Recreation Through Endurance

This last weekend, Liz and I had the good fortune being able to spend a couple nights in western North Carolina with her grandma. Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, I was hoping to get there early enough go hop over to the Smoky Mountains and get in a trail run. The park has over 800 miles of trail, most of which are only accessible via other trails. I stopped by one of the visitor's center to ask for suggestions and picked out the Mingus Creek Trail. 6 miles out ascending 2800 feet, then back down. I was excited, very excited, and welcomed the challenge.

As I was changing in the car, it started thundering, then raining. Not hard, but not lightly either. Discouraged? A little, but I talked myself into loving the idea. Then I couldn't find my socks. I had two pair of running shoes, but no socks. I tore the car apart three times looking, but nothing. Now I was disappointed. It was a heartbreaking decision, but I called it off. My unsupported, solitary mountain ascent after the 7 hour drive wouldn't happen.

Leaving America's most visited national park not seeing anything more than a parking lot and a trail sign, I thought to swing by the visitor's center again looking for a miracle. There, in different spots of the parking lot, were two socks with a runner's silhouette on them, wet with rain and probably ran over by cars. Time to hit the trail!

In some respects, this was the hardest trail run I've done. Constant climbing. If my calculations are correct, it's an average 10% grade. Creek crossing that soaked my feet. Rocks that threatened to twist my ankle. Did I mention the constant climbing?

In other respects, this was the easiest trail run I've done. No time pressures. The rain to keep me cool. No expectations. Just me, my legs, and the mountain. 6 miles to the top, which I probably walked about half a mile of.

The Smokies are known for their wildlife and plantlife diversity. I wouldn't have known it though because on this trail there only seemed to be one broadleaf tree with with fist-sized white flowers on them all the way up. At times, they would canopy the trail like I was running through a flower tunnel and as I got closer to the top, the rain lightened and as I climbed into the clouds the fog thickened.

Once I got to the top feeling more refreshed and excited than tired, I saw a sign to a campsite a half mile down the ridge-line. This would add a mile, putting the total at 13 (which, for runners, is a nice round number), and at least 200 feet of climbing putting my ascent over 3000 feet. Now, 7 miles into it it, I had 6 miles of downhill that would be as fast as I would let it. I took off at a pace just short of dangerous. I re-entered the clouds that I had climbed above and the through the tunnel of flowering trees and into the thick misty fog. A mile 9 or so, I stopped and smelled the flowers I was running through, and the rush of fatigue, adrenaline, and sweet smells was overwhelming and I felt lightheaded for just a moment. Then took off again down the mountain.

The next day, Liz and I took off with the bikes out to Tsali, which is considered by some to be some of the best mountain biking in the country. There are four trails totaling 40 miles, two open to mountain biking and two for horses on a rotating schedule. It was Mouse Branch and Thompson day, which we rode both. Tsali had a great feel to it with mostly smooth trails, lots of creek crossings, lots of mud puddles, lots of turns, and enough climbing to keep it interesting without killing your legs.

Tsali provided such a fun ride. We got dirty. We saw views and lakes and enough bikers to know it was good riding but no where close to being crowded. We fed each other blackberries, which with a slow pace and fast hands, you could grab as you rode by.

Did I say we got dirty? Well, so did the bikes. As everyone knows, I'm as meticulous as it gets when it comes to... well... some things, but not bike cleanliness. Still though, had to hit the showers.

As promised, here it is. Let me know if you like it.



Special thanks to Cary and Heather for some video, Blake for some pictures, and Scott for the music. You can also download it here. If you're interested in a higher quality version on DVD, let me know.

My intention was to write a full race report describing both last Saturday's and last Sunday's races. I'm not going to do that. There's a reason why it's my favorite weekend of the year and this time it was no different. I could tell you about Liz's race, running around spectating, showing my parents what it is that we do, and watching the sport race. I could tell you about my race, getting kicked in the head 4 times, passing people on the bike, including Chris McMillan screaming at me at the Maymont ramp, and getting passed on the run. ...but I won't.

What I will say is that this sport (or is it a lifestyle), is getting more popular and more intense, and faster. Here's part of an email I sent to Blake, who did excellent in his first Xterra:

"I don't know how you feel or if you care about your overall ranking, but don't get hung up on that card until official results come out. Last year, the card said I got 5th, but the official result was 6th, so you can't trust it. I think we did better than 12th and 14th and here's why: There were 2 fewer people in the age group then last year. I swam better this year (my time was 3.5 minutes slower, but I didn't get off course this year, the river was higher which slowed it down. Also, last year I was last out of the water with my color of cap and this year there were plenty left.) My bike was 6 minutes faster and except for the first half of Forest Hill was less crowded. My run was 3.5 minutes slower. So, my time was exactly 1 minute slower than last year. If the river had been the same level, I'd have beat last year's time by several minutes. As for placement, I have a hard time believing I got 6th (official results) last year and 12th (unofficial results) this year. So, I'm still waiting on results to be posted."

