Race Reports

The race is over. No more worries about getting the course marked in time, getting cones laid out, and finding enough volunteers. Phillip and I were able to get all those things done. If success is measured in people having a good time at the race and not getting lost then I think we were successful.

Phillip and I met at the race at 5am. We had all the signs in the back of his truck ready to be put in the ground to show the runners where to turn and how far they have come. Phillip’s friend drove his truck around the course as we put signs in the correct place. This took a little over an hour.

When we got back Bill Dwyer had arrived with the cones. So we loaded those in Phillip’s truck and drove the areas of the course where we needed cones to separate runners from traffic (the city doesn’t shut down the roads for the race). We just sat in the back of the truck and dropped cones down. That didn’t take too long.

When we made it back the volunteers were right where we asked them to be. We had an awesome group that included Karen and her daughter. We had enough volunteers to fill all the spots on the course where it’s vital to have someone directing the runners and vehicle traffic. This allowed us to pair up a couple of the busier areas and make sure that everyone was happy with where they were going. We loaded the volunteers in the truck and got them dropped off.

After that Phillip and I were able to watch the runners take off. We went and got t-shirts for our volunteers to make sure they had some compensation (not enough for the great work they put in!) for their time. We saw some friends finish the 5k and they told us the course was marked well. This made us feel a little better.

Soon we were seeing a variety of 7 Hills Running Club members going through the first loop of the Half Marathon. It was great to see all of them doing so well in the run. After the last couple runners came by we started to get things together to tear down the course. We loaded the truck with the shirts headed out.

Phillip drove the truck as I ran behind it picking up cones. I think I ran about two miles total as I ran each of the roads that had cones. On areas where there weren’t cones I would just sit on the tailgate and wait until we got to an area with a sign of mile marker. As we got to volunteers we picked them up in the truck too. When we got to his friend at mile 19 he took the volunteers in his truck. He would take them back to the start/finish area and drop them off as Phillip and I continued tearing down the course.

All and all, I think it was a great experience to help with the race. We got the course marked as needed and had a great group of volunteers to assist the runners. I hope that this made the race a little better for the runners who did so well.

Prologue:

In the months leading up to the race, I was able to convince my friend Phillip to run the race with me. This 50 mile and 100 mile race is held every February in Huntsville, Texas at the Huntsville State Park. As we both train at Huntsville State Park it’s probably the best place for us to attempt our first 50 mile race. I signed up for the race and the pre-start dinner the day. I went out to the park on Friday to pick up my packet, listen to the race directors pre-race instructions, and chow down on some good food. The weather and everything looked like it would be nearly perfect for the race. Rain had fallen down a few days before which kept the sand at bay, the weather was going to be mid-70s at the high end, and there wasn’t any rain in the forecast.

Act 1 (3 Hours 17 minutes):

I started the race with the goal of finishing it anywhere between 10 to 12 hours. I decided that I would run all the flats and downhills while walking the hills. For the first 10 or so miles I ran with Phillip. We decided to park right off the out and back trail that led to the lodge. That way we could have our drop bags in our truck and just leave the trail for a minute. This allowed us to avoid the crowds at the lodge drop location. We ran the half mile from the lodge to our cars and made our first stop. I shed some layers of clothes, I grabbed some gu, and I headed out. We started out at the very back of the pack because I didn’t want to go fast and then get passed later on. My food plan was to us Nuun in my drink every hour, take two of the Hammer sodium supplements every hour, and take a Gu every hour. Then I would eat a little food that looked good at each aid station. This worked well for the first lap. I had a very easy time and enjoyed saying hello to other runners.

Act 2 (3 Hours 55 minutes):

This is where things started to get bad. About 6 miles into this lap I knew that my stomach wasn’t right. My stomach was sloshing around and I was losing hydration rapidly. I wasn’t right. I tried to adjust things a little but I couldn’t. I had a difficult time keeping my Gu down when I would take it. I couldn’t use the restroom and ultimately I couldn’t run. After about 10 miles into the second lap I came close to throwing up. I stopped the running and walked until I got to the Campsite website. There I talked to a couple of my friends from the 7 Hills Running Club and told them what was happening to me. They guided me a little in what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. They thought I was probably taking too many supplements. When I made it to the Lodge, I told medical about my nausea and asked what to do. The guy helping me asked me to tell him everything that I had taken into my body. I told him and he said to stop the Nuun because of the carbonation. As he said, “You’ve got something brewing in there.” He suggested taking two of the Hammers each hour, a Gu, and alternating water and gatoraide in my final lap.

