Running Boston 2014

Boston was many different things for me this year. One thing it wasn't for many of us was a race. On Monday April 21^st the running community came together to show support for last year’s tragedy and to take back a great American race. Most runners I spoke with were there to show their support. There were 36,000 runners registered for this race and roughly 70% were first time Boston marathon participants.

I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in this year’s event. I was special on so many different levels. I was able to connect with friends, and meet new people along the way. Boston was in great spirits. The community was very friendly, and welcomed us with open arms.

Packet Pickup & Expo

I picked up my packet and walked around the expo area on Sunday. I took my time to visit all the vendors. This expo is like no other. It’s massive, and just about every shoe and athlete recovery/performance company was on display. I stumbled upon, and took advantage of a foot massage area, and a leg compression pant vendor.

The weather on Sunday was perfect. I was able to walk around Boston and enjoy the sites. With thousands of people in town I ended up having lunch at a small corner store which made outstanding sandwiches. Their seating was outside, and I got a chance to do something I rarely get to do, relax and enjoy the scenery.

Boston is a point to point run, and most athletes ride the bus from Boston to the start of the race in Hopkinton. Athletes hang out at the athlete’s village where there is food, drink and restrooms are available. It takes a whole lot of school busses, and detailed planning to move thousands of runners from point A to point B.

Athlete's Village

Departure times were handed out based on an assigned wave. My departure window was 6 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. Race time was 10 a.m. When I arrived at the athlete’s village I still had two hours to wait for the race to start. The morning was a bit cool, so athletes did what they could to stay warm. I was suited up in a pair of pajama pants, and a couple of throw away tops. Most runners laid out in the sun laying on top of cardboard boxes.

There was lots of nervous energy in the air. The weather would be a bit hotter than expected. It was a perfect day for spectators, but a bit too warm for runners. We were off promptly at 10 a.m. The first 8 ish miles are a descent, so it makes for a very fast race start. If you are not carful here you can easily put yourself in a bad situation for the rest of the race.

The vibe given off by the crowd for the duration of the 26.2 mile run was simply unforgettable. There were thousands upon thousands of spectators all along the route. Spectators play a huge role during races. Athletes feed off their energy to keep them going. High fiving the children is one of my most cherished moments. Not only do we feed off their support, but I know we leave a great impression for them. Hearing the crowd yell when you high five a child is pretty awesome. You know that made the child feel like the top of the word for that moment.

Mile 23 photo taken by my gracious host.

The time flew by as I made my way through the rest of the course. Two years ago when I ran this course it was a complete struggle to finish the last couple miles. I remember having to stop and stretch out calf and hamstring cramps. If I had not run into a buddy of mine last year, I probably would have stopped to walk.

This year as I made my way through the last couple miles I could feel the emotions of the crowd, and though I was not at Boston last year, I fell into the moment. Adrenalin, and emotions were rushing through my body, and carried me to the finish line. I cannot begin to fathom the feelings going through all the athletes, and survivors running Boston this year.

As I crossed the finish line, and made the long ½ mile walk back to my gear check in I was in a state of satisfaction. Life could not be any better at that moment in time. I had come to Boston to show my support, and Boston had shown theirs for all that made the journey. I hope I can continue going back to Boston for as long as my legs allow me to.

I’d like to congratulate all my running buddies who went out there and had an outstanding race. Several PRs were had on not so ideal running conditions. You guys are awesome!

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

..ej

ej@trilifeblog.com

www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Rocky Raccoon 100 mile um… 20 mile recap.. :)

Life, if it was meant to be easy then words like effort, dedication and motivation and DNF would be meaningless. There wouldn't be any type of reflection needed when things did not go as planned. This weekend at Rocky Raccoon life slapped me with a huge dosage of reality. What started off as an easy all day pace quickly turned into a fight of will over my body not being able to do what my mind was asking it to do.

As I finished the first 20 mile loop of the 5 loop course I started to feel different. At first I thought it was my knee acting up again. I then started to feel joints in my other leg act up. My mind started going in different directions. DNF came up, and I quickly shot it down. There was no way I was taking a DNF. I told my self that I would walk this course before I did. I've not ever finished a race, and I wasn't going to start today.

I decided to go to the rest room at the end of the first loop and take some time to gather myself. After I visited the restroom I was very light headed and knew, right then and there something was wrong. A friend of mine who was crewing me handed me my hand held bottle, and asked me if I was okay. I simply responded, “I don’t know.” I thought to myself I genuinely do not know.

I had made up my mind to go out onto the course for the second loop, and assess after I completed the second loop. As I stepped back onto the course I stated with a walk. I then went into a slow trot. As I trotted along I realized that my body was cold. I had chills, and I was not warming up. Every step I took got progressively harder to take. It felt like my joints were being slammed together with each step. I knew it wasn't missed nutrition or hydration. I knew my physical conditioning was there. It was then I knew I was sick.

