Old Dominion 100

Admittedly, I am something of a newbie to the whole ‘ultra running’ thing.  I’ve put quite a bit of miles on these legs over the past few years and made great new friends along the way.  I’ve run on old trails and new trails, run with old studs and young studs, run old school races and newer ones.  But still, as fast as this sport seems to be evolving each ultra that I have run, I think, maintains a vibe that feels quintessentially old school.  It is my ultimate hope that this ‘feeling’ never changes no matter how many new races, runners or sponsorship dollars come down the pike.  In my experience, no race maintains such a feeling quite like the Old Dominion 100.

It was on the first Saturday of June 2008, on the second recorded hottest day of the year, for the entire year, when I ran the Old Dominion 100- my first 100 mile and only two months out from when I ran my first ultra, the Bel Monte 50 mile.  It wasn’t even until a week or two after Bel Monte that I decided 100% to line up at the Old Dominion; trained up I was not.  The heat and humidity was unbearable.  There was no wind, there was no rain.  At mile 50 I came down with a severe case of shin splints in my right leg.  I ran on.  At mile 75 my right shin looked like it had a golf ball sticking out of it just above the ankle.  I ran on.  At mile 88 I ran off course.  Determined to finish I eventually found my way back on course and ran on.  Proudly, I finally finished and my life was forever changed.  My race report still lives at Run100s.com.  Read it here.

I wear my well-earned Old Dominion silver buckle with pride to this day.  In fact, it is my favorite buckle.  Not just because of the experience but because it actually is the coolest buckle I have seen on the market.  Don’t just take my word for it.  The Old Dominion 100 begins at 4:00am the first Saturday of every June.  Sign up this year and earn one for yourself.  See what it feels like to run the second oldest 100 mile race in the United States, second only to Western States.  Soak in Virginia’s luscious early summer green scenery and rural mountain vistas through Fort Valley.  And leave your pacers at home because, save for a few craggy miles between mile 75-85 or so, they’re not allowed.  Plus, the Old Dominion 100 has a 28 hour cut off.  The Old Dominion is an old school race, on a runner’s course. 

Unfortunately, for several reasons for which I am too new school to understand, the Old Dominion’s popularity has waned in recent years.  Emotions, politics and other race options are all to blame.  No matter, the Old Dominion stands.  Sponsor-less, change-less, family managed still, the race is ready for old comers and new comers alike.  I am so grateful to have the Old Dominion in my backyard and can’t wait for June to give it another go.  My goals this time around will be much different than in 2008 and thankfully I already know of a handful of strong runners rumored to show up that will help push me to reach them.  The Old Dominion is a worthy race, be-fit of any strong runner.  Come on out and let’s give each other a go on the first Saturday in June.

Mostly great news

Starting with the not so great news: I was rejected during this weekend's Hardrock 100 lottery.  I didn’t even make it on to the wait list.  Certainly Hardrock, of all the top lottery entry races out there, likely even more than Western States, is a tough, tough race to gain entry.  Hopefully I’ll get a shot to toe the line in Silverton some other year.  Strangely, rather than feeling dejected I am somewhat relieved.  Relieved not to have to shuffle other ideas around because of this one race.  Relieved not to worry about how-am-I-gonna-acclimate to make it through this thing.  Plus, in the end, race lottery entry wise, I am two for three in 2011 since I was recently awarded entry into the Bull Run 50 in April, awarded entry some time ago into the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 and, with a heavy heart, yanked my name from the Wasatch registration prior to this past weekend’s lottery picking.  Two for three is very good in my book so I definitely do not have much to complain about.  In fact, I am excited for those runners who gained Hardrock entry.  I look forward to sitting in my comfortable chair Friday, July 8^th, sipping coffee in the morning, and logging on to Hardrock's website to see what bold and brash runners dare to rush the pace early on.

Since Hardrock is off the table I decided to part with the $295 and sign up for August's famed Leadville Trail 100.  It is official, as of 9:19 EST this evening, I am in Leadville.  (Um, registration for Leadville was $250 in 2010, by the way, for those who keep track of such things).  After Massanutten in May, comes the Old (School) Dominion 100 in June, then Leadville late August, followed by the GEER 100k in late September and, ultimately, the Grindstone 100 in October.  Come Fall these legs will be nice a tired.  No matter, they remember how to recover from last summer and, together, we’re up for another adventurous year of racing.

Another slice of overwhelming news is the good people at VHTRC during yesterday’s annual awards ceremony rendered on to me 2010’s prestigious Male Ultra Runner of the Year and Male Performance of the Year awards.  It feels tremendous to be honored by such great people; people I look up to in so many ways.  VHTRC is in a class by itself, with a long history of producing high caliber, high performing runners, and to have my name etched on computer screens for years to come as 2010’s winner is amazing.  I know now that these awards will carry even more meaning for me in the future which is somewhat strange to think about since it already feels so great.  Thank you very much VHTRC!  By the way, for the statisticians in the lot check out recent year winners here.  Recognize any names?  Um, I think so.  These runners are legit.  Goodness gracious, how about Amy Sproston… With this year’s hardware that makes for three consecutive years as Female Runner of the Year.  Way to go, Amy!

