On Saturday, I finally got to run the infamous "Bandera." I was eager to see for myself what all the fuss was about, especially since I wasn't able to run the 50k there in January when I got sick.
K and I drove out to Boerne on Friday after work then made the short drive over to Bandera on Saturday morning. We arrived a few minutes late though and everyone else had already headed out. Since the course was marked for us, I didn't really mind because I generally prefer to enjoy the solitude of running by myself. Solitude seems to be a pervasive theme for me lately, but that is for another post...
Joe had marked an 11-mile loop for us - 1/2 marathoners ran 1 loop (K), 50kers ran 2 loops (me), and 50 milers ran 3 loops. It was pretty chilly and windy that morning, and it took a little bit for my legs to get going but once they did they were definitely going. Overall, I had a really good run, which was another good mental boost to know that I could run 22 miles comfortably on that difficult terrain. I never really had any bad mental stretches either, which is just about unheard of for me. I kept waiting for my legs to fatigue or ache, but that never really happened. My Garmin pooped out on me before the run (which is seeming to be a frequent occurrence lately), so I had no sense of pace or distance. At first I thought that would stress me out because I really like having that immediate feedback, but then I tried to just embrace it and purely run. I know I had a strong finish, especially since it was on a flat straight-away. I still didn't take in enough fuel during my run, but I didn't really feel the negative effect like I did at Rocky Hill a couple of weekends ago. I did have some DP in between loops, and I could definitely feel the caffeine boost - definitely need to incorporate that into my long runs!
Oh, and I saw a snake! It was a small black snake with orange and yellow stripes that was positioned across the trail during my 2nd loop. I came really close to stepping on it, but thankfully my mind registered what it was at the last minute and I was able to step off the side of the trail to go around it.
On Sunday, I invited K to join me for a run on the Greenbelt. Note to self, do not do that again. He ended up going a different way than I was planning, and I ended up running considerably faster than I would have on my own on the day after a long run. At one point, I reminded him that I had run 22 miles the day before. Overall though, I was surprised at how good my legs felt.
So, what's ahead for the week - tempo run for our PR quality workout tomorrow night, hills for Jemez quality workout Thursday night, and 26 miles for the long run this weekend.
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