2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part III: Flying Through the Night

At this point in the day - about 9p.m. on a Friday - I was starting to get tired. The 6 a.m. wake-up call, all the driving and stress of getting our team where it needed to be, and the hard run in the sun were starting to catch up to me. I decided to curl up in the back seat of the van while Jay and John took turns driving us to the next transition zone. We got updates from Van 1 that Allen was rolling on his 7-plus-mile section, picking off several roadkills even though he had claimed he'd be taking it light this weekend (in preparation for an upcoming marathon). I was anxious to see how Josh would perform on the longest section of the race - the grueling 10-mile Grandfather Mountain section that was coming up after Allen was done.

If I was getting sleepy, the rest of the van was getting zany. I only really needed 45 minutes or so and then I felt refreshed again, waking up in time to prevent our energetic navigator from sending the van in the wrong direction. After Josh, there would be two short legs for Siobhan and Sarah and some relatively quick ones from Rob and Emily, so we wanted to be in position. We arrived at Plumtree Presbyterian Church somewhere in....well, I had no idea where we were.

If the Tangier outlet stop was a party, this one was pure chaos. It was pitch black outside but there were vans and runners everywhere. People were lined up in the grass in sleeping bags. One dude came up to our van to ask how things were going, then plopped in front of the door to the post office and proceeded to start snoring. We saw Hovis again and caught wind of how CRC's elite team was doing. We saw Stan Austin and the Three Stooges van as well. I don't think Matt Jaskot remembers much from our conversation, as the event's first-ever three-man team was about halfway through its incredible journey. We would see a headlamp and blinky lights and then a runner would come into view and scream his team's name. I was a bit worried that I might not know when Emily was coming, but at this point I still had plenty of time. I jogged past the exchange zone and into the darkness, trying to get a feel for the headlamp I was using. It was almost completely useless but a requirement. I had a 4.4-mile stretch of 19 East that I was prepared to be pretty fast as the leg description said it was a "gentle downhill." When I came back to the van I caught wind of an epic night performance from Van 1: Josh had annihilated Grandfather Mountain, chalking up 17 - that's right, seventeen - road kills. Wow! His time was somewhere around 65 minutes for the mostly uphill 10-mile section. Siobhan, Sarah, and Rob had also run very well and I would later find out that Emily's dark, grueling Leg 18 would be her top performance of the trip, as well. I remember cringing when we drove up some of the hills she would be running but she apparently crushed it.

Things got a little weird at Exchange Zone 18.

This is the part where things went slightly wrong. I was talking to Josh after Van 1 arrived and soaking in the motivation for what I thought would be a short, fast leg when I realized my safety vest was going to fall off when I ran. He went back to his van and found another one for me to try. As I was jogging back to the EZ Rob came over yelling at me that Emily was standing at the exchange zone waiting for me. I panicked and darted over there to grab the bracelet and yell out my race number. I was embarrassed and knew I would need to apologize to Emily later, but first things first: I had to run! Van 2 was on once again as I took off through the night in search of roadkills.

I quickly became very angry with whoever described this leg as a "gentle downhill." It was more like a false flat with a couple of steep uphills. I had been determined to go fast, however, and so I churned on. I flew past a couple runners who offered encouragement as I tried to reciprocate it. 1,2,3 roadkills. I went up another hill in the pitch black night, unable to see much of anything until the other teams' vans started flying past me. I looked at my watch a couple times and realized I was turning 6:30 miles - not bad for someone who hadn't done much running this summer, huh? I kept mowing down every set of blinky lights that I saw as my roadkill total reached 8 runners in a mere 4 miles. As I approached the exchange zone I was really moving after coming up yet another hill. This was a small, crowded zone at the Green Valley Fire Department and I couldn't see anyone. I started yelling, "Stache and Dash!!" to the sound of cheers from my van mates. Jay was there and ready and we executed a perfect bracelet slap as he took off up the mountain.

