Texas Quad, Day 4: Charlie's Snake-Wrangling Marathon

Today was the fourth and final day of the Texas Quad.  This race was called “Charlie’s Snake-Wrangling Marathon.”  Before the race, one of the volunteers told us the story behind that name.  Charlie was one of the regular volunteers at these races.  One day, there was a snake on the course, and Charlie was the one who removed the snake.  That was day four of the Texas Quad.  Ever since then, this race has been named after Charlie.

Today was the coldest day of the quad, with temperatures never getting out of the 40s.  We were also expecting strong winds.  That meant it was time to break out the cheetah gear.

Usually when I run marathons on consecutive days, I hold back a little until the last day.  I didn’t hold back Thursday, I didn’t hold back Friday, and I didn’t hold back yesterday.  Experience told me I was pushing my luck, but I had to try to compete today.

Justin won the last two races by wide margins, but he went home yesterday.  If there weren’t any new arrivals, I might be competing with Renee for the overall win.  Even if there were some new arrivals, I would still try to place in the top three if I could.

Before the race, Angela asked me if I was going to win.  I assumed she was referring to today’s race, so I asked her if there were any new arrivals.  Then she said she was referring to winning the quad.  Until this morning, I didn’t know there were awards for that.  For the runners who completed all four marathons, there were prizes for the man and woman with the lowest combined times.  There were similar awards for runners who completed four half marathons.

Of the men who ran all four marathons, I had the fastest time each day.  Going into today’s race I had a lead of at least an hour, and maybe an hour and a half.  I didn’t need a good race today to win that competition.  I just needed to avoid having an awful race.  If I ran most of the way, I would win the quad.

As I started running, I felt OK.  None of my muscles felt unusually stiff or sore.  I was able to quickly settle into a pace that felt comfortable.  Several other runners went out at a faster pace.  I didn’t know how many were doing the marathon and how many were doing the half marathon.  I let them go ahead, and I ran at my own pace.

The first time I went up a hill, I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my left knee.  This was the same spot where I felt discomfort for the first lap or two of yesterday’s race, but today it was much worse.  Even after I got back on level ground, it still hurt.  It was almost enough to make me limp.

Both Greg and Justin made comments about my form in the early laps of yesterday’s race.  Justin said it looked like one of my hips or knees wasn’t rotating properly.  Yesterday the discomfort went away after I got warmed up.  If it didn’t go away today, I might not be able to run the whole race.

I tried running with an exaggerated knee lift.  That briefly made the pain go away.  When I returned to my normal stride, the pain came back.  I tried the same this again, with the same result.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep that up.  It was too tiring.  I returned to my natural gait and did my best to fight through the pain.

As I got closer to the turnaround point, I started to see runners coming back.  The first two were doing the half marathon.  Then there were a couple runners whose race bibs were blocked by their clothing.  I couldn’t tell which race they were doing, but assumed they were probably doing the half marathon.  Just before I reached the turn, I saw two runners who had marathon bibs.  They both had fresh legs, so I immediately decided I wouldn’t try to compete for the win today.  Competing for a top three finish was still possible.

My time at that first turn was about the same as yesterday.  The next runner behind me was Renee.  She usually started behind me but caught up to me in the second half.  In knew she was motivated to run fast, because she needed to catch a flight after the race.  If I was going to place in the top three, I would have to stay ahead of her.

In the second half of that lap, I didn’t notice as much discomfort with my left knee.  It seemed to gradually go away as my legs warmed up.

When I finished my first lap, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I ran the second half about a minute faster than the first half.

In the previous three races, I always stopped at the aid station long enough to drink about six ounces of Gatorade.  That often caused me to fall behind the runners who were near me.  It seemed like I was going to be in a close race today, so I tried something different.  I picked up one of my bottles and carried it with me while I drank.  After turning onto the lower trail, I set it on top of the retaining wall.  The next time I came around, I picked up the bottle, drank the rest, and then carried it to a trash can that was just past the first hill.  That saved me several seconds at the end of every lap.

Before the race, everybody was talking about how bad the wind was going to be.  In the early laps, it wasn’t that bad.  There was a breeze, but it wasn’t any big deal.

By the second lap, one of the runners ahead of me was getting so far ahead that I only saw him when he was coming back after one of the turns.  The other runner ahead of me was still fairly close.  He was wearing a red shirt, and I always looked to see where he was.  I tried not to let him get too far ahead of me.

At the start of each lap, we ran down a steep hill and made a sharp right turn.  As I started my third lap, running down this hill made my knee hurt.  After that, I slowed almost to a walk going down this hill.  The rest of the time, my knee felt OK.  It seemed like it was only a big problem at the beginning of the race.

By the third lap, I started to notice the wind was picking up.  It wasn’t tiring yet, but it started to feel cold on my arms.

The turnaround point was always the best place to look for runners who were ahead of me or behind me.  In my third lap, I noticed that Renee was falling farther behind me.  Did she slow down or did I speed up?  I got my answer when I finished that lap.  I sped up.

Even though I was running a little bit faster today, I didn’t feel like I was pushing the pace the way I was yesterday.  There were runners ahead of me, and there were runners behind me, but I just ran at my own pace.  I felt more relaxed today.

In my fourth lap, I realized I could no longer see the runner in the red shirt.  Did he somehow get so far ahead of me that I lost sight of him?  I looked for him all the way to the turnaround.  After making the turn, I saw him a short distance behind me.  My best guess is that he made a bathroom stop at the end of the previous lap, and I passed him at the aid station without realizing it.

