tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48337273657536608172024-03-02T17:45:28.326-08:00Beast Coast Trail Running by Scott SnellA collection of race reports and other writings of and about ultrarunning, trail running, and other running related topics with a strong focus on the East Coast. The "Beast Coast" has a strong trail running community and some amazing events; this blog aims to showcase some of that.Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-41994092802588228732024-03-02T13:26:00.000-08:002024-03-02T13:26:32.246-08:00Virginia Adventures Dogwood Ultramarathons: Race Plan and Goals for my First 48 Hour Race<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY5ja9nEWoGj2s9MyZQQwyV9_dzjrV9mYCLw50o4J6S_Fp_y3pDuA7D5TsDXy6dlmYEJDXAwTvbO9a__uz3NIu64u7sOBxrbtOARBtqHprdROh4R03q5R8_S22uPJH-2FzSLvvGyx3M4mfZoMEjHYi3GQU3-bfap4UFrdAs6d8nefgjNOZs0JlWvFEbo/s1024/1000005890_20240302154515855.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOY5ja9nEWoGj2s9MyZQQwyV9_dzjrV9mYCLw50o4J6S_Fp_y3pDuA7D5TsDXy6dlmYEJDXAwTvbO9a__uz3NIu64u7sOBxrbtOARBtqHprdROh4R03q5R8_S22uPJH-2FzSLvvGyx3M4mfZoMEjHYi3GQU3-bfap4UFrdAs6d8nefgjNOZs0JlWvFEbo/s320/1000005890_20240302154515855.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ll be running my first 48 hour timed race in just a few weeks at the <a href="https://virginiaadventures.com/" target="_blank">Virginia Adventures</a> Dogwood Ultramarathons held at Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay, Virginia. I’m venturing into this “new to me” timed race format with some questions, a few hesitations, and a bit of uncertainty. Which is understandable and I would say to be expected as it will be only the fifth timed race I’ve run; I have previously run a pair of 6 hour (<a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2018/10/fueled-by-candy-corn-and-mountain-dew.html" target="_blank">Squatchung Surprise</a> and <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2018/08/2018-fat-sass-switchback-challenge-six.html" target="_blank">Fat Sass Switchback</a>) and 24 hour races (Adventure Trail Challenge <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/04/adventure-trail-run-24-hour-event-2021.html" target="_blank">2021 </a>and <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/05/2023-adventure-trail-run-24-hour-event.html" target="_blank">2023</a>). <br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Will it be more difficult to run 200 miles during a 48 hour race than in a backyard format race?</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Will I miss those 5-10 minute breaks that are used to refuel and tend to needs on an hourly basis during backyard races?</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Will it be harder to stay motivated to keep moving when it is not forced on me, such as it is with the alternative of not going out for another loop means a DNF at a backyard?</span></li></ul><br />I’ve got more, but in addition to my questions and uncertainties going into this race I’ve also got a very clear goal, to exceed 200 miles by as much as possible. I’m confident I’ll be able to exceed 200 so that’s where my lowest tier goal starts. I hope, if all goes well and I don’t run into any major issues, I’ll be able to push to 240 miles before the clock runs out. If everything goes perfectly, I’ll hit that mileage by completing my final lap with just seconds left in the race after having to push myself to the brink of exhaustion and hammer that final lap. <br /><br />With the high confidence level I’ve had going into this race, I realized tonight that I may be making a huge error leading up to my first 48 hour race. An error that I’ve made before, actually at my last race, at <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/11/2023-bigs-backyard-individual-world.html" target="_blank">Big’s Backyard</a>. That mistake is going into any race having a false sense of how difficult it will be; deluding oneself that it won’t be that hard. I did this leading into Big’s, and when it got hard during that third day I fell apart. It wasn’t because it was too hard, it was because it was so much harder than I had told myself it would be. I find myself making a similar mistake of overconfidence going into this race, telling myself it will be easy to exceed 200 miles because I’ve done that on four occasions at backyard races. Well, I think and hope I caught it early enough this time and for the next three weeks leading up to race day I will be thinking about all of the low points of my backyard racing experiences and how difficult they were at times. I know I'll hit low points during this 48 hour race, especially so during the overnight portions of the race when sleep deprivation can really drain your motivation.<br /><br />As tired and drowsy as I may become on the second night of this race without taking any sleep breaks, I am mentally preparing a few strategies to get through it as best I can while continuing to move and cover as much distance as possible. During a backyard, the things I look forward to during the nights to motivate myself to push on are the sunrise and switching back to the trail loop. Knowing that the sunrise is only a few hours away is always a huge source of motivation for me when feeling especially drowsy while running through the night during a race. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLNXuXMxg7CO5sqhhc1rguWYS96vwHw8_X3oS7hRIAQvN7pP-hSsjgoBc3Lti2v7pGXNSp4vpRADUQoIU9Zpe6adrD2NcH4mSGyfIEd4I6oca1NmWebxL3gHzlciRN6nkwKU2wUS6SjYY4XYOs-4Sjn4t1BCuz9LaPUrP0EEAcYNhS24ledPB75d-QcY/s320/312079433_10104903581585015_3085227339953538724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard sunrise" border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="320" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLNXuXMxg7CO5sqhhc1rguWYS96vwHw8_X3oS7hRIAQvN7pP-hSsjgoBc3Lti2v7pGXNSp4vpRADUQoIU9Zpe6adrD2NcH4mSGyfIEd4I6oca1NmWebxL3gHzlciRN6nkwKU2wUS6SjYY4XYOs-4Sjn4t1BCuz9LaPUrP0EEAcYNhS24ledPB75d-QcY/w320-h229/312079433_10104903581585015_3085227339953538724_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I’ll still have the sunrise to look forward to during this race, but not the course change. But that’s alright because this race will have something else for me to look forward to that I believe will be an even more powerful motivating factor encouraging me to push harder for those last few dark hours of the night, a finish line! A finish line to induce a finish line kick is a luxury you don't get at a backyard ultra. Maybe you get one if you're the last one standing at a backyard and are aware that you are on your final lap, but that doesn't always happen. Oftentimes, a backyard seems to end suddenly, surprising everyone, runners included. Since I know I'll have the set finish time and a very certain count down to it, I plan to use that to my advantage as much as possible.<br /><br />Hopefully my race goes as planned and I can write about how great it was in my race report and how I plan on testing myself at a longer timed race in the future. But as I very well know, best laid plans don't always pan out or go as we hope in ultrarunning. There are no guarantees. And that is a huge part of what keeps me interested in ultras.<br /><br /><br />Scott Snell<br />2 March 2024<br /></span><br />Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-36886488484481535402024-03-01T19:51:00.000-08:002024-03-01T19:51:59.108-08:00 2024 February Monthly Mileage Check In<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyEqEh2KTHvD7_qbyzu_qxVayJViWZC4Oxeb_7Gn5M6PeJU4X6I0rIzF0Rej8e5aEOb7GsLD9P2zP9sL9Gt1SRZJIvGfkSQWVzjN_przHyK9S-sPntERAhgCQmPBmdZ9LjTsL5-aDidaxK2xwzfrDtpM7jrKEcvRFJDRh_OPmzeA-i53q-NwH6qnz1yY/s4000/IMG_20240206_114733594_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snow covered trees at Okemo mountain beast coast trailrunning" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyEqEh2KTHvD7_qbyzu_qxVayJViWZC4Oxeb_7Gn5M6PeJU4X6I0rIzF0Rej8e5aEOb7GsLD9P2zP9sL9Gt1SRZJIvGfkSQWVzjN_przHyK9S-sPntERAhgCQmPBmdZ9LjTsL5-aDidaxK2xwzfrDtpM7jrKEcvRFJDRh_OPmzeA-i53q-NwH6qnz1yY/w400-h300/IMG_20240206_114733594_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I finished February with 267 miles for an average of 9.2 miles a day! This was the last full month of training before my first race of the year, and also my first 48 hour race ever. It feels like my training has gone flawlessly and I am feeling so ready to see how far beyond 200 miles I can run in a 48 hour period at the Virginia Adventures Dogwood Ultramarathons. Only three weeks until…<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2 nights with no sleep</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">> 200 miles on foot</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">a race that will span two sunrises and two sunsets</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">shoveling in aid station foods and a ridiculous number of gels</span></li></ul>Only three weeks until go time! <br /><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-f08c31cd-7fff-c6b2-ed36-5652c53c9025"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 March 2024</span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-42979162301273709252024-02-04T05:55:00.000-08:002024-03-01T19:42:15.534-08:00 2024 January Monthly Mileage Check In<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKxzCpOgSpBLl4TpOP3bqkshQasrE95OM1VOxwOxlX5rW6bZGblVvM7pEo2hY4cojgQF8OkcPCLXEzhm89IlcFD8zRPDlbj0KN5Dx9h6G-axDkFb0r0fVmybuoabwc5AAAJrpYgrN-5GoeO55BOhmisxuK7CiHVAciq7A-phkzF7fNuOiOUHtQsxvZt8/s1024/IMG_20240203_091845_408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKxzCpOgSpBLl4TpOP3bqkshQasrE95OM1VOxwOxlX5rW6bZGblVvM7pEo2hY4cojgQF8OkcPCLXEzhm89IlcFD8zRPDlbj0KN5Dx9h6G-axDkFb0r0fVmybuoabwc5AAAJrpYgrN-5GoeO55BOhmisxuK7CiHVAciq7A-phkzF7fNuOiOUHtQsxvZt8/s320/IMG_20240203_091845_408.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Just under 283 miles for me last month which is my highest mileage for January ever! Hopefully that is a sign of bigger performances to come this year. With the <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2024/01/2023-goals-reviewed-and-2024-goals.html">race schedule</a> I have planned for the year (a 48 hour race and 3 backyard ultras), I’m going to need to run some long distances to hit my goals! Let’s go!<br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd3b832c-7fff-75a2-58d8-1af8abc0ec3f"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“<i>Wish upon a star, and then act properly, in accordance with that aim.</i>” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Jordan B. Peterson</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7-4DbCL-fTU" width="320" youtube-src-id="7-4DbCL-fTU"></iframe></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-39082434069229887092024-01-31T09:58:00.000-08:002024-01-31T09:58:45.338-08:002023 Goals Reviewed and 2024 Goals<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TLFr1uDWCm0uugnmK5uSUD78Pn0pFDAlgNK11EqU1olyXa13yJ-jhcTHHwsPekUpP8-iV6BNiaD7hZdyeSY44G8IddTFknCIcBiwajVqg-Fi8JPRB3FpDGdExR6jdzzlm1KbP2yNDsTumPCGViL7Jdy1IUxCf3sletpyQLvasLxsXpQ8rRzMWQX0LKg/s1024/_1b5238fa-ff2a-4449-8df4-aaa5d77d2b92.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TLFr1uDWCm0uugnmK5uSUD78Pn0pFDAlgNK11EqU1olyXa13yJ-jhcTHHwsPekUpP8-iV6BNiaD7hZdyeSY44G8IddTFknCIcBiwajVqg-Fi8JPRB3FpDGdExR6jdzzlm1KbP2yNDsTumPCGViL7Jdy1IUxCf3sletpyQLvasLxsXpQ8rRzMWQX0LKg/s320/_1b5238fa-ff2a-4449-8df4-aaa5d77d2b92.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoy the journey en route to your goals.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />It's that time of year again. Time to assess last year's goals and set new goals to work towards in 2024. I figure the best way to do this is to just go down my list of goals from last year.<br /><br />1. PR and CR at the <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/04/adventure-trail-run-24-hour-event-2021.html">24 hr Adventure Trail Run</a> in Triangle, VA. Status: Failed<br /><br />I made my attempt and came up short of my PR I ran there in 2021. I struggled with some digestive issues, inclement weather, and a lack of motivation, but I still managed to hit 100 miles which was good enough for first place. So although I failed to hit my personal goal, I still went home pretty content with my run. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/05/2023-adventure-trail-run-24-hour-event.html">Here is the full race report</a>.<br /><br />2. Run <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2022/06/2022-capital-backyard-ultra-why-not-me.html">Capital Backyard Ultra</a> and be sure to secure my spot at Big's this year. Status: Success<br /><br />This was my best performance of the year in my opinion. I felt great for pretty much all 75 hours. Then I won an award for a <a href="https://www.recreation.gov/shareyourstory/story/over-300-continuous-trail-miles/48765900-d7b1-45e1-9ef1-78689ec7883f">shortened version</a> of my race report that I entered into a writing contest!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/06/father-of-four-ready-for-more.html">Here is the full race report</a>.<br /><br />3. Run a 12 hour race at the Midnight Squatchapalooza. Status: DNS<br /><br />4. Run <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/09/2021-backyard-squatch-ultra-paving-path.html">Backyard Squatch</a> again. Status: DNS<br /><br />5. Run a 200 mile race. Status: DNS<br /><br />6. Run the individual backyard world championship at Big's Backyard in October. Status: Success… kind of. <br /><br />Well, I did run Big's Backyard for the individual backyard world championships last October, so in that sense I was successful in that goal. However, just like last year, I felt like I didn’t have the race that I hoped for. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/11/2023-bigs-backyard-individual-world.html">Here is the full race report</a>.<br /><br />2023 was a mix of success, partial success, a little failure, and a decent amount of failing to attempt. I’m pretty sure I was over reaching when I put together last year’s list of goals. Between professional responsibilities and a super busy family life, there’s only so much time to get away for races. I may still have some lofty running goals for 2024, but there will certainly not be as many. So with that, here are my running goals for 2024 (in chronological order)!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7-4DbCL-fTU" width="320" youtube-src-id="7-4DbCL-fTU"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1. Run a 48 hour race - Running a longer timed race is something I’ve thought about a lot since running Capital Backyard last year. I put a lot of that blame for this goal on <a href="https://www.viktoriabrown.com/">Victoria Brown</a> who I met and ran lots of miles with there. Victoria is quite an accomplished multi day ultrarunner and triathlete. After chatting with her quite a bit about multi day events, I’m way more interested in them and curious of what I might be able to accomplish. So that is my goal at the 48 hour Dogwood Ultramarathon in Green Bay, VA: to find out how far I can run in a 48 hour period. It’s new to me because although I have run for longer than 48 hours at backyard races on multiple occasions, I have never run for that length of time without the pace restrictions that come with a backyard ultra. I of course have some distance goals in mind (a bottom tier goal of 200 miles, and a top tier goal of hitting 240 miles), but I also have other reasons to be excited for this event. That reason is the fact that my family is planning to join me for this race, something that hasn’t happened since I ran the <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/09/2021-backyard-squatch-ultra-paving-path.html">Backyard Squatch</a> in 2021. And to add to my excitement, my two older boys are planning to pace me for some of my laps during the race and one of them has the goal of running his first half marathon distance while pacing me! I am really pumped to start my running season off with a race experience that I am so excited about!<br /><br />2. <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2022/06/2022-capital-backyard-ultra-why-not-me.html">Run Capital Backyard Ultra</a> - I ran Capital last year to make sure that if my spot at Big's was at risk, I’d have a chance to fight for it.This year is partially the same motivation. Although as of now, I feel like my best performance of 75 yards during this two year qualifying period makes my at-large spot pretty safe. The rest of the motivation to go back and run Capital for a third consecutive year is simply that it is an amazing event. Sarah Smith, race director, does an amazing job organizing the event and making sure all of the runners are so well cared for to have their best performance possible. I have greatly enjoyed my long days of running there and all the people I’ve met there. Besides the running and the impressive food spread, I’d say the people are right up there with my top reasons for wanting to go back again. Last year, only my second year there, felt like a reunion. I don’t think I’ve felt that accepted in such a short amount of time anywhere else in my life. <br /><br />3. Run Bob's Big Timber Backyard Ultra - Why would I plan to run another backyard this year? Like I said earlier, I think my at-large for a spot on Team USA at Big’s is pretty safe this year, so the fact that Bob’s Big Timber is a silver ticket event isn’t a major motivating factor for me. The real reason is all because of a stupid belt buckle. I heard from Levi Yoder, or maybe I read it on Facebook, that the race director of Bob’s Big Timber had special 200 mile buckles designed and made for anyone who breaks 200 miles at his backyard race. Well, so far that has not happened there. It was the day after my race ended at Big’s last year (maybe a bit during the race too, tough to recall exactly) that I was chatting with Levi about this. He had said he intended to go 200 there last year, but no one else running the event was able to continue with him that long. I mentioned that I had considered signing up for it last year and he said I should so we could break the 200 mile threshold. I agreed that if we were both there the race director would very likely get to hand out at least two of those buckles. So that’s why it’s all about a silly belt buckle. I’m being a bit sarcastic there. It is about more than the buckle. I’ve greatly enjoyed all the trail miles I’ve run with Levi, so why not run another backyard with him? Not to mention, I look forward to meeting and running with lots of new folks at a different race to add some variety to my running schedule.<br /><br />4. Run with Team USA again at the 2024 Backyard Team World Championships - If you read either of my race reports on my two experiences (<a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2022/10/2022-bigs-backyard-team-world.html">2022</a> and <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/11/2023-bigs-backyard-individual-world.html">2023</a>) at Big’s Backyard, I think I’ve been pretty forthright and honest about how I feel about my performances there. The bottom line is that I feel like I still have not achieved what I am capable of at Big’s and I still have my best performance at Big’s in the making. I have no excuses for the last two years there. I believe I came up short of what I am capable of there and have come home disappointed both years. This year, my goal is the same as last year: to do my best with no excuses. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Scott Snell<br />14 January 2023</span><p><br /></p></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-1598436269122649702023-11-09T19:35:00.003-08:002023-11-13T11:20:27.072-08:002023 Big's Backyard Individual World Championships<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiConbPSOXmPQt9q7cG5iztJbR_G8FI9VJOcj_gRiWdzVqtSIMZ3JKQOadOjd9cRAtD3MiL3SZuLm1CxoZ1ZLHLzTw2AZ0TqpcUC60QVH9t6JPzZXw4CW8VvLCgte5lR8z6_RDYPVGi79yGzpePg5LjE6L0RRi1fE7AUfYVtRgfB80AnaY5ZBr14mImUpY/s1440/FB_IMG_1698344247101.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiConbPSOXmPQt9q7cG5iztJbR_G8FI9VJOcj_gRiWdzVqtSIMZ3JKQOadOjd9cRAtD3MiL3SZuLm1CxoZ1ZLHLzTw2AZ0TqpcUC60QVH9t6JPzZXw4CW8VvLCgte5lR8z6_RDYPVGi79yGzpePg5LjE6L0RRi1fE7AUfYVtRgfB80AnaY5ZBr14mImUpY/w240-h320/FB_IMG_1698344247101.jpg" title="Prerace photo with my awesome crew man, Marty!" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prerace photo with my awesome crew man, Marty!