I first heard about the Sehgahunda a few years ago.  The Sehgahunda (Say-ga-hunda) is a 26.3 mile trail marathon alongside the Genesee River Gorge, traversing technical single track, crossing over 100 gullies, and climbing nearly 4000 ft.  Having spent countless hours exploring Letchworth Park and being an avid hiker, the idea of a trail race there was intriguing.   In the past I’ve been tempted to find some friends to do it as a relay but had never actually pulled together a team to tackle it.   Running the whole race never even remotely crossed my mind. 

This past December a couple friends started talking about signing up for the Sehgahunda.   They joked with me about signing up with them, and I was pretty adamant that unless it was a relay, not to count on me.   As they got more serious about it, so did their pressure, but I held my ground.   I had a running routine.  At that time, my buddy Adam and I were running about 6 miles a week, year-round, in snow, wind, and mud.   I was good with that.   

On December 5th, 2017, I succumbed to pressure and registered for the Sehgahunda, my first trail marathon and my first marathon.  The good news for me was that Adam was willing to do it too, so I would not have to train alone. 

We decided we’d officially start training after the new year.   I scoured the interwebs for training plans that would take a 6 mile runner to a 26 point 3 mile runner by May 19th.  The new year arrived and we immediately started ramping up our running routine.   We first started with a 3 day a week program, which worked for a while, but as our long runs started to reach double digits, we migrated to a 4 day a week program.   We followed the plan religiously.  The relentless winter meant a lot of running in frigid temperatures on icy and snowy roads.  It also meant that we would not get a ton of training on trails.   It wasn’t until the last few weeks of training that we were able to move our runs exclusively to trails, but flat trails. 

As race day approached I was frantically reading race reports from prior years, watching any videos of the race I could find, and keeping my eye on the weather.   From what I had read, Sehgahunda would either be dry and very hot, or cool and very wet.    As the day approached, it was hard to tell which it would be.   A full night of rain the night before leading into the first hour of the race pretty much answered that question. 

The morning of the race, it was cold and rainy, very rainy.  I picked up Adam and we made the trip down to the race.  Nerves and fear of the unknown shaped the conversation.   As we arrived to the starting area, cars were already in place and folks were doing their best to get prepped for the start and not get soaked in the process.  My work buddies showed up soon after.  We all stood shivering in the rain making predictions on how it might go, but nobody really knew.  Which was a probably a good thing.   

This is not the first race I’ve run that was put on by Yellow Jacket Racing.   Just like the others I’ve been in, this was a first-class event.   Lots of volunteers, folks to help, music cranking, and the ever so important porta-potties located at the appropriate proximity to the start line. 

At 7:40 AM, we heard the final call for the women runners.  They would be taking the start at 7:45.   I’m not even sure I remember them leaving, cuz I was so focused on what I had gotten myself into, but it only seemed like seconds later that they called the men to the line.   I wasn’t really sure where my pace would fall compared to others, but we lined up closer to the front of the line to avoid having to deal with extra congestion on the damp single track.   No sooner did we line up, and we were off. 

The first mile or so of single track was deceivingly kind.   We maintained a good pace and worked our way along.   Somewhere between mile 2 and 3 the main trail was very muddy and very slippery.   I had heard rumors of lots of mud on the spur trails out to the checkpoints but did not expect it this soon.   Fortunately, it did not last too long, and we continued on our way up and down the rolling terrain to the split to checkpoint 1.  At that time, we started to realize just how hard this race was going to be.  The trails out to the checkpoints are all up hill and very muddy…. Like want to pull your shoe off muddy.   We reached the checkpoint around mile 6 and were greeted by extremely helpful volunteers and table full of goodies to refuel with.   At each checkpoint volunteers would top off your bottles for you and make sure you were prepped for the next leg. 

