Quick report from the Laurel Highlands... 70.5 miles in 16:27. Pretty good run for me. My personal best here is 16:11 back in 2008 when I was much faster (younger too) and last year I ran it in 16:48. I did feel like I was in much better shape this year and even considered it possible for me to PR since I am a bit smarter in regards to handling myself at such distances.

A few words about training since I changed things up this go around. This is kind of a stupid statement for an ultrarunner, but I was getting tired of the long training runs week after week. So I just stopped doing them week in and week out and switched to an every other weekend schedule. Midweek mileage I kept pretty much the same.. 30-40mpw, with weekend mileage being 20-25mpw on a low week, 30-40mpw on a weekend with a long run. Long run to me is 3.5 hours and up as most of my trails are around 5mph pace, give or take. This strategy worked well for me as I was  fresher and more mentally into my long runs. Seeing that I am approaching geritol status it likely helped as well in the injury/overall health department. I did no tune-up races other than jumping into a hilly local 10k trail race where I was pretty happy to run 8 minute pace average for the run. I would have like a 50k tune-up race but it did not pan out.

Felt in really good shape going into the taper but banged my left knee pretty hard on one of PA's finest rocks 2 weeks out. I still had a decent first week of taper and not much lingering soreness. Two days out from the race I started getting this zinging/stabbing pains in that knee after periods of rest. Figured it was taper madness but Friday morning before race day I could not do a lunge without some stiffness and pain. I wasn't sure what was going on and the knee felt better as the day went so I kept stretching it and made the drive over to western PA.

Enough about that... a few blurbs from the race.

Race/Cliff Notes:

* It's cool and crisp at the start. My strategy to run shirtless seems a bad move. Who runs shirtless in 50 degree weather? I keep on the shirt. Why am I here again? Sleeping in and running 8 miles with the dog seems more sensible.

* I always get stuck around yackers early in the race. How can someone continue to talk "blab blab blab" for so long?  I get ahead of these guys and could still hear them yacking away echoing through the hollows. I believe I am turning into an old fart curmudgeon. I irritate too easily.

* Many climbs in the opening miles but the big one from 6-8 is over pretty quickly. Just a nice 1200 foot stroll uphill. I am cursing myself for the shirt decision. Despite the temps it's a sweat soaked mess already. Angus is going to need a pair of sanitary tongs to take this thing away at the first aid station.

* On top of the summit and the running is good but too many people right behind me. Footsteps in my ear close. I hate leading the congo line and want these people to go away. It's making me run too fast. Yeah, I believe I am becoming a social misfit.

* Every year it happens. Before the end of section 1 (19.3 miles) a relay runner has a bonkfest. The one behind me now is complaining about calf cramps. He tells me he's never felt anything like it before. I am sort of jealous he's nearly done and nod my head. Cramps do suck.

* Meltdown around mile 20. Stupid stupid fool. You are an undertrained loser. 20 miles into the run I am staggering and hopping around rocks and through mud and getting passed over and over. Did someone forget how to run? I suck. I pop a gel and get pissed off. Some guy passes me and say's "hang in there buddy". It makes me even angrier.

* I start running again. I pop another gel. Idiot. You got behind on calories. I feel great all of a sudden and pass a few runners back. Lesson learned, remembered and I never feel low again the rest of the day.

* I am running through Seven Spring's Resort feeling on top of the world and enjoying the views of the countryside. This is the highest point of the course and one of the few exposed sections as the mountain top has been cleared for condos and ski runs. Some dude is running along beside me and I don't even hate him!

* I leave the dude on a little uphill and now am running through the woods all alone and am quite happy with the world in general. Is it weird that I'd rather be alone? I think I just like the feeling of running my own race and pace. I once again get to the 50k turnoff before letting any of the early leaders catch me. Granted I had a 2 hour start but still.

* Mile and miles of picking my way down the trail. It's green and lush and muddy and while a technical section I never get discouraged.

* Route 30 checkpoint and mile 46.7. Still no hot food. No soup for you. Angus is here and wants to run a bit. He decides to do an out/back with me as pacers are allowed now. I don't need a pacer but the company will be great so come along. A gaggle of hikers and a rather scantily clad gal head out on this section with us.

* Angus missed me at the last aid station and queried one of the attractive volunteers if she had seen a lean shirtless man come through her aid station that was a cross between Brad Pitt and Magilla Gorilla. She recognized me by the latter he said.

