Wednesday, December 24, 2014

2014 Lookout Mountain 50 Mile - Too Long to Read!

Lookout Mountain 50 Mile
Saturday, December 20, 2014

Background: 

I first ran Lookout Mountain 50 Mile race in 2012.  That race was the culmination of my first full year of trail and ultra races.  One of my best friends, and the guy who got me addicted to trail running, Josh Cole had wanted to run all of the Salomon Rock/Creek Trail Series Races and I decided to give it a shot in 2012.  I missed out on the first two races in the series at that time, R/C River Gorge 10.2 Mile and R/C Scenic City Trail Marathon due to a bicycle accident.  However, I was able to experience the rest of the races in the series and finish the year with my first 50 mile race…  I loved #LM50… Well, I hated and loved it because I hurt, like couldn’t hardly walk kind of hurt, for about three weeks after that 2012 race.  That race taught me a LOT about the importance of patience for that kind of distance and also my most useful ultra-mantra… “If I’m hiking, I’m eating or drinking.”  I used to get overly frustrated when I would have to slow to hike/walk and felt like I was loosing so much time.  However, I’ve learned to anticipate those hike-able sections and make the most of those opportunities to get in some more calories.  Those hiking-calories are worth their weight in gold during the later stages of an ultra.  I finished the 2012 #LM50 in 8:56:27 and was immediately jonesing to run it again the next year with a goal to break 8-hours.
In 2013 I was able to compete in the entire Salomon R/C Race Series and I gave #LM50 another go that December… Well, I’m sure anyone who was around for the 2013 Lookout Mountain (2013 Video) remembers how fantastic the running conditions were that year!  The rain and cold weather predictions that were in the forecast for this year’s 2014 run were what we experienced for the first 2-3 hours of the 2013 race.  The cold rain, slippery conditions and my failure to stay on course around mile 23 resulted in a few extra miles and a 2013 finish time of 8:10:58.  I was happy to have improved my time and really enjoyed the day but still wanted that sub 8-hour finish time…  Oh well, God willing I would give it another go in 2014.

2014 has been a pretty amazing running year.  I’m so thankful for the running community that God lead me too and I’m so grateful to have such wonderful support from my family, friends, Rock/Creek, Wild Trails, and so many others.  Just like any good ultra I’ve experienced plenty of highs and lows throughout this year’s races and was looking forward to try and break 8-hours on #LM50.

I was coming off of my 50k PR at Upchuck and feeling great, well mentally I was feeling great.  My body was hurting and my legs felt like someone had run over them a few times with their car.  Earlier in 2014 I was fortunate enough to gain the friendship of my buddy Daniel Hamilton and he really helped give me some good recovery tips and has been a real asset for giving me some direction on my haphazard training regimen.  I doubt there are many of you that don’t know Daniel and his passion for running… he’s a great guy and a huge advocate for the sport.  After about a week off my legs were feeling slightly better and I slowly got back into it so that I could try and get after that sub-8 goal.  I think it was toward the end of November when another good friend of mine Cody Goodwin, a Nashville celebrity who had just destroyed the Upchuck 50k course record, shot me message about the possibly of also running #LM50… To paraphrase the conversation…

Cody - “Odds are good that I’ll see you at Lookout, at least to see you tear off into the woods”
Me - “Awesome, and yeah right… I don’t think you’ll ever have to worry about that”
Cody - “The CR (~6:52) for that one looks attainable, we could work together to tackle it”
Me (in my mind) - (yeah, I can’t do that…) “Haha, I love it!  Let me think about it and I’ll let you know”
Cody - “I’ll be honest, it will be risky”
Me - “That’s alright, without risk there’s no chance at reward”
Cody - “Ok, no commitment, we can talk about it more and get a plan together”
Me - “Alright, I’ll let you know man”
Cody - “Even if we don’t run together, you need to push for it”
Me (in my mind) - (Seriously?  I couldn’t go after that by myself… could I?) "Yeah, I'll think about it"

Well, that little bit of back and forth with Cody got me thinking and gave me just enough confidence to at least look at the course and make an aggressive plan to see what might be possible.  So, I sat down with a the elevation profile, my previous time for each section and broke down each section from aid station-to-aid station and built a LM50 Strategy Spreadsheet.  I tried to think about each section with the thought of ideal conditions, ideal nutrition through the first ~30 miles and then what I would be capable of without completely blowing up.  I trudged through the entire course with no expectations other than to see what the final estimated completion time was… Low and behold it came out to ~6:51, about 30 seconds under the existing CR.  I still didn’t think it was possible, but I went on and sent it over to Cody to check it out.

