Ultra Adventures

Doug Dawkins almost to the Mid-West

Doug Dawkins has been running West every day since July 14th. He started on the beach in Ocean Isle, NC. Today he is approaching the Western border of Tennessee, and soon he will be traversing the Midwestern prairie. Doug is doing this run on his own, with some help from friends. He has no sponsors. Many days he relies on strangers for a place to camp. This is a true adventure, nothing like some of the cross-country publicity stunts we have seen recently. I've been watching Doug and his progress and he has settled into a nice routine. He's going to make it.

As Doug gets farther West he also gets farther away from his base of support. Now is a good time to spread the word of Doug's run to your friends, contacts, and communities along his route!

2008 Laurel Valley Trail Run

By Mark Long

Why do we continue to put ourselves through agony and painover and over again? I have asked myselfthat question over and over again. Whatis it about a marathon or an ultra marathon that keeps drawing us back time andtime again? I still haven�t found theanswer after almost 25 years of running. Oh, I�ve played out the many scenarios in my mind. It�s the challenge, the camaraderie, thebeautiful trails, and of course that feeling I can only get when I finish oneof those grueling events.

Maybe, it�s actually all of those things. There is one event out there that will giveyou all of the above. The event I speak ofis Laurel Valley Trail Run. Each August,Claude Sinclair of Lancaster, SC and self proclaimed leader of the Runner fromHell running club, conducts the Laurel Valley Trail Run. Claude makes it perfectly clear on hiswebsite www.claudesinclair.com that Laurel Valley is not for thefaint of heart.

It is a very tough and grueling course that traverses over 5000steps and several major climbs on the Foothills trail in North and SouthCarolina. However, the runner isrewarded with many beautiful views of water falls and scenic trails throughoutthe event. By all means the fact thatyou have to provide your own aid does make the event rather challenging. It is almost required that you either useiodine tablets or filter your water in some way while out there on thecourse. There is also supremecamaraderie throughout the event. LaurelValley attracts many veterans each year. It is truly is like a family reunion, only with out the buffet. The trails are always gorgeous and surprising. There is lots of foliage, rocks, roots andrivers crossed by beautiful suspension bridges.

This year proved to be a very tough excursion for me. I spent the first two hours with Tom Gabelland Richard Sexton just meandering through the woods at a leisurely pace. Soon, I realized that they were feeling muchbetter than I. I would soon lose sightof the two. From that point on, Idecided that I would just run my race. Do whatever it required to finish. Of course, that is the beauty of Laurel Valley, you have to finish. There�s not a way out, no short cuts or turnsto get you off the course. Once youleave Rocky Bottom, S.C. you have to continue on until you reach the parkinglot above White Water Falls. People doget into trouble out there. It isrumored that some participants slept on the course last year. There�s always the threat of snakes, bees,falling and a really good case of giardia.

Once I reached the Toxaway River and crossed one of theprettiest suspension bridges out there, I settled into survivor mode. Climbing up from Toxaway is a mighty toughclimb but nothing compared to what lay ahead. There are no miles markers out there so one relies on strategic pointsalong the course to give you a sense of where you are and how far you have togo. Based on past outings there, if Iget to Horse Pasture River in 5 hours then I should be able to finish somewherebetween 8 and 9 hours. Well this year Iget there in 5 hours 20 min. and from that point I knew it was going to be atough day. For some reason my legs, feetand ankles hurt more that usual. I�llfind something to blame it on later. Throughout the run I had been using iodine tablets to filter mywater. At the last river crossing beforeWhite Water Falls I stop to get in the creek and cool off a bit. I refill my bottle but forget to use theiodine. They say it takes about twoweeks for the giardia to kick in. Onlytime will tell.

While sitting there soaking in the cold mountain water Ihappen to look to my left and see a beautiful brook trout treading water undera rock formation. What a pleasant sightis was. I just sat there and enjoyed theview of that beautiful fish. I only wishI could have stayed longer. However, Ihad a few more miles to cover.

