Rocky Hill Ranch 25km - Race Report

(Click on the pics to enlarge them)

I picked Kerry up at 4:50am, and we headed out towards Smithville (Next to Bastrop) for the 25km Rocky Hill Ranch Trail Race. They also had a 50km, and 50-mile flavor, and all three distances ran on the same trails. We got to the ranch at 5:55 and hung out in the car away from the chilly morning and visiting rest rooms for pre race… well you know.

Other than simply having a fun timeout there, my time goals for this race were as follows:
To run sub 2 hours 17 minutes, with my stretch goal being to run as close to 2:10 as I could.
25km is 15.53 miles, and the longest I’d run since the marathon in February was 12.5 with the Boston group on mostly flat grounds 3 weeks prior, so this was going to be a nice test.

The strategy is to not kill myself on Fat Chuck’s, a healthy but conservative pace for the first 10 miles, then let it loose in the final 5.

The race consists of 3 or 4 mean climbs up “Fat Chuck’s” to start, then it goes into the Pine trees for a weaving, and weaving and weaving and up and down and up and down, and left and right and left and right and up and left and down and right type of a spaghetti trails. The gun went off at 7am, and I was in the front group. I didn’t know what to expect out of the trails and didn’t want to get stuck behind a bunch of slower runners on a single trail, so for the first 2 minutes, I just made sure I was within site of the leaders. I had no expectations of being able to be a top contender, as there are trail runners that are simply put, way better than me. As we approached Fat Chuck’s climbs, I counted 23 runners ahead of me. I figured:”If this is truly a maze of trails in trees, where you can’t distinguish between a runner ahead or behind you running on a close by trail, I should at least have idea of where I stood at the start. As we approached the first climb, I quickly dispatched of a clump of 5 or 6 runners that slowed considerably. I kept trucking up the first incline, and then started to speed walk up the steeper portions.

I traded spots with two or 3 runners that were intent on running these climbs, as I was clearly the faster runner on the down hills. Unless you’ve done a warm-up run (which I hadn’t), I’m not sure why anyone would run up these nasty little climbs. Climbs where the ground is loose river rocks of assorted sizes. My heart rate shot up as I came upon each climb, and there was no reason to start off that way.
So, I’ll hurry this race report up. 2 mins in, hit Fat Chucks, an additional 7min and 30 seconds later, I’d hit the top plateau, and was now cruising towards the pines, settling in to a healthy (but not debilitating) pace. By this time, I’d passed 3 or 4 more guys, and we hit the pines trees. A single-track maze. I figured by now, I was around 17th, and slowly at about 35 minutes into the run, I had passed 2 more and was 15th, and all alone. No one in sight ahead of me, no one in sight behind me.

There were to water/aid stations on the course advertized as 5 miles in and 10 miles in. I figured a 2:17 would require about 45 min splits on those. I came in to water stop #1 at 50 minutes. Not good, but I also knew that the pace I had maintained was well faster than a 50 min – 5 mile, and no trail aid station is precise. I continued along, popping Hammer Gels when I felt depleted, all the while running along. There’s really not much to tell other than I saw no one ahead of me, and no one behind so I had no rabbits to chase, and I was no one’s rabbit. I popped in one ear piece for my ipod at 65 minutes in. Until then, mentally, I’d been fine, but I kept popping in and out of thinking about how “I had to pass 4, 5, or maybe 6 runners to finish in the Top 10” and settling into that great running trance where all you think of is the twisting and turning of this roller coaster ride, concentrating on the steps ahead of you with a completely blank mind. I eventually reached a big open space. When I mean big, I mean maybe 20 football fields / zilker park type open space. I could see a runner pop back into the trees on the other side as I started my trek across the field. He was maybe 3 of 4 minutes ahead, but I also knew he was a 50km runner, so no threat for me. I picked up the pace in this open field as I quickly thought of war and battle fields where you want to get out of the clearing, so the enemy can’t see you. I ran a good sub 7 minute mile pace across this field, looking back every minute or so to see if anyone was behind me. Last thing I wanted to be was a rabbit for anyone. Luckily I reached the tree line in the distance, look back, and saw no one. Phew!

The 2nd water stop was about a minute in from there, and I refilled my water bottle (as last time), and popped a piece of banana in my mouth. Thank you Jennifer and Papa for working that water stop. It was a nice surprise to see a friendly face!
Again, back into pine trees, zigzags, and slight undulations on the course. It’s not that it’s as killing as a big, nasty 100-meter climb, but it certainly takes a toll to run on these rollercoasters.