I stopped my slow trot, and started walking. About a half mile away from the start/finish I found a bench. I sat on it and took several deep breaths to help the reality of actually taking a DNF sit in. Several runners asked me if I was okay or needed anything as they went by me. I told them, no thanks, and wished them well on their race.

After sitting on the bench for a few minutes I gathered myself, and started the long half mile walk back to the start/finish line. That walk felt longer than the first 20 mile loop. I was light headed, and didn't feel like I was walking straight. The completive person in me did not want to go back, and throw in the towel. I had to mentally convince myself that there was absolutely nothing good going to come out of me attempted a second loop as I pressed onto the start/finish line.

Approaching the start/finish line my head was hung low. I felt defeated. I’m thinking to myself, “I just DNF a race”. I was on an emotional mess. I don’t think it was because I felt like a failure, but more because being sick was happening to me on this day, and it was completely out of my control. It was a hard pill to swallow. I was cold and shivering and just wanted to lie down. There was nothing I could do about it but turn my chip in.

I spent the next 20 plus hours in a bed with a fever, aches and pains. I ended up throwing up a couple times along the way. I was very week, and had no energy. I sent out text messages, made a facebook post, and emails. I had friends and family who I knew may be checking in on me, and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging. I had intended on getting up later that day and going back on course to cheer people in or help volunteer, but I was in no physical condition to make that happen.

Laying sick in bed gave me the time I needed to make a mends with my initial DNF thoughts. I realized there were several positives to take away from this experience. Running the first loop allowed me to make a couple friends. I also walked away with course knowledge. Being sick brought forth an appreciation for good health when I have it. It was a solid reminder to be self motivated to put forth the effort, and dedication needed, not only for my training, but all of my life’s daily ventures.

In retrospect this little set back isn’t a set back at all. I look forward to healing, training, and making another 100 mile attempt. I truly enjoyed, and appreciated all the support I got from friends and family members throughout the day. You guys helped out more than you know.

I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in something love. I do not plan on wasting it as I train for future events, and help others stay motivated to obtain their goals.

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

..ej

ej@trilifeblog.com

www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

Spartan Beast 2013 Recap - Glen Rose Texas

Legit, was the word teammate Robert used to describe this race after it was all said and done. It was fitting in so many ways. I’m going to try and give you an insight to my Spartan Beast experience. I’ve raced in several other obstacle events, DFW Mud Run, Merrell Down and Dirty, Muddy Buddy and now Spartan Beast. Just like triathlons Spartan hosts a range of events, starting from a sprint ranging all the way up to an ultra.

The Spartan race was unique to the other mud run events in a few ways. There wasn't a course layout, the run distance was not defined, instead it was listed as 12 plus miles, and obstacles on the course were not disclosed. I was fortunate enough to know a local Spartan Pro to get a glimpse of what to expect with some of the obstacles. Oh, and one other thing, burpees! Yes, there were plenty to be had if you were unable to complete an obstacle. If you missed an obstacle you had to drop and do 30 burpees. A set of burpees would easily tack on 2 ½ to 3 1/3 minutes to your run time. One can see how complete the course burpee free would be an advantage.

Several of the obstacles required upper body and grip strength. In no particular order there were two rope climbs, two pebble and dirt 5 gallon bucket carrying stations, a 5 gallon cement bucket vertical pull, traverse line, a sideways wall crawl, tractor tire flip, cement bucket carry, and tire pull.  There were also several wall climbs, vertical log balance stations, cargo net, a 100 foot or so barbwire crawl, a shorter barbwire crawl, a memorization challenge, and a few water obstacles. At the finish there was one more small barbwire crawl, a inclined roped wall climb, and a fire jump with several Spartan staff members waiting to clock you with their oversized jousting clubs.

Pre race: Edward, Robert, EJ, Jordan, Nicole and Jennifer

Race morning was fidget in the 30’s as we knew it would be. I raced with a team from Texas Health Resources. Our fearless leader was spot on when he booked rooms at the host hotel. This put us only a half mile jog away to the race sight. On race morning we jogged over to packet pickup to hand in our wavers, and were asked to sign an additional wavier. It was too cold that morning to care what the additional waiver said. I took my gloves off signed it, and turned it in and proceeded to pick up my packet.

Inside the packet was a bib number, a Spartan headband with your race number, and a wrist timing chip. The writs timing chip was a first for me. I never had a chip on my wrist. I thought it was pretty cool. I felt like I didn't have to worry about it getting snagged on something while running or going through the obstacles
.

My choice race attire was a pair of tri shorts, a Texas Health Resources fitted long sleeve top, a beanie, a throw away long sleeve cotton shirt, and a pair of throw away gloves.  I also wore a hydration race belt, and carried two 6 oz bottles with my nutrition in it. Since there was an unknown race distance I had prepped my nutrition bottles for 3 hours of running.  If the course was fairly consistent to last year’s course I figured I would finish around the 2 hr 30 minute mark. I had enough nutrition to carry me an additional 30 minutes if needed.

