The Woods

It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, temps are in the low 70s, and as I ride by a local gym, I see dozens of people running on the treadmill! I have done my share of treadmill running. In fact, the majority of my training for my first marathon was done on one. But that was because I was living in the Northeast and I trained during the winter. Seeing this got me thinking about what my life would be like without the woods.

Since Gary introduced me to trail running, I have spent 90% of my running time in the woods. I average 4-5 days a week in the woods (either running or biking), more often than not alone, "lost" in solitude and loving every minute of it. I live 3 minutes from over 25 miles of trails that most of my neighbors will never visit. I would bet half of them do not even know they exist. When I work in RTP, I am 10 minutes from over 5,500 acres in Umstead Park, 13 miles of bridle path and 20 miles of singletrack, I am also close to Lake Crabtree with its singletrack and scores of other "illegal" mountain bike trails. I would speculate that 90% of the people working in RTP never set foot in these woods.

I came across the article below which highlights additional reasons why any runner should spend more time in the woods. I think i'll go spend my lunch break running in the woods.


Put Some Adventure Back in Your Run & Stay Injury Free Trailing Off
by T.J. Murphy

In the novel Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr., Olympic champion Bruce Denton explains to miler Quenton Cassidy why he should take to the trails. "Connective tissue," he explains, "is what gets all runners in the end," meaning the endless jarring of the body with "miles of trials" on the unforgiving asphalt of American roads.

What Denton didn't explain is that trail running is not only easier on the musculoskeletal system (provided you don't crash) but, as Portland-based coach Patti Finke, M.S., will tell you, trail running will make you faster.

Finke, an exercise physiologist who has completed more than 75 marathons and 75 ultra marathons, loves the trails for scenery they offer, but also their gifts. "Because there are hills involved, trail running gives you an added workout, making you stronger," she says. "It works your VO2 max, your muscular endurance and your lactate threshold. Depending on the trail and the length of the run, you get 25-30% more training effect out of a trail run than you do a road run.

"What we've found in our marathon coaching is that 85% of the runners who do the trail trains we suggest come within 15 minutes of their goal, while only 50% of those who just do the road runs come within a half hour of their goal time. Those doing the trail running have been infinitely more successful."

In addition to the data, Finke points to the way the elites train. "Look at the Kenyans. They do their long runs - of up to 30 miles - all on the trail," she says.

Other benefits of trail running include improving your "proprioception" - the ability to sense rocks and roots by feel and not just by sight. Finke also says that time on the trail improves a runner's capacity to concentrate for long periods of time, something that comes in handy for long, psychologically demanding races like marathons and ultra marathons.

Let's not forget about injury prevention. Trail running, if performed correctly and in the proper shoes, has the invaluable benefit of reducing chances of overuse injury due to the softer surface. The higher the mileage, the more this benefit comes into play. Racking up miles and miles of running solely on hard surfaces carries with it the risk of high-impact injury, as the act transmits stress through the human musculoskeletal system, nailing human weak spots like the foot, the shins, the knees and the lower back.

Tanawah Trail Report, Beacon Heights to Top of Rough Ridge

Saturday 5/6/06
Blue Ridge Parkway, NC Tanawah Trail
Beacon Heights mile marker 305.2 to top of Rough Ridge mile marker 303.7
4 miles out and 4 miles back


Information on the Blue Ridge Parkway
http://www.brptrails.com/

Information on the complete 13.5 mile Tanawah Trail
http://www.carolinamtnclub.com/Route/74-Tanawha-Trail.pdf

Elevation Profile
http://www.carolinamtnclub.com/profile/74-Tanawha-Trail.pdf

After a not so great night of sleep, I finally got started around 7am. The house we are staying in is right in Blowing Rock so it only takes me 5 minutes to hit 221 heading South and another 5 minutes to hit the Parkway. It is a beautiful spring day and the temperature is about 45 degrees at the start, warming up to 55 by the end.

I am really excited to be back in this area, an area where I spent almost 8 years of my life, where I met my wife and also got married. I am also excited to try my first run on a trail that I have hiked almost all portions of for years, where each overlook is a cornerstone in my memory bank and the views are permanent fixtures upon which I rely on regularly.


