Saturday, May 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Bandera running - Saturday May 12
We're running at Hill Country state natural area in Bandera this weekend. Everyone welcomed! We're meeting at the Tigermart at Bandera and 1604. 5:30 AM on Saturday. Routes of 10, 17, and 22 miles. Be prepared to get muddy!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Rockhoppers at Pandora's Box 'O Rox
Also at the race were Brian, Scott, Jessica, Rich, Rosie, Elizabeth and Volunteers Chris, Tim, Ellen, Travis, Tony.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Chris' Nueces Trail race re-cap
Shockwaves at Nueces
That tremor you felt at 9:30 am yesterday was no earthquake, it was the shoockwaves sent through the trail running world as Jason Espalin crossed the finish line ahead of his spouse Tanya at Nueces 25K. Anyone who knows the Espalins knows they are not like Lalo and Stefan crossing the finish line together holding hands and bumping fists. Ever since the first race they did together with Tanya outsprinting Jason the last 1/2 mile it has been a trail running war with Tanya always the victor. Consequently, I was very surprised when I saw Tanya arriving at my aid station 4.5 miles into the race already behind Jason. While she seemed a little surprised she didn't seem overly worried and vowed to pass Jason the last 100 yards (as I said, they are not Lalo and Stefan). So I was very curious to see who would be ahead when they arrive at my aid station with 2.2 miles left in race. Impressively it was Jason arriving first and looking very pumped about still being ahead of Tanya. He was smelling the hay. Tanya arrived a little over 2 minutes later and I told her how far ahead Jason was. Tanya said something about trying to catch him and took off running hard. However Jason dug deep (something Larry could learn) and held on for the victory. All of Camp Eagle was abuzz afterwards as it was the greatest race Camp Eagle folks had seen since the now legendary Ricketts-Rozinsky showdown. Endurance Buzz, Irunfar.com have contacted Jason for interviews and Jason will be featured in a Trail Runner Nation future podcast. However, you fellow Rockhoppers are in luck as managed to score the first exclusive comments from Team Esplalin.
Jason Espalin: I am trying really hard not to gloat but its hard not to. Tanya outsprinting me at the finish at our first trail race together really traumitize me and I have been getting my butt kicked by her ever since.The ultimate humiliation was getting smoked by the 8 year old kid at Hells Hills last year. The key was the additional training I got from running with our dog "Buster".I told Tanya I was taking Buster out for a walk when in reality we were doing 90% effort hill repeats. And then when I did run with Tanya, I would sandbag it a bit to give her false confidence. Plus I figured with the shorter distance it would mean less time I could make a mistake. Not only did I beat Tanya but I also beat all kids in the race! I really am trying hard not walk around the house with a big smug grin but redemption has never felt so good!
Tanya Espalin: I'm happy for Jason. I really am. I'll even let him still sleep in our bed. I know it has to be humiliating on Jason's fragile male ego to keep getting his butt kicked by his wife so its good that he gets an occasional victory. Besides it was ONLY a 25k. Its not like he is beating me at ultras or anything. So I'll let him enjoy his little 25k win and then at the next ultra race we do together the natural order of things will be set right.
Still don't feel too sorry for Tanya. She did manage to be first female in the 25K. Among other notable performances, Scott R finished 2d in 25k and Rockhopper friend, Dave Brown was 2d in 50K. Both ran great times. I didn't see Jessica finished because I was tearing course down but she was looking good at the end of her 50 miler. Elizabeth also did the 25K and had a big smile every time she came through the aid station. Of course, everyone already has read about the Lalo-Stefan bromance. They really were inseparable. It was touching. No word yet on how jealous Stefan's fiance, Holly is. Kidding aside they really did a good job of keeping ech other going during the race and push through the low moments. It was great to see Stefan get some redemption after Bandera.
