Uwharrie Mountain 40 Miler 2015

After missing the lottery in 2014, my luck improved and I had made it back in to the 2015 Uwharrie Mountain 40 mile trail race. After a less than stellar outing in January at The Harbison 50K, I really focused on cleaning up my diet. More raw foods, minimal grain intake and no soda.  I had logged 226 miles in January, and was looking forward to running Uwharrie to see if the diet change and hard training would pay off.

The 40 mile race starts at 7am, followed by the start of the 20 miler at 8am and the 8 mile race at 9. The temps were chilly at the start, right at 24 degrees, but the forecast called for temps to warm up to around 50 by the afternoon. We arrived at the start via shuttle and shuffled around the fire while waiting for the call to the start line. I love the start of this race! You run for about 200 feet on road, the make a sharp right turn onto the trail and immediately start the first climb. By the time you summit the one mile climb, you are no longer cold!

I hung towards the back of the back, looking to settle in early and conserve some energy for the second half. The 40 mile is an out and back course, and I have seen many a runner ( including myself) go out to hard on the first 20 and struggle on the back half.

I ran right through the first aid station at mile five, since I was good on water/electrolyte and had my trusty Orange Mud HydraQuiver packed with UGo Bars and Energy Bits for fuel. The pack had thinned out a bit by then and I was hanging with a small group of runners at a comfortable pace. The next aid station I cam to was a mile 8, where we crossed Hwy 109. The lead pack of the 20 mile runners were catching us now, which meant stepping off the single track to let them by. I caught up with my buddy Dave and it was good to run and chat with him. The aid stations were basically 3 miles apart now, so I was getting my bottles topped of at each station, grabbing a quick snack, and getting on down the trail. Coming into the aid station at mile 14 I was feeling good, focusing on staying at a comfortable pace and concentrating on hydration and fueling.

When I hit the 20 turn around, it had just turned 12pm. I was happy to run the first half in 5 hours. I was still feeling fresh. I took off my jacket, changed beanies and got my water bottles filled and off I went. I was there for maybe 1 minute. I do not like to linger at aid stations!

The out and back course is one of my favorites to run. I like point to point as well. I always get a mental boost at the turn around of a race. This time it was no different. The weather was great in the afternoon and I was in a really good groove both physically and mentally.

Coming back, I saw many of the 20 mile folks in the home stretch of their race. We exchanged words of encouragement, and I reassured them they were close to the finish! 

As I got to some of the major climbs on the second half of the race, I began to catch some people. I was climbing really strong and power hiking the steeper climbs. At 3 pm, I came through the aid station at mile 32, sticking to my routine of getting my water bottles topped off. grabbing a quick snack and moving on. There were two aid stations left, one at mile 35 and the last one at mile 38. I came through 38 knowing I had one more big climb before we descended into the finish. When I  summited the last climb, I same a runner in front of me. I though I could catch him, but he looked back and saw me and started hauling ass! We both bombed down the final several hundred yards to the finish line. He had a strong kick, and I could not close on him. We both laughed and hugged it out at the finish, with the guy thanking me for pushing him at the end.

The bottom line: a 43 minute PR! 10 hours, 5 minutes and 51 seconds.
 My previous time from 2013 was 10:48
 I was 4 hours , 59 minutes on the first 20 miles and 5 hours, six minutes on the back 20.

 I was a happy boy.


So I will continue on the lean and green in 2015 campaign as I gear up for the Mount Mitchell Challenge on February 28th!

Equipment used:

Hoka Rapa Nui Trail shoes
Balega Socks
InKnBurn Haida Long sleeve Tech shirt
Nike Run long sleeve base layer
Virginian Lightweight Jacket
InknBurn "Lust"shorts
Orange Mud Beanie
Orange Mud HydraQuiver Pack
ProCompression and Sigvaris compression sleeves

Nutrition and Hydration:

Generation UCAN
Energy Bits
UGo Bars Anutter flavor
Elete Electrolytes Citrilyte

Hills are your friend

 Today's workout was some hill repeats. I headed out to Umstead State Park this morning in the rain to get them done. 8 miles total, and some nice climbs along the way.  Hills are my friend!

Umstead Hill Work

At noon I had to go to the gym for youth cardio orientation, a cool program we have there that trains kids in the "tween" years about how to use the treadmill, elliptical and stationary bikes. I love working with the kids, and we keep things light and fun.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with an eye on the football games and working on my runner's training plans for the upcoming week. I did get some time to foam roll and whip up some Red Lentil hummus too!

