Then some brief fish time as Griffin (my five year old son) wanted to catch a lunker from the rocky shores of Lake McMurtry.

Can we fish now?!?

His first cast.

“I got a fish!”

Life is good.

And then we said goodbye to Lake McMurtry.

This was our first trip up to the Lake McMurtry Trail Run in north central Oklahoma. Being a TATUR event, you know it is going to be a fun adventure.

Watching the weather forecast at the end of the week, it looked near perfect for this time of year…50F – low 70s, with a few clouds. The family will be happy. Friday night in our hotel room, I saw bright flashes lighting up our room. Rain?

The next morning, we drove to the lake on wet roads and cloud filled skies.

In our usual four member family fire drill, we get to the park 30 minutes later than the master plan had documented, but I still was able to sprint to the start and see the 50 km runners take off. Fortunately I was running the 25 km and had another 30 minutes to put on the right shoes, pin a bib, and set up a little half-tent for the fam.

After a few instructions from Brian and Ken (the Trail Zombie), we were off!

Photo: David Hanenburg

I started at the caboose and with the course quickly moving into sweet snake-like single-track, my pace was definitely muted in the first mile or two but hey, negative split here I come! It was all good.

The course is basically two close to similar split loops (with some two-way traffic) running north and south of the main start finish area, showcasing many sweet images of the lake and the beauty of Spring.

Green. Green. Green.

It wasn’t long before the train slowed abruptly and then I saw why…

Gulp! (Photo: David Hanenburg)

In the week leading up to the race I had pulled out my Calculus, Dynamics, and Physics books from the attic…for some reason I still keep them. I studied forces, coefficient of friction, speed, and more ‘x’, ‘y’, ‘z’s than I have looked at in a long time. I felt fairly sure in surviving the jump across this unfamiliar chasm but the overnight rains threw off all my calculations…and confidence.

Would my foot slip at take off?

Should I jump with one foot or two?

How has the coefficient of friction changed?

I am happy to say I made the leap.

The rest of the north loop contained scenic, twisty, and tame single-track intermixed with a few little risers along with a brief dirt road section.

Photo: David Hanenburg

I cruised through the start/finish area in 1:14:55, ready to start the south loop. I briefly chatted with Wendy, Griffin, and Ainsley before starting the back half of this adventure.

Somewhere around this time the skies dropped some gentle moisture on us.

This is where I let myself dial up the pace a bit. The out segment felt like a net downhill run so my effort felt a bit spicy for my current fitness. A couple times I thought to myself, I hope I don’t pay for this effort on the way back out but let’s see what happens. Most of this section of trail is an out-and-back with a lollipop loop at the end to turn you back around.

The return trip was pleasantly strange. It actually felt like a net downhill run as well. Weird…but I will take it!

With all runners heading in two different directions for most of the south loop, it can be an interesting dance as we glide past one another on a two-foot wide trail. Somehow we all negotiate these encounters in real time, without any collisions.

I finally popped out of the woods, ran a short road section to the final piece of single-track before a nice little staircase finish. My watch had a 1:04:43 for the back loop.

My official finish time was 2:19:41, finishing fourth overall and snuck out an age group win.

Photo: Wendy Hanenburg

Nice post-race fellowship, a cold beer, and nearly 200 photos taken thanks to the epic help of my wonderful wife.

A special thanks to my family for supporting my little adventures, all the volunteers, Brian, and RD Ken Childress for a great Saturday with some great people.

And how about that fish!?!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Lake McMurtry Trail Race – 2011 Results
• Lake McMurtry Trail Run – 2012 Results
• TATUR Snake Run -2012 Results
• Lake McMurtry Trail Run 2010 Results
• A-OK Trail Run – 2012 Results

The brief conversations with the trail running family as we each come and go during our pre-race preparation.

The rising sun penetrating through the majestic trees and enhancing the nearby rocks, pine needles, and small tranquil pond.

Trail Running.

The small lake/pond at the start/finish area. (Photo: David Hanenburg)

This was the Hanenburg tribe’s first visit to the low-key and intimate A-OK Trail Run put on by Mary Ann Miller up in the beautiful varied terrain of south central Oklahoma. Upon arriving at the race site, it was clear – today was going to be a great day to trail run.

This was my first race since Pumpkin Holler 50 km (race report) last Fall so I was a bit unsure on my fitness level. Since the new year I have been putting in mid-20, along with a couple 30 mile weeks. My basic approach for the run was to run comfortably through the halfway point, and then hopefully be able to dial it up during the back half.

