I’ll start by saying there were two things I failed to execute on this run… I needed two water bottles (only had one) and needed to fuel at a higher level, in spite of a good finish.
PRE-RACE
All week the monsoon effects were drying out and temps were looking favorable for better conditions than Vertigo two weeks prior. Check; great. This holds up to be true. The start temp is lower and the air is drier. Compared to Vertigo, a 6.5 mile loop, this is 9.5ish. Each had an aid station midpoint or so. Check; great. I’ve run the course before with Xterra, and while this is backwords of Xterra, this is still a plus. Check; great. Since fall 2012 I’ve been running in Saucony Xodus 3.0 trail shoes; a 4mm drop, the shoes felt great from the start, even though I previously had been wearing Brooks Cascadia’s. Current pair has 200+ miles on it, so I inspect the shoes and while a few lugs are missing on the Vibram sole (have learned this sole is not ideal in wet conditions), good to go. Check; great! First Endurance EFS electrolyte mixed in bottle… good to go! J
RACE
Beautiful desert evening, dry compared to previous weeks, and a meteor shower on tap to boot. I arrive at Aravaipa City 6:45PM; get badge, find some shade. Legs feel good, no stomach knots, just a desire to put in a long run. Following the 7pm ultra start, we line up and get the go signal at 7:30pm.
The first 4 miles were wide track, fairly smooth, some sandy sections, with a gradual uphill climb to highest elevation on loop. Carried a modest pace, and time went by quickly listening to Jay Danek chat with Paulette Zilmer. True to form, Jay flies downhill… tonight was no different, as my headlight filled brightly with his dust. Trail became more technical at this point, with some gnarly ankle twisters waiting to ruin your night… found that downhill I had to adjust light more down on trail for these rocks, only to lift at the subsequent uphill (glad I put new batteries in before race). Into the aid station we went, greeted by wonderful volunteers yet again. Refilled the bottle, scooped up some potato, and off to finish lap 1.
Trail had a lot of U-turns and S turns (with them gnarly rocks in wait) that makes one feel like you are going more backwards than forward. A very sandy descent down into the wash, a short ascent back up across a service road, and more S-turns leading to final loop switchback. It was great during the climb to look back into the valley and see the march of headlights; at this point the ¼ moon was nearly gone on the western horizon. After cresting the climb, one can see the Start/Finish line with all the lights aglow, but careful. The initial downhill had some rocks in strange places, so attention is required. Once off the steepest part, the runner is free to fly to the finish.
Lap 2 was a repeat, and par for the course, all the hills seemed longer and taller. I came up to Pat Devine, his first race adventure, first distance past 14 miles, first night run, and we chatted into the aid station. I didn’t stay long at the aid station, and headed off to finish the course.
Overall, I like this course. I ran my 20oz bottle dry prior to final ascent, and finished dehydrated. Elevated temps and I just don’t agree, so I’ll either carry two bottles next time (and fuel better) or run the shorter version. Undecided!
NOTES / THOUGHTS on HYDRATION and FUELING
This is the 4th night race I have done, starting with the Javelina 25k last fall. The desert dry heat and winds can play on your mental state and lead one into a false sense of hydration; one would think that I know this at 49, but I still make bad choices. Mrs Coury summed it up best after a visit to the first aid tent at Cave Creek Thriller in 2012, saying ‘it’s not just how you hydrate during the race, but how you prepare your hydration 24-48 hours before the event. I like my coffee, but this means day before and day of race, no coffee. She mentioned that on the day before, drink some electrolyte. I’ve learned to watch the fiber in the diet; too much means a visit to the PJ more times than necessary. And for me, no yard work day before; it takes too much out of my hydration effort.
Friday I ran 5 street miles with 3 miles 12x repeat fartlek (200m at 10k pace with 200m jog) to keep legs loose for race day. It was nice out Friday morning, and I always drink a 16oz glass of orange juice before early runs. However, I did have a cup of coffee, and with temps being cooler (so it seemed) I failed to drink any electrolyte. Saturday morning I decided to trim a few bushes that were annoying me… I had light sweat, but came in and drank 12oz liquid after 15 minutes exposure. No big deal, right? Tried to take early afternoon nap; nothing doin’. Just can’t sleep. At 4pm, I eat a large baked potato, and have a glass of electrolyte. This time is was 12oz with Nuun active hydration, while during the race, my first water bottle is always filled with First Endurance EFS electrolyte; this has worked well for me to keep legs from cramping (not a pleasant experience).
I believe I started the race rested, fueled and well hydrated. I sipped on the bottle every mile, and made sure it was empty at every aid station. Given the demise at the finish, two water bottles (one with water, one with electrolyte) would have worked much better.
As for fueling, I did eat at the aid stations; mostly diced boiled potato, but also chips and pretzels. I had a liquid shot with me, but chose not to use it; bad choice. I had some other goodies in the pack as well, but as they were on the backside, chose not to swing the belt around and get them out; another bad choice. So I am now going to be looking for belt that will hold 2 large bottles in back, with snack pouch in front. I just don’t like carrying the bottles… but I know this is another option.
Live, learn, move forward! Happy trails to all. J