tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60520855312400151982023-11-16T11:06:16.768-05:00Don't Become a Routine - Change your CourseUltra Running and Challenging my Limits so Others may BenefitThomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-19797984301495988762021-09-10T00:39:00.002-04:002021-09-10T00:39:47.880-04:00<p> I need to update my blog and align it with my place in life. I've been doing some weight training getting the body stronger. Need to incorporate some cardio next. Getting ready for some AT hiking with my son to complete the GA section and start on the NC trails.</p>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-51341676991218884902021-09-02T17:05:00.001-04:002021-09-02T17:05:19.585-04:00<p> Hello friends. Good to see some familure faces still Blogging and sharing their passion.</p>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-74230807592756332212018-01-12T22:54:00.001-05:002018-01-12T22:54:45.256-05:00Bling from the Dope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Got some bling from the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-82584809091414271572017-04-03T00:52:00.001-04:002017-04-03T00:52:27.923-04:00Aging<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Is getting older (50s) an excuse not to continue being the very best athlete one can be? We all need breaks, hit the reset button, find the mojo again, and maybe change things up. Change the way we eat, train, rest, and look at life. Can't move the heavy weights on the bench, run as fast or long, or train hard so many continuous days. But to do nothing, not make some gains, eat irresponsible, and allow ones body to go without struggle and growth is not living. It's dying sooner and more miserable then God intended. Yes its dam hard to get moving again with age. The struggle is real and more difficult then the previose restarts.<br />
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Growing older is not a reason to not keep being our very best. Yes it still hurts to get back in shape. To move the body when tired and stiff. To be our very best when everyone else our age is saying why do it, just retire and chill. We have a responsibility to the younger generations to be ambassadores, to be an example anything is possible, never surrender, never give up. Just like our parents, and other atheletes we here about still out doing the things they love. A little slower, back of the pack, but still going nevertheless.<br />
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Unfortunately I didn't have anyone to kick me in the ass to get moving again. I had to use my own boot and do it to myself. Which was best because that was me telling me I'm ready.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-67817398252853689522017-03-30T02:37:00.000-04:002017-03-30T02:37:50.923-04:00Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Steady making progress raising my fitness bar to higher levels. The weight training 2x per week is improving strength, helps prevent injury due to weak muscles, and starting to see some definition. The daily pushups and sit ups also helps, and raises calories burned.<br />
Running is more consistent with effort and pace. My daily focus is still 3 miles, and tossed in a few 4 milers. I was excited to run my old 5 mile daily course, with some hills, the last couple weekends. Ive been averaging 9 min/mile at a comfortable pace, and hit a couple 8 min miles with some effort. My biggest struggle has been accumulating to the heat. I'm very familiar with this living in the south, and it never gets easy. Nevertheless, the body will adjust, and 90 deg will feel cool, eventually.<br />
The one thing I've not been consistent with is stretching. I need more focus in this area to prevent injury and improve running form.<br />
Thanks my blogging family for the encouraging words and support. It makes a difference when someone like-minded understands the struggle and offers advise, kind words, or tough love. It matters.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-20115984355290300962017-03-11T03:58:00.000-05:002017-03-11T03:58:44.607-05:00Stronger each day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Worked my way up to 3 miles a day, 4 days a week, with a comfortable 9 min/mile pace. Resting heart rate down to 51 bpm. 100 situps and 50 pushups on run days. No issues so far, feeling good with runs, and worked in a few 8:30 min per mile. Going to start working in some weight training on off days. Trying out a new pair of Altra Torren 2 shoes. Lost about 5 pounds of ugly fat, which feels good, but still have 15 pounds to go. Slow and steady is the plan. I'm feeling the hunger inside to push it a little, and a little day-dreaming about future races still on the bucket list. One day at at time.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-16164928635673045692017-01-31T01:23:00.000-05:002017-01-31T01:24:05.201-05:00Feeling Better<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Two weeks of consistent 2 miles runs, followed with sit ups, push ups, and dips. Trying not to push myself this early, just establishing a new base. Also included lots of stretching to avoid problems like IT band issues. Each run feels a little better then the last. Slow and steady for 3 months is the goal. Looking at a couple of marathons towards the end of the year to keep myself focused. Everyone needs a goal, and a race, to stay true with training.<br />
I've been feeling better, more conscious of what I eat, sleeping better, and my Resting Heart Rate (measure of fitness) has already dropped from 61 BPM to 55 BPM. Still have a ways to go to hit lower 40s RHR.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-6109557853176319802017-01-20T00:03:00.001-05:002017-01-20T00:03:36.369-05:00This is tough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Getting back in shape is not easy. This past week, I did a few 2 mile runs at a 10 minute pace, and I thought I was going to die. It doesn't help I'm carrying an extra 30 pounds of weight. A few years back, I would do this as a warmup at a 7:30 pace. What I could do is now a goal, I except my current position, and will build from here. Chasing my own shadow will be a lot of work, patience, and belief I can do this at the ripe old age of 53. Next post will be how I got in this current condition.<br />
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Meet Jaxs, my new rescue dog my wife got me. He loves to run and loves people. More on Jaxs later.<br />
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Today, went on an amazing mountain bike ride on trails I use to run at FATS big rock and tower loops. Felt great to be flowing along under the trees, thought I was going to die as my heartbeat pounded out of my chest, yet enjoyed every minute of it.<br />
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Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-24099398947141648012017-01-10T23:34:00.000-05:002017-01-10T23:35:15.628-05:00Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nov 2014 was my last run / race. Injury caused me to take some time off, and over two years later, starting to think about how nice it was to be flowing along the trails. I started doing some mountain bike riding on the trails with my son, and forgot how amazing it was to be rolling on a dirt trail under the trees. Josh says I still have some endurance fitness in the tank after that last ride based on how I was tearing it up. My new dog, Jaxs, is ready to put a few miles under his paws. Guess I need to take him for a run tomorrow.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-41780860119466990112017-01-05T12:42:00.002-05:002017-01-05T12:42:45.001-05:00Hello World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello world. Time to hit the fitness reset button and begin again. It will not be fun at first, second, third,....but eventually it will. Its been years without a single post, just wondering if anyone still following my blog!</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-708106389549972002014-03-31T11:17:00.000-04:002014-03-31T11:17:17.379-04:00Good Morning World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not much on posting lately, but still running a lot. Life has been busy and ran a few races since my last post in 2013. Ran a few marathons and 50Ks. More to come on that. For now, getting ready for Haiti, and another 50K in the VA mountains. Peace out my friends.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-10379145827895036872013-07-25T22:08:00.003-04:002013-07-25T22:08:51.992-04:00Mohican 100<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">3<sup>rd</sup>
time is the charm! If you want the details of my first two attempts click on
<a href="http://thomasbussiere.blogspot.com/2009/07/20th-mohican-100-mile-trial-race.html" target="_blank">Mohican 2009</a> and <a href="http://thomasbussiere.blogspot.com/2011/07/mohican-100m-race-report.html" target="_blank">Mohican 2011</a>, or see the link on the right side of the page
under Race Reports.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I tried for
redemption last year but suffered a race-stopping injury during the process in
March, followed by a shoulder injury from hiking in VT which resulted in 4
months of physical therapy to restore (thanks to Peak Fitness Rehab).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not able to start training and
establish a base until the first part of January, which would be a challenge in
itself to get back anything which resembled running for a 50 miler yet alone a
100 miler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just my kind of challenge!</span></div>
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I knew my
running base would be something less then I normally would establish going into
a 100, and did not want to get overly aggressive with my training and risk getting
injured again, but needed something different than my previous training regime
to get desirable results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mapped out a
conservative and smart training plan with gradual buildup in total weekly and
long runs, and intergraded three 50K races with some respectable vertical
climbs to be used with my long training runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I changed my weight lifting routine, more stair master workouts, and
hill repeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no carry over from
last year, I knew speed work was out of the question and would sacrifice a fast
pace to eliminate any potential injury from this type of workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also my schedule only had me peaking at 70-80
miles per week (normally 100+), and lacking in sufficient multiply repeat weeks
of high volume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard someone say it
is better to go into a race undertrained then to be over trained and injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to guard against overdoing my training
knowing, my training ethics, and passion to improve.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The trip to
OH was uneventful and smooth, weather was cooler than normal, and we had a
great place to stay in the Cozy Cabins in the Mohican Adventure Camp Grounds
within 300 yards of the race start / finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was already familiar with the course
details (Two 27 mile long loops and two 23 mile short loops) and didn’t need to
attend the trail brief after packet pickup, but the energy level was high in
the air and it felt good just to hang out with like-minded runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Race Director explained the course
profile, and poked fun at the two other race groups (50 mile fun run and beginner
marathon group).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was in good taste,
and everybody understood that running just one loop around this course
(marathoners) was very respectable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After getting
all my race gear together, Laura and I sat down and talked about what went
wrong in the previous races and what we were doing different this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her I had no 24 hour expectations, not
setting a PB, and only had one goal which was to finish this race within the 32
hour limit. Previous attempts I went out too fast, didn’t fuel and hydrate
correctly, and underestimated the elevation change to name a few errors I made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">4:00 AM came
early Saturday morning. A bowl of oatmeal, banana, and cup of Joe hit the spot
before hearing the 5:00 AM countdown in the cool dark morning fog to start the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With headlamps bouncing
everywhere, it was magical to see a string of lights moving up the side of a
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of chatter
from the highly charged runners, and I found their conversations amusing as I
reflect on my goal for the race. I reminded myself that a lot of new runners to
this course will go out way too fast and self-destruct (been there), and I
needed to settle early into an easy comfortable pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forced myself in the middle-back of the
pack to keep it slow on these single trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There would be plenty of time later to pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hydration, electrolytes, and nutrition was
all calculated out for the first two loops using Tailwind mix in my water
bottle, a gel every hour, along with an S-cap (salt).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This worked perfectly after getting it dialed
in on my last few 50K races, and keeps my stomach in check.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Going up the
first major climb before hitting the first aid station (AS), a runner behind me
must have had his Garmin watch alarm set to alarm for elevated heart rate
because it keep alarming on the inclines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This became most annoying and I was able to get some distance on him
when the pack started to thin out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
heavy fog under the canopy of thick forest trees was something out of a movie scene
as the headlamp light beams pierced the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail was runnable and smooth with the
exception of a few large fallen trees from the previous night’s storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The challenging part was not getting injured
from crawling over all the attached tree branches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon the sky started to get lighter and the
headlamps were no longer required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The first AS (Gorge
Overlook, mile 4.3, 1400’ elevation change) was here before I realized it and
my crew (wife Laura, son Josh, and daughter Renee) was waiting with a fresh
bottle of water / Tailwind mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only
stopped for a minute and needed nothing else with it being so early in the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next section didn’t have as
many climbs and the field of runners was starting to spread out more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason, the trails looked and felt
different compared to the previous years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My effort felt comfortable, heart rate felt good, and my pace was
perfect and on track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5TwPd1owiYr52RNiI-D_OHT-tUj6-7NT8KQzZLDjv0BCnhGQbL4NphObuajOYK_bPPhZo27tEgvwke13RRAdAiUS3ICeBRuGbEqs_2dGl-K6gNkBZRDLD4uJFuZ-2UaPS87IHJlrBg/s1600/9+miles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5TwPd1owiYr52RNiI-D_OHT-tUj6-7NT8KQzZLDjv0BCnhGQbL4NphObuajOYK_bPPhZo27tEgvwke13RRAdAiUS3ICeBRuGbEqs_2dGl-K6gNkBZRDLD4uJFuZ-2UaPS87IHJlrBg/s320/9+miles.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-oKcm3yY83a32thgYr1aLPfZDLu6gyn_hn4bZ6bgFDq-JsseJkKXkhBjy6OfPBokpph2flFGa2xKfZgkW5K2AiYLmxj2JgbL9HiaqPKf4Ill2j9EZYzSfU2hMjad81RbF03uV7Fotg/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-oKcm3yY83a32thgYr1aLPfZDLu6gyn_hn4bZ6bgFDq-JsseJkKXkhBjy6OfPBokpph2flFGa2xKfZgkW5K2AiYLmxj2JgbL9HiaqPKf4Ill2j9EZYzSfU2hMjad81RbF03uV7Fotg/s320/Mohican+100+2013+037.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Next stop was
Fire Tower (4.5 miles, 600’ elevation change) and my crew was standing by with
another fresh water bottle and gels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
plan was one bottle of Tailwind per hour which was 100 calories and needed
electrolytes (plus one S-cap).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
100 calories from one gel per hour, and the remaining calories from PB&J
squares and Nature Valley granola bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thanked my crew and told them I would see them at the Pleasant Hill
Dam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This next section was one of my
favorites because of the diverse terrain and hand over hand climb up a root wall
near Little Lyons Falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dam has
crew access and is only one mile from the Covered Bridge AS which is off limits
to the crew due to limited parking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After the long steep climb up to the top of Big Lyons Falls, I was
expecting the challenging vertical drop down muddy and wet rocks to the bottom
of the falls, but was surprised to see wooden stairs traversing down this
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess they got tired of
hauling out all the runners getting injured on this section from previous
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my way to the Mohican river, I
ran into Marty who was legendary with 3 Hardrock finisher, multiple Western
States, Leadville, Wasatch, and Vermont to name a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also had the demanding UTMB race in France
this summer, and invited me and my family to stay at his house in France along
the UTMB course around Mount Blanc if I ever did the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also a medical doctor and a retired
navy officer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a lot in common and
I really enjoyed talking with him as we talked about past races, family, and
Navy stuff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdqBolIYHAdgeKEys2a-LT7nFxitAI0tyS3XjpXKiwxqMkNcKFbL2BVqciMlz-Z4BZkt9U8UiI9NG7LBO0e9u76OgXXbMyWSbtde8OJWX1atrBbguIH3j20inPt3qvJyJl93XexZBzw/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdqBolIYHAdgeKEys2a-LT7nFxitAI0tyS3XjpXKiwxqMkNcKFbL2BVqciMlz-Z4BZkt9U8UiI9NG7LBO0e9u76OgXXbMyWSbtde8OJWX1atrBbguIH3j20inPt3qvJyJl93XexZBzw/s320/Mohican+100+2013+044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail going to the falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh963fpyRlV5Lo29WseJF_9x2PMAavmjOXXoQsH6D8f3162hYe3iV2A8a-S622C-88RzdDh0ncCFIpZ1VI3i-1wU6qq_a_2PNnVIRnULyzCmZBz-VGY0fsTbL16Iw8MA66cR5JEvAC-zA/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh963fpyRlV5Lo29WseJF_9x2PMAavmjOXXoQsH6D8f3162hYe3iV2A8a-S622C-88RzdDh0ncCFIpZ1VI3i-1wU6qq_a_2PNnVIRnULyzCmZBz-VGY0fsTbL16Iw8MA66cR5JEvAC-zA/s320/Mohican+100+2013+054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look close to find the runner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Marty was not
as excited as me about the hand over hand climb up the root wall, but we had to
survive the rock hopping and tree jumping section up the stream to Little Lyons
Falls. After the climb, we had a short section on some well groomed trails and
soon we rolled into the Dam crew access area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I introduced Marty to my wife and kids, he hung out for a few minutes to
chat, and he was off to the Covered Bridge AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told him I would see him later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Laura asked how I was feeling and I told her I felt really good and had
no issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said my pace was perfect
for my projected times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She looked me in
the eyes and said “I have a good feeling and this is your year…Go get it and I
will see you at the start/finish line”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt her positive vibes, grabbed a fresh bottle, and a Nature Valley
bar for the short mile to the next AS Covered Bridge (6.2 miles, 2500’
elevation change).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">After the
Covered Bridge, I grabbed a banana and another PB&J square before hitting
the steep switchback climb to the top of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section is the worst one because it just
seems to go forever with more elevation than posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed a couple of runners during the climb
as they struggled and I was still feeling very fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few more endless miles, I hit a
section which I loved to run from previous attempts, as the trail goes along
the top of a high ridge overlooking the gorge below with very steep
slopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hickory Ridge
AS (5.5 miles, 800’ elevation change) was full of runners getting their second
wind before hitting the last section to the start / finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only stayed long enough to refill my bottle
and grab another banana and PB&J square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This next section had some nice downhill running with a few climbs mixed
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last 2 miles was run around and
through the Mohican Adventure Camp Grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Last time the course was modified (see last race report) and had a
series of very steep climbs from hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
lot of the runners gave feedback to the race director (record year for DNFs)
and he changed the course to something a little less challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wished he had left the climbs from hell
because I want to make myself better, not make the course easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, the trip to the start / finish
line was enjoyable as my crew awaited to see how I was doing (Total 27 miles,
