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Friday, October 15, 2010

Hello again Blog world! If you landed here you may be aware that in the past there was a very similar blog called Running Through the Iron Mountains. Well, for the past several weeks I have been mourning the demise of that site and trying to get over the fact that all of the posts I had written are now lost in cyberspace. As the original site was not created by me, I have no control to take the necessary steps needed to retrieve the account so I have decided to move forward with a new blog.
For those of you who have not come across a blog about Iron Mountain Trail running, let me introduce myself. I'm Elizabeth (Beth) Minnick. I started running in October 2005, thanks to lots of encouragement from Jennifer (Jenny) Nichols. You will see her name on here frequently. We took a leisurely run on the creeper and I was hooked.

Five Years later I've run 4 marathons, 14- 50k's, 3- 40milers, and 1- Mountain Masochist 50. I've had 1 DNF @ Hellgate last year and hope to make that right this December. I love the training, time out in the mountains and the camaraderie in ultra running. I have meet so many wonderful people thru training, fun runs and races and just feel so lucky to be a part of such a great community which I consider my family. I will use this blog to document my running experiences and introduce you to some of these wonderful people. We train mostly in and around southwest Virginia, northeast Tennesee, and western North Carolina. The Appalachain and Iron Mountain Trails run thru Damascus, VA and we spend a lot of time there, hence the blog title.

Some of the Family @ The 2010 Mount Mitchell Challenge
Will Jorgenson, me, Jenny Nichols, Tammy Gray, Chris Redman, Rick Gray.

So without further ado, just a recap on the past month or so……..
The last post on imtr.blogspot.com was in September when I reported on volunteering for the Iron Mountain Trail Races. Quite a bit has happened since then.
September
11th - Ran the Eastman 10k and had nothing to offer there. Dead legs, no speed, suffer fest.
18th - Attempted the Bays Mountain 15 mile trail run for the 4th time. Thanks
to Rick Gray For pushing me across the finish line in 2:24 for 3rd place female.
2007- 2:45 2008- 2:25 2009 -2:36 2010 -2:24
25th - Jenny and I ran a nice 20 mile out and back on the AT from Cross Mountain- found mysterious abandoned pack, sleeping bag, gear etc. and came across father & son hunters carrying bows. Guess we need to invest in some ORANGE! fall is upon us!

October
2nd- Stump Jump 50K - Chattanooga TN.
Great event, very well organized, great goodie bag, Patagonia tech tee,beautiful course.Didn’t run as well as I had hoped, just wasn’t dialed in 100%. Thankful I didn’t get off course like several others reported. Had an awesome time checking out Chattanooga.

Kyle, Joey and I at the start

9th - Volunteered @ New River 50K. Had a blast working registration, the turnaround Aid Station, finish line timing, photos, and cheering. I finally broke down and bought a couple cow bells. I just love coming into an aid station and hearing a bit of cow bell, haha. Maybe I just associate the sound with a bit of a break and getting to see lovely volunteers and crew, but boy is it a fun sound! I hope I didn’t drive people crazy ringing them. Here are the photos I took http://picasaweb.google.com/Iron.Mtn.Trail.Runners/NewRiver50K?authkey=Gv1sRgCMup8oz2tKG5owE&feat=directlink

10th- Short run on the beartree gap loop with Jenny Nichols.
11th - Off for Columbus Day!! Ran from my house to Damascus on the creeper, 18 miles.
13th - DAM8 loop with Jenny- we are losing so much day light each week, had to wear headlamps the last couple miles. Ran across a guy sleeping in the middle of the trail on the AT just outside of Damascus, this is the second time in the past couple months I’ve come across this. Not something I care to do in the dark. He did not even attempt to move out of the way and was barely responsive verbally even with me shining my headlamp directly at him. Also crossed paths with second hunter of the season, still need to purchase some ORANGE!
14th - 5 miles – creeper and neighborhood
15th - Gearing up for back to back 20+ milers and the 3rd annual Grayson Camping Extravaganza!
So that pretty much brings everyone up to speed. Jenny and I are running the Government Road loop tomorrow morning. Good prep for Masochist! I loathe this run and love it at the same time. Ten miles out on the AT then 11 miles back to Damascus on gravel road. Sunday we’ll run from Elk Garden back to Damascus all on AT! Should be a great weekend of fall running, cooler temps, and colorful leaves!!!!

2 comments:

  1. Even though the old blog is lost and many details are also gone, memories are not lost. Our family and friends are still around and a part of each others lives just like before. As you begin the new documentation, I am pleased to be a friend and family member. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the family and being included in so many wonderful past, present and future memories!!!

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  2. ditto.. what rick said:oP LOVE YOU!!!!!! (((HUG)))

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