I ran a 50k trail race in Mineral Wells, TX. I wasn't sure how I would do as I simply haven't been doing a lot of trail training, my runs … MORE
I ran a 50k trail race in Mineral Wells, TX. I wasn’t sure how I would do as I simply haven’t been doing a lot of trail training, my runs have been mostly flat, and my base distance not as high as I normally like – but I paid the entry fee about 8 weeks ago, so I did it.
The whole race thing didn’t go as planned. I wanted to take a 1/2 day and hit the road around noon (it is a 4+ hour drive to Mineral Wells). But because of work demands, I didn’t even get out of work until 3:00. Then on my drive there, the low air signal came on – my right front tire had a leak. I tried to deal with it when I got to Mineral Wells but because of the time, best I could do was free air from a Chevron station and a bottle of green sealant goo from an auto store. When I went to bed it appeared OK. The hotel on the other hand did not…what a dump! But I went cheap for a one night stay and I got what I paid for. (Disclaimer: it was not the race’s hotel where they checked in runners….I got there too late for that and this cheap hotel was about 3 miles away).
The next morning I went to load up my car and the tire was flat. Great…put the rest of the sealant in it and refilled the tire. It appeared to hold when I parked it at Mineral Well Lake. Then I jumped on the shuttle to take me and other runners to the starting line.
I met some really nice runners there and we chatted a bit. As we lined up I thought of Eliza Fletcher and how she will be missing so many running opportunities.
Soon, we were off. The race was 4 loops of about 8 miles each. I kind of held back a little at first but soon found myself in third place following a couple other runners. Around mile 5 I felt another runner gaining on me and he soon passed me. But only a short time later, all three stopped at an aid station so I moved into first place. That was nice, fun, and very short-lived. By mile 7 I had been overtaken and as we approached the end of loop one I was #5. OK…let’s see how this goes and how long I can hang on.
Temps started rising a bit and my shirt was drenched in sweat, but overall I kept a decent pace. By the end of loop 2 I was still in the top 10 but my legs were feeling the trails. The trail was actually overall flat with some sections of many rocks, a lot of sand (think of running on the beach), and a few muddy troughs but definitely a possible PR course for some.
Then I started loop 3. I wanted to see what kind of marathon time I could post with not maximum training on a trail and did a 5:15 one. Not even close to my best but I was satisfied. I kept running but ended up mixing a lot of jogging and walking in.
At the start of the last loop, I knew this would not be a PR race for me but I kept moving on. But decided to do more walking and jogging.
I ended up crossing the finish line with a 6 something hour finish (almost 7 hours) and second in my age group (first in my age took 4th overall and smashed my time…but he was at the young end of the AG while I am cresting it.) Turns out he was one of the two runners I “paired up with” on the first loop and ended up passing….he got me back.
Got back to my car…..and the tire was so completely flat pancakes laughed at it. So, a ranger was so kind to fill up the tire enough for me to make it to Walmart. A few dollars later, I now have a new front passenger tire.
Now, after a 4+ hour back home, I am tired! A shower helped as I was covered in dust but the warm water mixing with my red shoulders from today’s sun wasn’t the most comfortable. It was nice though to drive home with a huge full moon (at least I think it was full) in a bright orange color.
The race director Ultra Expeditions did a fantastic job putting on this race. The park’s rangers were genuinely thankful for the runners coming out, and my favorite sparkling mineral water Crazy Water’s 1877 supplied all aid stations with their water (flat) so that was really great.
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Would be a nice for a swim/run biathlon
I ran a 50k trail race in Mineral Wells, TX. I wasn't sure how I would do as I simply haven't been doing a lot of trail training, my runs … MORE
I ran a 50k trail race in Mineral Wells, TX. I wasn’t sure how I would do as I simply haven’t been doing a lot of trail training, my runs have been mostly flat, and my base distance not as high as I normally like – but I paid the entry fee about 8 weeks ago, so I did it.
The whole race thing didn’t go as planned. I wanted to take a 1/2 day and hit the road around noon (it is a 4+ hour drive to Mineral Wells). But because of work demands, I didn’t even get out of work until 3:00. Then on my drive there, the low air signal came on – my right front tire had a leak. I tried to deal with it when I got to Mineral Wells but because of the time, best I could do was free air from a Chevron station and a bottle of green sealant goo from an auto store. When I went to bed it appeared OK. The hotel on the other hand did not…what a dump! But I went cheap for a one night stay and I got what I paid for. (Disclaimer: it was not the race’s hotel where they checked in runners….I got there too late for that and this cheap hotel was about 3 miles away).
The next morning I went to load up my car and the tire was flat. Great…put the rest of the sealant in it and refilled the tire. It appeared to hold when I parked it at Mineral Well Lake. Then I jumped on the shuttle to take me and other runners to the starting line.
I met some really nice runners there and we chatted a bit. As we lined up I thought of Eliza Fletcher and how she will be missing so many running opportunities.
Soon, we were off. The race was 4 loops of about 8 miles each. I kind of held back a little at first but soon found myself in third place following a couple other runners. Around mile 5 I felt another runner gaining on me and he soon passed me. But only a short time later, all three stopped at an aid station so I moved into first place. That was nice, fun, and very short-lived. By mile 7 I had been overtaken and as we approached the end of loop one I was #5. OK…let’s see how this goes and how long I can hang on.
Temps started rising a bit and my shirt was drenched in sweat, but overall I kept a decent pace. By the end of loop 2 I was still in the top 10 but my legs were feeling the trails. The trail was actually overall flat with some sections of many rocks, a lot of sand (think of running on the beach), and a few muddy troughs but definitely a possible PR course for some.
Then I started loop 3. I wanted to see what kind of marathon time I could post with not maximum training on a trail and did a 5:15 one. Not even close to my best but I was satisfied. I kept running but ended up mixing a lot of jogging and walking in.
At the start of the last loop, I knew this would not be a PR race for me but I kept moving on. But decided to do more walking and jogging.
I ended up crossing the finish line with a 6 something hour finish (almost 7 hours) and second in my age group (first in my age took 4th overall and smashed my time…but he was at the young end of the AG while I am cresting it.) Turns out he was one of the two runners I “paired up with” on the first loop and ended up passing….he got me back.
Got back to my car…..and the tire was so completely flat pancakes laughed at it. So, a ranger was so kind to fill up the tire enough for me to make it to Walmart. A few dollars later, I now have a new front passenger tire.
Now, after a 4+ hour back home, I am tired! A shower helped as I was covered in dust but the warm water mixing with my red shoulders from today’s sun wasn’t the most comfortable. It was nice though to drive home with a huge full moon (at least I think it was full) in a bright orange color.
The race director Ultra Expeditions did a fantastic job putting on this race. The park’s rangers were genuinely thankful for the runners coming out, and my favorite sparkling mineral water Crazy Water’s 1877 supplied all aid stations with their water (flat) so that was really great.