Ups and Downs of Coldwater Rumble :-)

Having being a competitive athlete for so long now, I 'm normally pretty chilled out when it comes to racing these days - that is unless it's one of my A races - and yet going into this year's Coldwater Rumble 20-mile trail race, I felt a little nervous and maybe even a little under pressure.

Last year I won the race and was pretty close to the ladies' course record, and even though I already knew I wasn't running as fast as this time last year, I still couldn't help feeling that I would end up comparing my times. In addition, having being invited back to the Aravaipa Racing Team for a second year, I felt that I needed to perform well and run a decent time - needless to say when I had a touch of the trots on Friday evening, I didn't think too much of it and just put it down to a little pre-race nerves.

The past week or so in Phoenix has been much cooler compared to normal standards, and whilst "the high country" up north had experienced heavy snowfall over the past couple of days, the lower desert areas and the valley had been faced with a considerable amount of heavy rain. Some areas just to the north of Phoenix had flooding as the normally bone dry washes turned into raging rivers, and there were reports on the news of some folks getting caught in the flood waters as they attempted to drive through those washes .

I remembered the Coldwater Rumble as a rolling course that dipped up and down through washes and I think it's fair to say that the majority of people intending to race were getting prepared for cold, wet, muddy conditions which would make the run even tougher than normal. Despite my nerves, I was actually looking forward to a wet, muddy race for a change - if nothing else, it would at least give me a good excuse for not running as fast as I did in the previous year!

Yet on Saturday morning as we drove down to the Estrella Regional Mountain Park, the stormy skies started to clear leading to a beautiful, dramatic sunrise, and whilst there was certainly a brisk wind blowing which kept the temperatures down, the sun was trying to make a break for it and things were starting to brighten up.

Sunrise heading to Estrella

Although I was looking forward to hitting the trails for a few hours, I wasn't looking forward to running hard. For me personally, racing 20 miles these days is quite tough. Whilst still a good distance, it's much shorter than what I'm used to and I knew that meant attacking the course at a faster pace. My stomach was still playing silly buggers and I had to visit the loo twice in the half hour before the race start - I really couldn't believe that I was THAT nervous, but apart from a dull stomach ache, I wasn't feeling ill although I knew I wasn't 100%. It was then that I saw Aravaipa team mate Kori who had made a last minute decision to do the 20 mile race - I knew that if she was feeling good, she was likely to chase the course record, and I felt relieved that it meant there was now less pressure on me.

Although only a year since I had last ran the course, I couldn't really recall much about it. I did remember a steep uphill start, and then I remembered things flattening out after a couple of miles but with lots of ups and downs through the washes. I also remembered there being a good downhill at around 15 miles, and I definitely remembered there being a good mile or two of running on soft sand. What I DIDN'T remember is just HOW steep the hill was at the start, nor how much uphill there was before things flattened out!

For the first couple of miles as we climbed up and down endless hills of varying grade, I was just ahead of Kori and we were both making pretty good progress. It was actually pretty warm despite the brisk wind, and I found I was drinking far more than I had anticipated. I was getting a little stitch and my stomach was starting to gurgle again but I tried to ignore it and push on. After passing the first aid station at just over 3 miles, we started a gradual climb that took us higher into the Estrella Mountains. It wasn't a steep climb, but it did seem to go on and on and on and I found that I was getting a little fed up of the relentless climb. I started to walk the steeper sections but my power hike wasn't that powerful and it wasn't long before a relaxed and strong looking Kori passed me, and gradually put a good minute or two between us.

Much as I was loving being out on the trails, I was definitely not enjoying the race as much as I was hoping, and I found that mentally, I was losing the game. I just couldn't seem to get the enthusiasm to get my legs going and I was struggling to get myself in to race mode, and I didn't know why.

