The Summer of Running- A Re-Cap: Time In is Time Earned!

Well, I have had one whirlwind of summer of running, tons of adventures, and of learning about what my path is in this world. I have logged tons of miles, vertical, and have found some great training grounds here in Binghamton, NY. I never would have imagined how awesome the roads, trails, and opportunities are here for endurance training. I have upped my vertical training from when I lived in Cortland from 2,000-5,000 ft of vertical change to 4,000-7,000ft. This huge increase in longer more frequent hill training has upped my overall training stimulus which is awesome. I hope my summer of training will allow for myself to gain the benefits of the hard training this fall as I tackle the Green Lakes 50k August 29th, the Virgil Crest 50 mile in September, the Tussey Mountainback 50 miler in October and the 50 mile NJ One day Event in November.

My Trusty Shoes: Mammut MTR 201 Tech Low. Photo Credit: Cole Crosby

I have run 2 Top races this summer: Cayuga Trails 50 (DNF) and the Whiteface Skymarathon (20th overall) each with less then sub-par performances.  I have run more road races this summer with a win at the Ithaca Gorges Half Marathon, followed by a 2nd at Vestal 20k, 3rd at the Kelly Labare 5k, the 2nd place at the Catherine Valley Half Marathon.


I have had some great long runs, some bad training runs, strong days where I felt like I could fly and other days where it was a struggle to just take one step out the door. I graduated with Ashlee from SUNY Cortland and have moved into Endicott and are having a great time.  We are so excited to begin our next chapter together.

Vestal 20k Road Race. Photo Credits: Triple Cities Runners Club

Finger Lakes 50. Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

The Course Conditions of the Finger Lakes 50's….MUD!
Photo Credits: Cole Crosby

The Catherine Valley Half Marathon was a great tune-up for my next big race this season: the Green Lakes 50k.



During the Catherine Valley Half Marathon, I was not feeling ready to run at my max pace for a Half Marathon. I have been putting in so much time and hill training to build myself up for the Green Lakes 50k that  I have not approached a half marathon with as much focus in quite some time. I knew that some fast people would be at the race so my hope was to hold a solid effort for as long as I could and hopefully finish up near the tops.


I must say that Watkins Glen is a terrific town to check out in the Finger Lakes Region. It has so much to offer from a state park, great shops, and a great trail.  The race takes place on a nice gradual cinder rail trail. It spans the distance down to Horseheads, NY from Watkins Glen.  Having the majority of the course in the shade is also great for a Mid-August race.


As the race went out, I settled myself with another runner, Tyler Eustance, Jack Hillenbrand and another runner. We hit the first mile in 5:27 and the pace felt decent right along what I was hoping for so I kept pace.  We gradually began to pick up the velocity of our pace into 5:20 and a third mile just under. It was myself and Tyler for the win. I knew with him fresh out of college running with Cornell, he would have some better leg speed than myself. We kept pace stride for stride and the humidity of the morning made us drenched by mile 3. Tyler through down a surge at mile 4 and I knew this section as being a little uphill so I decided to allow him to build distance on me. I was feeling a little labored from the warmer conditions and from a 100 mile training week the week before. I tried to keep him in sight as the lead he had grew from a few seconds to maybe half a minute. At the turn-around, I knew we would get a nice gradual down-hill on the cinder so I began to pick up my pace. As an out and back format, it was great to see so many familiar faces as I made my way back home to the finish. I knew that I was still sub 5:30 per mile pace and kept pressing the tempo to maybe have a shot at catching Tyler. I went through the half way around low 35 minutes. The second half, I surged hard in the next 3 miles with the hopes of catching Tyler. I closed the gap to under 10 seconds with some 5:10-5:15 minute miles but it seemed Tyler was putting in the same pace to keep the distance. I eased off the pedal with my gut starting to cramp some. I was not feeling so solid. I kept plugging away.  It was at the point with the last two miles my body decided to give up. I have never had that moment where I ran completely out of energy at a half ever before. The heat in the open sections sapped the life out of you as what I heard from many others too. I decided second would be my position and hopefully I could hold on for dear life to keep my place. Every step was a struggle as my body began to tighten and cramp. My stride became weak and labored. I had not pop left in my legs. This was going from bad to worse quick.

