My Month of 5s

"April showers brings May...."

A Start to My Month of 5s.

The fifth month of May is upon us and here we are still faced with a different world with covid-19 pandemic. I am going to challenge myself and make the 5th month of the year, My Month of 5s. I will be aiming for the following goals of during the 5th month of 2020:

• 55 miles per week (minimum) revised 2020-05-10 --> goal of 70 mile weekly average, which works out to just over 555 km.
• 5 km per day that i'm active (or more) revised 2020-05-05 --> goal of 5 km every day of the challenge: all 35 days
• 5 runs per week (or more) revised 2020-05-05 --> same as above thus = run daily!
• 50 km ultramarathon each of the 5 Saturdays (or Sundays - if delayed by weather/family issue)

Why? Why Not. Keep yourself motivated and active during these times is important. Not just for your everyday athlete but for anyone. I'm not saying you need to go run an ultramarathon every weekend, but I think it is valuable to at least commit to staying active and getting outside, while of course abiding by the local rules and guidelines that may be in place in your area. I challenge you to get out and even walk on a regular basis, do more biking, or simply trying something new and beyond your normal comfort. *Again please stay safe in these times and follow your local rules and most certainly the CDC guidelines.*

Below is my tentative schedule, and it starts today! I rarely take rest days so I will probably run 6-7 times a week still in going for my goals because well I just love to run and stay active. You can follow along daily with my STRAVA account (https://www.strava.com/athletes/16130969).

"My Month of 5s" tracking sheet

A huge thank you to Trail Racing Over Texas (Rob & Rachel Goyen) for not only converting some existing races into virtual options, but also coming up with a whole other mini virtual summer series to keep the trail community motivated and engaged. Thank you.

Register for TROT virtual races here: https://trail-racing-over-texas.myshopify.com/collections/trot-virtual-races
Open from now until 2020-Aug-01. Full updates follow at @trailracingovertexas

WEEK 1 (Apr 27th - May 3rd)

My Week: Kept up my training  while doing some of my #EverySingleStreet Sugar Land project work as well. On Tuesday I had a really decent workout for me. A 5 mile tempo at my half-10k pace where I nailed it and actually felt very well at the end. I have been trying to have at least 1 speed workout per week since the beginning of 2020. Rest of week was filled with mix of trails and road streets to make up my mileage. Kept active everyday.

My Race (Crazy Desert Virtual Run 50 km): Woke up bright and early for this one as I knew it would be a warm day. Started off with a 400m TROT time trial at full speed to get my blood flowing which i came away with 71 seconds (not my fastest, but speed is not my specialty either). Then leaving from my house, I spent the day leisurely travelling around Sugar Land area linking up all my mountain bike trails by the Brazos River (there is ~24 miles worth). I tacked on the extra mileage with a slight detour back home in the end to ensure correct distance. A fairly easy pace for myself and had a very enjoyable time listening to a couple podcasts and simply enjoying the local trails.

Ultra #058. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3386469368

My Crazy Desert Virtual 50 km linking up all the Sugar Land mountain bike trails on the Brazos River.

WEEK 2 (May 4th - May 10th) 

My Week: After 2 weeks at I have now revised my goal for May to not only hit that 55 mi minimum but aim for an average of 70 miles per week over this 6 week block (includes the 1 week prior to this challenge where i hit 68.7 mi). I think this will be a great training block for me. I was going to have a big May initially anyway building up towards California Untamed 330 mi, but it has since been delayed to 2021 in the wake of the pandemic. I have decided this should not alter my training process to much and I will use this time to focus on my own build anyway. My Month of 5s is just a great way to stay motivated to do so. I did have one workout this week on Wednesday where I kept it simple and did a short speed intervals of 2 sets of (5 x 1min @ 5:30 pace, w/ 2min recovery) with 5 min jog between sets. My goal lately is to do at least 1 speed type workout per week as part of my training stimulus. In the past I have been very sparse on this on not very consistent.

My Race (Wildlflower Virtual Run 50 km): Alarm was set for 03:30 super bright and early. Packed up my gear in my Victory Sportdesign gear bags and Nathan pack and hit the road North from my home in Sugar Land to the Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT) out in Sam Houston National Forest. I was drawn to the forest, I had to go. I've been wanting to run the LSHT in its entirely for awhile now, and I have just not put a date to it yet. But I took this weekend as a chance to get out and explore some more of the trail. I started prior to sunrise at trailhead #10 and headed east and south following the blazes marking the trail past trailhead #11, #12, #13 and went out a full 16 miles (which put me at mile marker 84). Here I turned around and returned back to my car at the parking at trailhead #10 to complete my mileage. The miles were easy pace and so relaxing. I soaked up nature and simply enjoyed the trails and forest. The second half on the way back west I saw a few hikers getting out to enjoy nature as well, but not a lot. I may have to return back up here soon for more long runs. I hope to complete this full trail and give the FKT (Fastest Known Time) a go in the fall/winter when the weather cools off again.

