Mud & Muck 5K
North Shore Trail Run
Heart of America Marathon
Other races older than 2 months (if I can remember/care to)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Race Reports still to write
Psycho Night 10K
Mud & Muck 5K
North Shore Trail Run
Heart of America Marathon
Flatrock 50K
Other races older than 2 months (if I can remember/care to)
Mud & Muck 5K
North Shore Trail Run
Heart of America Marathon
Other races older than 2 months (if I can remember/care to)
Flatrock 50K
Kicked off the fall ultra season with the Flatrock 50K, which is billed as Kansas' first ultra (now in its 15th year) with the motto "If you look up, you're going down".
Felt pretty good going in - I'd done Darin Schniedewind's "40mi on his 40th" with him about a month before, and then the Heart of America marathon in Columbia on Labor Day, plus plenty more runs in the 15-20mi range. Headed down Friday night, planning on sharing a camping spot with Chris Farney and his wife Caitie.
Backing up a bit, I had a slight(?) freak-out earlier in the day Friday. Unbeknowst to him, Gary Henry had planted a bug in my ear during a run the previous Saturday, when we were talking about the inaugural Ozark Trail 100 coming up in November. Somehow, he said something (I don't remember what) that got me connecting to all the longing I'd felt upon reading Ultrarunner Magazine and seeing the names of people receiving their 10-year buckles & whatnot, wondering when I'd get to start my own streak. It finally occurred to me that I'd be more-or-less ready if I wanted to try Ozark and get my own streak started, so I spent the week mulling it around, hoping to bug some folks for advice on recovery times (with my already full race plans for the fall), age, etc. I had offered to pace John King, and messaged him, to which he replied he had found another pacer and wasn't needing me.
So I'm noodling, and RD Paul Schoenlaub sends out an email Friday saying that, basically, OT100 is filling up faster than expected - he didn't even expect it to fill. I suddenly feel that decision time is now and start freaking out. So I call good friend & fellow ultrarunner Debbie Webster in a tizzy at work & talk her ear off, and she recommends I call Kyle Amos, one of the top ultrarunners in the midwest, for advice. Do so on the ride down, discuss what shape I'm in, what my plans are, and he counsels me that as long as I don't do crazy things in the race I've entered 2 weeks before OT100, he thinks I should be good to go. With those very soothing words, I arrive at Elk City Lake State Park, set up my tent, and head over to packet pickup with a freshly printed entry form & check in hand for Paul, who is also running this race. Eeeee!
Ok, back to the actual race I'm reporting on. Pack my drop bag, lay out my race gear, and head over for the pre-race dinner. Delish & bountiful - spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs on the side (yay! for us non-beef eaters), plus salad (onion vinigarette dressing!) & rolls. Had a great time hanging out and chatting with Paul and his wife Cindy, Sophia Wharton, Greg Burger, Bad Ben Holmes, Chris, Caitie, and many more. End up hanging out at the shelter until almost everyone has left, just reading back issues of Running Times, chilling & enjoying the saving of batteries. Head back to the camp site where I help stoke up the fire and Chris, Greg, Caitie & I hang out for a bit before turning in around 9:45. Evidently it rains during the night, but shout out to fellow Trinity (Church of the Nazarene) guy Brian Longfellow for hooking me up with a nice, dry tent.
Up at 6a. No...wait...6:15...ummm...6:35? Eventually up, change in the car, and hike the quarter mile on down the road to the shelter for the pre-race briefing. Because of the rain, the time limit gets extended an hour. Must be rather slick out there; good thing I wore my dancing shoes! Runners hike en masse another half-mile down the road to the start. Realize that, oops, I forgot breakfast. 45 of us in the 50K; 25K folks start an hour later and they aren't around yet.
