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 Trail Race – 2011 Results
• Turkey & Taturs Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Lori Enlow Challenges the Impossible and Wins 2011 Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd – Interview
• Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd Trail Run Course Flyover
• Pumpkin Holler 100 – 2011 Results

finishers award - local, handmade pottery

I ran this race with my buddy David Pearson, who was attempting his first ultra distance trail run. We agreed to stick with each other till the end.

My race goals:

• soak up this mountain race experience
• get both of us to the finish line

This video captures many of the sights and some sounds from our entire 12 hour+ 50 km adventure.

Enjoy! (btw, the video segments are choppier than the original source…trying a few different things to improve it)

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

Simply a great, great race!

Huge thanks to all the volunteers and organizers.

Sweet profiles on back of race shirt.

This was also my first ultra distance race since tweaking my knee back in Feb 2010. All smiles here!

As part of my journey back to going long, I must give a significant amount of thanks to Rick Merriam who has used his biomechanics, muscle, and fascia expertise to address various functional imbalances in this love-to-run body. Thanks Rick!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Jemez Mountain Trail Run – Half Marathon Course Flyover
• Jemez Mountain Trail Run – 50 Mile Course Flyover
• White Mesa FA Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Deadman Peaks Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Pajarito Trail Fest – 2011 Results

As Team Hanenburg parked within the grounds of the LBJ National Grasslands four thoughts entered my mind…

One – It sure is a lot easier to get to this place with the sunrise and rainless skies. Last year I circled like a vulture in the park trying to find the race headquarters so I could have some unique fun at an aid-station in the rain, wind, and occasional sleet.

Two – (as I put the car into park and looked up at a couple runners on the trail) Holy sh*t, is that bad-ass Olga racing again in north Texas? It was! She ran the 50 miler (of course).

Three – OK, not a thought but an internal feeling that expressed itself in this huge internal smile.  The vibe and energy of the area felt hugely positive. I was extremely grateful to be starting my third trail race this year as I continue to rebuild the body.

Four – I need to find a bathroom…NOW!

The Race

What can you say about the Grasslands course? Its a bit like wandering through the plains of North Dakota…a few trees, small grade changes, small field vegetation of various types, and an occasional cow. The largest physical challenge of the day would likely be the sand that is strategically scattered throughout the course. Conditions were dry, the sand was ready!

Pic from 2009 - Still good for today as well!

A few areas feel like this. (Courtesy Bryn Jones2008 @ http://flic.kr/p/74p85H)

The course doesn’t really draw me to this event…the people do.

The race strategy for this half marathon was pretty simple for me – run sustainably hard.

What the hell does that mean?

With the help of my trusty Garmin 305, my goal was to keep the old ticker near but below 175 bpm as much as possible. Then simply ride whatever pace that allows. Bam! Let’s go!

In typical trail running fashion, RD Kevin Boudreaux casually said “Go” and we were off…

Race start - Waving to Team Hanenburg!

Within 4 miles I was in a place I often visit within a race – no man’s land. I was too slow to be with the front group and too fast to be with the next larger group of runners. I simply focused on form, breathing, a few peeks at the scenery and heart rate data – then simply celebrated the ability to run.

One cow grunt was about all I heard the entire run.

My heart rate data pretty much describes how my day went.

Click on image to enlarge

I maintained fairly consistent effort through 10 miles before adding a few more logs to the fire in the final 5 km. Add a couple bottles of water with electrolytes, 200 calories of carb goodness, and you have yourself a Grasslands half marathon.

Enjoyed the last bit of sand leading to the finish line, took a hard right directed by good friend Mike Krejci, and crossed the line in 1:50:05 (per my Garmin). Wendy and Griffin were expecting me closer to two hours so they were still playing with trucks in the dirt. It was a fun day!

Shortly after finishing with G-man looking for the next "Big Rock!"

The fam then hung out, had some dirt time with G-man, chatted with friends, and watched my good buddy Tim Jagoda rock the marathon (2nd place).

The sun was now shining with a mild breeze blowing, it was a great March day!

"Sugar please!" - Buddy Tim Jagoda turning off the Barry Manilow after finishing second in the marathon! Big congrats to him.

We eventually had to continue our day as G-man had another birthday party to go to in the early afternoon.

As we left the park, I happened to see Superman Elliott displaying his bad ass determination to finish the marathon. We stopped, I yelled some encouragement out the window, then we rolled on out of the LBJ National Grasslands.

Grasslands goodies - Sweet tech shirt and reusable bag. No "garbage" included. Really dug this.

The knee held up great…still can’t say it is at 100% but continues to be so close.

Huge thanks to RDs Kevin and Stacie Boudreaux and all the great volunteers (NTTR crew and others).

The Rebuilding Continues

Over the last six-plus months I have tinkered with but over the the last three months I have consistently followed a new-to-me training paradigm that puts huge emphasis on quality run training and full body strengthening. My typical approach of run, run, run didn’t work for me especially in longer races or higher run volume…I would tweak something. I have really enjoyed this new approach and am hopeful that it will greatly up my durability as I return to more ultra distance adventures (time will tell).

The training philosophy I am following/modeling is Crossfit Endurance. I am so intrigued by this approach that I recently completed a CrossFit Endurance Trainer Course.

The general approach to the CFE training model is first – Technique, then Intensity, and finally Volume. Overlay on top of this a full-body strengthening program and you start the process of creating a running warrior.

Since the new year I have averaged ~15 miles/week (3 run sessions per week) along with four strength-type sessions (15-30 minutes per). And hugely important, having a lot of fun with the process.

My next big adventure planned is the Jemez 50 km (in May) which is going to be a significant test for the body…and mind.

This is going to be interesting....

Bring it!

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Grasslands Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Grasslands Trail Run 2010 Results
• The Duel Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Big Bend Trail Run – 2012 Results
• Cactus Rose Trail Run – 2011 Results

A special thanks to Tim for sharing his detailed report with the region!

by Tim Neckar

I was ready.  Ready for edition three of the Mother Road 100 mile road race.  I had won edition two, but I knew it would be difficult repeating as champion being two years older against younger competitors.  I would give it my best shot though.  I had trained well, running long runs of 28, 35, and 40 miles in consecutive weekends with my training partner and pacer for the race, Andrew Pena.  The weekend before the MR was 20 miles with 13 miles of overpass going back and forth over it.  I couldn’t wait for the following weekend.

Andrew and I flew into Tulsa Friday morning of November 12th.  My dear friend and Crew Chief, Dan Stake from Kingfisher, OK picked us up and the weekend began.  Now Dan is not just your ordinary Crew Chief, he is the best!  He makes sure I get everything  I need or want, plus making sure he is as comfortable as can be while crewing.  Dan is an ultra runner himself being a veteran of the Marathon de Sables, and three of the four Racing the Planet races.

After a quick trip to Fleet Feet in Tulsa , a Mexican lunch, and the Reasor’s Grocery Store for race supplies and food ( Water, Gatorade, Boost, Pop-Tarts, Little Debbie Brownies, Dr. Peppers, and Chocolate mini donuts), we headed for packet pick-up at the Hampton Inn in Catoosa.  By now it was only 12:30 and packet pick-up wasn’t until 3:00.  So the three of us waited in the sitting area watching TV and napping until then.  It was pouring rain outside, but the forecast for the next day was partly cloudy and perfect conditions.

3 pm came and I got my bib number and swag, and we headed to the race start, Baxter Springs, Kansas.  We checked in to the Baxter Inn and headed to Pizza Hut for the pre- race meal of pizza and breadsticks.  Then it was back to the hotel room for last minute sorting, going over the check list, and just a quick “go over” with Dan and Andrew.  I was asleep by 9:30.