I kept plugging along, and eventually reached what they call Tunnel of Pines. A long and straight jeep trail where you can see a good 100 yards ahead before in gently veers left or right for another 1 or 2 hundred yards, and again and again. Probably 1.5 to 2 miles of this straight jeep track. Each straightaway was either a hard rocky ground, or pine needles, each with a long, slight uphill climb that rewards you with a pretty quick drop, only to be greeted by another long steady climb. FINALLY at 1:48 into the race I spot a human ahead of me. He’s what, 200 yards, 250 yards ahead, so I do some math and think: I’ve got 30 minutes of running to go, I’ll slowly gain and pass him over the next 20 minutes, then still have up to 10 minutes to burst away from him so I don’t have to outkick him at the finish. The theory was sound, until my rabbit all of a sudden stops. “What the hell are you doing? You’re my rabbit. You’re supposed to drag me along as I reel you in, but instead you’re stopping??” I catch him and spot him reaching down to his ankles, feet area. I ask if he’s ok, and he says: “Yeah just pulling my socks up. “
I pass him and increase my pace by maybe 10 secs per mile just to make it a little challenge for him to stick to me if he wants to. But he doesn’t. A 90 degree turn shows another (and last) 200-300 yard straightaway climb, and half way through it I look back to see where he is. Nowhere to be found. Good.
I eventually reach an arrow leading into “The Miracle Mile”,
and as I enter this, I decided to burst out a good 2 minutes of attack, just in case the guy tries a comeback. I don’t want him to be able to see or even hear me now that we’re back in the maze of pines. Miracle Mile does not mean it’s a mile to the finish, far from it. More like 2.5 miles to go. I know I’m close as my watch is showing 2:04 and I know I have 6 to 16 minutes left of running. I pick up my pace to not leave anything on the course. The climbs are steeper and longer, but what goes up….. must come down, so I’m rewarded with fun fun descents that I’m taking at frantic paces. A trip, slip or toe stub, on a descent and I’ll clearly be flying a long way down to a mean crash.

Aha! Another human in the distance! I’m now 13th ( I think) and need to pick off as many as possible! It’s a “she” and she’s coming and going out of site in the maze, but I’m clearly gaining fast. I’m 30 yards from her as I reach a steep descent. I yell out: “How fun is this!?!?!” as I am flying down the trail with no regards to safety. She looks back, sees me and just stops to get off the trail. There's nothing else she could do as she was a turtle and I was an -unsafe- cheetah. "Thanks!" I say as I pass and quickly disappear ahead of her. Her face looked tired but not dead.
30 seconds later I come up on another runner, another woman. Within a couple of minutes I’ve caught up to her, mostly because she is "dead", and walking the climbs. I tell her: “There’s a woman probably 30 seconds back. Grab on to my heels. Let’s go!” she digs deep and finds some energy to run again, but I’m clearly stronger and will end up putting a minute on her over the last 4 minutes of the run.

I’m out of the pine trees my watch says 2hrs 12 minutes, and now just looking to clear each little prairie hoping to spot the start/finish campsite. But, as it is with every other trail race, the finish line is never “just one more turn" or "one more hill away”. It seems like an eternity, and my clock keeps ticking away. I... MUST... BEAT... 2:17 is all I’m thinking as my legs are burning and I’m giving it every… single… ounce… of energy I can muster. I finally spot the campgrounds and continue this max speed to the finish.
Final time 2 hours 15 minutes 11 seconds. Nice! Not quite a stretch goal of 2:10, but almost 2 minutes under my goal. I’m ecstatic.

Kerry’s goal earlier this week was a 2:30. But then, she had second thoughts and emailed me telling me it may be too fast. I replied asking her is she was W.E.A.K or H.F.C (her, self-proclaimed description of herself meaning “Hard F#%^ing Core”, when she finished her first 50km race.)… it obviously worked as she replied with the correct answer to my challenge!
As I’ve not hit my stretch goal, I figure she’ll come in around 2:36-2:38, as the course was deceivingly challenge. I learn that the woman I pulled at the end is first Female finisher so I have high hopes for Kerry. She make it in at around 2:31:20 or so, and once results are in, it turns out she got 2nd overall Female for the 25km, and a nice award to bring home! Nicely done and truly HFC!!

The rankings (or Age Groups if you will) are simply: Under 39, and over 40 yrs old (masters division).
I ended up getting 7th overall and 5th once you removed the two masters ahead of me!!
A weird rule of how they award out Top 5 overall and top 3 masters keeps me from bringing home hardware too, but it’s all right. Never in my dreams would I have expected a TOP 5 finish!!!

(Maybe some of Kerry’s HFC’ness is starting to run off on me??!)

The trek towards getting back into full fitness continues, and after this event. The speed won’t be there anytime soon, but stamina, fitness and endurance is all I’m after until August, and, I now feel like I’m at around 50-60% of where I need to be, come end of August.

Next up, a couple of weeks of continued base building and then the Rogue Trail Series starts with the 30km Maze the first weekend of May. Top 20 will be a feat there!

Click here to see many more pictures of the Ranch and the trails of the course.