MMT 100 Endurance Run

Okay, a little late on The MMT 100 report but here it is...

May 14^th Joe and I headed to Virginia to run/adventure in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains. We were there for The Massunuttan Mountain 100 Mile Endurance Run that started at 5:00 am that Saturday. 200 people or so toed the line for the start of the MMT 100, which is billed as one of the hardest if not the rockiest 100 milers in the nation, which included 18,000 feet of elevation gain along the way.

After spending the week prior at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital by my mother’s bedside and after participating in the North Face Challenge 50 mile Endurance Run the weekend before, I began to question myself and my motives for racing in the MMT. This was until my mother told me to do it for her and everyone else here at the hospital. “Do what makes you happy and be thankful that you can”, she said. With those words I chose to leave with her energy and with out guilt to pursue our next adventure.

Click here to watch MMT 100 Video in HD!

We showed up to the MMT with out any real expectations. I started the race thinking I would make it to the first aid station and then spend the rest of the day cycling around with Joe on skyline drive. The humidity that day must had been 100%, the forecast called for passing thunderstorms with a high of 85. We were fortunate to have a couple of miles in the beginning to run on the road to wake us up before we dove into the woods. Most ultras love to start on an uphill. Giving my current situation, I was thankful for the couple of miles on the road. I didn’t look at the course in detail before the start due to the reputation this race carries as being one of the hardest and rockiest 100-mile races in the nation, so with that known, who needs to see a profile of the pain to come.

I started pretty slowly not knowing what to expect from my body. The last time I put my body and my mind to the test like this was in 07 when I ran Western States 100 and then 30 days later I did the Vermont 100. As we dove into the woods to start one of our many ascents the course would bring through out the day, the sun began to rise. An orange glow painted the sky, sweeping clouds drifted on top of the knife-edge ridge we found ourselves running on. The beginning of this course offered us endless views of the magnificent Shenandoah Valley, it really was jaw dropping. I couldn’t help but slow my pace to stare. Wow I thought to myself, this is going to be a stunning race I was eager to see what was around the next corner. Boy, was it humid out!

I chatted with a couple of people I knew from other races along the way, then boom the first aid station came, wow that was fast! So I said to myself, I feel okay, so lets get to the next aid station and go from there. During this race, aid stations were mostly followed by a 45 min. climb or longer; how fun... Over the next couple of miles I started to relax and my pace started to pick up. My mind started to go into a nice ultra runners meditative state and I was feeling good! A couple of aid stations went by and I was really feeling great. That was until I rolled my left ankle on a technical downhill section, DAM!!! From that moment on my ankle and calf area really started to tighten up. With the long climbs and the endless technical downhill sections, I began to worry a bit knowing that these weren’t going to help. I continued to push on knowing the next aid station was coming up and I would drop in fear of doing long term damage. I came into the aid station at mile 42 or so and told Joe I really should drop now, but one of my friends who knew the course said it was pretty much a hike until the next aid station, for some reason I decided to keep going. While climbing up the next beautiful mountain, thunder started and half way up I almost turned around. Little did I know this was going to be one of the many storms that would shroud the course the entire 100 miles.

When I got to the top of the climb the heavy rain and the lightening started, I said to myself I’m all alone on top of a ridge with lightening bolts striking in front of me and my ankle is killing me,...great! With every step my foot slid into awful positions. This was just like the Escarpment Trail Run last year when it became a race for your life. I caught up and ran with this gentlemen by the name of Dan, he and his wife have been traveling and running these events for what seemed to be most of my life. They were running before I even new or thought about running. Danimal, his nickname was and with his stories, drove me to my final aid station with a smile on my face and a reminder of one of the reasons why we do these things... To inspire each other and offer inspiration and motivation! Whether you are building up to a 30 min run or 300 miles we all need inspiration!

Like I always say, I love technical trail running so it was pretty disappointing to drop. But it was the smart thing to do! Listen to your body and keep your priorities straight some times you have to lose sight of a finish line to reach the one that’s around the corner.

