Bigfoot 200! 2026

The inaugural Highlands trail Challenge 100k - blissfully technical

The road felt hard on the feet, a complete change from the soft ground mixed with angled rock making up the highlands ridge. Headlamp on full, normally it would illuminate the entire forest ahead like a motorcycle light. This time, it made the thick fog a fuzzy white, the ground below appear in 7-foot increments as I sprinted with the remaining energy I had to the finish nestled somewhere in the jungle of Norvin Green. It crossed my mind that along with my phone dying the headlamp would also. Was it 12:30AM, 1154? Or did I really lose track of time and it wasn't even 11 yet? I decided since I lost the watch I normally glance at every so often to see how many miles I've done so far, I'd just flow with the passage of time and leave forward progress and milestones to surprise. As it turned out, time did distort itself throughout the day, and wildly. 

Never though a bunch of trails I called my "home" would feel like another world, and this race did that. I was under the impression that the trail (I rarely study maps, so I downloaded it to my phone as recommended in case you go off trail) was following a route I've been doing solo for a decade, since going on day-long treks with friends to get "massive vert" and explore the hundreds of miles of trails within the Ramapo area.

Norvin Green and Ringwood are somewhat an anomaly in the New Jersey landscape, reminiscent of mountains once Himalayan in stature but whittled down to peaks just 700 feet tall or so, but still maintaining the steepness of the final 1/4 mile to reach the peak. The rocks, and they are plentiful, litter the trails, attempting to get into some kind of stride requires a solid concentration to avoid having to stop completely or flip the ankle into a wedge.

I thought I knew every rock and tree by name, the patterns of rising rivers, exactly the easiest way up a hill, the turns of the wildly meandering highlands Teal trail.

Turns out I was completely unaware of a section of the state park dubbed "Jungle Habitat". When you take a left of off skyline drive and go through the yellow barrier, you immediately wonder how long it has been since a parking lot the size of 3 jumbo Walmarts was repaved. There isn't a sign of oil, lines, and definitely no recharging stations.. it is cool to think you are watching the slow but really quick inevitable swallowing of human modified rock by encroaching weeds, moss, and eventually layers of soil. Cool to think that even plastic and styrofoam, although toxic in small amounts dissolved into the water supply, will turn into a harmless layer of carbon in 100,000 years some tens of meters deep.

First item of business, tackle the famous "Stonetown Circular" route. I knew this loop over years of studying its wild turns off of jeep roads by trying to do the loop in under two hours. Having it at the start of the 100k meant I could actually chill on the pace in the opposite direction I ussually go, which avoids the longest climbs. Chatted with some folks in the sunrise about Hokas of all topics. There should be a church of Hoka, because I get flyers and invites to events and pamphlets and I think someone came to my apartment selling Hokas once. As we rounded Stonetown, I felt awesome. Feeling awesome early on is no surprise, but everyone knows it has a shelf life. The longer the distance, especailly with lots of climbing and not to mention the energy expended in dodging rocks and uneven terrian, leads to a slower and slower recovery and eventual crash in energy. Although I've learned my crash-point over the years, it seems to hover right around the 62 mile mark, or about 16-18 hours into a slower running type of event like an ultra.

But I was going at a harder effort than I should have. Seeing the other distances' runners come toward me as the loop returned us back to the start at 17ish, is a giant boost of energy. Ussually I know nobody so all we do is say "G'job" "G'work" "bearverages ahead" "looking handsome today" "looks like a rough night" "can I borrow 5 bucks for gas, this was a bit further than I thought" or some combination thereof, but seeing friends attack the course on the shorter races was exciting - especially seeing some who signed up that morning. This boost of energy is like a shot of adrenaline early on, you feel as if you could maintain the pace all the way to the end and start fantasizing about setting a record or getting in before sunset (that was my dream time). But the mind plays tricks, likes to expend energy efficiently, and forcing oneself to move slower actually takes discipline which is a always a struggle. The mind simply doesn't have the built in ability to judge an 18 hour effort evenly without some conscious action.

So the second part, the out-and-back,

My story of the Tammany 10, 2022 version

 Every time I think of the very beginning of spring, the subtle transition from endless waiting for windshield heat to melt just enough of the ice to see 6 square inches of road in front to the first army of mosquitos impatiently waiting to be the first to strike, I think that before all this happens, I have to break winter completely by doing the Tammany 10.

Sometime around December I remember that “winter weight” (which I fully subscribe to, overindulgence in an exponential form) is always just temporary, and is actually a perfect opportunity to make you feel sluggish enough to spend the next couple of months slowly, weekend by weekend, attempting to adapt the body to increasing numbers of “Tammany laps”.

The Tammany lap is well known in a certain region of the northeast. Mt. Tammany, an odd shaped weathered remnant of a Himalayan peak from 100 million years ago, is actually on its final erosion and will be gone in a short geologic time. Today, it stands in contrast to the nearby rolling hills and farmland of the NJ/PA border. The trail leading to its peak is only a few feet off of the windy portion of route 80 that was bore out of the rock sloping down to the Delaware River. Just driving past Tammany and its sister Mt. Minsi on the other side gives you a momentary feeling of entering the Colorado Rockies, and that you passed a driving test of some kind.

A single ascent of the mountain is a tough endeavor for the average person (1100 foot of climbing in a mile and change, and much of it around boulders and up uneven steep passes, and due to the easy accessibility of the trailhead, many people pack the red trail up to the expansive peak overlooking the river and the valley (the distant highway sound contrasted with the silence of the mountain is eerie and you can feel both modern and ancient environments at the same time). The descent is equally tricky, anyone not used to dodging foot-sized pointy rocks will find themselves judging every step. A single loop back to the start could take 3 hours.

 

And that is why I am compelled to return to do 10 of these laps (plus the 5 trips to the other side of the highway, as this race is held partially on the Appalachian Trail the start/finish is safely tucked under a pavilion, perfect for Dennis to cook up perogoes and bacon and hang out at the end watching other finishers come in) every year in the hopes of having 10 Tammany 10’s completed one day. Since I always aim to finish in 10 hours or less, I have to run as much of it as I can, even uphill. I’m not talented enough to run up hills and make it look like running, it often takes the form of running but as slow as hiking, a habit I formed assuming I would one day be quick enough to make use of it.

