Oil Creek 100 - "So What Happened?"

I hadn't planned to write about the Oil Creek 100. Heck, what's there to say? I didn't finish. I've been asked what happened by some and I've thought about it and I still don't have much to say, but here goes.

Oil Derricks In The Distance at Benninghoff Farm



This was to be my running high point for 2014. I had fun and finished strong at The Laurel Highlands Ultra, had a mellow July training-wise and got back at it in August. I fought through some Plantar Fasciitis as September waned towards October, but I felt pretty well prepared to take on the 100 miles in Oil Creek State Park. The Saturday before the event (yes one week out) I came down with some sort of stomach virus/flu-like sickness. It knocked me flat. I couldn't get out of bed Sunday or Monday. Wednesday I forced myself to go for an easy run and "weak" is the only word to describe it. Janice told me later that all week she was expecting me to tell her I was pulling the plug. Looking back on it, I probably should have. I was tight as a drum when we arrived at the pre-race dinner/packet pickup. I saw others who I had looked forward to seeing, but couldn't bring myself to talk to them. I was working too hard to fake myself into believing that I felt fine and ready. I feared if I talked to someone they'd figure me out as an imposter. So there ya' have it. Not much to say about it. I got sick as a dog, but still went to Titusville, thinking maybe just maybe I'd be able to will myself to the finish line. Nope! Didn't work! Lesson learned, don't show up a week after being stuck sick in bed and expect to be able to perform.

Darkest before dawn.



I did actually run some. The race got off to a good start for me, I kept an eye on my pace so as not to get sucked into a pace faster than I could sustain. I had planned to try to take about 8ish hours for each 50k lap. 43° at start time dropped to 39° before sun up. I like temperatures in the low 40's but today I couldn't keep warm. I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, but my arms were so cold they felt numb and so did my hands. Thinking of so many other things, I never saw this as a sign that something was wrong. I just figured I was cold. Janice met me at a water station which was spectacular because she gave me a pair of gloves and of all things I had again forgotten to take alergy medicine and my breathing wasn't 100%. The gloves seemed to bring some warmth I needed (and temps climbed to 50°) and for the remainder of the first 31 miles, my hands and arms started to feel normal again. I completed the first lap in about 8 hours so I was fine, I thought.

"Your mountain is waiting, get on your way!"







I put on a couple of dry shirts at Aid Station #4 and started the second lap continuing to convince myself that I could stick to my 8ish hour lap plan. I arrived at Aid Station #2 about 15 minutes slower than I had in the morning, but still nothing to worry about. The sun was setting and the forecasted cold overnight temperatures would soon be on us so I changed clothing completely. Top to bottom - a light winter hat, a lycra long sleeved base layer, a whicking layer over that and a light wind jacket to top it off and I ditched my shorts for tights. With a dry set of gloves and my headlamp, I took off to finish the lap.

Layered & Prepped For The Cold



Probably around 50 miles, the sun had dropped to a level that I needed to turn on my headlamp. It seemed like flipping that switch to "on" was like switching my switch to "off". Everything started going wrong. I had been running pretty confidently and now I was tripping and stumbling over everything. I banged a toe badly on my left foot. I banged my right foot so hard I felt like my hip dislocated. The only thing that took my mind off the hip pain was the hit I took to my head on the tree that caught my fall. The bottom had fallen out of my strength and coordination so I decided to slow down. Now even though I had slowed down, I seemed to have no energy. I had eaten pretty well all day, but I had zilch. Still I didn't think of this as a sign of anything. The offical temperature in the area eventually dropped to 30° over night and now that I was going slower I was feeling it. I was back to not being able to generate enough watts to keep my core temperature up. I just kept telling myself that I had more/warmer clothing for the third lap so I thought I could just gut it out.

I arrived at Aid Station #3 and cut off times were being discussed and all of a sudden it hit me. I had slowed down so much that I had placed myself outside the cutoff times. Doing the math based on my current snail's pace, I could start the last lap and make it to Aid Station #2 in time (maybe), but I'd get pulled at Aid Station #3. My plan for 8 hour laps was fine as long as I didn't fall out of that time frame badly and here I had. Getting to the Start/Finish/Aid Station #4 in one piece was now all that mattered to me. All energy was gone and I was cold to a point that the possibility of hypothermia was real. I dropped at Aid Station #4. Standing talking to the kind race volunteer, I noticed how the Middle School lawn had frozen and I just couldn't wait to get warm. Janice piled me into the Jeep and we drove for nearly an hour before we found a hotel. I finally regained a normal body temperature after a hot shower.

The bottom line here is that I guess I need to admit that I never completely recovered from being sick. It never dawned on me that, "hey maybe you can't keep warm because you're not healthy". I couldn't figure out that a complete loss of energy around mile 50 might've had something to do with still being sick.

I had planned for this year to be my last serious year of trying to be an ultra runner and a 100 miler seemed like a nice way to go out. I've got plenty of other fond ultra memories and accomplishments  that I can comfortably finish this chapter. I am running the Stone Mill 50 next month though. I had fun there last year and it gives us a chance to see Niece Heather and her Husband Jim who live nearby.

Man I had a great time, but our family could probably function better without an ultra runner in the home. Our kayaks hang too much and float too little. I really need to reconnect with backpacking and knock off some more states along the Appalachian Trail. Those are just a couple fun things that ultra running has gotten in the way of. Heck, maybe next year I'll do that end to end paddle of the Susquehanna River I've always wanted to do. I've only completed PA and NJ, so maybe I should finish NY and add CT to the list of Appalachian Trail States I've trekked. I'd also like to fast pack the Horse Shoe Trail end to end some weekend. Wow, this list is growing. Ha ha! 2015's gonna be a blast!

