Day 130 - Bull Run Run 50

First off I want to thank my family! They are the ones that are a big part of my running. Without their support my training runs or races would not be possible. To leave on a weekday for 3 hours or 6 hours on a weekend to run knowing that I have their support makes training a lot easier. Thanks! :-)

Shoes, Bib# and empty gels!

The day started with an early 4:30 a.m. wake up for me and my roommates Phil, Stephan and Donny. There were another 24 running club members from the Pagoda Pacers scattered around the area doing the same thing. Yes that is right we had 28 people from one club running 50 miles – amazing – and they all finished!!! I had my breakfast ready to go when I woke up. It included 1 bagel(no cream cheese), 1 banana and a small can of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso. I was going to use a back pack to carry all my gels but decided to go with a smaller waist pack instead. I loaded my pocks up with gels and safety pinned them shut so they won’t fall out and shoved the rest of them in a waist pack. I had 9 electrolytes ready in a plastic bag in my hand held water bottle holder pocket. I also had all my clothes ready to head to the showers after the race so I would not have to do a lot of thinking after I was done. The main thing I wanted to concentrate on after the race was making it up the little hill to where the showers are located. I think that is the hardest hill of the day. It is not that long maybe 30 yards but after you finish and sit down for a while and try to go up that little hill it can be painful. That is where a lot of pictures should be taken;-) After we all had our stuff packed we head down and loaded the car up with all are bags. We waited for some other runners and drive over to the start. When we get to the parking area there is a line of traffic. I think after we parked the car we only had about 10 min. until the start of the race.

At the starting line I talked to some of the other runners and in no time all 344 runners were off and running. Looking out at the front there was one runner that went out crazy fast. That was Matt Woods and he went on to set the course record with a time of 6:08:14 – smoking fast. My friend Stephan and I ran together for some of the first part of the race. It was nice to talk a little with someone you know. I went out at a pace I could breathe and my legs were not getting tired. If my legs started to burn on the hills I started to power hike and I stayed with that strategy the whole race. If someone tried to pass I let them go. Racing my own race is what works best for me. My plan for the day was to drink Gatorade, take a electrolyte every hour and take a gel every 23 min. I set my watch to beep every 23 min. as a reminder. Not sure where I came up with every 23 min. but it seemed to work. I hit the Centreville Road aid station 7.2 miles and topped my bottle off. There is always tons of people here cheering everyone on. The aid station volunteers are an amazing part of this race. They always ask to take your bottle so you can go and eat and when you are done they give your bottle back filled and send you on your way. From here the course runs out 2.2 mile to a turn around and come right back to the same aid station which is now mile 11.6. Topping off my bottle again and head down some steps and head back to where we stated in the morning.

I came into Hemlock aid station mile 16.6 and the clock there said 2:18 something. This is where we started in the morning. I topped my bottle off and start running down the trail. Our car was right near the trail and that is where I had the rest of my gels in my waist pack. I picked them up and headed out for the last 33 miles. Wow! That does that sound far when I write it down. You have to break these races up in smaller blocks or it can get overwhelming. In the next couple of miles I passed and got passed by Dan Rose. We did that the rest of the day. Dan ran with another one of our club members Anna Piskorska at the 2010 24-Hour Run World Championship in France. It was really nice to meet him and he gave me some great tips out there. Thanks Dan for the encouragement! I made a pace chart on Thursday and I’m not sure why. I didn’t use it until I wanted to know the distance after I was out of the Do Loop 35.5 miles. Once you hit mile 35.5 you feel a little better because you are heading back to the finish.

When I hit the Wolf Run Shoals aid station 39.9 miles I topped my bottle off and I heard people calling my name. It was a lot of friends/club members that came down to support all the runners we had there. I handed my gloves to Beth and glared over at everyone said hi and ran into the woods. It really gave me a boast but this next section was my hardest. I just felt like I couldn’t move my legs a fast as I wanted to. Then when I hit the Marina aid station 44.9 miles and I looked at my pace chart it said I had to be at 6:43 to run a final time of 7:30 my watch read 6:20. From there I just had to keep my legs moving. I caught back up to Dan and we ran most of the last section together. Right before we crossed the finish line he let me go ahead of him. It was a victory for both of us and I hope to get to run with him another day. This was a big PR for me. My best time at this race was here in 2008 and I ran an 8:20:24. This year I ran a 7:15:27. With more consistent training this year it is paying off but I still have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks before MMT.

After getting all cleaned up and eating I got to watch a lot of my friends/club member’s finish. It was really cool seeing them cross the line. What a day out there and I can’t wait to do it next year. Below are some pictures of my running club and me from the race.

