Boone Marathon Series: August Anguish Marathon

Tonight at 12:01 am... well, okay tomorrow- I will be taking my first steps in the Boone Marathon Series August Anguish Marathon... these races are pretty open to the interpretation of the runner concerning distance, start time and all those kinds of details. While the nomenclature indicates a 26.2 mile run, participants in the series routinely cover much more ground than a measly marathon. The record, to my knowledge, sits somewhere north of 100 miles on the 3.75 mile out and back course... which is flat, paved and quite curvy as it winds along the New River on the Boone Greenway Trail.

Open ended
My aim is to run another moonlight training run in preparation for next month's Woods Ferry 24 hour in SC. So I'll get started around midnight and hope to keep moving for about 10 hours. My first distance beacon will be 50k, a bit more than 8 trips on the course... then I will see how things go for that final 5 hours of the unknown.

How far will my "training" take me?
I am now taking bets... 35 miles? 40 miles? 50 or more? One thing is certain, I will be surpassing my weekly average over the last 2 months pretty easily. I will also be enjoying a nearly full moon (97% according to the Google) so I hope to minimize the use of my headlamp except for notifying others of my presence. No need to scare off the nocturnal dirt people with sightings of Bigfoot in the Blue Ridge.

What are your running plans in the near future?

Happy Running!

B.M.S. Flatlanders Marathon

Sometime last week I looked into the local racing schedule and noticed that it was once again time for "One of America's Toughest Marathons" the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. This is a tough race and one I ran a few years back... it has inspired many, been written about much and is often true validation of a road runner's toughness. With all of this in mind, local runner Matt Jenkins has created a series of events intended to provide low costs, low key road running for all comers mostly on the Boone Greenway.

This weekend Matt organized 2 races to choose from. Following GMM, runners could partake in either or both of the Flatlander's Marathon on Sunday and then the Jellylegs Marathon Monday.

My friend Wade was running the marathon beginning at midnight on Sunday morning so I decided why not run along with him. It would be nice and cool, a chance to get in some night running and be able to run with Wade as well. Our racing scheduled have been mirrors of each other but we hadn't actually run together yet. So after a day full of river time, a few beers, a kickball tournament and way too much junk food and sunshine I arrived at the starting line a bit fatigued and apprehensive about just running a marathon on a whim... but how bad could it be?

Flatlanders "One of America's Easiest Marathons"
The Flatlanders is run on the Boone Greenway in seven 3.75 mile legs of out and back pavement with an elevation change of say... 7 feet for each leg- but it seems like less. It is flat, it is paved and it is repetitive. In this case the darkness was a true ally! You can't be bored by scenery if you can't see anything.

Wade and I got out quickly and I was already thinking about slowing down- the pace seemed a bit aggressive but soon I settled in and the systems caught up with the demands. Leg #1 was done in a flash and we quickly saw that 3 other runners were out there as well. Bobby, Cliff and Matt were all settling into their morning run too. Cliff had already run Grandfather Mountain Marathon on Saturday morning, was finishing up the Flatlanders Marathon with a leg or two to go (on his way to 40 miles for Flatlanders). We exchanged quick "howdy do's" in the darkness and continued on.

Leg#2
On leg #2 Wade and I caught up with Bobby and Cliff's running direction and stopped to chat a bit. We were nearing 1am and at this point switched up running pairings. Bobby was just getting started on a 60 mile night/day and so he and I paired off for a walk break as Wade and Cliff disappeared into the night. I was never able to get back with Wade for any running as he kept strong, consistent running for a night time course record at Flatlanders!! Meanwhile I ran my slowest marathon of my life plodding along at 50 mile pace and learning a lot about 24 hour running and how to prepare for the issues that arise of a 100 mile event. I tried to soak in the experience Bobby brings to the table.

In the Middle of the Night...
2am came and went and I was getting a bit dizzy near the end of leg #3, just 11 miles into the night I learned my first lesson of long, slow running... you gotta eat. With all of the chatter and adrenaline early on I had not bothered to take in any calories- so I stopped and sat down to eat at the pavilion. Cliff was there as well taking care of some hot spots somewhere around 33 miles into his night. I ate and ate as we talked and then finally, with a bloated belly, I headed into the dark for my first solo leg of the evening.

All alone
The silence was beautiful. A few stars twinkled, a breeze blew off of the river as it babbled along. I could hear voices in the hills; kids out prowling for good times and their firecrackers. Occasionally I would run upon a shadow in the trail ahead and most often it was a tree or trick, but there were people out there in the middle of the night too. I was shocked by the number of people out there at 2 and 3 am. A flicker of my headlamp and a mumbled hello gave warning of my presence and then back into the solitude.

