Fall Trail Series: Aravaipa. October-December.

I have gotten behind in my blogging. I want to mention a little about my October, November, and December trail races.

October: Cave Creek, 19.4 miles, 10:33 pace, 3rd Girl. 
The race was 2 weeks after St George Marathon. I did it 2 weeks after St George last year also, so I didn't think that it would be a problem. I think that I just forgot how hard it would be. It was more technical and rocky than I remembered. I might have gone out too fast. I didn't have a negative split. My first half was faster than my second half. My final time was slower than last year. My legs still felt a little heavy from the marathon. It was still a good day. I still enjoyed it. I guess that I always am hoping to be a little faster than the last time. So when I already have run a certain distance at a certain race, it's hard not to compare myself and be disappointed or elated by how I compare to myself the last time. But St George was an "A" race for me this year. I tried to prioritize St George and at Cave Creek I just wanted to run the way I felt. I didn't push for a PR at Cave Creek. And I tried to tell myself that not getting a PR was fine. It's not always about being faster. Not every time. I also try to think of MOST of the Aravaipa races as trail adventure days. Not as races. Sometimes I pick one to be an "A" race for me. It was definitely a good training day.

November: Pass Mountain, 31.65 miles, 10:13 pace, 2nd Girl. 
This was a 50K PR for me! It felt great! It was just one of those days when everything went well. My average was never slower than 10:17 during the race. I was excited to be out there for 2 loops of the mountain. I love Pass, and love the view from the top. At the beginning I noticed that Paulette was toeing the line so it kind of took the pressure off me...I mean no chance of winning so I could just relax and do whatever pace felt best. But after getting over the mountain once, I passed Paulette. She was having stomach issues and decided to drop out. So now I started wondering if I could be in the lead. I wasn't sure. I decided to try to finish strong in case maybe I was. When I finished I found out that there was another girl in front of me. But I was rewarded with a decent PR, maybe 4 minutes faster than I've done before.

December: McDowell Mountain Frenzy, 50+ miles, sub 12 min pace. 2nd Girl. 
This was my second 50 miler, and on the same course as my first 50 miler. I shaved my time from 10:36, to 9:45!!! A 51 minute PR! I attribute the better time to the weather. The weather was 35-55. Perfect racing weather. It felt very chilly in the beginning. Mary was kind to drive me to the start of the race, arriving way earlier than she needed to for her own race. Her and I shivered under a heat lamp in the dark until the race started. I started out with my favorite blue jacket on and my old Nike warm-up pants. I knew that I'd be able to take them off and put them in one of my drop bags later at Gate Aid or Pemberton. I didn't end up shedding them until, I think 11ish miles in. The rest of the race I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt. I was comfortable but every time I walked a little I'd realize that it was chilly for walking. The brisk weather kept me moving!

I tried to remember to eat something real at every aid station. I took a gel every 5 miles. I ate things like bananas, potatoes, m&m's with peanuts, pb&j quarters, and lots of dates. Dates were my favorite real food item of the day.

Sometimes people ask me what I think about when I'm alone running. I didn't really think about much that day. I really just looked around and enjoyed the outdoors. Sometimes if I needed a distraction then I would think through the lyrics and verses of 3 songs that I prepped for the day. On Friday, the day before the race, I chose 3 songs and looked up the lyrics to them. If I don't look up lyrics then I can usually just remember like the main chorus to a song. So I sing the chorus over and over and get sick of it real quick. Here are my 3 songs for this race:
Sure be cool if you did, by Blake Shelton
Just give me a reason, by Pink
The only way I know, by Jason Aldean with Luke Bryan and Eric Church.

When I got to Dixie Mine (19 miles) I was at an exact 10 minute mile. But then it was time to climb Thompson Peak. I made a potty stop in the bushes and then hit the climb. This is a 5 mile section, up a mountain and then back down. It is very steep. Hands on your knees steep. Not runnable. I like that they have this section though. I wouldn't want them to take it out. It makes things more interesting. And the view is worth it. I felt allot faster on it than last year. My stomach did better on the downhill. Last year I had to take the down hill really slow because the pounding was hurtful to my stomach.

