Cross Timbers Trail Marathon Race Report

After taking not running at all in the month of January due to some extensor tendinitis, I was extremely excited to run the Cross Timbers Trail Marathon. I've been eyeing this race ever since I started trail running, and this year it finally fit into the schedule. I wasn't too sure how smart it would be to run a fairly technical trail marathon after taking ~40 days off from running, then only "training" for two weeks or so.

I decided to go for it, and just take it easy, and enjoy the chance to run.

So, with no further adieu, here is my race report from the 2012 Cross Timbers Trail Marathon. As always, my race reports are detailed (sometimes to the point that's it's annoying) so if you don't like it, don't read it :)

Pre-Race:

The race was up at Lake Texoma about an hour and twenty minute drive from my front door.

I decided to head up Friday night and camp out with some good friends (what ultra/trail running is really about) and arrived around 7:00pm.

It was already dark so I quickly set up my tent next to my friends, and headed over to the race area to grab my packet, meet up with my friends already there, and enjoy the pre race pasta meal. (included for most ultras believe it or not!)

I found Brian and Matt, got introduced to Matts great family, then enjoyed my pasta dinner while chatting about the PLAIN 100 with Brian. (But that's being saved for another blog post)

After dinner I grabbed my packet and we headed back to our campsite and mulled over the new trail map I purchased for PLAIN. It was great getting to just hang out and chat ultras and dream races. This is almost always my favorite part of trail races.

Around 10pm we hit the sack, but not before I tried to check the radar one more time. The forecast was for rain starting around 2-3am and hopefully clearing by the next afternoon. It was going to be in the mid 40s. I knew that mid 40s and rain would be miserable, but was ready for anything.

I tossed and turned for hours, but I finally think I got some decent sleep from 2-6am when my alarm went off. Just like predicted it started raining lightly around 2-3am, but had let up to a light mist by the time I crawled out of the tent.

Brian and I headed over to the start line and were ready to go by 7am.

For this race I carried one water bottle, a spy belt with an extra amphipod pocket, and wore way too much clothing. My plan was to take one gel every 25 minutes, then 1 S-Cap every hour. I stuck to this pretty well except for one point towards the end I opted to skip the gel cause I was almost done.

Race Time:


We got some last minute instructions and off we went. We did a quick mile or so out and back, then hopped on the single track.

I stayed right with Brian until about a half mile into the single track and let him go. He's  a heck of a climber, and I was not in the right shape to be running like that so early in the race.

We also noticed that it was incredibly muddy. I mean like shoe sucking, slip on your butt, grab a tree to get up the climb muddy.

MUD (Photo credit)

Within a mile I was all by myself running down the muddy single track next to Lake Texoma. The views were awesome, especially with a 20-30ft cliff down to the water on my right. It was sketchy, but I like it that way.

The trail was up and down winding through the trees. No huge sustained climbs, but plenty of 50-100 ft stuff.

I enjoyed all the quick steep climbs because it really broke everything up. Around mile 3-4 I started hiking the steep stuff and then focusing on really jetting down the other side. 

Around mile 3 I started seeing people ahead of me, so I just focused on trying to catch them. I did catch one guy and just stayed on his heels for probably 3-4 miles. Brian had told me before the race that the technical steep stuff fades about half way and then it becomes very runnable. I was looking forward to that. 

We made it to the next aid station and I knew from here it was fairly flat to the turn around. (looking at the profile above it wasn't all that flat)

I quickly refilled my bottle and headed out ahead of the guy I had been pacing off of. I wanted to get ahead of him now and stay there. I pushed the pace and soon caught the guy that went off the front of the marathon. Looks like he'd blown up and was quickly falling back. 

I dropped him and headed on. By my calculations I was somewhere around 7th-8th place. 

We had a few more technical climbs that I couldn't help but compare to parts of Zane Grey. 

Zane Grey style... (Photo Credit)

LOVE this kind of stuff! (Photo Credit)

Then all the sudden, the trail leveled out onto some nice smooth single track and I was gone. I decided that if I was going to place anywhere near the top 5 or 3, I'd have to make up my time on the flat stuff. I quickly pulled away from the people behind me and questioned whether I could hold this pace to the finish. 

