long haul 100 relay race report.

Posted on January 22, 2012 by james

i had just finished up a nice trail run at either sope creek or sweetwater in atlanta while i was home over the holidays, and, of course, like i am often prone to do, i took a second to post this on social media. it may have been my first (but definitely my first or second) trail run since the ill-advised attempt to return to trail running halloween night at croom – when i slightly rolled the ankle again – and the run had gone really well so i was pretty excited. the post on facebook triggered a message from a guy i know down here in florida in the ultra community, looking for volunteers to be on a 10 person, 100 mile relay team. what the heck, i said, and told him sure, sign me up.

the long haul 100 is a very small ultrarun in wesley chapel, fl that takes place at the cypress creek preserve in wesley chapel, fl. it has a few events – a 50 mile run, a 100k run, a 100 mile run, and 5 and 10 person team 100 mile relays. i was assigned to leg 7 of my 100 mile team, which meant i was going to kick off around 6 pm, which i realized sometime after i got there meant this was not only going to be my longest trail run since the sprain, but also my first headlamp run. the 10 person relay was designed so that people ran alternating 8 and 12 mile legs. the course was designed as 16 mile out and back, so the 12 mile leg ran all but the last 4 miles of the out-and-back and the 8 mile leg ran about half of the course.

i got there pretty early for my leg and hung around the start area chatting with the volunteers and cheering runners as they came into the checkpoint to fuel up and head back out on another leg. the long haul was your true low key ultra, a lot of volunteers and a few spectators sitting on grass in tents or lawn chairs or camping chairs. hanging out for a while i really got a sense that it was a fun race with a lot of heart. many of the volunteers weren’t even runners but people who had a missionary connection to haiti – which the run benefitted. i also saw the eventual winner come in at 100k in less than 9 hours (he would go on to win int in 13 hours and some minutes – faster than my team finished 8 legs of our 10 leg relay!!!)

after hanging around for sometime, i realized it was about time for my handoff to show up and sure enough about 6:20 she came running down the paved bike path that led to the checkpoint. i got the band and took off going pretty fast. i decided what the heck, i was going to push it and any chance i had i opened up. i didn’t wear my garmin so i am not sure of exact mileage or pace at various points. i’m glad i did this too, because it was nice to have no idea how far or how long i had gone.

after maybe 3 or 4 minutes on the hard, paved surface, the race veered off onto single track trail. a good few miles in the woods; i hadn’t turned my headlamp on yet, because i could see the trail well and i was moving too. it wasn’t tough single track, not like sweetwater or sope creek or croom, but it had it’s challenges. i was still moving though and feeling great on the ankle.

i came out of the woods and crossed the hard road again, past checkpoint 2 – which would ulitmately be my stopping point (8 miles later of course) and then headed back onto trails. the next section was jeep road through the woods, a maybe 2 or 3 mile lollipop. at this point i put my headlamp on and it was pretty much dark from here until the end of the run. i started to see a lot of 100k and 100 milers on this section (i was passing a bunch of course) but i also saw many coming back on the stick of this lollipop. i have to say that seeing these guys running really inspired me and made me really jealous that i wasn’t with them; it was good to get the ultra bug again.

the loop of this lollipop was cut road through grassy fields and i really opened up at this point before i came back onto the jeep road and ran solid back through checkpoint 2 and out on the final and longest out and back of my run. after a bit or running on the pavement heading away from checkpoint two and ducked back into the woods.

most of this section was run on jeep roads too, and while the roads were flat and pretty fast they were also very bumpy and the further you got away from checkpoint 2 the bumpier they got. this was actually the toughest thing for my ankle, the bumps in these dirt roads, but honestly i never really felt through the whole stretch that i was in any danger, nor did the ankle ever really hurt.

the first stretch of jeep raad wasn’t too bad, but after maybe 10 minutes i came out on another paved road and ran on it for a stretch before dropping onto a wide jeep road through the woods. this one was the worst, from the standpoint of being bumpy and i had to slow down and really pay attention to my footing through this stretch. this road, which i desperately wanted to get off of, led to a little single track lollipop where a guy was sitting at the end with food, water and a fire. i passed him, and then really had to pay attention as the trail wound through trees and was almost impossible to tell from the ground. i made it through though and caught back up with the trail. i then ran past the stick of the lollipop and almost went around for another loop before realizing it maybe .3 of a mile down the trail and turned around and headed back.

i took my time going down the bumpy jeep road, then got to the first stretch of pavement. i hung out with a lady who was running the 100 miler who had run the extremely difficult HURT 100 in hawaii last weekend and just shook my head in amazement at what we are capable of. i pulled away from her when we hit the second stretch of jeep trail where i really opened up, and before i knew it i was back on the pavement an cruising into checkpoint 2, where i handed off the run to the leg 8 runner and chilled out with a coke and then some coffee.

