This is the post excerpt.
This my blog enjoy stay awhile. I will be as entertaining as possible with stories and pictures in the blog section and videos under the other stuff section. Mostly I will chronicle my adventures to becoming a hiker as a sidebar to trail running. Hopefully I will have a before and after weight lose story also.
Rails to Trails 100K race recap:
I will start with a course description. We start in a medium town and run south to a very small town then continue to small town. After that we continue south to a smallish town then proceed to an extremely small town and turnaround and head north back to the original medium town. We do that for 62 miles with a little less than 900 feet of elevation gain. The course views were mainly flat farmland in Kansas. Lots of cows but a did see a combine actually moving. I did like the tree lined course though. The weather was perfect. It started out in the 30s but never made it out of the low 60s. The sun was shining and there was very little wind. I could not have asked for a better day.
Pictures from the smallish town and the trees around the trail.
Now for my crew. They were awesome. Not one of them is an ultra runner and only two are regular runners. I worked with two of them for a combined 30+ years and the other two are family members in addition to being great friends. We had fun learning what to do on the fly. I was mostly confused on what I needed when I needed it. They were there doing everything necessary to keep me moving and well supported. My pacers were the only reason I finished. At times we did not see people for hours, when the sun went down I would not have made it by myself in the dark. I have praised this magnificent group in other forums and I cannot say enough about how grateful I am of them. 
These are the best four people I could have ever asked to finish this journey with me.
How I got to this point. I want to thank North Texas Trail Runners for being the first group to get me to run more than a 5K on the trails. Dallas Dirt Runners (D.D.R.) this group put the idea in my mind that I can something this crazy. If I named all the individuals it be pages of praise. I am going to single out Ray Liberatore for being a person who not matter how a feel just talking to him calms me down and gives me confidence in my abilities. My Wednesday running group: Kenny Hallman, Darren Beck, Dennis Starkey and Noemi Moreno Lusk to name a few. Those Wednesday night runs with this group are must do runs. I will drop a few more names Agustin Negrete, Nikki Davis and Elisa Norman, I have not run with these three much lately but they have inspired me to run far, faster and do stupid things.
I had to find some fun in this longest of long runs.
I am happy to have buckled the eff up with a 100K. I have regained the ability to walk somewhat normal as of now. The chaffing is not as bad as I thought it would be. I am having trouble standing and sitting but it is just sore muscles. I also have some mystery bruises. I am overall elated and feel accomplished. I finally feel like I am somewhat of an ultra runner. Bonus information, I finished in a time of 15:06:47. I was trying for 14 but this is good time for me. I took second in my age group and yes there were more than two of us in my age group. Lastly, I finished in the top half overall.
It was a long training season but worth it. I had some ups and downs but mostly good times. I had two DNFs in training races and literally had wasps flying out of my shorts in a training run. I had a hard time sitting after that incident. I also made some great friends on the trails and my last to lead up training races I set all sorts of personal best. While in Kansas, I had to get some Kansas City beer for the celebration.
One more thing on the Kansas trip, I drove through the Flint Hills section of Kansas. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I can’t explain it. It is simply rolling hills but so much more. I can’t wait to run a marathon out there. Sorry for the no pictures on this section.
The best part of the weekend was my son graduating from the fire academy.
This ends my journey to a 100K. I miss hiking so much. I am going to take some time off from trail running and get back to hiking once my legs are stable.
Can you say flat and fast. The course is a very flat rail trail. Just like last week it was on the NETT(Northeast Texas Trail). I did the far east Texas section last week and the northeast section this week. This part of the trail is really well taken care of. The trail is a mixture of crushed gravel and concrete. It had a some elevation gain but nothing to difficult. The trail was easy to run but it is a multi use trail. The multi use part is not always a great thing. It is used by runners, hikers, bikers and equestrian. The latter is the problem in more than one way. The horses poop on the trail and I guess the riders are not responsible for the poop like dog owners. Horse poop comes into play later in the recap.