Watching Jay pick off road kill after road kill in this tough seven-mile section was quite entertaining. He was flying. When he got back in the van I think he told us he had passed 13 people. Like me, Jay was pretty motivated by hearing how well Josh had run and didn't want to be outdone! After a quick warmup, Julie was off to run the shortest, fastest leg of the race - 2.4 miles of mostly downhill. She was flying as we passed her - clearly a talented runner who looked motivated and intense. As Lauren warmed up at the next exchange zone, Jay and I started goofing off. It was about 2 a.m. at this point and I was beyond delirious. There was an Ingles grocery store here and so Jay and I went inside in an attempt to refill our nearly empty water cooler. While Julie handed off to Lauren and Adrienne warmed up down at the parking lot, Jay and I stocked back up on supplies. Lauren and Adrienne were about to embark on two very long, very dark and desolate stretches of the course. I think this is the only time in the whole trip that Lauren wasn't smiling as I tried to reassure them both that the course was crowded at this point and they should see several runners as well as other teams' vans. Surely enough, when we passed Lauren on Leg 22 she was smiling again, and running strong. Julie had added quite a few road kills to our team total on the previous leg and it was time for Adrienne to get ready, as well. I was starting to lose it again and in dire need of sleep but I wanted to stay awake long enough to make sure my girlfriend was safe. When we passed her going up a hill, I was worried as it was very dark and we were in the woods in the middle of nowhere. But I noticed there was a caravan coming up the hill behind me and I felt confident there was nothing to worry about. I'd heard stories about weird things happening here during the desolate midnight runs, but we didn't have any problems at all. Jay jogged down the hill to look for Adrienne as she brought it in and handed off to John.

John dominated his short, 3.2-mile leg and the crew helped themselves to some baked potatoes at the transition zone while I crawled in the back seat. Stache and Dash had completed 24 of 36 legs after flying through the night. It was about 4:30 on Saturday morning when I finally fell asleep.

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part II: Setting the Pace

Despite some issues with traffic and some insane driving from Rob, Stache and Dash crossed the Virginia border and arrived at Grayson Highlands State Park around 10:45 a.m. This gave us plenty of time to check in and for Allen and Josh to warm up. I slipped on my Stache and Dash singlet as someone handed me a race number that I secured in my "dirt bag."

It's worth explaining at this point a few things about race logistics: There are 36 legs of this relay race, so three legs each per person on a 12-member team, which we and most teams were. The start times were staggered based on predicted time, so the supposedly faster teams would start later. As a faster team, we were assigned an 11:30a.m. start time, whereas some teams started as early as 8:00a.m. Once the running started, the "on" van would grab the runner who had just finished and allow some brief respite before piling back into the van and heading to the next exchange so the on-deck runner could hydrate and warm up. These scenarios would often get hectic depending on the length of the "on" leg and the speed of the "on" runner. The "off" van would simply drive to the next transition zone. The exchange zone was where one runner would hand off to the next; the transition zone was where one van would hand off to the other.

We had just enough time to pose for some pictures, decorate our vans, and mill around for a bit before we took off.

From Left to Right: Jay Barringer, Lauren Tilton, Adrienne Anetrini, Jason Blackwood, Josh Brewer, Allen Strickland, Siobhan Havlik, Sarah Keen, Emily Barrett, Julie Przybyla, Rob Ducsay, John Fillette.

Sarah Keen looks for a space to add some artwork to Van 1. Van decoration is a tradition at the Blue Ridge Relay.

Getting some wise words from Coach Hovis before the race. Ben's team started right after we did and crossed the line before any other team whilst finishing third overall.

The 11:30 starting line. Kicking Ultra Asphalt is third from the left. Chick Maggots is fourth from the left, Allen right in the middle, and Carolyn Maye from Charlotte's all-women Fast and Pretty is third from the right.

We watched Allen cruise through Grayson Highlands State Park. This was it. The Blue Ridge Relay had begun. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I begun to get really excited. I drove my van on past EZ 1, where Josh was anxiously waiting. I gave him some words of encouragement and then Van 2 got out of the way. It was time for us to make our way to Transition Zone 1.

I arrived at a church on the side of a mountain road and handed the car keys to John Fillette. My driving duties were over for awhile and it was time to hydrate and slap on the running costume. My first leg would start off downhill, then take a big uphill, then a VERY big uphill before a fast finish. It would be about 5.4 miles of tough, rolling terrain. Van 1 was keeping us updated on the proceedings - it sounded like things were going very well so far - and so I knew when to expect Emily to come rolling in.

She arrived and I slapped on the bracelet. I had no idea what I was in for on this first leg. It started downhill, surely enough, but there were two uphills on this leg that were unlike anything I had seen before. After being all alone for awhile, I pressed on up at the sight of another runner, using him as motivation to keep going when my body was feeling shot. It was hot and humid but I managed to nab my first roadkill of the trip with one attempt, and then handed off to Jay.

Preparing to slap the bracelet on Jay's left arm.

I averaged 7:06 pace for my first leg, which pleased me greatly. If I wasn't ready for BRR beforehand, I was now; I think knowing what I was up against and slaying some demons opened things up for me. I chatted with the team and started scarfing down food as Fillette reminded us that we had to get moving to the next EZ. The next leg was relatively short and we had a fast runner on the roads. Surely enough, Jay made it to Exchange Zone 8 awfully quickly (his time was the equivalent to about a 26:30 8K) but we had gotten Julie ready in time. Van 2 was off and running and enjoying themselves. We drove past Julie as she began to pick off roadkills. The roads were starting to get a little more popular as we were beginning to catch some of the slower teams that had started ahead of us. After Julie's first leg, it was time for Lauren Tilton to take over. 

