2025 Trailway 50k

The Background

After finishing the Night Moves Marathon the previous weekend, I ran one 5-mile run the Thursday before the Trailway 50k.  The past two years, Trailway was the last training race before Arkansas Traveller 100.  This year, it would be the last one before Canal Corridor 100. 

I wrote on my Goggins Accountability Mirror post-it note: "Run half of the Trailway 50k, then run some sections."

The Race

It was cool at the start, but I knew it would get hot later.

I ran 11-minute pace for the first 4 miles.  I felt good, so I naturally sped up to 10-minute miles.  There were a few very slight hills, but my legs felt strong on them. All the stairs I had been doing may have paid off. That is good to remember, because sometimes I only do stairs in preparation for steep courses like Bandera.  

By mile 10, I dopped back to 11-minute pace, but I still felt good.  I finished the first loop at 15ish miles, meeting my goal of running half of the race.  

Since I felt strong, I made a goal of running to 20 miles.  Too many times, I had gone into a 100-miler without a 20-mile training run where I ran the whole thing.  At this point, I had run every step, apart from a second where I ate a cookie. On mile 19, I did start to falter (probably Goggin's mental governor telling me I was near my goal) and I hiked up a couple of the climbs.  But then I ran it to 20 miles.

I hiked miles 21 through 23 at 15-minute pace, with an aid station bumping mile 22 up to a 17 -minute mile.  It took me a bit to recover from the 20-mile run, I probably could have hiked the trails at 14-minute pace were I fresh.  

As I headed toward the final turnaround, I looked to see if there was anyone I could try to chase down ahead of me, but I did not see anyone.  One lady ran past me, and I knew by her pace I could not catch her.

At the final turnaround.

But then on the way back, two runners caught up with me.  One guy wearing a green shirt said, "Good work!" and was about to pass me.  Many times, I would have just let them go by.  But I started running and put some distance between us.  Switching back to hiking, I pushed the pace.  Miles 26 and 27 were at 14-minute pace. At some point, they were going to catch me again and I ran again.  From, that point, I hiked as fast as I could, looking over my shoulder from time to time.  But I never saw them behind me.

I did falter a bit because I saw I could get in under 6:30, but did not have it in me to run the last mile.  I ran a few steps as I approached the finish line.

I finished in 6:31, 11th out of 29 finishers (top 37%) and 32 starters (top 34%).  The two guys behind me finished in 6:35, then another couple of folks finished in 6:39.  So if I hadn't pushed it, I would have been in the bottom half of the field.

Reflections

I am proud that I fought not to get passed.  I have improved my performance from 7:38 in 2023 and 6:47 in 2024.  I got in my 20-mile training run, so I couldn't be anymore trained for Canal Corridor 100.

This was my 2nd fastest 50k, behind 2013 Texas Trails Endurance Run at 5:04.

Now I need to apply my Goggins accountability to Canal Corridor 100 and not give up.  I need to:

• I need to not run 20 miles straight at the beginning, just 10 to 12.  Then I can alternate running and hiking, with way more hiking. 
• Complete the 20-mile out-and-back to Akron strong.
• One mile at a time. Bank time hiking under 18-minute pace. 
• Make it to the halfway point.
• Hike to Cleveland at 60 miles.  See the city lights at night.
• Make it to 70 miles.  I have never quit a race after making it to 70 miles.
• Remember that I am doing this to see my ticket in the Western States portal and to not give up on my dream of running 100 milers, which keeps me going.  It is only one night, and the plane ride back in defeat would be worse than hiking all night.
• Do not quit. Not this time.     

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

2025 Night Moves Marathon

The Background

I ran/hiked a 20-mile training run, running the first 11 miles and hiking the rest. I continued using my Goggins accountability mirror post-it notes, because I did not want to finish that one.  My next note was "Run some sections you do not want to run at Night Moves Marathon."

The race would begin at 6pm, and was less than an hour from my house at Stephen F. Austin State Park.

The Race

The race was 8 loops on smooth trail with only 3 or 4 slight climbs.  So the whole thing was runnable.  A lot of sections curved back and forth slowing you down slightly, but otherwise it was a fast course for trail. The loop had a red section and a blue section.  In the middle, there was a yellow section added on for the first 2 loops.

I saw a fellow I had run with at Great Springs Trail Race - Austin and Seabrook Lucky Trails and said hi.

I ran the first few miles at 10- or 11-minute pace.  My first goal was to get the the yellow loops out of the way. Then, I made it to mile 10.  Next, I focused on running to 11 miles, the length I ran in my previous training run.  

