2/24/13
Cowtown 50k
Its been 4 years since i've ventured off the trail and back onto the road. i've been craving a road race this past year for who knows what reason. i wanted to be a better "runner" then just seeing how fast i can run up and down hills or through rock littered trails. up until '09 i was a straight road runner. never touched a trail in my life. in January '10 i did the bandera 50k and i sucked at it since i had never run off road before. i guess i didn't learn my lesson and i signed up for hells hills 50 miler 3 months later and still only trained on roads. since that race in April 2010 i haven't done a long run or race on roads since. i've been wondering if i've lost my speed on roads or not. not that i was ever that fast on roads. (3:08 marathoner and never really raced a half or 10k on road) i figured i had lost some speed since i usually run a comfortable pace on roads and nothing more. ever. but i wondered if my endurance and fitness would allow me to run a faster marathon time.
this wasn't the best test in the world since i didn't really specifically train for it. no im not making excuses that i didn't train, but i was wanting to at least focus a little bit on it and do some sort of long run on the roads or some speed training of some sort. i ran hurt 100 5 weeks ago and i haven't really done much since. just relaxing and some running here and there.
about 3 or 4 days before the race i got motivated again and was feeling good. i decided it may be fun to give it a go but i changed my mind about 300 times since i didn't really want to drop 140 bucks on a race that i was pretty sure would turn into a suffer fest. and that it did.
the day before i asked some fb friends if they were running it and since i opened my mouth i guess there was no turning back. i signed up at the expo got my road shoes ready. (same road shoes as my 08-09 road races) my original goal was a sub 3:45 (7:15 pace). since i didn't feel like i was in shape to go for that i upped it to 3:53 (7:30 pace). i figured i would start out at about a 7:25 pace and see what happened.
i stuffed 4 gu's inside the pouch of my bottle and 4 gu's inside my shorts and was ready to go. i figured stopping once or twice to refill a bottle was a hell of a lot more convenient then trying to grab those little ass cups from the sidelines. my girlfriend and i walked from her apartment over to the start and got ready to go. she was doing the half and aiming for 2 hours so she lined up next to the 4 hour marathon pace group. i wiggled my way through the people and got next to the 3:10 pace group. i figured everybody up here must be running a 7 minute pace so this should start out smooth right? no. i guess some people don't understand the reason behind corals. one thing that kills me is all the people trying to be "elitist" by showing up wearing their gay ass boston jackets. nobody cares if you've run boston or qualified for it. let your actions do the talking.
within a mile it was spread out enough to where we were all going the same pace. with all the chaos, i didn't really look down at my watch at all the first mile. i just ran what was comfortable. it turned out to be a 7:15 mile which felt perfect. i decided to roll with it until it felt uncomfortable. through the first 5k, 10k, and half marathon my miles were all between 7:15 and 7:20. it felt perfect so i didn't question it at all. what i did question the week before the race was that my body isn't used to the 4 hour high intensity stuff right now so i did question my endurance big time. i didn't really care because i knew that no matter how bad things got, i've been through it all by now. 4 years ago, this was my first ultra. i struggled the last 5 miles but i question how bad it really was. this year at about mile 15 my 7:20 miles became a struggle. i managed 7:25-7:35 pace from 15-20 but i was no longer fun. i got passed by a couple of people but i wasn't in the most competitive mood on this day. by the time i hit the marathon mark i gave up on my pace and just ran. i knew an 8 minute pace was my "natural" pace and i knew with that, that i would still come in under 4 hours. i hit the marathon mark at 3:17 and was on the ultra out n back at this point.
one thing i noticed was it felt like a totally different race at this point. one, i was running through the grass instead of the concrete. two, people all of a sudden became more friendly. it felt a tad more like an ultra. people waved to each other. people actually said words of encouragement to each other. and three i started recognizing people from other races. up to this point i was taking the gu's that i was carrying, and sipping from the bottle in my hand. i never broke stride to pee, to poop, to refill, to eat, nothing. i basically treated this race and one big self sufficient section. probably not the smartest thing only drinking 20 oz, but i figured i wasn't going to die so i didn't care. i would have plenty of time to rehydrate at the food truck park or at the gingerman after the race.
i struggled the last 5-10 miles and watched my time slip from 3:53 to making sure i was sub 4. i turned back onto the regular course at the 29.5 mile mark for the final mile and a half to the finish. i watched 3 other ultra runners cross the finish line about 20-30 yards ahead of me. i didn't really have a competitive edge or maybe that's just an excuse cause i was all tapped out. i either meet my goal or i don't. since i missed my original goal i just didn't care.
did i enjoy it? i guess so. it was fun but i think i should have sat this one out. i wasn't in shape for it and i need to take it more serious. the worst part is getting done and knowing you have a road race on schedule for 4 weeks later. my main motivation to do this was to train for a 50 miler on march 23rd. i would like to average about an eight minute pace at that. i'll be a little more serious for the next 4 weeks for that one.
2013 H.U.R.T. 100
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
2013 H.U.R.T. 100
1-14-13
PRE RACE REPORT
Training this year went a hell of a lot better then last year despite being sick most of December. Last year after Cactus Rose 100 , i was injured for about 6-7 weeks and hardly got in any good training at all. This year, while the recovery was slow i was only out for about 3 weeks or so which isn't bad. last year i logged about 273 miles between the two races (cactus is late october), but this year i got in about 433 miles despite being sick twice in my peak training weeks. i got in a couple 100 mile weeks which was good and a 34 miler at isle de bois 54k and a 50k at the athens big fork trail marathon two weeks before hurt.
so im going into a little better shape. still not in top shape like i was in the fall but good enough to shoot for a faster time. last year i ran a 32:45 and the last 40 miles were so slow to say the least. this year with ok conditions, i would like closer to a 25 hour finish. it will take a pretty good race for me to achieve that but i personally don't think its out of reach. if it is sloppy and muddy like the reports are saying then who know how long it will take. goal splits for a sub 25 are 4:25, 4:35, 4:45, 5:30, 5:45. the sudden drop after loop 3 is due to fatigue and darkness. i believe in a 100 it is common for people splits to be somewhat close the first 60 miles or so.
One thing im doing different this year is shoes. last year i wore gore tex shoes which was a huge mistake. they kept in so much water that my feet were destroyed by mile 50. this year im wearing these for several reasons. i've always worn the Salomon xt wings for training or the s lab version for races and they feel perfect. the soft ground version should perform great on the mud out there, and the shoe has a ton of support so i will be less likely to roll an ankle on the roots (i heard there was a couple out there). finally if you look closely by clicking on the picture you can see that i drilled 5 holes in the bottom of the shoe. that will help whatever water gets into the shoe, get out quickly. i will be wearing drymax socks also. i've never really worn them but according to a lot of people they do well with moisture.
RACE REPORT
1-19-13
No matter who you are, how well you're prepared, or how well you manage the race, it will beat you up. this isn't a race where your legs can all of a sudden feel fresh 80 miles into it. the technicality of it just wears on you. it starts beating you up sooner then other races and it doesn't stop. it got tough early, and it remained tough for the final 80 miles. the worst part is staying in the game mentally. each loop or segment takes so long so it is brutal mentally when you accidentally think of how much more you have. i had to really concentrate on the present and take one section at a time.
did i meet my goal? yes and no. time goal - no. satisfied with my race - yes. i was hopeing for a sub 26 but a sub 25 idealy. i ran a 26:47. what im satisfied with is that my splits weren't too bad in my opinion and i was able to run the "flats or runable stuff" the whole time. there just isn't much of each. i was able to run the smoother descents just fine which there isn't much of that either. as the race went on, the technical descents got tougher and tougher. also the super technical root sections got harder to run since they require you to be very light on your feet and very agile. a bit of a breakdown of how the race went...
LOOP 1
goal for loop one was a 4:25. i did not really stare at my watch since the course kind of sets your pace for you. there's only so much you can reasonable push. i ran loop one comfortable and have no regrets. it was quite a bit quicker then the other loops but more on that later. i ran a 4:13 which pumped me up. at this point i was optimistic that i was going to have a great race. i felt that a 4:30 loop 2 was very reasonable. at this race i didn't have a crew which was fine. at each aid i would grab my drop bag, grab a chair and get what i needed. i didn't jack around but i didn't rush either. a couple minutes tops. the entire first loop felt good and i was ready to tackle loop 2.
LOOP2
i set out at 4:16 and had a goal of completing loop 2 in 4 1/2 hours. loop1 i peed quite a few times so i started on the salt pills. it was obvious a little late because loop 2 didn't go so well. i started out feeling ok but halfway up hogs back, i had a major hot flash and sweat was pouring off of me. i felt weak and knew exactly what it was. i ran the small climbs/descents after hogs back when the white and orange are joined fine. once i got to the 2nd section of the climb up to tantalus i didn't have much power in my climb. after tantalus it gets very runable but thats when it got worse. a guy caught up to me (jim? maybe) and we ran together for a bit. i told him of my problems and didn't want to hold him up. i just felt like closing my eyes. it was pretty early in the race (mile 23) to be that tired. i knew it was low on salt (or over hydrated) so i started taking an additional s cap in middle of the section. the rest of the first segment i struggled. it took me 15 minutes longer then loop one to do it. i knew i was falling off pace but i just needed to concentrate on getting myself back feeling good rather then worrying about pace. the climb was the same but while descending into nu'uanu i started to bounce back. once down there i was feeling ok and did what i needed to do. i read one my letters titled "mile 30" from my girlfriend. my brother, sister, girlfriend, and two of my sister's friends wrote me motivational letter to read preiodically during the race. they knew i would be without crew so any motivation had to come within. that extra minute at the aid stations was well worth it. it was really inspirational to read what they had prepared. i finished loop 2 feeling fine but off pace for a 5 hour loop.
