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Tim Preble (@TimPreble) – UltraRunner and Endurance Athlete

Tag: Race

  • Light 2 Light 50 – Race Report

    tim

    Race Name: Light 2 Light 50 Miler
    Distance/Type: 50 Miles
    Race Location: Currituck Beach light Station Corolla, NC
    Climate Data: 25 °F at the start warming to 36 °F
    Race Date: 03-Feb-2018 6:00AM

    Finish Time: 09:36:52
    Finish Place 17 overall, 9th Male
    Race Stats: Garmin

    Race in 1 paragraph: 
    Signed up for this race untrained as a gauge for how bad off I am.  Since everything about this race was in my favor (Location, Distance, terrain & Weather) I went down there with a fairly aggressive  goal of finishing in 9Hours & 30Min. Race didn’t go exactly as planned, as few do, but good weather and a chasing spirt helped me walk away with a new 50 mile PR of 9Hours & 36 Min!

    Pre-Race
    The wife & I loaded up in the car early Friday morning to make the 10 hour trip from Tn to the far reaches of the outer banks.  Drive went well & the time flew by quickly.  We arrived at the Comfort Inn for packet pickup right on time & met up with Pat & Michelle.  We socialized for a little while grabbed a photo with Henry then decided to go and get dinner with our weekend house mates at the amazing Kill Devil Grill. Dinner was fantastic as expected and we retired back to the beach house for the night to get ready for the next day’s adventure.  The house was very a nice 4 bed room house via air bnb and had everything that you could as for. The wife & I ended up with the bedroom with a twin & a set of bunk-beds that cuddled together in on the bottom bed.  Before bed Pat & I went out and got our February 2 kilometers in & then it was time for bed.

    Race

    Wake-up came early as I traditionally like to shower in the morning before the race so when the alarm went off at 4:30AM i quietly slipped out to the shower and got ready.  While in the shower one of the house mates was nice enough to make us coffee & drive us to the start so the wives could sleep.

    Once we got to the start it was a hurry-up and wait situation, the wind was blowing and it was about 25 °F which made me worry about being cold so I ended up starting in pants which is very unlike me.  Most of the ladies were piled into the female bathroom to keep warm.  Pat & I walked around for a little bit then it was to the start line.

    With my aggressive goal I lined up at the front of the line & the count down started….. 3-2-1 and we were off!  My overall anticipation for the race was that everyone would start out fast & quickly fade around the marathon so Pat & I took off trying to put some distance between us and the majority of the pack.  There were about 4 people ahead of use and we were a little unsure of running 8 1/2 but we were doing it anyhow …. typical, hahaha.  The miles were clicking off quickly and Pat & I were enjoying the run, about mile 8-9 I decided that I had to use the bathroom and there was an actual beach access bathroom I could use.  I told Pat that I needed to go and I would catch up to him in a bit, DUDE WAS I WRONG!  I went and had a long bath room break, shedded my pants & and it was back on the road in shorts.  It took me a mile to get back into the swing of things and I started my chase to catch pat, as I figured that he would have slowed down a little to wait for me.  I pounded the next 11-12 miles trying to catch him until I reached out beach house where the wife was waiting for me with my stuff.  She said that he had just left so I hurried, got rid of my pants & some other items and I was on the road again, chasing…  I had noticed that my legs were getting very tired and I was sweating a lot but my fluid intake was good and I had urinated a couple of times already so I decided to keep the chase up.  This would go on

    At about 35 miles my legs had decided that they had enough of the asphalt pounding and really started hurting.  This pain was not something I had experienced before.  Both leg I.T. bands felt like rubber bands and each time i stepped it felt like I could collapse at any moment. At some point, in one of the low moments before I got to the check-in at Jennett’s pier, I called the wife asking here if she could find & bring my an avocado wrap.  Within minutes she was flying by me cheering & screaming for me.  They had found wraps and avocado for me, it was one of the saving graces of the day.  Before she left I asked if she had any gum, which she did, and this was the other saving grace; I really need to pack gum in my race bag.  Along the way i was playing leap-frog with a man & woman in the race.  As I was reaching into my vest for my Tylenol they asked me if I had any pain relievers … I looked in my ziplock and there were only two Tylenols, I said well all i have are these two, Great he woman said he’s in pretty rough shape … I handed them the two tablets and wished them well as I paused for a few moment to get my pack back in order.  Dang I thought I wanted those and they are my last two, but the guy looked to be pretty rough and needed them more than I did so I shook that off and got back to ‘running’.

