After of months of epic successes(or ultimate failure depending on how you look at it) and pushing myself to go further and faster I have finally discovered I am not superman. Damn!, I really thought I had something going there. When Covid struck in March and the world shut down around us, I became addicted; Addicted to weekly and monthly running challenges, many of my own creation and expectations.

Trail Monsters Running (TMR) started weekly events to help us cope with all that was happening around us. Some of them were games like running bingo or running battleship, and some where for distance, speed, elevation or a combination of those. Somewhere along the line I decided, almost unknowingly, that I would do them all. So that is what I did. Every week I would push to complete the weekly challenges, and I had a lot of fun doing them. I ran the most miles I have ever done in a week (105), I sprint up mountain sides, I discovered new plants/flowers, animal prints and scat that I would normally overlook. I took hundreds of pictures. I achieved personal times that I wasn’t sure I still had in me.

That of course wasn’t enough for me. As my races canceled around me (no Riverland 100 in May, No Bradbury dirt series, No BFC in September), at some point I decided the TMR weekly challenges weren’t enough on their own, so I started adding more runs, more challenge in. I decided that in addition to those, I would do a 24 hour 5 mile challenge, I would run 60K of elevation in the month of May, I would do a Bradbury TMR run called the Ultra Extreme Badass Supreme (UXBAS) which equates to about 43 miles, I would do a 50 mile run at Riverlands. I would not only do that 50 mile run but I would do it in the TMR week to get the most miles and try the fastest mile time and fastest 5k times around it. I reached a thousand miles for the year, sooner then I ever have before. And sadly the list goes on.

I didn’t particularly care if I won any of TMR weeks, I just found myself pushing and I set myself up with my own expectation that I HAD to participate. I couldn’t say no. I told myself after running 300 miles in the month of April that I would rest for the month of May. 260 miles later, i told myself I would rest in the month of June. 240 miles later I would rest in July.

That brings me to today, to where I am at laid up not running because I have given myself either plantar fascists or Achilles tendinitis or likely both. I knew in early May when I ran the 50 miles, even before I started that run that I was in trouble in the foot department. After that very long, painful and slow run I blamed my minimalist footwear. It couldn’t possibly be that I was WAY over training. Nope, not me. I just had to keep going. So I did right up until last week when I ran what should have been an “easy” 26 miles at a slow pace, and my feet swelled up, my Achilles tendon shot pain up my leg, and each step around the house after was taken gingerly.

The sad part is I know better. But even as the TMR challenges stopped as we were finally able to reintroduce our weekly group runs, I had no plans of stopping. Even last week after the 26 miles I was hobbling around my house making plans to do the presidential traverse (23 miles, 9K’), the pemi loop (31 miles, 10K’) and a run around 14 peaks on Mount Desert Island.

I would like to say it was the comment made by a TMR running friends, about waiting for me to blow up, (it was already too late for that) that helped me see the light, but nope, I had to literally run myself to the point where even a few miles was bothersome.

Now I have to cope with these injuries. I need to back down, and rely on other ways to keep up my cardiovascular fitness while I recover. I 100% knew and know better. I have been running for nearly 30 years and I still let myself get trapped into over training. I am not entirely sure why. I wan’t trying to impress anyone, I wasn’t trying to win anything. I just simply wanted to see what I could do. I guess one could say I “Forest Gumped” it and just kept running because I felt like it.

Time to chalk this up to another lesson learned in running, and one I hope to never repeat. I find it very interesting that we can know something is wrong, not right, have the knowledge, but we can rationalize our way out of it in the moment. I am grateful for my experiences these last few months, I am grateful that my injuries are relatively minor in the running injuries department (I have had far worse), and those around me can be grateful that I have finally discovered I am not superman.

Still a happy runner signing off, Namaste.

I was on a beautiful fifty mile run last week and I was looking forward to sharing that experience, along with all the other crazy things I have been up to since the start of the pandemic; however, I once again find my mind wondering away from all the fun and crazy running challenges I have been doing and can’t help but use my voice on the limited platform I have to speak on very real and serious subject, Racism. It is real, it has been here forever, and it makes me incredibly sad that a statement as simple as “Black Lives Matter”, is controversial.

In the dark hours of early morning I typically find that I can sink into the rhythm of the run, lose my mind to noncritical thoughts, just be in the moment. I couldn’t on this day. On top of a serious global pandemic, we were now in the midst of major protests over racism. All I could focus on going down that single track dark trail was how lucky was I to have been born white male, particularly in a place like Maine. What a privilege that every day of my life I can just go out at anytime on any public trail and do a run. What a privilege it is that in preparing for my runs all I have to think about is what I am packing, where am I going, and what time do I need to set the alarm. I have never once thought, is it safe for me to go? Can I park in this empty parking lot at 3 AM without the cops being called? Can I go on this run without being accused of some crime? I am so privileged that I don’t even know what thoughts I would or should have before heading out the door.

I kept trying to tell myself as a progressed into daylight to just focus on the moment, that if any person of color was out here they’d be able to enjoy this experience too. There was no one else around, anyone else would also have nothing to worry about. But once again my brain showed me just how privileged I am. To assume that that fear just “goes away”, because maybe a moment of safety is a fallacy. Then I realized that my rationalizing away from these thoughts and concerns is part of the problem. That even though I don’t see myself as racist and we are raising our family to see everyone as equals, that I am just as guilty at complacency as anyone else.

How many times have a scrolled past a “white privilege” meme from one of my online “friends” and just rolled my eyes? How many times have I remained silent at a racist joke? How many times have I not corrected someones racism and remained silent, just to avoid confrontation? The answer to all those questions is the same, too many damn times. My rationale was always the same, my opinion won’t change anyone’s way of thinking, so why bother? That answer occurred to me as well while on this run, because racism isn’t a thing to have an “opinion” on. There is no opinion, it is wrong plain and simple. To not speak out against those moments of covert racism is just a bad to the bigger picture as looking the other way during blatant racism.

The time for silence by everyone needs to end. Everyone needs to do their part, talk about racism, educate ourselves and those around us by reading history and seeing how racism is woven directly into the fabric of our society. We need to reach a critical mass way of thinking in order to see the changes that are necessary.

I now have learned that Neo-Nazis and KKK members have a long standing history in Maine. This I did not know. This education was supplemented by a friend’s Facebook post about a group of Neo-Nazi’s posting their stickers around Portland and the need for people to seek them out for removal. I had always associated these groups with more southern state issues. It never occurred to me prior to reading some articles on Black history in Maine that the reason that we are the #2 whitest state in America (right behind Vermont), is not because people of color didn’t move here, but because we physically eradicated them!

I also received different perspectives on the riots and looting that are occurring along with the protests. I was complicit in saying things like “the protests are important, but the looting needs to stop”, “yes, protest, but they should do so peacefully”. I have been educated and have come to believe that the problem with the line of thinking is that it doesn’t take into account the “whys”. Why are people so enraged that they feel the only solution is violence or property destruction? Why does anyone feel the need to loot a business during a riot, because they see that as their only opportunity to get things that they want? We need to look at the “why’s”, but instead focus on the “shouldn’t haves”.

Everyone has a role to play in this battle, and the first steps is to no longer remain silent. I know I will do my best to no longer do so. That I will challenge my family, friends and colleagues and have those tough conversations. I challenge everyone who reads this blog to learn something new about racism in America and share that information with those around you. It is time we all stand up as one, and be one voice towards change. To have empathy for those around us, and no longer remain silent. Every single person deserves the privilege and opportunity to lace up their shoes at 3 AM and hit a park, trail or road and watch a sunrise from a high ridge with no more worry then getting mulled by a wild animal on their minds.

I was writing a post about all the epic challenges I have been doing with Trail Monsters as part of our way of staying connected without being together, but my wife asked me a question associated with the pandemic last night that has sent me down another thought path, “Why are you holding it together so well?”. She has been struggling the last week harder then before with the stay-at-home orders. Her life outside our home has been turned upside down. Her breaks, her solitude and her physical connections with friends have been decimated. These are all things she relays on to stay balanced in life. Having virtual time with friends doesn’t help her, she craves and needs to be with them physically. All that is okay, we all are different, but it leaves me wondering why I am different.

I initially believed that difference to be because of my running. It has been a dedicated and regular part life for 28 years and it hasn’t changed much with the pandemic. My races have been cancelled, some trails that I love closed, and I am back to running mostly in solitude. I am so use to running alone that it is second nature to me. It has only been in the last year with my new friend Adam and my new trail family that I have found the joy of running with others.

Over the years, I have spent hundreds of hours on my own struggling through physical and mental pain to summit a peak or complete a ridiculous trail in under a certain time. Not for accolades, not for recognition, but simply to prove to myself that I can do it. Even when I was eleven and just starting dedicated training, I ran up the local mountain by myself. To this day, I think Waldo Mountain is probably my most summitted peak, although Bradbury has probably taken it down. My initial thought was all that time alone over the years has conditioned me for solitude and a pandemic situation. But, I now believe that to be wrong. Has it conditioned me to be adaptable when faced with adversity? Mentally tough to push through, when you just want to lay down and quit? Physically tough to push through pain? Yes, it has done all those things, but my wife is also all those things and much more.

She has faced more physical and mental adversity in her life then I have. She has shattered her lower spine, recovered, and became a runner to prove to herself and doctors that her life wasn’t restricted. She has grown two babies inside of her beautiful body and fought through all the mental and physical fatigue of rearing children. She has faced all the adversities our society create for women on a daily basis. And through all the aches and pains life has thrown at her she has fought to find her self identify that was left undiscovered in her childhood trying to be someone she wasn’t. She is tough as nails and one of my main inspiration on my solitude adventures. She may not realize this, but she inspires me to do what I do. When I am out there on some crazy terrain wanting to quit I always think “what would Sarah do? and the answer is always the same, push on. So why, with all conditioning she has had in her life would weeks of staying at home push her to tears and depression? Where as I am doing “okay”?

