@trevormeding

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Loup Garou Trail Run

Cajun Hospitality

A Long Run in Louisiana | Ultra #070

Pre Race


It was Monday night and I had just discovered that this race was occurring. My local doorstep race of Brazos Bend had been cancelled due to the pandemic concerns as it was such a large race. So when I saw this race was still on, during the same week BB100 would have been, it intrigued me. I casually mentioned it to my wife. Then on Wednesday I investigated it further as was the last hours to sign up for the race. Another quick conversation with my supportive wife and I was signed up, with about 2 hours to spare. I had secured my spot as the last 100 miler entrant into the race, bib #61.

Travel

Heading East to Louisiana all packed with
my Victory Sportdesign bags.
I had booked off early on Friday last minute and had a peer cover for me. I am fortunate this way in the fact this can happen so quickly and with flexibility with little notice. I did do a couple hours work early Friday morning, then enjoyed a family bike ride and time with my kids. Then that afternoon I headed East towards Louisiana. It was about a 4.5 hour drive for me and I only made one stop for fuel & food. I kept away from people, wore my mask, and kept my distance. Just after nightfall I arrived at the Chicot State Park and scouted out the start area of the race. I opted not to pay for park camping and drove 5 miles back into town to camp, in my car, like a true #dirtbagrunner. It was chilly and not the best rest but overall it did the job.

Race Morning

Saturday morning, I was up super early from the cold as I had been slowly adding blankets to myself during the night. As the time crept closer to my alarm of 05:30 I finally got up in the parking lot I was staying in and got dressed and ready in my race gear. A nice brisk 33f was greeting us this December morning. I then drove the few minutes to the park, put my mask on, and checked in for the event.

My WTForecast app telling me how awesome it was outside this morning.

The Course

Due to some of the trail not being fully ready this year the usual full loop around Lake Chicot was not open. There was still a lot of blow downs and damage from the hurricanes, as LA was hit twice this year. Sadly we would not get the full experience of the 20 mile loop. Instead we were doing a full 10 mile out and back (x5) to make up the distance.

The Race

A wave start was part of the protocol for the race, and since I was the last number (#61) in the 100 mile starters I was in the 3rd and final wave, as they start in spaced out groups of 25 runners. To me this was super advantageous since I always start out to fast. Being forced to be at the back of the pack was a blessing in disguise, and I tried to use this to my advantage. I started off nice and comfortable and took it easy following some of the mini congo lines that had formed due to the nature of some of the trail sections. The morning was a cool crisp south winter day, most people bundled up in a couple layers. I slowly started to pass runners as I settled into the race, but I was not in a hurry like I normally am at the start of 100s. I enjoyed the trail and just simply being out in the woods again. Eventually everyone was very spread out and I found myself alone. Nearing the middle aid station (10 miles) I started to see runners coming back at me, so I knew I was closing in one the turn around. It was a mixture of the 100 mile and 40 mile bibs, so I didn’t really know how many were in front of me at this point, nor did I really care at this point.

Morning sun peaking through as crossing one of the long boardwalk sections.

I completed the first loop (20.8 mi) in about 3:36:43 and by this time the sun was out and the warmth of the day was starting to creep upon us. I even grabbed my sunglasses for this day portion. I really enjoyed the course as it was a mixture of tall pines trees with a combination of swamp type Louisiana style terrain you might expect. The trail itself was basically singletrack, sometimes slightly wider in areas, but very well taken care of and marked with orange trail blazes on the tree. The trail had lots of roots hidden under the fallen leaves so you had to pay attention or you would definitely end up kick testing one of them. Some of my favorite sections of the trail were the long boardwalks that traversed the swamp land. I think there was 4 (maybe 5) larger wooden boardwalks in total on this section of trail.

Follow the orange blazes.
Winter in the south means fallen leaves everywhere on the trails. Makes it tricky to see the roots.
One of the many blow downs around the trails and course. A couple detours on the trail existed around some of these large trees, but you could still see the ruminates of the hurricane season damage.