Now I appeared to me in second place, but I didn’t know if I would stay ahead of the guy in the red shirt.  After all, I was only ahead of him now because he made a stop.  I also still wasn’t confident that I would stay ahead of Renee for the while race.  In the previous two races, I had to fight like mad to keep up with her in the last few laps.  I didn’t know if I could do that again today.  To finish in the top three, I would have to stay ahead of at least one of them.

There was a woman in a gray top who was up there with the leaders.  I assumed she was doing the half marathon, but I didn’t know for sure.  She was using an over-the-shoulder harness to hold her water bottles, and it made it hard to see her race bib.  As I was nearing the end of my fourth lap, I saw her starting another lap.  She was now in her fifth lap, so she was definitely running the marathon.  That meant I wasn’t in second place.  I was actually in third place, with the guy in the red shirt right behind me.

At the halfway mark, I was five minutes faster than yesterday.  Could I maintain that pace for the rest of the race?  If I couldn’t, I’d probably drop out of the top three.  The good news is that I was now in the second half of the race.  The remaining distance seemed more manageable.

By now, the wind was not only cold, but it was getting tiring.  On the way out, we had a headwind the whole way.  When I reached the turnaround, my arms didn’t just feel cold.  They were almost numb.

I always made note of how far back the guy in the red shirt was.  When I turned around, he was crossing the footbridge.  That put him somewhere between 50 and 100 yards back.  That wasn’t a safe lead.  Renee was getting farther and farther behind with each lap.  At first, I thought she was having a tough day today.  In fact, she had a solid race, but I was running much faster today.

During that lap, I never saw the other runner who was ahead of me.  I’m not sure how I missed him.  He was wearing a marathon bib number, but I wondered if he switched to the half marathon and was already done.  If so, that would mean I was actually in second place.  I crossed my fingers and kept looking for him.  As I neared the end of my fifth lap, I saw him going out on his sixth lap.  For the first time in the race, I knew exactly where I stood.  I was in third place, with the guy in the red shirt close behind me.  It was going to be a nail-biter.

In my sixth lap, I was really bothered by the headwind in the first half.  As I got close to the turn, I told myself I would only have to run into this wind two more times.  Coming back, I expected to have a tailwind, but it felt more like a crosswind.  I looked at the tall grass between the trail and the river.  The wind was pushing it toward the river.  It was a headwind going out, but a crosswind coming back.  It was cold in both directions.

As I rounded the corner at the beginning of my next lap, I looked to my right and saw the guy in the red shirt going through the start/finish area.  He wasn’t as far behind me.  I didn’t know if I could hold him off for two more laps.  If we only had one lap to go, I would turn myself inside-out to stay ahead of him.  With two laps to go, I didn’t know if I had that much fight in me.  I picked up my effort a little and hoped it would be enough.

As I reached the part of the course that’s most exposed to the wind, it was once again a headwind going out.  That didn’t seem fair.

When I reached the turnaround, I immediately looked for the guy in the red shirt.  He was just crossing the bridge.  I was back to having the same lead that I had at this point in the previous lap.  That was somewhat reassuring, but it still wasn’t a safe lead.

Coming back from the turn, I felt perspiration under my hat.  Did I have a tailwind now?  No.  This part of the course was briefly sheltered from the wind by a hillside.  As soon as I got into a more exposed area, I felt the wind.  If it was a tailwind, I shouldn’t feel it.  I looked at the grass again.  Yup.  It was a crosswind.  It really wasn’t fair how the wind kept shifting.

As I started my last lap, I still had a lead of 50 to 100 yards.  With one lap to go, I considered pouring it on.  I could build more of a lead before the turn, but I might run out of gas coming back.  The turnaround would be the last place where I could easily see how far back he was.  I decided to wait until the turnaround before making my move.

Going out, it felt like a headwind again.  I looked at the grass.  It was definitely a headwind.  It wasn’t just tiring.  It was also seriously cold.  As I got closer to the turn, I sped up to get it over with.  I told myself this was the last time I would have to run into the wind.  I was wrong.

We ran past a railroad yard, and the wind made a whistling sound as it brew between the train cars.  At first, it sounded like unusually loud wind chimes.  By the last lap, it was as loud as a siren.

After the turn, I saw that the guy in the red shirt was still on the other side of the bridge.  I added to my lead.  I had been telling myself that this was where I would put the hammer down and sprint to the finish.  Now that I was here, I couldn’t do it.  The wind was taking too much out of me.  I maintained my same effort and hoped that would be enough.

I briefly felt respite from the wind while I was sheltered by the hillside.  Then as I got into the open, I could feel the cold wind.  Then I felt a gust.  It felt like I was running into it.  I looked at the grass and confirmed I was running into a headwind.  How could I have a headwind in both directions?  It was totally not fair!

When I was about halfway back, I started to accelerate.  Now that I could anticipate finishing, it got easier.  I wanted to look over my shoulder to see how big my lead was.  I resisted the temptation.  Any good track coach will tell their runners never to look back.  You just run as hard as you can all the way to the finish.  With about half a mile to go, that’s what I did.

I ran the rest of that lap as if the guy in the red shirt was breathing down my neck.  I crossed the line in 4:08:13.  I was thirteen minutes faster than yesterday.  I ran negative splits by three minutes.  Now I looked back.  It was several seconds before I saw him starting to come up the hill.  I got my third-place finish, extending my streak to 24 races.

