Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com
Up until age 19 I lived on a nameless dirt road in Stonington, Connecticut. There was one house just past ours, and then about a half a mile further, a seldomly visited gun club that reenacted Civil War stuff. Beyond that it was a power line trail that felt like it went forever (it probably was only four miles, but at the time “10K” wasn’t in my vocabulary, let alone “ultra”). The road was my escape. Get mad at my parents? Run away down the road. Need a place to smooch? The mountain laurel grove down the road. Anyone ever play manhunt as a kid? Killer spot for that. I think one of my favorite memories was seeing how far I could walk down the road at night without getting scared, and then dragging unsuspecting friends into this “game” of mine. It’s exhilarating being cloaked in the darkness of the wild.
I forgot about these experiences until my 26-mile training run in the Santa Monica Mountains last Saturday. We started late in the day and weren’t in any rush to finish. Megan, my dear friend and Cocodona 250 pacer-in-training was with me. As the sun fell, she started to inquire, “Don’t you get scared out here in the dark by yourself?” The answer is, yes, I absolutely have been freaked out, but the glorious rush of running through the mountains at night has thus far always outweighed the moments of sheer terror.
The moments when every twig snap feels like a predator, when you start loudly holding a conversation with the animal you are envisioning stalking you. The absolute scariest was a distant mountain lion encounter. I will never forget the massive eyes reflecting in the high beam of my Kogalla light, perched on the bank of the trail ahead of us. My husband Jason was with me, and we were armed with Counter Assault bear spray and a small pocket knife (something is better than nothing?). When he shouted at the creature it started to meander up the hill. When I spoke, it stopped and looked back at me. As if it sensed the fragility in my voice. All we could see were glowing eyes, patiently watching. When it seemed like it had lost interest in us and we no longer could find the eyes reflecting in our lights, we ever so cautiously moved past the space it had freshly held. We’re pretty sure it was still silently lurking in the shadows as we passed, hopefully laughing at our cute little knife and petrified faces.
If there is one thing that will help you be fearless in the night, it’s a shot of whiskey. You’re in luck, because Whiskey Row, aid station numero 7, mile 80.7 awaits. It’s estimated that the first runner will be rollin’ through at 6:47pm, which is waayyyy past 5:00. Whiskey Row is located in the courtyard of the Grand Highland Hotel directly on Whiskey Row. There will be access to a large indoor heated space with cots setup in the hotel ballroom and the option to book a room at a discounted rate. This is starting to sound dangerously tempting… Will you succumb to the tempting hangout at Whiskey Row, or swiftly grab a sandwich crafted by Aravaipa mom, Patti Coury, and venture forward? Time shall tell…
About the author/athlete: Shelby’s spirit animal is a mountain lion. She likes to channel their strength, intention, and power while on the trails. Become her IG friend @shelbzzf and subscribe to her YouTube channel for weekly training highlights as she prepares to tackle her longest run ever. @shelbzzf | shelbzzf.com