Our team signed up for the elite wave which placed us on the start line for an 8 a.m. start time. Standing at the start line I felt a bit unprepared. A couple months before the race I envisioned a training plan that consisted of trail running, upper body strength, and burpee workouts. During that training period I ended up nursing a knee injury so my burpee routine never happened. I simply did not want to risk reinjuring my knee. I tried hitting the pull up bar every now and then, but I knew I had not put in the upper body strength work I needed to. 

As I’m standing in the chilling 30 to 40 degree weather I peeled off my throw away top, and listened to the MC go into, what appeared to be a traditional Spartan start motivational speech to the athletes. I will admit it was pretty cool, and got me pumped up a bit. As soon as the speech was over we were off on to the course.

We quickly found ourselves following white ribbon course markers when lead us over a cactus covered field. The field would also contain brush, trees and thorn bushes. It was pretty obvious early on that we were not on a trail. The course director bush wacked out several sections over the terrain for this race. About a mile in there was a water obstacle. The last thing I wanted to do was get my feet wet and well that wishful thinking went out the window as I not only got my feet wet, but I ended up getting my hands wet too.

As I made my way out of the water obstacle I tossed my wet gloves, and quickly felt my feet were icy cold. There was not much I could do about this, so I pressed on with frozen feet , and throbbing cold hands. We pushed our way through several climbs where if you were not paying attention to the white ribbon trail you could easily go off course. As tough as the trail was I will admit it was fun. Some of the hills still had ice from the previous week’s freeze. We scaled up and down hill sides for the first 4 to 5 miles. I was able to successfully complete the obstacles along the way. 

Early on my hands were numb from the wrist down. I came upon an obstacle where I had to fill a five gallon bucket with pebbles and rocks then carry it up and down a hill side without spilling any of the pebbles. We had to carry the bucket up in front, with arms fully extended. We were not allowed to put it up on our shoulders. I actually did really well on this obstacle. I noticed I was walking up the hill, and was passing other athletes who were putting their bucket down to take a break. I suddenly realized that this could be a bad thing, because my hands from the wrist down were numb. My first thought was, maybe I was cutting off the circulation to my fingers, and didn’t know it. Maybe that’s why other athletes were putting their buckets down to take a break. I decided to just go for it and finish off the obstacle. Fortunately my fingers were fine after the race.

For the next three miles from 5 to mile 8 my feet were numb. I’ve had numb feet before in a duathlon, where I was coming off a bike on to a run. It’s a weird uncomfortable feeling when there is no feeling from your mid foot to your toes. In this case my whole foot was numb from my heel to my toes. At times I felt as if I had a clump of mud on the bottom of my shoe. When I checked, and found nothing there, it played with my mind. I was once again concerned about gaining feeling.

I arrived at the spear throw obstacle with cold hands and cold feet. I grabbed a spear closed my eyes, and flung it towards to the hay bail. I opened my eyes just in time to see the spear hit the target. Score! Okay, okay, well it quite did not work out that way. My spear flew wide left and I proceeded to put in my first set of 30 burpees for the day. I dropped down into the push up position,and it was around my 5^th burpee when I noticed that my left hand was landing on top of a piece of cactus. No bueno! I knew that would hurt later. Completing the set of burpees wasn’t as bad as I thought. In fact I think it helped bring circulation to my feet, and hands.

Around mile 8 I could hear the crowd at the start line. I thought to myself maybe we were going to be done well short of 12 miles. I knew they had pulled some of the water obstacles out of the course so maybe, just maybe the course distance was also cut short? I finally arrived back to the start/finish I crossed over a cargo net obstacle, and as I pressed on the course ended up flowing away from the start/finish area. After mile 8 my legs finally warmed up and I was able to get into a run rhythm. Over the next several miles the obstacles and trail seemed a bit easier, but honestly I was tired of being cold. I was on mile 13, and was so ready to be done with the race. The only thought running through my mind was the 12 plus mile description. 

I hit one last aid station, and they said I was one mile from the finish. I was pretty ecstatic to hear that news. I pushed and somewhere in mile 14 I could hear the finish line crowed again. The last quarter mile had four back to back obstacles.  The first obstacle was horizontal wall climb. There were little wood numbs to step and grab onto as you made your way across the wall similar to a rock climbing wall. I got onto the wall, and at first I took a good second to figure out how approach the wall. I finally got the hang of it, and as my luck would have it I had mud on the bottom of my shoe and as I placed my foot onto a wooden peg it slipped and I fell off. I got up, and ran over to get my 30 burpees in.

