Our Team

Kristi Holland
Kandi Shearer
Jason Reneau
Jane Reneau
Eric Charette
David Ploskonka

We are six runners from Alabama, Tennessee, and Maryland who are training to run the Blue Ridge Relay, September 5-6, 2008. The six of us will share the 208 miles from Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia to Asheville, North Carolina. We plan to use this blog to write about our training experiences as we get ready to run, and to post updates here during the race itself so our friends and family can follow us along our 208 mile journey.

Here we go!

Kandi Shearer and Kristi Holland

Kandi Shearer and Kristi Holland

David Ploskonka

David Ploskonka

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Reliving the Relay


As always, it seems so strange to be back at work, sitting at my desk, with all the usual day to day things going on as they always do. Once again I’ve spent a little over a weekend on an adventure unlike any I’ve been on before, and I find it difficult to focus on the mundane as if I’m not a little changed by what I’ve done.


My adventure started Thursday morning as Jason and I rose early to pick up Eric in Knoxville. The three of us drove to Boone, NC where we spent the night before heading to Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia on Friday. The drive was gorgeous. I’d never been to that part of the country and so my eyes couldn’t get enough of the scenery as we wove our way through the Carolina mountains.


Arriving at the entrance of the state park, I could hardly contain myself, and Jason and Eric seemed to feel the same. We stopped to take pictures and we laughed as we foresaw how our feelings then would probably change as the relay progressed.


We met our three other teammates and their two drivers, received our t-shirts, took pictures and got ready to cheer for David as he started us off at 9:00.


And then the waiting commenced! I was impatient and starting to get anxious. Not a bad anxious – an excited kind of anxious. But this anxiety I felt, whether good or bad, started to put a stone in my stomach that didn’t go away until I passed Eric the bracelet for the last time.


Finally it was time for Jason to run. I was after him, so Eric and I hopped in the car and headed to Exchange Zone 5 where I would start my 5.15 mile leg. I pinned on my number, found my watch and my sunglasses, tore out the directions for my leg, and walked to the exchange cone to wait on my husband.


Leg 1


He arrived, slapped the bracelet onto my wrist, and my relay began. I ran with all I had, and I was surprised at how hard my first leg was. It was labeled “moderate” but with the steep hills, it didn’t FEEL moderate! I ran through a small town (Jefferson, I think) and the sun beat down on me. I pushed hard anyway and finished my leg in 43:40, giving me an average of 8:28 per mile. I was content.


Leg 2


My second leg was my favorite. Even though it was one of my longer legs, at 6.05 miles, it was mostly along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I had shade, birdsong, and breathtaking views to accompany me as I ran. Toward the end, I heard footsteps behind me and I raced these footsteps until the end when they overtook me on the last hill. I fought hard, though, and finished my second leg in 56:10, giving me an overall pace of 9:17 per mile.


After this leg, the wait was a bit longer before we would run again. The other three members of our team had longer legs this time, one of which was a 10 mile run up Grandfather Mountain. I tried to eat in order to sustain the energy I’d need to keep running my legs…but all I could handle were salty baked lays and a few Danish wedding cookies.


Leg 3


When it was time for me to run again, it was dark. I put on my head lamp, a flashing light on the front and back of my shorts, and a reflective vest. When Jason ran up to the exchange zone, he handed me the bracelet, but did not stop as we took off on a 4.9 mile leg in the dark.


I have never in my life experienced such darkness before. It was pitch. Blacker than pitch. All I could see was a little circle of light at my feet where my head lamp shown for me. I hated it. We climbed and climbed, and I couldn’t see where the hill was going to end. I started to get stitches in my side and even though I took deep breaths, I could not get them to subside. This became a problem when the uphill turned downward and I could hardly take a breath. I didn’t want to put on the breaks, but I couldn’t get the oxygen I needed to run at that down hill speed.


Eventually we reached the exchange zone and I happily gave Eric the bracelet. I completed this 4.9 mile leg in 48:10, giving me an average pace of 9:49 per mile.


After Eric finished, we were all weary and ready for sleep. I caught some in the backseat, but awoke several times cold, damp, salty and sticky. It was uncomfortable and only going to get worse as I ran two more times before I could do anything about it. I tried not to wake Eric and Jason as I stepped out of our vehicle and made my way to the port-a-potties.


Leg 4

Around 3:00 a.m. I did my 4th overall leg, my second in the dark. Eric had agreed to accompany me this time, and so when Jason ran up with the bracelet, Eric and I took off on my 5.6 mile leg. It wasn’t as bad this time because I knew what to expect from the darkness. Eric’s hand lamp was MUCH brighter than mine and better at lighting the way. We ran on gravel for a while before reaching a smoothly paved road. I tried to run hard, but I could feel my body slowing down, asking for rest that it couldn’t have. We finished in 58:16, giving us an overall pace of 10:24 per mile.


Eric took the bracelet and kept running, while Jason helped me change into dry clothes. The rest this time was much better, and even though exhaustion was setting in, I didn’t mind the next leg so much because it was going to be light when I started. For that I was SO very grateful.


Leg 5

My 5th leg was one of my hardest as well. It was long and winding, but not too hilly. It was supposed to be 7 miles, but ended up being 7.5. I ran through an empty down town area and eventually followed the road out of town and back into the mountains. I ran along a babbling river and that was pretty much my only company. With every bend in the road I looked for the bright yellow Exchange Zone sign, but never saw one. Finally I saw a line of cars, and I wanted to cheer. A girl stepped out and gave me a high five as I ran to gratefully pass the bracelet to Eric. I finished this 7.5 mile let in an hour and 24 minutes, giving me a pace of 11:16 per mile.


I had absolutely NO energy by this point. My legs were so weak and I could barely take off my wet clothes for my last pair of dry ones. Once again Jason helped me change and followed that with strict instructions that I must eat.


I was already starting to feel triumphant by this point. I was weary beyond belief, but I knew I only had one more leg. It was labeled “hard” and I believed it, but as I sat in the car alone holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my lap and looking at the biggest willow tree I’d ever seen, I didn’t care. I knew I’d do it. I knew I’d run whatever was set before me. It was to be a 4.5 mile leg and I knew I could do that distance.


Leg 6


Eventually my turn came to conquer that distance. It began with a steep two-mile climb, a sharp downhill and then it leveled out. The climb was unbelievable. There were actually switchbacks that were so steep, I could walk up them faster than I could run. I knew this two-mile stretch had to end and I prayed that it would hurry. Eventually I reached the down hill portion, which leveled out showing me gorgeous views of the blue ridge mountains.


When I saw Jason, I grinned from ear to ear and threw my hands in the air! He cheered for me with tears in his eyes and I handed Eric the bracelet for the very last time, saying, “Take it! I don’t want it anymore!” I completed my very last stretch in 52:25, giving me an overall pace of 11:38 per mile.


Eric finished strong giving us a relay time of 29 hours and 48 minutes. We were thrilled with what we’d done and ended up placing 4th amid the other ultra relay teams.


I have personally never been more ready to have a shower and to eat a decent meal. I smelled horrible. I was sticky and grainy from the sweat and the salt, not to mention covered in whatever invisible germs reside in the countless portable potties I visited throughout the relay. We got to our hotel room and I bee-lined for the shower. We had a little time before we were to go back over to the finish line for the awards ceremony and after getting clean, Jason and I fell asleep, almost missing the ceremony altogether.


At the ceremony I could hardly stand. I was so tired and so weak and so hungry, it was all I could think about. Jason talked the race director into giving me a pair of socks since it was our anniversary and tradition…and the race director did! It is too bad they weren’t giving away flip flops because I left mine at one of the exchange zones and my feet were missing them sorely.


SO, that brings me to now - the week of the ordinary where great feats are left behind for the desk and the computer. I have no doubt that we will attempt something like this again sometime, some where. It was an amazing race and an amazing adventure, and I shall live on my memories of it for quite a while.


