Stone Mill 50 Miler turned 50 K Race report

Saturday November 19^th 2011 I ran the Stone Mill 50 Miler in Maryland. Here is my race report. I wanted to post my critical learning’s and rave about the great staff, Race Director Harvey Sugar and urge people to support this awesome single-track race. It was an amazing experience and I am looking forward to Running this 50 Miler again next year and possibly another as well, maybe the North Face in Virginia. The one worry I had doing this race wasn’t the distance, I was pretty confident that I would have what it took to finish, I was more worried about my right knee. Sometime around early to mid-October, my knee had started to act up. At first I thought it was ITBS but it would lock up randomly and catch causing great pain and make it almost impossible to walk. And just as rapidly as it came on, it would disappear and I could move well. It was a great concern.

Earlier in the week, we had torrential rains and everyone was worried and excited about the course being muddy and challenging. After the cold front passed the temperatures dropped into the upper 20’s or low 30’s in the area. In the trees, it was freezing cold. At 6AM sharp the gun went off . With headlamps and hand lamps in place, Approximately 300 of us headed into the woods embarking on what would be an all-day challenge.

The race is mostly over single-track that follow the Seneca Greenway Trail and Muddy Branch Trails in Maryland. We started at Watkins Mill High School and looped the school then headed down a steep embankment and into the woods where we picked up the Greenway trail. The first section was Watkins mill to MD 355 and is approx. 3 miles. This was all in the dark and the line of headlamps made for a very cool and interesting journey. We were all clumped very close to each other so speed was slow and lots of joking and talking were in order. Soon we hit MD 355 and dumped cloths and headlamps, crossed the road at the bridge and headed into the woods for the second leg which was MD 355 to Riffle Ford Road.

This section passes through Great Seneca Park and has a few tricky navigation spots where the trail was washed out from earlier storms. At mile 8 you could make a ¼ mile detour to the Aid Station but most passed it up and continued to the next station at MD 28 and the Muddy Branch Trailhead. To this point, everything was pretty much uneventful. The pace was good at around 10 min / mile average and there wasn’t much mud. The knee that had been giving me problems over the past month was not acting up much and I was having a great time.

At Mile 10 we were 1 mile from the Aid Station and my Running buddy Allan had his wife meet us with hot Starbucks Mocha Lattes and Oatmeal. Man that was awesome, you should try that sometime. We ate the oatmeal, filled our bottles with coke and water, chugged down the Lattes and headed out for the next 10 mile section that would take down to Pennyfield lock on the C&0 Canal.

You can actually see my knee was swelling in this picture. I hadn't noticed yet.

This section leaving the Riffle Ford area and getting to The Muddy Branch Trailhead was the only paved portion of the trail. It was a necessary Evil and worth the 1.5 mile hardtop because the Muddy Branch Trail (MBT) is spectacular. Once on the MBT we headed southwest over countless small creek crossings, some muddy bogs and spectacular scenery. At Mile 17 the trail crosses Esworthy Rd and was a bit confusing. Earlier in October I had tried to navigate this portion and could not find the trail after crossing the road. Come to find out later we needed to run north on Esworthy Rd about 1/3 mile to the Trailhead and then start southwest again for another 3 miles to Pennyfield Lock. Here it got a little comical as we started down a steep hill and many runners were coming back up it saying it was the wrong way. Why they thought that I was unsure since the trees were clearly marked with Blue Blazes so I just headed down the trail leaving them in their confusion. After two miles we hit river road and I was happy because all the while running I had thought that maybe they were right. Somewhere in this section my knee started to act up. The hill mentioned earlier, well as I was headed down that hill I felt the knee sort of give a little and I was now feeling some minor pain. I continued to the next Aide Station at mile 21 where I was feeling better.

As I took a break at Pennyfield lock eating a PB&J and some crackers I realized the knee was swelling a bit and pain set in again with a vengeance. By the time we left the Aide Station and headed onto the C&O canal, I was barely able to walk. In a matter of minutes I went from minor pain to excruciating pain. I hopped and limped and then started running. The pain subsided some but it was always present and for the next 4 miles I ran/walked doing whatever felt best at the time.

