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Monday, March 16, 2020

A Venture to the East Coast Trails

Chattanooga 100 mi | Ultra #055

I would not be the #ultrarunningdad without the endless support of my wife and 4 daughters. I had decided to travel for another race, with the blessing of my family. This time to a new state in Tennessee (& Georgia) for the Chattanooga 100 miler. This race I signed up for last spring basically right when the registration opened because the scenery and course looked awesome. Plus I have always wanted to expand my trail experience a bit more and explore a new areas and cool parks and race events. What better way to introduce myself a bit to the East Coast trail scene than hop into a Sean Blanton - Run Bum Tours race?

Pre Race Travel

With a lot of my events I choose to travel via driving as it is cheaper than flying. Wednesday was my last day of work for the week as I had taken 2 vacation days, to ensure I could participate in the event as it was a Friday start. On Thursday a.m. I woke up super early and said goodbye to my family as this was another solo trip, due to the logistics and timing. I set off from Sugar Land, TX and entered in my GPS destination and headed out on the 12.5 hour (835 mile) drive towards Chattanooga, TN.

I am used to long travels from my previous work role so I really don't mind 8 hrs+ of driving. Since this was all new area  to me as soon as I got past the Houston city center, I was looking forward to new scenery on the drive. As I ventured across the various state lines I often took the time to stop and do short shakeout runs. Stops in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, were in order which broke up my driving nicely as I got in 7.18 miles in those 3 stops. I drove through the corner of Georgia and passed the Cloudland Canyon on my way Chattanooga just over the border into southern Tennessee. The sun had just set and I arrived at the Thursday evening packet pickup literally 5 minutes to late, so I would have to wait for the morning before getting my bib. A stop at Whole Foods and some dinner. Then I found a parking spot and curled up in my car and bundled up with my blankets - true dirt bagging experience. Sleeping in my car is not the comfiest thing in the world but it gets the job done and is the right price of 0$ (note to self: wish list- I need a van for my trail adventures so I can stretch out).


Race Day

Tried sleeping in as much as I could since the race start was an unusual mid-day 12:30. I found myself a quick decent breakfast - mainly coffee! I still had some time to kill before the packet pickup so i laced up and went for a short 1.8 mi run down Chattanooga main street checking out the buildings and storefronts. It was a brisk 45f out, and the forecast was not a lot better for the remainder of the day, but at least it was sunny out. Came back to the Chattanooga Brewing Co for my bib pickup, I was now ready to go.

Finished getting my pack ready and headed back to the Brewery to board the school bus which was shuttling us a couple miles north through town to the unique start line. A mere 15 minute bus ride through the town streets and we were dropped off with about 30 minutes to go.
Getting aboard the school bus shuttle to the start line near Chattanooga town center at Coolidge Park.
Perfect timing for everyone to use the bathrooms and do their final preparations just prior to the race briefing on the Walnut Street Bridge on the Tennessee River. Sean gave us some encouraging words, told us to have fun and not be stupid and follow the over marked course of his flagging (not the other colors).
Start line gathering of the race briefing. Walnut Street Bridge where we started off by crossing the Tennessee River.
I took my place near the front line attempting to lay low off the start. But as the race begun everyone starting jogging at a very slow pace...except one guy who took off out front. Being competitive as I am, I did not want to let him go so early in the race and since it appeared everyone else was taking a slower paced approach I decided to try and hang with the front runner just to see what he was going to do. I was a couple hundred meters behind him crossing the bridge at the start but hanging on.
Crossing the Tennessee River on the Walnut Street Bridge right at the start of the race.
Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
Coming off the bridge there was lots of people and many flags to try and direct us the right way. A mere few hundreds meters after the first turn after the bridge the guy out front missed a flag and then we were side by side where we ran together for the remainder of the city portion. One of my favorite parts here was the fact Sean has routed us down this long winding switchback of a ramp opposed to just the street sidewalk a few meters over. Was perfect way to kick off the race and made for a great photo.
Check out Sean's video post of this HERE.
Starting switchbacks in 100 milers are usually on trails from my past experience???
Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
The first 5.5 miles of the race followed along the riverwalk of Chattanooga touring us through parts of the city and ultimately past the industrial area where we headed towards Lookout Mountain. Volunteers were awesome helping us cross the first few street crossing and negotiating traffic for our safety. At last we headed up a side road and bam there it was....singetrack! The 2 of us were still together at this point as we started up the hill on the trails. Not far up and we spotted the legend himself, Mr. Run Bum. 
The first portion of trail leaving town up towards Lookout Mountain. Notice Sean Blanton scouting on top with Chattanooga in the background. through the trees. Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
It was also at this point the guy running with me nearly missed another turn/flag, and at that point he let me go in front. The 2 of us were already separated from the mass crowd as this guy had taken out the road miles in town at a fairly quick pace, especially for the start of a 100. But as I mentioned I wanted to hang on and see where it would take us. As we passed Sean and ascended further up the hill I started to slowly gap in front as I guess my climbing pace wasn't to his liking. I just kept to my own perceived effort and pushed upwards toward the first aid station at mile 6.5 near Ruby Falls at the end of the pavement.