Running across the swamp sections on the wooden boardwalks. Such a cool feature of this trail. It provided a true Louisiana vibe to the race for sure. It was also neat in the darkness, although never did see any creatures out there in the waters.

After the completion of the second full loop (41.6 mi) I was right behind 3rd place coming back into the main start/finish. I took my time here as I fueled up before heading back out. I left behind him basically in the exact spacing as we came in. This was maintained all the way to the 10mi midpoint turn around where we arrived essentially at the same time. Night fall was starting to creep up on us, and as I dug around my drop bag I suddenly realized I did not have my head lamp…shit! I had 5 of my headlamps in my main bag but somehow did not place one in my drop bag when I dropped it off. Time to troubleshoot…

Luck would have it that I knew the person in front whom was a Dallas area runner Bryan Mckenney. Since we were now both at the mid-point of the loop I asked him if he had a spare light. Bryan was kind enough to provide one to me. Instead of us taking off separately from the aid station we teamed up and headed out into the low light conditions together. We spent the next couple hours making our way back through the woods chatting about ultra stuff and just passing the time. I tried to be nice and not use his light he had provided me and instead just shadowed Bryan sharing the light he was using. With about 4 miles left to get back to the main start/finish Bryan came upon his wife whom was on her way in finishing up her 40 mile run. He told me to go on as he was going to talk a good long walk break with his wife. At this point I utilized the small light he had provided me and trudged on into the darkness by myself.

Three loops now complete (62.4 mi, ~100 km). I gave Bryan’s light back to him and placed it back into his bag for him, as I had promised. I grabbed my headlamp, and a spare, filled up my Tailwind and headed back out into the night. Very few people were left on the trail now as it was only the 100 milers and even a bunch of those had seemed to have dropped at this point. The last 2 loops were an entirely solo besides the few passing of people due to the nature of the out & back format. I did not get overly sleepy like I normally do but my pace was definitely slowing as I went. The short choppy climbs were starting to get to my knees and I was taking my time and just trying to keep my position in the race. The night was not as cold as forecasted but it was chilly enough to encourage me to keep moving. With a full hour until sunrise I was on the way back to the finish. I crossed in 2nd place, hours behind the winner (he had us outclassed a lot today), in just over 23 hours. I am made it back before true sunrise and obtained the sub-24 hour buckle. Bryan came in about half an hour behind me securing 3rd place on the podium and also going under 24 hours.

100 Miles in one day.


Sub 24 buckle and my 2nd place award.

Gear

Results & Statistics

I managed to hold on and finish 2nd overall, even though we were severely outclassed by the front runner in this race.

  • Mileage: 104.15 mi
  • Time: 23:12:38
  • Elevation (+): 8,176 ft
My detailed loop data from my post race data.

This was my 70th ultramarathon and my 20th ultra at a distance of 100 miles or more. I secured my 18th completion of the 100mi or greater distance.

My updated 100mi (+) buckle collection with Loup Garou Trail Run added in place.
Custom display case built by my dad.


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Location: Chicot State Park, 3469 Chicot Park Rd, Ville Platte, LA 70586, USA

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Beach Day in November?

Jalapeno Hundred

Ultra #069 | My 19th 100mi Event (or more)


Here I am beginning of November. A couple week removed from a poor mental state in my last ultra where i jut literally quit. On the other side I was 3 weeks out from the Brazos Bend 100, which sadly has just been cancelled due to the surrounding pandemic safety concerns for participants especially those whom would 
be travelling here to run. So now I am starring at my only known opportunity for the remainder of 2020 to get myself another buckle. About an hour northwest of Houston area where the 7IL Ranch sits near Cat Spring, TX. This ranch has been used many times for TROT races including Jackalope Jam and the infamous Habanero Hundred (a hellish hot ultra held in the middle of TX heat in August). Jalapeno Hundred is the little cousin of Habanero since it had to be cancelled this year due to the pandemic. With that the course was the same 16 loop of the yellow course out on the ranch with a high noon starting time.

