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El Scorcho Cuatro 25K

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Location:

Springtown,TX,USA

Member Since:

Feb 02, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Firsts:

  • First marathon - White Rock, Dallas, December 2005 (4:01)
  • First BQ - St George, 2007 (3:20)
  • First Boston - 2008 (3:30)
  • 1st Place Clydesdale - Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon - 4/2007
  • 1st Place Ultracentric 6-Hour Champ 2007 - 38.75 miles
  • 1st Time Leading Pace Group, Cowtown '09 (3:39:41)
  • 1st Place Overall, Porcupine Promenade 5K (20:10) - 4/2011
  • 1st Trail Race. Grasslands Half Marathon. 1st Overall Masters (1:53) - 3/2013
  • Leadville LT100 MTB '16 - on a mountain bike, but the toughest challenge, so far!

Marathons Run (27):

  • Dallas White Rock ('05, '07,'09,'14)
  • Chicago ('06, '08)
  • OK City Memorial ('07)
  • St George ('07,'09,'11)
  • Waco Miracle Match ('07)
  • Ft Worth, Cowtown ('08, '09,'10,'11,'12,'13,'15**)
  • Boston ('08 '09*, '10, '13)
  • Park City ('08)
  • San Antonio Rock 'n Roll ('08)
  • Steamboat ('09)
  • Utah Valley ('10)
  • Houston ('12)
  • * - PR

Ultras (3):

  • Ultracentric 6-Hours ('07 - 38.75 mi)
  • El Scorcho 50K, Ft Worth (('08, '09)

PRs:

  • 5K - 19:27 (6/2008)
  • 10K - 41:49 (5/2008)
  • 15K - 1:04:14 (9/2011)
  • Half Marathon - 1:33:12 (1/2011)
  • Marathon - 3:19:47 (Boston 4/2009)
  • 50K - 4:35:53 (7/2008)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Keep injury-free.

2016 Races

Ft Worth Cowtown Half Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

Be age-group competitive for many years!

Have fun running!

Make some great friends along the way!

Personal:

Married to the same wonderful woman since March 1988. 3 adorable kids.

Look for me at www.facebook.com (I'll be your friend)

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Asic Nimbus 8 Lifetime Miles: 502.00
VFF Trek Lifetime Miles: 98.10
Kohls Asics Lifetime Miles: 234.74
Asic Trailshoes Lifetime Miles: 82.36
Nike Air Lifetime Miles: 10.00
Saucony Lifetime Miles: 508.16
Brooks Ravena Lifetime Miles: 117.75
Asic (orange) Lifetime Miles: 83.75
Race: El Scorcho Cuatro 25K (15.5 Miles) 02:12:14, Place overall: 31, Place in age division: 23
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
15.000.0015.00

Ah, El Scorcho... Though I believe the temperature was a little cooler than the past few years, it was still hot and humid (about 85F and 50% humidity at midnight start). Set up before the race with Corey, Ty, Rick, and Don. It was Ty's 4th El Scorcho, and Corey, Ty, and Rick's first. It was my 3rd consecutive -- running the 50K in 2008 and 2009. 

The plan was going to be to start slowly, and gradually speed up to finish at about an 8:00/mi pace, while running negative 5K splits -- this was going to be a confidence builder for Ty, as he hopes to BQ this fall with a 3:30 (8:00/mi). Within 10 seconds after the start, that plan was out the window! I'm sorry, Ty...really I am...I don't know why our first mile was 7:28, getting our heart rates up way too quickly. We were doomed from there!

I'm not going to be completely negative...I really do enjoy this run. It's actually nice that it is in a 5K loop. You get to see so many people you would normally not see (most races you see the few people that hang around your pace for the whole thing -- at El Scorcho people are spread out so much, that you lap people and get lapped constantly. It breaks up the monotony a bit!

My wheels came off at around mile 12 -- I seriously considered walking from the 13.1 mile on, but still managed to jog in there some of the time. My achilles tendon pain was constant throughout the run, making me run with a little limp to my gait. Today, as I write this, for some reason my achilles feels pretty good. I guess I didn't damage it too much.

5K 24:11

10K 25:31

15K 25:42

20K 26:58

25K 29:50

 Total: 2:12:14 8:31/mi

I ended up finishing about a minute before Ty, with Rick (2:53), Corey (3:13), and Don(3:32) rounding out our group.

I placed 31 out of  329 finishers.

 



Asic Speestar - Boston'09 Miles: 15.00
Weight: 195.00
Comments
From Teena Marie on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 14:44:53 from 174.52.45.85

Top 10% on a misbehaving achilles ... dang ... you're the man!

Nice!!!

(Sorry you weren't feeling it there in the end ... dang tendon!)

