The last month has been really reflective for me. I think about that 1st 5k Feb 2014 with my sister & friend Janet. That's all I ever really had in mind when I started this running journey. At the start line I knew that I would finish but I was so nervous. So many people and I had to compete against them. Boy was I wrong! I only had to compete against myself. It was a struggle that day mentally. Someone I cared about was running with me and a person I loved for many years was running it too. No not planned but it was all I could to get through the race. The weeks after the race my running exploded. I was going further each week and my body soon demanded that I get my run in. So many people helped me last year as I slogged my way through every distance except a 10k. Steven Monte,Jennifer Kimble, Nikki,Jose, Jacquline and the list could go on all day! If you are reading this and you ran with me than chances are I gleaned so much info from you to help me in my journey!
Brazos Bend 100- this was I think a turning point in my run. Sure I ran 100 miles and it was great but the people I met and the lessons I took away are so much more! I met Dale and Rachel at the start and I met a wonderful lady at an aid station that has become a great friend and confidant over the last year. Becca - you rock girl! I met the race director that day too. Robert Goyen. Just a good man who has overcame so much adversity in his life as many ultrarunners have is impressive.
In the months since then many other people have impacted my life as well. Carl and Nick have become great friends and guys I can count on anytime anywhere. Some athletes so much better than I could ever dream of being let me bounce ideas off them and they come up with great advice and I so appreciate each and every one of them. The right people have seemed to come into my life at the right time to help me in this crazy running journey I'm on. I'm very humbled!
So why Trail Racing over Texas? I volunteered at Habanero Hundred in August and watching Rob with his runners over a 23 hour period I knew I wanted to be a part of his organization. I love my Team RWB guys and yup I'm still gonna run with you but I felt this ambassador deal would give me the best chance to give back to the trail running community that has given me so much! No matter how many races I complete in the coming years the community as a whole has given me so much more and I appreciate you guys and girls helping me get my life back! To next time #RunStrong #teamTROT
Monday, November 2, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Pumpkin Hollar 100
Pumpkin Hollar? I heard of this race last year and I kinda had to snicker when I heard the name of it. I then heard that it was a race "just" held on a rock road..... More on that later. After getting my butt handed to me I was looking for a more manageable race. Using the term "easier" would simply be blasphemy cause 100 miles is hard no matter where and each race presents its challenges and I thought this courses weaknesses would be a great match with my current strong points. I had a friend training for the 100k and another for the 100 miler. A lot of my friends are getting ready for 2 100's here in Texas but I wanted to do the race that gave me my best chance of success and felt fairly condident I could run this course so I signed up a few months ago and began the mental preparation. My last race Mogollon Monster just 3 weeks ago was hard and missing a cutoff at Mile 30 I think was in sorts a blessing in disguise as it gave me time to get another long run in before Pumpkin and to go into the race very well rested. Sometimes crappy things happen in life but if you are real honest with yourself you will find that things happen for a reason and getting pulled from a mountain race was great for my next race. This race I also changed up my planning,race strategy, nutrition. Everything. All the things that weren't working I put on the back burner. My last 3 100's I haven't had pacers to drag me home and I haven't got them done. This race, as soon as I signed up I went and got 2 very good friends to commit to pacing me to the finish line. More on them later.... Leading up to the race, I had to travel a lot with work. Like 7 of the 14 days before the event. I squeezed in a 53 mile run broke up into 3 segments 14 days prior at the urging of my buddy Dale. Everyone says that a long run won't help your next race unless done 21 days out and maybe that's the science of it, but science can't predict the mental strength and confidence that helped me. Nutrition wise- I threw it all out the window. I had been overeating at all my races and in turn getting sluggish. After several long conversations with a few people I knew I had to switch things up. Pace wise- Dale convinced me that I had a ton more early speed and I was wasting it by hanging out in the rear of the field and a few other friends concurred so I worked on that leading up to the race.
Race day- As I said earlier, this course was on a gravel/Rock road. Looking at the course profile, it looked fairly doable with my short running experience. It was set up on 3 50k loops with a 8 mile out and back to began the race to get to 100 miles. Aid stations were no more than 5 miles apart and from previous race reports they were well stocked. Friday am my friend/pacer Jose aka Pepe Ruuner met me at my house and we set off to pick up my other friend and pacer Jeff Maddron. Jose was there with me when I did my 1st trail run ever at Big Cedar in January 2014 so it was awesome having him with me on this part of my journey and really bolstered my drive to finish. Jeff is a young man who I've met through Team RWB and is striving to get back into running Ultra's after being out for several years as he was serving in the US Army. Both of these guys are vets and I knew they could get me through the rough spots. That night we went to packet pickup and ran into so many friends from the Dallas trail running community. Nikki and Billy who I met in 2013 when I tried to run for a couple of months were there as well as Marcus and Jenny. Jacquline and Lisa were there for their 1st 100k race and Carol was there to run 100 miles. It was basically a reunion in Tahlequah,Oklahoma for me with some of my original trail running peeps and made me proud to be running that race.
Race morning- after discussing race strategy with Dale n Carl I decided to go out with a garmin and a stopwatch and hold a 12 minute pace as long as I could and then to finish the race dependent on my pacers dragging me along. Dale wanted me to wear a hydration vest as I have in every Ultra but my 1st. I took my vest to the race but never unpacked it. Instead I opted for simply a handheld and a belt to hold any nutrition I may need. I had 3 drop bags across the course and with aid stations fairly close I knew I could manage for a few miles. The race started at 8am with the 8 mile out and back. 1st mile was fairly easy and then we hit the hills. I heard this section was tough but the jeep road made it fairly doable. I power hiked the next 2 miles up hill with a couple of run sections mixed in. In no time I hit the turn around and headed back down to the start line 4 miles away. I'm not sure what happened but I was going faster than I normally do even on a training run. I'd look at my current pace on the downhills and have to slow down. I planned on doing this section in 1:45 but rolled into start my 1st 50k loop in 1:30. The 1st loop my whole intention was to feel out the course,stay on top of my nutrition and run as much of it as I could. I had a drop bag at mile 8ish,14,23 and start line with Tailwind, Ensure,V8 fusion, Gu's(tons of em) and snacks. I opted to stick with the liquids and browse on Pringles at every other aid station to keep something solid in my stomach. There is 150 calories in 6 Pringles too so that helped some. I made the decision to drink tailwind every other aid station and on the others to simply drink water. I had 1 20ounce bottle on me and I had to make this work or resort to the vest on loop 2. Loop 1 was fairly easy. Huge hill at mile 4.5 with a fairly sharp descent after it. Mile 25 to 28 was very sharp ascents and descents and mile 23 or so to mile 25.7 was hard hot blacktop. I came into the start line with the 1st 40 done in 8:55 I believe. It was a solid pace for the 1st loop. My garmin died at mile 29 into the race with a 12:48 overall pace and I struggled the last 9 miles without it and got passed by 3 people. Wasn't happy about that but that was my best pace ever early into a ultra so big picture I was happy.