Ultra #059. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3426186846

My Wildflower Virtual Run on the Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT)

WEEK 3 (May 11th - May 17th)

My Week: Into my 4th straight relatively high volume week now and legs are starting to feel a bit heavy. But that did not stop me as this week was my highest yet. In fact I decided to take my "workout Wednesday" and do a long run in the form of an FKT attempt very last minute. I had discovered the Turkey Creek Trail somewhat randomly browsing the FKT sight and thought it would be cool to do some time. Since I am currently on a furlough week from work I took the opportunity to do it. I managed to set the unsupported FKT on this route. You can read all the details on my trip report. 

Ultra #060. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3445107996

An impromptu FKT attempt on the Turkey Creek Trail in the Big Thicket National Preserve.

My Race (Possums Revenge Virtual Run 56 km):  I had moved my planned race on Saturday over to Sunday to avoid some anticipated thunderstorms coming in on Saturday in my area. I did squeek in my #QuarantinedQuarter run for 5km around my pool though. Sunday a.m. I got out my Sugar Land map of my #EverySingleStreet project and found a nice big blank area in the middle of the map. I headed out early and ran around the neighborhoods checking off streets and simply filling in my map. I made 2 pit stops back at my parked van, self-supported style, to refill my water. A great morning listening to some podcasts and checking off my map.

Ultra #061. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3467976350

Completed Possums Revenge as well as checking off more streets for my #EverySingleStreet Sugar Land project.

WEEK 4 (May 18th - May 24th)

My Week: As my mileage has been consistent now at my higher mileage of ~70 miles per week I have been felling pretty decent. Thus far I am happy how my body is handling the load. Some other goals would be to get a bit more sleep and keep up my strength work and yoga I have been dabbling in with my wife. I did put in 2 harder workout this week. On Tuesday I did some intervals on 2 mins on, 2 mins off. I was aiming for about 10 reps, but I accidently stopped my watch (instead of the lap) after the 6th rep. I called it there, and just finished with a cooldown run to finish off the day. My second workout was on Friday when i took on a faster 5 km run. There is this STRAVA challenge right now called Run For Heroes Faster 5k Friday and this is week2 of the challenge. I have mapped out a perfect 5 km route from my home and now using this as a fitness gauge to time trial myself every once in a while and to complete this challenge over the next 3 more weeks now.

My Race (The Sweaty Yeti Virtual Run 50 km): I wanted to get out and get some vertical gain into my runs so I took the long weekend opportunity to drive out to San Antonio, TX for this weekends 50 km challenge.

It was supposed to be cloudy and a chance of storms in the afternoon so I thought it would be nice cool running weather - that turned out to be false! I started out at the famous Powerlines segment and was going to just do 5 reps (it's a perfect 10 km out&back).  The morning was about 87f and 100% humidity. Eventually it cooled down a bit to mid-70s but I was slowing down badly. I struggled to keep pace and to change it up I just started doing other off trails and routes to get the mileage in. The sun came out late morning and I was down to a death hike to get the run completed. After many long breaks (including one short nap). I managed to grind out the mileage and complete The Sweaty Yeti. This is my slowest 50 km run to date, but my lesson today was grit= don't quit. Proud of myself afterwards on getting it done.

Ultra#062. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3506847198

Utilizing a facet to cool down. Rough day running for me. 

WEEK 5 (May 25th - May 31st)

My Week: Another solid week of training was had. Initially I was a bit worried coming off Sunday's horrible run that lasted literally twice as long as I would have anticipated. But I took a couple short recovery days early in the week and that definitely helped a lot in terms of overall outlook on my week. I did not do a mid week workout like I have been accustomed too for this same reason. On Friday I did a 5 km tempo run at decently-hard effort and was using this as a baseline for HR training moving forward (I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but have never gotten around to it). I also added one final workout at the very end of the week post-race and to finish off the month (see more details on this in the Summary section.

My Race (Double Dragon Virtual Run 50 km): I did not put a lot of thought into the pre-planning for this virtual run and so the night before I grabbed my Sugar Land maps and looked where I was lacking in terms of my street progression a long run would benefit from and help knock off a big chuck. With this strategy I found my "route" a mere 12 hours before the run. I knew the area and parked at a local park where I planned on lots of streets and also left the options of some local trails to mix in. This is exactly how it played out as I took a casual approach and did about 20 miles of streets and completing a lot of my Sugar Land #EverySingleStreet project and then did the remaining 11 miles or so on the local trails to mix it up and also provide some fun back into this last virtual 50 km. I did enjoy the run very much and got another 64 streets done at the same time.