Photo Credits: Chris Cowden
Lead Pack at mile 2

I hit the final stretch around the ball field and onto the track. The time read 71 high as I sprinted to the finish as best as I could. I crossed right at 72:30 for second place. Tyler broke the old course record running 70:52 or so. Man was I happy to be done.  It was great to hold my position the way I did.

Red Newt Racing Team: Dual Second Places. Photo Credit: Ellie Pell

Now I look forward to the Green Lakes 50k.  I hope to best the 3:28 course record run by Michael Daigeaun in 2013.  I have put in a solid training block and feel very confident in my abilities and the course design to have a great day!


Thank you to my awesome sponsors: Mammut North America, Team MPF/Red Newt Racing, Fits Socks, Boom Nutrition, Craft Sports NA, Karhu NA, Redfeather Snowshoes for all of your support.

Feeling Frosty at the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe 10k Race--Hammond Hill State Forest

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am please to bring to you my report on the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe race that took place Jan 31st of 2015 for the inaugural event. It was a cold morning and with this race, I ended up networking with a bunch of guys where we would run the course Wednesday nights in Hammond Hill. I found that having the chance to run the course has not only helped me in terms of snowshoe running shape, but also helped me for race day.

As a first year race, it was exciting to have a snowshoe race for people in Central New York in a location that is close for those living in Ithaca, Cortland and Binghamton as there has not been such a race in quite some time. The Finger Lakes Running Club helped put on the event as the Frosty Loomis Snowshoe race's Main Sponsor. I was excited to have some fun and to have the opportunity to get another quality snowshoe race in the books.


Leading up to the event, it was wonderful to be able to spend many Wednesday and/or Thursday Nights with a crew of Ithacans running out along the course we would navigate on race-day. I felt very strong coming into the race though as classes had just begun, I was a little tired coming into the event.


After marking the course with Boris, one of the RDs through a cold snowy morning that had me propel my car into a little bit of deep snow (no one was hurt including the car), I was gearing up to run somewhere around sub 50 minutes for the course.

For anyone that knows Hammond Hill State Forest, there are some solid hills to the course, great views, and a solid challenge for the snowshoe running enthusiast. In the 10k course, it begins with a solid 2 miles of gradual uphill climbing followed by a few short uphill bursts and small downhills. Once by the 5k, the course levels out then begins a roller-coaster ride of hills with 2 solid downhills. Then you climb up the steep snow-drift area up a nice long half-mile climb followed by a flat plateau and some downhills. The finish is a nice last-mile downhill finish back to the warming hut.

My guess is that this course gains about 1,200-200 feet in elevation in the 6.0 miles of the race course.  It is a balanced course perfect to simulate any type of course lay-out for Snowshoe Nationals.

Race-day was a cold morning with temps in the -5 to single digits with sunshine and some strong gusts. I had all of my Mammut gear to keep me nice and warm and even two pairs of gloves to warm those hands of mine up. I soon found out that running mits are the way to go if you want to ensure you keep all of your fingers in-tact.

We arrived at the line and then departed for the race. I immediately took to the lead and started to push up the steep hills of the first 2 miles.  I was huffing and puffing as my legs started to fatigue quicker than what I would have liked. But what really got to me was the cold air on my face in the first mile had frozen my face to the point where my skin felt like leather. I kept smacking and rubbing my face to get some warmth and blood-flow going to the region. I also had freezing cold hands as they burned through the climbs of the opening miles. I had a decent lead maybe 20 seconds or so to spare. As I came through the 5k point, my face was beginning to warm-up and my hands began to heat up some too ...except for my left pinkie finger!  I kept clutching that darn pinkie as I was running up and down the hills of the course.  In the first few miles, I wanted to drop out because I felt super cold to the point where I was a little worried about frost-bite. I split the 5k somewhere near 21 minutes and the early hot pace through the rutted snow path was taking its toll on my body. I began to relax into a slower pace to recover some and then make a push the last mile.

Miles 4-5 had me slow-down a significant amount yet I still could not see anyone else behind me. With about 30 minutes elapsed, I felt it was time to slowly stride out more on the flats, hammer the down-hills and then charge the remaining uphills. I regained my tempo back to the early pace I was running to begin the race. Once I saw the sign labeled, "Finishline" I knew I was a mile away. I picked up my pace faster than I have ever run in a race in snowshoes next to the Bend, Oregon Snowshoe Nationals and hammered to the finishline.

