Races

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.

I try to have only one or two long races on the road each year. I avoid doing very many shorter 5K/10K races on the road unless it’s a local event or a run I have fond memories of. I just enjoy running on trails a little better. For me it’s not really about joint pain or anything. I just get bored on road races.

That said, I do have one of the one or two long races coming up in November. Last year I ran in a 24 hour run but pulled out of it after 7 hours. This year I am going to go out there and spend a couple days running and camping with friends. I’ll be doing the 48 hour run and going for something like 120 miles. That’s the initial plan anyhow. Specifics are likely to change.

What sucks is that it’s a 2 mile circuit type course on pavement alongside a lake. The lake is nice the pavement and distance become boring. Thankfully I’ll have a lot of time to take breaks and rest.

Congrats to Angie and Anton Krupika along with any others who finished the Zane Grey. Angie ran the 50K while Krupicka braved the 50m. Meanwhile, I sat on my butt and ate Mexican food.

The challenge is to run five Texas marathons (or races of a greater distance) between something like November 1 and May 31. I didn’t realize that it could be races of a greater distance until a few days ago. A quick email to the sponsor of the TMC asking to verify that I qualified and I was in. Unbeknownst to me I qualified for the thing just by running my normal schedule. I had to pay a little for the honor but I’ll receive a jacket, singlet, and some sort of a metal or trophy. Cool.

One of the traits that endurance athletes have is a true passion for the sport. In my experience this is often what separates the finishers from the DNFers. There are people who DNF because they sustain an injury and have a very good reason to drop — I’m not talking about those people (it’s happened to me). Then there are people who just don’t pull it through and drop out of the race.

Even if someone is running a race close to the cut off times an ultra isn’t easy. It isn’t easy to train for an ultra. There are plenty of days that I’d rather stay inside and watch some dvds. Days when it’s hot outside, days when it’s raining, or days when I’m sore from the workout yesterday. But when I look at the calendar and see that I’ve got a 50 miler coming up in three months — I’m not going to back down from the training. It’s hard to put in the necessary miles but endurance athletes do it because we’ve got passion fueling our desire.

It certainly isn’t easy to actually run the ultras. There are some races where everything just goes perfectly but for most of us that is rare. Even on those days it’s difficult to get through the course with the proper hydration, nutrition, and the usual challenges of the course.

More often then not the course presents it’s usually challenges along with a lot of surprises. It could be anything from dealing with having to crap in the woods to rolled ankles to dehydration to nausea to broken bones or whatever. There are race days where I feel like I couldn’t run one mile, let alone 31. There have been races where the rain was pouring down and lightening was striking throughout the park we were running in. Passion is what fuels me through any of those things.

What I love about endurance athletes is that we are passionate about our sport. That passion comes through in how we train, how we treat ourselves, how we run races, and even how we help others in our sport. We have passion to be our best and to experience the thrills of pushing yourself to the max with others.

I finished another fun 50K! This time I didn’t train nearly as much and didn’t finish as fast as in the past. That said, I didn’t finish it as slowly as I have in other 50Ks. It was a good day at the race and I’ll have a full update soon.

I’m not prepared for the race tomorrow, but I’m going to run it anyhow. The course is my training grounds, the weather is great, and I’m in good health. I think that the first half of the race should be a breeze. It’ll be interesting to see how I do overall with the lower mileage training that I am attempting.

Good luck to anyone else racing this weekend!

A difficult decision to make as a race director is canceling the race. It’s not an easy decision for any RD to make. Of course, most people can probably remember that the Chicago Marathon canceled it’s race in the middle because of poor planning. But what about canceling for unforeseen reasons?

Jessica Deline, a runner and race director in southern California, had to make that decision this year. It is intentional that I said had to. When the fires raged through southern California this year it did more than destroy pristine forests. It also ruined any chance of racing on destroyed trails and obtaining permits from the forest service.

Jessica didn’t have any option but to cancel the race. Now there are some people who are upset with her because she has also decided to not refund the money. I didn’t sign up for the race, so I didn’t read any of the waivers that the entrants signed. She claims that it says that there will not be refunds. That doesn’t obligate her to enforce that waiver, however, she has chosen to enforce it. She would like to schedule the race for a different time this year and the money will help to obtain the necessary permit. That will guarantee the entrants entry into the race.

