Cactus Rose Training Plan

So a few friends have asked me about my training plan for the Cactus Rose 100. While I don't have a detailed plan, I do have a basic outline in mind. I also have some self-imposed restrictions - our new baby is due in July and that definitely takes precedence. Family time is very important to me and I will not compromise that. Spending all day running at the Greenbelt does not appeal to me, so there will be a lot of early morning runs (maybe between overnight feedings), with the emphasis on quality workouts. Plus lots of weights and core workouts at home.

Here are the 10 principals underpinning my approach to this training plan and race:

1. Training officially starts at the beginning of May. This gives me a good 6 months to prepare. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue my marathon coaching this year or not, so that may play into things a little.

2. Get a base. My entire ultra training strategy is based on back-to-back training weekends. What I run during the week doesn't really matter that much - this is where the magic happens. Over the first few months I want to maintain a base Saturday run of 20 miles, and at least 10 on Sundays. Come August I will evaluate what needs tweaking.

3. Horses for courses - Cactus Rose is full of hills, lots of them, and all of them rugged. It is the Bandera course with most of the flat bits taken out - I'm talking a lot of this - so plenty of leg strength is needed. Not only do I need to practice running up them (one of my strengths), I need to practice running down them (definitely not a strength). Let me say this right now - I intend to attack the ass off this race. In all my best ultras I have gone out fast, pulled back when I hit a low point, and hit it hard again when I resurface. I have always been able to ride out the lows because I know they are temporary, and I take advantage of the highs and just go. I know the conventional wisdom is to start out conservatively, but my strategy has always worked well and I usually finish strong. If I DNF, I want it to be because I threw the kitchen sink at this bad boy and gave it all I could.

4. Practice races. A good 50 miler a month or so before the race would be ideal, but so far I haven't found one. However, Brad's darkside series might just fit the bill - three 60k night races, each two weeks apart, throughout August.

5. Nutrition. This race does not provide anything at aid stations except water - you win or lose by what you stash in your drop bag - so I have to figure out the best way to keep those calories coming. Liquid calories (meal replacement shakes) will only go so far, and I need something that will keep all day (and night), and that I can eat on the run, or consume quickly at the aid station. I'm thinking avocados, turkey sandwiches, cold sausage, curry sauce with rice, that kind of thing. Maybe I can bribe someone to go down to Cowboy pizza (my Bandera eatery of choice) and pick me up an extra large for the night portion, so I can grab a few slices of it each time I come through Equestrian.

6. Cross training - building leg (and ankle) strength, good core and upper body. I'm thinking fusion of balance work and weights, I'm thinking Swedish exercise ball, I'm thinking set combos (combining two exercises in one set, for example lunges combined with bicep curls), I'm thinking plyometrics. Aerobic weights workouts have always worked well for me and I will raid Nancy's collection of workout dvds. That Jillian Michaels has some bloody annoying facial expressions, and I often wish she would shut the hell up, but she's a kick ass trainer with some excellent workouts.

7. Stretching. Definitely something I don't do enough of. And I should do better, especially since I own the famous woolly hat book. I promise to do better and will devise a daily stretching routine. Note this is the one point I'm most likely to fall off of.

8. Backing off. Any training plan is a guide, nothing more. If you're feeling jaded, listen to your body and back off. Sometimes just resting for a week leaves you revitalized and re-energized.

9. Pacers. I don't have any and am not looking for any. I enjoy running with other folks, but I am also comfortable with my own company. I also don't think it's fair to drag Nancy along to watch two kids while I play in the hills, so this will probably be a solo trip. That's ok - I just have to get myself in that mental groove. Luckily this has always been a strength.

10. Practicing endurance and sleep deprivation - new baby will play a key role here :-)

Enough talk - here is my basic week breakdown:

Saturday	Long run. 20+ miles - road, trail or combo. Optional core workout.
Sunday	Long run. 10 miles road hills (Jester, Ladera Norte etc), followed by hilly trail. Optional yoga or stretching routine.
Monday	6-10 miles trail run. Medium hills - concentrate on holding pace on tired legs.
Tuesday	Weights, aerobics, core or rest. Alternating hill repeats with Gavin on my shoulders.
Wednesday	Hill repeats on the Hill of Life, followed by 6 miles trail
Thursday	Weights, aerobics, core or rest.
Friday	Absolutely no running or workout whatsoever - woohoo!!! I love Fridays.