I came across the line exclaiming a "Loomis!" in honor of freezing my body for 6 miles of sheer winter wonderland bliss. I ran around 46:56 which for the 6.0 mile race was about 7:50's which for a day which had me on low energy-levels and tired from a 90-mile training week, I was very pleased to run the way I did.  It was not my prettiest race, but all in all, it was a solid day out on the trails.

It was great to converse with everyone as they came across the finishline. Boris and Eric and the crew did such a great job organizing the event and I think everyone had a wonderful time.

This is the point in my story where I thank Mammut North America for being a company that has inspired me to reach for new heights in my running, Boom Nutrition for keeping me going with energy gels chock-full of fruit goodness  as a gel before each race has proven to be a huge success, Redfeather Snowshoes for working with me and for giving me snowshoes that have changed the way I train and race, Karhu/Craft North America for great training shoes along with Mammut to keep me running light and fast as well as the best baselayer in the industry, Fits Socks for the best fitting athletic socks around and for keeping my feet super insulated. And to my new team: Red Newt Racing/Mountain Peak Fitness for helping me in my endurance racing endeavors for 2015 and beyond.

Manitous' Revenge Ultra-Marathon… "Chasing the Sun"

I had no idea what I was getting myself into…


I felt that I have also had solid uphill strength for long races and was intrigued with the challenge that Manitous' Revenge could pose.

Little did I know, that this race would break me.

It would challenge myself beyond anything I have ever encountered with running in my entire life.

And as I write this to you, I am pleased to document my journey from a top 5 hopeful position to a matter of praying I finish and do not die from exhaustion.


This is my story.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you--The Devil's Path and the mountains that we were tasked to summit in succession.

I also give you what I thought the Catskills actually were!  Note the large cat!

This image was used from Charlie Gadol-Race Director

On Paper, this race looks hard but for a strong athlete, it seems doable and offers a unique challenge. Truly, this race is INSANE! What it boasts is elevation gain and loss like nothing around with rock-hoping, cliff jumping, loose stones, soggy feet and scaling eroded rock walls and roots that with one misstep, you fall type of experience. Do many places have all this stuff? Probably not!

As we can see the first 20 miles of the race to N/S Lake is the famous Escarpment Run. 

After the Escarpment which you summit Blackhead and Stopple Point, with a long downhill into Pallenville, the race begins with insane summits of some of the most intense mountain trail around: The Red Trail---Devil's Path with 4 of the Catskill High Peaks summited in succession followed by Edgewood and then the death descent where I injured myself and suffered the last 14 miles of the run. The Devil's Path gets its claim to fame from the fact that it is rated as being one of the most-difficult hiking trails in the Country!  And imagine we were to run the course…run/hike very fast.  I soon found that this race was a true mountain event.

So why do I label my title: "Chasing the Sun"? Well, my story will trace the events through my eyes over the mountains, hopping along the rocks, slipping, sliding, crawling and falling through terrain that is beyond challenging. This is Manitou's Revenge.

I begin my journey loading up my car after work on a Friday afternoon behind the schedule I wanted to have to make it to Phoenicia around 5-6 pm but with a hectic day, I did not leave until 4pm. The three-hour drive did not take long at all and before I knew it, I was in Catskill Country. The mountains of the Catskills remind me of a mixture of the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The lush greenery and seeing all the cool restaurants, bars, shops you name it gave it this laid-back appeal. Really cool stuff. I was excited to be in the Catskills for the first time ready to take in all of the sights and sounds. I got out of my car, changed into some running gear and met some other awesome New Jersians. I then ran a shake-out run to loosen-up the legs to prepare for the action tomorrow morning.

After the shake-out run, it was time for some grub.  I wanted to explore out of the small strip of town so I headed out looking for some good food and cell service. Just pass the Phoenicia Diner, I saw a strip mall with a pizza place. I love pizza as my pre-race meal. Something about bread, cheese, and Italian herbs that gets me in the mood to run fast.  The family-owned business had amazing pizza. New York makes the best pizza. I cannot remember the name of the pizza place but I did snap some photos of their artwork.


