Last year's fog on top of Lookout Mountain at Chattanooga, TN, kept all the scenic views at the overlooks hidden. This year it was cloudy in the morning, but no fog or real low clouds. Some GREAT views -- could see 30 miles or so even thru the hazy sky. Other than the Natural Bridge, KY, run 6+ years ago, this race setting has to be the most scenic of any ultra I've attended. At least half this course was changed from last year, but the organizers kept the scenic sites intact & even went by the waterfalls area twice this time!
I would classify the course this year as "fast" for a 50 miler. One real big hill and lots of runnable grades up & down. Unlike last year, there was no mud to speak of & no knee deep water crossings -- the trail conditions were excellent. I enjoyed chatting during the race with a couple runners I had met at previous races -- Ken Seidl & Beau Wendholt. Beau mentioned he had moved to Chattanooga from Indiana, but still directed a trail marathon there (Honest Abe Marathon). I also passed Troy Shellhamer (a LLTH veteran & a local runner from Louisville) on the out'n'back part of the course. He was in first place & ended up extending that lead!! CONGRATS Troy!
As for my race performance, I was disappointed once again (avg 14:41/mile) but I have only myself to blame for a silly mistake in the 1st half of the race:
Looking at the new course map prerace, I didn't notice (duh), or it wasn't obvious to me until I ran into it, was that I would be running the 1st 22.5 miles with only 2 aid stations in that distance (3rd aid station was at 22.5 miles). Under normal weather conditions, I usually need 20 oz every 45 minutes -- so at a pace of say, 14 minutes/mile, I would need seven 20 oz drinks. Since I only carried one 20 oz bottle (that was the mistake), there was no way I could drink all that I needed at the aid stations & not be bloated. Needless to say I became very thirsty & had to drag myself into the 3rd aid station.
Once I get behind on the hydration, it's hard to get back just right. Over the next 3 aid stations (spaced closer), I drank & I drank -- then it got to where I was peeing every 5-10 minutes! I backed it off but I didn't get it right till I finished.
Also, I almost repeated my blunder of last year -- missing a turn and going an extra 2 miles:
The course marking at this event is unique in all the races I've run. Generally, the trail itself was not marked with flags. Flags are placed in a line across turnoffs -- don't cross the flags & you'll be OK!! There is one major flaw/inconsistency to this & I discovered it last year & did so again this year: when you are on a paved road, you can't stick the flags into the hard surface when you need to show a turn (you need a sign or a person or pavement marking here). Once again this year, I missed a turnoff from the road but luckily was caught after only going a couple hundred feet by the observant gal behind me -- THANK YOU! With this kind of marking, if you make a mistake, you won't know you're off course till you come to a junction & there's no flagging . . . could be miles!
I was surprised to even see some "confidence" marking this year, that is, flags placed other than at junctions to let you know you're on course when you haven't seen flags for miles. Other than the one turn I missed, I thought the course was very well marked & would guess that there were 3 or 4 times the number of flags of last year.
Next for me is surgery on my cyst later this afternoon!
A gorgeous day for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon! 4 inches of fresh snow -- reminding me of Louisville's Lovin' The Hills in February when the snow piled up on the branches till they could hold no more. Awesome scenery!
As for the race, well, I finished. Slower than the disappointing time of last year, as expected, and would have been even slower had the race been the same distance & on the same course as last year. Due to the snow, the race started & finished at the Yellowwood finish line -- an out and back instead of point to point.
I also learned a few hours later than instead of going to the halfway point where the largest hill on the course was located, the turnaround was at least 0.75 miles before then, making the race more than 1.5 miles shorter than last year & skipping the big hill altogether. That would have been fine by me except that I had left a drop bag at the halfway point & I did not realize that we were not going to pass by this area. I had disposed of my gatorade "water bottle" by mile 10 & was looking forward to picking up a new one along with some more gels! This was a mental & physical letdown for me at that point, but I managed to keep positive & continue enjoying the run on the way back to the finish, albeit a much slower return.
One thing about an out and back race is that you can see everyone in the race! I recognized quite a few faces although there were more runners who knew me than I knew (some even admitted they recognized me not by name but ONLY as that "fool" who never wears enough clothes). Felt sorry for the leaders who had to veer off the narrow single track when runners in the other direction did not yield and had to blaze a new trail into the unpacked snow. Much of the course was not meant to be double wide & with several hundred runners, there was alot of dodging for everyone.
I had some intestinal issues at the start & a foot (cyst) issue by the time I got to the finish, but I don't think either had a noticeable effect on my performance. My physical conditioning is still lacking, yet I feel I'm seeing some improvement. With the unsure footing in the snow, slush & mud, the cyst on the bottom right edge of my right foot received more lateral pressure than I was expecting -- even with my modified shoe. The cyst area is still swollen right now & reinforces the fact that this problem is not going away. Since I'm signed up for Lookout Mountain in a couple weeks, I believe I'll have surgery to remove the cyst after the race. Hopefully recovery will be quick.