LOOP 3
i set out for loop 3 at 9:15 which was over an hour ahead of last year but quite a bit slower then what i felt i was capable of. i left at the same time as hannah roberts and i heard stan yell to hannah "kick brians ass". it was all for fun but i was hoping to prove him wrong. if i only knew haha. i had my ipod and half way up hogs back there was some distance between us so i decided to go ahead and press play. music gets me pretty fired up and i was feeling good again. last year i made it to mile 47 before turning on the headlamp. this year i had a goal of making it an extra section to nu'uanu before using it. i barely made it and finished the section in the dark. i was feeling good and ran into a friend named glenn mackie at the aid station. he asked if i needed a pacer and i jumped at the oppurtunity. glenn and i bs'ed going up the climb through the enchanted forest, along the slippery rocks up nu'uanu, and on up to the five minute hill. once up top i told him to run what he felt was a good pace and i would try and keep up. it worked out great. he's done plenty of 100's including hardrock five times so he gets it. up top, hannah caught me and we both ran the descent pretty solid and switched positions a couple times. i ran loop 3 in about 5:10 to arive around 14:25 into nature center. i told glenn to tell the volunteers to let me be and i would handle my own stuff.
LOOP 4
the dreaded loop 4 begins. we left right at 14:30 which was now about 1 1/2 hours ahead of last year. last year loops 4 and 5 the wheels came off big time and i did very very little running. glenn and headed up the first climb and i couldn't help but think that this was the point in last year when it all went to hell. we kept bs'ing and it was great. i still had my handheld bottle at this point but i had picked up my handheld flashlight too. thats one difference from last year is that i had two light sources which was huge. we kept a pretty good pace down into paradise park, but the boulders were starting to get pretty tough. first time in the dark and first time with tired legs. we arived at paradise park and i thanked him for the suprise pacing and grabbed my real pacer patrick. he is a friend of hannah and he was eager to pace and see what this 100 mile stuff was all about. i told him i was in need of miles 67-87. i figured i could make it to 67 no problem and once i got to 87 i wouldn't quit. i've never finished a 100 by myselff so i told him that i wouldn't need anything past mile 87 plus his car was there which made the logistics easy for him. i told him to expect a 6 hour loop since it was going to by my slowest miles probably. when we left was when i started hurting pretty good. we did the next two sections ok, but it wasn't very speedy at all. this was when the descents and the runable stuff was getting to ba a struggle. we made it back to nature center at about 20 1/2 hours which was now 4 hours ahead of last year. this was the deciding point in my race last year but i was prepared for it this year.
LOOP 5
i did my bottles, ate some food, stuffed gus in my bottles and changed my batteries. this was my longest aid station just like last year. only this time it was a productive 6 minutes instead of 30 minutes of bitching and whining. last year i wasn't sure if i could continue or not. i sat there for 30 minutes sipping on rockstar, eating food and trying to get some energy. finally at the 25 hour mark i got up for a slow as loop in the daylight. this year i left with patrck at 20:30 and didn't feel all that bad. not fresh at all but i never ever considered quitting. it was still slow but we were getting it done. my pace on the descent was falling and we arrived at paradise after 2:20 which wasn't too quick. i thanked him for his pacing and keeping me company during those dreaded miles. i left ready to get this freakin thing done. up to this point i haven't strayed from my nutrition routine. a 200 calorie packet at each aid station, and 2 gus in middle of each section. that kept me around the 350 calories per hour that i usually do. that is pretty high, but my stomach usually puts up with it just fine. this next section was very slow and the 2nd place female made up serious ground. i struggled ont he descent into nu'uanu big time and when i got there i wasn't in a hurry. she blew through the aid station and thought shit i just lost a place but i didn't feel like fighting for it. i left my headlamp there even though it was still dark. i knew it would by light in 10 minutes or so. i felt like shit on the climb up nu'uanu. it was slow and i didn't have much strength left. i made it up and after taking a gu goign up the five minute hill like usual i was ready to run the ridge which was one of the more runable parts of the course. i was relieved because i had finished the final climb of the day so it was all down hill from there. i ran to the gate pretty solid and at that point i cought up to claude and keith. we did the section between the gates together and was happy to see them doing well. he said he was feeling good enough for a fifth loop so i was pumped for him! my watch clicked the 26 hour mark while up there and asked them if they though it was possible for me to make it down in under an hour. once my time slipped earlier in the race, 27 was my new goal. i realized i needed to give it a shot and i also got a huge burst of energy at this point. i started running and it felt great. so i took it up a notch and it felt even better. the faster i went, the more adrenaline i had. my ipod was back on and i was beyond pumped. this was probably the strongest finish i've ever had. i was flying on the descent. there is 3 or 4 small climbs also on the descent and i chose to run those too. i was fired up and hauling ass. i spotted the lady that passed me about 5 miles earlier around the bridge on the orange and white section. i passed her on the climb after the bridge and i was running the climb. i knew since i was running the climb she more then likely wouldn't try and keep up. i wasn't really trying to beat her but i was in such a grove that i didn't want to slow down to be polite. i made the final turn down pipeline and kenw i only had about half a mile of technical running left until it turned to nicer trail into the finish. i looked at my watch and realized that i just descended quite a bit quicker then loop 1. i crossed the line at 26:47 to receive my new buckle and to finally relax. i finished 9th overall which was nice but i out there more for my own personal goals.
AFTERWARDS
i felt pretty good and hung out til the end of the race. i had some beers and hung out with mosi smith who i roomed with at western states in june when i was there to pace. we all had a good time and it was amazing to watch the finishers in the final couple hours. these people put everything they had into the race and did all they could to stay ahead of the cut offs. they all had a ton of emotion. their finishes were so awesome that i even forgot that i ran the race myself. i was more pumped for them then myself. especailly claude. this was his 4th go at it and he wanted it bad. he crossed and you could tell he was pumped.
the post race banquet was great as expected. great food, great beer, and great hanging out with all the hurt family. the recovery was extremely great after this race. i was pretty sore monday but felt better on tuesday. good enough that i called mosi to meet me and run diamond head in the morning. my legs felt great on the climb and the descent off the volcano.
will i return?? no other race makes you not want to more then this while running it, but once you go to the post race dinner, you realize that you can't miss it the next year. who knows? i've gotta look at finances and also i wouldn't mind doing bandera.
PRE RACE REPORT
Training this year went a hell of a lot better then last year despite being sick most of December. Last year after Cactus Rose 100 , i was injured for about 6-7 weeks and hardly got in any good training at all. This year, while the recovery was slow i was only out for about 3 weeks or so which isn't bad. last year i logged about 273 miles between the two races (cactus is late october), but this year i got in about 433 miles despite being sick twice in my peak training weeks. i got in a couple 100 mile weeks which was good and a 34 miler at isle de bois 54k and a 50k at the athens big fork trail marathon two weeks before hurt.
so im going into a little better shape. still not in top shape like i was in the fall but good enough to shoot for a faster time. last year i ran a 32:45 and the last 40 miles were so slow to say the least. this year with ok conditions, i would like closer to a 25 hour finish. it will take a pretty good race for me to achieve that but i personally don't think its out of reach. if it is sloppy and muddy like the reports are saying then who know how long it will take. goal splits for a sub 25 are 4:25, 4:35, 4:45, 5:30, 5:45. the sudden drop after loop 3 is due to fatigue and darkness. i believe in a 100 it is common for people splits to be somewhat close the first 60 miles or so.
One thing im doing different this year is shoes. last year i wore gore tex shoes which was a huge mistake. they kept in so much water that my feet were destroyed by mile 50. this year im wearing these for several reasons. i've always worn the Salomon xt wings for training or the s lab version for races and they feel perfect. the soft ground version should perform great on the mud out there, and the shoe has a ton of support so i will be less likely to roll an ankle on the roots (i heard there was a couple out there). finally if you look closely by clicking on the picture you can see that i drilled 5 holes in the bottom of the shoe. that will help whatever water gets into the shoe, get out quickly. i will be wearing drymax socks also. i've never really worn them but according to a lot of people they do well with moisture.
 |
| Salomon XT Wing S Lab 4 Soft Ground |
RACE REPORT
1-19-13
No matter who you are, how well you're prepared, or how well you manage the race, it will beat you up. this isn't a race where your legs can all of a sudden feel fresh 80 miles into it. the technicality of it just wears on you. it starts beating you up sooner then other races and it doesn't stop. it got tough early, and it remained tough for the final 80 miles. the worst part is staying in the game mentally. each loop or segment takes so long so it is brutal mentally when you accidentally think of how much more you have. i had to really concentrate on the present and take one section at a time.
did i meet my goal? yes and no. time goal - no. satisfied with my race - yes. i was hopeing for a sub 26 but a sub 25 idealy. i ran a 26:47. what im satisfied with is that my splits weren't too bad in my opinion and i was able to run the "flats or runable stuff" the whole time. there just isn't much of each. i was able to run the smoother descents just fine which there isn't much of that either. as the race went on, the technical descents got tougher and tougher. also the super technical root sections got harder to run since they require you to be very light on your feet and very agile. a bit of a breakdown of how the race went...
LOOP 1
goal for loop one was a 4:25. i did not really stare at my watch since the course kind of sets your pace for you. there's only so much you can reasonable push. i ran loop one comfortable and have no regrets. it was quite a bit quicker then the other loops but more on that later. i ran a 4:13 which pumped me up. at this point i was optimistic that i was going to have a great race. i felt that a 4:30 loop 2 was very reasonable. at this race i didn't have a crew which was fine. at each aid i would grab my drop bag, grab a chair and get what i needed. i didn't jack around but i didn't rush either. a couple minutes tops. the entire first loop felt good and i was ready to tackle loop 2.