RD Eric Steele counts us down (wearing his bad-ass Badwater shirt) and we're off. Paul, Greg & a young buck in a Team Nebraska blazer take it out, with Chris & I a few yards behind. Duck off the road & now we're into the woods. Wow! Sweet climb, sweet rocks, sweet narrow clefts in between huge boulders to run through. It is a bit slick, and I take a minor spill a half-mile in. Oops. Chris & I run together for the first 2.5 or so, and then he peels away as I stop to pee. Very encouraging for me - I have peed a grand total of one time in 4 previous ultras and know I need to focus on hydrating. Realize it's rather ambitious considering the course and my previous 50K PR being 6:18 (12:11 pace), but I'm hoping to hold down a 10min pace today, and would very much like a top 5. Through the first aid station, I'm putting in 10min effort, but the rocks and general unevenness of the course are holding me to an 11min pace. Oh well. Shout out to the first aid station, which I shall call the "Punk Rock Aid Station" - 3 young dudes with punk haircuts, shirts, and a van blaring alternative/punk rock audible for a mile radius serving up chips, gatorade, M&Ms and all the standard good fare. Definite thumbs up.
Couple of guys catch me in the next few miles, and I basically just conserve & cruise. Course is definitely runnable throughout, just not at an even pace or stride - you're always shorting, cutting, flexing or otherwise dancing around rocks of all shapes & sizes. Very few patches actually require you to slow to a walk, but very few stretches actually let you fall into your normal stride. I like this, but worry it will change when I'm tired later. Contrary to what I'd been led to expect, the course is very well marked. Blue blazes visible every 10-15 paces, actually painted on the ground on rocks in places where you really can't look up. Only problem is the lack of flags/markings on sharp turns - I probably lost 3-5min throughout the race having to stop and look to see where the trail went when it turned unexpectedly. Didn't get off course, though.
Tick right along through the first half in 2:48 (15.2 is the turnaround), holding onto 11min pace easy, not seeing anyone that close in front or behind me. Shake my head at and scramble over/through the waterfall(!) at mile 11, avoid the cockleburrs at mile 13, and tromp the mud at mile 14. Team Nebraska passes me heading back while I'm still around mile 12 - he's at 18 miles in only 2:26ish, and I'm worried local ultrastud & friend Caleb Chatfield's course record of 4:29 is in danger. See Paul on the back while in the mud, he's about a mile ahead of me, with Chris following 200 yards behind. Greg is running 4th, a quarter mile back from them. 5th & 6th are about six and eight minutes ahead of me, and 8th is at least 10 behind.
Shout out to everyone on the back - very nice & encouraging to see the whole field played out. Nice battle in the female race - 1st through 3rd are all w/in a quarter mile of each other, with Sophia in 2nd. Starting to get hungry - I still can't eat on the run, and it's hard to convince myself to stop & walk when I'm actually caring about my pace & time (aka, racing) as opposed to just looking to finish. I've put down the accelerator a bit more, hoping to catch 5th/6th, and am asking at each aid station, "How much time do they have on me?". "4 minutes" is the answer. "3 minutes." "5 minutes". Arrgh. I'm pulling a good pace for the 2nd half, but can't seem to make up any ground. Stomach starts actually growling at mile 21, burn through the last of the 5 goos I packed, which was quite insufficient. Snarf at the aid stations - baked potatoes are good, but there's no PB&J. Need something that will stick in my stomach, but peanut M&Ms are the only option for that, and I'm not in the mood. Le sigh.
Have a couple of weak(er) spots where I have to back off for a half-mile or so, but pretty much still feeling strong at 11min pace. Grab the KU score at the 9.6 aid station, keep trying to pull on the guys ahead of me. Finally hear the melodious sound of the punk rock aid station, and pull in asking how much time to catch the next guy. "4 minutes." What did the fish say when it ran into the cement wall?
