The Zen of Ultra Running

This was my 3rd Regal Beagle 50K. I have run this race (and the distance) every year since it's started. The good thing about this race is that it's in my backyard (only 10 minutes drive from my house). The race is also part of the Running Forward and Giving Back race series. So I have every reason to support the race. Regal Beagle course is fast and very runnable. Many people run this race to get a 50K PR. Last year I was running well but the course was really muddy so it slowed me down. However, this year the course and the weather were PERFECT. It was about 20 degrees at the start but it got warmer (up to 50 degrees) toward the end of the race. They also changed the direction of the course this year so I felt like we were running downhill most of the time (with only one big climb in each loop). The course is a 5-mile loop. The 50K runs it 6 times. They also have a 25K (3 loops) and a 5 miler (1 loop). The week leading up to the race day I was working on a couple of dea

Sorry for the late post. I'd been busy with a BIG deadline, grading, and other school stuff that I did not have time to update the blog about my two races in October. I am now at a somewhat critical point in my career that requires me to focus on work and less on the play. The end of October and early November is usually a super busy period (research, midterm, grading, final projects, etc). So, running has become a tool for me to release stress. I enjoy an easy run (with or without other people) and prefer to spend time catching up with friends during a run, rather than trying to do a structured run or get a certain amount of miles in each week. There were a couple of things that happened to me in October that put me under a lot of stress and anxiety. I knew I was entering the state of mind where if I did not do anything to fix it, it would become worse. So, I decided to use running as an outlet to release stress by telling myself "every run should be enjoyable and bring h

Doan Creek Trail race in Shaker Heights, OH is one of the most technical races in NE Ohio. Every year there are some runners roll their ankles, fell, or break certain parts of their bodies. It's not the course that you would get a PR or even a fast time for the distance. This race is a "free" race with a string attached. Once you enter the race, you have to either donate or volunteer your time to clean up the trails (or both). It's part of the Running Forward and Giving Back race series where the races raise money for charities. I missed the race last year because we were out of the country for my sister's wedding. The first time I ran it, I thought the race was pretty technical but I could not remember if it was THAT technical. Or maybe because I just ran the Akron marathon last week and am still dealing with the bad ankle. This course for sure would make it worse but I already signed up for the 25K and I hated to DNS. I showed up at the race thinking I

It's another hot race this year! (After Hamburg half marathon and Vermont 100) I started the race injured and undertrained (as usual). The week leading to the race day I was really anxious about the race as my ankle was still not 100% and I had not been running much since YUTC 50K. Work was also overwhelming and running was not my first priority. The weekend before the race day I went out to check the back half of the course with A. (10 miles) so I knew what to expect. Worst case scenario I would just walk the back half of the course. Race morning I woke up early and drove to the finish line to catch the shuttle at 6am. Some people were skeptical about the new course and the new start line. This year the Akron marathon moved the start line to be at Stan Hywet hall. So, most people have to park at the finish (Canal Park) and take the shuttle to the start line. The process was easier and faster than I expected. Once I got to Stan Hywet I used the restroom and checked my gear

Great race. great course. great volunteers. Youngstown Ultra Trail Classic 50K is an old school ultra marathon event in Youngstown, OH. It's a club race put together by NEO trail running club. It's so old school that they only accept paper registration (you have to send in the paper registration form and a check). I wanted to run the race last year but I ended up in a boot after the CC100. This year I sent in my registration fee early as I did not want to miss the event. I know NEO trail club because they run one of the aid stations at the CC100. Great group of people. There are 2 distances - 25K and 50K. Of course, I signed up for the 50K. Who knew I would roll my ankle 2 weeks prior to the race? *sigh A week leading up to the race day, I did minimal running but instead did a lot of cross training to save my ankle. I was pretty bummed that no matter how much I tried to rest and do the ankle exercises, the bad ankle still hurt a bit when I walked. On the race day, I s

Despite the beginning of the school year crisis, I managed to have some fun this weekend (after missing all the fun on the labor day weekend because of work). On Saturday, a group of us signed up for the Cleveland Fundo 30-mile bike ride around Cleveland. We started in Edgewater Park and rode to the Eastside and back. I had always wanted to explore Cleveland on the bike but did not have a chance until this event. Some friends did the 60 miles option last year and loved it. This year we opted for the shorter option because we were not ready for a long ride, which I was totally cool with the decision. I rolled my ankle during the run on Tuesday and it still hurt several days later. So, biking was the perfect opportunity to stay active without running. Rode through downtown Cleveland on Saturday morning. Very quiet. After the ride, we had lunch at the event before I came home to take a nap (and finish some work).  On Sunday morning, I woke up early to run some mile

First race since Vermont 100 in July. After Vermont DNF, I lost my motivation to exercise. It had become extremely hard for me to put on the running shoes and go out for a run or even go to a yoga class. All I wanted to do (besides working) was....nothing. I went out for a couple of runs with friends but was not able to get out and run by myself. My sleep schedule was messed up. I also tried to catch up with the work that I was supposed to finish before the beginning of the new school year. So, I was kinda stressed out about that. Then, a group of friends told me to sign up for the PorchRokr 5K, which is a 5K race on the morning of PorchRokr event in Akron. They said it's a small race and I knew the organizer. I thought it would be nice to shift gears from running a long endurance race to race a short race to see how I felt. I arrived at the race early for packet pick up. Then, did a warm up run before the race. I saw a lot of friends at the event and that was nice. PorchRokr

