Memoirs of a Drunken Bastard

The Houston Marathon Double 2012 (50+ miles)

2012-01-15T00:00:00.002-06:00

Never heard of the Houston Marathon Double??? Well that's because only the very few ~~dedicated~~ insane runners know about such an event.

Basically it goes like this. Start the Houston Marathon at the finish line at midnight and run the course in reverse, turn around and then run it with all the regular participants. Sounds like a genius idea right? Exactly my thoughts as well which is why I jumped at the opportunity to run the double this year.

Loop 1: The Midnight Ninja Run

So the plan was to meet up at the Hilton Hotel lobby in downtown Houston at 11:45pm on Saturday to get ready to go out onto the course. Right when we arrived for the planned meeting we were greeted by a way too overly enthusiastic flash mob. They were loud, some might consider them a tad annoying and it definitely was pretty surreal to be about to embark on this crazy journey to have this as some sort of sign.

Flash Mob (Photo courtesy of Helene Harrison)

After what seemed like forever the flash mob finally disbanded and this coincided with our departure for the start line. At the start of the evening we were 10 strong with hopes that that number remained constant throughout the night.

The first obstacle that we had to overcome was the heavily fortified and guarded finish line of the Houston Marathon. We started off by calmly walking down the finish line shoot area. A fanned out line of motley ninjas reminiscent of the scene from The Untouchables approached the banner. Right when we approached the restricted zone we were met by a nervous looking authoritative figure from a local mall security firm. He informed us that we couldn't be in this sector and we acknowledged his right to an opinion but firmly told him that we just needed to take a group shot by the banner and we would be on our way. With one hand on his imaginary gun (I sure hope it was imaginary) we lined up for the picture continuing with our defiant position. After a few failed takes at the picture we finally got the image that we were looking for and started down the course. Officer Paul Blart would not let us proceed down the exact path we came from which would have been much easier but instead instructed us to move a section of the fence inwards and so our journey started on the sidewalk.

"Finish Line" photo aka the start of the ninja run (not pictured security guard far right)

After the shaky start we were on our way. Our spirits were high, our intelligence was conceivably lower than our spirits. We quickly made our exit from the city and onto Allen Parkway and the familiar surroundings of Memorial Park. One of the perks of running the Houston Double is that during the midnight portion of the run you have access to some of the most pristine portalets along the course route. I can still smell that sweet blue chemical smell as I write this account.

The mood during the first few miles was joyous. There was a lot of joking around as we ran through the darkness. Occasionally we were greeted with honks of passing cars. I am not sure if this was out of anger or support. I would give them a friendly wave just to be on the safe side.

At around mile 6 we ran into our support van aka the Ninja Mobile piloted by the ever so kind and gracious Helene. She met us at 3 different places along the course and each time it was like an angel brought down from above to give us treats and energy. The run would not have been possible without her and we were incredibly grateful for her being out there.

Making our way through the Galleria area and towards the Rice University Loop we came across a few exiting moments. After dodging an impatient drunk driver needing to refuel his car we stopped at a corner Chevron station for some sponsorship photo ops.

This ninja run sponsored by Chevron

The next odd moment of the night happened near Rice University where we noticed a car in the distance that had a soft blue light being emitted from the driver side door with no other lights on. As we approached we could see an older gentlemen with a laptop computer stealing free wifi signals from the surrounding neighborhood for no doubt illicit activities. After a brief discussion with our resident ninja lawyer (all properly formed ninja running groups should include a lawyer it just makes for prudent planning) it was decided that making a citizens arrest would be a time consuming activity so we continued on down the road.

As we turned back north for downtown again spirits were still high, energy level a little low and portalets were still being visited on the regular. When we got back to Allen Parkway it was decided that we would cut the route a little short both for security's sake (the neighborhood for the first few miles of the marathon isn't the greatest) and for time's sake as we were getting close to the start of the actual marathon.

We went down the buffalo bayou trail which is one of my favorite places to run and I took the opportunity to speed off ahead in order to attempt to take a picture from a bridge of the ninja running crew as it crossed underneath.

The following picture did not come out the greatest but what it does do is accurately depict what things look like at 5am after you have been running 20+ miles in the dark.

No Photoshop is necessary for this effect. All you need is lack of sleep and low blood sugar.

We finally made it back downtown at around 5:30am or so and we were this time actually able to cross the start line to officially end the ninja night run. For some reason the finish line is a much more prized asset to the guards than the start line and our progress was not impeded.

Break Time (Or lack there of)

I finally got back to my car and I wanted to change my shoes and get out of my thermal running tights and into regular running shorts. The problem was that by this time the once quiet streets were now bustling with people on their way to the George R Brown convention center. Instead of risking a public indecency ticket I went to the Hilton bathrooms with fellow ninja Michael to change. I finally got into a stall and closed the door and danced around trying to maneuver how exactly I was going to pull this off. I ended up stepping on my shoes so that I would have a protective layer from myself and the ground of the bathroom as I took off my pants and put on my shorts. In so doing I was constantly tripping the automatic flush sensor. The toilet flushed at least 10 times and I can only imagine what kind of incontinence the people waiting in line thought I was suffering from.

After finally changing into my race clothes I head yet again back to my car to arrange my drop bag and get some food and headed off to the George R Brown. I found the meeting area where the Runner's High Club was meeting for a group picture but unfortunately I didn't have time to get into the group shot because I was still fiddling with my socks and shoes at the time. I have yet to make a group photo with the club at the George R Brown. There is always next year. There wasn't much of a break time I think total time I got to rest was about 5 minutes total.

I went off to the starting area to line up in the first corral only to find myself in the very back of the group. I didn't care to move up even though people were pushing themselves forward. I figured this would just help me maintain a nice easy pace for the first few miles to get back into a running rhythm. I did notice that I was right in front of Steve Boone who was the race director of the Kingwood Marathon I had run 2 weeks prior. It was Steve's 500th marathon!! What a great accomplishment!

Loop 2: The Chevron Houston Marathon

Within the first mile of the race I spotted my friends John and Jose. I am not sure if they were glad to see me since they knew this was my second loop of the marathon and seeing me run as well as I was doing I think was a little hard for them to take. But I was glad to see them and I enjoyed running with them for 3 miles or so.

First mile of marathon wearing my 5K fun run cotton t-shirt disguise.

I started to feel good and kept lowering my pace little by little only getting tired and feeling the effects of the entire run at around mile 23(46) or so of the day. I kept looking for people that I knew when my spirits were low but I never saw anyone outside of a couple of people. I ended up just looking for signs that I could relate to "pain is temporary, glory is forever" (I actually have that exact quote on my RoadID bracelet) or signs that just said "Go Steve" and I would pretend that it was for me. What I attempted not to do was calculate how many total miles I was now on. I tried to keep the efforts completely separate so that I would not get caught up in my mind by the enormity of the task.

Just a casual wave and acknowledgement to the camera as I pass on by.

My Garmin watch ended up dying right after mile 25 but I was able to salvage the data which was pretty interesting to look at how well I was able to maintain my effort through the entirety of the race up until mile 25. The final 2K of the race I actually was able to drop the hammer and finish with a 8:18 min/mile pace. (garmin data)

Finish

As I raced into downtown I allowed myself at that time to start thinking about the total mileage and the effort that I was undertaking and emotions started to fuel my legs as I pushed on even faster. The marathon website reports that I passed 211 people in the final 4.5 miles of the race. I was running outside of myself as I rounded the last turn into the finish stretch. I was going even faster. Runners beside be seemed to be standing still as I mercilessly passed them one by one. I figured I earned this right as they had only run the route once. Crossing the finish line I was overcome with happiness, both knowing that I had put forth an impressive effort and relief that it was now over.

Finish!

Final time 3:46:48! 50 Miles complete. I took some time to recuperate. I ran into my friend Sifa who had just PR'd the marathon and was excited to recant all the days events. After eating some food I wandered back to my car to put on a fresh shirt and then walked back to the Discovery Green area to check things out. I ended up sitting on the stage at the park by myself for about half an hour just watching people go by in quiet contemplation. Just letting everything soak in. I finally got up and ran into Emily and Cindy from Runner's High Club and we went over to the stands in hope of catching the last of the night running ninja's finish. After about 15 minutes the wait was finally over and I witnessed the most awesome finish ever for a marathon. Four of my friends, fellow ninjas, finishing together holding hands as they made their way through the last 200 yards. I was fighting back the tears as I watched them pass by and ultimately complete their task. I am sure the rest of the crowd didn't know what I knew. I jumped down from the stands and jogged over to the fence area to try to meet back up with them. I was able to move the fence (experience from the early mornings activities) and sneak back into the finish area for a proper reunion.

Six of the Night Running Ninjas reunited at the finish line!

I don't normally purchase race photos but this one is definitely an exception and will be displayed proudly in my living room.

Keep on Truckin 50K

2012-01-08T12:00:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday I ran my second marathon (or greater) in as many weeks out at the Brazos Bend National Park in Needville, Tx.

Back in October I ran a half marathon using a portion of the course at the same location so I knew a little bit of what I was getting myself into with this race.

The course out in Brazos Bend is very tame very slight rollers on mostly crushed stone jeep trail. There is a portion of the 50K loop that went on some nice single track trails that I will get into later.

This trail race is pretty laid back as most trail races go. The start is your standard get ready, set, go type of start and there were aid stations generously spaced every 2.5 miles or so. Before the start of the race we were given instructions about the course and what to expect and told/warned about 300+ alligators living along the course. I got really excited at this last announcement. The thought of sprinting past ravenous reptiles is enough to get anyone's blood boiling.

Loop 1 (25K)

At the start of the race and for the first couple of hours there was a very thick fog that covered most of the course. I dont know if this covered up any alligator activity but what it did do is make for a little uncomfortable morning air that was very thick with humidity. I kept looking down at my arms in the first few miles to see them covered in little drops of water that I was collecting from the air as I ran by.

