Hot Chocolate 15K: A Pretty Sweet Race!

Saturday, February 11th brought a new race to the Dallas running scene--the Hot Chocolate 15K. This is one of those fancy pants corporate races that tour around from city to city and I took a bit of a leap when we signed up. The race ended up being a HUGE mess in Chicago and Washington DC and was getting some bad press. But I had read that the corporate folks had been working with the local running store to gain insights about what would work best for our local scene. The race was also based in Fair Park, home of the White Rock Marathon and a few other "big" races so I knew that there would be plenty of good strategies for setting up a good course. I have never run any of the big, national "corporate" races but I like racing 15Ks and this one promised good schwag so I took a gamble and signed Erik and me up.


Me, Liza, Kylee, and Vi

We have had an exceptionally mild (even by Texas standards) winter, but a big cold front blew in just in time for the race. The north wind was a-blowing and the wind chills were in the teens--prompting an email from the race officials encouraging people to switch to the 5K if they felt like they would be exposed to the elements for too long. I was not looking forward to the wind, but was otherwise excited about a cold weather race. I just run better when the temperatures are under 50 degrees and a race day with temperatures in the upper 20s are rare this winter. I got to wear my tights for only the 2nd race this winter and my vest, which hasn't been out of the closet since sometime last February.


Corina, Erik, and Me

One would think that leaving the house almost two hours before the start of the race would allow for plenty of time--after all Fair Park is only 30-35 minutes from my house. I had even allowed extra time because everyone trying to get into Fair Park at once can be a traffic nightmare. Soon enough Erik and I found ourselves sitting in the middle of a huge mess of traffic. We both agreed that it wouldn't be so bad if it were just us, that we would even be willing to bail if it got too close to start time....but we had Corina and Marci's race bibs and timing chips with us. No stress, right? It turns out that the Fair Park people had only opened a couple parking lots way back at the back of the park. I am certain that better gate management would have solved this issue with little problem. We finally made it there, parked, and sprinted across Fair Park in the bitter cold wind to find Marci and Corina. The starting gun was going off as we were in the porta potties and Erik and I ran up as the race start was under way. Not the way that I like to start a race--but it might have saved us some shivering on this day.

The hectic morning left me unsure of my race goals and after a couple of miles I decided that I would just settle into a pace that felt comfortably pushed and see what happens. Because race course was a big rectangle it kept us out of the wind most of the way. It ended up being a challenging course too with a steady climb around mile 4 and a steeper climb at mile 6. I don't know if I will run this race again, but I really did enjoy the course.


Iris, Corina, Marci, Me, and Erik

I have been focused on running consistent races with negative splits and I was thrilled to see the race broken down by 5Ks. My time was only about 45 seconds slower than Too Cold To Hold in January--and that race was on a much less challenging course.
1st 5K 28:13 (9:06 avg)
2nd 5K 28:20 (9:08 avg)
3rd 5K 26:38 (8:35 avg)
87th out of 480 in my age group

The post race celebration was a chocolate wonderland! We were given a tray with apples, a pretzel, marshmallow, rice krispie treat, and a banana and a cup of chocolate fondue in which to dip them. We were also given a cup of hot chocolate--perfect for a cold day. There a table of Ghirardelli chocolate and caramel squares at the finish line...yum. As I mentioned earlier, the race schwag was pretty sweet too--a windbreaker shell with the race logo and I had a coupon code that scored me a free hat. The shell will be perfect for those rainy days (hmm...could have used it at White Rock) or for later in the spring when the wind is fierce.


Taco Joint Goodness!

After the race our frunners group made our way to my favorite Dallas taco establishment, Taco Joint, for some delicious breakfast tacos. It was a perfect ending to a cold race morning!

(Thanks to Corina and Liza for the great race day pictures! This blog would be so boring without your contributions!)

Rocky Raccoon 50/100: Behind the Running

I am sure that you have read Erik's story of pacing Greg (aka Ninja) during this 100 miler at Rocky Raccoon. Erik did a wonderful job of telling the story, it really was quite a day/night for all who were out on the trail--especially the runners and their pacers. Lots of fun and hijinks were being had in our crew area, and I thought that you might wanted to get a glimpse of life behind the running.

