McKinney Roughs 50k

Just a quick recap of the McKinney Roughs 50k this past weekend, an appropriately titled race, as it was the 'Roughest' ultra I've encountered of the 3 I have been a part of. The course was extremely hilly (6000ft of elevation change), and had some beautiful, natural scenery with rocks, roots, dirt and sand...all which made for some difficult footing at times and gave me a pretty good blister on my left heel due to my feet shifting in my shoes.

I quietly went into this race with an injury, my right quad had been strained the week before during a speed workout on the track, but I had taken it easy since then and it was starting to feel better so I thought I'd be fine. It turned out I wasn't, and the quad turned into a quad AND a hamstring. But I'm not quite sure that was my biggest problem on Saturday...those honors would go to the brutal amount of climbing/descending and a failure to replenish a depleted stock of calories. Oh yeah, and there was the issue of the temperature rising from 59 at the start to 91 at the finish. I was shocked at the amount of climbing involved in this run, and it shocked my legs to the point of failure around mile 20. This meant I was going to have to dig pretty deep into the 'well of resolve' in order to even cross the finish line. Those who know me well, know how I feel about quitting, so that wasn't really an option. I honestly thought a few times I was gonna collapse in the middle of the trail and hope someone would come along to pick me up eventually. I just suck, absolutely suck, at the fueling game when it comes to ultra running. I can't for the life of me figure that part out. No matter what I eat or drink, my stomach and sides seem to cramp, which in turn eventually makes my legs cramp, and when that starts, you're in for a long day. Anyways, I dug deep, like, to the core of the Earth deep, in order to finish with a time of 7 hours and 5 mins, with the Garmin measuring about 30.59 miles.

I attribute some of my failures to the fact that I am very green to this sport, and to struggle is probably normal. But I'm also hard on myself and would like to see improvement a little quicker than its probably going to happen. Regardless, I know that in order to finish a race that is 50 miles long where I will burn around 6000 calories, I'm gonna have to put some calories back in if I think I'm gonna finish on my own two feet. I have also lost quite a bit of muscle these last 2 months, and am starting to feel pretty weak, and the fact that a few friends have made the comment 'you look skinny' (with that sideways smirk stating that what they really mean is you look sickly) lets me know that I need to better balance this last month before Big Cedar on Oct 31. So here's what's gonna happen before my date with 50 miles:

The gym will be my home.

I will gain at least 5 lbs of muscle back.

No more long runs over 2 hours.

The treadmill at 15% incline will be my new track...and I will embrace it.

A fueling plan and race strategy with my crew will be drafted AND implemented on race day!

I will eat like my life depends on it.

I will show up ready to smash 50 miles. 

All in all, I still had a blast at McKinney Roughs. The camping was great and we watched a pretty motivating endurance and adventure sport movie with beer and popcorn at the outdoor amphitheater the night before the race. Finishing something this tough always breaks you down a little, but it's also what makes you stronger and more prepared for the next test which is why I love this sport so much. It's not just running; it's accomplishing a feat of endurance and showing yourself what you're truly capable of in times of extreme adversity. I'll be proud to toe the line at the next race knowing that I've put everything into accomplishing my goal of 50 miles, and with my family and friends present, I will be proud to finish for them.

