Toes

I just wanted to be very clear that those were not my ugly toes in the previous post. Although I do have to admit to wearing black only toenail polish as of late due to some "black toes"!

Matt's Massanutten Mountain Trail 100 mile ultra report

Yes, I am alive because if I am dead then I went to the wrong place. Never felt this sore after a race. It is comical. If it didnt hurt so much I would cry.

First to Jim and Bill- Why didnt you warn me?! :)

I could not in my wildest imagination dream up something this sadistic. It states that there are 81.3 miles of trail. What they define as a trail in Virginia isnt the same as anywhere else. When they say "trail" them mean look over this rock pile to the next tree with a orange blaze or a yellow ribbon. Move to that ribbon, repeat.

This year it was a new course but 90% of it along the MMT (again the T means "trail") as previously. We started at a new start at Caroline Furnace. I would strongly recommend getting a cabin. If not, the nearest place to stay is about 20 minute drive over the ridge. There is nowhere around to eat, no restaurants or stores. Bring EVERYTHING. Also the parking is 0.5 miles from the finish. Up and down a hill. Either leave a drop bag with all of your change of clothes at the finish (although I dont know that they "allowed" that.) Luckily a volunteer drove me to my car then I came back to the finish as there wasn't a lot of people there yet and took a quick shower before I left. Now, back to the race.

This was so outside my skill set of running. Its like the opposite of what I do in a 24 hour. There were several times at night when I got to the "top of a ridge", I started giggling hysterically. Luckily there was no one around. And in Virginia there is no such thing as "top of the ridge"- you just keep going up and down over the ridge line. In most states you climb to the highest point, then descend.

I went out slow. I wanted to be consistent, as Todd said. I was worried that my groin would act up at some point, but it never did. I couldn't imagine being on the top of a ridge and have that happen again, then trying to get down. Also about one week after BPAC my left Achilles area started hurting. It was a stiffness that improved with running and heat but after a run it would slowly come back. I saw my message therapist twice, and taped up my Achilles and calf, and luckily that never bothered me.

We climbed "Short" Mountain first. (You get the idea, I don't have to repeat myself here, we're in Virginia.) I power walked every hill. The up hills were easy for me. Profoundly easy for me, even until the end. I know- I am a freak and I really accepted that at this race. Some of the uphills that were dirt roads I ran and my heart rate didn't go up. I never knew that I could go up like that. Every runner that I passed ( and after I think 50 miles only the 1rst woman passed me-no one else did) was going up hill.

We continued along the western ridge up and down and there was a cool breeze and we were in the shade, temps starting the race in the 50s up to around 65 by noon.

I SUCK going down hill, especially if it was technical. After 37.6 miles I had to walk down all the steep sections. Runners were bombing down full speed over these cliffs, and I just was in shock watching them take off. I felt like a Marionette doll. I could not place my feet and keep my balance. What is that a lack of? Whatever it is I really need to start doing exercises to improve that or if it is a learned skill I need to start practicing. I really started to notice this coming down into Shawl Gap.

From Veach Gap to Indian Grave it was 9.0 miles. Nine miles on the MMT is a profound distance. It was getting hotter in the low 70s. I found two bonked runners on the ridge. They both could talk and were ok, but had been vomiting. I offered them supplies but they said that they couldn't keep anything down anyway. If you do this race, I recommend carrying a camel back. You need to bring way more food than you normally would due to the distance between aid stations.

From Indian Grave to Habron Gap it was on a gravel road. Normally I would say horray but it felt horrible pounding on the feet and much of it was in the sun. I made an ice collar at Indian Grave so that helped. You didn't need sunglasses because most of the time you were under trees or really needed to see where your footing was. But here it helped. Ate alot of dust from the buses pulling canoes down to the river.

From Habron Gap to Camp Roosevelt was also a long distance- 9.5. It felt like forever. At Camp Roosevelt I took off my camel back- a mistake. I was tired of wearing it and didn't like it on my back. I could feel sweat on my back and was feeling hot. I had a Ultimate direction bottle but stupid me, I had forgotten the hand holder. I took my small back-up headlamp, double looped it around the bottle and put my hand in it to hold it. 1.5 miles after leaving Camp Roosevelt, the lid blew up literally. I have no idea why. I just had accelerade in it. I had to hold the nipple over the hole to keep what was left of the liquid inside. Luckily, about 15 minutes later a volunteer from the next aid station was out for a run and he lent me his bottle which I returned to him when I came in. Thanks!