At around mile 3 or so one of the directional arrows was pointing up and to the right. A few of us went up this path only to see a dead end. We double backed and it turns out that someone had flipped the arrow Wile-E-Coyote style. I traced back down to the sign and made it point the right direction so that no one else would make the same mistake. After getting back on track I was feeling exceptionally good and found myself in about 5th place of the combined marathon and 50k field (we both started at the same time) My pace through the first few miles gradually dropped down into the 8:00 minute and under range as I was having an easy time through the gentle course layout.

At around 10 miles there was an opportunity of a quick turn around circle to see everyone in front and behind me. I was still in 5th place and the bib numbers were not easily coded and it wasnt apparent who was in which race at first glance. At mile 11 or so the 50K splits off for a 2.5 mile stretch of single track trails which provided a nice change of scenery and topography with a bit of extra challenge to the ultra. The single track area was in a heavily wooded area which was marked by some of the directional arrows...some of which were pointing in the wrong direction!!! At a nice T intersection around a lake one arrow was pointing right while another pointed left. After a good 15 seconds and coming to a full stop I figured out that it was indeed supposed to go to the left. Further in there was an arrow pointing to the left. I bounded up the hill to the left only to come to a full cliff and no more trail. I was beginning to think that perhaps the alligators were turning the arrows the wrong direction in order to catch some stray runners. I again pointed the signs to the correct orientation for the runners behind me but felt a little unsure of myself for the rest of the loop when I came to another arrow if I was going in the correct direction.

I was moving still pretty good through these parts my splits through the half marathon was at around 1:45 and after rejoining the marathon loop and crossed the 25K mark at around 2:11.

Loop 2

At the beginning of the second loop I went to my bag that I had stashed right by the corral. I dumped my gel bottle and water bottle and picked up a fresh one. I also ditched my shirt since by now the temperatures were rising into the 60s and the humidity was still very high.

By this time of the race because of the added mileage per loop of the 50K I found myself behind most of the marathoners. This provided some good motivation since I could see people in the distance and target to pass them one by one. My energy level was still pretty good but I could feel the heat getting to me. After mile 20 or so my pace started to slow slightly but I was still moving good. A few times during this loop the sky would open up and generously dump a bunch of water on my head for a few minutes which was a nice additional bonus.

By around mile 24 or so I was again running by myself with not many people in sight. This time however I could see more wildlife because the fog had lifted but I still didn't see any alligators. I did however spot a number of ducks, a hawk, a pink flamingo, some deer and a rabbit or two.

At around mile 28 I suffered probably the roughest patch I have ever had during a ultra. Because of the added humidity and my brain a little light on carbs I forgot how many salt tablets I had taken and took an additional dosage. My legs were cramping badly so I figured it wouldnt hurt to double up. Well this was a bad idea. A swig of water later and an attempt to eat some probar ended in disaster as it all came up. When I say it all came up..believe me it ALL came up. I figure you cant call yourself an ultra-marathoner until you puke on the course. Oddly enough after ridding myself and starting anew I felt a lot better. Where as before I was hobbling through my leg cramps at a 18:00 minute shuffle I was able to regain some running form and finish the last 3 miles in sub 9:00 minute pace.

Finish

With the finish in sight I made a nice spirited sprint for the finish. 4:59:50 just under the 5 hour mark for Third place and first in my age group. All things considering I was pleased with how I did. Everything cant go perfect in these races and I was able to readjust and get to the finish line.

First Place Age Group Award

I enjoyed the course and the race was put on well. It is a very low key event and they provided a lot of food and drink at the finish line. I also stayed and talked with some fellow Marathon Maniacs who have run far more of these events than me so it was nice hearing some of their stories.

Up next a night run on the Houston marathon course with the best group of running ninjas ever assembled.

Tales from Track

2011-11-29T18:30:00.001-06:00

Track Workout

3x1 Mile Repeats

‎Result

1.5 mile warm up, 3x1 mile repeats 7:17, 7:38, 6:09, .5 mile cool down

The rest of the story...

So instead of just logging the stats of the track workout I feel like its prudent to tell a story, since the numbers themselves don't explain everything. The following is a story about a crime, a little intrigue and perhaps some innocence lost...

So I came to track still with a little general soreness left over from the 50K and so I decided to take it easy and saw my running buddy who will remain nameless.. we will call him, Berry. I figured that I haven't seen my buddy Berry and he has recently been having a hard time with a certain collegiate team losing a game to a longhorn, so I would run with him.

First mile went pretty good and we finished and Berry wandered off further down the loop away from the mile marker. When the one minute of rest was up I looked up and Berry was already started a good 200 yards down the course. "Well that's odd I thought." So I quickly caught up to him. Now I have heard rumors of forgotten parking garages and skipped over clover leafs but I always chalked it up to myth and legend.

The second mile was a little slower and we exchanged some small talk about the correct style of footwear for running mile repeats and after a few struggles and some surges of power brought on perhaps by a strong ipod playlist choice we made it again to the end.

Just like at the first mile Berry kept walking off. This time he angled himself towards the water fountain a few yards from the mile marker so I thought. "Oh he will be back just needs to get some proper hydration." No sooner after that thought Berry started off again a good 200 yards from the mile marker.

Well now I was feeling a little dejected. So I again caught up to him and told him that I was starting to have my feelings hurt. After a few more exchanges it was clear that Berry was no longer communicating and obviously intensely focused at the task at hand so I dropped the hammer, threw caution to the wind and completed the course alone.

Big Dog 50K

2011-11-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

When I first put the Big Dog 50K on my calendar I knew it would be a good opportunity to run an ultra in a new state (Louisiana) and also allow my parents to have first hand witness to what its like to run in an ultra trail event. What I didn't expect was to have an incredible up and down time both emotionally, physically and psychologically. What follows is the account of that jouney.

The Big Dog Ultra 50K is a small trail race put on yearly by the Ouachita Road Runners Valley at the Lincoln Parish Park in Ruston, Louisiana. The park is normally the host for mountain bike races and I can see how the course would definitely cater to that sort of endeavor.

The Start

The day started with a 90 minute drive from my parents house in Shreveport. Getting to the park was pretty straight forward and since we arrived fairly early we had no problems getting some premium parking right by the lodge.

Teaching my parents the fine art of crewing.

This race used no actual timing chip but what they did use was a combination of human spotters calling out race numbers as they passed each loop as well I believe some sort of laser/led trip sensor that registered your final time when you crossed the finish area. Since this was a fairly small race such a method actually worked out well and I'm sure helped keep the costs down for them.

The course is measured just a tad over 10 miles and so for the 50K distance we all lined up in the opposite direction of the other races and took off in a short out and back additional distance.

If you want to see what the course was like "virtually," check out the video on the Lincoln Parish Park website. While it was filmed from a camera mounted on a mountain biker you get a good feel for what this course has to offer for a single loop. Video Link

50K participants waiting for the start

After hearing a few stories from people that had run this course before I was cautiously optimistic on the level of difficulty that the course would throw at me. So with very little fan fare which is customary in these types of races we were off.

Coming back from the 50k makeup mile

Loop 1

In the early beginnings of the race things were going pretty smooth. I was running well, perhaps a tad fast than I wanted to or should have been going but I was feeling relatively good so I let the trail dictate most of my pacing and also tacked behind a guy that seemed to be going at relatively the same pace as me. This over confidence or perhaps a quick lapse in concentrated proved to be my undoing because at about 4 miles into the race I found myself completely horizontal sliding down the trail a few feet. I quickly assessed the situation and was more embarrassed than initially hurt by the fall since it my trip was seemingly caused by probably the smallest and most insignificant root on the course. I got up pretty quickly and continued on the run trying to maintain the form from before. The guy that I was pacing behind stopped and turned around for me which goes to show the quality of person that ultra events attract.

The courses details a lot of quick switch back climbs and a few impressive vertical descents. The first of these came at around 6 miles. To the left of the "free fall ramp" are some stairs etched into side of the trail. Since my legs were still relatively fresh, I decided to use the ramp instead of the stairs. The ramp looked like way too much fun to pass up. I threw caution to the wind and barreled down the 140 or so vertical drop to the bottom trying to maintain a semblance of form but at the same time trying to not make this decision fall number 2. Miraculously I made it out of that area vertical and continued on my way. It was indeed fun but I decided that the other two loops I would "wuss out" and use the stairs.

One of the interesting aspects of the loop is that it is actually a system of trails that are each named after a dog. I am not sure what the origin of the names were if they were family pets or something like that but for the first loop I was happy to see the individual dogs pictures at their respected trail heads and greet them with a kind hello. Not to jump too far ahead of myself but I was not always happy to see the pups cute faces during the subsequent loops.

At around mile 8 or 9 all the descents start to add up which means only one thing. There is going to be some ascents pretty soon. Sure enough there was a pretty good climb in this area that featured a mini version of the switch back climb reminiscent of the big climb at Leadville onto the park road and the final aid station of the loop. About a mile or so further down from the aid station is the last big climb of the course. I always get a chuckle about climbs right at the end of looped courses. It always seems to come across as some sort of sick sadistic plan put in place by all race directors.

So after the first loop with the exception of the initial fall I was in pretty good shape and still running well although the temps and humidity were rising a bit which should indicate that a shift in my well being was about to come.

Finishing the first loop

I rounded back into the start area and met my parents at the chairs that we had set up and they had already expertly opened up my drop bag items and even filled a second water bottle for me so that all I had to do was grab my items and switch out my bottles and I was back out on my way. It worked out pretty well.

Loop 2

The second loop started off well I was still running fairly consistent, I took a small walk break to snack on a ProBar on an easy incline and then started running again. Somewhere around the 3rd mile of the loop the excess humidity really started to get to me. My legs started to feel heavy and I definitely slowed my pace and more easily convinced myself to walk longer and longer stretches. A few times during this loop I caught my foot again on a root and reached out with my other leg to maintain balance. This would send shock waves all the way up my legs and they would return the favor by squeezing out a nice painful cramp.

The rest of the loop was pretty miserable, I was overheating and it was slow going. When I got to the cool power dive hill I opted for the pedestrian stairs.

When I got back to the start/finish line my energy level was pretty low. My parents had again laid out my drop items on the chair. I contemplated for a moment to throw in the towel that another loop just meant prolonging the agony but I decided to continue on and with a walk this time I entered into the third loop.