    From here the next stop would be the Bodie Island lighthouse, the last aid station before the finish. 2is miles from the light house, about a mile before the turn into the lighthouse, would be the only time I would see pat until the finish.  You see my friend was feeling great & instead of slowing down he actually speed up and was 4 miles ahead of me!  HOLY SMOKES GO PAT!!! I cheered for him and continued down the road.  At this point the best I could do was the Proble-Wobble with and occasional shuffle thrown in.  The Bodie lighthouse aid station was good & the only place I took a picture I took along the way.  On the way out I got to see Lauri & she snapped a couple of photos of us running however my focus was the finish 7 ish miles to go & I suffered in good style those last 7 miles.  Around 5 miles to go my music died, now I was all alone, In massive pain & once again questioning if I could hit my goal.  I kept moving for a little and finally got a little motivation back and got into some hard-core “Pain Cave” run / walking when out of nowhere I see my wife!  What are you doing,  I asked all confused?? She said that someone told her I was struggling and wanted to come out here to help!  Oh my gosh this was the most selfless thing she could have done that day.  We walked and chatted for a moment but she could tell I was on a mission and sent me on my way to the finish.  Not to worry She called her friend to come

    and get her and they cheered & yelled at me as they passed me by.

    That was just the motivation I needed 3 miles to go!  I sucked it up the best I could and ran what I could but it was a very futile attempt my legs were not going to allow it.  After what seemed like an eternity I could hear the finish but could not see it …… where was it?? Was I ever going to get there?? My mind was playing tricks on me ….. THEN finally there it was the parking lot to Jennette’s Pier, YES !!! I made the turn into the parking lot and hobbled as fast as i could to the finish line.  Everyone was there yelling & cheering, I crossed the line at 8 hours & 36 minutes and was ecstatic!  Pat, his wife, Shanda & some other running friends (racers) were there to congratulate me.

    Post-Race
    Right after I finished the only thing I wanted was a seat.  My poor legs and feet were soooo sore.

    I sat, we all laughed and hung out for a little while, I had a cup of chili & enjoyed the race atmosphere for a little while before we left and headed back to the beach house.

    That night the girls had planned on a steak dinner to celebrate our victories.  WE ALL FINISHED & ACHIEVED OUR GOALS!

    Then next morning we all awoke, hung out for a little while then Shanda & I had had to get on the road quite early for what would end up being a long day of Rain, Fog (foam) and accidents as we made the 11 1/2 hour (that’s right 1.5 hours longer) trip home.  Tired for running & tired from driving we finally made it home.  Proud & Satisfied

     

    What Went Right
    Stomach & weather was perfect, avocado wraps were amazing.  Must pack gum in my running vest & need to bring backup music for longer races however the wal-mart mp3 player with my single earbud was great for 8 hours.

    What Went Wrong
    Nothing went really wrong except for my lack of Base miles & training. My legs were shredded after the 50k

    Conclusion
    Great race & much faster than expected.  If you like flat, road & the Outer Banks, this one is definitely for you!

     

     

    IMG_5271

  • Holston Photo Gallery

    tim
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  • Tarheel Ten Miler – Race Report

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    Event Info
    Date: Saturday April, 20, 2013
    Location: Chapel Hill, NC
    Event Distance: 10 Miles
    Event Website:  http://www.Tarheel10Miler.com

    The Short Story:

    DSCN8290Really nice race however did not like the start. The Course was beautiful and Laurell Hill was not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

    Race Day:

    Pre-race:

    On a wed evening after a few measly minutes of prodding, I talked my friend E.C. into running the Tar Heel 10 Miler with me.  This race would be the 1st race for me since Umstead 100.  I was a little worried about how the legs were going to do and If I was sufficiently recovered from that event but I would be pleasantly surprised.

