Rumble Musings: Nostalgia For The Old, Excited For The New!

Jen LaughlinRace Preview, Race Report, Race Update

I’ve been spending a lot of time this month on the “old” Coldwater Rumble Trails. As winter grass over seeding is taking place at my son’s current soccer practice location in Litchfield Park, training has been temporarily moved to Goodyear and as my luck would have it, just a stone’s throw from the main entrance to Estrella Mountain Regional Park, giving me quick access to a sunset trail run while he’s at practice. Outside of Coldwater, I don’t get many opportunities to run these trails, so it’s been a treat to kick up the dust over there a few times a week.  Now, I would by lying if I haven’t been feeling some nostalgia while …

Lessons in Life at Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs

Jen LaughlinRace Preview

I decided last year to sit Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs out and immediately regretted it. It was the first time I had missed that race since I ripped of the endurance band-aid and became an “ultra runner” back in 2014 when I barely finished the 50k. Every year since I had gone back to take on a different distance, eventually repeating a few, improving on previous year’s finishing times or having a different race experience entirely because you see at Mesquite Canyon, you never know what you’re going to get.Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs is the final race in our Desert Runner Trail Series. It happens each year in March, and if you’re competing in the …

The Sleep Deprivation Puzzle of Cocodona

Kelly PattersonRace Preview, Running Tips, Ultra Thoughts

By Jeff Garmire Cocodona isn’t only a long race; it is a commitment to days of racing. Last year the winner, Michael Versteeg, took over three days to finish. At 250 miles, a sleep strategy is as essential as a nutrition strategy. It is the one thing I entered the 2021 Cocodona with the confidence that I could navigate. The race starts early, but this works in our favor. With a 5 am start, runners can show up after a full night of sleep. The batteries are fully charged, and days of racing don’t seem so bad. But, as the first night comes, the miles of pounding dirt through the first 10k feet of gain …

IT’S PARTY TIME! – Days Away From Starting Cocodona 250

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com The work is done. It’s time to play. All of the energy you’ve put into the past however many weeks of Cocodona 250 training now gets to be unleashed. Let it ROAR! It’s a powerful feeling. Yes, there are more unknowns than known at this point. Especially for me and others that are new to this distance. Get ready to dance with them. I know I am. I’m going to keep this blog short because the taper crazies are for real. It’s a week of trying to leave my work, my apartment, and my cat wrapped up with a shiny bow on top so …

Treading Lightly: Some Earth-Friendly Etiquette for Trail Runners

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Running Tips

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com The funniest question that I have been asked in regards to running Cocodona 250 came from one of my CrossFit coaches. He’s excited for me, but I saw his facial expressions turn from enthused to contemplative… “Where do you poo?” he asked with a smile and edge of concern. In honor of Earth Day this week, let’s talk about it! I think one of my biggest trail pet peeves is dog poop bags and humans leaving exposed piles of TP. I mean, do you really need toilet paper if you only did a number one?! It seems excessive… (ladies, lookin’ at you.) Going to …

What’s Your Why? – The Motivation Behind Running a 250-Mile Race

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com I remember my first run. Not the first time I ran, but the first time I ran after enjoying all of the french fries, ice cream, and Thirsty Thursdays in college. Discomfort in your own skin, amplified by every jarring jiggly step. For me it was the beginning of discovering self-discipline, the beginning of self-discovery, the beginning of falling in love with running. Ew. Typing that made me cringe. Is it “running” I love? Not in the isolated form of the word. It’s the ability to connect your mind and body in nature. It’s the power of being able to traverse a landscape by …

Training for Night Running

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

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 …

Shelby Farrell training for Cocodona 250.

Training for the Cocodona 250-Mile Trail Race While Working Full Time

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com “Sooo…do you just run all day?” People look at you like you’re an alien when you tell them you’re training for a 250-mile race called Cocodona 250. Congrats! You’re now the “crazy” friend! Running the race is one thing. The real perplexity is around how to train for something of this physical magnitude, especially when working a full-time job. (And MASSIVE kudos to the ultra parents out there. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about leaving my cat when I go out for a six hour adventure…but I do miss him). A popular question is what my weekly mileage looks like, but …

Training for Cocodona 250

Cocodona 250 – Six Weeks To Go

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview

Guest Post by Shelby Farrell | Follow her Cocodona 250 training journey at @shelbzzf & shelbzzf.com On the morning of May 3, 2021 a group of brave endurance athletes will be setting out to run the inaugural Cocodona 250. Two hundred fifty miles starting in Black Canyon City, Arizona, through Crown King, Prescott, Jerome, Clarkdale, all the way to Sedona, concluding in Flagstaff. The race is six weeks out, so basically it is just around the corner. Eeek! For me, this means a month to fully dial in my training, enjoy a chill taper for two weeks (aka try not to go crazy), and then wake up ready to send it on that first marvelous …

Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs course

Mesquite Canyon: A Rebirth in the Tanks

Ashton KanstrupRace Preview, Ultra Thoughts

Guest Post by Aravaipa’s Social Media Manager, Jen Laughlin. Spring is the season for rebirth. It’s nature’s way of starting over. This anticipated life cycle is obvious in the sights, sounds and scents in the outside world, especially to those who’ve experienced a long, cold winter. Though the turn in season isn’t as dramatic for us Phoenicians, there’s still something especially distinct about springtime in the desert. The air feels different. The temperature is still incredible, yet there’s a subtle sting of lingering heat that hasn’t been felt since the fall. The angle of the sun in the sky has started to shift; the saguaro shadows on the ground are less elongated and their arms …