Category Archives: 50K

TRU Tribe: Member Spotlight Mellie Frei

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

Every Saturday we highlight one of our members in TRU Tribe Running Club .  Meet Mellie!  If we can do it, so can you!

Mellie’s 1st 50K!

Why did you start running?
I started running for health reasons. I was diagnosed with COPD and Chronic Pancreatitis in the same year and wanted to do something to be able to keep breathing!
What age did you start running?
50
How old are you now? (to inspire the others! but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to)
52
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far from your running journey?
You can’t finish if you don’t start, and it is ok to be DFL! (Dead F*&n Last)
What advice would you give a beginner runner?
You have to start somewhere, set realistic goals, don’t be hard on yourself, surround yourself with positive, supportive people!
What would you do differently knowing what you know now?
Learn how to run the right way, so you don’t get injured!
What is your longest race distance and why?
Recently completed Javalina Jangover 50k with Cindy Richardson!  I wanted to try a 50k, as my goal is to challenge myself continually, and defy the odds.
Do you have a bucket list race or distance?
The National Pancreas Foundation is currently a charity partner with the Marine Corps Marathon. The cutoff is 7 hours for the full, which will require some speed work for me to maintain that pace for 26 miles.
What has been your favorite race and/or distance so far?
I have many favorite races!! I love the challenge of the half marathon distance and my goal is to complete all the Vacation Races! My favorite was the Grand Teton Half, simply beautiful!
What is your favorite color?
I don’t have just one!
What is your favorite post race food and drink?
I love a juicy IPA after a run!! Love going out for breakfast after weekend runs
Anything else you want to share with the TRU TRIBE 😀
When you are surrounded with the right people, anything is possible. TRU TRIBE ladies are so inspiring!

Click here for more Member Spotlight Inspiration!

 

TRU Tribe: Member Spotlight Kisha Ferullo

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

Every Saturday we highlight one of our members in TRU Tribe Running Club .  Meet Kisha!  If we can do it, so can you!

Why did you start running? 
A friend was doing a race and asked me if I wanted to do it too.

What age did you start running?
35

How old are you now?
46

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far from your running journey?
To enjoy the ups and persevere through the downs.

What advice would you give a beginner runner?
Find a supportive group to run with.

What would you do differently knowing what you know now?
Stretch more, rest more, cut myself some slack for hard runs

What is your longest race distance and why?
100k at Javelina Jundred….I volunteered at this event about 6 months after I started trail running and I saw “real” people with “real” bodies and thought if they could do it so could I.  Made a 3 year goal to do it for my 45 birthday..

Do you have a bucket list race or distance?
I would like to get 100 miles at a timed event..

What has been your favorite race and/or distance so far?
I really enjoyed Punisher 30k….it’s a nice course at night.  I also thought the Black Canyon Trail was beautiful (at least the 20 miles I saw 😜)

What is your favorite color?
Purple

What is your favorite post race food and drink?
Beer and pizza.

Anything else you want to share with the TRU TRIBE Online 🥰
Thanks for being part of my journey!

Click here for more Member Spotlight Inspiration!

 

TRU Tribe: Member Spotlight Cindy Richardson

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

Every Saturday we highlight one of our members in TRU Tribe Running Club .  Cindy Richardson was our first one!  Since she’s been a member, she’s crossed finish lines she never thought possible including her first 50K on 9/27/19!

Cindy and Mellie completing their first 50K..at night! They are still smiling at the finish even if the sunrise beat them to the finish 💜

Why did you start running?
I needed a new challenge in my life and running had always been something I was scared of.

What age did you start running? 
58

How old are you now? 
59

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far from your running journey?
Just start and quit thinking about it. Even if I have a setback, I need to work within my own limits but keep moving forward towards my goals.

What advice would you give a beginner runner? 
Just start and quit thinking about it. Find a coach and stick to a workout schedule. Having an event as a goal will help keep you focused.

What would you do differently knowing what you know now?
I would try to be more consistent with my workouts.

What is your longest race distance and why?
50K – recently completed. It was a tough event but I finished within the cutoff time.

Do you have a bucket list race or distance?
Not any more. I am happy with the 50K, but may decide to do other 50K races. 

What has been your favorite race and/or distance so far?
I really enjoyed my first night race, it was a 9K at San Tan and beautiful weather with full moon, and I ran with a companion Melinda the entire race.

What is your favorite color?
None really but wear lots of purple now.