The next portion of the race was probably my favorite by far! The climb took us up around some older buildings and then came up to this large wall of rock. The trail then traversed the terrain along the wall of rock and stayed just underneath it. This segment was aptly named the Bluff Trail (https://www.strava.com/activities/3162796099/segments/78514569266), and if you are ever in the area you must check it out.
You can see the rock wall above me here, most of this section was right below.
literally about 100 feet down in spots, so cool.
East Cost singletrack love.
another view down the hill below. GoPro perspective doesn't do it justice.
Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
Not creepy at all...just an old kid's tricycle in the woods.
As I continued on this portion i looked back once but never saw anyone, although the trail twisted and turned so much around the trees and landscape I never could see that far behind. Somewhere along here about 11 miles into the race we crossed over the state line into Georgia. The next couple aid stations were set up and ready for us as the front runners. The trails were beautiful and was a great experience to venture along as it kept my stoke high and distracted me as I took in the sights. Race director, Sean Blanton, would often be at the road crossings and the aid station following me around in the lead to enough that I wasn't getting lost as a double check to ensure his flagging was correct and still in tact. The temperature never did get that warm as forecasted and remained in the high 40s, maybe 50s (not entirely sure), but it was sure a nice day out.

The next section I came out of the woods to an aid station, Lula Lake. Here there was a small table set up and met Sean again along with the volunteer at the aid. I grabbed some chips and a swig of coca-cola and headed down into the valley. This section was within the Lula Lake Land Trust and had some epic views. After descending from the aid station it was not long and i was on a access road paralleling the a river. Then I saw a photographer there, on top of her van, ready for a shot. As I went by I realized why she had chosen that spot as I gazed back at this amazing view of a waterfall flowing perfectly down the canyon. What a sight.
Lula Lake section. Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
Of course what goes down must come up. After reaching the bottom not too long after the falls, the trail turned away from the river and headed back up. It was a steep climb back out and in fact had a 20 ft rope section, which wasn't that bad (would have been different if the conditions were wet at all).
Climbing back out of Lula Lake section back around to the aid station.
After returning back up to the road Sean was there in his car awaiting me. A unique aspect to this race is we had to then hop on a shuttle van and be driven 2 miles down the road  to the next trail head. It was a short drive but a nice break to sit even only for a couple minutes. After being dropped off at the trailhead I continued on in the lead, not knowing exactly how far the chase person(s) were. The next section was fully singletrack and again for very scenic and fun. Arriving at the next aid I knew that darkness would soon be arriving. Starting the race at 12:30 meant that 6-7 hours into the race we would be needing our headlamps. I think I was about 36 miles or so into the race before actually turning on my headtorch for the first time. I was not super far out from the Cloudland Canyon State Park. At last I could see the aid stations lamps through the trees in the distance and was nearing Cloudland Canyon aid. The volunteers and crew awaiting there cheered me in as I arrived. This was a cool feeling. I remember asking if it was an "out & back" or if it was a "loop" and the answer was "yes" - cause ultimately it was both.