CRCA Race followed by the Singlespeed-a-Polooza

The races were great this past weekend. I really enjoyed the time! I raced early on Saturday morning in Central Park for one of our CRCA club races (May 30th); there is nothing like attacking a group of 80 or so motivated riders at 5:45 am right from the gun. The race was fast and good work was being done throughout. We averaged around 27 mph for 44 miles! I was rushing around a bit in the morning, which usually tends to happen when I make the trek from NJ to CP, so I did not have a chance to eat nor hydrate as well as I would have liked. I attacked a few times off the front and put in some solid efforts throughout the race. In the end, with 1 lap to go, I was craving energy but I had dropped a few gel packs early on (I least I thought that I did) so I was a little concerned about running on empty. I got myself in pretty good position and as we sprinted for the line my legs lacked a response and seized up a bit. I still however crossed the line in a respectable place but that does not matter when its the top spots that gains the team points. I felt that I had a good chance of winning this race if I had a little more fuel in the tank. The funny thing is, that when I got back to my truck, I pulled out an Octane Gu from my pocket, it would have been perfect...

The Singlespeed-a-Polooza Mountain Bike Race on Sunday the 31st of May was a blast! I believe we had about 25o riders or so show up with there singlespeeds in hand. The Pro & Expert field that I was in, had around 60+ riders in it alone! The course was fast, fun and in perfect condition. I raced well but was limited by my gearing choice. I felt great but chose to go with an lighter gear since I raced hard the day before. There were many sections where I was limited to aerodynamics as my main source of speed. However, it felt great to be racing my singlespeed since I usually am riding gears. The higher cadence, the smoothness that is required and with no thoughts but the race experience is a feeling that makes me wonder why I don't race singlespeeds more often. I managed a 9th place finish despite the light gearing choice. I highly recommend this race to everyone! Click here for some Pictures from the race!

Joe

The North Face 50 Mile Race VIDEO!

This video is from 2009 The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge in Bear Mountain State Park. I was fortunate enough to be in some great spots along the course and was able to capture some great footage of the runners at their best. Just on the link provided.

CLICK HERE!

Viewing options

MPF Gallery / YouTube / VIMEO

Enjoy and thanks for watching!

Joe

The North Face 50 Mile Race Recap!

Sorry for being late on this but Joe and I have been on the run for a while...

On your marks get set go... our alarm went off at 2:50 a.m. I rose to my feet and started preparing myself while Joe loaded the truck, here we go, my season is about to start and guess what, its pouring rain outside exactly like last year! The moment I noticed the rain my mind was flooded with the painful thoughts of last years epic race where I experienced a severe blow to my head leaving me with a concussion and 46 miles left to run. At the time I did not know I had a concussion or else I would have stopped maybe, LOL...Rain, Dense fog, deer darting across our path with driver and passenger who are half asleep, welcome to our seven lakes Drive experience, in our minds the race has already started. If we make it without Joe driving off the road like last year we will be just fine. Yes we made it 4:30 exactly! This gives me just enough time to get my number, race chip, and a visit to the bathroom, while Joe gets everything organized for the arduous task of crew/paparazzi.

I went into The North Face race like I do every race I enter, with the intent of making it to the finish line. However, this one even more so since I planned to run/walk the Massunuttan Mountain 100 Mile Endurance run just seven days later. My training has not been up to the level I would have liked. My mother was diagnosed with non cell, stage 4 lung cancer a few months ago, so I was happy just to be lining up for the both of us!

5:00 a.m... the gun goes off and 150 runners head into the darkness! Headlamps light the way up the slippery rocky trail, I tried to jockey for positioning early in fear I may stumble upon another runners fancy foot work. I feel my pace may be a little to quick but I chose to stick with it. I was feeling great but I guess everyone was, seeing how it was only mile 2 out of 50. I was sandwiched between two other women who I did not recognized so I decided to strike up conversation which is pretty normal in the ultra world since you end up spending hours if not days in the woods together, it seems natural to do so. One women by the name of Anna responded and we chatted for a bit. She was very nice but little did I know, 40 miles later we would be battling for a top spot.

