Art Loeb in a Day - Bringing Le Sexxxy Back

 

 

Is sleeping in the back of your car, long late night caffeinated drives and stumbling into the office Monday morning really worth spending a single day running in the mountains?

Yes. The answer is always yes.

 

 

 

After a late Saturday morning start and a 5hr30min drive from Birmingham, my car came to a halt in a back alley street in Brevard, NC.  I grabbed a pair of shoes, stuffed a duffel bag full of running paraphernalia and hopped into Ali’s car.

Ali is a kindred soul… like my trail twin… like a sister separated at birth. Though we have ran in some of the same races… we have never had the opportunity to simply run and share our passion for the trails together. But the stars finally aligned and presented us with a very short window of about 24hrs for an adventure…  

We set off on the 3 mile trail up to Looking Glass Rock and chatted as we followed the switchbacks up the mountain. Before we knew it… we had reached the top.

We explored the huge granite dome up top and watched 2 climbers head down the side of the rock.

We eventually took a seat to watch the sun set over the distant mountains. Not to toot our own horns… but we started the perfect slow clap to cheer on the sun’s descent!

We climbed back up the rock and stopped to talk with a group of South Carolina guys that had come up to camp for the weekend. The wind soon picked up and goose bumps initiated our return to the trail. The descent down from Looking Glass Rock was a fun and fast! We reached the bottom just as the woods were getting dark.

Note to Self: If you decide to leave your car in a back alley street… especially in a town you’ve never been to before… remember the street name or drop a pin in your maps…

We eventually found my car and started walking the mean streets of Brevard to find some grub. Apparently Brevard is the least crunk town eva. Everything was closed with the exception of a little Mexican place… Ranchero. Ranchero’s food was delish… but their attitudes… well I’ll remain nice and just say they were subpar. After dinner, we swung by and grabbed ice and some local brews before heading to Davidson River campground. After a beer by headlamp… I checked into my room at Hotel Del Andrews, set my alarm and curled up in my sleeping bag.

My alarm went off. UGH! I swear it felt like I literally had just closed my eyes. The stars were still shining bright as we packed our vests with a day’s worth of water and snacks. The game plan to run the entire +30 mile Art Loeb Trail was hatched a few days prior to the trip… and of course we didn’t really start talking logistics until the night before. We finally decided to leave Ali’s car at the Art Loeb trailhead at Davidson River Campground and drive my car out to Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp. From online descriptions the Art Loeb was pretty easy to follow with the exception of the part in the Shining Rock Wilderness area which started at Daniel Boone Camp…

“Since it is entirely within Congressionally-designated wilderness, you will find no signs or trail blazes -  be prepared to practice map reading and compass skills.”

Well… we didn't have a map... or a compass... so unfortunately we were not prepared to practice those skills... so we did the only thing we knew to do...

We followed John's advice and went home...

"Going to the mountains is going home..."

 

A cool morning had us starting off in light jackets, but we quickly shed them as we started ascending. This section of the trail was steep and technical… or a crunker person might say that the trail was “gnar gnar.”

We climbed until we reached what I presumed was Deep Gap… but really it could have been any gap... hell it could've been Thigh Gap for all we knew. We referenced the pixelated map saved on Ali’s phone. Meh. I vaguely remembered reading something about their being a spur trail up to Cold Mountain that was supposed to be at Deep Thigh Gap. The trail leading left fit that bill, so we went right to follow the ridge. We climbed a bit and were rewarded with a few brief breaks in the canopy.

Ali could already tell she wasn’t feeling the entire 30+ mile adventure that we had originally planned. She decided to descend back to Daniel Boone Camp to grab the car. She decided she would crew the rest of the way and maybe run the last section with me. We parted ways and I continued through Shining Rock Wilderness.

I pressed along at a pretty good clip passing a handful of backpackers along the way. Though this section wasn’t blazed or marked with any signs… the trail was well defined and pretty easy to navigate.

This was the only section of the trail that was muddy. Needless to say… my shoes were soaked and muddy after sloshing through this…

I eventually arrived at Ivestor Gap and left Shining Rock Wilderness.

From here the Art Loeb trail was well marked… however I decided to take a side quest up one of the balds before continuing on my journey...

