I Spent Labor Day Weekend With a Nice Run in a Park...

What an amazing weekend! I finished the Tuscazoar 50-miler this weekend, my third longest run ever. I arrived Friday after leaving work and found my camp space. My evening started with a spaghetti dinner provided by the race organizers. Actually it first started with me meeting Jeremey Followay (one of the amazing race directors) as I was driving somewhat lost in the camping area trying to find a space to park. He took time out of his pre-race duties to help me get parked in a safe space by my camp area.

Spaghetti was grab-and-go style (again, lots of spacing for Covid) so I picked a picnic bench and enjoyed some quiet reflection and pre-race planning time. I had no goals other than to finish. When people asked how long it was going to take me, I would just say I would be done sometime between 10 pm and midnight. After that I set up my tent, then returned to a central fire by the start-finish line and listened to stories from other participants. I got to sleep sometime around 10:30 pm....

My home for two nights

I was woken up the next morning with music and a loud speaker - I totally forgot the 100-miler (yes they had a 100-mile event too, as well as a 25-mile event) was scheduled to start at 6:00 am. I got dressed (so glad I remembered pants and a sweater - the temp was in the low 50s!) and got to watch the start of that event. Truly amazing to see those athletes. With the wave start, Eric Whittington (the other amazing race director) was able to chat with three people at a time. It added a very personal touch to an already amazing event. This happened for the 50-mile event as well.

After the 100-miler start, I went back to my tent and dozed until about 7:00 with my race starting at 8:00 am.

The course itself is a 25(ish) mile loop with significant elevation gain at the end of the loop. My watch had 3000 feet of gain per loop, but others had it at 2500 feet.

The first 15 miles were just fantastic. I found my friend Cynthia and ran with her for a bit. We were able to share miles across bridges, on single track trails, through the creepy tunnel, and through the town of Zoar, OH (Population 178.)

At about 15 miles is when things went a bit sideways... GI issues popped up and life was less fun. I convinced Cynthia I was ok overall, but would be hanging by the porta-potty for a bit, and convinced her to go on without me. Those of you that know Cynthia know how hard this was for her - she'd never leave someone in distress, but she trusted me and continued on with her race. I saw her a bit later in the evening during an out-and-back section, which I'm sure gave her some relief in her soul.

The next few miles were slow and sluggish as I felt like there was a brick in my stomach. I got to the 22 mile aid station, got some ginger ale, and took a few minutes to refocus.

The views were amazing

This, arguably, was the proudest moment of my run. Former-me would have gone down the just don't finish spiral - your stomach hurts, you still have a 50k (31 miles) to go, there is no way you'll be able to finish that. Just get a ride back to your tent and sleep this off... All the negative self-talk. Not to say those thoughts didn't happen, but they got shut down by thoughts of "It never always gets worse", "run the mile you are in", and "if you truly want to finish a 100-miler, you have to figure this out." I definitely had Erika and Skinner in my head coaching me up.

I got out of that aid station and made it back to start. I sat down, got my head lamp, changed shirts, composed myself, and started out on loop two remembering that I had no goals today and the clock didn't matter.

It took a few aid stations to figure out, but things cleared up as I finally found the magical combo of grapes, ramen, and ginger ale. Total contrast to my usual PBJ & candy combo - but for today sweets were just not working... except for a sno-cone at mile 30. that was heavenly.

When they asked, "what flavor?" I almost cried...

Lap two went much better physically (though slower overall.) I hit a minor low at about mile 38, but I pumped up some music from my donors and things got much better. Belting out Into The Unknown and making a runner coming the other direction smile was a definite highlight. The sun went down, temperatures dropped, and suddenly I was in the dark on single-track trails. It was an amazing perfect storm and I found my running legs again. I was in an open field after dark, turned off my headlamp, and the only illumination came from the stars. I stopped moving and just soaked in the night sky. Every constellation was out. Sagittarius was particularly stunning... It was magical.

I got to the final aid station, mile 47, ate some ramen and settled into my last hour-ish of the event. It may not make sense to many, but I was looking forward to the uphills on the back part of the course. My legs were hurting from all the flat and downhill movement, the uphills gave me some different muscle groups to work and the climbs actually felt good.