Is it legal for Jessica to do this? That’s a good question. Certainly it’s not the same race because it’s not on the same day. I know that my schedule is very difficult with being a busy lawyer. I wouldn’t be happy if this happened to me. Just because someone has a waiver doesn’t mean it’ll hold up in court if someone sues for a refund. Is it good practice to do this? Perhaps not if you want people to both come back again or pay in advance or both. The runners who want a refund and don’t get it will probably never come back. Nor will they encourage their friends to run the race.

I hope that all this is resolved for the best. Perhaps a partial refund to everyone who was entered and has to wait to race? Give them a little back (after all, the money in waiting could probably be earning interest in a race bank account?) for their burden? Perhaps a special grab bag item for the very early entrants? Perhaps just giving them a refund and encouraging them to apply again? I don’t know but I certainly feel for Jessica. I have talked to her before (albeit very briefly) and she seems like a very genuine person. I doubt she has any ill intent and know she will put together a kick ass event.

Good luck to everyone involved. Oh, and hold the personal attacks against a race director who is trying to do the right thing.

I’ve been having a difficult time convincing myself of what race I want to sign up for next. I make my race schedule every year but as training, injuries, previous race successes, and life all come into play those things can fluctuate for anyone.

My thoughts are still that I might run the Grasslands 50 mile, but I don’t really want to travel that soon after traveling to Kansas for a wedding. The next good option would be the Hogs Hunt 50k. I guess that’ll probably be what my next race will be unless I get a crazy idea.

Alright, they have released the official results for Rocky Raccoon 2008. As I guessed, I finished in 11:32:10.35. Before the race I was guessing that it’d take me anywhere from 10 to 12 hours, so I’m thrilled! I’m waiting for the splits to come out, so that I can see if my second lap was my worst. The race report is coming soon.

I’ll have a full race report up pretty soon, but I wanted to just say that it wasn’t too bad! My only major problem was that I got nauseas for half of the second loop. I talked to a guy at an aid station and adjusted my hydration/supplements and was fine about 3 or so miles later. I finished in just over 11 and a half hours.

I’m about to go and get my packet for the race. Tonight I’ll be at the trail brief and then enjoy some dinner with running friends at the park. Then I’ll be up a couple hours before the race and ready to run!

When I ran five miles on Saturday it was bright and sunny in Huntsville. The temperature on Saturday got into the 60s and that was supposed to be the same on Sunday.

However, the trails were still very soggy from all the previous days with rain. This means that those of you who hate running on soggy trails might have some issues on Saturday. I think that if it doesn’t rain between now and then, the trails will dry up. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow which will keep the trails wet.

The other news is that it looks like it’s going to be anywhere from 65-70 degrees for a high temperature. That means that this will be a fairly hot 100 miler. Be prepared to carry and have plenty of fluids during the heat of the day. Luckily, the trails are covered almost the entire course.

Here I am finishing the Bandera 50K in all my minuscule glory!

I couldn’t log a time like Anton Krupicka.

“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!

In late 2006, I ran my first race that could be considered an ultra. It was the six hour portion of a twenty-four hour run. It is what whet my desire to run more ultras and to prepare for running some 100s.

Last year, I started with some lofty goals in my race schedule, yet met many, though certainly not all, of those challenges.

In February, I ran my first 50K at the East Texas Ultra Run. I loved the course and there was a great group of runners out there. I learned that I should bring some better camping equipment if it’s going to be below freezing at night.

In March, I ran the 25K Lone Star Trail Run after dropping out of the 50K. I decided with how gnarly the course was, I would stop and allow myself to focus more on the Hog’s Hunt in a couple weeks. Later that month, I DNFed at the Hog’s Hunt 50K due to an injury.

After running various 5Ks, I came back in July to run the inaugural El Scorcho 50K. It was a heck of a lot of fun to run a race through the night in Fort Worth, Texas in the middle of July! I ended up running a pretty fast (for me) race.

In October, I finished the fall Lone Star Trail Run 25K in good time. I was happier with the course this time and, as always, very pleased with the volunteers.

In November, I ran the Rocky Raccoon 50K at Huntsville State Park. It was a great race with nice weather and good volunteers. I then finished my racing season with the Ultracentric 24 Hour Run. I didn’t do so well this year but those races are always a great experience with a bunch of die hard runners who are fantastic to talk to.