I'll finish on a last humorous note. Jay Danek from Phoenix. He rode with Liza and I. Jay is a great guy. He would be a great Rockhopper. Very good runner but doesn't take himself seriously at all. Great sense of humor. Somehow he got so lost on the course that he ended up running several miles on the dirt road the leads into and out of Camp Eagle. It was a riot hearing him talk about it. He made Rachel look like Magellan. He did finish his 57 miles in 9:30. So pretty impressive effort and good on him for finishing.
Jason Espalin: I am trying really hard not to gloat but its hard not to. Tanya outsprinting me at the finish at our first trail race together really traumitize me and I have been getting my butt kicked by her ever since.The ultimate humiliation was getting smoked by the 8 year old kid at Hells Hills last year. The key was the additional training I got from running with our dog "Buster".I told Tanya I was taking Buster out for a walk when in reality we were doing 90% effort hill repeats. And then when I did run with Tanya, I would sandbag it a bit to give her false confidence. Plus I figured with the shorter distance it would mean less time I could make a mistake. Not only did I beat Tanya but I also beat all kids in the race! I really am trying hard not walk around the house with a big smug grin but redemption has never felt so good!
Tanya Espalin: I'm happy for Jason. I really am. I'll even let him still sleep in our bed. I know it has to be humiliating on Jason's fragile male ego to keep getting his butt kicked by his wife so its good that he gets an occasional victory. Besides it was ONLY a 25k. Its not like he is beating me at ultras or anything. So I'll let him enjoy his little 25k win and then at the next ultra race we do together the natural order of things will be set right.
Still don't feel too sorry for Tanya. She did manage to be first female in the 25K. Among other notable performances, Scott R finished 2d in 25k and Rockhopper friend, Dave Brown was 2d in 50K. Both ran great times. I didn't see Jessica finished because I was tearing course down but she was looking good at the end of her 50 miler. Elizabeth also did the 25K and had a big smile every time she came through the aid station. Of course, everyone already has read about the Lalo-Stefan bromance. They really were inseparable. It was touching. No word yet on how jealous Stefan's fiance, Holly is. Kidding aside they really did a good job of keeping ech other going during the race and push through the low moments. It was great to see Stefan get some redemption after Bandera.
I'll finish on a last humorous note. Jay Danek from Phoenix. He rode with Liza and I. Jay is a great guy. He would be a great Rockhopper. Very good runner but doesn't take himself seriously at all. Great sense of humor. Somehow he got so lost on the course that he ended up running several miles on the dirt road the leads into and out of Camp Eagle. It was a riot hearing him talk about it. He made Rachel look like Magellan. He did finish his 57 miles in 9:30. So pretty impressive effort and good on him for finishing.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Rockhoppers at Rocky Raccoon 50 and 100 mile endurance runs
The Rockhoppers did well at RR. And we had fun too! Some Highlights and Race Report excerpts;
The Rockhoppers performed well in the Tejas 300 standings. Of the 14 runners to complete series, Rachel was 3d, The Legend was 5th and Jean was 6th.
The Legend-Larry Pearson
Hey Gang, If any of you do not get updates from Endurance Buzz on facebook or by email, you might want to check out the writeup on Rocky Raccoon 100. Here was one of the lines: The top TALON male was Scott Rabb (TX) who finished 10th male (11th OA) in 17:56:43!
Also, Rachel was 5th overall female TALON. (TALON is short for runners from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, & New Mexico)
Also, Anabel was credited for duking it out for 2nd in the 50 miler with a 5 second win!
Finally, Lalo was not mentioned, but won an age group award in the 50 with his top ten finish!
AWESOME ROCKHOPPERS!
Chris's top 20 memories from RR
Thank you to all Rockhoppers for your support at RR and a special thank you to Amanda, Lalo, Tim, and rich's wife she was sooo nice to me(sorry forgot her name:( (Jeanie)
> Elizabeth Gonzalez
From Josh's report:
This was getting ridiculous. I have 3 more 20-mile loops of this!? Are you kidding me? Please note, this version of the story is much cleaner and classier than ANY of the thoughts running through my head. I had resorted to a shuffle run.
