Event: Coyote Trail Run
Distance: 8M
Date: 2024-06-08, Sat, 8:00a
Location: Graford, TX;
Six-O Ranch
Event Host: Blaze Trails Running
Here’s another non-Race Report. I was registered to race, as well as a volunteer. Only the volunteering part worked out, which will pay for the trip by way of 150% race credit toward a future race.
This race was originally scheduled for April 20 in Cleburne State Park. The course included the Coyote Run Nature Trail, hence, its name. Unfortunately, the frequent thunderstorms pelting Texas all spring resulted in a last minute cancellation due to the severity of the then current storm.
When I say “last minute:” Many of the participants were already there or on their way. I had my own truck loaded and ready to go. Only a last minute check of e-mail saved me from making the 3-hour drive. I later learned, one participant who stayed in the park that weekend, ended up wading through waist-deep water out on the trail! Imagine 100+ runners out on a course that included that. Granted, many races include such obstacles, but those are planned and have safety measures in place. Nope. Cancellation was the right call, despite the cost to participants (like me)–not to mention the race organizers themselves.
Blaze was very generous in the options they provided to the registrants. These included a 100% race credit toward a future race and a virtual option for the event. The virtual option allows registrants to complete their distances when and where they want and still get their shirt and medal via mail.
Ultimately, the race was rescheduled for June 8 at the Six-O Ranch just outside of Cleburne.
From April to June is a big difference in weather conditions for the event, but I was committed to keeping the race on my schedule. The 25K (15.5 miles) was a good fit in my training schedule when I registered. Not surprising, given my recent training compliance, I wasn’t fully trained. (Being “under-trained” is a bad habit that seems to have stuck. 😕 I need to pull out my Atomic Habits book again.)
Had it been April weather this past weekend, I would have felt confident about sticking with the 15.5 mile distance. June weather, however, was full sun in 90°-100°F temps? I haven’t been heat-training and since I’m still mostly hiking, I estimated I’d be 5 hours completing 25K. Not worth the level of stress that would put on my body. I dropped down to the 8M distance the Friday before race day.
Rescheduling the event, also provided an opportunity for me to volunteer. The slots had been filled for the April race, but the new June race day was wide open. I signed up for both setup and teardown, each involve heavy lifting as we unload, load, and transport bins, boxes, coolers, water jugs, pop-ups, etc. These harder jobs (and those late at night or early morning) offer the highest race credit incentives, so I pick those over aid stations. These also fit my schedule if I happen to be running the event as well. My setup shift was 8 hours on Friday starting at 9:00 am. Teardown was 5 hours Saturday evening as the ultra-runners were finishing their distances. That shift started at 6:00 pm.
Friday setup was tough, but not anything I couldn’t handle. I worked alongside three men all day and kept up with them easily enough. I wasn’t always tall enough to close velcro strips while setting up the pop-ups, but I could get the top and the legs extended. I let them do all the loading of the 5-gal water bottles into the back of the “dually” truck bed. (I was afraid the chest height lift and reach would have stressed my right shoulder more than was wise.) I did most everything else, though.
I climbed in and out of the truck, “farmer carried” two 5-gal bottles at the time, hammered in stakes, pulled up stakes, carried and setup folding tables, packed boxes and bins to the various pop-up locations at the race hub… Yeah, my fair share. Well, that is until we started moving ice around.
It was the last thing we volunteers were to help with that day. 16-20 lb bags of ice? Two at a time? Five to six bags in an ice chest? I can handle one side. No problem. On it! Nine 16-lb bags in a single chest? … ummmm … No. … Sorry, I’m out!
We worked in full-sun all day, 93°F at the hottest. The life-saver was a 10mph wind that blew all day. I applied and reapplied sunscreen. Drank water as often as I could. I even broke out the chewable Salt-Stick tablets and made sure I was staying on top of my electrolytes. I was starting to drag around 3:30, just before the ice arrived, but not feeling any adverse heat effects.
That was about the time the volunteer coordinator walked behind me and said, “Terry! You have got to get something on your back!” I turned to acknowledge her and when I turned back to the guys, one of them says “Ouch!”
Really? I’d been working with these guys all day and nobody bothers to tell me, “Girl, your sunscreen ain’t working! Your back is as red as a lobster.” Seriously?! What is it with guys? No care-giver instincts at all?
Despite my diligence, the spray I thought was covering my back when I applied it, obviously, wasn’t reaching ALL of my back. My dumb ass had dressed in a racer-back T, so I had a lot of skin exposed. Fortunately, my portion of the work was wrapping up and I was able to leave shortly thereafter. I drove into town and back, picking up a meal at Sonic. Back at my camp, I grabbed my toiletries bag, towel, and Undress 1 going straight for a cold shower at the nearby restrooms. Felt so good!
