"We're going to be in the clouds in a couple of minutes..." "Look there goes one now!"

ROAN MOUNTAIN / CARVERS GAP

Middle of nowhere Tennessee

It began as an e-mail:
"Question...Have you ever been here?  Carvers Gap, Pisgah/Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee"
After about 100 more emails, talking about it, and coordinating our schedules Anna and I finally were able to find a date that worked for both of us for a weekend where two of the world's most over prepared, bring enough stuff for three weeks of camping people, could just disappear and escape everything for a few days.
WE NEED A PLAN!  OK, we planned what we were going to eat, a loose route to the Roan Mountain area, where we thought we were going to stay, and that was about it.  We had no agenda.  No time to wake up in the morning.  No definite campground.  And no specific trails that we wanted to hike.  This was almost 100% "we're going to do whatever".  And, this is our trip:

FRIDAY:
Grocery shopping and packing day.  Tons of food were purchased and only a half ton was consumed :-(  It turns out that the tremendous amounts of rain prevented us from cooking all of out meals outside which was kind of sad, but didn't stop us from having a good time.  I will be eating veggies, grilled cheese, and s'mores for the rest of the week.
There was soooo much stuff stuffed into my little car that it was crazy!


I told you we had a lot of food!



SATURDAY:
Believe it or not, we left on time!
Our trip took us through some really scenic county side where we stopped several times to check out some cool and really bizarre / surreal things.


Pattons Run - Nantahala National Forest

One thing I have become addicted to since moving south is boiled peanuts.  I needed to have them!  The funny / weird thing is that we didn't see any places the entire way up except for this place in the photo below.  So, we stopped.  We should have never stopped.  No, it was a good thing we stopped.  Wait a second, no...it wasn't good.  Aw heck, it gave us a lot to laugh and talk about for the next couple of hours, so, yeah, it was good.  This place was really strange, the people here were strange, the stuff they were selling was strange, the conversations about murdering people were strange, the place smelled strange, the guy with the tazers was scary.  Needless to say, we skipped the boiled peanuts in an effort to stay alive.


No peanuts and no Santa either...

Next stop Asheville, NC.  I have been there once before, have a few friends that live there, and have heard all kinds of cool things about it, but it was weird as well.  This weekend Asheville played host to the LAAFF Festival, and it brought all sorts of types of people and creatures.  Most notable was the swamp thing.  Don't ask, it would never make sense, but just understand that this human was by far the scariest human (I think human) I have ever seen.  I mean, I felt like I have contracted disease from walking by him / it.  And yes I said disease...what kind?  No kind...just disease.
We stopped in a few different shops, walked through a gallery, tasted some cheese and fresh potato chips, perused the LAAFF Festival and then escaped back to reality.  Oh yeah, and check out the awesome pot helmet!

Army Anna

Finally we arrived at the Watauga Lake campground.  When I talked earlier about our loose plans I really meant it.  In TN, the campgrounds are all first-come first-serve, so we didn't know if we would even have a place to stay.  As it turned out there were two spots left and we snatched one of them up as quickly as we could and then set off to town for some more supplies.

Creepy ass building in Elizabethton, TN.
We know that there are dead bodies in there...it is that creepy...

Mmmmm dinner...

Weenies about to be roasted...my God...look at my arm!

Mmmmm looking at the stars...

There is only one way to go...creepy...

SUNDAY:
Check this breakfast out...this is camping done right!

Mmmmm food...

Hiking  around Carvers Gap is the plan...rain was not, but inevitably became part of it.  Here's some of what we saw:

We 'section hiked' Part of the AT.

Spikey trees.  They kind of remind me of the Kung Fu practice things.

The next Runner's World "Rave Run".

One of my favorite photos.

Flashback from Cali.  The "Lone Not Quite Cypress".

Christopher McCandless would know if these were edible...or would he?

Wait a second...we're really over a mile high?

Despite the clouds, it is still beautiful up here!

Cairn City.

"Oh, yeah it's a..."

OK, so we're a good ways into our hike at this point when Anna asks me "Is that a goat?"  All I could do was chuckle and laugh and say "Umm...no...it's a big white dog." And then I picked on her for the next 10 minutes until we got to this picture:

Yes, you too can adopt a goat.

