R2BM - Poor strategy . . . I never had a chance!

2010 Ridge to Bridge Marathon pictures.

Laura MacLean's Pictures

I thought I had this one figured out!

The Ridge to Bridge Marathon is a down-hill run ... probably 95%!  Amazing!  My strategy was really quite simple.  As I posted it on Facebook:

I've got a strategy for RtoB tomorrow ... when the downhill starts at 7 or so, I'm going to 'ball up' and just roll down the hill to mile 14. Then, get up and run it in!! 2,700 foot net decline start to finish!

Marcia . . . before she left me!!

Well . . . I was perfect going into mile 6 or so.  Didn't even take too many pictures as I was focused on what was to come.  Enjoyed running several miles with Marcia Godwin, a fellow MTCer and certified nice lady!  Also met a nice young couple from Asheville running their first marathon.








After 6 miles on rolling pavement, we finally hit the dirt, downhill road off Jonas Ridge.  The grade was just about what I was expecting.  But before I went into 'strategy implementation' I needed to take care of a little business.

My only suggestion for this event is MORE FRICKIN' TOILETS at the start!  Think there were 4-5 porti-johns to be shared by 400 people who had just finished a bus ride to the mountain top and had 20 minutes till the race started!

Given the lines I opted to handle the simple #1 problem behind a bush . . . but the #2 problem needed to wait for the 'proper' place.  Was hoping that would be in the first mile . . . but it actually needed to wait until about mile 7!  By the 4th mile folks were asking me if I was okay and why did I look so funny when I ran!







Long story short, I finally found a 'nice' spot for an off-road adventure.  Damn those hills are steep!  While relief was sweet, I couldn't savor the moment!  I had some significant time to make up!

But I had my strategy . . .

OK, it was stupid.  Of course the road was curvy!  'Balling up and rolling' was just not going to work for me!  So I just had to run!

Truth be known, I thought this marathon was going to be easy.  Virtually all down hill!  How hard can it be??  I'll never make this mistake again.  A marathon is hard.  Any marathon is hard!  Every marathon is hard!!!!  Remember that, fool!!

On the race website, David Lee (the RD) gives some simple, time-tested suggestions for success:  During the steeper, upper sections of the downhill, run conservatively.  Don't go all out!  Wait until the road levels out some and then pick up the pace ... maybe starting at mile 16 or so.

I was going to follow David's advice originally, but after my extended visit to the 'Jonas Ridge Comfort Station and Powder Room' I needed to make up some serious time!  I was thinking of David's suggestions as I was flying down the steep, upper section.  And it felt so easy!  I hit the 13.1 mile point in 2 hours and 27 minutes!  Maybe a 5 hour run today?  No .. it would flatten out at the bottom so it would probably take a little longer . . . maybe a 5:10 or so.  Silly me!!  Maybe that new, pumpkin-spice flavored GU has a little something extra in it to make you delusional!

The road was spectacular and I had totally enjoyed running down this mountain, past a bunch of my favorite trout fishing spots like Lost Cove Creek!  And we ran by Mortimer where Michael and I camped on his very first trout fishing trip!  Leaves were probably 1 week + past peak, but still very enjoyable.

About mile 15 I was thinking again about David's suggestions.  How did he know??  I needed to slow it down or I was going to totally 'bonk' at 20.  This was not going to be good!  My quads were definitely barking . . . no . . . they were howling at me.

I tried to revert to my normal 3/1 interval and this worked for awhile.  But by mile 18 I changed to a 2/1.  And in just a little while, I just shut the watch off!  I would run when I could and walk when I had to!  I wasn't cramping . . . just tired.  Jonas Ridge had gotten it's revenge!!  For the record, I thought this course was a little easier then a normal marathon, but not MUCH easier!

Miles clicked off slowly and I almost had to worry about the 6 hour race cutoff.  Finally I came to the Brown Mountain Beach Resort and the finish line on the right.  Of course, David Lee had one final little kick in the butt for us.  The course went past the finish line about 1/4 mile, turned into the resort and then made a long circle back to the finish.  Nice!!

The 'Welcoming Crew!'

Turning into the Resort I saw Laura MacLean there at the turn cheering all us 'back of the packers' ... camera in hand!












I turned in and made the circle and Laura went to the finish line to get my picture.

Laura and Daniel

After the finish, I saw Daniel Lieb who had just set a PR!  Lot's of food and drinks at the finish, including  BBQ and pizza!!  And even 'Throwback Mountain Dew!' ... runners jet fuel!  Sweet!  (no pun intended!)  An amazing number of folks were just hanging around, obviously having fun talking with everyone and sharing experiences!

Jean Evansmore

Moma Jean came in a little later with the usual smile on her face and a third place finish in her age group.  Laura said she sort of crashed at about mile 23 I believe, but true to form, she still managed to get 2nd place in her age group!

Me . . . will . . . I finished!  And I was smiling!

Medoc Trail Races - Done

It is a labor of love!

But there is a lot of labor involved.  Thank goodness there are four of us that share the load:  Ron Fleming, Scott Wingfield and Michael Forrester.  Each of us has our own parts that we are primarily responsible for but we all just share the decision-making so well.  Together we are so much better then we are individually.

And the real magic comes from all the people who volunteer their day to make a runner's day wonderful.  Their spirit is clearly felt by the runners!  And we had some unbelievable great volunteers.  These are just good people who care and have such positive attitudes!

I sure hope every single runner enjoyed themselves!  I believe they did!  And we've already started trying to determine what we did well that we must keep doing, and what we can definitely do better (we tend to focus a lot here!).

