2024 Trailway 50k

The Background

Last year, I ran the Trailway 50k with Jamie one week before the Arkansas Traveller 100.  I had worried that running a race a week before a 100 miler might be a mistake.  Instead, I finished in 7:38 and had a great race at Arkansas.  Since it worked and the Trailway is relatively close to me, why not do it again?

I had finished the Running Man 50k two weeks earlier in 7:04.  A 7-hour 50k at the beginning of Arkansas would give me a 2-hour+ cushion off 30-hour pace.  Indeed, I ran the first 50k of Arkansas to Lake Sylvia last year in 7:15 and held on to the 2-hour cushion, finishing in 27:57.

So running the Trailway 50k this year in 7 hours would be a great final training run.

I had to pick up my kids late Friday, as James had to work.  So I only got about 5 hours of sleep.  I left at 4am and was sleepy on the drive to Lake Somerville.

The Race

Though it would get hot, the weather was nice and cool the first half of the race.

I felt good at the start, running the smooth trails in 10-minute miles.  I ran to mile 6.5 with a fellow named Emmanuel, who was attempting his first marathon.  He then turned around, and I proceeded to the mile 7.8 turnaround.

I started to get slightly tired at 14ish miles,  one mile to go to the halfway point.  Remembering this was just a training run, I switched to powerhiking.  I figured running half of it, walking half of it would prepare me for both aspects of Arkansas.

When I crossed the line at the halfway point, I went back out the wrong way, crossing the mat again.  I turned around and told the volunteer tracking the time, and he said it was fine.  Then I went out the right way. I verified at the end of the race that my time was right.

Pushing on, my powerhiking pace was 14- to 15-minute miles, so I was making time.

My watch was malfunctioning.  I think I had too much data on it, so I reset the whole thing.  The only thing was I could not tell my exact time elapsed, as even the time of day was off after the reset.  At one point, I asked a runner the time, and she said 12:30.  After some calculations, I figured I was on pace to finish close to 7 hours.   A handful of times, I ran for a couple of minutes, but each time it seemed wiser to hold off and powerhike.  I put in a hard effort, but was still holding back.

It got hot, so the last 2 aid stations I put ice in my buff.

The runners were pretty spread out.  On the last 12 miles or so, one guy passed me, then I passed him.  After that I held my position for the rest of the race, passing one person at the very end, who I think was running the marathon. But I kept knocking out 14- to 15-minute miles, finishing in 6:47.  I finished 19th out of 34.

I got a delicious Dairy Queen burger on the way back.

 

Reflections

The finishing time gave me confidence, as 6:47 would bank 2.5 hours off of 30-hour pace at Arkansas.  The Traveller has big climbs compared to the flat Trailway, though overall the Traveller is quite runnable.  So, maybe I won't do the first 50k in 6:47, but if I am in the ballpark that would be good.  

My powerhiking pace the last two races is welcome, as maybe I can keep hiking sub-18-minute miles at Arkansas.

Thanks to God, Tejas Trails, Chris McWatters, the volunteers,  my running group Jamie, Luke, Doug, Joe,  and Micah, my friends, all my extended family,  Cesar, Terri, James, and Paloma for the support! 

2024 Running Man 50k

The Background

At the Habanero 50k, I placed in the top half of the field, which is always welcome.  Three weeks later would be the Running Man 50k.  A running festival in Georgia, this would be a special treat.  

Jamie and I flew out, arriving on Friday, the first day of the festival.  We tried out the combination of a cold plunge followed by a sauna, which was invigorating. There were several speaker options, and I heard running legend Jeff Galloway talk on the run/walk method.  Several speakers shared on near-death experiences climbing mount Everest. Jesse Itzler gave a great motivational talk to close the day. Tent camping, I got some good sleep and enjoyed coffee and muffins race morning.

The Race

The race would be one-mile loops with an 8-hour time limit, circling the festival grounds on smooth trail.  There was a slight climb on the 2nd half of the loop.  The great backyard runner Harvey Lewis ran with us.

The weather was nice and cool, clouds overhead.  We had worried about the weather report of rain, but it only rained lightly and briefly.

The first 10 miles, I ran relatively fast for me, 10-minute pace or so.  

Getting a bit tired, from 10 to 15 miles, I hiked the quarter-mile climb, and ran the rest.

Halfway to 50k, I hit an energy low.  The race did not offer coke, and the energy drink available was low calorie, so I needed to adapt my nutrition.  I decided to eat a whole pack of M&Ms each hour, to at least get in 200+ calories.  Jamie pulled away from me at this point. As I neared mile 20, I started to feel better.