Not feeling like I can catch them now, I just concentrate on keeping the slightly-wobbling wheels on to bring it home strong. Come through the last mile of rocky hill, and am heading down the switchbacks out of the woods when I see movement ahead of me. At first, I think it's one of the straggling 25K folks that I've been passing, but this shape is moving a bit too fast for that. Pull out of the woods and see - it's my 6th place guy! Think to myself that I've got to put a move on, blow by him before he can react - there's a half-mile of flat, straight road to go. I manage to pull alongside at a good clip but as low on gas as I am, just can't muster up the Andy Henshaw-style "break his heart" surge. He matches my pace, and we pull each other for a quarter mile until he starts to move ahead. I'm pulling ergs of energy from anywhere I can, but it's just his day, and he crosses the line 4 seconds ahead of me. Definitely need to work on that kick. Dang - 7th again. Just like North Shore. Just like Psycho Night Run. Just like Summer Intro. Not that I'm complaining, but it's starting to get a little repetitious. ALSO - 5th place wasn't that far ahead - 6th (who shall henceforth be called by his name, Scott) & I could see him on the home stretch not too far ahead of us on the road, looking back at intervals to see how much we were gaining. End up in 5:46:05, four seconds out of 6th and 20 out of 5th.
Other than being rather hungry, I feel good - the least tired or sore I've yet felt at the end of an ultra. I've peed not once, not twice, but 3 times(!!!) in the course of the race, and my only fall was that one at a half-mile in. Beautiful weather - 50's at the start, mostly sunny & 70's by the finish. Other than dropping my outer thin long-sleeve at the Punk Rock Aid Station on the way out, not a spare thought about temperature regulation. And the course is simply beautiful - first ultra I've done where I seriously want to come back & do as a day-hike. Rock clefts, scrambles, waterfall, clearing w/ fire pit at mile 8 - definitely have to try.
Congratulate Scott, and find out that 5th place was none other than Greg! He's fast! And I finished within 20 seconds of him! Wowserz! Not only that, but I pretty much ran even splits - 2:48 out, 2:55 back (plus a bit farther at the end since the finish is further down than the start). New 50K PR by 32min! Except for lacking a kick, I'm pleased as punch with my race, and ready to go kick it at Heartland 50in two weeks. Team Nebraska ended up winning by a lot, but missed breaking Caleb's record by 2min (silent, guilty cheer). Chris ended up getting 2nd in an awesome 5:07, Paul third in 5:28. Bad Ben brings it home in 7:13, which is super considering he's rather undertrained, a bearded Levi Bowles (who for some reason I haven't mentioned yet?) not long after in 7:22 for his first ultra, Sophia is 3rd female in 7:50ish, and another not-yet-mentioned friend Christy Craig matches her time from last year, also on much less training. In the words of my alma mater Grinnell College's cross country team, a good time was had by all. :)
I take a shift with a cowbell for folks finishing, eat heaping plates of spaghetti and whatever else I can find, and generally chill - Sophia watch w/ Ben, PBR time with Levi & his Irishman, chat more with Paul & Cindy about OT100, flitter around Eric at the finish line, etc. Planning on staying for the awards ceremony and "Flatrock Fire", which I've heard will wrap up around 8/9p, in plenty of time for me to get back to KC by midnight for church the next day. Tear down my tent in the "shove it still assembled onto the roof of my car and drive it down the road to the race headquarters so I can tear it down while still hanging with folks but mostly just look ridiculous" method, and pee about 6 dozen more times. Look at the post-race chili longingly, but it has beef in it. :( Most folks leave by awards, but a good few dozen folks are around to clap & cheer as awards are presented, and we get to see "King Eric" in his crown, robe & sword knight another runner into the 10-consecutive-year-finisher "Flatrock Hall of Pain", accompanied by a funny ode by the first inductee into that society. Take advantage of the deal offered to register for next year's Flatrock already, at 50% off this weekend only! :) Find out that the Flatrock Fire actually is a long-into-the-night ritual (as chef Warren puts it, "it wraps up around 3 or 4 am, which is when most folks pass out), and decide to head home, already planning to make sure I can stay the 2nd night next year.
Get home. Cook and eat a half-pound of bacon (among other things), and an amazing smoothie* (recipe below). Sleep. Still jittery around OT100. Wake up, church, unpack, realize I've left my shoes at the shelter. Email Eric, no one picked them up. Nuts.
