Category Archives: Ultra

Next up, ATX

08 Saturday Feb 2025

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I usually train for marathons. I did for the one in that pic above. I haven’t been tracking my miles post-Bandera, but it feels like I’ve slammed on the brakes these last four weeks. Still, my weight is holding steady at 165. Ten pounds more than in college. 165 is as fit a weight I’ll ever get. I feel good.

As you can imagine, I think about the 50K of the Bandera 100K that I ran, before begging my crew to let me DNF. To not force me to run another segment. I dwell on the course when I’m running. There was a moment when my crew (Brittany Noel) lost track of me because she was planning some crew math for crewing Eric in her head.

I walked up to these people who were standing where race officials might stand. Nothing else about them indicated they might be race officials.

“How do I DNF?”

“You let me take the ankle bracelet off of you,” the lady said as she bent over and clipped the race chip off before finishing her sentence.

And just like that, I was free. I would live to run another ultra. An ultra with a trail. I’ll admit, Camp Eagle had a course. I saw some animal trails, and a few gravel roads. But a runner’s trail? There was some but you had to be looking for it.

While I’ve been training apres-Bandera, my thoughts query the neurons in my head like a dense neural network LLM on an inference cycle. Lately, the search has been on for segments of those 31 miles four weeks ago. Why did I reach the point of exhaustion halfway through?

Like anything, there is dense logic to all the contributing reasons. Top of a ranked list would be because it was my first 100K and I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d look there first. That led to running too hard, too early.

Followed by a trail I wasn’t prepared for, but out of the randomness of the weather, which just seems to be screwing everyone lately, was not the trail I signed up for. Did I just say trail? I mean course.

Then, I think it’s fair to throw gear into the fray at ranking number 3. I chose the wrong pair of shoes. I think the soles of my feet would have been less bruised with a cushy pair of Hokas. I wore my Bushida III GTX Sportivas. To show you the numbers, the Hoka Speedboat 5 has a stack height of 32mm, which is considered soft, versus the Sportiva Bushidas with a stack height of 19mm and considered firm. I won’t throw those Bushidas under the bus though. I could run in them for distances under a 50K. Their grip was unbelievable.

As I approached one rock, oh, let’s be honest, a 2 foot wall, or cliff if that term can apply to mid-thigh-level jumps. I planted my left foot on an adjacent wall of similar proportions, and half-way up, I launched my right foot over the top half of the rock I ultimately needed to climb. It had a Kung-Fu wall climbing vibe. That move alone was such a joyful athletic feat that it was worth running the entire 31 miles, so I think of that memory a lot. Back to point, those shoes had incomparable grip, but they weren’t very soft. My feet felt as if they’d walked over 31 miles of burning coals. They were toast.

More important than poor decisions on gear was that my inexperience led me to run too hard too early. I ran almost the entire distance in heart rate zones 4 and 5. Sure, that’s partly from getting caught up in the excitement of the other trail runners. The narrowness of a single-track trail, course, doesn’t allow for an easy pass and you feel trapped into running fast with runners on your back. You can’t help but keep pace with those around. That single-track trap is avoided by starting in the very back of the corral. I’ll do that next time.

My thoughts are now turning toward the Austin Marathon next Sunday. I didn’t maintain the miles, but I did a really good job retaining my bi-weekly strength and steam sauna routine. My core is still as strong if not better than last fall’s Boulder Marathon. The core can compensate for weak legs, and I don’t think my legs are necessarily any weaker. My goal for the run will be to break four hours. I was on track for that finish time last fall but let myself get low on electrolytes. I demonstrated proficiency in the hydration game on the Bandera run. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t crowed on and on about the absolute unrunability of that course. There were some wins that have me happy and that knowledge will power me through the Austin Marathon.

My other thoughts are on how I’ll run. Hard? Or easy? I’m motivated to break 4 hours and I think I’ll have to push myself a bit, maybe some heart rate zone 4 running. Maybe some zone 5 if I push the rolling hills over Enfield and W. 15th St. Not sure how I’ll run the first 3 miles up South Congress, but I plan to run strong, with gravity, down South First, for the next 3 miles.

That will average out the first 6 miles to maybe an 8 minute pace. That would be too fast for me to run the first 10K of any other marathon, but if you’re in a mood to race, and Austin usually gives me a race vibe, then you want to optimize your pace and form for a surge down South First. Whether or not I’ll maintain a strong pace will become known to me once I hit the rolling hills. Hills are really good at giving bio-feedback. If I run those strong, I might remain strong up to 20 miles. I’m too experienced to ever try predicting anything after 20 miles in a marathon, so that’s my race plan.

My marathon story below began at 16 years of age. My finish times have been slower but trending faster post-apocalypse.

Marathon History

1978    Dallas White Rock (1)          Unknown

1980    Dallas White Rock (2)          3:08

***30 years***

2010    Denver Marathon (1)            3:36 

2011    Austin Marathon (1)             4:23 

2012    Denver Marathon (2)            3:48 

2012    Boulder Marathon (1)           3:58 

2013    Steamboat Springs                4:13 

2013    Denver Marathon (3)            3:47 

2014    Austin Marathon (2)              3:45 

2014    Denver Marathon (4)             3:31

2015    Austin Marathon (3)              3:39

2015    Boulder Marathon (2)            3:30 

2015    Denver Marathon (5)             4:05 

2017    Colorado Marathon  (1)         3:42

***Apocalypse***

2021    Boulder Marathon (3)            4:35

2023    Boulder Marathon (4)            4:30

2024    Colorado Marathon (2)          4:23

2024    Boulder Marathon (5)            4:03

2025    Austin Marathon (4)               3:

Bushwhacking Bandera

17 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Running, Ultra

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I bushwhacked my first 100K last weekend. Well, 50K, I DNF’d after the first 31 mile loop. It was the Bandera 100K, relocated 90 minutes west at Camp Eagle due to hard rain, a church summer camp with a lot of land on the Nueces River. I can’t think of any place on earth closer to hell than South Texas in the summer, but I suppose they make the most of the Nueces River.