What is your favorite post race food and drink?
Beer garden is always fun to sit and visit with group, beer and something salty for post race snack. 

Anything else you want to share with the TRU TRIBE Online 🥰
Having the TRU Tribe group as inspiration and companions is a great way to keep focused and have fun. Lisa is a great coach — working on technique, running workouts and auxilliary excercises plus cheering us on the entire time.

Click here for more Member Spotlight Inspiration!

Race Report

Canyon De Chelly Ultra 55K Race Report 2019

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

This race is one of the main reasons I love running!  This was my most favorite race experience that I’ve had to date! (so hard to say this as I’ve had so many but overall, this one takes it!)

First I have to thank Maria Walton.   Continue Reading →


Race Report

Race Report: Crown King 50K Scramble 2018

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I have a love/hate relationship with this race!  It’s my 3rd year in a row and for some reason, that evil hills keeps calling me back.  Last year,  Aravaipa Running had a Women’s Ultra Training Program for the race and I was lucky enough to be the coach…unfortunately I never wrote a blog for last year but I did write one for my first time in 2016. Continue Reading →


Race Report

Race Report: Coldwater Rumble 52K Fun!

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

I think I found another favorite 50K! Well actually a 52K 😉

On Saturday, I completed my 10th 50K??  (I seriously can’t keep track…technically my 10th 50/52K not including the 60K/64K?).

Anyways, it doesn’t really matter.  I picked Aravaipa Running’s Coldwater Rumble because I’ve done the 20 Mile event 3x and I wanted to get more mileage so I figured why not?  This race is in the Estrella Mountains which are my old stomping grounds when I lived in Avondale.

The highlight of the entire run was being able to get a picture with Courtney while she was in the middle of her 52 miler (she still won the race in 7:10:22 , broke the course record and was 2 hours and 12 minutes ahead of the 2nd place runner!).  She is truly an amazing athlete (she did the Moab 240 miler last year, placed first and the 2nd runner was like 10 hours behind her!).  She had an amazing stride and my friend Nancy just yelled out and asked her to take this picture with us and she stopped and did!  How cool is that?!

The amazing Courtney Daulwalter stopped to take a quick pic with us and she still placed first!

A few of my favorite things about this race:

  • There are distances for everyone: 4 miles, 20K, 20 Miles, 52K, 52 miles, and 100 miles.
  • Because of all the distances and some looping on the course, you get to see people doing the various distances. You can tell by their bib color which one they are doing. Trail runners are one of the friendliest people and there is always a “good job” or “way to go” as you pass someone or they are coming toward you.

Thanks to Surprise Running Club for being at the key aid station where we crossed several times on the course with the other distances.

  • This trail has so much diversity: uphills, downhills, sand, rocks, gravel, single track, wider trail, etc.  Lots of cacti, chollas and white quartz too.

Great views and cholla forests!

Mounds of quartz!  I love this spot! As you approach it, especially when it’s sunny, you can see it sparkle and it looks like 2 big mounds of snow in the middle of the desert.

 

  • Aravaipa just puts on a damn good race! Volunteers and staff are amazing and the aid stations always have great food and drinks.

I don’t really have anything negative to say about this race.  It might be a bit of a drive out to the west side for some people,  I’m not big on loops but the 52K was the 20 mile loop and a smaller one that was reversed so it looked like another trail in my opinion, I loved the diversity of the trail but I heard some people didn’t.

This was a true training run for me.  I was so excited to see how many friends I had that were doing the 52K!

 

Kisha did her first official ultra trail race! Like a true ChiRunner, before the race she said she was oddly nervous because she felt so prepared for it. I stayed to watch her cross the finish line and she finished in exactly the time she expected to! Great planning and congrats!

ChiRunners Emily and Tricia at the start. Both are training for their first 50 miler (Antelope Canyon like mine!)

Always fun to see old friends and make new ones!

Sometimes I may get in “race” mode because I want to PR that event…since it was my first time doing this event, I wasn’t concerned about PRing but wanted to have a solid run.I am always prepared with podcasts, audio books, ChiSchool audios for these long runs.  I did the first 9ish miles by myself and in silence. Sometimes there is nothing like being one with nature on the trail which is one of the many reasons I prefer trails over road.

