A Journey Around Texas
Tour De Los Tejas 600 km | Ultra #072
In case you haven't read my 2 prior blogs (part i: Preparation, part ii: The Hay is in the Barn), I have been preparing for this run for a long time now. Basically since the summer months. I've been building up my mileage like never before. Secondly, I have been running so much roads and neighborhoods on purpose to get the body used to the pounding that only pavement can dish out. This was hard for me as I fancy myself a trail runner and only run on roads out of necessity or laziness to get to the dirt. Finally, I have just been mentally preparing for the fact this is going be a full week of running. I needed to engage my mind around that because I don't know how long this would take me and I need to be prepared to be out there to see the distance through no matter the time on course.
The Final Days
4 days to go...
3 days to go...
2 days to go...
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| Ensuring the .gpx course is loaded |
1 day to go...
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| Packing our van with my daughters. |
The Race
Friday, February 05th, 2021
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| Essential coffee for our drive to Austin, TX in our rabbit YETI mugs. |
The crispness was still in the air hovering around the mid 50s temperature wise. My family and I walked through the pedestrian gates of the grounds and headed towards the front steps of the Capitol. I spotted the Race Director (Rob Goyen) standing there with a couple other runners already gathered around near the front of the building. I came over greeted everyone and got my bib and race t-shirt. I placed my race vest down and nervously paced around awaiting the meeting. Being such a small group of runners there was not a lot of chit chat and I think everyone was dealing with the pre-race nerves in their own ways. I did get to say hi and greet my Team TROT teammates that were also running the event (Dena Carr, Matt Zmolek, Vic Valenzuela).
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| Gathering just before the start of the journey. My amazing family was there to support me, drop me off, and cheer me on. I can't thank them enough. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
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| Pre-race meeting at the Texas Capitol (Austin, TX). Photo: Katie Meding |
09:00 strikes and Rob yells out for everyone to listen up. The runners all gather around close and Rob starts to explain the in and the outs of the live tracking devices we are required to wear. The software used for the event was TrackLeaders.com and was able to allow people to follow along live showing all the runners on the map at once - a pretty cool option for all the bubble watchers out there. After the quick information session on the trackers, we all were able to grab our assigned devices and attach them to our packs. The signals were tested and confirmed they were all transmitting data. Then the attention was turned to the route and runner safety. Not much insight was given here as the pre-race emails and communication covered all of this in the weeks and days leading up to the race. Rob just wanted to reinforce the fact safety is the number one priority out there, as we are all basically on our own once the run starts. It was now about 09:20 and the weather started to turn a little on us and the rain came out of the clouds. Since everyone was ready and present Rob made the decision to start at 09:30 instead of waiting in the cold just standing there for another half hour.
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| Pre-race racer portrait. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
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| Starting off. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
With that the group of 9 runners for the 600km event lined up on the Capitol building all placed our hands directly on the building for a photo. No fancy countdown occurs, Rob just yells "go!". And just like that the 9 of us press our start buttons on the our watches and you can hear all the beeps along with the pitter patter of the rain coming down. As I leave from the building I walk over to my family giving all my girls a kiss and thanking them. Just like that we are off on a long journey ahead. Down the street from the building through the roads of Austin, TX heading south out of the city.
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| Heading South out of the city of Austin with Team TROT teammate Dena Carr. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
The majority of us are together running the first few blocks as we are stopped and started again by many street lights. The rain is light, but persistent still. Off in the distance blue sky is actually visible and gives hope that the rain will stop. My teammate Dena an I settle in our own pace slightly ahead of everyone else at the front as we continue out of the city. We chat and catch up on things as we run making the first few miles go by fairly quickly. Not too long the way, maybe 20-25 minutes the ran drops start to fade away. I take my light rabbit Elements jacket off and stuff it back in my pack. After a more than an hour cruising along the sidewalks of the city streets we finally get to the outer southern edges of Austin and make our way to the first checkpoint along the route. (Note: there were no actual checkpoints, however in my mind the way I framed the race there was 10 checkpoints: the 7 State Parks and the 3 Buc-ee's stops along the route. This was a nice mental checklist for me and gave me something to focus on at times). As Dena and I came out of the city limits we approached the McKinney Falls State Park entrance. I stopped here and got Dena to take my picture to start my documentation of the route. My goal was to get a picture at all of these 10 checkpoints and other major sightings. Just over 9 miles completed now, only about 375 or so to go!