The rain continued with the temps staying mild. Certain parts of the trail became very swamp like, the mud thickened as we scrambled up rock walls and leaped down climbs like monkeys in the jungle. Our steps ended in thick fog making certain sections of the course easy to lose track of and several times I found myself shouting out to runners who would get off track here and there. During this race each step had to be carefully negotiated this was definitely a race for runners who enjoy technical trail running like myself.

There were two very important cut offs we had to make on the course or else we would be pulled from the race. One was at mile 20.7 and the next at mile 34.

As we were approaching mile 20.7, I began to realize that I may be behind on my hydration protocol especially when I realized I haven't urinated in a while and my bottle was empty approaching the next aid station. My decision to go with a single water bottle between stations may have been a mistake. During these events timing of your hydration, sport gel and electrolyte replacements becomes crucial. You may be able to get away with it during a marathon or 50k but when you decide to go the extra mile your nutrition regime will make or break your day.

It was a good thing we were coming into the 20.7 mile aid station where I would switch to my awesome 2 litter hydration pack made by Nathan. I also grabbed my ipod shuffle, which always offers a bit of motivation and I was on my way. At this point I still had no idea what place I was in and I didn't care. Other than feeling a little bloated from not drinking enough water, I was feeling good. I bounced across the street to the entrance to the trail where Joe told me I was in 3rd. As he was saying this, Anna, who I met earlier, was approaching and looking strong, with a bright smile. I thought to myself how it would be nice to take 3rd place, make a little money and stand on the podium... Since I wasn't really pushing myself, I decided to continue to race wisely without leaving myself overextended and unable to function after the race, I let her take the lead. As she pulled away I told myself just to keep her in my sights during the next 6 miles to the next aid station and thats what I did.

Tom, a fellow runner and I ran together who was quite entertaining and with whom I ran the previous 10 miles with. We shared a common friend Mark who will be crew/pacing for Tom during the Western States 100 Mile Endurance run this year. Good luck Guys!

I slowly closed the gap between Anna and I, passing her on a climb as we approached the next aid station. I wandered around for Joe for a minute who was at the next aid station and while I was filling my hydration pack she went flying by me. Ohhh know I have to get out of here ... Anna, she's putting a serious gap between us. I ran at a comfortable pace with the intention of reeling her in. The race went on like this for the next 15 miles.. Approaching mile 40, I thought that I had a substantial lead until I was fueling up again and there she went jogging by, crap!! I told myself this is the last time I'm going to chase her down. I caught her, passed her and turned on some of my reserves to secure my position and I never looked back. Wow!!! Anna thanks for a great race!

Congrats to MPF athlete Allison Newell on her 7th place finish during her very first 50k!! Awesome Job!! Congrats also to our fellow ultra running friends Randy Miller and Dave Steiker for having awesome races. Of course none of this could have been done so smoothly without my Joe, thank you so much for your support and the wonderful pictures and video you are my hero!! The next day we went back to Harriman for Joe's 70 mile road race, what a weekend.

EC

Click here for the VIDEO from the North Face 50!

Click here for PHOTOS from The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Challenge!

Thanks! M.P.F.

Update on The North Face race!

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Allison for great races at the North Face Endurance Challenge in Bear Mtn. N.Y.!!!

Elizabeth had an amazing race in the 50 Mile ultramarathon! Check back soon for her race recap as she discusses the race course, the competition and the great energy that was felt throughout the event. You will have to check back for the race results...

Allison also had a very successful race during her 50K ultramarathon, which you will hear more about in the race recap to come soon.

M.P.F.

North Face Endurance Run, Bear Mountain Road Race & Massanutten 100 Miler!

This Saturday, May 9th, 2009, Elizabeth and MPF athlete, Paul will be off and running at 5am with 151 other runners on a challenging course that runs through Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park of New York. This is The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Run! Last years race only saw 19 runners cross the line out of 87 starters. MPF athlete Allison, will also be running in the The North Face 50K Endurance Run and this race will have 188 competitors.

You will be able to follow us out on the course by clicking here! Joe will be on the trails doing his usual crewing, video & photography duties and also attempting to post updates to TWITTER, this is in hopes that we will have cell reception, if not then just check back soon for a complete race recap.