Easy like Sunday Morning

Does any British "child of the 70s and 80s" not remember the tv show "The Trap Door"? Good old Burke, Boney and "the thing upstairs". I loved that show, and when Gavin was born I bought a dvd of all the episodes (they were only 5 minutes each). Since this weekend was the first of Nancy's four weekends down in San Antonio, and it was just me and the boy (and the dog) left to rule the roost at home, we enjoyed a Trapdoor marathon. It was wonderful to sit and laugh together at a show I grew up with (and there's a large selection of them on Youtube). Oh globbitz!!!

Anyway, I had great plans to get up early and go run Walnut Creek yesterday, but never quite made it. Ah, the pleasure of being "off season". Instead I had a great weights session which included lots of squats, lunges and side planks (some with weights and some with Gavin on my shoulders). Dang, when you haven't done those for a while, you certainly feel them the next day. Over the next few months I will be concentrating on more weights sessions, aerobics and core workouts to supplement the running, and integrating them into my Cactus Rose training plan which tentatively starts in May.

This morning I woke up super early and got my run in at 5am before Nancy left. Clea agreed to meet me (thank you, thank you, thank you) and we had a lovely run around Mueller. I haven't been back there since it was the Austin airport in the late 90s - there were some really cool trails and funky neighborhoods to enjoy and the weather was just about perfect. It was a nice start to one of those odd Sundays where I had to go into work. Clea kindly offered to babysit Gavin for me, but he's been really good recently so I took him into the office with me. He was reasonably well behaved (though very chatty), and took a liking to a large inflatable alien I had in my office (don't ask - except to say that inflatable alien is now in our living room). I'd forgotten that the Capitol 10k was this morning. 30,000 runners crammed onto Congress - not my idea of fun - and I had to take a few detours to get into the office, but nothing major.

And finally, big congratulations to my little brother who ran his first half marathon this morning in Wilmslow, England, with a cracking time of 1:46:59. Seriously, if this boy actually did any training he would be a superb runner - much better than me.

I have one very clear memory of running with him - it was a 5k race about 6 years ago. We had been up drinking beer until late the night before and he wasn't feeling very good in the first few miles so I slowed down to stay with him. Then about half a mile from the finish he got a second wind and took off without even looking back.

That just about summarizes my brother - a hell of a runner, and a bit of a git.

Only kidding John :-)

10 Years in Captivity

But in a good way. Tomorrow Nancy and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary with a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Back in 2000 we took a fantastic trip to Greece - we spent some time on the islands, traveled across to the mainland and visited Olympia and Athens. It was probably our favorite vacation, and on one of our best days on the islands we traveled around Zakynthos sightseeing. We stopped at a small honey producer and ate traditional Greek yogurt with walnuts and honey - it was delicious. We ended the day at a romantic restaurant in the countryside where we enjoyed a candlelit traditional Greek meal with copious amounts of local red wine.

It was a day to remember, so tomorrow I'm going to recreate that day through food. I have planned a Greek supper to include moussaka with that wonderful combination of Greek yogurt, walnuts and honey for desert. Old romantic that I am, I may even drag out some candles.

Only one of us will be allowed red wine (due to baby), but I will lift my glass and hope for another 10 years as happy as the last 10.... and then refill it.

Here's to you babe - love ya.

Mentally Refreshed

Ok, so I have a theory. Since I came back from the Seabrook marathon weekend my running has been great. All of the tiredness from the last month has completely ebbed away and I'm feeling strong again. I think that I'd been getting mentally stale, and just needed to rediscover running for the hell of it. Knowing that I don't have to get up early to run long both Saturday and Sunday makes such a difference - I may do it anyway, but the point is I don't have to.

And I probably won't be for the next few weeks since Nancy is going to be in San Antonio on Saturdays and Sundays, thus curtailing my weekend run (yep, that means boys-only weekends for the Gavster and me - lots of Batman, ice cream, silly fun and stuff that mummy doesn't let us get away with). So it will be 5am medium-distance runs or lie-ins. Hmmm, difficult choice. Maybe this is the enforced break I keep talking about and never taking? Then again maybe not - I suspect some days the run will win. And on those it doesn't? Well, there's always the shred.

Stay tuned for the beginnings of a training plan for the Cactus Rose 100. I'm on the sign-up list, so I guess it's official. I plan on incorporating quite a bit of cross training - lots of core, upper body work and hundreds of squats, lunges and variations thereof - in addition to the running.

I have a feeling that hills and me will become very good friends over the next few months.