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DNF Number Two</b></div><br />I’ve run Big’s Backyard for the last two years and both years I put in more training and preparation than I had for any other race. And both years the course sent me home feeling defeated after serving me up with a heaping pile of humble pie. Coming up short of your goals and facing failure can be tough and is usually not a pleasant experience, but it can also be a learning experience that helps us grow and improve in our pursuit. With a few weeks between me and my second DNF at Big’s, I feel like I’ve handled this one emotionally better than the first and I am certain I have learned from this one. <br /><br />This year’s edition of Big’s Backyard was the Individual World Championship competition, so slightly different from last year’s <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2022/10/2022-bigs-backyard-team-world.html">World Team Competition</a>. The backyard international championship competitions are currently conducted annually alternating between an individual competition (on odd years) held on the original backyard course in Bell Buckle, TN and national team competitions (on even years) run remotely as a satellite competition at the home course of each team. The standard backyard rules apply for both types of competition, but there are some intricate differences between the two types of competitions.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Let me back up a quick second to give a brief description of the “standard backyard” race format for anyone reading who may not be familiar. Basically, it is a race of attrition without a set distance. The race continues until only one runner remains. Hence, these races are also referred to as “last person standing” races. So how are runners eliminated? By not completing a 4.167 mile lap every hour on the hour. Every hour all runners start a lap and must finish before the end of the hour. If they finish early, they must wait until the start of the next hour to start their next lap. With that caveat, this race prevents any runner from building a lead. The cycle of on the hour lap starts continues indefinitely until all but one runner has opted to not continue running or has timed out. The last runner remaining must run one complete lap more than all other runners within the hour time limit before being named the winner. <br /><br />Since this was my first time competing in the Backyard Individual World Championship, it felt much different than last year and felt like a pretty big deal to me. I had some really high hopes for my performance and my lowest goal in my set of cascading goals was to improve my PR of 62 yards for the course. Unfortunately, I failed to reach my lowest goal and my remaining goals only went up from there, far out of my reach. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0iqq9ExKa0" width="320" youtube-src-id="K0iqq9ExKa0"></iframe></div><br /><b>Day 1:</b><br />The first day on the trails felt good overall and actually went by pretty quickly. The first 11 hours on the trail felt relatively easy compared to how difficult I remembered the trail being from last year. I spent much of the day meeting and chatting with some of the best backyard runners from all over the world. The rest of the day was spent catching up with the American runners that I ran with as a part of Team USA last year. Some of them I had run with only a few months earlier at <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2023/06/father-of-four-ready-for-more.html">Capital Backyard Ultra</a>, but others I had not seen since last year at Big’s. With all of the socializing and just refamiliarizing myself with the trail and my time check points, the first day of trail yards was over before I knew it. It seemed minor at the time, but I was having some intestinal issues and making more stops at the porta potties than I probably should have. I figured it was just nerves and would get better as the race progressed, but in hindsight it may have been more akin to the “pebble in the shoe” analogy where it seems like a minor inconvenience until it leads to a painful blister that really can’t be fixed. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDsv86MIWGrZN6Xpk_DN_sm2fORnQ2ZjqP-_d7K78rauVeghcSjuxAWPhwiScydysu-C9BKeVWHGFKHWzNjRY-IzDYivhGQJLyHIgWBGdv30zsIGXdvVoPTq44WBUt2bSddKEgSgN-AVPE77UPiecfiG8j6tU6Rzx4mKvEBR4zwuE0nteV7-0eERwaX0/s1440/FB_IMG_1698344792596.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDsv86MIWGrZN6Xpk_DN_sm2fORnQ2ZjqP-_d7K78rauVeghcSjuxAWPhwiScydysu-C9BKeVWHGFKHWzNjRY-IzDYivhGQJLyHIgWBGdv30zsIGXdvVoPTq44WBUt2bSddKEgSgN-AVPE77UPiecfiG8j6tU6Rzx4mKvEBR4zwuE0nteV7-0eERwaX0/w240-h320/FB_IMG_1698344792596.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Night 1:</b><br />The first night on the road brought back many memories. The sky was clear and filled with stars. The temperature was comfortable for which I was very thankful as it was the extreme drop in temperature and strong winds that I credited with a heavy dose of the blame as to why I quit when I did last year. The road yards really felt like a continuation of the first day. As every runner’s pace changed a bit from trail to road, I found myself still meeting new runners throughout the night which helped pass the time and ward off sleepiness. I never felt too sleepy the first night and as the sun rose on the last road yard, I felt refreshed and excited to go back to the trails.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs-gIb3WG1sO_qsz2LipOZBDu8PL0yiDrlgdOCFsPEbVRJ2e_O3mwi1BiZ1tlPYMi78txpUokVPapBdPBuX_1om0D2UhfL91qXZbDHyd6EEa0LwoHsfIYC2EVuCqy6y3x_cIn6KUC7gzIo0r7w8p_8pME76_I6zRAqakOuYcOAvRMd5bi47uB0qT4-bw/s1440/FB_IMG_1698423775682.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs-gIb3WG1sO_qsz2LipOZBDu8PL0yiDrlgdOCFsPEbVRJ2e_O3mwi1BiZ1tlPYMi78txpUokVPapBdPBuX_1om0D2UhfL91qXZbDHyd6EEa0LwoHsfIYC2EVuCqy6y3x_cIn6KUC7gzIo0r7w8p_8pME76_I6zRAqakOuYcOAvRMd5bi47uB0qT4-bw/w240-h320/FB_IMG_1698423775682.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still early on day 3, I think.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Day 2:</b><br />My legs felt good to start the second day of trail running and I didn’t feel too sleep deprived for having run through most of the night. I was still feeling good at this point of the race. I think it was at some point during the second day that I tried to address the intestinal issues I was still having. I took some anti diarrhea medicine to help treat it. I also stopped taking the gels I had been eating hourly and cut off the coconut water I had been drinking between yards. The thought was that I may have been taking in too much sugar or the coconut water was acting as a laxative. I’ve used coconut water at plenty of other backyards and never had these issues, but I had brought a different brand for this race. Ultimately, I don’t know what the cause was, but we were trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible which meant getting rid of the two readily apparent possible causes. As day two continued, fatigue began to set in and the overall difficulty of completing each yard seemed to be mounting with every yard. I continued grinding and looking forward to the switch back to the road even though I knew it would bring with it the challenge of a second night of sleep deprived running. For those last few day yards on the trail I couldn’t stop thinking about how the trail felt more difficult this year on the second day than it did last year and what an extreme change I had in my perception of difficulty in just 24 hours. My perception of the trail difficulty had made a full reversal: from much easier than I remembered to tougher than I remembered. <br /><br /><b>Night 2:</b><br />It was during the second night that the thoughts of how I was not going to have the race I had envisioned began to materialize more completely, seem more real, and become much more difficult to suppress. I was feeling more sleepy than the first night but not getting much sleep in the few minutes I closed my eyes between each yard. I didn’t feel like I was working super hard, but still I was only coming in with about 7 to 8 minutes to spare. On top of it, I was still having some gastrointestinal issues, so much so that after one of the middle of the night yards I had to make a quick impromptu underwear change (please don’t ask for details, it was bad, but could have been far worse). The second night presented far more challenges than I expected going into this race. Thankfully, I was able to overcome them and survive to see another sunrise thanks in big part to the persistence of my crew and the other runners. My crew man, Marty, did all he could to keep me focused, fed,motivated, and on task even when my attitude in the crew area was pretty crappy. The other runners I ran with during the second night helped keep me motivated to continue pushing at a decent pace as well as keeping me engaged in some conversation to avoid falling asleep while running. The three runners that stand out for me that I ran with when I most needed someone to run with were Jivee Tolentino (who I chatted with for the first time during the second night), Thembinkosi Sojola, and Jason Bigonia. I can’t express how valuable it was to me to share those miles with them in the wee hours of the morning as I was desperately looking forward to the sunrise.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lwl2IHFTyCTiooQax-ABhu2PqbYMH100VbDBaq_hJEyRW_DYyn6KSLYgO3TsX1eDl1RHV1xIj1AWwTw3AQ0b8lfoa9yQwpxn-AcxQY5XyaQt2xDSFHvroCaKO_6zlyDs1kxPR3euzwlz3oo4AwyPXw0syibeb3q2r-H1WPoTvFG2SlurmPA-WxiOBiQ/s1440/FB_IMG_1698423560595.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Lwl2IHFTyCTiooQax-ABhu2PqbYMH100VbDBaq_hJEyRW_DYyn6KSLYgO3TsX1eDl1RHV1xIj1AWwTw3AQ0b8lfoa9yQwpxn-AcxQY5XyaQt2xDSFHvroCaKO_6zlyDs1kxPR3euzwlz3oo4AwyPXw0syibeb3q2r-H1WPoTvFG2SlurmPA-WxiOBiQ/w240-h320/FB_IMG_1698423560595.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning of Day 3, when I was overdressed and still had my headlamp on.</td></tr></tbody></table></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Day 3:</b><br />After the second night, my legs were feeling pretty shot and I was uncertain how they would react when we switched back to the trails. I had the same worry last year, fearing my legs would be dead when they hit the trail again and I would time out on the first trail yard of the third day. With that worry in my head again, I hit the half mile road out and back section at a relatively faster pace to bank some time before the remainder of the day course that is all single track trail with some sections that are a bit on the technical side. It surprised me again this year, just like last year, how good my legs felt getting back on the trail after the second night. Other than being overdressed for the weather (I had failed to change out of my long sleeve shirt and kick off my running pants that I had put on as temperatures got a bit lower during the second night) the first yard of day three on the trails was honestly one of my most enjoyable. As I ran that yard, I started to think that maybe things were starting to turn around for my race. Even though I had to make another emergency roadside bio-break (all the while one of the camera drones hovered above my head) on the last road yard, I thought maybe that was the last of my digestive issues. Maybe day three will finally be the smooth sailing yards that I had expected early in the race.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyEBSDCT8CSINaMQan15KkLtaRsWftGWfhMrvlbpzAynZCjaLl83zFT5FyoY7MEd16_FdkDXy7cAF_iQkX4eVJED_lng3LRYNvJfj-GN3pgvGSG4AR14J1PQ477jqp8C_8Vk85uT5Qeuiro4VgIswNN8EiR5qL72mR_hYyiC5HaGlNP5cDG4M17tlRWM/s1080/FB_IMG_1698344471522.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1080" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyEBSDCT8CSINaMQan15KkLtaRsWftGWfhMrvlbpzAynZCjaLl83zFT5FyoY7MEd16_FdkDXy7cAF_iQkX4eVJED_lng3LRYNvJfj-GN3pgvGSG4AR14J1PQ477jqp8C_8Vk85uT5Qeuiro4VgIswNN8EiR5qL72mR_hYyiC5HaGlNP5cDG4M17tlRWM/w320-h181/FB_IMG_1698344471522.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race interview.</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The next few yards got a bit more challenging, but I was still completing them with 3-4 minutes to spare. That went on until yard 54. Early during that yard I got a bad feeling in my stomach. I thought I was going to vomit and my race was going to be over as I assumed I would likely time out after I emptied my stomach. Only a few moments later, I realized I wasn’t going to vomit but it was about to come out the other end. After I took care of business, my stomach felt better but I was unsure if I would complete the yard before I timed out. I knew I’d have to work for it so I immediately started pushing the pace. It was a struggle, but I made it in almost a full minute before the three minute whistle. Unfortunately, pushing the pace to make up that lost time took a toll on me physically and stressed me out. Which was basically the story for the remainder of my race. I’d go out easy to start the yard in an effort to try to recover from pushing hard during the second half of the previous yard. It felt like I was in a backyard death spiral for the last four yards of my race and I was panicking. It felt like my race was slipping away and there was no way to save it.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gwQDhUpcPlIe17dy9KRpgQY_0JEH6X4IThAr49C5b2UilYH6LOJta_LsKNZcEnQn3XkpqdALAduzftLjUdJp05uNQGUdd-in6eT_JZqBZ_8KVJsaeZVOzitft-o0_lNDhkF11UOVeFQCUVOEFJus5uHR52eBJjrlhAdYB5j2FbSxO_WXtzW2isk1pno/s4032/IMG_20231026_092905.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gwQDhUpcPlIe17dy9KRpgQY_0JEH6X4IThAr49C5b2UilYH6LOJta_LsKNZcEnQn3XkpqdALAduzftLjUdJp05uNQGUdd-in6eT_JZqBZ_8KVJsaeZVOzitft-o0_lNDhkF11UOVeFQCUVOEFJus5uHR52eBJjrlhAdYB5j2FbSxO_WXtzW2isk1pno/w400-h180/IMG_20231026_092905.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A post race chat with Laz and Sandra. </td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I had fallen at least a few minutes behind the pace necessary to complete my 57th yard before the halfway point. I’m still not sure how I fell so far off pace so early in that yard, but that’s where I found myself when I caught up with my fellow Team USA member, Levi Yoder. I think we both knew that we were in some trouble at that point, so we both worked together to pick up our pace and push one another. It felt like we pushed really hard for the last two miles of that yard; like red lining and going into a kick to cross the finish line. In reality, we probably barely broke a 10 minute mile if at all. Based on checkpoints we passed as we were hammering, I was estimating we’d complete our yard somewhere between the second and third whistles. We managed to cross the line about one second before the two minute whistle. I’m not sure about where Levi’s mind was at the time, but I was pretty certain my legs would be dead after that push. Levi and I left the corral at a shuffling pace for yard 58, but I think we were still laughing at the time at how ridiculously hard we pushed to complete that last yard. We walked the road out and back debating whether to even go back out on the trail. We agreed to force ourselves to run back through the starting corral on the way to the trailhead. We managed that, but when we got to the start of the trail we both stopped. We had a short discussion about how we would have to hammer the next three miles to complete the yard before the cut off which felt like an impossibility at the time. And so we both pulled the plug right there, turned away from the trail, and walked back to the starting corral.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-BBHVb67_BLDinPTdSHddouR7va0o9J9u98l7lDGox4HHeaCW2uVegqqbeyihoklXpXVUa1M3Adqe5n_rCl3BfNhW_VpQSzwwXuYFMQh2d1la1vQYm600_uKzO8SU1JmludxboDLiogwRk6MBizu7LgrtQorBKff873PYoDIY-L0IrWs9oBo55kaGa8/s1080/FB_IMG_1698344496411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1080" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-BBHVb67_BLDinPTdSHddouR7va0o9J9u98l7lDGox4HHeaCW2uVegqqbeyihoklXpXVUa1M3Adqe5n_rCl3BfNhW_VpQSzwwXuYFMQh2d1la1vQYm600_uKzO8SU1JmludxboDLiogwRk6MBizu7LgrtQorBKff873PYoDIY-L0IrWs9oBo55kaGa8/w320-h179/FB_IMG_1698344496411.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time sitting down to relax after the race. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The feeling of mixed emotions hit soon after as everyone in camp started clapping and cheering for us as we walked back. I was still in the midst of laughing at how the last yard ended when the reaction from everyone at camp suddenly reminded me that it was all over and my race was done. Relief, regret, joy, and disappointment all at once. Even now, nearly three weeks later, I still wonder what would have happened had we continued down the trail. Would some spark of life for a fight to survive and continue have ignited and powered my legs to complete one more yard? I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I like to think it would have at least been a possibility. That’s often the attraction and aversion of the backyard format, in my experience. Each race leaves you questioning. Did I do enough? Could I have done more? Where did it go wrong? Where can I improve? When can I try again? <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGG0v2FiPs5DvuK3qRvXetN3isIV6oJwnc_VI2ro5a9KPckWFhsTAfR-ZrzgqOurzt2m0PcTYMt-m28bJiVnvXG5L8Z5y1mqSOgjmAZryFpjHxWoQF-FFcJ4_9uVMEHM4qiVcyS9TI9JMTU2zvVD3qNejVJdV6k9U97mdjizwxI-8TzAY9y8-erKeoTA/s2048/396742618_10231936291219028_8075118292516888860_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGG0v2FiPs5DvuK3qRvXetN3isIV6oJwnc_VI2ro5a9KPckWFhsTAfR-ZrzgqOurzt2m0PcTYMt-m28bJiVnvXG5L8Z5y1mqSOgjmAZryFpjHxWoQF-FFcJ4_9uVMEHM4qiVcyS9TI9JMTU2zvVD3qNejVJdV6k9U97mdjizwxI-8TzAY9y8-erKeoTA/w400-h225/396742618_10231936291219028_8075118292516888860_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About half of 2022 Team USA - Jason Bigonia, Levi Yoder, Dan Yovichin, Rick Kwiatski, Scott Snell, Keith Van, Kevin McCabe, and Piotr Chadovich</td></tr></tbody></table></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> Lesson Learned:</b><br />I want to preface this lesson with a quote from a fellow runner at Big's this year and a member of last year's US Team, Dan Yovichin, - “We’re just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” I think I got it right, or at least close to right. I recall him saying it last year, but this year it hit me a little differently and applies to the major mistake I made and what I learned from it. I made my big mistake before the race even started, before I left home for Bell Buckle, the seed for it probably germinated and began to take root during my training runs between Capital and Big's. What was my great folly? I failed to prepare myself for the fact that accomplishing extraordinary feats is extremely difficult.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XNHC7b_M70raNnYf8N0ZkCiFwZWVKjgkm0-3IiHuqKM62o1WwRvl2ffuL3pePCP6jI5w3t1iIUZVr1ygQF3Fjef9QP5q11_1Bq0wREJ8ZdY4dMuMV7ZsDmvx1hDsv-g1C2lk6lObv9dCsXGX9pbh7w8mkbMsNLa_AgB_D8za_QOFwipI0IUkDVqZBks/s4032/IMG_20231026_092920.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard jennifer russo" border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XNHC7b_M70raNnYf8N0ZkCiFwZWVKjgkm0-3IiHuqKM62o1WwRvl2ffuL3pePCP6jI5w3t1iIUZVr1ygQF3Fjef9QP5q11_1Bq0wREJ8ZdY4dMuMV7ZsDmvx1hDsv-g1C2lk6lObv9dCsXGX9pbh7w8mkbMsNLa_AgB_D8za_QOFwipI0IUkDVqZBks/w400-h180/IMG_20231026_092920.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A post race brew and chat with Jennifer Russo.</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I went into this race overconfident. Then when it got hard, it was shocking. I had been telling myself while preparing that I could definitely make it to the third night and then it would start getting tough. All the while, diminishing the facts that running through two consecutive nights with minimal sleep is tough, covering 200 continuous miles on foot is challenging regardless of the pace, and maintaining normal bodily functions while adhering to the backyard race format time requirements can present additional challenges. So when things got tough and I started struggling more than I expected to during that third day, I wasn't prepared. I panicked. Which I believe made matters even worse, mentally and physically, as I felt like I had lost control. The feeling of panic was at least partially caused by my overconfidence and the unexpected shock of how much I was struggling earlier than I had planned. This concept of a misalignment of actual and expected demands in relation to our capabilities is a topic Steve Magness discusses at length in his book <a href="https://amzn.to/3MEbIyy">Do Hard Things</a>. I read the book in part to prepare for Big's, so there was no excuse for me to make this mistake other than it is an easy trap to fall into. Magness explains how this blunder often plays out when a goal begins to feel impossible to achieve, stating that we’re more likely to “abandon our pursuit” because why try and continue to suffer if it will just end in failure anyway? Rather than me relaying the information, here’s a short quote from the book:<br /><br /><i>“When we are overconfident, we set ourselves up for failure. This isn’t idle conjecture: researchers have found this phenomenon in everything from competing in sports to deciding whether to stay in a relationship or quit your job. It’s easy to feel confident in the beginning but when we come face-to-face with the reality that we might fall short of our goal, we experience what psychologists call an action crisis.”