Franklin Mountain 50K 2020

While carefully descending a precipitous slope with loose golf ball-sized rocks, my foot suddenly slips from under me. I catch myself with my hand into a prickly pear cactus while also sitting on another cactus! When I regain my bearings and pull my hand out it looks like a pin cushion. There are large thorns protruding from, not only my hand, but also from my calf and shin because my foot slid into another cactus. 10 big thorns are in my palm and several clusters of those little annoying hair like ones in my fingers. Schaeffer Shuffle trail in the Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso, TX is my least favorite trail especially the steep descents.

 

Franklin Mountains State Park

I started in the dark on the Upper Sunset Trail which begins with a steep ascent on rugged terrain dominated by shin dagger and other pointy vegetation. The footing is rough with rock formations protruding from the ridge like the spikes and frills of a dragon’s back, making it nearly impossible to run. The morning air was somewhat sultry and the effort drenched my shirt with sweat in no time.

Camping in the Sacramento Mountains, NM

That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are in the wilderness and your truck does that whining, rerrrr-rerrr-rerr-rer-re-re-click-click-silence sound when you try to start it. That’s the worst, don’t you think? Well, I was four miles from pavement, camping in the Sacramento Mountains in the Lincoln National Forest near Cloudcroft, NM when it happened to me. I drove up the day before and ran a few miles with plans to run long the next morning. It was pretty chilly and windy at 9500’ elevation when I woke up so I got in my truck to drink a cup of coffee to get my heart started. My heart started just fine, but my truck didn’t. Luckily, I discovered my dead battery before I returned exhausted from a 20 mile run.

Being stuck in the middle of the wilderness all alone is kind of disheartening and thoughts of starvation, dehydration, cougars eating my flesh and vultures pecking out my eyes did enter my mind. However, I had three things going for me. 1) I had a little bit of cell phone service, 2) there’s not much meat on my bones and it’s old and gamey, and 3) I saw some other campers riding around on four wheelers the day before. 

I was going to run long anyway so figured I would take a walk to find someone to give me a jumpstart. I had jumper cables with me too; another plus. So, I took down my tent and packed up the truck so I could take off for home if I got my truck started before the mountain lions got to me. I went down the road and before long, noticed an elk browsing nearby; a much better tasting snack for a large carnivore. Anyway, in about a mile, I came to a group of RVs and trailers where I asked for a jump. A gentleman from Portales, NM obliged and I was home a few hours later. Whew, cheated death once again!

Running With The Dragons

This month I was supposed to go to Lake City, Colorado to run the San Juan Solstice 50 miler, but like most events, it was cancelled. This is the second year in a row the race was called off. Last year was because of flood risk due to melt from a heavy snowpack in the San Juan mountain range and of course this year was due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. 

Greater earless lizard

Mt Cristo Rey and W. El Paso, TX foreground
Juarez Mexico background

Normally I would be disappointed, but I’m so lucky to have travelled every year to run in many beautiful places all over the west including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, the Front Range in Colorado and the Sierras in California and Nevada. While I love going on epic running adventures, there is a lot of planning and logistics involved; not to mention stress. 

Coyote Beautiful

While the trails here in the Franklin Mountains State Park have been closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I had to get creative to maintain my running routine. I detest running on roads because there are humans everywhere; not to mention cars and noise. Unfortunately, I had to run a fair amount on the roads this month, but did a few long runs on the Rio Grande River Levee trail as well. While state and local parks were closed here in El Paso, the river levee seemed to be a gray area since it is controlled by the International Boundary and Water Commission, a federal agency.

Coyote

Rio Grande, El Paso, TX

Charmin Covid -19 Marathon Race Report

Earth is closed until further notice! The Coronavirus pandemic is in full swing. Like every other human on our planet, I have been social distancing, quarantining, sheltering in place or whatever else you want to call it. For me this isn’t much different than how I operate anyway, so I suppose I’m lucky in that regard. We have been spending time at our family’s ranch in West Texas which is what we normally do over Spring Break. Hudspeth County, TX is one of the least populated counties in the US so I have to laugh when authorities say to keep a six foot distance from others. Out here it’s closer to six miles!

The Ice Cream Cone, Indian Hot Springs Rd

Anyway, I was supposed to run the Bataan Memorial Death March for my 9th year in a row, but of course it was cancelled. Instead, I signed up for the Charmin Covid-19 Marathon that was run out here in the Chihuahuan Desert. About five of us hearty runners started out at first light for our 26.2 mile adventure.The weather was nice and cool in the morning when we began our run along a dirt road that runs near the border of Mexico. 

Being Time: Sierra Vista Trail 100K

A wise old sage has said that there are 6,400,099,180 moments in each day. One moment is equal to 65 instants and there are 60 moments in one finger snap. So what I wonder is this: how many instants will it take me to run the Sierra Vista Trail 100K? The race is held along the Sierra Vista National Recreation Trail in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in Las Cruces, NM. I train frequently on this trail that runs through the desert and parallel to the Organ Mountains. The trail is about 30 miles long so the course is mostly an out-and-back from Las Cruces to Anthony Gap which is almost to the Texas border.

About 25 of us stand around at the starting area on a cloudy cool morning; perfect weather for running a race. After a few thousand moments, the race director sends us on our way where we make a loop around the monument entrance road to spread out the pack before entering the single track trail. The path is mostly smooth and flat in the beginning, a far cry improvement over the 100K I ran a few weeks ago in the Franklin Mountains that had over 12,000 of elevation gain! I stay in the moment enjoying each instant as time propels me towards the finish line. It’s going to be a long day for sure.

Becoming Mountain, Lone Star 100K

An old buddha has said, "Mountains are mountains and waters are waters."

These words do not say that mountains are mountains; they say that mountains are mountains. Therefore, we should thoroughly study these mountains. When we thoroughly study the mountains, this is the mountain training. Such mountains and waters themselves become wise men and sages. — Eihei Dōgen, Mountains and Waters Sutra 

These are the words that I contemplate as I set off into the Franklin Mountains for the Lone Star Hundred 100K trail race in El Paso, TX. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to thoroughly study the Franklins over the next 24 hours give or take a few. About 45 of us start off in the dark for this race put on by the good folks at Trail Racing Over Texas. They also offer the distance of 100 miles in addition to a 200 mile and 200K race! 

The morning air is cold and crisp as we begin our arduous journey to the sound of trekking poles clicking on exposed rock where, unbeknownst to most of the runners; right under our feet is a metate in the rock formed by Native Americans grinding mesquite beans or other grains. (Upper Sunset Trail North). 

Train of headlights as runners traverse Upper Sunset