Getting back to my running roots!

 I have been an athlete my entire life. Even while abusing drugs & alcohol I managed to play some type of sport. As far as running goes I had the "running is my sports punishment attitude." for many years. That changed drastically in my 45th year on this earth!

 I didn't start running in earnest until spring of 2007 after I quit my toughest addiction, cigarette smoking. With encouragement from my stepson & needing better ways to cope with a life free from substances, running would become my go to mental health adjustment  "medicine." I ran to deal with the depression I was feeling from saying by to my "best friend" of 30+ years. On February 12th 2007 I inhaled my last smoke filled breath. The thing about giving up substances after abusing them for 16 + years is that now you need to cope with life on its own terms! Not an easy thing for someone that self medicates to deal with daily stressors. Not surprisingly, given the early age that I started using alcohol & drugs, I was diagnosed with mild depression & bi-polar 2 disorder. The majority of addicts are also diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The thing about self medicating is that the mental health side of things most likely will go unchecked until you start dealing with the substance use issues. By spending the majority of my days from my mid teens until my late 20s high or drunk I really never felt depressed. Hung over & upset with some of my exploits yes, but I was a pretty happy addict until the day I wasn't. Hell I didn't even miss a beat after ending up upside down in my pick up on St. Clair Ave or having a gun put to my head while trying to buy crack. Self medicating enabled me to "deal" with these "near death" experiences while nary batting an eye!

 Back to the reason I am writing this blog in the first place. My running progressed to doing my first 5k in June of 2008 & my first marathon in Cleveland in 2009. I ran pretty consistently and did many local road races from 5k - 26.2 for the next couple years. I enjoyed both the physical & mental health conditioning that hours in my own head with an elevated heart rate provided. Not to mention the great people I met at NE Ohio running events! Love the motivation & support that everyone provides!

 I noticed in 2011 that I was losing the therapeutic benefits of running due to my quest for a Boston Marathon qualifying time! Running was becoming to rigid & structured by following marathon training programs that basically dictated my every running move. I was no longer running freely!
It was during this time that I was introduced to trail running & gave up most road running. It was a godsend to run through the woods without any specific plan. I love the outdoors and being in the woods running was just the "medicine" for my road weary mind! Funny thing about running, if you want to race you need to train. If you want to train properly you need some type of training plan. If you want to successfully run 100 mile trail races you need to be fairly regimented in your training. Catch 22, sounds like what I was doing when running roads. Damn it anyway!

 Well thanks to meeting Pam Rickard I was introduced to Runwell, The Linda Quirk Foundation & later, The Herren Project. Now I was rejuvenated to running because I would be raising funds for individuals battling their own addiction issues. I spent a couple years with Linda & Runwell working with their Ambassador Program & fund raising.  I also raised funds for The Herren Project & was all set to get more involved with THP in 2018. This renewed sense of purpose & giving back to the community was just what the doctor ordered to keep my running mentally beneficial to me! A couple years later I left Runwell to start my own venture, Active Recovery Consulting. This would further engross me in helping individuals dealing with substance use issues. While the last couple years of earning certificates & credentials & promoting ARC have been a great internship they have also taken their toll. Yes I love helping people deal with substance use issues. Whether they, or someone they love is fighting addiction, I do my best to show compassion, provide guidance, and to educate. I realize however that by using running to benefit others it does not afford me the same mental health release as it once did. I feel this is due to the fact that whether personally or professionally, I am constantly involved with substance use issues.

 It is with this is mind that I am taking a "selfish" approach and getting back to running for me and no one else.  No more fund raising or spreading the word through my running. I do that all the time anyway! I need this one thing to be just mine again so as to reap the wellness benefits that running provides in order to continue helping others. I am still available if you or someone you know needs help. FB message me or email me at mvschaffer.100@gmail.com

 On a professional note, I am thrilled to be getting involved in a pilot program that will have me connecting with individuals pretty much right after they accidentally overdose & are transported to the hospital. I am also looking forward to doing some work at a local rehab facility & will post more information in the coming days. It is with this in mind that I will be putting my Active Recovery Consulting on the back burner for now. If you are interested in becoming involved with or donating to either Runwell or The Herren Project click on their link below!!