Some cool photos Janice captured in and around Titusville, Oil City & Oil Creek State Park:

 

A Saturday auction.

Welcome to Titusville.

A wheel inside a building with trees inside the wheel.

 

 

 

 

Laurel Highlands Ultra Race Report - 2014 - 70.5 Miles of Smiles



The Laurel Highlands Ultra seems to have become quite the popular event, selling out quickly with rumors of needing a lottery in the future. To make matters more urgent, it's now been given its overdue props by being added to the Western States 100 Endurance Run's list of qualifying events. I ran it last year. I finished, but with a terribly bitter taste in my mouth. Janice, my loving, loyal and overly reliable crew/life-mate had a horrible day driving in those mountains. I had enough things go wrong that I turned my day on the trail into a suffer-fest as well. Back in December when registration opened, Janice didn't know it, but I decided I needed to return to right those wrongs and have the fun in The Laurel Highlands we should've had last year. I'd do it one more time and give the future running of this storied event to the fasties attempting to be chosen for Western States.


LOGISTICS:

Even though Dakota Jones doesn't think too highly of our mountains here in the East, The Laurel Highlands are nothing to take lightly. The roads commonly have extra lanes on the steep climbs so trucks can make it, cell signal is nothing more than a battery sapping dream in most places and resupply of any kind is sparse at best. In case you didn't notice, I'm not talking about the trail, I'm referencing just some of the pain you have to go through driving while crewing. Last year so many things went wrong for Janice while chasing me, I decided this year I would take an overkill approach to giving her the information and support she could rely on to get through the day. This year, the GPS had the aid station coordinates preprogrammed to eliminate reliance on smart phones. I purchased a Spot Messenger and I planned to send her a message with my position with two miles to go before each aid station. That way she wouldn't be guessing my arrival times. That would also allow her to hopefully get some sleep while waiting at the finish line. She had multiple paper maps and printed pages of addresses of food and gas locations in case the electronics let her down. I also didn't forget to refill the gas tank after dinner this year. Janice also claimed bedtime was too late last year so we got dinner done earlier and cut out our tourist visit to look at the falls (we did not however cut out our visit to the Christian W. Klay Winery next door to the hotel). Instead of after dinner, Friday morning I did stuff like mixing GU Roctane, prepping hydration vests and a crew bag. She stressed that last year her fatigue made her an exhausted mess by the time I finished. Hopefully this year with precautions in place, I'd be the only one too tired to function at day's end. We did repeat a couple things that worked well last year: we ate at Fabrizi's, and stayed at The Lodge at Chalk Hill.

Pop Robin delivering dinner above our deck at The Lodge at Chalk Hill



AID STATIONS:


Last year, we went with a two vest system that worked so well, Janice more resembled an Indy Pit Crew than the typical ultra crew. I would arrive at an aid station to find Janice waiting with a full hydration vest, dropped the empty vest while she'd put the new one on me and off I went. Efficient right? Well yes, but maybe too efficient. I was flying through aid stations, in some places forgetting to eat and just not benefitting from a few moments of stopping. I also did not swap vests with her at the first aid station which proved to be a mistake so this year every time I'd see her we'd swap whether I was empty or not. Last year I saw a woman pass me more than once and I wondered, "why am I seeing her again?" I didn't remember passing her, "where'd she come from?" It dawned on me, she was actually taking a brief recharge break at aid stations, heck I even noticed she was dressed differently; she was changing clothes. Last year at mile 57 I simply changed socks and felt like a million bucks so this year on top of actually pausing at aid stations, I had a complete change of clothes(including shoes) in Janice's crew bag.



THE RUN:


The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail has plenty of climbing and much of it's worst ascents are in the first 9 miles. There's a climb at mile 6 that much resembles a couple of hills I train on here at home. When I'm training at home, I charge up them in a strong power hike and I figured why not do the same on this climb? Well, when I'm "charging" up them at home, I don't have 60 more miles to go. That little stunt last year put me in such debt the rest of the day, the struggle just to finish was nasty. On top of the physical mess I created, last year my brain was fried as well. That nasty struggle mostly existed between miles 35 and 46, so on top of conserving on those early climbs. At the 32 mile aid station I had learned of all of Janice's problems on the morning and that weighed heavy on top of my own problems. I knew I needed to do something different this year in those middle-miles to keep my head out of a straight jacket.


2014

Checked the weather a week prior to the event, 78° High Humidity & Thunder Storms was the forecast. I thought, "oh boy it's going to be hot this year". In most of Pennsylvania, pouring rains filled the week leading into the event. Even Friday night in Ohiopyle an impressive storm drenched the region and with it came a wonderfully cool forecast for Saturday. In fact the temperatures in the 60's much resembled last year's which were quite pleasant placing worries of heat firmly in the rearview mirror.


The new visitor center in Ohiopyle is now complete, so parking at the start was much easier than last year and like last year we were greeted with a misty morning fog, but thankfully all the storms had bid us farewell. Even in the 5am darkness, the rapids and falls at Ohiopyle were a powerful sight to see (and hear) with the recent influx of rainfall. It was cool to see Bryon Powell with iRunFar ("here") at the start line, I was hoping I'd get a chance to meet him, but oh well it didn't happen. Check-in/number pick up was easy and at 5:30am after a prayer for all of us we a simple "go".

The rain swollen Youghiogheny at Ohiopyle.



