The Rugged Red - Race Recap

Before I get to this post, thanks for stopping by to read about this race. It has been a long, long time since I last blogged.  Thanks to those who follow me for continuing to check in for new posts. Sorry it has been so long.


A few months ago I read about a new race forming that was going to be held in the Red River Gorge. This was going to be a half marathon trail race. This would be the first event for The Rugged Red.

It sounded like a good idea. I like the half marathon distance and I like OCR races (which are basically trail runs with obstacles mixed in).  OCR's have pretty much disappeared from the KY area, so I figured I would like a trail run too. I talked with a friend in my life group and we both signed up for it.  It was on!

Let me tell y'all, this race entirely lived up to its name and then some!  I am still sore (two days later) and have some minor wounds (read: tiny scrapes) to show for it. I would say that I underestimated how challenging the course was going to be and that I was not properly trained for a trail run of this magnitude.  Do I regret running it? Absolutely not! Did I have fun? Yes (initially no, but now that I reflect on it, yes). Would I do it again? Let me get back to you on that.  In all seriousness, I think I would try it again, but I would be sure to be much more prepared.

From the responses and social media posts that I have read, I wasn't the only one that underestimated the course.  It was also a very warm September day (high around 90*F) and extremely humid! Details?  You want details?  OK, I will replay as much as I can remember (it all kind of blurs now) and of course show as many pics/videos I can find.

***Warning*** This is going to be a very long post.  I have to make up for all the months I skipped, right?!?!

So, without further ado, here is how the weekend went down...

As I mentioned before, I signed up for the race with a buddy of mine and he also recruited another friend to join us. We decided to head to the race area (a little over an hour away) after work on Friday, pick up the race packets, and stay the night.

We got there about 7:30 that evening and retrieved our race packets.  We left the pickup area and grabbed some morning food/fuel and then went to check into our motel.  Yep, you read that right, motel.  There were three options for overnight stay.  We could camp out, but our old man bodies likely wouldn't operate properly for a run in the morning. We could rent a cabin, but we are cheap so we didn't want to fork out the $$ for that. Or we could stay in the motel in town.

Yep, the third option was the one we chose.  Lil' Abner Motel it was! I had to include a link so you can see exactly what we are talking about here! We got there to check in and they had, of course, sold out of what was reserved for us. But they had another room that was just a little bit more, a suite with a kitchenette.  It was a smoking allowed room, so we checked it out first before committing and went with it since we could breathe fine. After-all, we just needed a place to rest our heads for a night, right?

Lil' Abner Motel:

We chilled the rest of the night, scanning through our race packets, prepping our clothes and packs for the morning, etc. We decided to call it a night around 10:30 or 11 and wake up around 5 AM the next morning (we had to be to the shuttle bus around 6 - more on that later). All was going well, sleeping soundly until about 2 AM. I heard some lady screaming outside. Honestly, I figured it was some kind of drunken argument or something to that extent.  It subsided quickly, or I drifted back off to sleep, either way, it didn't last long and there wasn't a window or peephole for me to look out (and I wasn't about to open our door to check it out), so I let it be.

I heard the screaming again at 4:30.  That is my usual wake up time, so I was awake for good at this point.  There didn't seem to be anything else going on outside, so I just started to get ready a little early and ignore the dramatics outside.  I didn't know what happened until after the race when a neighbor of ours in the motel (another runner) asked if I saw what was going on. She had a window and could see it all. Turns out the commotion was that someone died that night and the lady found the dead man.  Coroner's van and all went down at Lil' Abner's in the wee hours of the morning. I never did find out more details as everything was gone when we left the room, but I am kind of glad I didn't know until after the race.  Needless to say, I was a tad tired from the commotion.

OK, onto race morning. We were originally supposed to meet at a farm to get loaded onto buses and then shipped to the Gorge. That changed the day before and we were to meet behind the Dollar General parking lot.  Yep, you read it correctly, stick with me here.  I was a little concerned that we had to be there at 6 AM when the race didn't start until 8 AM, but whatevs.

So we get parked and loaded onto the bus. We sat on the bus for about 30 minutes then departed. A long, scary ride on winding mountain roads and we arrive at the start line at about 7:40.  At this point, everybody's bladder is nearing explosion because you need to hydrate for a long race. Mad dashes were made for the four port-a-potties at the line.  I didn't have time for that! So I became one with nature and took care of business the way every boy likes to when he is in the wilderness.  Don't hate, you'd do the same if you were in that situation!