7,000’ elevation change).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbtNa_dItjYN5KQIc8S58SmptK4Fo17ob8IqVIOfEKpH41clggDAVm0h02-sL71c68_Gsa6KvGTVqflrDclnA1XJ6_SPgMFlo55qcMXEiPjYr__8ByHETvD4akq1MajJyN5XSygj7JQ/s1600/spg5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbtNa_dItjYN5KQIc8S58SmptK4Fo17ob8IqVIOfEKpH41clggDAVm0h02-sL71c68_Gsa6KvGTVqflrDclnA1XJ6_SPgMFlo55qcMXEiPjYr__8ByHETvD4akq1MajJyN5XSygj7JQ/s320/spg5.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I told Laura
I still felt great and needed to repeat it 3 more times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last time I ran this course, my legs were
cramping and I felt like I had been running a challenging course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I felt really good, no cramping,
and only 30 minutes slower overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was 11:30 AM and I was 30 minutes ahead of what I projected as a reasonable
target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said I still looked fresh
and didn’t look as tired as some of the runners that had passed through earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was encouraging, but I also knew how
quickly the wheels can fall off in any given section of this course. Laura said
she had a fresh turkey sandwich on sourdough bread which sounded really
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked over and there was Marty
getting his bottles filled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura goes
over and offers him a fresh turkey sandwich which he was very grateful for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember Marty looking me in the eyes and
saying “Stay away from the gels and eat lots of real food to sustain your
energy level and keep your stomach feeling good”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get away with gels and other stuff
for shorter distance races, but not 100 milers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He said to eat often, and then eat some more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason this resonated in me and I took
his advice to heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Temperature
was a little higher compared to the morning (high of 88 deg), and I could see
what I missed on this loop for the first 45 minutes due to the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While cruising along the trails in the forest,
I reminded myself that last time I went too hard and I was physically broke by
the end of the second loop, although I went on another 12 miles until
exhaustion; not this year I told myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although I felt really good, I will maintain the same pace as the first
time through this long loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also said
my family will not see me DNF this race ever again, no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twice they saw this course beat me into
submission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also wanted to show my kids that sometimes
we lose battles, but it doesn’t mean we can’t win the war. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life may knock us down to the ground from time
to time, but the true measure of a champion is getting back up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlltoPOXKmJuwWJq5prgZcWB75BGaH1J9BDbaWbdc0s0DILsUXZxRn_44rKdIqC21CAHUtdZe0cJI999AJEMdKK6-K0puxQavp3zsF4oL-CS0eh-YSrvTmlVYktkjT-BTwPA5bsZoJw/s1600/31+miles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlltoPOXKmJuwWJq5prgZcWB75BGaH1J9BDbaWbdc0s0DILsUXZxRn_44rKdIqC21CAHUtdZe0cJI999AJEMdKK6-K0puxQavp3zsF4oL-CS0eh-YSrvTmlVYktkjT-BTwPA5bsZoJw/s320/31+miles.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhtAFF4J4MfiZwesFdym68VsvWakvWEbWWLBzjtvDzEq75BX2vjxvnOkuAwZMuS7KeDYILxrRvwkHZTkZ9zkDiooNS81zKNb0RCE5RFfO2oIpA2bkKIiZ-zxb2qREmCYKu9PPRelaNA/s1600/36+miles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhtAFF4J4MfiZwesFdym68VsvWakvWEbWWLBzjtvDzEq75BX2vjxvnOkuAwZMuS7KeDYILxrRvwkHZTkZ9zkDiooNS81zKNb0RCE5RFfO2oIpA2bkKIiZ-zxb2qREmCYKu9PPRelaNA/s320/36+miles.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I saw my crew
at Gorge AS again and told Laura how good the turkey sandwich was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said another will be waiting for me at
the Fire Tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I got there, not
only did I devour another turkey on sourdough, but also drank half a ginger ale
and half the refilled water in my bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>36 miles into a race I usually hit a low point, but not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marty was right about eating lots of real
food.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfsLzL8mvMTdgAgJQRSgMLt8FVNH8spFyEYdZzuZn1f4kVi7Y6A_0YxS89mHfyBwZ64nCWJUZPL6GF5uaBnU1-PfSLbb3veUM_LPbU_FkbpqsKM5VojtnQRLAXGy6ySJDY9zx-8D3qQ/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfsLzL8mvMTdgAgJQRSgMLt8FVNH8spFyEYdZzuZn1f4kVi7Y6A_0YxS89mHfyBwZ64nCWJUZPL6GF5uaBnU1-PfSLbb3veUM_LPbU_FkbpqsKM5VojtnQRLAXGy6ySJDY9zx-8D3qQ/s320/Mohican+100+2013+065.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As I finished
the second loop, I told myself to take a little extra time at the halfway mark
to get myself refocused for the 2<sup>nd</sup> half of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My crew was there and ready to take care of
my needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat down for the first time
in the race and planned to change shoes, socks, running cloths, and re-lube my
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My crew made me a cheese quesadilla
to snack on along with a piece of beef jerky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I stood up after sitting down for 15 minutes, my stomach started to
feel bad and was about to lose it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
said not again, this happened last time I ran this race and was not able to
recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura told me to sit back down
and let my stomach settle down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
was plenty of time, lots of margin, and needed to just chill for a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After sitting down for a little longer,
sipping on a coke, my stomach did settle down and I felt much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only problem was my legs got really stiff
from the sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I laid down on the cot
and my crew gave me a massage to help my legs and feet out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also got a 20 minute power nap, which would
pay dividends for the night time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
stayed way longer then I planned, but still good on overall time, and felt like
a new runner after the break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh got
my headlamp and Renee got my bottle, as Laura reminded me this was my race, go
get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My crew did an awesome job in
keeping me motivated and focused.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAOMXn-uGJcIBqJTa3fjqV3HwNM1E1NY-LlAn0koCdn6CjonZhyphenhyphenOanUU-yOIQG1HVyCNTxa9EJ3DM_G7fw7EprJ7kvpUcZjMbo8nxhDNW7A8G7JvlU5gAHShYAnQvNQSZMZyE25TZrg/s1600/break2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAOMXn-uGJcIBqJTa3fjqV3HwNM1E1NY-LlAn0koCdn6CjonZhyphenhyphenOanUU-yOIQG1HVyCNTxa9EJ3DM_G7fw7EprJ7kvpUcZjMbo8nxhDNW7A8G7JvlU5gAHShYAnQvNQSZMZyE25TZrg/s320/break2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrqBdHOJnzwqFjRiMUDjYnubvhTFRxL0MYtQAF9N_idH_lX_wo2X-pNvxlw-hm8S1MZWqfzo6Oro4pMxsfyqnn4BB3B8FEqNhh1BcqRzkxfvQihnlvm_jwWhX-xLk73KryeRSh4mWHA/s1600/break.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrqBdHOJnzwqFjRiMUDjYnubvhTFRxL0MYtQAF9N_idH_lX_wo2X-pNvxlw-hm8S1MZWqfzo6Oro4pMxsfyqnn4BB3B8FEqNhh1BcqRzkxfvQihnlvm_jwWhX-xLk73KryeRSh4mWHA/s320/break.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The two 27
mile long loops were completed and it was now time for the two shorter 23 mile
loops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a mile on the trails, my
pace felt good, stomach much better, and I felt very positive vibes; last time
I was in bad shape and in a bad spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This time I was strong and ready for some night time running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I reached the Gorge AS, it was dark
and all was quiet and peaceful in the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before I knew it, I heard voices, the sound of a generator, and saw lights
which only meant one thing during a race – Aid Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The AS
volunteer asked me if I wanted a piece of pizza which sounded really good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I started tearing apart the piece of pizza
and walked over to my crew hanging out in the truck, who were not expecting me
this early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura was a little concerned
for me the last section, but was relieved to see me in such good spirits and
tearing into a piece of pizza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said
they just went to Pizza Hut and had a fresh cheese pizza (still warm) in the
truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed a piece of fresh pizza,
Renee filled my bottle with half coke and water, and I was gone on a mission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZVNhdxbWVLKHDYw2kJh6OG6kn7ly9raqpOnfMBcl-Ln2cv1HWX3x-lM-dbAlQWmnLIto1qaE-6xdz82F5tR-cERZSw7wgb4mhvPtuji7_k77KzkI_JmvWounr9B2vXSYWorr8ZIwvA/s1600/night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZVNhdxbWVLKHDYw2kJh6OG6kn7ly9raqpOnfMBcl-Ln2cv1HWX3x-lM-dbAlQWmnLIto1qaE-6xdz82F5tR-cERZSw7wgb4mhvPtuji7_k77KzkI_JmvWounr9B2vXSYWorr8ZIwvA/s320/night.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bring it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This was the
first time all day I put my music on and cranked up some local rock &
roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was right with the world,
stomach feeling great and full of pizza, sipping on some diluted coke, and
running strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Before long, I
heard those familiar sounds and saw something that looked like a landing
strip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Fire Tower AS had lights
strung out about 600 yards down the trail – very cool to run into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with all the other AS, the first people I
see are my son Josh and my daughter Renee sitting on the side, waiting on my arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an upbeat manner they asked if everything
ok, I said it could not be better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
AS volunteer holds out a box of Dunkin Donuts with 3 in it and says help
yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed the one covered with
peanuts (something I never do) and thanked him while devouring it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I joked a little with the volunteers for a
minute, and head up the hill with Josh and Renee to the actual Fire Tower where
Laura was chilling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Renee refills my water
bottle with the coke and water mix, and Laura makes sure I got everything for
the next long section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where the
trail splits and I take the shorter 3 mile stretch to the Covered Bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look at my crew and said “I’m going to do
something you never seen me do before – Run out from the Fire Tower AS to
complete this loop”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my DNF
point from my last two attempts with this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura and the kids
are laughing as I head out in good spirits again at midnight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With 600’ feet
of descent from the top of the ridge to the Mohican River at Covered Bridge AS,
the trip was suppose to be fast except for the mud, rocks, and a wrong turn
near the gas line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pitch black,
with a beam of light in the fog, and I saw that the trail goes into a small
field with a gas line sticking out of the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grass is waist high and I no longer see a
trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The woods going around the small
field must be where the trail picks up again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I start walking around the tall wet grass to the woods, I see nothing
that resembles a trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I keep looking
around and still have no signs of a trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>30 minutes past midnight and I’m lost for the first time all day on this
new section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, time to settle down and
engage the brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grass in the field
is not broke with no indications that runners have been through here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to backtrack and find the original
trial and see where it goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found the
original trail as it comes off the hill, and spot where it drifts off to the
side into the woods, just before it goes into the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such relief!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Down another muddy and rocky, sloping trail to a large stream which
leads to the Covered Bridge AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw
these two big eyes just off the trail, and stopped for a minute to see what it
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This huge deer was just standing
there as I shined my headlamp on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
deer was motionless as I stood there in awe of its beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to go before this deer gets territorial
and decides to charge me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I check in at
the AS and the volunteer ask me if I would like some potato soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OMG, that sounds so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I sip on this very tasty potato soup, and
wait for my bottle to get refilled, I look around and see a lot of casualties
in chairs covered with blankets with defeat all over their faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No words need to be said, we all know what
this looks like, and been there, but not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I killed the cup of potato soup, got another
for the climb back up the mountain, and thanked the volunteers for all they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up to this point in the race, runners are
allowed to have pacers to help them get safely through the 2<sup>nd</sup> half
of the race, keep them motivated, and stay on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only time I ever had a pacer was for the
VT 100 which my brother ran from Camp Ten Bear to the end with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the sense of achievement knowing I did
it with just a crew supporting me at designated check points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it was unusual that I haven’t run
into very many runners on the trail with their pacers by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This next section I still hate, but only have
to do it one more time after this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I finally
arrive at Hickory Ridge AS and all they have is roman noodles, which I
hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just the thought makes me want to
barf (bad experience from previous races).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I look around and see several runners passed out on the ground under
blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They looked to be in bad
shape, and I didn’t want to hang out long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I get some water for my bottle, grab some cookies, and head back out
into the dark quiet woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs
started to feel heavy and my attention to details was lacking during this next
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stumbled over every rock on
the trail, and almost lost my balance a few times, falling off the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to the point where I started to swear
at every rock on the trail, which was not like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sounded like a true sailor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I realized this was just the low point
in the night which I needed to battle through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On my right wrist, I keep a rubber bracelet my son gave me from his last
state championship football season, and on it was the words “Focus” and
“Believe”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often during my last three
50K races, I would reference this band and the meaning behind the words when I
hit rough spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I thought about
the words and what his football team did against all odds, and used this to
give me motivation in the middle of the night, 70+ miles into a race. I thanked
God for this ability He gave me, for the awesome family He gave me, for my
safety on the trails, and all good things that happen in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to feel better, stopped my
complaining of rocks, and picked my pace up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I looked at my watch and started to figure out how long I could stop
before heading out for the last loop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Doing math in
your head can be challenging at this point of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then panic started to hit me just before I
saw my crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura says have a seat and
close your eyes for 5 minutes and it’s back out for your last loop (04:45 AM, mile
77, 20,000’ of elevation change).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told
her I don’t have enough time to sit down and I need to keep moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was worried I might not make the cut-off
time for the next AS, and finish this race before the 32 hour limit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t come all this was, and drag my family
through all of this, to fail during the final hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no way my family was going to see
me fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Renee grabbed me a potato soup for me to take
on my way out and she also filled my water bottle up with Coke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Laura if she could go by McDonalds (open
24 hours and 5 minutes down the road from the start / finish line) and get me
some sweet tea and a shake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered
from my last 50K, that sweet tea was really good, and a shake just sounded
really good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said it will be waiting
for me at the next AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also said
Marty just left a few minutes ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I had fire in
my belly and was on a mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I
could think about was how hard I need to run to get a little margin back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My feet were starting to hurt about now, and
my legs were heavy, but I had my focus back and believed I could do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within a mile, I ran into Marty, and as I
passed him, he said I better get going and don’t look back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marty’s advice about eating was spot on, and
knew what he told me was what I needed to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started to run up the hills as well as everything in-between. I was not
sure how long I would be able to keep this up, but I was not stopping until the
job was done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the long uphill
along the gas line and never stopped running for a second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything hurt, but I could deal with the
pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my watch and knew I
was kicking some butt on this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then it started to rain - Great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really,
all these miles and climbing hills, hurting everywhere, and under time pressure
to complete this loop and it starts to rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stay focused and believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Within an
hour I was at the Gorge AS, and my awesome crew was there with sweet tea, a biscuit,
and a strawberry & banana smoothie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Renee filled my water bottle up with sweet tea as Laura hands me the
smoothie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw my girl’s arm and it had
numbers all over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked her what
all the numbers were for and she said that’s how she kept track of my
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So cool!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh grabbed my headlamp for the second time
at this AS (yesterday morning and this morning).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I inhaled the smoothie in a minute and
thanked my crew for all they do for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Laura asked me if I wanted my rain poncho and I said it wasn’t raining
hard enough for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, I was
somewhat protected under the canopy of trees. Not two minutes later the sky
fell out and I was standing in a deluge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Josh quickly handed me the poncho as I made my way out the AS.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Laura’s Facebook
post: “</span><span class="usercontent">81.1 and the heaven open up w/ a
downpour.....large McDonald's sweet tea, a banana strawberry smoothie, and a
poncho and he was off again. Such determination in face of such
adversity...makes you step back and admire his drive and slight craziness. Lol.
