Chasing the Wind

Run For WWP

2012-01-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

On March 26, Jamie Summerlin (Morgantown, WV) will embark on a 100-day journey across the U.S.A. -- covering over 3,300 miles. He is running in part as a fundraiser to support the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and other Veteran's organizations. Check out his website: http://www.runforwwp.com/

Please consider donating to his cause, helping with connections across the country, or sharing some miles along the way.

Highlands Trail Foundation

2012-01-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

I am excited to announce the formation of a "new" trail maintenance/advocacy group in the WV Highlands. The Highlands Trail Foundation (a non-profit organization) has been around for quite a while with its main focus being the completion of the Allegheny Highlands Trail -- a rails-to-trails path following the original route of the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway traveling from Elkins to Thomas. Now that the route is nearly complete, save the final mile in to the Elkins Train Depot, the group is initiating a new committee to focus on other trail maintenance and advocacy in the surrounding areas of the AHT.

If you're a Facebook user, be sure to check out the newly created page HERE. As spring approaches, we plan to hit the ground running with a concerted effort of improving and maintaining local trails. One of our goals as a committee is to establish a network of trails in or very near the city of Elkins. If joining or helping with such activities interests you and you're from the area, please feel free to join us!

Frozen Sasquatch 50K

2012-01-21T10:22:00.005-05:00

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of running the 3rd Annual Frozen Sasquatch 50K (yes, this is a quite belated race report). This is one of my favorite races for several reasons. First, it's directed by my good friend Mike Dolin, secondly it's a great race to start the year on the buttery single track of Kanawha State Forest outside of Charleston, WV. The first two years were indicative of the namesake -- Frozen -- this year it felt more like spring. Here are my race reports from the previous two year for proof: 2010 2011.

The year 2011 was all about the AT-Journey for me. Although I ran this race in 2011, I didn't really "race" it or any other races for the entire year as I prepared for and recovered from such a big effort. To say that I've missed racing over the past year would be a vast understatement. I was very excited for this return to racing, but I had reasonable expectations. Although I had been running fairly well for about two months prior, I knew that I wouldn't have the speed to keep up with the guys at the very front. Did I mention that I was super excited to be running a race?

Photo: Dan Todd

The race started out benignly enough and I was ushered along as the first man to hit the tight single track. I led the way for the speedy peleton behind me up the first climb and onto the double track around mile-2. I knew that they were going to leave me in their dust, but I enjoyed the few minutes of glory. The lead pack stuck together for a bit -- chatting goals, making introductions, and enjoying the company on a beautiful day in the woods. Before too many miles passed by, Michael Owen and his friend John Williams (in his first ultra) took the opportunity to break the race wide-open. I was correct in my thinking that they were gone for good -- ultimately en route to smashing Eric Grossman's course record by 25-minutes (with the aid of the more generous condtions). Very impressive times for sure.

I was running a "Ryan Hall race". Not so much the new RH that obviously has honed his racing prowess (ie. Boston '11 and the recent OT's), but RH circa 2010 that was known more for running his own race and almost "time-trialing" the marathon. A friend of mine was kind enough to give me a Garmin 405 that he was not getting any use out of. This is not something that I thought I ever wanted, but after messing around with it some in the previous weeks, I thought it could be useful for at least being cognizant of my pacing. I set the little trainer dude at 8:42 pace/mile which equated to a 4:30 finish and thought I'd see how close I could stay to that pace. I looked at it a time or two during the first lap, but was definitely surprised to come through the first half in 2:08/2:09. This was probably way too fast for my current fitness (considering the CR for the 25K was 2:07), but I thought I could do another lap in 2:11-2:15 without much difficulty. This is where I was mistaken. I didn't blow-up or consciously slow down, but lap two became an even-split nightmare. What I forgot from not racing for a full year was that as the race progresses, you must increase the effort (read: pain) to keep the pace even close to even! I kept the effort even and what I got was a big floppin' 2:26. You can check out the fancy tech. watch info HERE.

Rounding the corner to the finish. Photo: Dan Todd

So there it was, 4:35 and 4th place, but pure bliss to be back out on the trails RACING again. It's fun to go your own pace for a while, but there's nothing like the race day magic to get the competitive juices flowing and to pull the best out of yourself. I've missed the camaraderie of the sport and just being around "my people". It's good to be back and I count myself privileged to be part of this great sport and community.

The End of 2011

2011-12-30T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well . . . it's that time of year again (the end). A time of reflection and a time to ponder the future. I've done plenty of reflecting over the past few months, but minimal amounts of future pondering. That is changing though and new goals are forming on the horizon.

I'm going to finish out the year with over 4,500 miles for the year. That a new PR for sure -- by about 900 miles I believe. Sure it's inflated by the AT stuck in there, but it would have been way more had I jumped back into my normal mileage sooner than about a month ago. Regardless, I'm pleased that I was healthy and fortunate enough to cover than many miles. Lots of fun, beauty, and camaraderie mixed in those miles.

Plans for 2012? I'm planning on running the Frozen Sasquatch 50K next weekend, 3 Days of Syllamo in Arkansas in March (one of my favorite races), then the Massanutten 100 in May. There may be some other stuff mixed in, but that's all the farther I'm planning. I'd like to do another 100-miler or two this year, but I'll just have to see how things play out. Massunutten is the big goal race for the first half of the year. I ran 21:37 there as my first 100 ('08). I'd love to run sub-20 there and that's going to be what I've got my sights on over the next five months.

So here's to a great 2011! Happy New Year everyone!

I know who I'll be smoochin' when the ball drops . . .

The Need for Adventure

2011-11-28T14:14:00.010-05:00

Photo: Joel Wolpert

I have been doing quite a bit of thinking over the last few months about the need for adventure - both mine and in general. Since completing the AT in July, there has been a void in my life. Yes, after successfully completing a lifetime goal I found myself wondering, "So what now?" People would congratulate me and say things like, "the adventure of a lifetime", leaving me with a depressed feeling and thoughts of "maybe that WAS the adventure of my lifetime - it's all downhill from here." I experienced the worst case of post-race blues that I'd ever experienced. The feelings went on for months. Don't get me wrong, the AT was everything I hoped it would be, but life was no more clear-cut upon returning home than it was when I left. Maybe even more hectic. I had a sense of accomplishment and deep joy, yet I was restless. My insatiable quest for adventure had been fed . . . but not quenched.

I had consciously planned to take some much-needed time to recover, both physically and mentally, and purposefully planned no racing or major adventures until at least the end of the year. I took a few days off from running initially and seriously planned to take plenty more until I felt the time was right to resume training. I quickly realized that I was not capable of this vital respite. I really missed my daily adventures that I've only known through at least an hour of unviolated time alone; running. Life as I had known it was flooding in and I needed my outlet. Fast! After only a few days, I was back out on the trails and roads hobbling along; longing for my days of "real living" on the Trail. "What is wrong with me?", I introspectively asked. "Am I really this selfish and needy? . . . what's with this compulsion, this need for adventure?", I further rhetorically implored.

This pondering has been mostly directed as to whether this personal compulsion to seek adventure is a self-serving desire that I've perpetuated, or something intrinsically deeper? My opinion is leaning heavily toward the latter and I certainly think that I'm not alone in this sentiment. You see, for many of us the mundane daily lifestyle that we unfortunately find a necessary part of being a "contributing part of society" yields an insufficient amount of adventure. Somewhere between boyhood and adolescence, a young man's wild heart is squelched by the confines of the pragmatic world that we live in. Games of King of the Hill, building forts, and searching for buried treasures are slowly traded in for logic, materialism, and status. What if it's actually o.k. to be wild at heart? What if that's actually how we're wired, but somewhere along the line the world rips the joy from our hearts? I happen to believe that it's actually a God-given desire for men and women to seek adventure in this life. We truly are designed to yearn for much more than the "9-5 materialism" and superficiality of this world.

I've stuck to my guns and I've been laying pretty low over the past few months. I've been running with zero agenda aside from the pure joy and adventure that comes from cruising over some mountain single-track - albeit fairly slowly for the most part. It's taken quite a while to get "right" after the Trail. A surprising PR on a solo-run of the North Fork Mtn Tr a couple of weeks ago tells me that things are moving in the right direction. I've learned that just because a major goal is reached, it doesn't mean that a sense of accomplishment will take the place of the desire for adventure that spurred the journey in the first place. In many cases, the fire only burns brighter. I've found that at the top of a mountain, there are only more mountains.

So as I approach 2012, I do so with much anticipation for adventures to come.

Enjoy a few pertinent quotes:

The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, "What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?" and my answer must at once be, "It is no use." There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.
~George Leigh Mallory, 1922

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.
~Rene Daumal

If the conquest of a great peak brings moments of exultation and bliss, which in the monotonous, materialistic existence of modern times nothing else can approach, it also presents great dangers. It is not the goal of grand alpinism to face peril, but it is one of the tests one must undergo to deserve the joy of rising for an instant above the state of crawling grubs. On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude.
~ Lionel Terray

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

. . . and a good tune to leave you with from a band that one of my high school friends is part of.

WV Trilogy - 2011 Co-RD Report

2011-10-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

The Trilogy is a special event. Just ask anyone who has experienced first-hand the magical environment of The Mountain Institute and the rugged beauty of the WV Highlands. We were once again blessed with unbelievably gorgeous weather for all three days of the event. We must be doing something right!

The 50K on Friday foreshadowed the events to come -- beautiful weather and fast running. David Frazier and Chris Reed set a blistering pace from the start, distancing themselves from the pack, and did not let up en route to their shared victory in 4:39 -- a very fast time on this course which was slowed by a plethora of downed timber thanks to an early season snow and ice storm earlier in the week. Always steady John Logar (second overall in the Trilogy '10) was third in a solid time of 5:15. Kathy Wolf returned to the Trilogy after a disappointing DNF in '10 and sent a loud message with her 7:01 victory. We all knew that she was there to take care of business this year. Her friend and training partner Darcy Lallathin was close behind in 7:02 and trailed by Angie Smith in 7:20.

