Mason Shoemake

My sister and her husband had their first child last night, Mason Thomas Shoemake. He weighed in at 5 lbs, 13 oz. Time for Uncle Brian to buy him a button down running shirt!

(Mason Thomas Shoemake)

(Mason and Grandma Ricketts)

Salado Creek Race Recap

There are 3 things in life that are guaranteed: death, taxes, and Tony finishing 3^rd in the master’s division of a local trail race. This past Sunday I ran the Salado Creek 10 Miler (16.04K) put on by Bart and his crew, and I had a blast. I debated all week whether I should run the race and was even unsure what to do when I awoke on Sunday. Seeing the perfectly blue sky and cool temps and knowing this was one of a very few trail races that take place within the San Antonio city limits was enough to sway my decision.

I arrived early to register and immediately ran into Tony “Master of the Masters Division” Maldonado and Domingo “I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Shoes” Gomez. I was pleased to see that Tony was wearing his official Ricketts race shirt, which (by total coincidence) happened to be the same shade of blue that I was wearing. Awesome. Tony, Kelli Newlon, and myself set off into the woods to run a few miles before the race started. Kelli told us that she had been sick all week and was probably going to change to the 10K race instead of the longer one. All 3 of us plan on running Prickly Pear next weekend, so we chatted about that and all sorts of other things.

We lined up with 100+ other people and were soon on our way, headed down a paved hill that would wind its way around until we left the dreaded pavement and hit the trail. I had forgotten how much I enjoy this course. It is a perfect blend of fast singletrack, rooty twisty nastiness, and rocky fun. It has something for almost all types of runners. I tried to keep my pace in check early, not wanting to push too hard during the race since I am more focused on Prickly Pear. I knew the roadies and faster folks would be ahead of me early, but I thought I could rein them in later on the rocky stuff. I was right. With the exception of a few low hanging branches and trees, I was able to maintain a consistent pace, slowly passing people along the way. The few sections of rock reminded me a bit of Government Canyon. I really had fun here and several times found myself running harder than I should have. Oh well. The highlight of the race for me was a steep section that included a rope to hold onto as you pulled yourself up. Pretty cool. I made the “turn” at the halfway point feeling decent, but running a little harder than intended. I tried to keep things causal on the way back, and other than a nice fall in which I slipped on a rock coming around a corner and ended up landing on my elbow, I managed to do okay. As I was approaching the end of the trail that signaled the last mile of pavement, I spotted a blue streak just ahead. It was none other than Tony. I tried my hardest to catch up to him, but it was not be on this day. Tony is fast, but only for short distances J

All in all, I had a great time. Fellow Rockhoppers Amanda Alvarado (2nd female overall), Kelli (1st in her age group while being sick), Tony (3rd masters), and Domingo all had great races. I can’t wait to go back again next year.

42 Bottles of Beer On the Wall

I'm one step closer to drinking my first batch of home brew. I bottled up my "Rockhopper Robust Porter" last night. All that's left to do is wait a couple weeks and hope things turn out ok. I ended up getting 5oo ounces of brew into bottles, meaning I have just shy of 42 bottles of beer to drink (the actual total was 30 bottles, 14 of which were 22 ouncers). They should be ready at the end of Spring Break.

Feeling Closer To Normal

Yesterday was one of those runs where everything just felt right. I had been nursing a sore back all week, which had left me tired, grouchy, and very frustrated. The injury wasn’t debilitating, but it became annoying very quickly. I wasn’t able to get in my scheduled mile repeats on Thursday, but I felt close to 100% when I woke up on Sunday. I headed to McAllister to meet Tom and Kimberly, and we were joined by Scott , Jessica, Herb, and Joe T as well. The plan was to cruise through an easy 4-5 miles, then pick up the pace for another 5-6 (for everyone else), followed by a solo loop of 10 miles at “race pace”. I was feeling good, and I guess I took off a little faster than I had promised I would. I was just excited to be running on dry trails under a crystal clear blue sky with temps in the 30s. Perfect running weather!!! I had fun talking to everyone, first following Joe, then trying to keep up with Tom “the Rocket” Bowling, who seemed to be dialed in. After 8+ miles, Tom stepped aside and let me lead, and I took us to the end of loop 1, where I said goodbye to everyone and headed back out. The first several miles had been run at a mid 9 minute pace, while the last few were certainly under 9. I felt good and continued to push my pace, averaging 1 9”06 pace for the total 20 miles. I really enjoyed running with good friends, but I equally enjoyed the time I got to spend alone, just me, my music, and the deer. What a great way to start the day.

