2013 Mountain Mist Race Report

Photo by WeRunHuntsville

Sometimes I wonder if it’s really worth it. Is it worth all the life I miss in my never-ending quest to shave a few minutes off my times running various road and trail courses?  Is it worth the friendships that never were or will be because I’m too busy training, too desperate for sleep, or traveling to another running event? Is it worth the loneliness of nearly every distance run that I do alone because I’m too unwilling to slow down and run with others if it will compromise my training? Is it worth the fun vacations that I skip? The career advancements that I’m giving up to be able to run more?

I’m well past the point of diminishing returns right now.  It takes a lot of work just for a few seconds of improvement.

Last year I began to doubt. Maybe it really isn’t worth it anymore.

I knew Scott Breeden, the 23-year-old ultra youngster from Bloomington, Ind., was going to be my only competition from the start. On the surface, his resume was not overly impressive, but the trajectory of his progress did catch my eye. He’s quite experienced for a guy just out of college having already run several 100s, but he’s also been getting a lot faster recently. I realized he would not be the typical hotshot kid from the roads running his first Mist. Still, I didn’t know quite how well the Midwesterner would be able to handle the surprisingly technical nature of the Mtn Mist trail.

Hitting the trail (Photo by WeRunHuntsville

My plan was to run the first half of the race by feel.  It was just Scott and myself running together only seconds after the gunshot started the race. We quickly settled into sub 7 minute pace which I noticed felt really comfortable for me on this particular day. We chatted a bit over the first 6+ miles, his breathing just slightly more labored than mine. We split the first aid station in 41:30. I chose not to carry a bottle for most of the day, so I took a couple swallows of Coke before heading out.

Heading up the race's namesake trail (Photo by WeRunHuntsville)

As we descended down Warpath Ridge, Scott answered my questions about his technical running ability...he was going to be just fine. He briefly fell back once when his timing chip came loose, but he quickly caught back up. He followed me through the powerlines, climbed K2 on my shoulder, and tagged along into aid station #2. He waited as I slowly washed a gel down with water before we continued on together.

He stayed glued to me through the Stone Cuts and the Sinks trail. When the trail widened, he would pull up beside me and just barely push the pace.  He probably didn’t even know he was doing it.  A few minutes before we arrived, I explained that I would be climbing the gate at the Fearn aid station.  He didn’t technically have to, but practically, I had to do it or Dewayne Satterfield would lose all respect for me if I skipped the gate. I still wasn’t carrying a bottle and was enjoying that, but I had to stop a few seconds to grab a few swallows of GU Brew from my dad just before the gate.  I also grabbed a GU to carry with me for future use. We split Fearn in 1:55 and were 6 minutes head of my old course record pace!

Nah, Alabama trail aren't that rocky (photo by WeRunHuntsville)

As soon as we crossed the road and rejoined the trail, I welcomed Scott to the “back half” of the course. I explained how most people run the last 14 miles slower than the 17 miles on the “front half.”  He asked if that was due to the rocks or the climbs.  “Both,” I said.  And then I took off.

It was a strategic move to drop him at this point. I didn’t want to show him the way, to give away the best lines, to let him see when I slowed down or sped up. If he was going to beat me and this course, I was going to make him do it on his own. All previous winners have had to do it at one point. It’s like a rite of passage. Just you and the trail ahead.

I ran from Fearn to the Land Trust aid station in just 24 minutes. I hurt a little for the first time all day, but achieved my goal and put a minute between us. I paused to take my gel and headed out, catching one last glance of Scott as the trail doubled back on itself.

I knew Waterline was coming and felt I could back off a little bit now that I was out of sight. I was still moving well, but I had stopped pushing to save a little something for the big climb. Soon after I began the ascent, I suddenly felt a little weak. The lack of calories I had consumed because I wasn’t carrying a bottle finally had caught up with me and I was beginning to bonk. It wasn’t that long ago that I couldn’t identify what it felt like to start bonking and recognize what I needed to do to fix it.  The solution may seem obvious, but the long ultras I did last year gave me a bunch of practice in diagnosing and recovering from fuel deficits. With less than 10 minutes until the waterline aid station, I chose to wait to eat there instead of taking the gel I was carrying with no water.

The climb was tough, but I held it together well enough and made it to the aid station at 2:51 (official splits have me in at 2:49, but that’s not accurate). This time I took a bottle from dad so I could refuel on the run.  I drank as much GU Brew as I could handle and gradually started to feel better.

