Flooded Trails at First Landing State Park
Last weekend I ran at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. It would have been a non-eventful autumn day with temps in the mid 50s and an overcast sky, except it had rained a lot in the previous week. This rain combined with a higher than usual tide led to some major flooding on low lying sections of the trail. Check out this video to see what I mean!
The Importance of Warming Up
Jack
I have heard it said that a dog can teach you many things and over the weekend my 1 year old yellow lab Jack taught me a valuable running lesson on the importance of warming up. Jack is a puppy stuck in an adult dogs body. Since he will turn one on Halloween and it has not been humid and hot I have decided to take him on some short slow runs. These runs normally occur at the beginning of a workout.
This weekend called me to run back to back 3 hour runs.
Saturday Morning: My legs were sore and tired from running hard last weekend in the mountains and the kettlebell workout I did on Friday afternoon. I headed my local state park and started off on the 1.7 mile paved trail up into the park. I started way too fast and before I knew it I was sweating up a storm and had a little touch of blurred vision. I quickly slowed up, but the damage was done. The rest of the run was horrible as I walked for long stretches and ran intermittently. After an 75 minutes of this run some walk a lot pattern I finally pulled together and managed 8 ok miles of running. With my next race only 5 weeks away and the training I have been putting in I was just a little concerned about this run and my confidence took a hit. How could I run so well the previous Sunday and so poorly today? How would I run the second part of this back to back weekend?
SIgnal Knob Loop
Last Sunday I ran a 15 mile loop in the Massanutten Mountains. I had run some of these trails before, but some of it was new or in a new direction. This loop turned out to be around 15 miles. I started at Elizabeth Furnace and ran up the Tuscarora Trail to Meneka Peak. Then I headed over to the Massanutten Trail on the connector trail. It was pretty foggy so the view were non-impressive, but this trail was brutally rocky. Maybe the rockiest trail I have experienced in this region (which is saying a LOT for Massanutten). After I hit Signal Knob I ran down the Massanutten Trail to Mud Hole Gap. I took this trail back to the car. The first 5 miles of this run took the same amount of time as the last 10. This was due to a combination of elevation change, but more because of the rocky terrain.
Signal Knob Fog from Justus Stull on Vimeo.
The highlight of the trip was watching the fog roll over the mountain and the 2 bear sightings. The first sighting took place near Signal Knob. I had just talked to some hikers and was only a minute down the trail when I heard something and looked off the trail. No more than 30 feet off the trail was a black bear 15 feet up a tree. We made eye contact and he charged down the tree. At this point I started to yell, hoping to scare it into running away. Luckily when it bottomed out of the tree it headed down the mountain away from me, but in the general direction I was heading. The second sighting occurred half way down Mud Hole Gap. A cub crossed the trail 20 feet in front of me. He got 30 or 40 feet off the trail and stopped to have a look at me. I quickly assessed the situation to make sure he did not have a sibling or his mother with him and went for my camera. By the time I got it out he was gone. Not more than 2 minutes later I ran across a couple with 2 dogs. I told them to watch out for him and was on my way.
Rhine River Run
I was recently in Bonn Germany and had a great run along the Rhine river.
Running along the Rhine river in Bonn, Germany from Justus Stull on Vimeo.
Promise Land 50K 2009 Race Report
As I was driving to Promise Land Friday afternoon I pondered how far I had come in a short period of time. One year prior I had only one ultra under my belt (2008 Holiday Lake) and was really wondering if I would be able to make the cutoff time and finish. The elevation profile had scared me and I had contemplated not running the race for fear of failure. Now I was not thinking about finishing, but how much time I could shave off last years time. My only concern was the weather forecast, HOT HOT and more HOT.
I pulled into the camp around six and set up my tent at the bottom of the field by the stream. What a great spot to camp. I went to check in, got some pizza, and talked to some friends that I have not seen since past races. After the pre-race brief I crawled into my tent, made final preparations for the morning, set my alarm, and was off to sleep. I slept pretty well and was up before the alarm went off at 4:40. I walked to the start while eating pop tarts and drinking mountain dew, ready for this adventure to begin.
We sang the national anthem and were off. I forgot how steep the road section was and after a mile or so was walking with a pack of runners. As we reached the first aid station and hit the trail I was warmed up and ready to go. I remember running a great deal more of this section than last year. I hit the turn at the top of the mountain in 1:06 and was off down the hill. I ran pretty hard on this section, including running some of the moderate hills. I heard the water rushing below and knew that I was near needed aid. I had only brought one bottle on the course and wished I had two as I found the bottle dry numerous times during the day.
The climb up Apple Orchard Mountain was pretty uneventful. I talked to a gentleman from Michigan about races in the mid west. At the top I found out that I am a slow downhill runner. All the people around me opened up a large gap running down the road. I could also see people behind me closing the gap. The trend of being passed on the downs and passing on the ups continued throughout the day.
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The next section of the race is rocky single track. It was made difficult by the loose softball size boulders littering the trail. I managed to only lose a little ground to the faster down hill runners. I stopped at one point to clean out my shoes. They were full of rocks from the road at the beginning of the race. At the second river crossing a lady fell in up to here knees as she tried to cross on some large boulders on the downstream side of the crossing. Then it happened, the road section that I hate! I ran down it and finally made it back onto the trail. After a short section I had come frozen lemonade and was off again.
After a little more road I was back onto the grassy surface. I ran over the rolling hills and finally down the hill to the aid station. It was time to climb. The sign said 3 miles, but I believe it is more like 3.5 to 4 miles up. I climbed hard and was really focused for this part of the race. I passed a few people and saw some runners sitting along the trail who were clearly suffering. I dipped my head and back into the cool water and felt like a new man. After the climb I knew I was almost done.