4-9-2011 - 50.4 miles - 7:15:27 - run

Pagoda Pacer runners. Photo: © 2011 Bobby Gill

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Robert Fabia

Photo: © 2011 Desiree Williams

Photo: © 2011 Bobby Gill

Day 133 - Dreadmill run

Today I was going to take the day off but then I read a post by my friend Ken. It gave me a push to run and I thought I would try the treadmill. I started with 5mph at a 10% grade for maybe 10 or 15 min. Then went up to 5.5, 6 and finished the last 5 min. at 7 mph all with the grade staying at 10%. For some reason it went good. I was looking at the"red" stop button and the "green" go button to start or stop the treadmill and it got me thinking. The more you stare at the red button the more you want to stop it. Just like the discomfort in a race the more you focus on it the more you want to stop. But if you can find a way to focus on something else and keep looking for the green button you can go a little further.

4-12-2011 - 4.25 miles - 45 min - run

Day 132 - Recovery hike #2

My legs are feeling a little better today. I went for another hike and it was very warm today. I could move the legs a lot faster today. Should be running soon.


4-11-2011 - 5 miles - 1:18 - hike

Day 131 - Recovery hike

Today was a day to move the legs. I went for a 5 mile hike and my hamstrings were very tight and sore. Trying to take long strides was not that fun on the downhills but I made it and will keep moving forward. 


4-10-2011 - 5 miles - 1:11 - hike

Day 129 - No running day

Today I leave for VA for the Bull Run Run 50 on Saturday.


4-8-2011

Day 128 - Easy run

Tonight was an easy night of running in the mountains. I wanted to get out and keep the legs moving. Bull Run Run 50 is this weekend and I am trying not to over do it!


4-7-2011 - 5 miles - 1:18 - run

Day 127 - Club run

Ran with the club at a nice easy pace and then out for a nice supper with a lot of running talk. Another great night with the running club!


4-6-2011 - 5.85 miles - 50 min.+ - run

Day 126 - No running

No running today. Giving the legs a rest day!

4-5-2011

Day 125 - Hiking

The weekend really beat me up. Below my right knee cap it is sore and the joint above my big toe on my right foot is very sore. I am taking this as a message to slow down. Back to hiking for tonight to see if it feels better going slower. About half way through my hike I hear some noise and when I look over there were thousands of little bugs jumping around on the leaves. The first pic below looks a little purple but the bugs were black. Maybe they all were out because if was very warm out. It was great being out in the warmer weather and can't wait to run in it every night.

4-4-2011 - 5 miles - 1:25 - hike

Day 124 - Legs feel very sore

Today started with a nice 4 mile hike with my wife. We hiked the AT to Pulpit Rock and back the road hill loop. We got to meet a very nice 67 year young lady that hikes up there about 5 or 6 days a week with here dog. She even said she runs down the road hill to the parking lot. That is one of the tricks to living longer - keep moving forward.

After returning home from our hike I ate, packed my drinks, food and I was out the door for my run. I think this run should of been called the "Leg Burner or Legs Feel Very Sore" run. My legs were shot today but I wanted to get a back to back long run in. I did a lot of the trails I usually do. Up the Pulpit Rock road hill, down to the campground, up to Pinnacle, back to Pulpit Rock and then onto the road. That is when the fun started. My legs really felt sore during the 8 miles on the road. I kept just over a 10 min. pace. and with tired legs I was happy with that. My legs felt just like they do in a long event and pushing through is what you have to do and forget about the discomfort the best you can.

4-3-2011 - 20 miles - 3:55 - run
4-3-2011 - 4 miles - 1:22 - hike

The view from Pulpit Rock

The view from Pulpit Rock

Looking up at Pulpit Rock from the campground

The view from the Pinnacle

The plantains I was talking about on Thursdays run. The coconut and grapefruit were gone.

A trail at Kaercher Creek Park

Kaercher Creek Park - Pulpit Rock is located on the mountain in the middle. 

Kaercher Creek overflow water tunnel 

Day 123 - Leg Burner run

The Leg Burner run I just mapped out a couple days ago. Basically it is a route with as many hills as I could find to make a great hilly fun run. Not to many people use hilly and fun in the same sentence but with MMT fastly approaching you need to get them in now. With me there were 7 of us that started the run. The run started with 2.6 mile loop up the AT heading west, down a pipeline and back to the parking lot. We all warmed up on the first climb. When we hit the steep downhill pipeline the leaves were very slippery and with the loose rocks made it a challenge but we all made it down safely. From there we headed east on the AT to a pole line that went straight down to Rattling Run creek and straight back up to the road near the Port Clinton fire tower. The rest of the group head back to the parking lot from the creek and Steve and I headed out for the rest of the loop. We then ran by the fire town, down to Drehersville seeing some bear tracks in the snow and back up to the fire tower. Then we ran down the road to the Rattle Snake trail, Moss trail and back on the AT to the parking lot. We hit 20 miles as we went under the 61 bridge. From there we agreed to run the loop we did in the morning in the reverse direction. The pipeline was very steep but there was no slippery leaves just a lot of loose rocks. After getting back to the cars we headed up a steep road to some game land parking lot turned around and ran back to the cars. Steve is also running MMT and today was great training for both of us.