Back at my camp shelter, I soaked a bandanna in melted ice water, rung it out lightly, and then draped it across my back and shoulders. It stuck to me like an ice cold second skin. A quick catch of breath at the cold and then it was heaven. I did this every 5 min or so for 30 or 45 minutes. I believe that saved me from the worst of the burn, taking most of the heat out of it. I never did feel it radiating heat as you typically do with a severe burn like that.
With that, I’d mitigated what I felt would be my biggest discomfort of the night. Boy was I wrong.
When I arrived Thursday only shortly before full dark, my biggest concern was the heat. I’ve had some MISERABLE nights camping in the heat, even when I’m stripped down to underwear2. I was ecstatic when temperatures dropped into the low 70s and I had to pull my heavier blanket plus turn off the fan I’d made a point of bringing.
Weather app was predicting temps in the 70s again Friday night. I wasn’t concerned about the heat at night any longer. However, that Sonic meal… The nausea and gastrointestinal upset it seemed to cause coupled with leg cramps (from dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance?) nearly did me in.
Okay, TMI (Too Much Information) warning. Imagine spending much of the night squatting over a 3-gal potty bucket and 90% of the time the action of squatting triggers severe leg cramps. A very fun night. Not!
Magnesium oil rubbed on my legs helped, reducing the frequency and severity of the leg cramps. However, Tums® (all I had) did very little for the nausea and gastrointestinal symptoms. (Not sure why I’ve never gotten around to adding Imodium® A-D and/or Pepto Bismol® to my toiletries kit.)
Alarm went off at 4:30 am. I’d been planning a cup of coffee and leisurely preparation for my 8M run that morning. To my credit, it did take me about 20 minutes to completely talk myself out of getting on the course. I really wanted the medal and another completed race. Stomach and guts were still gurgling, legs were still spasming with tiny little tremors, and my burned back was stinging. And it was going to be in the 90s with most of the course in full sun. Nope.
I spent the day hanging out in the shelter. Reading, sleeping, watching the squirrels and birds through my screens. Temperature in the shelter never got too bad, but I was managing my body heat by sticking to boxers and camisole. Plus an ice-water drenched bandanna slapped onto my back periodically throughout the day.
I made my 6:00 pm shift that evening. I felt rested with a stomach that grumbled only slightly. (I passed on the street tacos that were provided to feed the volunteers.) I was surprised the organizers had actually missed me that morning when I didn’t start the race. They assumed I was too worn out from the previous days work to do the run. Not sure my comments ever registered completely that no, I was actually sick, not too tired to do the work of an 8M run/walk.
Initially they kept my volunteer tasks light. Hanging out at the finish line and ringing the cowbell as the runners came in to alert them while they roamed taking care of other things. Oh, the ringing bell was also to encourage and cheer on the runners, but as I learned, it also had a separate administrative function. 😉
I, however, wasn’t happy sitting in my chair and waiting for the runners. It was nearing the 8:00 pm cut-off time, so these were the last of the ultra-runners finishing up their 50-mile runs. (Amazing! In that heat.) They were coming in 20-40 minutes apart. I’d overhear the race director mention something needing doing and I’d volunteer. Eventually, they understood I was ready to go and let me do more of the heavy lifting. After the last runner came through, we finished the last of the loading around 9:30 pm.
Originally, I’d planned to get some mileage on the trails in Cleburne State Park. However, one of the volunteers I’d met the previous night had been on the trails and said they were very overgrown. She had a bad patch of a poison ivy rash on the outside of her calf, having had to walk through it on the trail. No surprise. I slept in. When I did get up, I was proud of myself for laying out my yoga mat and doing three rounds of sun salutations. I was on the road by 10:30 am.
Originally, I’d planned to get some mileage on the trails in Cleburne State Park. However, one of the volunteers I’d met the previous night had been on the trails and said they were very overgrown. She had a bad patch of a poison ivy rash on the outside of her calf, having had to walk through it on the trail. No surprise. I slept in. When I did get up, I was proud of myself for laying out my yoga mat and doing three rounds of sun salutations. I was on the road by 10:30 am.
Despite not “racing,” I’m very pleased with how the weekend went. I was traveling and camping solo. I didn’t know anyone there except the race organizers. Yet, I felt comfortable and interacted with people without hesitation. 60+ years old and I’m finally being socialized. 😜🤣
- Here’s a video that shows how the Undress works. I didn’t have to use that functionality in this instance, however. I just used it as a quick, absorbent temporary garment to get back to my camp shelter. ↩︎
- Ha! Further proof, the older I get, the less I care about what people think or see of my body. I’ve rarely had to use the Undress in recent years. While I still can’t run in a sports bra, I’ll strip down to my bra to change shirts without giving it much of a thought. ↩︎