Gotta love my man. He treats everything the same way....passion and drive.”</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The deluge of
cold rain continued for the next hour and I was so thankful for the poncho
because although I was already wet, it kept me warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, I would have been in trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I focused and believed as I kept my head down
and plowed through the now muddy, slippery trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look, runners and their pacers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were moving slow on the soaked trails as
I flew by them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The runners could not
muster up any words but the pacers looked at me and said way to kill it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next up was Fire Tower for the last
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura and the kids could not
believe how fast I had covered the last section, again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Renee filled my bottle up with more sweet tea
and I was out of there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura said they
will be waiting for me at the finish line.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Time for the
section I got lost in the last time through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all the rain,
the mud was ankle deep for most of this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t care and knew it would be over
shortly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran into the Covered Bridge
AS and asked for another cup of their awesome potato soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They only had one cup left and was glad to
give it to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked around and saw
so many runners passed out in chairs and on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thanked them for all they did for me as
they said go get that buckle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now for the
big ugly climb up the mountain for the last time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be steady and power hike this to save energy
for the downhill’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to run up
some of the smaller hills and made good time for this section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It still took forever, but I knew I didn’t
have to see it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the Hickory
Ridge AS and kept my visit brief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water
only and a shot of Mountain Dew for the trip to the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my watch and was relieved to know
I could walk it in from here and make it on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, I kept the pace up because I
was ready for this to be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fun
was over, and this started to feel like work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I passed a few more runners and their pacers along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my way down the hill into the camping area,
another Marathon runner was out on the trails walking out his stiff muscles
from yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He looked at me and said,
”I’m in awe of what you can do”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said
just doing the Marathon on this beast of a course was the most difficult thing
he has ever done, and could not imagine doing that four times nonstop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wished me luck and congratulated me on an
awesome feat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When I hit
the main road in the camping area, a huge smile came from the inside out for I
knew I could smell the barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thanked
God for getting me through this adventure and keeping me running strong on the
muddy trails, even when the Devil tried to still my victory with the cold rain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx6AOU_D_b7M4EBHkTVWlJpqUIuKj-3lPuNXISmUJNjnRBAnEWgMVL5ms0n4-jEIdMT5nvqZxSHAHhd1kp3kwdfVUSVe6XlWNIwdQWQ2-yd_CwoVj5bvBopFw32-y7k6Du7AshNOvfQ/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx6AOU_D_b7M4EBHkTVWlJpqUIuKj-3lPuNXISmUJNjnRBAnEWgMVL5ms0n4-jEIdMT5nvqZxSHAHhd1kp3kwdfVUSVe6XlWNIwdQWQ2-yd_CwoVj5bvBopFw32-y7k6Du7AshNOvfQ/s320/Mohican+100+2013+225.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I saw Laura,
Josh, and Renee near the finish line as I started to get emotional over all
they did for me just to get me across the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could tell Laura was so relieved to see me
arrive over an hour ahead of the final cut-off time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She had tears in her eyes as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. </span>Crossing that finish line never felt so good
as the Race Director came up and handed me my Mohican Finishers Buckle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh helped me over to a chair to sit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he was worried I might pass out right
there and he would have to carry me back to the cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My legs ached too much to sit very long in
the chair, and had to lie on the grass to let the throbbing subside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I watched a few more runners cross the line
before my crew dragged me back to the cabin for a shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laura said I smelled really bad and helped me
get in the shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a 4 hour nap, I
was ready for another round.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnV7s6wUyuspDz9CuJpDoVRf2Bh9zf6VEwN7AWEIpslNgXosPtWEpRaYxRI0F687IFCx3wV9A9VZ22zgYv8KoZs8Q2TeM5fSGLK5H3Za-cICosv5qm4m2j-7sz0MzvKI49d5j4tXJMg/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAnV7s6wUyuspDz9CuJpDoVRf2Bh9zf6VEwN7AWEIpslNgXosPtWEpRaYxRI0F687IFCx3wV9A9VZ22zgYv8KoZs8Q2TeM5fSGLK5H3Za-cICosv5qm4m2j-7sz0MzvKI49d5j4tXJMg/s320/Mohican+100+2013+125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span>Out of 200
runners that signed up for the 100 miler, only a little over half
finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I did not see
my new friend Marty finish and he must have run into problems on the last loop.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3guWyXYoL__DxIAVhJ8XgS07k7oCna12Ti8elUJ_vi9mf-uA3g_z4RyX6Cx0Sc95_uRRobkMrjlHtwtnQERrIqm_cLLM04PNEQvV7Xggw5wdMwO5airyz7Ira-UjEsC6unovyF5xYeg/s1600/Mohican+100+2013+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3guWyXYoL__DxIAVhJ8XgS07k7oCna12Ti8elUJ_vi9mf-uA3g_z4RyX6Cx0Sc95_uRRobkMrjlHtwtnQERrIqm_cLLM04PNEQvV7Xggw5wdMwO5airyz7Ira-UjEsC6unovyF5xYeg/s320/Mohican+100+2013+121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This would
not have been possible without my incredible family and crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave so much of themselves for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an experience we had together that will
last a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least until my kids
decide to run this course someday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyjX7jFVP2A7J-1kvQssDrOFkMb2Cbwy-Qt10OxqwHNlLVfcrXl7kTP-K-9Gehl3c2Ms_g37W36Qkh8SF1vq_rv2Apaat4YsxDdzEa2o_DKh1XlC7-f3dNsBhegoqmAFxuqVCCv2qSg/s1600/arm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyjX7jFVP2A7J-1kvQssDrOFkMb2Cbwy-Qt10OxqwHNlLVfcrXl7kTP-K-9Gehl3c2Ms_g37W36Qkh8SF1vq_rv2Apaat4YsxDdzEa2o_DKh1XlC7-f3dNsBhegoqmAFxuqVCCv2qSg/s320/arm.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Things I have
learned about myself:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I can still
run strong the last 20 miles of a 100 miler even when I’m tired, when there is bad
weather, when I’m sleep deprived, and when I’m hurting.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I can get
ready in 6 months with less than 100 mile weeks, but don’t expect a PR.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My crew is so
strong, especially when I need them most.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Never stop
trying even if the course has beaten you down twice before. Never stop.</span></div>
</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-12935267815480736242013-06-18T23:01:00.002-04:002013-06-18T23:01:55.517-04:00Mohican 100<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
3rd Time was the charm. Race Report coming soon.</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-40882977123264974492013-06-10T01:27:00.003-04:002013-06-10T12:36:54.287-04:00Chattooga 50K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Just
found my favorite 50K race! Before I get into the race, a little drama to set
the stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Terri breaks her race into a
two day race fest with the option to run the 50K on Saturday, Sunday, or
both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this being my last long
training run before my A-race, Saturday’s race was my only was my choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plan was to leave Friday at a good time, and
with only a 3 hour drive, I would have some time to chill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t worry about making hotel
reservations with it being a solo trip, and figured I would just wing-it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friday I took my daughter to her Doc apt as a
preliminary exam before getting her wisdom teeth removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with all Friday afternoon apt, the doc
office was back-up (imagine that – big surprise), and it took forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I decided to take the family out to
dinner for some quality time together before hitting the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next thing I know, its 7PM and still need to
get a few last minute things pulled together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now it’s 9:30 PM and just starting my 3 hour cruise!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was past midnight and just arriving in
this small town of Walhalla in the foothills of NW South Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most small towns, everything closes at
5pm, and not a mouse was stirring at midnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good thing I tossed that sleeping bag in the back at the last
minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The great thing about my Chevy Avalanche
is the back seat drops down and the enclosed truck bed is available from the
inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found myself a safe parking
area in front of a grocery store and set the alarm for 5AM (4 hours of sleep in
a truck – wonderful).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a while to
turn the brain off and hit Z-land, but I did sleep well, although it was chilly
in the morning up in the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I
figured about 45 minutes to the Cherry Hill State Park where the race starts,
and had plenty of time to change, hit McDonalds for a bowl of oatmeal and a cup
of joe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did get a visitor first thing
in the morning from a local police officer on patrol wondering why this out of
state truck had been in the parking lot during the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After crawling out of the back of the truck,
I assured him all was well, and was just looking for a safe place to catch a
few zzzz before hitting the state parks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He said this was a good spot and wished me well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
brief 40 minute trip to the Cherry Hill State Park was absolutely beautiful
going through the Chattooga National Forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Within a half mile from the starting line, a huge black bear darted ever
so gracefully in front of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It caught
me off guard at first until my brain registered what this was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not expecting that, and this guy was
huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, this should be an interesting
race, and this bear will be out looking for breakfast on the same trails we
will be running on.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVIyWg-ABWHUfS_3DRlqkaEVdyfSzOcQ1VRoswv1pfIMPH6VRLo4s6E4kZHboibARVfHQkFSjjHe6nGgiddadAx-lOmMeLpU6A-i3vOLa9Pi52wGNbXDC5d5WaQQBwpKRoqbQ7fIXmQ/s1600/580823_10201274657127895_1578691680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVIyWg-ABWHUfS_3DRlqkaEVdyfSzOcQ1VRoswv1pfIMPH6VRLo4s6E4kZHboibARVfHQkFSjjHe6nGgiddadAx-lOmMeLpU6A-i3vOLa9Pi52wGNbXDC5d5WaQQBwpKRoqbQ7fIXmQ/s320/580823_10201274657127895_1578691680_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I spent
a few minutes talking to Terri Hayes (RD) getting caught up on lost time before
the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the first time
running this race, and did very little prep work in reviewing the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read a few race reports from years past, remember
Christian Griffith writing about jumping in the river to cool-off, lost his
running shorts from the swift current, and finish the race with a hilarious
race report to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured I would
just follow the pack, watch for the orange ribbon at turns, follow the white trail
blaze, and hold onto my shorts if having the need to jump in the river to cool
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I already had 50 miles on the legs
with some hard weight workouts and hill repeats on the legs going into the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last thing I need to do was
race hard today, so I started in the back of the pack to keep it easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
started with a 3.5 mile out portion on the winding stairs trail which was all downhill on some beautiful
and smooth trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We passed next
to some breath-taken waterfalls as the trail is all downhill and fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Took a few wrong turns with some </span></div>
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other
runners on the way down, but was able to quickly turnaround with little time
lost. After 3.5 miles, we turned around and back up the twisted trail to the
top before getting to the first Aid Station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I topped my water bottle off, one gel, banana, and piece of banana bread
(this was really good) before hitting this next section which would be 10 miles
before the next AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually only take
one handheld 20oz bottle, but used two for this longer section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was following two guys and a girl who were
very chatty and excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave me
the impression this was her first ultra and the two guys were coaching/guiding
her along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was another nice single
trail downhill section for a couple of miles down to the Chattooga River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After listening to these other runners, I
learned this is where the movie “Deliverance” was filmed with Burt
Reynolds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great – Hopefully I won’t hear
any banjos playing or see anyone with missing teeth with a heavy southern
accent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The trail zigzags along the
river up and down the hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Absolutely
beautiful scenery with some really narrow sections with overhanging boulders
and very step drop-offs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a good
section to miss step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed one of
the guys and the girl as they were having a more difficult time managing the more
technical trail section. The other guy was trying to keep up, and wanted to
pick my brain for some advice on longer races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We chatted for a while and then he started to fad back on the more
technical sections.</span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then I
came up on a large fallen tree across the trail which required some crawling
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another runner was crossing over
it, and to my amazement, it was Viktor who I caught up with the last 5 miles of
the FATS 50K a couple years ago to beat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Viktor is a strong and consistent runner with a large personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know when you are being passed by him
because he gives out a hoot and a howler in a heavy Russian accent as he
passes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok, I told myself, I was not
racing today and this is going to be an easy long training run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viktor saw me and appeared to have picked his
pace up based on my effort to keep up with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m a fast downhill runner based on the number of runners I usually pass,
and average on the hills, but Viktor was increasing his lead on the downhills,
and losing some on the uphills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was
most likely conserving energy because he was racing both days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We passed several runners as we kept
increasing our pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I knew it,