From Amanda's report:
Lalo, I am so lucky to have you as my partner in life. The strength
and support you give me is unbelievalbe. You have seen me at my worst
and my best and love me no matter what. That RR100 buckle was for you
and our boys! I can't wait to support you at CR100. Love you!
And...Liza...Coach Liza, it is an honor being able to say that my
coach is Liza Howard and even a greater honor to say that you are my
friend. Thank you so much for training me to get to that finish line.
Felicidades Amanda!!! I'm so happy for your accomplishment you did Great, You know that!!! You were surrounded by great people who believed in you and supported you all the way including myself!!! Love you Chingos!!!!
--Elizabeth Gonzalez
From Tom's report:
I think my wife, Michele, enjoyed those last 4.5 miles as much as I did. We took it really slow and walked with our arms around each other most of the way. The Sun was finally coming up and the best thing was taking the headlamp off - like a shackle to the night being removed! I got my wife to take my picture by the lake at mile 98. I told her all of the funny stories along the way and started to picture the finish line growing closer. I saw 4-5 runners catch me and scoot by as they pushed to break 26 hours. I had no concerns about the time - I wanted to move forward, yet enjoy every last second of this experience. We came around the bend and heard a “whoop” from the finish line. I saw my friends starting to gather and it was the best finish line gathering I could ever wish for! A kiss for Michele, hugs for my pacers, Joe and Kelli, and all of my Rockhopper buddies! Tony was helping bring Amanda home, so we missed those two + others who were done and starting their recovery, but it was a great Rockhopper gathering nonetheless!
Lalo's Recap:
Runners--truly inspirational to see you all get out there loop after loop especially on the 4th and 5th loops in the dark, cold and wet conditions. It was also really fun and encouraging to see you all on the course. I enjoyed helping you all after I had finished the 50.
Pacers and crew--I was amazed at how many of you all drove 4+ hours to support your rockhopper teammates. You all exemplify the true meaning of friendship and teamwork! It is truly an honor to be a part of this group. You all make the experience so much more fun and enjoyable. It is fun to be around others who love this sport as much as I do.
Special thanks to Rich and Jeanie for all of their support. It was great to have a tent to keep our bags dry and allow us to change clothes. It was also amazing to have a heater to keep us warm during the night. You all absolutely spoil us time and time again. Thank you for all of your hard work and effort and your willingness to share it with your teammates.
Another special thanks to Tony for being a great friend and pacer. Thanks for keeping Amanda safe and keeping her moving forward. You are the best hermano!
Finally, I hope Brian is getting good use of the sweatshirt that I gave him after the race cause it will probably fit him a little better. Upon seeing Tom's Facebook pics, Amanda commented, " who is that dufus-looking guy holding up Tom's legs?.....oh wait, that is my husband!"
And inspired by Joe T, I just ordered my Ricketts race tee. I will send a pic in a few days when I receive it.
Awesome job to everyone this weekend. I had a blast. Thanks to Rachel for once again proving to me that I'm not nearly as tough as I think I am. That girl is TOUGH!
-Brian Ricketts
The Rockhoppers performed well in the Tejas 300 standings. Of the 14 runners to complete series, Rachel was 3d, The Legend was 5th and Jean was 6th.
The Legend-Larry Pearson
Hey Gang, If any of you do not get updates from Endurance Buzz on facebook or by email, you might want to check out the writeup on Rocky Raccoon 100. Here was one of the lines: The top TALON male was Scott Rabb (TX) who finished 10th male (11th OA) in 17:56:43!
Also, Rachel was 5th overall female TALON. (TALON is short for runners from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, & New Mexico)
Also, Anabel was credited for duking it out for 2nd in the 50 miler with a 5 second win!
Finally, Lalo was not mentioned, but won an age group award in the 50 with his top ten finish!
AWESOME ROCKHOPPERS!