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| State Park #1 - McKinney Falls State Park just outside Austin, TX. Photo: Dena Carr. |
Dena and I continued together for the entire first 16 miles or so. We got to a fuel station at a road crossing where we were met by some of the TROT race support staff. They provided some donuts to us, and I popped into the store to grab a coke and some chips. Dena sat down on the steps of her van and her
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| TROT support staff Angelica providing some Voodo Donuts fuel. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
husband Frank was there in support of her. We chatted briefly with the crew and Dena's husband, and then thanked everyone and forged on forward. The should of the road narrowed a lot here and so I was running in front and Dena was behind me. Not too far down the road from here I was in my own flow state and just a nice steady pace. I can't recall how long it had been, but I turned around to say something to Dena, but she had fallen back slightly and was no longer with me. I knew at this point I was on my own for now and just had to worry about running my own pace which I was already doing. It was great to have her company for the first portion of the race.
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| The freedom of the road. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
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| State Park #2 - Lockhart State Park. |
Coming up on 6 hours into the run I recall passing over the 50 km point on my watch. A small milestone that really means nothing. Everything was still going smooth as the afternoon was pressing on. Next stop was at Lockhart State Park at mile 38 where I grabbed my selfie to document this 2nd item on my checklist as noted above. Also sometime in the afternoon Rob and the race photographer (Jeremiah Justis) stopped randomly to get a couple photos and just to say hi. They were driving up and down the course checking up on everyone that first day. A lot of this section was full of classic Texas ranchlands and farmland with cattle and longhorns.
As the sun was going down it reminded me to call home and chat with my daughters before they went to bed. It was a brief and chaotic call as they were still excited from the day of travel to and from Austin. It was nice to be able to say goodnight to them before I trudged on into the sunset of day one. Katie and I discussed how tomorrow would look in terms of meeting up and how I was feeling thus far. I assured her I was fine until the morning and would touch base then to arrange a place or time to meet up.
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| Arriving at first Buc-ee's in Luling, TX |
Next stop and goal point for me was just past the town of Luling, TX. Directly off the I-10 near Luling is the classic staple stop of Buc-ee's. If you have never been to Texas, let's just say Buc-ee's is a one of a kind fuel/rest stop that is large like the state of Texas. There are so many fuel pumps and the inside of these stores are jut chocked full of every snack, food, drink, and classic souvenirs you can think of. You must stop at a Buc-ee's every time you are on a road trip in Texas, it is just a given. After navigated the narrow shoulder section between the city of Luling and getting to I-10 I finally saw the glorious beaver of the Buc-ee's sign in the distance. I made to Buc-ee's Luling around 21:00 with an elapsed distance of 58 miles to this point. I spent a good amount of time stopped here, made a bathroom stop, got some food, refilled my hydration bladder & bottles heading into the full night ahead. As I was finishing up my stop and was getting ready to leave southbound again, my TROT teammate Matt Zmolek arrived just as I was leaving. We chatted briefly and checked in with each other. I was honestly too cold to just sit around and wait for him and his full stop which we was just about to start so I continued on as Matt did he self-aid at the Buc-ee's.
A mere 4 miles down the road was the 3rd State Park on the route. Palmetto State Park was at mile 63 where we had to do a very short out & back to tag the park itself before returning to the road and continuing on. I got my selfie with the sign to continue my documentation and uploaded to my ongoing Instagram story. This was around 23:00 still on the first day.