Whilst I was happily enjoying my surroundings and admiring the desert views, another lady was approaching from behind. I noted that she had a yellow number - great, she was doing the 20 mile race too. How many more ladies were going to pass me whilst I was in this frame of mind? She too passed by with graceful speed, and as the trail twisted and turned ahead, she put a good 400 metres or so between us as she disappeared in to the distance.

I'm not really sure what happened next. My stomach was still giving me grief, I was getting a stitch, I couldn't wait to get to the next aid station so I could get a drink, but all of a sudden my mind and body just woke up. My pace increased from a stop/start 9 minute miling or something to suddenly running just under 8's  and I was starting to make gains on the lady ahead that had only recently passed me. The closer I got, the more motivated I became, and as I relaxed into my stride and pushed the pace a little harder, I caught her. She was still running strong and looking good, but my competitive instinct had kicked in - I was going to fight for second place and I was determined to run hard for the remainder of the race, and if doing so brought me into striking distance for the win over the next 12 miles, then so be it.

We'd hit the sandy sections of the course by now, but I made light work of it as I pushed on through and opened a gap over 3rd place. There were a couple of sections on the course where the course markers weren't too clear ( I later found out that some had been blown away by the wind) and I ended up stopping and hesitating over which direction I needed to go, but I didn't let that deter me, and as soon as I was on the right track, I continued to push hard. My pace by now had greatly improved, I was obviously starting to tire a little and yet I felt strong at the same time. I somehow managed to make good progress up the next hill, overtaking some of the runners that were doing the longer distances, and as I came in to the aid station at around 16 miles, I was informed that Kori was about 2 or 3 minutes ahead of me.

I really didn't think I would catch Kori - she's a good strong runner and was having a good race today, plus I really would need to put a shift on to close the gap over just 4 miles or so - but knowing that she wasn't too far ahead and knowing that I didn't want to slip back down to third place again helped to keep me focused and moving forward. More dodgy signage cost me a few more seconds as I almost headed off in the wrong direction but fortunately I was paying enough attention to realise my mistake before I went too far.

Just like last year, I hated those last 4 miles! You think you can see the parking lot ahead but it's something else, and the trail just keeps going up and down and around the mountainside. The finish just never seems to get any closer, the legs are tired, and rocky, technical ups and downs just keep coming, and all you want to do is finish. Finally, after a steep downhill you finally hit the road, and you know you only have about 600m until the finish line.

After my dodgy start to the race, I was very happy to finish 2nd lady in 2 hours 53 minutes. I was 7 minutes slower than last year, but given the wind and given my lack of focus at the beginning of the race, I'm not about to complain. I finished strong and I finished with a smile - what more could I ask for?

Next weekend I have the Thunderbird 50km Fun Run which will be another good test of my fitness at the moment. Training has been going really well this past couple of months and I am getting some of the speed and fitness back that I had 12 months ago. I am also starting to feel much stronger on the climbs, and so I'm intrigued to see how I get on over a hilly 50k on Saturday. I then have a 12km race the following week, with my first big race of the year - the Black Canyon 100km  - on February 18th. Having done a training run on a 25 mile section of the Black Canyon Trail just a couple of weeks ago, I'm really looking forward to that one. Being a Golden Ticket Race for the Western States, it's going to be a highly competitive race for both the men and women and knowing that I won't be anywhere near to the leaders means that I can just focus on my own race and getting a decent time. I do have a goal time and I do think that if all goes well, I can do it. I just need to make sure that I stay focused and run the best race I can on the day.

But that's not until February, I still have another 4 weeks to prepare, and I have some good quality training sessions to complete. There's no rest for the wicked, so I guess I'd better get back to it :-) Catch you all laters!

Coldwater Rumble 20 Mile Podium

First Race of 2017 - San Tan Scramble 26km

My initial race plans for 2017 didn't include the San Tan Scramble and I only registered for it a couple of weeks ago with the intention of using it as a good, solid training run.