I think the answer is as simple as consistent self-care. My running is a primary part of my self-identity and it hasn’t been altered that much due to the pandemic. I am still able to go out and enjoy it, probably more frequently then before. Sarah’s self-identity was turned upside down and she has struggled to keep hold of anything consistent. We are trying to reconnect her to the things she loves, but as such a physical being it has been very tough. We will find a path for her and hopefully help her struggle.

My advise to all of those in a similar struggle is to find that one tangible thing that is part of who you are and dedicate daily time to it. Even if it is just an hour, half-hour, whatever you can dedicate to it then do so. If you don’t know what that one thing is then spend time trying to find it. If you still can’t find it then that is okay, because you are not alone. So many are struggling with re-balancing self-care or may not have had it in the first place. It okay to put yourself out there, try something new, or to try practice things you are bad at. The important part is to just take that first step and be consistent. The answer is not binge watching another series on Netflix eating another bag of chips. That isn’t self care, that is further self isolation. Make it something that connects to you on the mental or physical plain and you will be taking care of the most important person in your life, you.

I think that has been one of the most important lessons running has taught me, how to take care of myself. Sometimes I lose sight in the moments that deep down for me it isn’t about being the fastest runner, having the most endurance, winning a race, or more recently winning a TMR challenge. It is just about being out there and doing it. Running has always brought a peace and balance to me while the chaos that we call life swirls around. It is the eye of my storm so to speak. For me the pandemic is just another part of that storm. I hope anyone that takes the time to read my babbling has found or can find their eye, as I do believe we have a long road ahead of us before anything resembles what we had before.

Happy Trails.

I can’t believe it has been almost three months since my last posting. I had many aspirations to write more this winter, but life happens. Onward and upward as the saying goes. Or downward into the dark abyss that COVID19 is trying hardly to take us down.

It seems that my latest goal of completing my first 100 miles at Riverlands in early May will be put on hold. It hasn’t been officially canceled yet, but I think it is coming. Of course given that running over mountains, and through the woods (to grandmothers house we go) has its own “social distancing/isolation” built in my training hasn’t really been impacted by the pandemic and I don’t expect it to. A race gathering with a couple hundred folks is a different matter all together. Even in the worse case scenario of complete shelter at home orders, running on the trails behind my home will continue to be the perfect option to stay fit mentally and healthy in these unknown times. And if the race is canceled, then so be it.

I plan on continuing my training regardless if Riverlands suffers the same fate as most of the worlds marathons and ultra events. At the very least it will prepare me for my current aspirations for this fall. More on that later, for now I believe an update is in order on what I have been up to the last couple months.

I have been steadily training and averaging around 40-50 miles a week for January, and February. For March I have been ramping up to 60 mile weeks and will cap around a 70 miles as my biggest week before tapering down as we approach May.

A primary concern of mine was over training, and burning out before the big day. The idea of running 100 miles is daunting and it could feel like I should be running a lot more than my marathon training, but in my research and advise from many ultra running friends that hasn’t been the case. The advice was to slow down, take it steady, and run back to back days of long distances in training. With that in mind, I have been running with a heart rate monitor to keep me in the anaerobic zone and tacking on the extra long run day each week. Otherwise, my weekdays have been much the same as my marathon training. I have learned that I have to run significantly slower then I would’ve thought to stay in the zone (maybe my marathons times have fallen apart in recent years because I have been training too hard on my easy days…hmmmm). Right, wrong, good or bad, that is the strategy I have implemented and the proof will be in the pudding…..maybe, hopefully, go the fuck away COVID19.

Beyond my running, I haven’t quite figured out my food plan for up to 30 hours of running. I think I’m just going to have my normal foods I like to eat and my protein shakes around. I also know that eventually my will power to not consume large amounts of baked goods at an aid station will falter. The other unknowns are mental fatigue, running on root exposed and rocky trails at night, how my body will react over 60 miles (furthest I have gone), keeping the digestive system balanced, staying hydrated but not water logged (primary goal is to NOT have urine the color of coca-cola like I did on my first 50….opps), and the list goes on. There is definitely a lot to consider, but I don’t believe my typical “be prepared for anything” will work here. It is the unexpected that will get you and I just plan on rolling with the punches. Adapt, overcome, finish is my mantra.

In my training, I have done a lot of fun runs this winter. A few of my highlights are a three part snow show race series at Bradbury, a celebratory 60th birthday party by completing a 60k, a fat ass running event at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, and some epic adventures with my buddy Adam.

The Bradbury snow shoe races series started in January and completed in early March. It is hosted by Trail Monsters Running (TMR) at Bradbury State Park. The distances varied from under 3 miles (due to lack of snow) to just over 4 miles. Not very long, but challenging in their own rights. The weather was just about perfect on each of the race mornings with cold temperatures and plenty of sunshine. The best part race series was the community, energy, seeing my running friends, and being officially badged as part of the TMR family. This was the first time I have raced in snow shoes. I have run in them often over the years but only on my own. I can say without a doubt, I didn’t enjoy the race experience in them. I just felt clunky, over worked for the speed achieved, and just generally felt that I am better suited out of snow shoes. I don’t see myself signing up for next years series but who knows. I change my mind often about these things. At the very least I’ll certainly volunteer and cheer on as part of the TMR community.

Toward the end February, I joined one of the TMR leaders and 40 or so other TMR friends to celebrate her 60th birthday by doing a fat ass event with the goal of doing a 60k, if you wanted to. Fat ass events are in the theme low key ultras with the idea of being relaxed, loosely organized, community fun adventure runs. I without question took on the challenge of the full 60k. (Seriously, of course I would). The course was set up for 6 mile loops back to the start. The day was warm for February and absolutely stunning with bright sunshine and clear skies. The dinger of this day was the ground cover conditions, it was like running on sugar. My hips paid the price for several days after for completing the distance. I even grabbed my poles for the last 2 loops as I feeling the burn. Partly, that’s because I decided to toss my “heart rate” training out the window and went out on the first 3 loops with another runner (cough, 12 years younger, cough). Because you know, I can’t help and throw down when the opportunity presents itself……I lost. Still had a great day and out of the 40 plus starters only 2 of us went the full distance and I felt accomplished and glad for my training to see me through the conditions.

A couple weeks after the 60k I joined another TMR Fat Ass event at the Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. This park was a hidden gem of a location for me. I had never heard of it before and it was about 25 mins from home. They have a great trail system and I’ll definitely be doing more exploring this spring/summer. The idea with the event was to go as far as you can in a 6 hour window. It was once again a loop style with each taking you about 4 1/2 miles. About 20 other runners started the day and I took off at a brisk pace leading the pack. Unlike a couple weeks before there wasn’t anyone who went out with me so I set my own steady strong pace. I once again ignored my heart rate training pace but at least I planned on it this time. The terrain was challenging but nothing like the sugar. This was surprise frost holes, mud, and ice. You know typical Maine transition season trail conditions. I finished the first loop fast to discover I was about a mile short in the distance. Luckily one of the TMR’s was getting a late start so I went back out with her and found where I went wrong. I am glad to have corrected this error as it was a beautiful single track section. After we reconnected to the main trail that I had inadvertently stayed on Lap one, I broke off and retraced the single track section to make up for the distance I had skipped. I finished my 2nd loop strong and right in line with mileage. I went on to finish 4 more Laps bringing my days total to 6 Laps (around 27 miles). I spent the better part of my day alone in the woods occasionally passing by runners coming in and out of the start. I am probably missing the point of fat ass events and really should spend the day as part of the community. But on this day I did go the furthest distance in the given time and earn myself a delicious growler out of it. I think the next fat ass I’ll stay with a group and enjoy the day chatting….yeah, sure, that’ll happen.

One of my favorite memories from running this winter was with Adam on a 15 mile day out at Bradbury. The plan was simple: Start at 7 am and leave from Bradbury to connect with a TMR group run 10 miles away at another park by way of what is referred to as the beautiful loop at 9 AM. Only catch was i had never run the loop and was guessing on the directions and the hand drawn map. I guessed wrong and didn’t even start on the correct side of the park (way to go Bucky, nice map reading skills). We never met up with TMR group and the conditions were intense. Intense might be an under statement. It was a rainy, cold, slushy hell, but I wouldn’t trade it for another day. Most of that has to do with having company. On my own, I am not sure I would have gone the full 15 miles, as it was the TMR group that I was suppose to meet only ended up doing 3 miles themselves. Most of the morning was spent running through ankle deep slush and simply getting lost. Adam and I forged ahead convinced we were on the right track, we weren’t and not even close. Our adventure took us through streams, and into knee deep slush, all the while my saying, “oh just a little longer and we will be there”. Finally, when 9 AM hit and we faced a significantly larger stream forging, we admitted defeat. We had zero desire to go back the way we had come, and cut through the woods to what we hoped was the right direction of a road. We didn’t find a road, but we found a familiar trail…….the one we had started on two hours earlier. Having done a complete circle, we decided to go up Bradbury and at least get a summit out of this, and completing our last few miles to call the day at 15. The day was very challenging, but it was a wonderful memory to look back upon. We blasted our favorite songs, we sang, we made videos of us running through the slush, and trying to jump over streams (unsuccessfully, it turns out that like in high school track, I still can’t jump). All in all one of my top running days of the winter.

As winter comes to a close and we transition to spring, I remain hopeful that with Covid19 will go away as fast as it has come and Riverlands will be a go. The hosts (TMR) has said they will make the decisions by April 20th. Even if it is canceled my near 500 miles of training so far this year won’t go to waste. I will continue to push ahead as I have lots to do the summer and fall (hopefully). My grand plan for the year was to complete all the races TMR hosts and offers. This includes the snow shoes race series (check), the summer trail race series, and Big Brad 50 milers/50K. The only hitch in the plan is how to do the 50 mile and 50K (82 miles). The run the same course, just the 50K does one less loop but it is technically its own race. I have two ideas: the first is that TMR will allow me an extra early 4:30 AM start, and will even allow me to finish an hour after cut off at 7:30 PM. That would gives me 15 hours to complete my goal, but also means I need to average 11 min/miles on a challenging course. I am not sure I can do it, and am waiting to see how I do at Riverlands at 80 miles in. The second idea and back up plan is to run the 50K on the day before the race and the 50 miler on race day. Beyond the TMR races, I plan on going back to Tennessee for the 2020 running of the Barkley Fall Classic and finish the year with round 4 of the good old Milly-nocket marathon.