After leaving the Stone mill we crossed River Road again at Riley’s lock and a short run down a side road led to the trail entrance and into the trees. This section is a mostly flat except for the first 2 miles which are very hilly. Historically it is also a miserable/fun muddy section, it did not disappoint. I have run this section several times. There are some creek crossings and many bogs where stagnant mud bogs block the trail. It is also a very fun section between River Road to MD 28 where the next official Aide Station was located. I was in pain in this section but I found if I just kept running I was good. Then somewhere around Berryville Rd in the Hilly section around mile 26 I was coming down a hill when the knee just sort of gave out, Allan why was running behind me made the comment “That didn’t look good”, well it really didn’t feel too good either. That was the beginning of the end. The rest was a run walk to MD 28 Aide station where I had to make a decision.

My GPS said just over 31 miles but the sign in the aide station said 29 miles only 21 left to go. Well, I knew at this point I wasn’t going another 21 so I had to get that 50K mark under my belt. The GPS said I was there but the official mileage was 29 so I decided to press on to the next road crossing which was around 1.5 miles further. This was a very grim time since I knew I had failed to get the 50 Miles but it was also a landmark for me since I had never ran 50K. talk about bitter-sweet. I walked up a long hill and then started running. There were times the pain was so intense I thought I’d vomit and a hundred moments that my brain was screaming what are you doing fool (In a Mr T Voice) but if 50K was all I’d get that day then 50K it was. As I came into the Parking lot at Blackrock my GPS read 33.2 miles, I was done, stick a fork in me. I fist pounded Allan, said I’d see him at the finish line and climbed into the truck. Torn, Beaten and proud at the same time. Talk about a strange twist of emotions.

Well, It has been over a week now and, the feet are good, the knee is still swollen and I have a pretty healthy bakers Cyst behind the knee. I say the feet are good because I have had some problems with the Peroneal Tendon where it attaches to the 5^th metatarsal on the left foot. Basically, it gets damn sore after running and it didn’t disappoint after this run, it was excruciating and felt like someone was holding a bic lighter to the knuckle there, That pain disappeared after a few days, the knee, not so lucky. I recon I’ll be getting some scope time to see what’s up but I made my mark at 50K and enjoyed every minute. It is interesting when you achieve a goal and miss another at the same time. You just don’t know whether to celebrate of get mad. I chose to celebrate.

Things I Learned in my first Ultra:

1. They are hard but not impossible. I have no doubt that I can run a 50 Miler now. I was close.
2. My hydration strategy although I thought was good enough must not have been. I was drinking pretty regular at about 20 oz per 5 miles but I was not going to the bathroom at all on the run – twice in 33 miles is not good enough. It was almost 2 days before I was back to normal and 12 hours before I pee’d after the run and that was a weak dribble attempt. Never did I drink enough that I felt I drank too much. I know I need a lot of water as I sweat like crazy. Lesson Learned!
3. Food and electrolytes! I had decided on a Gel every hour and an S cap every 2 hours. I did only 3 gels in 6 hours and only 2 S-Caps. I just don’t think I was doing well on electrolytes and at the end I was feeling some cramping that started around mile 25. Since I sweat so much, I probably need more potassium. I was using a Nuun Tablet in my water, I think I used 3 or 4 tablets, that didn’t seem enough.
4. Training: I had previously done some 25 and 28 Milers; most training runs were 20 or less on the same terrain as the run. It would have been better had I ran some 30-40 milers to mentally prepare because when the knee started going south really bad around mile 25, I was already fatigued. I don’t know what the outcome would have been had I not had knee problems but I question whether I could have made that last 10 miles after mile 40. Guess I will never know. My training plan called for some back to backs of 20 and 30 miles. I neglected doing them. That was a mistake. Next year I am kicking it up a notch.

The shoes I wore were Merrill Trail Gloves. I tried several other shoes in training and always came back to the MTG’s. I wore them the entire run and was very impressed. I got no blisters, I was comfortable and if the shoes got too slippery with Mud I would simply run in a creek and wash them out. They dry and drain very well. Before the run I drenched my feet in 2 Tom SportShield Liquid Roll-On. This stuff is the chit and works well for me. I never had a hot spot wearing the MTG’s with SportShield. Shoes give me heel blisters so I need a soft back. Vibram Five Fingers have no traction and no rock plate so I eliminated those when I started trail/Ultra running.

