The Brazos Bend 50 mile run on December 13th was a 2 loop course, each loop being approximately 25 miles. In trail running terms that's actually somewhere around 25.5 mile loops for a 51 mile race, give or take. Everyone runs the same distance and the same course. My early projected run plan was to complete the course in 9 hours to see how much work was left to do for the 24 hour Destin event. It didn't take long on race morning to revise the plan and slow it down due to very hot and humid conditions. I started out feeling comfortable, holding a pace I felt I could maintain throughout the run. The back half of the course follows an equestrian trail, you can camp with your horses at the park and then ride the trails. That sounds like fun to me! Several days before the run it had rained hard and accumulated several inches of water which turned those 8 miles or so of the course into a deeply rutted and muddy mess. It wasn't like your everyday regular mud, it was the squishy and sloppy hope your shoes stay on type of molding clay mud. When you planted your foot each time there was a strong suction that tried to rip the shoes off your feet with each stride. Maneuvering around the ruts so your not twisting an ankle or knee required a lot of focus and lateral movement and I haven't been on that type of surface for a while, so needless to say my legs got trashed a little quicker than I had planned. Oh yeah, the extra mud on the shoes made your feet feel about 20lbs heavier was fun too! The aid stations for that portion of the course ran out of water as well. Running 7 miles in heat and humidity without water tends to slow you down pretty effectively. No worries though,we all ran the same course in the same conditions. I quickly decided then that I was going to slow my pace even more and finish with a smile and the accomplishment of a 51 mile training run. Now I was able to talk with some of the other runners. I always try to stay in a positive frame of mind when things change or go wrong with the plan because I've learned that other good things can occur that might have otherwise been missed.
The highlight of my race was meeting and running along side Kimberlie B., a fellow runner whose career I've quietly followed for years. She is a major source of inspiration and a strong influence for me through her running accomplishments. She is a local gal from Friendswood,TX and has finished a race called Badwater 135 not just once, but 5 times. It's a 135 mile race through the Death Valley National Park during the month of July. Wow, gotta love extreme heat!! During our conversation she shared many ideas and provided me with amazing words of encouragement to help further my running career. Kimberlie truly shined the light of hope by telling me her story. She did not complete her first 100 mile distance until she was 48 years old, and hasn't looked back. She continues to go forward and just get better and enjoy all of it more and more. I can't wait!
Finished Brazos Bend 50 (51 actually) 11hours 11 minutes. 
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