Later at night I did a 4 mile hike with my friend Donny to get the legs moving after the beating they took earlier in the day. What a great hilly run and hike in the mountains today.

4-2-2011 - 25.44 miles - 5:44 - run
4-2-2011 - 4 miles - 1:12 - hike

Run down the Pipeline

Day 122 - Easy run

Tonight the family and a friend of the girls went to the movies. I went for a nice easy run. I left from the house and went up to Pulpit Rock and around the mountain. Hopefully this will be some of the last pics of snow I will be posting form spring. I only passed two people the whole run. The mountain was all mine other than all the animals watching me run by. Tonight I ran on some other trails that I didn't run for a couple of weeks and I could really see the damage that the ice storms and winds caused. Come on spring we are waiting;-)


4-1-2011 - 8 miles - 1:25 - run

The view from Pulpit Rock

Spring on the Appalachian Trail

Spring on the Appalachian Trail

Day 121 - Weird

Today I met Donny out on part of my run. We ran the loop at Kaercher Creek, cut through the Hamburg Centre State Hospital grounds to Mountain road. From there we ran down Mountain road to the towpath trail. Right before we ran under the 78 bridge I looked over to the right and there were about 6 or 7 plantains, a coconut and I think a grapefruit laying on the ground. It look like someone just laid them there and left. It was really weird to find them laying on the ground in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we were on camera to get our reaction. We headed back by his house and I kept run and finished with just under 9.75 miles.


3-31-2011 - 9.75 miles - 1:35 - run

Day 120 - Busy night

Tonight was a busy night. I picked the little ones up and headed home to pick something’s up and then up to the high school to watch some of the track meet. We were only there for about 25 mins. and left to drop one of the little ones off for dance. Then off for home to get ready for a run. I left the house a little after 5 and ran to my friend Donny’s house. After meeting up we ran back over to the high school and watched some more races at the track. Around 6 we met up with my boss to run. We ran about 2.5 miles with my boss and then he went a different way. We headed down town. We looped are way through town and back to Donny’s house. Then I ran back home giving me a total of 12 miles. Legs were a little tired tonight but it was great running with friends.

3-30-2011 - 12 miles - 1:45 - run

Day 119 - Time is flying

Time is flying and only 45 days left of training. After taking yesterday off from running my energy level felt good today. 15 miles was the distance I was thinking of earlier in the day. I left the house around 5:10 p.m. My first mile was 7:30 and my legs felt good. Up the road to Pulpit Rock is where my feet lead me. I ran into some friends hiking with their dogs and we all made the comment “Where is spring?” You can really see the look on everyone’s face that everyone is ready for spring. It will be here soon after the snow and rain in the forecast:-( The view was clear up at Pulpit Rock and very little snow is left on the ground. The long downhill felt good not too fast and not to slow. As usual when I try to run over 7 or 8 miles I head down town to run all the hills I can find and head back home. On the way home I cut over and ran through the grounds of Kaercher Creek and took a couple pics with my phone. Sometimes I get so focused that I don’t look up a lot but when I did the view was very pretty and I had to stop. There aren’t the best pics and I changed them a little to add some life into them. Finishing up with 15 and I think I could of kept going but my time ran out.

3-29-2011 - 15 miles - 2:05 - run

Kaercher Creek

Kaercher Creek

Day 118 - No run day

Needed the day off. I will be back tomorrow!

Day 117 - Spring or Fall?

Today I split my workout into 2 runs. I didn't feel like getting up early and I didn't have 4 hours at one shot to do my run. I left the house to do an out and back from my house to the Pinnacle around 10:30. I wanted to run this at a faster pace if my legs would leave me. After going along for about 3 miles I knew I could push the pace for the rest of the run. Once on top of the mountain running this AT section is very rock. It is good training for MMT. You learn to look down a lot and lift your feet. If you don't get some of this training in before this event you will be kicking a lot more rocks then if you do. When I reached the Pinnacle there was no one there. I snapped some pics, eat a gel and drank some water and pushed back home. After you get back to Pulpit Rock it is all down hill from there. I picked up the pace after getting on the dirt road and pushed back home finishing in under 2 hours.

I left the house for my second run a little before 4. I headed back up to the mountain to run up the road hill to Pulpit Rock. The legs woke up and they were not happy after climbing the hill. From there I headed down to town to loop my way around. At mile 9 I could feel my legs getting tired and heavy. Pushing on mile 12 and 13 was good training because my legs were done. 

With this cold weather I not sure I heading back into fall or is spring really going to show up. One thing I do know is that I have only 47 days to go until the race. I really have to get focused on running more hills and time on my feet then worry about miles. After running a lot of roads this winter I kind of got in a habit of worrying about miles. Miles are good but at this point in my training I have to move onto more and more hills in the next couple of weeks. It was a good weekend of running with over 40 miles.

3-27-2011 - 12 miles - 1:58 - run
3-27-2011 - 13 miles - 1:57 - run

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pinnacle

The view from the Pulpit Rock

Day 116 - Cold and sunny

I met my friend Donny for some trail fun today. We headed out around 9 a.m. and it was cold and sunny. At one point we hit a very cold head wind which didn't last long but it was cold. We went up the left side to the reservoir, up to the top mountain and headed down towards Eckville. From there we cut back up the mountain to the trail that goes down to Drehersville. The trail then runs along the Little Schuylkill river then heads back up the the Port Clinton fire tower. Then we hit the road down to the Rattle Snake trail to the Moss trail. We power hiked up the Moss trail at a good pace. Turning left on the AT and headed back to the parking lot. A great day on the trail - but where is the warm weather?


3-26-2011 - 15.60 miles - 3:30 - run

Day 115 - No run day

No running today. 49 days until MMT 100.

Day 114 - Spring ice

On my way home from work I could see that the top to the mountain was covered with ice. I knew right then that was where I was going to be heading. I left the house around 5:30 and I had no idea of how far I was going to run. Once I got closer to the top of the mountain it was going to be a short night. I brought the camera and stated to take pictures of all of the ice. It was like the other ice storm this year but without all of the snow on the ground. You could hear the ice falling and trees creaking. I was almost at the top and I looked over to the right and there were 3 deer looking at me. These are the same 3 deer that I have been seeing since the fall. I got some video of them but it wasn’t that clear. From there I went over to Pulpit Rock and there the ice was at some places and inch thick. Heading back down the road hill I ran into another 5 deer blocking the road until they saw me and took off running. I made it back home with 6.60 miles, ready to eat and ready for warmer weather!

3-24-2011 - 6.60 miles - 1:10 - run/hike


Click here for all spring ice photos.

The view from Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Hamburg Reservoir

Day 113 - Lightning, thunder and sleet

I went to the club run tonight. It was cold, raining and in the mid to upper 30’s. There were maybe 25 to 30 runners there. The trails weave all around the mountain above Reading, PA. It warmed up quick after climbing for a while. We ran on a lot of new trails and some of the same ones we usually hit when we run here. Someone said we were running out of daylight so we started to head back to the parking lot. About a mile or more away we saw a flash and the some thunder. After that everyone stated to run a little faster. Then you could feel the temp drop and it stated to sleet. It must have flashed another six times on the way back down to the car. What a crazy night on the mountain and everyone made it back safe.

3-23-2011 - 5+ miles - 1:00 - run

Day 112 - Going slow

The days after a race are always nice and slow days. My legs are feeling good - not great - but I know going slow is the way to go tonight. I left the house around 5:30 and headed towards the mountain. I took the road up to the AT. From there I wanted to check the view out at Pulpit Rock. I snapped some photos and changed them in a photo program to give a little different look. The long down hill road section felt ok on the legs so that is a good thing. I made my way back home, looped around some houses and finished with a nice easy night walking the last ¼ mile section with the little one.

3-22-2011 - 8.4 miles - 1:25 - run

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Day 111 - No run day

Today was a no run day. Just a nice day off after a lot of miles in the last week.

Day 110 - Sunday long run

My legs were feeling pretty good after waking up and walking around at home. Today was suppose to be a nice easy slow day. The more consistent training I do the better I recover. After the first couple years of running the longer races I could barely walk the next day and I didn't do much. Now I know I have to keep moving the next day after a race or pay for it. I arrived at the Hamburg Reservoir at 9 a.m. This was a run I set up earlier in the week to make sure I would get out the day after the race. The run was to be between 3 and 4 hours. With me there was 7 of us that started the run today. The sun was out and no wind. The run went up the AT to the blue trail down to the Blue Rocks Campground. Steve, Pete and I ran from here in a group and the others were in a group right behind us. From there the run went up the yellow to the AT and over to the Pinnacle. We check out the view and headed back on the AT heading west. We ran into a runner from Colorado and she said she was training for some 50k out there. We headed to the long downhill AT section and then made our way back up to the Port Clinton fire tower. Another 3 runners went by us as we were going up the hill to the fire tower. Then we ran the road to the Rattle Snake trail and hit the down and up on the Moss trail and back on the AT. We ran the AT all the way back to the road and back to our cars. This was a great run for me because if Steve and Pete would not have been there my pace would of been a lot slower. My legs are feeling good right now but I will take it really slow for the next couple of days and hopefully will be fully recovered soon for some faster running. Below is a link to the run we did.

