Bushwhacker Adventure Running Race

“Two paths diverged in the wood and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference!”

- Robert Frost

Well now, there it is. Gazing to my left through the trees, sweat, and fatigue, I finally saw it. A wooden, 3-slat fence running roughly parallel to my direction of travel. Over the crunching of my footsteps on dead leaves, I heard it distinctly laughing at me. It ran east, which is more than I could say for myself at this point. I was trudging, ambling, shuffling, not really running. One thought ran through my mind, “I’m screwed!”

My own private, little odyssey had begun just 10 minutes or so earlier. My old friend, Al, and I had been running together in the Bushwhacker Adventure Running Race, a roughly 10-mile, point-to-point race along the Bull Run – Occoquan Trail in northern Virginia. It’s called Bushwhacker for good reason. Rather than requiring runners to follow the same trail from beginning to end, the race hands its runners a detailed, colorful topographical map at the start and invites runners to find their own way to the finish. In other words: to bushwhack at will!

And things had started off just swimmingly! Drawing upon our experience from a year ago, Al and I were much more prepared for the race’s initial chaos. We dove into the woods at the right spot; hit the right trails; bushwhacked successfully. By the first checkpoint (of 3 total that runners must hit in order) we were running 18th & 19th out of about 80 who started. We were owning this race! We held our places through the second checkpoint, too, and were still in pretty good shape as we hit checkpoint 3, even though our main bushwhack in that leg was a bit more, um, scenic than we would have liked!

But Alan and I were now in the middle of our largest, most ambitious bushwhack. Well, Al was probably nearing the end of it. I, however, now feared that I had somehow circled my way back to the beginning! It was that fence that had me concerned. We had left the Blue Trail yet again, in favor of this “shortcut”. While the main trail headed southeast before turning northeast, forming a wide V of about ¾ of a mile in length, we instead shot the hypotenuse. Or tried to. Shot myself in the foot is more like it. According to The Plan, our jump-off point from the trail would be where a fence turned up into the woods. We’d follow along it for a few hundred yards before turning more easterly, down into and out of a gully, before climbing uphill to meet back up with the Blue Trail. It was only 2 inches on the map, how hard could it be? That was The Plan.

The Plan, however, did not account for us missing that fence entirely. The Plan did not have us diving uncertainly into the trees after crossing a dirt road that confirmed for us that we had, indeed, passed our desired fence already. And The Plan did not have me being gassed enough at this point that I’d fall hopelessly behind Al. Things were not going according to Plan! For a short while I Marco Polo’d my way after Al. But as his voice faded away ahead of me, I steadily descended into a boreal version of Dante’s Inferno!

In the 1st ring of Hell were branches, lower and lower they swiped at my head as I tried to duck. This was Dante’s Limbo, or I was doing the limbo, not sure which. Finally, the branched were too low and I was in the middle of a thicket. Branches everywhere, slowing my descent. Charging through, I entered the next ring of Hell and found…spider webs! On my arms, in my hair, yuk! Fighting my way out, I next hit the trial of thorns! Vines wrapped my arms, my legs, and thorns pierced my skin, trying to hold me back as I forced onward. Hopping over a fallen log or two, I had a chance to look around. I no longer had any clue what the right way was. I was then stunned to see that I now found myself in a maze of fallen logs all around me. They were everywhere, like some great Oliphaunt had just come traipsing through, knocking over all the trees. Many of these logs were at waist level, and there was no good path out! Having committed the sin of wandering aimlessly, I was now punished by having to cross a land where direction was meaningless. I had the same, slow traverse no matter which way I went. I climbed out, figuring that I must have reached Dante’s 9th ring of Hell by now! Half expecting to round the next bend in the gully to see a 3-headed Satan, with antlers in lieu of horns, chomping on a chipmunk, a wood elf, and another hapless trail runner, I moved onward through the gully. Virgil, get me outta here! Ahhhhh!

Snapping out of it, I reassessed. Where am I? Dunno. Where’s Al? Dunno. Which way do I need to go? Dunno.

But then I heard a faint voice. It was the amateur astronomer in me. It said, “Pssst! Hey, Bonehead! Over here. Look up!”

Ah, yes. The sun! Figuring that at this hour it must be approaching due south, I put the sun to my right and headed east at a jog. Soon thereafter, I was looking at that darn fence! Whether I had doubled back or had made progress, I didn’t know. And it didn’t really matter, I needed to go east. With renewed confidence that maybe I could still avoid having the race officials send out a search party to find me, I ran. Then I found a trail! Yee-haw! Not the Blue Trail, but heading south on this trail I soon got back to the Blue Trail, the runner’s yellow brick road!