Right before the start line of the race (from another racer):

Next was to check out bags. That was done fairly easy. However there was some confusion as the bus driver told us there was a last minute change and we had to leave bags on the bus, but then there really was a bag check. Whatever!?!?  I chalk all the "challenges" up to it being the first year for this event.  Some mishaps are expected. After bags checked, Kevin and I mingled a little and then said a prayer for safety and to thank God for blessing us with the ability to take on this course.  Then it was time to line up.

I was in the second heat of runners. In total, there were 380 runners that registered for the race (probably more if you count the ones that registered at the event itself, but that is the best count I could get from online). Each wave was made of 50 runners.  I was in the second wave, which was released at 8:03.  I usually get pretty jittery before a race at the line, but I didn't really have time to this race. It was all go-go-go until we were released before I knew it.

The first part of the race, 1.7 miles, was on a gravel road that lead to the trail. This wasn't particularly hilly and it was actually a good way to get your pace and heart rate elevated. I was running with a guy that is quite an accomplished runner and we chatted most of the time until we came to the trail part.  We were running around a 7:30-7:45 pace for most of this, not slow, but definitely reserving energy for the race ahead.  Right at the turn off to the trail was the first (of only two) water stops.  I skipped this as we had just gotten started and I didn't feel the need for water or to slow down.  I think most of the early wave runners did the same.

After we entered the trail portion, it was all trail.  Until the bitter end of the race with the last quarter mile being on paved road and grass to the finish line.  The trail portion is all kind of fuzzy to me, so I will tell some highlights as best as I remember and then show the maps and elevation charts.

The first portion of the trail was a pretty steep downhill path. There was nothing easy about this portion. It was mostly single-file with little room to pass and was STEEP. You had to really let your legs go, but also be aware of sharp turns and roots/rocks in the ground. Delicate footwork was a necessity.  Once you made it to the bottom, it was pretty much the same thing, except now we had to go up the giant hill.  Ouch!!  Talk about making the legs burn!  The most challenging part about this portion was that there was little to no recovery (flat land) between extreme downhill and extreme uphill running.

Some of the scenery on top of one of the mountains we had to climb (from another racer):

Shortly after struggling up the first monstrous hill, there were some minor ups and downs (at least minor in comparison) before we started our decent down the next giant hill.  Again, once we got to the bottom of this one, it was straight back up.  It was brutal. And the race was still in the first half. What a challenge!  While it was painful, I found it extremely exhilarating to have such a challenge. Somewhere on this second descent and ascent, I found myself alone on the trail.  I could hear two guys in front of me and nobody behind me. I knew that people couldn't be far away either way, but it was a tad eerie to be all alone in the giant wooded area. That is also probably a sign of how windy the trail was at points and how deep in the forest it was that I couldn't see other runners.  I stayed mostly solo for a good rest of the race until the last few miles.

After making it to the top of this hill, the terrain was hilly, but nothing compared to those last two climbs. Around the 5-5.5 mile mark, I started to hear some buzzing around me.  If you know me, I don't like things that buzz. At. All.  I feared bees, but quickly realized it was a swarm 3-4 horse flies following me. I was happy they weren't bees, but didn't like the idea of them following me. At one point I started swatting at them. Yeah, that only made me look foolish. Granted, nobody else was around, but I knew it looked silly. In my head I was totally thinking Hunger Games.  Those weren't horse flies, they were tracker jackers.  Yes, I am well aware I am a giant dork, but hey, it made me move a little faster.

Unfortunately for me, I was not successful in out running them.  About a half mile after they started their pursuit, I felt a pinch on my back left shoulder blade and then another in the middle of my back. Ouch, that hurt! I didn't even pause to think about it, it was over, move one Jonathan. The others must have left after the two got me and I was pretty thankful they were gone. A short distance later, I still felt a bit of a pinch in my shoulder blade, so I slowed down and stuck my hand back there to scratch it. Yep, they were still on my shirt!  I may or may not have screamed like a little girl while gently brushing bashing them off of my back.  Shew, they were gone for good now.

I got rid of the tracker jackers horse flies just in time to start my next huge descent down a giant mountainous hill.  At the bottom of this hill it was fairly steady ground where I had to cross a creek a few times (or maybe they were different creeks, I don't really know).  With the second creek crossing, I totally lost my balance due to my left foot slipping off of a rock and POW.  Down I went. Hard. Rocks nailed my left upper thigh and knee.  I was stunned. My leg locked up. I picked myself up, got out of the water, and assessed the damage at the edge of the creek. No blood, ankle was flexing, thigh and calf were tight. I told myself I needed to keep pressing on.  I started back at a slow jog to work out some of the cramping/tightness.  It seemed to be working, so I continued.  It was tight, but I was not badly injured.