I ended up 12th, like the card said. I got 37 points towards the series, unlike last year's 67. Was I disappointed? Yes. Am I discouraged? Sort of... but, but, but... I thought I just did this for fun!?! I'm only serious enough about this to enjoy doing it! Right? Truly, I do felt I had a better performance than last year and I'm happy with that. As for 6 more people doing better than me than last year, I can't control that and have to let it go. Hopefully, I can just keep time on my side.

What I will do though, is provide everyone an awesome video wrap-up of the weekend. It's in the works and hopefully will be done tomorrow! Keep checking back.

Plagiarized from Running Times:

"Time is the most meaningful competitor for most of us farther back in the race, who rarely know the runners around us. And a worthy competitor is it. Time never has an off day, never gets out of shape. Time never stops or slows; it never gives up no matter how far ahead of it we might be, nor grows complacent if it has the lead. Time improves as rapidly as we do, always luring us to get faster, better. ... While I won't claim that qualifying for Boston or running sub-three is the meaning of life, reflecting on this has inspired me to find another quest to chase this year. It's not that I've become a slouch, but I have become a bit complacent. I want a goal hard enough to have a real risk of failure, that requires changing routines and making myself harder, stronger, more purposeful -- more fully me. The beauty of our sport is that we can do that."

I'm putting together a video from the weekend, just like last year. I have a bunch of what I need, but need some help. Additional photos would help. Good shots on Brown's Island, Anything on North Trail, and especially finish line photos would help. Pictures from saturday and especially sunday would be appreciated. Email me and you'll have eternal gratitude.

Congratulations to everyone on their races! Lots of First Places, lots of first races, and lots of smiling faces. I'll do a full write-up soon enough, but I just wanted to extend some thoughts in the meantime.

As everyone knows, downtown has the most difficult trails in the region. What everyone doesn't know is that the Pro racers consider this the most difficult course on the Xterra circuit. On the bike race, the trails were tight, dusty, and hot. If you did the tri, the river was high and fast and the run was beating heat down. It's hard and painful no matter how much training and practice you have.

What I saw was a lot of my friends and people close to me overcome their apprehensions to racing, to not doing well, or to getting beaten by others or themselves, and do things they never thought they'd do. I'm proud of all of you.

It's Here! My favorite weekend of the year is only a couple days away. Like last year, I'll be volunteering on Saturday with my parents as Liz races the trails she's probably put more miles on than me this spring. Sunday will be a role reversal with myself racing and Liz and my parents volunteering.

To all you local racers: just be sure to smile for the camera because you can expect one of my videos out next week.

To all you out-of-town racers: It's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day.

What's older than your grandmother?
More attractive than your dog?
Harder to clean than your bike?
...and was buried under 5 layers of linoleum?

Answer: My bathroom floor.

They don't make them like they used to.

Before: Panelling like bleeding walls, old red carpet, and a place we felt unsuited for my parents.

After: A place for them to stay next week.

Pictures by iPlayOutside are out. Several with me, one with Jay's foot. By the looks of things, I was sizing up the competition tired from swimming, and dodging rocks. Yeah, it was fun... Much more fun than the Hoo-Ha! would've been.

A friend of mine once qualified to be an elite runner. He had a reserved start at the front, special race numbers, different status in the results. He ran two races, quit, and went back to being a regular runner, though still a fast one. The pressure took the fun out of it for him and his story is a valuable lesson.

Big. Rapid. Coalmine. New. Rigormortis. Canyon. Up. Rock. Adventure. River.

The ACE Big Canyon Xterra, I had heard, is a fantastic race but also very tough. Xterras are supposed to be challenging, but this one is supposed to be one of the roughest. You may remember the course description had me kinda intimidated. Even though this is the stuff I love, putting the legs together like that is never like doing them separately. I had a trick in mind that just maybe would help me out.

Liz, always supportive, let me know that she wished me luck and hoped I did well but camping two weekends in a row did not interest her. I recruited Jay to camp, ride, and hang out the me in the WV canyon-lands by the New River. Getting there too early to check in, I picked up my race packet, found out a little more about the race format, and we got ready to pre-ride the bike course.

