Two down.....Toughest one to go!

I registered for three 100s this year Starting with Mohican In June, Burning River the last weekend of July and Oil Creek The first weekend of October. With the never ending support of my wife Mary a lot of training and some awesome pacers I was very pleased to have finished the first two without any issues.
Having spent many years hunting in the Allegheny Mountains of PA I was fairly certain that Oil Creek would be my toughest test yet. It did not disappoint.

                           100 mile results - 142 started, 68 finished (48%) and 74 DNF,d (52%) 

 I headed down to Titusville after work Friday and arrived at the Middle School for packet pickup & dinner.
   One of the first people I saw was my friend Eddie Carrig & his wife Suzanne. Saturday was their wedding anniversary and Eddie celebrated to the tune of a 7th overall in the 100k.

It was good to see so many people from NE Ohio representing in PA.
Congratulations to Lee Conner on an awesome 100 miler( 2nd female & 12th  place overall)
Also to Jay Rasch on a great first 100k(13 place overall)

I headed back to the Comfort Inn and checked all my gear for perhaps the 4th time in the last two days.
I was very calm and able to fall asleep by 10:30 or so. My alarm was set to 3:33 am as a tribute to my wife Mary and her(and hopefully mine) lucky #3. Got up and had my typical pre-race breakfast of absolutely nothing. Not that I am nervous or anything I just don't eat before any races.

I was just going to use my car as aid station 4 since it was only 200 yds away from the actual aid station but after much thought I decided to bring a drop bag to the aid station. Smart choice on my part.
Checked in got my Timing chip/strap and waited for the fun to begin. Did anyone else have issues with the timing strap mutilating their ankle? I look like I escaped from a chain gang. My blistering, bloody ankle was the worst physical issue I had.

We started on time and took off into what would prove to be my most mentally challenging run ever.
Due to the dark, wet, rocky, uphill start after the bike path it was a slow go get into anything resembling running. The fact that it was going to be mid 80s with high humidity just reinforced the thought that this was not going to be an "easy" 100. I really believe knowing I would have to run slow to finish made me relax even more and have a fun time for the first 80 miles. Tell ya about the last 20.6 in a bit.

The aid stations were awesomely stocked and the volunteers great.These events are so much more enjoyable with the care, enthusiasm, and encouragement provided by volunteers and observers alike. Thank you all. And thank you Tom Jennings for putting on a first class event!! 

There are two people that made my finishing this one a reality. 
Mary, my wife & best friend that supports,encourages, and just plain makes it easy for me to believe in myself. Without Mary I don't even make it to the start. Love ya babe!!!

Charlie Bolek, without him pacing me the last 39 miles or so I do not finish! End of story!

It was a pretty much uneventful first 2 loops. Had a chance to spend time on the trail with fellow NE Ohio runners Dave Morl and Jim Heun. Both of them left me in their dust at different times. Great race guys. Way to tough it out! I could tell as the race wore on that quite a few people were dropping. My mood was pretty much on an even keel and the only adjustment needed was my realistic finishing time. I was shooting for 28hrs and if conditions were right maybe sub 27. I changed that to sub 30 & maybe 28 if I was lucky.

Got to see my pacer Charlie early at petroleum Center during loop two and was psyched knowing that I would only be running about 17 more miles by myself. He made sure I grabbed my headlamp and nutrition before I left the aid station and then took off for a bite to eat before heading to the Start/finish. I was still having a blast and enjoyed seeing Wild Bill, Tara and a few other familiar faces at the aid stations.

As I said before the aid station volunteers all rocked!!!!!

