First, big thanks to Tadashi Andrews for volunteering all night at 2nd aid station.
Capt’n Karl’s Muleshoe Bend 60k was a tough race. I had heard Muleshoe was the hardest in the series, not because of elevation, difficulty of the trails, but because once you enter the woods it is like an oven. The woods are dense with cedar trees in a valley. It keeps the heat in and there is no air flow. Yesterday, there was a high of 100 degrees at the park. They were not kidding about the woods. I could feel the heat on my legs; the best way I can describe it, it felt like my quads were cutting through thick hot air. With the lack of airflow and high heat & humidity, it took hours after sundown before the woods felt slightly cooled and there were times it felt like I had stopped sweating. I ended up drinking double (maybe more) the amount of water I drank for the 1st Capt’n Karl’s, just 3 weeks ago. Even my banana coffee snacks melted. I heard from one of the aid stations that I was doing well because I was one of the few people not throwing up. Tadashi said people were having trouble with fine motor skills and he had to jump in and jump at the aid station.
To add to the heat issues, not only did I smash my toes very badly but also I have a lot of cactus needles in me thanks to encounters a cactus with exploding needles. This particular cactus looks like a green branch. When you touch it, it shoots needles into you. Thanks Texas – a camouflaged cactus that explodes with needles. I have cactus needles in every appendage.
Overall, I did not achieve my goals for the race (finish in less time than my first race). It took me about 30 minutes longer to finish this race. That said, I feel really good about the race and my performance. I finished 9th in Men and 3rd in my age group. I had a negative split for my last loop and felt I could have done another 5 to 10 miles if I needed to.
Next 60k is 3 weeks away.