Sylamore 50K

Let me preface this race report by pointing out that I do not fancy myself a writer nor do I believe that my life is so engaging that you must know about it.  I have written this race report because I am a geek who scours the web reading every race report that I can find and I love to read them.  That is the motivation for this report.  To feed the appetite of other trail running geeks out there just like me.  That being said, enjoy.

The alarm arbitrarily sounded at 5 AM on Saturday morning as I was already awake.  I had spent the previous night toiling in sleepless limbo and soaked in the tension of pre-race jitters.  These are the nights that I live for.  I stumbled downstairs to begin the race morning routine of coffee, oatmeal and a warm shower.  Stacey and the rest of my crew were shortly awake as well and anxious to get the day (and more importantly the Sylamore 50K) started.

We arrived at the start/finish about 30 minutes before the race start.  I had already taken my usual VESPA 15 minutes prior and continued to stay hydrated with water and HEED.  I welcomed the opportunity to visit with family and friends before the start and have a few laughs.

Enjoying some banter before heading to the starting line.

Those of us running 50K ambled over to the starting line shortly before the 7 AM start and were all more than ready to get going.  The presence of Dave Riddle on the starting line meant that the real race in 2011 would be for second place.  It was no secret that he had come to Sylamore to break the course record and that's exactly what he did.  More on that later.

The starting line.

The pre-race briefing lasted all of 45 seconds and we were off.  A group of 4-5 of us immediately separated from the field and made the climb up the road to the trail head.  I tucked in behind Riddle, Ben Creehan and Tom Brennan through the first mile in 7:07.  We made the infamous creek crossing and quickly found ourselves on some sweet Sylamore singletrack.  The group of four fell into a rhythm and we covered ground with relative ease.  Passing beneath monolith rock formations formed by years of water flowing provided a humbling comfort and perspective during the early minutes of racing.  The aforementioned creek crossing caused BOTH of my shoes to come untied about 3 miles in.  I stopped to tie them both and immediately lost contact with the leaders.  I felt no anxiety whatsoever over this as it allowed me to settle into my own pace and just relax.  I think I may have relaxed a bit too much.  Taking in the beauty of Sylamore Creek, my right foot caught a rock and I went down hard just before approaching the Blanchard Springs aid station.  I hit my left patellar tendon hard and was quite upset about it.  I rolled into the aid station and barely acknowledged my crew because of my frustration.  No excuse to be a punk.  I still feel bad about letting something so insignificant get to me like the fall did.

Whining to Ben about my left knee.

I immediately began the climb out of Blanchard Springs and towards Gunner Pool.  Kevin Leathers was taking pictures at the base of the climb and offered some words of encouragement that forced me to almost immediately leave behind the anxieties created by an aching knee.  Thanks Kevin!  After topping out on the climb I took advantage of the flat section along the ridge and picked up the pace a bit.  The descent back down towards the creek provided the opportunity to let loose a bit and increase the pace even more.  I arrived at Gunner Pool in good time and immediately apologized to my crew (particularly Ben!) for letting the knee incident get to me.  Of course, no one had thought anything of it.  I grabbed another gel from Ben and topped off my bottle and was on my way.  On the road out of Gunner Pool I saw Billy Simpson who offered up some words and got me fired up.  I felt like I was floating as the course returned to singletrack and headed towards the turn-around at Barkshed.

Trail Map.

The section of trail between Gunner Pool and Barkshed is technical early and then transitions into a rollercoaster of beautiful, runnable Ozark singletrack.  I saw Dave Riddle on his way back sooner than I had expected.  We exchanged pleasantries and he was gone.  He was absolutely flying!  I spent the next few minutes just trying to process how fast he was actually running on that course.  As I approached the last section into Barkshed, I passed Ben Creehan on his way back.  He looked strong and was several minutes ahead of me.  Shortly thereafter, I passed Tom Brennan on his back as well.  I realized that I might be able to catch him in the second half of the race.  I was feeling strong and staying on top of my nutrition and hydration really well.  Ben and Stacey were waiting at Barkshed and filled me in on time gaps as I had no idea.  I tend to get lost in the run and really don't pay attention to those details.  Brennan was a couple minutes up on me and Creehan had about 6 minutes.  Dave Riddle was in the next county at that point.

