2012 Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race

Official results, photos & more from the 2012 Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race » Rock/Creek Chronicle

A Runner's Poem

Running groups are fun

I ran extremely fast

Everyone wants to be friends

Challenging the altitiude

Courtesy of www.matttrailer.com

Over the Memorial Day weekend, my younger step-sister got married in Albuquerque.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful and seeing my family was great, as was our cross country road trip. 

Going back home for a week was very cool but I was probably most interested in how the altitude would affect my running.  Atlanta, my current hometown, has an elevation of approximately 1100ft and pales in comparison to Albuquerque which is nearly five times that.  Would that difference really affect my running? I mean I have been training hard (30-50mi/wk) for the Chattanooga Stage Race later this month.  Nothing can slow me down...right? 



Courtesy of wwp.greenwichmeantime.com



Prior to heading out West, I did a bit of research.  Many websites, blogs, and research papers mention that running at elevation is more difficult and it should affect your time. Obviously, there is less oxygen higher up which, if you are not used to, will affect your breathing.  That all makes plenty of sense but does this hold true for longer distances? 



During my trip I went for three different runs; dirt track, road, and sand trail. In all three cases, my pace was either better than or right at my average pace.  Perhaps you want to play the rest card?  But all 26 miles took place within a four day period.  So it was not like I was spacing runs out all that much. 



Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Overall, who really knows what impact the altitude plays in running but I do know that I can drink more at the lower altitude...which is a good thing. 

On a side note, in my adventures around town I did manage to see a group of runners (each of who weighed less than my legs)  chasing their coach who was riding a bike.  I also ran shirtless in the sand but not Mitch Buchannon style, I ran along the mighty Rio Grande rather than on the beach. 

See you out there,

TF

Darkside 8 Hour Race - Recap

2012 Darkside 8 Hour Race - Peachtree City, Georgia

5/12/2012

Distance: 38.76mi

Time: 7:58:20

Overall: 15/38

Males: 10/17

PreRace - Peachtree City is far, far away.  I had to wake up at 5am to give myself enough time to get out the door and be at the prerace meeting by 645am.  I opted for some yummy salad and espresso for breakfast. 

What I packed:

• 10 Honey Stinger Waffles (Honey and Vanilla)
• 14 GU Gels (5 Espresso, 5 Peanut Butter, 4 Lemon Lime)
• 9 Salt Stick Tabs
• 6 12oz bottles of GU Electrolyte Brew Drink - Blueberry Pomegranate
• BodyGlide
• 3 Shorts and 2 Shirts
• Sunscreen

Anyway, I got to the meeting and met my lap counter...nice guy, so I pleaded with him to count by 2's but he laughed and said yeah right Todd. 

Race - On your marks, get set, ladies go...men wait for five minutes.  Five minutes felt like an eternity and because the loop was only like .432 miles around, the women were already on their second lap before we started. 

About an hour into it I really started to feel good.  Then the rains came.  It was actually quite perfect.  The light drizzle kept the day cool but all I could really think about was what would happen if the sun broke through the clouds.  Man, I bet is would get super steamy. 

At around 1030ish, my wife showed up to watch me.  Although it was still raining and the chairs I set out by my stuff were soaked, she still hung out for a bit to cheer me on.  I would run past her and steal a sip of her Dunkin Donuts coffee...yum!  I was moving along well and actually a bit faster than I would have hoped but I felt good so I just kept on going. 

Here comes the sun. Finally at high noon the sun came out.  My original shirt was blackish gray so when the sun came out I switched to white, to reflect it...smart thinking right?  After rubbing on some BodyGlide, I put the new shirt on and continued. 

It must have been about 1245ish and my wife showed up, again.  This time she came to help me out.  She threw on her running shoes and walked a lap with me but only after I ran between 2-4 on my own.  We did this for about an hour or so.  Her assistance was nice and very much appreciated.  Plus, earlier in the day I asked her upon her return to bring me a tall latte and a double espresso drink from Starbucks.  After sipping on the latte while we walked, I found some much needed energy. 

*On a side note, due to some chaffing I needed to change my shorts.  Glad I brought a different pair.  Additionally these new shorts had like a boxer brief lining which was actually fantastic and totally prevented further chaffing. Small win for me! 

At about 130p I chugged the double espresso shot my wife brought.  After leaving my tummy upset for like 4 minutes, it too helped provide me some energy.  I was humming for a bit and kinda got my third wind for the day. 

