Today’s guest is someone that has represented the United States in the last few years and has both individual and team medals to show for his efforts.
Tayte Pollmann Taking in the Views Mid-Run
His strong performances have earned him a spot as a professional trail runner on the Nike Trail Team.
I look forward to trying to keep up with Tayte Pollmann for a few miles today.
Today on the show I’m running with a woman that has so much going on there is no way we will be able to cover it all in one chat.
Sarah Canney: Mountain Runner
Sarah Canney enjoys just about every type of running challenge from going hard on the track to running in the mountains, and everything in between.
Sarah has recently gotten into mountain running, and has quickly fallen in love with the ability to be out and a part of nature while running on the trails.
She still hasn’t tested the ultra distance waters yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that itch gets scratched at some point down the road. Read more
Today on the show, I’m doing my best to keep up with Sally McRae for a few easy miles.
Sally McRae, Elite Ultra Runner
Sally is still somewhat new to the ultra distance scene, but she’s quickly proving herself to be right there with the best trail and ultra runners in the world.
When I posed my opening question to Sally, her answer proved immediately that she’s insane: her favorite distance to race is 100 miles because “it allows her the opportunity to spend the most possible time in the mountains”.
Call me crazy, but just go camping for a few days and you can spend a longer amount of time in the mountains without beating yourself up by racing 100 miles.
But I digress… Read more
This past weekend, I headed up to Roanoke, VA, to run in the mountains for the Blue Ridge Marathon.
While the trip was a blur (flight up Friday afternoon, race Saturday morning, fly home Saturday evening), I think I might have developed a little crush on the city of Roanoke and really want to head back for a longer visit soon. If you’ve never been in that part of the country, I can’t encourage you enough to go for a visit.
The race was advertised as the “Toughest Road Marathon in America”, and while I haven’t run every road race in the country (yet!) I can’t imagine finding one that is more difficult than this one.
I knew before the race started that the hills (let’s be honest, mountains) were going to be a challenge. I mean, living in Florida means we run on flat ground only. Sure, we have a couple of “hills”, and we can always run the overpasses, but we basically only run on flat surfaces.
And the only surfaces we didn’t run in Roanoke were flat.
Oy vey….
The race started out with a bit of a climb. And by a bit, I mean 7 miles. Straight up.
Not Even Half Way Up!
Getting to the top of the first 7 mile climb was nice. Coolest thing, bagpiper at the top.
There’s Nothing Better Than Bagpipes. Nothing.
Coming down the mountain provided a much needed break. I used to think that going down hills was harder than going up them, but that perspective changed long ago. I was flying down the hill, and I kept hearing people complain about the down hills.
I actually had to be reminded to slow down.
Easy, Speed Racer
That first 7 mile climb was the biggest hill we ran, but it was far from the last. We kept going up and down for the entire race, which sucked, but there were some awesome views and gorgeous neighborhoods that we got to experience.
Looking Down on Roanoke
And since the hills never stopped coming, there was no shame and stopping or walking on occasion. No matter what the signs say.
So I Stopped. Do Something.
Not a PR, But Still a Great Race
Going into the race, I knew that a new PR was out of the question. My A goal for the race was to be sub-4:30. A more realistic goal was to be sub-5:00, and I crossed the finish line at 4:52:10.
Not too shabby.
In Race Commentary
Looking back on the race, I’m really glad I took the trip north and ran the race. I got to meet some of my cool twitter friends in person, and knocked another state off of the list.
But during the race, I wasn’t quite as excited about what was going on. Check it out for yourself.
Did You Run the Blue Ridge Marathon This Year? How Did You Do?
If You Didn’t Run It, What Do You Think About Running a Marathon in the Mountains?
Back in August, I was lucky enough to be named one of the official bloggers for the 2014 Blue Ridge Marathon, which will be taking place on April 26 in Roanoke, VA.
The race organizers proudly advertise this as “America’s Toughest Road Marathon”, and while I won’t be able to comment on the difficulty of the course until after the race, I know it’s going to be a serious challenge.
Why? Because the full marathon course features over 7,400 feet of elevation change! Here in central Florida, our biggest hills are little more than overpasses and fire ant mounds, so mountain running is going to be a challenge.
I’m looking forward to it, but it’s going to be a HUGE test physically and mentally!
Now for the fun stuff. If you think you can hang with me in the mountains next spring, here’s your chance. You can enter by clicking the following link ( a Rafflecopter giveaway ), and the winner will be selected from all eligible entries on Monday morning, Dec 30th. I’ll email the winner instructions on how to claim his or her entry, as well as give the winner a shout out on Twitter.
What are you waiting for! Enter now! Good luck!
*Disclaimer–As an official blogger for the Blue Ridge Marathon, I have been given one entry for myself and one entry to give away via this drawing. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post of the Blue Ridge Marathon are mine, and have not been influenced by anyone associated with the Blue Ridge Marathon in any way.