I crossed the finish line about 14 1/2 hours after I started, recording 51 miles and about 6000 feet of gain. Eric and Jeremey were there to greet me, make sure I didn't want to do 'just one more lap', and give me my medal. These guys are amazing - to my knowledge they congratulated every finisher as they crossed the line for an event that was scheduled to last 32 hours (not including all the pre and post-race prep work.) I got some food (I asked for bacon and grapes and got a literal cereal bowl full of bacon) then went to my tent. I fell asleep pretty quickly, woke up at 3:30 am as apparently it was someone's birthday and they decided to sing happy birthday as they crossed the finish line. This group truly provides a magical personal experience I went back to sleep until about 7am. I got some breakfast (the SOUP was AMAZING!) packed up camp, thanked both race directors again for an amazing event, and headed back home.

Always earned, never given

It wouldn't be a true ultra event unless I was following the Team Possum creed of making at least one new friend. I found many during this event. The first was Ben who was attempting his first 50-miler. We chatted for a bit and when he mentioned his goal was 10 hours, I told him staying with me was definitely not a good plan. I also met Kate when I found Cynthia. Kate was running her first 50-miler as well! Later in the race I came across Katherine. She was recovering from a stress fracture in her foot after training for a 100-miler, so was doing the 50-miler today. She was also only 17 years old! Later in the race I came across Milisa who was originally planning on doing the 100-miler, but chose to "only" go for a 100km today. She had finished multiple 100-mile events ("too many to even talk about") including Burning River.

Thank you to all my donors. In all I was able to raise $1100 that went directly to the The Trevor Project. These funds will help run The Trevor Lifeline and provide resources for LGBTQ+ youth. I'm proud to help this community and so glad to have so many other people join me in that cause.

Thank you so much to Race Brimstone for putting on an amazing Covid-conscious event. Thank you to all the volunteers. Each aid station was amazing, volunteers were attentive and kind, and the amount and variety of food was amazing. I'm very much looking forward to running Eagle Up Ultra in 2021 and will be back at Tuscazoar 2021 either as a volunteer or participant!

So... I Ran 100 Kilometers... And Didn't Die...

Readers,

On June 9th I participated in the 3rd annual Eagle Up 24-Hour run in Canal Fulton, Ohio.  My goal was to finish a distance of 100 kilometers (62.1 miles.) I knew the distance was going to be tough - up to now I had finished one 50-mile run (the week before Thanksgiving) and one 40-mile run (over a year and a half ago.) Still I had trained for the distance and knew I was up to the task.

Training leading up to the event went very well - which is to say I hit lots of problems. The reason I mention this is each problem I hit during training (overheating, dehydration, electrolytes, lack of calories, pacing, etc.) was something I had to figure out before this past weekend. This run went nearly perfectly because of all of those 'mistakes' I made and the adjustments I made to correct them.

My starting clothes. I ended up using 4 different shirts...​ 

The run was designed on a 5-mile loop. The plan was as such: do 12 laps. Each lap, get to mile one. Then mile two... and so on, until I get back to the finish and start again. On lap 13, I had to get to the 100km turn-around point about a mile into the loop then come back to the start/finish to complete my 62.1 miles.

The first couple of laps went better than expected. My pace was a bit ahead of what I thought I would do and I was feeling great. My first "wall" came around mile 18. This isn't uncommon for me and it is almost like I was expecting it. I walked a bit, hydrated, and got some calories in me. That helped me break through the wall and finish lap four.

My drop bag was located just before the start/finish line. My strategy was when I was in mile four of the loop, I would do a mental checklist of what I needed to do when I got there: take salt, restock food/fuel, switch from water to tailwind (a hydration / calorie / electrolyte drink), change shirts, take a nap (kidding, not kidding. but yes, kidding) or whatever else needed to happen.

I ended up finishing the first 50k in about 7 hours and 15 minutes. While I was trying to keep pacing and times out of my head, I did picture finishing this in less than 15 hours. I also remembered that I was only half way done.

How many laps are left??? 

'Normal' running is as much mental as physical. Ultras are 90% mental and 10% in your mind. The key to finishing for me was to stick to the plan: cross the starting line, get to mile one... get to mile two... Don't think about how many miles you've done. Don't think about how many miles are left. Don't think about what time it is. Just keep moving forward.