                                            Runwell      The Herren Project                                                            

           
                 

I could not have imagined when I took my first running steps at Mentor Headlands in 2007 where the path would lead. The people I have met & places I have been have truly made my life blessed. Hope to see you out on a trail or a road somewhere!


          Wishing you all the best!!!

Up Oil Creek without a paddle!

 After completing my eastern States 100 mile run in Mid August I was looking forward to a recovery  week and a few easy weeks before the YUTC 50k four weeks later and then Oil Creek 100 on October 14th. Everything was going as planned and I was thrilled to have a good run in Youngstown in spite of a few spills on the rocky trails! A funny thing happened between the 50k & the Oil Creek 100. My friend Dena ended up having to pull out of The Northern Ohio Marathon on the roads of my hometown of Mentor. In hind sight running my first road marathon in a year 2 weeks before a 100 mile trail run may not have been the wisest decision! At least according to my quads! However I had a blast and even got to stop & say hey to my wife, Mary since the race went right past our street! The nice flat course through NE Ohio led to my second fastest marathon time of 3:38:29, which is also a BQ for my age group.

Photo op & sip of coffee with Mary at mile 10.75

Mile 26 and feeling strong!

I wasn't going to do too much running between the marathon & Oil Creek. Just enough to keep some semblance of sanity.  I recovered well from the marathon ran a little the following week. Thanks for the trail miles Desiree & JT. Friday the 13th came and it was time for the 2.5 hr drive to Titusville PA. Once I realized lights out was 9pm for those choosing to "camp" in the school gym I decided to sleep in my car at the start/finish and rock & roll come Saturday! Lights out at 9pm wasn't going to work. I went to packet pick up Friday evening & saw too many friends to mention all of them by name, but you all are the reason I was back in PA going for my 3rd straight Oil Creek 100 finish. PA has a great trail running community!!!

Good to see Candie at Packet pick up. Way to rock the 100k!

5 minutes until the 5:00 am start and ready to go!

My alarm was set for 3:33am so I ended up with my usual 4 hours of pre 100 sleep. I felt well rested took my time getting ready & walked the 100 yards from my vehicle to the Middle School. Its a treat to get to hang inside until the race starts! I had visions of taking at least a couple hours off my best finish which would mean finishing in around 27-28 hours. The course at Oil Creek is three 50k loops & a 7 mile+ loop to finish off the 100 miler. Loops 1 & 2 pretty much went as planned and I got to spend some trail time with Jim Harris who is the RD of YUTC, so that was an unexpected bonus! Nice chatting with you Jim! The Wizard of Oz themed aid station was too cool!!! It happens to be Mary's favorite movie.




I almost forgot to mention the muzzleloader deer hunter that shot about 100 yards from me on the second loop. Got to see him but not the deer. Until my dad got sick we spent many October weekends muzzleloading in PA and I actually spread some of his ashes on the GHT during my first OC 100 in 2013! My years hunting with him are a big part of the reason I love the PA woods!!!!
 Let's fast forward to loop three, which aside from miles 55-75 at my 2014 failed attempt at Eastern States 100, ended up being the most miserable miles since I started running ultras! Not sure what happened as I was pretty much eating well & having no physical issues beyond the usual nagging discomfort of seemingly endless hours of self propulsion.  I ended up walking almost the entire 31 miles which ended any thoughts of a personal best at Oil Creek.  I completed the first loop in just under 7 hours and the second in around 8.5 which was just 30 minutes over my goal. The 11.50 hour 3rd loop however, was not part of the plan. I was in such a dark spot mentally that I could not shake myself out of it as is normally the case.  I was not too thrilled with life for about 9 to 10 hours. Not sure wtf happened but it was ugly, constant, and almost the end of my 2nd PA 100 finish of 2017!
I want to mention a couple of folks because they are the reason I kept moving even when I had told myself I was going to drop as soon as I got to aid station #2. Michael Meyer you may not realize it but your encouragement and that of Brian Newcomer, Mary Dauberman, & a few of the volunteers was THE ONLY REASON I left the aid station under the power of my own two feet instead of a car!! It is amazing to see people that care so much for someone they don't know all that well at 2:30 in the morning. I still wasn't thrilled but once I stepped out of the aid station I knew I would finish the race! Of course that was still going to be about 9 hours, a bear, porcupine, deer, & cat sighting later! The moon and stars really lifted my spirits and by 6:00 am my funk had pretty much dissipated and was completely gone with coming daylight. I got back to the middle school and after a quick shirt change and ditching the poles & vest I had used on loop three was ready to get this last 7.3 miles done!
I felt great on this loop and pretty much ran all of the flats & down hills while power hiking the rest.

