Cowtown Marathon Recap 2-25-2013

The Cowtown 2013 was meaningful for me in several ways. It was my the 5^th year running Cowtown, so completeing this event meant that I would collect the 5^th medal of the 5-year Cowtown finisher medal series. Cowtown 2009 was my debut into what I considered long distance running. I ran the half marathon and when I crossed the finish line I had a finisher medal around my neck and felt accomplished. It was a feeling that not only made me feel good inside but left me hungry for more. I decided to come back the following year and run my first marathon at Cowtown. I had picked up two finisher medals and figured why not come back the next few years to complete the series, and so I did.

When I signed up for the Cowtown 2013 Marathon in September 2012 I had it on my 2013 race calendar as an “A” race. I had every intention to train to break my 3:04 PR by running a sub 3 hour Marathon. I was running strong and completed my first 50K trail run in January in the Hill Country of Bandera, TX. I felt training was on target and I was going to have a solid shot at a PR.

Four weeks before Cowtown I suffered a lower left rib injury which left me unable to run for two and ½ weeks. My ribs could not take the ground pounding of a run so I was forced to aqua jog. I’ve used this training method in the past so I was not too concerned about missing my running workouts. What concerned me was the inability to get in my tempo, pressure or pace work in. It’s just not something one can do in the pool during an aqua jog session.

I knew early on that time would heal the injury and it would probably be best if I stopped all training to allow it to heal quicker. I decided to roll the dice and continue my training knowing that I would take longer to heal. A week and a half prior to Cowtown I was finally able to run on a treadmill. I got two treadmill sessions in and though I could still feel my ribs it wasn’t painful enough to prohibit me from running. I was also able to cycle without any issues. Swimming was another story. I was unable to get through a swim session without having to stop and regroup. The reach and stretch of my left arm and the pushing off the wall would aggravate my rib injury.

One week prior to Cowtown I raced in a Duathlon. Good news was the ribs on the run were a non issue. Bad news was my legs felt really off. I was now one week away from running Cowtown and there was a huge unknown going on in my head.

The training set back combined with how my legs felt when a did the duathlon made me change my Cowtown Marathon goals. Instead of an “A” raced I was going to approach it as a gauge to see where I was with my marathon for Ironman Texas. I already convinced myself that I was going to be happy just to finish and collect my 5^th finisher medal.

On race day I found myself driving to Fort Worth still with the uncertainty of what my legs would feel like on the run. After parking I did some dynamics and got a short jog in. It was pretty cold that morning and I did not want to stand around for too long waiting for the race to start. I waited until there was 15 minutes to the start time before heading to the starting line.

I jogged up to corral 1 and I hopped over the fence to get onto the course. I ran into several friends of mine and I had a couple quick conversations wishing them well. I also ran into Madison, a good friend of mine, and an excellent runner, triathlete and coach. Madison was also running the marathon so I decided that I would stick with him for as long as my legs would allow it. I had no expectations for this race I would listen to my legs and let them dictate the race pace for me.

The gun goes off and we are running. Madison and I ran together through 5 miles and had a casual conversation along the way. The running weather was perfect and my legs were feeling good. Around mile 5 Logan ran along side of us and decided to join us. Logan was running the ultra marathon and looked real solid.

I felt honored to be running along side with two great athletes. I stuck with them until about mile 13. It was then I realized that I was moving a bit quicker than I had originally planed prior to my injury. At the time we were averaging about a 6:10 to 6:15 pace. I wanted to be sure I had some legs left for the end of the race so I decided to back off their pace so I wished Madison and Logan well and told them I was going to sit back.

At this point of the race I was really in no man’s land. There wasn’t anyone to run with nor where there people cheering you on. My run motivation at that time was to get to the next aid station so I could hear someone cheering. Somewhere between miles 13 and 15 I was passed by a couple runners. It looked like they were working together. I wished them good luck as they passed me by. Between mile 15 and 19 there are a few hilly areas that will sneak up on you if you are not careful. I knew the course would eventually flatten out so I was conservative and patient. I pushed up the hill and let the gravity of the down slope carry me.