Monday, September 8, 2008

Splits, Stats, and Afterthoughts - David Ploskonka

First off, unofficial splits and stats for my legs of the relay (with actual time of day when I ran the leg as exact as I can remember; as you can see, my memory overnight isn't that good :) ):

Leg 1 (0900-0922, 9/5/08) - 4.0 miles in 22 minutes, 5:30/mile average pace

Leg 7 (1417-1453, 9/5/08) - 5.4 miles in 36 minutes, 6:40/mile average pace

Leg 13 (1818-1905, 9/5/08) - 7.5 miles in 47 minutes, 6:16/mile average pace

Leg 19 (2300 hour, 9/5/08) - 4.3 miles in 27 minutes, 6:28/mile average pace

Leg 25 (0400 hour, 9/6/08) - 7.2 miles in 49 minutes, 6:48/mile average pace

Leg 31 (0900-0953, 9/6/08) - 6.5 miles in 53 minutes, 8:09/mile average pace

Total official running time: 235 minutes
Total official running distance: 34.9 miles
Total average per-mile pace: 6:44
Total unofficial mileage: 12.5 miles
Total mileage: 46.5 miles
Total orange Budget Saver Popsicles consumed: 6

So those are the numbers, and you've read brief recaps of each leg of the race, things that I wrote during the race, on the rare occasions that I could access the internet from my phone. So now that I've had time to reflect on the race (on my 7+ hour drive back to Baltimore), I have a few more coherent thoughts in my head:

First off, I want to thank the other five runners on our team for their efforts. I'm not sure that anybody realized how difficult it would be to effectively run 6x10k hard, with about 5 hours rest between reps, and no sleep. I know that I was surprised at how difficult it became by the end, and so I am very thankful that all of my teammates gave it their all throughout the race. Seeing Janie actually run up a steep hill in her last leg (when Kristi and Kandi were convinced that she would walk it), and watching Eric haul into the finish line . . . and really, those are just a few memories, but the point is, seeing five other people put forth the kind of effort that my teammates did is truly inspiring.

Second, I want to thank Kristi's mother and brother for driving our van, finding stuff in the big mess that the van became, and not complaining a bit. It takes a very special kind of person to provide support on such a ridiculous trip, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Third, I thought this was going to be more coherent, but then again, my thank-yous never seem to be, so with that out of the way, maybe I can be more coherent about the experience itself. This will be a lot of stuff that non-runners probably won't understand (and which may come off as "sappy" at times), but bear with me anyway:

The way I see it, this race was amazing for two main reasons. One, the feeling of being out there, not just for yourself, but for your teammates, is totally unique. Most of the time, I'm out there running because I feel like running, and I run as fast as I've decided to run, and I stop when I decide it's time to stop. To be out there at 4 in the morning, running in the dark through a cloud of dust on a gravel trail, knowing that in spite of the difficult conditions, if you stop and walk, you're disrespecting the effort that five other people are putting forth to finish this race, is something that I've never experienced before. To run as a companion with Kristi overnight, knowing that she wasn't feeling well and needed the moral support, is something that I've never experienced before. I feel that I can take great pride in knowing that I was there for my team when they needed me.

And two (because when there's a one, there has to be a two), because the legs were very specific, discrete events, this race, more than any other that I've run, had that ability to "etch" things into my memory. One thing that keeps me running (and which non-runners will probably not understand) is that many times when I run, for some reason (or often, for no reason at all), a moment of a run will stick in my head permanently, whether it was remarkable or not. I can still remember running down a road near my parents' house during the spring of my freshman year in high school, on the evening of the Spring Fair, looking up to the gray sky, seeing the treeline in front of me . . . and that's it. That's the memory. And it's beautiful to me, in my head, but probably means nothing to anybody else. I have a memory like that from each and every leg of this race. From my "sprint" to the finish at the end of my first leg, to my climb up the "monster" hill in my second leg, to hopping up to the sidewalk at the end of my third leg . . . I can go on and on, but the point is, I came away with a lot of lovely little memories that I will cherish (for whatever that's worth).

So thanks to everybody for being there and for reading this; can't wait for my next big adventure!

Leg 31 - David Ploskonka


The infamous "Mountain Goat Hard" leg; 6.5 miles of relentless climb, from 2800 feet to 4200 feet. Coming off of all the official and unofficial running I'd done thus far (plus another 3.5 miles with Kristi), my goal was simply to run this leg strong. Taking the terrain into account, I accomplished this goal, with a 53-minute leg, or 8:09/mile pace. I passed only one girl (who was walking), because apparently the macho thing to do is to make sure that your strongest runner gets this leg. When I reached the top (46.5 miles of total running later), I was totally spent, but managed one more ragged Popsicle picture before changing clothes and deciding that I had run my last steps of the day.


So overall, 46.5 miles unofficially, 35 miles officially, in a total of 235 official minutes, or an average mile pace of 6:44. This is faster than marathon pace for me by 7 seconds per mile, and considering the terrain and conditions (particularly no sleep for 27+ hours straight, also a personal record), this is far better than I had hoped. I'm satisfied that I did everything I could to help our team do the best that we possibly can. Can't wait to see Eric finish; I'm off to the finish line now!

Leg 25 - David Ploskonka


Back to this "Hard" business, after running another 3 miles with Kristi, at 10:00/mile pace, on her last leg. This time, the leg was longer (7.2 miles), and complicated by the fact that a large part of it was on gravel, which (1) is treacherous footing at night when you can't see where you're stepping, and (2) results in a lot of dust kicking up behind vehicles as they pass you, further obstructing your vision. I took a copy of the printed directions with me on this leg, and it was a good thing that I did, because I narrowly avoided a wrong turn on 221. At least the train didn't get in my way. I ran conservatively, to avoid getting lost or injured, finishing in 49 minutes (6:48/mile pace). Considering the conditions, I felt good about this, with just one more leg to go . . .

Leg 19 - David Ploskonka


My first leg in total darkness, and I do mean darkness - no streetlights or moonlight to guide me. Equipped with my trusty headlamp, and the mandated reflective vest with blinkers front and back, and motivated by the thought of a flat, easy 4.3-mile stretch, I finished this leg in 27 minutes, for an average pace of 6:28/mile. Not quite as blazing as the previous leg, but I should mention that I came along with Kristi for moral support for 5.5 miles of her climb up Grandfather's Mountain, at about a 10:00/mile pace (Kandi handled the first 4.5 miles with her; this would be a recurring theme for the truly scary night legs).

Leg 13 - David Ploskonka


Apparently our proximity to a shopping center and the threat of injury as a result of careless Friday-afternoon drivers spurred me on to a 49-minute 7.5 mile leg, for an average of 6:15/mile. Yes, for me, that is a borderline obscene pace; hence, the incredulous look that I have on my face in the popsicle picture that we took after this leg is not just due to the misspelling on the sign. Really, this leg was legitimately hard, with its fair share of hills, and I tore it up (also, I am very modest). :)

Leg 7 - David Ploskonka


Writing from a parking lot in front of the Tanger Outlet stores, waiting for Leg 13, a 7.5-mile adventure on a dangerous freeway, with only a reflective vest to shield me from the merciless vehicular traffic. This will be my longest, hardest leg of the race thus far. To recap the last leg:


My 4-mile PR apparently didn't hurt me on Leg 7, in which I covered 5.4 miles in 36 minutes. Yes, a bit more human, but there was a "monster" hill for about half a mile that slowed me down. Still, I passed a few people, and that always feels good (even if they're not in your category, rendering your accomplishment technically irrelevant).

