Race Calander Changes

I have decided to forgo the 3 Days of Syllamo this year. I don't think I will have recovered enough from the MS50 to enjoy even one race, much less all three. In place of 3 Days, I'll stay local for the Germantown 1/2 Marathon.

More races in doubt:
The website for the Nashville Ultra is still not up, so I have to guess that the race is not going to happen. I continue to see it listed on the Ultrarunning mag website...so all hope is not lost. I will probably skip the Nashville Marathon as well. I so hate running on pavement!!

Removing 3 Days and possibly the Nashville Ultra will free up time and resources to get ready for the Ouachita 50 miler in mid April.

Adding a few races from the Rock/Creek Trail Series to fill out the year. Now only time, money, and health stand in my way!

Rock/Creek Trail Series

New Tennessee trail race series listed in TrailRunner mag:

March 29, 2008
Rock/Creek River Gorge Race
10.2 mile / 6.5 mile

May 24, 2008
Scenic City Trail Marathon & Half Marathon
presented by Vasque

June 20–22, 2008
Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race
22 mile / 18 mile / 20 mile

August 9, 2008
Greenway 5 Mile Trail Race

October 4, 2008
Rock/Creek StumpJump
50k & 11 mile
Registration opens April 1, 2008.

November 15, 2008
Upchuck 50k

December 20, 2008
Lookout Mountain 100k / 10k
presented by Vasque

Link to the website.

Last Long Run

We had a large group of trail runners this morning at Shelby Forrest. About ten tortured souls set out at 0731 from the top of the red loop, heading toward Poplar Lake. The plan was to run to the lake and back twice. Some decided to keep running after that. The temp was hovering around freezing, which makes for good running.

My nutrition plan was simple: Sustained Energy in my flasks, Perpetuem in my hand helds, and h20 in my Camelbak. I also took along a few gels and two Boost drinks. I once again forgot to bring any solid foods! Next time I will hopefully remember. I also mixed up some Recoverite after the run.

All in all, it was a great run! I stubbed my toes a few times and fell twice. My right second toe has a nasty blood blister, but no other problems. Everyone was happy and upbeat, looking forward to upcoming races. It's great to socialize with other trail runners.

There is less than one week until the MS50. I think I am ready. I hope that I am ready. I will probably run the MRTC 10k tomorrow afternoon at a leisurely pace and then cross-train until the race. I want to be fresh for the MS50, but not rusty from lack of running!

Today's Run

Shelby Farms...overcast and very, very windy. After initial 7 miles, I was set to run the red trail, but the wind was so strong and I was getting very chilled in my sweaty tech shirt...so I called it a day. So much for long runs this weekend! The Mississippi 50 is in less than two weeks and my longest run this year was the Swamp Stomper 50k on 1/20. I am worried that I will not even come close to making the cut off for the 50 miler. I can just do the 50k, but I would feel like a wuss since I signed up for the 50 miles.

No Long Run For Old Men

My long run for the day never happened. My wife and I spent a lot of today looking at plans for our new house in Tipton county and did not get back home until past three. Wanting to get at least some running in today, I hit the street at 3:30. By 3:45, the rain began. I was damned if I didn't run, so I kept moving. The rain wasn't too bad and slacked off in about 30 minutes. At least it was warm! I knew those poor souls running Sylamore this morning must have had some ugly weather, so I couldn't wuss out on my measly little run! Two hours later I was back home and dinner was ready. Who can complain about that?!

Happy Trails

After work Monday, I decided to test my Nike Free's out at Bartlett Park. Cliff and Liz Sander's truck was in the parking lot, so I was hoping to catch up with them. Thinking they were running the traditional counter-clockwise direction, I ran opposite figuring we would meet at some point on the trail. They must have run the same direction because we never crossed pathes. Cliff and Liz are great people who I hope to run more with!

Anyway...no problems with the lack of cushioning (as long as I didn't kick any roots) and I kept a good pace most of the run due to the shoes being so light. Traction was not an issue, since the trail was dry.

