2014 Umstead 100... over a year later

I had to reread my last post to remember where I left off.  It was just before I toed the line for my first attempt at running 100 miles.  Did I do it?  Yes.  Here is the story.
We dropped the kids off at my mom's house on Friday afternoon and headed to Raleigh.  We arrived in time to quickly check in to the hotel and hurry off to the runner's meeting and dinner.  I must say, driving in to Umstead State Park for the first time was stressful enough.  The roads are small, rough, and not well marked.  We drove for a while before seeing a small triangle sign pointing the way.  Parked, checked in, got shirt, hat, bib, and headed for the meeting.  Sitting through the race brief felt a little long and hearing the turns of the course described turn by turn with trail names, etc was extremely overwhelming.  It was very cool to see some past winners and people going for their 10th to earn a 1000 mile buckle.  Mostly uneventful though.  Ate some pasta and headed for the hotel.
In the fall of 2013, I was introduced to Tailwind Nutrition.  Their motto is "Everything you need all day, really".  I tried it for training runs, used it exclusively for Thunder Road Marathon and stuck with it through the Frosty 50K and Mill Stone 50K.  I was amazed how well it worked.  I offer few words of wisdom to runners as people need to find what works for them, but one of my favorite mantras is to trust your training.  In other words, do on race day the same things you did every time you ran leading up to it.  So back at the hotel, I went over all the math with my wife for calorie intake and needed her to keep a log of calories consumed for me.  Loaded the Jurek UD belt with baggies of Tailwind and settled in to sleep.  Turns out there was some sort of biker convention that weekend as well.  All the bikers were extremely nice, but their bikes and radios are very load.  Bikes came and went all night and the rumble and the anxiety caused for a lot of tossing and turning.  I can't remember what time I woke up on Saturday, but as I sat and ate a banana, there were still bikers coming back from a night of partying.
While I thought driving in to Umstead was daunting in the daylight, heading in under the cover of darkness was crazy.  Of course the site of deer makes me even more on edge as my Prius would not fair well in the battle.  So we parked and got a what I thought I would need and went over more thoughts with Sarah about what I might need and my race plans again.  As a brief over view, I went in to this race really wanting to finish under the 30 hour cutoff.  I broke it down to the 4 almost marathons.  My thought process was to run them at 5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, and 8 hours (purely guessing that I would be mostly walking the last 25 miles).  That would put me in at 26 hours which would be awesome.  It also gave me room to maybe push for under 24 (to get a silver buckle) if I was still feeling good at half way.
Before the race, I prayed with a couple other runners which is a fantastic way to start a day, a race, or anything really.  Grabbed my water bottle, strapped on the headlamp and got ready for the start.  The start of the race was uneventful and exciting.  It was the only time in the race where there would be a lot of people around.  We got really spread out and would later run miles without seeing another runner.  I hear within the first couple miles, on the airport spur, a guy got hit by a deer.  Yes, you read that right.  A guy got hit by a deer.  We were bunched up running from the start and I guess the deer didn't want to wait for an opening and ran right into a guy.  He was OK and made it to the aid station to get a few bandaids.  Proof you never know what will happen during any given ultra.

Before the race... all smiles

So here is how my day went.

Lap 1: This was a fun lap.  Met a lot of people.  Everyone said pretty much the same thing.  "My goal is to finish and if somehow I can finish under 24 hours, that would be awesome."  I would settle in and run with a few people for a while and then someone would stop for water, slow down, speed up, etc and I would run with another group.  This went on most of the first lap.  The first lap did show me that Umstead is NOT flat.  There are some pretty good climbs on the back half.  They are steep, but not long climbs.  Did wonder how much steeper they would get as the day went on though.  So lap 1 flew by and I finished the lap in 2:21 which was 9 minutes ahead of schedule.  No big deal, need to slow down and pace myself, but I figured that would happen.

Lap 2: We are getting spread out a little more and the course chatter is decreasing as people are doing more head down, focused running.  Did meet a few people including a guy named Mike.  He stood out to me because of our shared love of Jesus and that his 14 year old daughter was going to pace him on the final lap.  I think that is the coolest thing ever.  I pray my kids will run with me one day.  Otherwise, another uneventful lap.  The climbs did not seem as bad since I knew they were there and just had the mindset of "it's a hill, get over it".  Still felt fresh and ran a 2:25 lap.