These great plans for the remainder of the year have left me optimistic and feeling strong. My body aches and pains are minimal with my nagging left hamstring mild on the worst days. Maybe there is something to this anaerobic target heart rate training that is slowing me down. Here is to hope and faith that I have many positive race reports for the year, but if all else fails no better way to be socially distant then out in the woods and over the mountains. A happy runner signing off, Namaste.

The plan was simple: go with a group of running friends from Trail Monster and do 15 1/2 miles on 90% trails from Brunswick to the YMCA in Freeport and back to obtain 31 miles on the last day of the year. The promise of some bush whacking, a stream crossing or two and the ongoing snow storm did not deter a group of 5 of us from hitting the trail head at 8 AM this morning with the hope of finishing the day in 6 hours. My last question asked of our small band of merry men before our first steps onto the snow covered trail, should I grab my snowshoes? An hour later and many high knees later and only 3 miles in it was clear the answer was: yes, yes you should.

My inner Bucky screamed at me as we trudge those first few steps, grab the snow shoes!, but no one else seemed to mind and I didn’t want to be the one guy. Well, after running on a snow shoe trail laid by one of the guy’s moms for a 1/2 mile or so there is no doubt in my mind that had a put on my pair and blazed the trails everyone would have been very grateful and we would have made better progress. We earned every step, as we bounded through the snow finding that in most locations no one else had been on the trails that morning and it was up to use to forge ahead.

The trails through the woods were absolutely beautiful. For the better part of my time the snow never stopped. It started out light and fluffy ranging from 8″-10″, if not deeper in some areas. As the day wore on the snow turned to wet and heavy and certainly made for some very challenging miles. The initial hope was that the snow would be thinner in the forests with thick tree cover, but I could tell very little difference between the fields and the dense forest. It all kind of sucked in its own special way, but I wouldn’t have traded the day for another.

We did keep track of how many times people fell, and I can happily report that I ended the day with zero falls and the other guys each had 2 or 3. One poor guy slipped down a stream crossing area, landed on his ass, and as he was reeling in that initial surge of pain the tree above decided at that very moment to dump its snow on top of his head. We all laughed in the it isn’t really funny, but it sucked so bad that your mind doesn’t know what else to do because you are all helpless to provide assistance, kind of way. He stood up like a champ and we continued on our way.

I want to say the worst sections of the day was the windy fields with the deep ass snow, but I think the road areas may win that prize. We had to connect a few of the trails by running on the road edge that had very little to no shoulder and plenty of trucks who decidedly refused to share the road with a group of morons and did their best to cover us in slush. My favorite was the guy who got closer and really splashed us head to toe. Lucky I was in need of some salt, it tasted great, thanks asshole.

The bonus of the roads was a break on the legs from snow hopping and high knees, but the few sections were short lived and it was never long before one of us was going through the waist deep road embankment to start another slog through snowy trails. It is hard to appreciate the serene beauty you are surrounded when your head is tipped down and you doing your best to either blaze a trail or step in the prints of the guy in front of you. When our heads weren’t down, or when we weren’t zigzagging to avoid the bent over snow covered branches, I don’t think any of us got out of the woods without getting dumped on at least once, we did get the pleasure of seeing many deer tracks, and an owl.

At around 11:30 we hit a impromptu aid station but on by two trail monsters who had decided that today was not the day to join in the fun. After a few chips and words of encouragement they would meet us again, along with 5 others at around one 3-4 miles away at the YMCA. The 5 others were planning on hitting the trail back with us, but we had all but decided at that point that we would not be going back the way we came. At this point I realized how wet and cold my feet really were getting, but I knew I could make the last section of the trail in my current state and would evaluate once we hit the Y.

Those final miles were very long and very slow. I would say we walked a large portion of them, and the snow had gotten heavy. My hamstring that I am still nursing from Millinocket also started to get a little twinge to it. That along with my feet getting colder, I knew my miles were numbered. We got excited at one point on this section as we ran into a large group of walkers coming the direction we were heading who had packed a little trail down and we actually got some speed under our feet, but alas it was short lived because they were on a different trail then what we needed.

After this point, I recall telling one of the guys that I am going to pretend I am walking not because I am tired, but simply because we don’t want to twist an ankle on these snow covered small 4×4 foot bridges. Soon after we we were able to get out of the trails for the last time hit a road run to the YMCA arriving just after 1 pm and 14 1/2 miles into the day. For those keeping track that was over 5 hours for not even half the distance which averages out at 22ish mins/mile. We had cut off a mile of the distance by skipping the last small trail section and heading to the Y directly on the road, after all we had 5 people waiting on us.

It was at this point that I decided I would take up the offer of one of the guys I started the day with for a car ride back to my truck. If I had smartly stored an extra pair of shoes and socks at the 1/2 point like one of the guys, then I may have considered continuing, but probably not. Two of the original five were already dropping and the other two had decided to take the new joiners out on the roads, but would not likely make the total miles we had original set out for, as everyone was in agreement that going back the way we came you would not make it back before dark.

I couldn’t find my head lamp in my packing last night and had no desire to trudge through the snow in the dark. That on top of my nagging hamstring and cold feet, I ultimately came to the conclusion that nothing was going to be gain by my continuing to add miles onto my day. Overall, I felt good and even with the enormous expenditure of effort to get those miles in I felt very positive. Had I continued, particularly with road miles, I would have likely ended my day limping much like I did just a few weeks ago.

I am glad I called it a day, and despite having to adjust my expectations of my original goal of the day, I wouldn’t call the day a failure. I had a wonderful experience in the woods for 5 1/2 hours, and was able to get home in time for family fun in the snow, and for me there was no better way to end the year.

Was it cold? Kind of, but not really.  I only felt it the last 5 miles as I turtle shuffled my way to the end. The sun had set below the tree line and the shade was prevalent.  That was the low part of my 2019 run of the Millinocket marathon.  Miles to go, cold, and limping along on a gimpy hamstring.   No matter how hard I try to not set expectations and live in the moment, I failed. I was disappointed, discouraged, frustrated and the list goes on.  My hamstring injury from the fall of 2018 came back to haunt and humble me.  Did I finish, yes.  Am I happy that I had the fortitude to stick it through even though it would have been easier to call it a day and drink a beer, yes.  However, I still cannot shake this feeling that I failed myself in some way.  Did I mean what I said in my previous writings that I would just enjoy the day and run whatever pace my body allowed that day, yes I did.  In that moment, in that time of writing I did, but once I started my day despite my best intentions expectations set in. 

The curtain opening that morning was perfect.  The temperatures were already in the teens and rising to the 20’s.  The sun was shining, Katahdin could be seen looming in the distance.  I woke up early, was able to get a mediation in, warm up with some yoga, eat a breakfast of oatmeal and eggs, spend some time with friends, and just in general had a very relaxing morning.  Overall I felt great. 

I arrived at the race start ready to go, feeling strong, feeling relaxed.  I did a dancing warm up session with the DJ at the gazebo (that was a blast), put on my micro spikes ( I wouldn’t need them until Golden road, but it is a short run on pavement there and made sense to start with them on) , found Darren,  and felt ready to roll.  Darren had a goal, average 8 minutes per mile, and I was committed to seeing him through it. That was the first step to setting myself up for failed expectations. That I myself belonged in that 8 min/mile category. I knew I had a hamstring issue, and I have just spent a year training on trails and mountains at a significantly slower pace.  To go from trails to mostly all hard packed icy road and pavement was not the smartest of my plans in my running life, but it is what I did. Besides, I felt really good and it seemed like I had a strong group to spend the day with. 

I had Darren, along with a recently discovered friendship in the awesomeness that is Adam, and his newly formed friend from his MDI marathon, Sara.  Between the five of us it seemed we would be within 10 or so minutes of each other and we might as well have fun together.  Well, that all lasted about 30 seconds after the gun went off and the race started.  For whatever reason our little band broke apart with the first ½ mile.  I think that Sara was suffering from a knee issue and Adam hung back to see what she was up to and  Darren and I took off settling into our pace towards Golden road.  I never saw Sara again, and I think she finished not long after me. 

The plan to start was to hit golden road and maintain an 8:15/mi pace.  On the average that is exactly what we did.  We were slower going up the hills and faster down. Golden Road was perfect and beautiful. The pace felt like we were working, but not over kill for the early miles.  The sun was bright and warm and Katahdin was visible.  You would feel the positive energy in the air and despite the 20 degree temps there were definitely sections in the sun where I could have worn a t-shirt and shorts.  The miles clipped by easily and Darren and I spent the time chatting and monitoring our pace. We had a couple miles in there well above goal pace, but we both did a good job reeling the other in.

 We breeze through several aid stations just grabbing a quick drink.  It did not take me long to find that my soft flasks do not work well in the winter, as I suspected, but there were plenty of aid stations with hydration.  They did seem to be lacking food this year and appeared to mostly offer alcohol shots, Gatorade or water.  I am glad that I choose to bring my standard protein mix with me as it would help keep going throughout the day.  I will say that the aid stations energy was a blast to be around and they were clearly having fun.  They also did a fantastic job keeping the water and Gatorade unfrozen, particularly on the 2^nd lap.  In years pasts this was not the case but A+ this year for all the stations for that challenging feat in itself.  I also got to see my buddy Mike at mile five area.  Mike carried my brothers Summit Project stone at their Acadia event this year and he is one of the volunteer photographers.  It was great to see him and he brightened my spirit on both laps. 