A few weeks passed by and about a week before the race I got some news that Cody probably wouldn’t be able to make to the race due to some unforeseen reasons.  Also, the weather for Saturday’s adventure was really shaping up to be terrible; i.e. lows in the mid-30’s, high’s only in the low-40’s and a 100% chance of rain.  Sub-8 hours was looking to be problematic again, let alone anything faster.  Thankfully God has a pretty funny sense of humor, because almost immediately after I accepted the fact that it was just going to be a long cold wet race day the weather improved significantly.  Now, only a small prediction of rain for late Friday evening and the temps were shown to get into the low-50’s.  Thanks Eric Loffland for holding steadfast to your race day weather predictions.

Thinking about Cody’s words of encouragement, the successes and failures (aka learning opportunities) I’d had over the past two years I made a decision to at least be open to going out hard for this race if I felt good Saturday morning.  I didn't ask God to help me achieve my goal, but to let me enjoy the experience and I trusted Him to take care of me.  Now, the conversation I had with my wife and my family/crew was a little different.  They’ve seen me in some pretty bad places before and have seen the results of my bad days.  When my Mom and friends keep my medicine cabinet stocked with IV bags and other medicine to help me recover from those really bad days that’s doesn't go over too well.  They were already savvy about the conversation Cody and I had begun a few weeks earlier and knew that it was at least on my mind.  I knew they would give me some solid advice and I was glad to take it.

Race Day: 

I woke up to find that the ground was slightly damp from a small rain storm that must have rolled through that evening and temperatures in the upper-30’s.  My wife and daughters weren’t going to be up there to help crew this race since there were only a limited number of “crew-accessible” aid stations so I made sure to steal as many kisses as I could before I left that morning.  Thankfully my Dad and Step-Mom were still going to be out there crewing for me.  I’m 100% honest when I tell you that they’re more pumped about my runs than I am.  They’re excitement about the races is enough to get anyone jazzed up to go run 50 miles.  We swung by and picked up Josh as today was going to be his first 50-miler.  I was super pumped for him because I knew how much he was going to enjoy the experience. 

The Lookout Mountain 10k and 50-miler both start and finish at the Covenant College Campus on top of Lookout Mountain.  The 50 mile race begins at 7:30 AM treating runners to a beautiful early morning views as they run along Lookout’s historic Bluff Trail.  There is just enough light so that runners won’t need to fool with any lights to get through the first 15-20 minutes before there is an abundance of daylight.  The 10k runners begin at 8:00 AM allowing the 50-milers to get out and on their way before they fly out of the starting shoot for their quick romp through the woods.  With my liability waiver signed, my bib number pinned to my shorts and my Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts packed to the max I was ready to get down to the starting line to say some hellos and get going.  I saw friends from Chattanooga, Nashville, Huntsville, Tri-Cities, and plenty of other places. Everyone was abuzz with joy over the great weather we had for the day.  Before we knew it the time had come to gather around the starting shoot and let the day’s adventure begin.  Up until this time I really hadn’t made a decision about going out hard or just taking it easy…  About that time I saw my new friend Mike Conkel and grabbed a quick handshake/hug and wished him best.  He’s a young guy who’s going to be destroying the ultra-scene in 2015 and something about seeing the excitement on his face for his first 50-miler made me feel like  throwing caution to the wind and going out hard from the beginning.  I figured I had already had a pretty successful running year and if I blew up then I could suffer through and still feel good about the year.

