Buffalo Stampede Half Marathon 2012 – Race Report

The Race

 

I’ll come out and say it, the half marathon distance is not my favorite.  Why? Because the half marathon is short enough to make it a long run, yet long enough to beat you up when you run it at your maximum (faster than usual) potential.  So far, this is my 2^nd Half marathon race.  Why did I run it if I don’t particularly like the distance?  Because it would be a good measure of where I was in my training (and of course, which runner doesn’t like the adrenaline from the race).

The Buffalo Stampede is a small race with less than 300 in the half marathon field (there was also a 5K).  I chose to run it because it was hosted in my current city of College Station, Tx, so no travel was necessary.  Proceeds went to the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, so I considered it a good cause.

I was very pleased with the race itself.  There were plenty of Porta-Johns at the start of the race and the race director was clear with all instructions.  The course itself was properly staffed with police or volunteers and aid stations with water and Gatorade.  I will point out that the aid stations were just a small table with 2-4 volunteers.  This did not affect me at all because I was in the front of the pack, but I can imagine that the aid stations got congested when the bulk of the runners passed by.  The course was also an out and back route with a cone as the turnaround marker at mile 6.5.  During some portions of the course, we were only allowed to run on the shoulder of the road.  I thought that this would become a problem because runners in both directions would have to fit in the small shoulder, but it wasn’t a problem at all.  The course wasn’t very scenic at all, but what do you expect from a small town.  If all you are looking for is a cheap, well-organized race with timed chips, a finisher’s medal, and a t-shirt, this is your race.

My Racing Report

I arrived at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History about half an hour before the start.  The temperature was perfect at around 60F and the start was scheduled for 7:30.  I did the usual before heading out for the start line, i.e. restroom, hydration, stretching, and nutrition.  As I headed to the start line, I noticed a few familiar faces.  I recognized an A&M track athlete, a H.S. track athlete who had previously won the BCS Half Marathon (and won this race), and most noticeably, there was a 12 year old girl.  The little girl caught my attention because I had recently read an article written about her.  She is a very good runner and has been known to finish races in first place (12 year old girl - article). I looked at her and I thought to myself, there is no way she could beat me.

The gun was fired and we started running.  I was in the front of the pack with about 10 runners in front of me, including the little girl who took off at a very fast pace.  I knew I had to race smart, because historically I tend to go out too fast on the first mile and tend to burn out. I ran my first mile in 5:56, which was a little faster than I wanted, but I was feeling good.  For the next couple of miles I was able to pass a couple of runners, but the one I could not catch up to was the little girl.  I eventually caught up to her at mile 4 and passed her, but no, this did not make me feel any better.  How can such a young, short girl be running at a slightly slower pace than me?  I was probably running at 6:40min pace, while she kept a 7:00min pace.  After passing her, the 2^nd aid station was supposed to be nearby, but either it wasn’t set up yet, or I just completely missed it.

At around mile 5, a super cute girl caught up to me and passed me.  I tried to keep up and maintain the gap, but then I remembered myself to run my own race and be patient.  Soon thereafter, I finally got water.  About a mile later I got to the turnaround point and headed back.  I tried to count how many racers were in front of me, but I lost count and just kept running.  My plan was to turn around and pick up the pace a little bit. I did so.  I soon caught up to a guy and shortly after caught up to cute girl and passed her.  The remainder of the race was pretty dull.  I passed one more guy, but after that, no one else was within reach, so my goal was to keep my place and try not to get caught.  There seemed to be some sort of Model T car parade, because almost a hundred cars were passing by honking and waving.

I crossed the finish line at 1:28:27, making this my new PR.  I also finished 10^th overall and ended up getting 3^rd in my division.  It was pretty awesome.

Left: 3rd Place Division Medal. Right: Finisher's Medal

Map of route (Nike+ software)

Splits (Nike+ software)

Hope you enjoyed this short report.  Keep in mind that this is just my opinion and wrote this primarily to share my experience with you.  If you are deciding whether to run this race or not, I’d say do it!

Maraton Internacional Tangamanga 2012

WHY?

Most people that don’t run, or only run a few miles a week will always question the marathoner:  why do you run?  Some say it’s boring, some say it’s useless, and yet others will say it’s bad for the body (especially for the knees).  Regardless of what you think, and regardless of what I think, if we ever get on the running topic, I will always try to convince you that you are capable of doing it.