Loop 2- Jeff was pacing me this round and we went out fairly easy. I used up alotta energy the 1st 40 and really just didn't want to do anything stupid. I had another Gamin in my bag and Jeff was wearing it when I came in. Looking back now, I should have had it on and been looking at my current pace instead of asking him because I didn't push nearly enough. The loop was fairly easy with no huge mistakes. As the loop went on the temps dropped and I got really cold with like 12 miles to go. I struggled crossing a cattle guard but fortunately Jeff was there to help me through it. We had a nice conversation about everything. What is said on the trails stays there but it was some good miles. We finished up and I was simply shivering and chattering.
Loop 3- the guys brought my chair and drop bag into the restroom so I could get warmer clothes and fresh shoes on. The rocks were doing a number on my feet and I was afraid to pull off my socks to see the damage. After a quick change and throwing down some calories they had me sit by a fire. Not smart as it made the cold even colder when we headed back out. At this point my feet hurt so bad and I just wanted to finish this race however I had to. We trudged through the night. Jose I apologize for my grumpiness but everything hurt. My head,arms, feet and legs were killing me. The only thing that felt great was my stomach. We made fairly decent death march time but when a guy named Kim flew by me walking as he did the entire 100 miles I knew I was sucking pretty hard. I had chafed terrible and a major mistake was not losing the underwear at the start line. The sun soon appeared and spirits soared for me. Finally losing the underwear helped my situation in my privates and getting rid the pants helped too. Jose kept urging me to run and I gave him all I had whenever I could. We got to the last drop bag location with 9 miles left and 3 hours to go. Deep down I was really afraid of not making it. Jose stopped to fill my bottle for me so as a joke I ran ahead to make him catch me. He hadn't ran much all night so I thought why not? Well I forgot he hadn't seen this part of the course and there's a Y in the road with curves on the one I took. Needless to say, it took a couple of miles for him to catch me but I made up some time. My feet have never hurt as bad as they did that last section. We pushed on mostly hiking with short shuffles mixed in. I had a 2 hour lead on our friend Carol earlier in the race but with a 1/2 mile to the finish line, her and her pacer Jorge came flying past. I couldn't respond for a bit but it felt good knowing that a friend was going to finish the race. Finally the last 1/4 mile I was able to run again and actually had to wait for her to finish before I came in. 29:53 hours into it with a 30 hour clock I got my 2nd 100 mile buckle.
Takeaways- never ever stop believing in myself. After 3 straight 100 mile dnf's I somehow with the help of others managed to keep that fire lit to run this distance. Pacers- neither of my guys had ran a 100 before but they were friends and they believed in me. Choosing them and them helping me was a plus. Nutrition- I joked to Jose that I was the Gu miester. I must have had 40 in all my drop bags. I took 2 the entire race. I ran on minimal calories compared to my other races and I never felt bloated or wanted to hurl. I tried to do 200 to 250 an hour on this course and it was optimal for me. Dropping the vest and just using a handheld helped me so much. The vest usually slows me a minute a mile and holds sweat against my body. Im not sure I'll use it much in the future unless it's a mountain race or summer. Pace- freaking trust your training and run. I've always been trying to be cute and overthinking things. Time on feet is time on feet regardless of your pace. 100 miles is going to hurt anyway so why not go out a little faster and see what you have. I went out fast for me and still was able to muster a finish. Maybe this race will make me stronger for the next by doing so???? We will see. 2 days later I have zero blisters and I'm able to walk like a functioning human this morning so life will be back to normal soon for a bit. In 26 days me and my buddy Carl along with another Dallas friend fly to Illinois for Tunnel Hill 100. I'll see what lessons I learned last week will help me in my next endeavor. Til next time #RunStrong
Race day- As I said earlier, this course was on a gravel/Rock road. Looking at the course profile, it looked fairly doable with my short running experience. It was set up on 3 50k loops with a 8 mile out and back to began the race to get to 100 miles. Aid stations were no more than 5 miles apart and from previous race reports they were well stocked. Friday am my friend/pacer Jose aka Pepe Ruuner met me at my house and we set off to pick up my other friend and pacer Jeff Maddron. Jose was there with me when I did my 1st trail run ever at Big Cedar in January 2014 so it was awesome having him with me on this part of my journey and really bolstered my drive to finish. Jeff is a young man who I've met through Team RWB and is striving to get back into running Ultra's after being out for several years as he was serving in the US Army. Both of these guys are vets and I knew they could get me through the rough spots. That night we went to packet pickup and ran into so many friends from the Dallas trail running community. Nikki and Billy who I met in 2013 when I tried to run for a couple of months were there as well as Marcus and Jenny. Jacquline and Lisa were there for their 1st 100k race and Carol was there to run 100 miles. It was basically a reunion in Tahlequah,Oklahoma for me with some of my original trail running peeps and made me proud to be running that race.
Race morning- after discussing race strategy with Dale n Carl I decided to go out with a garmin and a stopwatch and hold a 12 minute pace as long as I could and then to finish the race dependent on my pacers dragging me along. Dale wanted me to wear a hydration vest as I have in every Ultra but my 1st. I took my vest to the race but never unpacked it. Instead I opted for simply a handheld and a belt to hold any nutrition I may need. I had 3 drop bags across the course and with aid stations fairly close I knew I could manage for a few miles. The race started at 8am with the 8 mile out and back. 1st mile was fairly easy and then we hit the hills. I heard this section was tough but the jeep road made it fairly doable. I power hiked the next 2 miles up hill with a couple of run sections mixed in. In no time I hit the turn around and headed back down to the start line 4 miles away. I'm not sure what happened but I was going faster than I normally do even on a training run. I'd look at my current pace on the downhills and have to slow down. I planned on doing this section in 1:45 but rolled into start my 1st 50k loop in 1:30. The 1st loop my whole intention was to feel out the course,stay on top of my nutrition and run as much of it as I could. I had a drop bag at mile 8ish,14,23 and start line with Tailwind, Ensure,V8 fusion, Gu's(tons of em) and snacks. I opted to stick with the liquids and browse on Pringles at every other aid station to keep something solid in my stomach. There is 150 calories in 6 Pringles too so that helped some. I made the decision to drink tailwind every other aid station and on the others to simply drink water. I had 1 20ounce bottle on me and I had to make this work or resort to the vest on loop 2. Loop 1 was fairly easy. Huge hill at mile 4.5 with a fairly sharp descent after it. Mile 25 to 28 was very sharp ascents and descents and mile 23 or so to mile 25.7 was hard hot blacktop. I came into the start line with the 1st 40 done in 8:55 I believe. It was a solid pace for the 1st loop. My garmin died at mile 29 into the race with a 12:48 overall pace and I struggled the last 9 miles without it and got passed by 3 people. Wasn't happy about that but that was my best pace ever early into a ultra so big picture I was happy.