Should races and the USATF ban iPods? I don’t have much of a stake in the debate, because I rarely run USA Track & Field (USATF) certified courses, but I don’t think wearing an iPod — or other electronics device — in a race is that big of a deal.

1st the USATF has argued that it’s for safety and insurance reasons. This is a facially bogus claim. Insurance could be handled with a simple assumption of the risk clause or closing the course (like Portland Marathon has done) or both. With assumption of the risk it just has to be made clear that the decision of wearing an iPod lies with the runner and they accept the responsibility of any of the consequences (i.e. harm) that comes from it.

The other part of this that is bogus is that there are other devices that cause just as many safety issues. Perhaps we should ban people from carrying Gu and other energy aids? Many people focus their attention on those when they are simultaneously running and trying to open the gu.  Clearly, on an open course, that is a potentially dangerous thing.

Of course I’m not advocating to ban this. I think it’s up to a runner to decide and to change the safety of the course for themselves.

2nd. It has been argued that iPods give an unnatural advantage. This is also ludicrious. Until the USATF bans energy gels, pace setting watches, GPS watches, pacers, splits, and other devices that might not be available from the race to each racer — it’s just a red herring. Courses want to encourage people to run and will allow certain devices that do assist in getting a better time if you know how to use them.

So do I think iPods should be banned in USATF races? No. I think it’s a stupid decision from the USATF. It’s just one of many that make me not want to run races certified by it.

This is the major races; I imagine there will be a healthy amount of 5, 10, and 15Ks thrown in there.

January

5th Bandera 50K

February

2nd Rocky Raccoon 50 Mile

23rd Ramp Romp 5K

March

1st Doggies Run 25K or

1st Lone Star Trail Run 25K

22nd Grasslands 50 Mile

April

5th Hogs Hunt 50K

26th Run the Woodlands 5K

May

10th Run the Woodlands 5K

June

14th Run the Woodlands 5K

July

August

September

October

TBA Power Pedal Trail Stride 50K

TBA Fall Lone Star Trail Run 25K

11th Heartland 100

November

TBA Rocky Raccoon 50K

December

I was looking at my holiday schedule and the races that are in my area in December, and I think I’ve learned that I can’t run anything. The Ultracentric was my last race of the year! I’m going to sit down in the next day or two and look at what I want to try to run next year.

Currently, I’m thinking that I will not run the El Scorcho 50K in Fort Worth, TX again. I ran it in it’s inaugural year and enjoyed it. There were some problems like not having the shirts that were included in the entrance fee, however, they planned to fix it and everyone putting it together seemed like good guys. But I am not happy that they promised to mail the shirts to everyone who emailed their address and never mailed me mine. I contacted them a couple times and finally gave up. I know other people who got there shirts, so I feel a little left out.

I probably won’t run the Ultracentric again because the asphalt and weather is a mixture I don’t like for that long of a race. The other issue is that it’s really expensive!

I will more than likely run the East Texas Trail Run in Tyler, TX. It’s a great park and the race isn’t too big.

I will also run the Lone Star Trail Runs again. Again, I like the trails.

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!

Well, I ran and finished the Rocky Raccoon 50K in Huntsville, Texas, today. It was a lot of fun and I finished in under 6 hours. I have a new 50K PR of 5:57.26 (unofficial result time). I expect that I’ll put up a full report. For now, if you click that picture you should be able to see some photos from the race.

Tomorrow I’m running in the 50K part of the Rocky Raccoon 50K/25K race. I’m happy because instead of the normal t-shirt, they gave out Brooks technical shirts with the race name and graphic. I love that they spend a couple extra bucks to give us something useful.

This morning I ran the Fall Lone Star Trail Run 25K. I finished third place overall with a decent time of 2:24. I don’t know the exact seconds, so I will wait until the official race results appear.

The weather was perfect, the course was great, and the volunteers did an outstanding job. Expect a full race report soon.

Don’t worry about the shock headlines. The key to running is to always be smart. Is this advice that I always follow? No. But you shouldn’t be scared by events like what occurred at the Chicago Marathon.

