Monday, December 15, 2008

White Rock Half Marathon

On Sunday, I had the honor of pacing my friend Lauren to her first White Rock Half Marathon finish! She's been training for the last 5 months and it was a terrific accomplishment. I am so proud of her. She ran a very even race and had enough left in the tank to pick it up the final few miles. I told her I had my eye on two ladies in front of us who were wearing very silly reindeer hats and had no business beating us. So Lauren kicked it up another notch and we passed them handily!

She ran a great race and I'll always remember the smile she had on her face as she proudly showed off her finishers medal. I feel very fortunate that she let me be a part of her first big race. And I am sure there are many more in her future.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Rockledge Rumble 50K

photo credit - Mike Langille

The Rockledge Rumble was my very first ultra in 2006 – and actually my very first trail race. I don’t think I had even run on a trail before doing this race. The Rumble got me hooked on trail running and has been a favorite of mine ever since.

This was my third year to do the race and I had hopes of breaking 6 hours on the course. However, I made some rookie errors and paid the price. I finished in 6 hours and 28 minutes. You always learn something while racing, but why do I have to learn some of these lessons multiple times?

I started the run right on target – in fact at the halfway point of the race I had a five minute cushion on my goal time. But there were some warning signs already lighting up my dashboard. I had not peed at all for the first 15 miles and I knew I was not drinking enough and getting dehydrated. I tried to rectify the situation by drinking more at the aid stations, but I was already too far behind.

Around mile 20, I started to throw up. And I repeated this just about every mile to the finish. Any time I tried to pick up the pace and push myself a little harder I would vomit. And I could not get much fluid down my stomach without it coming back up pretty quickly. If this was a shorter race, I would have slowed down considerably and fixed the problem. But since it was a 50K, I decided to just push it as hard as I could and fix it after I finished.

My pace slowed dramatically from mile 20 to the finish and I lost many minutes while taking my throw up breaks. But I was able to finish the race strong and I was still smiling at the end. After finishing, I powered down many, many cups of water and finally started peeing again.

I went out to the race with my buddy Matt and Josh. Josh PR’d in the 30K – he had a good race knocking 30 minutes off his previous time. Matt ran the 50K and did well (as usual) even after running 70 miles at Cactus Rose the previous weekend. I was very excited to introduce my friend, Lauren to trail running during this race. She ran the 15K which was her longest run to date. She had some knee issues, but still finished well. I told her (and Josh confirmed this) that running this 15K will be harder than the upcoming White Rock Half Marathon. So this race gave her plenty of mental toughness to finish White Rock.

The Rumble is put on each year by my running club – NTTR (North Texas Trail Runners). This race gets many people started in trail running in our area. It is supported by experienced ultra runners and an excellent RD – Tom Crull. I recommend the race all the time to my running friends and look forward to it each year. Next year I will carry more water with me between aid stations and do better.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Palo Duro 50 Mile





It’s been two days now since the race, and it’s time to sit down and collect my thoughts about a truly epic experience. The race is held in Palo Duro Canyon State Park and it is truly one of my favorite places. The canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. To picture it you really need to envision the Old West. I love the harsh beauty of the landscape and when the sun comes up and brightens up the red rock cliffs. I love the fact that you could see a rattlesnake at any turn on the trail. I love the big mule dear and wild turkeys. I saw them all in my stay at the canyon.

The race had been directed for nearly 25 years by trail running legend and Amarillo local, Red Spicer. Red created many of the trails inside the state park. A few months ago, Red lost his battle with cancer and passed away. I’d only met Red one time – when he offered me a slug of homemade moonshine after finishing the Grasslands 50 earlier this year. I politely declined.

To get a clearer picture of what Red was all about here is a quote attributed to him – and something I thought of often while running this race.

“Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, “Bring it on, darlin’, and don’t be stingy with the jalapenos.”

Red has a giant boulder on the trail named after him. I made sure to touch it on every loop.

I was not sure what to expect from myself at Palo Duro. I had not run much the previous three weeks. Not from lack of desire, but because my recovery from the “Run From the Ducks” was taking a lot longer than normal. My hamstrings were tight and both of my knees were sore for two weeks after the Ducks. The week before Palo Duro, I did a little “sharpening” by running shorter distances but at a faster pace. A couple of days before the race I felt pretty good.

The race started at a very civilized 7am. It was dark the first hour and a flashlight was necessary. As usual during most trail races, we started out slowly with everyone bunched up together. I love hearing the early morning runner chatter. Everyone is so upbeat this early in the race. After we hit the 3 ½ mile mark, the 50K racers went one direction and the 50 mile racers went the opposite direction so we were not bunched up any longer.

The race consists of four 12 ½ mile loops. I ran the first loop well. I loved watching the sun peak out above the canyon walls. It was semi-dark one minute and then – wow – the reds, browns, and green colors just exploded when the sun shown on them. It was truly a special moment. After awhile I realized I was on the same trail where I had taken a family hike almost two years ago. I had some terrific memories of watching my two children climb up the side of the canyon walls from this trail. And also a hike to the Lighthouse formation with Virginia that we did while my wonderful mother watched the kids for a few hours. I thought back on that family vacation often while running this race. I did not have my family with me physically at this race, but they were always with me.

I started the second loop strong, but around the 15 mile mark I started to slow down a bit. And 15 miles into an ultra is way too soon for this to happen, so the panic button went off a bit in my head. My knees were really barking at me and my hamstrings felt tight. I started wondering if I would be able to finish in the 12 hour time limit. And once self doubt comes creeping in, other things start to creep in as well. Instead of working through the problem that I was currently having, I started to think about the 50K race I have coming up in 4 weeks. In my head I went from running the 50K in four weeks, to dropping down to the 15K, to just volunteering at the race, to not doing anything at all and going fishing that weekend instead.

After a few miles of this, I snapped out of it and decided to do something about the cause of all this self doubt – my knees. I’m not a huge fan of taking ibuprofen during a race, but I had two tablets with me just in case. And the time was right to take them. They kicked in after 20 minutes or so and the self doubt never came back.

So with that problem taken care of I was able to pick up my pace. The third loop was my best loop. Even though it was pretty hot by now and with no shade in the canyon, I was feeling great. I had the ipod on and was locked in. The best moment of this loop was when I had Ice Cube’s “Today was a Good Day” blasting while roller coastering the up and downs through the main part of the canyon. I was loving it! That song was kind of the theme for me for this race.

Towards the end of the third loop I took a swig of my energy drink – Perpetuem. Due to the heat of the day and the fact that I had not put any ice in it in awhile, it was pretty dang warm. A couple of seconds later, I projectile vomited most of my stomach contents. I had not puked that violently since college. It was actually kind of comical and I got a big laugh out of it. I did not even stop running. It shot about 3 feet out in front of me and I felt better right away. But to be sure that this was not going to become a pattern, I took some ginger and Tums before starting the 4th loop.

The 4th loop for me was all about hanging on. I ran uphill sections that I had hiked on previous loops and started passing runners that were not finishing as strongly. That is always my goal at the end of a race. I want to have enough left in me to be able to finish strong. I saw Matt and his family at the last aid station before the finish and he asked me how I was feeling. I replied – “pretty wobbly.” Matt’s 3 year old son came up to me and gave my leg a big hug. It reminded me of my kids and helped me to charge on towards the finish.

I finished the race strong at 10 hours 41 minutes and with a big smile on my face. I was very pleased with my effort and I was happy that I got over the low spot I had early in the race.

I was lucky to have many trail running friends with me at the race. I camped with Matt and Buddy and their families along with Barbara and George. Matt and George ran the 50K because they are running a 100 miler in two weeks. Buddy and Barbara ran the 50 miler. Barbara was third overall female – she is incredible! The comradary at ultra races is amazing. Everyone is so supportive of each other. It’s not all about hammering each other into the ground. The distance of these events is enough. Finishing is to win. I love hanging out before and after the races. It is fun to tell and hear stories from the trail.

One other note: A week and a half before the race, I had shock therapy done to my right IT Band at the suggestion of my podiatrist. My IT Band condition had not completely healed and it’s been almost a year since it started. My podiatrist had not tried this type of therapy on the IT Band before, but he thought it would help me. I am happy to report that I had no IT Band issues at all during the race!

Next up -- the Rockledge Rumble 50K in 4 weeks! And no - I am not going fishing instead!

Monday, September 29, 2008

The Run from the Ducks

On Saturday I did an interesting race called "The Race from the Ducks." It was an 8 hour timed event where the object is to run as many miles as you can in an 8 hour period. The course is a .48 mile loop and you just keep on running until they tell you to stop. I had a good day and was able to run a little over 40 miles.