Darren and I finish the golden road section and turned onto the pavement in just over 56 mins. With a quick stop to remove our micro spikes, we hit the pavement feeling strong. The goal on this next section was 7:45’s.  Very doable for us, since that was our average pace during a 20 mile training run in late October.  Again, we had a few fast miles, but we did follow them up with a couple slower miles. I felt solid and strong until around mile marker 10.  My left foot went numb, it felt like my arch was locked in the up position and I could feel my hamstring tighten up.  I knew in that moment I was in trouble and should just back down from the pace.  I have had this same experience in the Sugarloaf marathon two years prior and I knew what was coming.  But, even with that knowledge, I was still stubborn and did not listen (remember I am a marathoner after all, bad listeners even to ourselves).  I did not want to bring voice to my numb foot and carried on in silence while Darren kept us clipping along.  I did not want to acknowledge that it was happening again, I wanted it to go away, and thought maybe this is the time it does.  That if I mentioned it to Darren I would somehow make it worse.  So I kept it to myself, but did reel Darren in on the pace back down to 8’s for a couple miles under the guise of “we have been going too fast, we need to back off a bit”.  That seemed to work and by mile 12 I was back to feeling strong.

We were soon back in the town and cruising easily up the last “cookie” hill to see the array of beautiful cookies that a lovely lady makes every year.  I did not grab one this year, as I didn’t want to stop and thought “I will grab one in celebration on my last lap”……even though I KNOW that the cookies are long gone every year by time I come back around; Marathon brain strikes again.  We come in to the ½ way point at 1 hour 45 mins 36 seconds.  That puts us at an average, 8 mins 3 second/mile, perfect. 

I suggest that we make a quick pit stop at the starting area restrooms, put on our mircospike and start our second lap.  This is the point where I realize Darren had unvoiced concerns about our pace on the first lap, as he quickly agrees to the stop and states that “the first lap certainly didn’t feel like it wasn’t work”.  We agree that we can readjust our golden road 2^nd loop pace plan from 8:30’s to 9’s.  Then review how we are feeling after golden and one or both of us can cruise the last 6 miles of pavement if we want.  Alas, neither of us would make it that far at the prescribed pacing. After our quick stop and start back up the first hill toward golden road leaving downtown, it is clear to me Darren is feeling it.  He really drags the pace up the hill, and not long after the golden road Darren has a calf cramp and we come to a stop. We walk while I mess around getting him some salt/magnesium/potassium mix that I have with me for just this case.    Darren also stops to “admire some moose prints” of which I think he is losing his mind, but as it turns out that he is not because after the race a report comes over that an earlier runner had to stop to let a moose cross.  This land really is magical. 

At this point we have now put two miles in at around 12 mins/mile and really need to get going. Darren starts up again, only to start suffering from freezing hands.  I convince him to exchange gloves with me for a bit as my hands are warm and dry.  It takes me about two seconds to realize why his hand were frozen after our exchange.  His gloves hold moisture and the fingers were frozen solid.  No wonder his hands were freezing, he would have been better off without. 

We continue our slow jog and over the course of the next mile or so we stop for a shot of Dr. Mcgillicuddy’s (my first shot of the day and it would be followed two more) and some candy bracelets.  After about another mile, Darren gives me my gloves back.  He saw another runner without any gloves and figured he could go without.  He is starting to feel better again and we make an attempt to pick up the pace, but now it is my turn.  I feel an extreme tightening in my left hamstring again and I know that it is done for the day.  At about this point I hear “Bucky!” behind me and here comes Adam hot on our heels.  As soon as I heard Adam yell my name I felt defeated.  I knew he was going for a 4 hour time and that I stood no chance at bringing Darren in at his goal pace or even close to it. Adam is looking good and Darren is feeling better.  I convince Darren to go with Adam and that I will be fine.  They are soon spots in the distance and they ultimately finish within a few minutes of each other right around 4 hours.  It looks like I will spend the last 10 miles alternating between walking and my turtle speed; stuck in my own thoughts.

 Unlike last year where I met Darren, I spent the last miles to myself.  I received plenty of encouragement from runners passing by or from the walkers I passed.  I stopped at the aid stations for water, only to find that they didn’t have much in the way of food.  I would have gladly eaten my feelings at this point.  The popcorn and shot I did get from the last aid station on golden was well received.  It is just so discouraging to feel like you have more in you to give, but unable to see it through.

 Those miles were very long indeed.  I was able to get off golden road at around 3 hours and 20 mins in and enjoy a cup of veggie soup and took off my spikes.  I had just around 7 miles to go and it was time to start settling into suffering through these last miles. The sun was getting low and the cold was setting in.  I decided to run a ¼ mile, walk a ¼; run ½ walk ¼; run ¾ walk ¼ and run 1 walk ¼. If I did that twice I would be done. I tried to lift my sprits by playing some music but that lasted about 5 mins before the cold killed my phone. There were not a lot of aid stations left and I found that I missed the happy elves of years past that had set up a hot cider station along this section.  I stopped at the two stations that were along the roadside, grateful for the water and impressed that they kept it unfrozen.  Finally, after 5 miles I could see the Saw Mill Bar and knew I only had a couple miles left.  And there waiting for runners where group of folks dressed up as Care Bears offering M&M’s, fig newtons, water, and shots of Fireball.  I got a hug from each of those them (pretty sure some of the guys were less than thrilled to give a random sweaty dude a hug, but they did it) and took some of each of the offerings along with a 3^rd and final shot of the day.  This final uplifting moment saw me through to the end at my turtle shuffle speed (no more walking for this guy).  I was a little sad to see that the cookie hill lady was long gone and packed up.  Next year I am grabbing one and storing it for later, but with under a mile I wasn’t stopping not even to see if there was any cookies on the ground.  I wasn’t that desperate, I mean if I saw one on the ground I would have eaten it, but marathon brain allows for poor judgement.  I could finally see and hear the crowds in the distance as I trudge down Main Street and cross the finish line limping in at 4 hours 37 mins, completely my 15^th marathon and setting a new personal worse time.

I haven’t felt good about my road marathon times since Maine Coast Marathon and MDI in 2015 and this race wasn’t any different.  Just a slow progression into longer times despite all the work I do in cross training, yoga, diet, and runs.   I clearly haven’t figured out the cause of my hamstring woes, but I will.  It may be that I should have stopped and slowed the pace at mile 10 when I first felt it, or it could have been the stopping for Darren. Maybe I should have taken that Ibuprofen that I carry in my bag or maybe if I had remembered to put that anti-inflammatory cream on my hamstring that morning things would have turned out different. It is likely a combination of all 4. There is no doubt in my mind, body, or soul that I still have a faster road marathon time in me.  I know I can run this Millinocket course in 3 ½ hours, I can feel it.  It may have avoided me yet again, like it has the 3 other times, but I have come to accept in the weeks since finishing.

 We all must have a personal worse and I finished without permanent injury or quitting.  When I think about my 2019 running of Millinocket I walk away feeling positive.  I had a great time with friends, the weather was perfect, I was able to make needed donations, and once again a community came together and stood in the cold all day long for runners/walker like me.  It really is a magical place and one that I am proud to be a small part of.   

What is my next adventure one might wonder? It is in the land of perseverance. It is in the land of awesome community support and energy. It is in the land of random pop up aid stations that offer everything from delicious soups, homemade cookies, and shots of whiskey! It is the great 26.2 miles of chilly fun in Millinocket, Maine.

From the hosts website: “This free event was started in 2015 to help a struggling Maine mill town that has been devastated by the closing of their major employer. The only requirement for runners is that they generously support local businesses and contribute to the Katahdin region in some way”.

I have participated in this event for a few years and December 7th will be my next running of the marathon. This is the only road marathon I will be doing in 2019 and will likely be the only one I will do in 2020. I greatly enjoy the atmosphere, the community feel, the shots of Fireball (of course), and the joy of giving back to a community in need. I spend the weekend enjoying the area and contribute by shopping at the local stores/events, donating to the charities, getting a hotel room, and eating at the restaurants.

I also enjoy the event because it was the first marathon I did where I really just let go of goal times. This race gave me the opportunity to live in the moment of the race and gain pleasure from the experience itself. It helped me start down the path of acceptance to the runner I am and the runner I am becoming.

Millinocket has also given my opportunities to help other runners. Last year I was able to assist a new found friend, Darren, in completing his first marathon. I convinced him continue at the 15 mile marker when he had already surrendered to quitting. We had started out the race together, but he broke from me after the turn off golden road and onto the paved roads. This is a dangerous spot on the first loop because it is easy to be feeling good, to finally be out of the head wind, out of the steady up hill climbs, and off the ice/snow packed gravel road. It can give you a false sense of security and you can take off at a pace beyond your training. That is just what happened to him. In general, we marathoners are terrible listeners. I did my best to warn him prior to the turn onto the road, but he did his own thing at the moment, and in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.

My own race that day was a personal struggle. It was 14 degrees out, and I was suffering from a pulled hamstring from a 1/2 marathon in September that I had already run a marathon on in October. Just after the half way point I had just about given up myself, I even passed by my car and sat in it for a few minutes, thinking I could just drive back to the start and claim a 1/2 finish. Something else drew me back out of the car that day. Was it the fact I didn’t want an DNF? Was it that I had never failed to finish a marathon? Or was it the universe telling me to keep going for a reason beyond my own? For whatever it was, I got out and resolved to continue and within a couple of miles, there was Darren walking back to the start, quitting. I took it as my sign to finish the day and convinced him to turn around. I stayed with him doing the old run/walk alternation and we had a great time.

This year we are planning on starting out together again, and I will do my best to stay with him. He has been training very hard with a goal time focus. If I can comfortably stay with him I will and offer or heed whatever advise we can provide each other as we progress; enjoying the moment of watching him succeed again. If I can’t stay with him then I will have a good time connecting with new people at whatever pace I am doing on that day.

Moments like that are what make this marathon special. It does come with its own challenges from the below freezing average temperatures to the aforementioned icy/snow packed Golden Road and the subsequent turn to pavement, or the unpredictable overall weather caused by Katahdin. It could sub zero, snow, sleet, rain, or be sunny and 50 degrees out; we will find out the morning when we open the curtains to the hotel room.