Erik, Corina, the pups, and I packed up the car on Friday afternoon and headed out to Huntsville so that we could meet up with Greg, his wife Fiona, and Dat and be there for the start of their race at 6:00 am on Saturday morning. The weather on the highway should have been a sign of what was to come as the rain was coming down so hard that it was hard to hold a conversation in the car without yelling. After a customary stop at Buc-ee's for gas, sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets, and beer we pulled into our super glamorous (make that adequate) hotel in Huntsville. We quickly found our friends, presented Greg with a pre-race gift, and enjoyed some good laughs before heading off to bed.


Perfect Gift for Our Ninja!

When the alarm sounded around 4:30 on Saturday morning I could hear the rain pouring down and the occasional roll of thunder. I couldn't believe our luck and wondered what we had done to anger the race weather gods (crazy that we are in a "drought" but all of our major races have been in the rain). As we drive to the park we talk about how terrible we feel for the runners and how we are glad that it isn't our day to race. However, no amount of rain could dampen the buzz of the starting line and as the "GO!" was given to the runners a huge clap of thunder sounded. I felt in awe of these runners as they began their journey. No doubt I would have been overcome with admiration on any regular race day, but to see them head off on the trails in a downpour made it even more awe inspiring.



After our runners were off Erik, Corina, Fiona, and I headed back to the hotel for a delicious breakfast of Texas shaped waffles and coffee. Then we headed over to Target (thankfully a new addition to Huntsville since my college days) to pick-up some rain boots, garbage bags, tarps, gloves and hats, and s'mores fixings. We were thinking like other members of our crew and ran into Sarah (Matt's wife), Tini, and Amy there. I think that Target must have sold a record number of rain boots that day! When we got back to the park we quickly selected a spot for our crew and put up the EZ Up cover and some chairs. Before long the runners were coming in from their 1st 20 mile loop and the crew went to work removing wet shoes, drying feet, and supplying whatever food and drink the runners requested. Among them was Lesley, who was attempting her first 50 miler. Regretfully, I missed her finish because I was out on our Inaugural Rocky Raccoon 4 Miler (more about that later), but I was lucky enough to catch her between loops.


Proper Rain Footwear Was Required!

During this time I made arrangements to meet my dear SHSU friend, Jennifer, and her husband and five (yes, FIVE) kiddos for lunch in Huntsville. Jennifer and I shared many good times in Huntsville as music majors at SHSU and Jennifer and the fam had a beautiful (and rapidly expanding) home about twenty minutes from Huntsville State Park. Erik and I headed back into town, did some shopping at Bearkat Books (need proper spirit wear, you know), and met up with our friends at the Farmhouse for lunch. We consumed some incredible home cooking (chicken fried chicken, fried pickles, and yummy breads), enjoyed our short but good visit, and then went back to the hotel so Erik could get a little bit of rest. He was pacing miles 60-80 and would be running from 7:00 until around 12:00.


Jen and Her Beautiful Kiddos

After a short nap we gathered up some gear and headed back out to the park. Our EZ Up and tarps were doing a great job protecting everyone from the rain that came in the morning and early afternoon. Fortunately most of it moved out by the afternoon and we were able to enjoy the day with a little more ease. The rest of our crew began to arrive--Michelle (Drum), Byron, Gretchen, and Jonathon and we had a great time laughing and hanging out.


Awesome Crew-Jon, Gretchen, Drum, Me,
Erik, Dat, Corina, & Fiona

The sun was starting to set and the 100 milers were now approaching the 60 mile mark--the point at which they could bring a pacer out on the trail with them. It was here that I discovered the true meaning of the term "pacer"--it isn't necessarily about running, rather the way that the pacer nervously "paces" around the start line waiting for their runner to come in. You could feel the nervous energy in the air as the pacers prepared for their task at hand. I was so excited for Greg and Erik as they took off for miles 60-80, I knew that Erik would have a great story for us all when he returned. Greg was looking so sharp and strong after the first 60.