I slept well as I woke up at 7 a.m.  It was a mixed blessing having the race begin 9:00.  Yes, it was nice to sleep in, but thinking if the race began earlier I could be two or three hours down the road by now.  I had my usual pre-race breakfast of Strawberry Pop-Tarts and a Dr. Pepper. I then got dressed, and I was ready to run.

We drove over to the race start at downtown Baxter Springs at 8:15.  I picked up my timing chip, stretched, lubed up, and went to the bathroom one more time.  I also met Jane Herzog from Tacoma, WA.  Jane used to be an email client of mine.  Her husband was running his first 100.  He definitely pick a dandy!

They played the National Anthem and I walked over to the starting line.  It was cloudy, around 40 degrees, and a south wind blowing about 10-15 mph.  The wind was a little concerning since we would be running southwest toward Catoosa.  I was wearing my traditional Texas flag running shorts, white compression t-shirt, Moeben sleeves, gloves, running hat, Nike Vomero running shoes, and Injinji socks.  The plan was to exchange out my 2 waist Camelbak Flashflows as needed and never miss a beat.

The gun went off promptly at 9 am with a loud BANG! and we headed down Route 66.  Immediately about 8 of us formed a lead pack with one runner taking off ahead of us.  I decided not to go with him since the last thing I needed to do was go out too fast and blow up later.  Another runner chased him down to stay with him, so now I was in 3rd leading the pack.  This dissolved after about a 1/2 mile as we all settled into our own pace.  It didn’t take long to discard my Moeben sleeves and gloves to Dan and Andrew around mile four.

Tim at the start of the race wearing white

The first hour went quickly as I covered a little over seven miles going through the first of many towns.  Going through all these towns was such a blur, and really the whole first half of the race was a blur.  I was so focused on pace, conserving energy while I sometimes ran straight into the wind, drinking, eating, taking in Endurolytes, that I pretty much had tunnel vision that first 50 miles.  I only walked to drink my Boost and to eat a hamburger and a burrito Dan got for me.   I do remember during the day running about 3-4 miles of the original Route 66.  This was not fun.  The original road was narrow concrete that had seen better days.  It was only 12 feet wide or so with gravel over it. So it was either running on the concrete/gravel or off to the shoulder with gravel and potholes.   It was slow going through these sections.

Just losing two pounds that first 50, I knew that I was going to have a good 2nd half of a race.  I hit the 50 mile timing mat at 7:24:20 with cloudless skies and still fighting the wind.

Since it was already 4:24 pm, darkness was not far off.  I changed into a long sleeve shirt and discarded my Camelbak.  Since I knew Andrew was going to be carrying his 70 ounce Camelbak, I figured we would share his the rest of the way as Andrew was getting ansy to begin pacing.

Taking off my waist Camelbak was like taking off 20 lbs!  I felt very strong after that and probably did the next mile in 8 minutes or so.  Andrew was not quite ready for me, so he met me up the road a couple of miles.  Once Andrew began pacing me, the two-lane nice highway with a shoulder subsided to a two-lane road with no shoulder, and it was getting dark fast.  The wind was dying down, but the hills came more frequently (This part could have been my imagination).  To get my senses back up to gear, I asked Dan for a 5 Hour Energy bottle and he obliged.  This got me back up to speed with conversations with Andrew and alertness with the road.

This section of road was difficult with it: 1) getting dark, 2) no shoulder, and 3) the sun setting right in our line of vision.  We wanted to go “Commando” with no headlamps so if we came upon another runner from behind, he wouldn’t see us coming, but we had to abandon this method after about a half hour after sunset to be safe and let cars see us coming.  Some cars could plainly see us and move over to the next lane, then some either didn’t see us or just wanted to play “Chicken” with us.  So when that happened, we had to get off in the brush and grass and stop to let the car go by.  This probably went on 8-10 miles.

The sharing of the Camelbak with Andrew was going well as we deemed ourselves “Bladder Brothers” drinking from the same tube.  The only problem was that we were so hydrated, we had to stop and pee about every mile or so.  Adding 20-30 seconds of not moving times 30 or so stops, adds up to a lot of time lost not moving forward..

When we finally hit shoulder after about mile 63, it was smooth sailing after that with Dan meeting us every mile to 2 miles seeing if we needed anything.   I basically was consuming Dr. Pepper, Water, Chocolate Donuts, and bites of burrito through the evening.   We hit a massive hill at mile 75 which seemed like it took forever to climb, but I didn’t walk it.

Right before we were to get to the TATUR aid station at mile 77, I had a little mishap. We were in this little town (which I don’t remember the name) and the course detoured off the main highway onto a residential street.  Being around 9 pm it was quiet.  Then the Mother Road course signs directed us to make a right turn into a house driveway. We thought, “This can’t be right!” but we did it just to make sure.  Well, I stepped up four inches on a five inch curb and hit the ground. Luckily, I was barely jogging as I went down. No harm done, but it was frustrating as I paid the expense of someone pulling a gag and misplacing the signs.  Fortunately, Dan came down the street from the opposite way and told us to stay on the road as the TATUR Aid Station was just ahead.

We arrived at the aid station, I weighed myself (same weight as at the 50 mile weigh in), and Andrew and I took off down the road.

We got to the town of Claremore around 11:15 p.m. with lots of traffic on a Saturday night.  Claremore’s finest were out and about stopping cars right and left.  We saw a couple of policemen giving sobriety tests on the side of the road.  They even stopped Dan, who was parked in a bank parking lot asking him what he was doing there.  They weren’t sure what to think of him sitting there eating Pringles.

Still drinking and peeing, it was beginning to drop down in the upper 30s, so I asked Dan for some gloves, my running vest, and a side of one more 5 Hour Energy to take me to the finish.  Still running strong down Route 66, we took a quick left onto a country road at mile 97 and encountered my first hill I couldn’t run up.  It was just too steep, so I angrily walked up it.  Once we crested the top of it, we could see off in the distance the Hard Rock Hotel in Catoosa.  We were to finish at the football stadium which was right across the street from the hotel.  I was then like a horse going to the barn.  My sights were set.

The Blue Whale - Famous Landmark on Route 66 in Catoosa

Mile 98 and 99 came with a comical incident as I headed closer to the stadium, one incident I have to tell.  All of a sudden around mile 98.5, I had this “hit the wall” moment and I slowed down to a 12 minute pace as I needed some quick calories to make it to the finish.  Dan was up ahead stopped, waiting in the van, making sure we wouldn’t miss this critical turn to the final stretch.    All I needed was a Boost to get me through.  Just as we got close to the van, Dan drives off!  Fortunately, he only went a quarter mile or so and I finally get my calories.

Andrew was praising me and telling me positive things as the finish grew near.  We entered the stadium parking lot, made a quick right turn onto the track for the final 300 meters.  I kicked it into gear that last 150 as I rounded the final curve and the straight-a-way.  I crossed the line at 16:53:16 in 4th place as Dan was taking a picture and videoing at the same time.  I PR’d by just over 20 minutes on my 100 mile time!

The race was pretty much flawless for me.  Except for the peeing the last half of the race every mile or so I had an exceptional race.  Just one pair of shoes and one pair of Injinji socks without a hint of a blister.

Believe me, this couldn’t have happened without the great crewing and pacing of Dan and Andrew.  Without them, there is no way I could have PR’d and had such a tremendous adventure.  I owe it all to them. Sadly, this was the last installment of the Mother Road 100, and it will be missed by all of us.

Also, if you are looking for some running guidance for your upcoming road or trail runnning adventures,  check out Tim’s site over at RunnerOne.com.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

(Photos: Courtesy of Fun Memories Photography, Todd Christell, and Chuck “Caveman” Coker)

Related Articles:

• 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon – TALON Athletes Shine
• TnT Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Mother Road 100 Road Race – 2010 Results
• TALON Ultramarathon Coaches For Trail and Road Running

TALON athlete, Melissa Linan, won the historic Arkansas Traveller 100 trail run a little over a week ago (race results summary). Melissa finished with a time of 23:34:57, less than three minutes in front of the next chaser, Monica Scholz. This is an extremely close race in ultra land.