</i><br /><br />Since I read the book, I should have learned this lesson already, but sometimes it takes experience to learn a lesson. At least I hope that this experience has taught me this lesson well enough so that I remember it and do not repeat it at future backyard races. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9EISP5iyVag" width="320" youtube-src-id="9EISP5iyVag"></iframe></div><br />Scott Snell<br />9 November 2023</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPqRBJevc0_jRY9IWRHKYbp1YIXs1_jQF6uYc3JMYR6WB3Os3r6Qf_O1hEyEDHBcvzkV9iDxXcpXJJIlvVTWmEp1nnUTCcW6Z4KkQ4gzxqUVgCsiouGQq66135H9-DVWPQwz7ZEmjsCUgATYEyhlKNK4kd6JHpQvGkEjSy68b1SSVc0-Z4S1g9GO-u0w/s1080/FB_IMG_1698344577822.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="scott snell beast coast trail running big's backyard" border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPqRBJevc0_jRY9IWRHKYbp1YIXs1_jQF6uYc3JMYR6WB3Os3r6Qf_O1hEyEDHBcvzkV9iDxXcpXJJIlvVTWmEp1nnUTCcW6Z4KkQ4gzxqUVgCsiouGQq66135H9-DVWPQwz7ZEmjsCUgATYEyhlKNK4kd6JHpQvGkEjSy68b1SSVc0-Z4S1g9GO-u0w/w400-h225/FB_IMG_1698344577822.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheering on the remaining runners was almost as much fun as running a backyard.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-17235976105113274352023-11-03T13:43:00.002-07:002023-11-03T13:43:39.378-07:002023 October Monthly Mileage Check In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7VMg2YtDE7mv5dmOd2W-eXg4l_XRdKWXv6eptWJng6Nyjirr93Vp5a94HZ8V_Ky5-NqY3Xphw8tSB6PTipapqMS99eUXR-PxZw7nG6SoiYYs7wFjJ0fbPx-iM68LiGRB830mb63TYG1364Xmq9vN_QiuOT5575aWRxQ6hX_w6v9XCiF-WUIhfiinGDE/s609/october.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott snell beast coast trail bigs backyard" border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="609" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7VMg2YtDE7mv5dmOd2W-eXg4l_XRdKWXv6eptWJng6Nyjirr93Vp5a94HZ8V_Ky5-NqY3Xphw8tSB6PTipapqMS99eUXR-PxZw7nG6SoiYYs7wFjJ0fbPx-iM68LiGRB830mb63TYG1364Xmq9vN_QiuOT5575aWRxQ6hX_w6v9XCiF-WUIhfiinGDE/w320-h318/october.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I racked up 385 miles last month with the majority of them during the Big’s Backyard Individual World Championships. The end of the race was a little bittersweet for me as I had hoped to stay in the race quite a bit longer than I did. At the same time, my final yard was one of the most intense pushes to complete a yard that I have ever made at a backyard. It was all the more enjoyable as I was working with Levi Yoder, teammate from the 2022 USA Backyard Team, for the last two miles or so of the yard and we made it in with just over two minutes to spare. Overall, the experience was great with the highlights being meeting so many talented backyard runners from around the world and being able to run with the majority of the 2022 USA Backyard Team again! What a great group that I look forward to running with again! Which leads me to my 2024 plans, or lack thereof. As of now, nothing is certain but going back to Big's for a second team competition year is certainly on my list of possibilities. Especially if my 75 yard performance at Capital this year holds up and is good enough for an at large spot on the team. For the rest of the year, well I'm still trying to figure that out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 November 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scott Snell</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dab12287-7fff-e9cd-4fd3-1885e1535b84"><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-20672907147311361992023-10-08T04:55:00.002-07:002023-10-08T04:59:37.780-07:00Big's Backyard - 2023 Individual Championship Poll - Full Results<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GJbLuQhaPn0" width="320" youtube-src-id="GJbLuQhaPn0"></iframe></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On a bit of whim that popped in my head while running I decided to create a poll to gauge the backyard community’s thoughts on how they expect and how they would hope to see the 2023 Individual World Championship play out this year at Big’s Backyard. I shared the link to the poll in multiple Facebook groups, on several 𝕏 posts, and on the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/backyardultra/">r/backyardultra</a> subreddit. The poll asked six questions:<br /><br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Will a new course record be set this year at Big's Backyard?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Will a new world record be set this year at Big's Backyard?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">How many yards will Big's Backyard go this year?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Who do you want to see win?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Who do you think will provide the assist?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Who do you think will be the last one standing?</span></li></ol><br />This poll was strictly for fun, and it has been quite fun to check in as the responses are received. As promised, here is a summary of the results. The full data set of results are available on this <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qZVFyzUNnasfLtSD2IK0fMcQj2LhrbdEy5mcMkcCr0c/edit?usp=sharing">Google Sheet</a>. <br /><br />*In the interest of full disclosure, I submitted a response which is included in the results. *</span><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-a21a0aa3-7fff-a5c9-1627-852380ddf4e9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Will a new course record be set this year at Big's?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 418px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img alt="Chart, pie chart
Description automatically generated" height="460.3625349998474" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YDpMmX28k5oq2a5hqkDzH05Win8ianBF7rRANzFaMFdHHbyLbjArMZC_v1Y0G0EPRR2CH2z3HQ5YC4mFsXI_ojwOg5no6R0CneHupMGAMk9J8MIGUeFk8EotBvlrdGeC0RM9krTxbR7apqDtBrFrKw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -42.3626px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The overwhelming majority of respondents believe that a new course record will be set this year at Big’s. In fact, 90.5% of all responses were “Yes.” I didn’t look at the survey results on a regular schedule, but every time I did check the “Yes” responses hovered right around 90%.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">Will a new world record be set this year at Big's?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 418px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="457.1703586578369" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mqWZOYEtlDIlEbbwWXjn6yd_JvYxlIvbSGAKMzuZ5tdebJmx2X8-mmefh0fGQF51BcYzoKfWE0Sb-G8qebQMC1-cwmW4BAEnp1zOX5DgBhRG6M56VHjVHraweldAykE6SzlUIUZFwEtMTnMKzLB0pA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -39.1704px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, the majority of respondents are predicting a new world record will be set at Big’s. It is certainly a bit more balanced than the prediction for the course record with 56.2% responding “Yes” and 43.8% giving a “No” response. The results from this question fluctuated a bit more than the course record question. The first few times I checked results, it was pretty evenly split with close to 50/50 responses. It wasn’t until the last few days of the poll that the responses started leaning more heavily towards a “Yes” majority.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">How many yards will Big's go this year?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 419px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img alt="Chart, pie chart
Description automatically generated" height="463.01923310756683" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Ep1_dft0ZK6VzZqEkI82mXQuCQE7XDGA8hS9rqXJYCKLuyIbnAFm-uDGjDUAcFzYR_iLhkEB9GbxrfPhoxVyKxBGgafUZS_2MBHHzkZxU82PwWx7er6gIlvd85yg71WFARpogMOG8GKGCCJ0NFDOhA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -44.0192px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This question received the most evenly distribute responses of all the questions that had more than two options. Nearly all respondents (96.3%) agree that Big’s will go over 80 yards. The most common response was 81-95 yards which was selected by 20.4% of respondents. The second most common response was 106-110 with 19.7%. I’m not ruling out that Big’s will go over 120 yards, but I was surprised by how many people believe it will. The “greater than 120” response was the third most common tied with 96-100, each selected by 14.6% of respondents.<br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">Who do you want to see win?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 418px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img alt="Chart, pie chart
Description automatically generated" height="459.5679042339325" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/p-yQ6Id66KMgWBEgLo3csK3QL7BkStFDmNx7YaSjVaWxbRbzbjxEXAJy7NdlWmXnkjwdVgoEHcJyzNNnkHKgjpgAGn17ENM4hfJwJpp_61MTe1-A--ib39ixozU1S2D2QMsGMVw4SsYPMkUaqMMJqw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -41.5679px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phil Gore, Jennifer Russo, and Harvey Lewis were the three stand out runners for this question receiving 16.1, 11.7, and 10.9% of the total responses. I assume that most runners who responded to this poll selected themselves for this question, I unabashedly admit I did and can understand why. What I don’t understand is why anyone would select “No winner” for this question, but there it is with 1.5% of the responses received. </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Who do you think will provide the assist?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 426px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img alt="Chart, pie chart
Description automatically generated" height="462.0390293598175" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/VxNk8ABk2iwe4pNCglKbzcOiG2rkWstmeiDQbeVr2w9DHu0sAaiIUuS7d3f9zLMok-BpdVnaZRrJP-jw2amcPhLACZxLePPebjBWoMdJPTnwE-wy2_DC6WjPRMIZRGOlFKVOljpqo86G_FB9Nc6E6w" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -36.039px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Selected by over 60% of respondents, four runners were picked as the strong favorites to provide the assist this year at Big’s: Phil Gore (16.8%), Harvey Lewis (15.3%), Merijn Geerts (14.6%), and Sam Harvey (13.9%). </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Who do you think will be the last one standing?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 428px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img alt="Chart, pie chart
Description automatically generated" height="462.3727765083313" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pV5PpO2i5_t4lXzzT5XPpcLZerI23zAkLeASaa55AHivfHIonoIgMQcSFdmfBN2J04tZQJ5JVI0HhWVspx1jdk1Mb3tf5QjyvMKaeiOBlG58nZS12Q_QRuKfDFOGgNW-Uw_uHQxXPomscPZEcK66qw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -34.3728px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think it comes as no surprise to anyone that the most picked runner to be the last one standing is the current backyard ultra world record holder, Phil Gore, selected by 29.2% of all respondents. Also not surprisingly, former co-backyard ultra world record holder, Merijn Geerts was picked second most frequently. Geerts was selected by 16.1% of all respondents. A close third, selected by 13.1% of all respondents, was Sam Harvey who provided the assist to Phil Gore this year at Dead Cow Gully Backyard where the current world record was set. Former world record holder, current US record holder, and Big’s Backyard course record holder, Harvey Lewis, was selected by 9.5% of all respondents making him the fourth most selected runner to be the last one standing. A result that I found surprising was that Ivo Steyaert, former co-backyard ultra world record holder with Geerts, was only selected by 3.6% of respondents, barely ranking in the top 5 most frequently selected runners. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Scott Snell</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">8 October, 2023</span></p>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-66432353385489390652023-10-06T12:05:00.003-07:002023-11-03T13:43:50.707-07:002023 September Monthly Mileage Check In<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7ztjTaK5sgQUc5Vi1Dk7IcHqNNAxRJXABWZb4s6ajWU9Er-XG0FFUUjI6sn2gr0IxwWuLCLNf8PTQ2q70c_mFXlQd2nazYGDtpwdUg0Yfv5_oHYRDD5jhThusc0pZQ2OxeuFJR2mB7dt1dNZZvval6v3Xt1FYOjmq4c8gEQL1BUSLgwXvogWRyEcyUA/s4000/740202385.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell beastcoasttrail beast Coast trail" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7ztjTaK5sgQUc5Vi1Dk7IcHqNNAxRJXABWZb4s6ajWU9Er-XG0FFUUjI6sn2gr0IxwWuLCLNf8PTQ2q70c_mFXlQd2nazYGDtpwdUg0Yfv5_oHYRDD5jhThusc0pZQ2OxeuFJR2mB7dt1dNZZvval6v3Xt1FYOjmq4c8gEQL1BUSLgwXvogWRyEcyUA/w320-h240/740202385.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.” — Michelangelo</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x4K5IzlPxi4" width="320" youtube-src-id="x4K5IzlPxi4"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was pretty apprehensive about going into my training plan this September. It is the last full month of training leading up to Big’s Backyard and I had just missed my mileage training goal for August. I wasn’t sure how I would rebound from that missed mark. I felt like if it didn’t go well, I wouldn’t have a chance at Big’s to accomplish anywhere near what I hope to accomplish. Thankfully, with some perseverance and determination, September’s training went better than I ever expected and I bounced right back to where I hoped to be by the end of September. Not only did I hit my mileage goal of averaging at least 11 miles per day, I exceeded it by quite a bit averaging 12.49 miles per day with a total of 374.7 miles! Last year I averaged 10.2 miles per day for September; with the increase in training mileage this year I fully expect to have an improved performance at Big’s. Not only do I have the increased training boosting my confidence as I conclude my training and begin to gradually taper, but I also have the advantage this year of having experienced running through a third night in the backyard format during Capital Backyard Ultra (CBU). Having overcome the mental hurdle that accompanies running through a third night, I feel far more prepared this year than I did last year going into Big’s. Additionally, having been there last year, having a respectable performance, and then bettering my PR with a win at CBU, I finally feel like I’ve overcome the imposter syndrome that I felt last year at Big’s. I finally feel like I’ve earned my spot there. That is a much better mental space to be in when taking on a challenge that you fully expect to push you to your limit, testing you physically and mentally until either you break or succeed. And that is how I intend for Big’s to conclude, with either success or failure. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">4 October 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“There is no good try.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is no almost. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is only success or failure.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Laz</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-89723671556900388172023-09-03T18:18:00.000-07:002023-09-03T18:18:04.521-07:002023 August Mileage<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlCTCRvTptzCnQdupvexvgrOfLs3xYOLP-_kg5uvTXYQ40_uNpy093UeC1njpbrzMVhL-jS-xVUM507Vpbc_4USFUy0nixqFOokI5X2UjzOoYvUuzWNcgRPrm3bvo1VJtruptjDm1CC6xNabmtWEAygTZ8xIhFSTRSGBQWT35RfRcUnnZ_peA2_Imxv8/s1080/IMG_20230824_062645750_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beast Coast Trail Running Giants Ledge" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlCTCRvTptzCnQdupvexvgrOfLs3xYOLP-_kg5uvTXYQ40_uNpy093UeC1njpbrzMVhL-jS-xVUM507Vpbc_4USFUy0nixqFOokI5X2UjzOoYvUuzWNcgRPrm3bvo1VJtruptjDm1CC6xNabmtWEAygTZ8xIhFSTRSGBQWT35RfRcUnnZ_peA2_Imxv8/w320-h320/IMG_20230824_062645750_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>#Monthlymileage check in... Initially I was pretty disappointed with my August mileage. I finished the month with 268 miles for an average of 8.66 miles per day. It felt like it was a pretty big drop from my July mileage of 313 miles with an average of 10.11 miles per day. Since my loose training plan for Big's is to increase my average daily mileage every month leading up to Big's (June - September), I obviously missed the mark for August. Like I said, at first I was pretty upset about this, but then I realized I had still run a higher daily average mileage this August than August of last year (8.4 miles per day) leading up to Big's. Then I considered the number of rest days and lower mileage days I had in August and the reasons for them: a week long camping trip with the family, a day trip to Philadelphia and a Phillies game with my older boys, and a few visits with extended family. After considering it all, I was no longer upset about the mileage drop and decided maybe it was for the best. I may have burned myself out trying to keep up that mileage for another entire month. Now, as I start focusing on September training, I feel fresh and excited to ramp up the volume and be in the best form possible mentally and physically for Big's in October! <div><br /></div><div>Scott Snell </div><div>3 September 2023</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/muMYvwy5YuI" width="320" youtube-src-id="muMYvwy5YuI"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-28889341993486135782023-07-01T12:02:00.004-07:002023-09-03T18:17:47.422-07:002023 June Monthly Mileage<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOCKMQ4Dii7fxQja3TtLb7cm2yo9rqwUHVjvBcH8GvTZEgzQJEl4W28jN55UoRmJG_WmW4PJ_Fblc5YV_reXtlzWFbtQ8Af1sk83RaJRfyXKDEEjFfpPdXg-JrnFsnd6cHzYA_coWbsXqtJuSqHh7LHKFKbYDtrd2wV2mPAFc17hgtcto5uD78CycB3M/s1349/IMG_20230628_120522726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beast Coast Trail running scott Snell" border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOCKMQ4Dii7fxQja3TtLb7cm2yo9rqwUHVjvBcH8GvTZEgzQJEl4W28jN55UoRmJG_WmW4PJ_Fblc5YV_reXtlzWFbtQ8Af1sk83RaJRfyXKDEEjFfpPdXg-JrnFsnd6cHzYA_coWbsXqtJuSqHh7LHKFKbYDtrd2wV2mPAFc17hgtcto5uD78CycB3M/w232-h320/IMG_20230628_120522726.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Monthly Mileage check in! I ran 151.82 miles in June. This was a bit less than my normal training mileage and a huge drop from last month when I ran over 500 miles, but it was too be expected. I knew I'd have a few weeks of lower mileage for recovery after Capital. Then I just wanted to take some time to enjoy with the family before diving back into serious training. A week long bout of colds and congestion in our household also added a few unplanned rest days. Some down time is good between training cycles. It reinvigorates and prevents burn out while reminding me that there are more important things in life than this silly running habit of mine. In the midst of serious training cycles I can develop some pretty serious tunnel vision. Sometimes I need to step away to appreciate the bigger picture life goals. <br /><br />This month's mileage is also a great reminder of the relativity of it all. I ran my first ultra in 2015, the Blues Cruise 50k. That year my highest monthly mileage was 155. I only exceeded 100 miles four months that year. After 7-8 years of getting into this whole ultrarunning thing, a low mileage month with a recovery and some sickness is about the same as my best month from my first year of ultrarunning. This exercise of comparing my present self to my past self helps to remind me of how far I've come as a runner and how I continue to push my standards and work for improvement. <br /><br />Scott Snell</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1 July 2023<br /> <br /></span><br /></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-28111081272136663442023-06-13T13:26:00.001-07:002023-06-13T13:26:37.105-07:00Took a Fall... Recovering from Capital Backyard Ultra<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s-iLVWmvck8" width="320" youtube-src-id="s-iLVWmvck8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, my first recovery run after Capital Backyard Ultra felt pretty good. I had some muscle soreness, but for taking only four rest days after a 312.5 mile effort I felt pretty good about the run. I was on my way back from my normal road/trail route and on my last stretch of trail along a power line cut when I caught my toe on a root. This is a non technical trail that I really shouldn’t be falling on, not saying I never have before, but it really shouldn’t happen if I’m not over tired or just not paying attention. Anyway, I took a fall, got up, and dusted myself off. Then I laughed. I laughed because in the 312.5 miles I ran at Capital Backyard Ultra, even with the severe sleep deprivation and through the darkness, I never fell once. And now on this easy trail run, less than a quarter mile until I’m back on a paved surface, I eat crap on the trail. Funny how life and trail running works out sometimes.