all in all i ran it in just under 2 hours i think, which for me off-road is BOOKING. i felt solid the whole way and most importantly the ankle never felt in any danger. it’s tight today for sure, and still has some heeling to do, but as long as i am careful i can pretty much get back into training. also, i am a bit sore today but i haven’t run his distance since the chicago marathon AND i was booking.

i feel good; really good. i needed this run. it boosted my confidence and helped me get bit by the bug again, which, frankly i had been struggling with. being out there among my odd tribe of super long runners helped. having a great run helped even more.

final word about the long haul 100. an amazing run. fun, fast course with great volunteers, well supported and a really good family feel to it. it seemed to me to be all that ultrarunning is about. i can’t wait to come back and run the 100k next year. that’s my new goal!!!

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one year of WODs

Posted on January 21, 2012 by james

angie - it is hard to believe i have come to enjoy doing stuff like this

sometimes when i want a decent chuckle or i need to be reminded about the beauty of progress i open up my crossfit notebook – yes, i have one, a spiral notebook that is shredded and mangled and covered in dried sweat and chalk, that contains a record of every workout i have done since i joined crossfit st pete – and i look at some of my benchmark totals when i graduated “foundations,” the introductory classes i took the become a member of the gym.

last week marked one full year since, after being convinced by natasha and sandra on a run while home in atlanta for the holidays, i walked in the doors of crossfit st pete for my “free introductory workout.”

this morning i got my email from timehop this morning showing me what i was doing one year ago today there was a fun little picture showing the fairly easy tabata workout i did at the end of my foundations class a year ago and i shook my head. “i think i am going to be sore” is the way i tagged the photo.

1 year later and crossfit wods are still making me sore, but man are they getting harder. my 1 rep maxes on my lifts have been blown away. i’ve gone from 140 lbs to 245 on the back squat; 135 to 325 on the deadlift; 80 to 125 on the shoulder press. i did “cindy” this week; a basic crossfit ‘benchmark’ that consists of trying to do as many rounds as possible of 5 kipping pullups, 10 pushups and 15 air squats in 20 minutes. when i started crossfit, i did pullups with a big rubber band and i had to do pushups on my knees. the first time i did the “cindy” workout, i did it assisted that way and managed 6 rounds. this week i did 9 with no assistance or “RXd” in crossfit speak. it’s almost ridiculous what it’s done for me.

more importantly it has just weaved its way into the fabric of my life. i plan my day around it. i get a serious feeling of joy when i walk in the gym and see the people i workout with. when i leave i feel like i have really accomplished something.

and i am getting faster; stronger; fitter.

so here’s to another year of WODs. let’s see what can happen.

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always another hill to climb.

Posted on January 7, 2012 by james

i went to kennessaw today for another trail run. i wanted to try to get one more good run in before heading back to florida. i met up there with a group of guys i have run a ton of miles with over the years.

our party was split on our intentions for the run though, and so we split with a contingent opting to go for a 10 mile run along the main trails, and a smaller contingent (me and my friend wes really) opting for a shorter run that included climbing little and big kennessaw mountain.

wes and i decided to run out the main trail with the other group and then split and go up little kennessaw on the back side. it’s a tough and very rocky climb to the peak, and then another climb up to the top of kennessaw mountain proper (big kennessaw in the local parlance) before flying down the mountain for a mile and then striking back out for a mile out and back to close it out at seven miles.

it was an important run for me, because while kennessaw is a relatively easy run, going over the mountain is not, and that trail going up lil k on the backside in particular is dicey. so being able to do it, and do the climbs without too much stress on the ankle was a huge relief. just another hill to climb on the road to full recovery.

also, thursday night i met up with my friend maggie at her crossfit gym in atlanta, ak crossfit (who have been an excellent cf home-away-from-home while i have been up here), and the WOD happened to be three rounds of an 800 meter run and 50 sit-ups. i was more than a little pleased to note that i was running the 800′s in less than 4:00 per, which is very good speed and another signpost pointing to full recovery. also let me take a second to note that i did all three sets of 50 sit-ups without stopping or resting once. not bad for a guy who had to do crunches when he first started crossfit a year ago.

rock on.

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to-do in 2012.

Posted on January 2, 2012 by james

no resolutions here, but just a quick list of things i want to do in 2012.