First quarter done in 4:46 (14 minutes under schedule)

Lap 3: Oddly enough, this may have been my toughest mental lap.  The sun was up, runners were spread, and the newness had worn off.  I am not sure I spoke at length to anyone on this lap.  It was way hotter than I expected and I got behind on hydration.  The spacing of the aid stations was not ideal for me.  I would always have a good bit left at a water stop, but not enough to make it to the back aid station.  So I either had to dilute the Tailwind I had to top off it off or try to pour in partial bags or as I did twice, I poured a whole new baggie in and made it too strong so I didn't drink as much as I needed.  Did I mention it was getting hot?  This made for a bad combo.  I did find my self trying to chug some cups of water at the cooler stations to try to make up, but chugging water is not something I enjoy or practice.  I will carry a handheld on short runs so I can sip often.  Chugging causes sloshing in my stomach when I run.  The hills were steeper this time around, but I made it.  The back half (really 5 miles) is the hardest physically, but I know at the end of that, I get to see Sarah and get a kiss.  I am thankful those aren't the first 5 miles of the loop.  That would be even harder mentally.  So I finished lap 3 in 2:43 which I was very pleased with.  As far as I remember, this is the only time I really complained to Sarah.  I told her it was hot and I was behind on hydration.  Not to get graphic but I think I had not peed at this point which had her worried.

Lap 4: Sun if fully up and it is now the heat of the afternoon.  I did manage to smile for the camera.

This lap officially crossed me over to my longest run ever.  Previous long run was Uwharrie 40 miler over a year before.  So that was cool to push through that mark.  My mental motivation here was knowing this was my last solo lap.  After 50 miles, you can have a pacer run with you.  I knew having someone beside me would help a bunch.  Other than pushing through to get a pacer, nothing big on this lap.  Finished lap 4 in 2:49.

Makes the second quarter 5:32 and the first half (50 miles) 10:18.  This is 42 minutes ahead of my best made plan.  Which made me almost giddy.  Not to mention, I still felt good.  Got hydration back on track and have a pacer.

Lap 5: Before this lap, I put on a dry shirt and socks.  Also added calf compression.  What a boost those calf sleeves gave to my tired legs.  Chris Minnis asked me soon after signing up for this race if there was anything I needed to make this happen.  I said my biggest need was pacers.  His response was an extremely gracious "when and where" response.  So he drove from Concord to Raleigh just to run 12.5 miles with me.  It was great to take my mind off of the run and to talk about his family and what they had going on.  The coolest thing he did on that lap was going into the first water stop, he says "I will fill up your bottle if you want to keep moving."  Even though I spent little time at any aid station, it was nice to not mess with zip lock baggies of Tailwind and trying to open and close a water bottle.  Seems simple, but it gets hard.

Chris is in the background in the white hat.

Plus even if I was walking while he was filling the bottle, it was good to keep making forward progress.  The other thing he was very good at was pushing me without being a pain.  Again simple things like "let's run to that big tree up on the right."  Breaking it down into small attainable goals is a great mental trick and he played them well.  Having company was just the boost I was hoping for.  We finished lap 5 in 2:55.

Lap 6: Next victim... I mean pacer, Scott Babcock.  We were roommates for a couple years and know each other well.  He is an extremely reliable friend and I know he would not have missed being there or taking part in this race with me for anything.  He can up early and hung out with Sarah.  When I would come into the main aid station, Sarah would always try to tell me stories and update me on other happens.  Honestly, I did care, but needed to update her on my status and needs so I could get moving.  Running with Scott allowed him to update me on some Umstead events while on the move.  I took my jacket for this lap as I was slowing down and the sun was dropping, I was getting cold from time to time.  Scott took cues from me on dress and almost fried himself in the woods.  Other than that he has been battling some weird leg thing that made me worry, but he did great.  He didn't push me, but didn't let me slack off either.  I was still able to joke a little with him, but for the most part, the conversation was becoming more one sided at this point.  We completed the lap in 3:07.