After finishing my set the very next obstacle was a wet rope climb which hovered over a body of water. I jumped into the water, and started to climb the rope. My arms were shot from the set of burpees I just completed. I decided it would be easier for me to give up on the rope climb, and do the 30 burpees. So I did. As I’m doing the burpees, I kept hearing the bell ring. The bell is what was on the top of the rope climb, so every time it rang I knew someone had just passed me. That was probably the most frustrating portion of the race for me. I lost anywhere between 5 to 8 positions over the last two obstacles. I picked myself up after my last burpee, made my way to the wall climb, jumped over the fire wall, and pushed my way through the Spartan jousting pounding. I crossed the finish line, and was now an official Spartan finisher. I was excited to get the event behind me. It was no cake walk.

After picking up my bag I made the half mile walk to the hotel,  and immediately turned on the hot water in the shower. I jumped into the hot water, and initially the water hitting my feet and toes was very painful. I stood in the shower for roughly twenty minutes before I thawed out. 

Putting the race into prospective I have to give major props to these Spartan warriors. I especially have to give kudos to the pro and non pro Spartan athletes who did the Saturday race and came back on Sunday to do the same course again. The Spartan training not only requires you to have endurance, but you also have to have a solid core and upper body strength to carry you through the obstacles. If you are looking for a way to challenge your body I recommend doing an Spartan event at least once. 

Race morning: Robert, Edward, Jordan, Nicole, Jennifer and EJ

The Spartan event had an open and elite division. In the end I was happy with where I finished. I was 17^th overall in the elite field of around 200 athletes. Our team Texas Health Resources finished 3^rd out of 166 teams.  I walked away with a good race experience, and great new friends.

I'd like to say thank you to Texas Health Resources for inviting me out to this event. I also like to thank Shawn Feiock and the Texas Tough Spartans for inviting me out to their Sunday training session. If you are interested in doing a Spartan event and live in the North DFW area look these guys up. They are a great group of folks.

Here are a couple misc photos from the event.

Traverse  rope obstacle.

Burpees..!

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

..ej

ej@trilifeblog.com

www.facebook.com/trilifeblog

2013 Year In Review

As the year 2013 comes to a close I’d like to hear of your accomplishments no matter how big or small. Please take a second to share a story or two and post it on my timeline https://www.facebook.com/TriLifeBlog or the Tri Junkie FB page timeline https://www.facebook.com/groups/TriJunkie/. You deserve the recognition, you worked hard for it!

I've been fortunate to be able to live this healthy lifestyle and to share my experience and thoughts with others. I enjoy hearing about other’s success stories and being able to help out where I can to get them to their goals.

Bandera 50k

This year I had a couple goals not all were met, but I'm still grateful for being able to do what I love. I initially wanted to spend the first half of the season doing triathlons and the second have of the season focusing on trail running. Texas was going to be an A race for me and as luck would have it I ended up being ill the week leading up to IM Texas. I would have to settle for a training day effort.

I ended up competing in 31 events in 2013 made up of 5 triathlons, 4 duathlons, 2 off road triathlons, 9 road runs, and 11 trail run races. Several of these races were to support friends or non profit organizations I’m associated with. I ended up with two “A” races for the year. Both were trail running events, Bandera 50k and Vermont 50.  I ended up approaching all other events as a hard training day. For a complete listing of my 2013 events please visit this link. Ignore the 2012 in the link it will take you to the right page. J http://www.trilifeblog.com/p/2012-race-schedule-and-results.html

Vermont 50

There was a lot less swimming for me after May which I’ve found I’ve missed doing. My training also took a turn in October. For the first time I hired a coach. The approach is much different than what I’m used to. The training volume is much lower, but the intensity levels are higher. I’m using this training to prep for Bandera 100k and Rocky Raccoon 100 mile trail run. I’ve had a few set backs in my training with an ongoing knee issue that surfaced a week before Vermont 50 mile run. I’m hoping it will be a non issue in a few weeks.

Xterra Cameron Park

This year I also ventured into my first off road triathlon, Xterra Cameron Park. I put this guy on my calendar to help me prep for the off road bike portion of the HHH Triple threat. I had no off road bike experience and wanted to get some race experience before the HHH event. Several Tri-Junkies made the trip to Waco for the Xterra event. It was quite an experience as we found ourselves on one of the toughest off road bike courses in Texas. We all suffered some scrapes and bruises, but in the end it was a good time had by all. Most of the same group also raced the C ME Dirty Off Road Tri a couple months later.

I had one more first which I must mention, Spartan Beast. I knew going into this race that it was going to be a challenge. I had done a few mud races in the past, however when comparing the obstacles and the course, well there is no comparison. If an obstacle was missed your gift was 30 burpees. Each set easily tacked on 2 ½ to 3 ½ minutest to your overall time.

 

Spartan Beast in Glen Rose was just that, a Beast. There was no course description, aside from 12 plus miles, and yes, the plus came into play. The course length ended up being closer to 15 miles. Several sections of the course were freshly bushwhacked for the race. I’ll try and get a blog entry out on this race that will go in more detail. For now I’ll just say this course ranked up there as one of the toughest events I've done. 