Photo time:

The view of the mountains around the area was incredible seeing the different places we would be running up and down the next day. The town of Phoencia is small and quaint but has some awesome little shops and a nice Pharmacy where I would station my car for the early morning pick-up. I went over to the next town since I had no cell service, called my family and also stopped at the nearest gas station to load up on Arctic Freeze (White Powerade) and some water for my Nathan Firecatcher vest and handheld. I was going to be wearing more gear than I have ever worn before in a race. I was going to be wearing 40 oz of fluid on me plus my Ultimate Direction Essential belt starting with 4 gels so that I had my fuel source ready to rock and roll. I found my sweet campsite outside of town, pitched my tent and grabbed some zzzzzzs after some delicious Black Forest Gummi Bears  (Hint: Black Forest makes AMAZING CANDY)  That's right, you better try it!


I hydrated grabbed some zzzzzzzs and awaited the 3am wake-up call to catch the bus to the starting line.

I awoke at 12:30, packed up my gear and headed to the bus section at the Pharmacy. I took my sleeping back, crashed in the back of my car and reset my phone alarm for 2:45. It was tough sleeping with all the excitement of the day building. I was nervous but excited about having the chance to do something totally out of my element.

I do run trails and perform well on technical terrain. But….I have always run on courses that are runnable. This course….Runnable?  Not really. I hiked more than ran for sure and rock hopped as best as I could down the steep rocky ravines and cliff drops. I know that my strength runs in pacing. I hope one day to run Comrades as I feel my ability to run by feel and to hit solid mile splits all day long favor a successful Comrades performance. This race was a first of many for me:  1. Summiting more than one  mountain above 3k, 2. Running on sharp rocks for more than 10 miles, 3. Running over 8 hours in one sitting, 4. Having to eat solid food for sustenance, 5. Drinking 40 oz X every aid station, 6. Power-walking at 12 minute pace like my life depended on it, 6. Not falling off a cliff or getting too lost.

Anyway, my alarm goes off at 2:45, I stretch and check-out the cars beginning to enter the parking lot. It is early.  I get all my running gear ready, meet Charlie, the RD and get my gear and get all ready to rock and roll. Having a sponsor like Mammut is great for a race like this. Our products are designed for RUGGED and I was very happy to put on my Mammut MTR 201 Pro Lows that I raced in Virgil with as well as the Reco-fit calf sleeves that powered me to the Can-Lake 50 record which has been my crowning achievement to date and my new Fits Socks made of merino and Cool Max…which are the best socks I have ever tried and trust me I have a sock fetish and love high quality socks….Fits absolutely kills it with these new Coolmax blended socks debuting this Fall 2014.    I talk with some of the race participants, get myself ready mentally for the task at hand and then board the bus.

Off we go!!!!!!!

I am talking with Brian Rusecki, a stud of technical ultra running and Vermont 50 crusher. This guy represents East Coast Trail Running like no other. And as once a Pearl Izumi Athlete, now under Patagonia, he is representing us Outdoor Brands in style. (Good Pick-up Patagonia!)  Anyway, we chat about the race as I have Ben Nephew as my pick to win it all just because of Ben's experience with Escarpment and the Catskills but if anyone could upset him, it would be Brian. What an honor to be in the same conversation as some of these guys. It floors me to have that sense of being respected by such talented ultra runners that have accomplished so much in their careers. We talk about how Cayuga went which we both had tough days but still hung tough and talked about what to expect for this race. We also catch a little nap time and then time flies as we make the start of  the race.

Bathroom break followed by a meet-up with Ben Nephew, Brian R., and Ryan Welts and Kristina Folcik-Welts who are fellow Acidotic Team Members. We talk about the event as I shiver in the cold go the morning. Race start is 5am and we are 45 minutes from go time.

We begin our pre-race checks and then it is call to race.

Our "Wave 0" lines up, we get the pre-race briefing, and then like a bat out of hell, we are off. The pace is relaxed as we all know that this race is going to be a toughie and running anything too quick to start would be a rookie mistake. We run as a large pack of 12 as we are chatting and relaxing. I am taking in the views and gauging how we are going to survive this thing we call Manitous. I am up with Brian chatting with the crew, talking with Ryan and Ben and our squad of mountain goats.

It is always fun running with such men so accomplished in mountain running to pick their brains. Talking with Ben Nephew, I hope that my performances this fall can get me to run on the USA 50k-100k team. I think with a solid Fall 50 and/or JFK 50 run, I can be in the mix to make a USA squad.

