This was my fourth time to run El Scorcho and I finally felt like I had a handle the unusual race day schedule. The weather did not do us any favors, as it had in the previous two years, and it was in the upper 80s when midnight rolled around. Nothing will ever top the first year that I ran the race, it was the hottest summer in thirty years and the temperatures were around 95 degrees at the start. I have never have never been as cautious about my safety as I was that night. This year, they offered the 50K runners a chance to start at 10:00 instead of midnight to help them not be so lonely as the 25K runners finished up and left the park.
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| Pre-Race with Stude and the Bahas (Photo: Andy W) |
We arrived around 10:30 and were able to see Mark L as he came in from his first loop. Mark started running El Scorcho the same year that Mr K and I did....except this time he went crazy and signed up for the 50K. In a stroke of brilliance, Mark had a different shirt for each loop and each shirt had the remaining number of loops taped on it in glow-in-the-dark tape. It was wildly entertaining to see Mark change shirts each time he came back to his family at the start area. I know having a fresh shirt every 3.1 miles must have felt a little bit like heaven with the amount of sweating we were all doing. Be sure to read Mark's race recap and check out his shirt plan.
Going into the race, I felt good about my ability to cover the 15.5 miles, but I knew that I would likely not be setting any PRs that night. I have been covering lots of miles this summer, but I am not in the same place with speedwork as I my marathon training has not begun like it had the last two summers. This also meant that I would not be doing the "bonus" lap after the finish this year to complete my extra miles. While I missed that time with Mama C, I was more than happy to stop at the end of 5 laps this year.
Lap 1
30:29
12:40 AM
Average pace 9:49/mile
I have learned that it is best to think of El Scorcho as 5 individual loops. The start of any race is hectic and I focused on figuring out the terrain and getting used to the low light. The course has many different types of surfaces including grass, crushed limestone, sidewalk, pavement, even a basketball court, and this year there were also bumpy ruts in some of the dirt sections. I noted these ruts as I knew they could be troublesome as I grew more tired. My goal in any race is to run a consistent pace and I was hoping that I could keep my loop times fairly consistent. I also used this loop to familiarize myself with the landmarks and aide stations along the way. I can't say enough about the volunteers and spectators who come out for El Scorcho, I started to look forward to seeing them on each loop. They bring the park to life with their cheers and encouragement, it would be pretty darned dark and lonely without them.
Lap 2
1:02:20
1:12 AM
Average pace 10:02
I made a last minute decision to make a quick stop at our home base after finishing the first loop. Mr K and I were set up by Mark's family and it was nice to see their friendly faces. I filled my handheld and headed out on the second lap. Between the super moon and the random streetlight I was able to see just fine - now to settle into my "all night" pace and find the rhythm of the loops. The lead runner blew by me near the second mile of this loop (mile 5 total). She was moving so fast!! That's right...SHE....the overall winner was a female! It was during this time that the gazelles began to pass me and I marveled at their speed - how do they run that fast? And even more impressive, how do they run that fast in the dark?! I took a little bit more time at home base as I finished this loop. It was hot and I wanted to make sure I stayed ahead of the game on hydration.
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| We take food trucks seriously here in Cowtown |
Lap 3
1:34:37
1:45 AM
Average pace 10:09
During the third loop I really started to look for my "landmarks" on the route. They went a little like this: friendly course guide guy at the turn-around, two ladies on the tailgate of a truck, water station, enchanted forest section, water station with cold towels, woo-ladies, start/finish line. I think that this is the loop where my friend Stude passed me (or it might have been the fourth - details run together). We talked briefly as he passed and it was then that I realized I was a little bit lonely running by myself in the dark. I wanted to keep my loops around 30 minutes, but I seemed to be adding two minutes to each loop. I feel like this extra time came from my stops at home base. When I finished this loop, I took a shot of pickle juice and took a few minutes at home base to gather myself. It made me very happy to realize that I had just run 9.3 miles and still felt good.
During the third loop I really started to look for my "landmarks" on the route. They went a little like this: friendly course guide guy at the turn-around, two ladies on the tailgate of a truck, water station, enchanted forest section, water station with cold towels, woo-ladies, start/finish line. I think that this is the loop where my friend Stude passed me (or it might have been the fourth - details run together). We talked briefly as he passed and it was then that I realized I was a little bit lonely running by myself in the dark. I wanted to keep my loops around 30 minutes, but I seemed to be adding two minutes to each loop. I feel like this extra time came from my stops at home base. When I finished this loop, I took a shot of pickle juice and took a few minutes at home base to gather myself. It made me very happy to realize that I had just run 9.3 miles and still felt good.
Lap 4
2:08:57
2:19 AM
Average pace 10:23
I think that the fourth loop of El Scorcho might be the toughest mentally. It is past the halfway mark, but there are still 6.2 miles left at this point. The loops started to wear on me a little at this point and I started to feel like I wanted to be done. I added more "landmarks" to break up the run, the out-and-back section during the beginning of the loop was my least favorite part. Things started to look more like this: lighted bridge, friendly course guide guy at the turn-around, lighted bridge part 2, ladies on the truck, dark bridge forest, water station, frog hollow (a small super dark section where I could hear the frogs), enchanted forest, cold towels, woo-ladies, start finish. I could tell that I was moving more slowly at this point, and forward progress was the name of my game.