Unlike most of my other races in recent years, this one was "only" 26km, or just over 15 miles - half the distance of what I'm used to these days. This would mean running at a faster pace and pushing myself outside of what has become my comfort zone for ultra running. The race also came just 4 weeks after the Desert Solstice 24 hour track race and whilst I felt like I had now recovered from that, the true test would come during this race, when I found out how well my legs actually coped with both the pace and the climbs.

Although the race started at a reasonable time of 8am, it was almost a 90 minute drive to Queen Creek for us and whilst we'd allowed ourselves plenty of time to get there, we lost 20 minutes queueing for an early morning coffee from Dutch Brothers and I was started to feel a little anxious that I would miss the race start. We eventually arrived at the San Tan Mountains Regional Park with just 15 minutes to spare - not ideal, but at least I was on the start line when the race started!

The race course was once again truly amazing as it followed the San Tan Trail around the park, the trail meandering through the desert and treating us to the beautiful desert vistas that I have now become so accustomed to, but of which I never tire. Giant Saguaro Cacti stood tall and proud, whilst underfoot we had the usually rocky trails and sandy washes to contend with as the trail headed up and down. Whilst not a particularly hilly course, it was certainly undulating and with 2 good climbs, one of which was the half mile long 18% graded Goldmine Trail that was rocky and extremely steep on both the up and the down, it was certainly an interesting and sometimes challenging course, but in the main perfectly runnable.

From the start, I found myself in the lead pack of runners and I was feeling strong, relaxed and comfortable. I took the lead in the ladies race pretty much straight away, although there was another lady sitting on my shoulder within the first half a mile or so. She appeared to be breathing far more heavily than I was, but she was running strong and I figured that she would be my main competition. My first mile split came in at 7.38 - considering the start was a gradual incline and bearing in mind we still had another 14 or 15 miles still to go, I eased back a little, letting the other lady take the lead whilst I sat in behind her and just kept her within my sights.

Settling in to a good, steady rhythm, I was feeling really good and in control as I took a look around me to admire the views. The San Tan Mountains were beautiful with some areas rocky and craggy which made me want to go back again another day so I could explore properly.

Despite absorbing the surrounding scenery, I was very much "in the zone" and was so focused on running hard and maintaining the pace that I failed to notice that the lead pack had somehow gone off course and come to a standstill just ahead of me in a sandy wash and were debating which way to go. I stopped too, but I was convinced that the arrow had pointed right although it was pretty obvious that this wasn't a defined trail even though there was evidence of footprints ahead. After some hesitation, the group split with most heading back to the previous marker and saying they would shout back to us if we were wrong, whilst they suggested that me and this other guy headed a little further up the wash, just in case there was another marker around the corner and we could shout to them.

It seemed pretty reasonable but looking back, I can't help feeling that we were a little naïve! We spent well over 5 minutes dilly dallying as to whether we were on the right trail, but it soon became obvious that we had definitely made a mistake and disappointingly - an rather annoyingly - "the others" had not called us back.

Heading back the way we had come, we now encountered the mid-pack runners in the race and with everybody heading straight up the trail and seeing how obvious it really was, I found myself getting extremely agitated and frustrated - how on earth did we make that mistake and end up doing an extra mile or so, and losing so much time? Why the hell wasn't I paying more attention? I have NEVER taken a wrong turn in a trail race before! Why didn't the others call us back when they realised? I also found it a little ironic that having thought I would miss the race start earlier that morning and would end up playing catchup, I was now playing catchup anyway because of a stupid mistake.

My male companion ran on ahead and wished me once we were back on course, whilst I struggled to get my head back in to the right place. Having been up there with the lead lady for the first 2 or 3 miles, I now found myself way down the field with no idea how many runners had already passed us. Did I now run even harder to chase her down, or did I just stick to my plans and not worry too much, and just use the race as a good training run? This wasn't an A race, it didn't really matter, maybe I should just drop at the end of the lap, and yet the competitive runner in me just couldn't let it go.