I took off from here and circled around the trails which quickly came back up around to near the aid again, but then sharply dove down into the canyon after passing the main overlook view. However being night now one could only see so far, but i peered over the railing and into the abyss below, not knowing exactly what trek laid ahead.
Cloudland Canyon. The headlamps across the way are from fellow runners. Photo: Appalachian Exposures | Run Bum Tours
After diving into the canyon the trail quickly turned into a long flight of steel stairs, which tumbled into the darkness of the park bringing me ever closer to the growing sound of the water rushing below. I passed a race sign that showed that I was now on the out & back portion, so I knew I would be climbing the stairs back out. Although it was completely dark the moon was out and the sky was clear (as shown in the picture above). Once I arrived at the bottom of the stairs and crossed a bridge over the river I stopped, turned off my light and just stood there taking in all that nature was offering...so peaceful, so magical, especially under the glow of the moon. What a feeling. After a moment I then proceeded down the trail knowing eventually I'd get to the turn around aid - Sittons Gulch. I chatted with the great volunteers here at the bottom as they had a nice roaring fire going in the chilly night. They asked me how I was feeling and mentioned i still felt strong and good now being half way in elapsing total of 9hr 15mins and still maintaining the lead. 

Half Way 

A couple bacon filled quesadillas later and I was off back up into the canyon to climb my way back out. This was the first point I got to see fellow runners again. Once I had reached the bottom of the stairs I started passing some runners. Overall there was a group of about 5 of them not too far apart from each other and approximately 2 miles from the aid turnaround - meaning I had about ~3.5 mi (or ~40 minute) gap on them at this point. Also of note that 2nd and 3rd place were both females at this point running strong. My climb back up the stairs was not that bad at all. Being trained up from my earlier races in the year this was not a chore as I thought it might be. Once abut 3/4 the way back up I reached the sign where it directed us off to another direction ultimately looping back around to the Cloudland Canyon aid again. But the trails seem to just be veering off into the distance getting ever further from where the aid station was relatively speaking. The flagging was correct and I just kept ticking along, all though my pace was slowing slightly, partly out of frustration I think. 

A long section of trails and then I finally emerged out of the bush and back onto the Cloudland Canyon Park Road. This was the second long section of road, but a lot of it was downhill. Once I got rolling I turned off my headlamp and ran by the moonlight as I had the entire road to myself. I came to an intersection where once again Sean was there in his car waiting to ensure I was on track. He assured me I had good lead and told me to just keep moving. Everything felt good again now that I was heading back to the aid station and ultimately back all the way in now. I arrived back at Cloudland Canyon aid station, mile 54.7, ate a bunch more calories and headed back on the trails now starting to fight the flow of trail runners coming inward still at mile 43.4.

Seeing all the headlamps gave me a greatly needed boost. They kept me motivated to keep running and the constant "good job" and high fives were welcomed. I did however have a couple people ask if I was okay since I was running in the opposite direction of them. I guess they didn't think to realize anyone would be headed back towards Tennessee already at that point. Once I got past everyone I seemed to then really slow down and take a lot of walk breaks myself. I did not really think too much of it as I knew i was in the lead. I just wanted to keep moving. About 2 miles until Nick A Jack aid station where the shuttle was I remember looking back and saw a headlamp coming at me. I ran a bit faster, but they kept gaining on me. Eventually the light was within reach and I tried to hold my pace but soon the runner was on me, I was caught 78 miles into the race. There was little exchange of conversation here as he (Michael) had his earbuds in and casually went around me. Knowing that the aid was not too far ahead I hung on and kept up with him. His pace was much better than mine and I struggled to keep up especially on the downhill portions. I am pretty sure he was dropping sub-8 minute miles at some point here making his move. But with a few small climbs and knowing the next stop was also the shuttle break we both eased the pace slightly and arrived to the aid station together without having to say anything. We both downed some calories and walked over to the shuttle van where we both climbed into an overly warm van (of course it only felt that way cause we were coming in from 30f night air). The race was just starting...

Now the Race Starts & Ends

The short 2 mi van commute back over to the other trails again and we were dropped off together. Eighty miles into Chattanooga 100 and here we were side by side, about to battle it out, the race was now beginning! We set off back on the Lula Lake segments where it was down a longer gravel access road before a short steep singletrack climb. There was not a lot of issues here as I kept up no problem. But I knew once this climb was over it was a long gradual downhill, and sure enough once we got up there Michael went around me and put the throttle down again. I literally could not keep up. My legs would not turn over that fast downhill and they started to feel very jello-like. He did not look back and just kept hammering. I could see him slowly pulling away but couldn't do anything about it. After getting back up to the aid station again, which was only about 5 miles total, I was informed I was about 8 minutes behind already. I knew the battle was now not in my favor as Michael looked very strong when he did overtake me. I pushed on as much as I could and just kept moving forward.