A first 5k on the roads, we all can't feel our hands. I have a handheld that has melded to my hand and we all joke before the race takes the turn for the RUGGED.  We hit aid station 1 at the turn to Escarpment and so it begins. I am behind Ryan Welts as we are running UP UP UP UP UP UP at a relaxing pace. 20 mins in, I ask Ryan if this is the Escarpment Trail that is famous amongst our trail culture of the East, and he confirms that it is indeed the Escarpment. I am baffled that it is no-where as difficult as I initially thought, as of yet. Yes, the Escarpment has rocks and sharp rocks scattered all over the trail, but I was thinking more of a wild jungle run right off the bat.  The tough stuff did not begin until the ascent to Blackhead. It is still early and I am chatting with Ryan. After climbing for a century, I see my first view. WHOA! We did get somewhere. I could see the early morning clouds hundreds of feet below us.  Time to get tough!  We fly off the boulders like rock-hoppers (the New Hampshire version of grass hoppers) as we descend a little which Ryan gains some ground on me as I surge to keep contact. Brian and Ben are chatting it up behind us. Ryan Welts ladies and gentlemen, has some moves on the rocks. This guys dances the tango on boulders better than anyone on any season of Dancing with the Stars, I promise.

I try to keep up and then, the scrambling begins. I am sweating like a pig as we huff and puff up Blackhead. Steady does it.  It does not feel too crazy but yeah we are climbing on jagged boulders. Soon I can see we are almost above tree-line. I follow Ryan's moves and cadence and soon the view comes……HOLY SH#$%!  That view, took my breath away!

Photo credit: mirolka

Summiting Blackhead was something else. Then began the descent.  These guys began flying on the descent which had rock shelves that were loose and dangerous. With my weak ankle, I was nervous of how I could hang. After the first big descent off of Blackhead as I let Brian, Ben and company pass me, I could tell my descent skills were not able to compete. I was now in like 5th-7th place. I soon began to run my own race. I realized that these guys meant business. I surged on the rocky flats to catch the group. After a nice descent section, I was back in eye-sight of the main crew. We hit an aid station. I grabbed water and then off we went. 

I soon felt that running my own pace would play big later on.  This was the easiest part of this race!  CMON PEOPLE!  I soon lost the group and then hit another climb to Stopple Point.  Once atop Stopple, myself and Carlo got lost together on the summit. "Where are the blue markers?" I thought as I could not find where the trail would meet up. We went all to the right and then realized after maybe 5-10 minutes of confusion we found the trail.  As we hit the trail, Carlo wanted to move on the down-hill and I let him go. My ankle was suffering a little bit and wanted to still relax on those descents. 

I was now alone………….

Come from behind victory…not so much. 

I came into N/S lake with a low 3 hour time which would place well at any Escarpment run. I fueled up and off I went. Every aid station gave me that jolt of energy needed to hang tough.  This race's curve goes hard to harder to stupid hard to still hard to kinda hard then 1 mile of road (YES!).  

Time to play the chasing game. Now came a rocky downhill 6 + mile section into the low point of the race at Pallenville. I flew into there after struggling on the downhill only being 15 minutes behind the leaders!  Not too shabby. I talk to Charlie hearing about the runner's who have dropped and then fueled up, got those dreaded rocks out of my shoe and then off I went. I hit the road like a man re-born. Now begins the hard stuff. We hit the dreaded climb out of the valley on what seemed to me as a season access road.  I have great energy levels and have the hopes of catching to top guys. I surge like no other up the dreaded 2k-2 mile climb. I run the majority of the climb with brief walking stints to rest the quads only lasting mere seconds. I was going for broke. I was climbing like a champ and as the heat of the day began to set-in, I was getting my second wind. 

I finished the climb then hit my rough patch. I struggled to fuel at the top after sweating it out and then hit the mud pit. Miles of mud drained me. I lost so much time here. Oh and we have another hands on knee climb---Kaaterskill High Peak.

The climb went for days. I made it and was feeling my first low-point. Gels all the way to save me. 10 minutes later, I felt the resurgence of energy.  

My first battle of weakness began here. The descent I was careful not to hurt myself. I began to fuel more and more and with the mud, I lost so much energy.  Then the gels kicked-in and soon I was flying down the descent to the next aid station.  Whoa, who am I?  I felt brand new. From slogging through mud where I lost my shoe like 3 times, to flying down the hill like Batman in the Batmobile, I was there.  I hit the aid station in need to a re-charge. I got all of my gels, bottles refilled and talked with Charlie about the make-up of the race. I was off again on the heels of the top group.