Did I run too fast? Recover properly? Will my legs work? . . . these were the questions bouncing around the runners' brains as they awoke to clear skies and cool temperatures on Saturday. Stepping out of their damp tents was the first intrepid step of what would be many in the day's ominous 50-mile adventure. Dan and I man the first aid-station (just as in the 50K) at the top of Spruce Knob -- the highest point in WV. We could not believe how fast the front group was moving! We had his big-green-van at 60mph on the road up to the Knob in order to beat Chris Reed and Dave Frazier to the aid spot. It was obvious that these guys were unfazed by the previous day's miles. Reed and Frazier held their impressive paces until Frazier was able to pull ahead near the end to take the win in a speedy 7:46, while Reed finished close behind in 7:56. Steve Miles had a solid second run of the weekend in 10:08; good enough for a distant third. The 2010 Women's Trilogy Champion, Kristen Krempasky, rebounded from an unfortunate course-following error in the 50K (resulting in a DNF) and showed her true form by blowing away the competition in a time of 11:37. Darcy Lallathin stayed strong and solidified herself at the top of the leader board with a finishing time of 12:43, followed by Adele Fenwick in 12:59. It was a long day for all the competitors. Those who finished were relieved to know that they had conquered the majority of the Trilogy. All that was left was a "little" half marathon the next day . . . enough distance for some jostling in the standings.

Sunday saw another beautiful sunrise, although many of the runners took full advantage of the later start time and spent some quality time with their sleeping pads. More runners converged upon the campus of TMI and the race headquarters was buzzing with excitement. Reed and Frazier shot out from the start -- out pacing even the fresh half marathoners. Dave Frazier held off Chris Reed once again as the pair went one-two respectively over the amplified field in respective times of 1:30 and 1:32 -- an inspiring ending to an impressive triptych of performances. John Logar finished in 1:40, solidifying his overall third place position. The women's field was conversely dominated by "a la carte" runners (ie. just there for the half marathon). Heather Parks ran uncontested for the win in 1:47, followed by Hannah Underdahl in 1:57 and Jody Logar in 2:01. Darcy Lallathin secured her overall Trilogy victory with her 2:27, while Adele Fenwick took second with her 2:29 finish. Kathy Wolf finished what she started in 2010 and earned third place for her monumental efforts. Complete results can be found here.

The 2011 WV Trilogy saw the entrants list more than double as word is getting out about this event. I expect to see it grow even more in years to come. This event truly is more about camaraderie than competition. There is racing to be had, don't get me wrong, but the root of this event is more about celebrating the joy of friends, running, and life.

Enjoy the line-up of pics below and I hope to see you at the next WV Trilogy; Oct 12-14, 2012.

(photo: Elizabeth Desser)

Seneca Falls (photo: Elizabeth Desser)

(photo: Elizabeth Desser)

Judy Springs aid-station (photo: Elizabeth Desser)

Judy Springs aid-station transportation (photo: Elizabeth Desser)

(photo: Elizabeth Desser)

Sunday ceremony and pig roast (photo: Elizabeth Desser)

Most of the battle-toughened Trilogy conquerers (Photo: Michelle Sipe)

AT Chat

2011-09-27T21:58:00.003-04:00

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bethshankleanderson/2011/09/27/adam-casseday-running-the-appalachian-trail

The Transcontinental Project

2011-09-09T12:08:00.003-04:00

The Transcontinental Boys in action

Last night, Kadra and I had the pleasure of hosting two young men that have embarked on a trans-continental journey. These two recent Adelphi University (NY) graduates started at Jones Beach, New York on 8/20 and plan to run to Huntington Beach, California . . . a journey of over 3,000 miles over the next three months.

The duo is made up of Adam Clark of Wantagh, NY and Jeffrey Perez of East Elmhurst, NY. The runners are accompanied by two crew members, James Eastman and Ian Leavitt - in a very small car (see pics below).

We found out about the guys passing through our area by complete chance. They ended up randomly asking to crash at the pavilion at our church (which was along their route) and our pastor was nice enough to let them stay in the church Youth Center. He got them in touch with me and I made arrangements for them to spend the next evening with us.

These are some very inspirational young men. Neither Adam or Jeff had ever done a training run over 20-miles before setting this audacious goal. They are doing well though - learning many lessons along the way - and are over 550 miles along now. Check out their website: http://www.transcontinentalproject.com/ If they're coming your way, send them a note and help them out or consider donating to either of their worthwhile charities.

CMMM 2011

2011-08-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

Photo: Dan Lehmann (Aid-Station#3)

Another Cheat Mountain is in the books! We were treated to very good weather considering what the rest of the east coast was dealing with.

Many thanks to all the volunteers and runners. Full results, pics, and stories can be found HERE.

Next year the date of the race will be August 24-25. Mark your calendars now!

Streaking Video

2011-08-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

No . . . not that kind of streaking. This guy has not missed a day of running in 43 years!

http://uverseonline.att.net/play/tv/show/u-verse-exclusive/p/video/dk___dk_exc_sp8152_aug11.mp4

Very cool video. I hope someday when I have kids they can say, "I've never known my dad to not get up and run."

Inter-Mountain Article

2011-08-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

There was a nice article in our hometown newspaper this weekend about our AT-adventure. Some of the quotes were a bit mysterious, especially the one about missing junk food (actually quite the contrary), but all-in-all a very good article. You can check it out HERE.

It has been amazing to me just how many folks back home followed along with our journey and were actually very interested in and inspired by the endeavor. The best story I've heard though was over the weekend. A lady that teaches with Kadra came up to me in the park and introduced her daughter to me and told me that her 5th-grader was inspired to start running because of hearing about me running the AT. She has done numerous 5K's in the past months (a PR of 26-minutes) and LOVES running . . . that my friends warmed my heart like you would not believe.

Nathan HPL#20 Review

2011-08-03T16:09:00.000-04:00

I can't say enough good things about the HPL#20 pack from Nathan Sports -- the pack I used every day on the AT. It was somewhat of a last minute purchase before starting the Trail and I planned to use it as a secondary or even tertiary pack behind my normal 2-bottle waist pack and my enhanced Proton pack. I'm not sure why I had not tried this pack earlier, but once I put it on Day1 I felt no need to use any other.

Key features that make it a great pack:

Very stable ride -- even with a full load of 70 oz.
Tons of room up front for food and etc. and space in the back for extras (ie. headlamp, emergency bivy, and other miscellaneos things). I carried enough calories in the pack for numerous 30+ mile sections.
The shock cord is great to put a water bottle to fill-up out of streams/springs or for a rain jacket.
The eating factor. I've had stomach issues in races that I've attributed to the constriction of my stomach area from the waist belt. I didn't have any stomach issues while running (albeit much slower than normal) with the pack.

In New Hampshire the zipper to the section for the bladder broke. We tried several means of repair, but ended up suffering along with safety-pins over the last 300+ miles. When I got home, I called Nathan about the pack to inquire if this would be covered under their warranty. They said to send it to them and they'd check it out . . . well yesterday I got a brand spankin' new pack from them. How's that for customer service?

I just thought I'd share my thoughts on a good piece of gear for those of you out there that might be in the market for a new pack or hydration system. (This is unsolicited and I have received no products other than the warrantied pack from Nathan.) There is a reason the majority of the folks you see running ultras are wearing this very pack! I just ordered myself the HPL#008 from TheAidStation.com for races.

Life After the AT

2011-07-29T13:05:00.002-04:00

Living the Dream

In one way it is hard to believe that it has been only a little over 2-weeks since I finished the AT -- in another, it feels like a lifetime has past. I knew that assimilating back into "real" life would be difficult, but I didn't bargain on how difficult it would be. The first few days back were very hard. I had found so much comfort in the simplicity of life on the Trail. My only job and purpose for 71-days was to cover miles (then get up and do the same thing over and over). I trained myself early on to forget about the life I was leaving behind and consciously ingrained the mantra of "This is who I am and this is what I do." I truly became Gobbler, the AT thru-runner/hiker. Turning off my AT-mentality once we returned home was difficult and not something I even wanted to do. Only days after finishing, I yearned to be back on the Trail. I was depressed and I wanted my simple purpose back -- even with the mosquitoes, mud, rocks, hunger, thirst, and pain. I missed our stinky tent, eating unhealthy amounts of Little Debbies, going to bed dirty, growing a beastly beard, bathing in creeks, and living out of our car.

I can honestly say that I am finally getting back to a sense of normalcy. It's been a slow process, but I've been thrusted back into the responsibilities of daily life -- ready or not, life as I knew it beckons. "Normal" is not what I am seeking though as I cannot and will not forget all those priceless lessons I learned on the Appalachian Trail this summer. I don't know that I will ever be able to completely impart what I did actually learn, but here is somewhat of a list:

You can get by with much less than you think you need.
You can ALWAYS do much more than you think you can.
You can live on Little Debbies, pizza, and maltodextrin (I consumed 48 lbs. of the stuff) . . . but you had better be doing some serious miles. I did not lose ANY weight after running 2,181 miles -- I think I had the fueling pretty dialed-in!
Hygiene is over-rated . . . but boy does a shower feel great when you've not had one for 4/5 days!
Being alone in your own thoughts for 10-14 hours a day is good for your soul.

I can't believe how much my wife loves me.
I can't believe how much I love my wife.
People are important. As much as I love being in nature, people and relationships are our most important natural resource.
We need the Lord in our lives. I know where my strength comes from and it is not from me. I praise God for His protection and guidance on this adventure.
A sense of purpose in life is important. I am glad to have a job and life (along with a bed, microwave, and air-conditioning) to come back to.