Laurel Valley is a very tough and demanding course but thebeauty one gathers while out there seems to eliminate the pain and drudgery ofthe event. If you�ve never run LaurelValley you will more than likely have to run as a sweeper. Due to the nature of this event, thosesweepers are invaluable. They are outthere to make sure everybody gets in alive. One of the sweep captains this year was Fred Dummar, affectionatelyknown as Doom. He had a plethora ofsupplies to make sure all runners not only finished but survived. His extensive military background andtraining proofed to be a benefit for those new Laurel Valley runners.

Thank you Fred for your efforts and willingness to make sureevery runner finished. Laurel Valley andnot mention, this country is a much better place because of you. Thank you.

If you are looking for a challenging course, a beautifulcourse and a wonderful group of people to share the experience with, thenLaurel Valley is the event for you.

Dupont Waterfall Bonanza

By Adam Hill

Well...the 3rd Annual Dupont Waterfall Bonanza went off in stylethis past Saturday, August 9th!! 18 adventurers took to the trails andplayed in the waterfalls of this stellar route! With Conservation Rd.now being open, this allowed this year's event to have two separateruns, with a 10ish mile short course, and the full 22ish mile loop! The 22 milers were able to basically circumnavigate the park and visitall 6 waterfalls that Dupont State Forest has to offer! The weatherturned out to be just about perfect, and left everyone wanting more bythe end.

The day started off with about a mile of pavement to get up toSheep Mountain Trail, and the runners quickly spread out by thispoint. We then hit Pine Tree Trail and savored in the narrow, softsingletrack as there are mostly doubletrack trails and crushed gravelroads in the park. After ripping it up on this trail, we hit Longsideto Corn Mill Shoals, then took this down to our first river crossing. A bulk of the group convened here, then formed a train as we ran up anddown the famous slickrock trails of Dupont. Soft needled paths wouldturn to slickrock, then back again, as we anticipated getting to ourfirst waterfall of the day...Bridal Veil Falls. This was a good one,and came as a pleasant surprise for all as we played like little kidsin Upper Bridal Veil Falls. Once all runners had arrived, we went ourseparate ways as the 10 milers went left on Conservation Rd. and the 22milers went right. Making our way around Lake Julia, we were thentreated to the roller coaster singletrack of Reasonover Creek Trail! Turkey Knob Rd. (which is really a trail, thank goodness!) took us toPinnacle Mtn. Rd, where it started to warm up a touch, but not toobad. Joanna Rd. (also a trail) treated us to the most technicalsection of the day as we made our way over to Wintergreen Falls. Wesat in the "massage chair" under the falls and swam around, then woundour way out of there past Thomas Cemetery, the curved tree, and overfor a brief stop at Grassy Creek Falls (which I was appropriatelycalling Greasy Creek Falls). It was then up and through the CoveredBridge and down to the base of High Falls for some rock sliding fun forall! After sliding some, swimming some, and soaking up the rays, weran over for a viewing of Triple Falls, then to the last falls of theday for some swimming and soakage in the olympic size pool of HookerFalls!! After everyone had ticked off this last waterfall and got inone last swim...we caravaned over to Papa's and Beer for some post runrefreshments! What a day!

I really want to thank everyone that came out (to be listedbelow), and hope to continue to see this fun run grow! It was a blastrunning and playing in the falls with everyone! Make sure to visit thelink to the photo show below, as it really does a good job showing howmuch fun the day was! Also check out www.imtr.blogspot.comfor a possible report from this great crew as well as some of JJ'svideos of us going down the rock slide of High Falls (Charlie's is thebest!!).

10 milers:

Chris Shields

Jason ? (Chris' friend)

Tammy Gray

Vonda Roberts

Donna Bays

Clifton Gibson

Jason (Clifton's friend)

Mike Ward

Mike's friend (can't remember name!?!)

22 milers:

Adam Hill

William Harwood

Charlie Roberts

Dave Pryor

Robin Blackburn

Doug Gray

Beth Minnick

Josh Helms

Sorry for forgetting a couple of people's names on here...hope toget to know you all better at the next adventure! Keep on keepin' on...

peace.adam

Slide Show

Laurel Valley Sweeps

Photo: LV sweeps Lucinda Kraus, Fred Dummar, Susan Dummar. Runner Mark Long

Laurel Valley is an unsupported wilderness run that is just about as remote as you can get in the lower 48 states. The 34 mile course has no aid stations and no road intersections. The only way out is to complete the entire course or to turn back and retrace your steps to the start. Because of the remoteness of the course, race director Claude Sinclair requires that a runner first serve as a sweep before being allowed to race the following year. This rule ensures that all runners are experienced with the course, and also provides a safety mechanism for runners that become sick or injured during the event.

