 |
| T Wilkin & I in Santa Elena Canyon September 2015 |
The fall training block was
varied and inconsistent but ultimately effective. After I finished up my
internship in Columbus, Texas where I ran for the latter half of the summer I
headed back to Austin. No sooner did I arrive in Austin, I was back on the road
to Big Bend National Park with my friend, college teammate and former Leadville
pacer, Tom Wilkin who flew in from Cleveland, Ohio. We hiked to the summit of
Emory Peak, and wandered around Santa
Elena and Boquillas Canyons before reluctantly ending the trip.
 |
| Running up Wallaby Peak September 2015; PC: Apryle Craig |
Because my seventh
semester was not quite in full swing yet, I had a chance to focus solely on
running and was able to get in some quality long runs with Anthony Jacobs and
Seth West. I ran my first Goodwater loop, hit the trails at Bull Creek,
Slaughter Creek and started grinding out some hill repeats. I was barely
settled back into Austin life when I boarded the plane for Seattle to visit
Apryle. I was able to put in some fast miles around Discovery Park, Green Lake,
the Arboretum and Cougar Mountain trail network. Additionally, I had the
opportunity run some isolated trails in northeast Washington and put in some
pushes up Wallaby Peak and Bandera Mountain.
 |
| Good Water Loop PC: Anthony Jacobs |
It was late September and
I really had to get back to school, so I headed back to Austin just in time to
take my exit exam and attend the myofascial seminar. I continued ramping up my
pace, putting in two-a-days, challenging my legs with hill repeats, and even
running some quicker time trials on the track. On October 11th I
competed in a 5K in Round Rock and was fortunate enough to nab my first win of
the season with a somewhat respectable time of 16:52. The last big week of
training came four weeks out from Franklin Mountain 50K, which consisted of an 18.7
miler with Seth, some quick miles at the Ragnar Relays and a tough 25 miles
pacing Anthony Jacobs at Cactus Rose.
 |
| Apryle at the Start |
The last three weeks
before the race consisted of less mileage but a much quicker pace in the middle
distance runs. I was also more cognizant of my diet and cut my weight to 72
kilos which is the lightest I have been since the midway point of Leadville in
2013 (70.5 kilos when I was dehydrated). Unfortunately, these weeks were also
more stressful times for me at school, due to quantity of seminars,
assignments, and exams. However, with my comfort running 6:40 pace
consistently, running 25+ miles in a day, and lighter weight, I was feeling quite
confident going into the race.
 |
| Myself, Anthony, and Seth at Cactus Rose 100 PC: Apryle Craig |
Franklin Mountain 50K
greatly appealed to me because I knew that November would be one of my last
months in Texas. I could not think of a better way to finish out my 2.5 years
in the state than with Texas’s first mountain race. Further, looking at the
logistics made me want to run it even more, since moving to Texas, exploring
parks in the Chihuahuan desert has been one of my favorite past times.
 |
| Seth & I; PC: Apryle Craig |
Therefore, exploring and racing a in a new location seemed too good to be true.
Additionally, Franklin Mountains are the southern most range of the Rocky
Mountains in the United States. The Rocky Mountains will always hold a special
place in my heart because of my time working at Rocky Mountain National Park.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Franklin Mountains, is the fact that
it is the largest urban park (24,247.56 acres) in the nation because it is
completely encompassed within El Paso’s city limits!
 |
| Apryle & I in Franklin Mountains PC: Seth West |
On November 13th,
Seth, Apryle and I departed for El Paso, arriving at Franklin Mountain State
Park in the early afternoon. We booked our campsite and attended the prerace
meeting and ran/hiked a few trails. Seth had a long string of bad luck in the
three weeks preceding the race being ailed by sickness and kayaking injuries,
but was determined to race regardless. When we ran up some of the hills we were
surprised at how bad we felt and wrestled with the fact that even after only
about two hundred meters we were out of breath. We tried to put that behind us
and just be ready for the start of the race.
