Wednesday, July 17, 2013

La Sportiva Turantulace Climbing Shoes

I recently bought these rock climbing shoes and here is the review I gave about them.

Originally submitted at Mountain Gear


With the Tarantulace from La Sportiva, you don't have to sacrifice comfort for performance. The light asymmetrical shape and slight downturned toe provide great edging and hooking power while allowing your toes to be in a more natural position. The comfortable unlined leather uppers can be cinched ...

Great shoe at a great price
By Scott from Columbus, Ga. on 7/17/2013
 

4out of 5
Sizing: Feels true to size
Width: Feels true to width
Pros: Rugged, Versatile, Lightweight
Best Uses: Indoor, Bouldering
Describe Yourself: Getting Started
Was this a gift?: No
I have been indoor rock wall climbing for a couple of years now, but only with tennis shoes on. I wanted a better fitting shoe that was specific to rock climbing. This shoe is a great entry level shoe and for a great price. I am now looking forward to trying them out on my vacation to the Tetons next week!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

2012 North Face Challenge - Marathon - Atlanta



For the last couple of years I have toiled with the idea of attempting to run the North Face Challenge on F.D. Roosevelt State Park on Pine Mountain. It's only 30 miles north of Columbus, so it is a local race for me. The marathon distance is the shortest distance that all finishers receive a medal. But you must finish and with-in the 8 hour time limit.

So a couple of months ago I decide that I will start training for the marathon. It has been 3-1/2 years since I ran a marathon, and I didn't like it then. Running on the Pine Mountain trail will be a test of pure determination and endurance. Can I do it?

I decide to go up to the trail and run a different section every weekend until the race. Start line to Fox Den is 5.3 miles. Fox Den to Mollyhugger is 4.9 miles. Mollyhugger to Rocky Ridge is 7 miles, which is the turn around point. Rocky Ridge to Dowdell's Knob is 2 miles. Dowdell's Knob to Fox Den is 5.3 miles. And Fox Den to the finish line is 1.1 miles.

The first weekend  I go up and park at the Liberty Bell pool which is where the starting line will be. I am going to run from here to Fox Den and back. I have never been on this part of the trail, so I ask a fellow runner where to start. He gave some pretty good directions and off I went. I tried my hardest to follow his directions and the map I brought, but I still go off the race trail. I finally made it back to the car in about 2:15. After looking back at the map,  I figured that out that I had actually ran around 7 miles instead of the 5.3. No problems though and I had a good first run.

The second time out I met up with Chris Weirich and we ran the longest section, Mollyhugger to Rocky Ridge. According to the North Face Challenge website, this is the hardest section of the race. It is 7 miles long with a lot of climbing. We set out with a good pace and I end up finishing in 1:35 with Chris following me a 9 minutes behind. Another good day and run.

The third time out I am going to run from Fox Den to Mollyhugger and back to Fox Den via the Sawtooth trail. It is going to be about 7.9 miles. About 3 miles into the run
I trip over a root and fall hard on the trail. Luckily I fall and land on some moss, so I'm not too cut up. However I do get whiplash in my neck. I get up and brush myself off and keep going. After a little while goes by, I look down and notice blood on my shorts and the bottom of my shirt. I look at my right hand and noticed the blood coming from my ring finger. It is a small cut on it, so  I don't worry about it and keep going.

I reach the Mollyhugger parking lot in exactly 1 hour. I take a quick break, cross the road and find the Sawtooth trail. After running a little while on the trail I start to feel a little funny. And this is not a good thing. I can only assume it is my body reacting to the trauma from my fall earlier. The trail is named Sawtooth for a good reason. you are either going up or going down. With a few steep rocky climbs in it. I decide to walk the rest of it and make it back to the car in 1:45. I was really pleased with this time considering the fall.

So after a week goes by and my whiplash is gone, I finally decide to sign-up for the race. The website says that online registration is closed, but somehow I find another way to get in and register. So it is set and I am officially ready for the race. The excitement and anxiety start to build.

Race weekend finally arrives and I am feeling really good. I go up to Callaway Gardens on Friday and meet up with Mark Wise to pick-up our race packets and listen to some of the pros talk about the race and some of their experiences. It was a good time.