Dreams of Manderley

After very many attempts and far too many hockey pucks I finally managed to nail it and create some really yummy submarine rolls today. I used this recipe fromKing Arthur flour, only I changed it up to make 6 subs instead of 8 buns and used dried sage instead of dried onion which made the whole house smell great. They tasted fantastic and we ate them still warm - I built a sandwich out of cream cheese, red lettuce, tomato, honey ham, red onion and mozzarella. I only wish I had some avocado slices to layer on top.

Now I can enjoy a delicious sandwich without having to look at pictures of that goofy Jared. Take that Subway!!!
Oh, and the post title is an obscure literature reference and nothing at all to do with anything. Kind of like the post itself.

Misty Mornings at Walnut Creek

I had the day off today, so I slept in and then headed over to Walnut Creek around 8am for a nice recovery run. It was wonderful to just run without any race to train for or any goal in mind (Cactus is too far in the future to worry about yet). This coming Wednesday I'm hosting a "trail 101" run for some road runners as part of our work's fitness and wellness program, so I primarily wanted to map out a 5 mile route.

The rain from the weekend has had an amazing effect. There was water running in the creek, all of nature seemed to be alive and everything was right with the world. As I ran through the woods, beams of sunlight shone through the trees, spotlighting the path ahead of me. The temperature was in the 40s, and as I came across the dam the last of the early morning mists were lifting and it was just beautiful. I stopped for a moment to breathe it all in. The log loop was wonderfully peaceful, and I headed up powerline and then diverted down to the shady springs trail and took one of the alternative creek crossings. I splashed across the creek, enjoying the feeling of the cold water and headed back along the ridge to the parking lot. It was one of those runs that left me refreshed and invigorated. I ran super slow, and took many walk breaks to just enjoy a glorious spring morning. The 5 miles took me just over an hour.

As I have the day off, I'm going to make a nice supper. I picked up some jumbo shrimp which I shelled this afternoon, and I'm going to saute them in butter with shallots, garlic, lemon juice and a sprinkle of herbs. Paired with some white rice and a side salad it should make a simple but very delicious meal. Yummy - good times.

Trail Challenge at the Seabrook Marathon

At the start line of the marathon. Gavin is snuggled up in my Rocky Raccoon sweatshirt

I seem to like doing things in threes. First there was the "Texas Trilogy" series of ultra races, and then the "Texas Marathon Triple", which comprised the Texas marathon on New Year's day, the Surfside beach marathon on Valentines day and the Seabrook lucky trails marathon this morning. While signing up for Seabrook I noticed they had something called the "trail challenge". Basically, if you ran the half marathon on the Saturday and the full marathon on the Sunday you would get 3 medals. I love a challenge, so of course I signed up.

Friday afternoon, Nancy, Gavin and myself made the drive down to the coast. I don't know what the weather was like in Austin, but it was pouring with rain when we hit Houston and continued to rain for the rest of the weekend. We stopped at Clearlake to pick up my packet - it had one of the best technical running shirts I've ever gotten (a Brooks), a nice pair of running socks, and a hat. Top marks for the goody bag.

I'll be honest, I'm feeling pretty burned out on races at the moment. This was my last racing weekend for a long while, and I really wasn't looking forward to it. Nevertheless I left Nancy and Gavin asleep in the lovely warm hotel room and drove down to the freezing cold race site early Saturday to run the half marathon. At least the rain had stopped.

I've been hitting the running really hard since last summer, peaked for the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler a month ago and kept on going. But I've been feeling tired over the last few weeks, and my running has not been good. It continued in a similar vein for the half. The half marathon was two loops around the trails. I did ok, and finished in 1:47:05 (8:10 pace) but I never got a rhythm going and never found the extra gear I usually have - a month ago I would have hammered this race and knocked 30 seconds to a minute a mile off that time. Sure, the trails were heavy from all the rain, but still. It didn't bode well for the marathon.

But I was done and dusted by 9:30am which left the rest of the day for playing. I drove back to the hotel, took a quick shower and then we set off to explore. Unfortunately it soon started raining, and it didn't stop until the next morning but we didn't let this spoil our fun. In fact we thoroughly enjoyed Seabrook and Kemah and had a great time. Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

Visiting with "Bruce" the shark and the Seabrook pelican. The kind gentleman at the Seabrook visitor's center came out and offered to take the latter picture for us, then invited us in. We got to pet his dog "Dinghy" while he told us stories of old Seabrook, and what happened to the town during Hurricane Ike.