One mile left and feeling pretty thrilled it would  come to an end soon!

I was pretty confident that with walking almost an entire 50k I would have a personal worst and not the personal best I was hoping for. To my surprise my time of 30:39:16 was 1 minute & 37 seconds faster than my 2015 time!!! Woo Hoo, any victory no matter how small is a victory none the less!!!

Congrats to all that toed the line & a heartfelt thanks to Race Director Tom Jennings and all of the volunteers that make the Oil Creek 100 a very special race!!!!

I have only attempted eleven 100 milers & have finished eight of them. Of my three DNF's two of them were because I just didn't want to go on and the other due to foot issues which I probably could have dealt with if I had been mentally tougher! Oil Creek may not have been the race I wanted but I now know a little better how much more my body can handle when my mind wants to quit! To me that is a major key to finishing 100 milers!!

Oh yea, no more BQ road marathons two weeks out before a 100 miler! I did however sign up for the 2018 Cleveland Marathon after taking the last two years off!

Rest with a little running this week then get prepared for Bills BadAss 50k in four weeks!!!

Eastern States 2017, Pennsylvania Rocks!

  Somehow even though I have been on the Eastern States course every year of it 4 year existence I seem to have forgotten how rocky the course really is! I made it 75 miles in 2014, Paced for 40 in 2015, finished the entire 102.9 miles last year & yet seemed to have blocked out entire sections of the trails! Anyhow, that is probably the only reason I signed up for this beast again! I was pretty psyched for this years race as I was going to attempt it with no crew or pacers. To add a little more pressure, my wife Mary would be waiting for me at the finish of a 100 miler for the first time! Words will not do justice to the emotions felt when I crossed the line 34hrs 29 mins 11 secs after the start. However, this picture will!

That Finish Line Feeling!!

We arrived at Happy Acres campground late Friday afternoon after a long, construction delayed ride from NE Ohio. The fact that Mary was joining me for some well deserved R & R while I enjoyed my own R & R, (rocks & running) made this my most special ultra running experience to date!
We only stopped at packet pick up for a few minutes as the sky grew dark and the rain came.
A little later, my friend, Sean & his wife, Amy arrived at the cabin as he was trying Eastern States for the fist time and going for the PA Triple Crown of Ultra Running, Having completed the Hyner View 50K & Worlds End 100k this spring. Almost forgot to mention he also successfully ran The Western States Endurance Run in between all of this PA adventures! Congratulations on a great spring/summer of running Sean!!

I believe Mary was more nervous than I was, especially when she frantically woke me up wondering what time it was, thinking I may have slept through the alarm. It was actually 11:17 pm, about 20 minutes after we fell asleep!! I slept great as there was no need for me to wake up every 1/2 hour tossing and turning.  Mary had that covered!

I woke up at 3:17 and decided to get up rather than wait for my alarm to go off at 3:33 (Mary's lucky number is 3!) Had my pre race breakfast of 2 strawberry frosted Pop Tarts and a glass of milk. Said goodbye to Mary thinking it would be between 33 & 36 hours before I would see her again and headed to the start around 4:15.

