DNF always Sucks! but Redemption could be Nice!

Heading into the Coyote Springs 50k I was super excited and ready to see these new trails that are privately owned and operated by Pardee Homes. As the master builder of this future community about 50 miles North of Las Vegas, they have built trails all around there property. Take a look at some of the pictures from DesertSky Adventures http://www.desertskyadventures.com/coyotesprings/

First off, this race was set up with Class Act Quality sponsorship. Let's talk about Schwag!! You get a great tech race shirt, a neck buff for all you runners, or it can be used as an old time hide your face bank robber cover (sorry, boots, chaps, and guns sold separately) then you got your choice of color of a fitted Under Armour baseball hat. Also great offers and deals from local businesses.

I had ordered a new pair of Asics Trabuco 13, Size 15!

I have still been playing around with different trail shoes for HURT. These shoes arrived Friday afternoon and my plan was to wear them on my training day run, although many would call this "race" day and as WE ALL KNOW, you are not supposed to wear or try new things on "race" day.

As I arrived at race start site it was quite the set up with the HUGE white double door tent, 2 chandlers, and a heater blowing through the back of it to heat the inside, nice and toasty!! as it was quite cool and windy.

The other awesome thing I noticed is the PortaJane

Along side the Jane was John and together they made a great addition to the bathroom line up. Have you seen these things before? There is a Sink inside them!! Flushing toliet, mirror, hand soap, etc!! They also had a trailer, that was set up with bathrooms on it as well so much nicer than any of your regular ole' out houses!!

I timed my arrive pretty good so I would not have to be standing around waiting long and sure enough it was time for the 50k'ers, all 10 of us registered, 9 showed up, to line up and the show on the trail! The gun went off and we took off down a dirt road for about 1.25 miles out/back to string us out before we hit the single track trails which the majority of this run was on, as well as for the 10k, and 1/2 marathoners. Soon I was on the single track trails and really enjoying the winding twisting and construction of these man made trails. There was a nice steep climb and the wind was blowing really good when I started power hiking up this little baby and soon enough I was at the top, supposedly told this was the toughest section of the whole course. Just after this we were dumped on to an old asphalt road and this sucker would take us on an out and back for about 3 miles.

Up until this road my shoes and I were rocking along and I was feeling great. Even the dang Bone Bruise I have been dealing with over the last several weeks was feel good and I was happy. As I started making my way down this long asphalt road I noticed that my quads were already starting to feel like the end of Javelina100k and I was wondering what the hell could have blown out my quads so early in the run but never really pin pointed anything to it. I started to noticed that the foot/bruise area was starting to wake up and not liking the road section. By the time I made the turn around there was a lot of down hill to be made up and I thought I would be making some good time on this but as the asphalt worn on back to mile 16 where I would get back on the trail my foot/bruise was no longer happy with any type of running and with ever step I could start to feel pain in that area and now because I was feeling this I started to do the limp on right (bruise foot) and power off with the left. Compensation!! and it didn't take long for my left foot to say What the *uck!!! and next thing I know I was walking. I was certainly Okay with walking the next 2 miles to the aid station/trail section and as I counted down my mileage, my foot/bruise counted down the time to DNF'ing!

I have never DNF'd anything I've participated in, training or racing and so when I felt the pain and irritation to my foot I immediately thought of stopping so I wouldn't fracture the foot and then I am really shit out of luck for HURT. I told myself I would absolutely walk the 2 miles and if it didn't feel any better with walking I would stop, and sure enough, the walking felt exactly the same and I was limping exactly the same as when I was running. I got to the aid station at mile 16 and they asked what I needed. I said a ride back to the start! What? they said... Yeah, I am done, my foot is bothering me and I can't risk a training run on it. Okay they said and told me it would be a 30 mins or so until the next car came by, I said no problem, sat down, unlaced my shoe and enjoyed the area and chatting with them.

Now as anyone and many have, argued with me on the use of a new shoes on "race" day was the SOLE reason my foot gave in and cost me my day but I really stand on a different view. The Trabuco 13 is a great tough trail shoe and while on the trails for 10 miles I really enjoyed the feel and comfort of it, however, with that being said, I also felt totally uncomfortable in it while running on the road. It's not a road shoe by any means and therefore, it was my fault for not studying the course and realizing there was that much road section on this trail course because otherwise I would not have used these shoes. I could also add that maybe if I didn't have an issue with foot/bruise thing going on even with the Trabuco's I may have been okay but the combination of the foot/bruise and trail shoes and asphalt I feel, did me in.

I was bummed to not be able to see the rest of the course and of course finish and get my medal but then again I enjoyed the food at the Dnf (Finish) line which was totally off the charts with Sliders, Hot Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Lemonade, muffins, cakes, some other meat chicken stuff! All totally awesome! I hung around to see who won the 50k and sure enough the dude came in at 4 hours 43 mins!! nice pace.

So this week I have ran a 5miler and a 8 miler on the trails in the Trabuco's and love them. I loved them so much I decided to sign up for the Santa Monica Mountain 50k in Malibu, Ca. this Sunday and will be heading down Saturday afternoon. With the current weather rolling in to Cali, its sure to be wet and chilly. All is good because I want to see how these Trabuco's do in the wet and how my feet do being wet, the cold, ehhh, not so much looking forward to that but I am on a REDEMPTION!!!

rockon'