The Big Five-O (Marathons that is)
Many of the RAW tribe are probably tired of hearing that my
first marathon (or official road race for that matter) was the 2004
Cowtown. During the ten years that
followed Cowtown 2004 I zigzagged across the U.S. running in spectacular
locations doing routine and strange events.
In the early days I never imagined I would be running my 50th
marathon at the 2014 Cowtown. There are
a ton of fond memories and some I would just as soon forget. Plenty of lessons learned and friendships
made. There are lots of stories to tell
and I’ll try stay with the ones that impacted me the most. You can find my running stories at my blog
site: http://troyscrazysideofrunning.blogspot.com/
When I was six I ran a 6-ish minute mile on a hilly out and
back course. My older three brothers
were arguing over bragging rights. They were
all the fastest milers in the universe.
I didn’t even know what a mile was and I definitely wanted in on the
action. Of course I wasn’t invited to
the mile challenge and in younger sibling fashion, I took off after the 3 big
brothers. Guess who didn’t finish last?
I never was much of a team sports kind of guy. As an eleven year old malcontent I started
playing soccer. This sport I loved. From age 11 to 48 I played soccer. When I moved from LA to TX in 2001 I took a break
from soccer. When I resumed I started
running to get back in shape. What a
horrific start (see the blog). I kept at
it knowing I needed to be ready for the upcoming season. A half mile turned into 2, 2 into 5, 5 into
10, and then I was at 14. It occurred to
me that if someone can run 14 miles they can certainly run 26.2. And so I ran the 2004 Cowtown. Barney – this is what it means when my answer
to, “What made you start running?” is, “It was accidental.”
I’ve never been much of a joiner, especially in 2004. I did several solo runs by the club on
Saturdays and Sundays but never ventured into the RAW club house. Probably a good thing because in those days
good beer consisted of Natural Light and Michelob Ultra. I remember Fireman Ken and Henry sitting out
front as I would run by. It’s funny what
you remember.
My daughter asked me within minutes of finishing the 2004
Cowtown if I would run another marathon.
I replied with two words: “F… N.”
2004 Cowtown was a great and miserable experience all rolled up
together. I’ve come to realize that many
running events are great and miserable.
Maybe it’s the extremes that are the real allure to running. The 2004 Cowtown had no electrolytes on the
course. As I ran through one of the aid
stations there were volunteers frantically mixing Gatorade. Runners were dipping cups into the jugs as
the volunteers were trying to stir. A
few years later I found out it was the RAW aid station and I believe the last
time RAW has supported a Cowtown event.
On the bus ride to the start for the 2006 Austin marathon I
met a RAW member. Mark convinced me to
try the club out instead of just running by the club. Austin was freezing cold. Rumor was no one wanted to go outside to the
start because of the suicide deer prowling the area. Sure enough, the suicide deer took out several
runners near the start. Several
overpasses were iced over. At mile 10 I
hit a slippery patch and fell on my hip and knee. By the end of the race I had a 1 inch wide
blood trail from the knee to my shoe and a nice collection of blood on my sock
and shoe laces. This is called “bad-ass”
running. I had several cheers of
“Looking-Good” immediately followed by “Oh no – he’s hurt!” For some perverted reason the “He’s Hurt”
comments motivated me to keep running strong.
By mile 22 I hurt badly. The hip
was pounding, the quads were burning, and my stomach was upset. On a long out and back just before the finish
a race official looked me straight in the eye and said, “Pick your head
up.” I believe there is power in telling
it like it is (see the blog on spectators).
I was down for the count and yet revived thanks to the honesty of a
stranger. I went on to finish the great
and miserable experience in just under 3 hours (first time under 3:00).
Not long after Austin I joined RAW. It’s been a great experience. And while I might tell it like it is a little
too often, I only do it out of love and respect for all you joggersJ. My first event with RAW was Grasslands. It’s the first time I meet K2 and all her
frizzy hair. To think she would later
become Reverend K2 and marry off the Sweeties on a warm spring day. I also remember Susan Barnett applying
sunscreen to my neck and shoulders. She
said I didn’t need any on my neck because my hair was so long and lovely (well
that’s how I remember it…).
I know it’s a stretch but I like to think I’m responsible
for introducing RAW to beer. Weekend
after weekend the RAW faithful did their very best to get me to drink water
after a run (by water I mean the aforementioned Michelob Ultra, Bud Light,
Natural Light, etc…). There was even a
throw down after the 2006 July 4th cookout involving a taste test
between the best “light beers”, just ask
K2 and BradJ After a couple months of turning down RAW’s
version of beer (aka water) I signed up for water duty. In typical Wussie Judge style, this also
included a chest full of craft and premium beers. The rest of the story is - well history.
Lean Horse 2011 was my first 100 miler. This trip is incredibly important to me
personally. I was at the end of my first
marriage searching for meaning in life.
I can’t do the story justice in a single paragraph – you’ll just have to
read the blog. The event was dreadfully
miserable for several hours. Let it be
known that if the Texas Gang had not been in SD that day I would have dropped well
before mile 50 and never experienced a fantastically great day. The challenge within was by far more
difficult to accept and overcome than the physical challenge of the run. I’m a better person for having survived the
experience. Lean Horse was a turning
point in my life.
