RAIN!

It's been SOOOO long since we've had any rain in south Texas. On top of 45 consecutive days of 100+ degree days, we haven't had any substantial rain all year.
Today as I left work I dreaded running in the 100 degree afternoon again. Should I just go to the the gym and hit the elliptical trainer? As I arrived home I felt a cool breeze and off to the west I saw dark clouds! Wow, is rain on it's way? Thunder and lighting off in the distance was exciting! I checked the radar and noticed most of the rain was developing south of my house and moving away, with more moving in from the north, but a big void right over my running route. Aw shucks, no rain for us. Well the cool breeze was pleasing and summoned me to RUN in the creek trails. I wore my gore tex running shoes just in case and wore my iPOD. It felt so nice running under a cloudy sky and a cool breeze. 3 miles into my 6 miler small raindrops were falling on the dry parched dirt trail. Drops of rain were causing subtle puffs of dirt to rise from the dry powder like trail. With more thunder and lighting around I decided to put my iPOD in my camelback pocket. I had read a report where the iPOD acts as a lighting rod and people have been burned in thunder storms while wearing an iPOD. The rain became heavier and I was enjoying every minute. In most of my runs during this summers HOT dry weather I would stop 2 to 3 times on a 6 miler to rest. On this run I did not stop once. As the rain got more intense it felt even better. One block from home. I took off my hat and walked with my face facing the sky. Raindrops hitting my face, I wiped the water off with my hand. Arriving at home I stood on my drive way enjoying the rain as it continued to hit my face. RAIN, So good, so good.

Spinning

I was once asked what I like better, Riding my bike or running. I said running because I just put on some shorts, shoes, and head on out the door. As opposed to biking where I have to load up the bike, drive to a safe location, air up the tires, don all the special gear, ride and then reverse the scenario to drive back home.
I was out for a 45 miler on the road bike today. Sure, It's a great form of cross training. But sometimes I feel like I am missing out on a great trail run. Once I am out on the road though it is such an exhilarating feeling. There is nothing like reaching a steady cadence of 100 revolutions per minute! Spinning the legs and feeling the wind in your face.
I headed out on a training ride in preparation for the up coming MS 150 bike to the river with some friends. A group of 7 of us headed out from Helotes Tx. to Rio Hondo for a great ride on roads following the "Texas hill country trail".
We came upon a team time trial competition on Hwy 471. Those guys were Moving!
At the 30 mile point we stopped at a convenience store and soon a group of about 50 riders came in.
After re-fueling we were off to tackle the toughest part of our ride. A 7 mile stretch of steep rolling hills. Once we crested the last hill we thought it would be clear sailing for the last 8 miles to the finish until we hit a strong head wind!
Zack, The "KID", blew us away as he steadily faded off into the distance.
Josh, Tim, and I formed a pace line to the end.
What a rush! Spinning at 20+mph, inches behind your buddy's wheel in a pace line.

The common Poorwill

Yesterday was a surprisingly cool July Saturday morning. A welcomed respite from the terribly hot days we've been having. 100+ degrees for over six weeks! The cool morning was a result of the previous evenings rain no doubt. It seems a little cooler up in the hills of Bandera too.
Arriving at the Hill Country State Natural area two hours before dawn, Chris, Liza and I met Bridget and her friends Katie and Roger. It had been awhile since we'd been night running at Bandera. Donning our headlamps, We headed out. I led the way. Being up front I was able to see the nocturnal wildlife on the trail. Rabbits were everywhere. I saw a baby armadillo! I call out to announce what I see and try to shine my hand held flashlight on the animals. As I Shined my flashlight on a large spider to watch it's eyes glow, I see a bird sitting on the trail. Hmm, I thought, that's unusual. As we continued I saw another, and another. Short plump, black/gray colored birds with glowing red eyes. Some in groups of two or three. These birds would not move until we were almost on them. I stopped and pointed them out to all.
Daybreak was quickly upon us. It is a beautiful sight to see the sun rising above the hills out here. Chris noted that there was no cloud cover though. Pretty and cool morning yes, but soon the the sun would be hot over head. Our route today was over all the major climbs. This was a no drop run, so we waited for all to catch up once we crested the hills. This allowed us to enjoy the views while visiting with Bridget and sharing stories with new friends as we regrouped. What a nice morning for trail running. Reliving this years Bandera 100K where Bridget and Liza battled in what was the fastest pace among the top 5 women in the history of the race was interesting and fun. Two very talented Ladies.
Bridget and her friends left us after about 15 miles. Roger had a self defense class to teach. We bid them farewell, but not before Bridget shared some of her water with Chris who was almost out. Chris and I then continued over the sisters behind Liza as we challenged her to run up the hills. We watched in awe at how she seems to glide up those climbs. After 18.5 miles I was cooked.
Later I researched the birds we saw. The birds,it turns out, were the Common Poorwill. A nocturnal bird that feeds on moths and other insects at dawn and dusk. This is the only bird that hibernates in the winter. Don't know what's common about that. One of the joys of trail running is what we get to see in the wild. Always something different and/or new. No trail run is ever the same. That's the joy of our sport.

