Having a knee injury is one of the most disappointing injuries one can have. It's one of those injuries that could sideline you for a while, and well, if you have already fronted money out for registration fees and made hotel reservations, and made plans with friends to some races you were looking forward to, then life just seems to "suck."
I trained harder for El Scorcho 50k summer ultra run, than I did for the 50 miler at Sunmart, and was determined to run well in the heat. I had undergone extensive heat acclimation workouts, took long runs in the country, performed core training, mountain training, running at altitude, and a strength and weight training program, as well as two-a-day workouts,and was looking forward to the race with gusto!
Then, it happened...the knee injury. It happened on the very first day of my two-a-day workouts. I had run an easy 4 miler in the morning, and in the afternoon, I did a long tempo speed workout, and it felt great. Later, while walking through the grocery store, my knee froze up and I thought I was going to faint dead away. I struggled through a few more workouts before realizing it was not going to go away. All I could think about was not being able to run the Summer Solstice run at Redbud...and in my own perverted thinking, I figured I would be fine for El Scorcho, but it was not to be.
Finally, after I realized things were not going to heal in a few days, I started going through the five stages of grief: Denial was first, as I kept trying to work out on it...icing it down every two hours, massaging it, wearing protective braces, etc...but finally, I began to: Be angry! I was really mad that I was missing my races, and then, to make matters worse, I started feeling alienated, as I couldn't workout on Saturday mornings with my friends. Then along came Bargaining...making deals with God, promising to be a better person if only he would heal my injury, but...it kept hurting.
Then depression set in...I refused to show up at the Summer solstice run because I was depressed, and I couldn't stand to watch all my friends run the race I wanted to run...and I knew I was not going to run El Scorcho. I was wallowing in my pity.
Then, after some time passed, I entered the acceptance phase. I finally realized my goals were cancelled for some time, and the only thing that was going to help me was time off. So, I started working on a recovery and rehab program, and I pulled out my schedule book.
I designed a workout program
I started swimming at the McMurry pool every day, and I was feeling much better about myself. Eventually, I began to workout on the Elliptical trainer. It was a great workout that simulated running without putting pressure on my knee. And strength training was available, so I began to lift weights every other day, and before I knew it, 6 weeks had gone by, and I was desperate to try the knee out. I knew that I would not be able to return to all out running, so it was almost like starting all over again. I began walking and then walk/running, and before I knew it, I was back into running two and three miles.
Saturday, I went out to Steamboat Mountain with friends, and was able to run the half marathon course out there. So, I'm back, now, and I even think the rest and break from running was a good thing. In fact, next summer, instead of running so many miles, I am planning to cut back, run shorter races, and conserve my strength for the next big push.
I think I learned the hard way about injuries, but it was a long hard pull to get back to full strength. I am running the Crossroads Half Marathon in October, and I can't wait.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Bar-H Boondoggle 6-Hour Trail Race
This is a really laid back race, and one that reminds me of what the people say trail running "used" to be like. One aid station was stuck right in the middle of a figure eight loop, and you had to run by the campfire every time you finished one section of the figure 8 to check your name off. No chips, no spotters, and no fuss. It was a 6.4 mile complete loop.
The first half of the loop ran uphill for quite a ways to start off, and then the hills started! They were steep and technical, and the downhills were rocky and treacherous. The trails were single track almost the entire distance. The second half of the figure eight was flatter, and the trail at the beginning was hard to find, as grass was high along the rather narrow single track trail, but soon, the trail appeared to be no more than a ridge cut out of the sandy bottom grasslands we were running through. There was mud, mixed in with a lot of cow dung that you had to watch out for, but soon, we entered the wooded section of that loop, and it was the most gorgeous area to run through that I have seen in a while. It almost reminded me of portions of the Sunmart course at that point. Of course, the roots were prevalent there, and some of the downhills were difficult. Not as much climbing on this side, but soon, it was time to hit the next section, which was pretty much all hills.
It started getting dark in the middle of the hill section on my third loop, so I used my new PrinceTec headlamp, and it worked ok, but I never figured out how to make it tilt the right way to make use of the light on the trail, so I found myself running with my head down. The downhills in the dark were scary, and one slip could have been disastrous, so I slowed down at this point, and right as I was finishing up the hilly section, the Whipporwhils began calling in the distance. I don't think I have ever heard one, but they sound awesome, if not a little lonesome, and on that part of the trail, I was all alone, and the sounds of those birds was incredible.