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| State Park #3 - Palmetto State Park. |
Saturday, February 06th, 2021
Usually my low times in ultramarathon occur in the 4-6am time periods. I am well aware of this by having had so many overnight race experiences. This day I was having a low slightly early, probably due to some poor sleep prior to the race. As I was staggering into Gonzales, TX in the middle of the morning around 02:00 I was basically death marching just trying to stay awake. I was now about 75 miles into the race and fighting off my first battle of the "sleepies" (as I refer to them as). I sat down at a bench out side a middle school in the town and grabbed some gels from my pack. In my effort to revive myself with some calories I was just sitting there and Matt rolled up on me. He came over to me at the bench and checked in. I told him nothing was wrong just fighting a minor low. The effort of comradery got me to my feet and I followed Matt through the remainder of the town of Gonzales. However he was clearly in good spirits and I good not keep his pace, so on the far edge of town here continued on in front of me moving slightly faster and I just settled into a more gradual run-walk pace.
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| Fueling up in Shiner, TX. |
From Gonzales we continued east towards Shiner, TX. It was super early morning hours and I was still battling my eyelids to stay up. I was getting so close to sunrise but decided I needed to lie down for a quick nap, so at 06:15 I did just that after 88 miles elapsed. A quick 15 minutes in the ditch lying my head on my hydration pack as a pillow and I felt a lot better. I got back up and continued on towards Shiner, TX where the Shiner brewery was located. The route took us right beside the brewery in fact. It was also around this time I texted my wife and we came up with a game plan for our crew meet up for the day.
The next major town stop along the way was Hallettsville, TX. By the time my family had made their way out to meet me I was only about 6 miles outside of this town. Rob, Angelica, and Jeremiah from TROT had just dropped by for a couple more pictures and just to say hello. They were only planning on doing this for these first 2 days to check on the runners. It was a nice surprise to see a familiar face and chat for a minute. After they left I was chatting with my wife telling her exactly where I was and we finally met up about 3 miles east of Hallettsville. I spent a good hour with my family here and it was great to see them. I got a change of clothing, reapplied my Trail Toes anti-friction cream as preventative measure, ate a bunch of snacks, and probably most importantly I got to put my feet up and elevate them for a little while. This was a key thing every time I'd take a break and see my family throughout the event.
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| Chatting with RD, Rob Goyen, just outside Hallettsville, TX. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
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| My awesome crew. Photo: Katie Meding |
I continued on after seeing my family in higher spirits then when I was for sure. It had been overcast all morning and even looked like it might have a chance of rain. But not too far down the road the clouds parted and the sun came out, bringing out that afternoon Texas heat. My phone said it was 75f but it felt a lot warmer in the direct sun on the side of the highway. At 15:30 in the peak heat I took the chance to lie down in the shade briefly for 15 minutes just to cool down and close my eyes. The noise of the rushing traffic was annoying and constant, so not sure if I actually had any true sleep here, but the break in the shade helped out. I got back up and trekked eastbound again.
Sunday, February 07th, 2021
Those 8 miles seemed to take forever as the temperature slowly dropped in the wee hours of the night. It was also a bit more windy out that prior and so it was harder to maintain the body heat. It took about 2.5 hours to travel these 8 miles and I arrived in Eagle Lake, TX looking forward to a nice warm Buc-ee's store for refueling and possibly a nap. But as I made a turn in town following the route I spotted this small run down motel, with the Buc-ee's viewable down the street in the distance. I instantly made a quick decision. I went over to that little shady motel and rang the after service bell. It was about 02:45 and now the wind had picked up quite a bit, so I was now quite chilled. The man came to the service door and filled my request for a room. I turned off my live tracker and promptly got into bed. I did not shower, nor do much of anything I simply got out of my clothes, and hung them out to air out, while i propped up pillows below my feet to elevate them. Then I checked on the Live Tracker website and realized I had virtually passed Matt's "stake out" point during the night between Altair & Eagle Lake. Apparently he stopped there and had his wife grab him for a hotel stop as well, so he would be resuming there whenever he got back at it. So technically as I laid down to sleep I was back in the lead and wasn't even aware of it until just now. My alarm was set for 05:30 which meant I got about 2.5 hours of good solid sleep in the motel.
