Life after New River Trail 50k 2008: compartment testing, running with friends, and preparing to aidstation" at Masochist

Photos:Runners in Grayson Highlands-courtesy of Beth Minnick,The needle: Step One of Compartment Testing... Mike Hall from Atayne Products (the cool shirt is his company's design!) and my future aid station partner at Masochist next weekend,

It's been 14 days since the 1st inagural New River Trail 50k. I am finally not exhausted and broadening my vision onto "other parts of life"...yet still working on sponsor and volunteer thank you's... Yesterday results and "the story" were posted on the website.

A few thoughts and hopefully I'll post more later....
I am super psyched about my Montrail Teammates Eric Grossman and Jamie Donaldson!
as they are performing at super elite levels in National and world events. Eric won the USATF National 50 mile championships and Jamie came in 4th at the 24-Hr World Championships. These are the links I used on my personal blog, yet I know if anyone "googled" either name-many hits would come up with pages of fabulous accomplishments! Congrats to both Eric and Jamie!!!

As for me, I am still dealing with my calf issue. The compartment testing (see teaser photo above) knocks out compartment syndrome and my 2nd round of MRI makes it clear there is no obvious muscular damage or stress injury. SSSooo. I have an MRI/MRA (to look at my veins and "blood piping" )scheduled for Halloween and an EMG (nerve conduction test) the week after that...lots of travel to and fro UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville,VA

Instead of running Masochist, I 'll be working with Mike Hall at the Mid-way aid station on Hwy 60...(we are working to make this most popular aid station "green" this year... (less disposables, waste, local foods and drinks, etc...)

I am working on an article for Ultrarunning on Ultras and trash...I welcome ideas and perspectives...more on this later too!

I can run. A little. Up to 45 minutes or even an hour at a time as long as it is not on terrain. So tomorrow on Sat will be my 4th 5k in 6 weeks! I am no speedster-yet it is fun anyway: 9/15: 20:46 flat, 10/4: 20:47 not flat!, 10/18:very flat: 20:07...we'll see what tomorrow brings. At least this will help me remember how to pin on a race number!

I plan on registering for the New Year Eve Freedom Runs this weekend. 6, 12 and 24 hour options. Don't know as if I'll be able to do much-yet I'll sacrifice the 65.00 entry fee just to have an option!

IAU 24 Hour World Challenge Results

Congrats to Team USA for a job well done in Seoul, Korea at the International Assocation of Ultrarunners' 24Hour World Challenge. The men finished in 7th overall, the women finished in 4th overall. Montrail athlete Jamie Donaldson was the top USA woman and placed fifth overall. Jamie ran 238 laps in 23:52:41 for a final distance of 220.09km, or 137 miles. Incredible stuff, great job everyone!
View results here
And here

Long Distance Running - A Natural Human Activity?

While most people would consider running for 50, 100, 150+ miles to be absurd, unnatural and extremely painful, science believes otherwise. Research argues that over time, homo sapiens evolved to become natural runners, and long-distance runners at that.

In a study released from Harvard University, and published in "Nature", anthropologist Daniel Lieberman argues that endurance running (and walking) may have been so critical in early humans' survival that it played a role in shaping our bodies. Whether it's our spring-loaded ligaments, our muscular backsides or our balanced upper/lower bodies, these aspects took the ideal shape of a long-distance runner starting some 2 million years ago, and likely played a major role in early humans ability to hunt and survive.

"We're lousy sprinters, but we're really great long-distance runners," said Lieberman. "Anyone who jogs regularly can tell you that it feels good."

Specifically, the peroneus brevis tendon, one of several elongated tendons in the human body, provides critical spring as a person runs. In apes and chimpanzees, the same tendons are much shorter, and don't offer the same type of spring-loading action. The gluteus maximus is hardly used when we walk, but as soon as you start running, it plays a vital role to keep you from falling. The arches in our feet, the broad surface areas in our joints, our wide shoulders, and other attributes all contribute to humans being great long-distance runners.

So next time you find yourself training for a long run, or even considering one, remember that we're made for this type of stuff. It's natural.

Just tell that to your sore, achy legs after a long weekend trail run.

Bel Monte Endurance Run

Francesca and I would like to offer free entry to any Montrail team member who would like to run our Fifth Annual Bel Monte Endurance Run. The date for this year is March 28th, 2009, and has distances of 50 Mile, 50K and 25K.

Just contact us and we'll get you signed up!
Gill/Frannie

Team Montrail Athletes Keep Winning

Congratulations to Team Montrail ultra runners Eric Grossman and Francesca Conte for their wins at the Tussey Mountainback 50-Mile Ultra. This year the Tussey Mountainback acted as the USA 50-Mile Championships, meaning Eric is the 2008 USA 50-mile champion. He also set a new course and masters record with a time of 5:48:34. Francesca was not eligible to win the USA championship because she is an Italian citizen. Nevertheless, congratulations to you both! Check out the official race website for results, and read a recap from the local newspaper.


On another note, Jamie Donaldson was featured in last week's Rocky Mountain News, in a special section about local endurance athletes. Jamie graced the cover of the Sports section wearing her Montrail Streaks and her Team shirt. The image above is a scanned version of the actual. Click here for an online edition of the article.


Nice work Team Montrail!

Jamie Donaldson Travels to Seoul, Korea for IAU World Championships

Team Montrail athlete and sixth grade teacher Jamie Donaldson is departing tomorrow for Seoul, Korea, where she's been invited by the International Association of Ultra Runners (IAU) to compete in the 24 Hour World Challenge. The 6th annual championship race consists of elite ultra runners from across the world, competing in a 24 hour event to represent their countries and display their own individual abilities. Jamie will be a member of the Women's Team USA, along with other ultra stars, including Connie Gardner, Carilyn Johnson, Debra Horn and Laura Nelson.

The USA Men's team includes Scott Jurek, Dean Karnazes, Roy Pirrung, Phil McCarthy, Alex Swenson and William Allen. Both teams appear to be strong and healthy entering the IAU world championship.

Montrail wishes Jamie and all of Team USA good luck this weekend in Korea! Check back soon for results and race reports.

Newbie Race Director Jitters

Ack! The photos above are just a few of the various piles of race stuff erupting around my house during the last 2 weeks!
I am soo very nervous, excited, anxious, happy, freaked-as the project I have been working on for almost a full year is about to happen! The New River Trail 50k out of Fries, VA will start at 8am sharp on Saturday, 10/11/08!

I am as wound up as much as I have been before my 1st (or 2nd or 3rd) 100 mile run...yet instead of moving into a day of "freedom" and "flight" as I often feel when racing-the weight of priveledged responsibility is heavy. (Heavy in a good way!)

There is still so much to do-bib's came in yesterday and water and fresh food and replacing volunteer drop outs and trying to get around the piles of stuff in my house! I am also taking time to document quanities, processes, money and time so next year might bring a little less mystery. I have found check lists for race directors-yet the learning curve is continous to answer the questions: "How much Clif Shot drink? How many PB &J squares? How much water? How many volunteers do I need? Do we have enough parking???? All the while working towards creating a green event and an opportunity for a quality race for all the runners.

I will post more after Saturday-I am sure the discoveries and challenges have only started!