Runners should not start the race if they are sick or injured. Sinclair advises runners to turn back at the first lake inlet if they are having a bad day. Sweeps have needed to escort sick or injured runners into the finish several times in past years, usually due to hyperthermia.

This year runners were fortunate to have Fred Dummar as a sweep. Fred carried a pack that included the following contents:

Garmin GPS - Primary Position
Iridium SAT Phone - Primary Voice Communications
SPOT personal Safety Beacon - Alternate Position locator for EMS / Alternate communication via 911 distress call capability for EMS

2 x 1000ml NACL IV bags with all necessary hardware to stick deyhdrated runners.
Emergency Blanket
Emergency poncho

2 x EPI pen for runners that experienced shock (yellow jacket, bee or ant bite)
Benadryl for dealing with more mild bites and stings
S! caps for dealing with cramps nasea
motrin for minor pain / injuries

PUR water filter

2 x headlights
2 x flashlights
1 x strobe for night time air evac locating
Matches, lighter, kindling

Small medical kit with tape, bandages, gauze, scissors, etc...

Leatherman mulit-tool
Compass
Whistle

1 bag jerky
5 cliff bars
20 Gel packs

3 liter water bladder.

As a runner I felt pretty good knowing that Fred, Lucinda, and Susan were following behind me, and that Fred was carrying all that safety gear. Sweeping is a service to the other runners. As I ran my race, I carried only two water bottles and some cliff shots. I was able to travel lightly because Fred and the other sweeps were walking slowly with heavy packs behind me.

The sweep system that Claude Sinclair has devised for Laurel Valley works pretty well. Sometimes there are problems with runners not being prepared for the race, or with sweeps that decide to run ahead because they are tired of waiting for a slow or sick runner.

This year the sweeps had a long day - 15 hours on the trail. Brian Kistner, this years winner, came into the finish just under 6 hours. That's a long time to wait for the last finisher, and a long time to spend on the trail as a sweep.

Laurel Valley is a true adventure run and fulfills the best hopes for the sport of ultrarunning. I'm grateful for the service rendered by RD Claude Sinclair and the sweeps each year that allows some of us to return and enjoy this event.

The Ballad of Jimmy Barnes...or the SCAR that runs through Missionary Baptist Church

By Adam Hill

On Friday afternoon, July 25th, four wayfaring strangers descended through the gorge of interstate that stretches its long arm across the North Carolina/Tennessee border into a land unfamiliar to them. This foreign land seemed to offer no place for rest, so they went about exploring the land beyond the beaten path in search for a place to rest their heads for the night...

Jimmy Barnes was from a weather beaten brood that had lived off of the land for generations, untouched by the spoils of the civilization that loomed from over the giant ridges that surrounded him and his family (those of the Smoky Mountains). Three of the strangers approached him amidst the settling dust of the gravel road leading up to the church in which he attended (having left their funny hairdo'ed friend behind to put foot to the trail in search of a clearing for a tent or two). As the clouds of dust departed, he seemingly welcomed them with open arms, and proceeded to see how he could help these fellow "mountain men"...Drew Shelfer, Charlie Roberts, and Brian Beduhn. After explaining their plight, a lovely pavilion on the Brown Missionary Baptist Church grounds was offered up to the travelers as a place to stay the night. This haven was positioned between the church building and a cemetery carrying gravestones with generations of the church's namesake etched in the stone. Jimmy, unaware of the adventure that these friendly strangers were about to embark upon, was thanked, and then he continued about his business. The three then carefully navigated the road back down the mountain in order to pick up their friend, Adam Hill, who was sporting a self inflicted hair cut that he had dubbed a "mohullet"...that's right, a mohawk in the front and mullet in the back...or, punk rock up front and party in the back!! Needless to say, there were ulterior motives in leaving Adam behind. The party had not wanted to scare off any of the locals that might be willing to help out. The celebration began and they started by partaking in some of the beauty that had unfolded around them (fly-fishing, exploring the icy cold waters of Big Creek, and some competitive rock skipping). After growing weary they assembled under a nearby bridge, next to their fishing and rock skipping spot on the Pigeon River, with Mike Day and his daughter Jessica, then headed back up the mountain road.