I also tried a different hydration approach for this distance. Typically I would carry a handheld but this time I decided to use my Nathan Endurance Vest with the purpose of not having to stop at any of the aid stations. Basic thought – Carry a little extra weight, Spend no time at the aid stations, Finish sooner. Might be a flawed theory but I was willing to try it.

The “go”

The race start was poetry in motion and created this huge grin within the first strides of the adventure.

Mary walked to the start line while lightly blowing her whistle and told us to come over. It felt like first grade gym class – loved it!

Mary read a few instructions and then said, “go”.

Beautiful.

Early Miles – Consistent Effort

The first three miles contained this wonderfully varied single track and the most amount of climbing for the course (~1000 feet total when using elevation correction). The trail was technical in sections as you had to negotiate a variety of rock…that weren’t moving if you kicked them. Downed leaves covered some of the rock monsters which added to the light-footed excitement especially when running downhill. Lush pine needles covered the remaining trail surface as you ran within the majestic trees and fresh air.

25 km course profile (50k - run twice)

Since the course contains various out-and-back segments, it was easy to cheer on everyone and watch the scamper at the pointy-end of the 25k and 50k race.

Besides a couple miles of slightly technical climbs and descents between mile 4.5 and 6.5, most of the remaining miles to the midway point were on nicely groomed fire roads / dirt roads.

Sweet lookin' rocks all around. (Photo: David Hanenburg)

I reached the midway point ~mile 7.5 in 1:14 feeling like I still had a gear or two in reserve. I had been knocking down water, a couple Endurolytes, Hammer Gel (Huckleberry), and Perpetuem Solids. Stomach and energy levels felt good.

To the Finish – Gradually Press the Throttle

Over the next 5.5 miles I gradually increased effort into the “push” zone. This section was also easy run-able dirt roads so I had to stay alert not to push too hard and blow up. It felt like I sat right at the edge of a tempo type effort.

The final two miles put us back on the sweet and moderately technical single track. Some fun downhills as long as you don’t catch a toe, and a nice little climb leads you back down to the pond near the finish. With the finish in sight, we are led back up some small grade and extra technical trail (due to the leaves hiding the rocks) before returning back to the edge of the pond leading to the finish line. Nice.

I cruised across the line in 2:15:25-ish with Griffin and Wendy cheering me into the finish. Good times!

The Hanenburg tribe!

Post Race Thoughts:

• Beautiful venue and a special low-key event. If you haven’t ran – you should.
• Really happy with pacing and nutrition.
• I liked wearing the Nathan pack and not having to stop at any of the aid stations. I should have put about 50 ounces in the bladder instead of filling it up. Oops!
• The Altra Lone Peak were great tread on this trail. They handle the groomed and technical extremely well.

Thank you Mary and the A-OK team! We will be back for this one.

The Weekend Adventure Continues

After a few hours of hanging out and chatting with the trail running tribe, we cruised over to Lake Murray State Park and enjoyed a couple days of family time. A beautiful lake and great park system that included some…

Fishing - or something that resembles fishing

Disc golf - look at the two-person form. Nice!

Hiking - Saw shark had to come with as well.

Now time to catch up on all the race action in the region!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• A-OK Trail Run – 2012 Results
• A-OK Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Lake McMurtry Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Lake McMurtry 25 km Trail Run – 2012 Race Report
• TATUR Snake Run -2012 Results

Well, this adds a wrinkle to things…

So for the next couple hours Griffin vomited what looked like mucus and water every 15 minutes or so. It didn’t take long to determine G-man, Wendy, and Ainsley were not heading up for the race. If Griffin’s condition didn’t improve dramatically throughout the morning, I would be staying home as well. The Go, No-Go time was pushed back to noon.

After a couple hours of concern, Griffin was feeling close to normal by 10 AM. No longer vegetating on the couch. Wanting to play. Wanting to eat…a lot. My little bro was basically back to himself by 11 AM. The Pumpkin Holler adventure was ON but Wendy, Griffin, and Ainsley would stay home…just to be safe. After the race we would hopefully all be healthy for the State Park adventure. Fingers crossed.

The Race

First, this race was extra special to me because I would finally be able to meet Ken Childress and Brian Hoover from the TATUR crew up in Tulsa. These guys have been a huge supporter of Endurance Buzz since the early, early days of this little site that had the big idea of being a resource that connects the amazing trail/ultra people and races within a five state area. It was so great to meet you both…and Thank You for all the support!