Loop 2- Jeff was pacing me this round and we went out fairly easy. I used up alotta energy the 1st 40 and really just didn't want to do anything stupid. I had another Gamin in my bag and Jeff was wearing it when I came in. Looking back now, I should have had it on and been looking at my current pace instead of asking him because I didn't push nearly enough. The loop was fairly easy with no huge mistakes. As the loop went on the temps dropped and I got really cold with like 12 miles to go. I struggled crossing a cattle guard but fortunately Jeff was there to help me through it. We had a nice conversation about everything. What is said on the trails stays there but it was some good miles. We finished up and I was simply shivering and chattering.
Loop 3- the guys brought my chair and drop bag into the restroom so I could get warmer clothes and fresh shoes on. The rocks were doing a number on my feet and I was afraid to pull off my socks to see the damage. After a quick change and throwing down some calories they had me sit by a fire. Not smart as it made the cold even colder when we headed back out. At this point my feet hurt so bad and I just wanted to finish this race however I had to. We trudged through the night. Jose I apologize for my grumpiness but everything hurt. My head,arms, feet and legs were killing me. The only thing that felt great was my stomach. We made fairly decent death march time but when a guy named Kim flew by me walking as he did the entire 100 miles I knew I was sucking pretty hard. I had chafed terrible and a major mistake was not losing the underwear at the start line. The sun soon appeared and spirits soared for me. Finally losing the underwear helped my situation in my privates and getting rid the pants helped too. Jose kept urging me to run and I gave him all I had whenever I could. We got to the last drop bag location with 9 miles left and 3 hours to go. Deep down I was really afraid of not making it. Jose stopped to fill my bottle for me so as a joke I ran ahead to make him catch me. He hadn't ran much all night so I thought why not? Well I forgot he hadn't seen this part of the course and there's a Y in the road with curves on the one I took. Needless to say, it took a couple of miles for him to catch me but I made up some time. My feet have never hurt as bad as they did that last section. We pushed on mostly hiking with short shuffles mixed in. I had a 2 hour lead on our friend Carol earlier in the race but with a 1/2 mile to the finish line, her and her pacer Jorge came flying past. I couldn't respond for a bit but it felt good knowing that a friend was going to finish the race. Finally the last 1/4 mile I was able to run again and actually had to wait for her to finish before I came in. 29:53 hours into it with a 30 hour clock I got my 2nd 100 mile buckle.
Takeaways- never ever stop believing in myself. After 3 straight 100 mile dnf's I somehow with the help of others managed to keep that fire lit to run this distance. Pacers- neither of my guys had ran a 100 before but they were friends and they believed in me. Choosing them and them helping me was a plus. Nutrition- I joked to Jose that I was the Gu miester. I must have had 40 in all my drop bags. I took 2 the entire race. I ran on minimal calories compared to my other races and I never felt bloated or wanted to hurl. I tried to do 200 to 250 an hour on this course and it was optimal for me. Dropping the vest and just using a handheld helped me so much. The vest usually slows me a minute a mile and holds sweat against my body. Im not sure I'll use it much in the future unless it's a mountain race or summer. Pace- freaking trust your training and run. I've always been trying to be cute and overthinking things. Time on feet is time on feet regardless of your pace. 100 miles is going to hurt anyway so why not go out a little faster and see what you have. I went out fast for me and still was able to muster a finish. Maybe this race will make me stronger for the next by doing so???? We will see. 2 days later I have zero blisters and I'm able to walk like a functioning human this morning so life will be back to normal soon for a bit. In 26 days me and my buddy Carl along with another Dallas friend fly to Illinois for Tunnel Hill 100. I'll see what lessons I learned last week will help me in my next endeavor. Til next time #RunStrong
Monday, September 28, 2015
Mogollon Monster
Gosh I'm really not sure where to start or what to even write. I had talked about doing this race in 2014 but quickly backed out knowing I'd be in over my head. After getting hammered mentally at Cruel Jewel 100 back in May, I knew I wanted to do another mountain race irregardless of the outcome. 100 miles is hard no matter the terrain but the views are unbelievable the higher you go. I rolled my Leadville entry knowing that physically I was unable to complete that race this year and somewhat felt the same going into Mogollon. I have more races this fall on more manageable courses for me at this stage of my running but decided to go ahead and run this race and worst case scenario, help some of my friends get a finish if I couldn't. Our Texas group was myself, one of my best friends Steven, Pomillo,Ace,Nancy,Lonnie and Julie. Everyone else was VERY accomplished runners and it was an honor to hang with these guys for 3 days.
The race was set up at 106 miles with somewhat liberal cutoffs when we signed up. A week or so before the race it was announced that it was 109. 106,109,whatever. It was still going to be dang tough. Race morning we all met at the start line. Jokingly a lady in our group asked the race director if the cut offs were extended because of the additional mileage. He joked back that they were unofficially loose times. I'm not sure what that means but for alotta rear pack runners in Ultra's, cut offs are one of the most important aspects of a race in order to get a finish. We all can't be elites. Anyhow the race starts at 6am with a 8.6/10 mile section. I don't think anyone really knew how far the sections are. We asked about it and was told that they weren't big on exact miles...... Ok- that's kinda important to a rear pack person that's going to be chasing the clock. My stategy was to run the downhills, hike the ups and run/walk the few flats that there was going to be. This race is up and down the Mogollon Rim in Pine,Az and the 1st section took us up over the rim. The climb in that 1st section was brutal but short. Maybe 2 miles? I played leapfrog with a guy from Cali. He was fast on downhills and I'd pass him every up. We did that for the entire section but the company was great. Once I crested the top and looked across the rim it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I try not to push my faith off on others but I commented to the guy I was with that if anyone didn't believe in God, seeing that rim would probably make them change their mind. You can believe in whatever you choose but that kind of beauty has been unmatched in what I've ever experienced in life. After cresting, we hit a aid station at what I had was 10 miles. I was spot on with my time and felt great! After refilling my water and eating I headed back out for 5 miles to the next aid. These 5 took me along a fence before crossing it and through some open woods and then down a gravel road for almost 4 miles. Just a mindless section but easy on the legs. Looking back, I could have ran that part hard and still been ok physically but I stuck to my planned pace. 2nd aid, I rushed through it and on to section 3 which was about 5 miles but with a descent down the rim. I was excited to hit those 2 miles of descent and roll into the next aid. It was all great until I hit the downhill. I've ran Cactus and Bandera both and they are pretty dang tame. It's almost like a truck dumped loose rocks for 2 miles down a trail. I couldn't run that section at all. I'm a great hiker and can hold a pace for hours on end around 15 to 17:30 minute miles but my Garmin kept coming up with like 23 minute miles. Just a soul sucking descent. After that it was just short up and downs into Aid 3 named Geronimo. The volunteers were great and they got me out of there fairly quickly and away I went on to the next section.
