What have I gotten myself into?....LOL

I just looked at my calendar and noticed several highlighted dates...very close together between now and the end of the year...and highlighted dates means only one thing marathons...or longer!  So I thought I would type a short blog post to release a little anxiety about the the next 75 days or so...

First up....September 29 AND 30th - Hinson Lake 24 Hour Ultra. 

http://www.hinsonlake24hour.com/

24 hours to go as far as you want/can...1.53 mile loop around a beautiful lake...tons of food and nice folks...this is the race where I first used the phrace, "Island of Misfit Toys" to describe Ultra Marathon runners...and it has held true for other gatherings of Trailer Runners and Ultra Runners alike (Umstead, Boogie, Hinson Lake, Medoc...etc)....all exemplify the family of damaged people that aspire to RIDICULOUS distances.  I am shooting for 50 miles!

NEXT UP...October 13...Medoc Marathon

https://www.facebook.com/MedocTrailRaces

Music...Food...and MEDOC!  Trail races are great events...but the location...the trails...the 4 race directors make this one to remember.  This is the race that make us all question "why do I do this running thing?"...LOL.  Michael, Frank, Scott, and Ron put on a great race...and it is an "EVENT"...I look forward to the abuse it will afford my frame!

NEXT...RICHMOND MARATHON! - November 10

http://www.richmondmarathon.com/

This is my first Richmond run...love the town...seemed hilly to me when we visited this past summer...WHAT?  But there is a LARGE Rocky Mount contingent going...and I know we will have a blast.

FINALLY...for 2012...LAS VEGAS MARATHON - December 2

http://stripatnight.com/?gclid=CKn7pcLpwbICFSOnPAodVH4Ajw

WHAT?...YUP!...THAT JUST HAPPENED!  A week in Sin City...Hey, I need a few days to recover from my marathon...and I bet I can find a few things to keep me busy in Vegas, baby!...It ends AT NIGHT...ON THE STRIP!  I am kinda excited about this one...Jon and Amber Shingleton are Vegas Experts and are sure to make this a memorable trip....BOO YAH!

So...I think I over-registered...OOPS!...See ya'll in a few weeks with my Hinson Lake wrap-up!

Peace...Go tell someone how much you appreciate them today...then go for a run!

E

Boogie Marathon

To say I was at an emotional low the morning of June 16th would be a gross understatement.  It was a bad week on several fronts, nothing horrible, just nothing to get excited about.  I spent most of the week looking for excuses to NOT run the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie, as it is officially known.  Specifically I was registered to run the "little" Boogie or "baby" Boogie...26.2 miles...the "real" Boogie is 50 miles. 

Every pain in my foot, every sore ankle, every twinge in my knee or hip...every hangnail, splinter, runny nose, pimple, split-end...hell, I think I was gonna drop out for bad breath on Thursday....I just did NOT want to run.  I was running alone.  Jon and Amber were on vacation...B was sitting out.  Then it hit me...I WAS RUNNING ALONE!  ALONE.  That one word provided the all the motivation I needed to change my attitude....or would ALTITUDE be a better word for Boogie.

Frank Lilley was in a tizzy due to the forecast of 79 for the high and 59 for the low...Boogie is made for Manly Men (and women)...made to test even the highest octane rocket sauce...79...THEY SHOULD CANCEL!...so...GOOD WEATHER + FRANK IN A TIZZY = I HAVE TO GO!

So, once I decided to actually go, we packed a few bags, jumped in the truck headed to IHOP for a few carbs (pancakes) and Elecetrolytic Porcine Protein (bacon, ham and sausage)....and headed west...2 1/2 hours later...Rockingham.  And guess what...our room wasn't ready...come back in an hour.  1 hour later...our room wasn't ready...3:00pm...need to head the the race around 4:00pm...room still not ready...so we watched an episode of King of Queens in the lobby while the cleaning staff finally tackled room 414...3:30...check in...change...off to Bethel Baptist Church in Ellerbe.

Trail races and Ultras tend to draw a very loyal crowd and after doing a couple you start to see the usual suspects....

Here is Suspect El Numero Uno...Frank Lilley...he has been the driving force behind several of my more extreme running adventures....Thanks Frank.  His picture is shadowy at the request of the Witness Protection Folks...he has a past...but that is for another blog post (not because I suck at taking pictures)....LOL.