Now let’s get ready to race…

After an OK night sleep, race morning shared with us some crisp, cool, windless air as the sun rose into the cloudless sky. It was a utopic morning. After quickly getting my timing chip I headed back to the car in hopes of getting the USB modem working on my laptop to provide some race coverage after my 50 km adventure. It worked! Time to run!

A brief chat with some good friends Tim and Stephanie Jagoda, the gun was shot (literally) and we started as all ultras do – a slow shuffle out of the gates intermixed with lots of chatter between runners.

The course was simple – a 50 km clock-wise loop with 3,000 feet of climbing on rolling dirt roads within the J.T. Nickel Preserve that included one short out-and-back section.  Nearly everywhere you looked a deep, vibrant color of green was on display with periodic hints of Fall approaching. You couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace throughout the run. A few dog barks would turn on the spidey senses for a while but then you would blend back into the natural surroundings. Flowing with the terrain.

While I am a huge fan of technically challenging courses, there was something special about not having to be on high alert to prevent the foot from hitting the next root or boulder. You actually could look around…while running…and enjoy the landscape portrait environment you were running in.

I kept the effort very easy throughout the first seven miles. Chatted with Stephanie and other runners through mile six or so and then many began to dial into their own race pace.

Mile 7-10 contained the only out-and-back segment for the 50km runners, and you couldn’t help but feel a little spunky as runners were coming back and you were heading out. I was running nearly two minutes per mile faster in this section than the earlier miles. You couldn’t help it. The feedback from the other runners felt like a giant wave of running mojo was carrying you along the trail. Of course, the wave does eventually recede and it becomes you and the road/trail once again.

I passed through the first 10 miles in around 1:42.

The next 10 miles include a couple more nice climbs and plenty of nature to enjoy. I really felt good through this section and really just let the body run. The temps were starting to go up as the sun reached its mid-day location in the sky. These middle miles seemed to have the most exposure to the sun and I was starting to feel a bit dehydrated.

I scampered through mile 10-20 in 1:36. Twenty miles completed in 3:18.

Cruising into mile 22.2 aid-station, Hard Up Ahead, I was starting to feel the miles. I filled up my handheld, grabbed a high-octane caffeinated gel, and marched out onto the only brief pavement segment of the course.

The remaining nine miles to the finish were a run/walk, keep it movin’ kind of effort. I passed through the marathon mark in 4:31 while hiking up one of the remaining hills.

Mile 20-30 took 2:04. Yes, the pace was slowing and the discomfort continued to rise, but man, this was exactly where I wanted to be.

Crossing some rock formation.

Running back across the river into the park and heading down the finish chute I see and hear my buddy Tim (who finished second male in the 50k!) cheering at the finish. It felt great to cross that line in 5:36:33!

Then Tim looks back and sees his wife, Stephanie smiling her way to the finish line. This was her first 50k attempt and finish! A big congrats to her. She said she saw me over the last mile or so and was trying to catch me. I had no idea and would have been caught if the race was 31.5 miles.

Steph and Tim

Really, really a great race! Thank you Ken, Brian, and all the amazing volunteers!

Post Race Reflections

• Course – Due to its non-technical nature, a fast course. The many opportunities to open-it-up requires even more attention to pacing so as not to burn too many matches early on. Beautiful area!
• Gear – Nathan Quickdraw Plus Handheld and INOV-8 X-TALON 212 shoes – I would use them both again! Although the X-TALON’s have some beefy lugs, they integrated with the dirt roads without any issues. No blisters.
• Race execution – A little too much spice during the middle miles. May have burnt a few more matches than I realized.
• Training – I ran between 12-23 quality miles/week (avg 19 miles) in the eight weeks leading up to the race and included 3-4 days of strength training per week. Do you need to run high mileage to finish an ultra – I don’t think so! With this low training mileage, I do need to be extra sensitive to pacing throughout the first 3/4 of the race. Still workin’ on that.

EB Live!

After a bite to eat, chat with fellow runners, and a quick shower in the park, I pulled out the laptop, struggled with internet connectivity for a while, and finally started providing beta live coverage of the remainder of the 100 mile and 100 km race through Twitter and the EB Live! page. I also periodically got involved with timing and aid-station support. What a great day and night!

By 6AM on Sunday morning, I was unable to keep my eyes open any longer and jumped in my car and fell asleep for a couple hours. Woke up shortly before 8am, talked to Brian about the female 100 mile winners and posted that before closing the coverage and starting the 4.5 hour drive back home.

Candy and Beavers

Strangest experience on the drive home. While at a gas station filling my tank, a recording says something along the lines of, “Harvard says people that regularly eat candy, live longer”. What?!?

