Elevation Gain: 3300' .................... Max Elevation: 1905'
January 13, 2024
This was my fourth visit to the trails of the Texas Hill Country. It is rugged terrain of karst topography (jagged limestone) where "everything stings or bites". It's endless ups and downs are not so vertically challenging, but its extreme technical nature of loose, sharp rocks and adjacent cacti demands alertness and agility. This was the first time I did not come away bloodied by falls. The spiny yuccas along the route reach out to draw blood from everyone, but this time I ran conservatively enough to stay on my feet the entire way and come away unscathed.
It was not my best effort here, but at the end of the day I came away satisfied with my showing. The race has grown considerably since my last run around these hills. Over 400 people toed the line with me at 0730 to head out for two loops, or 100K. Behind us were another 100 or so participants aiming to accomplish one loop, or 50K. Needless to say the single-track trails were congested.
Temps at the start were 25 degrees, but really not too chilly. Despite dressing down and sticking with shorts, it didn't take long before I felt warm. As much as I could, I hung back so as not to get in anyone's way. As it was, I still stopped often to let people pass on the trail so that they didn't have to step off into the path of some cactus to move past me.
I didn't wear a watch. I didn't want to be concerned with time. I just wanted to find my tempo and comfort zone and stick with it. The first five miles went by quickly, but my time was slow. I felt somewhat naseous from the start, for no apparent reason, so wasn't in good form. My legs were tired from the thousand-mile drive to get there in the previous two days. It is just not a good idea to drive so far to run these races.
By the second aid station at 9.4 miles, I was picking up my tempo without additional effort and starting to feel a little more even. By 16.4 miles I was back on an average pace at 4 hours even. From there to the finish I maintained better than an average 15-minute pace, with occasional stints of 10-12 minute pace interrupted by rocky climbs and descents.
I seriously entertained the notion of continuing on with the second lap. Finishing the first one in 7:41 put me in a good place for completing the 100K in a good time, but I was having problems with my eyes once again, having difficulty seeing straight and focusing on the trail. It is problematic having impaired vision on such rough terrain... and even more so after dark. My left MCL was becoming very tender on the descents and I was feeling a bit hypothermic with the increasing afternoon breezes, even with temps in the mid 50's. So I stopped with a 50K finish.
It was enough for one day. Not too much strain. Not too much pain. No new injuries, and really not even that exhausting. It just felt good to put on dry clothes and sit down in the warm car. It was a nice workout. My effort reflected my general level of fitness, which is becoming progressively better. But it also reflected my waning passion of exerting myself just for a faster finish time. Call it aging. Call it wisdom. It just doesn't matter as much any more.
As long as I can run and enjoy it, I will continue. Racing is just something that I have always done and look forward to. I enjoy the racing community and the travel to interesting and beautiful venues. It very often provides the exact impetus I need to motivate me to improve. On to the next one!
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