The Brown Missionary Baptist pavilion couldn't have been a better place to set up camp for the night. Dinner was cooked, stories were shared, and running items were sorted for the next days adventure...the SCAR (Smokies Challenge Adventure Run). The Challenge was this...to run the length of the Appalachian Trail within the boundaries of Smoky Mountain National Park, in a day. After a fitful night of sleep, the challengers arose from under the pavilion chuckling about the visiting coon dog, the snoring B-Rex, and the advice of their new friend Jimmy Barnes, who had said, "If anyone bother's ya'll, just tell 'em that you spoke with Jimmy Barnes!" After all was packed, they were off to meet up with the other challengers at the northern boundary of the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountain National Park...Davenport Gap. Denise Davis, Brian Kistner, and Byron Backer (who was driving aid up to Newfound Gap) were there, anxiously waiting, at 5 am. After greeting one another and getting everything together, everyone was off in sort of a staggered fashion...The rain started within the first couple of miles, slow and steady, yet intermittent. It felt very good to the runners, as they had been duly warned and worried about the potential heat of attempting this traverse on a summer's date such as July 26th. As the runners crested the ridge beside the beautiful Mt. Cammerer the rain began to come down harder and faster. The trail had now become a flowing creek bed and would remain this way for close to 30 miles! The rain that had felt so good then became troublesome, as an injury along one of these 6,000 foot ridges would have certainly led to hypothermia (yes...in July!). However, as the runners spread out along the traverse, each entered into their own land, as they concentrated on steadily navigating the rocky, fir forested trails.

As I (Adam) ran, the juncos jumped and chirped at my feet. The sound of the rain was mesmerizing, and I knew that the game plan was about to change. I had a carefully laid out strategy that I had been hoping would get me to my seemingly unrealistic goal of a sub-20 hour finish on this close to 72 mile trek. {The Appalachian Trail runs through the Smoky Mountain National Park for 71 miles from its northern terminus at Davenport Gap to its southern terminus just before getting to Fontana Dam along Fontana Lake. Adding a near mile road section across the Dam to the Fontana Dam Visitor's Center seemed like tradition for the hearty souls that had completed this before me, and I was willing to follow suit- although some start from the Visitor's Center heading north. I was heading southbound on this journey, and knew of it's near 19,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain, as we would head up and over some of the biggest mountains in the Blue Ridge during our traverse} I happily splashed through the water filled trail, realizing that my scheduled rest stops would not be happening as frequently as I had hoped. This, however, allowed me to simply set everything on cruise control and enjoy the ride.

Through the rain and fog the trail appeared magical, as the birds continued to serenade me while seemingly playing chase with this crazy "mohullet" fool that was disturbing their cadence. I plugged along, laughing at their game, while steadily climbing Cosby Knob. I then came to a halt and watched as a majestic black bear sauntered off into the woods. As I continued on, I began clapping to scare off any other four legged friends that could be lurking about, even picking up the pace a little bit as I rolled over the knob. The miles flew by, and the ever-present views of this ridgeline trail were hiding on the other side of dark, rain filled clouds. Landmarks and mountain peaks were being picked off one by one. The trail and scenery along the flanks of Mt. Guyot (the second highest peak in the park at 6,621 feet) were surreal, as a cloud had settled amongst the dense virgin forest. I couldn't help but to be thankful for this very moment. Along the rock outcroppings of Bradley's View the rain began to settle, and there was a glimmer of hope that the day might reemerge from its baptism of water. Sure enough just before I ran around Charlie's Bunion, the rain had stopped. I took the opportunity to finally take my shoes off and empty the rocks and dirt out. I re-lubed my feet (as I was sockless in my Asics racing flats!!) and other crucial areas, then continued on towards the usually crowded Newfound Gap, and the site of our one and only resupply point at 31.2 miles.