So what is next? I'm not sure for a while. Right now I'm simply focused on surviving daily life and preparing for the 4th Cheat Mtn Moonshine Madness. I forgot how time consuming directing a race is.

Many folks have asked if I would do it again. The answer even surprises me a bit. It is an emphatic, YES! . . . but I'm not sure if I'll ever have the opportunity. I would love to do the AT again, but even more I would love to do the PCT. It's good to have dreams, but for now I'm comfortable where I am.

AT Data

2011-07-23T14:28:00.003-04:00

*click on the linked day number in the left column for the corresponding post.

Day	Date	Start	Finish	Mileage
1	4-May	Springer Mtn.	Neels Gap US 19/129	30.7
2	5-May	Neels Gap	Dicks Creek US 76	36.8
3	6-May	Dicks Creek	Rock Gap	36.5
4	7-May	Rock Gap	US 19 Nantahala River	31
5	8-May	US 19 Nantahala River	Fontana (Smokies southern boundary)	29.4
6	9-May	Fontana Dam	Newfound Gap US 441	40.3
7	10-May	Newfound Gap	Davenport Gap TN 32/ NC 284	31.3
8	11-May	Davenport Gap	Hot Springs	35.8
9	12-May	Hot Springs	Devil Fork Gap NC 212	35
10	13-May	Devil Fork	Erwin, TN	33.1
11	14-May	Erwin	Carvers Gap, TN 143/ NC261	34.1
12	15-May	Carvers Gap	Walnut Mtn Rd.	25.4
13	16-May	Walnut Mtn. Rd.	Wilbur Dam Rd.	26.8
14	17-May	Wilbur Dam Rd.	Damascus, VA	37.6
15	18-May	Damascus	Elk Garden (VA 600)	23.8
16	19-May	Elk Garden	VA 670	32.1
17	20-May	VA 670	VA 42	31.2
18	21-May	VA 42	VA 612 Kimberling Creek	33.6
19	22-May	VA 612	Pearisburg, VA	42.1
20	23-May	Pearisburg	Rocky Gap (VA 601)	34.8
21	24-May	Rocky Gap	VA 624/ North Mountain Trail	32.2
22	25-May	VA 624/ North Mountain Trail	Salt Pond Rd. (USFS 191)	33.5
23	26-May	Salt Pond Rd. (USFS 191)	Thunder Ridge Overlook	35.7
24	27-May	Thunder Ridge	Pedler Lake Rd. (USFS 38)	31.2
25	28-May	Pedler Lake Rd. (USFS 38)	Tye River (VA 56)	29.5
26	29-May	Tye River (VA 56)	Rockfish Gap (US 250/I-64)	29.7
27	30-May	Rockfish Gap	Simmons Gap	35.3
28	31-May	Simmons Gap	Skyland	34.6
29	1-Jun	Skyland	Front Royal: US 522	37.2
30	2-Jun	Front Royal: US 522	Bears Den Hostel	33.5
31	3-Jun	Bears Den Hostel	U.S. Alt 40	37.8
32	4-Jun	U.S. Alt 40	PA 233	36.7
33	5-Jun	PA 233	PA 94	35
34	6-Jun	PA 94	Duncannon, PA	34.5
35	7-Jun	Duncannon, PA	PA 225	8.4
36	8-Jun			0
37	9-Jun	PA 225	PA 645	36.4
38	10-Jun	PA 645	Port Clinton/PA 61	26.3
39	11-Jun	Port Clinton/PA 61	PA 309	26
40	12-Jun	PA 309	Smith Gap Rd.	25.9
41	13-Jun	Smith Gap Rd.	Delaware Water Gap	24.9
42	14-Jun	Delaware Water Gap	Crigger Rd.	33.4
43	15-Jun	Crigger Rd.	Barrett Rd.	31.8
44	16-Jun	Barrett Rd.	Seven Lakes Drive	31.6
45	17-Jun	Seven Lakes Drive	NY 301 Fahnestock State Park	29.9
46	18-Jun	NY 301 Fahnestock State Park	Schaghticoke Rd.	38.4
47	19-Jun	Schaghticoke Rd.	US 7 Housatonic River	30.3
48	20-Jun	US 7 Housatonic River	Rt. 7 (Sheffield, Mass.)	31.6
49	21-Jun	Rt. 7 (Sheffield, Mass.)	Tyne Rd.	29.9
50	22-Jun	Tyne Rd.	Cheshire, MA	26.9
51	23-Jun	Cheshire, MA	Bennington, VT; City Stream, VT 9	33.2
52	24-Jun	Bennington, VT; City Stream, VT 9	Manchester City, VT	40.1
53	25-Jun	Manchester City, VT	North Clarendon, VT	32.4
54	26-Jun	North Clarendon, VT	Stony Brook Rd.	28.9
55	27-Jun	Stony Brook Rd.	Hanover, NH	35.3
56	28-Jun	Hanover, NH	NH 25A	32.9
57	29-Jun	NH 25A	Franconia Notch, US 3	35.5
58	30-Jun			0
59	1-Jul	Franconia Notch, US 3	Crawford Notch, US 302	27.7
60	2-Jul	Crawford Notch, US 302	Pinkham Notch, NH 16	26
61	3-Jul	Pinkham Notch, NH 16	Androscoggin River	21.4
62	4-Jul	Androscoggin River	Grafton Notch, Maine 26	30.8
63	5-Jul	Grafton Notch, Maine 26	South Arm Rd.	20.4
64	6-Jul	South Arm Rd.	Maine 4; Rangely, ME	26.4
65	7-Jul	Maine 4; Rangely, ME	Caribou Valley Rd.	23.9
66	8-Jul	Caribou Valley Rd.	Long Falls Dam Road	27.4
67	9-Jul	Long Falls Dam Road	Moxie Pond	29.4
68	10-Jul	Moxie Pond	Maine 15	24.8
69	11-Jul	Maine 15	Katahdin Ironworks Logging Road	29.9
70	12-Jul	Katahdin Ironworks Logging Road	Jo-Mary Road	28.6
71	13-Jul	Jo-Mary Road	Abol Bridge	40.9
72	14-Jul	Abol Bridge	Katahdin	15.1

Wrap-Up and Photos

2011-07-19T07:18:00.007-04:00

What running the AT will make you look like (Lehmann found these glasses along the road)

Katahdin in the background

Jill and Dan nearing the summit

One last good drink from Thoreau Spring

The Summit

2,181 miles for THIS view

Another pose with my wonderful wife

The summiting crew

The way down -- The Knife Edge

One of many beautiful views

A candid with my mentor -- I would have most likely never run an ultra or done this without him

Kadra and Jill climbing the Knife Edge

An emotional moment: the REAL end

Ultra-legend Courtney Campbell happened to be vacationing in Baxter

The Maine Crew

The End of the Journey

2011-07-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

71 Days 4 Hours 35 Minutes . . . more to come!

2011-07-10T20:25:00.002-04:00

2011-07-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

The wife here updating for Adam in Rangeley, ME: He is doing well today and, although we like camping four nights in a row, we are staying in a little motel since it may be the last chance for one for a good bit (and it has a kitchenette - can't beat a "real stove" meal like at home).

Regardless, we're looking forward to Dan and Lara Lehmann joining us tonight and possibly Frances Mongold and Bradley's girlfriend, Jill. Wahoo! This will be a huge boost and help for our tired selves. The "home stretch" is quite the stretch - good thing it is beautiful!

-Kadra

Day 61

2011-07-03T21:12:00.001-04:00

Pinkham Notch to Androscoggin River - 22 miles

22 miles in 10 hours (no stopping and solid hiking). . . yeah it's that tough. Very tough climb out of Pinkham to Wildcat Mtn first thing, then lots of gnarly wet rocks and a solid day of cold drizzle. The descent into Pinkham off of Mt. Madison may be the most difficult descent on the Trail, and the ascent across Rt.16 may be the toughest climb thus far. Glad to have this one in the books. Only about 16 more miles and we'll be in Maine! Tackling the notorious Mahoosucs tomorrow in what will most likely be another very long day to cover 50K. Will I have a new "toughest mile" to talk about? . . . probably so.

Days 59 and 60

2011-07-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

Day 59: Franconia Notch to Crawford Notch - 28 miles
Day 60: Crawford to Pinkham Notch - 26 miles

Days 57 and 58

2011-06-30T12:15:00.001-04:00

Andrew Thompson: AT Record-Holder

Day 57: NH 25A to Franconia Notch - 35.5 miles.
This was the hardest day yet on the Trail. I know there will be harder, but the mileage, the accumulation of fatigue, and the tough terrain took their toll on this day. Mt. Moosilauke was really neat and Andrew ran with me in this section. The next section was 16+ miles unaided over the Kinsman Mtns to end the day. It was tough and slow with lots of hand-over-hand climbing. I was determined to not be out after dark on this day and pushed very hard to make sure that I wasn't. 16.3 miles in 6.25 hrs sounds super slow, but I can assure you it was not. Absolutely amazingly beautiful country here in NH, but in the same breath tough and unforgiving.

Day 58: Zero Day. I was pretty whipped after yesterday and woke up to driving rain this morning. I got up and got ready to go, but made the decision at 7am that climbing up to 5,000' and doing a 28 mile day with no aid-spots (read bail-out spots) in weather that was 48 deg and driving rain at 1,500' would not be fun and potentially dangerous. I really needed a day to rest-up for the final push anyway and I think my wife has been missing me a little bit. I don't think 30 years from now I'll care whether I finished the AT in 69 or 70 days, I just want to make sure I can finish in one piece at this point.