With an average of 50 minutes per lap, you encounter a lot of hikers twice, even three times. They actually count the laps for you, but are almost always wrong. Sometimes they just stare at you. Sometimes they smell like weed. Sometimes there are so many in one group, that even if you tell them where you are going, half go left and half go right and create a corridor anyway (insert laughing emoji here). But my favorite groups are the ones that announce “RUNNER COMING” and the entire group of 10 all but dodges into the woods like there is an avalanche rolling down the hill. And they love us being there even though we maybe smell and probably look like we are completely spent and don’t really make much sense when talking. This year in particular some friends were parked at strategic locations and got many photos from the first two laps when the coffee and adrenaline was still fresh in the viens.

Every time I think of the very beginning of spring, the subtle transition from endless waiting for windshield heat to melt just enough of the ice to see 6 square inches of road in front to the first army of mosquitos impatiently waiting to be the first to strike, I think that before all this happens, I have to break winter completely by doing the Tammany 10.

Sometime around December I remember that “winter weight” (which I fully subscribe to, overindulgence in an exponential form) is always just temporary, and is actually a perfect opportunity to make you feel sluggish enough to spend the next couple of months slowly, weekend by weekend, attempting to adapt the body to increasing numbers of “Tammany laps”.

The Tammany lap is well known in a certain region of the northeast. Mt. Tammany, an odd shaped weathered remnant of a Himalayan peak from 100 million years ago, is actually on its final erosion and will be gone in a short geologic time. Today, it stands in contrast to the nearby rolling hills and farmland of the NJ/PA border. The trail leading to its peak is only a few feet off of the windy portion of route 80 that was bore out of the rock sloping down to the Delaware River. Just driving past Tammany and its sister Mt. Minsi on the other side gives you a momentary feeling of entering the Colorado Rockies, and that you passed a driving test of some kind.

A single ascent of the mountain is a tough endeavor for the average person (1100 foot of climbing in a mile and change, and much of it around boulders and up uneven steep passes, and due to the easy accessibility of the trailhead, many people pack the red trail up to the expansive peak overlooking the river and the valley (the distant highway sound contrasted with the silence of the mountain is eerie and you can feel both modern and ancient environments at the same time). The descent is equally tricky, anyone not used to dodging foot-sized pointy rocks will find themselves judging every step. A single loop back to the start could take 3 hours.

 

And that is why I am compelled to return to do 10 of these laps (plus the 5 trips to the other side of the highway, as this race is held partially on the Appalachian Trail the start/finish is safely tucked under a pavilion, perfect for Dennis to cook up perogoes and bacon and hang out at the end watching other finishers come in) every year in the hopes of having 10 Tammany 10’s completed one day. Since I always aim to finish in 10 hours or less, I have to run as much of it as I can, even uphill. I’m not talented enough to run up hills and make it look like running, it often takes the form of running but as slow as hiking, a habit I formed assuming I would one day be quick enough to make use of it.

With an average of 50 minutes per lap, you encounter a lot of hikers twice, even three times. They actually count the laps for you, but are almost always wrong. Sometimes they just stare at you. Sometimes they smell like weed. Sometimes there are so many in one group, that even if you tell them where you are going, half go left and half go right and create a corridor anyway (insert laughing emoji here). But my favorite groups are the ones that announce “RUNNER COMING” and the entire group of 10 all but dodges into the woods like there is an avalanche rolling down the hill. And they love us being there even though we maybe smell and probably look like we are completely spent and don’t really make much sense when talking. This year in particular some friends were parked at strategic locations and got many photos from the first two laps when the coffee and adrenaline was still fresh in the veins.

57 weeks out

Leadville.

No matter how much I try to get it out of my mind, it keeps drawing me in. Ever since the first visit in 2011 I've had visions of racing to a 17 hour finish and ignoring aid stations as I down a few beers for kicks at May Queen inbound.

Now after a good ramp up in all sorts of ways November through April, long-building tendonosis has crept up to the point where my mileage has dropped to zero, everything is stairclimber this, gain weight that,and I continue to limp around the office due to any kind of stretch to my outer heel just from getting uop and walking around. What is going on??

Back on the train

I've had a great month of consistent long runs and intensity thrown in with good measure, it's officially time to make my commitment to 2017! I've thrown in for the Leadville 100 run lottery, with Plain 100 as a backup. Both are so different in many ways. Leadville would be a competitve race, I'll try to destroy my old time, whereas Plain 100 would be just to finish without ultraslogging and, weell, not get lost :)

3 days at the Fair, 48 hour version

48 hours at the Fair

There’s nothing more mind-clearing than seeing the sun set and rise on the same stretch of land, watching the light fade from one side and arise hours on the opposite. The May moon is low, the air crisp, the night silent. At the NJ fairgrounds, the fog stretches across the grass and leaks onto the round airstrip used as a mile-long track. In May, the nights are short though, you can set a timer to the first wakening bird at 3:20AM, all while relieving your senses to pungent honeysuckle weeding from the interproperty forest.

137 times around the loop, the mind gathers more detail an experiences into the task at hand. Is it a task? What is really going on here? It’s not work, but it takes effort. The amount of calories burnt just being awake this long sends the metabolism into overdrive for weeks. It feels good to walk, another 10 minutes, the legs will be able to run faster than walking for another 20 minutes. Walking is time to zone out. Hear the incoming slap of running feet and try to do math on how many sections of 6 hours are left.

Green Monster 50k

 

The Green Monster 50k

 

 

My 3rd year into running long trail races, I have grown accustomed to always having something at least a couple of months away to get ready for. By now it has come to the point where I can just sign up for something a few weeks away and not worry at all about finishing. This opens up a lot of really cool and obscure races, especially ones on trail with difficult profiles.

 

I set yet again a goal to have a great finishing time in August 2014 at the always beautiful Leadville 100, I've finished 2 out of 3 attempts but both have been within 2 hours of the cutoff (28:08, 29:09 in 2013). Last year I developed plantar fasciitis in the left heel, an annoying overuse injury resulting from doing 4 races up to 100 miles in the 2 months after placing a headlamp too far ahead at Leadville and not finishing. Way to beat myself up for failing, with failure by means of improper recovery. 2013's training involved mainly trying to heal and catchup to old speeds and strength, both which went down despite completing some interesting and gnarly trail long runs. I felt that as long as my week included 1-2 tempo runs of 10 miles or more, and long runs every other week of 25 miles or more, the fitness would stay within just completing Leadville range.