I checked in at the aid station, took some salt tablets, a little gatorade, and when the lady at the desk told me I had slowed down quite a bit, I just smiled and said, "I know." The dark definitely changes how you run on trails that technical. One bad step and it would be all over. They might not find your body for awhile. Even if they did find you, I'm not sure how they would get you out of that countryside without a helicopter.
The back side of the trail, which had been markedly easier than the front side, became even more difficult after dark. It was hard to follow the narrow trails, and in places, the trail seemed to disappear. If not for the flour they poured along the way on parts of the trail, I might have gotten really lost...it's amazing how flourescent just ordinary flour can be. It helped me stay on track. All along the back side of the loop, I could hear Coyotes in the distance, howling and barking. I could smell random campfires of people camping all along the countryside, but for the most part, it was just me and the trail, all alone with my little headlamp. It was a little spooky at times to say the least, but good experience for running trails at night. At one point, I shined my headlight into the woods, and I saw eyeballs reflecting my light. Not sure what it was, and I really didn't want to know. It did make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. some of the people I met at the race, said that someone had stopped them on the trail and told them there was a mountain lion running around in the hilly section of the loop. That was never confirmed, but it put a chill down our spines.
I learned a lot on this trail, and I actually think I can now call myself a trail runner. I finally feel like I really learned how to run trails on this course.
When I got to the aid station after completing three complete loops, (approximately 19.4 miles, according to the official race documentation), I was prepared to tackle the front side of the figure eight one last time, and then I had planned to quit after that, which would have given me around 22 or 23 miles, I think, but when I got to the Aid station, my two friends were there, and they were ready to go home, and it didn't take much for me to agree with them. I packed it in, and felt good about what I had done.
All in all, it was a great run, and a great experience. I highly recommend this trail to anyone who really wants to learn to run technical trails. It was a fabulous place to get some good training in. For me, I was only trying to get a good workout in, and I did that.....!
The first half of the loop ran uphill for quite a ways to start off, and then the hills started! They were steep and technical, and the downhills were rocky and treacherous. The trails were single track almost the entire distance. The second half of the figure eight was flatter, and the trail at the beginning was hard to find, as grass was high along the rather narrow single track trail, but soon, the trail appeared to be no more than a ridge cut out of the sandy bottom grasslands we were running through. There was mud, mixed in with a lot of cow dung that you had to watch out for, but soon, we entered the wooded section of that loop, and it was the most gorgeous area to run through that I have seen in a while. It almost reminded me of portions of the Sunmart course at that point. Of course, the roots were prevalent there, and some of the downhills were difficult. Not as much climbing on this side, but soon, it was time to hit the next section, which was pretty much all hills.
It started getting dark in the middle of the hill section on my third loop, so I used my new PrinceTec headlamp, and it worked ok, but I never figured out how to make it tilt the right way to make use of the light on the trail, so I found myself running with my head down. The downhills in the dark were scary, and one slip could have been disastrous, so I slowed down at this point, and right as I was finishing up the hilly section, the Whipporwhils began calling in the distance. I don't think I have ever heard one, but they sound awesome, if not a little lonesome, and on that part of the trail, I was all alone, and the sounds of those birds was incredible.
I checked in at the aid station, took some salt tablets, a little gatorade, and when the lady at the desk told me I had slowed down quite a bit, I just smiled and said, "I know." The dark definitely changes how you run on trails that technical. One bad step and it would be all over. They might not find your body for awhile. Even if they did find you, I'm not sure how they would get you out of that countryside without a helicopter.
The back side of the trail, which had been markedly easier than the front side, became even more difficult after dark. It was hard to follow the narrow trails, and in places, the trail seemed to disappear. If not for the flour they poured along the way on parts of the trail, I might have gotten really lost...it's amazing how flourescent just ordinary flour can be. It helped me stay on track. All along the back side of the loop, I could hear Coyotes in the distance, howling and barking. I could smell random campfires of people camping all along the countryside, but for the most part, it was just me and the trail, all alone with my little headlamp. It was a little spooky at times to say the least, but good experience for running trails at night. At one point, I shined my headlight into the woods, and I saw eyeballs reflecting my light. Not sure what it was, and I really didn't want to know. It did make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. some of the people I met at the race, said that someone had stopped them on the trail and told them there was a mountain lion running around in the hilly section of the loop. That was never confirmed, but it put a chill down our spines.