I arrived home around 12:30 pm. We packed up and were on our way to Beaver’s Bend State Park in south east Oklahoma by 1:45 pm. 3.5 hours later, we enjoyed a couple days of this…

What a trip!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Lake McMurtry 25 km Trail Run – 2012 Race Report
• TATUR Snake Run -2012 Results
• Lake McMurtry Trail Race – 2011 Results
• Lake McMurtry Trail Run – 2012 Results
• A-OK Trail Run – 2012 Results

Baby EBA – Born

Earlier this week I launched a new project of mine – Endurance Buzz Adventures!

This little dirt lovin’ tribe will deliver trail running experiences on the sweetest trails in the north Texas area and increase the number of great races we have in this part of the state.

The mission:

• Dirty Fun! – Provide high-quality, challengingly fun, and memorable running adventures on the sweetest trails in the north Texas area.
• One Planet – Execute events with an environmentally aware mindset.
• Kids Rock! – Provide opportunities for our little ones to share in the active lifestyle experience.
• Support Positive Change - A portion of each event’s proceeds will help support a local non-profit transforming our world for the better.

Similar to nighttime trail running, as this journey progresses I can only see the next 10 feet in front of me. But when you keep moving forward, step by step, you see another 10 feet. Learning…growing…yes, indeed.

My first adventure is in-the-books for December 10th, 2011 on the sweet, varied, and periodically rocky technical (I think Joe P. would be proud) trails at Isle du Bois State Park (55 miles north of downtown Dallas). I will offer a 50 km and 10 mile scamper.

If any of this interests you, feel free to check out the site – Endurance Buzz Adventures.

Also, we currently have a EBA Facebook page and Twitter account. I will have RSS/email feed soon but that isn’t quite set up yet.

I also must say thank you to those that have privately and publicly supported my little project. The trail running community is a group I am honored, humbled, and inspired to be a part of.

Baby Walnut – Coming Oh So Soon

Our new addition to the family, baby girl Walnut, will be here any day…or even hour now. Wendy is ready. I am ready. Her room is ready (at least initially). Griffin is ready…as long as she won’t take his cars.

Her room!

One of the photos we took in the neighborhood a couple weeks back. Love it.

Life is good!

Oh yeah, I will be running the Pumpkin Holler (50k) with the TATURs in October! Then a possible 100 km scamper at Bandera. This quality over quantity training approach is going to come in handy.

Another cup of coffee please…

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• 14 Earn the Tejas 300 Award after Rocky Raccoon Weekend
• Bandera Mileage Milestones – Those That Can’t Get Enough
• Bandera Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Bandera 100 km: TALON Athletes Ready for USATF National Championship – Plus Periodic Race Updates
• Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd – New 100 Mile Run in the TALON Region

Pedernales State Park (Photo: Courtesy arsheffield @ http://flic.kr/p/6rSwbm)

The Drive

Tim and I departed the north Dallas burbs before 2:00 pm with expectations of arriving at Pedernales State Park (NW of Austin) around 6:00 pm. The Falls 30 km race start 7:15 pm. A simple, laid-back plan that got a bit more exciting before we were even able to get outside the Dallas city limits.

Time it should take to leave the burbs and be cruisin’ down the highway south of Dallas – 30 minutes.

Actual – 1 hour 20 minutes.

While the outside temps were in the low 100s, it apparently got even hotter for the folks in a big coach bus that caught on fire in the early miles of interstate 35E. Two fire trucks, a handful of police cars, and one lane open. It looked at though everyone got off the bus safely. We began to feel a different kind of heat…

As we finally exited the city and hooked up on the scenic Hill Country drive along highway 281, Tim’s portable GPS had an estimated arrival time of 7:05 pm. 250+ miles later we arrived at the start park entrance with four cars in front of us. Time – 7:00 pm. I jumped out of the car and dashed inside to present our State Park pass and get our entrance ticket/receipt, telling Tim to get in the driver’s seat. A few minutes later I flagged Tim to go around the cars still waiting and we drove the never-ending park road mile to the race parking area.

Parking was in a big field area that was full of cars at this point. We quickly scanned the area trying to determine where to park and in a gracious twist of fate, one car backed out right next to the start line (looked like Olga V. – not completely sure) and we glided on in.

Shoes, Garmin/HRM, visor, HEED, fill two handhelds, Hammer gel, electrolytes, one car key for each of us. BAM! Off to get our packets.