Halfway out on the course it got dark, as we ducked away from the open fields and into the tree covered portion of the Greenway. Here, the darkness was so dense that the shadows had shadows and the sounds grew in potential for danger. I was brought back to my youth when night time runs passing an old cemetery would send chills down my spine and speed to my legs. While I knew there was nothing to run from, the imagination is still as pliable as ever and it took some chuckles to break the tension in my mind! Now though, when I am running through the night in the wilderness of South Carolina in 7 weeks at the Wood's Ferry 24 hour- there may be some larger monsters to confront in that unfamiliar darkness! Good to start out small.

Looking on the Bright Side
With the casual pace of the night, I was feeling pretty good as I passed 20 miles. The sky was lighter by the mile and the birds began chirping around 4:30am. I figured I could finish up my marathon feeling well enough to run at least one more leg of the course (plus a tack on mile) for a 50k training run. Wade was finishing up his marathon and my stomach had settled back down after some complications from not eating and then eating too much. This was a great lesson as well. When you are feeling bad- just keep going and let time take care the issue while operating at whatever level you can, even if it is a walk.

While my body felt okay- bounce in the step and freshness in the mind- I was getting tired from a sleep stand point... I was yawning uncontrollably at one moment, while deciding how long I could run before I would be completely useless for the whole of Sunday. I entertained the idea of a 40 mile run- but, figured going home and sleeping until noon would be a better course of action to maintain peace on the home front. I would already be pushing 6:30 am to cover the 50k distance. 10 more miles would be another 2 hours out there.

Picking it Up
With one leg plus to go I picked up the pace a little bit and recorded my fastest leg of the night before turning out for the last mile plus to bring me from 30 to 31 miles. Matt had showed me the 50k turn earlier in the night and upon completion of the night's distance I was informed that I had actually gone a bit farther than 50k- in fact I had run 51k! This became a first for me on several fronts. My longest official race distance, my longest paved surface run, my longest time on the feet... all good things and beneficial to the larger goal at Wood's Ferry.

I also have to say that completing the 50k distance after the recent Chattooga experience was somewhat emotional for me. On the way back on leg #8 I was so happy to be out there running my only leg with full sunlight and being able to see things for what they had been all along. The course I had been covering had been shrouded in mystery and after the time and distance had peeled away the night I had again been able to see that the simple movement of running can center someone in a unique way. It took me more than 6 hours to complete the distance including abundant breaks. I came away feeling just happy about doing this random thing through the night with other odd people like me.

The Elusive 'Why?'
My wife kept asking me... "Why are you running at midnight? Why not just go in the morning?" I didn't really have an answer for that- just a feeling inside of me that it was the thing to do- There were practical reasons such as night training, cool temps, other people are doing it... but in the end the quiet smile of having completing something like this for myself alone was the reward- the completion of a series of steps that brings you farther than any distance you can measure.

I drove the 30 minutes home as Sunday Morning folks came out from slumber to crash down into my bed some 22 hours after I had last been there. A full day done.

Happy Running

The Knob: Race Report

a LONG season is at its end.  Beginning in March with a 5k and then the High Country Triple Crown in April getting underway... we finally made it to this mid October run up to the top of Howard's Knob.  This event in conjunction with Home Coming weekend at Appalachian St. drew many former App St. runners to the starting line- making for the most competitive field of the three race series.

Beginning at the Boone Library, we started out downhill before making our first small climb.  Knowing my place I let the burst of speed get away from me and allowed the sting of the climb to settle into my quads.  With 1100 feet of elevation gain looming in the 1.5 miles following this 1/2 mile warm up, I knew better than to get wrapped up in oxygen debt on this afternoon.  I sat in 15th spot and moved along absorbing the wide-eyed excited runners as they faded to a world of oxygen-debt. 

Under 70 degrees and clear blue skies, we dipped into and out of turns with the fall color display beginning to play along the residential areas of Boone, NC.  Soon, the warm up portion of the run had slipped behind us.  As the course turned drastically to the left and up uP UP hill

I found myself in 6th position.  Sam who had been running strong in 4th place (and 3rd in the Triple Crown points standings) was about a minute ahead, just into and out of sight as the course wound its way up and around sharp switchbacks in the road. 

Reaching the one mile marker in 8:40 I was feeling under control and knew that a 5 minute 2nd place series lead was likely safe with one mile to go in the series.  Even if that one mile had about 700ft of climbing built into it!  I continued an efficient climbing pattern; with the tiniest steps, a controlled knee lift and the ever important relaxed shoulders and free arm swing.  Hill running is 1 part fitness, 1 part toughness and 1 part technique. 

Figuring on 10 minutes for this final mile I focused on applying my power over that time.  What can I do for 10 minutes?  Each step slid into the next, ratcheting slowly upward with the town of Boone fading behind and below.

