I love having adventurous friends.
What's a 12-hour (round-trip) drive to Dallas for a run?
Nothing to Laura when she has a free weekend. My only problem is getting Ben on board. :)
West Texas sunset on our drive to Grapevine
In trail running, you start out in a big group and once you find a steady rhythm, you stay with the same pack of people. The trail narrows to a single lane and you end up staying with a set group of people for a while unless you decide to pass. You might strike up great conversations (we did, anyway) with these people. But here's the bizarre part: you can't see the person's face in front of you and you have NO IDEA what the person behind you looks like and your main focus is the trail immediately in front of you.
This was my new friend... and this is how I found him at the end of the race... By checking out everyone's calves. Ha!
The BEST thing about trail running is the food. Yep! Soda, Fritos, PBJ, cookies, etc... fat, carbs, and salt to energize you and keep you moving for a long time.
eating on the go
Laura is a great running buddy for me. She has great stories and we usually don't get fatigued at the same time. When I feel like cussing, she's good at talking (and maybe vice-versa).
In our matching-Amarillo-doesn't-have-a-great-trail-shoe-selection kicks.
30K FINISHERS!
Fun preparation (there trees and leaves!) for our big run in December.
medal at the end
Double-fisting cake balls. Seriously. Great food and a FUN atmosphere!
Would definitely do another trail run like this again. Heck, with the long-sleeved Patagonia technical t-shirt they gave with the cool medals, we might just have to road trip back here next year with Abby!
(Can I, Ben? Please!)
