Sunday, December 29, 2019

Franklin Trail (double) FKT

A Venture Into the FKT Realm of the Sport

Carpinteria, California | 2019-12-28


I rolled around restless unable to sleep and simultaneously disrupting my wife's night rest. I decided to get up earlier than my alarm since i was not resting anyhow and was careful not to wake the other 2 kids in our room (the trickiness of vacation sleeping arrangements). At least I saved them all from the annoying alarm sound, right? I gathered up my remaining gear that i had not already set out and started to pack up the van.

05:00

Now I started heading out the door to the trailhead. I got to the end of the neighborhood street and as I was going over to ensure I had everything in my head, double checking, I realized I had forgotten...my shoes! Turned around and came back to get those, since a mountain run in my flip flops would not go very well. Back on the road. After locating the Carpinteria high school which was only about 20 minute drive I pulled into the staff parking lot which only had one other lone car in the dark early hours. Based on the trail description the trail started here and wrapped around the school. After parking and getting out I quickly saw the saw sign indicating "Trail -->" right there at the edge of the parking lot. In fact there was 2 such signs one on either end of the staff parking lot. Thus the school sign was the perfect starting point as it was right in the middle of these signs, mere steps from the dirt and start of the trail which was fenced off from the school yard itself.

I spent a good amount of time in my van getting everything in my hydration pack and sticking it where i wanted. Gathered up my warmer items in prep for the brisk morning hours. I probably took nearly 40 minutes of just sitting there fiddling around and whatnot before I was actually ready to start out. This was somewhat on purpose as so I could start out without a headtorch and prevent having to carry that one extra item.

Sunrise was impending now and I did one last check. Tied my shoes and walked over to the school sign.

06:41

Selfie at starting point - Carpinteria High School sign. 06:41 | 44f

Out & Back #1

After my selfie photo for documentation, I was off, starting officially at 06:44 according to my watch (and confirmed by my STRAVA upload after). The first like 0.8 mi is a boring section that is like a dirt sidewalk that goes around the school and other facilities. Once past all of this the next 0.9 mi was very well used and windy singletrack that climbed to the first bench named Frank's Bench (clearly a local viewpoint).

Climbing above Carpinteria, CA. Taken at 07:21.
The trail is very well marked and opened up to a double wide jeep road type terrain from here until 5.2 mi. It is a more or less all uphill section with a few dips that did come back down briefly winding around a canyon corner only to climb higher on the other side. A good power hike to get the day going. At any potential intersection was a trail sign clearly marked (which even had mileage noted on them). This was very reassuring for someone who had not been here before. After following the double wide road up all the way to 5.2 mile. Here you need to turn sharply right and go up back on
5.2 mi turn marker. The main double wide trail is parallel to my chest in this
picture. This photo was taken at 14:18 on loop 2 to show the turn.
singletrack. The sign is small and not super obvious, however I recall this upon reading up on the trail prior. This is where I would consider the only tricky turn is on this side of the mountain. Of note, my GPS had the turn closer to 5.0 (but that's minor).  At this point you have ascended about 2,000 ft+ up. But this is where the it all begins in my opinion.

After entering this singletrack it was very well maintained and extremely user friendly. The steepness really got going. You can see this from the STRAVA segment someone has created called Franklin phase III ascent (2.57 mi | 2,042 ft+ | 15% avg. grade). But once at the peak the views are well earned and very expansive in all directions. I took a couple moments for sure here to enjoy the view while trying to locate the trail heading down the other side. Except I could not find the trail. I started to get frustrated. I wandered in both direction on the Divide Peak OHV trail at the top looking for the trail entrance. I could literally see the trail down below where I needed to go. Eventually I got tired of looking and decided to take the route I thought was most appropriate. It was somewhat bushwhacking and slow going, since it was off trail. But at last I made my way over to the trail. Once I stood on the actual trail again I looked up and saw it kept going back to where i was standing prior pondering how to get here. Trevor you idiot...that was stupid!
Explanation of my loop 1 mistake route finding.
Finally back on some trail and on track. From here I could see if was a long descent down into the canyon where I knew the lake wouldn't be far away, after all it is only 2.1 mi from peak. The trail is a little different on this side of the mountain as there is clearly less traffic. For the most part it was a straight forward route all the way until i discovered a small camp. Later I found this was named the Alder Creek Camp. A nice little spot basically in the middle of nowhere. There was a lot of overgrown brush and downed trees here. I had a little trouble navigated the trail along the creek and at times found on the opposite side starring at the trail literally 25 feet away from me as I was hoping a tree or skirting rocks. Again this navigational issue was easily fixed once I learned the entire route on the first full trip "out". I guess this is what happens when you on site something.

