Coyote 50k - The race that almost wasn't, but ended up being a little more.

 I was super nervous about this race because it was supposed to be my "comeback" race as well as a checkpoint for my 100k training.

I decided to car camp to make sure I actually got to the race the next morning.  After a good dinner with friends and makeshift tailgating with my DDR peeps, I finished the night chatting with Chad in our camping chairs by the cars and then reading my book.  That night sleep eluded me because I forgot my pillow.  Of course I forgot my pillow because as I was leaving the house earlier that day, I bragged that I had everything and Christopher said I would forget SOMETHING.  Boom.  Pillow.  Started my restless sleeping around 11PM, woke up at 3AM to turn the heat on and evidently eat some Wheat Thins that I don't remember eating - I suffer from a disorder called the Midnight Munchies.  I finally fell asleep around 5AM only to have Chad bang on my car an hour and fifteen minutes later and twenty minutes before my alarm was due to set off.  A bunch of expletives and middle fingers directed toward him as he laughed, I decided to walk to the bathroom and let the cold wake me up a little.  As I left the bathroom, a bunch of people ran by me donning headlamps and I asked what was going on.  One runner glanced in my direction and incredulously informed me that it was a trail race.  Duh.  The fifty milers started at 6AM, so obviously there would be people with headlamps - my brain just didn't compute the fact sans coffee.

My home Friday night:

Fast forward - I got back to my car, chugged my Coke Zero energy drink and proceeded to go through the motions of getting race day ready.  That was something I could definitely do in my sleep.  Once I was good to go, I headed over to the shuttle pick up spot only to discover a very long line.  Suddenly I was very thankful for the rude awakening.  When I finally arrived at the starting point, Helen was there waiting to take my pre-race photo. 

As I crossed the start line, Chris Barnwell was there just shaking his head because I was fifteen minutes late.  It wouldn't be a race without my late starts!

On the first loop, people kept saying, "Hi Amanda!" and I only recognized a few.  Either it was sleep deprivation or they were the cheerleaders I prayed for the night before when I was getting right with God pre-race.  Six miles of rocks and hills later plus getting lost for a handful of yards, I tweaked my knee pretty bad.  No joke, a few minutes later I heard crows circling overhead which is never a good sign.  It was at that point that I reached Death Hill.  I recognized it from the course preview we did the week before and heeded Helen's advice telling myself I only had to see it three more times.  I scaled the hill and proceeded the roughly 1.5 miles back to the start to close out my first loop.  Once again, Chris was shaking his head because in true Amanda style, I went off course.  

THREE MORE LOOPS????  There was no way I could pull this off.  After changing my socks, I dragged my ass back out on the course.  One more loop and I could quit saying I at least did a 25k and live to see another day.  The second loop was rather uneventful.  I limped through it and met a really nice guy from Belton and decided that day of all days was a good day to hike at Cleburne.  At least he was a trail runner in his previous life and appreciated our sufferfest.  Our conversation helped distract me from the pain from Death Hill because I had someone to commiserate with.  He ended up splitting off to go to his car about a mile out from the start line.  I crossed the mat in good spirits hemming and hawing over my next steps (no pun intended).  After changing my shoes and dawdling more than I should, Chris made sure I went out for my third loop.

As the course cleared out and the only people left were 50k and 50 mile runners, it grew quiet and I began to notice things.  The hills seemed way steeper going both up and down and at some point I came across a hill that I can only describe as "up hill, both ways" like our parents used to say about going to school when we complained about something as kids.  It also reminded me of that scene from Twister where a cow flies across the car and another cow flew in the other direction except it was, "Hill.  Another hill.  I think that's the same hill" and it was.  

I also honed in my amateur boxing skills bobbing and weaving around creepy mini-caterpillars hanging from the trees.  Brent Heady ran passed me and compared them to Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  The highlights of that loop included the bluebonnet fields and Chad passing me only stopping for a quick selfie.  He was on his final loop as I was crawling through my third.  

Outside of those, I wasn't paying attention and ate one of those caterpillars.  Is it protein?  That has yet to be decided.  When I reached my arch nemesis, I reminded myself only one more time.  Back to the start.

