A Dam Good Run :-)

The Dam Good Run wasn't in my race plans for this year, but when my training schedule called for a 25k run at "best pace", the timing of it fitted perfectly and  so I found myself registering. There were a few distances on offer ranging from 2 miles up to 40km, but I was trying to stick to my schedule as closely as possible and so opted for the 26k.

The race took us back to Lake Pleasant - the start venue of the Crown King Scramble - but this time, we would be running across the New Waddall Dam before joining the trails that meandered up and around the nearby hills, with amazing views of both the lake and the surrounding areas.

Shores of Lake Pleasant and Start of the Dam Good Run 

Although I was treating things as a training run, it wasn't meant to be easy and I was fully determined to work hard and push the pace when and if I could. I was a little concerned that my legs would still be suffering from the previous day's adventures, when a group of us headed over to the McDowell Mountains for a 23km run. The run had involved well over 3000 ft of ascent which included a summit of Thompson Peak as well as climbing Bell Pass twice, and although my legs had felt fine at the end, the gradient of Thompson Peak is such that I expected sore quads the following day. 

Despite relatively higher mileage for the past few weeks, I was really pleased and pleasantly surprised when everything seemed to click on race day, and I actually felt strong for the entire race and was able to maintain a pretty decent pace.

The race started alongside the shores of Lake Pleasant and it was a beautiful sunny morning with temperatures already in the 70's even at 7.30am, with the mid to high 80's expected as the morning went on. I wasn't too concerned about the heat though - I've been trying to run during the day when things are warming up so that my body becomes better accustomed to dealing with the heat, and I knew that so long as I stayed hydrated and kept my electrolyte levels in check, I should be OK.

The Start of the 26km Race

The first 3 miles or so were actually on road as we crossed the dam and we got some lovely views across the lake. The pace was quite quick with being road, and it was a stark reminder of why I much prefer trail running these days as I struggled to maintain focus and maintain that kind of pace. The trails came soon enough though, and as soon as I felt the rocks and sand beneath my feet, I was much more relaxed and my confidence grew as I got into a nice steady rhythm.

Although it wasn't my intention to "race" per se, I found that I was second placed lady at around 5km and I was gaining on the leader. As I got closer, I did notice that she seemed a little tentative on the more rocky terrain - especially on the downhills - and she appeared to hold back when the trail wasn't quite so smooth. It wasn't really a conscious decision to catch her - it was more that I was following my training plan and trying to do my "best pace" during the run - and my pace was slightly faster. I took the lead at around about 6km although the other lady was able to stay with me and shortly afterwards she passed me as she injected some pace. It was like this for another couple of km as we played cat and mouse with each other, but after the first aid station, I took advantage of the other lady's hesitation at a small rocky, water crossing and having jumped over it myself, I managed to pull away and open up a bit of a gap.

Seizing the opportunity at this point to jump across and pull away!

Unlike some of the other races that I have done here in Arizona, this particular one wasn't quite as hilly. Sure, there were hills and we did a fair bit of climbing, but the climbs weren't as steep and were far more runnable. I've been working on improving my hill running and I really noticed the benefits of all those hilly trail runs showing through today as I tackled the climbs. The trails were really nice to run on too with plenty of things to keep you interested - ups and downs, twists and turns,single track, a couple of small, rocky water crossings, and some pretty amazing views of Lake Pleasant and the surroundings.

I was running well, feeling strong, and every time the trail followed a switch back, I would glance across to see if any other ladies were nearby, but it seemed as though I was well clear for the time been, so I just had to make sure I kept things going and didn't slow down.

The aid stations were once again excellent, with enthusiastic and very willing volunteers offering their assistance in making sure everybody had a great race. The tables were extremely well stocked with a great selection of snacks as well as a choice of drinks. I was only carrying water in my camelback and was very conscious of how much I was already sweating with the ever increasing heat, so I was sure to drink at least 2 cups of Gatorade at every aid station to help replenish salt levels and avoid cramping later on.

The 40km racers had set off 30 minutes before us and after a while, we started to catch the tailenders of that race. Everybody I passed was absolutely wonderful - chatty, friendly and smiles from everybody, and we all gave words of encouragement every time we encountered other runners on the trail.