Rounding a bend in the canyon as I was up along the bank the trail was well above the creek at this point. I was concentrating on my footing so much I nearly didn't see how close I was to my end point - Jameson Lake. The far end of the Franklin Trail was now within reach. I recall glancing down at my watch and noticing I was already at the prescribed 9.2 mi distance of the trail. I was skeptical of the distance to begin as someone noted on AllTrails.com it was inaccurate. Once down to the very bottom of the canyon there was a lot of creek hoping beside an old gold mining site (or what appeared to be). There was a ton of downed trees here on the trail which was more or less recognizable again. Then all of a sudden the trail popped out onto a double track road which was about 0.3 mi long with a slight climb at the end. Here the road ended at a sign beside the lake. I recognized this all followed it down to the water edge - the boat launch. Took a quick photo and shot of my watch stats for documentation.
Jameson Lake boat launch (Out & Back #1). Taken at 09:40.
Garmin stats at turnaround. 25% complete. Again this had ~0.7 extra mileage.
Now I just looked up realized a nice 2,500 ft+ back to the divide peak lie ahead. Put my head down and headed back up the creek canyon slowly making my way. I did stop briefly at the camp and took a photo.
Alder Creek camp. Taken at 10:08.
This 2.1 mi back to the peak was definitely slow climb. Once I got back to the power line tower, and to where my route mistake was on the way down, I continued back on the actual trail and was extremely shocked at to where it emerged at the peak. It was literally 5 feet away from where I was standing looking for the dawn thing for what seemed like forever. I had a little joke to myself in my head about this but let it go, as these things happen in trail running.

The peak had some awesome views again as I stood there catching my breath from the climb. Then adjusted my pack and gear and was ready for the 7.9 mi down to the start (7.5 mi of this was literally downhill - loosing ~3,750ft within this stretch - STRAVA segment). I had a good section all the way back down consuming my remaining water in my soft flasks. I did stop to take some pictures of animal tracks I saw. At last I came back to school and rounded the fence-line back to the sign, where I pressed my lap button.

*This ended the Franklin Trail out & back 20.5 mi unsupported (05:03:19). I then self crewed myself and refilled my water in the parking lot. I had enough gels & chews with me so I was good on that front. The only other thing I did was sit for a couple minutes and roll out my legs. I got back up and walked over to the high school sign and pressed my lap button once more to capture the interloop time precisely. I was off.
Garmin stats back at the trailhead/school sign. 50% complete. | Out & Back #1 Complete.

Out & Back #2

I had a moment of doubt sitting at the start wondering if I should just call it a day since the route was a lot harder effort than I had in my head. My grit got the better of me and I was on my way back up in no time. I only spent just over 10 minutes in the parking lot. At this point just after noon there were so many people out hiking, biking, and just wandering these lower trails. I noticed a lot of people looking at me oddly as they probably realized I passed them going down and now was power hiking going back up like some sort of mad man (which aren't we as ultrarunners in a sense?).

