September 11th weekend of Running

Friday afternoon would serve as the starting point for my biggest weekend of running in a while. I began with 8 miles of what was supposed to be just easy running, but ended up being one of the faster runs I have had since beginning regular training again last month. Friday night I met up with the guys(Kelly, Mitch, Brandon, Gary, John, Darryl, and Dan) for a night hike on part of the Duncan Ridge 50K course. What I discovered is that this course is no joke and that I think the key to doing well will be restraint in the first half. I was using the navigation mode on my watch for the first time and in doing so failed to record the first 2 miles but the rest of the hike is detailed at this link. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113141557 I will be very interested in doing more reconnaissance and trying to run the trail in order to get a better feel for what of the course is runnable and what is not. We covered 14 miles total, running about the last 6miles or so.

Next was Saturday afternoon. I was supposed to meet up with some college buddies saturday night and just hang-out, but they bailed on me and I was stuck at home with only my kitchen cabinets that needed painting. So I put it off a little longer and went running. For the record I did get them painted on Sunday. Now where to run? I decided to on Yonah as a suitable option for this outing. It provides plenty of elevation gain, single-track, and a short drive. I thought the run went really well on pretty tired and a little sore legs. This was the first time I had done 2 laps on the single-track. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/113365618 The weather was nice and cool and clear and was perfect for running. On this run I took my Camelbak handheld with water, one GU, and the MountainSmith Dart waist pack packed with a light and a jacket. I also swung by the truck on one lap to get a bit of First Endurance gel, which is now my go to gel. On my second lap I was startled out of any rhythm I had obtained by a four foot very dark colored Timber Rattlesnake traveling down the trail as I went up. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem had I seen him before my foot was six inches from him. Luckily the cool weather and the pace I was travelling helped me avoid any real altercation and we both continued onto our destinations. Needless to say when I came back down the mountain I found a little extra spring in my step while traversing the snake area.

My last run of the weekend was Sunday afternoon. I took Gina(the dog) for the first 2.5 miles of the run. It was a pretty easy and uneventful run on the dirt roads around the house. I ran 8 miles total and averaged somewhere around an 8 min/mile. I don't know for sure because my garmin battery went dead at mile 2.5. All in all it was a good weekend of running but I was ready to see Em and Rush who had gone to Pigeon Forge for the weekend with her Aunts and Mom. This was my first night not being with Rush since he was born.

Finding the Training Rythym

So I am picking my training up again, but with a little different approach than I have had in the past. I am running when I get up and feel like running, but if I feel tired or beat up then I bike. Even though my mileage has been low getting back to normal miles can be as hard as running big miles sometimes. But for the time being I am not using the watch much in the way of pacing just trying to push when I feel good and back off when I don't. In a few weeks I will probably add some speed but just a little, since you don't need a whole lot of raw speed for ultras. In racing news I am planning on doing the Currahee Mountain Adventure Duathlon in November. It is technically an adventure race with running and biking. The race director, Clint Sanders, a friend of mine has been trying for a couple of years to get me to come out and try to win it without using a bike. How is this possible? The course is made up of checkpoints scattered throughout the Currahee Wilderness with some areas being bike accessible and some being no-bike zones. Clint's theory is that a runner could save time by running through the no-bike zones and not having to reroute to pick up a bike and go around said zones. He guesses that I will run about 30 miles that day which makes it a really fun long run opportunity.

In other life news Emily and I went to the doctor last week and were able to see our baby again! It is truly amazing to see God's creation grow before your eyes. We heard the heartbeat first and it was nice and strong(about 162). Then we had an unscheduled ultrasound since our midwife is a friend. She found the baby immediately and the pictures were incredible. We could see shim's facial features and arms and legs and even fingers. I could actually see the chambers of the heart that one day will pump gallons of blood to my child's oxygen deprived muscles as they power them through a race. We could see shim move and bounce around and even get the hiccups! I am so thankful for the little miracle that is only about 2.5 inches long right now. Next month we go back and should be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl.

So I haven't blogged in a while

I don't know if this can really be considered much of a blog since I only blogged once and then left this alone for almost a year. Anyway, since being on here last I haven't really raced seriously or what I would call seriously. But more importantly Emily and I are expecting! This is a huge answered prayer and I thank God everyday for the great gift he has bestowed upon us to care for. The miracle of pregnancy continues to amaze me everyday. Our child has reached its first milestone this week by graduating from an embryo to a fetus, as well as losing its tail this week. At least I hope our little Pat did. We are calling our fetus Pat for the time being since we do not know if it is a boy or a girl yet. Our due date is April 2nd and seems like an eternity away. Luckly we do get check-ups along the way that help ease the anticipation like our 8 week ultrasound. There we were able to not only see our child but hear the heartbeat and see it move. It can move! At the size of a grape it is just now begining to look like a child in there. Our next appointment is September 17 and we are told that it will look even more human at that ultrasound. I like having ultrasounds for two reasons: First and foremost it gives me a chance to see my baby and second it contains one of my favorite words(ultra). Speaking of ultra I don't have one directly on the schedule but I am training some and maybe can make a transition into a race between now and April if it is Gods will to do so.

Thanksgiving day long run

So today (thanksgiving) I began my day with a long run. 17 up at one of my personal favorite spots Chattahoochee river road 44. I tried a new road that looked on the elevation profile to gain a lot with few downhills on the out route. I have been trying to target these types of road in hopes of preparing for the Mount Mitchell Challenge in Feb. I really believe in specificity training so I look for runs that have a long climb at the beginning of the run with a long downhill at the end. Anyway this road turned out to be great. A nice fairly even climb and great views. I was very thankful to be out in the wilderness without anyone around just enjoying the woods. I am also very thankful to spend the rest of my day with my wife(who is very patient with me and my training madness) and her family. I think in the next week or so I am going to try and get my blood levels checked. I have a sneaking suspicion that my iron levels could be low. Maybe it's just one of those lulls in training that one goes through but honestly I haven't been training that hard to not be recovering like I am. So to start with I am back on the Ferrous Sulfate and we shall see what comes back with the test. That being said the run this morning was great and so was thanksgiving.

First Blog

This is my first time blogging. I want to use this as a sound board to capture thoughts feelings and progress in my training and racing. My next racing season will begin in December with the Brasstown Bald 5k. This is a short race but I have had my eyes on the course record for a number of years but have not had the opportunity to challenge it yet due to other races and weather. In January I am planning on racing the Tsali Frosty 50k to serve as a tune up for my main training focus the Mount Mitchell Challenge. I am in a bit of a training transition from tri training all summer to solely running once again. I feel that I have a good aerobic base but need to get back into the swing of running miles again. Yesterday was my first longer run in a while. I ran 15 out on Chattahoochee River Road 44 in 1:47:35. Considering I have not run farther than 11 in about 6 months, averaging 7:10 for the run was encouraging for the new phase. Today I can tell that it has been a while since doing a long run. It now seems strange for me to call 15 a long run after last winter's ultra. But b/c of the ultra I have a new confidence in increasing my long runs. Hopefully that will lead to fitness and not injury. So that's about all I've got for now we'll see if I keep it up.