How will I be prepared for the curtain opening? Pack everything of course. I will have my cold running gear which consists of under armor base on both upper and lower, tech shirt, shorts, wind breaker jacket/pants, my darn tough socks, gloves,winter hat, and neck/face scarf. I have found that combination typically gets me through the worst winter weather. If it was extremely cold or windy, I would add on a sweatshirt over my base. Really once you get moving and as long as you stay moving it is surprising comfortable even in the coldest of temps. Also, with multiple layers I can dress down easily enough if it is warmer then average.

For this race I will also adjust my food and hydration routine, which I will talk about more in-depth in my next posting, but on this particular race I will just consume whatever food and hydration they have at the pop-up aid stations. I normally wouldn’t recommend this, but my stomach is iron-clad and I have rarely experienced any issues going “off script” during a race. The only time that I can think of that I regretted eating and running was greasy Chinese food and that was a really, really bad idea. Me and the bushes got up close and personal that day (Opinion, I personally think dried leaves are the best).

I will make this adjustment for this event, because I enjoy the randomness of their aid stations and I like to show my support to the folks coming out to make the effort to set them up, gather the products and up keep the stations all day long in the cold. This race doesn’t request, design, or set up the Aid-stations. They are locals who have decided to setup shop to show their support and love for the runners coming to their area to help the community. No better way to recognize their efforts then by using the stations.

Besides using the stations for the enjoyment and support, it also makes sense to not carry my typical pack and supplies because most of my stuff is water based. It is below freezing on average and it doesn’t take long for your pack supplies to harden up and become another thing to manage. You either have to to have everything insulated, or take lots of little sips to keep the water flowing and blow back into your tubs or I suppose I could also just add vodka into everything, that could be interesting. Also, my new soft flasks that I use for my main hydration source are untested in the cold and I don’t want to discover any issues while in the middle of a race.

For physical preparedness, I feel ready to run it now with all my training I did this summer getting ready for the BFC. My goal for the next couple months is just to maintain my current fitness by alternating a 50 mile week with the longest run being 20 miles, with an easier 30+ mile week with the longest run being 12 miles. I will also keep up my yoga and strength training routines and toss in a taper week or two just before the race. Physically, that should keep me well prepared.

My only other consideration is all hard pack gravel road and pavement terrain. I have done all my running in 2019 on off pavement trails. This was because of a lot of hip and foot issues I experienced the last few years that I associated with pavement. Neither has bothered me much this year, so it is either being off the hard surfaces or the naturally slower paces of technical (twists, turns, roots, rocks, slippery, etc) trail running. I have decided to not test my body on pavement until the day of the race and I will find out if my trail training translates to a more comfortable pavement run; Fingers crossed.

No matter how December 7th works out I am setting out to have a good time with old friends, new friends, a great community and some whiskey. Half the battle in any long distance event is the mental aspect, and it might even be more then half. You reap what you sow, right? Millinocket has more then enough positive energy and good vibes to going around to fully enjoy the moments and persevere through whatever the curtain opening decides to toss at us that day. I will sport my pink bunny suit at the fun run on Friday night, I will have smile on my face on Saturday, and I will raise a glass (or two) to all that faced the day either running, supporting, or spectating because we came together accomplished something wonderful.

With all the available aid stations you can run a standard road marathon with just the shirt on your back, shorts on your tush, and shoes on your feet. Really the only must have on your body from a male’s perspective are the shorts. We see plenty of shirtless runners and barefoot running is common enough. In my experience, pavement was the easiest surface to run on barefoot. I will never forget my first marathon WAY back in 2004. Here I am a 23 year old athletic stud in the best shape of my life, ready to tackle my first marathon. The only people that are going to beat me are the star athletes, the leaders. Everyone else watch out. Well, that all changed once I hit the “wall” at mile 20 and was passed by the barefooted 70 year old wearing a trash bag, among many others. I finished that marathon, but really got an eye opening experience about what it takes to run marathons and beyond.

Now that I am transiting more into beyond category, it takes more then just a few basics to complete the routes. Many of the ultra marathons have limited aid stations and when you are on a 35 mile training run in the mountains on your own for 10 to 12 hours or more there are are no aid stations or drop bags. What you have is what you can carry and you want that to be as light as possible.

Most recently I completed the BFC 50K which ended up having more Aid stations then I expected, but in my opinion it is always good to be prepared in any ultra event to be on your own. Below is the gear I used for all my training leading up to the BFC and had on me during the event. I have put close to a thousand miles into most of this gear and I will share my opinion of each; what I will keep and what I will change going forward.

GEAR ON ME:

• Ultimate Direction AK Mountain Vest 3.0
  • This is a great pack. I switched it out earlier this year for one that I was using that my wife had bought for me as a birthday gift years ago. This vest is light weight, tons of pockets (I even discovered a new pocket I hadn’t seen before when I was cleaning out after the BFC), has great space and overall fits my needs well. My only issue with it was they didn’t have a medium available, as Ultimate is really pushing the 4.0. I suspect they no longer manufacture the 3.0. When this one wears out then I will likely go with Ultimate again. I went with the small and it still fits well, I only had to extend the chest straps so that I could snap them closed.
• Hydration pack, 1 liter, Aonijie
  • If you read my BFC experience blog, then you know that this baby is a goner. I don’t even know where I got it from or when. It doesn’t come with the Ultimate vest. But I tell you that it is a complete pain to close anytime, let alone when you are feeling the clock ticking down on you in a race. You have to fold over the top, careful not to squeeze the liquid out and then slide a handle closer device between the folds to seal it tight. It doesn’t leak when you do it right, but whoever designed this thing clearly didn’t have time sensitive moments in mind. It got me through the BFC, but it will not be making the cut going forward.
• (2) Ultimate Soft Bottles, 16.9 oz each.
  • These came with the the Ultimate vest. Overall I like them and will continue to use them. I will note that they can difficult to pull out of vest pockets, but I discovered about a month after using them that you can just tip your head down and drink versus taking them in/out every time. The pressure created acts like a straw and you can really drink them dry. Again, if you read my BFC experience entry you will know that the squeeze top mouth apparatus popped off when I laid down and caused too much pressure in the flask. I don’t blame the flask for that. I shouldn’t be laying down on the job anyway. One final note, during my ascent through the briers at the BFC the flasks did get pulled out of the vest pocket a couple times, but I again blame myself for not properly securing them. I never had an issue with them during normal terrain traversing.
• Hat, Nike Tailwind Dri-Fit
  • As a hat it served its purpose for a quick buy. I wanted a hat to deal with sweat and sun. It did both those adequately. I personally am not a huge hat person and this was not my original hat. My original was Inov8 All Terrain Peak Running Cap. I lost it a couple weeks before the BFC and a new one would not arrive in time, so a quick trip to the running store produced the Nike. I really like the Invo8 and have a new one coming. The Nike will go into the dresser for an emergency again, but the brim is far too long giving me wicked tunnel vision on the trails. I ended up turning it backwards most of the time; just so I could be like one of the cool kids. I like to think of it has “high speed” mode.
• Shirt, Under Armour Heat Gear, Fitted
  • I love how this shirt fits my body and feels. It dries very quick, has UV protection, is well constructed, and has never left my nipples wishing I had remember my anti-chafe salve. I do hate the color. Way too bright blue and has dark camouflage front…why anyone would one would do that print is beyond me. It was a gift from my in-laws many Christmas’s ago and sat in my dresser for a long time. I finally actually wore it and LOVED it. (Thank you Cheryl and Clayton, I am sorry I questioned your judgment). I have since hunted near and far in local stores and on the far reaches of the web and it seems under armor no longer manufactures this shirt. They still have the Heat Gear, but none seem to be the “fitted” style. Their other sizes just don’t seem to fit exactly the same. I will continue my search in hopes of buying a few more before this one is worn out.
• Shorts, Salomon Trail Runner Twinskin
  • This shorts are the bomb. They have the compression underwear built right in and a short like material around. I will admit at first I questioned them when they arrived because the inner thighs and crotch area are all just the compression underwear material and the short like material does not continue in those sensitive areas, visually speaking. I was worried about giving anyone behind me on a climb a show they weren’t bargaining for. However, that material hides everything appropriately and it is not an issue. These are super comfortable, nice fitting and no worry about chafing in those same visually sensitive areas. They also have a nice pocket all the way around the waist band. Perfect for smart phone storage or gel packs, if you use those.
• Compression Calf Sleeves, CamdenGear
  • These are pretty standard and nothing much to add. You either find you get a benefit from them or not. I personally like wearing calf sleeves with a pair of high socks. It creates nice cover from getting your legs scratched and good protection from ticks. There is also plenty of science behind using them, but that is not why I do.
• Socks, Darn Tough Vertex Mirco Crew Ultra-Light Cushion
  • These socks are great and I highly recommend them. Lifetime warranty no questions asked policy for any holes. They are skin tight, light, and breathable, keep my feet cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Socks are not something I recommend messing around with. Find out what works for you and stick with them. Nothing can make a run harder than hot sweaty feet with bunched up socks giving you blisters.
• Shoes, Xero TerraFlex Trail Runners
  • I am a big fan of Xero shoes and sandals. Over the years I have gone from the most built up padded shoes (Hoka’s), to bare feet, to sandals and finally settling on the minimalist shoes from Xero. I will not go into what I think of the shoe industry and what it has done to our feet, maybe I will do a separate post on that, but now a days if you look at my feet I usually have Xero’s on. The ones I wear for rough terrain Trail running are the TerraFlex. They are a great minimalist shoe, provide fantastic traction even on wet rocky surfaces or sandy inclines, a 5,000 mile warranty on the soles, and don’t retain water for those puddle hoping days (or when your trudging through a swamp). I did swap out the standard laces with quick tighten/release style. There was nothing wrong with the standard laces, just a personal preference to be able to re-tighten a shoe quickly while on the run. I have had a few issues with Xero’s over the years with with the front of the shoe separating from the sole and the lace straps breaking, but their customer service has been top notch, super responsive and have replaced them when needed. A lot of their reviews complain about sizing issues, but I have never had that issue. They are tight, but meant to mimic bare feet and you can wear them without socks without risk of blistering. Generally, if you follow their instructions online on proper sizing then one shouldn’t have an issue. My last note on them would be that I absolutely felt every rock on the BFC gravel roads. I may consider a padded insert to help with that next time, but otherwise I plan on sticking to my Xero’s.
• Sunscreen, Riemann P20
  • I purchased this product after doing some google searches for what ultra runners use for sun block. I am not a huge fan of sun block in general as I do not feel they prevent skin cancer and there is now lots of science coming out about it blocking your body from receiving vitamin D. However, since I am unwilling to avoid the sun, or wear full long sleeved shirts and pants in the summer and I don’t really want to get a sun burn, due to my very white and very burn susceptible skin, sun screen it is. I have yet to find a USA location that carriers it, but I order on Amazon from the UK and it takes a few weeks to come in. Overall, it is a great sun screen that lasts all day or at least past the point of worrying about the sun. It is spray applied, and doesn’t leave me skin feeling too oily or sticky after application. It does exactly as described on Amazon and I would recommend it to anyone who asked. I used it all summer in the heat of day blazing sun and never once got a sun burn. I even successfully tested it out a few times at water parks with the kids and only had to apply it to them once in the beginning of the day and no sun burns at the end of the day. My sister did get a sunburn on a part of her arm “using it” on a beach/kayak day, but that is her own fault from improper application. You could literally see where she applied it and where she hadn’t on her arm.
• Water Filter, LifeStraw
  • I carried this with me during the BFC, but did not have use it. I would leave the filter at home on the next BFC. There wasn’t a lot of water to pick from anyway. I have used it many times on my training runs and it works exactly as intended. You can drink directly from any body of water and it successfully filters out the bad microorganisms. There is something pretty cool about drinking from a nice cold mountain stream. Most of my training runs had easy water access so I could stop anytime I wanted a drink. However, I am going to be doing more research on compact filters that I could carry with me that have the ability to filter as you pump into a hydration pack or bottle. With the life straw you either have to drink direct from the source or put the dirty water in a bottle and then drink it through the straw. I don’t always want to stop every time I want a drink. If I was doing a training run or race that I am confident had plenty of water access then I would consider leaving the hydration back at home and carrying the Lifestraw instead. It would certainly reduce the overall weight of my pack.
• Miscellaneous Gear I carried:
  • Gloves, flex impact, firm grip- Great to protect the hands from bear crawling up steep inclines surrounded by briars.
  • Bandanna, nondescript – great item to have to wipe sweat from the face or to put under your hat to protect your ears and back of neck.
  • Watch- I am not a huge gadget person. No GPS was allowed at the BFC and I generally don’t wear one anyway. I had a cheap $ 8.88 one from wal-mart with a canvas like strap, I don’t like rubber ones particularly when on the cheap side. Just something to keep track of overall time.
  • First Aid kit- ace bandage, band aids, gauze, mole skin, chap stick, sharp knife, ibuprofen, and extra batteries All important items to carry in case of emergency in my opinion.
  • Head Lamp, L.L. Bean: great head lamp, use it on all my dark runs and has a nice red light feature that is easier on the eyes at night, but still allow plenty of visibility and doesn’t ruin your night vision.
  • (3) YELLOW/GREEN BOTTLES (9 0z) for drink mix. For my main calorie source. I’ll talk about this in a separate blog.
  • (1) clear 4 oz bottle. For my lime juice.
  • Whistle- standard for safety
  • Map: at the BFC I carried the trail map with me, but didn’t have to use it; Benefits of a great short term memory. GPS is not allowed at BFC, so I kept my phone in the car. Generally, I plan long training routes on the AllTrails application on my iphone. I can download the area map and the gps on my phone keeps my positioning where I am at. I keep my phone in airplane mood, don’t use it to track my pace or anything like that in order to save battery and allow it to last all day. My use is really just limited to where I am at. Before the smart phone I carried maps of the area I was in with me. I have yet to get lost so I must be doing something right.
  • Compass: I carried the BFC issued compass with me, but it really is a questionable one, and I didn’t use it. It takes a long time to adjust to the proper direction. Otherwise, I don’t carry one with me, as I am adept enough to know my general direction based on the suns positioning and my AllTrails map gets me true to my intended route during training. .
• Total Carried Pack Weight including gear, food, and fluids: 9 lbs.