My legs felt good and I was holding my pace between 6:30 and 6:50. I set a goal for myself to keep my pace under 7 a minute mile for the rest of the race. My legs were comfortable and so was I. It felt like a training day at River Legacy Park.

Somewhere between miles 21 and 23 I caught the two guys that had passed me. They were no longer together and were about a ½ mile apart from each other. When I made my pass on each of them I made sure I did it quickly to appear that I was running strong. I did not want them to latch onto my pace and try to run with me. Both were laboring when I passed them on by and they made no attempt to stick with me. I was relieved that I would not have to potentially have a gut check with these guys towards the end of the race.

I pushed on and approached mile 24. In the distance I saw a runner and a cyclist. It was my friend Madison. From a distance I could tell he was hurting. His stride looked off. I knew he was suffering from an injury prior to running the race and he wasn’t sure how it would affect him. I’m not sure if the injury caught up with him, but by the time I reached him he had stopped to walk. I asked him if he was okay. He said he was fine and wished me well. I didn’t want to pass my friend this way but, I knew he wouldn’t have wanted me to stop either.

At this point I had two miles left to get to the finish line and I had a bike escort. The person on the bike said to me, “Hey your back”. I reply, “I guess I am, lets see if we can finish this.” I knew I was now the 3^rd male overall marathon runner. I thought having the bike escort was really cool. What was even cooler than that is back in November I ran a ½ marathon that overlaid mile 25 of the Cowtown Marathon so I knew it was going to be a slight down hill run with wind at my back. At this point I knew that if I held pace I had a real solid chance at securing the 3^rd male overall place.

The last 1.2 miles were tough as there was a slight climb to the finish line. The marathon course merged onto the ½ marathon course. I was now escorted by three cyclists who all worked really hard to clear a path for me. Once cyclist was yelling “Lead runner coming through please move right”, while another cyclist was blowing this really loud whistle. To my surprised there were four to five people who did not move right. Those runners were wearing ear phones. As I weaved through them I was thinking how loud could the music be to not to be able to the whistle or people yelling at them to move left.

My left calf was starting to cramp and I had to mentally shut off that cramp signal. There was absolutely no way I was going to stop and stretch if I got a cramp. I was so close to the finish line and I was going to get this done. I pushed through and crossed the finish line.

Raul with RunFAR came up to congratulate me on my finish. I thanked him and looked at my watch. I had just beat my PR by 12 minutes with a time of 2:51:28. I was excited, ecstatic, in shock and disbelief. That finishing time was completely unexpected, but most certainly welcomed.

I spoke with a few friends to try and piece together what just happened. I went into a race with no expectations and ended up hitting goals I had originally set up for this race pre injury.

Here are my thoughts on why I had a good race.

1. Running Base - I had a huge running base leading up to my 50K trail run in Bandera, so finishing Cowtown was not going to be a problem.

2. Adjustment to Training Plan - The time I spend aqua jogging during my injury helped maintain my base.

3. Extra Taper - Due to my rib injury I had an unplanned four week taper for Cowtown. During those four weeks I had only one hard run push which was my Duathlon one week prior to Cowtown.

4. Weather - The race day the weather was perfect for a marathon. The temperature was right and the wind was not an issue.

5. Patience - Finally I think knowing my limits and being patience throughout the race was key. If I had not slowed down at the 13 mile mark I’m pretty sure it would have affected my finishing time.

I want to send out a huge congratulation to all who competed this weekend. When I shared my race experience with my family one of my family members said, “I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes.” I knew the statement implied that what he did not compare to what I just did.  I replied back and said, ‘That’s 2 more miles then most people do in a day.” He got it and felt proud of what he had done as we all should be when we make that effort to live a healthy life style.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej

ej@trilifeblog.com

www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Unexpected Run Break Through 11-23-2012

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow active life friends and blog followers. As the months passed by and I get my training in blog topics are constantly running through my head. I’m still waiting for someone to invent a thought recording device.

In this blog entry I’m gong to focus on a break through I’ve had with my running. I recently broke my half marathon PR by three minutes. That’s pretty substantial especially when it wasn’t expected. I’m going to speculate why I believe I was able to shave those three minutes off.

