Training Weeks of January 9 & January 16

Week of January 9

Total mileage: 10

Swim total: 2 1/2
Races: none

Sun - Off

Mon - Off

Tue - Evening - Swim 1/2m

Wed - Evening - Swim 1m @34.46

Thu - Off

Fri - Afternoon 4m @9.42 at Pilot Mtn. SP; Evening - Swim 1m @34.09 Total - 4

Sat - Lunch 6m @8.51 Total - 6

Week of January 16

Total mileage: 89
Races: Charlotte Running Co. Trail Race 13.1 - 2nd - 1:24.01

Sun - Lunch 6m @8.05; Evening 4m @8.08 Total - 10

Mon - Afternoon 8m @8.15; Evening 4m @7.53 Total - 12

Tue - Morning 4m @7.41; Afternoon 8m @7.52 Total - 12

Wed - Afternoon 8m @7.42; Evening 4m @7.31 Total - 12

Thu - Morning 4m @7.43; Afternoon 8m @7.42 Total - 12

Fri - Morning 4m @7.39; Afternoon 6m @7.25 Total - 10

Sat - Morning 17m - Trail half-marathon @~6.27 avg.; Evening 4m @8.05 Total - 21

I believe that is the most sore that I have been after a race. I gain 9 lbs. in 24 hours, basically swelling I think. The swelling in my legs peaked on Monday morning. Not only did my muscles feel stretched but the skin in my calves got to feeling stretched. I lost about 3 lbs. on Tuesday, then lost the other 6 on Wednesday, returning to the same weight as the night after the race. Not all the soreness left until the 11th day. I was 147 on Sunday evening. I haven't seen that weight since an extended injury break in the early 2000s.

The Charlotte Running Co. Trail Half-marathon went okay. My legs were dull and had no pep to them. It was good motivation to do a long tempo effort. I went out easy in around 6th place. Kevin Lisska got an early lead of over a 1 minute and I was never able to run him down. He finished 1.13 in front of me in 1:22.48. It was a good day out some different trails, but races are getting so expensive. I think I'm going to have to cut back on races just because of entry fees!

Local Legend???

Running makes life interesting or maybe how I run makes life interesting. I think most people who run have more interesting lives. I did my second run last night after 11:00 pm in sleet and freezing rain. Yesterday's schedule got out of whack a little, but I wasn't going to miss my runs. I'm already known as the crazy guy who runs all the time. My family has been asked if I work, since I am seen running so often. Yes I work, I work for myself, so I run whenever, and wherever, it is convenient. So my running times vary, even late at night. It is kind of fun to be asked, "Was that you running at 1:00 am last week?" Yes. Well that story is from about 10 years ago. Hopefully I am working on the local legend that will be "that guy who has been running around here forever." Since my area is small and rural, there are not a lot of runners in the area. Plus most any guy seen running is assumed to be me. I seem to stand out though, bolstered by the fact that I run at odd times, in any weather, half naked, and all around the area. Also showing up in the local newspapers from time to time, the guy who runs absurdly difficult and long races, probably makes me a little more known.

I'm always hearing, "I saw you out..." or "Was that you...?" "Was that you running up Fancy Gap mountain? Or Oklahoma road?" Yes, both are about 20 miles from home. I should tell people I ran there and back, but I want the legend to be somewhat accurate. Of course if folks alter the story over time, I don't have to correct it. I am well known at Pilot Mountain State Park. I do call Pilot Mountain, My Mountain. I think all the rangers know me for running up the road to the top. I know I'm not the only person who does that, but probably the most regular. There are endless remarks about the conditions I'm seen running in or questions if I run in whatever the recent weather was. Yes, I run in any conditions, some I probably shouldn't. I'm a little extra crazy in that department. If it's time for my run, I go most of the time. Example from a couple of years ago when I ran through a massive storm. It was March 4, my sisters birthday, and I had a busy work day. So the run was at night after cake with family, just as a thunderstorm was said to be coming. At 4 miles it started to rain, then a flood hit with absurd wind. The rain and wind were so hard that I could not see both sides of the road, even with my strong headlamp. It was hard enough that the rain hurt significantly. This route is a loop where in the day I can see the road loop back by at the 6 mile point on the other side of a farm. (I'm known at the farm as it a summer water stop of mine.) When I got to 6 miles, there was debris all in the road and trees were down. The wind had torn 200' off a chicken house. I heard later that the chicken house was scattered over 60 acres. I also once tried to ride my bike through a storm that turned into tornado warning. I had to hitch a ride home for that one as I literally could not keep the bike on my side of the road, 60+ mph winds. These experiences make the comments about cold and heat downright laughable.