El Scorcho 50k 2015 Fort Worth, TX

Not sure where to start on this one, so apologies if I bounce around a little, the night was a blur!  First, big thanks to my friends Adam and Tara who acted as my crew for the race, unfortunately my wife was out of town so Adam and Tara volunteered to sit through the night while I went for a little run.  And they did an amazing job for being thrown into the world of late night ultramarathons, performing like seasoned pros!  Every time I came around the loop to our makeshift aid station just past the start/finish line, they were extremely alert and catered to my needs/complaints in a timely manner, so I am extremely grateful for how they handled all the chaos a 50k can (and will) bring, especially one in the middle of the night in a Texas Summer. 
This race was NOT on my radar, just for the record!  I had signed up for the Big Cedar 50 mile race, which isn't util October 31, and after I hired a coach to help me train for that race he suggested I just dive headfirst into a 50k called El Scorcho here in Fort Worth.  The furthest I've ran in the last 4 months was the Tangle 30k, so jumping straight to a 50k seemed a little crazy, but then again, so is signing up for a 50 miler.  Nonetheless, I contacted the El Scorcho website and got put on a waitlist since they were sold out, but a week later was informed I had been 'selected' to partake in this wonderful event...in Summer...in Texas...in the middle of the night.  So here we go.
We parked about a half mile from the start/finish area, but I was wise enough to bring a wagon for my ice chest and gear (well, it was my wife's idea...I'm the idiot running 31 miles at night, so wise isn't the word I would use to describe myself).  My crew, however, failed to bring a wagon, so the 1/2 mi journey was quite the trek, but we made it eventually to a nice spot after the finish line and set up camp.  My coach had instructed me to eat whole food and ditch the gels I'm accustomed to using on long runs, and to drink gatorade, lots of gatorade, like 30 oz per hour, so I had an ice chest packed to the brim with all kinds of crap like sandwiches, fruit cups, cookies, gatorade, water, Boost (it's like Ensure), gummi bears and of course beer for afterwards (although on my last lap I could've used one!).  I started off  lap 1 (its 10 laps of a 3.1 mile loop) with my Salomon hydration vest with a single flask of gatorade, about 17 ozs worth and the first lap flew by quite easily.  I had to make myself slow down to about a 9:30 min/mi pace so that I wouldn't blow up later on....which may or may not have happened, keep reading.  At my aid station, we'll call it "Camp Night Racer" or CNR, due to my online supporters who made signs at home and posted them to Facebook since they couldn't make the race (love you Bobby and Krishna!), I switched out my Gatorade flask for a water, grabbed some gummi bears and headed out.  Still felt great, and made the second loop just as quickly as the first.  Back at CNR for the start of lap 3, I decided to drop the vest and go with a handheld bottle, put on a hat with some ice in it and was off again.  Lap 3 was still going pretty good, but I could tell my stomach might not like me drinking so much Gatorade along with the gummi bears.  For the start of lap 4 I decided to grab a Boost and headed out of CNR on a fast walk so that I could finish the drink before I started to run again.  I forgot to mention I have also been consuming 3 salt capsules every hour, along with the 30 ozs.  Lap 4 was when I started to realize how hot it was going to be throughout the night, and that my stomach didn't like what was going on.  I started lap 5 with a sandwich, watermelon, and some water, still able to run just fine...until I got back to CNR for what would end up being the longest next 16 miles of my life, and by far the hardest.
My crew could sense I wasn't feeling too great, and it took me a little longer to get back from that 5th loop.  This is when the race gets a little foggy, but I will try to remember as much as I can!  At CNR I decided to change my shoes and socks, being that the heat index was still close to 90 at 2 in the morning I was drenched from head to toe.  I thought the change would do me some good to have dry feet for the rest of the race…this would totally blow up in my face as the insoles in my Altra Olympus started folding like an accordion underneath my feet, causing some major hot spots and foot pain.  The only reason I never switched back to my other shoes (Altra Instinct 3) was because we had to move the timing chip from my laces and it took too long.  I don’t remember, but I think I opened up a fruit cup and ate some fruit hoping the sugar would give me a boost…but all it did was make my stomach cramp even worse.  With the stomach cramps came muscle cramps, and for the remainder of the race I battled the worse cramps of my life.  It was like a vice grip on my quads and calves, making it impossible to run at a steady pace.  This was going to make for a long night.
Laps 6 and 7 were a real low point for me, I can remember fighting back thoughts of quitting during each of those laps.  I found myself repeating the mantra, ‘relentless forward progress’ in my head, as each painful step got me that much closer to the end of each loop.  I also found myself thinking of people that aren’t physically capable of running a 50k and that I should be thankful that I am strong enough to put myself through the agony in order to achieve such a goal.  It’s not fair for me to complain about muscle cramps while I have friends and family that, due to medical reasons or physical limitations, are not able to know what it’s like to finish a race like this.  It’s a powerful thing to go through so much adversity on one given night and come through the other side knowing you had the mental strength to make it, even though your body is screaming at me to stop.  I think that’s why we do it, to have such a great feeling of accomplishment knowing that you were tough enough to claw your way to the finish, even on nights (like this one) when stuff just isn’t going your way. 