The long grind to the top seemed like an extra long venture this time around, even though in reality the splits were not all that different. Once I got to the peak I took no time at all to continue onto the trail where I had previously messed up on loop 1. My legs were feelings the miles at this point and the descent down the other side was slower going. I was already dreading the climb back out as I got closer and closer to the lake.
An old gold mining site? A cool thing to find along side the trail.  You have to transverse under and around this structure to follow the Franklin Trail. It is only about 0.4 mi from Jameson Lake at the bottom end of the route. Taken at 14:51.
Jameson Lake boat launch (Out & Back #2). Taken at 15:01.
Garmin stats at turnaround. 75% complete (50 km done).
Old truck way out in the bush near Jameson Lake.
Once again I put my head down and started marching back towards the peak. My legs were actually starting to get minor cramps at this point. No big deal I just took gels a little more often to help keep this issue away, which it did. I knew my pace was super slow, but I also knew once I reached the top I would be done like 98% of my total climbing for the day. It was also daunting to know I had the major quad buster section to run down all the way to finish off the day. At the peak again I took a moment catch my breath and adjusted my gear for what I hoped was a fast-ish descent. I took off racing the sun.
Chasing the sunset over Carpinteria. About 5 km to go at this point as the sun was going over the horizon of the ocean. Taken at 17:02.
I pushed the best I could all the way to the finish. The darkness was creeping in every step now. Rounded the school fence and got my phone out to document the finish.
Garmin stats as I touched the sign to end the Franklin Trail - double out & back.
100% complete. Taken at 17:32.
Walked over to my van which was about 100 steps away and started shedding my damp stinky gear. I took a moment for myself and just realized what I did. This reflection allowed me to be proud of my effort, even though it was more than I initially thought when picking this route. This would be my 50th ultra distance

Stats

My STRAVA results and overview can be found here: https://www.strava.com/activities/2964026208

A total of 10.25 mi each way on the Franklin Trail results in:

  • 20.5 mi, 6,500 ft+ for the single out & back, and 
  • 41.0 mi, 13,000ft+ for the double out & back.
  • I posted a comment on AllTrails.com to provide feedback on the distance discrepancy

I created a STRAVA segment (Franklin Trail out & back) of the entire round-trip for FKT purposes and so it has visibility for any other potential route runners.
  • At time of this blog post my time is still only one synced as completing the entire out & back, leading me to believe mine might be the Fastest Known Time for the single as well.
  • NOTE: only my loop 2 shows up due to my route finding experience on loop 1. I guess STRAVA's algorithm did not allow my loop 1 to make the cut with all my extra little mileage boo boos.

My Garmin finished reading:

  • 41.77 mi  (basically bang on! *recall it includes the 0.7 mi  I was route finding on loop 1)
  • 12,986 ft + (and 12,986 ft descent)
  • 10:47:43 total elapsed time (see below)
  • 4,210 calories burned

Franklin Trail (double out & back) -- elevation vs mileage profile 

I did not encounter much wildlife on the trail itself: x1 squirrel, a bunch of hawks flying above, x2 small rabbits, a few ducks at the lake. But here is the collection of photos of my wildlife trace evidence out there on the Franklin Trail:

The Franklin Trail Fastest Known Time (FKT) can be viewed here: https://fastestknowntime.com/route/franklin-trail-ca. I am hoping my double (and potentially single) out & back attempts gets validated with verification in part due to this trip report.

Gear Used

Sitting on back of my van with my Victory Sportdesign gear bags
getting ready to set off just before sunrise. Taken at 06:11.
  • Gear Bags: Victory Sportdesign - all my gear was in my Victory bags and it was all neatly organized in the various compartments these bags offer
  • Jackets: rabbit vest, rabbit elements light jacket - did not use
  • Shirts: rabbit long sleeve (rabbitELITEtrail edition)
  • Shorts: rabbit smooth operator 7"
  • Shoes: Altra Running TIMP 1.5
  • Socks: Drymax Socks 1 pair (Speedgoat edition), Zensah compression calf sleeves (lego block edition)
  • Headwear: Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) endurance cap
  • Sunglasses: goodr (TROT edition)
  • Watch: Garmin Fenix 3 HR
  • Headlamp: NathanSports Inc Halo Fire - did not use
  • Hydration: Nathan Sports Inc VaporKrar 2.0 12L | 1.6L bladder & (x2) 20oz soft flasks
  • Other: rabbit (BOCO) gloves, x3 headwrap/buffs, Columbia beenie - did not use
  • Anti Friction: Trail Toes - applied once at beginning of day
  • Nutrition: GU gels (x10) and chews (x1 pack) & water (about 3.0 L (100 oz) total)

