Bandera Pacing

I went to Bandera this weekend to help out with pacing. My original plan was to pace Brad for 25 miles (50-75), then get some sleep and knock out a few more miles on my own in the morning. When I got there, I learned that I could possibly pace Dalton for 25 miles from 75-100 after I was finished with Brad. I didn't rally think about it much, it sounded like fun so I signed myself up. It didn't really occur to me that now I was doing 50 miles on a previously easy and relaxed weekend.

I have to admit, I was nervous about keeping up with both of them. They are great runners, and I had a really tough week of hill running going into the weekend, my legs were sore before I started. What I failed to realize was that they had already run 50 miles in Bandera, and much of the day was in the 80's, so the heat and long hours had already worn them down. You'd think I would realize this since I've done 100 miles, but it didn't click. Both of them ran great, but keeping up wasn't an issue.

I ran, off and on, from 4pm Saturday until 8am Sunday. There were some breaks when switching runners, and there was quite a bit of walking, but I got good hours on my feet that will benefit me for Fuego y Agua 100K in December. And, based on what I know of about that course, the walking I did might be the best training I can do!

Overall I had a great time visiting with everyone, and just enjoying Bandera as I always do.