Loop 3

A few minutes into loop 3 and I was residing myself to the fact that this lap was going to be a death march. The course was also getting darker and darker as some storm clouds were descending on the area which seemed to be directly connected to my current state of mind.

At about 3 miles into the loop the rain began. First it was just a sprinkle enough to be annoying more than anything about 20 minutes more of that the clouds really gave way and it became a torrential downpour.

A few minutes into trudging through the rain soaked trail something remarkable happened. I began to have fun again. I began to pick up the pace a bit. I would dance in between puddles, run up on the banks of the trail that were formed by the pine needles crisscrossing on the trail finding the best spots to run.

One of the features of this course that I have failed to mention before because with no rain they were pretty insignificant but there are a few areas that are stream crossing. Now with the rain these areas were much more of an actual obstacle and I hurdled over one crossing and a wider one required one step to become slightly submerged. But it was definitely fun. My body core was dropping and I knew that I couldn't keep up this type of exposure to the elements forever but it was a better feeling than trudging through the sweat soaked humidity of loop 2. I ran with my shirt in my hand to occasionally wipe my face.

I was pretty much completely alone on loop 3. I took some time at the two aid stations to stand under the canopy a bit. Enjoy a little cola and ice and take a brief chat break. On the second aid station I started to notice a weird thing happen with my perception. I would stare at some dots on the table that were part of the makeup of the surface and they would begin to move on me. Not sure what was causing that. Either the general exhaustion or a lack of fluids but what ever it was I figured I should probably head in for the finish.

Once I broke free of the trees and was along the fence line path that lead to the finish area I really picked up the pace again.

Finishing strong in the rain.

Finish

All things considered the big dog 50K was a great event. While I think I could have done better in the middle loop I have no regrets with the way I attacked the first loop without holding back. Oh and that fall?? It turns out that I left some of myself back out on the trail.

That's going to leave a mark.

The course was really fun. If I lived in that area I would run it all the time. It reminded me a lot about an unmarked portion of a trail system I like to run here in Houston, just a lot longer with more vertical climbs. While the really tall trees played havoc with my garmin watch I did get some cool readings of the elevation changes that show that the course was anything but flat.

Cactus Rose 50 Miler - 2011

2011-10-28T18:19:00.003-05:00

"Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..." - David Blaikie

Getting There

Considering that Cactus Rose 50 would be my first try at the distance, I took the afternoon off of work to make sure I had everything packed. The race is marketed as being self supported meaning that there is no large spread buffet of choices that you see at most ultra events. It is a more old school approach to ultra running and requires more planning.

After a brief nap (I didn't sleep well the prior night because of race anxiety and so any amount of rest was well needed) I got up to go pick up fellow crazy Ultra-Robert who was nice enough to include CR50 in his ambitious Tulsa Turkey Trot 5K taper plan so that I would have some company.

The drive to Borne, TX went pretty well with the requisite stop at Bucky's for a bio break. Robert kept me entertained with his extensive knowledge of small town Texas so the miles seemed to go by.

When we got to the hotel we quickly checked in and had our pre-race meal of champions at Chilli's. Definitely a step up from the McDonald's meals that fueled the Captain Karls series. After the delicious meal and complementary nacho chips (Thanks Foursquare!) we got back to the hotel for a nice full nights sleep of 3-4 hours since we had to get up at 2:15am to have enough time to drive the final miles to Bandera.

Pre Race

We got to Hill Country State Natural Area with about an hour (4am) to spare to the start time. Just enough time to try to navigate a map to find each of the aid stations in order to drop our bags of goodies for use in the race. Two of the aid stations were a little bit of a hike from the road but we eventually made our way the correct spot. We got back to the start line area with just enough time to get everything set. For this race I went with the Nathan race vest with the two front storage pockets as well as a dual 20 ounce bottle belt. For the early morning hours it was cool enough to only need one bottle in between aid stations (5 miles) but for the warmer afternoon I was glad I had both. For nutrition I was using Vespa (wasp extract power!) to help with my digestion of food and to process it quickly into usable energy. For actual food I had a few choices but I mainly stuck to larabars, a probar and powerbar gels. I also probably over did it a bit on the Nuun tablets in my water but all that did was contribute to my pee being a nice festive toxic green color!

Loop 1

With a quick ready, set, go type start we were off...right after a last minute pit stop. Okay now we can go. For the first 2 hours of the race it was under darkness and I navigated using a single handheld flashlight. It was slow going at first but I found a decent rhythm after things thinned out a bit. After a brief climb the beginning sections of the course for 10 miles seemed to go at a net downhill slope which just meant that eventually there would be some inclines. For the first 15 miles keep a steady pace of about an hour in between each aid station. That would change after the second stop at the equestrian aid station.

Course profile courtesy of tejas trails

Somewhere towards the top of Sky Island, I stepped wrong on a rock and took a tumble to the right of the trail and unable to regain my balance I awkwardly slid a few feet down the trail. Before I had a chance to pick myself up I was helped up back onto the trail by some nice 100 milers. Thanks guys! I quickly dusted off my pride and got back into my running rhythm where I could. But this section included a bunch of power walking up some loose rocky inclines, and not to forget my new favorite thing...the sotol plant.

These beauties of God's creation have nice razor sharp leaves that over grow on the trail and are impossible to avoid. In some sections the sotol are so thick that its like running through a gauntlet with each plant leaving a nice lasting reminder on your legs and sometimes arms and face. After finishing the climb up sky island it was a very steep decent into boyles aid station. My drop bags were working good at this point. I was merely filling my bottles back up, emptying the trash in my pockets and taking new supplies.

Right after leaving the station there was another of the big climbs. Somewhere near the top of the first plateau I took this photo. It was my only stop for a photo op, but I did take time to enjoy the scenery when I could. and there were plenty of opportunities especially in these sections. Amidst the nasty and ruggedness of this trail there is something completely beautiful and peaceful.

Pictured there is a cliff here that is hard to see
and of course those darn sotol plants along the edge.

At the time that I was taking this photo a guy passed me up, he complimented me on my choice of photo locations and said it will be a nice one. I caught up to him and ran with him for a bit until he started to slow for a bit. I looked up at his face for the first time and noticed he had a large trail of blood running from his forehead down his nose. I asked if he was ok and he said it was nothing and he was fine. Later I heard that he dropped out of the race after 25 miles.

There was a bunch more walking in these last 10 miles of the loop than the first sections do to the footing and extreme incline. I managed to pick my spots where I could and run any non treacherous section. Eventually I made it back to the lodge (mile 25) in about 5 hours 35 minutes or so. I was feeling pretty good except for some foot pain from the rocks and some slight soreness in my ankles.

Loop 2

After ditching my hat in favor of just a buff and sunglasses, I headed back out for the second loop. Loop 2 goes in the opposite direction so all the fun uphill climbs now come in the beginning and that nice net downhill in the first 10 miles is now going to be a not so nice gradual incline. In the first mile or so of loop 2, I ran back into Robert. This was the first time I had seen him since the very start of the race and it was good to see him and he looked strong as he was finishing up his first loop.

Starting out loop 2

Loop 2 was definitely a lot slower going than the first loop. The climbs were starting to take a lot out of me as the afternoon sun came out and the temperature rose to the low seventies or so. The pains in my foot were starting to get more frequent too. Every time I hot a jagged rock wrong I would be reminded of the fact to be more attentive to my footfalls. The problem was that often times there was no way around not stepping on the grapefruit sized pieces of joy.

At mile 36 (9 hours into the race) the GPS watch that I had borrowed was beginning to complain about a low battery so I shut it off exactly there and started up my own watch to keep the mileage a simple math calculation. This was an expected problem so it didnt bother me much and I pretty much planned that I would have to switch watches sometime during the race so I wore both.

Everything was going as planned after that until mile 40 at the Nachos aid station where I had stashed a can of Monster Energy Drink as a treat and pick-me-up for the final 10 miles. I planned on putting it in one of my bottles and sip on it during the last miles for the boost. In fact as I was coming into the station that was all I could think of. The problem was though that I couldn't for the life of me find my drop back amongst the sea of drop bags/containers. I probably paced the aid station for a good 5-10 minutes wandering around looping at all the bags wondering where mine was. I finally gave up on the drink and took off with just water for the next aid station at mile 45.

Shortly after the last aid station my backup watch died too. It should have had enough battery life for the amount of time it logged but I have been having trouble with it recently and think it needs a new battery or calibration or something. So for the last 4 miles I had no concept of pace or the comfort of knowing the remaining miles. I kind of new where I was on the course but it is amazing how much something like that can make my mind doubt my current situation. I started to not think I was on the right path. That somehow I had gotten onto loop 3 and was following a bunch of 100 milers for their next set of miles. Eventually sanity won out for a bit and I recognized some stretches of trail and increased my effort for the final push. I pulled up along side a guy that I had been keeping in my sights for quite awhile and briefly exchanged words with him that it was my first 50 miler or something to that effect. Normally I would not want to pass him so close to the finish but he was slowing down a bit and I felt really good so I sprinted the final half mile into the finish.

Sprinting into the finish. 50 miles, still smiling...

Finish

With no actual watch time I had to go by what I saw on the readout by the finish line. I completed the 50 miles in 13 hours and 8 minutes.

Sweet hardware...

I walked around a bit, I sat a bit and really let in the whole experience set in. 50 miles in some of the most rugged terrain I have ever been in. I have never felt so alive in my life...tired..definitely tired..but alive.

After sitting for a while by myself I got up and went to my car and changed and did a brief inspection of my cut up legs and battered feet. I'm pretty sure another toenail is going to be lost to the running gods.

This race was definitely worthy of the epic cap.

The sun was setting soon after and I settled in to wait for Robert to finish. I met some nice people in a heated tent that was erected near the finish line. I also enjoyed a couple cups of hot cocoa that tasted real good.

Robert came in to the finish a few hours later. He was happy but starting to get cold so we packed up quickly after his finish and head back to Houston taking a break of course at Bucky's. I finally got home at around 3:30am. A full 24+ hours of being awake.

