Rockledge Rumble DNF

Lining up for the 7 a.m. start.

I've always said that the only way for me to stay motivated to run consistently is to have a run on the calendar for which I am training.  I will add to that: I need a run on the calendar AND a specific training plan to get me going every day.

I registered for the Rockledge Rumble 50K and had some spurts of decently consistent training, but never made a training calendar and didn't train as consistently as I needed to.  I knew I wasn't in 50K shape, and e-mailed the race director to request placement in a shorter distance (they had a 15K and 30K).  She wrote back saying all distances are full, and that I couldn't change.  I debated just showing up and getting my race t-shirt, but decided to give it a shot and see if I could get in under the 8:30 time limit.

The good news is that this was a perfect day for running.  Cool and cloudy most of the morning, it was shorts and short sleeves weather (for running).  It did warm up a bit later, and the sun came out, but it was still comfortable.  And, of course, the trails on the north short of Lake Grapevine are terrific to run on.

I considered walking the first 10 miles to conserve energy, but decided I would just take it slow.  I started at the back of the pack, and stayed there.  For the first 10 miles or so I kept a pretty steady 14 minute pace, just what I needed to finish by the cutoff, with a little time to spare.  The next 7-8 miles, I slowed 2-3 minutes per mile, walking some, but still within time for the cutoff.  But after 20 miles, I tried to run but just couldn't get my body to cooperate.  I thought after I got to the last aid station I could find a new reserve of energy and pick up the pace for the last 5 miles back to the start.  Alas, when the aid station came in sight, they were packing up, and informed me that I had missed the cutoff by 5 minutes.  DNF for me.

I hate that I didn't push myself to pick up the pace, but I did enjoy my time on the trail.  If I can't be at Floyd Casey Stadium cheering for the Bears (They played on Thursday night this week.), running--or walking--at Lake Grapevine is a great alternative.

Next race, I'll make a training calendar!

These races could not happen without a ton of race volunteers.
These ladies would disagree with my statement that today was a great shorts and short sleeves day!

More terrific aid station volunteers.  Thanks for being there!

The trails and the trees and the views of the lake make this trail system and this race worth showing up for.  So close to the city, but so easy to feel all alone in the woods.

Me with R.D. Cindy Melder, who told me not to be a sissy and man up for my 50K.  OK, she didn't exactly say it like that.  But she deserves a boatload of thanks and good wishes for doing such a great job for the second year in a row, organizing D/FW's premier trail race.  Thanks Cindy!

Now I've gone and done it.

I finally got around to registering for a race!  In the 4 1/2 years or so that I've been running, I've said all along that having a race on the calendar is often the only thing that gets me out the door to run, at least with any consistency.  So now I have a target race: The Isle du Bois 50K on December 8.  This is the race I ran last December 6 days after having run White Rock.  It's only 6 weeks out, which doesn't give me a lot of time, but I figure I can get some good miles in, with a couple of long runs, and maybe run a decent race.

Last year I ran that race on tired legs and finished in 7:17.  Earlier this year I ran another 50K without much training and finished in 7:41.  A few weeks before White Rock last year, I ran Rockledge Rumble in 6:50.  Granted, IDB is actually 54K, so it's hard to compare with other races.  Maybe on fresher legs, I can beat last year's 7:17.  Break 7 hours?  Maybe.

So now it's out there for all the world to know.  Or at least the three of you who will read this post.  I'm officially in training mode, now!  Isle du Bois, here I come!

My 50Ks and Hells Hills

Saturday is Hells Hills and I don't really know what to expect of the race or of myself.  I have run a handful of 50Ks, with finish times ranging from 5:19 (El Scorcho, flat and easy) to 7:35 (Toughest in Texas, hilly, rugged, and, well, toughest).  Based on what I've heard about the Hells Hills course, I'm thinking it will be comparable to the courses at Rockledge Rumble (6:50) or Isle du Bois (7:17).

At Rockledge, I was in pretty good shape, in full training mode for White Rock.  IDB was six days after White Rock, so I was a bit fatigued.  Since IDB, which was mid-December, my training has been sporadic and erratic, and I've put on a few pounds, so I'm certainly not looking for a PR.  I'm thinking I'll take at least 7 hours, but hopefully no longer than 8.

I'm not too concerned about my time or my finish place.  Mostly I'm looking forward to running this trail, which sounds like it's right up my alley.  (From the race web site: "A fair bit of rocks, a collection of rolling creek bed drop-ins and rollouts, a twisty turny riot of single-track trails, with the Wall & the Grind at the end of each loop. Not much for elevation. Mostly single-track through a forest of pines.")  I'm also looking forward to running with my brother, although he might have to leave his fatter, older, slower brother behind. . . .

Isle du Bois 50K race report

Pacing.  It's all about pacing.  After my highly successful run at White Rock on Sunday, where I ran a negative split, I thought maybe I would have learned my lesson about pacing.  For this 50K, I would hold back for the first couple laps and blaze to the finish on the last lap.  Instead, I ran my usual trail ultra, feeling good at first, gradually getting to the point of wanting to quit the stupid race, then feeling great for having finished.