Melissa was kind enough to share some of her exciting and challenging journey with us.

Enjoy!

Before the race I had my normal pre-race breakfast ½ can of Monster, bagel w/peanut butter and a banana.  We were all a little quiet getting our numbers on, adjusting fuel belts etc.  I wasn’t nervous which is what I love about ultras…I was always a mess before 5k’s, and marathons.   That’s how I decided ultras and trail running was for me…particularly 100 milers.  I am really new to the sport…did my first ultra in Dec. of 2008 (Sunmart 50 miler).  This was my 3^rd 100 miler.

The gun went off at 6am and the weather could not have been better.  Team Trail Freak started out together and we joked around the first 1-2mi. then we all kind of drifted apart.  My goal going into the race was to run a sub 24 however I knew it was going to be a tough course so my plan was to just run comfortably the first 30 miles and not dwell on splits but just do what I love to do…RUN!  If it happened great and if it didn’t I was ok with that as well.  Decided not to wear my Garmin and just go with the flow.

The first part of the course wasn’t bad then we hit the Ouachita Trail which was pretty rocky and very hilly single track trail.   I don’t remember a whole lot of the first 17miles just know I got passed by quite a few people.  I just kept thinking keep moving forward and get these 17 miles out of the way because I knew I would not have to see them again.

When we started the out and back portion that’s when I started to pick runners off.  Felt really good on the uphills and decided to just run them.  If they were pretty steep I would use a run / walk strategy.  Met lots of awesome people along the way.  When I reached an aid station the girl taking my number said, “you’re doing good, you’re in 3^rd place (2 females ahead of you).”  I think my reaction was “shut up!”  I could not believe that!  She said the 2^nd place girl is 15 min. ahead of you.  Thought, ok, keep moving forward and keep pushing on the hills.  Eventually caught her on a hill and was so excited that I was in 2^nd place.

Before I reached Powerline a hunter who had just parked said to me, “you have a long way to go!”  OMG, I laughed so hard!  At Powerline which is almost the halfway point I got a warning because I had lost a few pounds.  Starting to freak out a little bit.  I felt like I had been drinking quite a bit but apparently not enough.   Changed into some dry clothes, filled a baggie full of food to take with me out on the trail and headed out.  Was told I was 30min. behind the leader…woo hoo!  Knew the next 20mi. were very runnable so I pushed on.  Was also looking forward to my Monster waiting for me at mile 67.  And by this time was already jamming to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Saw the leader heading back to Powerline and she looked really fresh so I knew I had some work ahead of me, but it really pumped me up.  At Turnaround I scarffed down as much food as I could as fast as I could and flew out of there.   I kept drinking like crazy because I knew I was going to get on the scale again at Powerline.  As this point I had to pee like crazy but decided to wait until after the weigh in (smart thinking).  I passed my friend Dave and he cheered me on.  Also saw Suzi who was making her way to Turnaround.  They both looked great!

Met more cool people along the way and didn’t even know I passed the leader.  Until the guy I was running with said you know that was the leader you just passed.  OMG!  I didn’t even notice, thought she was a pacer.  I am really stoked at this point with the prospect that I could actually win a race.  Along the way at the AWESOME aid stations I’m being told that I’m in 8^th place overall and on sub 24 pace.  Wow, I can’t even digest that.

Then things take a turn for the worst…I start having problems with my vision.  Which also happened on my last 100miler.  I think it was a 6mi. section of the course that I had to walk?  The terrain was very rocky and my vision was really bad.  So I decide to play it safe and walk rather than risk injury by taking a fall.  This really sucks because I want to run sooo….bad, especially when I’m being passed by other runners.  Then to make things worse I miss a turn and realize it pretty quick, so I turn back to find the turn arrows but then I can’t remember which direction I was coming from (I got turned around)…#^%7*.  Not good!  So I make a decision and soon realize I’ve gone the wrong way (I’m back tracking) as I see a headlamp running towards me.  I am so mad at myself, so I turn around and pick up the pace this time in the right direction.

As I arrive at the last aid station which I believe is pumpkin patch the guy I am running with tells me Monica the second place girl is right behind me.  At this point my competitive nature kicks in and I yell my bid number to the aid station attendant and fly out of there.  My vision is horrible but I don’t even care anymore.  I wanted to win so bad!  Decided to leave it on the trail, no regrets.

This part of the course was very runnable so to compensate for my vision I stayed on the very right side of the trail and was brushing against the plants along the way to help stay on course.  My only problem was when the plants ended I ended up at someone’s campsite.  I was told there was going to be a station with no aid but just someone recording our numbers, so I thought I was there.  I started yelling, “I can’t find the trail which way do I go?”  And this poor guy who I completely startled comes out and says it’s right over there, see that other runner?  Then proceeds to ask me, how long have you been running.   Of course he thinks I’m insane as he is pointing me in the direction of the trail.

The other runner on the trail was Brian Kuhn from IL who I had run with for a little while earlier.  OMG…was I happy to see him!  I asked him if Monica had passed him while I was off course and he said, “no.”   Saweet! Ok, so I tell him I can’t see so I am going to hang with him.  He is in no rush because his goal is to come in under 24 and he has that in the bag.  I explain to him that I am in first place (I think) and want to keep it that way.  So this incredibly nice guy who I have just met on the trail decides to help me get to the finish.

We start to run together and I apologize for bumping into him like 10 times because I literally cannot focus and am just all over the road.   At about ½ mile to go he says, go on. I’m going to walk a little.  He assures me I cannot get lost…so I am literally following the white line on the road and can see the finish and hear the music.  Only problem, I don’t know where to turn to get to the finish and I am so focused on the white line that I pass the turn.  Then the music begins to fade and I know I have gone too far…this cannot be happening to me!  I stop dead in my tracks and yell anyone please tell me how to get to the finish.  Then several people yell it’s right here come back this way.   OMG…I was so happy to cross that finish line and see Brian and I WON!!  And Sub 24!!

Three days later I still can’t wipe the smile off my face!  A million Thank You’s to Brian!!  Could not have done it without his help!  Chrissy and Stan put on a 1^st class race and I can’t say enough about the volunteers.  They are Rockstars!  All of Team Trail Freak who also happen to be NTTR members returned home with buckles! (-:

A special thanks to Melissa for taking the time and sharing her report with us.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

(Photos: Courtesy of Dave Carder, Melissa Linan, and Black Dog Photo Productions)

Related Articles:

• Jenny Brod’s Love of the Trail Leads to 2011 Arkansas Traveller 100 Win – Interview
• 2011 Arkansas Traveller 100 – Bonus Photos
• Arkansas Traveller 100 – 2011 Results
• Arkansas Traveller 100 – 2010 Results
• Top 100 Mile Times in 2009: Chrissy Ferguson at Vermont 100

After hours of negotiations with her tough team of  lawyer-like henchmen, Misty graciously permitted the global distribution of her 11.6 mile journey up to 12,000 feet…and back.

Enjoy!

But first, my friends Dan and Laura, in a total collapse of good judgment put me in charge of their boys (11 and 15) AND gave me the keys to their minivan.  So they could celebrate 17 years of married bliss (boom chicka wa wa!  If you know what I mean, and I think you do: wink wink).  They wanted to take their Big Ass RV to a local-ish hot springs.  This happened on Friday:

Me: Laura, I don’t remember how to get to your house.

Laura: Oh, honey child.  Just look for the Big Ass RV.  It’s taking up not only our driveway, but it’s butt is in the street.

We drive up.

Caveman (my boyfriend and adventure partner in crime): That is a Big Ass RV!

