Before sitting down to lovely turkey dinner on Thursday the 24th, Amy Lane raced in the Feaster Five in North Andover, MA. This event draws an approximate 10,000 runners between the 5k and 5 mile race. Lane participated in the 5 mile race taking 2nd place in a time of 31:53. The first place female winner was none other than Joan Benoit Samuelson. Amy's shoe of choice, the f-lite 230. For more info on the Feaster Five: http://www.feasterfive.com/site12.aspx
Gary Gellin raced at the Quad Dipsea, and took a hard fought 2nd place. The first place finisher, Leor Pantilat crushed the course record in an incredible 3:48.
Alabama's DeWayne Satterfield took the big win at the Dizzy 40 Miler in Huntsville, AL. He finished in a time of 5:42:38. Satterfield wore the roclite 295's for the leaf covered rocky course.
And in other news... inov-8 athlete Peter Maksimow had an especially exciting Thanksgiving holiday. Maksimow tied the knot with his long time love, Nora. Congrats to Peter and Nora!!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Turkey Trot Results and MORE!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pitchell Challenge FKT Report
Pitchell Challenge
66 miles
15,500' ascent
14:08 (previous FKT of 15:06 - Adam Hill)
I’ve never attempted to run a solo long distance speed record effort where it is just me, the trail, and my watch. No entry fee, no fancy aid stations, no finishers medal, no awards ceremony, no race t-shirt, no course markings, and not many folks to urge and cheer you onward; basically stepping way outside my comfort zone. In other words not much of a carrot was dangling in front of me as I hiked in the windy, cold dark of the night up to the tower on top on Mt.Pisgah. Once I got to the top, I was there all alone, no spectators, no competitors, no starting gun. So my challenge began at midnight with no hooplah that I’ve been accustomed to at race starting lines. My journey from here would take me approximately 66 miles with over 15k of climb along the Mountains-To-Sea Trail to the Mt. Mitchell observation deck.
This challenge was conjured up by WNC trailrunner, Adam Hill some 7 years ago and he has finished it an amazing 4 times with the fastest time of 15:06, so the bar was set very high. Admittedly I’ve run very few miles in the dark, as I have purposely cherry picked many ultra races to avoid the discomfort of certain stresses and running in the dark has been one of them. I would now be spending the next 7 hours running in the dark, down the Shut In section of the MST and onward until daylight beckoned. Starting at midnight, in the dark on top of Mt. Pisgah all by yourself is a very surreal experience. I had my “A crew” (wife, Anne) waiting down below in the car as she decided the comfort of the car was too much to pass up.
I wasted little time once I got to the observation deck. I checked out the amazing 360 degree views, bright stars and let out a howl and I started on my journey. Anne said she could see my headlamps on the summit (yes, I wore three lights- one on my head and two around my waist). I wonder if anybody else saw these lights bobbing their way down the trail, if so it probably made for some interesting discussion. The first few miles I settled into a nice rhythm and managed to run most of the time. Anne was there to greet me at our pre-arranged pit stops with my much needed fresh energy supplies throughout the night. After a couple hours I soon realized that running in the dark was not so bad. I started to forget about all my fears of not being able to run fast enough and all the scary creatures lurking in the night. Actually running in the dark forces you to keep a slower more consistent and deliberate pace, which is needed to control the temptation to start out too fast, something I’ve done more times than I care to remember. The only scary encounter that night was hurdling someone sleeping in a sleeping bag right in the middle of the trail at 2am. He was much more startled than I was as he never heard me coming. I guess he thought I was a bear looking for a late night snack.
The first few hours passed rather quickly and I was soon approaching the Biltmore section of the MST/BRP crossing. As Anne handed me fresh supplies she told me she had a “run in” with a park ranger. He had asked what she was doing parked along the side of the BRP at 3am. The ranger was not at all interested in Anne’s explanation of why she was there. However the ranger eventually went on his way but warned her of all the dangerous shenanigans that occur at night and made it a point to say it was really dangerous for a lady to be out this late.
