My 50 milers

After my DNF at Palo Duro, I have been reflecting on my ultrarunning record.  I'm slowly crawling out of my post-DNF depression, but still rather disgusted with myself for quitting.  It especially hit home after reading about Bart Yasso's race at Comrades in South Africa and his long history of running through pain (article in Runner's World here).  He has lyme disease yet has continued to race and to inspire others.  But I got a little hot and discouraged so I quit. Wah, wah, big baby.

So here is my illustrious record of 50 milers:

• October 2009, Palo Duro: finished 13 minutes before the cutoff.  I probably would have laid down on the trail and quit if I hadn't met up with Brett, who was also running his first 50 miler.
• February 2010, Rocky Raccoon: finished in just over 11 hours.  Not a bad finish, but my ankle hurt so badly I went and had it x-rayed the next day.  Nothing there, I'm just a big baby.
• February 2010, Cross Timbers: a tough, hilly course, especially compared to the relative flatness of PD and Rocky.  I finished in about 15 hours, close to setting a course record.  The only slower time was set by a man in his 70s.  I probably would have quit this one, but I had to keep going to get back to my car.  I was probably not recovered from Rocky, 2 weeks before.
• March 2010, Grasslands.  I quit after about 19 miles.  It was cold, wet, and muddy.  I still felt like a wimp, even though only 7 of the 70 starters finished.
• October 2010, Palo Duro: quit 1/2 way through.

 Not exactly a steller 50 miler resume.  Part of my problem out on the course is the gradual loss of motivation.  I start thinking, I gave up a whole weekend for this?  I could be hanging out at home, playing with the kids, watching college football, working in the yard or around the house.  I missed soccer or football or judo!  I could take Kelly on a date!  And what's the point anyway? 

So, contrary to a recent post, I'm not going to plan on the 100k in Bandera and the 100 miler at Rocky.  I'm not saying I'll never do another 50 miler.  Part of me still wants to run a 100 miler, to try Western States or Leadville.  But part of me says, too, I could just go someplace pretty and run.  I don't need to pay a fee and get a number just to experience a nice trail.  The trail at Palo Duro is great; I love to run it, and it's got some great views.  But one lap gets you all the views and trails.  The next 3 are more of the same.

I'll start running again soon, and I'll probably sign up for another race soon.  I'm still planning on running White Rock since I'm already registered, but after that, I'm not sure what I'll run next.

8 Hour Run from the Ducks

Saturday I spent a lovely, wet day at Clark Gardens Botanical Park running from the ducks, peacocks, geese, and some other fowl that may have been a guinea hen.  It was the 4th annual Run from the Ducks, my first, and my first timed run, in which you run as much as you can in the allotted time.  I was skeptical about this format, but decided it would be a nice opportunity for a training run looking ahead to Palo Duro Canyon.

The Race
Run from the Ducks is run by Tony and Carolyn Mathison and their daughter Cayla, along with a race committee of volunteers.  It showcases the lovely Clark Gardens, and raises funds for The National Vietnam War Museum. Tony, an ultrarunner himself, starts the race by drawing a line in the dirt with his toe (in Saturday's case, in the mud).  At then end of the day, he recognizes every runner (he and Cayla put on a chip and walk the course a bit so that they are the last place male and female runners; he doesn't want a registered runner to be in last place).  The course tours the gardens on dirt, grass, and gravel in a .854 mile loop.

In the past, Vietnam vets from the area counted laps, but this year they added chip timing, which probably made it a much easier day for the vets.  There were still several there to cheer us on.  (On a side note, it crossed my mind that they probably endured rain and mud a million times worse in unthinkable conditions as they served our country in Vietnam.  A humbling thought. . . .)  Also present were Mr. Clark, the gracious namesake of the Gardens, and his daughter.  The family atmosphere, home-town feel, small field, friendly race directors and volunteers, and great setting make RFTD exactly the kind of race that I got into trail/ultrarunning to enjoy.

The day started out wet.  I woke up to pouring rain and lightning.  What a great day to sleep in!  But I dragged myself out of bed, confident that it was a passing storm.  During the drive west to Weatherford, the rain stopped, so I thought it was clearing up.  I was wrong.  At Clark Gardens, the rain continued with a vengeance.  Thankfully, the support tent was large and dry.  This is probably the only race I'll ever go to in which the support tent has chandeliers, carpet, and tablecloths.  (Clark Gardens hosts lots of weddings and receptions.)  We watched it pour, watched the lightning, and waited for a one hour delayed start. 