Newfound Gap sits at an elevation of 5,048 feet, and is a buzzing epicenter of Smokies tourism. It sits at the corner of Newfound Gap Road and Clingman's Dome Road, and provides visitors of all shapes, sizes, and differing languages a chance at a rugged hike in the Smokies. As I leapt over rocks and roots on my decent from Icewater Springs, I passed several day hikers and backpackers, but they kindly moved aside and let me by (behold the power of the "mohullet"). I worried a little that I would have trouble spotting our aid, but immediately saw Byron and Jessica in the parking lot as soon as I arrived, 6 hours and 49 minutes from the start. I let out a cheer, and quickly found Mike's truck, which held the crucial items that I would need to replenish my now empty pack. I spent exactly 24 minutes and 35 seconds there (drying my feet, eating, re-lubing, packing my pack with the necessities) before I was bounding down the trail once more towards the summit of Clingman's Dome (the highest peak in the park and the highest peak on the whole AT at 6,643 feet). It was only a few minutes later that I bumped into my buddy Matthew Johnson who had driven up from Asheville to get a little running in and help out any way that he could. We high fived, then he ran on with me chatting about the day. After enjoying his company for several miles, I was off again on my own. Clingman's Dome came and went, and was surprisingly uneventful. I then entered the new world of the southern side of the Smokies.

The rocky, water filled trails dried out, and I was introduced to a different type of hardwood forest that seemed split down the middle by grass covered balds. As I was lowered from the fog of Clingman's Dome, I spotted a doe that quickly protected her very young fawn. I nodded and paid my respects to the deer, then went about dropping to a spring beside Double Springs Gap Shelter in order to refill again, as the heat of the day had started sucking the water from my pack dry. Rejuvenated, I quickly made my way over Siler's Bald and glanced at the horizon to try and catch a glimpse of what I knew to be my nemesis, as well as the main crux of this adventurous trek...Thunderhead Mountain. I had blocked from my memory the difficulty of this section of trail, as I had backpacked through here before. The nightmarish teasing that the twists and turns of this trail take around this mountain range abruptly awakened that memory. False summit after false summit appear only to drop you off of rocky ledges into yet another hollow. Eventually you come to a spot where the mind does a double take as your eyes lock onto Thunderhead's towering 5,527 foot summit. I almost burst into tears at this spot as I was running around a bend in the trail, only to jump from my skin as I almost kicked a very large, coiled up timber rattler! Unsure of who would be following behind me, I tossed rocks and sticks at the rattlesnake until it finally became annoyed and rattled it's way off into the woods.

I had hoped to be sitting on the summit of Rocky Top (the 5,440 foot western flank of Thunderhead) at around 12 hours from the start. I slowly sat my weary body down on a boulder, letting out a sigh of relief while glancing at my watch. I had not made my goal, but was only about an hour behind. Feeling a little bit dejected, I sat in the sun and soaked up the views as I gathered my thoughts about the continuing terrain that remained. I had remembered Mike Day saying that beyond Spence Field there would be some stellar trail, which dropped at a gentle angle from the side of this beautiful but torturous mountain. I put my pack and shoes back on, and set off with new vigor as my feet longed to find this path. Before I knew it, I was running at an amazing pace along a soft, winding trail. Animals seemed to be greeting me everywhere as birds serenaded me along, a rabbit hopped beside me before darting off into the thicket, and a wild boar snorted at me before crashing through the saplings. I came upon Russell Field Shelter and ran as quickly as I could past some backpackers, who were staying the night there, to find the piped spring in good working order. I would fill up here for the last time, and knew that it was worth the extra half mile that it made me travel. Back up on the AT I forgot about looking at my watch, and just enjoyed the journey as I tried to run as fast as I could in a new challenge to see how far I could make it towards Fontana Dam before having to turn on my headlamp under the darkness of night. The miles rolled by and Mollies Ridge Shelter came upon me very quickly...I couldn't believe my eyes. I crested over the ridge from which it was perched, and descended into what felt like a marathon race pace as I pushed off the soil in an effort to make it 3 more miles to the Gregory Bald side trail before dark. Coming just short of this mini goal, I was forced to stop and get out my light as I climbed one of the last uphills of the day before I would ascend Shuckstack and get a glimpse of the lights of Fontana Dam. With only about 7 more miles to go, I looked at my watch and couldn't believe what it beamed...could I actually go under 18 hours!?!