Headed back towards home.

The lower half of my body started to feel the effects of 16 trail miles as I made the turn and headed back towards Gunner Pool.  I was surprised at how much time passed before I saw the 5th runner on his way to the turn.  The out and back format of the course did provide some distraction at this point in the race as I passed many familiar faces.  I passed along encouragement to all and received encouragement from all as well.  Trail runners sure are a great group of folks!  I settled into a comfortable pace and arrived at Gunner Pool in what seemed like no time at all.  As I popped out onto the road, Stacey informed me that Brennan was right up the road and that Creehan was still about 5 minutes up on me.  I flashed her a smile and headed up the road towards the aid station.  It was awesome to pass my mother-in-law Cathy, my two girls, Eleanor and Myra and our friend Rebecca on the road.  It's amazing what seeing some folks who mean so much to you can do for your morale.  I refilled my bottle at the aid station and grabbed another gel from Ben.  I caught a glimpse of Brennan headed into the woods.

On the road at Gunner Pool.

I entered the singletrack section and happened upon Brennan much sooner than expected.  He is an exceptional runner who has won this race more than once.  That being said, he could not have been any nicer about me passing.  He came to a complete stop and gave me trail.  He also offered up some words and a huge smile.  What a guy!  I continued on the way back to Blanchard Springs with a renewed pep in my step upon moving into third place.  The race also includes a 25K option that starts one hour after the 50K start.  As I climbed back up to the ridge I began to see quite a few 25K folks out on the trails.  Just as the 50K folks had given me some energy earlier, the 25K runners did as well.  Again, I saw a lot of familiar faces and was really enjoying experiencing all of the camaraderie out there on the trail.  The descent into Blanchard Springs was an absolute blast.  I am normally a bit skittish on descents but decided to really just let go on this section.  It was so much fun!  I seriously felt like a kid again!

Enjoying the descent into Blanchard Springs.

The second trip into Blanchard Springs proved to be much better than the first time I had been through.  I was in great spirits, the legs felt awesome, and I was having way too much fun.  I hit the aid station and then Stacey informed me that I was now only 3 minutes out of second place.  I grabbed my last gel and hit the last section towards the finish line.  I started to feel that maybe I could actually catch second place and began to try and make myself a bit more uncomfortable and push the pace.  This five mile section is the most technical on the course and made my attempts at increasing the pace really difficult.  I simply do not have the opportunity to train on technical trails and definitely could tell on this section after having run 26 miles.  I continued to pass 25K runners and the kind words kept me moving forward.  Finally, I began the descent to the creek crossing that would mark just over a mile left to go.  As I entered the ice cold creek, I noticed Creehan only about 45 seconds to a minute in front of me.  Ben Creehan is quite the runner and to see him this close got me fired up!  I began to chase but he dug deep and responded.  The climb towards the road proved easier for Creehan than me to navigate.  He ran up with relative ease and I had to walk the last pitch to the top.  My friends Tommy and Taylor were at the top of the hill and going absolutely nuts.  I was now only 40 seconds down with .75 mile to go.  Not exactly what you want a 50K trail race to come down to.  I let loose on the downhill road section to the finish.  I ran with all that I could and was gaining ground on Creehan the entire descent.  My efforts proved futile.  Creehan finished 20 seconds ahead of me for second place.  He had an absolutely awesome run and put it out there to keep his second place.  Dave Riddle won in a course record time of 3:31!  Ridiculous.  Creehan and I were 40 minutes back in 4:12.  Quite the deficit.

Almost finished.

   
It was a great day on some beautiful Ozark trails.  I'm certainly pleased with the race and am looking forward to the rest of 2011.  I have to thank my lovely wife Stacey for making all of this even possible by being so unbelievably supportive.  My family and friends really are a huge part of me being able to do what I love so much.  I also want to thank my coach, Ian Torrence.  We've been working together for a year now and he's been a huge asset to my running.  Thanks bro!

