Night Hawk 50k
Showing posts with label results. Show all posts
Showing posts with label results. Show all posts
Night Hawk 50k complete
Night Hawk 50k
Hawk 100 / 50 / Marathon
I can now say that I've been to the edge. I can also say that I ran along the edge for about 20 miles. Back on the 8th of September I finished my first Ultramarathon; the Trailhawk 50 miler.
It was, as far as I can tell, pretty much a textbook case of a 50 mile race. I had very few problems and overall the race went very well. The course was very familiar to me as I have run it numerous times in training. It consisted of two 25 mile loops around the north shore trails on Clinton lake.
I completed the first loop in great time along with the two top female finishers. This was kind of a surprise to me as I figured on taking a little longer. I usually push myself pretty hard just on instinct so I shouldn't be too surprised. I typically have to force myself to slow down. I certainly paid for it on the second loop. About 5 miles in I started having pretty good pain in my left knee and right ankle. I still don't know if one was a result of favoring the other or if it was sheer coincidence. All I can say is I limped along for near 20 miles. Each leg of the race I was saying to myself "If I can just make it here... then I'll be able to finish..."
Before too long that leg was the last leg and I was cruising up the incline at the end of the white trail coming out to the Corps of Engineers lot. I was very relieved. It was almost a little uneventful as a few miles from the finish I had this epiphany that I was going to finish. I was 5 miles from the finish line, almost crying, and pretty much cheering out loud that I had done it, when I wasn't really done yet and there was nobody around to celebrate with.
I managed to limp across the finish line and meet my kids in open arms. Thanks so much to Julie for bringing them up for the first loop and the finish line.
I guess now it's time to start training for the Rockin' K next spring. I don't know If I have another race in me for the fall and my knee has taken a lot longer than expected to heal. I think I'll work on strengthening the knees and do some tempo work to get ready for the Rockin' K. I managed to win a free entry for the race so I'm committed. Now I just have to figure out how to camp before a race. That's going to be the real adventure. How do I recover while camping?
Kevin Gray 5k Report and Results
I didn't do too bad at the Kevin Gray Inaugural Father's Day 5k; placing 4th in my age group. Considering I ran 10 miles the night before and played a double-header of softball, I am happy with the results =)
It was a great race through the T-Bones stadium and ending up in the Sporting KC stadium. The first mile was up hill and into the wind but not too terribly bad. The only suggestions I had for changes were to move the "chip-cutters" back away from the finish line a little and maybe have some water bottles closer to the finish. I had to go up a long flight of stairs to get water. I understand it must be difficult to end a race in a nice stadium like that and provide amenities without mucking up the field. They had to shew me out of the leather box seats once as well =)
All in all, it was a great, well organized race and a real treat for Father's day.
It was a great race through the T-Bones stadium and ending up in the Sporting KC stadium. The first mile was up hill and into the wind but not too terribly bad. The only suggestions I had for changes were to move the "chip-cutters" back away from the finish line a little and maybe have some water bottles closer to the finish. I had to go up a long flight of stairs to get water. I understand it must be difficult to end a race in a nice stadium like that and provide amenities without mucking up the field. They had to shew me out of the leather box seats once as well =)
All in all, it was a great, well organized race and a real treat for Father's day.
Free State Trail Marathon Report
First of all, here are the results.
What a great day for a marathon. The weather couldn't have been better. It was a cool 40 degrees at the start and stayed partly cloudy and about 60 degrees all morning. The course was dry (but rocky as I found out multiple times).
We started with an out and back loop which I didn't like at first but later realized it was a good thing. The two quick out-and-back loops provided a nice break in the atmosphere and almost made it feel like two different courses. By the time we hit the "real" trail, we were 6 miles into the course.
A few miles down the trail I found a nice rock at the top of a ledge the hard way. I had just asked a friend for the time and I was mentally calculating things in my head and kicked it rather hard. I did a "superman" off the ledge and landed in a heap. With both knees bleeding, an elbow and hand cut up, I managed to get to my feet. At that point I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to continue. It was easily the hardest I'd ever fallen on the trail. This was no simple face-plant. I was sailing through the air at one point. I'm a fairly regular trail runner and I can say one things for sure. There is no moment in a trail run that is more terrifying than the point right after you stumble when you know, without a doubt, that you are going to fall. I stumble 2-3 times per run but rarely fall. This time, I knew from the moment I kicked that rock, that I was going to be bleeding in a matter of seconds.