Charles West, David Solomon...a whole lotta nice folks that I met at Hinson Lake last year were all there...Good people!  Everyone was friendly and excited to run Boogie in such good weather.  It wasn't long before Boogie Man called for the masses to congregate at the church steps for a word of prayer and a few instructions...including the warning about biting dogs...Apparently a gentleman named Joey decided to do a Double Boogie...yeah, I said DOUBLE....that means 100 miles...but early in his attempt, he was attacked by a dog and bitten in his hind quarter....but went on to do something like 75 miles before he called it a day...I was in the company of true insanity...MY PEOPLE!

FACTIOD # 1: Ellerbe is in the sandhill region of North Carolina...or as I like to say sandHILL!  I did not see much sand, but the hills were there...and they were happy to see us runners...in fact I think these hills are built on piles of dead runners.  Bethel hill is an gorgeous steep downhill, 2 mile stretch of out-and-back...the OUT part is downhill...all the way...the BACK, then, is all UPHILL...2 miles...Boogie Man is a SICK DUDE!  Several hills were not runnable...I mean...I chose to walk them to enjoy the beautiful scenery...yeah!

FACTOID # 2: The sandhills of NC in June are beautiful.  Green and lush hills of farmland...remote and full of the sounds and smells of the country. 

SOOO...6:00...start time...I opted for shirtless...of course...that is just how I roll. 

I made the first loop very comfortably...about a 12 minute pace....everything was going well...the temperature was great...the sun was setting...the iPod was shuffling in just the right order this time...Adele...Foo Fighters...Mazzy Star...The Civil Wars...Iron Maiden...Rush...it was a good mix.  The race was 2 ten-mile loops...then a 6 mile loop...so, I was able to expect the next section...then the next section...at mile 16 I got a much-needed hamburger...and some gatorade...the fluid/fuel stops were great...pretzels...bananas...these little chocolate cookie balls...yeah, I said it...chocolate cookie balls!

I had the normal baggage I take with me on runs...WHAT?...let me explain...I run for a lot of reasons, but marathons...I run them to exorcise some of the crap I still have trouble putting down and walking away from.  I have found no better way to work things out than to get an endorphin buzz and gut it out on the road or trail...hard to explain...but if emotional scars were trash I would be locked up for littering...but I digress.

Mile 20...all good...stopped to talk to B...CarbBoom Gel...a sudden, strange little wheezing cough...and I'm off.  By now it was dark...really dark...and I really enjoyed the extended periods that I was able to run without my headlamp...the stars gave off just enough light to make the lines on the road just barely visible.  Runner would pass in the dark so close that it was almost startling at times...the bobbling lights in the distance, coming and going, let you know you were not alone....at 21 miles my nagging little cough turned into a full-on asthma attack...GREAT...didn't bring my inhaler...had not had an attack since the weather warmed up...I won't need my INHALER!....TOOL!  So, I did the only thing I could...I walked to the farm path gate made from heavy rubber coated cable and sat down to calm my breathing and get my %$#& together...10-15 minutes later I was back on the hoof.  I walked a little...ran a little...coughed a little...mile 25...let's run this in....mile 25 1/2...let's try this running thing again...24 3/4...LOL....OK...100 yards to go....run this thing in...YEAH!

6:02:00.  Enough said.  26.2 miles of the most gnarly, hilly, dark, lonely, peaceful, friendly, and beautiful road I have run.

And for what?

A hand-made, one-of-a-kind coffee mug...and just a little more peace than when I started...oh...and CHOCOLATE COOKIE BALLS!

See you on the road.

E

Flying Pig 2012

8 months ago when my cousin, Brett, told me he was getting married in Newark, Ohio, on Cinco De Mayo, I jumped on Google to see what else might be going on at the same time as to make a little vacation out of the trip...If you're gonna drive 9 hours to get somewhere, have as much fun as you can.  SOOO the Flying Pig Marathon appeared in the first few entries...."Hey, I've heard of that...Jon and Amber ran it a few years ago..." we HAVE to do it!

Hotel...Booked!
Race...Registered!

Nothing left to do but train and wait.....

I have 7 marathons and a 24 Hour Ultra scheduled for 2012.  I have done this to MAKE myself continue to train...I really love racing...the anticipation...the social aspect...everything about racing is cool.  I try to get out 4 times a week to run...and it is not always easy, but I do love running, plain and simple.

This trip, with the wedding and the marathon was one I was really looking forward to.  We were gonna see family, eat some great food, visit a new city...and RUN!  The wedding and the associated family "stuff" was great.  We found ourselves with not much to do on Friday (race was on Sunday) so we drove from Columbus to Cincinnati to visit the expo....we got to Cincy early enough to walk around downtown and we stumbled on to Nicholson's Gastropub.  The meal we had warrants a new paragraph...So....

