Off The Couch Guy: 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

App Trail Exploring Via Grayson Highlands

2 eager hikers.

1 great {26 lb.} sport.

4.5 miles.

$2,000 + of camera equipment.

Hundreds of pictures.

The best family day ever.

Pine Mountain Summit (we think)
{near Mt. Rogers, VA with NC in the background}

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Mount Jefferson Challenge 2011

BACKGROUND:
My in-laws moved from Blowing Rock to a small mountain town named West Jefferson. The first time I saw the house I looked up past it... they live at the base of Mount Jefferson (elev. 4,683') and I knew right away I would like this place. Surely there were trails to run and elevation to gobble up! I was a little sad to learn there was no trail actually up the mountain and you 'had to' drive to the top. There are trails at the top but not much to really run on although having them in close proximity would be nice as a future fun run.

Mt. Jefferson as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway
Image courtesy of Google Earth

Mount Jefferson is unique in that it stands separate from its Blue Ridge brothers & sisters. Ever since they bought the cabin I thought of running to the top of this lone peak (even if it meant running on dreaded roads). Enter the Mount Jefferson Challenge... or 'The MOJE' (pronounced 'Mo Jay' as they call it on the event website). A race was just started one year prior that starts a half mile from the cabin and runs the 3.6 miles to the summit (1,500' of gain) then turns around and flies back down the hill. Of course I had to look into this race and give it a go.

The only reservation I had of racing about one month after a 39mi ultra run (Woods Ferry) were put to rest the week after Woods Ferry when I ran a truncated preview run starting at the cabin (~.75mi into the course) the week after the ultra. I had no plans really and wasn't sure how my knees would hold up so I told Ashley I could be back after maybe 20-30 minutes or I could be gone for a while. I was gone for a while and ran to the false summit (where the road ends) and on to the real summit including the trails that take you to the top and tour around the peak/ridgeline and back down. I was gassed on the way up so I mixed in a lot of walking to be safe. Within the first half mile I would run two minutes then walk two and repeat for a while but eventually was running more as I went on and walking the steeper portions. I ran the whole way down and other than my quads screaming, and expected muscle soreness from my prior weekend, I was fine. Much better than an attempt to run down (i hitched a ride to the top to run the trails) last Thanksgiving (2010) where I started having severe (left) knee pain and had to walk, stop and sit, walk, stop and sit the whole miserable way down.

Looking down Mt. Jefferson's curvy roads (in the Spring?)
Photo courtesy of MOJE FB page

With this successful preview run I estimated that if I pushed it more uphill I could possibly finish around, and even possibly under, one hour since it would have been around 1:12 at my pace that day. I did have a few races planned each weekend after this (Homecoming 5k & Zombie Challenge) but these were fun and I wasn't really training for them (or Mt Jefferson for that matter) so these were of little concern.

MOJE Elevation Profile (with grade)... pretty straight forward!

THE RACE:

~.5mi in and calves already burning

7.2 total miles = 3.6 up + 3.6 down
Ascent/Descent = 1,526 feet (each way)
Grade = 5 - 16%
100% paved roads

Whats not to love with a race like this, other than the 'paved roads' portion? Unfortunately I started feeling sick the day before the race (head cold with sore throat and some stomach issues) but decided to run anyway. I didn't have much of a voice and with a really sore throat the morning of the race I left the cabin with the usual colder weather running gear but included a few cough drops for my race shorts pockets. I ran into a runner named Jen (also from CLT) and got in a brief w/u (<1mi) and after chatting and hearing her plans I thought maybe we could run together (she's a speedster and it would be great if I could hang with her).

What goes up... The race starts and I find myself sucked into the front group yet sitting somewhere around 5th and all too soon fighting for breath. I Started walking just after I passed the cabin where the course starts to get steep and knew this would be a tough one. I continued to run/walk my way up the mountain and apologize to runners I was playing leap frog with because I've read race reports of peoples frustration with 'Gallowalking' but I was moving. Around mile 2 I puked and felt a little better but now my throat really burned and each breath seared as it came in, and breathing through my nose wasn't an option since I was stuffed up. After I collected myself I was able to stay just in front of 5th and trading spots (depending on walk breaks) between 3rd and 4th until the summit turn at 33:27.