 

Merely weeks before mid-August the injury and groin problems began to ease up enough to where longer than 50 mile distances would be bearable and running gait would be normal. I finished Leadville, and actually witnessed the cut-off gun at the finish with a fellow Nj'an after he killed his 25 hour goal. I was exhausted, but relieved that I didn't waste another grand for a tshirt and poster but no buckle. A few days later, I sat at work and wasn't sure if I wanted to take some time off. I decided to very very slowly work up in mileage to top off in January, and try again. Therefore, 50k's would be perfect until then to develop the base and get faster. I'd add in tempo runs soon and the speedwork which is a quick fix for vastly improving race times.

 

One 50k in at Mountain Madness (need to do this one just to get my fix of seeing the usual gaggle of maniacs in action), I did ok, but best was seeing a few folks off long-standing injuries back at it. Still off the endorphins, later that night I was browsing the ultra calender and was surprised to find an ultra near the black forest/poconos, so I signed up for the Green Monster 50k in Wellsboro PA, a tiny town in north Central PA with a cool downtown area that pops out of the woods. I was the sole NJ entrant in the inaugural 50k (there'd been a 25k the year before). I like PA, I grew up there, but not here! I guess I assumed the entire Appalacian Mountain range stopped at the Delaware Water Gap, dropped to great plains flat, and rose up immediately upon entering North Carolina. This area, dubbed the Grand Canyon of PA, had some respectible Catskill-ish mountains at around the 2k altitude. The start photo where I am seen performing my unintentional Jackson tribute shows the terrain for the day:



Pumpkins mark the start. 7:30AM start. Trolley in background. Shimona.



The start was moved due to the gov't shutdown, but they still managed to grant us a large hay field to park and sleep for the night, and the luxury of a 3-minute trolly ride to the start. As you can see in the picture above, during the short shorts shortoff (keeps me from shoplifting), a very brave guy was rocking the Tarahumara sandals for the whole technical 50k. kudos to that! it would be definitely worth developing the foot/ankle strength to do so comfortably. It was slightly chilly, and would remain so the entire time. Ideal running weather. I get inspired by wood and rocks, and add in the foliage and tiny rain droplets and a little caffeine, get out. It was an temperature where you sweat enough to know you are burning, but it evaporates right away. Yet not cold enough to get numb.

The group was 70 or less, and the front half spread out almost immediately down a flat carriage road leading into the woods at mile 0.75. I'd seen pretty gnarly race profiles for ultras, but 8000ft +/- for a 50k? I like pushing hard for distances less than 50 miles, usually keeping in my slightly below anerobic threshold for long periods, and my rule when feeling fit is I must run anything that doesn't make me slip underfoot due to steepness. This one would test that. I suspected I'd be hiking for a minute or two just to keep from going into V02 max zone (95% of max heart rate) on the first and last climbs shown below. A time for the race? I knew I wanted to push but would accept it as a training run if I blew up. So I gave myself 6-8 hours, beating 6 as the ultimate goal, but would focus on enjoying the awesome scenery as much as I could remember to do so.

50k race profile. The second half was more forgiving with long downhills.
 

The now single-track trail headed at a runnable but difficult grade up the first climb. At first it wasn't noticeable, but people began to see that although leaves were flying down all the time, the trail was completely clear. It grew obvious that someone had LEAF-BLOWN the ENTIRE trail. What! It would get Manitou's Revenge steep within a half-mile, where I would hike for 30 seconds. It was only one of 3 hiking breaks for the day and though wearing my legs out right away was a concern, adrenaline was high and I went for it. I knew there were long drops as well to relieve my hams and keeping up with bodyweight squats regularly along with weights has kept the quads in good form so I could switch up muscles constantly during the entire race. On this first section, the crowd dissipated immediately. During the short hiking session up this section, I was passed by 4-5 others. It's always been my weakness, trying to be at fast hiking pace. Plus, the right leg buckles a little as it gets super-steep, so I've always worked on running up steep sections and it feels more efficient, even though I know I'll sometimes be passed by fast hikers. From this point on passing would never be a problem, I was in the spread-out first 10 or so and could relax as I made way around the giant loop in the wilderness.



One of the techinical sections. Pink tape was the 25k section. Blue after ~14 miles (Photo:Aaron Singer)

 I have been working on the amount of stuff I carry on trail runs, and this race would be a breakthrough. Not only was it easier given that most aid stations were 4-5 miles apart at most, but it was cool enough to only need one 20oz bottle for each 5-mile interval. So I started with two full ones, and didn't need to stop at any aid station to fill up until mile 16! I had pushed it a little, getting thirsty, but food-wise I had only needed 3-4 gels and a couple granola bars for the whole journey.

The profile was all up and down until the 25k point, halfway, where you would head right back to the start for the 25k race or go into the unknown for the second half. There were speedy descents and long tough climbs and I'd try to not look at my watch to keep focused on the moment and feel the distance out as opposed to wondering how far until the next aid station. However I would do a modest amount of watch-glancing in the second half to make sure I had enough water. Right around 14 miles there was a descent referred to as Frankenstein. It was the steepest descent I had ever seen in the woods- similar to one of those gravel pit mounds. And the footing was terrible- pretty much small pieces of shale. Without the leaf-blown trail, I would have been on my hands and sliding down. I had been running with a talented younger runner who was gliding along effortlessly, but trying to not lose energy for the whole distance. I had my Virgil Crest shirt on, a race relatively close to this area of PA, so we had some conversations about that epic course. At one point I couldn't keep the sentences long enough to answer so I had to wait until we were hauling along the flat summit portion around the halfway point. Suddenly, the 85% downhill grade pops out and I lurch forward for the big fall of the day. This guy continues down at casual running gait, gaining a good 3 minutes on me in seconds.

The second half was more climbs, but there were long pleasant slight downhills along with some sinking mud (tiring at 23 miles) and basically running along high ridges with views of miles and miles of clear sky and crisp air. I ran everything- at this point passing some of the front crowd- and getting more and more excited for the final 2 big climbs and final long descent- a 2 mile pleasant descent among quiet sleepy-hollow type scenary. It all ended popping out of a small break in the woods onto a field, something you wouldn't even notice walking right by. 200 yards to go and 5:59:15 on the watch!! I must have yelled I GOT 30 SECONDS! to everyone sitting by the side cheering me on in the last straighaway (perfect ending) as we dropped into the same carriage road as the start for a bbq-style finish.