Waking up in my own bed for a race is always nice. I got to have homemade coffee for the drive and kiss all my girls goodbye before taking off for the ranch early Saturday morning. I arrived and with the new protocols getting my temperature check and performed my contactless check in. It was still nice and early around 10:00 which gave me a couple hours to relax and set up my own self-crew spot. Got myself all set up, gear ready and just put my feet up on my cooler and closed my eyes listening to a podcast as I tried to relax for a last few moments.

(image from Plants vs Zombies 2)
11:45 and Rob Goyen, TROT race director, starting do a short race briefing. At this point I got my shoes tightened the way I wanted. 2 minutes before start we were called up to the start area and remained spaced out. I lined up on the front side on the far right side of the road. High noon and we were off and running. I intentionally remained back from the very front and let the faster relay runners and 100 km runners go in front. I settled into a comfortable pace. i ended up running with my TROT teammate, Matt Zmolek, whom is a very good and consistent 100 mile runner. His pacing is something rarely matched, as he always seems to keep it even and steady from start to finish, so I know if I am running around him that is a good thing as long as I can hang on later on. We caught up a bit and did some small chat as it had been awhile since seeing each other. We ran together for the first 3 loops more or less, then Matt stopped and changed out his shoes and socks I would later find out. The heat of the day was here hanging in somewhere near 90f or so but we would only have to endure it for a little longer as the fall daylight fades near 18:00 or so. I managed to keep cool by utilizing my NATHAN ice bandana and keeping my intake of plenty of fluids on those first few loops.
High noon the start. Captured by JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas

After my 4th loop I still had not found my perfect pace time per loop I was trying to dial in and still thought to myself I was slightly faster than wanted. I slowed myself down a little and hoped to be able to stay on the new revised pace longer. Sometime in loop 6 (I think), Matt caught back up to me and we shared another half loop together before I left him go in front on me as I thought it was slightly fast for my current state. We were both near the lead of the 100 mile race at this point along with a young lady from California (Lindsay Phennix) who was not far behind us as we kept seeing her at the end/start of each loop. The 3 of us were all very close at the front of the race.

This is what it looks like to be hunted as prey. Matt Zmolek always paces 100 milers amazingly and makes it look easy. Congrats Matt on your victory out on the ranch.
Captured by JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas

On the 5th loop (I think) I did manage to kick one of the few well placed routes out there in the treed section of the course. I somehow didn't lift my foot high enough and it caused me to stumble and proceed into a tuck and roll situation on my left shoulder. since the Ground is mostly soft sand out there it was not painful but man was it dirty. Felt like a beach day with sand everywhere you didn't want it, even after only briefly being on the ground. I got up shook off my clothing and then had to clean my bottle nipples off of the sand sticking to them.

"The beach" at 7IL Ranch. Yes there is sand out there, not the entire loop but....lots of it.
Not sure what loop this is, but i don't look too pissed off.
Captured by JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas
Darkness started to creep in next loop but I managed to complete the 6th loop fully before actually requiring my headtorch. From here is was just a grind in the night hours to keep going. As we approached midnight there was less and less runners out there: partially because we were all spaced out, a few DNFs, and also a lot of the 100 km runners were starting to finish and clear off the course all together. Around this time I finally crossed over the 100 km mark myself, which meant 10 loops done, only 6 to go. My pace continued to slow just a little more each loop.

Early evening as the fog started to form. Captured by JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas

The strangest thing happened that night, a very dense fog rolled in and it was super humid. I can only describe it like running in a light misty shower, it was almost magical. My headtorch was nearly useless as the light was bouncing of the water droplets and fog in front of me only illuminating maybe 4 feet in front. True tunnel vision due to the weather. It never did cool off that much as much as I had hoped, but it was definitely nice compared to sun in the afternoon to run in. Somewhere in the night I was eventually caught by the 3rd place runner, Lindsay, whom overtook me and kept going. Her pace was stronger at the time, so I did not try to hang on.