I also want to say thanks to everyone who actually read this.  I don't know about you, but I need a beer now.

Stacey and I

Our crew:  Rebecca and Ben Knoernschild, Cathy Jobe, and Eleanor and Myra Boswell

Explanation

"The longest absence is less perilous to love than the terrible trials of incessant proximity."

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Absence Makes The Heart Atrophy

Hey to all of you out there still reluctantly checking my blog looking for an updated post. I do apologize for my lack of conviction in maintaining some sort of consistency in posting to this blog. I'm so impressed with those individuals out there who have the capacity to provide continued posts to their blogs. I am quite positive that I represent most who have great intentions and a romantic notion of what their blog will be. Again, I apologize for the seemingly endless hiatus.

The last several months, and especially weeks, have been shadowed with anticipation and preparation for the coming baby. Stacey and I have had a wonderful time planning for the arrival of our child. My wife and I have an amazing relationship and have always been enamored with each other, but I feel like the reality of becoming a more realized family has certainly created an even more intense love and admiration for each other. The thought of Stacey as a mother warms my heart more than you can imagine. She is such a beautiful person who is able to love so completely. Our child is certainly blessed to have such a mother. The house preparations are basically complete and the nursery is quite cute if you ask me. It is a sobering feeling when baby paraphernalia begins to crop up around your home. High chairs, bouncy seats and strollers definitely signal a new chapter in your life. I am excited, anxious, nervous and scared-to-death about the arrival of the baby. Our due date is August 12th, so we are in the final countdown. I posted an ultrasound pic earlier this year so I believe it is only appropriate to show you all the progress that we've made. The following is a 3D Ultrasound pic of the monkey:



The baby looks just like Stacey as a baby in the 3D Ultrasound pics. Lucky little monkey. Dad's a bit goofy looking. The outpouring of love from family and friends throughout this experience has been staggering. Stacey and I both fully realize how wonderful it is to have such awesome folks in our life. This child will not want for love, that's for sure.

In the meantime, Stacey is hanging out at home and resting up for the baby. We have to keep her distracted as to prevent her from getting so bored she could cry. So far, so good. Thank you all for reading. All three of you. Hopefully I'll be posting some big news soon. Until then, stay clean and keep the dream.

Take care,

Feb

A Life Lived...

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life..." Henry David Thoreau, Walden

I'm sure that most of you reading are familiar with the preceding passage from Thoreau. So many of us have often romanticized of Thoreau's experiences and oft wished to emulate them. There is a want inherent in each and every one of us to escape the confines of life and just live simply. Thoreau, often seen as the father of simplicity, also wrote the words "Simplify, simplify, simplify!". My good friend Eric Flanders and I often joke that just one simplify would have been suffice. The very act of stating simplify three times is an act of complexity. We'll save that conversation for another day. The contents of Walden have, since its writing, been the very core of many pilgrimages by peoples, both young and old, to distance themselves by escaping to nature and living out a true existence. The rationalization often sounds something like this, "He moved to the woods and lived in a simple cabin in order to find himself. That is so awesome!"

The reality of Thoreau's Walden experience is sobering and equally invigorating. Thoreau's cabin was located only one mile from the family home. Thoreau often had visitors and immensely enjoyed the company of others. His isolation was never real in the sense that we often try to think. Thoreau's isolation was symbolic and representative of his attempt to meet his real self. He understood the importance and necessity of human interaction. Thoreau also recognized the need to separate one's self from the distractions of government, society, religion, and culture. These ideas in themselves are not necessarily evils, but at the hands of contemporary culture, they are indeed forces to be reckoned with. Thoreau's example teaches that within the larger framework of life in Western culture, through introspection and relationships, we are able to create a better understanding for and of ourselves and more importantly for and of the world around us.