At this point, I was powerhiking everything, but my pace was 14- or 15-minute miles, good for me.  I had set an A goal of 7:15 for the 50k, as that was what I did at the first 50k of the 2023 Arkansas Traveller 100. As my powerhiking pace looked like would get me to that, I figured why mess with it, so I kept it up.

I misunderstood the rules of the race, as I had reviewed the previous year's results and just looked at the overall number of laps completed.  I thought you could get in as many loops as you can under 8 hours. This year they did not have the overall lap count.

This was another reason why I didn't start running more of these miles: I was saving up for a final push in the last hour.  But when I had reached mile 30, a lady at the start told me it was my final loop, and confirmed that the results would only show up to 50k.  I had hoped I could move up in the field by tacking on more miles.

Well, I thought, might as well run the last mile and see what I could do.  I did pass some people that last mile, finishing in 7:04.   

Looking back a week later, the place results were organized in alphabetical order by first name, making it difficult to get a sense of the order of finishing time.  Before they reorganized by alphabetical order, I remember I was like 39th out of 109.  Jamie beat me by like 40 minutes.

Reflections

This was a great experience, as I liked the festival atmosphere. 

Finishing in 7:04 gave me confidence for my goal race of the Arkansas Traveller...if I did that again there, I would have 2 hours banked off of 30-hour pace.  I could have got in under 7 hours had I paid better attention to the rules, but I'm grateful for the time.

Moreover, it was wonderful to go on a running trip with my good friend Jamie.

Thanks to the God, All Day Running, Jesse Itzler, the workers, the volunteers, Jamie, Luke, Cesar, all my friends, all my extended family, Terri, James, and Paloma for the support! 

2024 Habanero 50k

The Background

I had run 3 marathons and 2 60ks this season, all pretty slowly. For Habanero, Jamie, Doug, Joe and I did a 7ish-mile noon run at WG Jones to get in a little heat training.

Jamie and I would run Habanero 50k.  Terri had a family party to go to, so I arranged to meet Jamie at an Olive Garden parking lot on Kuykendahl and 99 that was on the way. But Terri would come to the finish.  Luke met us at the start, which was great.

The Race

Early in the race, the heat hit hard.  It was high of 97, which was not as hot as possible, but still hot.  My vision was blurry, my face felt like it swelled, and the trail shimmered.  Later on, I had to loosen my watch because my hands were swelling.

I drank two bottles of gatorade every 3 miles, and filled up on ice in the back of the pack and buff.  Apart from one cup of coke at the last aid station, the gatorade was my only fuel.  But my energy level never dipped.

I quickly let Jamie go ahead of me.  After a couple of miles of running, I settled in to mostly powerhiking with scattered bits of running.  The good thing was that my hiking pace was very fast for me, 15 to 16-minute pace, even on the slow trail of sand and grass.

By loop 3, I ran even less, as when I ran it was for short bursts and then my powerhiking pace slowed.  I felt I was making better time fast hiking than run/walk.  Plus, I wanted to take care of myself to get through this thing.

A fellow named Carlos was running the 100 miler and we kept the same pace for miles and miles.

By the end of the 4th loop, I saw Jamie's wife Carrie and his kids.  It was great to see them!  I asked how far ahead Jamie was, and Carrie said 20 or 25 minutes. This lifted my spirits, as I worried I might be an hour plus back, and they would wait for me a long time at the finish.

On the 5th loop, I ran a bit more.  It had been cooler for a while.  Some people were passing me, which motivated me to run some sections.  But I had difficulty chasing anyone down, which I normally try to do.  I had developed a blister on my left foot, but it was not a significant factor.

By the end of the race, Terri was waiting for me along with with Jamie and his family.

My pace was very consistent:

Loop 1: 1:29:56

Loop 2: 1:38:13

Loop 3: 1:43:00

Loop 4: 1:44:29

Loop 5: 1:39:46

Finish 8:15:24

Jamie ran so well, finishing in 7:41.

Reflections

Jamie was 10th out of 46 finishers, and I was 16th out of 46 finishers (top 35%).  When I finished, I felt like I was in the back of the pack.  After several races actually finishing in the back of the pack, being in the top half of the field feels great.

I could have put in harder effort on loops 3 and 4, running a bit more, instead of playing it safe, and got in under 8 hours.  But I was very pleased with my fast hiking pace.  If I can keep that for Arkansas, it would help. 