That’s Eric’s race face above. What are the odds I’d be standing in a corral with my son-in-law to run a 100K ultra trail race?

I didn’t say “bushwhack” to start out this race report for nothing. There was very little runnable trail at Camp Eagle. There is considerably more runnable trail in Bandera, as I was told by several other runners on the course who’d run Bandera before. I fell once at 3 miles (Windmill A) and again at 8 miles (Windmill B). After breaking my shoulder last year training for this race, falling is sort of a nightmare for me, but these were good falls. The first fall was forward, just like the fall that broke my clavicle. But I performed the perfect roll. I ended up in a plank position with my chest sitting just above a baby cactus. That I could perform that roll was a testament to my strength training regimen. I felt good about it.

My crew was back at the Box Guest House in Bandera. The course relocation created all sorts of logistical problems. Karen, Steve, Susan, and Lucie stayed back in town with Liam and Margot.

Brittany was my official pacer but doubled up as my crew. This photo is a few hours after I finished. She was happy I survived for her formative crew/pacer CV. She was quite good at it.

This is Eric, early into the run still based on his gear, departing the Windmill aid station. The ultra started out below freezing but warmed up nicely into the 50°s. Eric ran super strong, finishing 13th overall. He had a fall too and severely sprained his thumb. We both found our trail legs though once we got going.

Brit wasn’t able to meet us at the first aid station, but the setup was pretty good. I refilled my 500ml bottle with Tailwind instead of my LMNT. And I had enough gels on me.

These guys probably wanted to pass me. I got a lot of that. These official race photos all appear on some actual trail. I can assure you, this course had very little of that. I’m disappointed the course had to be moved, but there was so much that was good about this run.

I executed my fueling and hydration plans perfectly, the best ever for a distance race, and that will help me in my future marathons. I run the Austin Marathon next month. I drank 500ml of LMNT between each aid station, or essentially every hour. LMNT has 1000mg sodium, which is the max a person should consume. I know now that I need the max. It also has 200 mg of potassium and 60mg of magnesium. There is no calcium but I consumed a calcium capsule before the run and at about 15 miles. Magnesium helps the muscles relax and calcium helps them to contract. LMNT kept me on target for all these electrolytes except for calcium. Mortal is the only drink I know of that has calcium and would be my second choice after LMNT, but I’m also going to make it a practice to supplement that nutrient with capsules. I also further supplemented my sodium with a couple of SaltStick Fast Chews every hour. Although my legs were exhausted, I had no cramping issues.

I fueled with Carbs gels. One every hour or between aid stations. It contains 50 carbs, a bit less than SIS Beta Fuel, but 200 calories which is more than SIS. My energy levels felt fine, it was the weakness in my feet, ankles and legs that led me to DNF, even though I felt strong in terms of energy.

I changed into a tank top at the Zip Road aid station and felt so much cooler. I’d waxed my legs and arms and that allowed the sweat to more easily evaporate in the wind. So my gear selections were also a win. I’d even tried acclimating to the humidity by using the steam sauna regularly at the Rec Center. Might have helped, I didn’t feel overly hot but the biggest surprise, other than the nastiness of the course, was that my heart rate was locked into mostly zone 4, followed by zone 5. I expected to run in zone 3 and I felt like I was mostly there. It must have been the effort to hop from rock to rock. I did very little actual running, it was mostly a rock hopping event.

I thought my pace was on target. My watch died after 15 miles but I was averaging a 14 minute pace, which was my goal. I think if there was a flaw in my run, it’s that 14 minutes was probably too fast for me on this course. My overall pace for the 50K I eventually completed was over 15 minutes per mile. But for me to run a 15 or 16 minute pace, I’d need to mix in some walking each mile. Maybe I will next time, although I don’t expect there to be a next time on such a difficult course.

I ran for a ways chatting to Eric’s old college coach, Karl Poetzl, who lives in Houston. It’s such a small world. He ran behind me, allowing me to clear the rocks for him, which I seemed inherently quite good at. My trailing foot would often catch a rock and flip it as my leg moved forward. It never hurt my toe, a credit to my La Sportiva Bushidas, but it was so exhausting for my thighs. I think I ran with the right shoes for this course, but hard to say if the cushion of Hokas wouldn’t have been better. I’ll continue to experiment with shoes. I’ll wear Hokas for the 3 marathons this year as those will be on paved roads. Karl completed the 100K, 8th in his 50 year old division, just under 17 hours which qualified him for the Western States 100M lottery.

Eric had a strong run. Brit and I crewed him through his last 3 aid stations, He finished 2nd in his age division and 13th overall. He didn’t care for the rocks anymore than any of us. It didn’t allow him to stretch out his legs on the downhills which is one of his strengths. If anything, runners had to slow running downhill to avoid certain death.

You’d think I’d be disappointed having to DNF in my first 100K ultra, but I was fine with it. It would have been too risky to run another loop, and really, I would have had to walk most of it and might not have made the 24 hour cutoff. Nailing my nutrition plan and the training itself were both wins. I haven’t been this fit in 9 years. I expected to also be as fast as the last time I weighed 165 pounds, but that’s not the case. I’m a half hour slower in marathons now and that’s just age. But understanding my nutritional needs for long runs is a huge win. And being paced 5 miles by Brit was a lot of fun. I got to see her foot work – she’s a good trail runner. I think I can complete the distance on an easier course and I’ll try again next year.

