I did it. I did not mean to, but I did it. I think I disrespected the distance. I swore I would never do this, but I did it. I was not ready for El Scorcho.
El Scorcho bills itself as as so.....
What is El Scorcho? Now in its seventh year, El Scorcho continues its ridiculously foolish tradition of staging an endurance run at midnight in North Texas in the middle of the summer. El Scorcho brings you the best no-frills 50 km frolic in all of Fort Worth. There's also a 25 km option for those of you who aren't quite ready to step up to the plate. But you should. Because, really, what's the difference between 50 km and 25 km except twice the distance? In the end, it's up to you. Both runs take a certain fortitude. Or stupidity. Your call.
El Scorch is run on several different terrains. Crushed Limestone Trails, Asphalt, Concrete, Small Bridges, and Basketball Court. It is noted on Athlinks as a Trail Run, but I would not go that far.
This was my first run at El Scorcho and I did tackle the 25K (15+ Miles)
My training for El Scorcho began shortly after Boston in late April. This gave me nearly 3 months to maintain base mileage and prepare for hot running.
I did injure myself during this period in May. My recovery has included some time off from running and an an aggressive plan at Mansfield Chiropractic. I also began Cycling in this period. I figure this will only help save my knees and develop different parts of my body.
I ran 191 miles in this training period. Most runs were short four to six milers. Only three runs in my training were over 10 miles. I did three Trail Runs, two Hill Repeats Workouts, two Speed Workouts, and zero Tempo Runs.
If I had El Scorcho Sie7e to do over, I would have stuck with more short speed workouts and weekly slow long runs.
The event was cool. Chris Medley and I met at 10pm Saturday Night. I packed a small ice chest with Waters, Gatorade, and Rags. I brought four Powerbar Gels and some Gummi Bears for food. My choice of Flashlight was a handheld model as I do not own a head lamp. I pinned my 523 Bib to my Race Belt as I did choose to run shirtless.
The race began at 12:00 Midnight with the 50K runners. Ten minutes later, we 25K runners were off. 505 Runners in all were running Sunday Morning on Trinity Trails in 78 Degree Cool Texas Temps. The course is a 5K Loop and every time around is a chance for friends or yours and others to cheer you on. I never thought I would like such a setup, but it really does work. The loop also gives you a chance to set up your own race hydration and food to carry less on your person.
Here is how the race went:
5K 23:26 (pace 7:31) Went out too fast and paid later.
10K 48:08 (pace 7:42) Legs feeling so heavy
15K 1:14:35 (pace 7:58) Tried to keep up with a top female runner and did for nearly a lap
20K 1:41:17 (pace 8:07) Just got passed by the 25K winner
25K 2:08:29 (pace 8:14) Had enough left to finish somewhat strong.
I really wanted to run a 7:30 pace in total. My training just was not right for this type effort. I learned a lesson from El Scorcho and that is respect the distance. As a runner, I failed to realize where I was and went out too fast.
See you next year El Scorcho Ocho. I will be ready for you next July.