That is how it started.  In December 2011, my cousin, my sisters, and I were chatting away in our vacation spot in Mexico.  Somehow we got on the running topic and I slowly started convincing that it was a plausible goal to achieve.  None of them were runners.  My cousin (age 19) played the occasional soccer game and had played, my oldest sister (age 21) had taken a couple of physical education classes in college which had required her to run up to 3 miles, and my youngest sister (age 16) had absolutely no experience in running.

At first, they were skeptical; thinking that running for 26.2 miles was an impossible task.  I slowly broke down the logistics of running the distance and preparing for it and they started giving in to the idea.  There would be a marathon nearby in June 2012 and we all agreed to run it.  They would start training in early February and 4 and a half months later they would go from non-runners to marathon finishers.  I made up a training plan in which they would start off at 8 miles a week, and peak at 35 miles for a week.  The training plans were devised to help them get their bodies accustomed to the stress of long distance running and finish the event without any major injuries, not to make them Olympic marathoners, so really the goal here was to finish.

The state of S.L.P, the city is located in the mid-left section of the state.

I myself decided to run because I would be acting as coach and in my mind it would be awesome to become an “international marathoner.”  By no means am I fast, certified to coach, or have any medical training, but I do have experience in training for the distance and knew what it took.  They put their trust in me, and we went at it.

THE TRAINING

I was still finishing my last semester of college, my two sisters were at home, and my cousin was in Mexico, so to stay connected, I started a facebook group to exchange information.  I went covered everything from stretching, to hydration, to nutrition.  We would regularly chat to see how training was going and I still remember how hard they  thought it was:  after all, the first miles are always the hardest.

By early May, both my sisters were out of school and traveled to Mexico and continued their training there. The town we stayed at had many trails and that is where the final miles of training took place. It was probably advantageous to them because San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico is located at 6,000 feet above sea level.  The Dallas area is only about 300 feet above sea level, so in a way we had a slight disadvantage.

Lucero, training near Pinos, Zacatecas

Linda, training near Pinos, Zac.

THE RACE

The race would start at 7:00AM and the weather was probably in the low 70s (hot for a marathon).  The running field included about 800 marathoners, 700 half marathoners, and 1200 10K-ers.  We all had the same starting time, so it was quite crowed, especially having all the 10K-ers with us.  After about 6Km, all the 10K-ers left our field and it was just the marathoners and the halves left.  At after 14Km, the half marathoners left and then it was just a few of us left.  I was in front of the average runner, so I ended up running a lonely race, passing only about a person per mile.  It eventually got to a point to where I couldn’t see anyone in front of me.

From left to right:  Linda, Lucero, myself, and "Billy" before the race began.

Temperatures reached the mid 80s, so it became quite warm, but water stations provided us with water every 2Kms, along with some Gatorade here and there.  Traffic control was provided by police officers (they did an amazing job).  For the most part the route was okay and there were little spectators.  The course was flat and entirely on asphalt, aside from short stretches of stone-constructed road, which was hard to run on for fear of twisting an ankle.

My cousin who ended up deciding to run the half marathon finished in exactly 2 hours.  My oldest sister finished in 5:41 and my youngest sister finished in 5:48.  All non-runners had become marathoners, and once a marathoner, always a marathoner.  Perhaps the best words that came out of their mouths were, “when is the next race?”

As for myself, I finished in 3:29, not my best time, but fairly decent for the amount of training I had.

Finishers, showing off our bling-bling.

Finalista (finisher) shirt and finisher's medal.

THE FINISH LINE WAS JUST THE STARTING LINE

“When is the next race?”  I was glad to hear those words, and maybe we will register for a marathon at the end of the year, but if schedule permits, we will be back for the same marathon.

You learn a lot by running this distance.  You learn a lot during the training, but you learn even more during the race.  You learn to fight through pain and exhaustion and learn to persevere through the finish line.  That is why I wanted them to run, that is why I want you to run.  I respect the distance very much, mainly for its power to teach you something about yourself: how much are you willing to commit, to sacrifice, to endure, to persevere, to prove to yourself and others that you can.

I am glad to have been part of the process in the development of my sisters and cousin.  I am also proud of them and glad that they are now part of the marathon finisher’s club.