The count down began… 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1

Covenant College-to-Cravens (8.5 miles):

Coming out of the shoot I jumped in with two other guys and we literally about trampled the mountain biker who was supposed to be leading all the runners around the back of the campus to the beginning of the single track trail.  Once the mountain biker realized we weren't going for some leisurely stroll in the park he kicked it into high gear and got out front.  I fell in with Mike and one other tall lanky fellow.  Turns out this guy was Harvey Lewis, pretty awesome guy!  Record holder for longest distance in 24-hours, the winner of the 2014 Badwater 135 Mile Race, a whole bunch of other really impressive stuff, and one heck of nice guy.  The start carries runners around the road to the back of the campus and down to a left hand turn onto a small single track path that takes you down to the Bluff Trail.  This little path can be treacherous due to the poor morning light, heavy leaf coverage and loose footing so it’s best to give yourself a little distance if you’re running in a pack.  Harvey was leading Mike and I into this section and I was trying my best to not eat it this early in the race and I looked up to see that Harvey had missed a slight right turn down to the main trail.  A quick yell that the turn was to the right and he corrected himself and fell right back in behind Mike and me.  Once onto the main trail the leaf coverage significantly reduced.   I would describe this single track as a nice 4-foot wide trail allowing for plenty of room to pass and is all quite runnable despite the rocks.  About 1.5 miles into the run the trail drops out on the edge of the bluff and you’re greeted with the most beautiful views.  Feeling good I kept the pace high since I knew this first section down to Aid #1 would be relatively fast.  The Bluff Trail is about as technical as it gets all day.  The trail stays 4-foot wide or so the entire way and has the best views around.  These 4+ miles will have you running on the edge of 60-foot high bluffs and under equally as high cliffs above.  The rocks strewn across the trails are easily runnable but require all of your attention and can lead to some pretty serious injuries if you’re not paying attention.  I generally say a few prayers for everyone through this section.  The 2014 course was different than the 2013 course which was altered due to a massive rock slide.  You come to a quick 3-4 switchback descent to turn right around and climb 5-6 switchbacks twice as high as you just  descended... it's a good lung buster.  Eventually you’ll make your way down to a forest service road that runs down to Craven’s House and Aid #1.  The map showed this as 6.3 miles, but I believe it’s closer to 8.5 miles with the course changed back to include most of the Mountain Beautiful Trail.  Coming down to this aid station I looked around and didn’t see anyone.  I had been running by myself now since around 2 miles and figured that someone would probably catch up with me shortly.  

My nutrition plan for this race was really pretty simple; every 1/2 hour energy blocks, every 1 hour one whole banana, every 1 hour drink one bottle of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem mix, and sip plain water, coke, and whatever other food sounded good.  So, coming into the aid station I asked about a banana and… that was a big negative.  Oh well, grabbed some water and kept on rolling. 

Craven’s House-to-Nature Center (6.3 miles):

Leaving Aid #1 runners get back onto a nice wide single track for the next 1.5-miles down to another forest service road.  This section of the course has a lot of downhill.  There are only a few very small climbs toward the bottom of the mountain but is definitely a place to make some very fast time.  Once on the forest service road runners continue for about 2.0-miles down to the Jura Trail.  Jura is a true single track that rolls nice and easy for the next mile down to another intersection where runners pick back up another forest service road and continue down to the foot of the mountain.  This second section of forest service road is very leaf covered so mind each step for loose footing.  Despite being all downhill this section of the race is actually quite nice.  It’s not so steep that your quads feel trashed after bombing down the last few miles.  Once at the bottom runners make their way over to the edge of the creek running along the bottom of the mountain.  You’ll quickly realize that it doesn’t take a lot of rain for this rather large creek to run over the banks and flood the trail.  Luckily for us, the water was still a foot or so below the shore line so no wading through calf-high water this year.  Before I knew it I was coming up on Aid #2 (14.8 miles).  Kris Whorton was there and immediately asked what I needed and how I was doing.  Told her I was doing well and could really use a banana.  She gave me the warmest smile, a banana, filled my water flask, and cheered me on as I left just as quickly as I came.