my competitive nature overrode my brain and the race was on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, I didn’t care, and wanted to
get passed this guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started to kick
it on the uphills, and matched his speed on the downhills as I kept closing the
gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, on a long uphill section,
I passed Viktor and another runner at the same time, and never looked back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within about 1 mile from the AS, my foot
snagged a rock and found myself airborne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Luckily, I landed between some rocks and roots with a few minor
scratches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The AS was a welcomed sight,
but wanted to keep my stay time short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
grabbed another gel, dropped one of my handhelds off, and two pieces of banana
bread on the way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This next section
was a two mile out and back, and needed to touch the wooden bridge before
returning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fast two miles with
it all downhill, and passed several runners along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in a good place and just loving the
trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually by now, I get a low
point in the race, but not today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
energy level was consistent, and I found the new Tailwind mix agreeing with my
body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What felt like about two miles,
and I ran into a small wooden footbridge with no markers or sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped for a minute and wondered if this
was the turnaround point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no
markers, and such a small footbridge, I figured there was a larger wooden
bridge with markers further down the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I took off again as a couple of runners I had just passed were following
my lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went about half mile further
downhill and something didn’t feel right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started to run into a few spider webs and knew the front runners would
have already broke the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
not see any scuff marks on the trail and knew I had gone too far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped and talked to the runners behind me
for a few minutes as we contemplated if we went too far. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the guys had a Garmin and he said we
were well past the two mile mark, so we were convinced the footbridge was the
turnaround point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back up the hill to
the bridge, and a little further back down the trail and I ran into Viktor on
his way to the bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked him if
that was the turnaround point and he said yes (He has ran this course a few
times).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt better that we didn’t
short-change the course, but also gave up a lot of time and positions with the
bonus miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I started running up the
two mile all uphill to the AS and passed a few of the runners I passed on the
way down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran into Andy Bruner at the
AS (from Augusta and top 10 finisher on Sunday) and he was a huge help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked for a minute as he filled my
handheld bottles (with ice) and ensured I was taken care of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy is a great guy, friendly, and a very
talented fast runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Time for the long
10 mile river section and ready to hit it with a steady pace in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I passed a few more runners and hikers out
enjoying the trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught up with
Chad and we had about the same pace so we hung out cruising down the
trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a few wrong turns, but
always able to get back on the main trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This section was not marked well, and more difficult to follow on the
way back with all the side trails that branch out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I snagged my foot again on some roots, didn’t
fall, but felt some discomfort in my left leg (knee and hamstring).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I backed off my pace some to prevent irritating
my leg any further and to minimize risk for injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The climb back out from the river was
challenging and demanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
starting to feel the weekly miles, hard training, and hill repeats from earlier
in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chad had to pull over due to
some cramping and needed to stretch out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept plowing forward and managed to pass two more runners before
hitting the final stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finished in
7:04 with about 33 plus miles on some beautiful, but challenging, trails in the
foothills of SC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBo9QjR_3-Jd4BSHux5Kl11plo6NtGo8u6oAHs-WPoTkcoeDqBzGw924cA0wrhrwre91p1afdAzjo3oReoWCf2BtrPJ_xg6wYQ5vnnrZMx8fMaM2j3liNbgdZ8kEc0suvpuWLlWuBJg/s1600/469031_10200751383099672_276212378_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBo9QjR_3-Jd4BSHux5Kl11plo6NtGo8u6oAHs-WPoTkcoeDqBzGw924cA0wrhrwre91p1afdAzjo3oReoWCf2BtrPJ_xg6wYQ5vnnrZMx8fMaM2j3liNbgdZ8kEc0suvpuWLlWuBJg/s320/469031_10200751383099672_276212378_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I felt great afterward,
no cramping or soreness, no stomach issues, and could have gone back out to run
the course again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This area is absolutely
beautiful and now one of my favorite 50K races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking at some of the Garmin data from some other runner the previous
years, and this course had over 10,000’ of elevation change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would highly recommend this course for
first timers and experienced runners with non-technical trails in most
sections, beautiful scenery, and great AS with an awesome RD (Terri Hayes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpgP_OLpx3Q9c0Num6mVqMHgAy0V4nuV7O7zALmR2RZkHFhHmAuVMQU-3m-jvenpFxlE0Gps8lBJUL_H2NWphbmAeGCL81ZgT1-xsv3s0nldiHwubhmuYOdi9zTP3D8UP5Kn0csL2fQ/s1600/chattooga+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpgP_OLpx3Q9c0Num6mVqMHgAy0V4nuV7O7zALmR2RZkHFhHmAuVMQU-3m-jvenpFxlE0Gps8lBJUL_H2NWphbmAeGCL81ZgT1-xsv3s0nldiHwubhmuYOdi9zTP3D8UP5Kn0csL2fQ/s320/chattooga+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I drove
the three hour trip back home after the race, and had to work the next
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a good weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compared to the two 50K I ran the past few
months (Mount Cheaha and Sweet H2O), I felt the strongest during this one, had
no real low points, and felt great afterwards with 30 minute less running on a
harder course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This race was good for my
confidence considering being injured all last year, and not starting any real
training until January of this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks
like the hard winter training is starting to pay off, but will it be enough for
my next challenge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to start my
taper for the Mohican 100.</span></div>
</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-90700799856245820112013-05-07T00:58:00.000-04:002013-05-07T00:58:59.812-04:00SweetH20 50K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Another 50K in the books a couple weeks ago at the SweetH2O
Race just outside Atlanta GA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, I was
using this as a good training run with over 40 miles already on the legs, more
hill repeats, and a long run just 5 days prior to this event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted tired legs going into this, and that
I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never done this race
before, and it looked of moderate difficulty although I read somewhere this was
in the top 10 of difficult 50K (not).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was a 16 mile repeat loop with river crossings and a series of short steep demanding power
line hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQK84MPYE_n30-1s3QGli0CTIKneyP-s6-EpnMBiUn6FJndNU-Vw7al22bfSXgHiFy4-hDTffEpEJzLgOZt2ntOb5X_m7HFEpoL4QK5BaH9YQW_9gJuyP7a5u3TFC_Y6ui96iFaIs-A/s1600/Power+Lines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQK84MPYE_n30-1s3QGli0CTIKneyP-s6-EpnMBiUn6FJndNU-Vw7al22bfSXgHiFy4-hDTffEpEJzLgOZt2ntOb5X_m7HFEpoL4QK5BaH9YQW_9gJuyP7a5u3TFC_Y6ui96iFaIs-A/s400/Power+Lines.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Power Line Section</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The weather was perfect with
clear skies and unseasonal cool temps in the 60s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the course is very runnable with a
few sections a little more technical due to the steepness and rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would consider this course a great first
ultra for someone to cut their teeth on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The course was well marked, support at AS was amazing (except none had
ice), and the RD put on a well organized race.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkdKFdVjxnktrk3USBvpughjSJ-mP-bwOSq7_Hjp6U5T925HhoinsE6VQMIF9mZaGM5x8Dv1Zm8D4DSyHNlFS4XFDenr3edli5klnliBnZZuYYVKOR5GecYUM1bdVVq9OClK2TQb0UQ/s1600/18M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkdKFdVjxnktrk3USBvpughjSJ-mP-bwOSq7_Hjp6U5T925HhoinsE6VQMIF9mZaGM5x8Dv1Zm8D4DSyHNlFS4XFDenr3edli5klnliBnZZuYYVKOR5GecYUM1bdVVq9OClK2TQb0UQ/s320/18M.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over halfway there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxuarqQq3X3tY2-hHJJrtIh-OKr1uxYIXe-DnsJy31x76jBNvbYIC1NrmeVt0W2KB9QXpITepX53fjYrkNz9FTPgtIjIX-MNOafCMezfEFhC5pFOcHaGyCc8T8UZMzuwcPK3as_qZOA/s1600/trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxuarqQq3X3tY2-hHJJrtIh-OKr1uxYIXe-DnsJy31x76jBNvbYIC1NrmeVt0W2KB9QXpITepX53fjYrkNz9FTPgtIjIX-MNOafCMezfEFhC5pFOcHaGyCc8T8UZMzuwcPK3as_qZOA/s320/trail.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The first loop I held my pace back, and enjoyed
talking with other runners around me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Within the first few miles, a spillway near the lake was a choke point
as runners gingerly used the ropes to slide down the bank to the ankle deep
water for about a hundred yards of feet soaking fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was back up the other side with ropes
again, which was slow going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
section was very runnable as we made our way to AS #2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The section between AS #2 and AS #3 was known
as Power line with the short steep series of hill repeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually found this section to be most
enjoyable as other runners were using some adult language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was laughing a little on the inside, and
opted to run halfway up before succumbing to a power hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was to be repeated again for the second loop,
which I equally enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the first
loop, I met my wife at the river crossing AS and she said I looked way to
fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tDgVuO50eKvZbRrxsaG1Q7rcQhGBlxE84WV6l6SycA3zMruJVTJrj2gxnj30WSzX-Al_Vu2blf-5DEkNpwkK3BhFEhmR4hRLGTgTZatG-fLOKHnkmXcZin7E3plsllDvmEf2NpvmOw/s1600/river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tDgVuO50eKvZbRrxsaG1Q7rcQhGBlxE84WV6l6SycA3zMruJVTJrj2gxnj30WSzX-Al_Vu2blf-5DEkNpwkK3BhFEhmR4hRLGTgTZatG-fLOKHnkmXcZin7E3plsllDvmEf2NpvmOw/s400/river.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Crossing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJrPiJiF6vE7Wb4RQ6BJ-F9CUhNQGnf_XxaQC5p2bpECpGHuh4FQgcKnBCQc-jQzKYe1QlCla50UxfkVU4Ek5QkFwBWuOwoWsbnYvDXGSmIaLu__eg0lq8UqN5iqL2_Be-kQ8iP_lrg/s1600/Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJrPiJiF6vE7Wb4RQ6BJ-F9CUhNQGnf_XxaQC5p2bpECpGHuh4FQgcKnBCQc-jQzKYe1QlCla50UxfkVU4Ek5QkFwBWuOwoWsbnYvDXGSmIaLu__eg0lq8UqN5iqL2_Be-kQ8iP_lrg/s320/Finish.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told her I felt good but the
legs a little heavy from the hard training runs earlier in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, I did have a slight low point
just before the next AS, but knew this was not unusual for me around the 18
mile mark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After conquering the power
line section again, and passing a lot of miserable runners, I topped my bottle
off, took a shot of Coke, and hit a good running pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two younger runners in front of me were
trying hard to keep me from passing them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I closed the gap between us, they would
pick their pace up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This went on for a
couple of miles until we hit the last of the power line hills and I noticed
them starting to struggle some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
enough of this and dropped the hammer and powered right past them on the uphill
and never looked back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last AS was
only 3 miles from the end of the race and took only a few shots of Mountain Dew
for fuel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was feeling really good
again and really stepped the pace up and started to pass several runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, I was pleased with my performance,
but could have taken a lot of time off my finishing time if I had tapered and
not lingered in some of the AS talking to people I knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not planning on a PR, just a fun
training run, and had a beautiful day and course to run on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids enjoyed the day at 6 Flags, and we
ate at one of my favorite restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pd_9MLW75BH1dteI1qPj_BPVjvC0vrA3yqGrKr6_a2Y4o80G_zgTog9fBi1ALwDSyFC2e3QoTpe48GXpwvkNhADTH7rDJ_tgUbv3PGcjdT8aD6gaf-oZ9JaZ917GDUmlT6JBe52F2g/s1600/TomTom+Phone+Pics+2549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pd_9MLW75BH1dteI1qPj_BPVjvC0vrA3yqGrKr6_a2Y4o80G_zgTog9fBi1ALwDSyFC2e3QoTpe48GXpwvkNhADTH7rDJ_tgUbv3PGcjdT8aD6gaf-oZ9JaZ917GDUmlT6JBe52F2g/s320/TomTom+Phone+Pics+2549.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have one more 50K race in the foothills of SC before heading back to OH for the
Mohican.</span></div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-40951571759717468782013-03-03T17:38:00.000-05:002013-03-03T17:46:17.397-05:00Mount Cheaha 50K<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPbbmcS7tDxonuQaJGrEQdFbAtkOwkPdrz19VtN_BLigLdGFN5OQZDBARI8KjO9RCXUHWNm8m-I0Q02GaQpWscFWE0Bru5uE3TF2_eWnbsH09mBtb08YWJcnMR2dKXeZxuYvqhWtaeA/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPbbmcS7tDxonuQaJGrEQdFbAtkOwkPdrz19VtN_BLigLdGFN5OQZDBARI8KjO9RCXUHWNm8m-I0Q02GaQpWscFWE0Bru5uE3TF2_eWnbsH09mBtb08YWJcnMR2dKXeZxuYvqhWtaeA/s320/058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After being injured most of last year and having a mild case
of burnout, I was a little apprehensive about this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My last trail race was the North Face 50 over
a year ago and that was a challenge with less than one week recovery from the
FATS 50K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had done some running the
last part of 2012 with my physical therapy going well, but no real training
except for the last 7 weeks going into this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I was using this as a training run
with no taper, 30 miles on the legs for the week, hill repeats, and weight
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read a few race reports and
decided at the last minute this would be a good run to kick my training in the
ass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, my training only
included one long run on the local trails, and the remaining long runs
performed on a flat 3 mile dirt loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
weekly mileage was low with only 40 miles per week logged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t want to ramp up my mileage to hard and
fast and risk injury again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My wife said
with this just being a 50K, this should be a light run for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She asked me if I was ready, and I replied
not even close, but I got to start sometime.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmTkFHlbs3-PPkcOlN_5SO_-REeEBTFmwVV-qegWBBZnM_c_-HX37eRrlT5YG2mDBB6CtJ-mWcPF0DCEGKRjmSHLnfEbjrK4O_rvekP2lPDMJuG-IbZfOnk5Ugsltnb0Pjh1Ocf0nZQ/s1600/5482b79b-0e2c-4031-a2d3-c7f1e2f6790d.Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmTkFHlbs3-PPkcOlN_5SO_-REeEBTFmwVV-qegWBBZnM_c_-HX37eRrlT5YG2mDBB6CtJ-mWcPF0DCEGKRjmSHLnfEbjrK4O_rvekP2lPDMJuG-IbZfOnk5Ugsltnb0Pjh1Ocf0nZQ/s320/5482b79b-0e2c-4031-a2d3-c7f1e2f6790d.Large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjr-uJK1KPjkG6tn4rFMSZwh2BtaMF3Wc9wvW0iPReUbh5XoqqVZpnwrG3TNcWg6y8WI3Ml5c9WzKFjYFz9qNhjEF1BEjRFZW5QDH_BJy_ZdQDPkwJo2O1UR0cyWoHTY8_lD-MQQz_Q/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjr-uJK1KPjkG6tn4rFMSZwh2BtaMF3Wc9wvW0iPReUbh5XoqqVZpnwrG3TNcWg6y8WI3Ml5c9WzKFjYFz9qNhjEF1BEjRFZW5QDH_BJy_ZdQDPkwJo2O1UR0cyWoHTY8_lD-MQQz_Q/s320/063.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_wMYo95B8jxWW16TVJnkeTqDmeShD5U6r8HGiH_OO9cwqmevGDsjYf7G-w4xirH9esNpBsqczGkm9Msh7hiqLpsXQFXVKBEO2J0Pn7c-8JcElu4nyfNtD8fjMf_8PjFZjbLuZmQi5g/s1600/060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_wMYo95B8jxWW16TVJnkeTqDmeShD5U6r8HGiH_OO9cwqmevGDsjYf7G-w4xirH9esNpBsqczGkm9Msh7hiqLpsXQFXVKBEO2J0Pn7c-8JcElu4nyfNtD8fjMf_8PjFZjbLuZmQi5g/s320/060.JPG" width="320" /></a>As I dug deeper into the details of this Mount Cheaha 50K,