Some days it might be too hot for you to run outside. If it is, don’t run outside. There isn’t any obligation to run. Your heart is impacted more with increased temperatures. Listen to what your body says and stop when you are over exerting yourself.

Most terrible injuries, or deaths, seem to occur when someone isn’t listening to what their body is telling them. If you aren’t a professional, you have no obligation to push yourself past your limit. Running is a fun, safe form of exercise if done properly.

hundreds of people were sent to the hospital, at least one person died, and the marathon was called off. it’s way too hot out there.

I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step up the running. I can’t believe that it’s back to the racing season. I’m happy that some of the races are sending me emails to let me know that I should sign up for this years race. It’s cool that they are good at reminding me. So, anyhow, more distance to prepare.

ING has added the Denver Marathon to its list of marathons it financially supports. Since it began supporting the NYC Marathon in 1999, it has added Miami, Georgia, the San Francisco Bay to Breakers, and now Denver to its list. A spokesman from ING claims that it makes sense as running is similar to financial planning: starting small, setting goals, and working towards your goals over a long term.

Sponsorship of races, clubs, and various running events have had financial sponsors for a long time. As any race director will tell you, it’s not cheap to have an organized race. Everything from the obvious costs to the city, for t-shirts and goodies, refreshments, medals, prize purses to attract runners, and insurance cost a lot of money. Marathons cost an incredible amount of money. However, I don’t like that marathons are changing their name for the sponsorship.

I understand it but don’t like it.

Currently there has only been one person to make it to Devil’s Thumb and he is Hal Koerner, 31 years old of Ashland, OR. He was running about 11 minutes ahead of  Lon Freeman at the Last Chance checkin point. In first place for females seems to be Nicki Kimball, 36 of Bozeman, MT (a fellow redhead!).

I ran another 5K today but took it really easy. I came in right around 26 minutes which was just a little slower than what I wanted. I was aiming for around a 25 or 25.30.

I’m not much of a short distance runner, but I can usually finish a 5K with 8 minute miles. That didn’t happen at the race today. I think I was closer to 26 minutes than to 24 for my entire time.

What happened to my run? In this race I noticed that my right arm was going numb so I slowed down a bit. That’s probably from a recovering pinched nerve, but I’ll have it looked at if it keep us. The other thing was that I had never run this course and couldn’t find the mile markers to keep my pace. I was a little demoralized by the arm and slowed down way to much.

It’s my fault for having such a bad run. Now I’m going to go out and run another 3 and a half to give me decent mileage for the day.

It’s a little disconcerting that Stephanie has been harassed by a running club after posting a negative race report about the trail run. My best guess is that the running club wanted to defend their run against what they viewed as an incorrect response. I think that this is the perfect example of how a running club should not respond to negative publicity…

The fact is that running blogs are here to stay. There is a good chance that every publicized trail run is going to have at least one person who will blog about the race. This is a little different than the past when people would just give race reports to friends and family (maybe in person or maybe by email) but only in so far as it’s able to reach many more people.

All of this shouldn’t change the fact that a race should attempt to make the race as good as possible for all participants. There is a fine line that a race director has to straddle to ensure that they don’t go too far in assisting runners to the detriment of other runners. For example, they set up too many aid stations which stretches volunteers thin and increases the cost of the race. On the other hand, sometimes there is too little assistance and the trails aren’t cleared, there aren’t enough markings, and aid stations are virtually nonexistant. I understand it’s a very fine line.

The fine line is what makes it clear that a race will receive some negative reviews and some positive reviews. The goal should be to make more people happy than upset. Then a good race director has to be willing to accept the  inevitable criticism. Accept it even if you feel it is unwarranted. It’s really that simple.

How should the running club in Long Island handled this publicity? The easiest response would have been to sent an email to Steph (if they want to handle it privately) or leave a comment stating that they appreciate her thoughts, and are sorry they weren’t able to make it a better race for her this time, but they will take her criticism into account for the next event. Then they should follow up on that and really consider her comments.

I’m sorry that the Greater Long Island Running Club handled the negative publicity in the manner that they did and hope that they learn from their public relations mistakes.

It looks like the Bay to Breakers 10K race in San Francisco was a great run. There was everything from nude runners to women dressed as care bears participating in the event. A group called CANKLE gathered to mockingly suggest that we should walk instead of run. They carried signs stating such messages as “Bring our runners home.”