I DNFed Vermont 100 (VT100) this past weekend. Vermont 100 is one of the six oldest 100-mile races in the US and it's also part of the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. The cool thing about VT100 is that they also have a concurrent 100-mile horse race so the runners and the horses share most of the course. I used my CC100 time to qualify and enter VT100 lottery this year. In order to enter, you have to finish a 100-mile race within 30 hours or a 50-mile race within 12 hours or a 100K race within 16 hours. You also have to submit your "service hours" by volunteering at a race or doing trail work for at least 8 hours. Since I was the aid station captain for Run with Scissors last year, I used that time as the service hours. Regarding the training, I could say I trained as hard as I could (while trying not to jeopardize my marriage and career) this year in order to prepare for VT100. The race, while it's "runnable", has 17,000 feet of elevation gain. So, I focuse

We were on a 2-week vacation in Germany and Portugal and it's been really really really busy since we got back from the trip. Overall, we had fun and it was good to spend time with my family. We started our trip in Hamburg, Germany where we stayed at my brother-in-law house. His parents have a house in Hamburg. My family was already there. They flew in two days before us. Then, the whole group went to Berlin for a couple of days (2 hours train ride) and came back to Hamburg to rest and relax. When I planned the trip, I was also looking for a race to run at the same time. I found that Hamburg had a half marathon that weekend. It was perfect timing. I, then, signed up for the race. They also had a half marathon skating race at the same time. I'd never seen a skating race before. Quite interesting. The skaters started before the runners as it took them less time to finish the half marathon. On the race day, it was EXTREMELY hot (95 degrees) and the race sent out a couple of

I am now qualified as a "professional pacer". Mohican 100 this year was different from last year. I did not sign up to run any distance at the race because I was going to pace R. who was going for his 20th buckle. Yes, one month after running Massanutten 100. It was crazy and I was already tired just thinking about it. It has also become a tradition that I would go to Mohican on Friday to help mark the trails. We met a Mellor's (like we always do) for breakfast and marking plan. This year many people showed up to help on Thursday so they got the majority of the marking done. The only section that was left to be marked was the section from the Fire Tower aid station to the Covered Bridge aid station. Because it was only 2.6 miles, T., D. and I went out together to mark the trail. We had a good time and it's always good to spend time with these ladies. Then, we marked some more trails after lunch and went to the pre-race meeting where I saw old and new friends. The

What a fun long (run) weekend! It's time to get serious and train for the A race this year. On Saturday, a group of us went to down Mohican State Park to run the "short loop" of the Mohican 100. I forgot that it was also on the same day as the Medina Half Marathon (MHM) and I signed up to volunteer from 5 to 7:30am at the race. MHM is a club race and I wanted to support the race as much as I could. I blamed it on the ultramarathon training (and work) that I could only volunteer on Saturday morning. After volunteering, I drove to Mohican and met the rest of the group there. T. parked her car at the Covered Bridge so we could use her car as an aid station (CB is the halfway point of the course). The weather was nice at the beginning of the run and it got really hot and humid toward the end. After the run, I drove home and went to an Ethiopian dinner with P. On Sunday, there was a fat ass event put together by a local running group called "Trail Seekers"

"Almost heaven West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains Shenandoah River Life is old there older than the trees Younger than the mountains blowin' like a breeze. Country roads take me home To the place I belove West Virginia mountain momma Take me home country roads" I've never been to the west side of Virginia before. This weekend was the first time I experienced Massanutten mountain and its beauty. After seeing Shenandoah River, this song popped up in my head. My dad likes John Denver and we've sung this song (Take me home, Country roads) since I was young. It's good to be able to connect the song with the landmark. This weekend I, together with B. and T., had an honor of crewing and pacing R. (Master) on his 20th finish at Massanutten 100 (MMT100). It was also the first time he had crew and pacers at the race (the previous 19 times he ran it solo - no pacer, no crew). It started with R. telling me to enter this race when I was thinking about

I still have unfinished business with Outrun 24 (O24). I signed up for this race last year because 1) I wanted to try the 24-hour race format and see if I would like it or not (I knew I would end up either loving or hating this race format) 2) I needed a tune-up race for any 100 miler I signed up in the summer. The timing of this race was not ideal. It always falls around the end of the semester (esp. last week of instructions). So, I was reluctant to sign up. Then, I told myself if I gave myself enough time to prepare for the end of semester crisis, I could still do this race because it's local (only 40 minutes drive from home). I volunteered at this race last year and ran about 15 miles with G. (in the dark). I thought it was 'ok'. A week before the race I went out with Coach C. to run a couple of loops on the course. The picture below shows what the course looks like and then the song "Baby Shark" popped up in my head. The week leading to the race day