Bandera 100k Race Report

Going into Bandera I was worried about how I would do since I felt my actual training and long runs weren't as frequent as I was hoping they would be. I got sick and was fighting the tail end of a cold and hadn't done a long distance run since my marathon on December 3rd. I was hoping the mountain runs and hill repeats I was doing would help me on this course.

I was really excited to get on the course and see what it looked like first hand. I had heard there were lots of steep hills and beautiful views. It had been a while since my last long run and I was also looking forward to that feeling you get only when you've run long and far. I wanted the feeling where your body feels like it has really done something. Your legs start to feel a little fatigued, your stomach feels like you have done a ton of situps and your lungs feel the start of a slight burn. For me, it's the best feeling in the world!

At the start I saw Katie, who first told me about the race and came all the way from Michigan to run. We chatted at the start while trying to ignore my crazy paparazzi picture-taking husband. Looking around we could see some nice hills and wondered again what the course would look like.

Finally, the start came and the run started. In total 220 people were signed up for the 100k but there was also a 50k and 25k starting at the same time. I wondered how congested the trails would be but I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly everything went. The other races didn't start in the same spot and although there was some waiting at the beginning it cleared out much faster than I thought it would.

The race start: The second guy in red won the race. We saw him win while we headed out for our second loop.

The beginning of the race had some great hills, climbs and views. I was happy to slow down just to enjoy the views around me. As always, I wish I had brought a camera with me but I still cannot get used to carrying a pack on my back. One of these days I'll figure out an easier way to carry a camera or phone with me.

Katie and I at the start. Go purple!

The first 5 miles seemed to fly by. I heard music up ahead and I came up on the first aid station. I was determined I was going to make sure I ate enough food at the aid stations and throughout the race. At Javalina that was one of my big mistakes. Since I don't eat gluten I made sure this time I prepared more foods to eat. Jason was meeting me at the aid stations so I looked around for him but didn't see him. I was guessing it wasn't crew accessible so I ate from the aid table. I had a gel, chips and nuts and kept going.

During this section the crowd had thinned down dramatically but there were still runners around me. I heard loud breathing at one point and thought it was the girl behind me until she passed by quietly breathing. To my shock, I realized it was me breathing so loudly. What an odd feeling to realize it was you and not be aware of it. I was still on the tail end of recovering from my cold and the dust from the trail must have bothered me more than I thought. I had a hard time breathing from my nose due to congestion so the dust must have settled in. It wasn't hurting me but it was an odd feeling.

On this section I was behind three other runners Bob, Karrie and Mark. Mark looked like my friend John and I kept forgetting what his actual name was after I associated him with John. I hate when I do that!

Bob was an ultra veteran. He was at the front of the line so I didn't hear much about his running history. Karrie was running her first 100k as well as John...damnit! I mean Mark :) Mark's previous longest run was 17 miles. He wanted to challenge himself and signed up for the 100k.

At some point, Bob ran ahead and it was just the three of us. It was really enjoyable running with other people and sharing our stories. I love the people that I meet on the trails and it's one of the reasons I love running these races. I love hearing other peoples experiences and personal stories.

Karrie, me, Mark and Cory (a fellow barefoot runner we met on the course)

Just before the next aid station I saw my paparazzi husband taking pictures. It's always a boost for me to see Jason at any race. He snapped a few more pictures then it was my turn to play diva runner so I shouted out my demands :) Okay, maybe I was nice but I was certainly taking advantage of having him at my full disposal and put him to work.

I demand my food!

I was trying out new race foods and ate two corn tortillas with hummus. They weren't as good as when they're warm but I was still able to easily eat them. I was also trying rice bread with peanut butter for the first time and also ate one sandwich. It was still early so I didn't need much.

I was enjoying running with Karrie and hoping I wasn't slowing her down too much so we could continue running together. We lost Mark at this point and thought we would catch him later on the trail. I saw Karrie and asked if she wanted to run together. We were both unsure of how to pace ourselves. I didn't want to go out too fast knowing the course was challenging with hills and rocks. Those rocks would become my enemy later on.

Karrie went in front, we walked the hills and ran the flat spots. I was secretly worried I was holding her back but was happy for the company. The next 10 miles was pretty magical. The sun was out, the trail was gorgeous and I had great running company.

The reason I love hearing people's stories on the trail is because they are so inspiring. Karrie and I talked about all kinds of topics. We shared slot of personal stories and all I can say is she is an amazing lady that I was fortunate to run with. Sometimes I'm a little overwhelmed at how lucky I am to be able to run in such amazing races and the ability to travel and have such wonderful adventures. I know there was a lot of work that was done to get to that point but I'm still grateful for everything I have.

The next aid station was called Crossroads and we would go there twice. We were getting into the full heat of the day. I would prefer heat any day over cold but it made some spots of the course a little more challenging.

Running into Crossroads aid station

When we got into Crossroads the second time Jason was there making sure I ate enough. The food choices were working out great. I was also using Heed as my drink of choice and I was feeling great! There was one more aid station until we got to the start finish...two 50k loops total. At the start/finish I would be picking up Jason as a pacer.

Running into Crossroad the second time.

Showing off my tat with plenty of sunscreen

I was still running with Karrie and feeling good. The section from Crossroads to the next aid station Last Chance was a bit of a surprise for us. We were told the last 5 miles was challenging so we expected this section to be a bit easier. Instead it had one of the steepest climbs in the middle. Some people were stopping to catch their breath before they got to the top. We made it up but it was definitely challenging.

If we thought going up was difficult, going down was crazy. It was a steep incline filled with tiny rocks that worked as roller skates if you hit them just right. Somehow we managed not to fall down during this section which is a feat for my clumsy self. We did wonder how this was going to feel on our second loop in the dark.