The race is held in Mineral Wells, TX at the Clark Botanical Gardens. It is a very beautiful and a perfect venue to hold a race like this. We ran by interesting trees, plants, and of course ducks! There were also swans, lots of geese, and an interesting ground bird called a guinea fowl. So along with the runners and amazing volunteers there was a lot to look at to keep your mind occupied while running in circles for 8 hours!

I started the race very conservatively. I stayed loose and chatted with the other runners, my friends, and my mother in law, Nancy who supported me at the race. After two hours I was feeling pretty good, but 8 hours is a long time to run so I started mixing in walk breaks every other loop. I would walk for roughly 100 yards every mile. After we hit four hours, I started to pick it up a bit. From 4-6 hours I ran at a slightly faster pace while still doing the 100 yard walk every mile. When we got to 6 hours, I was feeling really good so I ran a little faster. Then from 7 to 8 hours I decided I would not do any more walk breaks and I ran as fast as I could (which was probably pretty slow at that point) until the very end. My goal was to do somewhere in the 35 to 40 mile range, so I was very happy with my result.

It was a really well organized race with really good support. We each had our own lap counters who you got to know while you past them 80 times during the course of the day. Thank you Jimmy and David! All in all, it was just a great day spent with friends and family doing something that I love.

Next up -- Palo Duro 50 on 10/18!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Leadville Race Report

First of all, let me tell you that I did not finish this race. It was my first attempt at 100 miles and I was only able to complete 50 miles of the course before I timed out and was pulled me from the course. My fitness level was good, my hydration and fueling were good, my energy level was good, but I just could not breathe while climbing Hope Pass around mile 45. The high altitude claims another Leadville runner!

That being said, I am very proud of my effort during the race. I left it all out there. And this is one extremely tough race. Anyone who finishes this race is an absolute machine! That includes my running buddies - Matt and Jeff.

Leadville, Colorado is at 10,200 feet and they are very proud of that fact. Leadville's nickname is "Cloud City" and it definitely lived up to that name during the race.

Virginia, the kids, and I left Dallas on Wednesday and spent the night in Amarillo. We woke the next day and finished off the drive to Leadville. When we arrived, we set up our camper and headed to the grocery store. We picked up items for the race along with other meals we had planned. The altitude was already affecting me. I felt slow and kind of strange. V asked me to get some fruit for the kids and I was wandering around the store asking myself what she meant. "What was I supposed to be getting? Oh yeah, fruit -- now where do they put the fruit? What kind of fruit did she mean?" That kind of slow thinking.


It takes a lot of gear to run 100 miles!

Fueling Up Before the Race


Aunt Cathy, Mom, Me, V, and Josh at the start

The race starts at 4am. I slept a whopping 3 hours before the start of the race. My daughter, Sara decided she was cold and crawled into our bed at 12:30 where she wiggled around keeping V and I awake. Not that we'd be able to sleep anyway -- it is always hard to sleep before race day. Especially this race.

After laying there for hours staring at my watch, I got out of bed and started getting ready for the race. It was in the low 30's and raining. Perfect running weather, right? Oh well, you just play the hand you are dealt.

Virginia, the kids, my mother, aunt, stepfather, and buddy Josh were all at the start to see me off. I got a few more kisses, hugs, and well wishes and then the starting gun went off and we started running!

At the start of the race, I was overcome with this amazing feeling of joy. After two other false starts (Rocky and Western), I was finally living my dream of running a 100 mile race! I could not have been happier! Yes, it was bitterly cold and raining but I was finally running in a 100 mile race!

The race starts in town and then quickly heads out to the wilderness trails. I started off feeling pretty good. I did have to make two unexpected pit stops (must have been the two Cliff Bars and Gatorade's I pounded down right before the start) that required about 5 minutes each. I was a little worried about GI issues for awhile, but I was OK. The GI pit stops also put me almost dead last in the race. I knew I did not have worry too much about that, but I wanted to arrive at the first aid station by 2:45 elapsed. So I decided to pick up the pace a bit. It was a blast -- I was cruising pretty nicely passing people around Turquoise Lake. It was still dark so I could not see the lake, but I could tell it was there.

Finally the sun came up and I was able to turn my flashlight off. About this time, I was running in a boggy area around the lake. The person in front of me must of hit a bee or wasp nest because I was promptly stung 3 times on my legs. I yelled in pain and knocked the vile creatures from my legs and kept on running. I few seconds later they hit some other unfortunate runners behind me and I heard them screaming as well. Aside from the immediate pain, it was really kind of funny.

I made it to the first aid station - May Queen (13.5 miles) right on my target. I was very happy to make up the time I had lost from the pit stops and just filled up my pack and bottles and kept on cruising. No need to stop here long.

The next aid station was at the Fish Hatchery - 10 miles away. But before then, I had to climb over Sugarloaf Pass which is about a 1200 foot climb. It wasn't too bad, but it definitely slowed me down a bit. It was during this section that the skies opened up on us and we got hit with rain, pea and marble sized hail, along with some sleet and snow just for fun. That pattern would continue the rest of the day. It was miserable out there. But the weather can not be helped and we all had to deal with it. The awful weather really did not bother me too much. I was in 100 degree Dallas just two days before so it was kind of a novelty for me. "Snow in August? You've got to be kidding!"

The Jeep Road Up SugarLoaf

Turquoise Lake from SugarLoaf - see the clouds?

View from top of Sugar Loaf Pass

I arrived at the Fish Hatchery (mile 23.5) about 45 minutes ahead of the cutoff. I was still doing well. The climb over Sugarloaf had taken a little out of me, and I was in a bit of a low spot but I was OK. I met my crew at the aid station. The first person I see is my 5 year old son, Joe. He ran up to me and tells me that they have real live fish here and is extremely excited. "They have keepers here, Daddy!" It took me a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about. This aid station is at an actual Fish Hatchery where they produce most of the rainbow trout for the lakes and rivers in the state. Apparently, Joe saw some really big trout and he wanted to fish here and keep some fish. It really cracked me up.

This was another really quick aid station stop. I filled my bottles, refueled, and hit the road. I was at low point here for about 45 minutes. I could not run very long at this point and that had me worried. I took comfort in the fact that most other runners where power hiking as well. I found out later that this road is slightly uphill and just about everyone walks it. I was worried that I was already a bit trashed so early in the race. But I got my legs and energy level back and was running well again after about 45 minutes of this long road. I could tell that my family and crew was worried about me at this aid station. I wasn't as chipper as they had hoped. I guess the weather and Sugarloaf Pass did take something out of me.

But after awhile, I was feeling great again. My game face was back on and I was flying high! I was power hiking the uphills with authority and running well on the flats. I was practically flying on the downhills and was having a blast again!

Heading out of the Fish Hatchery

The Best Crew Ever!

The Long Road to Half Moon -- see the snow? It's freaking August!
I hit the next aid station at Half Moon (mile 30.5) feeling great. The aid stations and volunteers were wonderful. This is a first class race with tremendous support. These folks had to stand around in the freezing rain all day and night long to help us. It is a really tough job and they did it with smiles on their faces. I left Half Moon full of energy ready to get to Twin Lakes where I would see my crew and family again.
There were some more nice climbs in this section, but the last 3.5 where fast and downhill. I made up some time here and came into the Twin Lakes aid station (mile 39.5) an hour ahead of the cutoff. I was greeted by my crew and family. They were like a NASCAR pit crew -- they got my shoes changed, fed me, hydrated me, and sent me down the road in about two minutes. My buddy Josh walked with me about a half a mile while I was eating a sandwich. He filled me in on the next part of the course while getting me ready for the tough climb ahead. I was feeling really good leaving Twin Lakes. I was ready to tackle Hope Pass - the centerpiece of this race - and I had an hour in the bank ahead of the cutoff!

Heading Down into Twin Lakes

Feeling Good Again - love those turkey and bacon sandwiches - thanks, Mom!
I crossed a mountain meadow for about 2 miles, waded the Arkansas River (very fun and very cold), and started the 3.400 climb up Hope Pass. I had a good energy level, my hydration was right on, and my legs felt good. That was all about to change. I was about 1/3 of the way up to the top when the wheels started to fall off. It was a very gradual change. The first thing I noticed was that people were starting to pass me. Hey, I thought I was climbing pretty well. Oh well, I guess they are stronger climbers than me - no big deal. Then I started to have to take breaks every 5 minutes or so. No big deal -- this is a tough climb -- it is probably smart to stop every now and then. Then the breaks became more frequent. My legs started to turn to jello. And then I began to have a real difficulty breathing. As I got higher it got worse and worse. I really felt terrible. And then I basically became numb to it all -- I was on pure survival mode -- I just had to get to the top so I could get back down again. I was basically staggering up the mountain taking frequent rest breaks so I could catch my breathe. It was beautiful at the top of the pass (12,600 feet), but I was so out of it I could not enjoy it at all. I just wanted out of there.