It was less than 3 miles to the next checkpoint, but it seemed longer.   The run was similar to the first leg, but the frequency of the gullies started to increase a bit.   We still maintained a pretty decent pace and got to checkpoint 2 feeling pretty strong.   One nice thing about the checkpoints is that since they are two-way traffic, it gives you a chance to see how those that are ahead of you are doing.  The highlight of this stretch was when one runner in our group proclaimed that “we were missing the royal wedding” which brought on a well needed laugh. 

Photo Credit Fleet Feet Sports

The 6 miles separating checkpoint 2 from checkpoint 3 were pretty tough.  The gullies were steeper and deeper and more frequent.     Many require very close attention to footing on the way down as it’s a narrow herd path along a steep bank.  Often times, a creek would be running at the base of the gully, and slippery shale can very quickly change the outcome of your day.  Before the race, I had made a mental note that checkpoint number 3 was going to be a tipping point in my race confidence.   It was just over halfway, which mentally was a key milestone.   By the time we got to the actual checkpoint, I was hurting.   I had been struggling to find the right amount of nutrition throughout the run, and I had run out of water about 4 ½ miles into this leg, and I was thirsty.   We spent a little extra time at this stop.  Volunteers were unbelievable, paying close attention to each runner, and helping everybody refuel.  There was also a pretty good group of spectators cheering us on. 

The next 11 miles of racing would be filled by 5 more checkpoints.  All of them had less than 3 miles between them, but those were all very long muddy miles.  The confidence I anticipated at this point in the race was completely missing.  Everything was starting to hurt so much that, though I was pretty sure we’d finish, my goal of finishing in under 6 ½ hours seemed to be in serious jeopardy.  My feet were pretty torn up from the miles of running in wet gritty socks, but at that point, I just had to suck it up and keep going.  I had read that there was a very tough climb around mile 18.  What I did not realize was that the next 7 miles were riddled with very tough climbs.   The group we were running with settled into a pattern of walking up the steep inclines and running the rest.   Being new to the event and exhausted, we followed suit.   It was a cycle of climb up, run a little level, run down, cross some ravines, and repeat.   The effort was immense, and despite running through some of the most gorgeous terrain that nature has to offer, the focus was clearly on survival.   At checkpoint 5 we asked someone if the worst of the climbing was over, and one runner kind of chuckled, as she told us the climb to checkpoint 6 was the worst.   Despite the chuckle, this was no joke.   Nonetheless, we pushed forward.    

 Right around mile 23 we left the single track and had reached the point of the course where it was dirt road and greenway.   In typical Sehgahunda fashion, the dirt road started out with a steady climb that was slowing most competitors to a walk.  Once the hill was behind us we started to run.  All we had was a 5k left…. we’ve run hundreds of 5k distances.   At that point in the race, that was easier said than done, and we were not alone in that.   So, we’d pick a point ahead of us, usually the beginning of the slightest incline, and run to that point, walk a short distance, and take off running again.  Once again, each mile felt like ten, and it wasn’t until another runner came up on us and told us we were not that far that we caught our second wind.   At that point we were less than mile from the finish.   We continued down the greenway to the point where it hit pavement.   As we turned towards the finish, we were greeted with a steep climb on pavement.   We pushed our way up the hill and made the turn into the parking lot that led to the finish line.   Our pace picked up as we could hear the spectators cheering.   We made the final turn and did our best to sprint across the line, where every runner’s name was announced as they crossed the finish. 

We had done it.   We had finished a marathon, not just a marathon but a trail marathon, not just a trail marathon but Sehgahunda!!   We also did it well ahead of our projected time.  It was the hardest and most rewarding competitive event I’ve ever entered, and I had conquered it.   I’m not much of a bucket list person, but if I had a bucket and a checklist, this would be one big ole checkmark. 

I’ll admit that the rest of the day after the event is pretty foggy.   Between complete joy and complete exhaustion, I don’t really remember much of the rest of the day.   In the past two days of difficult walking and other aches and pains, I’ve had a chance to reflect on the event and a few things are now very clear to me… 

• Runners are great people.   Literally dozens of runners would give a “looking good”, “keep it up”, “nice job” as we’d pass each other.  Seeing the good in people is pretty easy at an event like this, and in these days, that’s a welcome sight. 