Not Bandera

10 Friday Jan 2025

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I wanted to title this post “Bandera”. It’s the Bandera 100K. But it’s not Bandera. Not anymore. The rains from Thursday forced the event to be relocated 90 minutes West at Camp Eagle, along the Nueces River near Rocksprings. Meaning, I’ll have to wake up 90 minutes earlier than planned.

It’ll be more inconvenient for my crew than me. I expect a similar course, similar hills. Similar caliche soil that might clump onto my shoes if still wet enough tomorrow. And it appears to be about 5° cooler further west. Likely because the elevation is 1000 feet higher. But it will warm up into the 50°s. I’ll begin by wearing gloves but shouldn’t need a jacket, perhaps two shirts initially. The running vest serves as a jacket of sorts.

I typically blog a post before marathons, mostly to soothe my nerves, where I predict my pace. It’s easy to predict a range based on my conditioning, but of course so many things can go wrong with long distances that guessing correctly is partly luck. I don’t have any experience at 62 miles, nor this trail, so really hard to say, but I know what I want to run. I want to run under a 14 minute pace. 16 minutes would be more realistic and that might be my overall pace, but I imagine I’ll start out running a 12 minute pace for the first 15 miles or so. It’s hard for me to run slower than that unless the hills are tougher than I expect and I find myself walking more in the first loop.

I expect plenty of walking in the second loop. I hope not too much as I really want to finish before bed time. The sun will drop around 6pm and I hope to finish before 10pm, so I’ll be using the 800 lumen headlamp my pacer and daughter, Brittany, gifted me for Christmas for a good 4 hours. I’m comfortable running in the dark with a head lamp and I’ll be running so slowly by then that it won’t be a factor. I’ve printed out the chart below, an overly optimistic projection, for Brit to crew me with.

My Apple Watch SE won’t last more than 10 hours, even in low power mode, but I’ll be using it to track my heart rate. If I can refrain from too much running in zone 4 or 5, I should be able to keep my fueling and hydration in check. Really, unless those hills are a bugger, I should be mostly running in zone 2 which is a very comfortable pace. I don’t expect to ever come close to exceeding my lactate threshold. Heart rate zones are determined by your max heart rate, which is mostly determined by your age. I’ve tailored mine with my level of conditioning using the Karvonen method, which suggests my max might be as high as 170. Experience tells me though that if I breach 170, I might be experiencing A-Fib, especially if I instantly go from below 130 to 170. Which is why I intend to track that metric. I’m also doing it to make sure my cognitive abilities are such that I can read my watch and tell Brit my heart rate if she asks. If not, I should maybe consider a DNF.

You can track my progress here: http://edsresults.com/bandera24/

Trail Spirits

03 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in Running, training plan, Ultra

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Sotol stands as a quiet sentinel of the desert, its long, slender leaves fanning out in a crown of green and silver. A hardy survivor of arid lands, it thrives beneath the relentless sun, its roots gripping the dry earth with tenacity. The leaves, rigid and sharp-edged, shimmer with a metallic sheen in the afternoon light, as if the plant itself were forged by the desert’s heat.

Running along the length of each leaf are rows of small, dagger-like thorns – delicate yet unforgiving. They trace the edges like the teeth of a saw, catching glimmers of light at their tips. This decoration is its defense, a silent warning to any who might venture too close. To brush against sotol carelessly is to feel the desert’s quiet bite, a reminder that even beauty here demands respect.

As the Sotol matures, its towering flower stalk reaches skyward, sometimes stretching ten feet high, crowned with clusters of pale blooms that sway in the desert wind. But below, the thorns remain, standing guard like loyal sentries, ensuring that the Sotol’s grace is not without its edge.

Oddly, Sotol isn’t a cactus, it’s a type of asparagus. The Texas type of asparagus that will take you out with its deadly thorns. I’ll run past 62 miles of them a week from now. There are many things to fear about running 62 miles. Death by a thousand cuts shouldn’t be one of them but at the Bandera 100K Ultra, the Sotol makes the rules. The Sotol is the master of the Hill Country State Natural Area. The trail is there to serve runners’ flesh to the Sotol.

I’ve tried to prepare as best I can for this challenge. Blowdown on my East Boulder Trail has added some challenge to my otherwise pedestrian trail. Its hills might mirror the Bandera trail and now I have downed trees to navigate. And I survived winds at the Boulder Res that nearly lifted me off my feet. Good prep for the Texas wind, which I expect to be a steady 10 mph. All good training prep. I completed my training today with 12 miles on the LoBo Trail. That gave me 100 miles for the week – the first time in 9 years I’ve pushed myself this hard. It feels good to know I’ve completed what I set out to do.

That statement might seem premature since I’ve yet to actually run the 100K, but with goals like this, the training is everything. A lot could go wrong next Saturday, but it won’t be from a lack of training miles, or a lack of studying nutrition, or a lack of training my body to fuel and hydrate over those hundreds of training miles. But there was one thing I’d yet to complete this morning. I still needed to pay homage to the trail spirits, and in Bandera, the God of those trail spirits is the slashing Sotol.

Turns out Sotol makes an excellent spirit in the form of distilled asparagus, 38% alcohol by volume. I had a shot tonight to mark the completion of my training and to shout out to the Sotol that guards the trails in Bandera that I’m ready. Having drunk its distilled spirits, I’ll be one with the Sotol next Saturday. I’ll be protected from its spears and destined for glory in the Texas Hill Country.

Sixty-Two at Sixty-Two

30 Monday Dec 2024

Posted by in Ellie Rose, Margot, Running, Ultra

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I ran 70 miles last week, the first time in 9 years that I’ve run that far in a single week. Today’s 22 miler has me set to do it again this week. I’m closing out the year running strong.

I got in 3 good runs while down in Austin, twice around the lake and once on the greenbelt. It rained on me in the pic above. That warm, soft rain so typical of Texas in the winter.

