There are three types of people in the world. The first are those that think Monty Python is someone in adult entertainment. The second are those who know that it’s just a flesh wound. Then there are those who can recite the entire Dead Parrot Sketch with the correct accents. If you’re in either of…
DiNFY
DNF. The three most abhorred letters in ultrarunning, which stands for Did Not Finish. Did. Not. Finish. While certainly not unique to ultras, most people progress through their running life without ever really questioning whether or not you’ll finish the race. Hit a certain time? You’ll definitely worry about that, but not the actual finishing…
When Good Habits Go Bad
I need to chill. It’s only been two weeks since my last 100 miler (MMT100) and I’m already chomping at the bit to get back into my normal training routine. My legs felt decent after only three or four days and they were borderline fresh after 10. I’m starting to get mentally anxious that I…
The Numbers Behind 2019 MMT100
Anyone who has spent any time with me knows that I’m a numbers guy. Over the years, I’ve spent so much time calculating and tabulating that it’s difficult for me to completely understand a thing unless there are numbers attached to it. Adjectives only go so far in my opinion. And so every run has…
2019 Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 Race Report
MMT100 is a 100.6 mile race put on by the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club in the Massanutten mountains of the Shenandoah Valley. The single loop course has 10 major climbs with 18,500 feet of elevation gain. Runners are provided 35 hours and 15 aid stations to cover the course. And while accurate, that description…
MMT100 Preview
I’m four days out from Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 (MMT100) and I’m already all keyed up. It’s funny. I used to get extremely nervous heading into these races because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Now I get extremely nervous heading into these races because I do know what’s going to happen. MMT100…
Dancing On A Knife’s Edge
I’ve gotten to that point in my training cycle where I need to make the difficult choice most people eventually reach: continue pushing with my current training load or back off to lessen injury risk. When I created my MMT100 training plan, I ended up with a lot more mileage than I have historically undertaken.…
But I’m Glad I Did
I wasn’t looking forward to my back-to-back long runs last weekend. While I wasn’t quite dreading the 25 and 20 mile runs, they weren’t something I was totally stoked to go knock out either. I saw them more as a mow the lawn type chore than final exam type events. And since I’ve probably mixed…
I Don’t Wanna
I’m feeling a little childish about my upcoming long runs this weekend. Since I’ve been running consistently for the last 5+ years, my training plans have been condensed down from 20 week schedules to just planned long runs. Based on the time between my last race (Naked Prussian) and MMT, I had 4 weekends available…
Moments in Time: 2015 Oil Creek 100
4:58am, Saturday October 10, 2015 I’m standing in the courtyard of the Titusville Middle School with a hundred nineteen other people waiting to run 100 miles for the first time. I have been thinking, planning, and dreaming about running 100 miles for a couple years now. All of that time and energy has been devoted…