Here are some pics from last years race, click here!

Here is last years race recap by Elizabeth, click here!

On Sunday the 10th, Joe will be racing in Bear Mountain as well but he will be on a bike and on the road. This is the Bear Mountain Spring Classic road race and its over a 70 mile course that includes some great climbs in a beautiful area of the park. Hopefully my crewing duties don't fatigue my legs to much, its not easy work chasing Elizabeth out on the trails... Coming off the Waywayanda Mountain Bike race this past Sunday, I feel pretty good and look forward to the road ahead.

One final note, just 7 short days later Elizabeth will also be competing in the Massanutten 100 Mile Endurance run! This is a race over trails of the Massanutten Mountain in the George Washington National Forest in the Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. This is an epic race and its going to be one hell of day... You will also be able to follow the action on TWITTER, hopefully...

The days ahead for EC...

I stare at my calendar in a cosmic astonishment at the amount of running I get to do in the weeks ahead. I'm shocked at how fast May has come and knowing that its just days until The North Face 50 Mile Endurance run and then the following weekend the Massunuttan Mountain 100 Mile Endurance run, both in which I will be competing in and doing so by choice, I'm amped! Most of the reasoning behind my schedule is that Badwater is just around the corner.

Early in the year, mentally I felt as if I could conquer the world as I looked at the race calendar with the optimism of a super hero. I thought to myself how grateful I was to gain entry into both the MMT 100 and the BADWATER 135.

Training for this years epic goals has been extremely difficult, just a couple of months ago my mother was diagnosed with non-cell stage IV lung cancer and has been fighting for everyday. This Journey has made me realize more than ever that running ultra's is not about the "race" it's about the adventure and the gift of exploration it will provide for me, mentally, physically and spiritually. So I will toe the line ready or not with a smile on my face and a new found respect for life, love and what it means to be part of a bigger picture. Now while training and racing I will take breathes for the both of us.

Good luck to Allison Newell and Paul Morris, 2 MPF athletes who will be competing in The North Face Challenge!! Allison will be competing in her first trail 50k and Paul will be out to finish his third 50 mile course. Way to go!!!

Enjoy each day & Livestrong!

EC

Race Report! Tour of the Battenkill 2009

As we approached the 1st climb of the day, I would learn just what kind of day I was in for. Unsure of how I was going to physically be feeling since coming off of a big training block with minimal recovery before the race, I was still amped and ready to suffer, if thats what was needed to be competitive. Sure enough the legs felt a bit heavy getting to the top of the 1st climb but mentally I was prepared for this and now knew that it was going to be my mind set that was going to determine whether I had a successful race or not.

The Tour of the Battenkill takes place in Cambridge, New York and is an exciting race to be a part of. Mainly because of just how different it is to most road races in the States. Within a 100K course we travel roughly have that on dirt roads that range from okay to dangerous. The danger comes in when you are approaching 45 MPH on a sweeping downhill dirt road that has loose rocks and out of control riders; some unfortunately being casualties and scattered along the sides of road. Its a success just to finish this race unscathed, whether in front or back of the pack. Along with the challenging course we were also greeted with cooler temperatures and rain in the second half of the race. These are conditions I welcomed for a race like this because it gives you some comfort of the knowing since its been the weather of the common lately and Battenkill offering many unexpected moments...

We arrived about an hour and half before the race start and started or race preparations . One of the main priorities for a race that travels on dirt roads with loose rocks and many bumps that can jar a rider from his saddle, is to ensure your water bottles are secured. Sturdy bottle cages are what’s needed and I am glad to say I used $3 Blackburn cages with out a hitch. With a feed station at the end of a sweeping turn that had riders going through at 30 mph, you could not depend on replenishing there nor would you want to have someone standing there hoping for the best... So, along with two bottles in my cages, I also threw one in my jersey pocket.