I was very happy with this race, and glad I dug deep to run the last two climbs *except 20 seconds of the final climb- goal for next year! And met up with familiar faces from before- exchanging viewpoints on the course and motivation for the final 6 miles.








One of a couple of mandatory foot cleansing stations. (Photo:Aaron Singer)

Along the way, 2 granola bars, 3 more powergels, and water for 6 hours and 32 miles of running did the trick. This was a beautiful course; I become so myopic during races that I forget there’s a red and yellow magical forest before me. It’s weird that it takes effort to look up and actually soak it in. Forcing this, it was like riveting sheetmetal and appreciating the alignment of the rows' holes. Outdoor appreciation took focus. The hills were so blatant, often up and down 1000 feet with only a short crest, roller coaster style. I felt strong after taking my time building up in running mileage after a long foot injury, and ran every hill except the stupid hard parts. Everyone I met lived relatively closer than my 3.5 drive from Jersey, and made me feel welcome to the great north PA canyons.

If you like tough 50’s this one is a 9 out of 10 on the tough scale- missing the 10 because I can imagine the heavy leaf-cover would have a mde it a lot more slippery. No complaints though. this allowed for some consistent straight-aways. The before and after gatherings were low-key and had a bbq and key-chain medal. I saw the Tarahumara sandals runner half-way and we exchanged cheesy motivational one-liners which is all you need in the mentally straining middle miles.

Finishing 22 seconds short of the 6 hour goal, I realized the course was more like 32 miles so I was very pleassed with the time. But the day was perfect otherwise so it definitely wasn't the highlight.

I'd recommend these trails for hiking running, I think biking is good to go at some parts. Especially if planning the Eastern States 100 miler because it’s definitely close by to this, and perhaps harder (well, for less than one third the distance).

TAMMANY 10!

TAMMANY 10!. 38 miles, 10 hours, 10 loops, 12,000 ft gain/loss The TAMMANY 10! 40 MILER is 10 ascents of Mt. Tammany, the New Jersey side of the Delaware Water Gap, and the longest continuous climb I have encountered in the state. It’s mostly at a grade that is only slightly runnable for an above average fitness, with some rock gardens that would require you to be at your wits to avoid twisting a foot.

This race had only about 20 people in it, natural for such a unique and slow going event. The day was cold, but only around freezing. The “gun” went off at 6:30 right as the sun was crawling out behind the landscape. It was perfectly clear. We all trotted off the park balcony across Rt. 80 from the bottom of the mountain, most in simple warm running clothes with only a few hydration packs or bottles. Because you had to ascend twice and come back to check-in at the start, you didn’t need to plan out carrying much in the way of gels or water. I brought two 20oz bottles but ditched one at the bottom as we crossed the road to the start of the trail. It was going to take a long time to do ten loops, I had done 2 loops before on my own in the heat of summer and it made me want to sleep for a week. This would have to take some strategy, it wasn’t even a hard trail run with rocks and hills, it was ten hard hill climbing workouts interrupted with tenacious focusing on running safely down steep rocky sections with slippery snow leftover from a couple late season storms. Personally I dreaded the downhills for the reason it aggravated my recovering plantar fasciitis, so it would have to be done slower than I wanted. But I love running downhill, it’s like going on a hunt and feels therapeutic on all the legs muscles.

But I wanted to learn to run entire uphills; my legs are shorter than most so it is more efficient than hiking while I am relatively fresh. My goal was also to do this in Leadville later in the summer so best to get on with it now. The top of the first loop, the first official climb, treated us to a clear sunrise, ahhh, almost better than coffee! The first three loops I ran all except a boulder middle section, albeit slowly. A very fast hiker could keep up with the pace. Checking in every second loop was a treat, I got to have replenish my gels and down some dates. The gels always hit me real good with their caffeine. When I get on that buzz, and into a good pace running uphill, I just yell out songs like Weezer’s “we are all on drugs” to fellow runners and talk to day hikers. The hikers were pretty cool; some even remembered the loop I was on! All were wondering what the hell was happening, and their comments of “holy s” and “go get ‘em buddy” were huge motivators. I do love my alone times on the trail, but never get tired of crowded trails during a race, people are really cool to runners and ussually always smile or motivate. A few years ago, I would have not imagined hiking more than one loop, and had no idea how fun it was.

The running uphill deteriorated a little around lap 5, where it was just too much effort to go 17 min/mile so I took to hiking some of the first rocky outcrop and all of the boulder field, and half/half past then. Surprisingly, my times didn’t lower that much. I was still on for an hour per loop giving me the 10 hour limit. Around lap 8 my friend Elizabeth hiked past me trying to run a steep section. I decided to hike a loop with her and chat a little to see what it was like to not force an uphill run, as habitual as it has become for me. It helped me move along faster and was a skill I should at least improve on. By this time a lot of the snow that covered much of the trail earlier on had turned to slippery slush, and the downhill section opened up- a whole new set of rocks!

I think lap 7 was the toughest. My heart rate soared and I felt like upheaving. I have never felt like this on a less than 10 hour effort. This run was going to catapult me out of my slump, being the first 25+ hard effort since December.

After that last lap, in which we were now intimately familiar with the 4 mile or so path, now able to run it blindfolded, we rounded back across the highway one last time to roll up the stairs and be greeted with a plaque made with one of the Delaware Gap rocks and a pie. Elizabeth, Courtney and I all finished within 5 minutes and Harry the first place was already shivering waiting for the rest of us. I hadn’t seen him the whole time, and the whole race was wondering when he would lap me. He probably came close, and finished another time zone and change ahead. Some had one of their most amazing days, including Marge, who finished strong as it was becoming dark again. Kick ass!

What a tough long run, with some decent fast hiking mixed in, and a perfect training day for hill ultras. Based on my past runs, a 100 miler like this would take 30+ hours!

Run log 10/29-11/4

With the hurricane and its aftermath found some free time to explore the area around me more. Hooked up for Sunday with a friend visitng to hit those unforgettable street climbs in Dover. Using all my weights at home now.

