The Endurazone

    Mission Tejas State Park 19343 State Hwy 21 E Grapeland, TX 75844 I want to commend Rise Racing for putting on an awesome event. My legs were still a little tired from the Vintage Half, but I couldn't pass up the chance to claim that awesome medal. I was a little worried about two things. My left calf was still sore (I injured it while getting the largest finishers medal at Little Rock Marathon in March - and it flared up again at the Vintage Half six days ago). Plus, Friday had flood-strength rains so I expected it to be a muddy swim-run biathlon. However, the trails turned out to be good. Yes, some puddles here and there (with lovely mud-patty making ingredients) and some slip-'n-slide spots. Overall, really good trail conditions. As for my calf, I had worn my compression calf sleeves but still felt the calf flare up at about mile 3. I decided to use my trekking poles that I had brought and that made a huge difference. The loops were technically two loops (weird shaped f...