It was nice to finally line up for the start and just like that the race was on. The battle in the beginning is to stay up front within the first 20 riders and its a fight to do so because every rider knows this. The reason being is when you have a steep dirt road climb coming up within the first 20K, you know that its going to be impossible for 100 riders to make it over together. The dirt roads are only so wide and the outside edges are made up of loose rock and dirt, its the middle areas that have the tight packed sections offering the best lines. With this said, some riders get bottled up here and are forced from their bikes and left running up the climb. With many climbs ahead just like this, each one would separate more riders from the lead group, narrowing down the pack to include the most resilient riders to press on.

As the race went on my legs started to feel stronger and mentally I knew that if I stayed with the lead 10 riders I had a chance. The climbs were steep but not terribly long so it wasn’t to much of a problem to accomplish this, I just to had keep myself hydrated, fueled and confident.

The second half of the race had some harrowing moments. After most of the steep climbs, they were followed with a bombing decent on dirt roads at 40+ mph with long stretches before any safe terrain was felt beneath. These sections had many casualties and some worse then others. I enjoy a good race, with challenging terrain, especially since I am a mountain biker but to put thousands of amateur riders on such a course is taking a big chance...

In order to avoid any mishaps, I would take my comfort of the loose terrain and move to the front of the field on each downhill section, reaching speeds that normally raise caution on smooth asphalt. However, going into one of the last long stretches with about 15K to go, I was about 10 riders back in a 20 man break and we were reaching impressive speeds because each rider knew from here on this is where the race was going to be won. I was tucked in tight until a rider in front started to lose control and was being forced out to the side of the road on a sweeping turn. I was just behind him and as I saw him remove a foot from his pedal, I knew I had only two options. Try to slow down and cut inside of him but my speed would not allow for this without my bike sliding out from under me. The other being to head to the outside and hope for the best. So as I did, I kept sliding out further to the outside of the road and eventually ended up in a gully. I stayed up right and road over branches, significant sized rocks and then with a bunny hope up over a ledge, I was back on the road. The bike stayed together, no flats and I continued on.

From 45 mph to 10 mph, I knew I had some ground to make up. So with still a big stretch to go on the long descent, I went for it. The front 10 riders opened up about around a 30 second gap. I was closing in on them but a little to fast and barely making it through some of the turns, so I decided to back off a bit and wait for some safer roads ahead. I kept a good pace and had a few riders join me in the chase. We were working pretty good together and were flying by many riders from other fields that started earlier in the day; some were walking their bikes while others were holding wheels in their hands but many were still pressing on.

We could see the group ahead but they were working strong together as well, keeping us from reeling them in. We were approaching the final long climb and I tried to give it a go in bridging the gap but as I got to the top, they were still a good distance away. I waited for a few other riders to bridge up to me, knowing that working together was our best shot. We started to become unsure of just where our position lied overall, thinking that there could be as many as 18 riders up front. So with just a little to go in the race, I just kept up a strong pace and brought us to the finish line. A few rides sprinted by me but I had know interest in sprinting for a top 20 placing, knowing that I should have been with the lead group. As it turns out, when I got home, I found out that I actually rolled across the line in 8th place. It was a great day, with big efforts and a little chaos along the way but all is well and the 2009 race season is now set up to be one hell of a ride...

Joe

Bear Mtn. Training Run 3/8/09

With the North Face 50 Mile & 50K Endurance Runs in Bear Mountain, New York less then two months away, a 6 hour + trail run on the course and around was in order. A few M.P.F. Athletes headed out to the trails, while I chased them around capturing some images of their day...

This is what my view was upon entering the trail head right off of the last parking lot on seven lakes drive near Bear Mtn.

Here we are on the top of Bald Mtn. via the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail. This is where we met up. I was coming from the west and needed to bush wack across from the AT Trail (W) Appalachian Trail) to get in front of them, since I started about 3 hours later then they did...

After a few ups and downs we headed down the Cornell Mine Trail (B), which offers a solid climb up when you come from the North.

Getting towards the bottom of Bald Mtn.

You can click here to view more photos from the training run!

Latest News From MPF!

Congratulations to Elizabeth for being invited to the toughest race of its kind, The BADWATER 135 MILE Ultramarathon!

More to come soon! Check back for updates....