Thanks to God, Trail Racing Over Texas, the volunteers, Luke, Jamie and his family, my friends, Terri, James, Paloma, and all my extended family for the support!

2024 Colorado Bend 60k

The Background

I had finished the Capt'N Karl's Muleshoe Bend 60k in slower-than-hoped-for time.  I decided to add the next race in the series, Colorado Bend 60k, to the calendar three weeks later to try to improve the time and finish sub-11 hours.  Lately, I've enjoyed thinking about all the races I have finished more than once.  This would be an attempt at my 4th Colorado Bend.

Also, that Thursday I had dived back into work.  I knew from past experience that having a lot of work stress on my mind can mess with my head in races, such when I dropped from Cactus Rose in 2022 and Bandera in 2023.   Nothing was really wrong at work, but I knew I might be mentally fatigued at the start.

The Race

Sure enough, after the first 2 miles of the race, I started feeling anxiety and depression.  I remembered the previous drops, but I told myself there was no way I was dropping a Capt'N Karls: I had only dropped one of the many starts of the races, 2013 Pedernales due to stomach sickness.

I asked myself, "Okay, this is happening to me.  This is not good. What can I do?"  I answered that right now, I could powerhike and not give up.  Which is what I did.

Not having checked the weather report, I was unprepared when thunder and lightning rolled in. Then, at around mile 10, as the most challenging part of the race approached, the heavens opened, and the rain came down.  Not having brought a hat, I could barely see and worried about my contacts washing away.  As I entered a water-and-electrolytes-only aid station, I struggled to find the arrow that would lead me out the right way.

But it was not all that bad. The rain and wind cooled down the hot night.  And it really was quite thrilling to be alone in the woods, facing a thunderstorm at night. As I climbed a big hill, water streamed down from the opposite direction.  The mud did slow me down, especially as I traversed a technical field strewn with big rocks.

The rain only lasted an hour or so.  As I approached the end of the big lollipop and began to return on the out-and-back section to the start, I took stock.  It looked like I would finish the first loop in 5 hours and change, which meant I would have to move on the 2nd and final loop to avoid the cutoffs.  The last half mile was smooth trail, so I ran it, finishing the first loop in about 5:30.  This mean I could run the 2nd loop an hour slower and still finish, but time would be of the essence.

I pushed on.  Around mile 22, I passed a couple of people, chatting with one fellow Jonathan who was moving  quite well.  I ran several stretches, making good time. Sub-11 hours seemed a possibility.

With about 3 miles to go, I reached the final aid.  Jonathan popped out of the trail behind me.  At this point, I was way in the back of the pack and I could see that sub-11 hours was slipping away.  But I could try to compete and maintain my position in the field.  I make quick work of the aid station and got moving.

Then, with about 1.5 miles to go Jonathan again was on my heels.  I started running as  fast as I could on the rocky terrain with tired legs.  After crossing the finish line in 11:10, I waited for Jonathan, which was only like 3 minutes, and fist bumped him.  He was a really great competitor, and I was thankful for his motivation.

Reflections

So improving my time from Muleshoe Bend was not to be.  But I am really glad I ran this race because of the fun experience of the thunderstorm.  

I am proud that I still competed at the end of the race.  It would have been easy just to let myself get passed and hike it in, but I gave it what I could.

I was in the back of the pack, 13th out of 17 finishers.  But I was 13th out of 30 starters. 

Thanks to God, Perspective Pacing, PJ, all the volunteers, my running friends, Terri, James, Paloma, and all my extended family for the support!

2024 Muleshoe Bend 60k

The Background

The Houston area was recovering from Hurricane Beryl.  Luckily, my family had power by the time of Muleshoe Bend.

It had been 6 weeks since finishing my 100th marathon at Mohican, and I had been running consistently but without any long runs.  I ran 11 miles with Jamie shortly before the race at WG Jones.

The past 2 years at Muleshoe Bend 60k, I had finished over 11 hours each time, the first due to some depression/lack of focus and the second due to foot pain. So goals for this year would be:

A. Sub-9 hours (the fastest I had every finished back in 2013)

B. Sub-10 hours (I ran multiple 9-hour finishes previously)

C. Sub-11 hours (at least improving on the past 2 years)

D. Finish

I drove out to Austin at around noon.  After selling some books as Half Price Books, I enjoyed my usual Thundercloud Subs and Amy's Ice Cream, arriving at Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area an hour and change ahead of time.

