My race weekend started on Friday. A girlfriend had agreed to go to the race with me and we left Houston for Decatur on Friday around 1:00p. The drive was relatively uneventful, though we did hit quite a bit of traffic in Corsicana and then some more in Ft. Worth. We decided to stop and eat in Ft. Worth since it was evident that I wouldn’t make it to Decatur in time for packet pick up that was scheduled to shut down at 7:00p. So we stopped and ate at Macaroni’s and after a glass of red wine and lots of pasta, I was ready to hit the sack. We stayed at the Ramada in Decatur on Friday night.

Saturday morning came quickly and I was up and getting ready at 4:45a. We left the hotel at 5:30a and made the short, yet tangled drive to the race site. The directions were clear, but the dirt roads were dark. For the most part, we made it there fine. I got in line to pick up my packet and saw that Sarah Brown and Tom Crull had found themselves with packet pick up duty. Got my packet and did all of my pre-race prep (Boost, body glide, sunscreen, more Boost). Temps were warmer than what I had hoped for. It was in the mid-60’s and slightly humid. Skies were overcast, though, and we could only hope that the cloud cover would shade us for the day. Kim Pilcher and I had agreed to start the race together and see how things progressed. She and I have done some running together off and on over the last 9 months and it was nice to have someone familiar to run with. We met at the start line about 5 minutes before 7:00a and Suzi Cope, RD gave us a short race briefing and we were off and running at 7:00a.

The race started nice and easy. Kim and I planned to run/walk in a 10/2 pattern from the start. That is what we had done for SunMart and we were both pleased with how we finished there. Dave Bilman (from NTTR) joined us early. 10 minutes into the race our watches sounded and we walked 2 minutes. Dave commented on how it seemed odd to be walking so soon, but I assured him that it was a good plan and that we should stick to it. Our first loop was 14.4 miles. The terrain was flat, skies were heavily overcast and we felt good. We came in to the transition area after this loop in 2:30. It didn’t feel like we were running that fast, but Dave assured me the course was accurate and I didn’t mind having the time in the bank for when the clouds parted and the sun decided to come out.

Out for the second loop of 10.4 miles. At this point, we start noticing the sand. The sand is deep and loose, and though there are no hills on this course, the sand simulated uphill running in my opinion -- small sinking baby steps through the sand. Back in from our second loop in 1:55. Not too bad, holding pace for a 4:25 first half. Wow - we are on pace for a sub-9 hour finish. Skies are still cloudy and it looks as if it may rain (please rain!!). If we can just hold on we can do it!!

The third loop was more of the same. Flat course with a couple of dips through the creek bed, more sand and - OH NO - sun! No, not the sun. Please stay behind the clouds! No such luck. Out it came and boy did it warm up quick. Kim and I hold on to our strategy and at this point we are taking turns leading. She’d run up front for 10 minutes, we’d walk 2 minutes and then I’d lead for 10 minutes and so on. It was working well and keeping us somewhat fresh. We hit a low at some point during this loop and we both stopped talking. I could feel us starting to struggle and our pace was slowing. So, I suggested that we play a game. I do this often with my road running friends to distract us from the task at hand. I call it "ABC Bands". In a nutshell, you take turns naming a band that begins with each letter of the alphabet starting with A and going through Z (i.e. Aerosmith, Boston, Creed… through ZZ Top). It was a welcome distraction and lifted our spirits enough to get us talking again and back on track. We finished the 3^rd loop of 14.5 miles in 2:44.

At this point it is getting so hot (85+ degrees). My friend that drove up from Houston with me, Tessa Hickham, joins Kim and I for the last loop. Unfortunately for her, we are down to walking most of the way, but having her there lifts our spirits once again. Kim and I were tired and we were out of things to talk about. When Tessa joined us, I told her to talk to us. We needed the chatter to keep us distracted. She did great and with her help, we walked strong and ran little bits here and there. Our last loop was 10.7 miles and we did it in 2:10 for a total 50 mile time of 9:20:41. Kim and I "tied" for 2^nd place overall female and were glad to be done.

Overall, the course was flat and fast. The sand and heat were challenging. We were on sub-9 hour pace until the last loop and then we were both just too spent and too hot to try. Though my time was 6 minutes slower than SunMart, I think that Grasslands is a faster course on a good weather day. We got great finisher’s loot and I think that Suzi Cope did a fantastic job of organizing and directing the race. She was so energetic and it was contagious. The volunteers were awesome and the aid stations were well stocked. The course was well marked and the mileage signs at the aid stations were a nice touch and a good reality check. Overall it was a wonderful event.