3-20-2011 - 15.64 miles - 3:08 - run

Day 109 - HAT Run 50k

After an ok night of sleep I was up around 5:45 a.m. All my stuff was packed I just needed to make 2 bottles of Perpetuem and off I was to pick my friend Donny up. We headed down to meet the rest of the Pagoda Pacers that were running the race. We made it down to the meeting place just in time. We left to get some coffee and said we would catch up with the rest of the group. That never happened. They either got by us or we left before they went by. We arrived around 8:35 at the race parking lot. Quickly checked in, got my bottles, 6 gels, electrolytes and headed down to the start. I said hello to some friends and in no time 420 people were off and running. The race starts with a 3.6 mile loop and then switches to two identical 13.7 miles loops. I ran with friends Eric and Stephan off and on for the first 11 or 12 miles. After hitting the road section I stayed with Stephan and paced with him. He said were running around a 2:50 marathon pace at that point. My legs and breathing were feeling good so I just kept moving along. I got in and out of the 12.3 aid station fast and headed back onto the trail. This section seems to have more climbs then other parts of the course. When the hills got steep I started to power hike to keep my heart rate down. Coming through at 17.3 miles I was at 2:19 something. This is where you can back off or try to keep pushing and this is the only time you can practice it. So today I kept pushing on. You have to keep eating and drinking or things can change very fast. I was thinking I just have to keep my legs moving the best I can and see what happens. Hitting the road section another runner came up behind me pretty fast. He passed me with his pacer and I said I will try to stick with you as long as I can. His watch went off a little after that and he said 7 miles to go. I kept the same pace and he dropped back. Getting in and out of the last aid station fast someone said there was a guy 30 seconds ahead of me. It didn't matter to me I was just going to keep running my own pace and not try to catch him. After running for a while there are some steps you have to go down and the guy was right in front of me. I got aside of him and said I going to pretend I am feeling good and pass. As soon as I passed my legs were not happy. I let him know if he had to pass just let me know. He said at that point he was ok. From there I just tried to run as much as I could and only hike the steeper stuff. I knew if I could run the downs and flats as fast as I could I had a good chance at staying ahead of anyone closing on me. The last road section I left the legs move as fast as they would let me. Making the turn off of the road and crossing the stream the trail heads straight up. That was the first time I looked back. The guy I passed was coming down the hill. I knew at this point I had to keep moving the best I could and not ease up. I hit the open field with less than a 1/2 mile to go I looked back and no one was there. I crossed the finish line in 4:21:37 which was a PR of just over 29 minutes for this race. My best time before was last year with a 4:50:51. I got 6th place overall and 2nd in my age group. Since the guy that got 1st in my age group was top 3 that took him out of the awards for my age group. So I got first in my age group because they don't give double awards and I got a nice jacket with the HAT run logo on it. They also gave everyone a very nice winter hat for completing the race. I really didn't come here with the mind set I was going to race. I just ran the way I felt and let everything happen from there. It was a very good day for me and I loved that I got to run with some great friends again. Thanks again to Stephan and Eric for helping me move along in the beginning! Great job to all of the Pagoda Pacers that ran and helped at this event your support was amazing!!!

3-19-2011 - 31 miles - 4:21:37 - run

Day 108 - Hiking day

Today the weather was very warm and the sun was out. It seems like it has been so long since it has been warm and sunny. I drove up to the reservoir to do a hike. It usually is a good idea for me to hike or run very easy the day before a race. It was hazy but the sun did a good job of putting a smile on my face the entire hike. I used my hiking boots today just so I wouldn't run. They didn't stick to the rocks as good as my sneakers do but they were good enough for today. I packed two bottles, camera, extra shirt, phone and some gels in case I got hungry. 3 hours is all I had then I had to pick the little ones up at school. I wore my gps watch just to see what my pace was. I kept my pace right at a 15 min. mile  the whole hike so I was happy with that. It was a great day to be on the trail hiking and enjoying the sun! Now it is time to pack and get some sleep for the HAT run 50k in the morning.


3-18-2011 - 2:30 - 10 miles

The Pinnacle

Pulpit Rock

Pulpit Rock

Day 107 - Easy run

I ran from my house to my friend Donny's house to meet for an easy run. We ran around town at a nice easy pace. This is the last run we are doing before the HAT Run 50k in Maryland on Saturday. the weather is looking pretty good and should be a fun day.

3-17-2011 - 1:10 - 7.75 miles

Day 106 - Father/Son Run

I left the house around 5:25 p.m. to pick my dad up and we headed down to Reading to run a 5k. My dad is 67 and he walks but loves to come out to run some 5k’s. 142 people started the race and the weather was perfect. It was mostly flat with some ups, downs, cinder trail and macadam. I went out trying to run as fast as could and hold on as long as I could. The first mile I hit in 5:24 and I could still breath and my legs felt good. I tried to maintain that pace and I hit my second mile in 10:50. The last 1.1 I started to slow and could feel it. I just tried to keep moving as fast as my legs would go. With about 150 yards to go I heard foot steps behind me and a little after that I got passed. I got right behind the guy and stayed with him for the last 50 yards and we both pushed it in but had nothing to pass him. The time on the clock read 16:49 and that was the fastest I ever ran a 5k. I think my fastest time before was 18:23. After finishing my run I ran back to my dad and ran with him the rest of the way in. He finished in 40:45 and had a great time. Later on at the awards it was told to us that the course was short. I think they said it was actually 2.97 miles - I'm not really sure. We both got and award and that was really cool! Another great night on the trail with friends and family.