Running Barefoot! Well, in Five Fingers.

I now have run twice in my Vibram Five Fingers. And I love them. When I ran Mt Disappointment in 2007, I ran along side Barefoot Ted and was in awe of him running barefoot. Hanging off his hydration pack were these weird looking slippers with individual toes! At the time I had never seen them. Domingo, a friend of mine wore his to a recent trail run and I thought they were interesting and considered trying them. But it was not until I read "Born to run" that I decided to buy a pair. As soon as the UPS truck drove up with my package I opened it up, put them on, and went out for a 3+ mile run at OP Schnabel park. They felt surprisingly comfortable On the soft dirt trails. As I hit the rocky portions I had to walk when the rocks were loose but was able to resume running on larger stationary rocks. Yes my feet were a little sore after the run, and the next day, but not bad at all! Today I headed out to a nearby High school track and warmed up with half a mile, then I ran 6-100 yd sprints on the grass. Boy that felt good. Just like a kid again. Running barefoot.

A little Spring in Summer

Up before dawn on Saturday to meet for a trip up to the Hills. Coffee is hot and the conversation is great. Catching up with a friend driving in the dark on the two lane highway. We hit the Hill country State natural area trails at daybreak. Wildlife is abound. Cottontail rabbits gathering under the trees as if preparing for an event. A whitetail deer jumps into the brush. Spiders hanging on their webs await the big catch. A Bird catching a wave above a hilltop, momentarily floats in place before drifting ever so gently across the overcast sky. It seems like a spring day in the middle of a very hot summer. It will be short lived though. The heat will return in the afternoon. But for now we enjoy the cool misty breezes along the hill tops. We make it to the first big climb, Sky Island. For a moment we enjoy the pretty view of the scenic Texas hill country. Ever greens everywhere. Mountain Laurels, Cedar trees, Live Oaks, Prickly Pear and Sotol Cactus. Coming off of the next climbs over Boyle's bump and Cairns, Chris called to say he overslept and was on his way. We took a short cut back to the car. On the dirt road we picked up the pace to sub 7 min. miles! Not a common practice. After meeting Chris we decided to run the Flat portion of the park. Soft single track dirt trails. No hills here, so no excuse to walk. Have to keep running. It came to an end too soon, but it was great conversation, and a great 17 mile run sprinkled with friendly laughter, and an admiration of nature.

Hells Hills 50K Smithville,Tx 06/06/09

While on a recovery run two weeks after running the Jemez 50K in New Mexico, I got suckered in to another 50K. I was registered for the 25K. Then John said he was thinking about the 50K but wondered who might carpool to the race with him. I said, "Hey I'll run it with ya!"
Waking up at 3 AM to drive the 100 miles for the 6 AM start was not something I was looking forward to. But the drive is not too bad after getting off the Interstate in San Marcos, and John is good company. We laughed and talked about Hank, the Helotes Bicycle shop owner for most of the hour and a half! Not many people you can talk and laugh about for that long. Hank is a character, very knowledgeable and a great guy who really loves what he does.
We arrived at Rocky Hill Ranch just outside of Smithville,Tx at about 5:30 AM. Enough time to prepare our gear and hit the port-o-potty. I parked a few yards away from the start so we could access our ice chest after the first of two loops. At check in (at the honky tonk like saloon) we were greeted by Robert Heynen and race director Joe Prusaitus who referred to us as the "San Antonio connection".
Hells Hills was a make up for the previously canceled Rocky Hill Ranch trail race. Joe was putting this race on free of registration fees! No shirt and only water at the aid stations.
6 AM, and 48 runners were off. The course is almost all dirt single track, some rocks, winding and weaving through tall pine trees for the most part. there are many short up and downs with sharp turns. This is a change to what we are used too. Very nice course with plenty of shade though. At one point we do run through an open cow pasture with grazing cows and bulls!
I started nice and easy but accelerated to catch up with Diana Heynen who had about 6 runners following her and just chatting away. John and I talked to her some about Jemez and up coming races. After the first aid station we parted ways. I had started the race with only one hand held and decided not to take my camel back. This worked well for the first loop. I munched on baked sweet potatoes and power bar gel blasts carried in my waist pack.
At the completion of the first loop I hit the ice chest at the truck and drank an ensure, ate half a chicken/cheese tortilla wrap and packed some quesadillas in my waist pack. I also drank a 16 oz bottle of water, re-filled my hand held with water and ULTRA endurance drink. I decided to take an extra bottle of water in the other hand just in case. Boy was I glad I did! I refilled this bottle and my hand held at every aid station on the second loop.
The heat was starting to take it's toll on me. I was also taking in 2 succeed electrolyte capsules every hour. The shady trail helped but the heat was still very much a factor in slowing me down. I don't know the exact temperature but I know it was in the 90's by 11:00 AM. My stomach was giving me problems at about this time. I was forced to walk slowly when it was really upset. Then after the last aid station with about 5 miles to go my right ankle/foot was aching so much it hurt to even jog slowly, especially on rocks. This pain in my foot is due to an old injury. I limped in at 6:42 and change.
I went back to the truck, showered with water I brought in gallon jugs, changed my shirt/shorts, grabbed a beer (Shiner Bock) and sat on the Honky Tonk's porch to wait for John while visiting with other runners.
Man, I love these trail runs.