The Race

The first 3.5 miles of the course is rocky with some climbing (though there are no big climbs in the race). Then there is a mile or so of smooth, runnable trail.  At around 5 miles is my favorite section, a switchback of exposed rock.  After the last aid station, the final 2.5 miles are runnable.  As usual, the race was humid and the air still due to the closely packed trees, though it was not quite as hot as some years. PJ added an aid station a mile or so in to help with dehydration.

Loop 1

I ran most of the first loop except the rocky switchback, finishing in 2:04, which was on pace for sub-10 hours.

Loop 2

I made a plan to powerhike all the rocky sections as it would be more efficient for me than start/stop running, then run the two smooth sections. I did this, finishing the loop in 2:35.  

Still on pace for sub-10, I noticed I was chafing a bit.  Since I started using Desetin years ago, I had never had a major chafing issue at a race, so I let it go.

Loop 3

I continued the above hike run/plan. I chatted with a nice fellow named Michael for many miles.  I had brought some gels, but I forgotten that the race did not have gels (my fault) and ran out.  Michael gave me some kind of granola bar. I knew I was fighting time to reach the B goal, so I made very quick work of the aid stations, skipping my normal chugging of Coke except once.  Finishing the loop in 2:45, sub-10 hours was still in reach.  

However, the pain from the chafing became severe.  Anti-chafing cream was available at the starting line aid station, so I applied it. 

Loop 4

The cream helped, but I has still hurting.  My energy levels were fine, and my legs were strong, but the chafing slowed my powerhiking pace and running was out of the question.  

I remembered something Andy Jones-Wilkins had said when encountering problems at races: "Okay, this is happening to me.  This is not good. What can I do?"  I told myself, "I can still move.  I can still finish the race.  I can still finish sub-11 hours."

I worked to push as well as I could.  At times, I focused my mind on being thankful for being at the race and how I love the Texas Hill Country trails.  My thinking was not all sunshine and rainbows, because at one point I bashed my head into a branch and said, "Okay, just knock me out!"  In many races, at the end I have had no desire to run; here, I wanted to run to wrap it up but could not.

After the final aid station, the trail seemed to stretch on and on, but I got it done, finishing the loop in 3:27 and the race in 10:49, 23rd of 26 finishers.  Then I drove the 3.5 hours home.

Pre-Race

Thanks to Perspective Racing and Joe Prusaitis for the Photos

Reflections

Some obvious lessons from this race are to always pack extra Desetin (something I used to do) and bring enough gels.  I should have taken the time to get some aid when I first noticed the chafing instead of letting it go.

I am proud that I achieved the C goal of sub-11 hours and improved over the last 2 years, despite tough conditions.

This was my 7th finish of Muleshoe Bend 60k.

Well, at least I have a clear goal for next year of sub-10 hours, God willing! Thanks to God, Perspective Pacing, PJ, Joe, all the volunteers, Michael, all my running friends, Terri, James, Paloma, Cesar, and Marie for the support!  

 

2024 Mohican Marathon

The Background

It was time to attempt to run my 100th marathon.  Originally, I was going to try to run the Mohican 100 Miler.  After the DNF at Rocky Raccoon, I did not want to risk another failure on an out-of-town trip with family.  Plus, it lined up that Mohican would be a good time for the 100th marathon, and I always intended to run a standard marathon for that one.  So I changed the distance to marathon.

I was so happy James could come with me.  We flew out on Friday, enduring some turbulence from rain.  Then we drove to Akron, Ohio to see the Lebron James Museum.

Arriving at Mohican Adventures, we saw there was a basketball court. After buying a ball (a clerk pumped it up for us for free), we played 3 games to 11 points. Then, we had wings at the Trail's End Restaurant.

Our cabin was across the street from the start, which means I did not have to get up until 7:15 am!

The Race

It was perfect running weather in the morning, just a bit chilly.

The first 4 miles was a conga line, running fast then hiking up hills.  The running pace was a bit faster than I would have liked, but it was manageable so I just stayed where I was.  After 4 miles, the trail widened and I was able to run my own pace.

After reaching the first aid station at about 6 miles, there was a short road section. Then there was a lot of runnable trail, and I made good time to the second aid station by 2:16.

By 13 miles, I went up a big hill, time 2:54.  At 14 miles, I was feeling good so I made a push, passing a few people and then bombing down a hill.

I made it to the waterfall at 15 miles, 3:20 elapsed.  I wasn't really hot, but I dunked my head under the waterfall anyway.