Leg 1 - David Ploskonka


Started out with a bang in Leg 1, a 4.0-mile downhill dash. Ran a Kenyan-esque 22 minutes for this leg. Way faster than I've ever run for that distance in my life . . . Way faster pace than even for a 2-mile race. (My 2-mile PR, if I remember correctly, is around 11:30). That could hurt me later . . . But the popsicle was fantastic!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Quick synopsis of my legs of the race

Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to update during the race, but I wanted to share a bit about my experience now that I'm home. First of all, what a great experience!! My 1st 2 legs went really well, posting sub-9 min. pace miles. I didn't write them down, and it's been so long since then (with so little sleep) that I can't remember exactly, but the 1st two legs went really well for me. My 3rd leg was the steep climp up Grandfather Mountain (~850 ft). I started struggling a bit on this leg, especially near the end, but I managed to maintain at least a 10 min pace, and better for some parts of the run (thank you Kandi and David for the moral support :) ). When I tried to refuel in prep for my 4th leg, I realized something wasn't right... I was feeling really nausious and unable to eat. And after running a total of ~21 miles at that point, I should have been starving!! I'm not sure what happened, but I ended up being sick for the rest of the run... and unable to keep much of anything down. But fortunately, most of the rest of my 24 miles (over the course of 3 legs) was downhill (~2900 ft total). It was ROUGH on my quads, but gravity was doing a lot of work for me, which made up for being totally drained due to lack of fuel. I maintained about a 10 min/mile pace for the last 3 legs, which isn't nearly as good as I would have liked (since it was downhill), but all things considering, I was pleased to be able to continue running and finish my portion of the race. Despite feeling sick, I still had a great time! It was exciting every time to see a team member hand off the bracelet to the next runner, and jump in the van to move along the course to the next exchange! Grabbing some zzz's along the way was a plus when possible, but we really didn't have much time for napping. I was continually amazed at how well each one of us was able to get moving and motivated to run over and over again, when it was dark outside and we were sore and tired. I was fortunate enough to be running when the sun set on Friday night, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I think my eyes were closed when the sun came back up on Saturday morning! We posted a sub 30 hr finish time (~29 hr 45 min)... GO TORTOISES AND HARES!!!

Kristi Tortoise

Best Conversation of the BRR Relay about a Leg

This quote took place during a late night leg (#17) between the actual leg runner and the companion runner. All names are with held to protect the identities of the parties involved:

E -> "We can take a walk break up this hill, if YOU want to."
J -> "I don't need to walk up this hill."
E -> "I didn't mean for you, I meant for me."

Jason's BRR 2008 Leg Splits

Leg 4 - 7.08 miles @ 6:13 pace
Leg 10 - 8.30 miles @ 6:32 pace
Leg 16 - 3.47 miles @ 6:20 pace
Let 22 - 5.42 miles @ 6:25 pace
Leg - 28 - 7.19 miles @ 6:48 pace
Leg - 34 - 4.4 miles @ 6:15 pace

All told I ran 40.2 miles in a two day period. The most accurate description of our little relay, is 6x10k.

We did it!

Well we are on our way home, driving through the beautiful Tennessee mountains. I'm a little sore and sunburned, but otherwise just fine. I'm too excited about what we've accomplished to care about red shoulders anyway.

I will probably write a better recounting of the event when I'm at home with a real keyboard and my bedroom shoes on my tired feet.

But I would like to say that it was an amazing experience! We had an awesome team and we all gave it all we had and did so well! It was hard. Really hard at times. But we all took what each leg gave us and did what we needed to do to complete it. And we've got some great memories now to remind us of what we can do if we set our minds on doing it.

Anyway, a full account to come later. Thanks to everyone who kept us in your thoughts and prayers!

Jane Tortoise

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Eric's Splits at BRR208 2008

(Un)official splits for Eric today at BRR208 2008

Leg 6 - 0:35:56 5.2 miles started at 12:40 9/5 for pace 7:29
Leg 12 - 1:04:19 9.2 miles started at 17:12 9/5 for pace 7:09
Leg 18 - 0:46:58 5.9 miles miles started at 22:16 9/5 for pace 8:04
Leg 24 = 0:13:28 1.9 miles miles started at 2:58 9/6 for pace 7:26
Leg 30 - 0:34:57 4.4 miles miles started at 8:23 9/6 for pace 7:56
Leg 36 - 0:49:05 6.8 miles miles started at 13:59 9/6 for pace 7:16

Total race 4:06:16 for 33.4 miles over 30 hour period for 7:22 pace.

Also ran 5.6 miles with Jane at 2am on 9/6, making mileage total 39 miles.

2008 Blue Ridge Relay 208 - Eric

2008 Blue Ridge Relay 208
September 5-6, 2008

The Blue Ridge Relay. Something I had never even heard of two weeks before September 5. When asked by Jason and Jane to fill out there 5 person relay team and make it a full 6, I was immediately interested. This is just the crazy type of thing around running that I am totally into. Once we worked out the logistics, we were on our way.

I had to work in Boston on Wednesday, so I hopped a plane to Knoxville on Thursday morning at 6am, which was where Jason and Jane picked me up at the airport in the LR3. From there we drove to Boone, NC to spend the night. That would cut the drive down on race day to just over an hour, if our driver and navigator could find their way through the mountain passes.



Fri Sept 5, 2008 9:00AM



We arrived at the start and then we started to get excited. Up until now it didn’t seem like I was about to run an ultra marathon. Then we saw the runners, the teammates and the white passenger vans decorated with all kinds of crazy sayings. 78 teams composed of 900 runners were about to embark on a great journey that would take us 208 miles from Grayson Highlands, VA to Asheville, NC using paved and gravel roads, passing over mountains with breathtaking views.

The start of the relay. The wait was finally over as David took off down the hill. We talked for a few minutes amongst the rest of the team and then took off, making our way down the hill. This would turn out to be the most painful part of the entire trip as we arrived at the start of leg 4 and just had to wait for Kandi to arrive. This was tough because we could only speculate as to the times that David, Kristi and Kandi would post. We had a false alarm one time when a Kandi look-a-like ran in, but shortly thereafter she showed up and we made our first transition from team 1 to team 2. After Jason started off, Jane and I hopped in the car and sped off to the starting point of leg 5 where Jane would start.



Jane was a little nervous before her first leg but she managed to calm down before Jason got there. I too had a few pre-race butterflies, which was weird because this wasn't like a real race yet; we hadn't started and despite of the atmosphere of racing and the people hanging out at the 1st and 2nd transitions, I just wasn't into it.

Jason showed up and handed off to Jane. After cooling down, Jason and I drove down to the gas station to fill up. The local-yocal station capped us at $50. When buying lots of premium gas for an SUV, this doesn't go very far. Jane ran by and we snapped a quick picture before heading out to wait for her at the start of leg 6.



Fri Sept 5, 2008 1:40PM
Leg 6 - 0:35:56 5.2 miles = 7:29 pace

This was my first leg of the relay. I did some brief warm up but there were hills in both directions so I kept it short. Jason did a little cool down with me. This was the last cool down of the entire race as we realized later that saving miles was resting the legs and maximizing downtime. Jason really pushed hard on his leg and I realized that the game was on now. I would have to push the limits of my abilities on each leg to try to match effort. The first mile after the hand off was uphill; really uphill. The climb was 400' over a mile for a 7.5% grade. This was tough as I was pushing hard on fresh legs. By the time I crested the top, I was at 3500' and the roller coaster was starting. The drop was 500' over the next mile for a grade of 9.5% grade. I raced this downhill, passing a few runners down the gravel road. About at the bottom where the gravel turned to blacktop again, Jane and Jason passed me in the truck. At that point, I felt pretty good. That would quickly end.

Starting at mile 2.2 began another crushing climb. This time I would ascend 600' over 2.75 miles up a long and winding road. I was running too fast too early and stopped to walk 4x before reaching the summit. In the early stages I was running sub 7 but with this long climb I had fallen to a high 7. This was until the peak of the second hill where I quickly recovered and was able to run out the rest of the leg very fast on the downhill. I sped through the exchange zone and handed to David and his read shirt, which would become a recurring theme. I think that I passed 6 people on this stretch.