When I got back to Dixie Mine then I grabbed my old watch out of my drop bag. I figured that my newer watch would run out of battery soon. I set out for a 5+ mile loop. I really like this loop. Last year I remember it being hot though, and I remember walking a little. This year I still felt really good and kept running. I was alone for this whole loop. I noticed that my watch battery died, but then I couldnt get my old watch to find the satellite. So I didn't have a garmin record for a couple of miles there. I admit that I like having stats later to look at. At least I only lost a couple of miles.

When I got to Dixie Mine for the third and final time, I sat in a chair and changed my shoes from my Adidas to my Brooks, and changed my hydration method from bottle to back pack. While I sat there my old watch was able to find the satellite and become useful. This is about 30 miles into the race. I started my old watch at 12:34 PM.

Now for the last 20 miles. I was alone for a long time, so when I got back to Coach Whip Aid Station then I asked them how far ahead others were. I was hoping to catch up and have some company. The guy said "well the next girl is quite a ways in front of you, but you never know, you might be able to catch up, don't give up". I could tell that he thought I was being competitive. I told him that I just wanted company. He said oh ya, I think there is a guy 10 minutes ahead of you. When I got to Gate Aid station there was another guy runner there. He ran by me for a little while but then he dropped back to walk. I kept going and started looking forward to seeing Karen.

One of my dear running besties, Karen, offered to pace me for final miles. The last section of the race goes back to the Start/finish area and then you go back out for your final 5 miles. It is a great place to pick up a pacer. In the final sections I kept texting Karen at every Aid station to let her know how close I was getting. I was ahead of predicted schedule so Karen had to come meet me an hour early than we had planned. I'm glad she was flexible, and I'm glad that we had cell service! I was feeling ready to be done, but knew that having a friend would be enough of a boost to keep me going. I was so excited when I came over a ridge and saw the Start/Finish area in the visible distance. When I got there I saw Karen's vehicle with her family in it. Karen jumped out of the Pilot and I felt an immediate increase in strength and determination. I honestly don't know how I would've finished without her. I got something out of my drop bag, I think gloves and a fresh bondiband. It was early enough that we didn't bother grabbing our head lamps. Karen ran right behind me and chatted. I talked a little but I mostly listened. I was really grateful for her conversation. If I started to get discouraged at all then she would quickly bring up a new topic to distract me. I was walking now on the up hills, but still running quite a bit. I kept a 12:33 pace average for the last 5.5 miles with Karen. I actually forgot that there were several significant little climbs at the end. I was getting a little angry...."REALLY??? At 50 miles they are going to throw me this hill????" But I was still in good spirits.

At the finish I was cheered home by my family and Karen's family. It was pretty quiet at the finish line. Just a few volunteers left. Not many spectators. I was glad to have my family there. I got hugs and then Noah walked me over the the bathroom to change. Last year I remember quickly turning into a shivering, hyperventilating mess at the end. So this time I changed into warm dry clothes as soon as possible. This helped allot. And then I got some quesadillas and warm broth soup. My girls talked to the tire girl. This girl runs long races while dragging a tire behind her. She does it to raise awareness for recycling. www.tyregirl.com. The girls got to sign her tire and even go for a little ride on the tire.

After we got home then Noah went out to get us some Rubio's chicken nachos. We enjoyed the nachos in the comfort of our bed. I didn't end up sleeping well. My legs were achy and I kept waking up soooo hungry. I kept getting up and finding things to eat and more Diet Coke to drink. Even though I didn't feel like I slept much, I did feel good to be home warm and cozy in my bed. Part of me wants to be awesome enough to do a 100 mile race, but part me thinks that getting home in a warm bed is really pretty great.

I love, love this race. My racing schedule has been pretty much the same for two years in a row. I think that next year I should mix it up and choose different races or different distances. To keep things new and fresh. But I really adore MMF 50 miler. I love the layout. I love the flower pattern, where you visit certain aid stations more than once, but you don't just continue doing only one loop over and over. I love the time of year. I love the feeling in the McDowell Mountains. I love the friendly helpful volunteers. I love that its mostly a kind course. I love that there is a super challenging climb in the middle. I love the convenience to pick up a pacer at the end. I love that its pretty close to home for me. So many good things about this race. Well done Aravaipa.