Ultra #063. STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/3536571299

Running along the Oyster Creek Trails on the latter third of my run. I love trails!

Summary & Conclusions.

My weekly mileage totals this month is on the higher side (for me I usually average ~40-45 miles). I was planning on a large block in May-June building toward California Untamed 330 mi, but unfortunately that has been postponed till 2021. However I have decided to keep my training volume high during this month and build my fitness anyway - long term goals. Below are my final numbers for the month:

My Month of 5s - Final Stats.

Looking back I am proud at how I have ramped up and now handled the increase in my mileage and also the grind of running daily. I achieved all of the goals that I did set out for the 5th month:

• COMPLETED - goal (revised) of 70 mile weekly average, which works out to just over 555 km
• achieved 607.72 km (377.62 mi)
• COMPLETED - goal (revised) of 5 km every day of the challenge: all 35 days
• achieved all 35 days > 5 km
• COMPLETED - run 5 days a week or more
• achieved running all 35 days thus each week was done in the process
• COMPLETEd - 50 km ultramarathon each of the 5 weekends
• completed all 5 ultras done, and also did an extra FKT in there as well, so i got 6 ultras in with this extra unplanned long run.

#MyMonthof5s
Pictured here with all 5 medals - crafted by Elevation Culture.

So how do I feel after creating this self imposed challenge for myself? Well honestly I feel great. My body has adapted to running a lot more mileage in training than I have normally been accustomed to even though I have go above these numbers many times due to my love for ultra races. I have been thinking a lot over the month of how this training block will benefit me in the future and well to finish off the month I threw down a hard 5 km effort to see how my body is holding up. Keep in mind this was my second run of the day and also after a moderate 50 km the day before. I am extremely happy that I came away with my second fasted 5 km time in a solo time trail setting with a split of 0:18:58 for the 5 km. My fitness has definitely benefited from this Month of May. I will now take a couple weeks of lower volume and absorb the training and let my body adjust.

What's next? The age old question for an ultra runner.

Now that I have had this nice solid training block I will throw down a 100 miler in the near future - I have a virtual Blazing 7s 100 mi entry I need to complete before August. But most of all I am excited to get back to some real racing events. We have just gotten word here in Texas that TROT has been allowed to put on all of their fall series events currently and so I will be highly looking forward to most of those events. Can not wait to hit the trails again with the entire #TROTtribe and throw down with trail friends and just simply enjoy the fact that I can participate in this great sport of ultrarunning.

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Next up: Blazing 7s Virtual run 100 mi

Thank you for following along.

Quarantine Backyard Ultra

The Best Ultra Field Ever Gathered.

2,413 runners have gathered (virtually) as the pre-race meeting kicks off a mere 15 minutes prior to the start. I was dialed in with my iPad and connected on the Zoom app. Everything was working on my end. It was 07:45 on Saturday morning for me, as I am only 1 timezone over from the hosts. I was in a conference call with hundred of other runners from all over, here for the same thing: to share in the joy of running and enjoy a race together while not being together.

I've have been prepping for The Game - Backyard Ultra (which was ultimately cancelled like everything else in the spring/summer months due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and so I came into this race as a replacement for it which worked out great for timing.

I set up my own course in the style of Big's Backyard trying to stay true to Laz and his original concept. I would run my first 12 loops on an out & back style with a little trail on the end of it (sadly I live just far enough from the trails, but i got in what i could trail wise). Then the next 12 loops would be on a simple loop around my neighborhood, again similar to Big's where they run a plain road course at night.

My DAY loop. Out & Back with a bit of trail on the end (I wish I live closer to the trails for this particular race. I would love to have had full 4.17 mi trail route for sure!). About 20% streets, 65% bayou paths, 15% trail.

My NIGHT loop. A simple loop around the neighborhood all on 100% sidewalk paths.

The concept of Backyard Ultras is very simple. You run 4.16667 mi (6.706 km) every hour on the hour. If you finish in 40 mins, then you get 20 mins to rest and eat, etc... The brilliance of this race is that there are a million strategies to pace and divide up your time, none of which are superior to the next. Speed is not the decider of the race here, it is true grit and the will to continue on for another loop when that whistle goes for the next round.

Nice Houston rain.

I had a goal of trying to make it to 2 days, which would be 48 hours, 48 loops with very little sleep if any at all. I had my aid station set up in my garage as my home base during this virtual event. I had my table all setup with my snacks and food, and my daughters were eager to help crew.

