Training For The Beast

 "You can have your friends and eat them too."

   - The Cannibal

It has been an oppressive summer.  The heat and humidity, not to mention the thunder and lightning, made for some pretty rough runs. 

As we ready once again for the Summer Beast of Burden I can't help but wonder, "What the hell were we thinking?"

I am doing the Fifty Miler and Baba is doing the One Hundred.  

Who knows what the Cannibal is doing.  He claims he's not running it but I think that's just a ploy.

He will be out there, hiding in the bushes or underwater in the canal, sucking a reed, seeking the sick and vulnerable as the race turns ugly.

But we can't let the possibility of lightning strikes or cannibalism bother us.  Training is our priority.

Through the rain, the heat and the dark of night, nothing will stop us from our appointed runs.  

When race day comes I know the Cannibal will be out there somewhere, trying to trip us up so he can have his way with our toes, but the finish line is our boss and nothing will stop us from reaching it.

Bring it on Cannibal, bring it on.

Guest Post - The Cannibal

Special thanks to the Cannibal for the first installment of his Summer Beast Story.  Hey Cannibal,  I forgot to ask, what's the title?

Part I

The Cannibal's eyes slowly fluttered open.  First one and then the other.  His other senses began assessing the situation.  How long had he been asleep by the side of "Clinton's Ditch" in the mud, weeds and assorted goose crap?  He knew that it was probably only twenty minutes but he felt scads better.  True, his legs still screamed with built up lactic acid and his lower back ached from an old kayak mishap, but these were minor inconveniences that would disappear when he ran the last twenty eight miles to cross the finish of the Summer beast 100 mile Run.

As the Cannibal lay in the weeds by the side of the water he sensed something wasn't quite right.  He knew he had a forty five minute lead on Babba so that wasn't it. Something just didn't feel right. There was the sound of the canal water lapping against the rocks on the shore and a bit of light from a waning crescent moon that gave just a hint of visibility to the pitch black surroundings.  He could hear the unsure crunch, crunch of an approaching runner on the Towpath trail.  You could just tell from the uneven sound of the footsteps that he was a 5K Ultra wannabe.  Nothing rhythmic in his gait as his mind wandered amid the pain and darkness.  His glaring headlamp was also a dead giveaway that this was his first attempt at the distance.  As he approached you could hear the faint strains of the Rocky Theme playing on his IPOD.  Jesus, another rookie mistake!

Wait a minute, thought the Cannibal, canal water lapping against the rocks?  The canal water doesn't lap against the rocks out here!  There was no wind and with only a four mile per hour current the canal is usually noiseless.  Not unless. . . .  the hair on the back of his neck was standing up as he moved his head slowly toward the dark channel.

Mr. 5K clomped by, oblivious to the hidden Cannibal, his head bobbing to the IPOD tunes.  he never heard or flinched when a slimy tentacled figure slipped from the inky water enveloping him in its wiggling suction cupped arms.  Horrible sucking sounds and a mild struggle ensued.  The chaos didn't last more than fifteen seconds and the dark figure slithered back into the canal.  it appeared to be swimming west, its appetite partially satiated.


TO BE CONTINUED . . .

The Summer Beast Report

What started out as an overcast day with a pleasant breeze quickly turned hot and humid, then as night fell, mother nature decided to turn on the "cold driving rain" switch. 

Let me say this about running my first ultra.  I REALLY appreciated the volunteers at the aid stations every six miles.  They were the best.  They helped so much when the going got tough and ugly.  And boy did it get ugly.

Toward the end, every mile lasted forever and I may have been delusional but I swear as Widewaters finally came into sight, the geese stood down by the water on the other side of the canal and laughed at us.

Then the bushes turned into monsters.  I couldn't believe it.  I've run that towpath a thousand times but I never noticed the monsters on the side of the path before.  Maybe they only come out after midnight.

And the rain just kept pouring down. 

Finally we crossed the bridge to run the final stretch in and I thought all would be well very soon.  But somehow while we were running our last loop, somebody added extra mileage onto the winding path that leads to the finish line.  I don't know who did it or how or why, but that last mile in had to be 5 miles long.   Really nasty trick to play on a bunch of good hearted runners.

The most amazing thing I saw though, as we finished the second of our two 25 mile loops in the darkness, was watching the 100 milers heading back out into the wind and the driving rain to do their 3rd and 4th loops!

Mental toughness at its finest.

Here are a few pictures early on in the race while the running was still smooth and easy.

Great run with a great bunch of people.

Upcoming Races:

Run For Hope 5k - Saturday, Sept 4th, 9:30 AM , Tonawanda NY
Fleet Feet 15k - Monday Sept. 6th 8 AM, Buffalo NY
Harvest Moon Run - Wednesday Sept. 8th 6:30 PM, Pendleton NY

Next Ultra Up:

Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs- Saturday Oct. 16th, Oil Creek State Park PA

Appreciating Flatness

"What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it." Alexander Graham Bell

 

As I stood there listening to the three nut jobs discussing the upcoming Oil Creek 100 Ultra , I realized how truly crazy they really are.  100 miles of unspeakable elevation through woods, mud, rocks and unforgiving drop offs.

Oh, and did I mention that there are bears in the woods?

That race will take place in October.




This is August.  It is a week before the Summer Beast Of Burden - the 24 hour and 100 mile race along the Erie Canal.   It will be long and hot but it will also be one thing the Oil Creek 100 is not.

The Summer Beast will be flat.  

So after listening to the nut jobs planning their insane Oil Creek adventure I have found a mantra to hopefully get myself through next weekends sweltering Summer Beast -

"At least it's flat."

 

Upcoming Ultras:

Beast of Burden Summer 100-miler and 24 hour Ultra - August 21st, Lockport NY

Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs - October 16th, Oil Creek State Park, PA

Upcoming Races:

Rut Race 3.4 miles - Mon. August 16th 7:00 PM, Bond Lake

Moonlight Run 5k- Wed.  August 18th 8:00 PM, Williamsville

Remember, you're only nuts if a psychiatrist says so.  And even then there's always the chance that he's wrong.

The Breath Of The Beast

"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." - Alfred Hitchcock


I feel the hot, heavy breath of the beast on the back of my neck.

Every day that passes brings me a day closer to our meeting.  But I am not afraid (well maybe just a little).  I am human and I have strength and I have faith and I have courage.

And most important of all, I have nut job friends to help me through when the insanity level rises over my head.

The Beast is insatiable.  He will swallow you whole if you let Him.

He is hungry and he is mean.  He makes his appearance twice each year.  In February and in August.  The coldest and hottest days of the year.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

My allies conquered him in the cold.  Now the heat is coming and I will join my noble running adventurers (total nut jobs) and show the beast what we are made of.



Who will survive?  Who will crumble?  Those questions will be answered August 21st.

All I ask is that there be a cold beer waiting at the end of the journey.

Buffalo Hash House Harriers, can you hear me?

Races To Check Out:

JP MorganChase Corporate Challenge - Thursday June 10, 6:45 PM
Susan G Komen Race For The Cure - Saturday June 12, 10:00 AM

Ultras To Check Out:

Summer Beast Of Burden
Oil Creek 100 Trail Runs

Links To Check Out: 

The Virtual Runner Blog List
Lion Warning