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! 

2024 Wildflower Marathon

The Background

I was devastated after the DNF at Rocky Raccoon.  After a great season, to end on a let down was tough.  I took time off - 5 weeks no running and mentally avoiding thinking about races.  By spring break, I started running again.

The first race of the season was to be the Hachie Marathon. Terri and I drove up to the race in a storm.  I kept a sub-5 hour pace to mile 17, then the race organizers stopped the race.

Well, I had Wildflower Marathon scheduled anyway for two weeks later, and I tried to view the miles at Hachie as a good training run.

Terri and I got up early and drove to Bastrop, again in a storm.  I suggested we turn back since I didn't want us to be stranded, but Terri (thankfully) said we should try to press on.  Luckily, the weather cleared up by the time we got there, and we didn't get rained on.

The Race

The race started with a long loop to the lake, 2 medium loops, and 1 short loop.

I kept a 10 or 11-minute pace through mile 12.  Feeling a bit low, I hiked to half marathon, then ran to 15.5.  

At that point, I was on the second loop, and there was sign "2.5 miles to finish."  Doing the math, I realized the course would be long, probably 29 miles.  Checking with other runners confirmed it wasn't just my GPS; the course was long.   I reminded myself trail racing is never exact mileage.

My motivation plummeted. I wasn't mentally prepared for 29 miles.  I switched over to powerhiking for the rest of the race, telling myself it was training for the Arkansas Traveller 100. Doing some calculations, I knew I would have to move to beat the 8-hour cutoff.  I knocked out some 17-minute miles, finishing in 7:34.  Weather was a bit hot at the end.

Reflections

If I had kept my cool and kept running, I would have finished in the top half of the field.  I am grateful just for the finish, though.

Well, the advantage of starting off the season with a very slow marathon is there is room for improvement!  I signed up for the Texas Switchback marathon the following weekend to make up for the Hachie Marathon, as I am trying to reach 100 marathons/ultras by the Mohican Marathon in June.

2024 Bandera 100k

The Background

After running the Texas Double - Day 1 Marathon and the Texas Marathon - Kingwood, I was as well trained as possible for the Bandera 100k.  I did one more 9-mile run with Jamie.  I was going to pick up my son James to take him shopping at an outlet mall afterwards, and since he needed more time at the gym, I added a 6-mile hike to the end of that.

I had gained a bit of weight overeating during the holidays, and dieted to get back to racing weight.

I had to work a half day, then drove to Bandera to meet Jamie and family at the RV.  We had to scrape ice off my windshield as we drove to the start.

At the Start

Our goal was to finish, but best case would be in under 17 hours to earn Western States qualifiers.

The Race

The first 5-mile section to Boyles aids station features the big climbs up Cairns Climb and Boyles Bump. I always love running atop the plateaus.  We finished this section in 1:08.

From Boyles to Equestrian is 4 miles and change; the major climb is Sky Island with the little lollipop loop atop it.  Still moving well, we finished the section in 55 minutes, 2:05 elapsed.

Sky Island

At each of the above aid stations, Jamie's wife Carrie and sons Wyatt and Owen cheered for us, which lifted our spirits. There was no parking at Nachos, so we would not see them again until Chapas. The times from this report were taken from Carrie's notes (thanks!), so I will update the time when next she saw us.

From Equestrian to Nachos is 7 miles, and we passed through the Three Sisters and Ice Cream Hill.  Around mile 12, we started to feel beat and decided to hike for a while, trying to stay alive for the second loop.  

After Nachos, most of the course is relatively flat, except for Lucky's Peak in the last section. The split to Chapas is a little under 5 miles. We made it to from Equestrian to Chapas, a total of about 12 miles, in 3 hours, so we were still maintaining about 15-minute miles overall. By this point, we were 20 miles in with 5:07 elapsed.

Making use of the flats, we ran more of the 5 miles and change to the YaYa aid station.  There's a big field loop in this section which we ran, helping the time.

Along the Course

We hiked a bit more on the final 4-mile section back to the Lodge.  Once you go up and down the steep Lucky's Peak, there's about a mile to go.  

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Climbing Lucky's Peak

This year they had multicolor Hoka inflatables lining the two-way section back to the start, and a blue Hoka chute leading up the the finish line.  I loved it!  We made the 10 miles from Chapas to the Lodge in 2:44. 

The first loop took 7:21.  This was pretty good, as we had hit 50k at Wild Hare in just under 7 hours, and Bandera has rocks and hills.  We did learn later that the course measured about 1.5k short.

With the 17-hour goal still in reach, we headed out on the second loop. We took the hills slower this time to Boyles, finishing the section in 1:28, 8:52 elapsed.

It took 1:20 to make it to Equestrian, arriving at 10:13 elapsed.  As the sun soon would set, Carrie brought my hoodie, gloves, and hat.  

Around mile 40, we both started to feel a mini low, probably from not enough calories.  I wasn't staggering or anything, but just felt a little weak.  I questioned whether the 17-hour goal was slipping away. After a while, we started running to shake ourselves out of it.  

After we made it to Nachos, around 46 miles in, we were in survival mode, so it was mostly hiking from this point on.  However, we kept knocking out 16-minute miles.  I calculated that 20-minute miles would get us to the 17-hour goal, and mile after mile we were ahead of that pace.  We made covered the 12 miles from Equestrian to Chapas in 3:27, making it to mile 50ish in 13:40 elapsed.

With 10 miles to go, we could smell the barn and aggressively powerhiked. As one point, our hiking pace kept us up with someone running. Jamie and I both called out the miles and the mile splits from our watches.  The only time we slowed a bit was the last two miles over Lucky's Peak, but at this point we knew we had the Western States qualifiers.  