I made it to the Folk Art Center around 6am and still had another hour to run in the dark. I knew the easier first half of the challenge was over and that I still had a good 9k of climb to get to Mt.Mitchell. I felt pretty good on the first climb up to Craven Gap but the long section from Ox Creek to Bee Tree Gap was where things got really ugly. I started to unravel quickly as my stomach which is usually never an issue for me started to not cooperate. I could not eat or drink very much. It did not take long for the dreaded bonk to hit me as I was not getting enough calories in my body. Just before Lane Pinnacle I was ready to call it a day, I was reduced to a slow hike and I had absolutely no energy. I was falling while walking uphill, a first for me and my mental state was in shambles. This all happened so quickly and I was concerned that Anne would start worrying, as I slowed quite a bit. My mental state was in shambles and I knew I had to try something to at least get me to my crew. This is where I had visions of dropping, going home and salvaging the day in front of a nice warm fire. As good as this sounded I knew I had to try something, so I chocked down a double caffeine gel and took two S-caps. Within a few minutes I started to feel a little better and my mood began to brighten. I finally got to Anne, refueled and she urged my onward. I was still somewhat debating whether I could finish this monstrosity of a run as I had almost 18 miles left. Thankfully I took her advice to continue onward. I mumbled some choice words to myself and stumbled up the trail to Craggy Gardens.
Some fifteen minutes or so later the MST trail became much tougher to follow. Partly because the blazes were not as good and partly because I had just run almost 50 miles, so my sense of direction was not all there. I quickly lost the trail and was wandering around looking for that damn white blaze which is the marking for the MST trail. Every tree looked like they had a white dot and I felt like I was in some sort of horror movie. I eventually found the trail after bushwhacking all over the side of the mountain. I was ready to hang it up for the second time. I was in a state of panic and I was letting my negativity get the best of me. I’ve had highs and lows in ultra races before but this was on a different level. I was actually so mad at the situation that I unknowingly started to run pretty fast, relatively speaking. I was on a mission now. I’m going to finish this challenge no matter how long it takes me.
Just after getting past my second attempt at wanting to quit, Anne got her second run in with the park rangers. As I made my way down the trail into the Glassmine Falls Overlook, I saw two police cars surrounding Anne in our Subaru. I understood little at the time but I found out later that our dog Sadie was eating out of her bowl beside our car without a leash. The two rangers gave her quite a hard time and eventually wrote her a warning ticket. I quickly grabbed my fuel and got out of there not wanting to get involved especially the way I was feeling. She pleaded with the rangers to hurry up and write the ticket so she could keep crewing for me. Once again the explanation that I was running from Mt Pisgah to Mt Mitchell was met with looks of “should we just lock her up”?
The last few miles were extremely tough due to all the climbing but as I got closer to my finish I became even more driven. I was running and power hiking in almost a euphoric state. As I got closer to Mt.Mitchell I was running more and hiking less. The last mile is straight up and I was giving every ounce of energy I had left. My back ached from all the steep climbs, my legs burned from the overload of lactic acid, and my face was contorted into a very painful dead looking stare. I felt relieved that the end was nearing but the steepness of the trail was warranting all my attention. Once the tower was in sight just a few hundred feet ahead it felt like I was about to win some big ultra race but this was even more rewarding. The tourists walking to and from the tower looked at me like some alien just popped out the woods. I did not care at all as this felt like my own personal Olympics.
The moment I reached the observation deck it felt so good and I was proud of myself for not giving up. This challenge for me was so much more rewarding than a structured running event. This sixty six mile trek was about running for a different reason. It was a personal challenge on an entirely different level. It was a much less selfish running experience. I found out that I didn’t need that racing event carrot to test myself. All I needed was for my friend Adam Hill to decide back in 2004 that this was a worthy challenge. And so it was!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Weekend Results: Nov. 12th and 13th
The Pikes Peak Fall Series should be re-labeled to the inov-8 Fall Series. Alex Nichols and Peter Maksimow went 1-2 respectively in the final race of the PPRR Fall Series. This 7.6 mile race was contested at Palmer Park which is full of up/downs, not to mention the tricky footing. Both Nichols and Maksimow wore their trusted x-talon 190s.
