Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Cactus Rose 100 - DNF



Add another DNF to the long list of DNF.  If nothing else, I have compiled a nice list of DNFs over the years.  I did grab a 50 mile finish and the associated medal, which my kids love.  My son asked me on Sunday, “Dad, how come you never win?” to which I replied, “Well, maybe someday, but look at this shinny new medal!” and he was super stoked to take it to show his sister and then run back to hang it up with the others.

The Cactus Rose course was better than advertised and I truly enjoyed running it and can’t wait to get back out there for another go at the 100.  While I didn’t finish the 100 this year, I feel like I learned a lot and will be better positioned to finish next year.  I had a great time this year but not getting any sleep the night before the race really pulled the plug on things early this year.  I feel like my training was adequate to get me through a good effort for 75 miles, so I will need to tweak the training some next summer.   

The changes that I will make for next year:


  • Have a crew – I can now see that an unsupported race is a unique challenge but if you are going for your best time then you need a crew to keep you moving in and out of aid stations.  You will pass through aid stations 19 times during the 100 and even a few extra minutes in each station adds up over the length of the race.

  • No Camping – I enjoy camping out but this year was such a disaster that it will be easier to just eliminate the chance of that happening again.  The lack of sleep the night before the race really sunk me this year.

  • Ride Share or Fly – The drive home is a bit of a beat down. 

Thanks to Doom for letting me share his tent, picking up supplies that I forgot, and convincing me to hit up Sonic with him after I dropped.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Final Countdown

Well, it is finally here - Cactus Rose race week.  I must say that I am not really pleased with anything associated with my prep for this race other than being healthy.  My training has slacked off, my weight has crept up, my confidence has been eroded but I can't let that get me off in the ditch at this late hour.  However, my foot finally feels like it is 100%.

I was really pleased with my training as of my last post but then a string of events really seemed to sidetrack me.  One weekend the kids were sick, then a run gets canned due to thunderstorms and flooding, then I get sick, then something comes up with work,  then I oversleep on an overly busy weekend, etc.  It just seemed like something always came up (excuses, excuses, excuses...) and what was looking to be a nice 70 - 80 mile week would get bogged down at 45 or 50 miles.  I never managed to work in back-to-back long runs and I never got in a 30+ mile long run.

I had managed to get back down to around 200 lbs and had a race day target of 190 lbs and everything was looking good.  Then as my training started to tail off so did my focus on my diet.  My thinking slowly drifted towards, "not going to be able to get in a long run in the morning because of X, so might as well have a few extra beers" and as those nights started to pile up so did the pounds.  I tipped the scales at 205 yesterday which isn't a disaster but weight loss is one thing that I could have controlled, even as other things spun out of control.  That is a mental lapse on my part and something that I hope to get in line before Rocky Raccoon or, dare I say, Bandera 100K?

Oh, and my gym has been closed do to an issue with the showers... so I had to ditch my morning ritual of climbing stairs for 45 min or so.  However, I have been hitting the stairs at lunch the last week or so and just going back to work smelling foul and dripping in sweat.

On the bright side, my right foot that has been giving me issues for a good long while now is finally 100%.  At one point, I was starting to wonder if I had stress fracture but the pain never got bad enough for me to stop running.

I obviously would like to have run more mileage, be slimmer, and be over flowing with confidence but that is not the case. However, I am going out to a wild and beautiful place to seek an inner peace that is fleeting and ever harder to grasp in a world that is becoming more and more polluted with noise and distractions.

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” - Mark 6:31