Whispering Pines Race Report

Last weekend, Endurance Buzz Adventures hosted another great trail race at Tyler State Park.  I have never run there before, and haven't spent much time in East Texas.  A couple hours from home, it felt like traveling to another region, with the tall piney woods that seem so different from Fort Worth's trees.  Tyler State Park is a beautiful park, and the trails are hilly but very runnable.

In a rare moment of realistic expectations, I actually registered for the 20 mile race rather than the 50K.  I felt like I had enough of a base built up that I could do relatively well in the 20M, but knew 50K would be a stretch.  I was right.  The warm, humid day slowed me down.  I took it pretty easy most of the day, then really slowed the last couple of miles.  I was exceedingly glad that I did not have another loop to run!  I ended up finishing in 4:55:27, good for 31st out of 40 overall, 20/22 male. 

This was a hot, sweaty, steamy race for me.  My clothes quickly became completely soaked with sweat, but I managed to stay well hydrated.  I have eaten my last Sport Beans.  Every time I ate some during this race, I got nauseous.  Thankfully, the aid stations were well-supplied.  Dave Hanenburg continues his streak of awesome races with Whispering Pines.  This was my fourth EBA race, and every one is better than the one before.  Thanks, Dave!

The bonus for the weekend is that the whole family came out to camp!  The boys each brought a friend, and they played like crazy men all weekend.  After the race, we went canoeing and swimming, then back to camp.  Thankfully, they weren't too disappointed when I declined to go on a trail run with them in the afternoon.  We would love a return trip to Tyler S.P., although I think all of us would like to go back when it's a bit cooler.

My friend Brittany ran in her first trail race, and took 2nd place in the 10 mile!

Race Day at Possum Kingdom

Today marked another first for Dave Hanenburg and Endurance Buzz Adventures.  Over the last year and a half, Dave has rolled out several new trail races in North Texas to the benefit of all who love trail running.  Today's race was held at Possum Kingdom Lake Hike and Bike trail, maintained by the Brazos River Authority.

Nice views all around. (mannphoto.com photo)

For those of us who have run at Dave's races, it came as no surprise that the race was well-organized and the course was well-marked. (Dave's warning at the pre-race briefing turned out not to be necessary.  The signs and streamers were plentiful and direction was clear.)  The aid stations were well-stocked and the volunteers friendly.  And the course--well, this is the kind of course that reminds me why I love trail running.  Varied terrain, lots of shade, cool rock formations, and tremendous views of the lake and surrounding area.  I enjoyed the sustained climbs, something I don't get much of on my usual D/FW trail runs.  To climb for a couple of miles and then be rewarded with a great view at the top makes the climb not seem so hard.

I originally signed up for the 55K, but common sense and my pathetic run last week at Cedar Hill convinced me that I was in better shape for the 20K.  I decided to take it easy, and figured a 12 minute pace would be plenty fast enough.  After the first climb, I fell in behind a pair of ladies running together and decided to keep pace with them.  It was sort of awkward; I kept wondering if they would think I was stalking them.  They were running at a conversational pace for them, but it was more a race pace for me.  I learned all about their kids, their restaurant preferences, where they like to shop. . . . I'm sure they were pleased when, after 3-4 miles, I passed them up.

Nice rocks. (Endurance Buzz photo)

But their pace was perfect for me, and I ended up running pretty even splits, overall.  I am always pleased when I still have something left in the second half of a race!  (Although today, I think I could have sped up the last couple miles and knocked a few minutes off my time.)  I don't know the final times, but I know I was way behind the first finishers, and there were at least a few people behind me.  Unofficially, I finished in 2:24:45, right at a 12 minute average pace.

I hope to make it back to these trails, for a run, a hike with the family, and for Dave's race next year.  Maybe I'll make a day of it and try for more distance next time!

Isle du Bois race report 2012

A year ago, Dave Hannenburg hosted his first organized trail race, the Isle du Bois trail run.  Over the course of this year, he has established himself as a leader in the North Texas trail running community, putting on a variety of well-organized, well-supported, and just plain fun trail races.  Today he held the second annual Isle du Bois race, at Isle du Bois State Park on Lake Ray Roberts.

A few months ago, I signed up for the 54K, hoping to meet or beat my time at last year's race.  But 2 weeks ago, on my last long run, it became clear that my training had been inconsistent and not up to snuff, so I swallowed my pride and switched to the 18K.  I knew I might be able to finish the 54K before the cut-off, but that the last lap would be a miserable death march.  So I went for the fun, shorter race.  Good choice!

The course at Isle du Bois is rolling, sometimes rocky and rooty, winding through the woods.  I think it's a DORBA course, but I'm not sure I would want to ride a mountain bike on those narrow, rocky trails.  I didn't break any land speed records, but I kept a pretty consistent pace, not quite a negative split.  The second half wasn't too much slower than the first half.  Per my Garmin, my time was 2:03:28. Official results are pending; I'm guessing I finished no better than the middle of the pack.

[Official results: 2:03:29. 63rd overall (out of 141 finishers). 21st 40-49 male (out of 27).]

It was great to be out on the trail again.  This was my first race since the Hells Hills 50K in April.  Eight months between races is WAY too long.  I'll have to get one on the calendar soon!

Huge thanks go to Dave Hannenbuurg and his great volunteers for putting on another top-notch trail party!  I'll be looking forward to the next Endurance Buzz adventure!

No boring shirts and medals at Dave's races!  Long-sleeved Tasc bamboo tech shirts, local honey from Nature Nate's North Dallas Honey Co., and a hand-decorated wooden race medallion.

Running on Empty, by Marshall Ulrich

If you have ever considered running across the country, or if you have ambitions of trying to set the record for running across the country, here's your cure: pick up Marshall Ulrich's Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoner's Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America.  I do admire Ulrich.  How can you not?  He has accomplished all of the major ultramarathoning feats, and then some.  For instance, not content with simply winning the "world's toughest footrace," the Badwater Ultramarathon, four times, he decided to do it 4 times in a row!  He ran the course out and back and out and back, a total of 586 miles, non-stop.  His list of jaw-dropping, amazing running accomplishments is pretty long.

Ulrich complete Badwater one year totally self-supported, pulling this cart.

So it makes sense that he would aim to break the cross-country record.  Running on Empty chronicles that effort, with plenty of other stories about his running exploits and his life.  The first few pages surprised me and had me nearly in tears as he recounted his first wife's struggle with cancer and her death at age 30.  Horrible and tragic.  He attributes his running career in large part to his ongoing efforts to cope with his death.

The bulk of the text is, of course, dedicated to a narrative account of the cross-country run, from the steps of city hall in San Francisco to city hall in New York City.  It's a tale of misery, injury, fractured relationships, hardship, and excruciating pain.  Yes, there are highlights, short encounters with others along the way, and a great sense of accomplishment as he does break the masters and grand masters record, the third fastest time overall, 52 and a half days.

It's a long and lonely road from coast to coast.

If you are a runner, especially if you are an ultrarunner, and your friends and family think you're crazy (What?  You ran 50 miles in one day?  You ran in a race that started at midnight?  Your toenails fell off?), just give them a copy of Ulrich's book.  I can almost guarantee you that the craziest running event or accomplishment you have done pales in comparison to Ulrich.

Thanks to Dave at Endurance Buzz for the free book!