This adventure wasn’t about seeing how fast I could run the Art Loeb. It was more about exploring a new trail and reconnecting with the mountains that I had missed so much. After exploring the area for a bit… I said goodbye to Ivestor Gap and continued onward towards Balsam Knob.

 

I started the chilly and windy ascent to the ridgeline. As soon as I reached the spine I started getting excited and my stomach started filling with butterflies… I was bringing Le Sexxxy back... and this trail was Le Sexxxy…

I pushed hard up the ridgeline and shot a smile at a group of backpackers who were taking in Le Sexxxiness of the mountains from up top…

 

I bounded down the other side of the bald and start climbing up through some overgrowth towards the next bald…

I reached the top of the next bald and could see down to Black Balsam Knob parking lot. I didn’t see a bright green Element waiting at the bottom, so I found a quiet spot in the grass. I took off my vest to use as a pillow, sprawled out in the grass and enjoyed the cool breeze and warm mountain sunshine.

A group of hikers passed and their talking snapped me out of my serenity coma. I took my phone off Airplane mode and started the descent down to the Black Balsam Knob parking lot to see if Ali was there yet. She wasn’t. I chatted with a few hikers and briefly contemplated taking a side quest up to Sam’s Knob… but before I fully committed to Sam’s Knob… Ali texted me and said to carry on and she would meet me at Gloucester Gap. I headed back up towards Black Balsam Knob to play at 6000ft…

Because of the beautiful weather, amazing views and easy access… this area was crowded. Still… I hung around a little longer soaking in Le Sexxxiness before descending. There’s just nothing sexier than elevated single track with a view… except maybe my wifey when she’s all dolled up in a Deandri dress... hot damn!

I crossed over the road and fell back into the tree line. The Art Loeb shares the Mountains to Sea trail for a bit… this section brought back wonderful memories of the Pitchell Fun Run I did a few years back.

I passed a small group of backpackers heading towards Black Balsam… but then it was right back to running solitude. I passed through Farlow Gap, said hi to some backpackers in the Deep Gap shelter, and then started the climb up Pilot Mountain.

I spent a good amount of time on the summit of Pilot Mt. Since it was a bit harder to get to than Black Balsam Knob… the summit was all mine for moment. I sat around and enjoyed the beautiful weather over a Cliff Bar.  

After finishing up my snack… I started the fast descent. This section was steep but a lot of fun! I started crossing over dirt roads which I assumed was an indication that Gloucester Gap was drawing near. A few switchbacks later and I could make out my green Element, pink fold out chair, and cooler waiting at the bottom. I popped out of the woods, cracked open a beer and hummed Justin Timberlake’s “I’m bringing sexy back… yep.”

I found Ali taking a nap. She woke up and the Element was immediately transformed into “Ali’s Country Kitchen.”

 

She whipped me up her famous peanut butter nutella almond chocolate chip with a single coffee bean wrap. I munched on the deliciousness while I changed my socks. I finished off my Le Sexxxy beer while Ali gathered her gear for the final 12 mile section. I closed the hatch and as we started towards the trail it hit me…

“I think I just smashed the rest of my wrap in the tailgate.”

I did but it was too late to turn back. We were already 4 steps towards the trail. The last 12 or so miles consisted of a repeating pattern of ascending then descending ridges and gaps. Though not as scenic as the first 18 miles… good conversation and speedy descents made the section pass quickly. Brevard peeked through a gap in the trees and the sound of vehicles let us know we were closing in on Davidson River Campground. The last section of the trail was a long descent to the river. We popped out off of the single track and strolled down the crushed gravel walking path back to Ali’s car.

 

We drove back to Gloucester Gap to pick up my car before sitting down at a restaurant to demolish a well deserved bacon cheeseburger.

9hrs of playing in the mountains, traversing some of the most beautiful single track the South has to offer, lying around on grassy balds, and drinking colbeer… yea… adventures don’t get much better than that…

"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks…"

Ali… I pray you receive far more than you seek during your walk along the PCT this summer! Stay crunk and I'll see you in the Fall! 

 

Till tomorrow…

Life on the FARM

A year ago I applied for a position on an Alabama FARM.