I got two medals today.  The first one was for finishing today’s race.  The second one was for finishing the quad.

I also got this award for 1st place male in the quad.  It’s a medal holder for the four races of the quad.  I think I won it by about two hours.

Finally, I got a hat and a pullover for finishing the quad.  That’s in addition to the T-shirt I got at packet pickup.

There was a volunteer who was dressed as a giraffe.  Since I was dressed as a cheetah, I had to get a picture with her.

Before leaving, I waited long enough to see Renee finish, knowing she was going to win 1st place female for the quad.  She finished about 10 minutes behind me, but only because I was faster today.  It was actually her fastest race of the four.

After getting back to the hotel, I thought about where I was feeling pain in my left knee.  It’s about where the iliotibial band connects.  I’ve never had IT band syndrome before, but that’s most likely what this is.  I think it’s the only common running injury I’ve never had before.  Running all-out marathons four days in a row is pretty hard on the body.  I’m really glad I don’t have another race tomorrow.  Hopefully, this injury is still minor enough that it’ll heal quickly with rest.

One of my long-term goals is to run quadzillas in as many states as I can.  One of my goals for 2020 was to run a quadzilla in at least one new state.  I thought it would be Alaska, but the Alaska Series was cancelled.  The Texas Quad was my backup plan.  Now that I’ve completed the Texas Quad, I’ve done quadzillas in seven states.

Race Statistics

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  4:08:13

Average Pace:  9:28

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  429

Consecutive Top Three Finishes:  24

Quadzilla States:  7

Texas Quad, Day 3: The Tortoise

Today was day three of the Texas Quad.  Today’s race was called “The Tortoise.”  I wondered if that was how fast I would be.  I averaged nine minutes per mile on day one and ten minutes per mile on day two.  After hitting the wall in yesterday’s race, I fully expected to average eleven minutes per mile today.  That turned out to be overly pessimistic.

The temperature at the start was 47 degrees, which was similar to Thursday.  One big difference is that today’s forecast included rain.  We had a dry start, but everyone expected the rain to start after about two hours.  I kept a rain poncho in my drop bag.

Before the race, I looked around to see if there were any new arrivals today.  There were a couple of young guys who looked fast, but they were doing the half marathon.  I was only aware of one person showing up today for the marathon.  That was my friend Heather, who I knew was capable of breaking four hours.  As it turns out, there were a couple of other new arrivals who I didn’t know.

As we started running, my friend Justin took the lead.  He won by a wide margin yesterday, and I expected him to win today too.  Heather started out running with Justin before eventually dropping back.  For the first two laps, those two were way ahead of everyone else.

My legs felt better today than they did yesterday.  The ice bath I took yesterday apparently worked wonders.  Not seeing any other fast runners, I started fast enough to get ahead of everyone except Justin and Heather.  I felt like I was working harder in my first lap than I did in my previous two races, but I had to see if it was possible to place in the top three again.

After about a mile, I noticed some discomfort on the outside of my left knee.  That was something new.  I wondered if I was starting too fast without giving my muscles time to warm up.  After a while, Greg came alongside of me and asked me how I was feeling.  I told him about the left knee, and he said he noticed my stride was off balance.  I didn’t know what was causing that or how to correct it.  I kept running and hoped it would get better as I got warmed up.

I felt like I was starting at a really fast pace.  When I reached the turnaround, I checked my watch.  I was disappointed to see that it my pace was no faster than yesterday.  It only felt faster because I was working harder.  After the turn, Greg slowed down, and I was all by myself in third place for the rest of that lap.

I’m usually pretty good at remembering everything that happened during a race.  After today’s race, my memory was a little fuzzy.  I mostly remember what happened, but I’m less sure about when things happened.  I’m taking my best guess, but my recollection of some events may be off by a lap.

I usually just drink Gatorade during a race.  This morning, I was having trouble waking up, so I started out drinking Dr. Pepper.  Because of the carbonation, it took me longer to drink it.  That forced me to pause for a longer time as I went through the aid station.  At the end of my first lap, as I was drinking my Gatorade, two runners passed me.  One was David.  I knew he was doing the marathon, but I didn’t know how fast he usually runs.  As I started my next lap, I made a point of trying to catch up to him.  The other runner was pushing someone in a wheelchair.  I didn’t know which race he was doing.

I eventually caught up to David and passed him.  When I got close enough to the other runner to see his race bib, I saw he was doing the half marathon.  I didn’t have to worry about him.

The wind was blowing through the river valley from east to west.  In the first half of each lap, it was at our backs.  In my third lap, I started to get warm with the wind at my back.  I knew I would feel colder when I came back into the wind, but I was warm enough that it made me tire faster.  I reluctantly took off my gloves and stuffed them into my fanny pack.  I immediately felt better.

By the middle of my third lap, David was no longer the next runner behind me.  There was a woman in a white shirt wearing #37.  I didn’t know who she was.  She wasn’t here Thursday or Friday, but she was right behind me as I made the turn.  Renee was only a short distance behind her.  I was in third place, but there were three runners who were only a short distance behind me.  Already, my pace felt tiring.  It’s not a good sign where you’re getting tired in the third lap of an eight-lap race, but I was determined to try to place in the top three if I could.

I looked for Heather in the distance.  She was a long way ahead of me, but she was easy to spot, because she was wearing a bright pink skirt.  I tried to focus on gaining ground on Heather.  I didn’t actually expect to catch her, but it helped me speed up enough to get some separation from the three runners behind me.