No diggity.  It is the size of one of those touring buses that hauls around rock stars who you know are partying their socks off until it pulls into your local Wendy’s. You don’t know whether to be scared or intrigued because all these people pile out: drunk rock stars, frustrated business managers, and pierced ladies of the day and/or night who are dying for you to be absolutely shocked, or cool enough to axe about their tattoos while they are wondering if they should call their parents.  Meanwhile, you are switching your order “to go”.  Dan and Laura do not fit into this category.  Anymore.

We got a tour of the mobile palace.  That was cool.  I’m loving the fact that across the street, the neighbors are hooking up electricity to the Recreational Vehicle version of a chiclet.  This tiny white sanitary version of Big Ass RV hopes and dreams.

Me:  I think your neighbors are probably cracking their blinds and staring at the Big Ass RV seething with jealousy.  They are charging a tic-tac.

Dan & Laura: Oh, we know.  This thing is the scourge of the neighborhood.

And then, it was down to the business of making sure their kids would survive a Weekend With Misty:

Laura: So if you would like to experience driving the cool minivan, I’m leaving the keys for you.

Me: Minivan!  I can’t drive a minivan! I have a rep to protect.

Dan: I can take off three of the hubcaps?

Not funny, Dan.  Okay, it is.  Caveman’s laughing at me too.

Us: Bye, Laura and Dan!  Please don’t abandon your kids with the likes of me!

Caveman: Bye BARV!

Me: BARV?

Caveman: Big Ass RV, Duh.

- Caveman is a study in economy.  He calls it and that’s one of the many reasons why he’s awesome.

Friday night, I am questioning my ability to be able to run this dumb race.  I really had only one good run in since Imogene three weeks ago, and replaced the running void with potatoe chips and stuff and junk.  It’s not helping that my pre-race meal is ribeye, butter with squash (!), IPA, and awesome neighbors.  I’m saying, “yeah, I don’t know.  I have this race but the weather is supposed to get ugly, it’s so unpredictable at that altitude”.  But what I really mean is “I’m lazy, I don’t want to get up at 6 am on a Saturday morning, and I’m worried I’ll come in last”.

And then – are you sitting down? – I turned down beers and hot tubs for responsitility.  I had to make sure two boys weren’t throwing a wild party and/or conducting chemical experiments in the kitchen that would culminate in a HAZMAT disaster.

I promised the 11 year old in my charge that I would wake him up in case he wanted to come with us.  What kind of sick pre-teen wants to get up in the middle of the night just to traipse around Santa Fe while I run in the mountains?  Instead of an addiction to video games, Lady Gaga and sleeping until the wee hours of the afternoon, this boy’s parents had to be all awesome and raise an awesome kid.  ANNOYING.  Because, I was banking on him not wanting to go.  I NEEDED him to not want to go.  He was my ticket to waking up whenever and coffee and my Cheez-its Breakfast of Champions.

Me at 6 bells: *tap tap* Hey, dude.  Do you want to go?  The weather is supposed to be okay, but it will probably be cold, really boring, and maybe rabid bears and sweaty old people wanting to pinch your cheeks all over the place and talk about how cute you are…

Awesome Kid: Okay, I’ll go.  I’ll be ready in a minute.

And he was.  Ready in a minute.  Like Superman, except his phone booth was the bathroom.  He went in an 11 year old zombie, and came out exactly 55 seconds later all coolness right down to his Chucky T’s (sans laces, of course).

Me: REALLY!?! Dangit.  Hey, would you like a delicious bowl of Benadryl cereal?

Him: Nah.  I’m just really happy to be able to go and spend time with you.

Me: *Frantically scouring the Yellow Pages for a neurologist who makes house calls because this kid seriously needs a check-up from the neck-up*

Well, I did get to take the Minivan of Cool.  ’Cause if I’m driving, that’s how I’m going to roll.  We needed this accommodate one Misty, a 6th grader, one Caveman and his Caveman-lings (girl, 6; boy, 8).  It’s an adventure!

Not much to report on the trip except, we left Albuquerque at sunrise during the first launch of the International Balloon Fiesta.  That was incredible!  The kids were going nuts and I was filled with joy that I could have so much fun at 7 am on a Saturday morning with a bunch of people I’m crazy about, most of them under legal drinking age.  Who have I become?  I’ll answer for you: ME.  And that rules.

Yes I know I am the Queen of Tangential Mind Farts.  Back to the race.

Caveman and the kids left me at the drop-off to go have breakfast in Santa Fe and talk about me behind my back.  The start was at the Aspen Vista parking lot, right near the ski lodge.  Only about 150 or so people went bonkers and signed up for this also.

You know you’re in trouble when everyone looks like they are in desperate need of a sandwich.  That means everyone is faster than you, because they train so much and are so damn hungry they run fast in order to get their celebratory soybean and orange section when they finish.  Seriously.  Just kidding!  Elite trail runners really do look just like you and me!  If you and me went on an eight week cleansing and photoshopped our heads on people who you could fold in half and push through a keyhole (tm my Mom).

My first mile.  Oy.  I seriously underestimated this sucker.  Even though it’s only a little more than a 2,000 ft climb, there are some steepies.  I figured I had it in the bag because I just climbed 5,000 ft three weeks ago at Imogene.  Ha.  I was positive I was going to quit.  For the first time ever, I almost convinced myself there was NO WAY I was finishing a run.  I’ve run at high altitude, but have started a lot lower and had time to sort of acclimate on my way up.  My feet hurt, my lungs hurt, I’m staring at the calf muscles under the cute running skirts of the uber fit chicks in front of me and feeling like a blob.  And it’s only the first mile!

Then, a miracle happened.  The mile marker sign was coming up while I’m devising a plan to hide behind some pine trees until people started back and then I would plop right back into the thick of things all fresh as a daisy.  Or throw dirt clods at everyone.  While I’m hatching a my devious plan, the mile marker said “2 M”.  Two miles!  I thought it was the longest mile of my life and instead I got a Buy One Get One Free!  I can do this!

Can’t I?  Yep.  So, I just made a decision: Davis, you’re finishing, you will enjoy this beautiful day and you are not going to let yourself down.  Setting my sights on the two people in front of me really helped.  First it was Dottie.  I was breathing down her neck until we were laterally introducing ourselves and sharing exclamations of the beauty surrounding us.  It was gorgeous!  The aspens have turned so the carpet of green pine was splotched with glorious oranges and yellows.  Plus you could see for about one million miles.  One of the many things I appreciated about this race is, I’m pretty sure the trail is an old access road, which means there was plenty of room to pass.  Or *ahem* get passed (not that I know anything about that).  Also, it’s not that technical.  There was about 50 yards of what can barely be described as scree.  Otherwise, it’s a pretty smooth trail.  Not too much rock-hopping.

But hey Dottie, you’re cramping my style.  Gotsta jet.  After mile 3 I was actually feeling pretty good.  And I should know my body well enough by now, it takes me awhile to warm up.  So I put a bead on my next nemesis: this dude who’s gotta be in his 60s.  When he passed me earlier I considered yelling “Whoa, is that Jerry Garcia?” and giving him a friendly shove, but I didn’t.  Because I let him live, I started drafting him.  He would speed up, I would speed up.  He slowed down, and we ran together for a bit.  There was this gal wearing a purple jacket quite a ways in front of us, and he told me that he wanted to catch up to her.

Me: You’re going to have to make it two of us, Senor.  Try not to go deaf in my sonic boom.

And I passed him.  Yes I did say that, and we both started laughing.

It was about 4.5 miles up when the soybean runners started passing us on their way back down.  What I love about races like these is, everyone is so supportive.  Us slowpokes are cheering for the rabbits, and they are yelling “Good Job!” to us.  Well, most of us on the way up were cheering for the winners.  I may or may not have been wishing for some way to fling a stick in their spokes.

