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!

2025 Habanero 50k

The Background

After I DNFed Mohican 100 mile, I took six weeks off running.  I had hurt my back falling in the race and gave it some time to heal along with my normal break after a season. I started hiking during our trip to Scotland, especially to the Glasgow Cathedral and up the hill to the Necropolis.

My weight had crept up to 182, so when we got back from Scotland I dieted, getting it down to 165 before the race season began.  Between work stress and low calories, I did not run as much as I hiked, mainly on a mile-long dirt road by my house.  My hiking pace was in the 14- to 15-minute range. Plus, I did some stairs at work on breaks.

Terri and Paloma came with me to 7IL.  I had bought a canopy for them, and after seeing me at the start they went to Brenham for lunch and a visit to a bookstore. 

The Race

The high was 92, 5 degrees cooler than last year. But it was still very hot. For most of the race, my vision was blurry, more so than last year.

I ran much more of loop 1 than I did last year.  I finished the loop in 1:24, versus 1:29 last year.

On loop 2, I did more hiking, but I really pushed the pace, running some and hiking at 14-minute pace at times.  My heartrate was way in the red, but I paid that little mind.  I finished the loop in 1:32, versus 1:38 last year.  So at this point, I was 11 minutes ahead of last year's time.

I hit a mini low after lap 2, but recovered quickly and continued to move fairly well. At some point on loop 3 I think, a line of cows ran across the trail, and I had to wait for them.  It was pretty cool to see!

When I reached the midway aid station at around 15 miles, I hit a major low.  I think I was a bit behind on calories. Last year, I had drank 2 full bottles of Gatorade each loop.  But I lost a bottle at some point, and they had a different electrolyte drink at the start.  Though I did take 2 cups of Gatoritas after finishing loops.  But mainly I think I went out too hard.  I had said earlier to Terri and Paloma that my goal was to beat my time from last year, which as 8:15.  That seemed out the window, so I told myself just to survive and keep moving.

In survival mode.

I struggled on. I finished loop 3 in 1:47, compared to 1:43 last year.  But I took a lot of time after crossing the line to regroup and use the restroom, which would factor in loop 4's time.  Terri and Paloma were back, and it was great to see them!

About to begin loop 4 in survival mode with 2 Gatoritas.

I rebounded on loop 4.  Though the time of the loop was 1:51 (1:44 last year), some of that was at the finish line aid before I started the loop.  I was able to hike 16-minute miles.  My shoes were old, and the soles of my feet hurt from lack of cushioning  and my ankle was skinned from something worn down on the shoe.

I began loop 5 at the exact same time elapsed as last year, unbeknownst to me. I started the loop the wrong way but quickly realized it, which cost me a couple of minutes. I could tell that beating last year's time was possible. So, I hiked as best I could finishing a 16:03 and 16:01 mile.  After I made it to midway aid station, I ran down the hill.  I threw in a few quarter-mile running spurts over the last 3 miles, which was enough to finish in 8:12, 3 minutes faster than last year.

I finished 38th out 79 finishers (top 48%) and 90 starters (top 42%).

Reflections

I traded dieting for running in the training leading up to the race.  Long term for the season, that may be good, but if I had ran more I would have had the strength for more running versus hiking in the race.

15 years on I can still go out too fast!  Probably won't ever master that one.  But I made up for it by fighting on the last loop.  I felt good that I worked to reach the goal of beating last year's time. Doubly good because it was the first race of the season, whereas in 2024 I was better trained. 

Next up is a new race, Horse Thief 30 Mile, which has a lot of hills.  I'll see if I can do some stairs before the race!

 

2013 Bandera 100k

Retrospective Race Report

I went into the season not knowing if I would run the Bandera 100k.  I had never finished an ultra at the start, but completing Rough Creek 40 Miler, Cactus Rose 50 Miler, and Texas Endurance Run 50 Miler gave me confidence.  I hoped to earn my first belt buckle and, best case scenario, a Western States qualifier.

Before the race, my family and I stayed at the Flying L Ranch.  A couple of cowboys heard I was running. "Not 100k?" one said.  "Have you every been up in those hills?" one asked.  I mentioned Cactus Rose.

It was muddy in the race, and my shoes were caked in mud bricks, which I tried to scrape off on rocks.

At about 40 miles, I hit a low.  I remember saying to another runner, "My legs are good, but my mind is gone."  I hiked a bit.

But I rebounded at around 50 miles.  I remember it being very exciting running through the hills.  Running atop a plateau, I kept waiting for the drop back to the lodge.  Finally, I made it.

I was in 14:17, I was 55th out of 186 finishers, earning a Western States qualifier.  This was one of the best races I ever ran.  In one sense, it was my peak as a competitive runner.

The high of this race is one reason why Bandera is always special to me.

DNF list

Here is a list where the last time I ran the race, I DNFed.  Could I find redemption at any of these races?

Grasslands 50 Mile (2012)

Bighorn 100 Mile (2014)

Pandora's Box of Rocks Marathon (2017)

Bear 100 Mile (2018)

J&J's 101 Mile (2022) - now Texas Dirt Festival 50k max

Badger 100 Mile (2022)

Cactus Rose 100 Mile (2023)

Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile (2024)

Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile (2024)

Mohican 100 Mile (2025)  

Defunct

Rough Creek 40 Mile (2022)

2011 San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon

Retrospective Race Report

After running the 2011 Frankenthon slower than I had hoped, I decided to run another marathon, the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon.  At this point, I had not begun blocking out full seasons, nor did I really know that I would be racing many marathons a year as a norm. I was making it up as I went.

I remember touring San Antonio, a wax museum and the Alamo, with my family.

I remember some bands on the course.  I remember running up an underpass near the finish, feeling beat.

I remember feeling great that I had done an extra race, even though i did not crack sub-4 hours.  This may have planted the seeds for my preference for running many races a year.

Results

 

2013 Love Run Marathon

Retrospective Race Report

I was on a high after finishing my first Bandera 100k and winning 2nd place in my age group at Natural Bridge Caverns Half Marathon. 

I remember that I got off course a bit and had to backtrack, which cost me some time. This would not be the last time that happened!

I did slow a bit from the previous year, when they called the same race Orphan Hope.  First half was 1:46 and second half was 2:33, not only did the getting lost impact me I must have crashed a bit.

Still, I was 13th our of 44 runners.

Results

Results Splits