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Endurance is a Virtue

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Welcome to Ultra Adventures
Thursday, May 15 2008 @ 11:26 PDT

Phoenix Mountain Park and Piestawa Peak

Wednesday, May 14 2008 @ 05:32 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 76

Melinda and I are staying at the Arizona Biltmore resort for a work-related event and this morning I ran the 2 miles from the Biltmore to Phoenix Mountain park and started up the summit trail. The photo below shows what mount Piestawa looks like from the Biltmore.

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3rd Annaul Garden Mountain FA

Sunday, May 11 2008 @ 08:07 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 92

Nick Whited is again directing the Garden Mountain FA. This year will be the third running of this great event. My son Sam and I were able to participate in the first version of this camping trip and mountain 50k two years ago, and had a great time. Last year I missed it due to injury. The run is being held a month earlier than previously and has a new and improved course. I can't wait!

Burkes Garden and Garden Mountain offer some of the most scenic mountain and valley terrain in Virginia. The weekend starts with camping Friday night near Tazewell, VA. Nick has changed the course to be a point-to-point ending at the Dairy Queen near the intersection of I-77 and the Appalachian Trail. The course has more flat and runnable sections than before, which means you will enjoy a mix of country and dirt roads and AT mountain single track.

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A Running Party for Everyone

Wednesday, May 07 2008 @ 04:55 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 164

photo: Relay and Solo runners line up to start

Just like last year, the 2008 Blue Planet 24 was one big running-camping party with something for everyone. Runners were able to choose among a 5 mile race; 6, 12, and 24-hour relay races, plus 12 and 24 -hour solo races. Any and every type of runner was welcomed and from the looks of things all had a great time.

We arrived at camp Rockmont (just above Black Mountain, NC) around 7:30 pm on Friday. With me was my wife Melinda, and three of our sons: Sam (16), Thomas (11), and Kevin (8). Sam, Melinda, and I to run, Thomas and Kevin to enjoy the camping and fun. This year we were able to drive our vehicles onto the camping area and unload, which made setting up and breaking camp easier. The campground is right on the 5-mile course adjacent to the start/finish and the runners village. This is nice but also means that at 2am you run right by your tent and sleeping bag when you finish a loop.

Soon the field was full of tents, camp kitchens, and runner's aid stations. Next to the camp ground was a series of gazebos, tables and chairs, a media tent, and field kitchens set up by a couple of local resturaunts (one vegetarian and one with meat). The final 300 yards of each five-mile lap circled the entire complex. Facilities available to runners include nice hot showers, and entry fees include meal tickets for exchange at the food tents.

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Heat and Hydration

Sunday, April 27 2008 @ 06:41 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 311

With temperatures in the 80's yesterday at the Promise Land 50k, now is a good time to discuss hydration and electrolyte replacement while running ultramarathons. A lot has changed in the past few years and some of the advice we are being offered is now different from in the past. Some of the new science has been done in response to deaths due to over-hydration in marathons.

We have been told that to wait until we were thirsty to drink is too late, rather we should drink according to a set schedule. Another thing we have been told is to consume a lot of sodium in the form of salt tablets on a regular basis, also according to a set schedule. Not every source has been repeating this advice, fortunately.

There are several links below that anyone considering an ultra in the summer should read. Some of the material is provocative, challenging the validity of research sponsored by Gatorade. (It turns out that much of the research on hydration for athletes has been funded by Gatorade.) To sum up the new research in one sentence is: trust your body and drink to thirst; also salt to taste. Read on...

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Lundblads are unbeatable in 2008

Sunday, April 20 2008 @ 06:56 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 166

photo: Virginia Happy Trails Running Club

Mark and Anne Lundblad are both running better than ever so far this year. Anne has victories at the Frosty 50, Mt. Mitchell Challenge, Bel Monte 50k, and won with a course record at last weekend's Bull Run Run. Mark won the Bel Monte 50k with a course record, and also won last weekend's Bull Run Run. Mark is consistently winning races this year where in years past he had near misses. At Bel Monte Mark won by half an hour. Unbelievably Mark also won by half an hour at Bull Run Run, a very competitive race. It's not even summer yet!