We finally did get started at 8, not that the rain had stopped.  It continued to rain for about 2 1/2 more hours.  Needless to say, we got wet.  The raised beds at the gardens did a nice job of retaining the water--on the trail!  Even after the rain stopped, we splashed through the mud and puddles all day.  But it stayed very runnable; even the worst muddy spots were better than the best spots at Grasslands last spring. 

So we ran, around and around, all day long.  The weather cleared up, but it didn't get too warm.  The one aid station (a logistical advantage of a short, repeating course--fewer aid stations to stock!) had plenty of the usual supplies.  Passing by there, and by the support tent where I had some other supplies, once every .854 miles, made this an easy race to run.  In many ultras, you might have 5 miles or more between aid stations, so you really have to think, what will I need over the next hour or so?  At RFTD, if you get hungry or thirsty or need something else, it's always less than a mile away.

This is a great race for people who love timed races, obviously.  I spoke with several runners who have run similar races and love them.  For those who don't love them, it's a wonderful way to try ultrarunning.  If you have run a marathon and want to try a longer distance, this a perfect setting: flat, even course, accessible aid stations, friendly folks, and the ability to stop at any time.  And in my case, this serves as a perfect training run for a longer race, getting in time on my feet with support provided.

The Racers
One of the things I enjoy about these events is getting to know other runners.  RFTD is especially well-suited for this since the course is so short; even if someone is slower or faster than you, you'll eventually see them again as you lap each other.  So I got to visit with some nice folks:

• Dan--who said he weighed 400 pounds 2 years ago, had gastric bypass surgery, and now competes in endurance events to raise money for childhood obesity awareness.
• Thomas--who runs marathons most weekends, sometimes 2 a weekend.  He's a machine.  If I remember correctly, he ran the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February, then ran a marathon the next day.
• Buddy--an experienced ultrarunner, he paced for Drew Meyer at Western States.
• Jeff--another experienced ultrarunner and Leadville 100 finisher.
• Robert--who was running in his first ultra.
• Katrina--who's leaving in 2 weeks for Iraq, serving in the Air Force.  Won the women's division.
• Claude and Andy--who kept running by me like I was standing still, and who finished 1st and 2nd. 
• Deborah and Tammy--who were on the race committee.  Both of them like to race in timed races.
• Carlos--whose wife sat out there ALL DAY cheering him (and me) on.
• Ken and Lorri--the only married couple on the course (as far as I know). 

My Race
I set out to finish 35 miles.  I figured I could do that, and if I had a great day I could break 40.  I started out pretty well.  The first 4 hours I ran a lot with Jeff, Buddy, and Robert, eventual 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers.  I enjoyed talking with them, and picked up some racing and training tips, but after a while, I took it a bit slower.  The second 4 hours, I had segments where I ran well, but couldn't keep up that pace.

With the wet conditions, VFFs were a good choice to run in.  I stopped once about 5-6 hours in to clean them out; I think the only shoes that wouldn't have collected mud and gravel would have been waders.  I did get some chafing in some personal areas, even using my cream to prevent it; when you're that wet for that long, it's hard to avoid!  Overall, my body held up well and I was even able to walk the next day!

So what did I learn?  I was reminded that my biggest weakness in ultras is nutrition, and maybe hydration.  I am quite sure I didn't eat enough, and I may not have drunk enough.  At about 4 hours, I ate a sunbutter sandwich, which sat in my stomach like a stone.  I subsequently had some cramping and 2 too-long potty breaks (one additional benefit to a small loop course--the potty is never more than .854 mile away, and it was an actual bathroom with plumbing, not a skid-o-can) which slowed me down.  By the end, I was doing a lot more walking than running. 

The bottom line, I ran 37.05 miles, according to my Garmin.  Official race results, 10th place overall, 43 laps, or 36.722 miles.

Is That a Runner?
Sometime after 7 hours had passed, I was walking along, counting the minutes to the finish.  A little boy, maybe 3, came the opposite direction with his daddy.  He asked his daddy, "Is that a runner?"  I'm sure I didn't look like a runner, but I was running on the inside!!

Drew Meyer, superhuman!

Drew Meyer has done it!  He's completed the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning!  That means that in less than three months' time, he finished Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville 100, and the Wasatch 100.  That's right, 4 100 mile races in a summer.  Did I mention he's 62?  What an accomplishment!