That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the laps! I met so many amazing people during this event. The beautiful part of a lapped run is you get to see people different times. I met people from Virginia as well as Michigan. I talked to people doing their first 50k as well as their first 50 miler. I ran into people I met at ThunderBunny 50k as they were volunteering at an aid station. I got passed by runners four or more times, and each time we'd have a quick encouraging word for each other. The trail community is truly amazing.

I love this picture for so many reasons.

Passing the screen for a 10th time and seeing my name pop up with 50 miles... I did have a thought of "why keep going? I mean seriously I've been running since six am." Then I remembered a mantra that got me through my first 50 miler:

Yes I was in pain physically. Yes I was mentally exhausted. Yes I had already done so much... but whether I stopped or not I would still be in pain that night and the next morning... and I knew mentally I would be worse off since I didn't finish what I set out to do. Onward it was. Lap 11 was by far the slowest for me, taking about 85 minutes to finish the 5 mile loop. I walked most of it. I talked to many of you during it. And I finished it. I knew at that point I was going to be a 100 km finisher. Even if I had to walk the last loop + 2 miles, I would finish this thing. Luckily I didn't have to do the last loop alone.

Bree paced me (ran with me) the final 5 mile loop - pushing me to run when I was tired, and walking quickly to make sure I didn't dawdle. With her help, I finished that loop almost 4 minutes faster than the previous loop. Bree saw me through to the end of lap 12 where I went out to the turn around point, before returning to the start/finish line 16 hours and 17 minutes after I had started - hitting my B and C level goals. (My "A" goal was 15 1/2 hours.) I crossed the finish line at about 10:15 pm where I was met by Bree, Sam, and Alexa. The race director congratulated me and asked me if I wanted to keep going. I declined and gladly traded my timing chip for my finisher's medal.

As far as how I am feeling... physically I am doing way better than I thought I would be. I don't have any major issues - just some sore calves and feet, but nothing unexpected at all. I went to work today and was able to go up and down stairs pretty normally. Mentally I have still not wrapped my head around what I did. I'm not sure if I ever will.

Thank you again for all of your support throughout this adventure. Together we have raised over $700 for Nationwide Children's Hospital. It was an honor to represent you out there and I am humbled by your belief in me.

2017 Year In Review: Running

If I had one word to categorize and describe my 2017 year of running it would be "Believe." There were major accomplishments (my first 50 miler finish, new PRs in both my half and full marathon distances) as well as runs that... didn't go as planned.  However belief from my friends led to belief in myself.

Didn't plan on the flood during Tie Dye this year

Early in the year I was given a challenge (some would say I was called out by my Colorado bestie) to run 50 miles at once (well I didn't RUN all 50, but you get me.)  I signed up for Not Your Momma's Old School 50 miler and made it about 38ish miles before my mind said "no mas!"

That night while recovering this bestie did what any bestie coach would do.  She kicked my virtual mind in the virtual butt. She laid into me about my mental game, about leaving hours on the clock, and how she KNEW I could finish a 50-mile event.  She called me out because she knew I could answer the bell. It was why I went back at it a few weeks later at Highbanks Park.

-_-

On top of my accomplishments, I got to help others reach theirs as well.  This year I helped people run their first 5k, paced people to personal records (PRs) in 5k, 10k, and half marathon distances, and ..umm... ... encouraged... people to sign up for their first half and full marathons.

What does 2018 hold? I'll be at the Mohican 50k (dubbed Forget the PR) in April and will be pacing Erika at the Burning River 100 miler. No doubt I'll be signing up for at least the possum30k in March,  as well as some other events... maybe a 24-hour race? Who knows. I've learned nothing is off the table.

Nearly-Official 2017 Numbers: 

Total miles run in 2017: 1393 total miles (as of 12/27/17)
Total runs: 198 (as of 12/27/17)

Yes I'll hit nice round numbers there by the end of the year :)

Mostly-Official events: 

