Sunmart 50K: The Morning After
To those of you that are running the Sugarland Methodist Hospital 30K this morning, I apologize that I missed all of you on the course. I hope your race is going or went well - depending on how fast you took care of business - and I'm looking forward to seeing all of the results.
I'm beat. Wiped out, but still pleased that I chose to do the Sunmart 50K and succeeded in finishing my first ultramarathon. And, here at 9:00 a.m., as I start this post, Waverly and I will be heading downtown to do the Jingle Bell Run at 1:00 p.m. (but probably without carrying my cardboard cutout of Joe Paterno). I'm going to try and see if Waverly can break an hour this afternoon.
At the pre-race dinner Friday night at Sheraton North Houston, I sat with Ken Johnson and his wife, Marilyn; Chris Wilson and his wife, Nancy; Hans Jaeger, Briana Kretzschmar (from College Station) and her boyfriend; Jan Parks as well as former HARRA VP, Communications Doug Spence.
Prior to the dinner, I talked to fellow Seven Hills Running Club members Robert Duncan, Niki Swearingen, J.C. Guzman and Juan Melchor. I had a chance to visit at length with RTN/ITR's Loran Sheffer (the December issues look great, especially my column on the 1984 Houston Marathon in RTN), met writer Paul Baltutis from the San Antonio area and had a good conversation with Gerardo Mora. (Gerardo was going to be running this morning at the 30K in a final effort to nail down a local invited runner spot for the Chevron Houston Marathon.)
I also saw HARRA Board member Audrey Christiansen and her husband, Terry Johnson, and Steve and Paula Boone of the 50 States Marathon Club. I had the chance to visit with former Houston Striders president Sandy Wollangk and fellow blogger Keith "Man of Action" Kelleher.
I didn't stay to hear former marathon world record holder Steve Jones speak as I was tired from being up all day Thursday, through the night and much of Friday.
On race morning, I stopped in The Woodlands, got some rocket fuel "Mountain Dew" and a Clif Bar and made it to the park at about 5:50 a.m. and immediately found Rick Cook, who was starting the 50-Miler at 7 a.m. We sat in his car and shot the breeze while I called Bill Dwyer to make him feel a teeny weeny bit jealous that I was there since he ran in the very first Sunmart in 1990.
I was prepared for everything. I had another pair of shoes, changes of clothes, Nutri-Grain bars and a couple of containers of Powerade in my "drop bag". Oh, and some Advil. (I actually had started to take some of it the evening before.)
Rick and I pretty much saw and hung out with everybody from Seven Hills RC before the start, including Doug and Holden Choi. We chatted with Andrew Perry of Luke's Locker in The Woodlands, who was running the 50K and about to become a father any day, and Willis' Brad Overstreet, who was doing the 50-Miler. (Brad had run three of the marathons with Dean Karnazes -- Tulsa, Dallas and Baton Rouge.)
The 50-Milers got off right on time at 7 a.m. and shortly thereafter, we all began to queue up for the 50K, which also got started on time at 7:30 a.m.
"Coach Bill" had advised me that I wasn't going to be able to get started too hard the first 10K as the trail on the out-and-back was extremely congested. He was right. There were many places, especially on the way out, that you couldn't do anything but walk.
What was neat though is that you got to see everybody coming the other way -- Andrew, the incredibly talented Suzy Seeley, Avi Moss, Paul Cooley as well as Audrey, Keith and Holden. (I also got to see the only Texan, Clyde Shank, to run a marathon on all seven continents and the North Pole, which he did earlier this year.)
I went through the first 10K (one map shows 6.1 miles) in an hour and 17 minutes. I was a little disappointed, but there's a method to the madness of why the event is known as the "Texas Trail Endurance Runs."
When I've run trails in Huntsville, regardless of my fitness any given time, I usually let the testosterone get in the way and I try to charge up the uphills or the long-winding inclines. Not this weekend. I knew that I needed to get in 31 miles and I already had 16 on my legs from the middle of the week. So I did my best to run a conservative race and, honestly, it paid off.
The out-and-back from the A2 to the A3 aid station was also good because you got to see everybody a few times including the 50-Milers. I noticed during the first part of the first loop, my good friend, Melissa Broussard, had gone off like a bandit and was ahead of fellow Seven Hills RC members J.C. Guzman and Christopher Wilson. She's gotten the better of me at the last two Rocky Raccoon 25K's while I had a better Austin Marathon than what she did.
What's good about doing Sunmart is that all of these trails I've run with my fellow Seven Hills club members.