I felt like a million bucks and now I was gearing for the dreaded DEVIL's PATH!  THis of course is the toughest hiking trail around and the big challenge of the race with 4 3500+ summits in less then 10 miles followed by a treacherous descent and another mountain summit. Running the trail, I was awaiting the tough stuff.  It started out no problem then once we switched from Green to Red Blazes, it began.  UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP….UP UP UP…UMMMM. This trail just keeps going up. I can see above tree-line now and we are still climbing. I am sweating buckets and breathing like I am in labor.  I eventually make it to the summit of Indian Head and yes the Devil's Path is INSANE but I was expecting deathly. This was no joke climbing the rock cliffs and roots to hoist myself onward and upward. Once the flats came, I shuffled my feet. I was beginning to hurt pretty bad.

The Descents killed me.

I hit one of these rock cliff descents scooting my butt against the cold rock and shuffling down the wall of death to the next shelf and on the descent of Sugarloaf, missed a ledge and slammed down popping my ankle.  "GAHHHHHH" as my handheld and running pack caught my fall. It hurt! Bruised knee and tons of aches and I knew I had to go careful.  Welcome to 50 minute miles. I knew I was losing time here but I kept saying… (Don't Die).  Near the bottom towards Plateau, I was caught by Ashley Lister.  She let me go on the ascent and I knew she would get me on the descent. At this point, my body was destroyed and mangled from my fall. I was really feeling weak.  The descent came and Ashley flew by me with ease. 

What was once a race to place tops with the group, I just wanted to finish. I had run a solid Devil's Path and now 14 miles stood between myself and a finish. I forgot to consume enough calories and by the entrance to Warner Creek, I was done. My body was shutting down and soon I realized, I could not come out of this. My race was done. 

Now began the power hike phase.

I could climb pretty well but I hobbled the descents with many times re-hurting my ankle.  I felt broken.  On the descent to Warner Creek something crazy happened.

NAME THIS ANIMAL:

\

???????????? (Photo Credits: http://dhenry.hudsonvalleysportsman.com/small-game/fishers/)

If you guessed Fisher------YOU WIN!!!!!!

I heard this hissing.  I am walking on the trail, post 9+ hours, never running this far before. The run of Devil's Path  sapped all my energy and hit me once I came off of the section. The last 14 miles were supposed to be easier than the last 10 but it still had its tough climbs and descents.  ANd some DAMN FISHER CAT is taunting me. It is right along the trail on some rock den.  I say many profanities at this badger-weasel thing I thought was a hallucination. I am power walking on the trail in the Hurt Locker and see this odd creature. What happens next?  It charges me. I pick up a Catskill boulder and fling it near the creature like a frisbee. Yup it scared the creature as it was zipping back and forth like a squirrel chasing its tail. It then heads back on the rock Hissing AWAY. I yell " YEAH (BLEEP)! WHAT YOU GOT"! I know, kind of mean but how I felt, no animal was going to make my hurt even worse. I was  not going to have it.  Along the trail I continue.

I am probably walking 30 minute miles.  I feel so down, depressed, you name it and even thoughts of death cross my mind. At this point the race changes for me.

It is as much a race of survival as a race of chasing the sun.

I am not the type to drop from a race. I rather show resolve and finish even if it is not where I hope to be. I had the thought of dropping but I had just ran 40+ miles and all this stuff was the hardest parts of the race so dropping out now I thought would show weakness in my character. I dug deep and walked faster than I have ever walked before in my life.  At Warner Creek, I was being passed by all kinds of people but I just wanted to make it before it was dark. If I had to run this trail at night, I would drop out for fear of being attacked by other Fisher Cats. 

I suffered. I struggled, I grunted. Thank you to the volunteers that cheered for me at my lowest point and to the other competitors that gave me confidence. I cried on the trail, scared of not making it. I was walking through all this poison ivy which I have it all over me almost a week out from the race and am still sore. You powered me through. Simply, You got me through it. I was beginning to look like this:

I was pale white, hallucinating that tree logs looked like people as I mismanaged my hydration between Warner Creek and the next aid station.  I was told 5k, and it turned out to be 7 miles. We were still climbing. I became sick of this uphill stuff. I was on my death bed. I felt so bad and did not care. And so my death march continued. I met with a runner that took me through to the last aid station.  Once at the last aid station, I found my angels in disguise.  I now had 4 miles to go!  I took my time now knowing I would finish around 14 hours instead of 12 like I had hoped. I sat down ate Chips, Cookies, M&Ms, all kinds of goodies and fueled up.  I spent maybe 15 minutes fueling.  Thank you to everyone for getting me through this. 