I think this is God's way of...well it is clearly God's sense of humor.  Right after this mailbox on the trail there was a field with a "Nice" big white dog (that was nice until it tried to kill another dog some hikers were walking by with) and about 30 white goats.  In my defense you could not see the goats from where were were initially, and only upon close examination of the field did we even notice the herd.

On the way back you could really seen the goats.

"This one would be perfect!"

About the time we reached the Grassy Ridge it really started to get dark out.  Hiking thus far had been awesome with no rain and the cloud cover kept the heat down.  It was perfect, then the breeze picked up...one of those there's a storm a brewin' breezes.  I turned to Anna and said, "We're going to be in the clouds in a couple of minutes..." Turning to my left and what do you know "Look, there goes one now!"  Literally, 50' away, 2' off the ground, about the size of an adult pig a cloud went floating by.
We decided that it would probably be best to high-tail it out of there.  A concern of mine (though I didn't mention it) was lightening.  We were on a ridge, completely exposed, and a big ol' storm was making its way toward us quickly.  In situations like these, where I know that things are actually pretty dangerous, I've found that it is often best to just lead and not freak people out by telling them why we are moving quickly.  Like 2 minutes after I decided that we were going to get the hell out of Dodge, Anna asks, "What about lightening?"  Then we decided to MOVE.  We power hiked hills, ran downhills, and when the threat seemed to have passed we just walked...in the rain...it was AWESOME!

After the rain.

Just plain moist.

After we got back to the car we drove around looking for a place to picnic.  The idea was to break out the camp stove and make some killer grilled cheese with tomato sandwiches on Asiago peppercorn bread.  That didn't happen.  It rained...hard...really hard...relentlessly hard.  When you thought it was going to stop it rained even more....a lot more...relentlessly more.

We decided to eat in the car at Roan Mountain State Park where we would have left over potato chips from Asheville, hummus, carrots & red peppers, beef jerky, and Nerds.  The rain started to let up, so I decided to take out the trash.  As soon as I got out of the car it returned...with a vengeance...with a relentless vengeance...I was wet...again...

Sittin'...waitin'

After picking up some more supplies and returning to camp, the rain stopped enough for us to build a camp fire, cook an amazing shrimps & mixed vegetable dinner and s'mores as dessert.  Eventually I drifted off to sleep listening to the rain...

Mmmmm food...

MONDAY:
It was time to pack up and go.  We decided that it was best to get everything broken down and loaded before it started to rain again.  We did it, but when we finished we just didn't want to make breakfast, it was time to hit the road.  Taking 321 to 411 to 75 the drive took us 7 hours to get back home.  We drove through a lot of creepy towns, saw more creepy things, experienced a lot more creepy rain, and stopped at an apple orchard where we were the YOUNGEST people by far.

One hint: Golden Delicious...ha ha ha ha!

TUESDAY (today):
I so need more weekends like this past one...

Sometimes a Heartfelt Thanks is the Best!

H9 50/25
So, my most recent adventure took me to the mountains of North Georgia around Vogel State Park and the surrounding area to volunteer for the RACE FROM HELL!  From having run some of the trails on this course I knew that Perry was going to accomplish what he set out to do.  This is probably one of, if not the most challenging trail race in the southeast.  As far as volunteering, hell, I was going to do anything and go anywhere and had no idea of what or where, but I was in!

Course Map

FRIDAY:
Arriving at the park Friday afternoon I met up with Kena and Perry and pretended to help out while they unloaded their cars.  Earlier during the week Kena asked me to bring my drill and some bits so that we could make the finishers' awards, and that we did.  I sat around that afternoon outside of the cabin drilling, sanding, and coloring in the dragon designs.  OK, it took a lot longer than that.  My buddy Tom showed up and we started having beers and...well...I had to text Amanda to bring me more.

Arrows

Getting crafty with the medals/

Amanda getting crafty/

Later that afternoon / evening Kim, Amanda, Scott, and a couple of other runners showed up and we sat around eating s'mores that Tome made, drinking beer, telling stories, listening to Scott make 'squatch' calls, and working more on medals.  You can not beat this!

Tom the marshmallow roaster extraordinaire.

Where in the hell are we going to be...for real...

I don't really know what time Tom and I got to bed, but it was LATE.  On our way up to the cabin he said "Last one there sleeps on the floor."  I didn't care, I had my camping gear, so I was going to let him have the bed anyway.  After I got out of the bathroom, Tom had vanished.  Thinking that he went on one of his wandering night walks I set up my tent and slept outside through what would be a beautiful night.  I love camping and sleeping outdoors.  There is just something about it that really appeals to me.