Lot's of ideas for next year and we're reading and analyzing all the feedback we've gotten on 1) Marathonguide.com, 2) Facebook and 3) the e-mails we've gotten.  Nothing is edited!  We love the positive comments but we learn so much from suggestions and criticisms.

We're tired but invigorated!  Can't wait until next year ... year 4!

Check out our race website and 'friend' Medoc Trail Races on Facebook for a lot of comments and links to pictures!

PS  By the way, each year we have what we call the Medoc Re-Run . . . a repeat primarily for race volunteers.  No frills ... almost FA style.  Run free and get no shirt, medal or finisher's surprise.  Or we charge a little to get what you want!  Contact me if you're interested.  It will be November 27th this year.

When a plan fails, but you succeed . . .

For yesterday's New River 50k, my goal was to be an official finisher and beat the 7 hour race cut-off (I did!).  I knew this would be a real stretch for me -  this blog got it's name appropriately!  I am a plodder and more then a little hard headed.

So I knew the 7 hour cutoff was going to be a very hard challenge for me (sad but true!).

So I knew I needed a plan.  After consultation with running friends and a few beers,  my plan was done.  I was going to go out fairly hard (for me) and see just how long I could hold on!  Basically, I was going to run 3 minutes and walk one, then repeat.

When I actually run, my pace isn't really all that bad for an overweight 60 year old!  Maybe a 10:30 to 11:00 pace usually.  And I was going to practice 'fast' walking.  My normal walking pace is hardly more then a stroll and I know I need to pick up the pace of my walking.

So my plan was set.  And quite frankly I executed the plan perfectly!  But it was a BAD plan!  Very bad.

The New River Trail 50k is an awesome event.  RD Annette Bodnosky, a top level ultra runner herself, put on a fabulous event!  And the volunteers!!  Wow!  That's all I can say!  This is probably the prettiest race course I've run.  A very easy course totally, on an old railroad bed.  Terrific running surface.  This course is made for running a 50k PR!

But Annette set a 7 hour cut-off.  That's a pretty strict time limit - Even with an easy course, I knew the odds were against me making the cut-off.

We had five RMEC runners at this race - Scott Wingfield, Ted and Liz Lord were here for their very first ultra and my buddy Ron Fleming.  This was going to be fun!

The morning was perfect!  Low 40s and a beautiful fog along the river!  Saw so many of my running friends before the race!  Pre-race is almost always my favorite part!  Once the race started, I couldn't stop taking pictures along the way!  Check them out!!

I felt absolutely GREAT!  I was thinking this was going to be my day- and in some ways it was.  I tried to stay mentally focused on my pace . . . especially my walking pace.  I really pressed hard through my walks and my runs were relaxed and strong.  I was encouraged!

Early on I fell in with Jade Wei, the wife of my running friend Jim!  Jim had suggested that Jade and I might be going at a similar pace and I totally enjoyed getting to pass some trail miles with her!  But I was feeling strong and decided to pull ahead.

Bad decision!  Also, ran a while with Donna Macguire, a awesome ultra runner.  Same thing.  I was feeling strong and pulled ahead - Same thing with Jim Plant and Connie Howe.

What was I thinking???  I should know better.  But I had a PLAN!  And a cut-off time to beat!

After about seven miles following the New River itself, we crossed a trestle over the river and started a slow easy grade up Chesnut Creek all the way to Galax, VA.  Very pretty with lots of things to see along the way and with the good footing of the trail, you could actually look around some!  Loved it!  But I stayed so focused on my goal.

From mile 5 or so I met Amos and Abby from Washington, DC.  Amos was obviously a very experienced ultra runner and he was pacing Abby on her first ultra,  spent all day long going back and forth with these two fun folks!

About half way up this leg the lead runner passed me and 10 seconds behind him #2!  Would love to be able to see how this one played out!  One more and then Jonathan Savage came by!  The the first female . . . flyin'!!  The one that really surprised me was my friend Rick Grey!  Rick had finished the Grindstone 100 the week before, but he was up there in the lead bunch!  I couldn't get my camera out quick enough . . . but did catch this shot!

Rick even stopped and turned around!  Sorry Rick!

 

Awesome Jenn!

I really love looking ahead to see friends!  Soon Jennifer Nickols came hauling down the trail . . . but took time out for a quick hug!  Thanks Jenn!  That picked me up!

Scott and Liz flying down the trail!

Was looking for the RMEC crowd and soon Scott Wingfield and Liz Lord passed looking VERY strong.  Was surprised that Ron Fleming wasn't with them, but it turns out he had some knee issues and turned to walking.  Still beat me by a wide margin!  Saw Frank Macguire at the park about 1 mile from the turnaround. Then, Bill Keene came by with a 'high five' between us!








At 15.9 miles we hit the turnaround aid station!  Fun group there.  Don't know what was wrong with me (or my eyes!) but Beth Minnick was there.  I talked with her but for some reason I didn't realize it was her!  Weird!

Maybe the last mile to the turnaround I started to shorten my run and lengthen my walk some.  But not much.  I was thinking the return trip was going to be downhill and I would easily be able to hold a good pace.  Well, I did for maybe two more miles.  Then reality set it!  I bonked!  My 3/1 changed to a 2/1 and then changed to a 1/1 half way down Chesnut Creek to the New River!  Oh no!  Not good!  Not good at all!  Finally turned off my watch!  Just ran when I could and walked when I had to!

I started getting passed.  Donna came, but continuing her solid running.  I would have been so smart to try and 'hang' with her the whole race.  She would still beat me, but I would learn a lot from her!