As I started my fourth lap, Heather didn’t seem to be as far ahead of me.  She was slowing down enough that I could gain ground.  I caught up to Heather and ran with her for a couple minutes.  Then I moved ahead of her.

I wasn’t the only one to pass Heather.  As I came back from the turn, I saw that #37 and Renee were the next two runners behind me, followed by Heather, David and Greg.

When I finished my fourth lap, I drank some Dr. Pepper and saw that there was only a little bit left in the bottle.  I took a few extra seconds to finish the bottle before crossing the line to begin my next lap.  That was enough time for #37 to move ahead of me.

Already I could tell that I would eventually need to make a bathroom stop.  I ignored that and started my next lap, intent on catching up to #37.  As I started the second half of the race, I was on pace to break 4:22, which is something I couldn’t quite do yesterday.

By now, the sun was out, making it feel warmer.  As I saw more and more blue sky, I was optimistic that it wouldn’t rain before I finished the race.  The downside was that I got hot every time I had the wind at my back.  When the wind was in my face, it was tiring, but it also kept me from getting hot.  The wind was a mixed blessing, to be sure.

I caught up to #37 and passed her, moving into second place again.  When I reached the turnaround, I assumed she would be the next runner behind me.  She wasn’t.  Renee had passed her.  Now she was my closest competition.  I asked Renee if she was going to win again.  She said, “I’ll try.”

I saw Greg going by in the other direction, and I asked him if my stride still looked unbalanced.  He looked back to watch me as I ran away, and yelled that I looked OK now.

For the rest of that lap, I tried to accelerate and gain as much separation as I could.  As I finished the lap, I paused and looked back.  I couldn’t see anyone coming, so I made my bathroom stop.

When I emerged from the port-o-potty, I looked to see if anyone passed me.  I saw some runners going through the start/finish line, but nobody I was worried about.  I overheard the volunteers talking.  One said, “She was registered for the half marathon, but she’s doing the full.”  I didn’t know who they were talking about.  I had been ignoring all the runners wearing half marathon bibs.  Was it possible I had another competitor whom I had previously been ignoring?

It quickly occurred to me that it wouldn’t take long to find out.  I was starting my sixth lap.  Any runner doing the half marathon who was going at my pace would already be done.  I just had to look to see if any runners I didn’t recognize were going fast enough to be on the same lap as me.  If so, I’d see them by the time I reached the turnaround.

By the time I reached the turnaround, I was certain that I was still in second place.  Then I made the turn and saw Renee right behind me.  I ran the rest of that lap with Renee.

At the end of the lap, I stopped to drink some Gatorade.  I wasn’t sure if I was drinking enough, so I took my time.  Renee passed me and got way ahead of me.

For the first half of my next lap, I tried to catch up to Renee, but I didn’t seem to be getting any closer to her.  Finally, after making the turn, I started gaining ground.  I’m not sure why it was easier to gain ground now, but it may have had something to do with running into the wind.  By the end of that lap, I caught up to her.

I only had enough Gatorade left in my bottle for one small swallow.  Ordinarily, I would’ve opened another bottle, but I didn’t want to lose any time.  I drank what I had and hurried to catch up to Renee, who had move ahead of me while I stopped to drink.

I hadn’t looked at my time since the halfway mark.  I wanted to check my time at the end of seven laps, so see if I could break 4:22.  In my haste to start the last lap, I forgot to look.

This time, I wasn’t as far behind Renee.  Within a few minutes, I was able to catch her.  Then I moved ahead of her.  For most of the last lap, I was running just ahead of Renee.

About a mile into my last lap, it occurred to me that this was where my quads started to ache yesterday.  Today, they didn’t bother me.  I was fighting to hold my pace, but I didn’t have any significant aches or pains.  It occurred to me that my left knee didn’t bother me as much as it did earlier.  I only felt it when I was fighting to accelerate.  I also didn’t notice much soreness in the tendon that has bothered me since September.  I really noticed it on Thursday.  Today, I hardly felt it at all.  That’s the opposite of what I expected.

For most of the last three laps, I asked myself why I was working so hard to keep up with Renee.  To place in the top three, I just needed to beat Heather.  She was more than a mile behind us by now.  I think it was a psychological thing.  Competing with Renee kept my head in the game.  It was easier than being all by myself on the trail with nobody to push me.

There’s a hill at the end of each lap that I now refer to as “Mount Trinity.”  It seems bigger each lap.  At the end of my last lap, I raced up Mount Trinity and sprinted toward the line.  I finished in 4:21:11.  That’s about a minute faster than yesterday.  It was my third straight second place finish.  More significantly, I extended my streak of top three finishes to 23 races.

I was really pouring it on in the last mile, so I didn’t realize that Renee was keeping pace with me.  She finished just a few seconds after I did.  She was the first place female for the second straight day.

Tomorrow will be interesting.  Justin won’t he here.  Nor will Heather.  I don’t know if #37 will be here, but she faded badly in the second half of today’s race, and she won’t have fresh legs tomorrow.  It’s entirely possible that there will be a bunch of fast runners showing up tomorrow with fresh legs.  It’s also possible that I’ll be racing Renee for first place overall.  She has extra motivation to run fast tomorrow, because she needs to hurry to the airport to catch an afternoon flight.

I was able to finish before it started raining, but I still got cold once I was no longer running.  By the time I reached my hotel, my hands were turning white.  The ice bath I took yesterday really helped, but I didn’t dare take one today.  Instead, I took a hot bath, stretched, and worked on my muscles with the massage stick.  I may do that again later in the day.