    The day started with E.C. meeting me at the house at 5:30 race day morning.  Neither of us got up in time to eat so a stop a McDonalds was in order as well was a stop to get fuel for his truck.  After we acquired both types of fuel we were off to Chapel Hill.  A nice short ride and I enjoyed the conversation.

    DSCN8221

    Upon arriving at UNC Campos we struggled a little bit on where to park and finally decided to park in the lot directly across from the Children’s Oncology Depart.  A parking deck that I am l unfortunately way to familiar with.  That, however, is a story for another time.   We gathered our stuff and finished changing into our race stuff.  The weather was in that in-between temperature where when you were not moving, or standing in the shade, or the wind was blowing on you ….you were cold.  However not quite cold enough to run with an outer soft layer so I chose to go with the MTC Singlet and shorts knowing I was going to be cold while NOT running.

    On the way to the stadium we ran into Mike W., coincidentally he was the official that did the course certification for the 10 Miler, and chatted with him for a few.

    Once in the stadium I unfortunately had to go and find the restroom and “Dispose” of some waste, hahah..Nice I know and I only mention this because this is a rare thing for me to have to do before a race.  Oh well “IT” happens.  Once I was done in there we proceeded to the interior of the stadium, found our target pacer, and tried to make our way to him.  One of the things that I did not like about this race was the start.  E.C. and I found ourselves standing up IN the stadium bleachers waiting for the start gun to go

    off.

    The Race

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    Once the gun went off we filed down onto the track and made our way under the timing gate (almost 2 min. after the starting gun!) and out of the stadium.  I wish that I could tell you that I remembered each and every one of the turns but I just don’t.  They ran us around the stadium a couple of times and in front of the same band at least twice before we went out into the town and residential areas.  The town was fun to run through and I recognized some of the names of places but not many.  All of the intersections were blocked off with police officers and everything was going smooth.  E.C. and I were holding an excellent pace, somewhere around 8:00-8:15  any given time.

    Then we exited into the residential area.  Through this area there were lots of hills andDSCN8258 some very nice houses and If I remember correctly there were a couple of aid stations.  E.C. was starting to complain about getting tired so I suggested that he grab a Gu from one of the volunteers.  He did, shot about ½ of it and threw the rest away, let’s just say he was NOT very fond of them. Hahahaha.  During one stretch around mile 6-7 we came up a Carolina Blue Fire Truck and I said “Now how often do you see that?”  E.C.  agreed and HAD to stop to get his picture made with it.

    Nothing really changed until mile 8.5

    Laurell Hill
    The Race within the Race, which featured a timing mat at the bottom and another timing mat at the top! Yes, they would post results and give awards for the 3 fasted up the hill which was pretty cool.   I had read some reviews and talked to some people about this DREADED HILL with only 200ft of vertical climb.  To be honest I think I might have given this hill a little too much respect.  If you know me you know I like to run hills, so naturally there was plenty of “Talk” leading up to the race and who was going to beat who up the hill.  As the lower timing mat neared I started prompting E.C. on what we were going to do.  “Ok, so there it is…Once we cross the mat it’s on!”  EC:” On you lead and I will chase” Under the mat we went and Off I went.  At one point when I looked at my watch I was running around a 5:40 mile, but I felt good so I kept pushing.  As I neared the mid-point where the hill flattens a little I started to get really fatigued, but the fear of getting passed re-stoked the fire and I was back on the way.  As promised when I crossed the top mat I waited for E.C. to catch up with me.

    The Finish
    After Laurel Hill and E.C.’s brief recovery we continued on to the finish ,which is only about ¾ of a mile…and to my astonishment we were “CHICKED” .  Oh my gosh are you kidding me?  I started bolting after these girls and my buddy behind me started to grunt and make weird sounds saying he could not go any faster, LOL…..this just gave ammunition for future heckling.

    Finish
    We finished once again in the stadium.  Once we knew exactly where the finish line was we pushed nice and hard and finished strong.  The directors then had you go around the track and pick up your medal, which I have to admit was a very sweet medal.  We milled around there for a little while then found our way to the post-race expo and the food.  We met up with other BCRT Members, took some photos and It was time to head home.

