Cap't Karls The Falls 60K Race Report!

It’s hard to start this race report without mentioning a few things first. If you haven’t read my race report from the first 60K in the Capt Karl’s series then go do that now! Then once you’re done with that read my next blog post that will help you better appreciate the race report you’re about to read.

As always Tejas Trails put on a first class event. Putting on a trail run is not easy, and Joe/Joyce make it look easy every time.

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We broke stride as I pulled a gel out of my bottle strap. I heard something stir in the bushes to our right and I quickly glance with my headlamp to spot the creature making the noise but there’s nothing there. Not even any beady glowing eyes.

I suck down the entire gel. It’s delicious. I cram the wrapper back into my bottle strap and then reach into my spi belt to get an S-Cap. I shove two in my mouth and swallow them down with a big swig of water.

I look over at Ben giving him the signal that I’m ready to go again. We run up at a solid pace the base of the only good climb on the course. It’s not real steep but goes on for a bit.

We again break stride but I am sure to maintain a solid power walk. For a minute we turn off the headlamps and let our eyes adjust to the moonlight guiding us up the jeep road back to the aid station we came from.

We turn the headlamps back on and I again begin to run. We’re not to the top yet, but I feel too good to let this go…

But alas, I’m getting all sentimental and ahead of myself. Let me back up just a bit to the night before the race.

Pre-Race:

My last 60K was bad. Just plain bad. It made me question why I do this, and why I had the slightest bit of confidence in myself to run 100 miles.

I was not going to let that get me down. After doing some mass alterations to my nutrition plan I was again ready to tackle the 2nd 60K in the Capt Karl’s night time series. The night before I had to work just like the last race, so I made sure to drink PLENTY of water. Throughout my 10hr shift I had at least 80oz of water.

I headed home after work and Courtney and I quickly loaded the car and pulled out of Plano around 6:30am. We arrived at the In-laws in Marble Falls around 10:30am and I was in bed by 11:00. I set the alarm for around 4:30pm and tried to get at least 6 hours of sleep.

Before I knew I opened my eyes to see it was only 4:09pm. Well, no point in going back to sleep now. I’d probably be a lot more groggy if I tried that. So I got up, ate the PB&J my beautiful gracious wife made me and downed another 30oz of water. NO dehydration this time!

I grabbed my bag, lawn chair, ice chest and hopped in the car for the quick 40min drive to Pedernales State Park just outside Johnson City in the wonderful Texas hill country.

I arrived to the race site right around 6pm which gave me plenty of time to get set up. Ran into Larry & Olga, chatted with my good friend Malea, then set up camp with Ben and Jennifer.

Before I knew it Ben and I were on the start line ready to go!

What I had on me:
-Energizer headlamp from Home Depot
-Two Nathan hand held bottles with pockets (filled with JUST water)
-Four PowerGels
-Four Honey Stinger Waffles
-Lots of S-Caps
-Spi-Belt with pockets for my goodies

Joe shouted GO! and we were off . The pain train was pulling out of the station.

Lap 1:

The race was two laps of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). We headed onto the single track to see the front group pulling away. Ben and I were running together (which is normally the case) and we tend to end up in that no mans land spot between the big front group and the big chase pack. It was just me and him, and that’s the way I like it. No one pushing the pace, and no one holding us back.

This section was fairly uneventful so I won’t go into too much detail. We dropped into the lake bed and ran up a nice steep little section then onto some WONDERFUL jeep roads. We were just maintaing a very comfortable pace and enjoying ourselves. I was monitoring the time very closely because I was taking some sort of nutrition every 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I took my first Powergel and S-Cap. I told Ben before hand that I walk when I take the nutrition so we walked for a minute or so while I took what I needed and were back at it.

There were one or two gully type things we had to go down and back up so we walked the uphills here. They weren’t too long but it was a nice break from the length of the jeep road.

Soon enough we were doing the short O&B section for the aid station. When we arrived I made sure BOTH my bottles were empty. I refilled them with nice cold water and was quickly back on the trail to see quite a train of runners coming for me and Ben.

Once back on the jeep road we just maintained pace and continued talking about our 100 miler coming up. We were still running comfortably after an hour as I reached down to take my first Honey Stinger Waffle and another S-Cap. We walked again for a minute or so then ran our way into the O&B aid station.

The people here were AWESOME! They were all very friendly and totally willing to help as much as possible.

I refilled my water and immediately headed out to walk a bit before Ben came out. Soon enough we were heading down a nice downhill to some nice single track. We ran down into the single track and maintained a very reasonable smooth pace.

It was at this point that Ben started slowly getting a small gap on me. I’m talking maybe 20 yards but we were no longer running together. I’m VERY aware of what’s too fast for me too early, so I made no effort in staying with him. I took another gel and S-Cap somewhere out here. Ben stayed ahead of me for maybe 20-25 minutes then on the small but steady climb back up to the aid station I caught him. We power walked up the rest of the climb and ran everything but big uphills.