Nature Center-to-Covenant College (7.7 miles): 

About a 0.5-mile from Aid #2 runners are treated to a quick 500-foot climb up the 0.75-mile long Blue Beaver Trail.  I put in a hard effort up the Blue Beaver climb and once I reached Skuyka I laid off a little to recover and take in some calories.  Then roughly 2-miles later down the Skyuka Spring Trail runners begin the biggest climb of the day.  There is about a 1,200-foot climb in a 2-mile long section up the John Smart Trail.  This climb is broken up into almost two perfectly even 1-mile sections.  I was planning on putting in hard effort on this climb as I know it well and figured I could recover after reaching the top.  I knew that I needed to be through the Aid #3 (22.5 miles) in less than 3-hours but couldn’t remember how much climbing/distance I still had once I got to the top of the 2-mile John Smart climb.  I've always felt like the first 1-mile climb of John Smart is the hardest so I focused on completing this climb.  There are only 3-4 switchbacks and I generally try to run all of this climb with the exception of those switchbacks.  At the top of this first 1-mile climb the trail flattens out for just a few hundred feet before starting another 1-mile climb back up toward the Bluff Trail and Jackson Spring Trail.  This section is still pretty tough but isn’t quite as steep and has a lot more beautiful features.  There are some amazing rock lines and some pretty good views.  This section only has a few switchbacks and once you hit those you’ll know you’re almost finished with the John Smart climb.  Runners hang a hard right onto the Jackson Springs Trail that will take them the last couple of miles up to Aid #3 at the start/finish area.  This section is no walk in the park and still has some climbing but is relatively easy compared to what you just climbed.  Looking off of the side of the trail I could see part of the John Smart climb below and figured I would see someone climbing the trail, but to my surprise I was still running alone.  Coming into the aid station I looked at my watch and saw that I was well under my pace, only ~2:40 had elapsed.  I had been thinking of nothing but the restroom for the last 45-minutes.  It was pretty funny to hear Randy on the speaker as I was making my way toward the start/finish line… “Here comes the first place runner… and… and there he goes… to the restrooms.”  All followed by lots of laughter.  So, despite what Cary thinks, I was not met by an uproar and pandemonium like he thought in his ever so funny race report.  After a much needed 3-4 minutes restroom break I found my family/crew at the aid station and grabbed a handful of supplies and took off again.  Randy shared a few hundred yards with me checking to see how I was feeling and checking to make sure I was eating and drinking properly… Randy’s ultra-mantra “eat more than you think you need!”

Covenant College-to-Lula Lake (7.4 miles): 

The trail heading down to Lula Lake aid station is a pretty runnable double track trail that consists of quite a few downhill rollers, a short power line section and a few decent creek crossings.  With some careful steps and choice routes you can manage to cross these creeks without getting your feet wet.  After roughly 4-5 miles of the rolling double track I finally made my way to the road crossing that brings you into the Lula Lake Property.  My crew was here to see me as I passed and they let me know that I had roughly 15-minutes on the second place runner at mile 22.5.  I usually do a pretty good job of just running my own race but I’ve found that anytime you’re out front it’s very hard not to feel some added pressure to maintain that position.  So, I decided to just focus on the sections of trails coming and try not to worry about what was happening behind me.  After crossing the small foot bridge at the Lula Lake parking area I could have swore that I was going the wrong way…  I came across the bridge and hung a right going the opposite way from where I knew the next aid station was located.  However, I was pretty confident that I didn't miss any flagging and about 0.5-mile down the trail I got my bearings back and remembered that this was the correct way.  The trail would soon climb about halfway up the ridge line before doubling back toward the Lula Lake aid station.  This section of trail has a few good small climbs but rewards you with some nice rolling single track.  Coming into Aid #4 (29.9 miles) I was pretty pumped for the upcoming section.  This aid station was filled with some of the best characters of the day.  Grabbing some water for my bottle, a banana and some oranges I kept on moving despite the urge to take a few minutes and enjoy the good company.

Lula Lake-to-Long Branch (4.1 miles):

