a couple that runs together...

a couple that runs together...

lives longer together

takes turns leading each other

and enjoys the view while following

has fun together

finds more time for each other

knows baby joggers are made out of lead
learns and appreciates each others strengths
loves each other despite the weaknesses

experiences new things together

learns how to share the road/trail with each other

climbs mountains together

learns to enjoy the journey together

becomes healthier together
are going in the same direction together

bare their 'soles' with each other
spends quality time side by side

goes further together
learn to be silly together

knows how to 'workout' things
are miles ahead of those that don't

gets more out of life

...and knows it doesn't matter how fast or slow they go, 
or what obstacles they find in their path, 
as long as they are heading in the same direction and making relentless forward progress... together

long may we run!

happy valentine's day love!

new blog

Welcome to the start of my running, sports, activities blog.  I started this mostly just for myself to serve as a training/racing log of sorts for me to be able to look back on.  If others can get anything from my words or thoughts then all the better.

All posts from around the Fourth of July (2011) and before were migrated from our family blog http://aswistakstory.blogspot.com and i'm planning to go back and fill in the blanks since July with some race reports and probably pictures/thoughts from other runs and experiences i've had.

... when I get off the couch of course

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}

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!

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/)

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/)

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