An glorious and epic adventure. 50 miles complete. I think I'll definitely like to run Bandera again. It was fun...in a sick demented way of course.

Chicago Marathon 2011

2011-10-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

The preparations for the Chicago trip began many months prior to any miles being run in training. The first step was to convince myself to even go to one of the world marathon majors. The crowds always looked suffocating to me and lately I have been gravitating more to the solitude provided by trail marathons and ultras than throngs of cheering crowds and live music. Having said that I dont regret my decision one bit.

The Arrival

We left for Chicago early on Thursday. The initial plans were for a group of four from work to make the journey but an unexpected emergency changed the plans and we were now down to three. Instead of staying in a hotel and paying high prices to be in downtown Chicago, we rented a four bedroom house a few miles away from the city's transit lines. Renting a house definitely had it's bonuses. We had the use of a fully stocked kitchen and also had more room to spread out and generally be more comfortable than we would have been all sharing a couple of hotel rooms. It also provided for some nice comedic relief with references of being "contestants" in a reality television show spun off from the Jersey Shore. All laughing aside however there were no instances of spray tanning, smushing, or fist pumping involved. Although you do have to remember that our Snooki couldnt make the trip!

Important Lifeline for travel. Do not lose this card.

We quickly became experts with the bus and train system and felt at ease getting from the house to the sites of Chicago. Some favorites were the Buckingham Fountain (the one from Married with Children) and Millennium Park with its crazy architecture and fascinating fountains and sculptures.

Buckingham Fountain

The Expo

One of the primary rules in marathons. Stay off your feet prior to the race as much as possible. Okay so we scratched that rule from the list and proceeded to walk about 3.5 miles to the expo hall (seemed like a good idea at the time)

The expo hall was impressive and the right venue for the amount 45,000 entrants for the race. Every running shoe company had a booth peddling their wares. We also ran into Marshall Ulrich which is always a pleasure. He was busy with his book signing so we didn't bother him much except to say hi.

Part of Nike's booth.

The organizers had a really nice system for the amount of runners that had to flow through the expo to pick up their packets. There was plenty of room to walk around although some of the vendor booths got a little chaotic with people walking around like zombies but all in all everything was laid out. We also got informed that the race would now be run under yellow cautionary conditions because of the heat would go about 70 degrees.

Beware moderate conditions ahead!

Although running a marathon should never be taken lightly and the distance should be respected and any marathon regardless of the weather should be taken seriously, I couldn't help but feel that with my experience with the Captain Karl 60K series under my belt that the conditions would be down right pleasant in comparison.

Race day

On the day of the race we headed out of our home and headed to the train station at the nice brisk hour of 5am just as many late night revelers are getting in mind you which always provides for some fun interactions.

The train ride into town was pretty sparse with a single runner who's bib number was much much lower than our own so we gave her space. "CTA would like to remind you not to leer while on the train, thank you."

The other thing that we did for this marathon is purchase tickets to a hospitality tent which was well worth the extra $75. The hospitality tent provided us with a nice place to relax, our own army of portajohns to use, and they were even serving pre-race breakfast. Plus it made us feel like VIPs as we got escorted to the start line corrals.

Inside the hospitality tent running in honor of our fallen comrade.

Obligitory picture of John in front of the jon

For the race all three of us were seeded in Coral C. To qualify for the corral I think the standard was under a 3:56 marathon or a 1:45 half marathon. This allowed us to start a head of the majority of the field and get to a good pace quickly. The downside of this arrangement is that we were locked into the start corral with 20 minutes to go to the gun and I don't have to mention what happens when you lock a bunch of runners into a tight space that have all been over hydrating themselves. Anyway nature called and luckily the riotous runners had lifted a section of fence away from it's posts and I found relief next to a tree and a building that appeared to be some sort of historic landmark. This area was also not for the bashful. Where I was pointed and doing business with my back to the starting area, a few brave women were also in on the plant irrigation activities.

After long last the start of the race was on and we are greeted by a nice dark, dingy and musty underpass, tunnel. The tunnel went for about 200 yards or enough time to throw off the gps signal which was already having troubles bouncing off of buildings like it does in downtown Houston. The air was also pretty warm in there and made me question severely how fun this day was going to be. I quickly emerged from the tunnel to the delight of some fresh air and raced down the edge of the curb where I found some room. The plan for the beginning part was to run at or just under a eight minute mile and gauge how I felt shortly after the half way point. I was never really boxed in during the start of the race but I definitely felt the crowd. I elected to run inches from the curb. This strategy often times provides itself with the best running lanes in a crowded race but is not for the faint at heart since you are literally inches away from people clapping, cheering and otherwise yelling right into your ear.

Tight rope racing the curb. Around mile 5-10

The entire course was pretty well populated with spectators and the occasional band. Sites included the obligatory singing Elvis to the totally original drag queen lady gaga impersonators. By mile 5 things started to even itself out. I had caught up to Corral B's 3:30 pace group and was quickly leaving them behind with 3:20 pacers in site. I kept that pace as I was feeling good all the way through mile 18 or so. This is when I got the first effects of the heat. Even though I was taken salt tablets I was not doing the extreme dosage that I did at Captain Karl's and opted for the more traditional dosage of 2 per hour. Whether this was the reasoning for my now cramping legs is up for debate but the pain was very real and caused me to take it down a few notches and pay more attention to my foot falls. By mile 20 or so the 3:30 group passed me back up as I tried to hold on to a running pace to keep my legs from seizing up which was a challenge at every water stop. At this point of the race people seemed to be falling like flies. All around me people were walking many of which were in the A and B corrals with pace numbers on the backs that listed their now unattainable goals.

Word to the wise if you choose to put your pace group bib on the back of your shirt. Get a couple and rip them off in order as your plans change during the race.

Chinatown: Not much memorable besides the distinct odor.

Around mile 22 all the water and sponges that I used on my head, chest and back had washed away any residue of bodyglide and so a nice case of chafing developed leaving me with the beginnings of a runners stigmata forming on my shirt. I decided to take off my shirt to relieve the pain and provide some more cooling since the tech fabric at this point wasn't providing any. At mile 24 or so the crowds get thicker about 6 or 8 deep and the street is lined with a barricade. I carried my shirt in an outstretched manner since my bib was pined to it. The last thing I wanted was to be stopped by race security and have to explain to them that I legitimately belonged on the course as they were dragging bandit runners off left and right. The looked at my direction a couple of times but I was probably moving too fast and evaded their capture and moved on to the finish.

As I rounded for the finish my legs gave me one more twinge to let me know that they were still there and I bounded up the only hill on the course (thank you race directors) and managed a spirited sprint for the line. My final time 3:42:39 knocking around 20 minutes off of my previous road marathon PR.

Happy Finisher.

Recovery

After the finish I got a nice escort back to the hospitality tent where they were now serving a nice lunch spread and post marathon beer. Shortly after sitting down my friend Mike came back in. He beat his pr time too and we relived some of the excitement of the day's events waiting for our last runner to come in.

Chicago Finishers!

And the next day we enjoyed some Octoberfest on the navy pier enjoying the sites and sounds of some good German culture.

You must be this tall to enter this ride...

Captain Karl's Night Trail Series - The Shoe 60k (Revenge of the Rocks)

2011-08-27T19:00:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday was the final night time summer trail run of the series and given the success of the second one of the series I was hopeful that my experience would help propel me through another finish.

The trip up from Houston was relatively similar and almost getting to the point of routine as the route to each of the races is relatively the same.

This edition was located near the town of Marble Falls at the Mule Shoe Recreational Center.

The weather was its usual sunny and tipping the century point in temperature. I think that I have been somewhat accustomed to the extreme heat we have been having this summer by running in these races as well as training during the high points of the day. I can honestly say the temperature wasnt as shocking to my system as it was during the first race back in July.

Also for this race like the others I again had some company with my friend Mike along for the 60K fun. After arriving at the park and getting situated we were able to find a good spot right by the start/finish area to set up our chairs and our drop bags.

The Start

The race started off with a short .4 mile out and back to make up some distance because of the distance of the main loop to round out the 60K distance. There wasn't much to note about this portion it was mainly just a jeep trail/road until an orange cone indicated that we were turn around and head back to the start before the fun actually began. I was maintaining a decent sustainable pace during this time and was holding back any urge to surge ahead and do any unnecessary passing.

Loop 1

After saying good bye the start/finish aid station is was off to the real trails. The beginning portions of the loop are all runnable single track trails with a few sections of loose gravel but nothing unmanageable. Even the inclines in these sections were at an easy grade and didn't really require any quad saving walking. I felt like I was running pretty good during these first few miles and I tagged behind a group that was going about at the same pace. Soon enough after about 4 miles the first aid station came into view. The first aid station of the loop was an unmanned water only station. I filled up my water bottle and continued on. Shortly after the aid station or perhaps it is right before as well the course in this section turns a little more rocky and i was reintroduced to my nemesis the loose gravel bed. A few of my foot plants in these sections caused me to roll my ankle and check my balance and this will be a good foreshadowing of things to come.

A lot of the course is shaded completely by tree cover. Any semblance of a breeze in these sections is stifled by the trees and there were sections where the air felt complete bare. Other sections reminded me more of slalom skiing than trail running as you had to quickly alternate left and right around some thin saplings. The course wasn't all stone ridden. There was a particular section that seemed to be on a high point of the area that both had an open view to the sky and relatively smooth footing. Each time I passed this section I always remarked to myself that it was my favorite portion of the run this far and treated myself to a nice deep breath and a feeling of relaxation.

Over 6 miles through the 9 mile loop another aid station was always a welcome place for a quick rest and reload. This station was always fully manned by great volunteers and had a full spread of fruit, salted snacks or anything else that was needed. After getting re-energized it is a quick 3 miles to the start line area for the completion of each lap.

Some where during this area is where the Sun finally gave up its grasp and decided that the course was heated up enough and gave way to a remarkably moonless night sky. I found myself among a rather sizable group of runners during this section and still felt like I was running pretty good. We were calling out low branches and other obstacles which is always nice for me considering my height. It was a fun section and the start line area quickly came into view.