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| My first unplanned motel stop in Eagle Lake, TX. The cold and windy conditions brought me to this quick decision of a warm room for a break and proper sleep arrangement. I think it was worth it. |
I sprung out of bed and got ready as fast as you might think I would at this point, 153 miles into a race. I had texted with Katie and she was going to meet me early in the a.m. on the road as I was relatively close to our house on this side of the course. At exactly 05:51 (only because I noted it) I was back on the road headed back down the street marching towards that Buc-ee's Eagle Lake. This made the perfect breakfast spot. I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a warm coffee to go. The morning was still super chilly as the sun wasn't fully up yet. I just kept walking briskly forward as I was consuming my breakfast. Eventually I was able to run and get my core temperature up. The highway was quiet at this point and actually quite peaceful as the sun slowly rose off in distance directly eastward.
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| Breakfast at second Buc-ee's location in Eagle Lake, TX. |
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| Heading eastbound during sunrise. |
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| Photo: Katie Meding |
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| My youngest daughter, Hazel, helping me fuel up. Photo: Katie Meding |
Continuing on Highway 90a for what seems like forever the next city was East Bernard, TX. As I approached the edge of town it was just a few minutes below 11:00. I spotted a Subway sign and thought this would make a great lunch. The subway store was closed, said it opened at 11:00. So I walked into the adjoining convenience store and grabbed a giant Red Bull and some chips. I sat down outside of Subway eating my snack in the meantime waiting for them to open. I waited and waited till about 11:07 and finally after knocking and not seeing anyone move inside I headed further into town for my next prospect of a lunch stop. Luckily I spotted a nice little BBQ spot less than a block off the main route. I went and got my fill there, which was probably a lot better than Subway after all.
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| A well deserved lunch break in East Bernard, TX. |
Back on the road and not too long later we finally got to head south on the outer tip of the course that ran down to Brazos Bend and back. The afternoon was relatively warm again, but not like the day before. I was still making decent time I thought. Late afternoon came around and Katie and the girls were about to meet up with me again. This time they brought some nice pizza for me. Yummy! Ate a bunch of calories and got fully rehydrated as the kids ate their pizza with me as well. Then I checked on the tracker and noticed Matt was about 5 miles behind me (so like ~1 hr or slightly more). I opted to lay down for a nap and wake up around the time he would be passing through which would be right around sunset as well. I had completed 182 miles at this point. I arose some a good 45 minutes of rest which definitely revived me a little. As I was getting bundled and ready for the night miles Matt came rolling up beside our van which was parked just off the road slightly. I told him to hang tight for 2 minutes and I'd run with him, which he did. With that I said goodbye to my family and had my warmer gear with me for a cooler night ahead, but now I had a running buddy for now.
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| More fuel. Photo: Katie Meding. |
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| Another perfect sleeping location, side of a county road. Photo: Katie Meding. |
Off we went catching on on how our respective journey's have been going. Matt was having some Achilles issues on one side and so he was down to a mean power walk pace. But let me tell you Matt's ultra walking pace is near 4 mph anyway, most people can't keep pace walking, I know I barley can, sometime I find it easier to shuffle along beside him instead. We spent the next 6 hours just plotting along keeping forward momentum working towards the low end of the course. I was feeling decent but decided to stick with Matt until the turn around. A couple time he tried to get me to continue on without him, but I was not in a hurry just yet.
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| Met up with my Team TROT teammate (Matt Zmolek) for a bunch of night miles. We kept each other company. Man we both looked tired in this picture. |
Monday, February 08th, 2021
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| Huge thank you to Marco! |
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| The very far end of the route...40 Acre Lake within the Brazos Bend State Park. |
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| State Park #4 - Brazos Bend State Park. Photo: Matt Zmolek. |
With that I headed back northbound by myself in the middle of the night heading towards Austin with half of the course now done. At this point I was now just passing personal longest mileage best as well.
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| Enjoying a McDonald's breakfast sandwich just outside Beasley, TX. Photo: Katie Meding. |
It was 09:47 when I staked out with 222 miles completed. I slept in the passenger seat on the way back for about 25 minutes. Got out and wobbled upstairs into bed, and slept for 3 more hours. My wife awoke me as I instructed and then I got up and had a nice warm shower. We then loaded up the kids and headed back to Beasley fuel station along Highway 59, and yes I slept another 20 minutes on the way there. A few more snacks and couple more swigs of fluids and I was kissing my family goodbye again in the afternoon. At 14:42 I "staked back in" by turning my tracker back on in the same parking lot I left, and headed on my way back north.