LOOP2
i set out at 4:16 and had a goal of completing loop 2 in 4 1/2 hours. loop1 i peed quite a few times so i started on the salt pills. it was obvious a little late because loop 2 didn't go so well. i started out feeling ok but halfway up hogs back, i had a major hot flash and sweat was pouring off of me. i felt weak and knew exactly what it was. i ran the small climbs/descents after hogs back when the white and orange are joined fine. once i got to the 2nd section of the climb up to tantalus i didn't have much power in my climb. after tantalus it gets very runable but thats when it got worse. a guy caught up to me (jim? maybe) and we ran together for a bit. i told him of my problems and didn't want to hold him up. i just felt like closing my eyes. it was pretty early in the race (mile 23) to be that tired. i knew it was low on salt (or over hydrated) so i started taking an additional s cap in middle of the section. the rest of the first segment i struggled. it took me 15 minutes longer then loop one to do it. i knew i was falling off pace but i just needed to concentrate on getting myself back feeling good rather then worrying about pace. the climb was the same but while descending into nu'uanu i started to bounce back. once down there i was feeling ok and did what i needed to do. i read one my letters titled "mile 30" from my girlfriend. my brother, sister, girlfriend, and two of my sister's friends wrote me motivational letter to read preiodically during the race. they knew i would be without crew so any motivation had to come within. that extra minute at the aid stations was well worth it. it was really inspirational to read what they had prepared. i finished loop 2 feeling fine but off pace for a 5 hour loop.
LOOP 3
i set out for loop 3 at 9:15 which was over an hour ahead of last year but quite a bit slower then what i felt i was capable of. i left at the same time as hannah roberts and i heard stan yell to hannah "kick brians ass". it was all for fun but i was hoping to prove him wrong. if i only knew haha. i had my ipod and half way up hogs back there was some distance between us so i decided to go ahead and press play. music gets me pretty fired up and i was feeling good again. last year i made it to mile 47 before turning on the headlamp. this year i had a goal of making it an extra section to nu'uanu before using it. i barely made it and finished the section in the dark. i was feeling good and ran into a friend named glenn mackie at the aid station. he asked if i needed a pacer and i jumped at the oppurtunity. glenn and i bs'ed going up the climb through the enchanted forest, along the slippery rocks up nu'uanu, and on up to the five minute hill. once up top i told him to run what he felt was a good pace and i would try and keep up. it worked out great. he's done plenty of 100's including hardrock five times so he gets it. up top, hannah caught me and we both ran the descent pretty solid and switched positions a couple times. i ran loop 3 in about 5:10 to arive around 14:25 into nature center. i told glenn to tell the volunteers to let me be and i would handle my own stuff.
LOOP 4
the dreaded loop 4 begins. we left right at 14:30 which was now about 1 1/2 hours ahead of last year. last year loops 4 and 5 the wheels came off big time and i did very very little running. glenn and headed up the first climb and i couldn't help but think that this was the point in last year when it all went to hell. we kept bs'ing and it was great. i still had my handheld bottle at this point but i had picked up my handheld flashlight too. thats one difference from last year is that i had two light sources which was huge. we kept a pretty good pace down into paradise park, but the boulders were starting to get pretty tough. first time in the dark and first time with tired legs. we arived at paradise park and i thanked him for the suprise pacing and grabbed my real pacer patrick. he is a friend of hannah and he was eager to pace and see what this 100 mile stuff was all about. i told him i was in need of miles 67-87. i figured i could make it to 67 no problem and once i got to 87 i wouldn't quit. i've never finished a 100 by myselff so i told him that i wouldn't need anything past mile 87 plus his car was there which made the logistics easy for him. i told him to expect a 6 hour loop since it was going to by my slowest miles probably. when we left was when i started hurting pretty good. we did the next two sections ok, but it wasn't very speedy at all. this was when the descents and the runable stuff was getting to ba a struggle. we made it back to nature center at about 20 1/2 hours which was now 4 hours ahead of last year. this was the deciding point in my race last year but i was prepared for it this year.
LOOP 5
i did my bottles, ate some food, stuffed gus in my bottles and changed my batteries. this was my longest aid station just like last year. only this time it was a productive 6 minutes instead of 30 minutes of bitching and whining. last year i wasn't sure if i could continue or not. i sat there for 30 minutes sipping on rockstar, eating food and trying to get some energy. finally at the 25 hour mark i got up for a slow as loop in the daylight. this year i left with patrck at 20:30 and didn't feel all that bad. not fresh at all but i never ever considered quitting. it was still slow but we were getting it done. my pace on the descent was falling and we arrived at paradise after 2:20 which wasn't too quick. i thanked him for his pacing and keeping me company during those dreaded miles. i left ready to get this freakin thing done. up to this point i haven't strayed from my nutrition routine. a 200 calorie packet at each aid station, and 2 gus in middle of each section. that kept me around the 350 calories per hour that i usually do. that is pretty high, but my stomach usually puts up with it just fine. this next section was very slow and the 2nd place female made up serious ground. i struggled ont he descent into nu'uanu big time and when i got there i wasn't in a hurry. she blew through the aid station and thought shit i just lost a place but i didn't feel like fighting for it. i left my headlamp there even though it was still dark. i knew it would by light in 10 minutes or so. i felt like shit on the climb up nu'uanu. it was slow and i didn't have much strength left. i made it up and after taking a gu goign up the five minute hill like usual i was ready to run the ridge which was one of the more runable parts of the course. i was relieved because i had finished the final climb of the day so it was all down hill from there. i ran to the gate pretty solid and at that point i cought up to claude and keith. we did the section between the gates together and was happy to see them doing well. he said he was feeling good enough for a fifth loop so i was pumped for him! my watch clicked the 26 hour mark while up there and asked them if they though it was possible for me to make it down in under an hour. once my time slipped earlier in the race, 27 was my new goal. i realized i needed to give it a shot and i also got a huge burst of energy at this point. i started running and it felt great. so i took it up a notch and it felt even better. the faster i went, the more adrenaline i had. my ipod was back on and i was beyond pumped. this was probably the strongest finish i've ever had. i was flying on the descent. there is 3 or 4 small climbs also on the descent and i chose to run those too. i was fired up and hauling ass. i spotted the lady that passed me about 5 miles earlier around the bridge on the orange and white section. i passed her on the climb after the bridge and i was running the climb. i knew since i was running the climb she more then likely wouldn't try and keep up. i wasn't really trying to beat her but i was in such a grove that i didn't want to slow down to be polite. i made the final turn down pipeline and kenw i only had about half a mile of technical running left until it turned to nicer trail into the finish. i looked at my watch and realized that i just descended quite a bit quicker then loop 1. i crossed the line at 26:47 to receive my new buckle and to finally relax. i finished 9th overall which was nice but i out there more for my own personal goals.
AFTERWARDS
i felt pretty good and hung out til the end of the race. i had some beers and hung out with mosi smith who i roomed with at western states in june when i was there to pace. we all had a good time and it was amazing to watch the finishers in the final couple hours. these people put everything they had into the race and did all they could to stay ahead of the cut offs. they all had a ton of emotion. their finishes were so awesome that i even forgot that i ran the race myself. i was more pumped for them then myself. especailly claude. this was his 4th go at it and he wanted it bad. he crossed and you could tell he was pumped.
the post race banquet was great as expected. great food, great beer, and great hanging out with all the hurt family. the recovery was extremely great after this race. i was pretty sore monday but felt better on tuesday. good enough that i called mosi to meet me and run diamond head in the morning. my legs felt great on the climb and the descent off the volcano.
will i return?? no other race makes you not want to more then this while running it, but once you go to the post race dinner, you realize that you can't miss it the next year. who knows? i've gotta look at finances and also i wouldn't mind doing bandera.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon (or 50k)
The way Jacob Evans described this course to me, there was no way i wanted to miss it. Being two weeks out from HURT and still wanting a good ass whip of a training run i knew i needed to get up there and run it. mountains in Arkansas aren't the biggest but when there is 16 of them on a marathon course then the climbing adds up. Each one climbs between about 400 and 700 ft. the overall climb is about 9k for the marathon. that is more mountanous then almost any of the famous mountain races you hear about.
i was a little skeptical if it truly was that difficult or if it was just overhyped. the way my quads feel two days later, its safe to say that the course beat the hell out of me. the event itself really is one of the best kept secrets around here. its a free race, no course markings you just follow the actual trails markings, and a lot of people who are ready for one hell of a trail. i enjoyed it more then almost any other race i've ever done.
i was a little skeptical if it truly was that difficult or if it was just overhyped. the way my quads feel two days later, its safe to say that the course beat the hell out of me. the event itself really is one of the best kept secrets around here. its a free race, no course markings you just follow the actual trails markings, and a lot of people who are ready for one hell of a trail. i enjoyed it more then almost any other race i've ever done.
the pictures above give you somewhat of an idea of the terrain. the last picture also shows my wrong turn. before that turn i was going at a high effort and concerned with time/place. after that detour, i took the race way less serious so it was actually kind of nice since it allowed me to enjoy the race so much more.
i would love to go and run the course from time to time for training. not only was it beautiful but it will train you for any mountain race. i really hope to do it again next year but i know it will effect bandera since they are back to back weekends.
my main goal wasn't a certain time or anything but more of my legs to hold up the entire time and give myself a confidence booster for hawaii next weekend. i was pumped how i ran it and im looking forward to the ass whipping of the h.u.r.t. 100!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Year, New Expectations once again
I wouldn't say that i set "new years resolutions" but i do have some things i wold like to do better at. last year i wrote this same post with what i expect to accomplish in 2012. well much of it is the same but i would like to go into a bit more detail, and also review 2012.
I had three main goals for 2012...
1. be healthier. by that i mean eat healthier 7 days a week and not binge on crap food all the time. definately failed that one. i stayed somewhat close to a good weight but i didn't eat good at all.