Well, after I passed The Gentleman, I decided that I would make Purple Jacket Girl my target also.  She beat me to the top and unfortunately, I decided to fart around for a few minutes.  Drank my Gatorade, offered to take photos of a couple of people, tried to cajole them into shooting my own personal glamor shot of me and nature…

Then I’m off like a rocket!  Ooh, that hurt.  My feet hurt.  It’s the shoes.  My back hurt, it’s the, um, *scientific word*.  My brain hurt, it’s the fact that it’s encased in a Misty head.

I am getting pretty good at running downhill.  I passed a lot of people.  I passed Purple Jacket Girl!  But I was one hurting unit, yo.  In my mind, I was running like an albatross.  Riding a sloth.  Riding a glacial ice floe.

When I had one mile to go, there’s all kinds of dodging hikers and their dogs out for a leisurely stroll who absolutely refuse to obey the rules of the road and kind of start panicking when you show up in sweaty asthmatic glory.  Can you imagine taking Mr. Fluffypants out for a hike and some crazy-ass runner careens around the bend looking like a looney bin escapee sucking on a hydration pack, talking to herself between sips and skidding around like a maniac?

What set me on Ludicrous Speed was this: a couple of hikers yelled “You go girls!”

Girls?

I have never ever done this.  I belief life is best lived without rear-view mirrors.  I looked behind me.  Purple Jacket Girls was right on my heels.  No way, no day was that happening.  I was all, “LATERZ!” and shifted into turbo.  Before you are too impressed and have to stop reading this because you’re mind is completely rocked by my awesome-ocity: turbo for me is like shifting from 2L to Drive.

Oh, the finish line.  The sweet sweet done-ness of being done.  I had a little cheering section.  There’s Caveman, his awesome kids, and an amazing 11 year old boy seriously reconsidering his decision to latch onto this Motley Crue.  ”You can do it Misty!”, “Yay, Misty!”, “Misty, hurry up and finish!”, “Misty you’re so cool!”.

That?  Worth every pain from my feets to the place that is supposed to hold a brain.  Not to mention the hugs from the Caveman-lings and insistence we take pictures because to them, I am Icarus.  And I am soaking it up.  Except for when the tiny sweet six year old jumped on me and my legs almost buckled.  I was also quite delighted at the post-race offerings: coffee, chai (which, yum), and BREAKFAST BURRITOS.  I’ll take the bacon, thank you very much.  Save the veggies for the soybeaners.

I finished in 2:23.  That’s actually pretty awesome, in mortal terms.  However, I was pretty much near last in the pack.  That’s okay because next year?  More tofu, less french fries.

Yeah, right.

For the ladies – In the next few weeks, Misty will be launching an outdoor community for women. Her site is called girlzilla (thegirlzilla.com). Be sure to check it out.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Big Tesuque Trail Run – 2011 Results
• Big Tesuque Trail Run – 2010 Results

Enjoy his race report!

Drew (left) with friend and pacer, Buddy T. 13+ hours before the start.

The conditions were fantastic for “States”.  Long sleeve shirt to start.  I never felt hot the first day.  I was in direct sun for probably an hour, total, tops, and was apparently adequately heat-adapted (thanks to the 100+ temps in Ft Worth the prior 2 weeks!).  We had cloud cover for the canyons.  They re-routed the trail around the snow between the top of the lift and Duncan Canyon, because they could not get Red Star and Lyons Ridge AS setup due to snow.  We still got maybe 5-6 miles of snow early.  The reroute was a screaming downhill, probably cut 15-30 mins off my time compared to having to run the normal course.  (New course record by the winner).  I never felt hot until the second morning, though I did work up a good sweat during the night when the temps did not really drop as I expected.

Fred (Thompson) and I were mostly together until Devils Thumb. I benefited greatly from trying to keep up with his walking pace when walking was called for. Devils Thumb just really took it out of us all. Cindy (Melder) was well ahead of us all day. Her first 100 – it is incredibly impressive to have such a good race the first time. So many things have to be learned the hard way for most of us.

I stayed on about a 28-hr book pace the whole day trying to stay smart but still have a margin for problems.  I ran well on the downs all day and most of the night, using a straight-legged gait that preserved my quads. I would typically make up about 5-10 mins on the folks in my time bracket on each long down, then some would pass me on the next up. The downhills more than any other factor probably made this race work, because I was somewhat undertrained for this due to some hip and heel issues early in the year and frankly was lacking in confidence for most of the race. Not only the time savings on the downs, but the quad preservation that let me still run late, helped greatly.

I dunked my legs and self in a few snow-melt creeks – nice! I estimate I averaged about 50-60 oz/hour of water, carrying 50 and drinking extra as each AS. Even at night it took 2 bottles to go an hour. My weight was within 1 lb of starting at all the early medical checks, was 2 lbs down at the end. (It should have been 2 down all day since I lost that much with my stored glycogen, so I was actually up just a little all day). Salt was hard to figure out as always, got a tiny bit of swelling that would not go away. I peed about 30 times, so I guess I did it adequately.

Ate Gu gels and some powdered whey/gatorade until about midnight, then just didn’t really want more gels. Switched to GU Brew from the AS, which is their equivalent to Perpetuem and has some protein in it. It worked well, but they made it pretty thin so I was asking to have extra powder put directly in my bottles. That and my Gatorade mix got me home. I did probably 400 calories/hr until 3AM, then 250 after that (slowed too). Total 8000-9000 calories for the 100. Nothing on the tables ever looks good to me. Stayed on 50 mg/hr of caffeine all day until I switched to Coke in the middle of the night, helped my stomach too.

My pacer Buddy Teaster was absolutely fantastic. We met at Foresthill around 9:30PM. We developed a plan to run 16 to the river, leave it by 3AM, which should be enough margin to walk it in to save my legs. That would have meant 22 miles to go in 8 hrs, no problem if I could walk a 20-min mile. I did the Green Gate 1.7 uphill at a 25 min pace so I thought I was going to be able to walk it in, and tried just walking the next 5.5 to ALT. It wasn’t that bad a trail, but by the time I left ALT they said I was 45 mins from the cutoff (don’t think that’s right, but it scared us). So basically I had to continue running with some pace for the next 8-10 miles. Fortunately I could still run downhill and flats, and got back more margin quickly. I was very relieved to find I could still run that late.

My low point was definitely the river. We ran all the way from Foresthill, mostly downhill, to make that 3AM goal. It was still warm and I was often covered in sweat. (Humidity got up at night). My weight was good at the river but I was overtaxed anyway. After the boat ride (very competently done, guys!) I had a hard time eating. Buddy sat me down for about 15 mins to eat and drink. I was very sleepy, very stiff legs, could not imagine running anymore. I had had little sleep the night before and thought it was catching up to me. He got me up and moving and after a few mins I was OK.

Had to run harder than I had hoped, but was able to run when needed. Legs were sore but just for a couple of days. I have some blisters and a slightly strained right calf, but no problems (so far) with my hip or heel. We got a good read on the projection with 6 miles to go and I took it easy then, finished in 29:40. It is a great buckle – I highly recommend it!

One of the golden take-aways from Drew’s report was his honest assessment of his current fitness and creating a race strategy based on it. Work with what is, not what we wish it to be. A tip for us all.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Western States 100 Trail Run – One Runner’s Journey Video
• Western States 100 – Oldest Male Finisher a TALON Athlete
• Western States 100 – 2010 TALON Athlete Results
• Western States 100 Live Coverage – TALON Athlete Updates
• 2010 Western States 100 – Our Texas Trail Runners

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of joining 600+ athletes at the Bandera trail run located just a short drive northwest of San Antonio on the varied terrain at the Hill Country Natural Area. The race had 100 km, 50 km, and 25 km pain/pleasure distances to choose from.

This would be my first 100 km attempt and an opportunity to test out pacing, gear, and nutrition prior to Rocky Raccoon 100 in another four weeks.