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| Prepping to take off north from Beasley, TX. Photo: Katie Meding. |
Couple hours later after a mere few hundred meters from completing the full out & back section of the course I cross over my TROT teammate Vic whom was venturing south from where I was coming from. We chatted briefly there on the side of Highway 90a and caught up. Wished him luck and continued on my way.
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| Met up with Team TROT teammate Vic Valenzuela as we crossed paths and the very far end of course where the only out & back section was, just outside Beasley, TX. I was headed north, and Vic was heading south towards Brazos Bend State Park. |
It was a boring afternoon from what I recall just pushing forward making miles. My friend Chad Laester had messaged me and asked if I needed anything as he was going to swing by and say hi. I simply requested a coffee. It wasn't until well past dark that Chad finally arrived. It was right around 20:00 out on FM 1458 a very lonely road so I was happy to see my buddy pull up. He popped his truck and offered me a chair - perfect! I sat down and propped my feet up and we bullshitted for awhile. He was kind enough to have me a coffee, a coke, and even brought some chips and a random honey stinger waffle he had left over which I gladly took with me. A local state trooper did stop and ask if we were ok since Chad was simply parked in the middle of nowhere just hanging out at the back of the vehicle. I think we hung out for about 30 minutes before I mentioned I should get moving and stay warm. There was 244 miles completed at this point and I had a mere 8 more till then next town.
At this point in the run I had not had any issues or problems, beside fatigue. After closing in on San Felipe and was only a couple miles south of town I felt a very sharp pain in my left leg. It came very suddenly. I did not know what to make of this, but it basically slowed me to a walk right away. Trying not to focus on the pain I just kept starring at the lights in the distance drawing me into town. I got into San Felipe and there was not much there on the route, so I popped into a gas station grabbed a couple drinks and some nuts & chips (I think). I made the rash decision to continue to the State Park not far away, and then stop in the following adjacent town. It was a long slow grind out to the park.
Tuesday, February 09th, 2021
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| State Park #5 - Stephen F. Austin State Park just outside San Felipe, TX. |
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| My second unplanned motel stop. This one was out of necessity. At the time I laid down I was unsure if I would even be able to continue running when I got up. My race was truly in question at this point. |
I awoke at 05:00 to my alarm and simultaneously with the sharp pain in my left leg as I started to creep out of bed. I thought to myself this is no good, my race is over. I had serious doubt. I had texted my wife and told her the situation late last night before I fell asleep, they were on the way to meet me first thing morning and were actually outside my hotel at this point (which I was oblivious too). I opted for another hour of sleep so I texted Katie and mentioned this and reset my alarm for 06:00, and promptly closed my eyes again. The hour goes by and I wake up and this time force myself up and about. The pain is still noticeable, sadly the magic of sleep did not cure me. I got in touch with Katie and she picked me up and we went to McDonald’s for some breakfast fuel. My family drove me back to exactly where I had ventured off course the night before to come down to the hotel. As we sat there getting ready for the day I was explaining my sore leg and how I had some doubts, but that I was pushing forward. It was a foggy misty morning out so I was bundled up fairly warm and wore my reflective vest even in the morning hours here.
I kissed my family goodbye and took my high calorie coffee cappuccino fuel drink with me. I started through the remaining portion of the town of Sealy, TX headed west back on the road towards Austin around 08:00 that morning. Total mileage completed at this point was 269 miles, and now I was down to a slow walking limp because of my sore left leg. Katie and I planned to tentatively meet up late that night depending on how the day went, because I told her it was going to be slow going as I did not want to push my leg and make it worse.
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| Rise and grind! My smile is deceiving as I was in pain with my left leg at this point and unsure if I could run at all as I took off hiking. My family gave me a much needed boost this morning, even though I probably did not show it outwardly to them at the time. Photo: Katie Meding. |
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| Lunch break at Cross Roads Tavern. |
The sun was had just went down again and I was approaching Fayetteville, TX. Katie was meeting me here for yet another pit stop, so I was exciting and looking forward to that. I pulled out my phone and saw she was just pulling into town nearly the exact time I arrived. I found her parked right on the side of the route in this small town. I got in the van got my feet up and said hi to the kids. This was a much needed stop. I spent about 1.5 hours total here fueling up and getting a light foot massage (the best), and even slept for another 30 minutes just to refresh me for the night miles. Reluctantly I said goodbye to my family yet again and continued onto into the lonely dark chilly night.