Running the Stone Mill 50 was a blast, people running Ultras are a different bread of human. They are so much cooler than the uptight people running Marathons and other street races. On the street I have been yelled at, pushed, crowded out, and generally feel like everything is do or die. In the Ultra world the general feeling is team work and comradery. If you happen to fall, others help you up and care; If someone else falls I help you up. When someone looks in trouble, everyone wants to help. It is a crazy cool world to play in.

Oh, one last note! At mile 29 or 31 whichever it was, they had BBQ’d Roasted salted baby Potatoes. OMG, they were like eating little chunks of heaven or Fairy Eggs.

Mmmmmmmk, Potatoes Good!

Here is a picture taken by someone at mile 8 at that Riffle Ford Creek Crossing as we switched from the Blue Greedway Trail to the Trail leading to Route 28. Not sure why I looked like such a poser!

Running Blind

I have been running most of my life, well, except that large gap in the middle of life. As a young child, in Jr. High and in High School I ran on the track teams. I was never the top guy except once I did finish an unofficial 1^st in High Hurdles at Sophomore State only to have it taken away and given to someone else based on a judges error and lack of support from a drunkard as a coach but that is another story.

After High School I pretty much gave up on running because I found it a major pain, literally, running was a pain. I would suffer all year from shin splints relieved that I could finally stop running at the end of the season and heal. Rarely did I enjoy running but a few moments and those were mountain runs. For some reason running in the mountains on trails was never a pain, it was pleasure.

Well, move the clock forward to 2003, almost 25 years later, and I start hitting the road again. Immediately I begin enjoying a run and feel like I just missed something for a lot of my life. Then I go buy a pair of corrective, support, stability, padded running shoes that were recommended by some “teenage expert” in the local running store and the shin splints are back. But I hang in there for another 4 years putting in a few short runs a week. This all changed around 2008 when I started to move towards Barefoot and minimalist running and injuries started to drop away. However I still have a few here and there and I attribute it to bad form. As I get comfortable with my form, I start getting lazy, over striding and end up in pain. Running Minimalist/barefoot was a god send for my running and now I need to take another step forward.

Yesterday I was running in my Vibram Five Finger KSO’s and I realized once again I was over striding. I worked hard to bring in the stride, land under my center of mass, increase cadence, be light and easy, Easy, light, yada yada yada and it was all intellectual, logical, not a “feeling” like it was working. Then it hit me, what if I close my eyes, what if I run blind and let my feet be my eyes?

I was on a long, flat straight and safe stretch of blacktop pathway where I could experiment so I closed my eyes. Each step I made an endeavor to feel the foot pick up off the road and sense the landing as close under me as possible. Each step I wanted to feel as much as I possibly could feel and become one with the road. And then I went off onto the grass and almost tripped myself.  That is when I realized I would need to peek every now and then until I mastered running blind. Otherwise, I was going to run into a tree and that just wouldn’t be cool!

Next I closed my eyes again and extended my mind to my feet and after a few seconds realized they were landing out in front of me again and then pulling me forward sort of like Land, skid a little, brake, pull, kick off and push. Heck, no wonder I had blood blisters from last weeks race. I quickly made a correction and was landing under me again and then hit the grass edge. Crap, I opened my eyes and I realized I was veering to the right. I realigned with the path and closed my eyes, focused on the feet again and immediately I was over striding and reaching again but this time I noticed almost immediately and corrected. Then I felt the camber of the path, it was slight but I could feel it and then I hit the grass again on the same right side. With my eyes closed I was compensating for the camber that sloped away to the left and I veered right almost as if running away from the slope uphill. I corrected and closed my eyes again.

This process went on for over 2 miles. As time went on, I found many different issues with my stride. Pushing off, pulling, over striding, compensating for my sore ankle, compensating for landing on objects (good thing). I started feeling cracks in the path as I landed; I felt my foot pronate as it landed and rolled to the ball and realized I was pushing off not lifting. I found that in the beginning I was able to run 8-10 steps before needing to peek. Then it was 15 and then 20. I hope that someday I can pick a straight path and follow it for a minute blind using feet and ears as my guide.