(Photo from Endurancebuzz.com)

The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run is in Utah, in the Wasatch Mountains, with a cumulative elevation gain of over 26000 feet.  That's a lot of climbing for a guy from Fort Worth.  Drew finished in 35:27:32.  That's a lot of hours awake, much less a lot of hours on your feet, much less a lot of hours running in the mountains, much less a lot of hours running at elevations up to 10000 feet.  No matter how you measure it, Drew has accomplished what most would never try and what few could actually finish.  Huge congratulations to him, and many thanks for the inspiration!  Way to go!

On the Wasatch 100 course. What a gorgeous place to run. Or walk.  Or sit.  Or anything.

(Photo from http://www.wowasatch.com/gallery/Wasastch%20100.htm)

Leadville Follow-Up

I read a couple of race reports from the Leadville 100 I wanted to pass along.

Anton Krupicka, a world-class trail runner, writes a nice blog (here).  His impressive running resume includes a win at Leadville in 2006 and 2007, a win at Rocky Racoon in 2007, and a close second at Western States this year, where he and winner Geoff Roes both broke the course record.  A favorite to win at Leadville this year, he unfortunately took a DNF after running the majority of the course.

One passage from his race report jumped out at me: "Dakota [his pacer] and I crawled along at a pathetic 9-10min/mile pace with the only thing keeping me from walking being sheer shame."  This after running at least 60-70 miles among the front runners of a race that attracts the best ultramarathoners, and shortly before dropping out of the race.  I know I shouldn't even begin to compare myself to a world-class runner like Krupicka, but that "pathetic 9-10 min/mile pace" sounds blazing fast at Leadville!

Krupicka around mile 60.  This photo appears at his race report on Running Times's site.

He added, "Dakota let me walk for a few seconds as I ate a gel (poor, weak, weak excuse)."  That's an excuse I frequently use during a race!  And yeah, I guess it is pretty poor and weak. . . .

Closer to reality, I also read Drew Meyer's report.  He's an experienced trail runner who ran an impressive race.  In spite of a bit of nausea and some blisters, he finished strong, just under 29 hours.  To finish at all in a race with a 46% finishing rate is impressive.  I liked his account of his stomach issues: "I had a little stomach problem [at Halfmoon aid station].  About 100 feet beyond HM I asked Mark [his pacer] to go back for more Coke (to replace that which was now on my shoe along with the soup) and resumed walking."  Fun times on the trail.

Thanks to both of these runners for the inspiration!  Next time around look for me on the trail!

Another Fantasy Run: Leadville 100

In 1991, I knew nothing about running, except that I didn't really do it.  I knew I loved the mountains, though.  I went backpacking in the Collegiate Peaks area of Colorado with Dale, a Baylor recreation professor, a couple of other "adults" (we were right out of college), and some high school kids.  While we were huffing along one day with our sea-level lungs, a woman came running toward us.  Dale recognized her from TV coverage he had seen of the Leadville 100.  We stopped her and she said she was up there training for Leadville.  The concept of such a race was new and astounding to me, but now running that race is on my long-term to-do list.

The elevation of the Leadville 100 has a low point of 9200' and a high of 12600'.  The air's thin up there, especially if you're used to 600'.  I don't know the specific trail, but I know it's a gorgeous area.

Who is this guy?  I don't know.  But I'd sure love to be where he is.

Duncan Callahan, from Gunnison, Colorado, took the men's victory, finishing in 17:43:24.  He also won in 2008.  Sea-level, flat-land runners got some encouragement from the winner of the women's race: Elizabeth Howard (who won Rocky Raccoon this year) from San Antonio won in 21:19:47!  A Texan won Leadville!  That's fantastic!  Texans were well-represented overall.  Sean Lewis from Fair Oaks finished 8 minutes before Elizabeth, and Steven Moore from Austin finished about 12 minutes after her.

Closer to home, Drew Meyer of North Texas Trail Runners finished in 28:59:37.7!  Drew, 63, is now 3/4 finished with the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning.  He has three short weeks to recover before Wasatch.  Congratulations to him and good luck at Wasatch!

One of these days, I'm going to run this race.  A flatlander from Texas took the women's title.  The two Texans who finished near her are a couple years older than me.  I'm not saying I'll be in the top ten in 2011 (or ever), but I sure would like to line up at Leadville and cross that finish line, and, more importantly, to enjoy the ride in between.