Cedar Ridge Trail Run

Another trail race in the books for me. I ran the Cedar Ridge Trail Run 18k last weekend at Cedar Ridge Preserve which is just 20 minutes outside of Dallas.  This is a place that I run at often so it was fun to know exactly what to expect from the trails coming into the race.

It was another early morning Saturday to get to the start line in time for the 6am gun.  I have been working on running "shorter" distances at faster paces the last month or so in hopes to be able to compete to win this race (18k = roughly 11.5 miles).  I had no idea what the competition was going to be like but I knew I wanted to get up with the leaders and stick with them.  If that meant I was going to have a blow up towards the end of the race, I was fine with that.  I wanted to push myself as much as I could.

The race was two laps around the Preserve.  I run there a couple times a month so I knew exactly what to expect.  For the first time in a race, it was completely dark at the start.  Headlamps were on for the first 25 minutes of the race.  We took off from the line and I found myself in the lead pack of three from the start. We ran the first three miles at a pace that I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold for the entire race.  Around mile 4, I let the two guys in front of me take off.  I wasn't able to keep up with them on some of the steeper climbs.  My hope was that they would tire out and I would be able to catch them later in the race.  Cruising along, I finished the first lap in around 49.5 minutes.  I dropped off my headlamp and shirt with Sara, grabbed some water and gel from the aid station and continued on.  I kept hoping that I would get a view of the guys in front of me so I knew where I stood but I kept catching the slower 36k runners (there were 36k, 18k, and 9k races all going on at the same time) but couldn't catch up to the two guys leading my race.  The second lap was a bit slower for me.  I walked many of the uphills that I ran during the first lap.  My legs (and lungs) definitely the increased pace.  I ran the last couple miles of the race scared thinking someone was going to catch me from behind.  Ultimately no one did and I finished in third place with a time of 1:43:46, five minutes slower than the winner.  Overall, I was happy with the effort.  I was hoping to possibly win the race but I gave it all I had and just got beat by two guys that were faster than me on that day.

RESULTS

Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race

Sara and I traveled to Chattanooga, TN last weekend for my biggest running challenge to date.  I ran the Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race which is a 60 mile stage race over three days in the mountains surrounding Chattanooga.  I somehow talked my buddy Andy into joining me on this adventure.  Along with my constant supporter Sara, Mom, Dad, Abe, Rachel, Kim and Ahop and Carrie came into town to support us over the weekend.

Day One : Raccoon Mountain : 18 Miles

Friday morning we woke up to very foggy conditions after a couple days of rain in the Chattanooga area...perfect conditions for running, overcast and 65ish degrees.  The course on day one circumnavigates the TVA reservoir on top of Raccoon Mountain.  The course was relatively flat for being in the mountains of East Tennessee so made for a good 'warm up' day for the rest of the weekend.  After the start, I settled into a comfortable pace somewhere in the middle of the pack.  I didn't want to push too hard knowing that I had two more days and many more miles to run. After running comfortably for about the first half of the race, I decided to push the pace a little bit for the second half.  There were a few short climbs where I began to pass a handful of people and before I knew it I had made it to the finish line in relative comfort.  The entire course was very runnable and there weren't any sections that I had to walk.  I kept on top of my hydration and nutrition and made it to the finish line without any discomfortable in the relatively humid conditions.

Goal Time: 2 hours 30 minutes.  Actual Time: 2:33:55

After the race, we went home and got cleaned up before Mom, Dad and Kim arrived in town from Johnson City.  We went and grabbed some lunch before heading back to Andy's apartment to relax for the rest of the afternoon.  Thanks a bunch to Kim for coming to Chattanooga for the afternoon to hang out with us.  Sara and I are always thankful to be able to spend time with family, no matter how short that time might be.  Abe and Rachel got in town from Atlanta just in time for a delicious home cooked dinner prepared by Andy and mom.  The Jacobson clan headed back to their campground after dinner we were asleep shortly thereafter to prepare for day 2.