With 1/2 mile to go the course reaches a small ridge where the incline relents for a hundred feet or so, enough to regain composure for the final assault. Here you can spot the land, largely undeveloped, which sits to the north of Boone.  The beautiful knobbed terrain rolls out forever seemingly.  Soon though, your mind is brought back to reality, as the road severely changes its mood and spikes out of the earth.  The final pitch comes in 3 stages, first this abrupt climb where a couple of families were taking in the ridiculous decision we all made to pay to run up this thing! 

Another small platform gives some energy back before the hill sweeps up to the left.  I was gaining on the 5th place runner, had been for about 3/4 of a mile but was not sure I had enough space left to pull him all the way back.  It looked like he had some other ideas about how he would prefer to spend his time at the moment- but I knew he is strong, so figured if somehow I did catch him, he'd probably have some juice left to go.  About then he peaked back over his shoulder and saw that he was not alone.  That was about as close as I got:)

We entered Howard's Knob park and now with about a minute to go, I left it all out on the road.  I drove the arms, swung the legs with all my power and it felt soooo good to move along with such smoothness despite the grade of ascent.  The long season was being wrapped up neatly, a tidy finish of maximum effort and the relief was about to greet me.  Just not yet.  The work of 200m was ahead of my feet. 

I looked upward and saw my beautiful wife, Lynnea snapping photos with Goliath smiling the day away! The sacrifices of time and money we make to maintain this lifestyle are large- but the rewards are immeasurable.  This way is one of health, of smiles, of adventure.  It allows us to test ourselves, to meet GREAT people of all ages and backgrounds, allows us to be taught valuable lessons we can bring into "real" life and at times boils the ether down to the most essential, precious elements.

As I reached Lynnea 50 feet from the finish line a pain pinged me as I had to run beyond her and to another arbitrary line on the road.  My race was complete when I saw her smile with the late autumn sunshine glowing behind her radiant beauty, the rays of the sun being rivalled.  I said my congratulations to the competitors who ran so well and moved swiftly to more important things, reuniting with Lynnea and sharing space and time with the one.

Another successful season, for so many reasons, and so different from year to year.  Like Mark Twain said, "we gather experience in life and from these moments make necklaces of jewels or of tin."  So choose wisely, we each have ourselves to thank or to blame for our situation in life!  Strikes and gutterballs are a matter of interpretation and time: perspective and perspiration.  

Happiness= Satisfaction/ Desire 

Howard's Knob Preview: The Finale of the High Country Triple Crown

Howard's Knob looms over Boone, NC in an unassuming fashion.  While citizens of Watauga County tend to take its presence for granted, this weekend bi-peds will learn every inch of its profile intimately. Here is some information concerning its human history and how it came to be that a park evolved at this location.

"Howard's Knob (elevation 4,406 feet) offers "unparalleled views" of Boone and Appalachian State University. ...these photos (show) the Appy State campus and Kidd Brewer Stadium. Howard's Knob was named for an early settler to the area, Benjamin Howard, a British loyalist and contemporary of Daniel Boone. In 1979, the world's largest windmill was constructed there, but this experiment was short lived -- it seemed it was also the world's noisiest windmill. The turbine was dismantled in 1983 and the area turned into a park."  (courtesy of Appalachian Treks)


So now we know why the park is there, but why are we running  up to it?  Well, as runners, we know the answer to that already- because a road goes there!  From downtown Boone to the pinnacle in the park we runners will gain 1100 feet in two miles. Tomorrow night, just as the work week concludes, we'll be getting started on our weekend by getting down to hard earned steps, inches at a time. 

The Knob serves as a kick off for Appalachian State Homecoming weekend. The course starts at the Library, downtown, and then goes uphill, uphill and uphill... until you cannot go uphill anymore.  It is a condensed version of the Mt. Washington Hill climb, or The Bear for the locals... while not as long or as high, the burn of this compacted pain with bring a boat load of doubt which runners will have to face! 

The gradient of ascent is aggressive and a runner can certainly get over his head early.  At some point this course will test your will to continue upward; the legs will feel as if bogged down in marbles- the tiniest step at a maximum cost. 

Winning times in the past have been in the 24 minute range... for 2 miles.  Considering these same guys typically race in the mid 5s per mile, this is more accurately approached as a 4+ mile race  This is how I will break it up... 6 minutes at a time until I run out of hill to cover.

This race does serve as the final jewel in the High Country Triple Crown series which I have been participating in since April when we began with the VC25k and through the summer with The Cub.  Current standing for men and women are listed here, (just scroll down and look left).  We are hoping for a bit of a warming trend over the next 36 hours for the post-race celebration up on the knob.  Fall has been nipping us early this year, we would appreciate warm rays and calm breezes in the late fall afternoon.