Last weekend we traveled to Chattanooga for K’s 3rd year at the Stump Jump races, run by Rock/Creek. I’ll say this in advance: I’m a fan of Rock/Creek races. They are difficult but well supported and the race packets are always well-stocked with quality items. They always feel like a worthy investment, versus say, Competitor races, which always give cheap tech shirts, cost a fortune, and the courses themselves are not well supported. I have boycotted Competitor for over 2 years and I’ve had no shortage of other races to choose from and after their choice to drop support of the Elite group of runners (particularly with short notice and no advance notice to elites they had already promised support of), I feel vindicated in that choice.
Anyway, onto last weekend.
The weather forecast for this race was not looking good. From what I understand, last year was cold and wet, which is not great for a trail race but at least the cold temperatures helped. This year was 87 degrees with 73% humidity. Think about that for 7 hours or so of running across rugged, difficult, and technical terrain. Add into that hornet and yellow jacket mating season. You may be able to guess where I will be going with that tidbit of information…
K was ready to tackle this race but only being 1 month out from Ironman Wisconsin and 
with all the traveling and events we’ve had lately, he didn’t feel properly trained for the trails. Nevertheless, dark and early we headed up Signal Mountain. We greeted a number of our friends who were tackling the 11 miler and then K lined up with all the other ultra marathoners, ready to take on 31 miles of mountain. I headed off with K’s parents for some breakfast and then we went up Suck Creek Road to make our way to Indian Rock House.
The main spectator spots on this course are down a gravel road. I will also point out: there are no bathroom facilities and no porta-potties at these sites. Not great after 3 
cups of coffee. It was already getting warm but K’s parents and I made the .7 mile hike down to Rock House, which is 10.6 miles into the race. We sat there for a while, cheering runners as they came by, and I had a small incident with a large spider that chose to crawl across my purse. Thankfully another spectator then kindly shared her blanket with me. It was a really beautiful spot but the runners coming by were obviously feeling the heat. When K came around the corner, I leapt up to speak with him for a few minutes. He reported that he’d been stung by a hornet and his legs were hurting him. He was also less than inclined towards pictures at that moment so I kept my camera put away. Much like Ironman Wisconsin, you learn when to take pictures and when to refrain. If your athlete is looking particularly upset or even angry, it isn’t the best time for a photo op.
K went off to Snoopers Rock (mile 13.3) and we made the .7 mile climb back up to Mullen’s Cove Parking Lot (mile 19). As we were walking, I gave a wide bearth to an angry yellow jacket that was loudly buzzing along the path and I discussed the merits of choosing to DNF a race versus pressing on. I have had one DNF in my racing career and that was only 2 weeks after a serious car accident. I made it 16 miles of the Destin Beach Ultra 50K before having to call it an end. I was in too much pain from my injuries to consider pressing on another 15 miles on uneven beach terrain. I mentioned to K’s mom that sometimes you put your race future ahead of your race present. In other words, it is better to stop if you will create an injury that will take you out of running for months versus a few weeks, especially when you have other big races planned. I wondered aloud if K would drop at 19 miles when we next planned to see him.
Instead, we got a call about 20 minutes after arriving at Mullen’s Cove from K. He had stopped at Snoopers Rock and couldn’t go on. He was calling it. His first DNF. We drove and picked him up and then we went back to our hotel room.
We decided to make a day of it, since it was still early in the day. Onto the Tennessee Aquarium!
I took other pictures of the animals and fish but these are the highlights. I was sad that the otter exhibit was closed. Otters are so cute! The penguins are my favorite and we enjoyed seeing them but they didn’t stay still long enough to get any good pictures. Also, by the end of the aquarium, we were exhausted and our feet hurt. We went back to our hotel room and crashed out for a solid 2 hours before seeking out some dinner. The next morning, it was back to Nashville and our happy home life.
This weekend, I am racing my first big race since my car accident 20 months ago. Yes, it has taken me this long to get back in shape and unfortunately, I’m now dealing with a case of ankle synovitis. This has been my everyday:
We will see if I can break the sub-2 hour half marathon barrier even despite this injury that I am certain was caused by ramping up my mileage too fast. Also, I’ll share this- since getting home I made New Orleans- style French bread and paired it with some pot roast I had made a while back and we got to eat roast beef po’boys. Yum!
Finally, if you are reading this blog, please make a donation, large or small, to my sister’s fund to help her and her family as she battles Stage IV melanoma. We have set up a fundraiser at GiveForward and every little bit helps to defray the travel costs for her treatments. Any amounts not used directly for travel and medical expenses will go to help support her children since she cannot work while undergoing treatment. If you cannot donate directly, please share the link with those you know to help us spread the word.