With round 10km still to go, I was still working hard and holding onto the lead in the ladies race. We joined a section of trail that I was already familiar with - The Wild Burrow Trail - where I had walked with Andy and the dogs several times already when we've gone swimming and boating at Lake Pleasant. It was nice to know exactly what was coming for once, and I found I was running with greater confidence with knowing this particular route. It was at the end of this section that we hit the turnaround as well as the next aid station, and it was great to see some familiar faces from the Arizona Trail Leggers - a great group of runners that I have met on a Sunday morning a couple of times, and who I hope to join more often on a weekend over the coming months if and when things fit in with my training plan.

At the turnaround point with around 8km still to go
and feeling pretty dam good! (Thanks to jon Christley for the photo)

I was relieved to reach the turnaround as now I would see exactly how much of a lead I had as I would no doubt meet the chasing ladies heading in the opposite direction as I started the return journey along the same trail and the final 7km or so to the finish. It only seemed like a minute or so before I met the 2nd and 3rd ladies going in the opposite direction, and it looked like I had around about 600m lead over them which equated to perhaps 2 or 3 minutes depending on their pace. That seemed pretty close to me - especially as there was still around 5 miles or so to go before the finish. I wasn't prepared to give up my lead now, so I injected some pace in an attempt to increase the lead I had. The trail was quite narrow, and with other runners coming in the opposite direction, we were all trying to make sure there was enough room for everybody. It was when I moved over to the side that my foot clipped a rock and the next thing I know, I'm saying hello to the rocky trail as I fell like a ton of bricks to the floor. Fortunately I bounced back  up quickly enough, but it certainly knocked a bit of stuffing out of me and I was now wearing some pretty nifty battle wounds with 2 grazed knees, one of which was leaving a nice trail of blood down my shin, and two bloody hands.

Feeling a little dazed, I picked myself up and kept going, knowing that I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself. I passed the third placed man which meant I was now in 3rd place overall, and I was feeling even more determined by now to make sure that I didn't allow myself to slow down.

Retracing our tracks, it was great to see the same trails from a different direction but with around 1km to go we took a left turn and were faced with a pretty good climb back up to the road and the final stretch to the finish. The hill had a steep gradient and I found that this time, I was probably faster walking so having taking a sneaky peak behind to make sure there weren't any ladies hot on my tail and closing me down, I walked a short distance up the hill before breaking into a run again as I approached the top.

It was good to see the parking lot and the water of the lake glittering in the sunshine, and about 200 yards further along was the finish line. It was so tempting to jump into the lake to cool off, but I've never been brave enough to just dive straight in a lake - watching Jaws as a 3 year old still has a lot to answer for (don't ask!). It was great to see even more familiar faces at the finish line from the AZ Trail Leggers as well as regular volunteers and runners from the many races organised by Aravaipa Running. I spent a short while having a chat and then set off to find Andy and the pups.

Top 3 ladies in the Dam Good Run 26km Race

I'd finished the race in 1st place for the ladies, and 3rd overall in a time of 2 hours 15 minutes. It was a great day for the Aravaipa Running Racing Team as our good friend Kristina who is also on the team, came storming home in the 40k race to claim overall victory in a shade over 3 1/2 hours.

My performance last Sunday at the Dam Good Run couldn't really have gone much better for me, and it has certainly given me some confidence for my next goal race which is of course Bryce Canyon in June. I felt like I still had a bit of pace there when I needed it, and I certainly felt much stronger on the hills than I have done for a while. Racing in the heat was also great practise, and I found that I coped pretty well without feeling like I was overheating.

With just 7 weeks to go until Bryce Canyon 50 miler, I know I still have some time to improve further. The race will be held at altitudes of around 7000 - 8000 ft and I'm hoping to head up to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon over the next few weeks to get some runs in at altitude so that I can prepare my body as much as possible for the race. I'll also be running during the warmer parts of the day here in Phoenix rather that early morning when things are somewhat cooler - it may be hot at Bryce and being a 50 mile race, I will likely be running during the hottest part of the day, so I need to get my body used to keeping itself as cool as possible when things heat up. The other thing of course is that Bryce Canyon will be somewhat hilly, and with around 9,000ft of climbing from start to finish, running hills and doing hill repeats is an absolute must, along with practising my power hike for when hills are too steep or my legs are just too tired to keep me running the hills.

One thing is for sure though is that I am very focused and excited about Bryce Canyon and I'm determined to do all I can in my training to give me the best chance possible of a great race on the day, and I can't wait to see how it goes.

for now though, the following link is to a video of this year's Dam Good run  which really shows off how beautiful this race is - I hope that if you can spare another 5 minutes, that you enjoy what you see and can get some idea as to why this race was once again so amazing - enjoy :-)

https://youtu.be/vuF2CVIBo2w