Race Results

Results of the Grassland run were just posted. I finished in 3:03:00. That's terribly far from my Personal Record of 1:38:00, but is a time I'm proud of due to the conditions on that day. I finished 47th out of 139 participants. There were 280 people signed up to participate which means half the field was too chicken to participate in the mud run. I look forward to participating in the event next year (marathon hopefully), assuming its dry and warm.

Muddy and Bloody

Today (March 20, 2010) I ran my first trail race - the Grasslands Half Marathon. The race takes place on horse trails in the Caddo-LBJ National park north of Decatur, TX. The event is sponsored by the North Texas Trail Runners and they offer half marathon, marathon, and 50 mile races.

The weather was awesome leading up to the race - highs in the 70s with lows in the upper 40s and 50s. Of course this type of weather was too good to be true and a cold front blew in Friday night with a good dose of rain. When I awoke on Saturday morning, it was around 40 degrees, windy and raining. I had emailed the race director on Friday afternoon to see if there was a chance the event was rained out. I never heard back so I assumed the race was going to take place regardless of the weather - which is what I figured given that so many trail runners and events pride themselves on being tough (you need to be if you're going to run 50 or 100 miles in a day).

I packed a bag of different clothing options because I wasn't sure what the weather would be like up in Decatur and what condition the trail would be in. I definitely planned to bring my semi-new trail running shoes (Salomon XT Wings - which have given me a blister on my last two runs). The rain was coming down pretty hard the entire hour and fifteen minute drive to Decatur. As I entered the camping area where the race was to start my question about the event being cancelled was answered for certain when I saw some of the 50 mile runners out on the course (their event started at 7:00 and mine started at 8:30). I parked my car in the campground and followed everyone else to the check-in area. It was freezing and the dirt/gravel road I parked on was complete slush, which did not bode well for the dirt trail we were to run on. The rain had slowed, but hadn't completely stopped. I waited in line until the volunteers passed me a race bib (#506) and my awesome Patagonia race shirt.

I warmed up in the car for a few minutes and tried to figure out what I'd wear. Once I'd done that, I geared up and headed to the start area. There were 280 registered participants and I believe about 100 showed up, no doubt due to weather. In hindsight, I can't say I blame them. The race director gave us our instructions regarding directions and trail conditions and the group was off. After talking to a few people at the race start I was happy to learn that I wasn't the only beginner. There were quite a few actually. Everyone tiptoed through the first muddy section and through the first half mile even. That's where we had our first water crossing. So, 10 minutes in and my feet were soaking wet. No tiptoeing after that.

The trail was even muddier than I could have imagined. My shoes were weighed down with water and mud and I slipped and slid through the first four miles. At one point we had a major log jam due to a pretty steep incline. All the runners were forced to climb up a hill using feet and hands in order to keep from sliding back and taking out other runners. At the four mile point the race volunteers had set up the first of two aid stations. They were stocked with sports drinks and random foods like pretzels, fig newtons, and bananas. Half marathons don't usually carry these types of foods, but our 13.5 mile loop was a part of the marathon and 50 mile course. I just drank water and rested with a small group of runners. One woman, who appeared to be an experienced runner, stated that was the toughest four miles she had ever run. I didn't doubt it. At times it felt more like cross country skiing (or what I imagine cross country skiing would be like). I had carried a second pair of socks but decided not to change them b/c people would think I'm an idiot for changing socks when they'd just get wet and muddy like the ones I'd be taking off. I had a small cup of water and headed out.

It was tough to look up from the trail long enough to get a good look of the grasslands. There wasn't a great deal of high grass as I imagined, it was mostly mud, a bit of grass, and knarly trees with no leaves. I thought the next aid station was 4 more miles away. Turns out it was about 6. This spacing normally wouldn't have been a problem, but the pace was so slow (a function of the trail conditions) that I was getting hungry and thirsty. It was between the aid stations that I followed a group through a wrong turn. Fortunately one of them realized the mistake and we all turned around after running about a quarter mile off track. When we got back we had to fall in line with a bunch of runners we already passed. Passing was difficult because there is usually only enough room on the side of the trail with decent footing for one person. Generally, we were always in single file constantly looking down for decent footing. We were rarely able to run in the middle of the trail and were forced to run on the edges. This was a problem because the edges were rarely flat and they were often lined with thorn bushes or other scratching plants. I was one of the few not wearing tights so I received my share of bloody scratches. I'm actually glad I didn't wear the tights because they undoubtedly would have been torn. After 6 more miles I finally made it to the second aid station. This time I decided to eat some food b/c I'd been tired and hungry. I ate a few pretzels and some Oreos. An old guy volunteering at the aid station looked at my legs and said, "Muddy and bloody, that's the only way to go."

Shortly after leaving the aid station I decided I needed to change socks. The pair I was wearing were shorter than the tops of my shoes and there was a large bloody spot on my right achilles. I knew the socks I was carrying would do a better job covering the area. I felt like a million bucks after changing socks. Of couse it only lasted a minute because I stepped in a muddy puddle shortly afterward. After a couple miles we were running parallel to the road we rode in on so I knew I was almost to the end. I didn't wear a watch, but I'd bet the last mile was my fastest. At this point I began passing people who where taking long walk breaks. It felt good to have something left in the tank after such a long, difficult run. I got ahead of myself at one point and lost my balance. Well, I lost my balance a hundred times today, but this time I fell. No harm done, just popped back up and kept running. I didn't wear a watch and the clock at the finish line was set for the marathoners, so I don't actually know what time I ran. It'll be posted online in a week or so.

All in all I really enjoyed my first trail race. It was definitely the second most difficult run I've done so far (White Rock being the first). I'm proud to have finished the long, muddy, and bloody event.