Trotting easily through Ohiopyle on about 3/4 mile of road, I felt odd like it was going to be one of those runs that takes me a forever to get warmed up. My knees felt grumpy and my breathing was a mess, but I at least know to just ride it out because both will settle. Todd Lewis passed me like I was standing still right at Wilderness Voyageurs. Knowing that our finishing times are often similar, I wondered, "wow, just how slow am I going?" I talked myself out of concern remembering my plan to cruise easily up the mountain as a plan to have a better day later and I relaxed. I watched numerous folks attacking those climbs wondering if I'd see them later. I never did feel good until the check point at 19 miles so perhaps my inability to get warmed up was a blessing in disguise because arriving there 13 minutes slower than last year was exactly what I was looking for.


At the 11 mile aid station I met Janice and swapped vests, ate food even though I didn't feel hungry and she sent me on my way. I was already drinking a lot of GU Roctane and into my hourly Gel/Electrolyte Capsule schedule and a salt tablet every other hour. I felt like I should worry about the cut off at the 19 mile check point, but I wasn't as slow as I thought. Besides, along with Janice, the effervescent Leon Lutz was there as well; so I knew if they tried to pull me I could sneak out while those two discussed the matter in depth with the check point boss (just kidding). For those who don't know my girl Janice or Leon, getting supported by or just running into personalities like theirs in a difficult event like this one can be an enormous shot of positive mojo. They don't even charge for the love they exude - pretty cool!

PB&J - MY FAVORITE!



Another PA runner Ben Mazur was there crewing for Todd Lewis and I ran into him at the 26 mile Seven Springs Ski Resort Aid Station. It very cool to see a familiar face there considering Janice would be skipping this one, waiting for me at the next. Todd had breezed through there way ahead of me, so Ben was just chilling at the aid station - I reminded him that he had passed me near there last year, his iPhone App was talking to him as he went by me. Approaching the aid station at 32 miles, three or four 50kers swept past me. Those kids were cookin'! (along with the 70.5 mile race there's a 50k as well and team relay events in each distance - so four races in one really) The aid stations at this event are staffed by caring and knowledgeable volunteers who refuse to let you go with unmet needs.  While I don't recommend it, the well run, well placed aid stations and the ability to use drop bags at two later locations allow runners to go without a crew. This is a difficult trail that no matter how you look at it, it's 70 miles long, Janice has crewed for me both years and if for nothing more than piece of mind; having that support is invaluable.



An aid station open for business & buzzing.



Well, I guess I couldn't get through a blog post without complaining about runners who babble loudly while running. This event had them too.


I learned something here though:


1. When runners are talking(yelling), if you're behind them they're not as loud. 
2. I also learned (especially later in the day) I'm not alone when it comes to being annoyed by those who clamber on loudly about mundane crap while they're running.


NOTE: Janice will tell you, I talk way too much and it's probably true, but when I'm in the forest, the forest is why I'm there - I'm not there to hear about your kid's bad grades, your expensive new mountain bike that almost got your thrown out of the house, the fact that your cat can't have bowel movements without having Vaseline on her butt, etc. (or any of that other stuff that if any runner ever reads my blog and recognizes my examples will probably get me punched at the next run).


Like the last race I ran though, I found good company in another runner and he couldn't have appeared at a better time as a young guy named Victor, who I learned is a middle school teacher in Erie. Our paces became joined just after the 32 mile aid station and the friendly banter for the next miles was just what the doctor ordered. We didn't talk loudly or continually and we talked to amuse ourselves, not to hold conversations that belong at Starbucks. Running with him was like having a pacer and it was right where I needed one. These were the miles that chewed me up last year. I told him how I struggled there last year and every time we approached another dreaded hill, it really wasn't that bad. I was benefitting from my conservative start and my mental state stayed level and I was getting through with little suffering. We were in and out of the 38 mile aid station at the same time, but he needed to pull off to answer the call of nature and planned to perform some basic toenail maintenance at the 46 mile aid station so I never saw him again or more importantly thank him properly for pacing me through the mental-mess miles - I'm sure he had no idea how much he helped me.

Oh look, another hill.





The beauty of The Laurel Highlands Trail is immense and difficult to describe and unfortunately most of it is missed when running. Ferns line much of the trail and the further went north, the ferns seemed to increase to monstrous sizes. The trail sneaks through boulder piles, around a lake, right through Seven Springs Ski Resort and over The PA Turnpike. There's a section of side-hill that cuts across the face of a hill lined by ferns and they seem to grow parallel to the ground beneath them. So imagine that there are ferns on either side of a trail on the slope of a hill, they're above and below you and because of the way their frons hang above the earth, they create optical illusion that makes you think you need to lean with them (maybe I was just hallucinating) - in any event, I made myself focus on trees; knowing they were indeed growing vertically/no more leaning required (I'm sure not a single reader at this point believes I have an ounce of sanity left - you really do have to see it for yourself). I've read the trail guide and I know I missed so much of it's beauty, so I plan that the next time I visit I'll be carrying a camera, wearing a legit backpack and taking days instead of hours to complete its 70 miles.

An ancient cemetery along the trail.



I can't talk about the trail without this year mentioning the mud. It rained across Pennsylvania most of the week leading up to the event. Friday as we headed into Ohiopyle, we had a local radio station on that was announcing an approaching damaging storm. The commentator described down pours and damaging winds and they were now on their way to the area. So just like last year, when we checked into the hotel, it was pouring and man did it pour! All that rainfall combined with the Friday afternoon grand finale guaranteed 70 miles of mud on Saturday. Some of it was slippery, some of it was puddles and some of it was that ankle deep stuff that pulls at your shoes as you slop through it. I was following a guy up a steep climb who had zero traction in his Hoka's and kept slipping. I passed more than one runner sitting on the ground putting their shoes back on after retrieving them from the mud that had just removed them. One runner, who this was his 8th running of the event, said this was the muddiest he had ever seen it. Yes, mud is part of it, you  have to expect it to some extent. The Salomon Speedcross shoes I wore were perfect for those conditions so I thankfully kept the mud at mostly an amusement level.



