Ashville Half Marathon Race Report

This past Saturday, I had the honor and the privilege of kicking off 2017's racing season by heading out to Ashville, North Carolina to attempt BOTH the Half Marathon on Saturday, and then come back and attempt the Full Marathon on Sunday. Today, I will re-cap the Half on Saturday. 

Going into this race, I knew I had to hold back. If I was too aggressive with this race, then I would cook my goose for Sunday. So , I had to come out and save as much as I could while making the time split and being able to complete the race. I really wanted to jump into like a 305 or 310 pace group and help pace, as when I run a half, that's what I get the most reward out of doing, is helping others. But, the slowest group they had was 245 and I knew that was too quick, so I decided just to do my thing and let it happen. 

Arriving at Biltmore , it was chilly. Fortuantley, we were able to find a good warm place to get off our feet for an hour or so before the race. Surprisingly, I was absolutely in a complete zen state. A first for me, since normally I am jumping up and down to go. I was so relaxed. As I got ready, I reached for my headphones. They had dissapeared,  (or so I thought, more on that later) . I was like great. Gonna use the speaker on the phone, and just make this happen. 

So we launch. Of course, what does this old boy do? Out way too fast. Rats. So, I slow it down. Now, my uniform I was wearing , I had my Wear Blue jacket on. One of the girls on the course hollered at me because I had my wear blue jacket on . We instantly started talking about soldiers and who we were running for. Before you knew it, we had linked up , and were on our way. We really hit it off just talking about life, etc. 

She started off setting the tempo, and I would follow her, but once she tired, I picked up the slack and kept us nice and steady. It was really turning into a beautiful run . It just felt good. 

Before you knew it, we had reached The Biltmore House and Gardens, and then made the time cut. As we got closer through mile 10, the road became trail. Gravel and dirt trails. The road at mile 10.5 became a 1 lane dirt road that was very congested. We began to have to walk as it was very hard to run on. At this point, I could tell my friend was tired. I said to her "are you still with me" . Her reply: "Absolutley" 

As we headed back towards the head of the trail, we were finally able to start discussing the finish. How we wanted to come across. She then informed me that this would be a PR for her after she had barely trained and almost NO - Showed. I couldn't believe that. I had to fight back tears. Seriously. 

She stated that she wanted to come in running, so that's exactly what we did. Once we finished the final hill, we set sail. We crossed the finish in 3:09. She would then inform me that this was a 15 Min PR for her. Unreal. I was so proud of her. So so proud. We got pictures, and then I headed to get my finishers pictures made and get stretched out at the tent in prep for Sunday. 

What happened next is something that in my wildest dreams, I would never have seen coming. I wandered over to the area setup next to the finishers area to get stretched and make sure I started Recovery Immediately. They had me start with some calf stretches and some foam rolling. As I was foam rolling, the wind blew really hard. It blew the finishers picture Sign backwards and right twoards me. Sensing the impending doom, i threw my arm out. 

The thing hit me full force in the head. Everything got really light . Then it came back. Honestly, it about knocked me out. It put about a quarter inch gash in my head that was bleeding. I was like crud. So, I had it looked at by medics. They said I wouldn't need stitches. Probably wouldn't have gone anyways honestly. I then went ahead and got on the bus and went back to the room. 

I was mad. Irate. What a freaking place to have this tent on a windy day. Just so many wrongs. But, I was going to use this anger to fuel me. I got back, had my friend look at my head to make sure it was OK. I then did some yoga, and got in the shower before a nap. I was still mad , but was trying to use it to fuel the next race. 

When I woke up, I was still pretty upset. But knew I needed to use my anger for good fuel. I also still had a headache. I took a couple aleve , and got ready to go down for dinner with my friend who had also come to run this race with me. 

After dinner, we both got ready to call it a night. It was time change night, and I had just been through a whole mix of emotions, from start to finish. From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows in moments, it had just happend. I needed a decent nights sleep to have a chance at Sunday. 