All in all, it looks like it was a fun race.

Aside from being a fun Weezer song about falling for a half Japanese girl who plays cello and hasn’t heard of Green Day — it’s going to be a 50K in Fort Worth, Texas.

I’m excited to have a fun race in my old stomping grounds. I signed up for the run this evening and look forward to it. Even though it’s in the middle of July in one of the hottest cities in the country, it shouldn’t be too horrible because the race begins at midnight on Sunday.  My guess is that it’ll be around 80-85 degrees for most of the race.

In addition to being in the inaugural race, they are giving some nice gifts to participants. Everyone will get the tech shirt, while the finishers of the 25 and 50K will get metals. In addition, the finishers of the 50K will get a commemorative spur. How Fort Worth of them.

I’m excited and hope that more people get signed up. This should be a fun race.

Alright, so I feel bad that I didn’t go to either the 50 mile run or the Waco 5-0. I felt so bad that I just paid to run in a 50K this weekend — ack! I’ll be at the Lone Star run if anyone else out there is going. It’s in Coldsprings, TX. I’ve heard very little about this run but just wanted something to bury the guilt.

Now I will have this 50K and another 50K at the end of the month. So much fun in so little time. Blah.

This was a pretty nice weekend for my running. I didn’t run at all on Friday, because I wanted some recovery time. But I ran 21 miles on Saturday, a 7 mile trail run today, and finished the day with a 5K club run which I finished in 25 minutes and 23 seconds. All in all, not too bad for a weekend.

Alright, I just got back home, so I will have a little race report up soon. However, for anyone interested, I ran the 50K just over my goal of 6 hours. My unofficial time was 6 hours 30 minutes and 21 seconds. Now I’m going to go and run a couple miles to get my muscles working again.

This weekend is my first 50K. I’m really excited about it and want to do decently. Even though I ran 7 miles today, I think that I still have enough time to let my body prepare for the run. Tomorrow I might run a light 3 or 4 miles, Thursday will be a day off, and Friday will be about 2 or 3 miles.

I’m trying to decide whether to run the Cross Timbers 50M or a smaller race called the Doogies Run 50M. They are both here in Texas but the Doogies would be closer to me and probably an easier course. It would also give me an extra week to prepare. The Cross Timbers is a little larger, further away, and a more difficult course. I’m leaning towards the Cross Timbers. Any thoughts?

This morning I ran a 5K put on by the club that I joined. There was a decent turn out for their size — about six or seven people — so I had fun. The rain was slowly coming down and I was ready to go, so I tried to run it a little above my training pace. However, I took an early lead and didn’t give it up, so I didn’t push myself as hard as I might have otherwise. I came in around 26:45.

I’m not sure if I have mentioned it here, but I am moving this coming weekend for a new job. The area is down towards Houston/Huntsville so I will spend a good amount of time running at the trails in Huntsville State Park. I was happy to see that the Rocky Raccoon, one of the 100 mile ultras, is coming up in a couple weeks at HS Park.

I wouldn’t be ready to run the entire thing by myself, but I think I could pace someone who is looking at a 30 hour pace. It seems like that would be a fun way to run 40 miles before jumping into a race without enough training.

Has anyone been a pacer before for anyone? Would you recommend it?

The new PR is only because this was my first 15K, so I’ll have to go with 1:40 as my nearly official time. Not at all what I was hoping to be at, so I’m disappointed. Oh well, there is always next time, right?

The run was pretty good. It was overcast and windy at times but the conditions weren’t bad or anything. I enjoyed the run and liked seeing a lot of people out there for the run. I’m also not too sore from it which is nice.
With the end of cross country season, there were a lot of high school kids at the run. They were being pretty annoying before the run began, but I correctly assumed they were going to be splitting off at the 5K/15K course change. Most of the 15K runners were pretty cool and encouraging of everyone around them.

The Jogger Egg Nogger course is a pretty good one. It begins on Mockingbird where it crosses a bridge to the west side of the lake. After a half mile, you are out on the side of the lake running. The 5K group follows the lake for about another mile then turns around and returns. The 15K group continues to follow the lake until, I think, mile 4 or 5 when we turned into the Lakewood residential area. We follow that and cross under Mockingbird, turn to the east, and turn back to go under mockingbird again. It’s a really pretty area with a lot of trees, little traffic, and even some observers cheering us on. At 10K, we were back at the lake heading North to go to the finish line.