2013 training/race year was solid all the way around. It was filled with good friends and great times. I’m looking forward to training, racing, and seeing you all reach your 2014 goals.

Xterra Cameron Park Off Road Triathlon

Head for the Hills

Vermont 50 Trail Run

..ej

ej@trilifeblog.com

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2013 Hotter'n Hell Triple Threat Review

The purpose of entry is to give an insight on the Wee Chi Tah triple threat challenge. This challenged is a part of the Hotter N Hell weekend. It is comprised of a chip timed 11 mile mountain bike race, 100 mile road endurance ride and a ½ marathon trail run. The events are spread though out the weekend, beginning with the mountain bike race on Friday, moving to the 100 mile endurance bike ride on Saturday and finishing with the ½ marathon trial run on Sunday.

I had my eye on this event over the past couple of years.  In 2011 I found out about this event I was unable to work it into my calendar. I had already made plans with my fellow Tri Junkies to do “To Hell and Back” bike ride. We basically rode our bikes to Wichita Falls from the outskirts of Fort Worth, did the 100 mile endurance ride, and road back. I used it as part of my IM Florida training. Here’s a little write up on that experience. http://www.trilifeblog.com/2011/08/to-hottern-hell-and-back-recap.html

In 2012 I was able to fit it onto my calendar, but I was unable to sign up because the mountain bike event sold out. There are only 225 slots available per category. If your category sells out you cannot get onto the Triple Threat challenge. In 2013 I made it a point to register early. I wasn't sure if the mountain bike would sell out again, but I decided not to chance it.

Registration for the event can be a bit confusing. There are two separate signups to enter the challenge. You must register for the mountain bike and ½ marathon trail run on one sign up. You then have to sign up for the 100 mile endurance ride separately. You will also need a one day cycling license to participate in the mountain bike race. You can purchase that online or at packet pick up.

Packet pickup was at the Bridwell Ag Barn instead of the MPEC building, where the 100 mile endurance packet pickup took place. The Wee Chi Tah crew change up their approach this year, and combined all three bibs into the single packet. This worked out really well. While the non Triple Threat participants were waiting in line to get their HHH bib at the MPEC building, I was able to walk into the Exhibit Hall, and pick up my goodie bag without waiting in line.

The mountain bike and ½ marathon event hosted by Wee Chi Tah was put together well. Not having the time to ride the trail ahead of time, I liked the idea of the mountain bike race and ½ marathon trail run taking place over the same course. I didn't know what to expect on the mountain bike race, but it gave me the knowledge of the course for the trail run.  The course was well marked and the aid stations were strategically placed well.

I’m new to mountain bike riding and consider myself a beginner. I was pretty comfortable on this trail. I had a couple falls, self inflicted and I had to unclip maybe 5 times. The path was real clean so it made for a smooth ride. It also made for a fast ½ marathon trail run. There were minimal toe grabbers on the trail. The biggest challenge on the trial was the soft loose dirt for the bike and switchbacks for the run. The trail is mostly single track with a lot of switchbacks. It’s not too technical, but it’s technical enough to keep from getting bored. There are several obstacles on the course which made for some fun. This is a clip of the mountain bike race to give you a better insight on what to expect.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdeVmBweZFE

The Triple Threat participant’s bibs were a different color than the normal 100 mile endurance rider bibs. On Saturday for the 100 mile endurance race we were allowed enter through the front of the start line. We didn't have to plow through the crowed to get a good position. This worked out real well for me as a buddy of mine and I go to the start line with maybe 5 minutes before the start time.

Both the mountain bike race and the trail run gave out nice finisher medals. The endurance 100 mile ride also provided a finisher medal. All Triple Threat participants who completed the challenge received a slice of wood with a finisher engraving on it. 

I've completed two HHH rides prior to this year’s Triple Threat challenge. Competing in this challenge greatly enhanced my overall experience. I’ll more than likely participate in this event again next year. I truly had a blast at this year's event. For more information on the Triple Threat please visit the following link. http://www.hh100.org/events/wee-chi-tah-events/

One last thought fairly irrelevant to the Triple Threat, but I made mention on a Facebook post that I would blog about this. On Saturday I ended up riding closer to 110 miles, and 30ish of those miles I had to hammer alone. My inner thigh areas begin to cramp up during the last 10 miles of the ride. After completing the ride my quads were pretty trashed and my hip flexors were talking very loudly. I had the ½ marathon trail run to the following day, so I decided to give the CryoUSA treatment a try.