Chris's top 20 memories from RR
20 Jean and I trying to find the best way to pick our way through the mud and not ever succeeding.
19 Seeing Lalo swallowed up by Brian’s jacket.
18. Hal Koerner's car being towed.
17. Crossing the Dam. I don't really enjoy the scenery at RR but crossing the Dam at night is really cool.
16 Jean’s bathroom story.
15 Seeing Rachel look like she was going to totally collapse at the end of loop 4 only to see here say, “20 more miles” and determinedly moving forward
14 Jean’s post race feet. You had to be there.
13 Hearing Rachel’s explanation on how she made a wrong turn (it was all Lalo’s fault).
12 Congratulating The Legend on being the 2d fastest 100 miler in his household.
11 Jean and I playing leapfrog the last 10 miles with these two runners lit up like and airport runway.
10 Eating about 10 of Liza’s donut holes.
9. Jean and I wondering how far behind us The Legend was and whether he had snuck past us at DamNation
8. Seeing Rachel look like she was going to totally collapse at the end of loop 4 only to see here say, “20 more miles” and determinedly moving forward
7. Seeing Tom being paced by his Brian Ricketts “clone”
6. Getting word that Elizabeth finished. I was worried that she wouldn’t finish on time and she dug deep and blistered the last lap.
5. Hearing Amanda Alvarado describe how completing 100 miles was harder than childbirth.
4. Lynn Ballard (DamNation Captain) drove past Jean and I in his truck out to the road. We see the truck stop 100 yards ahead of us. As we get to it, we see a runner on the side of the truck puking his guts out and Lynn telling the runner to “let it all out.” Lynn sees me and says “We timed that just for you Chris”.
3 Having 50 photos of Tom with the Rockhoppers and Joe post race. Felt like I was at a wedding.
2. Hanging out with the other Rockhoppers. When I first move to Texas in 2006 I spent the first year running and doing races by myself. It is so much more enjoyable now.
1. Seeing Tom and Michelle walking down the final straightway together. Arms around each other. Very moving. I think my eyes almost watered up.
Tony"s Top 10
10.Arriving just I time to see Lalo come in 7th in the 50 miler. 9. John and I visiting with Eliot, Liza's Dad, and Eliot's Dad as Liza comes through mile 63 with Kelli, and hugs and kisses for all of us. 8. Kelli pacing not one but two Rockhoppers in her colorful leggings and cool hat! 7. Jeanie providing warmth and comfort ,as usual, at Camp Mihalik. And hanging out with the Rockhoppers here. 6. watching Rachel come in at mile 60 "in the zone" 5. Tom in great spirits As he transitioned at mile 60 4. Running into "The legend" on the trail with his pacer Tim trying to keep up. 3. Amanda greeted by another runner after recognizing her from the Captain Karl series where she told him to "look away". 2.listening to Amanda get into a rhythmic breathing pattern near the end and coming back to life when she sensed the finish line. Then scaring and surprising me as she begins screaming and hollering joyfully. I struggled to keep up with her pace the last quarter mile. 1. Rockhoppers at the finish line. |
> Elizabeth Gonzalez
From Josh's report:
This was getting ridiculous. I have 3 more 20-mile loops of this!? Are you kidding me? Please note, this version of the story is much cleaner and classier than ANY of the thoughts running through my head. I had resorted to a shuffle run.
From Amanda's report:
Lalo, I am so lucky to have you as my partner in life. The strength
and support you give me is unbelievalbe. You have seen me at my worst
and my best and love me no matter what. That RR100 buckle was for you
and our boys! I can't wait to support you at CR100. Love you!
And...Liza...Coach Liza, it is an honor being able to say that my
coach is Liza Howard and even a greater honor to say that you are my
friend. Thank you so much for training me to get to that finish line.
Felicidades Amanda!!! I'm so happy for your accomplishment you did Great, You know that!!! You were surrounded by great people who believed in you and supported you all the way including myself!!! Love you Chingos!!!!
