Capt'n Karl's 30K (Round 2)

After having my worst race ever at the first Capt'n Karl's 30K, my main goal was to finish this one strong.  The distance wasn't a factor; we had run 23 miles the previous week.  My mind game wasn't a factor; I was so determined after the debacle of the first CK.  The good news is that I did in fact finish stronger.  I think this was partly because the course was so freakin difficult that I was forced to walk a lot. 

Oh, the course, how I hated you.  A mountain bike course that I would not be surprised to find out someone has been killed attempting.  Rocks everywhere.  Some good and stuck in the ground, others like a riverbed of stones.  Impossible for me to run on.  Actually, that's not quite true.  I did run them pretty well for the first 10K or so while it was still light, but after that I was more fatigued and was being a lot more cautious due to the limited sight and extreme desire not to fall this time.  Did I mention cacti lined the trail throughout.  Scary sight with my track record of falling. 

But really, the rocks are not what made me hate the course.  What made me hate it was that it was full of switchbacks.  The kind of switchback that had us running parallel to where we had just run.  We could see the headlamps of runners that were in front of us and behind us.  It was difficult in the later stages of the race to feel like you were getting nowhere, yet you were running for miles and miles.  About mile 14 or so, I just wanted the race to be over.  Not because I was tired or something hurt.  In fact I felt strong.  I was just kind of bored of the trail.  I felt like I had proved what I wanted to prove to myself and I was just ready to move on. 

And what would a trail run be if I didn't have a fall to report?  Yes, I fell AGAIN.  I seriously do not know what is up with me and the falling.  Luckily, this time it was not nearly as bad as the last time and I was able to get up and keep on truckin.  Trail running has been a humbling experience to say the least.

The Capt'n Karl's race series is over for this year, but I think I will be back for more next year and maybe I'll give the 60K a go.  Our next trail race is the Goblin Valley Ultra Marathon on October 23rd.  I've been told the trail is not too difficult which is helpful considering the distance we'll cover.  Plus, we'll get the pleasure of running in the light.

A big thanks to Chris and Emily for hosting us in Austin for the weekend and to my niece Kalynn who gave me a pretty good warm-up running around the house playing monster before we headed out for the race.

We snapped just a few pictures of the race.

Macie & Winnie all cuddled up on the way to Austin

Start of the race 

(a good clue as to how the trail running culture is different from the road running culture)

Being close to the lake kept the trail cool and breezy

Hanging out before the race

Adam's new idea of where to store his gels

Waiting at the start (I'm in the turquoise top)