Section 4- 10.2 miles. I asked countless locals how far this was and they all said 8.6 but every runner with a Garmin had 10 to 10.2 that I asked...... Who knows how far it is? I know this was a rough but doable section. It's very exposed to the sun and the temps were bumping 90. About 7 miles in the sweeper caught me by suprise. I've never ran a race and seen one. He crawled right up on my butt and wouldn't back off. I'd go faster and him n his partner would speed up. He said they left 15 minutes after the start.... Anyway it was frustrating having a chatterbox in my back pocket that last bit. I'm usually alone and trying to figure out what I need to do in order to save time. At 10.2 miles I rolled into Washington Park at 4:08 on my watch with a 4pm cutoff. The Hamm radio operator said I was out. I asked him the time and he had 4:04 but said I had to ask the RD to continue. I of course got really upset and took off my gear and sat down to pout. About a 1/2 hour later the RD asks me why I'm still there n not running???? I was polite....... At that point I knew that even if I got to the next aid station I was probably going to fight cutoffs and with a more manageable 100 in 3 weeks there was zero point in trashing my legs so I turned my focus onto the other runners that I came here with.
Takeaways- 30 miles on that course was fun. I'm not ready for mountain racing. I'm running Leadville in July 2016 but until then I will run races that I'm more than fairly confident on completing. I went into Cruel Jewel super fit and left there a mess physically. This race, I went into it as a stronger runner but less fit in my upper body and came home ready to run again in the morning. There are easier big named mountain races that look tough on paper but aren't a Mogollon or Cruel. Maybe one day I'll do one of those. In the meantime my schedule is full through 2015. Pumpkin Hollar is 19 days away and I have 2 really great friends to pace me and hopefully another to crew me n kick me in the butt when I get pouty.
I'm really proud to know Steven Monte,Pomillo Romero and Lonnie Coone. Crewing Steven n Pompi from 52 to 109 and Lonnie from 86 to 109 was pretty cool and I'm thankful for the front row seat as they finished a hard race with so much stacked against them. Nice run guys!
I have griped about certain aspects of this race but at the end of the day, I was in way over my head. If you wanna get stronger, you just have to work harder and run more. It's pretty simple. Til next time #RunStrong
The race was set up at 106 miles with somewhat liberal cutoffs when we signed up. A week or so before the race it was announced that it was 109. 106,109,whatever. It was still going to be dang tough. Race morning we all met at the start line. Jokingly a lady in our group asked the race director if the cut offs were extended because of the additional mileage. He joked back that they were unofficially loose times. I'm not sure what that means but for alotta rear pack runners in Ultra's, cut offs are one of the most important aspects of a race in order to get a finish. We all can't be elites. Anyhow the race starts at 6am with a 8.6/10 mile section. I don't think anyone really knew how far the sections are. We asked about it and was told that they weren't big on exact miles...... Ok- that's kinda important to a rear pack person that's going to be chasing the clock. My stategy was to run the downhills, hike the ups and run/walk the few flats that there was going to be. This race is up and down the Mogollon Rim in Pine,Az and the 1st section took us up over the rim. The climb in that 1st section was brutal but short. Maybe 2 miles? I played leapfrog with a guy from Cali. He was fast on downhills and I'd pass him every up. We did that for the entire section but the company was great. Once I crested the top and looked across the rim it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I try not to push my faith off on others but I commented to the guy I was with that if anyone didn't believe in God, seeing that rim would probably make them change their mind. You can believe in whatever you choose but that kind of beauty has been unmatched in what I've ever experienced in life. After cresting, we hit a aid station at what I had was 10 miles. I was spot on with my time and felt great! After refilling my water and eating I headed back out for 5 miles to the next aid. These 5 took me along a fence before crossing it and through some open woods and then down a gravel road for almost 4 miles. Just a mindless section but easy on the legs. Looking back, I could have ran that part hard and still been ok physically but I stuck to my planned pace. 2nd aid, I rushed through it and on to section 3 which was about 5 miles but with a descent down the rim. I was excited to hit those 2 miles of descent and roll into the next aid. It was all great until I hit the downhill. I've ran Cactus and Bandera both and they are pretty dang tame. It's almost like a truck dumped loose rocks for 2 miles down a trail. I couldn't run that section at all. I'm a great hiker and can hold a pace for hours on end around 15 to 17:30 minute miles but my Garmin kept coming up with like 23 minute miles. Just a soul sucking descent. After that it was just short up and downs into Aid 3 named Geronimo. The volunteers were great and they got me out of there fairly quickly and away I went on to the next section.
Section 4- 10.2 miles. I asked countless locals how far this was and they all said 8.6 but every runner with a Garmin had 10 to 10.2 that I asked...... Who knows how far it is? I know this was a rough but doable section. It's very exposed to the sun and the temps were bumping 90. About 7 miles in the sweeper caught me by suprise. I've never ran a race and seen one. He crawled right up on my butt and wouldn't back off. I'd go faster and him n his partner would speed up. He said they left 15 minutes after the start.... Anyway it was frustrating having a chatterbox in my back pocket that last bit. I'm usually alone and trying to figure out what I need to do in order to save time. At 10.2 miles I rolled into Washington Park at 4:08 on my watch with a 4pm cutoff. The Hamm radio operator said I was out. I asked him the time and he had 4:04 but said I had to ask the RD to continue. I of course got really upset and took off my gear and sat down to pout. About a 1/2 hour later the RD asks me why I'm still there n not running???? I was polite....... At that point I knew that even if I got to the next aid station I was probably going to fight cutoffs and with a more manageable 100 in 3 weeks there was zero point in trashing my legs so I turned my focus onto the other runners that I came here with.
Takeaways- 30 miles on that course was fun. I'm not ready for mountain racing. I'm running Leadville in July 2016 but until then I will run races that I'm more than fairly confident on completing. I went into Cruel Jewel super fit and left there a mess physically. This race, I went into it as a stronger runner but less fit in my upper body and came home ready to run again in the morning. There are easier big named mountain races that look tough on paper but aren't a Mogollon or Cruel. Maybe one day I'll do one of those. In the meantime my schedule is full through 2015. Pumpkin Hollar is 19 days away and I have 2 really great friends to pace me and hopefully another to crew me n kick me in the butt when I get pouty.