I had some conversation with the aid station ontop of MT Temper and then off I went to the finish. All downhill. All that solid food after 13 hours of running began to turn me around. I was alive again. I could run and the soreness of my muscles and ankle was suddenly gone. I was heading back to civilization.  

Once I hit the road, I felt like I could split a sub 5 minute mile…It didn't happen but sub 6 works right. I hit the sprint home as soon as my feet hit the pavement. 

I sprinted home and as soon as I turned to the finish I knew I had survived.  

14:01:35!!!!!!!!

I was 12th and after struggling for what felt like days, I beat the sun setting with time to spare.  I cannot stress the technicality of this race. This is no joke. I was way-too unprepared.

I found out straight fluids and gels would not cut it for the amount of elevation gain and loss that occurred. I needed solid food to replenish my frail frame. Also, probably some extra muscle would have come in handy to climb up those summits. This race will always be a race to remember for me. I ran with the mountain men and women as best as I could and hung tough when everything went drastically wrong. I have never struggled this bad in an ultra. My body was beyond spent.  

I have gained an immense level of respect on what happened on June 21st. It was was race against the sun. As I started my journey on June 21st, I thought I could place top 5 and hold my own and never before had I felt so vulnerable in a race before as on that day.

Kudos to all the runners that took on this challenge! Even more kudos for finishing as I was this close from throwing in the towel.  

I would like to thank you sponsors: Mammut North America for making the best products and some rugged tough shoes, Acidotic Racing for being my amazing club team of choice, Fits Socks for keeping my feet protected all day long with no blisters ever and with the new Cool-max socks, Redfeather Elite Snowshoe, and Karhu and Craft for some of the best road-running apparel and shoes around.

Will I be back next year?

I am going to have to sleep on that one and get back to you.

To Ryan Welts, Acidotic Teammate: You are one crazy-rock hopping guy!  

Gear Used:

MTR 201 Pro Low---Best shoes ever! Kept my feet protected all day long and these are how they looked after being submerged in mud for hours! Where's the mud? Exactly!

This Firecatcher Vest from Nathan is too good to be true. 2 10oz bottles tons of storage space, and a fit system that makes the vest feel like it is not even on you. I have always loved Nathan minimal vests, this one is a grand slam.

Usually I use an Ultimate Direction handheld, this Nathan one is my new favorite. The valve I can open with my teeth and it does not hurt, the pocket is stretchy and holds all my wasted gel wrappers, and the hand strap allowed for me to be hands-free while still carrying the bottle. And the bottle caught my fall on Devil's Path and I lost no water in the process.

Mammut Hat, MTR 71 shoes which are my go-to trainers for the roads, trails, you name it and priced at $99 retail, this shoe is a steal. Mammut is just giving you the shoe!  Fits socks are always comfortable and need more respect as they are by far the best socks I have ever run in, and my Acidotic Racing Visor cause I have to show Chris Dunn CEO a little love.

Have a great summer everyone!

Cayuga Trails Preview: Lead-up to an Epic Race

Training has been coming along since Tom B. I unfortunately sprained my ankle severely on the Medial-side of my foot which is a 5% occurrence out of all ankle injuries and I have felt it. I took about a week off from running last week which after a 90+ mile week, that was a smart idea. I feel well-rested and have begun to gain my running legs again. Tom B was a solid  test where I was able to maintain a comfortable 7:20 pace for the three laps then become sidelined with the ankle sprain on lap four. I have been doing exercises from H.E.M. some PT video series that helps strengthen the ankle and allow for it to heal.

I have been back to running 10.5-12 miles a day at a solid training pace with hills and the ankle feels calm on uneven terrain. I will be doing everything possible not to further damage the ankle such as ankle brace, KT tape, ice and heat therapy; you name it as my goal is to run free and effortless for Cayuga and avoid what happened to me last year.