2. nail cactus rose with a new course record/win. well i hit my goal time but i still got third. im considering it a success because it was out of my control what the other two did. i feel like i still have a lot of room to improve out there but it is no longer my main running focus. if i can get a tad leaner, no knee problems during the race, and no gas bloating. (i was dubbled over sometimes between miles 65-80) then i should still be able to take some time off.
3. third goal of 2012 was to get in a house. i made a lot of headway so im satisfied it won't be too much longer.
so what are my goals for 2013????????
i have one main goal and the rest is individual race goals. it is to still be healther. have something bad when i want it, but quit afterwards. i am horrible about throwing the whole day down the drain if i have one bad thing. my main reason is i would like to get leaner and see what my potential is. im tired of feeling heavy and like im handicapping myself at every race. i would like to have a healthier diet 7 days a week not just 5 or 6 days. and also after a race not go into a 2 week long feast. i love fruit and veggies so its not hard for me to eat healthy, and im very educated in nutrition so i have no excuse.
individual race goals-
1/19/13 - H.U.R.T. 100 - stacked field so i have more of a time goal then place goal. i would def like sub 26 but sub 25 idealy. (as long as its not super sloppy)
3/23/13 - Prairie Spirit 50 miler - sub 7 plain and simple
4/6/13 - Hells Hills 50k - 4:15 and run it hard and smart
4/27/13 - Zane Grey 50m - big focus race. would love to nail it and be in contention. would love a sub 9 and it will be tough. i will have to have a solid race and not get lost at all.
7/20/13 - TRT 100 - other focus race. be in top shape and lean and nail it. some fast dudes but no reason i can't at least nip at their heels and if all the stars align go for the win. will take a sub 20 to win but at least run a sub 22.
september - capt karls reville ranch?? rough creek 40 miler?? goal is to win both and better my records. sub 5:35 for revielle ranch and sub 6 for rough creek.
10/26/13 - Cactus Rose 100 - not sure if i feel like going for a certain time or just getting out there and having fun. i don't care about having pacer/crew. regardless i would like to be in the mid 18's.
so those are my goals as far as health/running. i have plenty of other goals as far as life/work/etc. i just want to enjoy life, not take anything too serious, but stay focused on everything. Tahoe Rim Trail 100 is a bucket list race for me so im pumped that im registered and in. it has been my hardrock backup plan for years and their is a big group of texans going up there so it should be a good time.
I had three main goals for 2012...
1. be healthier. by that i mean eat healthier 7 days a week and not binge on crap food all the time. definately failed that one. i stayed somewhat close to a good weight but i didn't eat good at all.
2. nail cactus rose with a new course record/win. well i hit my goal time but i still got third. im considering it a success because it was out of my control what the other two did. i feel like i still have a lot of room to improve out there but it is no longer my main running focus. if i can get a tad leaner, no knee problems during the race, and no gas bloating. (i was dubbled over sometimes between miles 65-80) then i should still be able to take some time off.
3. third goal of 2012 was to get in a house. i made a lot of headway so im satisfied it won't be too much longer.
so what are my goals for 2013????????
i have one main goal and the rest is individual race goals. it is to still be healther. have something bad when i want it, but quit afterwards. i am horrible about throwing the whole day down the drain if i have one bad thing. my main reason is i would like to get leaner and see what my potential is. im tired of feeling heavy and like im handicapping myself at every race. i would like to have a healthier diet 7 days a week not just 5 or 6 days. and also after a race not go into a 2 week long feast. i love fruit and veggies so its not hard for me to eat healthy, and im very educated in nutrition so i have no excuse.
individual race goals-
1/19/13 - H.U.R.T. 100 - stacked field so i have more of a time goal then place goal. i would def like sub 26 but sub 25 idealy. (as long as its not super sloppy)
3/23/13 - Prairie Spirit 50 miler - sub 7 plain and simple
4/6/13 - Hells Hills 50k - 4:15 and run it hard and smart
4/27/13 - Zane Grey 50m - big focus race. would love to nail it and be in contention. would love a sub 9 and it will be tough. i will have to have a solid race and not get lost at all.
7/20/13 - TRT 100 - other focus race. be in top shape and lean and nail it. some fast dudes but no reason i can't at least nip at their heels and if all the stars align go for the win. will take a sub 20 to win but at least run a sub 22.
september - capt karls reville ranch?? rough creek 40 miler?? goal is to win both and better my records. sub 5:35 for revielle ranch and sub 6 for rough creek.
10/26/13 - Cactus Rose 100 - not sure if i feel like going for a certain time or just getting out there and having fun. i don't care about having pacer/crew. regardless i would like to be in the mid 18's.
so those are my goals as far as health/running. i have plenty of other goals as far as life/work/etc. i just want to enjoy life, not take anything too serious, but stay focused on everything. Tahoe Rim Trail 100 is a bucket list race for me so im pumped that im registered and in. it has been my hardrock backup plan for years and their is a big group of texans going up there so it should be a good time.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Isle De Bois 54k
This race was one that up until the final day to sign up i was pretty sure i wasn't going to run it. i didn't really run the whole month of November, and i was just getting back into it. with HURT being 6 weeks away i thought it would be a good idea to sign up for it since it would force me to get in a longer run. i purposely didn't bring a watch, didn't look at the website at all and knew hardly anything about the course. i did it on purpose because i didn't feel i was in good enough shape to attack it and i just wanted to go out and have fun. my goal was to show up and just run. for the first time i didn't really plan out my nutrition or anything, i just grabbed my bottle and some gu's between loops and ate when i felt the need and just ran.
It ended up being a bit more intense then what i was hoping for. at the start of the race i was up front with Matt crownover for the first mile or so. it didn't feel too fast so i didn't question it. by about the time we got onto the single track he created a bit of a gap. i figured at that point that he would never be caught and he was going to win it. i knew he was in good shape right now. i stayed in 2nd for most of the first loop with Edgar Martinez and a guy named Jason right behind me. i ran what i felt was comfortable, but had no clue what kind of endurance i had that day since i hadn't been training. i figured i would run my normal race and only slow down if my body forced me to. it was a bit of a mental battle telling myself that i could run the whole thing hard when i really wasn't sure.
at the end of the first loop was when all the position changes started happening. the last/first half mile mile is on pavement of each loop. with both of them clearly being faster road runner then me, i had no chance of keeping up. it turns out the eventual winner is a 2:40 road marathoner and won the cowtown ultra this year in like 3:20. and Edgar Martinez won the El scorcho 50k this summer also in a very impressive time. they both passed me and i was in fourth heading out for loop two. the trail has so many twist and turns that they were out of sight pretty quick. i was totally cool with it though. my main concern was to get in a solid run and have fun. i ran the whole second loop solo and the first half of the the third loop solo until i caught Matt at the aid station. it was nice running together for about 3-4 miles with him since its been a while since we had trained or ran together. i guess my legs didn't get the message that it had been changed from a 50k to a 54k because with about two miles left they decided they didn't want to fire anymore. i was fine with it because anybody can push for two miles. up until that point it was actually really pleasurable and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. before the race i figured i was going to struggle big time the whole last loop since i hadn't been running much lately. i was very surprised at how "normal"i felt the whole time. Matt and i were talking about how we didn't want it to turn into an all out race so i was relieved when he pulled away with a couple miles left. my legs just didn't have the power to take it up a notch and hang with him so i happily trotted it in and finished within my goal. my approach really reminded me of hells hills this year. i signed up last minute and just went out to "run" and have fun. you can't take every race totally serious or else they'll quit being fun.
turns out i had strep throat coming on before the race and the race plus staying out that night put me over the edge. my throat hurt all last week and Sunday i broke into a 102 fever and felt absolutely horrible. i didn't get out of bed for 14 hours straight sun night Mon morning.
overall the race turned out to be perfect though. it went well for me and it got my motivation back up which is a good thing since I've got the colossal ass whipping known as the H.U.R.T. 100 in 6 weeks. its time to get in some serious training weeks! having strep throat isn't helping but I'll be better soon and i plan on taking advantage of everyday that I'm able to slip out to a trail and get in some trail miles. especially since I'm pretty sick of running around Mansfield.
in everybodys race reports they always thank the volunteers and race directors so i know it sounds meaningless when i do, but i have to say that Dave really does do a great job. the course is marked beyond what it needs to be, and you can tell there is a personal touch to his races. people aren't just numbers out there, it is such a great atmosphere and everybody knows everybody. it will always be hard to pass his races up.
