6/6/09 Trail Nut 10k and Half Marathon

Falling Creek Park: And the Rain Came.
The first race of the year and the Grand Opening of Falling Creek Park was supposed to be on May 16th. I was going to race in the Fat Tire Frenzy, directed by Kenny Palmer, and promoted by Bedford County Parks and Recreation. Gina and I got a call the day before, stating, that the race had been cancelled due to the park being deluged by 2 inches of rain in 2 hours. The consequence of this rain was that it flooded the park, washing away most of the bridges, washing away much of the rock in the parking lot, and moving a 1800lb granite slab 25ft or so. This was terrible news to the park, Bedford County, and Kenny, who had put a ton of time gearing up for the mtn bike race.

Between 5/16 and the 6/6 Trail Nut race day we had more and more rain. Somehow, in these two weeks before the Trail Nut race, everything was put back together. Gina and I waited until mid afternoon on Friday, when the rain stopped, to mark the course. At that time, we could see, that there was little evidence that the park had been hit so hard in the weeks prior. Muddy yes, but there was no sign of the destruction that had taken place. I rode the course on my mountain bike to put up the mile markers and Gina ran putting up the flagging and caution tape. Boy was it a slippery ride for me, and slow going.

Don't forget the Trail Nut Sponsors:

When you go into these stores make sure you mention to them

that you've participated one of our races. That let's them know that their

sponsorship is bringing in business.

Gilbert Chiropractic

Joel Gardner DDC

Super Shoes

Outdoor Trails

On Saturday morning my usual routine is to ride the race course to make sure all the markings are up and that the caution tape is still in place. As we were driving I could see that Bedford County got more rain during the night. I abandoned my usual pre-race ride and decided to run the course (this would give me a chance to assess just how slippery things would be for you runners and to make sure that course adjustments or trail bypasses weren't needed). I ended up being surprised that, although muddy and slippery, things weren't as bad as I thought. The first mile of single track is the worst when wet. After that the course tread is more sandier and loamy providing for "better" traction.

The 2nd Trail Nut 10k and Half Marathon doubled in size this year. We had a total of 67 in 2008 and 149 this year. Many of you registered in the last two weeks after I had to give t-shirt numbers and weren't able to get shirts. At the early registration cut-off we had 78 signed up and I ordered 130 shirts. I misjudged how many of you would be signing up in the last weeks and on race day. Sorry to those of you that didn't get shirts (Mountain Junkies L.L.C. does guarantee a t-shirt and your preferred size if you pre-register. Althought we want everyone to end up with a shirt, after the pre-registration date, we can't guarantee anything, and give out extra shirts on a first come first served basis.).

Once the race started I knew the times were going to be slower due to the conditions which were very similar to last year. We had some pretty fast runners sign up so I was curious to see the finishing times. If I remember correctly we had 3 half marathoners pass the 10k finish before Dave Goode finished the 10k in 44:40 (2:15 faster than last year's winning time), 2nd Steve Burtis in 46:36, and 3rd Carl Saunders in 48:43. The top 3 10k women were led by Lisa Horney in 52:38 (3:06 faster than last years winning time), 2nd Leigha Schimmueller in 53:38, and 3rd Christine Rolfe in 54:10.

For the Half Marathon we had two runners that seemed to be breezing through the course. Gina mentioned that at the 5.5 mile point that they were just chatting away like it was no big deal. Separated by 24 seconds was Andy Sayers who came in first in 1:34:56 and Timothy Driscoll who came in second in 1:35:20, and Daniel Boyers in 3rd at 1:43:21. On the womens side of the half marathon we had 1st place Kelly Charley in 2:05:09, 2nd Sandra Denius in 2:14:29, and 3rd Jennifer Dietrich in 2:16:22.

Many of the runners in this, and the other R NUTS races, were new to trail running and racing. Finishing a race like these is a big accomplishment. You have to overcome the terrain, conditions, and the mental and physical fatigue of the miles. Congratulations to each of you for coming out and challenging yourselves. Thanks for participating in a Mountain Junkies LLC event. Hopefully we will see you next year.

Josh

4/25/09 Promise Land 50k

It has taken me a couple weeks to report about this race. Don't get me wrong, this is a great event, on a great course (challenging), good atmosphere, and great food following the run, but I wanted to break 6 hours. That was my main focus when I decided to enter this event for the 4th time. Off the top of my head I've finished in 6:32, 6:18, 6:07, and 6:18 this time. I felt like I was better prepared than my 6:07 last attempt. My weight is at a level I haven't been to in 17+ years. I can't event remember the last time I was below the 180lbs mark. This, I figured, had to help me get under the 6hr mark.

This event is listed as the toughest 50k on the east coast. It travels up and down from the parkway twice with a total elevation gain and loss at above 7400ft. It is a beautiful location for a race but holds some very tough and technical terrain.

My problem with this course is that I typically battle cramping of my sartorius, hamstrings, quads, and calves after about the halfway point. This time I made it to mile 21 or so before bad things started to break down. I was following my plan pretty well, hitting my splits or coming in a tad faster, drinking 20oz between aide stations. and eating something at each aide station. I was going at a pretty slow rate on the climb up Apple Orchard falls, I lost a lot of time here, and when I got the sunset fields, the thought of running 5 miles down hill didn't cheer me up. I had to take the downhill pretty easy and cramps made me take at least 4 time outs along the way.

The surprising thing in all this was that very few people passed me during my suffering (that would have been more of a downer). I ended up coming into the finish in 6:18 and 29th place. Not bad overall and concidering it was the hottest race day for this race ever. I just think of what could have been and whether I will succomb to the pressure to run this race again and attempt a 5th try at a sub 6hr finish.