* I'm feeling good in this section. I joke to Angus that this is the "chick" or "be-chicked" section. All the runners we see here are women. A few pass me, I pass them back, repeat a few times. I am running very well for 50+ miles. One of the woman has arm panties clipped to her pack. They are hanging there almost like a flag football belt swaying as she runs. I want to run by her, yank one off and yell "your'e down".

* Angus turns around at the mile 54 post. Guess he did not want a 22 mile jog today! I tell him I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and I'll see him at the finish.

* The next checkpoint has hot food finally. Yeah for real food. I chug down some noodle soup, grab some grilled cheese and hit the trail.

* A relay runner goes by me as I walk and snack. He is wearing the 5 fingers. I wonder how those will work out for him on the rocky final 3 mile descent?

* As twilight settles in the dark ribbon of trail running into the woods is just a great thing to see. It's really an easy part of the course and very runnable but I'm starting to feel the easy uphill grades now.

* I've decided not to look at my watch. I have thoughts of a sub16 and a personal best on this trail but don't want to be disappointed with what the watch says and settle into a funk. So I ignore it, and just run along. It will be what it will be when the race ends.

* It seems like I've gotten further on down this trail then ever before without the headlamp. Past mile marker 66 now and I can still see the trail. It's about time now though.

* I glance down and see something blinking in my shorts pocket. Uh oh. That's where my lights are and I guess I bumped a switch. I wonder how long I've been flashing?

* Pull out the headlamp and it will not work. I putz around with it but get the jimmy hands. I can't get the case to lock in for some reason and it won't light up. I waste way too much time on this. Finally just grab the flashlight and head on down the trail. Hey, at least I had the sense to bring 2 light sources.

* Lost all my momentum with the headlamp fiasco and I keep worrying the flashlight is going to burn out on me but it doesn't. The end of this course is brutal at night. The elevation chart shows a huge downhill but at most times it appears to be an obstacle course of rocks and rhododendron thickets dimly lit by my flashlight.

* See mile marker 69 and jog it in. Finally stop the watch after coming out of the woods into the chute. 16:27. Not a PR, but 20+ minutes better than last year. Slightly disappointed as a PR would have been a heck of a thing but still a good run. Later reviewing my race splits I see I would have needed to crush that last section to meet the goal by 1-2 minutes/mile. I ran the section about the same time as always, actually a bit faster than my plan.

* Grab some chili and a cold beer from the cooler. Donovan plays.. Season off the Witch. I was hoping for Hurdy Gurdy Man. Always some good tunes to be had in the woods at the end of the Laurel Highlands. They do it right there.

Great run and great report - well done!

I related to bullet one, sleeping in and running with the dog.  nice time especially considering that you are a relic.  My husband is burned out on my long run schedules, so may adapt that every other weekend.

• Nice job, Magilla. 

• That last section with a dim light could be a real ankle breaker, so way to navigate it safely.  
• Looks like you had great weather this year compared to some previous years.
• Good luck working out all of your social issues.
• Are you running Labor Pains this year?  (if so, I'll try not to talk much)

Nice job, XT!  I always love reading your LH report every year.  I'll get out there with you (er, well behind you) someday.

I don't even remember why I made this anymore, but here it is

Congratulation on a great race. I really enjoyed the race report.

That was a great report. I really find that race to be interesting. I have some friends in Western PA. I should go do that race one year.

Also, I completely understand that idea of getting tired of that week in and week out long run. I swapped to the every other weekend long run, too. Well, for June it looks like every third weekend. Nevertheless, I was advised a few years ago to reject the idea of the 7 day week and look at 10 day cycles for mileage/time. I haven't done a good job of that, but I am working on it.

Regarding the race, I like the way you broke it down into bullet points. I feel the same way about yakkers. I like people, and I like to talk. But, I don't usually do well talking and running unless I am in pacer/runner mode.  You never know what will piss you off or what will make you happy. Either way, it can change in a heartbeat. Well, sometimes you know what will piss you off, but sometimes you get surprised like when I got pissed off at peanut farmers when I couldn't eat PB and J's. I was completely aware that my anger was irrational, but my mental state at the time made things seem somewhat reasonable. Not long afterwards, I ran out of water and forgot all about the peanut farmers.

Great report and congrats on a great day out there.