• The volunteers are simply amazing.   I don’t know how many volunteers it took to set up the course, the checkpoints, the finish, and to man the checkpoints, but it’s a big number and each and every one of them was outstanding.  They were encouraging, helpful, and were the difference between succeeding and failing in a race like this. 

• Letchworth State Park is a gem and we’re blessed to be able to have an event like this in a place so beautiful. 

• The Sehgahunda is an outstanding event.   The folks at Yellow Jacket Racing do an amazing job.   The whole event was very well organized, the course was clearly marked, the checkpoints were stocked perfectly, and the finish line food and festivities were terrific. 

As I was running the event, I’ll admit, that I had moments of extreme unhappiness.   Since crossing the finish line, I’m very happy my friends pushed me into running this race.   When my wife asked me if I’d do it again, my initial response was no.   As the pain has subsided and the bad memories are starting to fade, I think I could be talked into the relay.   Given more time, who knows, maybe Sehgahunda 2019 will be on my calendar and the whole crazy process will start all over again.   But until then, I’m going to put my finishers medal in a prominent place and bask in the joy of my day spent with Lady Sehgahunda. 

For more information about the Sehgahunda visit Yellow Jacket Racing.

I’m the “old dog” mentioned in the title. A 51 year old guy, who has had an on/off relationship with physical fitness my entire life. Staying fit, eating well, and being physically active while raising three kids and traveling a great deal for work, is never easy. I certainly had some low points. But, as the kids became more independent and the job changed, I’ve felt happy that I was winning the battle of being fit for several years. Unfortunately, I think I was wrong.

Ok, I have been reasonably fit for several years now. Getting in my cardio, doing a lot strength training, discovering and enjoying Crossfit. What I was wrong about was treating physical fitness as a battle – and that’s where the Fitbit comes into play.

I’m an internet junkie, and an information hound. Having an unquenchable thirst for information isn’t a bad thing, especially if you are looking for information related to physical fitness and healthy living. The problem wasn’t the information, but that the wealth of available information gave me too much confidence that “I had this fitness thing all figured out”. I have known about, and have friends and relatives that have used activity trackers for many years, but I never purchased one. It wasn’t that an activity tracker cost too much – I have thousands of dollars of weight stacks, dumbbells, kettlebells, and miscellaneous cardio equipment, so a $200 activity tracker wouldn’t have been unreasonable. Looking back, I probably never bought one because I thought they were “too simple”. How could a band around my wrist possibly help me? After all, I had already read 14,981 articles/blogs/websites related to fitness.

Luckily, another personality trait – or personality flaw if you asked my wife, led me to buying a Fitbit Alta. I love bargains, and I love Amazon Prime. Those two loves intersected with a one-day only sale on the Alta for $69! With free 2 day shipping, of course.

My new Fitbit Alta arrived, and I quickly set it up and downloaded the Fitbit app to my iPhone. I configured my Alta to remind me to get 250 steps in for 11 hours a day, cute feature I thought. I also set some goals in the app – 10,000 steps a day, 5 miles, and 30 minutes of “activity”. Figured it was child’s play, but I like to follow rules, so I set everything up as recommended.

So now I was an official Fitbit user. In the beginning, I was mostly interested in the sleep monitoring and reporting feature. I figured that I had the daily activity stuff already figured out, but I hadn’t figured out a way to monitor my sleep patterns – because well, I was sleeping.