This was the debut race for Endurance Buzz Adventures, put on by Dave Hanenburg of EnduranceBuzz.com.  I had never run at Isle du Bois and for some odd reason I was picturing a relatively easy course.  It turned out to be similar to the Cross Timbers course at Lake Texoma, although not quite as tough as that.  I would place it at tougher than Lake Grapevine's north shore, where I ran the Rockledge Rumble a few weeks ago.  Slightly more ups and downs, many more technical sections, and way more lose, pointy rocks.  Thankfully I never fell, but one runner I talked to had already fallen 6 times--on lap 1!  And check out this runner's busted lip! (Go to Julie's blog here and scroll to the bottom.)

I started out hanging around the back of the pack.  I thought I might replicate my White Rock strategy--start out in back, so I'm passing and not being passed.  That's probably a dumb strategy.  I passed a few people early, then fell in behind a small group of runners, including a lady named Chris and a guy with a mohawk.  I ran with them for a few miles, but at the aid station, halfway through the loop, I left before them and felt like I picked up the pace a little.  I finished the first loop in 2:00:46, feeling like I could keep that up and beat my Rockledge time (6:50).

Loop 2 started out well.  I was thinking negative splits, passing and not being passed.  I managed to keep a pretty good pace the first half of the loop, but after the aid station I slowed down, feeling like 2 loops would be plenty today.  After White Rock, my soreness and stiffness was gone by midweek, but the latent muscle fatigue began to rear its ugly head right about now.  Chris, who had been in sight most of the second lap, finally passed me shortly before we got back to the start/finish area.  I finished the second lap at 4:13:36.  Not a negative split, but still not so bad; loop 2 was .4 mile longer, after all.

I filled up my hydration pack--no cups at this eco-friendly race!--and got a snack to head out for the third loop.  I knew at this point that a negative split was out of the question, shortly gave up on beating my Rockledge time, and ended up just wishing to finish, to get off this trail and back home.  The field was so spread out by this time that I saw very few other runners.  One way-too-perky-after-having-run-23-miles lady passed me up, looking fresh like she was on her first lap.  A runner named Bill caught up to me with a few miles left and we crossed the line together at 7:17:31.

This is one race where I'm glad I didn't run in my VFFs.  Not knowing the trail at all, I chose to wear my NB MT101s.  There were some really nice sections of dirt, but with the sharp rocks, and with lots and lots of dead leaves masking the lurking obstacles, my feet would have been thoroughly bruised and bloodied by the end of the day if I had worn the Vibrams.

Dave deserves praise for putting on a first-class trail race.  Of course, the weather cooperated beautifully, which helps, but he busted his tail to make the rest of it fall into place.  Everything ran nicely, the support was perfect, and, as best I could tell, everyone had a good time.  I hope IDB becomes a staple of the North Texas race calendar.

Boring post, right?  No pictures.  Check out these other blogs for some great pics of the day.  You might even see a picture of me if you look hard enough!

Julie, who busted her lip.

The Trail Zombie.

And Dave, the RD, will surely post some good pics at EnduranceBuzz.com.

Rockledge Rumble Race Report

Today the North Texas Trail Runners put on one of their flagship races of the year, the 16th annual Rockledge Rumble.  This race and NTTR are well intertwined in their respective histories.  As is the tradition, the Rumble is run around Veterans Day, with a theme of honoring America's veterans.

So starting with the most important part of the day, Tom Crull, race director, led us in the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, then introduced veterans who had come out for the race.  Today we were honored to be joined by veterans who served during WW2, one guy who returned from Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago, and many in between.  I can't help but be moved thinking about the sacrifices they and their families made serving our country, and thinking about the many men and women who don't come home.  And of course I remember my grandfather's proud service during WW2 and my father's service in the Navy.  Running a trail race seems so insignificant in light of their service, but the freedom to enjoy such hobbies and other pleasures of life is one reason they fight.  Thanks to all our veterans!

Granddaddy and Dad with the Mastin boys at Granddaddy's 95th birthday party.
I probably should have a picture of them in uniform, but I don't think I do.

I started out hoping to finish in under 6 hours.  I thought it was doable.  Two weeks ago I ran a little over 20 miles in 4 hours on the same course, so I figured if I could improve on that pace just a bit, I could do it.  I was on pace for a while, finishing 20 miles in about 3 minutes under 4 hours, and keeping that pace for another couple of miles to the 22 mile turnaround.  But after that aid station stop, starting out on the final loop, I knew I didn't have a 6 hour finish in me.  The first 22 miles, I averaged well under 12 minutes per mile.  The last 10 miles, I think I averaged over 15 minutes per mile.  Not so great.  So my finish was nearly 7 hours: 6:50:56 (39/76 overall, 13/15 40-49M).

Of course, trail running is not all about the times.  (At least for me; I know I'll never be a front runner, unlike Matt, who won the whole enchilada for the second consecutive year!  Way to go Matt!)  Trail running, for me, is about running in a beautiful setting and pushing my body harder than I normally do.

Lake Grapevine's north shore has awesome single track.  The shade was welcome today.