Must come down... Amazingly, sub 60 looked well within reach as long as I could hold on and not have any knee issues, puking stops, etc. I really was running for time despite finding myself in 3rd (about 40 seconds up on 4th and 5th running together) and I wanted to do what I could to still break 60. Luckily the downhill run was rather uneventful (other than dry heaving a few times) and I found myself somewhat in no mans land with the runner in front a few minutes up and the runners behind nowhere to be seen.

My #1 fan (or maybe tied for #1 w/ Ashley)

I finished 3rd overall in 53:32 (33:27 up & 20:05 down) with the leaders close to each other around 4.5 minutes up on me and 4th and 5th close together and almost exactly 1 minute back. Even without the circumstances this was a lot better than I could have hoped. It was great finishing to a cheering Ashley and shouting Alekzander to give me sweaty hugs at the finish! Jen came in as the first female and 6th place overall (58:14)! It was a great day for CRC (Charlotte Running Club) as the only two members probably within a hundred miles both placed at this event! We both won large Christmas Wreaths from the award winning West End Wreaths and cheezed for a picture we hoped would make the CRC Newsletter.

Other than the sickness this was a fun race and I consider myself very Blessed to be able to run an event like this and finish. It was great to look up to the mountain from the finish and think 'I just ran up that'. I don't know if doing this race again would be testing my luck with my knees but I do feel like I may have unfinished business with this course that I may have to settle someday. I know this race will only grow bigger and I was gaped by 1st and 2nd enough that I have zero delusions that my finish position would have been better but it may be 'fun' to see how much faster I can run this. Time will tell but with the ability to run this course on my own anytime I visit the in-laws I won't necessarily make it a priority to put the actual race on my calendar again. I will, however, try and tell as many friends as possible about it in hopes that they can come up and experience this roller coaster of a race... I just hope their ride is only from the up then down of the mountain and not the other ups and (mostly) downs I had to deal with.

RESULTS

Cruising into the finish

Go Team CRC! Jen finished 1st female and I was 3rd OA
That is not Mt Jefferson in the background... it was MUCH larger!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Bunker Hill Monument on Breed's Hill

Only have a few minutes to view a historic monument
that you've wanted to see for a long time?
No problem if you are a runner. This is one of the things I like about running...
it provides opportunities (albeit sometimes small)
and opens doors that might normally not be there.
For me that was an opportunity to check out Bunker Hill and go to the top
of the monument while Ashley waiting in the car with a sleeping Alekzander.

Up-close views of the Bunker Hill

& Col. William Prescott monuments

on Breed's Hill

{Did you know that the famous Bunker Hill battle and

"Don't shoot until you see the white's of the enemies' eyes" tactic

actually took place on Breed's Hill NOT Bunker Hill?}

Breathtaking (for more reasons than one) view of Boston
from the top of the monument which was opened to the public
specifically and exclusively for/during Harbor Fest

{Did you know you can reach the top in just over 2 minutes?
I climbed/ran all 294 steps and felt every one but the experience/views were worth it}

Ashley's view of Breed's Hill

{Alekzander fell asleep during the 3 minute drive up and over
two blocks from our secret parking spot on a Charlestown street
and Ashley was content with this view which gave
me the opportunity to get a little stair workout in}

(Originally posted @ http://aswistakstory.blogspot.com/)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Shelton Vineyards 10k

A grownup field trip lead us to Dobson, NC bright and early yesterday morning. We were on official business: run 6.2 miles on the roads surrounding Shelton Vineyards, then explore the grounds, and taste some wine. We were quite successful on all accounts. Andrew finished in the top 10 overall and was first in his age group; I ran faster than I trained during any of my 115 training miles and finished under one hour. The winery was beautiful, and the wine was poured generously and drank graciously.

