Lookout Mountain 50 Miler

Lookout Mountain 50

December 19th, 2015

Lookout Mountain, TN/GA

What a year it has been! It is amazing how fast 12 months can go by and how much a person can grow in that time. As I trained for Cloudland 50 last year I stuck to an extremely detailed training program and strayed very little from it. For Lookout Mountain 50, things would be a little different.

After a several months of racing and heavy training my body began to give out. First I sprained yet another ankle in July, began to have some foot pain issues in September, and at the beginning of November my left knee decided to go out on me. My knee pain became the most debilitating injury I've had since I started running causing me to miss one of my most anticipated races of the year, Upchuck 50k. Determined to get healthy in time for Lookout 50, I began physical therapy to get things under control. After several weeks of therapy and prayer, I finally felt that God had given me the green light to attempt the race. Although I have ran more technical and longer races than Lookout 50, I knew that December 19th was going to be a slow and painful day. Thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong.

#99

My alarm went off at 4:30am but I had been awake for an hour already. I went through my pre-run morning routine of eating a PB and Nutella sandwich and drinking my Rockstar energy drink as I sat at my computer playing music that I wanted to get stuck in my head during the run. I started to get my things together as my beautiful wife Carmen woke up and began sleepily getting ready herself. How luck am I? My wife hates only 2 things in life, waking up early and being cold, 2 things she was going to experience today for me. I am so blessed to have a selfless wife that supports these endeavors of mine. As I continued getting my things for the day I realized this is the most unprepared for a race I have ever been, both physically and mentally. Usually I have maps laid out, my gear all ready days before and so forth. Today though I was running around the house trying to think of what I needed and grabbing food out of the cabinets. It was a little chaotic but also nice. I was stressing over anything, just thinking to myself "This is just going to be a long run out in the woods today."

Mom and I 

We left the house and picked up the other half of my pit crew, my mom. My mother, like Carmen was giving up her entire day to wake up early and stand in the cold to support me. I feel so selfish and yet so extremely blessed to have these 2 women with me in the morning. We drove up to Lookout Mountain where it was a nice breezy below freezing morning.

As we made our way to the starting area I spotted my friend Corey Evatt near a bonfire. Corey and I both weren't as trained as we both had hoped we would be by race day so I had planned on us getting in some nice slow miles together throughout the day. We chatted for a minute then I went off to find some other buddies. I spotted David Pharr and Jeremiah Lackey who were both planning on really fast days and Nathan Judd who was already busy panning his GoPro around the crowd that was gathering. I got a kiss from Carmen and a hug from mom and went to the starting line. Before positioning myself in the mid-pack I made my way up to the front of the starting line to wish some of my faster friends good luck. The always humble Nathan Holland, always smiling Franklin Baker, and always blazing fast Daniel Hamilton (who would go on to win 1st place) were all lined up ready to take off. After wishing them luck I made my way back a bit and waited for the countdown.

Lookout Mountain 50 course

The closest way to describe the course is a figure 8. From Covenant College runners run a big loop across, down, and back up the mountain and arrive back at Covenant just before the halfway mark. From there runners do an out and back through the GA side of Lookout and return to the start/finish once again. 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!

Miles 0-6.3 Covenant College to Craven's House

Coming into Craven's (courtesy of Nathan Custer)

Leaving Craven's (courtesy of Alan Thomas)

My thoughts going into the day was to listen to my body and run off how I felt. I wasn't going to worry about any time or pace, just take care of my knee and hopefully see the finish line. The largest climb of the entire race is in the first half and I knew if I could make it up without too much pain I would continue on to the 2nd half of the race. As we left the starting area I stayed in my mid-pack section while others were zipping by me on the short road section we had. I know the course very well and knew we had a good bit of downhill for the first 13 or so miles. We ran the road behind the college and jumped onto the Jackson Springs trail which is a nice short decline down to one of my favorite trails in all of Chattanooga, the Bluff Trail. The Bluff Trail runs along side the west side of Lookout giving runners gorgeous views of Lookout Valley to their left. We continued along the Bluff Trail until we reached the Mountain Beautiful Trail. This is a short section of switchbacks that leads us down the mountain a bit. By now my knee was a little tender but nothing unmanageable. The trail then spits runners out onto the Hardy Trail which is a wide gravel service road that leads to Craven's House. Along this section I met a guy named Rob who I would share a good bit of miles and conversation with. We came into the first aid station at Craven's House and I was feeling pretty good. Another friend, Nathan Custer, was there to show some support and snap some pictures as well as Alan Thomas who I just met earlier that week. Seeing a few friendly faces always helps! I refilled my water bottle and was on my way.