*Nearly Naked Smoothie:
-1 banana
-1 mango
-1 kiwi
-1 tangerine (navel orange may be substituted)
-6-8oz strawberry yogurt
-1/2 can of guava nectar (essential)
-2 cubes of ice
Blend until well mixed & mostly smooth.
Felt pretty good going in - I'd done Darin Schniedewind's "40mi on his 40th" with him about a month before, and then the Heart of America marathon in Columbia on Labor Day, plus plenty more runs in the 15-20mi range. Headed down Friday night, planning on sharing a camping spot with Chris Farney and his wife Caitie.
Backing up a bit, I had a slight(?) freak-out earlier in the day Friday. Unbeknowst to him, Gary Henry had planted a bug in my ear during a run the previous Saturday, when we were talking about the inaugural Ozark Trail 100 coming up in November. Somehow, he said something (I don't remember what) that got me connecting to all the longing I'd felt upon reading Ultrarunner Magazine and seeing the names of people receiving their 10-year buckles & whatnot, wondering when I'd get to start my own streak. It finally occurred to me that I'd be more-or-less ready if I wanted to try Ozark and get my own streak started, so I spent the week mulling it around, hoping to bug some folks for advice on recovery times (with my already full race plans for the fall), age, etc. I had offered to pace John King, and messaged him, to which he replied he had found another pacer and wasn't needing me.
So I'm noodling, and RD Paul Schoenlaub sends out an email Friday saying that, basically, OT100 is filling up faster than expected - he didn't even expect it to fill. I suddenly feel that decision time is now and start freaking out. So I call good friend & fellow ultrarunner Debbie Webster in a tizzy at work & talk her ear off, and she recommends I call Kyle Amos, one of the top ultrarunners in the midwest, for advice. Do so on the ride down, discuss what shape I'm in, what my plans are, and he counsels me that as long as I don't do crazy things in the race I've entered 2 weeks before OT100, he thinks I should be good to go. With those very soothing words, I arrive at Elk City Lake State Park, set up my tent, and head over to packet pickup with a freshly printed entry form & check in hand for Paul, who is also running this race. Eeeee!
Ok, back to the actual race I'm reporting on. Pack my drop bag, lay out my race gear, and head over for the pre-race dinner. Delish & bountiful - spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs on the side (yay! for us non-beef eaters), plus salad (onion vinigarette dressing!) & rolls. Had a great time hanging out and chatting with Paul and his wife Cindy, Sophia Wharton, Greg Burger, Bad Ben Holmes, Chris, Caitie, and many more. End up hanging out at the shelter until almost everyone has left, just reading back issues of Running Times, chilling & enjoying the saving of batteries. Head back to the camp site where I help stoke up the fire and Chris, Greg, Caitie & I hang out for a bit before turning in around 9:45. Evidently it rains during the night, but shout out to fellow Trinity (Church of the Nazarene) guy Brian Longfellow for hooking me up with a nice, dry tent.
Up at 6a. No...wait...6:15...ummm...6:35? Eventually up, change in the car, and hike the quarter mile on down the road to the shelter for the pre-race briefing. Because of the rain, the time limit gets extended an hour. Must be rather slick out there; good thing I wore my dancing shoes! Runners hike en masse another half-mile down the road to the start. Realize that, oops, I forgot breakfast. 45 of us in the 50K; 25K folks start an hour later and they aren't around yet.