Gavin and Nancy "in jail"	"Shooting ships" in the marina

Riding the rails at the Kemah boardwalk

We visited Galveston in the afternoon. It's 43F, freezing cold rain is hammering down and Gavin wanted to go in the sea. And he wanted daddy to go in with him. Did I ever mention I love the sea? We were in before you could say "crazy". Gavin wanted to swim, but we had to draw the line somewhere. It was actually colder once we got out. We put the heater on in the car, had some deli sandwiches and watched the rain and the waves. On a more serious note, evidence of Hurricane Ike was everywhere. Many of our favorite places were damaged or completely gone, and the State park had shut down. On the plus side, Gaido's seafood restaurant survived, along with the most fun mini golf course we've ever played.

We drove back to Seabrook in torrential rain and found a great little Italian place for supper. While we waited for our meal, they brought Gavin a piece of pizza dough to play with. We had a great time shaping it and playing, and the food was excellent. I just wish I'd had room for dessert.

The rain finally stopped sometime during the night, and when I ventured outside in the morning it was nowhere near as cold as it had been on the Saturday. I only hoped that the trails would hold up after all the rain.

The marathon got underway and I decided to take it easy and see how things went. I didn't carry any water bottles with me and decided to treat it as a fun run. I still didn't feel great at the start, but the further I went the better I felt. The course was 4 loops around the trails, and by the second loop I was cruising. I began to enjoy the different sections, especially the part that took you out along Galveston bay. The volunteers were all super enthusiastic and a lot of folks were decked out for St. Paddy's day. Your name was printed in big letters on the bib, so all the spectators cheered you on by name. I amused myself reading off other runner's names as they came toward me so I could do the same. I was having a blast and it was turning into a fun race.

By the final loop I was firmly back in the groove and realized I could take it easy and still snag a sub-4 hour marathon. At mile 24 I decided to kick for home, and started reeling people in. This is the bit of the marathon I love - if you manage your race correctly, this is where you will reap the benefit and start going past people like they're standing still. Just before mile 26 I passed a bunch of runners (including the girl who was about to win the women's race) and sprinted into the finish line in 3:48:44 (8:44 pace). Not my best time, but who cares.

I got 3 medals for my efforts - one on Saturday for the half, one for the full and another for completing the "trail challenge". And these are really nice unique medals and each different - two of them have a rotating piece in the middle that you can spin (Gavin is playing with them as I write). I also got a fantastic puma jacket and hat for completing the Texas Marathon Triple.

Me with the Texas Triple jacket and hat

Random Bits and Pieces
I've said it before, but you just can't beat these small town races - so personal, great quirky humor and just fun. This was a gem of a race that I would do again in a heartbeat. It was really an enjoyable weekend that just happened to include some running - I didn't spend days beforehand hydrating or carb loading, and I certainly didn't rest up between races. I didn't push myself and just ran it for fun - I wasn't even that bothered about my time. It was a good reminder of why I enjoy running.

I'm wondering if I've just gotten out of the habit of running shorter races. In all honesty, the marathon was easier than the half (and much easier than the legs I ran in the Independence relay).

I met a number of really nice folks who recognized me from other races and introduced themselves. I was in a very chatty mood and spent a good part of the marathon jabbering away to other runners.

The post-race food was good - grilled chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers along with rice and beans. They also had free massage.

A special mention for Steve Boone (race director of the Texas Marathon). He ran the marathon and every time I saw him out on the course he had a smile on his face and was full of encouragement. They had posted trivia questions along the trail, with the answers posted a little further on. One of the questions was what had Steve Boone achieved during the 2009 Houston marathon. The answer was he'd completed 400 marathons. That's just mind boggling.

And finally, I knew it was going to be a good day when I got an early St Paddy's day kiss from a pretty girl I'd never met before. Nancy - if you're reading this, it wasn't all that great. Honest :-)

More Pics from TIR

At the Start Line. Back row (l-r): Angel, Steve, Alan, Mack, Shawn, James, Dave, Tony Front row (l-r): me, John, Ron

Victory lap

In front of the San Jacinto monument. How did the Welsh boy get hold of the Texas flag?