I decided to just push on, running as fast as I could and hoping that I clawed back some of the lost places. Over the next couple of miles, I passed at least 10 ladies in my efforts to make a gain on the leader, but there was still no sight of her and I really couldn't run any faster.

I managed to run the entire first climb and really stretched things out and pushed hard on the downhill, running a 4.10 km split in the process, and whilst the climb up Goldmine Trail was tough, my power hike got me up there at a decent enough time, helping me to overtake a couple of the guys in the process.

As the end of the first lap approached, I started to ponder quitting again because of the balls up and I was thinking that if Andy was there, I would walk away. But another part of me was hoping that he wasn't - after all, there was nothing wrong with me, I wasn't injured and I was still running a decent pace. I hadn't seen any other ladies for a good while now, so I figured that I must be at least 2nd, and with absolutely no reason to quit, I decided it would be character building to swallow my pride, carry on and get the job done. I grabbed some Gatorade as I passed through the timing mat and without thinking too much more, I headed out on to lap 2 for the final 9km.

The second loop seemed less hilly but still plenty of twists and turns that kept things interesting. It was once again a stunning part of the San Tan Mountains and as I ran along enjoying every minute, my frustrations were already starting to be forgotten. By now, my calves were starting to tighten up a little so I resorted to walking some of the shorter, steeper sections but otherwise I was still feeling amazing and was still pushing the pace when I could.

Despite the mishap and despite having wasted 5 or 10 minutes running/walking approximately a mile further that we needed to, I ended up finishing 3rd lady in 2 hours 27 minutes. At the start, I genuinely felt that I could run around 2.10 to 2.15 and so a little part of me was disappointed with my finishing time. However, putting things into perspective, I don't think I did that bad really and I know that I shouldn't be so hard on myself.

All in all, I absolutely loved the San Tan Scramble and I shall certainly be back for more next year. I loved the course, the scenery was amazing, the event went like clockwork, and everybody was so friendly and encouraging when out on the course. It was great to see the 50k runners heading in the opposite direction and being able to give them some support, and the aid station volunteers were once again the best.

Thank you to Aravaipa Running for organising yet another fabulous event, thank you to Andy for getting up at silly o' clock to come with me to the race for moral support, and also to Wilson and Brandy who are always happy and ready to cheer me up, no matter how good or bad a race goes for me.

Next up is the Coldwater Rumble 20 miler in just 2 weeks time. It's not an A race either, but having done the same event last year, it will be interesting to see how I get on and how it compares to last year. Watch this space! :-)

Happy New Year!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty awesome and it's been the perfect way to end what's been an amazing year.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the official invitation from Aravaipa Running to join their racing team for another year. It was a great feeling to be invited back - whilst I feel like I've had a good year of racing during 2016, I never take things for granted and with so many other good lady runners in the Phoenix area, I wasn't 100% sure that I would be on the team again. There are some new faces on the team for 2017 and it's a great group of athletes that I can't wait to get to know and share the trails with throughout the coming year.

Being invited back to the team has once again increased my motivation ten fold, and with a new coach to guide me, I'm hoping for some good races again over the next 12 months. I've already entered some events that will be used as training towards my main racing goals f0r 2017 and I'm being  a little different this year by setting training goals too, which I know will help build confidence for the A races I have planned.

Cooler weather in recent weeks has meant that I've finally managed to get a few trail running miles in with my little dog Wilson. I've really missed running with him and I know for sure that he's been eager to join me every day regardless of the weather. A few mixed terrain runs with him and a few hikes where Brandy has joined us has meant that their soft, tender paws have become more accustomed to the rocky terrain here in Phoenix and they've finally seemed more comfortable hitting the trails with me.

Hikes with Brandy and Wilson

Christmas Day was extra special as both Wilson and I headed out for a short and easy 6 mile run. We finally summited Union Peak together - something that I have wanted to do with him for a while now - and we shared a drink of water, and fruit scone and Christmas puppy kisses whilst at the top admiring the views.