Day Two : Lookout Mountain : 22 Miles

Day 2 provided nearly ideal conditions again.  Warmer than Friday but still cool for June.  Saturday's race was in the Lookout Mountain/Lula Lake Land Trust area of North Georgia...another beautiful course with incredible scenery including four more miles than Friday and significantly more climbing.  I started conservatively again and fell into a good rhythm somewhere in the middle of the pack.  The course was laid out so that it looped back through the start/finish line twice so it was a great boost to get to see all my support crew a couple times mid race.  Surprisingly my legs felt no ill affects after day one and I was able to run the entire second half of the race at a relatively quick pace (for me).  After going through the final aid station, the last six miles flew by and I crossed the final river crossing and then the finish line in 3 hours 6 minutes, 10 minutes faster than my goal time.  After running 18 miles the day before, I ran my fastest (8'27" min/mile pace) race of my life.  I felt really good.  My confidence was very high for day three.  The long soak in the cold river and celebratory beers felt great after completing 40 miles.

Goal Time: 3 hours 15 minutes.  Actual Time: 3:06:53  Total Elapsed: 5:39:49

For post race re-fueling (and celebration), we met Ahop and Carrie, who came in town from Nashville, at Champy's Chicken for fried chicken and beers.  The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around and napping at Andy's.  After naps we made another delicious home cooked dinner on the grill before calling it an early night to get some rest.

Day Three : Signal Mountain : 20 Miles

Surprisingly, Andy and I both woke up Sunday morning with relatively little soreness...must have been all the food and carb loading (beer) we had been doing all weekend.  The course for day three was partially familiar to both of us.  It shared some of the trails that we had run on during the StumpJump 50k last October.  This was both good and bad.  We were familiar with the trails but knew that there were some serious climbs coming.  After the start, I once again fell into a comfortable pace somewhere towards the middle-front of the pack.  The steepest of the climbs were in the first five miles of the course. It was nice to get those out of the way at the beginning.  Surprisingly, I started passing many people on the climb back up out of Suck Creek.  This gave me a lot of energy for the rest of the race knowing that I still had some gas left in the tank after the first two days.  Overall, the course was much more technical than the first two days.  Roughly thirty percent of the race was un-runnable because of rocks, creek crossings, etc.  This was frustrating at times but looking back on it a lot of fun.  It made for some much slower times than the first two days but a lot more interesting race.  Lots of concentration was required in an effort not to end up on the ground.  The second half of the race once again flew by and before I knew it I crossed the finish line for a third time finishing sixty miles over the three days.

Goal Time:  3 hours 45 minutes.  Actual Time:  3:37:31.  Total Race Time: 9:18:19.  37th place out of 200 people.

This was easily my most enjoyable race experience so far.  I felt great for almost the entire sixty miles. I ran within my current abilities and finished twelve minutes ahead of my overall goal time.  For the first time I really nailed my hydration and nutrition and had very little discomfort while running.  The race(s) definitely gives me confidence as I continue to move forward into longer distances and trying to get faster and improve.

I can't express enough how thankful I am for everyone coming to town to support Andy and I.  Thanks to Sara for being willing to drive 11 hours (22 total) with me to Chattanooga to be my number one supporter.  Thanks to all my family and friends who came in town to support us.  It really means the world to me.  I love running and all the support that I get from family is incredible.  Thanks to Andy for the hospitality and for letting the Jacobson crew invade his space for a couple days.

Rock/Creek does an amazing job putting on trail races.  I will recommend them to anyone.  I love running on the trails around Chattanooga and will be back for more.

RESULTS

RACE PHOTOS

Ouachita Trail 50k

Yes, this is another post about running.  No, this blog isn't turning into a running blog. 

Sara and I traveled to Little Rock last weekend for my second race of the year, the Ouachita Trail 50k.  The Ouachita Trail 50k (and 50 mile) is an out and back race that follows the Ouachita Trail through Pinnacle Mountain State Park and along the shores of Lake Maumelle northwest of Little Rock.  Friday night we camped at the Maumelle Park, which is where the race started and finished.  It was a perfect night for camping complete with perfect weather, good food, and a solid campfire.  