Meta (Finish)

Hog's Hunt 50K/25K Race Report

Pre-Race

It was April 14 and my alarm clock had just gone off at 4:30A.M.  I grabbed my stuff and I soon  was out the door.  After about an hour of driving, I arrived at Huntsville State Park and started to prepare for the race.  After picking up my bib (#61), I headed to my car to get ready.  I did a little bit of stretching, took in a few shot blocks, got my handheld and headed over to the starting line.  It was 7:00A.M and I was about to start the 50K trail race.  Not only would this be my first time running anything over the classic 26.2 mile distance, but it was also my first time doing a trail race, and even more specifically, it would be my first time running on a trail at all (bad idea, I know).

Loop 1 (0-15.5 Miles)

7:00 A.M. struck and the race director released the crowd, there were about 100 of us running in the 50K race.  The morning was cool and cloudy, and luckily the humidity was low (relatively).  I took a spot close to the front of the pack and as soon as we heard the signal, we took off.  About a quarter of a mile later, there were only 4 of us leading the race.  We started at a comfortable pace of about 8 minutes/mile.  I felt like it was a bad idea to start off at that pace, but I felt comfortable, so I went with it.  Leading the pack was a guy who I will refer to as Shirtless Man, right on his heels was another guy who I will call Bryan (I overheard someone call him out as Bryan, so I can assume that was his name).  I was right behind Bryan, and one more person was behind me, though after about 2 miles, he had already fallen back.  Both of the runners in front of me looked pretty strong and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them for too long, but so as long as I felt comfortable, I was planning on staying with them. 

My main fear coming to my first trail race was getting lost, but the course was well marked with visible signs where the trails forked and with orange/white tape hanging from branches along the course to let you know you were on path.  Staying behind someone gave me the ability to concentrate on other aspects of the race, and leave the orienteering to the leader.  The first 2 miles of the trail had a few short and steep climbs, but nothing major, aside from watching out for the roots.  Soon after mile 2, we hit a jeep road, which had some short sections of sandy road.  The sand wasn’t bad enough to suck, but definitely enough to throw off your momentum (at least for an inexperienced runner like me).  The jeep road also had quite a few short hills, also bad enough to throw your momentum.  After about mile 3, I think Shirtless Man and Bryan picked up the speed, because for some reason I started falling behind (either that, or I just started slowing down).  I kept them in sight for a while, but eventually I lost them, and I knew I was now alone.  

Shortly after mile 4, you reach the first aid station, which also served as a turn-around point.  On my way to the station, I was able to see exactly how far I was from the leaders, but knowing their pace, I knew I had to worry more about maintaining my own place, rather than trying to catch up to them.  At the aid station, the volunteers were very helpful and encouraging.  I took in some Gatorade and refilled my handheld and I got back on the trail.  This being a turn-around point, I was able to see who was behind me and how far.  I saw some strong runners only a quarter of a mile behind me, and I knew that if I didn’t keep pace, they would catch up, and with 27 miles left, anything could happen.

As I reached the main jeep road at about mile 5, I got to encounter the rest of the 50K-ers.  We ran by each other and exchanged “Good Job’s” and “Doing Great’s.” I kept running alone for another couple of miles of the hilly/sandy road and eventually the course turned back into the single track trail.  It was here that I got to experience the beauty of the forest.  The sun was coming out, so the sun rays could be seen through the tall pines; you could hear the breeze of air moving the leaves on the tall trees, and you could smell the fresh aroma of the forest.  For some reason, being alone with no one in sight made it that much more beautiful; it was peaceful to say the least.  This part of the forest wasn’t too bad; you just had to watch out for the roots and the random steep hills.  Oh, and you also had to watch out for the snakes.  As I ran, a mountain biker was off his bike and was poking the ground off the trail with a stick.  As I approached him, he said, “I just got a really pist off rattlesnake off the trail.”  I thanked him and kept running, but the thought of snakes came into my mind.  I was just thinking to myself and hoping I wouldn’t encounter one, when sure enough, I almost stepped on one.  Later I found out it was a Copperhead laying on the trail, trying to soak in some heat.  The snake was of dark color, and it almost looked like a tree root.  Luckily I saw it, jumped to the side and screamed out, “OH SHIT!”  I don’t think anyone heard me though.  It was also in this section of the forest that the first runner caught up to me.  His name was Joe, we chatted for a bit, but he eventually was too far, so we wished each other luck and kept moving (he eventually finished in second place).