February 1

As much as I enjoy winter it is always a relief to close the books on January.  February, our shortest month, means negotiating even fewer days until the return of spring, arriving in the D.C. area by the end of March or the beginning of April.  Bring it on!

Today, being February 1st, also means the March issue of Trail Runner Magazine is now in circulation, soon to land in mail boxes and at newsstands across North America.  If you are a subscriber be sure to check out the Take Your Mark article, penned by yours truly, on trail running in our Nation’s Capitol.  In the story I also featured a few local must-do VHTRC races and a few local trail running studs.  If you are not a subscriber run, don’t walk, to your local running store and secure a copy.



To put us in the mood: ubiquitous scenery in D.C. during early Spring, the Cherry Blossoms.  Another must-see event.





January. Dry needling.

As the month of January fades into February I am left with a renewed confidence and positive outlook towards 2011’s training and fast-approaching race season.  I am very grateful for this because December’s exit left me somewhat remiss towards this year’s training cycle, in part to my what-had-become chronic hamstring syndrome issue.  The short and good news is I’ve run every single day during January and with each passing day I feel steadily stronger, tighter, lighter and more fit as a runner.  It is a familiar feeling and most welcomed.

I’ve worked my ass off to get the best of my hamstring issue and now, thanks to positive results during and after this week’s first tempo running in ages, it seems I finally have.  And how exactly did I work my ass off, you might ask, to get the best of a chronic situation?  Well, for starters, think stretching.  Proper stretching.  Loads and loads of stretching.  Twice a day.  Then toss in a little ice, a little heat.  Acupuncture- that also a few times.  Massage- meat grinding massage.  Some yoga.  An experimental visit to a manual ‘muscle manipulator’.  Then a brief and effective dose of prescription anti-inflammatory after an ortho-pod check in to make sure there was nothing serious to worry about, such as a stress fracture.  I followed up all of this with more massage, and more and more stretching.  Finally, this week I experienced what I believe is (and will be) the final icing: Dry Needling.  Scratching your head as to what is dry needling?  Keep reading…

Dry needling is somewhat like acupuncture in that the practitioner, in my case a physical therapist, uses an acupuncture needle (which is extremely small, sharp and long if you’ve never seen one) and with the needle punctures the skin.  That is about where the similarity ends.  Acupuncture, in a nutshell, is the practice of still placing needles at specific locations following body meridian lines with the purpose of stimulating Qi- the body’s natural energy flow- to promote healing and other good things.  Dry needling on the other hand is the practice of “fishing” a needle within myofascial trigger points of sore muscles to draw a response.  The correct response from a sore muscle is a twitch, gyration or movement of some sort.  Basically, the movement response is the muscle un-tightening at the trigger point(s) and release of tension.  It is the craziest damn feeling I have ever encountered in my long history of seeking natural, efficient, proven methods for treating running injuries (muscle tension, mostly).  Not only that, it works.

During my first and only session on Tuesday my hip muscles jerked, my hamstring wiggled and my butt cheek jiggled.  Since then I am more flexible at the hip and have next to zero sciatic symptoms down my hamstring.  It was a momentary event, mildly painful, totally natural and a non-scarring.  Oddly enough as recent as two weeks ago I had never even heard of dry needling.  Now I am not only informed but a believer.  I still have two, possibly three, more sessions likely to go, once per week, and am convinced this is my ticket to 100% hamstring syndrome recovery.   Plus more stretching, of course, especially at the hip.

Thanks to working my recovery ass off, and now the discovery of dry needling, January training resulted in solid base layering after all with the outlook of generous portions yet to come.

Running To Breathe

Breathing is what gives our bodies life.  It is what sustains us in the moment and makes everything else possible.  If life is a blessing our ability to breathe must be, what, a luxury?  I think so.  As an athlete it is easy to take breathing for granted since so many other factors often take precedent.  Namely, getting in our daily runs/volume, focusing on leg turnover and tempo runs, recovering from a injury, making time for stretching, proper nutrition, sleep, etc., etc.  Recently I decided to incorporate yoga into my regimen at least once a week, as a way to give back to my body for the training it allows me, and what is yoga if not the practice of breathing?  My brother-in-law, Colin, is an athletic guy though sometimes held back a bit, physically, due to asthma, an allergic condition affecting his respiration system sometimes resulting in restricted breath.

Sometime last year Colin decided to become a runner.  Not a jogger or someone who lollygags on a treadmill in between socializing at the gym, but a real runner.  And not so he could disappear off on to the trails, meet new friends or lose weight.  Colin’s goal was much simpler: so he could breathe.  Wow.  It is hard not to be humbled by that simple goal when I think about all of the frivolous reasons why I run.  I am definitely lucky as I have no problem breathing.  My VO2 max may not be up there with Lance Armstrong, in fact I have no idea what it is, but I usually have no problem sucking in all of the air my body needs when out on a run- even if that means sometimes throttling my stride to a paltry pace on the lowest of graded hills.  I guess this is all Colin wants- the opportunity for air when he wants it or needs it.  To reach this goal Colin has steadily built up his running base and economy over the past several months and has now set upon a great athletic goal for 2011: to compete in at least one half-marathon per month, all year, on road or trail.  That is pretty great.  He even maintains a blog at www.live2breathe.com to chronicle his journey.