3rd segment done in 6:02 (never thought that would be possible)  That is a total of 16:20 for the first 75 miles.

Lap 7: While Scott was burning up, I was still getting colder.  16 plus hours from dark to hot sun to cool dark again with no food I was getting cold.  That said, I changed out my compression sleeves for full leg sleeves.  Did this so I didn't have to take off shorts to put on tights.  Also made sure I had gloves as my hands are the first thing to get cold.  Seriously I have run in 50 degree weather with shorts, t-shirt, and gloves.  Anywho, next pacer up... Charlie Doyle.  He is a long time friend of Scott's.  I met Charlie many moons ago through Scott and he has become a dear friend as well.  So while I am adding clothes, Scott is telling Charlie to strip because there is no air movement and it is hot.  Charlie probably got the worst pacer lap.  This felt more like lap 3 and I guess is was lap 3 of the 2nd 50 miles.  At this point I knew I would finish and maybe, just maybe under 24 hours.  I just had to keep moving.  I was quiet and just moving forward at whatever pace was possible.  There was some level of grouchiness on this lap.  I was getting used to running with a headlamp and dealing with his headlamp.  I didn't like him behind me because then I had my shadow to deal with.  I tried to stay on the smoothest part of the course and I kept ending up in the pitted section and making him switch sides.  I do remember him saying my jacket lights up like a Christmas tree which is good news for safety.  Also on a downhill, he commented that I was running under an 8:30 pace with over 80 miles on my legs.  I had no idea, I just moved when I could.  Those very short bursts of "speed" were balanced out with a lot of walking for another lap at exactly 3:07.

Lap 8: The Victory Lap: My beautiful bride, Sarah, agreed to run the final lap with me.  While I joke about it being a victory lap, that was pretty much the mind set.  I knew I would finish and I had 4.5 hours to beat 24.  I could walk the entire lap and make that.  So we set off on a stroll.  She was talkative and I wasn't, but that is pretty much how we function on a daily basis.  I don't mean that in an annoying way.  She wore my hydration pack without the bladder just to get all my extra stuff that I never used from the back aid station.  We did some running, but at the end of airport spur, I had to take off my shoe to get out a rock so I sat for a couple minutes.  Then when we got back to the main trail with just a couple miles to go, I wanted to stop and sit on a bench for a couple minutes.  At this point, it was starting to overwhelm me that I was really going to do it and I was ready to be done.  It is always fun to get time to run with Sarah and this was no different except she probably enjoyed it more because I wasn't pushing the pace like I usually do when we run together.  I mention those couple times stopping to sit down because of my finish time.  Lap 8 time: 3:28. 21 minutes slower than the last two laps.

4th quarter of the race complete in 6:35.  Making for a 2nd 50 mile time of 12:37.

Final race time? 23:02:09 for a SILVER BUCKLE!!  Never thought I was capable of that.  The human body is capable of so much more than we ever push it to do.  God doesn't make junk.

I have no idea what all the white stuff is, but that is a silver buckle in my hand.

To this day, that 2 minutes drives Sarah crazy.  Had I not sat down twice on the last lap, I would have broke 23 hours.  It was not on my radar.  My only math calculations were focused on 24 hours.  Had I known I could have come in closer to 22:50 or even 22:45, I would have pushed just a little bit harder.  No regrets though.  I could not have planned for the day to go more perfect.  I wore my Altra Olympus shoes for the whole time.  Changed socks at 50 miles from a thin pair of Injini toe socks to a slightly thicker pair for both warmth and padding purposes.  I did not have a single blister on either feet.  I wore some older Adidas shorts that I picked up on clearance a few years ago.  I changed from one Team 413 shirt to another.  It keeps me inspired and I always get comments from other running that get a little boost from reading the verse on the back of the shirt.  It also opens up conversations.  My Jurek UD waist belt worked flawlessly for carrying my baggies of white powder.  The Tailwind worked perfect.  Never got hungry or depleted, just a little dehydrated in the middle of the afternoon.  That was my fault.  After the race, I went back to the hotel, showered, and went right to sleep.  Woke up about noon and went to Red Robin for lunch which was my first solid food since the banana at the hotel before the race.  Red Robin is awesome since they have a vegan burger with a lettuce bun and bottomless steamed broccoli.  I got several bowls of broccoli.  I could not have asked for a better race.

