We Leave No Beer Behind.
RDB – Mel’s Q&A on the group and thoughts about 2011
As someone who loves and takes a lot of pride in what RDB has become, I’d like to offer a closing blog for 2011. It’s been a hell of a ride this year, culminating in the group growing far beyond our set expectations that we put forward at the beginning of 2011.
I get a lot of questions at each outing about RDB, so I’d like to start with doing a quick Q&A about the most common FAQ, and then some closing thoughts on 2011.
Most Frequently Asked Questions about RDB
Question: How do I join?
Answer: There really isn’t a formal membership into RDB. All you have to do is “Like” us on our Facebook fan page – www.facebook.com/runnersdrinkbeer – to stay up to date with blog postings, events, group news, etc. A lot of things are overly complicated – we like to follow the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid. 
Question: What does it cost to join RDB?
Answer: Nothing! See above. Some events might cost money (brewery tour, dinners, happy hours, etc) but it certainly doesn’t cost anything to become a member. We all have other commitments – family, bills, etc. The last thing we’d want to do is charge member dues!
Question: Where are you located at?
Answer: We were founded and are primarily based in Dallas, TX and the surrounding communities.For the most part, you’ll see our events are based in TX, but we’ll post other events in other cities and states – just drop us a line and we’ll do what we can to help promote it!
Question: How do I get RDB in my city?
Answer: This is a tricky question and involves a complicated and lengthy explanation. I’ve been asked multiple times by people in other cities about a RDB: (City) Chapter. Long story short – I have no problem expanding outside of Dallas…it involves someone else being the primary/lead in that city. So far, no one has wanted that mantle/responsibility. It’s an option – feel free to drop me an email to discuss!
Question: I have an idea for an event/the group as a whole…what do I need to do? How do I get my event/group promoted on the RDB page?
Answer: We’re always open to new ideas…as always, drop us a line to talk about it! Same goes for promoting your event/group – we have no problem with promoting other events or groups as long as the same is done for us.
Question: I want a RDB shirt…how do I get one?
Answer: The age old question that never has a good answer, truthfully. RDB is a socially run group and isn’t done for profit – it’s all for fun, networking, and making new friends, whether drinkers or runners or otherwise. We’ve talked with sponsors about getting shirts made up and holding stock/inventory, but we due to varying demand, have not moved forward with it. We’ve done shirt orders in the past, and I’ve contacted folks that have requested to be on the mailing list for one, but never get a reply back. My honest answer here is, if you want one – request it, and I’ll get you on the next distribution when we do another order.
Question: How do I help sponsor RDB?
Answer: Drop us a line (email is at the bottom) – we’re open to being affiliated with most companies and groups. We certainly want to make sure it’s mutually beneficial.
Question: What the heck happened to the oft promised Beer Mile?
Answer: The thorn in my side that will not go away! Our original beer mile was set for October 2010…unfortunately, due to weather and certain legal reasons, we had to cancel it. Between being privately contacted by various lawyers and law enforcement, it was decided (in addition to being 103 the day we had it planned) to be postponed, and subsequently canceled. I’ve since consulted with various law/law enforcement about the proper way to do it…let’s just say this is idea is on the back burner. Other groups, including one in Fort Worth back in October, have put on various Beer Miles without issues. I’d love to do it, but it always brings up the question of the “What happens when someone…” – the safety of our members is always paramount.
Question: What future events do you have forthcoming?
Answer: That’s always a work in progress. We overshot on our commitments in 2011, at least from what we had discussed early on in the year. We’re still in the planning stages for 2012 – we’d like to commit to a schedule that we can stick to, that appeals to a broad range of people, and that people truly find fun and interesting, and not just another happy hour.
Mel’s Closing Comments on 2011
2011 was definitely a breakthrough year for the group. We set forth the year with certain metrics and goals in terms of participation and fans…and far exceeded both. My thoughts about 2011:
- Increase in fan base. We went from around 600 fans at the start of 2011 to over 1450 as of this blog. We’ve also increased the geography of our base from about 98% Texas to states as far away as Hawaii and Alaska, as well as overseas. (Thank you to our 1 fan in Bosnia!)