I saw many friends waiting to check in/weigh in and get the journey started. During this 30 minute pre-race time you can literally feel all of the different emotions that the runners are sending out into the universe. I can honestly say this may have been the calmest I have ever felt before a 100. I was so looking forward to loosing(finding) myself in the woods for the next day & a half! Even though I have done solo 100's before, none have been this remote of a location or challenging of a course.

The calmness comes from months of physical & mental training for this 1 specific race. The many solo miles & hours spent running, hiking & walking in the woods left me confident and ready for the task at hand. I cannot stress enough the importance of "race specific" training. I know being 1 of 66 finishers out of 199 starters in 2016 was due in large part to all of my mid day heat training. Last year it was 94 with a heat index of 108. I won't even talk about the storm that blew down dozens of trees last year either!

The race started at 5am and we headed down the road for 1.5 miles before turning into the campground and eventually hitting the trail. The next couple miles before the first big climb were on a fairly slick, rocky trail. I actually fell twice, the second one was pretty hard on my left shoulder before making it to the climb. I would not fall again!!

I was pleased to spend some good trail time with Christopher Agbay, from Massachusetts who I met at the inaugural race in 2014. Chris was 1 of 3 people going for their 4th straight finish! Pretty damn impressive given that many people consider this a one & done kind of course.

Heading into the mile 17.8 aid station with Chris

 I was a bit taken aback by the fact that around mile 20, not too long after leaving the aid station I was feeling a bit down. You know that WTF am I doing here, I swore this was a 1 and done race, why did I come back?..I could DNF(did not finish) with Mary here....blah blah blah. Not really sure what that was about except maybe I blocked out how challenging the first 30 miles can be. Sean was ahead of me as was my friend Stacy who was also 1 of the 3 runners going for finish #4. I had the pleasure of pacing Stacy her last 40 in 2015 & seeing her fight through all that the course spit out at her gave me my 100 miler mojo back! I'm 3 for 3 in 100's since then, thanks Stacy!!!

One of the reasons I WILL BE GOING BACK IN 2018, no Matter what I said to Jade at the mile 80 aid station, or anyone else that would listen, is that I truly love seeing my PA running family!!

Not to mention the many years spent with my father, uncle & brother in-law hunting the woods of Pennsylvania. I belong to these woods heart & soul!!

In spite of the many miles I have on this course it is mind boggling to me how much of it I do not remember clearly. The next 15 miles were fairly uneventful and I was feeling pretty good. It was quite humid but almost 20 degrees cooler than last year. The highlight of my race was sitting at the Hyner aid station changing my shirt and hearing a familiar voice ask one of the volunteers, "Has bib number 31checked in yet?" My babe decided to surprise me and it was a well needed boost! After a 5 minute chat with Mary I was heading up the trail on my own again.

I want to take a second to thank all of the volunteers, especially a few people that made my ES 100 event truly enjoyable. Brian, Mary, Luke, Mark, Jade, & Jennifer THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for all the enthusiasm & support!!!! It was great to see Craig, the RD of the race the first 3 years on the course too.

I knew it would be a bit different without my buddies Bert & Charlie pacing & crewing this year, but I was a bit shocked at how hard 2am - 4am were for me alone in the woods! At one point I almost convinced myself to lie down & take a nap knowing that the next runner would have to step on or over me to get by. Oh well, no nap, just left right left repeat until the funk lifted. Once I made the Long Branch aid station at mile 75 I was in good spirits and wasn't hallucinating anymore either!

I know this sounds a wee bit off, but I love the climb out of Blackwell at mile 80.5. Not very technical and not crazy steep!! I really felt awesome when I got to the top of that climb!

The climb out of Blackwell is one of my favorite parts of the course!

Getting to the Skytop aid station at mile 84+  has been my "I know I will finish" spot the last two years! Good pancakes & great volunteers! Even though I struggled early in the morning I was able to make up time in the 8 between Skytop & the Barrens aid stations. I have been quite pleased the way my legs have responded in the later miles the last 2 years. I 

Not sure what Happened but I seemed to have deleted the rest of my Blog!!! Quick summary was that I did pretty well the last 20 miles and had a great reception at the finish, lead by Mary!!! Congratulations to Stacy finishing her 4th consecutive ES 100 & to Sean who did both Eastern States & Western States this year!!!!

