The Background
Spur of the moment, I signed up for the Great Spring Trail Race Austin Marathon. Woodlands Marathon the previous weekend was challenging, as I went out too fast, crashed and burned, and barely made it in under 5 hours.
It took me a while to get to sleep, so I was a little tired as a got up at 3:30am and made the 2-hour drive to Southeast Metro Park - Austin. Most trail races are in the country, but this one was right off Highway 71 in Austin.
The Race
There were only 13 people running the marathon, including 8 men. Given that, there was a chance I could win one of the top 3 male awards. I chatted with a guy a bit older than me who had finished 62 marathons and was running 25 in 2025, going for 100 marathons lifetime.
The course was a 6.5-mile loop with an two-way section in the middle. There were a lot of short climbs out of creek beds, with the biggest being in the middle of the two-way section.
In the first loop, a guy ran out fast and I said there was no way I was catching him. After a mile or so in 2nd place, I thought I was going out too fast and stepped off the trail to let a pack pass me. I figured I was now in 5th place male or so. I finished the first loop in 1:30.
Capt'N Karl's used to have Grateful Dead-themed signs, and I missed them when they went away. So I was happy to see a sign reading "What a long, strange trip it's been."
The second loop I slowed, but still ran a lot of it, finishing in 1:52.
The 3rd loop, I went back and forth with one runner. We joked about a couple of his friends who were going to run with him but backed out. It got hot, and I used a buff given at the raced for ice. I finished the 3rd loop in 1:58.
I made a mistake on the 4th loop. As I headed out, that same runner passed me. I was weak from the heat and tired. I figured that I was 7th place male or so and there was no way of earning an award, so I let him go. I decided to just hike to the finish, and my hiking pace was not that great. I finished the 4th loop in 2:11.
Looking at the results, I was 4th place male, 20 minutes behind 3rd. 3 of the male marathoners had dropped. So if I had competed on that last loop, I might have gotten an award.
Reflections
Obviously, I got in a bad mindset in this race. I should have just focused on running the best I could and competing until the end.
I didn't deserve an award given that I didn't push as hard as I could have on the last loop.
Back-to-back weekends of racing might have been a factor in the motivation. But I better get over that since I have Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon next weekend.
I have to remember not to assume what position I am in the race, as people can drop or I can pass them (or get passed) without knowing.
On a more positive not, I finished a race that I hadn't planned on running. During the race, I set a goal of no DNFs this year. Let's see if I can do it!
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