Shuckstack came quickly, and I wasted no time cruising over the ridge into the final 4 miles of the day! My legs did not appreciate how rocky and steep some of the downhill sections were coming off of this final mountain summit. This was of little consequence, though, as I knew what I had to do. I carefully picked my way around rocks large and small, only to stop briefly alongside a cliff to look up at the stars and say a prayer of thanks! I then ran on, trying not to think about how the lights of Fontana Dam kept looking farther and farther away as I supposedly traveled closer and closer to the finish. Finally, my feet felt the firm sting of the asphalt, and I clicked the split button on my watch (this is the actual southern terminus, which I reached in 17:18:48!!). I dug deep from there in order to run as fast as I could to the dam, then made the turn into the lights. I felt as if I was crossing a vast canyon amidst alien lights, as they glowed through the fog and mist rising from the waters of Fontana Lake. I reached the other side of the dam beside the Visitor's Center, stopped my watch, and let out a primal scream!! I was through...it was over...sweet relief! It had taken me 17:28:01 to complete the SCAR! I took off my pack and sat on the curb beside the Visitor�s Center in awe of the fact that the journey was complete, and that a dream that I had harbored for years...was realized!

New Run - Medoc Meltdown

There is a new "fat ass" run in NC, the Medoc Meltdown, to be held on Saturday August 23 in Medoc Mountain State Park. The run is a 50k with shorter options. It is being directed by Cameron Kelly and Frank Lilley. Medoc Mountain is near Hollister, NC, 23 miles North of Rocky Mount. Show your support for NC ultra's and low-key runs by signing up!

Smokies Challenge goes down in Flames

This past Saturday 7 runners started climbing on the AT at Davenport Gap on the north boundary of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Our goal was to continue southward to Fontana Dam, 70+ miles away over the crest of the Smokies. By the end of the adventure, only two runners made it past Newfound Gap. Adam Hill and Charlie Roberts both continued on and redefined the expectations for this adventure run. Until Saturday, 24 hours was the benchmark for a great run. Adam reached Fontana in around 17 hours and 28 minutes. Charlie reached Fontana in 19 hours 45 minutes. Both of them made it in under 20 hours, which I thought was narrowly possible for the best trained runner on a perfect day. The trail is so technical that there are limits to how fast one can run for large segments. The climbing is constant, and there is only one resupply point in the middle of the run. Nevertheless, a new standard has been set for SCAR and I expect this adventure run to get more attention as runners try to meet the challenge set anew this past weekend.

Freedom Park New Year's Ultra

By David Lee

The Brown Mountain Running Club is pleased to announce the inaugural running of the Freedom Park New Year�s Ultra, a timed 6, 12, and 24 hour event starting Wednesday December 31st and finishing on New Year�s Day. A staggered start ensures all participants will be on the course for the countdown to the New Year.

The course is a closed, 0.9925 mile paved course that meanders through Freedom Park, located beside Freedom High School on Independence Blvd in Morganton, NC. USATF course certification is pending. Laps will be tallied using an RFID chip system with backup to ensure a clean, hassle-free count.

Each runner will receive a long sleeve shirt and as many goodies as we can come up with between now and December 31st. Finishers awards will be presented to all who complete their registered time option. Special �Interstate� awards will be presented to the top three runners from any one state who combine for the highest number of miles completed, regardless of time option selected.

The field will be strictly limited to the first 75 entries to minimize congestion on the course and allow us to attend to the details that will ensure a great run for all of our participants. If you didn�t otherwise have any plans for New Year�s, or would prefer something a little closer to home, come and celebrate the New Year with us in the Foothills of Western North Carolina. Bring a volunteer and take $10 off your entry fee.

For details, please visit our web site at http://www.my-bmrc.org/FPNYU.html, or contact David and Rhonda Lee at (828) 432-0037.

We hope to see you then!