Act 3 (4 Hours 20 Minutes):

I didn’t want to start this lap. I felt so bad that I was going to drop. I had run by my friend Phillip and he told me he wasn’t feeling good either. He was having problems with his ankles and feet. When I started my third lap I looked to see if his truck was still there, because if it wasn’t I was going to drop. It was. I decided that I would probably end up walking the final lap and only running when I felt like I could. Most of the lap would be walking. I ran a little bit and walked a lot. I followed the advice about supplements and took some of the Hammer. By the time I made it to the Dam Road aid station I was starting to feel better. I ran out to the Far Side with only walks on the hill. My stomach was feeling better as it wasn’t sloshing. This meant that I was beginning to hydrate again. I ran a little harder and found Phillip as he was going back to the Dam Road aid station. He told me he was probably going to walk to the back. I figured that I could probably catch him by the Campsite aid station. I pushed harder and harder after I started my trip to the Campsite. I was finally feeling good again which was cool because I was past the point of running further than I ever have before. I ate a tums at the campsite and ran hard for the last couple miles. As I came to the end I saw Phillip at the finish waiting for me. I pushed hard and crossed the finish line in just over 11 hours and 30 minutes. It was awesome to be able to finish this race and to do it in the goal I had set for myself! What a good race to run.

“There is a port-a-cactus just up the trail” — Paul Stone

Bandera kicked my butt, no doubt. I’m thinking it’s slightly due to all the fantastic peppermint ice cream I’ve been eating this past month, yet it’s almost all due to the killer hills and rough terrain.

I left my house to pick up Debbie for a night in San Antonio. We ended up in SA, TX at about 8pm, had dinner (Mi Tierra), and went to our hotel to sleep. We got up at 4:30 and and left SA for Bandera about 5am. It was dark outside so I didn’t know what the terrain was around me after we were west of SA. I’m glad I didn’t know.

I picked up my packet, used the restroom, and found my way to where the 50K and 25K were starting. Bandera does a good job of having each of the three races start at different points. the 25K had the joy of starting the race with the Lucky hill and ending it with Lucky. The 50K also started with a killer hill but at least it wasn’t Lucky. Meanwhile, the 100K started a little different direction and joined up with the 50K shortly after the start of the race. The race started promptly at 7:30 with a light fog and the sun rising.

The first section of the 50K was probably the most difficult. The initial hill is something unlike any hill I have had the pleasure of running. I walked most of the uphill and tried to run the downhills. Even that was dangerous as it was steep with lots of big and small loose rocks. Even hiking this would give you a major workout.

I ran for awhile with a guy who told me that he had ran quite a few Bandera races and let me know I was in for a day of fun. About a half mile before Nachos, I saw him again as he was hobbling to the aid station with a broken foot. He didn’t want any assistance from runners though. I also ran with and talked to [--updated with name -- John Sharp] who trained out there. He let me know that once I made it to Nachos, I was in the clear. That was about 10 miles into the run, so I had some good news as I passed over those very difficult sections.

Bandera was very well marked. I had thought about carrying a map because I wasn’t sure how it would be. There was a lot of crossing over different trails and changing up the direction. However, the marking was great. They only marked the intersections instead of the entire trail. I think this worked well as you knew once you were going the right way nothing would change.

After Nachos, I was out there with just a few groups of people for much of the race. I did a lot more walking than normal because I wasn’t properly trained for the race. It didn’t help that it was a little over 70 degrees without any clouds. I didn’t get enough sodium, so I was bloated and dehydrated pretty soon into the race. I wasn’t ever able to shake that.

After the Chupas aid station it was onto an area that was more open pasture. I got some delicious Clif Bloks from a guy named Phillip who was out there for fun and to run with his friend through the Nachos section of the race. I also ran with a couple other people for a little while.

Once I made it to the Crossroads aid station, a guy from the Hill Country Trail Runners let me know that I wasn’t taking enough enduralytes with the current temperature. I was taking one an hour and he said I needed at least two, so I grabbed a couple and took them with a bottle of Heed and headed out. This section that went out around the two sisters and came back in was one of the worst for me. I wanted to be done and I was tired of climbing these hills. My calves were completely thrashed, so I had a difficult time climbing.

Once I made it back to the Crossroads a volunteer who had finished the 25K let me know what I was in for with the Lucky section. He said about 2.2 miles was covered and flat with good trail and then 2 miles of lucky was left where it would be brutal. Taking that advice, I ran the 2.2 miles almost the entire way. Then when I got to lucky, I climbed it as quick as I could and descended it slowly so as to not hurt myself.