Jemez Mountain Trail run 50K, 05/16/09

The Jemez Mtn. Trail runs caught my attention several months ago and when Tom Bowling mentioned he was thinking of running this race I said count me in! Kelli Newlon and Brian Ricketts also said they'd like to run so we planned what turned out to be a great trip.
We arrived in Albuquerque on Thursday and ran some of the Sandia trail Friday morning. We were not planning on this run but I am glad we did run. I think this helped prepare my lungs for what was to come the next day. I felt like I really experienced the saying "sucking wind."
Saturday morning we arrived at the start early enough to relax, prepare our gear and hit the port "o" potties. I met Lino from Austin and Amy from El Paso. We talked about the running venues in our areas and how the altitude might affect our performance, but we agreed we were out to have fun.
I no longer run for time, "I run for a good time."
I wished Kelli and Tom a good race and asked them to take care. Brian has been at this altitude before having run White River and paced at Leadville. I wished him well.
The race began on the road but quickly, we turned off on to the trail, through a short tunnel and started the climb up Guaje ridge. The trail was soft single track dirt. There must have been a recent rain because I noticed animal tracks. As I paused to check one out more closely another runner stopped and said "Mountain Lion." Think so? "Yup" he said that's mountain lion. A bit further I saw a bear print. I know it was a bear print. The claws were well defined on a print about 8" long and 6" wide. I regret not taking a photo.
As we climbed I met another HCTR. John from Austin. We talked and mostly power hiked up Guaje ridge. Brian was closely up ahead. Tom was feeling it and moving out of sight. Kelli, well, kelli just took off as she usually does.
Soon we were running along a mountain stream. We caught up with Lino, another HCTR, who had sprained his ankle and said it was now going to be a walk for him. Crossing the stream several times with short jumps we quickly were at the base of Caballo Mountain. This WAS going to be a walk! Very narrow,steep single track. Runners were descending the mountain as we were going up. My quads and hammies were working! Trying to give way to the runners coming down was tricky at times. Here I saw Joe, Diana, Michael and Henry. Kelli was looking good running down the mountain and said " I feel good, but my legs are shot." Tom was still smiling as he descended. Up at the top of Caballo the view was spectacular! Brian and I took pictures. We checked in, posed for a pic and we were off to descend the mountain. I felt great and was moving pretty good going down. Some of the turns on the switchbacks were sharp and a bit tricky with loose dirt.
No sooner had we run down Caballo we were on the way up again on our way to the pipeline aid sation. Here we saw Robert Heynan. On to the Ski lodge. Approaching the Ski lodge we ran through a beautiful mountain meadow. Pine trees and aspens in the distance made for a lovely sight. At the Ski lodge I ATE! On long runs I prefer real food instead of gels, bars, and gummies. Here I had three portions of turkey cheese and ham wraps, boiled potatoes and two cups of coke. I headed out back to pipeline but was too full to run. That was fine with me. I was enjoying the views and wished for a moment that I could stay up on this mountain meadow for a little longer. I saw Amy again here and she was still smiling!
Back at pipeline it was only 11 miles to the finish. Brian had pulled away from me and was moving well. I realized I may not make it to the finish under the 9 hours I had hoped for, but at this point I didn't care I was enjoying the experience. It was mostly a power hike from here on out. I was alone enjoying the cool breeze and the beautiful views, occasionally stopping to take a picture. The photos don't begin to show the true beauty of these mountains. Suddenly a strong wind blew through the trees making a noise that sounded like a screeching animal. I dismissed this as just the wind, but I did look over my shoulder several times just to make sure. Another runner came upon me and mentioned the wind whistling through the trees, saying it was God saying "good job, keep it going, you are doing well."
Reaching the next to the last aid station I decided to finally remove my left shoe to remove the rock I thought was under my foot. No rock there, it was a blister!
Oh well, it's almost over. Almost over? OH NO! Although the course was challenging I was enjoying it.
The last 6 miles were descending down Guaje ridge. Rockier than most of the trail I had covered. A portion of rocky Jeep trail seemed like running on uneven concrete.
Coming up to the end, the trail went over and through boulder like rocks. I made it to the finish line. I heard Lino yell at me "TONY!" What a Great feeling to finish among friends. 9:25 and change. Too bad it had to end.
What an incredibly beautiful and challenging course. Words and photos cannot describe the true beauty of this course.
Beautiful, challenging, rough and tough trails along with camaraderie. Isn't that what you want from a trail run?
I do.