Occupy Huntsville

I was feeling a little bit antsy myself and my feet were itching for a run--must be contagious after watching the runners come in and out all day and seeing the beautiful surroundings provided by Huntsville State Park. That is when I gathered up Gretchen and Bryon and we hit the road heading to the front of the park. There was an aide station there and I thought that maybe we could see our runners when they crossed the main road. The night was cool and their was a bright moon above us and we had a terrific two mile run up to the front of the park. While Gretchen and I were standing there waiting, Byron made himself quite handy and became a course guide helping the runners cross and directing traffic with his flashlight. It was so interesting to see the runners come through--some of them stumbling and walking and looking pretty wobbly. This is when I realized just how strong and fresh Greg was looking. Wow, what a scene! Eventually we realized that this crossing was at mile 15 and we would not be seeing our guys for another couple of hours, so we headed back to the crew area. We named this run the Inaugural Rocky Raccoon 4 Miler and we shared many laughs and jokes about how hungry it made us and how we all placed in the contest.


Nuthin' But Trouble

It felt great while we were running, but as soon as it stopped it got pretty chilly and we all huddled around the propane heater that Erik brought for our crew. All of us were anxiously watching the clock trying to predict when Greg and Erik would be back from their loop. I was starting to nod off when I heard Erik's voice announcing what Greg would be needing from the crew. I was so relieved to see them both looking so strong and happy. It was Drum's turn to take off with Greg and see him through his final 20 miles, it looked like his sub 24 hour goal was in reach. Erik and headed back into town to check on our poor pups and to get some food--it was well after midnight by now.


Drum and Me

I almost felt like I was back in my college days as we hit the Jack In The Box in the wee hours of the morning to pick up some food on our way back out to the park. We spent more time hanging out in the crew area and were lucky enough to see Fawn as she came in before her last loop. It was awesome to see her family swoop in around her and take care of her and give her the best pep talk. I had a super hard time staying awake as we huddled under blankets and kept Amy company as she waited for her runner to come in for her last loop (on which Amy paced her). We made s'mores and laughed and wondered aloud how our runners were doing out there in the dark. We also watched as runners who were not able to finish were being dropped off. I can't imagine the heartbreak and anguish that they must feel--can you imagine running 50 miles, 60 miles, 80 miles and it NOT being enough. My heart was breaking for them. I took lots of "extended blinks" as Erik called them as I had been up for 24 hours at that point. In the meantime, Greg's training buddy Melissa finished her race looking so fresh and pretty. It was quite impressive!


Wild Eyed Erik & Sleepy Eyed Me

We got an update from Fiona when Greg was 4.4 miles from the end, it looked like the coveted 24 hour buckle would be his as he was right on track for a solid finish. All of us laughed because we knew that there was no doubt he would make it with Drum as his pacer--she was made for that role! We were also following our friend Matt and knew that he would be cutting it very close to the cut off. His story was pretty phenomenal--his pacer, Jonathon (Gretchen's husband) had given him this shirt off his back when he got too cold. Amazing!

About ten minutes before Greg's estimated arrival I heard a rumble coming from the finish line and we all hurried over to see who was coming in--what a great moment when I saw Greg coming across the line with Drum right behind him. It was such an emotional moment for everyone involved, but especially for Greg, Fiona, Erik, and Drum. I felt honored to be a part of the scene and I know that it will be one of my favorite running stories--a race that I didn't run!


Matt, Jon, Drum, Greg, & Erik

After the celebration we got Greg into the crew area and made sure he got dry socks and shoes and everything else that he needed. Everyone had their ear out for Matt as we knew that sub 24 would be down to the wire. Soon enough we heard that familiar rumble from the finish line--it was Matt and he made it with a few minutes to spare!!

I can't say enough about the character and toughness shown by our runners at Rocky Raccoon. From Lesley who was taking on her first 50 miler with the added difficulty of mud, to Dat and Derek who had to make some tough decisions that could affect them for months to come, to Melissa who made it look so easy, to Fawn who showed how much the love of your family can carry you when the night is dark, to Matt who refused to to back down when it came to his race goals, to Greg who did it all with such grace. I hope that I can take a little of each of these friends and runners with me and draw upon it when I face my next big challenge. They taught all of us some big lessons during a rainy race in the piney woods of Huntsville, Texas.

(Thanks, as always, to Corina and Sarah for the awesome pictures!!)