An experiment of one � injury recovery

An experiment of one � injury recoveryHaving been running for many years, I have had a few injuries and experimented with different techniques for recovery and prevention. Here are some of the things I believe work for me. (Nota Bene: I have no relevant medical training. At most, you should take any information in here as a starting point for your own research.)Recovery & Prevention

Cadence. IMHO, The most important aspect of running is cadence. Your cadence should be about 180 steps per minute; the lower the cadence, the higher the landing impact. http://www.active.com/story.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&STORY_ID=12114&CATEGORY=running [The running stride consists of about 50% of the time in contact with the ground and 50% of the time in flight. For the time in flight, the body will travel in a parabola. The longer the time in the air, the higher the body must go; the higher the body goes, the harder the landing impact.] Keeping the hands higher can improve cadence, as the natural frequency of the arm swing is higher.
What changed?If you get injured, try to determine what has changed that might have triggered the injury. This may be something obvious, like increased mileage, new shoes, different training surface, more hills, higher intensity, but consider things that are more subtle. Are you running with a different partner? Are you listening to different music? (Music can change cadence.) Have you started to do more walking in your training? (Don�t assume walking is just easier running; it uses similar muscles, but inflicts different stress on the body.) What about non-running changes? New car, or driving position, different computer usage, lifting something heavy, etc.
Find the source. Sometimes, where it hurts is not what is injured. I had a really bad ankle problem and physiotherapy did not help. I could run about 1/4 mile before the pain in my ankle shut me down. It turned out to be a problem in the calf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peroneus_longus) that was causing a tendon in the ankle to be too tight. Once the calf muscle was relaxed, the ankle recovered in a couple of days. The book �trail guide to the body� is great, but wildly expensive; I eventually picked up a very cheap second hand copy.
The Stick. This is a reasonably cheap massage device. It not only helps relax muscles, it also works as a great diagnostic device. By using it on my legs, I believe I have found sore spots and problems early, before they cause me grief. www.thestick.com.
Ice. I use ice a lot and have found it to be close to miracle cure. I use the Ziploc hefty bags with the little plastic zipper to seal. I find they only last one or two sessions, especially if there is any weight on the bag. The established technique is to ice for 15-20 minutes; any longer can cause tissue damage, frostbite and nerve damage. That said, I routinely ice for up to two hours at a time. My limited understanding is that after about 10 minutes, the capillaries expand to prevent tissue damage (the Hunting effect) increasing blood flow. It is also advised never to apply ice directly to the skin; I apply the Ziploc bag directly to the skin as the melting ice should keep the temperature at a steady about 32 Fahrenheit. I avoid chemical ice packs like the plague. They start off too cold and can burn the skin, but do not stay cold for very long. By using ice, the state change from solid to liquid keeps the water near the skin cold. (http://www.brianmac.co.uk/cryo.htm)

Thumper. I got a thumper massage device some time ago andget on well with it for some problems. The thumper is a low frequencymassage device, which works well. I don�t believe high frequencyvibrations do anything for healing. I got a refurbished thumper fromeBay years ago and it has stood up to lots of use and abuse. They saynot to push down on the thumper, but I do.http://www.thumpermassager.com/intro.html
Heat. I rarely use heat, but when I do, I use a TheraThermDigital Moist Heating Pad. I generally use heat for a tendon or skininjury rather than muscular injury.
Active recovery. My limited medical knowledge is that anytendon injury requires gentle stress to align the protein fibers.Without some level of stress on an injured tendon, the scar tissue willbe much weaker, so some limited exercise would appear to be importantfor recovery. Of course, it all depends on the severity of the injuryand you risk much more serious damage. (From �Therapeutic Exercise forMusculoskeletal Injuries�, By Peggy A. Houglum: �During the secondweek, the collagen starts to become more organized, so that by the endof the second week the cells are beginning to alight themselves in thedirection of stress�)
Supplements. I take a Glucosamine supplement, though I�m notsure if it does any good. There is some evidence it may help, and noevidence of toxicity or problems, so at worst I am wasting a littlemoney.
Listen to your feet. An early sign of problems can bedetected by a change in the sound of your feet landing. Anotherapproach is to have another runner watch you run and see how yourbiomechanics look.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Every athlete I knowhas had DOMS at some stage. I don�t even consider DOMS as an injuryanymore. I have not found any of the normal techniques help with DOMS;ice heat, etc, have not impact I have been able to determine. The onlythink I have found that helps is gentle exercise. It hurts, but itseems to speed up the healing. DOMS is linked to eccentric muscleusage, which in running is mostly about downhill running. I believethat downhill running is the most important part of my training, as ithelps adapt the muscles to eccentric load and prevent DOMS. There issome belief that the weakness in the muscle is immediate and due to thedamage. The delay is just in the soreness. There is some scientificbasis for the idea that Caffeine can reduce the symptoms of DOMS(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17161977)
Drugs. I hate any form of drugs. If I have some realproblems, I will take ibuprofen, but I try to limit the length ofusage. I will take either a single dose before bed, or for take it for36 hours (two nights).
Stretching. I do little stretching. Sometimes I feel itseems to help, but most of the time it seems more likely to injure methan cure me. I have found that �active isolated stretching� is muchbetter than traditional approaches.http://runningtimes.com/issues/04sep/stretches.htm