In the 50's, I was slowing slightly, walking the steeps, but mostly still running. I did begin to recognize runners I remembered leaving me on those initial climbs. Unfortunately, one of them was Todd. We weren't far from the 57 mile aid station, he was walking and told me he had bonked, needing some solid food. I moved on knowing that Ben would be waiting for him up ahead. I could to give Ben the heads up to make sure Todd could refuel and keep going. Soon I ran into Danny Mowers(not running it this year) instead and he was looking for Todd who was past due. I gave him the details and he was off to find him. Janice was waiting at the aid station and I told her that I agreed that dry clothing was a good idea. The breeze had cooled the air and wet muddy clothing was beginning to bother me in a cold kinda' way. She was happy I saw it her way and when I told her I'd also like to change my shoes, she replied confidently "I have them too". While changing, Todd and Danny strolled in. Janice had found the Sheetz (convenience store) that apparently time had forgotten and she had chicken tenders. I had one and she offered the same to starving Todd. With just a shirt change he was out of the aid station well ahead of me. Sitting down and taking my time to change everything except my compression shorts turned into an excellent break from the perpetual movement. I added a light wind jacket over a sleeveless and I was back on the trail, encouraged that it still wasn't quite dark yet.

Smiling, I know I only have a half marathon to go.

Dry clothes at 57 miles.



One last gulp of Coca-Cola while Danny Mowers chills
and waits for his next friend to arrive.



I soon realized I forgot two bottles I wanted to carry, but decided I'd be fine without them(my only real mistake on the day- I think). Not much longer and I saw Todd again and he was sort of stopped talking to another runner. When I passed he reached out and said hello and I almost lost my balance(klutz). I was anxious to reach the gas line road and the next aid station at mile 62. Just knowing I would be soon be under 10 miles to go had me stoked to keep moving as quickly as I could. I did soon reach the road and the aid station. In the darkness at the aid station I recognized Charlie Ellis requesting a grilled cheese to go and he reminded me that he told me he'd see me later. Charlie had introduced himself to me on the big climb at the beginning of the day, telling me he not only read my blog, but remembered me finishing last year and recognized me this year. I was astonished by all three facts. Through much of the next miles we stuck together with another runner keeping our distance from a pair who were a talking machine up ahead of us. Charlie ducked into the ferns for relief and not much further I was eaten by a climb at the 65th mile. I felt spent. Charlie caught back up and passed with ease and I couldn't match pace with the other fella either. I was now in bumbling and stumbling mode, tripping over everything. My stabilizer muscles were fried and my lack of any existing coordination seemed much worse in the shadowy darkness. Charlie had spoken of a sub-19 hour finish for us and I watched as that became more and more unrealistic for me. Before too long I was surprised that I caught back up to the other runner who I eventually learned his name was Marvin and he was from the Baltimore area. He was now in the same condition, hoping the finish line would come to us. I promised him that I had probably tripped over 2,000 rocks since we had parted company. We laughed off our struggle together and found our way through the rocks to the finish. He had said at one point, "I'm barely moving" and approaching the finish I told him I'd give him space so he could run it in alone. When I said run, I think he thought I was nuts. He finished and got his hand shake and 70 mile post trophy from the race director and I followed shortly after. Our running day was done.

I now have bookends (with Rick Freeman, Race Director)



Janice collected me promptly and I asked her if she had gotten my last Spot message or any sleep. She said "no" to both. Knowing we were now to somehow get to Pittsburgh to visit Niece Katie, I asked, "so what's our plan?" She said, "let's go to Katie's!" Janice had already had one highly caffeinated coffee drink from the Sheetz with the chicken tenders and she was ready to go. She had also gotten ice and the beer in the Jeep was cold! She drove and I enjoyed an ice cold celebratory Yuengling Summer Wheat. After one more stop at a Sheetz for another high octane coffee drink we were in Pittsburgh in no time flat. After such a long day, it was great to see Katie. I was embarrassingly filthy so it was especially great to see her shower...that showerhead is amazing, but that's a blog post all its own(I'll let Janice write that one - she installed the shower head after all).



This year's trip on The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail was magical. It was so good that it makes me forget the pain of the previous year. Sure I finished 30 minutes faster than last year and that's cool, but most importantly I feel I ran much smarter and we had a good day. Janice was as usual the highlight of my day. Knowing that I'm running in beautiful mountains with her waiting for me at each checkpoint makes me smile. That was pretty much my theme on the day. I caught myself smiling all day long - pretty good sign that you're either really enjoying yourself or you belong in an institution. All the smiles on the volunteers faces made it easy as did seeing new and familiar smiles, like Leon, Todd, Ben, Danny and meeting new ones like Charlie, Victor and Marvin. And when you cross the finish line at whatever hour you arrive, Rick Freeman the Race Director is there waiting for you and he's smiling too.



The smiles continued into Sunday at lunch with Katie at The Porch in Pittsburgh.



My only real let down of the day was a technological one and I didn't really let it bother me. At the pace I'm able to maintain over this type of terrain and distance, it's difficult to find a GPS watch with battery life long enough. I've been wearing the Ambit2 S watch by Suunto, it's an excellent device with different level GPS settings to provide longer battery life. The pinging of the satellites is what saps the battery so lessening their frequency allows the battery to go longer. The downside of that is that the watch is reaching out to space for a position update less frequent thus rounding off corners, etc. The result being that, yes my watch stayed on all 19 hours, but when I stopped it, it thought I had only traveled 63.42 miles vs. 70.5. No big deal, it's more important to me to have an unbroken track and time than the perfect distance. Besides, the little cement mile markers along the way tell the real tale. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Suunto watch and I'm confident that some day they'll make a watch with longer battery life for us slow guys.