I start my run heading north from Beacon Heights and immediately realize, it’s colder than a Saturday at Wilson Park, there’s more wind than we find in Chapel Hill, and my entire body hurts more than I am used to. I also realize that running these trails really highlights just how rooty, rocky and rugged this trail is. After a very slow start and warm-up, I finally hit the Linn Cove Viaduct parking area and run directly under it and head north parallel to the Parkway. The terrain is very rough and in many places I end up rock climbing instead of running. As many times as I have been on this trail and in this area, I am always awe struck by the beauty of this trail, any look to the right provides a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a look back provides a view of the backside of Grandfather mountain and views straight ahead and down offer multiple stream/river crossings, including Wilson Creek and sections of the Boone Fork.


About one hour into my run, and only 4 miles, I make the climb to the backside of Rough Ridge, a very hard run, but one that is rewarded with one of the best views on the Parkway, Grandfather Mountain is immediately to the right, Table Rock and Stack Rock in the distance, followed by the Black Mountains. To the left there is a great view of another great hike and climbing area, Raven Rock.

The run back was much better, I was warmed up, had gotten used to the terrain and frankly all the steeper climbs were now descents. Eight miles later and I’m sitting on top of Beacon Heights, staring into the Blue Ridge Mountains, thinking this is pretty much how this area looked thousands of years ago. Other than the Blue Ridge Parkway which I know is right behind me, one cannot see one sign of civilization while staring at the view, the mountains are as green as they probably are all year long and during the entire run, I did not encounter one single person. For 8 miles and almost 2 hours, I had this entire section of the mountains to myself. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning, made even better to return to a just waking household, fresh coffee and a hot breakfast.


Next time: Beacon Heights to Price Park, 13.5 miles

Owl's Roost Rumble Saturday April 29, 2006

Owls Roost Rumble 2006
April 29, 2006 8:05 am

Picture perfect spring day, chilly temperatures to start, warming up to about 70 degrees by the end. For me, the vibe this year was more relaxed and friendly than last year. I credit being in better shape and knowing more Trailheads. After a casual walk to the start, we gathered near the front of the line and discussed such important matters as Kerndog’s previous Friday in the hospital (along with advice from both Goofus and Zu that he should NOT run), just how fast Monk was going to run this thing, Fang’s Rocky Mountain Oysters, what pace we were going to run, etc.

My strategy for this year was to stay with Tweak for as long as I could. He had not really run in 4 weeks and made a last minute decision to run when someone else dropped out. I figured if I couldn’t keep up with him I had Glassman and Haggis to push me along. 8:05am and we’re off, after a nice jog down the road, we were directed to the right, a nice departure from last year’s loop around the tennis courts. A short run on the greenway followed, including a view of the 8am starters coming the opposite way. The guy that won the thing in 1:16 was already out in front but not too far behind was a very strong looking Monk, De Logger, and Taz, all would go on to have exceptional races.

By the first mile, Zu, Gilly, Ringo, Kerndog and Glassman were out of sight and Tweak led the 2nd group, followed by me, Haggis, Paradocs, Goofus, Fang and Yellow Dog. Around mile 4 Tweak decides to kick it up a hill and I think to myself, “there goes Tweak” but he held back for another 2 miles, eventually distancing himself. Between mile 6 & 7 Goofus and Fang continue to execute their well thought out strategy and turn it up a notch, passing Haggis and I as we reentered the woods starting mile 7. At this point I am felling pretty darn good, averaging somewhere b/w 8-8.5 minute miles, and realize not only can I keep this pace, I might be able to save a little for the last 2-3 miles. Haggis agrees and the two of us, along with a few other runners, march on. Somewhere between mile 7 & 8 we pass a very discouraged Glassman.

Until we hit the road leading up to mile 10, Haggis and I have maintained a decent pace and both of us are contemplating if and when we should pick it up. I was thinking how much better I felt this year versus last year during this point of the race. Last year Yellow Dog carried me to mile 10 only to pull ahead shortly thereafter, I had blisters on top of blisters and I basically struggled to finish. This year I was feeling strong, was coming up on mile 10 and at this point I made the only mistake I can recall during the race, I turned it up and ran the road section much faster than I should have. As we approached the last aid station, we spot Goofus and Tweak heading into the woods, I’m only thinking of getting Gatorade and catching my breath but Haggis wants to catch Goofus, so as soon we enter the woods he turns it up and I have to let him go, as I’m still recovering from that stupid road run. I hated the road section last year and I hated it this year. It appears unavoidable as it’s the only way to connect all the trails but I do wish the race didn’t include it.