Days 54-56

2011-06-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

Right after we shot this video Adam saw two bears within two miles of each other -- one was small and jet black, the other BIG with a chocolate coat.

Day 53

2011-06-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

Quick info update: 33 Miles - Manchester Center, VT to North Carendon, VT

Another rainy day, but the sun did come out for about an hour. Better trail conditions on this section. Not much wildlife today, but I think I may have seen a marten (see pic) early this morning. Hanging tough, but tired of the Long Trail mud. Tomorrow we'll peel-off from the LT and hopefully its shoe-sucking mud as well. Bring on some sunshine!??

Days 51 and 52: A Moose is on the Loose

2011-06-25T12:16:00.001-04:00

The Encounter

Stay Tuned

2011-06-24T12:14:00.000-04:00

Here is the wife updating from McDonald's in Manchester Center (hoitey toitey - but I wore my cutoff jeans and stinky sandals with my head held high in the factory outlets). I hope that we have internet service tonight because I'm sure Adam will have quite the story from the 22 mile section he is currently working on. It was raining to start out and now just plain gloomy looking, but he had a full pack and a good jacket as he left. You will also want to stay tuned for his animal report from yesterday's adventure. All is well and we are trying to keep from getting ahead of ourselves - BUT, Maine is growing so close. Thanks for following us along this adventure. We really enjoy all of the comments on here and facebook (maybe one day blogger will let us comment back).
- Kadra

Day 50

2011-06-22T19:16:00.000-04:00

Not much to report from today. I did 29-miles and it rained all day. The rain was heavy for the last several hours making it that much more miserable. Tomorrow we'll be in VT . . . bring on the Long Trail!

The Nightly Ceiling View

Day 49

2011-06-21T20:50:00.003-04:00

p.s. Kadra corrected my poor grammar (give the tired guy a break!) -- "I should have run more". I promise to be more polished in future video posts.

Day 48

2011-06-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

. . . just think, Andrew Thompson would be finishing his record setting thru-hike of 47 days 13 hours today. I still have over 600 miles to go. Definitely puts my journey into perspective.

Days 46 and 47

2011-06-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

Days 44 and 45

2011-06-17T18:39:00.000-04:00

Day 43

2011-06-15T20:56:00.001-04:00

I'm still not able to leave comments due to a glitch with Blogger (at least I assume). Thank you all for the comments . . . knowing folks are following along and supporting me helps more than you will ever know.

Day 42

2011-06-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

Back on the itinerary and went 34 miles. Good to get the mileage back to where it needs to be after a few days of "healing". My shin continues to be problematic and is slowing me down, but I'm still heading north. Rough day with rain most of the afternoon -- just enough to make the rocks that much more treacherous. I was impressed by the beauty of New Jersey. Had some great views and saw two bears today. The pic below was taken by Kadra on the 11-mile section that she ran with me. The bear was within 20 yards and made no attempt to move and was totally unimpressed by me banging my poles together. Kadra thought it was cool. I'm glad we got to share the experience. Half-way done with NJ and looking forward to coming close to the NY line by the end of tomorrow!

Blueberry Bush Bear

Rocksylvania pic

Good Riddance!

Days 40 and 41

2011-06-13T18:43:00.001-04:00

Wind Gap, PA

Beating the mid-day heat last week

Day 39

2011-06-11T18:30:00.002-04:00

Red-Spotted Newt (lots of them on the Trail today)

Rainy day. Only did 26-miles and plan to do the same tomorrow to get back on the itinerary schedule. Shin is still causing a lot of pain, but the bright side is that it's not getting worse. I'm hoping the lighter days will give it a little break. Kadra did an 11-mile section with me today thanks to my parents for shuttling the car. She got to see me fall on some of the many wet rocks and break one of my fancy trekking poles. Not good, but thankfully Clark let me borrow a set. I'll need them to get out of Rocksylvania.

Day 38

2011-06-10T17:05:00.000-04:00

PA 645 to Port Clinton (PA 61) - 26 miles

Day 37

2011-06-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

Days 32 to 35

2011-06-07T20:28:00.001-04:00

Self Portrait at the Half-Way Point - All down hill from here! . . . right.

Great seeing my friend Briana and her beautiful girls

Oscar trying his hand at the Subaru

The Offending Shin

Day 30 and 31

2011-06-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

Kadra's Grandparents on the AT!

These were their first steps ever on the trail at ages 81 and 85

Day 30 (Front Royal, VA to Bear's Den Hostel) -- 34 miles

Ran with Harland Peelle for a few miles, who gave up most of his morning to find me out there on the trail. Thanks tons Harland!!

We stayed last night at the Bear's Den Hostel after watching a beautiful sunset -- such a cool place.

Day 31 (Bear's Den Hostel to South Mountain Inn) -- 37 miles

Stopped by the ATC and got my picture taken -- see below. The WonderBoy Paul Davis met us later and we had a great run up to South Mountain. The biggest surprise of the last two days came when Grandpa Vernon and Grandma Ginny met us to celebrate Kadra's birthday (a few days early) with a special celebration at the Inn. The rest of us rednecks ate Sloppy Joes, Coca-Cola cake, and Ben & Jerry's back at the Davis' homeplace in Shepherdstown and had a great visit with many outstanding people including Bradley Mongold and his patient girlfriend, Jill.

Day 29

2011-06-01T21:26:00.000-04:00

Skyland to VA-522: 37 miles

Day 28

2011-05-31T19:23:00.000-04:00

No video for today. The internet at Skyland is being uncooperative. Did 35-miles today to Skyland and camping at Big Meadows. Hot day again, but managed o.k. Great Trail magic from Wayne and Frances Mongold was a huge bonus for the day. Good old KFC! Tomorrow I'll do 37 to get out of SNP.

4-weeks down and loving every minute of it!

Day 27

2011-05-31T19:02:00.000-04:00

Days 25 and 26

2011-05-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

Crossing the James River

One 12 lb. bag down

Horton at Long Mtn Wayside (Masochist course 1/2-way point)

Dirty Trail Runners Attacking Crackerbarrel

Days 23 and 24

2011-05-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

I'm still not able to post comments b/c of a blogger malfunction . . .

Sophie and Gentry: I will be running Three Ridges to Rockfish Gap on Sunday. We'll most likely get a place to stay in Waynesboro that night and start Monday at Rockfish around 7am. You can call me on my cell (304-904-1058) and we can make plans Sunday night.

Rebekah: Thank you so much for the hospitality. I only wish we could have spent more time with you and Gary. Have a great trip west!

Day 22

2011-05-25T23:34:00.000-04:00

Quick update: Finished Day 22 - Catawba to USFS 191 (34 miles). It was a beautiful day at McAfees Knob. Kadra ran in with me and we had a good time goofing off there for a while. Things were going good until the last section. Tried to run 3-miles w/out my pack out of Daleville, but missed Kadra at the spot and had another 6-miles unaided. 9-miles w/out water or food at the end is not good, but on top of that Kadra had some navigational issues and I sat on the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway for an extra hour. Good lesson in suffering and patience.

We're at the Trittipoe residence tonight and looking forward to a good day tomorrow .

I tried to post comments to Sophie and Keith, but Blogger seemed to have other ideas -- looking forward to running with you guys. Bring friends! . . . warning. . .these miles are SLOW!

Days 20 and 21

2011-05-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Day 20: Pearisburg to Rocky Gap - 34 miles

Day 21: Rocky Gap to VA 624 (Catawba) - 32 miles

2011-05-23T16:32:00.000-04:00

Day 19 and beginning of 20

I believe we're nearing 1/3 of the way.

Thank you to Clay for completing his longest run with Adam - the company sure helped pass the time.

Thank you to Caitlin for the great support and navigational rest for me as she led me through the Pearisburg area.

We slept well at Clay's aunt's house and enjoyed visiting with his cousin Kelly. He got a later start today, but I think that extra time off of his feet did Adam well.

We are so blessed with such great people all around us and at home - thanks everyone!

Update Days 16 - 18

2011-05-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

Day 16 &17

Day 18

Ponies and fog, as promised.

Don't worry, Adam didn't get a tattoo. Look at the WV! Worthy of a photo.

Here comes the sun...

2011-05-19T15:31:00.000-04:00

We're ready for the sun in our party pack shades.

(Everyone was so nice to humor me for my post idea)

Thanks to the Grossman Family for letting us stay at their lovely home during the past two sprinkly nights, feeding us well, running Adam well, and letting us get our tent dried out. We enjoyed our time with their three great kids and got just spoiled enough to be ready for camping out tonight. Adam is running well and working on a 31 mile day today. We are due to see the sun for more than five minutes tomorrow and hope to have a great weekend in Virginia!

Start dreaming of fog and wild ponies and stay tuned for our next update...

Day 14 and 15

2011-05-18T21:49:00.000-04:00

Day 13 and 14

2011-05-16T22:24:00.000-04:00

Quick update here.

Day 13- Carvers Gap to Walnut Mtn Rd (FR 50) - 27 miles . . . felt good and the temperature was cool after a rainy morning -- decided to do more than the aforementioned 15-mile day.

Day 14- Walnut Mtn Rd to Wilbur Dam Rd. - 28 miles. Another cold and rainy day. The wet tent camping is getting old!

. . . planning on a bigger day tomorrow (38-miles) and making into Damascus and the great state of Virginia!

Beginning with the three trees (Day 1 and Day 9)...

here are a few pictures from the "road crew"

Neels Gap Shoe Tree

Max's Patch bald

Fog rising from the valley on road to Carver's Gap

Carver's Gap trail headed North

Laurel Fork Falls just off trail at Dennis Cove

Days 9 - 11

2011-05-16T10:15:00.001-04:00

Update for Days 9 - 11: ending at Carvers Gap

We're a little "off" of the itinerary, but Adam is moving well. We're glad to be able to do a post at good ole' McDonald's on our way to meet him. Day 13 is going well so far - started around 8:00 with breezes, rain, and temps in the low 50's to wake Adam up.