All in all, I was quite pleased with my run, as I feel like I am rounding into decent shape and putting myself in a good position to break 5 hours at the Prickly Pear 50K next weekend. I just hope the course conditions resemble what I encountered yesterday.

Home Brew

Following in the footsteps of legendary brewmasters Tom Bowling and Eliot Howard, I made my first attempt at a home brew this week, cooking up a batch of robust porter. If it tastes half as good as it smelled when it was cooking, I’m going to enjoy it. All that’s left is to sit and wait a week, then add some sugar and bottle it up.

Still Running

Yes, I’m still here. It’s been awhile since I have posted anything here. Much like my beard, my lack of posting has been due primarily to laziness on my part. Things have felt fairly blah lately, but I’m hoping to change that. I had a fantastic hilly run last Thursday, exploring some new (and some familiar) areas. Saturday saw rain, hail, and a cancelled track meet (at least we got the 3200 run before things got really bad). Sunday found me searching for a dry place to run, of which there weren’t any. I needed to do 25 miles, and the thought of slogging through the mud at McAllister wasn’t appealing. So, I decided to join 9 other runners and take Tony’s Tour of Leon Creek. I had a blast as we slipped around on the mud, mixed in with some pavement. Once again I was stunned by the lack of friendliness from most people we passed. A simple nod or “hello” from me was often returned by silence. The weather was beautiful, we were outside running. Why not be happy!!!

The training for Prickly Pear is going well, and I am really enjoying the chance of pace in my training schedule. That being said, I can’t wait to get back to the hills, Bandera, and preparing for some mountain runs.

(Huge rainbow on Saturday)

(Beautiful sunrise on Sunday)

Rainy Rocky

This past weekend marked my annual pilgrimage to Huntsville State Park to pace friends at the Rocky Raccoon 100. This year was very different than the past 2. For starters, the weather gods treated us to rain, lots of it. With the rain came mud, TONS of it. Mixed in with the cold temps at night, and this year’s RR100 was a tough one. Luckily for me I was surrounded by friends and had a blast, despite not sleeping for nearly 36 hours.

The plan was to arrive around noon, in time for Kelli to pace Liza for miles 60-80. I would then pick up Liza for miles 80-93, rest a bit, and pace another friend Eric for his last 20 miles. To make a long story short, both Liza and Eric had to drop out of the race before I was able to pace them (maybe they dropped to avoid me???). Lucky for me, there were several other friends in need of a pacer. I ended up catching up with Rachel, who had stumbled though mile 80, depleted of any energy. Her only reaction upon seeing us was to turn around and mutter, “only 20 miles to go”. Talk about tough!!! I ended up pacing Rachel (more like trying to keep up with her) the last 17+ miles, during which time she ate and drank absolutely nothing (save for a few ounces of Coke). Despite having no calories to keep her going, she finished in under 23 hours, quite a remarkable feat. Upon finishing, we waited under a heat lamp as more Rockhoppers came across the finish line. Jean rolled in about an hour after Rachel, followed by Larry “The Legend” Pearson, Tom (finishing his first 100), Amanda (finishing her first 100), and Elizabeth.We hung around the finish line, cheering runners as they finished. I love the energy and emotion of the finish line. You see smiles, tears, and everything in between. I enjoyed sharing in the excitement of others. After seeing our friends finish, we hopped in the car and made the 4 hour drive back to San Antonio, where a nap awaited.

Although my weekend didn’t turn out exactly as planned, I had a blast. Surrounded by friends, I was able to watch people dig deep, endure hours upon hours of wet feet and mud, rain and cold.I am constantly reminded that the human body can accomplish things we often think impossible, if only the human spirit is strong enough. We can do more than we think we can, pushing ourselves past the limits we once thought possible. Congratulations to everyone who persevered through the 2012 Rocky Raccoon 100.

(Tom at Mile 40)

(Joe P. talking to Amanda)

(Stefan hard at work)

(Lalo after finishing the 50)

(Liza running strong)

(Troy congratulating Anabel after her 2nd place finish in the 50 - still the fastest Pearson)

(Suman going minimalist)

Hal Koerner - RR100 winner and the only man Chris doesn't mind seeing in spandex)

(Joe T. dressed as me, Troy, and the real me)

(Tom kissing his wife after finishing his first 100)

(Group photo at the finish on Sunday)