I continued on and the leg was still a bit stiff.  I didn't think it was too bad, but I guess I wasn't picking my leg up enough when striding along.  My left toe met a rock on a short down hill path. Crash!  Yep, I bit it again.  This time was harder. There wasn't water to soften my blow. It was just hard dirt and rocks. I went sliding for probably 10 feet and came to a stop. I got up, assessed the damage and it wasn't too bad. The side of my left hand was pretty scraped up and bleeding and my left elbow (I'm assuming that is what took most of the impact upon bracing for the fall) was bleeding. There were some scrapes on my knee, but again, nothing too serious. Just a bit of stinging, blood, and serious hurt to my morale.

My minor wounds from my graceful falls:

The next part was just a constant up and down over hills.  Nothing near as big as the first two, but enough to make you slow down and catch your breath.  As soon as you made it up, you were going back down and vice-verse.  I can't remember the order, but the next two things I remember were a giant suspension bridge and the next water stop.  I know the water stop was at mile 8.5, but I can't remember if the bridge was before or after. I am pretty sure before?!?!  That bridge though! GIANT. Talk about trying to run on a trampoline and up pretty high. The rails came up high on the body, so that made me feel a bit more comfortable, but it was a crazy feeling to be that high up and literally swinging while trying to run across a bridge.  I fueled up at the water stop and refilled my water bottle.  5 more miles to go!

The suspension bridge (I believe this is a picture from last fall, but you get the idea):

Shortly after the water stop there was a long, steady climb with lots of ups and downs. I can't remember much, I but I can remember that I was hurting. If I paused to think about direction of travel or to get a good stance for a climb, one or both of my legs would seize up and cramp.  This was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had. It was not only a physical strain, but a mental one. When the cramping sets in, I just had to tell myself to work it out. And I did. It was painful, but I pushed through.

I pushed through pretty good until the last two miles. At that point, my body was pretty much done. My legs were cramping at every change in direction. I knew my time was shot, but I also knew the only way out was to finish. I refused to give up, despite the amount of pain I was in. With each mile that ticked by, I became more and more frustrated with the pace I was setting.  By mile 11, it changed. It changed from caring about pace to caring about surviving the race. I walked and jogged a good amount of the rest of the course. The steep inclines and declines helped make that decision. There was no way I would even be able to stay upright had I tried to run that portion of the course in my condition. So I settled on the thought of just making it to the end.  And that is exactly what I did.

The last half mile was made up of some of the muddiest trail and steps I've ever been on followed by a quarter mile of road and grass running to the finish line.  I saw a few familiar faces as I turned off the street toward the last stint of grass at the finish line. That was good. That helped me push through even more.

I crossed the finish line!  I did it! It wasn't pretty, and I am pretty sure my feet were dragging the ground, but I crossed the line.  This was the most exhausted (physically and mentally) I have ever felt in my life.  I gladly accepted my ice cold towel and draped it on my head and neck. I went to refuel with bananas and water. I locked up. A lot. My legs were done. It took probably a half hour or so for me to be able to move again. I felt pathetic, but I did it.

I watched as other racers I knew crossed the finish line. We all greeted each other in our pain ridden states and talked about the challenge we just conquered. The community aspect of the running group is amazing and something I am proud to be a part of. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are, it is about the people and community.  I love it.

After my buddies finished, we refueled a bit more. Grabbed our bags and boarded a bus to take us back to our cars. It was a long trip back to the cars and many people (including me) were dealing with cramping on the bus. We made it (after seeing one of the other buses on the side of the road in a ditch - everyone was safe) to the cars, changed and headed home to Lexington.  We were toast.

We survived and finished!!

The bus in the ditch and medal (from another racer; all runners on bus were okay):

Here is a tunnel that we had to squeeeezzzeee through on the bus ride back too:

How did I do? I am not proud of my time, but I am proud I finished.  Of the 380 racers (registered online), only 261 had finished the course an hour after the cutoff time.  That means that there were a whole lot of people (at least 120) that weren't able to finish or came in after the finish line was closed. The stories I have heard are crazy and not surprising given the conditions of the race and the terrain.  I finished in 3:15 at a 14:24/mile pace. To put that in perspective, the last RunTheBluegrass half marathon (a technical and hilly road race) that I ran in March 2014 I completed in 1:32 with an average pace of 7:02/mile.  Talk about a humbling experience!  :-)

All in all, I am glad I was a part of this race.  Could things be improved? Yes, but that is what happens after an inaugural race, the directors begin improving the experience and logistics. This race was the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done.  I still say that two days after.  I am proud of this medal and will always have it on display.

