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

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

Avacadoes

  Lately since I'm single I've had kind of a joke in passing with people that my next significant other had to know how to cut up an avacado with relative ease. It's one of the things I'm truly terrible at. As a single guy off n on for right at 6 years, I've somewhat developed a "wish list" of certain traits with hopefully someday a lifelong partner. Heck just Saturday I was making a joke about finding a woman who would cut up my avacadoes for me. Yes, it is one of my favorite things to eat! Finally Sunday I broke down and went to the grocery store as all I had to eat was Peanut Butter and canned soup. After browsing around trying to think of awesome healthy things to eat I decide to come hell or high water I was going to cut up my own damn avacadoes. I don't need a woman for something this simplistic!!! I get them and some fresh tortillas and away I went. I was going to conquer the one thing that I cannot do on my own. Sounds really easy.....
 Monday night I get home and I cut them up just as a friend told me and BOOM! My dinner was served!! I loved it and went to bed fat and happy!! I had this feeling like I don't need a woman to cut up my food and I'd be just fine without one. Sounds crazy but as a guy that prides himself on doing ok in a kitchen, this has been a nemesis that I conquered! Well tonight I got home and wanted the same dinner. I picked my avacadoes Sunday with I thought the same softness but that was nothing but a trainwreck. I had it all over me, the counter and my plate. Finally I was able to muster up a resemblance of a few avacado slices to eat on my tortillas and it was pretty much a crappy dinner...
 Why am I writing this??? As I was eating alone and thinking, I realize that some battles in life we cannot fight alone. Whether it's love, life or just my running. I can strike out on my own and do my training alone for awhile but at some point it'll bite me and I won't be able to push on without help. The same with being with someone for hopefully forever. If you just settle you might not ever find someone to help you cut up avacadoes. The same can be said for life.
 No 2 avacadoes are the sane just as no 2 races are the same or just as different situations in life are alike. Without someone helping us along then one day we will have perfection followed by just a hot mess. Having that one person there- whether it be a coach, significant other or just a friend will keep things sliced perfectly. Now I gotta get to the store and try to pick out my avacadoes a little better????  Til next time #RunStrong

Running through the night- Pedernales Falls

   Captain Karl's Pedernales Falls 60k was simply a gut check for me. After being somewhat in a fog mentally & physically the last 30 days I needed to complete an ultra for my own sanity. At Cruel, after it got dark I had some issues running- most were physical from not being able to much but it put a huge mental block in my head so I decided the only way to fix it was to simply run all night. The month of June I hadn't really had a schedule but still managed to log over 160 miles since Cruel. My gym work has been lacking some but it's been sort of a nice break from the daily grind. I felt pretty confident in my legs and when they failed me then my heart could get me on across the finish.
 I signed up over a month ago and my buddy Dale decided to go and get some aid station duty and help in the driving home as well. Dale has been a godsend to me in several races and this one was no different. If you ever see him at a race and you are really sucking, just ask the dude and he will get you back going. On to the race- we got to the state park about 2 hours before the race starts and it gave me plenty of time to chat with people I only see at races or creep on em on Facebook so the face time makes running races well worth it. Chatting with everyonr and catching up is where it's at! The race was set up to be 2 17.2 mile loops and at the briefing we were informed about having to cross a pond??  I was like ok. The RD got jokes tonight.
  The race starts and as usual I go near the rear- yes I am proudly a middle to rear pack runner. After getting going I feel great and pass up as many people as I could until it went to a single dirt trail. We had to do a short out and back to get some extra mileage to make the 60k and so during that I walked a uphill n dang my calves were on fire walking so I had to run. We hit the "duck pond" and the jokes were on us. It was knee deep and I'm just guessing 200 yards across. They had kindly put flag sticks in the water. I was hoping they had snake proof netting attached but I doubt it.  I got across that and soon just found a comfortable slow pace. It was hot and my only goal was to complete the race without needing a long term recovery period. A lady from FTW soon joined me and we hung out chatting. We passed a few people and got passed by the 30k runners who were doing 1 loop. It was really uneventful. When it got dark, my light wouldn't fit my head so when I stopped to fix that I lost my running partner but I really needed the time to work on my running in the dark on a new trail. The loop was great as I walked the hills and ran the flats n downhills. Well great til mile 15 and my kidneys started screaming when I ran. I had dehydrated myself without realizing it so I power hiked and jogged it to the start line. I ate 6 salt tabs, as nuch watermelon as I could stand and sucked down water. Immediate relief but I took it real easy leaving for my 2nd loop.
Loop 2- uneventful as well and playing it safe as to not risking a dnf. The "duck pond" at 1am alone was a little weird but I figured this part of Texas didn't have gators and I just shuffled on through it. I ran when I could and walked a ton. I hit Dale's aid station twice per loop and when I passed him he gave me a little advice on some things I didn't know. Thanks man! I pushed on through without seeing a soul until mile 30 or 32 at the far aid station that was unmanned. I was changing my headlamp batteries and a guy comes in and we decide to get back to Dale's station together. Through talking and working on stuff, I skipped nutrition but felt great. We just had 4 miles to Dale n 2.5 after that for the finish. All is well and good for about 3 miles and then I totally bonked. No energy and no way to make good decisions. I guess our little power hike turned into a death march because we were getting passed by people I hadn't seen since the start. I was able to tell a friend to have some coke ready at the aid station to get me back going and when I finally stumbled in it was iced down and waiting.  I'm not a proponent of soft drinks but that's like jet fuel and I was able to run the last 2.5 miles with my fastest miles of the day. I'm not ultra competitive and for me that's not what running is for but it was nice flying down the trail at the end and passing people. Another ultra was in the books and I found out what I needed to learn about myself that night. No blisters,chafing or soreness so it's all good!
Biggest takeaway- When you get your butt kicked, don't stop. EVER! Sign up for another race and go find a way to finish it. DNF's are going to happen but it's not the end of a running career. I wallowed around in self misery for 2 weeks after Cruel. The only thing to cure it was to cross a finish line.
Now it's off to Denver this week for 4 days of running up mountains and hopefully hanging with some cool people. A runcation I guess but it'll be fun. No race- just run free. Til next time #RunStrong

