenting with food and hydration to the point of being sick, balls to the wall races, night runs on snow covered trails, frozen stashes, and searches for a legendary yet reclusive local runner named Mert.  Still, these few mentions are but a few in a long line of blood and sweat soaked moments that J-Dog and I will only know.  AND THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT.  I've experienced so much in a seemingly short time that I often think it can't get bigger or crazier or more dangerous...and yet I know it will!

So this is where it gets bigger, crazier, and more dangerous!

Friday, J-Dog and I hit the road heading to East Tennessee to hit some trails finding ourselves in Oak Ridge TN to roll a 16mile out and back on what I thought would be a easy trail to prep for Saturdays LONG LONG LONG run on the AT.  Long story short;  the trail we were to run Friday SUCKED really bad so we salvaged what we could making it a 9mile run.  Wrapping that up we jumped in the Toyota and rocked it over to the Smokey Mountains to crash in some camp ground Jadyn had scouted for us.  I wish the trail Friday night was as great as the camp ground....but, it wasn't.

OK, so nobody told me it would get down to fiddy degreez that night.  Note to self, only having one crappy towel does nothing for maintaining ones warmth.  So, I really never slept but that's ok.  Saturday morning we woke, broke camp down, drank cold Starbucks Via which actually tasted great, geared up and hit the road for a thirty minute drive to Clingmans Dome to start the pain fest.

Jadyn and I hit the trail with much anticipation wondering what was ahead of us.  We took as much hydration and food as possible considering we would probably be out there for the better part of seven hours give or take.  We ran well with what I guess I would describe as and adventurist attitude paying much attention to the trail as it was as gnarly and exposed as any trail I've personally ran.  We encounter many trail workers during the day as apparently it was National Trail Day.  I guess I didn't get the memo.  One highlight of the day happened around mile 12 as J and I rolled onto a natural spring that was drinkable.  The water was ICE COLD, and I mean ICE COLD.  I'm convinced God put that spring there for the sole purpose of Jadyn and I to refill our bottles on that very day.  There is no doubt that without that spring the day for us would have been far more difficult as we would have absolutely ran out of hydration.  We soon hit the turn-around and both J and I felt great!  We took about five minutes to rest and eat then turned back to get back home.  The run back was faster as we were both excited to be heading back but also I had a great since of confidence as I knew my body was performing at a level I did not expect.  BUT, that's not to say step by step I was becoming more fatigued and all the climbing was starting to really take a toll.  When we reached the last trail head marker that showed Clingmans Dome at about 3.4 miles, it was on!  We fought hard that last 5k and wondered if we could make the ~32 in under 7hrs.  At first we didn't think we would but the closer we got the stronger our effort became.  At the point where I looked up and to the left spying the Clingmans Dome observation tower I yelled at J-Dog as I looked at my watch and we were at 6:55...  We exited the trail at 6:58 and change.  I can tell you with absolute certainly that everyone that saw us probably thought we were crazy as though we had been lost at see for a year and had finally made land.

As corny as it may be, Jadyn and I have a "special" handshake we only break out when we are tested in the most difficult way and you better bet we threw it down with much glee!  Man, I felt like I had won WS100.  And on that day J-Dog and I won! 

Thanks to Swiftwick for the Aspire 2's, Endurance Sports and Rec for all my nutrition and hydration needs along with my INOV8 Roclite 295's, and Fitness Wave TN for all my physiological and metabolic testing to help make me a smarter and stronger athlete!

Training Peaks Data of the Run Yo!

Yo Yo YO; don't be pissin up my seat!

No Gold Cotten & I Got Chicked...BUT...

On Saturday I along with J-Dog, and crew, headed down to Wartrace Tn for the 33rd annual Strolling Jim 40. Leading right up to the ceremonial conch blowing, as opposed to a typical gun or whistle, I felt great as my legs were strong with no noticeable tweeks. My confidence was as strong as the coffee I brewed at 3am race morning. Standing at the race start I could already smell the finish line as we readied ourselves waiting to hit the start/stop buttons on our watches to start the battle. Too bad it would turn out to be abit harder than just smelling my way to the finish. Early on Jadyn and I made a goal of going sub 5, which for that race regardless of finishing place, really is the bar that stronger runners shoot for. If you go under 5, you earn the coveted GOLD race shirt. In years past typically only one or two competitors go under 5 at each given race.

