March 21, 2016

Grasslands 50 Mile Trail Run 2016

My husband...he is the most intense, crazy, insane person I have ever met!! The crazier something is, the most inclined he is to do it :) And this is one of the reasons I love him so! His latest crazy antics took place at the Grasslands 50 Mile Trail Run in Decatur, Tx...what an incredible day!!!

We drove to Decatur Friday evening after work...along the way, we stopped in Albany at the original Beehive restaurant. It was a bit different from our beloved Beehive in Abilene...not quite as classy but the menu was the same :) From there, we finished the trip to our hotel and checked in for our four hours of sleep.

We woke up at 4:15 and left at 5:00 -- drove to the Grasslands for him to check in at 5:30. Below was the check in tent. We paid our $4 for parking, he got his bib number and his race tshirt, and he prepared for the start of his first 50!


At 5:30 am, it is pitch black...until about 7:30...so every runner had to have a head lamp.


Me and my man, prior to the start...it was very cold but thankfully there wasn't any wind...I'm wearing my heaviest coat here!


Right before he headed to the start line, I captured this last photo of Chris with his headlight on.


Below is the 100 50 mile trail runners taking off from the start line...into the pitch black wildness! Chris started at the back of the pack...


The neat thing about this course is that everything stemmed from one central location. There were five different loops of different lengths...4.8 miles, 13.5 miles, 12.8 miles, 10.4 miles, and 8.9 miles. Each loop came back to the start/finish line and took off on the next loop. I was able to stick around that area and see him each time. I spent some time in our truck, reading and napping and snacking...and then got out and waited for him to come around. Below, here he is after the first loop, looking strong...


After coming in from loop two, here he is heading back out for the next loop.


Throughout the course, he fell about three times...running on trails is a bit different from what he is used to, and roots and rocks got him at times. But, he got back up and raced on...and I have never witnessed him have such an awesome, great race from beginning to end!! He was full of energy and he tackled each loop with gusto!! It was so inspiring to watch him...look at his spunk in this one below!! This was heading into the final loop...


And here he is, right past the finish line, holding his belt buckle!!! Marathons and half marathons receive medals, but ultra runners (50 miles or more) receive belt buckles! This is his first one!


We were so excited for his accomplishment!!!! This man is AMAZING and he will strive for more...he always does...he isn't ever satisfied :)


After the race, they had food truck BBQ for the runners...so we sat in the tent and talked about his race, and this is the smile I got -- the face of a man who was pretty pleased with himself and his accomplishment...I love this face!!!!


We stopped for Mexican food at Milpa in Denton on the way home...after burning 5000 calories on his run, we had to fill up some of his reserves! Lots of Dr. Peppers :) We drove home and he could barely get out of the car -- the soreness had caught up! And we did a wound inventory -- swelling around his sock lines, broken skin on one knee, another knee swollen, and a bruised and swollen foot. Nothing too major, but we are keeping an eye on the foot...


We both slept good that night, and slept in a bit on Sunday morning...then did some chores, etc. He was moving around slowly. The highlight of the day was when his friend Zack brought over some homemade bread pudding (Chris' fave!!) in celebration of his accomplishment ;) Very thoughtful, loved it!


What an incredible experience...so very proud of my husband!!! Whoop whoop!!

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