2013 Oak Barrel Half Marathon Recap

Sleep was annoyingly restless in the old Ramada Inn of Murfreesboro, but the aged hotel was all I could find after several weeks of hotel hunting. The faint putrid odor of stale cigarette smoke was barely recognizable in the chemical fog used to hide it, but it had an immediate and negative effect on my sinuses. So, I was anxious to get rolling south on US-231 well before the sun came up.

The near-hour drive proved scenic as the sun rose to reveal the rolling hills that dominate the landscape of Moore county. Moore county, world famous for being the dry county that houses the Jack Daniels Distillery, has its county seat in Lynchburg, TN. That was where I was going for the third year in a row. There I planned absorb both the southern hospitality of the locals and the brutal climb of Whiskey Hill as I took part in the 4th Annual Oak Barrel Half Marathon.

Regarding the race, I knew what I was in for. The challenging course was not a personal record producer. It rolled over several hills, including 1.6-mile parabolic climb up Whiskey Hill. That hill ascended nearly 400 ft (of 800 total ft of climbing) as the course wound through budding forests and pastures onto the higher ground of Moore county. A glance at my mile splits from my beloved Polar RC3 GPS will allow you to easily locate Whiskey Hill. Thankfully, the last four miles of the loop gradually descended back into the valley, allowing fatigued legs to regain the intended pace.

In short, I loved this race. It was well organized, it was carried out by a large crew of smiling volunteers, the course was rustically scenic, and the venue was a national treasure. All of this caused it to fill the available 1200 slots as it has each year.

I went into this year's race feeling slightly more fit than last year when I ran a 1:19:28 and finished in third place a mile behind a pair of studs. In 2011 I finished 6th in 1:20:54. Given the near perfect weather, I hoped to run another 1:19 half on a course that I believe corresponds to a 1:17 on a flat course.

What I did not expect was to move into the lead 1:40 into the race. I checked my heart rate several times the first mile because I could not even hear footsteps behind me. I covered the first mile in 5:48, which was similar to previous years, but my HR was low! So I sped up and covered the second mile in 5:40 despite the fact that I knew the climbing began in the third mile.

Honestly, following the lead vehicle was nerve racking. I'd been in that position before, but not in the OB Half. I was caught and passed by a runner after Whiskey Hill during each of my prior races. That led me to surmise that a well paced young guy was cruising along while smiling at this foolish old carrot.

So, I watched my HR as I climbed the Hill. As expected, my pulse climbed into and then to the top my tempo zone. On the final and steepest pitch of the climb I could hear Highway to Hell blaring through the loudspeakers above while my legs took on enormous quantities of weight and my arms began to tingle and quiver. I think I even got several glances of my oxygen deprived brain as my eyes rolled back in my head. Damned Hill!

Because of a switchback at the top of Whiskey Hill, I could see several hundred meters back down the road. The next runner was George DeWitt from Alabama, who has run marathons in the 2:30's since turning 50. He was about thirty seconds behind as I approached the 5-mile aid station beyond the top of the hill. There was no one within 200 meters of George.

As I sipped on water near the five mile mark it occurred to me that I might actually win the race if I ran smart. Of course, at that moment I was borderline comatose having just climbed the Hill. Still, I picked the pace back up (5:48) in an attempt to further separate myself from George. That, naturally, kept me in a mental fog as I lifted heavy legs. When I hit the base of a steep hill in mile seven I decided to slow down and regroup rather than risk blowing up. Up until that point I was well ahead of my 2012 pace and would likely have gone mid-1:18 had I not blown up. I wanted to win, so I ate a VFuel and slowed to run a 6:22 mile.

After that mile, and after I had turned a corner and realized I had at least a 600 meter lead, I lowered the pace to about six minutes per mile. If someone was going to catch me, they would have to close with 5:30s and fend off my quickly recovering legs.

That meant that most of the final six miles of the race were quite relaxed for me. Along one long straight stretch of road I approached a farmer standing with his hands in his jeans pockets. I asked him if he could see anyone behind me and he laughed and said, "There's no one in the same zip code."