I ran into my friend Tricia, Ragnar Ambassador and ChiRunner and gave her some tips as we ran in sand (see below).  We picked up Nancy and one of my newest running friends, Aaron at the aid station at 11 miles. Unfortunately Tricia was having some cramping issues so she stayed at the next aid station to work through it.  The three of us ran from mile 11 to the finish together.  If it works out that I’m with people who can stay at whatever pace I am doing, I am happy to run with others. This running season I’ve done more long runs than normal on my own so I was happy to have some company.  We had many conversations over those 22 miles while hiking and running that really helped the time go by! Before you know it, we finished our race in about 9 hours.  Here is a video of our finish.

Lessons Learned/Technique Tips

  • I did this Facebook live after the event. I’ve talked about this before: the difference between attending a race and using it as a training run vs actually racing the event.  When I’m in race mode (which only happens if I’m trying to PR the same course of a race), I have an entire different process: I taper the week before, I check my previous stats and know exactly what pace I need to average to get the PR, I’m more focused on how long I stay at aid stations and try not to waste any time on the trail. I usually prefer to stay by myself on these types of runs.  If it’s just a training run, I treat it exactly as that. It took some practice to get to that point but you have to mentally just decided it’s just a training run.  I love doing races as training runs because you have aid stations and you get to see friends and more runners on the course. It’s really just a mindset that you can decide!
  • I’ve done several training runs and races in sand and have learned a few things.  From a ChiRunning standpoint, you always want to move your body to flow with nature rather than fight it (like in martial arts, you never meet a force with a force).  When I’m in sand, I work on keeping a faster cadence (strides per minutes).  The slower I move my feet, the more time I have to sink in the sand…so although walking was tempting, by increasing my cadence, I didn’t sink in the sand as much.  I also work a lot on peeling my foot and leaning rather than pushing out of the sand.  When pushing, calves are overactive, they are smaller muscles and I prefer not to burn them out.  It’s still a work in progress but I felt this was the easiest time since I’ve done this part of the course several times so something is working!
  • My abs were more sore than my legs yesterday!  I always take this as a good sign!  ChiRunning is about learning to engage gravity while in good posture (requires working the core muscles) and using legs for stability NOT propulsion.  My abs worked hard on Saturday!
  • I could also feel my upper back and shoulder muscles.  This is typical for me when I do uphills (use more arms than legs to propel me up the hill) but I noticed in several photos (including the finish line video) that my shoulders were hiked up.  I try to work on relaxing them but looks like I will be focusing on this more as I train for Black Canyon.  One of the things I love most about ChiRunning is that you are constantly focusing on becoming more and more efficient with your body movement.  Running therefore becomes a practice and not just a means to an end on race day. I get excited when I have a new “project” to work on with my running form!

With all of this said, this was truly one of my favorite races…not just the course, but the entire experience!  Thanks to the volunteers, Aravaipa, and running friends for an awesome time!

Connie was ahead of us on the 52K but the great thing about this course is that she had to come back towards us on her 2nd loop so we got to take a picture. It was fun seeing people going in both directions completing various distances!

Gorgeous sunset after our finish! Apparently I didn’t take any pics with beer or Fireball after the finish but it happened 😉

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Race Report

McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50K Race Report: Success Redefined

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

….and My Story Runs On….

This is the 3rd year in a row that I do this 50K. It’s one of my favorites and perfect timing in my 100K Training Schedule to have a nice long training run.  This has been my 2nd, 5th and 9th 50K!   Still unbelievable to me that I swore I would never run more than a 5K when I started running!

McDowell Mountain Regional Park has some of my favorite trails and Aravaipa Running always puts on a great event.  This was meant to be a training run but since I was doing the same race for the 3rd year in a row, I did have it in the back of my mind that PRing (personal record) would be an added bonus. I went into the race with that idea but was also detached from it since technically this was supposed to be a training run.  I normally don’t have a race pace but I definitely get into a different mindset if I’m wanting to PR or “race” an event.  I also had to consider that I had run 20 miles the Sunday before so I didn’t taper for this race and I did a tough marathon downhill marathon 3 weeks before.  I was so close to PRing and made a “fatal” mistake which cost me the PR…but all good and that story is down below….

Miles 0-12.5

Rachel’s 2nd 50K and Joan’s first one! Waiting for the start….