Thank you all for your support! I’m also impressed that we are predominantly made up of female fans: 53% to 44%. Part of that is just how females interact and use social media in comparison to males, but considering the name of the group, it’s just a bit surprising.
- Articles in the Plano Star Courier and The Dallas Morning News. The PSC article was more about my experience training for the NYC marathon, but Tristan was excited to hear about RDB and wanted to add some stuff about it to the article as well. I was particularly surprised and delighted about the DMN article – thanks to Debbie Fetterman for the referral, and Mark Dent for writing the article! I’ve gotten emails and FB messages from people I haven’t heard from in a long time (including work folks) that saw the article. Even my childhood neighbors called to congratulate!
- Work and partnership with the Lululemon Athletica Northpark girls. We’ve done two small events together – one to help benefit the victims in Japan, and another as a fun social run last week. An amazing group of outgoing, athletic, and positive women that want to push an active lifestyle to everyone. We look forward to doing more joint events in 2012!
- Monotony and lack of events – unfortunately, I have to take blame for this one. We’ve seen a lot of the same event – our UFO Club Happy Hour – a lot in 2011. It’s quick and easy, and something we had wanted to do once a quarter for those UFO Club members. Unfortunately, it’s about all we did for several months. We have a lot of fun events planned for 2012 – have no fear! The UFO Club will be a part of 2012, but it won’t be the only event we put on in 2012.
This has been a banner year for RDB…thank you to each and every single one of you for helping us reach new heights in 2011! We look forward to the ride in 2012…I suspect even better things will happen in 2012!
Melvin Chu
Email: melvinchu@msn.com
Rock N Roll Vegas – the epic fail that proves why RNR races are a waste of money.
This blog is my own opinion about RNR races (Vegas in particular) and not necessarily reflective of RDB’s official stance on RNR. Considering one of the sponsors of RNR races is Brooks, and I run for them, (at least 2010/2011) it puts me in a precarious position of making a statement that could jeopardize that relationship, but it’s one I feel strongly about and stand behind my comments.
I’ve run 4 RNR races. First was RNR San Antonio 2009, (full) RNR Dallas 2010/2011 (halves) and now RNR Vegas 2011. (half) I can say San Antonio was a bit of a chaotic mess. The course itself a disaster. Who designs a course to run through a graveyard? Water and Cytomax all but absent at the latter water stations. Last year’s San Antonio had the greatness of being stopped mid-race by a train, which of course, was blamed on somebody else.
RNR Dallas was an existing half marathon (Rock to Victory by the White Rock Marathon folks) bought out to add another city to it’s portfolio of races. The course was altered from the original for whatever reason, and Gatorade replaced with Cytomax. I have no beef with the course itself – otherwise, I wouldn’t have run it twice. My second entry was a gracious comp via Brooks for running with their ID program. It’s still a great course since many of the components/route remain unchanged, but like everything else RNR, the entry fees were jacked up sky high.
For anyone that’s run a RNR race, it can be safely said that Cytomax is like drinking dirty sock water. It’s horrible. The stomach cramps and GI issues brought about by that mess of a sports drink is not something a first time or an experienced veteran wants to have. I’ve advised my runners to bring their own Gatorade/water, or at the worst, dilute out the Cytomax with 3:1 ratio to water.
Onto Vegas. I was excited to go to Vegas, as it had been a good solid 5 years. A large contingent of RDB was going to run/have some fun – it’s not often we get a good group together for an out of town vacation. It was going to be a first time half marathon for many involved. No one dared to do the full, because, who really wants to do a full marathon when you have the sins of Vegas at hand?
The Good:
- Expo – packet pickup was well organized/done. Between entry and picking up the race packet/shirts, probably 5 minutes. Probably one of the fastest in and outs I’ve seen at any race.