On lap 4, I had to work to keep running to half marathon.  I reminded myself of my goal to running some sections I did not want to. 

After half marathon, I switched to powerhiking to practice for Canal Corridor 100 Mile.  I was able to complete 14-minute miles all the way through lap 7. This was good, as I figured 16-minute miles on slightly easier trail at Canal Corridor might feel easier for a while at least.

On the final loop, my hiking pace slowed a bit. On the spot, I made up a goal of keeping the miles 14-minute pace. So I picked .25 mile sections to run. The first mile of that loop, achieved this, but the second was a few seconds over 15-minute pace.  But I did not really matter, as the goal kept me competitive.  

With a little less than a mile left, I saw headlamps behind me.  It looked like a single runner, then a group of 2 or 3. That was enough to get me running. But then for some reason I thought I might have gotten off the course; I didn't see a flag for a while.  I slowed down to look, and then a runner passed me.  Sure enough, just ahead was a flag.  I ran hard trying to catch him, but couldn't.  Once again, all of this did not matter too much, but it kept me competing. 

Overall, a goal was to finish under 6 hours, and I finished in 5:51.  My splits were very consistent in the running and hiking sections.

I finished 23rd out of 51 finishers (top 45%) and 64 starters. 

Results

Split	Time	Pace
Lap 1	39:30.74	10:36
Lap 2	41:07.55	11:02
Lap 3	38:15.61	12:19
Lap 4	41:50.38	13:28
Lap 5	47:43.82	15:22
Lap 6	47:13.69	15:12
Lap 7	47:24.2	15:15
Lap 8	47:46.81	15:23

Reflections

This was a training race, and I am increasing the distance I am running.  The powerhiking will be more important at Canal Corridor, and I was strong at that.

If I did not have a hundred miler coming up and was focused on running the whole thing, I could perhaps be more competitive here some year.

Thanks to God, Terri, James, Paloma, friends and family, Cal, Trail Racing Over Texas, and the volunteers for the support! 

2012 Rough Creek 40 Mile

Retrospective Race Report

After DNFing Grasslands 50 Mile, I decided to run a 50k training run in preparation for the Rough Creek 40 Mile, my 2nd attempt at an ultramarathon.  I ran that 50k at Huntsville State Park, fueled by red Gatorade in a hydration pack.  I remember getting past marathon and counting down the trail markers to make it to 50k.

At Rough Creek, the weather was cool, which it would not be in subsequent years.  I believe I had visited Hill Country State Natural Area by that point, but when I hit the Rusty Crown, a series of steep hills, it was my first time racing with real hills.  My fitness was strong, so I did alright.  I went up The Beast for the first time, a steep hill you have to finish by using your hands near the top.

I chatted with a guy named Bill I would later see at subsequent races, like Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile in 2014.

I remember, maybe on the 2nd or 3rd loop, encountering a strong runner coming out of the Rusty Crown as I was entering.  He said, "Dude! I'm hammered! This thing is a bitch! !"  He said I was killing it for my first ultra.

I remember toward the end I was on a trail in a field, running very slowly but still running.

When I finished the last loop, my ex-wife thought I had another to go, but I told her no, that is the finish.

James ran across the finish line with me.

My time was pretty good 8:36, 70% compared to the winner, and 11th of 21 finishers.  Not bad for my first ultra!

The Rusty Crown

Results

2013 Natural Bridge Caverns Half

Retrospective Race Report

I was on a high from finishing the Bandera 100k, and I did not want the season the end.  I signed up for the Natural Bridge Caverns Half.  You started in a cave with stalagmites and stalactites.  I remember thinking it was like cathedral.  In a minute or two you run out of it into the countryside.  

I remember there were some drops I bombed down.  I remember some farmland-type fields. I remember at the end there was a guy dressed in black that passed me, and I didn't have it to catch him.

I finished 2nd in my age group of Male 30-39 and 5th overall out of 107 finishers.  7:51 pace. One of my best races as far as place goes. 

Results

2025 Horse Thief 30 Mile

The Background

My next race was to be the Horse Thief 30 Mile.  It was a new race put on by Trailzen, Joyce & Joe Prusaits and others who were part of Tejas Trails back when I started ultrarunning.  Plus, the race would have many steep hills.

On breaks at work, I did stair repeats.  Plus, I used our gym's Stairmaster.  I tried to get in a greater volume of running.  The Labor Day weekend I did 5-mile runs followed by 100 flights of stairs for 3 days.

