Distance: 31 miles
Duration: 5:50:43
Average Pace Per Mile: 11:15
Weather: At the beginning of the race it was around 47 degrees with a wind gust at 6 mph. By the time I finished the race, temps were creeping into the mid 80s.
How does this compare to the Cowtown Ultra 50K -- I ran in February?
Well, I ran that road race in 5:27:24 (10:33 pace). HUGE difference! Trail running is so different from road racing. It's in a league of its own. I can't even compare the two races. Sure it's the same distance, but it's different --- no, different isn't even the word --- IT'S HARDER.
Ultra Marathon Eve:
We ate at Texas Roadhouse: I had a sirlon steak, a sweet potato, broccoli, carrots, and a few rolls. Before calling it a night, I laid out all my running gear. I crawled into bed around 9 pm and slept alright. No race nightmares for me.
Race Morning:
My alarm and Trey's back-up alarm went off at 4:00 am sharp. Before I knew it, I was bathing myself in petroleum jelly. I put the jelly in chaffing prone areas and I even bathed my feet. I ran for almost 6 hours and did not have any chaffing on my body or blisters on my feet. Shortly after that, we drove to Ihop for breakfast. Ihop was Trey's idea. I had to eat something and I knew Ihop was a better option than say McDonald's (I guess). I fueled with 2 eggs, 2 turkey bacon strips, two pieces of toast, and fruit. I also ate what was left of Cheyenne's egg breakfast. I was full, but not stuffed.
We arrived at Palo Duro an hour before the race. Like most marathoners, I was stressing about using the bathroom. Emptying the tank, if you will....My body cooperated and I ran the entire trail race and did not have to use the bathroom. YAY!!!!
6:30 am - It was so dark in the canyon. There were a few lights around the start area, but a lot of runners had headlamps. About 15 minutes before the race, Sherri found me, I don't know how she saw me, since it was so dark. I was ecstatic to see a familiar face! She was camping with her family and woke up early to see me off at the start. That was so nice of her! We chatted and it helped distract me and kept my mind off the fact that I was about to be running for hours.
Race Details:
It was 7 am and I was running my first trail race. I could barely see the ground beneath me. The headlamp that I had was not bright enough, so I ran close to runners who had bright lights. The first mile I knew something was wrong. I felt like I was going way to slow, but my effort was 100%. I was using RunKeeper an iPhone app and I heard the first audio cue: One Mile in 11:07. WHAT?! And that's when I hit The Wall. Yes, most people hit the wall at mile 18 of a marathon, I hit the wall at mile one. ONE! At that point my whole race plan changed. It had to.
Why I changed the plan:
The Palo Duro trail is more advanced than I anticipated. It was hilly, rocky, sandy, and technical than the trail I trained on. I was basically running up and down hills for over 5 hours. The hills were not long and gradual, they were short and steep. I'll take short and steep any day, over long and gradual, BUT it was still draining. It zapped the energy out of me. Even though, I never maintained a 10:30 pace, like I was hoping -- I held on and moved forward. I felt strong for a good portion of the race.
It's not a trail race until someone goes off course and gets lost:
After I completed my first 6 mile loop, I slowed down for a moment to hi to Cheyenne and Trey. I then picked up the pace and I started running and accidentally ran off course. Volunteers started shouting at me, "The trail is over here! Come back!" Oops!
If the bones ain't showin', keep goin':
One of my fears was falling down and hurting myself. At mile 6.25, I started thinking -- I hope I don't get lost again. Race volunteers marked the trail with bright orange survey ribbon. The ribbon was on trees and bushes, it was placed every 100 yards. It had been a while since I last saw orange, so I started scanning the area and that's when I tripped and fell down. It only took me a moment to see, I was not bleeding and I wasn't in any pain. I got up, shook of the dirt, and kept going. After that I tripped at least four or five times, but only fell down once.
Thought Process:
If I can run the marathon distance, I can finish the ultra. This is hard. It hurts. My back. My lower back. Any moment now, I will get my second wind. This is REALLY hard. Crap, I got a pebble in my shoe! This view is gorgeous! I don't want to wish this race away, I trained too long and too hard to wish it to be over. I wish this person behind me would stop chasing me and just pass me already. That guy almost spit on me. What is this my third or fourth wind? This is great! Kick it home to the finish line.
Who needs all those spectators when you have the best aid stations?
I've read about it, heard about it, but this was my first time to experience ultra trail aid stations. Everyone says, they have the best aid stations. Palo Duro, lived up to the hype. They were well stocked.
Water, gatorade, snickers, M&Ms, potatoes, chips, pretzels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, graham crackers and more. Here is a picture of one table. The flies were flocking near the food, so voluenteers kept the food covered. It's funny, most of the stuff, runners should avoid during training is the food that is served during the race. Potato chips, potatoes and snickers worked for me. M&Ms not so much.
The volunteers were the best! Seriously! Every time I would roll through, they were so helpful.
What can I get you? Here while you eat, I'll fill your water bottle. Here's another gatorade. Let me put some ice in your bottle. What can I do for you? What can I get you? I overheard a palo duro veteran warn another runner about the aid stations. She said they are like magnets, once you stop, you don't want to leave. You have to be careful, just grab what you need and then keep moving. She's right. I felt at home when I stopped and refueled. I'm sure I could've saved more time, if I would've just grabbed stuff faster and sprinted off. I asked Trey, if runners lingered around the aid station and he said they did.
The course
At first, I thought the loop course was going to be boring, but I loved how Trey and Cheyenne could see me multiple times during the race. I think I saw them four times.
As I sprinted to the finish line, I heard Sherri and her family cheering for me.
Trey was waiting right at the finish line to congratulate me and to take pictures. He spectated for 6 hours. He's amazing! It was Trey's idea for me to take my sunglasses. The race would have been miserable if I didn't have anything to protect my eyes. Good idea, Trey!
This guy asked me, "Did you just finish the 50K?" I answered, "Yes." He asked, "Then why are you still running?" I don't know.
The finish line banner.
The flags represented
I think my Lulu socks are permanently stained red.
The 20K was the only chip time race. The 50K and 50 miler was timed, but we didn't have chips. I'm still waiting on the offical times to be posted. Waiting. Waiting.
After the race, there was hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone. Unlike the two marathons I've ran, I was actually hungry after this one. I ate and drank lots of water.
So, after I ran 31 miles I had to climb this hill, to exit the canyon. Ouch.
Can you believe this is Texas?
I'll take trail race traffic and parking any day over road racing. This race was so organized. So, who is running it with me next year? 20K, 50K, or 50 miler? Let's do it. Maybe we can even go camping out there.
Cheyenne made a friend. This is Sherri's niece.
Right after the race Trey said, "Maybe next year, I'll walk the 20K, so I can see the canyon." What?! Umm, that would be awesome. You can do it Trey!
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