So I get back home and start to gather everything together for the race. Making my Gatorade, Cytomax, and getting my other nutrition together. I also need a drop bag with a change of clothes and a place to put warm clothes in since the temp is going to be in the 50's race morning. After spending many hours getting everything ready, I finally get into bed around 1:00am. Of course I can't hardly fall asleep thinking about the race and what I might have forgotten to pack.

I finally fall asleep and the alarm clock goes off at 6:45am. My race doesn't start until 9:00am, but I want to make sure I get up there in time to de-stress, socialize, and get mentally prepared for the start.
I park at the beach parking lot at Callaway Gardens and take the bus over to the start line festival. I quickly meet up with fellow marathoners Shelly Ragan and Don Bowles. We talk and walk around looking and taking photos for the next hour.

Finally our time to go is here. I take off my warm clothes and turn in my drop bag. Hook-up my IPOD, Garmin, and eat a gel pack. We all walk up to the start line since we are all in the second wave, starting at 9:03. Don states that we should try to stay together for a little while until things sort themselves out. Of course I know this isn't going to happen, but it was a nice gesture.

The gun goes off and we are off to the races. Don takes off just like I thought and I about mid pack. Shelly is somewhere behind me pulling up the rear. After about a mile the pack spreads out and I never see Don again. I stayed with a small group for about another mile, and then I seem to be all by myself.

I get to the 3 mile mark where we have to cross a gravel road and turn left back onto the trail. As soon as I start back onto the trail I feel a sharp stinging sensation on my right pointy finger. I look down and am immediately stung 2 more times by yellow jackets. Once in my left thigh and once in my right hamstring. By the time I see the bees, it is all over but the screaming. I am able to knock off another 2 more bees before they get me too. A couple of guys that were behind me stopped when they saw me screaming and swatting at the bees. I kept on running and I don't know what they ended up doing.

After crossing over Hwy 190 again, I meet up with a guy named Matthew Bailey. We are running about the same pace so I strike up a conversation. He is a pretty big guy and I think to myself that he will eventually hit the wall. To my amazement he doesn't and actually pulls away from me a some point.


I finally reach the Fox Den check point in 1:10 and reported the bee stings issue. It appeared that I wasn't the only person stung when another guy said that he was hit 5 times in the same spot. I was ok and socialized with friends Sheryl Wise and Steve & Kathy Hickman. I talk to them for a couple minutes while I ate some peanut butter& jelly sandwiches, a banana, and a gel pack. They wished me well and I took off again.

I was feeling good until around the 7 mile mark, when I feel my first twinge in my left calf. Ok, here we go again with the cramping. It doesn't cramp, but I have to really start being careful with my running. I slow down a bit and walk the up-hills. When I finally reach the 2nd aid station at the Molly Hugger trail head , I have to stretch out the legs. I am at mile 10.5 now. I get there at the 2:25 mark, about where I thought I would be. I see Will Cliatt there volunteering.

The volunteers there are great! They take my Camelbak and fill it up with NUUN energy drink for me. I ask them for more NUUN tablets and put 2 more in. They contain 360mg of sodium each, so I think I need more than that to help with the cramping. The next aid station is in 7 more miles at mile 17.5. I just hope that I don't run of fluids!

I stretch a little bit more while I eat some peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, a banana, another gel pack and drink some chicken broth. The chicken broth was surprisingly very good! While I was eating, a lady comes walking up with blood on her head and a nasty cut on her hands. She had taken a bad fall on some rocks not too far past where I was. She was pretty banged up. I found out later that they had taken her to a hospital in an ambulance. I think she was going to be ok.

So I head out again on the trail heading to the Rocky Ridge trail head. This is touted as the hardest section of the marathon, according to the North Face Challenge website. It is 7 miles and goes up and around Dowdell's Knob. I also have to run through the open areas that were destroyed by a tornado last year. This means that I will be exposed to the sun for a few miles.

The trail starts out pretty good, but quickly turns into rocks, and then the sun. The tornado damage is very bad, but the volunteers have done a great job getting the trail cleared off in time for the race. There are several ups and down hills. Even have to hop over some downed trees. It is definitely not flat and easy. After a couple of miles I come to Hines Gap rd crossing where I see Matt Ragan again. I run up to him and give him and the other people there high fives. As I am stating to go back onto the trail, I see Shelly Ragan coming onto the road so I try to hurry a little as to stay ahead of her.

