Race report

[Ed Brickell]

Thanks for the link, Nigel.

Short(er) version for the time-challenged: A tough day at the office for both myself and Nattu (2006 Badwater ultra finisher and Marathon des Sables veteran), running in the rugged southwest Texas hill country. 70 degrees and 100% humidity at the start, with intermittent heavy rain on an extremely rocky and hilly 31-mile loop (x 2) course. Four hours into things we crossed the line of an incoming cold front and the temps dropped dramatically. I couldn't stay hydrated early, then was in danger of going hypothermic. If that wasn't enough Nattu injured his patellar tendon and groin from a hard slip on a downhill traverse. I realized I didn't have enough that day to spend another 10-11 hours on this course in rapidly deteroiorating weather, much of it at night, and dropped after the first loop.

This was my first DNF, but it was really the only sane thing for me to do that day. We did get an official 50K finish, and the nagging sense of a job left undone. I'm planning on taking another shot next January ... if the weather is slightly better. A tough course for my first 100K attempt. I have three 50-milers planned for the spring and we'll see how those go, then figure out a plan to get me back to Bandera in the fall.

If anyone reading this is considering an ultra marathon, the training is surprisingly very doable for an average person like myself (and maybe like yourself). Training for a 50K is pretty much the same as marathon training, with your longest training runs being slightly longer (22-25 miles is plenty). Outside of the elites, most ultra runners go with a "walk/run" strategy for training and racing that allows for easier pacing and quicker recovery. And running on trails offers quite a refreshing change of pace, pun intended.

If you're interested in learning more, e-mail me at eb_write@yahoo.com. This somewhat old-school site is also a jumbled attic of great information:

http://www.ultrunr.com/

Happy trails,

Ed