Alive and kicking in the Georgia mountains!

I had the pleasure, okay maybe pleasure is stretching it a bit, of going for a little "run" in Northern Georgia this past weekend at the Georgia Death Race. It is advertised as a 68ish mile run, which is closer to 72ish, which was extended to 74+ish this year! A big thanks to Race Director Sean aka "The Run Bum" for the extra miles at no extra cost!! The Georgia Death Race is a tough point to point race from Vogel State Park to Amicalola Falls in Northern Georgia. There is approximately 40,000 feet of elevation change with some serious climbs that us "flat landers" from Ohio don't have the chance of duplicating in our home state. I got down to Vogel State Park on Friday, & thanks to John & Kristen had a comfy couch to crash on in a cabin at Vogel State Park.

 With John at Amicalola Lodge for mandatory pre-race meeting Friday

Enjoying Friday at the Falls

Great call having a cabin 100 yards from the start John! If you were staying at the finish you had to be on the bus by 2:15 am to get from Amicalola to Vogel. I wa able to set my alarm for 3:30 and we walked down to morning check in around 4:05am & went back to the cabin until about 10 minutes before the 5:00 am start! Talk about spoiled!

Almost go time!

Cruise control early in race!

Without getting into all of the details, this was by far the second hardest ultra I have attempted. Eastern States 100 2016 in PA, with it's 92 degree weather with a "real feel" of 102 is still tops in my very limited book. Not to mention the storms that came through. Only 33% of us finished that day, compared to 64% at GDR.
The weather was a little cool, slightly wet, and windy in the morning but warmed up nicely and the sun came out for the better part of the day. I decided to run with my long sleeve shirt, and with the exception of about 10 minutes during the wee hours of Sunday morning, walking out of an Aid Station I never put my jacket on. I did some pretty good race specific training for this one.

 Lots of uphill power walking with a heavier pack then I would use on race day seemed to work for me! My mantra this year is "Uphills are my weakness, they will become my strength".  Speaking of uphills, my friend Jon ran GDR in 2016 and was not lying when he said the first 20 miles were relentless. A couple miles in we went up the first major climb and then we hit a section called The Dragon's Spine. Aptly named as all you do is go up & down & up & down & repeat! After the first 20 were in my rearview mirror I only had one minor low spot, about midway through the day due to not taking in enough calories. I stopped on the trail for a minute to get some calories & take care of a hot spot on the bottom of my right foot and was good to go! This area of Georgia is absolutely stunning to view from the trails!!! There were a few serious downhills that enabled me to get some good running in. I may not be fast but I can cover some ground on the downhills without busting my quads! I met some great people on the trails over the course of the day & night & early morning!!! Nice meeting you in person & being able to help out Shenoa, congrats on your finish! I was pretty much consistently 1-1.5 hrs ahead of the cutoffs and seeing this was my first of three April ultras I was fine with my time. That is until after I stopped at the mile 54 aid station, Jake Bull, to change my shirt and get ready for the last 21 miles. I was still 1 hour ahead of the last cutoff that I thought was 10 miles ahead. It didn't help that 9 of those "10" miles were uphill. I met up with a runner from Indiana named Dewaynne on Nimbwell Church Rd and we would end up finishing the last 19 miles or so together. When we got to the 10 mile point at the top of the 9 mile climb we were told the aid station was actually 1.5 miles further up the trail! So much for that 1 hour buffer!! We had to actually kick it into another gear on some really gnarly trails just to make it to the last aid station 5 minutes ahead of the cut off!! We both knew that with only 9.5 miles to go that once we made the last cut off we were pretty much home free, since except for another 1000' or so of climbing near the end, everything was down hill. There was a group of about six of us that hung together for most of the way into Amicalola Falls. We got into Amicalola near the top of the falls and head down towards the finish on some crazy rocky trail. In true Southern hospitality fashion instead of crossing to the finish you go up a steep paved path until you reach the first set of steps and take all 700+ steps back to the top of the falls. Yay!!! I caught up with Dewaynne at the top of the steps and we pretty much headed back down the paved road and then the last little bit of trail to the finish together. The only time my feet would get wet all day was literally 10 feet from the finish when Sean figured it would be better to go through the water than use the foot bridge! At the finish line runners turn in an un-engraved spike that we carried the entire run I was thrilled to earn the awesome engraved finishers spike. My Georgia Death Race was officially over.