Last I wrote I mentioned a burnout. Yes, I felt I took on too many events this year and after Longhorn in Oct. I took two weeks off from training. That was a huge refresher.  I was able to join some friends in some unstructured activities. I swam a little and ran a little but, most of all I slept a lot. That little break was needed.

Despite my short comings with my expected finish time in Longhorn I did PR the course by 10 minutes. I enjoy setting high expectations for my events and feel that’s the only way I can grow. The funny thing is I find that I only do this with my triathlon events. When it comes to my running events I set goals which I know are obtainable or very close to being obtainable.

A couple weeks back I signed up for the 10k Turkey Trot in Fort Worth. I ran the event last year and wanted to see if I could match or better last year’s time. A week before the Turkey Trot I found out there was a half marathon on Thanksgiving. I wanted to do a long tempo run so I figured I would sign up for the half marathon and chalk up the 10K entry fee as a donation to the YMCA. I spoke to a couple friends and laid down some expectation for the race. I knew the course was flat and felt that I had a shot at holding a 6 minute pace. My previous PR was in the 1:20 mark and if I could hold 6 I would be able to break the 1:20 mark.

I have three run workouts a week and wasn’t sure if my legs would be able to hold my goal pace but, I was still going to give it a try. The night before the race I was horsing around with my daughter and inadvertently caught my big toe nail on the edge of the stair step. Three fourths of my toe nail was dead from a previous trail run but the other one forth was not. The nail bent back and I was in pain. I was upset at myself because I knew I now had to take the nail off. I attended to my toe nail and the end result was I had to leave about a forth of it on because it was still live. It throbbed and I now had some uncertainty about running the half marathon the following day.

Race morning came and I decided not to bandage the toe. I’m told myself you are no Prefontaine and if my toe gave me any issues on the run I would pull out of the race. As we gathered at the start line I saw several running friends who I had not seen in a while. Those prerace moments are always welcomed. There were also a few fellow Tri Junkies out there along with some Texas Running Center folks.

The race promptly started at 7:30 a.m. and the weather was still fairly cool. I didn’t know what the other athletes where going to run. My goal was to go out and try and hold a 6 minute pace. From the start there were 3 of us in the lead following the lead biker. The course was fairly flat as expected. What wasn’t expected was the headwind for the first 6 miles. I was sitting in second place behind a runner who was averaging about 6 minutes per mile. I knew that it takes me a while to warm up so I was just going to see how my legs would respond to the headwind.

Four miles into the race I was comfortable sitting 100 to 200 meters back behind the leader. I was holding pace and my toe was not bothering me. I grabbed water just about every mile. Took a sip and poured the rest over my head to help keep my core cool. We reached the turn around point and as the lead runner passed me I threw out a “Nice work” remark to him. When I hit the turn around I saw that there was a 1 to 2 minute gap between my second place position and the next group of guys.

I took my nutrition and got mentally ready for the second half of the run. I knew there would be a little bit of a tail wind going back on a couple sections and I was looking forward to it. The race continued and over the next three miles to mile 9 I heard several friends call out and encourage me on. Words from friends and even strangers are huge in any event. They keep us going and I’m thankful for the ones I received on the course.

At mile 9 ½ the lead runner took his nutrition and eased up a bit. I had slowly bridged the gap and was able to pass him at that point of the race. I knew I was now in the hot seat. It was my race to either win or lose. This was the longest tempo run I’ve had and was hoping for no calf cramps or lactic acid build up for the last 3 1/2 miles. At about mile 11 the lead bike finally realized that there was a new leader.

Legs and tempo were feeling really good. I was trying hard not to look at my Garmin. I did glance every now and then but, didn’t take it to heart. I knew I was running well. I was able to hold onto the lead and was able to put a 1 minute 20 second gap between myself and the runner in 2^nd place. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. I looked down at it and saw I had broke the 1:20 mark by 3 minutes. My official time was 1:16:56. I was shocked and in disbelief. I also felt surprisingly good. I didn’t feel fatigued.