The Austin Greenbelt was the perfect prep for Bandera. It’s essentially a trail along Barton Creek and there are good sections of cliffs with rocky footing like you see above.

Karen and I stayed at my favorite place in Austin, her cousin Liz’s Casa del Sol on S. 2nd and Oltorf. I can run through the Bouldin neighborhood and reach Lady Bird Lake in 1.2 miles. Here’s some of the yard art from Bouldin.

Margot Fay saw Santa everywhere she went in Austin. Like a toddler Ted Lasso, she believes.

Ellie wasn’t able to join us in Austin because of her new job as a data analyst at Dish. She won’t have PTO until March. Our darling friend Wendy invited Ellie over to spend Christmas with her and Chase.

Ellie Rose and Chase have been best friends since grade school.

These two have been besties even longer. They were the hosts with the most serving a couple dozen family members Christmas dinner. Karen’s father golfed nine holes the next day.

Most all of us are in this dinner photo. I’ll see Susan and Steve and Liam in a couple weeks in Bandera – they’re my crew. Promises were made at dinner for me to run the 2026 Austin Marathon with Chad and Laura. The other Laura.

Margo Fay again, at her grandparent’s mountain home. I’m off for a second week. My only plans are to run every day. Today included cold 25 mile-an-hour winds off the water at the Boulder Res. Just more good prep for Bandera where I’ll run 62 miles at 62 years of age. Happy New Years all y’all.

Mud, Ice & Snow

30 Saturday Nov 2024

Posted by in Running, training plan, Ultra

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I consider the East Boulder Trail to be fairly pedestrian. The workout and any technical points come from the hills. There’s a nearly 3 mile section of hills that I run through twice, once at the start and again at the end on the return. Today’s 6 miles out, 6 miles back gave me a 6 mile flatish run in between the repeated hilly sections.

Add mud and ice and snow and this course became very technical today. It gave me the perfect 12.5 mile workout. Footfalls took thought. Such great training for Bandera.

There’s about one and a half months left before I run Bandera. My first attempt at a 100K. I feel ready.

The Boulder Res and Back

09 Saturday Nov 2024

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Running in the Colorado fall is so perfect. I got in 20 miles today after 3 days of cold, wet snow. To the Boulder Res and back. I haven’t been getting in the miles lately. Daylight Savings Time was hard on me. Weekends are my time.

I don’t know if that’s a bad training plan, getting it all in during the weekend, but that’s the time I’ve got. I’m going to try harder next week to run after work in the dark with a headlamp. I probably need some practice running in the dark. My current estimated run time for Bandera is between 14 and 17 hours, in January, so I’ll be running into the night for sure. 3 hours sounds like a big range, I can usually predict my marathon times the day before within 30 minutes. But this isn’t 26 miles, it’s 62, and I’ve never run that far before.

The really cool thing is that in addition to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law crewing me, my son-in-law just registered for the race. Unless he just treats it as a training run for his next 100 miler, and really, even if he does, he’ll be competitive to win it. I’d bet on a top 3 finish.

And Brit is gonna pace me, likely in the second half. Guidelines only allow for pacers in the second half, but my age can have pacers the entire course. This was us running the Desert Rats 50K in Fruita last spring. This is gonna be a fun family affair.

LMNT

20 Sunday Oct 2024

Posted by in Running, Ultra

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Pronounced “element”, LMNT will be my electrolyte for the Bandera 100K. This stuff has more salt than the Dead Sea. 1000 milligrams! The 200 mg of potassium and 60 mg of magnesium are good quantities too. This will give me exactly what I need for magnesium, and possibly a bit more than I need for sodium. The potassium is a bit light but more than most anything else.

My initial plan was to consume a mix of electrolytes, three different brands. One would be heavy on sodium, the other heavy on carbs, and another a good blend. But complexity is stupid and I know I like LMNT. I’ve been running with two different mixes generally, one in each bottle, but I ran 20 miles Saturday with just LMNT and felt great. I can get my carbs from gels. Probably SIS Beta Fuel Gel but the jury is still out on that.

For variety, I’ll eat foods at the aid stations, and drink some of their Tailwind, which has a strong blend of electrolytes, one of the strongest for calcium. I have all this in a spreadsheet if you’re interested in seeing my game plan.

My Racin’ Heart

03 Saturday Aug 2024

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I’m still thinking about last weekend’s getaway to Angel Fire, where the temps were so much cooler and the trails were tree covered. I gave hydration special attention today in the 90° plus temps but failed. I drank a pint of electrolytes before my run but made the error of not drinking during the run until after 3 miles. I should have started sipping immediately.

I walked half my return on a 12 miler. I depleted my liter of water early and almost called Karen to pick me up as I became nauseated. I didn’t wear a watch or my heart monitor today but I could feel my heart racing and that’s what would lead me to walk. I can’t say if it was my A-Fib kicking in without my chest strap, but it felt like it was acting up.

I’m deliberately practicing my hydration routine to prep for Bandera but clearly I have a ways to go. Hydration, meaning both water and electrolytes, is critical. You can recover from a lack of calories but you can’t recover from dehydration while continuing to run. You have to DNF. Or you should DNF. Unfortunately, dehydration impairs your decision-making and so many runners continue to run until they drop.

I recall running the Beach-to-Bay Relay Marathon in Corpus Christi in high school and college. I think I ran it 6 or 7 years in a row. One year in high school, I wandered down to the water after my leg and fell in because I was so delirious. We had to rush another runner from my team, Jessi Montez, to the hospital after he became dehydrated. My last episode with dehydration was the Desert Rats Ultra this spring. I was cramping and couldn’t maintain my balance afterwards. It was a bit embarrassing really but my friends were there to help me.