I spoke with one of the reps on Friday at the exhibition. The service is supposed to speed up recover and improve performance. The treatment lasted roughly 2 minutes. The process requires you to strip down to your underwear. You also wear socks and gloves. Once in the device the process will get your skin’s surface temperature to approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit. For the details on how the process works please visit http://go-cryo.com/about.html

Aside from the CryoUSA treatment I kept to my normal recovery plan. That included compression pants, stretching, recovery drink, hydration and food. Sunday came around, and I didn't know what to expect from my legs once I started the trail run. The first mile or so was flat and fast. I kept what I thought was a comfortable pace. Once I hit the trail I readjusted the pace and found another comfort zone. Through the duration of the ½ marathon trail run I had no issues with muscle fatigue or cramping. I was able to keep the pace I wanted, and finished up strong. After the two previous days of racing I walked away with a third place overall finish in the ½ marathon trail run. I can’t say for certain that CryoUSA was the main contributor to my successful race, at the same time I cannot argue that it wasn't. In the end I will give CryoUSA another shot. They are located here in Dallas. I’d like to test it with some other upcoming events.

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

Capt'n Karl's 60K Trail Run Recap

Oh boy, where do I begin? There were two first for me going into this event. One it was going to be my longest run, and two it was going to be my first night time running event. The race took place in Colorado Bend State Park, the Texas hill country.

A few weeks leading up to the race I took time to put in a few night time run sessions on the mountain bike trails of River Legacy Park. The goal was to try and get accustomed to running with a head lamp. While training I noticed that having a head lamp on wasn’t the only thing I had to adjust to. There was also depth perception of the trail. There were several times on this non technical trail I had missteps. I spoke with a few trail running friends, and a hand held light was also recommended. I ended up purchasing one the week before the event.

This was a cup free event, meaning there were not going to have any cups at the aid station. Runners would have to carry their own bottles if they wanted fluids. The day before the race the 7 p.m. DFW temperature hovered around 99 degrees.  This had me concerned about running out of fluids. I planned on carrying a handheld which would contain enough liquid nutrition for a 3 ½ hour run. I didn’t want to mess with my nutrition bottle, so as suggested by a friend I ended up carrying a plastic icing decorating bag. It was triangle shape which made it easy to drink out of, and I could quickly roll it up and carry it with me to the next aid station.

I drove into the race site the day of the race. I picked up my race packet , and listened to the pre race meeting. The race director stated that if we found ourselves ducking limbs we were pretty much off course. He also mentioned that last year’s winner was running the 60k again. I was glad he was there, because at least I knew that one person knew the route.

Before the start of the race I ran across a fellow trail runner wearing huaraches, a sandal some use for trail running. For those who do not know what a huarache is, it literally is a sandal. There is no protection other than the thin piece of leather between your foot and the ground. I spent a few minutes talking to this person about his training with the shoe. Before leaving the conversation I asked him if he was going to race in them. He said he was faster in a normal shoe, and would probably use them for the 60k race.

The race was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and we had until 7 a.m., a 12 hour window to finish the course. The 60k consisted of a two 30k loop route, with 4 aid stations. On the second loop there were designated cut of times to insure all participants were off the course by 7 a.m. I approached this race as a training run, and my plan for this race was to try to run the first loop with the front runners. I was hoping I could stick with them to allow me to get to know the trail before it got dark. After the first loop I figured I would slow down. I wasn’t sure how my legs would hold up or if I would be able to keep moving for the duration of the 60k. Prior to the 60k my longest run was a 50k so I was going to test limits at this race.

I toed the starting line with a bunch of strangers. I felt a bit out of my element, and had no idea what lied ahead.  As the gun went off I found myself jogging with the front group of 8 or so runners. The first segment of the race was a gradual uphill climb. It was a mix of single track and non single track trail. There were rocks through most of the first segment and that would not change for the duration of the race. The first three miles made me think, and honestly made me worry about the night time portion of the run.

I had a hard time finding my footing as I constantly had to step on, over or avoid rocks. The rocks were not always in sight either. There were sections where the grass was laid over the rocks that made it next to impossible to plan your next step. A couple guys in the lead pack had a couple of toe grabbers. I was surprised that I made it to the first aid station without one. I knew I would have several before the race was done.

As the race progressed over the next several miles the pace was a bit quicker than I had anticipated. My legs felt really good and I was enjoying the run. Around mile 9 I was still hanging with the lead pack. We were on a flat non single track section running two wide. Casual conversation was going on in the between a couple runners. They were discussing 100 mile events they had done and were going to do. I looked down at my Garmin, and found we were running the section at a 6 minute pace. At that point I knew I was in the company of some very strong athletes. They were pushing/carrying me through this segment of the run.

I could tell that my trail running skills were nowhere close to the three other guys I was running with. They made running over the rocks and technical terrain look very smooth and easy. I truly was in awe to see them float over the treacherous terrain. Just like all other runners the experience guys also had had their missteps. On one section last year’s winner went down in front of me and rolled. He picked himself up and I grabbed his water bottle that went in the opposite direction. I asked if he was okay and he said he was fine.