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| Another crew put stop and short nap break. Fayetteville, TX. |
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021
My typical morning low was strong this day. I was basically death marching due to fatigue and the dull numbing pain in my left shin still. I attempted to revive myself with a few naps along the way. I laid down 3 sperate times for 15 minutes once just in the ditch, another time on a rock, and against a guard rail to get my feet up. None of these did the full reset I was looking for but they allowed me to continue in a forward direction albeit slowly. The end was nearing (relatively speaking) and II just wanted to maintain momentum to get through. I arranged to meet Katie again early afternoon, which turned out to be right outside Smithville, TX and the entrance to Buescher State Park at 342 miles completed. I was tired and beat up for the long night trudged through the cold damp darkness. The kids greeted me right at the park sign and we snapped a great picture before sitting down and getting to the clothes change and refueling. My leg was aching but no longer a sharp pain, just a dull annoying presence. Katie seemed a little concerned as my left leg was clearly swollen above and below where I had placed my calf compression sleeve. The rain just started to come down as we sat in the van in the Buescher parking lot. I got cozy and put my feet up for a solid 45 minute sleep. Overall my stop was about 2.5 hours here with my family. I was not looking forward to continuing on getting back on my leg. Katie was an awesome supportive crew chief as in she kept nudging me to get going, but not fully throwing me out. I eventually caved and got ready to go. One good thing I had in front of me was the miles from Buescher State Park through the connector up to Bastrop State Park. These were by far the most scenic miles on the route and I knew this, so the draw of that was something for me to grab onto at this time. I was leaving mid afternoon and had a good amount of daylight left for this section. Plus I was down to a mere 50 miler left to go until the Capitol – the end was near (sort of!). Katie and the girls had gotten an Air bnb in Austin so they could be there first thing in the morning when I was hoping to finish. So they took off to their accommodation and I started off through the State Park into the beauty of Buescher and onto Bastrop.
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| State Park #6 - Beuscher State Park outside of Smithville, TX. So thankful for this crew and their smiles and support! Photo: Katie Meding. |
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| Between Beuscher & Bastrop State Parks. Photo: Rob Goyen. |
The park connector road was a hilly rolling narrow country road. It was quiet with very few vehicles at all, even in the parks themselves. Around 17:50 I truck started approaching me from behind and I moved over as usual to allow them to pass, but they pulled up in front of my an placed the flashers on. I figured it was just another nice person checking in to see if I needed a ride, which was not unusual at this point. To my surprise it was Rob Goyen, the RD, whom was stopping by on his way back to Austin himself. He had found me via the live tracker and just stopped to say hi and check in on me. It was great to see a familiar face out in the backcountry. We chatted for a few minutes and I informed him I had every intention of running through the night to break the sub 6 day barrier (i.e. 144 hours). Rob took off and I was back to myself and my podcasts in my ear. By the time I connected up to Bastrop State Park and made it out the other side I was at 356 miles done. The trip from here to the final checklist stop only 2 miles. At this point the weather had gotten a lot colder and it was such a relief to arrive at Buc-ee’s Bastrop just after 21:00 where I’d refuel for the night push.
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| State Park #7 - Bastrop State Park. |
I went straight into the bathroom and to get cleaned up and ready to order some food. Standing at the sink washing my hands & face I heard a large gushing of fluid below me. At first I was like….”WTF!?, am I peeing myself?” I was so confused and looked down to see water just pouring out of my hydration bladder hose as the bite valve on the end was not there. Once I realized what happened I started to search around for the valve but could not find it anywhere, so I am not entirely sure how it fell out, but I am still sure it ripped out somewhere in that bathroom as I was taking off, or putting on my pack, but it was not in there on the floor nor could I find it anywhere stuck in my clothing. After a good long search I resided to the fact I was not going to have a bladder for the remaining push. I simply emptied out the remaining fluid so it would not drip on my back. I then ordered myself 2 large burritos, some chips, and a few drinks to stuff in my pack (in leu of failed hydration bladder). I sat in the entrance of that Buc-ee’s in the very corner where the automatic doors open and close. They have no inside seating and well it was warm and somewhat relaxing considering. I was downing my makeshift dinner and checking the weather for the night. It was not good news. It was already 37f and the wind chill had it even worse. I was dreading the trek, but was determined to get done.
