100 miles in 30 hours

Here it is, the Umstead 100. I don't plan to ever attempt it. I can't imagine ever completing it. Here it is, the Umstead 100. A 100 mile run in 30 hours.

I don't even think I could bike 100 miles in 30 hours. Running it? Wow. Amazing. What kind of toll does that take on the body of even a very fit person? Is it worth it?

TBD: ATT KMZ

update: I just realized the link for the .kmz file was off, it is fixed now. update#2 - if you have anything to add, feel free to send it my way.

No, I don't just like to use acronyms whenever I get the chance. :) I started a Google Earth map (.kmz file) of the ATT (American Tobacco Trail). Download the KMZ here. I'll update it when I can with more points of interest and pictures.

• The red path is the trail itself, it is highlighted from the southern-most trail head in Apex up to the interruption point just south of I-40. Then it is highlighted again just north of I-40 in Durham up to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
  
• The green push-pins are trailheads, or entrances to the trail where there is available parking.
  
• The yellow push-pins are general points of interest, some of which have photos linked.
  
• I will attach photos soon.
  

I find it pretty useful because I can plan a run or bike ride, and use the ruler feature of Google Earth to check out the distance of my route. For example, next time I am going to start at O'Kelly Church Rd and run north to Northeast Creek trestle, turn around and run south to Panther Creek trestle, and then back to O'Kelly Church Rd again. This will be a 4.6 mile run with a rewarding view at each turnaround point.

Northeast Creek Trestle

I took a bike ride today down to Northeast Creek Trestle and took some pictures. Here are a few of them.

I was surprised to see James' car in the greenway:

Work on the ATT

Bill Bussey of the Triangle Rails-to-Trails Conservancy set me up with some volunteer work on the ATT this past Saturday morning. I learned a few interesting things about the trail, and I felt good giving back (even though it was just a little) to the trail that I have enjoyed so much over the past year and a half or so.

A group of about 6 of us started our work just north of New Hope Church Rd, at the Panther Creek trestle (this was my first time at that location). Later we were joined by a few others. Basically all I did was carry some logs and limbs off the trail into the woods, and pick up whatever trash I saw. Shortly before noon, as I was returning across the drainage ditch after having moved some logs, I felt something funny about my shoe. I looked down and the sole of my shoe was going one way and the rest of my shoe another! The sole fell completely off. That was a first, and made for a long wet-footed walk out of the woods to my truck!

If you are interested in volunteering to help out with the trail, you can read more and sign up for the email list here.

ACC Fans

It annoys me when I see people cheering against ACC teams in the NCAA tournament. Sure, I understand that its fun to hate certain teams like Duke or Carolina (I hate Duke myself). But after the regular season and the ACC tournament, there is no excuse not to pull for the ACC as a conference to do well. The better the ACC is as a conference, the better recruiting we can do as a conference.

The way I see it, even though I hate Duke, they let down the entire ACC when they lost in the first round. They played sloppy, and they did not represent what is supposed to be a "powerhouse" conference. It even looks worse considering all the bitching that coach K did about how the ACC deserved more teams in the tourney. Now all we have left is UNC.

While I'm on the topic of sports fans that annoy me, last week I sat beside these two guys at Peak City who were eating and watching the Duke game at the bar. I heard comments like "I hate that Nazi", referring to Coach K. You don't have to like him as a person but I don't know how you can not respect him as a coach. I heard "why is it that every game Duke plays in somebody is bleeding" (at this point it became obvious that they were UNC fans)? Ok, thats just a stupid comment, plain and simple (especially given the fact that the VCU player bleeding in this particular instance fell over his own teammate).

Good Eats: Homemade Corned Beef

Some people know that my favorite nerdy tv show is "Good Eats" on the Food Network. I like it because its the nerdiest show on tv about food, and I'm a nerd and I like to eat. Its a match made in heaven. :)

This past week there was a rare new episode of Good Eats in which Alton Brown shows how to make homemade corned beef. I'm going to try it. Basically you buy a brisket, soak it in a brine for 10 days in the fridge, take it out and simmer it with some aromatics, and slice it up.

I learned 2 things that I have always wondered about:

1. Why is it called "corned" beef? Because in middle age England, "corn" referred to the curing salts that were used. Corned beef is just cured beef.