RIP Sunmart

I learned this morning that the Sunmart 50k/50 mile race at Huntsville SP has passed into history. What a shame - Sunmart was my first ultra, it taught me that trail running was fun and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I have very nostalgic memories of the race as it always seemed to kick off the Christmas season for me. Nancy, Gavin and I would drive up leisurely on the Friday and enjoy spotting inflatable snowmen and santas along the way. Then at the park they would have Christmas decorations, lights and inflatables, and it felt so festive. I always enjoyed the complementary pasta dinner the night before, the pre-race breakfast and the post-race bbq, and I am very glad that I picked up one of their fantastic finishers afghan blankets last year. They certainly knew how to look after you and had the best goodies bag of any race I've ever done.

So RIP Sunmart - I'm going to miss you.

When is a Rose not a Rose?

Running at Bandera back in January
When it's a Cactus Rose - "A nasty rugged trail run: No Whiners, Wimps, or Wusses. We give Bonus Points for Blood, Cuts, Scrapes, & Puke".

Nice - my response to a disappointing run is to challenge myself, so I just mailed off my entry form for the Cactus Rose 100 miler (yes Clea, looks like you won the bet). This race is on Halloween and will be my second 100 miler, though it's infinitely more difficult than my first. The completion rate is very low, the terrain is rocky, very hilly and the aid stations are self-manned and have only water - we have to supply everything else, so drop bag tactics are very important. These pictures are from the Bandera race, but it gives you some idea of the terrain (Cactus is run at the same location as Bandera, only it's an extra 38 miles and all the flat bits have been taken out). The cutoff is 36 hours and only one person has ever run it in under 24, so I'll be out there for a while.

Of course, if I complete Cactus Rose I would be very tempted to run the Bandera 100k and the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler too and complete the Tejas Trails 300 series. A nice little granite award would look very nice above my fireplace. Damn OCD!!!!

But that's still a ways off - right now I'm still looking forward to taking a break after the Seabrook marathon and a half this weekend (I need it). Then I need to start formulating a training plan that will get me ready for this beast. I'm thinking I need to focus on hills rather than speed, so there will be lots of squats, lunges and hill repeats on Jester, Ladera Norte, the Hill of Life and St. Eds.

Oh, and somewhere in all that there'll be a new baby too - they are excellent endurance builders!!!

Texas Independence Relay

"We're Coming Sam" - the team at the start in Gonzales

In 1831, the Mexican government loaned the residents of Gonzales a small spiked cannon for protection against the Indians. But four years later with rebellion in the air 150 mounted soldiers were sent to reclaim it. The colonists however had other ideas. There were only 18 men in Gonzales, but they rallied behind their homemade "come and take it" banner and stood in defiance.

In the early hours of October 2nd 1835 the colonists crossed the river with their cannon, surprising the soldiers. The cannon fired, killing one soldier and scattering the rest, forcing a retreat. Thus began the fight for Texas Independence from Mexico.

The little cannon (forever enshrined in the Great Seal of Texas) was eventually buried in a creek until it was discovered again during a flood in 1936, and it now sits in the museum in Gonzales. I saw it this weekend and was surprised by how tiny it is. I was also entertained by the story of its history, humorously told by the charmingly eccentric old lady at the museum. You can read more about it here.

The reason for this story is that Gonzales was the starting point for our 11 man team for this weekend's Texas Independence Relay. Between us, we would run the 203.2 miles from Gonzales (where the first shots were fired) to the monument at San Jacinto - the site of the final battle.

So at 9:27am on Saturday morning a cannon blast appropriately signalled the start of our journey (start times were staggered by expected pace to allow all teams to get to San Jacinto by Sunday afternoon). We were handed several flags which we carried on a 1.15 mile team circuit around Gonzales, taking in historic mansions, monuments, churches, a courthouse and an old jail (complete with gallows) before our first runner took off on leg one of 40 individual relay stages. We would all meet up again in San Jacinto to run a victory loop.

It was a great boys weekend and I had a ton of fun....except for the running, which sucked. Most of my recent race reports have been filled with PRs, satisfying performances and enjoyable runs. Not this one. I ended up running 4 legs totalling 25 miles (including 2 of the 3 hardest ranked legs - thanks for that Tony) and did not feel good at all - it was hot, incredibly humid and windy. My legs felt heavy and I spent most of my running time wishing I was done. I posted recently about days that I struggle through 5 miles - well this was one of those days. These are the legs I ran

Leg 3
Difficulty Ranking : 1
Distance : 8.78 miles
Time : 1:14:18
Pace : 8:27/mile

This leg was ranked the hardest of the 40, with rolling hills on rocky and dusty trail and jeep roads. It was not helped by the heat (it was in the 80s), the humidity (around 90%) and the high winds. We'd already seen an ambulance loading up a runner who had collapsed from heat exhaustion, so I made sure I drank plenty of water and took both handhelds with me. I was also glad I had memorized the turns because several signs had been blown over. I took the handoff from Shawn, went out far too fast (6:40 first mile) and tired myself out battling into the wind. Then I got nasty stomach cramps at mile 3 which continued through the rest of the leg - what fun!!! Much of the footing was on large gravel which I had to pick routes through, and I was soon wishing for it to be over. All in all, I was somewhat surprised I managed to keep under an 8:30 pace.