So, this is where the pain starts:

Jadyn and I decided we would work together as much and long as possible until it was time to “be our own man,” as we knew there was a strong group of various sponsored runners coming in from the Huntsville Alabama area along with a strong Rock/Creak sponsored runner, and did I mention one 2012 US Nationals Team Marathoner... Yeah, maybe I didn’t see that “one” coming. In fact, the field was STACKED with studs but really as best I could tell Jadyn nor I really thought twice about running equally as strong if not stronger than everyone there. That's the best feeling in the world!  As the race started J and I fell in to a slightly faster pace than discussed but within our abilities as we were pushing between 7 and 7:10’s. As expected Rock/Creek runner Owen Bradly took off with several of the Fleet Feet and Inov-8 sponsored guyz from Alabama. We settled in around 5th and 6th. Things were uneventful for the first 5 or 6 miles when some “chick” blazed past us. Jadyn and I kind of laughed and said “yeah, we'll see her again very soon.” I’ll get back to “her” later in this post… The country side was beautiful and the weather was picture perfect. We were very lucky to have our wives Julia and Catherine handling for us on bikes along with the crew chief Matt “The Dean” Vest backing us up in our crew vehicle. As the miles started to tick by 7,8 then 11, 14 we were running strong but it was evident to me that the course was far more demanding than I really thought it would be, and I swear the elevation map I snagged from the SJ40 Facebook page was a hoax. J and I got to 20 still feeling good and ahead of pace, so we decided to work hard from 20 to 30 as opposed to settling in till 30 then starting the heavy lifting. There is a series of 3 huge hills in the first 28 miles then you hit the infamous “Walls” which are a series of sharp rolling hills for four miles. By this point on the course if it’s not your hammies, it’s your quads in full revolt. But I digress. I knew that I was pushing the downhill abit faster than I should but sometimes you need to take what the course give you. Somewhere around mile 25ish J-Dog pulled away from me on some massive hill that just blended in to what started to seem like every hill. I knew at that point on this day, it would belong to J as he seemed to have the edge on me.  Jadyns movements appeared to be more effortless than mine and was just running with power.

At mile 26 I passed crew chief The Dean and laughed saying HEY, I qualified Boston again this year at around a 3:08. Man, wish the rest had been that easy. Still I felt pretty good but the hard and fast downhills were starting to wear abit on my legs as I started to feel the first bite of fatigue setting in. By this time J was starting to build some distance on me but I was ok with that. Next stop the “Walls” then 50k… At around mile 28, I think, I took a left and there was the white house on the left that introduced the section of the course known to locals and former competitors as the Walls. This four mile section is where you find out if you have raced smart, if so, a runner should be fine. If you made mistakes, well… Notably my only real mistakes was going out just a tad too strong but really in retrospect I hit the downs too hard. However, I made it through the Walls. There was a period in that section that I was passed by Fleet Feet Race Team member Blake Thompson.  At that point I was forced to lie to myself in an effort to convince these old bones to stop the BS and move. I soon fell back in to a tight 5th were we battled abit but ultimately overtaking Blake at the bag drop section never to see him again. By the 50K mark in the race I came in at 3:53ish which was VERY late as my plan was to be around 3:45. By now I knew that going under 5 was starting to slip away, and at this point in the race my stomach started to say; Ashly, I’m tired of this crap you keep shoving down your throat. This is however abit typical when running this fast for this long. No matter how solid your nutritional plans are you just never know exactly when you’ll reach the dreaded flavor fatigue that is destined to come. From here I just ticked off the miles ready for this thing to be over. As I approached mile 38/39 I became aware of Fleet Feet racer Eric Schotz was closing in behind probably 800 meters. When Catherine, on her bike, and I turned our last right out on some highway for the final 1.2 mile stretch to close this one out, as the race is actually 41.2 miles, I saw The Dean running toward me to pace the final stretch. I was very happy to see him as by now mentally I was starting to numb abit. When I closed in on The Dean and grabbed on all I said was “take me home baby!” BUT my race was far from over. I, at this point, had no idea that Eric had closed in to around 3 feet. As The Dean and I crested the final hill I had dropped to around a 7min pace.  Still there was more fight left in these tiring legs as the last mile is a slight down grade.  By this time I was clocking in at around a 6:20 pace to finally pull well ahead of Eric to ensure a 3rd place male finish but 4th overall. Now let’s get back to the overall winner. No one informed J or I that Leah Thorsvilson showed up, or better yet who the heck is Leah Thorsvilson. Well all I’m going to say is that she’s a sub 2:40 marathoner who happens to be on the 2012 US National Olympic Marathon Team…And that's all I have to say about that. Final time 5:12:22. I didn’t make my goal of sub five, but that’s how things go. Congrads to all Strolling Jim 40 finishers on such a competitive day especially my homboy Jadyn Stevens! All in all I’m happy with the race. Thanks to Swiftwick, Endurance Sports and Recreation, and Fitness Wave TN for all your support so far in 2011!  Now it’s time to pick up the miles in prep for Rock/Creek Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race but more importantly TRT100!