--Elizabeth Gonzalez
From Tom's report:
I think my wife, Michele, enjoyed those last 4.5 miles as much as I did. We took it really slow and walked with our arms around each other most of the way. The Sun was finally coming up and the best thing was taking the headlamp off - like a shackle to the night being removed! I got my wife to take my picture by the lake at mile 98. I told her all of the funny stories along the way and started to picture the finish line growing closer. I saw 4-5 runners catch me and scoot by as they pushed to break 26 hours. I had no concerns about the time - I wanted to move forward, yet enjoy every last second of this experience. We came around the bend and heard a “whoop” from the finish line. I saw my friends starting to gather and it was the best finish line gathering I could ever wish for! A kiss for Michele, hugs for my pacers, Joe and Kelli, and all of my Rockhopper buddies! Tony was helping bring Amanda home, so we missed those two + others who were done and starting their recovery, but it was a great Rockhopper gathering nonetheless!
Lalo's Recap:
Runners--truly inspirational to see you all get out there loop after loop especially on the 4th and 5th loops in the dark, cold and wet conditions. It was also really fun and encouraging to see you all on the course. I enjoyed helping you all after I had finished the 50.
Pacers and crew--I was amazed at how many of you all drove 4+ hours to support your rockhopper teammates. You all exemplify the true meaning of friendship and teamwork! It is truly an honor to be a part of this group. You all make the experience so much more fun and enjoyable. It is fun to be around others who love this sport as much as I do.
Special thanks to Rich and Jeanie for all of their support. It was great to have a tent to keep our bags dry and allow us to change clothes. It was also amazing to have a heater to keep us warm during the night. You all absolutely spoil us time and time again. Thank you for all of your hard work and effort and your willingness to share it with your teammates.
Another special thanks to Tony for being a great friend and pacer. Thanks for keeping Amanda safe and keeping her moving forward. You are the best hermano!
Finally, I hope Brian is getting good use of the sweatshirt that I gave him after the race cause it will probably fit him a little better. Upon seeing Tom's Facebook pics, Amanda commented, " who is that dufus-looking guy holding up Tom's legs?.....oh wait, that is my husband!"
And inspired by Joe T, I just ordered my Ricketts race tee. I will send a pic in a few days when I receive it.
Awesome job to everyone this weekend. I had a blast. Thanks to Rachel for once again proving to me that I'm not nearly as tough as I think I am. That girl is TOUGH!
-Brian Ricketts
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Rockhoppers at the Bandera 25, 50, and 100K start on Jan.07, 2012
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Texas Trail endurance runs - Huntsville, TX Dec.03,2011
Congratulations to all who completed the T.T. Endurance runs this weekend in Huntsville.
Great Job by Rockhoppers at the 50K. Stefan! 2nd overall. Kelli! 1st female. Tanya! 9th place! Tom, Jason, Holly and Michelle!
Following is Tom's race weekend re-cap.
Hey Gang, I just got back from a great trip to one of my favorite state parks - Huntsville. It was the site of my first 50K trail race in 2007 & I hadn't been back since then, but it has all of the charm that I enjoyed four years ago. As I drove through the rain on Friday afternoon, I adjusted my race expectations & determined that I was going to treat the race as a "training run." The rain never came & we had a beautiful, sunny, and at times, breezy day. Oh yeah..... & it was a little humid, as judged by two sweat soaked shirts that I went through.
I drove up to Huntsville with Kelli Newlon & Michelle Green. Michelle is a very good runner & is going to Boston in April. She has run trails with Kelli & joined us on a running expedition to Smithville to run the Hells Hills course last year, but she has never run in a trail race. Kelli & I tried to prep her & give her some calming thoughts for the next day. We went to packet pickup & were happy to see all of the familiar faces from Roger Soler's store in Helotes who would be out on the course volunteering the next day. They were all sitting around drinking beer, so I brought in two of Eliot's homebrew Porters for them to sample. They had plenty of sippy cups for the race, so most of the guys had a sample & approved! (Note to Eliot: trail races make a perfect test market for new beers!)