Loop 2

As previously planned I didn't fill up my Nathan backpack water bladder and only filled my 20 ounce bottle which was primarily used for dousing my head. With the spacing of the aid stations I actually think the backpack was a little bit of an overkill but my previous experience with the race series taught me to be better prepared than get caught in a bad situation because of being under prepared.

So I began the second loop with a short walk away from the aid station. This was mainly just to finish eating a piece of banana more than being tired however and so I quickly started into my running pace once again. Things at this point were starting to get thinned out and I didn't have the same pleasure of pacing next to a group of people like the previous loop so I was more on my own now.

It was also during this loop that I was starting to have some serious pains on my left Achilles as well as the outside of my lower right leg near the knee. The stones were starting to win the battle and my pace started to slow on this section. It would come and go and mainly flare up during the tougher sections and I definitely found myself walking more than I did the first loop.

By the end of loop number 2 I was starting to have some serious doubts on whether I should continue. The lack of breeze wasn't helping me feel comfortable either and only adding to the misery. After the end of the loop I un-clipped my backpack and went over to my chair and for the first time sat down and started fumbling with my drop bag. I took a good fifteen to twenty minutes contemplating my situation and getting my pack refilled with water and ice and replenishing my gel bottle and salt tablets.

I finally made up my mind to give it another go and got up from my chair and headed out into the darkness once again. As I was going out I heard my name being called and turned around and saw that it was Mike. He was just finishing his second loop and seemed to be in good spirits.

Loop 3

This loop was nothing like the other two. By this time my pain was getting close to every footfall and I was losing the fight with my mind to continue on with the struggle. It was definitely no longer fun and I wanted off the ride. I was walking a lot of this loop and taking a long time on the stone sections than ever before. I also was getting passed by a bunch of people as I one by one let them go off into the distance. About half way through the loop Mike caught up to me and after a quick report of what was going on with me. I told him that this was my last loop but that I didn't want to quit at the aid station and wanted to at least complete the 3 loop distance. He was running a lot better than me at this point but stuck with me. I actually ran more during this time than the previous miles of this loop. I don't know whether it was the company of running with someone else again or that I had made up my mind that I was only 5 miles to finishing instead of 14 for the day. Probably a combination of both as I always find it easier to run with someone else.

At the end of the loop I sat back down in my chair and Mike asked me if I had changed my mind. I said no which was somewhat of a lie since I had changed my mind back and forth about twenty times in the previous hour. He went off for his forth loop and I again sat there, pulled off my chip timing ankle bracelet and gave it one more good long hard contemplation. I got up walked over to the guys running the timing table and turned in my chip. One of the guys asked me if I wanted to be switched to the 30K race (2 loops) and get a medal for that. I said that I didn't feel right about that. I didn't run 28+ miles to get a 30K(18+ miles) medal, and besides I signed up for the 60K not the 30K and so that medal wasn't the race that I wanted or earned.

I sat back down drank some water and Gatorade and stared out the night time sky. That is one thing that I can not get enough of with these night time trail races. The sky is not diluted like it is in the city and all the stars are vibrant.

In what seemed like only minutes, Mike came back in from the course for the finish. It was his longest run to date and congrats to him for the great accomplishment on a demanding course.

Recovery

The drive home after a quick nap at the hotel in the morning was the usual bouts of muscle soreness with a dash of exhaustion mixed in for good measure. We stopped at Carl's Jr for a great bacon burger and fries which of course is always my recovery food of choice. When I finally got back to my house I re-purposed the melting ice in the cooler for a foot ice bath to help start the healing process for my battered feet and ankles.

Having gone through the series I can safely say that I learned a lot about myself as well as what it takes to run in some challenging and extreme conditions. I might be a little battered and bruised but I can safely say I will be back to tackle the challenge again and what I have learned will safely take me through the challenges that are scheduled later in the coming months most notably my first 100 miler at Rocky Raccoon.

What Went Right:

Electrolyte Pills. I got the right timing down for the weather conditions. Even though I had to end the run 9 miles early I didn't experience the same debilitating leg cramps that slowed my progress during the previous race.

Lessons Learned:

Need More Rest. Its okay to take multiple days off of training to let the body heal. I am taking all of this week off from running and I am ok with that!

Captain Karl's Night Trail Series - The Falls 60k (Redemption!)

2011-08-08T16:25:00.001-05:00

After DNFing the first Captain Karl's race my confidence was pretty shot and so I was coming into this race with a bit of nervousness and hoping for some satisfying redemption.

This time the race series location was at Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, Texas so the drive up to the race and most of the pre preparation activities were the same. For this race I paid more attention to my hydration and was alternating between water and Nuun tablets dunked in water for a change of pace with taste and also to keep my salt levels even. For this race I was traveling with my friend Mike and we were also going to meet up with another friend Ultra Dan at the park. Both Mike and Dan were smart and signed up for the 30k option.

Just like the first race I checked in at a Best Western hotel near Johnson City (they should sponsor me for that plug) and settled into the room for an hour or so to rest a bit and get ready for the race. The room itself was fine except the air conditioning wasn't on when we got there so the room was no cooler than outside. Which on hindsight might have helped a bit for acclimatization but Mike isnt ready to believe me on this theory just yet.

The drive from the hotel to the park was pretty easy and only took about 15 minutes. The parking situation at this race was also much better than Ink's Lake and we parked in a field a short walk to the start line and staging area.

By the time we got to the start the scientifically measured temperature measuring device located in my car's dash read 103 degrees and it felt all of that getting out and getting our gear situated near the start line. The first thing that I noticed was the the terrain seemed a lot better for my style of trail running and by that I mean that it didnt appear that there would be stretches of climbing up rock outcroppings only to run across them and do it again. There were some technical areas with rocks but more on that later.

We met up with Dan who was already enjoying the slow cook provided by the sun and sat for a few minutes under the protection of the lone tree in the area before the official start of the race at 7pm

Photo courtesy of Michael Glueck

For this race I changed my gear that I would be running with because of the experience at Ink's lake. For this race I wore the new Nathan's Endurance Hydration vest and also in a last minute decision stuffed an additional 20 ounce water bottle in the front pocket of the vest. I also packed the water bladder and the water bottle full of ice acquired from the hotel and then filled it with water. Drinking ice cold water on such a hot day does wonders for immediately lowering your core temperature and also it just plain feels good. For food I was carrying some Larabars and switched back to PowerBar Gel which I had previously went away from because of the convenience of buying HammerGel in bulk containers to fill small flasks instead of the constant waste of the little packets. I always liked the PowerBar Gel consistency better and so the night before emptied a bunch of packets into a small flask for convenience.

The race was 2 loops of 30k with a few sections of down and backs to make up some distance and also visit an aid station. When the 7pm gun sounded off (Joe Prusaitis yelling go) I was off and going. I stayed towards the back for the first mile or so only passing people where convenient and also trying to establish a more sensible pace early on instead of the fast start I got off to at Ink's Lake. The first few miles were definitely hot I didn't both with any timed period that I would take drinks of water. If I felt my mouth go dry I took a drink of water from the pack. Also to make it so my first drags of water were always cold when I was done drinking each time I would blow air back into the tube to push the water back into the pack so it wouldn't get heated exposed in the tube.

At around mile 3 or so (I was using my foot pod so I am unsure of some of these exact mileage numbers) we started to descend into a riverbed area which is normally filled with an actual river but with the drought we are experiencing was almost completely dried up. This was one of the more technically challenging portions of the loop. The descent into the basin was loosely strewn rocks at a fairly steep angle with some close bushes on either side that made it necessary for single file running in places. When I got to the bottom of the riverbed I tagged behind a guy and followed his footsteps. Of course little did I know that we were actually going a little bit off course but it wasn't too bad and we took a quick left and made it up a very steep incline to what was referred to as the never ending fence line.

Once on the fence line the course opened up a bit and the sections became much more runnable and I started to go a bit faster and pass a few people but I still kept holding back knowing that I had a lot more miles to go. This portion of the course was basically a horse trail and featured what seemed like a net uphill but included some rolling ups and downs to make not trash my legs too badly. This race also featured 4 aid stations (one that you visited twice) along with the finish area which doubled as an aid station for the end of each loop. The first aid station was at mile 5. This station was a water only stop but the water was always cold and I would refill my 20 ounce bottle each time. This bottle I primarily used to douse water over my head but a few times I filled it with a Gatorade solution for a few added calories and electrolytes.

After a quick stop at this station it was a double and back to the fence line for more of the same. In a few places the terrain went to some tree coverings but for the most part during the first few miles the sun was beating down pretty fierce and I was doing all I could to stay on top of my hydration.

The sun finally made way to the darkness at around mile 9 or 10 and the headlamps and flashlights came on. I was still running with a few people around me with the occasional fast 30ker tearing through to pass as they made up the 15 minute head start that us 60ker's had. So it was more of the same. Occasionally I would come to a quick incline strewn with loose rocks and instead of bounding up it with reckless abandon I saved my energy and walked up those sections and resumed running once it was clear. In what seemed like no time I was back at the start again. The constant hum of the generator was a good uplifting sound. When I crossed the mat to signal my completion of the first loop I was pleasantly surprised to see I had kept a pretty good pace with a time of 3 hours and 20 minutes. I immediately head back to my staging area to get my drop back and repack my backpack with water and ice. Filling the hydration pack isn't the easiest thing for me and perhaps it will become easier with practice but I spent some time fumbling with the opening of the bladder and filling it with ice. I also dropped a Nuun tablet in my secondary bottle for some flavor and some more salt intake because I was starting to feel a slight cramp develop in my legs. Around this time Ultra Dan finished his 30k and it was nice to see a friendly face. Dan always has a good attitude and spirit and so his energy spread over me as I headed off into the darkness for loop 2.