From Smooth on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 15:05:40 from 174.23.218.43

You are an amazing friend!

Sorry the achilles weren't happy at the end!

You're too fast for your own good! :)

I thought about calling you in the middle of the night; but I was out like a light as soon as I hit the pillow. Glad you had great company throughout the whole race and saw many people. I don't know if I could mentally take the repetitiveness of the 5K loop though! U DA MAN!!!

From Rhett on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 19:22:10 from 74.36.34.151

You survived another El Scorcho. Just the name is intimidating enough to keep me from doing it. Sorry that last 5 K was tough, but you toughed it out. Good job!

From Tom Slick on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 19:24:15 from 172.190.94.49

Hey MarcE, you better give that tendon a break! Gut I don't know how your going to do that when you have 10 weeks left to train for SGM??? Figure it out!

Sounds like the Scorcho was a complete good time and a worthwhile training run and you held up some pretty consistant splits. Did you have to wear a headlight?

From MarcE on Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 21:06:08 from 204.16.82.120

Thanks, all!

Slick - 10 weeks!!! Uggggg. I guess I should think about getting a plane ticket. I need to get out of this running funk I've been in for the past year (since SGM '09). I want to get excited about the races -- I want to do well..and finish strong. But, do I want to do well bad enough to get my butt out of bed early and put in the 40-60 miles a week that it really takes to run a marathon without hitting a wall? I guess we'll see.

Nope, Slick, I didn't need to wear a headlight. I wore blinking lights on my backside -- to keep the speedsters from running me over (and to motivate my buddy, Ty, to try to keep up :)

From Kathie on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 00:44:45 from 63.248.105.188

So how is the achilles feeling today? I hope it feels great, nice race.

From Tom Slick on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 09:04:57 from 172.190.109.250

OK MarcE, it's time to get the juices flowing and get into the game with both feet. St George is 10 weeks away and the hill at Veyo is calling out your name.

Go ahead and try getting up early one morning and get in about a 6 or 7 miler. After the first 3 or 4 times it really gets a whole bunch easire and it really gets to be the best part of the day! All that clear, clean and cooler air with little or no noise around you. Hey, I even run without music be cause I like the solitude out there. So get the spirit and get out the door and get in those quality miles...

From Huans32 on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 09:20:13 from 138.64.8.52

Awesome job Marc. Those temps are just brutal. I would be very happy with just finishing upright.

From RivertonPaul on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 10:42:13 from 67.42.27.114

Sorry about the achilles.

From timp on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 13:11:58 from 144.189.100.25

Hey Marc, good job getting out and having a go at it. Sorry the tendon wasn't cooperating. Take a little time to get it back to normal and then give it a good buildup for SGM.

Maybe make and print out a training plan. I find that if I have something on my wall I am more committed to doing the workouts. Come to think of it, I need to print one out and live by it. I've been winging it for far too long.

From DonGardinero on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 13:15:23 from 75.162.189.17

Very cool, Marc!!! You did amazingly well even with a bum achilles. That sounds like a fun race. I like the idea of the 5k loop.

From timp on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 13:36:26 from 144.189.100.25

yeah a 5K loop is a lot better than a 1 mile loop like I thought it was.

From MarcE on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 00:47:34 from 204.16.82.120

Kathie - Achilles is feeling OK today. I'm going to run in the morning. Depending on how it feels, will determine how far I go. I've got a new pair of Speedstars to break in!

Slick, and all -- thanks for the encouragement. I'm running in the morning. If it hurts too much...I'll take a little time off..until running can be enjoyable again.

Tim - I haven't printed out a schedule in a few years. That's a good idea.

Dale - Thanks. It was a fun race..it would be even more fun if it was about 60 degrees out!! :)

Tim - My most boring run ever was 20 miles on a highschool class, late at night, all alone. Just me and my Garmin. :) (still better than a 10 miler on a treadmill)

From timp on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 08:20:15 from 144.189.100.25

yeah I remember when you did that 20 mile track run. that is crazy but I might agree about it being better than 10 on a 'mill. I did 4 on one in Naperville and it was all I could do to get through it. Looked at my watch a hundred times I think.

From Huans32 on Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 08:35:03 from 138.64.8.52

Yeah I remember him posting the circles his garmin did for that 20 miler. LOL it was crazy. Funny how so different TM, tracks and just road runs can be. I can do them all but I do enjoy the road runs alot more.

From Teena Marie on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 00:55:06 from 174.52.45.85

Update, pretty please.

From MarcE on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 15:34:11 from 204.16.82.120

Wow. Is it Saturday already? Time flies when I'm being lazy. Not much to report. Just resting the ankles and feet. Taking a little break from running...maybe 1 more week, and then I'll assess where I'm at and figure out which races I should plan for. As of now, SGM is out for me this year -- I just haven't been feeling 100% and don't have the training under my belt to go for an enjoyable, respectable race. Going to lay low for a little while.

