El Scorcho Tres 50k

My next race is the El Scorcho 50k race at Trinity Park in Fort Worth. I have wanted to run this race for the past two years, but was in Africa during the last one, and in Peru the year before. This summer I am running it for the first time. It is truly a unique race.

Description of the Race: it is held at midnight during the hottest time of the year, July 20th. The temperatures will be high, and the race will consist of 10 3.1 mile loops around Trinity Park, which includes a mix of crushed limestone, asphalt, the occasional concrete sidewalk, a couple of foot-bridges, and a basketball court. About half the course is lit at night by streetlamps, but according to the race directors, they never seem to work, so it will be dark, and the entire race will require a flashlight or headlamp to find your way.

Training: I have been training hard for this race, including running in the heat of the day as much as possible to acclimate to running in a high temperature environment. I have also been running on a loop course to get used to the repetitiveness of the course. I have been running hill repeats once a week, and including some long runs on saturdays, as well. As the race gets closer, I will run back-to-back long runs to prepare for the distance involved. I will bump my long run up to about 26 miles, with a 13 mile run the day before so I can get used to running on tired legs. We will also be running a practice run in the Running club to simulate night running conditions.

I love races that are unique, and El Scorcho seems to offer that, and I can't wait for it to get here.