Met up with Charlie at the start of the 3rd loop and aside from some back ache and occasional right knee twinge I felt fine.Tired of course but ready to do the last 38 especially with Charlie to get me through it. Still not even a concern of finishing. Just if I would be able to break 28 hrs. Even Charlie mentioned that i seemed pretty calm and not overly concerned. That was to change as fatigue and the dark rocky trails prevented me from running as much as I would have liked to. To me the most important lesson I learned at Oil Creek was everything can be going according to plan(modified due to conditions) but a plan none the less and there is still a very realistic chance of not reaching your goal. Looking back on it I believe the extra time due to the challenging conditions started to  really mess with my head before I even realized it. Having a good pacer/friend with you keeps that beast quiet and at bay longer. Charlie made sure I was hydrating, eating, taking my S-caps and kept pointing me in the right direction. We had some good conversations and I am thankful that I was able to get out of my own head. Then just like that I couldn't! We had left the Petroleum Center aid station for the last time and all systems were still go. That lasted about to the top of I believe It was called Heisman Hill.I started not wanting to talk and withdrawing inward as my brain kept questioning the sanity of my quest. Let the mind games begin!

Charlie kept my spirits up as best he could and made sure I was doing alright.
Looking back on it i believe my answers to how I was feeling kept getting more & more cryptic.
Like "Well if I had been sitting on my couch all day not good but since I have been on the trails all day I guess I am fine". Or just "Feel like someone who has been up for the last 24 hrs on the rocky, wet, hilly trails".

By the time we were 1/2 way to aid station three I was having a full blown discussion in my head between the angel on my left shoulder and the devil on my right.You know "F it just drop".."no Michael don't" I could hardly hear what Charlie was saying and I am pretty sure my answers were not very audible or encouraging to Charlie. I had this "Animal House" battle for the next couple hours and as we approached the aid station I knew I would end my internal battle within the next 10 minutes.

Seeing Katie Hoban Peterson and her pacer Anne McClain coming into the aid station tipped that decision in the right direction. Two remarkable runners with stories that make my decision to drop or not seem pretty insignificant. Knowing a little of what these two had to go through to get to  where they were made me realize I was just whining and I better stop and get my "boys" back.

Sat in the chair ate some potatoes and drank some ginger-ale and after about 10 minutes I looked up at Charlie and told him I was going for it. I then  grabbed the BEST cup of coffee I ever had and knew barring injury I was finishing this!

Just like that the mind game was over and I new I was going to be 3 for 3 in 100s in 2013.
Charlie, Anne, Katie and me left the aid station together with a couple other runners and started up the steps of Cemetery Hill. Katie was apologizing for making noises with every step but said that it helps her. I said it was like tennis players grunting during return shots and not to worry about it we all do what we need to do to keep moving forward. At the top of the hill there was a runable stretch and the two guys with us went for it and I explained I was not going to risk a drop of coffee on something as silly as trying to run. Turns out the four of us caught up to the other two because a bear decided to get in their way. Anne was having none of this and started making noise and we didn't catch any reflections of bear eyes in our lights so we went on.

Remember you don't have to be faster than the bear...just faster than the slowest runner :-)

Between the mind games being over, coffee and bear I was pretty rejuvenated and took off at a good clip on the next runable sections.

Charlie was great company throughout and we took turns taking the lead and setting the pace.
Thankfully we had an uneventful time making our way back to the start/finish to do the "Going Home Loop". I had mentioned to Charlie I didn't want to spend much time at the aid station before heading out for the final 7.75 mile loop. Hydration & nutrition were never an issue so I had just a little of each at the aid station. Charlie went into the school for a minute and someone I won't mention "Wild Bill Wagner" hinted that I should get moving and in my fragile state of mind "wink wink" I decided to bolt out for the last loop before Charlie came back out. I think Bill was giving him some guff about losing track of his runner or something like that. All in good fun!!
 Looked over my shoulder and Charlie was approaching with a smile on his face knowing that if I am joking around I am doing just fine. As we headed out I saw Dave Morl along with his pacer Zack Johnson about 1/2 mile from the finish. Great job Dave!