Loop 12 I was stumbling my way back to the end of the loop and felt like a zombie sleep walking. This is my normal ultra early morning demons where i struggle through the natural circadian rhythms of your body trying to tell you to sleep as you resist and try to continue forward. For me this always happens around 4-6 am just before the sunrise. I have experienced many times and dread that feeling. I grinded out that loop and sitting in my chair at the start finish eating some mashed potatoes I saw Matt coming in to finish his loop. He had lapped me, and was now 10 km ahead, a full loop. I still had 40 km to grind out. I tried to run out behind Matt after finishing my potatoes hoping to ride some of his momentum but was too late and did not catch him, so I settled back into my own pace.

The last 4 loops were just a nice steady pace where I had gained some energy back with the last 2 loops when the light from the sun was trying to peer through the still somewhat dense fog. It made for a more spirited finish in terms of my frame of mind. I still thought I was in 3rd place as I had not seen or caught Lindsay again since she passed me in the night hours, I ticked off my final miles and came into the finish with a big smile on my face,  I had completed another ultra, another 100 mile race. I thought I had crossed the line in 3rd place as I never did see the lady (Lindsay) in front of me, however later I found out she had stopped between loops at some point where i passed her back again and never knew it. Honestly I did not know i had got 2nd instead of 3rd until I got home a couple hours later when I was checking on the live results to see if others I knew were finishing up.

Racing during a pandemic: finish line feels.
Captured by JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas


Statistics

STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/4325194853

UltraSignup Results: https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=78726

Times from UltraSignup of the 12 finishers of Habanero's little cousin: Jalapeno Hundred.

98.23 mi | 21:26:01 | 4,495 ft+ | 13:06 mi/min average | 2nd overall

x16 loops - 1:15:27 average | 1:00:12 min (loop#1), 1:33:45 max (loop#14)

x15 interloop aid - 05:14 average | 00:30 min, 12:15 max | 45:04 total time

My own excel spreadsheet data of my loop-interloop times.

Awarded a finishers medal and got to pick a buckle from a large selection of random special buckles. I picked out an eagle. Pretty neat idea as each buckle was unique.

Gear Used

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Thank you for following along.



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Location: 5389 Mill Creek Rd, Cat Spring, TX 78933, USA

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

The Sotol Dance

Anatomy of My 2nd D.N.F.

Ultra #068 | DNF #002

It's been awhile since my last in person race (although I was lucky enough to venture to Colorado in July for a race.) I know that some of you out there have not been to an in person race for various reasons since the pandemic lockdown(s) have occurred globally, so I am not complaining, just stating my timeline. I enjoy to race a lot so July seems like a while ago already. I planned going to Hill Country out near Bandera to take on this race called Cactus Rose as it is known to be tough and you need to be self-supported. It was the type of race built for these social distancing pandemic conditions.
The beautiful (and sharp) Sotol (Dasylirion texanum)

I've been to Hill Country State Natural Area before as it is also where Tejas Trails holds the Bandera 100 race each January (which is an annual Golden Ticket race for WSER). I had ran Bandera 100 twice in 2018 and earlier this January in 2020, so I knew what to expect in terms of the terrain and the hill climbs and the basic loop.


I went to Bandera with my usual goal of just finishing the challenge of an ultra and grinding it out. I honestly didn’t have a time goal, even when others asked me I didn’t have a response to that. Maybe this was part of my issue for this particular race. My drop bags were all organized and arranged the way I wanted them. I was placing 2 large stashes out on the course at 3 of the 5 aid stations areas.

My pre-race gear packing photo shot. Everything I would need for a self-supported long adventure in Hill Country.

Lots of fatty nut mixtures with a selection of sugary snacks to contrast it. I usually do a bit of both so having choice out there is a nice thing to have for how you feel at that moment.

Got to stay hydrated too!


My 1-person tent set up. *Note: I need myself a van!