Cruel Jewel 100

. Over the past few days I've struggled mightily about even writing a blog about this adventure. From my performance standpoint there isn't much I want to remember after battling just to walk to the restroom all week but these adventures at the end of the day isn't about me. The Cruel Jewel 100 is bigger than  any one person. If it will help one person decide to run it OR back out then it's worth writing.
  Myself  and Steven Monte picked this race as a tough spring 100 that not many people had done. Going in I knew deep down that I was wading off in the deep end of the pool pretty quick in my running career but why not? A DNF although bitter will pass. Staying at home and wishing I tried would follow me to my grave.  I trained really hard for this race. My mileage went up as well as my time in the gym. I can honestly say that I went into the race in the best physical shape of my entire life. Clean diet, staying sober and lots of rest does wonders. I ran a 75 n 56k as prep races and both went off as planned.  On to the race...... Me n Steven flew to Atlanta and drove our rental up to Blairsville the day before the race. Georgia mountains are breathtaking. It's not Colorado snow capped mountains but it's dang sure nice.
  Race day- We had a noon start which was different but I liked it. Once we got going I found the back as usual but looked for Jeremy. I know he's a smart runner and I wanted to keep him within my sights to control my pace.  The 1st 3.7 miles was easy. We had about a mile of winding ups & downs and then 2.5 of just a slight downhill.  Very runnable but the fear of going too fast early kept me at a little jog.  Right before the 1st aid station- water stop only we had a pretty good little creek crossing but my new found friend- Wayne found a log n rope so we crossed and stayed dry. Pretty uneventful section with just running and chatting.  After that aid I knew we were hitting the "meat" of the course. After a road crossing we went up a hill and kept going up.  It was just 4.4 through here but it seemed like an eternity. The uphills soon became my valleys and the downhills my peaks. Being from Texas, I'm use to switchbacks winding up. Oh heck no! I guess Georgia never grasped that concept.  It was grinding straight up, walk a bit then straight down. Repeat & Repeat.  I wore a stop watch and figured my pace so I'd know when to expect a full aid station. Those 4.4 seemed like 7 but I struggled through with Wayne and we finally got there with 90 minutes to spare.  Yes they had cutoffs at every aid station......
Aid station #3. To get there we had to go 7.5  miles.  In Texas I'm blessed to say that's easy miles. In Georgia- not so much.  Just more of the uphills going for a mile with the downhills the same. Through here I lost Wayne and got passed by the last guy on the course in his little trot. He claimed it was his 1st 100 but hmmmm. Dude was strong.  I battled on through here and it was just tough sledding. Inclined treadmills & StairMaster is child's play on these hills. I went on through these miles and did 2 more sections.  At nightfall I had difficulty running and just had to walk it in to my last aid station of the race. Mile 25.5 n 11 hours later I was done. I got a ride back and caught a nap while waiting on Karl Metzler to come in with his 15th 100 mile win a little over 12 hours later. In my book he's in the top 2 100 guys in the U.S. and watching him sludge that last 1/2 mile battered and bruised I knew it was a hard course. 106 miles with 33,000ft of elevation gain. 70% of the hills in 40 miles..... I napped most of the day in between watching runners come in and of course I drove the RD batty checking on Steven's whereabouts.  About 3:30pm he was 25.5 miles out and I waited some more and around 7 I couldn't take it anymore so I grabbed my vest,poles and lights n headed out. 6 or so miles in I found him in great spirits trudging along and we had a good time getting back to the start line. The road is paved the last 1/2 mile or so and Steven was one of just a few to run down that last hill to get his buckle. I knew I was in way over my head but watching him cross that stripe felt pretty damn good. Nothing in Texas is real comparable to these hills.  Cactus Rose 100 is runnable in most sections and Eacarpment hill at Cedar Ridgr isn't long or steep enough to prepare you for this.  Finish or not, it's pretty safe to say that everyone got their butt handed to them.  The locals will run the Georia Death Race which goes down the tough part once but very few will do the 100 and try the "Dragon Spine" twice. It was an epic race and I learned a ton. Will I do it again? Heck no!!! Least not til 2016! Going to Oklahoma Tuesday my dear Dad watched me limp to the truck and wince at every bump. He looked over and asked why I run stuff like this. Without boring him about how I know I can do certain races and need the test of physical & mental strength and to get my butt kicked, I could only say it's FUN! ANd I'm a runner... Til next time #RunStrong

Ohhh and just a side note- According to every experienced runner there, next to Hardrock this is the toughest. I heard one lady who ran the Slam last year say this was harder than those.  If you want a test then it's a must do. And RD and his wife are just lovely people to be around.