 

And somehow I was lucky enough to be hand selected by 2 local FARMers…  

 

Now I knew FARM life would be hard work and would require lots of long sweaty hours working my butt off outdoors... and would more than likely result in sore muscles and blisters… but I was up for the challenge…

And when I say I took a position I mean ambassadorship…

And when I say on a FARM I mean…

 

And when I say by 2 FARMers I really mean…

And when I say long sweaty hours outdoors resulting in sore muscles and blisters I mean…

FARM - Functional Athletic Rehabilitation & Medicine

The FARM provides cutting edge chiropractic care, injury rehabilitation and sports performance. One of the things I love and respect about the FARM is Dr. Beau and Dr. Sloan’s approach to their practice. Unlike many other chiropractic practices that want to see you consistently and make an adjustment once or twice a week for the rest of your life… the FARM takes a different approach. They want to treat the issue; get you pain free and healthy but then give you the means and knowledge to take care of yourself outside of the FARM’s office.

When I first hopped on the FARM tractor as one of their athlete ambassadors I had an awful case of plantar fasciitis. The kind of awful plantar fasciitis where you swear to everything under the sun that the pain will NEVER go away and you will NEVER run pain free again. Yea… that type of plantar fasciitis. On my first visit to the FARM Dr. Beau and I discussed our options:

1.       Amputation

2.       Rehabilitation

Of course I went with the obvious choice of amputation but backed out at the last minute when Beau started sharpening his pocket knife… #noknives…  right Sloan?

After a few weeks of consistent rehab I was back frolicking for long hours through the woods. I was simply amazed. I had dealt with this awful foot pain for months and within a matter of weeks it was like nothing had ever happened.  I threw my full faith into the FARM.

 

I started slowly seeing inefficiencies when I started pushing my body further and harder on the trails. It was the little things like ankle, hip, and core strength… the stuff I always took for granted and assumed was fine. By no means am I a runner geek or even that knowledgeable when it comes to “correct” form, breathing, etc. After doing a biomechanical assessment, Dr. Beau pinpointed my weaknesses and set a plan into motion to help strengthen these areas.

Dr. Beau is ridiculously knowledgeable when it comes to his practice. There have been times where he goes into a spill and I’m just dumbfounded at how simple he makes everything. It all makes perfect sense. He lays out how everything in the body functions and works together in perfect harmony… and when certain parts are in pain or hurting… it may not be that exact part that is causing the issue.  For instance… if I’m having knee/ITB pain… it doesn’t necessarily mean that the focus should be on the knee. It all starts at the core and works its way through the hips and downward to the feet. I suggest taking a look at Dr. Beau’s informational videos that are posted on the FARM's YouTube channel. He discusses a little bit of everything... from core exercises to breathing... to ankle dorsiflexion. He’s even had an article published in Trailrunner Magazine about dynamic breathing!

 

The FARM has not only helped me remain healthy and relatively injury free… but they have given me the opportunity to represent them by running and pushing my body’s limits all across the country.

One of the most memorable adventures and trips of my entire life was the trip out to Utah last year.

Me, Dr. Sloan and fellow FARM ambassador Vanessa Stroud headed West to run the Bryce 100.

We had so much fun! It was my first 100 mile race and it couldn’t have been a better experience! I’m forever grateful to Sloan for staying up throughout the night crewing us. The memories from that trip will forever be with me.

 

I also got a chance to head to Virginia to represent the FARM up at the Grindstone 100.

Sometime before or during the race… I thought I had pulled a muscle in my back. Late in the race (mile 70+)… every time I tried to breathe deep, it felt like I had a huge knot in my back.

After I finished the race and got back to Alabama… my wife was massaging my back and paused…  

“Babe… I’m not sure that’s a pulled muscle. It feels hard.” (I know, I know... that's what she said)

She was right. I didn’t realize it but somehow I had managed to dislodge a rib. I immediately made an appointment to see Dr. Beau and he ever so gracefully put that bad boy back in his place.

I finished off the year with a 3^rd place finish at the Pine Mountain 40 miler in December. The year ended on a high note right? It did… but not so much. I was hurting. My iliotibial band (ITB) was inflamed and it was painful. I thoroughly enjoy running daily in the woods and this pain prevented me from doing that… so I was more frustrated than anything.

 I’ve always had ITB issues but have always just taken shortcuts to deal with the pain. I wore knee straps every single time I ran to keep the pain at bay. However… these bands constantly chaffed and rubbed. I felt like I HAD to wear them every time I stepped foot out the door. I was a prisoner to these bands.

I was 2yrs old again afraid to let go of my blanket.

