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! :-)
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