The sunrise came about 06:30 (18 hours elapsed ) and it was a much needed mind boost, but sadly it did not help my legs. I still could not run as I was reduced to the ultra shuffle to complete out this race. I had led for about 78 miles, hung around for a bit, and now the last 15 miles had become a slog to the finish. I did keep glancing back to ensure the 3rd place runner wasn't about to sneak up on me too as I had no idea the cushion there. Once I got closer to town I was able to at least stay motivated enough to move as best I could. I ran everything I could but that was dwindling slowly. Finally after reaching the edge of town only about 2.5 miles of pavement and roads lie between me and another buckle. It was very slow but eventually the sight of the Chattanooga Brewing Company came into view and I ran into the finish for 2nd place overall.
Chattanooga 100 mi - 2nd overall. Hanging at the finish with Sean Blanton (Run Bum). Ultra#055.
Finish line refreshments! The race ends at a brewery - Chattanooga Brewing Co.
Sean Blanton knows his trail running audience. Cheers!

Results


Overall I am happy with how the race went. I just wish I had more gas left in my legs once the later miles came along as I had felt great, more or less, all the way up until I realized I was caught. Maybe perhaps that is the lesson here is that I may have gotten complacent with the lead and not knowing exactly the gap. Congratulations to Michael Poole who obviously ran an amazing race and got a well deserved victory in the end.

I recommend this course to anyone as it was very well run, the volunteer army out there were awesome, friendly, and super helpful. Great aid stations as they had warm pizza and bacon nearly everywhere - like really what more could a ultrarunner ask for. The views and scenery of the course was epic! The only downfall was that I didn't get to see Cloudland Canyon Park in the daylight.

Gear Used

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Bottoms up everyone!
Next up: The Game- Backyard Ultra in Columbus, TX (2020-Apr-18....hopefully)

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Saturday, March 14, 2020

A Weekend Tale

JJ72 – Not Your Typical 100 Miler | Ultramarathon #054

It was another Thursday morning where I roll over in bed hit my snooze on my 05:45 alarm on my phone. Bah! I should get up, but drift off again for the 15 minutes till my truly reliable 06:00 alarm does the job and manages to jolt me into the reality of the work day. I get dressed kiss my wife and start my commute to the office in Houston.

I was hoping to try and sneak away a tiny bit early from work, but I have just started a new role and everything is new to me so I’m tying to absorb and catch up on a lot of things. By the time I get around to finishing my day up it is nearly 17:00, a full 10 hour work day. On the way home I start thinking about my night and what is to come.

Rewind a bit. I had finished Franklins 200 mi just over 12 full days ago now, but the draw of another Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) race on the 7IL Ranch was calling my name. I signed up I think on Wednesday (a mere 24 hours before the race was set to begin on Thursday at 09:00). Initially I had the thought of just getting in some miles and having fun out there. In fact, I signed up to volunteer a shift during the race as well.

Arriving back home, Katie and kids were there to greet me like any other Thursday evening. We sat down, had our dinner, and the kids were off to bed. And here is where my usual routine was now deviated. I kissed my wife goodbye, similar to the morning, except now I was making the 1 hour commute out to 7IL Ranch in Cat Spring, TX. I arrived just before 20:00, a full 11 hours after the official start of the 72 hour ultra event. I chatted briefly with Rob Goyen (TROT race director) got my bib assignment, turned on my headlamp and headed down the 0.75 mi dirt road trail towards the pylon cone. 

The thing about the Jackalope Jam race is that it is a real party. A simple out & back style course, come and go as you please, to get your miles in type of race. At the end of the trail is a plyon cone termed the “cone of death” where you circle around and run back to the start/finish. Runners and crew alike have all sorts of tents, camps, and cars lined up; their little home bases for the 3 days of running festivities along the first portion of the road.

