corriendo hasta el fin

We spent Friday hiking the second 18 mile loop of the course.  It was a relaxed hike and a great time to get to know the other runners.  Although Gabriella did not run the race, her and Dave (Gabi’s boyfriend) came along for the hike.  

The race consists of three loops.  Two 18 mile loops and one 11 mile loop repeat of the first loop without the 7 mile spur.  

Saturday was a relaxing day and we spent most of it swimming, sleeping and eating.  Friday and Saturday were essential for acclimating to the hot subtropical climate before the race.  

Initially I felt excellent about this race.  I was feeling great physically, my 100 mile week and taper had me strong and ready.  My plan was to go out hard, make a break on the first loop, then hit a strong steady pace until the end.  I was slightly worried about nutrition since I suffered some stomach issues during Bandera.  I decided to try a dose of 1st Endurance Ultragen after every loop, so I mixed up a few 20 oz bottles and put them in my drop bag.  I also brought some Endurolytes in a Ziploc bag.  

All of a sudden race morning my stomach did not feel well.  I was not hungry for breakfast but I ate some eggs and a little oatmeal.  I also drank a small bottle of Perpetuem and 1st Endurance PreRace.  My body felt heavy and tired, almost as if I were getting a flu.

The race started at 7:00 am with a single “Vamos.”  My race strategy kind of went down the drain and I decided to run according to how I felt at the time.  Since I felt like crap I basically ran like crap.  I immediately began taking it very easy on the hills and I walked most of them from the get go.  Around mile 10 of the race I began feeling a little stronger, I sped up a little bit and began hammering both the uphills and downhills.  By the time I made it back into town at mile 18 I was feeling badly again.  I drank my bottle of Ultragen and headed out for the second loop.  I ran conservatively for about 5 more miles and caught up with Peter.  This was his first race over 10k and he started like a flash.  At mile 20 or so he was starting to feel the effects of the heat and distance.  At the bridge crossing we decided to swim across the river to cool off a bit.  This is where my Endurolytes got wet and dissolved into nothingness.  I dropped Peter at one of the large switchback single-track sections and continued to make my way through the race.  At this point my stomach began bloating and cramping excessively.  No matter how little energy I exerted, my chest felt tight and out of breath the entire time.  I made it to the second loop turnaround and picked up two oranges.  I was bloated and did not want to eat anything, but I knew I needed something.  The oranges made my head feel better, but my stomach and chest just got worse.  At the end of the second loop I felt as if I were staggering into town.  I asked Caballo Blanco for something salty and he handed me a bunch of Saltines.  I went out for the final 11 miles shooting only to finish the race.  The final 11 miles seemed longer than the previous 36.  I walked an excessive amount and when I was running, it was more like a lopsided plod.  Three little boys followed me for almost a mile, they were all barefoot and kicking my ass on the downhills.  I knew at that point I was having a very bad race.  I managed a shuffled lopsided stagger to the finish line and proclaimed the whole thing as the hardest race I have ever done.  

I finished in 8:08 for 14th place overall.  

Although the course was easier than Bandera and Arkansas Traveller, I felt as if it truly was the hardest race I ever ran.  I did not mind the heat, that sort of thing does not usually bother me, it was all my stomach, chest and flu-ish feeling that killed me.  I know I needed more salt and I definitely ate too many oranges and drank too much plain water.  

Enough about how the race went for me.  Aid was wonderful for this race.  There were more water stations in this race than any other marathon I have seen.  It would have been virtually impossible to run without water during this race.  The nice thing about the water was the way they put it into clear plastic bags.  It was easy to run by, grab a bag of water and spray it all over my face and neck for a perfect cool down.  The crowd excitement was intense, people came out of their houses to cheer us on all along the course.  Everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful.  

My two sisters, Gabi and Abigail did excellent for their first ultramarathon.  Abigail had never run any type of race before and placed 2nd in the women’s division for a 9:07 finish time.  Gabi was unable to train properly but finished wonderfully in 11:30.  My good friend Peter Marston finished his first ultramarathon in 8:30. Gabriella and Dave were an excellent support crew.

I had a wonderful time meeting everyone.  It was a wonderful group of runners.  The top winners, Joe Grant and Josh Brimhall, are some of the nicest guys ever.  Joe Grant won in 6:24 for his third ultra marathon ever.  He beat Scott Jurek’s 2007 course record by 10 minutes.  

I ran the race in La Sportiva Crosslites, their newest trail racing shoe.  This shoe is ultralight and worked excellently for me.