That Ain't No Fifty Miler!!!

I wasn't up for the 3 and half hour drive to Camp Eagle, and when 10 miles outside of  Johnson City State Patrol shut down the road into Fredricksburg because of a head on collision,  everyone had to turn around and go another way. For a few minutes I thought about going back home, but I called myself a sissy and that changed my mind. I could have done better but I went back down to Bulverde and hit 10 up to Rocksprings. See what I mean, a long ride, it's like 45 miles off 10 after that, eight miles in on a jeep road. But it is worth it. Out in the middle of nowhere, no cell service, get a hostel bed with the rest of your running classmates,  and rest up and walk to the start. I made time on the first loop, cause it was cool, but by ten am there is a lot of open area and the sun began to toast. There are several climbs, and even though Nueces and Bandera are challenging, they wail in comparison to climbs in the mountain races. That's what I kept thinking, Texas hill versus Chinscraper in the Wasatch, Hope Pass up and down at Leadville, devils thumb at Western,  mt. Davis at Angeles Crest, you have no idea what a climb really is. It didn't make it any easier for me though, but it shut down the whining. One third of the runners dropped, and most people's time were slower. But those who go to Nueces know what it takes to get it done, and we do. I had only one goal, that a certain runner would not finish before me. That runner did not and I beat them. I was actually surprised that several runners most of the time ahead of me finished behind as well. That actually means nothing with my sorry ass, but we all finished a tough, warm day of a 50 miler. Now it's back home with the BiPolar Arctic  Vortex, 85 one day and 20 degrees the next, that's what we call living the dream, so you see there is a way to practice positive visualization.