I usually set my exercise plan for the week first thing Monday morning. I am no longer a jogger due to microfracture surgery on my right knee, but I always got in my power walks with sprint intervals, my Crossfit, and weight training. The first day I wore my Fitbit I found it a little annoying. I work from home, sitting in front of a computer and on conference calls, most of the day. At 7:50am, my wrist vibrates and tells me I have 230 steps to reach my 250 for the hour. Similar “friendly reminders” come before each top of the hour, until noon. I hadn’t moved much, but I’m going for 42 minute power walk now (yes, I had my loop timed to the minute). I figured that would catch me up, and silence my little reminders for the hour. After finishing my walk, I was a bit surprised that I still had less than 5000 steps. I worked the rest of the afternoon – getting buzzed every hour that I was inactive. I did some Crossfit that evening with my wife, added in some dumbbell work, and I completed a “good day” of exercise according to my old standards – standards that I learned from the Internet, so they had to be right!

My Fitbit app basically laughed at me. I was active for more than 30 minutes in total, but I didn’t come close to 10,000 steps or 5 miles – and most importantly, I was basically inactive for the vast majority of the day. I decided to humor the simple device on my wrist the following days. Mostly because I’m hyper competitive and hate losing at something, and it’s especially painful losing to a skinny watch. Over the next few days, I figured out that you can ALWAYS find the time each hour to squeeze in at least 250 steps. And, spending those 10 free minutes that pop up during the day getting in some steps, instead of reading articles on fitness, actually improves your fitness – who knew?

So, I had figured out how to beat my simple Fitbit friend! I’ll keep that up, and get back to understanding that sleep pattern thing. I still planned my exercise for the week each Monday morning, but I found that I wasn’t taking as many power walks as I used to. By the time I’d go for a walk, I’d often have 5000-7000 steps in, and I knew I would blow past 10,000 for the day. I started doing more Crossfit and strength training during my “walk time”.

Interesting things started happening. I began sleeping better than I had in years, and without changing my diet, I was losing weight. I also was adding more muscle, and generally feeling better. Next I took my Fitbit on its first vacation – technically my wife’s and my beach vacation, but I wore my Fitbit throughout. I kept up with my daily goals, usually exceeding them because I had more time, and a funny thing happened. After eating and drinking “vacation calories” for 7 days, I came home and had only gained a pound or two. That was unheard of for me. It also shouldn’t have happened, because I wasn’t in my typical battle with fitness while on vacation. I took a “vacation” from fitness that week, so I could enjoy our vacation.

That’s when the lightbulb went off. Without me realizing it, my Fitbit had changed my lifestyle. The physical fitness gains came in the form of losing some weight, adding some muscle, and sleeping better. The mental fitness gains came in the form of no longer feeling like every day was a battle with physical fitness. It is surprisingly draining to battle something every single day, and I have found that I’m much happier now that the battle is over.

This is not intended to be a product review. I literally stumbled upon the Fitbit Alta, and only purchased it because of the deal. I’m sure there are many brands, and models, that are as good or better. I’m sharing my experience in case there’s someone like me, who is reading the internet for the next great “fitness” idea, and happens to stumble upon this story. I’m not sure if I had read this this exact account 5 years ago, what my reaction would have been. I may have discounted it as something “too simple”, but a $69 Fitbit has turned into the best piece of fitness equipment that I have ever purchased. I would be very happy if a fellow fitness fanatic in cyberspace happened to spend 10 minutes reading my story on the Internet, and it lead to a lifestyle change similar to what I’ve experienced – ironically, instead of spending those 10 minutes getting in some steps.

This past winter, a series of clicks, scrolling, and googling led me to the home page of the Adirondack Black Fly Challenge, a 40 mile point to point gravel grinder in the heart of New York State’s beautiful Adirondack Mountains.  Could this be the very event that would finally trump my list of excuses?   The short answer, yes.

In a moment of complete and utter weakness, I filled out the registration page, entered my payment info, and clicked on Submit.  There, I had done it.  I was committed, or maybe should be.   I now had 4 months to get myself from can’t ride more than 10 miles to racing for 40 miles condition.   If you read my article on my recent running race, you realize that I’m not an athlete of any caliber.  If there were negative calibers, I might fall into that category.   So, given that I had a running race in late April, my inability to multi-task and run and ride at the same time meant that my serious biking training was not going to happen until late April, leaving me with only 2 months of serious training time.   I was able to get in some hours on my indoor trainer, which meant that by the time I would get outside to do some riding, I did have quite a few miles of stationary bike training.