Run Commute

On December 16, I ran to/from work for the first time. I took my clothes and toiletries to the office on Tuesday so that I didn't have to carry much with me. I used my new GoLite Rush backpack to carry the few items that I needed, inluding my breakfast, keys, wallet and phone. I've used the backpack/hydration pack three times and so far it is relatively comfortable to run with.

The run to work was about 3.85 miles and the run home was about 3.75 miles. There are good sidewalks most of the way - but crossing Interstate 35 is a bit tricky.

Turkey Trot

I ran in my third straight Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Even though I'm terribly out of shape my ego wouldn't let me run anything less than the 8-mile race. This year they had an official 5k rather than the usual 3-mile run, but that event is so extremely packed that running isn't really an option. And because the events start at the same time, you pretty much have to walk/jog the first two miles of the 8-miler as well.

The Turkey Trot has become my favorite holiday tradition and I've already started working on Paige to run with me next year. I have a year, so hopefully I can make this happen. Due to my lack of fitness, I decided to run with no time goal in mind and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the race. I kept a steady 9:30/mile pace and felt great the entire time and had no soreness afterward.

Additionally, the Trot has helped me build my motivation to get back to a steady running routine. 2009 has been a tough year as far as motivation is concerned. I strained my Iliotibial Band early in the year and put in few miles. I updated my running log over the weekend and was saddened by the extremely low numbers. I felt as though I wasted a year of running that could have lead to great improvement.

Year in Review (Running)

This chart shows my running mileage by week throughout 2008. You can easily see the progressive increase in mileage as I went through marathon training.

This chart shows miles run each month. As you can see, I definitely blew it in December. I think this drop in mileage played a large part in my marathon performance.

My total mileage for the year was 1,564.2 miles. That's the equivalent of running from Dallas to New York City. That averages to right at 30 miles per week. That's not bad for a beginner, but is something I definitely plan to improve upon in 2009.

Marathon

I completed the Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 14, 2008. I had a great deal of family support and want to especially thank Paige and Allie for their understanding and sacrifice during my 6 months of marathon training. The Tenery's were also in full effect that day. Thank you Jim, Jane, Chad, Jami, Scott, Kelly, Greer, Karlie and Annie for all your support and encouragement. I'd also like to thank Darryl and Marisol for making the long trip from Mexico to see me cross the finish line. Thank you to my friends Eugene Anthony Hoppe IV and Ashley for being there. Y'all are awesome for braving the windy conditions to meet me along the course and offer encouragement, water, and food.

Most people know by now that the race did not go as planned. I trained for and expected to come close to a 3:30:00 finish. My actual finishing time was 4:02:00 - a disappointment to say the least. Here were my splits:

Mile 1 - 8:39 Mile 2 - 7:46 Mile 3 - 7:48 Mile 4 - 7:44 Mile 5 - 7:49

Mile 6 - 7:49 Mile 7 - 7:56 Mile 8 - 7:51 Mile 9 - 7:51 Mile 10 - 7:55

Mile 11 - 8:12 Mile 12 - 7:55 Mile 13 - 8:12 Mile 14 - 8:08

Mile 15 - 9:04 Mile 16 - 9:22 Mile 17 - 9:31 Mile 18 - 9:33

Mile 19 - 9:19 Mile 20 - 10:57 Mile 21 - 10:28 Mile 22 - 10:59

Mile 23 - 10: 23 Mile 24 - 12:20 Mile 25 - 13:20

Mile 26 - 10:22 Mile 26.58 - 13:05

Total - 4:04:41 (I walked around at the end for a few minutes before turning off my Garmin)

I began to slow at mile 15 and during the next 3-4 miles the wheels completely came off. During this time, I began experiencing numerous muscle cramps. These included both calves, left quadricepts, and right groin. The left calf and quad were by far the most severe. Each completely seized up on numerous occassions causing me to stop and massage until the cramp ceased.

There are a number of important lessons I learned about racing, training, and myself during this experience.

1. I like running marathons and plan to continue running. Marathons are long, and so is the time it takes to improve marathon performance. I plan to be conservative and not race another marathon until the fall/winter of 2009. Between now and then I'd like to increase mileage while introducing cross-training (weights and biking).

2. 60 degree temperatures and 25-35 mph wind is not optimal marathoning weather. Because this was my first marathon I never would have considered not running, but in the future I will consider sitting out and signing up for a different event so as not to waste the 6 months of training on a sub-par performance. Given that not running was not an option, I should have significantly changed my goals. To achieve my 3:30:00 goal, I needed to average 8:00 min/mile. Looking at my splits, I definitely went out way to fast - even if conditions had been perfect. In hindsight, I should have shot for 9:00 min/mile for at least the first half of the race.

3. Traveling out of town prior to the race is not a good idea. I spent 5 days in Washington, D.C. prior to the race. I spent too much time on my feet and ran few quality miles.

4. Keep training hard during the last month prior to the race. My peak weeks were behind me at this point so I began to relax mentally. This lead to more days off than I should have taken. Next time I plan to keep to my schedule much more closely during this important time.

5. Follow a detailed nutrition plan during the last week of training to ensure proper nutrition and hydration during the race. I simply winged it and feel that this is too important not to take seriously.

Achilles

Last Monday I stretched my left achilles tendon too strongly and strained it. Since Monday I've only run twice for a total of 6 miles. This is not good. I'm not overreacting, but I really don't want to end up dragging my left leg behind me for 26.2 miles - which I'll do if I have to.

It doesn't exactly hurt, but after about 4 miles it starts feeling pretty uncomfortable. I've really hesitant to try again. I am scheduled to run 12 miles tomorrow and hope it goes well. If not, I'm in trouble.