I pushed hard down the hills towards the finish. The road was as brutal as last year and I suffered my way down it. I forced myself to run down as the sun heated up the earth. It was hot, but I knew I was almost done. As I hit the one mile stripe I pushed a little harder and finally made the right turn into camp and sprinted down the hill to the finish. Another Ultra in the books.
This was a great race and I really enjoyed it. Promise Land is a great event and I recommend it to any runner. I want to thank Dr. Horton for putting on the race, all the volunteers for their hard work, and David's family for cooking up all that good food at the end of the race. Hamburgers and fruit never tasted so good! This race has a special place in my heart and surely I will be back to test my physical and mental ability against those mountains for many years to come.
Oh, in the end the climb up Apple Orchard Falls was not that bad, and I beat last years time by 51 minutes. Hopefully I can knock another 51 off next year.
Laurel Highlands Ultra 2008 Fact Sheet
- Temp: 60 - 70
- Weather: Rained for 12 hours straight, heavy at times
- Weight: 183 lbs. pre taper and eat week
- Health: It all feels good going in
- Trail Conditions: Course was wet before it rained, very wet and muddy afterward, my feet were wet for all but miles 19 - 23, I changed shoes at 19 and it started to pour at 23
- Injuries: I fell once - it did not hurt anything
- IT Bands - Both knees hurt when running down hill in the middle miles, this went away, I took advil and did not run so much, did not hurt at all after race
- Left Ankle - hurt from wearing hardrocks, not to bad in race unless I landed awkward on it, really hurt next day - I was on crutches until wed after race
- Blister on the heel of right foot - hardrocks (maybe, new socks could have also caused it)
- Feet - as beat up and sore as to be expected
- Toenails - right big one is very black and sore, I may end up losing it soon
- Overall soreness - very sore for 2 days, muscles felt ok after that
- Fatigue - Very tired entire week after the race, still tired 8 days out
- Equipment - ASR4s and injini toe socks rock - I wore these for majority of the miles with soaked feet and no blisters, this is the winning combination from now on. I love this combo
- Food - Shot block every 10 minutes for the entire race - 200 cals per hour + gator and some food from aid stations
- Hydration - 2 to 3 nuuns every 8 miles, carried hpl 020 for entire race and one hand bottle for 40 miles or so, could have got buy with just hpl 020 I think and nuun
- Lights - Petzil tikka headlamp (sucked) and princeton tech led hand light (rocked
Laurel Highlands Ultra Race Report
The Laurel Highlands Ultra is a 70.5 trail race that takes place on the Laurel Highlands Trail. The trail's southern terminus is located in Ohiopyle, PA, with the north end completing just outside of Johnstown, PA. The trail is single track for all but 1 mile that follows an old dirt road. It runs across the top of the Laurel Ridge in the Appalachian Mountains. Its highest point is located at Seven Springs Ski Resort.
This race had been my focus since reading the book Ultra Marathon Man. I had just run a poor race at the Rock and Roll Half Marathon and was pretty down on running. I had no desire to run any distance over the half. I was in Barnes and Noble one day and picked up The Book. It changed my life and after reading it I decided to run the Laurel Highlands Ultra. I trained hard and ran 2 50Ks in preparation. I, like many others had my life changed by ultra running and Ultra Marathon Man was the catalyst that started the fire burning.
Continue reading Laurel Highlands Ultra Race Report
The Friday before the race Kathy and I headed to her Moms house to meet up with my brother in law who would also complete the race. We arrived and I prepared for the day ahead. Luckily my Dad and Kathy were going to crew me and I gave them last minute instructions and directions to the areas they could meet up with me to lend moral , equipment, and nutritional support.
Laurel Highlands Ultra 2008 Race Report Preview
The Laurel Highlands Ultra is a grueling 70.5 mile ultra-marathon. The race takes place in SouthWest Pennsylvania along the Laurel Highlands trail. The course consists of rocky, rooty, hilly, muddy single track for 95%, with one small 1 mile section on a dirt road with pot holes large enough to swallow up a Jeep. For some reason I ran this race last weekend. I finished in 21:43. I have a new respect for this trail that I grew up backpacking on. I am going to post a full up race report soon. I promise......
2008 Promise Land 50K Race Report
How I arrived at Promise Land
How did I arrive at the start of the 2008 Promise Land 50K? I was pondering this question as a drove home after finishing the race. The short answer is that I drove to the Promise Land Youth Camp on Friday afternoon, but that is not how I arrived. It all started back in September of last year when I read Dean Karnazes book “Ultra Marathon Man”. I know it sounds like a corny movie script, but that book ignited something off deep inside of me. Up to this point I was a 2 hour 1/2 marathon runner. I had always loved backpacking and hiking in the mountains so this Ultra Marathon thing seemed like it would be a good fit for me.
Continue reading 2008 Promise Land 50K Race Report
24 Miles At First Landing
I ran at First Landing on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and I had a great run. The run was highlighted by a spirited sprint the last 2 miles as I was using another runner who had passed me as a pacer. This day was completely different than last week. The weather was perfect and I saw a lot of squirrels and birds in the forest. I was listening to a Steve Runner on the Phedippidations podcast talk about "who do you run for". I have been thinking a lot about that lately. Who do you run for?
Weekly Total: 38 Miles 3 Week Running Average Mileage: 32 Miles
Plans: We are going to Pennsylvania for Easter. I am planning on running the first 20 to 30 miles of the Laurel Highlands trail one day and the last 10 in the dark another day.
