Trail running. Road to crazy

As a kid my parents loaded up our silver Airstream trailer and took us deep into the mountains of Arizona. It was a summer trip we looked forward to.

Hubby and I tried our luck a few times taking our kids camping. The very first excursion into the wilderness was a memorable one. We found a nice spot to settle in and after just a few minutes we all heard the sound of cracking. Like a tree was about to fall. And then more cracking and a loud THUD ! TIMBER! That would have been perfect for the situation but honestly, I thought I was gonna shit myself.  The good news is that I didn't. Also good news, we now had a shit ton of firewood. The bad news: I didn't sleep a wink that night fearing another tree would fall on our tent.

Second trip was just as fun. NOT. We were invited to go to the lake with my sister in law and naturally we took our tent.  No trees near the lake. Just sandy beach. What could possibly go wrong? Pitched our tent for the night and the wind came. The tent poles that hold the fabric structure together snapped. I shit you not. Snapped in two. I seriously thought we were going to get picked up by strong gusts of wind and end up in the nearby lake. Good news is, we didn't. Bad news is, we no longer had a tent and spent the night in our truck. Sane people would have high tailed it the eff outta there. But not us. Oh no. We waited until morning so we could safely find our way out without driving into the lake.

Our adventures in camping left a bad taste in my mouth so we've never been back to visit the forest. Until this past weekend. My very first trail race. Now, we didn't do any camping, just "visited"  We stayed in a hotel not too far from the Flagstaff Nordic Center We arrived late the night before but had everything in check and ready for my race at 9 am Saturday.

I woke up refreshed (or maybe just excited) and had my pre race nutrition. Opted out of the Tailwind for this race as the aid stations had  Hammer Nutrition (which I've used before without issue) and water if needed. We arrived a few hours early to pick up my race packet. Air was cool and the Nordic Center did NOT disappoint. Got my bib on and went to pee a few times. This had hubby concerned that I would be dehydrated for the race still 2 hours away. I had been drinking lots of fluids over the course of the days leading up to the race including that morning, so I shrugged it off.  (Pre race smirk)

My initial thought when I signed up for this race was to use it as a training run for my full marathon and just go out and have fun, but still wanted to shoot for a time.  I started out with a goal of 2:30, but after hearing some of the runners talk about their last years BEST times for marathon (4:30) I told hubby not to expect me before 3 hours. The horn blew promptly at 9am. Off I went.

First couple of miles were good. Slight elevation change but nothing drastic. Miles 3-4 were getting a bit more difficult. Still, not a HUGE deal.  Then I tripped on a rock. Then another. And another. If I had to guess it was probably 1 rock per mile -at least. Nothing rattles you more than a few close calls with your face in the ground. I became more timid and slow watching my every step. I removed my sunglasses and put them on the bill of my cap to help visually. Looking down and ahead was the strategy and yet I still managed more run ins with the rocks and rough terrain. I wasn't the only one. 2 miles in a one guy went down hard. Think he twisted his ankle. Poor guy. I asked if he was okay or needed help. He said no. Started my descent and reached the half way marker near where we started. Was nice to hear the cheering. Happy to see hubby too.

I ran a bit with a guy who had done this race the last 2 years. Last year he said he fell and hit his head pretty hard. Ouch. He also said there was a huge hill at mile 10 to look out for. Thanks for that I said. And he was gone. After the halfway  point I removed my cap to get a little fresh air on my head and dry off the sweat. It wasn't until a good half mile later I realized my sunglasses were on my cap and I had lost them. Pretty bummed, I stopped and headed back in the direction to see if I could find them. They were a gift for my 40th birthday/first half marathon gift so they are special to me.  After several hundred feet of looking I gave up and started back up the hill for the second half of this mountain race.  I took in a little water at one of the aid stations and later some Hammer Nutrition at the 8 mile marker. I knew what lied ahead. Would I have been better not knowing? I wondered. You know your mind starts playing tricks on you.

Going into this race I had never run any trails. The trails around my house are in fact paths that lead to other paths. Not technically trails.  I call them trails because they're not asphalt. They're a soft surface where all the dogs like to shit. Nothing more. No huge rocks and other stuff that can trip you up. Just small pebbles. The hills I run around my house were nothing compared to what was on this trail. NOTHING. Altitude was a few thousand feet more than the 5600+ I run here in Albuquerque. so was I prepared for this race?  Yes and no.

From their website: The Flagstaff Marathon is 100% off-road with varying (single-track, cross-country, dirt roads) terrain. Elevation gains are only 2200 feet for the full marathon, 1100 feet for the half-marathon, and 450 feet for the 10Km loop.  The course ranges from 8000 feet to 8600 feet above sea level. The marathon has been described as the most scenic and difficult marathon in the Southwest. 

Mile 10 came and the only thing I could say is "this is f/?):$:$:) ridiculous ". Literally said this a few hundred times. I was like "WHO DOES THIS?!"  Then a quick  "I DO". Shut me up real quick. Quit your bitchin, bitchin!  That was that.

During that 10th mile hill from hell, I happened upon several runners who had also stopped to walk and mentioned that I had lost my glasses. One lady pulls out the recognizable white framed Oakley's and says "Are these them?"  I almost lost my shit. I seriously wanted to hug her right there in the middle of the forest. I couldn't believe it. My glasses that I thought were long gone were in my hands! A miracle. I say thank you a million times and we keep going. Mile 10 was a fricking beast! It was the never ending hill. A race marshal out on the course said "you're almost to the down hill". Key word "almost". A few of us started cheering and shouting! The "almost" he was talking about didn't happen for at least another mile and a half.  But man, when that time came it was exhilarating. And scary. The last thing I needed was to trip on the way down. So, very carefully I scanned the ground for my next steps and maneuvered the tricky landscape that was familiar and unfamiliar.

Just ahead the sound of the runners crossing the finish mat with the unmistakable 'BEEP' was music to my ears. I was so close, yet not. Wanting to make up some time I considered going a little faster but as soon as I thought that another rock greeted my tired feet.

There I was, in the last few strides of this tough course and I couldn't help but laugh. Laughing makes everything better,  right? I was happy and my body felt like I had been through a 10 round boxing match with an elephant. My ass, quads and hammies were screaming and yet I was okay with it. I spent a good portion of that run on my own on a well marked course (thank goodness) and not even a bear could have made me run faster, but I was willing to play dead to keep me alive JUST so I could finish this race.

It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done to this point. I'm sure next month I'll be singing a different tune.  Official time:  2:34:30


P.S. A post race meal at In n Out is tradition.  Hubby drove me about 2 hours in the other direction of home just to have a Double Double Animal Style. (which I couldn't finish)

Now onto crazy. (Denver)








Next up: Nutrition.  What is it good for? Absolutely everything.