The trail is getting pretty tough and I am slowing down. the cramps are staying away for now, but I can still feel that they are waiting to pounce on me. By the time i get into the cover of the woods, It is hard for me to run without cramping. When I get to the turnoff for Dowdell's Knob, I have to stop and stretch out again. When I do this, Shelly catches me and keeps on going after a high five and a good luck wish.

I sit on a log and talk to the volunteer there for a few minutes while I rest and stretch. Several other people pass me and I see others coming back the other direction. I will eventually come back to this location on my way back. I am dreading the steep climb up to Dowdell's Knob ahead of me. It is 1.4 miles and mostly all up hill.

So I head out walking up the hill and trying not to cramp. As long as I walk without pointing my toes down, I think I will be ok. I end up catching up to 4 girls that are about the same pace as me. We follow each other for most of the way to Rocky ridge. After we reach the top, it is a long flat and then a long down hill. We cross a creek and then start heading back up a ridge. The girls finally pull away from me around the 15 mile mark. I am not feeling too good by now and the legs are ever so close to cramping. There is another long rocky climb before I get to the Rocky Ridge aid station.

When I get there I am exhausted and my IT bands are hurting pretty bad. It is now at the 5:00 mark. A paramedic comes up to me and asks if I am ok. I tell him that I wasn't, so he told me to go sit down and he would take care of me. They get some water and some food. he asks me what is bothering me and attempts for help me out by trying to adjust my IT bands. After that he tells me to sit on the ground and try to stretch out my hip abductors, when I suddenly start to cramp again. I have to get up quickly, which isn't a good thing within itself. LOL So I decide to just rest in the chair and eat for awhile.

After sitting there for about 15 minutes, I notice the time and see that it is 2:15. If I am going to make it back to the finish line within 8 hours, I need to leave NOW. So I pack up my stuff and start to head out. The paramedic asks me again if I am ok. He doesn't think that I should continue, but I assure him that I am ok. Not knowing if I really am or not. I am determined to finish this race, even if I am dead last and over the 8 hour mark.

I am now really hurting in the knees and hips. My IT bands feel like they are going to rip apart at any moment. It is harder to go downhill than it is to go up hill. It is only 2 miles to the next aid station, at Dowdell's Knob. It takes me almost an hour to get there. I am walking as fast as I can now. Running isn't even an option. There is a long climb up to the aid station and I am really struggling to get there. When I finally get there, an older couple comes up and asks how much time there is to the finish. I tell them and we head out together. I am at mile 19.5 now and it is 6 hours.

It is 5.3 miles to the next aid station. We have to go back through the open area where the tornado damage is and all of the rocks. I follow this couple for most of the way. The lady is struggling like I am, but has more trouble with the hills than I. The man is kind of yelling at her to hurry up. By the time we get through the open area, they are behind me as he has to wait on her alot.

When I get to the Sawtooth trial turnoff, I am moving very slowly. I see Carolee Luther at the turnoff and sit in a chair there to rest and talk to her a bit. I have a very hard time getting back out of the chair when I start to leave. My legs cramp when I try to stand up. I only have 4.1 miles left to go, and I have 1:45 minutes to get there.

The Sawtooth trail is by far the most brutal trial of them all. I don't think it will ever end. The up hills are so steep that they are made into steps out of the rocks. It is called sawtooth for a reason! It is either up or down hill. Almost no flats. The older couple catches back up to me somewhere in there. The climbing is very hard and I am struggling to breathe. Although my heart rate is only around 155, I am very fatigued and I think I should have eaten more. I am starting to feel the wall coming on. I eat another gel pack.

I finally get to the last aid station at Fox Den. It is at the 25 mile mark and I only have 21 minutes left to finish. The volunteers say that it is mostly downhill from here out, but I know it really isn't.  I drink a cup of water and eat another gel pack while I head out. I am so relieved that I am done with the Sawtooth trail. Only 1.1 more miles to go! YAY

The older couple pull away from me when another group of people pass us. I am now all alone with my thoughts. All I want to do now is finish before 8 hours. I told all of my friends that I will finish in 7:59:59. LOL I try to pick up the pace, but my legs won't let me. There is only one last hill before I see the Liberty Bell pool. It is hard to reach the top. Now it is down hill to the creek.