...... To be continued...... Maybe...... 

One Day at a Time

One Day at a Time 

So, here we are. Finally. Race Week. After everything that has gone on this block , I have made it . Race week.  Normally, this last week and this week, I become very anxious. However, this time has been different. I really have nothing to loose this go around. I am very relaxed . Everything has been gone over. My nutrition is there. I know EXACTLY what I am eating and when. I have my on course nutriton timed out. To the point, ill write it on my hand in sharpie the morning of. That way I don't have to do math. Its simply matching numbers and injesting whats appropriate. I know what I am wearing. I have prepared for all situations. I am more than ready to do this. 

Honestly, this is probably the most relaxed i have been ever going into a race. Normally I get very tense, and don't sleep well the week before. I have been getting solid sleep. Everything is setting up nicely. 

I leave out Thursday afternoon. We race Saturday for the Half & Sunday for the full. I am fully aware that I am going to have to check out of my own head on Sunday. It's going to hurt. There are no questions about it. Once I ignore the pain, then I can keep the fuel going and keep moving. 

I have yet to pack as I am planning on starting that Wednesday night after work. Ill pack all morning Thursday before I leave out. 

So, really that is about it. 

Next week I will have full race recaps of both races. 

So , until then... 

TIME TO DO EPIC SHIT! 

John 

IRC # 2148

Taper: A tale of Madness

So, as we come back. I have been kinda silent because well, there isn't much going on really. A week ago this coming weekend, I had my last big run of 15 miles that went pretty well. I had been dealing with some knee soreness, and strongly considered not doing it. But I taped my knee, and went out . Once i got going, it was just natural to finish. Easy no , but done is done. 

I spent time last weekend cleaning up the house and starting to formulate what to take with me. Were 9 days away from the half and 10 from the full as of today. This week has had a few runs here and there of shorter duration, but nothing major. All about teaching me to be OK with not Being OK. Its one of those mental games. Once you get out of your head, its really OK. 

So, this pattern will continue until race day. I envision some very brief runs next week and that will be about it. I will have a shakeout on Friday at the race venu and then it will be go time next Saturday Morning. Rest assured, I will blog my experience with a full race report. 

So , until then

John 

Almost an Ultra

 Almost An Ultra 

So, as we pick this back up , we start Saturday Morning. I woke up to it raining. Just NOT what I had wanted. At all. Today was 20 miles. with 16 of those at race pace. So, I loafed. and I loafed. and I finally ate. And I didn't want to do this. I kept looking at the radar which said nothing but rain. I posted in our team page. My coach said Get out there. SIUBC. But I had a sinus infection. Dang. Looked like my fate was sealed. I was sentenced to life on the treadmill. So, I turned on the race, made my bag to set next to my spot, and then geared up and started. The first 8-10 miles were good. Then about mile 14 I started to get winded. By 15, I was battling dizziness and Nauseous. One of my friends said call a spade a spade and stop. I couldn't do that. I wanted this reward so bad. So, I almost puked, i got some more human food (chicken), snarfed that down, and went back to it. Finally, right before the 5 hour mark, it happened. 20.00 miles appeared. I have NEVER been more thrilled. I made it 20 miles on a treadmill. Just a couple months ago, I despised it. Now I had pulled the ultimate mental and endurance test off. 20 on it. Unbelievable. I spent the rest of the day recovering by eating, and sleeping because I knew what layed in wait for me on  Sunday. 

Sunday, 10 miles. I had talked to coach a bit earlier in the morning, and she was like treat this as a z2 recovery run. Nascar had delayed their race till that morning. So the first 25 laps I spent getting ready. Then at the break , I headed out with my headphones on . I was listening to the race and also playing some pokemon go on my phone. The combination of these 2 things made for a glorious run. I was tight going out but about 4 or so miles in , I got loose. Towards the end of 10 my phone had died and I had been wandering around making the last few min up. The local high school right next to my house has a track. I had always said I would never do track work. Until now. I wandered down, found a open spot in the gate, and went in. From there, I ran 1 lap , a quarter mile of track work, then headed out and back up the hill to home. Once I got home, I was done. 10 miles. I was in such good spirits, I even managed a smile at the end of it. 