I'm really proud to know Steven Monte,Pomillo Romero and Lonnie Coone. Crewing Steven n Pompi from 52 to 109 and Lonnie from 86 to 109 was pretty cool and I'm thankful for the front row seat as they finished a hard race with so much stacked against them. Nice run guys!
I have griped about certain aspects of this race but at the end of the day, I was in way over my head. If you wanna get stronger, you just have to work harder and run more. It's pretty simple. Til next time #RunStrong
Monday, August 31, 2015
Captain Karl's Revielle Peak Ranch
Gosh I'm not sure where to start... This was the 4th 60k to do in 75 days and a finish would mean a buckle for completing all of them. The previous 2 weekends I didn't run much. I ran quite a bit in between the previous races and after the last one I wound up with strep one weekend and the next I volunteered a double shift at Habanero Hundred. I went into the race still mentally drained but physically I felt great. This one is billed as the toughest one and the most popular one and both turned out true. As in 2 of the previous 3 races my buddy Dale agreed to go and work an aid station while I tried to finish out the series. He's been a godsend to me keeping me motivated and my head in the game. People like that are rare in one's life so must be treasured. We got down to Burnet,Tx where the race was and there were so many new faces than from the previous 3 races. I'm proud to say that the DFW area had a few runners as well as volunteers. Going into a race the faces of people you know always Gives me a smile. The course was set up in 3 12.44 loops. I had ran the course last year doing the Box of Rox marathon so I knew the challenges that awaited. Brad, the RD had the aid stations set up at 1.25, 3 -3.2 or so and then another 1.25 to the start/finish line. Basically a 1.25,3 5k's and a mile to complete a loop. Easy peasy!
The race started and I felt pretty awesome! I went out towards the rear of the field but not in the back. A friend told me I was going a little fast but it was cloudy and temps were ok. I use the 1st loop usually to check out the course and run as much as I can while it's still light. Everything was great and I got to Mile 8 where Dale was volunteering and refilled my nutrition for the next loop. After battling rocks and having to power hike some the trail turned into a smooth trail and my friend I was running with wanted to run so away we went. It was dark but I was seeing red spots on the ground. I knew I was getting behind on my hydration but we were set up to complete a 3 hour loop. It was all good until I stumbled on a rock and hit the ground. My knee was banged up and my head hit another rock I guess. It hurt like heck but I had to get up and start hiking to work out the kinks. I'm not real sure how far I hiked but I was real groggy and wanted to just lay down so I did. I laid there maybe 5 minutes and then my friend and a guy with us, Wayne helped me up. I had to walk it out...... I did for maybe .10 of a mile or so- I don't really remember. We were going up a hill and my knees were shaking and I knew I had to find a big rock to lean against and gather myself back up. I soon found the perfect place and told my friends I was just going to nap and I'd be ok. I sat there and tried eating a Gu but wanted to hurl really bad. I finally convinced Wayne to go on and save his race. My other friend wouldn't leave. She texted Dale and she stuck with me for 24 minutes. I FINALLY got her to go hoping she'd get some help and save her race as well. After she left I don't remember much other than just staring at the stars in the dark. It was beautiful. At some point a guy running the 30k stopped and shook me asking if I was ok. I dunno who it was or what all he said but I was able to get up and finally hurl. That felt so good! I started walking it out sucking on water. The more I walked the better I felt and was able to get back to the last aid and get my pack refilled and finish the loop.
Loop 2- I wanted to see where I was time wise and see if I could catch my friend. I hiked and jogged until I felt better. The aid stations were great checking on me and I assured them I was moving fine. Towards the end of loop 2 I finally caught my friend and I knew then that no matter what she was going to finish.
Loop 3- LOTSA power hiking! I broke down the course in my head and the time left to complete it and we went to work. At this point we both just wanted a finish. I needed it for a buckle and we got it done with like 7 minutes to spare. Crossing the pond dam and hearing people cheering us on felt great! As usual Pompillo was there waiting on me after he had crushed the course record. Thomas Orf it was great seeing you there as well! Chris Oles man you are a warrior! Julie- a lady that I ran the series off and on with, it was great seeing you with that buckle! Nancy & Bill- you guys inspire me so much and Robin we need to run together more!
Takeaways- man this was a tough series! I guess on this race I learned to never give up and value the ones that help you. My friend that almost threw her race away by staying with me for nearly 30 minutes at mile 9 gave me the inspiration to push on for 28 more miles. Knowing your pace and how fast you can get somewhere is so vital to finishing a race like this. Being slow but having a pretty good power hike saved me a couple of times during these 4 races. Never give up just because you feel bad. Your body and mind changes if you just keep pushing forward! These are lessons I'm taking with me to Mogollon Monster 100 in 27 days. The hay is in the barn and I'm going to rest my mind and just do maintence runs with the legs. Til next time, #RunStrong
The race started and I felt pretty awesome! I went out towards the rear of the field but not in the back. A friend told me I was going a little fast but it was cloudy and temps were ok. I use the 1st loop usually to check out the course and run as much as I can while it's still light. Everything was great and I got to Mile 8 where Dale was volunteering and refilled my nutrition for the next loop. After battling rocks and having to power hike some the trail turned into a smooth trail and my friend I was running with wanted to run so away we went. It was dark but I was seeing red spots on the ground. I knew I was getting behind on my hydration but we were set up to complete a 3 hour loop. It was all good until I stumbled on a rock and hit the ground. My knee was banged up and my head hit another rock I guess. It hurt like heck but I had to get up and start hiking to work out the kinks. I'm not real sure how far I hiked but I was real groggy and wanted to just lay down so I did. I laid there maybe 5 minutes and then my friend and a guy with us, Wayne helped me up. I had to walk it out...... I did for maybe .10 of a mile or so- I don't really remember. We were going up a hill and my knees were shaking and I knew I had to find a big rock to lean against and gather myself back up. I soon found the perfect place and told my friends I was just going to nap and I'd be ok. I sat there and tried eating a Gu but wanted to hurl really bad. I finally convinced Wayne to go on and save his race. My other friend wouldn't leave. She texted Dale and she stuck with me for 24 minutes. I FINALLY got her to go hoping she'd get some help and save her race as well. After she left I don't remember much other than just staring at the stars in the dark. It was beautiful. At some point a guy running the 30k stopped and shook me asking if I was ok. I dunno who it was or what all he said but I was able to get up and finally hurl. That felt so good! I started walking it out sucking on water. The more I walked the better I felt and was able to get back to the last aid and get my pack refilled and finish the loop.