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Roclite 295, the Ideal Endurance Shoe

Sunday, April 13 2008 @ 08:10 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 418

I've been running for two weeks in the new Inov-8 Roclite 295. These shoes are excellent for longer races because of their roomy fit and light weight. Like all Inov-8 shoes, the 295's have minimal cushioning. The design of most Inov-8 shoes allows you to feel the trail with your feet, providing instant feedback on each landing. For myself and many other runners, minimal shoes encourage the most comfortable running form.

Selecting the right Inov-8 shoe can seem complicated because of the large number of models and the specificity of each model. Each model is designed for a type of running (fell, mountain, orienteering, trail, mixed road and trail, etc.) and for a Terrain (loose rock, dry grass, mud, dry rock, etc.)

I believe the three most important factors for selecting an Inov-8 shoe are: last, activity, and cushioning.

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Umstead 100 Thoughts/Report

Thursday, April 10 2008 @ 05:39 PDT
Contributed by: MLong
Views: 299

By Mark Long

October, 1994, I�m in Arkansas participating in the Arkansas Traveler 100-Mile Trail Run. I�m now at the 50-mile point of the race standing in a very large military type tent trying to get warm. All I can think of is a plate of hot food followed by a warm bed and hours of sleep. I have just dropped from my first attempt at covering 100 miles on foot.

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Umstead 100 Finishers

Wednesday, April 09 2008 @ 04:50 PDT
Contributed by: mday
Views: 384

Look at all of these NC 100-mile finishers from last weekend's Umstead 100:

4 19:18:37 Burns, William F 38 NC M
6 19:36:58 Hayward, R Scott 44 NC M
22 22:34:25 Hankins, Kean 42 NC M
26 22:55:24 Dummar, Fred 39 NC M
29 23:08:36 Serpa, Evan 26 NC M
30 23:09:17 Hunter, Dorothy 34 NC F
31 23:16:25 Savage, Jonathan 41 NC M
33 23:22:56 Maguire, Frank 61 NC M
34 23:24:47 Patch, Tom 48 NC M
36 23:30:00 Ennis, Jennifer 38 NC F
40 23:56:57 Mitchell, Rob 43 NC M
45 25:08:08 Murray, Donnie 46 NC M
46 25:40:31 Frahm, Jennifer 28 NC F
47 25:44:58 McNeill, Michael 36 NC M
48 25:59:25 Dillon, Ben 58 NC M
49 26:01:58 Chilcott, Charles 35 NC M
52 26:15:21 Herbst, Tom 45 NC M
55 26:19:44 Calabria, Robert D 67 NC M
56 26:19:46 Lewis, Marie 44 NC F
68 27:37:55 Kelly, Cameron 29 NC M
72 27:49:18 Maguire, Donna 56 NC F
81 28:26:43 Rizk, Sam 67 NC M
84 28:37:10 Long, Mark 49 NC M
94 29:06:51 Thompson, Douglas 40 NC M

I know for certain that Dorothy Hunter, Ben Dillon, and Mark Long just completed the century for the first time! I'm almost certain that Doug Thompson, and Cam Kelly finished their first century. I suspect several others also finished their first 100 miler. (Please comment if you see first-time 100 finishers in this list!) Ben Dillon has been volunteering at Umstead for many years and now he is a finisher. Dorothy Hunter has been at Umstead every Saturday for months preparing. And Mark Long, who has run scores of 50 mile races and perhaps more than 100 marathons, now has his Umstead buckle!

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North-to-South Cross-Country Run to Raise Funds for Child Victims of Cancer

Friday, April 04 2008 @ 05:40 PST
Contributed by: mday
Views: 207

Denise Davis sent me a note about Norfolk, VA resident Tommy Neeson, who this fall will run across the USA from North to South along the East coast, including North Carolina. Neeson is raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Neeson's two-year-old daughter Randi died of brain cancer in 1998. Neeson will be in North Carolina for the entire month of September. The Four Million Steps web site provides opportunities to house Neeson, contribute funds, and to help in other ways.

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Hill Training Opportunity

Friday, April 04 2008 @ 05:16 PST
Contributed by: mday
Views: 228

Thanks to Doug Blackford for sharing a new race in Western NC, the Valle Crucis 25k. The course is "one of the most scenic in NC" and the profile includes plenty of climb and descent. (Hill training should include both up and down -hill running.) The date is Saturday, May 3rd. The 25k distance is a little more than a half marathon, and makes for a great training run.

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