Navigation Clinics in Chattanooga

Sure, normally we do run on trails. But sometimes we see that peak in the distance and just have to see the view from atop. Going off trail poses a big risk though - will you be able to remember which direction you came from? 

I'll be organizing a series of navigation clinics throughout the year, with the first coming up on Tuesday March 3, 6:30 pm, at the Downtown YMCA. This classroom clinic will focus on using a compass, reading a topo map, and making smart route choices. Then we'll put your newfound knowledge to test with a special orienteering course out at Booker T Washington State Park on Saturday March 7, from 9-11am. 

Both events are suitable for beginners or those looking to brush up on their nav skills, and are free & open to the public.

2008 Pikes Peak Ascent - Report
Two buddies and I arrived in Manitou Springs, Colorado on a rainy cold August Friday afternoon, and the Peak was nowhere in sight – totally socked in. We cruised to the trailhead and hiked a little ways up the Barr Trail, so my friends could get a feel for the grade, which is substantial. Having never run at altitude before, they asked for my advice on how to approach things over a mile up. All I could say was “hydrate or die”.

Saturday morning I was in “waive 1” for the start, which meant I started 30 minutes before my friends in “waive 2”. It was pouring rain at the start, but not too cold – I had my trusty Rock/Creek Patagonia jersey, a hooded rain jacket, gloves, Patagonia shorts, a CamelBak Octane 14 with some dry gear for the summit, Smartwool socks and my LaSportiva Fireblades with their grippy soles for the slog to 14,000 feet. Everything was as expected for the first hour or so – couple miles of pavement, then steep switchbacks to the top of Mount Manitou. It was raining on and off, heavy when it was on. I kept to my original strategy of power hiking the steeps – it works like a charm, and those who do it generally pass or drop people trying to run, except for those truly gifted human/gazelle hybrids: There is just not enough O2 to charge up the whole thing.

At 11,000 feet or so, the temperature took a BIG dive. I blazed right past an aid station, not wanting to ice up, and as I turned a corner on a switchback just before the treeline, I was confronted by a big Search and Rescue fella in full winter gear: He was warning us that above the trees the temperature was well below freezing, it was “pretty windy” and snowing. I checked my clothes and realized I was already soaked through from the rain and sweat, so I pulled my dry gear out of my pack and changed shirts - a dry Patagonia capilene longsleeve and a winter beanie under the hood. Best decision I ever made.

Above the trees the wind was howling, the snow was flying horizontally and felt like buckshot, and the single track trail was entirely iced over: That wet snow, compacted by runners, was like running on a 12 inch wide balance beam made of ice, with sharp rocks and drop offs on either side. I still felt strong, but the footing was just way to treacherous to really move quickly. Someplace on the middle of the exposed face of Pikes Peak, well entrenched INSIDE the clouds at about 13,000 feet, the world suddenly exploded: A blinding white flash and galactic BOOM. I hit the deck (seriously – I actually went belly down) and took a minute to pop my eyeballs back into their sockets. Man, this is actually dangerous. Going back was no safer than pushing up, so I just stuck to some advice I once got that works in all kinds of situations: Stay low and keep moving. Several “danger close” strikes later, and I hit the summit – still under 4 hours, but not the sub 3:30 I was originally hoping for. Honestly, I was just happy to be alive, but the sub 4 in those conditions was pretty satisfying. I went immediately into the warming hut, where the medical cots soon began to fill up with runners at varying stages of hypothermia. I never did see my buds at the top because an hour after I went past the Search and Rescue guy, they closed the mountain above the treeline, and turned about two-thirds of the field back around. They had to run, or walk, all the way back down, which means they nearly did the full marathon distance – cruel. Over all it was quite the adventure, but I still prefer it without the random bolts of lightning…..

Matt Karzen

Rocky Raccoon 100 Race Report

Now that was one heck of a long run!

Man, it was awesome while it lasted...I feel like on the course I did everything right: stayed nice and hydrated, peed almost every hour and it was clear up to about mile 60, ate like a fool, no cramping at all, started conservatively, moved from 13th the first loop to 7th the second to 6th the third, was on pace to run around 19 hours which was right at my goal...

...then about mile 75 i tweaked my ankle...kept moving on it because i knew if i stopped it would just tighten up, but i could just feel that baby...it got to the point where i couldn't flex my foot up or down, and on the trail this was not good...finished up the lap at about 14:30 and took an assessment, iced, wrapped, and hobbled out, walking, to see if i could finish up. My walk quickly became a hobble, and my lack of preparedness in regards to clothing began to take its toll as i started shivvering pretty severely..."just make it to the next aid station" was my creed at this point, but i knew inside that i was going to have to chalk this one up as a long training run...my foot just wouldn't allow me to continue...so I made it to mile 84.2 and called it a day.