The first week of 2015... I tucked those bands in the bottom of a storage bin in my garage and made an appointment with Beau to tackle this devil. I didn’t want to just temporarily fix the pain and problem… I wanted to soak those knee bands in gasoline, light a match and send them to Hell.

Beau took me through his strength and mobility class and showed me what I needed to focus and work on daily.  I took his advice/plan and ran with it. I busted my ass for the next 2 months leading up to my trip out West. Rather than laying down high mileage weeks… I focused on my rehab and working out the kinks in my lower half.

It paid off. I ran like a wild animal out in Colorado.

I completed the Red Hot 55k in Moab… WITHOUT freakin knee straps…

 

I ran up snow covered mountains… WITHOUT freakin knee straps…

I was finally free.

A few weeks ago, I finished 4^th at the Oak Mt 50k with a PR of 5hrs03mins. I feel like without the burden of knee straps… my body is now free to move naturally… in return… allowing me to open up and push harder on the trails.

To say that I’m thankful for what the FARM has done for my running and overall well-being wouldn’t do them justice. It would be one of the biggest understatements of my life.  I’m blessed beyond belief to have been linked up with these wonderful people and to be given the opportunity to represent the FARM. Needless to say... I’m overly excited about continuing to work with the FARM and for the adventures we have planned for the rest of the year!

Till tomorrow…

Mere Formalities

Tommy Caldwell? Kevin Jorgeson? Ever heard of these guys? Well they’re very important. They’ve got many leather-bound books and their apartment smells of rich mahogany. Oh… and they also climbed a tiny little rock facing recently. And when I say “little rock facing” I really mean they just completed the hardest free climb in the world along the Dawn Wall of El Cap.

So yea… these guys are kind of a big deal. 

Do you think these guys woke up one morning, took a deep rich mahogany filled breath and said… “Hey bro.. let’s go climb the Dawn Wall.”

The answer is not just no… but hell no.

This amazing feat was the culmination of 7yrs of preparation, training, and hard work. They not only had to be physically prepared for such an epic endeavor, but they also had to be mentally prepared because of the risk and high potential of injury and/or death. 

A few days ago I came across a sentence in a short article about the amazing Dawn Wall climb (written by Andrew Bisharat ) that hit home and really got me thinking.

“Show up prepared and turn your projects into mere formalities.”

I started to look back to the root of my trail running adventures. I started recounting the countless miles I spent training for my first 100k. I even went as far to pull out the excel printed training plan that I created for the Georgia Death Race...  

I laugh now because back then I was so structured. I can still vividly remember proudly drawing a line through a completed training week with a different color highlighter. I also remember the disappointment of having to mark through a number with a black line because I didn’t hit that exact mileage goal for the day. Ugh. I felt like a failure on those days.

Now... my training is completely different. Night and day different. I no longer track mileage, paces, or have a fancy colorful spreadsheet.  I simply spend countless hours on a weekly basis roaming the woods and climbing mountains... the only documentation of my runs usually coming in the form of pictures.

This works… for me. This organic, free flowing style of running is not and will not work for everyone. I always try to encourage people to find what type training works for them specifically. If it is structured and mileage based… then roll with that. DO YOU! Regardless of what the latest running magazine says… there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to training.

When I’m sitting on my tailgate at a trailhead lacing up my Salomons… the last thing on my mind is “training run.” My view on running has progressed to a point where it no longer feels like “training” but more like…  “I get to go play in the woods today!”

I honestly think that this progression and way of thinking has played a very important role from keeping me from burning out. I still get extremely excited every time I step foot in the woods… even when I’m running along the same familiar trails.

photo: Varina Hart

I think there sometimes can be a misconception that I don’t train. Maybe it is because I enjoy the hell out of running and it doesn’t feel like training. Maybe it is because I stop and take a ton of pictures. One of the reasons I take so many pictures is for the memories. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back or stumbled across an old picture and it immediately placed me back in time… back to what I was feeling in that particular moment…  what the weather was like, what a certain breeze felt like... or even a good memory with a long lost running partner. These things are extremely important to me and I hold these moments and memories close to my heart.

