15K – Big Guy Hiking

Frisco Trail Race 15K

One of my last two races before a seven week race break. This race was held in Frisco, TX and will be the last race at the Northeast Community park. In the fall the park will be a golf course. I am not a golfer so I think it is a waste of space. The trails are nice and not too technical. The main use of the park is as a mountain bike trail and green space. This is also a race in which I chose the longest distance offered. I usually do a shorter distance but I wanted to test myself to see if I could not come in last.

The race started at 6:45 in the morning so the temperature was not too bad but the humidity was still quite high. We were lucky that most of the time at the race we had mostly cloudy overcast. It was good because there was little tree cover on the course. I started in the back like I always do but immediately moved passed a few people. I found a good pace group and stayed with them for a few miles. It was a group of five and the lead runner was Amber. I did not get the names of the other runners.

About 3 miles later it was just Amber and I. We picked up two more runners but they also dropped off the back. Amber said she was keeping a 13 minute mile pace but was actually going about 11 minute mile pace. We ran together to about the seven mile mark and she said she was going to pick up the pace to the end. I wished her luck and thanked her for pacing. I could not keep up.

At about little over a mile to go the 15K and 10K courses merge. I got into another group of five to get to the finish line. This group ran at a random pace going fast than walking and passing each other every few minutes. I kept a steady pace and then in the last half mile or so just took off. I passed the 10K runners and dropped the entire group and finished quite fast for my speed. I had a very good time for myself at a 1:48:49 15K. I felt good afterwards and finished right before the clouds vanished and the sun was blaring.Back of the pack startAmber setting a fast paceThe aid station where I got droppedMe dropping some people before running solo.

This was suppose to be my last race but I signed up for a 10K just because.

Another Top Ten List:Most Difficult Races of 2018

I have been asked the same question over and over again lately. What has been your favorite race so far in 2018? I was thinking that this list is going to be the same as my most difficult races of the year. The list is the same except for one race. The most difficult race did not make my favorite race list. I decided to do the most difficult list and wait on my favorite list. So far this year I have done every race distance I have wanted to do except one. My 50K is this weekend and then I have a couple more races planned to end the year with 25 races. I have done a 5K, 5 miler/8K, 10K, 15K, 20K, 25K and a 1/2 Marathon all on trails. I have done races in freezing weather and snow. I have done races in unbearable heat and humidity and pouring rain. The views from some of these courses have been absolutely breathtaking. All the races and training has been leading up to this weekend’s 50K. The following 10 races as difficult as they were are going to make this weekend easier but not easy.

10. The Wild Canyon Ultra 10K in Caprock Canyon State Park-The rain made the course wet and slick. The course was hilly and rugged but manageable to run. The views were by far the most impressive.

9. Rugged and Raw 10K at the Cedar Ridge Preserve-The preserve is my training ground and I am there about 3 times a week. A race here is just different. The trails are difficult on a normal day but this was a particularly warm and humid day.

8. Rough Creek 10K at Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, TX-This race is well known for the Rusty Crown. It is a torcherous uphill that is a definite leg killer. If that is not bad enough a steep downhill that tends to sends running crashing to the ground.

7. Down N Dirty 8K at Cameron Park-I ran this race last year not knowing how hilly the course was going to be. I was not surprised this year and it still kicked my butt. The last climb after the 5 mile mark is the one that gets me.

6. Cross Timbers 5 Miler off of Lake Texoma-The rain made this course a muddy mess. This is one of the more technical courses but with the pouring rain it was down right impossible to run. The views were nice when the sun finally came out but it was a beatdown of a race.

5. DanMan 1/2 Marathon in Oklahoma-I wanted to get this distance done this year and nothing was going to stop me. I ran in freezing temperatures, rain, snow and mud. I finished and was ten minutes ahead of my predicted time. The course was not too tough but the elements made it a doozy. I only got half of the elevation profile.

4. Ragnar Trail Relay in Comfort, TX-The three courses were difficult but once again rain was what made this a difficult race. The 7.5 and 3 mile courses were not too bad but the 5 mile course was treacherous. It was by far the most technical and I had to run it night with bad lighting.

3. Chupacabra 15K at Cameron Park-This is another race at Cameron Park but the start/finish is at the bottom. The course is relentless. It is always going up or down or a switchback. There is not a straight or level part on the entire course. It slowly wears a runner down.

2. Mount Magazine in Arkansas-They lure you in with a free race then you realize it is a trap. The heat and humidity were way too high for that early in the morning. The course was probably the most beautiful and dangerous. The cliffs are unforgiving and the climbs last for miles.

Pineywoods Ultra 25K at Tyler State Park-I did not think I was going to finish this race. Another rain soaked race with high humidity and muddy trails. The distance was the longest race to date but I fell apart well before the finish. My legs gave out and I finished, barely. The race was not that technical or difficult but it was just one of those races where nothing went right.

The biggest factor in making these races difficult besides the elevation changes was the the muddy courses and high humid temperatures. The good thing is that these races make me prepared for anything. I like the weather prediction for the 50K. It is supposed to be sunny and dry with a temperature range between 46 and 62. Hopefully the 50K will not make this list but the list of one my favorite races of the year.

See ya on the trails.

Chupacabra 15K

I love running races in Waco. I appreciate the difficulty of the courses and the friendly atmosphere. Waco Striders Running Club host four trail races each year and as a group they are called the Huaco Cuatro. This was my second year finishing all four races. This year I decided to do the max distance in all four races. The first two races were 5 milers that are always longer than 5 miles. The third race was a 10K which has been an accurate distance. The Chupacabra 15K was a distance I no idea what to expect. The 5K last year was a bit long but nothing unexpected. I ran several distances around the 10 mile range so a 15K was not going to be an extraordinarily long distance. The terrain in which this particular 15K was held is a different story. Running in Cameron Park is difficult but with high humidity and heavy rain before the race made it extremely tough. I would compare this 15K to a hard 1/2 marathon on the trails. I actually finish my trail half marathon faster and finished a mountain 20K in about the same time. This was a tough race. I actually spent part of the race in last place. I am not the fastest but I am competitive enough not to be last. I finished with a not so great time but just finishing was good enough on that day. I liked the post race breakfast tacos, always a good race when tacos are involved. I will be back next year to conquer this race. The race medal(wood) was awesome.The Huaco Cuatro completed once again.The flooding on the side of the road on the way home during the second round of showers that day.

Next up is a bucket list race I finally will run.

Grasshopper and Gorilla 9 Miler

I ran this race awhile back and just now getting to blog about it. This was as odd race with a non traditional distance. The race was to help out a local running club. I was lured to the race because of the location of the race. The race was on the southside of Grapevine Lake on the Horseshoe Trail. I have been running on the northside of the lake for a little over a year so the other side was a nice change. The course had a few good views of the lake and it was relatively flat and fast. The course also had a loop within a loop and with the nine mile distance made things confusing. I, of course, got lost on the course and passed an aid station five times. I was relieved at the end of the race that I was not the only one who got lost. I talked to five other people who got lost on different parts of the trail. I ended going about ten miles and the last mile was on the road. This was my logged in 15K. It took me 2:15:48 to complete and I averaged 14 minutes per mile. I liked my time due to the heat and humidity that day and I was just released to run by my doctor three days prior.