Saturday morning came early with a 4:45 alarm to get up for the six o'clock race start.  After a quick breakfast, we walked to the race start in time to pick up my race bib and to listen to some last minute words from the race director.  Six o'clock came and we were off.  The first three miles of the course follows Pinnacle Valley Road and then up the big hill into Pinnacle Mountain State Park.  The rest of the race is along the Ouachita Trail.  The highlight of the first section of the race is a boulder scramble up the east face of Pinnacle Mountain with great views from the top.  After the scramble up and over the mountain, I fell into a comfortable pace somewhere in the top 10.  The crowd spread out quickly and I ran almost all of the rest of the race by myself.  After Pinnacle Mountain, there area rolling hills and rocks along the banks of Maumelle Lake.  I cruised along pretty comfortably until the turnaround point at mile 16.9.  After perfect running conditions during the morning, the heat slowly started creeping in and with that so did the cramping.  I first started cramping somewhere around mile 22-23.  The rest of the race was a bit of a struggle.  I got some pretty severe cramps in my calves and thighs so there was some walking involved in last 8 miles after not walking at all through the first half of the race.  Luckily we didn't have to make the big climb back up Pinnacle Mountain on the way back so I was able to hobbled along at a decent pace the rest of the way.  I finally hit the road section again with about five hours and twenty minutes elapsed.  I ran that final road section and finished in 5:43 (good enough for 8th place overall)...my 50k personal record by twenty five minutes.  I was really happy with the effort. I put in more training than ever before for this race and I am happy with the results.  This was a really great race in a beautiful area in Arkansas.  Thanks, as always, to Sara for being my support crew.

RESULTS

Some great action shots from the top of Pinnacle Mountain:  Black Dog Photo

Lots of runner pictures here:  Arkansas Outside

After the race, we stopped at Hot Springs to check out the National Park and surroundings.  We had originally planned to camp in Hot Springs but the threat of tornadoes Saturday night changed those plans.  There wasn't a lot to see and do in Hot Springs.  Reminded me a bit of Gatlinburg.  We decided that we can check that one off the list and probably won't be visiting again.

Cross Timbers Half Marathon

Sara and I spent last weekend camping at Lake Texoma.  I somehow convinced her to spend Valentines Day camping the night before I ran my half marathon at the lake.  The weather was about as nice as it could be for the middle of February.  We made the hour and a half drive north on Friday afternoon after we both got off of work.  After settling in to our camp spot, we were immediately treated to a beautiful sunset over the lake (see below).  The Cross Timbers trail run had about 400 total runners between the half marathon, marathon and 50 mile races.  Our campsite was about 100 yards from the start of the race.  It was a cool experience being able to camp that close to all of the action.  There was a pre-race dinner that we participated in Friday night. It was nice to be able to get the meet some people that I would be running with the next day.  We ended up sharing our camp spot with a couple who came in a small RV and a couple of their adult children who drove in from Austin.  The wife had Parkinson's disease.  It was nice to get to know them and learn a little bit of their stories.  After sitting by the campfire for a couple hours we hit the tent to try to get some rest.

While the daytime temps were very mild, it got quite cold overnight.  The temperatiure got down around freezing so neither Sara or I got a very good nights sleep.  We shivered our way through the night and woke up around 6:00 to get ready for the race.

The half marathon started at 7:30.  After leaving the relative comfort of our tents, we struggled through putting on clothes and eating a small breakfast.   Before long it was time to get to the finish line.  There were about 150 runners in the half marathon.  After a prayer and the count down from ten, we were off.  The course did a quick lap around the campground parking lot before dipping onto the single track.  I did my best to get towards the front of the pack before hitting the trail...passing becomes difficult if you get caught behind people who are moving much slower.  I was somewhere in the top 15 from the start.  The race moved at decent pace from the start.  The course was very hilly (for north Texas) following mostly along the banks of Lake Texoma.  There was very little flat areas along the course.  All the runners spread out fairly quickly and before long I was out on my own navigating the ups and downs.  Quickly, I arrived at the half way point aid station.  The course was an out and back so from this point on I was passing a bunch of people running in the opposite direction.  I wasn't sure what place I was in at this point but I did know there weren't too many people in front of me.  I tried to keep as comfortable a pace as I could, walking as little as possible.  My goal was to hold a steady pace throughout the race and not have any blow ups.  I passed 2 or 3 guys between miles 7 and 10.  At the aid station at roughly mile 10.5 I was told there were a few guys not too far in front. I tried to kick it up a notch and ended up passing two of the three before the finish line.  At the end of the day, I finished in 7th place out of roughly 150 with a time of 2:20.  This time is much slower than some of the other half's I have run but there was around 4000' of elevation gain on the course so I was happy with the effort.  It felt good to finish towards the front of the pack with a consistent effort for most of the day.

Here is my race info from my watch:  http://www.movescount.com/moves/move25982080

Thanks, as always, to Sara for being my number one cheerleader...for coming out and braving the cold temps, uncomfortable nights sleep, and early morning to support me.