2011-05-13T17:49:00.001-04:00

Day 7

Day 8

This is Gobbler's wife updating in a church parking lot as I await the approach of my turkey calling husband in Erwin. We're now on Day 10 and all is going well. We'll do another update tonight as we are staying with my college roommate and her husband near Erwin.

Days 5 and 6

2011-05-09T21:49:00.001-04:00

Day 5- N.O.C to Fontana - 29 miles

Crossing Fontana Dam

Day 6- Fontana to Newfound Gap - 41 miles

Also, just thought I'd share an article from the local paper back home HERE. I am officially famous now.

Days 1-4

2011-05-07T20:16:00.001-04:00

Day 1(start) - Springer to Neels Gap - 30.7 Miles

Day 2 - Neels Gap to Dicks Creek - 36.8 Miles

Day 3 - Dicks Creek to Rock Gap - 36 Miles

Day 4- Rock Gap to Nantahala R. (NOC) - 30.4 Miles

. . . Rolling along and feeling good. Stay tuned!

Time to Get Goin'

2011-05-03T08:37:00.000-04:00

May 3rd and our third wedding anniversary. We embarked on a great adventure three years ago today -- the best one of all. Tomorrow starts another grand chapter in that adventure. I'm ready to get goin'!

Tick Tock

2011-04-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Over-Run with Gear

Race Ruminations -- Promise Land 50K

2011-04-27T23:01:00.000-04:00

This is a race report written by my friend Dave Simmons, whom I paced this past weekend at the Promise Land 50K. Enjoy!

Promise Land Run-2011

By Dave Simmons

After a half hours sleep, through a night that reminded you it was there, I started up the road with three hundred or so of the like minded into the last of the night that began the Promise Land run. I recognize again how odd it all seems. Venturing past houses here and there that sit in places most would call nowhere. It must seem to those who hear us that there goes the remnant of a tribe that used to move across the earth as people no longer much move. Or so I think. I wonder if they stir.
My friend Adam Casseday wants to run with me. I think I know why but we don't much discuss it beforehand. Nor should we really. But as I run up the road with most of the headlamps in front of me, I'm very glad he's there. Right away other friends of Adam are happy to see him, since they usually don't. The conversation is light. They seem to get a sort of spring in their step while talking with him.
The trip up to the top of Onion Mountain is a long one. The lower foothills of West Virginia where I run are steep, but give up their tops much sooner. I wonder about the pace, my heartrate, when Adam begins the first passing on to me of what i'm after, saying "Just go with what feels good here, no need to press at this point." So that's what I do.

Over the top we go and then down the mountain we go. I notice my feet are somewhat floppy. I think its here that Adam says, "You should feel like the front of your heels are hitting the ground." I was thinking about my feet just about that time. I thought it odd he was too.
We head over the top of the second climb to the highest point on the course. Adam had been pushing my fluids and gu's from the start. He'd say hit it and i would, so I hit it like I normally do. On the descent off of the second and highest peak of the day Adam runs on ahead disappearing in the cloudbank that had engulfed us all. Though I really liked the looks of it all, I began to chill so much so that I put my jacket back on. Then I started to just feel bad and strange, like I was in the Barrow Downs or some other new world. People would pass me by, many people, and disappear into the fog. I didn't feel as though I were moving. We come down out of the fog into the aid station at around mile 13 or so and I'm weak and don't know what going on. Adam is ready to go on down. I say I've never felt this bad this early in a run in a long time. Adam says "lets go." I say give me a minute I need a drink or something. I remember digging into my pack looking for the water bottle that was in the webbing on the outside of the pack, right before me. I saw it. I kept digging through the pack and pulled out a gu flask and just looked at it trying to figure out how to drink it, or make it turn into water. Then I remember either thinking or saying, "that's not water is it."
At this point Adam asks if I'm all right. I'm not sure what I said but I am sure of what he said next, "There's two options here, and neither of them are to stand still. You either keep moving or you drop from the race, and no one drops from the race at this point." He kind of mad me mad, in a tired sort of way. I respond to that though he surely can't know that. So down the single track we go.
Right now, and right away, I feel good. The slope of the single track is perfect. The water crossings make the right kind of thin fast splash. I recognize a bunch of people I saw earlier. We come up on another water crossing, Adam says, "Run through it, don't slow down, we're trail runners." Well, that principle I already hold to at crossings. I already look for the just the right sound of it to know if I hit it right. That's the good stuff. Adam tells me, "You're experiencing a high right now, you'll experience alternating highs and lows now." I have no idea what he's talking about.
When I've felt as bad as up above on the mountain, and my body starts to hurt, it usually just stays hurting. But the hurting is gone. I didn't know that was a possibility. "Keep eating, when's the last time you had a salt pill.? I eat and salt.
We hit the road section and I don't understand how good I feel. Adam stays back at the aid station to eat, probably nap for a while, who knows. I'm moving the fastest of my day and think to myself and wonder if I'm going too fast for myself. I look back and see Adam coming up or either keeping his distance and just watching me. He comes up and sure enough, says, "you need to keep control of the pace when your on the high, don't let it get away from you." That's just what I was wondering about. Why is he finishing my thoughts for me?
If it were just me, I would have been left wondering. It would have been a thought, one of many thoughts, that produces no action. Adam provided a conclusion here that I would not have. And that's really why I wanted to right this race report, in part. I wanted to write it for those of you who have the thoughts, but can't yet put a conclusion to them, a conclusion that leads you to act one way or the other.
The rest of the race its up and over the mountain and down again to the finish and it was uneventful, no drama, plenty of learning still, but I can't possibly list it all here. It played out with an 8:22 finish for me. Before the big climb Adam asks how much gu I have left in my two flasks. I have two 500 calorie flasks, and 3 gu shot blocks at 200 calories apiece for 1600 hundred calories, two hundred calories an hour for my very rough estimation of 8 hours. So I say to Adam, I doing fine I'm just about finished up my second flask. I pull them out to check. I was thinking I'd been hitting both of them as I pulled them out of the pack randomly when Adam would constantly be on me to fuel. I did fuel everytime he asked. So of course I'm good, right?
I pull out one flask that has about an eighth of it left. I pull the other out, the full one. Yeah, the full one. He'd been on me to fuel which I did, but he can't measure it out for me. I just know I was chugging it. Now I just know that I really don't know what I'm doing, or how to chug. I know what I'm doing, from reading about it. I'm cut that way like many of you, we gobble up the info. We digest, we absorb, we theorize, we stuff our heads. But how do you ring out the right conclusions that lead to the right decisions. Its like sticking your hand into a bowl of alphebet soup and hoping to pull out a sentence. What's necessary is experience. But an experience of a special kind. Not just your own personal experience. That's probably what's wrong in our tribeless lands, that's all we have, personal experience, to a tee. We need experience that shows us what we're thinking when we're thinking it and what to do about it while we're thinking it. Yeah, a tall order. But its out there. Time and again I'd be thinking on a subject, such as, how far should I run up this hill, then comes Adam, before I can coalsese the thought, "run just up to that log there." It was uncanny.
As a newer runner to newer runners, you can read all you want, you talk all you want with runners who know something about it all. But there is nothing, NOTHING, like running with a runner. Then its foxhole, then its gathering up the wisdom like tribes used to learn one another I suppose, in the midst of the movement, on the hunt, on the gathering, in the action, on the move.
I wasn't going to write about this, but I think I have something to pass on to newer runners like myself. I know I'm breaking my own rule so to speak, just more to read about, more letters for the soup. But if you do nothing else, find a runner who gets it, who can finish your thoughts for you WHILE you're on the run, while your experiencing it. It burns it in to you. I know this experience will help me finish my own thoughts when the time is right for me to start doing that in the midst of my own runs. i'm sure of it. I only touched on some of the things I learned from this run. I'll even bet I won't be able to reach them until I'm on the run again, but I'll bet it'll be there..and why..because I learned it on the run.
And now may I challenge you who are used to running with Adam. Do you realize what you can give to us. Do you? Do you know what its like in the back. Have you seen the steps lift up a little higher as you run with those at the back, like I saw as Adam zigged and zagged back and forth all day all over the place running with various people, covering a lot of ground, bringing in the tribe. I wouldn't recommend blowing past everyone like he did when he deciding to run up the climb to the big falls, that must have been a trip for the walkers, but hey, he earned it, and I'm sure needed it.
But really, what we need is you guys with us on the hunt, on the move, at least every once in a while. I'll attest to it. I am right now. I've even asked Adam to put this on his blog to reach you folks. I'm sure talking racing is fun, but I know that's not all it is for you all. You're trail runners. Find a runner who is full of half thoughts and unfinished business, and help them move through the mountains. Its what you're about, and its what they're about. Who knows, I'll bet we follow your example with those and pass it on to those who know a little less than us. I know I will be. I'm sure it'll enrich you're experience, not in the same way as racing does of course, but maybe fill it out a little if you need it, or even if you don't.
It was the best long run I've ever had.

Dave makes a good point in regard to more experienced runners slowing down to impart information to those that are newer to the sport. It is a very fulfilling venture to share our experiences and help others reach a goal along the way. I think many times we experienced runners take for granted that we actually had to learn to eat, drink, and monitor electrolyte levels. I had a great time with Dave and I was rewarded with yet another priceless memory in the mountains. Evidently my friend Bryon Powell had the same feelings as his impetus in writing his newly released book Relentless Forward Progress. We should all certainly be willing and ready to share our knowledge, passion, and trails with others.