Once I made it to the Last Chance aid station, I got some gatorade and water and ran the last .5 mile to finish in about 7 hours and 27 minutes.

All and all, this was the most difficult race I have run. I look forward to running the course again as it was a lot of fun. I loved the nature surrounding me even if the hills were pretty rough. Next year I will come more prepared!

This weekend was the ultracentric 24 hour run in Grapevine, Texas. Last year I had a difficult time with the 6 hour run. It was the lengthiest amount of time I had ever attempted, and I had a healing stress fracture in my right foot.

This year I felt a lot better about the run. I’ve run three 50Ks this year and I’m continually getting faster while they are getting easier. I also have a sort of lofty opinion of my ability to handle myself on courses.

No mistake about it: I failed.

I went out there with sufficient training to run this thing, but I didn’t prepare for the aspects that really matter. In shorter races it doesn’t matter as much if you start a little fast, if you don’t pace right, if you don’t think about food, and if you ignore the weather.

I typically run with the attitude that I will keep drinking some fluids, get some food in my body, and read some advice that works for others. It almost always works.

This weekend I learned that if I’m going to run some races like 50 milers, 100Ks, and 100 mile races, I really have to respect my own body a little more. Every runner is different and has to think about what works for them and tinker with things. I tried what worked for others and it blew up in my face.

I think that the mistakes came in hydration, food, and pacing. I read someone who said that if you just drink Nuun you will be ok. I think it might have worked but I got tempted by other drinks at the aid stations. I ended up mixing a lot of water, Heed, Cytomax, and Coke at various times. Bad idea.

It was also hot out there. There was little tree cover and the sun was beating down at about 80-82 degrees during the heat of the day. I was smart enough to weigh myself before the race. I weighted myself about ever hour. By hour seven, I had lost almost 7 pounds. Seven. I knew that I had to pull myself from the race.

I also messed up with food. I read that I should just eat whole wheat bread with honey on it. I had it in my tent and tried to do that but it hurt too much to bend down and get the stuff made. I was there alone with nobody crewing me, so I had to do it all myself if I wanted it. I started to eat all kinds of crap at the aid stations: bits of hamburgers, mac and cheese, pretzels, and m&ms are at the top of my mind. There was no method behind those choices. I don’t know what compelled me to try to mix all that food in an already alarmed stomach.

Finally, I messed up with pacing. I know how my body runs. I do best when I run strong at the beginning and then walk/run as my body calls for it. I listened to people who said you should always run 5 and walk one. I tried that and it wore me out more than if I had just run it.

Anyhow, with the body weight loss, I decided that I had to stop for my own health. I wish that I could have stayed out there and walked it or walked with a little running, but I had to finally respect my body after all the disrespect I gave it. I stopped participating at hour 8.

It was a great race put together by a really good group. I’m not sure if I’ll be back because I’m not sure my body is alright with running on pavement on a two mile course for 24 hours. If it were on a trail, I would be a lot happier with the idea.

At least I can say that some good lessons were learned.

Once you start getting into ultra races, you begin to know how different race directors put together their races. I won’t claim to know what the motivations are of various directors, but I will claim to know that some RD’s put on races that I enjoy more than others. Paul Stone always puts on a great race. As he’s the race director for the Hogs Hunt, the East Texas Trail Run in Tyler, Texas, and the Rocky Raccoon 50K, I was happy to sign up for the 2007 RR50.

The Rocky Raccoon is a two lap race held in the beautiful Huntsville State Park. Located in the pineywoods of Huntsville, Texas, this is the same park that hosts the Rocky Raccoon 50 mile and 100 mile race. It also happens to be the park where I do almost all my training runs.

It’s both a blessing and a curse to run in the park where you train. I know the terrain, I know all the trails, and I know what is coming ahead. This means that I don’t trip over the roots like many other people. However, I also know when I’m approaching some of the more difficult hills. It ended up psyching me out a little.

The race couldn’t have been on a more beautiful day. Paul Stone staggered the races so that the 50K would begin one hour before the 25K. This gave us time to get past the point where the 25Kers would cross our path. The 15.5 mile loop featured a couple out and back areas where you could see others. The first mile out to the trail is also the last mile before you get to the start/finish area. After that initial mile there is a path of 1.5 miles where you reach an area called Amy’s Crossing. At Amy’s crossing the runners will make a left and go towards the highway to the first full service aid station. Then you turn back around and go back by Amy’s crossing. At that point you are about 5.5 miles into the loop. Most people would have that done in under an hour.