Run . 2013 Recap - 2014 Preview

2013 has come to a close.  It's time to look back at what I accomplished during 2013 and look ahead to what my goals are for 2014.  

I had a successful year of running during 2013, staying injury free and getting to run in a handful of trail races.  I ran two 50k's (Whispering Pines and StumpJump), one marathon (Rough Creek), and one half marathon (Grasslands)...all on trails.  I finished every race.  I would have liked to of finished stronger in a few but each race is a learning and growing experience.  I will take each of these experiences into the new year as something to build on.  Here are my mileage totals for 2013:

January:  61.66 miles
February:  76.42 miles
March:  113.26 miles
April:  121.5 miles
May: 130.7 miles
June: 46.51 miles
July:  101 miles
August: 122.2 miles
September: 116.7 miles
October: 54.54 miles
November: 36.25 miles
December: 31.50 miles

TOTAL: 1,012 miles 

As I look to 2014, I want to build on my experiences of 2013.  This year I have the same goal of running somewhere in the range of 1200-1300 miles for the year.  I want to stay injury free and build on my race performances from last year while exploring some new trails around Dallas.

My tentative race schedule for 2014:

Cross Timbers Half Marathon - Lake Texoma
Ouachita Trail 50k - April 26 - Little Rock, AR
Chattanooga Mountains Stage Race - June 13-15 - Chattanooga, TN
A fall 50 miler - Potentially Palo Duro Trail Run?

That is all I have on my radar for now but I am sure I will find some other races to throw in this year.

StumpJump 50k

After Catalyst, the family made the trip to Chattanooga for the StumpJump 50k.  Sara and I left before the last session of Catalyst in hopes of making it to Chattanooga in time for packet pickup at Coolidge Park.  Atlanta traffic was Atlanta traffic and we didn't make it in time.  Andy was able to pick up my packet so all was ok.  Sara and I arrived and went directly to Andy's.  Our friends Ahop and Carrie came in town for dinner and to hang out for the night.  Always great to get to see them.  Mom, Pop, and Abe got into town and we ate dinner at Marco's Italian Bistro for some carb loading.

Race morning came quickly and it was off to Signal Mountain High School for the 8am start.  There were nearly 600 people running the 50k and 600 running the 11 mile race so this was a much bigger starting line experience than my previous races this summer.  Rock/Creek puts on a really fantastic race with lots of great sponsors.  The weather was nearly perfect Saturday morning when we arrived...somewhere in the mid 60's.  A beautiful East Tennessee morning... the sun was just coming up as the race started.  Andy and I met up with Will, said our hello's and goodbyes to Sara and family and then headed for the start line.

When the gun went off, I settled in around the middle of the pack determined to learn from mistakes from the last race.  I wanted to start off real easy knowing that there was a lot of elevation change coming that I was not used to running.  I settled in at a nice comfortable pace for the first 5 miles.  At Mushroom Rock the course takes a steep descent down to Suck Creek Rd.  This was my first experience with mountain running in a long time and it felt great.  The mountains, my support system, and weather really energized me during the race.  After Suck Creek Rd, the course climbs back up and onto a ridge line towards Mullins Creek loop.  At this point, I had settled in with a group of 5-6 people at a pace that was still very comfortable.  I got to the Indian Rock House aid station and got out as quickly as possible to get passed some people.  The Mullins Cove Loop was fun to run.  Lots of rolling single track.  There wasn't many steep climbs or descents so I ran almost the entire loop still feeling great.  It was slowly starting to warm up by this point but still felt very comfortable to me.

Somewhere around the Haley Rd. aid station I caught up with Will.  I would end up running the next 8-10 miles with him, each of us pushing each other at times.  Mom and Dad, Sara, and Abe drove out to the Mullins Cove aid station to cheer us on and provide encouragement.  It was great to see them at this point and a huge mental boost.  The legs were starting to get a bit fatigued but I mostly still felt great.

Feeling good...I think?