The 60 km runners had already left (7:00 pm start) yet there were still plenty of runners hanging about that created a forest-like feel and made it a challenge to find packet pickup. After asking a couple runners, we made it to the table. Timing chip – check. Bib – check.

“Two minutes till we start!” – Race director Joe Prusaitis

The Race

Not quite the pre-race plan but we made it and were ready for a 30 km adventure! A couple fist-bumps and man grunts then Tim moved up into the extra spicy section, I positioned myself in the jalapeno-free group.

My basic plan coming into the race was to keep the heart rate below 160 bpm as much as possible through the final significant climb (mile 12.7) and then see what I had left for the final push to the finish. And of course, enjoy the heck out of this trail running experience.

Start -> Fence aid station (mile 5-ish)

Within the first half mile, I enjoyed a brief chat with John Sharp. He looked ready to dominate and quickly disappeared off down the trail. I tried to settle into a cruise rhythm to get myself to mile 12.7 with some hops still left in my stride.

The initial 1.5 miles was fairly tame double wide trail / jeep roads that included a scattering of Hill Country rocks to keep you honest.

We then dropped down along the rock shores of the Pedernales River. Not sure if I even saw any water. It was a cool, yet strange running environment as you trot from rock slab to rock slab. A short, but steep climb out of the river bottom before running along a park boundary fence that included rolling, non-technical terrain that gradually took us upwards to the Fence aid station. I didn’t need anything and rolled on out as soon as I got to the table.

The effort felt easy but the heart rate ran a bit hot. Needed to slow it down a little.

Avg heart rate for this segment – 163 bpm

Clock time – 56:59

Fence aid station (mile 5) -> Pipe aid station (mile 8.4)

After some more running along the park boundary we danced along some varied single track. Plenty of little ups and down mixed in with a buffet of scattered rocks. The trail began to remind me of the Rockledge Rumble event up in Dallas. No huge climbs but the terrain is always changing which can provide its own unique challenge as you are always changing gears to maintain a consistent effort.

I arrived at Pipe aid station feeling pretty good and could tell that I had saved a few heart beats during this segment. Refilled both bottles and a quick “hey!” with Cheri Linwood workin’ the aid station and I was off.

Avg heart rate for this segment – 160 bpm

Clock time – 1:36:56

Time to turn on the headlamp!

Pipe aid station (mile 8.4) -> Pipe aid station (mile 11.81)

This segment is a counter clockwise loop that started with a downhill dirt road scamper before branching off and dancing along some singletrack. A few little rocky technical descents that would hurt if you caught a toe but all very runnable.

I caught up to a solo female runner that was glad to have some company as she thought she saw animals scurrying around. I didn’t notice anything and the conga line forming behind me mentioned the Blair Witch Project so I guess a few people caught sight of something.

Enjoyed a few glances at the stars and moon above. Gave thanks for this experience as the body was beginning to gradually feel the miles.

Off the single track back onto the dirt road and some double track trail before a nice little climb to test the gojo as you arrive back to the Pipe aid station.

Avg heart rate for this segment – 161 bpm

Clock time – 2:18:57

A quick bottle refill and I began a steady walk up the next little climb and determined my strategy for the remaining miles.

Pipe aid station (mile 11.81)  - > Drain aid station (mile 15.22)

I still felt like I had an extra gear so instead of a gradual consistent increase in effort, I dialed it up to 11. Obviously the carbs were not going to the brain. Looking back, not the smartest decision with 6.50-ish miles to go (ya think?!?) but try I did.

It was fun chasing the two-legged headlights along the varied single-track in front of me. Like a wild animal chasing his prey, I got excited when I saw an increase of dust particles floating in the air in front of me. I was closing in.

After 2.5 miles of pushing near the top of my tempo effort (175 bpm), the hunt turned into a night-time stroll. This extra push along with the warm temps at some point shut down my stomach. Argh!

I did prevent one dude from missing a turn a wondering off into neverland. He cruised 30 meters pass the left arrow, glow sticks, and wrong way sign. One good courtesy yell and he was back on track.

The Drain aid station had the coldest, most amazing water. The simple things. I could have stayed there the rest of the night sipping from these taps.

Avg heart rate for this segment – 168 bpm

Clock time – 3:02:30

Drain aid station (mile 15.22) ->  Finish

The remain 5 km turned into an interval session. Run steady until I hit that threshold that said walk. Walk for 60 seconds. Repeat. For whatever reason, I had no interest in digging extra deep and override the walk desires.

Finish clock in site. Up a short little hill and the 30 km journey was complete!