Mert Don’t Give ah F

"Dude, I think This Whole Town Is High!"

Early in the year when J-Dog and I were bouncing potential races for 2011 around I knew that if we picked races with any elevation at all, it would be beneficial for me to do some training out West with much higher peaks than Nashville's 440ft.  As any of you who read my blog know, TRT would find itself on our plate.  I guess 10k is high... 

So, off to Estes Park Colorado my wife and I went!

Day 1
15.62 mi
Max Elevation: 8533
Ava HR:  139
Day 1 TrainingPeaks Data
My introductory run session to the Rocky Mountains went very well as my lungs and head held strong.  At the time I felt my body was ready to get it on!  Post run my thoughts were; "yeah, I ran well but I've only bean in Co for around 16 hours."  I expected the following days to get progressively harder.  But first, it's coffee time at The Stone Cup!

Day 2
20:03mi
Max Elevation: 9045
Ava HR:  141
Day 2 TrainingPeaks Data
Day two in Estes Park started with me getting a ride from my wife's best friend to the East entrance of the Rocky Mountain State Park.  When I got out of the car I said, "I'll see you in 3.5hrs; that is, if I'm not eaten by some large animal.  As was the case after day one, I was really surprised as I increased time, mileage, and elevation with no noticeable effect on my lungs or head.  I thought...well, this is good!  However, I did notice a general fatigue starting to tap, for a lack of better words, on my "shoulder."
Did someone say Kind Coffee?

Day 3
11.42mi
Max Elevation: 8267
Ava HR:  136
Day 3 TrainingPeaks Data
Day three would be a active recovery run session as I really wanted to get wreaked on day four so as not to forget my time in the Rockies on the plane ride home.  I ran strong and was able to include in the mix 3 x .75mi hill repeats during the run.  Oh did I forget to mention the grade on those repeats were +/- 21% according to my trusty GPS...  As the trip ticked by hour by hour there was not doubt that my body was getting more and more tired.  Reflecting on this fatigue, it's really hard to point to the cause; is it the elevation, or is it the 47+ miles I've rolled in just three days, or even the fact that in three days I could count the number of hours of sleep on 2.5 hands...literally???  This run went well as again my lungs, head, and HR were solid.  Ok, now it's time for a Elk Burger!

Day 4
29.05mi
Max Elevation: 9726
Ava HR:  141
Day Four TrainingPeaks Data
This would be my final dance in Co.  I awoke early Tuesday morning, put my gear on and told Catherine: I'll see you in ~five hours and walked out the door.  This final run would prove to be my strongest the entire trip.  Like the three previous daily runs sessions my lungs, head, and HR were strong.  Something surprising to me was a stronger feeling of energy and strenght for this my longest and highest run.  Hmmm, must have been the Elk Burger...

The long term beneficial effects of four days of training at those altitudes are probably minimal if any.  All the literature I've read in the past along with the many personal opinions I've heard really point to extended training in terms of 4 to 6 weeks of consistency for truly measurable long term fitness.  BUT in terms of confidence, the benefit is immeasurable. I'm now confident I can arrive at a location and trust my body to perform when needed, that is, unless I get eaten by some large animal, or if there's no coffee available...

less talk, more pain

I Wasn't - I Did - And I Shouldn't Have... I Guess???