I ran 30 meters past the exchange as I was really moving when I came in. As I stopped and walked over to Jason, I said, "That was the hardest thing I have ever done.' I am not sure what I was thinking as this would be cake compared to what lied ahead.



Kristi had a great idea to take a picture with a certain color Popsicle after each leg so that we could capture how we looked and felt. This was the last time that our Popsicles would remain frozen. After this they melted and became bags of sugar water with sticks.





Fri Sept 5, 2008 2:06PM

This was the start of the first rest cycle. I changed clothes and we all hopped in the car to drive off to the start of leg 10 where Jason would start again. We had a nice little chunk of time to rest and relax at this park situated on top of a nice and sunny hill. Jane and I had more time than Jason so we tried to catch some rest. This wasn't sleep but just felt good to lay down. Jane was smarter than me and laid in the shade. I positioned myself on top of a rock with my towel and pillow and proceeded to get a little sunburn in the 10 minutes I laid there in the 75+ degree heat.





The van finally showed up with Kristi, her mom, brother and David. They indicated that Kandi wasn't far behind so we knew that it wouldn't be long before Jason would be running again. When she finally came in, Jason took the snap bracelet and started running downhill at race.

Jane and I drove along the route to the drop point just across a major highway. We stopped along the way to take a picture of a road named Dink's Way. I thought that this was pretty funny. This leg was unbelievable hard as it just kept climbing up and up. Little did I know that my leg would be something similar. The next two legs for Jane and I would mean partly running on the Blue Ridge Parkway so we would have to wear our reflective vests. This meant that I would have to wear a singlet underneath to avoid nipple rub. It would be hot by the time I would start so this was a little concerning.

Jason came running in and handed off to Jane. Jason had hammered another leg. He even had someone come up to him and tell him that he had never heard of anyone run that hard of a section in such little time. Most runners were well over an hour and Jason went well below an hour. After his quick cool down we got in the car and drove along the Parkway to the next drop. This was one of the sections where we were not permitted to drive along the course.



Fri Sept 5, 2008 6:12PM
Leg 12 - 1:04:19 9.2 miles = 7:09 pace

We got to the next drop, which was a church near Boone, NC. This is near where we spent the night on Thursday before driving up to VA. Honestly I was never quite sure which state we were in until the very end when I knew it was NC.

Jane had a slight hill coming into the change so I had a great view of her coming in. I was pretty loose muscle-wise but was having some minor stomach issues. I had gone to the bathroom 2x before starting this leg. She ran in and I ran out, sprinting down a hill. I went out a little too hard but I was very pumped up and excited to run again. This section was supposed to be 7.2 miles but was rerouted to 9.2 miles and would be my longest run. I knew that it would climb for the majority of the run, but I wasn't sure because the elevation profile was not updated.

The first 3/4 mile was just a warm up and then the hills started. For some reason I was able to stride up this hill with ease and it almost seemed like the grade was matched for my stride rate. It is hard to explain but I was able to run sub 7:20 pace on the entire climb. I was again carrying a water bottle and was using it as it was warm, especially toward the top as the vistas really opened up over the valleys.

It seemed like I ran uphill forever and after finishing, I realized that it was a 10k climb going up 700'. That doesn't seem like a lot, but as it went up, it would also roll a little and climb again, making this the toughest of my sections overall. But as I ran uphill, I actually ran faster and faster. I had picked off 10 runners by the summit and then I really started to run fast. The last 1.8 miles of the run would be downhill, sharply. This would be my 3rd pounding downhill section in just the first two legs.

I started to sprint downhill and passed runner after runner. I would sneak up on them and then blow past as fast as I could. The runners really had no chance to stay with me. I would go on to run 13 minutes for the last two miles of this long 9.2 mile section. I passed the last runner just before the turn into the parking lot as I sprinted in. I got the luxury of running the major change legs where larger groups of 12 had to meet their groups of 6 together. So I got the benefit of a large audience at every finish. I came in at 7:09 pace and had passed a total of 14 runners. I was on top of the world after this leg.



I have to say that my inspiration for running so hard on this leg was having heard the guy at the end of Jason's last leg rave about how fast he had run compared to others in that section. I used that as my motivation to hammer this 9.2 mile leg and try to set a pace that no one, rested or not, could touch amongst any of the teams.

After a quick cool down and change of clothes, we packed up and hit the nearby gas station. We needed ice and I wanted some chocolate milk for recovery.





Fri Sept 5, 2008 7:17PM

Jason, Jane and I started to make our way through the outskirts of Boone and then up and over Grandfather Mountain. This would be the longest leg of the relay, as Kristi would have a 10-mile climb to the highest point on the course. It took us a very long time to ascend the mountain, so her run would probably be much slower than previous legs.

At about half way up, we saw a beautiful waterfall that we had to stop at. I was hoping that the water would be icy again like the river from earlier in the day so that I could soak my calves. They were burning slightly after that hill climb. When we stopped and got in, we found that it was sooooo cold and I could barely stand in it. Jason toughed it out, but I had to bail quickly. We did pose for some pictures.





We hit the leg stop just before dark and were one the of the first crews to this location. There were 4-5 people in sleeping bags next to the port-a-poddie in the small patch of grass. Once again, Jason had no time to rest but Jane and I were able to relax. We each laid out our towels and blankets and rested, but did not sleep. We had worrisome thoughts of the rest of our team climbing up and over Grandfather Mountain. We had estimates of when Kandi would arrive, but they were too aggressive. Later would we find out by Kristi had gotten ill, and she needed help with companion runners to make it through her leg. Luckily it was past 7:30pm and this was permissible. We were really starting to get nervous because there were a ton of groups to come and go. We had gone from being somewhere in the top 10 or so (speculation) to further down in the pack. As I told Jason, this is about the time when the runners with fresh legs would start to catch up with us and make up lots of time.

Jason was going to run his section and then continue on in the dark with Jane. As Kandi finally arrived (just after the Van) she handed off to Jason and we were off to the next stop at a school.

Jane and I arrived at the next stop and she got ready. This was her first night run and I think that she was really glad that Jason was running with her. She was not used to the headlamp and running out in the country was a little scary because it was dark. Not like cave dark, but like no city lights and just starlight dark. We spoke with a few runners at this stop and even one other ultra group as we patiently waited for Jason. This was his shortest leg so we figured he would be flying along in record time. I was a little nervous myself as I had to navigate to the next stop on my own and in the dark.

Jason came in, handed off to Jane and then they ran off together. I immediately got in the truck and drove to the start of my next leg.



Fri Sept 5, 2008 11:16PM
Leg 18 - 0:46:58 5.9 miles = 8:04 pace

I arrived at the start of leg 18 and waited for the twosome to arrive. I made some small chat with a runner wearing a Boston Marathon shirt from this past year. We talked about the temperature swings and how it affected our race day in the spring. He was very nice and shared some insight on the relay, having done it before.

I was now wearing a short sleeve shirt, along with my vest and a visor. It had cooled down to the mid 60's, but was slightly humid by the time I started this run. It had been dark for a couple of hours now and my body had adjusted to it.

Jason and Jane came up the hill together and I took the snap bracelet. This run would drop 900' over 3.6 miles. Once again, another quad busting downhill. This was the first time that I really started to feel the fatigue and lack of rest. On the last leg I had really pounded the downhill, but this time I just didn't have it. It was a case of bad run, good run, bad run with my first 3 legs. I had to stop within 1/4 mile of starting to catch my breathe on the downhill. I was running about 7:45 pace, which was much slower than my previous too legs. I am convinced that it was not the night running, as I have done this before. I think that my quads finally decided to rebel against me. I walked again at 1.5 miles and had a fast runner blow by me at about the same speed I ran by others in my second left. It would have been a nice run otherwise, as there was a babbling brook alongside the road that kept me company. I took me nearly 27 minutes to run 3.25 miles. I was now net -1, having passed 1 and been passed by one. Jason and Jane passed me just before the bottom of the hill. I wasn't sure how I looked, but I knew how I felt. I had a horrible side stitch that I just could not work out. I never, ever get them so I don’t know why this was the time to get one, but it hurt fiercely and the only thing that helped was to slow the speed down.