Now, sure I probably could have put on more clothes, rested for a while, then tried to head back out, but it had taken me 1:25 to go 4.2 miles...i couldn't even walk fast...and truly, my goal for this one was not to just finish...if that were the case I would have just walked from the beginning...i wanted to do it right...some may say that is pretty egotistical, and that I am not respecting the distance, but i don't think so...i would rather bail out at mile 84.2 knowing that i did more than i thought i could that day, and be sure my foot is ok, and come back in a few months and try again...

So that's it...i feel very positive, and i am raring to hit it again...i am very confident that the distance for me is not a problem, and after assessing my foot, i think i had my shoes on too tight, and limited the blood flow, causing my ligaments/tendons to become weak and more readily available to sprain and overuse. When I took my shoes off my foot immediately swelled, and all the veins were just bulging...you could see this even before they took off my shoes! I had no idea about this, so lesson one learned. Lesson 2: longer training run. I think i had to get out there to find this one out. I need to go at least 50 in a day 3 weeks out, just to ward off fatigue. While i didn't cramp any and didn't really feel out of gas, I did get pretty tight. Lesson 3: have a pacer. My wife was going to do the last 40 with me, but she had emergency surgery on Monday, and couldn't go. So these are my big 3 "lessons learned". And I cant' freaking wait to do
it again!

trust me, I kept thinking positive, even as I was giving my chip back, nothing but positive energy, and even now, i don't regret a thing, and i am proud to be an ultrarunner, even one without a 100-mile buckle...yet...

2009 Ultra Season

The Ultra season is among us and hopefully everyone is enjoying it as much as I am. One of the things I love about living in the South is significant seasonal changes and what happens to the vegetation. I get really excited about trail running during the winter months. Every year I seem to notice things in the woods that I've never seen. It could be the remains of an old homestead or an old moonshine still down by the creek or maybe a new patch of cedar trees clinging to the rocky outcrops. These things, hidden by the thick summer growth are suddenly visible and I relish in the discovery of them.

This weekend I have the opportunity to discover yet another great area I haven't run in before. A bunch of the R/C Team are headed down to the Bankhead National Forest for the 4th annual Black Warrior 50k http://www.blackwarrior50k.com/. Keeping their streak alive, the Whortons (Randy and Kris) will be there along with the Sims (Matt and Natalie) and Wendi and I. This will mark my 3rd 50k in 7 weeks and while my legs are generally a little tweaked, I feel surprisingly well given the efforts.

For many of us, the new year represents a time to set goals. While I would continue to enjoy running and probably compete without specific goals in mind, I find them very helpful in terms of planning my season and gaining momentum for something big. This year I'm very excited about sharing the beautiful mountains around Lake Tahoe with my wife and wonderful running friends from here in Tennessee. Several of us just signed up for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 in July http://www.tahoemtnmilers.org/trt50/index.html, an event I did in 2007. The day after the race 2 years ago I knew I wanted to run another 100 miler, I just didn't think it would be the TRT. After agonizing (there are so many great races now) about what big event I wanted to do this year, I settled on the TRT. Ease of logistics, the great course and spectacular views ultimately won out and I couldn't be more excited. More importantly I get to share the course this year with some really great folks.

Until then I have lots to do in preparation including the Black Warrior tomorrow and the LBL (Land Between The Lakes) 60k in Ky in 3 weeks. The LBL race will mark the end of a 10 week training and racing cycle that was designed to help me "race" myself back into shape. It's also helped me figure out how my body is recovering from longer more intense efforts. While I love to race, I'm actually looking forward to a more consistent training regimen. Right now it looks something like this- RACE, recovery week, training week, taper week, RACE. After that I will focus more on training for the next few months, building a monster base of high mileage weeks and long trail runs before a short sharpening phase in June.

Besides getting to race this weekend I am super fired up to see our new ROCK CREEK RACE TEAM "kits". Patagonia http://www.rockcreek.com/patagonia/ is once again sponsoring the team and we couldn't ask for anything better. Patagonia has the lead the way for years in the production of best adventure clothing out there all while commanding a deep respect for the world in which we live. In addition, I am continually impressed with the amazing efforts ROCK CREEK and their staff http://www.rockcreek.com/ have put forth to increase awareness of local and regional environmental issues. These guys actually make it fun to be green. If you haven't checked out the RC race series, do so. You will not be disappointed! The folks that put these races on are passionate about trail running and really go the extra mile to make sure you have a great time and get the most bang for your buck.

Happy Trails,

JD

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