I think that the fourth loop of El Scorcho might be the toughest mentally. It is past the halfway mark, but there are still 6.2 miles left at this point. The loops started to wear on me a little at this point and I started to feel like I wanted to be done. I added more "landmarks" to break up the run, the out-and-back section during the beginning of the loop was my least favorite part. Things started to look more like this: lighted bridge, friendly course guide guy at the turn-around, lighted bridge part 2, ladies on the truck, dark bridge forest, water station, frog hollow (a small super dark section where I could hear the frogs), enchanted forest, cold towels, woo-ladies, start finish. I could tell that I was moving more slowly at this point, and forward progress was the name of my game.
Lap 5
2:44:49
2:55 AM
Average pace 10:37
It was hard to leave home base for the last loop, but there is a definitely a big mental boost knowing that it is the last time I would have to have to pass my landmarks. That first section from the start to the course guide guy was the hardest part of the course for me, out-and-backs and that are probably my least favorite thing ever on a run. I said farewell to the friendly course guide and he shouted very encouraging words to me as I ran by. That guy was awesome, I really appreciate that he gave up a night of sleep to come stand all alone at the remote end of the course. Next up I said farewell to the truck ladies - again, so cool of them to give up sleep to hang out in a park all night. It sure felt like it was taking my watch forever to chime out the miles. The red numbers on the clock at the finish line are visible from about a half mile out, so close that I could taste it! One more spin by the woo-ladies (3 ladies that cheered "woooo" every time a runner passed) and I tried to pick it up for a strong finish.
Time: 2:44:49
Average Pace: 10:37/mile
39th of 149 female finishers
114 of 294 finishers
Not my fastest, but far from my slowest and exactly where I should be with my current training. I consider it a win anytime that I can run 15.5 miles in the middle of the night in the heat of the summer. I do wish that my pacing had been more consistent, but I think that was more about rest stops than the actual running itself. It is always a bit of a shock to finish running and realize that it is 3:00 in the morning. The race is like a time warp, you don't really have any concept of it while you are out there - just feels like running in the dark. Now it was time to cheer on Mark L as he finished up his last couple of loops. It was hard to believe that he had been running since 10:00 pm! It was a great sight to see him come in and change into his shirt with the number one on it. Mr K and I found plenty of friends to visit with while we waited on Mark to cross the finish line. I love this quirky race with its cult-like following. It is a tough run, but it is a good event and I hope that I can be back for another one next year. After celebrating Mark's finish, we packed up our stuff and headed off to catch some shut eye. This was the first time we got to bed before the sunrise and I think that it helped keep my sleep cycle somewhat in tact. I never felt that El Scorcho hangover like I have in the past years.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Marci and Jason for opening their home to us for the second year. Fort Worth is a long drive for us and it would have felt even longer at 4:00 am. Marci and Jason were understanding with our odd hours and Jason even made homemade pancakes and bacon for us when we woke up. They also welcomed our pups kept a watchful eye on them while we were gone. I hope we can repay the favor someday!
It was hard to leave home base for the last loop, but there is a definitely a big mental boost knowing that it is the last time I would have to have to pass my landmarks. That first section from the start to the course guide guy was the hardest part of the course for me, out-and-backs and that are probably my least favorite thing ever on a run. I said farewell to the friendly course guide and he shouted very encouraging words to me as I ran by. That guy was awesome, I really appreciate that he gave up a night of sleep to come stand all alone at the remote end of the course. Next up I said farewell to the truck ladies - again, so cool of them to give up sleep to hang out in a park all night. It sure felt like it was taking my watch forever to chime out the miles. The red numbers on the clock at the finish line are visible from about a half mile out, so close that I could taste it! One more spin by the woo-ladies (3 ladies that cheered "woooo" every time a runner passed) and I tried to pick it up for a strong finish.
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| El Scorcho Ocho Bling |
Average Pace: 10:37/mile
39th of 149 female finishers
114 of 294 finishers
Not my fastest, but far from my slowest and exactly where I should be with my current training. I consider it a win anytime that I can run 15.5 miles in the middle of the night in the heat of the summer. I do wish that my pacing had been more consistent, but I think that was more about rest stops than the actual running itself. It is always a bit of a shock to finish running and realize that it is 3:00 in the morning. The race is like a time warp, you don't really have any concept of it while you are out there - just feels like running in the dark. Now it was time to cheer on Mark L as he finished up his last couple of loops. It was hard to believe that he had been running since 10:00 pm! It was a great sight to see him come in and change into his shirt with the number one on it. Mr K and I found plenty of friends to visit with while we waited on Mark to cross the finish line. I love this quirky race with its cult-like following. It is a tough run, but it is a good event and I hope that I can be back for another one next year. After celebrating Mark's finish, we packed up our stuff and headed off to catch some shut eye. This was the first time we got to bed before the sunrise and I think that it helped keep my sleep cycle somewhat in tact. I never felt that El Scorcho hangover like I have in the past years.
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| Celebrating Mark's 50K finish! |
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