The paths were cleared of any debris. The weather was a perfect low of about 60 degrees with a high in the mid 70s. The sun was out for almost the entire race. The course was filled with plenty of aid stations to support the runners. There were two water only aid stations. However, there was also 4 aid stations that were fully stocked with Heed, Poweraid, water, bananas, chocolate chip cookies, coke, peanut butter and bread, pretzels, etc. The course also featured many wonderful volunteers who did a good job of keeping everything great for the runners.

As far as my race went I had a great time. I ran the entire first loop without stopping except at some of the aid stations. I talked a little to a guy who wore the same running shirt and similar colored shorts as me. I also said hello to some people who seemed familiar.

I rolled into the start/finish area with one more lap to go. I talked a little to Deb who took some pictures and gave me some more energy gels. Then I took off to someone telling me that I make it look too easy. That was about 2 hours and 30 minutes into the race. I ran until I got to the highway aid station and decided to take a little break.

It was at this point that I realized I was loosing my steam. I ran most of the way to the 7 Hills Running Club aid station. From that aid station there was only about 7 hours left in the race. I did a mixture of running and walking and was only passed by a handful of runners. With about 4.5 miles left into the race I went around this bend and heard a lot of leaves crunching. It was about 12pm and I didn’t think that I would be passed by anyone else. I looked around for the runner who had caught up with me but found a deer staring at me. It was a doe that was about 15 feet from me. I continued to walk until I got to a little creek with two small bridges. The doe walked over to me to the point where she was about 5 feet from me. Then she trotted off. Why was there a deer out at noon? Why was it walking towards me? Was I dreaming this?

Another runner came up and I told her to look at the deer. She saw it so I knew that I wasn’t dreaming. I didn’t want to be passed by her, so I told her that I would run with her the remainder of the race. I quickly became good friends with her as we spent the last few miles running/walking the remainder of the course.

Ultimately, I made it in to the finish in under six hours! Last year, I ran my first 50K in February. I finished that race around 6 and a half hours. Then I ran a race where I finished a little over six hours. My goal was to use this as a training run for my 24 hour race, so I was extremely happy to run it so well!

Thanks to all the volunteers, runners, and the race director for putting on the Rocky Raccoon 50K this year!

By virtue of it’s name, we were on notice that this race would be a hot one! The middle of July in Fort Worth, Texas is typically one of the hottest times of the year in Texas. In a trade off of sorts we were able to deal with less heat but more sleepiness by having the start time at midnight. That was fine by me.

I arrived in Dallas to meet my friend at three pm the day of the race. I picked him up from work around 6 and we went to Chipotle for a pre-race carb load. Actually, I don’t much believe in carb loading for the carbs sake, I just happen to like Chipotle. After dinner we went back to his place to try to catch a nap before heading to Fort Worth for the race.

Instead of napping, I ended up reading a few chapters of a book and preparing myself for the run. My first 50K was finished in just under 6 1/2 hours, so I wanted to better this time. My goal would be to run each of the ten laps in under 40 minutes.  The time to act on my goal was fast approaching.  We changed into our running clothes, loaded our drop bags, and headed to Fort Worth around 10pm.

I pulled up to the race site and noticed an amazing amount of cars already at the race. The buzz for this race was phenomenal considering that it was inaugural and the extrinsic factors of this race didn’t have a good forecast. Luckily, the weather was fantastic with a high around 75, clear skies, and absolutely no wind. I was pumped to be running the inaugural El Scorcho 50K with other runners who were so excited to be there that evening.

After getting myself signed in, I wandered around some to see if I knew anyone. I didn’t recognize any faces but everyone was friendly and seemed ready for a fun race. Then I ran into a friend who I did not know would be there but she brought her dog to cheer me on. She said she’d be waiting around the first aid station. At about midnight they lined us all up and got the race started.

I started near the top of the pack and found a comfortable pace. I knew that I was going to skip the first aid station as it was too soon in the race for any liquids or food.  The trail started as sort of a crush rock that reminded me of a country dirt road. It stayed that way until we passed over a small bridge that led us to a path alongside the Trinity River. Part of the path veered to the right and then another part was the crushed rock. The markers were set to keep us on the crushed rock.