Arrival at HCEL

On Friday afternoon, the entire family arrived at the Hill Country Equestrian Lodge located 10 miles outside of the rustic small town of Bandera, Texas. This would be my family’s race headquarters for the next three days.

This was our first visit down to the area and the location was perfect for us. Our cozy little cabin was right next to the Hill Country Natural Area which hosted the Bandera trail run so it was extremely convenient for Wendy and Griffin to come out and cheer on us runners as well as eat, nap, and get out of the elements whenever they desired.

Race Day

A balmy 10F (per weather.com) kept many runners bunkered in their cars until a few minutes before the 7:30 am start. With five minutes to go, I jumped out of the car with my drop bags, gave Wendy and Griffin a kiss, and then scrambled a bit to get ready to run.

The first thought that came to my mind was, “Sh*t it’s cold.”

“5 seconds…4…3…2…1…Go!” – RD Joe Prusaitis

I am right behind the female ninja.

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

The fast folks at the front took off running down the trail. I on the other hand, began a nice speed walk and started up a conversation with Dallas local Mike K. We continued to keep the banter at a high level and our pace remained conversation friendly until five or so minutes passed, then we too decided to get the feet moving a bit faster to get this two loop journey movin’.

100 km Loop Elevation Profile - Click to enlarge.

My strategy for the day was to put my Rocky Raccoon 100 mile pacing strategy to the test. This consisted of a 8 minute run / 2 minute walk cycle for a mere 62 miles. Although not the ideal course to test this strategy due to the climbs and technical nature of the course, I decided to do it anyways since it would be a simply way to hold myself back from running too hard and not able to recover in four weeks for Rocky.

The unique challenge with this course is that every climb and descent is complete covered with rocks of every size. From pebbles, boulders, to sheets of rock similar to stairs. Some were fixed, some loose. The truth is, if you aren’t paying attention, you will go down and it will hurt.

Most of the flatter areas had fairly solid footing on mostly single-track trail so that provided a bit of a mental break and a chance to turn up the speed. The first climb started within the first mile and brought us to the top of Sky Island. This was a special start to the day because the sun was climbing and it brought to life the low-lands below. Some of the lower areas had a white fog or haze blanketing itself. It was a view you would see in an oil painting. A great visual to begin this full day of running.

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

Over the first five miles it was up…rocks…down….rocks….run…up…rocks…down…rocks…run.

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

Do You Hear Something?

A bit of a surreal moment occurred around mile four. We are completely surrounded by rugged nature and remoteness but with a bit of attention you could hear music coming from somewhere…out there. We would eventually find out the music was actually coming from aid station #1 – Nachos (mile 5.60).

After heading out of Nachos, you work your way to the #8 trail which contains sections with a bit less than ideal running surface as this video highlights.

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

Chapas – mile 11.04

The flatter section of the course began around the five mile mark and continued through aid station #2 Chapas (mile 11.04). Chapas was where I saw Wendy and Griffin for the first time. It was sooooo great to see them, it is almost hard to explain. Griffin was lovin the dirt, rocks, and trucks. He was in heaven. Wendy and I chatted a bit while I got rid of my jacket and tights. A quick kiss and I was back on the trail. What a rush it was to see them.

The next five-ish flatter miles contained pleasant single track and some fire roads. It was a nice area to create leg turnover. I stuck to my run/walk cycle regardless of the nice flat section teasing me to continue running. I had to repeat to myself, “this is for Rocky, this is for Rocky.”

A body assessment 12+ miles into the race and my mind, body, and spirit felt great. A long day yet ahead but this was a good start. My nutrition plan for the day was HEED and Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition. I also included Organic Food Bar – Protein until my stomach said otherwise. My stomach was happy so far.

Fun to Watch

Around mile 16 while running in an open field on a fire road, two women were running and running hard. I think they were running the 50 km race. They ran stride for stride. It was impressive to watch.

Cross Roads – mile 16.89 and 21.85

Shortly after this impressive display of fitness, I came upon the only water crossing on the course. It was maybe 10 meters across and had 1/2 inch to 4 inches of water flowing depending where you stepped. Well, I found the 4 inch sections. Both feet were completely wet. I felt like a true trail runner now until a quarter mile later when I came up on a trail running friend (Brad) and his feet were completely dry. Scratch ‘trail runner’, replace with ‘idiot’. Oh, well.

Brad and I chatted as we rolled into the Cross Roads aid station at mile 16.89. There was Wendy and Griffin again! Awesome. A short chat, kiss, and I was off. Griffin, well…more cars, trucks, rocks, sticks, and dirt. Happy as can be.

Bottle lodged in runner's mouth after a fall while running.

Brad and I continued our journey out of Cross Roads. Brad was having some knee sensations and had to walk a bit in the flatter sections. We hung together for the next few miles until at mile 20 I had the honor of my own knee tweak.

Brad began to move on without me as this section contained two fair climbs (Three Sisters and Trail #6) in which he could glide the downhills and I was extremely cautious due to my left knee. I adjusted my pacing strategy to a 7 minute run /3 minute walk cycle. This helped a lot and let the knee recover a bit more. I was able to hit the run cycles without any discomfort but had to take the steep, rocky downhills a bit cautiously.

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

At mile 21.85 I entered the Cross Roads aid station again. This is one of the major aid stations you visit twice per loop. I refilled the bottles and a quick kiss as Wendy and Griffin were heading back to our little cabin for lunch and nap time.

Three Rock Littered Climbs

I was off for 10-ish miles which contained three solid climbs (Lucky Peak, Cairn’s Climb, and Boyle’s Bump).

Working through each of the three climbs/descents caused me to chuckle after a while. Dude, there are rocks everywhere. Finally after descending Boyle’s Bump you are dumped out on a fire road that takes you back to the The Lodge (start/finish area).

I entered the aid-station, refilled my bottles, and tried to regroup myself for another loop. Within five minutes I was heading back out with a running time of 6:45:00.

Loop 2 – Race Against the Sun

Heading back out on the fire road is when the calculations began. How far can I get before it gets dark? My estimation was the Cross Roads (half-way) aid station if things went well. Time to get’r done!

Body assessment was still showing a thumbs up. Energy levels were still high, stomach was happy, and peeing every 1.5-2 hours. My legs still really felt strong.

I worked my way up and down Sky Island and Ice Cream Hill while executing my slightly revised pacing plan whenever possible.

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

Nachos and Chapas- mile 36.60 and 42.04

In and out of Nachos (mile 36.60) aid-station still feeling good. I just kept executing the plan. The process. The process.

Before long I arrived at Chapas (mile 42.04) where I grabbed my jacket from earlier in the morning and my new light (Petzl MYO XP) that I was going to try for the first time. I also tossed into my pack a spare smaller headlamp. Being light-less in the middle of nowhere was not something I was interested in experiencing at this time. The sun was still up so the MYO XP remained off but I would put my jacket on and take it off depending on what side of the smaller hills I was running. Sun side – jacket off. Shade side – jacket on. There was a noticeable difference.

A little ways outside of Chapas was where I took my only digger of the day. It was a slight, non-technical downhill section in which I snagged a rock and wouldn’t let it go. After an acrobatic tumble and body scan, I was back running. My hands took the brunt of the fall but my running gloves saved them.

Cross Roads – mile 47.89 and 52.85 – Lights Out and I Hear Voices

I was now back at the water crossing. This time, I actually looked a bit closer at where I stepped and made it across dry. Yeah, the brain is still working!

Into Cross Roads (mile 47.89) I saw Wendy and Griffin the last time before the finish. I made it just before darkness set in. I put on another long sleeve tech shirt and grabbed some hand warmers to toss inside my gloves. Those hand warmers were nice!