After a monumental struggle I made it to the top of Hope Pass and finally started the decent. My legs felt rubbery and I still could not breathe so I had to jog/walk it until about a third of the way down. I then started feeling better and started to run again. The back side of the pass was steeper (but shorter) than the side I just climbed. I could not believe how bad I felt while I was up there and how good I felt now. I made good time on the way down the mountain.


Hope Pass - hidden by the clouds

But first - the river crossing!

Looking Up at Hope Pass

It's Hailing! Again!


The Trail up to Hope Pass


Am I seeing things? Llamas at the top of Hope Pass!
Apparently they are the only pack animal that can handle the high altitude!

Finally at the top of Hope Pass!

Amazing Views - I only wish I could remember them!
At this point I had my wits about me again and I knew that all of the time I had put in the bank on the cutoff was used up. I did not know how far I had to go to get to the next aid station but I felt like I still had a chance of beating the cutoff. I was pushing hard when I ran into my buddy, Jeff. He was on his way back up Hope Pass after hitting the turn around point at the next aid station - Winfield. He looked tired and somewhat depressed. I remembered then that he was trying to finish the race in 25 hours and he knew that he had no chance of doing that at this point. He is an extremely talented runner and for him to be this far back really told me something about this course. We talked for a moment. He told me that my family and crew helped him at Winfield and that they were waiting for me. I asked him how far it was and he told me at least 2 1/2 miles. We both did the math and I knew then that my race was over. I had 10 minutes left and I knew I could not make it. So we gave each other a quick hug and I wished him well.

I felt a big sense of sorrow that my race was over. I cried a few tears and then immediately felt better. I had given it my all out here. And I still felt like I could continue running. I just could not handle the altitude at Hope Pass. I learned later that less than 40% of the runners finished the race. Over 30% dropped from the race at Fish Hatchery (mile 23.5). I'm not sure if it was the lowest finishing rate of the race history, but it was definitely amongst the lowest. I also heard from the race director that this year had the worst weather in race history.

Sara and Joe giving Daddy a rubdown! I think Joe was still talking about the Fish Hatchery!

Krewe Krejci!

My family and crew were waiting for me at Winfield. They were a little surprised that it took me so long to get over Hope Pass. The last time they saw me I was moving well and feeling no pain. I told them about how the altitude affected me and they immediately understood.

The race officials cut my wristband and my race was officially over. I got a lot of hugs from my family as I sat down and took it all in. I had made it 50 miles and was 20 minutes over the cutoff limit. I had a sense of accomplishment for what I had achieved. I wanted more, but the course had beaten me.

My buddy Matt was supposed to run with me the last 50 miles of the race. Since my race was over, and since Jeff had no pacer we quickly decided that Matt would pace him the last 40 miles of the race. So off we went back to Twin Lakes to drop Matt off so he could help out Jeff. We saw Matt off and then headed back to our campground to get some food and much needed sleep.

When we arrived at the campground, my body went into some type of mild hypothermia. I could not get warm. I was shaking all over even though I had on 5 layers, was inside a sleeping bag, holding a space heater next to my chest, and was eating hot soup. I really thought something may be wrong with me. It took all of my concentration to stop shaking and finally fall asleep. My breathing was really labored and Virginia woke me up two times because she thought I was dieing in my sleep. I told her to stop it and just let me die -- I needed to go to sleep!

I woke up the next morning stiff and sore, but really no worse for the wear. We headed down to the finish line to see the runners come in. And in they came, slowly and looking just awful. It had rained and hailed more that night making for a terrible experience. Finally with just 30 minutes before the cutoff, Jeff and Matt appeared at the top of the hill! I was so happy to see Jeff finish this race! It was his first 100 mile trail race and under the worst possible conditions he had persevered and finished! We all cried a bit as he crossed the finish line. I was so happy that Matt was there to be able to help him get through the race. Jeff told me that he could not have done it without Matt's help and that he wanted to stop but Matt would not let him.

So what did I learn from this race? Actually quite a lot.

1) Altitude is not to be taken lightly. The runners who finished either live or train at altitude. If I am ever to do this race again, I'd come out here for at least 2-3 weeks before the race to acclimatize.

2) That I am stronger than I thought. I was able to deal with some seriously bad conditions along with the altitude and still only miss the cutoff by 20 minutes. There are some really talented runners out there that did worse than me. That gives me courage and encouragement for future races.

3) That I love these races. It is an experience like no other. It's you against the course and against yourself. I love the training. I love the planning. It is all to be enjoyed.

Most importantly I learned something I already knew. That I have the best support in the world with my friends and family. I really had the best crew at the race. They were always ready and turned me around extremely quickly. It meant the world to me to have them there. The tears I cried when I knew that I was going to miss the cutoff at Winfield was for them. I felt like I had let them down. They quickly reassured me that was not the case. They were overjoyed in the whole experience and were there to help me and offer love and encouragement. I am a lucky man.

Lastly, I have no immediate interest in doing this race again. I'll leave Leadville to the folks who are trained to run in high altitudes. It truly is a "Race Across the Sky". I don't have 3 weeks vacation to burn while my body gets used to the altitude. It is a beautiful and very tough course. I may be back to Leadville, but it won't be for several more years. My next race will be 100 miles at Rocky Raccoon in Huntsville in February. I am determined to complete this race!




Sunday, August 3, 2008

Two Weeks until Leadville!

Yesterday I completed my last "long" run before the Leadville Trail 100. I ran for a little over three hours with Matt. We ran from Garland to Sunnyvale -- crossing a part of Mesquite in the process. We ran to his parents house in Sunnyvale for a quick refueling stop before heading back to Garland.

It was a very enjoyable run except for this infernal heat wave that Dallas is going through right now. It is insanely hot all the time! 100 degree days are the norm right now and their is no end in sight! The cool/cold temperatures of Leadville will be so welcome to me (I think!).

So I am now into my tapering period. I feel strong and am ready for this race. In many ways the Western States experience was a dress rehearsal for this race. I've already gone through all of the feelings of fear, nervousness, and anxiety about a tough 100 mile race. The week of Western States I was almost hyperventilating at times while thinking about it. I am much more relaxed at this point going into Leadville.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Leadville

OK, so what do I do with all of this training that I had built up for Western States? Do I back off and go into maintenance mode while waiting for the Fall and Winter races in the area? Or do I search for another 100 mile race out west that I can do right now? Last weekend I did some reflecting and I decided to go for it. Why wait, right? So I signed up for the Leadville Trail 100 that is held on August 16th. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this race...

The Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon (aka The Race Across The Sky or the LT100), first run in 1983, is an ultramarathon held annually on trails and dirt roads at high altitude around Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The course is difficult, with runners climbing and descending 15,600 feet, with elevations ranging between 9,200-12,620 feet. Because of its difficulty, it is common for less than half the starters to complete the race ahead of its 30 hour time limit. The next edition of the LT100 is set for August 16-17, 2008 starting at 4am on the 16th.

The course is a 50-mile out-and-back dogleg, starting at 10,200 feet. The centerpiece of the course are two climbs up to Hope Pass, an ascent to 12,620 feet, encountered on both the outbound trek and on the return.

Race co-founder Kenneth Chlouber, an avid marathon runner, conceived of the race as a way to make Leadville famous and bring visitors during a period of economic downturn. When he told the local hospital administrator about his idea he was told, "You're crazy! You'll kill someone!" Ken responded, "Well, then we will be famous, won't we?"

So I'm back into hard core training mode. I have roughly five weeks to get ready for this race. But in reality, I have only three more weeks of hard training before I go into a two week tapering period before the race.

The good news about this race -- typically heat is not a problem. The bad news about this race -- altitude -- and lots of it! Many runners go to Leadville or the surrounding area and live at altitude for two or three weeks before the race to get adjusted to the altitude. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. I'll be arriving in Leadville on Thursday night. The race starts at 4am on Saturday. So I'll be at altitude roughly 34 hours before the race starts.

I have a some incredible support for the race. Virginia, the kids, my mother and stepfather, my mother in law, and even possibly my grandmother will be at the race. Matt Crownover is coming along to pace me the last 50 miles. He's done this race before so having him here will be a huge comfort and support for me. We've run together for hundreds of miles the past several months training for Western States so he knows my running ability, what motivates me, etc. And he knows the course incredibly well which will help as well.