My next Blind Run is going to be barefoot. I am healing some blood blisters I picked up in an 8K race due to sloppy form so that is why I headed out with the Vibram Five Fingers in the first place. I was determined to see if I could figure out what I was doing wrong. Running Blind Barefoot will be a real trip. I imagine that it will take a little recon ahead of time just so I avoid any glass or damaging surfaces. I encourage you to give this a try, the feeling was strange in the beginning and everything comes into play including trust, nerve, ego if someone sees you, trees, grass and fear but soon your feet become more than eyes, they become levels, grade sensors, compasses and instructors. I feel this might be the tool to take my running to another level.
Have fun Running Blind!

Bourbon Feet’s killer Blog on Luna Sandals

You all knowmy passion for minimalist shoes, crazy ultra runners and my dream to be better than I am.

Here is a great Blog post from an amazing runner, record holder

http://bourbonfeet.blogspot.com/2011/06/words-from-lunatic-comprehensive-review.html

Tuesday Trails – Stone Mill to Potomac

Tuesday Trails.
Headed out on a nice trail run with my buddy. It was going to be an easy 5 miles out and 5 back. We got a late start and I wasn’t really ready. Hadn’t eaten well, was not well hydrated and the temperature was in the 90′s, humidity was off the charts and there wasn’t any wind. Perfect setup for a learning day! 

He headed out and immediately noticed the trail markers were counting down from 8 miles to 7 etc… We wanted to know where they ended. After all, who wouldn’t, right? So we decided that instead, we would run to the end and call for a ride wherever the end was. Well after 7 miles something we hit the end and decided that it wasn’t too late to head back and round trip the run. I wonder who’s brainiac idea that was 

It was very hilly, I was hot, getting low on water and I hit a wall around 10-11 miles. I ate gels, drank what water I had but I was feeling like crap. I could barely lift my legs. Finally I got through it, something of a learning experience to be in the middle of nowhere, no easy bail out and have to press on. I got through it and felt a new kind of pain and some feelings of accomplishment too. Then the rain and lightening started. Long story short it got dark, we were tired and 1.4 miles from the car we had to get a ride.

Moral of the story: be ready for anything, be aware of the time, carry at least a small flashlight, and have some kind of food available when trail running cause I was famished.

Running along the Potomac

Day before yesterday I did some running Hill training
Basically I walk or jog to the bottom of a 1/4 mile hill.
Then I turn and sprint to the top at a 6 min/mile pace.
Sweat, breath and repeat.
I did 8 of these and then cooled down. It was a total kick in the pants.
I was a little frustrated because I could not get my HR over 145.

Yesterday I put in a rather aggressive and hilly 20 miles on the bike. It wasn’t anything more than just keeping my legs from pussing out on me.
I needed to make sure I was keeping a daily routine. It was a fun ride and at one point I reached 35 miles/hr. Pretty cool.

Today I hummed and hawed and tried to talk myuself out of working out. I had planned a 14 mile run along the Potomac river but it was getting muggy and I had excuses. BUT… I overcame and headed to the river in such a hurry that I got a Photo Camera Speeding ticket. Bastards!

I ran out 7 miles on the river then ran back. 2.5 hours and I really did feel good however I was feeling it at the end. my feet were sore. I don’t think mu HR ever got over 130 BPM. Insane!

I am ready I think for my next elevation in the challenge. Running home from work. It is a 20 mile trip, will happen in the heat of day and water is going to be an issue. Today running I sweated through 20 oz pre run water, 70 oz on the run and another 20 oz after the run. That is a total of 110 oz and I lost 4 lbs so hydration is going to be a major issue. I may have to have someone meet me in the middle with food and water. However, the urge at that point will be strong to quit. Something I need to fight mentally.

I’ll tell you what though, I had a 20 oz bottle of Nuun Citrus on Ice waiting for me at the car, OMG that was heaven to drink. I needed something cold and not sweet when I finished up.

Resting Heart rate, How low can you go.