1. see more people – i want to continue the trend started in 2011 of utilizing work travel to see my friends that are spread out around the country
2. get to see my dad more often – it was more than 18 months since i made it back to his gravesite and i would like to go more often
3. see more live music – i picked this up at the end of 2011. already looking good with jenny owen youngs, sleigh bells, blind pilot, radiohead and LIGHTS all lined up.
4. try for 50 miles again – the sprained ankle effectively ended my shot at running a 50 mile trail race in 2011. i would like to try again in 2012.
5. be a better father/son/brother/friend – call more, write more, visit more.
6. get more active in animal welfare/animal rights issues – this became a more important part of my life in 2011. in 2012 i would like to get more involved – financially, in direct action, communicating my beliefs to others
7. run 2012 miles – another goal of 2011 effectively ended by the sprained ankle. would like to try for this again
8. do an adventure race – i’ve always wanted to, this should be the year.
9. read gravity’s rainbow – i managed to get through infinite jest in 2011. gravity’s rainbow seems like a good challenge for ’12.
10. blog more – yeah, i always say this.

i am sure there are more, but this is a good start.

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returning.

Posted on December 27, 2011 by james

my ankle - day after the sprain

a few days ago, i logged into the old arc of time and quietly removed links to this year’s stump jump 50k and lookout mountain 50 miler from my page that lists all of my race results. i haven’t written at all about it, but mid-october i was out running late night at croom on the trails we name “the vortex.” it was probably about 3:30 am and i was with a group of two other people. we were on our first loop through the 4.5 mile or so vortex trail, having just come down the big hill that starts the descent into the quarry pits when we missed a turn on the trail. i felt my left foot grab an uneven piece of terrain and then lose it’s hold and the next moment i was on the ground in excruciating pain, clutching the foot and rolling around (writhing is actually probably a better word) clutching the foot. let me pause to say that good runner i am, i did take a moment to pause my garmin, even though i was in crazy pain.

i hiked two terrifying miles back out to another runner’s pickup and laid there in pain looking at the stars and trying to sleep while i felt major pain coursing up my leg. by the time i got home, having waited on the other runners to finish their runs, it was clear i had a bad ankle sprain.

well it’s been months and i am still not 100%. i did manage to run the chicago marathon (that probably requires it’s own post) but i also did an ill-advised night trail run on halloween and slightly rolled the ankle again about 1.5 miles in aborting that run, so i have a mixed track record. i’ve also not been on trails since that aborted run; until last week.

last week i did two runs; a 5 mile run at kennessaw and then christmas eve i did an 8 mile run on blue and white trails at sweetwater – tough trails and the ankle held. the run at sweetwater was very promising because the trail is not easy and i managed to run it fairly easily. i also was able to increase my planned mileage by almost 60 per cent.

i wore the brace both times, and i am not 100% but i am definitely trail ready again. so it’s time to get back out there. to start to work my ankle to 100%, to register myself for a few more races, and ultimately to try for the 50 miles i had to bow out of this year.

i’ve returned.

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my two favorite albums of 2011

Posted on December 23, 2011 by james

wow. what a great year for music. i have listened to just too much good stuff this year. i spent so much of the year in airplanes, most of it with headphones plugged in and discovering something new. the release of spotify to the us really kicked it into gear too.

anyway, i decided i would title this post “my favorite albums” instead of “best albums” because frankly i don’t know enough about music to know what is best and what isn’t – i don’t play it, write it, or record it – i just enjoy it as a serious fan, so favorite sounds better than best to this ear anyway.

also, god knows i have not even scratched the surface of what was released this year, so i am sure i would be missing something that might be called the best.

as an aside here, i listened to a lot more music this year than in many years past, mainly because of the long-awaited us invasion of spotify, which could possibly be the best thing that happened in 2011. i mean, right? i use spotify just about every day and the volume of music i am able to consume has grown exponentially. it has also made checking out new music to be a (relatively, since i decided to go premium) cost-free endeavor.

anyway – there are two albums i just destroyed this year, listened to over and over and over again. i thought and thought and thought, trying to determine which of these was actually my favorite and well, i couldn’t, so i just decided that i would call it a tie and post both of them, because, well, it’s my blog (although i am surprised that in the long absence of posting anything someone hasn’t moved in a squatted in the place!) and i get to do what i want

1. manchester orchestra – simple math.

andy hull. never does he disappoint. one of the greatest musical trips for me has been watching manchester orchestra develop from a band i saw get booted off stage by cops at the sort-lived 529 in atlanta to indie darlings. i loved all three of there EPs and simple math is no different. tight storylines in the songs, loud riffs that alternate with soft moments, and through all of it, andy’s voice warbling with more emotion than one singer should be allowed to figure out how to deliver. i listen to this album so regularly, it’s possible i like it more than i’m like a virgin losing a child.

2. shelby earl – burn the boats

i was sitting at my desk at work when i first heard shelby earl. i pulled my ipad out and booted up a kexp podcast i had downloaded and before i knew it my head was being filled with one of the richest, most soulful voices i have ever heard. that song i listened too 22 (undone) is without a doubt my favorite song of the year. i waited and waited and waited until november for this album to be released and when it did, i bought it same day. and i listened to it transfixed. i don’t know if shelby is blues or soul or country or alt.country or what. all i know is she can sing and her songs are moving in pretty serious way. i love this album and shelby is going to be god-awful huge some day.

so that’s it. those are my favorites and well, i suspect that i will attempt to put another post up with the rest of my favorites for the year. either way, i needed to get this out of the door.

by far, not my best written blog post ever, but that is what being out of practice will do for you.