ACE Adventure Center is a rafting company that bought 1400 strip-mined acres between the old coal-town of Minden and the New River. They've expanded into caving, horses, rock climbing, paintball, fishing, and other activities, but are mostly a rafting company. The mountain top was logged leaving a space now used for camping twice as large as what was needed to host the 300+ members of the Raftaholics that partied all night Saturday. The mountainsides have abandoned coal mines and the trails to access them which are great for biking and great views of the river and railroad below. Platform tents near clean showers, cabins with hottubs, and the Truman lodge, where Harry Truman is believe to have hosted events, can be rented also.

Jay and I followed the blue arrows through some great tight singletrack draped in Rhododendron not quite in bloom, over some fireroads, and down the steep and technical Rigormortis Trail, along the coal mines with a break to enjoy the cool mist of the waterfall, and back up the undulating trail.

After checking in and setting up camp, we went for the pasta dinner, talked with Bill Swann and spent the evening talking with Scott Scudamore, his family, and the whoever else stopped by our picnic table. It's always a treat to see people you haven't seen in a while and meet new friends. I've never done a road-tri and don't have any interest in doing one. This kind of atmosphere is what's most enjoyable. When it got dark, we watched a girl get thrown in the lake, then retired to the bar for a beer and bike talk. That's right! A place to camp with trails and a bar! I was in heaven.



Pre-race: Tent wet with dew so pack up after the race. Divide gear into two transitions. Set up bike transition. Body marking. Chatting. Getting cold. Ask why so many racers have wetsuits. Ride bus and set up run transition leaving clothes there. Ride bus to swim start. Notice slight rain. Getting more cold only wearing shorts. Wish I had wetsuit.

1.5 miles is twice what I've ever swam at once. 4 times what I've done open water. I looked at the river and saw the channel on the other side of a bunch of rocks, which is when I decided to just follow everyone else. The wading start was a nice encouragement since the water was warmer than the drizzlng air. Also encouraging was having heard you could float downstream and finish in 45 minutes. The gun went off and everyone jumped in avoiding most rocks, hardly getting kicked, and aiming for the channel. I have to say, despite not being a great swimmer, I loved it. When I got to the middle of the river, I actually felt myself being propelled forward. The one rapid I hit threw me around pretty good and about the time I figured out what was going on, it was over. The swimmers were more spread out since no one was aiming for buoys and I hardly ran into anyone, which really helped hold form. Though I felt I got out of the channel somewhere in the middle and felt convinced I was near the back, I finished the swim feeling strong.

Last week at Smith Lake, a first time multisporter asked me for tips. I said the run was the hardest because it was last and if he could stay in it mentally, he could stay in it physically. At ACE, the run was second, but it was longer at 7-8 miles and climbed over 1000 feet to the top of the mountain. Much harder than a normal run, but also on fresher legs. Ever since reading the course description, I'd been telling myself the run was going to be merciless. I'd also told myself repeatedly that I was going to love it.

The first two miles or so were along an abandoned railroad following the river and was smooth and level. Then for an indeterminate distance, it was up. I tried to run, but even if it wasn't slick from the rain, there would've been no running. It was steeper than stairs. Slicker than mud. Walking was painful but there were people ahead of me. I just tried to walk faster than them. After a little recovery time at the fireroad, I picked it up and I ran and ran hard. My mind game had worked wonders! It was easier than I imagined and I was psyched up for it. At a checkpoint, they asked for my number, where I jokingly said "11. That's what place I'm in, right?" The course marshal checked his list and said "I think you're ahead of yourself." Then I picked up the pace.

At the top of the mountain, I felt some quad soreness, but I could shake that on the bike. Preriding a bike course is a huge advantage. It always surprises how fast it flies by at race pace over the preride, but it's always an advantage to know what's coming up. I knew it was better to dismount the first two "Caution" signs on Rigormortis and ride the third, though I did apologize to the photographer for not providing a show. I knew I could fly past the trail of coal mines on Erskine Trail. I knew I could use the slight downhills on Oather Trail to propel me up the hills. It played out well.

The last two miles, there was a fight. Andrew Deutz, who I traded congradulations with afterwards, passed me on a steep uphill and was the first person to pass me since the swim. Kicking up my ambition, my hardtail and I passed him and his fully on a fast downhill and I put as much space between us as I could. The next steep uphill, he caught me again and I pushed past him on the next downhill. Then again, same punches thrown. The finish line was at Mountain Top and his uphills conquered my downhills and he finished with a much deserved place ahead of me.

The race was fantastic. I loved the swim-run-bike format. I loved the down river swim. I loved the uphill run. I loved the terrain of the bike leg. Regardless of the results, it was an awesome event at a great venue.

Official results speak louder than plaques, I got third in Men 25-29.