It was awesome.
Pretty well-organized. There were hydro stations at Miles 2 and 4. The trail was indeed marked with flour on the ground and glowsticks in the trees, as well as signs with big arrows (map). And volunteers stood at tricky trail turns to point us in the right direction. Plenty of porta-johns and medical personnel. The only snafus I noticed were that they ran out of bottled water at the finish and mis-assigned some of our bibs (more on that below).
I would start differently next time. Runners began in three waves, based on our road-race 10K times. I hung back to start in the 3rd wave (70+ minutes), but should've put myself at the front of the 2nd (60 minutes - my goal time). I had to pass a lot of people...when I could. Much of the trail was a foot-wide dirt path lined with grass / shrubs / trees. I breathed down a lot of necks waiting to pass. Also, I was surprised how many people freaked out at the trail conditions and walked -- as though they hadn't read the race description. Anyway, not placing myself correctly had a serious effect on my time, which was 1:13 by my watch. Since there was a snafu with our bibs, and we were assigned new numbers, neither Dave's nor my time is listed in the race results. By my watch, I would've been about 9th in my age group. If I'd started correctly, though, I think I could've been 3rd among gals my age. Live and learn!
I kept to my fuel plan, except I forgot to make the early dinner. Glad, though, because I felt lighter without it. Had a Shot Blok at the start and each mile afterward (total = 6) and water at each hydro station. We skipped the after-party because the line at the burger place was looooong. Since I had cheeseburger on the brain, we went to Whataburger on the way home and enjoyed our burgers, fries, and sodas there. Alas, no beer, but the awesomeness that is Whataburger made up for it. Also awesome: the cat in the parking lot partaking of the current apocalyptic surge of crickets in San Antonio. They were falling on its head. Pretty funny.
As for the run itself, I loved it. I was reminded how much I like trail running. It's such a great all-body workout because your core muscles are almost continually engaged. It didn't feel like I was out there for 73 minutes, either, because I was so focused on the running surface. I did wipe out once, though I never stopped moving and was on my feet in a couple seconds. And night-time trail running: I love you as much as in daylight! One of the coolest things was that we were looking out for everyone around us, especially those behind -- calling out any big roots or rocks or low tree limbs.
I'm now obsessed with trail running. I'll probably subscribe to this magazine, even though it's less sleek than Runner's World and tends to emphasize ultra-running. I'll also (when money affords) get a separate pair of shoes for trails; my road shoes did well, but don't have the traction of a trail shoe. I think I'll start training with my hydro pack, too.
'Cause I foresee a lot of day-off trail runs here when winter rolls around.