(Originally posted by Ashley @ http://aswistakstory.blogspot.com/)

Monday, March 28, 2011

1 percent at 100 percent

This past weekend I ran 1% at 100%. How?! I was 1% of the Charlotte Running Club's (CRC) World Record 100 x 5k relay and I ran as hard as I could for my 12.5 laps.

Visit my background story to see what it meant for me to be a part of this relay.

My 'adult PR' before the sign-up for this run was 19:40 and run on a perfectly flat course at Lowe's Motor Speedway a year earlier in March. And while training for an ultra in the fall, I logged a 20:54 on a hilly local 5k course. When it came time to register to see if I could be chosen for this relay, I had to guess that 19:59 would be my best given the circumstances (running solo, on a track, in any weather, on very few base miles in training). I was barely selected and had a few months to prepare to run my best and shoot for a PR. As one of the slowest times accepted onto the relay, I knew I had to train and not just barely break 20 minutes, but do some damage to my PR and run a great race.

Not feeling fully prepared, I ran a couple 'tune up' races (Cupid's Cup & YoungLife 5k at the Speedway) and clocked 19:06 at both. A big improvement, but I heard the Cupid's Cup course may have been short (and the final 1.5mi was downhill) and the YoungLife 5k was on a flat track with other runners around in ideal conditions. I adjusted some of my racing goals, let Ben Hovis (CRC Competition Director) know he could lower my estimate from 19:59 (he picked 19:15), and eventually I decided to shoot for 6 minute 1600 pace (~18:45 5k) and see if I could hang on for the full distance.

I arrived at the track well before my estimated start time around 1:40am and made a feeble attempt to 'warm up' in a cold relentless rain that had plagued our relay almost from the start. Just before hopping on the track, I let Paul Mainwaring know that I was hoping to hit 90 second laps, but that it would be an aggressive goal. I was fine with slipping to as much as 12:08 at the 3200 mark which would still give me a shot at breaking 19 minutes.

I grabbed the baton and was off... 80 seconds... DOH! I finally settled into my pace, and I hate to admit that the remaining 11.5 laps were a bit of a blur. It was still cold, but the rain had let up, and I was moving pretty well. Days before the relay when I saw the impending bad weather, I said numerous prayers that God look after our little relay, and if rain needed to fall, that it all could fall on me during my leg of the run. Better 1 runner than all 100 right? Well God has his ways, and that included giving me a mostly rain free ring around the rosie.

There weren't many people there at 2am, but those that were there (maybe 10 total?) provided much needed support as I looped past again and again and again. Going into this, I wanted to run this race for my 16 month old son (Alekzander)... for my wife (Ashley)... and for those who don't have the ability to walk, let alone run a 5k. Thinking back, I feel a little selfish as the only thing constantly running through my mind was a childhood me. I was on the track running this 5k, but it was me as a little kid. I could see my little smiling face as he/I looped around the track lap after joyful lap. I heard Paul calling splits, but the numbers didn't mean much and barely made sense. I was wearing my Garmin GPS watch, but I don't know that I even looked down at the pace. The only time I was brought back was hearing people cheer as I passed by and hearing Paul tell me I was on pace after he would call out the unrecognizable numbers that were supposed to be my splits.

I snapped out of it as the baton left my hand to the next runner and tried my best to hide my joy that had overwhelmed me. I had to silence the little tow-headed kid within to keep from being embarrassed, among such seasoned runners, about how happy I was to have participated in the relay. For me, I made it more about my new 'adult PR' of 18:49 and started doing calculations on splits, pace (6:03/mi), and the overall group's estimated finish time. I made it about these adult things that young Andrew wouldn't have cared about... mainly to silence him for a bit. Writing these blogs has brought it back out, and I have to apologize for stifling the kid that carried me for 12.5 laps. I couldn't have done it without him.