SATURDAY through SUNDAY:
At about 5:00am I was woken up by a car starting up and threatening to run my tent over.  At about 6:00am that same car returned and threatened to run me over again.  It was Tom!  Come to find out, he never slept in the bed, rather stayed in his car all night an went to McDonald's for breakfast.  I guess it is time to get up.  DAMN!  I am breaking out with poison ivy all over...it was my body's last bout with what was left over from the H2T.  I needed some Benadryl bad!  Tom to the rescue...sort of...seeing as no one except Perry knew where the hell anyone was Tom didn't know how to find me after he went all the way into town to get me a pack.  There's a friend or you!  For real!  Even though I never got it it was awesome you bought it for me!  Much appreciated.

Pre-race briefing.

Perry and Kena - love this pic!

Everyone began to gather for the race.  It was almost time!  After saying hello to a bunch of friends, picking up drop bags, and listening to last minute instructions, the race was started with an"...ok go..." from Perry and a 'squatch call' from Scott...ha ha ha!

And They're Off!  Brad in yellow and Candy in pink.
(Photo: Jenn C)

And We're Off!  Perry told me and Jenn that it was 10min to FS39 and then another 40min down that bumpy dirt road to our aid station, so we were literally racing the racers to get set up before they got there!

Aid Station setup #1 a.k.a. The Fire Pit.  Where the hell were going to put the fire?

It turns out that Jenn and I almost had it right.  See that lieelt road going up to the right?  Yep, we were supposed to drive 100yds up that hill to where we were supposed to be.  How did we find out we were in the wrong place?  A runner heard our music and was lost in need of help.  CRAP!  So, we helped him the best we could...which was, I think the right way, and then we relocated.

Aid Station setup #2 a.k.a. The Real Fire Pit.  See the pit?
(Photo: Jenn C)

There isn't much to say but that we aided runners over the next 14 or so hours.  Here are a few highlights:
Scott showed up for a bit and we all goofed around.  In fact we thought about taking out some wild boars and a swarm of scorpions that were threatening the runners.  It would have went down if not for an emergency call I received.

Taking aim at the scorpion swarm...OMG WAIT!!  EMERGENCY CALL!!
(Photo: Jenn C)

KENA: "Aaron, I just heard from Willy...he said that the course at the top of Coosa Bald is not marked correctly."
ME: "Oh Crap!"
K: "You know your way around up there right?"
M: "Yep, I'll go check it out and do what I can."
K: "Pull the flagging from the wrong trails and side trail to Wolfpen Gap."
M: "You got it!"
I changed out of my jorts, got my ankle brace, trail shoes, and hydration pack all on and then I was off up and up and up to the top.  While I was making my way up there I couldn't help but to admire how Willy (the guy running in the lead) was able to navigate through the chest-high stinging nettles, briars, and poison ivy and stay on the trail the whole time.

Yes, this is the trail.

At the top of Coosa Bald I discovered that it appeared as if some hooligans deliberately moved the flagging to a trail that dead-ended into nothing.  It was hard for me to see the trampled brush where a couple of runners that were ahead of me tried desperately to find the trail...I felt bad.  So, I fixed it!  I even made a 'runner's chute' out of the logs that were surrounding the fire pit...it was my goal to make this as clear as possible.

Fixed!  See the chute?

Back down the mountain I go.  I passed several people making their way up, most notably Herb and Kat.  It was so good to see Herb working so hard on this trail and getting it done.  In retrospect I wish I slowed down a bit to talk to them, but I was having a phenomenal downhill run unlike any I have had in MONTHS and I just couldn't bring my selfish self to stop.  Sorry yall, I kind of feel like a jerk :-(
Finally back at the fire pit it was time to get the blaze on.  Normally I am the pyro, but Jenn had me beat.  She talked to the fire, sang to the fire, poked and prodded the fire, collected 90% of the wood for the fire, and even tried to set my jorts on fire as I was hanging them to dry.

