Crazy Desert Trail Race – Half Marathon and Aid Station

Last year, I didn’t run the Crazy Desert Trail Race.  I volunteered for two shifts at an aid station, instead, and had an amazing time meeting fellow runners, both working at the aid station and running the race.  This year, I decided to do both and signed up for the half marathon and one shift at the same aid station as last year, Dinosaur Aid Station.

All smiles before the race

I got up early Saturday morning and made the drive out to San Angelo State Park.  I had hoped to get there before the start of the 100k so I could see the runners start but I missed it by about 10 minutes.  I pulled into the first available parking space and immediately saw I was parked right next to my running partner from Lone Star 100k.  We caught up for a few minutes.  She told me about her time out at the Jackalope Jam two weeks earlier and I talked about the Cowtown Marathon.  She was set to run the 50k, so I went to get my packet while she prepared to start her race.

Throwing some blue shade on a sea of green! PC: Stasulliphoto

I went back to my car for a few minutes and then went to the start line to cheer on the 50k runners.  I caught up with a few other runner friends and stretched a little while drinking water.  I relaxed in my car for a little bit after the 50k started and went back to the start for the pre-race brief.  We learned that the longhorn would be out along the course and how to deal with them if we came upon any of them on the trail.  Basically, we were told to slow to a walk but continue moving forward towards any cows that blocked the trail and that they would move once you got too close for their comfort. 

The race started off and quickly moved onto a very narrow single track trail through fields.  It was a little rolly for the first couple miles, leading into the largest hill about three miles in.  At 3.3 miles, we came to the Dinosaur Aid Station and I moved right past it while waving to another Killeen area friend that was there.  I was carrying a handheld water bottle and planned to refill it just once, near the halfway point of the race. 

 

I felt really good and was running strong for the first 10k but started to develop some pain at the bottom of my right calf that felt like a bad charlie horse.  By mile seven, it was pain with every step that was the worst when going uphill.  It became so painful, that I had to hobble up the hills on my good leg.  I had no push off with my right leg as it screamed at me with every step.  There was pain on the flat and downhill portions of the course but it was much more manageable there.  I had to slow to nearly a walk up the hills.  Fortunately, I was already past the biggest hill and the rest of the course was sprinkled with very small ups.

At the second aid station near mile eight I refilled my water bottle and grabbed a small cup of pickle juice and another of coke.  I moved out of the aid station knowing I was somewhere around 21^st overall (I always try to count the runners ahead of me early in the race and keep track of how many I pass or get passed by) and despite the pain in my leg, I wanted to continue to race hard.  I knew the course was long (it turned out to be about 14.4 miles) and I thought of that as an advantage while pursuing some of the folks ahead of me that might not know it was long.

Between the second and third aid station, the stopper on my handheld water bottle broke and started spilling water out with every pump of my arm.  I drank as much as I could comfortably take in and let it empty out rather than continue to spray my legs and feet with the water.  At the third aid station, I refilled again and tried to carry it a little differently, with my finger or thumb over the opening on the bottle to keep it from leaking out.  I was partially successful, but it wasn’t very comfortable to carry it that way, so I once again drank as much as I could and then dumped it out.

I did come across a line of longhorn that were slowly walking along a dirt road that I had to cross.  I did exactly was we were briefed and slowed to a walk.  Once I got close and they realized I wasn’t going to stop moving towards them, the one to my left turned around and moved back while the one to the right ran forward a little to get out of my way.  As soon as the way was clear, I ran on and didn’t look back when they started mooing at me.

In the last three miles of the race, I managed to pass a few other runners and improve my position.  I’m always of two minds on races.  It’s hard to explain.  I love racing and competing.  I want to catch and pass the next runner the entire race.  I never want to be passed.  On the other hand, I always cheer for anyone along the course, whether I’m passing or being passed.  Ultimately, I want to run the best possible race I can, regardless of my time or place.  I may not be turning in competitive times or places, but I still have a very competitive mindset and I’m thankful for the opportunity to run with, rather than against, the other runners on these races.

Trying to finish strong.  PC: Stasulliphoto

I finished the race in 2:07:27.  I’ve never broken two hours on a trail half marathon and I was hopeful on this race until my leg started to hurt.  I managed to have a 13.1 mile split just under 1:56, so I could argue that I did it but I still want to cross the finish line under two hours to really make it count.  I think I have a good chance at Wildflower later this spring.  I’ve run that course twice and turned in a 2:06 last year.