It's a good feeling having a race to work towards. I've signed up for two 100 mile races in the past year. I was injured for one of them so I could not start (Rocky Raccoon). And the other one was cancelled (Western States). Am I jinxed in this whole 100 mile business? I've signed up for Leadville to find out!

Monday, June 30, 2008

Western States Cancelled!

Virginia, Nancy (mother in law), Steve (pacer) and I arrived in Squaw Valley on Wednesday afternoon before the race. I had the girls drop us off at the race site so Steve and I could take in the 1st timers race meeting while they checked into the condo. We got there about 5 minutes late and I noticed that everyone was in a terrible state of mind. The woman giving the talk was crying and it took a second to sink in that she was saying that the race may be cancelled. The final decision was made at 8pm that night. The race board had decided to cancel the 2008 race. I was stunned. It took awhile to sink in and even though I am back in Dallas now, it still may take awhile to fully take hold.

The race was cancelled due to the large amount of forest fires in the area. This is a 100 mile - point to point race and there were at least three fires very close to the trail. The logistics of holding this race are already insane. Having forest fires in the area made it impossible. The smoke was thick in most of Northern California and they just could not take the chance to hold the race. It was a smart decision, but it did not make it any less painful to me and the other runners. I had my first beer in over a month that night.

My training partner, Matt and his wife had already prepaid for their condo so they came out to Squaw Valley as well. We decided we'd just make it a running and hiking vacation and we'd just go to trails where the smoke wasn't as bad.

So I ended up getting in some incredible training runs and hikes. We ran on the Pacific Crest Trail one day which was amazing. Virginia and I hiked up to Emigrant Pass one day which was the highlight of the trip for me. I have an amazing wife and doing things like that are incredibly special. We hiked up to the top of Mount Rose another day - the highest peak in Nevada. And then Matt and I topped it off this morning with another hike up to Emigrant Pass and then a screaming fast run down the mountain. All in all it was a great vacation.

Now I have to figure out my next race. The WS Race Committee was kind enough to give us all automatic entries into the 2009 race, but I need to do a 100 mile race before then. So I have a little thinking and planning ahead of me. I'll figure it out. Onward!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I'm Ready!

You know that scene that’s in every Rocky movie? The one where Rocky has lifted all of his weights, finished all of his sparing, and has run up the steps of that building while the theme song is playing? He is primed and ready to fight Clubber Lang, Apollo Creed , or that Russian dude. Well, that’s me right now. I’m ready for this race!

I’ve run all the miles, done as much hill work as possible, eaten right, weight lifting, yoga, and Pilates to get ready for this race. It feels really good that the hard training is over. The taper is finally here! And I am in the best shape of my entire life.

Most importantly, I am mentally ready for this race. I’ve got my head on right and I am ready for the challenge. It’s taken awhile to get here and I’ve gone through many ups and downs while training for this race. But now I am primed and ready to go. 11 days until the race – bring it on!

Sweat Test

After my miserable experience last Saturday at Cedar Hill, I decided to find out how much fluid I am losing every hour while running. It’s called a sweat test and I did it on two very different occasions. It’s really easy. You weigh yourself without clothes before starting a run. Then you go out and run at race pace for 60 minutes without drinking (or peeing) and then weigh yourself again when finished. It is actually pretty shocking to see how much fluid you lose while running. Here are my results…

Day One – June 9th 7pm in the evening; 70 degrees; 78% humidity
Lost 2.5 pounds
2.5 x 16 ounces = 40 ounces lost in one hour

Day Two – June 12th Noon; 90 degrees; 51% humidity
Lost 3.75 pounds
3.75 x 16 ounces = 60 ounces lost in one hour

So you can see that I typically lose a lot of fluid when I run – probably more than the average person. Even when it was cool 70 degrees outside, I lost 40 ounces of fluid. 40 ounces equals 2 full water bottles.

But I know that I can not drink that much water during the race. Your body can only absorb up to 30 ounces of fluid per hour. I’ll really have to monitor my fluid intake during the race – especially during the heat of the day when we are in the canyons. Hydration can make or break my race. But armed with this info, I will be able to handle it a little bit better.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Heat

I learned a huge lesson yesterday. Heat does not agree with me. I've known for a long time that I do not perform well in hot weather. But man, my run yesterday really kicked me in the butt. Here is how my last long run before tapering went down...

I started the day with 9 miles at Norbuck Park. I then had breakfast with my family and then picked up Matt for 5 hours at Cedar Hill Preserve. We started our run at 10am and finished at 3pm. I was doing great for about 3 1/2 hours -- then it all fell apart for me. And I mean really fell apart. I have never felt so bad while running. I know now that I had a case of heat exhaustion.

I was starting to slow down at this point in the run, so Matt and I decided that we would do a loop by ourselves. About 30 minutes after we separated, the wheels started to come off. I could not run the flats anymore -- I could only run the downhills. And the uphills were becoming a bear. I kept pounding water, but I knew something was wrong. It took me 15 minutes to do a climb that I can normally do in 2 minutes. I had to sit down and rest many times. My heart rate was elevated and I could not slow down my breathing. I was not running at all anymore -- in fact, I was barely walking. I finally got up the hill and made my way the final 2 miles to the car.

I sat gasping at the car, but knew that I needed to complete the run. I was hoping this was just a really low spot and I'd come out of it. I was not thinking very clearly at this point. I doused myself with water, put ice in my cap and bottles, tied a cold bandanna around my neck, and started out for another loop. I was able to run for about 50 yards before I was reduced to a staggering walk. I had to sit and rest at the slightest uphills. Something was definitely wrong with me. And that's when the nausea started. I've seen other people that have stomach issues while running ultras. Well, it was time for me to experience this side of ultraunning.

I felt like I'd had 15 beers the night before. My head started to hurt, I could not keep my breathing in check, I could barely walk, and now I was vomiting. I turned around to head back to the car. I was only about a 1/2 mile out on the trail, so I made it back in a reasonable time. I laid down on a picnic table and tried to get myself together. Somebody walked by and asked me if I was OK. I just grunted "I'm fine." Then I noticed a water hose not too far away. I walked over and hosed myself off. That really helped. My breathing was finally in check, but I couldn't stop the nausea. At this point, Matt had finished his loop and saw me. He's first reaction was, "Dude, what happened to you?" I filled him in and he made me hose off again and drink a ton of water and take some salt.

Eventually I got myself together enough to get in the car and head home. Matt drove home while I continued with my nausea -- really fun stuff! I jumped into his pool and drank some really cold Gatorade (thank you, Julie!) and finally started to feel better. And eventually I was able to drive myself home.

Looking back on it, I really can't believe I fell apart so quickly. It was about 2 in the afternoon when things went poorly. The sun had come out in full force and it was hot and humid but it wasn't 100 degrees or anything. I think I started the run a little too fast, sweat too much, and my body could not keep up with it. At least it happened to me now, so I can learn from it. During the race, I plan on staying as cool as possible. Ice in every water bottle, ice in my hat, ice in my bandanna. I'll douse myself with cold water at every aid station - stop at every river and stream crossing and throw water on myself and head.

Heat exhaustion is no joke. It's a day later and I still don't feel right. It was really the strangest feeling while it was happening. I've never felt anything like it. I could not stop my elevated heart rate/breathing, my ears felt clogged up, my voice changed, I was staggering, and the puking of course. And I believe I had a pretty mild case of it. Consider this a lesson learned. It's going to be very, very hot in the canyons of WS. I will do everything I can to stay cool before, during, and after that section of the race.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Training Camp

I've been back from the WS training camp for a couple of days. I've now had time to reflect on the course, my mental attitude, and catch up on my sleep a bit.

First of all, the training runs were incredibly valuable to me. I got to run on the WS trail for two solid days and see what was in store for me during the race.

I flew into Sacramento, rented a car, and drove to Foresthill, CA where I would be camping for two nights. I set up my tent in the Foresthill Middle School soccer field with about 20 other adventurous souls. I say adventurous, because it started raining as soon as my tent went up and it did not stop for over 24 hours. And it was pretty dang cold - mid 40's. Much different from Dallas, Tx this time of year. I found a restaurant that made pasta, ate, and then crawled into my sleeping bag while it was still light outside. There was really nothing else for me to do and I figured I needed as much rest as possible.

I woke up the next morning around 3ish and could not go back to sleep. The rain was really keeping me awake, plus I was anxious about the upcoming run. I was about to run the hardest part of the course (the canyons) in some pretty miserable conditions. So I ate my breakfast and just stared at the top of my tent for 3 hours until it was time to get up.

I drove down to the run start and registered. The volunteers wrote a giant number on the back of my hand so they could keep track of all of the runners on the course. They did not want to lose anybody out there. Before I knew it, it was time to load up into the buses for an hour ride to get to the start of the run.