Soon enough we were at the O&B aid station. I did the same refill here. All water in the bottles and that was it. I started walking out of the aid station to wait for Ben. We made it there in two hours exactly and it was now too dark to run without our lamps. It was my personal goal to go two hours without using my lamp and we had made it!

As we walked out of the aid station we turned on our lamps and I enjoyed another Honey Stinger Waffle and S-Cap. There was a quick uphill and then we were back on the single track.

It was at this point we caught our friend Jeremy and trained with him for maybe two miles. Again Ben started to pull ahead a bit. Jeremy looks back and says, “you’re gonna let your friend go?”

I told him I sure was, and that I was very confident I’d see him again. I ran with Jeremy for another 2 miles until we reached the last aid station before completing the first loop.

I again refilled my bottles with just water, took a PowerGel and an S-Cap and headed back onto the single track.

I pulled out of the aid station just ahead of Jeremy and slowly put a gap up on him. This section was just around 2 miles to the Start/Finish line but I didn’t know it at the time. I knew I was running pretty well but wasn’t too sure on what our lap time would be.

Once I was running alone in the dark here I re-assed where I was in the race. My body was feeling good. My legs felt smooth and comfortable. Everything was good and my body was giving me the go-ahead.

Soon enough the lap was over and I finished my first 30K lap n 3:10:31.

As I pulled into the aid station I saw Ben grabbing his stuff and about to head out. It was also at this point that I saw Larry running out of the aid station, so I knew I wasn’t doing too bad. I grabbed my chair and sat down as I rummaged through my goodies to re-stock everything. Ben said hey and quickly headed out for his 2nd lap. I chatted with Jennifer and made sure to get everything I needed. 5 more gels and 4 more waffles plus lots of S-Caps. After 4:47 I was ready to get back out there.

Lap 2:

As I pulled out of the start area the feeling was surreal. I felt UNBELIEVABLY fresh. It was time to start this race. It was time to reel ‘em in.

This was foreign to me. I’ve never felt this good on the 2nd half of ANY ultra. So, I jump onto the single track and start to focus. Normally at this point I’m just focusing on not passing out, but now I’m focusing on catching people.

I’m still running and running strong. I run the jeep road down into the lake bed then up the other side. Here someone catches me but I power hike hard up the climb. I immediately begin running at the top and he runs with me.

We reach the fence line and I’m ready to rock and roll. I’m not breaking stride for anything. We talk and talk and talk. The time passes quickly and I almost forget to take another gel and S-Cap.

Soon I can see two headlamps bobbing up and down in front of us. We’re closing in quickly.

Before we know it was catch them and quickly move on. We reach the gully type up and down and I quickly run to the bottom and walk the upside. Once to the top and pick up the pace again. My water is running low but I know the aid station is coming up. Soon enough I spot two more headlamps ahead.

When we make the turn to the aid station with the really short O&B I pass them. It’s at this point that I see Ben coming the other way.

I now have a specific goal.

I refill my bottles and get out before the guy I’ve been running with.
I’m running solo, but determined. The legs are still cooperating and everything feels fresh. Strong.

I run back to the jeep road and turn left. I can’t see any lights ahead of me but know that Ben can’t be too far. I actually start to pick up the pace here. This section is really runnable, but the next section is very runnable so I know I can make up time and put time up on others.

Soon I see a headlamp head into the tree line. That’s the single track. I continue pushing the pace into the single track and can see the headlamp just ahead. I reach a short climb and headlamp ahead of me is walking.

I come up on him and it’s Larry. I ask him how he’s doing and vice versa. I quickly go on and focus on catching Ben. I hop on a bit more single track for a bit and within a minute or so see another headlamp ahead.

Once I reach another short climb I see the headlamp walking. I run up the climb and shout, “Beeeeeeeaaan”. It’s Ben. I walk up behind him and he says he’s feeling good. I was fairly confident that as good as I was feeling I’d probably be pushing the pace too hot for Ben, but sure enough when I started running Ben started running.
Once off the fence line we headed towards the O&B aid station that was manned. We pulled in and were the only ones there. I refilled just water and saw Ben drink some soda. I thought it looked good too and asked for a cup, but quickly changed my mind. My race was going perfect… why change something now.

I turned around and started walking out. Ben quickly followed and we ran downhill back to the single track. We were running deep in the woods and it was beautiful.
I was still taking nutrition every 30 minutes and was feeling 100%. In the single track we maintained a good pace. I knew I wanted to run ALL of this up to the one good climb on the course.

We were soon back on the jeep road and it was smooth running. It was at this point I realized Bens light was dimming so for a bit we ran with just my light.

We broke stride as I pulled a gel out of my bottle strap. I heard something stir in the bushes to our right and I quickly glance with my headlamp to spot the creature making the noise but there’s nothing there. Not even any beady glowing eyes.

