Home Court Advantage

This morning I got to wake up in my own bed and drive 20 minutes to Cooper’s Rock State Forest (http://www.coopersrockstateforest.com/) for the third annual Coopers Rock Stump Jump! 10K Trail Run.

Tad and I previewed the course on Wednesday, thanks to race director Nathan Kile’s great course directions. Part of the course was on a trail where I do many training runs so it was nice to be on familiar territory. What a difference it makes going into a race confident of the footing and knowing where all of the twists, turns and climbs are located.

The race start was at 8:30am so I got up before 5:30am to try to get my body awake and moving. It was so nice to prepare in my apartment rather than a hotel room. We got to the course; I registered and then started my warm-up of 2.5miles. It was very humid this morning with temperatures in the mid-70’s. There was a solid turn-out for the race, considering we were sharing the day with WVU’s first home football game against in-state rival Marshall. After the chaos of the start, I found my rhythm sandwiched between two men that helped me keep an honest pace throughout the race. I felt very strong today and was able to keep pushing it. Because the course was so close to home, I was able to have a small fan base that included my mom and dad and Tad’s parents. The cheers of my family definitely made a difference and put an extra skip in my step each time I ran by them. I wore the Inov-8 Roclite 285’s, as did a handful of other competitors. They held up extremely well over the rocky singletrack terrain. I finished first female, third overall and broke the women’s course record by almost 7 minutes.

I am very pleased with my performance today coming off of last week’s 10k trail championship. I felt a lot better and I’m glad I had the opportunity to support a local trail race. Thanks to Nathan Kile and the race volunteers for organizing a great event and to all of the race sponsors. I look forward to visiting Morgantown Running (http://morgantownrunning.com/) with my $50 gift certificate soon and buying a new pair of Inov-8's!

Conquering the Continental Divide

Going into the USATF 10k trail championships in Laurel Springs, NC my body was feeling pretty good. I have been running between 40-50 miles a week (gradually building up after weeks of injury) with 2-3 bike rides and intense yoga practice. I had been receiving a technique called Bowenwork for the past several months. It is a holistic, soft-tissue technique that relaxes and returns the body to homeostasis. Melita Mollohan, a certified Bowenwork practitioner, has her own practice in Morgantown called Zen from Within (https://www.facebook.com/zenfromwithin). Melita applies light pressure over tendons, muscles and nerve bundles that allows the brain to connect with your body promoting restoration and healing. Since Bowenwork I am not as beat up after hard workouts and am able to recovery more quickly.  Even when my muscles are fatigued, my stride has full range of motion.  Melita is very passionate in all that she does and it really comes across in her efforts to heal. If you are ever in the Morgantown area, I recommend that you check her out or find a local Bowenwork practitioner near you!

Tad and I left for Laurel Springs early on Friday morning and got to the course around 3:00pm. A hard rain just let up leaving rocks and roots nice and slippery. Every running course, be it cross country, trail or mountain is tough if you put in your maximum effort, but this course is TOUGH. It shows no mercy as it either snakes violently downhill, climbs uphill or transitions to cross country racing. Admittedly, I was especially nervous going into this race because the memory of running it last year still stung in my muscles. We jogged the entire course and walked the tough climbs to make sure I remembered where I was going. We stayed in Sparta, NC which was about 20 minutes away from the course. There isn’t much going on in Sparta other than a really nice Food Lion and a hip coffee joint called Backwoods Bean.  I got a perfectly brewed (3 minutes) green tea from a barista who apparently has studied British brewing techniques. Little did I know that this tea would keep me wide awake until the wee hours of the night. Ugh. Rather than eating at one of the local fast food eateries, Tad and I brought our camping stove and cooked up the perfect pre-race pasta in the comfort of our hotel room. Delicious!

Penne with Veggies

After only a couple hours of sleep, I woke to my 6:15am alarm, ate my breakfast and got packed up. We got to the course in time to pick up my packet and watch the men’s race. As the runners waited for the women’s 10:15am start, I was able to chat with fellow competitors, friends and racing staff. One thing that I love about this race in particular is the very kind people that come to it. Everyone is always extremely friendly, supportive and enthusiastic. We are all able to bond over this brutal course. Misery loves company.