Soon I passed my previous distance PR of 35.02 miles.  Hooray, but I wanted more.  Could I get to 40?  That was the question.  Doing the math in my mind I determined it was nearly impossible to get there.  Needed about 25 laps and my pace was falling off. 

With about 15 minutes left I found my fifth gear and my forth wind for the day.  I must have pounded out the least 4 laps in about 18 or so minutes...according to my Garmin, these were 2 of my fastest 38 miles.  Funny it happens at the end of the day, right?  On my last lap I absolutely flew past a bunch of super tired people and then stopped and thought I was going to spew.  But after spitting I determined I was not going to throw up and continued my blistering pace towards the finish line. 

Finally, I was done.  I ate some pizza and cheered for the folks who killed it.  Somebody ran like 155 laps!  Nuts. 

Great race. Great people. Great time. Looking forward to the race next year!

See you out there,

TF

Hey, look it is raining...inside the house?!?

Yeah, not awesome.  Not one bit...

Doing her best Chris Traeger, Rob Lowe from NBC's Parks and Recreation, my wife told me it was "literally raining through the ceiling downstairs."

Holy cow, I thought...this is awful.  Fortunately she turned off the water to the house and I slowly started packing my things and leaving my hotel in Spartanburg, South Carolina. 

  

What did I do about the leaks when I got home?  Took some pictures of course.  If you know me, I am certainly not the most handy dude out there.  I have attached some pictures for your enjoyment. 

Check out the really awesome, large, and super loud and dehumidifying drying equipment we have too.  Nothing like gale force winds inside your house to make you sleep better at night. 

Not sure if you can tell but the hardwood floor is raised like 2 inches, not good.  Needless to say it will have to be removed and replaced.  I guess that is why you have insurance, right?

  

On a more positive note I have gotten to spend like 7 days at home in a row, which is a win.  Keep all you posted on the progress in the coming weeks and I will be sure to add more pictures.

May your pipes be perfect and your ceilings not leaky,

TF

Hot to the touch

In honor of my brother's birthday and cinco de mayo, I made some guacamole this past weekend.  It is a fairly simple recipe and takes very little time at all.  Because I like all five or six of you that read this nonsense, here is the recipe. 

• 8 Avocados
• 4 Jalapeno Peppers
• 2 Habanero Peppers
• 1/2 Red Onion
• Cilantro
• 2 Limes
• Sea Salt to taste

First, make sure the avocados you purchase are super soft and squishy.  Cut them in half and scrape the contents into a big bowl.  Mix them up until they look like green mashed potatoes.  Keep the pit(s) on the side for later.  Next cut up the peppers, onion, and cilantro.  Once you have diced them up nice and small add them to the mashed up avocados. Cut up the limes and squeeze them into the mixture.  Finally add the salt to taste.  If you are like me, you will add a good little bit of salt.  Stir it up nice and good then throw those pits from the avocados that you saved back into the bowl.  Sure that sounds strange but it helps keep the guac green.  At this point you can begin to chow down or place it in the fridge and cool it off.

  *For best results get some good blue corn tortilla chips and Corona* 

Now, what could this possibly have to do with running?  Well as you know, peppers are hot to taste and often hot to the touch.  After making this bad-boy guac I went for a run in the brutal Georgia heat (92 degrees and HUMID).  Probably a pretty bad idea but what is more is that I did not wash my hands after making the guac.  So needless to say when I wiped the sweat from my brow, my head and face started to burn from the Habanero pepper.  It unfortunately made my little run less than fun.  Do not make the same mistakes I do...wash your hands! 

Out,
TF

Back in the saddle

Well it has been quite some time since my last post, my apologies. 

My March was fantastic and I hope your March was the same.  My brother got married in San Diego, I set a distance PR, and my New Mexico Lobos made it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament.  But sadly it is now April and time to get to work.

April should be quite interesting.  My stage race is about two months away and I am starting to get nervous about my training.  While I hit 125 miles in March, the majority of it was on pavement and unfortunately that does not necessarily translate to trail miles. 

That said, efforts have been kicked up.  Today I started Tuesday/Thursday 2-a-days, which consist of a 3-4 mile run in the morning followed by a faster track or group run in the evening.  I figure that pushing my body to the limit should help me battle 60 miles over a three day period. 

Dieting.  Yeah, this part sucks.  I have an incredible sweet tooth and often nothing makes me happier than ice cream...but I have decided to cut ice cream, and dessert in general out of my diet until after the race.  Additionally, soft drinks and beer have to go too.  Hoping this can help me get to a good fighting weight by race day. 

