Trail running

There comes a time when most runners get bored of the same old running routes. For me that has been neighborhood paths that get old, high school tracks that look the same, and even trails that start to blend together.

What do we do to correct that? I don’t know, but I know that I go out on new paths. People in my running club often run the same 5 mile loop or one of two 7 mile loops. All three of these have gotten a little boring after running them hundreds of times.

Today I went out to run at the park and found that the park was closed. Thunderstorms and strong winds ravaged through the area tearing down trees and with them powerlines at the park. I went instead to the Lone Star Trail which goes through the Sam Houston National Forest.

There is a path about two miles long that goes into the park, so I ran that. It has been about 3 months since I last ran it and the grass, weeds, and trees have overgrown the path. My legs were suffering as I drudged through it. Finally I made it to the park where I took a couple short trails back to the highway. I saw some of the downed trees but no downed powerlines. I finished up about six miles overall. I saw that John and Lavonne were out at the National Forest and hope they chose the trail that I did not because it might have been a little more manicured.

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.

“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!

I went for a quick five mile run today at the park. When I got there I saw that a group of cars, all of which belonged to members of the running club, were in the parking lot. I knew they were out there somewhere, so I ran the opposite direction they run. I passed them about 2 miles into my run and then met them as they finished.

It was nice to see them, but I realized that I miss running with the group. I like talking to them and enjoy the occasional run with them. I’ll have to join up with them later this week to have a nice little run.

I was a little worried about my running last week. I couldn’t run more than 3 miles without having to stop and walk, I was sweating like crazy in cool weather, and I wasn’t enjoying the run at all.

That was last week; yesterday, it was just the opposite. I was able to run a 10 mile loop without any problems. I ran it faster than I thought, didn’t sweat, and loved the run. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 50s. There was only a couple people on the trails, but I didn’t see them until about 8 miles into the run. I had a great run out there with nature.

I like how little things can change the mood of your runs so easily. It’s amazing how you can do something as easy as buying a new pair of running shoes to make your runs have a little pep again. I bought my first pair of Puma running shoes. I read that they are good enough, saw a pair for $29.00, so I bought them.

I don’t train on asphalt much so I rarely buy road shoes. I bought them and put them on yesterday. It was a 15 minute two mile which is about 30 seconds better than what I’ve been running for the past year.

That enthusiasm spread to my run today. I decided to put my light on and took off at 4:45 for a 10 mile run through the trails. I was happy and doing great. That is, until I saw myself getting passed by two cross country runners from a local university. Often I see them going the opposite direction, but this was the first time I’ve been blown past.

Demoralizing.

Today I ran a seven mile loop in about 1:03. That’s not too fast and it’s not too slow for me. It’s going at a decent pace which is what I need to prepare for this 24 hour run. At no point should I be going at a fast pace when I’m running that race. I hope that I’ll be able to hit 100 miles, but I’m going to have to spend a little time preparing on pace before I go.

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.

When I pass hikers on the trails, I enjoy their little comments that they make. Typically it is enjoyable because while they are making the hike seem like they are climbing Everest, I am just bounding over any of the minor obstacle at 10 times their speed.

It makes me happiest when they have kids. One day a kid yelled out to his father, “Daddy look at that boy!” Today a father yelled out to his child, “Holy moly look at that guy go!”

It makes me happy because I envision that kid remembering all the fun he or she had on their camping trip with the family. Maybe somewhere in that memory, it will include his father being impressed with someone running on the trails. Maybe that might be enough to turn someone into the joys of trail running.

Maybe, just maybe.

I keep seeing the various running sandals by Teva, Keen, and various others and think they look cool. However, I hear that they aren’t too great for trail running because rocks and debris will get lodged in them. Does anyone have any experiences with trail running in these things?

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.

When I am training, I will always try to run the big hills that are on the trail. Some of the people I run with will stop when they get to the intimidating ones and walk up the hill — I don’t. That’s why I typically finish 5 or 10 minutes before my group. When I’m racing, I will play it by ear with a goal of walking more big hills than running. I think it’s very beneficial on a training run but expends to much energy in a longer race.

I ran a 5 mile training run this morning on a trail. I finished it in just over 43 minutes with only a couple obstacles to slow me down. This puts me at just over an 8:30 minute mile pace, which isn’t good enough for me. Ultimately, I’d like to cut a minute off each of those miles, but I’m not there just yet. I’ll start with trying to get that down to 8 minute miles during my spring runs.

