Posts

Mountaineer Rumble 50k

Image
 I ran my 2nd ultramarathon on November 4, 2023  at the  Mountaineer Rumble 50K Race at Kings Mountain State Park, Clover, SC My last 50k was a year before at the WV Trilogy with 4081 feet in elevation and I finished in 8 hours 17 minutes   Link here:   https://grandparuns.blogspot.com/2022/10/2022-wv-trilogy-50k.html I wanted to enter it again this year but it was full when I got around to it so I looked for an alternative and found the Mountaineer Rumble near Charlotte North Carolina. With 2000 feet of elevation it would still be a challenge but nothing like those West Virginia mountains. The entry fees covered a cabin for two nights on the grounds which ended up being very rustic and because of the typical warm climate there had no windows just screens.  the temperature got down below 30 the first night and I slept pretty badly. The race started at 7 AM and there was great support with great aid stations. I began in long running pants and running jacket, but after the first 9 miles
Post a Comment
Read more

The Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer Recap 2020-2023

Image
 I have ran the Donna Marathon every year since 2018,  in 2021 it was virtual and I did the half.. 2018 1/2 marathon 2019 4:29:39 2020 4:11:30 6th male 55-59  2021 1/2  virtual 2022 4:06:28  1st male 55-59 2023 4:25:09 3rd place male 55-59 I have been trying to finish under 4 hours and came closest in 2022. I had prepared by adding a lot of core exercises and was doing fine until turning back towards Jacksonville from Ponte Vedra for the last 6 miles and hit a wall of headwind. 14 mph with gusts in the 20’s.. I still managed 4:06 and first in my age group. In 2023 I 2as sleds prepared and finished in 4:25 and 3rd in age group. This year, 2024, I will try again. I have been doing more core work but still not sure I’m ready to go under 4 hours. But, running here is to support the effort to raise funds for research at the Mayo clinic and to support those being treated for breast cancer who need assistance. This is the largest breast cancer fund raiser in the USA with 7000 people participa
Post a Comment
Read more

2022 WV Trilogy 50k

Image
 I ran my first ultramarathon, the WV Trilogy 50k on Oct 7, 2022.   I  thought that I may finish in under seven hours, and was on track at 11 miles. But the first hill destroyed my legs caused severe leg cramping for the rest of the day. I learned that day that shins can cramp, I still don’t know how. I was also not eating nearly enough because everything I’d hurt my stomach. I finished in 8 hours and 17 minutes. The last hill was 1 mile from the finish and when I got to the top of that hill I could see the finish line but I could not run or take a step. Because of cramps. Three people passed me within sight of the finish line.  I finished 39th of 46 and I look forward to trying it again next year
Post a Comment
Read more

The Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer Recap

Image
I ran my first marathon on Sunday, February 10, 2019 in Jacksonville Florida. It was The Donna National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer and this is their twelfth year. Last year I ran the half marathon there. I raised a couple hundred dollars for that one but this time I raised $1300.00. The funds raised by them is used to fund research at the Mayo clinic and to support those being treated for breast cancer who need assistance. This is the largest breast cancer run in the USA with 7000 people participating in the various distances of runs. My wife went to be with The Lord in 2017 after 14 years of fighting breast cancer so this is an important cause for me. I do not want my daughter or grand daughter or anyone else to suffer from this disease.          I decided to do the full 26.2 miles of this race in May of 2018 and signed up then. I then started increasing my running distance each week up to the week before the race. I had run three half marathons in the past two years and after
Post a Comment
Read more

Hokie Half 2018

Image
I ran the 6th annual  Hokie Half Marathon on September 23, 2018 in 1:52:47 . That is a personal record by 5 minutes.  I was using this race as a benchmark to see if I was doing better on distance as I prepare for the Donna Finish Breast Cancer Marathon in February of 2019, which will be my first full marathon.  I improved my time here by 5 minutes, but even better, I am not sore. My last three halves ended with knee pain that made walking tough for a couple days. Today, no pain, cramps or etc. so, I am getting more confident about a full 26.2 mil es at the Donna Finish Breast Cancer 12TH ANNUAL DONNA MARATHON WEEKEND in Jacksonville Florida.     This race started at 7 am on Sunday morning, so I stayed the night in Blacksburg. I was able to pick up my packet Saturday night and get a good nights sleep. I arrived at the Virginia Tech football stadium parking lot by 6:15 AM and catch the shuttle to the start line. There were plenty of porta potties and buses running to get everyone the t
Post a Comment
Read more

Crazy Eights 2018

Image
I ran the 2018 Crazy Eights race in Kingsport, Tenn for the third year in a row. This year I added the Totally Crazy option which adds a 3k race right before the 8k. Website  I shaved another minute off my time this year; 41:28. And that was after finishing the Almost Crazy 3k first. When you do both it’s called Totally Crazy and you earn the special Massive medal in the picture. Seven miles total in 57 minutes in temps that started at 91, but some rain showers helped. Several thousand people are running the streets of Kingsport with a lot of support from the neighborhoods and money was raised for the American Cancer Society.         This race is well run and smooth even though 3000 or so people are running
Post a Comment
Read more

Donna Finish Breast Cancer Half Marathon

Image
My race shirt, medal and bib My third half marathon was one I had looked forward to for some time. I had learned that the Donna Finish Breast Cancer races were the largest Breast Cancer in America for raising funds for research and victim support. My wife had suffered from breast cancer for 14 years before going to be with the Lord eight months ago, so these type runs are a priority for me.              My last two half marathons left me with extremely sore knees, on the outside and back. I could run 10 miles with no issues, it was the last three that did it. But I could recover almost completely in 2-3 days. So I kept looking for advise on how to prevent this and had advise from a sports Dr. who recommended strength exercise for my hamstrings. So for the 4-5 weeks before I tried a routine of a couple of exercises and hoped it would help. I flew to Jacksonville, Fl three days before because I have two brothers there. We went to see Manatees one day and then went to the race expo.
Post a Comment
Read more