3-16-2011 - 16:49 - 2.97 miles

3-16-2011 - 2 1/2 miles easy warm up/cool down

Day 105 - Sun - YES!

Tonight I made it out the door around 5:15. After 3 ½ miles a couple drops of rain fell. It looked and sounded like I was going to get soaked but it never did during my run. The rain drops were hitting the dried leaves along the road and it sound so loud. The river is slowly going back down. I saw a friend from high school and stopped to talk for about 10 min. It is always fun starting back up after stopping for a while. I did one lap at the high school on the new track and will have to get back there again. I headed home from there and called it a night with 10 miles.

3-15-2011 - 10 miles - 1:25 - run

Day 104 - Ready for warmer

Tonight I went for a longer run after not running that well yesterday. I started from the house around 6 p.m. The weather was cold and windy – only low 40’s but it felt cold. I am ready for the warmer weather that is supposed to be here at the end of the week. The plan was to do all roads but I ran straight up to Pulpit Rock. It’s really hard for me to not run to the top when running in that direction. I made it to the top took a quick look and headed right back down the road hill. From there I went down and made my way around town and back home finishing with 12.5 miles. I went inside and hopped right on the dreadmill and ran another 2.5 miles to hit 15. I don’t’ like the dreadmill at all and thought it would be good "mental training" (inside joke - running things that aren't fun - is good mental training) to run on it for a coupe of miles. Actually it wasn’t that bad but I don’t have to do it again for awhile.

3-14-2011 - 15 miles - 2:03 - run

Day 103 - Easy run

Today was an easy run. I drove up to the Hamburg Reservoir to run out to the Pinnacle and back. The trail is a little wet at some spots but mostly dry. When I reached the Pinnacle I saw some hiking trail friends I have been talking on the trail for the last couple of weekends. They were enjoying the view with what I think was family. They drive over an hour to get here and they were also up yesterday. It is amazing the time you put into things you really enjoy. Running back I lost my energy and was hiking some of the more rocky sections. I chalked this run up to as time on feet.

3-13-2011 - 9 miles - 2:10 - run

Day 102 - 501 run

I drove out to 501 and 78 to meet my friend Frank at 7 a.m. From there we drove to the top of the mountain where the AT crosses 501. Approaching the top it looked white. The closer I got to the top there was a fresh coating of snow. We headed east and the start was very rocky, wet and covered with a coating of snow.

We ran out about 6 miles until we hit a pipeline. We both agreed to run down to the bottom or close to it. It was steep but the footing was good. There was a sign with the number "18" on it and that is where we turned around and headed back up. Below is a picture looking up. That is the top of the first section. The hill went up another half mile after the top of what you can see on the picture.

After reaching the top we ran out north about a mile on the pipeline. A red-tailed hawk was flying over for a little. We turned around and headed back to the AT and headed back to the 501. All the snow was gone by the time we got back. It was a nice easy 16 mile run and I will see Frank at the Hat Run 50k next week.

Around 2 p.m. I went for my second run up to Pulpit Rock. There were a lot more people on the trails down here then at 501. I passed a bigger group that was going to be spending the night. It was nice to open the legs up on the road. Running on the rocks in the morning was slow running. Overall it was a good day of running.

3-12-2011 - 16 miles - 3:35 - run
3-12-2011 - 7 miles - 1:04 - run

Day 101 - No run

No running today. Saving my energy for the weekend.

Day 100 - Water run

With the temps in the 50’s and the rain falling meant for a great night of splashing in the water. I left the house around 7 p.m. It was raining and there was water running everywhere. Being out in the rain when it is warm is so much fun. My feet where soak within the first 50 yards of the start. Sloshing in my shoes the whole run. The Schuylkill river was very high and moving fast. The power of water is amazing. It was another nice easy run and I am ready for the weekend.

3-10-2011 - 7 miles - 1:01 - run

Day 99 - Easy again

Today was another nice and easy paced run. I left around 5 p.m. for a road run. My legs are still a little sore right now. I guess that means a couple more days of easy running are on the way. Let the rain fall!

3-9-2011 - 7 miles - 58:00 - run

Day 98 - Easy day

Tonight was a nice easy 4 mile run in the mountain. My legs are still trashed after running the Buzzard on Sunday. It was nice to get out and not worry about a thing. The water was really flowing down the mountain from all the rain on Sunday. A lot of trees were down with the soft ground. I guess this is nature’s way of removing the weak and only let the strong standing. After making it to Pulpit Rock I headed over to the run the road down. Before I got to the open area there were 3 deer looking my way. As I got closer to them they started to run away and I noticed that one of them had a problem with its front leg and could not run to well. The other deer stood there kind of protecting the injured one until I went by them. I could really feel my legs running the downhill tonight. A couple more days and they should be back to normal.


3-8-2011 - 4 miles - 45:00 - run

Day 97 - No running

My legs a really beat up today. I am taking one more day off and will be back at it Tuesday.