The most fun is you get a glass, or many if you want, of egg nog with either whiskey or rum at the end of the race! The community for Thurston racing is really nice and it was a good run.

Where to start, where to start? I guess that I’ll explain why I didn’t write yesterday. I went on a date with a cool girl, so I didn’t run and didn’t have much time to write anything.

Today I signed up for the Jogger Egg Nogger run this weekend. I flipped a coin on whether to run an easy 5K or a more challenging 15K. I decided that I would do the 15K because it’s more of a challenge for me. Regardless of how I run, I look forward to a cup of whiskey egg nog after the run! Is anyone else running this one?
This evening, in preparation for the race, I ran a fast-paced 4 mile run. My time was right around 28 minutes which is good enough for me. I would like to be at a 7 minute pace for the weekend run, but I know that I won’t do that well for the full 15K.

I wanted to say something about about Marc Witkes who passed away this past weekend during the Tuscon Marathon. It was a tragic and premature death that is both unfortunate and frightful. I did not know Marc, or even of Marc, so I can’t offer anything personal (please read what Scott Dunlap says at A Trail Runner’s Blog) but I can say that this should affect all runners in some way. It’s scary to me because mortality is something we all have to be aware of regardless of our age, health, and athletic ability. It’s a thought that both scares me and reminds me of how precious our lives are.

I went out to mile 16 around 8:15 this morning and was there in plenty of time to find a nice spot to cheer. I ended up helping the Dallas Running Club (formerly the Cross Country Club of Dallas) with a couple things. They told me that the mile 17 group only had a few people helping and would like more volunteers. I went to mile 17 and helped by giving out water to everyone who needed it. If you ran by there, I was the first person and have curly red hair.

Everyone looked pretty great out there and it was a good day for a run. I don’t think the rain began until most people were finished and the temperature was nice. Good job to everyne who ran!

Tomorrow is the big day! There are a lot of people in town to run this race and everything is very exciting. I decided that I would not run the half or full marathon this year, so I will be out cheering people on. You’ll find me somewhere around the 16 to 18 mile area and I’ll be the 20 something redhead. I hope everyone running the White Rock Marathon has a great race!

I said no to the RTR, White Rock Marathon (whatever the sponsor is this year, blah), this year because I haven’t trained enough. I’d be a pathetic walker by the 14th mile and roll in at something like 4.5 hours, so I said no. But then I get tempted because so many other Dallas runners are going to be there and hanging out afterwards. My favorite part of running is the run but a close second is the awesome community. I’m torn about the rock.

Well, I did go on a Sunday run, but I didn’t make it a long run. This means that I didn’t get a long run in this weekend. That’s a little frustrating to me but with some family in town, I guess it’s understandable.

This coming weekend is the Dallas White Rock Marathon. I haven’t decided if I want to run the half or not. I haven’t properly trained, so I don’t think I will run it. On the other hand, it’s a good course and easy to run without too much intense training. I think that right now I could come in around 2 hours for the half.

I think that I’m leaning more towards taking pictures and encouraging the runners as they pass through the lake area. I don’t like to run in races without being ready for them even if my times aren’t stellar.

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.

I ran in a 10K this morning. It was a great morning for a race here. The weather was around 55 to 60 degrees for the run, the sky was clear, and the humidity wasn’t bad at all. That drew a pretty large group of runners out. This run is a through a particularly hilly area, which is one of the ways I excel when I run. Going up and down hills doesn’t wind me too bad and they keep me from getting bored.

This race had a 25 to 29 age category that I ran in. I started somewhere in the middle of the pack and had to do all the jossling to get around some of the more casual runners. This run lets you have a device that won’t start your individual time until you pass the start line, which is very cool. It was probably 3 or 4 minutes after the gun that I finally made it to the starting line, so it would have adversely affected me otherwise.

All in all, I came in 4th for my age group with a time of 43:39.0 which ends up as a pace of 7:02. The winner in my age group finished with a time of 37:13 and the overall winner had a time of 36:01 (which is less than a six minute mile pace).

What this tells me is that good racing whether has positives and negatives. I got my ass handed to me by a couple of runners.