At 15.5 miles, the trail dipped down by the river, then I climbed back out.  At 17 miles, there was another big drop and a big climb.

I got a bit low on calories, and had to struggle to run to the next aid station. I can't remember if the third aid station was before or after the dam. Regardless, I made it to the dam, then went down the steps. 

From miles 19-21, there was some easy trail.  Feeling gassed, I hiked maybe a third of a mile before running the rest of that section.  At this point, except for that rest, I had run most of everything that was runnable.

By mile 22, it seemed like the last aid station would never come. I looked at the course map I had printed, and it said the last section was five miles.  I'm not sure if my GPS was accurate, but it looked like it would be at least 27+ miles.  

Making it to the final aid station, I asked a volunteer the distance to the finish and she said 6 miles.  So it would be around 28.8 by my GPS.  My heart sank.  I hiked a couple of miles, my first extended period walking. Trying to snap myself out of it, I ran a bit.  

Then a runner, not in the race, came from the opposite direction.  He said, "Keep going! You only have 2.5 miles to go!"  I asked him if he was sure, because that meant the last section would be 5 instead of 6 miles, the finish at 27ish instead of 28ish miles.  My spirits lifted.  Looking at my watch, I saw I might be able to get in under 7 hours.  I ran faster, passing 3 runners in the last couple of miles.

But the trail stretched on and on.  It looks like the lady at the aid station was right, not the runner.  The final distance by my GPS was 28.5 miles.  I reminded myself trail racing is never exact mileage.

Right before the finish, the course passed by the Mohican Adventures basketball court, where James had been playing all day.  I called him and asked if he wanted to meet me at the finish or run it in with me.  He said he'd like to run it in.

Right around 7 hours, I made it to the court.  There was a runner on my heels, and I did not want to get passed, so as soon as James joined me we headed off to the finish.  It was so special to be able to finish my 100th marathon with James running by my side.

I finished in 7:04, 104th out of 182 finishers.

The next day, we visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Reflections

I gave this race a good effort, running nearly all of it.  Finishing in the middle instead of the back of the pack, like at the first two marathons this season, was welcome.

Looking ahead at possible running the Mohican 100, if I kept this pace for the first loop, I would be able to do 20.5-minute miles for the rest of the race.  It is definitely possible, so I might come back.  I like the course and the easy access to cabins and a restaurant. 

So, after 100 races of marathon distance or longer, here are some numbers:

• 39 marathons
• 61 ultramarathons
• 4085 miles of racing (the distance from New York to San Francisco plus 1179 miles)
• 13 years and change

Over the years...

Thanks to God, Terri, James, Paloma, friends Cesar, Jamie, Luke and all the race directors and volunteers for their support through this journey. 

God willing, I will keep going...

2024 Texas Switchback Marathon

The Background

I enjoy attending UHD's commencement.  I feel blessed and honored to be there as a faculty member, and it is inspiring to see the students accomplish their goals. However, the spring commencement ended at 6pm. Getting to bed at 8:30pm, I would get 4 hours of sleep before getting up at 1am to drive to the Texas Switchback.  I was really sleepy the first hour of the drive, but it got a bit better.

The Race  

The two-loop-course features some rocky trails, climbs, some smooth, runnable sections, and a really cool section two miles in where you run under a rock wall and through a short tunnel.  

I headed out at a conservative pace, but by half marathon I was tired.  By mile 16, I was feeling, woozy/dizzy/sleepy, like at a 100-miler.  I hiked a bit at this point, telling myself I just needed to survive.  I rallied, running what was runnable from 19 to 21. Again, my vision blurred and I slowed. 

Hitting an aid station at 22, I drank some coke, which revived me.  For a while, I just hiked, wanting to keep in good condition.  At mile 24, I saw a runner ahead, motivating me to run and compete.  I passed 3 folks along this stretch.  I saw another guy ahead running, and chased him down, but he turned out to be a volunteer! I finished 30th out of 35.

Reflections

The beginning of this season has been one of adversity!  First Hachie Marathon cancelled midway due to storms, storms on the way to Wildflower plus 3 extra miles, now a battle with fatigue at Texas Switchback.

Just finishing the race was a victory, given the lack of sleep, early wakeup, and long drive.  I needed marathon #99, so I'm glad I did it.

Also, I fought a bit harder at this race than at Wildflower, running more in the last third.  Even if I'm having a challenging race, I can still compete.

I will try to avoid the logistics of this race in the future.

Well, 99 marathons/ultras done.  Next up is #100 with Mohican Marathon!