I would say mile 10-11 was the hardest for me as it was at this point that I really started to struggle, my legs started hurting, and I was basically just tired of running. Fortunately I didn’t let myself fall too far behind the group of 4 I was running with and at mile 11 I realized there were only 2 more miles. 2 more miles, I can not only finish this thing, I’ve got something left. I also realized the 4 guys in front of me were all slowing down, especially on any uphill, b/w 11-12 I manage to pick off all 4 of them and spot one more guy b/w 12-13 that I pick off. I kept hoping to see Goofus, Haggis, Tweak, any trailhead would have done, as I came down the last stretch but as usual they were all faster than me. Regardless I finished very strong, beat my stated goal time of 1:50 and shaved 15 minutes off last year’s time.

The weather was perfect, the post race celebration, both the Owl's Roost one and the Trailhead one, were the highlights of the day. You be the judge: Owl's Roost post race party= watery keg beer, oreos, bananas, bagels, pizza and cheap prizes Trailhead's post race party = Gumbi beer, bull testicles, clover salad, homemade salsa, naked meat free cutlets, grilled marinated chicken (thanks Gilly!), sausage, salads (regular and fruit), homemade cookies, brownies, and even a cake (thanks Taz!).

3/26/06 Uwharrie Woodrun Trail MTB Race

Uwharrie MTB Race 3/26/06

Thanks to Squonk for providing the perfect pre-race landing spot, a friendly face, a great cup of coffee, a map and preview of the course, and a much needed distraction for my pre-race jitters. This was my first mountain bike race and only my 3rd time on my new bike, I was very nervous about the upcoming race.












After a bit of confusion at the start, including a 15 minute role call of all riders, I made my way to the back of the sport group, which was definitely the right place for me. I knew I was in trouble as soon as we started, these guys and gals were fast! I'm thinking, pace yourself, you have 16 miles of unknown trail ahead of you. "Pacing" myself meant falling completely behind, forget that, so I caught up with the single file line of riders cruising towards the first hill. The hills were the only place I passed anyone, all day, only to get passed right back on the the downhills. I chalked it up to lack of confidence on the new bike.

I completed the first loop feeling pretty good and started my 2nd loop, only to get confused as I saw no one behind me and some folks coming the opposite way. I stopped and turned around only to find out I was going the right way and the riders I saw were the experts warming up for their upcoming start. That cost me about 5 minutes. The 2nd loop was very comfortable since I knew what was coming and I was warmed up, unfortunately it was on the last half of the last loop that all the pro's caught me, I spent several minutes simply watching them blow by, very frustrating way to "race".

I finished the 16+ miles feeling pretty strong, and could probably go back and do the same course 15+ minutes faster. The trails and views are beautiful and it would be well worth the road trip one day for some great running/biking. Being my first mtn bike race I was less than impressed with the organization, start and end but maybe that's what mtn bike races are like.

A few lessons learned:
1) Try to ride/preview the course before the race, I had no clue what I was getting into.

2) Warm up before the race, not during the race, it took me most of the first loop to even get warmed up, at least it made for a nice last half of the race.

3) I need a cool bike jersey and cool sun-glasses, I may not be very fast but next time I'll look like I am.

4) Try avoiding races in the future where they start people behind you who are only riding 1/2 as far as you, or worse, are semi-pro/pro racers. This made for a very hectic day of looking over my shoulder and worse, moving over to let folks pass.

5) Next time race in the beginners category, not the sport class.

Unleash the Beast

Introducing "The Beast", purchased 3/12/06, Satin Grey Specialized Epic Comp, this thing is so sweet it has its own Brain. The Brain shock automatically adjusts the suspension from firmly efficient in smooth terrain to fully active in the rough stuff.

I cannot wait to ride this thing, Freaky Friday will probably be my first adventure, cannot wait.