DROP BAR GEAR

Below is the items I packed in my drop bag that was allowed at the BFC. Overall, I think I would keep my drop bag the same. Whereas most of it was unnecessary, you never know when a shoe or clothing will rip out on you on an event like this.

• Drop Bag- Barkley Bag (purchased at the BFC)
  • This is a great bag. It is small with plenty of room, lots of pockets, weather resistant and meets the dimension restrictions set by the most popular ultras . It even comes with a small remote activated LED light display that allows you to locate your bag very quickly. The BFC is the 2nd ultra race I have done where a drop bag was/could be utilized and I was very pleased with this bag purchase.
• Hiking Poles, Black Diamond
  • I am not a hiking pole person. I borrowed these from one of my best friends (Thank-you Jody). The BFC is the first event that I have done where I even considered to use them due to all the elevation and you are only allowed to pick them up at your drop back for the last 10 miles or so, which typically allows you to use them on the last large climb of the day. I did not regret packing them and I put them to good use. I would have finished the BFC with or without them, but they certainly made my last 10 miles easier. I will be adding Hiking Poles to my standard gear, as the more mountainous races I do, particularly 100 milers. These particular poles were light weight, easy to use/adjust and served their purpose well. They don’t collapse down as much as I would like; Collapsible and weight are the main features I will be looking for when I purchase my first set.
• Snacks, extra waffle bar and cliff bar
  • I did not eat them, because I didn’t feel the need. I will get more into food as a separate entry.
• Frozen Orange Carbonated Drink
  • I did drink 1/2 of it during my last event and it was a much need refresher.
• Squirrel Nut Butter
  • This is a great product that I picked up at the the local running store to apply to the sensitive areas (nipples and inner thighs) to avoid chafing, rashes, or blisters. It is comprised of coconut oil, cocoa butter, beeswax and vitamin E oil. My shirt and shorts above fit me well, so probably didn’t even need to worry about chafing, but better be safe then sorry. I did not apply any more beyond the first application prior to the start of my day, but I packed it in my drop. Again, better to be safe then sorry.
• Extra Cloths and Shoes
  • I packed a change of shorts, shirt, and shoes (all broken in) in my drop bag. Never know when a change of outfit will be needed, or a shoe might blow out, or tearing your shorts during a butt slide. Once again, better be prepared. If a drop bag is allowed at an event, then why not be prepared?
• Extra Sun Screen
  • Had it just in case, but didn’t need to reapply…..I pack a lot of just in case stuff. Maybe I was a boy scout in a previous life.

GEAR MISSING

Below is the list of gear that I am missing from my pack that I will adding in as I progress to different and longer races, as not all of them will be sunny and 92 degrees like the BFC. Always be prepared to be self-sufficient, right? (broken record much)

• Portable Collapsible Cup
  • Many Ultra’s don’t have cups at the aid stations as they can be remote and they don’t want to deal with the trash. I am looking at reducing the amount of water I carry (see final comments below) and this would be a great add to quickly consume fluids at aid stations.
• Survival Blanket
  • small, light weight and compact. Could make the difference in surviving when you need to bring your temp back up, caught in a storm, etc. I always carry one during longer training events. I didn’t carry it with me during the BFC as there was always plenty of people around and the course loops around a lot. You would have to try very hard to need a survival blanket at the BFC.
• Water Proof Jacket and Pants
  • These are two items I need to purchase, as it makes sense to have them. The weather can go through some pretty good extremes when your out on a trail for 20 to 30 hours at a time. I will be looking for light weight, and able to compact as small as possible.
• Long Sleeve Shirt, Full Length Pants, and Warm Hat
  • I add these items into my pack depending on what trail I am doing, if there is a drop bag allow, how frequently you will see your drop bag, how will the temperatures be throughout the training or event. I do warm, tight fitting, light weight and compact.

That is it. I know it seems like a lot, but when it comes all together it really isn’t. For me it is all about weight. A five pound difference in pack weight can really make a difference over the course of an event. With that in mind, the biggest change I need to make personally is water. I will talk more about this in my food and hydration blog entry, but I am carrying close to 3 liters of liquid on me. That is 6.5 lbs alone and accounts for most of my total pack weight. My gear by itself,including the stuff I didn’t carry at the BFC, is around 4.5 lbs. For the BFC it was only 2.5 lbs. I think I am good on gear weight and I don’t think I could get much lighter in that department. What I need to drop is liquid weight, I think I could lose 2.5 lbs easily and take more advantage of a filter system or aid stations. That could potentially drop me to 7 lbs or under. Definitely something for me to start considering and testing during training. Of course, how much liquid I carry will greatly depend on aid stations and/or available water sources. I just need to get better at adjusting based on the planned route/event and not just sticking to the maximum, you know, JUST IN CASE.

I arrived in Oak Ridge late on the Thursday before the event.  I settled in the hotel, excited to pick up packets the next day.  Friday, was non-eventful, I slept in getting a good night’s sleep, as I know my body doesn’t like to sleep the day before a big event and I visited the park before packet pickup. Around 1 pm I had my packet and course map in my hand.  I quickly discerned what I thought was the route and verified it with another group of folks.  I then studied the route and committed it to memory along with the trail plaza colors, any special features and any trail blaze colors/names that you were to absolutely not be on. It was probably over kill, as I would find out later, but I had never been in the park before and many race reports were outlined with taking a wrong turn.  I wanted to be as prepared as possible. 