Leaving Cross Roads, my lights were ON, hand warmers kicking in but I still felt a bit cold so I decided to move to a 8/2 cycle for a while to see if I could keep my body temp up. I also will admit, I felt a bit anxious running in the dark, alone, on some technical terrain, with the cold starting to set into my bones. Let’s focus and get this done. Fortunately my stomach, energy levels, and legs (besides the downhills with my left knee) felt great.

The mental chatter begins.

I worked my way through the Three Sisters and #6 Trail climbs and got myself back to my final Cross Roads (mile 52.85) visit.

In the Cross Roads tent, heaters were cranked and temps were comforting. Outside the tent, the temp was now 26 F and I had 10 miles with 3 gnarly climbs in the dark, by myself, with the cold starting to get to me. I contemplated dropping.

Help! and a Final Opportunity to Drop

There was one other runner (Chris R.) in the tent changing shoes and he had a pacer with him. I sat next to them and asked if they cared if I tagged along. They said, “no problem.” I felt some relief but still anxious…and still contemplated dropping.

The three of us exited the cozy aid-station and headed back on the trail. My upper body was freezing as we power walked down the trail. I would try and pull my jacket collar over my mouth to feel a bit of additional heat. I held onto my hand warmers like life lines. The cold was cracking me.

Within a quarter mile, my right heal screamed. A blister about the size of a thumb print on the outside of my right heal broke open. My entire heal burned with every stride. I said nothing to the guys in front of me. Do I turn back and drop? I can hardly walk. It’s flippin’ cold and I can barely put pressure on my right foot. Turn back? Turn back? Three big climbs! Turn back?

Instead of listening to my mental chatter I focused on the two bodies in front of me. Chris, I imagine could talk for days straight and I found out, was very familiar with the trail, so I knew I was with good company as long as I could keep up. Just follow them. Follow them.

No Stopping Now – To the Finish

Within another 1/4 mile the screaming heal was completely manageable. I was ready to finish. I was back in the game but still cold.

The final three rock littered climbs were a different experience at night verses the day. During the day, you could look up and see the thousands of rocks waiting and laughing at you as you progressed. It was somewhat visually intimidating. At night, you simply focused on the five feet in front of you and kept climbing until the trail flattened out. Rock by rock, step by step. I actually enjoyed the final three climbs. If only we didn’t have to go down the other side.

Heading down was a tip-toeing through the tulips kind of experience. Chris and his pacer would disappear quickly on the descent and they weren’t even running. During the flatter sections, I would start running and chase the headlamps down to get back in their shadow.

Finally after descending Boyle’s Bump, I was back on the fire road and on my way to my first 100 km and FINISH with a time of 14:40:00. I was 45th/111 that finished (147 started the day). After receiving my first Buckle from Joe and giving big hugs and kisses to Wendy and Griffin, it was time to warm up. I was flippin’ cold.

Full Results

What an experience!

Post race homemade stew with Griffin.

Garmin Data

My Garmin Forerunner 305 had approximately 7200 feet of of gain/descend for the 100 km course. This included using an elevation correction tool to try and get a more accurate number.

Highlights and Lessons

• Amazing volunteers and race organizers (Joe P. and company)! – What can I say besides they went HUGE. Thank you!
• Family – It was extra special having Wendy and Griffin at the race. Whenever I saw them, my energy and spirits rose considerably. They inspired me!
• Chris R. and his Pacer – Thanks for letting me tag along during those last 10 miles. I am forever grateful for your kindness and banter.
• Consistent Energy – I had the most consistent energy levels I have ever had in an ultra endurance event.
• Petzl MYO XP – The Petzl MYO XP highlighted the technical rocky sections with ease. I didn’t even use the highest light setting.
• Trail Shoes – My feet were fairly unaffected by the rocks. I think this was due to wearing trail shoes (Montrail Mountain Masochist). From my past years of running on the trails with road shoes, I know I would have felt much more discomfort at the end of the 62 mile day on this terrain. I am sold.
• injinji socks – My toes were happy as can be. No blisters. I do have to address the outside heal area where a blister did occur on each foot.
• Going mental – I need more mental techniques to get out of the funk.
• More Clothing Options – It would be nice to have more clothing options in my drop bags at the end of the day especially if temps are supposed to be cold. I think a warm core would have helped a lot when I hit my mental wall.
• Blisters – Need to consider taking care of them when I feel the burn and before they start screaming. I had a blister on the outside of each heal. No other blisters.

Congrats to everyone that decided to play on the trails Saturday.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Prickly Pear Trail Run 2010 Results
• It’s All Relative
• Ultrarunning: Embrace the Nectar
• I Received One of These on Saturday
• Bandera Trail Run Appetizer

Pre-Race

Four weeks after Palo Duro, I had the pleasure to volunteer and run the Rockledge Rumble 50 km trail run put on by the North Texas Trail Runners. Conditions were pleasant with temps ranging from 60 – mid-70s. I loved it. I arrived to the race site around 5:15 am and helped with the 50 km check-in until 7 am when I began getting ready for the 7:30 am start.

My race plan was simple. Use this race as a supported training day in my build up to Bandera in January.

Miles 0 – 20.5

Checking out the Flip

As the 50 km runners were told to “Go” by a military Veteran, I began my journey by walking the first five minutes and talked with a couple guys from Houston that also walk the first five minutes or more depending on the distance of the race. I figured getting behind everyone would definitely help hold me back with race excitement flowing through my veins. It also is a fun way to chat with various runners when you move your way through some of the athletes.

The trail is mostly single-track that dances up, down, and around a forested area along Grapevine Lake. It is basically and out-and-back course that requires a second shorter out-and-back section to complete the distance.

There was a nice layer of leaves over much of the trail that also hid some of the rocks and roots. Within the first three miles, I took a soft landing digger. I laughed to myself and thought, that sure didn’t take long. Throughout the day I noticed plenty of others had left a bit of themselves with the trail and had the blood to prove it. I knocked the dirt off my amphipod handheld and continued my relaxed journey.

It really was a great morning to be out running! Being out in nature on a trail, only amplified the experience.

I made it to the far-gate aid-station (mile 10.5 – farthest point) in about 2 hours feeling quite comfortable and relaxed.

The run back to the start area was fairly uneventful. I enjoyed the periodic views of the lake as the water radiated and sparkled on this clear day. Boats were scattered throughout the body of water and it appeared some sailing club/race event was also enjoying this wonderful morning with sails flying high. I stepped my way up the dozen or so sand stairs back to the start/finish area in a time of 3:52 (mile 20.5).

I was starting to feel a bit hungry so I grabbed a couple banana chunks, filled my bottle, and started my journey back to the trail head for the final out-and-back.

Miles 20.5 – 26.9

Swag: Technical shirt

It was 6.4 to the turn-back point. About 2-3 miles out, I would see other 30km/50km runners heading back to the start/finish and I began to see people’s soul/spirit. I witnessed plenty of discomfort along with a huge amount of determination. There were bloody knees, dirty shirts, glossy eyes, and hats no longer placed perfectly on top of one’s head. It was getting very real for many athletes. It was unique experience to observe.

Little did I know that is was going to get very real for me quite close to this exact spot.

The 6.4 miles to the final turn-back location gradually became tougher with each passing mile. I began to insert more walk breaks throughout the run and started the return trip with a running time of 5:17 (mile 26.9). My energy levels were continuing to drop significantly. The last couple aid stations  I was hoping for a caffeine boost and knocked back a cup of Coke at each and grabbed a few grapes to munch on along the way.

Mile 26.9 – 30

For the next three or so miles I implemented a walk for one minute, run for one minute song and dance. I did decide to sit briefly on the side of a seemingly unused road when the muscle on the outside of my right lower leg colossal cramped. It cramped in such a way that it completely locked my entire right ankle. I could not move my foot!