    Overall enjoyable race would do it again if I signed up early enough and was not so expensive.

     

     

     

  • Weymouth Woods 2013 – Race Report

    admin

    Event Info
    Date: January 19, 2013 8:00 AM
    Location: Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve
    Event Distance: 100K
    Hosted By: Mangum Track Club & RFH
    Series: Original 4 MTC events
    E vent Website:  http://www.etinternet.net/~runrbike/weymouth-info.htm

    Weymouth Woods 2013, a Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run Qualifier

    DSCN2571

    The Short Story:
    Completed the race in 14:49:45.15, qualified for WSER and got my tail handed to me.  Could WOULD not have completed this without the support of my friends, crew and pacers!  Finished 31st out of 77

    Leading up to this event I was a little nervous, not about making the distance I thought I had that in the bag but was nervous about the goals I had rolling around in my head.  At some point in the week prior to this race I got the silly Idea that maybe I could do this race at a 12 Min / Mile pace.  Yes, even though I had gone down to Weymouth 2 weeks previous…Man was I in for a surprise!

    DSCN0460Night Before:

    The night before the wife and I met with several of the runners at the Mellow Mushroom in S. Pines, We enjoyed each other’s company, swapped stories & made new friends.  This would be the 1st time that my wife would get to meet other ultra-runners but I will have to save that for another post, :-).  Once we finished dinner we all went our separate ways to start getting ready for the task at hand.  I personally had not done any packing so it was off to put all my gear together and get in the bed….It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.

    Race Day:

    Pre-race – Got up nice and early loaded my gear into the truck and off I went with little fanfare.  Arrived at Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve around 6:30 to find my friend Rachel and Paul had already set up base camp & Rachel’s own personal aid station.  As planned from the night before I tossed my gear box next to their table, mulled around for a little while then headed inside for the pre-race meeting.

    Meeting-Inside the nature preserve’s auditorium was very warm  and with 75-100 people packed in there for the race meeting it was getting even warmer.  Marie proceeded to tell us some information about the race and how the timing would be done.  Then her husband spoke and the both emphasized that there are plenty of medical personal available if someone needed attending.  They wished us a great race, directed us to the starting line and requested that we be there in about 10 min.

    Race:

    Lap 1:
    Lap         Time                      Pace                     Distance               Total Time
    Lap 1     43:05.40              9:38/M                               4.470                    43:05.40

    Will and I went out and just enjoyed the trail.  We were mindful of our speed but not really concerned about out.  I was dressed very warmly and by the end was VERY happy to take of a couple of layers.  The trail was in great condition and today looked like it was going to be a FAST day.  We go back to our personal aid station, removed some clothing, I grabbed my Nathan’s race vest and off we went.

    Laps 2-9
    Lap 2      47:36.45              10:39/M               8.940    1:30:41.85
    Lap 3     47:43.85              10:40/M               13.410  2:18:25.70
    Lap 4     52:16.30              11:42/M               17.880  3:10:42.00
    Lap 5     55:58.40              12:31/M               22.350  4:06:40.40
    Lap 6     1:00:03.05           13:26/M               26.820  5:06:43.45
    Lap 7     1:04:33.30           14:26/M               31.290  6:11:16.75
    Lap 8     59:11.30              13:14/M               35.760  7:10:28.05
    Lap 9      55:12.60              12:21/M               40.230  8:05:40.65

    IMG_1627On the start of lap 2 we were feeling great and on top of the world.   We ran this lap and I kept telling Will that it was a little too fast and I needed to slow down.  Thankfully we slowed some.  The next couple of laps Will fell into a little bit of a funk and through encouraging each other we pushed on through.  We were keeping up with our food and hydration and felt really good.  Not much changed through laps other than me getting worn out.  At some point around miles 40 & 50 I had to stop and use a bathroom (#2) break and that put us quite a bit behind.

    At the start of lap 9 my wife showed up to crew me for the rest of the race.  She teamed up with Rachel’s husband & her pacer to help figure out what I needed.  It was wonderful to have here there and I am so very thankful for all the help everyone gave her!