It felt really good doing that last loop and being able to talk to Charlie about what it takes to make it to the finish.
He finished Burning River 100 at the end of July after not making it in 2012. A finish well earned Charlie!
I was also the third person he had paced at Oil Creek and it was a  good feeling knowing I had such a determined runner and friend beside me as I finished my last and toughest 100 of the year.

In search of a PR @ BR

  Not sure where to start.
 Why not start with the end of the story which is just a small part of the entire experience.

 This adventure started about 24 hrs after last years BR100 when I decided that I would love to "race" it instead of just running to finish it. My training was complete as I have run seven 50ks, Not Yo Mamas 50 miler, The Pilot Mountain Marathon in the woods of North Carolina, Mohican 100, and the Cleveland Marathon since the beginning of January.

 Appx 300 people were signed up but not sure how many actually started.
I finished in 25 hrs 8 mins 12 secs. Good enough for 59th place and  3 1/2 hrs faster than last years race and just under 2hrs faster than my PR at Mohican 100 in June.

 I had the full support of my number one cheerleader, best friend & wife Mary. I was going to say I was only running this race with just pacers and no crew but my pacers and their spouses, except for Kirsten who is sans spouse were my crew! This group was the only reason I was able to finish this in the time I did and most likely the  only reason I was able to finish at all.
Mary, Mike, Kirsten, Bert, Beth, and Donna rock!!!

 The Drop bags were taken to Hudson and I was officially bib #1550. Great to run into so many people at packet pick up including Jason, George, and Keith who came down from Ontario and I had the pleasure of seeing at the Mohican 100.

  I got to see Joe, Vince, and Jim who are the organizers of this adventure. Nice seeing some of the volunteers also. These people are the only reason this race happens.
 It is now 3am  Saturday morning and I have quadruple checked that I have everything in order.
Mary has to be in Columbus on business this weekend so I give her a kiss good by and she tells me to "kill it". She has never said that to me before a race but those two words would  make a huge difference in the outcome!

  I head out to what seems to be a perfect morning for a race of this distance. Bert is going to drop me off at the start and take my car home until he gets the call late that night or early Sunday morning that it is time to come down to Cuyahoga Falls and get me to the finish line. His wife Donna drives in her car so Bert can park my car at the finish and get a ride to the Howe Meadow aid station to begin pacing me the last 15 miles. We arrive at Squires Castle in North Chagrin Reservation just before  the buses bringing racers up from the finish area. They have most likely been up since 2am and will be for countless more.                    

 I see Johnathon, Tim and His wife Debi, Jason, George, Duane, Keith and the recently( as in less than 12 hrs ago) married CJ and Larry who is wearing a "just married and already running" sign on his back.
He drew the line at cans hanging from strings off his legs.
 If I mentioned the names of everyone I saw at the start I would be in danger of carpel tunnel. Although some would finish and some would not everyone lining up is a winner in my book!

 There is excitement, tension, apprehension, and anticipation is in the air as we wait for the 5am start.
It begins with a 6 mile loop that takes us back to the castle. I run the trails here probably 3 times a week but can't seem to make it back to the castle without falling. Once last year twice this year. The falls scraped up my knees and hands pretty good but the realization that the only way I scrape up both hands is to have left my handheld water bottle in my car. Rookie mistake #1 for the day. Luckily it would prove to have no effect on the outcome due to help from  friends Thanks Brooke and C.J.

  I hit River Road which is a fairly straight shot south and  will be on it for about 12 miles. I pass a few people and  people pass me. Most everyone is still chipper and exchanging pleasantries. Nothing like the start of an adventure while you still have only positive thoughts in your mind. I spend time daydreaming of how the finish is going to be and how i will be running this race like a champion. The thought that I still have 90 plus miles and at least 23 more hours never creeps into my mind.