I’m grateful the air quality improved enough today after the fires to run outside. I ran most of the week indoors, on my elliptical which is sort of like running without gravity. If it’s not smoke in the air, it’s unbearable heat. It’s getting hard to be a runner anymore.

Fire of the Gods

27 Saturday Jul 2024

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Colorado Trail, Margot, Running, training plan, Ultra

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Angel Fire was first named by the Utes – Fire of the Gods – after the gloriously red and orange sunsets and glow seen above the mountains at dusk and dawn. The Spanish later renamed it The Place of the Fire of the Angels. Renowned explorer and buffalo killer Kit Carson would later rename it to Angel Fire. Karen’s good friend graciously lent us her condo at the resort for the weekend. A weekend when the air quality in Colorado meant working out indoors if at all. Not only was there some visibility in New Mexico, but it was 20° cooler.

I was in Angel Fire last in 2016 to run a 24 hour relay through the ski slopes with my friends. Karen and I hiked the Greenbelt across the road from the ski slopes because they are 99% dedicated to mountain bikers during the summer. We hiked the Lady Slipper near Monte Verde Lake Friday morning. The two photos above are from that trail.

We hiked the Deer Trail Saturday morning and we saw deer.

Brit got in a trail run while Karen and I hiked.

Once we returned to the condo, Eric launched off to Taos via the South Boundary Trail for a 22 miler.

We picked him up at the El Nogal Trailhead outside of Taos after strolling around town a bit.

Eric said it was his prettiest run of the year. He only saw 3 others, mountain bikers, the entire distance.

I’ve yet to run but expect to get in a few miles tomorrow. Nothing as extreme as Eric.

The Ultra Distraction

14 Sunday Jul 2024

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Running, Ultra

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Eric and Margo are stepping into the Animas River in this photo. They were in Telluride this weekend so Eric could pace his buddy in the Hardrock 100.

Margo Fay enjoyed the weekend’s festivities.

Eric paced his buddy Robert Panas who finished 30th in 36 hours.

Eric paced Rob 14 miles from Ouray to Animas Fork, with 6,000 feet of elevation gain, which is a lot of elevation.

They had a blast. I’m hooked on following ultras right now as I psyche myself up to run 100K next January. I can’t get enough of this stuff. I watched both Hardrock and Western States recently on YouTube. It’s been a fun distraction.

Summer of ’24

06 Saturday Jul 2024

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My summer of ’24 is all about training to run a 100K ultra in the Texas Hill Country winter. I already know how to run, so I’m half way there. I think I can scratch off a few other things I needed to learn. I know what gels work for me and what electrolytes to drink. Learning to properly fuel is as important as putting in the miles for an ultra.

I like Maurten and SIS Beta Fuel for my gels. And I plan to mix 3 drinks – Precision Fuel, SIS Beta Fuel, and LMNT. SIS is high in calories while the other two are high in sodium. The aid stations will serve Tailwind which I do well with. I’m also learning what gear I do well with, but hard to say what the weather will call for in January. I know how these things go. My performance in January will be based on what I do this summer. And there is so much more to train on than running.

Running with Scissors

15 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Running, Ultra

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As the sun rose over the dry Colorado Desert, Brit and her lifelong friend Megan, from schools Burlington and Sunset, prepared to run 31 miles together. A 50K trail ultra. I’m not sure if this photo below is from the start or the end of the race, because they looked fresh during the entire saga.

Thelma and Louise were in rhythm over the hardscrabble slick rock on the south side of I-70. They say the north side is less rocky and more flowy. They talk like that in Fruita, a mountain biking Mecca with more brewpubs than churches. I’d consider giving up the views of the Colorado River and Monument at Pizza Overlook for some soft running dirt considering I rarely took my eyes off my footfalls.

With Megan leading the way, the girls ran close to the edge of the canyon.

Megan’s daughter Luna helped Coco babysit Brit’s little Margot Fay back at the AirBnB while the mothers enjoyed their quiet time Colorado style – running for eight hours through massively technical single track.

Seriously, this is how Colorado mothers relax.

I know because I was there. The leaner, twenty pounds lighter me after Karen tracked me on a diet since February.

I started out with the girls in the corral. In that first mile, before queuing up on the single track, I ran behind the girls. Once I felt warmed up, I told them that my legs had muscle memory and they remembered running fast. That was the last I saw of them.

And then, there was only me. For the next seven hours.

I was able to toss my alpaca wool jersey to my crew, Eric after circling around the Rustler’s Loop trail and put on a fresh tank to run the remaining twenty miles. Perfect timing for a blazing cold desert sun. The photo above would have been about three hours into my seven and a half hour ultra. The mountain air didn’t rise over the mid 70°s, but the sun reached through the atmosphere to sear my skin like it only can on the Kokopelli Trail.

I have to say, I didn’t expect a desert trail to be so pretty. One never expects much of the desert. Some places you have to visit. But OMG, it was like running with scissors. I hadn’t been on a technical trail since my little tumble on the Wild Turkey Loop last November. This trail was orders of magnitude more rocky, more uneven, more deadly. On my first steep rocky downhill, I felt as if I’d been kicked out of the nest. And I was still stuck in that starting line mass where I had to walk when they walked and run when they ran. I trusted the process and got through it. The crowd didn’t open up with some running room until just short of three miles into it. Ten percent of the total distance.

I got to the end though. I learned tons to prep for my 100K ultra in Bandera next January. I learned how to treat muscle cramps with salt chews. I learned the value of training my stomach for food. I learned I could handle double the hydration that I normally consume, if I stay focused on it.

The photo above captures what my weekend was like with friends and family. Everyone was cheering for each other and making each other happy.

My high school friend and epic hiking buddy, Rob was there navigating the trails as I’ve seen him do for nearly fifty years now. I honestly don’t know how I could know so many old runners, but at least a dozen other friends were there with me whom I’ve known for decades. Friends who taught me this weekend that whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Even if that means I have to rub her ears like only I can.