From Mullins Cove back to Suck Creek Rd was mostly downhill and went by pretty quickly.  By this point, I started passing quite a few people.  My plan to start slow and try to finish strong was working.  After the Suck Creek aid station, it was a climb straight uphill back to Mushroom Rock.  This was the only point of the race where I couldn't have run if I wanted to.  This section was mostly a 4-5 mile power hike.  This was a very tough climb at this stage in the race.  I just tried to continue moving forward as quickly and efficiently as I could.  About an hour later, I finally made it to the top.  Here, for the first time during the entire race, I got passed by someone.  I was spent after that final climb and the final three (relatively flat) miles were pretty slow for me.   Finally, after what seemed like forever, I came out of the woods onto the road at Signal Mountain High School and crossed the finish line at 6 hours and 37 mins.  Will finished in 6 hours 43 minutes and Andy finished in 8 hours 39 minutes.  This time was about 30 minutes slower than my first 50k but this was easily my best race.  I ended up finishing in 96th place out of roughly 600 starters.  The temperature ended up being the hottest in Chattanooga since sometime in the 1950's but this didn't phase me at all during the race.  I never once thought during the race that it was hot.  I can thank a summer of training in Texas for that.  Of the 600 starters only 342 finished.  The times were 30 minutes to an hour slower from previous years due to the conditions.  I felt great most of the race, I had no stomach issues, and it was a blast to get to run in the mountains back close to home.  I was sore on Sunday but I was ready to do it again.  I can't thank Sara, Abe, Mom and Pops, and HT enough for the support...only wish the Greenwell's could have made it.  It meant the world to me and made everything about the race a blast.  Thanks to Andy for the hospitality.  Chattanooga is a great city.  We wouldn't mind living there sometime in the future.

Shout out to HT for coming to support at the finish line!

After watching the second half of the Vols crushing defeat we drove to Tellico Lake to spend the night and most of Sunday with Aunt Dolly and Uncle Bruce.  It was the first time that Sara and I had been to the lake in a couple of years.  It was great to see family, as always.

After spending Sunday on the lake, we headed back to Atlanta to catch our flight back to Dallas.  Thanks to Abe for the chauffeuring.  What a great weekend.

Rough Creek Marathon

As my training for my upcoming StumpJump 50k was coming to a peak a couple weeks ago, I decided to register for trail marathon to get in a solid, long training run while enjoying the camaraderie of a race setting.  I registered and ran the Rough Creek Marathon two weeks ago on September 14th.

The Marathon was directed by Endurance Buzz Adventures which also put on the Whispering Pines 50k that I ran in June.  The race was at the Rough Creek Lodge in Glen Rose, TX which is about an hour and a half southwest of Dallas.  It was an early morning waking up and driving to Glen Rose to get to the start line for the 7am start.

My training plan called for a 5 hour run so that was roughly my goal to finish in.  I wanted to run a smart race and not push it too hard and tire myself out for the last couple of weeks of training.  The race was 27 miles total, two 13.5 miles loops.  After the first couple of miles of the race, I settled in the front group with 3-4 guys.  I stayed with the lead group for about the first 10 miles of the race.  I felt comfortable with the pace most for the first lap.  The temperature was great, as the sun was just coming up.  There was an area on the course called the Rusty Crown that involved some very steep, technical and rocky ups and downs (as seen on the profile map below) which required walking and sometimes scrambling.  Other than these sections, the course was very runnable.  Before I knew it, I had finished the first lap in just under 2 hours (which would have been enough to win the half marathon race).

As lap 2 started, things started to go down hill.  The sun started to heat course up very quickly.  There are very few trees in this area of the Texas hill country and therefore no shade to hide from the sun in.  I made it about 3 miles into lap 2 and began to walk...a lot.  It became very obvious that I had pushed way to hard in the first lap.  As it heated up, it became tougher and tougher to take in calories and my energy levels started to decrease rapidly.  The last 10 miles of the race were brutal.  The sun was blistering, my entire body was cramping, and just walking was very uncomfortable.  I considering dropping out a few times but ultimately carried on to the finish.  After finishing the first lap in 2 hours or so, I finished the race in 5:44.  My second lap took almost twice as long as the first which is awful.  Lots of lessons learned for StumpJump which is my ultimate goal.  The trails and elevation gain in Chattanooga will be a significant challenge for me with almost 5000' of gain and 5000' of descent.  Dallas doesn't allow for much elevation change in training.  I will take my lessons learned from training and prior races and hopefully have a great race in Chattanooga...in much cooler temperatures!

Shout out to Sara for enduring all my long training runs and waking up very early to come out and support me for my races!  One week from today we will be in Chattanooga for the StumpJump 50k.

Totals:
January:  61.66 miles
February:  76.42 miles
March:  113.26 miles
April:  121.5 miles
May: 130.7 miles
June: 46.51 miles
July:  101 miles
August:  122.2 miles

Year: 773.25 miles

Run. July.