Special Edition: Rocky Raccoon Pacer's Report

As many of you know, Team K recently headed down to Hunstville to crew and pace for some of our friends at the Rocky Raccoon 50/100 Mile Trail Run. There are so many moving and inspirational stories from that weekend. Erik was fortunate enough to crew for our friend Greg and I wanted to make sure that he had a proper place to tell his story....so I suggest that he appear here as a "guest blogger." So without further adieu....I give you Erik and his Rocky Raccoon Pacer's Report. Enjoy!

I’ve never had so much respect for a starting line in my life. It was cold, dark, raining, and the 100 miles ahead was daunting, even to a bystander. The starting “portal” was posted “Runners Only, No Crews.” It had the air of a serious space, hallowed ground. Runners entered with pride, hopes, goals, and fears but most of all with bravery. It was awe inspiring to watch these runners take off into the cold, wet darkness.
Over the hours runners would reemerge in various states of distress, hope, and determination. Greg always came out of the madness calm, strong, and unscathed. It wasn’t until after 60 miles of terrain that I would realize this wasn’t just a brave front but a constant state of being.
After standing, sitting, pacing, gearing up, rechecking gear, wringing hands, sitting, standing, and more pacing around Greg appeared….60 miles on his feet….looking….fresh…..I was amped….I was nervous…I was guilty of the sin of extreme Pride. I was about to pass through the portal and get a glimpse of a hard fought, hard wrought world. On my own I didn’t have the right to step foot on the trail, but I was part of a crew, I was pacing a 100 miler! Proud! When Greg was ready it was all I could do not to sprint. When we entered the course he gently mentioned that we wouldn’t be going quite that fast….I have no idea how quickly I started, I was running on pure adrenaline. The course started out dark and got darker and more narrow. Greg said he felt strong and suggested I fall back and follow, chat and keep him company. When the course widened we’d run side by side. We wound our way through the damp darkness, skipping over tree roots and rocks, navigating twists, turns, and bridges all the while engaging other runners. We kept our feet dry as long as possible but eventually ended up in the bottoms with deep, wide mud flats…all the while Greg advising the best path when there was one, trudging straight through when there was not. We would pass other runners coming and going, their faces holding varying looks of pain, panic, and confusion. There were some, who like Greg, looked strong, many however, looked beaten and empty. They would be on the trail’s edge clutching a tree, slowly putting weight on a suspect foot to see if it could support it. Greg would call out “good job” and I could tell they heard him but didn’t process his words. I felt bad for them, I hurt for them but I was empowered by MY runner. Greg had run the same miles, trudged through the same mud and had been drenched by the same cold rain but remained strong, even smooth and focused. The man possessed GRACE! After all those miles not only was he physically intact, he was upbeat, positive, charming, and genuinely concerned about his fellow runners. While other people’s eyes had gone dim and hazed over he retained his twinkle. Unfucking believable…..again I was in awe…


Matt with pacer Jon, Drum, Greg, and Erik

We’d come to an aid station and he’d say he was going to sit for a bit then he would power on. “We’ll just grab something and eat while we walk.” He’d advise me “it’s 6 miles to the next station, make sure you stock up.” He was looking out for me….70 miles on his feet and he is still concerned about others, about me. Amazing in general, but not surprising considering-after all this is Greg. We trudged on, at times maintaining quite a quick pace even up steep terrain. A big, bright moon shining down on us through the tall, tall pines...at times running with Matt and Beth, playing leap frog over long stretches…other times totally by ourselves. We’d pass pockets of other runners and exchange encouraging words and nods. We’d trot the Jeep trails and mountain goat the steep, rooty paths…Greg maintaining his smooth, constant, forward form. I’d stumble from kicking a rock or a tree root and Greg would make sure I was ok. He is 75 miles in and he’s still dodging obstacles with high knees and perfect form—always positive, encouraging those we’d pass. GRACE!
He let me lead the last 2 miles. He didn’t need to be pulled along, he was still plenty strong, he just knew I wanted to. As we neared the end he gave me a few directives as to what he’d need after he refueled at the main tent…that and he thanked me….after taking me on the run of my life, giving me a glimpse into an elite world and showing me the fight, spirit and grace of a champion, he thanked me….
What an eye opening experience…I’m not sure who shed the first tear when Drum brought him across after the 100 mile mark. It may well have been a 3-way tie….


