Just another crazy adventure with my insane normal friends
Fun!!
October 9th... the morning I awaited Rich, my friend, to pick me up for our Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock 50k Ultra Marathon...
Seeing the Pirate Fire Truck never gets old! We saw this on our way to the hospital pharmacy to pick me up some Vitamin "I"
Vitamin I
I actually didn't use much after the race but it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Mocha with Raspberry Pumps thank you very much... now I can wake up!
We chose to go to Cracker Barrell for lunch. The weather was so nice we chose to eat outside. I got my usual Country Boy Breakfast with Steak, 3 fried eggs over easy, double grits, biscuits, and friend apples. I just had the Mocha etc so just water this time... Rich tried his version of the Country Boy Breakfast too!
Perfect Timing... we arrived at packet pickup about 1445 right before the 1500 hour start! This would of been a great way to celebrate after the race and even today before starting but it was closed down due to the COVID19 situation... bleh!
YAY We beat the rush and the rain!
Rich and I checked out the area near packet pickup which would later be part of the last half mile or so before the finish line.
Nice SWAG!
Getting organized at the hotel...
Eats the night before
Turkey Bacon Club Blue Moon and fries... yum!
Alarms based on our base goals... fortunately we would beat these goals easily!
The wake up alarms... joy joy!
Doing the math
we wanted to first and foremost finish but we wanted to beat darkness which we guessed would be earlier than usual being in the woods and with the predicted rain storms
Rich night before race
Tim night before race
I brought skin calipers to measure our body fat... I had been packing some fat on for a bit of energy for this ultra but Rich remained sub 10% lean and mean!
Well we woke up very early and were the 3rd car ready for our shuttle just to be told that the company has not responded to contact efforts and never showed up despite confirming just 2 days before. Added stress but we made it and all was good!
We were in Wave 2... Letting the cars go by so we could get started... some last minute instructions while we waited
Pilot Mountain
the way the rain clouds were, we all talked about it looking like a volcano
Everyone was nice at the aide stations!
The only negative was that I only remembered seeing 2 bathrooms.
The Imperial Moth on the Trail!!
We found Matt on the trail!! This was about mile 36 for him but we were at about 8 miles to go to finish our 50k(31m).
Rich Keehn!!
17th Ultra in the Books!
Matt Kornegay-Tim Garriss- Rich Keehn
Matt rocked the 50 miler! Rich and I were happy to endure the 50k but who knows what the future holds!
Prune Feet!
Well prune feet are better than blistered feet! It was funny how we avoided getting wet most of the time but once we were soaked on some of the creek crossings we just said heck with it and enjoyed the cold water on our feet! It actually felt like therapy!!
Thanks Trivium Running for the great reward! I love the wooden version and its detail! I look forward to finding other races by your group!
We met Matt Kornegay and his wife Paula here.. great recovery dinner!
Steak, sweet potato, and a garden salad along with sweet tea!
The hotel grab and go breakfast and coffee were actually not bad at all...
I have to give a shout out to Tailwinds products. When racing I use citrus varieties and for recovery I love my chocolate! Rock on!
My 17th Ultra in the books!
I love looking at stats and comparing them to other challenging races and training runs. I honestly felt that my heart rate was higher the last 5 or so miles than the watch recorded based on my effort/respirations but who knows? The good thing about races like this is what goes up usually goes down. Changing of muscle groups used is a great thing. In fact, Rich had a great idea to walk backwards a few times and of course I followed his lead and it did indeed help. Change from trails to roads off and on were good too. Of course my joints enjoyed the trails more most of the time unless we had to negotiate rocks etc. I was happy that my 361 Meraki shoes pulled me through without any blisters!!! YES! Now to investigate a trail shoe. The only problem with trail shoes are that they typically weigh more. Hmmmmm We shall see.
My wife got me one of my favs with one of my fav beers for my reward and recovery dinner!
Red Curry Chicken and Sam Adams Octoberfest Beer! Anchalee's Thai restaurant is the best! I'll often add a Mango to hit that mix of spicy and sweet! Yes, I love beer! This is one of my favs. Sam's Club sells a 28 case seasonally for just about $28 so it's a price you can't beat for this level of beer!
Poor Training
It's time to actually train for a race!!
That all being said, it's obvious by my low running mileage that when mixed with some cycling etc that karate and weight lifting workouts actually do help you to stay fit. Of course, the years of training and maturity of my vascular system combined with pure intestinal fortitude as my wrestling coach Elvin James would often state all make a difference as well. My biggest goal now that I'm rolling in the 50's (52 in December) is to make a gradual change to more of a vegetarian based diet. I have actually started this past year but I have a long way to go.
The reverse taper...
Maybe it's that pain gait theory or simply crazy recovery but every day as something feels better, another soreness arises. Gotta love it! It's all a reminder of hard work and that I'm happy about.
The Relive Summation of a great day in the woods with friends and new friends...
To new adventures!!
The Music Video of this Adventure!!
To new adventures!
Next... hmmm... Dash for Cash 10 miler-- Uwharrie 40 Miler in February?