At the bottom, we made a sharp left and started to climb back out. We crossed the stream and started up. I laughed to myself as I actually enjoyed the change from down to uphill. Who looks forward to a hill climb? Me when you've got some much downhill already in the bank. From 3.6 to 4.1 we climbed from 3000 to 3400' for a 15% average grade. Let me say that again, after a 4.7% decline for 3.6 miles to turn it over immediately to a 15% incline was crushing. I walked twice on the climb, albeit each time for only seconds. This was when I was passed for the second and final time of the relay for my legs. This was utterly demoralizing to be crawling up a hill and being passed by another runner, even if he did have strong form.

How could this leg have gotten any better? How about another quad busting downhill to finish it off? Yes, a 7.1% negative grade slope over the last 1.6 miles. I did manage to regain my speed again this time though, running the last portion at a low 7 pace. When I ran up the last small hill and handed to David I was done. I had very little to nothing left. To tell you the truth, I am not even sure I remember much about changing or getting into the car to drive to the next stop. It is all kind of a blur. I know that I must have handed off to David but that was all I remember.





Sat Sept 6, 2008 12:00PM

We now had gone several hours into the dark, with each of us having completed a run in the dark, with Jason doubling up on one of Jane's sections. Jason asked me if I would run with Jane on her next section and I quickly agreed. I knew that it would mean a shortened rest period for me, but the joys of having the second longest section (9.2 miles) came with having the shortest section with 1.9 miles next. I figured that it was the least I could do was to run with her for 5+ miles before my 1.9 mile downhill. This section was fairly winding to get to our next rest stop. It took a little longer than I had thought to get there. I drove, I think? Maybe it was Jason, We were all totally wiped out. We finally made it to the rest area, which was in the parking lot of a grocery store. I thought maybe it was a good idea to get out and go in, but it was about 1am. I don't know what I would have bought, but it seemed like a good idea. I chose sleep instead.

We had about an hour to wait, based on our estimates before Kandi would arrive and Jason would have to take off. Jason must have driven, since he was in the driver seat? Yep. Jane was in the passenger seat, now asleep. I sort of laid out across the first row of the back seat, with my legs up on the seat to increase blood flow and speed recovery. We slept for maybe 30 minutes

As Jason started to get ready, I too changed clothes and put on what I would wear on my next run, since I figured that we would not have much time once we made the transition, as I would be running with Jane.

We started to worry that Kandi was lost or wasn't going to make it when the van finally pulled up and they said that they didn't see her on the way through. It was dark and most runners look the same, so we figured that they must have just driven right past her and not even known. Too Funny! Well, now it's funny. At the time, we were a combination of worried about her safety primarily, and worried that we were losing time secondarily. As for us, we really had no choice but to wait for her to arrive. The van headed back out and looked for her, returning shortly indicating that she was just beyond the last hill coming into whatever city we were in. Jason got revved up to run and as she came in, they made the transition.

As for Jane and I, we assumed the role of pilot/co-pilot and grabbed the directions to our next stop, hitting the road fairly quickly. We passed Jason on our way out and he was hauling a$$ as usual! It took us a little while, but finally we arrived at a little church where the next transition would be. We had been jamming to disco music, then some bad 90's dance music and now were rocking out to some hardcore rap with Eminem. Jane said that she wanted to get fired up, so I played 'Till I collapse' by Eminem and 50 Cent. As 50 says in this song, 'I'm gonna rip some sh!t, till my bone(s) collapse'. This was just the pump that we needed as we prepared to run in the dark again.

We got our gear ready, reflective vests on and our headlamps where donned. I was wearing my 'Pre' Fleet Feet XC shirt and snapped some pictures while Jane updated the Tortoises and Hares Blog online. This was one of the few cell phone reception spots on the course.







Sat Sept 6, 2008 2:00AM
Leg 24 = 0:58:16 5.6 miles = 10:20 pace

Once again Jason surprised us on the fast end, as he showed up easily 5 minutes before we expected him. With the doors to the Rover still open and Beastie Boys still playing on the stereo, we scrambled away. Jane had been running her sections as consistently under 10 minute miles, but this was a tough section, with plenty of elevation change. We would drop from the start, climb steeply before dropping just as fast and finish with another long climb over the last couple of miles.

Jane and I ran together pretty silently. Normally I would pass along words of encouragement, tell stories, etc but I just didn't have much in the tank mentally. I had enough to periodically check to make sure that she was doing well, but that was about it. We ran on a gravel road on the first downhill section, which Jane was not crazy about since she does not trail run that often, but for me it was like running on a marshmallow bed of puffy clouds as we dropped several hundreds of feet. We ran alongside a girl for a while, and despite trying to make some small talk, she had less to say that I had to Jane! She hung with us until the start of the climb. I was 'half-stepping' Jane on the climb, running just ahead of her. I thought by doing this, she would try to keep up as I ran steady up the hill. Plus my Diamond headlamp dwarfed what she was wearing, so if she didn't stay close, she lost the illumination. We slowly pulled away from the girl and then even passed a guy on the climb. We were running very strong.

The road that we were on changed back from gravel to pavement as it started winding down another valley. We talked a little more here, as it was less demanding. Being in the dark, I had us running as many of the tangents as possible to cut distance. I never said anything to Jane about it, but she sort of figured out what I was doing as we would run on one side of the road, and then in the middle as we made our way to the other side before the next corner. I tried to look ahead as much as possible to know the shortest line to run. A few times I think that I bumped her arm as she was just in the zone as we climbed the last hill.

Despite the rigors of the climb, we actually were running around 10 minute miles together and it was starting to make me tired. At one point I said, "You know, there is no shame in walking", to which she immediately replied, "No I'm ok." I laughed and said. "No I was talking to myself!" This provided us with a little humor as we still had a mile to climb in the 5.2 mile section.

As we approached the final intersection, I glanced over to the left in order to see the BRR directional arrow sign. The arrow head (point) was very small, so you nearly had to be on top of the sign to see which way to turn if you were not familiar with the course. We took the left and made our way, though I was wondering if we had made the correct turns, as we were already at 5.2 miles. So far I had been able to run each leg at or below the distance by running the tangents. With a course this long, I assume that they measure it by car, so it would be possible to run it 'short'. By the time we saw the transition, we had logged 5.6 miles. We stopped for just a moment to change the bracelet from Jane to myself. In this brief moment, I also stopped and reset my GPS to accurately capture the distance, time and elevation.





Sat Sept 6, 2008 2:58AM
Leg 24 = 0:13:28 1.9 miles = 7:26 pace

As I mentioned, this was my (and the team's) shortest leg of the entire relay. In trying to make it an even 36 transition spots and have them be at convenient locations like parks, churches, schools, etc, some legs were going to be short. This one was 1.9 miles and mostly downhill. I had thoughts of putting my Saucony Fastwitch flats on for this section, but since I was with Jane on the leg before, I kept my Mizuno's on.

I raced downhill and felt like I was really flying, yet as I looked at my GPS, I was only running a low 7. This was a little disheartening, but like the great mirage, with the darkness and fatigue, it felt like I was running at race pace.

There really isn't much to remember and share when you are only running for 13 1/2 minutes. I mean how much can you really feel, or anguish over or can you even contemplate in such a short period of time?

I think that I was +2 or +3 in this section, as I passed the last guy just before a left hand turn near the end. I made the turn and then could see the lights at the transition. There was one more fast left and then the transition was upon me and their David was! I had the bracelet opened up and carrying it in my right hand, then passing it off to David and his red shirt.