Were do I start? Weeks preceding MS50 I decided not do this particular race as I was in the middle of rehabbing my right achilles, along with being midway into my base-building block of training; building a strong base of fitness not derived from fast speedwork, but long slow distances (LSD). The Saturday preceding MS50  J and I knocked out ~32mi out at Bowie State Park which really gave me allot of confidence for it to be February. Feeling great I thought I would go ahead and jump in on a whim. That Monday I started teetering on the edge of a sinus infection that would manifest itself with a trip to my Dr. two days before the race. I still thought I could go down to Mississippi and "fake" it for the 50k as I decided to drop from the 50m down to the 50k. Long story short, I DNF'd at mile 25. There were several factors that lead to my dropping: lack of energy/strength, troubles breathing, ankle deep mud, knee high stream crossings, nutritional issues, and a bad mental attitude.  I guess one could speculate that nothing went my may on this very day.  Due to weather, the conditions of the course were very challenging requiring one to be on top of their game both physically and mentally, of which I was not for the former or latter. Again, in sunny dry conditions there is no doubt that this would be a smoking fast 50! Somewhere around 5 to 8 miles in it was apparent to me that I lacked the energy and mental stamina to give a truly competitive effort. Sometimes you weight your options and make what you hope is a wise decision. I like to think I made the right choice when I walked into the 25mi aid station with lumbar pack in hand and said: "I'm done." The RD and race volunteers were great as I could tell they didn’t enjoy being out there under such conditions but kept rolling with the smiles. And everyone knows that the ultra community are nothing but tough ass people!




Now what was that old Kenny Rodgers song talking about knowing when to hold’em…

So This Is What It Feels Like To Sleep In On A Saturday...

It's really funny but telling in a way.  I used to have a coach that would "somewhat" schedule sleep for me when I started to look like the walking dead.  And as many of you know, a ambitious athlete with an addictive personality is a dangerous mix.  Friday night Coon Dog and I decided to do our first night trail run over at PWP rolling out around 4:45pm knowing we would only have around :30mins of sunlight.  This was to be ~22mi, most of which would be on the snow packed covered trails; Red, White, Candy Cane connector, and Blue trails.  Our run ended up being ~23mi over 4ish hours, however forgetting to start my GPS when referring to my the TrainingPeaks data, the run actually looks abit short of that.  OK, now that all the setup is done, we can now get to the purpose of the post...SLEEP!  I woke up Saturday around 7am as my wife was getting ready to go train w/ her all women's cycling team, Team Belladium.  I laid there for a few then woke again around 7:45am realizing it was now java time!  Whilst drinking a cup of bold, I could not recount the last time I slept that late or that long for that matter.  BUT, I do know this; a few hours later, I felt completely recovered from the HARD night run J and I put in the night before.  I got almost ten hours of sleep in one night!  Man, there really must be something to this "sleep/rest" thing...

I'm Busy May 7th!

Here I am in Early February and I thought it appropriate to announce to all 10 of you that care, not including my wife or parents, that I will be busy on May 7, 2011 with "B" race el numero doc.  OK, please excuse the lame spanglish lingo.  I've decided on the 33rd annual Strolling Jim 40 Mile Run as a second "B" race for 2011 leading up to TRT100.  However, I will attack this race in a different way as compared to Stage Race in June.  At SJ 40, other than using this as a training opportunity, I do have a specific goal in mind; that is, one of overall time... that being sub 5hrs.  Yep, I want me one of them yeller shirts.  On a more serious note, a sub 5hr 40 miler is ambitious, but it is a 40 mile road race as opposed to trail.  So, I think with proper preparation, along with everything working on race day, it's a somewhat realistic goal.  Another reason for choosing this ultra is that of practical logistics.  SJ 40 is in Bedford County Tennessee which is around a 30-40 minute drive from Franklin Tennessee.  All this being said, I think this will be a tremendous opportunity for me to get a great and demanding speed session in 10 weeks out from TRT 100.
PEACE

Lookout Mountain Part Deux!