If you can travel 70.5 miles up and over mountains in less than 22 hours, then I greatly recommend this top notch challenge. No other event has given me anywhere near the sense of accomplishment as The Laurel Highlands Ultra.


Note: I find it funny to learn that now that this event is a qualifier for The Western States 100 Endurance Run (one of the most respected ultras in the world) finishing Laurel Highlands under 20 hours is qualification to enter the lottery to run it. I've never qualified for The Boston Marathon which if you believe the media is every runners Mecca, but now I've qualified for what I consider a truly big deal...sadly most of those misguided media folks have probably never even heard of Western States. [No, I have no plans to enter, but it feels good to know...]


Stuff I used:

Salomon Speedcross 3 Shoes
Salomon XR Mission Shoes
The North Face GTD Sleeveless Shirt (2)
The North Face Better Than Naked Wind Jacket
Brooks Rogue III Running Shorts (2)
Under Armour Seemless Compression Shorts
CEP Compression Calf Sleeves
Zensah Ultra Compression Calf Sleeves
Injini TRAIL 2.0 Midweight Mini-Crew Socks (2)*
Headsweats GU Energy Labs Race Cap
Headsweats iRunFar.com Race Cap
Headsweats iRunFar.com Supervisor
Nathan Performance HPL 020 Hydration Vest
Nathan Performance Endurance Hydration Vest (discontinued)
Suunto Ambit2 S GPS Watch
Spot Messenger GPS Transmitter
Body Glide Anti Chafe
Body Glide Skin
GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Drink
GU Roctane Gels
GU Electrolyte Capsules

*Injinji socks were a change for me for this year and I'd be remiss to not mention them. Last year I wore DryMax and Darn Tough socks and all 10 of my toenails were damaged and eventually lost. This year with Injinji, I have one toenail that's a little sore, but I attribute it to toeing a large rock in full stride. Injinji socks work, try 'em!

Fun photos from Janice's day crewing:

Old School/New School

Whaaat?

The other covered bridge...

You lookin' at me?

LWood?

Cool rock.

~4 ultras in 4 months - time to take a break!
~ nothing more for me till The Susquehanna Super Hike in September
~ NEXT STOP, THE BEACH!~

Obelisk Head



The Dirty German 50k - Redemption Run

May 18, 2014

Last year - The Dirty German 50k - 2013 - I arrived sick to the start line after very little sleep, rolled my ankle/fell around mile 8 and went off course following another runner up a wrong hill on the 2nd lap. My goals this year were to right those three wrongs.

2014 was off to a lame start for me - after difficult training conditions through the winter, March saw a weak finish at the HAT Run 50k and April delivered my first DNF when I packed it in after only 64 miles of the C&O Canal 100. I run these races for fun and that's it. I love to run and I train enough that I can beat cutoff times and finish. Not finishing last month felt like absolute crap. Last year The Dirty German served as a tune up for The Laurel Highlands Ultra and this year too, but to say I came to this event in need of some reaffirmation is very much an understatement.

Lasagna for supper and early to bed, meant I felt great rolling out at 3:45am for breakfast. I drove to Philly this year, last year I rode along in the passenger seat falling in and out of sleep in a cold sweat most of the way. Pinned on my number and feeling great for the start, Goal #1 was in the bag.

I ran into Tim Nash while we were picking up our race packets, we exchanged pre-race "how ya' doings?" and we were on our way. Oddly I saw Tim a short time later hustling down the sidewalk still wearing the blue jeans I saw him in earlier and carrying his race packet. I jokingly asked him if he was running in those jeans, only to learn that he was freaking out because he couldn't find where his buddy had moved the car. I assured him he had plenty of time till the start as he ran off searching. The same thing happened to me last year when Janice had to move the car. Thankfully my anxiety was brief as she had just moved across the street and I found her quickly. Tim said he had already been down and back in both directions with no luck. [parking at this event is a little challenging as it's along the street and not in the park, but I didn't see any cars parked too far from the start/finish - I've seen worse parking setups]



Just before the start I caught up with Rick Martin from Hummlestown, this was his first 50k and he was a bundle of excitement/anxiety to get the show on the road. Saw Tim again too and this time he was dressed to run and his heart rate was back to normal, he had obviously found the car. Off we went across the damp park lawn, crossed the Pennypack Creek by bridge and made a quick U-turn onto the trail and into the woods. Rick had said he wished he had thought to pack a drop bag in case he wanted dry socks after the first lap. I told him, I remembered a big puddle from last year, but other than that I couldn't remember water on the trail. We were quickly greeted by mud and water, much of it difficult/impossible to avoid and now I felt pretty stupid about giving out bad info.

Off to an easy start with Rick Martin (#307) leading the way.



For the entire first mile, I ran just a couple hundred feet behind Rick and Tim, keeping them in sight, but at the same time hoping I'd slow down not wanting to try to match their much faster pace. At 1.5 miles, my worries of keeping up with them were put aside as I caught a toe on something and found myself bouncing onto my ass after banging both of my knees on rocks. My left knee especially hurt and I came away with both bleeding. So Goal #2 of not falling was now off the list. [Note: I did not hit my head - Janice claims that I'm so uncoordinated that every time I fall I hit my head - when I got to my feet this time I actually mumbled out loud, "cool, I didn't hit my head"]

Notice the color coordinated red trim on my shorts.