The biggest obstacle I encountered throughout the whole race was an unleashed 80lb yellow lab just before the washout. It was obviously a very playful dog, and I tried to ignore it and just blaze through down the fire road hoping to sneak past unscathed. But the dog found me to be an irresistible temptation and threw a mean chop block that brought me to my hands and knees. The owner was frantically trying to coax the dog back under control, but it was too late. I wasn’t seriously injured, so I got up and continued on my way. I yelled back to the owner that more runners would be coming through soon.  That was my only fall of the day.

Over the final 10k, I just tried to keep moving well as opposed to really pushing. I was still waiting for the calories to make their way into my system, I didn’t want to make a mistake on this very technical section of the course, and I knew I had one more big climb to conquer.  I was doing the math in my head and knew I was in a good place if I just kept moving. I’d glance over my shoulder occasionally, but never could see Scott. I was really pleased with my climb up Rest Shelter. I didn’t run it all that fast, but I shortened my stride and just kept moving consistently. This is another thing I just learned to do last year on the big climbs.

Victory!  (photo by Eric Charette)

The last 1.5 miles I was able to just cruise. I knew I had the course record well within reach, and I wanted to enjoy my 4th Mountain Mist victory. I shaved 6 minutes off my old course record, crossing the finish line at 3:36:52 with a big smile across my face.  Scott ended up running an incredible race, finishing just over 6 minutes back and recording the 3rd fastest time on that course (few seconds faster than Dave Mackey's best time).  It was an incredible run for a Mist rookie.

Back to my original question.  So is it?  Is it worth it? 

When it all comes together like that, yes, it is absolutely worth it. It’s what I love.  But it’s not just the end result that I love.  I have also learned to love the process just as much as achieving the end goal. And all those lost friendships and vacations and stuff?  I have better a question: How many friendships and adventures would I miss out on if I weren’t an ultra runner?

Thanks to RD Dink Taylor for all of this hard work.

Gourmet tacos and beer post-race.

Alabama Mountains

The coolest official race vehicle ever.

Training Update, Mtn Mist, and Shoes

I haven't raced since JFK in November, so I haven't had much to blog about aside from my 2012 year in review post. Now I'm heading into a "soft" start to a new racing season and thought I would share a quick update on how things have been lately. I call it a soft start because I'll be training through most everything I race for the next couple months and tapering to achieve maximum performance isn't real high on my list of priorities in the short term. Let's talk about my last few weeks of training first.

Following JFK, I began running relatively low mileage, and gradually started working up the volume and intensity. By late December, I was back up to 100 mile weeks and I have been able to keep my miles above the century mark since then. As of today, I've logged 532 miles in the last 5 weeks in one run per day. But I've also been doing some high intensity workouts as well. I wasn't quite sure after my 2012 season what direction I would head in 2013. I have just let my training take me where ever it may. For some reason, road marathon pace seems to be where I've gravitated to. I've been running a lot on the roads, and pretty much everything has been below 7 min pace. I've also progressed to where I was able to run a solo 12 miler at 5:31 pace. I think I'm in the best road marathon shape that I've been in since I won Rocket City in 2009 (2:26:23 PR). I'm not really training for anything in particular right now, that's just where the running that I've been enjoying lately has taken me. I'll have to firm up some racing goals here pretty soon though.

But this coming weekend is Mtn Mist 50k Trail Run and I still expect to run hard and fast there. I just won't have completely fresh legs. Mtn Mist is a special race because its in Huntsville, AL where I grew up and so many of my friends will be there. Total elevation change isn't all that impressive to the mountain goats, but it's still quite a challenging race due to the technical nature of the trail. The mud looks to be a huge factor again this year. I hear it's been really wet in Alabama this winter, so the course will probably be very sloppy. When I set the course record there 2 years ago, the trail condition was unusually good because the ground was frozen. I haven't yet decided how I'm going to attack the race this year.  It will probably be a race-time decision after checking out the trail conditions. It doesn't appear that the competition will be very stiff this year. Although entered, the quick Johnny Clemons from Chattanooga won't be able to make it to the start line. I imagine Rod Bien and Scott Breeden will keep me glancing over my shoulder plenty, and a mistake on my part could open up the race.