there was over 7,000 feet of climbing, technical rocky trail sections, stream
crossings, and Blue Hell with 1,000 feet of straight up in less than a half
mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soon realized I had no business
toeing the line after taking a look at my brief training window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had done few hill repeats and weight
training sessions, and knew my legs would die on this race before the day was
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To complicate matters worse, it
had rained hard the past couple of weeks in the South, and still a steady rain
fell the morning of the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Streams
were now rivers, dirt trails now mud slop, and rocks like ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got my son Josh setup at the lodge on top
of Mount Cheaha (finish line), he wished me luck and said “Dad, this is just a
little 50K, no worries and have fun.” I told him this will be a long day for
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I boarded the bus to haul 195+
runners to the starting line some distance south on the Pinhoti trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fog was so thick, the chatty runners
rambling in a nervous tone, and I managed to get my survival strategy plan
together in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t race hard,
start slow, conserve to save-up for Blue Hell, and stay in the middle back of
the pack (let the faster runners go).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Remember, this is just a training run and I already had mileage on the
legs from the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After getting off
the bus and walking to the starting area, I ran into my friend <a href="http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Olga</a> and her husband
Larry from TX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Couldn’t believe my luck
and was so excited to see them in the middle of some remote location in Alabama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of them are very accomplished Ultra
runners in the elite category with tons of talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief visit, it was time for a 10 min
stretch, fall in formation for the start, and a Harlem Shake video shot to get the juices
flowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too funny!</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7k0yfQ1hXklgaz68HUomDaQLSwiZJ8VLy33nuK1xwhP5dc_kbOEyV52DvYZW4xR5QO3lEoFb94XonSOPQ-L9vyfXFuFh9R44fPgOStTlzRGz9_5GlvC1wMG6OCf60_TwRCiDhEhhnA/s1600/8512914301_55566aa1b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7k0yfQ1hXklgaz68HUomDaQLSwiZJ8VLy33nuK1xwhP5dc_kbOEyV52DvYZW4xR5QO3lEoFb94XonSOPQ-L9vyfXFuFh9R44fPgOStTlzRGz9_5GlvC1wMG6OCf60_TwRCiDhEhhnA/s320/8512914301_55566aa1b9.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stream Crossing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This race does not start with a countdown, or a gun shot,
but the playing of “Sweet Home Alabama”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next thing I know I’m flowing on very soft pine needles as the trail
flows into the heavy dense fog woods like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock
movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trails were saturated with
water, but at least the raining had stopped, and all was right in the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow – This felt great, and at
this moment I realized why we do this, again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could feel the excitement in my bones, the legs felt fresh, and I
wanted to run fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this was not
going to happen with some 100+ runners in front of me on single lane
trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, start in the back! I
reminded myself to settle down, go with the group, and there would be plenty of
time later to run hard if anything was left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was funny to see some of these runners gingerly hopping over small
streams worried about getting their shoes wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told them to just go ahead and get it over with, it’s a part of the
trail experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the last time
my feet experienced dryness for the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could tell a lot of them were inexperienced and this may have been
their first Ultra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 2 miles
into the race, the conga line thinned out some which allowed me and two other
runners to stretch our legs out and pass by a large pack of runners, which
should have started in the very back based on their pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail was very wet, but fantastically
smooth with some small rises and downhills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could not see much with the dense fog and it felt dreamlike running in
the woods with a comfortable 50 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It reminded me of the FATS trails I have back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chandler Springs Aid Station (AS) was only 3
miles into the race and I only needed a splash of water and a gel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next section was a little more difficult
with more dramatic climbs, rocks, and soft muddy trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reminded myself again to take it easy on
the climbs, keeping the heartrate down, and conserve energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another noticeable trait with these trails
was the camber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It either sloped left or
right, seldom even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This required a
little more attention to details with the wetness factor and slippery
rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what seemed like 4 miles of
steady inclines, the trail dumped out onto a forest service road for a 1 mile
haul butt downhill to the next AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time
to stretch the legs out again and let it fly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I passed several runners along this stretch, and a few got on my heals
and followed into the Clairmount Gap AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ditched the sweatshirt, another gel and banana, filled the bottle,
grabbed a PB&J cube, and now time for some more climbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXpVO4qqJjW1F_UmC7YnCw5k8fL7ick99TZh7CIU5Eb7LB3l44h1wNXcd3WsLVMPccC3mhCJ0iWKwNHyAm-dqsUzLI3FV-qNarZXPdHEJdmQrx1LXnteWVG2t6b60j9ZTyHozGggLEA/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXpVO4qqJjW1F_UmC7YnCw5k8fL7ick99TZh7CIU5Eb7LB3l44h1wNXcd3WsLVMPccC3mhCJ0iWKwNHyAm-dqsUzLI3FV-qNarZXPdHEJdmQrx1LXnteWVG2t6b60j9ZTyHozGggLEA/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAFS342Cu1IQIx33n39swHTH8mBlP6_4l4AJ9jMo9lyFnnVsX2nxcHVe-bfvmh_jEW1LGWnmWoIXhQJlwsrCKMrZoqHa6YpwfPRktdzha8RLV7WIw-6QLc4L6T2QVJQv_JOJvacU8fA/s1600/234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAFS342Cu1IQIx33n39swHTH8mBlP6_4l4AJ9jMo9lyFnnVsX2nxcHVe-bfvmh_jEW1LGWnmWoIXhQJlwsrCKMrZoqHa6YpwfPRktdzha8RLV7WIw-6QLc4L6T2QVJQv_JOJvacU8fA/s1600/234.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooth Dirt Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first mile was steady going up with a few
switchbacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the trail leveled off
into rock city and more narrow slanted trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was the most technical part of the race and difficult to maintain
any sort of a pace with all the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could not enjoy the scenery because the trail was demanding, and one glance or
distraction could end in a nasty fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After about 5 miles of this, I noticed a runner down with paramedics
along his side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few other paramedics
on their way from the next AS, but looked like they may not make it to the injured
runner based on the look on their face and exhaustion level from the one mile
of travel on these trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard the
runner tripped on the rocks and shattered his knee cap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paramedics had to airlift him from the
area because hauling him out was too difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a few close calls, but always managed
to catch myself before going down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally, Adams Gap AS #3 (15 mile mark) and felt a little worn after
that tough demanding section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With fuel
in the tummy, I was ready for some more – Bring it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgpU6k80L7mVv4276fLB3IfYgZzZFcHu-Wci0bZWroInbqsDuhBc47oH-tCLy1Iv8mxtJrqDDGt1FaBvI9ixogEmYBhCpxCqObI8Hx4mnBmmJsFaW4hv5mrCLbDijRf4SzfVHb9Fa4w/s1600/088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgpU6k80L7mVv4276fLB3IfYgZzZFcHu-Wci0bZWroInbqsDuhBc47oH-tCLy1Iv8mxtJrqDDGt1FaBvI9ixogEmYBhCpxCqObI8Hx4mnBmmJsFaW4hv5mrCLbDijRf4SzfVHb9Fa4w/s320/088.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was cruising at a
steady pace along another muddy and rocky section with a cambered narrow
trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of nowhere, my left foot got
a little too close to the soft muddy edge and my world went upside down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I landed on my back and started to slide down
the edge of the bank before stopping myself with my hands on the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My right calve got a hard cramp and locked
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit hard, but nothing broke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I could do was hang on to the edge and
keep myself still while I worked out this killer cramp in my calve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow – was it painful and all knotted up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another runner from a distance behind me
yelled if I was ok as I replied “all was good, just got a cramp and can’t move.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reached down and grabbed my arm pulling me
back on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assured him I was
good, thanked him, and took a few minutes to stretch this cramping calve out
and get my mind refocused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hung out
for a few minutes making sure I was alright before moving on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The camaraderie is amazing in this
sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We win together, we suffer
together, and we take care of one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I regained my composure,
and took several minutes to stretch my calve out because it did not want to
cooperate. With a slow start, I fell right back into a steady pace and into AS
#4 Hubbard Creek (~18 miles).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt a
sore spot on my left lower right calve and found a nice scratch from the
fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t notice it until now;
grabbed a wet paper towel to clean the mud out of it. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv23IL4PuIBH0b90xj17ozo_rsBZHyRgLyvFXe_6RQNXoGLwyukGQYI_CQCoLI2i9HKcYsugbmilhnGAm66lXv_mcjgEKC2R_aYvmV-YHNx53IingFZM9fm7rriEM6Iwqr1hFX99Chw/s1600/8514154656_8bf418a58b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv23IL4PuIBH0b90xj17ozo_rsBZHyRgLyvFXe_6RQNXoGLwyukGQYI_CQCoLI2i9HKcYsugbmilhnGAm66lXv_mcjgEKC2R_aYvmV-YHNx53IingFZM9fm7rriEM6Iwqr1hFX99Chw/s320/8514154656_8bf418a58b.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixn13H0pAg5GTdpQ7r5asRt6nD-mfNnJNIzQqI8wOQWoNrk8XX69dhDX3-t1n4PDt0GVyMjb0SOhsSdJPIbKkOZ7QtJHw6ZHKhXZfFaV3HkJY9motdvbOH44o068avlJDYu7tPx4ZiQ/s1600/8513045221_86232f1069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixn13H0pAg5GTdpQ7r5asRt6nD-mfNnJNIzQqI8wOQWoNrk8XX69dhDX3-t1n4PDt0GVyMjb0SOhsSdJPIbKkOZ7QtJHw6ZHKhXZfFaV3HkJY9motdvbOH44o068avlJDYu7tPx4ZiQ/s320/8513045221_86232f1069.jpg" width="212" /></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next section was very wet with several stream crossings
and lots of standing water on the trails from all the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stream crossings were refreshing with the
swift cold water, and gave me a chance to wash some of the mud of me from the
fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dense fog had lifted which
gave me an opportunity to look around at the beautiful scenery with water
falls, outcrops of large rocks, and Mount Cheaha looming off in the
distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick check into Lake
Chinnabee AS (mile 22), a hit of coke (cola type), banana, and PB&J square
before talking these last 9 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This next section was very runnable, and as a pack of 8, we
put the miles behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a little
tired of the conversation, was feeling too good for the slow pace, and dropped
the hammer past these guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few
more water crossings, the trail dumped onto a dirt road which lasted a little
over a mile to the next AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked a
guy helping out with the race standing alongside the road, if he had seen any
water to jump into because I haven’t step in any for a ¼ mile and felt
neglected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He laughed and said it’s all
uphill from here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSJ337Z5RCnx944Zis9JCMs76A3DcO8RkXr6CaqsQKPDN5s7XHM7JQ6qEcgvuCbnA-meAR_YiOqX3xuz_hyoK8mGo0oMa1xnaUcfMIcWeIffmaBulNHBcn7h6Dedrkb7iGM2gK26sRw/s1600/8514399094_978ef081cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSJ337Z5RCnx944Zis9JCMs76A3DcO8RkXr6CaqsQKPDN5s7XHM7JQ6qEcgvuCbnA-meAR_YiOqX3xuz_hyoK8mGo0oMa1xnaUcfMIcWeIffmaBulNHBcn7h6Dedrkb7iGM2gK26sRw/s320/8514399094_978ef081cf.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ankle Deep Wet & Muddy Trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwu4fK6jDf5hruayzb6DxDK0uyfKNNT1uRvjDl_PqCObwSTqz_v40rrrEPx0RfD46wymTNcmx-V-fOlk_Rt7sVigA5Bu9XE3wLXspTUY5gNFrx_xv0ZWSC_E2p01CWXi_rSQQq3iZqg/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwu4fK6jDf5hruayzb6DxDK0uyfKNNT1uRvjDl_PqCObwSTqz_v40rrrEPx0RfD46wymTNcmx-V-fOlk_Rt7sVigA5Bu9XE3wLXspTUY5gNFrx_xv0ZWSC_E2p01CWXi_rSQQq3iZqg/s320/11.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Hell - Photo from Olga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lake Cheaha AS (mile 28) was set under a pavilion along the
lake at the base of Mount Cheaha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remembered the RD saying to fuel up and hydrate well before tackling this next
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another PB&J, banana, and
two small cups of coke should do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
felt good and ready to take on Blue Hell with 1,000 feet of straight up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a brief run to the base, a small group
of us started the steep climb up boulders, roots, and mud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just put my head down and said one foot in
front of the other, enjoy the moment, until I get to the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t look up; just keep going until it is
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water was pouring off my face, but
I was feeling good considering, I thought I would be half dead at this point of
the race and barley holding on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple
runners pulled off to the side and let us by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another hundred feet and the rest pulled off to catch their breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in a rhythm and did not want to stop as
I passed the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked up and saw a
few more runners staggering up the mountain and adjusted my sights on
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally caught them ¾ of the way
up, and as we passed a race safety aid on the side. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked when did Blue Hell start, and she
replied in a serious tone that I was on Blue Hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I smiled and thanked her for supporting
us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The small group pulled off to the
side and I felt a little serge of energy and started running up the steep face,
but only a short distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally
made it to the top with an awesome view, but short lived as the clouds rolled