Achilles Tendon ProblemsI have had a problem with my Achilles tendon, and I found the following techniques made all the difference.

Sleeping position. I sleep on my front, which means my footis pointed and the calf shortened. When I had Achilles problems, I feltlike they were worse in the morning, when I first got out of bed. WhatI think was happening was the tendon was healing with the foot in anunnatural position, and when I stood up, the overnight healing wasundone. Simply having a cushion under my ankle helped a lot.
Strengthening. I tried a number of strengthening approaches,but they did not help. However, when I started to do calf raises withmy feet rolled out, it seemed to make a lot of difference.

Sweaty Butt Fat Ass 50k Lives Up to Its Name

21 runners and four volunteers showed up at Umstead State Park near Cary, NC on Saturday July 5th to run single track all day long in the July Heat. The occasion was the 2nd Sweaty Butt 50k. This is a no-fee, no-frills, no-award fun run, a simple challenge to run 30 miles of single track on a very hot day. In 2007 with temperatures in the high '90s and the heat index way over 100 Brad Smythe, who started early, was the only runner to complete 30 miles. This year runners enjoyed temperatures in the 80s but suffered thick blanketing humidity. The lower temperatures proved to be an important factor as 12 runners completed 30 miles. Due to the heat and humidity, there is no such as a DNF for this fun run. Runners are not encouraged to push their limits during the July Heat. Everyone is a finisher and 50k times are recorded for those who finish 3 laps of the course for 30 miles in total.

Runners supply their own aid for this run. We shuttle drop bags to the one aid station, located 5 miles into the 10 mile course. This year we provided ice at both aid stations (the park provides water), and a cooler full of dry ice with ice cream and frozen popsicles at the start and finish of each lap. Volunteers Melinda Day, Marie Lewis, Ben Dillon, and Jesse Card manned the aid stations and made sure that runners had plenty of ice and ice cream. As run organizer, I was able to run two laps during the day, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

William Burns of Cary, NC was the first runner to finish 3 laps. He was followed quickly by Tyler Peek. I was able to photograph runners as they finished their third lap. The Dooms formed the nucleus of a group of 30 milers that formed the middle of the pack. This group included David Solomon, who melted last year after 15 miles. The photos are available on flickr. It was a great experience seeing 12 30 mile runners this year. We had runners from several states including NC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. As the hours passed I enjoyed spending time with runners after they finished and with the volunteers, without whom I could not have run the two laps I enjoyed.

Tom Herbst reported that he drank 80 oz of water per lap for 3 laps (plus an additional 20 oz on the 2nd lap), 40 oz of gatorade, a pepsi and water on the way home, plus 2 1/2 turkey roll-ups...and was still down 8 lbs for the day! Folks definitely had sweaty butts.

By 4:45 pm when Jeff Defour and Frank Lilley finished their third lap the muggy air had become a violent thunderstorm and the sweat was replaced with rain water. All in a good day of running. It's great to have runners visit from other towns and run on your home trails. I sincerely enjoyed meeting all the runners and getting to know a few better than before. Until next year...

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