The energy before a race is always exciting, especially when you realize how many friends you have out there!  Several of them were doing their first 50K.  It was great to start out the race after getting so many hugs from friends!  I love the Escondido trail as it’s rolly polly . I knew I could easily get started too fast here so I tried to keep a nice pace, walking the uphills and running flats and downhills.  The last third of the race is the hardest and I’ve struggled on this part the last few years.  My goal was to not let that happen again.  I immediately started focusing on my ChiRunning form. At about Mile 5, I decided to listen to some ChiSchool lessons so I could continue focusing on my form. I put this on shuffle and even though I listen to some of the same lessons, there are always some great aha moments.  This time it was with the lesson “The World’s Largest Treadmill” and some cueing from Danny (the founder of ChiRunning) about feeling your leg get swept back by the trail every time it hit the ground.  I’ve heard this lesson many times and it’s one of my favorites but something different clicked with me this time.  I skipped the first aid station strategically so I didn’t “waste” anytime as I had plenty of water and fuel. The 2nd aid station was at mile 12.5 and I knew there would be a 10 mile gap until the 3rd one and it would be during “the hill”.  Refueled and filled up water and was off again.  I knew I had to keep under a 14:58 min mile to PR and I was doing great!  At this point I was averaging a 13:23 min mile and I knew I would be hiking that hill.  My goal during the first third of the race was to run as much as I could without using up too much energy because I had that last third of the race always in the back of my head.

Miles 12.5-22.5

I had forgotten about the part of the course before “the hill”.  Pretty runnable and great scenery.  I was still feeling pretty good here. Ran into my friends Jennifer and Rachel and took this quick selfie.

The hardest part of wanting to PR is that you need to stay focused as any extra minute can add up.  I felt leaving them so quickly but I was on a mission.  It’s also hard for me to do this as a coach as I always like to give words of encouragement and hang with people but sometimes I have to run my race and I was determined since I was on track.   I had stopped listening to ChiSchool from the aid station and at mile 18 decided to listen to a few motivational TED talks I had downloaded. Sometimes I like to listen to stuff on long runs but I only listened to a few as I was truly enjoying being out there and present on the trail. The weather up to mile 15 was perfect. There was cloud coverage and we even had a few sprinkles. After my last Black Canyon experience (my character builder run) I was no longer worried about running in the rain but it didn’t happen. At about mile 15, the clouds were gone and the sun came out…I immediately stripped off my sleeves and the weather got hot really fast.  I think many of us were impacted by that change during this race.  I hiked the entire hill and ran the downhill more than last year…I remember it was rocky so I was careful but was still tracking to PR.  Even though I completely filled my hydration pack, I went through my water and couldn’t wait to get to the aid station. I was out of the water for the last 1.5 miles and it kept getting warmer.

Bottom of the hill…it’s not steep but a long hill…you can see runners on the other side of the trail

Beautiful chollas and Rockknob in the background

I think this is Rocknob..its the name of the trail but beautiful rock formations!

Another angle of Rocknob

Miles 22.5 to 31

I knew I had to stay focused on the aid station.  A friend of mine, Suzanne was there and she hooked me up right away. Helped fill my pack, put some ice in my buff and hat, I grabbed some munchies and I was off again.  At this point, due to the hiking, I was averaging a 13:58 mile so I knew the PR was closing in on me.  I did something I don’t advise people to do but decided to take two ibuprofen.  I figured even though my legs weren’t too bad, they were a bit achy and I knew this would help me run more.  Unfortunately my TomTom died at mile 24 so now I had no idea how I was doing.  There is an uphill after the aid station but then a nice steady downhill, although a bit rocky.  My goal at this point was to keep running as much I could. I was doing a lot of body sensing since I didn’t have a watch to tell me how I was doing (this is truly a better way as the GPS watch can be a distraction and play into the ego more than listening to your body)  I listened to music for a bit but my MP3 player died.  I just keep running as much as I could until I reached the last aid station.  My first question was how much longer do I have to go. They said 3.4 miles,  I looked at my phone and it was 3pm.  I had to be done by 3:44 to PR and this was cutting it pretty close but doable.  I usually don’t do much sugar until the last aid station (thanks to my nutritionist)  I drank some Coke, had a piece of potato with salt, and handful of peanut M + M’s.  I left and took my phone out to text a few friends that were waiting at the finish line for me.  Here is where I made my mistake.  I wasn’t paying attention as I was texting and walking…Before you know it, a guy yelled out “What distance are you doing?” I said the 50K and he said, “You’re on the wrong trail”.  So grateful for this guy as I would’ve kept on that wrong trail for who knows how long!  I was 4-5 min in so I turned around right away but I knew this set me back and I would’ve been cutting it even closer.  Even though I ran as much as I could towards the end, I knew it wasn’t happening.  I could start hearing the finish line (they have a DJ!) and knew I was almost there.