The fall didn't take me out of the race, if anything it gave me the opportunity to collect myself and settle into a sustainable pace. I consider this an easy course so I planned to run the easy sections aggressively and "manage" through the tougher sections. We had plenty of rain the days leading up to the event and the trail was quite muddy and a stream that last year was barely ankle deep was up to your shorts if you didn't use the stepping stones. [Note: I typically just plow right through water avoiding stepping stones for fear of slipping and falling - on lap #2 I saw a woman do just that - she was tip toeing the stepping stones and soon found herself sitting on the stream bed, soaked.] That ice cold water felt great on my aching knees and it also did a nice job of washing the blood out of my white calf sleeves. I came to the intersection where I missed the turn last year and recognized it immediately, thinking to myself "remember this on the second lap" - I did, and Goal #3 of not getting lost was achieved. (For those counting, yes I achieved 2 of my 3 goals)

 

The aid stations at this event are great and it's definitely because of the people/volunteers. It seems they're all runners so they know your needs and they know how to talk to you. My hat's off to The Pagoda Pacers![you'll find the aid stations at the Blues Cruise 50k in October manned by those same great folks]

Chomping down a gel coming into to an aid station.





Pre-race anxiety gone - Tim Nash on cruise control.



Janice met me at or near each of the aid stations to swap handhelds(by now she's a pro at crewing and getting me through races - at this event she was so laid back about it she bordered on nonchalant). I carried a Nathan Quick Draw Plus with GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink and GU Roctane Energy Gels in the pouch. I had salt tablets and GU Electrolyte Capsules in my pockets. I ate a peanut butter & jelly sandwich once and drank a bunch of Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew at the aid stations. I think I maintained my nutrition pretty well, sticking to my hourly gel/electrolyte capsule dose and salt tablets on the off half hour. A huge meal Saturday night and a good breakfast helped to avoid glycogen debt which I'm pretty sure ended my day early at the C&O Canal 100.  At about 27 miles, I was going pretty good when I felt that tell tale pre-cramp twinge in my right inner thigh so I backed off a bit and ate salt. When you feel the twinge you're usually too late to battle it with salt, but it seemed to subside and I was even able to pick my pace back up (just in time for the nagging little hills just before the finish).



Perry the social runner! :-)





I've said before that I'm a loner when running and that running with others actually messes with my head, but this day was different. There was a young guy who I learned his name was Ethan who passed me so many times we lost count. With Janice's help I was going through aid stations faster than him so he'd spend much of the next section catching back up to me only to do it again at the next aid station and that continued all day. In fact with about 2 miles to go, I sensed a runner behind me on a tight single track section and I soon heard, "I'm baa-ack" and yep Ethan again had caught back up. (When our day-long game of leap frog was over I ended up finishing about 30 seconds behind him). For a good distance I was running with a small bunch (4 or 5) runners (including Ethan) and the chatter amongst these nut jobs was actually fun. Joking and cutting up and I actually enjoyed running with them. They weren't going on about their freakin' PR's or having some innocuous mundane conversation that belongs on the phone or at a Starbucks and not on a trail. They seemed comfortable with spending extra time at the final aid station and I lost contact with them there(except of course for ever-present Ethan). So take note, Perry the anti-social runner made a huge break through and enjoyed the company of strangers while running.

Coming in for the finish (the head above the clock is ever-present Ethan)



Coming into the finish, there was a pretty big crowd there yelling and cheering. I couldn't pick out Janice anywhere and I was concerned she hadn't been able to find parking because of all the people in the park. Over the accordion player's polka(who I'm really bummed I didn't get my photo with) I heard Janice's voice. I also heard another familiar voice and I was pleasantly surprised to spot Janice and her sister Debbie <pretty darned cool> who lives very nearby the park cheering me on as I arrived at the finish chute. I couldn't have been happier with this finish, yes it's an easy course, but most importantly I kept myself on the edge and managed it for the distance. I didn't blow up and I didn't phone it in. I finished something like 25 minutes faster than last year, being the quickest I've run that distance and that helped to deliver some much needed reaffirmation that I might actually be a runner.

This course is perfect for the first timer or for someone who's looking for a fast training run. Elevation gain is minimal and it's 100% runnable. There's single track, double-track and water crossings. There may be a bit more pavement than you'd expect in a trail run, but sometimes you need it to simply to piece together otherwise disconnected trails. This year it was quite wet and muddy. I wore Salomon Speedcross 3's that I'm breaking in and was afraid they'd be overkill, but with the sloppy conditions they were perfect. The Dirty German offers three distances, 25k(1 lap), 50k(2 laps) and 50 miles (3 laps+). This year the race director Stephan Weiss decided on a 30 minute staggered start with the 50 milers going off first, then 50k and 25k last. While that may have caused headaches for race workers and timing, the decision got a thumbs up from me as it ensured less crowded trails. (I must say I was impressed to be caught by the 25k leaders near the end of my first lap - they were absolutely flying) Penny Pack Park is funny that's it's situated within an urban environment and it comes with everything an urban park/trail would have - fishermen, horseback riders, girls hanging out drinking a Miller Lite 30 pack in the middle of the day, the smell of wafting marijuana smoke, randomly discarded clothing and this year there was even a skull and a portion of spine of some sort of animal as a trail-trip-hazard. You're running through beautiful forest, but at times hearing horns blowing and sirens responding. The position of the park does make it easy to get to and easy for those who may come with you to find their way to aid stations if they so desire. The finish line food was tasty(I had yummy German Potato Salad and Brat Wurst w/sour kraut) and the finisher swag included a beer glass, bar towel and choice of a running cap or backpack(I got a hat last year so this year I went home with a backpack - sweet!). The only negative on the day: last year I wore a Garmin 310XT and this year I used the Suunto Ambit2 S and I was disappointed to see both GPS watches measured the 50k course as short(30.14 miles), in fact without getting lost, this year was a half mile shorter than last.