Do I head out for that last loop?  It would be dark about halfway through and did I really want to deal with that knowing the terrain?  I changed my socks again.  Chris reminded me I had only one left.  Rob said he would warm up my medal for me.  Le sigh.  I started back out.  By then most 50kers were done, so it was just me and the 50 milers.  Two of them passed by and I asked them what day it was.  I seriously started singing, "All By Myselffffff".  Thankfully my SRTT girls were at the 3.5 mile aid station with quesadillas and good conversation.  I really wanted to hang out more because I was so lonely at that point, but one foot in front of the other.  Only three miles until my last encounter with Death disguised as limestone.  I started seeing things that weren't really there and broke out in song with R.E.M's Everybody Hurts except changing the lyrics to Everyyyything Hurts.  At that point I was in pain so much that I knew it couldn't get any worse.  It sounded like rain sprinkles, but no rain.  Dear Lord.  Was that caterpillars falling from the trees????  It was dark by then and I couldn't see anything except what was right in front of me and then there it was.  The hill.  I muttered, "One last time, bitch."  

Up I went and then it was done.  A mile and a half to go.  Half a mile into this last stretch, it started raining and it was the end of any hint of pace.  I was stumbling and sliding over rocks and moving at maybe one mile an hour, careful of each step.  I heard the generator at the finish close and then far away, close and then far away.  It was like the end was laughing at me.  Up and down I went counting the three hills I had to go over before I saw The Bridge.  The bridge indicated I was close.  I swear Rob moved the bridge further and further away for that loop and laughing because it took forever to get there.  As I was nearing the end, two fifty milers passed me and I decided to shuffle across the finish line.  It was done.  I did it.  I'm back - just a little slower.  

Next year I'm signing up for the four mile fun run instead.

 

Grasslands Course Preview

 

Let me provide some background to this weekend's scouting trip:

I was supposed to scope out the trail Saturday, but it was not in the cards.  I woke up late and fell up the stairs while getting ready to leave and had a bug bump on my knee.  When I got to the grasslands, Google Maps brought me to a dead end gate.  I had no cell service to try and find the trailhead, so I just kept trying to find it.  On third and final attempt, I made a sharp turnaround and my drink flew out of my cupholder completely soaking my socks, shoes and the rest of the driver's side (Some dripped on my head from above me 😬)  This was my final straw.  The drive back to get fresh socks and shoes was over an hour and I was just mentally done.  

Fast forward to today.  I had fifteen miles on the schedule and the blue trail was mapped for 13.5, so I figured I would check out the trail with that loop and tack on a little bit extra.  It's been two years since I've been out there and I needed my memory refreshed.  

My notes from this experience are below:

• Within a mile of the beginning of the trail, I came across a small water crossing.  This made yesterday's frustration a moot point as my socks and shoes were soaked and was proof positive of how sheltered I've become during my trail hiatus.  
  
  
  
• PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRAIL MARKERS.  Between my Shiny Object Syndrome and watching where I should place my feet, I missed a fork in the trail.  All I saw for a long stretch were orange markers and the orange trail is the 24.5 mile one.  Slight panic built up in my chest before the trails merged again and I saw a blue flag.  I don't think I've ever been that excited to see the color blue, except for maybe at a friend's gender reveal where they really wanted to have a boy.  If you want to see all the pretty things and preview the trail, I recommend going out there ahead of time, so you aren't distracted like me on race day.
  
