#26 When it Rains it Pours

#26 When it rains it pours

First off- quick shoutout to my trail training partner/big brother Travis Simpson for leaving the Buckeye Buster 50k field way behind his dust. Just a 40 minute victory over 2nd. 4:34 finishing time. I can't wait for to tag team southern WV in August. 31 miles of victory we will run. Everyone is a winner if no one outside of the clan beats anyone within the clan. Also, a delayed shoutout to another partner in crime, Andrew Rhodes, who recently ran his first 50k at Capon Valley 50k, 4:27. Lead for 4 hours and ended up in 4th. Still a boss first 50k! 

 Here is my weekly log, as promised-

Sunday 6/1: 26 mi. Conquer the Cove Marathon, if you haven't seen the review click on the link to the right, or just continue to scroll down- can't miss it!







Monday 6/2: 6 miles. On the rail trail with the gang and my legs survived the marathon quite nicely. Surprisingly had some pop in them. Sometimes when I am sitting in my room I get the feeling that there is a predator behind me... Stalking her prey. I live in constant fear.

Always critiquing my jumpshot on NBA.

Tuesday 6/3: 8 miles. I worked on my versatility today! Two days ago I was running a trail marathon, today I was doing 500 cutdowns on the track with Steph and Josh. It was my first of several workouts with them I would assume. Tell ya what, a 66 quarter does not feel as easy a couple days off of a marathon. It was a challenge, a stupid challenge. But nonetheless a challenge.


Wednesday 6/4: 14 miles. I believe this run started at like 8-830. Not sure if I have run that many miles that late in the night. Considering it gets dark at like 1pm in the winter I'm positive that I have, but it's been awhile. Running in the dark is always misleadingly slow. 7 min pace feels like 635 pace and I would have gladly taken a 7 minute mile today. Based solely off of that run, one might not think that sub 7 mile was in my ability.

Thursday 6/5: 12. Twelve miles the cheap way- 6 and 6 double. There is rarely anything noteworthy on double days, but today was awesome! Unless I have Thursday mixed up with Wednesday which is very possible. On one of these days I finally made it out to Dorseys Knob for my first round of 18 on their disc golf course with Hopkins and Justin. Recently they held a tournament where it was a penalty stroke if the disc was in the high grass which gave them an excuse to not touch anything but the overgrown fairway. I wish I were kidding when I say that the grass was hip high in some areas. Miserable grass. But on the 8th hole while Hopkins was digging around for his disc we found this little bastard! I have never seen a baby deer this tiny. I wanted to keep it and name it Dear. I've never been closer to living out my dream of raising a deer off of nothing but Cheetos and Dr. Pepper. And pizza crust from certain places that have crusty crusts. Right there is a neat pizza place name. It would have loved it's life. Instead it will live a normal life.

Friday 6/6: 6 miles. How to ruin a big miles week with a 26 mile start... I packed it in on counting miles early because I'd rather run less and feel good than push it for a few extra miles. I am far from a mileage nazi like I used to be. I think that is because I fear another injury and honestly- pulling off at the first sign of danger may not allow me to get to a certain level, but it will keep me in the game longer and that's more important to me currently. Patrick came to town tonight and the entire gang hit the town for a little too long. I am going to say I caught a bug going around, because I am sure that several people's nights ended like mine; as well as their Saturdays.

Saturday 6/7: ZERO. Disappointing finish to the week, but it took me until the middle of the afternoon to get out of bed without dying. There was just no point in trying to run that sick. This gave me and my sick pal Chris Hunter a chance to play fifa world cup. We are playing the pool play and then the entire bracket and seeing how it turns out! I will have more details during the world cup. I did manage to leave the house in the evening and get some fresh air. I never enjoy missing runs for many reasons, but this is the biggest reason: slap on those funky red and blue glasses from Back to the Future(1955) because it's story time.

There is one person who keeps me motivated to run even though we haven't talked in weeks. Last yearish I was at a marketing conference in Detroit. Yes, the city was ruins and was quite depressing. On the second day of the conference we were up and at em by 8am and busy until 9pm. All I was thinking about for the entire day was how little I wanted to get my 10 miles in later. Plus, we were in Detroit so it was going to be done on the treadmill. Those folks put us up in the Renaissance hotel which is like the biggest or second biggest in North America. So Detroit- terrible. Detroit hotel- magnificent. It had a grocery store inside of it; why anyone would leave is beyond me. I sure didn't. Anyways, so I'm whining and moaning all day in my head and honestly can't remember much about that conference because I'm great at tuning out boring stuff. I didn't sleep well the previous night because I roomed with 3 random guys and the one I was suppose to bed with couldn't have anyone share a bed with him, so I took to the floor. He sounds like a jerk right? That was the plan. He was the most amazing little guy that I have met. He had to be all of 75 lbs and has OI or brittle bone disease is what he called it. Evidently he had previously broken most of his bones several times and can't sleep with anyone because it doesn't take much contact to break a bone I guess. Before the marathon of a conference started he must've overheard me talking about running after the conference because 930 rolls around and I have already decided to not run when he asked if he could come up and keep me company on my run. So I switched clothes and rode up to the like 43rd floor with him and we stayed there until the run was over. I got to know him and he would circle the treadmill every once in awhile. He was so full of energy. I had trouble sleeping that night because of him though. I stayed up thinking about how much I bitch and complain about running when I know from experience how terrible it is when you can't via injury, but here my temporary room would 'sell his soul' to go for a run. Never run before! I've held on to the comeback to myself now for when I mentally think about not running one day, then I ask myself- can I run today? And then I typically head out the door. It's the little things that are the easiest to take advantage of, and I'm aware that I will always take advantage of little invisible privileges and make trivial complaints but I sure try not to.

This used to be my favorite poster until it was torn. What a champ!

Weekly mileage- 72. . .

Throwback Rain picture '09

Sunday 6/8: 16 miles. I am going to say that this was a 13 mile long run with a 3 mile cool down. This was our first Ohiopyle long run of the summer and it was legendary like most of them. Legendary not meaning successful of course. Saturday I had planned a workout that never panned out and honestly I was upset with myself for getting sick like I did. When that happens, my first run back is 100% of the time a punishment. You wanna go get sick like an idiot, you're going to pay for it the next day and the next run. Somewhere in the 630s for the 8 miles out, and once we turned it was time out time. There's a running expression about going into the well when you start to buckle down and really go after it. Well today I pencil dove/dived? into the well and went for it from a distance I couldn't go for it from. I think the next 5 miles were between 609 and 524 before I absolutely exploded. 619 was the final average I believe. Not only was I tapped out 3 miles from tank, but we got absolutely drenched in the heaviest rain that I have run in and a very long time. Around the same time I sputtered out. I've never understood the saying when it rains it pours better than today. Honestly I feel like that saying should be in white on one of those black motivational posters. When It Rains It Pours- and have a picture of me struggling back to the car in the downpour. Luckily the trail turned to sand so the four of us look like we just got back from playing bocci ball at the beach after swimming.


A race schedule is slowly starting to create itself! Here's a rough sketch-

• Clarksburg 10k Saturday (Train wreck)
• Mohican 100 miler the following Sunday
• Trail 50k in Wisconsin in July
• Trail 50k in August in Ona, WV
• Run the Rut 50k 9/13 in Montana

Also coming up is the beginning of summer practices for my old school in Fairmont. That will be taking up a good part of my days this summer. Can't wait!

Comment Below:
 For any runners, what is the best moment in your running career?

One Love!