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">13 June 2023<br /></span><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-dfda5597-7fff-50c2-c4a9-f128a60d9c0e"><br /></span></p></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-77464157892952074312023-06-12T16:12:00.003-07:002023-06-12T16:12:24.882-07:00May 2023 Monthly Mileage Check In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEtVECGpd5mQg4UkEAWZLbp5QmxL2zfhOu9-663NmQO4S8-SHZkjVc0UmRN93HpucA1Ktxkm5HTMghIs9PoYuLzFhnX_YZ0s1NDv-54e2SjRG9B3EEJn5fnP2tSZOKe5AXOOvOIhD8Z_qSZNqjpTZxTLQ4um_sW9MfLt1t3vaPGAzVz3LBTiaWmEX/s1080/FB_IMG_1685526666410_20230612190404351.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEtVECGpd5mQg4UkEAWZLbp5QmxL2zfhOu9-663NmQO4S8-SHZkjVc0UmRN93HpucA1Ktxkm5HTMghIs9PoYuLzFhnX_YZ0s1NDv-54e2SjRG9B3EEJn5fnP2tSZOKe5AXOOvOIhD8Z_qSZNqjpTZxTLQ4um_sW9MfLt1t3vaPGAzVz3LBTiaWmEX/s320/FB_IMG_1685526666410_20230612190404351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Monthly Mileage check in! I feel like it's kind of misleading to claim 521 monthly miles for May without including some acknowledgement that the bulk of those miles (312.5 of them to be exact) came from a single run at Capital Backyard Ultra (CBU). Also important to note is that I also had a couple of taper weeks with reduced mileage leading up to CBU, so maybe it all kinda balances out. However you slice it though, it is a new personal record for me for monthly mileage with my previous best being May last year with 380 miles, so as far as I’m concerned it is cause for celebration. After some rest and recovery, I’m back at it and training for what’s next. That includes Big’s this October and possibly a shorter race between now and then… we’ll see.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">12 June 2023</span></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-82399543741556518622023-06-11T20:14:00.004-07:002023-06-13T06:23:42.581-07:00Nutrition, Hydration, and Supplements Used for Long Runs<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HavZXwFNylA" width="320" youtube-src-id="HavZXwFNylA"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CstGmq8rfac/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CstGmq8rfac/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CstGmq8rfac/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Snell (@beast_coast_trail_running)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Here is a list of fluids, foods, and supplements that have worked for me to run long distances over the years. They all may not work for everyone, but for the most part, these are the options that I continue to use again and again while running many miles during multiday races. <br /><br /><br /><b>Fluids:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hyle Hydration (<a href="https://hylehydration.com/">https://hylehydration.com/</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Dollar General - Good & Smart Pure Coconut Water (<a href="https://www.dollargeneral.com/p/good-smart-pure-coconut-water-oz-/712885697823">https://www.dollargeneral.com/p/good-smart-pure-coconut-water-oz-/712885697823</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Grapefruit and Lime sparkling water (<a href="https://www.lidl.com/products/1112771">https://www.lidl.com/products/1112771</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Aloe water (<a href="https://amzn.to/42ElrKe">https://amzn.to/42ElrKe</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Coca-Cola</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Nescafe ready to drink lattes (<a href="https://www.nestleprofessionalmena.com/products/ready-drink-latte-chilled-coffee">https://www.nestleprofessionalmena.com/products/ready-drink-latte-chilled-coffee</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Rockstar energy drink (<a href="https://amzn.to/43UsG1W">https://amzn.to/43UsG1W</a>)</span></li></ul><b>Foods I've Brought for Self Support:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">My proprietary mix of almonds, peanuts, and chocolate chips</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Ginger snaps (<a href="https://www.lidl.com/products/1228084">https://www.lidl.com/products/1228084</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Lidl Preferred Selection Belgian sugar waffles (<a href="https://www.lidl.com/products/1022268">https://www.lidl.com/products/1022268</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Potato chips</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Salt and Vinegar</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Dill Pickle</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Snack Pack pudding cups (<a href="https://amzn.to/3Cl9Tkz">https://amzn.to/3Cl9Tkz</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Kozy Shack rice pudding (<a href="https://amzn.to/45XpsMM">https://amzn.to/45XpsMM</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">AWAKE caffeinated chocolate (<a href="https://amzn.to/3P7oEPs">https://amzn.to/3P7oEPs</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Clif bars (<a href="https://amzn.to/43QAf9N">https://amzn.to/43QAf9N</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Crystallized ginger (<a href="https://amzn.to/3J7pKqD">https://amzn.to/3J7pKqD</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">UCan energy bars (<a href="https://amzn.to/43K8wrg">https://amzn.to/43K8wrg</a>)</span></li></ul><br /><b>Foods Provided at Races:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Pancakes and syrup</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Smoothies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Scrambled eggs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Quesadillas</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Pizza</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Rice balls</span></li><li>Bananas</li><li>Oranges</li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Avocado</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Chicken broth</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Mashed potato</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Pierogi</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Bacon</span></li></ul><b>Supplements:</b><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">UCan energy gels (<a href="https://amzn.to/3MTzUvW">https://amzn.to/3MTzUvW</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Science In Sport energy gels (<a href="https://amzn.to/43QbdYj">https://amzn.to/43QbdYj</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Spring energy gels (<a href="https://amzn.to/43SwbG1">https://amzn.to/43SwbG1</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Stacker 2 energy shots (<a href="https://www.dollargeneral.com/p/stacker-b-energy-shot-acai-pomegranate-fl-oz/878114005187">https://www.dollargeneral.com/p/stacker-b-energy-shot-acai-pomegranate-fl-oz/878114005187</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes (<a href="https://hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes?variant=42815249416427">https://hammernutrition.com/products/endurolytes?variant=42815249416427</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Salis Electrolytes (<a href="https://getsalis.com/">https://getsalis.com/</a>) </span></li></ul><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-56840100473209865712023-06-08T14:17:00.002-07:002023-11-13T11:18:35.965-08:002023 Capital Backyard Ultra - Father of Four, Ready for More... Ultrarunning<span style="font-family: arial;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyken-6jPW5LNjpc0_BypPHTQWB_dPYH3NgNX_4Kmqvotttu1jL32x-WoqPLzna-vnP-LvjlLMR-jkgiBDmx21R4gcpoTN_eifYb0TBmTak3f8NXzZkmE_yCBpUGkhyNBG94-9-IkfS1Wy1AP6vLyYvL2VU_8ezA-itLhlsWN525e_Y84cck8Nt21F/s1080/FB_IMG_1685526666410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell capital backyard ultra" border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyken-6jPW5LNjpc0_BypPHTQWB_dPYH3NgNX_4Kmqvotttu1jL32x-WoqPLzna-vnP-LvjlLMR-jkgiBDmx21R4gcpoTN_eifYb0TBmTak3f8NXzZkmE_yCBpUGkhyNBG94-9-IkfS1Wy1AP6vLyYvL2VU_8ezA-itLhlsWN525e_Y84cck8Nt21F/w320-h240/FB_IMG_1685526666410.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>When my wife and I found out we were having another child to join our already family of five, I can honestly say I was shocked. I also selfishly thought of how it would affect my training and my running goals. I’d say I panicked a bit fearing that my ultrarunning days were more or less over or would at least have to be put on hold for a few years. Thankfully my race at Capital Backyard Ultra relieved any still persisting panic and alleviated my fears. After incorporating training around the birth of my fourth son and caring for his older brothers with ages ranging from 2 to 11, I put that training to the test and managed to come home to my two month old baby and my amazing wife having exceeded all of my expectations of what I was capable of and having achieved all of the race goals I set for myself. Long story short, this proved to me I was still capable of running backyard ultras competitively even with my family life becoming busier and more hectic than it has been the last few years.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8II6jsmo1rEYOWaX8lN5CIYLYyD6WVvSdrfA04j6LCUbXoO3IrlbZ6giBRKZnr1G3hbNgbvhDS9XCrBcjogUzfv5SHFP5A06DZwoAWAKFoRf5JxSGUMEQ9ymewU3flkyJCBQfHCb3kQuD7rwUaEc_1EyJKiS2OhXG9m-yU4W_gTPVzZGZv0c0-Io/s640/IMG_20230608_164938.jpg" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8II6jsmo1rEYOWaX8lN5CIYLYyD6WVvSdrfA04j6LCUbXoO3IrlbZ6giBRKZnr1G3hbNgbvhDS9XCrBcjogUzfv5SHFP5A06DZwoAWAKFoRf5JxSGUMEQ9ymewU3flkyJCBQfHCb3kQuD7rwUaEc_1EyJKiS2OhXG9m-yU4W_gTPVzZGZv0c0-Io/w240-h320/IMG_20230608_164938.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />So what does training for a backyard race look like for a busy father of four that works full time? The key ingredients for me are consistency, volume, and flexibility.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0tKyYEMplgs" width="320" youtube-src-id="0tKyYEMplgs"></iframe></div></div><br /><b>Consistency</b>: Getting in the miles day after day. Yes, I do take rest days, but usually it's one day a week. Some days are longer, some shorter, but I don’t do a huge number of “long runs”. Typically, my daily runs usually range between 6-13 miles. Personally, I feel like I get better fitness training by running three consecutive days of 13 mile runs rather than running 39 miles in a single run and taking a couple rest days before and after it. <br /><br /><b>Volume</b>: Increasing volume of easy paced runs has been my primary goal of training since becoming focused on the backyard format. I aim to have a consistent build of volume leading up to a big race. I do this by setting up a 3-4 month training cycle focused on gradually increasing volume. I simply run consistently, then look at the daily average of miles per day for the baseline month. I then aim for an increase in the daily average mileage every month until the month of the race. I used this method for the first time last year as I trained for Capital Backyard Ultra. I ran a PR of over 100 miles and was the last one standing at the race last year, so that pretty much sold me on this method. <br /><br /><b>Flexibility</b>: Life is busy and responsibilities get in the way of training. When that happens being rigid is not going to benefit a training plan. Adapting and finding a way to incorporate the desired mileage around other responsibilities has become my standard method of operation. Some days that means I run even slower than normal miles pushing my sleeping two year old (that most likely has a lollipop that has fallen out of his mouth stuck to him somewhere) in a jogging stroller. Would I have rather run my normal trail route? Yes, but road miles with a stroller are better than no miles. On days that I have not had an opportunity to run until 9 pm or so when the kids are asleep for the night, I view it as an opportunity to train my mental fortitude. Yes, I’m tired and I would like to go to bed for the night, but I ask myself “Are you too tired to run one more yard?” And the answer is always a simple “No.” So I push myself out the door to run and remind myself that I am building mental toughness for that time during a backyard when I feel so tired that I don’t think I can do one more yard. I remind myself that this is how you get one more yard, by choosing to start it, as much as you may not feel like it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9CpeNEO_O3cENdkFp54FqUIKg78vI9tEUTRUApFd78hJfjBAmKveS8L90ltEVod8OvVsXkfob5g_tiFsIdJpdwn6RHPdUvh2xzwAzdjCf_mq_mzDqrydmdLn_gAl84KxNMg37oEFmsWVYeSA7avv2ghA5rhO1_II6x8mCEoIty9Ox3vQlYTLl6x/s4000/IMG_20230527_075338208_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell capital backyard ultra" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh9CpeNEO_O3cENdkFp54FqUIKg78vI9tEUTRUApFd78hJfjBAmKveS8L90ltEVod8OvVsXkfob5g_tiFsIdJpdwn6RHPdUvh2xzwAzdjCf_mq_mzDqrydmdLn_gAl84KxNMg37oEFmsWVYeSA7avv2ghA5rhO1_II6x8mCEoIty9Ox3vQlYTLl6x/w320-h240/IMG_20230527_075338208_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my aid station.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br />I want to move on to focus specifically on my race experience this year at Capital Backyard Ultra, but before doing so let me give a brief description of the “backyard” race format for anyone reading who may not be familiar. Basically, it is a race of attrition without a set distance. The race continues until only one runner remains. Hence, these races are also referred to as “last person standing” races. So how are runners eliminated? By not completing a 4.167 mile lap every hour on the hour. Every hour all runners start a lap and must finish before the end of the hour. If they finish early, they must wait until the start of the next hour to start their next lap. With that caveat, this race prevents any runner from building a lead, more or less taking away the advantage of speedy runners. The cycle of on the hour lap starts continues indefinitely until all but one runner has opted to not continue running or has timed out. The last runner remaining must run one complete lap more than all other runners within the hour time limit before being named the winner. This leaves the possibility that there could be no winner (which has happened) if several runners go out for a lap and they all time out.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CstabrULLon/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CstabrULLon/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px; text-align: right;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: left; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CstabrULLon/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Snell (@beast_coast_trail_running)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Day 1: After experiencing several multi day backyards, day one becomes a bit of an obligatory process. And honestly, with the depth of the field at Capital this year, I was viewing the first 48 hours as an obligatory process. It’s more or less a thinning of the herd, separating those there that have the capability and drive to be the last one standing from the rest of the group. Although it takes 24-48 hours for this process to play out with the caliber of backyard runners assembled for this race, that doesn’t mean it has to be a boring process. I spent most of the first day meeting new people and catching up with folks I had run with before. A good number of the runners I already knew were my teammates that I ran with on Team USA last year at Big’s: Kevin McCabe, Jennifer Russo, Keith Van, Justin Wright and Levi Yoder.<br /><br />It had been a few months, but we were running together again, although this time not as a team but individuals. We all had our own reasons for being there and running the race. I believe Keith and I had pretty similar motivations. One motivator Keith had that I didn’t is that he currently has the most miles accumulated at Capital. As long as he runs the race and puts in a solid performance, he will likely be able to hold on to that record. Neither of us really needed to run this race. We both were pretty safe on the Big’s at large list with a performance of 62 yards. So it was something else that drove us to run this race. I believe our common motivations were first, just to run with our teammates again, and second, to assist them in earning a spot at Big’s this year. You can only go as far as your assist takes you in the backyard and to secure a spot on the at large list to Big’s this year will likely take a performance of over 60 yards which is no short order. Justin and Levi were both seeking performances to break onto the at large list as their best performances thus far for the qualifying period fell short. Kevin and Jennifer were both already on the at large list with performances of 57 and 60 yards respectively. While that puts them both on the at large list, it doesn’t leave a lot of breathing room and leaves the opportunity for a few big backyard performances to knock them off the list. I believe both of them were seeking to at least better their standing on the list. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs184IrWvfcgJWLEnGVqhiqLLWi5QhLZhQ_73e789LwLhNB-_IyD5U9eLOOBeeTD-1gM8huZOxUUw447wNQjMS7phrVaJ9bexr6wC5HC77N52iUphimVyVXayEBKPxp02gxwevcN2Ja3agzdSP27DvgjkX7aac_TE4sbTNYulZl4brwY8lPO0zMJOj/s4000/IMG_20230527_075759239_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs184IrWvfcgJWLEnGVqhiqLLWi5QhLZhQ_73e789LwLhNB-_IyD5U9eLOOBeeTD-1gM8huZOxUUw447wNQjMS7phrVaJ9bexr6wC5HC77N52iUphimVyVXayEBKPxp02gxwevcN2Ja3agzdSP27DvgjkX7aac_TE4sbTNYulZl4brwY8lPO0zMJOj/w320-h240/IMG_20230527_075759239_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aid area for the duration of the race. </td></tr></tbody></table></div><br />I arrived at the race uncrewed (again) and spent the first day getting into a routine. I got my aid area set up and tweaked a few things throughout the day to make it flow a bit easier. Being uncrewed at Capital is pretty manageable for the first 24-48 hours if you’re a self sufficient runner. After that, things can start to get a little hectic or your brain just can’t function as smoothly due to the sleep deprivation and exhaustion. So, thankfully, I had a plan this year. A runner I had met at previous races and that volunteered at my last 24 hour race was running Capital. This runner is 72 year young Marty Fox. I chatted with him before the race and he agreed to crew for me when his race was finished and he had a chance to rest. The timing would be nearly perfect for him to be ready and rested to help me when I would start needing help. <br /><br />Night 1: The first night was smooth and uneventful, just as you want it to be for a multiday backyard. I didn’t feel too tired that first night and didn’t use much caffeine either. The pace continued to feel easy to come in with 9-10 minutes between yards. I laid down a few times the first night to rest my eyes, but I don’t think I got any real sleep. The biggest challenge for me that first night was the temperature. It felt pretty chilly to me overnight and between each yard I was bundling up in my sleeping bag which made the start of every yard feel even colder.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDbC9KKRcvWmsKjCkm8zvIV8bEZvF7q6st5xuMCZC0zH07_OLtUpXAeKjTVOv7zSoygFsvoGfyhbRJ9dw490mRpUh_tY_ujidxMrzgYEnSxo8zRiCfSzQPMXQ9JfaUUX71D4e6Ns0GXxl4orsX3aKSPSUegJe4jSmjHvY7g83aeaHGHsXDQdcr5OF/s2304/IMG_20230528_205639640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell" border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDbC9KKRcvWmsKjCkm8zvIV8bEZvF7q6st5xuMCZC0zH07_OLtUpXAeKjTVOv7zSoygFsvoGfyhbRJ9dw490mRpUh_tY_ujidxMrzgYEnSxo8zRiCfSzQPMXQ9JfaUUX71D4e6Ns0GXxl4orsX3aKSPSUegJe4jSmjHvY7g83aeaHGHsXDQdcr5OF/w240-h320/IMG_20230528_205639640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Day 2: The sun rose again and the day warmed, rejuvenating me and most of the other runners as we finished our night laps on the paved path and returned to the trail for another set of 14 day yards. I don’t think we had lost many runners at this point. I know we lost my soon to be crew rock star, Marty, as he set a new PR for himself with 20 yards! <br /><br />With the lack of sleep and just being physically worn down from running over 100 miles, day two just begins to feel like a grind. But all you can do is bear it and soldier on, hoping you ran that first 100 miles smart enough to allow you to run the second 100 miles relatively comfortably. That’s the name of the game in the backyard, minimizing damage. There will be cumulative damage, for everyone. It’s the ones who handle it well and minimize it as much as possible that will be able to continue to compete for the ultimate prize.