I ended up going for a 7 mile bike ride. Not much really just wanted to keep the legs loose. It was 98 degrees and I am pretty much acclimated. I didn’t even break a sweat of get my pulse over 90.

I can always tell when my fitness is starting to pay off.

My resting heart rate this morning was 34.

A 30 mile bike ride in a light rain!

Went out for a nice 30 mile ride yesterday. Felt great afterwards and could have done another 20, Seriously. My but was getting a little sore and some lube over 30 miles might be a good idea.

50 mile Run, Century Ride. All in one year

I am turning 50 this year. As hard as it is to admit, I am aging a little and through a sudden burst of midlife crisis and madness I have vowed to run a 50 mile footrace and ride double my age on a bike by years end. Barring any injuries, it will happen.

The run is a trail race called the Stone Mill 50. It was started last year in an answer to the limited entry and somewhat snobby restrictions on the famous JFK 50 mile race. The trail takes the Seneca Greenway trail from start to finish. Starting in Damascus Maryland and reaches the Potomac River and turns around. For those with exceptional balls or stupidity, I haven’t yet decided which, there is a bonus loop at the end making this a 56 mile run. I have no intention of hitting that extra 6 miles.  Not this year anyway 

I started trail training Yesterday with what I call Trail Tuesdays. Every Tuesday me and whomever wants to run will hit a part of the Greenway trail for a Looooonnnnnnggg trail run using time as the benchmark. Yesterday it was 1 hour out, 1 hour back for a total of two hours. Next week I am targeting a three hour round trip and that will gradually increase until we can pull a full 12 hours. Then we are ready for the 50 miler which I hope to finish in 10 hours.

Here are some cool pictures of the trail

Also to top this off, I have committed to a 100 Mile aka Century ride. The ride is TBD but I have a committed ride of 160 miles over two days in October called the Ride Allegheny. It is for a good cause but I really don’t care about that. I just want to put my butt in the seat for two days and really suffer the pain riding my road bike on a dirt towpath of the C&O Canal. It is my personal house of pain 

If I can do these two things and without ending up in a cast or insane assylum then I might, “Might being the key word, sign up for the CCUM.  I thought it might be fun to take my house of pain to Mexico and really test myself with the best of the best on a course that eat people. I really respect what Micah True does and supporting his cause would Guadajuko by me.

So to say the lease, I am in for a rather interesting year.
So let the fun begin!

How to choose your Minimalist Running Shoes

Since I am somewhat a fool and constantly wearing the strangest of footwear to work and for play, I get asked this question all the time. I started typing up a long boring diatribe of what I do to select shoes when I found a blog post on a buddies site that is far more experiences than I so I would like to include a link here.

Last Place Jason’s - How to pick a Minimalist Shoe post

Read the article, it is full of information, Here are the important attributes I find in shoes.

• Wide toe box or individual toes for freedom – You gotta have room for the tootsies to play.
• Lightweight – Old boat anchors just won’t do. They need to be light.
• Breathable – Feet get hot. Breathing takes away heat.
• Little or No drop – Meaning the sole thickness is close to the same toe and heal
• For Trail – Decent Traction and I like a little thicker sole with a light rock plate.
• For Road – less is more. The less sole the better.
• No socks required. Socks mean bunching and blisters in my world.

In my personal experience here are a few shoes I have tried

Merrill Trail Glove ****
For Trail, these are a dream shoe. Super light weight, Breathable, Great traction, Lots of toe room and they have a slight rock plate.
On the Road, they only get ** because  they just weren’t doing it for me, maybe it wwas the thicker sole, rock plate or the snug fit in the arch.

Vibram FiveFinger Sprint **
If they fit you, I guess they might get a higher rating. Believe it or not the Toes fit tighter than the KSO’s and the way the straps Velcro behind the heel was bothersome.