It's also about the people.  I got to run with Dave, who I run into frequently at these races and whose always interesting blog I read.  I ran into Andy from Abilene, whom I met at Run from the Ducks last year.  Mike was there, not running after having run at Cactus Rose 2 weeks ago, but his greeting at the finish was most welcome.  T. O. finished a few minutes behind me (he passed me late, then took a wrong turn), but while I will hardly be able to walk tomorrow, he'll probably be running the Fort Worth Marathon.  I finally met Dave from endurancebuzz.com face to face.  There were lots of familiar faces and friends.  The trail running community is a lot of fun to be around and at every race or club run I meet new folks and catch up with others.  All in all, a well-spent day!

Char and Fred, President and First Gentleman of NTTR.

Races coming up . . .

I've been a little light on racing this year, but I plan to rectify that soon.  If you follow my Daily Mile entries, you may have noticed I'm on a streak: 54 days in a row of running every day.  I've been following a training plan pretty closely, working toward Rockledge Rumble and White Rock.  Besides those 2, I have a couple more on the calendar.

This weekend is the Rugged and Raw 20K.  It's at Lake Grapevine north shore, same trails as RLR, so it will be a good warm-up run for the Rumble.  Plus, it's benefiting a cool charity called Back On My Feet, which starts running clubs for homeless people.  Check out their site and story.


Next is the Rockledge Rumble 50K, also at Lake Grapevine.  I have wanted to run this race, sponsored by North Texas Trail Runners, but if it's on a Baylor football weekend, I skip it.  This year Baylor has a road game on that day, at Kansas, so I'm running.  It's not the easiest place to run, but it should be considerably easier than the Toughest in Texas 50K I ran in Waco's Cameron Park last year.


I figured, since I'm going to be in shape for the Rumble anyway, and since I've run it the last 3 years, I might as well run the White Rock Marathon.  Yes, it's a crowded road marathon on city streets, pavement all the way, but going for 4 in a row, and trying to improve on my time from last year will make it fun.

For these first three, I'm signed up and ready to go.  Now I have to decide whether to sign up for a new race in the area, the Isle du Bois Trail Run at Ray Roberts Lake State Park.  This one was announced right after I signed up for White Rock, or I might have skipped WR altogether.  So, will I run WR, then 6 days later run the IDB 50K?  Or run the 10 mile?  Or should I go volunteer at an aid station?  Or just sleep in?  I don't know yet. . . .

As for 2012, I don't know that, either.  Will 2012 be my year to tackle a 100 miler?  Get another couple of 50 milers under by belt?  Hit a mountain run in the summer?  There are lots and lots of miles to be run. . . .

Running Man with a Plan

I have finally put together my training plan for Rockledge Rumble and White Rock.  Since WR is 3 weeks after RLR, I decided to treat RLR as my last long run before the marathon.  I used the training calculator on runnersworld.com, and am not completely happy with the result, but I think I can work with it.  The time goals are pretty ambitious, as I used my 2009 WR time (3:35) as the starting point.  It's been a while since I've run that fast.  I have also substituted a 3 mile easy run for the 2 rest days each week, in the interest of keeping up my streak (17 days so far).

With the ambitious time goals, I am sure I won't meet them, like today.  I set out to run a tempo run at a sub-8 pace, as prescribed here.  I knew I couldn't run that fast, so decided to shoot for mid-8's.  After a mile of that I was about out of gas, so I just finished 5 miles at an easier pace.  We'll see how intervals go next week.  I figure if I can get most of these miles in, at progressively faster times each week, I will do OK at these races.

Upping the ante: White Rock IV

I wrote the other day that I had signed up for the Rockledge Rumble in November to get myself back in training for racing mode.  I decided that even though I had sort of sworn off road racing, since presumably I would be in decent shape for the Rumble, I might as well pound the pavement with 30,000 of my closest friends 3 weeks later in Dallas.  Tomorrow the entry fee goes up $25, so I decided to take the plunge.

Now I really have to get serious about training.  For the last 2 years, I have run with the 3:20 pace group.  In both cases, I stayed with the group for the first half, then slowed down, finishing in 3:35 and 3:57.  I don't think I'll be able to get to a 3:20 pace by December, so on my race registration, I put in my predicted finish at 3:59.  Surely I can get in under 4 hours again.

I have a ways to go to even get that fast.  I have run 5 miles each of the past 3 mornings at around an 11 min/mile pace.  For a run like that, I should be running 8 or 9.  We'll see if I have it in me.  Cooler temperatures will help, as will quitting my Dr Pepper habit.

New race, new motivation

This is not a good pattern.  Shortly after the Toughest in Texas 50K in March, I went about 5 weeks without running.  Since the Capt'n Karl's 30K at Inks Lake last month, it's been about 6 weeks since I have run.  Not good.  I have to get back on a schedule.  When I put together a running plan in anticipation of a race, I don't always stick to it, but at least it gives me some goals and motivation. 

So last week I signed up for the Rockledge Rumble 50K.  I guess I'd better start logging some miles!  I am looking forward to the Rumble, the premier race put on by NTTR.  I have run many times at the north shore of Lake Grapevine, but never in a race.  It's only 12 weeks away, so I'd better work on a training plan and start putting in my miles!