Lessons Learned

Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempts are fun way to adventure and enjoy a route. I personally love the adventure of new scenery and trails and so this effort worked out perfectly for me to squeeze in on my vacation. Even though this was a very hard and tough day I am super happy to have accomplished the double out & back. I know for sure there is time to be bested here, but at least I can put a number on the board for someone to go after. If you have any questions on this route or my run, please reach out.

Thank you to my wife and my kids for allowing me to sneak away for the day to complete this adventure. Thank you to my sponsors for the continued support. Thank you to the friends of Franklin Trail and everyone involved in maintaining this route as it was in great shape, and litter free. I imagine I may be back on my future visits to the Santa Barbara area, although maybe for a shorter run next time.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Gratitude

Team TROT 2020

My first concerted effort to start running was off-the-couch raining in 2016-Mar in order to attempt to run a half marathon. Everything about starting to run was hard and took effort and a lot of persistence to get that shortened training block done. In that process I fell in love with the idea of running and the feeling of finishing that first race became contagious to me where I have now build running into my lifestyle.

Fast forward nearly 4 full years --> 2 more daughters (4 in total), a cross borer move to South Texas, a couple role changes at my job,  10,000 lifetime miles logged, and 49 ultramarathons later here we are approaching 2020 now - a new decade. I was not able to foresee where we would be in this life little lone this new found passion of mine (trail and ultrarunning), but here we are.

I am super stoked, excited, and truly grateful to announce that I am selected to be on Team TROT again for 2020.
Team TROT 2020
Photo: Blair Brooke Photography (2019-12-06)
The people pictured here are all amazing human beings in their own right and I could not be more proud to be a part of such a select group of like-minded awesome people. We all run different distances, a variety of terrains, different race paces, and all of us has our own goals that drive us. But you know what? We are a team and 2020 you are going to see a lot come from Team TROT and I can not wait to be a part of this journey moving forward. Thank you to Robert & Rachel Goyen for their management of the team, TROT in general, and the awesome support you provide to all of us.

If you see any of us out on the trails, come say hi. High fives are free, hugs are given out, and smiles are norm. We appreciate anyone and everyone in the trail community who runs or volunteers with us at the Trail Racing Over Texas events. I hope to see you on the trails around Texas, or elsewhere, soon.


Team TROT 2020
(graphic created by Trevor Meding for this blog post)

Friday, December 13, 2019

TROT MILEstones

For Anyone Wanting to Complete TROT 1000 in 2020

Background

Last couple years TROT was had the TROT10 or TROT13 series which was based on the number of races an individual would be able to run. It didn't matter the distance per say, it was about attending and participating in the event. Every year they do this extra bonus goal for people and provide an awesome swag giveaway if you achieve one of these.

2019

This year TROT decided to go into a slightly different direction of the challenge and make it about mileage and not necessarily the actual amount of runs a person was able to participate in. This year TROT (Trail Racing Over Texas) put out a new program to help give the goal oriented people something big to shoot for. This program is called their TROT MILEstones. (http://www.trailracingovertexas.com/2019-trot-milestones). As listed on their website TROT was recognizing those who hit specific mileage marks during the TROT race schedule over the entire 2019 season. These milestones were:
  • TROT 250
  • TROT 500 
  • TROT 1000
So looking at these numbers all of the regular TROT people began to wonder what would be needed to actually hit and obtain that elusive TROT 1000 milestone. Is it possible? Can it be achieved? Must I run every single TROT event?

