Cave Creek Thriller

Cave Creek "30K" 

October 20, 2012

Drop Bags

Wanna know what you're Playin For???

The trophies for the 50K winners- I think the best trophies yet!!! Wish I could win the girls something like this! They'd love me forever!!! Yes, I think I could buy their love with a colorful dragon. The wings even fluttered in the breeze!

This is what I was playin for- COKE!!!

This race has a cool halloween theme!

People are even encouraged to wear costumes, and the more adventurous runners do! This is a mother/son duo dressed as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell! Someday I will be brave enough to run in a costume. 

Paulette Zillmer would go on to win the 50K. Even though she would be out there shorter than anyone else, she still uses bodyglide. 

This is the 50K runners toeing the line. Self- seeding here. If you know you have a chance to win, then you start out up front. 

This is me. Check out my Icy Cold Towel. I don't know how I ever lived life without one. Once the sun comes out, I'm toast. My cold towel really helps. I was sure to wear my bib number high after the fiasco at St George. 

I loved the Cave Creek Thriller. It was a great day. A great trail. A fun course. I had a wonderful time. I will mention that I set my brain for 18 miles of running. A 30K=18 miles. When I thought I was just one mile from the finish line, I came upon an aid station table. I was surprised to see an aid station just one mile from the finish. So I asked "am I just a mile from the finish?". The reply "no, about 2.5 miles from the finish". I was crushed! I felt mentally done. My snacks were gone except for one electrolyte tab. I should have taken something from their aid table, but I just didn't feel like food. I only felt like gels, and I didn't see any on the table. So I said to myself "just do this...move along....just keep moving forward...." I stopped and put my electrolyte tab into my water, and I think that helped. I had been drinking straight water up to this point, but the sun was starting to get to me. So I finished, and it was fine. I just need to stop setting my mental boundaries before I start. Im not sure how to not do that. Of course I can run farther than 18 miles, but when I think thats all that is required of me, it is then so hard to do more. Anyone have any suggestions of how to keep an open perspective in my brain? It is such a mental sport. 

I hung around for a little while afterwards and talked to other runners. I met Elizabeth afterwards who confirmed she had also ended up with 19.5 miles. So at least I didn't just take a wrong turn or something. The girl who won first place for the 30k distance- she didn't know her mileage. She was wearing a watch that ONLY told time. What a tough woman! Another guy in our conversation was the same - no special watch. To just run and run and run and not get any feed back of her pace or how many miles were passing. Wow. I thrive on the feedback. 

The race was allot of up hill, but all runnable. I enjoyed the trail. Challenging and fun. I finished in 3:16:42 with a 10:08 avg pace. Third girl. And then I enjoyed allot of coke in my new finishers glass. Thanks again Aravaipa! You guys Rock!