I drove out on Thursday mid morning after getting my gear packed into my car. I headed West to Hill Country. 4.5 hours later I had arrived in the park. I found my way to the group lodge and set up my tent area. Next thing was to grab my gear and get things set out for morning, so I took my car to the 2 aid stations and dropped them off accordingly picking my own little area of real estate to hold my cooler, water, and small Coyote II Victory Sportdesign drop bag. The 3rd aid station I was utilizing my gear at was at the group lodge which was the start/finish area so I did not set that out till morning during my start. I went for a small light run to shakeout the legs a little. I only went 3.11 mi (just over 5 km) to keep my #RunStreak going as well because I really do truly feel better when I am moving. I wanted to keep running and exploring the trails but it was nearing sunset and pus I still had a big day ahead of me.

My night in the tent was not the best sleep ever as the wind picked up slightly over night. Checking my Garmin stats later on it appeared I 6hr 52min of sleep, but there were periods of slight wakefulness within there so it was fragmented sleep pattern. I got up with the early birds around 06:00 even though my start window for the race wasn't until 08:00. But that gave me a good 2 hours to wake up and do my final  preparations. I hauled my chair over to the start/finish area along with my bag there where I'd have change of kit (if needed). Checked in once I saw there was no one else standing there to help keep social distancing. I got my ankle tracking bracelet and was now ready to go. The volunteers informed me we could start whenever we wanted since it is all chipped time race and starts when you cross the mat. So I mixed up some Tailwind into my Nathan bottles and was ready to rock. Got my Garmin GPS synced and was standing in the starting chute all by myself. Just after sunrise at time of 07:42 I pressed start and heading down out on the course.

Loop1 - Too Fast?

Legs were ready, my mind was ready, and all I had to do was complete 150 miles on some gnarly rocky terrain. I tried to keep my pace calm, cool, and collected for my first loop. I mentioned prior I honestly didn't have a laid out time goal/plan, but as I sent out I thought a nice even 6 hours per loop would be a nice result. I do not study my watch as I run so I run on my perceived effort as I go. This lead to a good first loop time overall. There were no issues, I did not have any hiccups and cruised around in 5:02:30 (a near perfect 5mi/hr pace). Near the end of the loop the temperature was starting to creep out as the sun was out as the clouds parted, I knew the heat of the day was coming.

Loop2 - Shit Show!

A short break between loops I grabbed my Nathan hydration pack (which I had ready to go) since I planned on being slower and also needing more fluids during the heat of the afternoon. I set off back around the loop on a slow jaunt. I can't recall how far into the loop it was but I started to take lots of walking breaks already as the temperature here in South Texas was now reaching 90f. I drank and drank but seemed to not be able to keep myself fully hydrated as I started to feel twinges in my leg muscles only 3 miles into loop2. I had salt with me, I was drinking Tailwind and getting my salts that way already, and plus I had straight water in my spare front bottles. At the 4.14 mi aid station I caught up to my TROT teammate Dena Carr. She had started before me timewise I think at 07:00, so about 45 minutes ahead. I came into the self aid here at "Ya-Ya" and saw Dena, she was complaining of cramps and the heat as well. I felt her pain, even though it was unfortunately only beginning (I wasn't fully aware of that at this point). We set off together coming out of that self aid. We caught up and chatted briefly and enjoyed the company. But like maybe 1-1.5 mile down from the aid I could not keep my pace long enough to maintain a constant job - my calf muscles were cramping. I told Dena to keep going and I'd catch back up later on. I was back to my usual solo running, but not by choice as my stupid muscles were not cooperating.

During the middle of the loop around mile 12 there is a steep up and down called Ice Cream Hill. I was still struggling at this point and the steep technical downhill was not good. I started getting spasms and my calf seized up a couple times where I'd had to flex to get it to loosen. The flat rolling terrain was not too bad, but the steep climbs and descents were not kind to me today. Right neat the bottom coming off Ice Cream Hill my right calf seized so badly that I could not flex my foot to loosen the muscle. The terrain was too steep to get my ankle planted enough to dorsiflex my foot (which is how I usually correct the full muscle lockup). I yelled out in pain and anger all at once. After a few agonizing seconds, which seems like forever when you leg muscles are locked, I finally was able to get myself positioned facing uphill and use my body weight to force my ankles to dorsiflex resulting in the muscles unlocking. I just sat there for a minute on all fours facing the hill wondering what to do next as I still had about hundred feet to get down. I attempted to turn around and instantly cramped up again. I then literally crawled backward down the remaining hundred feet of this steep hill in order to get to the flatter terrain. This was the only way to keep my feet dorsiflexed where they would lock up. Once I got down to the rolling flat portion I was able to resume walking again which is the cure all to loosen up all the muscles. it is nearly impossible to do so on steep terrain so when cramping (or worse as I just described) or even full muscle lockup occurs.

