There are things that humans can't improve.

Gotta love the polka-dot shirt! and Mammut MTR pack

After a few weeks since my Wildcat Romp 50k, I have been starting solid training again and really feeling like the Cole I knew last fall. I had chosen this race because I was looking for something that would be a late summer race and get myself a race test before my big races this fall. I always like to have my most critical races scheduled for the fall as cooler weather seems to suit me well.

I had the interest in running an ultra in NJ, my home state to see how that would go. Well, here is the story.

The Virgil Crest Ultra.  The Race Director labels the run as "Not a race for sissies!", I would totally agree.  With living only 5 miles from the race course, I have had the opportunity to train on the trails, the ski slopes, and really gauge my fitness.  Little did I know that all that training almost did not matter!  This course is just rugged-hard.  Not only is there tons of tough vertical ups and blinding down hill sections but the footing is what makes this race "not for sissies".  Every foot-plant I made, my foot was twisted through mud, roots that made me feet ache upon each strike, and narrow paths deep in the woods where a fall could be...fatal.

This race was TOUGH!  I never imagined how hard it would actually be but it was.

The 50 mile race was a great challenge and I am so glad I had enough guts to hold it together for a course record.

The Virgil Crest Ultra is a Monster of a race! With 10,000 feet of gain and loss, slow rocky, rooty single-track Finger Lakes Trail, this race is a punisher of a course.  Oh yeah, and you summit Greek Peak at 2,189 feet from 1,180 feet in about a mile and a half (That is running up a ski slope!).  The course record is 8:34 or so which is a smoking fast time for the course and I hope to be able to run right around that time on the slow end though my real goal is to run a super fast course record time that will stand for many years to come.  Looking at my race at the Cayuga Trails 50, I did not race to my ability with my badly twisted ankle and I still managed a 7:45 effort though wound up off course for a 8:00 on the dot finish.  That type of performance with the similar amount of vertical would place me 30 minutes above record pace.  Now all I need is to be able to run to my potential and hope for dry conditions so I can run the downhills fast and not get slowed down by the mud.  If all the stars align, I think that a 7 hour performance is in the cards.  I have been running tons of vertical both up and down and though I have been on the tired-side of running, when I taper in the next 2 weeks, I should be primed to handle the course the best I can. 

Wearing my Mammut MTR longsleeve zip on a nice cool morning--46 degrees (Best quality apparel around!!!)

Running a ridge in the Southern Sangre de Cristo mountains

Mammut introduced a new line of trail running kit this year, the Mammut MTR series.  One of my favorite activities in the summer is long runs in the mountains, so I was excited to put the new MTR kit to use.  We had a nice start to running season this spring in northern New Mexico, with lots of runs in the Jemez Mountains, including the 8th annual Jemez Mountain Trail Races on May 25th.  However, the summer season has been slow to get going because of a few fires that closed all of the forest down until just recently.

Before we get to my thoughts on the new MTR gear, I just want to shout out The Enormocast.  I sat down with Chris Kalous at The Enormocast during the summer OR show and talked about mountain running, alpine climbing, risk, and the role of community in mentorship.  Check it out here-> Episode 40: Doug Shepherd - Too smart to be stupid.

I am a week away from the Cranmore Hillclimb!  This is my first time up this slope and  I am very excited to have the chance to run up this incredible slope with the BEST competition at a USA Mountain race ever. Not only will runners such as Max King, Joe Gray, Matt Byrne, and so many others but tons of fast road racers are giving this race the shot at making the team.  Whether I make the USA team or not, that is not my worry, I am going out there to compete and to have fun. Recently, I have really taken a liking of the ultra distances and though this race is a mere 12k, it incorporates some great elements you could feel in an ultra.  With tons of ups and downs, this race is very exciting and I look forward to another fun competition. Heading out to New Hampshire at least once every summer has become a starting tradition for me. With Acidotic Racing, one of my gracious sponsors, heading to New Hampshire feels more like a family reunion. I am so excited about the race and with smelling some of that fresh mountain air.  I will provide more with pictures and a full-race recap when all is said and done!

The push to the finish!

How to begin after such an incredible day yesterday.  For one, I can say that I am so sore that it is just silly.  My feet ache a little, I have a swollen ankle that limited my performance yesterday, and my legs make going up stairs and down stairs a living struggle.  I never thought I could survive and run 50 miles.  I always knew I had the ability to but even in the early miles of the race past the 50k point(31 miles approximately), I was worried a DNF was in the cards.  When I look back on my performance I am so thankful for such an incredible support group and everyone out there that helped keep me motivated all the way to the finish.

Here's a nice MTR introduction video produced by Mammut in Chile!


SPOT MAMMUT MTR CLUB from Victoria Films on Vimeo.

This morning, I headed out to Hammond Hill State Forest for the Tom B trail run in honor of Tom Bugolosi, a great local trail runner who had sadly passed at the age of 32.  Riding out to the race, I had those nerves I feel when I line-up for a big race.  I was just so excited to race again after taking all of April off from any racing.  I made it to the parking lot and had about 35-45 minutes to settle the nerves and to get out there and have a great time.  I did a little warm-up and then just was hanging around getting ready to race. I hoped I would not get lost and that was of course my number one goal. I have a tendency to follow the natural trail and to make judgements to what  I believe to be the most suitable trail while not glancing at markers which gets me lost.   The weather felt nice but I knew it was going to be a little warm.  I had all of my Mammut gear ready to go.  I had my new Ultraspire Isomeric Pocket Handheld which felt so good and two Cliff shots.

Hanging out at the Finish with the Mammut Gear and the Acidotic "School of Hard Rocks" shirt

THE RACE:

We lined up, heard the Race Director gives us some tips on how not to get lost and then off we went.  The course began with a nice 800m climb to the trail sections on what seemed to be a nice seasonal access road...