In my opinion, the eastern ridge is slightly more run-able than the western ridge, but it was the southern traverse of Jawbone Gap trail killed me. This starts at Gap Creek. It was a rock garden for 4.8 miles at the top, up and down constantly which just destroyed my feet. That plus the climb back up from aid station #14 to #15 really killed me. Surprisingly the climb up Birds Knob wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although the new descent down the purple trail was not pleasant. Trying to get down Birds Knob as they had to do in the past would be quite painful.

It was a profound experience. I was able to run the last 3 miles down hill on a gravel road. Or at least it felt like running- it was probably just gravity and the fact that I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

Right now I am pretty sore but I can get around and do the stairs. This is a good way to test if your hand railings on your stairs are weight bearing. Feet are swollen with blisters under the forefoot but the skin never broke down and I didn't tape them so I am happy. No focal tendon pains. No groin pain- hallelujah. Shoulders are really sore from wearing the camel back.

I dont recommend doing this race in the Stonewall Jackson Brigade (ie alone without a pacer or crew) unless you have done several 100 milers before. Although the volunteers are excellent and the course was VERY well marked, the length between the aid stations is quite far, and if the weather were hotter or more humid it could have been real trouble. I feel very lucky to have run it in 25:33- the longest continuous amount of time that I have ever run.

Matt Chaffin
Manlius, NY

Race for the Cure

My ten year old, Alexandra Beatrice Chaffin-aka: Als, Ally Bea, beebs, ABC...-ran her first 5k yesterday. I am so proud of my girl. Not only did she run the 5K but she ran the kids fun run (1 mile) beforehand! That is my little angel on the left. I am so proud of you Beebs! You can do anything in the world that you put your mind to-ANYTHING!!! mom

First Hundy

FINALLY got my first century ride in this season. I feel like I'm a little behind schedule. Why is it that I always feel that way? Man did we get lucky with the weather. It was posed to be a mess yesterday and ended up being beautiful. It never did rain and after a few hours the sun came out and it was near 80 by the end of the ride. This is one of the reasons I think I am prepared on race day. If I have a scheduled long ride-I'm gonna do it. My feeling is if it happens to rain on long ride day that is just preparation for possible rain on race day. And for anyone who knows me-it seems to rain ALOT when I race! The ride was HILLY-a great training ride for LP and the wind kicked up towards the end of the ride. Of course it would not have been a long ride without my typical "mom glitch"=that is my 13 year old calls me just as I'm heading out to tell me he forgot his baseball bag. Now I wasn't at home-I had met my peeps at the y and we were riding from there. He needed it by 2:30 and it was now 8:45. So I tell him-"I'll do my best, but I'm riding a hundred miles so anything can happen". So the entire ride he was on my mind-which ANNOYED me since it was due to his lack of responsibility. Anyway, being the good enabler I am-I wanted to get him his bag on time. Because the route we took was so hilly it took a little longer than planned. Lucky for Nate, the route took us right by our house. I quick ran in and got the bag-throw it on my back-back pack style-road it down to the middle school. Everyone looked at me like I was a freak when I walked into the school in my bike gear-and I almost slipped and fell on my ass walking in my bike shoes. Back on my bike and 5 glorious miles downhill to the y. The ride had a total elevation gain of 4200 feet-that was alotta climbing! Good luck to my honey who is in No. Virginia this morning running 100 miles! The Massanutten 100 mile trail run-where there are lots of rattlesnakes-yikes-running with a headlamp with rattlesnakes in the vicinity makes me a little nervous. Especially since I almost sat on a rattlesnake once-more on that later! http://www.vhtrc.org/mmt/

Know When to Fold Em'