Christmas Day with my little Munchkin Wilson :-)

Other than the run, Christmas was a pretty quiet affair this year with just me, Andy and the furies eating, drinking and making merry together on the big day. We had a winter storm pass through Arizona on Christmas Eve which meant the northern areas of the state had a white Christmas. There was no snow in Phoenix but we decided to drive to Prescott, just an hour or so north of Phoenix, to search for some snow so that the dogs could have a frolick and play in the white stuff. Thankfully in the forested areas of the town there was still a good covering and the dogs spent a good hour having a play - digging, rolling and running around together, whilst clearly having tons of fun!

Fun in the snow in Prescott :-)

I did a couple more small runs with Wilson and had an amazing run on Christmas Eve with a bunch of friends when we took a visit to the McDowell Mountains and did a 12 mile circular trail run up Bell Pass to Tom's Thumb, and then last Thursday, I was invited to do a run at the Grand Canyon with a group of friends.

I love the Grand Canyon and no matter how many times I have been, I am still wowed by its magnificence. Whilst admiring it from the both the north and south rim is pretty impressive, I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to once again head down in to the canyon itself for 27 miles of trail running bliss. A group of 9 headed north to partake in this mini adventure, and thanks to the knowledge and experience of Chris "the Chef" Wolfe, we had the most amazing time running Hermit, Tonto and Bright Angel Trails, with a detour to the Granite Rapids on the Colorado River at the base of the Canyon. What made the trip even more remarkable and extra special this time was that there was still some snow on the trails which gave a completely different perspective compared to previous visits which added a greater beauty to what is already a breathtaking location.

Granite Rapids on the Colorado River

My legs were pretty sore from the ups and downs of running at the Grand Canyon, but New Year's Eve saw me returning to the McDowell Mountain Preserve to do a 15 mile time trial on the Pemberton Trail. After racing Javelina, I'm pretty familiar with this trail now and I was intrigued to see how quick I could run the 15 mile loop when not under race conditions. I thought realistically I could get close to 2 hours, but heavy rain meant that the trail was extremely heavy going in places and after my exploits a couple of days earlier, my legs struggled to maintain the pace I knew I was capable of. It was only a time trial, but I did get a PR by 4 minutes although I know that I can knock even more off that and it's something that I will be working towards over the coming weeks.

After a quiet Christmas, one would think that we would want a quiet New Year, and to some degree it was. Whilst last year I had competed in a 24 hour race on New Year's Eve, this year it was the turn of my good friend Natalie from Edmonton, Alberta to compete in the event. Both Natalie and Dennene - another very good friend of ours - spent a few days at our house over the New Year whilst Natalie competed in her first 24 hour race at the Across the Years event that I had done last year. Her final result was absolutely outstanding  and we were extremely proud of her. I shared a few laps with Natalie - something like 12 miles in total as we ran around and around and around in the pouring rain, avoiding the puddles as best we could as Phoenix experienced 2 winter storms over the New Year period, and dumped copious amounts of rain on the 1 mile loop at Camelback Ranch in Glendale. The best part was the final lap when we were just 10 minutes away from the 24 hour time limit, and we were skipping and singing away to Robbie Williams' "Candy" as the sudden onset of torrential rain failed to dampen our spirits in the closing stages.

Across the Years - Dennene, Natalie and Del at 100 mile mark 

So in terms of 2016, it was a great way to end a successful year. I ran something like 3000 miles throughout the year and climbed over 240,000 feet. I made lots of new friends, had some amazing races, but more importantly, had so much fun out on the trails.

I'm excited about 2017 and have set myself some tougher challenges compared to last year. It's not going to be easy but then what's the point in doing things if you don't test your limits?

I know that midnight has long gone and we are already fast approaching January 2nd, 2017 but despite being a little late with this post, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everybody for all their support in the past year and here's to a happy, healthy and successful new year for each and every one of you.