>Next up, The Laurel Highlands Ultra next month and then I'll take a break before running The Susquehanna Super Hike in September and the Oil Creek 100 in October.<

Laurel Highlands Ultra Race Report - Running With/From The Old Man Of The Mountain

Growing up in Central PA, the land of Park Barner, I have known the word "ultra-marathon" since my youth. I remember my Dad pointing out Mr. Barner in the grocery store one time . Back then the idea meant nothing to me. I had no clue. Fast forward to 2008 and Karl Meltzer's Appalachian Trail
attempt and that "ultra-marathon" word came back to me. At that time I started reading all I could about trail and ultra running and of course I stumbled upon the 70.5 mile Laurel Highlands Ultra. Back then I was loving backpacking taking an annual section hike on The AT, about 100 miles in 6 or 7 days. I thought, certainly The Laurel Highlands Trail sounds beautiful, but who would be insane enough to cover it end to end in one day. I had only thru-hiked one trail and that was the 31ish mile West Rim Trail and I did it leisurely over a weekend. My backpacking was evolving into something
strange, I'd finish each day in my tent wishing I had gone further. It came to a head when I
hiked The AT section from The Delaware Water Gap to Bear Mountain and I had miscalculated
everything and finished a day early (no I didn't figure it out, it was pointed out to me over the
phone by Janice as she told me which hotel to check into so she could come retrieve me the next
day) That was 2009 and in 2010 I ran my first ultra length trail race (The 28.4mi Susquehanna
Super Hike & Ultra Trail Run), I hadn't even run a marathon yet, but I was hooked. So here it is
2013 and I have run a few 50k's, a couple 50 milers and I was looking for something a little
longer that wouldn't conflict with Janice's softball tournament held annually on the first weekend in June. Well there it was, the historic Laurel Highlands Ultra; the second weekend in June and in Pennsylvania. Who was insane enough to try to cover it all in one day? Me.

 

Janice checking out The Youghiogheny River.

 

The falls in Ohiopyle, PA.

The race starts in beautiful Ohiopyle, PA. A haven for outdoor play. The raging white
water is the main lure, but the lands surrounding the roaring Youghiogheny offer endless
possibilities for outdoor fun. If you haven't visited, you need to. Stop at Wilderness Voyageurs
and arrange a white water trip. I recommend shooting the rapids in a "Duck", it's a hoot! You'll have a blast. We found a place to stay at the nearby Lodge At Chalk Hill, an old motel that was being refurbished even during our visit. Our room had a brand new TV, fridge, microwave and toilet. For 80 bucks a night, it was exactly what we needed. Right next door is the Christian W. Klay Winery, perfect for a pre-dinner wine tasting. The weather was pretty crappy or we may have returned to see the live band later. Looked like a good time. Hidden back a country road was Fabrizi's Restaurant which made for a perfect fueling place. I highly recommend finding it and eating there. We made a quick trip to Ohiopyle to play tourist and check out the rapids and the falls and then it was back to the lodge to pack up hydration vests before trying to get some sleep.

At The Lodge at Chalk Hill. That deck overlooked a small lake.

A new visitor center is being built in Ohiopyle on the location used as the start line. That made
for minor parking mayhem, but it was no big deal considering the 70.5 mile field is limited to
130 runners and there were only a few relay runners starting at the same time. Janice was perched
up on an observation deck meant for viewing the waterfalls and I was positioned near the back of
the pack determined to not get in the way of the fast folks. There was a brief prayer said and the
next word was "Go".

As I took my first step and I realized I hadn't taken allergy medicine or Ibuprofen. Janice said
the Jeep was unlocked so I stopped and gobbled it down. I was now the absolute last runner out of
Ohiopyle. No big deal, I had all day to establish a position/catch up. Little did I know I was
about to get caught behind a traffic jam when the trail kicked up just past the guide shop. I was
behind guys who were talking about where to get breakfast after thy finished at 3am and another
couple who wondered if they'd make the time cutoff at the first check point. I'm not fast, but I
knew I didn't want to be starting this way. (mistake)

5:30am start...at the back of the pack.

I had done some homework on this trail, but I never found a worthy elevation profile. Elevation
gain is very important to this old guy's planning. I knew there were 2 small climbs followed by a
much larger climb all in the early miles. I thought I was prepared for these hills and I felt ok
even as I charged up the big climb. The big climb ended up being longer than I expected and I
needed to back off on my pace before the top. There was an aid station at 11.6 miles. I have 2
Nathan hydration vests and Janice was prepared to swap out my empty for a full one at the check
points. She stood ready with a full pack at that aid station and I told her I'd hang to the one I
had till the checkpoint. With 2 miles left to the checkpoint, my bag went dry.(mistake) I had
hoped to reach the first checkpoint (19.6mi) in four hours and I arrived about a half hour late,
but I was still ahead of the cutoff and I felt fine.

My job on the day was easy, all I had to do was follow a well blazed trail with every mile marked with a cement pillar for 70 miles. Janice on the other hand had to find her way up and over the Laurel Highlands Mountains. Janice had her GPS with her, but we were relying heavily on the locations I had saved to the mapping software in my phone. (mistake) The remote region provided no cell signal in most places and roaming in all the others, draining the batteries in no time at all. No problem, we have one of those power inverters you plug in your cigarette lighter and it provides A/C power, so she could charge batteries right? Well that inverter decided to die a smoky death as Janice was now also running out of gas because I hadn't filled the tank (mistake) after the trip from Harrisburg. Needless to say when I met up with her at the second checkpoint (32.3mi), she had the most sour look on her face and I knew the day had become a nightmare for her.