So for me, working out is a way of life. I'm not one of these people who dreads a workout. I never could understand why someone would continue to do something that they clearly did not enjoy. I love swimming, biking, and running. Sure there are days and certain workouts that I whine and complain but overall I'm in this because I really enjoy doing it. In many ways it is my medicine. I do not feel well when I take a day away. I feel sluggish and hungover and completely lacking energy. In an ideal world I would wake up every morning, drink two cups of starbucks, and get right to some kind of work out. The point to all of this...rest does not come easy to me. If I could get away with it I would never ever take a day off. Today my body is telling me I need rest. And I need to listen-I know what can happen when you come to this fork in the road and choose to carry on when your body is screaming for a break. I've had a couple of big weeks and on top of a high mileage week I worked over 48 hours and got very little sleep. Saturday was my 6th night in a row working-I came home and slept for three hours, then ran for 3 hours, then went back to work for my final 4 hour shift at work. It was a cluster of a week-I never work that much but with the kids on break this week and Matt in Boston next week I had to put in some extra time. In two weeks I will be running the New Jersey Marathon and today I struggled with a 6 mile run at an 8:30 pace-not good. The heart rate was low but the quads are not cooperating. So, I bagged the bike this afternoon-despite wanting more than anything to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I will rest if I must and I must. Sigh...jc

Lake Placid 140.6

I have been waivering about Lake Placid for months now. I have to say I was really sad that my three favorite training partners decided not to race LP this year. I was so looking forward to finally racing an Ironman w/my BFF from Maine- Melissa-unfortunately she had a spinal fusion-twice-in recent months so she is a no go. The best part about doing triathlons is getting to share the experience with great friends who totally get it. Cuz let's be honest-most people think this is really crazy. In fact, I remember the first year I did Lake Placid and I would go to the Cavalry Club pool where my kids are on the swim team-the other moms would ask me what I did for training that day and if I rode 90 I would say 30!! Stupid-but I just got sick of trying to explain how I actually enjoyed riding my bike that far. OK-back to Lake Placid-it is my favorite place on earth. I just feel at home there-I could totally move there-and I would LOVE to retire there. I raced my first Ironman there in 2008-that was the year that it poured rain the ENTIRE day. I loved every minute of it. I was having a fantastic day. I had an amazing coach-and I was prepared. Plus-I had that once in a lifetime fire that you get when you do something for the very first time. I was having the race of my life until about mile 93 on the bike when I got my first flat. I had issues with the stem on my race wheel and ended up getting 2 more flats-only had 2 tubes so had to wait for bike tech for 20min in the pouring rain. Three flats from mile 93-108! It was devastating and I need to go back there-I feel like I've got unfinished business there. So now I'm ready. I feel that fire again. When I'm doing my long rides I see myself riding the LP course-I hit a hill and in my mind I'm heading up the three bears. When I'm running the marathon in New Jersey in two weeks I will be running Placid-this is where my heart is. See you there!

Getting Stronger

I've been a total slacker about blogging. This is a really busy time of year in the Chaffin household. Matt and I are both ramping up the mileage for race season and the kids have baseball, lacrosse, swimming, and soccer. This is alittle insane but honestly I function better when I'm crunched for time. It has been interesting for me coaching myself. The best part about it is that I am way more relaxed about my training mentally. When I have a schedule in front of me I tend to get alittle anal retentive and I really freak out if I have to miss a work out-i stress and worry alot about how to fit it in. One of the benefits to going solo is that I find that I listen to my body a whole lot more. I was completely guilty of not being completely honest with my coach about how I was feeling. I was terrified to miss a work out. Now that I am winging it-if I feel like crap I just take it easy that day-no big deal-and when I'm feeling good I can lay down the hammer. For now, it is working. I'm fortunate to still be able to do a large amount of training with Kristen who always pushes me out of my comfort zone. One of the biggest changes I have made thus far is that I have been doubling up on my longish rides. 50+ miles on Monday and then 60+ miles on Friday. I'm alittle panicked that I have yet to do a century (hundy as Adam would say) with Placid less that a hundy days away!! There is time and right now my focus is Eagleman 70.3. On Monday I've just been riding at a relaxed pace-and the past few Sundays I have ran 20 or more miles so the legs are not all there on Monday! On Wednesday Kristen and I did a brick of 25 miles on the bike followed by an hour run. This was a total disaster for me as I was going on less than 3 hours of sleep after working the previous 3 nights in a row. I started the ride out and immediately got a terrible side stitch-the kind you get when you are running really hard-the kind I've never had on the bike! KRoe was hauling up a huge hill and every breath I took was so painful. When we got to the top she said, "You have a bloody nose!" I told her she should just go on cuz i was feeling like crap-the good friend she is she didn't wanna leave me with the nose bleed and all! The run wasn't much better but you know what-I got it done and it is miles in the bank. Some days that is all you can do. I know that it is all making me stronger!