Race Statistics

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  4:21:11

Average Pace:  9:58

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  428

Consecutive Top Three Finishes:  23

Texas Quad, Day 2: The Waddle

Today was the second day of the Texas Quad.  Today’s race was called “The Waddle.”  After breaking four hours yesterday, I knew I’d be slower today.  I woke up with a certain amount of stiffness and soreness.

Yesterday, I wanted to compete for the win.  Today, I had no illusions about that.  My friend Justin was here, and I knew he’d win by a wide margin.  At the start of today’s race, I mainly wanted to finish.  I’ve run with tired legs before, so the delayed-onset muscle soreness wasn’t going to deter me.  My biggest concern was my left leg.  I didn’t know if yesterday’s race would make it worse.  I just had to start running and find out.

The temperature range wasn’t as wide today.  When I got up, it was already 54 degrees.  The temperature at the start was about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, but it wasn’t going to warm up much.  I was originally planning to wear tights to keep my legs warm, but I made a last-minute decision to wear shorts.

Just like yesterday, we lined up according to our bib numbers, with runners expecting to break five hours lining up in front.  I still expected to break five hours, so I was still near the front.  I just wasn’t right at the starting line.

As I started running, my legs just didn’t want to move.  Mostly, they were sore, but they were also cold.  I eased into running gradually, while I waited for my legs to warm up.

Before long, I started running with Greg.  Neither of us was trying to run fast.  We ran together for the rest of the first lap.

During the second lap, I started taking pictures of the course.  The first time I stopped, Greg walked until I caught up.  As I stopped to take more pictures, he started running with Ken, and I fell farther and farther behind them.  For the next few laps, I ran by myself.

We could run on either the concrete path, or the adjacent gravel trail.  The measured route was always the shortest path.  Most of the time that was the concrete, but there was one place where the concrete path began to meander, while the gravel trail went straight.  That was the only place I ran on the gravel, as I generally prefer a firm surface.

Shortly before the turnaround, we ran underneath a bridge.  You could tell how far you were from the turnaround by looking for the bridge.

Just after the bridge, we ran over a footbridge across a drainage canal.  From there, you could see the turnaround.

I had a painful blister on the ball of my left foot.  It was most painful on sharp turns, so I briefly slowed to a walk whenever I made the 180-degree turn.

Coming back, it was harder to tell how far you were from the start/finish area.  It was between two bridges, but you couldn’t see them until you were close.  You had to get around a few bends in the river first.

When you can see this bridge, you know you’re getting close.

At the end of the lap, we had to go up a hill.  Some people walked this hill.  I always ran it, but I always slowed down here.

When I finished my second lap, I stopped to put away my camera.  We had the same views in every lap, so I didn’t need to take any more pictures.  As I crossed the start/finish line, I looked at my watch for the first time.  I was on pace for roughly 4:26.

I always assumed I would start taking walking breaks at some point, but the wind started to pick up, and I felt like I would get too cold if I walked.  I continued running, but at a pace that was noticeably slower than yesterday.

Midway through my third lap, I caught up to Greg again.  He was taking a walking break while talking to another runner.  After I passed Greg, there were just three other runners ahead of me.

Running the whole way was tiring, but I was now resigned to it.  I was barely managing to keep warm enough.  I started to wonder if I could catch more runners if I kept running.

The next runner ahead of me was Renee.  I could see her ahead of me and spent the rest of the third lap and all of the fourth lap trying to gain ground on her.

In the RunningRagged 20in20 Series, I placed in the top three every day.  I also placed in the top three yesterday.  That’s a streak of 21 consecutive races with podium finishes.  I started today’s race without a goal, but now I wanted to see if I could extend that streak to 22.

As I finished my fourth lap, I was just about to catch up to Renee.  Then I stopped to drink some Gatorade, while she kept running.  I think most of the other runners were carrying fluids with them.  I was stopping to drink each time I went through the aid station.  That always caused me to fall behind the other runners at the start of a lap.

I didn’t expect it to warm up more than a few degrees, but now that the wind was picking up, it actually felt colder.  I mentioned that to Greg, and he said the temperature was dropping.

Halfway through my fifth lap, I finally caught up to Renee.  Now I was in third place.  After the turnaround, I started looking for Ken.  By now, Justin was at least a lap ahead of everyone.  Ken was in second place.  Sometimes, on a straight section of trail, I would see Ken way ahead in the distance.  Then he would disappear around a bend.  When I could see him, I tried to focus on gaining ground.

As I started my sixth lap, I saw Ken beginning to take walking breaks.  He never walked for long, but it allowed me to gradually make up some ground.

I saw Greg again.  He had checked the temperature with his phone.  It was now 52 degrees.  That was three degrees colder than it was at the start.  On top of that, there was more wind.  That’s why I wasn’t comfortable taking walking breaks.  At this point, it no longer mattered.  I was now emotionally invested in a top three finish, even if it meant going all-out for a second straight day.

I kept getting closer to Ken.  I was only 50 yards behind him when he reached the turnaround.  After making the turn myself, I saw that Renee was right behind me.

I was currently in third place.  If I could catch Ken, I could move into second place.  On the other hand, if I slowed down even a little, Renee would pass me, and I would drop back to fourth place.  I couldn’t let up.

I was right behind Ken when he took his next walking break.  Then I moved ahead of him.  With Renee and Ken both right behind me, I felt like I couldn’t let up.