Wow! So what just happened? Why did I run so well? Reflecting back to my training the only thing I’ve done different is I’ve adapted trail running into my workouts. Though my long trail running sessions are much slower than what a normal long run session would be I believe I’ve unknowingly build up my cardiovascular system and strengthen my legs at the same time. The main reason for my long trail run training sessions is because I am signed up for a 50k trial run in January. Also my abdominal injury is pretty much healed up. I’m able to do core workouts again without any problems. My lower calf injury is also non existent.

Since July my running has come around some. I’ve been able to win a few trail run events, a 5k and now a ½ marathon. I hope that I can continue to train and grow for 2013. I’ve put IM Texas on my plate for May and I hope for a good showing there.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

 

Burn Out

I’d like to start this blog entry with an apology. I have ideas for blogs all the time during my training sessions which never transpose over to my actual blog. I recently told a friend of mine it would be nice if there were 36 hours in a day. The issue however isn’t that there is not 36 hours in a day but, that I need to get a grip on my time management. Besides if there were 36 hours in a day I’m more than sure I’d somehow fill the extra time by volunteering or picking up another responsibility somewhere. J

I’m now in my fourth season of living the multisport healthy lifestyle. As most of you who follow my blog already know I’ve ventured into the competitive side of racing. I’m truly blessed and grateful for cutting over to this healthy lifestyle but, I’ve lost the eager anticipation of going to a race at 4:30 a.m. There used to be a want to race to not only see where my fitness level was but, where it was compared to everyone in my age group.

I managed to lose that feeling this year. Not sure what happen or when it happened. I will admit this season wasn’t as fun as it used to be. Sure I was going to my events and hitting set goals but, at the same time the FUN factor was not there anymore. This doesn’t apply to all events but some of the events this year. I attribute the loss of fun to a few things, my swim which I know with time will improve, my early season lower abdominal injury which lingered around for six months and an abundance of races.

In August I realized that I was averaging three races a month going through July. It was time for me to back off and let my body recover from the weekly red line pushes. One of my golden rules is to listen to your body. If you do not listen to your body your body will eventually make you listen. By that time you are either hurt, too fatigued to workout or ill.

August was a good month for me. I was able to put in some quality workouts. I felt my run coming along. I have at lest two triathlons left before the season is over. I will then turn my focus to a couple short distance trail races and IM training for IM Texas 2013.

I miss the fun factor of the sport. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed several of the races this year but, I know I need to taper that race count down for next year especially if I expect to improve. It’s been a great season so far and again I’m grateful for my health and a fantastic group of athletes which I’ve meet along the way. I’m ready for the break form competition after Longhorn in late October.

I’m looking forward to blogging these next couple of months. If you have any thing you would like an opinion on please do not hesitate to let me know. The next blog entry will more than likely be on nutrition.

Our next Tri Junkie Club meeting is Sunday September 30, 2012 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm at BlackFinn. Address: 4001 Bagpiper Way Arlington, TX 76018 Phone: 817-468-3332. Everyone is welcome to come.

Guest Speaker for this meeting is D'Ann Arthur. She's a local ITU female Pro athlete

D'Ann is the 2012 Duathlon National Champion and is competing in the 2012 Nancy ITU Duathlon World Championships in France this month.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Tri Junkie Sprint Mock Tri - Quick Recap 08-08-2012

The Tri-Junkie Club is in the middle of rereleasing ourselves to the DFW area. We’re making an effort to get people into living a healthy life style. Over the past couple weeks we’ve had a conservative 15% growth in membership. We are offering our knowledge and experience to anyone from the beginner to the advanced athlete. Our yearly membership dues are the lowest around the DFW area. We are looking forward to offer opportunity to anyone who is interested.  

There were 13 participants in the mock tri. The athletes experience ranged from beginner to advance. This was a no pressure event with varied distances. It was the athlete’s option to swim, bike and run with in their comfort zone. Everyone had a blast, from the participants to the volunteers and even the children who showed up to play in the lake.

Here’s a quick clip from this weeks mock tri (http://youtu.be/2CgisAgH1uE). We hope to see many new faces at the next one. We were fortunate and thankful to have two of the club’s sponsors out there with us, Lee with Xterra wetsuits and Jeff from B&B Bicycles.