On the plus side, we had a friendly rivalry going with another team we'd dubbed the "little hat people", and I was under orders from our team captain to catch their runner. She was smoking hot (and a damn good runner too) and had attracted several slobbering glances from our more lecherous teammates. I never did manage to pass her, but I got close enough to enjoy a great view and the envy of my teammates.

Oh, and we also passed by Sam Houston's oak....apparently.


Leg 14
Difficulty Ranking : 24
Distance : 4.69 miles
Time : 35:32
Pace : 7:34/mile

This leg was a lot easier than my first one. It began at dusk in the little town of Weimar, which had music and a great party atmosphere going. It was a shame to leave because the route was a monotonous straight shot down the hard shoulder of highway 90. The oppressive humidity and wind was still a factor, but it allowed me more of an opportunity to stretch my legs. I kept a consistent pace and passed 4 teams. No more stomach problems, but I just could not find that extra gear I usually have.


Leg 25
Difficulty Ranking : 21
Distance : 5 miles
Time : 38:16
Pace : 7:39/mile

This was about 3am and the wind had completely gone - not even a breeze - but the humidity meant I was soaking within a half mile. This was my best leg because by now we were catching and passing a lot of teams. This was another straight shot up FM1489 and I passed 9 teams on this leg - just kept concentrating on looking for blinkies in the distance and chasing them down. I passed one guy who for some reason was running in the middle of the road - I heard several cars honking at him, but he stubbornly kept going back out there.


Leg 32
Difficulty Ranking : 3
Distance : 6.69 miles
Time : 52:59
Pace : 7:55/mile

This leg was ranked the 3rd hardest and I hit it just after the sun came up on Sunday morning. About a mile in I was passed by a really fast runner and almost immediately we came to a fork in the path with no indication as to which way to go. We looked at each other but neither of us knew, so we tried the left one. Luckily, about 50 yards down that path we came across a guy who told us we needed to go the other way (he said he'd already corrected a bunch of runners) so we backtracked and took the right fork - yay. Coming over a hill at mile 2 I felt a hamstring twinge. I didn't want to let the team down, but neither did I want an injury before next weekend's marathon, so I eased up on the pace a little to where it felt more manageable and kept going - I could feel it, but it wasn't too bad unless I was running downhill. The rest of the leg was uneventful, but I was very glad to get to the exchange point and hand off to Steve. I walked around gingerly for a while as the hamstring felt really tight, but as that was my last leg, a few beers and slices of pizza helped loosen it up.


I haven't seen the results yet, but I think we finished at about 28 hours - a good hour and a half ahead of our predictions. We averaged around 8:15/mile (not counting the fact that we actually ran an extra 3 miles when two of our runners ran off course due to unmarked turns in Houston).

So that's the running part of it taken care of, now for the social side. We had a blast!!! Many beers were sunk and many laughs were had - it was a great boys' weekend. All the guys got on really well and it was a pleasure to be stuck in a van with them for two days - as stinkingly smelly as we all were by the end.

A lot of the small towns we passed through had put on music and gotten in the party mood, and we had some good banter (and flirting) going with several other teams. Rick Perry (the Governor of Texas) was running and we flip flopped with his team for the last 6 or so legs. He recognized our shirts (they have our worksite wellness and fitness logo on them) and there was some ribbing going on. He was running the last leg and warned us that "y'all know the first rule of Texas - you can't pass the governor".

We nearly did though.

The Strangeness of Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek : Nice during the day, very "Blair Witch" at night
I run at Walnut Creek park a lot. It's close to where I live, there are a maze of trails to choose from, I know it really well and my old wedding ring still lives there. It's a very convenient place to get in a nice pre-dawn midweek run, but it's such a weird place early in the morning.