January: Winter Warmup Half Marathon
February: Frostbite 5 miler
March: Little Miami 10 miler, Washington DC Marathon
April: ORRRC Marathon (PR!!!), Let Me Run 5k
May: Salt Fork, Tie Dye 16 miler (DNF 32 miler due to weather) New Moon Quarter Marathon
June: Another Dam 50k
August: Beaver Chase Marathon, Emerald City Half Marathon (PR!!!), Darby Creek 10k
September: Night Glow Half Marathon, Air Force Half Marathon
October: Not Yo Momma's Old school (DNF'ed 50 miler) Spirit Sprint 5k,
November: Hot Chocolate 15k, Highbanks Park (solo 50 miler!), New Albany 4 miler, Left Over 5k, Hungry Turkey 5k
December: Run Santa Run 5k, The Boney Gnome Half Marathon

Washington D.C. Marathon Race recap

On Saturday, March 11th I completed the Washington D.C. Saint Jude Children's Hospital. This was my 3rd marathon and my 7th marathon-or-longer event. It was also the toughest road event I've attempted.

I have been training for this run for nearly 12 weeks. I put in the miles, did the speed work, ran the hills, bought the Gu. I was ready. Then I checked the weather. 12 degrees with winds of 15 miles an hour... ouch. It certainly wouldn't be the coldest race I've ever experienced, but it presented another challenge to an already challenging distance.

The day before the run I got an e-mail from the race organizers. It warned us of the cold weather and included this advice:

Manage your expectations. This may not be the race to run a PR. Slow down according to the conditions and consider switching down distances if you are not feeling prepared. 

Here is the deal: Running is an outdoor sport. There are no rain delays, no cancelled due to snow. I'm not letting 'weather' be an excuse for not hitting my goal.

Five top layers. Worked perfectly! 

The day started in my typical fashion: I got lost. Seriously. Bree was so amazing and agreed to drive me to the start line at 5:30 AM since the metro did not start up until 7 am. I programmed the start in my GPS and off we went. The only problem was that I programmed the FINISH LINE into the GPS. Luckily I realized my error and Bree was SUPER patient with me. I was dragging her all around a pre-dawn city that we'd never driven in before and she never did anything but reassure me. I am so thankful for her.

Eventually we got to the right location, she dropped me off, and I was off to the start line. I got myself ready, dropped off my bag with a change of clothes and some post-run food, and did a little light running to warm up. I also got to take a group picture with other St. Jude Heroes. The start was actually quite well done. Marathoners started at 7:00 and Half-marathoners didn't start until 8:30, which meant the start was (relatively) small.

It took me a few miles, but I managed to warm up and was feeling really good. The wind wasn't too bad and before I knew it I was at mile six: CRAZY HILL! Still, after running so many hills I knew how to approach it and felt good when I got to the top. A couple miles later I got to see Bree, Sam, and Alexa. A mile later I got to see Wendi and Jason as well! My pace through the first half of the marathon was 10:54 minutes per mile, right at my 11:00 minute pace goal.

The second half of the marathon started well. Bands were still playing, the course was smooth and fast, and the weather, while cold, was still not crazy cold or windy. There were fewer historical spaces to see, but I pressed on and crossed the 20-mile mark at a pace of 11:07 minutes per mile.

This is where things got rough. The wind really started to kick up and gusts were very noticeable. Some course volunteers said gusts were close to 30 miles per hour. Running began to be challenging, but I kept moving forward. Still the grind of 20 miles and the weather were starting to take its toll.

Then came mile 22. I had previewed the course and knew there was a bit of a climb at 22, but after four hours of running my body decided it needed a break and I had to do some considerable walking. About half way up the hill, the 5-hour pacer passed me. I forced my body to run, but couldn't keep pace with her.

 Four hours of running? Perfect time for a climb!

 I have been involved in sports nearly all my life. I can honestly say none of them have been as emotional or frustrating as distance running. You train for weeks and literally can watch your goal pass you by.

 I do so much reflecting after an event. What could I have done better? Did I give it my all? What did I miss? Here is what I know: All that training made me run my strongest road race of my life. I left nothing out there. Usually when I cross the finish line I collect my 'goodies', meet anyone that is at the finish, and hang out a bit. After this run, I crossed the line, had someone put a medal around my neck, and then sat down and couldn't move. My legs were cramping and in pain. My body was hurting badly and I was pretty emotionally devastated that I didn't finish under 5 hours.

As it turns out I did set a personal record (PR) for a marathon distance (26.2 miles), but I ended up running 26.6 miles total and crossed at 5:02:52, 40 seconds slower than the Columbus Full, but at a slightly faster overall pace.