My jorts...my jorts...my horts are on fire!
(Photo: Jenn C)

Let me tell you this.  There is nothing like seeing a runner's headlamp blazing through the woods in the middle of the night.  The first of the 50 milers in was Kerry.  What a race he was running.  You could tell that he was totally exhausted but we kept him focused, fueled him back up, made sure he was OK to continue, and then sent him in his way.
Quite a while later Shannon called Jenn.  "I'm done.  I'm at Mulky Gap, can you have Perry come get me?"  Jenn convinced him that he could make the 4mi to our aid station where she would then take him back to the start/finish.  After what seemed an eternity his headlamp was shining through the woods.  It gives me chills.  To see this guy giving it 100% just to make it to mile 44 is inspiring.  I wanted to give him a big hug when he got to us, but was afraid it might send him into shock.  After resting by the fire, battling some cramps, and refueling, he and Jenn were off.
Alone in the woods...sort of....except for the occasional text messages from Tom who was equally alone and Anna who was back in civilization wondering how the race was going and what I was up to.  I have to say that I don't have any problem with being in the dark alone in the middle of nowhere, but it was reassuring that I had these two to talk to.
PERRY!  I heard the sound of the truck he was borrowing pull up and I hopped up to greet him.  We chatted for a good while about everything from getting our chores done around our houses to the race itself.  I really enjoyed talking to him, and then it happened again.  Two sets of headlamps.  It was Brad and Candy!
Slowed to a mere walk because of the difficulty of the terrain they, especially Candy was ready to run!  I knew she had it, even if she didn't, and Brad had her back!  Fueled up and ready to go, these two kicked ass and got it done. 

I left the aid station around 2:00am after breaking everything down with Perry.  I had intended to camp again that night, but I had run through some serious poison ivy and desperately had to get home to take care of myself.  4:30am...home...showered...safe.


MEANING OF THE TITLE:
So, I set out initially to have a good time, and I did.  It was freakin' awesome!  So, what does it mean?
That night at the end of FS39 at 2:30am Perry and I stopped, shook hands, and he thanked me, and really meant it.  Over the next couple of days I got a bunch of e-mails and Facebook posts from people for how grateful they were for me doing what I did.  I didn't expect this.  I was doing something I wanted to do.  Never had I expected a thanks.  Never had I expected as many SINCERE thank yous as I received over the last few days.  I don't know what to say but:
"You're welcome."
"And, thank you."

We sometimes lose perspective because of the company we keep, but 21.24 miles is a LOT of miles. : )

That was a message from my friend Kim when I thought I was out.

BACKING UP:
When I planned out this year I had a ton of aspirations of running like there was no tomorrow.  I was really starting to get good and I knew it and then I got my slap in the face.  On January 29th I, being the kid I am, hurt the heck out of my right knee fooling around in my house.  Ever since then I have had one injury after another, and am still being haunted by it.  Most recently I had a really bad ankle sprain that is just kicking the shit out of me.  Because I've had to reduce my running, I have picked up some extra weight and I am beginning to notice a slight reduction in my leg strength.  Boo!


BMM12:
I ran this race with a plan in mind.  Run - rest - repeat.  After reaching a 50K I was so stoked thinking I was cured of my ailments.  This technique worked awesome for me and didn't strain e much at all.


LC50K:
Look at me I'm invincible!  I''m run the hell out of this race!  I'm going to beat Jenn by a second if I that's all.  I'm going to get a PR with a sub-6 time!  Which of those did I do?  NONE :D
OK, the LC50K was kind of an eye opener to me saying that although you feel good you are not totally healed.  Toward the end of the race my ankle started aching a good bit and really slowed my pace down to something stupid.  In the days following the run I really paid for it.  There was swelling and the aching didn't go away right away, even after icing it. 

I love seeing this sign...it's actually kind of spooky seeing it in the dark...

HOT TO TROT 8-HOUR RACE:
This is my second timed event.  We get 8 hours to run around a 1.18 mile track as many times as we can.  If you've read my friends' blogs you know the details.  But here's the jist of it:

• To start things off it was 985ºF outside with a relative humidity of 600%.  
• The hills were covered with broken glass, punji sticks, and set at a consistent 98% grade.  
• The flat spots were booby trapped with swarms of killer bees, scorpions, and venomous black mambas.
• At one point a crocodile was seen coming out of the water of "Piranha Creek" with a freakin' grizzly bear on it's back. 
• The aid station was being controlled be Monsignor Frank who continuously forced his religious beliefs on everyone.
• On my penalty lap they made me walk barefooted across the hot charcoal briquettes from the grill.
• Oh, yeah, and I also got arrested!