Avg heart rate for this segment – 163 bpm

Official finish time – 3:40:45

Tim knocked out a solid 3:01:22! Way to go bro!

A big thanks to Joe and all the volunteers!

Running hangover

I was looking forward to grabbing a burger and chatting with those I was unable to prior to the race start, but before that I gulped down two bottles of ice-cold gatorate/power-aid/lemon-aid (not sure which) that was sitting in a plastic pitcher at the finish. Tasted amazing but that was where the fun ended!

Talking to people didn’t happen.

Stomach still didn’t feel right. Couldn’t eat any food. Stomach still turned off.

Found an edge of the parking area/field that didn’t have people or vehicles around and emptied a couple gallons of fluid out of my belly. Unfortunately the place I chose was right next to the road out of the parking area. To those that saw a man hunched over pretending to look at some fallen trees as you left the park, that was me.

Felt much better after that but my head felt like I had been partying instead of running the last four hours. Fortunately Tim felt good and was willing to drive as I tried to regroup. Some ice, a little bit of coconut water, an ice cream sandwich, and 1-2 hours had me feeling mostly normal again.

We road tripped it all the way back to Dallas.

Rolled into bed at 5:00 am.

What a trip!

Post Race Reflections:

• Course – Fun! Technical moments (small and moderate sized loose and fixed rock) but mostly all runnable. The best way to train for this course would be on trail with constant short grade changes.
• Gear – The INOV-8 X-talon 212s were always smilin’ on this terrain. Using two handhelds worked great. Wish I would have carried a couple 100 calories of HEED with me for bottle refill.
• Race Execution – Positive-Split by 11-ish minutes. Was aiming for a negative-split. Looked like I may have burned a few matches in the first five miles with the heart rate dancing above 170 bpm for short segments of time. The middle miles fell more within my effort plan. As I began the “hunt” at mile 12.5, running at an effort above 170 bpm was rather silly. Five-plus miles of trail running is still a long way to go. A progressive effort build and heart rate cap until the final couple miles may have been a better choice.
• Training – Based on some previous training runs and having a basic idea of the course, I felt like a 3:30 finish would represent my current fitness. I still feel that is a pretty close woulda-shoulda-coulda estimation if I would have handled my effort a little better. Since Jemez 50 km (mid May), I ran between 6-25 miles/week with an average of 15 miles/week using a quality (w/ strength training) versus quantity training approach. I chuckled when I determined my average was only 15 miles per week.

What’s Next?

It’s nesting season!

Approximately four weeks until our little girl is welcomed into this world!

Wendy after winning...both games!

Griffin and I enjoying our usual swing-time after the midwife / birth center appointment Bag full of cars and Baba also made the trip.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Youthful Neal Lucas Raises the Trail Running Inspiration Bar – Interview
• the Falls Trail Run – Capt’n Karl’s Trail Series – 2011 Results
• The Falls Trail Run – Capt’n Karl Trail Series – 30 km Superman Flyover
• The Falls Trail Run – Capt’n Karl Trail Series – 2010 Results

Pedernales State Park (Photo: Courtesy dj @ oxherder arts @ http://flic.kr/p/6F4H3x)

Shortly after the race start, it will look like this! (Photo: Courtesy of dj @ oxherder arts @ http://flic.kr/p/6wxgCW

7:15 PM Start

Starting temperature ~100F

Finishing temperature ~90F

Control what you can to the best of your ability.

What does that mean for me?

• More fluids and electrolytes – Plan to carry two handhelds
• Run slower – Will wear a HRM to hold back the effort in the first half of the run.
• Smile!

The biggest challenge may be staying hydrated on the drive down as we bake inside the four-wheeled rotisserie oven…

Hope to see some of you at the race!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• The Falls Trail Run – Capt’n Karl Trail Series – 2010 Results

Excited? Yeah baby!

The Jemez adventure is now just over a week away and has a few unique aspects for me:

• Jemez 50 km will be my first high-altitude mountain race. (course flyover)
• I will be running, hiking, and maybe crawling through this adventure with good friend and ultra newbie, David P. This will be his first run of any type above 30 km! The dude is going huge!  Stride for stride we will be.

Training Memories

The last couple months since the Grasslands half mary have really been filled with many special run experiences.

A crazy fun trail run with Hamlin J. and Patton G., followed by a dash into the ice cold lake.

David P. and I building some strength and endurance.

Enjoying the greening of Spring and some majestic images.

Being a part of Bill's 59 mile day.