It has a reputation as a gay "pick up" place. When I get there at 5am or 6am it is usually deserted, but within minutes I almost always get a car pull up next to me. I'll look over to see if it's a running friend only to find some unknown guy (and it's never the same one) giving me "the eye". It doesn't really bother me (I like to tell my wife that my "fan club" showed up), and they never make an approach (I make it really obvious that I'm there to run and nothing else), but it's still a little creepy having someone sitting in their car straining to get a better look and mentally undressing you (I can hear all my female readers yelling "now you know how we feel" at their screens). When Clea or whoever I'm running with arrives, they finally take the hint and speed off (one guy even gave me a "huff" as he drove away). I swear I must be featured on some "what's new at Walnut Creek" forum or chatroom somewhere.

This morning was a little different. I got there at 6am and saw a car parked up with all the doors and trunk open, and two bottles on the roof. Thinking it was a friend who had indicated he may show up, I pulled up a few places down only to discover that the guy was quite obviously not a runner. But what was he doing? He had unloaded most of the car and was doing something with a coil of rope in the trunk. Very strange. He didn't take any notice of me (which was fine as far as I was concerned) but I still felt kinda paranoid taking off onto the trail and leaving my car there. So much so that I doubled back to the parking lot after about 2 miles to make sure it was still there. It was, and he was gone. So I picked another trail, headed back into the maze and enjoyed a nice 6 mile run. Weird!!!

I tell you something else too - I think winter is over in Texas (70F at 6am).

Tomorrow is our Texas Independence Relay run - a 203 mile race from Gonzales to San Jacinto. We originally had a team of 12, but 3 folks dropped out yesterday and we've been scrambling to find replacements. I'm not too worried though - I'll just turn up and have a good time. Runtex sponsored us for some really nice team shirts and I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Some of the guys are going down to Gonzales tonight for the pre-race party, but my parents are leaving for the UK in the morning so I'm spending their last night here.

Birthday Boy

It was Gavin's 4th birthday today and we had a great time. Here's the day in pictures:

Fire, fire in the Night : I fired a chimney full of charcoal for the brisket last night and used a combination of hickory and mesquite wood for the smoke flavor. I got the temperature on the Weber Smokey Mountain regulated at 230F and left it to cook overnight using the minion method. I played around with the camera and got some interesting effects with the dancing sparks (click on the pictures to see more detail)

My fellow pitmaster with his headlamp. The blue stains on his face are "evidence" that he's been into the cake icing

Opening presents with Grandpa Wales and Nana this morning

Grandpa Tom "smiling" at the camera

The brisket hit 190F late this morning after 15 hours of smoking, and a hopeful Charlie lurks around hoping for scraps. I love my Smokey Mountain - it's not cheap but it's top quality and excellent at slow smoking. It has a very loyal following and is often used to great effect in bbq and smoke-off competitions

The Brisket warrior : being silly and getting ready to slice the beast	The smoke ring : sign of a good brisket. I used a cardamom and coffee wet rub which blended perfectly with the smoky flavor of the beef. The brisket was fall-apart tender

The cake : Back when we got married, we wanted to make our own wedding cake so I was subjected to "cake decorating class" (I was young and in love). Besides constantly getting into trouble for eating the icing, I discovered I was pretty good at it (it's also a great compatibility test - if you can survive spending two days in the kitchen together while baking and decorating a wedding cake, you're going the distance) and we ended up making a yummy 3 tier Italian Creme cake and a Welsh-themed grooms cake. So when Gavin wanted a Batman cake for his birthday, we decided to make it ourselves. I made this yesterday afternoon and am very pleased with how it turned out. It's a dark chocolate layer cake courtesy of Devin Alexander. The icing is from a recipe I learned in the decorating class.

Blowing out the candles

Enjoying the chocolate cake with a grin straight out of Wallace and Gromit	Eating cake "like a birdie". I have no idea what Nancy's doing

Gavin and the grandpas

Hiking at Walnut Creek : a never-ending quest for the perfect stick

"Come on fishy, Gavin wants to eat you"

Why

Why. It's a question people keep asking me about my ultrarunning, usually accompanied by lots of head shaking, sympathetic looks, proclamations of impending knee disintegration and confident predictions that all runners will sooner or later drop dead on the spot. Most of my road friends think anything longer than a marathon is crazy and my parents keep warning me that one day my legs "will fall off". Needless to say, I try to avoid the subject as much as possible. Fortunately the one person who really "gets me" and understands why I do it (other than other ultra runners) is my wife.