On Saturday morning, I caught a ride from Oak Ridge with a fellow Maine runner.  My ride back was coming to the finish line later.  We arrived about 50 mins before the race start.  We were probably in a line of 10 cars, and could see the start line before we had to stop and wait.  Overall, I don’t think it took us more the 5 mins to move along and get out of the car.  Very impressed with their efficiency and organization. I had about 40 mins to kill before the start.  I dropped my bag at the designated location and I went to the line for the restrooms.  The portable toilets were in two rows with a single line of people between at the end of the rows. I found this odd, as I would think that all the toilets in one row with a single line of people in front of each would be more efficient, but heck whom am I to judge.  The line moved faster than I expected anyway.

 After the restroom I chatted with several other runners here and there and then announcement came over of 15 mins to go.  Time really flies.  At that point I realized I had forgotten to apply my sun screen, I wanted to wait as long as I could.  I went back to my drop and applied.  10 mins to go I was back at the start and I crowded in with the 500 other runners about to start the day.  I chatted with a few other runners, one who had a really cool camera that was the size of inhaler.   He had also completed the 50K four other times. We ended up seeing each other a few other times, but he would pass me on Chimney and I never saw him again.  I imagine he achieved his 5^th Croix.  With a minute to go the energy picked up and the crowd really packed in.  Before I knew it the cigarette was lit and we were off.  I started out in probably the front ¼ of the pack and I am glad I did. 

We ran the mile or so up the road to the yellow gate, and turned onto our first switch back of the day, up Bird Mountain.  I had maintained my top ¼ position, but it still wasn’t enough to avoid the conga line that is this climb.   However, I did get in behind a very nice gentlemen (I forgot his name, so I will call him Black Shorts) who took no issues in asking people to move aside and I followed his lead up Bird.  The only time I felt frustrated by not being able to run my own pace was coming back down Bird.  About 4 of us had tucked in behind black shorts and closed the gap to another conga on our way down the other side.  We were moving at an okay pace, so we just stayed put.  It was on the way down Bird that I felt the presence of something poking at my left heel (pebble or stick, whatever) . I of course, being the experienced runner I am, immediately stopped and corrected the issue…..NOT.  I was so happy to be actually running again, even if I ideally wanted to go faster, that I ignored that little pain and it would come back to haunt me soon enough.  I told myself I would stop and fix my shoe at the first aid station, it would be fine.  This was the first lie I told myself that day. 

Once we reached the second climb of the day, the conga line really broke up and my group of 4 with black shorts leading the way set a steady pace of power hiking up and running down.  We did this all the way to the first aid station, well ahead of the 50K pace time.  I quickly got my bib punch and headed down the road, not needing fuel or a re-fill at this point.  The trails had all been good so far, but this section was the pebble road of death on my feet.  I had not conditioned for this kind of downward pounding with all the small rocks.  This was also the point where I realized, oh right, stop and shake out my shoes….too late.  My left heel was on fire and anytime I put pressure on it going downhill, it would kill me.  Again, my experience would tell me to stop, take the shoe off, apply the mole skin and then continue on, but not this version of Bucky; This version of Bucky trudged on.  This was also about the point, I realized it was time to visit the bush for some “thank goodness I packed them” baby wipe time (yes, I had a disposable zip lock bag that went into the trash at Aid#2, carry-in/carry-out).  Except there weren’t any bushes, so I settled on a corner with a good built up gravel bluff so fellow runners did not have to witness what those poor trees did. 

Afterwords I continued my painful trudge down the road and heading to aid station #2.  We were back in the visitor center area and a women gave the encouraging words “you’re doing great, top 60.”  I thought, fantastic, even with the heel pain and bathroom break I am making great time.  I hit the second Aid Station again still well ahead of the 50K completion pace time.  I quickly topped off my liquids and attempted to eat a ½ cliff bar.  It was just not good. Congealed in my mouth and it took everything I had to swallow it. 

After Aid #2 we started a steady climb up, up, and oh wait, more up.  This entire section kicked my ass, I got passed left and right and felt like I was moving through quick sand.  But heck,  I was gaining ground on black shorts again, as he had gotten ahead of me after Aid #1. Alas I never officially caught up to him again because we hit another downhill section, and off he went and I just kept getting passed. Downhill running was not in my playbook any longer, because of my heel and I was in trouble.  But hell, why not stop and put on that mole skin, but NOOOO, we just keep going like a moron.  This was the first time of the day, that I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it, but I told myself just keep moving to the next aid station and then you can quit.  So I walked, hobbled, and finally reached that GD top, (hey there is literally a Chimney up here, cool).  It was about at this point I was passed, yet again, by a very nice lady, who had finished a BFC or two prior.  I didn’t catch her name, but thank you for stopping to answer my annoying questions and offering advice.  She offered me great advice and told me that I was still making good time and I could walk the rest of what I had to and still make the decision point before the time cut off.  She offered me much needed encouragement when I was at a very low point.  She of course kicked off and was gone, I don’t believe I ever saw her or passed her again.  It was at that point, I finally wisely decided to stop, take off my shoe, get passed by about another 10 runners and put mole skin on my damn heel….and what do you know, it helped, because of course it fucking did.  I was finally able to turn my hobble walk into a hobble shuffle that one might call a run if they were so inclined to believe that is what I was actually doing.  I did so dub my hobble shuffle, Turtle Speed, and kept trudging the last 3 miles or so to Aid Station #3. 

I reached Aid Station#3 in better spirits and didn’t even once consider quitting.  I arrived with still plenty of time ahead of the 50K pace time, just over an hour at this point, and that is about where it would stay for the rest of the day.  I quickly filled up all my fluids, ate my stinger waffle bar, got my first punch from the great and wonderful Oz (Laz, mastermind of evil), and away I went down another road.  I left this aid station feeling good again and set a steady turtle speed down the pebble/rocky road.  At this point, I told myself and another runner who prompted the topic, a big fat downright lie.  He said “oh those are cool looking shoes”…I told him about Xero shoes and how I love them and the feeling of being close to barefoot…..his follow up question “how do they feel on these rocks”?….my answer “oh not bad at all really, I am suffering from a bit of a heel issue, but otherwise I would be flying down this hill and the rocks wouldn’t be a bother”….after that I did take off down the hill, because I didn’t want him to witness the grimacing on my face every time either one of my feet hit the ground, because I could feel EVERY single one of those stupid rocks.  Next time, I am putting inserts in because those rocks really do suck and my feet were on fire. 

Not long after we stated to climb back up, yet again, and finally hit testicle spectacle.  It was about a mile long out and back trail, down first.  I started down and the trail was pretty well blazed at this point, thank you to all the runners who were already ahead of me and those who passed.  I did not put on my gloves going down and found it easier than I expected.  There was shade in spots, a gentle cooling breeze and just not humid or that hot.  I descended in about 15 mins, as there was a lot of stopping to allow other runners coming back up.  At the bottom my bib was quickly punched, I put on my gloves, and started back up.  I could see the top and where I had to go and knew I had it.  I didn’t have to stop as much on the way up and it took me about 17 mins.  Total of 32 mins on TS, not bad at all.

At the top to TS it was just a simple run down Meth lab…..yeah, right, “run”.  It was about 3 miles to the prison and one heck of a trip down with some great butt sliding terrain.  I even somehow managed to lose my shoe in mud.  A quick recovery and I was off again.   All day long the conditions had been dry, so I choose now and then not to question where this mud came from, why it was so deep, or really anything about it….it was simply mud.  The terrain over really wasn’t terrible and the 30-40 mins it took me to traverse over to the prison gave me plenty of time to think, “ wow, TS and ML really didn’t meet the hype, RJ probably won’t either, I got this”…..I would regret that thought.  

Soon the prison was in sight and there was the next beloved aid station#4.  I quickly top off my liquids, down my protein drink since its around 2 pm and time for that. I also take up the offer from the very nice lady who let me share a nice cold can of coke with a fellow runner.  I was in and out of the aid station quickly and despite what my face show in the prison pictures, I was feeling pretty good.  I was even tempted to stop for some moonshine at the prisons restaurant/bar (I would do just that the next day), but instead I went up the ladder, got my bib punch, and over the wall.  Into the tunnel I went, where I got to meet a lovely large puddle of very questionable water (it was this or the mud or the combo that would later make my shoes and socks stink up my hotel room and later on luggage like a scent from hell, three days later and several washes and a soaking in vinegar seems to have fixed them).  After the tunnel and I looked up and went “What the fuck is that”….

I had finally hit Rat Jaw and I quickly realized my thoughts earlier were so very wrong.  The sun was blazing hot, the grade was steep, the briars were thick and sharp….I put on my bandanna to protect my ears and back of neck from the sun, and slide on the gloves….after all how long can a .89 mile section last and I was well head of the cut off time.  This section was by far the section from hell for me, it was hot, and tedious.  After trudging up, bear crawling under briars (I still don’t’ fully grasp how the first few runners through this section survive, those people are my heroes), I reach one of the many false summit. .I just keep pushing through and go up the next section.  Finally I reach another false summit and there is a team rangers/medical folks there and many runners vomiting and passed out in the grass area.  I lay down, exhausted, and really question my sanity and why the hell I am doing this. My soft flask water bottle squeeze top pops off and water comes splashing all over me, and I realize I am not meant to sit and lay down.  The rangers have some water and I re-fill my flask from the water I lost and I look and go up.  I continue to trudge up this endless hell of steep grades, thorns, poison ivy (later discovery on my arm) and having to bear crawl large portions.  I finally reach a rock wall section and I look up in envy recalling the one guy’s race report who said he scaled the wall to avoid a conga line, impressive feat.  The only choice and the clear path went towards the woods, yet you are NOT supposed to go into the woods and they even have a bib punch somewhere in the middle of this nightmare to make sure you don’t.  But with the large rock wall looming and in no mood to test my free climbing skills I head toward the woods figuring it will swing back in. This is the only trail navigation mistake I make in the day.  I missed the path that takes you back up, it was just to the left right after you hit the woods.  I overlooked it and went about 200 feet further up what could be construed as a wooded trail.  I know in my gut it is wrong and I have missed something so I turn back.  Just as I get back to the wall, another runner emerges and he kindly points out the trail on the side of the rock outcropping that was directly behind me that I had kept overlooking.  Luckily, I had done my research and knew enough to know I was wrong, else I would have made a very crucial error that would have ended my day. Phew…. Not long after you finally reach the RJ bib punch to meet very kind and funny gentlemen. Thank you for sitting in briars all day for us.  He points up and there you can see the final summit and the fire tower.  I quickly move on and push for the top.  I catch up to another group and almost get a foot in my face.  I am sure it would have broken my nose, I don’t even think she realized I was there and I am sure I was too close.  She probably should have kicked me.  Just over an hour into this climb, and I am at the top where a very nice lady snaps your picture as you are coming out of the briar hole, thanks for that.  I head up the three story fire Tower and get my 7^th punch of the day.  It is a quick jog down to aid station #5 and the drop bags. 