Next huge adventure

While I am not sure why I created a blog or why I haven't posted to it in a few years, I also don't know why I am posting now. Since that first Thunder Road on 12/11/10, I have run 7 more marathons, 2 50K's, and a 40 miler. I am not fast, have set no land speed records, nor care to. More enjoyment in running comes from distance. It is the experience. Every race I have run, I have met at least one person who shared some miles with me and more importantly, a little piece of themselves. During he quiet, isolated running times, I have prayed, laughed, and cried. All with good purpose, never from physical pain. I ran my first ultra February 2013 which was the Uwharrie Mountain Run 40 miler. I ran no trails or real hills leading up to this run, but finished, before the cutoff. I got to see the sun both rise and set from the top of the mountain. I finished the last two miles with three other guys, in the dark, with headlamps. I ran that race knowing it would qualify me for Umstead. One of those guys I finished with was running Umstead in April 2013. By the finish line of those 40 miles, I was not beat, I was ready to take he leap. When sign up rolled around I was on my computer and ready to hit refresh over and over until the registration screen appeared. I quickly filled out the form and entered my credit card number and hit submit before the registration screen timed out. Then I realized what I had just done. One week from right now, at 6 am on April 5th, 2014, I will toe the starting line of the Umstead 100. Am I ready? I don't feel as well trained as I would like to be, but I am SO ready. I have four great pacers lined up to run with me for the last 50 miles. My amazing wife is going to crew me and support me all through the race as well as push me through the last lap. I can't wait to see what God as for me out on that course. The people in he ultra world are different people all with amazing stories and kind hearts. Who will I share miles and stories with over this, the longest run of my life? If whatever moved me to start this blog and to even update it this morning continues on my heart, I will post an update after I finish my first 100 miler. I really should fill in some gaps over the last three years. Maybe even mention that I have already signed up for my next 100 miler in he fall. For right now, the focus is on Umstead. With that said, I need to get a couple hours of running in this morning so I can spend the rest of he day with my beautiful girls. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -Phil. 4:13

Post marathon picture 2

Post Marathon picture 1

Memories of my first marathon.

My first marathon is complete and I survived with a medal to prove it.  How was it?  Long, painful, triumphant, joyful and everything in between.

Sarah and I arrived downtown Charlotte with plenty of time to spare.  We quickly found Scott, had time for pre-race potty stops, and then rushed to the starting line.  The start of the race was a little stressful as we were stuck in a crowd on the sidewalk as the race was starting.  It took about 4 or 5 minutes for me to get to the starting line.  That was the most people I have ever run with so it was pretty cool on the first slight downhill to look ahead and see people running four lanes wide as far as I could see.  Of course that was also a challenge with all the side to side running.  Since I started so far back, there were a lot of people in front of me to pass.

Near the first water stop, I finally spotted Scott.  We ran 4 or 5 miles together which was a great time.  We don’t get as much time to hang out as we used to plus I pushed him to speed up a little and he got me to slow down a little which I needed.  Somewhere around mile 6 or 7 he needed to slow down and I took off.  I was glad to find out he set a PR of 2:08 on the half!  By this time, I felt great.  The gloves were off, my $2 Salvation Army sweatshirt was long gone and I was comfortably in the zone.

The first mental challenge of the day came when they separate the runners. “Half marathoners to the right, Full marathoners stay straight.”  To be that close to the finish line only to leave it again.  I felt great at that point with no fatigue or pain, but it was scary to make that commitment of running straight ahead and have 3200 people turn right while only 1295 went straight.

As I crossed the timing pad for the 13.1 split, I looked down at my Garmin to see the mileage read 10.6.  Oops.  Obviously at the 10.6 mile mark I hit the stop button on my watch.  That is what I get for switching display screens and checking stats while running.  I then proceeded to reset the watch to zero so I could keep track of the last 13.1 miles.  I thought this might be a good mental game anyway since I can run 13.1 miles.  Nice try.