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnGQDg6QCGlzsv0u8vQgrfidkRgfD8ZtJ_hA5GCTczoO4FruorVECU1NEbu8XrFRs8cFe5BlRalz60MaeW5l2P2CTn9wT-rANBOjc6-RybNt1KRbmn4faQEF5IE0NOMX8q5wqPujpf3TRrHo5dMSjI5hMJ02SEYu7CFarrrYBvnJwWe5Ys1SaVBEF/s2048/squat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell squat party capital backyard ultra" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1153" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnGQDg6QCGlzsv0u8vQgrfidkRgfD8ZtJ_hA5GCTczoO4FruorVECU1NEbu8XrFRs8cFe5BlRalz60MaeW5l2P2CTn9wT-rANBOjc6-RybNt1KRbmn4faQEF5IE0NOMX8q5wqPujpf3TRrHo5dMSjI5hMJ02SEYu7CFarrrYBvnJwWe5Ys1SaVBEF/w180-h320/squat.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few impromptu squat parties occurred throughout the race in the starting corral. </td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The biggest disappointment for me on day 2 started between loops when I saw from my chair Kevin shake Keith’s hand and then turn to look at me and start heading in my direction. I already knew what was happening, Kevin was calling it quits. He shook my hand and confirmed my suspicions. His head wasn’t in it this time and he was walking away. Keith and I did our best to talk him into going back out. My line was “it can all turn around in one yard.” I feel like we almost had him convinced to go back out with us, but it seemed his drive was gone and there wasn’t any fight left for him in this race. Once it became pretty apparent to me that he was done, I gave him a hug and wished him the best as we prepped to head out for another yard. The backyard is rigid and makes no exceptions. Either you’re in or you’re out. And once you’re out the race plows on without you. Those continuing to run are left to speculate about what caused the other runners to end their days. I would think a lot about Kevin for the next few days, wishing that I had something better to say to reignite a fire for him to continue. <br /><br />Night 2: We lost a second member of Team USA shortly after the switch back to the paved course. Justin disappeared from the field of runners suddenly. A lot of questions were asked, but no clear, definitive answers came back from anyone back at camp. Obviously something went wrong for him, and it apparently happened suddenly as he seemed in good shape and good spirits going into the switch of courses. <br /><br />Having run through a second night at two backyards previously, the second night didn’t have me worried. I knew what to expect and had established tools and methods to address the issues that I knew I would face eventually. Drowsiness is usually the biggest issue for me during the second night; short naps, caffeine consumption, and comradery are pretty much the extent of the tools I use to battle that issue. I only had one pretty bad scare due to drowsiness. I was alone on the path taking a little walk break and resting my eyes when I felt a change in the surface under my feet. It had gone from paved to soft, cushiony grass. Obviously I wasn’t walking a straight line and I had veered off the path. I opened my eyes just in time to see I was about to walk into a drainage ditch where a metal culvert came out from under a driveway. It was a pretty good drop and pretty steep. Another step or two and I may have taken a fall into the ditch. I didn’t have much time to react when I realized what was about to happen so I made a little hop over the drainage ditch to the other side towards the road. I shook my head to try to expel the sleepiness then looked at the ditch and thought about how bad that could have been. I got back on the path feeling really proud of my fast athletic reaction to avoid a catastrophe and kept my eyes open for the rest of the lap. When I completed that yard, the first thing I did back at my aid station was down a half bottle of a Stacker 2 energy drink. <br /><br />We got a bit of rain during the second night, but thankfully I invested in a running rain jacket prior to this race after my lack of preparation left me cold and shivering at the 24 hour Adventure Trail Challenge just a little over a month ago. As a side note, it was Marty, my crew volunteer, who saved me at that race. He was volunteering at the aid station and when he saw me come in soaked and shivering he grabbed his Patagonia Houdini rain jacket for me to wear. And here he was again at my next race, crewing for me and keeping me going through that second night after running his own PR. As a bonus, I also got two additional crew members through Marty. His son, Derek, was running the race crewed by his buddy Jaron. Once Derek called it a day for his race, they both jumped in to help Marty crew me. I felt like I had a full on pit crew attending to all my needs by the time I rolled into day three.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEo2XId3wWv_HTZFhY0bMstnfbWc0nMGI5WmP9DgkuLRv9weD2wm0lTFOYWcPh65GjEFDOqbSITv9gMkht_X-wQxYs3navonRDruopNiVq7M5vpiNkDy4K-keoudVllOYfhZwIf6ddukgVvv1fyyYJ0eM8mKGNEzBzMOA6myHHsssItGiwVW4roY2/s1080/FB_IMG_1685924196087.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell" border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEo2XId3wWv_HTZFhY0bMstnfbWc0nMGI5WmP9DgkuLRv9weD2wm0lTFOYWcPh65GjEFDOqbSITv9gMkht_X-wQxYs3navonRDruopNiVq7M5vpiNkDy4K-keoudVllOYfhZwIf6ddukgVvv1fyyYJ0eM8mKGNEzBzMOA6myHHsssItGiwVW4roY2/w320-h240/FB_IMG_1685924196087.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fab Four on Day 3! Team USA!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br />Day 3: After 200 miles, the field really started dwindling. At this point, I’d say the odds are pretty good that the only runners left are the ones who are all in to be the last one standing. When you’ve come this far, there’s no reason to quit unless there’s no one left to push you farther or something goes bad for you and you can’t continue. The third day the sleep deprivation really started messing with my head. I had managed a few short naps during the second night, but not like the solid 9-10 minute nap I got last year at Capital. The brain was super foggy which I tried to treat with caffeine, but there’s only so much that can do. I started experiencing a feeling of awake day dreaming that I’ve had on the third day of past backyards. The symptom that really tips me off to know it’s happening is when I’m chatting with other runners and all of a sudden I’m not sure if I actually said something or just thought I did. Or I’ll have an entire conversation in my head with someone running by me and then be uncertain if we actually had the conversation or I was just imagining it. It makes me question reality a bit when it’s happening, but I’m pretty certain it is mainly just a side effect due to lack of sleep. <br /><br />As runners dropped off, one by one, the day and the race unrelentingly carried on without them. Eventually it was down to four of us, all former teammates from Team USA at Big’s last year: Jennifer Russo, Keith Van, Levi Yoder, and I. We weren’t a team for this race, but there’s no question that some of those team bonds remained. We chatted, we joked, we helped each other out, we even talked about goals for the race. That eventually led to us all agreeing that 72 was a good goal to shoot for together. I pushed a bit further and raised the question of what about when we hit 72 (I was confident I could at that point). Do we continue to work together or is it straight back to the backyard format, every runner for him/herself? It was agreed that in the spirit of the backyard format that we should continue on until only one is left. There would be no finish line or celebration for achieving the benchmark of 300 miles. It would just be one yard closer to a DNF for all but one runner. <br /><br />The idea of hitting 300 miles was not a shock to me at all during our talk on that third day of running. I had posted a graph I made of my “great expectations” for this race. That graph included the benchmarks of 100 miles, 200 miles, course record (62 yards), personal record (63 yards), American record (86 yards), and World record (102 yards). Having done 258 miles at Big’s last year while still recovering from a chest cough and cold, I was sure I could do 300 on the easier course at Capital while healthy. So I set some big goals to shoot for, to keep me pushing for as long as other runners were willing to go with me. While those big goals were real for me, I wasn’t confident the opportunity to chase them would present itself at this race. You can only go as far as your assist will push you at a backyard. What I was confident of being pushed to was to run through a third night, something I had never achieved before and the mental hurdle that ultimately ended my race at Big’s last year. Last year at Capital a major goal for me was to run through a second night for the first time ever to prepare for having to do it at Big’s last October. This year, I was again using Capital to prepare for Big’s, but this time the test was making it through that third night. <br /><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsulUahr75D/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsulUahr75D/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsulUahr75D/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Snell (@beast_coast_trail_running)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Night 3: The third night began with three of us; Keith had timed out on his 58th yard towards the end of the day to finish with a total of 237.5 miles. After a couple night laps, Levi’s stomach would turn on him. He headed out on his 64th yard, but the lack of a stomach that can digest and process fuel would take its toll on this yard. He would turn back to finish his day with a PR of 63 yards or 262.5 miles, a performance that is pretty certain to earn him his spot at Big’s this October. I was a little ahead of Levi when he stopped running on his last yard. I was pretty focused on getting myself mentally prepared for another night of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. I was battling my own mental monsters as I had just exceeded my backyard PR and not particularly looking forward to another sleepless night of running. It would have been easy to check out with a new PR and a pretty much guaranteed spot at Big’s at that point in the race. With everything going on in my own head, I didn’t do much to push Levi on. I tried to give a little encouragement by telling him that his stomach could come back, he’s just gotta make it through this yard, but honestly I don’t think I could have done or said anything to save his race at that point. He had the desire and the fight to carry on; he just needed a functioning stomach, not a pep talk.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxb5kVYFvCkd7V4JodI1E0O_7yyh7pZIIUkGo6G5VNnKkHw5p0P-8tzng4DSNpscsZImvIY8Og3cRwe0KhmL4wtK3G0eateokcRxq8aaBJkb4zzk2nA11ECDONTWC_b3xgYCko63WvCtE9M42dnJ17Jwa7-60piPT7gkGafCzQKO__fn90SuzIN6M/s960/finish1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell, Levi Yoder, and Jennifer Russo new female backyard world record holder at finish of capital Backyard 2023" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxb5kVYFvCkd7V4JodI1E0O_7yyh7pZIIUkGo6G5VNnKkHw5p0P-8tzng4DSNpscsZImvIY8Og3cRwe0KhmL4wtK3G0eateokcRxq8aaBJkb4zzk2nA11ECDONTWC_b3xgYCko63WvCtE9M42dnJ17Jwa7-60piPT7gkGafCzQKO__fn90SuzIN6M/w240-h320/finish1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer Russo, Levi Yoder, and Scott Snell -<br />The last three standing at Capital Backyard Ultra 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div></span><span style="font-family: arial;">So Jennifer and I were the last two standing again, just like last year. Only this year we were both in better shape to push on through the third night. We had had pretty ideal running weather for the first three days with decent cloud cover and highs in the 70s. It was nothing like last year with brutal heat and full sun outside the woods. We both pretty much ran on our own all night. My pace was just slightly faster and I would come in just a few minutes before Jennifer on every yard like clockwork. I only attempted to pick up the pace for a little extra sleep time for one yard on that night. It worked and I felt like I got good sleep, but I also stiffened up a bit during those extra few minutes of rest, so much so that I decided it seemed risky to do that again. So I just continued to come in with my comfortable 8-9 minutes and fell asleep quickly getting 4-5 minute naps every lap. I was impressed with how well I was sleeping in those short bursts through the night. <br /><br />Even with the “quality” sleep I was getting, the lack of sleep was obviously affecting my brain function. I didn’t have any full, vivid hallucinations, but shadows and objects in the dark definitely began to resemble other random things. The shadowy shrubs were most often some type of animal. I saw lots of dogs and horses, sometimes full bodies, other times it would just be a giant dog face in the flora. I swear, one shrub along the path took on the shape of an elephant man until I was within a few feet of it when I was finally able to distinguish that it was in fact a bush. They had recently mowed the edges of the path which left a lot of tall grass clippings scattered on the path. Those clippings had dried and yellowed after a few days in the sun and took on the appearance of golden hay. Hay is for horses, at least that’s what my discombobulated brain reasoned. So I kept seeing horse faces in those strewn, dried grass clippings along the path. The fire hydrants along the path were painted silver which kept reminding me of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. Before I knew it, every fire hydrant I approached appeared to be the Tin Man wearing a fire fighter’s helmet. The strangest visual miscue I had was just the bare paved path itself. On a few occasions as I just stared down at the path it seemed to take on a CGI rendered quality. It would smooth out and look slatey in a way, like it was a creation of some low quality computer animation using 3D rendered polygons. Thankfully, those didn’t last too long and things went back to the current normal pretty quickly. <br /><br />Day 4: Jennifer and I ran our last night loop together as the sun came up. We didn’t plan it or talk about it. Our paces just happened to match up, maybe mine slowed a bit and her’s increased a bit, but we ran that yard pretty much side by side. I think we both knew at that point, having survived the night, that we were going to make it to 300 which was now only two day yards away. I believe that also meant that we both knew this was going to turn into a battle of wills as the day carried on past the 300 mile mark. At least that’s where my mind was headed. <br /><br />We both completed yard 72 with little celebration. For a goal that we both worked so long and hard to achieve, the celebration was overshadowed, at least for me, by the knowledge of the battle that would ensue. It wouldn’t end with high fives and cheers of our victory. It would continue until one of us failed. A few fist bumps and a pat on the back from Jennifer as we headed out on yard 73 and the celebration was over. During that yard I began questioning how much longer this would go. I was growing tired both mentally and physically. I wasn’t struggling to complete the laps with 6-7 minutes to spare, but I could feel the wear of three days and three nights with little sleep or recovery time building on me. I began to wonder how Jennifer was faring, she wasn’t showing any signs of weakness at this point. In a way I had hoped she would hit 300 which was a big goal of her’s for a long time, and then her mind and body would just say, “We did it! Time to relax!” But that didn’t seem to be the case. It seemed like we would continue on through a fourth day at that point. That thought excited and scared me. It meant the American record would be well within reach. It also meant one more day until the race ended and I could go home to see my kids. I was starting to miss them and was tired of the struggle of the race. I quietly told Marty this between laps 73 and 74. It was the first time during the race I actually envisioned myself quitting. Thankfully, Marty said the right thing when I said I was ready to go home and see my kids. He asked if I was still with my wife and if she was with the kids. I said yes and he responded by saying just be thankful she’s still around and caring for the kids. We had a bit of an emotional moment, maybe just a few seconds, but it was enough to get me teary eyed. He was right. The kids are in good hands and I needed to just focus on one more yard. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YAhtPWeknHE" width="320" youtube-src-id="YAhtPWeknHE"></iframe></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">As it turned out, it wouldn’t be much longer until I didn’t have to focus on the race anymore. Jennifer came in from lap 74 with only a few minutes to spare. She didn’t go into her aid tent as she had between every other loop. Her crew had placed her chair outside her tent right at the edge of the corral. My aid tent was right next to Jennifer’s so I could get an idea of how she was doing. This was the first time I had any indication that she was struggling. As it seemed she rushed to get some calories in and prep to head back out, my crew joked with me while I enjoyed some avocado toast with bacon. The song “Get Up, Stand Up” was playing and my crew joked about what an appropriate song it was for the situation. I found it pretty hilarious at the time and started cracking up. It was at that moment that I felt like the race had finally shifted in my direction and could be nearing the end. I made a comment to Marty just before getting up that I thought Jennifer might be starting a death spiral based on how close she cut the last lap and that she moved her set up outside her tent to the edge of the corral. He didn’t confirm if he agreed or not, but just said to focus on my yard. <br /><br />During the 75th yard I went out ahead as I had been for the day laps and realized Jennifer’s pace had slowed a bit more on this yard. There is a short, maybe quarter mile out and back at about the halfway point of the trail course. After I completed the out and back I passed the trail that leads you to it and caught my first and only sight of Jennifer during that yard. She was climbing the small hill before you exit the woods to run the out and back. She looked like she was struggling, her shoulders a bit slumped. I didn’t see the fight in her that I was so accustomed to. For the last two miles of that yard, I eased off my pace a bit thinking that it could very well be my final yard. Of course I knew that Jennifer had the wherewithal to keep going indefinitely even with only a minute or two between yards (she did that for hours last year), so I didn’t get too comfortable or start celebrating. But something I saw in how she was climbing that hill made me think that her race was coming to an end. <br /><br />When I got back from yard 75 my crew did exactly what they were supposed to, they got me ready to go out for number 76. There was no celebration or even talk of the race being over. The closest thing to it was when Marty told me he saw Jennifer’s time when she crossed the mid yard timing mat and that it was going to be close. He immediately followed it up with, “you get ready to run another, because she can still make it in!” We went through our normal interloopal process and waited. The 3 minute whistle blew and no sign of Jennifer. The crowd was looking for her to see if she exited the woods yet. I got no indication of whether she was within sight or not. I stayed in my chair. The 2 minute whistle blew. Still no indication of any sign of her. I took the complete lack of reaction from the crowd there that they had not spotted her. With less than two minutes, she should have been within sight of the finish if she was going to have a chance to make it. The 1 minute whistle blew. No reaction from the crowd, just a lot of peering at the landscape in the distance. I stood up and moved into the starting corral pretty sure I was less than a minute away from a win. The last minute seemed to move slowly, but the clock eventually ran out and Jennifer had timed out on yard 75. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q0yF1s_WTvs" width="320" youtube-src-id="q0yF1s_WTvs"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Although the clock ran out on Jennifer’s 75th yard, she had still achieved something extremely impressive, a new female backyard world record. The previous record of 68 yards had been held by none other than Courtney Dauwalter since the 2020 Big’s Backyard. Rather than celebrate at the finish line, Race Director Sarah Smith and I walked back on the course to find Jennifer and congratulate her. She was about a half mile from the finish when we reached her. We hugged and I told her how impressive the run she had put together was and how much I love how much fight she has in her to never quit even when it gets ridiculously tough after 50, 60, or 70 some hours. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteq2JGIWIULwhTbFusJyL1VgiKoSavk6Gy0wf7Eq9LLtQxe8ijnC5tw6ILWl9TRn0a_A271oFAScCTaemy6zVKBgaJMWOfHD_WuorCOQvmX72JhCh39KKVQcbu4V_TpYXudsiUZdj1oz79_kVc0MKbDl0IKehXzvYqLoc9coOVS_B1mgfxHdH-2xI/s600/hug.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell and Jennifer Russo new female backyard world record holder embrace at finish of capital Backyard 2023" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteq2JGIWIULwhTbFusJyL1VgiKoSavk6Gy0wf7Eq9LLtQxe8ijnC5tw6ILWl9TRn0a_A271oFAScCTaemy6zVKBgaJMWOfHD_WuorCOQvmX72JhCh39KKVQcbu4V_TpYXudsiUZdj1oz79_kVc0MKbDl0IKehXzvYqLoc9coOVS_B1mgfxHdH-2xI/w240-h320/hug.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>For me, I hit all of my goals and then some this year at Capital. The biggest being that I survived the third night which went relatively smoothly. I also learned a few new fuel options that worked well for me and some pain treatment methods thanks to my Crew Leader Marty. The icing on the cake, a consecutive overall win. That was a big goal to shoot for this year as I knew how deep the field was. I believed it was possible, if not it likely wouldn’t have happened, but I knew I’d have to have a REALLY good race for it to happen. Thankfully it happened and what a great confidence booster to build on leading to Big’s this year. With this performance, I know that as long as I stay healthy, I am capable of a much better day at Big’s this year than I had last year. And that is exciting because I’ll have the opportunity to run and compete with the best backyard runners in the world this October to see how I stack up against them on a common course. The thought of it scares me as I know the most likely outcome is a DNF, but even so, I know I have the potential to hang on into the final handful of runners and I believe there is at least a possibility that I could outlast the rest of the field there. I’ll never know what’s possible for me at Big’s unless I show up healthy and give it my all.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-GmO8WcYpoO0Xv37N04Z0qXMtAOl4fVF3vwXUExC7iG-3o-SjnJ_xqe0_I_6YeamtbA53DwIuI57vEAvbf8iSwX9SfLHowUHqqIhfWvLDmUWv8JQZZuj_G0_zZsKj35jYCjBymrwHruEwSs2UbjSJP-H0baT6g6Y9i9H2qyDV6waPQFnpDlh-oy2/s960/finish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell capital backyard ultra jennifer russo" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-GmO8WcYpoO0Xv37N04Z0qXMtAOl4fVF3vwXUExC7iG-3o-SjnJ_xqe0_I_6YeamtbA53DwIuI57vEAvbf8iSwX9SfLHowUHqqIhfWvLDmUWv8JQZZuj_G0_zZsKj35jYCjBymrwHruEwSs2UbjSJP-H0baT6g6Y9i9H2qyDV6waPQFnpDlh-oy2/w320-h240/finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer Russo, Race Director Sarah Smith, and Scott Snell at the end of Capital Backyard Ultra 2023!</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I would be completely remiss if I did not thank a whole slew of people who made my amazing experience at Capital so amazing. <br /><br />Of course Sarah Smith, Race Director of Capital Backyard Ultra, must be thanked. The race was created by her, is organized by her, and is a very special event thanks to her attention to detail and personal touch on all aspects of the race. Also, a huge debt of gratitude is owed to the many race volunteers that sacrifice their time and energy to allow us runners to enjoy the race. An extra special and huge thank you to the chefs who provide what I can honestly say without the risk of exaggerating the best aid station food I have ever had at a race. Without an extensive crew of selfless volunteers these races just could not happen. <br /><br />Additionally, I need to thank Jennifer Russo and the many other runners that ran Capital this year. Without their comradery and her assist, I would not have continued to run as long as I did. I personally really appreciated and liked how Sarah Smith described the finish in a Facebook post.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVvYC7Avs2mm3h7szwXYIljV6koyoWk4dFzeYP2Al6zr3ujEWy-16dN0Dfh6du2DDFeRgjwdCLkTh3zGJAbh1mpWr5Z9lp0cM8-W4f8GWA8msHrjJLFzj9gF3iiiJwWZ58PqhNAgnV3UXMJqYK9_iKKUJZa9g3i8yr3rBdoQWoD_jTd45ynUz4omo8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="515" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVvYC7Avs2mm3h7szwXYIljV6koyoWk4dFzeYP2Al6zr3ujEWy-16dN0Dfh6du2DDFeRgjwdCLkTh3zGJAbh1mpWr5Z9lp0cM8-W4f8GWA8msHrjJLFzj9gF3iiiJwWZ58PqhNAgnV3UXMJqYK9_iKKUJZa9g3i8yr3rBdoQWoD_jTd45ynUz4omo8=w400-h241" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">A more personal thank you goes to the crew that adopted me this year: Marty Fox, Derek Fox, and Jaron Holmes. Marty and Derek are a father and son duo that ran the race this year. Jaron is a buddy of Derek’s and was crewing for him for this race. I had met Marty a few times at previous races and was chatting with him during the race aid set up time on Friday afternoon. He was planning on sticking around after his race ended to volunteer and help out other runners. I asked if he’d be willing to crew for me after he had a chance to rest. I am so grateful he agreed. Marty ran a PR of 20 yards (83.33 miles). Derek ran 33 yards (137.5 miles) being crewed by Jaron. After their efforts and only getting a little rest, all three jumped in to crew me for the remainder of my race. And they were a rockstar crew! I like to think of myself as a pretty self sufficient and independent runner, and I did go the first day and night without a crew, but I never would have lasted as long as I did without their help. I definitely owe those guys for making this run a very special achievement.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKhaJdq_qHWIVOOuuKGW5YheOq8mfZs2Mfx61j7YLbGyggUe8pMermabYAiW5UGrUodRLcn3Qu-f1ECtW8lPX35KuwFCR1jJ5OBQGhTrS9KX_uUglxbcj1oSZnIWe9dFMGevPFmJZtBgM3J91Ul-6UPOC9EHNzZ4XsTw2FRgQl-qV6nOieg61qWXa/s4000/IMG_20230530_111951705_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell capital backyard ultra" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKhaJdq_qHWIVOOuuKGW5YheOq8mfZs2Mfx61j7YLbGyggUe8pMermabYAiW5UGrUodRLcn3Qu-f1ECtW8lPX35KuwFCR1jJ5OBQGhTrS9KX_uUglxbcj1oSZnIWe9dFMGevPFmJZtBgM3J91Ul-6UPOC9EHNzZ4XsTw2FRgQl-qV6nOieg61qWXa/w320-h240/IMG_20230530_111951705_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Marty Fox, Derek Fox, Scott Snell, and Jaron Holmes -<br />my rock star crew!</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The most personal thank you goes to my wife, Amanda. Ultrarunning certainly seems like a pretty selfish hobby at times. My wife takes on a lot to allow me to get in training runs and then disappear for long weekends to run these races. She keeps the house from burning down while corralling our four boys whose ages range from 11 years to 2 months old. I honestly don’t know how she does it but she does and she still doesn’t seem to hate me when I get home. Without her support, what I now consider my biggest running achievement would not have happened. I love you! Thank you!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDTzpUY1xmg7GEV0CeIqoL0wCn75BtYXyxNdsQ1-DPZG-RWlt6nkVzP8UYaR28wbCX6BVXqwqrYKSsqx2Gv6wqwWDMkJpzdS2OxacUSH9OyMErYRE1KddDd73UaYGX2Ew9AnOLY89pI33KNXo8H7yU6TW5CjBaCpmsJa6YHV0lyhjCl8KwfJ5tii2/s4000/IMG_20230329_135053221.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="beast coast trail running scott snell" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDTzpUY1xmg7GEV0CeIqoL0wCn75BtYXyxNdsQ1-DPZG-RWlt6nkVzP8UYaR28wbCX6BVXqwqrYKSsqx2Gv6wqwWDMkJpzdS2OxacUSH9OyMErYRE1KddDd73UaYGX2Ew9AnOLY89pI33KNXo8H7yU6TW5CjBaCpmsJa6YHV0lyhjCl8KwfJ5tii2/w320-h240/IMG_20230329_135053221.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />Scott Snell<br />8 June 2023</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-52544897402849025292023-05-22T18:54:00.002-07:002023-05-23T16:43:01.769-07:002023 Adventure Trail Run - 24 Hour Event<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPufqDkaHvL4QquC0buJeOKCYsstADz0dnhSqMBzaspTYciRPwePg0CpARM1vvM0vHnc6QWoyb5xhr1AnH_-Ejx5yOJXu7OIiep043koMVI29w049Y2yWCFaPM_0QM3bg67fBb9HCnZsMRlBky-Lb3sqEjWU_6g6RMIs5g7Oipyc9wtoAZrgIMrU9/s1512/IMG_20230523_085019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beast Coast Trail running scott Snell adventure 24 hour finish" border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjPufqDkaHvL4QquC0buJeOKCYsstADz0dnhSqMBzaspTYciRPwePg0CpARM1vvM0vHnc6QWoyb5xhr1AnH_-Ejx5yOJXu7OIiep043koMVI29w049Y2yWCFaPM_0QM3bg67fBb9HCnZsMRlBky-Lb3sqEjWU_6g6RMIs5g7Oipyc9wtoAZrgIMrU9/w320-h320/IMG_20230523_085019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">A little over two weeks have passed since the 24 hour Adventure Trail Run and I am wrapping up my final training week before going into a taper period to prepare for Capital Backyard Ultra. I decided to run the 24 hour Adventure Trail Run for a few reasons. The main reason was for a bit of redemption after being disappointed in my performance at my last race (Big’s Backyard) and my last time running the 24 hour Adventure Trail Run two years ago (if you’re looking for a more complete course description, go to that race report). The second reason was to serve as a warm up race and fitness/endurance check leading into Capital. I wasn’t completely successful in fully achieving the first of those goals, but I felt really good about the second.<br /><br />The Adventure Trail Run is a combination of timed and distance trail running events held at Prince William Forest Park (National Park Service) in Triangle, VA. This year the event offered 8 hour solo, 4 person relay 24 hour, solo 24 hour, 50k, and 100k options. The course is basically a lollipop design with a 1 mile out and back to a 4 mile loop. The 1 mile out and back section is definitely the most challenging in my opinion and basically my only gripe about the race, so let me get that out of the way. It is probably the most consistently technical section of the course with intermittent stretches of jagged rocks and toe catching exposed roots. It also has many short but steep climbs and descents to deal with. In addition to the technicality of that narrow single track section was the fact that it was also the section of the course where you had to deal with two way traffic of runners. Since this is a relatively small event (around 100 runners) it didn’t present a major problem but with 50k and 100k runners on the course at the same time as the 24 hour runners, it did feel a bit congested to me on a few occasions and made it feel like I couldn’t get into a flow of running. This year I kept on thinking about how that section of the course was like an analogy of Washington DC traffic; drive 70 mph for a few minutes then stop and go for ten minutes and repeat.<br /><br />I alluded to it earlier about how one motivating factor for me to run the 24 hour Adventure Trail Run again was for a bit of redemption and to hit the missed targets I set for myself last time I ran it. My goal at the race two years ago was to break the course record of 108 miles and I narrowly missed the mark finishing with 103 miles. I’d say that last time I missed that goal primarily due to the fitness level just not being there and a lack of training. Even after failing again (finishing with 100 miles), I still believe the fitness was there this year, but other factors led to my demise. I can reduce those factors to three words, but will expand upon them: weather, diarrhea, and priorities.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7IYZNpY0Xqg" width="320" youtube-src-id="7IYZNpY0Xqg"></iframe></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Weather</b>: For the most part the weather during the entire 24 hour race was great. It was a cool morning and didn’t warm up too much going into the afternoon. With the 7 AM start it was in the low 60s and never rose past the low 70s which is pretty much ideal running weather in my opinion. The weather trouble started for me when a powerful storm system rolled through in the early afternoon. I had seen it forecasted, but looking at the temperatures I figured it would be a warm rain and I’d be fine running through it. However, the rain was downright cold and the temperature dropped enough to cause me to feel extremely chilled. The storm hit quickly at the midway point of my 11th lap, if I remember correctly. I was quickly soaked and shivering as I completed the second half of that lap thinking about how I didn’t have any rain gear and contemplating quitting and calling it a day. Thankfully, a race volunteer I had met at Capital Backyard and spent some time with again at Big’s saved me. (Thank you Marty!) As soon as I came in shivering and soaked, Marty asked me if I needed anything, warm soup or other warm food. I told him I was good with food, but what I really needed was a rain jacket. Without hesitation, Marty ran to his car to grab his jacket for me to borrow. He even zipped it up for me as my hands were shaking so badly from shivering at that point that I probably would have fumbled with the zipper. And with that crisis averted, I was back on the trail towards my goal. Unfortunately, it did set me back a bit. However, the impact would be felt later in the race. Prior to the storm, all of my laps had been under an hour and a half. They were under 1:20 for the first 50k and under 1:30 for the second 50k so I was definitely on my target pace up to that point. However, lap 11, when the storm hit, and lap 12, as the storm cleared, were 1:35 and 1:41 respectively. It was not a huge increase in time, but it affected my decision making towards the end of my race. <br /><br /><b>Diarrhea</b>: Maybe I don’t need to expand on this one too much or go into too much detail other than to say that I had some gastrointestinal issues for a good portion of the race. So much so that at one point I ran past the single restroom on the course just after the aid station thinking to myself that I don’t have to go too bad only to turn around about 100 feet later because it quickly became an emergency bio break. I felt good without any issues for the first 100k or so, but after that every fart felt like a huge gamble. Honestly, it was probably the worst and most drawn out bout of gastrointestinal issues I’ve ever dealt with during a race. I was eating another anti-diarrhea pill for about 3-4 passes through the aid station, and it didn’t seem to improve the situation. I also can’t really pinpoint what caused it which is troubling. I was eating food I had before and using the same types of gels so I don’t think my calorie sources were the cause. Regardless of the cause, the effect was time. It didn’t slow my running pace much, but frequent bio breaks, as brief as you try to make them, begin to accumulate the minutes and those minutes add up. I’d say I probably used the restroom right after leaving the aid station at least 4-5 times and I made at least 2 emergency trail bio breaks. Even at only about 5 minutes a stop, that’s a half hour of time lost not spent covering ground. <br /><br /><b>Priorities</b>: The last nail in the coffin for my course record goal was my prioritization of races and motivations. I completed my 14th lap (84ish miles) at about the 19 hour mark leaving me five hours to complete another three laps. By this point I was feeling pretty worked over and wasn’t sure if I could complete another three laps within that time. I thought it was possible, but I knew it would be close, maybe really close. I also knew that if I didn’t complete the third lap by the end of the race I’d finish with 16.5 laps, the exact same distance as my last attempt. I really didn’t want to push super hard for another five hours only to match what I had done last time. Adding to my lack of motivation to push for the last five hours was the fact that after the previous lap I was informed that the leader of the race had just stopped at 13 laps putting me in the lead without anyone really close behind. With all of this information swirling around my groggy brain I was also thinking about my next race, Capital Backyard Ultra, and how I want to be in the best form possible there. Although now it sounds a bit more like an excuse to me, at the time it sounded like a smart move to make and I decided I would take it easy for the remainder of the race. I decided to power hike another lap and then reassess whether it was necessary for me to go back out for another lap to be certain that my first place finish was still secured.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcFexbRR9hEi3uvVtmxJtMYR4DsVVZax7bmuDBEZF58IItIKLg8TI4v3AufBfPPog92vMaMFwtGE1X-1I5mizR-nYe4RYaUnVoRJGMvcV0-XI2WjUs3e-ekUBY68Y9mcvpSqguG-x4TCvHkbnPqRV9b3JklfP7xn0Bkvkn62XU2xrB_-6bTnjxs53/s4000/IMG_20230429_223543782.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beast Coast Trail running scott Snell adventure trail run 24 hour" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcFexbRR9hEi3uvVtmxJtMYR4DsVVZax7bmuDBEZF58IItIKLg8TI4v3AufBfPPog92vMaMFwtGE1X-1I5mizR-nYe4RYaUnVoRJGMvcV0-XI2WjUs3e-ekUBY68Y9mcvpSqguG-x4TCvHkbnPqRV9b3JklfP7xn0Bkvkn62XU2xrB_-6bTnjxs53/w320-h240/IMG_20230429_223543782.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I returned from my power hiked 15th lap with about two hours left on the clock and almost a guarantee that I had first place locked up. With 94ish miles, first place secure, and two hours left in the race I was ready to call it, get cleaned up, and maybe even get a nap before breakfast. I was pretty much decided while sitting by the fire at the aid station explaining this situation to a couple other runners and some race volunteers when the RD, Alex, came over yelling for me to go back out for another lap. I tried to explain that I had Capital coming up in a month and I wanted to just begin the recovery process so I can get another couple weeks of good training in before I start another taper. He wasn’t having it though because one more lap would mean I would hit 100 miles. I fought it for a bit longer, but eventually I gave in and went back out. <br /><br />As much as I didn’t want to at the time, I was eventually happy that I went back out for another lap to hit the 100 mile mark. Especially when I was chatting with other runners and volunteers at the breakfast after the race. I knew it kinda felt douchey to quit with two hours on the clock, ample time for another lap, just because you know you have first place secured. So in the end, that extra push to go back out for 100 really made it a run I could be more proud of and it certainly felt like a more noble way to win the race then to just put my feet up and wait for the last couple hours.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VAC0SyZTokfMvbrvhNW5xHPKvvw7lFn8DXUyhqoFP6BGzR2hDED5HR4QGHqO9GpXyOh-0OKtw4UILS5JJjmfMz_QCagGsAQCcQTMt4nBpZDQXqZk4X_rogg4d0SPqSyueYXNsgg5LANfCqq_7MVB84d0LrXABRKs-4nl7KPAHmJL50BorAKsI4-2/s1512/IMG_20230523_085024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Beast Coast Trail running scott Snell adventure trail 24 hour finish" border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VAC0SyZTokfMvbrvhNW5xHPKvvw7lFn8DXUyhqoFP6BGzR2hDED5HR4QGHqO9GpXyOh-0OKtw4UILS5JJjmfMz_QCagGsAQCcQTMt4nBpZDQXqZk4X_rogg4d0SPqSyueYXNsgg5LANfCqq_7MVB84d0LrXABRKs-4nl7KPAHmJL50BorAKsI4-2/w320-h320/IMG_20230523_085024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">So that explains how I missed my first target for the race, but doesn’t address the second, to serve as a warm up race and fitness/endurance check leading into Capital. While I ran this timed race, I was thinking a lot about expected effort and perceived effort. The first time I ran this race I didn’t think hitting the course record would be too tough, but it was much tougher than expected. This time around, I wasn’t shocked that it was challenging which made it easier to keep fighting towards that goal. Even though I ultimately came up short on my A goal, I’m happy with where I was mentally and physically throughout the race. I was clear with my hierarchy of priorities. This race forced me to push through weather related, physical, and mental challenges. The overnight portion was a great practice night run for Capital, to familiarize myself with running through the night before being shocked by the drowsiness during the first night at Capital. It also gave me one more tool for my sleep derivation fighting toolbox, Five Hour Energy. I brought one bottle of Five Hour Energy not really expecting to need it, but just in case I was feeling drowsy I figured I could test it out. Turns out it helped me tremendously during the wee hours of the morning. Based on my experience with it during this race, I am bringing three bottles to Capital. <br /><br />I could torture myself with a bunch of “what if”s and “only if”s about missing my A goal like I did last time I ran this race, but I’m not doing it this time around. Once the motivation of chasing that first place spot was gone and reaching my A goal was extremely uncertain, my focus immediately went to Capital. And that’s fine because at Capital and the nature of the backyard race format, whether I reach it or not, I will never not be chasing first place until the race is over. <br /><br /><br /><br />Scott Snell<br />14 May 2023</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CroxWCsJ2Rw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CroxWCsJ2Rw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CroxWCsJ2Rw/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Snell (@beast_coast_trail_running)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div></div></div></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-75951858108046077532023-05-03T11:39:00.003-07:002023-05-03T11:39:30.736-07:00Work, hobby, life balance<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeiBGE-HCcsbwPRtKMiOz1AysjHirztvs5V2iXk-_2NBcko1eMBRptOVj-XeiTO2LDJ61FaViCPGgFIzzjzuZRjOq4QI86UK3KvHQjT5x9un3PNxE0mQQGTGBPx1DZun561ZQatzG_mrURl2iXeCMCBi2NaQpFk-PerPUjwF9DmfO51YFUUqGqX7I/s2304/IMG_20230413_203754970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeiBGE-HCcsbwPRtKMiOz1AysjHirztvs5V2iXk-_2NBcko1eMBRptOVj-XeiTO2LDJ61FaViCPGgFIzzjzuZRjOq4QI86UK3KvHQjT5x9un3PNxE0mQQGTGBPx1DZun561ZQatzG_mrURl2iXeCMCBi2NaQpFk-PerPUjwF9DmfO51YFUUqGqX7I/s320/IMG_20230413_203754970.