IronMan AZ (IMAZ) is big on the list of marathons. I started multisport because of a life
change. If I found myself saying “Hell
No!” to something I had to do it. IMAZ
is the result of one to many Hell-No’sJ (So is eating raw fish and taking dance
lessons). Prior to IMAZ 2011 I had been
stalking (well, more like being very aware) of Sweetie. Our first date was the night before I left to
volunteer at IMAZ 2011. The swim start at
IMAZ 2011 is thrilling and terrifying and all I needed to see to know IMAZ 2012
would be mine. When I registered I didn’t
have a bike, apparel, or wetsuit. I had
baggy swim trunks, leaky goggles, and feared the donning of the all too
revealing multisport attire. I’d rather have
manly parts hang out from under my running shorts. In March I started biking and swimming in
earnest. Over the course of the next 7
months I managed to work up to 3 mile swims and 100 mile bike rides. IMAZ 2012 training is unreal. For a 100 mile run event I might log 10-11
training hours in a peak week. For IMAZ
2012 I logged an endless string of 16-18 hour training weeks. Lucky for me Sweetie was there the entire way
to support and encourage. IMAZ 2012 goes
smoothly and Sweetie says “yes” (It’s a great blog story).
The 2014 Cowtown is reverential. I appreciate all the good jobs and congrats from
everyone on reaching the milestone. The temperature
really crept-up on me and several other runners. By mile 20 I was pretty much done. Ironically enough I found myself struggling
to get through Trinity Park – just like 2004.
Not liking to be “chicked,” I did get irritated by the 4th
place female and her two pacers/mules.
For miles they discussed her desire to beat me to the finish. In the end she did beat me to the finish
line. However, Karma is a Bitch. My chip time was exactly 1 second
faster! I might dish it out before and
after a race; but, I’ve learned to respect other runners during a race. I have to say that the best parts of the day
are Sweetie kisses before and after the race and the post-race gathering for
beer and burgers at Rodeo Goat.
I am frequently asked, “Which marathon do you recommend?” That question is difficult to answer. For road surfaces these are my top five: Eugene, OR; NYC, NY; Steamtown, PA, Boston,
MA; St. George, UT. For trails my top 5: Palo Duro, TX; Jemez, NM; Sylamore, AR,
Chattanooga 3-Day, TN; and Catoctin, MD.
10 Years and 50 Marathons/Ultras
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Feb04 Cowtown (M)3:57
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Mar04 Big D (M) 3:56
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Dec04 White Rock (M) 3:14
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Apr05 Boston (M) 3:15
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Feb06 Austin (M) 2:57
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Mar06 Grasslands (50M)7:57
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Dec06 Tuscon(M) 3:15
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Apr07 Triple Crown (M) 3:58
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Apr07 Long Branch (M)3:26
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May07 Capon Valley (50K) 5:01
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Dec07 Baton Rouge (M) 3:13
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Jan08 Callaway (M) 3:18
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Feb08 Sylamore (50k) 5:12
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Apr08 OK City (M) 3:02
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Nov08 San Antonio (M) 2:59
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Jan09 MS Blues (M) 3:08
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Mar10 Gasparilla (M) 3:10
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Apr09 Eisenhower (M) 3:13
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May09 Brookings 3:29
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Oct09 St. George (M) 2:48
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Nov09 NY (M) 3:07
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Dec09 Tashka (50k) 4:42
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Oct10 Steamtown (M) 2:57
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May11 Eugene (M) 2:57
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May11 Jemez (50k) 8:27
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Jun11 Bernhiem (M) 4:51
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Jul11 Dawg Gone (50M) 9:52
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Jul11 El Schorcho (50k) 4:41
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Jul11 Catoctin (50K) 7:15
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Aug11 Dahlgren (50k) 4:25
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Aug11 Lean Horse 100 21:39
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Oct11 NH (M) 3:16
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Oct11 ME (M) 3:32
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Oct11 Palo Duro (50k) 4:38
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May12 Ft Collins (M) 3:19
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May12 Wobegon (M) 5:35
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Nov12 IMAZ 4:09
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Dec12 Isle Du Bios (54k) 6:02
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Feb13 PsychoWyco (50k) 5:55
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Feb13 CrossTimber (M) 4:20
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Mar13 Grasslands (M) 4:02
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Apr13 HellsHills (50M) 8:52
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May13 Pandora (M) 3:52
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Jun13 WhisperPine (50k) 5:11
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Jun13 Tarc (50M) 8:54
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Jun13 SumSolstice (40M) 5:50
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Aug13 VT100 22:55
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Sep13 VIA (M) 3:11
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Oct13 Palo Duro (50k) 4:38
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Feb14 Cowtown (M) 3:14
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Events by year:
2004: 3 2005: 1 2006: 3 2007: 4 2008: 4 2009: 6
2010: 2 2011: 11 2012: 4 2013: 11 2014: 1 Done
and 3 planned
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