DUCK FAT FRENCH FRIES!  Yes, french fries fried in duck fat.  If you have not experienced this, please, I implore you, go to Google and find an eatery near you that does this...GLORIOUS!  But that was not the only notable discovery...Bacon and Egg Cheese Burger...BUT...their idea of bacon, by the way is a 1/2 inch SLAB of smoked pork belly....add a runny fried egg...jack cheese....and home-made pickles...OH MY DEAR LORD!

OK...Expo...this was Brandie's and my first BIG expo....and it was very cool to be at a huge expo with all the cool "stuff"....I am sure I bought several things with pigs on them that I did not really need.  The Pig has a great expo and great swag...well done!

5:30 Saturday wedding in Columbus....on the road back to Cincy by 6:00....LOL...settled into the hotel by 9:00....blah blah blah....gnite....5:00am wake up for a 6:30 start!

Brandie and I both opted for "pig pen" G when we registered...so we hung out for a about 40 minutes waiting for the start....there was a local band...people dressed in a variety of costumes...it was cool to be at our first really big race together all the way up to the start....the race was so big that there was a 17 minute gap from the start until our "pig pen" was opened...it seemed the parade of runners went on forever...

Once we got underway, it was great...it was fairly cool outside...the euphoria of your first big race is like a buzz...this will EASY!...hahaha!

I very quickly saw Forrest Gump...as in "I just felt like run-ning" Forrest Gump...period-accurate right down to the early 80's Nike flats, Bubba Gump Shrimp hat, and striped knee socks...He and I stayed together, or close to it for most of the next 5+ hours.

The first 13.1 miles was a PLEASURE...I recall thinking, "this marathon thing ain't so bad"...wow...a bit premature.  The route was scenic...the city rallies behind this race like no other I have seen...it is a BIG event and is one I hope to repeat....BUT.

Shortly after the first 1/2, the sun became a factor...a substantial factor...let's review a few facts...1) I did not apply any sunscreen...and removed my shirt after about 5 miles...i am not a big fan of shirts...I like to run with as little on as possible...SUPERNATURAL?....hmmm....maybe....LOL.  2) Apparently the sun is closer to Ohio than it is to North Carolina.  3) the sky that day was cloudless and CLEAR....so very soon I was crisping and, for some reason, kept smelling bacon...LOL.

Then, all of a sudden, BAM...POW...SMACK!  I found "the wall"...I bonked...badly and it was a physical and emotional bonk....Mile 18 began the "heart of darkness"...LOL...and I quickly became Colonel Kurtz and the joy and light of the first half was light years away and I was not happy...hahaha....

So, I will run down a few significant vignettes of the last 6 miles...they present themselves as flashes that I will never forget...and made this race even more unforgettable....here we go!

• The river was muddy...like chocolate milk...but I bet a dollar it would feel cooler in there
• Why is the sun following ME
• EVERY mile is just not enough fluid stops...LOL
• Sunscreen would have been a really good idea....am I on fire?
• There is the Great American Center Building...is it really 4 miles away
• A DNF really wouldn't be so bad
• I guess feet CAN hurt that bad

Then i got to a small church in a really poor section of town that was giving out crushed ice...and this little 9-year old-ish street urchin handed me a cup of ice...which I poured into my hat and put back on my head....after a few seconds he said, "Holy F--- Mister...you're smoking"...and sure enough, steam us rising from my hat....Holy F---, indeed!...I limped away to the sounds of his mother swatting his for his flowery use of slang....I bet he never forgets the the steaming tattooed guy...LOL.

• Really 3 more miles....REALLY
• that damn building is moving away from me...I know it is
• Screw it I quit...not really...but, ya know......AHHH crap...just walk it in
• 2 miles....whatever...mayber everyone will stop telling me "you got this"...LOL
• 1 mile...just kinda shuffling....hot as hell...and disappointed in my time
• 1/2 mile...OK...run it in...no matter how bad it hurts....
• 1/4 mile....what was I thinking...this hurts
• Run....lots of people clapping and cheering
• Run...i see the end...
• Run...close...I got this
• Run...there's B....and Forrest...SWEET....
• Run...it hurts....just about there.....

SUCK IT FLYING PIG....I OWN YOU!...WHERE'S MY FREAKIN MEDAL....and a cookie...and a drink....and a massage...and another cookie...LOL

Post race cry....blah blah bah.....

Shower...change...DUCK FAT FRIES!....Nothing beats finishing a marathon....the actual last step before crossing the line....even with a little sun poisoning...I got a little sick that night...I was already thinking about the next one....I know...I have issues....but remember....

Chuck Norris has never run a marathon.