I think it is important to note that Thoreau's quest, like any, began with a decision. I recently heard it said that one of the most vital components of success is the making of a decision. Choice. Success is measured in as many ways as there are stars, but the catalyst remains the same, a decision. I'm reminded of one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost, and his timeless poem The Road Not Taken.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

Frost's decision at the onset on the poem ultimately leads to a satisfaction found in his making the most relevant choice for his situation. Like Thoreau, Frost doesn't allow modern convention to influence his decision. The choice is made outside of the constraints of government, society, religion, and culture. Frost, like Thoreau, realized the importance of realizing the self but in his personal life realized the impact of relationships in understanding one's self. The ideologies set forth by these authors has made a tremendous impression on me this week. The meshing of seeking understanding through self actualization and through relationships is an idea that we often take for granted.

If you are still with me at this point, thanks for hearing me out. This has definitely been an exercise in thinking out loud. The point I'm trying to make in all this is the essential nature of seeking personal understanding through the filter of yourself and others. Isolation is simply not an option. I often find myself considering that as an option in trying to understand the larger picture. The challenge I'm presenting to myself is to be conscious of the moments that provide a glimpse into a deeper understanding of human nature within myself and more importantly through relationships. I'm resolving to choose to work towards a better "right now" through simplifying and getting back to the focus on human relationships.

I hope this post finds you all well and having a wonderful day. Please let me know what you're thinking. About anything. I look forward to talking to you all.

Take care,
Feb

By the way, I felt my first kick Tuesday night. I can't even begin to explain the enormity of that moment. I am truly a blessed man.

A Picture Is Worth...

I believe I grossly underestimated my ability to maintain a frequency worthy of return visits to my blog. This is significantly more difficult than I realized. With every idea for a blog post comes the fear of simply becoming another guy posting the mundane musings of his life for all to be bored by. I then remember how much I personally enjoy reading others' blogs and the cycle continues. I guess one man's mundane is another man's escape.

This morning started like any other. Stacey and I got up, had breakfast and some Green Magma and got the day started. We took it easy and hung out until our doctor's appointment at 10 am. We knew that this morning would be our first major ultrasound and were both anxious to get an idea how our child was faring. We showed up for our appointment and were pretty quickly ushered into the sonogram room. Before I could even gather my thoughts and wealth of emotions, I was presented with the following:

That's right. A real-time image of our baby right there on the flat screen. Nothing can prepare you for the first moment you see your child live and in action. Everything checked out fine. One head, two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes, spinal cord, one heart, two kidneys, stomach, bladder, and a brain. At this point, great news. I feel a little guilty that when we were informed of the baby's current weight, 13 ounces, the first reference that popped into my head was the fact that my baby weighed about the same as a beer. I erased the guilt by reminding myself how much I love beer and that I probably loved the baby a bit more. That made me feel much better about being a Dad. Sometimes my logic amazes even me. Stacey handled it all like a champ as she normally does. I must admit I was a bit jealous of having someone rub warm jelly all over her tummy. It just seemed like it would feel kinda nice. Daddies need love too.

The realization that there is absolutely a little person growing inside my wife is mind-blowing. Today the full force of how much there is left to do hit me. I've really got to buckle down with school starting back up this week and help Stacey prepare for the arrival of Baby Boswell. Hopefully I'll be in better touch in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day.

Take care,

Feb

By the way, we're not finding out the gender. Too little surprises left in life. May as well enjoy this one.

Advice From Cactus Ed

"Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast, a part time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for natural land and the west; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still there... Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards."

-Ed Abbey

Run Log 2/4-2/5

I decided to go ahead and post runs whenever I can in order to cut down on the amount of time needed in one sitting after a week or so in order to log them.

Monday 2/4 - 58:00 (7.5 miles)

Ran the first mile with the Monday night group at Fleet Feet. Nice and easy. I left the group at that point and finished up the last 6.5 on my own. Felt pretty good. Nothing exciting.

Tuesday 2/5 - 1:52:20 (14 miles)

Went to Shelby Farms in the afternoon to get in a good trail run. What a difference 19 hours can make. I felt like crap. It was 75 degrees and humid. Miserable. Despite the misery, I enjoyed two laps of the Tour de Wolf and then some to round it out. Rushed home afterwards to prepare for the impending Hurricane Bubba tonight.