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I honestly can't say that it wasn't the run that I planned because I really didn't have a detailed plan. My training is more of a big picture mileage/volume increase rather than specific planned daily runs. It didn't feel like the run I wanted in the moment. Sometimes it takes three attempts to get the run you hoped for. The first segment was during my boys' baseball games. I did some loops at the park between stops to check in and watch a bit of my 2 boys' games. It never felt good. My legs felt heavy and the run just felt altogether sluggish and broken. It was chilly and had a bit of rain. I just never felt fluid or happy during it. It felt forced. As it reached the end of their games, I stopped with 4.9 miles. The next segment was a 1 mile run with my son. We got home from his game and he wanted to do his 1 mile training run & I was happy to run with him. I felt chilled and sluggish to start, but started feeling really good & wanted to keep going after about a half mile but stopped with him when he was done after his mile. It was time to start prepping for the kids' bedtime. I debated whether to just call it for the day but I wasn't happy with less than 6 miles for the day. I figured I would just go out again for a quick two miles to hit 8 miles for the day and then call it. I pushed myself out to do it but before I hit the turn around point for a 2 mile run I realized I was finally feeling good about this broken up run while also realizing that if I did one yard (4.16 miles) I would hit 10 miles for the day. At that point it was decided. I would do 1 more yard. And with that 3rd segment of today's run I was happy with the run I got. I like to tell myself when I don't want to go out for a training run that I can always do 1 more yard, no matter how tired I am or how much I don't feel like going out. I sell it to myself as mental training for backyards because every interloopal period between yards is an opportunity to quit, to say "I'm not going back out" or "I'm done." It really was rather serendipitous how these broken up run segments played out to accumulate to a run I am really pleased with, probably more so than if I had the opportunity to just go out and do a solid 10 miles. Life is busy and balancing what I consider my important responsibilities and my desired training to achieve personal hobby goals is always a challenge. But how this group of run segments played out reinforced my belief that I'm handling it the best way possible.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May 2023</span></p><p><br /></p>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-28450037213925732862023-05-03T05:26:00.002-07:002023-05-03T05:26:39.141-07:00April Monthly Mileage Check In<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrTgaJMzkXL6kAosuEDMvXpC-N5QKGuwyjo4iWkqQrsJH2OVclDYWweSe2BD2AGWu2fhncMaRWjmMcfW_SsDRlqY8JOXlDOA2ZzoDHFlARg512_PhC1Yg3ALT5JdZ9z529D2Uj7ZFqhBSLd9UCeHi-je9qo7EerISinCWSQsz_M4KMdP4EWlpL68W/s1350/IMG_20230501_160856_310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell beast Coast Trail" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrTgaJMzkXL6kAosuEDMvXpC-N5QKGuwyjo4iWkqQrsJH2OVclDYWweSe2BD2AGWu2fhncMaRWjmMcfW_SsDRlqY8JOXlDOA2ZzoDHFlARg512_PhC1Yg3ALT5JdZ9z529D2Uj7ZFqhBSLd9UCeHi-je9qo7EerISinCWSQsz_M4KMdP4EWlpL68W/w256-h320/IMG_20230501_160856_310.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Monthly Mileage check in! I ran 322 miles in April with 100 of them during a 24 hour trail race. My last run was very fitting for April. I was hoping for a break in the rain, but as the rain continued all day it seemed like my options were either run in the rain or not run at all. I chose the former. I ran into the storm and lo and behold I found the sun on my way home and brought it back with me. With my last full month of training build up for Capital Backyard Ultra complete, I am feeling great about where my fitness is and how this training block went. Now that I’m feeling mostly recovered from my 24 hour effort, I am becoming more confident that sneaking a race in before Capital was a good move. It served several purposes: to get my pre-race jitters and anxiety out of the way with a lower priority race, test my fitness level for a long effort, and to reintroduce me to the physical and mental challenges of overnight running during an endurance event so it is not such a shock to the system the first night of Capital. I pretty much always go into races, especially backyards, with high expectations, but this time around I feel even more prepared than I was at previous backyard starts. At this point, my plan is to stay healthy until race day and hope the days and nights go smoothly. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">1 May 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdldXdf0XtPfJYlhnrsfl_AMPhgce6HOMOFz5rq8Moj_VppA4JRvAYuUsftHwtk6WNb-m9VSoaTPdhCF5o0JtQCSYxSG7GXdDDUn8DGeWFEcF3aoXzTzHA9VSlQQzOgm4LGU8Hw7bsNG990jZFJjp4dNXutXWBcu_vCMNKcEksYyEHJLDgSa6OvwT/s1069/IMG_20230501_160856_677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="855" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdldXdf0XtPfJYlhnrsfl_AMPhgce6HOMOFz5rq8Moj_VppA4JRvAYuUsftHwtk6WNb-m9VSoaTPdhCF5o0JtQCSYxSG7GXdDDUn8DGeWFEcF3aoXzTzHA9VSlQQzOgm4LGU8Hw7bsNG990jZFJjp4dNXutXWBcu_vCMNKcEksYyEHJLDgSa6OvwT/w320-h400/IMG_20230501_160856_677.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><br /></p>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-54796528347539281952023-04-20T15:59:00.003-07:002023-04-20T15:59:37.845-07:00Preparing for a 24 hour - Taper Panicking <div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0tKyYEMplgs" width="320" youtube-src-id="0tKyYEMplgs"></iframe></div><br /></div> By the numbers, yesterday’s run wasn’t amazing for any reason. It wasn’t a tough work out. It wasn’t at a high intensity or a faster than normal pace. The distance wasn’t crazy long or even any farther than my average training run. I did not reach any significant milestones for the month, year, or the number of miles on my shoes. Barring all the things it was not, yesterday’s run was special. The numbers and data behind the run didn’t make it interesting or significant, but the feeling of it did. Which is exactly what I needed to feel ready and prepared for this weekend’s 24-hour trail race.<br /><br />The day before after getting home from work I began to feel depleted, like my mind and body needed some time off. That isn’t the feeling I was hoping for halfway through my taper week leading up to what I expect to be a pretty hard effort for 24 hours. I caught myself sneeze a couple of times and my throat felt scratchy. I feared I may me getting sick as my son was still getting over a cold he picked up a couple of weeks ago. Waves of anxiety, panic, and anger all took turns floating to the surface of my emotions as I feared that this was going to be a repeat of <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2022/10/2022-bigs-backyard-team-world.html" target="_blank">my last race that I ended up running while still recovering from a cough/cold</a>. That would most likely make this weekend’s race a total sufferfest. Although my wife has told me, “you’re the best sufferer,” that doesn’t mean that I seek out extra opportunities to suffer or actually enjoy it.<br /><br />I decided that as soon as the kids’ extracurricular activities were over for the night, getting ready for bed and getting some rest was my number one priority. But shortly after we got home my son reminded me that we had run our 1 mile training run for the day yet. We had just started running a mile a day this week because he wanted to train for his school’s fitness challenge run. I honestly had forgotten about it for the night, but when he asked if I was ready, I couldn’t bail on him and say no. We got our headlamps and went out for our mile. Once finished, it was bedtime.<br /><br />Yesterday didn’t seem like it was going to be a change in my mental outlook or physical health until I managed to get out for my run after getting home from work. My legs felt great! I was full of energy and truly happy to run after a day of feeling worn out. Most importantly though, it was the confidence booster I needed to be ready for a 24-hour effort. It resolved the taper week feelings of panic I was experiencing just the previous day. It set my headspace right to trust my training and know that I have done the work to be as prepared as possible for a challenging physical endeavor. It’s almost go time, and I am ready!<br /><br /><br />Scott Snell<br />20 April 2023<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br />Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-38226223500539800272023-04-01T02:42:00.005-07:002023-04-01T02:42:57.471-07:00March Monthly Mileage Check In<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0tKyYEMplgs" width="320" youtube-src-id="0tKyYEMplgs"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Monthly mileage check in! Yesterday's run brought me to just over 300 miles for the month and 800 for the year! I'm feeling good and excited for my first race of the year, a <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/04/adventure-trail-run-24-hour-event-2021.html" target="_blank">24 hour trail race</a> in April! My goal is to achieve what I set out to do there two years ago: set a new course record. I feel better prepared and am confident I will hit my goal as long as I have a decent day!<br /><br /><br />Why the 300 theme? Well other than the mileage significance, it is due to a comment I received at <a href="https://www.beastcoasttrailrunning.com/2021/06/2021-keystone-backyard-ultra-hope-and.html" target="_blank">Keystone Backyard Ultra</a> about my tent / aid station set up. After the race, I heard someone describe my set up as very "spartan." I took a bit of pride in receiving that comment and still think about it over two years later when I pack for backyard races. Let's go 2023! Always room for improvement!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1 April 2023</span></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-69293688200689015822023-03-16T11:18:00.000-07:002023-03-16T11:18:08.940-07:00February Monthly Mileage Check In<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pKCKVnVLoxM" width="320" youtube-src-id="pKCKVnVLoxM"></iframe></div><br /><br />Happy #MonthlyMileage check in! I wrapped up February with a little over 239 miles! February was about increasing the solid base I started building in January and maintaining consistency without abandoning non running aspects of my life. With a baby boy due to arrive this month to join our family of five, the non running aspects of my life are obviously pretty demanding. Add in an unexpected bout of kidney stones leading to a trip to the ER that my wife had to endure while about eight months pregnant, and it’s easy to see how my training could have fallen pretty far off track. Thankfully it didn’t and I was able to meet my mileage goals and still have a few days at the end of the month dedicated to a ski trip with my older boys, or we can call it cross training if preferred.<br /><br />My average daily mileage increased from 8.30 in January to 8.55 miles per day in February. Only a 3% increase in average daily mileage, but I am thrilled with it given the circumstances over the past month. I am especially happy with my mileage and where I’m at right now this early in the year with my training because it already exceeds where I was last year in preparation to run Capital Backyard. Last April leading up to Capital, I averaged 8.37 miles per day. This year, a full two months out from Capital, I’ve already surpassed where my training was last year. This gives me some high hopes and big expectations for how my days go at Capital this year.<br /><br />But before I start focusing on Capital, my more imminent goal is to better my performance and the course record at the Adventure Trail Run 24 Hour race. Given my training thus far this year and my current fitness level, I am more confident in reaching my goal of bettering the course record there than I was when I attempted to do the same two years ago. I believe it is mainly due to the focus I had on consistent training and building volume last year. I had a decent endurance foundation prior to last year, but my training was still primarily structured around long training runs. I got away from those last year and refocused on consistency to build volume. That meant less recovery days for me and an overall increase in volume. I tested out the “brick by brick” training ideology and would say based on my results so far I am a subscriber. I feel like the long training run loses training value as you progress as an ultrarunner. They’re great for testing fueling options and improving mental toughness but after a few years of ultrarunning you tend to get fueling that works for you figured out and mental toughness develops and is refined over time. Therefore, my long runs are pretty much reserved for races, at least for the time being. We’ll see how that training regimen works for the 24 hour race format, but it has served me well in the backyard format so I intend to continue using it. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Scott Snell<br />16 March 2023<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-88259795619587921272023-03-15T17:13:00.005-07:002023-03-15T17:13:50.601-07:00A Healthy Mix of Joy and Fear<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1FdV61V60h1KFn1hzpAdypO4mF5IvKUQhdIbrMHSbeRXjKH8vS4zucgXT1VUiDZqM40UZASABbeAHLgNL3QH97ZEkYLVbdIudQbXoaTHzCzf3d1vg9hPw6eCD_t8Jzl4HZWb6Eqj3z9l6dtouoehpACzKDcLsYhAijzptNZydxEx8cKheyDb4nbc/s1440/IMG_20230209_225755704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell beast Coast Trail Running" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1FdV61V60h1KFn1hzpAdypO4mF5IvKUQhdIbrMHSbeRXjKH8vS4zucgXT1VUiDZqM40UZASABbeAHLgNL3QH97ZEkYLVbdIudQbXoaTHzCzf3d1vg9hPw6eCD_t8Jzl4HZWb6Eqj3z9l6dtouoehpACzKDcLsYhAijzptNZydxEx8cKheyDb4nbc/w240-h320/IMG_20230209_225755704.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Big's Backyard was the first race to break me. Although it didn’t do it single handedly; it had a pretty helpful assist from the cold I came down with about a week before the race. It was a culmination of events and circumstances that led to me succumbing and ending my race shortly after beginning the third night of running. Immediately and for several weeks after I wasn’t sure I would go back or if I even wanted to, but now I’m certain. I hope to be back at Big's this fall, better prepared mentally and physically. And hopefully in better health as well. When I think about going back I’m filled with a healthy mix of joy and fear.<br /><br />The phrase “healthy mix of joy and fear” was one that I spouted off on a whim recently. One of the scout leaders from my oldest son’s den was congratulating me as my wife and I are expecting a new baby boy soon. Maybe I didn’t gush with as much excitement as I should have and he said to me a bit sarcastically about how thrilled I look. I replied with, “yeah, I’m excited. It’s a healthy mix of joy and fear.” Later I realized that is exactly how I feel about going back to Big’s as well. <br /><br />I believe the joy stems from the opportunity to have a second crack at Big’s to do better; second chances are never guaranteed so I am grateful for the opportunity. Last year I was so dead set and focused on Big’s that I feel like I built it up to be more than it actually was, like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and no one ever goes back for a second attempt. Not that I all of a sudden don’t think that running at Big’s isn’t a big deal. It’s just that now I recognize that it was not a one time shot, that I may have several years of running Big’s with the national team format and in the strictly individual world competition format. In a way, it seems that strictly focusing on Big’s last year took away from the joy of the experience and made it feel like an impossible task. With what I hope to be my second chance at Big’s this year, I not only want to have a better performance but also want to enjoy the process. <br /><br />The fear emanates from having experienced Big’s and having been broken by the backyard race format. Like I said earlier, I don’t think the race format alone broke me but it was the cumulative effect of the cold I was battling unrelated to the exhaustion and sleep deprivation which were directly induced by the race format. Top all of that with a severe drop in temperature and some strong gusting winds going into the third night and I was done. I’ve now experienced how quickly things can go from bad to worse and over so quickly in this race format and that is scary. It’s so scary because like second chances, there are no guarantees in the backyard format. Any runner, no matter how talented and resilient, can have a bad hour and sometimes that’s all it takes to end your race in the backyard. That is why I have a great deal of respect for the format; because it can humble anyone with little to no notice. I look forward to facing that specific fear that wasn’t there last year when I ran Big’s. I’ll still go into the race with high expectations for myself as I feel confidence is a key to success in backyards but this time with a bit more fear and respect for how quickly a race can fall apart and be over. <br /><br /><br />Scott Snell</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">15 March 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vR6Ob4oCGE" width="320" youtube-src-id="-vR6Ob4oCGE"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-72197003161184306972023-02-01T08:49:00.002-08:002023-02-01T09:22:28.513-08:00January Monthly Mileage Check In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6ZAozjxRi-NBEN_osgmeUXA0MyZOYSdGJGbltrULq4KhQScNZ5CuRcPGXv0bdjE1_CTBWTMbwyUkCuV3JMSzTppnkYEQ8nCF1QAwRTCBpIw9BcM3xX2iPjy0wpiCn3cLR0-0EhkMCvwPelLrT-Jyrnmq_Ef40Ic7PxFku6UnO4p_kuE9DGsfmzoq/s1287/IMG_20230117_143258442_HDR_20230131230003390.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6ZAozjxRi-NBEN_osgmeUXA0MyZOYSdGJGbltrULq4KhQScNZ5CuRcPGXv0bdjE1_CTBWTMbwyUkCuV3JMSzTppnkYEQ8nCF1QAwRTCBpIw9BcM3xX2iPjy0wpiCn3cLR0-0EhkMCvwPelLrT-Jyrnmq_Ef40Ic7PxFku6UnO4p_kuE9DGsfmzoq/s320/IMG_20230117_143258442_HDR_20230131230003390.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> Happy Monthly Mileage check in! I started the first month of the year with 257 miles! January was about building a solid base for me. And not just a solid base of mileage, but also a solid training mindset and a solid base of healthier habits to support and improve my training. <br /><br />The base of healthier habits are varied, but the focus has been to supplement training runs with more cross training activities when the opportunity presents itself. If I’m staring at my screen with writer’s block at work I hit the pull up bar for a quick set. If I’m watching a show with the kids I throw in a few sets of crunches by the couch to break up the inactivity. When I finish a paragraph I do a quick set of burpees before I give it a final read through and move on. These are all just small cross training activity opportunities I have not taken advantage of regularly in the past. <br /><br />Another focal point of healthier habits for me is sleep. In the past, I have mostly sacrificed getting a quality night of sleep due to late nights snacking and binge watching. What starts as just watching one episode turns into a three hour binge watching session and only five hours of sleep leaving me feeling groggy and depleted the following day. And if there was any alcohol involved (which I’ve pretty much discontinued altogether at this point), multiply the depleted feeling by about 10 or so. The best way for me to avoid extended binge watching sessions and ensure a good night’s sleep is to not start them.