Since this isn’t really about the training process, we’ll skip the boring details of my attempt to get ready.  Needless to say, I had successfully logged enough miles that I felt prepared to enter the race and likely finish the race.

The Black Fly Challenge has been going on for 20 years.   On the even years, it runs from Inlet, NY to Indian Lake, NY.  On the odd years, it reverses.   The event starts and ends on a bit of pavement, with 30 solid miles of seasonal use roads in the middle.  The Adirondack mountains are known for their blood thirsty Black Flies each year in the June timeframe…thus the name of this event, which is always held the second Saturday of June.  There are classes for mountain bikers, cyclocross riders, and even tandem bikers.  I was riding in the Mountain Bike category.

Speaking of mountain bikes, earlier in the spring, I had been given the opportunity to sign on as a KTM Bicycle Ambassador.   KTM, a brand known for outstanding motorcycles made in Austria, had a not quite related anymore bicycle manufacturing company.  KTM Bikes have been made and sold in Europe since the sixties, only recently coming to the US.  My bike is the carbon fiber Aera Comp 29’er.  A light weight, nicely spec’d hardtail mountain bike, with matte black, orange, and blue finish that looks fast sitting still.   This was my riding weapon of choice for the Black Fly Challenge.

Back to the race…  We got into town on Friday afternoon.   I wanted plenty of time to pick up my race packet and do some relaxing before Saturday’s race.   It was a beautiful, sunny day, with perfect temperatures as we got into town.  The buzz around Inlet as racers were showing up to sign in was exciting and fun to be a part of.

Saturday morning brought a different twist to the event.   Rain and cold temperatures.  Nonetheless, this was race day, and things were going ahead as planned.  With a 10:30AM start time, it seemed reasonable to get to the parking lot by 9:30AM to get time to get the bike setup and get in a little warm up ride.  By the time we got parked and situated, the rain was steady and heavy, and the idea of warming up in the forty degree temps was far from desirable.   So, I spent much of the next half hour huddled under the hatch of my Jeep and waiting to make my way down to the start line.   I had managed to stay somewhat under cover until the 10:15 AM racer’s meeting, but for the next 15 minutes, we were all sufficiently soaked and shivering.  Some racers added layers of clothing, while others just sucked it up and waited for the race to begin.

Promptly at 10:30AM, the race started, and 760 of us made our way out of the starting area.   We were running the beginner’s class, so we lined up about midway back in the pack.  That was a mistake.  Despite being beginners, our pace was a bit better than some of those we lined up with, so after nearly a minute and a half of barely moving, we finally reached the official start line, and were stuck in traffic for the first couple miles.

As the pavement ended and the gravel began, so did the climbing.   As I pedaled my way up the first wet and rutted hill, I knew that this was going to be no walk, or ride, in the park.  Nonetheless, despite the challenge before me, I did my best to stay focused and to keep forward momentum as I made my way up a very congested hill of riders.   Once we got to the top it was now time to experience some downhill riding.   Despite the questionable traction, I did my best to take advantage of gravity and was able to start to make up some ground on the faster climbers on the downhill sections.  This pattern continued, hill after hill.   After several descents, we came to a long flat section of road.  At first this seemed like a great thing, a chance to pedal hard and make some good time.  But wait, there was something different, the surface was no longer gravelly, no it was different, it was sand, wet sand.   I quickly learned that a mountain bike does not roll through wet sand at all…it takes full on pedaling to keep your bike moving in the direction of the finish line.   So much for getting a little breather on the flats.   Once again we were climbing, with the most brutal climb being at about the halfway mark.   My only goal was to not have to get off my bike and push it.

The race continued on, climbing, descending, pedaling on sand.  At this point the drivetrain of my KTM Aera Comp was starting to make noise.   At first I thought it was an adjustment issue, but I soon learned it was just all the sandy grit that was accumulated on all the moving parts of the bike.   