These next two months should be very interesting and I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress. 

See you out there,
TF

A little help from my friend

"To be or not to be" is the probably the most famous phrase in Hamlet, but if Shakespeare wrote about running would this phrase be changed to "to run solo or not to run solo?" 

If you asked ten runners of different levels that question, chances are you would get mixed results.  But why is that?  Some will say that it is easier to keep motivated and that running in groups can strengthen friendships.  Others might counter that running solo enables you to focus on your goals and train the way that you want to train.

Personally I have always been more of a solo act but more recently I have started running with groups. Due to my ever-changing weekly work schedule it is different to meet up with groups, so I usually run solo. That said, when I am in Atlanta during the week there is one group that I really enjoy to meet up with on Thursday and Saturday. 

Thursday is all business. We meet at a local restaurant at 7p but nobody really shows up until about 7:10p and we run about 4.5 miles.  These days are quick.  While we all run the same course at some point testosterone peeks its little head and splinter groups form.  On Thursday you are only a stud if you finish in the first group, or at least that is what the voice in my head tells me. 

Saturday is a much more relaxed run.  Typically ranging anywhere from 9-13 miles, we run at a slower pace and chat about anything and everything.  For example, when I wear my Vibram Five Fingers, people always want to talk about them.  Are they comfortable?  Can you run far in them?  Do you want us to slow down?Can you actually feel those rocks you ran on? Or they make outrageous claims such as they are no good...etc.  The group and the chit-chat actually makes this run much more enjoyable.  The constantly conversation, bragging, and poking fun of one another takes the mind off other stressful things in life. The run always ends with grabbing a cup of joe from the local coffee shop, Octane, and walking a couple blocks back to our cars. 

If you have decided to read on this far you might be asking yourself, what does this all mean?  Well, this past weekend I ran my first Endurance Race.  It was 12 hours of running around a 1.03 mile loop.  Initially I thought I would absolutely kill it, even claiming to a good friend (Jerry) that I would get to 50 miles but that was just my ego talking.   Besides I have actually never ran more than a 50k and have certainly not trained enough to scratch 50 miles!  What a dope. 

After running for about 4 solid hours I decided to ask my wife to walk a lap with me.  She obliged and it was probably the most fun I had ever had during a race.  She told me all about how our little Bernacrazy threw up in the car on the way to doggie day care and how bad it (her car) now smelled.  We walked together a total of five times that day. It was an awesome opportunity to combine one of my favorite things with my absolute favorite person.  In fact, had she not been at the race and pacing me I probably would have cut out early but instead I made it for about 7 full hours and racked up 35 miles. 

So no matter what your choice is, sometimes running with someone makes the day/race/trail and most importantly the memories that much more enjoyable.   

See you out there!
Todd

Hello March!

So far, so good.  A strong start to March is really quite refreshing, especially considering my not-so-great February. If I was not on a plane, working in a hotel conference room, or giving a presentation, I was sick.  Yeah, it was brutal and hence my excitement for March.  Sometimes you just got to rest, so that is exactly what I did.
 

Date	Duration	Distance	Pace	Calories	Terrain	City/State
2-Feb	0:43:51	5.18	8'27"	863	Road	Atlanta, GA
4-Feb	1:43:51	9.5	9'03"	1582	Trail	Atlanta, GA
6-Feb	1:50:04	11.76	9'21"	1957	Road	Atlanta, GA
9-Feb	0:06:34	0.77	8'26	129	Road	Atlanta, GA
9-Feb	0:34:57	4.39	7'57"	731	Road	Atlanta, GA
11-Feb	2:17:39	13.63	10'06"	2267	Trail	Atlanta, GA
13-Feb	0:34:33	4.17	8'16"	695	Trail	Raleigh, NC
14-Feb	1:11:53	7	10'16"	1164	Trail	Raleigh, NC
21-Feb	0:50:24	6	8'24"	998	Road	Atlanta, GA
27-Feb	0:26:48	3	8'55"	500	Road	Atlanta, GA
	Feb Total	65.4
	Jan Total	72.95
	2012 Total	138.35

Looks like I am pretty far behind my goal at this point but it really does not matter.  I still have 10 months to go to get to 1000 miles. 