Oct. 29th
8.1 miles moderate hills around Randolph-Mine Hill

Oct. 30th
Front squats, lunges, calves, BW squats in the AM with dumbells

11.1 miles around Randolph 7:47 pace hitting some hills and flats 50/50. The exact day after the urricane Sandy hit and was staying on grass until I almost clipped a few powerlines, which were numerous. Mostly road after that.

Oct. 31st
7 total.
3 mile WU
4 x 1/4 mile hill sprints @8-10% grade, recov down: 7:32, 7:45, 7:33, 7:42
2 mile CD

Nov. 1st
13.4 miles around Randolph with 2 Hidden Valley Powerline loops (2 mi each). Lots of small downed sticks, a few large trees knocked over, as everywhere.

2X 57 BW squats

Nov. 2nd
No access to gas, and car was almost empty. Ran to work and back, 7 and 6 miles.

Nov. 3rd
Two Mt. Minsi loops as a previews for DWG 50k next week.

13.1mi

2,163ft

09:47/mi

Nov. 4th
Dover long run with friend. Never realized there were this many good hills nearby- have to readjust my local route now.

27.0mi

4,188ft

08:47/mi

 

2X 60 BW squats (Getting up there! making sure to maintain form throughout though. Can get tougher in the beginning when I'm not as loose.)

Miles/Week: 90 miles

Run log 10/22-10/28

After a very easy comeback week after Oil Creek, I was on the verge of deciding how to deal with the next couple of months of training given that there was nothing huge on the horizon and Leadville still is 10 months away. Plenty of time to do something different. I checked out a nearby gym which had a boxing room with 4 different kinds of bags. It had been a while but I grabbed my 16oz gloves and started doing intervals. Replaced my long weekly mileage with this and lots of weights. It felt much different, and gave my legs some extra recovery time (still had a lot of fatigue and feet were still sore from all the mimimus the previous week). Had the day off Friday and got my longish run in. All week long I was weighing the options, is it time to do something new? If I drop my weekly mileage now, will it negatively affect going for areally really good time if I sign up for Leadville another year? Even writing this now on a Sunday night, before a massive hurricane swoops over, I still am on the fence. Keep up lots of volume, my training could grow stale. Drop it, and replace with shorter, high-intensity crossfit type stuff and stairclimbing or heavy bag, and I may lose my long-run legs but gain a lot of functional strength. But something bit me. Every time I do this I can’t help but miss the long stuff. Maybe after 2 years of consistently pushing towards higher volume, running long mileage has become almost a physical need or something. I know it would probably be beneficial to mix it up for a while and let smaller tendons heal and what not, but it’s become almost a competitive desire to see how far I can push my running while keeping up the weights and what not.

Oct. 22nd
5 miles easy lunch run

5 miles treadmill

Upper body weights, core and abs

Oct. 23rd
Lift AM lower body

Heavy bag 15 min

5 miles treadmill: half mile intervals 8-8:30. All 4%

Oct. 24th
Heavy bag 15 min.

Weights upper body

30 min stepclimber

Oct.25th
5 miles with three 800 meter intervals up a 200 ft gain hill (same as previous weeks but with the extra 400 meters).

5 miles with hash group, EZ

3x 50 BW squats

Oct. 26th
17 miles of eight 1.75 mile hill repeats at South Mountain Reservation with some flats at the end. A great consistent hill repeat section, a tad rocky on the steep downhill, but a go to Leadville training spot where I don’t need to carry a bladder for very long runs. 2:53 or so- good pace for this.

Oct. 27th
6.2 around my place.

Oct. 28th
12 miles (2 loops opposing directions) Jockey hollow. Some good climbs but not insane.
2x 55 BW squats


MILEAGE/WEEK: 60 miles

Run log 10/15-10/21

Kind of an uneventful week. Highlights a time-guess hash meetup run, attempting a lifting session 3 days after a 100 miler, and accidentally discovering a sweet section of the Appalachian Trail. Wanted a light week, as light as possible, to fully recover for another high volume high-intensity cycle to swish me into the New Year and start strong in '13 (Dang! I remember New Year's 1999 so clearly, even that it was a clear night and the moon was half-waned (check on this)).

Oct. 15th

My legs were fatigued but not much soreness. Main problem was walking due to very,very tight and almost torn achilles and bruised right heel. This made running stupid for today. Just did some stairclimber and bike EZ, and even that hurt a little on the back heel. But it really flushed something out because I felt superb the next day.
 
Upper body work/core/abs

Oct. 16th

Was debating running but it's been a tradition after 100 milers for a EZ 8 on the tuesday following, so I went for it with my Trail Minimus. New Balance really hit the nail with these, I've had 'em for 18 months now and they are falling apart except for the parts that matter- attached to my foot. I love using them for pacing and natural runs, and they seem to be therapeutic for the legs, aligning the tendons up just right. Barefoot, there has to be something to it. EZ 8 done.
 
Oct. 17th

Lifing session PM. Did my circuit as usual (squats, dead,s lunges, calf raises with weights, back extensions) but with less weight and less sets. Man, I was still sore I guess. I felt a little cramping here and there but nothing popped or left me on the floor, just hard. Did some core to swing back into that, and

TM 5 mi just to loosen up.

Upper body work, core

Oct.18th

3 miles on Pica hills after work. Feet a little weary but excited to be feeling okay,

5 miles prediction run with Highland Hashers. Went for :43 flat and got :42:10. Was working hard on the small hill sections and speeded up a little too much at the end, 50 seconds is close for a course I've only done twice before, but not good enough for even top 3 guesses, and needed to at least sniff a beer in the pub afterwards to nurse my downtrodden ego.

Oct. 19th

Upper body work at gym, 45 minutes stationary bike. Looking ahead to Novemeber when I'm no longer a memeber of any gym, just need to buy a little squat rack and a dumbell and some plates and everything I need is in my apartment.

Oct. 20th

In search of organic farms up in near Vernon, NJ I found a new spot to park at the AT, AND a sweet hill climb! Had hikers in awes of my amatuer east coast climbing skills. One hiker commented on how my ankles must be trained well to run downhill on a rocky slope 20-25% grade. Thanks lad, never thought about it lately but I used to really hurt my ankles from this shit. Now I gotta do it at least every week to maintain it. Would hate to lose it. Did 5 out and back in 2:15, 2:25 if counting the stops to take some great fall foliahhge pics. Still fatigued from last weekend and some hip wierdness, but I am happy to be still standing word.
 
