Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mini-Race Report: 31.1 Mile Texas Trail Run

I am absolutely beat and need a nap something fierce so I am going to give a quick recap and then I will do a more detailed Race Report tomorrow. Sorry! But to start off the picture above is what I found when I got home and took of my shoes and socks! Good Times!

The temperature at start time was 24 degrees. My HR was 160 BPM because of my shivering. The course was a 6.5 mile loop which we did once and a 12.3 mile loop which we did twice. The first 22 miles were a lot of fun and I was running along nice and strong. Legs felt great and I had a lot left in the tank. Then around mile 22 I slipped and my right foot slid off of a tree root and sent a stinging pain all the way up to my shoulder. IT Band ... hurt like hell! It probably would have been better to have just have fallen hit the ground because I think the awkwardness of me trying to keep my balance is what contributed to the injury. It probably didn't help either that my IT band had been a little tender anyways.

I dragged myself to the aid station which was luckily only about a 1/2 mile away. A volunteer (Thanks Dude - very cool of you!) helped stretch me out and it felt much better - for about a mile. Then it tightened up and I was in pain again. I just could not get it to loosen up and the fact that the temp only reached 44 degrees didn't help with that either. My pace dropped dramatically when this happened for the next 4 or so miles. Then right around mile 26 my left quad became so stiff from favoring the right leg that it started to hurt. At this point I tried to walk some but it was even more painful than running so I ran, if that is what you call it! Picture me as one of those fast walkers that go to the local malls every morning because that is what I looked like!

The last 5 miles were excruciatingly painful. I was not going to quit so I hardened up and tried to shuffle my beat up self to the finish. Long story short: I made it (-: . I feel like I have been hit by a truck. I took an ice bath (thanks for the suggestion Todd) when I got home and I have ice on my knees, quads, and IT band right now. And I can't wait to do another Trail Race. Seriously, aside from the injury I had an awesome time. The scenery was beautiful and I met a bunch of really cool people. I'll detail all the good tomorrow. Hell, the injury builds character - that's how I see it! When you see my numbers below you will understand why I might need to do this again!

My Garmin is in the car and I cannot drag myself out to get it but here are some of the split numbers I remember from the Garmin (I'll link up the splits in tomorrow's post):

First 6.5 Mile Loop - 1 hr 5 minutes
13.1 Miles (Half Mary) - 2 hr 8 minutes
15.5 Miles (halfway point) - 2 hr 30 minutes
26.2 Miles (Marathon) - 4 hr 44 minutes
Last 5 miles - 1 hr 26 minutes

Total Time to Finish - 6 hr 10 minutes

Now, I forgot to turn the auto-pause off on the Garmin and it paused every time I used the porta-potty (4), stopped at Aid Station (5), and stopped to stretch (2). I am guessing that will add another 20-25 minutes will be added to the time.

If I would not have got banged up I think I would have finished under 5:30 and probably under 5:15.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff




5 comments:

  1. First of all, congrat! Next... that is a great photo of your foot. You can wear that like a badge.

    If you were running a regular marathon for the first time (hey, Jeff.. most people run marathons first), your 26.2 time would be pretty respectable. The amazing thing is that your time is on a trail.

    While I was reading about pushing through the pain, I was "painfully" reminded of my knee injury. You are one tough dude. You have definitely found your niche. I have nothing but respect for your skill and dedication.

    Get a lot of rest.

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  2. ...what Boomer said. Perfect!

    I have tons of respect for your ability to endure the pain and FINISH! Yes!

    You are one tough hombre, amigo. Congratulations on finishing!

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  3. Tough, very tough guy!! Like "Rambo"!! Really extremely good job to finish with your feet like this...

    Next time, you will do a terrific time!

    Take care now,

    "XTB" Xavi from Hong Kong!

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  4. Thanks guys! Believe it or not the foot didn't bother me at all. I just busted the blister about an hour ago ... I had to sit in the tub to do it and let's just say it was not pretty. Not at all.

    However, walking is quite the chore this morning. My knees and quads are stiff as can be and not sure what I am going to do about the IT Band.

    Xavi - that cracked me up about "Rambo" some funny stuff! Maybe I should start carrying a big old knife on the trail runs!

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  5. Congrats on pushing even with so many reasons to quit along the way!

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