CRC 100 x 5k Relay Results - 30:56:49 (avg mile 5:55, avg 5k - 18:23)
Previous 100 x 5k World Record - 37:12:53

Leg #65 (me) - 18:49 (avg mile 6:03) - PR by 17 seconds and 1:10 faster than initial projected time!

Lap1 - 80.4
Lap2 - 88.1    800 - 2:48.5
Lap3 - 91.3
Lap4 - 91.9    800 - 3:03.2     1600 - 5:51.7
Lap5 - 92.3
Lap6 - 93       800 - 3:05.3
Lap7 - 93.4
Lap8 - 93.6    800 - 3:07        1600 - 6:12.3     3200 - 12:04
Lap9 - 92.5
Lap10 - 91.6    800 - 3:04.1
Lap11 - 90.8
Lap12 - 89.5    800 - 3:00.3    1600 - 6:04.4
1/2Lap- 41   (final 400 - 85.7, final 800 - 2:55.2, final 1600 - 5:59.3)

As you can see from the splits, I definitely think I left something out there if I was able to dig deep enough to increase my speed that much at the end... or maybe I just drifted off into my childhood a bit too much in the middle portion. Either way, I'm very happy with my individual result and of course couldn't be happier about the overall result from the other 99% of the relay!

Charlotte Observer after breaking record

Guinness Book of World Records!

As a kid, one of my favorite books in the elementary school library was The Guinness Book of World Records. I would look at the pictures of bizarre people with their amazing and often very odd 'talents'. This was before the Internet, so where else could you learn about the tallest man in the world, the longest fingernails, fattest cat, and most jumps on a trampoline while juggling chainsaws continuously for 1 hour? It was also always impressive to look at the records for running/sprinting and see the limits of the human body and what it is capable of.

Throughout the years, I would revisit this book and often think about how cool it would be to break a world record and possibly be in the book. The funny thing is, I never thought of doing it as a runner. As much as running had become a huge part of my life, it never crossed my mind that the two could ever be put together. The thought of making the book was always coupled with some outlandish plan to be the first to execute a pogo stick backflip over a moving car, solve a rubics cube underwater, or something crazy along those lines.

The dreams start to fade as you realize that you can't solve a rubics cube without removing the stickers and you've never really been on a pogo stick. I did try and use a basketball as a pogo ball once in an attempt to see if a record would be possible by bouncing on it for a certain number of times. This ended badly. I barely got what could be considered a bounce when my face decided it was going to be the first body part to catch my fall on the concrete sidewalk. Luckily it wasn't videoed and YouTube wouldn't exist for another 10 years.

Fast forward to adult Andrew. I work for a small school. We have a small library. In this library we have 2 copies of The Guinness Book, and they are worn out terribly. These 2 books get checked out more than just about any other book and show the wear and tear from countless hours of little eyes pouring through their pages in awe and wonder. It makes me happy to think that even with the vast expanses of the Internet, these kids still turn to the pages of this book. I have to admit that when I've seen it in the return book pile, I've pulled it out to thumb through the pages myself. A lot of the records have changed and there are many records that didn't exist in the old 1980's copy but the feelings are still there. 'Cool'... 'Awesome'... 'Wow'... and that's just looking at the updated cover.

Fast forward to this past weekend, and I found myself lacing up my racing flats (an old pair of Asics from HS/College days) and toeing the line to be part of a Guinness World Record... no pogo stick, rubics cube, scary long fingernails, or chainsaws... I would be running!

The Charlotte Running Club (CRC) caught wind of a club in Florida setting the Guinness World Record for a 100 x 5k relay and decided Charlotte could give it a go. The club solicited members and runners from the Charlotte area to submit their 5k PR (within the past few years) and what time you estimate for running a 5k run alone on a track at any hour of the day (the relay is planned to last well over 24 hours). I didn't want to admit how excited I was about the possibility of being picked for the relay but if you read above... this would be my chance to fulfill a childhood dream. Needless to say, I was excited to get selected and found my projected time (19:59) barely made the cut (I think I was third from slowest) and my 'adult' PR of 19:40 (run on a completely flat Nascar track) didn't put me up the list much further. Ego and laughing comments about being the 'slowest' of the 'fast kids' aside... I had made the cut and was picked!