Day 96 - Buzzard run

I woke up around 6:15 a.m. made some coffee, ate a banana and oatmeal. Then I mixed 2 bottles of Perpetuem, grabbed some gels, packed the car and I was out on the road driving by 7:10. The rain was very heavy at times on the drive out. The weather man was calling for 1 to 2 inches rain. The temp was right around 50 and felt like it stayed right there the entire run. Arriving at the parking lot where the race starts there were not too many parking spots left. I pulled in a spot and the front end of my car slid on the mud. Yes I got stuck and had to get pushed out before the event even started – a fun way to start the day. The course was changed due to flooding of a creek we have to cross before the last big climb. After talking to a couple of the runners we decided to run the old course and cross the water. That was before the race and we didn’t think the creek would be that high.

After a couple of words from the event organizer Harry we were off running. I guessing there were 30 to 40 people that started the event. The rain fell the entire run. This was probably the most rain I ever ran in. Lucky for me the temps were warm enough that I didn’t get cold. I got to meet Jason a runner from Lancaster. He has some great times at some well know long races. We got to run off and on the entire day and talk about training and races. For most of the day I ran with Stephan, Steve and Jason. We all pushed each other the entire time so there was no time to back off. This is not a race but it was fun to be pushing it the entire run with a great group of runners/friends.

Running down the first pipeline was very slippery with the mud and some ice. I opened it up here a little because I knew the group was going to reel me back in on the flats. Running on what I call the roller coaster we kept a good pace. Then on the railroad bed we split up a little bit. Steve, Jason and another guy Adam were ahead of Stephan and me going up the climb at the Water Tank trail. The water was running everywhere right before we got on to Marcia’s Madness. Halfway up I passed Adam. In another 50 yards I yelled ahead to let Jason and Steve know I was going to do the new course. After seeing the amount of water flowing down the mountain I didn’t want to cross the creek. They waited for me at the top and we all agreed to run the new course. They started to run and I waited a little down the trail to yell back to Stephan to turn left and do the new course. From here it is fire road to the bottom on the mountain. Right when the road starts to go down I ditched my backpack that had one full bottle in. I thought why carry it down to the bottom of the mountain if I will be running right back up. Further down the road we were all running pretty close to each other. Adam started to break away a little. I was feeling pretty good running down the hill so I thought I would open my pace up. Getting by Adam and I hammered the hill as fast as I could to the bottom. The aid station was at the bottom and that is where the turnaround was. I had about a quarter of a bottle of my drink left so I didn’t need to stop. Heading right back up the hill I ran down my legs could feel the beating I just gave them. I found a pace I could run at that I didn’t get out of breath with and stayed with it. When the hill got a little too steep I just power hiked. Stephan was right back up to me in no time and Jason was there towards the top of the hill. We ran together until Marcia’s Madness. I went first and I was slipping a lot. I told Jason to go ahead so I didn’t slow him down. Once on the Water Tank trail it was crazy with all the water running down. It felt good but it was hard to follow the trail. We hit the railroad bed and both had a gel. Keeping a nice pace on the railroad bed Stephan was right back up with us after falling back a little on the steep downhill. He was having some slipping issues with his road shoes running down the slippery steep rocky trails. All three of us ran together right before the turn to go back up the pipeline which is the last big climb of the day. I ran some of the pipeline until it got too steep for me. Then I got into power hiking mode. Reaching the top of the pipeline was a relief. From there it is only 2 miles downhill to the finish. After making it back to the parking lot I could not wait to get into some dry clothes.

Overall it was a great day to be on the trail with everyone and hang out after. This is one event I will come back to every year.

3-6-2011 - 24 miles - 3:47:23 - run

Days 94/95 - No running

I took off these days from running and walking for one last break before the Buzzard run on Sunday. I should be fully rested and ready to go.

Day 93 - Town loop

I decided I needed another confidence boast with a timed run. The last week I got burned out big time and I have to start rebuilding my running confidence again. I know that sounds funny but after taking only a couple of days off and not feeling well it feels like I have been away from it for awhile. The base is there I just need another fast run to find out where I am at with my training.

Tonight I am going with a longer loop of 7 miles that I have been running for the last couple of years. I started off with a 6:11 first mile which felt very fast but my breathing and legs were fine. I backed off a little a kept on pushing. To me these runs are really hard but fun. Concentrating on every stride, breathing and not losing focus of what I am out here for. Only looking at my watch the first mile split I looked down to find out I ran a 46:11 a 6:38 pace. That is over a minute faster than I have ever ran on that route. That is what I needed and gives me a boast going into the Buzzard fat ass trail run this weekend.

3-3-2011 - 7 miles - 46:11 - run

Day 92 - Running again

Today I am feeling a little better. I did not walk again and I am planning on not walking the rest of this week. Tonight I decided to time myself running from the parking lot up to Pulpit Rock. It is a good way to see where my running is at right now. It is 2.2 miles to the top. My legs were not to happy when I started on the road section. It was a struggle to the top but I kept pushing. It just felt like I couldn't move my legs. After getting to the single track on the AT things felt better and I just tried to stay focused on moving my legs a fast as I could. When I finally touched the tree at the top I looked at my watch and it said 21:35. That I think is my best time ever. Some days you feel like your not moving that well but at the end of this run it worked out.