- Brooks Cavalcade – their show, which has remained largely the same over the past year, is a rolling double decker bus, carnival games, and hourly show showing off the dynamic cushioning ability of their DNA gel.
- The expo served alcohol. Enough said.
- Running down the strip. To get from one end of the strip to the other on any other day would take hours waiting at stoplights, impatient cab drivers almost running you over, people giving you cards advertising hookers, all the lovely positives of Vegas. Especially at night – one of the big draws of Vegas is seeing the lights from the casinos lighting up the night sky. It’s a pretty sight, and you get to see it twice – at the start and then again at the end. (Out and back) It was an experience in itself. If I had to name the highlight of the trip, that’d probably be it.
The Bad:
- Night start. Yes, it’s done on purpose to see the lights, but I can’t begin to rattle off the number of glares, “F-U”, pissed off taxi drivers, pissed off people that voiced their anger at the runners.
- The hour long line at the expo to checkout. Yes, it was that bad.
- The start corral. I’m glad we got there an hour early…I’m not sure exactly how the full was lined up at, but the half was a mess. You had to walk going towards the end (Mandalay), all the way down, then loop back around to the start. Anyone trying to sneak through the gates was yelled at.
- The bands. I think I remember 2, maybe 3 bands? What happened to a band at every mile?
- The rest of the course. Running past homeless guys yelling at cops and runners, through dark neighborhoods, going through god knows where at night – a little bit sketchy. Of course, with all the volunteers, runners, and police – you are completely safe, but I guess it’s built-in incentive to run faster.
- Cytomax/water. Something got thousands of runners sick. As in stomach churning. As in puking at the finish line. As in eyes rolled in the back of your head, can’t make it across the finish line sick. The City of Las Vegas Health Department actually opened an official inquiry into the incident, considering the thousands of people who felt ill. 3 members of our group felt sick to their stomach. I personally felt a little bit off more than normal, but contributed it to the cold/non-stop drinking/partying.
- Finish line/end corral. This was the worst designed mess I’ve ever seen at any race. How do you expect to put 44,000 runners into a narrow finish chute that keeps getting narrower, and then yell at everyone to keep moving forward? Then to put the finish line photography as barriers for everyone to keep moving forward? The lack of any porta-potties?
- Transportation and post-race. The “ample free shuttles and trams from the Mandalay” were non-existant. We saw lines hours long trying to get out of the Mandalay. People were strewn about trying to stay warm across the hotel lobby and casino floors. Taxis were impossible to find.
- A rumor spread around that the race was increasing from the 44K cap to 77K next year. Get your shit right first before you almost double the race.
For those who think I’m just being an asshole, my feelings are well founded, nor am I alone. Don’t believe me? Read the hundreds of posts on their FB fan page. It’s been almost a week since the race and people are still complaining daily. After a race almost all you see are “I had such a great time running race X, thank you!” or “I finished my first half it was an awesome experience!” You won’t see any compliments on their FB page. Read for yourself the horrors:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/RnRLasVegas
RNR is a series put on by the Competitor Group, whose own mission statement states:
“Competitor is dedicated to becoming the leading global sports, media and entertainment company committed to the active lifestyle by:
Informing, engaging and inspiring individuals and communities to join and embrace the active lifestyle where they are empowered, challenged and rewarded.
Our culture encourages passion, performance and respect that demonstrates a commitment to excellence.”
This race was lacking anything but respect for the 44K runners who all paid over $125 to run this shitty race. No refunds are available, and you put out a half assed apology by your CEO. (See below) RNR…you have a long ways to make mends with the running community. Best of luck but you won’t ever see me pay for one of your races again.
- Mel
Mel’s New York Marathon recap
Someone remind me again why we run marathons? My legs feel like Tiger Wood’s Escalade did after his ex-wife took a golf club to it. Oh the sweet side effects of running a marathon. All I got to show for it was a medal, some Emerald nuts, and the inability to walk down a flight of stairs normally.
