Sunday, October 20, 2013

Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK Race Report

I spent the majority of the day at the 14th annual Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 mile relay & ultramarathon.  I did the relay with a team of 6 other runners and a support driver (Erin).  I was lucky enough to run in the most challenging spot in the rotation for our team.  I completed Leg 4 and Leg 11 of the 12-leg race.  If you click the links, you can see the course maps, a video of the course being driven, and an elevation profile.

The race was incredibly well organized, the course was marked very well, the volunteers were great, and the post-race party was OK.  The course was almost all on gravel roads which was a very nice terrain.  I was able to crank out the 5.6 mile Leg 4 in 38:03 and the 5.3 mile Leg 11 in 37:31.  It was really neat to see the ultra-runners during my second leg (they had a big head start and I didn't see any during my first leg).  This course was the USA 50 mile championship!  The fastest guy finished around 5:35.  I can't even run a marathon at that pace!  There's also a team called "The Old Men of the Mountains" who are comprised of runners 65+ years old.  Their team captain is 93!!!  That's pretty amazing considering that the easiest leg of the race is 3.4 miles long.  That's longer than a 5k race and this is "off-road."

There was a lot of team spirit and costume wearing...and beer drinking on some teams (we waited until after the finish).  Some people ran as 2-person teams, alternating legs of the race; max team size is 8.  It was nice to have people to hang out with during the time when I wasn't running.  It was strange to figure out when and what to eat.  I also felt a little skunky (warm up, cool down, warm up...) going into my second leg.  I got pretty lucky that there was a sizable hill where I passed a ton of people.  Everyone else was walking on Leg 11.

I know that I won't be able to run the ultra next year, but I might be thinking about it in the back of my mind for a few years down the road.  It's not exactly a flat, fast course, but it's full of spirited people in a beautiful setting and the entry fee's not bad for the ultra people.  Maybe next year I'll do a 3-4 person team.  Let me know if you'd like to try and average 7 minute miles.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Pick #369


YG - “My Nigga” feat. Jeezy, Rich Homie Quan

This song is very catchy. I kept hearing it on Vine and there are some pretty good Vines using this tune.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Erin on Etsy

If you don't already know, my wife's pretty crafty.  Like a fox.  Or an artisan.  You decide by looking at her Etsy shop.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Giant Leaf Vacuum Truck

I saw another bike on the path on my way in to school today and upon catching up to it while climbing a hill, I noticed it was my  neighbor/amigo Jamison.  We rode in together until we got downtown and en route saw a big truck vacuuming leaves off the road.

The road had been covered with leaves the past few days.  I was blown away at the sight and Jamison said something about me being from Florida.  I have seen street sweepers in the past, but this was like a giant Asplundh truck or something with a big hose (2 feet in diameter?) vacuuming lots and lots of leaves.

I guess I'll be seeing lots of other stuff that will be new to me this winter.