Without further ado, here are some pictures, links, etc.:

The elevation chart for the race (from another racer's Garmin):

My mileage splits - it hurts to look at them:

My GPS map of the race from watch:

My GPS stats from race from watch:

A shot from one of the rescue team's gear after the race (from their FaceBook page):

Link to new short news article about the race.

A couple other blog posts on the race:
Infinite MPG
Chainring Report

YouTube Videos:
I am around the 1:10 mark on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw5aR-cC6ZI
The end of this one shows one of the mountain rescue squads rescuing a racer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohsZW_tIaU8

Thanks for sticking with me on the forever long post! I hope you were able to get through it all. As more pictures and videos come up, I will add them to this.

Until next time blogosphere...

Racing Season Is Back!

Wow, I really slacked off over the last few months (6-ish)!!  I hope I am back now and am able to update more regularly.  I have hopefully updated my racing tabs, etc. and will keep them updated now that running season is in full swing.

I have made some very quick posts, mainly for historical reference and pictures, and posted them.  If interested, here are the links to the races that I added posts for:

Komen Race for the Cure 5K

Biggest Loser 15K

RunTheBluegrass 2014

There were a couple other races in there too, but I didn't write posts on them mainly because I didn't have any pictures to post, but I have updated them in my race tracking tabs.

I am very excited for this race season.  Not because I have any major races planned or am training extra hard, but because Abby is able to run as well now too.  She started late last year, but this will be the first full race season that we are able to enjoy fitness together.  And more importantly spread the love of fitness we have to our kids.

Stay tuned (I hope) for more updates as the season progresses.  Until next time blogosphere...

RunTheBluegrass 2014

Last year, RunTheBluegrass was my first every half marathon race.  (Click here to read my recap of the RTB 2013) Of course I had to sign up for it again this year.  In fact, I've already registered for the RTB 2015!  Abby signed up for the run the 7 miler while I ran the half.  I am so proud of her for running her longest race to date.  She even stuck to it despite injuries and not as much training as planned.

Last year I wasn't sure what to expect.  This year I knew what to expect, but the weather conditions weren't the greatest to say the least.  It was very chilly and rainy as compared to seasonably warm and sunny last year.  I would have liked to stick around for more of the festivities the race director arranged for, but Abby and I were chilled to the bone and wanted to get home to the kids by the time we finished the race.  Here's hoping to better weather next year when we both will be running the half.  Yep, you read that right.  Abby signed up for the half for next year too!

Without further ado, here are the pictures from this year's race:

Start line, corral 1.  A lot of people!

Half way point (6.55 miles)!

Mile 8.5

Abby finishing!

Jonathan finishing!

Abby results:

Jonathan results:

After race pictures:

Here is Abby's recap of RTB 2014 if you wanted to read it: My First 7 Mile Race - RunTheBluegrass

This is hands down the best organized race I have ever run.  Hence the repeat of 2013 and 2014 and even signing up for 2015 this early.  I was glad that Abby got to experience it as well.  Now, we just need to get the weather situation fixed!

Biggest Loser 15K

The next race I ran in was the Biggest Loser 5K/15K at the Kentucky Horse Park.  Abby ran the 5K and I ran the 15K. This was an odd distance that I'd never run before.  This was also kind of a last minute sign up for Abby and I to run.  I like the last minute races since I don't have much time to get worked up about it.

This race took place on 11/02/2013 and this was another race that we were able to leave the kids home for.  It would have been a really fun fitness date with Abby other than the fact that it was really cold and windy out!  Other than the temperature, it was a fun race.

I am usually prepared for races and look at the course maps when available, etc. but didn't with this one.  I was completely shocked when we took a turn and ended up running inside of the fences of one of the horse corrals for about 3/4 of a mile to a mile.  Not something I expected or was prepared for.  I don't mind running off road, but I like to be prepared for it.

Since I am so late posting about this one, some of the details are quite fuzzy, so I'll just leave you with pics and results:

I was very happy with my run.  The scenery was beautiful and the hills were just challenging enough to break up the longer run.  I placed 1st in my age group and 7th overall.

Komen Race for the Cure 5K

This race was held on 10/05/2013 in downtown Lexington.  This was another race that Abby and I ran as part of a team.  Team Lexington Oriental Rugs to be more specific.  It is awesome what Chad does and how he puts effort (and money) back into the community.  One of the ways is by supporting runners (and walkers) to run in local races.