You may visit us online at http://www.tri-junkie.com for more information about our club. Our next meeting is August 19^th, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the BlackFinn in Arlington (4001 Bagpiper Way Suite 101, Arlington, TX 76018).

Joe Boyle and Mike Fussell will be our guest speakers. Joe is the founder of Texas Running Center, Harding University Hall of Fame member and author of Run For Life Program for the Department of Defense. Mike is a University of Georgia track and field All American and Hall of Fame distance runner and will be speaking about VO2 Max testing. There’s much more to be said about both of these speakers so come on by and join us.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Cedar Ridge Preserve Trail Run Race Recap 7-28-2012

This weekend was my first attempt at a trail running event. Back in June I was nursing a calf injury which prompted me to get some easy trail running in at River Legacy Park. I knew trail running would naturally force me to slow down and the trail at River Legacy Park was non technical with soft surface which would be easy on my injury. At the end of the week I found that I really enjoyed that change of pace so I decided to sign up for a trail run race. This past Saturday I found myself getting up earlier than I normally do for a triathlon event to make it over to the Cedar Ridge Preserve 36k Trail run.

The event was hosted by Endurance Buzz Adventures. Dave the race director did an outstanding job putting on this event. I appreciate all the feed back and advice he gave me as I prepared for this race.

Packet pick up was at 4:45 a.m. Driving over to the event site my energy levels felt really low. I was hopping it was just nerves because now as not the time to get sick. I arrived just a few minutes late and thought I wasn’t going to be able to find a spot for my ice chest. As I pulled into the dark parking lot there I was relieved to see only a hand full of cars there. As I walked to the packet pick up area I felt like I was the only not wearing a head light.

The volunteers were up and surprisingly awake and full of energy. That helped get me going. I got my race bib and found a spot for my ice chest. I was happy to run into Mark and Roberto minutes before the race. Just knowing a couple people there helped me settle down mentally. Race time was 6:15 a.m. for the 36k. As we toed up to the line the sun was not completely up yet. I was content sitting a couple rows from the front. I knew we had a long way to go and the runners would thin out at some point.

I found myself fumbling with my Garmin seconds before the gun went off. The gun went off and so the trail run began. We were going to run 2 counter clock wise loops and 2 clock wise loops. My strategy for this race was to run a bit hard the first coupe loops. The sun wasn’t up and the hill climbing was going to be easier.

It took about 300 meters before I eased on to the front of the pack. There were maybe 5 guys who hung out with me as I started into a good little pace. I heard a couple of guys in casual conversation behind me talking about sever different trail running events. I had a few words with them asking if they were trail runners. Both of them said they were. I contemplated slowing down and letting them pass me so I could pacing off of them but, I decided to take a different approach.

I knew there was a 1k decline coming up early in the course so I was going to let gravity take me down at a solid pace. I was hopping they would drop off and at that point I would have the “Out of Site, Out of Mind” advantage. I was also going to push on every flat as I figured the experience trail runners were probably better hill climbers. As we hit that decline I heard them say to each other let him go. I was relieved and now it was on me to see if my endurance would hold up.

I was a little more than half way through the first loop when I took my mind off the trail and paid for it by stepping on a rock and twisting my left ankle. I was so upset at myself. Here I was on the first loop and already twisted my ankle. I talked myself out of discouragement and was able to push that aside. I told myself that you got your one twist over and done with and that was the only one for the day. It felt like forever but, I know it took a minute or two to feel comfortable again on my left foot.

Before I knew it the first loop was coming to a close and I was well ahead of my goal pace. As I stopped to grab a new hand held bottle and nutrition I was wondering where the other guys were. I had one more lap to do before I reversed my course. I would then be able to see how far back they were.

As I began loop two. I could finally feel my legs warm up. I knew that I had to push one more time because the last two loops were going to be difficult. Working my way through the second loop I began to see more of competitors along with several other non competitors. This wasn’t a closed course so not only did we have to be mindful of other racers we also had to be mindful of other non racers. Everyone I came across didn’t think twice to step aside and let me by. I really appreciated that as it made my race easier on me.