It turns out that I had rejoined the Blue way down the line, beyond where we had intended to hit it, and this left me with less than a mile to go. Summoning up whatever energy I had left, I ran! By the finish I was completely spent – the hills on this course really are killers – but I had actually still managed a decent time despite my excursions, 1:48:59, nearly 2 minutes faster than in 2009. Not bad, all things considered!

In two years, the Bushwhacker Adventure Running Race has quickly become my favorite race; it really is an adventure! However, it is with sadness that I recently learned that the race organizers, EX2 Adventures, are not able to bring the race back for 2011. They just haven’t gotten enough participation to prevent losing money. ‘Tis a shame. I plan on pestering them to bring it back, though, but we’ll hopefully leave Dante out of it!

November Elections

Allow me to introduce myself. I represent The Commute Is Too Damn Long Party. People are driving 4 hours a day and 20 hours a week and some to a 3rd job. Woman can’t afford the time to care for their children, drivin’ while their children eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My main job is to provide an end to road construction, removal of speed cameras, and open lanes of traffic. This is politics as usual. Playin’ the silly game, but that’s not going to happen. The Commute Is Too Damn Long movement, the people I’m here to represent, don’t have the time to drive to work! They’re being laid off right now as I speak! They’re drivin’ breakfast, lunch, and dinner!... Listen! Someone’s horn just honked! Did you hear it? Gotta listen like me. Let’s talk about the issue – people can’t afford the time to sit in traffic! Stop!...The Commute Is Too Damn Long!

Ryan Hall

A day or two ago Ryan Hall made his decision. He’s backing out of running the Chicago Marathon on October 10th (http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2010/09/us-star-hall-withdraws-from-chicago-marathon.html) . It’s certainly not the first time an elite running backed out of an event, but I think in this case the reason is pretty lame.

On September 19^th he had a (relatively) poor performance in a half marathon in Philadelphia; instead of winning or dominating, he finished 14^th. His time there was actually slower than what he normally runs for the first ½ of a full marathon. So his performance that day was disappointing, and I can sympathize with that. Furthermore, Hall says that he’s had a rough couple of months. I can sympathize with that, too.

``I was very excited to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon but my workouts haven't been good. I'm very much a guy that when I show up at the starting line, I believe everything is possible, and I go after things with my whole heart, so if I'm not ready to go, I'm not going to show up and have a performance that doesn't reflect that.''

He had a poor race and his workouts haven’t been good. So he’s not running Chicago. No injuries mentioned. No illness. His workouts haven’t been good.

I’m sorry. Don’t we all have bad workouts? And when one of us frets about it, don’t the rest of us come to the rescue with a steady, confident chorus of “It’s okay.” “We all have bad runs and get weary of the training.” “That’s what the taper is for! When you toe the starting line you’ll be rested and ready to run your best.” “Have faith in your training, you’ve done the work!”

That last one brings in the irony. Here’s a guy that for years has been famous for his deeply religious convictions. His FAITH in God. And here he seems to have lost faith in himself.

Granted his marathon goals differ from the rest of us, but the marathon training process is similar. The hardships are very similar. How many of you will decide on Oct 20^th that, “You know what, my workouts have been poor and I’m not running well, so I’m sure I won’t run well in the Marine Corps Marathon, so I’m not going to try.”

I can tell you that I’ll be at the head of a very long cyber line of runners on this forum ready to chime in with, “What the heck are you talking about? You’ve got to run it! NO QUITTING!”

He says that when he’s shows up at the starting line, he believes everything is possible, and he goes after things with my whole heart. Sounds to me like he believes everything is possible only when he knows that it’s probable. Quitter.

RRCA Club Challenge 10 Miler (2/28/10)

The RRCA (Road Runner Clubs of America) Club Challenge 10 Miler is a hilly and usually frigid race at Howard County Community College geared primarily toward clubs in Maryland and DC. Its format is similar to a cross country meet, where the place of the top runners from each team count toward their team’s score, and the lowest team total wins. On the men’s side, the top 12 runners from each team would count; for the women, 6. There was also a Co-ed category that combined both. Typically, 10 or 11 clubs in the area are represented at this race including, of course, the Frederick Steeplechasers. We are one of the smaller clubs and as a result are pretty much outclassed by the larger clubs from Baltimore, Howard County and Montgomery County. Last year we finished 7th across the boards.

This would be my 3rd crack at this race, and my main goal was to match or beat the PR that I set there last year: 76:48. However, thanks to a bad cold over the last two weeks I wasn’t entirely sure that I was quite healthy enough for that yet. My less stringent goal was then to try and stay under 8 minute miles throughout.

