Race Wrap Up - Blackout Night Runs 27k: Aravaipa Running Live & Flagstaff Big Pine 53k: Aravaipa Running Live
Just another weekend in the mountain……sort of 😊. This was a first and a way to do something new and challenging. I’ve heard it said before and not sure who gets the original credit but, “if you want to do something you’ve never done before, you have to do things you’ve never done before.”
Before we get to it, as always, want to thank the team, staff, volunteers and the entire Aravaipa Running community. Very fortunate to have these folks in our backyard to host and put on these amazing events. Much gratitude to all the other runners throughout the weekend. I was fortunate to spend some miles with a handful of some great folks and we had some laughs, suffered a bit together, and at the end, crossed that finish line – thanks for keeping me going. Thanks to Robin, Isabella and Alaina, although I did this solo – the calls and text messages before, during, and after the races meant the world to me. Love you so much.
The quote above about doing things we’ve never done - So true right? Four years ago, the entire family went up to Flagstaff to do the Big Pine 54k (it’s changed a bit over the years 😊) and we had a blast. This year, considering what we have on the calendar coming up in September, we felt that going back up to Flagstaff for the race this year, in altitude, in the pines, would be a good training exercise for the Mogollon Monster. When we made the commitment to the Monster we new we were going to have to do some things different, considering…….it is a whole different type of adventure. So, in addition to the Big Pine 53k on Saturday morning, we decided to do the Blackout Night Runs 27k Friday night. Keeping with that spirit of “different” we kept the weeks training agenda the same, with some slight tweaks, after a big weekend leading up to the races. Adding to the “differences” I was heading up to do this solo, Robin and the girls had other things going on, so it was shaping up to be a glorified training weekend, up in the mountains, with aid stations throughout – good stuff!!
Flagstaff is about a two-hour drive from our home in Phoenix and with a 7pm start on Friday, I headed up I-17 around 12pm and hit some traffic. However, got up there in plenty of time to get settled at the hotel, get some food in me, and relaxed a bit before the 27k started. This course is the same looped course I had run 4 years ago so there was some familiarity with it and most of the first loop, even with the later start, was done without needing the headlamp until the last couple of miles. The 2nd loop, however, was all nightfall and the glow of the headlamps led the way. I was fortunate to catch up with a new buddy Eric (thanks for the picture 😊) and we shared some good miles and company. I was feeling very good throughout the race. There isn’t much climbing, and the trails are very runnable. There are some technical portions with being at night, makes it a little challenging. I had been moving faster than I thought I would and should have been going…….and with about 4 miles left I caught a toe and went down pretty hard, bagging up both hands and my right arm. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad and there wasn’t anyone around to witness my lack of grace!!! There was a climb right after that so I was able to get my wits about me and finish the 27k in good form and feeling pretty good.
When I got back to the hotel, I was able to clean up and strangely enough, what bothered me the most was my right hand. I must have extended that out of instinct when I fell, and it took the brunt. I guess that took the attention away from my legs, which were already tired from a good week of training, and the fact that I had another 32+ miles to run in a few short hours. The quick turnaround was something we’ve never done before. Yes, we’ve run further distances in one push but not these two distances with a break/rest in between. I was very interested to see how my body would respond in the morning and throughout the 53k race. Like most nights before a race, I didn’t sleep well. However I did get up feeling good and there wasn’t any soreness from the night before……other than my left hand 😊.
It was a chilly morning, just around 40 degrees at the start, which felt amazing compared to the desert heat. The 53k, as mentioned, was different than what I had done four years prior. Part of the course was the same loop from then, and from the night before, but there were two new stretches put in so I was excited to see what these new trails were like. These new sections didn’t disappoint. They stretched through many tall pines and up in the higher elevations, mostly single-track with some forest roads. There were some shady areas and there were some sections that were completely exposed and when we hit the late morning, early afternoon, even though the temps were in the mid 70’s, it heated up quickly. The early miles, most of them up to mile 10 roughly, I was working out the kinks from the week, and night before. My legs felt a bit heavy but overall, I was feeling good. About mile 15 I came upon two other runners, a man and woman, maybe a couple – not too sure but they were running together. As I approached them, about 200 yards back, I saw them make a turn to the left and immediately saw the woman take a pretty hard fall and let out a big scream. Having experienced something similar the night before, I was able to relate but it seemed like she it much harder than me from where I was. About a half mile later, I had passed the dude and was about 50 yards behind the woman and saw her clip a toe and again let out a blood curdling scream, like one where birds starting scattering from trees……it was loud. I felt bad for her because we can relate to that feeling. As I approached her to pass, I wanted to say something to try to encourage her and said she was doing great, keep it up, and we all know how shitty it feels to catch a toe and take a spill. Not sure if she liked it so much at the moment but we did see each other at the upcoming aid station, and she was in real good spirits and seemed to have put the experience behind her. I hope 😊.
We had a short 3 miles or so to the next aid station, getting back on the familiar looped section of the course that would take us back to the start/finish area before heading back out for one least loop. Those 4 or so miles were not ideal for me. My body felt good, but my stomach seemed to start going south and it may have been a lack of hydration. I was moving well and was drinking but wasn’t taking in any calories. I came into that main aid station and doused myself with ice cold water and downed likely as much as I doused myself with. The cool water felt great, and my spirits began to improve. I decided it was likely a good idea to throw some food in my head but that didn’t work very well. I tried a little burrito and some watermelon but neither hit well and I had to spit them into the trash. Again, not ideal so I drank some ginger ale and housed a couple of pickles. At this point we had just under 9 miles to go and my legs, although tired, felt good. I left the aid station and pressed on. The next several miles went by very smoothly and was able to catch a few folks and had some great conversations. About a mile from the last aid station, I came upon a husband and wife, a different couple, that were just a treat to share some miles with. Great people!! We where having a good conversation and I was about to run ahead to the aid, as soon as I said goodbye, bam – another rock jumped out of the ground and tripped me 😊. Actually, I toed another rock and went down. Not as hard as the night before but definitely with much less grace…..! The dude was so great, telling me, “I got ya bud, you alright, I got ya.” I just laid there in the trail, on my back, in the dirt, laughing. We all had a good chuckle and then got on our way. The last aid station was great, the volunteers there doused me with more water, filled up my bottle and I actually got some calories in me for the last 4+ miles to the finish. It was a good little climb out and then a nice long flat stretch. The final two miles, I came across a few more runners and we exchanged a few congratulatory words and gratitude for the day.
Crossing the finish line was quite satisfying. It was the first time that I had gone out and tried a back-to-back race like that and was very surprised at how good I felt. Yes, I did feel that I had run 50 miles and there was tightness, and I was a bit sore. Overall, it was a great “training” day with a group of exceptional human beings. It has me excited for the next few months leading up to our big day in September. Although the family wasn’t with me I did stop in Sedona on the way home & enjoyed a burger and a beer at the Sedona Beer Co.!!
Apologies for so few photos but didn’t have much of a chance to take any shots. Big thanks to those that took some of these for me 😊.