When I finished my sixth lap, Renee was so close that she passed me as I stopped to drink.  I worked a little harder to catch up to her.  I saw Ken going up the hill just as we were passing by on the lower trail.  We were ahead of him by a couple minutes now.

I ran the entire seventh lap with Renee.  For the first half of that lap, it felt like I had to work hard to stay with her.  In the second half, she eased up a bit, and I didn’t have to work as hard.

By now, I knew her only goal was to be the first-place woman, and she knew my only goal was to place in the top three overall.  We didn’t actually need to compete with each other.  We could each reach our goals.  I just needed to stay ahead of Ken, who was falling farther behind.  Renee was keeping an eye on the second woman, but she had what seemed like a safe lead.

As we started our last lap, we were on pace for 4:22.  That’s always been a big goal for me, since it’s an average pace of 10 minutes per mile.  We might do it, but it would be close.

Renee seemed to slow down in the first half of that lap.  Without trying, I started to pull away from her.  When I was about halfway to the turnaround, I suddenly felt overwhelming soreness in both legs.  My quads were suddenly killing me.  That came out of nowhere.  Running at my limit two days in a row had caught up to me.  I was hitting the wall in a big way.

I fought through the pain to maintain my pace as best I could.  Renee caught up to me just past the turnaround.

We ran together the rest of the way, but I once again had to work to keep up with her.  With about a mile to go, I could tell we were speeding up.  Renee was feeling good, and she was going to finish strong.  I told her I would keep up with her as long as I could.

As we got closer to the end of the lap, I found it easier to stay with her.  For the longest time, I assumed she would drop me.  Now, as my legs seemed to be recovering, I told her I was going to race her to the finish line.  She didn’t care.  She didn’t feel the need to compete with me.

I didn’t know how my legs would respond going up that last hill, but they handled it fine.  I sprinted to the line, finishing in 4:22:04.  Renee finished a few second behind me and got her award.

There aren’t any awards for second place, but that’s OK.  I extended my streak of top three finishes to 22 consecutive races.  I expect that streak to end tomorrow, when there will be more competition.  Besides, I’m not going to be in any shape to compete.  I think my legs are done, and the next two days will be a struggle just to finish.

When I got back to the hotel, I took an ice bath.  It must have been the coldest ice bath I’ve ever taken.  I stayed in it for 20 minutes.  Then I took a long hot shower to warm up.  Even with hot water spraying on me, my hands turned white.  After drying off, I got cold again.  I quickly got dressed, but I was shivering for the next half hour.  Ice baths really work, but I sometimes think the cure is worse than the disease.

I expect the next two days to be rough.  When I race on consecutive days, I usually hold back until the last day.  I didn’t hold back yesterday, and I didn’t hold back today.  I’m really going to pay for that tomorrow and Sunday.  On top of that, tomorrow will be colder and it may rain during the race.

Race Statistics

Distance:  26.2 miles

Time:  4:22:04

Average Pace: 10:00 

Lifetime Marathons/Ultras:  427

Consecutive top three finishes:  22

Texas Quad, Day 1: The Walk

Today was the first day of the Texas Quad, which is a series of four marathons in four days over Thanksgiving weekend.  In the past, these races were held at Lake Bachman Park in Dallas.  Dallas County isn’t currently issuing permits for running events, so this year’s races were moved to the Trinity Trail System in Fort Worth.  Fort Worth is in a different county.

I flew to Fort Worth yesterday.  With COVID-19 cases rising all over the country, I was a little bit leery about traveling to a race.  The nice thing about a series like this is that I can do four races, while only having to travel to one city.  Not that I’m in Fort Worth, I can stay at the same hotel for the whole series.  My hotel room has a kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, so I can prepare and eat meals in my room.  Other than the races, I plan to mostly stay at the hotel and keep to myself.

The races are all small, and they have good protocols for COVID-19, so I didn’t consider them to be risky.  If there was one thing that made me nervous, it was needing to buy groceries on the day before Thanksgiving, which is typically one of the busiest days for grocery stores.  After checking in at my hotel, the first thing I did was head to Kroger to buy groceries.  I was worried that the store would be packed, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I was told they were busy earlier in the day, and they expected to be busy later.  I apparently got there during a brief lull.

After buying groceries, I went to Montgomery Plaza to pick up my race packet.  I’ll have the same race bib for all four races, so I only needed to do that once.  I’ll be wearing bib #5.  That’s the lowest bib number I’ve ever had for a marathon.

I expect to eat most of my meals in my hotel room, but I found one local pizzeria with outdoor seating, and yesterday was a nice enough day to eat outside.  Local residents might have found it to be too chilly, but it’s much warmer here than it is at home.

Each race of the Texas Quad has a name.  Today’s race was called, “The Walk.”  You don’t actually have to walk, but most runners were doing at least some amount of walking.  That’ll be true every day of this series.  Personally, I planned to run most of the way, but I didn’t rule out taking walking breaks to manage my pace.

I saw several familiar faces today.  Some of them were runners who also did the Running Ragged 20in20 Series in September.  I also saw several runners I didn’t know.  Most of them, I assume, are local runners.  I’m not sure how many are doing the Quad and how many were just doing today’s race.

We’ll have the same course all four days.  It’s an out-and back alongside the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.  To complete a marathon, we had to run eight laps.  There was also a half marathon, which was four laps of the same course.