My goal initially on Thursday night was to knock out a bunch of miles and knock off another ultra distance, so I set off with that mindset. I ran a fairly decent paced ~50 km (32.20 mi) after making 21 trips to the cone and back. I had wrapped up my run just after 01:00, it now being Friday. I packed up and headed back (an hour commute home), hopped into bed and snuggled up like it was any other work night. 4 Hours later my alarm was going again signaling me to get back to the office to finish up the week. 8 full hours at work, and then it was home for the weekly Meding family movie night. I sort of managed to stay awake (don’t ask my wife though) for the Smurfs – my daughters always get to choose the flik. Once the kids were in bed I decisively took a nap for 2 hours.

I arose on Friday evening now rested. I had about 3.5 hours till midnight when my volunteer shift would start back out at Jackalope where I’d help runners through the night. I can’t recall exactly when the idea was sparked but I thought I could get more miles in and see how far I could actually get. Back to the ranch now I raced and got in another 12.25 mi of running before I had to stop to start my volunteering. The night was cold and crisp. It was a chore to stay warm while not running. I was bundled in my puffy jacket and gloves as I poured cups of warm soup, coffee, and hot chocolate for the runners still clicking the miles away – these relentless souls were 36 hours in at this point. The sun finally rose bringing a hint of warmth with it and the end of my 8 hour shift at the aid station.
Rounding the "cone of death" out at Jackalope Jam 72 hr at the 7IL Ranch in Cat Spring, TX
Photo: JJustis Photography, Trail Racing Over Texas

I got in touch with my wife and informed her I’d have a nap before deciding when I would head home. Crawled into my passenger seat of my car piled on extra layers and fell asleep for 2 hours of rest. I awoke to a beautiful Saturday morning. The atmosphere on the ranch convinced me to continue running. I messaged my wife and told her I’d be home a little later. Run part iii, included another 3.5 hours of running that got me 20.05 mi more done, a total now of 64.5 mi. I was tired.
Volunteer shirt at the aid station from Saturday 00:00-08:00. It was a cold one, I would have rather been running/moving to keep warm. But I had fun helping my fellow runners by providing hot soup, potatoes, and some quesadillas. 

Drove home and was there in time for another family dinner. I tried to be as present as I could with the kids during this time but honestly not sure how alert and successful I was at this, now totaling only 9 hours of sleep since Thursday morning. After getting the kids to bed and a somewhat routine Saturday night I informed Katie that I just had to get back out and chase that 100 mi buckle. She knew I already had my mind made up a day or more earlier – she often knows me better than I do myself at times.

A third commute to the 7IL Ranch and I was there once again lacing up my shoes for yet another night run. I had it in my head it was just another 50 km to go, but clearly the sleep deprivation was causing me to do stupid runner math, even though I wasn’t running when I had this calculation. By this time into the race the 72 hour participants were going on 60 hours and counting. Technically so was I, but in a whole different set of circumstances. I played some podcasts and just kept making the trips to and from the cone of death as the hours ticked by. Eventually I was counting down the final loops needed: 5, 4, 3, 2, and done! A longer night than anticipated I completed my last 38.39 mi in 7h 20m which put my finish right around 04:00. I still had 5 hours left on the race cutoff, but I elected to collect my 100 mi buckle and crawl into my car for a nap.

A quick 1 hour power nap and I was alert enough to safely travel home where I arrived just before sunrise. Hopped into bed waiting for the inevitable wake up from my kids that was to come shortly. Somewhere around this time the official race cutoff was occurring back at 7IL Ranch. But I wouldn’t have it any other way! I got to be home with my family all day Sunday after Katie let me sleep for a few extra hours.

Who says you can’t get in a 100 miler, work, and volunteer at the same time? Well now I know you can if you put the circumstances in your favor. A timed event was just what I needed to get myself another 100 mi buckle.
100 mi buckle - crafted by Elevation Culture.

Final Stats:

Gnatt chart of my weekend timeline. Rounded to nearest hours so not completely accurate but close enough. Who says you can't fit in 2 works shifts, 1 volunteer shift, and 100 miles all within the 72 hour time limit.
72:00:00 race time | 56:12:17 total time* | 17:33:44 run time**
*time from when I started run1 until I finished run4
**run time as per STRAVA race time which includes the breaks within the 4 runs, but not between the 4 runs


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Thank you for following along.
I inserted this race into my schedule last minute but worked out great training for Chattanooga 100.
Next up: Chattanooga 100 mi (2020-03-06)

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