Introduction: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

2011-04-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

My wife Kadra teaches elementary Art and set-up this new blog for her students to follow along with us and to learn more about the Trail this summer. She did a 15-week study of the Appalachian Trail with the kids this year -- teaching them about everything from blazes, shelters, gear, ethics, and wildlife -- all through various art mediums. This blog is going to be completely geared to a child audience, so if you have any youngsters that might be interested, you can tune in soon as the adventure begins in only 9-days! Check it out at: http://www.trailrunnerkids.blogspot.com/.

Back to the Promise Land

2011-04-20T14:43:00.000-04:00

Promise Land 2007 (Me, Lehmann, Potts, Gillanders)

I'm excited to be heading back to the Promise Land 50K this weekend after a long hiatus. The only other time I've been able to run this race was in 2007. I can’t believe it’s taken me four years to get back! Training for the MMT-100 in '08 and '09 kept me away and an injury in '10 was the hindrance in returning. This is one of my all-time favorite ultras and I’m excited to get the opportunity to run it once again. Since I’m starting the AT in less than 2-weeks, I’m going to be running very easy and will be pacing my friend Dave Simmons. This will be Dave's third ultra and hopefully one of his most enjoyable and successful ultra finishes. There’s nothing like the freshness of spring and the opportunity to spend a day in the mountains with over 300 of my favorite folks!

Spring is Finally Here!

2011-04-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

What a difference a week made in the Highlands of WV! On Saturday I got to run on some of my favorite trails around at the Spruce Knob National Recreation Area -- same trails that the Trilogy uses. It was a beautiful day to be in the mountains witnessing the splendor of spring while running some snow-free trails . . . finally. Enjoy a bit of a photo dump from the day.

Ramps were abundant

North Prong Trail

Judy Springs

Good Water

Judy Springs Trail

I'd never noticed this plane wreckage (below) before and I'm not entirely sure of the history. I believe it is from the 70's, but the trail guide book places it on the Huckleberry Trail. I spotted this through the trees on Lumberjack, close to the High Meadows Tr. junction, and walked about a 100 yards down the bank to further inspect it. Pretty wild site and admittedly a little creepy.

Notice the crosses in the foreground

Wreckage strewn about for several hundred yards

Plane Window

View North from High Meadow

Seneca Falls

Wet shoes and socks and a mess of ramps

More Lessons in Adversity

2011-04-06T08:28:00.001-04:00

Clay Warner-L, Me-R (photo: Dan Lehmann)

This past weekend, I was hoping for one last big training weekend. What I got was snow, and lots of it. My plan was to get in around 90-miles over three days. What happened was more like 65. Friday's run was with my friend John and made tougher by 3-4" of fresh snow -- totally doable though. Saturday was down right miserable up on Dolly Sods. Cutting it short was the only option.

Roaring Plains Tr. (photo: Michelle Price)

In the misery, was some striking beauty. I'd never seen Flatrock and Roaring Plains draped in such splendor. 12-16" of snow is beautiful, but it turned the planned run into an overglorified hike and downright dangerous due to some missed turns. Getting everyone from the Highlands Trainer off of the mountain safely was the only concern in everyone's mind. We had a good time despite the conditions with the whole crew of 20 sticking together.

Tired of snow, I opted for a moderate run on the railtrail from Parsons on Sunday. It was crazy that there was only snow in spots in that area, just a few miles from where we all were the day before.

With just 4-weeks to go until I start the AT, I'm starting to realize that the hay is nearly in the barn. My training has not been "exactly" what I hoped, but it's been solid nonetheless. I've never had a training cycle go perfectly. I'm counting on 8-years of ultra experience being my true strength. My living room has been taken over with sleeping pads, mats, shoes, gels, stoves, and a bunch of other gear. 4-weeks to go and I can hardly contain myself . . . or all the supplies!

Barkley . . . For Real This Time

2011-04-04T13:20:00.002-04:00

Credit: RW- Fox

Since I posted last week about Barkley and was embarrassingly a week early, I thought I'd keep everyone in the loop about the real deal this past weekend.

Well it looks like there was a 10th all-time finisher in Brett Maune from California. Not much out there about Maune except for a questioned JMT speed-record from '09. Guess there's little doubt now? This guy is legit.

As you look at the short list of ten finishers since the race's inception in 1986, it is clear that most of the successful folks have one thing in common -- other than being male, it's experience and success on long trails and multi-day treks. The list of finishers stacks up a veritable "who's who" in the realm of speed-records. There's a reason why this race chews up and spits out the toughest ultra-sport folks that are used to suffering -- they're evidently not ready for that much misery, for that long.

When will there be a female finisher? My friend Kim Love posed that question the other day and here was my comment:

I mean this will all due respect to the opposite sex and intend zero sexism in this comment. . . There are undoubtedly women out there that CAN finish Barkley. The question is though, of the women that CAN finish, how many have the DESIRE? There are far fewer women than men in the sport of ultrarunning so the number of possible finishers is already reduced. This race is as sadistic (and tough) as they come and requires more suffering than most (including me) desire. So will a woman finish? . . . someday (and I hope this year), but if I were a betting man I wouldn't be tossing much money to the bookie. I personally know a few women that have as good of a chance as any of the top men, but they simply don't have the key ingredient - DESIRE!

Now that there are 10 male finishers of Barkley, it's time that some capable women step-up and give it a legitimate shot. They're out there, I know it. To my knowledge (which is not that good), Sue Johnston has made it farther than any woman -- doing 3.5 loops in 2001(and she's about as tough as they come). If you know a tough female ultrarunner, backpacker, or endurance athlete of any kind, encourage her to give Barkley a shot next year. Do what you have to . . . pester, heckle, and harass the toughest women you know with whatever approach you like. The negative reinforcement approach may work for some (ie. "A woman can't finish the BARKLEY!") or kindly build them up to take on the monster with a feminist flare (ie. "If a man can do it, you know you can!"). Regardless, it would be awesome to see a half-dozen serious women ready to take on this monumental challenge in 2012!

Me, I'm too much of a sissy. I'll be cheering from the sidelines.

Running Plunder

2011-03-30T20:58:00.001-04:00

Over the years, I've found many random things while running along roads and trails. Albeit, most of it has been junk, yet I cart much of it home – much to Kadra's disdain. I've found lots of straps, bungee-cords, coins, reflectors, tools, and bud light cans. Why is it that it's always cheap beer cans and bottles littered along the roads and pristine spots where you wouldn't imagine one would care to imbibe? I've yet to see a bottle of Sierra Nevada or Rogue lining a roadside ditch.

Once I found a camouflage hat. Come to think of it, I still wear it from time to time. I wonder what that says about me? Yesterday I finally hit pay dirt. As I was running on some 4-wheeler trails on the mountain behind my house I found a really nice knife. Jackpot! I wielded the large weapon the remaining miles home – well prepared for any masked marauders or mischievous bears that might want to scuffle.

Finders keepers, losers weepers!

I'm interested what goods others have found while running . . .

Last of the Recaps

2011-03-29T08:27:00.000-04:00

This is my last Trail Racing Recap for RunningTimes.com. It has been fun writing this column for nearly a year now, but it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with work, life, and especially all my preparations in leaving for the AT in only 5-weeks.

Justin Mock will be taking over and I'm excited for this as he is an accomplished writer. He will do an excellent job . . . so keep reading!

Barkley

2011-03-29T08:23:00.001-04:00

Interesting article written on the RW blog yesterday about the Barkley Marathons. The article is written by inprisoned ultrarunner Charlie Engle. Check out the NY Times article on Engle (previous link). Very peculiar story and it turns out he is being held, interestingly, near Beckley, WV.

I wonder what is happening/happened at Barkley?

RT Weekly Recap

2011-03-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

Adversity

2011-03-16T10:44:00.002-04:00

I came across this post the other day, re-read it, and I thought I'd share it. It was written by my friend Katie Wolpert back in '08 and posted on the WVMTR site here. I've been doing a lot of thinking about adversity lately -- namely that which I expect to face on the Appalachian Trail. Getting the mind ready is of equal importance (if not more) than the body. I will have a choice each day: let adversity drag me down, or rise to the occasion, persevere, and seize the day.

Adversity Makes Us Stronger
by Katie Wolpert

It’s a catchphrase, a cliché, a figure of speech, but for us runners, it’s often a literal truth. Adversity in the form of weather conditions – hot, humid, icy, gale force winds & driving rain – sure, mentally and physically these forms of heavenly adversity make us stronger in some sense of the word.

Adversity in the form of competition makes us stronger too. We out kick a rival and we learn to doubt ourselves less. We lose a race to a young whippersnapper who blew past at the midpoint and we learn something about humility – and we strengthen our will to do better next time. We race to the very end against a proven equal and we can boast a new PR as a results – we are stronger than we were before the race, by the numbers.

But one of the most fascinating parts of running to me, has always been the way that unrelated adversity – complications in those ‘other’ parts of our lives – makes us better runners. Frustrations with a parent, spouse or boss are vented in the evening run – 5 miles become 10 and 8:00 pace into 6:30s. Irritation over a writer’s block, or an equation that won’t work out right translates into a killer hill workout. And worries about a relationship or a leaky bank account somehow melt away over the course of a longer than planned long run. Those problems? They’ll work themselves out another time. Right now, I’m running – and getting stronger.

Think back, has a stressful period at work been followed by a sparkly new PR a month later? Complete peace in our lives, our families and our communities is not required for our development as runners.

Indeed, for decades now, the top echelons of our sport have been dominated by practically anonymous athletes from some of the poorest corners of the earth. Bathed in adversity from the day they were born, we regularly see Kenyan teenagers spit out times on a track – at altitude – that top suburban-bred US elites can only dream about.

Recent war zones seem to breed strong distance runners in the same way vernal ponds breed spring peepers. How do those frogs GET there in the first place!? Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Russia, the list goes on and on. Social, political and economic adversity seem to combine in a powerful way with the simplicity and accessibility of this sport and the human desire to improve one’s life.