Brian Holzhausen - Race Director:
After OPSF a few weeks ago, I realized I had to do something about the cyst on the bottom of my foot as I could not place full weight on it without enduring pain. The Podiatrist stuck a needle in it (ouch!), but couldn't get anything out of it. A MRI of the foot confirmed the cyst was a solid, homogeneous mass -- likely a ganglion cyst & that it didn't appear to be malignant. The recommendation was to have it removed.
Ever since then, I've been debating whether to have this surgery, which would likely put me out of action for a minimum of 2-3 weeks (according to the Podiatrist). The thing is, I'm still several months away from recovering from my last stay in the hospital! As an alternative to surgery, I've discovered that if I modified my shoes, I could reduce the pain significantly. Adding another pad & making a hole in both inserts, I can keep most of the pressure off. But, raising the foot just this small amount makes it feel like I'm wearing elevated shoes and makes my toes prone to blisters on the TOP! Also, a hole in the side of my shoe allows some lateral relief. At a training run at Tecumseh this last Saturday, I added another pair of socks & plenty of lube & was able to finish the run without alot of pain. Biggest problem at the run was not the cyst, but being out of shape -- just been missing too much training time.
minimalistic footwear for around the house:
So, right now, with the shoe modification, the Tecumseh Marathon is a go & surgery is on hold. Based on the very slow training run, it looks like I won't be able to improve on my disappointing time of last year (when I was still recovering from the swine flu). Based on the pace I was able to keep on the training run, I'm going to have to downgrade my goal this year to 6 hours instead of 5.
Tecumseh training run crew, courtesy of Terry Fletcher:
I ran my 1st 50 miler at Owen Putnam State Forest (OPSF 50/50) in Indiana back in 2004. I returned last Saturday to help get back to the level of fitness I was in before my summer problems. Well, in a long race as this, any small issue can become a big one which is what happened with the cyst on my foot. Lots of pain there -- and after about 35 miles I could no longer push off from that foot. The pain eventually spread to my toes & I had to adjust my gait in order to finish. In hindsight, I should have pulled off my shoe & added some more vaseline to the outside of the cyst which was rubbing the inside of the shoe or just ended the race right then. I had lubed up the cyst at the start, but it needed more attention thruout the race. Since I'm still limping from this today, I realize until I get this resolved, I am not going to be able to pursue any more running.
About the race:
It was a beautiful race day! A frosty ground meant clear skies w/cold temps with no wind -- my kind of weather! A big difference from the 80 degree weather at Stone Steps just 2 weeks ago. Temps ranged from the lower 20's to the mid 40's. I wore a long sleeve technical shirt over a singlet the 1st & last 5 mile loops -- both done in the dark. The rest of the day was in a singlet -- felt great all day!
The course was very dry compared to previous years & the leaves were not 6" deep like the last time I ran this race. Still I managed to stub my toes as it's so much easier to shuffle the feet than run. One big difference this year was the devastation from lumbering operations on several miles of the 13.2 mile loop, which was run 3 times. I could hardly recognize many areas -- tree tops scattered everywhere & numerous turnoffs & rough areas from equipment usage. One thing that you had to do was pay attention to the ribbons -- there were at least 5 different ribbon colors! Of course, I managed to miss one turnoff . . . missing turns off a wide main trail has become a bad habit I've picked up mostly in the last year or two. Only went an extra half mile or so, but met 2 others when I was backtracking so I wasn't the only one to have missed that turn.
I've enjoyed this event several times over the years as it's so laid back and the volunteers are so supportive -- race director David Glass & former director Norm Carlson are great people too! However, I've had a negative for this event the last 2 times I've run here: On the short 5 mile loop, you will pass by residences that are next to the trail or road. If you're slow & finish in the dark (like me), it can be quite a challenge -- especially when by yourself. About every residence has dogs & some let them loose at night. Not a problem in the morning as you're running this small loop with alot of company at the start. In 2007, it was 2 large dogs -- one a heavy set pit bull mix that charged me while I was running on the road. One thing I've learned with dogs: one dog is usually not that bad (unless it's really mean & large) -- two dogs together get much bolder & dangerous -- 3 or more dogs together can be life threatening as they get that "pack mentality" & have no fear! This last Saturday, one large German Shepherd charged me as I running beside a house in the woods on the trail. At first, being so dark, I thought it was in a big pen -- wrong! I pointed my headlamp & handheld lights into his eyes. Even then he got too close for comfort! Only when I raised my arm & took a step toward this ferocious beast did he take a step back. There was a light shining from the house in my direction, so I did not throw a fist size rock which were plentiful on the surface I was running on at the time. Sure didn't want to get shot by some paranoid property owner so I backed away till the dog didn't follow.
Last month I signed up for the Dizzy Fifties in Alabama (Nov 20), but was put on a waiting list as I entered too late. With my current foot problem, I'm not going to be running this race even if I'm taken off the list. Going to see a Dr. to see if something can be done . . . Still, I haven't given up hope of finishing my 8th straight Tecumseh Marathon coming up in early December.
I knew coming into this Stone Steps race that the 50k distance would be stretching my limits & that the course itself was not the easiest one for an attempt to return to ultrarunning after a 4-5 month layoff. And it proved just that - tough!
