10/18/2008 Palo Duro Trail Run Race Report

We made it to Canyon around 5pm or so on Friday. Kelli, Zach, Kenzie, Aubrey, and I had all crammed into my Xterra for the trip. We checked in at race headquarters and picked up our race packets then headed to the hotel to meet my parents. We obviously had pasta on the brain so we headed to Olive Garden for a gentle carb load. You can't beat Olive Garden's Alfredo to dip your bread sticks in. Hello!! I had a bowl of Zuppa Tuscano soup and then my main meal was the Ravioli di Portobello! Hell yeah, it was good!!
Ok, so the next morning we got up and headed to the canyon. It was pretty chilly to start off. We started on the dot at 7am. It was dark still so we had to use head lamps for the first 45 minutes or so. Aubrey was running the 50k while I ran the 50 mile but we all started together. I really got aggravated that we started so far back in the queue. It was like a cattle chute for the first 3 miles and really effed up my first loop time. Anyway, at the 3.5 mile aid station Aubrey and the rest of the 50K'ers peeled off to the right and the 50 milers headed left. Each loop was 12.5 miles long. It was much hillier than I had expected. (A pattern that I've started to notice) The first loop was really easy after I finally broke free from the cattle chute. I finished it in 2:38. Aggravating. Once back at the main aid station I just refilled my bottle and then headed on. My family hadn't made it to the race yet so I didn't have to worry about them. The second loop was much better than the first. The trail was absolutely gorgeous. It had nice soft dirt on the majority of it all but there were definitely some areas that were pretty rocky and the hills were steep. I ran a negative split on my second loop at around 2:20 or so. Kelli and the rest of the family was there rooting for me which put a little extra energy in my step. I hit the ice chest and grabbed a chocolate Boost and took off again. The third loop was a little more difficult. Duh! I hit a rock with the ball of my foot halfway through the third loop. I would find out the next day that I had a 1 1/2 x 3/4 inch blood blister on the ball of my right foot. ha Good thing Kelli and I are both nurses. We made short work of it. So after the third loop I grabbed another Boost and headed out for the final lap. I had heard that lots of people had DNF'd due to the heat. From what I heard, it was around 83 degrees. It felt hot to me but not THAT bad. I just stayed hydrated and felt ok. So I finally made it in at about 11 hours and 16 seconds. Pretty good, I thought for the hills and heat I stayed pretty tough. I am posting this now on Monday night/Tuesday morning and my legs are feeling fine. My right foot is just a little sore but not bad. All in all, it was a great run and I will definitely give it another go next year.