It ended up being a bit more intense then what i was hoping for. at the start of the race i was up front with Matt crownover for the first mile or so. it didn't feel too fast so i didn't question it. by about the time we got onto the single track he created a bit of a gap. i figured at that point that he would never be caught and he was going to win it. i knew he was in good shape right now. i stayed in 2nd for most of the first loop with Edgar Martinez and a guy named Jason right behind me. i ran what i felt was comfortable, but had no clue what kind of endurance i had that day since i hadn't been training. i figured i would run my normal race and only slow down if my body forced me to. it was a bit of a mental battle telling myself that i could run the whole thing hard when i really wasn't sure.
at the end of the first loop was when all the position changes started happening. the last/first half mile mile is on pavement of each loop. with both of them clearly being faster road runner then me, i had no chance of keeping up. it turns out the eventual winner is a 2:40 road marathoner and won the cowtown ultra this year in like 3:20. and Edgar Martinez won the El scorcho 50k this summer also in a very impressive time. they both passed me and i was in fourth heading out for loop two. the trail has so many twist and turns that they were out of sight pretty quick. i was totally cool with it though. my main concern was to get in a solid run and have fun. i ran the whole second loop solo and the first half of the the third loop solo until i caught Matt at the aid station. it was nice running together for about 3-4 miles with him since its been a while since we had trained or ran together. i guess my legs didn't get the message that it had been changed from a 50k to a 54k because with about two miles left they decided they didn't want to fire anymore. i was fine with it because anybody can push for two miles. up until that point it was actually really pleasurable and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. before the race i figured i was going to struggle big time the whole last loop since i hadn't been running much lately. i was very surprised at how "normal"i felt the whole time. Matt and i were talking about how we didn't want it to turn into an all out race so i was relieved when he pulled away with a couple miles left. my legs just didn't have the power to take it up a notch and hang with him so i happily trotted it in and finished within my goal. my approach really reminded me of hells hills this year. i signed up last minute and just went out to "run" and have fun. you can't take every race totally serious or else they'll quit being fun.
 |
| Thanks Julie Dolph for taking this! The kids all decided to race me at the end and make me sprint it in haha |
turns out i had strep throat coming on before the race and the race plus staying out that night put me over the edge. my throat hurt all last week and Sunday i broke into a 102 fever and felt absolutely horrible. i didn't get out of bed for 14 hours straight sun night Mon morning.
overall the race turned out to be perfect though. it went well for me and it got my motivation back up which is a good thing since I've got the colossal ass whipping known as the H.U.R.T. 100 in 6 weeks. its time to get in some serious training weeks! having strep throat isn't helping but I'll be better soon and i plan on taking advantage of everyday that I'm able to slip out to a trail and get in some trail miles. especially since I'm pretty sick of running around Mansfield.
in everybodys race reports they always thank the volunteers and race directors so i know it sounds meaningless when i do, but i have to say that Dave really does do a great job. the course is marked beyond what it needs to be, and you can tell there is a personal touch to his races. people aren't just numbers out there, it is such a great atmosphere and everybody knows everybody. it will always be hard to pass his races up.
Monday, October 29, 2012
2012 Cactus Rose 100 Race Report
PRE-RACE REPORT
I have spent the past two years focused on nailing this race. After last years disappointment, i stayed focused for another year and still hopeful of a successful race next weekend. Last year, training went good and i felt good starting out but by mile 30 my knee hurt and by mile 70 all running was over and i was forced to walk it in. not fun. This year i feel that im in better shape and a little more experienced. my 45 mile cleburne run 4-5 weeks out is my gauge on what sort of shape im in. In 2010, it took me over 8 hours but i wasn't really racing it. last year i did it in 7:10 and this year i knocked an additional 30 minutes off that time. my game plan is almost identical to last year. my brother will be my crew, and he will have my bottle(s) ready at every aid station starting at mile 15. i will have it super organized so everything i need will be available on the fly. the biggest mistake i can make is to get sucked into somebody elses pace. i usually start out pretty conservative and that usually helps me stay solid throughout the race. the first 50 i will run my own race and hopefully come in around 8:45 or so. miles 50-65 matt doellman is pacing me and my goal is for us to run everything run able and hold a solid pace but nothing crazy. miles 65-85 is what i'll attack. i feel i do better on the hill sections then my competition then the flat sections. 65-75 i'll throw on my ipod and hammer it. if matt crownover is there i'll pick him up to get me to 85. if not, i'll keep hammering solo. at 85 i'll pick up doellman once again and see whats left. no clue what i'll have in the tank or where i will stand in the field. well see how it plays out...
RACE REPORT
Two years ago i created a pace chart for this race. after each time i would train down there and after last year i would alter it a tad. it has a 19:20 finish time, and it also has splits for all 20 sections. it kept me focused on smaller goals the entire race which kept me more in the game mentally.
im not going to go into any dumb pre race details. just the usual drive down friday, shitty nights sleep in the tent, woke up, and ready to go.
LOOP 1 -
the race started and i was up front with about 5-6 guys. i figured me and steven were the only 100 milers and it was really nice to run relaxed, and able to bs with people. we finished the first section in under 42 minutes which was moving but it felt very comfortable so i wasn't worried. i picked up my bottle from my brother since i did the first section empty handed. steven and i continued to run together for another mile or so until i had to take my first pee. i knew i may not see him again because i think his comfortable pace on the flat sections is faster then mine so i knew a gap was about to be made. i was totally cool with it and just wanted to focus on myself and run my own race. the second section went good and i hit split exactly to keep myself 2 minutes ahead of schedule. everything was going good until i was cruising along and totally missed the left turn into ice cream. i continued way down the jeep road until i realized i came up on the markers for us for after we were done with ice cream section. i had to back track which was about an eight minute detour. i wasn't happy especailly since my splits were pretty tight and i didn't have much room for error. i got back on course and found myself pushing the pace a tad to try and get back on schedule. i came into equestrian at mile 15 about 5 minutes behind where i wanted to be. i did my first bottle exchange with my brother at that point and grabbed my 200 cal packet of choice. my goal was all day to only exchange bottles and grab whatever 200 cal packet (either power bar gel blast, gu chomps, clif shot bloks, or honey stinger chomps) looked good and keep going. i tried to keep all aids in under 10-15 seconds. i was off and ready to tackle the "hill sections". i hit both sections solid and was able to get myself right back on pace, but was very discouraged at the amount of fatigue already in my legs. at about mile 22 was when i felt the first signs and was disappointed to feel like that that early. i finished loop one in about 4:13. my pace chart had a 4:15 but i was secretly hoping to make up 5 minutes per loop for a sub 19.
LOOP 2-
i set out with a little peace of mind knowing that my pace chart does have slowing down a tad so i knew i would be able to make my splits. miles 25-30 i still felt kinda bad and was pretty worried. it was the type of fatigue that i didn't think i should have and honestly i thought that i was going to blow up and miss my goal big time once again. i was depressed and wasn't really able to enjoy it. after boyles i felt a little better and was in a little better mood. i was moving really good though the hills and made up some more time to put myself back closer to 19 hour pace. i made it to nachos feeling good and right where i wanted to be. i dread the section from nachos to equestrian (bar-o section by the entrance of the park). no major hills just run able stuff that i always have trouble meeting my splits. i started to struggle on this section. ran every step of it but it didn't feel that good. i came into 45 about 10 minutes ahead of pace which was where i wanted to be. leaving is when things got worse. i always struggle around this point of this race. i felt like crap heading back to the lodge. i was able to run the first 50 in 8:40 which is what i wanted but i didn't feel good. i was surprised at how big of a gap steven had on me. i knew he was capable of some fast stuff but just didn't expect him to throw down a 8:10 first half. insane. lorenzo had about a 10 minute lead on me at that point too. i wasn't too worried about them because i was doing what i could and it was too early to blow myself up.
LOOP 3-
matt doellman and i set out to run miles 50-65 solid. i told him that i wasn't feeling good and we started trying to figure out what it was. i was drinking more gu brew then water which has some sodium. i was thinking i was low on electrolytes but wanted to make sure before i resorted to any sort of salt pill. matt asked me when the last time i took an s cap was and i said "april" haha. rewind three weeks ago and i was telling matt crownover about my salt theories. i said in warm weather i don't need any because i sweat out a lot of water and i stay pretty balanced. but in cool temps like this race when im not sweating at all, the water builds up a little more and dilutes the salt. so even though i knew it going into it, i still didn't follow my own rules. i was peeing more then usual, so around mile 53 we finally agreed that i was just low. i wasn't thinking too clearly or intelligently so it took a while for us to agree on something. i was in an all time bad mood at this point for three reasons. i knew i was losing time on this section. i knew if i couldn't turn it around i wasn't going to meet my goal and i was going to have one hell of a 2nd 50 out there. i wasn't in the mood to suffer for that long. so popped on s cap at 53 and at mile 56ish i started feeling a tad better. i wanted to make sure i was better then about 20 minutes later i popped another one. by the time i got to nachos at mile 60 i was feeling great and saw that i was still a couple minutes ahead of my 19:20 pace chart. we ran the ice cream section great and i was in a great mood finally. but about this same time my right knee/quad/hip flexor were all tight. not necessarily injury type pain but tight enough to make me quit running a couple of times in pain. i guess if its not one thing, its another. we ran into equestrian good and i set out to tackle the "hill sections" once again solo. i was feeling good and ready to take it up a notch. i had no clue how far behind i was but i didn't really care. i just wanted to do my thing and do what my body allowed me to do. those 10 miles were really enjoyable and i hit them at a very good pace which wasn't much slower then loop 2. i made up a lot of time on my pace chart those three sections which put me 15 minutes ahead of schedule at mile 75. exactly where i wanted to be if a sub 19 was going to happen. (13:35 actual time - pace chart had a 13:50)
LOOP 4-
matt crownover and i were ready to set off on loop 4. he was pacing from 75-85 before sending me back off with the other matt to finish. the other two 100's matt has paced me in, the wheels came off and we walked a lot and moved very slow. so it was nice for us to actually go out and run when he was pacing me. we basically just ran everything run able and bs'ed just like we were out on a training run. for some reason i was a bit crabby all race and let him know that. i told him not to ask me about nutrition because i had my routine and i wanted to lead and i wanted to talk about other stuff. those 10 miles were very enjoyable and i was very greatful to have him there. he is a very selfless person and always helping somebody out. matt doellman and i set out at mile 85 feeling good. we ran out to ice cream pretty solid and obviously power hiked the hill. that section is a nasty one for sure. after that hill was when my knee was super tight and running run able stuff was a struggle for the first time. we walked/ran into nachos. we set out and i knew i was going to lose time on the next section. i hate the section no matter what and there was two problems. my knee/body was aching so my running was slow and i was struggling to run period. and second i had the final 15 miles at a somewhat good pace because i figured i would either be leading or close so i figured i would be pushing big time. that whole section sucked. running was really tough and i kept seeing points on the course and would look at my watch and realize that i was cutting it very very close to my 19:20 goal. finally, around the creek crossing close to chapas i told myself i needed to suck it up and quit being a pussy. i had some deep thoughts around that time. i told myself that this is it. just like i've always said, the point in an ultra when you're faced with a decision. that decision to either give up or relax and just finish or search deep within and find that deep motivation and persevere til the end. i told matt doellman that when im running, don't talk to me because i had to get in a zone and concentrate. i felt rude saying that but it was the truth. about the final two miles into equestrian we ran somewhat solid. it was a slow pace but not sure what i expected nearly 95 miles into an ultra. we made it into equestrian behind schedule and i knew i couldn't mess around the last section. my run was slow and i knew it but at least i wasn't walking. i told myself to suck it up and at this point it was just a matter of blocking out the pain. we pretty much ran everything to base of lucky then power hiked up it. i took my final gu going up it and was at the top before i knew it. i did what i could to get down which was slow going, but at the base i knew i had 1.5 miles to go and walking wasn't an option. i wanted 10 minutes from the jeep road/trail intersection (final mile). we made the turn at about 19:09:30. i finally broke the silence that had lasted more then an hour between us. i said no matter what it was going to happen. he told me to stay focused, but i told him we needed to enjoy it so we talked some and i thanked him for coming out to make my dream happen. as we approached, my brother and crownover saw the lights and said "hopton-jones"?? and i said yep its us! we all gave out a bit of a yell of excitement and i crossed the line at 19:18:31. less then a second to spare per mile. i cut that one pretty freakin close.