So there I was, back at CNR after lap 7, looking at my crews faces trying to think how in the world I was going to tell them I had to quit…all this work, all this time, I didn’t think my body was going to allow me to keep going.  I was frustrated, and they could tell, so they each said that I should take my time and just keep going, that I would find a way to finish.  I said I was done with that Gatorade and food bullshit, just feed me water, ice, and give me a gel.  I also grabbed my ipod, and took off for lap 8, the lap I will call ‘redemption’.
I learned a few things during lap 8, first was that I had some resolve deep inside that was going to make me finish this damn race.  They were gonna have to pick me up off the ground before I quit.  I knew I was a determined individual, but I didn’t know how far it went until that 8^th lap. The second thing I learned was that I may be a water and gel kinda guy. By now I had shed my headlamp and hat, and was running with just one handeld bottle of water, and one gel in my pocket.  No more Gatorade or food, and no salt tablets, I was done with all that.  Something told me that my sodium balance was off, and that was making my stomach feel bloated and cramped, and as soon as I just started drinking water (and less of it) I started to feel better.  I found myself running again!  And running at a pretty decent pace too, the only problem is that once muscle cramps set in, they don’t go away, so as soon as they would come back I would just start walking with a purpose, not slowing down that much really, just unable to run.  As soon as I thought the cramps were at bay, I’d take off again, and I would do this until I finished.  Mile 26 was actually my fastest since mile 12!  With my stomach finally at ease I felt great, and if I didn’t have the cramps in my legs I would’ve been able to run the rest of the way at a pretty decent clip, I would notice when I was actually running, my pace was as fast as when I started the race, and that made me feel unstoppable! I finished lap 8 and was back at CNR with an extremely determined look on my face, and basically just said GIVE ME A WATER AND A GEL SO I CAN GET THIS OVER WITH!  I even surprised the crew with how fast the loop was, Adam said, “Dude, you’re killin it!”  It was nice to see the look on their faces knowing that I had overcome adversity and was going to be able to finish before the cutoff of 7 hours.  So off I went, for loops 9 and 10, and it was great!  I still had to run/walk due to cramps but I had figured out how to manage them.  Seeing the finish line was an unbelievable experience, and an overwhelming sense of pride came over me like no other race I’ve ever done.  That one was tough, but I finished what I started.
I’m not sure how many people quit that race, but the rumors were that over half that started the 50k bowed out at some point in the night.  Having friends like Adam and Tara there helped me a ton, I didn’t want to let them down after coming to help me on an all-nighter, and plus, it’s just embarrassing to quit.  Sometimes it takes more mental than physical strength to run a race, and this night was all about the mental game.  The physical aspect for me was over at mile 15, so that meant to finish I would have to basically limp for the next 16 miles, and in order to do something like that you have to have a STRONG mental game, which was the main thing I took from this race.  I may not be physically ready to run 50 miles, but come October 31^st,  I will at least know that I have the mental strength to get through just about anything I put my mind to. 
Couple things real quick about El Scorcho the race…it is an extremely well put on race with some amazing volunteers.  In just a 3.1 mile loop there were a total of 5 aid stations!  I’ve never seen that in any other race, so for them to stay up all night for the runners is pretty cool, so I commend their efforts to help us run such a tough race like this.  My favorite was the cold blue towel station, extremely refreshing to get that ice cold wet towel every 3.1 miles!  The race scene itself is really cool, pretty much like a giant campsite with people wearing glow sticks, playing music, and just hanging out.  It was like an all-night tailgaiter for the spectators, which looked like a lot of fun as I would run by with a jealous look on my face seeing all the beer bottles glisten with sweat and smiles on everyone’s faces!  The post-race Shiner Prickly Pear was one of the single best beers I’ve had in my life!  Trinity Park is such a great place to run in Fort Worth, there’s a good mix of surfaces to run on, and even at night it’s a pretty place with all the trees and the river flowing by. Not gonna lie, I was pointing my headlamp towards the river early on in the race for alligators, since they recently caught and released a 10 footer just steps from the course we were running!(on laps 6 and 7 I was looking for one to bite me so I could claim injury and get the hell outta there!) Overall, this was a great experience, I learned a lot about myself and what I can eat/drink while running, that I need to rethink my long distance shoe choice, and that the ‘relentless forward progress’ mantra is a good one to live by, because eventually, you’ll get where you want to go, as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Thanks for reading, see you on the trails!