Sitting in the back of Matt C.'s truck after finishing a great trail run at one of the highest locations in the Dallas area. As the storm continued to get closer the skies looked like this. It was time to roll! (Photo: courtesy of Esteban Glas http://flic.kr/p/3UNRqc)

Flatlander Altitude Training Hack

When you don’t live at altitude or own a bazillion dollar Altitude Tent, you have to get creative.

Those 20 mile runs were interesting...

Balance of Power – Another Princess in the Family

Within the last couple weeks, we found out Griffin is going to have a little sister! Excited family here…well….Griffin did say when we found out the sex, “but I want a boy!” He has recently been talking about our “little princess” so things are trending up.

Those feet look ready to keep up with her big brother!

Let the Experience Begin

Jemez 50 km will be my longest race in over a year. Crazy! My heart lives in the ultra distances so I am extremely grateful to have a body with the confidence to journey the distance and a rockstar family that supports my adventures.

Let’s play!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• No Related Post

• Mild conditions
• Trail in great shape
• Great race support
• Family and friends abound

Plenty to be grateful for!

Team Hanenburg and special guest (and good friend) Tim Jagoda, cruised up to the southern shores of lake Texoma early Saturday morning for the local classic, the Cross Timbers Trail Run. Both Tim and I were running the half mary.

Strongest memories on the drive up:

• Griffin (nearly 4) expressed 10 or so times how he wanted to puke.  No puking occurred but G-man had a doozy of a poo a few hours later (in case you were curious).
• The huge moon shining in the western sky. Love it!

The course is a simple out and back that contains constantly varied and technical terrain (rock and root monsters) that requires fairly constant trail attention for most of the entire 13.5 miles. All climbs are under 100 feet but a few are steep enough to require both feet and hands to get to the top.

The half mary course. Click to enlarge.

Race Plan

For this type of course the plan was simple, hold something back for the back half and keep my heart rate under 175 bpm as much as possible.

The Loopy Start

After a couple fist bumps with Super-Dave Elliott, the first 3/4 mile consisted of 1/4 mile road running loops to help spread out the moderately sized group of runners before we dashed onto the single-track. Smart idea!

Garmin 305 – ON!

Heart rate monitor strap – oops! Forgot to put it on.

The start

During the road running section I quickly came up with plan B. On the way out, try and maintain a 3/3 breathing pattern. On the way back, transition to a 2/2. Hopefully this would prevent any excessive match burning during the first half of the race and leave a bit of jalapeño for the remaining miles.

Cool father moment – During each road loop Griffin would yell “hey daddy!” each time I passed. You couldn’t help but feel the love. I won’t forget that moment.

Waving to Wendy and G-man.

Run to the Far End (7.25-ish miles)

Tim was off running with the small lead pack and I entered the trail with the second wave of runners. It didn’t take long to be reminded of the fun, beautiful, and challenging course.

We started going up almost immediately. There should have been a sign at the top of the first climb – Welcome to Cross Timbers!

The course was in great shape and it just felt like you were in this private little trail running world. Various shades of green and brown were vibrantly on display everywhere. I flippin’ love the trails.

The two biggest memories of the initial out segment:

• Tim being the first person I saw coming back. The boy was leading the race and on a mission. He was rippin’ it! We slapped high-fives I was fired up.
• The rock stair climb right before the turnaround. On all fours baby!

Griffin enjoying some trail time as well.

The Return

I spent about 45 seconds at the turnaround aid-station to enjoy an extra cup of water and perform a quick stretch on my left hip to help keep things loose. I left the aid-station and walked the first 25 meters as I mentally focused for the return trip.

Again, there are really some beautiful sections of trail if you dare take a loop.

I transitioned into my 2/2 breathing pattern and pushed as much as I could. My legs still had life in them and I was feeling good. I ran everything but the steeper  segments and quickly passed a couple runners before going solo the final six miles.

The return trip felt like less climbing and after reviewing the data, the feeling was surprisingly accurate. The out portion had a net gain of 100 feet and the return had a net loss of 100 feet.

I came hopping down the final rock littered section of trail before crossing the finish line in 2:30:30 (per my Garmin).

Tim and I post race. Now let's find that beer.

A great, great morning on the trails!

Race execution thoughts:

• The breathing pattern throttle system worked great. I definitely had a few matches left to burn on the way back – and burn they did.
• My left knee held up to all the grade changes. Super fired up about this.
• Had a gel prior to the start and two during the race. Energy levels – good throughout.
• It was a good day. Nothing I would have changed (surprisingly).