After running along this path for awhile I noticed some flashlights ahead. The race was supposed to be lit, except a quarter-mile portion, but the city of Fort Worth did not leave the lights on. I’m not sure who was at fault, but I was prepared because the race directors told us that bringing lights would be a good idea. They also provided some to runners who forgot or did not bring a light. These lights that I saw approaching were from the leaders of the pack who had reached a turn around. This was the only part of the loop that had a turn around and it was manned by a group of volunteers who cheered us on. It was unclear if they were checking our numbers (they never asked us to call out numbers) or if they were checking for our race chip, but I worried that some might try to avoid the turn back and take a short cut later in the race. Regardless, I ran to the turn around each time, if for no other reason than it had some funny signs to read.

After turning around there was a very short section run on grass. I enjoyed this little part but it was followed by a long run on asphalt. This was even worse than the concrete path along the Trinity. After about a quarter mile, maybe a little more, we turned to the right on a crushed rock path. This lead us across another road and train track to the first aid station.

The first aid station was about halfway into the lap (1 1/2 miles) and was being manned by at least three great volunteers. I motioned that I was good and yelled hello to my friend cheering me on.  I continued on the path as I passed a lot of people who were sitting by their cars cheering us on.

It wasn’t long before we were veering to the left and saw some city lights. We turned with the path and picked up the pace a little because we knew we had to be getting close. After a short distance we zig-zagged and could see some more lights ahead with a few bodies standing in the road. We were told to watch our steps and encouraged on by a group of volunteers at this turn. It was the final stretch of the lap.

As I passed a playground, I knew my car, which was parked a little distance from the starting line because of the amount of people excited about the race, was coming right up. I stepped up the pace a little more as I could see the lights of the start finish. I finished this first lap in 26.53.

My second lap was when I started to separate some from others in the pack. I grabbed a drink of water at the aid station and took off again for another lap. There wasn’t anytime for socializing at this point. I passed a couple of people who were getting some bananas and headed out. Once I was at the second aid station I waved to my friend and continued on my way. I finished that lap in just over 28 minutes.

This time I stopped at the restroom, grabbed some Nuun, and swallowed a pack of Gu. I still was full of energy but I knew that would be fleeting. The Nuun didn’t do much for me as far as taste, but I needed something to keep the sodium and electrolytes in my system. I took off again and soon had a companion who needed to share my flashlight. After we finished the parking lot portion of the lap he took off because the lighting was a little better. I never saw him again. I passed the aid station with another wave to my friend and ran until I finished that lap in 29.42.

Before heading out of the 4th lap, I grabbed a little slice of orange to refuel. The Gu was still working but I wanted a little more in my system. I drank a small cup of water and took off running. At this point, I was feeling a little fatigue, so I decided to run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute. Later, I would discover that this formula was a mistake. Normally I will run everything but the bad hills but there weren’t any hills at this race, so I tried something new. I should have run 8 minutes and walked 1. Regardless, I stopped at the second aid station for some Nuun and continued with my run/walk ratio.  I finished that lap in 34.32.

My fifth lap followed the same trend and took 37.49. So far all my laps were under 40 minutes which was going to make me happy. As I was finishing my fifth lap, the volunteers at the “watch your step” turn asked me if I was finishing the race. I said that I had another five and they reassured me that they would be there all night!

As I started my sixth lap, I looked around for my friend who had finished his 25K but he was nowhere to be seen. I went and grabbed some Hammer gel and started to eat it and walk away from the aid station. Then he came over and told me that he was finished and asked how he felt. This was the first of many times people would ask me that. My answer was always an honest: tired. By that I just meant that I wanted to sleep. I was happy that my body never really wanted to stop completely. I just wanted to lay down on a bench and sleep. I pushed on this sixth lap and finished in 38.44.

I didn’t see my friend as I started my seventh lap, but I knew my body was running out of steam. During this lap my body stopped wanting to run so I completely let my 4:1 ratio go away. I knew that my friend at the first aid station would wonder what was taking so long, but I walked most of the asphalt. I figured that I should protect my legs a little. I finished this lap in a dismal 44.38.

I was going to spend some time at the aid station to reguvenate but I was too upset by spending that much time on what amounted to a 5K. There wasn’t any excuse to be out there over 40 minutes on a single loop. My body was feeling beat and I simply wanted to sleep. I noticed that there was a group of us who would run and walk at different times. There were two women who would sometimes be in front of me and sometimes I would pass them for awhile. I used them as a guide as my 4:1 ratio thing was out the door. I pushed harder towards the end of the loop and finished in 41.58.