After turning onto Lynchburg Highway I could see the 12-mile marker ahead. From there I knew I had about 1.25 miles to go based on last year's gps measurements. A quick calculation revealed that I had to be well under six minute pace to break 1:20. Hmmm. When I reached 12.50 miles I knew I had to run the last uphill 1200 meters in 4:12 to break 1:20.

And that is precisely what I did, finishing in 1:19:59. Winning this exceptional race was a big thrill for me. I was proud to be wearing the Polar gear (LOVE the RC3 GPS with the all important HR!) and kit. And I was happy to be in great health and in the company of such wonderful people on a sunny spring day. Never mind my embarrassment over the fact that my time was the slowest winning time in the event's history. It was a win! And that meant that I received the whole barrel lid this year! After the ceremony I picked up another little something from the nearby distillery. . .

Now THAT is a trophy!

. . . before driving to downtown Nashville for a celebratory feast at the Old Spaghetti Factory and a pint at Fat Bottom Brewing Co.

Spring Break - Asheville, NC

Within an hour of welcoming a new member to the family I was on my way to North Carolina to play in the mountains along the Blue Ridge and to explore Asheville. A snowstorm had buried the higher reaches of the Blue Ridge just before my arrival, so a wintry element was added to this year's spring trip.

I was able to spend significant time running and hiking along the Mountains to Sea Trail. The MST follows the Blue Ridge Parkway for many miles, undulating next to, below, and sometimes high above or far away from the famous roadway. I began by running up from the Folk Art Center to a knob a few miles away, ascending  about 1400 feet. Near the apex of the run I cleared a knob covered with several inches of snow that would melt almost entirely before my trip was over. The almost always blue and clear sky combined with a lack of foliage to yield stunning views along the trail and across the valleys.

Polar RC3 GPS map of the first run

The MST is accessible at many points along the parkway, most notably where roads intersect the BRP. Due to the snowfall, which reached almost a foot at higher elevations (5K+ ft), many segments of the BRP were closed to traffic. That made my jaunts along the MST a little more relaxing and a lot quieter.

RC3GPS altitude and heart rate data from the lower run

I also spent some time enjoying the great food and music of Asheville while making several new friends. As has become the norm for me, I found a seat close to the stage for live Old Time and Bluegrass music at Jack of the Wood. That music is always a treat for the ears and heart! Having given up beer for lent (???), I settled for well crafted hard apple cider. I also gorged on a super healthy and mighty tasty Grateful Dead Black Bean Burger and sweet potato fries while seated in front of the chef at the famous Tupelo Honey Cafe.  I highly recommend a seat along the bar in front of the busy cook staff as it is both educational and fun.

I also toured the Biltmore Estate again. What a treasure! The history and forethought of the Biltmore family is worthy of getting familiar with. For instance, unbeknownst to guests, an unfinished and long empty room in the mansion was used to "hide" a huge government art collection during WWII. Visitors to the Biltmore Winery should note that they make many great wines, so a well conceived trip would schedule wine tasting with time left over to walk near the river or along a forest trail.

A mini tour of some of the Asheville breweries closed out my trip. Included in this tour were the Green Man Brewing Co, the Asheville Brewing Co, the Lexington Avenue Brewery, and the Wicked Weed. All of these breweries make great beer. Of note, I visited the Wicked Weed for the first time and left with a couple of growlers (lent!!!) because the beer was uniquely superb! I only wish I would have been more creative when asking to take some of their uncannily great tasting small batch beers with me. Those boys can brew beer!!!

There are so many things to do in and around Asheville that it is well worth multiple visits - or even a permanent address. Outdoor nuts, music lovers, and beer enthusiasts might think they getting a sneak peak at heaven.

As usual, here are some of the photos I took along the way. Click and enjoy them. Then make plans for your own visit!

Sunshine and snow!

Melting snow kept the feet wet.

Diverging MST and BRP

Shadows of giants.

Wooden stairway! 

Snow covered stone stairway.

Lovely rugged trail.

Hi! Please shoot me when I come back.

MST trail marker

Well, it just seemed inviting.

So tempted to throw snowballs . . .