This race is no joke!

The thing I love about the crowd I run with is that at these small races I know a good percentage of the people.  It really makes me happy to talk to my friends before, during, and after the race.  It's really hard to explain.

HERE ARE MY HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RACE:
Jenn (Yes, you get top billing this time!)
Jenn has become my nemesis on the trails.  After beating her only once she has kicked my ass every time since.  I've lost one bet to her and almost a second one this weekend, fortunately she does not remember our conversation from Friday about me running one more lap than her.  We started the race out together and ran probably about half of my miles together.  It was awesome.  She would sing to me, yell to me that she could see my blonde hair (as she caught up to me), and did just enough pickin' to keep me on my toes but not so much that I wanted to kill her. I have to say that I have some mad respect for the way this chick runs though.  Don't let her pretty smile or sweet southern accent fool you...She can, and will, lay the smack down on your ass and run circles around you while you hope for death. (OK, enough being nice...I am going to get sick.)  For real though she did great and I was happy to run her last lap with her, which, yes I did get credit for even though I stopped running an hour plus prior to that.

My nemesis and me...she slowed down so I could catch up for the picture.
(Photo: Sean Oh)

Getting Arrested:
A couple of weeks ago after a training run my friend John warned me that there was going to be some heckling going on at the race.  Little did I know that he would slap the cuffs on me and throw me to the ground only to let the other runners kick dirt in my eyes.  It was no fair, and probably cost me winning the race, but oh well.  I definitely had it coming.  John, that really made my day!

Officer John doing what is right...I was bad...
(Photo:Carol Downey)

Monsignor Frank:
One of my favorite running friends on Tuesday nights, always offering sage advice when I need it most and he even started a fund raiser to help me get air conditioning for my old car!  Now, that's a friend.  Every lap he filled my handheld with holy water, and as the race went on started reminding me that I needed to drink more.  He was right!  Even the heckling as I got back from my ankle ice breaks was great. "Aaron, it's been an hour...where have you been?"  "You need to run this nest mile in 8 minutes." "I don't know what's wrong with my holy water.  It doesn't seem to be working for you."

Monsignor Frank!

Advice:
Mostly everyone out there knew I was running with an injury and it seemed like they were keeping an eye on me.  Sean came over and hung out with me for quite a while on one of my ice breaks.  We talked about everything from his new coaching job to exercises I can do to strengthen my ankle to how much better and recommended it is to do shots of tequila while you are running. Sally, who eventually told me that I was done running (and then later told me to run one more lap) was a lifesaver.  I think she knew I was contemplating continuing on and told me what I needed to hear...I needed to stop.  The fall is right around the corner.  She also offered some suggestions on how to make myself stronger.  What a cool group of people!
Encouragement:
Thanks to everyone for not letting me feel too down about not making my goal...even, and especially those not at the race but who told me that they were really proud of me for what I had accomplished.  It all means a lot to me!

ON-ON:
If I want to be able to follow in the words of Bill Keane I need to recover.  I really want to get back on track and beyond where I was in January, where I am now.  I am excited, but at the same time know I need to take it easy.
Anyone want to go hiking?



POST-PUBLISH NOTE:
I did the strike-through because, well, it was depressing to me, but I needed to save it as a reminder.

I got Bickelhaupted twice, chicked multiple times, and Schicked once, but it was an awesome race. :-)

The inspiration!

LANDSFORD CANAL 50K
 
It started out as "You should run the Landsford Canal 50K with me in July."  As you probably already know I am a sucker for running in different locations and with different people, so like last time I was in.  The LC50K is a club run put on by Claude Sinclair in middle of nowhere South Carolina.  When I last checked there were only 51 registered runners for this event.  Holy crap!  I honestly have a chance of finishing last in this one.
For those of you that don't know, I am a big time racer...however, I am only really racing against myself, meaning I do my own thing and only care about how I do against my own personal goals.  I guess that is almost 100% true, except there is always that 1% of me that DOES NOT WANT TO FINISH LAST (or not finish at all).
Fortunately, though I fell short of my goal and finished in 6:14:50, I finished 31/48 people...not last.  The skinny is that my ankle really started getting tired around mile 20 or so.  I ended up walking a good bit and that's what really killed my time.  I guess I could have managed my walk/run times a little better but I'm not sure how much that would have saved me.  I will say that when my watch went off ant told me it was time to run, I ran every time.  So, I think it was a good thing I brought it with me otherwise I might have ended up walking the last 11 miles.