Loop two was coming to a close and I would not be able to see what kind of a lead I had. As I pulled my ice chest again to grab another hand held and more nutrition I noticed the sun was also coming out and it was heating up fairly quickly. I was off and now running counter clockwise. This was going to be a beast of a run. I was hopping I had a large lead because I knew the hills were going to hurt me.

It didn’t take long before seeing the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place person. I figured they were only a couple minutes behind me. My left calf started to attempt to cramp on me as I make way through the third loop. I knew had to back of pushing up the hills. My goal was to not walk the hills but, I simply could not avoid it. I also started feeling my toes. I knew the declines would take a tool on my toe nails. The third lap felt real slow but, I pushed the best I could through it. I kept hearing voices and expected to see the other runners catch me while they were still in casual conversation.

Still in the lead I made it through the 3^rd loop and was back to having no clue as to where the chase pack was. I was off and onto my final loop. About 2 into the last 9 k of the race there was a low lying tree branch about 3 inches thick. I had successfully ducked it the first three loops however I think fatigue got the best of me and I lost track of it on the forth loop. I was running at hit it with top of my head hard enough that it stopped me dead in my tracks. When I hit it I strained my left hamstring and cut my head. I was now bleeding. Not profusely but, enough that I could feel it on my head.

I had 7k left and I now felt like I was breaking down. There were two good climbs ahead and I hat to re-strategize if I was going to make it through the rest of the race without cramping. I decided that I was going to walk every hill to make sure I had my breath once I got up to the top. I would then push pace on the flat part of the course. There was only one climb which I would not walk and that was a 1k gradual incline. I didn’t care that I was moving at a 10 min per mile pace but, I was not going to stop and walk it.

As I approached the last water station I decided to stop and get some water. I only had less than 2 miles to go but, I wanted to cool down. I needed to pour some water on my head and I wanted some cold liquid for that last 2 miles. I figured I had less than 20 minutes to go before the finish line. I knew that the win was mine for the taking and it was on me to get it done. If someone came up on me now I would have to push limits to try and win the event.

As I made that final push I came upon another athlete who was also doing the 36k run. I’m glad he did not know I was the leader because he pushed me to get to the end. I could tell did not want me to pass him which was completely fine with me. I was happy to be able to feed off his energy till I reached the finish line area. I was happy that I did not have to push with anyone to the finish line. I felt so relieved once I crossed that finish line. I was ecstatic about the overall win and more so ecstatic about being injury free.

I walked away from that race with some minor injuries. My head and body will heal. I may loose a toe nail or two but, I’ll survive. I’m not sure that I would do another trail run as technical as this one again but, I may venture into another endurance run. For now I have my sights on a couple more triathlon events before the season is over.

Here are some quick stats from the race.

            Time:  3:16:30

        Avg Pace:  9:14 min/mi

        Calories:  2,910 C

Elevation Change:  5,000 ft (Roughly - Garmin was not accurate)

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

A Change of Pace with Trail Running

Over the past few weeks I’ve ventured over into the realm of trail running. A few weeks back I had a right lower calf muscle that was giving me trouble so I decided to add trail to my routine. I figured it would help slow down my pace and reduce the pounding I endured from the cement and pavement. For the next week I kept my normal swim and bike workouts as planned but, all my running took place on a trail.

At the end of the week I found that I really enjoyed running out on the trail. It brought back memories of when I was growing up as a kid. I recalled playing outside at my grandparent’s place which was located in the out skirts of my hometown. Their house was surrounded by fields and there was a canal system with dirt trails near by. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to run across a freshly turned over field. I used to love to run barefoot through the fields feeling the soft dirt squish between my toes.

At the end of the week I realized that I was missing out on one of the things I really loved doing. That was being outside and running free. I know in years past I had frowned upon trail running because of risk of injury. I’ve given trail running some serious thought and decided to continue to add it to my workout routine.

I see some strength benefits from running trails which you cannot get on a flat open road. I like the fact that trail running gives me another training option. I can either incorporate hill repeats into my running routine or go find a trail and get my hill work there.