Some people forget the origins of the marathon, in which Pheidippides runs close to 26 miles (the actual distance is debated) from the Battle of Marathon to Athens to announce the Persians were defeated…and then proceeds to die. Always a great thought to have when you sign up to run the same distance with 46,999 other people.
My long journey to New York is finally over. I can say with confidence that I am done running marathons…for this year anyway. It was a fantastic experience. One I will always cherish. I semi-executed my gameplan – not 100% how I planned – but close enough. I PR’ed. I succeeded in hitting my last goal, but in reality, the first two goals may not have been a true possibility, at least on that course.
My name is Melvin Chu…and here is my story about the long road to the NYC marathon. (Yes, this is a long read, just to forewarn you – I’d give yourself 10 minutes of reading time)
Final Thoughts before New York
4 days and counting. It’s been a long road to New York. I am extremely excited and maybe a smidge anxious about the marathon on Sunday. It felt like yesterday that I checked the website after the lottery, just expecting like any other lottery I’ve ever played to end up a loser. Granted, the odds of getting into New York not via guaranteed entry is something like 1:8, but still had zero expectations about getting in.
Maybe that’s what made it that much better – not having expectations and being pleasantly surprised. I created my training plan – 24 weeks of track work, hill work, tempo runs, long runs, topped off by a completely unbearable summer of record heat and some miserable runs. Like I learned last year with Chicago – where others who trained solely in the cool/cold faltered, I did better having had trained in the shit, and had to race in the shit. (Figuratively speaking, of course)
Last year was a real struggle for me, both from a training perspective and being mentally prepared for the race. I went to Chicago not mentally prepared or even wanting to run. I spent the race talking myself through it trying to get to the next mile marker. I was a bit depressed and overall wanting to quit running afterwards. (Original blog entry here: http://runnersdrinkbeer.com/?p=640 )
Two weeks to New York…and random pains (literally)
So it’s been over a month since my last blog. I regret not doing a better job of blogging, but sometimes the fun stuff has to take a backseat to real life, like it or not. And real life has been hectic lately – I feel like I’m being pulled in 100 different directions, and putting forth a half assed effort in each one.
To be frank – I’m ready for New York…ready to race the hell out of it, and ready for it to be over. My last blog was 5 weeks until taper time…and now I’ve officially started my taper. It’s been a hell of a training season…my thoughts on the good, the bad, and the inevitable: the ugly.
5 weeks until taper time, and other random thoughts
Just 5 short weeks ago I flipped out realizing I only had 10 weeks left until taper time. I did it yet again this weekend when I realized I was down to 5 weeks. It’s scary to think about how fast this summer and training season has flown by. I remember looking at the schedule and thinking that 24 weeks was overkill …and now I wish I had another 5-10 weeks to truly feel prepared.
Regardless…you can’t turn back the hands of time. Use the sharpening phase of the plan to maximize/fine tune your race efforts, and let the cards fall where they may. I’m sure a second marathon is in the cards for winter/spring, but first thing’s first.
Observations I’ve had since the last blog @ 10 weeks:
- Rest is highly underrated. I’ve always been a fan of one complete day of rest with no running, working out, etc of any kind. This year, I think I’ve taken that a bit to the extreme with “off weeks”. No, not the entire week off, mind you. Taking one week and if your body tells you no, or you happen to sleep in instead of running, so be it. I’ve taken one every month over the past 3 months, and it’s become quite the blessing/recharge for the legs.
There’s something to be said if you are Ryan Hall logging 150 mile weeks, or someone who is actually competitive enough to place or win races. It’s another if your body just isn’t holding up as well as it used to – random aches and pains and the such. I’d say the vast majority of us are in the latter. I used to feel invincible up until last year when it was just one injury after another, so I’m trying to be a bit more conscious and mindful. You come out the next week feeling energized, refreshed, and a bit more turnover in the legs.
- The dreaded light head/tiredness – it’s back. Luckily so far, it’s only hit me maybe 4-5 times since May. As a quick trip down really shitty memory lane, last year training for Chicago, I experienced what could only be described as just dizzy, light headed, about to faint spells. It was so bad I’d make it usually no more than 2 miles into a run before having to walk or sit down. It wasn’t low blood sugar, as I always ate before a run last year.