Almost to 4 miles

After “On your mark, go!” we took off downhill for ¾ mile before starting to climb and meander through the woods. Right away the leaders, Megan Kimmel and Amber Moran, took off out of sight. After the mile I was left to navigate the woods alone for the remainder of the race. Luckily I had the supportive cheers of the race staff that were strategically located at critical junctures on the course to prevent wrong-ways. I wore the most trusted Inov-8 X-talon 190’s. They kept me on my feet when the trails started to slope down the mountain from the wear and tear of runners. At about 4.5 miles my body really started to fatigue so I just tried to run strong to the finish. I ran a solid race, 52:58, placing third behind Megan (1^st) and Amber (2^nd). My time was over a minute slower than last year, but that is not surprising given the setbacks I have had this spring and early summer.


After a 1.5 mile crawl for a cool down, we enjoyed the awards ceremony over complimentary blueberry smoothies courtesy of Sheetz. After pictures and goodbyes we headed back to Morgantown exhausted, pleased and content. Thank you to Jason and Alison Bryant for doing such a fantastic job organizing this event. The day was a success and I will reluctantly, given the tough course, look forward to next year.

Megan Kimmel, Amber Moran, Maria Dalzot

Pictures courtesy of Tad Davis

A Runner Again

After a 6 hour delay in Minnesota, Tad and I made it to our hotel just north of Seattle at 3:30am eastern time. We got up the next morning and had a lovely run on the trails of Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo. We got to Vancouver just in time for dinner due to the horrendous city traffic.

The next morning we found fellow teammate and 2:38 marathoner Michelle Suszek. The three of us drove up to Cypress Mountain Ski Area, site of the 2010 winter Olympics, to check out the last 2 miles of the NACAC Mountain Running Championship course. We were in for a doozey: 1200 meters of a boulder-field climb, slick granite faces, chimney cracks, a waste-deep mud pit and a screaming technical downhill finish.

We had dinner with Amber and Chris, who we got to know and love at last year's NACAC championship. We had a delicious dinner at a little Italian place, Carmelo's, and then stopped at Whole Food's to pick up our pre-race breakfasts.

The morning of the race, we woke to overcast skies and a steady rain. Our caravan left the hotel at 7:30am and proceeding to the starting line at Horseshoe Bay. We were lucky enough to get a spot at the trail-head parking lot, as it was only capable of holding a dozen cars. The race began just after 9:00am with about 45 participants. Up we went for approximately 3,000 feet elevation gain. Given the last race (Loon Mountain) and having only been able to run healthy for 2 weeks, I wasn't sure what to expect. I started out following close behind Amber and we soon caught Michelle. I figured she was having a bad race due to her bed bug nightmare (http://dreamliverun.com). I stayed within eye-shot of Brandy (2012 Mountain Running World Team member) for about 2 miles and then Amber and I took turns leading and watching out for trail markings. I felt very happy to be close to Amber (3rd at 2011 NACAC and just missed making the world team last year). She was a huge comfort for me; given the technical course and how hard it is to watch for markers, I definitely didn't want to be on my own.

Tad caught up to us at the top of the boulder field and then took off all the way to the finish. I was able to keep up with Amber until the steep descent to the finish and then she bolted. Coming around the final turns, I felt like a runner again. I felt strong in my stride and proud of my performance.

Brandy finished as the1st overall woman just over 2 minutes ahead of us, Tad was 45 seconds ahead of me and I was 15 seconds behind Amber (2nd) finishing as 3rd overall woman. We took home the gold and the U.S. men took second to Canada again this year. I wore the Inov8 Roclite 285's that never let me falter despite the mud and slippery rocks.

Our post-race celebration was on the outside patio of Earl's, a hip restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. I had such a nice time relaxing and breaking bread with such a great group of people. I am very thankful to be a part of this team and this experience. These men and women have such positive influence on me and really appreciate and enjoy their lives. Thanks to USATF team managers Nancy Hobbs and Richard Bolt-looking forward to next time!

Nancy Hobbs & Richard Bolt Photos