Everyone on the bus was incredibly excited. I had the great fortune of sitting next to a 7 time WS finisher who gave me some really good advice. I asked him how all of the rain would affect the trail. I know in Texas with all of our clay soil, it would be impossible to run in these conditions. He told me not to worry, the course drains really well, and that we'd just have to dodge a few puddles here and there.

We finally got to the trail and everyone poured of the bus. It was hilarious -- there were about 400 people heading for the nearest tree to relieve themselves. There was no modesty at all - everyone had to go really bad!

And then off we went. And man, was it miserable. We were at a higher elevation now and it was colder. And it was still raining. My hands were numb after 5 minutes. I was so thankful I'd brought my rain jacket. It started sleeting for a bit and there were piles of snow on the sides of the trail. At this point, I was thinking this is no fun at all. And it was muddy! Very, very muddy. But at least it wasn't the Texas clay mud that grips your shoes and doesn't let go. This was a fine mud - very slippery. I had mud inside my shoes the entire day. It made no sense to clean them out -- more just kept coming in. Some sections there was some nice shoe sucking mud. You really had to pick your steps carefully. I ran into my new friend at an aid station and he apologized for the bad advice about the trail conditions -- we both had a good laugh.

But man, I was finally on the WS trail! And that was a really good feeling. I was on the trail that I'd heard and read so much about. This is the trail I have been working towards for last 6 months. And I was about to run the most difficult section of the trail -- the canyons.

After 8 miles or so, we got to the decent into the canyons. And that was by far the most dangerous running I've ever done. The mud and foot traffic made the decent incredibly scary. I could not do my usual free fall type of downhill running. I really had to watch what I was doing and had to put the breaks on so I would not fall off the course. And a fall here would be bad. When you put the breaks on during these downhills, your feet slip in the mud. I would slide 5 feet at a time on certain descents. That out of control feeling with rocks, trees, and cliffs all around is not a good feeling. Somewhere on this section a runner sprained his ankle really badly. Other runners helped him out of the canyon where a helicopter was waiting to fly him out. He had hypothermia from the cold conditions. That's a very unlucky way to end your WS dream.

I finally reached the bottom of the first canyon and started my climb back up. This section is called the Devil's Thumb and I had heard a lot about it. In fact, I was really anxious about this climb. So many runner's races are dashed in these canyons and the Devil's Thumb is one serious climb. I just started at my normal climbing pace and kept on moving. I knew it would take time to get to the top and I just had to have patience and I would eventually get there. I reached the top after 40 minutes and I thought to myself -- hey, that wasn't so bad! But during the race, I'll already have run over 30 miles before this point and it will be at least 50 degrees warmer. So I know the canyon section is going to be tough. There were two other canyons after Devil's Thumb and they were all very hard, but manageable. And before I knew it, the run was over. Along the way, I had a great conversation with a lady who had completed WS 2 times and Badwater once amongst several other 100 mile races. She gave me some great advice and encouragement.

Day two was much easier. My legs were tired, but I was able to complete the 20 mile run in a little less than 4 hours. This had to be the easiest section of the course -- lots of really runnable terrain. I have to be sure I have legs left during the race to really take advantage of it. I'll also being running this section with my pacer, Steve, who've I've already told not to let me fall of the cliffs that are everywhere in this section.

Overall, the training camp was a great experience. I have come away from it with good confidence that I can complete this race. I am now mentally ready and physically I am about as good as shape as I can get in. Two more tough weeks of training before I begin my taper. I will be ready for WS100! 30 more days!

Monday, May 19, 2008

5K

I got a call from Matt on Thursday asking me if I'd like to enter the Heartbeat 5K that his hospital sponsors each year. But here was the catch - he wanted to work it into our regular Saturday long run. So we'd run for awhile and then do the 5K on somewhat tired legs.

On Saturday morning, I woke early and started my regular long run. Matt met me at Flag Pole Hill after I got in 7 hilly miles and then we headed off to Presbyterian Hospital for the race. But we miscalculated the distance to Presby so we had to really push it to get to the race by the 8:30 start time. We arrived at the race with 5 minutes to spare and I was dripping wet somewhat dehydrated mess. And I was already tired. I had 11 hilly miles on my legs and I'd basically already run close to my race pace just to get there. So my expectations for the 5K were really low. My goal was to average 8 minute miles or better (remember, I am a really slow runner!) and to not fall apart at the end of the race. I pounded some water and got myself together for the race.

I started the race and actually felt OK - I love that race day magic! The first mile had a nice downhill to it so I pushed it a bit. But you always pay for those downhills because the 2nd mile was mostly uphill. I made the turn to head back to the hospital for the last mile and knew that we had a gentle downhill with a pretty nice uphill right at the finish. At this point I was just trying to hold it together and maintain my pace. I was still passing a few runners that went out to quickly, but I knew I could not hold the pace much longer. I made the turn to the finish just as Matt yelled out - "Krejci is dropping the hammer!" (of course, he'd already finished by now) and finished with a 24:31.

I was happy with my effort and frankly really surprised. I did not think I could run that fast after already putting in 11 miles before the race. I've only run one other 5K (2 years ago) and I finished this one over a minute faster. I am not a huge fan of the 5K distance. Running 3.1 miles at a fast pace (for me) really freaking hurts! I'm not kidding when I say I'd rather run a marathon than a fast 5K.

After the race we ran back to my house and then Matt continued on to his house. I got in a total of 16 miles - 3 of which were really fast - and 3 of which were close to my race pace. And in the hills at Flag Pole and it was a pretty good training run. Next weekend is training camp weekend on the WS100 trail. I can not wait to get out there and see the course for myself. I am incredibly excited. 40 more days until WS100.

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Hill

The Hill is a beating. The Hill has made me sore for the last two days. The Hill is exactly the specific training I need to finish WS100.

The Hill is a small patch of grass alongside I-45 just south of Dallas. And it is the steepest thing we have within 30 miles of Dallas. And when I say alongside I-45, I am talking you are running down this hill and putting on the breaks right before you end up in the road. I believe it may freak out drivers a bit to see people barrelling down this hill and then stopping right before the freeway. It's a little unnerving for the runners as well -- especially when you are tired.

The routine goes like this - power hike up The Hill - run down The Hill - repeat until your quads and calves beg for mercy.

I did two hours at The Hill with Matt on Wednesday - total elevation gain was 3700 feet. The plan is to work the The Hill into our training every Wednesday after work for the next several weeks.

Here is what my training looks like right now.

Monday - easy run - 4 miles - work out the kinks of the Saturday long run; yoga at night
Tuesday - speed day - 4-6 miles - with mile repeats
Wednesday - hill day (see above); Pilates at night if I can get it in
Thursday - easy, easy run - 4 miles - work out the kinks of The Hill
Friday - rest - usually do some walking on this day - 2 miles
Saturday - long run on trails - 18-30 miles depending on the week
Sunday - total rest

My total weekly mileage has been in the 35-40 mile range for the last several weeks. This is really not that many miles to run while training for WS100. Most people average 50-70 miles a week during April and May leading up to the race. Many folks average 100 miles a week. Well, I tried the heavy mileage thing while training for the Rocky Raccoon 100 and my IT Band fell apart. I believe that 35-40 miles per week is really as much as I can do right now without injuring myself again.

I am thinking quality runs over quantity right now. I'm doing as many specific training runs as possible. Hills for strength and mental toughness, speed work for speed - because I am a slow ass runner, and long runs because this is a long ass race. The other runs are all for recovery. And the walks are to make me a faster power hiker which is a skill I know I'll need on the WS100 course.

I've come a long way from last December and January when I could not run a step due to my IT issue. Speaking of the IT - it's still aches most days, but it allows me to run. And I always run on soft surfaces like the Katy Trail or on single track trails on my long runs.

50 days until WS100!

Monday, May 5, 2008

Ouachita Forest Backpacking Trip

This past Friday, I headed out for a backpacking trip with some of my friends from church. We hiked a trail in the Ouachita National Forest. I'd never backpacked before, so it was new experience for me. We headed up the Horse Thief Springs trail around 1ish on Friday afternoon. The hike was a lot of ups and downs, but mostly up. We hiked through woods with a lot of rocks and even some boulder fields that we had to cross. We made it to the top of the 2000 foot "mountain" around 6 in the afternoon. I would rate this trail as mostly unrunnable and a fairly difficult hike. It took us basically 5 hours (including breaks where we debated on which direction to go, etc.) to hike roughly 7 miles.

We camped at the top of the "mountain" near the springs. The next day we hiked back down going on different route which was much easier. We camped near Cedar Lake that night. I had enough time to get in one 3 mile run around the lake after setting up camp. I also did a little fishing. Overall a really nice trip and some decent training for WS.