At about mile 15 one of the runners in the lead group decided to start pushing pace on a very rocky downhill section.  It was the huarache runner, only he wasn’t wearing huaraches. He decided to go with a very minimums New Balance shoe. Last year’s winner also decided to push a bit. At about this time it started to get dark. I pulled my headlamp out of a pack I wore around my waist and put it on my head.

Up until this point I had maybe one to two small toe grabbers which did not cause me to go down, just trip up a bit. As the dark rolled in and the head light came on my race quickly changed. I notice my run naturally slowed down. At this point of the race it wasn’t because I was fatigued, but more so because of my body’s natural tendency to be cautious.

The only way I can explain this is to imagine walking into the front door of your house. You flip the lights on and you walk through the room without any hesitation. You’ve done this many times over.  You know exactly where furniture and other items are in the room.  Now if you walked through your front door with your room light off, even with knowing the exact placement of everything in your room, your mind naturally slows your body down as a precaution. These guys did not have that fear as they ran through the night.

As I completed the first loop I was sitting in 3^rd place, and was 15 minutes ahead of my goal pace. I was having a great time, and was looking forward to the 2^nd loop. The two guys in front of me were maybe ½ mile ahead. I knew my pace would slow down on the second lap, but I figured that would be the case of everyone else in the race.

Making my way through the second loop I was passed by two runners. They went by me looking smooth as silk. They glided over the rocky terrain throwing caution to the wind, running like it was day time. As awesome as they looked running past me, at the same time it made me sick to my stomach as it frustrated me. I knew they were on a whole other level of trail running and that skill would take some time to learn.

The second loop for me was a beat down. I had countless toe grabbers, and with maybe 5 miles left in the race I finally went down for the first time. Thankfully it wasn’t bad. I was able to brush off and pick up where I left off. The toe grabbers were taking their toll on my legs and feet. I could feel the blisters on my toes, and my hamstrings were fatigued.

I made my way through the last aid station. I knew it was all downhill from there. I was sitting in 5^th place, and I had a solid chance of holding on if I could keep the toe grabbing count down. I made sure I took a few extra moments to drench my head with water, and top off my hand held for the final haul. I was moving and feeling good, I was ready to cross that finish line. As my luck would have it I had one more toe grabber, and that one did my left hamstring in.

I ended up cramping, and that forced me to stop and stretch my hamstring. After cramping once the chances of cramping again for me increase. At this point there wasn’t much I could do. I was taking in fluids, and extra salt wasn’t going to help. The cramp wasn’t caused by dehydration. It more so the combination of muscle fatigue caused by the sudden jolts of stomping my feet on rocks. With less than a couple miles to go I was just going to have to suck it up, and finish.

The last mile seemed like 5 miles. I was mentally ready to get to that last flat ¼ mile stretch of road. I made my way through the thick of the night and as I ran out of fluids I finally reached the last ¼ mile segment. It was a dirt road with no elevation change. I was still sitting in 5^th place and at this point had every intention of holding onto it. It was on me to keep the position. I made a final push and thought if anyone caught me and passed me now they deserved the placing.

In the end I reached the finish line in 6 hours and 9 minutes. I successfully completed my first 60k trail run, and held onto 5^th place. Overall I was satisfied with how the race played out. I felt I walked away more experienced and better prepared for my next trail run adventure.

I have to give props to the race director and his crew. I was impressed with the organization and support of the event. The aid stations and the aid of the park rangers were outstanding. They were stationed at every road crossing to make sure the runners were safe for the duration of the race.

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

XTERRA Cameron Park Weekend

This write up is from an event I did at the end of June. I contemplated publishing it, after re reading it I felt it had some good information for those who have not experienced an off road triathlon or trail run. Here’s my Xterra weekend experience.

As the second half of the season starts to unfold I found myself headed to Waco for a trail run and off road triathlon. XTERRA hosts a trail run and off road tri series that travels around to several Texas locations. I had my eye on a few of the events earlier in the year, but due to my IRONMAN training, they did not fit my schedule.

The purpose of the XTERRA weekend was twofold. First, I wanted to get a long training run done in a different location, and second I wanted to get race like experience with on my mountain bike. I was signed up for a 21k trail run on Saturday, and I was signed up for a “Sport”, equivalent to a “Sprint” non off road triathlon on Sunday. I will admit the trial run was going to be a bit more meaningful to me in respect to effort over the off road triathlon I was going to do the following day. My only goal for the off road triathlon was simply not to hurt myself on the mountain bike course.

On Saturday morning, the day of the race, I found myself waking up at 4 a.m. to drive to Waco from the DFW area. Taking less than an hour and a half, the drive wasn’t bad at all. I was afraid of sitting for an extended period of time before a race, but that ended up being a non factor. Race time was set for 8:10 a.m., and I was there with maybe 50 minutes to spare. I knew very little about the course. I had seen it on a map, but maps do not show roots, holes, rocks, etc. I knew we had about a 400 meter open area start before we got to the infamous Jacob’s Ladder.