 The reality of what we all are attempting hits rather quickly as I come upon Kieth again who is trying to complete the third leg of the Midwest Slam and local runner Dave Morl. They are looking at the swelling in Dave's ankle underneath his calf sleeve. He had injured it at mile two. I find out much later in the race that Dave actually had fractured his ankle in 2 places. Did I mention he didn't drop until mile 46. Seriously a Badass runner!  Heal quickly Dave.

 In these long races I try not to spend too much time at the earlier aid stations because you can add serious hours to your finish. This is hard sometimes because since we are on my "home" turf  I know most everyone there and would love to chat with them. At the second aid station I am forced by a sadistic volunteer who shall remain nameless(Des Cowie) to have my dirt filled, bloody knees and hands cleaned out with straight alcohol. Thanks Des you knew best.

 Luckily the next few hours were uneventful and I had settled into my pace. The rain that started to fall and hung around for most of the day was not really a bad thing given the humidity. For some reason even though I was hydrating well and eating the usual amounts of Pb&J, watermelon and a few other assorted carbs I started to feel a bit lightheaded a couple miles out from the Ottawa Point aid station at mile 46.4 By the time I reached the station I felt like crap. When I explained how I felt Rachel Nypaver who was one of the volunteers and a very accomplished trail runner said that the best thing I could do was take in more calories and hang for ten minutes or so to give my body a chance to reap the benefits of the food. I am smart enough to listen to people that know what they are talking about. I wouldn't be surprised if that ten minutes saved me at least an hour off my finish time.

 I would need all of that strength to get me to Snowville road because that rained I enjoyed turned the next section into what I have heard described as a "mud pit" a "bog" and a few other choice words. I was pretty sure we would be encountering another section like this much later in the race. I was not disappointed.

 I reached Snowville rd aid station which is the unofficial 1/2 way point around 3:30. I was happy to get into Boston store and Pick up a friend of mine Kirsten Dickerson who would be the first of my babysitters, I mean pacers. In hind sight I should have known I wasn't eating or hydrating enough,especially for the few aid stations that were a little further apart. That was rookie mistake #2 but Kirsten was very good about showing me how low the water level in her bottle was and that mine should be much lower than it was. Having pacers for this years race would prove to be invaluable.

 By the time we arrived at The Ledges around mile 66 I was in pretty bad shape due to the fact that even though I was properly hydrating I still was not eating enough for the longer mileage between Pine Lane & the ledges. I did manage to jump and smile for a photo op though! My next pacer Mike Shaughnessy who would be taking over at Pine Lane and his wife Beth could tell by the length it took me to answer simple questions that I needed extra food now or Mike may be looking for someone else to pace. Fortunately I have been in these funks before so I never thought of dropping. If you properly take care of the issue in a timely fashion these funks will pass if not your done!  We left out of The ledges and headed to Pine Hollow. I was kidding about how I was looking forward to "Salt Walk". Not a great attitude to have. Not too long after leaving I was feeling strong again and Kirsten got a first hand look at the difference proper caloric intake makes. I thought of How My wife Mary's first trail run in CVNP was on her birthday getaway  a couple months ago and the first trail she did was Salt Run at midday and temps. in the mid 80s. The last words she said to me as I was leaving at for the start at 4am rang like a bell in my head... "Kill It"             Salt Run be damned I was starting to think I may be able to break 24hrs if everything went right.

  Mike was now taking over and the plan was to call Bert and let him know my status so he could drive down From Eastlake and pace me the last 15 miles. Great plan if only I would have remembered while we were on top of the hill and still getting a cell phone signal. Oh well live and learn. I felt stronger in the 16 miles I ran with Mike than I had in quite some time. My energy was back to 100%. I believe from mile 70 to the finish I moved up about 25 places in the standings. Nothing like one tough Irishman to keep me moving.
If you want to know about toughness and looking adversity straight in the without blinking talk to Mike he is another one of those people that have the mental strength that I am striving for. I had some really good stretches of running all the way to the covered bridge aid station. It was great to see Dawn & Jay and other running friends at mile 80.

