Franklin Mountains Skyrunner 50K Trail Race El Paso Texas
I signed up for this race early in year, attracted to the publicized difficulty and climbs, not really aware of the terrain or potential heat issues, I let the "Skyrunner" series billing draw me into what I believed would be a severe test of both physical & mental limits. I somehow thought that running a 100 mile race 3 weeks later, since I see other ultra runners doing difficult back to back races within 30-60 days should not be a big deal. After my first ever DNF at Black Hills 100 in June from heat/dehydration related issues and another dismal performance at the Fossil Valley 9 hour Endurance Run (I shut it down at 8hrs) due to poor heat management again, I rethought my training & race planning and decided that I needed to get back to basics that I coach: A) Don't die B) Finish the race C) Let time take care of itself I believed I went out a little too hard at Black Hills and didn't manage fuel/fluids well enough and I knew my lowered mileage