My friend who ran met me at the start/finish aid station and walked with me for a minute. He asked me how I was feeling and I told him that I didn’t feel like running any further and just wanted to sleep. He encouraged me a little and told me to take it easier and not worry too much about the time. Then the two women asked me how many laps I had left. I told them two and they were surprised because they were told they only had one left. All three of us had been together for the past 3 laps but we could have had different situations at the beginning of the race. They didn’t trust the accuracy of the laps but I knew from my splits that I was on lap 9 which meant I still had lap 10 to run. I took off running but was soon passed by the women as I walked about 1/3 of that lap. I completed it in 44.34.

Time for my final lap. I tried to convince myself that this was only a 5K and I could finish it in 24 minutes even on a bad day. I told myself to just pretend it was a morning 5K and I had been out drinking too much the night before. I’m sure I’ve run some of those races in the past. Unfortunately my body did not buy that and wanted me to walk. I did but not much. I told all the volunteers thank you as I ran past the various turns. Then I picked up the pace at the final stretch and finished that loop in 39.28 for a total time of 6 hours and 6 minutes.

As I ran across the finish I was all alone. I don’t know what happened to the two women but they weren’t around for my last lap. I passed some people but left them in my dust. The sun was starting to rise and my friends were there at the finish line to greet me with the sun. People cheered as I crossed and then volunteers removed my chip and gave me a medal and 50K finisher pin.

I posted the other day with some of the problems of the race. Those are all problems but they are minor ones. I like to write my race reports after a couple days because the soreness, the exhaustion, and other negatives smooth over. This was a very well done race that had a couple minor hang ups. I’m happy that this race was put on and enjoyed being a part of it. The path wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst. The volunteers were amazing. The food selection was good enough for a 50K (maybe some peanut butter the next time and more defizzed cola). And the other runners were fantastic.

I will try to run this race again in the future. I can see this becoming a very popular race if they stick with it and iron out some of the kinks. Overall this was a great inaugural race that was a lot of fun.  Thanks to everyone involved: RDs, volunteers, medical, spectators, and the other runners.

I ran the 25K on Saturday this past weekend and was really happy with my race results. I finished the race in just under 2 hours and 40 minutes which seems alright for my first 25K. I am not one of those runners who cares about being at the top of the pack because I just want to enjoy myself. That said, this was a really enjoyable 25K.

This race was a no frills race put on by the Houston Adventure Racing Team. They organize a few runs and various clinics for adventure athletes. I guess, from their name, I should not have been as surprised by the course as I was.

I arrived at the race about 30 minutes early. This gave me plenty of time to get signed in, drop off my goodies bag, and then find a restroom before the prerun meeting. One of the race directors spoke to us for a bit about the conditions of the trail. It didn’t sound like it was going to be easy but part of trail running is dealing with the elements.

We took off and I stayed in the middle of the pack. Throughout the entire race, I think that only four people passed me and I only passed two. This meant that I did a good job of figuring out where to start.

Right off we were presented with narrow paths that had a lot of vegetation in our way. I was getting scratched already and wasn’t even a mile into the race. I rolled my ankles a couple times when I was adjusting to the terrain but nothing bad enough to slow down any.

As we turned to one of the interior trails, it became clear that we were also going to deal with a lot of water. The ground was still wet from a rain a couple days prior. This meant that mud was flying everywhere. I noticed one guy walking back and soon realized why he turned around. We came to a creek that had to be crossed. It was too wide to jump and there was not anything around to walk over it with. I went in and found it was just over ankle deep. Great…wet socks.

After a couple miles, I had my stride again and my wool socks had done a good job of getting the water to not be an issue. Then we were presented with another creek. This time I ended up knee deep in the thing. The guy and girl in front of me were not happy to have to deal with this on the race. I didn’t mind, but I knew at that point I would not run the loop a second time.

After a bit, we came to the first aid station where there weren’t many choices. They had some water, Heed, cheese crackers, Famous Amos cookies, oranges, and bananas. I think that I got a couple cheese its and left. The second aid station was only a couple easy miles away. Then I turned into the National forest trail. It was much better maintained.

The national forest area was interesting because it was not marked by the race director. They aren’t able to mark anything in there so you just run it. I didn’t know that you would be forced to exit at the appropriate place, so I was continually worried that I ran too far. I was running alone at this point.

I was forced to exit the National forest and continued along a road that had a ton of water in it. I was brushing against the vegetation to avoid the mud and water but failing miserably. This meant that in addition to the mud, I was getting cut bad. I didn’t enjoy this part of the run. Then I saw another aid station and stopped to get some Heed. I drank a glass and then left.