Mill Mountain Mayhem 10k - 4/18/09

We had perfect weather for this race. As some of you know this race has been over a year in the making. It has been an interesting process but worth it. The Roanoke City Parks and Recreation workers involved in this race were a huge help leading up to race day and during the race. Thank you.

This race is part of the Roanoke Non Ultra Trail Series (R NUTS) and this course is like a mini ultra trail run. It is a challenging course with over 1250ft of elevation gain and loss, lots of rocks, and a screaming fast 1.5 mile technical downhill to the finish. This course is very similar to the Promise Land 50k that Gina and I and a couple of other Mill Mountain Mayhem participants will be running next weekend.

We had 86 participants in this first year race. I look forward to this race growing. It is by far the Roanoke Valleys toughest 10k race. Each of you should be proud of your ability to run and finish such a tough course. It is a great accomplishment whether you were a front runner or at the end. These races are here for you to challenge you. There is only one winner and if you’re like me you will never see this person except at the start line. Challenge yourself and make a goal of matching or exceeding your time in 2010.

We had 6 people participate from out of state (thanks for coming to play with us), 32 from outside the Roanoke Valley, and 18 people that were new to Mountain Junkies LLC races. One of these was the winner David Cheromei, who ran the course at an amazing 5:41 per mile pace. Hard to believe. He crossed the finish line moving so fast that he had to hurdle the metal gate 80ft away. To me this is as amazing as our last finisher, Ray Gilbarte, finishing the race at age of 71.

Thank you for participating. I like seeing each of you compete and am enjoying the little community this R NUTS series has created. I look forward to the last race in the series, the Trail Nut 10k and Half Marathon, and what can be dreamt up for 2010.

Don’t forget the Sponsors:
Gilbert Chiropractic
Joel Gardner DDS
Super Shoes
Outdoor Trails
Road ID
Dick’s Sporting Goods

Josh Gilbert
Head Mountain Junkie

4/4/09 - 6 hours of Warrior Creek

I've been wanting to participate in a "hour" race for a long time. This was just the place to do my first multi hour event. I haven't been riding my mountain bike much this winter or spring so I choose to sign up in the Male Duo Team category. I figured 2-3 hours of riding at 100% would be enough for my legs.

So I called up a buddy from the 2008 Virginia Derailer Series and we set out to have some fun in Wilkesboro NC. Gina signed up with 2 other girls and they raced in the 3 Person Female Team category and did really well. We ended up having a group of 9 guys/gals from the Roanoke area participating in this race. It was fun group to hang with.

We headed down to Wilkesboro on Friday to get in a course pre-ride. Unfortunately it rained 3 days prior to the race so the course was a bit muddy on Friday afternoon. Fortunately the wind picked up in the afternoon and helped dry the course out for Saturday. The course ended up being in great condition.

The course was 10.5 miles of rolling, curvey, and in a couple places hilly singletrack. This course had the most berms on it of any trail I've ever been on. You could practically ride sideways in some of the curves. It was a blast and a real lung burner. The trails winded in and out around the lake so you could see water in a number of spots.

The race had a last lap cut off at 3:30 so our team only got in 5 laps. I did 2 and Vandenberg did 3. It was a great time. Ride a lap, hang out for an hour, clean up/lube the bike, eat, hydrate, and then get out there and hit it again. It made for a fun and entertaining day.

The Brushy Mountain Cycling Club (BMCC) did a great job with this event and cutting the trails. I think we'll head back here in the future.

3-28-09 Montvale 5 & 10 Mile Trail Races

The 10 day forecast leading up to this race looked pretty bleak. It was calling for 4 days of rain leading up to race day and an 80% chance of showers on race day. And this time the meteorologists had it right.

Gina and I went out on Friday to finalized the course, verify the total distances and mileage at the water stops, and to paint and put up the flagging and caution tape. The weather for us was great until about 4pm. That's when the rain started up again and didn't stop until 4am race morning.

Fortunately, most of the course tends to hold up well to wet weather. That is if the rain could hold off. The race day forecast was right on. There was no rain for the entire race and it didn't begin to sprinkle until Gina and I were pulling away at 3pm. Perfect.

Race morning the temperature was 58 degrees and cloudy. We had 71 preregistered for this race and another 27 people signed up to battle the course on race morning. For a first year event it is very hard to predict how many people will come out. I always hope for a minimum or 100 people but it takes more than hope.

Congratulations to all that finished. It is a big accomplishment anytime you run 5 or 10 miles. Most of the world will never experience what that feels like. These races were set up to push you. To push you on to new distances and new challenges. If you can run a 5k(10k), why not a 5 miler(10 miler). If you survive, why not a 10k(half marathon). I for one know that it is mostly a mental game. Your body will take you where you want it to go.

There were some impressive times Saturday:
5 Mile
1st Male - Sam Allen - 35:20 (6:44 per mile. It was a 5.25 mile course)
2nd Overall and 1st Female - Sarah Krycinski - 40:40 (7:45 per mile).
10 Mile
1st Male - Ed Dickenson - 1:04:51 (6:45 per mile. It was a 9.6 mile course).
1st Female - Hollie Flynn - 1:27:06 (9:04 per mile)

Thank you for coming out. I hope you had a great time.

And remember to visit our sponsors and tell them you participated in the race.

Gilbert Chiropractic

Joel B. Gardner, D.D.S.

Super Shoes

Outdoor Trails

The next race is the Mill Mountain Mayhem on 4/18/09, visit www.mountainjunkies.net for complete race details. Early registration ends on Saturday 4/4/09. Guarantee a race t-shirt, and your preferred t-shirt size, by registering early.