I had done it. The 2 days that scared me the most had been conquered. But it wasn't over yet. As I was asking coach for my granted EARLY TAPER, she , in her unique way, made me quote some movie lines. It was about the funniest thing ever. I was laughing trying to compose the email. LOL! 

So , all in all , what a weekend. As I sit here on Monday, I can feel it. I am sore . I am tired. But I have never felt more accomplished in my life. I came 1 mile short of a 50K over the weekend. For those outside the running world. Anything beyond 26.2 miles is then referred to as a Ultra run. So, really, I came one mile away from finishing my first ultra this weekend. Pretty bad-ass!

So, this week, I head into taper. Volume comes down slowly to freshen up the legs. But make no bones about it, I am still being pushed , just not as hard now. Its all getting ready for the big races in 2 weeks from Sunday. 20 days as of today. 

So, in the end , it was a chore this weekend, but boy I survived. 

LIMITLESS! 

John 

More High Mileage Week Tales

So , On Tuesday I had yoga. 1 hour of deep stretch. I gotta tell the story. At the start of this cycle, I had an hour of yoga. I fought it tooth and Nail. I hated the thought of an hour. I did it, but I griped , moaned, all of it. I told coach NO never again. So, imagine my surprise when I opened up my schedule last week, and saw the Hour. But I was willing to give it a try. Let me say. That was the BEST EXPERIENCE with yoga in a while. It opened EVERYTHING up because I LET IT! I felt great. Knots were stretched out. Things were opened up. It was just a great experience. This set me up nicely for Wednesday. 

Yesterday, Wednesday, I had a 6 mile run. I came over to the trail where I trained a LOT for MCM back last summer. The direction I had went was one that I had never gone past a certain point. So after about 2 miles, I had no idea where it lead. The beautiful thing was, the run was stunningly awesome. Picture esque weather along the lake. Mid 40's . So, I laid it down. Some seriously Solid awesome miles. I felt great afterwards. 

So, that brings us up to Today, Thursday. I have today and Tomorrow off. Sat starts the test. I have 20 miles , 16 at tempo to beat the required pace. Sunday , I have 10 more miles. So here we are. The pressure is def on . Time to answer the bell again. 

No doubts left. Everything is in order. Nutrition is on point. Gear is on point. I am dead set and ready. 

The next time you hear from me should be after the 20 miler. 

So until then

John 

1- The lonliest but most important #

The Loneliest Number - But the MOST IMPORTANT: 

I know it's been a while since I wrote, but I have been head down , deep into training. But, this week, I finally got some inspiration and decided to resume writing for a while. So, let me explain the title:

1- The Loneliest #, but the most important: 

That's right, so very important. This is the point where it is peak week for me. This week lays out absolutely HUGE for me. It's my biggest week yet, and quite possibly, the biggest I will face. When I initially saw  this weeks schedule, I freaked. I was like , there is NO WAY I will survive this. Thankfully, I have a wonderful team of people around me , and one KICK ASS coach, and she calmly, but FIRMLY told me, look, get out of your stupid head. You can do this. Don't worry about it, don't look at but the day your in. Breathe. You got this. It was like instant relief. 

Don't get me wrong, this week bothers me to no end. It will till I am done and back home from the last mile. But its just one day at a time. Hence why I chose the # 1. 

My intention is this week to do this daily. It will be my outlet to release the day, good , bad , or ugly, and then go on to the next day. So with that , lets start with yesterday. 