I got out of the single track trail and got back on the jeep road, by this point I was nearing mile 8 and approaching the 2^nd aid station.  The volunteer there was helpful, but I decided to skip a refill on this loop and continue on.  The next few miles were uneventful.  The course consisted of staying on the jeep road, but eventually moved into single track trail yet again.  The trail was basically the same, including sandy parts and steep, short climbs.  I was feeling great up to mile 13, I had been maintaining an average pace of 8:15 minutes/mile.  I was also taking in salt pills every 45 minutes and “eating” some PowerBar energy gels every 30 minutes as well as hydrating every 10 minutes.  I thought it was a fool-proof plan, but all of a sudden, and for the first time in my short running career, I hit a wall.  I couldn’t understand why this happened, but my energy levels spiked down like crazy.  At this point I probably should have stopped and walked it off, but I decided to just keep running at a slower pace.  Shortly after, I reached the 3^rd aid station, refilled with water and was off back into the trails.  My unbalanced energy level wouldn’t allow me to keep up my old pace, so I slowed down to about 9 Min/mi.  Soon after, Lang from Norway,  passed me and I had now fallen into 5^th place.

A couple of miles later, I had finally reached the starting line.  My GPS read 16 miles, so either the course was a bit longer than advertised, or my GPS was off.  Either way, I didn’t care, so I refilled my handheld and was ready for loop #2.  On my way in to the starting line, I got to see who the leaders were.  Bryan had now taken first and had a nice lead on Shirtless Man.  Joe was behind them, and Lang soon followed.

Loop 2 (15.5-31)

As I headed out on the already familiar loop, my pace remained at about 9 min/mi.  This one guy who had tripped (I will refer to him at Mr. Tripped) and was really muddy passed me in the first couple of miles.  I kept running and encountered a few more 50K-ers who were finishing up their first loop.  I hit the jeep road and continued on to the first aid station of the loop.  After the turn-around, something else happened.  I was developing a stomach cramp, but rather than having the “stitch” on my side, it was on my upper abdomen.  It felt like the cramp was on my diaphragm.  The cramp became so painful that I actually got in the way of breathing to the point to where I was forced to stop running and walk it off.  After half a mile or so, the cramp had eased down and though it was still there, it allowed me to breath normally.  For some reason, my energy levels also dropped yet again, so with the cramp and low energy, I had decided to power hike up the steeper hills.

The next few miles were very uneventful.  The lack of energy had taken its toll on me and my running form had gone to crap.  By mile 27 I was so worn out, de-energized, and mentally weak, that I had never wanted to be done with a race so bad.  My pace had fallen to 10:30 min/mi and kept slowing down; it just wasn’t my day.  I did however catch up to Mr. Tripped and passed him right before the 3^rd aid station.  My body was so worn out that I didn’t really care about the place I was in, I kind of lost count, but after passing Mr. Tripped, I think I was still in 7^th place.  Three miles later I had the finish line in sight, and surely enough, one more thing had to go wrong.  My right calf starting cramping, but I’d been running for too long to slow down and walk to the finish.  I limped to the finish and was helped out by the volunteers at the aid station.  Hearing all the cheers from the spectators and those that were done running really felt great, but just finishing felt even greater.  I finished with an official time of 5:00:45 and took 7^th place (Hog's Hunt 2012 Results).  Not too bad for a first timer.  Also received a wooden engraved plaque (though I would have honestly preferred a medal).

Finisher Plaque received after 50K.

Synopsis

I am unsure as to what or why my body acted the way it did, I am assuming that it just wasn’t my day.  I had done the same thing I had done for every other marathon, but the outcome was way different.  I know it was weird because my body started giving out at mile 13, something that had never happened before.  I don’t think that I mispaced myself at all, but maybe trails do slow you down that much.  Also, living in College Station, TX, I have no access to hills or trails, so that probably affected me.  I will consider this race a “bad” running experience solely due to my body not cooperating with me.  All I can do is sign up for another race and give it a second shot to see what happens.

The course was awesome, the scenery was beautiful, the course was well marked, and the volunteers were amazing.  I definitely recommend this race to anyone.  And if you plan on running Rocky Raccoon 50mi/100mi, this would be a great race because it is held at the same park and even uses some of the same trails (I’ve never ran it, but do hope to do so).

Thank you for reading, and sorry for going on and on with my typing (and sorry for any misuse of the English language).  I hope that my description of the course and my experience can help someone else who will be running this race in the coming years.

Thank you to the race director and all the volunteers for such a great event.