Miles 6.3-14.8 Craven's House to Nature Center

After leaving Craven's it was all downhill. Rob and I stayed together and chatted through all of this section. First we headed down the technical rocky Rifle Pits Trail, onto the wide and flat Guild Trail then a onto the Jura Trail which is a great section of single track. After Jura, runners turn onto the wide trails of the Nature Center that continue to take them all the way down the mountain. Once we got down to the Nature Center the course changed from previous years. Due to recent flooding, the Lookout Creek had completely flooded the trail that ran beside it. Instead, we ran along the gravel roads alongside the creek to the second aid station. I refilled and ate a couple of potatoes and salt. I looked up at the mountain and knew what was next.

Miles 14.8-22.5 Nature Center to Covenant College

There was only one way to get to the next aid station, and that is up. Leaving the Nature Center aid station I knew I had my work cut out for me. Hopping off the gravel road we made our way down the Lower Truck trail, another wide section, before heading up the mountain. As Rob and I started the short but steep climb up to the Skyuka Springs Trail he began to pull away. I was not nearly the climber he was. My knee started to get a little aggravated from the ascent but once I reached Skyuka it flattened out and I was back to running a consistent pace again. I was able to catch back up to Rob and 2 other runners (J.B. and Connor) caught up to me right as we were about to hit the John Smart Trail. The four of us began our climb up. The best way to handle a climb that's this long is just to put your head down and one foot right in front of the other. Rob began to pull away quite a bit again as I continued on with the other 2 in tow. As we made our way up and up our group began to pass a good bit of other runners. I caught up to Rob again who I think was wearing down a bit from the climb. The four of us crested the top together and before I knew it we were making our way across the road back to the start/finish area. The big climb up John Smart was done!

Coming into Covenant with Josh, Jude & Micah

Coming into the aid station I saw my good friend Josh Cole and his son Jude. They came up to show support and give encouragement. My brother Micah and his girlfriend Paige were there also. Once again I am blessed with all the family and friends that show love and support each and every race. I was warmed up now so I took my jacket off and left it with my crew and went up to the aid station to eat some pickles and potatoes before heading back onto the trails.

Miles 22.5-29.9 Covenant College - Lula Lake

I left the aid station feeling great! My knee was a bit sore as expected but I was now headed onto the back half of the race. Rob and Connor had left at the same time and the three of us started down the trails. I didn't realize it but no more than a mile down the trails it was just Connor and I. We talked about running and things runners talk about for a few miles until I noticed a familiar figure up ahead. It was my buddy David. I was expecting him to be way ahead of me. I thought either he wasn't doing well or I was doing great. Come to find out it was a little of both. We caught up to David and he said he was trying to recover after a rough few miles. We ran together some until Connor and I pulled away and continued on the trails that would lead us into the Lula Lake Land Trust. As we made a road crossing I began to get excited because we were into the Lula Lake section, another one of my absolute favorites. Lula Lake offers a little bit of everything from single track, wide trails, waterfalls, steep climbs, and bluff views. We made our way through the winding trails and came out right at the next aid station beside one of two gorgeous waterfalls.

Miles 29.9-34 Lula Lake to Longbranch

Coming into Longbranch aid station

I took a second to snap a few photos of the 100foot falls and continued on down the road and onto the High Adventure Trail. This trail is straight up and even has three ropes to help through some of the sketchier sections. This section always gets my legs burning. Once I made it to the up it clears out to a wide section of trail that runs along the top giving runners great clear views of Chattanooga Valley. Connor and I continued on and eventually saw the lead runners run past us heading back to the finish line. We made our way down the F4 trail that runs alongside Rock Creek and I knew the next aid station was just a few miles away. After a short climb the trails bring runners out onto Nick-A-Jack Road for about a quarter mile before arriving at the Longbranch aid station.