Monday: 6 miles (or supposed to be) 

Lets make no bones about it, things have been a bit stressful at work lately. Also, knowing this week and what it holds, I have been trying to rest up. So, here I am , 6 am yesterday , on Monday, and needing to get up, after having been out a good portion of the night Sunday. Yeah, didn't happen. I attributed me sleeping in to a) being lazy and B) stress. So, My gut was , take the redbox, incomplete, the first ever. But then in the car, I was like no , I cant, but when am I going to get it in , since i have 1 hour for lunch at work , and it takes me 10 min to get down and changed. So, I was like, eh. So, I sent coach an email and I had kinda devised a makeshift plan to get me through. But, I wasn't really happy with it. So, I pull into work , and check my email. She had again worked with me and given me a 45 min recovery run to knock out during my lunch. SWEET. 

So lunchtime rolls around, and I go out. I am back over here where I did a WHOLE LOT of running last summer when Training for MCM. These roads hold a sweet spot in my heart. There not so much easier, but its just different. So, I push off, and instantly, i set into a good solid pace. I felt like the energizer bunny. The weather out was about 52 or 53. I was in shorts and T shirt with my belt and my gear. I just felt great. For 45 min  it was me and the roads in front of me. 

At the end , I was able to lay down about 3.5 miles or so in 45 min. Just a beautiful days run out. I felt good. Really good. Granted this is Monday off of a recovery week, but it was still a good day out. I enjoyed it and really needed it. 

So That was Monday for ya. 

I will be back tomorrow with another update. 

Until then

John 

The Tenderizer Trail Report

The Tenderizer Trail Race Report 

This past weekend, I had the experience of a lifetime. Most of you are aware I am in the middle of trying to get ready for the biggest feat I have ever accomplished in my young racing career, a half marathon, followed up by a full marathon not even a day later. This weekend I had 14 miles to log. But, early a couple weeks ago, a friend had invited me to participate in a trail race. I was like, heck why not. I know from dabbling in trail runs,that it was something I enjoy, and it would be a lot different. So, I approached coach about it. She said I am fine with it as long as you can hold back and not go hard. I was like a deal is a deal. 

Early Saturday, I woke up and got my first 6 in. Then I came home, cleared out the watch data, and then loaded up and headed to the race site. 

So, I get there and finally find the place to check-in. Right away, I am in hog heaven. I jump outta the truck. The RD (race director) had shown up in a AIRSTREAM trailer. Then, to beat it, there were a ton of long hair souls out there. Were talking backwoods country, right up my ally. Then, if that weren't enough, they were playing Classic Country music. The likes of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc. It was a great Environment. 

We lined up and headed out. The first .2 were on a concrete path. We then hooked a right hand and into the woods we went. Once in, it became quickly apparent that I was going to be forced to come off my tempo. As we started, it pitched VIOLENTLY up hill. And it climbed for a LOOOONG time. The first basically 2 miles were straight up hill. then miles 3-4 were along the lake. It was so peaceful and so calm. It was a very foggy morning . So I basically got to watch the fog gradually burn off the lake. It was the most surene settings ever. 

So back story, we lost both my grandparents a few years ago. We have always said that Mamaw was a redbird and Papaw was a bluebird. I sware to you, I saw both Mamaw and Papaw the entire first 3 miles. I guess they were there to make sure I got up and over the hardest part of the race without incidents. 

Once I got through that, the rest of the course seemed to flatten out, but the conditions were still as slick as heck , and I basically had to keep a very long slow tempo just to make sure I took care of my body. 

A little over 2.5 hours after I started, I popped out of the woods. I was the LAST person out and honestly didn't know what would be left of the finish line. But, too my surprise, I was greeted by a nice group of folks. It was a great finish. 

Once I got done, I still had 1 additional mile to log, so I treated it as a cool down mile. Nice and slow. I got it logged. 14 miles for the day COMPLETED!

Overall I had a absolute BLAST in my first trail run. It was incredible. I def will be going back to run another couple trail runs this year. I had a ball. I felt like I was in my element. 

So, that is it in a nutshell. 

Until I talk to you next time: 

From one "Idiot" to another: 

John

IRC #2148