After the embarrassment wore off, I pulled myself up and brushed myself off with the help of the gathering crowd. The embarrassment suffered during the first few miles of a trail run can be overwhelming. If you are alone, you just look around and thank the trail gods that nobody saw. If you are in a group, you just want to distance yourself from the situation as quickly as possible hoping the people will forget who fell. A friend generously offered me a band-aid but I turned her down with a quick negation of damage and urged us back onto the trail.
Just a few miles more and we were on the lovely (hrmpf) red trail along the shoreline. This is the highlight of the Shoreline Shuffle, a 5k trail run coming up here in May. But I must say it should have been avoided on this particular course. There is a parallel trail just up the shoreline that offers the same distance but a much less dangerous trail. The red route is just a rocky mess. Sure it is very scenic if you are brave enough to take your eyes off the trail. If you do take your eyes from the trail be ready for a nasty spill. There are sharp rocks and jagged ledges for a half mile or more.
At the end of the red trail there is a small switchback up to the first "manned" aid station at Lands End. This is also the halfway point of the marathon. I felt great at this point and was a bit surprised at the time and distance already traveled. Not only were we half done, but the rest of the race would be done in familiar territory. I have been regularly running this half of the Clinton Lake trails for the past couple years. The aid station was run by the Trail Nerds who are the main sponsors of the race. They are a very experienced group of runners who know how to do an aid station. The race being a combination of ultra/marathon may have contributed to the abundance of supplies, but it was a regular smorgasbord of runner's food and drink, along with various medicinal supplies for the ailing trail runner. We quickly refilled bottles and grabbed a snack before heading out on the way to the Corps of Engineers lot a few miles up the trail.
The next few miles are the "blue" trail. I was planning on using this portion of the trail as my meat and potatoes portion of the run. I knew it fairly well and it is a rather flat and easy section of the trail. I knew I could push myself and not worry too much about stumbling or falling. I took advantage of this but probably pushed too hard. I guess under different circumstances I wouldn't have done this and wouldn't have been quite so done by the end of the day. I knew the return portion of the loop would be on the "white" trail and much more challenging. So, I had to make some time.
By the time I was approaching the Corps of Engineers lot I had pushed away from my friend and was alone on the trail. It seemed every time I decided to slow down and coast along I would see someone up ahead and feel the "need" to catch them. About a mile out from the CoE trail-head we took an unexpected detour out onto the road. The route pushed up the road a small way and then to the grass and over to the CoE lot. It avoided a more crowded section of the trail but cut a couple miles out of the route that I had calculated in my head.
I also managed to catch and pass my "white rabbit" that I had picked out at the beginning of the race. This is something I like to do in any race. I pick an eager, overzealous, ambitious, motivated, excessively enthusiastic runner who bolts out of the gate to an early lead. I track them through the race and hopefully pass them before it's too late and finish ahead of them. I imagine I'm not the only one who plays this little game but it keeps you motivated and watching ahead of you for signs of your prey. In this race it was a young kid in fancy running gear who was obviously biting off more than he could chew. I was slightly surprised that he finished when he did; just a few minutes behind me.
I only filled my bottle at the CoE station. Nothing looked really good on the table and I had just had a Stinger waffle on the trail before arriving. So I breezed through and picked up a few minutes starting with a new group of runners for the return trip. I knew this portion of the trail pretty well. I knew it was fairly technical and that I'd have to slow down and take it easy or I could easily fall. Falling at this portion of the race could easily mean a pulled muscle and possibly not finishing at all. I knew it would be hard but I had to keep control and not try to go too fast.
When we reached Lands End again I was feeling fine. I had eaten another Stinger waffle just before arriving so again, I pushed through with just a refill. Something I didn't really need given there were just three miles to the finish. Three LONG miles.
I felt fine approaching Lands End but leaving my knees felt like giant knots of swollen tissue and bone. I really wish I hadn't pushed so hard up to that point. I was hoping to finish feeling like I could keep going. But at this point I was shuffling along so slowly that I could have been power-walking. This down-hills were killing my knees. I was surprised that going up-hill felt better. I was catching people on the up-hill only to give it back while creeping down the other side. This was also a portion of the trail I had never run on. I was fully expecting to be done much closer to Lands End. When I saw there were three more miles, I was a little shocked. This is where the two miles chopped off the Corps of Engineers loop came back to haunt me.
