Cowtown Marathon

Today I ran my second fastest marathon ever. It was a real struggle the last few miles as I was fighting off cramps in my right hamstring. My time was 3:49:21 which I'm super proud of because I've run very little in the last three weeks since I DNFd at Rocky Raccoon 100 at mile 56 with leg problems.

I'm also proud of Marla as she finished her first half marathon and only started training a couple of months ago. She had a great time and is already looking for a date for her second attempt and setting a PR. I think she's hooked now.

As for me I need to heal up so I'll probably spend some time on the bike for a few weeks and stay off the roads. I've got a few months until the Big D marathon which will probably be my next race.

A First Run

Tomorrow I'll be running the Cowtown marathon and it will be my first. I've run the ultra the last few years and have run the half as well but this year my lovely wife Marla is running her very first half marathon. She's been training for a few months but very few people even know she is running. I'm looking forward to seeing how much she enjoys it as she is already planning future races. Tomorrow we will have finishers pics so come on back.

New Blog, New Ink, New Direction

Lots of new going on around here.  My wife just redid my blog, I got some new ink (the flames) and I have a new direction in running.  I'm looking to find the fire and speed that I've neglected over the past few years while trying to finish a &^*%$# 100 mile race. Next up, the Cowtown Marathon, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do there.

Rocky Raccoon 100 DNF

Not sure what to say as these reports are the hardest ones to write. As others celebrate their victories I sit and wait for another race to redeem myself. It wouldn't be too bad if this was the first one I've written but there are two others. This time a bum left knee and some slippery mud did me in. The knee had been bothering me for over a month now and even caused me to miss a few races in hopes of getting healthy; the mud caused me to lose my footing a few too many times which put some strain on a few muscles that were already having issues. In the end there are no excuses, just a DNF by my name and I can live with that. I started this running journey a long time ago and run because I enjoy it. At times I think I've lost track by focusing too much on the next big race or goal I wanted to accomplish. I've run over 225 miles at Rocky Raccoon races and have one medal to show for it. I've made some new friends along the way and had some wonderful conversations out there in those woods, but now that must come to an end.

I want to say that I am so proud of all my friends that have completed the race and won their buckle, I know that they suffered quite a bit more than me to gain their prize and they should be proud, especially considering some of the conditions they have faced while doing it. It's been a heck of a couple of years out there.

For now I will bring the distances down a bit and rediscover the passion I once had for running faster. I saw a little bit of that at the Fort Worth marathon where I went sub 4 for the first time in a long time. I will find that faster runner again and see where it takes me. As far as the trails go, I will hit them every once in a while because I do love running them, they just don't love me back.

The Fear

Ok, it's been a while since my last post and a lot of things have been going on in my running world. In September I ran an 8 hour race in Mineral wells. I was able to get in 34 miles in the heat, and even though I felt bad during the race I finished strong. I ran the Fort Worth marathon on Nov. 13th and went under 4 hours, which I haven't done in a few years and followed it up with 50 miles at UltraCentric 6 days later. I took a few weeks off and then ran White Rock marathon on Dec. 4th, and then again ran a trail 50k 6 days later.

Now to the title of this post. With the running I've been doing lately I've been called a "bad ass", a "beast", "crazy", and many other descriptions. I must say that the main reason for my bad ass running schedule is that I have a fear inside me. As most of my readers know I've attempted the 100 mile distance the last 2 years and both times I ended up DNFing at the 60 mile point. (1st time with a knee injury, the 2nd time I quit) I'm in the best shape of my life right now and I'm still worried about that 60 mile point. I'm lucky this year to have the support of many gifted, talented, and supportive runners, they probably don't realize how much they really mean to me; but in the end I know that it will be my legs and mind that will be hurting and will have to continue down that path when I get there. The 3rd times the charm as they say!!

After this attempt it will back to being just regular runner Derek, nothing crazy, just some half, full marathons and a few 50ks during the year.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year. Hopefully it won't be another 2 months until I blog again.

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New Tattoos

I added some color to my Texas running tattoo!


and I added in a new one for my favorite band that just recently broke up!



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Hottest Half

Ran the Hottest Half this morning and it lived up to it's name. I usually do most of my running early in the morning or in the evening as the sun sets, so starting a run at 7:30 and racing as the sun starts bearing down is not part of my routine in the summer time.

I was looking forward to this race for a while because I hadn't ran a half marathon in quite a few years and wanted to see how I would do. Well I finished in 2:03, which is about 33 minutes of my PR when I was a younger skinnier runner but I'll take it. I started off with some 8 min/mile pace for a couple of miles and kept it under 9 through 9 miles and then the wheels came off. It was sunny, hot, and humid, so the walking started and when I knew I wasn't going to make it under 2 hours I just kind of took my time.

At least this gives me some idea on some things I need to work on for the fall and winter races where I think I can get back under 4 hours for the full. I know I got a lot of work to do but feel confident that some more speed work will help me get it done.