Oct. 21st

Last week 100 miles, this week 6.2 on mostly flat up at Allamuchy - Cranberry Lake area.

2 x 53 Bodyweight squats, pullups, abs

TOTAL WEEKLY RUNNING MILEAGE: 37 MILES

Oil Creek 100 mile, Oct. 13-14, 2012

When a buddy of mine offered a ride to Western PA for 100 mile run through a place I drove through once to visit McD’s so I wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel driving from Chicago to Allentown to be enjoy 6 months of being a bum before moving to New Jersey which I had only read about in movies, it sounded like a good excuse to take an easy week the week after and eat a lot of food, which would precede not eating a lot for 3 days, then eating a lot for one night, then eating a lot for 22 hours but really like I had not eaten anything because it was metabolizing.

The mystic borough of Titusville saw the beginning of the oil industry when petroleum was discovered back in the 1800’s, when people were tough and men still wore elaborate triangular hats which offered no ear warmth, the women I believe wore suitable ear coverings. That was probably 1760 not 1860, but still everyone was basically camping 24/7/365 without North Face jackets hats and gloves, and below is more like the style of the time:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:George_Armstrong_Custer_and_Elizabeth_Bacon_Custer_-_Brady-Handy.jpg

It probably took an ungodly amount of time to get that picture correctly lighted and what they were paid I’m not sure. If that guy saw any of us trying to run to the oil well 14 miles away and back 3 times (50k loop) and then act like we are going to work but not going to work and coming home (7.7 mile “going home” loop) to delicious food and rest in a heated gym, he would say “2 cents an hour the wage” and tell us to use our handheld water bottles, to quench welded steel and question as above his own wardrobe choices when we are looking so “conform-clothed” and are wet yet warm, then dry 15 minutes later. Only two or three folks had a mustache as damn cool as that guy’s and deserve the same respect.

Near the end of each 50k you pass oil derricks that sound like a wheel cutting and chopping planks. Not sure what it is really doing, but it runs day and night as we found out. Running in the woods is great but takes a bit of concentration with a spotlight on your head. I love having to stop for any reason because it involves shutting off my light and being in complete darkness. It’s the opposite of NYC at night, instead of whamming every sense with overloads of information and stimulation, it forces your senses into overload to try to accumulate any sound, glowing light, and everything smells like a scented candle. I wish I could do that every night, which I do, it’s called shutting my eyelids.

I really like being out there alone but not too long, passing friends on the trail reminds you that you can now tell your fellow officers in the office that you hung out with friends in the woods so they think you really got hammered at the beach instead of exercised for 22 hours straight because your are too cheap to get a gym membership and want an excuse to get hammered on hammer nutrition the night before exercising 22 hours. Plus probably the only reason I keep going sometimes is the hopes of seeing those friends somewhere on the trail, eating the same thing I ate so while we both are sick we know exactly how to describe the desire to expel without words.

Everyone I know personally had a great day athletically that day; it was a tough run to do with a lot of hills and many chances to throw in the towel. I met others out of nowhere from other races in faraway places, a unique characteristic of this hobby. Met a few new faces that had stories to warm your heart or make you think, how the hell is that possible to do? Hardrock is Leadville plus 12 more Hope Passes?!? And the service by the volunteers running the stations, making food, keeping us informed, you all were more than fantastic out there. The pre and post dinner/breakfast was the best I’ve had at one of these so far.

I recommend anyone who is interested in the industrial revolution to check this spot out, they have gone lengths to preserve the history of this small yet significant town down to keeping well intact a bouncy large suspension bridge that was used by the people working the oil that is hidden deep in the woods, and is part of the last 5 miles of the 100 mile course only right before a final gigantic hill and the end of the run.

So now I feel like eating 21: bushels of apples and :27 plates of banana nut pancakes with a .07 acre swimming pool of blueberry syrup.

Run log 10/8-10/14

Oct. 8th

Taper week. Just a few runs to attempt to completely recover the legs yet increase my fitness by resting more.

Upper body work/core/abs
5 mi treadmill, 1%, easy pace

Oct. 9th

No lifting. Not even bodyweight work this week.
8 mi around work/mostly flat

Oct. 10th

6 mi around my place with some mild hills, moderate pace.
Upper body work, core

Oct.11th

5 miles with Highland hashers. Pace was a little pushing it but I felt fresh and it was only 5, nothing that could hurt me for Sat.

Oct. 12th

Walk the first 1.2 miles of the course and back with Julian who drove me the 6 hours up (and back) to Titusville. We discovered the old bridge above the bike path was leaking some battery-fluid looking fluid from its rafters. Looks like someone removed it the next day though.

Oct. 13th

Oil Creek 100M in 21:27:07. 17.7k gain. Ran 90% at 12/mi pace for the first 100k, some groin cramping during the first 20mi so I held back on the pace slightly in the first half. No issues with heartburn until the very end which in the past was constant and intense. GI stress minimal. Surreal course. Race report to follow.
 
Oct. 14th

Complete rest

TOTAL RUNNING MILEAGE FOR THE WEEK: 124 MI

Mountain Madness (MoMa) 50k report

This has always been my favorite 50k, running through NJ’s wilderness during the short autumn daylight hours. I felt great from recently jumping to 90-100 mile weeks with speedwork, b2b long efforts, a ton of calisthenics and my usual 2/week hard tempo runs. After training on the actual main loop counterclockwise as it would be this time, the altered course shifted my time goal: to at least meet the 5:43 from last year's time when the main loop was done clockwise, and most thought, the faster way to go. A year ago my diet was more processed-based and I stacked two tough 100-milers only 5 weeks apart shortly before MoMa: I felt way fresher this time and I my legs felt more developed for long hill efforts. So that hopefully would compensate.

I did no taper, just wasn’t tired enough. The Saturday before I PR’d a 50M by two hours from 2010 at Virgil Crest- and still felt fresh. Recently I had switched to almost a no-meat diet and massive amounts of fruit all day long and it helped me drop 15 pounds in 6 weeks and my recovery was near instant, I felt light and strong on the hills, and ran all but the steepest sections of the course. This time I’d have to run everything to make time. I think being short-legged makes me slow hiking up hills so I trained to run everything possible.