Here is where you can find the recipe:  http://www.chow.com/recipes/14110-red-lentil-hummus


Judging from this shot, I do not think it is going to be a late night for either me or the pup!

Road Trip

Today I brought my daughter back to school at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, which is about a 3.5 hour drive west of where we live. We left at 6am. It was a brisk 12 degrees at home, and when we arrived at Boone it was 5 degrees with a light coating of snow, which made the hilly approach to her dorm quite interesting! My little front wheel drive Suzuki SX performed admirably, probably due to the weight of all the food that her mom packed for her to take back.

I had wanted to go out to Moses Cone State Park, which was near the University, to run some trail. I wove my way through town and got onto the back mountain road that takes you to the park, only to find it covered with snow and some really slick spots too. I abandoned the attempt about one mile into the four mile trip, not wanting to test the limit of the car's  winter mountain capabilities. I got back to the highway and headed east towards home. I did have a back up trail, which was in the town of Wilkesboro, NC, about 30 minutes east of Boone. The W. Kerr Scott Reservoir has some really nice single track trail, and it was right on my way home. When I arrived there it was a balmy 16 degrees and I had the entire trail system to myself! I got in a nice easy 4.5 mile run along the Dark Mountain trail and parts of the Over Mountain Victory Trail as well.

Saint Ultra?

I often wonder if my ability to run long distances stems from the fact I was raised Catholic. We Catholics love to suffer. I remember my dad would have to be completely incapacitated and near death before he would even consider seeking medical attention, all the while waving us off and telling us he was fine. I also recall the incredulous looks my mother would give me when I proclaimed I was sick and could not go to school. "You're not sick! Now get up and get your butt to school!"Anyway, it wasn't anything a little Vicks Vapor Rub and aspirin couldn't cure. (even the aspirin , Saint Joesph's, was Catholic themed!)

I think those early experiences have helped me manage pain and fatigue, and through the miracle of the Catholic Church, even embrace it! Throw in some classic Catholic guilt on top of that ("I will let everyone down if I don't finish) and you have a recipe for ultra success.

As I became older, it became less about speed and more about how FAR I could run. I still get brief flashes of panic that I will never be able to run at an 8 minute per mile pace ever again, which usually manifests itself in a neighborhood "tempo run" where I take off like a jackass and try to make 24 minutes for my 3 mile loop. I can still do it, but damn, it hurts!

I am happy being a "grinder". Give me a difficult course with lots of rocks and elevation gain and I am a happy boy. The trail is my church now.

Today's plummeting temps called for something hearty and warm for dinner. I whipped up a "southwest" Tofu scramble with potato.
 2 medium potatoes, Diced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb of firm tofu, cubed

1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 Cup of Medium or hot salsa
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
Ground Pepper
Daiya Cheddar style shreds (optional)

Saute the potatoes in a few Tablespoons of Olive or coconut oil until tender and slightly browned. Add onion and continue to saute for several more minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the tofu, turmeric and cumin and stir gently to combine. Stir in Salsa and heat everything through. Season with salt and pepper. As an option, you can top it with some Daiya cheddar shreds!

Freedom Friday!

Back when I was working my 3rd shift job in the restaurant service industry, Fridays would be a day of collapse. We worked Monday through Thursday, usually starting at 7pm and finishing most days around 5am or later. By the end of the week I was quite the mess. Then I would try to jump back into "Normal" time for the weekend, so Fridays would be my "transition" day. In other words, I didn't do shit on Friday!


  Two years removed from that stage in my life, I realize how unhealthy that life style was for me. I did sacrifice quite a bit financially, but now getting up each day with the goal of helping others through running and fitness is much more rewarding on so many different levels. The financial thing is coming around as well, which is nice too!


Today I was able to sleep in (5:45am)! First round was a three mile run at 6:30am with Debra and Kelly. Kelly was one of the original members of the running club at the gym. She had taken some time off and just returned to the group runs this week, so it has been great to be able to run with her again!


Round two was some running at the track outside the gym at 7:30am with two of my beginner runners. It has been neat watching them progress. Carolyn recently ran a local 5K and told me that during the race she could "hear my voice in her head" which I always take as a compliment!


Round three at 8:15am was a 5 mile run downtown with Jessica. Jessica has been running less than a year and has really embraced the run. She is training for a 10 miler and a half in the fall. We took it easy on the run today and enjoyed a much needed break form the high temps and humidity that has been hanging around NC the past several weeks.


  Round three was a 5 mile run downtown with Jessica. We took it easy and enjoyed the lower temps and humidity. I know it won't last!