I had quickly come to appreciate Lauren's persona, as she is very sweet and always smiling. It was amusing to drive up a steep grade as we passed and cheered for her and then see her flash a smile. We were all very impressed with both her attitude and her running ability this weekend. After Lauren, Adrienne took over and the van had to take a detour as support vans were not allowed on the parkway during the night hours. This would be the case for Fillette's leg, as well. We waited for Adrienne at EZ 11 as she destroyed her 10K PR, blasting up the hill with a look of steely competitiveness on her face. Then, Fillette was off. The sun was setting on Day 1 of the BRR as we headed through Boone and on towards the Tangier Outlets.

The scene at Tangiers could best be described as a humongous runners party. We saw the Charlotte Runners, with Jade Laughlin, Josh James, Gisele Tlutsky, and others; we saw DURT, Bobby Aswell's and Stan Austin's team; we saw Fast and Pretty with Michelle, Dalena, Anna, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this stop as it turned out to be my one chance to really bond with Brewer. We talked about how much fun we were having and how great it was to experience something together again. Brewer remarked that the setting sun and the parking lot full of vans reminded him of the high school state track meets. We then started talking about food and realized we could help each other: I was in need of something sweet or salty after packing too much of the same stuff; he was in need of some vegetables after packing too much fruit and peanut butter. And so, I successfully exchanged some baby carrots for some dates, raisins, and a peanut butter-topped bagel. 

Not long after that, John Fillette came cruising into the second Transition Zone. It was about 8:30 p.m. and Van 2 had finished its first session, Allen Strickland had the bracelet, and it was time to move on.

Stay tuned for Part III.

Monday Night Dowd Group

Distance: 6.11 mi.
Time: 46:40.51.
Pace: 7:39.

Two days after my half, I met up with the Monday evening group from the Dowd at 5:30. This run is organized by Caleb and is always a good one. This time it was attended by Boyd, myself, Jocelyn, Carolyn, Paul, Eggers, Brinkley, and Jay. Paul joked that Eggers, Brinkley, and I always seem to come as a package deal. I was just looking forward to getting in some shakeout miles, as my legs and right foot have been excruciatingly tight since the race.

We looped around through Dilworth and the Freedom Park areas before heading back, 6+ miles later. I was glad to get in some easy miles, feeling much more loose afterward. I also enjoyed sharing war stories with Eggers, who raced the Columbia half, and Paul, who always loves to talk shop.

2012 Corporate Cup Half Marathon

Distance: 16.8 mi.

Warmup: 1.9 mi.
Race (according to Garmin): 13.18 mi. in 1:24:00.59 - 6:23 ppm.
Cooldown: 1.7 mi.

Once I announced my decision to bump down from a full to a half, the Alston Bird Corporate Cup effectively became my "big race" of the winter/spring. Since it's only a half, I have entertained ideas of jumping in the distance again at Racefest April 14, but this was essentially it. This race would be the benefactor of the 17-20-mile runs I did for several weeks straight, and of some pretty tough tempo workouts.

After a gigantic pasta dinner last night around 6:30, I awoke from a good night's sleep just before 6 a.m. and had some oatmeal and a banana. Adrienne would be racing, too, but wisely not going out hard after some downtime in the training lately. She ended up treating it as a fast long run - but did beat her time from Savannah last fall. With her in the passenger seat, I rolled up to the Dowd just after 7 and began to get ready. The chip pickup experience was easy despite the massive crowds inside One Wells Fargo. I immediately bolted back to the Dowd to change shoes, ditch my winter clothing, and use the men's room one last time. I was comfortable with having enough time but would have preferred more than 2 miles warmup.

There wasn't much of a setup at the starting line, but I was excited to see some friendly faces. Brian Baum, John Fillette, Tom Ricks, Clayton Venhuizen, Jay Barringer aka "The Dark Fox," and Chad Crockford were all present and accounted for. I also ran into Thomas, Michelle, and Danielle, all planning to go medium-easy with Tobacco Road eight days away.

The start command was kinda confusing. I basically said good luck to Jay, who darted off to the front right as the announcements began. They were brief and then all of a sudden we were off. I actually prefer minimal pageantry at the start of these things. I tucked in behind Fillette and did my best to start conservatively. Tom had planned to hit 1:25 - 1:27 as a fast tempo in preparation for Boston, so I hung around with him as we kept the first mile very conversational.

First five mile splits: 6:18.1, 6:23.6, 6:28.6, 6:24.5, 6:25.2.