In between aid stations B5 and A6, a stretch that runs along Lake Raven in the Park, I'm starting to be lapped by some of the faster runners. One of them, I recognized.
As he went blazing by, I said out loud, "Crowther?"
I said again, "Is that Greg Crowther?"
He said, "Yes." (What was incredible is he was flying.)
I indicated that he had hit my blog last week and who I was. He wished me well - as he was flying - and motored on. I hadn't paid as close attention to his pre-race analysis as to which race he was in. I thought that, at the time he passed me, he was third in the 50K (as I forgot that the 50-Milers were with us on that stretch.) He was leading the 50-Miler and went on to win it!
(That's the difference about trail running vs. road running. You often get to run with or near some of the best in the world or country -- and most will take the opportunity to acknowledge and encourage your efforts, regardless of ability. I'm not saying that it never happens in road running. It is just that trail and ultrarunning is a completely different environment.)
As you complete each 20K loop, you come out of the trails near what is known as the Nature Interpretive Center before running approximately a mile back to the Start/Finish area at the Lodge. (It's also the end of the Chinquapin Trail.) As I looked to the right to see runners heading that way, I made a left-hand turn on the trail and heard a few men cheering on runners.
No sooner I comprehended all of that as I was close to wrapping up 18.6 miles, I took a spill. I landed on the my right side and shoulder and rolled over. One of the three gentlemen came to help when I heard one of them say, "I know this guy!" It was Steve Brammer from Katy! (His wife, Nancy, was running.) He was joined by two other gentlemen, one of who was a Power In Motion coach from this year.
I got up, brushed myself off and headed toward the Lodge. What was a little encouraging is that heading the other way -- coming from the Start/Finish -- was Keith and Holden. Meaning that I wasn't doing too bad, since both of them can dust me at all distances. (Holden will more than likely smash my 4:47:32 Austin time at Houston next month. He was just over 5 hours last January in his debut marathon.)
As I came into the Start/Finish area, I saw Bill Cox. He was stunned that I was running it. He laughed and said that he had been looking all over for me to shoot the breeze with. (I was specifically non-committal on here.) After I got some more Advil in me, filled up with fluids, took a Gu and got some solids in me, I stopped and chatted with him for a minute or two.
When I got back up the trail to the Nature Center, I saw Ken Johnson making the turn to head in. At that point, it would have meant that he was only about two miles behind me. What concerned me a little more is that I didn't see Doug. (Doug is halfway through completing the Texas Marathon Challenge as he has done the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco, the San Antonio Marathon and now Sunmart 50K.)
The only thing that I know about the second 20K loop is that I played it safe so I could keep running longer without "blowing up".
Start/finish to A3 -- 42:29 (first loop), 46:37 (second loop)
A3 to B5 -- 32:34 (first loop), 32:08 (second loop, suspect though)
B5 to A6 -- 45:41 (first loop), 51:09 (second loop, started to power walk in the last 1/4)
A6 to Start/finish -- 33:43 (first loop), 41:08 (second loop)
What hurt me more was the time spent in the aid stations, especially on the second loop. My overall time in the first loop was roughly 2:43 while the second loop was 3:15. (This is something that I can learn to manage better.)
My total chip time was 7:15:55. My actual running time for 31 miles was 6:42:45.
As I started the last mile back to the Start/Finish area, I thought I saw Niki Swearingen and I did see Rick Cook as they were heading out on their fourth loop. (I actually felt good that I was at 30 miles when Rick was at about 38 and only a half hour more time. That was an accomplishment for me.)
But the most important message that Rick had to deliver other than a hand slap was the words, "Waverly is waiting at the end of the trail."
After running most of 30 miles, I tried to keep a steady pace to get to her as quick as I possibly could. When I got there (and less than a quarter mile to go), I had tears in my eyes. To do these things with your children is pretty special. She ran in with me and we crossed the finish line - once again - hand-in-hand.
I got a bite to eat, sat down with Chris, Hans, Jan, J.C., Juan and Melissa before Waverly and I headed back out and watched everyone come in -- which included Sandy Wollangk, Ken, Doug, Niki and Rick. I got a chance to visit and talk at length with Paige Krekeler and a little bit later with her husband, Frank. I met Niki's mom - as personable and friendly as her daughter.
Overall, the atmosphere was incredible. The food was good. I took the Tyvek jacket over the afghan -- which means I'll have to do it again to get the afghan.
Temperature-wise, it was cold. It never got too much warmer the entire day, but the experience was wonderful and it is a heck of an accomplishment to complete an ultra -- especially after it took me as long as it did to be able to run 4 miles without stopping (when I got started running).