I learned a lot on this trail, and I actually think I can now call myself a trail runner. I finally feel like I really learned how to run trails on this course.
When I got to the aid station after completing three complete loops, (approximately 19.4 miles, according to the official race documentation), I was prepared to tackle the front side of the figure eight one last time, and then I had planned to quit after that, which would have given me around 22 or 23 miles, I think, but when I got to the Aid station, my two friends were there, and they were ready to go home, and it didn't take much for me to agree with them. I packed it in, and felt good about what I had done.
All in all, it was a great run, and a great experience. I highly recommend this trail to anyone who really wants to learn to run technical trails. It was a fabulous place to get some good training in. For me, I was only trying to get a good workout in, and I did that.....!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Prickly Pear 50k Race report
I was very excited to run this race, as I had wanted to run it for awhile. The trail conditions there were dry, as there had been no rain in the area in some time. In fact, the weather was approaching the mid-eighties as race day approached, so I knew my time was going to be a little slower.
I had met a friend of mine from Idaho, and my wife and I had dinner at Olive Garden the night before with Jenny and one of her friends. It was a great dinner, with good conversation and good pasta. I was so ready to run...my excitement was building. I could barely sleep that night as I thought about the race.
The next morning, Jenny, her friend, and I, all loaded up and headed for McCallister Park. It is an interesting place, as you don't expect to see such a large acreage of trails, trees, cliffs, and wild country sitting in the middle of San Antonio, Texas. We received our race briefing, along with the discussion about leaving the Rattlesnakes alone if we saw any...which I had planned on anyway....common sense, right? As they said, "go," we all took off and entered the first part of the trail, which was a single track through low hanging tree branches and a dried, hard-packed ground. The 50k was held in conjunction with a 10 mile event, which they would run one time, but we would run 3 10.3 mile loops.
as we proceeded to the top of a dam, the wind hit me full in the face...it was so strong, I thought it was going to blow my bib right off my shirt. We headed into this 40 mph wind for about a mile before the trail went downhill into a nice Live Oak forest, where the wind was negligible. Soon after that, we found the hardest part of the trail...a cliff you could barely walk down..it was very steep and was better "climbed" than ran. The rest of the trail consisted of single track trails through Live Oaks, and then meandered behind some houses, out past some soccer fields, and then back into the woods for the final three or four miles. The hills were manageable, but I walked a few of them nonetheless.
I ran the first loop in a little over 2 hours, and was doing fine. I came around for the second loop a little slower, but at the 22 mile mark, I started getting cramps in my left hamstring. It tightened up on me, forcing me to slow down and walk more than I would have liked that last 10 mile loop. The heat was unbearable in some spots, but there was a nice cloud cover that kept it from getting out of hand.
I finished in 7 hours, and was a little disappointed in my time, as I wanted to break 6 hours, but the temperatures ensured a PR was not going to happen. All in all, it was a great trail run. I struggled the last 8 miles, but it made the run all the more memorable. Great race, good friends, and I celebrated with a Sam Adams beer and a nice t-bone steak!
I had met a friend of mine from Idaho, and my wife and I had dinner at Olive Garden the night before with Jenny and one of her friends. It was a great dinner, with good conversation and good pasta. I was so ready to run...my excitement was building. I could barely sleep that night as I thought about the race.
The next morning, Jenny, her friend, and I, all loaded up and headed for McCallister Park. It is an interesting place, as you don't expect to see such a large acreage of trails, trees, cliffs, and wild country sitting in the middle of San Antonio, Texas. We received our race briefing, along with the discussion about leaving the Rattlesnakes alone if we saw any...which I had planned on anyway....common sense, right? As they said, "go," we all took off and entered the first part of the trail, which was a single track through low hanging tree branches and a dried, hard-packed ground. The 50k was held in conjunction with a 10 mile event, which they would run one time, but we would run 3 10.3 mile loops.
as we proceeded to the top of a dam, the wind hit me full in the face...it was so strong, I thought it was going to blow my bib right off my shirt. We headed into this 40 mph wind for about a mile before the trail went downhill into a nice Live Oak forest, where the wind was negligible. Soon after that, we found the hardest part of the trail...a cliff you could barely walk down..it was very steep and was better "climbed" than ran. The rest of the trail consisted of single track trails through Live Oaks, and then meandered behind some houses, out past some soccer fields, and then back into the woods for the final three or four miles. The hills were manageable, but I walked a few of them nonetheless.