 23 hours 15 minutes & 56 seconds. 

 Once I saw the Railroad Conductor Bear at Vogel State Park on Friday I knew I had no choice but to get the engraved spike for Mary. 

 Your love, support & encouragement keep me going no matter what trail life finds me on!

A well earned spike for my number one fan!!!!

Thank you to everyone involved in this race for making the GDR one I will not soon forget! If you want to test yourself I highly recommend this one!  I believe registration opens sometime in August. One thing though, don't hesitate!!! The race sold out in 49 minutes last year!!

Check out the link to GDR & other races put on by Run Bum Tours

GDR elevation profile 2017

Running is my...........?

 The date of February 12th 2007 is the only actual date that is etched in stone for me as far as stopping addictions go. I never kept track of the actual date I quit doing cocaine or my last shot of Jack Daniels, and I only know when I had my last sip of Stella because it was on my 50th birthday. 2/12/07 was the day I gave up my longest and toughest addiction, cigarette smoking. I first started smoking regularly when I was around 13 years old and most likely averaged around 1.5 packs a day from age 16 until quitting about 6 months shy of my 46th birthday.
 It is no coincidence that my running started after stopping smoking. My stepson Joe encouraged me to take up running as a way to deal with stressors without nicotine. I was also put on the antidepressant Wellbutrin to also aid in my staying smoke free. I was doing a run this morning at Chapin Forest thinking about how people often say "running is your new addiction." My usual reply was while that may be true, it is a quite healthy one to have. Today I just feel, in my case running isn't even close to an addiction, but rather a tool to help me avoid addictive behavior & negative actions.
There are days when my body suggests I take a day off from running and my brain accepts it without feeling remorse.
 As an addict I could not even fathom not doing my hit or snort or shot. If you put it in front of me I would do it no questions asked.

Top 10 Reasons Running Isn't my Addiction

1.  I never gave my landlord a bad check because I needed the money for running
2.  No one ever put a gun to my head while seeking out my next race
3.  I never have to lie about what I am doing or where I am. I'm out running!
4.  I don't miss family obligations because I "need" to get some miles in
5.  Never get questioned by the law as to what I was doing in this neighborhood at this time
6.  It isn't necessary for me to get cash from a loan shark to sign up for my next run
7.  I do not feel shame, embarrassment or guilt by my running habits
8.  I'm not concerned with my running cohorts ripping me off to pay for their next race
9.  After running around in the woods for 30+ hours I welcome a few days off from it
10.  I never will leave work at noon on payday and spend all my cash & time at a running store                    

I use running in a positive manner to keep me grounded both mentally & physically. There are times when running should, & does take a back seat to more important things in life. I understand and accept that if I make running the "be all end all" of my life, it could turn into an addiction, and that's not something I plan on revisiting. That being said, I did just take a break from this and sign up for the Mill Creek 1/2 Marathon in March.

Visit my website to learn more about my involvement with substance abuse issues.

Active Recovery Consulting

End of the Roads for me!

 My 2016 running adventures had all been geared to my Pursuit of finishing the Eastern States 100 after my 2014 DNF. Mission accomplished and I turned my attention to running a Boston Marathon Qualifying time of 3:40 at the Columbus Marathon on October 16th.  Given my recovery and taper time between the two races I had about 5 weeks to get my body "road" ready. I ran a few good road races, including a 1:13 10 miler & a 1:39 1/2 marathon. I did notice though that my body, specifically my back, was not thrilled with the pavement pounding. It culminated at mile 16 of the marathon when it said "enough" and my marathon went from BQ pace to 10+ minute pace for the last 8 miles.
When I faced timed Mary at mile 18 to tell her my back was not happy, I was actually quite okay with knowing I was done. It was also cool that she was running at Veterans Park in Mentor when we talked.