I'm beat. Wiped out, but still pleased that I chose to do the Sunmart 50K and succeeded in finishing my first ultramarathon. And, here at 9:00 a.m., as I start this post, Waverly and I will be heading downtown to do the Jingle Bell Run at 1:00 p.m. (but probably without carrying my cardboard cutout of Joe Paterno). I'm going to try and see if Waverly can break an hour this afternoon.
At the pre-race dinner Friday night at Sheraton North Houston, I sat with Ken Johnson and his wife, Marilyn; Chris Wilson and his wife, Nancy; Hans Jaeger, Briana Kretzschmar (from College Station) and her boyfriend; Jan Parks as well as former HARRA VP, Communications Doug Spence.
Prior to the dinner, I talked to fellow Seven Hills Running Club members Robert Duncan, Niki Swearingen, J.C. Guzman and Juan Melchor. I had a chance to visit at length with RTN/ITR's Loran Sheffer (the December issues look great, especially my column on the 1984 Houston Marathon in RTN), met writer Paul Baltutis from the San Antonio area and had a good conversation with Gerardo Mora. (Gerardo was going to be running this morning at the 30K in a final effort to nail down a local invited runner spot for the Chevron Houston Marathon.)
I also saw HARRA Board member Audrey Christiansen and her husband, Terry Johnson, and Steve and Paula Boone of the 50 States Marathon Club. I had the chance to visit with former Houston Striders president Sandy Wollangk and fellow blogger Keith "Man of Action" Kelleher.
I didn't stay to hear former marathon world record holder Steve Jones speak as I was tired from being up all day Thursday, through the night and much of Friday.
On race morning, I stopped in The Woodlands, got some rocket fuel "Mountain Dew" and a Clif Bar and made it to the park at about 5:50 a.m. and immediately found Rick Cook, who was starting the 50-Miler at 7 a.m. We sat in his car and shot the breeze while I called Bill Dwyer to make him feel a teeny weeny bit jealous that I was there since he ran in the very first Sunmart in 1990.
I was prepared for everything. I had another pair of shoes, changes of clothes, Nutri-Grain bars and a couple of containers of Powerade in my "drop bag". Oh, and some Advil. (I actually had started to take some of it the evening before.)
Rick and I pretty much saw and hung out with everybody from Seven Hills RC before the start, including Doug and Holden Choi. We chatted with Andrew Perry of Luke's Locker in The Woodlands, who was running the 50K and about to become a father any day, and Willis' Brad Overstreet, who was doing the 50-Miler. (Brad had run three of the marathons with Dean Karnazes -- Tulsa, Dallas and Baton Rouge.)
The 50-Milers got off right on time at 7 a.m. and shortly thereafter, we all began to queue up for the 50K, which also got started on time at 7:30 a.m.
"Coach Bill" had advised me that I wasn't going to be able to get started too hard the first 10K as the trail on the out-and-back was extremely congested. He was right. There were many places, especially on the way out, that you couldn't do anything but walk.
What was neat though is that you got to see everybody coming the other way -- Andrew, the incredibly talented Suzy Seeley, Avi Moss, Paul Cooley as well as Audrey, Keith and Holden. (I also got to see the only Texan, Clyde Shank, to run a marathon on all seven continents and the North Pole, which he did earlier this year.)
I went through the first 10K (one map shows 6.1 miles) in an hour and 17 minutes. I was a little disappointed, but there's a method to the madness of why the event is known as the "Texas Trail Endurance Runs."
When I've run trails in Huntsville, regardless of my fitness any given time, I usually let the testosterone get in the way and I try to charge up the uphills or the long-winding inclines. Not this weekend. I knew that I needed to get in 31 miles and I already had 16 on my legs from the middle of the week. So I did my best to run a conservative race and, honestly, it paid off.
The out-and-back from the A2 to the A3 aid station was also good because you got to see everybody a few times including the 50-Milers. I noticed during the first part of the first loop, my good friend, Melissa Broussard, had gone off like a bandit and was ahead of fellow Seven Hills RC members J.C. Guzman and Christopher Wilson. She's gotten the better of me at the last two Rocky Raccoon 25K's while I had a better Austin Marathon than what she did.
What's good about doing Sunmart is that all of these trails I've run with my fellow Seven Hills club members.
In between aid stations B5 and A6, a stretch that runs along Lake Raven in the Park, I'm starting to be lapped by some of the faster runners. One of them, I recognized.
As he went blazing by, I said out loud, "Crowther?"
I said again, "Is that Greg Crowther?"
He said, "Yes." (What was incredible is he was flying.)