I was still alone but it was on an open road. I ran what seemed like forever going up this hill. All of it was uphill. There wasn’t anyone around me until I was turning down another road. Then I heard some people behind, so I turned and saw three people in the distance. I picked up my pace as I entered the second to last trail.

On this trail there wasn’t much different besides dogs. We were running along the edge of the park and there was a trailer park bordering it. Apparently there were a handful of pitbulls tied up as I could see a couple but heard many more barking and growling. I used this as an excuse to let the others catch up to me. Two girls and a guy passed me. I stayed with them through the end of the run.

After I came out of this trail section we ran into the race director. He told us that we only had about 1.5 miles remaining. I asked him if it was cool that I drop to 25K. He didn’t like hearing it but wasn’t opposed to me dropping. I took off and followed the others up a really easy trail section.

It wasn’t long before I was running in the park area with a lot of families around enjoying the park. I was happy that I was coming to the finish and was content with not running the lap a second time. While it was fun to run on an unkempt trail it’s not something I wanted to do twice in a day.

One of my biggest weaknesses has always been running hills. Coming from Wichita, Kansas to Dallas, Texas didn’t supply any real practice with hills. Sure I would run on a treadmill and use the incline feature to simulate some hills but we all know that isn’t the same. I have finally moved to an area with more hills, so I felt like I was ready for the hills at Tyler State Park. I was not.

As soon as I put my eight hours in at work, I headed up the highway to get to Tyler. It was about 3 hours away, so I didn’t want to drive there early in the morning. I had my backpacking equipment, a tent, a mattress pad, sleeping bag, and matches to camp out. I also brought along some gummy bears, peanuts, plenty of water, and recoverite to use for energy purposes. My pack also had some ibuprofen and claritin in it to assist with any health issues.

That night was one of the worst nights of my life because of the cold. It’s foolish to go camping and not remember to use kindling to start the fire. I had some wet leaves and wood but forgot to get twigs and stuff. I wasn’t able to get any sort of a fire going at my campsite. Then my sleeping bag let me down by not doing more than it says it would do. It is a 45 degree bag which meant it did not work so well with 31 degree temperatures. This made it very chilly and uncomfortable the night before the sleep. Despite the cold, I was able to get about 6 hours of sleep and felt fine the next morning.

As we all gathered around the fire the morning of the race, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about my first trail ultra. I knew that this was a smaller race so the chances of being towards the very bottom were very great. My goal was to run the entire thing in six hours because I had to be in Austin later that afternoon. My other thought was that I had heard there were some rocks and some switchbacks on the course. Other than that, I did not know anything about the trail.

At the briefing the race director, Paul Stone, let us know that it was a 10.3 mile loop with two aid stations along the way and one at the start/finish. This seemed like plenty as I had a water bottle in hand and some gu with me. My goal was to get a decent start and just run the entire first lap to have a good start.

The 25K started at the same time when the race director told us to go. They continued on the road as we went off to the trail. It didn’t take long for us on the trail to start to thin out. I noticed that behind me were three guys who would walk all the steep hills and run the rest of the course. Somehow they were able to keep up with me despite the fact I wasn’t slowing down much for the hills.

Everything on the course was peaceful and calm. There wasn’t much water on the course and the rocks weren’t too bad. The first section was alongside a lot of the road and the lake. It was a little faster than many of the other sections. There were a couple of steep hills but it wasn’t really too bad. It wasn’t long before I passed the first aid station and found a really large hill to battle.

After going up that hill we were along more of the back of the trail loop. I was still being followed by the three guys who were walking up the hills but running the rest quickly. This second section had more of the hills and the switchbacks. It was a fun section to run on the first lap but brutal in later sections.

As I got to the second aid station, I decided that I was fine and continued on the course. I let the guys pass me as they were feeling a little stronger. The only time I stopped to walk was to get a little bit of gu. I was feeling like I should get a quick bit of energy to finish the first 10. This section was a pretty long one that was relatively painless. There was more winding about but fewer brutal hills.

After a good amount of turns back and forth, I saw the campsite where we started the run and figured I was about done. However, they let me know that I had to veer around though this loop called the EZ Loop. It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t maintained. It was the one part of the course that I would come to dread.

At the end of the first lap, I stopped at the aid station for a quick pick me up. I asked for my bottle to be filled with Heed and I took off my over shirt as it was starting to warm up. I grabbed a little peanut butter and jelly square and took off on the course.