Weather conditions were pretty typical for this race: cloudy, breezy with temps around freezing. I even saw a snowflake or 2 at the beginning. I got in a quick ½ mile warm-up before the masses started herding their way to the start, and then we were on our way!

The first two miles are significantly downhill. Last year I ran that first mile in 7:10, and was chastised by my friend, Crista (who ran with me then as well as for this race), for running her into the ground way too early that race. So we tempered the start a bit, and this time our first mile split was a more rational 7:29. Slower than last year, but I hoped that would help later.

The next few miles were similar to last year, all in the 7:40s and 7:50s. My feeling was gradually returning to my hands and arms, but unfortunately the remnants of my cold were causing me to leave a trail of phlegm behind me that, had I gotten lost, I could followed to find my way back to the starting line.

Mile 6 is a difficult mile – last year it was my slowest – with significant uphills. These hills slowed me down once again: 8:14. Unlike last year, however, I wasn’t able to pick up much speed after that, and for the rest of the race I ran 8:00 to 8:10 minute miles and eventually fell behind Crista, who seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.

I kicked fairly well with about a ½ mile to go, and managed to pass a few people, but finished in 79:22, well behind last year’s race. I was the 15th male Steep, so my place didn’t count other than maybe I displaced a runner from another team (our men moved up to 6th place this year). I’m glad I came in under 80, but I walk away from this one with some lingering doubts about where I am and where I can get to as a runner. Am I reaching a plateau? Will I continue improving in the marathon as I have in the past? Or is my age going to start slowing me down? Can I get down to 3:40 on May 2?

Then again, maybe having a cold recently slowed me down or reduced my endurance a little. If so, it’s hard to say by how much. At any rate, I’ve got to get healthy again and continue to train well. I’ll really know where I’m at when I run that marathon!

Lewis Memorial 10-Miler Race Report - 1/23/10

We had great weather Sunday morning for the annual John Lewis Memorial 10 Miler in the hilly outskirts of Frederick, Maryland. Although the temperature was right around freezing, with sunny skies and basically no wind I was quite comfortable at the starting line wearing shorts, a racing singlet, and my brand spankin’ new arm warmers (courtesy of the kind folks at If the Shoe Fits). In fact, as the race wore on, I bet many of the runners realized that they were over-dressed.

This race is very low-key and budget-friendly, being free for Frederick Steeplechaser members and just $5 for anyone else silly enough to run this course. No shirts, no awards (except for person who finishes with a time closest to their predicted time – no watches allowed!), and maybe 40 or 50 runners altogether. Since most were fellow club members, I really enjoyed the chance to see a lot of familiar faces and run amongst friends.

Soon we began and were climbing the first steep hill even before the echoes of the race starter’s “Go!” had reached our ears. Seriously, you run about 30 feet and the have to crane your neck upward to see where you’re going. No messing around with this course, you just dive right in!

The course really divides nicely into 3 sections. The first 3 miles have killer, lumpy hills; from miles 3 to 7 you get a merciful reprieve; and then for the last 3 miles they’re back with a vengeance.

During the first section I ran amid a group of 4 or 5 runners that would repeatedly pass each other, depending on how we each tackled the hills. I would generally lose ground on the uphills and then gain it back on the downhills. By the second section of the course I had settled into a good pace alongside a friend of mine, Terrance, who typically finishes just ahead of me in our age group. I was hoping to simply stay with him as long as possible.

That plan worked great until the hills returned, and then I slowly lost ground to Terrance. Miles 8 and 9 were really tough, and on some of the uphills it was all I could do to just keep moving one foot in front of the other. I was happy when I came across the mile 9 marker – knowing that not only was I getting close to the finish, but also that some decent descent awaited me at the very end. If it weren’t for the 2 or 3 frickin’ mountains in between I’d have been just fine!

Well, I eventually got through those obstacles and flew down the final hill to the finish, with my shoes feeling like they were about ready to explode into pieces like an Incredible Hulk t-shirt from the force of my toes coming out the front! I finished in 82:20, nearly 2 minutes slower than my pre-race prediction, but given the nature of the course I was pretty satisfied anyway. I gave it a good, hard effort and for the most part felt that I ran strong. I enjoyed the weather and the company, and maybe best of all I was not really hampered in the least by my knee! A few weeks ago it was slowing me down significantly at times. I think this race has set me up well for a run at my 76:49 PR at the RRCA Club Challenge 10 (Go Steeps!) at the end of next month.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the post-race spread is fantastic! Club members bring in all sorts of goodies to eat, from baked goods to homemade soup to bagels and fruit. Plus, we had Muscle Milk reps there handing out free samples! Chocolate Malt and Strawberry were both yummy!