I said to Jamie, "Well, there's 17 minutes left in this day.  Let's see if we can get it done before midnight." Seeing the Hoka inflatables, we ran it in and beat the clock.

We covered the last 10 miles in 2:44, and finished the race in 16:23.

Reflections  

This race went about as well as we could have hoped, reaching our 17-hour goal.  It's great to have another year of a Western States qualifier. I'll have two tickets in the raffle this year.

I earned my Bandera 500k fleece.  This was my 4th Bandera 100k finish.  Tejas Trails counts dropdowns to 50k as total lifetime miles, so 3 of those bring my total to 550k.  I will definitely go for 1000k!

As always, I was super impressed by Jamie. He faced the Bandera hills and rocks and showed once again how tough he is.

Thanks to God, Chris, the race organization, the volunteers, Luke, Cesar, Terri, my kids, Carrie, Wyatt, and Owen for all the support!

   

2024 Texas Marathon - Kingwood

The Background

9 days before, I had run the Texas Double Day 1, finishing in 4:29.  Originally, I was going to run Texas Marathon - Kingwood at an easy pace, as the main goal was to train for Bandera.  However, as I was running relatively fast for my abilities, I figured why not try to run a good time.

I like Texas Marathon - Kingwood because it is close, it is on a day I am off work, and it is good to start off the year with a marathon.  I used to worry it was too close to Bandera, but it seems like it works out.  After all, I ran Trailway 50k a week before running a good time at Arkansas Traveller 100 Mile.

The race starts at 8am. Since it is New Years Day morning, I told Terri to sleep in and had my kids arrive at the house around 10am.  That way they could maybe see my start the final of 4 loops but not have to get up early.

The Race

I wasn't sure of my game plan going into the race:  go out at sub-9-minute miles like at Texas Double, and try to hold on best I can, or go out slower and hope not to fade as much?

I ended up doing a bit of both.  I did start off the first 3 or 4 miles at a sub-9-minute pace.  But, deciding I did not want to endure such a rough second half as in the Texas Double, I slowed down to 9 or 10-minute miles in the first half.  

I reached half marathon in 2:04, but had to use the restroom which cost me another minute.  This was 6  minutes slower than the Texas Double.  

The second half I did slow to 10 or 11-minute miles, but the split was 2:25, as opposed to 2:31 at Texas Double.  My watch was malfunctioning, so I could not time the miles very well. I fought the temptation to walk.  Seeing Terri, James, and Paloma cheering for me as I started the final loop definitely helped. I ran every step of the race, and was not in as much pain for the second half as Texas Double.

Reflections

The slower first half and faster second half evened out, and I finished in 4:29 like at Texas Double, albeit a few seconds faster.  I definitely appreciated a little less pain.  I finished 26th out of 132 finishers (top 20%).

It was great that my family could be there.

Well, 2024 has begun, so what are some goals?

• Get a Western States qualifier.
• Finish a sub-30-hour 100 miler.
• Finish Mohican 100 mile.
• Get my 500k jacket at Bandera.
• Finish a marathon under 4:29.

We'll see if any of the above happens, God willing. Thanks to God, Terri, my kids, my friends, the race organization, and the volunteers for the support!

Holiday Double Day 1 Marathon

The Background

I was going to run Brazos Bend Marathon in December, but they moved the race to a week before Bandera 100k, a week after my planned run at Texas Marathon - Kingwood.  That did not seem wise when going for a Western States qualifier at Bandera, so I requested a refund.

That, and a work conference that will likely have me defer the Woodlands marathon, dashed my hopes for reaching 100 marathons this season.  That was okay; I'll get there.  But I had been running relatively fast - some sub-9-minute runs in training.  I had made a goal this season of beating my time of 4:47 at Woodlands Marathon 2023.  I thought about getting one more marathon in before Kingwood.

I looked around and there was a race in Fort Worth - the Holiday Double.  Having to be back for family at Christmas eve, I could not run Day 2.  I told myself to run Friday in the neighborhood and see how fast I was.  I ran 5 miles at a sub-9-minute pace.  That convinced me to sign up for Day 1 of the race the next day.

I got up at 1:30am and drove up to Fort Worth.  Making good time, I sat in the car and closed my eyes a few minutes, not sleeping.

The Race

The race was a 3 miles and change out-and-back on sidewalks along the Trinity River, 8 loops of that for the marathon.  It was cool and overcast.

I went out at a sub-9-minute pace and held that to half marathon, reaching that in 1:58.  

Then I started to slow down.  I had planned on this possibility, and figured that if I could just keep running I would still beat my goal finishing time.

Around 14 miles, I felt a twinge in my knee.  I walked about 30 seconds, and then ran again and it was okay.  I repeated that a bit down the course once, then it was fine for the rest of the race.

Moving at 11-minutes plus a mile, I was feeling bad.  There was the temptation to walk, as I could still finish sub-5 hours.  But I first told myself to hold on until 20 miles, as at least I would get in a 20-mile training run.  Reaching that, with less than 2 loops to go, I told myself I could hold on for the rest of it.  I chugged along slowly.

Approaching the finish, a guy was on my heels so I pushed it to not be overtaken.  I finished 8th out of 24 finishers (top 33%) in 4:29.  I also got 1st place in my age group (only two men ran 40-49).

Reflections

I'm proud that I did not give in and walk.

I might have had a better time had a run the first half at a 9:30 pace instead of a 8:50 pace.  Then again, I could have similarly faded and the overall time been slower.  Either way, going out too fast hurts.

Regardless, I reached my goal of beating my previous time of 4:47 and finished in the top third of the field.

Thanks to God, Terri, running friends, my kids, volunteers, and the race organization for the support!