    Lap 10-11
    Lap 10  59:03.35               13:13/M               44.700  9:04:44.00
    Lap 11   1:05:13.20           14:35/M               49.170  10:09:57.20

    Here’s where things started to break down.  My pacer Shawn showed up at the start of lap 10.  Not feeling so great and quite tired we still took off down the trail head like rockets.  Shawn proclaimed that we were running a whole lot stronger & faster than he expected us to be running by now.  I told him I would like to keep a sub 12 Min pace while running be we are walking ALL the ups.  LOL, even the flats looked like ups at this point.  The more we continued on the worse I felt.  Somewhere around lap 12 I gave in and had to sit down.  At this point Will had come out of his funk and was looking pretty good.  I figured that there was no reason for both our times to suffer for me not feeling well so, since I had Shawn, I sent Will on his way.  Glad I did he ended up having a GREAT Race, Way to go man!!  After that initial sit down it was like I was doomed.  I felt like I was in and out of consciousness and was without a doubt walking / hiking with my eyes closes.  I tried to eat, and everyone keep telling me that I need to drink but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it…. At each of the aid stations I would try to eat something, Grits, Saltine Crackers, Ginger Snaps.  The last time around at the main aid station I asked Shanda to get a cup of soup cool off for me so I could down it when I came in before Lap 12.

    Lap 12-13
    Lap 12   1:41:48.80           22:46/M               53.640  11:51:46.00
    Lap 13   1:41:42.25           22:45/M               58.110  13:33:28.25

    As I came into the station I was in ROUGH shape, I was sick to my stomach, dehydrated and was death marching…..It was not a good scene.  As requested Shanda had my soup and some other food stuffs for me.  I barely managed to get the soup down and started off to the 12th lap.  All through the lap I would tell Shawn..”I have to sit down for 5 min”.  He would agree, then the next think I knew he was saying, “Ok, get up, time’s up”…little did I know that the 5 min. I requested he actually only gave me about 2.  Good for him, that was just what I needed!!   About 9/10th of the way through the lap it happened.  Explosive / projectile vomiting!  UGH, I hate pukeing.  Never mind puking in front of people AND in the middle of the race on the race course.   After that I felt much better and we proceeded to finish the rest of laps 12 & 13.

    Lap 14
    Lap 14   1:16:16.90           17:04/M               62.580  14:49:45.15
    IMG_2551Final lap: As I sat at Rachel’s personal aid station trying to get down some vitamin water that Paul had suggested I couldn’t help but thinking I’m not going to make it. Starting to really crash again my wife knelt down in front of me and told me how proud she was of me and that I could do this.  Well that must have been just what I needed, I gathered Shawn and off we went.  Shawn was on a mission to get me finished under the 15 hour mark as we power hiked the course.  All along the way he would ask “You ok back there”, my response “NO!” , in return he would say “GOOD, Tough Love…Let’s keep going”.  There would be no resting on this lap.  Nothing but the power hiking and sipping on some NUUNS.  We proceeded down the last hill to the really rooty section and I knew I was done.  As soon as we cleared the roots I did what I thought was a run to the finish (all 100ft or so)……and I was done! YAY I did it.  Not what I expected but I finished and I qualified.  On my heels the whole time was Rachel, as soon as I heard them chanting and screaming from the woods on their preparation to the finish I would start yelling for her to run.  Very excitedly she finished under the 15 hour time mark; we all hugged, told each other how great we did.  I gathered my finisher’s pottery bowl and poured myself into my truck and the wife drove me home.

    DSCN2578

  • Reindeer Fun Run – Race Report Guest Post & Guest Runner

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    December 1, 2012 Reindeer Fun Run Guest Post & Guest Runner Shawn Sheffield.

     

    The Reindeer Fun Run in Aberdeen NC was probably my first and I am assuming everyone else’s first 12K race.  It was bitterly cold that morning leaving Sanford my thermometer was hovering around 38 degrees the whole way down to Aberdeen.  By the time I got there the sun was beaming and the temp was rising and proving to be a perfect day to race.  I have never run in Aberdeen nor have I ever run a 12K, so there were a few unknowns.  I never even checked to see where or even if there were water stations, although I was running with my hand held it was bone dry because I neglected to get water before the race started.