(The division of the company I work for is going to be sold by the end of this year -- so I might need to put a little effort into my career (ie. look for a new job after almost 20 years at the same company). I'll still run and race, but I probably won't run any marathons this fall (I know I've said that before0. We'll see how it goes, my friends! :)

From Huans32 on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 15:39:06 from 98.202.0.57

Oh man. Sorry to hear about the bad news bro. After 20 yrs that isn't good. Does that mean you wont have a job or that just you will be under new management?? As for SG I wouldn't be throwing it out of the window. Just heal up and see where your at. The great thing about SG is all your friends that will be there to run it with you. The get togethers and such. It wont be the same without you.:(

From MarcE on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 15:54:10 from 204.16.82.120

MarkO - Thanks for the kind words. They say we will still have our jobs, but you just never know after the actual deal goes through. We'll wait and see, but prepare for any scenario.

Not sure I could justify the travel expense at this time to go to SG. I need to be in more of a "save for a rainy day" mode.

I've been known to change my mind before..and if there's a super airfare sale, I might just have to fly out there and run-walk it anyways!

From Huans32 on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 16:11:19 from 98.202.0.57

I hear you with not knowing whats going on. One Monday I will be starting in a new area at work. Where I had a little choice but still makes you worry none the less. Keep up running when you can. Its what keeps us sane in times like these.

From MarcE on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 16:13:18 from 204.16.82.120

Got that right, Bro. :)

From MrsFIT on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 20:49:31 from 98.202.0.57

Sorry to hear about your job situation, this economy sucks! For what it's worth - I ran SG on a bad Achilles tendon last fall and I've been recovering from it for close to ten months!! Be careful my friend :)

From timp on Sun, Aug 01, 2010 at 09:36:46 from 66.167.51.244

Marc - uncertainty seems to be the norm in the corporate world. In our company at least...

From Smooth on Sun, Aug 01, 2010 at 18:31:31 from 174.23.218.43

Oh Marc buddy! I'm so sorry to hear about your job situation. My son-in-law is facing a similar situation with Chevron down in Houston. Here's wishing you the best!

From Teena Marie on Sun, Aug 01, 2010 at 20:55:40 from 174.52.45.85

So sorry about the stress with work. :(

From Kelli on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 at 14:33:28 from 71.219.102.155

NICE RACE!!! I would really struggle in that kind of heat, you are all super human to me!

From Doone on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 at 16:50:25 from 74.36.34.151

El scorcho!! Congrats. After reading all the above posts all I can add is that "this too shall pass". Before long the achilles will be well, your mind will again get to be excited about running and your career will come out somewhere different but it will still be your career. Sorry about the layers of stress but remember family and friends are always there. We will pray for a good turnout for your job changes.

I need to come run the El scorcho since that is what I do every Saturday anyways. Take care of yourself and know that you are in our thoughts!

From Kelli on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 at 18:26:35 from 71.219.102.155

I was confused, I only read about the achilles issue but that it was feeling better as you typed. I had to come back and read comments.

Ah, the ups and down of life. Hope it is on the UP soon.

From MarcE on Sat, Aug 07, 2010 at 15:12:09 from 204.249.193.66

You are all too kind.

I haven't run in 2 weeks...and, believe it or not, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I like being lazy! :) Been riding a few times and did a few hours on the eliptical, but I'm kind of taking it easy.

I'm reading Dean Karnaze's book "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an all night runner". It's either going to inspire me to run a 50 or 100 miler, or make me give up running all together. Kind of an interesting read, so far. Lots of details on what happens on extremely long runs!

Thanks for being friends...you're all the best. I'll post once in a while, when I have something worth posting.

Job situation isn't as gloomy as I first let on. We are being bought, as is, with no intentions of laying anyone off (the ever-present sceptic in me says,that is the current plan, but it might change). I'm not going to worry too much about it -- it's a good time in my life to re-evaluate where I want to go on this journey. Take care my friends!

From Rhett on Sat, Aug 07, 2010 at 19:17:04 from 74.36.34.151

Marc, I'm glad to hear things are looking up at work. A nice break from running is some times the best thing for a runner. Enjoy it until you get back into the mood to run... or it cools down outside. :)

I just finished reading that book last week. I told my wife to never let me try and run a 100 mile race after reading about what the body goes through after extreme distances. I do think I want to do a 50 miler soon though.

From timp on Sun, Aug 08, 2010 at 20:59:07 from 66.167.51.137

Marc - I've read and listened to that book. I love it. Don't let the fire go out, man. You are the one who grabbed me and took me where I am now. Inspire me.

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