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPUmYflWfpMvl6pslXkR4Zgvie9ruQ-K4buMoiV7IyFIYwattiTjYVMbEEg9_Q6URL15b7Z4OHJHgJ48XDK9iQFMR724davofPs-wHaiiJpSFvfa2n9-WNHNStj5ERoYpcnrUK-Mr_Q/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPUmYflWfpMvl6pslXkR4Zgvie9ruQ-K4buMoiV7IyFIYwattiTjYVMbEEg9_Q6URL15b7Z4OHJHgJ48XDK9iQFMR724davofPs-wHaiiJpSFvfa2n9-WNHNStj5ERoYpcnrUK-Mr_Q/s320/12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Hell - Photo from Olga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTMccg8wbq-W5uKMBjPpG_rcsrkB4xOVXwwOu-QhOvnmHiYnEFeCZPFxVizFrEwervecwmAOmfHWIQ26OGnSsWmO8LUxGIE7iC-8nkYYvdAlJZTW_6gnDU5NiwC6sDOgizfGgebktiw/s1600/068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTMccg8wbq-W5uKMBjPpG_rcsrkB4xOVXwwOu-QhOvnmHiYnEFeCZPFxVizFrEwervecwmAOmfHWIQ26OGnSsWmO8LUxGIE7iC-8nkYYvdAlJZTW_6gnDU5NiwC6sDOgizfGgebktiw/s320/068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NFXZr7TmT7M06fkFJcdU7WCEk0FsS7WA-nFTC4UYKKEk_OYofcQwxbYXJ120J-8kGpX0mcQRmqNZ6MRH5c1VzhkjDVbXdL6H0kLQvNS57erpeIecioa-U1oF7_Nx4VOXiWkN9V8ojA/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NFXZr7TmT7M06fkFJcdU7WCEk0FsS7WA-nFTC4UYKKEk_OYofcQwxbYXJ120J-8kGpX0mcQRmqNZ6MRH5c1VzhkjDVbXdL6H0kLQvNS57erpeIecioa-U1oF7_Nx4VOXiWkN9V8ojA/s320/078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt5M9uu7cVVST5uuFjvLV_-6nDQSYHnHeaiOmc1ARkPkEesmnBpZLQ56UA9zekk4sw1D_Yi0Dievrm2cUsvrI3LhkfxkhyphenhyphenvDlOSMjBwuuQ3z7WWlRSm3I32sL0W3Xt-tPVmHinRA66A/s1600/066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt5M9uu7cVVST5uuFjvLV_-6nDQSYHnHeaiOmc1ARkPkEesmnBpZLQ56UA9zekk4sw1D_Yi0Dievrm2cUsvrI3LhkfxkhyphenhyphenvDlOSMjBwuuQ3z7WWlRSm3I32sL0W3Xt-tPVmHinRA66A/s320/066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the legs still feeling somewhat
fresh, I hit my running stride again passing a few more runners along more
rocky and wet trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I approached
the finish line, I felt good considering I thought I would be in a world of
hurt based on my small amount of training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe I should have not held back as much and pushed it more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a time of 7:48, I should have done this
course in about an hour less with a more conditioned state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh had something warm for me to put on, and
found a heated bathroom for me to cleanup in and change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trip back to Augusta GA was smooth, and
only a little sore the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing
another week of training won’t resolve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was pleased with the outcome considering my conditioning going into
this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only cramping I
experienced was from the fall, and the only low point of the race was around
mile 18 which I expected and not unusual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time to get ready for my next 50K in April.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF1qeIV2llKoO6ymA-yzBqHV8MBuIpAWQ0WWi512I5h8OaoyTNhULahB6ztRCVyQV8nKkOxIVP-zemYtrvRsxFRvlZhmzC5c7Vrw8JdDs8uK2nd8blmE30JLu7XaQ1q7gGst4QSDJ0A/s1600/Finish+Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF1qeIV2llKoO6ymA-yzBqHV8MBuIpAWQ0WWi512I5h8OaoyTNhULahB6ztRCVyQV8nKkOxIVP-zemYtrvRsxFRvlZhmzC5c7Vrw8JdDs8uK2nd8blmE30JLu7XaQ1q7gGst4QSDJ0A/s320/Finish+Line.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a great race Todd Henderson and supporters put in
place for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was challenging with a
variety of terrains to manage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not what
I would consider a beginner 50K by no means, and a race that deserves respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a PR course, and a race you won’t
forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A must do for you experience trail
runners.</div>
</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-72223234183532812652013-02-08T00:24:00.000-05:002013-02-08T00:27:33.572-05:00Yes I Can<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</xml><![endif]-->Don’t you just love those long runs that suck the energy out
of you bones, and when it’s all over, you never felt better because it hurt so
much!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Been awhile since I’ve posted, but
be assured, these feet have not been idle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Week after week, I continue to get stronger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not this way at first, but with
determination, faith, and hard work, I feel like I’m starting to get back into
form again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have a long ways to
go, weak on the hill repeats, speed is slow, HR high, and long runs feel like a
really long run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m pleased with my
progress, shoulder is almost completely healed, and foot is getting better –
Just not great, yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still don’t have
the endurance back yet, but I feel it building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One day I feel strong, the next I struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just going to take time and patience!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will get this – Never give up.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last minute, I put my name on the list for a few 50Ks coming
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I’m ready for the
first one yet, lucky to survive, and it will be painful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, my gut said to just go with it,
run easy (if possible), enjoy the trails, training run, and see what the day
gives you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to taper for
the race, and should be a slow performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This will end the week with around 60+ miles when the race is over!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good week, for now!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdS7pFxyF0EnNXTTwIdOok1dx511MrwDbv_TtfUbIBoHDw4pzkbWUwhTwag-jysW5vx4bqv1Za8_PLRyVnpijhGAH-4DWClEDYcV_-B8mowMXhs6g_3UhoZNJdaJ6TWYgYM9QELXjuQ/s1600/030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdS7pFxyF0EnNXTTwIdOok1dx511MrwDbv_TtfUbIBoHDw4pzkbWUwhTwag-jysW5vx4bqv1Za8_PLRyVnpijhGAH-4DWClEDYcV_-B8mowMXhs6g_3UhoZNJdaJ6TWYgYM9QELXjuQ/s320/030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wow – It’s been over a year since being out on the trails
(NF50).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually kind of excited
about pretending to race again, getting beat-up by the trail, and feeling like
someone hit me with a truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should
be fun!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to think this use to be a
walk in the park!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moral of the story,
don’t get injured.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got
another long run in the morning, but it will be on trails this time with some
elevation change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t wait for the sunrise
to get some dirt (Mud – It rained)!</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Peace Out</span></div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-17160344087575574122012-12-18T02:15:00.001-05:002012-12-18T02:15:20.967-05:00Believe & Focus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Far
better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though
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nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I now have two State Champions in the house!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughter for Competitive Cheerleading and my son for
Football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My daughter’s Cheerleading
team now heads to Orlando FL for the National Championship to defend their
title from last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son’s football
team beat the last 6 years running state champs to knock them off their
throne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW – What a game, evenly
matched, but our boys wanted it more, and did what most thought was not possible
at the beginning of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My son gave me a wrist band at the beginning of the season which had "Believe" and "Focus" on it. This was the teams motto this season. I have yet to remove it, and now it's my turn. </span>As you
can tell, I’m just a little proud of my kids.</span></em></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uPa6m7-5xlwUC63Fy-5xyyP1-zz3YMfNPLs_Eo6QuMHgAyV8_DJVn3eA63NjehPIIYhIcE5A3ogMtxITOp7htI3azEPvCht01yr4nHFBJPuHS6_kJ44iL2yzKoKRbJEbOsChZ-SlCw/s1600/311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uPa6m7-5xlwUC63Fy-5xyyP1-zz3YMfNPLs_Eo6QuMHgAyV8_DJVn3eA63NjehPIIYhIcE5A3ogMtxITOp7htI3azEPvCht01yr4nHFBJPuHS6_kJ44iL2yzKoKRbJEbOsChZ-SlCw/s320/311.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girl and son</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDk6I5lSUMASn3_JVFNI4rD2iR3G2rii3923yNUSRSZGaU1_Kqsw69-AZRA7EBWvTMJ4eL6QQgFW4ymuoqCny23p8yUqwipi0fmG0EqZuCmTpyZkhho3GKF5jadlkewVBKwhyU_bN8g/s1600/313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDk6I5lSUMASn3_JVFNI4rD2iR3G2rii3923yNUSRSZGaU1_Kqsw69-AZRA7EBWvTMJ4eL6QQgFW4ymuoqCny23p8yUqwipi0fmG0EqZuCmTpyZkhho3GKF5jadlkewVBKwhyU_bN8g/s320/313.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family of 4</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XK8IaSr3M_pAh5HYmNC6daBPJwvKmpXlVz4_6XFGqpP4FU8f2XATM3j8Trpkg8_T2PMeIci91tizOB-tk9z7xpK_XpMTatL3zf1oqyABPRiogdR6XHOK9nvq_YFLp0LNsTveaAjoGg/s1600/191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XK8IaSr3M_pAh5HYmNC6daBPJwvKmpXlVz4_6XFGqpP4FU8f2XATM3j8Trpkg8_T2PMeIci91tizOB-tk9z7xpK_XpMTatL3zf1oqyABPRiogdR6XHOK9nvq_YFLp0LNsTveaAjoGg/s320/191.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6G-YyQ4R_nh_PoDIW8OBVdNlsHTc_CNEwzGhA-EqP88rF1gjfLXhZpJ42_DQjyKFsXzlfp_kJ9hprxXCw5Z2_x8uz_qynLxHqTgHCB8aupioUHYoGhbJtHxYrgm7tVIDeOQ2FwZrqA/s1600/216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6G-YyQ4R_nh_PoDIW8OBVdNlsHTc_CNEwzGhA-EqP88rF1gjfLXhZpJ42_DQjyKFsXzlfp_kJ9hprxXCw5Z2_x8uz_qynLxHqTgHCB8aupioUHYoGhbJtHxYrgm7tVIDeOQ2FwZrqA/s320/216.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVjfVM74IcqZ8SJ6uj64jAEtCfnT0mBeW246tTkPCVnj-rcwA7liO-mTDfKOMHR349u5gyL44BoJHJpvTg67uuIGQWGBNprqU3vxQUQ_o22V96FP_KnX6WYAPygzDS8l8hgilHcMXPw/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVjfVM74IcqZ8SJ6uj64jAEtCfnT0mBeW246tTkPCVnj-rcwA7liO-mTDfKOMHR349u5gyL44BoJHJpvTg67uuIGQWGBNprqU3vxQUQ_o22V96FP_KnX6WYAPygzDS8l8hgilHcMXPw/s320/065.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjELoDgbFq4o2IN9StFkTlBY4zO9mnnGrpKSbW_mVMboB9AKedmjc8VkBJAZrA1j9U-xN0iz6PGRVV6pE_R7dLqGW4qRWa4WqfugOv7MkPTVJwXqAZHSv4_Hps_loEjkUUQxuixpzOA/s1600/323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjELoDgbFq4o2IN9StFkTlBY4zO9mnnGrpKSbW_mVMboB9AKedmjc8VkBJAZrA1j9U-xN0iz6PGRVV6pE_R7dLqGW4qRWa4WqfugOv7MkPTVJwXqAZHSv4_Hps_loEjkUUQxuixpzOA/s320/323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh and I</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> T</span></em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">ook the family to see</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cirque
du Soleil “Totem”</b> </em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">show last weekend – WOW!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Absolutely</span></em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></em><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">incredible
breathtaking show!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still in complete
amazement over the performance.</span></em></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shoulder rehabilitation is going great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Muscles are getting stronger, and got a steroid treatment in the rotator
cuff to reduce the inflammation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has
taken some patience, but it is all starting to come together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My running is getting stronger each week, and
set some lofty goals for next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
call it my year of redemption – Mohican and Arkansas will be the focus
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mohican will be a challenge to
get prepared for this beast of a course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Need to get my training miles ramped up in a smart manner without risk
for injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also have a few 50K+
sprinkled here and there to use as training runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still having some issues with the foot, but
working on a few things, and optimistic I will overcome this too. Believe and Focus.</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thoughts from a run a few weeks ago:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ok, 5 mile turnaround mark. Not yet, go for a little longer - 6, 7, 8,…
Feeling great, but I still need to make it back, and I have no water or gels!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a little further….12, 13, 14, 15 mile turnaround
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little muscle tightness, but
wow, that felt so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really miss
that, can’t wait for the next run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time
for the gym and get some time on the stairmaster.</span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thoughts and prayers to CT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
father, my heart goes out to this small community.</span></em></div>
</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-39103395435069977042012-11-13T01:19:00.001-05:002012-11-13T01:22:09.155-05:00The Hunger Returns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</xml><![endif]-->It feels so good to have the fire in my gut back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Burn-out and injuries sucks, the down time is
worse, but on fire again never felt so great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My good friend <b><a href="http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Olga</a></b>, and elite ultra-runner, put it best by saying “athlete's
life goes in 3 year cycles: 2 years great, one year down.” 2012 was definitely a
down year for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, things
are looking up for the next two year as my base slowly gets restored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still working out my injuries and now
getting some help from Peak Rehabilitation Fitness and Performance Center which
my Orthopedic Dr. recommended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have
me using rubber bands to perform specific movements to strengthen the targeted
shoulder muscles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for my foot, it
appears to be nerve damage and doc recommended using a running shoe with a
wider toe box, a shot to desensitize the nerve, or surgery to have the specific
foot nerve removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If removed, then I
would have a slightly numb middle toe with little impact because we don’t have
a lot of use for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doc says if I want
to keep doing what I do, then eventually something will have to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I now know what is going on, and
what my options are.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few thoughts running in my head last night during a 7 mile
run:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so peaceful and quiet
tonight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t push too hard but maybe I
can hit my turnaround point with a comfortable 8 min/mile pace. My breathing, heart
rate, and stride are all in perfect sync.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hope that person is not texting as they drift towards me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if my legs have it yet to really
drive it hard up this long hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ok dog,
bark all you want, just keep your distance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait to really get some solid hard day-to-day
training in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t wait to hit the
trails and cruise up and down the hills. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That felt great, 3 minutes less than I
expected, and nothing hurts – Turnaround and do that again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Big congrats goes out to some of our local runners who
completed the Pinhoti 100 the past week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not an easy course, but a perfect weekend for running 100 miles in the
foothills of Alabama on trails covered with rocks and leaves.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b85q9Byul5D6tk80pQCh8k1BTEUAOJ6efLGiEiN9_kI0vxh6cXwHZokxbP4TyMOH7ORHlZ9ynDA1KXDrj4ihyNYY_BpBSow9V5WSAuIYn-YCa0RWdqNEeqIkycjpIx-1NNlboIiorw/s1600/119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b85q9Byul5D6tk80pQCh8k1BTEUAOJ6efLGiEiN9_kI0vxh6cXwHZokxbP4TyMOH7ORHlZ9ynDA1KXDrj4ihyNYY_BpBSow9V5WSAuIYn-YCa0RWdqNEeqIkycjpIx-1NNlboIiorw/s320/119.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMx0KbjquwRG7V2GHKp3y9rtXog3tzbRd292x4knXt2rvPBpsWSdGyl3jBUyX0ZUN4hBXWjJn84sPjqUthjcZkoP_2gZAiZY8jqA6w7kPtaVklOzbViXcrTpzrlDEpEpqtrwvIw293g/s1600/137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMx0KbjquwRG7V2GHKp3y9rtXog3tzbRd292x4knXt2rvPBpsWSdGyl3jBUyX0ZUN4hBXWjJn84sPjqUthjcZkoP_2gZAiZY8jqA6w7kPtaVklOzbViXcrTpzrlDEpEpqtrwvIw293g/s320/137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
My wife Laura and I are saying “finally”, one more football game
for our son Josh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the most important
game of the year as they go to the State finals as the only team in the league
with an undefeated record (13-0).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their opponent
is tough, won State the last 6 years, and will be out for revenge after having