As I approached the tunnel (guess I forgot to mention the cool tunnel we run through!) I got a cramp in my right ankle.  I had been popping s-Caps all day, but I just took two more right then and walked a little.  Once the cramp passed I started running again.  But within 30 feet, another cramp in my inside upper leg and ankle.  Again, walked through it and ran again.





This continued all the way to the end.  There was no running through the cramps ... they would just get worse and worse until I just 'locked up' in pain.   All day I had been so focused on making the 7:00 cut-off and I could just feel it slipping away.  But I didn't know for sure.  There are no mile markers and I didn't have my Garmin with me, so I had no idea as to how far I was.  Got to the New River and found out I had 5.7 miles to go and my watch said 1 hour 10 minutes to cut-off.  I was crushed!  Given my cramping and degreed of bonking . . . this seemed impossible.  I was mentally giving up.

Run 20 - 30 yards and the cramp.  This sucked!

Then, Jim and Connie passed me!  But we did spend a few minutes together and Jim said, 'You've got this!  You can do it!' ,  then we talked about the distance left and the time to go.  Soon, Connie and Jim pulled ahead and I was left wondering if Jim was right.
'One thing I figured out, running 'fast' didn't cause me to cramp any more than running slow, so when I ran, I ran fast (for me!)  maybe a 10:30 pace or so.  Some runs lasted almost a minute, and some only 30 seconds, but I kept giving every single ounce of effort I had in me.

And then I was passed by the last place runner, Scott Giddions.  Scott and I hung together for quite a while.  We passed a point where someone said we had about a mile to go and my watch said we had 12 minutes.  I told him to not hang with me and to go for it!  Thank goodness he did!  Soon I heard a cheer in the distance and knew the finish line was near . . . but I couldn't tell how near.  My watch told me I had about six or seven minutes.

I just kept on running and cramping.  Maybe 30 yards running . . . but then the cramping.  Damn!   I heard a car or truck behind me!  I was totally lost in my effort and my focus on the finish line.  But the cramping . . .

Then . . . I saw the finish line . . . abnd I looked down at my watch and saw I had 5 minutes or so left to cutoff.  I TOTALLY knew I had made it!  I almost cried!

Liz , Ted and family had come out to meet me and run me in - even Annette came out to encourage me!  And then, Jade (who had just finished!) came back to run me in!  How cool!  And I looked at the finish like and saw a ton of friends there cheering . . .  Rick Gray stood out, so encouraging and happy for me!  And Scott!  And Ron!

So I did it!  I finished in maybe 6:56 or so.  Mission accomplished!

But my plan sucked!  Pacing is so important.  I'm sure my cramping was  partly caused by pushing too hard, too quickly.

But looking back I'm not sure I enjoyed my success as much as I thought I would.  For me, the fun is in the running, the friends and the experience.  But the cut-off pressure . . . not so much!  All day long I stayed so frickin' focused on time I didn't enjoy this beautiful run as much as I could have.  I just don't need or want this needless stress.

"Hurry slowly . . . but Hurry" is a perfect theme for me.  I just don't want to hurry so much I miss the experience.  Success was great, but the joy of running for me was, to some degree, missed.

But I know that for this race I gave almost 7 hours to total effort!  I left nothing out there.  I totally spent myself on the effort.  And I did achieve my goal!  Sweet!

But the best moment of the day was just after I finished.... Amos (who with Abby had finished several minutes before me!) went down on one knee and proposed.  And she said yes!!!

Hinson Lake 24-hour Run

Mary Tillery ran 33 miles and her 'to-date' personal best run ... and first ultra!  Welcome to the dark side Mary!

Susan on the left.

Susan Dummar, though just recovering from an ankle injury, was determined to see what she could do.  She completed 50 miles, having to walk every step.

• Saw a young girl ... I mean I'm talking young ...  maybe 8 years old!  She was struggling but she finished 9.12 miles.  Her longest by far.

• Dan Lieb finished his first 50 run.  That after running TWO separate marathons the weekend before!

• I saw two people at the starting line that were each probably 100 or more pounds overweight.  But they were out there to challenge themselves.  I don't think I could have been more impressed.  And they rocked it!!

That's Paul on the right just before the start.  Also, Jim Plant of the left.

Sharon and Ricky with Tommy Rakes behind.

• My friend Paul Heckert was there.  Paul is a lot like me ... a slow runner.  But Paul has more drive and determination then anyone I know.  He just doesn't stop.  For anything!  Not sure how far Paul ended up going ... at least 50 miles I'm sure.  When I left, he was still moving forward with a big smile on his face!

Ricky Scott joined his wife and the rest of the Rocky Mount, VA mafia for the event.  Ricky has been suffering through a serious bone spur in this heel.  Hoping it was better he came to run Hinson.  It wasn't better.  In fact it got worse and worse.  But Ricky had decided he was going to at least finish 20 miles.  Suffering ... he did.  Maybe foolish.  But certainly focused!











These were just a few of the stories I know about.  Believe me there are plenty more.  The place was the Hinson Lake 24-hour Run.

No other type event is as perfectly designed as a 24 hour run.  It is my new favorite format.  There are a few people that come out planning to run the full 24 hours.  But most don't.  No ... most folks come to see friends and and see what they can do. Most have a plan and a goal.  Some don't even have that.  They just come out to participate.

Yesterday, Mike Walsh had a plan.  Run from the 8 am start and finish 20 miles.  Then stop, rest and 'cool it' during the heat of the day.  Then, when things cool off, pick it back up and see what happens.  50 miles happened for him!