One thing for sure is that The Franklins 200 was "almost" a must for anyone wanting to go for the biggest milestone. I felt the TROT 250 & TROT 500 could be achieved by everyone who wanted it if they planned their year accordingly and signed up strategically for the proper distances as needed. The TROT 1000 this is a challenging stretch goal for anyone.

My Results

After a year running with Team TROT and getting a lot of the events in, I managed to come fairly close within reach of the TROT 100 milestone. My race distances are highlighted in the schedule and then listed on the right (converted into miles where needed and actual measured distances):
2019 SPRING SERIES
  • Running the Rose (108 km, 54 km, 22 mi, 11 mi, 7 km) 66 mi
  • The Franklins (200 mi, 200 km) 202 mi
  • Lone Star 100 (100 mi, 100 km) did not run
  • Jackalope Jam (72 hr, 48 hr, 24 hr, 12 hr, 6 hr) 100 mi
  • Crazy Desert Trail Race (100 km, 50 km, 13.1 mi, 10 km, 5 km) 59 mi
  • San Felipe Shootout (22.4 mi, 13.1 mi, 10 km, 5 km) did not run
  • Brazos Bend 50 (100 km, 50 mi, 50 km, 25 km, 10 km, 5 km) did not run
  • Coyote Run (50 mi, 50 km, 25 km, 8 mi, 4 mi) 50 mi
  • Wildflower (50 km, 26.2 mi, 25 km, 13.1 mi, 7 mi, 10 km, 5 km) *race cancelled due to flooding
  • Possums Revenge (69 mi, 52 mi, 56 km, 17 mi, 8 mi, 4 mi) 69 mi
2019 FALL SERIES
  • Habanero Hundred (100 mi, 100 km, 50 km, 30 km, 20 km, 10 km) did not run
  • Alamo City Ultra (50 km, 25 km, 10 km, 5 km *each available twice) did not run
  • Colorado Crossing (50 mi, 50 km, 24 mi, 25 km, 8 mi, 4 mi) 45 mi
  • Mission Tejas Trail Run (50 km, 25 km, 10 km, 5 km) 31 mi
  • El Taco Loco (100 km, 50 km, 25 km, 10 km, 5 km) 65 mi
  • Franklin Mountains Trail Run (50 km, 27 km, 13.1 mi, 10 km, 5 km, K/Q of Mtn) 35+6+4= 45 mi
  • Brazos Bend 100 (100 mi, 50 mi, 26.2 mi, 13.1 mi) 100 mi
MY TOTAL = Spring (546 mi) + Fall (286 mi) =  832 miles

Admittedly TROT 1000 was not a goal that I was chasing at the beginning of the year, but rather I was focused on the TROT Cup (which somewhat parallels this). Looking back now I realized just how close I was. If I had just run a couple of the other race weekends I missed, mainly Habanero or Brazos (spring version), the 1,000 number would have been really obtainable. It is a fine margin if you want to achieve that 1000 MILEstone.

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I am posting this blog and my results for anyone wanting to chase and be that first to obtain the TROT 1000 next year in 2020. Plan now, train hard, and most of all be rested as it requires a lot of racing miles. My biggest piece of advice would be to plan for a large February volume of miles in order to achieve this goal (hint hint). The best part is you get to do it all with Trail Racing Over Texas and the amazing trail community it is. Over the course of the year, you get to experience and see some excellent parks and portions of Texas. No matter your goal, go out and hit the trails but most of all have fun.

There is no party like a TROTparty 🎉
I hope to see you on the trails soon!

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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

I Was Only Lapped Once

Ultra#049 | Brazos Bend 100

And Then There Was Three.

2017, 2018, 2019. My sub-22 hr BB100 buckle collection.