Fruita

11 Thursday Apr 2024

Posted by in Britt&Eric, Running, Ultra

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When I was younger and an athlete, I learned to will myself to the starting line. It wasn’t easy because my body knew exactly what was in store for it. My stomach would revolt and threaten to vomit at the starting line. Nerves have a sixth sense, or some kind of knowledge gleaned through the accumulation of DNA over a million generations. My body knew the hell that I was about to sacrifice it to and it wanted no part of it. My bowels were dead set to vacate themselves. Fortunately, my DNA didn’t understand timing and starting guns, and I was usually off and racing before my body could erupt itself in protest. Which is why core strength is paramount for racing.

I finished up the work week in good shape. I couldn’t finish everything but work is never done, that’s why they call it work. I’ll keep a stub of things yet to be figured out in my head for the run. Lots of thoughts will traverse my mind over the six hours it will take me to run the Desert Rats 50K in Fruita this Saturday. Or seven hours. Or eight hours. I really hope it’s six hours.

I can’t recall the last time I was nervous at the starting line. After a couple of decades off from racing, I got back into it in my fifties. I always felt so happy at the start to the marathons and trail runs and various events I signed up for over the last decade. Now I’m in my sixties and I’ve had some lapses in my conditioning. After a broken shoulder, Covid, and well, a real cold, I’m set to run 31 miles this Saturday. I haven’t put in the miles for this and my body knows it.

But my wife nursed me through a diet to do what she could to get my weight down, and honestly, my weight alone gives me tremendous confidence. I can run anything at 175 pounds. I can run all day long. It would help me to run faster had I put in the miles, but who needs to run fast at 61 years of age? No one will even ask me what my time was. They’ll be happy to see me finish. I can finish by walking in the final 15 miles if I need to.

So I won’t be nervous, despite my dearth of conditioning. And I won’t be able to help myself from being happy standing at that starting line on the Kokopelli Trail in the high desert of Colorado. My daughter will be standing there with me. We’ll learn something of one another after 31 miles. Assuming I can hang with her youth. I know how special it is to be able to run an ultra with my daughter. I’ll be happy standing at that starting line.

Plus 3

09 Saturday Mar 2024

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There’s still a bit of snow outside if you look for it. I found this about 7 miles into a 15 miler. The weather was so perfect for a trail run today that I don’t have the words. I didn’t wear a watch but my rough math had me running a 12 minute per mile pace. That’ll do for my 50K ultra I have in April. I’m feeling good about things.

I ran the Niwot Loop today, which is a 12 mile loop for me generally, but I added another 3 mile loop on top to make it the Niwot Loop plus 3 route. There’s construction in Niwot, along a creek. Take the detour which is up the street to the stop sign and turn right. Rejoin the trail about 200 meters down the road.

Happy trails.

A Runner’s Religion

24 Saturday Feb 2024

Posted by in Covid-19, Ellie Rose, Running, Ultra

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After Covid and long Covid and an actual cold, I was able to breathe today on the East Boulder Trail. I would describe what that’s been like, but I don’t wish for you to live through my winter of discontent.

The deep breathing of a distance run filled my ears with a contented sound that filled my soul.

It helped to be surrounded by views of trees and lakes and the Indian Peaks.

I thought about my family chat with Ellie and some others that began last night and continued into the morning.

She’d just heard that Talabama criminalized in vitro fertilization.  She was upset and in combat mode.

Combat-mode is what I call her when she chats like a sailor.  I guess that makes it a euphemism.

I told her I didn’t like it and relentlessly tapped out words like eloquence until the fierce warrior yielded to her father and began to chat how he wanted to chat.

She made good points from there and last night’s epic IVF family chat bled into the morning.

More good points were made by others in the chat.  Seems like there’s a whole lot of good reasons to support IVF and help Alabama find a new religion while we’re at it.

Neill Young had it right.

Wet as Rain

03 Saturday Feb 2024

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The snow was wet as rain today, but lovely white and cozy as I ran on the LoBo Trail. The Inov8 rain jacket Karen gifted me at Christmas to run the Bandera 100K protected me well. It was good to test it in the elements.

I’m training now for the Desert Rats 50K in April. Post broken collar bone, I’m starting out from scratch, slow and heavy. Slow’s not a problem for an ultra, but the weight needs to improve. I can’t afford to miss out on long weekend runs because of a little weather. And today was actually quite enjoyable, with little wind and 32°. This rain jacket’s a keeper.

Running Again

20 Saturday Jan 2024

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I had my first run of the new year today. First run in ten weeks. I planned on taking it easy and only going for three miles, but it felt so good that I ran five miles. The weather was perfect for running, 27° and zero wind. I’m sore now, but happy.

I began strength training after the holidays but I’ve still gained fifteen pounds. Prepping for that ultra in April will take some focus. I want to be able to run with my daughter and I won’t be able to do that unless I get back to where I was before breaking my collarbone. Thinking I can hang with a girl half my age might be delusional, but it’ll be fun if I can run with her for even a little ways.

The Yeti water bottle in the photo will be Karen’s gift for crewing the ultra. I expect her contribution will be babysitting Margot while Brit and I run and Eric crews us. That counts though. It takes a team to crew.

Injury Report – Week Nine

14 Sunday Jan 2024

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I would have ran my first 100K this weekend, if not for breaking my collarbone. The first person to finish in my age group was 63 year old Stephanie Pearce from Austin, which also won her the Masters division for women which includes 50 year olds, in 15 hours. The first man in my age group was 60 year old Stephen Scobie in 15.5 hours. I was estimating I could finish in 14 hours, so I might have been competitive assuming I finished.