I first thought it was hyponatremia, due to downing rather large quantities of water without the necessary electrolytes to balance out the system. Then low iron, which I read, occurs quite frequently in runners. (Moreso for women than men) It occurred a few times in the spring when neither was the case. (Decided to eat more beef, definitely was not a lack of sodium) I honestly didn’t know what it was at that point, but considering it wasn’t an everyday thing, I didn’t pursue it at the doctor.
It happened only a few times this summer. In an overhaul of my diet, I decided to incorporate more variety into what I eat. Different vegetables, more fruit, yogurt, and different meats. If it truly was a nutritional deficiency somewhere, I can say I honestly made every attempt this summer to treat it before it started.
The most recent bout was two weeks ago – a simple easy run Thursday turned into 2 miles, a lot of walking, and quitting early and heading in at mile 5. I attempted to eat well, take a few supplements, and make sure I didn’t drink too much water (straight), but it hit me again the next day on my 15 mile long run. I increased my mileage pretty heavily the week before (still within the 10% safety range), so I’m starting to wonder if it’s just my body being worn out. Still TBD.
- Getting sick. It happens to all of us, especially those of us with kids, but it’s a terrible thing when you’re mid-training, or right before a race. The last time I had gotten sick was the week before Houston – I caught what can only be described as the flu, or what felt like it. Fever, constant pounding of a headache. All kinds of fluids running out of me. I still ran Houston, or rather, jogged it with a friend trying to PR, but it was still miserable. (Not to mention the misery that was 5 hours in the car to and from – lots of cough drops, cold towels were in order)
Unfortunately, I (and 7 others) caught a stomach bug one of the kids had at the lake the other weekend. I said this plenty of times, but I do not wish the illness I had upon anyone, even people I despise. It’s just an absolutely miserable feeling puking when you have nothing in your stomach…your stomach feeling like it’s being ripped out and the acid in your stomach eating itself. After 7 hours of puking, among other things, it finally stopped, but you just lay there in misery trying to eat but being disgusted by any food you look at. I think that day I probably consumed two Gatorades, some french fries and onion rings, 1/2 pack of Asian noodles, and a few cups of water. Other than that, nothing would go down.
That put a serious damper in the training last week – over 3 days where I was scheduled to get 30 miles, I put in 4. 
Ended the week with a little over 30, and was very happy with how the last few runs turned out, all things considered.
- The previous two things mentioned I think actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In reviewing my plan, I was just increasing and racking up the mileage without regard to how the increase in mileage was actually helping me. Even on the quality days, I just had what I felt was a ridiculous number of warmup and cooldown miles, which was just wearing me down, versus actually doing anything to improve my performance. I had some time to revise my plan and hopefully, make a change for the better with more quality miles rather than junk miles.
And so…I look at the calendar and scratch off another week in the books, and start off a new one. As the lights and start line at New York inches closer…I look forward to the last 5 weeks with a renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Let’s do this…I’ve worked too damn hard to get to this point.
- Mel
Mel: Halfway to New York!
I admit – I freaked out a little bit yesterday. I was looking over my running plan/log for NYC and realized that I’m now on week 12 of a 24 week plan. 10 weeks of quality training left before taper time. It’s been a new year, brand new training plan, and a brand new attitude towards training, especially in comparison to Chicago last year.
So how am I feeling now that I know the journey is halfway done? Overall, I feel pretty good. The body is holding up extremely well unlike last year. *Knock on wood* From looking over my training log – I’ve gotten a lot of quality work in, and I feel more confident in my runs this year. I decided this year, not content with uploading my workouts to RunningAhead, MapMyRun, or Garmin Connect, to keep an Excel spreadsheet on my SkyDrive that I track all of my running data on.