The transition area was pretty large and spread out over a field. We walked to the very back and I changed before we left. I was fatigued and tired, but elected to drive to the next transition. Since we had some time before we needed to be at the next stop, I changed fully and did a quick stretch routine before hopping in the car.





Sat Sept 6, 2008 3:11AM

Part of the way to the next stop, Jane was already crashed out in the back seat. We arrived at the stop and pulled up onto the grass under a large oak tree. It was in the wee hours of the morning now and we had a good 90 minutes before Jason would have to run again. I grabbed my blanket and pillow and leaned against the window and fell asleep. I can only assume that Jane and Jason slept just as long as I had.

The alarm went off about an hour later. After 1 snooze, Jason had to start getting ready to run. He drank another Red Bull and 4 more bags (but only 1.5 serving sizes) of candy corn. What a diet! Candy Corn and Red Bull! I woke up with a Starbucks Double Shot cold espresso drink, knowing that the sleep that I just enjoyed would be my last. I would do my best to stay awake for the rest of the relay, especially since it would be light out again near the end of Jason's run, if not during Jane's run.

We had again speculated as to how long it would take the other three runners to get to the checkpoint. We thought that by 6am they would be at the truck and that the van would arrive sometime before head giving us some advance warning.

We were surprised when there was a knock on the window and Kandi had arrived. Jason bolted out quickly and we were once again on our way.

Jane and I drove to the next stop, which was near a local high school. On a funny note, we hit the bathrooms, where I saw a red flashing light blinking in the bottom amongst the…, well, you know. It was enough to make me laugh.

Jane changed and warmed up. She would start before 7:30 am eastern, which meant that she would still have to wear her reflective vest.

I was a little cold and had grabbed my Flivver blanket. I handed two corners of the blanket to her and indicated that I needed help folding it up. She must not have heard this, because she thought I was wrapping her up to keep her warm. This really was a much better idea and more gentlemanly in general, so I went with it. This is probably the time she will find out that I was actually being selfish☺

Jason came in shortly thereafter and Jane took off. Jane had a longer section with two long climbs and it would take her quite a while to get to the next drop point. We took our time for Jason to change before we drove to the next drop. In driving up the climbs, I felt bad for Jane in what she had in front of her.

We arrived at the leg 29/30 change point which was situated next to a river. I probably should have soaked my calves, but I was already cold and was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to warm up.

Jane arrived and handed off to me and I went out chasing a gal that had left just before me.



Sat Sept 6, 2008 8:23AM
Leg 30 - 0:34:57 4.4 miles = 7:56 pace

This was supposed to be an easy 4.4 mile section that was very flat and running along the river. As with my first four legs, I was alternating bad, good, bad and good. This was no exception as I would struggle for a little more than a half an hour on this section.

I was plugging along but it wasn’t very fast. I passed a gal and talked with her for a second, but had difficulty in staying consistently ahead of her.

I had to walk at ½ mile, 1.8 miles and just past 3.1 miles. Despite this, I was still able to hold sub 8 minute miles. I an not sure what it was, but I just didn’t have it. This was supposed to be a fast run. Maybe it was the fact that it was very flat and not climb or descent like the other legs had been. In the end, I wasn’t able to ever figure it out. IT was probably the lack of sleep and everything else.

Just before the last walk break, I passed a woman who was having a hard time. She said that she was ready to throw up. I told her that I felt the same. When the run was over and I was back at the truck, she walked by and we laughed about it.





Sat Sept 6, 2008 8:58AM

Driving to the next stop was again, uneventful. Jason drove and Jane slept in the front seat while I sat in the back. I thought about sleeping, but never truly did. We had to stop part of the way up the Mountain Goat climb because I couldn’t remember where my GPS was at. It was in the back on the shelf so that put my mind at ease. This section for David would be his toughest, maybe the toughest of the relay, as it was switchbacks up the entire way.

At the top, the road turned to gravel and this is where Kristi would take over. It was just as sharp of a down as the up was for David. Knowing that she had been throwing up and hadn’t eaten anything for hours meant that she wasn’t working on much fuel. We figured that she would struggle.

Waiting at the last transition was more painful than waiting at the first transition. It seemed like forever and a day waiting for them to arrive. We were nearly the first to arrive at the church and witnessed so many people come and go while we waited. I waded through a stream, which helped my calves pump out some of the built up acid.

We were just so ready to run our last sections that maybe we under estimated the time that it would take for the van to arrive. We figured that we would need 2:30 for our three legs to break 30 hours. That was best case scenario.

When the van arrived, they said that Kandi was just a few minutes behind. Knowing that Jason’s leg was just a few miles long, Jane and I packed up and took off, leaving Jason to wait for Kandi.

We drove ahead to the next waiting area, which sat on a small incline. This was the incline where Jane’s amazing hill climb would start.

When Jason came through, he was flying. I could tell that he had given everything that he had.



At the start of this leg I was very nervous. As I mentioned, we had done the math and knew exactly what each of us had to do for our part in the last 3 legs to hit our sub 30-hour goal. Jason had already done his part and I waited with a nervous stomach and dead legs waiting to see what time I would have to work with in my section. I was thinking that I would need nearly an hour for my 6.8 mile section, given the elevation profile. Or more accurately, if the leg measured long and was 7 miles, if I could hold onto 8-minute miles, the net would be 56 minutes. I told Jane, 2:04, 2:04, 2:04, meaning that was the last minute that she could hit the transition area and hand me the bracelet. That was worse case... So I stood patiently in a place that I will never forget; I was in the transition area, which was positioned in a parking area where a side road split off the Blue Ridge Parkway, waiting with others looking for their other runners. I waited what seemed like forever, but was really only minutes. Jason had made his way down the road a bit, as he had done 4 or 5 other times over the previous day, waiting to give me the signal that he saw her coming and to get me ready. And in the blink of an eye, I could see Jason in the distance waiving his arms and then I saw Jane come around the corner in her white and green singlet and mean sunglasses, giving her attitude. I was utterly amazed at what she had accomplished. She had given me more time than I needed and crushed our estimates of what she would run, given the incredible hill climb. Now the pressure was passed onto me. She followed Jason's lead and taken her leg by the throat and squeezed extra time out of it. Jane handed me the bracelet and said for the second time in a the last 6 hours, "Take it, I don't want it anymore!" And like that, I was off...



Sat Sept 6, 2008 1:59PM
Leg 36 - 0:49:05 6.8 miles = 7:16 pace

The next 49 minutes was like something out of a movie. It was very surreal in that with each step I was closer to the end of our long journey. To be honest, the entire time my mantra was what I would do when I approached and crossed the finish line. That kept me moving, stride after stride. My plan was to push hard on the up hill section and then re-evaluate where I was for the final 5 miles. Plus I had thought that there would be another runner starting just after me and I thought I heard footsteps, to which it was just my imagination, but it still motivated me. For the first mile, I climbed from 3100' to 3500' for an elevation grade of 7.5%. I ran this at 7:32 pace on legs that had already run 50km and were about to give out, knowing that I was about to pound them for 5 straight miles of downhill, dropping 1400' into Asheville. I was again running in my favorite Nike Swift shorts in color blue, with no shirt to go with my own sunglasses giving me that killer look along with my visor to block the sun and my good luck yellow Mizuno Elixrs. I carried my bottle with me this leg for a little refreshment as well as for a cooling effect since the temps were again in the low 80's.

I really had to focus on everything in this run. I had to remember to strike my feet properly, to swing my arms, to breathe at the correct intervals, etc. The fatigue had taken the normal running after-thought functions and made them a chore onto themselves. I had already gone to the well one too many times and I'd had dug deep and done so many other metaphors for finding the strength to keep going that you could possibly imagine. The only way I can describe the way I felt is relating to a 'Pre' quote, "I hope that it comes down to a guts race at the end, because then I am the only one who can win.! I was working on pure guts and would carry that with me to the end.