I ran the first loop in a little over 2 hours, and was doing fine. I came around for the second loop a little slower, but at the 22 mile mark, I started getting cramps in my left hamstring. It tightened up on me, forcing me to slow down and walk more than I would have liked that last 10 mile loop. The heat was unbearable in some spots, but there was a nice cloud cover that kept it from getting out of hand.
I finished in 7 hours, and was a little disappointed in my time, as I wanted to break 6 hours, but the temperatures ensured a PR was not going to happen. All in all, it was a great trail run. I struggled the last 8 miles, but it made the run all the more memorable. Great race, good friends, and I celebrated with a Sam Adams beer and a nice t-bone steak!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, April 27, 2009
updated racing schedule
Well, the McNaughton 100 trail was was canceled and moved to Vermont, and I was going to move up my 100 mile race to February, but I think that is a bad move. I am going to stay with my plans to run the 50 mile race in February at Rocky Raccoon. I wanted to run all 50k's this year, and I think that is still a good plan. I want to improve my speed, my strength, and my endurance, as well as my hill running capabilities before taking on the 100 mile race.
So, in light of this fact, here is what I think will be the final schedule for me this year, finishing up with two races in 2010, the 60k as a warmup and training run at Bandera in January to get me ready for the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February.
March: Prickly Pear 50k (completed)
July: El Scorcho 50k
August: Dark Side Series, 60k
November: Louisiana Trails 50k
January, 2010: Bandera 50k
February, 2010: Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race.
While the 100 mile race is a goal, I will try and run a couple of 50 milers first. So, 2010 will be a year to run nothing but 50 milers.
So, in light of this fact, here is what I think will be the final schedule for me this year, finishing up with two races in 2010, the 60k as a warmup and training run at Bandera in January to get me ready for the Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February.
March: Prickly Pear 50k (completed)
July: El Scorcho 50k
August: Dark Side Series, 60k
November: Louisiana Trails 50k
January, 2010: Bandera 50k
February, 2010: Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race.
While the 100 mile race is a goal, I will try and run a couple of 50 milers first. So, 2010 will be a year to run nothing but 50 milers.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Going for it!
Ok, this blog is about to change in scope and intensity. I have finally decided to attempt the 100 mile trail race. That is not the most unusual scenario for me, as I have had that as a goal since I started running ultras. But after my first failed attempt at 50 miles (missed cutoff time at 37.5 miles), I was worried that I might not be capable of completing a 50 mile race, nevertheless, a distance twice that far.
However, I have set up a series of races that I will be running to help train myself for the 100 miler. I am running a series of 50k races, and another 50 mile race with no cutoff times, and will be using those races as confidence builders to train for the 100. Here is the racing schedule I have chosen to set myself up for the 100 mile race:
Prickly Pear 50k (March 6, 2009): completed @7 hours in the heat.
El Scorcho 50k (July 20th): Midnight run in the heat
Traverse Trails; Capt. Karl's Dark Side Series 60k (all run in the dark)
Louisiana Trails 50k (Shreveport, Louisiana) November 14th
Bandera 50k race, January 9th
Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race, Hunstville, Texas, February 6, 2010.
McNaughton 100 mile race; Pekin, Illinois, April 9, 2010
McNaughton Park 150/100 mile race
The McNaughton Park Trail Runs are firmly established as a premier ultra event ... the 2008 run had in excess of 200 entries from all over the United States and Europe.
"Easier than Barkley.Cooler than Badwater.Lower altitude than Leadville.Warmer than Yukon Artic Ultras."
Here is the description of the course from the website: "How about the view? One of our 2005 participants described it this way: “It’s one of the most scenic courses I know: Mostly singletrack, forest with some meadows, hills with beautiful valleys in between. Lots of flowers and wildlife. At dawn, when I came to the 3rd creek crossing, thousands of birds were singing, frogs were ‘talking’ everywhere, wild geese above me were chatting, and several Whitetail Deer crossing the trail.”
However, here is another quote from the website: "Do you think Illinois is all flat cornfields? Wise ultra-runners will get some serious hill training in before coming to McNaughton Park! We don’t have mountains in Illinois ... just a few rolling hills with elevator shaft downhills guaranteed to warm your quads on a chilly April evening. Here’s how one satisfied customer described the terrain: ‘I now know why Illinois is so flat. They took all the hills that are supposed to be there and put them ALL into one spot in Pekin, IL ... and called it ‘McNaughton Park’.”