I made it back home (after a brief stop at Starbucks) and recovered with a  smoothie.

6 oz. Almond Milk
1/2 Frozen banana
1 tsp Bulletproof MTC oil
1 tsp Maca Powder
1 scoop Vega Sport performance protein (chocolate)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth!

My afternoon will consist of laundry, (there's a shock)  other chores in and outside of the house and designing a training program. The training program is for the husband of a friend of mine at the gym, who is "surprising" her husband with a gift of me training him for his first 5K!

Tomorrow is 10 miles at 6am, then teaching spin class at 9am.

Happy Friday!!

Iron Mountain Training Weekend

I was in Damascus Virginia this past weekend to do a training run for the Iron Mountain Trail Race on 8/31. I drove up from NC on Friday, about a 4 hour trip. The weather was great for the drive up, but that would not be the case for the remainder of the weekend.
  I was camping at Beartree campground in the Mount Rogers National Recreation area, a beautiful spot tucked right off Hwy 58.

The only sunny picture!

 I arrived at camp around 3pm and setup. I was going very minimalist, just my one man tent, Coleman stove and sleeping bag. I had a bit of food and some coffee and that was pretty much it. After I had everything together, I found the small "Lum Trail" right from the campground that lead up to the Iron Mountain Trail. Conditions were already pretty muddy along the trails, and I had a quick run/hike up and back, about 2 miles in total.

When I got back to camp I had some vegetarian baked beans and smart dogs for dinner, read a little and called it a night. The training run was set for 9am the next morning and I knew I would need to be well rested!
   Around 11pm or so I awoke to the distinct sound of rain pitter pattering on the tent. Then it increased, and by 11:30pm it was a full downpour with thunder and lightning . I kept waiting for the tent to start taking on water, but it held up great and I kept nice and dry. I drifted back off to sleep once the the thunder storm passed. The rain however, continued throughout the night.

   I woke up around 7am, fired up the stove and put on some coffee. A quick breakfast of hummus and tortillas, and I was good to go. I drove into town and met up with the Iron Mountain Trail Runner folks.

Ready to roll!

   We set out, running the first several miles on the Virginia Creeper Trail. Barely a mile into the run, the skies opened up on us. We ran the next several miles in the pouring rain, making our way alongside Laurel Creek, which was now raging due to all of the rainfall.

Angry Water!

 We crossed over hwy 58, where we got off the Creeper trail and onto a short single track trail that would connect to the Iron Mountain Trail. The Iron Mountain Trail was part of the original Appalachian Trail until they re routed the Appalachian Trail through the Highlands. We had our first nice climb here, up the rock strew trail which was now nice and muddy with tiny streams of water flowing down it!

I was originally toying with the idea of doing the 30 mile training run, but after struggling a bit on the climbs and taking a nice fall, I opted for the 16 miler instead. Coming down was no picnic either, having to maintain a Zen like level of concentration in order to navigate the difficult terrain.

Trail Love!

I finally got off the single track, crossed back over Hwy 58 and onto the friendly surface of the Creeper Trail. By now the rain had passed, the sun was out and I was hot! It was a slow run back into town, but once I finished, I felt good. A few of us hung out at the park and munched out and re hydrated. We then headed into Abingdon to volunteer at our friend Jen's 10K race at 6pm, which was run along the Creeper trail as well.
  I finally got back to camp around 8pm, hung out and read a little, then went off to bed. Thankfully there were only a few sprinkles of rain overnight and I dropped into a long, sound sleep.

   I woke up at 7am, made coffee and headed down to the RV section of the campground. I was going to do a short hike/run on some trail that my friend Beth had told me about. The Shaw Gap trail head was right at the host campsite of the RV section. While the tent campground was busy, this section was practically deserted. I hike about a mile up the Shaw Gap Trail, then it connected with the Iron Mountain Trail. Just off of that, I picked up the Chestnut Ridge Trail and hiked out a few miles on that. There were wild blueberry bushes dotted alongside the trail, but the fruit was about a week away from being ready to harvest. I turned back around, and by the time I had reached the intersection of the Iron Mountain Trail, it had begun to rain. Again. I came upon two mountain bikers and we joked about getting out early to beat the rain. Yeah right. I splashed my way back through the mud of the Shaw Gap Trail and into the campground and back to the car. I put my water logged shoes in the trunk with the other pair of trashed shoes from the day before. ( I had brought a total of 4 pairs, used them all!)
  After a brief stop in town to grab some coffee, I began the trip home. I am happy to report not a single drop of rain fell on the way back home!

Wordless Wednesday - Dog Days of Summer