We drove to the park the next morning & were happy to see Team Espalin, Stefan, & Holly getting ready to run. Stefan looked to be recovered from Cactus Rose & the hump, but vowed to make this a "fun run" - I wish I knew how to have his kind of fun because (skipping to the end of the story) he cruised at a brisk pace to a second place overall finish in 4 hours & 30 minutes or so. (Okay, back to the start of the race.) We set up out chairs & coolers near the start line & I was having a total flashback to the Sunmart 50K I had run in 2007 - it was all set up the same way for the start & finish. We lined up about 10 feet back from the start line, but nobody filled in ahead of us. I was in the front row & Roger was counting down. I knew that Kelli was familiar with the course & would have a great day. She had been concerned about not having somebody to run with at all, but Stefan was able to help with some pacing. The first mile is on road, so I knew there would be plenty of room for others to pass me. I could see Stefan & Kelli running together, as well as 4 guys in front of them ..... then it was me.... doh! One person pulled up next to me & looked to be a strong runner - we started talking & I learned that his name was Doug, that he had gone to Trinity years ago, that he was 59 years old, & had completed the Houston Marathon 17 times. I ended up running with Doug or being a little ahead or behind him most of the day, so it was fun that we connected early in the race. We ran the first mile on the road in8:25 - my first reaction was "cool", followed by thoughts that I would blow up somewhere later in the day. I continued to put down sub-9 miles on the trails & knew I was screwing myself when I could still see Kelli & Stefan 5 miles into the race.
The first loop was 6.5 miles & my goal was to run it a little over one hour. I came through in 57 minutes & Roger Soler told me that "technically" I could still win it. I told him that I was stupid, not grandiose. I tried to keep the pace close to 9 minute miles for the second loop, which was 12.5 miles. I felt great running downhill, but I was hurting a little on the slight inclines. I didn't remember Huntsville rolling up & down so much. I have been doing a lot of training on level terrain & realized that I will have to add more hilly workouts for RR100. Holly & I played leap frog with Doug for most of this loop. I stayed strong until I saw Doug at an aid station at mile 16.5 & he said "we're halfway through" - I tried to rationalize in my mind that we were a mile past halfway, but that didn't help. I knew that this course was closer to 32 miles & we were in deep doo doo. Looking at my splits post-race, you can see that something magical & shitty happened to me at this point. No more 9 minute miles the rest of the way :(
To break 5 hours, I would have to run the first loop in one hour, then the next two loops in 2 hours each. Simple math. I came in from the second loop in 3 hours flat. All I had to do was 12.5 miles more in two hours. I forgot to mention that I fell. I was cruising around mile 15 & went down with a big noise (I would imagine the sound of a bowling ball being dropped on your stomach .... unexpectantly, and the air leaves your body in a whoosh). I actually got a nice adrenalin boost that helped me get to the aid station where I saw Doug. There was a very pregnant woman doing the 20K & power walking most of the way. I caught her near the dam where several big trees had fallen across the trail. It was quite a site to see her attempt to straddle the big log with her belly sitting low! I told her that it was going to make for a good story one day. She laughed & said that this baby may be born in the woods & wondered if I would help. I said I would if she gave a "holler".
I knew I would need to walk during the last loop & let go of my ideas for a PR. I was leaving the start area & saw my friends coming in & looking great - it was fun to cheer everybody on & Doug commented that we had a big group out there. Tanya & Michelle were running strong & I knew they were going to catch me soon, but I made it a goal to run/power walk as much as I could & keep my pace under 14 minute miles. I figured this would be my regular pace for RR100, so why not start practicing. Tanya did catch up to me & was kind to walk with me for a bit - she looked to be getting faster & stronger every time I saw her - kind of like a star getting brighter, while my star was losing its' light. Michelle caught me at the dam road aid station (mile 25) & I thought she may need some encouragement taking it home, but she took off with a look of pure determination. I turned to my ipod for emotional support & got rolling again. I caught up to Doug, who looked to be suffering through a bad bonk. I offered some salt tabs, but he was reluctant to take them because he had never used them before. He told me to "go for it" as he planned to walk the last 6 miles. I wasn't too worried about him though. He once completed the Sunmart 50 miler after twisting his knee at mile 10 - it reminded me of someone named Stefan.