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.

Good luck to all of you running the Rocky Raccoon tomorrow. I just ran a lap around the course and can tell you that there are quite a few wet spots. In fact, one area was nearly impassable without going through an inch or two of water. However, most of it is good and will be a fast course with great weather.

I will be out there from 6pm until midnight at the volunteer tent near camp site 174. Afterwards, I believe that I’ll be pacing someone on their last 40 miles.

See you on the trails!

I went out this morning and ran one loop around the a section of the outer loop at the park. This meant that I ran right around 5.5 miles this morning. I think that was good as I went to a concert last night and didn’t make it in until 1am. It was a little cool outside but the sky was a bright blue and there wasn’t too much water on the trails. It was really beautiful today, but I didn’t have it in me to stay out there for two laps.

I am finally moved and connected to the internet again. It’s very nice to finally have a link to the outside world! I went on a run at Huntsville State Park the other day to try out their trails, but I found they were too wet. I only made it about a mile and a half.

I haven’t run in over three days, so my legs are itching for a run. I think this evening I am going to run 8 or 9 miles just to see some different areas of the city. Overall it seems like a pretty boring place, but it’s only temporary so I’ll just enjoy the running.

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?

Today I went out on the White Rock trails by the hatchery with my brand new digital camera. I decided that it was time to get a camera so that I could take some photos. You’ll see more of the trails in my flickr account.

I was going to go on a bike ride with a friend, but she had to get a tune up for her bike. That was going to take a number of hours, which meant that we had to scrap the biking idea. Instead, I went over to the trails and ran a bit while stopping to take some photos.

I hope you had a great Saturday.

After work today, I put on my running clothes and hit the trails. It was a new trail for me, so I was able to explore as I ran. I ended up going about 8 miles. While I was running, I started to think about whether I like trails or the road better and I couldn’t make up my mind. I think there are nice things about both. The road is good because you can go a little faster and not worry about your ankles. The trails are good because they have better views, it’s easier on your legs, and I think the oxygen is richer. It was a really fun run on the trails.

Today was the first time I ever ran all the way around White Rock Lake without stopping once. I’ll admit that last night I had a couple drinks too many, which meant that I was very dehydrated this morning. Luckily, it didn’t seem that I hit the point of having a full on hang over, but I needed to do something with myself to feel better.

After drinking about 60 ounces of water and doing laundry, I hit the road running. I live off the east side of the lake, so I decided to head clockwise from my home. When I made it to the west side, I decided to run through some of the trails they have made by the old pump house. I ran an extra mile or two back there and crossed the creek by climbing an old tree!

The paths were really crowded with walkers today, so I had to jump off to the grass many times as I was passing people. But I felt strong the entire way around the lake, so I didn’t stop for water or anything.

It looks like I went about 12 miles in just under a 9 minute mile pace.

Just a boring three mile run today. The wind was blowing like crazy, so I enjoyed powering through that. To make up for it, I went and bought some new trail running shoes at DSW. I ended up getting the Saucony Excursion shoes which I’ll try out soon.

Daylight Savings Time has always presented a problem for me because the daylight hours shorten which leaves me less time for running. I know many runners will either turn to cross training, treadmills, or simply take time off but I enjoy night running.

Recently, I have been going on runs around White Rock Lake with after the sun has set because of the peace and focus I can achieve. It’s very satisfying to focus on one small area of space as you run without worries about the world around.

Night running is certainly more dangerous, so I would not recommend it to everyone. Most importantly, you have to have a running partner if you are going to run safely. I think running partners and running clubs are very beneficial to running in general, however, I think it’s essential if you’re going to expose yourself to the dangers of night running. This means that the group or partner should adjust their speed to make sure the entire group is running together.
Slow down. Night running isn’t meant to break any records and it’s going to be a little more difficult to react to your surroundings. This is most applicable when you are trail running at night.

It’s important to have a good headlight or flashlight or both. Petzl and Princeton Tec make light weight headlights that will light a 60 yard area as you run. Lightweight LED flashlights are also a good option if you want to carry a handheld light. Make sure that you pack a extra batteries if you plan to be out on a long night run.

It’s also a good idea to let someone else know that you’re going out on a run. I have really enjoyed all my night runs and always look forward to this time of the year when the runs are still early enough in the evening that I can get a few good miles in before heading home.