Also, I got into David Goggins' videos.  Then, I read the first few chapters of his book Can't  Hurt Me. The second challenge in his book was an accountability mirror.  You set a goal, then break the goal down into steps.  Put the next step on a sticky note and put it on your mirror. My goal was to finish the Canal Corridor 100 Mile and earn a Western States qualifier.  The next step I was: "Run what is runnable at Horse Thief 30 Mile."  I had relied a bit too much on hiking at Habanero 50k, so I thought I would try to force myself to run when I did not want to. Plus, Goggins talks a lot about embracing suffering and callousing the mind, which I hoped would help me not quit at Canal Corridor. 

I had a work party the evening before, so Terri and I went to that and got home a bot before 8pm.  I was supposed to leave by 3:30am, but I woke up and could not sleep. So I left early.  But then I got sleepy on the road and stopped at a gas station.  When I woke up, I realized I would only arrive 30 minutes early, a bit less than I like.  But I got there, and it was all fine.

The Race

When I looked at the weather report a few days before, it said high of 92.  So I wore my long-sleeve USA Fit Marathon shirt to protect me from the sun.  But it was overcast and humid, so the long sleeves were pointless and made me uncomfortable. 

Course Profile

The race is a 10-mile loop with aid stations every 2 miles or so.  The first half mile is the West Fenceline climb.  Then there is a bit that is uphill but runnable, so I ran that. After about 1.25 miles there is a gradual downhill to Party Barn Aid.  

Right after Party Barn Aid there is the Road Hill climb.  Then, there is a drop down Cave Hill to the Valley. Then, you climb up Mustang Hill to the Mustang Aid.

Then, you drop down Arabien Hill, and there is a road section.  This whole section is pretty easy, save the climb up East Fenceline to Shetland Aid.

The next section is the hardest and 2.7 miles long.  You drop down Shetland Hill, and then there is climb up the Clydsdale Loop. There are two more climbs along the way.  Then, you climb back up Shetland Hill to Shetland Aid.

The final section is 1.3 miles.  You drop down the East Fenceline, and it is mostly easy runnable trail back to the start.

On the first loop, I ran all that was runnable of this including some slight uphills. I was slow on the climbs, maybe because I wore myself out running. 

I needed to use the restroom, and I went to my car to change from the long-sleeve shirt to a t-shirt. I lost 10 minutes for this, and starting the 2nd loop it was 2:45 elapsed.

I remembered by accountability mirror step: run what is runnable.  I did that all the way to mile 14 or so.   Then I threw in another burst of running to mile 15.  By that time, I knew the hills were ahead so I hiked a bit to prepare to face them.

Along the way, I saw a runner I know, Nancy, and I said hi.

At some point, I was hiking and another lady ran past me.  I pictured David Goggins yelling at me, "You gonna let her pass you? You said you would run what is runnable! This is runnable!" So I ran for a while to get ahead of her.

I hiked through the hills and ran a bit to finish the 2nd loop. I saw Joe and held up my finger: "One more!" and he cheered.

I hiked up the West Fenceline.  Remembering my accountability mirror step, I forced myself to run up the rest of the incline. 

Then I got a bit low on calories and felt weak.  I tired to move as best as I could.  I could tell I was getting close to my finishing time being 9 hours, and I worked to keep it under that.  

Anything relatively flat, I said, "Give me more of this. Let me move." 

Finally, I approached Shetland Aid.  I told myself to take it one hill at a time.  I also thought I missed the boat by not putting something about hills in my accountability mirror step! I hiked through the hills.

Leaving Shetland Aid, I ran a lot of the last mile.  I finished in 8:46, 8th place out of 14 finishers and 17 starters.

Results

My ultrasignup rating had dipped below 60%, then I got it back up above 60%.  This race looked like it would be about 69%, which would help.  Not that that really matters, but it is something that can motivate me to not take it too easy in races.

Reflections

I love Horse Thief, and I will run it again, God willing. It was great to see many folks from my earliest days of ultrarunning.

The Goggins philosophy  helped me.  I might have been over 9 hours without it.  I did not run everything that was runnable, but I did that a lot. Goggins does stress that this is about progress.

I'm glad I did the stairs.  I had not done enough stairs before Bandera this year.  Still, I wasn't super strong on the climbs, so I need to ramp it up leading into Dinosaur Valley this year.

My pace was 17:32.  That gives me confidence for the flat Canal Corridor 18-minute pace and the hilly Dinosaur Valley 21:17 pace.

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