But no matter how you view or sugarcoat it… all of this time spent running and wandering the woods is nonetheless… training. Whether I’m out for a long 3-5hr run or a fast-paced, hard 30-60min effort… I’m training. With the exception of long run days, I rarely go out to the trailhead with a  formal plan for the type of run I’m intending to do. I base most of my efforts off of feel. Some days when I’m feeling frisky I’ll gun for a fun Strava CR route like the King’s Chair ascent. I wouldn’t bother looking me up on Strava or Movescount… I hardly have anything posted… and when I do post, I rarely stop my watch (even when I’m taking pictures or talking).

photo: Varina Hart

So yes… I do “train”… a lot. And when race day comes around… I am always extremely relaxed, calm, confident and fully prepared for whatever distance that I’ve been gearing towards. Because I have trained… showing up on race day is nothing more than a mere formality. I am 100% confident that I will complete a race or any run that I set out on (unless something out of the ordinary happens or something seriously goes wrong). This is not me being cocky… it is me being confident in my training. I very rarely compete against another person… for me… racing is about pushing my own limits and enjoying all of the hard work I’ve put in over the course of weeks/months prior to an event.

Have I ever signed up for a race last minute? Yes.  Was I unprepared for those races? No.

There have been plenty of times where I would get a free weekend or I would get invited to come to a race by some friends. Some of these races can be utilized and take the place of a training run. For instance, my friend Sunny and Sonia were running the Pine Mt 40 last year. I somehow got off an entire weekend (was working 6 days a week at the time) and they let me crash on a pullout bed. I had already planned to run a 35 mile training run that weekend anyways, so it was a no brainer to go down and enjoy the trails with them. Given… I did give a harder effort on race day than I would have if it had just been a training run… but I was still well within the parameters of my training and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent in the Georgia mountains.

I personally believe that social media is the epitome of the ever raging battle between good vs evil. There is so much good that comes with social media...  accounts, pictures and people can inspire and drive us to push further and really strive for amazing goals. I can’t tell you how many Instagram accounts and blogs have inspired me to push further and take risks. ie: Ashley Walsh. (the Godfather of us Trailgangstas).

Like Ashley's account, I personally hope that my social media account will help inspire people to get outside, take adventures, and maybe even set and accomplish a goal that they never thought possible.

As positive and uplifting as social media can be… it also has a dark side. Sometimes social media can create tiny devils that will sit on your shoulder and hiss at you.

That tiny little devil taunts you as you scroll your Facebook/Instagram feed...

“Rainbow Dash just completed a 100 miler. Why haven’t you?” 

*hits like button*

“Did you see where Fluttershy just destroyed that 100k?!”

 *hits like button*

Sometimes these devils can start subconsciously putting unhealthy pressure on a person to maybe commit to an event or a distance before they are ready.

“Oh snap… Pinkie Pie just did her 4^th 100 miler! Her 4^th!! What’s the furthest you’ve ran?”

 *hits like button*

“Dude… Princess Twilight Sparkle just set a new course record at Hardrock.”

 *hits like button*

These social media devils can expel warped perceptions of reality, especially when it comes to professional athletes. Like most, I too idolize some of the top professional athletes.  Who doesn’t wish they were somewhere high up in the Alps mountain-goating around like Kilian…

Or off the grid doing the Drakensberg GrandTraverse like Ryan Sandes…

Or even running and roaming the wild wild West on the back of a motorcycle like… Rickey Gates

I strictly used Salomon runners in these examples for a reason. Salomon endorses some of the best athletes on the planet. They pay these people to perform at an extremely high level. They are PROFESSIONAL athletes. We are not. What they are capable of doing is probably unattainable for the majority of the population. One of the nine reasons that I adore Salomon is Salomon Running TV. They visually capture the simplicity of running and how it can connect you to the natural environment. In the majority of their videos, they step away from the race scene and solely focus on enjoying running as more of a lifestyle instead of hobby.

At the end of the day… we are not professional athletes. We are not even the Rainbow Dashes, Fluttershys, Pinkie Pies, or even the Princess Twlight Sparkles of the My Little Pony world…

We are all just our own special and unique Unicorn... and guess what? That is ok. Whether you're training for a 5k, half marathon or 100 miler... train smart, train hard, be prepared... and simply be the best damn Unicorn you can possibly be.

I live for adventure. I enjoy nothing more than pushing my body’s limits… and  after hours, weeks, and months of preparation… when the day or event finally arrives for me to push those limits… it will be nothing more than a mere formality.

Mile 92 of Grindstone 100

Till tomorrow…