After the Running Ragged 20in20 Series, I needed to take a break to heal from injuries.  For the first week, I just rested.  Since them, I’ve been doing physical therapy, while running every other day.  My longest run in the last eight weeks was only 12.25 miles, so I didn’t know how I would hold up over a marathon.  My knee is feeling better, but it’s not 100 percent.  A bigger concern is a tendon in my left leg that I still notice whenever I run.   I can run as much as 10 miles without it getting worse, but I didn’t know how it would hold up over 26.2 miles.

I didn’t know how fast I should try to run today.  Aside from the injuries, I also didn’t know what kind of shape I’m in.  I had a great fitness base before the Running Ragged 20in20 Series, but since then my training has really dropped off.  I wasn’t sure to what extent I’ve lost fitness.

We lined up in two rows, spaced six feet apart.  Everyone was required to wear a mask or face covering in the start/finish area and any time they were less than six feet from other runners.  We were ordered by bib number, with the exception that anyone expecting to run the marathon in five hours should line up in the first three rows.  Apparently, there weren’t many other runners who expected to break five hours.  I ended up in front.  The race was chip-timed, so runners lining up farther back didn’t lose any time.

I planned to start the race on pace for four hours.  I didn’t know how long I would keep that pace.  I’ve run that pace comfortably for up to nine miles, but I haven’t had anything I would call a “long run” in the last eight weeks.

We started out heading east, but quickly descended a short hill and made a sharp turn onto a path that was closer to the river.  Then we headed west until we reached the turnaround.

I started out running with Ed, who was lined up next to me at the start.  I eventually moved ahead, but I didn’t want to get too far out in front.  Within a few minutes, a few other runners caught up.  I assumed the runners I didn’t recognize were doing the half marathon, but I wasn’t sure.  I let the fastest one go, but stayed with three others.  I wasn’t sure how fast we were going until we reached the turnaround.

When I did the RunningRagged 20in20 Series in September, most of my times were between 4:30 and 5:00.  I expected to run similar times in this series, but I wanted to see if I could win one of the races.  My best chance at a win was today.  After today, I’ll have tired legs, so I won’t be able to compete with runners who are arriving with fresh legs.

When the lead runner was coming back from the turnaround, I tried to ask her which race she was doing.  I thought she said, “what?”  I assumed at first that she didn’t hear the question.  Then Calix, who was running near, said he thought she said, “half.”  I assumed Calix was right, and that I didn’t have to worry about competing with her.  I also didn’t have to compete with Calix, because he was doing the half marathon.  There was at least one runner near me who was doing the marathon, and she wasn’t running the remain three races of the quad.  I had to make a decision.  Did I want to try to compete with a runner who could afford to go all-out today, when I had to worry about having something left for the next three days?

I checked my pace as I reached the turnaround.  To be on pace for a four-hour finish, I needed to get there in 15 minutes.  I got there in about 14 minutes.  If I wasn’t thinking about competing for the win, I would’ve slowed down a bit.  Instead, I kept up the same pace.

There was one other runner who was just ahead of me.  I didn’t know at first if he was doing the marathon or the half marathon.  Until I knew, I tried not to fall too far behind him.

As we neared the end of the lap, there was a fork.  The trail on the left stayed close to the river.  The trail on the right went up a hill.  The trail on the left was the way we went out, so I assumed we would come back the same way.  I was wrong.  A volunteer directed us up the hill.  I soon saw that that would bring us back to start/finish line going the same direction that we started, instead of having to make a 180-degree turn.

There was an aid station with some pre-packaged food items, but beverages were self-serve.  We were each expected to bring a cooler with our own beverages.  I brought a small insulated bag with a few bottles of Gatorade.  Just before crossing the line, I stopped to open a bottle of Gatorade and take a drink.

I finished the first lap in roughly 28 minutes, putting me well ahead of a four-hour pace.  After stopping to drink, I briefly fell behind the two other runners I was trying to keep up with.

We were mostly running on a concrete path, but there was sometimes a gravel trail running alongside of it.  We were told we could run on either path, but the course was measured along the shortest path.  In one place, the concrete path turns and becomes slightly serpentine, while the gravel trail goes straight.  Here, the gravel trail is the one that was measured.

There was another race going on at the same time as ours.  It was a half marathon that started a few miles farther east and did a single out-and-back.  Their course overlapped with ours, but they were supposed to stay on the concrete through this section.  They had cones indicating they weren’t supposed to continue onto the gravel.  Before the race, Angela told us we could ignore those cones and go straight.  By the time I was finishing my second lap, I was seeing runners from the other race.  Their bib numbers had a different design than ours.

My second lap took about 29 minutes.  That was slower than the first lap, but still faster than a four-hour pace.  I continued to run at that pace for two more laps.

It wasn’t until my third lap, that I learned that the runner who was just ahead of me was doing the half marathon.  I no longer needed to worry about keeping up with him.  Ironically, it was during that lap that I passed him.

As I started my fourth lap, I had a lead for the first time.  I had been carrying a camera in my fanny pack since the beginning of the race, but I didn’t feel like I could stop to take pictures without falling behind.  I stopped briefly to take a picture of the river, but I couldn’t get the camera to turn on.  I tried a few times and then gave up.  It seemed like the button was jammed.  A short time later, I reached another place where I wanted to take a picture.  I tried again to turn on the camera, but I still couldn’t get it to turn on.  I finally gave up on it and put the camera back in my fanny pack.