Erik, Greg, and Drum at the finish line

And for the "rest of the story" don't miss Drum's blog as she tells her side of miles 80-100. It is a MUST READ!

(Thanks to Sarah Florence and Fiona Lu for the pictures!)

Texas Half and the Four Seasons Challenge

January and February are busy months because the weather is usually perfect for running and so there was a quick turn-around between Too Cold 15K (aka Birthday Race) on Sunday (1/22) and the Texas Half on Saturday (1/28). I was looking forward to the race because it would be another chance to see some frunners, and also because it would complete the Four Seasons Challenge for Erik and me. The Four Seasons Challenge consists of running all four of Mellew’s half marathons (spring-Big D, summer-Hottest Half, fall-Tyler Half, and winter-Texas Half) consecutively. Completing this challenge means that we would score a special medal and t-shirt once we were finished.

The weather was beautifully chilly when we arrived at the race and we took advantage of the camp house at Winfrey Point. We milled about, talked with friends, and took pictures until it was time for the start. As soon as we were off and running I could tell that Erik was feeling strong and I decided not to expend any extra energy to keep up with him. It was great to see him running away looking so strong and I was sending him my best thoughts for a great race. I had some realistic, progress oriented goals for this race—they were:
1) Run it in less than 2:00
2) Focus on negative splits
3) Try to match the pace from the Too Cold 15K (8:52 avg pace) .
I felt very comfortable with the course as it was essentially a loop around White Rock with some extra miles and an out-and-back section added to complete the total 13.1 . I run the White Rock loop almost every weekend for my long run so I am familiar with the area. I knew that the first few miles would be hilly and then the rest would be flat and right next to the lake.


Team K is ready to run!

The first four-five miles were quite challenging and I was wondering if my legs were going to give me what I wanted them to that day. I was planning on running the first eight miles at a comfortably pushed pace and then pushing harder in the last few miles. The hills at the beginning certainly helped me to slow down and get those negative splits.


Nice to see Corina at the race!

Soon enough things leveled out and after a slow mile 5 I found my pace settling in just where I wanted it to be. I let my mind wander as I listened to some music and just cruised—it felt good. I did some math and figured that a 1:57 finish would be very possible—definitely on track with my goals for the day. The out-and-back section started around mile 10 and tried to open up the pace a little bit more as I knew that I had a 5K left and should be able to meet my goals for the day. The people who were finishing ahead of me were passing us on the other side and I enjoyed looking at all the runners and trying to find Erik. When I spotted him he was still looking nice and strong, I knew that he was not on pace for a personal record (PR) but I could tell that his time would be very good. This gave me a bit more energy to push on towards the finish.


With Elaine--fellow Four Seasons Finisher

Oh and the finish…..so clever of them to put it at the top of a hill and have the wind blowing in our face at the same time. I ran this race a few years ago and remembered this tricky ending, so it didn’t totally take me off guard. When I hit mile 12 I focused on passing people that were near me and then staying in front of them. I gave it my all as I approached that hill and I could see 1:58 on the clock at the finish line. That hill was TOUGH and I was so happy to be at the top. Whew…..official time 1:58:04. Dang that felt good!

Here are the numbers:
Mile splits-8:38, 8:51, 9:06, 8:58, 9:21, 8:51, 8:52, 8:48, 8:43, 8:57, 8:43, 8:45, 8:39, 8:38 (last .33)
Avg Pace 8:51 over 13.33 miles (by Garmin)
12th out of 106 in my Age Group
GOALS MET!!

It turns out that Erik did have a great race too—1:53:36! We were both very happy with our races and ventured into the camp house to collect our Four Seasons bling and enjoy some post race food, drink, and socialization. Looks like a successful day for Team K!


Four Seasons Bling

Thanks, as always, to EW, Corina, and Elaine for the pictures!

Too Cold To Hold: It's My Party...And I'll Run If I Want To!