My legs were so sore after the 1st of 7 loops that I knew then I would be walking quite a bit this race -- & did. I really hit a wall with 2 loops (8.5 miles) to go & couldn't take another step. But I got some help: Brad Compton, who had signed up but didn't race due to an injury, showed real dedication & drove to the race anyway to volunteer. He was instrumental in getting me off the picnic table bench that I had been glued to. And also, thanks to Mike Matteson, I was able to start walking (baby steps at first) on the 6th loop. A couple miles later, I was able to break into a shuffle & continue that (w/walk breaks on inclines) to the finish. Final time was just under the 8 hour cutoff for the race -- almost exactly an hour slower than my previously slowest time on this course last year when I was recovering from the flu.
What made it so enjoyable though: I know or recognize more runners at Stone Steps than any other event that I regularly run. Yes, it's in Ohio, but KY only has 2 (or sometimes 3) ultras the entire year. It was great to hear how everyone's been doing! Of course, I would have enjoyed this event more had I been in better shape . . .
One thing was drastically changed this year at Stone Steps, and I hope it was just a one time deal (but I don't think so): A 27k race was added this year. They started a half hour later than the 50k. Exactly 6 miles into the race, the leader of the 27k unexpectedly passed me -- that meant he was running right at 5 minutes per mile faster than I was -- I blinked once & he was out of sight. That was just the beginning. In the next 2 1/2 laps, it seemed like every 27k runner passed me on the sometimes narrow trail. It became crowded on the 2nd pass thru the short out & back of the 3 mile loop: there were alot of runners behind (27k runners) & even more runners approaching (50k & 27k runners) -- all moving faster than I was. I think I just happened to hit the rush hour for this portion of the course & had I been running faster up to this point, I probably would have avoided most of the traffic jam.
A few weeks ago, I signed up for the OPSF 50/50, instead of the Pinhoti 100 (which I had plans on running before my problems over the summer). At the time though, I didn't realize I would aggravate a (ganglion?) cyst on my right foot during Stone Steps. The cyst looks like a bunion, but mine is near the small toe. Trying to divert excessive pressure off that side, I also strained my arch somewhat. So I'm going to see how my foot progresses before deciding to take on the race. As for my abdomen where I had surgery, I could tell my gut was not the same, but I did not have any issues thank goodness!
Since my last surgery, I've felt a little better every single day -- maybe that last one did the trick (fingers crossed!). The only real pain I'm having right now is from my joints, which is typical when I start back into training after a long layoff. No pain from the abdominal region. I started hiking earlier in the week and I'm now into jogging. The first jog was about as tough of a run as I've done in a long time -- fits & starts & negative thoughts. But after the 1st mile, I was able to slog steadily. A couple miles later though, my right knee said "STOP, you will NOT take another step!" and I had no choice but to comply. My 2nd jog yesterday was better.
Being so out of touch with the ultrarunning scene these past several months, today I caught up on my reading of everyone's blogs that I used to keep up with regularly. Reading all those interesting stories & race reports sure has me motivated to get back into shape! I already have some leg muscle soreness just from jogging -- boy do I have a ways to go. . .
As an added incentive to keep moving forward, I've signed up for the Stone Steps 50k (in 2 weeks). The race is on one of my favorite courses & has a great RD in Dave Corfman. I know I'm not ready for the full 50k at the moment, but he has added a 27k option this year. Plus, the fact that runners pass by the start/finish every 3 or 5 miles thruout the race, I could easily drop -- DNF, which I've done there before.
Yes, I 'bout fell off the Earth. It's been a difficult few months since my last blog entry. Been depressed with the everyday coping with pain & nausea as the simple side pain I had in June steadily worsened to an unbearable point. I had my 3rd surgery Thursday & for the first time in a few months I have optimism that there can be an end to this misery. I'm hoping I can slowly start some hiking & then try running again. I know my leg muscles have atrophied as I learned several years ago that as I age, the longer the break in running I have, the higher the rate of muscle tone loss. A 2-3 week break is tough, a 2-3 month break (w/zero exercise) is very very tough. I seem to keep up on the aerobic side after a long break but I'm sure that is affected, though not as noticeable at first.
So once again, after signing up earlier in the year, I'm going to miss the 2nd annual OIL CREEK 100 next week (Oct 16) because of a health issue (swine flu last year). However, I just signed up for the Jan 2011 Mountain Mist 50k (because they fill up so quickly) -- so I am thinking positive!
I would classify the course this year as "fast" for a 50 miler. One real big hill and lots of runnable grades up & down. Unlike last year, there was no mud to speak of & no knee deep water crossings -- the trail conditions were excellent. I enjoyed chatting during the race with a couple runners I had met at previous races -- Ken Seidl & Beau Wendholt. Beau mentioned he had moved to Chattanooga from Indiana, but still directed a trail marathon there (Honest Abe Marathon). I also passed Troy Shellhamer (a LLTH veteran & a local runner from Louisville) on the out'n'back part of the course. He was in first place & ended up extending that lead!! CONGRATS Troy!