their only loss of the season to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
will be a great battle, bring it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7IXdEf4y66TMUkoW4b0ygy1hnXx3fpEakzfdABAnbyvCswOgjuWEkvJTPIWDlhw8Zn9vtyoN5bl_qhfzitDYUSGPWLWZNYeaRLOKbt0XQZyLhNDUUeHcLGjHK7XkyTamAChTEotklA/s1600/127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7IXdEf4y66TMUkoW4b0ygy1hnXx3fpEakzfdABAnbyvCswOgjuWEkvJTPIWDlhw8Zn9vtyoN5bl_qhfzitDYUSGPWLWZNYeaRLOKbt0XQZyLhNDUUeHcLGjHK7XkyTamAChTEotklA/s320/127.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State Champs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My daughter Renee’s cheerleading team also won State Cheerleading
Champs last weekend. The girls nailed it as they owned the competition, and leaving
the other teams fighting for 2<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now they need to get ready for Nationals in FL. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW – Those cheerleaders have a lot of
energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wish I could bottle all that
energy and use it at the 70 mile mark!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmqZavPdSdPfSaChLb7ks2D1wCAcHr_wpPbuYMNj9Hz_2eXDdPYj5k_Eg2dMIUkSXD5Dh95AQA1g_5sWJ-xkmBOQdFRfxwZjUAf5MDQy2JXGA8ReK-zeLT3kx0MCJksxifzsKPI8XuA/s1600/261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmqZavPdSdPfSaChLb7ks2D1wCAcHr_wpPbuYMNj9Hz_2eXDdPYj5k_Eg2dMIUkSXD5Dh95AQA1g_5sWJ-xkmBOQdFRfxwZjUAf5MDQy2JXGA8ReK-zeLT3kx0MCJksxifzsKPI8XuA/s320/261.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My girl on the right - Renee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Finally, Thanks to all the veterans who gave us
the freedom we enjoy today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very awesome
watching my son Josh play Taps during a Veteran’s Ceremony in front of the entire HS, as a few
of us stood who lost friends and family during past wars.</span></div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-59065849125640481892012-10-20T20:45:00.001-04:002012-10-20T20:45:34.395-04:00Fall Temps - Finally<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomD3uGqfswejyLFDqQZJyNDvRkA7WjBOQJJ3yReuMlE_e6ZMNVxIQielrDZprHYSUKniiZfgx04ECk0Ta7yRQTi8u2-K7gycM8wTveh_VqaGzcmNnF4OnlKjot7tb_eJT5s35xO2PZQ/s1600/059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomD3uGqfswejyLFDqQZJyNDvRkA7WjBOQJJ3yReuMlE_e6ZMNVxIQielrDZprHYSUKniiZfgx04ECk0Ta7yRQTi8u2-K7gycM8wTveh_VqaGzcmNnF4OnlKjot7tb_eJT5s35xO2PZQ/s320/059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Been way too long since my last post so may be a little
long!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Football season has been very good
for my son’s team this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They lost a
lot of seniors last year and were expected to have an average season (building
year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year they had a lot of talent,
and made it to the semifinal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year
they don’t have as much individual talent, but function really well as a
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So well that they are the only
undefeated team in their division for the state with an 8-0 record. Last week
they beat an overconfident undefeated team who have been the state champs the
last six years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our boys really humbled
their opponent to the point you could hear a pin drop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One more game this season and then off to the
playoffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The coach has done a fantastic
job of keeping them humble, and reminding the players that they are everyone’s
target – To dethrone the only undefeated team in the division.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oCa2PV6kBKBOde6Wh9UbrJ7ujckWfIMlcjd0G3ctf4abHttsiY85Qn0TbCgnrSlAoo2-f7Y1bL6j45YDlCS-De-hO17JbdtB7fej57W1ucd3wv6Xt4jipwCy_tq3wXmVFoWCZY-7CQ/s1600/084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oCa2PV6kBKBOde6Wh9UbrJ7ujckWfIMlcjd0G3ctf4abHttsiY85Qn0TbCgnrSlAoo2-f7Y1bL6j45YDlCS-De-hO17JbdtB7fej57W1ucd3wv6Xt4jipwCy_tq3wXmVFoWCZY-7CQ/s320/084.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Renee far left, Josh far right - Homecoming Night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2sSfptppZoJsgLSNZ8j32aN74Z3fROWIOIgkn5-ghwUFZStdsFEyR_Ua2kXyZBwr08llid91cF9KR0Vr0EnyJunbhX5SeUOkksLJ9O5h-VF6v1K0zSb_GzF1qZtisJGO9JJE1oaYTQ/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2sSfptppZoJsgLSNZ8j32aN74Z3fROWIOIgkn5-ghwUFZStdsFEyR_Ua2kXyZBwr08llid91cF9KR0Vr0EnyJunbhX5SeUOkksLJ9O5h-VF6v1K0zSb_GzF1qZtisJGO9JJE1oaYTQ/s320/101.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Renee & Josh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOJgpqrKuYZ_YTMB9yReVkbHE5gp4tdC4Ffq_X_tUR5usQ5s2118jVjRsdwmf2hv5TivNXGIqwcq8telaFaAPSeTv7zuGSsihF3zzrMEdX-n4ULPLDXmA7mMvj4hngeSzETVIitxjeg/s1600/132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOJgpqrKuYZ_YTMB9yReVkbHE5gp4tdC4Ffq_X_tUR5usQ5s2118jVjRsdwmf2hv5TivNXGIqwcq8telaFaAPSeTv7zuGSsihF3zzrMEdX-n4ULPLDXmA7mMvj4hngeSzETVIitxjeg/s320/132.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Josh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzXuj1g_WcjXkCD2wx_dmG_Qj6svq9P2fApVCTqVJ83NjRCxLrYQtO7eSTCqHO9uxC6ytZrKjTX5ZPzSaiIoqVdsVkqG3xhwc966DBHIxNOYtYiDN-haGLYYHo0lPii3HFi9IxRWfwg/s1600/ACS+Football-Cheer+2012+435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzXuj1g_WcjXkCD2wx_dmG_Qj6svq9P2fApVCTqVJ83NjRCxLrYQtO7eSTCqHO9uxC6ytZrKjTX5ZPzSaiIoqVdsVkqG3xhwc966DBHIxNOYtYiDN-haGLYYHo0lPii3HFi9IxRWfwg/s320/ACS+Football-Cheer+2012+435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrabcJ5F-H0PivqtXqVs9OKa1pcqs11DyKK63hjceMhXoZHwJX9nP6dY-fwUH8P5wV7c9Qp34jt6tapqxqzyB6ebWkf5CTvRaavfwo7Bj_Hf51etoY9ei7gf54fD-eubziMNBKfLAog/s1600/ACS+Football-Cheer+2012+472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrabcJ5F-H0PivqtXqVs9OKa1pcqs11DyKK63hjceMhXoZHwJX9nP6dY-fwUH8P5wV7c9Qp34jt6tapqxqzyB6ebWkf5CTvRaavfwo7Bj_Hf51etoY9ei7gf54fD-eubziMNBKfLAog/s320/ACS+Football-Cheer+2012+472.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys with my girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMiQ4ewddfk9qa0GpPpXbyHj-Olr91A-y1cQjHgMjc2hfhPERfCaD9M6dmysFi6gcZ8_kxfYL3ORFbf1l2nxOLG18rUww69D0EhwobjIXReg2_TWMSmMnu5wsMeryzYekdWR62CG0sw/s1600/Cheer+pic+2012+v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMiQ4ewddfk9qa0GpPpXbyHj-Olr91A-y1cQjHgMjc2hfhPERfCaD9M6dmysFi6gcZ8_kxfYL3ORFbf1l2nxOLG18rUww69D0EhwobjIXReg2_TWMSmMnu5wsMeryzYekdWR62CG0sw/s320/Cheer+pic+2012+v2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AC Cheerleaders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRyXFx46iu9ZeMPf10QWyedekIB3WjcTlWglcsn5D_byf7svniaK3nraonYvC2chRaWsDn7moNqXCjsPA8zq8ulk4oSs8eyKFZuqNbj5p3G8HFnYqFdJKW_1I8bxHhFx73us9BphOlw/s1600/283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRyXFx46iu9ZeMPf10QWyedekIB3WjcTlWglcsn5D_byf7svniaK3nraonYvC2chRaWsDn7moNqXCjsPA8zq8ulk4oSs8eyKFZuqNbj5p3G8HFnYqFdJKW_1I8bxHhFx73us9BphOlw/s320/283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Renee left, Josh center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just got back from Atlanta after spending a week in another
advance leadership forum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had a great
time, consulted with some really awesome leaders in my industry from all parts
of the world (CA, NY, Penn, Al, NC, NM, AZ, France, Belgium,…), with lots of
takeaways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We studied the changes made
at NASA with leadership during Apollo 1, Apollo 13, Challenger, and Columbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our instructor’s Dad was a director at
NASA, and he remembers being a small boy when Apollo 1 astronauts (Lt. Col.
Virgil I. Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee) would visit
his house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We listened to Gene Kranz <span class="usercontent">"Failure Is Not An Option"</span> (Ed Harris played
his part in the movie) talk about the two Apollo tragedies in great details
(just like the movie) which was totally inspiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a great week.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg-PIUqOe7_aoUgfmT30G_hpMR9iGm9He6AXlMAQncXFPlWMeKqen0W57CKqNpgOB_vKvh1xWxYS0Bo67ZtvzIaek82aBp9L1UGYLhfFzY8w5YuA0FrBRqcwZ8ybqoTLGcofx7o90Cg/s1600/FATS+2012+423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg-PIUqOe7_aoUgfmT30G_hpMR9iGm9He6AXlMAQncXFPlWMeKqen0W57CKqNpgOB_vKvh1xWxYS0Bo67ZtvzIaek82aBp9L1UGYLhfFzY8w5YuA0FrBRqcwZ8ybqoTLGcofx7o90Cg/s320/FATS+2012+423.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh chilling at our AS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My son and I ran our own aid station during the FATS 50K run
a few weekends ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had some
help for the first few hours as the front runners passed by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m so use to being on the other side of the
table as a runner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very awesome to
be providing the best support I could, from a runner’s perspective, and being
supportive to first time ultra-runners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could tell those who were struggling, and what their issues were, and the
runners who were having a good day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The usual
stuff like upset stomach, cramping, dehydration, fatigue, minor injuries,… <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to be out on the trail soooooo bad,
and could feel all the energy from the runners as they passed through the AS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several of the runners recognized me and could
not believe I was not running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nevertheless, they were thankful I was at the aid station, and looked
forward to seeing / reading about me being on the trails again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a few who wanted to quit, but was able
to get them refocused, and went on to finish their race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one guy quit at my AS because of a preexisting
injury to his ankle and could not make forward progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This made me so thirsty for the trails – Been
waiting awhile for this to return.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCePHX6AV6e10pi3OhFzUmh_nCCqZl8pcUf3b3DmBSYqe05aaSaD8CJBYG8LvsQamW7e6vDDixgVquwhcLGxgRCIuhMHf3OpRZAZg5jyKm_dUDzzw1P6Jy93nscbL5-jHc4L5YmLkr_A/s1600/FATS+2012+399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCePHX6AV6e10pi3OhFzUmh_nCCqZl8pcUf3b3DmBSYqe05aaSaD8CJBYG8LvsQamW7e6vDDixgVquwhcLGxgRCIuhMHf3OpRZAZg5jyKm_dUDzzw1P6Jy93nscbL5-jHc4L5YmLkr_A/s320/FATS+2012+399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NE8RFehyphenhyphent8xzvBa0VC1klLtYCY9RmRo8_QwFbpAfbFWIY70VHMkmBkKH9wfnoEf8a88ym_kdLzUQ1giAZkHMhBMTwA-qkHPZeqe8EE8SSQAClXwAIojCDIcqWApSQZKQ6XlnpdYouA/s1600/FATS+2012+408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NE8RFehyphenhyphent8xzvBa0VC1klLtYCY9RmRo8_QwFbpAfbFWIY70VHMkmBkKH9wfnoEf8a88ym_kdLzUQ1giAZkHMhBMTwA-qkHPZeqe8EE8SSQAClXwAIojCDIcqWApSQZKQ6XlnpdYouA/s320/FATS+2012+408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forks Area Trail System - FATS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNSm_eYjF1BDg07Fm3zLbsTBIaUlHahFNsUGE-oaXG6ECV55IYjemYC1DlNIqrIBn0S_QjsuPgPbQ-MdgOJZDHxlMDbCRXrWBJZlekFZz5kHhYw5MsGgM-NTZARAQt4BZz4kE9Gbb1Q/s1600/FATS+2012+450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNSm_eYjF1BDg07Fm3zLbsTBIaUlHahFNsUGE-oaXG6ECV55IYjemYC1DlNIqrIBn0S_QjsuPgPbQ-MdgOJZDHxlMDbCRXrWBJZlekFZz5kHhYw5MsGgM-NTZARAQt4BZz4kE9Gbb1Q/s320/FATS+2012+450.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terri Hayes - Race Director and Inspiration with over 300 Ultras</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP5SFv7skL17Wg0LHzUKHb9mZBi9vHR4SKAWfzg7wZSVKXFp-Dpi9V8urJ2uGqcaMXogT4vaU8cWK-qjGUQO7Gwqfy5zMzMPPKBbQz-Bg435NUuJSzHXC3CgUnzuO1mpP03Vy8GBdFQ/s1600/FATS+2012+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP5SFv7skL17Wg0LHzUKHb9mZBi9vHR4SKAWfzg7wZSVKXFp-Dpi9V8urJ2uGqcaMXogT4vaU8cWK-qjGUQO7Gwqfy5zMzMPPKBbQz-Bg435NUuJSzHXC3CgUnzuO1mpP03Vy8GBdFQ/s320/FATS+2012+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My running base has slowly been returning, but apparently I
have not fully recovered from my previous injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw my Doc and had some x-rays taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little twinge is still lingering in my left
foot and will be seeing a specialist to get this resolved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is no stress fracture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other issue I have been having is with my
right shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t really notice it
until I started weight lifting for strength training (off season program).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve experienced most muscle aches and pains,
and can recognize when I’ve pushed myself too hard, but this was different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>X-rays revealed a serious trauma to my
shoulder area and my training was not allowing it to heal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew exactly when I hurt it, which was last
summer in VT while climbing Camels Hump with my son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slipped on some wet rocks traversing down
the mountain and landed directly on my right shoulder against a boulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than the initial impact, I didn’t think
twice about it and just keep going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doc
says I need some therapy to get it healed correctly – Appointment scheduled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the years I have been pushing my body to
new limits, and other than a few minor aches and pains, this has been a
frustrating year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So ready to be totally
healthy again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I can still run,
and do some exercises that don’t challenge my shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This too will pass and I will surface
victorious and stronger.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hope everyone is enjoying the cooler fall temps.</div>
</div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-24730089342764828822012-08-21T23:26:00.002-04:002012-08-21T23:26:34.899-04:00Dawg Days of Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
All is well, just enjoying life and all it has to
offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Went to the beach again with the
family and had a blast before the kids go back to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> HS </span>Football season is about to hit high gear, and with my son playing right guard, the scheduled games will keep my free time occupied. <br />
Training has been good, but nothing earth
shattering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing hurts, low mileage,
and just building a solid base for next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMd5GSw2QkbZ_0eIxSG2KlY3dV_bqtnfeud9235BA1BKL4_LKExffH_2LkqlgGUphdc5JCIclEhGt__Aycp2myQorA66TOkTfUYhW4QomH2_2yHthUbcjHmQpkzfU8sJ6nomt0kUl4g/s1600/abraham+lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMd5GSw2QkbZ_0eIxSG2KlY3dV_bqtnfeud9235BA1BKL4_LKExffH_2LkqlgGUphdc5JCIclEhGt__Aycp2myQorA66TOkTfUYhW4QomH2_2yHthUbcjHmQpkzfU8sJ6nomt0kUl4g/s320/abraham+lincoln.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Abraham Lincoln arriving</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh349e35GrEFz1_m6h3Fk7hi-KLU2UVzGXBnhRC8Rxvp9oz_Dk7-27ytrcF-1pt8bNS1ZX_DSDRVMFuSkDEcxp-67Oi-ZEODXH49wZ9PXC2CUYAMTKJRXTRh1EssG9AwqsIhhTUwMZ1VQ/s1600/mayport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh349e35GrEFz1_m6h3Fk7hi-KLU2UVzGXBnhRC8Rxvp9oz_Dk7-27ytrcF-1pt8bNS1ZX_DSDRVMFuSkDEcxp-67Oi-ZEODXH49wZ9PXC2CUYAMTKJRXTRh1EssG9AwqsIhhTUwMZ1VQ/s320/mayport.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full Moon in Mayport FL - Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was bummed to see Rocky Raccoon Trail 100
already full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to the web site to
see if registration was open yet, and shocked to read on the screen Race is
Full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the waiting list was
overloaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was looking forward to
going sub 24 with this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a
couple years ago, you could wait until Dec to sign up for this race - OMG…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Really...Really... </span>I
thought about a race down in FL the weekend after RR100, but not sure I want to
commit to it yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a rails to trails,
very flat, and just not sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still
looking over my options, and looking forward to some cooler fall temps. Nevertheless, with races filling up so early, I need to register for my two focus races next year. It will be a year of revisiting some unfinished personal challenges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's the journey that brings us happiness. Not the destination.</span></div>
Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-91403944620646242312012-07-15T14:02:00.000-04:002012-07-15T14:02:13.468-04:00Back From VT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABnWnDwu3weYZbNT7Z6K9ZppdogZyHv590_PT-zUILNbTOgqQq-wvtM3xikOt5RODSEQAhv_Jyd7NCXfBe9giYLpwpUvOumUH5jInrWd9acId5kfuA-CmLfP9dfHkfjrqnfCuG2N3VQ/s1600/View+from+the+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgABnWnDwu3weYZbNT7Z6K9ZppdogZyHv590_PT-zUILNbTOgqQq-wvtM3xikOt5RODSEQAhv_Jyd7NCXfBe9giYLpwpUvOumUH5jInrWd9acId5kfuA-CmLfP9dfHkfjrqnfCuG2N3VQ/s320/View+from+the+top.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So far so good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have been running easy for 20 miles a week the past few weeks and no problems
have surfaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time to start ramping
things up in a controlled, steady, methodical, and conservative fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t want to go too crazy yet (can’t wait)
and put myself in the same position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, the summer heat is keeping me at bay, along with the extra weight
(which is slowly melting off).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My wife
likes the extra weight on me, but my running performance doesn’t like the extra
pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My Mom even said I was getting too
lean, and how good I looked with the extra weight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOZ08dKeqx4O6R1q7XKrV0ezfxaunz1NK3XJYD1uJr3hasFAHtB_3vKg3dLBgtaTpO8oABmxAMTAce-zKHRj26mR7s2KvYRhejKQ2cJnd79uIAqSlmGFXv5_JzQ_NyuN9IS9W024uMg/s1600/Me+with+the+Mt..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOZ08dKeqx4O6R1q7XKrV0ezfxaunz1NK3XJYD1uJr3hasFAHtB_3vKg3dLBgtaTpO8oABmxAMTAce-zKHRj26mR7s2KvYRhejKQ2cJnd79uIAqSlmGFXv5_JzQ_NyuN9IS9W024uMg/s320/Me+with+the+Mt..jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m still debating with myself if I can be ready for a tough
50 miler this fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only have 3 months
to get ready, and considering I’m starting from little to no base, it would be
a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I hear challenge!!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will see how the next 6 weeks goes, and how
fast I can get my fitness back before I jump in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYi1NjsXCEjy1zV4dF2TpV90SyxPzSk4gDm7YTGuj6icMvSOWPhtRtkxjzrdzbNaSI7M6hZvzuDjkyrIqbdMpC_4bbKIhjTmNsyRl6VsUP7Y8D_xHKV4JqCdn9pouHD7S1hwQJBLLmw/s1600/Rappel+in+VT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYi1NjsXCEjy1zV4dF2TpV90SyxPzSk4gDm7YTGuj6icMvSOWPhtRtkxjzrdzbNaSI7M6hZvzuDjkyrIqbdMpC_4bbKIhjTmNsyRl6VsUP7Y8D_xHKV4JqCdn9pouHD7S1hwQJBLLmw/s320/Rappel+in+VT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spent the last week in Vermont visiting family, cook-outs, cold
brews, and making memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Felt great
to be back in my small town I grew up in, and spending time with my Mom and
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took my son zip lining (The
girls didn’t feel good after flying all day) on seven awesome stretches from
tree top to tree top under the canopy of the mountain forest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The zip line ranged from 400 feet to over a
thousand feet in length – What a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also did some rappels as part of the 2.5 hour tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were 9 of us including my brother and
sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If in the neighborhood, see<b>
<a href="http://www.arbortrek.com/" target="_blank">Arbortek</a></b> at Smugglers’ Notch VT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t
be disappointed. Also check out The Blue Donkey for some awesome pulled pork BBQ sandwich and cold beer in a laid-back atmosphere, after the zip. Doesn't get any better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluQcAg7Wr20IMO7SO_YyC8PoJrtjiQs6bTNqbtLbJfxnpLQVssnTXoqbuG4mHa0YEPQCrBnjIKy2WiznOy4_POWNXxPGcYdY6FTIjXJDCnkKA3zUIeYY1OSAjh75MsLuM9DzJOqZCFA/s1600/Where+is+the+end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluQcAg7Wr20IMO7SO_YyC8PoJrtjiQs6bTNqbtLbJfxnpLQVssnTXoqbuG4mHa0YEPQCrBnjIKy2WiznOy4_POWNXxPGcYdY6FTIjXJDCnkKA3zUIeYY1OSAjh75MsLuM9DzJOqZCFA/s320/Where+is+the+end.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Lf5JaibpJrhdK2WBHO37YIAX7-xpg4K90NybnHllDiLKoenlMHmCdJBJ0isaisbKnmOq8AgM2l8pUcbL3kZ9fyML8QSiKrP6XLa2N5pKVEorEjZXNtJiTX3WHyHRKyzbC6p7xg8cw/s1600/Testing+the+harness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4Lf5JaibpJrhdK2WBHO37YIAX7-xpg4K90NybnHllDiLKoenlMHmCdJBJ0isaisbKnmOq8AgM2l8pUcbL3kZ9fyML8QSiKrP6XLa2N5pKVEorEjZXNtJiTX3WHyHRKyzbC6p7xg8cw/s320/Testing+the+harness.jpg" width="320" /></a>I also took my son hiking up Camel’s Hump (a little over
4,000’ and 3<sup>rd</sup> highest in VT) and spent a few hours on the summit
enjoying the views of the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain, Mt Mansfield, and
the White Mountains of NH.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail is
well marked and connects with the AT for a short stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lower section is smooth and easy going,
but it gets rocky and steeper as you get closer to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took the Monroe trail, connected with the
Alpine trail, and then the AT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
all day and took our time taking lots of pics along the way, and talked with a
lot of other hikers out for a day hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was funny as some of the hikers gave Josh and I advise on taking it
easy and keeping an easy pace and we would make it to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh looked at me after and said Dad you
could run up this, and then do it a few more times as a good hill repeat
training run, and they were giving you advice!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said they were just being nice and I wanted
them to know I appreciated their advice and thoughtfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxADwSYUro_Eho9qSlKZ-nEVNSycbyrcMRoiTZZnIKIb7reLwfMAG7pIGqKFqT6Rhv3ua2XlrM4maZoLXg4xHfpb2PBy0S-3hWl57tBZ5nSprHawZNSs4u3fPYdRCjVIiMs0qogGYFw/s1600/CH+Trail+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxADwSYUro_Eho9qSlKZ-nEVNSycbyrcMRoiTZZnIKIb7reLwfMAG7pIGqKFqT6Rhv3ua2XlrM4maZoLXg4xHfpb2PBy0S-3hWl57tBZ5nSprHawZNSs4u3fPYdRCjVIiMs0qogGYFw/s320/CH+Trail+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcAjVOcJ8cYeRUhVC7pS64zjXhdHBPPTUI_kXuXCs6Gnx50F9D7H-fEYd6ckI7XzlQD-1uOa9xGif1juFtV0ftUy5XJsd_RBMfsgUKOGw-FcCo7kaIwyDue65COsk2lOmfNUSmLi5jA/s1600/Camel%2527s+Hump+trail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcAjVOcJ8cYeRUhVC7pS64zjXhdHBPPTUI_kXuXCs6Gnx50F9D7H-fEYd6ckI7XzlQD-1uOa9xGif1juFtV0ftUy5XJsd_RBMfsgUKOGw-FcCo7kaIwyDue65COsk2lOmfNUSmLi5jA/s320/Camel%2527s+Hump+trail.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were around 20 hikers at the summit
enjoying the view and sharing small talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I took a pic of a couple from Austin, TX, and the guy had an Ironman
shirt on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked a little more and he
had done the 50K run while I was doing the 100 mile at Rocky Raccoon in
Huntsville, TX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a small world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hike down was fun and fast, which took
half the time as it took to hike up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also found the bomber that crashed into the mountain during a WWII training run
by a small crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one crew member
survived – Interesting story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EfBmUlsaj5zMi9lkjJij-cMsCeqe1QMsGUWnRFaXweJ4kYhd6W1GHZtoJhd2nfKeSp3zCjtNa6Zw1nohi-EKcQO-xZHl8Tgx2NVsSrg9ZnXpdArlZGiQV-RBfGApkNg6m5AskXDByA/s1600/WWII+Bomber+plan+wing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EfBmUlsaj5zMi9lkjJij-cMsCeqe1QMsGUWnRFaXweJ4kYhd6W1GHZtoJhd2nfKeSp3zCjtNa6Zw1nohi-EKcQO-xZHl8Tgx2NVsSrg9ZnXpdArlZGiQV-RBfGApkNg6m5AskXDByA/s320/WWII+Bomber+plan+wing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Josh wants to hike the White Mountains (Presidential Range)
of NH next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also want to go back
to Camel’s Hump and see how fast I can run up to the summit and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds like fun.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Back to reality and the blistering heat of the
South.</span></b></div>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-87654852478393972512012-06-20T13:36:00.002-04:002012-06-20T13:36:55.522-04:00Looks like running, surf, and focusing on new goals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It felt great to be running again with a whopping 15 miles
for the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No problems surfaced with
the foot, but my conditioning was far from base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little 4 mile run felt like 20, and the
heat & humidity didn’t help any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nevertheless, I was thankful regardless of my poor fitness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could have taken better care of myself
during my recovering months, but was so bummed, and lost interest, with my
entire year being one big question mark. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially with the one race I wanted
redemption for was out of my reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my runs last week, I did some soul searching and
reset my goals for the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
thought about the next couple of years and what I considered focusing on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After accepting my current state, I actually
got excited about the possibilities and what I needed to do to get ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of this year would be a building
block to set the stage for the next two years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks to my friends and all the positive comments you left
on my previous post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of many things
I loved about my 24 years of serving in the Navy was the camaraderie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find the same camaraderie in the running
community as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-E3K87sJ2Y34pPNeaWtj40ddMl1V-tAxplWMs41EHazT-CnmGS6ptQFAKYuyTooyRoihFpA1Qd41A5kebwqhC-v2nfXLMvEHTKpJs-4dqYeiYlAGYa_XGUoeE3gfdgV-EjgHP8lAnQ/s1600/454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-E3K87sJ2Y34pPNeaWtj40ddMl1V-tAxplWMs41EHazT-CnmGS6ptQFAKYuyTooyRoihFpA1Qd41A5kebwqhC-v2nfXLMvEHTKpJs-4dqYeiYlAGYa_XGUoeE3gfdgV-EjgHP8lAnQ/s320/454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last weekend we spent on the beach in FL with perfect weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Felt good to get away again and work on the tan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The surf was great, salty water was refreshing,
great food, and no agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next trip
will be VT to see my side of the family and to get a dose of the green
mountains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOyb64nAKkBjq0Ywh7hyYFjyrWtmYhtOC4dGHIBIixOpfYtFPo5CEae4HyJhGch2OE2kNdc-IEyvMHSAqRMIIBdsaC9kMqEAhjvw9z7Z97QPpUPUi69cKWSyqFmBusaqYaq7WgCK9rg/s1600/457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOyb64nAKkBjq0Ywh7hyYFjyrWtmYhtOC4dGHIBIixOpfYtFPo5CEae4HyJhGch2OE2kNdc-IEyvMHSAqRMIIBdsaC9kMqEAhjvw9z7Z97QPpUPUi69cKWSyqFmBusaqYaq7WgCK9rg/s320/457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few thoughts from last week:</div>
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Wife – How was your run?</div>
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Me – It sucked, I suck, and it was hard. But it felt
great!!!</div>
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Wife – Oookaaaaaa.</div>
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Son – Dad, you look tired!</div>
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Me – I am and feeling it. </div>
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Son – How far did you run, 30 miles?</div>
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Me – No, just 4.</div>
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Wife – Yes, Dad said his waistline
grew an inch and was feeling his pants.</div>
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Son – LOL, I never heard that
before from Dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is funny.</div>
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Daughter – OMG.</div>
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</div>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-4158706703682784262012-06-10T20:48:00.000-04:002012-06-10T20:52:37.109-04:00Recovering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear Trails,</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know it has been awhile and you think I have abandoned you. The last time I saw you was late winter, and
you were uncovered, as I trained at a feverish rate to get redemption at
Mohican. I was strong and confident,
full of positive vibs, and performing at a higher level. Now you are draped in green with wildlife
dancing on your playground, with no sign of me in sight. I’ve recovered from my injury, but the true
test will be when I get some mileage on my feet. Just taken it slow and easy for now! I will be seeing you soon, but you will
notice my foot steps 10 pounds heavier and going at a slower pace. I will be so grateful to be running again,
but my disposition will be a little on the gloom and doom side because of my
lack of fitness. So looking forward to
getting back into shape! I don’t sleep
well, I don’t eat well, feel tired, unmotivated… I can’t wait to get some quality time with you.
Be patient, and I promise, I will be
back in shape and flying along your soft pine straw with happy thoughts, and
dreaming about a PR as I get stronger. Next
weekend would have been the big race of the year for me. Very bummed about that, but out of my control
at the time. Looking at some fall races
which I can fit into my calendar (FATS, North Face,…). Maybe a trip back to RR100 in Feb for a sub
24! I need a race to train for and keep
me motivated during this hot summer…Whenever it shows up. So looking forward to getting back into
shape! Never give up.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">See you soon,</span></div>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6052085531240015198.post-3693671826172831662012-04-18T18:14:00.001-04:002012-04-18T18:17:12.050-04:00Injured and Dissappointed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Houston, we have a problem! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The past month the ball of my left foot has been progressively getting worse. At first I ignored it and figured it was just my body adjusting to the hard training. The pain was getting worse and I started to ice the troubled area, like a good ultra-runner in-tune with his body. We often run with some degree of mild pain and discomfort, from time to time, but this was getting worse during each run. I took a few days off, lots of ice which helped, and resumed running with the same indications. I took a close look at anything I had changed, and discovered nothing (same shoes, inserts, trails…). I did some research and the symptoms resemble Metatarsalgia (common foot injury from running). Not sure how or why, was hoping I could just train through it, but I can’t ignore it any longer. I have taken the past three weeks completely off from any running, lots of ice, and going crazy with bottled energy.</div><div class="MsoNormal">So very disappointed, and informed the family that Mohican is most likely off the radar screen this year. I refuse to show up at this race injured or under trained. I’ve missed three weeks of training, along with a foot injury, and feel it’s too late to be ready for this race. My heart says go for it, but my head says this race is tough enough when everything is working perfectly. Three weeks of no training is too much with only 8 weeks to go. So very disappointed considering how strong I was becoming with pace and hill performance. A lot of hard training for nothing – Very discouraging.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last year my Doc prescribed Statin drug to lower my cholesterol. It runs high in my family, and I have not been exempt from it either. The good type of cholesterol is very high (a good thing), but the bad type is also high, with an overall of around 200. I don’t eat poorly, but also not on a controlled diet, nor overweight. My Doc felt it was time to control it by taken Statin drug, which I have been for the past year. I recently heard on <a href="http://www.enduranceplanet.com/">Endurance Planet</a> of the problems with endurance athletes taken Statin and how it degrades their performance and damage to organs (liver function), joints, energy level, fatigue, swelling, cell function,…. You get the picture. I did some research of my own on side effects of Statin drugs and discovered some alarming issues. Not to talk myself into it, but some of the symptoms, I have experienced. Yes, Statin did lower my cholesterol level down to 160, but I’m not convinced the price is worth it. I reviewed several sources, one is an NASA Doc, and all discourage people from taken this drug. Most say it only makes the test results look lower, but the problem is still there, raises other problems, and makes the Drug Co and Doc’s richer ($$$ drug). I read a lot of other negative comments on the relationship between Pharmaceutical Co., Doc, medical review boards, and investment returns. It is not my intention to trash anyone, just want to be aware of the risk, and what’s behind it. Makes one wonder!!! Follow the money trail. </div><div class="MsoNormal"> I also learned how important Cholesterol is for the body to function properly on multiply levels. I always heard how cholesterol is bad, but I’ve learned how we can’t survive without it. Do some research yourself. Just consider the source and the motivation behind it. You can’t believe everything you read.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m starting to feel like the Apollo 13 Mission!</span></div>Thomas Bussierehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05899700970910705118noreply@blogger.com11