So glad that is done...The Shoe Race Report

Well, yesterday we went to Austin for my first trail race.  It wasn't anything spectacular in length - just a 10K but I was still very nervous.  I have gotten very comfortable on my trails up here in North Texas with friends and only started to realize on my way down to Austin that I was going to be on a new trail that neither I nor my brother knew at all...and that it was going to be getting dark, real dark before I finished the race.  On the way down, I looked up the estimated sunset time of Austin and it said 8pm...The race started at 7:30 that meant I was probably looking at about an hour in the dark.  Did I mention I have never run a trail in the dark?  Yeh, I figure if I am going to do it, go all out I guess...actually it was more like the fact that I didn't think about all the logistics ahead of time.
So we arrive at Muleshoe Bend Park in Austin about 6:45pm and the temperature reads 108.  My mom was texting me from the hotel that the news was saying it was the hottest day of the year in Austin.  Oh well...already signed up for the race...gotta do it....So we get ready, pick up our bib numbers, get our super cool shirts, and wait and watch as the 60k people head out on their trek, then 15 minutes later out go the 30K people, and finally at 7:30 we get our air horn start and off go the 10kers...

Before the race at the starting line...

Part of the trail before it got dark...

So off we go...at the time I noticed that I had a slight headache and attributed it to not drinking enough so I knew that I would have to be careful during the race.  Off we went, the scenery was beautiful!  There were rocks, steep ravines, sandy areas, limestone areas...it was very pretty.  So we continue through this beautiful trail, things are going great the first 2.5 miles...then my stomach starts cramping to high holy hell and I realize I am not going to make it.

Feeling strong at mile 2....

So off we go...I am seriously looking at the trees in the woods realizing that it might be my only hope...My Garmin tells me I am at 3.1 and there was supposed to be an aid station at 3  - but will it have a port a potty???  We finally reach it and it doesn't and I am seriously about to throw up or cry it hurt so bad...My brother points out that their is a building to our left and it is a bathroom so I hightail it over there and make it.  My wonderful brother waited and finally I felt better got some ice from the aid station and took off...I was doing great, we were back running although it had gotten VERY dark while I was in the bathroom so we had our headlamps on and were back on the trail - this time with toilet paper that I hijacked from the bathroom just in case....  Doing great until mile 4 - BAM! Mile 4 found me out in the woods in the dark....using my toilet paper...Finally feeling better we head out again...I am feeling great although I did notice that I had stopped sweating at that point...I didn't really chalk it up to anything other than we were making so many pit stops maybe I wasn't that hot...but looking back and putting 2 and 2 together - it was obviously heat related...so off we go again and I am thinking I got this in the bag...I feel great...1 mile left - let's finish this off!  Yeh, back in the woods I go equipped with my handy dandy tp.  I was really pissed by this point because I was feeling great except the severe cramps...At mile 4, I just said a prayer...literally, "God, please just let me finish this race...I don't care my time, I just want to finish."  At that was exactly how I felt. So finally after the 3rd pit stop, we finish the race.  It took us 2 hours and lots of sweat and almost some tears...but I finished that damn thing.

Definitely earned this one...

Someone in this picture got chicked at the finish line....

 So all in all, I had a great time and learned some valuable lessons:

1.   Don't ever underestimate the power of heat.

2.  Hydrate properly before the race...AWAYS!

3.  Never ever travel in the woods without tp!

4.  I'm not afraid of the dark...who knew...

5.  I can do anything  I put my mind to...sometimes I forget this one...and I need a humbling experience like this to remind me...The last time I was taught this lesson was about mile 17 of my last marathon...that one sucked too...but I finished it  and survived :-)



So where to go from here...well this week I am going to continue with my training plan which calls for:

Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 6 miles
Saturday - 10 miles on the trail
Sunday - 5 miles

I am also going to continue icing that IT band and stretching because man, it was screaming at me on those trails...I have to get that in check.  There were a couple of times that I almost fell because the pain was so sharp and so sudden that it just caught me off guard.  It doesn't hurt all the time, just if I step just right on it.  It is very random...which drives me crazy! 

Happy Birthday to me!

As far as food, I did log all my calories and put on my Bodybugg Friday night so I have kept track of all that even while not at home - that is always my biggest challenge.  Although I did splurge at the Cupcake Trailer in Austin and got a cupcake for my birthday...