Vibram FiveFinger KSO *****
These  are by far my favorite road shoe barring plain old bare feet. They are comfortable, breath well and if it weren’t for the stink they would be the perfect shoe. However I give them a 5 star because stink doesn’t bother me when I am running

Vibram FiveFinger KSO Trek ***
Designed for the trail they let me down. The traction just wasn’t there and in mud they were very slick. However, after cutting off the knobbies from the bottom of the shoe, I could feel them when I walked, they became my favorite dress shoe and occasional road shoe.  Although leather inside vs. cloth, they still get a funk on when it comes to the olfactory and they seem to be wearing out inside rather quickly so only three stars for these although the Kangaroo leather is very sharp to look at.

NB Wellness Minimus ****
Well, I was lucky enough to get a pair in a wear test and these are spectacular shoes. There is a slight lift in the heel but not so much as to be annoying.  They weigh almost nothing and after several hundred miles of wear they seem to be holding up. I have worn then on the street, the trails and the beach and the one thing I really like is they don’t stink. Why does stink seem such a topic in

Huaraches (Homemade) ***
I have made several pair of homemade Huaraches using Vibram 4mm Cherry sole material. They are a blast to wear, easy on and off and do the trick. The only real problem I have is getting the perfect lacing material. I am still on the quest. Here are two of my posts on the matter. Using Nylon Poly chord for Huarache Lacing and Leather vs. Poly Chord

Socks **
Socks were a test run I made completely by accident and they worked out OK. I really don’t think that you can get many miles out of a pair of Smart Wool socks but I did manage a 5 mile run in a paire and they didn’t wear through. It was too cold for bare feet and I wanted to run without shoes. This was my compromise and it worked.

NB MT100 **
This may be somewhat an unfair assessment being that I never officially owned a pair. I did try them on though and walked away from them. Everything about the shoe appealed to me. I wanted them to fit and I tried on the largest shoe they had, a 13 D. Yes, Minimalist shoes should not just come in narrow foot widths, as you run barefoot, you get a wider foot and so wider is required. Long story short, my toes were completely cramped and I was sure after a mile I would be in for a set of blisters. I put them back in the back and stepped away. 

Authors Note: nobody is paying me shit to say this stuff. I am not on any ticket and other than the NB wear test I have paid for all my own shoes so my opinions are my own and an honest assessment. However I’d be more than happy to take free shoes and give an honest opinion. I like free stuff almost as much as getting paid

Most high school biology teachers fail to explain evolution

It seems like a sad trend towards religion interfering with education. Especially in something so overwhelmingly well written, explained and evident in nature. Evolutionary theories should be the core of biology classes as a way of understanding medicine, super strains of nasty bugs, viral infection mutation etc…. Are religious beliefs blocking the minds of students, crushing creativity and possibly preventing the next Alexander Fleming from receiving the necessary education to stop the next plague? Is it dooming our future?

I know these are grave and controversial questions and some here will take strong offense to them but seriously, this is a grave topic if you look below the “man came from monkey” bullshit and read Darwin’s work for what it really is and avoid the religious dogma that tells you what it is not.

Our data show that these teachers understandably want to avoid controversy

I thought the role of a teacher was to sometimes be controversial, that is part of teaching and breaking through boundaries into new discovery. My 6th grade teacher would not allow us to speak English in the classroom except when doing spelling and English studies. We chose him because he forced us to speak Russian, learn Russian history and take Russian topics from the Russian perspective. It was the best year I had in school. today he would never be allowed to teach that way.

Others defend the teaching of evolution as a necessary evil

Necessary Evil? Evil is when a strain of the Flu evolves and we can no longer treat it. Evil is when Malaria evolves and kills 100′s of millions in the name of religion not teaching evolution. Evil is not teaching Science in Science class.

Quote:

many teachers told us that they tell students that it does not matter if they really “believe” in evolution, so long as they know it for the test

Well those teachers are really building a future for the student aren’t they. Teach them to just get by!.

I really blame the Parents that judge, threaten and freak out when the students are being taught necessary courses. Evolution and religion only clash in the minds of fanatical nut cases that have A) never taken the time to put down the Bible and read “The Origin of Species” or any subsequent works. or B) Go along with what all the others around them are saying such as friends, pastors, priests etc and never have an original thought of their own.

One of the Comments I thought was real

Quote:

“This country is really going down the toilet when science teachers refuse to teach science in their science classrooms because their personal religious beliefs differ from the science.”

USA Today Article