the two matts and my brother have no idea how greatful i am and how special this weekend was to me. i finally met the biggest running goal i've ever had. i now know that my goals aren't too crazy as some people clearly expressed they were a little far fetched and didn't believe in me.
nutrition wise it was spot on. besides miles 45-55 being low on salt and feeling like butt, i felt solid the whole time. i have a very simple routine. chug some water at the aid (which allowed me to get by with only one bottle all race). gu brew on the course. at each aid i would eat a packet of something as stated above. and in middle of each section i would eat a gu. never strayed from it, and my stomach loved every bit of it including that final island nectar gu going up lucky at mile 98. 200 cal pack + 100 cal gu + 100 cal gu brew means about 400 cal per section. i averaged less then an hour per section so over 400 cal per hour every hour.
so whats next? this has been the main goal for so long that it feels weird to not have anything to obsess about. i would like sub 26 or 25 at H.U.R.T. in january and a sub 9 at zane grey in april. but what about cactus??? good question. i will more then likely do a summer mountain race, but im sure i'll still do cactus rose next year. no way i'll pass it up. i feel like i belong out there while im out there. i think 18:30ish is a good goal. who knows? i will go into very relaxed and really enjoy it. if people want to come they can but i will no longer force people to crew/pace. im very satisfied with my own performance, but im still in shock that breaking the course record by 10 minutes was only good for 3rd. steven and lorenzo destroyed it. they put out some serious times. im very happy for them and everybody is friends so there is no bitterness. thats what i love about this sport. you get smoked by somebody but you can't wait to finish and have a beer with them and hear all about it.
i also want to thank joe and the crew. always such a great race and he knows how to treat runners. keep it up and im greatful he puts together these events that literally change people's lives.
I have spent the past two years focused on nailing this race. After last years disappointment, i stayed focused for another year and still hopeful of a successful race next weekend. Last year, training went good and i felt good starting out but by mile 30 my knee hurt and by mile 70 all running was over and i was forced to walk it in. not fun. This year i feel that im in better shape and a little more experienced. my 45 mile cleburne run 4-5 weeks out is my gauge on what sort of shape im in. In 2010, it took me over 8 hours but i wasn't really racing it. last year i did it in 7:10 and this year i knocked an additional 30 minutes off that time. my game plan is almost identical to last year. my brother will be my crew, and he will have my bottle(s) ready at every aid station starting at mile 15. i will have it super organized so everything i need will be available on the fly. the biggest mistake i can make is to get sucked into somebody elses pace. i usually start out pretty conservative and that usually helps me stay solid throughout the race. the first 50 i will run my own race and hopefully come in around 8:45 or so. miles 50-65 matt doellman is pacing me and my goal is for us to run everything run able and hold a solid pace but nothing crazy. miles 65-85 is what i'll attack. i feel i do better on the hill sections then my competition then the flat sections. 65-75 i'll throw on my ipod and hammer it. if matt crownover is there i'll pick him up to get me to 85. if not, i'll keep hammering solo. at 85 i'll pick up doellman once again and see whats left. no clue what i'll have in the tank or where i will stand in the field. well see how it plays out...
RACE REPORT
Two years ago i created a pace chart for this race. after each time i would train down there and after last year i would alter it a tad. it has a 19:20 finish time, and it also has splits for all 20 sections. it kept me focused on smaller goals the entire race which kept me more in the game mentally.
im not going to go into any dumb pre race details. just the usual drive down friday, shitty nights sleep in the tent, woke up, and ready to go.
LOOP 1 -
the race started and i was up front with about 5-6 guys. i figured me and steven were the only 100 milers and it was really nice to run relaxed, and able to bs with people. we finished the first section in under 42 minutes which was moving but it felt very comfortable so i wasn't worried. i picked up my bottle from my brother since i did the first section empty handed. steven and i continued to run together for another mile or so until i had to take my first pee. i knew i may not see him again because i think his comfortable pace on the flat sections is faster then mine so i knew a gap was about to be made. i was totally cool with it and just wanted to focus on myself and run my own race. the second section went good and i hit split exactly to keep myself 2 minutes ahead of schedule. everything was going good until i was cruising along and totally missed the left turn into ice cream. i continued way down the jeep road until i realized i came up on the markers for us for after we were done with ice cream section. i had to back track which was about an eight minute detour. i wasn't happy especailly since my splits were pretty tight and i didn't have much room for error. i got back on course and found myself pushing the pace a tad to try and get back on schedule. i came into equestrian at mile 15 about 5 minutes behind where i wanted to be. i did my first bottle exchange with my brother at that point and grabbed my 200 cal packet of choice. my goal was all day to only exchange bottles and grab whatever 200 cal packet (either power bar gel blast, gu chomps, clif shot bloks, or honey stinger chomps) looked good and keep going. i tried to keep all aids in under 10-15 seconds. i was off and ready to tackle the "hill sections". i hit both sections solid and was able to get myself right back on pace, but was very discouraged at the amount of fatigue already in my legs. at about mile 22 was when i felt the first signs and was disappointed to feel like that that early. i finished loop one in about 4:13. my pace chart had a 4:15 but i was secretly hoping to make up 5 minutes per loop for a sub 19.
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| coming in loop 1 at 4:13 at the 2012 Cactus Rose 100 |
LOOP 2-
i set out with a little peace of mind knowing that my pace chart does have slowing down a tad so i knew i would be able to make my splits. miles 25-30 i still felt kinda bad and was pretty worried. it was the type of fatigue that i didn't think i should have and honestly i thought that i was going to blow up and miss my goal big time once again. i was depressed and wasn't really able to enjoy it. after boyles i felt a little better and was in a little better mood. i was moving really good though the hills and made up some more time to put myself back closer to 19 hour pace. i made it to nachos feeling good and right where i wanted to be. i dread the section from nachos to equestrian (bar-o section by the entrance of the park). no major hills just run able stuff that i always have trouble meeting my splits. i started to struggle on this section. ran every step of it but it didn't feel that good. i came into 45 about 10 minutes ahead of pace which was where i wanted to be. leaving is when things got worse. i always struggle around this point of this race. i felt like crap heading back to the lodge. i was able to run the first 50 in 8:40 which is what i wanted but i didn't feel good. i was surprised at how big of a gap steven had on me. i knew he was capable of some fast stuff but just didn't expect him to throw down a 8:10 first half. insane. lorenzo had about a 10 minute lead on me at that point too. i wasn't too worried about them because i was doing what i could and it was too early to blow myself up.
