My first DNF

Lake Bryan Trail Run - 25K/2:58:00/Brooks Axiom

The 50K sounded like a really good idea. No realy stress. Check my progress. See if running a 50 in October was possible. I am such an idiot.

On the positive side, the trail was nice. It was one of those where they manage to fit in 15 miles of trail in 3 miles by making it twist and turn until you get dizzy. Nothing is straight. Not the most efficient way to run, but these are the types of trails I love.

I decided to start in road shoes: Brooks Axioms. My only trail shoes now are Nike Air Steens, and they are not working well for me. I also brought an old pair of Vasque Light Speeds with me, but they are hardly ever used. Although most of the trail is soft, the few roots and rocks I stepped on put some stress on the feet. It was more in the effort to flex off of them than any impact. Felt early on like I would be changing about midway.

The first 10K loop was very smooth. No issues. I was slower than expected but felt good overall. Heading out on the second loop, things were still good, but I was looking forward to short walk breaks more. By the time I hit the aid station, the water bottle was empty. I drank half of it there and filled again. The Gatorade bottle was still half full. I would survive about 2 or 3 more miles before I would hit the wall. Actually, it felt more like falling in a pit. Although the overall pace wasn't bad, I found myself struggling through what were probably 17 - 18 minute miles. Upon finally making the start/finish, I dropped. It is sad as I have used the fact that I have never DNFed to motivate me at times to continue.

So what went wrong? I have my excuses. In reality, I lacked the fitness, toughness, and stupidity to continue. The fitness was a problem. I've done nothing over 18 miles since January; although, I've been in the 14 - 15 mile range several times. The heat and humidity were horrid. Dew points were in the mid 70's. Temps would eventually hit the upper 90's even with the scattered showers. I am not heat trained. And I really need more than 2 hours of sleep to do this. I had worked all day Saturday, couldn't sleep from stress, got up and worked some more. Then woke up at 3:15 to drive to Bryan.

But the real factor was my back. After several weeks of almost no pain, I found my back tightening up as the pace slowed. I think this is where the stupidity factor played. I have taken months off from running. Nothing about finishing this race seemed to be worth going through that again. I'm feeling back to mormal already, which wouldn't have been the case had I continued.

I'll update with results later. No Palo Duro for me this year. Maybe it was the heat/sleep/etc. But too much of it was me.