Adversity of any kind seems to draw out the best in runners, and running often provides an ideal venue for us to release the mental results of adversity.

The key to using it is recognizing it, so let’s all take a moment to recognize the forces of adversity in our lives. Then let’s harness the activation energy contained within it and channel it to the betterment of ourselves (and our times), our club and our community.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-03-15T15:08:00.002-04:00

Spruce Mountain Running Camp

2011-03-12T18:18:00.000-05:00

The WV Mountain Trail Runners and TMI are hosting a new high school running camp at The Mountain Institute (same location as the Trilogy). It will be held July 3-9 and features Eric Grossman, Joel and Katie Wolpert, and Dan Lehmann as staff-members. If you have children that are rising freshmen to graduating seniors, consider this opportunity to provide them with what is sure to be an unforgettable week in the mountains. Go to the website for more information.

Green Tunnel

2011-03-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.

The AT condensed into less than five minutes.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-03-08T07:50:00.000-05:00

Pack Alterations

2011-03-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

The original pack: Nathan Proton

*Initial thoughts: Good light pack, but lacked a lumbar strap and the support provided; not enough easy access to fuel and misc.; mild to moderate bounce when full (70oz.).

Added: 1) waist strap from a Camelbak Cloud Walker pack 2) velcro to straps 3) pouches from Nathan 2-bottle belt

Finished Product

AT ready and prepared for further testing and tweaking

Testing Update: After two substantially long runs (5.5 hrs and 9 hrs), the altered pack performed superbly. The lumbar strap seems to have minimized any of the previous "bounce" of the full hydration pack and greatly added to the functionality. The pouches made access to gels, food, gloves, etc. far more painless and efficient. The only negative that I found was a bit of chaffing around the under-arm and waist -- of course it was raining and any pack or clothing will give a few problems in constant rain. The added bonus of this design is that it should free-up my hands for use of trekking poles from time to time on the Trail and allow me to carry enough fuel for some of the longer sections. There is always room for improvement, but for now, I think I've found a winner.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-03-01T07:58:00.000-05:00

I Think I'm Old School

2011-02-25T18:41:00.001-05:00

All this talk about money and championships in ultrarunning makes me think . . . I must be old school. I'm certainly not 100% against races offering prize money, and I'm far from any aversion to championship races, but in the same breath I am a little skeptical about what the influx of significant cash might do to the sport (both positively and negatively). I think this trend and some subsequent changes are inevitable and it will be interesting to sit back and see the results over time – because truly only time will tell.

Definitely check out the buzz about what's coming down the pike in Charlottesville this September (click above top logo for race site) and press release. Regardless of the various opinions (I'm sure you have one too), it will be interesting to see how this race transpires and it's exciting to see more potential high-caliber competition coming to the East coast. Change is inevitable and I'm amazed at how much the sport of ultrarunning has changed in the eight years I've been involved. My prediction is that we're going to see a greater dichotomy in events over the next 10-years. The far ends of the event spectrum will become farther apart. The new breed of ultra races will be these corporately sponsored races with money on the line, but will be balanced out by the "grassroots" type events that are truly the heart of ultrarunning from its inception.

Prize money simply doesn't fit into my notion of what the sport of ultrarunning is all about – so don't expect that to change at Cheat Mountain or the Trilogy. My goal as a race director has been and will remain to provide low-key events at a reasonable price – allowing runners of all levels to test their abilities against a course as part of an event that is more about appreciation of life, nature, and fellowship than top-end competition. I will always value the last person to cross the finish line as much as he/she that crosses first (even though the top runners may earn an extra race-day memento for their efforts).

Money and Championships are nothing new to our sport – just the higher levels of prize money at races like the NFEC and now the UROC. Look at the USATF 2011 Calendar. There are eight ultra distance races on the list and each of them provides prize money and the prestige of being a sanctioned body Championship. The problem is that the elite community has not embraced these events as the "true championships" for various reasons – mainly the meager money offered and some unfavorable venues – opening up the opportunity for these new races to fill this high-end void.

Would I like to see runners of truly elite lineage giving a tough 100-miler a go? Or a guys like Ryan Hall or Meb Keflezighi gunning for a U.S. 50-mile Championship? Or elite runners able to make a living from the sport? Sure I would, but I personally get just as much excitement from encouraging someone to run their first ultra and seeing their elation through the pain at the finish line; even with no ideals of greatness. The average and elite running together in a near egalitarian state is what makes ultrarunning so special - as long as we never get away from that, I'm all for the eclectic range of race offerings. I applaud Bad to the Bone and Geoff Roes for their role in chasing their vision for the future of ultrarunning.

Will money in ultrarunning lead to break-through performances, an influx of new talent, a new career path, or the need for performance enhancing drug testing? Time will tell, but in the meantime, I'll be on my front-porch rocker keeping it old school!

Finisher's Awards

2011-02-25T14:37:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to make as many of my preparations for Cheat Mountain as possible before I leave for the AT. I'm thinking of trying something new this year for finisher's awards and I'm curious of people's opinions. I'm considering doing a camp chair (similar to the one to the left) with the CMMM logo on it. Everyone has to sit from time to time, right? What are some thoughts? Do folks have enough shirts (I still like them, but have plenty), or is running apparel schwag a must?

I'll probably still do some nice Patagonia apparel for the overalls and age-group awards, but it might be good (and convenient) to switch it up a bit this year.

Any thoughts from the "masses"?

RT Weekly Recap

2011-02-22T18:32:00.000-05:00

AT on RT

2011-02-16T09:34:00.000-05:00

Cool article on FKT on AT. Click on DH pic to article link.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-02-15T07:32:00.000-05:00

Living Like a Clock

2011-02-09T16:50:00.001-05:00

Photo: Joel Wolpert

With only 12-weeks to go until I start the AT, training is starting to hit high gear. I contemplated posting my training each week, as many do, but have ultimately decided against it. You see it would be highly motivating for me to know that my week's training mileage would be out there for the world to see - this was why I considered it - but my fear is that the transparency would lead me to fatal bravado.

The question several friends have asked is, "Can you really train for something like this?" Of course you can. Starting a 2,181 mile trail ('11 updated distance) thru-run on limited training would be foolish. In the same breath, burning yourself out with excessive mileage would be equally irrational. Where is the balance and how does a personal adequately train for something of this magnitude? The answer to that question is something I'm afraid I don't know - I'll have to figure it out the hard way. I know slogging through 150 miles/week on roads in the February snow and cold is NOT the answer for me . . . hopefully spending much time on the trails soaking in the warmth, beauty, and smells of an early spring will be.

I'm planning on averaging around 210 miles/week on the Trail. I have no plan to approach any more than maybe 150 miles/week during training - and only once or twice. I personally have never been one of these ultrarunners that could sustain 100+ mile weeks, week after week. I stay in the 65-90 mile range year round and usually toss in a few bigger weeks here and there; which is hard enough to maintain while balancing all that is life. It's worked out fairly well thus far, but then again, I've never done something like this before. In my opinion, the worst thing I could do at this point is to push too hard and find myself injured.

I have several key points that I think will be critical to my success:

Training:

Doing as many back-to-back long runs as I can handle in the upcoming months
Keep mileage consistent, but try not to be too anal about exact numbers. More is not always better and I want to make sure I make it to May 5th healthy.
Becoming more proficient with trekking poles over the coming months. These are the ones I decided on.
Dial in gear and figure out which pack/s, shoes, etc. will be the "go to" stuff.

On the Trail:

Going as slow as possible in the beginning and using the first two weeks as "training".
Using trekking poles; probably not all the time, but at least some each day. I've messed with them a few times and they certainly help a lot on the climbs. I think they will help when I'm inevitably nursing some issues on the trail or simply fatigued toward the end of the day.
Icing - not the cake variety - and lots of it (maybe some of the cake kind too!). I've had issues in the past with instep/tibailis anterior tendinitis with multiday running. I plan on icing on Day 1 and every day after that. Staying on top of injuries will be key.
Nutrition: Consuming around 5-6,000 calories/day will certainly be a chore. This will be very hard for me as I am usually a very clean eater and probably go many days on 2,500 or less. I just don't feel like I need to eat as much as others on daily basis. Regardless, I'm sure I'll go through tons of peanut butter, ensure, ice cream, and whatever fast food specials Kadra can find.
Compression: I've got a pair of calf compression sleeves, but don't believe they do squat for me since they slip down half-way through a run. In theory, I think this could help with my tendinitis issues so I may try to find some that fit tighter.
Meds: I'd like to not rely on meds to keep pain and inflammation at bay, but I know that the reality of the matter is that I will have to at some point. I plan on having some antibiotics (in case of ticks and/or illness), flagyl (giardia), ibuprofen, tylenol, and maybe even something a little stronger (lortab or percocet) for when the going gets really tough or I can't sleep.
Be flexible. The journey as a whole is worth more than mindlessly sticking to the predetermined itinerary. Listening to my body will be essential to success.

My thoughts have been fixated on this adventure for a long time. As it approaches there is some apprehension, but mainly excitement. All I can do it prepare the best I know how. With 12 weeks to go, it's time to just keep living like a clock and do the same thing I always do - run. Putting one step in front of the other has gotten me through many other trials and I know that the same resolve will carry me to the top of Mt. Katahdin.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-02-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

Motivation

2011-02-05T07:26:00.003-05:00

Good motivation on a rainy Saturday.

RT Weekly Recap

2011-02-02T08:33:00.000-05:00

Snowshoe Breakdown

2011-01-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

The annual Whitegrass Snowshoe 5K was this past Sunday, and as always was a great time. The weather was certainly colder than last year (10 deg F with significant wind chill), but the snow conditions could not have been better.