The annual Trail Racing Over Texas (TROT) big event every December has come and gone again for the 3rd year in a row for me, ever since we have moved to Texas. This year there was absolutely perfect. No bad weather and no rain for a while now in the area. Contrast that to last year when it rained 4-5" the night before (see 2018 race report here). Rob Goyen also managed to secure Brazos Bend to be the USATF 100 Mile Championships so this was a very big deal and also made the 100 mi entrants list a lot larger than the past years.

03:00
The alarm goes off and my wife and I start creeping out of our warm bed getting ready. This race is great for us as the state park is literally 30 minute drive from out door. That means I got to sleep in my own bed on race night. We gathered the snacks and remainder gear set out and got everything in the van. The kids were all placed in the car one at a time. Buckled up and we were off.
A staple fuel station stop in any travel within Texas.
Next time your in Texas make sure you stop in one.
04:08
Quick stop for coffee at the small Bucc-ee's located in Richmond, TX conveniently between our house and Brazos Bend State Park. Race day is always better with coffee to start!
04:46
Arrive at the park gate and wait in the line up which was only about 12 vehicles deep at this time. The park was on top of things and had 3 lanes open to accommodate the larger race volume of 100 milers which was the first race distance to start. Thank you to the Brazos Bend State Park officers and workers,, huge kudos to them!
04:58
Drove through the park and found a good parking spot, which is essential at this race in order to be close. For us this is important for my family since we had all 4 daughters there coming to support. The closer to park the better for my crew and the needs of the kids throughout the day. I had setup our mini day tent the day prior at packet pickup so we had a nice spot picked out right beside the trail near the start/finish aid station.
05:56
After gearing up in a long sleeve to start I kissed all 5 of my girls and walked down from our tent towards to arch. Lined up near the front and saw a bunch of my trail friends and a lot of my teammates (Team TROT & Team Victory). Gave Patrick Reagan a first bump and wished him luck (dude is super nice! I met him and hung out/ran with him for a bit at TransRockies Run earlier this summer. He is also my teammate with Victory Sportdesign).

06:00 (Loop #1- 02:13:55)
My mini crew members cheering me on passing the 10 km point.
(R) black Team TROT shirt - me
(L) blue Team TROT shirt - Luis Murillo
Photo: Katie Meding.
And we are off. I followed the front group off the bat and went out at decent pace. There was a clear separation of 4 people within 0.3 mi off the start and everyone let them go at that pace, and then there was a smaller group behind that where I settled in. I was following my fellow TROT teammate Jeff Ball whom is a very speedy runner. I knew I shouldn't hang with him too long, and I didn't. After the first aid
station I had lined up beside my other TROT mate Luis Murillo. From there we ended up running the entire loop together. He kept me at a great pace and I enjoyed the chit chat which makes the early miles tick by.

--interloop 00:01:40--
08:15 (Loop #2- 02:21:01)
Quick shirt change into short sleeves and said hi to my crew. The girls were all in good mood and happy. Was great to see them as always gives me a boost in my spirit. Loop #2 went by very solid again, as I kept the same perceived pace. I had not looked at the clock at all (nor my watch - it is covered by a buff during races) until I rolled in back to the start finish. Once I realized my first 2 loops time I had an Oh Shit moment as the realization of 50 km split PR during the start of a 100 mi event is not ideal pacing strategy.

My awesome crew! Check out this teamwork.
Photo: Texas YETI Runner (Dale Cougot).
--interloop 00:05:33--
10:42 (Loop #3- 02:51:41)
Purposely slowed down on this loop and aimed for a slower loop. I did not have a walk break until  65 km into the race, but I introduced a few in this loop to slow myself down. The weather was gorgeous and the day was warming up nicely.

--interloop 00:11:22--
13:45 (Loop #4- 03:27:08)
Weather was nearly 70f. The gators were sure to start coming out now I was thinking. I tried keeping a 3 hr loop time in my mind but My hip flexor started bugging me toward the middle of this loop. I blame my fast first 2 loops on this, but I worked through it and just kept moving. There was some gators spotted during this time as it was nearly the heat of the day. Always cool to see them in this park when you run by literally 10-20 feet from them. Just over half way around this loop I heard footsteps behind me gaining at a very significant pace. I knew exactly who it was. I moved over slightly and gave Patrick Reagan a quick word of encouragement as he flew by in he still blazing 7-something min/mi. Patrick was a full loop ahead of me meaning he was nearing 4.5 loops done at this point.