The trail cut through a grassy field, down some pavement, then back onto more muddy single track. 

I was now encountering a few of the lead 50 milers, and thanking the good Lord I decided to just do the marathon and not 50 miler in these conditions. (50 milers I salute you!)

I decided to wear my GPS for the race (which I've never done before) and wasn't too sure how accurate it was. I knew with the windy single track that it would probably be a mile or more off. 

Soon enough I saw my friend Brian coming back the other way and knew I had to be getting close to the turn around. (the course was one out and back) I soon did reach the turnaround and saw that my GPS read 2:01:43 and ~12 miles. Well, I knew that wasn't totally accurate, but close enough for me. My new goal was to make it back to the start with a negative split and hopefully under 4 hours total. 

I said hi to my great friend Malea who came out to help at the turn around aid station and headed back out. I was feeling the fatigue in the legs and was dreading more mud. 

After maybe 2-3 minutes I all the sudden run into my friend Brian running BACK toward the aid station. I say, "BRYAN! What are you doing?!" 

He stopped to pee or something and came back down the wrong direction. Hahahaha. I couldn't help but laugh. This is the guy I want to come to PLAIN... a course with NO course markings... 

So, now I have someone to run with! We kinda chat goals and I let him know I'd really like sub 4. We maintain a good pace and talk about how we've gotta hold this pace to the rocky/technical steep section if we're gonna break 4. 

Brian makes one more detour (thank goodness I was there to catch it) and then we're back at the pavement section. We're still running good and I notice our last mile was 8 something. Not too shabby. 

We hit a few short climbs and I really notice here what a climber Brian is. This dude just shoots straight up without breaking stride. From here on out, I call him Mountain Goat. 

Meet Brian (minus the umbrella, package, and snow)

So from here on out, I'd let Mountain Goat skip up the climbs, then I'd catch him on the downhills and flats. (what he calls his "weakness") We play this game for awhile and are soon back at the tougher section of trail. 

The trail is absolutely shredded, and the mud is just out of control. I couldn't believe my shoes were staying on.  A few times I'd watch Mountain Goat slide down a hill only to end up on his butt. I'd hang on to trees and work my way down. 

Mud (Photo Credit)

Mountain Goat and I kept pushing each other still hoping that sub 4 was in our grasps. I knew that once we crossed another road it was only around 3 miles back. I was completely out of water and I had stopped sweating. I think I'd taken too many S-Caps and not enough water. 

Then all the sudden we could see the road. I was working my way back up to Mountain Goat when I went to step up over a root. My right leg cramped and I was stopped to a stand still. I forced the cramp out, but had to seriously back off the pace. 

I watched Mountain Goat fade off into the distance and just focused on getting to the next aid station so I could get some much needed water. It was great getting to run with him as long as I did. Definitely took my mind off the pain.

Once I downed a few huge gulps of water from the aid station I was good to go. I pushed the pace all the way back, but the trail was WAY too technical/muddy to really do much good. The fastest miles I could pull out were 10-11:30/mile. (based on my inaccurate GPS) 

My goal to the finish line was not to get passed and enjoy this beautiful section of trail. Finally I could hear the finish line but not before one more horrible little climb that was of course caked in mud. I passed two half marathoners who were hanging onto a tree and jetted down the other side of the hill to the finish. 

Post Race:

Unfortunately my semi-goal of sub 4 was gone and I finished in 4:08:05. (unofficial until results are posted) I'm gonna guess that I ended up 6th or 7th, will update when results are up. 

I saw Matt as I crossed the line, then quickly looked for Mountain Goat to see if he broke 4. 

No go for him too. 4:03 and some change. Neither one of us really had any specific goals, and the muddy conditions really changed everything. 

We headed back to the camp site to change and of course indulged in some post race brews and hamburgers. 

Final Thoughts:

All in all, I'm really happy with the effort considering the conditions and I'm really looking forward to trying this race when the conditions are so bad. It's definitely a well managed and all around great time kind of race. 

I can't help but think that my base is still there despite taking January off. My legs felt great the whole time and I never fell apart. I finished the last mile about as fast as I started. 

Huge thanks to Matt C. for letting me crash at his camp site, and a big congrats to all my fellow trail runners for another great race. 

_Jacob_