Overall mileage for the two days - 16 on some pretty tough terrain. This week I plan on hitting it much harder. 54 days until WS!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Toughest Trail in Texas

On Saturday, Matt and I did a training run at the Cross Timbers Trail on the Oklahoma/Texas border. It runs along Lake Texoma and is considered by many the toughest trail in Texas. I'm not completely sure about that - but it was an ass whipping!

We started the run at 3pm and finished up sometime around 11pm. The goal for this run was to start on somewhat tired legs (from walking around all day doing normal Saturday chores) and to finish up in the dark to get me used to night running.

We started at one end of the trail and did an out and back. We timed it to have just enough daylight to get back to the car before sunset. We did not want to get caught out there without lights when it got dark. We could have made it back to the car in the dark, but it would have been very, very slow going.

The trail itself is really beautiful. It runs along Lake Texoma so you really can't get lost -- you just keep the lake to your right. There were many nice climbs, some pretty hairy descents, and actually a couple of short flat sections where you could really stretch your legs and run hard. We met a few hikers who were out on the trail and camping overnight. I made note of this as a good place to do a hike/camping trip with my family.

They do a trail race here every year and due to the difficulty of the course it posts some of the slowest finishing times of any other race in Texas. After spending 6 plus hours on it, I could really see why.

After making it back to the car, we grabbed our lights and headed out into the night. This was my first time trail running at night. It took a little while to get used to it, but it wasn't too bad. You just have to stay focused. If you let your mind wander for a moment, you can easily trip over a root or rock and hit the ground. Your pace slows down a bit on the flats and on the downhills, but you can still crank it up the hills OK.

We ran the toughest part of the trail over and over again. At one point, I started doing the math in my head about what time we'd get back to Dallas. When I calculated it would be after 2am, I told Matt it was time to hang it up. Plus I was starving! So we packed it in and headed back to Dallas. We stopped for a quick Whataburger with all the drunk folks and I hit my pillow sometime after 2am.

Great run - felt good most of the time - just a little IT Band soreness for about 15 minutes during the last part of the run. 61 days to go until WS100!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Mississippi River Levee Run

This past Thursday, the family and I drove to Plaquemine, Louisiana for my cousin Jessica's wedding. We had an amazing time -- it was great hanging out with my family for 3 days. The wedding itself was wonderful - truly a joyous occasion. It has to be one of the best weddings I have ever attended. Incredible wedding service, amazing reception - and it did not hurt that my two children where in the wedding and that Jessica and Andre are a terrific couple. Needless to say, I overdid it on the food and libations during the trip -- like I always do when I visit them. Folks in Louisiana just know how to throw a party!

However, I did work in one nice long run while in Louisiana. I started my run in downtown Plaquemine and went south on the Mississippi river levee towards New Orleans. The levee is really a great place to run. It is flat and has a dirt/gravel road on top of it. You don't have to worry about footing at all - you can just let your mind wander. My plan was for a two hours out and then turn around for two hours back. I had my hydration pack and two bottles of water - enough for basically one bottle of water every hour.

I started the run while it was still dark. I climbed on the levee and started jogging south. As the sun came up I was able to see the river which was only 10 feet from the top of the levee. We've had a wet winter across our country and the river is at an extremely high point. My uncle who has lived in Plaquemine his entire life has only seen the river higher one other time. If the levee did not exist, the entire town of Plaquemine and many other towns along the river would be under water right now. It was kind of strange to be running on ground much higher than the town itself. At my level, I was above the roofs of all of the homes that line the river road to the side of the levee.

The levee itself is really not that wide. It is built like a pyramid and is about 30 yards wide at its base. To my left was the river - to my right was a narrow field of pasture grass and then the river road. I was running about the same pace as the river - I made a little game of keeping up with various pieces of drift wood. If I only looked at the river, I felt a little like Huck Finn out there. I saw alligator gar, turtles, herons, and other assorted wildlife. Looking to my right, I saw sugarcane fields, farms and ranches, lots of industry, mixed in with nice homes (including one plantation home built before the Civil War) and ramsackle shacks. There was a wide variety of different things to view. I don't think I they have a lot of zoning laws in Louisiana.

The sun began to creep higher in the sky. It was a typical spring morning in South Louisiana. Humid, but not terrible. It rained on me a bit, but stopped quickly - the sun came out and then would go behind the clouds for awhile. Overall, not too bad. However, with the coming daylight I started to notice warning signs on the levee - no trespassing - levee road not for public use - violators will be prosecuted. That started to worry me a bit. I did not want to run on the river road down below me - a lot of the houses along the road had dogs in the front yard that made me nervous. Plus there were cars and giant trucks whizzing by pretty often down there. I decided to push on and take my chances on the levee.

Pretty soon I ran upon a bunch of cattle that were laying down in the middle of the levee road. As I got closer, they picked up and started trotting off ahead of me. I was cool with that and I started to have a little fun with them. I'd pick up the pace and the cows would run faster - staying about 20 yards ahead of me the entire time. I'd slow down and then they'd slow down -- always staying ahead of me. I then realized that they were not going to turn around - they were going to stay ahead of me as long as I kept running behind them. That made me a little concerned. I kept imagining the rancher watching me and seeing me move his cattle 5 miles down the levee and getting pissed. So I started to run faster thinking I may be able to overtake the cattle and then they'd stay behind me. No such luck -- cows can run way faster than I can! So I just kept running - all the while getting more nervous about the warning signs on the levee and the cows that I was moving far from where I found them. Finally the cows stopped and turned around. I looked a little ahead of them and saw a fence and cattle guard. What would the cows do now? They were trapped between me and the fence. Would they try and jump the fence to get away from me? Would they run into the Mississippi itself and be swept off to New Orleans? Would they charge me and I would have to jump into the Mississippi and be swept off to New Orleans? Those were my thoughts as I inched up closer to the cows. I was careful to divert my face and not make eye contact with them as I started to pass. Needless to say, nothing happened. The cows did not move at all and I made my merry way around them.

Back to those warning signs along the levee road. I had passed about 10 of them by now. My imagination was running wild. I kept thinking that the sheriff would be pulling up behind me any second. I looked over my shoulder constantly. I really did not want a ticket -- or worse -- be locked up for the weekend for trespassing. So I made the decision to run back to town on the river road. I'd take my chances with the dogs and the trucks. It turned out to be a good decision - right after I started running on the road I saw the rancher on the levee tending to his cows - I ran quickly by him. Then an refinery worker was on the levee doing some kind of pipeline work. I ended up passing three different trucks on my way back to Plaquemine that were up on the levee.

The river road was not too bad. Lots of roadkill - I counted 5 dead armadillos in a one mile stretch. The dogs were all chained up - so no issues there. The cars and trucks were not too fun - there was very little shoulder on the road to avoid them. I ran into a guy who was doing some yard work and he asked me how far I was going. When I told him 20 miles - he about fell down. I don't think they see a whole lot of recreational runners in Plaquemine, Louisiana.

Overall it was a great trip, wonderful wedding, and pretty interesting run. I love running in new places!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Bad Weather Run

It's been three weeks since my last post. I laid off running for about a week after the Grasslands - did a lot of walking, stretching, and yoga/Pilate's. The past two weeks have been pretty solid training (with the exception of a business trip to Denver where I just drank for two solid days -- but we all need that sometimes, right?!) Anyway, things are going pretty smoothly. I still feel the IT pain nearly every day, but now it's more of a dull ache. I also feel it during my long runs, but it comes and goes - mostly when I get into a hilly section of a run. I'm not completely over this injury - it will probably stay with me for the months to come. It has taken forever to heal, but I am 100% better than when I was first injured - and at least I can now run!

Speaking of running, I had an interesting hill workout on Wednesday with my buddy Matt. The forecast that afternoon was for torrential thunderstorms, hail, and possible tornadoes. So what did we do? We went out and ran anyway. I met him at Flagpole Hill and we did 8 very hilly miles in Flagpole Hill and Norbuck Park while the heavens were unleashing their fury for nearly two hours. I was soaked to the bone and numb after two minutes of being out of the car. At that point, it did not matter anymore. We just ran. Up the hill, down the hill, to the tree at the top of the hill, and down to the tree at the bottom of the hill -- repeat, repeat, repeat. At the end of the run, the mud was getting pretty bad. Thankfully I had to pick up the kids at 7:30, so I was able to cut the workout a little short.

Matt did not seem disappointed. We both knew that we would have not even attempted that workout if we were both not there to push each other. He's been an invaluable training partner and mentor for the WS100. He's run 3 or 4 100 mile races and has paced someone at WS100 in the past. I've learned a lot from him.