See you out there.
Todd

Stretching it out

As funny as it might sound, one of my 2012 goals is being able to reach down and touch my toes without bending my knees.  My flexibility has always been horrible.  I remember being in the fifth grade and doing the president's fitness test. If you have forgotten what it is, see below:
The Presidential Physical Fitness Test recognizes students for their level of physical fitness in five activities:

• Curl-ups (or partial curl-ups)
• Shuttle run
• Endurance run/walk
• Pull-ups (or right angle push-ups or flexed-arm hang)
• V-sit reach (or sit and reach)

Curl-ups, shuttle run, endurance run, and pull-ups...easy.  The sit and reach, well it made me want to go back home and play Zelda.  I recall feeling so embarrassed, to the point of wondering if my performance in this grade school activity would prevent me from being cool and getting ladies in the future (I soon realized it was my fondness for turtleneck sweaters and NKOTB that kept the ladies away.)

 

image courtesy of blisyoga.org



Fast forward twenty something years and I still would perform horribly at the V-sit.  Therefore, I have taken a proactive approach to improving my stretching game...I signed up for Yoga for the Stiff Guy.  Seriously, that was the name of the program offered at the Decatur Yoga & Pilates. This class was the perfect setting.  Filled with about 20 other guys like me who absolutely STINK at stretching.  My only worry after entering the class was thinking about who I would blame if I happened to fart...fortunately that never happened. 

It did not take much or long for me to fall in love with yoga. The absolutely calm feeling after a class. I am so relaxed that I do not even get upset when the silly car in front of me stops at the flashing yellow light (dumb driver.) I really cannot get enough of it.  While I am still unable to touch my toes with straight knees I feel it is making a significant impact on my body. 



image courtesy of oldschooltrainer.com



As it relates to running, I also think the yoga is helping improve my performance.  I have always focused on strength training and as a result I have always had a very strong lower body, but being a 220lb super muscle man who can dead lift 505lbs is not ideal for endurance running. Sure the strength is good but carrying that weight gets tough over 32+ miles. Heck, it is tough no matter how far you go.  Therefore creating lean muscle, which yoga and stretching does, I believe will significantly benefit my running.  Only time will tell but thus far I do think it is helping and I WILL TOUCH THOSE TOES SOON!

What about you...are you a pre-run stretcher, or do you hate stretching?  Are you too macho for yoga, or have you had a sip of the yoga kool-aid?

See ya out there!
Todd "the yogi"

Sweetwater Sweetheart Half Marathon

I do not usually plan...much. 

Originally I had intended to register for the Sweetwater Sweetheart half back in early January while it was cheap but never really got around to it but decided at 9p on Friday to run the race.  Fortunately it had been a lighter week for me in terms of running (12.75 on Monday and 4.5 on Thursday). 

Saturday morning was freezing...for Atlanta standards.  It was a horrible 39 degrees when I got in the car at 645am and by the time I got to the race the temperature dropped to 33 degrees, boo. 

The race started a couple minutes late, which sucked because all of us runners were stuck out on a hill and the wind was BLOWING.  Finally we started and things heated up.  Doing the majority of my trail running at Sweetwater, I was pretty familiar with most of the course.  We took the usual trails until we hit the 4 miles point, then we took a left over a bridge that I had never been on and now I know why.  At mile 6 the hills were nasty.  So nasty that you could not run down the other side because you would have fallen.  So after about 3 miles of that, we turned around and did it again...

Once things smoothed I managed to run down some people and was feeling pretty good.  (My mind was telling me that it must had been all that yoga.) At the final water stop, some spectator told my little group that we were in the top 25, which really kinda shocked me and it gave me a little extra energy. 

Finally my watch beeped for the 13th time and I knew the race was nearly complete so I gave it one last push as we raced up a hill.  Unfortunately, there was no finish line at the top of the hill but I had used a good bit of my remaining energy to push up it and pass some people.  Anyway, the race went on for another half mile but finally ended. 

I was pretty pleased with my time (2:17:39) ended up finishing #26 overall and #1 in the 30-34 age group.  Boom!

Mile	Time	Pace
1	8:20	8'20"/mi
2	17:04	8'44"/mi
3	26:58:00	9'54"/mi
4	36:41:00	9'43"/mi
5	49:38:00	12'57"/mi
6	1:02:46	13'08"/mi
7	1:11:52	9'06"/mi
8	1:21:54	10'02"/mi
9	1:33:11	11'17"/mi
10	1:43:45	10'34"/mi
11	1:52:25	8'40"/mi
12	2:02:27	10'02"/mi
13	2:11:49	9'22"/mi

See you out there!
TF

Mmmm...bacon

Man, that Superbowl was awesome, eh?  Well if you are anything like me you cared more about the commercials than the actual game.  As has been the case for a couple years now...Doritos always produces the best ads.  This year the man's best friend ad took the cake.  Speaking of taking the cake, let me get to baconfest. 2012 was the inaugural baconfest and it consisted of 3 different variations on the Holiday Bacon Appetizer.  The only rule was you could not stick to the authentic, attached, recipe.  The variations are below.