If I did this event this time last year I would have finished in a much slower time. I would have given up running much earlier. Given the conditions there is a chance I may not have even finished. I've learned so much and look forward to busting that official 5 hour barrier in the future. I know it is in me.

Thank you to all of you for your support. I had so many people check in with me about how things were going with training and how the run went. I am so blessed to have so many people in my life that care about me.

To those of you that donated any amount to my run: I was proud to represent all of you! With your help we raised over $700 for the Children of Saint Jude.

To those of you that donated songs to my run through St. Jude Children's Hospital: I had great conversations with all of you. You will never know how much those help me get through the miles. It is funny how my player knows exactly what song to play when I need to hear it. Seriously, nobody's song came up before mile 7 (after that first climb) despite the fact I had it on random.

To my amazing family: Thank you SO MUCH for trekking all over D.C. and the metro, putting up with the stupid coldness of the day, and supporting me on my runs. This day would have been so much more difficult without you there. Sam and Alexa: your signs were great, and I LOVED seeing you on the jumbotron! Bree: you are amazing. Thank you for everything you do for me. I love you.

What's next? That's always the question. Currently I'm registered for a half-marathon in April and then two 50km (31 mile). I'm looking forward to getting back on trails! Outside of that, we'll see where the rabbit hole takes me!

Love you all,

Michael

Reflections on 2016, Part II: Running

People kept telling me that I ran a lot this year. Like a lot a lot. Upon reflecting, it is probably an accurate statement. I completed 16 different events this year: Rocks and Roots 10k, Brokeman’s Winter Warm up half marathon, Rocks and Roots 20k, Possum 30k, The ORRRC Xenia ½ marathon, Glass City Toledo Marathon, ORRRC Tie Dye 32 miler, Columbus Zoo 5k, Brokemans Wild Things 4 miler, Not Your Momma’s 50 km, Running with Scissors double marathon, Hot Chocolate 15km, New Albany 4 miler, Run Santa Run 5k, Big Foot 10 miler, and the Yeti Run.

They were all my favorite. Especially Yeti. 

Looking at that list I’m pretty much in awe - It was about 3 years ago that I ran my second half marathon and swore I would never run that distance again. It was just over a year ago I finished my first marathon. I found a picture of my 2014 bibs (EDIT: it was actually my bibs from 2013 AND 2014) on facebook and in the comments section I was ecstatic that it had four 5k bibs, a 10k bib and 2 half marathon bibs. Now I have run a marathon distance or more six different times (four of those times in 2016.)

Not Yo Momma's 50k - the most difficult 50k I've run to date.

Oddly enough I became friends with Erika in 2014. Pure coincidence I’m sure. Sidenote, Erika is running the Pistol Ultra 100 miler on New Years eve/day - so proud of her! You can read about her adventure here.

Still, the year was not ‘perfect.’ I had two did not finish results (DNF) this year: The first was at the January Rocks and Roots which was supposed to be a 20k but due to the fact I could not feel my feet (literally) after the first 10k, I chose to stop. The second was the Scissors double marathon where I “only” ran moved forward 41.1 (66km) of the 52.4 miles. You can read more about that here. 

I still gave myself a present.

However, I also fell in love with pacing this year, leading the 11 minute pace group during the Columbus Hot Chocolate 15k. It was great helping people achieve their goals since so many people had helped me achieve mine over the past year. Case in point, I ended the year with my fastest 5k ever thanks to my great friends Becky and Erika. It would have been an even faster time if I could have kept up with them past mile 2.5.

All in all I have logged over 1360 miles (about 2200 km) of running this year. For some perspective, that is about the distance from Cleveland to Denver. Looking forward, I have a number of activities and events in 2017. So far I have at least three half marathons, one full marathon, and two 50 kilometer runs on my calendar by the first week of June. Yes I said at least.

Here we go again.

A big thank you to all of my friends and family that supported me with encouragement, candy, a sarcastic comment, or all of the above. My wife and two daughters are just brilliant.  They push me, encourage me, cheer me on, and fully support me in all of this.  I truly would not be able to do this without them.

I love all of my running buddies and I'm proud of every mile we logged together! I will need all of your support, encouragement, and more in the coming weeks!

I’m looking to share many more miles and stories with all of you in 2017!

Happy Running :)