The first few hours clicked by flawlessly and was somewhat boring as expected. Then the rain came around hour 6 and lasted off and on for the next 6 loops. I went through so many shirts and jackets trying to stay dry. The constant stopping and starting of the loops made it difficult to keep warm when not moving. But the good part was my closet of my gear was mere steps away, which i took full advantage of. My wife and kids took great care of me making pizza for lunch at one point, got some perogies, and awesome grilled cheese. Was truly the best aid station.

Starting Loop 11 in the rain still.

Super happy to have my family support me. Its what makes me the #ultrarunningdad. My kids were stoked to be able to hand me my coke, or chips, or just come out and say hi every hour. A very unique experience running a race at home.

My race was going well as I ticked off 100 miles, which was 24 loops, as the sun rose for day 2 of the race. I had gotten in a couple 10 minute naps between loops and was feeling optimistic about going deep into the second day. However during my 25th lap I drastically slowed down and had to take a large walking break which was a first of the kind thus far. I figured I'd just roll with it and hopefully I'd smooth it out soon. However the next lap was the same thing, and in fact was even slightly slower which was eating away at my rest break between hour starts. My right hip had become very tight and was not loosening up. I refused to quit in my chair and headed out on loop 27. After making a couple corners down the neighborhood I could feel it was not getting any better. I turned around and did the walk of shame back to my house to call my race and officially DNF.  I completed 26 loops officially and with the extra bit on my 27th loop I totaled 109.39 mi. I was in the top-41 of the 2,413 runners that started the Quarantine Backyard Ultra.

My loop splits. Was consistently around 0:37:00-0:40:00 until my hip gave me issues on the 25th trip out.
Red is my running time. Blue is my inter-loop time.

My STRAVA activty: https://www.strava.com/activities/3259166564

Distance: 109.39 mi | 26 loops officially (108.33 mi)

Total Elapsed Time: 26:10:18

Race time: 17:15:44 (65.96%) | average of 0:39:26 per loop

Inter-loop time: 08:54:34 (34.04%) | average of 0:20:34

Elevation gain: 1,850 ft+

Picture summary. A Picture after each lap complete, along with my final DNF picture after turning around on loop 27.

Post race care   :)

Gear Used

• Gear Bags: Victory Sportdesign 
• Jackets: rabbit let 'er zip hoodie, vest, and elements light jacket, Altra Wasatch rain jacket
• Shirts: rabbit long sleeve (multiple), TeamTROT shirts
• Shorts: rabbit FKT 5"
• Shoes: Altra Torin Knit 3.5
• Socks: Drymax Socks 3 pairs
• Headwear: rabbit (BOCO) beanie and cap, Trail Racing Over Texas trucker hats
• Sunglasses: goodr (TROT edition)
• Watch: Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
• Hydration: Nathan Sports Inc soft flasks, Trail Racing Over Texas collapsible cup
• Other: rabbit (BOCO) gloves
• Anti Friction: Trail Toes - applied once at beginning and only 1 reapply which kept me chaff free all race even throughout the all the rain.

My Garmin Fenix6 Pro Solar only got down to 52% by the time I had uploaded and synced my activity already. I love this watch. Check out my blog write up on it if you want more info into my take on it: https://trevormeding.blogspot.com/2020/02/garmin-fenix-6x-pro-solar.html
(Note: I am not affiliated with Garmin. However I wouldn't mind...)

This was my 57th ultramarathon and my 15th distance of 100 miles or more. Thanks for following along!

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Next up: some virtual TROT races
(http://www.trailracingovertexas.com/trot-virtual-races)
Looking into some FKT ideas as well during this period.

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

• 2nd overall (full ultrasignup results) | 21:31:47 | +11,722 ft
• my 55th ultramarathon distance event
• STRAVA: https://www.strava.com/activities/3162796099

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

• Gear Bags: Victory Sportdesign
• Drop bags: Victory Sportdesign  Coyote II  (Cloudland Canyon aid station)
• Jackets: rabbit let 'er zip hoodie, vest, and elements light jacket
• Shirts: rabbit long sleeve
• Shorts: rabbit smooth operator 7"
• Shoes: Altra Running TIMP 1.5
• Socks: Drymax Socks 1 pair (Speedgoat edition)
• Headwear: rabbit (BOCO) cap
• Sunglasses: goodr (Nessy's Midnight Orgy edition)
• Watch: Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
• Headlamp: NathanSports Inc Halo Fire (x2)
• Hydration: Nathan Sports Inc VaporKrar 2.0 12L with 20oz soft flasks, Trail Racing Over Texas collapsible cup
• Other: rabbit (BOCO) gloves
• Anti Friction: Trail Toes - applied once at beginning and only 1 reapply which kept me chaff free all race.

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Bottoms up everyone!

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