 |
| North Franklin Peak PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
When we woke on November
14th we did not have very far to walk to the start line, which was
quite convenient. It was a cold morning, relatively speaking, and I debated
what to wear for the race, I settled on my triathlon compression shorts, my
race tested gray long sleeve and my ultimate direction vest (with a 2 liter
camel back and one boob) as opposed to the handheld water bottle. I was only
able to eat a small piece of toast with peanut butter due to my nerves, but was
still energized and ready to run.
 |
| Ascending North Franklin Peak PC: PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
The race started in the
dark, but it was probably light enough to run without the headlamp. I wanted to
take off conservative, because in the prerace meeting Rob mentioned that the
last six miles were fast and easy. I figured I would just do damage control on
the climbs and try not to loose too much time and then make moves on the descents
and more rolling terrain. The first 3.8 miles were on the Shaeffer Shuffle
trail, which was slow going but offered a beautiful platform to watch the
landscape illuminate by the light of the rising sun. I moved from fifth place
to second place during the first few miles heading back to the start/finish
line and then we headed back out to bag North Franklin Peak.
 |
| Ascending North Franklin Peak PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
I relinquished second
place before the start of the climb and then after the 10.65 mile aid station,
Jeff Ball overtook me and I dropped back to fourth place. At this point I
simply hiked up the mountain trying not to hemorrhage too much time to the
leaders. I was not sure how my strategy would play out, I knew that Josh Pauley
was training in Flagstaff and had some impressive results and I knew that Jeff
Ball was a perennial powerhouse always putting in solid performances, and
although, I was not aware of who Jacob Phillips was at the time, he looked to
be an incredibly strong runner. Therefore, I thought my chances of a win on the
day were slim to none.
 |
| Approaching the finish PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
However, at the bottom of
the descent from North Franklin Peak, I caught up to Jeff. I figured that we
might work together to reel Josh and Jacob back in, but I could tell that Jeff
was not feeling it that day. A few months earlier at the Horseshoe 50K Jeff
left me in the dust… or should I say mud, so even though he appeared to be
struggling, I did not for a second dismiss the fact that he could easily catch
back up to me. At any rate, I pressed on and felt a little fatigued on some of
the flats, I stopped and walked for about 100 meters and then fortunately my
legs came back I was able to run nearly all of the back 15 of the course.
 |
| Finishing Franklin Mountain 50K PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
I arrived at an aid
station, and quickly asked what time it was and how far into the course I was.
Unfortunately, none of my watches work anymore so I had no concept of pace,
distance or time. I have to say it felt freeing running without it, I was
running purely on feeling and heart. The man at the aid station said that I was
at mile 21, that it was nine o’clock and that the leaders were two minutes
ahead. This was quite helpful, but when I caught a glimpse of Josh and Jacob
they looked to be further than 2 minutes ahead, but appearances can be
deceptive… I pressed on.
 |
| Apryle & I Post Race PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
In the following six miles
I closed the gap to Josh first (about a mile or two from the 21 mile aid
station), he appeared to be struggling and employing a run/hike strategy on the
uphill sections. Once again, I did not dismiss the fact that he could rally
back and catch me later so I kept the pace strong. I also caught a glimpse of
Jacob running in a valley while I was still skirting along a small ridge line.
I surmised that he was about a minute ahead of me, meaning that I was closing
the gap. Finally, after about 26 miles of pursuit, I assumed the race lead, and
was ecstatic but also quite nervous.
 |
| Apryle & I Post Race |
I passed Jacob just prior
a series of steep switch backs leading down to an aid station. I tried my best
to run strong and put some distance on him and when I got to the aid station, I
did not see him behind me. I was told that I would be running about two miles
weaving in and out of a rocky wash and then the last four would be smooth
sailing. This was pretty much true and I found myself weaving through a
relatively flat upland desert. I looked back way too much, and was more
concerned about losing my lead than finishing the race. After what seemed like
an eternity in an isolated desert, I heard voices, then saw people running
(presumably some of the other distances) and knew that I must be close to the
finish. Another runner told me I had under two miles to go, and I was beginning
to feel comfortable that I would win my first ultra this year after three
disappointing second places.