RD Eric Steele counts us down (wearing his bad-ass Badwater shirt) and we're off. Paul, Greg & a young buck in a Team Nebraska blazer take it out, with Chris & I a few yards behind. Duck off the road & now we're into the woods. Wow! Sweet climb, sweet rocks, sweet narrow clefts in between huge boulders to run through. It is a bit slick, and I take a minor spill a half-mile in. Oops. Chris & I run together for the first 2.5 or so, and then he peels away as I stop to pee. Very encouraging for me - I have peed a grand total of one time in 4 previous ultras and know I need to focus on hydrating. Realize it's rather ambitious considering the course and my previous 50K PR being 6:18 (12:11 pace), but I'm hoping to hold down a 10min pace today, and would very much like a top 5. Through the first aid station, I'm putting in 10min effort, but the rocks and general unevenness of the course are holding me to an 11min pace. Oh well. Shout out to the first aid station, which I shall call the "Punk Rock Aid Station" - 3 young dudes with punk haircuts, shirts, and a van blaring alternative/punk rock audible for a mile radius serving up chips, gatorade, M&Ms and all the standard good fare. Definite thumbs up.
Couple of guys catch me in the next few miles, and I basically just conserve & cruise. Course is definitely runnable throughout, just not at an even pace or stride - you're always shorting, cutting, flexing or otherwise dancing around rocks of all shapes & sizes. Very few patches actually require you to slow to a walk, but very few stretches actually let you fall into your normal stride. I like this, but worry it will change when I'm tired later. Contrary to what I'd been led to expect, the course is very well marked. Blue blazes visible every 10-15 paces, actually painted on the ground on rocks in places where you really can't look up. Only problem is the lack of flags/markings on sharp turns - I probably lost 3-5min throughout the race having to stop and look to see where the trail went when it turned unexpectedly. Didn't get off course, though.
Tick right along through the first half in 2:48 (15.2 is the turnaround), holding onto 11min pace easy, not seeing anyone that close in front or behind me. Shake my head at and scramble over/through the waterfall(!) at mile 11, avoid the cockleburrs at mile 13, and tromp the mud at mile 14. Team Nebraska passes me heading back while I'm still around mile 12 - he's at 18 miles in only 2:26ish, and I'm worried local ultrastud & friend Caleb Chatfield's course record of 4:29 is in danger. See Paul on the back while in the mud, he's about a mile ahead of me, with Chris following 200 yards behind. Greg is running 4th, a quarter mile back from them. 5th & 6th are about six and eight minutes ahead of me, and 8th is at least 10 behind.
Shout out to everyone on the back - very nice & encouraging to see the whole field played out. Nice battle in the female race - 1st through 3rd are all w/in a quarter mile of each other, with Sophia in 2nd. Starting to get hungry - I still can't eat on the run, and it's hard to convince myself to stop & walk when I'm actually caring about my pace & time (aka, racing) as opposed to just looking to finish. I've put down the accelerator a bit more, hoping to catch 5th/6th, and am asking at each aid station, "How much time do they have on me?". "4 minutes" is the answer. "3 minutes." "5 minutes". Arrgh. I'm pulling a good pace for the 2nd half, but can't seem to make up any ground. Stomach starts actually growling at mile 21, burn through the last of the 5 goos I packed, which was quite insufficient. Snarf at the aid stations - baked potatoes are good, but there's no PB&J. Need something that will stick in my stomach, but peanut M&Ms are the only option for that, and I'm not in the mood. Le sigh.
Have a couple of weak(er) spots where I have to back off for a half-mile or so, but pretty much still feeling strong at 11min pace. Grab the KU score at the 9.6 aid station, keep trying to pull on the guys ahead of me. Finally hear the melodious sound of the punk rock aid station, and pull in asking how much time to catch the next guy. "4 minutes." What did the fish say when it ran into the cement wall?
Not feeling like I can catch them now, I just concentrate on keeping the slightly-wobbling wheels on to bring it home strong. Come through the last mile of rocky hill, and am heading down the switchbacks out of the woods when I see movement ahead of me. At first, I think it's one of the straggling 25K folks that I've been passing, but this shape is moving a bit too fast for that. Pull out of the woods and see - it's my 6th place guy! Think to myself that I've got to put a move on, blow by him before he can react - there's a half-mile of flat, straight road to go. I manage to pull alongside at a good clip but as low on gas as I am, just can't muster up the Andy Henshaw-style "break his heart" surge. He matches my pace, and we pull each other for a quarter mile until he starts to move ahead. I'm pulling ergs of energy from anywhere I can, but it's just his day, and he crosses the line 4 seconds ahead of me. Definitely need to work on that kick. Dang - 7th again. Just like North Shore. Just like Psycho Night Run. Just like Summer Intro. Not that I'm complaining, but it's starting to get a little repetitious. ALSO - 5th place wasn't that far ahead - 6th (who shall henceforth be called by his name, Scott) & I could see him on the home stretch not too far ahead of us on the road, looking back at intervals to see how much we were gaining. End up in 5:46:05, four seconds out of 6th and 20 out of 5th.