Since I have known Colin for several years I know he has what it takes to be a great runner:  (1) determination and (2) support from those who care about him most.  I like to think that in some small way I helped inspire Colin take on this great physical challenge- to breathe better- since he has seen my progress as a runner take hold over the past few years, though I doubt it.  I say this only because his is an inspiring story in the making.  His social and professional tentacles reach much further than mine and by him going after his own goals the way he is the many people around him will in turn likely become inspired as well, thus passing the torch.

Colin also leads a much more demanding life than do I.  Sure, we both have jobs with characterizing responsibilities but he also has three kids, coaches soccer and crushes several fantasy football leagues simultaneously.  People occasionally tell me, with regards to my running, “I don’t know how you do it” or ask me “how do you have the time”?  To wit I reply: don’t ask me, ask Colin.

Representation?

Part of what makes running so enjoyable is the lack of gear required to maximize one’s enjoyment on the trails.  The longer I run the less gear I wish to carry.  In fact, during the warm months I am rarely clothed on a run with anything more than a pair of shoes and shorts.  It feels completely natural and I think it actually helps my running.

Thus far in my career of athletics I remain unsponsored and enjoy my amateur status.  Though I fully admit I will always be an amateur there are a few products in the market which I employ regularly and help with my running.  So, to the parent companies of these fine products I say thank you and can we talk?

The United States Department of the Interior.  These kind folks offer to us our beloved National Parks and Forests, where upon annually I spend infinite hours frolicking.  Definitely, there is no question, without public open space and miles of trails my running would be at a significant deficit compared to where it is today.  As an ultra runner who prefers trails versus roads and who lives smack dab in the middle of a city having legitimate options for trails is vital.  Rock Creek Park in Washington D.C. is a National Park and my go-to for local trailing.  Without Rock Creek Park where would my running be?  Up Shit’s Creek, that’s where.  So, to the D.O.I. I thank thee and ask may I represent you?

Zip Loc.  There are a few things I usually carry on long runs: Gu, s-caps, toilet paper and my house or car key, depending on where I am.  Zip loc offers the perfect holster for such enterprising.  They also make for great race drop bags.  Oh Zip Loc, where would my running be without you?  Call me!

Cottonelle.  Not much to say here, really, because on a long run if you gotta go you either have it or you don’t.  I carry it with me almost always.  I just do.  Cottonelle has saved me on many a run and for that I am indebted.  Cottonelle, you’re the bomb.  Hook me up!

Post it notes.  That’s right: Post it notes.  The first thing I do after each run is record my outing (time, mileage, etc.) on a Post it note.  I'm weird like that.  Post it notes also make for great identification taped on to Zip Loc drop bags.  We're talking synergy here, people.  Without my Post it note products I would be lost.  Thank you, Post it!

Product placement.  Pre-Western States, 2010.

Races and Places in 2011

This year picks right up where last year left off with several races and trips lined up.  First and foremost, though I am back to running, I am still feeling out my piriformis/sciatica hangover from 2010.  Seems I had too much fun on the trails last year.  In reality, I don’t even attribute this injury to running per say.  I have a general sense of what caused it –a fall, wearing improper shoes- but not figuring out what it was early on I am convinced caused the unnecessary unraveling.  Still, in the long run, not a tremendous blow.  Hopefully it will continue as such.  For good measure I scheduled a Tuesday orthopedist appointment to make doubly sure I am good to go, residuum inflammation aside.  And, well, if I am not that will pretty much suck.

Moving on, over to the right you will see I leased real estate from the giant green space and added a tentative 2011 race schedule.  My original hopes last year centered this year’s schedule around returning to Western States- even if through the lottery.  Eventually life got in the way and I never even entered the lottery.  My next thought was to run all of the 100s in Virginia, among a few other races, and that still sounds pretty good.  So that is my plan; the rest is gravy.  The 100 miler in New Zealand in March would be an excellent adventure since I will be there anyway at that time, but definitely tentative at moment because of the aforementioned distress.  To add more complexity to the mix Colorado beckons for a spell again this summer and returning to the Leadville 100 is equally appealing.  Then we have the pending race lotteries for which I am entered: Hardrock and Wasatch.  Running Hardrock would be a dream and Wasatch is my favorite 100.  If fortune smiles on me and I get in- especially in Hardrock- who knows what path I may choose.

All dreams aside, for now I am sticking with the Virginia Slam, or whatever appellation people choose to call it.   It works.  Additionally, my older brother Paul has threatened to run his first 100 at Old Dominion and it would be great to be there (running, too, of course) when he does.  I have long schooled the boy on the beauty and transeunt experience that accompanies the 100 mile.  Hopefully this summer he will see for himself.