Well you know your in trouble when you start a mountain run and your hydration freezes...  Yesterday Jadyn and I took a short road trip down to Lookout Mountain TN to run the first half of the Lookout MTN 50 Miler as a great pre-season base training effort.  For me, I was there in 2010 where I DNF'd mid way through due to a achilles strain.  I was very intent and nervous to see how my "newly" rehabed right achilles would hold up as many of us locals know the Lookout course is very demanding, with a ton of climbing, for this region of TN.  Apart from being chased by a dog that wanted to rip our faces off, getting lost multiple times turning a 22.5 mile run into 26.5, and not being allowed to "picnic" per regulations that were prominently posted in multiple places on the trails, things went very well for the two of us.  The pace we ran was a very relaxed 10:30ish.  Not until the last four or five miles did my right ankle object.  BUT, it held up great with yesterdays performance being a great confidence builder.  Oh, I must give a shout-out to Mojo Burrito on Saint Elmo Avenue for having the dopest post workout food!  J and I put the smack-down on some Burritos as we very much needed the calories after the mountain put the beat-down on us.

Fist Pump, Blow It Up; Know Call Me And Tell Me About It.
http://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/CLVJJHP3Q3BL2XMSR4WFAY76SM

1st "B" Race of 2011 Now on the Books!

So, I'm really stoked to announce a very important "B" race for 2011!  As all of you know, or maybe not, TRT 100M falls on the weekend of July 16-17th.  For me, a focus for 2011 has been one of  logistics in terms of picking the right races that will prepare me for a solid 100miler.  And that's where Chattanooga Mountain Stage Race (CMSR) fits the bill.  This prep race could not fall at a better time.  CMSR falls four weeks prior to TRT, and is a multi day stage race.  We're talking three days, three mountains, 60 miles.  Dude, can it get any better logistically speaking?  What is; no it can't Alex.  The game plan for this "B" race will be to fully incorporate it into my training as a crescendo to a three week block of graduating intensity with no taper.  One early goal for this race will be nutritional prep focused, along with really stretching my aerobic system. 
That's all I have to say about this.

http://www.rockcreek.com/stagerace/#results

A Motley Crew

Here are a few of the Highland Ring Ultrarunning Club studs chilling after a Saturday am trail beating  http://hrurc.wall.fm/index.  Looks like Matty V got the shaft on the terrain elevation getting cut of at the knees.  Most notably missing are Roy, who is the architect of this Motley Crew, and the Hawk, who had to have a quick discussion with a tree abit up the trail.  Did I mention that Hawk works for Swiftwick; a company that makes the best sock you will ever put on your feet? http://www.swiftwick.com/ ?  Like me I assume everyone is thinking; screw the pictures, where's the nearest Starbucks? 

So, How Cold is Cold?

This morning I had my first post injury run with my trail brother and partner-in-crime for the Tahoe Rim 100 J to the Dog (J-Dog).  Ok, that was my feeble attempt at being hip.  I'm reminded of a great video interview Tony Krupicka did not too long ago.  The topic of  "what is cold" came up at some point.  Well, to paraphrase Krupicka, "anywhere at or below zero is cold." It wasn't zero or below at roll out this morning but it was 8 or 9 degreezzzzzzzz.  J-Dog and I did around 10 very easy trail miles out at Bowie Nature Reserve in Fairview Tennessee.  Our goal was two fold: check the legs after several weeks off, and for me to evaluate the effectiveness of rehab as I tweaked my right achilles weeks back.  Both goals were met with great excitement.  The legs weren't too out of shape so to speak, and my right ankle felt great!  So I ask anyone board enough to actually read this post...  How cold is cold?

Well Here We Go...

As mentioned before, information on races, training, products, etc, will soon come as I put together my 2011 calendar.  So, with no delay dot dot dot  I along with one of my homeboys (J-Dog) put in for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100M Endurance Run late last night.  This race will be epic in so many ways.  For starters, for both myself and Coon Dog... I mean J-Dog, this will be our first 100 miler.  Another aspect is that the entire trail will range between 6500 and 9000 feet above see level.  Did I mention I live in middle TN???  And there is always the small fact that it IS a 100 miler.  But maybe I'm just splitting hairs on this one.  I'm really stoked about this and welcome the challenge.  There will be much more to come on this bright idea as we will be putting our game plan together this weekend and I'll also be deciding on other races.  Oh, and one last thing...  there will be blood

http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trter/TRTindex.html

Moving Forward Through The Exit Of 2010

So, lets get the ground rules straight. I have purposely chosen to not speak to any degree about my previous racing seasons or epic adventures. Much like being re-born, or any other transcendental, philosophical big-word ways of describing what I've just said. In the next few weeks I'll have lots of great news about sponsors, training, races etc.

WORD