Running the downhill switching was not only strenuous on the quads, but a safety risk as well. I couldn't really run the tangents or the left side of the road because the road had no shoulder and was banked, with a blind corner on every corner. I was nearly hit twice by speeding cars coming up the hill. I wasn't really mentally right, having to focus so much on the form and sub 7:30 miles that I hoped that I would make it down the hill without being hit.

After 5 miles into the run, I started to get excited, very excited. I had not been this amped up since the 2006 Cellcom Marathon, in which I was cruising after 20 miles, knowing that I felt great and would qualify for Boston with plenty of cushion. I started to run faster and faster. I dropped a 7:04, followed by a 1.2 mile split at 6:26 pace.

I was now sprinting up hill knowing that the end was so close. When I looked down I was running a pace in the 5’s. I was fleet of foot.



Finally I could see the banners and the people near the finish line. I made the final turn and headed for home, making one last push. I had nothing left after my 3rd run so I don’t know where I found the strength to push so hard so late, but I did it.





I was once again in oxygen debt as when I crossed I had to take a dozen breathes before being right again. After regaining consiousness again, we stood under the banner and had our team picture taken again, 29 hours and 49 minutes after the last time.



Somehow Jason, Jane and I had managed to not only make up the 10 minutes that we had ‘lost’ based on our estimates of time for the last three legs, but also gained another 11 minutes in the process. So we had managed to cut 21 minutes off. Amazing.






Now that I look back on this, I consider it one of the great adventures of my life. When I had nothing left, I found the will to go on and do it amazingly fast.

Unofficially I ran 39 miles in 5:03:55 for an average of 7:46 pace (including running with Jane.)

Officially I ran 33.43 miles in 4:05:48 for an average of 7:21 pace.

Miles to go before i sleep

Well I sort of slept after a HARD leg...it is now time for my fourth. I have a moderate 5.2...and their definition of moderate is not mine. I'm tired but I think I have what I need to finish this thing.

N+t a fan of night running but Jason and Eric accompany me and that helps!

It is time to put on my lights for my next dark leg!

Friday, September 5, 2008

2 Legs down, 4 to go

We all just finished our 2nd legs and are still standing. I just completed 6.05 miles in 56:10. It was hard with long stretches of winding uphill roads, but I had mostly shade and I felt strong.

I have a 4.9 leg next and Jason will probably run it with me since it will be dark.

I'm a little tired but not extremely so. I'm definitely salty, smelly, and sunburned though.

As Eric said, PFM - perpetual forward motion. :)

First legs

All the tortoises and hares have run their first legs!

David has started our second set, and so I have a few hours before my next run. I just completed 5.15 miles in 43:40. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. My leg was labled "moderate" but it felt harder than that. The sun is brutal but the shade is heavenly with a nice breeze.

Now the three in our vehicle are headed to leg 9 where Jason will start his second leg running 8.2 and I will follow with 6.05.

So far so good!

Jane Tortoise

Eric update 1

Waiting with Jane for Jason. The course is tough so far, with lots of rollers. We started off in the mist in the mtns and are now down at 3000 feet. We misidentified Kandi for another girl at the last stop. They had on the same outfit. Pictures of her look a like turned out well;)

Jason is almost here so we have to get ready. More in a bit.

Eric Hare

The race is on!

The race has begun! David started us off followed by Kristi and then Kandi. Jason will run then, handing the bracelet to me at the 5th leg.

Weather and location are BEAUTIFUL and I am ready to run!

There isn't much signal out here so posts may be limited.

GO TEAM!!!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Ready for Sleep!

Well we made it to Boone, NC. It is very pretty here amongst the mountains, sitting at 3000' ele. It seems like a quaint little place to live.

We went for a very, very, very, very brief run over to a greenway. It was a cool out and back that started from a park. There were tons of Appalachian State xc runners out doing speed work making us look slow.

The downtown had nice shops that closed at 5 so we just window shopped after dinner at Pepper's Restaurant.

The drive over the mountain pass seemed to take forever both up and down. It seems like travel west bound from Boone is mostly advised against and probably impossible in the winter.



We stopped at a cool little coffee shop and book store. Erica-Janie-Mcguire-Reneau wants to buy it and live upstairs. When she found out that no one in town could paint turtles on her toe nails, I think she changed her mind.

Well off to bed. We are leaving at 6:30 to head over to the race.

Signing off - Hare Eric

Day Before

Travel day today. Working off of 3.5 hours of sleep after getting up at 3:24am to catch a flight from Bos to Cvg to Knoxville, where Jason and Jane will pick me up. What a brutal schedule! I'm hoping to catcha little more rest while en route to the hotel yet today. I will probably log a short run this pm to check the legs. More later.

The Adventure Begins

Jason and I got up before the sun this morning to finish loading up and head to Knoxville to pick up Eric from the airport. Then the three of us will head to Boone, NC to spend the night before driving to the start line tomorrow morning.

Our new start time is 9:00 a.m.Eastern time. Since we've added two more teammates, our team of tortoises and hares will move more quickly through our legs. In theory. :)

I haven't run in two days. I hadn't planned to taper quite this much, but race preparation and anniversary celebration has gotten in the way. I think these two days off will work in my favor, as I'll be raring to go tomorrow morning.

That's all for now! Stay tuned as our adventure draws even closer!

Jane Tortoise

Monday, September 1, 2008

Getting Ready for Eric

So I am all packed and ready to go. A quick business trip to Boston sandwhiched in between and then it will be time to run. I'm very excited. It's about I have been able to think about for the last 10 days. Stay tuned for more updates this week.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Relay Update

Our relay team has grown! Joining us on our 208 mile trek through the Blue Ridge Mountains are David Ploskonka from Baltimore, MD and Eric Charette from Huntsville, AL, and we are glad to have them! Instead of 4 people running 50+ miles each, we have a wider range of distances, starting from 44.5 to 28.5, all hitting difficult levels of elevation gain and loss.


For me, this is good news. The challenge of 4 runners tackling 208 miles was exciting…and daunting. The idea of having 5 was much better, giving us all 43-44 miles, and in our search for another runner, we found two, making the race and a good time two things that could more easily go hand in hand.


We will now have two support vehicles. Van one will drive Kristi, Kandi, and David. Van two will drive Jason, Eric, and myself (Jane). Van one will run legs 1-3 and van two will run legs 4-6, continuing this rotation throughout the race.


I am thrilled with our new team and more excited now than I was before. The pressure of making the cut-off time and the fear of overdoing it are issues of the past. That doesn’t mean that we won’t experience fatigue and a strong desire to shut our eyes when we must open them and run, but it means we can give a little more and push a little harder on our respective legs that are now fewer in number.


As I write, our adventure begins in less than a week. I have trained hard and I feel ready. I’m ready for the challenge, ready for the experience, ready for the beauty of unseen mountains, and ready to spend this time with my husband and our good friends.


This time last year I was getting ready to get married. I married my husband, Jason Reneau, on Sept 3, 2007, which was Memorial Day. I can’t help but think it is fitting for the two of us as runners to begin our second year of marriage this way. Maybe it will be a new tradition – to try something new together each new year.


To me, this relay is a bit like marriage. It is longer than most races and certainly not the easiest one to choose. There are moments of joy, moments of hardship, moments of rest, and moments where one has to ignore how they feel and give it all they’ve got to succeed. In a relay, just like in marriage, one doesn’t run only for himself, but for another. It is a team effort, requiring all participants to work hard to obtain the goal.


So while this relay will most certainly be an amazing personal accomplishment, I don’t run it only for myself. I run to support my team, to give my all, and to celebrate another year of life with a beloved teammate.


This has been your Cheesy Moment with Jane Tortoise (and knowing me, there are probably more to come).