First, I have never cramped in this location before and to have a foot that now seemed fused to my leg was bazaar. This sitting thing wasn’t going to work so I pulled my body and peg-leg into a standing position and massaged the crap out of the rigid muscle that was nearly popping out of my skin. After about 15 seconds of pressure and friction, the muscle release and I had mobility once again.

Get moving!

Over the next three miles energy levels were low and the Coke seemed to be having no affect. Walk, run, whatever, keep moving forward. Then while walking at mile 30 my stomach felt odd. My stomach wasn’t bloated yet I felt like I could lose my lunch.What to do? Promote it to happen or ignore this sensation?

I have removed the contents of my stomach only one other time in the last 9+ years of endurance sports and that was 10 miles into the marathon of my first Ironman triathlon. I ended up shoveling in way too many calories at the start of the run therefore my stomach shut down, it bloated like a beached whale, and my energy levels were near zero. I visited a Spiffy Biffs in that race and discharged the delightful concoction in my stomach and was able to start running again, feeling 100% better.

With that experience in mind, I pulled off the trail and out it came. Dang, I think my stomach shut down.

Mile 30 – 33.22 (the finish)

I began to start walking again, hoping for a similar Ironman improvement to occur. It didn’t and my energy levels continued to drop. I walked my way to a shaded area at mile 30.7 and decided to sit next to the trail in hopes of resting enough to have the desire to keep moving. A few runners passed me along the trail. Most had their head down and were dealing with their own internal challenge.

After a bit of reflection while looking at the dried leaves surrounding where I sat, two racers were power walking towards me and stopped. They said I was coming with them. I told them I was not in a good place and to go ahead. They fortunately didn’t listen to me so I got myself off of the ground and was positioned in between my two trail angels.

Andrea was leading with Butch completing our train. We hiked/power-walked through the switch-back portion of the trail. Andrea chatted away and I did my best to respond in my glucose reduced state. We eventually made our way out to the shoreline trail which meant one thing; we were almost done.

With 40 meters to go, Andrea inspired us to run it in and so we did. I told Butch to move in front of me as there was no way that I was going to finish in front of him. Up the various layers of rock and up the sand stairs, we crossed the finish line in 7:15:11, 7:15:13, and 7:15:17.

We all received our custom hand made clay medals.

I am so grateful for all that Andrea and Butch did to help get me through those final 2.5 miles. Thank you!

Also, thanks to all the volunteers that made this event possible. It was a top notch affair.

Post Reflection (after a day or so of confusion)

Sometimes you don’t get what you want, you get what you need.

As I continue my training for Bandera 100 km in January, this experience adds new fire and focus as I try to complete my first 100 km on a course much tougher than Grapevine lake. The journey is not over yet.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

(Race Photos: Courtesy of Mike Potter)

Related Articles:

• Bandera 100 km Weekend
• Bandera Trail Run 2009 Update
• Texas Trail Running: Rockledge Rumble Trail Run Aerial View
• Running With Passion – An Interview With Chris Tokarz
• Texas Trail Running:Rockledge Rumble Trail Run 2009 Video

(Photo by DP’s camera: TJ, Me, DP)

The 2009 Palo Duro trail run experience was special in a couple ways that didn’t even include the actual race.

• 6.5 hour (x2) road trip with DP and TJ (Palo Duro trail run newbies)
• Camping in the canyon which would be my first within the rugged yet peaceful surroundings.

Friday

After traveling 6.5 hours across the state of Texas that included tumble weeds, oil wells, small weathered towns, and the transition to an arid desert-like climate, we arrived at Palo Duro Canyon. The first glimpse of the canyon never fails to impress. Ah, it was great to be back for my second run on this beautifully rugged trail.

As we drove down a few switchbacks into the canyon I was soaking up the views and looking at the park map when nausea hit me like a mac truck. Great. So for the rest of the drive into the canyon I had my hand out the window and my eyes closed to try and find my happy place so I wouldn’t place my digested lunch in DP’s van. DP and TJ enjoyed a giggle.

We easily found our campsite and quickly setup our tents before heading back to the city of Canyon (about 15 minutes away) for packet pickup, pasta feed, and race briefing.

Home for the night

View from our campsite

Packet pickup was easy and painless.

DP - Relaxing before we eat.

The pasta feed was carbs-o-plenty.

TJ - The appetite of a lion. Roooaaaarrrr!

The race briefing by race director Bill Ross was informative and brief. A great combination. Bill mentioned the event had ~400 racers spread across the three distances and was at full capacity. He even had to turn away 50 or so entrants. The sport, it is a growin’.

That evening, as the sun disappeared in the horizon and the stars announced their presence, DP (the hobby astronomer of the group) brought with a laser pointer and binoculars to point out and view all kinds of cool stuff in the sky. We viewed various constellations, planets, galaxies, satellites, and other cool stuff while chatting a bit about life.

Look out, the gear is coming.

Is that a straw?

Time to sleep.

The night did provide one interesting moment as coyotes (or similar animal) started howling in operatic melody for about 30 seconds. Cool!

Saturday

The race start had near perfect conditions; ~50F, clear skies, no wind. TJ and I were both doing the 50 km race and with the word “Go!” we were off at 7 am. DP and the 20 km runners would start 30 minutes later.

TJ and I both positioned ourselves near the front so that we wouldn’t get too bogged down when we hit the single track. Good idea for TJ probably not such a good idea for me. I had great pre-race plans to take the first 18.5 miles easy and have a strong final loop. Well I completed ignored any such notion once I started running and went into more of a moderate effort. Strong final loop? Forget about it.

After completing the mini 6 mile loop with TJ, I told him to go on without me as I wouldn’t be able to hold his pace without things getting very ugly eventually.

The sun was now up and some clouds were sheltering its rays which kept the temps extremely pleasant on the run. The canyon walls were alive with color as I traveled across the terrain that always seemed to be going up or down. Not that the terrain was extremely difficult, it was just always changing which forced you to keep your focus.

The final two 12.5 mile main loops were about maintaining as much moderate effort as I could. I managed a bit of stomach tightness that eventually went away and mentally I felt good the entire run. Between the second and third loop I couldn’t find another gear so my pace faded. There was no real drama, just consistent forward motion.

Palo Duro Trail Run 50 km Elevation Profile

According to my Garmin Forerunner 305, I ran down the flag lined finish chute and crossed the finish for the Palo Duro trail run 50 km race in 5:29. I was grateful for another completed event and couldn’t wait to go eat a post-race burger. I got a whiff of them at the start of my final loop and could mentally taste it for the next 12-ish miles.

After reflecting on this race a bit, I do know I really enjoy this trail run and…I also have some serious training in front of me if I plan on finishing Bandera 100 km and Rocky Raccoon 100 early next year. Exciting and a bit scary.

TJ had a great easy effort run of 5:05. Impressive! Now he heads back to marathon training.

DP really enjoyed the course and had a great run (2:20-ish) that included photos and soaking up the surroundings. Pretty darn good for not being able to run for the last five weeks. His body felt great afterwards as well.

I had a great time with you boys.

Complete results: They have not been posted yet.update - 2009 Palo Duro trail run results

Also, check out the Palo Duro trail run video put together by DP capturing the experience.

The Swag

A special thanks to Bill and Wynn Ross for putting on a great event. I could notice that the event moved up in quality. The little things.

The aid-station volunteers were amazing, helpful, and supportive. The date bars were magnificent and provided that extra hop in my step when I needed it.

Palo Duro trail run; the people, the canyon, the race – definitely a Texas trail race I would highly recommend.

Be active – Feel the buzz!

David – EnduranceBuzz.com

Related Articles:

• Palo Duro Trail Run: 2009 Video
• Texas Trail Running:Rockledge Rumble Trail Run 2009 Video
• Palo Duro Trail Run – 2009 Results
• Texas Trail Running Race Profile: Palo Duro Trail Run
• Palo Duro Trail Run – 2011 Results