Looking ahead to February, I'll be doing more vacationing than racing. An unusual hole in my wife's work schedule next week is allowing us to sneak out to Colorado for a few days to go play in the snow. Then in late February, we have a big warm-weather vacation planned for St Johns USVI. There is actually a race involved with this trip, but this one is much more about the vacationing than about the running. I'll be doing 8 Tuff with a big group of roadies from Cincinnati. It's an 8 mile road race to the highest point on the island, then straight back down to sea level. Should be fun, but I'm trying not to take it too seriously.

Shoes

So I've been threatening to review some products for a while, but just haven't found the motivation to put anything together. Now I have a few pairs of new Salomon shoes that you may not have had a chance to try, so I thought I would share some of my impressions.

S-LAB XT 5

S-LAB XT 5 

First, let me start by say that the S-LAB XT 5 is my current go-to Salomon shoe.  I ran Western States, UROC, and JFK in that shoe and have loved it since I first slipped it on. I recently ran a 14 mile road run in them because I'm that comfortable in them. Now, if you're looking for minimal, it's not your shoe, but if you want a great all-around trail shoe you can be comfortable in for an entire ultra...then you might want to try it. It's supportive, yet very cushioned, the fit of the upper is great. The traction is adequate for your average trail, but it runs smooth enough that I'm not afraid to take them to the roads when needed.  If more traction is what you need, then check out the...

XT 5 Softground

XT 5 Softground

As far as I can tell, this shoe has the exact same upper and midsole as the standard XT 5, but the outsole has a more aggressive lug pattern. I really like the familiar fit, but the traction is much improved. The rubber is sticky, grips rocks very well, and sticks to all but the muddiest trails. The compromise is that it feels a little less stable because of the additional lug height.

Speedcross

If you need even more traction, the Speedcross is your solution. This shoe is soft and flexible with a very aggressive tread. It isn't as supportive as the XT 5, the upper fits more narrow, and you wouldn't want to do many road miles in this shoe, but it's served me well in a couple trail 50 milers. If you still don't have enough traction then check out the Spikecross.

Spikecross

Spikecross

The Spikecross is practically the same shoe as the Speedcross, but with metal spikes built into the outsole. The grip of this shoe is hands down the best I've ever experienced. The spikes dig into the dirt and mud like nothing I've ever worn. And slippery wooden bridges are no longer a problem. I haven't had a chance to take them on any icy runs yet, but my guess is they would be perfectly suited for grabbing frozen ground. The spikes make the shoe a little more squirrelly underfoot, and they don't stick to dry rock quite as well as pure rubber, but if you're gonna be in a slop fest, look no further. You wouldn't want to run on the pavement in them very long, however, the spikes do seem to be quite durable.

Sense Mantra

Sense Mantra

All of the shoes I've discussed so far are fairly substantial, but Salomon jumped into the minimalist shoe party last year with the Sense. The low durability, minimal protection, and high price made it hard for me to recommend the original Sense to all but the most efficient and serious trail racers. Salomon has responded to those issues though with the Sense Ultra and Sense Mantra. I haven't gotten my hands on the Sense Ultra yet, but I have two pairs of the Sense Mantra. The Mantra is a little more shoe, more durable, more protective, has more grip, 6mm drop, but it also comes with a lower MSRP and still weighs in at less than 10oz. It's billed as the Sense for the average trail runner, but I think it might just be a better fit for myself as well. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to get it out of the trails just yet but I've been breaking in a pair around the house and so far, so good. If you're looking to make the plunge, I'd lean down a half size because it seems like they run a little large. Hopefully I can update my review before too long on this shoe.

That's all for now. Until next time, go run.

2012 Year in Review

I knew it would be nearly impossible to repeat the breakout season I had in 2011 again this year.  Last year I made the US 100k team for the first time and set several course records.  Of course, breaking the course record that had stood at JFK 50 Mile for 17 years was the most notable and won me Ultra Performance of the Year honors.  Now all I can do is laugh after Max King shaved six minutes off my record this year.  It's clear the sport is growing at a rapid pace, and I'm just glad to be a part of it.

Even if it doesn't quite stack up to last year,  I still think that 2012 was a very successful year for me.  I attempted some new distances and trail types that were a little outside of my strengths.  These were challenging experiences, but I learned much from each race.  I also looked for very competitive races this year.  That's not all that hard considering the trajectory of the sport, but that made the wins a little harder to come by.  But maybe I'm most proud that I was able to make it through another year running mostly injury free while still competing at a high level.