By the time I reached the end of that three miles I was close to limping. My left knee felt like jelly and every down-hill step was painful. I came around a bend to see people clapping and cheering. I was caught off-guard since I had not run this section of trail before. There was nobody around me in front or behind but I sprinted up the hill the best I could and through the shoot to the finish. I had to circle back around to see the clock time but I finished just under 4:30. It was an anticlimactic end to a very enjoyable run.
What a great day for a marathon. The weather couldn't have been better. It was a cool 40 degrees at the start and stayed partly cloudy and about 60 degrees all morning. The course was dry (but rocky as I found out multiple times).
We started with an out and back loop which I didn't like at first but later realized it was a good thing. The two quick out-and-back loops provided a nice break in the atmosphere and almost made it feel like two different courses. By the time we hit the "real" trail, we were 6 miles into the course.
A few miles down the trail I found a nice rock at the top of a ledge the hard way. I had just asked a friend for the time and I was mentally calculating things in my head and kicked it rather hard. I did a "superman" off the ledge and landed in a heap. With both knees bleeding, an elbow and hand cut up, I managed to get to my feet. At that point I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to continue. It was easily the hardest I'd ever fallen on the trail. This was no simple face-plant. I was sailing through the air at one point. I'm a fairly regular trail runner and I can say one things for sure. There is no moment in a trail run that is more terrifying than the point right after you stumble when you know, without a doubt, that you are going to fall. I stumble 2-3 times per run but rarely fall. This time, I knew from the moment I kicked that rock, that I was going to be bleeding in a matter of seconds.
After the embarrassment wore off, I pulled myself up and brushed myself off with the help of the gathering crowd. The embarrassment suffered during the first few miles of a trail run can be overwhelming. If you are alone, you just look around and thank the trail gods that nobody saw. If you are in a group, you just want to distance yourself from the situation as quickly as possible hoping the people will forget who fell. A friend generously offered me a band-aid but I turned her down with a quick negation of damage and urged us back onto the trail.
Just a few miles more and we were on the lovely (hrmpf) red trail along the shoreline. This is the highlight of the Shoreline Shuffle, a 5k trail run coming up here in May. But I must say it should have been avoided on this particular course. There is a parallel trail just up the shoreline that offers the same distance but a much less dangerous trail. The red route is just a rocky mess. Sure it is very scenic if you are brave enough to take your eyes off the trail. If you do take your eyes from the trail be ready for a nasty spill. There are sharp rocks and jagged ledges for a half mile or more.
At the end of the red trail there is a small switchback up to the first "manned" aid station at Lands End. This is also the halfway point of the marathon. I felt great at this point and was a bit surprised at the time and distance already traveled. Not only were we half done, but the rest of the race would be done in familiar territory. I have been regularly running this half of the Clinton Lake trails for the past couple years. The aid station was run by the Trail Nerds who are the main sponsors of the race. They are a very experienced group of runners who know how to do an aid station. The race being a combination of ultra/marathon may have contributed to the abundance of supplies, but it was a regular smorgasbord of runner's food and drink, along with various medicinal supplies for the ailing trail runner. We quickly refilled bottles and grabbed a snack before heading out on the way to the Corps of Engineers lot a few miles up the trail.
The next few miles are the "blue" trail. I was planning on using this portion of the trail as my meat and potatoes portion of the run. I knew it fairly well and it is a rather flat and easy section of the trail. I knew I could push myself and not worry too much about stumbling or falling. I took advantage of this but probably pushed too hard. I guess under different circumstances I wouldn't have done this and wouldn't have been quite so done by the end of the day. I knew the return portion of the loop would be on the "white" trail and much more challenging. So, I had to make some time.
By the time I was approaching the Corps of Engineers lot I had pushed away from my friend and was alone on the trail. It seemed every time I decided to slow down and coast along I would see someone up ahead and feel the "need" to catch them. About a mile out from the CoE trail-head we took an unexpected detour out onto the road. The route pushed up the road a small way and then to the grass and over to the CoE lot. It avoided a more crowded section of the trail but cut a couple miles out of the route that I had calculated in my head.