Out East, Chris Reed was dominating in Bethlehem, PA. Reed won the South Mountain 10 Miler in a time of 1:02:22. His shoe of choice was the f-lite 230 which has a 6mm drop from heel to toe, is 230 grams, and presents a comfortable performance fit.
Way to represent guys!!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Marathon Training
With 3 weeks to go before my first attempt at the marathon, I wanted to make sure to get mentally focused & get my body ready for the task at hand. I trained hard but made sure to get plenty of rest & relaxation after the efforts. I have learned a lot from my training partner, Olive. She is a sub 4:50 miler & sub 60 minute ten miler. With 4 legs that are only 8 inches long, she is no joke. She is so excited to run & lives each moment to the fullest. She gives 110% effort with a smile on her face then posts up in the most comfortable bed to get her beauty rest & to be fully recovered for her next effort. She ran the easy runs with me & kept me motivated.
get the effort in & finish in 23:32.
Upon returning to the trails in Asheville, I got in my longest long run ever! I ran 3:14 in Bent Creek Experimental forest on fireroads & single track trails. Again, the Roclite 268s served me well. I finished the run strong & felt like I could have ran on forever. I downed my recovery drink, hit an ice bath & made myself a post run recovery meal of fresh pasta & venison. (Thanks to my Dad & stepmom for providing me a freezer full of venison!)
I'm 3 weeks away from my first marathon experience. Anything can happen but I feel like I am as ready as I can be.Friday, November 11, 2011
Low Key Hillclimb - Mix Canyon Road race report
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Ben Nephew: New England Trail Reports
Gertrude’s Nose 10/16/11
This is another loop in the Gunks Trails Challenge around New Paltz, NY. I was in town for a birthday party, and managed to meet up with a teammate, Jason Friedman, to run one of the longer loops in the Challenge. The run was 15 miles with about 3k of climb and plenty of difficult technical sections. The weather was perfect, and I’m sure any trail in the Shawangunks would have nice, but Gertrude’s Nose was spectacular. It is regarded as the best singletrack loop in the GTC, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. In one run, you get plenty of challenging singletrack, short steep hills, long gradual hills, perfectly groomed carriage roads, and a ridiculous amount of exposed ridge running for such a low, short run. The Gertrude’s Nose trail itself is the centerpiece of the run, with clear views out towards other great trails in the area, including Escarpment, Devil’s Path, and Slide Mountain.
It would have been a great run with just those few miles, but you then connect to the Millbrook Ridge, which I have run before and was formerly my favorite trail in the area. Jason is not a big fan of the slow singletrack that makes up most of the route, so I appreciated him agreeing to run this particular loop. We had a major navigational challenge at one spot where there were two bridges and other major damage from all the flooding that they have had this year, and I probably would have turned around if I had been running solo. If you have only have time to do one run in the Gunks, do this one. In New England, hiking trails often have good viewing spots marked by stars on maps. If you put stars at every notable view on this loop, many sections would be entirely covered by stars! It took us over 2:40 to complete the run when you subtract the detour due to the washed out bridges, so it’s not the quickest 15 mile trail run. My Terrafly’s were great on all the exposed rock, small streams, and rooty sections. They provide a nice stable base to push off no matter how rough the trails were, and feel like a great road shoe on carriage road.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/122289908
10/22/11 http://www.thetrustees.org/assets/documents/places-to-visit/trailmaps/Tully-Trail-Map.pdf Royalston MA
This is a loop that is new to me, and I had been trying to find time to get out there for a run all summer. I didn’t actually completely the official loop due to fading light, but the hiking trail is 22 miles with probably about 4k of climb. Most of the trail is easy to follow, but there are a few sections that are not obvious at all, or confusing, and I spent some time searching for the trail. Once again, it was a perfect cool and dry fall day. My navigational issues starting immediately, as I wanted to run clockwise but could not find the start of the singletrack in that direction. So I ran towards Tully Lake and up along the Tully River and very runnable mountain bike trails. The steep climb up to Spirit Falls was a lot of fun, but the following section along the power lines was one of the spots I went off trail. Once I got back on track I made good time to Royalston Falls, where I again took a detour. The trails around the falls are scenic but slow going as you constantly wind through the trees.