Love my #1 fan!!

It wasn't just my body that wasn't thrilled with the pavement. Mentally, there is not much of anything I enjoy about training on asphalt and concrete. My mind does not seem at ease when running on the streets, although running some miles in Cleveland wasn't terrible! I told my running buddies that the Columbus Marathon was either going to be my second last, or last road marathon. Dena didn't believe me as I had said the same thing about 100 mile trails runs not too long ago!

 This time is different though. This past weekend I realized a couple things about road marathons. First off I love the whole atmosphere involved in fairly large marathons. It was good to see Joe, Kelly, and Kirsten at packet pick up, and going to dinner in downtown Columbus with some fellow North East Running Club members was a blast. Marathon morning was quite enjoyable and the festival-like atmosphere always gets me pumped! Seeing a few of my NERC friends again and being able to hang with CJ & Larry made the minutes leading up to the start very relaxing. Between the playing of the National Anthem and AC DC's Thunderstruck I get a bit emotional and pumped at the same time!

My epiphany, if you will, came around mile 6 or so. I love all things about road marathons except the actual running on the road part! If it weren't for seeing Lauren out there a couple times cheering us on and hearing Barb give me a shout out my enjoyment level would have been quite low. It's not so much that running a BQ time for me is hard, which it is! I have only accomplished it once out of five serious attempts. It is all of the hoopla and the crowds and the bands playing that make road marathons enjoyable for me. This is the exact opposite of how I feel on the trails. When I run trails almost all of the enjoyment I feel comes from the actual trail running itself! No hoopla necessary!

Good time smiling for the camera around 10 miles in

 My running future will be mostly on the trails, however I do love the buzz at road races and supporting good causes so I will continue to be a part of the road running community! Mostly though, I just see a few 5k's to 1/2 marathon distance as being my yearly norm. 

Next up, 5 months of training for The Georgia Death Race and its 40,000 feet of elevation change starts in two weeks at The Conquer The Castle 100K on the trails of North Chagrin Reservation!

Running for the "Triple" on the trails of PA!

I have been gearing most of my training for the past 11 months towards finishing the 2016 Eastern States 100 trail run. I ran the inaugural event in 2014 and made it 75.6 miles. This year I was determined to finish because I knew this would be my last attempt to finish the grueling 102.9 mile course! I had 2 of the best crew/pacers you could ask for in Bert Crooks &  Charlie Bolek. They have both paced me to 100 mile finishes in the past and are a great fit for my trail temperament! Having these two friends made for an actually quite pleasurable experience as far as brutal 100 milers go!

Bert, Me, & Charlie about to begin our awesome journey!

Ready to rock!

 Charlie and I arrived in Waterville Friday afternoon, and Bert made it later that evening. I can honestly say I have never been so focused before a race. Fortunately for me I was able to maintain that focus for the duration! I had the advantage of knowing what to expect from mile 75 on since I paced my friend Stacy Kotsko the last 40 miles of her 2015 finish.


Congratulations to Stacy & Christopher Agbay whom I met at ES100 in 2014. They have both now completed the race all 3 years!

I DO NOT see myself ever attempting this one again. Honestly!

Also, kudos to my trail "brother" Eddie Carrigg, for not only finishing Eastern States in his first attempt, but completing the inaugural Pennsylvania Triple Crown of Mountain Running.  Out of 258 runners that were in contention back in April, only 20 of us (4 women, 16men) were able to complete all 3 races that compromise the triple crown. Stacy finished 3rd female and Eddie was 12th male and I placed 13th. Lake County Ohio was represented quite well as Mentor resident Krzsztof Jamroz was 11th male! I must also congratulate fellow NE Ohioan Paul Lefolhocz on his ES100 finish. Especially amazing since he did it without pacer or crew and just ran the Burning River 100 the previous week!!!