Got to spend some time with Amy Schimmel who I had first met at the Medoc Meltdown.  What a hoot!  So much fun . . . and a killer runner!  And Charles West!  Charles just kept me motivated all day!  I needed his help!

This is a spectacular event.  You run a 1 1/2 mile trail loop as many times as you can.  The loop is basically pretty flat and few roots.  At about 1 mile in there is a small hill where you run up a VERY sandy stretch of trail . . . like running on the high side of the beach in just deep, soft, loose sand!  Pretty hard running and lots of dust!  Actually about 1/8 of the trail was this 'beach sand.'  Since the temperatures got to the mid 90° levels the duct mixed with sweat to cake on your legs, socks and shoes.  Very strange!

You cross a cool wooden bridge with a gazebo at about the 1 mile point and then cross the dam when you finish your lap.

My plan was not a very good one.  Start, run when I can, walk when I must and see how far that takes me.  Was planning on only doing 20 miles or so, but the event brings out the best in everyone.  I struggled through 31 miles and was happy.  But if I had played it a little smarter ... well ... who knows!  31 miles is what I did.

As I finished my first lap, a guy ran by me just absolutely flying ... certainly a sub-7 pace!  I figured he was just a guy out to MAYBE do a marathon of so.  But all day he kept passing me!  And he didn't slow down.  I found out he was Mike Morton, a past winner of Western States!  He ended up completing ~153 miles over the 24 hour period!

And my (and everyone else's!) friend  Jonathan Savage was a machine all day and night.  I heard Jonathan finished 132 or so!  The thing about Jonathan is he has something encouraging to say every time he passes you.  He's just a super nice guy with incredible running talent!

Jonathan downing his 'Go Juice' before he starts his next lap

And while the headlines belonged to these two super athletes, the other people I mentioned also won my heart!  Thanks for the inspiration my friends!


More pictures

 

This impressive mug is nothing less then the award given to the 2st Place Finisher in the coveted and highly competitive 60+ Men's age group for the Bay's Mountain 15-mile Trail Run this last Saturday.  That's right friends and neighbors . . .  I kicked some competitive ass and walked away with the 2nd place goods!

Okay . . . so maybe this year it wasn't so competitive.  But it could have been!  Very easily!

Bay's Mountain is my favorite place to run ... period!  There are definitely some tough hills!  But the trails are so great!  And it is so pretty!

Last year there were five RMECer there, but the East Tennessee yellow jackets must have scared off all the others. Last year, a hive of yellow jackets stung almost everyone!  Eric Pate must have been especially tasty as he got stung over 50 times!

Before the race I hooked up with Iron Mountain Trail Runners members Tammy and Rick Gray and also Beth Minnick, all from the area.  Missing was Jennifer Nichols, another of the IMTR crew who was injured and decided to pass on this race.  Nice to see some familiar faces (even though I grew up in Kingsport!).

Beth, Rick and Tammy

 

I had no real plan for the day ... other then to finish.  My training as been pretty slack recently and I was just trying to get in a good training run. Like last year, I pretty much wilted at 10 miles.  Unfortunately it's a 15 mile race.  The last five miles are not hard miles at all.  Actually they are fairly easy trail miles.  It's just that I was already spent.  Honestly, at the end of this run I felt like I had finished a marathon rather then just a 15-miler.  What a wimp!

I do love this race!  It's hard! But it should be! Hope I can come back next year too!

The Golf Club at Rocky Mount 5k 10k

It's not often a golf course will allow a run on it's cart paths, but the Golf Club of Rocky Mount is an exception.  I mean, heck, they only make $ when golfers are playing ... not when runners are running!  But for this event runners start at 8:15 am and the golfers go out following them.  Actually seems to work out good for everyone concerned.

The  Golf Course at Rocky Mount (what a frickin' long name!) is REALLY beautiful.  I play golf there and ran there while they were constructing the course, plus I have volunteered at this race for two years.  But this year I decided to run.

I love the time just before the race starts.  Great chance to see folks you haven't seen in a while and catch up some.  Way too many folks to mention every one!

I had chosen to run the 5k.  For some reason, most everyone thinks that's funny.  But not me.  This was a chance to demonstrate my "killer" speed on a short run!  But since my surgery I have done ZERO speed work.  So, I walked to the starting line ... trying to come up with a plan!

So . . . I decided to start just a tad slower then usual and try to hold a steady pace until 2 1/2 miles and then see what I could do.  Since my GPS is broken, nothing was really known: not my pace, not my distance run . . . just had the mile markers on the course and I figured they were pretty close.  Actually I LIKED that I didn't have all that information.

The 10k started first and then about 5 minutes later the 5k race started.   Four waves and I joined the 3rd wave.  Soon, noticed I was passing quite a few folks ... odd for me!  But I felt like I was 'on plan' so I just kept my pace.  Near the end of the 1st hole I heard footsteps quickly coming up behind me.  Again ... odd!  And when they came up beside me it got even more odd!  It was Tom Thurman!  Tom should have been in the 1st wave!  But as he passed me he said he had been late to the start! 

Other then Tom, no other 5k runner passed me during the race.

Up ahead I saw Eric Ghiloni who was running is very first race ever!  How cool is that!  My pace was just a little quicker so I slowly moved ahead.

Got to the aid station (1/2 way I guess) when I definitely got a surprise and a bath!  Someone yelled "Frank, we're supposed to 'soak you' when you pass by!"  So everyone threw a cup of water on me!  The kids loved it ,,, and so did I!