- Jane Reneau Tortoise

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Interruption of Injury

I’ve been watching the Olympics almost every night since they started. And while they are definitely inspiring, they are nerve-racking and exciting and heart-breaking at the same time. I’ve watched athletes with triumphant finishes and I’ve watched athletes with crushing defeats and shattered hopes. I’ve watched athletes with injuries and mistakes not make it to the finish, and my heart goes out for them.

Even though I want the US to win in everything, I can’t help but support other teams who have worked so hard to get to where they are. When the program does a spotlight on an Olympian, I start feeling like I know them and I want them to succeed.

From Liu Xiang, China’s hope for a track and field victory, to Lolo Jones who everyone knew had it in the bag, these stories broke my heart for these runners who had worked so hard only to have an injury or mistake that kept them from the gold in what should have been their finest hour.

And then I had a little mishap of my own that gave me a moment of panic and frustration last night. Not that I in any way compare to these Olympians, I don’t. But what we DO have in common is a goal of some sort that requires us to train hard, to push, to start even when we are tired, and to give it all we’ve got when the moment of truth arrives.

Tuesday morning I ran 9 miles, 4.5 with my friend Mimi, and 4.5 alone. I strategically placed Eastview (a murderous hill in Madison) in the midst of both routes so that I would have to climb it twice. The relay we are to run will have elevation similar to the hills of Eastview, and so I try to fit it in at least once a week, using Cecil Ashburn for the other hill-work day.

Even with 9 miles run already, I knew that for the relay I’d be running several times a day, and so a double or two each week would be a good idea. Jason was going to run the Cross Country Run Tuesday night, so I packed some clothes and planned to go too.

I hadn’t planned on trying to run fast, but it is hard to do when surrounded by other runners who are keeping a good pace. I gave myself a word of warning as we hit the trails. I haven’t been running trails at all, and while these are not the most difficult Huntsville has to offer, they are filled with rocks, roots, and plenty of uneven terrain.

I knew I should probably slow down, but I’d made up my mind not to let the runner behind me catch me so I ran as fast as I could, trying to watch my step as I went.

On the last mile of the run, my foot struck too close to the edge and my ankle turned inward. I yelped and corrected, still running. The pain wasn’t bad at first, just a little notification that something wasn’t right. As I ran, though, the pain increased slowing me down and letting the guy behind me pass (two guys, in fact).

By the time I finished it was throbbing. I looked for Jason trying not to panic. I wanted to cry, not from the pain, but because I didn’t have time for an injury and I had no idea if it was a bad one or not.

I told Jason and he looked at it. It had not started to swell and that was a good sign. He gave me strict orders to head home, shower, and get ice on it as fast as I could. I called my mom on the way home and she seconded his instructions. “Ice it until you feel like your bone is going to fall off,” she said.

I followed instructions and this morning my range of motion had improved. I’m icing it as I write. I’m planning to take today off, but tomorrow is Cecil Ashburn with Kristi and it has swiftly become my favorite run of the week.

Last week I ran a total of 57 miles. That is a first in the life of this running gal. I’m aiming for another 50 miler and then maybe a 40 before I begin to taper for the relay. I think this ankle will be fine, and for that I am extremely grateful!

Even though I’m no Olympian, I’ve still put a lot of time, training, effort, and hope into this race. I’m excited and I’m ready for the challenge, and whatever that brings along with it.

I think I’ll sit out any more trail running until afterward, however.

- Jane Tortoise

Thursday, August 14, 2008

A New Kind of Challenge...

Several months ago, a very good friend and running buddy sent me the link for this relay. Instantly, I got excited and starting thinking of all my running friends who might be interested. I forwarded the email to 8 or 10 people, hoping that at least 4 of them would be available (because that's the minimum number required). However, because coordinating schedules is such a bear these days, I really didn't expect it would work out. So, I was very pleasantly surprised when my sister, Kandi, and Jane responded right away saying they'd love to do it and were available that weekend (and Jane said Jason was IN too)! And if no one else could commit (and they couldn't), then that was enough! And so... we began making plans, and it all came together!

A 208 Mile Relay will be a new kind of challenge for all of us. We will each be responsible for approximately 50 miles, give or take a few... well, Jason got the lucky draw of 59 miles... but I have faith that The Hare can handle it :) !! I have run a 54 Mile race once before, and several 40+ Mile races... and the 50 Miler was definitely the biggest physical challenge I've ever faced... but running ~50 miles in 9 segments spread across ~30 hrs is not at all the same thing. Our muscles will get tight and sore as we relax and wait for our next turn. We will get very tired, since we will be running ALL NIGHT LONG! We will need all sorts of snacks and clean/dry clothes and shoes... the logistics will be more complicated. So, I really don't know what to expect. And part of me is a little anxious about it. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to do all 50 miles at one time... and then crash and sleep until my heart's content! But our challenge will be to keep each other awake and motivated and KEEP MOVING and take good care of our tired and sore bodies for the whole of Friday, Friday night, and most of Saturday. AND I CAN'T WAIT! I like to think of it as an adventure, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

I've tried some new things in my training to prepare for this race. Since fast muscle recovery will be important, I've been running twice a day as often as possible, or 4 runs inside 48 hrs, and usually that only works out about twice a week. I've only ever tried doing 2-a-days a handful of times in the 5 or so years that I've been running, and it has never been very productive. The 2nd run is always really rough. But something seems different this time. It feels like a small miracle, but the more often I do these back-to-back runs, the better it feels... I guess that's the point of training, but I don't often see the benefit quite so clearly. It's been really encouraging to me!

Another new thing I tried this week was taking an ice bath to promote fast muscle recovery. Honestly, it had more to do with the fact that my air conditioning didn't seem to be working and it was 87 deg in my house... and I'd just come home from an evening run and was burning up. So I thought, "what better time to try the ice bath idea!" I ran a tub of cold water, threw in a huge block of ice from my freezer, and grabbed the latest edition of Runner's World. I don't know how much benefit I got, but it definitely didn't hurt anything, and considering how hot my house was, it actually felt pretty good!

So, we are down to 3 weeks... and counting! I've had a couple really good weeks of training, and I'm hoping for a couple more. And then it will be time to relax and rest up... and then RUN HARD!

- Kristi Tortoise

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ready or Not

In a little less than a month, my husband and I, along with our team members, Kristi and Kandi, and our two drivers, Betsy and Kalon (Kristi and Kandi’s mom and brother), will embark on our journey to Virginia where we will begin our 208 mile race through the Blue Ridge Mountains. We will be starting at 8:30 a.m., Friday, September 5 and we must be finished by 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 6.


Until then we are training, training, and training some more. Even though we all have our own strategies to get ready for such an event, our schedules intersect a few times each week. Jason and I go to the local high school track on Mondays and Wednesdays to get in some speed work, and Kristi and I tackle Cecil Ashburn, a local road that goes over the mountains, on Thursdays.


Attempting to get that late-night-run experience, Jason and I ran the EvaBank 5k Midnight Run this past Friday night, both winning 1st place in our age groups. I haven’t won 1st place since middle school (when I was the only runner in the age group), and while it felt great to run the fastest 5k I’ve ever run, I still heard a whisper in the back of my mind reminding me it was only 3 miles. In less than a month, I would have to run 50 of those in a day and a half…


And I can’t help but wonder, am I ready?


I’ve run 15 marathons and some of them were relatively close together. But I don’t have anything in my history as a runner to compare to this kind of mileage. And so while some days I feel strong and sure, other days I am filled with doubt and apprehension about the race ahead.


Still, I can’t help but be excited. We have a GREAT team and I believe that no matter how hard it is or how tired we feel, we will finish this race. The route will be beautiful, the experience will be new and challenging, there will be good friends present and the prayers of those far away following us mile after mile, hour after hour.


As crazy as it may be, I’m looking forward to it!



- Jane Tortoise