In hindsight, if I had anything to do over I would have gone out faster. I wanted to start conservatively and save my legs for the rough hills that would await. After the first mile I pulled away from Tom a bit and latched on to a guy who said he was "shooting for 6:15s." The 5k was run at the same time as the half, strangely, and when they turned off to finish there was more room to run. My new friend and I sidled up to another runner and basically ran three abreast down 3rd Street for a little more than a mile, exchanging friendly banter all the way. Up a slight hill towards the end of the fifth mile, I decided to abandon ship and pull ahead a bit. I came through five miles right at 32-flat, just slightly slower than my 5-mile tempo with the Charlotte Runners four nights prior. I began to develop some nasty tightness in my left hamstring and worried about being all alone all of a sudden. I decided the best way to dispose of these thoughts was to throw in a surge.

Splits for 6-9: 6:14.5, 6:20.6, 6:14.8, 6:20.6.

I saved my race by consistently pushing in this section, by myself nearly the whole way, and not going so hard that I trashed my legs. I think the pace was really even here considering that the 6:20s involved some steep hills (Providence Rd and then, later, Colony). I had deemed the Colony Rd hill as a make-or-break section, and my surge meant I would have some targets as I went up it. That's exactly what I had wanted. One guy actually peeled off and hopped in a porta-jon before I got to him. I caught another runner going uphill by Myers Park and encouraged him to come with me. He didn't and so I went after Miguel Perez, a great runner who had been my target since Providence Rd. I caught him but smartly realized I better not get away just yet. This guy is going to eat me for breakfast if I try to pull away from him now, I thought. I eased up a bit and we took turns blocking the wind for each other going up another Colony hill, then down Roswell past Myers Park Country Club.

Splits for 10-12: 6:24.3, 6:25.7, 6:36.6.

After that hilly Colony Rd section, my legs really began to feel heavy as I tried to pull away from my competition. I was thankful for the presence of Miguel, which helped me avoid zoning out as I was actually scared to death that he would catch me. I was happy to see Eric and Jess Bilbrey as I began my death march; Eric shouted some helpful words of strategic encouragement as I gave him the "so-so" sign. Running down the Booty Loop and fighting my body every step of the way, I tried to think of all those Tuesday tempo runs with the Charlotte Runners that traversed this exact same path. Right around that time I found Bevin, who had just showed up with her sign. Coincidence? I think not. Feelings of pure hell were actually interspersed with fleeting moments of peace and loose legs, and despite slowing down up some hills I managed to keep things from slipping away too badly.

Splits for the final 1.18: 6:18.2, 1:04.8 (5:56 ppm).

I survived the Morehead hill and began to charge towards the finish. My fastest mile was #6, but my last mile was my fourth-fastest split. I'm pretty pleased with that considering how rough the last few miles of this race were. I was amused to see John Cendroski and his girlfriend here, as John cursed at me belligerently. I later found out Adrienne had told him to do that, as she knows I respond better to negative reinforcement. That's not exactly what I had in mind but it was a nice change of mindset as I was hanging on for dear life. With a quarter-mile to go, one final turn of the head assured me I would not be caught from behind, and I continued to push on in an effort to break 1:24. I missed it by two seconds according to the official results. This could have been avoided by simply being closer to the front, but hindsight's always 20/20, right?

Race Results

I finished 16th overall, ironically one spot behind Fillette, even though he was more than 90 seconds ahead. I also won my age group, making me for two-for-two since I turned 30.

Splits Chart
Map

None of that really matters, I guess. What I wanted from this race was to know where I stand with longer distances, and I walked away encouraged. I'm far from satisfied and can look ahead to where I really want to be, but I am definitely happy with today. Another positive note is the way I raced - perhaps too slow at the start, but I was able to surge ahead before it was too late and pick off several people near the end, without being passed. I can look back on this journal entry and see that today was a nice building block and a great way to close the first quarter of 2012.

'Til next time, kids. Thanks for comin' out.

Evening Reunion

Distance: 5.31 mi.
Time: 44:03.
Pace: 8:18.

This is the first time I have run on a Monday in over a month. With Adrienne back from cobra-charming in India, we put together a decent group to run easy from the Dowd. It was great to have Thomas back out there, and even better to have my running buddy back. I was glad to keep the pace easy and relieved to get my weekly mileage off to a head start.

Valentine's Run Double

Distance: 4.6 mi.
Time: 35:55.
Pace: 7:49.

I met the CRC group at Freedom Park for a Valentine's Day-themed run. I missed the memo to wear red or pink, but the Hovises had on enough of each color to count for everyone. We kept the pace easy, something I was rather thankful for, and a few of us went out for Italian afterward. I was hurting for some calories after the day's work.