Surprisingly enough, I’m not sure why I didn’t start before. It’s an incredibly handy tool – great for analyzing my daily and weekly runs as well as overall progress. It’s handy to have a website like GC or MMR to upload all my data to and share, but it really doesn’t tell me much from looking at it overall. Being able to capture things your Garmin can’t capture like how you felt before/during/after the run, environmental (and other) factors that may have effected your run, etc, are all things that are important to track.
What’s your running motivation?
Motivation is a highly individualized thing. What gets some out of bed and out the door doesn’t work for the next person. The truly dedicated, for the most part, don’t need any extra motivation – the desire and passion to perform well is all they need. It’s the casual runner and newbies that sometimes needs that extra kick in the butt to get going.
Being a runner isn’t an easy thing. Let’s count the ways:
The Scorch; Teresa’s Ode to Pain
El Scorcho. The Scorch. Call it what you want, but this heat-of-the-summer midnight 25k/50k completely delivers the intimidation that its name resonates.
I first heard of El Scorcho in 2010 while I was working for a local company in the DFW running community. At this time I was a somewhat ‘casual’ runner, maybe engaging in a once-per-week social run of some sorts and registering for the occasional 5k or 10k, more for fun than competition. The more involved I became within the industry I found myself drawn to the ‘fast’ group of runners, the ‘race winners’ ….or as I like to call this distinguished group, the ‘Local Elites.’ Official Olympic Elite status?…not most of them, however, running a 2:50 marathon or a 1:17 half still makes me want to tag along for motivation and running tips.
Summer of 2010 begins and I hear the fast guys talking about some race, this wonder called ‘El Scorcho.’ And the premise?….a midnight race, smack in the middle of the summer, partial pavement, partial gravel/dirt, partial grass, all located on a dimly lit trail in Fort Worth. And the kicker?….this isn’t a mere 5k or family fun walk. The gutsiest runners elect to compete in a 50k, an official ultra-marathon, and the ‘sissy’ distance, the 25k, is jokingly referred to as ‘La Scorchita’ as if it is something easy enough to frolic through.
After hearing my running buddies talk about the horror, glitz and glam that one feels after finishing this race I decided I would register and be one of the few 500 who are blessed with the opportunity to run El Scorcho in 2011 (‘only’ the 25k because I am just a little crazy and not completely insane). I sign up for the event during the first week registration is available because I hear that it sells out pretty quickly (and it did), and I tell myself that since I worked so hard in the spring for my Half Marathon training and smashed my goal time at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon I am not going to take this 25k too seriously. And how can you….
The course? 5k loops……over and over…seems quite grueling. And although completing the same stretch of race course again and again seems quite tiresome, it works perfectly for this event. Strategically placed aid stations and cheer zones help fuel inspiration in the middle of the night. The best part is the finish line stretch where all the friends, family, and spectators set up tailgate-style parties to cheer the runners on and offer customized care to their loved ones as they pass by the finish line…..five or ten times. My hydration slaves were tasked to run alongside me as I passed under the finishers arch to hand off bottles of Gatorade, water, and iced-down wet towels then run them back to the tailgate. The heat was difficult- I was only saved by dumping water and wringing wet towels over my head lap after lap, but the most challenging aspect of this race was the time.
Midnight. Who runs at midnight? How would I prepare myself to be ready to run a race at this awkward time of day (or night)? A couple long runs at 9:00pm on Friday nights helped. Staying up late the night before the race, sleeping in the next day and napping yet again was a bit rejuvenating. Flipping my eating hours and pretending noon was dinner and 9:30pm was breakfast was also a great tip. Despite your best efforts, your body is never going to be quite ready to exert the most efficient running energy at midnight.
So midnight rolls around and I find myself at the starting line. The 25k began 10 minutes after the 50k so I was able to soak in the nervous looks on the faces of the runners who were already much stronger than myself. 12:10am and I was off! I am by no means a ‘fast’ runner; January of 2011 was my first real attempt at training and after my first few months I achieved a Half Marathon PR of 1:55. I was told to expect to be 40-50 seconds per mile slower than my Half Marathon pace, so I set a goal to finish El Scorcho 25k in anything under 2:30.