Around mile 14 I started getting very cold again.  I put my gloves back on and was wishing for my sweatshirt back.  At mile 16 we were passing in front of the stadium and they were handing out Clif Shot Bloks at this water station.  My hands were so cold that I was having trouble getting them open.  After unsuccessfully chewing through one end of the package, I flipped it over and was able to chew through the other side.

The run back through downtown still felt like cruise control.  Mile 19 and 20 were really boring.  If you have ever done Thunder Road, you probably know what I am talking about.  These are the miles when it starts to get difficult physically and in my opinion, the most boring part of the entire course.  Between mile 20 and 21, I started getting some pain in my right knee and a little in my left ankle.  This was forcing me to walk a little to give them some rest.

Mile 22 was my “wall”.  This was the point where my knee was screaming at me to stop.  I took out my phone and sent Sarah a text to let her know where I was and that it was going to be a while before I got there.  For the next couple miles I was doing about half walking and half jogging.  NODA and Plaza Midwood were both fun to run through.  There were some great parties taking place and lots of encouragement from the crowds, but none of that could take away the pain in my knee.  By mile 24, I was done.  Not mentally.  There was never a thought of quitting, but I knew physically I could not run another step.

Walking seemed to not hurt so forward I went.  The two mile walk back into downtown was nice but I wished I could have at least jogged it.  I didn’t care about the time as much as about my pride.  Once I could see the finish line, I did make myself jog the last 0.2 miles and could not feel a thing at that point.  Crossing the finish line was incredible.  A time of 4:49:27 was longer than I hoped, but sets a nice mark to improve on.  June 2009 when I committed to my first 5K, I would never have imagined this was possible or that I would even want to do it.

As I was nearing the finish line, I heard Scott cheering me on but I could not find Sarah.  Right after I crossed the finish line, he comes over and tells me that Emily fell and hit her head and was at the hospital.  Sarah, of course, took off to be there.  I hate that Emily got hurt and that Sarah could not be there at the end of the race, but life changes things sometimes and we just have to roll with them.  Emily was perfectly fine which was the most important part.  I am very thankful for a good friend like Scott who stuck with me and drove me home at the end.

I took a week off of running to let my body recovery.  That first run back started out joyful and I was thrilled to be back at it again.  After the first mile, I decided to run the whole 4 mile Greenway loop.  About mile 3.5, my knee said no more.  Now I have a fear that I have ruined running.  Hopefully a little more time off and I will want to run the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March.

There was one sign I saw while running through NODA that really hit me.  It simply said, “You are no longer just a runner, you are a marathoner.”

Ready to run a marathon?

Am I ready?  I have no idea, but the time is here.  I have my race packet with bib number 494.  My race chip is activated.  There is nothing left to do at this point but wait and run, then run some more, and then run some more.

The question has come up many times as to what my time goal is.  Well, I am going to put it out there so it is easier for people to laugh at when I come no where close to it.  Realistically my first and most important goal is to cross the finish line and not need any medical attention on the way or after getting there.  After all, I did start running FOR my health.  I have run two half marathons, the Hendrick Marrow Half and the Dowd Y Half.  Both of those were finished right around 1:52.  Other runs say that gives me 16 minutes to spare to run a 4 hour marathon.  That would be awesome and will be in the back of my mind tomorrow for probably the first 18 or 20 miles.  After that survival will kick in and the reality of running a 4:30 or even 5:00 hour first marathon will be just fine with me.

The best part about this being my first marathon is when I cross that finish line, I will have set a PR (personal record for you non-runners).  However I did get some added motivation this week to keep my pace up.  Our Associate Pastor Reta Steck passed away this week after a 20 month battle with brain cancer.  She was an amazing woman and blessed all who knew her.  She is the reason that my family is at Central United Methodist Church today.  She was the very first person I met when I visited there and thought it was so cool that she remembered my name when I went back to visit again weeks later.  I learned a ton from her in Disciple I and will be proudly wearing my "Run for Reta" shirt tomorrow.

Besides her being dear to mine and my families heart, I tell you that because her funeral is at 2 PM tomorrow.  Starting a race in Charlotte at 7:45 means I can't take a minute longer than 5 hours for my Sarah and I to make it back to Concord with time for me to shower and get to the service.  If I can accomplish a 4 hour run, we will have time to spare.  Either way, only God knows my heart, but Reta knows how bad I want to be there and would understand if I don't make it.