Loop 2- I wanted to see where I was time wise and see if I could catch my friend. I hiked and jogged until I felt better. The aid stations were great checking on me and I assured them I was moving fine. Towards the end of loop 2 I finally caught my friend and I knew then that no matter what she was going to finish.
Loop 3- LOTSA power hiking! I broke down the course in my head and the time left to complete it and we went to work. At this point we both just wanted a finish. I needed it for a buckle and we got it done with like 7 minutes to spare. Crossing the pond dam and hearing people cheering us on felt great! As usual Pompillo was there waiting on me after he had crushed the course record. Thomas Orf it was great seeing you there as well! Chris Oles man you are a warrior! Julie- a lady that I ran the series off and on with, it was great seeing you with that buckle! Nancy & Bill- you guys inspire me so much and Robin we need to run together more!
Takeaways- man this was a tough series! I guess on this race I learned to never give up and value the ones that help you. My friend that almost threw her race away by staying with me for nearly 30 minutes at mile 9 gave me the inspiration to push on for 28 more miles. Knowing your pace and how fast you can get somewhere is so vital to finishing a race like this. Being slow but having a pretty good power hike saved me a couple of times during these 4 races. Never give up just because you feel bad. Your body and mind changes if you just keep pushing forward! These are lessons I'm taking with me to Mogollon Monster 100 in 27 days. The hay is in the barn and I'm going to rest my mind and just do maintence runs with the legs. Til next time, #RunStrong
Monday, August 10, 2015
Captain Karl's Colorado Bend 60k
After running the 1st 2 races of this 4 race series I had to go for another one. Getting a buckle for running 4 60k's at night on tough trails is definitely a motivator but more so is just the allure of mental training on how to function during the night when tired. I had never ran the course so I started asking questions and really all I heard was how hard it was and that it had lotsa rocks. Typical trails in central Texas but after reading old race reports I knew there were several good climbs involved as well. Bonus work!! Last week I was given the opportunity to run Mogollon Monster 100 in September so hills are definitely a plus for me this month!
I've been traveling to these races with my buddy Dale but after his recent Badwater 135 finish he had other obligations so my friend Eric decided he'd run the 30k and drive me back so I could catch a nap afterwards. Great guy! We made the trip and got down to Lampasas at 4. Like 3 hours before the race but it gave me time to catch up with friends I only see at races. The people is what running trails is all about! The only goals I had was to finish, run on mostly the nutrition I had brought and lastly was to not finish before the sun came up. That sunrise gives you a burst of energy and until I totally trust that, I'll struggle at the 100 mile distance. These night runs I view as great training. I'm too old n slow to race it so I'll let the fast ones have that battle.
The race started at 7 and I hung out in the rear. At 1st with my friend Janiel but I knew she wanted to push harder than I planned on so I let her go. The 30k people started at 7:15 and soon began catching us and I just didn't get pulled into their speed and gave them as much room as possible. This week I've had some things on my mind so I ran mostly alone doing the thinking thing. The 1st loop was easy with my nutrition and energy levels spot on. I noticed that the 1st and last 3 miles of the loops were just mostly a graveyard for rocks but the rest of the course was fairly easy. The major climbs were on jeep type road stuff and the only other tough section was at about mile 9 to 10.5 but then it kicked you onto a gravel road for a 1/2 mile to recover. The easy parts were really good running if a person wanted to run it fast.
1st loop was done and I grabbed my Tailwind and the last 4 Gu's I'd brought and downed an Ensure I had and I headed back out. I guess that Ensure really wasn't good for me because at the 1st aid station (mile 21) I really wanted to just puke it out but couldn't. Fortunately the aid station had Coke and Ginger Ale and I got some down n headed out. Soon after I was fine and life was good. Good til I kept hearing a noise behind me. Some huge dog/coyote thing was tailing me. I'd turn around and put my light on it and it'd freeze. I'd go and it'd go to. We played this game for a mile or 2 until I started shouting at it. It got on out of there and I was alone again. At mile 27 I ran into my friend Nancy who pulled a glute and was just trying to get through it. I tried staying with her but with me wanting to see the sunrise, I knew I would be cutting it close on time. No finish=No buckle so I wasn't happy but had to push on. As I was on the last 3 miles, the sun came up and I got to put up my headlamp and run it in just as I had planned.
Takeaways- I'm really not sure. This was a race where nothing went wrong and I followed my plan and had a big grin when I finished. Nothing spectacular about my time but I wasn't there for that. My nutrition was almost spot on for over 11 hours. I took Coke twice at aid stations, 2 cookies, 2 pieces of watermelon and a banana which I promptly spit out. I learned I can go a little while unsupported except water and be fine and I learned even more how much energy a sunrise gives you! Nancy did finish in time. The girl is a warrior!!! Props to Scott & Melanie Rabb! You guys ran a tight aid station! Thanks for being out there supporting the trail community! Brad Quinn, you put on another stellar event! More people should run these races and experience the thrill of running through the night! Great racing and for guys like me, it's awesome 100 mile training. As I'm writing this, my friend Gia finished the Bigfoot 200 today with 1st place female and I think 5th overall. I had planned on pacing her but couldn't get the time off work. I'm proud to call her my friend n Gia, I owe you a pacing gig! Runners like her keep me motivated! Til next time, #RunStrong
I've been traveling to these races with my buddy Dale but after his recent Badwater 135 finish he had other obligations so my friend Eric decided he'd run the 30k and drive me back so I could catch a nap afterwards. Great guy! We made the trip and got down to Lampasas at 4. Like 3 hours before the race but it gave me time to catch up with friends I only see at races. The people is what running trails is all about! The only goals I had was to finish, run on mostly the nutrition I had brought and lastly was to not finish before the sun came up. That sunrise gives you a burst of energy and until I totally trust that, I'll struggle at the 100 mile distance. These night runs I view as great training. I'm too old n slow to race it so I'll let the fast ones have that battle.
The race started at 7 and I hung out in the rear. At 1st with my friend Janiel but I knew she wanted to push harder than I planned on so I let her go. The 30k people started at 7:15 and soon began catching us and I just didn't get pulled into their speed and gave them as much room as possible. This week I've had some things on my mind so I ran mostly alone doing the thinking thing. The 1st loop was easy with my nutrition and energy levels spot on. I noticed that the 1st and last 3 miles of the loops were just mostly a graveyard for rocks but the rest of the course was fairly easy. The major climbs were on jeep type road stuff and the only other tough section was at about mile 9 to 10.5 but then it kicked you onto a gravel road for a 1/2 mile to recover. The easy parts were really good running if a person wanted to run it fast.