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| Third and final Buc-ee's location at Bastrop, TX. It was chilly that last night, wind chill made it feel in the 20s. |
I had a nice large warm coffee for the go and this got me going as I started off westbound through Bastrop. Crossing over the Colorado River and was nearing the far edge of town. However I was starting to get the sleepies. Nooooo! I just was sitting down, it was super windy and cold, there was no wear open to duck in for a few minutes of shut eye. So I found a neighborhood sign with a hedge of trees around it, and hunkered down in there blocking myself from the wind. I took out all my layers out and utilized as blanket. I attempted to rest and maybe got 10 minutes of sleep before just lying there shivering. I was now just wasting energy staying here and so I was forced to get up and move to stay warm.
Thursday, February 11th, 2021
This last night was cold, windy, and lonely. The draw of the city of Austin in the distance kept me going. The pain in my left leg was slowing getting better and was down to a minor dull pain, which allowed to run a lot more again. I spent a lot of time just counting down the miles to keep me occupied as a made my way to the Texas Capitol. I forged my way through my usual down hours of 4-6:00 and let my family know as well as Rob that my eta for the finish. I was in the city limits when the sunrise had occurred and I just wanted to touch that building again. The final drive down FM 969 seemed like a long road that went on forever. I had a cause of the dejiveu here where every street I crossed it seems I had been there before at some point in my life. I new this was another sign of sleep denervation but I was way too close now to stop and rest. Adrenaline was fueling me now. I also put in my earbuds for the last time and some upbeat music (this was the first time for music for me, was only podcasts prior).
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| My 4 daughters awaiting my arrival on a cold morning at the Texas Capitol. |
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| Finishers photo with RD, Rob Goyen and daughter #2,#3. I received a custom Elevation Culture handcrafted buckle & a unique Tour De Los Tejas finishers jacket from TROT. Photo: Katie Meding. |
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| 30 minutes after finishing I promptly fell alseep. Photo: Katie Meding. |
Race Statistics
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| A Journey Run indeed. Thank you Trail Racing Over Texas for putting this once in a lifetime event on. |
Distance: 393.12 mi | 632.66 km
Average Distance per Day: 65.52 mi | 105.44 km
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| Average Daily Mileage. Note on day 4 is when my left leg gave me issues. I managed to achieve my sub-6 day race goal. |
Elevation +: 10,860 ft | 3,310 m
Total Race Time: 142:46:02 | 5d 22h 46m
Total Sleep Time: 14h 10m | 15 stops
Average Sleep per Day: 2h 21m
Groceries (Pre-Race): $102.07
Snack & Food Expenses on route: $177.15
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| lots of fuel required. |
Unplanned Hotel Expenses: $125.00 | 2 stops
STRAVA Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/4771308364
UltraSignup Results: https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=77745
Race Live Tracking (History): http://trackleaders.com/tejas21i.php?name=Trevor_Meding
This was my 72nd ultramarathon I have run.
• 21st ultra at distance greater than 100 mi (and 3rd greater than 200 mi).
• 19th completion of 100 mi or greater distance.
Race Gear Used
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| Lots of gear used. I carried a decent amount with most of it packing in my Victory Sportdesign bags which I had placed in my crew van for clothing and weather changes as needed. My pile of laundry at the end was very large indeed. |
Gear Bags: Victory Sportdesign bags packed in my van for our crew stops.