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| matt crownover running the last couple of meters to mile 50 at the 2012 Cactus Rose 100 |
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| cruising into nachos aid |
LOOP 3-
matt doellman and i set out to run miles 50-65 solid. i told him that i wasn't feeling good and we started trying to figure out what it was. i was drinking more gu brew then water which has some sodium. i was thinking i was low on electrolytes but wanted to make sure before i resorted to any sort of salt pill. matt asked me when the last time i took an s cap was and i said "april" haha. rewind three weeks ago and i was telling matt crownover about my salt theories. i said in warm weather i don't need any because i sweat out a lot of water and i stay pretty balanced. but in cool temps like this race when im not sweating at all, the water builds up a little more and dilutes the salt. so even though i knew it going into it, i still didn't follow my own rules. i was peeing more then usual, so around mile 53 we finally agreed that i was just low. i wasn't thinking too clearly or intelligently so it took a while for us to agree on something. i was in an all time bad mood at this point for three reasons. i knew i was losing time on this section. i knew if i couldn't turn it around i wasn't going to meet my goal and i was going to have one hell of a 2nd 50 out there. i wasn't in the mood to suffer for that long. so popped on s cap at 53 and at mile 56ish i started feeling a tad better. i wanted to make sure i was better then about 20 minutes later i popped another one. by the time i got to nachos at mile 60 i was feeling great and saw that i was still a couple minutes ahead of my 19:20 pace chart. we ran the ice cream section great and i was in a great mood finally. but about this same time my right knee/quad/hip flexor were all tight. not necessarily injury type pain but tight enough to make me quit running a couple of times in pain. i guess if its not one thing, its another. we ran into equestrian good and i set out to tackle the "hill sections" once again solo. i was feeling good and ready to take it up a notch. i had no clue how far behind i was but i didn't really care. i just wanted to do my thing and do what my body allowed me to do. those 10 miles were really enjoyable and i hit them at a very good pace which wasn't much slower then loop 2. i made up a lot of time on my pace chart those three sections which put me 15 minutes ahead of schedule at mile 75. exactly where i wanted to be if a sub 19 was going to happen. (13:35 actual time - pace chart had a 13:50)
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| finishing loop 3 at 13:35 about to head out with matt crownover for miles 75-85 at the Cactus Rose 100 |
LOOP 4-
matt crownover and i were ready to set off on loop 4. he was pacing from 75-85 before sending me back off with the other matt to finish. the other two 100's matt has paced me in, the wheels came off and we walked a lot and moved very slow. so it was nice for us to actually go out and run when he was pacing me. we basically just ran everything run able and bs'ed just like we were out on a training run. for some reason i was a bit crabby all race and let him know that. i told him not to ask me about nutrition because i had my routine and i wanted to lead and i wanted to talk about other stuff. those 10 miles were very enjoyable and i was very greatful to have him there. he is a very selfless person and always helping somebody out. matt doellman and i set out at mile 85 feeling good. we ran out to ice cream pretty solid and obviously power hiked the hill. that section is a nasty one for sure. after that hill was when my knee was super tight and running run able stuff was a struggle for the first time. we walked/ran into nachos. we set out and i knew i was going to lose time on the next section. i hate the section no matter what and there was two problems. my knee/body was aching so my running was slow and i was struggling to run period. and second i had the final 15 miles at a somewhat good pace because i figured i would either be leading or close so i figured i would be pushing big time. that whole section sucked. running was really tough and i kept seeing points on the course and would look at my watch and realize that i was cutting it very very close to my 19:20 goal. finally, around the creek crossing close to chapas i told myself i needed to suck it up and quit being a pussy. i had some deep thoughts around that time. i told myself that this is it. just like i've always said, the point in an ultra when you're faced with a decision. that decision to either give up or relax and just finish or search deep within and find that deep motivation and persevere til the end. i told matt doellman that when im running, don't talk to me because i had to get in a zone and concentrate. i felt rude saying that but it was the truth. about the final two miles into equestrian we ran somewhat solid. it was a slow pace but not sure what i expected nearly 95 miles into an ultra. we made it into equestrian behind schedule and i knew i couldn't mess around the last section. my run was slow and i knew it but at least i wasn't walking. i told myself to suck it up and at this point it was just a matter of blocking out the pain. we pretty much ran everything to base of lucky then power hiked up it. i took my final gu going up it and was at the top before i knew it. i did what i could to get down which was slow going, but at the base i knew i had 1.5 miles to go and walking wasn't an option. i wanted 10 minutes from the jeep road/trail intersection (final mile). we made the turn at about 19:09:30. i finally broke the silence that had lasted more then an hour between us. i said no matter what it was going to happen. he told me to stay focused, but i told him we needed to enjoy it so we talked some and i thanked him for coming out to make my dream happen. as we approached, my brother and crownover saw the lights and said "hopton-jones"?? and i said yep its us! we all gave out a bit of a yell of excitement and i crossed the line at 19:18:31. less then a second to spare per mile. i cut that one pretty freakin close.
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| proof that i actually did finish before 19:20. with my brother (my crew) |
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| with matt doellman. he paced me from 50-65 and 85-100. he put up will all my shit with a smile! |
the two matts and my brother have no idea how greatful i am and how special this weekend was to me. i finally met the biggest running goal i've ever had. i now know that my goals aren't too crazy as some people clearly expressed they were a little far fetched and didn't believe in me.
nutrition wise it was spot on. besides miles 45-55 being low on salt and feeling like butt, i felt solid the whole time. i have a very simple routine. chug some water at the aid (which allowed me to get by with only one bottle all race). gu brew on the course. at each aid i would eat a packet of something as stated above. and in middle of each section i would eat a gu. never strayed from it, and my stomach loved every bit of it including that final island nectar gu going up lucky at mile 98. 200 cal pack + 100 cal gu + 100 cal gu brew means about 400 cal per section. i averaged less then an hour per section so over 400 cal per hour every hour.
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| with the man that keeps setting the bar higher and higher. post 2012 Cactus Rose 100 |
so whats next? this has been the main goal for so long that it feels weird to not have anything to obsess about. i would like sub 26 or 25 at H.U.R.T. in january and a sub 9 at zane grey in april. but what about cactus??? good question. i will more then likely do a summer mountain race, but im sure i'll still do cactus rose next year. no way i'll pass it up. i feel like i belong out there while im out there. i think 18:30ish is a good goal. who knows? i will go into very relaxed and really enjoy it. if people want to come they can but i will no longer force people to crew/pace. im very satisfied with my own performance, but im still in shock that breaking the course record by 10 minutes was only good for 3rd. steven and lorenzo destroyed it. they put out some serious times. im very happy for them and everybody is friends so there is no bitterness. thats what i love about this sport. you get smoked by somebody but you can't wait to finish and have a beer with them and hear all about it.
i also want to thank joe and the crew. always such a great race and he knows how to treat runners. keep it up and im greatful he puts together these events that literally change people's lives.
a video i made from my three years at cactus plus various other training and race pics.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Rough Creek 40m - a race of two extremes
2 weeks ago around mile 4 of the captn karls reveille ranch run, eric gilberton and I were running together and discussing how we were both training for a 100. i told him he needs to come up for the Rough Creek 40 miler as it would be a great training opportunity. 2 weeks later i couldn't have regretted that invite more.
leading up the race i heard lots of talk about this "rusty crown" section. apparently out of the 13.5 mile loop, 10 miles were flat and fast and 3.5 miles were just downright nasty. my curiosity was up and there was no way i was going to miss this. i run some pretty rugged and steep stuff so i thought there is no way its nothing i haven't seen. i also knew this course was going to be interesting in the way that it was going to require strategy. would it favor the faster guy with the 10 miles of flats or the mountain goat with the rusty crown? i final look at the entrant list friday night and i knew i had my work cut out for me. i saw that eric had signed up for it, matt crownover would be doing it in celebration of his 40th birthday, and thomas aten who is a fast dude. i knew that all three of them were faster runners then me on the flats. so i knew the flats would give me trouble trying to hang with them. i figured if i have any type of advantage its two things. i do tons of hill training and also i've been doing many many runs in the 30-40 mile range lately so i knew i could run the whole thing hard without slowing.
at the pre race brief dave once again reiterated how difficult the rusty crown was. i thought yeah yeah i've seen it all. i also told him i was going to run the whole thing and he laughed. so yeah i did second guess that statement a little. soon enough we were lined up and as i was tieing my last shoe as we were counting down from 10. we were off and we surprisingly started off pretty comfortable. the 4 of us bs'ed the first 3 miles out there. i started a tad in front but i waited a little since i was wanting the company and at that point i was in no hurry. once we got to the rusty crown a lot of talk stopped. i didn't plan on breaking stride until it broke me. the hills were tough but nothing i haven't done before. eric stuck next to me stride for stride which scared me. i thought shit this guy is faster then me on the flats and hes hanging with me on the hills? i knew it was going to be an interesting day. the rusty crown last 3 miles of just straight up and downs. some steeper then others. after successfully running the first half we came to one in particular that was a beast. i swallowed my pride and broke into a power hike. i guess dave won that one.
upon leaving that section eric and i were shoulder to shoulder. on loop one we ran the flats solid but nothing too fast. we just bs'ed and ran the remainder of loop together until about a mile to go and he took off. my stomach was in pain and i needed one of my pit stops so i had no choice but to let him go. after making my pit stop and grabbing my food/other handheld, i set off about a minute or so behind eric. i figured it was going to take me a while to catch him (if i did). i pushed the pace leaving for loop two wasn't hard since i was now two pounds lighter. i was pushing but i noticed he was getting further and further away. i thought well my only chance is on the rusty crown to make up ground. that section is a true ass whip but i feel like i recover quick from it and it doesn't effect the rest of my race. i attacked it hard once again. i caught up to him about half way through it and once again we were neck and neck. after that section he was really pushing the flats and separated himself again. i had to get outside my comfort zone and catch him on the gravel road because i didn't want to get left just yet. exact same as loop one, we ran the rest of the loop together and about a mile or two from the turnaround he pulled away. curious, i clicked over to my instant pace on my garmin and it read 7:15 and he was pulling away.
i wasn't sure if we would ever run together again so i decided to grab my ipod which i almost never do. i love music and needed something because i honestly wasn't in the mood to run solo and in silence the final loop. my bottles/food were ready to go pre race so my aid stations was much quicker then his and we actually left for loop 3 neck and neck. we set out yet taking it up another notch. a couple time out to the rusty crown i felt him make a surge but i stuck with him, and even a couple times i would try and take off but that dude never left my side. remember when i said that inviting him to come race was a huge mistake? haha at that point it was tough but honestly it was the best thing for us both. we pushed each other and i got in a hell of a training race because of it. plus he's pretty damn cool and it was fun to bs the first two loops with him. so obviously i didn't really regret it at all.
but time to regroup and get my game plan together. my only strong point was the rusty crown so if there was a spot to make my move that was obviously it. we hit it for the third and final time shoulder to shoulder. we now had a 50k under our belts for the day but my legs were ready to rock n roll. i was about to find out how he was truly feeling. that section is a definite make or break. i decided i would attack it harder then ever and see what happened. my ipod was pumping tons of cool shit and i was fired up. we hit the first hill and i didn't break stride nor did i look over my shoulder. i pushed really hard the first half before finally taking a look around. when i did, i didn't see him anywhere in sight. i continued to buckle down and hammer it. my split upon leaving the rusty crown was faster and faster each loop so i was pumped. i knew that the real race had just started. after the rusty crown i knew i couldn't let up because i knew he could easily take the pace up big time so with 7 miles left, the gap cold easily be swallowed. after the final descent on that thing i made the decision to take my pace up on the flats so even if he did too that the gap couldn't be filled. i just stayed focused to the next aid at about mile 36. at the turn around i saw i had about a 6 minute lead so i just kept hammering knowing if i did that he would have almost no way of catching me. and if he did then he deserved it! i had a goal of sub 6 in back of my mind and i knew i was close but didn't think it was possible. i knew if i relaxed and missed it by 30 seconds i would be pissed so i told myself i can't have any regrets. i did all i could but saw my watch click past the 6 hour mark with still a little to go. i finished in 6:02 and i wasn't at all disappointed. i felt like i did all i could.