One of the several hills on the last 3.4 miles on the technical trail..

It’s a great feeling when people could say they recognized my running form from far away.  As I finished through the last section on the technical trail, I was getting excited to be done.  Always great to finish and see friends cheering you on at the finish line…even though it was my 9th 50K, finish lines never get old!

Biggest Learning Moment

So how do you define a successful race?  Everyone has their own definition. I think it depends on the race too.  Although I didn’t make my PR on this race, it was a great success for me. First of all, it was the first time doing this race that I felt strong on the last third even though I ran into some challenges.  I crossed the finish line feeling really good!  And considering I didn’t taper last weekend and have been building mileage, I was very happy with how I felt at the end!  I attribute this to my race strategy and more importantly my ChiRunning technique. As I was by myself for this whole race so it was easier for me to focus on my form and adjusting it as needed to the environment coming at me.  I may have conserved to much energy since I finished strong but I’ll take that over being miserable and injured any day!  As mentioned, I follow my fueling plan that I learned from my nutritionist and that makes a big difference too!

The After Party

Much like the beginning of the race, at the end of the race there were so many friends around. There is always a beer garden for people to hang out and it’s right by the finish line so you get to watch people coming in. I for wanted to wait for Joan as I had been training her for the last 3 months for her first 50K.  She finished strong as well and we shared a celebratory beer (ha, she drank the koolaid and is already talking about her next 50K! She done 20 marathons but moving on to the ultra/trail world 😉 )
This year, Aravaipa added night races and I love the fact that several women from my recent Ladies Training Program, had decided to either do the day or night race!  I missed the morning ladies but had a chance to see those at night time as they got ready.  Is it bad when your running coaching is encouraging you to do a Fireball shot before you go?  Even worse that they listened to you?!  Ultimately this is about enjoying the experience!  I/we (my peeps) are never going to win the race because that’s not our goal…the goal is making friends and having fun, while staying in shape and doing some crazy things along the way! This is how we roll…….

Gorgeous sunset!

Joan finishes her first 50K! So proud of her!

Oh no….here comes the Fireball 😉 LOL

And encouraging others? Bad coach, bad coach!

It didn’t take them long to succumb to the peer pressure…although this was pre race!

One of my proudest coach moments?!

Part of the Ladies Training Program reunited! Thanks for volunteering Kisha! I better have good finish line pics 😉

 

From My Running Story to Yours….
(if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)

Use These 3 Tips To Have Your Best First Race Ever

Posted on by by Lisa Pozzoni

It’s easy to get freaked out when you are running your first race ever (or first race distance ever).  All these questions rolling around in your head:

  • Am I prepared enough?
  • Will I be the last person to cross the finish line?
  • Do I have everything I need?
  • and the list can go on and on IF you let it…..

So my quick advice for you, whether it’s your first race ever, or your first distance ever is to follow these three tips (works for me every time!)

  1. Don’t stress out! Getting a bit nervous about the unknown is normal, trust me! But don’t let that bit of nervousness get you so worked up that it consumes you so you don’t sleep the night before and you use up so much unnecessary mental energy you won’t have any for the race.  There is no need to get yourself worked up!
  2. Don’t go out too fast!  One of the most common mistakes for a first time race is to get excited that you start out way faster than you should.  Your adrenaline is pumping and so is everyone else’s and it’s easy to get caught up and rush out too soon. Let everyone go because you will see most of them later.  One of my other tricks is to start nose breathing as it immediately slows me down or just start in a nice warm up pace. Once you are half way through the distance, you can check in and if you are feeling good, then you can speed it up.  Trust me, it feels worse to go out too fast and then get half way through and feel like shi*t…your mind will start playing tricks on you and the negative self talk will start.  I’ve learned this the hard way!
  3. Be present!  You only get your first time once! Enjoy every single moment and stay as present as possible.  You are going to PR it (have a personal record) so make it a point to have fun and enjoy it! Thank the volunteers and the people cheering on the side line, meet people on the course, and take pictures to capture your first time experience.

More than likely if you are reading this, you are not an elite athlete, an Olympian or someone who is going to win the race. So just go out and have FUN!  You want to have a great experience so you can do it again!

This video pretty much says the same thing 😉