I had some equipment malfunctions within the first minutes of the race and quickly found myself in the back of the pack. Kadra and Dan helped me try to get the snowshoe back on, but it was obvious that it was irreparable and that I was just going to have to deal with it.

With about a half-mile to go, the cantankerous shoe finally was done. The binding completely ripped free from the frame and I hobbled on toward the finish line with the un-clod foot sinking into the snow with every step. Nearer to the finish line, the fellow shoe followed suit. I had managed to completely break Dan's snowshoes in one 3-mile circuit (sorry Dan). I finished 10 minutes slower than last year, but still managed to squeeze into third place.

It's a shame that there aren't more showshoe races in the region. . . they are a great time - if you can figure out how to keep them on!

RT Weekly Recap

2011-01-24T19:50:00.000-05:00

Sadism

2011-01-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

I woke early this morning from a fitful night's sleep. 5:00 am. Got dressed to run, but made the mistake of looking at the thermometer - it read 0 deg F and the computer said wind chills south of -11. I had a 25-30 mile run planned, but my winter-wearied heart could not bear to strap on a headlamp and enter into the cave of despair this morning. (I think I'm getting soft)

I acquired a treadmill last year courtesy of my friend John. I decided to concede to the cold and see if I could sustain the mind-numbing task of a marathon on the dreadmill - something I never thought I'd succumb to, but I welcomed the test this morning with a somewhat maniacal craze. Regardless, I prepared a few bottles of potion (with no worry of them freezing) and tossed a couple of gels onto the consol.

Four boring TV shows on Kadra's laptop, one movie, and 3:35 later the green lights on the screen read 26.2. I should have just kept going and made it a 50K. . .

RT Weekly Recap

2011-01-18T07:27:00.000-05:00

WVMTR Meeting/Run

2011-01-15T22:57:00.011-05:00

The meager but motley crew assembled

Sorry this video is so horrible - I'm sure I'll get better with practice, but if I made anyone sick I apologize. This was a "test run" with the Christmas present that Kadra got me. Pretty cool device . . . it's just too bad I'm a tool when it comes to this kind of stuff!

RT Weekly Recap

2011-01-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

Frozen Sasquatch 2011

2011-01-09T19:21:00.006-05:00

2010 Sasquatch: Photo Dan Lehmann

The 2011 edition of the Frozen Sasquatch 50K was much like 2010 - only with a few difference. It was once again cold (not as it was in 2010 though) and there was snow (a bit more than last year). With temperature reaching 60 degrees last week, I thought we might be poised for some dirt (or mud) running for the race weekend. What a difference a week made though. As if on queue, the snow and cold rolled in just in time to add to the difficulty of this New Year's staple.

Last year it was around 16 degrees with about 1-2" of crusted snow. This year we were greeted with temperatures around 23 degrees and around 4" of slick, wet snow. The start was like that of many others - people bolting to the front of the pack that shortly are reminded of their inability to sustain their position. I ran along and chatted with Michael Owen and Gancho Slavov in the early miles as we were boxed in behind some of the overzealous culprits. I knew these speedsters would quickly pull away as I had no intentions of trying to match their pace on this day. With that AT and my necessary training looming, I planned to keep my effort controlled.

As open ground was found, we all settled into a pace to distance ourselves from the pack. My presence in their company was short lived. I slowed to remove an outer layer to prevent excessive sweating and decided that it would be a good point to institute my plan of running fairly easy on this day. I enjoyed the company of several 25K runners on the remainder of the loop and time passed quickly as we were slipping and sliding up and down the hills. I'm not sure what time I came through the half-way point since I didn't even bother to start my watch, but I made the decision to throw on my newly acquired microspikes for the second loop. After two or three all-out falls and slips too many to count, I was looking for a little more assurance on the second time around. The microspikes worked like a charm on all the descents, but were a bit of a pain on some of the more rocky or gravel-strewn flat sections. I ended up doing quite a bit of switching on and off as the conditions dictated. This was annoying, but the effort was certainly worth the extra stability for climbs and descents.

2011 Sasquatch: Photo Dan Lehmann

The second loop did not pass nearly as quickly as the first. It felt more like a lonely training run than a race. As always though, I enjoyed the solitude of a days run on the trails. I lallygagged a bit more than usual at the aid-stations and enjoyed some good soup and conversation with some of the aid volunteers. It's rough running in these conditions, but it's even harder to stand out there for hours on end!

Finally I quit dawdling and decided to push it in for the finish. My time was 5:12 (as opposed to 4:34 last year) and I'd like to say it was easy. . . it was not. Running in the snow is always much harder than on dry ground and my supporting muscles were pretty cooked from the constant slipping. Snow just is not my thing; never has been, never will be. I was happy to be done for the day and grateful for another great run. Many, many thanks to RD Mike Dolin for all his work directing this race, Dan Lehmann for the timing duties, and all those hearty volunteers for braving the snow and cold to help all of us loonies!

Post-race thawing: Photo Brock Nichols

Sandbagging

2011-01-07T15:11:00.001-05:00

I'm heading down to Charleston for the Frozen Sasquatch 50K tomorrow. The weatherman is calling for snow and temperatures in the low 20's. Better than last year, but certainly not ideal. I'm feeling pretty out of shape and unmotivated of late (I think the cold, snow, and Holidays are to blame), but maybe a fun race in the snow with little expectation will be reinvigorating. Off to chase the sasquatch!

3061

2010-12-31T09:00:00.002-05:00

I finished 2010 with 3,061 miles under my belt - an anemic amount in comparison to many, but a decent amount considering the number of weeks missed from a few niggling injuries. This is normally a time of year for reflection, but my mind is firmly focused on the future and the site of this picture above; Springer Mountain, GA and more specifically, the AT. 2011 will be an unprecedented year of challenges and adventure for myself and Kadra. I just can't believe it is nearly here. I welcome it with open arms! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

CNN Video

2010-12-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

Cool to see a deserving icon of our sport representing ultrarunning so well.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2010-12-24T18:04:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!

More from "Wolpert Week" at RT

2010-12-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

RT Weekly Recap

2010-12-21T07:22:00.000-05:00

Winter Fun

2010-12-15T21:33:00.000-05:00

Bickles Knob Fire Tower
Photo: Joel Wolpert

Had a good run yesterday with my buddy Joel. 2k of climbing through waist-deep drifts in below zero wind chill. The serene view from the top was definitely worth it all. . . but I still can't feel my thumbs.

RT Weekly Recap

2010-12-14T08:04:00.000-05:00

Hellgate Crewing

2010-12-12T22:44:00.000-05:00

Anxiously awaiting the start

Runner #1: Corey - 15:06

Runner #2: Dan - 16:24 (8th finish)

RT Weekly Recap

2010-12-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

Big Plans in 2011

2010-12-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Since now is the time of year that most people are starting to think more about the upcoming year than the present month remaining; I thought I too would share my 2011 plans. I only have one simple agenda for 2011 - the Appalachian Trail.

Many of my close friends have known about my plans for a while; considering that it has been in the works for two years now. First of all, I have no intentions of going for a speed record. The amount of suffering involved in such a venture is more than interests me. This is merely for the sake of adventure, the experience, and joy of chasing a dream.

My plan is to start in early May (tentatively May 5th) in Georgia and finish in Maine under 70 days later. (I'll share my itinerary with anyone interested in meeting up, but I'm not going to post it publicly). Kadra will be joining me for the duration and be my primary support - in many ways I'm sure. I plan to average roughly 50K per day, which sounds sissified to those who are thinking of a speed record, but I have no delusions of even this goal being easy. I know I will suffer (probably significantly). This will undoubtedly be the toughest thing I've ever done, but hopefully also one of the most magnificently fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my life.

Many folks have asked the proverbial question, "WHY?" when they learned of my plans. Although I believe most of the readers of this blog (all two of you!) already get the "why". This has been a dream of mine for many years. I'm not sure when I got this crazy idea in my head, but I would imagine it was somewhat subconsciously put in there by this book (I'm sure Horton is to blame for many such influences). I'm still not sure how to answer the question as to why I would want to do this. To me it's nearly a rhetorical question. My mind quickly jumps to, "why would you NOT want to do to this?"; incapable of grasping the lack of desire for such a quest. In a world so full of daily mundane responsibility and forced mediocrity, people are all too often cajoled into focusing upon things that simply do not matter in the end. I am happy that I have a God-given desire and ability to strive toward an "out of the box" goal that the world simply cannot find justification. When I'm lying on my death-bed, I want the memories of people, love, and beauty in my forebrain instead of work, money, and prestige.

Even now the outside pressures of this adventure are mounting. This will be an extreme financial burden for us making no money for over 70-days, while undoubtedly spending a more-than-normal amount. The saving has started long ago. We plan to do this as inexpensively as possible - camping as much as feasible, and minding our budget. - but this will certainly be a known stress. The time away from work for each of us is also huge hurdle. I am an optometrist in a small rural primary care clinic. Luckily, my employer has been very gracious to give me this time away from work and the patients that I have shared this with have been extremely supportive. I certainly don't get paid the big bucks, but the trade-off is that our office has a laid-back approach that provides me with the flexibility needed to accommodate my lifestyle. I have been blown-away by how supportive everyone has been. For this I am eternally grateful!

The truth of the matter is that I'm never going to be this young, this fit, and this free of responsibilities again. Now is the time to do this and I absolutely psyched for this opportunity. I just can't believe that it is only 6 months away! I plan on using this blog to document and update from the Trail (this was the main purpose for starting it in the first place). I hope for friends to join us along the way to run, simply hang-out, and ultimately join in on the adventure. The adventure is starting now with all the planning. I appreciate any advice or words of wisdom and experience. I'm super excited for this and I look forward to sharing this great journey with everyone!