My doctor told me last Monday that I’m healing ahead of schedule for my age and that I can start running again. I kept to the elliptical this weekend though because the temperature has yet to rise above 0°. I’m a gentleman runner.

I still can’t perform any activity, like changing a light bulb, that requires me to raise my arm over my head, but I’m on the mend. Pull-ups are out but I can’t do pull-ups normally, so I’m not missing out on anything. Most of my strength training has always been focused on my legs and core and I’ve been working on that for the last couple of weeks.

Still planning on a 50K ultra in April, and the Colorado Marathon in May. My first attempt at the 100K distance will have to wait until January 2025.

Broken

12 Sunday Nov 2023

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My pained face after taking a fall on the trail

I took a tumble on the Wild Turkey Trail Saturday and broke my clavicle. It might be the first time I’ve ever broken a bone. There are times I should have broken many bones. I was tossed out of the bed of a pickup truck at 55 miles per hour. I was swept over a waterfall on the Pedernales onto the rocks below. No broken bones. But yesterday, I tried to turn my fall into a roll and didn’t quite have the angle to pull off that maneuver. My shoulder slammed hard into a rock. The kind of hard where I knew immediately that I wasn’t going to be okay.

I was an hour into my run and it took two hours to walk back to the trail head. I drove home before going to the ER to look at it. My left shoulder looked dislocated, which it was after falling off a bike in fourth grade. So, I have experience with dislocated shoulders. This is worse. It will take six to eight weeks to heal. The Bandera 100K is in eight weeks. Bandera is out.

So I’m pretty bummed out right now. I was scared of running Bandera, but also so excited. It was consuming all my free thoughts, which is why I like projects like that. But now, Bandera is a broken dream. I’m broken. The whole world is broken.

I’m going to try to stay positive and redirect my energies into writing my novel, but I think I like running more than writing. I like both hobbies, but I need physical activity. There was a time after college that I thought I would become a professional house painter. I like physical work. I think I’d have been happy with that career. I might be able to workout on the elliptical with this, after the pain subsides. We’ll see.

Training Report B100K23a

04 Saturday Nov 2023

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Not a bad view on today’s run. It’s from the junction of Ponderosa Loop and Wild Turkey Trail. I ran my furthest run yet on top of Wapiti Trail. I ran 2 hours and 41 minutes at a 13:42 pace. Recording that here more for me than you, to look back on when I’m considering if I trained hard enough for a Hill Country trail run in January.

I ran in my new Tecton X 2s, as I have for the last three days. They felt great. I could feel the ground and yet the rock plate protected me from over-feeling the ground. My legs were heavy today and I stumbled, tripping over rocks, uncharacteristically often. Good test for my new shoes though. My feet felt great while I was running, but one of my toes feels bruised now from that bruising earlier. That’s fine though. My toes need to toughen up.

I’m guessing this trail looks a lot like most of Bandera. Its hills are different, Heil Valley has graceful hills but at altitude; Bandera is 4000 feet lower but with short, steep hills. But many of the Heil Valley rocks are good Bandera replicas.

I’m not confident yet that I’ll be able to finish or feel good running those 62 miles of trail in the Hill Country State Natural Area. But I’m enjoying training for it. I’m getting in hours on a replica trail. I’m testing new shoes, new gels, new electrolyte drinks. My son-in-law is coaching me, giving me tips.

Green Lights

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Boulder Marathon, Running, Ultra

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The thought occurred to me while running over the brutal cement in the final 10K of the Boulder Marathon that there was no way I could run the Bandera 100K ultra. This marathon was partly intended as a stepping stone to committing to that ultra. Distance running at that magnitude is a confidence game. But pain and doubt have a way of fading over time; in this case, a couple of days, and I’m already strategerizing on how I might complete a 62 mile run in the Texas Hill Country. I’m reviewing my lessons learned. My focus has shifted from the lows I felt on that concrete to how well I ran. This is a list of my green lights.

I ran about five minutes faster than I did two years earlier, on what I believe was a tougher course. I was also about five pounds lighter I think, 185 pounds vs 190. Weight is everything in distance running. I’d want to continue to lose weight. I’d be confident in January at 175 pounds. Historically, in my older years, I’m pretty competitive at that weight. At 165, which I was for a good three or so years in my fifties, I’m on the podium in everything from a 5K to an ultra. I don’t care to drop to 165 again though because it makes me look too much like a skinny runner.

And speed is the first thing I need to get over as I train for a 100K. I think I have. I’m really comfortable and happy with my slower pace. I need to run slower yet, I need to learn how to run a 15 minute mile pace. The trick is probably running whatever pace I’m comfortable at, say 11 minutes, and then add in some walking. My fitness instructor buddy Rob suggested that approach to me. I’ll figure that out this fall.

Next is gear. I could spend all my time thinking about the right gear. Gear is fun. Between my recent backpacking and this marathon, I have a number of lessons learned. I know the socks I’m going to wear. Alpaca wool. I backpacked five days nonstop in the same pair of socks and my feet stayed dry.

And I’ve discovered a gel I can stomach. Science in Sport – SIS. It has a good amount of liquid and is almost palatable. This came to me from my ultra running son-in-law. I’m not certain I’ve settled on an electrolyte drink, I used Maurten for this event and I’m not 100% on it. I’ll be good with the Scratch served at the aid stations, I have experience with that sports drink. I might use what I carried during the marathon. I did have some slight stomach pain and I wasn’t big on the flavor. I really like my Cure, it tastes so good but it doesn’t have enough calories or electrolytes for an ultra.

I bought some SaltStick FastChews (salt tablets) that I’ll begin to train with on long runs. It’s difficult to gauge how much you sweat in Colorado. We sweat in Colorado, but it’s a dry sweat. Ultra runners get pretty scientific about it. They want to know how much salt they sweat in addition to how much they sweat. I’ll try to figure out how much salt to consume based on what amount keeps me from cramping. My muscles did fine in the marathon so I did well on electrolytes. I credit the pickle juice.