Loop 2

Unlike the first loop the second loop proved to be a pretty lonely trek. My pace was definitely slower for this loop and I spent a lot more time walking than I did the first time around. Some of this was me being tired but it was also because of the rocky terrain sections and me not wanting to fall. I was also experiencing some pretty bad leg cramps in the quad area. I started increasing my rate of salt pills thinking that it could be due to an electrolyte deficiency. For the rest of the race my main contact with people were an occasional runner at the aid stations or the volunteers. Just me and the trail... oh and the scorpions. I don't think I have ever actually seen a scorpion in the wild before. Basically every so often I would see the ground move under my feet and I would focus in to see the little guys scamper across the trail. They were the small ones too and from what I know about scorpions it is the small ones that pack the more painful sting. The scorpions were also not the only creature to join me on my run for the second loop. Around mile 30 or so A very spirited armadillo bounded right in front of me startling us both I would imagine. He paced me for a bit before making some odd and disturbing clicking sounds and bound back into the brush. I kind of wished he would have stayed a little longer because I enjoyed the company. The miles kept clicking away slowly but surely after a stop for the last time at the "Pipe" aid station and a verification of the final distance I put my head down and made a concerted effort to run the remaining miles (5.8 miles) to the finish.

When I got towards the home stretch and could see the light emanating from the finish line camp my spirits really started to soar and I started to really pick up the pace. Determined to finish strong I gritted my teeth and willed my tired legs forward. With each step I could feel my muscles straining and ready to seize up for a final time but I refused to stop and rounded the corner for the final stretch.

I could hear Dan and Mike yelling for me. They had camped out directly behind the finish line and their cheers rang louder than any crowd could ever muster. As I crossed the line I felt the rush of satisfaction and redemption. I finished the race in 8 hours 24 minutes and 34 seconds.

Photo courtesy of Michael Glueck

Race director Joe Prusaitis came over and handed me my medal and shook my hand and told me congratulations and go sit down and take a load off. Joe is a smart man and I heeded his words and did just that.

I rested up a bit and then rejoined the finish line cheering section and watched as more and more finishers came in.

Photo courtesy of Michael Glueck

All in all a good race for me despite the leg cramp issues. It was a good psychological boost to actually run through some pretty hot conditions successfully without becoming dangerously dehydrated and I look forward to the next race in the series in 3 weeks.

Lessons Learned:

Monitor salt levels better. Increase salt tablets early especially during the heat of the sun portions.

What Went Right:

Hydration! Ice in the hydration pack is a lifesaver. Nothing beats the feeling of ice cold water in your chest.

Captain Karl's Night Trail Series - The Lake 60k (DNF)

2011-07-18T11:40:00.001-05:00

So in preparation of the hundred miler that I am doing in February I wanted to get some experience and become comfortable with running extended periods of time in the dark. An important skill to have for longer ultra marathons. So I signed up for a series of 60k night time races that run through July and August out near Austin, Tx. The first of which was this past Saturday night in Burnet, Tx at Ink's Lake State Park.

Saturday I drove up towards Austin under some cloud cover in what looked like would be a mild (for summer time) day. This dream was quickly crushed as I got closer and closer to my destination with temperatures soaring towards 100 degrees. Because this was a nighttime race and seeing as I was 200 miles from home I decided to check into a Best Western in Burnet as a refuge before the race and also a place for a quick nap afterwards.

At 5pm I headed over to Ink's Lake and noticed my car thermometer still wasn't giving me any relief. The drive in was nice albeit a little reminiscent of a mini version of the drive through Colorado with windy roads, sharp turns and a lot of climbs and descents. Soon after I turned onto the state park road I came across a family of deer crossing the road. I also saw the smallest baby deer that I have ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it but the deer couldn't have been bigger than a foot tall and I watched it cross the road in behind me as I slowly kept going in the car.

The next challenge at the park was finding a parking spot that was even remotely near the starting line of the race. This apparently is a big problem for Ink's lake and with 250 runners (100 in the 60k, 150 in the 30k) coming for the run I was glad I was there early. I found a spot about a half mile away from the start but I might have fared better coming late because they started queuing up the cars along the side of the road which would have been closer but that option wasn't available to be at the time.

The heat was pretty oppressive outside so I spent the next 2 hours trying to stay in the shade, trying not to sweat too much and drinking a ton of water. I took a couple pictures of the terrain near the lake.

Unfortunately this doesn't really describe the terrain well for the race but the features of cacti are consistent throughout the 10K loop.

So the 7pm start time felt like it took forever to arrive as I was baking in the sun and losing water with just standing still. Finally we got some pre-race instructions from a member of the race committee who is related to the namesake of the race Capt Karl who died a few years ago from cancer. We had a nice moment of silence in remembrance of people who have died from the terrible disease as well as ones that continue to struggle with it today.

Pictured here Blue bandana in the back to the right
Photo courtesy of Fawn Simpson from Tejas Trails Facebook Page

We were warned about hydration and possible encounters with rattlesnakes which thankfully I didnt come across although I did run past a skunk that thankfully was not interested in me.

So the course as I stated before is a 10K loop that has some backtrack portions where you retrace your steps particularly after about the 3 mile aid station point. Quickly after the start the course turns from a runnable trail to more of my new nemesis the rock outcropping which dominates the landscape of the 6 miles. Every time I got comfortable and starting to get into a rhythm for running a series of bolder climbs would be presented to me to climb so I was starting to get pretty frustrated. Also at this time the effects of the heat were quickly showing themselves. My mouth was drying out and I was quickly running through the 20 ounces of water I was carrying. In a normal run I can make 3 miles with 20 ounces of water but this clearly wasn't enough and I was getting into water deficiency fast.

At mile 2 there was some nice features of the course and by nice I mean ridiculous like a gorge crossing that is just wide enough to tempt you to try to jump across but deep enough to make you think twice in trying. So I did the sensible thing and stepped down onto a small bolder and then back up the other side. The aid stations were all awesomely manned with water with ice (crucial in this temperature) as well as an assortment of fruit, salted snacks and other things. After refilling my bottle I was back out for more of the same. Run for 500 yards or so and then climb some rocks. First loop wasn't so bad averaged about a 12 minute pace with the majority of that pace coming in the last 2 miles the first half was quicker in at about a 10 pace.

Back at the start I refueled and grabbed my headlamp and flashlight. For this race I decided to wear the headlamp around my waist (part of the benefits of being ridiculously skinny) and also carry a hand flashlight. In my prior experience with night time running no matter how light the headlamp was I would always develop a severe headache from the lamp after about 2 hours of use. Also you are able to point out objects with your hand instead of having to look at them constantly which saves you from a stiff neck later on in the race. I headed out with the sun setting over my shoulder for loop 2. The heat was still pretty high and my pace had slowed to around a 15 average as I cursed to myself over the the rock outcroppings. After about a mile or so the sun was gone and the flashlights were on. At about this time I was getting congested again in my nose which I need to sort out if it's something that I am taking prior to the race that is causing this or just the humid weather that is playing havoc with my sinuses. Either way it makes it difficult to exhort a big effort up hill when you cant breathe out your nose. At about mile 10 I stumbled over a rock and reached out with my other leg to compensate and was met with a huge calf cramp that stopped me in my tracks and yelling a four letter expletive. I massaged my calf, drank some water and then realized I was pretty close to running out of water with 2 miles left to run. So I kept going for the next 2 miles with an empty water bottle picking my spots where I could, but trying to keep my exertion level way down. I finally made it back to the start line got my water bottle filled again and started drinking water. This is when I started feeling all the classic signs of dehydration including shortness of breath, elevated heart rate, dizziness and nausea. I tried to walk around a bit. I sat for a bit. I drank some. I attempted to eat some, but I wasn't coming around and so slumped my head in shame and handed over my timing chip.

I did the right thing though. 97 people started and only 50 finished (52%) with some people requiring hospitalization. I could have continued but I fear I would have been a different type of statistic so I will take my DNF (Did Not Finish) and live to run another day. Next up is the Falls in Pedernales State Park near Johnson City, TX. The reports are that this course is a lot more up my ally with more runnable sections.

Lessons Learned:

More water, 20 ounce bottle was not enough

Start out slower

What Went Right:

Using the flashlight was definitely the way to go. No headaches from the headlamp and I seemed to see the trail much easier than a headlamp.

Leadville Trail Marathon

2011-07-06T17:29:00.003-05:00

Getting There

My friend Mike and I left for Leadville on Tuesday after work at 7pm by car. There weren’t many sites to be seen because most of the trip was shrouded in darkness. When we got to New Mexico however things started to brighten up and we were treated to a sunrise view of the mountains.

Fueled by caffeine shots we kept pushing on arriving in Leadville at 11am local time.

Not wanting to mess up our sleep schedule' we walked about 3 miles around town stopping to eat some pizza and ribs at the best restaurant in town High Mountain Pies. Absolutely delicious all around one of the best pizza’s I have ever had and that wasn’t the lack of sleep talking. We walked around some more around town stopping by the official elevation marker at city hall.

When we finally got back to the hotel room, we had been up around 41 hours or so.

Trial Run

In the morning as planned we went to the start of the trails that would be the course for the marathon for an "easy" training run to see what it would be like to run at 11,000 feet. I think it took about 3 steps to realize that this wasn't going to be easy as I was gasping for air. The initial shock died down and we got a good five and a half miles in at a real leisurely pace.

Part of the reason for this run was to see what the terrain would be like too. Prior to leaving for the run, I studied the official course map and saw the different turns we would make. Unfortunately though the course map didn't have all the choices listed so the route we took actually was much easier than the race course.

The old mining ruins however provide an awesome backdrop for running and they also have converted a lot of the area to a paved bike path as pictured below that we came upon.

Packet Pickup

Packet pickup went pretty smooth despite a little mix-up with our names not being listed on the official registrar. Since our company pays for our entry fee, the person listed as running was the name from the company’s credit card. The Leadville race series has their own retail shop filled with hats and shirts and they received 60 more of my dollars on another t-shirt and an awesome embroidered beanie that says “epic” which will surely be the cornerstone of my wardrobe when I run rocky raccoon 100.

Race Day

The morning of the race had extremely nice weather with temperatures just hovering around the low forties. We arrived early and had the pleasure of meeting up with Marshall Ulrich, who we previously met back in April during a fun run organized by his book tour.