The race started at 8 AM and the temperature was in the high 50s but quickly rose into the 70s. These temperatures are about 15-20 degrees higher than I like but they felt good. There was a light breeze the entire time. The first half was a tailwind and the turnaround change direction into a headwind. The trees did a decent job of blocking the wind without a greenhouse effect. As you can see this was not a point to point like last week, but an out and back. The aid stations were good but nothing special. I stopped at one to get some gatorade but as soon as I started to drink the volunteer said it was pickle juice. Too late, I had already taken it like a shot. Pickle juice is nasty by the way. The only other adventure in this race was a copperhead on the trail. I was running at a speedy pace and thought to myself more darn horse poop on the trail. I made the usual side step to avoid it but at the last moment I realized it was a small copperhead. I must of scared it because this was the first time a snake lounged at me. I was hoping National Geographics is correct by stating a human’s reflexes are faster than a snake’s. I do not know if this is always correct but it was in my case. Or maybe I just jumped higher and longer than the length of the snake. Funny thing is that I was so pumped up that the “snake” mile was the fastest mile I ran.
After the race, there were brats to eat and beer to drink. They also had chips and cookies and some good music. People stayed around to socialize more than usual but the race was a small race so not too many people. The day was perfect for a festival type atmosphere.
This was supposed to be a double race recap but I did not put in an official loop at Dirt and Vert. I did run two loops at Sister Grove but Nikki and Michael took up my slack. I did try to get there as fast as I could run and drive. I set more personal best times but this time I felt good afterwards. No leg soreness and still ready to run. Plus this is the first time I finished in the top half of a race this long. Supposedly 80+ people ran the half and I was 37th and 3rd in my age group.
On a day when some amazing feats were accomplished, I ran a half marathon. A flat and fast trail half marathon. The ease of the course did not diminish the difficulty of the run for me. I did not run a 100 miler I had No Business running(see what I did there) or run a mind boggling time in a marathon. What I did do is set a personal goal and run my butt off. I still get inspired by those running their 1st 5K to those who crank out a 100. Each runner has a breaking point and to see them pass it is amazing.
It was a small race and I am the tall guy in the grey hat.
I am focused going in that straight line.
This race was located in New Boston, TX and was on the NETT(Northeast Texas Trail) which is 130 miles long. The race was a point to point from DeKalb to New Boston. I was expecting an extremely flat course with crushed gravel and some road. I was wrong, like usual. The course was more like a cross country course. Little to no crushed gravel and a bunch of grass and some muddy sections. Plus for a rail course it had some surprising elevation. The footing was tricky on parts of the course and slipping in the mud was a possibility. The best thing was the temperature. The race started with a 36 degree temperature and a finishing temperature in the mid to upper 40s. It was sunny and for most of the race there was a slight head wind. The wind picked up near the end but nothing too bad. I love running in that type of weather.
Sun has risen and time to run
The course was a straight line out of one small town through another town and finishing in another small town. The course featured the usual sights in east Texas small towns. A few barns, farms and ranches. Plenty of flat land that had miles of visibility. The last three miles were on concrete with a slight downhill finish. There were plenty of aid stations and potties along the course with enthusiastic volunteers. At the finish you were treated to a fajita chicken taco bar, all sorts of beverages and cookies.
Finishing section in New Boston downtown.
I wanted to do a few of things during this race. I wanted to run the entire race without walking. I did that except for one restroom break but I ran in and out. I wanted to run a consistent pace. I did that. All miles were in the 10 minute range except two. The last mile and a third was under 10 minute pace and the restroom break was 7 seconds over the 10 minute range. Lastly I wanted to run a sub 2:30. I had an official time of 2:20:10 but my actual half marathon was 2:17:21. I set 5 new personal best but STRAVA has them as 2nd best due to a car incident.
10:36 pace is good for me.
It was a good experience and a valuable training run. My legs are sore since I never done some of things I accomplished at this race.
I am liking these times.
Next up is another half marathon on the NETT in Farmersville, TX.
I did not have a race last weekend. I have two half marathons in the next two weekends. Both are rail trail races, they mimic the look of the 100K . I have really ramped up my running on relatively flat trails. I have also started again with tire pulls. The 22 pound tire really is a tough workout. I have been doing hills with the tire and then small hills the next day. The rest of the week I will go to Trinity Groves.
Trinity Groves flat and fast
I will also throw in a bonus Sunday run on trails that are runnable but have some little hills. I have also been trying not to run stupid but it not working out. I still start way to fast and hang on to a finish. 