My experience back in November was one of the best, it was 60 degrees and a light rain was falling. I had run a few miles out from Dobson to do 1 mile hill repeats on Turkey Ford road. As I was running back down after the first repeat. I was stopped by a sheriffs deputy. Yes, pulled over while running. He asked who I was (how could he have not known?) and what I was doing. He seemed to ask expecting me not to answer. "I'm Jason Bryant and I'm running hill repeats." Someone had called about a guy in his underwear down by the bridge on Turkey Ford. Yep, that was me. I was shirtless in short running short. I have often heard that I was seen out in my underwear, many locals seem to think my shorts are underwear. Getting pulled by a deputy was a new one though. The deputy just laughed and said be careful. Hopefully, someday I will be the really old guy out in his underwear. Maybe when I'm old I will literally run in my underwear. And the legend grows.

Addition:

This week a couple of students in Alison's class at the community college told her a story about me from high school. Before I had my own car I borrowed my moms. I would sometimes need it on a work day, but she'd need it after work. Mom would get a ride to work with someone. I would then drive the car to her work, leave it there for her, and run home. It was just somewhere over 10 miles, so no big deal. But I guess another "crazy runner" story about me.

Training Week of January 2

Joe Pursaitis, Co-RD, Dave James, Dave Mackey, Jason Bryant

Week of January 2

Total mileage: 77
Races: Bandera 100K 3rd 8:57.19

Sun - Afternoon - Swim 1m @34.44

Mon - Afternoon 9m - Track tempo 3.5m - 20.00 @5.43 avg.(5.44, 5.42, 5.42, 2.51) Total - 9

Tue - Off (Chiropractor)

Wed - Afternoon 6m @7.25 Total - 6

Thu - Off

Fri - Afternoon 3m walk/hike

Sat - Morning 62m - Bandera 100K - 8:57.19 Total - 62

Bandera 100K was host for the USA 100Km Trail Championship. I had this race on my race schedule since the fall, then 5 weeks ago it was made the championship. Since then the competitive field really expanded, Geoff Roes, Dave Mackey, Dave James, Chikara Omine, Dan Olmstead, Mark Godale, Steven Moore. The course was a two 50k loop course with short steep climbs and descents. The first 1/3 of the loop had three climb and was technical and rocky. The middle 1/3 was flatter and more runnable. The last 1/3 had 5 climb and was the most technical and rocky. My goal was give myself a shot at winning. So I had decided to take some risk and go out a little harder, which I did. I ran the first loop in 4:05 and I was 22 minutes behind the leader! Everyone when out fast. I didn't try to stay with anyone, which obviously I did not. I was just trying to hang it out there a little more for myself.

I ran most of the first loop in 6th, moving up to 4th in the last 10 miles of the first loop. At 50k Geoff Roes dropped so I was now in 3rd. My legs were not feeling good at 50k, but I thought maybe I got a shot if I can hold a reasonable pace. That thinking was short lived. I closed on David James to the next aid station and then I became a survivor. I had gotten about a 1 minute lead on Dan Olmstead near the end of the first loop. He stayed close to that throughout the rest of the race. He was often coming into the aid stations as I was leaving. I noticed that I was actually doing better on the more runnable sections, which is not typical for me. So I decided to try and gain an advantage on these sections so I could walk more of the climbs and descents. Obviously my quads were shot. The 2-3 foot drops off rocks and the super steep down grades in the last 10 miles were really rough on me. I actually spent most of the second loop tell myself that I would walk in, once Dan caught me. So the stubborn side of me tried to keep him from catching me. The mental games we play with ourselves in races? The second loop was 4:52, ouch. Most everyone slowed about 50 minutes on the second loop. Dave Mackey destroyed the course record by about 1 hour in 8:16.48 with the win. Dave James was second in 8:33.36. I was third in 8:57.19, and Dan Olmstead right behind me in 8:57.42. We were all under the last years course record, 9:16.