The first 5k loop wasn’t too bad; since I was weaving in and out of runners during the first mile and a half I slightly increased my pace into the next couple miles so I would feel a balanced average pace. My first approach through the finish line chute where my support team was anxiously waiting by with my Gatorade, iced-down towel, and chilled water was a welcome lift to a long race.
My second 5k loop had me realizing how tired my body actually was. I started understanding how my mentality would dictate my success. At one point I opted to drop out- not because I wouldn’t be able to finish the miles, but because I started truly accepting how difficult the physical and mental fight to keep my pace would be for the next 12 miles. I even considered excuses….’I feel sick to my stomach,’ ‘I feel overheated’…..but I knew I would regret dropping out. I pushed forward and was welcomed yet again by my personal hydration and cheer squad.
I felt much more optimistic during the third lap….I knew the second I ran under that giant inflatable arch I would be 3/5 of the way through this thing, and I couldn’t let myself get beaten down. The fourth lap was the most difficult- not only did my body start telling me how much it was suffering, but mentally I knew that once I finished this lap I had to push pretty hard during the remaining loop to ensure I would hit my goal time. Miles 13-15.5 I kept repeating to myself ‘I’m just running a 5k, I’m just running a 5k,’ so the remaining miles would feel minimal.
………….2:29!!! I passed through the finish line chute and under the inflatable arch for the LAST time! I finished the race and hit my goal, which made me feel ABSOLUTELY accomplished. Exhausted and continuously thirsty, I made my way over to our ‘tailgate’ party and was greeted with enthusiasm and uplifting cheers. I felt so completely proud to have no only finished the race (since it has a very high ‘Did Not Finish’ rate), but to have slapped my goal in the face.
After taking a cool-down walk, hydrating, and changing into some dry clothes, I stuck around to cheer on my friends finishing the 25k and racing the ultra. Success in El Scorcho is dictated by ‘Top 10’ finishers, both male and female, for each distance. In our small group we dominated the winners circle….top male 50k finisher, top two female 25k finishers, and plenty more in the ‘Top 10’s’ for both events. I was so proud to actually be a part of this group and feel as though I was ‘one of them.’ My personal success was easily felt in finishing within my goal time, which gave me a sense of winning all the same.
My secret sauce was that I had some amazingly supportive friends who not only came out to cheer my group on and provide me with continuous hydration and cold towels, but also elected to run a couple of laps with me to encourage a strong finish. I was lucky enough to have three running buddies take time to run alongside me during my final three 5k loops and take my head away from the constant mental games I was playing with myself.
Would I consider paying my hard-earned money to register for El Scorcho next summer?? All the other runners feel it is too hot and too soon to decide, but in the back of my mind I am thinking ‘Without a doubt…….YES!’
-T
Mel’s El Scorcho experience
El Scorcho wasn’t on my bucket list of races that I was dying to run. Everyone mentioned it with a hint of cult following that it was a must-run race. The experience, the energy, the heat, the craziness of running a race at midnight.
And so, this year when registration opened…I pondered it. I had previously thought of everyone else who did it as a total dumbass. I mean seriously, a race at midnight? In 90 degree weather + humidity? In Fort Worth? But, I guess it takes a dumbass to know one…and I signed up for it. (25K)
I will admit – I did no El Scorcho specific training for this race. No late night runs. No staying up late. I stuck to my schedule of training for NYC, knowing what my true end goal is. I hate to call it a race, as I came into it with the attitude of using it as a training run. I didn’t see the value in hurting myself trying to race something that I really didn’t care to run. I’ll run just about anything once, just to say I did it. My goals were:
1) To finish
2) To hopefully run it around a 9:30-10 overall pace. (Slightly slower than long run pace) I am not a good heat runner – I only signed up for two races when putting together my NY training plan – El Scorcho and TDF 20K.
3) To not fall asleep behind the wheel on the way back