Road vs. Trail and My B-Day at the Tangle 30k

So now that I’ve run the entire gambit of races, I thought I’d share some of the differences between road and trail races of distances from 5k to Ultramarathons.  This weekend was my first foray into the trail scene, so I’ll dedicate much of this post to painting a picture of our crazy yet amazing weekend in the beautiful Hill Country of Central Texas.  First, let’s discuss some quick differences between the road and the trail.

Road racing will always have a place in my heart as it was what got me hooked on running, from my very first race, the San Diego Half Marathon.  Road racing has such a rich history with World famous events like the Boston, NYC, and London Marathons.  The scene at a road race is so motivating, with thousands of runners ranging from 40 year old out of shape Dads to Elite athletes from around the world looking to run 4-5 minute miles!  In no other sport can you compete right alongside the best in the world like you can running, it would be like stepping onto the court at the beginning of a Mavs game and shaking hands with Dirk saying good luck, man!  The colors, sights, and sounds of a road race might be my favorite part, from the eclectic range of runners, to the overcrowded expos, and the live music amping up all the runners ready to toe the line.  It’s such a vast community, so there’s always support with road running, and you can do it anywhere.  Most courses are relatively flat, so it’s easy to keep a steady pace, and for the most part there are no surprises in a road race.  You know exactly where the aid stations are, and you can usually even drive the course which is very beneficial if you’re travelling somewhere you’re unfamiliar with.  All in all, road racing, any distance, is pretty easy to get started in, as there’s usually a race in your area every weekend.  You can work in races as training runs for longer distances, something I like to do because it’s fun and keeps you in racing shape.  I ran a marathon a month before my 50k this year just to check where I was fitness wise, so even a marathon can be just a regular old training day if you’re gonna be going further in the future.  Long distances are extremely rewarding, and nothing is better than the finish line at a marathon…except an Ultra!  But short distances are lots of fun because you get to run much faster than normal.  I’d love to run more 5k’s and 10k’s if I had the time; its quick, rewarding, and fun, plus it doesn’t take your whole day like a marathon will (half day to run, half day to recover).  So, now let’s go off the beaten path into trail running as I explain the happenings of this past weekend, which was so much fun!

We decided to leave on Friday evening instead of Saturday morning so our daughter could sleep in the car on the way down to Austin.  Get on the road and, boom, traffic jam amidst severe thunderstorms.  Don’t ever take 35 south from Ft Worth to Austin, just don’t.  We stayed in a hotel in Austin Friday night and got up the next day to pick up my race packet at Rogue Running.  Pretty uneventful, much different than getting your race packet, say, at the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C.  There was no expo, no runners, and no festivities of any kind, just kind of, “Hey I’m here for my race packet”, and “Here ya go”.  We hung out at Zilker Park with a beautiful view of downtown, and the river, and just let Ella run around for a while.  We had an awesome time, then went to eat at Shady Grove, which was AMAZING!  Great beer, food, and patio…we’ll definitely go back next time we’re in Austin.  We left Austin and drove to Johnson City, about an hour away, and it’s gorgeous out there…and remote.  We get to the Best Western, and our room reservation was non-existent.  No rooms available.  Mind you, the race is in the middle of nowhere with the smallest towns imaginable and NO VACANCY on every hotel/motel/Inn all the way back to Austin.  We have our 21 month old daughter with us, and have to be at a race at 7am, so the thought of going back to Austin to stay the night only to get up at 4 am in order to pack everything back up and get to the starting line sounded awful, we were devastated.  The clerk luckily found a place down the road in Blanco that just had a cancellation, so we booked it immediately!   It worked out perfectly because it was an upstairs ‘apartment’ with a kitchen, living room, and separate bedroom, so it made it much easier to put Ella to bed.  So as we’re getting ready for the next day’s race, packing backpacks, snacks, etc., we check the forecast and there’s no chance of rain until late afternoon, so of course we don’t pack any rain gear…to be continued.