 

 

Arriving at Checkpoint #1.

 

At that point I was at about seven and a half hours. I was almost at the half way mark and still
under 8 hours so I assured her that I was still after a decent finishing time and I took off
(mistake). Back to that elevation profile I never really got a good look at. The hills between there and
the next checkpoint hit me hard. On the tiny little DCNR elevation profile image they looked like
little rollers, but in reality they were serious hills (for me anyway). The time added as I
neared the fourth check point (46.4mi) plus the look on Janice's face equaled this race just
wasn't worth it. I love running, but I consider it an extremely selfish act and if I get the hint
that my running is ruining someone else's day, I have a tough time continuing. Going home happy
is far more important than making it to any finish line. I knew what I had to do so when I
arrived at the checkpoint, I explained to Janice that if I wanted to drop out I had to do it at a
check point. All I had to do was unpin my number and we could go the hell home. I had just
traveled the last 14 miles at a snail's pace and she was having a crappy day, but she refused to
support my dropping out. She said, "if you feel good enough to continue, you need to finish".

I had a hot spot on my left foot so a volunteer gave me some duct tape and I was good to go. A funny thing happened at this checkpoint, I sat down on a metal folding chair (the kind you might see in a school or church) to take off my shoe and the chair sunk about six inches into the mud. (Oh well, I thought it was funny. Guess ya' had to be there) Janice made a plan to meet me with dry socks at the next checkpoint and I was back on the trail. I was in no way assured that I was doing the right thing by continuing.

 

Happy to have survived to another checkpoint.

 

Checking the aid station for something good to eat.

 

The trail leading to checkpoint #4 (57.1mi) was far more welcoming (with less hills) and I was back

to running consistently. As I arrived at that last checkpoint it was getting dark and with 13
more miles to go I again suggested calling it a day. Again, Janice was having none of it. At this
spot she had one of our camp chairs and I changed my socks. I started the day in Drymax and would finish the day in Darn Tough - seemed appropriate. I had gone all day in a pair of Salomon XR Mission shoes and the thought of changing into a dry pair of Mizuno's seemed like a good idea, but my feet were a bit swollen and the fit is different and they weren't going to work so the Salomon's went back on. I had run all day with GU Roctane in my hydration vest, but for the last section I had asked Janice to fill two Nathan bottles with NUUN. One bottle was in a handheld carrier and I stuffed other in the pocket on my vest. There was one more aid station at 62 miles, but crew didn't have access. My plan was that I could drink those bottles and still have a full hydration bag to get me down the mountain to the finish.

Off I went, 13 miles to go in the dark following the beam of my Black DiamondStorm headlamp. I
had never run this far in the dark and I was now running when I'm typically in bed falling asleep
to the news. I was concerned I'd meet the sleep monster everyone talks about, but instead running in th edarkness turned magical as I lit up the dense forest. I had been eating a gel on the hour and taking a Hammer Nutrtion Endurolyte electrolyte tablet(or two) on the half hour. GU Chomps and PowerBar Gel Blasts filled in the gaps in between. I ate whatever looked appetizing at the aid stations. I like peanut butter and jelly and I reached for what I thought I thought was PB&J and it turned out to be bologne and cheese. It was in the same container with peanut butter and jelly and I obviously didn't look close enough. Nope I didn't barf. In the last hours I just couldn't stomach anymore gels. I ate only one more between the last checkpoint and the finish.

Running in the dark I paced along with a woman in a Newton hat for a while until I had a clumsy
painful fall at about the 65 mile mark. After getting going again I fell in behind 3 guys who had
made a wrong turn. They were walking and I joined their walking parade on a little climb, but
after that the trail leveled out and I had promised myself (and Janice) that I was going to run wherever I could so I told them I was going to run. Two of them (a runner and his pacer) went with me, friendly guys from Ohio. They chuckled at me when I told them I was running this event because I wanted to go further than 50 miles. I was asked "why didn't ya' pick some easy 100k instead of this tough thing?" We caught back up to the woman in the Newton hat, she had had enough of the rock dance in the dark and was walking in hopes of finishing healthy. We all understood. Soon the lights of the finish line were glowing through the trees. The fellas with me were psyched to pick up the pace to the finish. I wanted to finish on my own so I let a little gap open and finished a few seconds behind them. I got to take in that "I did it feeling" and before I knew it the race director was reaching out his hand in congratulations and handing me the coolest wooden trophy with a "70" on it.

It's after 1am and the race director was there to greet me with a hand shake & huge smile.

I made a lot of mistakes with this race, but the biggest was that I didn't do thorough research
on this trail. I knew about the early ascents, but I thought it would be easy sailing after that. I've since learned that the LHHT climbs more than 11,000' and descends the same amount across it's 70 miles, sapping your energy on the way up and chewing up your quads and your toenails on the way down. I have since decided that LHHT really stands for Laurel Highlands "Humbling" Trail. I obviously read too many flowery blog posts about wonderful days on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail with the beautiful ferns and sweet smelling Mountain Laurel. I should have checked those authors' finishing times. Well here's mine, it took me 19 hours 34 minutes and 23 seconds to reach the 70.5 mile finish line. The old man of the mountain who lives somewhere between Mile 34 and Mile 48 kicked my butt for not paying him the respect he deserves. I'll never go to an event without knowing everything I can and I'll always respect the mountain or the mountain will eat me.

All done & more than ready to be collected by an equally exhausted Janice. Now I could quit.

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Posted By Blogger to Perry's Trails at 6/18/2013 06:41:00 AM