At about the 2 1/4 mile point heard someone behind me yell  'Stay the the right, 10k runner coming!'  You've got to be kidding me!  Soon a biker passed and right behind him, Tim Surface flashed by me!  Man, was he smokin'!!  But I had really hoped this wouldn't happen ... passed by a 10k-er.  :-(

I continued to feel okay and was holding my pace fairly well.  As I approached the end of the 17th hole I tried to pick it up a little but I didn't have much in the tank.  As I neared the halfway point of the 18th hole I saw another older guy just ahead (read: maybe in my age bracket!) ... and he became my target.  Passed him at about the 3 mile point but just ran out of gas.  Unfortunately, the last 1/10 was an uphill.

But I tried to pick up the pace even more at the end when I heard Michael Forrester yelling "Frank, don't let him pass you!'  I'm guessing the 'him' was my target!  Don't know for sure . . .  'cause he didn't make the pass!  :-)

28:14 . . . a 9:07 pace.  Not great but not to bad either.  It was fun and that's what matters! 

And I was racin' and not just runnin'!  NICE!

Damn you Sharon Scott! Damn YOU!

It all started this last weekend when I got a note from Sharon Scott asking me if I was going to try and get into Umstead this.  Seems Sharon has the memory of an elephant! 

While running a MTC Shirt Run this summer I had mentioned to her in passing that I had missed getting into the Umstead 100 last year.  So, Sharon decides to ask me my plans for this year and was I going to try it and get in for the 2011 race. Now she was sneaky ... she didn't come right out and ask me.  But she told me she was "thinking" about doing it and was "wondering if I would be there.".  I'm sure she knew full well that she was MAKING me think about it.

In truth I had decided to pass on the 2011 run.  Heck, I probably wouldn't get it anyway and my running has really gotten bad recently.  Of course that truth wouldn't sound good, so I told her I was also thinking about it but would wait and see how my long run went this last weekend.  But my mind was made up at that point in time.  Monday, I told her I wasn't going to try and enter but instead I would be happy to pace &/or crew for her.

But I kept thinking . . .

And today, when my Outlook reminded me that in 5 minutes the Umstead 100 entry process would open.  Well ... folded 'like a cheap pup tent' as Charles West says.  What the heck.  I'll try.  I probably would get in anyway.

But I did get in.  Damn you Sharon! 

Now I'm going to have to get serious again.  Lot's of work to do and weight to lose.  But I'm hoping this will get me going again.  Give me a focus!  A goal to shoot for.  My last (and only!) 100 mile attempt was ill-concieved and poorly planned.  Plus, the weather didn't cooperate at all! 

So I guess this time around I need a real plan.

On the way back . . . Slowly!

Guess a slow progress back to running is not totally unexpected, given my blog name!  But I do want to Hurry Up and "get back!"

Physically there are no issues at all with either my knee or my back.  My right knee feels probably 95% normal!  This has healed even faster then my prior knee surgery.  Not sure if that has to do with the surgery itself, or the fact that my left knee has now had two operations and one was invasive (good ol' half-moon scar!).  No matter, this surgery went VERY smoothly and so has my recovery.  My range of motion is now almost equal to my left knee.

But my running has a long way to go!  (guess THAT'S not a news flash to anyone!)

Anytime someone has an injury, it is natural to change your gait to some extent to compensate.  I imagine it would be impossible for this NOT to happen!  But the new gait brings with it new stresses and different muscles are used.  And this is where real problems can arise.  Bad things: blisters, ligament and tendon inflamation, stress fractures, etc.

I can feel that my gait has changed.  But luckily my endurance has "back-slidden" since the knee got injured in mid-June.  So I'm not putting high milage in and this is probably keeping me from further injury.  But my progress back is slow.

Most of the problem is simply a problem between my ears . . . walking has just become too easy to do.  And with the heat and humidity, progress is just slow.  I know I CAN be mentally tough, but I'm sure NOT tough right now!  I'm thinking I need something like a bear to chase me!  It would have to be a one-legged bear to give me a chance.  But I need inspiration and fear just might do it!!

I ran about 5 miles yesterday and did a little better.  Took it easy today, going only 3 miles.  I need to do a long run this coming weekend.  If I can finish 13-15 miles I'll feel pretty good about where I am.  Any less and I'll be disappointed.

Knee Surgery - Day 10 - Final Blog

Okay . . . I'm done with all this selfish blogging about this surgery!  Let's just call the knee "well" or maybe "fixed" . .  or perhaps "good enough!"  Time to move on!

Today, I had my final visit with Dr. Rob Jones.  Stitches are out, I have the pictures of what he did, and his encouragement to do all I feel like I can do!  Not only is Rob a really, really good surgeon, his philosophy on recovery matches what just feels right to me . . . get up, get moving, do all you can do without creating further injury or damage.  Push it!

Rob cut out a nice-sized chunk of meniscus, and then did a ton of trimming and cleaning up some areas that were damaged by the flapping meniscus.  In the pictures, you can easily see where the flap of meniscus was locking up my joint and where it had done some significant damage to the surrounding area.  Glad I did the surgery when I did.  Not sure how I did both Boogie and Leadville . . . but I did (almost!)  Believe Rob gives an 100,000 mile warranty with each knee surgery!

Today I ran 3.1 miles with no unusual discomfort or pain.  That is not to say I'm totally pain free, but the pain doesn't get any worst during or after running . . . and Rob agrees this is okay.  We talked about me trying 13-15 miles this coming weekend and he is fine with it as long as the pain/discomfort doesn't change as I run.

So . . . I'm declaring myself well and will end this stupid series of posts.  I'm returning back to my normal boring dribble, as I chronicle the convergence of my "running pace" with my "walking pace."