The temperatures have dropped about 15 degrees and I have been running well. I guess all the summer heat training is paying off. I did something earlier this week I have never done before. I ended a run with negative splits. The problem is that the pace was still too fast. I was trying to do 13 minute miles for 10 miles. I went out too fast and settled for 9 miles.
Negative splits for 8 miles
I will try again for the 13 minute mile pace. I have developed a race plan though. I am going to try to do 13 minute miles for the first 31 miles. The next 17 miles just try to hold that for as long as I can do it. The last 14 miles I am going to drop the hammer and try not to go over 16 minute miles. If all goes right and the temps stay low I might be able to get done in 14 hours. If I have a good average race I should be able to finish in 15 hours. If all else fails it is going to be a long day and a half.
I want to start off by offering prayers and condolences to the runner and his family that was struck by lightning and killed during the race. It was difficult for me to write a running recap of this race due to this tragedy.
I have always wanted to run a race with a tight cutoff time. I did not expect this to be that race. I thought with 10 hrs for a 50K would not be that bad. My very first 50K was under 9 hrs. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. I know that about 179 runners registered for the race. I do not know how many actually started but only 103 had finishing times. I was planning to get pictures on the way back but that did not workout. I do not know where to start.
The course was tough. Let me restate this, it was the toughest most unique course I have ever been on. There are parts of the course, as a hiker, I would not even think of hiking. I got close to 1400′ of elevation gain in the first 25K. It is less than Piney Woods but much more difficult. I guess the easiest way to explain this course is this way. It is a mixture of Colorado Bend SP with the rocks, Cleburne SP with the short steep hills, Lake Mineral Wells SP with the squeezing and climbing crevices then throw in some Arkansas cliffs and Louisiana low land terrain. The lack of wind made it a sauna the entire time. Mind you it never got above 83 degrees but the humidity was about 67%. The funny thing was people at the start complaining how hot it was going to get and might reach 85. I was laughing to myself thinking I have not had one run in months that low.
The elevation profile is deceiving and hides the difficulty of the course.
I tried not to run stupid from the start. I took it easy at the beginning. It turns out that was the wrong strategy. I should have ran hard at the beginning and at every possible place I could have run. I did not think the hills were going to be that technical. I am talking hands on ground going up and down these hills. Did I mention two ladders on the course? Plus water crossings and mud. It had not rained in awhile and the course was mostly dry but every “obstacle” was extreme. The course went down into a basin of a waterfall.
I got to the turnaround 10 minutes past the cutoff. I changed into dry clothes and did the math on making the finish cutoff. I could drop three minutes per mile on the way back and make the cutoff. I was feeling pretty good. My legs were fine and I was hydrated and ate properly during the first half. I was not low on energy but something in my mind said do not go back out. The clouds were breaking up and the sun was out so I was not worried about rain. Several others decided to try their luck and return and they looked much worse off than I. The volunteer asked two more times if I was going back out and I finally said I am done. I truly believe in divine intervention and I know that is the reason I did not try to finish the race.
The rain eventually came and it was heavy but it did not stay around for long. I would have got caught in it more than likely on one of the more runnable sections of the course. I think I could have made the 10 hr time limit but it would have been close and not very fun in the rain and on a wet course. This was also the time the tragedy struck. The runner was a quarter of a mile from the finish line.
I am leaning on doing it again next year. I am going to run my usual dumb race because I know I will not be able to keep up a fast pace for more than two miles at a time before something slows me down. So if anybody wants to run the most amazing course you will ever run, I am willing to do it again. On a positive note, I wish I had gotten some pictures because the course had so many picturesque places and features. I was awestruck running the course.
BTW, my legs are still sore.
Let me rehash a bit about the race. I ran this race last year in preparation for my first 50K. The race kicked my butt and I almost quit running. I had such a tough time finishing last year and it was not fun suffering on the course. I barely finished and a month later finished my first 50K in bad shape but better that Piney Woods.
Fast forward to this year’s race. I did not die or feel dead and I finished. I actually finished 50 minutes faster this year than last year and still could not find the finish line without help. Thanks to the volunteer or I would still be looking for the finish 5 feet away. We did not have the torrential rains from so that helped out a bunch.