The family and I are going to my cousin's wedding in Louisiana this week. Sara and Joe are in the wedding as flower girl and ring bearer. I am so excited to visit my family and see my cousin get married. The seem like a perfect match. In between the beers, the cajun daiquiri's (my favorite), crawfish, my Nanie and Netta's cooking, and the wedding festivities I will work in a few runs. I've run along the Mississippi river levee in the past which is a pretty interesting run. I need to do some checking around to see if there are any other cool trails in the area.

I have decided to not run the Freestate 100K in Lawrence, KS. The thought of driving 9 hours on Friday - then running for 12 hours on Saturday - then driving back to Dallas for 9 hours on Sunday basically made the decision for me. I'd like to do this race one day, but not this year. So instead, I'm going to run 40-50 miles with some running buddies at the Cross Timbers trail near Lake Texoma on that Saturday. It's a really tough trail and I am looking forward to experiencing it. And it's only 2 hours from the house instead of 9. I'll let you know how that goes.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

A Confidence Boost - The Grasslands 50

Yesterday I completed a 50 mile race outside of Decatur, TX called The Grasslands. Last year I did the marathon, so I was familiar with part of the course. I went into the race with very modest goals. 1) To get through the race healthy - no matter how long it took me 2) To get some good time on my feet for WS training 3) To monitor my fluid and calorie intake effectively - I did not want to bonk.

Well -- I blew away my goals! Here is how my day unfolded...

My buddy Josh and I stayed at his parents house in Denton the night before the race. Their house is about 30 minutes from the race start so we got to sleep in a bit. We woke at 4:30 and were out the door by 5:15am. We arrived at the race and made our last minute race preparations and then at 7am - we were off. OK - everyone else was off -- I started the race by power hiking. So I was dead last. And I did not care at all. My strategy for the race was to power hike 5 minutes then run 5 minutes -- repeat. I did this for the first 20 miles and I was averaging a 12:30 minute pace which is really respectable for the terrain and the distance. I made friends with some of the other runners on the course. I met Sean from Michigan who was running his very first 50 miles. We would leap frog each other. He would catch me when I power hiked and then I'd catch him when I would run. We did this for miles. About mile 20 I met Nick from Houston. He ran Western States last year and made it to mile 85 before timing out. He gave me a ton of advice about the race. At this point, I decided that I could really use Nick's advice so I decided to stop my 5/5 plan and run with Nick. We ran together for about 5 miles. Nick told me he was using the Grasslands to qualify for Western States again and had a 11 hour goal. I told him he better pick up the pace a bit because we were at mile 25 and he had to run the next 25 miles at the same pace to do that. Running an even split like that during any race is difficult, but I could tell Nick had some speed so I thought he could do it.

At this point in my race I was feeling really good - my energy level was high. The 5/5 plan left me with a ton of gas in my tank. Physically - my IT Band was sore but not hurting - my right ankle was swollen from the Waco race two weeks ago but was not killing me. And Nick's speech about qualifying for Western States again really motivated me. So I started to pick up the pace hoping he'd follow me. But I lost him at an aid station and pushed on my myself. I ran miles 26-40 pretty much by myself. There was the occasional runner I passed and a lot of folks riding horses, but other than that I was alone. I really pushed hard during this part of the race. I had decided that I would also try and break 11 hours. I was feeling good - so why not? That was not the plan going in, but plans change - right?

My buddy Josh ran the 1/2 marathon that morning and had been waiting for me all day long. He ran his race (he PR'd!!!) then ate, rested, and even taken a nap while waiting for me. The plan was for him to pace me the last 10 miles of the race. Of course, he did not know that I would be going for a goal time. He thought we'd be taking it easy for the last ten miles. So after punishing himself with a very tough 1/2 marathon, he would now be running over 10 miles up and down hills, through sand, and creeks all the while motivating me to run fast. He was waiting for me at the car ready to go. I told him I have two goals - to break 11 hours and I don't want anyone to pass me. He said -- let's do it! And off we went for the last 10 mile loop.

We were cruising along at a nice pace - power walking the uphills (Josh is good at this and really helps me) and running the flats and downhills. We started passing a ton of people - most of whom are veterans of this race. At first I felt like these guys are faster than me - they'll take off soon and leave us behind -- but finally I knew that they were toast and I had a lot left in me so we took off past them. The last 10 miles flew by and soon we were close to the finish. We just had a nice 1/2 mile climb to get there. All of a sudden a runner blows by us running very fast up this hill. I recognized him as a guy who was resting at the last aid station. He was apparently a very talented runner because he could still run up that hill after running 49.5 miles! Believe it or not, I was a little disappointed. I really did not want anyone to pass me. But this guy just flew up that hill - we pushed hard but there was no way to catch him. Oh well! But I did accomplish my time goal -- I finished in 10 hours 32 minutes and had a smile on my face!

So what does that say about my training and this race? 1) I am becoming a better power walker - I literally walked 10 of the first 20 miles of this race and still finished with a solid time 2) my hydration and calorie plan worked well 3) don't worry about where you are in a race -- even if you are dead last. Just run your race - you know your strengths and weaknesses. Run hard when you are at a section of your strength and power hike when you can't run. 4) I still had a lot left in me. I was tired of course, but I could have kept running for a long time - that is what ultimately gave me the huge confidence boost.

I also found out that I really like starting last and then catching people as the day moves along. 50 miles is a long way to go - you can not go out too fast - better to save your gas for later.

So how did my new friends Nick and Sean do? Josh and I waited at the finish line for them. The clock was down to 10:57 minutes and I was getting worried about Nick. You could tell how bad he wanted to break 11 hours to qualify again for Western. All of a sudden I see him make the turn and he is sprinting the last 200 yards of the race. He crossed the finish line and fell over. He did it in 10:59 and qualified again for Western! He's going to be at the Western training camp in a few months so I'll get to chat with him again. He's a good guy.

Nick told me he passed Sean at mile 41 and Sean was power hiking the rest of the way in. I think the Texas heat got to him a bit. He's from Michigan so coming down to this temperature while his home is still very cold was a shock to his system. We waited awhile and then here comes Sean across the finish line! He ran a very respectable race and it was his first 50 miler! That is a GREAT feeling!

So what's next? First thing is to heal up a bit. My ankle worries me and my IT Band is a little sore. I am going to take it easy for the next few days and then decide my next race. I'm still targeting the Free State 100K, but I want to be sure it will do me more good than harm. I'll decide this week sometime.

Until then -- HAPPY EASTER - HE IS RISEN!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Working On My Golf Game

I am still not quite 100%. My right IT band is about 85% healed. But I am back on track and running again. And boy does that feel good! I am not doing the 50-60 mile weeks on the hard road that led to my injury. Instead I am taking the advice of my running buddy Matt and doing very specific training. For example, I will be power hiking at least 40% of the WS100. That much of the course is unrunnable to a person with my abilities. So I am now working on my power hiking. And I am getting good at it.

The analogy that Matt uses is "working on your golf game". In golf, you have your driver and you have your putter. If you are only good at one of them you are going to be a terrible golfer. So you need to practice both. The driver is your running. The putter is your power hiking. It does not hurt my leg to power hike, so I am doing much more of that now. I want to be a really fast power hiker. That will help me immensely in this race.

My typical training week looks like this right now.

Monday - 4 mile run at an easy pace at lunch. Yoga at night.
Tuesday - Power Hiking the hills in my neighborhood for one hour. Weight training at lunch or at night.
Wednesday - Hills - walk up - run down -- basically it is 5 miles of hills. Weight training at night or at lunch. Pilates (core) at night.
Thursday - 4-6 mile run at lunch or at night.
Friday - 4-5 miles of power hiking at a 12.5 to 15 degree incline on the treadmill. I do this to simulate the climbs I will face on the course -- especially the first major climb to Emigrant Pass.
Saturday - trail running - 15-20 miles - do a race every four weeks of 30 miles or longer.
Sunday - REST

Some of my week day runs will be a little longer than above. It just depends on how much time I have available at the time.

I am going to work on some speedwork on the Wednesday runs instead of hills a little closer to the race. I need to work on my speed to beat those aggressive WS early cuttoffs.

I am on a 4-5 week training cycle right now. Here are the races or longer runs I am targeting.

March - Grasslands 50 mile next weekend
April - Freestate 100K at the end of April
May - WS Training Runs at the end of May -- this is on the actual WS course and is highly recommended
June - WS100

I may also do an additional training weekend in the Guadalupe Mountains of far West Texas if I can work it in in May.