  My thought of a sub 24hr finish vanished on the famed Perkins loop. That happens to be the only loop(6x) of the Bills Badass 50k. I know someone that ran BR and posted that he is giving his spot up in BBA 50K because he want's nothing to to with the Perkins Loop anymore.
As if  this part isn't tough enough due to the terrain alone and the fact that you have been on your feet for 80+ miles and all the rain turned parts of the trail into shoe sucking, life draining, mashed potato like hell. God I can't wait to do BBA!!!  It was difficult to get any long runs due to the hills and trail conditions so I gave up on 24 and wanted to finish in my 2nd goal of sub 26hrs. 1st goal  is to just finish and my "If conditions are right and the stars are aligned properly" goal was sub 24hrs which I think was a pretty good attainable goal

  We were able to reach Bert on the phone in plenty of time for him to drive down and meet me at Howe Meadow and see me to the end of my journey. I also saw my friend Michelle who was waiting on our friend Charlie Bolek. Congratulations Charlie on your first 100 finish. Rookie mistake #3 was not letting my pacers know if there was anything special I needed out of my drop bags.I wanted to put Ensure in my little bottles starting at the Ledges but completely forgot as I did at Howe Meadow also. As Mary has told me countless times "make a list". I will next year I promise. Bert had asked me earlier in the week if there was anything special I wanted at Howe Meadow? Mushroom pizza was my reply. I will be damned if he didn't bring me mushroom pizza that he made himself! That is going way beyond the call of duty. Awesome!!!

  After pizza I changed socks & shoes and put on a dry long sleeved zipper shirt. A shot of deodorant, cologne and mouthwash, yes George mouthwash and I was ready to end this with a bang.

 I have run with Bert many times and that was a very big reason it looked like a would achieve my sub 26.
He is one of those people that make you a better runner without trying to. It also helps that we have become friends over these last couple of years. We left Howe Meadow and pretty much had a thankfully uneventful last 15 miles. There were times when I would take a short walking break in spots that I would normally run but for the most part I left it all out there on the trail. I was also pleased that Bert heard the coyotes howling too and it wasn't in my head.Unless of course he was having sympathy hallucinations. So with the companionship and encouragement of Mr. Crooks I was able to run the majority of the last 15 miles including all of the last 3 miles except for about a 100 yard break I took before tackling the road up the hill to the finish. When I was finally able to see the finish line and time clock I felt a quiet sense of accomplishment. When I crossed the line and looked at the time I said to myself "You were right babe, I killed it"! The PR @ BR was now a reality.

 I am a little confused because even well before the race I told everyone I am looking forward to pacing someone next year rather than run it again. I even said that to Kirsten, Mike, & Bert during and after the race. So tell me why I am already thinking about what I can do to shave another 1hr 8mins 13 seconds off this years time?

A little over two months until Oil Creek 100!

See you on a trail somewhere I hope.

Mohican Adventure

I meant to have this done last week but somehow my first attempt at a blog is taking more time than I thought.

I was going to write about the "just completed" Mohican 100. But since it was almost two weeks ago I will say this much. Congratulations to everyone that toed the line regardless of distance and if and how fast you finished. To see so many friends and fellow runners made it worth the trip regardless of the outcome

I was fortunate enough to avoid any major "trailments" to finish in a respectable time of 26hrs57min59sec. I was told appx. 160 people started the 100 miler and of the 98 finishers I was 34th. I owe that finish to my pacer and friend Segev Phillips. Thank you Segev. Your companionship, encouragement, and guidance were priceless.

Worth the Effort!

I do want to wish everyone running, pacing or crewing at Western States this weekend the best of luck.
It looks like NE Ohio is going to be well represented. Safe travels everyone!!!
As I get more comfortable writing about my trials and tribulations on the trails I will be a little more consistent in my reporting of events regarding the NE Ohio trail running community.

Run Happy & Run Hard...........Mike