But the question "why" is one I rarely ask myself (unless I'm having a low point during a race, then I will ask it over and over). It's true that ultrarunners have a very short-term (or selective) memory, but why do we keep coming back for more?

The first answer that comes to mind is the social interaction, but let's debunk that right now. You can still enjoy the social side of trail running without subjecting yourself to the rigors of running ultras. A nice 6 mile fun run followed by breakfast somewhere would take care of that.

Ok, so what about the thrill. True, you do get an adrenaline surge at times during a race, but nothing that compares to team sports. In my rugby days, putting a big hit on an opponent, gliding through a gap in the defense or timing the perfect line-breaking pass (something that didn't happen too often) was much more of a rush.

The swag? Well, I do love my sweatshirts from Bandera and Rocky Raccoon, my Trilogy awards, belt buckles, shirts and all the rest of it, but I'm pretty sure there are simpler ways of getting swag than running silly distances so that can't be it either.

So here's the real reason (or at least my reason). There are some people who are natural born runners - they can turn up without any training and run fast 5k or 10k races with little bother. I am not one of them. I have to work at my running and it doesn't always come easy. There are days when I struggle through 5 miles and others when I sail through 50. But I am world class at being bull headed and determined, and I will force myself to keep going. I thrive on challenges, enjoy the mental battle with myself and above all keep a smile on my face. That is why the ultra distances suit me so well. There is something very pure about finishing an ultra event - you can't buy it, you have to earn it. It's not always easy, but nothing worth having ever is.

And like so many other trail runners I like to march to the beat of my own drum. I've never ever felt the need to follow the crowd or to "fit in", so the marginal nature of the sport appeals to me. Sure, I run marathons too but give me a small town race or a secluded trail run over a big city marathon any day. The sheer feeling of freedom that comes from running through the woods at night with only a full moon for company can be uplifting. I still remember how good I felt during the last miles of Bandera and Rocky Raccoon and I want to recapture that feeling.

One of my favorite ultra quotes is from Keith Knipling: "going for a run always clears my head, but running 100 miles distills my soul".

I know where that guy is coming from.

Win a Flip Mino HD Camcorder

Ryan McLean from Smarter Wealth is giving away a brand new Flip Mino HD camcorder. I saw a few people with these at Rocky Raccoon and they are really cool because they're so small. For the chance to win, all you have to do is sign up for Ryan’s newsletter, blog about the competition and leave a comment to that effect. Here's some of the blurb:

The Flip Mino HD allows you to shoot one hour of video in High Def, and you can even edit your footage right on your device. This device is so small that it will fit in your pocket so you will never miss capturing a moment ever again. It comes with 4GB of internal memory.

I wonder how well it works with Linux?

Anyway, to find out how you can win one of these cool gadgets, click here. Hurry up though, the winner will be announced on March 5th (the website says 2008, but that's an obvious typo - unless you're Michael J. Fox).

Happy St. David's Day

Today is St. David's day, the patron saint of Wales. Back home there will be parades and celebrations, and many people will don traditional Welsh dress or wear leeks or daffodils. Back when I was a kid we would have a school concert in the morning and then have a half day holiday. Sweet.

Back in Austin I had a very pleasant weekend. Yesterday I did a hilly loop around Stratford Dr, and then met up with some of my TIR teammates to do a social run around Scenic. It was super windy and we had fun messing around and trying to "draft" behind each other. The highlight of the morning was running into Henry - my "Yoda" and the guy who originally got me into running. I don't see him very often since he retired, so it was fantastic to see him and I'll always be grateful for his friendship and advice.

Another thing that run showed me was that I badly need a haircut!!!

Then this morning I met up with Roger, Joe and Joyce to run the trail at Bull Creek. Now that the upper trail has been blocked off, Ken's loop is no more (it's barricaded with chopped down trees, barbed wire and notices warning of horrific repercussions for trespassers) but we found other trails off the lower switchbacks that will still give a good run. It's a shame the scenic overlook is no longer accessible though - that was my favorite spot to sit and think.

But the absolute best part of the weekend was going hiking at Walnut Creek with Nancy and Gavin later this morning - we had a great time. I wanted to explore the front section of the park (where I rarely run), and Gavin and I investigated some unmarked trails between markers 302 and 314. The entrance was a technical drop to the creek and it was a really nice secluded trail with some great canopy cover that looped around like a crooked lollipop back to the main trail. Gavin surprised me - he moved up and down some of the hilly rocky sections like a sure-footed mountain goat. He must get that from his mother.