This was a fun race for Abby and I as we were able to leave the kids at home and enjoy the race environment together without constantly keeping an eye on the kids.  It is fun to have the kids at events, but it was kind of a fitness date for us.

The race day was quite warm and humid.  Normally in those conditions I prefer to run without a shirt, but I wanted to support team LOR so I kept it on this time.  Needless to say, it was hot and I was very winded by the end of the race.

Here are a couple of pictures from the race:

Taking off at the start line:

Crossing the finish line: 

Results:

Going into the race I didn't have any expectations other than to do my best.  I was very pleased with my results and any 5K time under 20:00 is a huge success to me!

Catching Up...

Wow, it has been a long time since I last posted!  So long that I had three race recaps to write.  I finally got around to getting them out.  They are mostly pictures, but I hope you enjoy.  Here are links to the three recaps:

Extreme Rampage - Masterson Station Park - 2013

Run For The Refuge 5K 2013 Recap

CASA Superhero Run 5K

That was a crazy busy three weeks in a row!  I love that my family is doing fitness together and are incorporating it into our lives.  But this post is for more than just race recaps.  This is a post that I have wanted to write for a long time and have always found an excuse (time, reactions, etc.) to not get it done.  Well, no more of that.

Looking back at my race log and results, I am blown away by them.  Who would have thought that a person who never tried running until March 2012 would do so well?  Many people have told me it is a natural ability.  Maybe so. But one thing is certain.  I could not do this without the support of my family.  Most of all, I could not do this without my continuously growing partnership with God.

During my morning runs and workouts, I am constantly talking to Him.  He helps relieve my stress when I am stressed, listens when I need to talk and sort out issues in my life, and provides the most beautiful surroundings in nature to remind me of just how small I am in the scheme of things.  He motivates me to push through the pain and weaknesses (both physical and mental) and gives me the strength and determination to push even harder and further.

Don't get me wrong, life is not always easy.  It rarely is.  From the stresses of everyday life (family, finances, etc.) to the constant struggle between what is right in God's eyes and what is right in the world's eyes, one thing is for sure: I have been blessed in so many ways, not by my own abilities, but by the abilities that God has provided me with.

All I can say is that I pray that I can continue to improve my life and my family's life and stay humble with God as my focus.  Thank you for your blessings God.

CASA Superhero Run 5K

On September 21st, superheros invaded Lexington for a 5K!  Of course we had to participate, right?!?!?

The CASA race was my first road race ever back in 2012.  However, back then it was a 5K or 10K.  This year they changed it to be superhero themed and only a 5K.  I like the longer distance of a 10K, but I also enjoyed the added excitement of the theme and it made the event a much more family oriented and fun experience.  I really like the incorporation and meaning of the theme, click the link in the first sentence of this paragraph to read more (it's worth it).

Just for historical reference, here is the link to last year's CASA race.

When I found out this was going to be a superhero theme I decided that we needed to go as the batman family.  Not sure why, but that is what popped into my head and stuck there.  I knew I would be pushing the kids in the double jogger, so I wanted the whole family to coordinate.  It was fun!  And before I show the pics and results, I have to brag on myself.  I personally created the capes that Abby and I wore.  Yes, that means from forcing myself to go to Hobby Lobby and purchasing supplies to cutting out the capes and making the logos that I put on them.  I am pretty proud of that little feat.  Won't happen again.  Just saying...

The day was pretty gloomy.  It was pretty chilly and there was the threat of rain.  Actually it was supposed to rain all day, but we got lucky and the rain held off until after the race.  Despite the chill in the air and the sprinkles raining down on us afterward, I think the race was a lot of fun and can't wait for next year's race!

OK, here are the pics from the race:

Walking from parking lot to the race we were asked if we could take a picture.  Turns out the photog was the race director from the RunTheBluegrass half marathon!

Approaching the finish line:

After I finished, talking to the race director of RunTheBluegrass:

Abby approaching the finish:

Picture after the race showing off our outfits (note the amazing capes!):

Adalyn loves, loves, loves the Chick-Fil-A cow:

Yep, started to rain, but also check out the Joker and Batman in the background:

Some prizes (coffee for Abby for picking up a figuring on the course; CASA turvis for me for placing in age group):

Possibly my favorite finish line photo to date:

So, how did I do?  Here are the results:

I finished 12th overall and 3rd in my age/gender group.  I am also proud to say that I was the first stroller (let alone double) to finish.  I really wish there would be stroller awards too at some of these races.  :-)

Well, blogosphere, that's it, I think I am finally caught up on my race recaps.  Until next time...