From here the remainder of the loop2 was a mix of super slow jogging, non-stop chugging of fluids, and lots of walking breaks in order to keep my legs as loose as I could. I saw Dena again right before arriving back to the end of the loop, she was already turned around and starting her loop3. Ultimately it took me 08:14:19 to get the 2nd 25 miles complete. Some of those miles were the worst cramping I have ever experienced and was not fun to deal with. Overall I had done the ~51miles in 13:28:59 thus far.

Loop3 - Recovery Night Miles

I sat down after loop2 and downed so much water. I tried to regain any hydration I could. I was drinking constantly out there but had still not peed yet since the end of loop1 nearly 9 hours ago now. I took a good 35 minutes between loops getting in extra calories and drinking as much as I could handle. It was now dark out so the next 10-11 hours was headlamp time. I felt a lot better after sitting and downing a few cups or ramen that the group lodge had available. It was the magic broth that helped bring me back to life it seemed.

When I set back out on loop3 I was again running at my nice slow 100mi pace. It felt great to be moving again faster than a brisk walk and I was thankful for that. But I knew the road was long ahead of me yet, as I was only just over a third done at this point. The thing about longs ultras is that you always have lows, and I was glad to have survived this one. I was now looking forward to a nice steady night loop and get back on track. There was really nothing exciting happening to note on my 3rd loop other than I took about 10-20 mins at each aid station to down more calories and maintain my fluid intake. I think around the first aid station where I finally was able to pee again after nearly 10 hours, and I was relieved to see a normal color which indicated to me I was back trending towards a healthy hydration/electrolyte balance again finally.

The third loop was 08:27:18 but probably 1 hour plus of that was me taking care of myself in the 4 interloop aid stations, so I was happy with this loop. This put me coming back into the start/finish at the lodge around 06:15 or so, which was about an hour prior to sunrise.

Results - DNF

I was tired my feet hurt and I was now slower than I thought (based on my made up goal time during loop1). I started doing "stupid runner math" and figuring that I was only half way done in just over 22.5 hours and still had ~77 rock kicking technical miles to go. I sat there eating and drinking trying to convince myself to get up and go. It was not working. Finally I told myself I needed to sleep on it and not make a rash decision. So I sat in my chair and closed my eyes for about 20 minutes. I woke up and had no desire to go. my legs felt refreshed, my body had no excuse to quit, but my mind was now playing tricks on me and I did give in. I walked over to the timer and took off my ankle bracelet and handed it in, I was done. 77 miles, only half way to my goal of finishing. Ultra #068 was not a success. I had just given up because my head was not in it anymore. This has now resulted in my DNF rate (DNFr) increasing to 2.94% as I have now 2 DNF in my 68 ultras I have run.

STRAVA activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/4238486845

• the GOOD: I ran 77miles. I quit on my own terms, even after a short nap to ensure my choice.

My STRAVA stats. 3 loops completed...then I quit. Still 3 remained only 50% done.

• the BAD: I quit and did not see my A-goal of finishing through when I didn’t have a physical reason not too. I lost my “why” for this run.

Ultimately my race resulted in my 2nd Did Not Finish (DNF).

Gear Used

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Thank you for following along .
This was ultramarathon #068 for me, and 18th 100 mile (or longer). Next up: 
(i) Jalapeno Hundred (07-Nov-2020) Cat Spring, TX
(ii) Brazos Bend 100 (05-Dec-2020) Needville, TX




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Location: Hill Country State Natural Area, 10600 Bandera Creek Rd, Bandera, TX 78003, USA
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