Miles 34-38.2 Longbranch to Longbranch

As I was coming down the road into Longbranch I noticed another familiar figure ahead of me again. This time it was my friend Jeremiah, and he wasn't running. Once I reached him he told me he had sprained his left ankle and in was in some serious pain. I told him I would stick with him and we would finish this race together. We walked into the Longbranch aid station where my crew was waiting for me. I told them I was feeling great but was going to stick with Jeremiah through the rest of the race. Jeremiah and I left Longbranch for our 4 mile loop section. 

I have ran the entire Lookout 50 course before except for 3 miles in this loop so I was looking forward to it. Slowly, Jeremiah and I made our way through the trails. This section was absolutely stunning. Moving at a slower pace really allowed me to appreciate the beauty. I could tell Jeremiah was hurting bad so I was doing my best to try to keep his spirits up without being overly annoying. That's actually really hard to do. We were less than a mile out of the loop when David along with Connor came up behind us and quickly passed us by. David looked like he recovered from his low patch he had earlier and was running well. We made our way back to the Longbranch aid station and got some ibuprofen from my crew. I ate a small nutella sandwich. David was at the aid station throwing down on a $5 foot long from Subway. Jeremiah and I slowly made our way out of Longbranch and back on the road that would lead us to the F4 trail again.

Miles 38.2-42.5 Longrbranch to Lula Lake

On the road I recognized a guy that my brother knew from high school and was a local road runner, Marco. He was running his first 50 so we stopped and talked for a minute. I tried to give him some advice and he seemed in great spirits. I turned around and ran to catch up to Jeremiah who was power hiking along. We moved off the road back onto the trails. It was going to be slow going but for having a nasty sprain Jeremiah was actually booking it. In fact, we passed people going up some of the climbs. It was amazing to see him pushing so hard when I knew he was hurting so bad. We continued on making it back into Lula Lake, across the bluff line, back down the High Adventure trail, past the waterfalls and into the final aid station.

Jeremiah powering through Lula Lake

Miles 42.5-50 Lula Lake to Covenant College

Racing the sun, almost to the finish.

Arriving at the aid station was a mini victory for us. Realizing this was the final aid station and the next stop was going to be the finish line boosted Jeremiah's spirits. I grabbed some more pickles and licorice at the aid station and ran to catch up to Jeremiah who was already powering down the road. We did a little math and realized that if we could maintain a 16:30 pace we would be done around 10 hours which would actually be a PR for me. We continued on through the rest of the Lula trails, crossed the road and celebrated being on the final section of the race. Just a few miles of single track and a powerline cut descent was all that was keeping us from the finish line. As we pushed on I could tell the pain was intensifying for Jeremiah. Regardless, he never slowed down and never stopped, not once. He would pull away from me on the climbs and I would have to jog and catch up on the descents and flats. To say his determination was inspiring would be an understatement. As the sun began to set we got closer and closer until we could see the strung up lights at the finish line. We picked up the pace and crossed the finish line together in stride. 

Finish

Finishing together!

I could never have imagined the race playing out the way it did. I expected a long day of knee pain struggling to make it to the finish. Instead, I felt God's hand over my knee the whole day and setting a PR while power hiking a third of the course with my good friend. The weather was amazing all day long too. Lookout 50 will definitely go down as one of my favorite races and was the perfect wrap-up to a long year of running accomplishments. 

Thanks to Wild Trails, Randy and Kris Whorton, who put on such perfect races and to all the volunteers that spend so much of their own time to allow runners like myself to enjoy the long days in the woods. Thank you to all my running friends mentioned above for your constant encouragement and friendship. It has contributed to me becoming a better runner and a better person. Congrats to all the runners who were brave enough to attempt such a long distance and thanks for all the kind words and conversations along the course. Here's to a 2016 full of new running and trail adventures!

Always by my side!