    The first hundred yards were relatively flat, then I got my first taste of what was to come over the course of this 12K run; Hills!  The course was littered with nothing but rolling hills with maybe a total of 1 mile that felt flat, but I am pleased to note that they had water stations almost every mile of the race.  Between mile one and two there was a band playing Christmas music to get everyone in the spirit.  After mile 3 the temp was getting uncomfortably warm for a hat and gloves so it was either ditch them or carry them and I opted that I liked my hat to much too just ditch it.  Once we hit mile 5 the course looped back in with the people running/walking the 5K.  This was not the most ideal situation due to the fact that the walkers/stroller moms/and pets were pretty much all over the place causing anyone running for time to weave in and out of the 5K traffic jam.  The last 0.5 mile was all downhill and gave me a chance to stretch my legs out and sprint to the finish line.  At the finish they had bands playing, people cheering, fake snow blowing and of course the reason why we all run most of these things, a pretty sweet finisher metal for my effort.

    When it is all said and done this was a great race and very much worth the money and effort.  The only minor annoyances were the hills and the people who don’t know what, “On your left” means.

  • Derby 50K DNF / DNS Race Report

    admin

    1st, please let me start this post out by saying that I am extremely blessed to be doing the things that I do.  I am, for the most part, a very healthy and active person.  Additionally I am even more blessed to have a very healthy, happy and supportive family!  Their health and well being is #1 priority.  Now with that all said I can go on with my DNF / DNS Rant.

    The Good
    The experience from the very start until the very end was one that I will never get tired of.  This group of Ultra Runners down in Ellerbe, NC are the best bunch of people that I have met.  In every event they seem to inject themselves and thir personalities into the very essence and under the guidance of Mark Long “The Derby” was no diffrent.

    The Bad
    ME, I was the bad this time.  After injuring myself last weekend at CR24  I should not have even come to this event.  But once again as well all know I can be bull-headed.  Lots of pain in my knee, ankle and foot.

     

    The story
    After hitting the snooze on the alarm one too many times It was time to get up and head out to Ellerbe, NC.  I was to meet up with J. Jackson at the Hardees in Carthage at 6:30 and leaving the house at 5 after was going to make it tight.  However I rolled up just a min or two late and we were off.

    Derby 50kOnce we go there we found a parking spot and started getting ready.  The 1st person that I saw was non other than Mark Long.  We stopped and chatted for a few moments, Picked up my Derby mug and found my race number.  The church was wonderfully heated and was very

    welcoming as it was about 34 deg outside.  Back out to the truck I went, got all my stuff out on my tail gate fill the Nathans up and put in Nuuns in. No sooner did I do all that when my buddy Will rolled up asking jokingly “Is there a race

    Will

    around here ??”   I finished getting ready and headed inside to make a final rest room stop and put my shoes on.

    The start of the race was very MTCish and if you were not paying attention you might have missed it.  Ready, set, GO! and off we all went like a heard of charing turtles.

    The course was a 10.5 mile loop in Richmond County with mostly easy rolling hills and only two of those hills were steep.  The course followed mostly old country roads and had one section (about 2.5 Miles of hard packed dirt. I really did not know where i was until I saw a sign say “Sycamore Lodge”….wait a minute I know where we are!  I have camped here with my buddy Mark!

    Soon after that things went from bad to worse, my ankle was starting to swell and get really stiff.  I figured that well, I can walk for a while then slow jog it out and everything will be ok. Guess what….that didn’t work either.

    When I finished the 1st lap I figured I was in for a long day so I changed into warmer clothes and a different running beanie and I was out for lap two.  Unfortunately that did not last very long.  I was in extreme pain, on the pain index of somewhere between a 7 and 8, not good.  When I got to aid station 1 again everyone asked if I was ok to which I answered no and asked if I could sit down…..BIG MISTAKE!!  Whatever you do, if you want to finish a race DO NOT SIT DOWN, i repeat, do NOT sit down.  Once I sat down I realized that my race was over.  I was offer some BioFreeze from my friend Gene, which I applied, but that didn’t do anything.  Shortly after that I embraced my fate that this race, “The Derby” 2012 would go down as my 1st official DNF (Did not Finish).  However at this moment I am going on record to state that this is also a DNS (Do Nothing Stupid) move for me.  With Weymouth Woods in Jan & two MAJOR races in April (Ga Death Race & Umstead 100), I think this was the best move I could have done.