I was able to run more consistently the last 3 miles, but it sucked getting to mile 31 & knowing I had almost a full mile to go. My Garmin registered 31.96 miles for the day as I crossed the finish area to cheers from my Rockhopper friends! I took a quick shower & hung out with Kelli, Michelle, Stefan, Holly, Tanya, & Jason, as we cheered other runners to their finish, enjoyed a beer, pizza , and tamales. We got finisher medals & hoodies. We also got nice long sleeve tech shirts & gloves. Roger put on a great race - the course was extremely well marked, the aid stations were well stocked, he had great volunteers out there, & we had Sunmart-like schwagg!
As we got in the car to head back, Michelle was on a real high & talked about how nice our little group was! She recognized a big difference between the atmosphere of a trail race & that of a road race - how strangers were encouraging each other & how most people were still smiling as they hobbled in. I felt great in knowing that our group of Rockhoppers at the race were good stewards of trail racing & passed on the love to a new runner!
Great Job by Rockhoppers at the 50K. Stefan! 2nd overall. Kelli! 1st female. Tanya! 9th place! Tom, Jason, Holly and Michelle!
Following is Tom's race weekend re-cap.
Hey Gang, I just got back from a great trip to one of my favorite state parks - Huntsville. It was the site of my first 50K trail race in 2007 & I hadn't been back since then, but it has all of the charm that I enjoyed four years ago. As I drove through the rain on Friday afternoon, I adjusted my race expectations & determined that I was going to treat the race as a "training run." The rain never came & we had a beautiful, sunny, and at times, breezy day. Oh yeah..... & it was a little humid, as judged by two sweat soaked shirts that I went through.
I drove up to Huntsville with Kelli Newlon & Michelle Green. Michelle is a very good runner & is going to Boston in April. She has run trails with Kelli & joined us on a running expedition to Smithville to run the Hells Hills course last year, but she has never run in a trail race. Kelli & I tried to prep her & give her some calming thoughts for the next day. We went to packet pickup & were happy to see all of the familiar faces from Roger Soler's store in Helotes who would be out on the course volunteering the next day. They were all sitting around drinking beer, so I brought in two of Eliot's homebrew Porters for them to sample. They had plenty of sippy cups for the race, so most of the guys had a sample & approved! (Note to Eliot: trail races make a perfect test market for new beers!)
We drove to the park the next morning & were happy to see Team Espalin, Stefan, & Holly getting ready to run. Stefan looked to be recovered from Cactus Rose & the hump, but vowed to make this a "fun run" - I wish I knew how to have his kind of fun because (skipping to the end of the story) he cruised at a brisk pace to a second place overall finish in 4 hours & 30 minutes or so. (Okay, back to the start of the race.) We set up out chairs & coolers near the start line & I was having a total flashback to the Sunmart 50K I had run in 2007 - it was all set up the same way for the start & finish. We lined up about 10 feet back from the start line, but nobody filled in ahead of us. I was in the front row & Roger was counting down. I knew that Kelli was familiar with the course & would have a great day. She had been concerned about not having somebody to run with at all, but Stefan was able to help with some pacing. The first mile is on road, so I knew there would be plenty of room for others to pass me. I could see Stefan & Kelli running together, as well as 4 guys in front of them ..... then it was me.... doh! One person pulled up next to me & looked to be a strong runner - we started talking & I learned that his name was Doug, that he had gone to Trinity years ago, that he was 59 years old, & had completed the Houston Marathon 17 times. I ended up running with Doug or being a little ahead or behind him most of the day, so it was fun that we connected early in the race. We ran the first mile on the road in8:25 - my first reaction was "cool", followed by thoughts that I would blow up somewhere later in the day. I continued to put down sub-9 miles on the trails & knew I was screwing myself when I could still see Kelli & Stefan 5 miles into the race.
