Piney Woods Trailfest 50k Race Report

My name is Joshua Pauley and I can run hard for 50 kilometers.

This past weekend I ran my first ultra-marathon.  What a day to remember. First off I have to give thanks and praise to the Lord for giving me an able body and the drive to keep going.  I also want to thank my family for coming out and supporting, participating in the race, and crewing me. Mary had such a servant's heart by crewing me and helping in anyway she could. I also must give a shout-out to the Houston Area Trail Runners who were manning the aid-stations.  They were so welcoming, helpful, cheerful, and loving the entire race.  I always looked forward to running by the aid stations because I knew they would be there to smile and wave (and who doesn’t appreciate a good smile and wave in the middle of a race?). Those guys and gals really kept me moving those final five miles.

My co-pilot Max

Friday afternoon Mary and I headed down to The Woodlands where her family lives to crash for the night.  Her dad and I woke up early and were out the door Saturday morning by 5:40 and arrived at the race site with no problems. 

It was a little chilly upon arrival but there was a buzz in the atmosphere that meant only one thing: race day. After a short four mile warm up I was hot and ready to go. The 50k and 20 mile race started at the same time but the 50k did a one mile add on before getting on course with the 20 milers. The goal was to run below 7 minute pace for the day no matter at what cost. With the one mile add on taking us right back to the start line it was easy to pick up that split for those that were interested (7:30ish). 

After that I was joined by two locals who looked to be just a little bit older than me.  I later found out one was Robert Smith (who coached against me in high school. Funny how small the world is sometimes).  The other I just refer to as Red in honor of his nice red top he was wearing. And the race was on.  We were throwing down sub 7s pretty consistently.  Eventually Robert Smith got dropped somewhere around miles 5-6. Then it was just Red and I rolling along the trails in silence.  He was smooth and natural and it was clear he was good.  I’ve never raced an ultra before – so I wasn’t sure if I should talk or not.  I erred on the side of caution and decided not to talk. Him and I rolled right along and it seemed we were throwing move after move at one another wondering when the other would decide to ease off. I took a sip of my water and moved ahead wondering how he would respond.  And then he began fading back.  I figured he was just biding his time because we were only around 7-8 miles into the race. But little did I know this would be the last time I saw red that day. Before the first loop ended I came through an aid station where I was greeted by Robert Goyen and his HATR crew. That was great getting to shake his hand and make his acquaintance.  As I ran on I heard someone holler after me “Pain Train!”  That was definitely a top three moment of the day!

I came through the first loop in 1:14:xx (that would be 1:07 for ten miles). Well ahead of course record pace from the previous year and well below seven minute pace. But I knew I would pay the price for running 67 for the last ten miles. It was faster than what I was hoping for. But the damage was done and really there was only one thing that made sense to do next. Run faster. 

On the second loop runners going out and coming in on the loop run against one another – but there is a small window where you can finish the first loop and miss a group of people.  So I never saw red or Robert.  But I did get to see everyone else and that was nice.  One of my goals was to lift others up and encourage them. And I really do believe that by doing this it took some of the mental load off of me. 

The second loop I was cruising along mixing hard miles with easy miles 6:18, 6:28, 6:15, 6:20...  It had rained the previous two days at the course so there were some pretty intense muddy areas.  And where it wasn’t muddy the ground was soft- which can really take a toll on the legs.   So that was “interesting” to run through.  Not knowing how far back someone is, is very stressful.  You play the prey when you lead a race, and you have to remain desperate when operating in the front.  Piney Woods has several long straight paths of running, where you can see up to 4 minutes behind you (or in front of you). I tried to get off of these straights as fast I could because that is a good way to get picked off.

The second loop concluded – 1:05 for ten miles (2:19:xx for 21 miles total).  Mary told me that Red had concluded the first loop about four minutes behind me. And that was really all the information we had to go off of. Of course that was over ten miles ago, so who really knew where someone would be at this point in time!

As I rolled through and began the third loop I heard Bob Marley playing around the start/finish aid-station. “Don’t worry. About a thing. Every little thing is gonna be alright…”

Keep Moving Forward.
Joshua 1:9: Be Bold.

This stuck with me as I began to feel the fatigue in my legs from the fast pace.  Thoughts of this song lead me to think of the movie “I Am Legend.” And then thoughts of this lead me to think of German Shepherds. Then I began to wonder what Anna was doing.  And then this reminded me of Anna Frost – boy was I glad she wasn’t behind me. 

I realized about four miles into the last loop that I had gotten lazy with the water intake.  And that was not good. I carried a handheld all day but I had been so focused on running that I had been forgetting to drink regularly.  My calorie intake was great, as I feasted on VI Fuel gels all day. But hydration was no bueno. 

My legs were hurting and I was very thirsty.  From here on out it was just about one mile at a time. Just keep moving just keep moving.  I thought about Geoff Roes in Unbreakable where he says “I told myself just to be patient.” And I took his advice.  Just be patient and let the miles tick away. 

With three miles to go I finished off my water/sports drink mix and came crashing into an aid station hurting for some calories. And they sure hooked me up!  This was my first stop at an aid station all day. And if I looked like a rookie at all on Saturday it was at this station, but it was all in good fun.  They filled me up with some yummy sports drink.  And then in the haste to screw my lid back on I dropped my lid in the dirt.  In a panic I was just going to put that sucker back on but they gladly rinsed it off for me. Thanks guys! As I was taking off I was offered some PB&J – now I was in heaven.  I took a quarter and stuffed the entire thing in my mouth! I’m sure those guys enjoyed that.  The aid station workers said something about “finishing my race so I could have a cookie.” Then that was all I could think about was finishing and cookies.  Spirits renewed I was set to go. 

My only mission now was to finish.  I had done a great job all day but now it was time to finish.  Red could be coming. But he was going to have to work for it.  A mile and half from the finish I came across another aid station.  And I enjoyed the previous stop enough that I decided to take a second at this one and see if they had any cookies. And by golly they sure did have Chips O’Hoy. I took two of them and thanked them for all their service that day. I munched on my cookies for the final mile and a half and soaked it all in.

I picked up the victory and destroyed the course record.  Wins don’t come often. They don’t come easy. So you’ve got to enjoy them while you can get them. I trotted in and was greeted by family and my new friend Robert Goyen. It was a good day. My first ultra and I had succeeded. 

For those interested I faded on the last lap to 1:12 for ten miles bringing my total time for the day to 3:32:40.  Yeah, I went out a little too hard on the first loop.  But that’s why it is called racing – it is not supposed to be easy.  For my 50 miler in March I probably will not go out that hard…ehh we’ll see.

So it turns out that after Mary told me Red was 4:30 back he eventually faded to twelve minutes, and then to seventeen minutes, and dropped out then.  He was a good competitor and I’m sure we will cross paths again.  Robert Smith finished second in 3:58.  Jacqueline O Brien won the women’s race in a total time of 4:41.  My soon to be father in law took second in his age division of the twenty miler – so it was a great day all around! Congratulations to everyone who participated in a race on Saturday. Full results can be found here: http://iaapweb.com/results/14/02_08_14_50k.htm

My treat for running well!

This was just one small step is all.  I tell my friends and myself that it is time to move on and get refocused for the next task ahead.  Grasslands is in five weeks and had I made the same mistakes I made on Saturday – those last nineteen miles would have been pretty bad. 

Before Piney Woods I had been discussing with some people about what to do in the fall.  I was thinking either JFK 50 or TNF 50 Championships.  I was not sure if I would get a qualifying time.  But I did.  So Maryland or San Francisco? Only time will tell.  

Thanks for reading and following me this far. I can't wait to see what the future holds.