Post Race

My buddy Tim, ended up winning the half marathon race (a couple minutes over two hours)! Huge congrats to him. Expect him to be mixing it up in more trail races this year.

We all enjoyed some post race food, a cold and tasty beer (nice work Tim!), hearty banter with Mr. Elliott, and the chillin’ post race vibe.

Slightly battered but not beaten. - Mr. Elliott post race. His humor still had a full tank of gas.

It was one of those days that you were in no rush for it to end…but a late afternoon birthday party was waiting so we eventually had to pack up and head south. Griffin was asleep within minutes of leaving the park.

Life was good.

Huge thanks to Teresa Estrada-McCoul and the entire support team for putting on a top-shelf event.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Cross Timbers Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Cross Timbers Trail Run 2011 Course Flyover
• Cross Timbers Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Rebuilding the Support Frame and Visiting an Old Friend
• The Journey Back to Ultrarunning

As someone that really, really enjoys the ultra distance, it had been roller-coaster year of knee tweak management/recovery. After successfully testing the left knee (currently 90-95%) at the Bandera 25 km in early January, it is quite tempting to start cranking up the miles. Instead I have decided to journey down a different path and explore where this new trail leads.

Skill Building

In endurance sports we often hear about the engine. Build the engine. Build the engine. Well a powerful endurance engine is only as good as the frame supporting it. If the structural integrity goes to crap, that high powered efficient running motor can be quickly reduced to a clunker in need of a tow. My frame needs some work!

I would love to be able to simply run, run, run. This approach has yet to work for me. I breakdown. I become fragile. I get injured.

Instead of moving down a known path that has a fairly repeatable destination (tweakage), I have decided to take a right where I would normally go left. Over the past 6-ish weeks it has been plenty uncomfortable and awkward at times. A growth opportunity? Umm, yep…and that excites me (although it has taken a while).

I am currently doing various forms of strength work four times a week. Knocked out some squats for the first time in 7+ years. Now that’s a sight that may create a few giggles. I am embracing it and going after it…even if it is only the bar. Ya gotta start somewhere right?

My running has mainly consisted of shorter quality workouts done with emphasis on maintaining good (working on that) running form. This may include 200 meter repeats and 7-10 mile moderate effort runs. Mileage is currently under 20 miles per week.

And the truth is…I am really enjoying the process.

“Insanity: Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results” – Albert Einstein

Will this new training approach create the structural integrity I desire? Honestly, I do not know yet…but I do know where I have been and that hasn’t work for me. It has taken me six months to truly commit to this new approach.  Somewhere in all this, FEAR has kept me from exploring, changing, growing.

“If you want to be rid of all anxiety, suppose that anything you are afraid of happening is going to happen in any case, then mentally calculate all the evil involved in it and appraise your own fear: you will undoubtedly come to realize that what you fear is either not great or not long lasting.” – Lucius Seneca

I’m in. I’m all in and committed to exploring the challenges, vistas, and growth opportunities of this new training path.

Biggest observations so far:

• Wake up call – I have found plenty of sleeping muscles that have been reawakened. It is kind of cool to have that “I can tell I worked those muscles” feel.
• 10k OK – In the past, the 10 km has been my least favorite distance due to the amount of  red-lining effort possible for most of it.  I have had a few hard 10 km efforts in my training and have developed an acceptance with the extended discomfort. This may be useful come ultra time.
• 175 bpm – A heart rate above 175 bpm means I better be close to the end of the run or I better not hold it for long else I begin to run backwards (not pretty but may be entertaining).

Back to Cross Timbers

This weekend, Team Hanenburg is heading up for the Cross Timbers trail run (half marathon). That last time I ran at this event was 2008 (race report – part 1, part 2).  I am stoked to get back on the varied rooty goodness along the southern shores of Lake Texoma.

Similar to 2008, it also looks like everyone is going to experience another spectacular sunrise early Saturday morning but this time temps are going to be 30 degree warmer.

Hope to see some of you there.

Let’s run!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

(Photos: Courtesy of estimmel and anemoneprojectors)

Related Articles:

• Cross Timbers Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Cross Timbers Trail Run 2011 Course Flyover
• Cross Timbers Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Cross Timbers Half Marathon Trail Run – 2011 Race Report
• The Journey Back to Ultrarunning

Here is the video capturing my adventure.

Enjoy!

(If you can’t see the video, click here.)

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Pandora’s Box of Rox Trail Run – 2012 Results
• The Maze Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Hog’s Hunt Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Hells Hills Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Grasslands Trail Run – 2012 Results