At the start the front crowd thinned to 6-7 of us, Julian (last year's winner and course record) pulled ahead to the front and hauled up the first 3-400 ft climb. Everyone else followed suit, ran right up it and began to disperse. I fell back a little wanting to at least preserve something, knowing the course beforehand was a big advantage. I jumped over a log uphill, probably unnecessary. The course flattened to single track, I was leapfrogging with a few guys as we traded names and moved on. Back up another long hill, still felt strong. I realized unlike other years we didn’t have to go up and down Bear Swamp road, instead we’d only go down it once- no big change, only more trail elsewhere, but mentally it seemed we were given a big break. 9 miles in I reach the far-point and high-point, Skyline Drive. All my training runs began here as it was a full 7-8 miles closer to the highway- and Doungking Donuts. Without me even realizing it, Harry Hamilton who was helping at the aid filled my water and Dan O’Keefe filled me in that the leaders were only 5 minutes ahead, sweet. Laurie Timko, who unfortunately got injured right before the race, snapped some great photos right here when everyone is anticipating a long downhill.

The next section was long downhill and rocky, and I felt loosened up really good by now and tried anticipating foot placement as fast as possible- nearly missing some potential falls on some not so friendly rock garden sections. After this, the halfway point was a few miles away. There I realized I had only drunk two handhelds by this point, which didn’t seem healthy and also might cause bad cramps and bonking. Still, I felt focused, and grabbed two gels, barely stopping for more than a water fill. The toughest section was ahead, a long climb, 10% grade for the first mile, and would take most of my energy leaving nothing for the last 9 miles if I wasn’t careful. I stuck with running the whole thing anyway, feeling great. I knew there were about 6-7 runners ahead and I started passing many on this hill. A few shorter climbs later and the main loop was done. I was getting thirsty at this point but the mini-aid station a few miles from the end of the main loop was tapped of water- another good reason to move quickly to the start where I had an extra filled bottle stashed.

Nearing the start, I hadn’t passed anyone in a few miles. Figuring the 2 ahead of me were miles ahead, they will easily break the course record! Coming down into the same straightaway we started on I saw Julian blasting below on the beginning of the second loop. Coming back to the start I threw my hip-gear down, forgetting again to drink, and grabbing my spare bottle. I downed it in the first mile- only thing left to do is haul and not get dangerously dehydrated. I figured 9-10 minute miles I’d be safe. Never before did I sacrifice time in drinking a little extra for time on the clock. Now it was necessary to put in a good finish.

Since the 7.77 mile bike loop was hilly but no long hills, it would have to be done at 10k effort. I downed a gel and I felt energized but tapping into my final reserves. The first main hill I powered up, but the nastiest groin cramp ever came over me and I tried stretching in a V hoping it would go away. Luckily, it was the top of the hill and a little downhill would let it rest. I got complacent about being in 3^rd but I knew the 4^th guy was right behind; we passed at the turnaround stairs. But then after 3 miles into this final loop on the backturn portion, I looked behind about 3 miles in at the end of a long straight stretch, nothing but trees! Relaxing, I probably lthen et off the gas too much- because coming in the last 2 miles of hilly single track, 4^th place David came sprinting out of nowhere! He later said he knew I was only 6 minutes behind and ran HARD to catch up. And he did, leaving me in the dust. 10 yards from the finish I see Dave at the same time finishing his first loop, looking ready to eat the trail up. David goes on to finish 5:01, I came in at 5:04. The top two broke the 5 hour mark, Julian at 4:59, and Michael at an Astounding 4:39. It was a jaw dropping finish- could have even been neck and neck, rare for these kinds of events!

Next thing I hung around watching some friends finish and kill their goal times on a harder course than before. Unfortunately a few buddies got injured right before and had to sit out, as running this terrain on injuries cannot ever be a fun experience, I've been there too many times. I felt more than pleased with the race, and even more excited with seeing how much further I could take it. Nothing is more satisfying than feeling strong running up steep hills. My personal training schedule can be draining, but I feel like my timing is more nailed down than usual for consistent increases in endurance and speed. What's great is how everyone is already taking bets on the results for 2013. Thanks NJ Trail Series!

Run log 10/1-10/8

Oct. 1st

5 mi EZ lunch break at work. Getting less and less of these oppurtunities lately, at least for a full 5 so always take the chance to get out in the middle of the day. Actually makes me way more alert in the afternoon.

Upper body medley- decided to quit the gym membership this week, I don't use 95% of the stuff at the gym, go to no classes, and have the weights I need in my aprtment. Only thing left I would lack is heavy deadlifts and back extensions- no big loss. Even if I went and spent a fortune on more equipment for my "home gym" it would save me already 9 months from now.

6.2 around Mine Hill

Oct. 2nd

AM- lunges, deads, squats, some pullups, calves. Upped the weight on everything- more than usual. Prob did it too hard this week as I was running late and pushing to get all the exercises in. Taking off lifting lower body next week to be overly fresh for the Oil Creek 100.

PM- off. No running today to kick off the taper, lifting was enough.

Oct. 3rd

Upper body stuff at gym, mainly shoulder presses dips and pushup variations. Abs and core using this stability ball pull towards your stomach with hands on the ground exercise I saw online. Felt it good in the lower abs.

10 miles easy around the area. Got some decent hills in but no intensely.

Oct 4th

11 miles Tourne trails doing my usual route plus some added hill repeats I haven't done before. My pace was overall slower than the last couple weeks, partly b/c of the hills but I think I am in need of a good recovery. The next week luckily is the 100 so just a few jogs will do to freshen back up and have some speed again.

5 miles with Highland hashers. Firs trun with this group, a few speedsters mostly guys training for marathons and ran with Andrew who is very good- it was a push and got me a good 16 for the day.

2X52 BW squats. Core, Abs.

Oct 5th

Abs-core, 5 miles TM EZ

Oct 6th

14 mi Highlands Trail mostly. Last longish run before 100. Went to the highland trail from yellow and pumped out some serious hill work, felt like I was working hard but only got 14:30 pace for the whole 14 ~3650ft g/l. I definitely need some rest. Many sections were almost unrunnable rocky on the first .75 miles from the start on the yellow trail.

Oct 7th

4 miles in Allentown.

Total (running) mileage: 60 miles. Glad I decided on this semi-taper week to allow rest to give me fitness instead of chasing another 100 mile week. I look forward to having a very well rested race next Saturday- I've tended to over do the few weeks before so this will be inviting. Probably will gain a few pounds because I'm not that good at calorie restriction but will keep it to mainly fruit and V8.