I finally see the pool and the creek. I look down at my watch and see that I have 3 minutes. I cross the creek slowly because it has steep deep edges to go down. I don't need to cramp up now! I cross a small field, then Hwy 354, and another field to the finish line. I try to run again but can't. I didn't want to cross the finish line walking, but had no choice. I finish in 8:01:30.5.

I didn't make the time that I said I would, but I did FINISH and I did get my finisher's medal...

This was by far the most grueling and brutal racing event that I have ever done!!!

Brooks Run Happy Cavalcade of Curiosities

The Brooks Running Shoe mobile arrived today at Big Dog Running Co. in Columbus, Ga. So I went down to see what all of the excitement was about. They had all of their new shoes available to try out. They also did a free gait analysis of your stride. This is the video of me running on the treadmill and the analysis they gave me.

Meet your sole mate.

Thanks for gracing our treadmill with your fine feet at the Big Dog Running in Columbus, GA. We hope you enjoyed getting to know your gait as much as we did. The more we learn about your unique stride, the better we can play matchmaker.

First up, check out your stats:

Arch Height: Mid
Foot Width: Mid
Foot Type: Neutral
Use: Run
Surface: Road/Track

Footwear Categories: Neutral

Comments:

And without further ado, here are your recommended shoes!


Ghost 5

Glycerin 10



Head over to www.brooksrunning.com to purchase or learn more.


The attached photos are not only very frame-worthy but they helped us find your sole mate. You can also download your listed below:


View your personal gait video here


Sunday, June 17, 2012

2012 GSC #4 MTB Race

After racing just one week prior to this race, I was a little nervous about what my legs can do today. It seems that I am getting slower in the recovery process and my legs are aching alot. I also haven't been able to get enough sleep lately, especially the night before this race. So the lingering fatigue and lack of sleep will most definitely contribute in some part to my performance today.

After getting no sleep last night, I reluctantly get up at 7:00am and get ready for the race. Surprizingly I feel pretty good. As I am driving over to Flat Rock Park I am wondering if today is going to be the day that I finally make it to the podium? Will the cramping be a continued issue as it has been alot lately?

I have been training and eating like I think that I should be. The only thing missing is the proper amount of sleep to replenish and rest the body. I feel that I will be ok even if I do have some issues in the race. Only time will tell though.

I arrive at the park and am only beaten there by Dave and Terri Berger, the race promoters at GoneRiding.com. So I go over and pick up my race pack and chat with them a while. The park slowly starts to come to life as the other racers, supporters, and volunteers start to show up. I head over to talk to some of my friends as I see them arrive.

My race starts at 9:30am, so I head back to the car to get my gear ready. I have been drinking my Cytomax for 2 days now hoping that it helps me with my cramping issues. I have also packed a half bottle of pickle juice in the last ditch case of needing some cramp relief during the race.

So to the line I go. 3 2 1 and we are off. I am in 2nd position for the first 1/4 mile until I am passed by 2 guys, and then another one right before we get into the woods. I am holding my position until right before the rock garden when Mack passes me and the guy in front of me. So I crank it up and pass that guy too. I want to try to keep up with Mack since we seem to be about the same speed and are close in the points series.

I quickly realize that this was a very good decision as we enter into the rock garden. I have always had trouble with the first right hand 180 deg switchback. So I watch Mack and follow his line and don't have any problems at all. YAY.

So we are now heading past the lake, over the road and into the bottom section below the dam. This section has several switchbacks in it and they are off-angle and have loose sand and pine straw on them. When we hit the 3rd turn I get a little off to the right side of the trail and BAM, I go down so fast that I didn't even have time to put my hand out to catch myself. My wheels just slid out in the loose stuff and took the bike right out from under me. One guy passes me before I can get back on the bike. I am ok, so I jump up and jump back on the bike. Mack has now got a 100 foot lead on me, but I am not worried about that right now.