The first few miles of the race felt good. I was enjoying the weather and the inclines didn't feel too bad...that is until we took a left where on Thursday during our trial run we took a right. This is where the trail basically turns into a complete run on jagged stones.

At times during this initial climb, I would have to pull off to the side and catch my breath wait for my heart to settle and then continue on. This tactic I would have to later employ way too often when the climbs became even more steep.

The first 9 miles seemed, except for the occasional break, to go by quickly. The aid stations were packed with goodies like you would see at an ultra event with pretzels, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, candy, gels, chips, etc.

This is also the point of the run where I felt my first taste of the effects of the altitude on my breathing and heart. From this point on I was constantly battling to keep my breathing under control, which seemed to always be at the rate as if I was sprinting in a 5k race.

There were some neat aspects of the first part of the race like a snow crossing and a single track trail that literally was on the side of the cliff to the right.

By mile 10 or so we started a slight incline to the base of Mosquito Pass. (The highest point on the race)

This is also the first point of the race that I started to realize that I was seriously bonking. My mouth was completely dry from the constant wind, I started to yawn uncontrollably which is always a sign that I haven't eaten enough and I started to feel the first twinges in my quad muscles as they strained with each step. Both of my Achilles tendons were also painfully swollen which added another complication to each of my footfalls.

By the time I got to the base of Mosquito Pass I was completely exhausted. I had to lean against a jeep at the aid station. Thoughts of inadequacy were flying through my head. I kept thinking how on earth am I going to be able to both get up that mountain and also return? After what was probably five to ten minutes I stepped away from the support of the jeep and took off for the mountain. What transpired next was easily the hardest and most grueling thing I have ever put my body through. The course at this point zig-zags up mosquito pass at an average grade of over twelve percent. I would literally only be able to move about 20 yards before having to stop hunch over my knees and gasp for breath. When I would lift myself up again I would immediately get a head rush. I was also having a sense of vertigo and every-time I would look over to my left over the edge of the cliff, I would get a sick feeling. Because of this most of the time, despite the beautiful views, I was unable to move my gaze from either the side of the mountain to the right or the jagged rocks directly in front. So for the next 90 minutes I moved 20 yards. stopped. hunched over. and repeated for 2 miles. My Garmin GPS watch reported my mile splits of 50 and 48 minutes, most of the time it didn't even think I was moving as the average pace was reported as two pathetic dashes. I would get a lot of people passing me that were concerned about me, they gave me words of encouragement. Some of it helped and some if it just passed through without acknowledgment. At this point I was in another place in my mind and would only come out of the haze sporadically.

What seemed like ages (and turns out was) I finally made it to the top. At the start of the climb I was probably at about the middle of the field and now at the top I found myself pretty much at the tail end of the race. The views at the top were absolutely spectacular. This was one of the few times that I lifted my head to look out at the view despite my dizziness.

Now with a half marathon under my belt I started down the mountain for the first time in awhile I started to even trot but couldn't manage much because of the treacherousness of the footing and my now lack of confidence on my ability to stay upright.

At this point the course backtracks all the way back to the start. So what was a downhill before now becomes an uphill and vice-versa. I tried to keep people in sight but they all seemed to climb better than me and I would always be left behind even on what should have been a routine uphill. This added to my thoughts of quitting as more people passed me and I had to resort to my stopping and resting routine.

The aid stations as I got to them were starting to pack up. They never said anything about time or how close to the cut off I was getting, but I knew it was getting dire if I would be able to finish in time. I kept trudging on though back tracking through my steps one foot in front of the other.

Somewhere right before mile 20 my Garmin watch finally gave out. 6 hours and 40 minutes was all that the battery was going to give me. As the screen went blank after the final warning on the screen it mirrored my own feelings as I was completely drained, in pain and defeated. I kept going though. At times managing a trot down a hill but even then I couldn't manage much and it seemed that the up hills always out numbered the down ones. After the last aid station (mile 22) I filled my water bottle for the final time and just decided to go for it. Now without the aid of my watch for pacing or any sense of relative time. I stopped thinking about my seized up quads, my painful ankles, my throbbing toe and my useless lungs. I just started to run, and I didn't stop. Once I got back onto the pavement at 5th street and turning onto 6th street the run turned into a sprint. At this point everything around me was a blur, I could see people, I could hear words, but they were all incomprehensible. As I crossed the line I crumpled to my knees once again at this point it was like a rush and the world all came back to me. I was greeted by Mike and also another runner who I remember gave me words of encouragement both times he passed me up on mosquito pass. He told me he knew I would make it and was waiting at the finish line to tell me congratulations.

My final time? 8 hours 24 minutes 13 seconds. I finished 3rd from last place and less than 6 minutes till the cut off time.

This by far is my proudest accomplishment in running and it has nothing to do with time or awards, but for my refusal to quit when everything was telling me that I should.

The End?

You cant end an epic running vacation by just going home, so on the way back after driving thirteen hours to Fort Worth, Texas we stopped for the night, and in the morning we ran in the Firecracker 5000. Wearing the stinky shorts that I used in the marathon, the only shirt that could possibly be considered to be made of technical fabric, and trail shoes I went out and gave it everything my tired legs could muster.

...and I managed to even win 2nd place in my age group!

What went right:

No blisters!!!! Used Hydropel on my feet and then Injinji toe sock liners followed by a Drymax sock for an outer sock layer.
Packing a jacket was much needed. I had all the right gear with me for the run.

Lessons Learned:

Eat more often. I cant follow the same strategy as a road race. The miles go by too slowly. I was feeling the effects of bonking by mile 10.
As with eating I need to drink more.
Slow the pace early no need to dash up the hill. My first split to the aid station was probably a little fast.

Ghetto Circus

2011-01-22T17:33:00.002-06:00

Perhaps it is a sign of the times but the current rate for horse rides in the parking lot of the Mercado 6 is ten dollars.

Race Report: Soggy Shoes Half Marathon aka Sugarland USA Fit Half Marathon

2011-01-17T07:55:00.000-06:00

I wanted to write a few words about the USA Fit Half and Marathon and maybe throw in a few nuggets at the end. The race start and finish is held at the University of Houston Sugar Land campus, which I am sure is a fine institution of higher learning, but I dont think they quite envisioned 2000 people descending to their parking lot all at once. Even with me arriving at 5:45am for a 7am start time I was forced to stare at the US59 feeder for a good 25 minutes before actually even making the turn onto University Blvd. The campus has only one entrance and exit point and we had traffic coming into the venue at 4 different points also if you were not fortunate enough to get a spot in the university parking lot there was overflow parking a good mile and a half away. Luckily I avoided the mile and a half warm-up and got one of the last spots in the main area.

Once inside the race itself was excellently manned by volunteers and race directors. They delayed the start a full 45 minutes due to the darkness as encouraged by the police department. So I stayed dry in my car until 10 minutes until the new start time. But during this delay they made numerous announcements and make sure everyones particular concerns were met. For example, a coworker of mine running in the race forgot his chip and bib. Instead of putting on a mask and becoming a bandit runner he found a race volunteer and they helped him secure a new bib and chip with only minutes to spare to the start. I was however a little disappointed that they didnt take Michael Glueck's suggestion of making him wear a bib that said "I am a dumb ass and forgot my bib" More on the awesome volunteers later.

The race course itself is a good one especially for the half marathon distance it is a single loop (2 loops for marathon) with only one turn that could be considered a hair pin turnaround and even that wasn't too bad. The weather conditions itself on the day were "glorious". It rained the entire time which helps wash off the amount of sweat buildup on the face and arms and also helps to weigh down your shoes to build up strong calf muscles. The wind was also a nice pleasant 15-20mph cooling breeze that helped chill your bones and congest your nose in order to restrict breathing.

For the race itself I did pretty well. I managed a 1:39:24 which is a new PR for me. I think given a few factors like weather and perhaps this time I wont run 14 miles the day before, I have a good shot of topping that time again in two weeks at the Houston race. Also my friend Michael Glueck who has run with the 4:00 hour group a few times for the long runs also did awesome. He finished in 1:46. Only last year Michael was running halves at 2:30+ and truly has made remarkable improvements with his running. He is running his first Marathon in two weeks at Houston and I know he will absolutely kill it.

After the race the food that was provided even with the constant rain was incredible. There was pizza from Pappa Johns and freshly grilled chicken sandwiches from Outback to name a few. It was there waiting in line for the sandwiches that apparently I caught the eye of a volunteer who saw me enjoying the cooling effects of the wind and rain and ran over to the medical tent to get me a blanket. Really awesome volunteers and I cant thank my benefactor and her fellow helpers enough.

So that is my story from this Sunday. I didn't get a chance to share some words of wisdom to the group at breakfast. Perhaps it's due to the fact that at 6'3" I blend into the crowd like a ninja, or that all the good tips were taken by the other coaches leaving me with "Wash, Rinse and Repeat" So I'll try my best to add a few here.

This is for veterans and beginners alike: At your next race Houston or if you were not lucky with the lottery some other venue, really soak in the experience. Arrive early and just look around, celebrate all what it has taken to bring you to this point. The triumphs over injuries, the countless long runs the time spent away from family and friends. During the race remember the roar of the crowds, the kids with their outstretched hands ready for high (low) fives. The bands playing songs, the signs giving reference to Forest Gump in new and creative ways. Store this all away. This is your moment. I think too many people get caught up in the pursuit of speed that they really forget about what makes running great. Let your mind go, relax and run as if you are light and free and the times will fall. Too many people run with such tension and anger that you can see it in their faces. I think it can be best explained by what I witnessed at the Steamtown Marathon back in October. Grown adults throwing temper tantrums at the finish line because they missed a qualifying time for Boston by a few minutes. All I could think of was that I felt so sorry for these people that they have forgotten what running really is all about.

My beginners in my group are always asking me how far I have run already that morning or what my real pace is and I hesitate to tell them so that they don't immediately start comparing it with themselves. Once they do get it out of me they ask why I run with them and that's easy. I run with them because they are what running is all about.

Airports have officially become bus depots

2010-08-23T07:54:00.001-05:00

Maybe I just don't fly anywhere popular but I never seem to get to go to the cool kids terminal. Zoom in for the bird waiting g for the flight with me.