It was great seeing so many friends out there either running the 100 or the Call of the Wilds marathon or volunteering. The remoteness of the area also makes for some unique challenges to crew and pacers. It doesn't help when a crazy storm blows through and fallen trees add to the fun! Speaking of fallen trees I had to go through at least 8 that had blown down on the trail. I was actually under a pavilion at the aid station when one blew down and almost crashed on the volunteers there. Fortunately for me the weather was about the only real adversity I faced during the race. I went into this race with the goal of just finishing within the allotted 36 hours. My plan was to start off slow and just stay ahead of the cutoffs by between 30 & 45 minutes until I got to Slate Run at mile 63.8. With day time temps in the low to mid 90's and the heat index topping out at 109, I knew slow was my only chance. The problem with that was that I got caught in the storm about 15 minutes from the aid station I knew I was not going back out on the trail until it blew through. There were people huddled in the woods as trees were dropping all around! I quit counting downed trees after I reached 24 in about a 2 mile section of trail! Luckily I only lost about 35 minutes by waiting it out.

 Time for a little watermelon, cantaloupe, & a sugary drink before heading back out into the relentless heat & humidity!

Charlie started pacing me at mile 51.1 and would run with me until 63.8. I love the solitude on the trails but was glad to have some company out there. We finally made it to Slate Run at 2:55 am which was almost 2hours later than i wanted to and I think only 5 minutes ahead of cutoff, although I thought I heard they extended some cutoffs due to the storm. Not quite sure what I remember and what was actually real after being up for 23 hours. I only knew that even though I was way behind my time, I was feeling pretty great and felt my game plan was working perfectly! Bert picked up the pacing duties from here and would take me the next 16.5 miles.

 When I reached Long Branch aid station at mile 75.6, I knew barring injury, I would finish this race! I only say that because by conserving myself the entire day, I managed to make it to Long Branch 45 minutes earlier then when I dropped in 2014. This in spite the fact that I was at Slate Run 1 hour and 10 minutes later than 2014.

I would love to describe to you the relentless 1000' climbs & drops, not to mention the loose, wet, moss covered rocks but feel I would not do these trails justice. Even when you are on a six inch wide trail canted to the left with a 300' drop down to the river you can't help but notice the sheer beauty & serenity of the PA Wilds! I am thinking I would appreciate this much more if it were not at mile 78 and 27 hours into the "run". Charlie took back the pacing duties and we began climbing out of the Blackwell at mile 80.3 up up and way. I didn't have my phone with me but the view at the top was awesome!! With Charlie keeping me moving forward we pulled into Skytop aid station at mile 84.8 about 45 minutes ahead of cutoff. That "last hill" before Skytop sign on the tree was just plain cruel! With a great blueberry pancake and a 2 minute break it was time to push forward to the Barrens aid station at where bert would pick me up and pace me in the final 10 miles.

  This course is relentless and even after you get through the Hacketts aid station you still have work to do even though there is only 3.8 miles left! I thinking getting down the last part of the course is just someones idea of a bad joke! Maybe it isn't that bad but after covering 101 miles in a little over 34 hours my feet were screaming at me with every step! Bert seemed to be appreciating the beauty much more than myself! When we finally made it to the bottom and were greeted by a smiling volunteer. She said the best words I had heard in a while, "just cross the road and 200 yards to the finish"

                                  My official time was 34 hours 50 minutes and 54 seconds.

Finisher # 50!......197 people started and just 66 of us finished!

 There were too many familiar faces out on the course running, cheering, and volunteering at the aid stations to name. I don't want to leave anyone out, but you all rock! If you toed the line but didn't reach your goal, don't give up! It will not be easy but you can do it with the right approach! As always thanks to my bride of almost 20 years for always inspiring me to strive to be better and follow my dreams. I learn a lot about myself on the trails and it isn't always pretty, but it does allow for growth & reflection! As Mary likes to say, "it's about progress not perfection"!

Thanks to Race Director, Craig Fleming, Volunteer Coordinator, Luke Haile and all of the volunteers for everything you do year round to make The Eastern States 100 a great event!