Jackets: all rabbit apparel
Shirts: all rabbit apparel
Shorts: rabbit 5" FKT (3 various pairs)
Pants: rabbit
Shoes: Altra Paradigm 5 (brand new pair – out of box)
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| Altra Paradigm 5. Brand new pair purchased for this run. |
Socks: Drymax Socks (lots of pairs)
Headwear: rabbit (BOCO) & NATHAN reflective beanie
Sunglasses: goodr
Watch: Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition - 66 hours battery life using 1/sec plotting (GPS & GLONASS). Only charged a couple times when i was resting. Didn't really have to worry about it much. And of course it captured the entire run in one run activity.
Headlamp: NATHAN Halo Fire (carried 2 with me at all times)
Hydration: NATHAN Trailmix 12 L race pack, NATHAN VaporKrar WaistPak (just to carry my phone and extra some auxiliary stuff to have handy
Other Gear: rabbit (BOCO) gloves, North Face gloves, NATHAN strobe lights, reflective NATHAN bandolier safety vest, NATHAN ripcord siren
Anti Friction: Trail Toes - applied at every crew stop. I finished the 393 miles with NO blisters and NO chaffing. Thank you Vince!
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| Applying my trusty Trail Toes which kept me blister FREE and chaff FREE for all 393 miles! |
Final Thoughts
Road running is not Highway running. I knew this was going to be hard on the body, but man did I not expect what the exact challenges would be. Every single highway and county road is sloped or crowned, which means you are never truly running on flat ground. The slight slope causes you to have to compensate a little as you go. I was aware of this not super far into the run and so I’d try and run inside the driving lanes when I could as it was slightly flatter and easier on the muscles. At nighttime it was super easy to run in the middle of the road because I could see cars coming for a long ways ahead and from behind as well with the headlights. This little detail of running on the roads for this race was an oversight at the beginning that definitely took a toll on the body over time.
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| Some county road in Texas. Photo: JJustis Photography | Trail Racing Over Texas |
Fueling is hard for this long of an event. Running a couple 200 milers before I knew just eating as much as possible is beneficial to keep the body going but it is hard. At times I found it super easy to knock back a ton of calories, but a lot of time at crew stops it was hard to get in hundreds of calories. I did my best, but often I just ensured I had enough snacks on me at all times in my pack which got me through between stops. Consistency is key, just keep putting in the fuel whenever you can, even if you don’t feel like it.
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| My pour sore left leg. |
In reflection on this race I am struck at limits being constructs of the mind. This journey taught me that the idea of physical limits are just a mental roadblock that as long as I have enough sleep and fuel I can keep my body going.
Couple of things I have learned is that I do not ever want to run across the country or any other long road event. I am most definitely a trail runner and cannot wait to get back on the soft dirt, rugged rocks, and roots that only the trail provides. This is where my true passion lies, but I am glad to have taken on this adventure and challenge.
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| Custom handcrafted Elevation Culture buckle. My name is inscribed on the back. Thank you Eric C.! |
Thank you
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| My crew, my support, my love, my reasons. #ultrarunningdad. |
2. Another big shoutout to Trail Racing Over Texas (Rob & Rachel Goyen) for putting on this crazy adventure. Being an adventure style run there was minimal involvement compared to normal races they put on, but they went all out in getting Live Tracking for the event, ensuring we could start at the Capitol and checked in on the runners constantly for safety and just to encourage us. Not only this but Rob was at the Capitol for all the finishers of the 600k and 300k by greeting them personally, no matter the time of day or night, and even livestreamed on Facebook to share the experience with friends and family. A great little personal touch by TROT.
3. Thank you to my other sponsor rabbit (Team #rabbitELITEtrail) for the continued support and encouragement. Monica, Jill, and Dan: you guys rock and I am damn proud to be a part of representing your brands and simply being a part of the rabbit journey with you since 2017.
5. To every single person out there that sent me a message, comment, or kudos during the event. You all gave me a boost when I needed it most in the middle of the nights, or whenever I was having a low period. I'd pull out my phone and read my messages. It truly did help. This was another reason that I kept sharing my Instagram story as I went as well, just to document and share the journey with everyone following along. I saved a story highlight to my profile in case you missed anything. The ultra community is extremely supportive and I am happy to have been able to share a bit of this personal journey with all of you, so thank you!
Thank you for following along.