Here are a few highlights from the past 12 months:

Mtn Mist 50k
My hometown 50k was one of those special races last year where I broke the course record.  I knew it would be tough to repeat the feat in 2012 from the start because the course was wet and muddy, not the frozen trail that ran so fast the year before.  I gave it a shot anyway and was running well through the halfway point.  But around mile 20 I slipped on a rock and fell really hard.  At that point, I decided it was too risky to force the issue and try to chase down my own course record.  I knew I had some bigger goals later in the year.  Even so, I won the race and was only 3 minutes of my course record.

Land Between the Lakes 50 Mile
LBL50 was more of a long, hard training run for me, but it was still a strong effort and a fun race.  It's run in Kentucky and within driving distance of my house which made it particularly attractive.  Being relatively flat, I felt like it would serve as a good tune-up race before the 100k World Champs.  Although I got a little excited early and went out faster than planned, I still was able to easily win the race and set a new course record.  I left the race with a list of things to work on, but I also knew my fitness was in a really good place.

IAU World 100km Championship - Seregno, Italy
My best performance of the year is likely my most overlooked race as well.  After a DNF in 2011 due to some sort of illness in the Netherlands, I was determined to avenge my drop when I was selected for the 2012 team. While my training had been great, a work trip to France immediately prior to the race, unfamiliar accommodations, and logistical headaches in Italy all left me little time to worry about the road race. So I arrived at the starting line oddly relaxed and just ready to do something that felt comfortable...run.

A slew of slower runners who felt they were entitled to have their toes pressed against the starting line got me fired up and the adrenaline coursing through my vanes as I snowplowed through them as soon as the gun went off.  That got me off to a quicker than normal start where I soon found my rhythm at 6:20 pace - a little faster than planned.  But I felt comfortable and just hung on for as long as I could.  I made to 50 miles or so before I really started to die, and that last 20k loop was really tough.  But I held it together well enough to finish 5th overall, the first American to cross the line, and with a new 100k PR of 6:45:19.  The top 10 finish at the World Championship qualified me for the 2013 US Team and we'll be racing in South Korea next fall.  (I just received word that the 100k in South Korea has been cancelled and race organizers are looking for a replacement venue.)

Quad Rock 50 Mile

My training for Western States began immediately after the 100k.  I'm not sure what I was expecting to do at Quad Rock just 3 weeks after Italy.  From an incredible effort at a pancake flat, road ultra to the most elevation change I've ever run before, and my first ultra at altitude as well.  No surprise now that I have the benefit of 20/20 vision.  It was a tough day in the mountains outside of Fort Collins.  I wasn't fully recovered, the altitude bothered me, I wasn't eating nearly enough, and I just wasn't prepared for that much climbing.  No regrets on that last point; I had to pick training focus for the spring and I chose the 100k.  I nearly quit around mile 32, but I just sat at the aid station for 10 minutes until I was able to eat.  Once I got some calories in me I was able to pull on my big boy britches and finish the race.  Although far from perfect, Quad Rock was a great learning experience and really gave me an appreciation and respect for what I would be up against in just six weeks at Western States 100.

Elevation profile of QR50 compared to my toughest race to date.

Western States Endurance Run
My first 100 mile race wasn't perfect, but it was about all I could ask for.  Well, maybe I could ask for one spot better.  I finished in 11th place with a time of 16:42:55 on one of the coolest days in the history of the race.  A top 10 finish would have earned me a spot in the 2013 WS100 race, but it wasn't to be.  Check out my race report if you want all the details, but the short version is this:  I felt off for the first 30 miles struggling with the cold and altitude.  The next 30 miles climbing through the canyons should have been my weak point, but I finally started feeling normal and ran this portion really well.  But then I crashed hard on the flat Cal Street section when I should have been able to roll.  I struggled for about 20 miles, but ran really well the last 7 miles or so and had a strong finish.  There so much energy and attention surrounding Western States that it's tempting to make every effort to get back in, but I'm taking the "when one door closes, another one opens" approach and will look to race more to my strengths this spring.

Offseason
During my offseason I ran a 15:37 road 5k and also participated in the Hood to Coast relay.  Both were very fun events and added a little variety to my schedule.  Although I hope to be involved in ultras for a long time, I will continue running the short, fast stuff occasionally.