All done!

After the race, I chatted with some folks, including some Killeen area folks.  I learned that they had first heard about the race because of the rack card I had dropped off at Grabbagreen and had stamped #ChipMadeMeDoIt on the back.  It’s so fun to see that movement in action!  He seemed to have a good time and I hope to see him and his family out at future races.  The trail racing community is such a fun group of welcoming people and I love to see it grow.

I took a short nap in my car before going to the aid station to start my volunteer shift.  I was looking forward to seeing the 100k runners on their race and helping them as much as I could as they passed through the aid station.  I talked to the folks we were relieving and they had fun during the morning.  By the time we started at 1 PM, almost all of the 50k runners had already passed through on their last leg but all of the 100k runners still had to come through one more time.  

It was a little windy out on the race course.  Not quite as bad as it was the previous year but still enough to keep away the bees that they had problems with two years earlier.  We did have a number of longhorns that seemed a little put off with us for being set up next to the gate in the fence.  It was obvious they wanted to cross the road but they didn’t want to get close enough to our tent and tables to go through the break in the fence.  They eventually went down the fenceline and found another place to get through and then came back on the other side of the fence to moo at us.

This guy was annoyed that we were so close to the gate.

There were four volunteers at our aid station and we had a lot of fun between runners chatting and getting to know each other.  I was with two other TROT ambassadors from Houston and Fort Worth and another runner from El Paso.  We had brief bursts of activity as runners came into the aid station, refilling water bottles, getting ice for their bandanas, cutting fresh fruit or making fresh PB&J’s (the dry air turned the bread crusty and hard within minutes).  Some of the runners stopped briefly just to get what they needed, and some stopped to chat for a few minutes while they decided what they wanted from the aid station.  Aid stations are like mid-race buffet lines with crackers, cookies, candies, chips, sandwiches, fruit, gels, and pickles.  There’s always water, coke, ginger ale, and one or two electrolyte/fuel drinks, like Heed and Gatorade.

Teamwork making the dream work!

One of the most important aspects of trail racing is the volunteers.  I absolutely love trail racing but it could not happen without people giving up their time to work these races.  I don’t volunteer nearly as much as I would like because I run so many of the longer distance races and usually show up just a few hours beforehand and start the drive home just a few hours after but I’m always glad that I did a shift or two afterwards.  It’s so inspiring to see runners out there conquering these distances.  They all have amazing stories and it’s so very special to be able to witness them.

I recently reread an article about extreme athleticism as the new midlife crisis (Extreme Athleticism Is the New Midlife Crisis by Paul Flannery) that quotes a 51-year-old woman that finished a 100-mile race less than a year after breaking her back on a fall in a training run.  She’s quoted in the article – “Everyone has a story and there’s an importance to everyone who’s out there, whether they’re finishing a course in record time or the last one finishing.  We’re all doing the same thing.”  This probably describes my mentality about competing better than I described it earlier in this post.  I want to do my best but I want everyone out there to be able to realize their best, too.  My success takes nothing away from anyone else and their success doesn’t diminish mine in any way.  

Shortly after the last 100k runner passed through, the course sweeper arrived with two big bags full of signs and trail markers.  He dropped them off with us, refilled his water bottle, and continued on after about 30 minutes of chatting with us.  We broke down our aid station and packed everything up in the big totes.  We loaded up the truck when it arrived and we went back to the finish line to transfer all of our supplies from the little truck to the big truck.  We finished at 8 pm, about an hour before our shift officially ended but there was nothing left to do at that point, so we said our good byes and left to go back to our hotels or homes.  I made the drive straight back to Killeen in time to get a few hours of sleep before my social run group on Sunday morning (I didn’t run but did pick up the coffee and spent time chatting with the group before and after they ran).

Crazy Desert Trail Race was another fun event.  I enjoyed the course as much as my leg let me.  It was a bit hilly in the beginning with a generally flat, runnable middle section that led into small rolling spots near the end.  I felt that I had a strong run despite the pain and finished with a time I’m very happy with on that course.  The volunteer shift was also super fun as I got to hang out with some runner friends that I don’t see as often as I’d like while supporting runners on their way to finishing 50 and 100k races.

Run Hard.

Be Grateful.

Celebrate Love.