The first loop was 6.5 miles & my goal was to run it a little over one hour. I came through in 57 minutes & Roger Soler told me that "technically" I could still win it. I told him that I was stupid, not grandiose. I tried to keep the pace close to 9 minute miles for the second loop, which was 12.5 miles. I felt great running downhill, but I was hurting a little on the slight inclines. I didn't remember Huntsville rolling up & down so much. I have been doing a lot of training on level terrain & realized that I will have to add more hilly workouts for RR100. Holly & I played leap frog with Doug for most of this loop. I stayed strong until I saw Doug at an aid station at mile 16.5 & he said "we're halfway through" - I tried to rationalize in my mind that we were a mile past halfway, but that didn't help. I knew that this course was closer to 32 miles & we were in deep doo doo. Looking at my splits post-race, you can see that something magical & shitty happened to me at this point. No more 9 minute miles the rest of the way :(
To break 5 hours, I would have to run the first loop in one hour, then the next two loops in 2 hours each. Simple math. I came in from the second loop in 3 hours flat. All I had to do was 12.5 miles more in two hours. I forgot to mention that I fell. I was cruising around mile 15 & went down with a big noise (I would imagine the sound of a bowling ball being dropped on your stomach .... unexpectantly, and the air leaves your body in a whoosh). I actually got a nice adrenalin boost that helped me get to the aid station where I saw Doug. There was a very pregnant woman doing the 20K & power walking most of the way. I caught her near the dam where several big trees had fallen across the trail. It was quite a site to see her attempt to straddle the big log with her belly sitting low! I told her that it was going to make for a good story one day. She laughed & said that this baby may be born in the woods & wondered if I would help. I said I would if she gave a "holler".
I knew I would need to walk during the last loop & let go of my ideas for a PR. I was leaving the start area & saw my friends coming in & looking great - it was fun to cheer everybody on & Doug commented that we had a big group out there. Tanya & Michelle were running strong & I knew they were going to catch me soon, but I made it a goal to run/power walk as much as I could & keep my pace under 14 minute miles. I figured this would be my regular pace for RR100, so why not start practicing. Tanya did catch up to me & was kind to walk with me for a bit - she looked to be getting faster & stronger every time I saw her - kind of like a star getting brighter, while my star was losing its' light. Michelle caught me at the dam road aid station (mile 25) & I thought she may need some encouragement taking it home, but she took off with a look of pure determination. I turned to my ipod for emotional support & got rolling again. I caught up to Doug, who looked to be suffering through a bad bonk. I offered some salt tabs, but he was reluctant to take them because he had never used them before. He told me to "go for it" as he planned to walk the last 6 miles. I wasn't too worried about him though. He once completed the Sunmart 50 miler after twisting his knee at mile 10 - it reminded me of someone named Stefan.
I was able to run more consistently the last 3 miles, but it sucked getting to mile 31 & knowing I had almost a full mile to go. My Garmin registered 31.96 miles for the day as I crossed the finish area to cheers from my Rockhopper friends! I took a quick shower & hung out with Kelli, Michelle, Stefan, Holly, Tanya, & Jason, as we cheered other runners to their finish, enjoyed a beer, pizza , and tamales. We got finisher medals & hoodies. We also got nice long sleeve tech shirts & gloves. Roger put on a great race - the course was extremely well marked, the aid stations were well stocked, he had great volunteers out there, & we had Sunmart-like schwagg!
As we got in the car to head back, Michelle was on a real high & talked about how nice our little group was! She recognized a big difference between the atmosphere of a trail race & that of a road race - how strangers were encouraging each other & how most people were still smiling as they hobbled in. I felt great in knowing that our group of Rockhoppers at the race were good stewards of trail racing & passed on the love to a new runner!
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