Tuckered!

Take Care, Shane

2013 LBL Marathon - What a Trip!

Several of us tossed about the idea of staying at a house near the Land Between the Lakes Recreational Area before deciding to drive down on race morning. It was a familiar and easy hundred minute drive for me, so I didn't mind getting up at 3:15 am for the 6:30 start. The bag was packed, so I needed only to shower, fill the day's bottles, and prepare an oatmeal breakfast and a triple shot mocha before departing. I laughed when I caught my foot on the threshold of the door as I left. Foreboding . . . that damned foreboding!

Polar RC3 GPS Map of the Canal Loop Trail

There were plenty of friends, real and Facebook varieties, in the crowd of nearly 900 in Grand Rivers, KY to run one of the five simultaneous events that ranged from a road 10K to a 50-mile trail run. I was entered in the marathon, which consisted of two laps around the 11.2-mile Canal Loop Trail plus out and back segments on the Woodlands Trace Road from Grand Rivers. Many of my friends were entered in either the 60K (3-loop) or 50-mile (4-loop) runs. I alternated between envy for the ultra runners (who were deservedly treated like royalty by the runners and race management) and giddiness that I didn't have to face all of those tight turns and bone jarring descents more than twice.

Nearing the Trace Road first lap.

With temperatures expected to climb from the low-40s into the high-50s before I completed two laps, I decided to wear the new white Polar singlet and multisport shorts with light gloves. I wore Brooks Pure Grip 2s that I recently picked up at Ultimate Fit. Near perfect choices as I was thermally comfortable all morning and the shoes provided me with more than sufficient cushioning and protection from the rocky, rooty, and sometimes steep Canal Loop Trail.

I chose to measure my output with the new Polar RC3 with built-in GPS to monitor my heart rate and to map my course. I love this new unit for gps usage on trails because it lets me see where I have gone. While no gps unit is accurate enough to certify courses, I have noted that the RC3 is close enough and it is consistent. What I really care about while I am running is my current and average heart rate. Nothing else really matters to me since I have learned to judge my perceived effort by those values. Unfortunately, the data reveals how little I worked throughout the second lap. The average HR for that lap was lower than any training run I've ever completed on the Canal Loop. That data file will serve as fuel for the next LBL run.

Unlike last year, I managed to keep both shoes tied all morning. The Grip 2s felt equally as comfortable and stable on the road as they were on the trail. After chasing a group of young studs into the gusting wind, I reached the trail in twelve minutes. That was when the fun began. I LOVE that trail! It is constantly winding and dipping and climbing, so it is impossible to get bored. In fact, the trail is so technical that it is just plain silly to go sightseeing or get out of focus for even a few seconds while running on it . . .

I ran in a very loose group of front runners for the first half of the first lap. The undulating trail along the Lake Barkley side of the loop conceals the constant ascending and descending quite well by forcing runners to focus on the many toe grabbing obstacles: rocks and roots and stumps. I reached the Trace Road halfway through that first loop after 40 minutes with two young studs on my heals. I was on pace to run the first loop in 80 minutes and these two guys were about to pass me and motor on for three laps! One of them, Scott Braden (blonde in rear of picture above), went on to crush the course record for the 60K event with a time of 4:07.

Remaining steady in my effort, with only slightly elevated HR on the five big climbs along Kentucky Lake, I cruised along to finish the first loop in just over 80 minutes. I felt great! And I planned to stay that way by slowing a bit on the second loop. I had also done this quite successfully last year in an effort to save my legs for other spring events. (Drawback to low mileage running is that these events put HUGE dents in me that last for weeks!) It was while climbing those big hills that a light rain briefly fell on us. One of the young studs replied from behind me that the raindrops were all kisses from God. I agreed.

I stopped at my drop bag to pick up a second loop flask of VFuel and watched as two runners ran straight through the aid station to begin the second loop ahead of me. I quickly hit the trail and noted that I was just behind them after a 49 second pit stop.