--interloop 00:11:28--
17:23 (Loop #5- 03:43:23)
I kept my stop to a minimum here again. Grabbed some nice warm potatoes and a Red Bull to revive me before heading back out. Marc Henn (Team TROT Ambassador) was there and we chatted a bit as I got my calories in. He was nice enough to help me out and collect my garbage from me. My hips were still a little stiff, but i kept running. I knew eventually they would loosen up, which they did. Finished off loop #5 running but was defiantly slowing down. It was also quite chilly now that the sun had set.

--interloop 00:12:03--
21:19 (Loop #6- 04:04:20)
For only the second time ever I had a pacer. My friend Chad Lasater was there awaiting me after loop #5. I layered up and ate all I could within my self imposed 10 minutes stop. I informed him of my stretch goal of 18 hours finish but I knew I didn't think i could run a 2h45m loop at this point. I instructed him 2 things: keep me motivated & don't break me. We headed out and started shuffling along. My walk breaks were creeping in at more regular intervals but having Chad there was a great way to distract me as we chatted about various things and catching up. The miles kept ticking by. My shuffles became tough as my knee would remind how many miles I had run, but as soon as I could we'd run half a mile or more and go until I had to walk again. My stretch time goal of 18 hours (midnight) was long gone, but I mentioned to Chad I was aiming for sub-19 next and if not sub-19:40 (my 100 PR). The last long out and back each loop in arguably the hardest mental part of the course. Once at the very end, which is Sawmill aid station you turn around and head ~4.5 mi back to the finish arch. I did have to stop here and wolf down some more potatoes, but they gave me a great little lift.

01:23 (Finish)
The glow of the arch was clearly visible in the dark of the night, and it was such a relief to see. Chad ran ahead slightly and to inform Katie and the girls I was coming in.
New 100 mi PR 19:23:39. Photo: Katie Meding
BB100 buckle with my 2nd & 4th daughters. Photo: Katie Meding
Finished with my pacer and friend Chad Lasater. Photo: Katie Meding

  • Thank you to my family for coming out to this even and supporting me. My daughters give me a huge boost when I get to see their smiles on this long events. 
  • Thanks to all my supporters (please check out the friends tab and give them some love).
  • Thank you Chad Lasater for the pacing and company of loop #6. you kept me going towards that PR and made the time go by faster.


Gear Used
Gear Bags - Victory Sportdesign #GreatestGearBagEver
Jacket- rabbit elements
Shirts- Team TROT, rabbit
Shorts- rabbit elite FKT
Shoes- Altra Timp 1.5 (this pair now has over 700 mi on them - and still going)
Socks- Drymax
Headwear- Trail Racing Over Texas endurance cap, rabbit (BOCO gear)
Sunglasses- goodr (2019 TransRockies edition)
Watch- Garmin Fenix3 HR
Headlamp- Nathan Sports Halo Fire
Hydration- Nathan VaporKrar waist belt, Nathan Exodraw 18oz Handheld (x2)

Huge congratulations to Patrick Reagan as well for smashing his own PR and lowering the US trail record.
Patrick Reagan 100 mi USATF Champion 12:21:43.
Photo: Trail Racing Over Texas / JJustisPhotography
Congratulations to every runner who was out there running, whether it was the 100 mi or perhaps your first half tail marathon. Thank you to all of you for being part of the trail community and it is always great to see familiar and new faces on the trails. Come run with the gators at Brazos Bend with TROT in April or again next December as this is the biggest trail party in the state.