I am now riding by myself, but I can keep Mack in my field of view ahead. He is riding good but I think that he isn't gaining on me. As I make my way to the back side where the big rock is, I prepare myself for "the hop" onto the rock. When I hit the rock my chain is jarred so hard that it pops off to the inside of the crank. I am trying to pedal and shift the front derailier in hopes that it finds it way back onto the chain ring. I have no forward momentum so I quickly come to a stop and have to unclip and manually put the chain on. This resulted in Mack getting a huge lead on me. But I am still alone and I don't see anyone gaining on me.

So I keep trudging along in hopes that I can somehow catch back up to Mack. I am pretty sure that I am in 6th place now. I maintain my pace as to not go too hard and kill myself trying to catch him. I still have over one more lap to go and I don't want to push it and start cramping again.

I finish the first lap alone and with no other issues and no cramping, yet. But as soon as I reach the first climb they start. All I can do is back it down a notch and push down with my heals more. I never fully cramp or lock-up, but my legs are so close it isn't funny. Every crank of the pedal is a battle to keep them away.

About halfway through the 2nd lap, and with locking up an ever increasing issue, I decide to try the pickle juice as so many of my friends have suggested trying. So at the next flat spot I reach down, grab the bottle and attempt to slurp down a couple sips. Before the juice even has a chance to reach my stomach it trys to come back up. This is disgusting and I think I will throw up!!! Holding my mouth, breath and everything else I can think of, I manage to keep it down. That was NOT a good experience and will never happen again! Whoever thought that was a good idea needs to think again.

So anyway, I finish the race with marginal success (not fully locking up) and claim a 6th place. Not on the podium, but getting closer by the race. I am somewhat happy with my performance, but still very concerned with the continued cramping issues. What to do, what to do???

Here are the race results . I also jumped from 13th in the points to 5th. So now the race is ON...




Tuesday, April 17, 2012

2012 Celebrity Classic 5K run

I have been training hard in preparation for this year's coming race season. Even more so lately as I am planning on racing in the Chattahoochee Challenge Half Ironman triathlon on April 21 in Columbus, Ga. It will be my first half ironman and the longest triathlon I have ever done. So in preparation for this race I decided to add a training run/race into the mix just to see how I will do.

I have raced in the Classic 3 times before and for some reason have placed in every race. Since my last 2 5K's were in the 25-26 minute range, I was predicting a similar time. Although I have never ran this course before, I didn't expect anything faster or slower. Especially since I haven't been running much.

The race starts at 8am at the National Infantry Museum on Fort Benning. The course is perfectly flat. It winds around the Oxbow Meadow's facility and golf course and returns back down South Lumpkin road.


The morning was kind of chilly with a temp around 57, so I wore my long sleeve technical t-shirt from the Disney Marathon to keep me warm.

The race started off fast as always and then I slowed into my pace. I felt great and my pace felt good for me. I reached mile marker 1 in 7:10, then mile marker 2 at 15:10. At this point I ran the calculations in my head and figured out that I was on a record pace. So of course I had to pick it up a notch hoping for a great time.

As I turned onto the final stretch
heading towards the finish line, I never looked down for my time and I didn't even notice the finish line clock when I passed it. I was running with all I had. After I crossed the line I reached down and turned off my heart rate monitor. After cooling down for a few minutes I decided to look at the HRM. To my surprise it said 23:16. WOW I never expected to see that!!!

After resting, stretching, and socializing a few minutes with friends, I decide to go check out the results as they were just being posted. Again to my surprise I place 3rd in my age group!


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

2012 Diva Dash 5K Run

The 2012 Diva Dash 5K run was for Tori Svenson. Tori is a beautiful 7 year old little girl who is bravely battling brain cancer. All of the funds raised will go to help her family pay for the mounting medical bills and other personal things. There was a total of 621 participants which should bode her a substantial check.

This was my first 5K of 2012. I had only ran 2 times this year, and they were the week of the race. I wasn't expecting much out of my performance due to the lack of training, but was hoping to finish better than my last race on the same venue. If I could finish around 25:30 I would be happy.

The race went off without a hitch and I started off on the 2nd row. I got a great start and sprinted off with the leaders and then fell into my race pace. The course is 2.25 laps around the Cascade Hills Church campus road.

I finished with a time of 25:41 and felt really good during and after the run. Age groups were in 10 year increments and I placed 10th out of 42. Would have placed 3rd if it was 5 year increments.

