Nueces 50 Miler

This course will always be memorable for me because I was fortunate enough to both crew and pace my fiancé through her first 50-mile race here in 2014. This winter I decided to give the race a shot since it was a challenging course in an aesthetic area of Texas that generally has warm weather. This year however, was a bit on the cold and rainy side, which put a wrench in any plans to run a good time. Coming off of a 6:24 at JFK, I was hoping to click off at least a seven-hour effort, but it was not to be.

It was a long week of tests for me and I was mentally drained by the time Friday rolled around. Around six-thirty in the evening my one-man crew (Steve Hardy) and I hit the road for Camp Eagle. We experienced patchy ice in some areas on the road that slowed our forward process (much like the race on Saturday). Upon arriving at the camping area, we set up our tents, which were promptly covered, in thin glaze of ice. It was a miserable night of tossing and turning and I do not think I slept a minute; but I was still excited to toe the line, mainly so that I could warm up.

It appeared to be a significantly reduced line up from last year due to the weather conditions. I started the race running just behind Anthony Jacobs and after a few minutes Lorenzo Sanchez joined in the group. The exposed roots and bare rock on the single-track trail slowed me up significantly and I was playing catch up for most of the first lap. Additionally, the suspension bridge slowed me to slow walk trying to avoid sliding off into the shallow river below. I was very shaken up after Lorenzo took a leap onto a frozen rock and nearly lost some teeth. Fortunately, he came out nearly unscathed and we came around the first lap in a strong group of three.

The second lap was uneventful; Lorenzo dropped back for a few miles and caught up on the ascent of the largest hill on course around 12 miles into the loop (roughly 28.5 miles into the race). From this point on we set a pretty good pace, although I must confess, I felt like the weakest member of the trio, mainly keeping up as opposed to pace making. It felt as though I was carrying weights on my shoes from the build up of mud and I was still slipping a little from the residual ice patches left on the rocks.

I was not quite as prepared for Nueces, as I was JFK a few months earlier, though I was hitting around 80 miles per week in preparation, my longest run was only 20 miles. I feel that my lack of endurance showed in the latter stages of this race. Coming into the last aid station we departed together again to gut out the last 2.6 miles. Coming out of the wooded section, with a half-mile to go Anthony put together an impressive kick and won the race. Overall I was happy with the effort and I am excited to tackle the next adventure, wherever that may be.

I am once again indebted to several people who made it a great race day. Thank you to Steve Hardy, your support and company was invaluable pre-race, race-day, and post-race. Thank you to Lorenzo Sanchez and Anthony Jacobs for your company, pace making and general support on the trail. Thank you to Joe and Joyce and all the other volunteers for making the race possible. Special thanks to Dan McIntyre for allowing me to utilize your shower facilities and saving me from a hypothermic state. As always thanks to my amazing fiancé Apryle and my supportive parents and future in-laws.

Statistics

8:06:08 (9:43)

3 – 16.67 Mile Loops

Lap 1 2:37:30 (9:26)

Lap 2 2:33:24 (9:12)

Lap 3 2:55:14 (10:30)

Training