• Bacon and shredded parmesan
• Bacon and brown sugar
• Chicken taquitos wrapped in bacon

Isn't your mouth watering now?  Mine would be had I not pigged out.  While all variations were excellent...the bacon and brown sugar were awesome.  Kinda had a breakfast taste, yum.  The chicken taquitos won the award for most innovative.  

Monday - City run...

With all that bacon a long run was necessary and while I bragged about running a baconfest half marathon, I cut it short at about 12.75 miles. While not meeting my goal and having to eat some crow, those 12.75 miles made that Monday run my longest Monday run...ever.  

Tuesday - Yoga

More on this yoga stuff later.

Wednesday - Indoor Trainer - Bike 

Found a pretty cool little workout online...

Warm up:  Include your warm up time.

Part 1:  20(40), 40(20), 60(60), 40(20), 20(40) - 2x
Recovery time in bracket expressed in seconds. So, you sprint for 20 seconds, recover for 40, sprint for 40, recover for 20 etc.
This training is challenging but it goes quickly. Repeat this drill twice but recover for 5minutes between sets. You can add another set if you really enjoy this.
Again, recover for 5 minutes between part 1 and 2.

Part 2:  2min hard, 4minutes easy - 3x
This part does not require you to go flat out. Use the 2 minutes as a sustained effort rather than a flat out affair. Keep HR out of the anaerobic zone. Ride at your aerobic threshold level….that is below race pace. This type of interval really asks you to keep up a pace. Your aim is more of an endurance effort, burning slower and more efficiently. As an example, if you normally average 35 km/hr on a flat course on a race, work on riding at 31-32km/hr per 2 minute interval. Ensure you do not go into the anaerobic zone.

Warm down: As always leave about 10 minutes to warm down.
Thursday - Group run

Thursday - Group run...

Met with a group of about 20-25 people.  Felt like a little rabbit, darting to the front of the pack...only problem was I was not familiar with the course.  Had to drop back but finished third overall.  Very good run.  Roughly 4.7mi in about 34 minutes. 

See you out there!
TF

Sh*t ultrarunners say

Absolutely hilarious.   

Best quotes in my opinion:

• Boulder is the mecca
• If you can run a marathon, you can run a 50k 
• Got an extra sock?
• How many toenails have you lost? 
• Wanna grab a beer?

Share your favorites.

One down...eleven more to go.

Soon January 2012 will be in the books.  Wow, the time is already flying by!

I have attached my runs for the month...and while I did not hit my goal of 100 miles, I should have no issue reaching 1000 for the year. 



Date	Duration	Distance	Pace	Calories	Terrain	City/State
1-Jan	0:40:26	4.3	9'23"	700	Road	Atlanta, GA
7-Jan	2:38:08	13.94	11'20"	2267	Trail	Atlanta, GA
9-Jan	0:24:18	2.55	9'31"	415	Road	Atlanta, GA
18-Jan	0:36:12	4.12	?	?	Road	Raleigh, NC
19-Jan	0:37:22	4.12	?	?	Road	Raleigh, NC
22-Jan	14:03	1.17	11'58	195	Road	Atlanta, GA
22-Jan	1:20:34	8.01	10'03	1333	Trail	Atlanta, GA
24-Jan	1:00:05	6.7	8'58"	1115	Road	Charleston, SC
25-Jan	1:28:51	10.01	8'52"	1665	Road	Wilmington, NC
29-Jan	1:44:36	10.29	10'10"	1712	Trail	Atlanta, GA
30-Jan	11:33	1.5	7'55	?	Track	Atlanta, GA
31-Jan	1:19:50	6.24	?	?	Treadmill	Mooresville, NC
	Total	72.95

Not sure what happened to me 1/9 - 1/19...must have been eating ice cream, please excuse.

image courtesy of morellisicecream.com

How are you doing in terms of your running goals?  Feel free to post your total miles and/or perhaps a challenge for me in February. 

See you out there!

Todd