We get to the race on time, and the scene is vastly different from any race I’ve ever been to.  Everyone’s just kind of hanging around, very laid back, and unorganized in a relaxing kind of way.  No pressure to get into a starting corral, and it’s not crowded at all, maybe 300 people including the 10k runners.  We unfortunately had a flat tire on our jogging stroller for Ella, and someone who parked next to us let Misti borrow her stroller in exchange for a hair tie, lol!  (And later there was an incident where we were out of diapers so Misti made friends with some locals that gave her a biodegradable diaper so she could change Ella as I crossed the finish line, lol!)  There was a line for the few port-o-johns set out, so I go off into the trees…first perk of trail running!  As I’m looking around I notice everyone has a timing strap on their ankle but me, so with 1 minute left before the start, I run over to a table (unmarked) and ask if I’m supposed to have one, and they cooly hand one over to me.  Still, very relaxed and unhurried even though I can hear them counting down the race start in 10 seconds…again, way different than a road race!

With my timing anklet on, I get to the starting line just in time to hear everyone shout go, and the 30k officially begins.  The biggest difference I will tell you from road to trail is this, YOUR NORMAL PACE WILL GO OUT THE WINDOW!  I’m a 9:30 min/mi kinda guy in a road marathon, on this trail I was more of an 11:40 min/mi kinda guy!  It took me 3 hours and 13 mins to run 16.53 miles, which on a road would’ve  taken about an hour less!  And every step of the way was off canter, either stepping on a rock, a branch, side of a boulder or tree root, or along a river bed.  The level of difficulty was ten-fold that of a road race of any distance I’ve ever ran.  Within a mile I was wondering how my legs were gonna make it to the end, almost 17 miles!  Not to mention, the humidity was 100%, no really, 100% and the temp was around 80.  The conditions for a road runner like me were brutal, and I even heard people on course saying it was the hardest trail event Rogue has ever put on, and you know what, I loved it!  Instantly hooked as we wound our way through the trees and river beds, through caves and alongside a cliff embanked river with water so clear you could see the bottom.  I couldn’t believe I was in Texas, it was absolutely beautiful.  I elected not to wear headphones for this race either, so that I could completely engulf myself in the surroundings.  I wanted to hear the leaves moves on the trees, the water rushing down the river, and the ground crunching beneath my feet.  The absolute best part (for me, not the spectators) was the fact that a thunderstorm rolled through and let me tell you, running trails in the wild, with thunder, lighting and rain, might be the most exhilarating way to run I can think of!

I was smiling ear to ear for the entire 16.53 miles!  I was hooked! 

And when it was all done, and I slogged my heavy, tired legs up and down 3000 feet of elevation change in the rain…there was no fancy finish line, no medals or cheering crowds…just a couple trail runners with canned beer at the finish waiting for everyone to come through the trees and share some local craft brew and stories about falling over rocks and alongside the river bed.  It was truly a different experience, and I can’t wait to go back next year! 

So some lessons learned and wisdom to pass to those of you interested in trail running (and you should be because it’s so much fun)…shoes are of the utmost importance, if I didn’t have trail shoes with rockguards in them I wouldn’t have been able to run that race.  Seriously, know what terrain you’ll be running on because it could make all the difference in the type of shoe you choose to run in.  I ran in Altra Superior 2.0’s, and I’m gonna make a separate post to explain how much I loved these shoes.  Also, try running without headphones when out on the trails, and like all the hippie trail runners before us, become one with nature!  I experienced a true runner’s high during this race and I really think that’s why.  Check and recheck your lodging reservations, because most trail runs are out of the way and you need to stay as close as possible to the race without any surprises.  Expect to take anywhere from 2-3 minutes off your normal road racing pace due to hills and other terrain that you don’t experience on a flat road.  Buy a handheld water bottle you’re comfortable with, because in the remote areas of a trail race you will need to carry water/Gatorade with you.  Also, a SPI Belt is a must to carry gels, and keep your trash on you until you reach an aid station so that you don’t litter the course.  Overall, just expect a completely different experience and crowd at a trail race, and go with the flow!  You’ll love it!

So that’s about it, if you’ve got any questions, post them and I’d be happy to try and answer.  See you on the trails!

B