Lake McMurtry Race (4.4.09) Report

As I look back at the 2009 Lake McMurtry Race, I can still hear the bagpipes blowing while I thought to myself what a crazy nut I really was for trying to do another race so soon after the Snake Race. Though that morning on Saturday, April 4, 2009 we were actually early, I was behind on getting my running schedule back to a normal one....whatever that may be. I think I'm starting to do the Roman way...and for those of you who do not know what the Roman way is....let's just say it is where you don't run your training schedule, then poof...you run a long race to get the jewels at the end...if you survive! :)

Any ways, I have to give a shout out to TZ for putting on a wonderful race. I know he and others put a lot of time into making it all happen. Let's just say that it's not your fault if my running shoes I got were not the one's I should have been wearing that day. It's what I get for leaving my green machine running shoes in the car....thinking that I could let my new pearl's be trail running shoes....THEY ARE NOT TRAIL RUNNING SHOES...no one told me that...I just decided they would be....I WAS WRONG!

So....running schedule off....wrong running shoes....too busy of a schedule....had to wear glasses....new gluten free diet while not getting to take any meds for allergies....soooooo no gu at the time....yep, I think that covers my list of what I could blame for not getting a better time than I got.... :) Okay, so my elements weren't perfect...the one good thing going for me that day was Dee....without my Trail Angel....I could not have finished the race....and let me tell you I wanted to stop a million times....I know, even ESB, thinks about discontinuing!

I will say this.....I had a little competition going on with the roots...yes, there were millions of them along the trail...and I kid you not....it shouldn't be called the Lake McMurtry Race....it should be called SURVIVING THE ROOTS RACE! :) All I have to say is that the score was ROOTS 4 and ESB 1,034,231 (please do not hold me to the score keeping....I'm guesstimating)! Let's just say they were in groves...it was like a freakin paradise for roots every where!

Now for the hills....wow....just when I thought there couldn't be any more steep climbs....there were more....they went on and on....yes, I admit....I had to walk several....the dang shoes I decided to wear were not equipped for this kind of challenge. I can't be mad at the shoes, just me for assuming too much from the shoes! Let's say another thing that I will not.....and I MEAN WILL NOT....be wearing the certain pair of shoes that I so decided to wear that day thinking that they would be awesome for me....I should have never let my other pair...yes...my Trail Brooks down, by leaving them in the car.

What did this massive failure on deciding the wrong shoe result in.......me sucking it up and adding a lot more to my time, plus those dang shoes zapped my energy....I had to work my butt off.....it was like trying to ride a tricycle in the Tour de France...IT JUST DOESN'T WORK....not even Lance Armstong could pull that off! :)

Okay, I think I made a point about my shoes....carrying on...the aide stations couldn't have come at a better time along the trails....thanks to Bill, Ed and Lisa.....I wouldn't have made it without you as well! It was hard for me to figure out the eating thing with this lovely gluten free diet....but I will say....I am back on my allergy medicine and it's getting better. I just break out on my face when I eat stuff with gluten...it's better than my little attack at the beginning of the race....yes, I thought I could do my chocolate gu...I was wrong....thank God for breathing techniques! When I came to the Leap O Doom...the breathing was scarier than the leap....I conquered both of those dang challenges!

The cattle rail bridges were my absolute favorite in the race.....sikes (yes, 80's lingo is back)....these were thankfully a short little challenge along the way. The first time...not so bad...second time...my shoes had killed my legs...and the bridge was a huge challenge...the spaces of the rails seemed really far away from the next....yes, things get magnified when getting tired...and needing nutrients...like electrolytes....again my Trail Angel AKA Dee gave me something something....not sure what was in the vitamin...yes, that's what we will call it....but it REALLY helped give me some energy....I wasn't Speedy Gonzalez, but I could at least face the battle with the ROOTS! :)

Any ways, when I got to the very end of the race....the lovely stairs that Ken was so sarcastic about...he warned us that we couldn't kill him when we got to the end...because of the gift that awaits at the end...he said we'd have to deal with it....well, Ken, it wasn't too bad....it was better than trying to fight off the ROOTS in the race! :) I was never so happy to see Michael at the end of the race....I saw my time and didn't care....

I had faced so many emotional, mental and physical challenges in my 3 hours 14 minutes and 45 seconds that I really didn't care...plus I had to rush off to the next 2 of 3 things for that day. Yes, we drove from Tulsa to Stillwater that morning for the race....then back from Stillwater to Tulsa for me to take a shower and go to my friends Bridal Shower....then...oh yes....back from Tulsa to Stillwater again for Jodie's 50th Birthday Surprise...soooooooo, needless to say...I was glad to be done....at the end of the race....and at the end of the day! :)

Will I do more trail running you might ask? Heck yes! I think Michael and I both agree that we need to do some actual training 2 to 3 times a week on trails....if we are going to be doing trail races...which we are! I know TZ you have to be smiling at this point!

As far as pictures go, I decided to tell little things throughout my pic album on facebook. I wanted to mix it up. Uploading pics to the blog takes some time and I thought the typed report was more important. I hope you enjoy the pics there.