Once you cross route 32, the trail becomes primitive until you reach Bliss Hill Road. The next few miles are on old logging roads which I covered at low 6 minute pace; the Terrafly’s were especially good on this section. The climb up Bliss Hill was runnable, but I did lose the trail a few times due to the fact that it was getting dark. I knew I wasn’t going to have time to cover the entire loop at this point, but I wanted to get as far as I could before bailing out onto the roads. Things got a bit stressful trying to follow a primitive trail in a region I had never run in. The smart thing to do would have been to stick to the roads after Bliss Hill, but I thought I had just enough light to cover the Butterworth Ridge section. This is another densely forested section, and almost spent the night in those woods. It was pretty dark by the time I reached Butterworth road, and I have never been so happy to see a road in my life. Although I am not a fan of road running, all the road sections on this loop are great. Nice, quiet country roads that offer a nice break from route finding and allow you to stretch your legs.
It was hard skipping the last few miles of trails, but it was completely dark by the time I ran the shorter route around Tully Mountain on the roads and got back to my car. After running it once and figuring out the difficult sections, I think it would be a relatively fast run the second time around. Some of the technical sections are always going to be slow, but there are plenty of flat and fast miles as well. The waterfalls, consistent solitude, and several miles of streamside running make it a unique run, and I’m sure I missed some nice views trying to run it in the dark!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/123574585
~9 mile loop around Whitehall Reservoir
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/print/WhitehallMap.pdf
For those who live in eastern Massachusetts, this is a must-do run. I’ve been driving by this park for years without realizing that there was a trail around the Whitehall Reservoir, which is basically the entire park. I can easily say it is one of the nicest singletrack loops I have run. It is almost 100% winding singletrack right along the shore on a bed of soft pine needles. There are only a few short sections where you don’t have some sort of view of the water. The constantly rolling terrain make it perfect for a trail tempo run, and all the turns ensure that you have to be proficient at changing gears. I prefer to run the loop clockwise from the main parking lot to put the most runnable miles at the end. You could probably add on another 1-2 miles with some of peripheral trails, and an added bonus is that you can easily connect with Upton State Park. I’m working on mapping out a 20-22 mile single loop that includes both parks. While this is not that difficult to do in many states, most of the parks in New England are too small to run loops of this size.
Whitehall loop waterfront
Weekend Results: Nov. 5th and 6th
Peter Maksimow was back in action this past weekend at the Canya Canyon 6k, located in Cheyenne Canyon, CO. The race took place on the lower, mid, and upper Columbine Trails. The majority of the race is run uphill, which includes some short steeps and long grinds. Maksimow was the first competitor to ever run the course in under 30 minutes. Therefore, not only did Peter win, he also created a new course record. More details from the race can be found here: http://www.outtherecolorado.com/201111068267/Running/Maksimow-sets-course-record-at-Canya-Canyon-6K.html
Kelly Bird also had a successful weekend in Oregon. Bird raced at the Autumn Leaves 50 Mile and achieved a Western States qualifier entry! She took 7th place in a time of 9 hours and 15 minutes. Congrats on the qualifier Kelly!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Mountain Masochist 50
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Weekend Results: Oct. 26th and 27th
Mark Lundblad had a great performance at the Chicago Lakefront 50 Mile Ultra race on the 29th. Mark placed second overall in a time of 5:48:49. "I wore the road-x 255's and they performed awesome,"stated Lundblad. Mark has been a member of the inov-8 team for multiple years, and always brings home tremendous results. Great job Mark!