There is also a fun factor. One of the best trail runs I had was after a good rain fall. Running the trial with mud weights on the bottom of your shoe can’t be beat! Not only were my feet heavy but, I also had to take extra precaution not to slip and fall. Falling down would mean that I would have been covered in mud. Not sure that would have been a bad thing. J

An after shot of a muddy trail run.

There is a trail running community here in the DFW area. If this is something you would like to try it’s not that hard to go out and find a trail to keep you company. Use this link to find trails and trail running events. http://www.nttr.org/

Here are a couple of pointers to keep in mind when running a trail.

-          Find a trail with some good elevation changes. This will help you build leg strength.

-          I found that trail running takes more focus and you will run at a slower pace than you are used to so don’t let the slower pace discourage you.

-          You will find that you will naturally start to look down at your path. This is good. You want to look down. Trails will have uneven surfaces, rocks, roots sticking out of the ground etc. I know I fell the first couple times out.

-          Always plan out your trail run before hand. Do not take on a new trail without knowing where you are going. You do not want to get turned around and run out of fluids.

-          Take fluids and calories with you even if you plan on doing a short run. Better safe than sorry.

-          If running along wear an ID bracelet or and ID. Also let someone know where you plan on running.

Trial running can be a great substituted from your normal every day running routine. Every now and then I plan on putting a trail run on my calendar in place of a long weekend run.

Broke in a pair of Brooks trail shoes over in Cedar Hill.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas 2012 Recap

Saturday May 19^th was the second annual IM Texas race. A buddy of mine and I drove down to the Woodlands to volunteer for this event on Friday. When we arrived I could feel the Ironman presents in the air. The town was quite and most all competitors were tucked away somewhere off their feet, hydrating and mentally preparing for the 140.6 mile challenge which waited for them the next morning.

We walked around athlete’s village and visited several booths. This for me was a perk to not racing the next day. I was able to take my time and speak with people about current and new products. There is usually a couple familiar faces so begin able to catching up with them was a bonus. I also got a chance to sit and do a small 10 to 20 second video recording to promote chocolate milk as a recovery aid. Once the link is made available I’m going to be looking for votes. For every vote I get $1 is donated to challenge athletes. I hope I can get them a few bucks. The video was non scripted I had a few minutes to think of something to say. I shot from the hip and well we’ll see what happens. J It’s for charity so I just had to do it.

Friday evening we made it a point to hit the bed early. Volunteering for an event like this is its own experience. We would have to be up at 4 a.m. and our day would not end until after midnight. I was going to carry a backpack and camera with me to try and capture some IM moments for the 10 plus people I knew doing the event. I had signed up for early mooring volunteering duty which would give me most of the day to support the athletes I was following.

Saturday morning came around and the IM buzz was in the air. There were a few people who I spoke to that stated they just could not get to sleep last night. That is a very common issue for athletes. I can’t stress how important it is to get good night’s sleep two nights before the race. This way if you run into any pre race night sleep issues you body will still be well rested.

After checking in and getting our volunteer shirts we headed to transition 1. I was able to run into all my fellow try junkies that morning. I also got a chance to run into some other non tri junkies. The excitement of race day started to get me going. My yesterday’s thought of how nice it was not to be racing so I could visit with the vendors turned into a man I wish I was racing.

The race kicked off for the pro field at 6:50 a.m. they were followed by a non wetsuit wave at 7:00 a.m. and a wetsuit wave at 7:10 a.m. first up was the 2.4 mile (3862 meters) swim. A few in the pro field would be touching land in under 50 minutes. Some amateurs would start hitting land at the 50 minute mark.

Athletes would have to run into transition 1, grab their bike transition bag and hit the changing tent. A quick change into their preferred bike gear and head on out onto the bike course. By the time the last of the swimmers were coming to land the sun was out and in full force. It was going to be a hot and humid day for the athletes.

I spoke to a few of the athletes after the event and was told that the first have of the bike had a tail wind and the second half of the ride had a head wind. This would cause the athletes to push a bit harder on the second part of the bike which could in turn kill their quads and hams for the run.

As I cheered the athletes intoT2 I could tell it was going to be a long day for some of them. There were countless athletes who had lost a lot of salt. You could see the white salt residue on their race outfits as they were handing off their bikes to go grab their run bag. It’s hard for an athlete to recover from missing nutrition on the run if you miss it on your bike.

