2025 Uncommon 6hr

The Background

Originally, I was not to race again until Wildflower 50k.  But then my weekend with the kids switched due to a request.  So with the weekend free, I could race the Uncommon 6hr. It was at the Hippo Social Club, the same location of the Hippo Trail Fest Marathon, and relatively close.  

I had finished the Hippo Trail Fest Marathon in 5:42 last month.  Uncommon would be 3-mile loop, so I would need 27 miles to get a marathon.  Thus, based on the previous time, I would be cutting it close.  I thought about signing up for the 12hr, but I did not have the mental energy to run that long after a hard week.  I could, of course, have simply run 27 miles and stopped, but I also considered the standings.

At the start.

The Race

Although the course still twisted and turned a lot, there was a greater ratio of real trails to mowed fields when compared to Hippo.

I ran at about a 12-minute pace the first 3 loops.

I still ran, but slowed a bit, through mile 17 or so.  Then I hiked for a mile to finish up the 6th loop.

I did some calculations, and I would indeed be cutting to finish the next 9 miles in under 6 hours.  I set out powerhiking.  It was hot, and getting hotter.  At Hippo, I managed a 15-minute hiking pace.  At Uncommon, it was more like a 16-minute pace.

Hiking in the heat.

After finishing loop 8, I calculated that I would have to maintain a 16-minute pace to finish the final loop and make it to 27 miles.  If I didn't make it, I could not add to my marathon total. 

The course would switch to 1-mile loops with 30 minutes to go, but I was ahead of that.  A lady watching the course split asked, "Can you finish the loop in 40 minutes?"  I said, "I don't know!" and headed out on the rest of the 3-mile loop.

I could, of course, run and help my chances.  But I was beat and attempts to run were brief. I told myself to make it a couple of miles into the loop, where the course gets smoother, and then run what I needed to. With anxiety, I hiked those two miles.  I ran about half of the final mile and finished the loop in 5:58.  After crossing the finish line and getting out of the way, I fell on the ground and laid on my back a while.   

I finished in the top half of the field, 10th out of 20 runners.

For some reason, the race was called Uncommon and also Satoshi Trail Run.

Reflections

Putting it all on the line for something you are not sure you can do and then coming through always feels good.

If I do this race again, I should either work to give myself more of a cushion or sign up for the 12hr.

Thanks to God, Chris, the volunteers, Terri, James, Paloma, all my family, and friends for the support!

 

2025 Brazos Bend 50k

The Background

Brazos Bend 50k was to be the first race where I switched over to 100-mile training.  Also, I was not scheduled for another race for 5 weeks after it.  

I had been racing for 4 weeks straight every weekend. So I just ran a couple of 5-milers over the 2 weeks after the last race.

There was a recall on my Coros watch, and a new Coros Apex 2 Pro arrived in the mail.

On the Friday before the race, James and I went to see the Rockets beat the Thunder.  I did not get to bed under 11pm for a 4am wakeup.

On Friday, I had a hard day at work.  I was worried because when my mind is troubled from work, I sometimes let that affect my race performance.

There was a cold front moving in.  The actual weather would not get cold, but there were storms scheduled.

The Race

Whoever made the playlist at the start had good taste: "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows, "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan, "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen. 

The Start

It was warm and humid, but sometimes a cool breeze would help. I headed out at high-11-minute miles, telling myself I should try for 100-mile pace.

A Few Miles In

After the first aid station, around 7 miles in, depression hit me.  All the work stress kicked in, and I felt overwhelmed.  I did not want to race anymore.  I slowly hiked a couple of miles.  I wanted to drop, not seeing how I could continue feeling so bad.  I am not usually capable of crying, but tears almost came.

I reached a road crossing.  Looking left, I knew I could hike back down the road to the start and drop. Straight ahead, I could cross the road and continue down the trail. I seriously considered dropping.  But I had never dropped a race this short from just lack of will. I had made a goal of no DNFs this year.  Plus, I knew that the depression would just continue if I got in my car.

I crossed the road. Remembering that at races like the Badger 100 I had snapped out of wooziness by running a mile or 2, I started running.  I kept repeating, "Run right now to keep the depression at bay."  It worked, and the depression lifted. 

Fighting the Depression

Nice, Smooth Trail Ahead

At this point, the trail was 3-miles out  to the Sawmill  Aid Station and 3 miles back.  I ran about 5.5 miles of that. At about 14.5 miles, I started hiking again, thinking I would do that for a mile to the start and save up energy for another push on the second loop. 

After crossing back over the road, I passed by the Nature Center Aid Station. I worried I was way off course, but they said I would just pass by the side of it and it was .5 miles to the start.  But that still meant that this loop would be 16.7 miles, 1.2 miles long.  I remembered how Cal had said the course branches off for 50 miles and 50k at some point, and I never saw those signs. At the start, I asked Cal at what point the course splits. He said .5 miles in.  I had followed the pack at the start, and many of us had missed the turn.  I said, "That's okay. It's my own fault."

After taking in some calories, I ran a couple of miles. It had started raining off and on by that point, but not too hard.   At mile 19, I started hiking again. I managed 14- or 15-minute miles on the smooth trails all the way through that same road crossing.  

Heading out to Sawmill Aid Station, I felt weak from lack of calories.  I had nothing left in my pack, so I slowed a bit, but not more than a few seconds per mile. It was hot and humid.

At the aid station, I drank a lot of coke and ate some Cheezits. One the way back, I hiked at a 16-minute pace, and threw in some bursts of running.

Crossing the road the final time, I remembered that I like that sore feeling in my legs after a race, so I ran for some stretches.  I saw a runner behind me, and I made it a point not to get passed.

Pushing Across the Bridge

My new watch was very accurate, and the 32.37 miles matched one long loop and one regular loop.

I finished in 7:47, 66th out of 112 (bottom 42%).

After the finish, I got my medal engraved for free. That was a nice bonus! 

On the Bus Back to the Nature Center

Luckily, I finished when I did, because by the time I started driving home it rained harder. 

Reflections

I was so thankful that I did not drop. The depression of a DNF would have been terrible.  Hopefully, I can use this experience when the temptation to drop happens again. I am proud I kept fighting to the end of the race.

Well, the Mohican 100 Mile is ahead.  I need to do some 20-mile training runs over the next 5 weeks.  Then, there will be the Wildflower 50k. 

At this pace, I would have banked 2:32 off of 32-hour pace for the Mohican 100. But this course was all flat and smooth, so I would have banked less at Mohican.

Thanks to God, Cal, the race organization, the volunteers, friends, Terri, James, Paloma, and all of my family for the support!