June was a low milage month for me.  After running the 50k, I took most of the rest of the month off.  I let me body rest a little while I didn't have a next race to train for.

Now, I have another race to train for.  I signed up for another 50k...this time back in the mountains of Tennessee.  I am running the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k in Chattanooga with my buddy Andy on October 5th.  I am excited to give the 50k another go.  This will be a completely different experience with much more elevation gain and hopefully much lower temperatures.   This race will knock another goal off my list from the beginning of the year...running a race in a different state.

http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump.rco

Thus, after returning from Colorado, I ramped my running back up.  It a tough time to run in Dallas.  There have been lots of miles in 100 degree heat and lots of very early mornings waking up to beat that heat.

Totals:
January:  61.66 miles
February:  76.42 miles
March:  113.26 miles
April:  121.5 miles
May: 130.7 miles
June: 46.51 miles
July:  101 miles

Year: 651.05 miles

Whispering Pines 50k

It's been almost two weeks now since my 50k.  What an experience it was.

Sara and I drove down to Tyler State Park, which is about an hour and a half southeast of Dallas, after work on Friday afternoon.  We reserved a spot in the campground so that we could wake up and go straight to the starting line for the 6:30AM start.  When we got to Tyler, we set up camp, made some pasta and chicken, and hit the tent as soon as the sun went down.  It was very hot and humid so falling asleep was a bit of a struggle.

The alarm clock went off at 5:30...got up, ate a bagel and some peanut butter and headed for the start.  The sun was just coming up as we got to the starting line.  The weather was very comfortable but warming up fast.  There were about 250 people running...about 85 of those were running the 50k.  There was also a 20 mile and 10 mile race.  The course was set up as three 10.4 mile laps.  At exactly 6:30, we took off into the woods.

Lap 1:

I settled in at the beginning somewhere around 5th place. I went out pretty quick because I didn't want to get stuck behind a bunch of people on the single track.  From very early on I knew I wouldn't be catching any of the people that were in front of me.  They clearly had a lot of experience and were moving at a pace that I could not keep up with.  I ran with a pack of three or four people up until the first aid station at mile 3 and then we spread out.  I didn't run with anybody the rest of the day.  I didn't even see many people the entire race which makes trail running almost completely different from road races.  There were aid stations at mile 3 and mile 7.4.  I reloaded with water and gels at both stations during lap one.  My plan was to take a gel every thirty minutes.  I stuck to this plan until the last lap.  The first lap went very smoothly.  I ran at a very comfortable pace.  There were a handful of hills that I knew were going to hurt bad later in the day.

Lap 2:

I entered the start/finish line aid station feeling good.  I finished the first lap so quick that Sara didn't even make it back to the start line in time to see me come through.  At this point, the Texas heat was starting to creep in as the sun got higher and higher.  I refilled with some HEED electrolyte drink and got a new gel and got out as quick as I could.  There were a couple climbs at the beginning of the course and after hitting these the second time I knew the second lap was going to be much tougher.  As the miles added up I started to break the race down into smaller segments mentally by making each aid station a goal.  When there are 15 miles to go after you have already run 15, the mental game becomes just as difficult as the physical.  After hitting the second aid station for the second time (mile 18ish) things started to hurt.  It was about about 10am by this point and it was starting to get hot and I could feel it.

Lap 3:

At the end of lap 2, I knew lap 3 was going to be a real struggle.  I got some Coke, pretzels, water and gel at the aid station, said hello to Sara, and then took off for lap 3.  At this point I still had not passed or been passed by anyone.  Two miles into lap 3 I got passed for the first time.  There was a lot of walking/hiking going on at this point.  After the aid station at mile 23, I would say that I walked about 80% of the rest of the race.  The heat and humid just sucked all the energy out of me.  I ate and drank what I could but never caught a second wind.  The last 7 miles were slow moving and I ended up getting passed by 3 more people.  After an incredibly slow third lap, I made it to the finish line in 6 hours and 8 minutes.  I finished in 10th place out of the 85 or so people.  Only around 50 people ended up finishing the race.  The heat and humidity caused a lot of people to drop out.

I really enjoyed my first trail ultra running experience.  It was much, much harder than I thought it would be.  I learned a couple things from my first race...I will be incorporating a lot more trails into my training and many more hill workouts.  Although painful, I loved the experience.  I will be doing another and will be shooting for a much better time.