As I warmed up for the race I noted the two younger Welsch  sisters were lined up for the 21k. For those who are not familiar with these two girls, ages 13 and 11, they made national news last year for their running accomplishments. The older sister was the female overall winner in last year’s 21k XTERRA Cameron Park trail race. They also compete in multi sport events. I was glad to see them out there and wanted to see how they would handle the course.

The race director called all runners to the starting line and we were off. The two young girls took off like something was chasing them. They were easily running a low 5 minute pace until reaching the Jacob’s ladder. Jacob’s ladder is a cement stair case that goes pretty much straight up, for what feels like forever. It’s defiantly a quad killer, and the steps are not normal steps they are a good 6 inches taller than normal steps. They do not favor the shorter athletes.

I was the 4^th or 5^th person to the stairs. I tried running up the stairs grabbing onto the handrail. That run quickly turned into a fast power walk up the stairs. I made it to the top of the steps and onto the road which lead us to the trail. My recovery time wasn’t too bad. I was able to get into a stride fairly quickly. I grabbed a cup of water at the first aid station and poured it over my head before darting onto the trail.

The trail itself had a mix of everything. There were some nice steep climbs and descends along with your roots, rocks and holes. I wasn’t expecting  the trail to be as technical as it was, but I was okay with it. The 21k was made up of two 6.5 mile loops. Part of the 21k trail would overlap the Sunday’s off road bike course. I enjoyed running the segment because it gave me a bit of an insight on what I should expect for the mountain bike portion of the off road triathlon.

I was able to get through the 21k course finishing 3^rd overall. I ended up adding on another 10k before the morning was over completing a 31k for the day. My goal for Saturday was to get a long run in. I was more than happy with the trail and the run work I was able to get in. After all was said and done I ended up doing Jacob’s Ladder 4 times on Saturday, and ended up running it two more times on Sunday

The Sunday’s off road triathlon consisted of a 750 meter swim, 8 mile mountain bike, and 5k trail run. I got a good feel for the trail Saturday and I knew Sunday’s bike was going to be a bit of a challenge. A friend of mine told me to stay within myself on the course and that’s exactly what I was going to do.

Sunday morning came, and I set my gear up in their transition small modest area. Unlike the regular triathlons these XTERRA events have a much smaller turn out. Surprisingly there were more people signed up for the longer distance course than the shorter distance course. That didn’t bother me one bit, because it meant there would be less traffic on the bike trail.

This was an open water swim, with a single wave start in the Brazos’ river.  I took a look at the buoys and felt the course looked long. I ended up coming out of the water and making my way into transition in 22 minutes. I wasn’t happy with the swim time, and chalked it off to a long swim course. As I approached the transition area all I could think about was surviving the bike leg.   

When I signed up for this event I was certain they would take it easy on the beginner, the shorter distance event. Well, I ended up being completely off. We ended up riding the exact same bike course as the longer distance race. As I hopped on my bike I kept telling myself not to do anything out of my comfort zone.  I took it real easy and unclipped fairly frequently.  I walked and pushed my bike up and down several climbs I also unclipped for a few turns. I even went down one section with one leg clipped and one unclipped. As challenging as it was, in a weird twist, it was also plenty of fun. I’m sure that not falling off my bike had something to do with it.

The last mile and a half of the mountain bike course was pretty flat. I could feel my quads were fairly trashed from both the previous day’s trail running event, and the mountain bike ride I just endured. As I approached T2 I was relived and ecstatic about completing the bike ride without injury. There are times in your life when you get that care free, shot of adrenaline feeling. I somehow had that feeling in T2. I think it was the mental thought of getting off the bike and onto the trail run. My body was excited to get back to something it was comfortable with.

The last leg was a 5K trail run. Aside from pushing up Jacob’s Ladder the rest of the trail was a walk in the park. I felt like I was flying through the course as I passed several athletes along the way. Running the course the day before was a huge help. I did have one hiccup on the run. I took my eyes off the trail for a second to wipe some sweat off my forehead, and clipped my foot on a rock/root, who knows what it was. I all I know was that I bit it, and went down face first. I was fortunate to catch myself with my hands, and was able to quickly get back up to speed with no physical injuries. I will admit I was annoyed at myself for know better than to wipe my sweat before checking the trail up a head. I went the whole bike ride without falling and ended up falling on the run course, ha!

I ended up with the fastest 5k run of the dayl. I was 2 minutes faster than the next fastest time. At the end of the day I was glad I got the XTERRA off road experience under my belt. I walked away feeling better prepared for HHH Triple Threat race coming up at the end of August.

For those interested in doing an off road Triathlon for the first time, my advice is to scout the course ahead of time before you sign up. There are much easier ones out there. Get some rides in to know where your comfort level is. The more you ride the more comfortable you’ll become on the trail. Just like everything else, it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.

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