1st loop was done and I grabbed my Tailwind and the last 4 Gu's I'd brought and downed an Ensure I had and I headed back out. I guess that Ensure really wasn't good for me because at the 1st aid station (mile 21) I really wanted to just puke it out but couldn't. Fortunately the aid station had Coke and Ginger Ale and I got some down n headed out. Soon after I was fine and life was good. Good til I kept hearing a noise behind me. Some huge dog/coyote thing was tailing me. I'd turn around and put my light on it and it'd freeze. I'd go and it'd go to. We played this game for a mile or 2 until I started shouting at it. It got on out of there and I was alone again. At mile 27 I ran into my friend Nancy who pulled a glute and was just trying to get through it. I tried staying with her but with me wanting to see the sunrise, I knew I would be cutting it close on time. No finish=No buckle so I wasn't happy but had to push on. As I was on the last 3 miles, the sun came up and I got to put up my headlamp and run it in just as I had planned.
Takeaways- I'm really not sure. This was a race where nothing went wrong and I followed my plan and had a big grin when I finished. Nothing spectacular about my time but I wasn't there for that. My nutrition was almost spot on for over 11 hours. I took Coke twice at aid stations, 2 cookies, 2 pieces of watermelon and a banana which I promptly spit out. I learned I can go a little while unsupported except water and be fine and I learned even more how much energy a sunrise gives you! Nancy did finish in time. The girl is a warrior!!! Props to Scott & Melanie Rabb! You guys ran a tight aid station! Thanks for being out there supporting the trail community! Brad Quinn, you put on another stellar event! More people should run these races and experience the thrill of running through the night! Great racing and for guys like me, it's awesome 100 mile training. As I'm writing this, my friend Gia finished the Bigfoot 200 today with 1st place female and I think 5th overall. I had planned on pacing her but couldn't get the time off work. I'm proud to call her my friend n Gia, I owe you a pacing gig! Runners like her keep me motivated! Til next time, #RunStrong
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Fossil Rim 9 hour Run
The previous weekend I had ran 44 miles with the highlight being surving a near DNF because of time. All week my feet hurt and walking was limited, much less dreaming of running a race. Blisters under the pads of your feet heal slow unless you go see a doctor. Which being a man, I'm hard headed and so I suffer through it. Running a race was the last thing on my mind but really wanted to get a few miles in Saturday morning and the plan was to take a cooler of beer and cheer on my friends running the race.
Saturday morning rolled around and I made plans to meet my friend Lisa in Oak Cliff to try out my feet and see how I felt. She mentors a group so we got there early to make sure the trail was clear before her group arrived. Away we went with me taking the spider webs on. I'd never ran that trail before but it was great. Great until about .10 before the loop ended and I tripped up and crashed into a log. After shaking it off we headed back. Next loop was with the group and I still had a little blood coming out so I go to the rear and 2nd hill I hit the ground again. Dang, just wasn't my morning! I let the group drop me and go on and I decided just to jog n get my head straight. After a wrong turn n doing the main loop twice I was ok. I finally met back up with Lisa and we finished out her group run plus the extra miles she needed. I was at 13 and was happy but sore. Off for a tacos and a nap.
After a great nap and hot shower I felt awesome so I made a quick decision to give up on spectating Saturday night and go run Fossil Rim. It's a 2.69 mile loop at Cedar Ridge Preserve. I heard it had 300ft of elevation gain per loop and after running numerous times there I know it well. The format is either a 3,6 or 9 hour race with everyone doing as many loops as possible during their allotted time. My goal going in was to hit 27 miles in order to have a 40 mile weekend and then just see friends. I got there early to get my face time with friends I seldom see. That's part of why I run in the 1st place.
At 10pm sharp the race started with the 6 and 9 hour runners with me doing the 9 hour. A friend told me on a Facebook post that when he thinks of me, he thinks of moderation. Pretty sure it's not running Sam! The race had the usual suspects with speed up front. Those guys and girls are fun to watch! I started with a friend and we hung out mid pack until the trail and runners separated us. We hooked back up at the start but her pace at that point was more than I wanted. The next 3 loops I ran alone other than chatting with a few people along the way. Just a nice easy night! Loop 5 I hooked up with my friend Jacqueline and we walked a lot just talking and solving the world problems. Yup, the girl has all the answers!!! It's always fun running with her! After that loop and looking at the clock, I had plenty of time so I sat down with a Coke n Snickers I'd brought and chatted with my awesome friends manning the one aid station until my friend came back around. After 40 minutes she showed up and we ran the next 5 loops together finishing up at 7. This was a great event! Thomas Orf won it but stayed and cheered on every finisher! The guy is a great runner and 1st class act. Seeing so many great runners from all over Texas was great and the volunteers were wonderful! Endurance Buzz ie:David Hanneburg always puts on great events and I would recommend his races to either a first time trail runner or an elite. They never dissapoint!
Takeaways- I felt like crap all week but after getting started it went away and I felt great! Never convince yourself you can't do anything! Also it's possible to spend the night with someone,lose your underwear ie:chafing and still have fun running! The feet feel great and now it's about getting ready to finish the Captain Karl 60k series! Til next time #RunStrong
Monday, July 20, 2015
Captain Karl's Muleshoe Bend 60k
After surviving running through the night at Pedernales 60k I had to run the 2nd race of this series. I need the miles at night on trails and I'm a glutton for punishment I think. Like last race my buddy Dale went along to do some volunteer work at a aid station and my friends Carl and Jeff went along as well to run the race. These night races are unique because of pre race meals and driving down the day of the run. No hotels so that makes it more attractive to me. Go run and get home! Race am Dale asked me to pick him up at Bachman Lake in Dallas after he did a 5k with his family so I got up and headed that way. Upon getting there I realize the 5k hadn't started so I decided to join them. I was wearing flip flops but I went ahead. That race was fun just chit chatting around the lake and off we went after meeting up with our friends in FTW. We decided on Bucee's gas station food for a late lunch and that was cool. They have a great brisket sammich! Off again for Muleshoe Bend near Marble Falls!!
On the drive down I discuss the race and because of the heat I made a decision to go slow at the start, run a fast 3rd or 4th loop and just get a respectable finish. This is a 4 race series and don't do anything dumb. After arriving n walking up to check in I saw the dumb part had already been done as the pads on my feet were sore from my little flip flop 5k but I had to run this race. It's 37 miles. 4-9 mile loops with a out/back to start out to get the extra mile. Loop courses are tough mentally when you get tired and if you linger at the start between loops it's easy to talk yourself into a DNF so I sent all my gear with Dale to the 1st aid station making the start line just a place for water n watermelon. 1st loop was just easy. With a 7pm start I had 2 1/2 hrs to see most of the course in the daylight without pushing. Another friend,Chris, was at the 2nd aid station and I loved seeing a guy that I really look up to out there giving back to our running community. 1st loop was pretty even just talking and trying to get back to the 1st aid station on the course. I got passed by quite a few friends doing the 30k and it's always good to see them. 1st loop - 2:41 and I was happy.