A person "Must Love Jogs" did a solid race preview of Cayuga found here http://mustlovejogs.com. I am given the 15:1 odds which means that out of 15 people or 15 times results are polled, I win once.  I think those odds are fair considering last year Cayuga was one of my worst races hobbling on a bum ankle for 32 miles. My race splits from last year show it. Going from 7:30 to 8 to upper 9's and 10's show that I slowed down but it was due to physical limitations. I am hoping I can tabulate a Can-Lake 50 type performance.  The weather forecast looks solid and I am primed to perform and run a fast time. My time predictor is around 7 hours which I think is a solid estimate. I feel strong, have my climbing legs, and am ready to run a smart well-paced race. Now that the course is no mystery, I will run relaxed the first 25 and then move hard by 50k. You never know how race-day will play out but regardless, I am very much excited.

NYC

CORTLAND, NY

Getting Back Into Gear: 1.5 Months away from Cayuga Trails 50--Prep for Tom B 52k run

It has been a little while as I have been wrestling with finishing my Graduate degree and getting all of my internship and prospective- jobs in order.

Training has been very consistent and has been going really well!


Highlights of my running have been a new order from Fits Socks, a 24 mile run the other day averaging 6:45 a mile with some vertical 1,000ft plus of it with one gel and some water as my fueling source, and a run out to Stone-hedge Golf Course running a fast 13 mile run with even more vertical, and many other strong training runs.

I have a lot of great photos that I can share with everyone to document the journey so far. I have been able to rack-up some decent mileage in the 80-90 mile range and have been getting in well-paced efforts that have been solid.  I look forward to racing my next event at the Tom B Trail Run in Dryden, NY this May 10th. I am looking to run the new 52/53k event which will be my first ultra of the year. Though a low-key event, it is one of the historic trail races in Central New York State and this new longer 52-53k distance will be a doozie. Normally, the course has been 13k loops where the 26k was the distance I raced last year just missing the course record that has stood for 20 some odd years by about 40 seconds.  I made some tactical errors in the race and it cost me the record. This year, I hope to set a new course record for the new distance of 52-53k which I hope will last for as long as the 26k record has stood. I will attempt to run 4 loops of the winding and difficult trails of Hammond Hill State Forest. Many of the trails out that way are great snowshoe running/xc ski trails in the wintertime.  For anyone that has not run Tom B and would like an inexpensive trail race and new ultra, I highly recommend it. The Finger Lakes Runners Club who puts on the event are truly a hoot and a half. They are so much fun with all of their jokes and have nice water stations that do not have people at them but offer tons of water and trash cans. I think this is another reason this race adds appeal.  For the competitive ultra runner like myself, this race offers the ability to test out nutrition and carrying devices for a decent distance without having full-aided stations with volunteers. This means that you have to stash goodies for yourself along the main aid station at the 13k loop or carry most of your gear which plays a large factor throughout the race. I will plan on using my hand-held, my fuelbelt, and gels and a few electrolyte drink mixes stashed to ensure I have all that I need for success. It is often great to test the body in different ways and to train on a 50k or so distance without a whole lot of aid that is strictly given to you is an important thing for when the body struggles in the 50 mile and up ultras.

I am excited about the opportunity to test my abilities leading up to the Cayuga Trails 50 where I hope to run a stellar race after last year's ankle issue.  If for those that do not know of the story, I went out in the race with the top group running nice and comfortable. As the few leaders broke off, I continued running 7:30's to ensure a 7 hour finish. I then twisted my ankle near Buttermilk falls after making a huge move leading up the falls from fourth place at the time. I sat in Fourth and was excited about catching the next competitors. On a downhill, I hit a submerged rock and placed all of the downward pressure on my legs. It was painful. From then on, I struggled to maintain a running form. I lost tons of time still with 32 miles to go. I gritted it out for a ninth place finish in 8 hours. I feel that my fitness is in a much different category than last year and if I can replicate the Can-Lake 50 type of performance, I think that I am going to turn a few heads. Success is measured by the hard work you put into something even as it seems that the hard work is not paying off, it really is only a matter of time.

I am confident that Tom B will show me that I am ready to take on the best at Cayuga Trails. This is going to be a wild year of racing!!!!  Seeing the fast times at Lake Sonoma and the other ultra events around the country, I am chomping at the bit to finally solidify myself as one of the very best ultra runners in North America. I feel like I am getting there and to have that inkling is a great thing. Train well everyone and see you all this summer and fall at the races.

Greek Peak

New Fits socks! Using Cool Max!

High point of run

Long run out along Route 11 to Marathon