I am not fooling myself into thinking that this course will be an easy one, but it will be scenic and challenging. However, from what I can tell, it shouldn't be any more difficult than Bandera out in the Texas Hill Country, so I am training for that environment...the hills and the rocks of Bandera should be good training for McNaughton.
On this blog, I will be continuously updating my training on a week by week basis on the way toward the McNaughton 100. I will report on the races I have scheduled, and my crazy emotional feelings as I go through this endeavor. Incidentally, my wife has given me the green light and has decided to even accompany me on this trip. Pretty cool.
Jerry
However, I have set up a series of races that I will be running to help train myself for the 100 miler. I am running a series of 50k races, and another 50 mile race with no cutoff times, and will be using those races as confidence builders to train for the 100. Here is the racing schedule I have chosen to set myself up for the 100 mile race:
Prickly Pear 50k (March 6, 2009): completed @7 hours in the heat.
El Scorcho 50k (July 20th): Midnight run in the heat
Traverse Trails; Capt. Karl's Dark Side Series 60k (all run in the dark)
Louisiana Trails 50k (Shreveport, Louisiana) November 14th
Bandera 50k race, January 9th
Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race, Hunstville, Texas, February 6, 2010.
McNaughton 100 mile race; Pekin, Illinois, April 9, 2010
McNaughton Park 150/100 mile race
The McNaughton Park Trail Runs are firmly established as a premier ultra event ... the 2008 run had in excess of 200 entries from all over the United States and Europe.
"Easier than Barkley.Cooler than Badwater.Lower altitude than Leadville.Warmer than Yukon Artic Ultras."
Here is the description of the course from the website: "How about the view? One of our 2005 participants described it this way: “It’s one of the most scenic courses I know: Mostly singletrack, forest with some meadows, hills with beautiful valleys in between. Lots of flowers and wildlife. At dawn, when I came to the 3rd creek crossing, thousands of birds were singing, frogs were ‘talking’ everywhere, wild geese above me were chatting, and several Whitetail Deer crossing the trail.”
However, here is another quote from the website: "Do you think Illinois is all flat cornfields? Wise ultra-runners will get some serious hill training in before coming to McNaughton Park! We don’t have mountains in Illinois ... just a few rolling hills with elevator shaft downhills guaranteed to warm your quads on a chilly April evening. Here’s how one satisfied customer described the terrain: ‘I now know why Illinois is so flat. They took all the hills that are supposed to be there and put them ALL into one spot in Pekin, IL ... and called it ‘McNaughton Park’.”
I am not fooling myself into thinking that this course will be an easy one, but it will be scenic and challenging. However, from what I can tell, it shouldn't be any more difficult than Bandera out in the Texas Hill Country, so I am training for that environment...the hills and the rocks of Bandera should be good training for McNaughton.
On this blog, I will be continuously updating my training on a week by week basis on the way toward the McNaughton 100. I will report on the races I have scheduled, and my crazy emotional feelings as I go through this endeavor. Incidentally, my wife has given me the green light and has decided to even accompany me on this trip. Pretty cool.
Jerry
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
All Ultras all the time...
This year, I am concentrating on running all ultras. I'm stepping up the intensity level of my running in general, with the idea of running a 100 mile race sometime early next year. I am gearing up to run a 100 mile race. I have already run the Prickly Pear 50k in March, but here's a list of the rest of the races I am going to complete this year:
2009
El Scorcho 50k--Fort Worth, Texas (July 20th)
Capt. Karl's Dark side Series 60k--Inks Lake State Park, Texas (August 29th)
Louisiana Trails 50k--Shreveport, Louisiana (November 14th)
Bandera 50k--Bandera, Texas (January 9th)
2010
Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race, Huntsville, Texas (Feb. 6th)
Grasslands 50 mile race, Decatur, Texas (March)
100 mile race (?)
2009
El Scorcho 50k--Fort Worth, Texas (July 20th)
Capt. Karl's Dark side Series 60k--Inks Lake State Park, Texas (August 29th)
Louisiana Trails 50k--Shreveport, Louisiana (November 14th)
Bandera 50k--Bandera, Texas (January 9th)
2010
Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race, Huntsville, Texas (Feb. 6th)
Grasslands 50 mile race, Decatur, Texas (March)
100 mile race (?)
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