+FillUs

Vac & Dash at HL-24 Here are things that went through my mind during the 24-hour run, somewhat chronologically: "I get a decal, a glass, and a shirt!?"  "Where's Peter?" Peter came the night before and set up camps. Sometimes I think he's gifted with 48 hours a day. "Wow. People actually do plan to run the whole duration." "Mt. Hinson?" There's a section of the course with a slight incline. I'm sure it's a fitting name at some point approaching 100 miles. I didn't give myself a chance to find out. "Haha" - upon hearing someone telling Sharon and I that we are on pace for women's 24-Hour American Record at mile 3. "Maybe I should switch to my hybrid shoes." And I did. After the first 13 miles, I switched from my Altra road shoes to the Inov-8 TerraFly for a little more tread. "25.84 miles? Eh, so close." 17 laps on the 1.52-mile loop - not quite a marathon. "30.4 ...

Sharon, Brandy, Peter, me The past Sunday we hosted the SLR Unsanctioned Race #3 - Paul-Ryan Almost Half Marathon. It's the third race of what has become a "series" of un-sponsored and unofficial event; hence the name Unsanctioned Race. At its heart, it's a gathering of runners, who love to share some miles, food, and laughter. The first time we had about 30 people. The second time Vac & Dash  in Albermarle came along to become our unofficial sponsor by donating shirts and their timing services. Peter Asciutto, owner of Vac & Dash , drove an hour and a half with all his equipment and shirts for nothing to his gain but us. Needless to say, the second Unsanctioned Race doubled in size and people brought enough food to feed a village in India. Now the third time, people know the drill: free event with timing, good food, and lots of friends. We had about 115 who RSVP'd on the  Facebook event and God provided the perfect fall weather for us. As with m...

Courtesy of Brandon Thrower An email from Peter, the spearhead of Abana Coffee Farm in Ethiopia, made my almost-eight-hour 50k effort all worthwhile. This is probably the toughest run I've done in terms of vertical climb (~8-9000') and it's not even a race. The Looking Glass Look-Around is a 43-mile route around Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah near Brevard, NC mapped out by Brandon Thrower from WNC Trail Runner.  I was  one of the nine who started the run but the wimpiest of all who only covered 30-31 miles while others completed the loop (plus some). I drove to Matt and Lily's pad in Brevard Friday night.  They have a great place that's within walking distance to downtown Brevard - cozy, sufficient, and welcoming like they are. I even snatched the guest room from Adam for arriving earlier than he did. While still dark at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, Matt, Kevin, and I set out to run to the start at Dividson River camping area and met up with everybody else....

My second time running the Blue Ridge Relay and my first time in both an ultra team and a women team. I was filling in for someone who has to drop and while I feel bad for her missing all the fun, I'm so glad to be on this team, the Distance Divas! Vac & Dash printed the shirts for us. Thanks, Peter! We are a team of six women, in running order: Tiffany, Kate, me, Cheryl, Erica, and Wendy. I only knew half the team before the race but what better way to get to know people other than spending almost three day-and-nights together? Here are my running stats: Total distance - 29.95 miles Total running time - 241.28 minutes Average pace - 8:05 min/mile As in all six-person team, we each run six legs of the race (36 total as a team). My favorite legs are the last two - a nine-mile run and a mountain goat leg. The nine mile leg started at around 5 a.m., a time that my body is not accustomed to running. I started the run feeling hollow inside, probably because I had not ...

Oswald Chambers: Mountains and valleys by Zen Pencils The illustration above is the work of Zen Pencils, an illustrator who adapts famous quotes into cartoons. The quote he picked this time is by Oswald Chambers. Head over to his website to read it. Aside from being beautifully drawn, the quote is a good summary of a lesson I'm learning in all spheres of my life, especially running and working. Rabid Squirrel at Hanging Rock Training for WV Trilogy has been going well. I had some great runs in the past weekends, exploring new trails, mountains, and meeting new people. Two runs come immediately to mind: one at Hanging Rock State Park for the Rabid Squirrel and the other at Iron Mountain in Damascus, VA. However, with training, I've withheld myself from signing up for races to stick to a schedule and just doing the work -- "the ordinary things" as Oswald Chambers says in the quote. I've great respect for those who might never sign up for a race, not bei...

If you've read/heard many glowing reports of the Scream! Half Marathon, mine is going to be less-enthusiastic. It is definitely a race of its own kind and it's worth doing it at least once. After all, this is the only -2700'+ downhill half marathon that I know of. The whole course can be divided in three big chunks of downhills with flats / uphills in between them. I finished in 1:37:26, a time I'm unlikely to replicate in any other half marathon. As with most point-to-point race, the logistic is a little more complicated to begin with. This year, a fire has affected the campground where the finish area is and the park ranger made a last-minute order that parking at the finish was not allowed. That changed the whole plan. Hats off to RD David Lee for making quick adjustments which worked out smoothly. However, it still added another leg of shuttle for those who were shuttling to the start. We were fortunate that Kate was volunteering and she was able to drop us off at...

Three days after my first 50 miler, the OSS/CIA 50M held at Prince William Forest Park, my legs are feeling great while my body is still catching up in recovery. The funny thing is, even though I ran almost twice the distance of a marathon, I felt much better than how I was after my last two road marathons. The slower pace and the softness of trails is much more forgiving than the hard pounding on asphalt/concrete. I was even able to run a couple easy miles to test my legs yesterday. The OSS/CIA 50M Night Run by Athletic Equation was held at Prince William Forest Park in Dumries, VA, about 1.5 hour north of Richmond. Two things lured me into signing up for my first miler: One is obviously to get at least one 50-miler in before my attempt at the WV Trilogy this fall. Two is the location of the run. The Park is the birth place of OSS, the predecessor to CIA in the 1930s. On the brink of war, U.S. intelligence operations needed a centralized effort. In response to the need, a team...