One of the best features at Lula Lake is the beautiful water fall that is located just past the aid station.  Looking back over your left shoulder is a gorgeous cascading water fall that’s definitely worth the time to stop and enjoy the view.  After stealing a quick look at the falls I glanced at my watch to see that I was still on pace.  The real fun begins about a 0.5-mile past the aid station as you get back onto the single track and begin the steep climb up to the ridge line.  This climb consist of 4-5 steep switchbacks and some roped climbs to aid in scrambling up the rock faces.  For anyone familiar with the Chattanooga Stage Race they'll know this climb.  Once past the roped climb I decided to take a few minutes to hike and scarf down the banana that I had grabbed at the aid station below.  I knew I was falling behind on my calories and that's never a good thing with still roughly 20-miles to go.  As I finished off the banana the single track opened up to the super-wide double track trail that slowly climbs the ridge line for the next 1.5-miles.  The views off of the ridge really brought me some good vibes and I found running this climb pretty easy.  I wasn’t flying, but knew that I was still making good time.  At the top of the ridge runners hang a hard right hand turn and bomb down toward the F4 trail.  The F4 trail connects the Lula Lake Property over to the Long Branch Property and has had a lot of trail work over the past few years.  This trail was damaged pretty heavily during the 2011 tornado that passed through the area.  Once through the F4 connector trail you jump on the road for a short 0.25-mile run down to the Aid #5 (34.0 miles).  It was great to see my family again at this aid station and they quickly got me some puree chicken noodle soup and a fresh water bottle.  I grabbed a shot of coke and told them a few things I would probably grab when I came back through in about 4-miles.  My Dad jogged with  me for a minute and said that I was still about 15-minutes in front of the next runner but that I had fallen about 5-minutes off my pace chart…  Oh well, I would see what I could do during the Long Branch Loop.

Long Branch-to-Long Branch (4.5 miles):
Oh, Long Branch Loop… you’re always more difficult than I choose to remember.  When I looked at the elevation profile for this section I didn’t give any credit for the difficulty of the twisty and windy trail system that makes up the last 2-miles of this 4.5-mile loop.  Like many others, this 4.5-mile loop were the hardest miles of the entire race.  I pushed when I could and hiked/ate when I needed a minute.  The climbs in this section are relatively small compared to the rest of the race but nonetheless, I was struggling mentally and physically through this section.  I tripped a few times through the tight-twisty trails that are strewn full of rocks and roots reaching out to grab runners feet.  Making up my lost 5-minutes was slowly slipping away as I fought through to complete this loop.  Yep, as I came back out from the loop toward Aid #6 (38.5 miles) I looked at my watch and realized I had lost an additional 15-minutes or so.  Now, I was looking at almost a 20-minute deficit.  I was feeling a little low and wasn’t in the mood to eat or drink.  So, my crew did exactly what I needed and forced me to take more food and drink with me than I wanted. 

Long Branch-to-Lula Lake (4.1 miles):

As I set out from this aid station I was battling the urge to just stop eating completely but knew that I needed the calories if I wanted to hold off a really bad bonk and have any kind of energy to finish.  I don’t think I ever realized how much stronger the mind is than body until I witnessed my Wife's determinedness to have both of our children drug-free and naturally.  That kind of mental determination made me realize that a strong mind can force the body to follow suit.  I made the decision to eat and to make the most of my last 12-miles despite the low I was feeling.  Because the course follows the same trails back to the finish I was at least mentally prepared for what I had left to finish.  The other great thing about this return trip is that now I would get the opportunity to see some other runners.  Up until this point I hadn’t run “with” anyone for the past 36-miles and was thoroughly looking forward to seeing some friendly faces on the return trip.  A warm smile and “good job” do more for the mind and body than anything during the later stages of a race.  To everyone that I saw on my return trip I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the encouragement and cheers.  I needed them more than you know.  Also, I hope that you’ll forgive me if I didn’t return the favor.  I tried to do my best to return warm smiles and words of encouragement but I’m sure that I missed a few of you and for that I apologize.  After way more encouragement than I deserved I finally found my way back down to Aid #7 (42.5 miles).  I thought the volunteers at this aid station were lively the first time I saw them and now they seemed to be bouncing off the walls.  They were in full swing now… warm fire blazing, food and drinks abounding, and great cheers for all the runners.  I got some special reassurance from my great friend Michael Scott… “You’ve only got like 6-miles to go, you better run like Hell!”  With a  quick chug of some Mountain Dew and a quick double-take when someone yelled “Here’s second place," which was followed by a bunch of laughter, I set back out to finish this last leg and hopefully finish strong.
Lula Lake-to-Covenant College “Finish” (7.5 miles):