With about six miles to go, we were back on pavement, and it wasn’t flat.  There was more climbing to be done.  I focused on keeping my pace where I wanted it, and was able to pick off a few more bikes before reaching the cones which was our last opportunity to do any passing.   The final single file stretch seemed like it was taking forever, but two hours and forty eight minutes after taking the starting signal, I had finished my first ever Black Fly Challenge.

Post race, there was live music, cold beer, hot food, and awards.   The entire event, from registration, to the race, to the course marshals, to the post race festivities was outstanding.

The Black Fly Challenge is definitely a great event.  If you’re a first time racer, or have been pedaling competitively for years, it’s a worthwhile race to enter.   I know I’m hooked and I’m already looking forward to returning next year to try it all again…in reverse.

For more information on the Black Fly Challenge, visit blackflychallenge.com

I tell you this story, not to relive painful childhood memories, but to make it very clear that I am not an olympic athlete, and also to level set the type of ‘athlete’ that I am as I share my impression of the FitBit Flex.  I’m an exercise enthusiast…running a couple times each week, cycling, weight training, and running the occasional 5K or 10K race.

The Flex is a wristband style activity tracker that sells for $99USD.  FitBit places it in their “Everyday Fitness Products” category.  I had some previous experience with basic pedometers in the past, and had never been extremely impressed with their accuracy.  The Flex is leaps and bounds above those devices.

The Flex offers these key features:

• Steps
• Distance Traveled
• Calories Burned
• Active Minutes
• Hours Slept
• Quality of Sleep
• Silent Alarm

While the Flex does not have an actual display, it provides feedback towards your daily step goals with a series of 5 LED lights and syncs with your smart phone or computer to provide in-depth analysis of your daily activity.

With the Flex, in addition to a charger and a wireless sync dongle for your computer, you also get two different sizes of wrist bands.   Mine is black, but it comes in nine other colors that you can choose from.   Charge it up, place it in the wrist band, put it on and start tracking.   Syncing with your smart phone is easy, and the app provides some great feedback throughout the day.   If you don’t have your smart phone with you, just tap the Flex a couple times, and the LED lights will light up to show your progress.  Each light represents 20% of your daily step goal.

For sleep tracking, quickly tap the Flex about five times, and it will vibrate, the lights will blink, and it will go into ‘sleep tracking’ mode.  This mode is actually quite fascinating.  It does its best to determine if you are asleep, awake, or restless.  Another great feature is the silent alarm.  Simply set the alarm time via the FitBit app on your phone and the wrist band will vibrate at the alarm time…without waking up the rest of the household.

I do quite a bit of walking and running, and I find the steps and distance to be very accurate.   When running on the treadmill, the Flex is giving me the same distance readings as the treadmill does.

The Flex is water resistant and seems pretty durable.  I’ve worn mine for all sorts of activities and it has held up well to all the abuse I’ve given it.   Battery life is about 5 days and recharge time only a couple hours.  I tend to put it on the charger at night to not lose any activity tracking.

I’ve used my FitBit with both the iPhone and the Android App.  Both have performed very well.  The feedback provided is great, and there are even features to track other forms of exercise and food intake.

I have not tried other fitness trackers, so I can’t really say how the Flex compares to other products on the market.  If I were to buy all over again, I might upgrade to the FitBit Charge to get the Time display and some of the caller ID capabilities.   I do find it useful and fun to monitor my daily activity.   Given my typical level of exercise, I don’t necessarily find that I need the Flex to motivate me to remain active, but I enjoy tracking the trends.  Some of the more hardcore athletes that I know, specifically marathoners and triatheletes, seem less interested and see less value in a product like this.  But, for the greater population, especially those looking to increase their level of daily activity or are trying to avoid a trip back to the huskier days of their youth, the Flex is a great tool to get you moving and taking steps, or should I say making strides, to a healthier lifestyle.