Knee Surgery - Day 9 (Sunday)

Okay . . . I skipped posting yesterday.  Bottomline for yesterday: Knee great and back was bad.  Honestly it was almost as bad as every.

Got up this morning determined to run.  Managed about 3/4 mile running and 1/4 mile walking.  Knee almost seems normal except that one of the stitches which burns when I run (stitches come out Monday!)

But the big surprise was my back.  It was hurting when I started.  But now that I'm back and showered it feels WAAAAAAY better!  Go figure.  Maybe I just need to be doing more runs / walks . . . short but several times a day.  Going to try it and see . . . can't hurt!

Knee Surgery - One week after

Short and sweet this time.

Today I ran!  Only did about 1/4 mile (I promise!) and no pain . . .  at least no change in how the knee feels . . . but there is always a tiny bit of pain still.  Dr. Jones told me to stop immediately if I felt any change in the  pain whatsoever when I ran.  I felt none!

Finished up with about 15 minutes and the ellipse and 15 minutes on the bike.

My back is better . . . maybe 75% of normal.  That's real PROGRESS!!

Knee Surgery - Day 7

Back is much, much better!  Maybe at 50% or so.  Knee is really good.  Every once in a while I'll get it in a weird position and it will "bark" at me with a sharp pain.  But really the only residual effect for the most part is just a limited range of motion which I'm working on.

Dr Jones prescribed a muscle relaxant today and I took a pill when I got home . . . I'm very, very sleepy!

Assuming everything continues as it is going, I'll try running maybe 1/4 mile or so tomorrow.  If that goes okay, I'll only do one more blog about this surgery experience.  Back to normal and I'll quite boring the few of you still reading this dribble!

Knee Surgery - Day 6

45 minutes on the ellipse plus 15 minutes doing leg extensions.  Knee swelling almost all gone!  Pain almost gone.  Just need a tad more range of motion and I'm working on that.

Only issue remaining is my strained back . . . and I believe that tonight it may be feeling better too.

Thursday is going to be a virtual day off (just going to walk).

Friday is going to be my first day running assuming my back is better by then.  Only going to go about 1/4 mile and have promised my doctor that if the knee feels ANY different at all I will instantly stop running.  Then, I start adding distance slowly.

This will work.

Knee Surgery - Day 5

Short and sweet today . . . I know you're bored!

Knee doing great.  Honestly believe I could have run on it today, but just did ellipse and knee lifts.

Back is absolutely killing me . . . go figure!  Came home fro  work early, took a back-spasm pill and slept.  No help.  Going to bed early.  Maybe this will help.

But it amazes me that I can be so good after surgery, but still out of commission.

Knee Surgery - Day 4

Okay . . . this blog about my surgery is getting old . . . for me and my readers . . . both of you!  But today's post needs to be written!

I believe it should be a requirement that each person having a meniscus tear cut away should be REQUIRED to 1) spend at least 15 minutes on an ellipse machine and 2) do 5 minutes of knee lifts with no machine weight added.  And this needs to be completed 3-5 days after surgery.

I can't tell you how much this helped me today!  Pain hasn't been too bad, but my range of motion has been limited and I still was having trouble walking pain-free and limp-free.  So at lunch I went to the Y for my daily exercise.  And the results were nothing short of miraculous!  I'm walking almost normally!  And much increased range of motion.

Now the exercise session was not without pain!  But not pain from the surgery . . . it was pain associated with exercising limited range of motion.

My only problem remaining is my frickin' back!  While hooking up the icing machine I have twice 'tweeked' my back.  Because of that, I'm still hurting!  But the surgery pain is almost 100% GONE!

If my back is doing better tomorrow, I'll hit the ellipse machine fairly hard.  Then, Wednesday maybe a very easy, slow run of 1/4 mile or so.

And yes . . . this is with my doctor's blessing as long as I promise to stop immediately if I feel ANY unusual pain at all!

Then, it's add a mile or so a day.

Knee Surgery - Day 3

What a difference a day makes!

Got up this morning and the knee felt okay, so I decided no crutches today.  I took about four 'long' walks . . . down about two houses and back!  Plus, once down to the lake.  The 'down to the lake' wasn't a problem but climbing back up the hill was a little challenging.

Took the bandages off this morning and things look very good.  Just swelling.  To keep the swelling down some, I'm still keeping ice on the knee as I'm sitting around.

I definitely could have done the ellipse machine today (and really should have) but decided to not drive an hour to Rocky Mount just for that.  Connie and Michael were here at the lake and just didn't want to leave.

My range of motion has reduced dramatically . . .  I've got lot's of work to do there!

I did try driving the car today . . . 5 speed manual.  NO PROBLEM AT ALL!  That's a big relief!  I took one pain pill when I got up this morning and one about 2 pm.  Didn't really need them, but just remembered the nurse said to stay ahead of the pain.  No pain pills tomorrow.

I'm definitely looking forward to the ellipse machine at the Y tomorrow.  I believe this will help me with my range of motion plus a little aerobic possibly.

Knee Surgery - Day 2

 I slept great last night!

Today I kept on with the icing plus I started some weight-bearing as I walked with my crutches. This hurt like hell!  One trip to the mailbox took frickin' forever!  Funny how some steps just hurt a tad, but sometimes I must turn the angle or something and the pain is serious!  But I am definitely a wimp when it comes to pain.

I needed the pain pills today for sure, especially in the morning.  Michael and I went to lunch (I was going stir crazy!) and that proved to be my undoing!   Thank God for Vicodin!