I suck down the entire gel. It’s delicious. I cram the wrapper back into my bottle strap and then reach into my spi belt to get an S-Cap. I shove two in my mouth and swallow them down with a big swig of water.

I look over at Ben giving him the signal that I’m ready to go again. We run up at a solid pace the base of the only good climb on the course. It’s not real steep but goes on for a bit.

We again break stride but I am sure to maintain a solid power walk. For a minute we turn off the headlamps and let our eyes adjust to the moonlight guiding us up the jeep road back to the aid station we came from.

We turn the headlamps back on and I again begin to run. We’re not to the top yet, but I feel too good to let this go. I push the pace up the hill and am prepared to go solo if I have to.

We reach the O&B stretch and know that we’re almost to the aid station again. Before we know it we can see the lights and are the only people there again. This is a good sign.

I refill again with just water. I down another waffle and S-Cap then it’s back to the jeep road. As I walk out of the station I shout back at Ben to come on! He’s still looking really good. He’s putting in an awesome race and no matter what happens here we’re both gonna be happy.

Right before I pull out of the station they tell me it’s only 6 miles. This is when it hit me. We’re making good time and I’m totally capable of running this all the way in.

So, in my head I do the math and tell Ben it’s pretty much impossible to break 6:30. He says not totally, but I think he’s crazy.

We walk up the rocky climb and back onto the single track. Here I tell Ben that I’m going to push the pace all the way in. If I blow up, just pat me on the ass on your way in.

I put my head down and run.

I’m running like it’s a race now. We’re pushing the downhills hard. We’re pushing the uphills hard. We’re pushing the twisty flats hard. A few times I think this is stupid fast. We’re gonna blow up, but I don’t care. I’m 95% confident we’ll make it.
A few times I can hear Ben trip up behind me but not fall, but am starting to feel he may not be too comfortable running this fast in the dark on these trails. After about 2 miles of this his light fades from behind me.

Within seconds I’m solo.

Time to do work. I’m running on cloud nine and feel fantastic. I’m pushing the pace has hard as I possibly can within reason. I’m running everything now, even the climbs. I know that once I hit the water only station on the road I’m about 2 miles or 20minutes out.

Soon enough I turn the bend and there are the jugs. I fill both bottles. Just water. Here I debate on if I should take any food. I know I only have two miles but it’s time for something. Would it do me more harm running this quickly? I remember what Olga says here and take my gel like a good ultra runner.

It settles fine and I continue to run like a wild Banshee.

I keep thinking that I’m BOUND to catch someone at this pace, but I never see any more headlamps ahead of me. Soon I look down at my watch to see that I’m DEFINITELY going to break 6:30. By a lot. Heck…. It even looks like I’m about to NEGATIVE split! New goal. Go.

Within a few minutes I can see the lights from the start line. I look down at my watch and know that sub 6:20 is gonna be close. I round the last corner and push it into the finish line for a finish time of 6:19:48 and a 2nd lap of 3:04:29!!! A full 6 minutes faster than my first lap. I stop. Speechless.

Post-Race:

I get told I’m fourth overall and I actually get hardware! I still couldn’t’ believe it. I still felt great. I see Olga and some other friends and thank her for her great nutrition advice.

I walk on and get offered a beer that I would NEVER turn down! Ended up drinking two then relaxing with my new found friends.

Soon enough I see a set of lights bobbing in the distance. They cross the line and it’s Ben! He held on for fifth overall! What an awesome race. He ended up finishing in 6:35:16 about 15 minutes behind me. For the amount of mileage he’s been putting in that was awesome.

So finally I had the chance to reflect on what had just happened.

First off, that’s the best, most well executed race I’ve EVER run. That counts all the Ironmans, marathons, half anything’s. This race came together perfectly and I owe a huge thanks to just a few people.

First Lynn, Matt, and Buddy for replying to my initial email about nutrition. I knew I was in dire need of nutrition help and these guys pulled through.

Gotta thank Olga and Larry for being some helpful in their responses as well. Getting advice from people that have been there is invaluable.

Huge congrats to Ben for dominating that race and my friend Malea for getting hardware in the 30K!

I know that my nutrition is ever evolving, but it’s great to finally run at what I feel is my potential.

To the ultra running community, you guys rock and never cease to amaze me. Hanging out after these races is almost as much run as actually running them.

Next up is the last race in the Cap't Karls 60K series. After the Falls I'm in 3rd OA for the series standings. Looks like there's no way I'd ever catch 1st or 2nd, but 4th place is just 19 minutes behind me, so no messing around at the Shoe! I'm going to be increasing my mileage a bit more before the Shoe and probably no taper much if any at all since The Traveller is my "A" race not the Cap't Karls races, but hopefully I can hold on for a top 3 finish in the series.

I leave with a song that was stuck in my head during the run. Best listened to with headphones to appreciate it :)

_Jacob_