As the athletes hit the run course so did I. It was hard to see people who I was supporting coming in off the bike. Every one has a helmet on which makes it hard to tell people apart. I knew I would have better luck on the run course.

The run was brutal until about the 5 p.m. hour when the sun started to go down and finally some tree line shade was available. I clapped, cheered on and encouraged athletes all day long. Shouting reminders to hydrate and take advantage of the wet sponges. Sometimes we are so focused and tuned into what we are doing that we can forget the small but very important things.

The sun soon started to set and I found myself at the finish line. It was now 8 p.m. Who knows where the day went. Just moments ago I was waking up at 4 a.m.  Never the less I was hanging on the finish line rails cheering the athletes through. The day ended in spectacular fashion.

One of the last athletes I saw cross the finish line was the firefighter who walked the marathon leg in full 60 pound gear. He was supporting all the fallen firefighters. He set a perfect example sheer determination and will.

There was also a local married couple from the DFW area who crossed the finish line holding hands. This lady is a great person who I’ve had the privilege of meeting and volunteered for a non prof organization here in the DFW area.

The Tri Junkie group I was supporting had several first timers all of which finished. Lisa one of our members sacrificed her time to help a couple Tri Junkies complete their first IM. One member missed her nutrition and another member fractured his foot on the swim The three of them used each others energy and support to get through the marathon. And in classy fashion the three of them crossed the finish line together. Lisa had opportunity to go on and leave them be hind but, I’m more than sure that thought never crossed her mind. Outstanding! I have to give a shout out to several other athletes who also participated.

Unknown athlete – Not sure who this guy was but, he was a beast. No fancy equipment not even tri or cycling gear. He’s bike was just a bike with pedals on it. He wore basketball shorts and a white cotton muscle shirt. He swam, biked and ran in those clothes. Without all the average triathlon luxuries he got through the whole Ironman and finished in the 15:44 mark. Hat’s of to this guy. He’s an Ironman.

Kevin Costa - I’m so glad he had a solid race despite a flat at mile 70. Way to get it done!

Eric Herring – Welcome to the IM club. You’ve come a long way since I met you a few years ago. You looked strong out there on the course. Well deserved.

Billy Flores – Proud of you buddy. You’re a prime example of putting your mind to it and getting it done. Share you story will anyone you can in the valley. We need to bridge more people over into this healthy living life style.

German Madrazo - Congrats on your finish. Hearing your story last year was inspirational. Continue to do great things for the people in the valley. I’m looking forward to your next race.

Garrett Underdown – Great race. I know it wasn’t the perfect race for you but, still very respectable performance. I can only hope to be able to swim like you one day. I look forward to racing with you again soon.

Stephanie Mullin – Hard to miss on the course with your signature pink set up. Congrats on your strong finish.

Mitchell Burzynski – Congrats on anther IM event! You are always in cheerful spirits. I was upset at you when I saw you on the run you looked way to happy. You should have been in pain like us volunteers. J

Laura Bruner – Fantastic job this weekend! Congrats on becoming an Ironman. You had a solid performance all the way around. I’m glad you figured out the sock issue.

Chay Miller – Da man with the plan! Congrats on your finish! Yes, I know you’re one up on me. I’m sure I’ll hear it for the rest of the year. Ha! I’m glad you didn’t go with a full wetsuit I didn’t want to have to go pull you out of the swim. J

John Morgan – You through down another outstanding effort. Congrats on your 9:50 time. You never seize to impress me.

Sean Wahrmund – Congrats on your first IM finish! It was a very strong performance for your first time out. Looking forward to what you have next on your plate.

I’d also like to congratulate Pax, Jackie, Ron, Ray for getting it done this weekend.

I was able to find and take several pictures of the Tri Junkies I was supporting, people in local DFW tri club kits I recognized and a couple other amazing athletes. I’ve posed more pictures on my facebook page please feel to check them out.

Please forgive me if I missed anyone. There was a lot going on this weekend and I tried to mention all of those who I knew were competing.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
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