So, here are my highlights from the trip:

The Ride Up:
Candy, Jenn, and I left The ATL around 2:30 on Friday for our six hour journey to Rock Hill.  Along the way we stopped multiple times for bathrooms, boiled peanuts, and beer.  We were like three 16 year olds in the car cutting up the whole way and just having a blast.  The six hours flew by as I made random posts to FB documenting the journey.  People were jealous and it was great! 

Dinner:
We stopped at a local Italian joint where we feasted on wine, fried calamari, Greek salads, and stuffed shells.  Following dinner we went to a local Bi-Lo where we got some ice, breakfast, and beer.  What was I going to get?  I had PBR for Joe in my cooler already, and then I saw it...Schlitz, "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous".  Must have!  Alex remarked to me as he laughed, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone voluntarily buy that..." sober : ) 

Throwdown at the Hampton:
OK, don't get all excited.  Six of us just hung out in Joe and Andy's room for an hour or so.  When Beth walked in she saw the Schlitz and tequila and then yelled at Joe who was already half way though his can.  I felt the evil stare as she tried to make me feel bad...at least that's what I want to think anyway...but it didn't work.  Next time I am going to listen to Beth and party after the race. 

Sleepy Time:
I am beginning to figure this out.  I can sleep well two nights before a race, but the night of...hell no.  I wasn't stressed, I just didn't want to go to sleep.  What gives?  Was it because I finally had a TV with more than 6 channels? Was it the A/C in the room? Was it the ice in the cooler crunching as it melted? I don't know, but I slept like crap...much like right before Scenic City. 

Race Morning:
There is nothing spectacular about this other than the herd of ultrarunners in the lobby of the Hampton Inn at 6:00am making the other guests really angry as we scrambled to get breakfast to go.  One guy was really pissed at us, and all I could do is laugh as he grumbled when I grabbed an extra napkin from in front of him. 

Catawba River...you just want to jump right in don't you?

Landsford Canal State Park:
Hello fellow GUTS runners!  There were a ton of us from the ATL and then some that I like to consider adjunct GUTSers.  It was really nice seeing and being recognized by other runners, a lot of whom I have a great deal of respect for.  Awesome..that really made my morning. :D 

Some of the GUTS peeps: Candy, Me, Andy, Jenn, and Jim (Photo: Jim's mom)

KABOOM:
I was standing with Greg and Joel waiting for the race to begin.  Claude is giving the last minute instructions while readying his musket / starting pistol.  I looked over at Greg and made fun of him as he put his fingers in his ears.
"What the hell man?!" I said.
"I ran this thing last year and know how loud that thing is."
"Well I like to experience life to the max."
kABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOm
"Holy shit that is freakin awesome!" I yelled, and we were off. 

The starting pistol...Claude told me that he wish he had this when he coached track!

I bet I win this battle!