I have no regrets on taking the risk, I doubt it cost me a place. Plus I think I learned more about myself. More toughness, there is a limit to this right? Also if I could have run on flat, runnable ground, I could have run another loop and probable at ~8:00 to 8:30. I'm still pondering what that means; poor race fueling, pacing, training inadequacies? When I was in a group early in the first loop, someone commented on the fact we were racing for a top five. I said, "I'm not." I was racing to win. I don't care who is there, I'm not ready to surrender on the starting line. Maybe it's the stubborn, bull-headedness in me or my delusional view of my world. But I'm not going to start giving out congratulatory handshake at the starting line. I'll choose delusion at this point in my life and maybe I can steal a few more races.

Hope to see some of you at race soon. We can all be delusional.

Training Weeks of December 5-December 26, 2010

No Worries, Photo from December 2006

I was hit by pickup cycling. This is kind of how I started doing ultras.

Week of December 5

Total mileage: 80
Races: none

Sun - Morning 8m @~8.00 w/ dd and Paul; Evening 4m @7.40 Total - 12

Mon - Morning 4m @7.20; Afternoon 4m @~7.20 Total - 8

Tue - Afternoon 30m @7.22 Total - 30

Wed - Off

Thu - Afternoon 10m - 4 x 200, 200, 400(36, 36, 74 - 36, 36, 74 - 36, 35, 73 - 35, 36, 73)

= rec. Total - 10

Fri - Morning 4m @7.20; (Chiropractor visit); Afternoon 6m @~8.00 Total - 10

Sat - Lunch 6m @~7.45; Evening 4m @~7.45 Total - 10

Week of December 12

Total mileage: 62
Races: none

Sun - Off

Mon - Morning 4m @7.20; Afternoon 9m - Dobson Tempo ~3.4m @5.47 avg. Total - 13

Tue - Morning 4m @7.15; Afternoon 8m @~7.30 Total - 12

Wed - Afternoon 25m @~7.30 Total - 25

Thu - Afternoon 2m @8.16(Very icy) Total - 2

Fri - Afternoon 10m @7.40 Total - 10

Sat - Off

Week of December 19

Total mileage: 80
Races: none

Sun - Afternoon - Swim 1m @35.10

Mon - Morning 4m @7.20; Afternoon 10m @~7.15 Total - 14

Tue - Morning 8m @7.30; Afternoon 6m @7.30 Total - 14

Wed - Morning 4 1/2m @7.25; Afternoon 8m @7.35 Total - 12 1/2

Thu - Morning 5m snowshoe @9.12 - 5m run @7.57; Evening 4m @7.42 Total - 14

Fri - Morning 5m snowshoe @9.34 - 4m run @8.03; Evening 4 1/2m @7.26 Total - 13 1/2

Sat - Morning 12m @7.48 Total - 12

Week of December 26

Total mileage: 55
Races: none

Sun - Afternoon 8m @9.36 at Great Seal SP, Ohio in snow Total - 8

Mon - Lunch Swim 1m @35.46

Tue - Morning 4m @8.40; Afternoon 9m - Stanley Mill Tempo 3 1/2m @5.50 avg. Total - 13

Wed - Morning 4m @8.00; Afternoon 8 1/2m @7.35 w/ strides Total - 12 1/2

Thu - Off

Fri - Lunch 8 1/2m @7.23 w/ strides Total - 8 1/2 (Chiropractor visit)

Sat - Morning 9m @7.11; Evening 4m @~7.42 Total - 13

December Milage: 307

2010 Totals:

Run - 2797 miles

Bike - 363 miles

Swim - 3 miles

Canoe - 1 mile

Seven weeks with no races!!! What is wrong me me? Or right, some would say.

Bandera 100K, USA 100Km Trail Championship, coming up next Saturday in Texas. Probably not the most fit I've been in the last year, but the most healthy since March.

My back is much improve since November 12, had x-rays with my chiropractor. He found an odd kink at my L2 that was unnoticeable without x-rays. He was amazed by the 40 degree kink in my neck. He said that is still from getting hit by the pickup truck a few years ago, Dec. 27, 2006. As you can see from the photo, my face got slammed into a gravel driveway. The driver never saw me, he was doing about 55. I'm also trying to add a swim weekly to help my back, plus adding a couple more stretches for hip flexors and glutes.