Conference call doodles

2010-08-21T17:19:00.001-05:00

This is titled "time being sucked into the jaws of the abyss"

Wasp warefare take two

2010-08-21T17:16:00.002-05:00

The war against the wasps continued today.

Apparently They like to build nests between fence posts in mass. This was one of the medium ones I found and irradicated with extreme prejudice.

Football was a hobby...but sausage...

2010-06-24T13:08:00.000-05:00

Oh Earl what have you done. I picture a boardroom strategy session where everyone is in total agreement:

"Sausage is his life!!! There is no negative connotation with sausage, everyone loves them some big long links of sausage especially hometown football hereos"

Why do I get the feeling this is marketed by the same people that do the shake weight.

Questions to ponder

2010-06-19T15:50:00.001-05:00

Why do people still sport loser political campaign messages on their bumpers years after the election is over. Do they think that if they try hard enough that their candidate still has a shot? Are They living in denial? Are they from a parallel universe where they were victorious? Or is it just that the damn sticker wont come off. Damn that Republican glue.

My new monkey toe running socks!

2010-05-15T08:54:00.001-05:00

Kinda freaky looking but hopefully cuts down on the blisters

Casie in the hut

2010-05-03T08:15:00.001-05:00

This definitely says "Monday"

Avatar

2010-04-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

Im watching Avatar for the first time on Blu Ray and so decided to avatarize myself. I look pretty good all blue me thinks.

Maddy Visit!!!

2010-04-10T18:12:00.001-05:00

Maddy on the couch

Butt Paste!

2010-03-31T21:49:00.003-05:00

Best giveaway at a 5k ever.

Texas Independence Relay 2010

2010-03-04T18:13:00.002-06:00

203 Miles from Gonzales Texas to Houston.

i am running four legs again. for those interested in following the trek of pain and sweating then here are some links of the legs I will be running.

Leg 2 - Gonzales, Texas

Leg 14 - Borden, Texas

Leg 27 - Fulshear, Texas

Leg 39 - Deer Park, Texas

All said in done about 20+ miles. The fun starts Saturday at 8:30am

Droid

2010-02-18T09:01:00.000-06:00

Picture of casie using my new droid

Lazy Bum

2009-12-20T13:23:00.001-06:00

She has a net to catch the spare change. Perhaps its a similar method seen at the toll booth.

Hungry

2009-12-10T20:24:00.000-06:00

New York New York

2009-12-01T18:00:00.000-06:00

Horray for clean clothes

2009-11-30T12:33:00.000-06:00

Casie helps out with the unpacking

2009-11-22T15:57:00.000-06:00

Attack of the birds

2009-11-22T06:48:00.000-06:00

the stove

2009-11-21T16:50:00.000-06:00

Haven't had a working one of these in over 3 months.
There's one benifit to moving

Casie in her new home

2009-11-21T11:01:00.000-06:00

River walk hotelroom view

2009-11-14T16:32:00.000-06:00

Night Vision

2009-11-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

Pretty pretty horse

2009-11-07T13:28:00.001-06:00

He hasn't moved in 15 minutes. Awesome mounted police horse

Crazzy Fast Furry 'Pillar

2009-11-06T17:35:00.000-06:00

This sign makes me giggle

2009-11-03T17:59:00.001-06:00

Full Moon Over Traffic

2009-11-02T17:39:00.000-06:00

Ribbit

2009-10-15T21:35:00.002-05:00

He's grown since the last time I saw him. Apparently my porch has good eats.

Jesus died to be placed on your back windshield

2009-10-12T18:08:00.000-05:00

"I listen to talk radio and buy bumper stickers"

2009-10-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

They must have passed up on the cash for clunkers.

Maddy

2009-09-26T17:42:00.000-05:00

maddy on ths couch watching zombie movies

"Others look up to you."

2009-09-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

My fortune cookie this afternoon says that others look up to me. This does not come to a shock to me seeing as I am 6'4" tall

Its your window to weight gain

2009-08-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

See More...

2009-08-17T11:08:00.000-05:00

Queen

2009-08-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

Lunar Rendezvous 5k

2009-07-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

Dog days of summer

2009-07-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

I think its a little hot out.

Harwin Drive

2009-07-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

I'm going to miss the craziness of Harwin when the company moves in August.

Something tells me that a laddy waving her hands wildly over her head as she runs across 4 lanes of traffic doesn't happen very often in sugarland

Bobca?

2009-07-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

There's a joke in here somewhere

Best Man

2009-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

I flubbed up the middle part (the part that I would start crying at when I was going over it in my mind) but here it is in it's entirety for all the world to see
--------------------
When I was told about the frightening reality that I would have to give a speech tonight, I contemplated for awhile and figured I could go in a couple of directions.

I could embarrass Joe and quite possibly half of the wedding party up here by retelling the story of a certain Wine and Cheese pool table dance.

Or…

I could go the cliché route and ask for anyone in the crowd to hand over their keys to Joe’s apartment… Of course they already live together so that would have just ended up being awkward.

You see the problem is that I really see myself as “best man” for both of them. They are both close dear friends.

So, instead I am going to tell you what you quite possibly already know. That Joe and Christine are amazing and caring people. If you ever really need help they will be there for you. (Call Christine first…Joe won’t answer)

I got to witness this first hand 6 or 7 years ago and so I want to take this opportunity to thank them by being here for them today.
So with that I ask that we all Toast. To Joe and Christine.

Liz of the Pork

2009-06-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

Dog waste transmits disease!!

2009-06-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

Run and panic!!!

Pittsburgh skyline

2009-06-18T11:43:00.000-05:00

Heinz field gate a

2009-06-18T11:42:00.000-05:00

I think some of these rules have been broken

2009-06-18T11:40:00.000-05:00

Heinz field

2009-06-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

PNC park

2009-06-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

View from my hotel room

2009-06-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

PNC park

In the city of champions

2009-06-17T12:47:00.000-05:00

Hello Franco, its been awhile

Vertical wind Turbine

2009-06-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

National american indian museum

2009-06-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

First liquid propelled rocket

2009-06-16T13:14:00.000-05:00

Soviet missile. CCCP

2009-06-16T13:13:00.000-05:00

Stealth x45a

2009-06-16T13:04:00.000-05:00

Spirit of st luis

2009-06-16T13:01:00.000-05:00

First flight

2009-06-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

Capitol Security

2009-06-16T12:12:00.000-05:00

Capitol building

2009-06-16T12:06:00.000-05:00

Panda Yummy!

2009-06-15T16:35:00.001-05:00

Kelly says meow

2009-06-15T10:43:00.000-05:00

Race Bling Bling

2009-06-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Second place down in Texas City Run by the Bay 10k

Jack Rabbit

2009-06-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

Maddy doing her laps

When lightning strikes.

2009-05-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

My neighbors tree. I was outside about 5 minutes prior to this.

New grill for the back yard!!

2009-05-16T10:25:00.001-05:00

The instructions for assembly were ridiculous but a couple hours later here is the final product.

Hijack

2009-05-07T19:44:00.000-05:00

This little guy was parked on my mower for the entire time I did the lawn

Finally!! I've been searching all over town for a pair!

2009-05-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

All beware the Maddy attack

2009-05-02T14:23:00.000-05:00

Kayne

2009-04-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Everytime I hear a kayne west song now I thing of "gay fish" thanks to south park. Do you like fish sticks?

Ready for first game

2009-04-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

Almost done

2009-04-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

Regulation certified

2009-04-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

The result of midnight carpentry

2009-04-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

Maddys new blanket

2009-04-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

Aka hair magnet

Kermit

2009-03-24T20:03:00.000-05:00

At least it wasn't a freaking rat

Steelers Fans

2009-03-23T17:37:00.000-05:00

I guess it makes sense since the texans suck

Why I hate people Reason 36,412

2009-03-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

Shuttle Launch (video)

2009-03-15T20:45:00.002-05:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Shuttle Launch

2009-03-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

I'm in orlando for a conference and I just saw the shuttle launch. Insanely cool. Here is a video from the berry.

All in all done

2009-03-08T16:21:00.001-05:00

I finished my fourth leg. 8 minute 10 pace. Its getting pretty hot out there.

I officially notched up 10 passes over the course of my final three legs.

Ten teams fall to the might of my swift legs!!

I just have a quick jog around the san jacinto monument with the rest of the team for a celebration victory.

We are on pace to knock 2 hours off of our time from last year.

On to my last leg

2009-03-08T14:04:00.001-05:00

I am starting to feel a little tightness in my legs but other than that I am ready to get it over with.

I am going to try to give it all that I can

Leg number 3 done

2009-03-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

I finished leg 3 of the tir. I averaged 7 minutes 40 seconds a mile. My next run has been bumped up to leg 37. One of our guys got hurt and I had to be suffled around to take his legs. This will add an extra mile to my total. Oh well. Almost done.

Day 2

2009-03-08T05:31:00.001-05:00

We are up and on our way for our third legs. There has been some developments during the night. One of our runners is sick and another pulled a muscle.

I will probably have to get bumped from my cusg leg 39 and moved to a harder leg at an earlier time.

I'm not sure how much it will be as of yet.

Day one over

2009-03-08T00:23:00.001-06:00

Our van gets to rest until 4am. Yah!!!!

Leg 2 done

2009-03-07T20:54:00.001-06:00

After comments that somehow I was dogging it durring my long run in the headwind and dust bowl, I just turned in 4 miles at 7:50 pace.

Boo yah

2009-03-07T18:59:00.001-06:00

About to start my second leg. 4.1 miles. A straight shot down i90. Its night time though so I have to wear a head lamp.

My leg starts at a bar!!!

Windy

2009-03-07T09:53:00.000-06:00

The cannon of gonzales

2009-03-07T09:07:00.000-06:00

Come and take it

Start of tir

2009-03-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

7am day 1 of pain

2009-03-07T07:12:00.001-06:00

Its day one. I didn't sleep very good. We had only a king size bed so that was interesting. I probably got 3 hours of total sleep. We start officially at 9:33am.

Time for some breakfast and to convince myself why I did this