TOTAL RUNNING MILEAGE: 60 MI

Run log 9/24-9/30

Sep 24th

7  mi EZ around gym. Felt fast after a hard weekend's runs. Ate like crap on Sunday night, just was jonesen' for some ice cream all day long and had to scratch the itch. It certainly manifested itself after work as it dissapated into the atmosphere as entropy and other forms.

Upper body medley

Sep 25th

AM- lunges, deads, squats, some pullups, calves. Upped the weight on everything. Have to do this every week a little bit as my lifting has platued for a while now.

PM- Picatinny 12 miler hill interval course.. nailed this one I've been doing for years and possibly my PR for it, even with now running almost all grass the entire time and combining short hill sections on the way down. Basically always start flat for a mile, a steep hard grade, slight grade section, flat for a mile, a longer hill mile, back down and part of it back up, a 1.75 less steep but longer hill, a wraparound section, followed by down the large hill but springing back up at .25 mile intervals 8x. All this is done at my tempo effort striving for 8/10 the whole time. 7:34 pace for 1,129 ft gain total.

Sep 26^th 

Speedwork sandwich. 4 hill sprints as last week, performed generally the same but on tireder legs from a hard hard effort yesterday, added a flat sprint for the 5th interval. 

3 mi WU

Four 1/4 mile sprints up a @8-10% grade, recovery down.

Splits up: 7:48, 7:25, 7:30, 7:35 min/mi

Flat interval. Forgot the time probably around 80-85 sec.

2 mile CD

Hindu's & dips and shoulder presses. Need to add weight to dips to build up strength. Not for running but I really am going to look at improving upper body functional strength without making it too time consuming, running volume and intensity always takes front stage.

Sep 27^th

10 miles around Tourne near Denville, modearet pace to save legs for Saturday's 50k. Pushed on the hill sections, did mostly trail but added 4-5 miles of Mountain Lakes nieghborhood hills which ends up being my winter route when it gets too dark to do tempos on the technical trails.

2X50 BW squats. Core, Abs.

Sep 28th

OFF! Nadas working out. Felt antsy all day it was the first sedentary day in over a month. Had sushi with friends in West Orange. Damn that was good stuff, gotta find the name- Kim's Sushi. Tiny joint. Awesome.

Sep 29^nd

Mountain Madness 50k in 5:04. They did it in reverse this year supposedly it was harder. Blew way past my goal pace of 10/mile. Ran the whole thing, and the mistake was getting complacent in the end thinking I had 3rd place and $75 bucks in the bag. All of a sudden 1.5 miles from the end 4th place sprinted past me! Turns out he knew he was 6 min behind and ran his ass off to catch and overcome me. What an effort to blast out that far from the finish, kudos!

Sep 30th 15.4 mi at my folks place near Allentown, PA to help them move stuff. Love doing this mostly flat with some long climbs route that starts from my parents, goes into and through the Little Lehigh Parkway, some neighborhoods, and back. Makes a relatively moderate 20 miler no prob. Got some cold hail passing over which felt fantastico,

2x50 BW squats. Pullups, leg raises abs and such.

Total (running) mileage: 84 miles. Light for the week but this was my planned lighter week in liue of 90-100/week lately which back to back is a sudden ramp-up from the Leadville DNF. Haven't missed a long run since then and I am not crashing so keeping it going. Hope to pull off another 100+ this coming week even though I signed up last minute for Oill Creek 100 on the 13th. It will only confirm for me that I might not benefit from long tapers after all, I am suspecting since my past 2 week's races went great with high volume the past month.

September mileage: 420 miles

 

Run log 9/17-9/23

Sep 17th - Sep 23th
Sep 17th
4.3 mi moderate @work

6 mi EZ around gym

Upper body medley

Sep 18th
AM- lunges, deads, squats, some pullups, abs, core

Skipped calves in lieu of race week (Virgil Crest 50M)

PM- Torrential downpour, tornado warnings, wussed out and skipped the outdoor run for some treadmill action- haven’t tested my treadmill climb running fitness in a while. Felt strong on these- not completely tapped by the end like a few months back.

1% at 8 min/mile
3% at 8 min/mile
4% at 8 min/mile
5% at 8 min/mile
2% at 8 min/mile
4% at 8 min/mile
5% at 8 min/mile

40 sec break to reset treadmill (only allowed 60 min of time on it at the gym)

6% at 8 min/mile
2% at 7:30 for .50 mile, 7:00 min/mile for .50 mile
2% at 8 min/mile

Sep 19^th

AM- 3 mi moderate at work

PM-

2 mi WU

Four 1/4 mile sprints up a @8-10% grade, recovery down.

Splits up: 7:48, 7:25, 7:30, 7:35 min/mi

2 mile CD

Sep 20^th

8.1 miles around my apartment, moderate to push pace (7:50).

2X47 BW squats.

Sep 21st
4 mi EZ at work to stay loose for Saturday. Upper body at gym.

Sep 22^nd

Virgil Crest 50M in 9:35. Around 51 miles, about 11,000 gain. Only 10-15 minutes of non moving time. Strived to spend no more than a minute at all the aid stations just to grab a gel and refill my handheld or hip bottle, only needed to hit the woods twice, and added a mile of climbing due to taking a wrong turn a couple of times. The leader ran 8:57- I think I could have caught him if I had no stops. Ran 90%, including most of the Green peak except the very steep portions. Felt very strong throughout. I attribute this to high volume lately (90-100 miles/week), losing a little tubby, and possibly the recent addition of speedwork. Hardly tapered or rested at all this week. If I chose to do the 100M would have had over 14 hours on the 2^nd 50 miles to get sub-24. Not gonna lie I wished I had brought my checkbook. This race was so much fun and I didn’t feel like I was overly struggling at all the whole time. Didn’t really carb load the day before- woke up 13 minutes before the race unregistered, and at a breakfast gel miles in. So much for the whole carb loading thing. I guess failing at Leadville put a fire under my buttocks. Look ahead to taking my fitness as far as it can go in the next year.

Sep 23rd
10 mi patriots path. Achilles a little tight in the beginning but felt good and ready for a new week. 6 days till Mountain Madness 50k!

2x50 BW squats (Finally hit that 50!). Pullups, front and side crunches

Doing pushups daily now, at least 110-120 every other day.

Total (running) mileage: 103 miles