My Kind Of Morning

Saturday was my 28th birthday and I decided to celebrate it at Lake Texoma and the Cross Timbers Trail Marathon. And what a birthday present it was.

We got into Whitesboro around 6pm Friday night. We went straight to the registration/packet-pickup/dinner at the marina. I got my packet, met a few cool people including the guy who would go on to win the race, and had some good spaghetti. Afterwards we went back to our hotel and got some sleep. It had rained all day, and continued to rain all night. I woke up at 4:30 to thunder and heavy rain. It would continue to rain the entire day. Many of you have not run with me and don't even know me very well. I hate running in cold and hate heat even more. But I love hills, love mud, and I especially love rain. This was my kind of morning.

At 7am the race started. I felt kind of stupid because I had not even brought a jacket. I had a long sleeve shirt and shorts on. It was good enough for now, but I new it would get heavy as the rain continued to drop. That wasn't my biggest concern. I had signed up for this race because I hadn't run a trail race since Sunmart, and hadn't run hard since then either. I felt out of practice and out of shape. This was my test to see if I could still run well, and my first good run before I started ramping back up. It was my litmus test. For me the race started slow, I tucked in behind a guy that was running his first trail marathon, and a woman running the half marathon. They were running slow 12 minute miles, but given the muddy terrain, that was fine with me. I wanted to start slow, and kick it up after 10 miles if it felt right.

At 7 miles, we hit an aid station and I decided it was too slow, so I took off. I ran the next 3 miles very hard (sub 10 minute miles sliding on mud up and down hills). I swung from tree branches to hold my balance, and passed a bunch of people. There must have been about 10-15 marathoners ahead of me as I approached the turn-around at Paw Paw Point. I didn't really think twice about it, I figured I'd catch a few of them, but most would continue along ahead of me.

At Paw Paw Point, I filled up my water bottle, declined any food because it was far too soggy to look appetizing, and I took off. The next hour I passed a lot of people. I wasn't sure how many people were marathoners and how many were 50 milers, but I knew I passed most of them. Guys that were over 10 minutes ahead of me were struggling up muddy mountains, sliding backwards on their hands and feet. I just grabbed onto trees, took advantage of my 200 lbs. sinking into the mud, and kept on up the hills. I reached the marina (20 miles) at 3:45 and found out I was in 4th place!. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am not fast, and I don't run against anyone but myself. But I've also never been in this position before where I was amongst the leaders. I also knew this may never happen again, so I went out as fast as I could.

I passed a few more people, but learned they were 50 milers. Where was the third place guy??? Just before I reached Juniper Point, (0.6 miles short of the turnaround) I saw the 1st place runner, Matt. He told me to keep on running, that I could catch the guy in third if I kept it up. That got my adreneline going, and I scurried up the muddy hill. I hit Juniper Point, but had to continue another 0.6 miles to a turn-around. That distance was on the road, and it felt so good to feel traction again on my feet that I just ran a sub-8 minute pace despite the burning in my legs. I spotted the 3rd place runner and chased him down. Around the turnaround I passed him, talked to him for a minute and realized I would not see him again. He was beaten. I told him good luck, and went on ahead. When I reached Juniper Point again, I saw the 5th place runner. I was over a mile ahead of him and realized that I would finish in 3rd! This would be the first and only time I'll ever finish in 3rd place of a marathon. It's not like winning a road marathon, I know, but it's still really cool to think about. My elation carried me the rest of the way, and I slalomed down the muddy hills like Bode Miller. (Actually, better that Bode since I won a bronze). I fell once about 0.5 miles short of the finish line, but I was so caked in mud that it made no difference.

At the finish it I was happy. Not because I had come in third (which is cool, but I'm over it) but because I ran a smart race, ran as hard as I could, and had my favorite birthday present ever. I took a bath in the 45 degree waters of Lake Texoma, changed in a Port-a-Potty, and enjoyed cheering on some runners back to the finish line. They were serving burgers, beer, soda, and lots of other calories. The food was good, just like the course, and just like the company.

Anyone that hasn't run Cross Timbers should think about it. It is a beautiful course along the lake. The RD puts on a good race, the people are good people, and it's very challenging. It was a long trek for me to get up there from Austin, but I'm glad I did it. Like I said, it was my kind of morning.