Ultra Race of Champions
The UROC 100k was my mulligan for the year.  I went out too fast, got a sour stomach, and wasn't prepared for the elevation change that was much higher than advertised.  I dropped around mile 44 after eating almost nothing since getting sick at mile 18.

The following weekend I jumped in a very small, local 6/12 hr race on a 1.4 mile paved loop.  I put in 51 miles in 5:50.  I proved to myself that my fitness was fine, but it also proved to be too much for my body to handle. I struggled with minor injuries for the next month that prevented my normal training regimen leading into JFK.

JFK 50 Mile
JFK wasn't a bad race, but it wasn't great either.  Unfortunately, it would have taken a great race on my part to run with Max King or Trent Briney.  Max broke 5:35 shaving a considerable amount of time off the course record of 5:40:45 that I set last year.  Max and I came off the Appalachian Trail section around mile 16 together, but he just had too much leg speed for me to run with him on the tow path.  The nagging injuries I struggled with following UROC kept me from being in top form, but I don't think I would have been able to run with him regardless.  Trent Briney came off the AT several minutes behind me, but showed off his 2:12 marathon speed as he came rolling past me somewhere around mile 30.  It was mostly just a lonely grind the rest of the day for me, but I am proud of myself for staying mentally strong and finishing the race well.  My time of 5:45:13 is still the 5th fastest time ever run on the JFK course in its 50 year history.

2013
I haven't finalized all the race details for 2013 yet, but I'm exploring my options.  Mtn Mist 50k is the only race I'm certain I'll be doing in the next 3 months.  I'd like to take some time and really focus on my training for the next few months and not worry too much about racing.  December's training went really well, and it seems as though I have my nagging injuries ironed out now.  The last full week of 2012 I put in 110 miles in singles with two hard workouts and averaged 6:44 pace.  Right now, I have a strong desire to work on my road marathon speed again.  We'll just have to see where that takes me.

Happy New Year to all my friends!  Best of luck achieving your goals in 2013.

Redefining the Grind

2012 JFK 50 Mile Race Report

Grinding down the towpath.

Perspective is a strange thing.  Case in point, I just ran 5:45 at this year's 50th running of the JFK 50 Mile. That is the 5th fastest time in race history.  It would have been a new course record in the first 48 editions of the race.  Sounds like I have a lot to be excited about right?  Well, I am - sort of - but my perspective tempers my excitement.  It just didn't feel like I ran very fast last Saturday.

First of all, I ran 5 minutes slower than last year.  Granted, that was one of those phenomenal races where everything just comes together perfectly.  It's not realistic to think every race could be that way, but it's hard to forget how that felt.  Secondly, I came in third place this year.  It's even more difficult to feel great when you watch 2 guys roll by you effortlessly and know you won't be seeing them again until the finish line.

So the best description of how I feel about my race is that it felt like a Grind.  I never felt particularly good or fast, I just gutted it out and never gave up even though I didn't feel smooth early.  But I am proud of myself for grinding it out.  Especially after a DNF at UROC six weeks ago and the ensuing injury that hampered my training since, I really needed a solid race.  I knew my training hadn't been perfect, and I wasn't quite in the same form as last year, but JFK gave me a chance to learn how strong I am - mentally as much or more than physically.  

Here are a few more highlights from the race:

Max and I ran relatively close together for a good portion of the Appalachian Trail.  I think he was content just to sit a few seconds back, being careful not to make a mistake, and just wait for the towpath.  My legs felt relatively good on the AT.  I was a minute or so faster hitting the towpath after being slower to the trailhead at the start, so I ran the technical section a good bit faster than last year.  It's fairly apparent where my training has been focused the last six months, and I was very strong on the rocky trail because of that focus.

The grinding really began when I hit the towpath.  Max passed me within a mile and was gone.  Last year I was consciously holding myself back to keep from running sub 6:30 pace early, whereas this year I didn't feel smooth running sub 6:40 and the legs began aching early.  My lack of fast, flat long runs over the last 6 months was very apparent.

My nutrition situation has been a problem most of the year, and this race was no exception.  I dropped out of UROC largely due to stomach problems, and because of my injury, I wasn't able to practice a new nutrition strategy between then and JFK.  But something had to change, so I went ahead with my untested strategy which consisted of only drinking GU Roctane...no gels.  I had the occasional pretzel, a couple swallows of Coke, and a few salt tabs, but other than that it was just the high-calorie Roctane drink.  Clearly I survived following this plan, but the stomach definitely could have felt better.  I need to continue tweaking and practicing my nutrition plan, but I imagine this will be my biggest weakness for some time to come.