31 Miles to Go:
I am not going to bore you with details. But, I did get the chance to run with a few cool people.
Bill Keane
I met Bill at the Black Mountain Monster where we spent the evening chatting, chilling, and cheering on the other runners until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.  At about mile 2 of this race, Bill and I started running together and would for the next 12.  He shared a lot of cool stories with me and gave me a ton of advice on ulrtarunning.  This was his 251st ultra.  After the race I asked him if this was his total for all of the races he's run, and he snapped back that he"didn't run those other chicken shit races, except for one marathon that I did with a friend."  Hell yeah!  How freakin' awesome is that?!  The miles FLEW by.
Jenn Coker:
OK, the LC50K was her idea and I had intended to run some of it with her, but it didn't happen.  I was running pretty strong for the first good bit and then she caught up with me.  My ankle really started aching and this was about the time I was walking a good bit.  I think we ran 2 miles together, but that was it.  Fortunately for me, she planted the walk/run strategy in my mind...something I haven't religiously done in a long time.  Thanks for that!  It got me through the race :D
Joel Tapley:
Joel is my Red Top Mountain / Blair Witch homey.  I think he may be the only other person around that knows that park as well as I do.  Anyway, Joel and I ran a ton of miles together in this race, and I was glad to have someone I knew to run with.  Because of his plantar fasciitis and me with my ankle we were running at about the same pace...excellent.  Running alone this far in a race can be really tough and we helped keep each other going through the end.
Secretly (and I feel kind of crappy about this) it became my goal to beat Joel.  For me it was a challenge to keep ahead of him.  I kept looking back on the straightaways and could see him about a quarter of a mile away.  At the speed I was moving it was tough to keep ahead.  As I made my way onto the trail I developed a new running technique.  I would run until I was around a curve and out of sight and then I would walk.  Why was I doing this?  Because, I didn't want him to see me walking.  If for some reason he was reading my mind and decided to partake in my personal race with him I didn't want to give him any encouragement.  Ha ha ha ha...how funny is this...that is what 29 miles of running will do to your mind!  I did beat him, but only by a few minutes.  Joel, you ran strong man! 
Jim Bicklehaupt
I didn't run more than a few steps with him, since the only chance I had was when he lapped me...twice.  You want to hate this guy, but you just can't.  He's one of the friendliest people I know and, damnit, he said hi to me very time he passed, at the beginning of the race, at the aid station after he had finished and I still had like ten laps to go, and every freakin' time he was smiling and encouraging me and was genuinely genuine about it.  Jim loves running...you can see that and is really good at it...and you can see that too.  He finished this race in 3:36:41 at a blazing 6:59 pace...nearly three hours before me.  How the F do you do that?  There is one word for this and you know what it is: AWESOME!
Congratulations on killing this race dude!  Well done!

Me and my new bromance holding my finisher's award.

Right after my Big Sur Marathon medal, this is my next favorite finisher's award.
Each award is hand made by Claude and this year features the above Indian in honor of
the gentleman that carved the wooden one who had recently passed away.  AWESOME!

Ride Home:
We still had fun, though we were more tame because we were all pretty beat at this point.  I did get the chance to employ one of my favorite road trip mean things by buying a bag of smelly-ass beef jerky and proceeding to eat it slowly, opening the bag only as the smell from the last dose had dissipated.  Ha ha ha ha...I'm a dick.  It made me laugh and really smile inside though. 

Ice Bath & Car Accident:
Yep.  The conclusion to a perfect couple of days was met with a car accident.  I was on my way home from Publix with my 40 pounds (yes, I know this is a lot of ice Jenn, but I like my water COLD...especially if I am going to freeze my man bits off anyway) of ice when it happened.  I was driving straight through an intersection then some guy coming from the opposite direction turned left into the side of my car.  I'm alright, just sad.  I found out today that the insurance company has elected to total my car.  I will definitely miss the clam shell and all of the great memories I have with her.  Now, it's time to find a new sweet ride.  What do I have in mind?  A Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Access Cab...yep...I've been looking at these for a while and know exactly what I want.  NOW, to find the money :-(
P.S. I did get to take my ice bath, and no, the ice didn't all melt away before I got to use it.

Gotta smile.  The clam shell kept me safe...that's what matters :D

Suuuuure I'll do the Meat Grinder

THE DATE: July 1st 2011
THE TOPIC: Post on the FB Meat Grinder Death Run invitation

Georgia Snail: Awwwww, man! MG the DAY before PRR?
LHRM:  Yep : )
Georgia Snail:  Well, y'all have fun with that...next time I'm in!


THE DATE: July 3rd 2011
THE REASON: Because I am dumb me.

A little background.  'The Meat Grinder*' is a run from the base of Amacalola Falls to the top of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  After a run on Thursday night Amanda thought it would be fun to run something a little different this weekend.  So, being me, I was in as was Margaret, Michael, and Todd (by default).  We would be later joined by Len and Kerry who would bring their A game and kick all of our asses.
The Meat Grinder*?  Well, the traditional route runs up the gravel trail from the Visitor's Center to Springer Mountain and back.  We changed it up a bit.  We climbed the 9 billion steps, ran to Springer, down to the parking lot and back up to Springer (while I rested my ankle), over to the Hike Inn, and eventually down the gravel road to the back of the Visitor's Center.  Total mileage: me +/- 18.5, everyone else +/- 20.

The day before the run I decided that it was time to get a new phone.  Yes, I am now part of this century and have my own little Android.  So, because of this new piece of equipment I  ended up sleeping only 4 hours before which would turn out to be a pretty challenging run.

Highway 136 overlook.

Is it me or does the O look like it is about to fall over?