Here are the Results

Sunday, March 18, 2012

2012 Southern Spring Fling Inline Speed Skating Races

Since September 5, 2009 I have greatly waited for this day with anxious anticipation. This will be my first inline speed skating race since separating my right A/C joint (shoulder). It just happens that this race is at the very same skating rink where the accident happened so long ago. Even though I have been going to Smyrna the past few Sunday's to practice at the rink, I haven't raced there, which is a totally different feeling than just practicing. The nerves, the speed, the NEW guys to race against. And of course, the FEAR of IT happening again.

After having a great evening visiting with my kids in Auburn, I headed up to Powder Springs, Ga. to spend the night with my good friend Jerry. Since I arrived late, Jerry was already asleep, so I snuck in and passed out.

The alarm on my phone seemed to go off as soon as I hit the pillow. 4:15 comes early no matter what time you actually go to bed. The races start at 6am sharp, so I had to get up, shower and get to the rink around 5am claim my spot and get ready to skate.

I am scheduled to race the Elite Veteran division and the Novice Master Men division. Elite divisions start at 6am sharp, and the Novice divisions will start immediately following the Elite awards ceremony. It really makes for a very LONG day. We have 240 participants registered to race and we have to get them all in by 6pm. So as soon as one race is over, the next race is called to the start line.

For the first time since going to Nationals in 2008, my age group has heats. There are 14 Veteran Men in 3 heats, WOW. And one of them includes Jim Larson which is the reigning World Record holder!!! Oh well, who isn't up for a challenge.

Well he wasn't in my heat, so he wasn't the one that I needed to worry about. Most of these guys I didn't know, so I had no idea how good they were. Well I quickly found out and placed 4th in both my 500 meter and 1000 meter heats. Which didn't qualify me for the finals (top 3 go). I wasn't too disappointed though being my first race in 2-1/2 years. My starts were terrible, so at least I know where I need to concentrate my training for next time.

So now I have wait around until the Novice races start, approximately 3 hours!!! I know alot of these same guys are going to be racing in the Novice division too, so the thought of leave did cross my mind a little. I quickly tried to distract myself from the thought and walked around to find some of these guys to go talk to. Kind of break the ice so to speak. Skaters are all a good bunch of folks and are very nice, at least off the floor that is. LOL

After a seemingly endlees waiting period, my warm-up is called. So it time to get the head straight and warm-up those muscles. My legs are feeling ok up to this point. I hit the floor and get several warm-up laps in and then go check-in at the starting line. I find out that Master Men has heats too.

I'm in the first heat, but this time I come in 3rd. So the confidence is building some! My start was actually pretty respectable and I am happy with it. The final comes around pretty quick (even though it was an hour later). I get aneven better start this time and place 3rd in the 500 meter final!!! YAY I am exstactic! LOL I seems that as the day goes, my starts and skating in general are getting better and better. Now I am axiously anticipating the 1000 meter races.

When I go to check-in for the 1st 1000 meter heat, the girl tells us that some guys have bailed out of the race and there is going to be only 2 heats with 7 guys in each. WOW, I don't think that I have ever had that many GROWN men on the start line since I started racing! I am in the 2nd heat this time. I start thinking about strategy and decide that I need to put all of my effort towards the start and get out as fast as I can.

So we are now called to the line. The gun goes off and we race down the line to the first corner (cone). I am in 3rd position and am happy with that. As we come around to start the 2nd lap, the 2 guys in front of me go a little wide and I make the pass for 1st. Some how I was able to hold the off and finish the heat in 1st. I think you could have seen the smile on my face all the way back in Columbus! Top 3 qualify for the finals.

So the 1000 meter finals finally make it around about 5:45pm. Remember we have to be out of the building by 6pm. Master Men is always the last race of the day, unfortunately! So we come to the line and the gun goes off. I start the race in 3rd position again. I some how am able to hold off a late charge by one of the guys and finish in 3rd being unable to catch the 2 guys in front.

By now my legs are totally shot and hurting, but my overall feeling is grand. I had a great day with no incidences or injuries. AND my performance improved with almost every lap during the day. It was also good to see alot of my skating buddies that I haven't seen in several years.

I finished 3rd place overall for the Nocive Master Men. I am now looking forward to the next race and to see what I can do there. Possibly the Tampa Classic April 6-7. More to come then...