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Thank you for following along on my adventures. This was ultramarathon #049 for me.
Next up for me: Running the Rose 108 km

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Accountability

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." -Albert Einstein
Admittedly I have made many mistakes. I am also willing to try something new. This was the reason I started running and into ultras in the first place over 3 years ago. Now here at the end of October I did something truly crazy: I have now signed up for the biggest most challenging thing I will have ever under taken thus far in my running adventures.

This new endeavor has definitely scared me shitless 💩 (but also has got me very excited at the same time) when i hit that ever-looming UltraSignup register button.

I am headed to California in July 2020!

Okay I'm registered. Now what? Well I have been thinking about that a lot in the days since and I have come up with a few things (below) to help myself on this journey towards this epic adventure. I am sharing them here on my blog to hold myself accountable and be honest with myself and my goals.

i. I have quit drinking alcohol since 31-Oct-2019 when i signed up for this race. 
  • Goal as of now is till abstain until the new year (2 months), but ideally all the way until the end of The Franklins 200 in Feb-2020 (3.5 months).
  • I think a decent break from alcohol will help my training and me get more out of my body.
  • A stretch goal of all the way till this CA Untamed 330 is over in end of Jul-2020 (9 months), but we'll see how it goes - I do like my beer.


ii. Starting to bike commute to work more (~15 mi each way depending on traffic/route).  
  • Firstly, to cross-train a bit and supplement my running miles.
  • Secondly, to help with gas money for our budget. The money I save can go back into my registration fee for this race 😄
  • Third, for environmental reasons 
  • and Fourthly, to set a good example to my daughters.
  • I figure 30-32 mi on my bike a couple times a week will definitely be a change for the good all around in my life.


iii. Going to add a lot more structure into my training plan over the next 8 months. (I am now drafting up a tentative training plan). 
  • I hope to pass this draft off to some coaches I know for their thoughts and to see if it makes sense and gain some feedback. I have never used a coach, nor had any experience with structured training per say, so this is unique to me and my running. I may or may not use the advice, but the process of getting a plan on paper will help me map out my goals non the less over the next 8 months.
  • Either way it is time to start ramping up the training!


iv. Not lose sight of my personal responsibilities as a husband and as a father
  • This is the most important point on this list!
  • My family are huge supporters of me as an #ultrarunningdad and they are my main reason of a lot of my personal "why" (see blog post). I do not ever want to lose sight of this!

Thank you for following along on this journey and feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. I plan to try and document how my training and lead up go heading from now unit 2020-Jul. But first, I still need to try and wrap my head around the idea of 330 miles!

To give you more of an idea check out the official website (https://californiauntamed.com/) or better yet the film on the creation of this beast of a race. A complete detailed map is also available HERE.
In June of 2019, Ultra Runner and Extreme Athlete, Ryan Spitz, attempted to run the first California Untamed,
a 330-mile course he put together from Arcata (the ocean) to Mt. Shasta in Northern California.
YouTube link (0:47:33)

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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Trail & Ultra Running Videos

Need some more trail & ultra videos to binge on?

Ever since I discovered what trail running I was I looked up some videos to explore and see what people actually do out there. I first recall coming across The Ginger Runner and his videos, then I found Billy Yang and his great movies. I instantly fell more in love with the sport that I had just discovered. because of these. The visuals and videos have continued to add to my stoke and hype of the trails. In the past 3 years, when I have a spare time I often find myself searching YouTube and browsing NETFLIX for trail running & ultra videos that I may have not seen yet. So in that spirit I started a list a little bit back of the movies. Below in my curated list of running videos to check out.

I have 3 main sections broken out separately (UTMB, Barkley's, & WSER) & then a 4th & 5th generic "FKTs" & "Everything Else" section down below. All listed alphabetically. Please post in comments any titles that I may have missed.


all things UTMB:


all things BARKLEY MARATHONS:


all things WESTERN STATES 100 ENDURANCE RUN:

FKTs

Everything Else:

Happy binge watching!
The Simpsons © Matt Groening