I knew that I had passed a couple people towards the end of the first lap who I did not want to have pass me. I was also going at a good clip for my goal as my first lap was done in a time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

I ran to the first aid station and stopped for a little cup of coke and grabbed an oreo cookie. It was around this point in the race that I decided to try what those guys had been doing and walk up the hills. I would walk the hills and then run the rest of the trail. This worked pretty well until I got to the next aid station which I passed without stopping for anything.

My legs were still strong but I was mentally starting to get out of the race. It only helped a little that I was passing a few of the 50K people who were finishing up their race. However, this longer third section was a little boring and demoralizing for me. After a few minutes of winding around, I always thought that I was close to the finish only to be fooled by another twist. Then you come out with the start/finish in sight and have to turn and run the EZ Loop.

This time the EZ Loop was a little better because about .25 miles into it, I saw a friend who I met that morning. He was running the 25K and had just joined the North Texas Trail Runners group. He let me know that he’d be running the Cross Timbers later this month, so we had a good talk about meeting up there.

In order to say goodbye, I picked up my pace a little to meet him at his finish. Sure enough he was there waiting for me. I finished that second lap and it was only 10 minutes away from being 11:00 which meant I was losing ground on my goal. I got my water bottle filled with water as I said goodbye. Then I took off on my last lap.

The final lap was by far the loneliest and most depressing for me. It was clear that my legs were beginning to waiver a little, I had drank a little too much liquids, and I wasn’t feeling good enough to run for long stretches. One lady came and passed me soon after the first aid station (where I dumped out my water and filled it halfway with Heed and ate a bit of a cookie). She was nice and said some things that made me laugh, which gave me a bit more energy to continue on.

At the third aid station, I stopped to thank those volunteers and fill my bottle with some water. I took off in a little bit of a run until I was worn out. I enjoyed the area where I had some bridges to run over so I would run at those parts. Then I would walk in the areas with a lot of turns because I wasn’t feeling it anymore. I knew that I still had a few miles but didn’t want to run it. When I got to the EZ Loop, I took off in a bit of a sprint to finish that last mile. It was here that I finally clipped a root and feel down to the dirt floor below. I caught myself and bounced up immediately. I rounded the corner and saw the race director ahead. He took off in a run to beat me back to the finish so that he could get my official time. I tried to get there quicker but wasn’t able to do it. Crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings in my life. I knew that I hadn’t met my goal of 6 hours, but I wasn’t terribly far off. I also felt immeasurably better out on the course than I did a few months ago at the Ultracentric.

I did enjoy the course and would like to go back to run there because it’s beautiful. You are able to escape to your own world and just enjoy the scenery.
The first trail ultra down!

It was my first ultramarathon and I loved every minute of it! Unfortunately, the week before the race, I hurt my foot when I fell off a bridge while mountain biking. Leading up to the race, I did everything that I could to let my foot heal but it wasn’t enough to not feel the pain.

That said, I wasn’t about to let a silly foot injury stop me from my first ultra. I went to the hotel and signed up for it about the time the 48 hour runners were in their sixth hour. It was only appropriate that I sign up for the six hour run and bow in respect to the people running the 48 and 24 hour runs. I would have gone for the 12 hour but my work schedule conflicted with it on Saturday.

Saturday I went to the race site as soon as I was finished working. As I got out of my truck, I met a runner who was also running in his first ultra. As it turned out, he was able to demolish me pretty easily. I think that there were about 15 people who were running the six hour race and we seemed like a happy group as we gathered around the start.

Once I got into the groove of running it was clear that my foot was going to cause some problems, but I resigned myself to the fact that I’d probably have to walk a considerable amount. While the foot was fresh, I pushed myself for about 9 miles so that I could get some quick mileage. The asphalt was a little rough to run on but Grapevine Lake was a refreshing view so the 2.4 mile circuit didn’t become too boring.

It was probably around mile 10 that I really had to slow down my pace because of foot pain. I walked it a little and then would run another mile or two. The foot was the only problem as nutrition and refreshments were plenty. The race was well stocked with all the food and drinks I needed, so I made sure to keep myself pretty refreshed.

By the 5th hour, I was just enjoying the run and had learned how to handle my foot. I enjoyed running with a lot of people who I had either read about or heard about. My overall distance was only 25 miles but it wasn’t too terrible for a first ultra and not having an entirely healthy body. My goal for the next six hour would be to hit about 34 miles.