I once again, move quickly in the aid station.  I receive some help closing backup my pain in the ass water bladder, at this point I decide that this is that bladders last race.  They are out of sword, but I have extra sword powder me.  However, I give it to some folks that looked like they need it more.  After all I have other options on me for electrolytes if I need it and I am feeling good.  I dump all the stuff I don’t need into my drop bag, I drink ½ of a carbonated lemon drink I had, grab my poles (I didn’t train with poles and generally don’t use them, but this time I did), and headed to get my decision point punch#8  from Laz.  He must have saw the determination in my eyes, either that or since I was more than an hour ahead of cut off, he did not challenge my resolve to continue this beast of a course.   We do chat briefly and I shake his hand in appreciation for this challenge.  I think about the true Barkley, not this baby one, and am awed and amazed at the caliber of athlete it would take to even start that course, let alone finish it.  No wonder it has had such few finishers over the decades and why it is so hard to get into. I get my punch, and head out toward the final aid station.   After all, it will be a quick 2 ½ miles to the final punch and aid station and then we are back on the same route we had taken that morning.  I had done it once, it would be easy to do again…..another lie. 

This section is once again dirt road with plenty of rocks, but not as bad as the others.  I use my hiking poles to ease the pressure off my feet.  The left heel is still bothersome but doable and the rest of my feet are just on fire.  I do settle into a nice comfortable turtle speed that I can maintain on the slight up and down grades of this section.  I reach the final aid station in around forty minutes.  I get my final punch, fill up with sword since they have it, tuck my hat away, and off I go.

 This section is all downgrade switchbacks and I get passed a few times, as I can really still feel that heel and at this point I know I will finish before the cut off time and that is all that matters at this stage.  Slow and steady goes the turtle.  Toward the bottom I become determined not to let another runner pass me (don’t ask why I changed my mind literally 30 seconds after I decided I wasn’t racing against anyone but myself), so I force myself to run the last few switchbacks, but again one guy catches up and passes just as we reach the bottom.  We start climbing back up and I strike up a conversation with the passer, David.  It is the most leisurely and pleasant conversation I have had all day.  It made the climb back up go super-fast and I assure David this is our last big climb then it is a short 3 miles to the end, David let me believe that, but I don’t think he was convinced.  It wasn’t the end, I had lost track of where I was. 

We reach the top and David says “good bye” and starts running down another series of switchbacks.  I am determined yet again not to fall behind, so I tuck my poles on to the pack and off I go.  And “Holy Cow I am running at a great pace, I can survive this heel, this is it, I got this”…….I reach the bottom and there is a large dried up river bed, and not the right turn onto the road like there should be……motherfucker, David was right…..we still have to climb Bird again.  Fuck….

I am still determined and decide I am done with this shit, I am not stopping to take out my damn poles again, I am going to power hike up this god damn mountain and there isn’t shit it can do about it…..lies, once again, at least they were the last ones.  I catch up and pass several other runners and catch up and pass David.  This never ending series of switchbacks, up thousands of feet, over several miles, kicks my ass.  10 mins after I pass everyone in my area, they all get the privilege of passing me back, I am whopped.  I take back out my poles and trudge up this “stupid motherfucking, who designed this shit, a fucking crazy man, that’s who, goddamn trail”….Finally I reach the summit and take a seat.

  I am tired, but it is confirmed we have 2 miles of downgrade switchbacks and 1 mile of pavement from the end.  I once again tuck away my poles and I am determined to run down this mountain, and I do.  I set a nice steady pace and am not passed again.  After lots of switch backs I finally get to take that right turn, I was desperately thought was earlier and I see the famous yellow gate.  I pass the gate and I am off like a bat out of hell.  This last mile feels like I am running a 7- 7:30 min mile pace, can’t really tell because no GPS or actual distance gauge, but now I am cruising.  I feel great, the endorphins have really kicked in, and my feet are thanking the universe to be able to run on pavement (which is weird because normally I hate pavement).   I pass at least 10 other runners in the last section including my new friend David.  I turn the last corner and there is the finish line.  The crowd cheers and I sprint in.  12 hours and 25 mins later (an hour later then I thought I should be, but who’s counting) and I am DONE.  I lay on the ground and breath.  A very nice gentlemen, says “ you look like you need a water” and hands me a ice cold clear deliciousness bottle from the gods……maybe I wasn’t going as fast I as thought at the end, if I look that bad.   I tell my finish line friend who has waited hours for me, “that was fun, and very challenging and I am never doing it again” (okay, apparently I wasn’t done lying for the day).  I struggle back to my feet and hobble over to collect the coveted Croix, I earned that.  Then on the table gleaning at me, are the Croix with small stars, mine is bare.  It doesn’t have stars, why?, because those stars represent the number of times you have completed the BFC 50K and since this was my first I don’t get stars.  It is then and there I realize, even though I said I was done 2 mins before that I was not done with BFC yet, I want my star.  Dammit all to hell, when is the 2020 registration, sometime around October 1^st, right?…may the lottery gods have mercy on my soul. 

The Barkley Fall Classic (BFC) is a very challenging “50K” that is held in Frozen Head State park in Wartburg, Tennessee. I say “50k” because GPS and other tracking devices are not permitted and the distance of this race is a very questionable 31 miles. The race is known for its failure rate, which appears to be on average somewhere in the 60th percentile. Most define success by obtaining a Croix finishers medal,but you can avoid a did not finish “DNF”, by making a decision at one point to call it quits and take a marathon finishers dog tag. But who really wants to do that? Not me.

I first discovered the BFC, after watching a documentary on The Barkley Marathons on Netflix. This is the real daddy of races and one reserved for those special athletes who make all my running accomplishments in life look pathetic. I am not saying I am not proud of all I have done, I am, but anyone that even qualifies and makes the cut for the Big Barkley is really an outstanding athlete.

I watched the documentary, The race that eats it young, in March of 2017, and in April of that year I tossed my name onto the wait list for the baby Barkley, BFC, which is designed to give us normal athletes a small taste of the the Big Barkley. I of course did not gain entry into the 2017 race, as the wait list is very long. In October of 2017 was the sign up for the 2018 running, I immediately signed up, but alas I was once again sitting on the wait list and would not come off it.

In October of 2018, the race director (Laz) expanded his lottery system for the 2019 entries and the first 100 selected would come from those remaining from the 2018 wait list. Not long after the selection commenced, I received my email from UltraSignup saying ” Congratulations you have been selected to participate in the 2019 The Barkley Fall Classic – 50K!” . I of course immediately accept the invitation and my thoughts turned toward training.

 I started my specific BFC training in May of 2019. My plan was simple and I executed it well for the most part. I would run between 40-60 miles a week from that point until the week prior to the race where I would do a 30 mile week. Race week it would be a couple really short runs leading up to race day.  My goal each week was to have between 8K and 10K of elevation gain training in, I would run on all trails/mountains, and once a month I would do a longer training day that allowed me to get in lots of distance and lots of elevation in a single day.  My once a month days would be a 25-35 Mile day with 9k to 12k of elevation gain.  I would also run all my mileage in the heat of the day, versus avoiding it like I normally would.  All my longer training runs would be self-sustained. I would wear or carry the gear I would have on me during the race, and consume the same food and liquids. With a solid idea and plan in place, now I just needed to plan my runs.

Being from Maine there are plenty of good mountains, if you want to drive to get to them.  I didn’t always have the time to fit in three or four of driving on top of hours of training.   I kept those days reserved for my once a month days.  I did most of my weekly training on a local small mountain that has a steep .2 mile trail that only gains you a couple hundred feet of elevation.  The math worked out when comparing distance to elevation gain, if I ran 31 miles I would be close to 10K feet of elevation. It was adequate training ground.   I did many, many repeats on this trail and if you ever want to prepare yourself mentally for BFC then what better way than repeating the same trail 75 times?  That is the highest I achieved to get in a 15 mile day. My brain was mush and my will to run any further was expended, but what did I do? I went and ran another 5 miles on a different trail.  Run when you don’t want to run, right?  That’s the Barkley way.

I also did some off trail running through swamps and power line cuts.  I wish I had done more, for reasons I would discover during my experience, but at the height of the summer the ticks were too intense to be worth the training gain. At one point I removed over 100 from my dog and over 50 from myself. Thankfully, none had bitten in, but still not worth the risk.    My thoughts at this point, based on the hype, were trails called Rat Jaw (RJ), Testicle Spectacle (TS) and Meth Lab (ML) were going to suck anyway, unless you are a genetically gifted beast, which I am not.  

Besides running, I also did yoga 3 times a week and I did all around body weight lifting 4-5 times a week with a focus on light weights and high reps.   My years of experience has taught me that my body needs variety to stay uninjured.   I did twist my right ankle about mid-way through the summer, but thankfully a massage therapist did the Graston Technique once a week for about a month leading up to BFC and I would go in feeling strong. 

Beyond, physical training, I also studied the park map, learned/memorized the trail names and blaze colors prior. I read many race reports to get a feel for the course and others experiences.  Flying out before the race, I felt prepared and ready as I was ever going to be.