I’ve gained a sense of my pace. To my surprise, I’m pretty comfortable running a 9 minute pace, but only for a half marathon. This marathon would have been easier had I maintained a flat 10 minute pace, which was my overall pace. I want to break 17 hours in Bandara and I can do that with a 16 minute pace – over hills and rocks and hours – but still, seems like it might be in my wheel house by walking enough, well before I even need to.

I believe I’ve found the running shorts that will work. They’re essentially short tights. A TrackSmith brand that didn’t even hint at chafing. I’ll need to buy a rain jacket. Sort of learned that backpacking. Interestingly, this was the very first time I wore my bib on my shorts. I studied photos of ultra runners and they all wear their bibs on their shorts. I suspect so that they can change their shirts. I’ll be sweating in Texas, even in January with that humidity, so changing shirts often is part of my plan. I changed out from a t-shirt to a tank top half way through this marathon and it made a big difference in my comfort.

I learned that I absolutely hate my hydration vest. Gels fell out. Not enough pockets or big enough pockets. These photos show how I twisted one of the shoulder straps without knowing it. Likely when I took it off to change shirts. So, this is not a green light, and if I’m honest, it contributed to me also failing at consuming enough gels. I’m tempted to not even wear a vest. Again, studying photos of the runners at Bandera, it appeared the elites didn’t wear vests. Many wore waist packs but the aid stations are so close that they’re optional. I figure I will wear one to store a rain jacket, if the weather suggests rain, and other emergency gear, but it’s something I’m still considering. Either way, I’m buying a new one. At races where aid stations are so plentiful, I suspect it still pays to carry gels with you in order to consume them at a slower pace.

The final topic area I needed to monitor was my atrial fibrillation. I think it kicked in twice. Without my heart monitor or Apple Watch, it’s hard to know but I found myself walking twice and unable to easily catch my breath. That’s a good indicator. I just had a heart monitor patched onto my chest yesterday that I’ll wear for two weeks. The results will be helpful and should lead to a dialog with my doctor. I’ll bring up the ultra and see what he says. I don’t expect it to be an issue but I don’t really know. Time will tell.

Pretty Flowers

05 Saturday Aug 2023

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I like to pick pretty flowers…

I see my trail runs like a toddler turning two soon sees flowers. The trail is pretty. The Wapiti Trail is rocky too. Just like I imagine the Bandera 100K trails to be.

These photos are mostly a shoe-eye’s view of the Wapiti Trail to Ponderosa Loop clockwise and back.

If you have run the trails in the Hill Country State Natural Area, atop the Edwards Plateau, west of San Antonio, comment with photos you have of that course. I’m interested how well it compares to my weekend training course.

These rocks lead you back on the inner loops of Ponderosa and Wild Turkey. This is my second Saturday to run in Heil Valley Ranch. It’s my Saturday workout from now until the ultra. The plan is to groom my trail legs.

This intersection drops a path down to the Lyon’s trailhead or around the Wild Turkey Loop counterclockwise, but I steer right to return, first up and then back down the Wapiti Trail.

The trail up to Wapiti offers various textures. I call this texture – rocks.

Sometimes the trail gives back a little with a more pliable surface. This was nice.

But this section was mostly rocks.

And then, there it is, the trail down Wapiti. The heavy lifting is over. I tumbled down slowly and in control. Still finding my trail legs.

The path was rock after rock through the wildflowers.

Any wildfire trails out at Bandera?

Ending my run among the burnout was surreal.

I went dry in July with no drinking as part of my conditioning. I need to lose a few pounds and I need to be pulling all the old levers to see what helps. I no longer consider what works, just what helps. Still, I’m down 15 pounds so far for the year. It’s a slow pace, but I’ll get there. Besides, slow is the name of the game in ultras.

Drive to Durango

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

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Million Dollar HighwayThere are three primary routes from the Denver area to Durango.  I-70 west to Hwy 550 and then south at 430 miles.  Hwy 285 to Hwy 50, over Monarch Pass to Hwy 550 and then south at 400 miles.  And Hwy 285 south to Hwy 160 and then west at 370 miles – or even I-25 south to Hwy 160.  I’ve driven the first two routes.  Not all the way to Durango necessarily because I’ve yet to actually drive into that town.  I hiked in as part of my epic 2011 Colorado Trail adventure.  I’ve driven as far as Molas Pass via Highways 50 and 550.  In the fall, I believe it offers the most vivid view of the turning Aspen.  I’ve driven the Hwy 160 route all the way to Pagosa Springs.  It’s the shortest route, but there is a brutally flat section near the Great Sand Dunes that puts me to sleep.  And there is no more beautiful drive in the world than along the Million Dollar Hwy in the fall.  This refers to the 25 mile section of Hwy 550 between Ouray and Silverton.

So that settles my trip planning then, I’m driving to Durango this Friday via Hwy 285 over Monarch Pass and through Ouray and Silverton.  I do still need directions to Rob’s house.  Next is laundry and packing.  Which leads me to think about another key planning topic – what to wear.  Weather forecast looks good.  A snow storm will be north of Colorado this weekend.  Durango will be sunny with a low of 32°, warming up to 58° with 7 mph winds on race day.  Tell me that’s not perfect for running.  Running tights might add to my comfort at the start but I suspect shorts are the way to go.  I’ll wear a long sleeve, high-tech fabric shirt.  I can start out with my light North Face jacket and store it later in my running vest.  Gloves and hat.  I’ll likely have more than one hat – beginning with a fleece skull cap and switch to my Boulder Marathon hat once the sun warms up.  I’ll pack more gear than this to be prepared.  You can’t trust weather reports in the mountains.