The Florida club had laid down the record of 37+ hours (avg 5k time ~22:30) and CRC had assembled a list of 5k assassins ready to average 17:45! Even with my slowness bringing down the average, we were estimated to not just beat the record but to destroy it.

I ran my leg of the 5k as runner #65 around 2am and managed to crush my 'adult PR' with a 18:49 on a track... alone... in less than ideal conditions (rainy, cold, windy and did I mention on a track?!).

For details on my 5k portion you can check out my 'race' post... WARNING: Blog post probably contains more detail than you could ever care about (including 400m chip timed splits over the entire 5k).

Our first runner started Saturday morning just after 6am and the final runner finished mid day on Sunday... we demolished the previous record (by over 6 hours)! 100 runners ran back to back at all hours and conditions (mostly cold and rainy) for 30 hours 56 minutes 49 seconds and averaged a 5:58 mile pace over the entire 311 miles (18:23 average 5k)

For group records like this, my name will probably never grace the pages of The Guinness Book of World Records, and CRC will be lucky to have a picture make it to print. For me, it doesn't take away from the fact that I was part of a World Record.

I could feel/see childhood Andrew smile a lot during my 5k and it only grew after the record was broken. Official results have been posted and paperwork, pictures, videos, and everything else is getting shipped off to Guinness as we play the waiting game for the record to be made official. For all intents and purposes though... We did it! And we didn't even need any rubics cubes or pogo sticks.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Edible Celebrations

{Personal Record + World Record = Rock Star}

Not every girl has a husband who will be in the Guinness Book of World Records!

This weekend, Andrew was part of a team of 100 runners

which completed 100 5K's on a local track in less than 31 hours.

{The previous record, in sunny Florida, was over 37 hours.}

Of the 100 legs of the relay, 200 feet ran 311 miles in 30 hours and 56 minutes.

Most of them ran through the miserable, cold rain as well!

What {amazing, fast, inspiring} rock stars!

(Originally posted by Ashley @ http://aswistakstory.blogspot.com/)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sticker Trail

In first grade, I was "teacher's pet" {surprise, surprise}. One of my best friends was the class troublemaker who got his name on the board everyday. My mom sent me to school with a pack of good-smelling smiley face stickers that I used to bribe my friend into behaving. It seemed intuitive to me ... do well, and you will be rewarded. Don't get your name on the board, and you will get a sticker. I think I remember this sticker initiative working for a while. When the stickers weren't doing it anymore, we upped the ante to pencil erasers and candy.

Fast forward 23 years and I now have eleven middle schoolers {some who were born when I was a freshman in college!} vying for stickers to fill up a CD donning their name to prove that they're "rock star" students. A sticky celebration of good grades, hard work, goals met, extraordinary organization, or on-the-ball preparation. Earn ten stickers and get a sweet treat or a Dollar Spot/Target special prize. Cheesy? Perhaps. Effective? Absolutely.

Six year olds, pre-teens, and soon-to-be 29 year olds ... motivated by stickers?! I will admit, in a pursuit to train for and run a 10K road race, I am earning stickers (and a generous $1) for each mile I run. In my 4 weeks of training, I have earned $36 ... and 36 stickers. Andrew started this incentive for me and it makes me smile. BIG. Last night I came home to a course map drawn out on a poster board with landmarks flagged with stickers. Cows, horses, trees, and giant fish stickers to represent farms, forests, and ponds along the course in Wine Country. I got to satisfactorily place my 36 stickers along the course before I went to bed. When I woke up this morning, the poster was decorated even more with Bible verses and additional landmark stickers. My loving coach might want to reconsider his career in IT and become an elementary school teacher. He also might earn a few stickers for good behavior and creativity!