The plan was to meet at the Visitor's Center at 7:00am.  Because Fabio (me) has been consistently 4-5 minutes late for most of his recent runs, I decided that I would be early this time and arrived at 6:30 only to see Kerry and Len there already getting ready.  Shortly thereafter Michael, Margaret, Amanda and Todd (Amanda's imaginary boyfriend) rolled into the parking lot.
It was game time.  Water...check.  Food...check.  Camera...check. Pulse...check.  And then we started running.  The last time I was here I was a lot fatter and a lot out of shaper than now so it was kind of weird for me.  Last time I had a really hard time with even walking up to the first of the 7,973 stairs.  This time I cruised up the 7,498 stairs and was only moderately sweaty at the top.  This is not joke...there are 7,465 steps...I counted them.

Heading up to the 7,235 steps.

My phone has a reverse camera!  Damn I look scraggly.

Michael a.k.a. 'Mad Dog' on stair tread 5,698.

Are we there yet?  YES!  Finally after 12,285 steps we reached the summit of the falls and were awarded with an awesome view.  Then it was more running.  I have to say that the next section of trail from the Lodge to the summit of Springer Mountain was wonderful.  The environment was really diverse where some of the trails were really rocky, others grassy, and others would run through thickets of mountain laurels (my absolute favorite).  In addition to it being wonderful it was also very challenging and did not hesitate to lay a beat down on my ass.  At the top of the falls we lost Kerry and he powered up to the summit by himself only to meet us on the way back down at which point he would turn around and run back up.

Plaque at the southern terminus of the AT.

At the top of Springer I decided to let the crew run down to the parking lot and back up while I rested.  Yeah...my ankle is nowhere near healed yet...I knew I was really pushing it and definitely needed the rest.  While they were running I was visited by a swarm of bees.  These little suckers were all over me.  OK, there were only about 10, but for me that is a swarm.  Being the smart guy I am I placed my water bottles and hydration pack about 20' away where they then went to get the water.  Speaking of water, I had gone through about 50 of 110 ounces that I was carrying when to my astonishment Todd only used 10.  WTF?  How is that possible?  I am still amazed.

Swarm of bees on my water bottle.

Time to head back.  Our plan was to run by the Hike Inn and refuel there. On the way back we saw trail signs pointing out water that continually teased me as I began to ration the remaining 60oz I had on my back.  It was getting hot.  Dehydration is no joke and can be really dangerous.  Besides, I didn't want to have to pay Todd $5 for some of his water...thanks for the offer anyway man.

Screw the shelter...

Hey, that's that on the tree over there?  It's a freakin' trap that's what.  I, being me, walked over to see what it was and this is what I read:

It's A Trap!

For real?  You're going to lure someone over to this very spot with a piece of paper only to warn them that the very spot they are standing in is surrounded by a deadly rattlesnake?  I mean, really?
After we all laughed at me for a while we returned to running and finally made it to the Hike Inn.  Just before we got there I had to literally squeeze the remaining water out of my pack.  Once there though, for a small donation, we had peach cobbler, lemonade, Arnold Palmers, and water...lots of water.  I refilled everything.  Then we chilled out for a minute.

Who wears a 10K shirt on a run like this?  I do.

Action shot of Mad Dog.

5.5 miles to go.  And wouldn't you know that I used another 110oz of water?  It got hot, and I used all of it again finally getting relief at the Visitor's Center.  I have to admit that I finished last again, but whatever...I am only testing myself against myself.  I run my own race.

One of the many overlooks / views along the way.

No, the word Zensah is not melting...that is salt...

 To finish up the run we set up near the stream from the falls, which Amanda and I also sat in for a bit.  It was cold, but nothing like the time we ran into the lake at Fort Mountain in February...that was COLD!  This is the life.  A hard beautiful day ending by a mountain stream, eating food, drinking bear, laughing, and just plain relaxing.  Couldn't have asked for more.

We look so happy, don't we?  What the hell?  At least Mad Dog is showing his pearly whites.

THE DATE: July 4th 2011
THE EVENT: Peachtree Road Race.
Something happened to me that doesn't normally happen.  Actually it's never happened.  I missed a race.  I've not participated in a few due to injuries, but never have I not woken up in the morning.  I slept from 11:30pm to 8:30am and right through three alarms...wow...I am kind of pissed.
There will be another race...oh well  :-D