Other than being rather hungry, I feel good - the least tired or sore I've yet felt at the end of an ultra. I've peed not once, not twice, but 3 times(!!!) in the course of the race, and my only fall was that one at a half-mile in. Beautiful weather - 50's at the start, mostly sunny & 70's by the finish. Other than dropping my outer thin long-sleeve at the Punk Rock Aid Station on the way out, not a spare thought about temperature regulation. And the course is simply beautiful - first ultra I've done where I seriously want to come back & do as a day-hike. Rock clefts, scrambles, waterfall, clearing w/ fire pit at mile 8 - definitely have to try.
Congratulate Scott, and find out that 5th place was none other than Greg! He's fast! And I finished within 20 seconds of him! Wowserz! Not only that, but I pretty much ran even splits - 2:48 out, 2:55 back (plus a bit farther at the end since the finish is further down than the start). New 50K PR by 32min! Except for lacking a kick, I'm pleased as punch with my race, and ready to go kick it at Heartland 50in two weeks. Team Nebraska ended up winning by a lot, but missed breaking Caleb's record by 2min (silent, guilty cheer). Chris ended up getting 2nd in an awesome 5:07, Paul third in 5:28. Bad Ben brings it home in 7:13, which is super considering he's rather undertrained, a bearded Levi Bowles (who for some reason I haven't mentioned yet?) not long after in 7:22 for his first ultra, Sophia is 3rd female in 7:50ish, and another not-yet-mentioned friend Christy Craig matches her time from last year, also on much less training. In the words of my alma mater Grinnell College's cross country team, a good time was had by all. :)
I take a shift with a cowbell for folks finishing, eat heaping plates of spaghetti and whatever else I can find, and generally chill - Sophia watch w/ Ben, PBR time with Levi & his Irishman, chat more with Paul & Cindy about OT100, flitter around Eric at the finish line, etc. Planning on staying for the awards ceremony and "Flatrock Fire", which I've heard will wrap up around 8/9p, in plenty of time for me to get back to KC by midnight for church the next day. Tear down my tent in the "shove it still assembled onto the roof of my car and drive it down the road to the race headquarters so I can tear it down while still hanging with folks but mostly just look ridiculous" method, and pee about 6 dozen more times. Look at the post-race chili longingly, but it has beef in it. :( Most folks leave by awards, but a good few dozen folks are around to clap & cheer as awards are presented, and we get to see "King Eric" in his crown, robe & sword knight another runner into the 10-consecutive-year-finisher "Flatrock Hall of Pain", accompanied by a funny ode by the first inductee into that society. Take advantage of the deal offered to register for next year's Flatrock already, at 50% off this weekend only! :) Find out that the Flatrock Fire actually is a long-into-the-night ritual (as chef Warren puts it, "it wraps up around 3 or 4 am, which is when most folks pass out), and decide to head home, already planning to make sure I can stay the 2nd night next year.
Get home. Cook and eat a half-pound of bacon (among other things), and an amazing smoothie* (recipe below). Sleep. Still jittery around OT100. Wake up, church, unpack, realize I've left my shoes at the shelter. Email Eric, no one picked them up. Nuts.
*Nearly Naked Smoothie:
-1 banana
-1 mango
-1 kiwi
-1 tangerine (navel orange may be substituted)
-6-8oz strawberry yogurt
-1/2 can of guava nectar (essential)
-2 cubes of ice
Blend until well mixed & mostly smooth.
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