 |
| Rob Goyen & I Post Race PC: Apryle Craig |
The last mile was not easy
with a series of ascents, rocky cliff edges, and traffic, but I heard Apryle
cheering me on about a half mile away and tried my best to finish out strong. I
was overwhelmed with excitement when I began walking up the steps into the
finish. With a base elevation over 5000 feet and over 7000 feet of elevation
gain throughout the race, this was the challenge I was looking for to cap off
my time in Texas. Even the relatively flat sections of the race were technical
and rock strewn making the ability to settle into a rhythm near impossible. To
cross the finish line first on such on the grand stage in Franklin Mountain
State Park against such distinguished competition will remain one of the most
memorable moments of my running career.
 |
| Apryle & I Post Race Cool Down PC: Myke Hermsmeyer |
Thank you to Robert and
Rachel Goyen for putting on another amazing event. Not only do you both
put on spectacular races but you also encourage exploration of relatively
unknown areas. You have a knack for locating hidden gems in this widely diverse
state. Thank you to the staff at Franklin Mountain State Park for your hospitality.
Thank you to all the amazing volunteers at this event! Thank you to Seth West
and for driving nearly all of the way down to El Paso, I can't wait to watch
you kill it in 2016! Thanks to Myke Hermsmeyer for taking some
amazing photos of the race! Thanks to Anthony Jacobs for introducing
me to the all of the best toughest places to run in the Austin area. Thanks to Jeff
Ball and Tracie Akerhielm for always extending me an invite to join
in your relay teams this summer/fall! Thanks to Gordy Ainsleigh for all of your
advice on 100 mile training; it truly was an honor to converse with the man
that started Western States. Thank you to my parents for supporting my running
over the last decade! Finally thanks to my beautiful fiancé Apryle for
your unrelenting support and always believing in me!
Fall Running Log
Month
September
|
Days
30 to 5
|
Miles
88.6
|
Time
14:26:57
|
Pace
9:47
|
LongRun
28
|
|
September
|
6 to 12
|
64
|
8:05:29
|
7:35
|
12
|
|
September
|
13 to 19
|
62.28
|
11:58:36
|
11:32
|
12.58
|
|
September
|
20 to 26
|
55.8
|
9:17:51
|
9:59
|
13.2
|
|
September
|
27 to 3
|
66.05
|
8:26:01
|
7:39
|
13.26
|
|
October
|
4 to 10
|
90.99
|
11:52:03
|
7:49
|
26
|
|
October
|
11 to 17
|
73.67
|
8:41:16
|
7:04
|
13
|
|
October
|
18 to 24
|
94.51
|
11:49:04
|
7:30
|
25
|
|
October
|
25 to 31
|
68.9
|
9:06:25
|
7:55
|
25
|
|
November
|
1 to 7
|
67.57
|
8:58:01
|
7:57
|
12.8
|
|
November
|
8 to 14
|
87.43
|
12:10:49
|
8:21
|
32.5
|
|
Running & Racing
Statistics from the Fall
October 11th:
Country Run 5K; A cross country style race in Round Rock. 1st
overall in a time of 16:52.4
October 23rd:
Ragnar Relay Results: 1st Overall in 16:03:29 (120 miles). Some
amazing performances from my fellow teammates: Apryle Craig, Calum Neff, Jeff
Ball, Tracie Akerhielm, Daniel Bucci, and Venus Turner. I ran a 5 mile leg:
31:52 and two 7.70 mile legs: (52:08 and 56:18). The conditions were less than
ideal with torrential down pour ensuing as the sun went down.
October 24th:
Had the opportunity to pace Anthony Jacobs the final 25 miles of his Cactus
Rose 100 mile race. Anthony ran an impressive first 100, capturing second place
in a time of: 21:20:50.
November 14th: Franklin Mountain 50K; 1st overall in
