Reveille Peak Ranch 60k Post: Running in the Rain!

30 minutes before the race:

"I heard there's a 50% chance of rain before midnight."
"Nah, I don't think it will rain."

Notice the pretty blue, sunny sky in these pre-race pictures.

10 minutes before the race -- trying to hold the tent down in the face of torrential rain and gusty winds:

The race:

At least 75% of the race was run in the rain, with thunder booming and lightning flashing.  For about 75% of that time, I was like this:

It was fun running in the rain, splashing through puddles on top of the granite dome, lifting up my face to catch some drops in my mouth, and staying much cooler than I've been in the other Capt'n Karl's races to date.

However, at some point, probably around 1am, I started worrying that a) they were going to call the race for lightning (oh my gosh, please tell me I haven't already run 30+ miles for nothing!), and/or b) we'd all be stuck in Burnet due to flash flooding and closed highways (oh my gosh, I have hours of homework to do on Sunday!  I need to be able to get back home!).  It turns out, my fears were unfounded.  The race continued until the last finisher crossed a little before 7am, and we didn't encounter any flooding on the way home.

My other worry was that my headlamp was going to go out in the final 4 miles of the race. I had given away my spare flashlight to a runner whose light had gone out, and then around 1:45am my headlamp started flashing on and off a few times.  I'm guessing that's a warning that the battery will run out in about an hour -- it's a new headlamp, so I've never experienced this before.  Fortunately, it lasted all the way to the finish line, so again, there was no need to worry.  It was a good reminder to just "trust in God and do your best," which is what I kept repeating to myself in those final few miles.

One funny anecdote from the race is that at the final aid station (the Gate) at the end of the first loop, I asked the volunteers, "Do you guys have any pop?"  They said no, and Ed Brown, who was stopped at the same a/s, said, "Don't you know there's no pop in Texas?  Just Coke." It turns out, they didn't have any Coke either.  When I got to the next a/s, at the Pavilion, I rephrased my question: "Do y'all have any Coke?"  Ed laughed, but everyone else scrambled to get me Coke.  Note to self: Next time, just give in and speak Texan.  

All in all, it was a fun, exciting race to cap off another fun 60k series.  I'm so grateful to all the volunteers, especially folks like Lorenzo; Melanie, Scott, and their kids; Alex; and Jason, who stayed out in the pouring rain all night long to help us out.