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what to do what to do what to do

Posted on November 13, 2011 by james

i gotta make some decisions about this blog. i was doing better posting here before the ankle sprain and then i just seemed to lose interest.

i am not shutting it down like some people i know, i feel like it stll has a point, even the era of twitter, facebook and a host of others.

maybe i will try to commit to a post once a week.

we’ll see.

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the vortex.

Posted on August 7, 2011 by james

i have been meaning to get back together with some of the ultrarunning crowd here in florida for awhile. i haven’t met up with anyone since i hit croom with the two daves way back in march. part of the problem is i have been traveling, but the other problem is they leave EARLY. i mean EARLY. but after struggling through some midday runs over at wilderness park, i thought maybe early isn’t so bad.

so when i saw someone posting that they were organizing a run on a trail loop called “the vortex” at croom this saturday, i jumped at it. even if it did mean a really, really early day. so saturday morning i met up with brain p at about 3:30 am (which meant i got up at 2:00 am) at a parking lot north of tampa to ride with him to the bailout that serves as the “vortex” trail head.

the vortex is a 4 mile loop that takes up part of the 35 mile croom mountain bike trail. they call it the vortex because it goes through some pits of an old quarry and is used by many of the florida runners getting ready for hilly races in other parts of the country.

brian and i got up to croom where we met up with another florida runner and the three of us donned our gear and put on headlamps and got going. now i really have never run with a headlamp before, but let me tell you it was quite an experience. you are so focused on the trail right in front of you that you really cannot even begin to tell what the landscape really looks like. it was wild coming back through the loop after the sun came out and seeing what it looked like.

even in the dark though i could tell one thing about the vortex, it was hilly. there were places where the trail was running down the side of a quarry pit where it was pretty clear the drop was huge just off the trail (coming back in the daylight i could tell it was easily 100ft or more.)

another interesting component to the headlamp runs is just how primal it is. running through the woods in a small pack along a trail with nothing but modern torchlight to light the way must have been what it was like to be in a neolithic tribe. it was an amazing exhilarating experience.

we did two loops before sun-up and then were joined by two more runners on loop three. the sun came up right after we started loop three and i finally got a good look at the vortex. i still don’t know it well enough to truly describe it, but let me tell you, 20 miles on that is as tough as any 20 miles i’ve done in the atlanta area. there is one stretch that runs along one ridge of a deep gully, the through the gully, the back up the other ridge that is as tough as anything in conyers for sure. another series of descents called cherry bomb tested my downhill skills as much as the powerlines at sweetwater.

after loop three, we did a three mile out and back on a trail called “the drunken monkey” and then brian and two other runners went back to the cars while me and another runner went through one more loop at the vortex.

so i learned – 1) running with the florida ultrarunners is fun and i need to do more of it, 2) running on 4 hours of sleep is tough but great ultra training 3) the vortex is one hell of a fun trail and 3) headlamp running? more plz.

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1,000 miles from nowhere.

Posted on July 11, 2011 by james

a few days ago i pases 1,000 miles of running for the year. for some of the people i know that consistently run ultramarathons this benchmark may seem light, but for me it’s a huge deal. last year i ran just over 1,300 miles the whole year. this year, i crossed 1,000 right in the beginning of july.

the big differences are no weeks off – with the exception of the week i was sick i have managed at least 25 miles every week and most weeks gotten in between 35-50. that’s a huge step up form where i was before.

the other major difference, lots and lots of long runs. before abby came to town this month and my time got sucked into doing lots of fun stuff with her, i had run over the course of four weekends 18,20,20,20. that’s serious long running for me.

i am at a point now where i am in pretty much constant marathon shape. starting in august when abby leaves, it will be time to start climbing the ladder toward where i need to be for the 50 miler in decemnber. that is going to require a lot of time and effort and maybe even finding a way to get my butt out of bed earlier on long run days.

anyway, it’s pretty amazing benchmark and now on to 2K.

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gone….and back.

Posted on July 10, 2011 by james

it happens, i think, to most people that try to blog and aren’t making any money at it. you hit a wall, reach a point where writer’s block or life or whatever just makes it hard to log in and write something. the proliferation of a zillion different social networks (and yes i could keep going) has also meant that many topics, issues, reports, etc. i used to write about on the blog i dump on one of these sites before i get here.

i have been through bouts of this before, but i do love having this blog and it is a medium for sharing in a way that all of those other networks just aren’t.

so i’ve been gone. but i am going to try to be back now.

we’ll see how long this iteration lasts.

oh and yes, i have a tumblr now. it’s empty but i might fill it up with some stuff.

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