I kept forcing my 'semi-walking' with my crutches all day long.  And even a little bit of walking with no crutches.  By mid-afternoon things started getting much better . . . pain diminished and I skipped my late afternoon pain pills.  Went to bed early (about 9 pm)

But woke up about 12:30 with the pain back!  Plus, it felt like I had some swelling (but I can't be sure, as the knee is still all wrapped up.)  Took two Vicodin, re-started ice.  Ahhhhh!

Hey . . . I warned you this was going to be boring!

Knee Surgery - Day of Operation

Okay . . . these next few posts will be boring for sure.  I'm just going to chronicle my recovery from surgery.  I'm sure there won't be anything interesting, clever or funny . . . Strongly suggest you skip these.

Up early and drove to Raleigh the the Duke Hospital on Wake Forrest with my son, Michael.  Got there at 7:45 am, checked in, got prepped, wheeled into operating room, chatted briefly with my doctor and the staff, woke up and was on the road home by 11 am (I believe!).  Quickly stopped for a burger and coke and was home in Littleton by 12:45!

Doctor said there was a simple meniscus tear which he trimmed off.  I should be good to go!

Virtually no pain this day.  Kept ice on it all day with a neat new machine called a Polar Care 300.  Used crutches with no weight bearing.  Took two pain pills in the evening, but really didn't need them.  Pain wasn't bad at all . . . nurses said to try and stay ahead of the pain.  I just don't like to take pills unless I absolutely need them.

Leadville DNF

Leadville proved to be too much for me.  No excuses.  I gave it as good an effort as I had in me that day . . . but it wasn't enough.

Hard to describe the area . . . maybe a mixture of incredible beauty with a mix of man-made ugliness of the old mines thrown in.  Some may think the mining remnants are historically interesting, to me they were just plain ugly.   But I just chose to focus on the area's beauty and there was plenty of that.

Got there early . . . a beautiful hours drive from Vail.  My body was still on east coast time so the 8:00 am start was really 10:00 am to me.  Checked in and had my packet by 7:00 am so I just hung out and talked with folks.

One of the highlights of the day was finally getting to actually meet in person my e-friend, Jennifer Nichols.  Jenn lives in Bristol, VA near my hometown.  We had run two races together earlier, but never officially met.  I expected nice, but Jenn way exceeded my expectations.







My race plan was fairly simple . . . walk the uphills as fast as I could, and run all the downhills I could.  My right knee is giving me some issues, so I wasn't sure how it would do walking, let alone running (my doctor made me promise I wouldn't run . . . sorry Doc!).  I knew there were steep, downhill sections, with tons of large and small loose rock (scree) that I would have to walk for sure.  Had no idea just how much there would really be!

The race had an uphill start (altitude 10,100 feet) that lasted a full 3.5 miles.  Half sections were steep but the other half were moderate.  Right off the bat, I struggled to get enough oxygen.  Two results are 1) you breath heavily and rapidly trying to get the oxygen you need, and 2) your muscles get really tired, really quickly.  Very strange, like you're just having a bad day and you're tired from the previous day's workouts.

The first 1 1/2 miles took us through an old mining area- not all that pretty!

But then we hit a wooded area we ran (aka walked!) through that took us up to the first aid station.











Quick in and out and into one of the prettiest parts of the day as we ran up and around Ball Mountain.  This was our first time to run above tree line.  Fields, single-track, wild flowers.  Quite beautiful, just as Jenn had promised.!  Very cold and windy -  I put on my wind jacket and wished I had my gloves . . . bad decision to leave them in the car.

 We peaked somewhere along here at about 12,500 feet and I got my first areas where I could really run!  But I found I couldn't run like I had planned - no oxygen!  I got out of breath every 4-5 minutes and walked some to try and catch my breath.  I tried to press hard through here as I knew what was coming and needed to gain time anywhere I could.

Passed the same aid station for a second time and continued down through tons of mining remnants on to aid station #3.  During this section the leader passed me heading home!  We both exchanged encouraging words as we passed.  The leader had about a 5 minute lead on the second place runner.  Amazing running and it always amazes me how supportive everyone is!  Even the guy leading the race makes time to say something positive to me.



 Finally got to aid station #3 (elevation 11,200 feet or so) where the marathon course rejoins the Heavy Half marathon.  Now was the time for the really hard work to begin as I headed up the mountain to Mosquito Pass (elevation 13,200 feet).

By this time I was seeing tons of folks on their return trip . . . marathoners and half-marathoners alike.  The trail here became really tough - scree the whole, frickin' way!  Big loose rocks, medium loose rocks, small loose rocks . . . and fine loose rock.  People slipping, sliding and tripping all the time.  Really, this wasn't a fair test of anything . . . just lucky foot placement!

Guess I was 1/8 of the way up when Jenn passed me on her way down.  Clearly, we were both struggling, but a quick hug from Jenn gave me renewed spirit . . . but sadly a positive spirit was not going to be enough this day.

By this point I was walking 100 yards, and then stopping to regain my breath.  Then repeat!  I had imagined I would be able to walk up this whole mountain at a steady pace, but not a chance!  My knee had remained in good shape, with only maybe two instances of real pain, but the uneven, loose rock was treacherous.

This climb was killing me,  I found myself almost hoping my knee would go out so I would have an excuse to stop.  I had been warned about the five switchbacks and that two of them gave you a false sense of nearing the top.  I passed these but wasn't deceived because I knew some of the folks ahead of me and hadn't seen them yet.  The trail got even more steep, and even more loose rocks.  I remembered the elevation charts and knew it wouldn't last too long, but oh, was it hard for me.

The views back down the mountain were spectacular!!  You can see the last aid station just behind the second lake.