I am guessing the course was the same as last year but the aid stations seemed to be in different places. I could be wrong. The hills seemed longer and also more of them on the course. The weather was better even with the high humidity. As usual the trees provided plenty of shade early but had a greenhouse effect as the temperature rose. There was little to no breeze all morning. Did I mention more hills? It was about 1500 feet of elevation gain over the 25K. The roots were also a bit bigger this year but the rocks stayed the same. The course for the 25K was two loops of 7.75 miles. I know I ran the same loop twice but the second loop seemed to have more downhills. Also the second loop seemed to be the faster loop although I was about 10 minutes slower.
I would consider this a successful race even though I was about 20 minutes slower than my predicted time. I had plenty of help from the great volunteers and others I talked to on the course. I would like to apologize to all the people I met in previous races and said “hey you ran in … race remember me?” I say yes but I really don’t, I am terrible with remembering people while running during a race. I will remember the couple from Wisconsin and my campsite neighbors in the mini camper. They were very nice people I talked to before, during and after the race. 
I like getting to run with fun people at fun places.
The people
The place
This race was once again a prep race race for a 50K. This time it was a week before not a month. I am off to Kansas to do their oldest and hilliest trail 50K.
This nomination comes much to my amazement. My writing skills are not great so I guess the pictures are bailing me out. I was nominated by Margaret and Neal Wandering Together which by the way is an excellent blog. Please go check them out and if you do not like what they are blogging I will refund no money. Trust me you will like it. I am glad that some people actually like what I do and where I go. Thank you for the nomination.
Here are the rules:
The Sunshine Blogger Award is all about the Rule of 11s, so here we go!
The 11 questions Margaret and Neal asked me, and my answers, are:
The 11 blogs I nominate are:
And here are our 11 questions for you guys:
Thank you again Margaret and Neal and looking forward to the responses.
I did not have a training trail race this weekend, so I went to a brewery. My training is going well, I think. I really will not know until I finish the 50K in two weeks. This upcoming week I have a 25K that almost retired me last year. I am on pace to get 200 miles this month. I have had some soreness in my hips and knee, so I trying to find out if I am going to far too soon. A coach in my running group said I needed to take 48 hours off from running and give my body some rest. It was hard after finding some new routes on different trails. 
Crazy look on Big Cedar Trail
Running on Big Cedar trail and taking sharp turns
View of Joe Pool Lake from the trails of Cedar Hill State Park
Woodsy section of Cedar Hill SP
Prairie part of Cedar Hill SP
Still a forest in Cedar Hill SP
I decided to use my 48hrs off by going to a semi local brewery. I really like this place after one visit. The selection of beer is just enough to cover all the bases but not overwhelming. The atmosphere was laid back but enough noise to be interesting. I, of course, got the hefeweizen and it was fantastic. My favorite was the John Hancock Lager. It is a dark and smooth lager that was very drinkable. They also had a small BBQ stand inside the biergarten which was nice. They had board games and plenty of TVs so we were thoroughly entertained for hours.
Outside
Inside
My first flight
BBQ sandwich with a John Hancock
My wife beating me in Star Wars trivia.
I did kick her butt in checkers 3x. I am now back to more serious training with just six weeks left till the 100K. Nothing better than a trails and ales break.
The race was located in Erick, OK at Sandy Sanders Wildlife Area in western Oklahoma. I was drawn in by background picture of a canyon trail. The picture was very accurate. The views were awesome. They were the best part of the race and a reason to run it again. The run was not particularly crowded also. Plus they had port o potties with showers.
Early start of the race
Sun rising over the plains
The course was mainly jeep trail and no shade to be had the entire race. The course covered from canyon rim down into canyon basin and back up several times. The 25K was a 16.2 mile loop with just under 1400 feet of elevation gain. There were four aid stations along the way strategically place at the top of some very steep and long climbs. A switchback or two would not have hurt. Most of the hills were straight up and only one had the benefit of switchbacks.