Several minutes into the second loop I was making ground on one of the runners when he stopped for what TdF announcers call a "natural break." He began to run again just as I passed and I turned to ask him which race he was in. (At this point, you might reflect on my earlier statements about the technical nature of the Canal Loop.) Catching a root with my right foot, I took a really hard fall onto my outstretched right hand. It hit the back side of another large root. The resulting impulse caused my back to bend and compress - a painful LOT. I jumped up and took off with my back and hand (visibly) throbbing.

Within seconds I caught the right toe again and fell just as hard. I jumped back up again yelling my normal "Sh@t Shane" as I shook my head and tried to regain my stride. Then, a few strides later, I again caught the right toe and went down hard with my right hand crashing into a stone. This time I stood still to take inventory. The white Polar singlet was still beautifully white! I wiped mud from the crystal of the RC3. The palm of the right glove was torn. This revealed a nickel sized chunk of rolled up palm flesh. I immediately wondered aloud how I was going to keep that blood off the white top.

Polar RC3 GPS altitude and HR plots of my 3:19 4th place LBL Marathon.

After realizing that my knees had been fortunate enough to land in mud, I began to run. (The left knee still limited hard cycling a week later.) And a nauseating pain shot from my lower back to the right hamstring. Hmmmm. Having been there before, I knew my day was done. I would not be catching the two runners who had passed me at the aid station. I knew that I would not be likely to regain my stride without significant body work and rest. So, I resigned to shuffle on. Oddly, despite the pain, I never once thought of dropping out. Instead, I thought only about lifting the obviously dragging right leg high enough to clear the obstacles until I reached pavement - and about keeping my bloody hand from rubbing the white top (FAIL!).

I quickly calculated that I needed to be under 95 minutes for the second lap to stay under 3:20 for the marathon. Chanting "concentrate, concentrate" and "don't fall stupid" in my mind, I shuffled around the second loop, finishing it in just under 94 minutes. As much as I prefer to run off-road, it was actually refreshing to run on the obstacle-free road for the 1.7 miles to the finish.

It was while running along the Trace Road that I focused on my right hand. It seemed possessed as it twinged and contorted in the most unrealistic poses. The bony knob called the Hook of Hamate was removed from the corner of that right palm back in 2008. I had broken it during the 2007 bike crash that cost me some teeth (and six other surgeries). Oddly enough, I didn't realize it was broken until a year later when I slipped in the snow while climbing one of the big Canal Loop hills and fell on it. That was the day that the hand started its contortionist routine. Now any impacts on that hand cause it to "act up" for days, since there is less protection for those nerves that pass through there. I call the act the "crazy hand,"  since the fingers take positions I cannot repeat even with significant force. And it hurts like hell!

I reached the finish in 3:19:11 for fifth place. It was not what I had hoped for when the day started, but it was what I was dealt. So, I smiled broadly as I stiffly walked away from the finish line. I had to shower and get back to see some of my friends finish their races. One of them, good friend Jeremy Aydt, finished his first ultra by claiming 5th place in the 60K with a great time of 5:13. My last collegiate recruit, Chris Hollinden, broke the course record in the marathon with a stellar 2:52!  Fellow All-American duathlete, Greg Fraze, finished third in the 23K one lap event earlier in the day. And there were several BOR members who finished the 60K and 50-Mile events to earn their buckles. It proved to be a successful day at LBL for southern Indiana runners.

In the end, I have to be thankful for the fact that I am within months of turning fifty while remaining healthy enough to run for hours on trails. I am also thankful that I did not suffer even a minor turned ankle during the run.  And I am thankful to have so many friends who support and inspire me with their kind words and impressive performances (I believe that people are placed in my path for reasons). And I am thankful for the LBL race crew for putting on a class A event. And I am thankful for the support I receive from great companies with valued products, including Polar and VFuel. And, finally, I am thankful that my wonderful massage therapist, Donna, already worked the pain out of my back, allowing me to log four quick miles this morning. Yeah, there is much to be thankful for. I am now looking forward to reclaiming some power on the bike for the duathlon season and taking on Whiskey Hill in the Oak Barrel Half Marathon next month.

And I might just dare to dream of completing a trail race without kissing Mother Earth.

Later - Shane