3-2-2011 - 5 miles - 48:00 - run

Day 91 - No running or walking

No running or walking again. I am still drained from training and this cold.

Day 90 - No running or walking

No running or walking today. Drained from training and this cold.

Day 89 - Pinnacle

After yesterday doing the hills I took a nice and easy 12 mile run up to the Pinnacle. My energy is very low with this cold. This weekend was not as big as some of my other weekends but it was good to take it easy. You need a break every once and a while - mine is usually a forced one due to pushing the limits with running.


2-27-2011 - 12 miles - 2:25 - run

Day 88 - Hills

Today I felt a little better when I woke up. I was meeting some other runners to do hills at 8 a.m. There were 6 runners ready to conquer the hill when I got there. 2 more showed up a little later. 9 runners is the most ever to run the hill at one time to do hill repeats. It was really cool to have that many runners going up and down the mountain at one time. My plan was to do ten of them. After doing my 3rd I was really struggling and I knew that was not going to happen. I wound up hanging in there for 5. Everyone else did 4 or 5 also. It was also really cool to have a lot of them say they want to come back another time to do them.


2-26-2011 - 11 miles - 2:05 - run

Day 87 - ....again

I woke up feeling not so well again and the rest of the day didn't get any better. It felt like I was in slow motion all day. There was no energy to walk or run. It definitely was good mental training today. Just to keep moving forward was a big effort just like the last miles of an ultra for me. Tomorrow is another day:-)

Day 86 - Only a walk

Today I had another fast walk and it felt great. The weather was nice and very little wind. After I got home from work I wasn't feeling the best.  I thought I would wait until later to run. When later came around I still wasn't feeling any better. I think I am reaching my breaking point again and have to back off a little. No run tonight just sleep.


2-24-2011 - 3 miles - 36:45 - walk

Day 85 - Club run

The weather is not as warm as last week but the sun is shining during my walk. I am starting to see some other people out of their houses. With the spring on the way people are starting to move.

Tonight I went for a club run. It has been way to long since I made one of these runs. It is always nice to catch up with other runners. There must of been maybe 40+ people there tonight.  A great night of running with friends.

2-23-2011 - 3 miles - 36:51 - walk 

2-23-2011 - 6.4 miles - 52:00 - run

Day 84 - 80 days to go

There are only 80 days left until the race. It’s time to start making plans for that weekend on where to sleep and crew. I was looking at some of the info for the race this year and came across this video from last year’s race that someone made. It shows some of the course, runners and other things at the race. After watching the video it really gets you in the mood to run. It also looks really cool running in the warm weather :-)

My walk went real well today. Sunny and clear – you can’t beat that. Tonight I left for my run around 5 p.m. I talked to my friend Al tonight before I left and he said the black vultures were at Pulpit Rock. So that is where I headed. When I made it to Pulpit Rock they were not there but the view was very clear. The trails were all cover in snow again from Monday. Once I got back on the road I went down town to add some more time and miles. I finished with 15 miles of walking and running for the day in a little over 2 ½ hours. The time just flew by today!

2-23-2011 - 3 miles - 36:36 - walk 

2-23-2011 - 12 miles - 1:55 - run

Day 83 - No run day

No walk at work today. I left early to pick the little ones up. After a long weekend of running for me I started to feel the effects. Tired and a little bit of a head cold. I left for my run around 6 to do some loops and I didn’t get very far. I could not warm up and though I better back off and not push through this time. I headed back home and did some walking on the treadmill and finished with 3 miles. Not a big day but a smart one in the long run.

2-22-2011 - 3 miles - 38:00 - walk/run

Day 82 - Tired legs

Today I was trying for 20 slow miles with one long run. I left around 12:00 p.m. and headed to the mountain. The route was the same as the last couple of days - up to Pulpit Rock, out to the Pinnacle and back to the road to add some more miles. It’s was a good route to test myself on with all the rocks and with tired legs. After doing a lot of road running with a flat surface I have to get use to lifting my legs over rocks again. A lot more hikers today then in past few weekends. They are also getting the itch to get back on the trail. The views were really clear and the trails were still a little icy at places. Once I hit the road and made the turn on Mountain road I was at 11 miles. That is where the legs said they didn’t want to go anymore. My pace slowed close to a 10 min. mile on a gradual downhill. I fought through the discomfort for the next 7 miles. I hit my driveway and my watch said 17.87. I went in and changed into my road shoes and started to leave when the rest family pulled in the driveway returning from a movie party. That meant my running was done for the day. I finished with 17.87 miles and just over fifty miles of running in the last 3 days. Life is good!

2-20-2011 - 17.87 miles - 3:21 - run