Bandera 100K Part 2: Kelly's Redemption!!!

Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Mud

Actually, this is my race report for the Sunrise Marathon at 'Mud'Kinney Roughs--err, McKinney Roughs. But there were few similarities between the two runs: the mud, of course, rain, hills,bushes with sharp thorns, reminiscent of the Texas Sotol in Bandera, so it's fitting that this would be my 'come-back' race. After dropping out of the Sunmart 50 miler and Bandera 100K, I had no intentions of making this my third DNF in almost as many months.

The MUD

I've come to the conclusion that there is something about equestrian parks (i.e. Bandera and McKinney Roughs) and dirt that becomes sticky mud after rain. And it rained for most of the week prior to the race, so sticky it was. You see, as a runner ran the trails, mud would accumulate on the bottom of their shoes and it would continue to build up until said runner had a few pounds and inches of earth on the bottom and around the sides of their shoes. So 5 minutes of running was followed by 1 minute of scraping off mud. I had the idea that, since this was an equestrian park, maybe nailing some horse shoes to the bottom of my shoes would be the way to go.

The RAIN

During the race, rain was not a problem except for a few runners. The rains came just as the last of the racers were finishing. Before then, it was more along the lines of heavy mist / light drizzle. But the rain during the week prior to the race was what was to become the bane of the runners present. S'pose the ice storms didn't help much, either.

The HILLS

Central Texas ain't flat, nor is M.R. I pretty much stuck with my usual routine of walking the ups and running the downs and flats. Although I maybe could've conserved some energy and walked more on the first loop, and run more of the second loop than I did, but I felt so good on that first loop... I've only run M.R. Once before and that was just a few miles of the flatter, grassier backside of the park, so I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I believe I've found my favorite trail in the area. And I believe that I will be spending some time in that park between now and January, 2004 (Bandera).

The BITING SCENERY

"We demand... a SHRUBBERY!!!"

No, it wasn't as fun as watch Monty Python, but the bushes along the course (leaf/needle-less, probably due to the Winter season) had teeth that were as sharp as the British comedy troupe's wit. Okay, okay, so they were thorns, not teeth. But I sure could have used some long tights or wind pants as I had worn in Bandera to ward off the Sotol, bush-like cactus plants with sharp points and edges.

The REDEMPTION

I wouldn't say the mistakes I made at Bandera were stupid, just ones that were made because I was attempting a longer distance in adverse conditions. What would be stupid would be not to use what I had learned from those experiences. 1) I wore extra layers of clothing to stay warm before the run, layers that I would shed just before the start. 2) I gave some extra, dry socks in a zip-lock bag to Shan Rooney, an aid-stop volunteer, to change into after starting the second loop (Thanx, Shan!).

There is one fundamental difference between Sunrise and the other runs mentioned:

I FINISHED!!!...with mud-platform soles and all. Time: 5 hours and 17 minutes.

Kelly Galloway

"Become one with the mud."