As I was in the second half of that lap, I saw runner #20 going the other way.  She was the runner who was out in front since early in the first lap.  Up until now, I assumed she was doing the half marathon.  If so, she would’ve been finished by now.  She was already in her fifth lap, so she was obviously doing the marathon.  For almost half the race, I assumed I was competing for the overall win.  Now I realized I was way behind the overall leader.

When I finished my fourth lap, I took the camera out of my fanny pack and put it my bag in the finish area.  If I couldn’t use it, there was no sense in continuing to carry that extra weight.

I reached the halfway mark in roughly 1:55.  That put me on pace for 3:50, but the pace didn’t feel sustainable.  Now I had to decide how fast I wanted to run.  Running as fast as I was today would leave me sore and tired for the next three races.  I was willing to risk that to compete for the win, but my pace now seemed less relevant.  I clearly wasn’t going to be the overall winner.  The lead woman already had a huge lead and was running a pace that I couldn’t possibly match.  Similarly, I already had a huge lead over all the other men.  Even if I slowed down, none of them were likely to catch me.  I had to decide how badly I wanted to break four hours.  I wasn’t sure yet.

As I started my fifth lap, I tried to maintain about the same effort.  When I saw the lead woman coming back, I checked my watch.  I checked it again when I reached the turnaround.  She was at least 16 minutes ahead of me.  I definitely wasn’t going to catch her, even if she slowed down.

That lap was a little bit slower.  For a hour-hour finish, I needed to average 30 minutes per lap.  My first four laps, were roughly 28, 29, 29, and 29.  This one was roughly 31.  I gave back a minute.  I still had four minutes in the bank.  If I continued to give back one minute per lap, I would still break four hours, but it would be close.  I couldn’t afford to keep slowing down.

In my sixth lap, I almost didn’t recognize the lead woman when she passed going the other direction.  I saw her race bib, or I wouldn’t have realized it was her.  Partly that’s because she shed a layer as it started to get hotter.  Mostly, it’s because I saw her much earlier than I expected.  She added at least a few more minutes to her lead.

I expected to get hot in the second half, but I didn’t.  There was a breeze in the river valley, and it helped offset the rising temperatures.  I started the race wearing tights.  I did that to keep my legs warm in the early miles, but I thought I would regret it later.  I never did.

As I finished that lap, I saw that I had given back more than a minute.  With two laps to go, I was ahead of a four-hour pace by only two and a half minutes.  That’s when I finally realized that I really wanted to break hour hours.  As I started my seventh lap, I tried to pick up my effort.

I was once again surprised how soon I saw the lead woman coming back.  I had barely started my seventh lap when I saw her nearing the finish of hers.  I fully expected her to lap me.  I was surprised that I made it almost to the turnaround before she went by.  I told her she was running strong.  Then I checked my watch as I made the turn.  I ran the first half of that lap in 16 minutes.  In just half a lap, I had already given back a minute.  I had to pick up the pace.

Seeing the lead woman in front of me, I decided to chase her.  I knew I couldn’t catch her, but I was hoping I could speed up enough to keep from falling any farther behind.  If I could match my pace with hers for half a lap, I could stay within striking distance of a four-hour finish.

At first, I was still falling behind.  Then I picked up my effort even more.  Finally, it seemed like I was staying about the same distance behind her.  As we got closer to the end of the lap, I could see that I was falling farther behind again.  At first, I thought I was easing up in my effort.  Then it occurred to me that she was on her last lap, so she was probably speeding up in anticipation of finishing.

When I finished that lap, I was pleasantly surprised to see I ran the second half in 13:30.  I made up the minute I lost in the first half and gained an additional 30 seconds.  As I started my last lap, I had a cushion of just over three minutes.  I knew I wouldn’t sustain my recent fast pace, but I was reasonably sure I wouldn’t give up three minutes in one lap.

Now that I was running on my own again, I couldn’t be certain if I was running fast enough.  I planned to check my time at the turnaround.  If I could get there in 16 minutes, I’d feel confident.  I got there in just over 15 minutes.  I ran somewhat faster in the second half of the lap, eventually finishing the race in 3:56:17.

While I wasn’t the overall winner, I was still the first place male.  Technically, that’s still a win.  Texas is now the 11th state where I’ve either been first overall or first male in a marathon or ultra.

After the race, it occurred to me that the problem with my camera might be the batteries.  Usually, when they're getting weak, I'll get an error message when I try to take a picture.  What if they were totally dead?  The last time I used the camera, it was working fine, but that was two months ago.  Could the batteries have gone completely dead since then?  Evidently, they did.  After I changed the batteries, I could turn it on.  It acted like I was turning it on for the very first time.  I had to set the date and time.  At least now, I can take pictures again.

It’s good to know that I can still run a marathon in four hours.  I hadn’t done that since August, and I had gone eight weeks without even running as far as 13 miles.  There was other good news.  I never had any discomfort in my right knee.  I still don’t think it’s 100 percent, but it’s improved significantly since my last race.

With respect to my left leg, the news is mixed.  I felt a certain amount of soreness from the beginning of the race.  It never got much better, but it also never got much worse.  I also didn’t have an uptick in soreness after the race.  I iced it, and I’ll ice it again.  How it'll feel during the next three races is anybody’s guess.  For what it’s worth, I plan to do liberal amounts of walking in the next three races.  Today’s race was called “The Walk,” but it’s probably the only race in the series where I won’t do any walking.

Race Statistics
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 3:56:17 
Average Pace: 9:01
Lifetime Marathons/Ultras: 426