    All in all, Derby…I WILL see you next year.  Great Race, Great Course, Great People.  I think that about wraps it all up.

     

    Peace out!

     

     

  • Oh no…

    admin

    I’m pretty sure that I just sealed my fate!  I am now one of 127 people signed up for The Georgia Death Race …… Just the name itself brings questionably to the nature of this race!

    The Race: (Quoted From the Website)
    The Georgia Death Race is a point-to-point ultramarathon trail race in North Georgia. The race is ~60 miles with close to 30,000 feet of elevation change, starting at Vogel State Park and finishing about 60 miles later

    This sign-up is right on the heals of completing my firs 100K at CR24 last weekend.  The very same race where I questioned my future in Ultra Racing!  Good grief what am I thinking..

    Well guess I should stop writing and start training!

    Later~!!

    GaDeathRace

  • OldSchool Aquathon #3

    admin

    2012 Results:
    Overall: 37 / 82
    Gender:
    A/G: 4 / 9
    Time: 41:25
    Format 400m (Swim) / 3 (Run) / 400m (Swim)
    This race is always a very fun race. I particularly like their motto of “Old School, all distances are approximate” J This race features a different look at racing in the terms of a lot of fast people coming out and just having fun, very low stress and I have not found there to be many aggressive attitudes. Today’s race is the last one in the 3 set of races and will have 2 different racing disciplines, swimming & Running. This year’s race was unique though because it was on Fourth of July, so instead of being an evening race the RDs decided to make it an AM race and started everything at 8:00am so we could go and enjoy the day, which was very nice for my Son, daughter & wife who agreed to accompany me.

    Being a local fun, low-key, race the interestingness started right of the bat. I walked up to the registration table with my pre-registration eMail in hand and the little girl checked me in then wanted to write my number on my arm…I Said, this is different. It was at that point that she informed me that there was not chip timing this year that the vendor fell through…..UGH, I really don’t like non-chipped events any more. But in good spirit, and since I had already drug my family out of bed with me, I let her mark me up and let’s go and have a good time.

    The format starts with a 400 meter open water swim in Sharon Harris Lake. The start was pretty uneventful as it was a waist deep start, so we get to miss all the pushing & kicking each other in the face while fighting for position. As quickly as the swim started I patiently waited until most everyone was out before I started the directly moved to the outside to avoid being kicked. This technique allowed me to very quickly settle into my own stroke turnover and swim comfortably, which was a huge difference from last year where I think I about die! LOL
    The swim quickly ended and we were on to the next part. THE RUN. Before this race I promised myself that I would take everything very easy and that is what I had planned for the run too. As I came into the transition area my family was there waiting for me and without stopping I made sure that everything was ok with them, put my shoes on grabbed my Garmin on off I went. This year I found it much easier to settle into the run. Not sure if it was because of my increase of fitness or because I did not kill myself on the 1st swim. Who knows but ….. as the run progressed I carried a very comfortable pace of 7:30s but everyone behind me was yelling at this chick saying stuff like come on girl you can do it….Be strong she is only right ahead of you… When I glanced behind me this lady looked as if she was struggling on the run so I gave her some words of encourage men and told her to stay on my heals and we will get her. She agreed and we dropped the pace down to just over

    7:00s. Funny thing about this was when we were entering the transition are she looked at me and said “You know I have to pass you now” LOL, I did not crush her bubble, but really lady like I was even trying to out run you.
    So I did what any other boy would do, yup let her pass then run right on her heals so she knew she could not drop me…Whatever SMH so off we went to our separate areas.

     

    This 2nd transition was back to the swim for another 400 meter loop. I certainly was not anxious to get back into the water. The little push I did at the end of the run left me a tad out of breath but after checking on the family off I went. The final swim was very non eventful and was not very fast. But I completed it and felt good. Afterwards the family and went home and enjoyed a nice day together.