Max King and Trent Briney just raised the bar and redefined what is humanly possible on that course.  I have my work cut out for me if I want to challenge their times next year.

That's a pretty solid top 10 group of guys.

So what now?  To be honest, I'm not sure.  I didn't earn an entry into Western States, so that doesn't look like a real high possibility for June.  I'm tossing around a few ideas though.  I know I'm going to focus on the World 100k that will be run in South Korea next October.  This spring I think I could go two ways.  I could train to run a fast, flat 100 miler.  Or I could go back to real road marathon training and see what I'm capable of now.  The road marathon speed would serve me well next fall at World 100k and if I decide to run JFK again.

First though, I'm going to take a few weeks, get everything healthy, and enjoy the holidays.  I hope you do the same.

King, Riddle and Clifton.  19 years of the JFK course record.

Uncharted Territory

I have been incredibly fortunate to have avoided a serious injury throughout my competitive running career. For the last month though, I have been struggling to keep a relatively minor injury from snowballing into something more serious.  The issue is a bit of tendonitis that I think was triggered by a stone bruise that I picked up at UROC.  

Stone bruise from UROC.

The strange thing is that the tendonitis is in a quite different spot than the bruise is the picture above.  The pain is actually on the front of my shin, just above the ankle.  My unprofessional opinion is that all symptoms point to anterior tibialis tendonitis.  That tendon attaches to a bone in the arch right where I got the stone bruise.  I ran for more than a week after UROC with zero pain.  The spot on my arch was tender to touch, but not to run.  But, I think the trauma to that attachment point caused the muscle and tendon to tighten down in an attempt to protect itself.  I ran way too long a week after UROC (but felt really good doing it), and then I felt the tendon above my ankle give way after a Tuesday night track workout a few days later.

Arrow shows where it  hurts now.

I didn't think much of it when it first happened.  I thought it would heal quickly like other nuisance injuries I've had before.  But this hurt pretty good - even just to walk.  I ran real easy and short on it for a few days, and when it started to feel better, I went longer and harder.  That was a mistake.  I made that mistake about 3 times before I figured out that I had to let it get all the way better.

You may have heard that I ran a consecutive day running streak.  I don't like talking about it anymore, because I don't think it's all that healthy, and I really wouldn't recommend starting one to anyone I was coaching.  In periods of low motivation, the streak can be very encouraging, but it's going to be very difficult for me to break off.  So of course, I still ran every day through this injury.  The sad part is that it most likely would have healed faster if I had taken just a week completely off.  Let that be a lesson if you're ever in a similar situation.

Anyway, I finally backed off enough that it got better.  I think I'm about 95% right now and running with no pain again.  I was able to go 20 miles at a nice clip yesterday.  That was the first time in a month I could have finished that run.  

I'm still planning to race JFK, and being less than 2 weeks out now, I don't have the time to hammer myself to make up for lost training (<<another thing I don't recommend).  The good news is that legs should be pretty fresh.  And while I don't think I lost a ton of fitness in the last month, I don't think I'm quite as tuned for JFK like I was last year when I spent all summer and fall training for flat an fast ultras (World 100k and JFK).  I'm most worried about the legs just being a little flat since I haven't been able to exercise them like I normally would.  

I just hope I can keep it interesting this year.  Max King should be the clear favorite to win.  Zach Bitter and myself will probably be duking it out for 2nd place.  I haven't heard of any other top men, but you never know who might show up.  Ellie Greenwood will be there and she'll overshadow us all.

In other news, I'll be heading to a trail running camp sponsored by Team RWB next weekend down in Texas. The camp is targeted at veterans and is aligned with Team RWB's goal of helping to re-integrate soldiers returning from deployment back into civilian life.  Endurance sports is one of the primary tools that the group uses to achieve that goal.  I will be there serving as a coach and mentor along with a bunch of other accomplished trail runners.  It's going to be a great way for me to give a little back to our veterans by sharing my passion for the trails.  I'm sure it will be a lot of fun as well.

That's all for now.  I'll try to keep you up-to-date over the next couple weeks via Twitter (@rundavid1), but I kind of doubt I'll have cell reception down in Texas.