I indicated that he had hit my blog last week and who I was. He wished me well - as he was flying - and motored on. I hadn't paid as close attention to his pre-race analysis as to which race he was in. I thought that, at the time he passed me, he was third in the 50K (as I forgot that the 50-Milers were with us on that stretch.) He was leading the 50-Miler and went on to win it!
(That's the difference about trail running vs. road running. You often get to run with or near some of the best in the world or country -- and most will take the opportunity to acknowledge and encourage your efforts, regardless of ability. I'm not saying that it never happens in road running. It is just that trail and ultrarunning is a completely different environment.)
As you complete each 20K loop, you come out of the trails near what is known as the Nature Interpretive Center before running approximately a mile back to the Start/Finish area at the Lodge. (It's also the end of the Chinquapin Trail.) As I looked to the right to see runners heading that way, I made a left-hand turn on the trail and heard a few men cheering on runners.
No sooner I comprehended all of that as I was close to wrapping up 18.6 miles, I took a spill. I landed on the my right side and shoulder and rolled over. One of the three gentlemen came to help when I heard one of them say, "I know this guy!" It was Steve Brammer from Katy! (His wife, Nancy, was running.) He was joined by two other gentlemen, one of who was a Power In Motion coach from this year.
I got up, brushed myself off and headed toward the Lodge. What was a little encouraging is that heading the other way -- coming from the Start/Finish -- was Keith and Holden. Meaning that I wasn't doing too bad, since both of them can dust me at all distances. (Holden will more than likely smash my 4:47:32 Austin time at Houston next month. He was just over 5 hours last January in his debut marathon.)
As I came into the Start/Finish area, I saw Bill Cox. He was stunned that I was running it. He laughed and said that he had been looking all over for me to shoot the breeze with. (I was specifically non-committal on here.) After I got some more Advil in me, filled up with fluids, took a Gu and got some solids in me, I stopped and chatted with him for a minute or two.
When I got back up the trail to the Nature Center, I saw Ken Johnson making the turn to head in. At that point, it would have meant that he was only about two miles behind me. What concerned me a little more is that I didn't see Doug. (Doug is halfway through completing the Texas Marathon Challenge as he has done the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco, the San Antonio Marathon and now Sunmart 50K.)
The only thing that I know about the second 20K loop is that I played it safe so I could keep running longer without "blowing up".
Start/finish to A3 -- 42:29 (first loop), 46:37 (second loop)
A3 to B5 -- 32:34 (first loop), 32:08 (second loop, suspect though)
B5 to A6 -- 45:41 (first loop), 51:09 (second loop, started to power walk in the last 1/4)
A6 to Start/finish -- 33:43 (first loop), 41:08 (second loop)
What hurt me more was the time spent in the aid stations, especially on the second loop. My overall time in the first loop was roughly 2:43 while the second loop was 3:15. (This is something that I can learn to manage better.)
My total chip time was 7:15:55. My actual running time for 31 miles was 6:42:45.
As I started the last mile back to the Start/Finish area, I thought I saw Niki Swearingen and I did see Rick Cook as they were heading out on their fourth loop. (I actually felt good that I was at 30 miles when Rick was at about 38 and only a half hour more time. That was an accomplishment for me.)
But the most important message that Rick had to deliver other than a hand slap was the words, "Waverly is waiting at the end of the trail."
After running most of 30 miles, I tried to keep a steady pace to get to her as quick as I possibly could. When I got there (and less than a quarter mile to go), I had tears in my eyes. To do these things with your children is pretty special. She ran in with me and we crossed the finish line - once again - hand-in-hand.
I got a bite to eat, sat down with Chris, Hans, Jan, J.C., Juan and Melissa before Waverly and I headed back out and watched everyone come in -- which included Sandy Wollangk, Ken, Doug, Niki and Rick. I got a chance to visit and talk at length with Paige Krekeler and a little bit later with her husband, Frank. I met Niki's mom - as personable and friendly as her daughter.
Overall, the atmosphere was incredible. The food was good. I took the Tyvek jacket over the afghan -- which means I'll have to do it again to get the afghan.
Temperature-wise, it was cold. It never got too much warmer the entire day, but the experience was wonderful and it is a heck of an accomplishment to complete an ultra -- especially after it took me as long as it did to be able to run 4 miles without stopping (when I got started running).
posted by WalkSports.com | 10:21 AM
2 Comments:
What a great acomplishment. I took the afgan home so I need to do it again also. It's only the morning after, I got beat up pretty bad and here I am, plotting what I can do better next year to P.R. and pick up that Tyvek jacket.
Big congrats!!!
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