Race Report: Norris Dam Hard Trail Race 50K - Sept. 1, 2013

The Norris Dam Hard Trail Race 50K was a goal of mine when I sat down earlier in the year and made a list of trail races that I wanted to do. Included in that list was the Dark Hollow Wallow at Big Ridge, and The Panther Creek Challenge. Of course as the year has progressed I've thrown a couple other races into the mix. I guess you can say I've become somewhat of a nut when it comes to trail running, and the further the distance the better.

After taking a week or so off from Panther Creek, I developed my training plan and for 14 weeks leading up to the race, I was running 3 days a week, one of which was my long run which started at 8 miles and crescendo-ed at around 24 miles two full weeks prior to the event. Long and arduous were those long runs, but in the end they definitely paid off.

The Gear Needs of a Trail Runner

The needs of a trail runner are few. Namely, shoes, socks, shirt (optional), and underwear. Another optional gear item includes gaiters. They keep all major debris out of your shoes and are a blessing in disguise. However, some trail runs require a bit more logistical planning. My typical weekday morning trail runs are usually no longer than 5 – 6 miles long and really doesn’t require much more than the list above. My long runs however require a bit more thought as they can range anywhere from 10 – 30 miles. We’re talking water, fuel (food, gel, etc.), rain-gear (if you prefer to stay somewhat dry on your run), headlamp(s) (if you plan on running in the dark), etc.

 Here in East Tennessee, we have the blessing of all four seasons. Sometimes spring can be just a couple of weeks, and others it could be a full season complete with warm and cold temperatures. Fall can be the same way here too. Regardless, a trail runner’s needs in each season can and will change.

In the early spring it is still cold as the winter chill lingers in the air. Usually I wear long sleeve running shirts, shorts or sometimes running tights or base layer bottoms (such as Terramar Smart Silk), wool quarter crew socks, and good trail running shoes (currently Brooks Cascadia). Additionally, depending on how cold it is, I might wear a beanie and possibly even gloves but it’s rare as we all know, running generates heat. It’s also important to regulate that heat by dressing in layers because you never know when you might get stuck out there and you want to mitigate the risks of hypothermia.

Gear Review: LED Lenser SEO5 Headlamp

When it comes to LED lights, most of the time, they are usually really bright but don't shine or illuminate for very far distances. Most of the LED flashlights we own have this problem and they have somewhere between 3 - 9 LED bulbs in them. The same goes for some headlamps we own. However, I have to say that the LED Lenser SEO5 headlamps is more than just hype. It's LED Illumination at the best I've yet to see.

When I received the SEO5 Headlamp, I was excited to get it out and play with it. After all who doesn't love to play with flash lights? Unfortunately it was the middle of the day and our Wee Little One was up and about. So I was only able to get it out of the package and get quickly familiar with its one button operational modes, how to focus and spray the light, and how to swivel the head of the light up and down (really that was a no-brainer).

Trip Report: A Birthday Hike to Oscar Blevin's Farm

This past Saturday, I celebrated another year of life. In honor of that, I decided that I wanted to go hiking with my girls. The night previous, we hadn't a clue as to where to go. We wanted to make sure that where ever we ended up going, there was a destination for Bug to get down and explore, so that hiking becomes a "Fun" activity for her and something that she'll want to continue to do.

The next morning, we awoke and hung out around the house doing the usual morning routine and overall we were just being lazy. After a little while though, we started to get things ready and packed into the car so that we could head out to go hiking.

The weather was perfect. Mostly sunny and in the mid 70's. We finally hit the road just after noon and decided that we would head up to The Big South Fork NRRA. We had a couple different trails going through our heads, and finally decided that we would hike the Oscar Blevin's Farm Loop. This was a relatively easy to moderate trail that we hadn't done since Kiddo was about 5 or 6. That happened to be the year that we beat a nasty storm front off the trail and watched an amazing light show put on by mother nature. What we didn't realize at the time, was that the light show was a precursor to the destruction that hit the area we had been hiking in later that evening.

Gear Review: Osprey Poco Plus Kid Carrier Backpack

Before our Dinah Bug came along, we were hiking mad. We almost covered 100 miles the year before Bug was born. While Robin was pregnant, we covered some good miles up until the third trimester. After she was born, our time on the trail was practically non-existent. How do you hike with an infant. Our answer was, you don't, especially in the winter. After the six month mark though we were getting the itch to get back on the trail. To be honest, we had the itch for much longer, but we didn't want anything happening to Bug and we didn't have a real good carrier to take her on the trail with.

Enter the Osprey Poco Plus kid carrier pack. This was the answer we were looking for to get us back on the trails even though it we knew it would be at our former intensity. We knew 6+ miles were out of the question for now. Neither of us had ever hiked with a wee little one in tote. You may be asking, what about Kiddo? Well I didn't have her out on the trail until she was 3 and that was very shortly after I started to get into hiking, and before I met Robin, so needless to say I was very green, but I digress.