I wasn't last . . . but I was next to last!  Passed one nice lady and her dog out for a hike and she asked if she could take my picture for me.  Believe she my have been an aid station volunteer that just decided to hike down.

One by one I saw folks I had been with earlier in the race as they were headed down.  I exchanged words of support with each one, and each told me to hang on . . . it was much easier going back down hill!

Soon the trail steepness backed off and I surprised myself with about a quarter of a mile of no stopping at all!  Saw the sign and soon saw the aid station at the top!  13.1 miles done.  My hardest 13.1 ever - by far.  Cold and windy up here!

Got a cookie and re-filled my fluids, took a few pictures and headed back down.

 Maybe 1/4 mile from the top I met the one guy behind me.  He was suffering a lot but continued on, committed to getting to the top!  I understood his pain for sure!

Going down took way less energy, but I found I couldn't run much at all due to the poor footing.  Every once and I while I could see a way through the rocks that looked stable enough to run, but not often.  Very frustrating because I was feeling much better and really psyched cause I knew the bad part was over!  The only negative I was feeling was a toenail on my right foot was getting banged into my shoe's toe box . . . a rookie mistake on my part to not trim my nails close before the race.

About 3/4 of the way down from Mosquito Pass, the aid station volunteers passed me in the 4-wheel drive trucks and I saw my friend from Atlanta who had been behind me.  Guess I was now officially the last place runner.

Miles passed quickly and my spirits were high.  Came to an aid station with a few cheering volunteers and  I told them they could finally go home!  Then I saw the race director who told me I was way past the cut-off and he would have to ask me to stop.

I almost cried.

I felt so good, and I knew there was just a little uphill left for me.  Mostly down hill left.  I had paid my dues in pain and suffering and now I wasn't going to get my reward.  I was crushed.

Rode back to Leadville with one of the aid station volunteers and another runner who was cut-off.  Spent a few minutes cheering some finishers . . . but I was just totally bummed.  My heart wasn't in it at all.  Saw all the folks walking around with their medals, congratulating each other.  Looked for Jenn, but figured she was resting and taking a shower.  I KNEW I could have finished this race and not finishing just sucked.

Hard to explain the feelings I was having . . . feelings of failure, feelings of pride of having completed all the hard parts, feelings of relief that the pain was over, feelings of anger at being made to stop.  Bottom-line I was just crushed and I had no feelings of celebration or success.  The race has a dinner for all participants and everyone goes up to the stage for recognition and I had planned to stay for that . . . but I just couldn't stay and be with everyone else that had sucked it up and finished...  so I left.

I retrospect, I'm glad I tried this.  For me, it was more like an ultra than a marathon,  I put forth more effort than either of my 50 milers.  This was hard, very hard.  I do believe if this were run in the North Carolina mountains I would have easily finished well within even tighter cutoffs, but the altitude and resulting lack of oxygen did me in.

Maybe I should have done the Heavy Half Marathon, a least I would have finished it and gotten a medal.

Here are some more pictures.

Will I try it again?  I doubt it.  To be successful, I believe you really need to spend at least a week at 10,000 or more prior to the race.  And I probably won't be willing to do that.  But I sure would love to be able to run under this sign . . .

Leadville . . .

Next race . . . Leadville Trail Marathon on July 3rd.

Now, Leadville will be quite different in a number of ways, but for this race I've had to promise my doctor I will only walk!  No running!

Now back off some of those "smart ass" comments you were just thinking!  Things like "So . . . how is this different from a normal 'TripleF' race?"  Or perhaps, "Hey . . . this 'all walking' may just improve your time!"  Or maybe "Will anybody be able to actually see the difference?"  I may be slow, but I usually do "get it done."  So cut me a break here!

Leadville is going to be quite a challenge for me . . . walking or running!  Actually, since the race never drops below 10,000 feet elevation, I would probably be walking most of it anyway!  Altitude really "kicks my ass" bad.  In February I was visiting my daughter in Vail (~8,000) and just walking was a chore that would leave me winded, dizzy and a little nauseous.  I was there about four days and it did start to get a little better by the end.  But I never went for a run my whole trip. 

This time I will be getting to Vail on Thursday night late and the "race" is Saturday morning . . . one days to adjust.  A new friend of mine, Sharon Scott, has suggested I take Ginkgo bilaba for 5 days before the race to help with altitude adjustment.  Sharon and her husband Ricky are both very experienced ultra runners and have experience running at altitude (Pikes Peak twice and Ricky did a Pikes Peak double . . . up, down, back up and back down in one race!!)  So I'm giving Ginkgo a try.  Can't hurt!

But I'm fine with "having" to walk!  This "bad knee thing" just gives me a good excuse!  I understand that the trail as you near Mosquito Pass is totally big, loose rocks that cause a bunch of falls each year.  Unstable ground would just kill my knee if I was running . . . hope it will not be so bad if I'm walking.  Going up I would be walking for sure anyway, but normally I'm a good down-hill runner and can make up some lost time.  So I'm giving that up.

Leadville has an 8 1/2 hour cut-off.  Super easy if we were in NC.  We'll see how it all works out above 10,000 feet.

But as my friend Jim Plant told me, 'Any DNF is better then a DNS.'  So I'm going to start and see what happens.  No matter what . . . I promise I'll have fun!

I'm also looking forward to seeing my e-friend, Jennifer Nichols.  Jenn has been running really strong plus has run Leadville before so she knows what to expect.  Also, she lives and trains in the mountains of VA/TN.  I'm betting she will 'hammer' Leadville!  I sure hope so!