Tag: running

Race Report: Pilot Mountain Payback Marathon

February 17, 2013By y2kemo

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “I’d love to run a trail marathon up and down a mountain in the dead of winter” then I have a race for you. It’s called the Pilot Mountain Payback, and you can expect your bum handed to you when you cross the finish line.

The course is a mixture of technical single track, rocky bridal trail, with a bit of roadway for good measure. There are six stream crossing, and just so you don’t get comfortable, calf-burning climbs and quad-busting descents (check out the elevation profile: 3,588′ gain and 3,584′ loss).

Well, because I tend not to consult common sense when choosing a race, I decided to sign up with a buddy of mine, John. Together we would conquer this little North Carolina hill.

Running a 5K as a barefoot Christmas Tree

December 8, 2012By y2kemo

There aren’t many runs I look forward to more than the Reindeer Romp 5K in Jamestown, NC. Not just because it’s close to home, but because I get to run it in a homemade holiday-themed running costume.

The first year I ran as a gift. Last year I went as the Grinch pushing my son in a sleigh. This year I went as a tree.

The tree idea came to me as I nearly suffocated in my Grinch mask last year. I didn’t just want a tree. I wanted one with lights, garland, ornaments, and a real moving-around-the-tree train.

Over the next 51 weeks I planned my costume in my head. And like a kid who’s had all year to put together his science project I finally made it to Hobby Lobby to get materials for my tree the Monday before the race.

Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon: My first barefoot 26.2

November 19, 2012By y2kemo

Two runners post marathon — *My sister and I post marathon*

If you’re bored with life, if you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things, you don’t have enough goals.
Lou Holtz

At the beginning of the year I set a handful of running goals: run a 5K a month; set a new marathon PR; and run a barefoot half and full marathon. Up until this past weekend I’ve knocked out 10 of 12 5Ks via Anywhere5K, set a marathon PR in Chicago (3:31:25), and ran a barefoot half in Indianapolis.

Since the NYC Marathon fell through, I decided to make Charlotte’s Thunder Road Marathon my first barefoot marathon. As an added bonus, my sister was going to run with me, and I was going to help pace her to a new PR.

Army Ten-Miler: A barefoot warmup for the NYC Marathon

October 24, 2012By y2kemo

The Army Ten-Miler (ATM) is one of my favorite races to run. But don’t take my word for it. Registration for the ATM opened to the public on May 15 at midnight. Within 9 hours all 30,000 spots were filled.

Put on by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the race starts and finishes at the Pentagon, passing by DC landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capitol Building.

I ran the race in 2006 (1:13:05) and again in 2011 (1:17:29). This year, because the NYC marathon is just 2 weeks after the ATM, I decided to hold back a little and use the race as a barefoot warmup.

Race Report: The 2012 Chicago Marathon

October 10, 2012By y2kemo

I’ve lived in a handful of places. Not quite as many places as I have been, man, but enough to provide a goal of running a marathon in each location. My first knocked out Kansas City, MO. Second put a check next to High Point, NC. And this past Sunday I drew the line through Chicago after finishing the 35th Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

The road to the finish line started off rocky after a bit of miscalculation. For whatever reason I had it in my head that my 20-week training schedule started in July. In late June I got to thinking about the marathon, backed up 20 weeks, and realized I was off by about 6 weeks.

Sure, I was logging about 20-25 miles a week, but I needed to be running 35-40 miles a week. So, I created a new training plan that spanned 92 days and 471 miles, and started July 7.

Blue Ridge Relay 2012: Break out your best poop jokes

September 11, 2012By y2kemo

team of runners at the finish line — BRR2012 Team GO FAR

Last year I joined Team Lost Soles to run the 2011 Blue Ridge Relay; a 208-mile race that starts in Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia and ends in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

In the course of a year we lost six “soles” from the 2011 team (RIP), but we gained 6 new ones for the 2012 GOFAR team (RIP soon). If you subtract 6 from 12 you’ll see that half the team was willing to give the BRR the benefit of the doubt.

BRR 2012 Team GOFAR consisted of runners ranging in age (36 to more than 36) and experiences (marathon to triathalon to ultramarathon). We pushed through the heat, humidity, and occasional downpours. We braved each others’ body odor and never-ending supply of poop jokes.

We did it all in a mere 31 hours 32 minutes and 32 seconds.

My First Barefoot Half Marathon

May 9, 20122 commentsBy y2kemo

Earlier this year I set out to accomplish two running goals: a barefoot half marathon and a barefoot full marathon. I started training on 2/13 with a target of 212.5 miles. 12 weeks later I logged 260 miles (104 barefoot). Here’s how the Indy Mini-Marathon went…

I already know how to run slow

April 27, 2012By y2kemo

Running an #Anywhere5K is a blast!

March 4, 2012By y2kemo

In the 20+ years I’ve been running today marked the third time I’ve run a race without being anywhere near my fellow runners. The concept is called virtual running. The race I ran is called an #Anywhere5K.

What makes this particular race special is that together with a few friends we organized, promoted, and hosted the race. We invited the world and about 40 showed. From New York to California. From the Australia to the Philippines to Lithuania to Singapore to the UK. Runners really did run the Inaugural #Anywhere5K from wherever they were.

Backpacking in NC: Flat Laurel Creek to Cold Mountain

February 22, 2012By y2kemo

In 2010, my buddy, Coop, and I met Chris, a fellow backpacker, at the base of Shining Rock in North Carolina. At the time, Chris had just turned back due to extreme winter conditions, and we were looking for a place to camp before the sky went dark and we froze to death. After surviving the night, the three of us exchanged contact information and suggested we get together again in the future.

This past weekend, almost two years later, the three of us realized the suggestion. Coop and I started at Sam Knob via the Flat Laurel Creek trail off of NC Highway 215/Lake Logan Road on Friday, ran an impromptu 5K to the top of Sam Knob’s 6,055′ peak, and Chris joined us on Saturday morning at the Black Balsam Road parking lot en route to Cold Mountain.

Recent Posts