Rocky Raccoon 50k Recovery Run

Saturday morning was not quite a full week since my Athens marathon, but it was time for my 50k trail run.  This would be my first 50k.  I ran one last December on a cold morning, but I had to drop out for various reasons.  I just wasn’t feeling it.  It’s the only race I haven’t finished and I’m still not happy about it.  I’m signed up for it again this year to take care of business.  Back to this race though...  This was the Rocky Raccoon 50k trail run.  The race takes place in Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, TX and I sure like to run here.  Between the trees, the trails, and the lake, it’s always scenic and peaceful.  I feel lucky to have such a place only 90 minutes from my house.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel doing an ultramarathon less than a week after the Athens marathon beat me up so bad last Sunday and then I got a cold.  It turns out that my recovery went faster than expected.  I got over the cold by Tuesday and I did a midweek hour-long morning run that felt really good so I had a feeling my legs would be ok.

I've got the crazy eyes!

I planned to run this race with my friend Cathlene Webb, who had been training for it for quite a while.  This was the first time she’d run a race this long and was looking forward to becoming an ultrarunner.  Her pace goal was a bit more relaxed than what mine would have been if I were racing it, but I wasn’t racing it.  I just needed the miles and it ended up being very beneficial to get in seven hours of running at the pace I’ll be using for the century next February.  Also, it’s always good to get more miles in on the actual race course.  My father enjoys volunteering for these events and I certainly like having him around to cheer me on.  This time, he got put in a high traffic area and I was able to see him four times plus the start and finish of the race.

The race started at 6AM, which was about an hour and a half before the sun came up.  I went out and bought a simple headlamp and it seemed to do me well enough.  Running in the dark with a headlamp takes some getting used to, especially on trails with dips, hills, and lots of roots.  I plan to do at least one long night run this winter to get me good and used to running inside of a little circle of light.

From the beginning, the plan was to run the flats and walk the hills.  That’s always a solid plan when you know your day will be long.  Energy saved now is energy available later.  The course was dry despite the rains earlier in the week.  This is good.  I can handle cold, but cold and wet is a bit of a bummer.  I say this fully aware that the big run in February might be rainy and cold.  That will suck, but it is what it is and you run the race you’re given.  Weather would not be a problem on this day, though.  Clear skies gave us a clear cold starry morning and when the sun came up, it heated up into the 60s.  We spent nearly the entire race under a canopy of pines.

The ultrarunning community is really great.  They are very friendly and accepting.  I don’t get any of the elitism that pops up from time to time in my triathlon and even marathon circles.  The fast people are fast and the slow people are slow but we’re all in it together and the nonracers provide outstanding support both on and off the course.  The aid stations are legendary and I feasted on peanut butter and jelly bagels and banana pieces with the occasional fistful of potato chips.  I opted out of the Oreos, m&ms and pretzels this time.

The race was two 25k loops, which works out to 15.5 miles each loop.  By the end of the first loop, the sun had come up and I was ready to shed some of the morning layers of clothing.  I had a drop bag at the start line, which was also the finish line and the 1^st loop turnaround.  After ditching my headlamp, the beanie, and the sweatshirt, I was good to go for another loop.  My legs were a bit tired, but it was nothing like Greece.  Running on dirt is a lot easier on the body even when you crank up the miles.

We're coming down the chute

Cathlene’s husband Jeremy and another friend of theirs joined us for the first couple miles of the second loop before turning back.  It was nice to break things up with a few new faces and Jeremy would sprint ahead and set up for some photos as we came shuffling by.  Cathlene had never run longer than a 22 mile training run so I had to point out to her when we passed the 22 mile point and she was running a new record distance for herself.  I told her again when we passed 26.2 miles and she was officially a marathon runner.

The miles started to weigh on us once we got into the final 10 and we did a lot of walking mixed in with the periods of running.  It was no problem since the goal was to finish and get the time and miles on my legs.  It was pretty liberating to let the clock go and just enjoy the run and the scenery.  And so it went for the last five miles.  We hit the final aid station 2.8 miles from the finish and topped off on snacks and water.  We crossed paths with a few other stragglers along the way and I knew we were well clear of the eight hour cutoff for the race so I took it easy and had a good time.

We crossed the line and my father was waiting for me with camera in hand.  We received our finisher’s awards and posed for a few photos before retiring to a nearby park bench and resting a bit in advance of the long drive home.

Final time: 7:37:44.  Mission accomplished.