Running and Relationships

   People often ask me why I'm not married, have a significant other,blah blah blah.... I am told I run too much, spend too many early mornings at the gym. I go to bed too early and some more noise about my eating habits,etc. . I guess most people don't remember the guy that drowned his fears in alcohol for years and ALWAYS had to be in a relationship. That needy guy is gone replaced by a person who believes in himself and is very passionate about life.  Sure I meet people and at the 1st sign that someone could upset my apple cart I go away. See my lifestyle, my running community and my enjoyment of the peace I've found is my relationship. I can be who I choose to be every day with a clear mind. Nobody is asking me to stay put at a bar and miss a beautiful sunrise the next day. It's kinda cool. I can pick a vacation- ie:run and go do what I enjoy doing the most right now in my life. Who else can do that? Not many but it's my life and my journey.
  I see peers struggle daily in their personal lives at times. Everyone wants to blame the easy stuff. Drinking,working,friends,golf,running but nearly everyone ignores the elephant in the room... Dang those are battles I don't want to fight and don't have to right now. Everyone says there must be balance in life. Yea I hear that alot too. Most who say that has never ran an ultra. I'm I being selfish? Yes for sure but when I'm laying in that casket covered in dirt nobody will be there either and that's ok.  As a kid my Dad use to say when he would meet my friends "Birds of feather flock together." He was so right on so many levels! Til next time #RunStrong

Possum Kingdom 56K

   I'm sure many people ask themselves why I write a blog about almost every single freaking race.... I do it for myself so if I ever run it again I can look back & I like to see where I was at mentally & physically during that period.

  Possum Kingdom was where I ran my 1st Ultra just a short year ago. I know very little about running now at times and I knew a whole lot less than. A friend-Nikki convinced me I could run 34 miles last year and I did. Kinda.... I got it done & didn't quit when it got hard. That was the start to a wild & exciting year so I felt it was fitting for me to return and run it again. Originally I was going to run the 52 mile option this year but my coach wanted me to run Sat & Sun as I ramp up for Cruel Jewel 100 so the 56k it was. That was awesome so I got entered. Friday I knocked off work a little early and headed west to spend the weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake with tons of friends. Dave Hanneburg is the race director for this event as well as all the other Endurance Buzz races. If you've never ran one of his races then you are truly missing out on a great time.

After camping with my Team RWB friends I wake up and get ready for  the start . Just like last year, I meet Matt Crownover in the bathroom and we chat about different upcoming races. Too funny meeting the same guy at the same place 2 years straight. The race starts at 7 and I immediately hook up with my 1st running mentors Nikki & Marcus. I hadn't ran with them since Jemez last May so it was awesome sharing 3 or 4 miles before I needed to move on.  It was a dang uneventful race for me other than seeing almost all the Dallas trail running community at different points during the day. The 1st & 3rd Aid station Teresa & Monica M  were manning it among others.  Too cool seeing familiar faces. The far aid was Ray, Agustin & Andy doing a great job. 1st loop was 17 miles and I ran the entire loop. 2nd loop I backed off and walked the ups,ran the downs and walk/ran the flats on minimum calories. I viewed it as a training run and knowing I had to run Sunday I held back. It was a awesome loop. Sonia & Laura blew past me but it was great chatting with them. They are great closers and I hope someday to be in their company.  At the last aid station Nikki & Marcus caught me and Nicole-winner of the 52 miler came in too. It's pretty awesome sharing trails with people like that.  I finished the race in 8:20. I missed shaving 2 hours off my 2014 time by 6 minutes but those 6 minutes I figured I used chatting with great people so all is good.

  My takeaways from this race? I watched my friend Lesley battle back from a injury and finish the 52 miler and Blanca rolling a ankle but pressing on and finishing the 56k. I think that we as people can do anything we choose if we put our mind to it. It was great seeing my friend Marcela and others earn the right to call themselves Ultrarunners.  Watching Nicole & Shaheen dominate the field makes me want to run faster but watching my friend Dale & Brian struggle but finish the 52 miler makes me want to never quit a race. I think everyone that ran Saturday gave me a little something to take from this race and I appreciate it.

  In May 2014 I still wasn't sure where my place was in the running world or why I was even running. I still fought the drinking & was probably running for the wrong reasons. Last year's race changed me and made me a better person and I can't wait to see where I'll be as a person when I toe that line in 2016. Til next time #RunStrong