I also managed to catch and pass my "white rabbit" that I had picked out at the beginning of the race. This is something I like to do in any race. I pick an eager, overzealous, ambitious, motivated, excessively enthusiastic runner who bolts out of the gate to an early lead. I track them through the race and hopefully pass them before it's too late and finish ahead of them. I imagine I'm not the only one who plays this little game but it keeps you motivated and watching ahead of you for signs of your prey. In this race it was a young kid in fancy running gear who was obviously biting off more than he could chew. I was slightly surprised that he finished when he did; just a few minutes behind me.
I only filled my bottle at the CoE station. Nothing looked really good on the table and I had just had a Stinger waffle on the trail before arriving. So I breezed through and picked up a few minutes starting with a new group of runners for the return trip. I knew this portion of the trail pretty well. I knew it was fairly technical and that I'd have to slow down and take it easy or I could easily fall. Falling at this portion of the race could easily mean a pulled muscle and possibly not finishing at all. I knew it would be hard but I had to keep control and not try to go too fast.
When we reached Lands End again I was feeling fine. I had eaten another Stinger waffle just before arriving so again, I pushed through with just a refill. Something I didn't really need given there were just three miles to the finish. Three LONG miles.
I felt fine approaching Lands End but leaving my knees felt like giant knots of swollen tissue and bone. I really wish I hadn't pushed so hard up to that point. I was hoping to finish feeling like I could keep going. But at this point I was shuffling along so slowly that I could have been power-walking. This down-hills were killing my knees. I was surprised that going up-hill felt better. I was catching people on the up-hill only to give it back while creeping down the other side. This was also a portion of the trail I had never run on. I was fully expecting to be done much closer to Lands End. When I saw there were three more miles, I was a little shocked. This is where the two miles chopped off the Corps of Engineers loop came back to haunt me.
By the time I reached the end of that three miles I was close to limping. My left knee felt like jelly and every down-hill step was painful. I came around a bend to see people clapping and cheering. I was caught off-guard since I had not run this section of trail before. There was nobody around me in front or behind but I sprinted up the hill the best I could and through the shoot to the finish. I had to circle back around to see the clock time but I finished just under 4:30. It was an anticlimactic end to a very enjoyable run.
Pi-Day Finish
I finished the Pi-Day Half Marathon in 1:50 on the clock. My knee was a little sore. I think it was from running on the right side of the trail most of the way. When I made a conscious effort to run in the middle it started feeling better. I need to make a note of that for the Free State Trail Marathon next month. Hopefully the results will be posted later today.
Results posted!!!
Results posted!!!
Shoreline Shuffle
I am officially a "Master" I guess. Being 40+ I've known this for a while now but this passed weekend I claimed my first Masters Trophy at the Shoreline Shuffle. I was a surprised due to the amount of people in front of me but I guess they were all younger than I thought. It was a great race on a beautiful course. The route along the shoreline is terrific but can be a little hazardous. My time came in at 25:35 which was better than expected given the rocky terrain. I've run those trails many times but I have never timed myself on that route. I was certainly pleased. Oh, and the scones at the finish line were completely amazing.
Red Dog 5k Results
My First Official Race Bling!
Last weekend I did the Start2Finish 5k at finished second in my age group. I got my first actual medal! I was very happy with my time and happy that the first place finish was a full minute ahead of me (no chance for me to catch him).
Start2finish Results
Start2finish Results
Eudora Horsethief 5k
I ran the Eudora Horsethief 5k this morning and apparently I was running like a horsethief. I managed a personal best of 22:45. I was shooting for a 24:00 so when I rounded that last turn and saw 22:30 I was stunned to say the least. It was a great crowd and a nice course through downtown Eudora. I'll be checking SeeKCRun.com later for some pictures. No results posted yet but that should be interesting as well. I'll try to get them up here when I find them.
Horsethief 2011 Results
Horsethief 2011 Results
Mass Street Mile and more...
I was a little sore the next day from my lack of interval training. Julie said she was fine. She does a lot of interval stuff in her class as well as general muscle work in that area. I generally just run with some push-ups and crunches thrown in.
Now I need to decide on a race for this weekend. It's looking like the Eudora Horse-Thief 5k. The shirt alone would be reason to do this one. But, since I'm not guaranteed a shirt as a late registration, I'm kinda bummed.
Mass Street Mile Results
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