2019 Colorado Crossing 50k

The Background

I had a tough race at Alamo City Ultra 50k.  Wanting to go into Arkansas 100 on a better note,  I signed up for the Colorado Crossing 50k.  I'd be able to get in one more training run before Arkansas. Plus, this would be the last year TROT would put on the race.  Colorado Crossing features river crossings on boats, so this seemed like an adventure not to miss.

The Race

I could not take off work, so I ended up going to sleep early, then getting up at 1 am and driving to the Schaffer Bend Recreation Area.

The first 3 miles feature some fun hills.  Then at about 4 miles you get to the first river crossing.  I didn't know quite what to expect, but there was a line of runners waiting with life jackets on.  It took a few minutes for a boat to arrive.  About 6 or 8 got in and we all paddled across, with a volunteer steering us.  It seemed about a football field to get to the other side.  I really enjoyed it.  I remember I got it into ultrarunning because it seemed like an adventure out of The Lord of the Rings...this was like crossing the Anduin!

On the other side of the river were about 3 miles of fast, flat trails.  Then you cross the river again at the same spot.  These river crossings were nice forced breaks that kept me feeling fresh.

After the 2nd river crossing it was a mile and a half back to the start.  The loop was listed at 10 miles, but it might have been a bit shorter than that.  So this would be well below 31 miles.  But that was totally fine with me.

On the second loop, I was still feeling good.  I wanted to prove my fitness, so I made it a point to continuously run to 20 miles, minus hiking hills. 

At the end of the second loop, it got hot.  I've learned heat really drains me in a race but I fought against blowing up.  I walked bits but mostly ran the last loop.

On the last crossing, I was in a canoe with another 50k runner who would be finishing.  And there was another boat that landed the same time with about four runners..who knows if they were 50k or 50 miles.  Regardless, I decided to race.  I left the group of four behind but the 50k runner kept pace with me.  I pushed and left him behind.  So many races when I was running it in the last mile or two, I wouldn't have it in me to keep up with a runner who'd leave me behind.  It felt good to have that strength at the end.

At Alamo, Rob and I had joked that I always look bad when I am running.  At the finish he joked, "There's our worst looking finisher, every race!"  I love it...that's my badge of honor.

I finished in 6:49, 18th out of 47 finishers (top 38%)  and 48 starters (top 37.5%).  This was a good performance for me.

Reflections

Colorado Crossing was a super fun race: hills, flats, boats.  I'm so glad I got to run it before it was discontinued.  I like having a medal that you can't get anymore.

The finish in the top half of the field lifted my spirits and gives me confidence.  Now it is 3 weeks until Arkansas.  I feel fairly fit.  I am going to give it my all and not give up.  I just need to keep moving...18 minutes a mile.

Let's see what happens!

2019 Alamo City Ultra 50k

The Background

I went into the Alamo City Ultra 50k excited about running.  I had finished in the top half of the field at Habanero 100k two weeks earlier.  While it was a tough race, full of emotional and physical pain, the good performance energized me.

I got busy and did little running in the two week interim, three short runs.

Terri and I drove up to San Antonio Saturday.  We were tired so we just went to the hotel and watched Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain.

The Course

The Alamo City Ultra is a really cool course.  A 5.4 mile loop, the first mile and a half is steep climbs and descents, like Bandera.  Then follows some smooth trail to the aid station at 3 miles.  There is a short paved section, then you turn off into a soft, smooth trail.  Finally, it ends with the same steep climbs.

The Race

I started off pretty well and the first two loops were uneventful.

The third loop I started to feel fatigue.  Forgetting to bring my buff, I had no system for storing ice, and it was hot.  I also think I got a bit behind on calories.  Whatever the reason, I struggled through the rest of the race: weak, dizzy at times.  I struggled to keep up 20+ miles a mile hiking.

Rob checked on me at the end of the fourth loop and, seeing me still sweating, pronounced me ok.  By the end of the fifth loop, he again asked if I was okay and I said yes.  He remarked to others that its okay, I always look like this.  I said, "Yes!  I always look like crap.  Good race, bad race.  I finished in the top half of Habanero, looked bad the whole way."  We all laughed.  Rob is a great race director.

When I was hiking, I did feel very bad.  But I remembered the depression of a DNF and the satisfaction of a finish.

It wasn't all misery.  Towards the end, I chatted with a guy named Jose who was attempted to finish his first ultra.  I also talked briefly to a runner named Katy who was doing the 50k two days in a row.  Such stories inspire me.

I mixed in a bit of running on the last loop and finished.  Rob high fived me and asked how it was.  I said I felt bad today but a finish is always worth it.

Reflections

I finished way back at the end of the field.  Regardless, I'm proud I kept going.  I felt immense peace at the finish, like always.

So what happened?  Several possibilities:

• I got behind on calories.
• I got too hot because of a lack of ice.
• Maybe I haven't trained enough.  I've tried to use races as long runs and take it easy in between.  Maybe I'm undertrained.  But I ran well at Colorado Bend under a similar training schedule. 
• Maybe I just had a bad day.

The answer is probably a combination of all of the above.  I am not sure that I should train a lot harder, as I want to run a long time.  

I decided to sign up for the Rough Creek Marathon.  Two weeks before Arkansas, it will be a chance to assess where I am.  I missed running Rough Creek anyway, one of my favorite races.  I think I will run a 20 mile long run on the sidewalks to make sure of my fitness between now and then.

Thanks to Rob, Trail Racing Over Texas, and the volunteers for putting on a great race!