Loop 2 I took it down even slower and decided to make loop 3 the one that counts after it cooled off. I just power hiked, jogged and stayed on top of nutrition & hydration. Zero issues and a 2:58 loop. I knew I had some cold Snickers at the 1st aid so away I went for the chocolate and see how fast I could go and try to catch a couple of friends. At the 1st aid I took a little break and got my calories up and filled my pack for a hard loop and see how fast I could do it. I was shooting for a 2 hour loop and away I went. Watching my watch I knew about where I was until I passed a guy going the opposite direction. He said I was going backwards but I continued on. About 30 minutes later I run into a married couple I left at the start line and they convinced me I was almost back to the 1st aid station instead of where I needed to be. I was sunk mentally. I've never been in this spot before and so I decided to just stick with them. We walked forever it seemed til we got to Chris's aid station and looking at the clock I was about to be short on time. I had to start loop 4 at 4am or I was out of the race. My feet hurt like heck and my morale was in shreds so I let the couple go on and I just walked. Not power hiked but just a simple walk feeling sorry for myself. About a mile from the finish I see the couple and the lady is laid down and the hubby is trying to get her going. I pass them and soon they are off running and pass me. I'm just like wow! That girl was done and she found some run somewhere so I hustled on into the start line at 3:53am. 7 minutes to spare! I get there and the couple was long gone so I headed out alone.
Loop 4- I knew I had 3:07 to finish it and I couldn't do any more dumb things today and miss the 7am cut off so I power hiked and jogged to the 1st aid. About a 1/2 out my buddy Dale is waiting on me to hustle me along. We get in to refuel and head out chewing on my last Snickers. He goes out a 1/2 with me and I just jog the flats and power hike for the next mile until I see a headlamp in the bushes. The lady that was so tired earlier was lost. Her hubby is trying to reach 400 miles in the Tejas 400 and couldn't risk a dnf so she was alone. This girl was like a angel to me and gave me a reason to move with a purpose. She was going to finish this race! We power hike and run when we can and soon I can hear the 2nd aid station. We get water and head out. Daylight is coming and I knew we had to run ASAP. Run we did and soon she passed me but I kept her in my sights just so she wouldn't stray. About a mile out, my buddy Dale aka #TexasYeti is hollering for me to move a little faster. Soon he joins me and we top the last hill and finish with 15 minutes to spare. Daniela, it was nice sharing some miles with you and thanks for the motivation when I was beating myself up so bad. Angels come in all forms and her along with Dale were mine and carried me through the finish. Takeaways- That person you could easily overlook in life could save your bacon in an instant as well as couples running ultra's together is too cool! They are very blessed people! Ohhh And never be ashamed of a DFL. The medals are all the same. Til next time #RunStrong
On the drive down I discuss the race and because of the heat I made a decision to go slow at the start, run a fast 3rd or 4th loop and just get a respectable finish. This is a 4 race series and don't do anything dumb. After arriving n walking up to check in I saw the dumb part had already been done as the pads on my feet were sore from my little flip flop 5k but I had to run this race. It's 37 miles. 4-9 mile loops with a out/back to start out to get the extra mile. Loop courses are tough mentally when you get tired and if you linger at the start between loops it's easy to talk yourself into a DNF so I sent all my gear with Dale to the 1st aid station making the start line just a place for water n watermelon. 1st loop was just easy. With a 7pm start I had 2 1/2 hrs to see most of the course in the daylight without pushing. Another friend,Chris, was at the 2nd aid station and I loved seeing a guy that I really look up to out there giving back to our running community. 1st loop was pretty even just talking and trying to get back to the 1st aid station on the course. I got passed by quite a few friends doing the 30k and it's always good to see them. 1st loop - 2:41 and I was happy.
Loop 2 I took it down even slower and decided to make loop 3 the one that counts after it cooled off. I just power hiked, jogged and stayed on top of nutrition & hydration. Zero issues and a 2:58 loop. I knew I had some cold Snickers at the 1st aid so away I went for the chocolate and see how fast I could go and try to catch a couple of friends. At the 1st aid I took a little break and got my calories up and filled my pack for a hard loop and see how fast I could do it. I was shooting for a 2 hour loop and away I went. Watching my watch I knew about where I was until I passed a guy going the opposite direction. He said I was going backwards but I continued on. About 30 minutes later I run into a married couple I left at the start line and they convinced me I was almost back to the 1st aid station instead of where I needed to be. I was sunk mentally. I've never been in this spot before and so I decided to just stick with them. We walked forever it seemed til we got to Chris's aid station and looking at the clock I was about to be short on time. I had to start loop 4 at 4am or I was out of the race. My feet hurt like heck and my morale was in shreds so I let the couple go on and I just walked. Not power hiked but just a simple walk feeling sorry for myself. About a mile from the finish I see the couple and the lady is laid down and the hubby is trying to get her going. I pass them and soon they are off running and pass me. I'm just like wow! That girl was done and she found some run somewhere so I hustled on into the start line at 3:53am. 7 minutes to spare! I get there and the couple was long gone so I headed out alone.
Loop 4- I knew I had 3:07 to finish it and I couldn't do any more dumb things today and miss the 7am cut off so I power hiked and jogged to the 1st aid. About a 1/2 out my buddy Dale is waiting on me to hustle me along. We get in to refuel and head out chewing on my last Snickers. He goes out a 1/2 with me and I just jog the flats and power hike for the next mile until I see a headlamp in the bushes. The lady that was so tired earlier was lost. Her hubby is trying to reach 400 miles in the Tejas 400 and couldn't risk a dnf so she was alone. This girl was like a angel to me and gave me a reason to move with a purpose. She was going to finish this race! We power hike and run when we can and soon I can hear the 2nd aid station. We get water and head out. Daylight is coming and I knew we had to run ASAP. Run we did and soon she passed me but I kept her in my sights just so she wouldn't stray. About a mile out, my buddy Dale aka #TexasYeti is hollering for me to move a little faster. Soon he joins me and we top the last hill and finish with 15 minutes to spare. Daniela, it was nice sharing some miles with you and thanks for the motivation when I was beating myself up so bad. Angels come in all forms and her along with Dale were mine and carried me through the finish. Takeaways- That person you could easily overlook in life could save your bacon in an instant as well as couples running ultra's together is too cool! They are very blessed people! Ohhh And never be ashamed of a DFL. The medals are all the same. Til next time #RunStrong
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