Now a quick brag on my awesome support system!!  In order for me to pull this off, my mom is driving to Concord tonight to stay with the girls tomorrow.  Sarah is going to drive me down there and stick around to see me off.  She is going to be back in time to see me finish and have a bag of clothes ready for me so I don't have to mess with the race bag check.  She worries about me driving after running that distance which is understandable.  I drove a short distance after a 20 mile run and it was a challenge.  I love my wife more than I can describe in a blog.  She has been patient, understanding, and supportive of my new found passion of running.  I am excited to have her there at the start and the finish line of this race.

Enough babbling.  I am a little anxious and relaxed.  There is nothing I can do not but wait and run, then run some more, and run some more... and pray.  Can't wait to spend 4 to 5 hours with God tomorrow!

How (and why) I started running

For my first post EVER on a blog, I feel like I should clarify that I am not a writer nor am I sure why I started this blog other than to share my story.  Maybe somebody will get something out of it or maybe somebody will leave a comment that will help me on my journey.  Whatever the case, I have felt inspired time and time again to start a blog to share my story of why I started running and more importantly, why I still run today.  In the short 18 months of my running career, the reasons to keep moving forward are very different today than when I started.

Early 2009 at six feet and two hundred and thirty pounds, I was having some light headed spells that scared both myself and my wife.  It takes a lot for me to go to a doctor but three spells over a two or three month time did just that.  My general doc sent me to have a bunch of heart test.  One test was called a tilt table test which I laughed at.  The idea is, you get strapped to a table and you lay flat for a few minutes.  Then the table stands you up and you stand there for 30 minutes.  After standing there for a few seconds and making fun of the procedure in my head and wondering what I was going to do for 30 minutes, I almost passed out.  They quickly inverted the table to get blood back to my head and I was fine.  I failed.  So much for it being a joke test.

Failing this test started the fun because the next step was to meet with a cardiologist.  He took one look at me and profoundly said, “Let me guess, this is the biggest you have ever been.”  To which I agreed.  Next thing out of his mouth was the best medical advice anyone can get.  He simply said, “Lose it.”

Now to be fair, he did give me options.  He was fully willing and able to medicate me to get every number on every test to come out exactly where a cardiologist wants it, but as much as I don’t like going to the doctor, I don’t like taking drugs even more.  So I asked for his advice to best lose the weight to which he said, exercise 5 days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes with an elevated heart rate and shortness of breath or it does not count.

My goal was to make this fun so it would be easy to stick with.  I already owned Wii Fit and enjoyed some of the games so I went out and bought Wii Active which just came out at the time.  I got up every morning for 3 weeks and worked out with these great Wii fitness programs.  After three weeks, nothing had changed.  I did not look better in the mirror, I did not feel better, and the scale had not budged below 230 lbs.

Here was the turning point, I found the Cool Running Couch-to-5K Running Plan and figured, why not?  While the goal of getting in shape and telling the doctor where to stick his drugs were a great motivation, I needed a set goal.  I found the Streetlight 5K running on July 17^th, 2009.  The Couch-to5K was designed as a 9 week program and I only had 7 weeks.  Sadly, at 36 years old, I could not run 50 yards straight.  I started out slow on the plan and modified it as needed to remove 2 weeks and yet not feel like I was rushing myself.

During these seven weeks, I also modified what I ate.  I did not go on a diet.  Diets don’t work for the long term.  I went with the strategy called “Exercise and eat right.”  Everybody know what “eat right” means, but most people won’t do it.  That will be a blog one day.  Anyway, the weight started dropping and I started getting some confidence.  On July 17^th, 2009, I RAN the entire 5K in 32:00 for a 10:18 pace.

Not to skip ahead too much because I do plan to fill in some of the gap one day, but this Saturday, 12/11/10, I am going to run my first marathon carrying all 165 lbs of me.  That is right, in just a year and a half, I have lost 65 lbs and will run 26.2 miles straight.  This will be the most insane thing I have done to date.  If you took time to read this far, please say a prayer for me Saturday morning.  I can’t make the run alone!