View over the canyon
The 25K, 50K and 50 miler started at 7 AM and it was a cool low humidity morning but it was hot around 9:30 AM and I do not believe the aid stations were prepared for the type of heat that was coming later in the day. I was worried about fellow DDR because he was doing the 50 miler in 100 degree heat. The aid stations were not like Habanero i.e. ice was not plentiful.
Looking for shade
Shade in the canyon basin
As for myself, I ran at a good steady pace the entire race. The hills kept me from going to fast out of the gate. STRAVA says I ran my third fastest 1/2 marathon. I was surprised since there was a bunch of elevation on this course. I finished in a good time of 3:33:23 and 21st out of 47. I rarely finish in the top half of a race this distance. The longer runners did not fare as well. One of the 50K and one of the 50 miler runners dropped down to 25K. Of the 16 runners that started the 50 miler only 6 finished and 9 dropped down to the 50K.
Start/Finish line
On a side note, I would usually take my camper out to the races. I decided to get a hotel because I thought it would be to hot to stay in without electricity. It was cool enough over night not to have electricity and the hotel was a nightmare. First, the shower did not work and did not find out until the morning of the race and was up to late to do anything about it. Secondly, I saw what I believe was blood splatter on the drapes. Oh crap there was blood spots on the drapes. I finally got the shower to work by almost ripping the handle off the wall. I went across the street to get disinfectant for the room because of blood splatter on the drapes. The TV malfunctioned and I had to fix it, I did not to not have TV with blood on the drapes. I will be using my camper from here on out.
I had a time at this race. Blaze Trail Running put on a great race. The course was sneaky difficult but was set up with so many great views. The loops with in the course intentionally went to bluffs overlooking the Texas hill country. The volunteers were awesome and the parking set up is a detail that usually gets forgotten but it was great. Plus grilling at the finish line. Not many races have a person grilling hot dogs and hamburgers at the finish line, a nice touch. The race was fairly local so a bunch of trail runners I run with during the week were there running or volunteering. 
Parking right by the start/finish
The race itself caught me by surprise. I did not think it would be relatively easy but it was hillier than I thought. The race starting temperature was great but the humidity was in the upper 80s. As the race went on the humidity dropped but the temperature rose. You got to love running in Texas in August. The location was at Six-0 Ranch in Cleburne, Tx which about 45 minutes southwest of the Fort Worth. The ranch is beautiful and a great place for this race. It is also a working ranch so cows were roaming around and leaving fresh patties. 
Morning sky
The course was set up to go about 3.5 miles slightly downhill then 7 miles with significant elevation gain and finishing with a 3 mile downhill run with a quick uphill at the end. Within the first mile I heard yelling and looked back to see what all the commotion was about, a herd of cows were sprinting between a pack of runners and people were trying to get out of the way. No one got hurt but those cows were moving very fast and way too close for comfort. About 4.5 miles in we got to the lake, the first of many scenic areas. We looped the lake which prior to running here I thought was odd but I understood why they made the course this way.
The lake on one side
This view on the other side
Seven miles in I was drenched. Not normal drenched but shoes and socks puddles drenched. I was properly hydrated but I was hungry but not hungry. It is hard to explain but I was so hungry but I did not want to eat. It is a problem I have running when I am going longer distances. I have to force myself to eat during these runs or hit a wall near the end due to lack of nutrition. I make it to the aid station at 9.5 miles and refilled my drink and just get some watermelon, big mistake. This was another place on the course where there was an awkward place to put a loop. But the view added by having the loop was worth it.
One of my favorite views from the course
After the aid station there was still a but of hill climbing to do. The downhill started fast and furious as did my demise. I was holding a 12:20 mile pace until this point. I ran into the wall and my pace jumped up. I ended with an average above 14 minutes per mile. Unlike last race I somewhat expected this to happen at sometime. I have been losing weight and not taking in as many calories as I need for a race this long. My finishing time of 3:12:17 was a little disappointing but considering the course difficulty and am not that unhappy. 
I like the windmill and I do believe that was one of the hills on the course
One of the few areas of tree cover
Struggling up the hill
I do not have many pictures of me having fun when running but the Dallas Dirt Runners caught me having fun and turned it into a meme. My fellow runner is Sue Fee.
We were nowhere near the finish line at this point.
A good time was had by all and next week it is a 25K in Oklahoma.
Big Guy Hiking 