According to my watch I had managed to maintain my goal pace for that previous 4-mile section.  I knew that with such a short distance to go that I wouldn’t be able to achieve a course record time but knew that just finishing strong would be great nonetheless.  Luckily the still steady stream of runners helped me keep the good pace and I was able to maintain my planned pace for the remainder of the Lula Lake portion of the trail.  Before I knew it I was back at the road crossing to get on the connector trail that would carry me back up to the finish.  My crew was there again to give me an update and cheer me on.  They informed me that coming off the Long Branch Loop that I was still around 15-minutes ahead and I finally realized that I had a very strong likelihood of winning this race.  My crew also let me know that Katy and the girls were already at the finish line and waiting on me.  This was a huge boost and really gave me a shot of adrenaline.  I wanted to finish quickly to see my girls and hang out with my wife.  I knew I wasn’t going to get the time I had strategized with Cody, but I also knew that originally my goal had only been to break 8-hours and that was almost a given.  The climb back up to Covenant College is not all bad.  There are a few little kickers that can really knock the wind out of your sails but the rest is fairly runnable.  So, with as much resolution as I could muster I found a good rhythm that kept me moving all the way back up the college.  

When I got within earshot of the finish line festivities I got a little chill knowing that I was about to finally finish a Rock/Creek race on top of the podium and almost an hour faster than my 50-mile personal record.  I have been fairly successful in the Rock/Creek races but have never actually finished a Rock/Creek race in first place.  So, tackling both at the conclusion of a long 2014 running year was very humbling.  I said more than a few prayers thanking God for the safe day and for the experience.  Once the finish was in view the only thing I really focused on was my beautiful family and crew standing on the other side to welcome and cheer me through the finish. 

Gratitude:

I’m extremely thankful for God keeping everyone safe and for helping give me the strength to end 2014 with a strong race.  I wouldn’t be anywhere without the support of my beautiful family; Katy, Heidi and Harlow.  Thank you for putting up with my running and supporting me in these adventures.  My Dad and Step-Mom for crewing me and getting me generally pumped up about every running adventure.  A huge thank you to the race personnel and all of the volunteers who made #LM50 possible. Thank you for Rock/Creek allowing me to represent you this year and for providing me some pretty awesome Patagonia race gear.  Cody, thank you for having that confidence in me to go after #LM50… the CR didn’t fall this year but I look forward to another attempt in years to come.  Daniel and Josh, thank you guys for all you’ve done for me too.  A huge thank you to my new found trail running friends (too many to list).  The experiences we share during these adventures is something I will cherish for eternity.  I’m completely honest when I say that the conversations and time spent cheering on finishers throughout the remainder of the day was by far more fun than any aspect of the entire race.  The comradery in the trail running community is what makes these events so special and for that I’m thankful. 

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Lookout Mountain 10k & 50-Mile events, finishers and non-finishers alike.  Just getting out there and taking that first step is an accomplishment that will inspire so many others to do the same and that’s the greatest achievement of all!


7:14:47 (50-Mile PR), 1st Place

2014 Races
Distance
Date
Place
Time
Mt. Cheaha
50.0 km
02/22/14
7
5:03:33
Savage Gulf Marathon
26.2 mi
03/15/14
1
4:22:47
Fall Creek Falls
50.0 km
03/16/14
3
4:36:30
R/C River Gorge
10.2 mi
03/22/14
2
1:12:49
R/C Scenic City Trail Marathon
26.2 mi
04/26/14
2
2:54:33
R/C Thunder Rock 100
100.0 mi
05/16/14
DNF
R/C Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race - Day 1
18.0 mi
06/13/14
6
2:08:46
R/C Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race - Day 2
22.0 mi
06/14/14
7
2:34:10
R/C Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race - Day 3
20.0 mi
06/15/14
5
2:58:57
R/C Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race - Overall
60.0 mi
06/15/14
5
7:41:53
R/C Still Hollow
13.0 mi
08/09/14
2
1:30:31
R/C StumpJump
50.0 km
10/04/14
7
4:54:25
PTS Pinhoti 100
100.0 mi
11/01/14
9
20:36:02
R/C Upchuck
50.0 km
11/08/14
2
4:36:19
R/C Lookout Mountain
50.0 mi
12/20/14
1
7:14:47


Until 2015,
Nathan D. Holland
2014 Rock/Creek Race Team