My birthday falls on January 19 and that is smack in the middle of what psychologists term “the most depressing week of the year.” It is when winter is usually looking its most bleak, the Christmas bills are due, and folks are starting to realize that 1) they are failing miserably at their New Year’s Resolutions or 2) their New Year’s Resolutions are going well but they really aren’t that much fun. The day usually ends up being pretty anti-climatic and low key and I usually end up feeling kinda blue…like I should have made more of it. Well not this year! I noticed that one of my favorite races, Too Cold To Hold 15K, was on January 22—close enough to my actual birthday to declare it “My Birthday Race” and invite all of my Frunners. Before I knew it, lots of people had signed up to run, I had a new red “birthday” running skirt, and Mary had secured a whole box of red velvet birthday cupcakes! A party was born!!

The weather that day was humid and not especially cold, but still decent enough to hope for a good race time. I had recovered from my December marathon and had been adding speedwork back into my training so I was ready to see what I can do. My goal for the day was to keep a consistent pace—hoping for an average pace of 9:00 (finish time of 1:23:42)—with nice, negative splits. I was not planning for a personal record (PR), rather a well executed race that would give me some of my “mojo” back after running slower for marathon training.


Frunner Girls

It was easy to find my “party” of Marci, Corina, Michelle, and Stacy along with Fiona and Greg, Mark L, Cairo, Felix, Jeff, EW, Debbie, and Rick…to name a few. It was fun to see so many faces! We found Beth and Teal when we lined up at the start. The race announcer was making all of us laugh—trying to “fire up” the crowd with an over-the-top voice. Mark L made it even funnier by adding his own excited comments in his own fired up voice--hi-lar-ious! In all of the excitement I didn’t start my watch (as I thought I had) and didn’t notice until about a half mile in. I think that this might have worked to my advantage because I wasn’t able to compare my pace to the mile markers. Rather my splits came in about a half mile behind the markers.


Mary and Corina--this smacks of trouble

This race is an “out and back” meaning that we started seeing the race leaders on their return when we were about 3-4 miles in and then after that we could start to look for friendly frunner faces. There was even an added surprise right before the turn around as we spotted Heidi and Brian –they surprised us by coming out to cheer! The unexpected friendly faces really helped us as we began our return trip. I can't wait to repay the favor to them someday, that was so cool of them.

The pace felt great—pushed but never to the point of being highly uncomfortable (the “I might die” point)—and the splits on my watch (still mile splits even though off from the race course) were looking great—nice and negative! I started to feel tired during mile eight, but knew that we were close enough to the end that I could keep on pushing. One more Heidi and Brian spotting helped a lot and we rounded the bend for the home stretch. It was great to see friendly faces right before the finish line and Erik stopped just short of the finish line and yelled “Happy Birthday” as I crossed the line. It was my day and he let me win this one!

In the end I more than met my goal with finish time of 1:22:31 average pace of 8:52 over the 9.3 miles. That is only three minutes behind my PR and good enough for 11th out of 66 in my age group. I was even more thrilled to see the race breakdown on the results page:
1st 5K 27:50
2nd 5K 27:44
3rd 5K 26:55
Perfectly negative splits!! Yay!!!! This was exactly the confidence booster that I needed after feeling so tired and sluggish during the New Year’s Double. I was worried that I had somehow lost my speedy legs, but it looks like they are still there. I am going to keep setting realistic goals for myself for each of my upcoming races.


EW brought the perfect gift! Thanks!

I reluctantly sent Erik off as he had to head out for another loop of the lake for a total nineteen miles of Cowtown Marathon training. After the race Mary arrived with the big box of cupcakes and we had a great time celebrating. Hanging out at a race with cupcakes makes you a pretty popular person and we made plenty of new friends. I even met the famous Ribs—amazing runner and blogger for the Dallas Morning News. We talked for a bit, took some pictures, and Michelle and I made the running blog the next day! How cool is that!?


Frunner Party!

Everyone headed to Fuzzy’s Tacos for post race food and drink and once Erik finished his miles we headed there too. It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a huge table on the patio filled with frunners. I was flattered that everyone would come out to celebrate with me, it really was one of my best birthdays in years. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate and I am already making plans for next year!


Fuzzy's Feast!

(Thanks, as always, to Corina, EW, and Mary for the pictures! This blog would be pretty boring withour your contributions!)