Today's run was on the dreaded treadmill due to the ugly, cold weather. I can't wait for summer! I would rather run in 120 degree weather than this crap!! The forecast is calling for rain all weekend, which will really put a damper on my planned 50k practice run (I should have signed up for Sylamore!!!!!!!).

New Shoes, New Energy

My Nike Free 3.0's finally arrived Friday. At 7am this morning, I put them on and hit the streets of Bartlett for a test run. Once my body adjusted to the minimalistic shoe on blacktop, the ride felt great! These shoes are feather light, but still have some cushioning. My Five Fingers weigh about the same, but have no protection whatsoever, which is why I couldn't wear them anywhere but the trails.

My test run was initially to be 4 miles, but I went ahead and kept running for 7. I would have run more, but I had to be back at the house by 0830. No blisters, no bruising, no knee/hip pain...all is well and I give this shoe a passing with flying colors grade.

We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at houses in Tipton county, where we plan on moving in the early summer. Once home, I knew it was time to run again. At 5pm, I hit the streets again. I ran to the gym (3.56 miles), did 5 miles there, and ran home (4.4 miles). Grand total for today = 19.95 miles in my new Nike Free's!

I also ordered another pair of Nike Zoom Airs, which weight just slightly more than the Free's, but have alot more cushion for the pushin'. My shoe inventory will be set for a couple of months.

A New Week

After Saturday's run at Bartlett Park, I decided to take Sunday off for some much needed rest. Since the weather was so wonderful on Monday, I figured I had enough rest and that it was time to hit the street for a quick run.

The first mile was a bear. My legs felt dead. Twice I almost called it quits. The only thought that kept me going was the upcoming MS50 (slightly over three weeks away). I knew that if I couldn't push past my discomfort for a quick run, then I would not fare well on race day. So...I pushed on. Mile two was a little better. I started to get into a groove. At the end of the second mile, I stopped for a stretch. This simple act seemed to bring new life into my dead legs and I took off feeling great. The initial route is 4.5 miles, but I figured that it would be a waste of good weather to end the run that soon. So, I kept on running down, around and through Quail Ridge Golf Course. Since it had been raining, the golf course was empty. I ran on the cart paths and down the fairways. It was somewhat wet and slippery, but quick all the same.



Today's crappy weather did not allow me to run outside. Since I didn't make it to the gym and we have yet to get a treadmill...I'll call today another rest and recovery day (sounds better that way!).

Rocky Raccoon 100

Congrats to Kevin, John, and Rob in their outstanding finish in the 2008 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile Endurance Trail Run!!!

6th 17:41:12.30 Kevin Dorsey

24th 20:36:49.70 John Manley

154th 28:48:07.85 Rob Apple

Maybe next year I will be ready to take on 100 miles! Right now, I am worried about covering 50 (32 was hard enough)!

MS 50 TRX Run #1

Bartlett Park was a mess. All the low lying areas were wet and muddy. Trees, limbs, and sticks littered the trail, slowing my run to a crawl at some points. I made every attempt to keep my feet dry, but it was a lost battle within the first five minutes of the run. My intent was to run between 16-20 miles. Once on my second loop, I knew that was not going to happen today. My legs were dead and my hips were screaming at me. I guess already having 41 miles under my belt for the week may have been a wee too much. I ended up with just over 15 miles, so all was not lost.

For today's run, I decided to try out Hammer Perpetuem and Sustained Energy. I mixed the Sustained Energy into a paste for my gel flask. It tasted like shit. For flavor, I added a banana Hammer gel. Now it tasted like shitty oatmeal. The Perpetuem was mixed in a hand-held. The website states that it tastes like a dreamsicle. They lied. I tasted like shitty oatmeal as well. I also had a few Gu gels and a pack of Clif Shot Blocks. All in all, my energy seemed to be boosted somewhat. I think that being already worn down from the week destroyed my stamina for today's run. I plan on purchasing both the Sustained Energy and Perpetuem in the future to test it more thoroughly.