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VvkKesvcbIY" width="320" youtube-src-id="VvkKesvcbIY"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I am focusing on consistency and volume for my training again this year as I did last year. It seemed to work really well for me last year; I never felt completely burned out or like I needed to take time off from training, I experienced no serious injuries or persistent, nagging pains, and I enjoyed and looked forward to my training runs. On top of all of that, I would say that the results were pretty good as well with two backyard race performances of over 60 hours. With 257 miles (an average of 8.3 miles per day) to start the first month of the year, I am starting with a base volume of about where I was in April last year (8.37 miles per day average) going into Capital Backyard Ultra. This is very promising for me and gives me hope that this year will be even better than last!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February 2023</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrlKCxHToYCiJtu6qz7_16M8HcMmgvT-dc06GjXaLNplM-35sElxi5a9pcDmV7FcFOwF23mXiMrcTknnVOwYMOKlDHU_BrIx08qG_3MQEjholrAF-s_8dDwe7QWCgyExNY7sWhXJT8hHLcOhtGDGsmh1oIYdj7Is0oWkTPERmHP2Mwz-OBg2SgAnU/s1024/-w1rj8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrlKCxHToYCiJtu6qz7_16M8HcMmgvT-dc06GjXaLNplM-35sElxi5a9pcDmV7FcFOwF23mXiMrcTknnVOwYMOKlDHU_BrIx08qG_3MQEjholrAF-s_8dDwe7QWCgyExNY7sWhXJT8hHLcOhtGDGsmh1oIYdj7Is0oWkTPERmHP2Mwz-OBg2SgAnU/s320/-w1rj8.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-29999662969837080492023-01-11T15:06:00.003-08:002023-01-11T15:06:43.001-08:002022 Goals Reviewed and Examining 2023 Goals<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7b2GdojpoGptFtMWwTKXtB7FU71E1wDdBs7xv2tvlh_Tg-1-OLEWjMUkneaPFARuuZTZTDTMBdntdTJEVmqL6vcMCmmBselUI5yFG94Kp2I4-FqZ4mKd73YTHBTCdiUI2zeMqpbcxd96XmfTUJTPpQY1SAW13BgYsrZsgYSsH6FX6J7vlDi8RKlU/s1080/Screenshot_20221230-200426-778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell Beast Coast Trail Running" border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1080" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7b2GdojpoGptFtMWwTKXtB7FU71E1wDdBs7xv2tvlh_Tg-1-OLEWjMUkneaPFARuuZTZTDTMBdntdTJEVmqL6vcMCmmBselUI5yFG94Kp2I4-FqZ4mKd73YTHBTCdiUI2zeMqpbcxd96XmfTUJTPpQY1SAW13BgYsrZsgYSsH6FX6J7vlDi8RKlU/w320-h316/Screenshot_20221230-200426-778.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />My singular goal for 2022, well it actually began to form midway through 2021, was to earn a place on the 15 person Team USA for the international Backyard Ultra Team competition at Big's Backyard in October. I accomplished this goal in May by winning Capital Backyard Ultra which was a silver ticket event guaranteeing me a place on the team. With my main goal for the year accomplished only a few months into the year, I put all my effort into training to achieve my best possible performance at that competition. In retrospect, maybe that was a mistake putting all of my eggs into one basket. As luck would have it, my son got sick with a bad cough/cold about two weeks before the race and then I picked it up about a week before the race. While I still had a decent performance there (62 yards or about 258 miles), it was not the performance I hoped for and I was just angry the majority of the time for the timing of the virus I contracted. Which I guess is a major downside of focusing all of your effort preparing for such a long period on a single race. All it takes is one poorly timed sickness to destroy your hopes. So, I have decided not to do that again. I will do almost the exact opposite this year and just send it, running all the races I want to run. Which is probably equally bad for different reasons. <br /><br />Overall, this year I just want to run the races I want to run and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe I'll burn out and be sick of ultrarunning (not likely) before October and the big dance at Big's. But I don’t think I will. The more likely flaw to this plan is either an overuse injury or insufficient recovery time between races to achieve optimal performance. But I don’t care. I’d rather run that risk and have a few races that I’m really proud of, a few that I deem mediocre, and a few that were total misses rather than have one race that I put so much time and effort into feel like a failure. So with that introduction and philosophy behind my running goals for 2023, here they are (in chronological order)!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZX3HEVrzquk75mSxUboxQBkYI1SrqGb9zP5AJE2ekdKnIHtR2mybuAN54EhisQmaYoWbPF-TgHPHm1BFKETOJa4jpniR3TtGDXanmzZCBDrsVYCRtc0qsyQEYzweqkhGuBlYGbK2JKuBfnoB7BZUwOcbDwfzJ9rKG4jltkDDgw4wLtOpJ51zd8TM/s2048/312079433_10104903581585015_3085227339953538724_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell Beast Coast Trail Running" border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZX3HEVrzquk75mSxUboxQBkYI1SrqGb9zP5AJE2ekdKnIHtR2mybuAN54EhisQmaYoWbPF-TgHPHm1BFKETOJa4jpniR3TtGDXanmzZCBDrsVYCRtc0qsyQEYzweqkhGuBlYGbK2JKuBfnoB7BZUwOcbDwfzJ9rKG4jltkDDgw4wLtOpJ51zd8TM/w320-h229/312079433_10104903581585015_3085227339953538724_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>1. Set a new 24 hour PR for myself and a new course record at the 24 hr Adventure Trail Run in Triangle, VA. - I made my first attempt at this goal and my first attempt at a 24 hour race in 2021. It was my first race after races had been shut down due to COVID. I believe I am better prepared to achieve this goal this time around. I know what mistakes I made during my first attempt and how I can remedy them. I also believe I am better prepared physically and mentally this time. My fitness level has improved and my mind is better adapted to overcome temporary setbacks within a 24 hour period. I was so close to achieving this goal last time that I am almost certain I will have success this time.<br /><br />2. Run Capital Backyard Ultra and be sure to secure my spot at Big's this year. - With the qualifying period for the 2023 Backyard World individual Championships ending in mid August, Capital Backyard Ultra (at the end of May) is one of the final more competitive backyard races likely to produce an at large qualification. Right now I'm sitting at the 56th spot out of 75 spots available. Chances are pretty good that where I'm at is good enough and I will qualify regardless of whether I run another backyard between now and then. However, there are some competitive backyard races between now and then. If I'm pushed farther down the qualifying list, it's most likely I'll be pushed off the list due to at large qualifications at Capital. If that does occur, I want to be in the race to compete for my spot at Big's.<br /><br />3. Run a 12 hour race at the Midnight Squatchapalooza. - I've never run a 12 hour race before and this is one of the most local ultras for me. It's also hosted by one of my favorite NJ race directors, Kim Levinsky of Sassquad Trail Running. My personal goal for this race is to run at least a 100k before the 12 hour clock runs out. From what I can tell based on the Ultrasignup results page, it looks like the course record is 25 laps of a 2.5 mile looped course or 62.5 miles which is just over a 100k distance. So, if I hit my personal goal I will at least tie the course record. Of course, if things are going well for me late in the race and it is within reach, I’d love to be able to better the course record and complete 26 laps to hit 65 miles.<br /><br />4. Run Backyard Squatch again. - I have multiple reasons for this goal and several achievements I’d like to reach within this goal. This race is also hosted by Sassquad Trail Running, so that alone makes me want to run it again. After running and winning it in 2021, I was invited back by Kim Levinsky to run it again in 2022 but I felt like it was a little too close and would disrupt my training cycle leading up to the Backyard Ultra Team competition at Big's Backyard in October. Although I wanted to run it again last year, I opted not to, hoping it would better my performance at Big’s. That is not the plan this year. Like I mentioned earlier, the plan is just to send it this year and hope for the best. With that mindset, my goals for this race are to better the course record (36 yards) that still stands from the inaugural year (2021). Additionally, I intend to be the last person standing there. <br /><br />5. Run a 200 mile race. - After spending the better part of the last two years making earning a spot to run at Big’s Backyard my primary focus, I’m trying to freshen things up a bit this year with some new exciting goals, hence the completely new goal of running a 12 hour race. While running a 200 mile race isn’t a completely new or fresh idea for me to pursue, this year I plan on acting on it. In the past I had kinda dreamt about running a 200 miler. I had always thought I’d sign up for one out west, most likely one of Candice Burt’s races but a few things kept me from acting on those dreams. The first being the cost. When you add up the registration and travel costs you’re looking at a minimum of a several thousand dollar price tag for an adventure that will most likely be a handful of days. I have trouble justifying that with my current household budget. The second primary reason was the fear that I wasn’t ready to tackle the 200 mile distance. Well, after running two backyards last year that went over 250 miles the fear of not being ready for the 200 mile distance is gone. However, the financial limitation is still there so I have been looking at other, more affordable options. As of now, the race I think I will register for to take a crack at the 200 mile distance is the Cowboy 200. Since I’ve already run two races greater than 200 miles, some may justifiably be questioning why I’m pursuing this as a goal this year. The reason is that although I’ve done the distance, I’ve never raced the distance. I’ve only run it in the backyard format where your pace is constrained to not exceed 100 miles per 24 hours. So the real goal within this goal is not to finish a 200 mile race, but to finish it in under 48 hours. Giddy up!<br /><br />6. Run the individual backyard world championship at Big's Backyard in October. - If you read my race report on my performance at the 2022 Big’s Backyard team competition, I think it’s readily apparent that I feel like I have some unfinished business there. I intend to be there again this year for the individual competition and do better. It would be naïve and maybe a bit foolish to make winning this competition my only goal. Of course it’s the top goal, but these are the best backyard runners from around the world competing here. It is the most competitive backyard competition in the world. Do I believe there is a chance? Yes. Likely? Probably not. Can I do better than last year? Most definitely yes. Outside of being the outright winner, I have a few other objectives that are more likely obtainable. The first being just to improve upon last year’s performance of 62 yards. Simple and definitely doable. Second is to make it through that third night of running and see how long I can hang after that. That will be more difficult, but I believe I am capable of it. My third alt objective and likely the most difficult if I am not the last person standing there is to simply not allow my race to end in apathy again. An apathetic outlook was the final piece that ended my run there last year. I don’t like excuses. Allowing apathy to take hold over the last few hours of my race last year feels like creating an excuse to quit in the moment. If not an excuse, then a defense or escape mechanism at best. It’s not fair to use either after putting so much time, effort, and sacrifice into preparing for this event. It’s not fair to me or others close to me who have also made sacrifices to allow me to not only be there, but to prepare to do the best I can while I am there. So that’s the final alt objective: to do my best with no excuses.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAciUgNgg3I45sWnc0C7bSg9lgOTVYSTVaoecpHkkL8pETpG3IU9Dd2w_K_OQZz4wdY4qDm16fls9DsmIyl4sRLbQfAqhx8G28cNzJtaVrqdQhwzG58X4taJsXYjzyxpae6FlRUpfDPS66WYholzhBcfLvG5YfXTsLNTwZ2MpX3LdHJbLI6DunPwea/s2048/312159533_10104903584464245_8461495601311444541_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Scott Snell Beast Coast Trail Running" border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAciUgNgg3I45sWnc0C7bSg9lgOTVYSTVaoecpHkkL8pETpG3IU9Dd2w_K_OQZz4wdY4qDm16fls9DsmIyl4sRLbQfAqhx8G28cNzJtaVrqdQhwzG58X4taJsXYjzyxpae6FlRUpfDPS66WYholzhBcfLvG5YfXTsLNTwZ2MpX3LdHJbLI6DunPwea/w320-h229/312159533_10104903584464245_8461495601311444541_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Scott Snell<br />11 January 2023<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br />Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com4New Jersey, USA40.0583238 -74.4056612-39.563880197731137 144.96933880000003 90 66.219338799999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-35000992737252997572023-01-06T16:04:00.000-08:002023-01-06T16:04:01.621-08:00My Vegetarian Experience<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7RrKBZoKFjRZbaykhxezvkMk_ZzHG1hg-t2S65_kISF6y3XqEUhhZFE0M3g3tMuHPQH3h4KmZmX9Ci7ghMGrVPIgbSgYY6Dk0YmZzQHwdpcjlhfGaSCm3MkmuFlGNkpL98uNtF1SgAkupmwzXZztvnSgxNQPnzMxmf25ryQwjtnEZD_oOzqsgY28/s1440/FB_IMG_1672711092358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7RrKBZoKFjRZbaykhxezvkMk_ZzHG1hg-t2S65_kISF6y3XqEUhhZFE0M3g3tMuHPQH3h4KmZmX9Ci7ghMGrVPIgbSgYY6Dk0YmZzQHwdpcjlhfGaSCm3MkmuFlGNkpL98uNtF1SgAkupmwzXZztvnSgxNQPnzMxmf25ryQwjtnEZD_oOzqsgY28/s320/FB_IMG_1672711092358.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The low point of my vegetarian experience, eating lunch at a place where the menu is basically cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks. </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>To start this year I decided to give a vegetarian diet a one week try. It wasn't a New Year's resolution, more of just satisfying a bit of a curiosity. It was presented as a one week vegetarian or vegan experience by Harvey Lewis on his Facebook page and an Instagram post. Initially I was skeptical and had the same thoughts anytime I think about a vegetarian or vegan diet: that it would be too difficult for me, that I would be hungry all the time, meals would feel like they were missing something and be less satisfying, and that I would crave certain foods like beef jerky and grilled cheeseburgers.<br /><br />I'm beginning day six of this experience as I write this and it has been quite surprising for me. For the first two days I posted at the end of the day what all of my vegetarian meals were. I thought I would continue this for the entire week, but by day three I was returning to my routine following some time off after the holidays. I was back to packing leftovers to bring to work for lunch without much thought going into the fact that they were leftovers of vegetarian meals. I didn’t feel the need to post a daily update about what I was eating at that point; it began to just feel like routine.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JY3NcxtnpaAhIFWDibMQauqk_jCdwbCtmnKXcN5-1PquCsXTojfYXgvwWDCSBR7zzeU7Z1qS3SltwZWOJqRzHGJOx2Dmlq23V_fiJr49QUWCZyZL-NBwU-Ot4uDUeE-dhqAqxihb7VRC04x2qib8TAD8k-tZJZVAoIkQqFLvUMP1ofmBTNMTBl9_/s1828/Screenshot_20230106-142231-193.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1828" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5JY3NcxtnpaAhIFWDibMQauqk_jCdwbCtmnKXcN5-1PquCsXTojfYXgvwWDCSBR7zzeU7Z1qS3SltwZWOJqRzHGJOx2Dmlq23V_fiJr49QUWCZyZL-NBwU-Ot4uDUeE-dhqAqxihb7VRC04x2qib8TAD8k-tZJZVAoIkQqFLvUMP1ofmBTNMTBl9_/s320/Screenshot_20230106-142231-193.png" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Instagram post from Harvey Lewis introducing the experience.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I think something clicked for me at the end of the second day. I went to lunch with the family at a 50’s diner where the bulk of the menu was cheeseburgers and cheesesteaks. That’s the most tempted I was to end my vegetarian experience at any point during the week. I had committed to one week, so I went with the Cesar salad and enjoyed some tasty cheese fries. It certainly wasn’t what I would have ordered if we had gone there a few days earlier. Anyway, later that evening at dinner time I decided to make the chickpea curry I had planned as part of this vegetarian experience. It turned out to be delicious and felt just as satisfying and complete as any meal I’ve had that included animal protein. And the leftovers have been just as good and make for such an easy meal!<br /><br />As I approach the end of my one week vegetarian experience, I figure the main question is whether or not I will continue it. As of now, I don’t know. I’ve heard accounts from so many athletes about improved performance and faster recovery when they became vegan or vegetarian so that definitely makes it attractive to me. Additionally, I’ve found that I am not missing or craving animal protein like I thought I would. Of course it’s only been a single week, so maybe that will change with time if I do decide to continue with this experiment. And it is certainly far too early to make any kind of judgment about how the change in my diet has impacted my running. At the very least, the experience has been enlightening and changed my initial distaste for a vegetarian diet. It has changed my mindset that a meal is not complete without a form of animal protein. Without a doubt it has been a positive experience (with the exception of watching delicious cheesesteaks being prepared and consumed all around me at one meal) that I am happy I somewhat reluctantly chose to try. Thank you for the challenge Harvey!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">6 January 2023</span></div>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4833727365753660817.post-57972969686121411472022-11-03T18:53:00.002-07:002022-11-03T18:53:51.037-07:00Mental Recovery From Big's Backyard<p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGxkqpqVmKeeJgqXmJ5CEe-hDpu1m-ykVlrIjcxnvWrDZFklyUa3Jd59GYHN-FDKB6YEy1xEoZGyzablzJTYAjIc1ZQu2f960wEcKZ1WEac4CicVSwJ-lGnNkb5ls__y_C1aIclbyOESSYsem86vC1ERgLGPIN-WDCOav7gfZu2nyO8FzPJSRpDe_/s1350/FB_IMG_1666629167121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGxkqpqVmKeeJgqXmJ5CEe-hDpu1m-ykVlrIjcxnvWrDZFklyUa3Jd59GYHN-FDKB6YEy1xEoZGyzablzJTYAjIc1ZQu2f960wEcKZ1WEac4CicVSwJ-lGnNkb5ls__y_C1aIclbyOESSYsem86vC1ERgLGPIN-WDCOav7gfZu2nyO8FzPJSRpDe_/s320/FB_IMG_1666629167121.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I hit a total of 369 miles for October with 258 run in a single go at Big's Backyard. I'm pretty sure this was my highest monthly mileage ever and I am completely sure that my run at Big's was a distance PR for me. For all of that I admit that I am proud and maybe I shouldn't say it at all but I'm going to anyway. I can't help but be disappointed in myself with how my run at Big's went. It certainly felt like giving up towards the end. And I hate that. What could I have done differently? Mistakes were made. I didn't change from shorts to pants soon enough to deal with the drop in temperature. I didn't stay positive. I lost hope. I didn't use my last resort lifeline that I have the previous two times I was ready to quit at a backyard: to call my wife and say "I'm done." Maybe I didn't have time. Maybe I didn't want the pressure to keep going. I'm still not sure and I may never know exactly where my head was at that point. What I do know is that it's on me for making those mistakes. There's no one else to blame. I take full responsibility. I also know that I'm not happy or impressed with what I did and it's impacting what I had planned for 2023. My primary running goal for 2023 was to make an attempt at the IA crossing FKT. Now I don't know; a "redemption" backyard run sounds pretty attractive. We'll see... Regardless, my plan was to take some time to recover and focus on family time from November and over the holidays until I start training again for a specific goal next year. What that specific goal is, I don't know at this point. I still need to accept what I interpret as a failure. But I am determined to find the good in this situation, to learn from my mistakes and use it as motivation to drive and to train harder towards whatever my next goal is. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Scott Snell</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">3 November 2022 </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Beast Coast Trail Runninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15958417394273622384noreply@blogger.com0