We made it to Last Chance which was 26 miles into the race. Karrie had told me about the infamous Olga. She is known for her 'tell it like it is' personality and expertise in handling any problem you might encounter on the trail. While we were there she was helping out someone who had nausea and this is where we finally ran into Mark again who wasn't looking so good. He was at a distance PR but in rough shape.

Olga saw him and said "I don't know you but you look like shit!" You need to get some salt and fluids in you. You're going to take these s-caps, drink some water and sit here for 10 minutes. Then you're going to go back out there!"

We were with Mark for this 5 mile stretch to the start/finish. He told us he was feeling really rough and didn't know if he was going to make it back out for the second loop. We encouraged him to eat more, rest a bit, soak his feet in ice and get back out there. He had pacers that would run with him so we were hoping he would take our advice. I may or may not have told him I would kick his ass if he didn't get back out there.

The last 5 miles was my low point of the race. It was hot, I was thirsty and starting to feel those ultra legs setting in. Up until this point I was feeling really great and this is the first time a sliver of doubt snuck into my train of thoughts. Knowing the toughness of the course and the rocks that were pounding into my feet I wasn't sure of my abilities. I didn't voice any of these concerns but they were there.

All of these thoughts evaporated when I saw Jason just before the start/finish. Seeing him in his sexy BI3's ready to run was all I needed to boost my spirits. I ran into the aid station, changed clothes, refueled, hit up the porta-potty and me, Jason and Karrie headed back out for the second loop.

I was excited for Jason to see the course before it got dark. We were able to see the the first 5 miles before the sun set and I was happy he got to see the views. I knew he would enjoy the hills and climbs.

We settled into a good groove. Jason first, then Karrie and me behind. We would walk the hills and when Jason started to run we would both follow. We were good little runners. Although I did tell Karrie that Jason was probably very thankful she was there. I was less likely to whine about anything in the presence of someone else. He didn't deny that :)

I had been joking during the day that the hills were great for the ass because they are great for toning and lifting that area. I told Karrie we were going to wake up with 19 year old asses the next morning because there were so many hills.

We were seeing some of the same runners at this point and were leap frogging each other. It's like a REALLY long game of tag. At the second aid station I saw Katie again. She was kicking ass on this course. She claims she's slow but she's being very humble!

It was dark at this point and I was loving the quiet darkness of the trail. I LOVE night running. I always worried that I would be tired because I'm a bit like a senior citizen. I like going to bed early and getting up in the morning. But I didn't feel tired at all, just the exhilaration of being on the trail.

At around mile 42 I was scared of voicing this but I was feeling great! I told Karrie "I hate to jinx myself but I can't believe how good I feel and how strong I'm running at this point". I had not felt that good during my 50 miler in September. I was on a total running high and actually felt just as good as I did during the first loop. I have heard of this happening to others but I didn't believe I would ever feel it myself. This is going to be an addictive feeling I know!

We ran into Crossroads feeling hungry. I knew I had to eat more but was starting to fight it. I knew it was gong to be important to eat even if I didn't feel like it. Luckily, the aid stations gods were looking out for me and the best tasting mashed potatoes I have ever had the pleasure of eating were waiting there for me. I ate two cupfuls, a sandwich and some coke. Off and on, my stomach was feeling a little acidic and I was lucky that Karrie was carrying some with her and sharing with me. They helped settle my stomach.We were planning on staying there for a bit to eat and let the food settle but I was feeling restless and wanted to head back out. I wanted to take advantage of the feelings I was having and keep moving.

Again, I was still feeling so good and surprised at how well I was running. We settled into our running groove and made it back to Crossroads again. I was hoping for more of those magical mashed potatoes but had to settle for potato soup which was good but didn't produce the same magical taste of rainbows in my mouth :)

Feeling good at mile 52!

Only one more aid station until the finish! We knew this was going to be a difficult stretch because of the huge hill and climb back down. We had been telling Jason about this hills for many miles and told him it was going to be tough but a funny thing happened. We kept waiting for the hill and when we finally got to it when we got to the top we both (Karrie and I) had the same reaction. "Huh, that wasn't so bad". How was it possible that the giant hill felt so easy the second time around? The only conclusion I had was it was easier when it wasn't in the full heat of the day and I guess we just needed 53 miles to stretch out our legs.

We made it to the Last Chance aid station and I knew I had to eat. I was out of tortillas and sandwiches so I ate chips, a gel and some coke. The aid station workers were very entertaining. They had tequila available if you were so inclined. I've never been a tequila girl so I passed.

I knew the last 5 miles were going to be tough. My feet felt beat up and I this part was going to be very rocky with lots of hills. We were still walking the hills and running the flat spots until the last 3 miles. I know Jason and Karrie could have run more during this time but I was really feeling it on the bottom of my feet. While I probably could have mustered up the energy to run a little it felt better to walk and avoid the rocks. I was getting clumsy and rolling the rocks over with my feet and the frustration of that made it easier for me to walk.

I asked Karrie to let me know when we had 3 miles left, then 2, then 1. We were going to finish and finish strong! We were looking for a house at the end that would signal we had a quarter mile left. Our plan was to run it in at that point for the finish.

When we started running I told Karrie I was so thankful to be able to run so much of this race with her. She lifted my spirits and made the race so enjoyable. I don't think I would have run it as well without her. She was my running angel!

We saw the finish line, heard cheering and ran it in where we received our belt buckles. I'm still in a little disbelief that I felt so good during this race despite the toughness of the course. It confirmed what I had previously thought that I like more technical trails and like the varying terrain. I think it's easier for my body to handle the constant change up of the course and mentally I love it!

Belt buckles!

We proudly took pictures of our buckles at the end. This is by far the best race I have had so far. Thank you Jason & Karrie for making it such a wonderful experience!