Right now, my immediate focus is the Grasslands 50. I ran the marathon there last year. The course is not terribly difficult. I am hoping it will be hot so I can work on my hydration plan. I am going to do a 5/5 plan at this race. Run 5 minutes/Power Hike 5 minutes. I don't think my IT band is up for running the entire course. I am treating this as a training run. I will work on my calorie intake and hydration plan. My buddy Josh will be out there with me. He is running the half marathon and then hanging out all day to pace me for the last 10 miles of my race. That is incredibly cool of him. I am really looking forward to this race. Hopefully my IT band will hold up. If it does, it will give me a huge boost of confidence for the rest of my training and races leading up to WS100.

105 days until WS100!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Not quite 100%, but running again!

I've been running now pain free for a few weeks and it feels GREAT! My knee/IT Band is still not completely healed yet, but it feels good enough to get out and RUN! I am exactly 114 days from the WS100 and I have a ton of training to do before the race.

I ran 12 miles at Cedar Ridge Preserve last weekend with my buddies Josh and Matt. That trail is probably the best in Dallas for the type of terrain I will face during the WS100. I was pretty dehydrated from having some GI issues earlier in the week, but finished the run feeling OK.

This Saturday I headed down to Waco for the Waco 20 (20 mile race) held in Cameron Park next to the Brazos River. Wow -- what a great race - very beautiful and very hilly! Who knew that Waco had so many hills?!! I treated it as a training run and went out really easy. I finished in the back of the pack, but could not have been happier. I went 20 miles on a really tough course and had very few issues with my IT band. It started to bark a bit around mile 13 while going through some tough hills, but was fine a mile later. I felt strong the entire time and finished with a smile on my face.

I had the pleasure of attending the event with Matt, his terrific family, and a new buddy named David. These guys are very talented runners and did the 50K race where they both finished well. During the ride home, I got some good tips from these guys for the WS100.

I got a total of 1 hour of sleep before this race which helped to simulate race conditions during WS100. Last night was our good friend D'Lane's 40th birthday party at Ozona's. It was a GREAT time. Her husband (and another one of my running buddies, Bill) had his band play. D'Lane joined them onstage for a few select songs and it was a riot. Great night and great training for staying up all night during the Western States.

OK - I'm beat - and with the time change I need to get the kids to bed early tonight so I can get some much needed sleep!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Cowtown

This Saturday, my buddy Josh finished his very first marathon -- the Cowtown! I am incredibly proud of him. He and I trained all summer long for the White Rock Marathon, but he sprained his ankle stepping off a curb exactly one mile into that race. You can read all about that experience in one of my December posts.

But Saturday was his day! He ran strong the entire time through a pretty challenging course. Ft. Worth is much hillier than Dallas and it seems like the race takes you up and down each one those hills! My buddy Trey, his daughter Alex, Josh's wife Ann, and I crewed for Josh during the race. We met him every four miles to offer support and give him his electrolytes, etc. There was one particularly tough hill around mile 14 where everyone was walking. We saw Josh about a 1/2 mile after that hill and I mentioned it to him. He told me he ran that entire hill! I was blown away!

I offered to pace Josh through the last 11 miles of the race and he graciously accepted. So I was able to get a nice training run in and help support my buddy. My knee/IT Band held up fine, but my legs felt really heavy after awhile. That was the longest run I've done since the injury. It feels really good knowing I can at least run 11 miles now without the crippling IT Band pain.

Josh had a really good race. He prepared well and his hard work paid off. He ran all of his long runs (after I got injured) by himself which can be a tough thing to do. But he stayed with it and this marathon is something he will always remember. Right now he says the Cowtown will be his only marathon and he'll stick to half marathons going forward. But I'm not so sure about that. Once marathoning is in your system, it's hard to get out! He's planning on running the Grasslands Half in March. I'm scheduled to do the marathon on that course. I'm hopeful that my IT issues are behind me, but I'm still taking every precaution so that it doesn't creep up and bite me again.

Final notes about the Cowtown. Wow -- what a great course! It is very pretty and takes you through some of the best parts of the city. I really enjoyed the portion of the course I ran. The race is much more laid back than White Rock which really appeals to me. They offer a 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, marathon, and 50K. I highly recommend this race. I will be back one day and do it myself.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Orthotics and Cortizone

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. And the reason for the long layoff is because I have actually been RUNNING! Not a ton, but I am actually hitting the pavement and trails for at least 4 miles at a time! I just got back from an 8 miler at White Rock and feel great! I am icing my knee just in case, but I had no major issues while on the run. It still does not feel like my other knee, but I feel like I may finally be making progress.

A little over two weeks ago, I went to a highly recommened podiatrist. He is an ultrarunner himself and is very familiar with the WS100. His thought was he needed to get me running immediately (amen, brother!) and while he fitted me for othotics he asked how I felt about getting a cortizone injection. Now if you know me, you will know that I am deathly afraid of needles. I have not had a shot for over 15 years and that last one was completely necessary.

After thinking it over for about 15 minutes (while he was working on my foot mold), I gave in and told him to go ahead and give me the cortizone. It really wasn't as bad as I imagined it, and I was able to run 2 days after getting the shot with no pain. The cortizone numbs the inflamed IT Band and helps the swelling. I am hopeful that this shot will keep me going for the months to come.

I was incredibly excited to get my orthotics. They fit into my shoes very well - though they felt kind of strange to begin with. I've been running in them now for a little over a week and am digging the results.

Maybe I have turned a corner here with this IT Band Syndrome. I sure hope so. I have a ton of miles to put in before the WS100 and not much time to do them. I have to remember to be smart about my training plan. I can't do too much too soon. The run I just completed has me feeling like I could run 50 miles tomorrow. But I know that I must take it slowly and work back up to the heavy mileage. My main goal is to get to the starting line of the WS100 healthy!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Rocky Raccoon Aid Station Volunteer

I just got back in town from volunteering at the Rocky Raccoon 100. This was my original target race, so it was strange going down there and not running. But volunteering at the aid station was almost as much fun as running the race itself!

My best friend, Nathan McMartin, met me in Huntsville on Friday night and we camped out in the state park where the race is held. We camped next to Chris Lubert and Matt Crownover who were both running the race. We built a nice campfire and chatted with the guys until turning in around 11ish.

Nate and I woke at 4:45 and made our way out to the Dam Road Aid Station where we worked for the next 12 hours. I had never worked an ultra aid station and it was a surreal experience to say the least. I ran the hydration table while Nate worked the drop bags. We were at the busiest aid station in the race because the runners past our station twice each loop. Lynn Ballard was our aid station captain. He is an experienced ultra runner and ran a great aid station. We took great pride in making sure the runners were well taken care of. We gently nudged the guys and gals out of the aid station who were lingering around around too long and helped out the folks who had to drop from the race due to injury.

It's amazing to see how good someone looks early in a race and how awful they look later that day. We were out there 12 hours so we saw a complete transformation of some people. I remember the guy who had a complete dead look in his eyes as he staggered out of the aid station and how good he looked just 4 hours before! Nate had to dodge projectile vommit from a lady who was suffering pretty badly. I saw some badly blistered feet, lots of folks were bleeding after taking some nice falls, and I saw quite a few people puke. But for all of that suffering, everyone just dealt with it and kept moving. It was quite inspiring.

There was a guy there who weighed at least 300 pounds. I saw him last year when I ran the 50 mile race. I talked to the guy this year and this is his 5 year in a row to do this race! He walks the entire course and it takes him a long time, but he finishes every year! He just blew me away!

After our shift was over, we went back to our campsite and had a nice dinner and a few beers. We congratulated Matt Crownover on finishing the 50 mile course in under 8 hours! He had an amazing run! He is running the Western States this year as well, so we will be doing some training together. He is a much more talented runner than I am and he has given me some great advice. Our other campsite mate, Chris Lubert was still on the course but we found out the next morning that he had done the 100 mile race in 21 hours. That is an incredible time -- and it was his first 100 mile race!

Volunteering at the race was a really fulfilling thing for me. It fealt great to finally give a little back to this sport that I love so much. I wanted to help those runners so badly. Especially the folks who were suffering so much. We ran into an older guy later that night, who was just begging for someone to pace him for a loop. I would have done it if I could have. In fact, the 8 beers I had drank at that point actually made me think that I could do it without further injuring my IT Band. But common sense (and my buddy Nate) made me realize that it would be foolish to do that - no matter how bad I wanted to help the guy. So I went to bed instead.

This morning we packed up and I headed back to Dallas. As I was leaving, I was watching those few runners who were still on the course and would be finishing shortly. I could not imagine what they were feeling after running for over 26 hours. I'll be in their shoes (God willing) in 4 1/2 months and then I'll know what it's like. I've got a lot of work to do before that time.