  
• If you are allergic to grass, you need to take allergy medicine before the start.  Avoid the Benadryl unless you want to pack a pillow and blanket and take a nap at the first aid station.  Go figure I didn't this morning even though the trails are called the GRASSLANDS and the race bears the same name, so my legs broke out in hives.   On top of the grass brushing your legs, there are also some scratchy branches.  Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to trails, but be aware your shins may get a little scratched up.
• There is a good amount of sand on the course, so I would train in your kid's sandbox or maybe a friend's kid's sandbox.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Sand can create the illusion that you are wading through molasses.
• The trail has a lot of divots from horse and cattle hoof prints, so make sure your ankles are up to par.  In preparation, I'm going to revisit the ankle exercises my PT guy taught me years ago that I never followed through with because who actually does those at home...??
• Make sure you don't over-hydrate like I tend to do because there are zero bathroom opportunities on the trail.  I had to find a place behind the bush to pee today because I had to go super bad and I was still eight miles out from the trailhead.  Zero people were on the trail, so I took advantage of the emptiness.  Of course a tenth of a mile up the trail afterwards, I came across the ONLY person I encountered the entire time out there 😟  Moral of the story is there will be a ton of foot traffic race day and you need to drink water in moderation to prevent a situation like this.
• Watch out for the wildlife on the trails.  The saying every stick is a snake is a good rule to go by, but with my overactive imagination, there were potential snakes everywhere.  In January.  I did come across a really cute armadillo that wouldn't pose for me or let me pet him.  The jackrabbit was equally uncooperative. 
• As mentioned above, you may run into cattle or horses.  If you do, be careful not to startle them because that would be a bad idea.  Continuing on about the cows and horses, watch out for their poop - you really don't want to smell that on your shoes the rest of the race.  If you do have the unfortunate misstep, it is not a good idea to hang your shoes over your car's rearview mirror like a new air freshener - especially if your heater is on.  Today, I came across what I can only describe as an artist of a cow.  That pile of poop looked like a chocolate fro-yo that swirls in a cone and now you will probably never eat fro-yo again.
• Music wise, I ran with one earbud in to test out that option, but I felt like I was missing something.  I would recommend zero ear buds so you can hear other runners, potential animal life you may encounter and most of all, to enjoy the entire trail experience.  If you are someone that ABSOLUTELY has to have music, this would be a good race to try out sans-music just in case you want to run a race where it isn't allowed.  If you don't want to follow my recommendation and you have wired headphones, do not make the mistake of thinking your headphones are the straw in your hydration pack and put them in your mouth.  Noise is the only thing that should come out of earbuds - not water.  Now if you've found headphones that also dispense water, please let me know because that would be super cool.
  
  
  
  A summation of today's experience:
  
  
  The Grasslands Trail Run would definitely be a good choice for first-timers when it comes to trail races.  It's on the easy side with a few rolling humps (I wouldn't even call them hills), some gradual inclines and declines, brush and moderately uneven terrain.  For the seasoned trail runners, it's a faster course with all the nuts and bolts of a good trail run.  
  
  
  Last but not least, Geaux Bills just for Anne.
  
  
  
  
  
  

I'm baaaaaaaack!

 It's been over five years since my last post, which was literally another lifetime ago.  To catch you up, I got my revenge on Bear by finishing Javelina Jundred 100 miler the next month 💕

Shortly after that peak in my life, everything went downhill - like from Crown King, AZ down to the boat ramp where the race starts.  I moved back to Texas because of my mom and went through five years that I can only describe as my "dark days".  The good news is I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Current Goal:  Arkansas Traveller 100 miler (October 2 - 3)

Current Status:  Overweight, but somewhat decent shape for size.  Run/Walking instead of all out runs because of said size.

Synopsis of recent months up to present day:  2020 was rough.  I got a Peloton which was probably the highlight of the year.  COVID hit and when combined with the last bit of my dark days, the months felt like years.  I had a small burst of refocus this summer, but it fizzled out just like the in person races did.  Everything turned virtual and I could only "run" so many of those because of my shiny object syndrome and how easily I get bored.

2020 was also full of excuses.  I didn't feel good.  I twisted my ankle.  I banged my knee.  (both of those weren't bad and I could've pushed through them)  My hormones were off.  My thyroid was acting up.  I didn't get enough sleep.  I was hungover.  I was depressed.  I forgot my shoes.  I can go on and on, but you get the gist.

January 2021 - I made a lot of life changes.  I'm not doing it to jump on the bandwagon - I'm making these changes because I've made the conscious decision to focus on AT100 like I focused on Bear/JJ100 in 2015.  It's time for a reboot and Amanda 2.0.  I have a lot farther to go because I don't have the baseline I had back then, but I do have the experience.  Some cobwebs need to be cleared, but that knowledge is somewhere in the back of the brain. 

In the last couple of weeks my mileage has increased and trails have said "Hello!"  Instinct tells me to scoff at the amount of mileage that is currently on my plate and considered an increase, but I have to stop comparing the current to the past.  I need to treat it as a completely separate life and only take with me the lessons learned and knowledge gained.  It's time to keep the momentum set in the last couple of weeks, let go of the excuses and get back to the grind.

-A