i was outside of my comfort zone on the flats for probably 2/3 of the race. i questioned big time if it was sustainable or not. i feel that in every race you should go at a pace where you question it from time to time. plus i wanted a good training run so if i wore myself out then i would just have to dig that much deeper. eric ran a solid race and came in 8 minutes behind me. it was perfect having him there to really push me and it made it an interesting day. i've never really "raced" somebody so close for so many miles of a race. to stay neck and neck for 31 miles was insane.
my unofficial splits 2:03:30, 2:00:30, 1:58:30 approx. close to even splits was a goal so to run negative splits on all loops was awesome.
also a bit of breakdown of each loop for my personal records (incase i shoot for sub 6 next year)
loop 1 - section 1 (25:45/8:50pace) rusty crown (32:07/10:42pace) section 3 (28:21/8:36pace) section 4 (36:17/8:25pace)
loop 2 - section 1 (24:54/8:36pace) rusty crown (31:42/10:34pace) section 3 (28:34/8:38pace) section 4 (34/7:54pace)
loop 3 - section 1 (22:59/7:55pace) rusty crown (32:52/10:57pace) section 3 (27:37/8:20pace) section 4 (36:30/8:27pace)
section 1 is from the start to the base of the first climb of the rusty crown (not the aid station). the rusty crown is from the split to the split, again not to and from the aid station. section 3 is from the base of the final descent to the far aid station. section 4 is from that aid station back to the start/finish. times are approx since time spent at aid station is not recorded. pace was a tad faster since some of that time i was refilling/eating. the distances that i got is 2.9 to the base, 3 miles for rusty crown, 3.3 to the far aid station and 4.3 back to the start finish for the 13.5 mile loop.
loved the race and venue. dave does an awesome at these things and the course was marked so well that there was never a doubt in my mind which was nice. the rusty crown certainly lived up the hype and gave this race its signature. it was great hanging out with everybody and congrats to all the finishers and a huge thank you to all the volunteers!
leading up the race i heard lots of talk about this "rusty crown" section. apparently out of the 13.5 mile loop, 10 miles were flat and fast and 3.5 miles were just downright nasty. my curiosity was up and there was no way i was going to miss this. i run some pretty rugged and steep stuff so i thought there is no way its nothing i haven't seen. i also knew this course was going to be interesting in the way that it was going to require strategy. would it favor the faster guy with the 10 miles of flats or the mountain goat with the rusty crown? i final look at the entrant list friday night and i knew i had my work cut out for me. i saw that eric had signed up for it, matt crownover would be doing it in celebration of his 40th birthday, and thomas aten who is a fast dude. i knew that all three of them were faster runners then me on the flats. so i knew the flats would give me trouble trying to hang with them. i figured if i have any type of advantage its two things. i do tons of hill training and also i've been doing many many runs in the 30-40 mile range lately so i knew i could run the whole thing hard without slowing.
at the pre race brief dave once again reiterated how difficult the rusty crown was. i thought yeah yeah i've seen it all. i also told him i was going to run the whole thing and he laughed. so yeah i did second guess that statement a little. soon enough we were lined up and as i was tieing my last shoe as we were counting down from 10. we were off and we surprisingly started off pretty comfortable. the 4 of us bs'ed the first 3 miles out there. i started a tad in front but i waited a little since i was wanting the company and at that point i was in no hurry. once we got to the rusty crown a lot of talk stopped. i didn't plan on breaking stride until it broke me. the hills were tough but nothing i haven't done before. eric stuck next to me stride for stride which scared me. i thought shit this guy is faster then me on the flats and hes hanging with me on the hills? i knew it was going to be an interesting day. the rusty crown last 3 miles of just straight up and downs. some steeper then others. after successfully running the first half we came to one in particular that was a beast. i swallowed my pride and broke into a power hike. i guess dave won that one.
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| a view of the rusty crown section. a solid 3 miles of zig zagging up and down this hill. |
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| pictures never do terrain justice. especially not google earth. |
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| this hill could have been accomplished in about half a mile but instead we had to run up and down it for three miles. the down hills were fun for sure. |
upon leaving that section eric and i were shoulder to shoulder. on loop one we ran the flats solid but nothing too fast. we just bs'ed and ran the remainder of loop together until about a mile to go and he took off. my stomach was in pain and i needed one of my pit stops so i had no choice but to let him go. after making my pit stop and grabbing my food/other handheld, i set off about a minute or so behind eric. i figured it was going to take me a while to catch him (if i did). i pushed the pace leaving for loop two wasn't hard since i was now two pounds lighter. i was pushing but i noticed he was getting further and further away. i thought well my only chance is on the rusty crown to make up ground. that section is a true ass whip but i feel like i recover quick from it and it doesn't effect the rest of my race. i attacked it hard once again. i caught up to him about half way through it and once again we were neck and neck. after that section he was really pushing the flats and separated himself again. i had to get outside my comfort zone and catch him on the gravel road because i didn't want to get left just yet. exact same as loop one, we ran the rest of the loop together and about a mile or two from the turnaround he pulled away. curious, i clicked over to my instant pace on my garmin and it read 7:15 and he was pulling away.
i wasn't sure if we would ever run together again so i decided to grab my ipod which i almost never do. i love music and needed something because i honestly wasn't in the mood to run solo and in silence the final loop. my bottles/food were ready to go pre race so my aid stations was much quicker then his and we actually left for loop 3 neck and neck. we set out yet taking it up another notch. a couple time out to the rusty crown i felt him make a surge but i stuck with him, and even a couple times i would try and take off but that dude never left my side. remember when i said that inviting him to come race was a huge mistake? haha at that point it was tough but honestly it was the best thing for us both. we pushed each other and i got in a hell of a training race because of it. plus he's pretty damn cool and it was fun to bs the first two loops with him. so obviously i didn't really regret it at all.
but time to regroup and get my game plan together. my only strong point was the rusty crown so if there was a spot to make my move that was obviously it. we hit it for the third and final time shoulder to shoulder. we now had a 50k under our belts for the day but my legs were ready to rock n roll. i was about to find out how he was truly feeling. that section is a definite make or break. i decided i would attack it harder then ever and see what happened. my ipod was pumping tons of cool shit and i was fired up. we hit the first hill and i didn't break stride nor did i look over my shoulder. i pushed really hard the first half before finally taking a look around. when i did, i didn't see him anywhere in sight. i continued to buckle down and hammer it. my split upon leaving the rusty crown was faster and faster each loop so i was pumped. i knew that the real race had just started. after the rusty crown i knew i couldn't let up because i knew he could easily take the pace up big time so with 7 miles left, the gap cold easily be swallowed. after the final descent on that thing i made the decision to take my pace up on the flats so even if he did too that the gap couldn't be filled. i just stayed focused to the next aid at about mile 36. at the turn around i saw i had about a 6 minute lead so i just kept hammering knowing if i did that he would have almost no way of catching me. and if he did then he deserved it! i had a goal of sub 6 in back of my mind and i knew i was close but didn't think it was possible. i knew if i relaxed and missed it by 30 seconds i would be pissed so i told myself i can't have any regrets. i did all i could but saw my watch click past the 6 hour mark with still a little to go. i finished in 6:02 and i wasn't at all disappointed. i felt like i did all i could.
i was outside of my comfort zone on the flats for probably 2/3 of the race. i questioned big time if it was sustainable or not. i feel that in every race you should go at a pace where you question it from time to time. plus i wanted a good training run so if i wore myself out then i would just have to dig that much deeper. eric ran a solid race and came in 8 minutes behind me. it was perfect having him there to really push me and it made it an interesting day. i've never really "raced" somebody so close for so many miles of a race. to stay neck and neck for 31 miles was insane.
my unofficial splits 2:03:30, 2:00:30, 1:58:30 approx. close to even splits was a goal so to run negative splits on all loops was awesome.
also a bit of breakdown of each loop for my personal records (incase i shoot for sub 6 next year)
loop 1 - section 1 (25:45/8:50pace) rusty crown (32:07/10:42pace) section 3 (28:21/8:36pace) section 4 (36:17/8:25pace)
loop 2 - section 1 (24:54/8:36pace) rusty crown (31:42/10:34pace) section 3 (28:34/8:38pace) section 4 (34/7:54pace)
loop 3 - section 1 (22:59/7:55pace) rusty crown (32:52/10:57pace) section 3 (27:37/8:20pace) section 4 (36:30/8:27pace)
section 1 is from the start to the base of the first climb of the rusty crown (not the aid station). the rusty crown is from the split to the split, again not to and from the aid station. section 3 is from the base of the final descent to the far aid station. section 4 is from that aid station back to the start/finish. times are approx since time spent at aid station is not recorded. pace was a tad faster since some of that time i was refilling/eating. the distances that i got is 2.9 to the base, 3 miles for rusty crown, 3.3 to the far aid station and 4.3 back to the start finish for the 13.5 mile loop.
loved the race and venue. dave does an awesome at these things and the course was marked so well that there was never a doubt in my mind which was nice. the rusty crown certainly lived up the hype and gave this race its signature. it was great hanging out with everybody and congrats to all the finishers and a huge thank you to all the volunteers!
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