2. What is the difference in pastrami and corned beef? Pastrami is corned beef that has been smoked and seasoned with pepper.

Mission Accomplished: 7 miles

Tuesday after my 50 minute run I decided the next things I wanted to do were to finish the whole southern Durham portion of the ATT, and complete my first 7 mile run. After that run I felt so energized, I told one of my friends that I felt like I could run five more. Well, now I know I was wrong, I could not have run five more. How do I know?

Today I can proudly say: mission accomplished! I ran the trail from its start at Massey Rd down to its interruption at the Northeast Creek trestle (This picture from Wikipedia shows it. Much like me, its old, rotten, and weak, but still beautiful), and back. 6 miles. Then I did a little loop just to make it 7. I could not have made it 8, I don't think. My back hurts (maybe I need to correct my running posture!), and I can definitely feel it in my legs!

Isn't it ironic that the only structures in greenways are built by the power company?

Its also ironic that the guy who runs the drivers education business downstairs rides a bike to work.

Tobacco Trail: Trail or Paved Path?

I recently came across this nicomachus.net blog, which has a category of posts about the ATT, and saw this old post which almost made me throw up in my mouth: "The Outspokin' Cyclist: To pave or gravel part of biking trail under debate".

Check out these quotes from the posting, which quotes from a Phillip Barron
article in The Herald Sun from the Fall of 05.

• Chris Sevick to The Herald Sun: "Given the long distances that the trail connects, it would be more efficient to use a road bike on a paved trail..."
  
  Me: Well duh! But then the ATT would not be a trail, but a paved path. I sure hope the awesome natural beauty of the southern parts of the ATT don't get spoiled by paving, as the northern Durham section is.
  
  
• Bob Morris, vice president of the mountain bike club NC Fats, says that if the existing Wake County section of the ATT is an example of how the rest of the trail might be finished, he wouldn't want to ride it either. The loose, softer trail surface attracts equestrians, but the impact of the horses' hooves contributes to the fairly steady erosion of the trail. The ATT is pocked with rough sections that, even on a "cushy" full-suspension mountain bike, leave the trail difficult to ride, Morris says.
  
  Me: Wait just a second...did you say VP of the mountain bike club or the bike sissy club? What mountain bike owner is worried about the cushiness of his ride? I have been on nearly every mile of the trail personally, and I've seen plenty of hoof prints, but certainly nothing that I would even notice on a mountain bike or even on my runs.
  
  
• "So, if like Sevick, you've ever wished that you could continue riding your bike the entire length of the planned 23 miles of greenway"...
  
  Me: Then I would suggest you get a bike with a tire that is more than 1 inch in width. I sympathize with those cyclists who would use the trail as a commuter path (its a great alternative to riding on the road), but its not worth sacrificing the beauty of the current southern trails. Go out and buy a beefier bike, especially if you are a member of a mountain biking club.
  

Running the American Tobacco Trail in South Durham County

Yesterday during lunch I took a 50 minute run down a part of the American Tobacco Trail that I hadn't been to yet: the 3 mile southern Durham stretch which goes from Massey Rd (just south of I-40) down past Scott King Rd (the picture below, from Wikipedia, is about halfway through this stretch). I remember that little fence because it struck me as odd to have this fence out in the middle of this "natural" part of the trail. Overall there is a lot of great scenery in this area, and it made for quite a relaxing run.

This part of the trail itself is great, in fact parts of it are amoung my favorite parts of the trail (that I have seen so far). One complaint is that several parts of this stretch of trail have large (ie, bigger than golf ball sized) gravel. That seems potentially dangerous to me as a runner, should I land on one the wrong way. I understand this part of the trail is under a re-construction plan right now so hopefully they will be using a fine gravel next time like they have in the Wake County parts of the trail. Surely they will also add mile markers.

There is a parking area close to Fayetteville Rd, but it is roped off right now for some reason. I found plenty of roadside parking on both Massey Rd and Scott King Rd.

My next short term running goals for this spring:

1. Run this southern Durham part of trail down to Chatham County line (I didn't realize how close I was yesterday time when I turned around after 25 min).

2. Run 7 miles for the first time. I will probably combine these goals into one: 3 miles down, 3 miles back, and then a little half mile up and back loop. Since there are no mile markers here I will have to do the last mile by time.

A longer term goal for the year 2007: A 12 mile run (half-marathon).