2026 Great Springs Trail Race - Austin

The Background

I had raced the previous two weekends, and work was still challenging.  I did not run between Woodlands Marathon and Great Springs Trail Race- Austin. I watched the Rockets beat the Timberwolves Friday, then got 3 or 4 hours sleep before waking up at 2am-ish in the morning and driving to Austin.

The Race

The Start

Great Springs Trail Race- Austin is a moderately challenging 6-mile course.  There is a .75 mile smooth downhill, followed by a couple of miles of up-an-down single track.  There is a big drop and climb before it opens up to smooth, wide trail for a couple of miles, with an aid station at mile 4.  The last mile has 6 short, steep climbs.

Steps Along the Course

The Big Climb

Soon on the first loop, I felt anxiety and total mental exhaustion.  I had hoped for a better performance than last year, where I stopped competing and just hiked it in, but I knew I was in survival mode. As I approached the end of the first loop, I thought about quitting, justifying it by how thin I had been stretching myself and resting for Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon. But I told myself I had never quit a marathon for to lack of will.  I pressed on, telling myself I could run the downhill to start the 2nd lap, then be only 5 miles to halfway.  When I finished the 1st loop, it was showing my GPS was a little short, which made each loop seem shorter.

I worked through the 2nd loop, and felt a little better being halfway done.  At this point, I was running the downhills but hiking everything else.

 

On the final loop, an aid station worker noticed my Seabrook Lucky Trails shirt, and that led to me sharing how I am running 4 races in 4 weeks. To pass the time, I counted the steep climbs in the final mile - 6.  I finished in last place in 7:12.

Reflections

To not give up was a victory given my mental exhaustion.  Also, my ultrasignup rating was sitting at 60.14%, and I wanted to bump it up to keep it above 60%.  As slow as I was, based on the winning male time, it looks like this one will be about 72%, which helps.

I rewarded myself by watching a replay of the Spurs coming back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Clippers with a pizza with anchovies.

Last year I had raced 4 weeks straight around March, but I had had a two month break in October and November.  This year, I have been racing since August with only a 3-week break after Dinosaur Valley in November.  It was probably not wise to race so much back-to-back at the end of a long season. 

I have Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday where I am free due to Spring Break.  I told myself to sit in my chair and recharge before Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon.