Where had the time gone? Were we really already on Day 5 of 6?
I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad….that’s really not true though…honestly I was sad.
Sure it had been a tough week but I wasn’t really ready for it to be over yet! I had to remind myself to stay as present as possible.
Stage 5 was sponsored by Mammoth Creameries. We had the option to have this tasty, keto friendly ice cream every single day! Check them out!
This was the longest stage with 24 miles and the 2nd most elevation gain (see the elevation profile at the bottom of the picture below).
I was amazed at how good I felt! Between ChiRunning/ChiWalking, my training, the poles, using the Elevated Legs the 2 days prior, I felt great!
“The creek was redirected so there won’t be anywhere near as much water as there normally is”…..they said the night before during the race briefing. I never found out if they said this on the purpose (I think they did!) but several people boood this comment that night. I was actually bummed too because there was supposed to be a long water crossing that I (and many others) were looking forward to.
Stage 4: Sponsored by Kahtoola 15 miles/23 kilometres with 3600 ft/1100 m gain
This was another “short” day (only 2 days under 20 miles!) but there was a good amount of steep climbing even though our highest point was “only” 11,700. But our finish line was at Mango’s Bar and Grill in Red Cliff. 😁
We started in Nova Guides where we spent the previous night. It was nice to stay in one location for two nights so we didn’t have to pack. We also didn’t have any service during these two days which was a blessing in disguise. I kept my phone turned off during this stage as they told use when we got a bit higher we may have connection…..I really didn’t want to get bombarded with notifications or be back in the “real” world again.
Several people have asked me what my favorite stage was….It’s so hard to say because they all have their own unique character about them. However, I do believe that Stage 3 may have been my favorite.
We had spent the night in Leadville, in a WET baseball field. It had rained and they kept apologizing for the conditions like it was their fault it had rained. You just roll with the punches! I hadn’t been sleeping well the past few nights so this time I opted to do the regular start even if it was the longest stage. I checked the elevation profile and knew I could finish in time. Joan left early. I knew I would be by myself most of the day which was absolutely fine with me. My goal for this week was to enjoy this vacation and recharge…although I am mostly an extrovert, I have introvert tendencies and really love alone time in nature.
This was the longest stage at 25 miles. As I’ve said before, my Why for this race was so strong that I started every day like a giddy little kid on Christmas morning. I couldn’t wait to see what the trails had in store for me. Since I had volunteered, I was also excited about getting to Nova Guides as it’s one of the most beautiful locations I’ve been to. I also knew we wouldn’t have service for a few days but that was a blessing. I was happy to be as disconnected from the outside world as possible while I was reconnecting with nature and myself.
BTW I forgot to mention in my Hope Pass blog that I forgot to wear my Garmin! I ended up downloading Joan’s profile since we were together 95% of the time.
This was possibly the day I was most excited for! We were doing Hope Pass! “Only” a 13 mile day but a tough one!
Hope Pass is known as the iconic climb of the Leadville Trail 100 Race. Those runners have to do the race up and over and then back again as part of the 100 mile course. It’s at 12,508 feet of elevation, steep climb on both sides (Outbound runners tackle 3,200 feet of elevation gain over 4 miles, and an average grade of 15%. Inbound runners will face 2,400 feet of elevation gain over 2.5 miles for an average grade of 20%~from the Leadville Race Series Facebook page), with promises of outstanding views.
Thankfully we “only” had to do it once….but the weather was not good that day and there was concern about lightening and safety for runners.
Stage 2: Sponsored by Elevation Culture (they made our buckles!) 13 miles/21km with 3300 FT/1000m of elevation gain. The elevation gain was all in the first 2.5 miles so an average grade of 20% (you can see this in the picture within the picture at the bottom). I have a few quick short videos in my photo gallery.
Course map of Stage 2
My ONLY goal for TransRockies Run was to finish ALL the mileage. I wasn’t worried about how fast I would be but I wanted to do all 120 miles of the race. This plan failed on Stage 2. 😥 But it was a decision that I made mindfully so even though I was bummed making it, it was for good reason. I planned to do the early start already because they were really worried about the weather/lightening and the first 2.5 miles are the hardest and take the longest. I was good with that but then I found out that they were dropping the Dawn Patrol people (early start) 1.7 miles into the course already so we would start on the trail right away. This meant I was missing that mileage of the race. My ego was crushed. It may not sound like a big deal, it’s only 1.7 miles but since speed was not my goal, and my only goal was doing ALL the mileage, this really bummed me out. At first I debated doing the regular start but that was at least an hour later putting me at higher risk of hitting the worst weather. Then I thought, maybe I’d have them let me start 1.7 miles before the trailhead because they drove back some early start people to let them do that. I could hear and feel my ego getting in the way (I thank my meditation practice for this “superpower”! I always say self awareness is a bitch but it’s always for good reason.) I went through the pros and cons and tried to be as detached from the outcome as possible. Then I let it all go and really listened to my gut while trying to put my ego aside. Hard to do but then it hit me like a slap in the face!
“What was I thinking?! 1.7 miles? Come on Pozzoni, I would get that mileage just walking around camp….and did it really matter? It was 1.7 miles of road and I was still doing epic shit! So off we went……. My other faux pas of the day, more importantly, was since I was so preoccupied about the issue above, I didn’t put 2+2 together. The first aid station was at mile 1.7 before the big climb….duh, it wasn’t ready yet because we did the early start (we are told to provide for ourselves so my bad here!) so I didn’t have enough fuel with me. Thankfully there are always friends on the trail willing to share so I was able to get more food in me but that could’ve been a dangerous situation between the weather and difficulty of the trail.
Stage 1 was changed from the previous years. I am not sure exactly why but we moved the start location.
Stage 1:
19.5 miles/31.5 kilometres & 2300 ft/700 m gain. Note the elevation profile at the bottom of the picture. Great visual of the course from a few views.Before we started the race on Monday though, we had a few days in Buena Vista. We learned it’s not pronounced the way you would say it in Spanish but ““BEW-na Vista”. The town’s name has been pronounced “BEW-na Vista” instead of the Spanish “BWAY-na Vista” ever since it was founded.” Apparently this is still debate about this but….we learned this because every night after the race briefing, we’d get to hear the history of the stage we were doing the next day. I loved this!
We got to do a shake out run with Trail Sisters and hang out with Gina (the founder), get all of our goodies at the expo and then pack all of our stuff in our TransRockies duffle.
Tents were our home away from home for 5 nights to add more challenge to the run.
PINCH ME!
It’s been a week since I crossed the Stage 6 finish line and I still can’t believe I finally did it!
Finish line Stage 6!
What is the TransRockies run?
120 miles in 6 days, in over 8K+ feet of elevation with 20K+ feet of elevation gain!
“The route of the Run will take place at elevations between 7,400 and 12,600 feet above sea level. Based on the preliminary route proposal (subject to change and approval by the U.S. Forest Service), the percent of distance at various elevations is as follows:
7,000′ to 8,000′ – 3%
8,000′ to 9,000′ – 31%
9,000′ to 10,000′ – 28%
10,000′ to 11,000′ – 27%
11,000′ to 12,000′ – 10%
12,000′ to 13,000′ – 1%”
Here is the 6 day course!
This was one of the most epic and memorable experiences of my life!
Although I had it on my bucket list for years, it wasn’t until February of 2019 when it started becoming a reality. It was definitely out of my budget (totally worth every single penny!). My friend Joan sent me an email asking if I knew anything about this race. They needed volunteers for 6 days. I was beside myself as I would be able to get race credits for volunteering and finally do the race! I wrote about my volunteer experience here. We were supposed to do the race in 2020 but….
COVID. 🙄
2020 came and went and it finally got approved for 2021! It was finally happening! 😊
The AZ Girls (as Houda, the race director, nicknamed us while volunteering), started training in early April. We followed a plan that was recommended in the TransRockies Facebook Group. As you might imagine, the training was not easy. It was a decent amount of mileage but we also had to do it in the heat. Not only because we didn’t have a choice with our AZ summer but also because they recommend heat training to replace elevation if you don’t have it available.
Because this was a 6 day stage race, there are too many things to share and I don’t want this blog to be a bazillion words. I am recapping here. I plan on writing a blog series which will include a recap of each stage of the race over the next 6 weeks (hopefully! 🤞).
What went well….
I can’t believe how great I felt overall over the 6 days. We averaged 20 miles a day with some days being harder than other depending on the elevation gain and elevation we were in. I attribute feeling great to:
ChiRunning/ChiWalking: Technique is always one of the biggest factors that contribute to MY running success. I am pretty sure I power hiked over 50% of the race due to the elevation gain but technique was always at my forefront. Not only does it make it easier to move when you are in proper form but your recovery time is less because you are moving more efficiently. I only took 4 Advil during the entire week. One of them was for a headache and 2 of them were on the last day when I could feel a twinge in my left knee (more on that below)
Training: This is not a race you can get by without training. We found a training plan and I was able to complete 86% of the mileage in the plan. Ideally this would be higher but happy that I was able to get this in considering my crazy schedule lately.
Poles: I’ve always thought of getting running poles but never did. They were recommended for this race so I finally got some and trained with them. These were a game changer. Poles definitely helped with efficiency. I also had some great technique aha moments with them. I can’t help it, I geek out on technique. 🤣 I didn’t have a great way to store them when I didn’t need them. I held them horizontally (still full length) and kept my arms at a 90 degree angle as I swung my elbows back. I couldn’t rotate my upper body (waste of energy and a lot of people do this) so my arms actually swung freely from my shoulders while staying stable. The length of the poles must’ve assisted in balancing my movement because I could really feel my pelvic rotation happening. This was fantastic for some fast ChiWalking but even more effective when running down hills. I was flying! I used the Black Diamond DISTANCE FLZ TREKKING POLES – WOMEN’S.
Elevated Legs: They were one of the race sponsors. I did some stretching in the evening but on I decided to use these on Day 3-5. I did 10 min on Day 3, 20 min on Day 4 and 30 min on Day 5. The idea is that the compression increases blood flow and helps to clear fatigue causing metabolites and reduce inflammation.
My Why?: I always have my athletes write down their Why? when they start training for an event. It’s important to know why you want to do something. It must be a strong Why too…..one that will help you get motivated when the going gets tough. I had 2 major Whys. Both of these motivated me to complete that 86% of my training plan (I am sure it would’ve been a lower percentage) and also helped me through some rough spots while on the course:
I wanted to see 120 miles of trails I’ve never been on before!
I wanted to push outside my comfort zone. The longest I’ve ever done is 100K in one day but I’ve never done this much mileage at this high of elevation in this amount of time.
Altra Running Shoes: I am an ambassador and these are the only shoes I wear for all my running. I brought the Timps 3 (first time using this model and loved them!) and the Lone Peaks 5 (a regular shoe for trails). I love everything about my Altra shoes.
Daily strategy: I was not in a hurry to get through the day! I had no to do list other than get the mileage done every day! It took me 46 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds. I came in 9th to last....and I don’t care! My plan was to enjoy all those miles of trails that I’ve never been on. I probably ChiWalked/Hiked 50% of the run (note it’s called the TransRockies Run and not Race. Although it is a race, they are strategic with that title). I have no interest in racing. As a matter of fact, 4 of the 6 days, I did Dawn Patrol. This was created for people (thank to Mirna the Mirnavator) who wanted some extra time. I was able to start earlier and not worry about the daily cutoff. I ran on flats and the downhills and ChiWalked the hills. I just wanted to enjoy this different nature landscape and I wasn’t in a hurry to get through it.
What I could’ve done better…
While I am very happy with how the week went because I felt so good, there is always room for improvement:
Specific Training: While I followed the mileage on the plan, and did a decent amount of hill training, I could’ve done a better job doing steeper hills (up and down). On Day 5 I felt a slight twinge in my left knee. I am great at body sensing (we teach this in ChiRunning) and I knew exactly what it was. It was overuse of the steep downhill technique. Even though I had my poles and ChiRunning to help me, I didn’t do enough of this movement in my training so I wasn’t used to all of it. While I wasn’t able to get it to go away, I was able to alleviate it by focusing on my alignment, increasing my cadence and focusing on pelvic rotation. The training also called for Stairs. I did the elliptical a handful of times but could’ve used more hill work and stairs.
Strength Training: This is one of my weaknesses even though I am a personal trainer. I did more than usual but more wouldn’t hurt.
Camping Prep/Weather: Part of the race is camping out for all 5 nights (there is a hotel package option as well). While I enjoy camping, this added a level of difficulty. It really wasn’t necessarily the camping but the weather during the 1st few days. I managed to keep my stuff mostly dry but the grass was wet and cold. I didn’t sleep as well as I would’ve liked and waking up in the middle of the night to use the porta potties when the ground is wet and cold is no fun. But I sucked it all up because I was living my dash!
Be more social? One of the things I love most in life (and about TransRockies) is community. I am an extrovert in general and I LOVE people. I got to see a lot of people I met in 2019 as well as meet some new friends. I used a question mark because this was fairly strategic for me too. I love running but it’s also what I do a for a living. I love cheering on my athletes and helping them celebrate finish lines they never thought possible. I issue a lot of energy with my job and this was my time to renew before my Fall programs started. This race was all about me and for me. I was in a much more self reflective mode during this week…I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. While I spent several miles with friends, I spent many miles alone. I didn’t listen to any music and tried to be “in the moment” as much possible. These were some of my most enjoyable moments during the race.
Bottom line
This event helped me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to. I can’t even explain how driven I was every day to get out there and enjoy 7ish hours of new trails, even with bad weather! It was almost like I was in a weird trance.
This race strengthened my love for trails and endurance running. It’s one of the best well run events that I’ve been part of (as a volunteer and runner). Huge props and thanks to the TransRockies team! Kevin “Houda”, the Race Director, is one of the best leaders and coolest humans I know! Also a HUGE thanks to all the volunteers!
So the big question is…….. Will I do it again? 🤔
It’s honestly too early for me to say. 2022 is the 15th Anniversary and it’s already sold out! I could still volunteer? I can’t really make any commitments right now but I am pretty sure that this year was not the last time I’ll be there…whether it’s as a volunteer or a runner, who knows but I am sure I’ll be back!
Who celebrates a DNF with a shot of Fireball?THIS girl!
DNF stands for Did Not Finish and can be a runners worst nightmare.
Some runners put a lot of time into training for an event, money into gear, traveling etc. Making a call to DNF can seem like you’re making a decision to QUIT.
Depending on what race it is, a DNF shows on your “official” record and drops your overall “score”down.Some sponsored athletes are “forced” to DNF if it looks like they won’t place well at a race because it may make the company they are representing look bad.
So there are a lot of negative emotions around DNFing.
Several of my athletes have DNFd races before.Some were “valid” reason while some were not (in my opinion).
Making the decision to DNF is a big one because it could be construed as quitting and most people don’t like to be quitters.
While the reason to DNF is personal, hereare a few reasons why it would be a consideration in the middle of a race:
you got injured during the race and continuing to run could cause surgery or not running again for awhile
you’re not feeling good (sick to stomach, etc) and you could be in further danger of hurting yourself
you’re putting yourself in harms way
you die (morbid idea but possible!)
at some point you decide it’s ok to make the call to quit because you’re not having fun anymore, it’s not your A race or it just doesn’t matter and the world won’t end because you have a DNF 😃 (THIS!!)
I went into this race knowing the very top of it was going to be a big challenge for me. A few friends did it last year and the last 500 so feet is scrambling on hands and knees to the very top. I have no problem scrambling but it was at high elevation and I’m deathly afraid of heights.
Heading to the top of that mountain behind us! 3500 feet of elevation gain in 6 miles!
I signed up for this race because it was perfect timing for some altitude and elevation training for TransRockies (my bucket list and A race of the year!).I had never done it before. One of my #trurribeteam members Jan, did it last year and said it was the hardest yet best thing she had ever done.I decided to make it a Ladies Training Program and a few of us decided to get out of our comfort zone.
When I picked up my race bib, it was number 252. This is a special number for Greg and I. It was our first apartment number. When we moved into it, we found 2 quarters and 2 pennies! (coincidentally Sunset Point of the I-17 is Exit #252 too)
Anyways….it was a lucky number for me.
As I started climbing up, I had the voice in the back of my head whispering about that final scramble.From the start, this race was no joke.First of all I was tired from my cumulative training which included doing the 2nd hardest race I’ve ever done the day before (Silverton Alpine Marathon).Add the altitude and hard climb and I was averaging 35-45 min miles.I checked the cutoff the day before and say that I had 5.5 hours to complete it.The higher I climbed, the less likely it looked like I could finish in that time.Mind you, it was an out and back so the return would be downhill but it was also a pretty steep downhill so not as runnable for me. I finally got the “top” and was greeted by 2 of my friends who were volunteering at the aid station.I looked at the scramble and my first thought was:
I told them I was thinking of DNFing right away.They encouraged me to go so I figured I’d put in my big grill panties and suck it up. While I looked up at everyone on their hands and knees scrambling on loose rock, my heart was pounding as I made the attempt. My feet kept slipping and I really wanted to be one of those people doing it….but I realized I was completely miserable in that moment, was not having fun, I was more than likely not going to finish on the 530 hrs AND my A race was happening in 3 weeks!
I laid there for a few minutes with my face inches from the dirt, got really present and debated sucking it up or DNFing.
One of the things I ask my athletes right away when they are signing up for a race is what’s your Why?My why for this race was strictly getting a good training run in.
TRR has been in my bucket list for years, I volunteered a few years ago and was supposed to run it last year but Covid…there was no way in hell I was letting this race get in the way.Anything could’ve happened and I wasn’t about to really to take the risk.
I turned around and told my friends I was making the call.They were so sweet.They tried to convince me not to DNF and offered to help me up the mountain but I had already made up my mind.I was making a very mindful choice to take the DNF. Once the decision was made, a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could relax.I “celebrated” with an Instagram live and a shot of fireball and starts climbing back down.Good news is that I wasn’t swept off the mountain so I only missed about .4 miles of the 12 and still got a great day of training done.
I won’t lie and say I was a little bit disappointed in myself…. however Kendall Mtn was not my A race and I truly believe that I made the right decision.
The key was getting present, think about my WHY, being mindful and not letting my ego get the best of me!
I remember listening to a podcast from Trail Runner Nation awhile ago and one thing stuck in my head. Coach Jimmy Dean Freeman used these words instead for the acronym: Do Nothing Foolish.
I am super proud of myself for not doing anything foolish and at the end of the day, I still had an epic weekend of training mileage at altitude with elevation gain so I’d say it was a success in my book!
Last ultra in my 40s 3 years older than my last 100K
24 minutes and 33 seconds faster
But this race was so much more than this! I can’t believe that I finished 63 miles in 19:22:34 this year and felt amazing the whole way. I honestly still feel a little guilty about saying this but it’s true!
As a quick reminder:
I always like to do races that challenge me out of my comfort zone in February because it’s my birthday month. Turning 50 this year made it even more epic (I was supposed to do my first 100 miler in January of 2021 but it got canceled due to COVID)
I’ll share my post race reflections on why this race was so amazing for me in hopes that I can inspire you to have some of these amazing experiences too…..then a quick recap of how my day went.
6 feet apart at the start line with a wave start
Jubilee! One of my favorite Race Directors 💜
This race was close to being canceled due to the escalated COVID cases in AZ, more specifically Yavapai County which is where most of the race is located. I kept my fingers crossed until we received the email that IT WAS HAPPENING! On 2/2 (11 days before the race) we found out that there would be wave starts (standard with COVID now) AND that I would only be able to have one pacer (instead of 2) and no crew. This threw a wrench into my excitement about the race.
Since I am a back of the packer, they try to avoid having people pass you on the trail (COVID) which meant my wave start was 10am rather than 7am. This news hit me because it meant I would be spending more time at night. Don’t get me wrong, I love night trail running but I’ve been lost on this course before. It’s also pretty remote so this just added some anxiety now.
For most ultras, you can have a crew and pacers. They are there to help keep you focused, moving forward and taking care of the details when your sole focus as the runner is to get to the finish line. In the original race, you can have a pacer for the last 25 miles (two different segments). With the new rules, I would only get one for the last 12 miles. This added stress because it meant more running in the dark alone.
At this point I had the option to not accept these changes and post pone it until next year. My first reaction was to do that. I was really bummed about these changes (although I absolutely understood them to be necessary for the race to happen safely).
Not gonna lie, I was freaking out about them! But thanks to my meditation practice which helped me go from REACTING to RESPONDING and a few texts from friends, I made the decision to go for it. If I tell my athletes that the magic happens when you get out of your comfort zone, I had to practice what I preach!
Key Lessons
One of the reasons I love running is because it provides an avenue to learn more about myself.
Things that went well:
I canceled track the Thursday before. I didn’t want to have an alarm clock wake me up during that whole week. Thankfully I can do this since I’m self employed. I used to underestimate resting and learned how important it is. I allowed my body to wake up whenever it wanted to the week before knowing I’d be on my feet and awake for 18-20 hours on race day.
I was prepared! Speed is not a way I measure my running success but this time around I wanted to be faster so I knew I had to do some different things. I followed a training plan from McMillan Running to try something new and then added my ChiRunning/ChiWalking form focuses. Due to COVID, I was able to do more running alone which allows me to train at my pace. My training plan had various types of runs that I had never really focused on before because I run so much with my TRU TRIBE. I found these challenging and fun. I also happened to do more road running due to my Every Damn Street Virtual race and I feel that helped me build my stamina in a different way. There is no doubt that being prepared had a huge impact on how I felt on race morning: prepared and ready to go!
I followed my nutrition plan from Sparks Systems. I am fat adapted and my body felt like a well oiled machine. I’ve never had any gut issues when running long distances so I keep doing what’s worked for me.
What surprised me the most was how good I felt the entire time! We always say that there are many highs and lows during an ultra race and you learn to “ride the wave”. The wind, the rain, the dark….none of it brought me down. I brought my Noxgear 39g and was prepared with music, podcasts, audiobooks to keep me company.(Use code RUNNINGU1 for 35% off the Noxgear 39g. I love mine!) I may have listened to these for maybe 3-4 hours during the entire race. My goal was to be alone as much as possible. I run with people all the time (and I love it!) but this was my race, my pilgrimage, if you will, into my 50th birthday year. I was really looking forward to just being alone, out in nature for a “few” hours by myself…and that’s exactly what I did.
The week before I started working on visualizations of the course and seeing myself out there having a great time. I meditate daily with the Insight Timer app. That week I found meditations about grounding, receiving and gathering energy. My plan was to take in as much as I could and conserve it until race day. Sounds almost cheesy but I believe this really worked for me. In addition, the week before, I was getting so many texts, emails, social media comments from people wishing me well and I took all of those in. I kept mentally conserving all that positive energy I was receiving. I felt it really propelled me on race day and was literally drawing me towards the finish line…like I almost had no control over it. We call this YChi in ChiRunning and I don’t ever think I felt it as strong as I did on this day. I could definitely feel the energy of my TRU TRIBE with me too. Here is just one of the positive messages I received that week:
I’m glad I decided to have a pacer for that last 12 miles! I had left it to my friend and colleague Henry Walker to decide between him and his girlfriend. I trained Henry last year to become a ChiRunning/ChiWalking instructor (the only other one in AZ!). He pulled his calf muscle lightly the week of the race so they decided it would make most sense for Laura to pace me. As much as I know I could’ve done it by myself, she helped me stay focused on moving forward. I would’ve slowed down for sure if I was alone.
I always have to mention ChiRunning/ChiWalking because I would never consider doing these distances without it. I was lucky enough to get to zoom with my mentor and founder, Danny Dreyer, the week of the race. He gave me some last minute tips. I focused on my technique quite a bit during the race. While I was pretty sore the first few days after the race, I felt great after that! I swear by ChiWalking especially during my ultras. There is a big difference in regular walking and I believe this also had a huge impact on my energy levels all day. The goal is always conserving energy and one can waste a lot of energy when running and walking. In addition to technique, several time during my race I visualized gathering energy from the earth every time my foot hit the ground.
I PRd by 24 minutes and 33 seconds! That’s about 24 seconds per mile faster for 62 miles! My technique, training and mindset all came together that day and I rocked it!
Things that didn’t go so well (yes there were a few things)
I always say never try new things on race day. This is common knowledge. While I was trying not to freak out about being in the dark longer by myself, this was one thing that was giving me anxiety. Most of my TRU TRIBE uses the Kogalla light for night running. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been crazy about these because they can be pretty bright and if someone is coming towards you, it can be annoying. (come to find out there are actually 20 brightness settings!) A few of them suggested I should try one out. I bought one the weekend before the race hoping it would get to me on time. I borrowed Jan’s the Tuesday of race week so I could try it out. It really did light the trail up quite a bit and she let me borrow it in case I didn’t get mine in the mail. I happened to get mine before the race but only tried it that one time. I have an entire different view on these now. The light was awesome and really increased my confidence of being out there alone. Since I only tried it that one time, I didn’t know how it would effect me on the switchbacks going uphill in the canyon. I am afraid of heights and used to having a headlamp. When you have a headlamp, it points wherever your point your head so although you have more limited lighting, it’s focused in the direction your heading which is in front of you. Well, the Kogalla, was on my waist (race belt) and lit up the entire trail in front of me (that’s the point!). What this meant that when I was going up a single track uphill, I could see the periphery which meant the slope down into the abyss and bottom of the canyon. It didn’t dawn on me to move my race belt towards the mountain side more (which I would’ve figured it out had I practiced with it more) so this slowed me down. I was more tired, it was dark so I really had to focus on looking ahead and not letting the ledge of canyon effect me. Aside from that, I am new fan of the Kogalla!
Kogalla lighting up the water crossing
Not having crew there until the last aid station effected me. Your crew will normally be able to meet you at various aid stations. They are there to help you make whatever changes and help you get in and out of the aid stations as quickly and efficiently as possible. I tell my runners all the time: DFA (Don’t F*#k Around) at the aid stations. You can waste a lot of time if you are not focused and the clock is ticking (only important if you care about your time and I was trying to PR). I really could’ve used a crew at Black Canyon City. This was mile 39 of 62 and I had been in the dark already for several hours. I was getting tired (I was about a little over half way) and I had ultra brain. I fumbled around with my drop bags, trying to figure out what I needed and what I could get rid of. I had to change my shoes and get into some warmer clothes, refill my pack, eat some food…it was a lot to handle on my own and if I had someone there with me, I probably would’ve saved at least 10 minutes. I stayed here longer than I anticipated. I didn’t have a choice as crew was not allowed there but I felt the loss of not having one.
I second guessed myself at one spot that ate up about another 15 minutes. I’ve gotten lost on this trail several times although only during training runs. The course was well marked! There is a point as you head in and out of Black Canyon City that you have to take a different way so you don’t go back the way you came. The course was well marked but I was paranoid about going back the wrong way. At one point I was feeling like maybe I missed it so I turned back around to that spot. Then I stopped, pulled out my All Trails app (where I had downloaded the course map in case something like this would happen) and realized I was going the right way. Better be safe than sorry but this “cost” me another 10-15 minutes.
Race Day
The silver lining about starting at 10am, meant that Greg (my boyfriend) could actually drive me to Mayer High School to drop me off at the start (this is a point to point race which means you start at one location and finish at another.) This adds some additional logistics to the day. The race offered a shuttle for the runners. I have a thing about shuttles and buses before a race. It depends on the race but I really like to be in my own space and energy before a race, especially a big one like this one. The erratic energy of a bunch of people in a shuttle tends to mess with me so I was grateful that I could be in the car with my honey for about 90 minutes getting myself psyched up.
I had created a spreadsheet like last time with my tentative pace from each aid station, taking into consideration the course profile, my strengths, time of day, etc. The first time I did this race, I finished in 19:46:01. The cutoff was 20 hours. For any first time experience, I never focus on speed. I know it’s my first time doing that distance, it’s all about enjoying it as much as possible. I was messing around at the aid stations, drinking some beer here and there, and just having a good ole time. This time would be a bit different. I wanted to have a PR (personal record) so I needed to be more focused. I felt stronger going into this race (I had just PRd the Coldwater 52K race the month before by 52 minutes!) so I had two different goals. First goal was to beat my time by an hour and the stretch goal was to finish in 18 hours (1hr 45min PR). I knew this was aggressive but I wasn’t attached to it…just hoping I could do it.
Fifteen minutes before my start, I got this text message from my buddy Archie (one of our TRU TRIBE mascots)
As usual, I started faster than my predicted time. I knew this would happen but I was still holding back knowing I had a lot of miles ahead of me. The course has a negative profile (more downhill than uphill) which is deceiving. Downhills are my jam but this time we had some serious head and cross wind. While I love downhills, I am afraid of heights too. These downhills are single track and so much fun but the wind added an element of uneasiness as I was cruising down. Probably a good thing that it slowed me a down. Click here for the live video where you can hear the wind.
One of my favorite spots: the iconic windmill
downhill!
In addition to the wind, there were some pretty big clouds looming around. On the drive up, I had noticed that now the weather app was showing possibility of rain. Ugh! Not the biggest fan but this race has been unpredictable (I dropped to the 60K at my first 100K attempt due to some serious bad weather) so I was prepared. I already had packed an extra pair of socks in each drop bag (in ultras you get to have drop bags at specific aid stations where you can have extra stuff you need so you don’t have to carry it all while you are running) and had a poncho in my hydration pack and thankfully brought my purple wind breaker. I lucked out and got sprinkled on a few times during the day. I stayed ahead of my predicted time until about mile 35. Night had already started to fall so I slowed down as I expected I would. I approached my first water crossing which was a few miles before the Black Canyon Aid station which is where I planned to change as much of my apparel as possible as it was getting colder. One of the hardest parts of an ultra in my opinion is dealing with the major temperature change between night and day. Especially here in AZ. I attempted not to get my feet wet in the water crossing but then remembered I was going to change my shoes and socks anyways so I just walked right through it…it was barely covering my ankles so it was uneventful. Oddly the cold water felt good on my feet and climbed out of the canyon. I was looking forward to this aid station. I have to give a shout out to Altra Running shoes! I’ve been a sponsored athlete for 3 years now and I can never say enough about them. It’s all I wear! I chose my Superior 4.5 for the first part because they are more minimal and flexible and my Lone Peaks 4.5 for the second part as they have a bit more cushion.
One major thing I love about our trail/ultra community is the most amazing people you meet. Even if you only see people at races a few times a year, they are your friends. As much as I was bummed that I was losing time at this aid station, it was great to see some familiar races. Huge thanks to Dawn. She works with Medstar Solutions and was at the medical tent. She popped over to say hi and I was venting about having to go change my wet bra in a porta potty. She was so sweet and let me go into the medical trailer to take care of that! It was also great to see Crystal volunteering who I know from Girls On The Run. So I changed everything except my pants, refilled my pack and got some hot potato soup which was exactly what I needed. I headed back out and now I was 40 minutes behind my predicted time. Changing into warmer clothes, socks and shoes and that potato soup totally reenergized me and I felt great.
The rest of the race was a meditative trance. I can’t even explain it. It was dark and I was just following my light and moving forward. I was alone pretty much most of this time in the dark. I remember thinking this was going to be the hardest part but I was actually enjoying the peacefulness of the night. I could see this huge big black cloud that I was running towards and I was hoping that I wouldn’t get rained on. I got lucky again and only a few drops.
I approached Table Mesa Aid Station where I would either pick up Henry or Laura to pace me the rest of the 11ish miles. I could see them both as I approached and Henry had jeans on so I knew right away who was pacing me. He also had a thermos and filled my cup up with one of the best things I had tasted: Hot Apple Cider Skratch.(electrolytes) OMG, I couldn’t get enough! Not only was it nice and warm but it tasted so good! Between that and having Laura for company, those last miles flew by. We chatted and of course I bitched about the rocks. This is my least favorite part of this course. There are several parts that are pretty rocky so it’s hard to get any momentum forward while running. We passed an awesome Saguaro forest that I didn’t remember from the year before, hit the last aid station and were almost there! I had been in great spirits all day but the only time I would get slightly irritated is when I knew I should be approaching an aid station and I couldn’t see it. We starting seeing lights but couldn’t tell if that was the finish. Finally, there it was! Due to COVID restrictions, no one could be at the finish line. I was so happy to know that I had 3 of my TRU TRIBE members who had volunteered that night so they could be at my finish! (Alina had to leave because she drove from Tucson to volunteer and I didn’t get back in as early as I was hoping) I could see Jubilee, the race director, and I jumped up as I crossed the finish line. Even though I knew I hadn’t met my original goal to PR by an hour, I still had a PR and felt amazing!
Small section of the saguaro forest at night lit by my Kogalla
I walked to the aid station to see Mindy and Catherine. They had a birthday goodie bag for me and I got to hang out with them for a few minutes. They offered me alcohol to celebrate (because this is what I would normally do) but I just wasn’t feeling it. I never had a beer until later that evening!
As I reflect on my journey to that finish line, I am 100% sure that my attitude and mental state going into this day were THE biggest key to my success. Being trained and using good technique of course go without saying. I was so excited about this race and this day, I couldn’t wait to get out there and have that experience all to myself. I am so thankful that everything flowed for me that day. As I was finishing, 19 hours plus into the race, I knew that if I had to, I could keep going……..and you know what that means?! Hmmmm ?! 😁
The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us. Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Who would’ve ever thought that this race would motivate me as much as it did? DEFINITELY NOT ME!
We all know what a crazy year 2020 was. Virtual races became all the rage for many runners. Not only was this a good way to stay in training mode but it also gave us the opportunity to support some of our favorite race companies that were being effected financially by the pandemic. Honestly, I didn’t do that many of them because I don’t race for medals or swag (well, sometimes 🤣). I picked my races this year very strategically.
When I heard about Every Damn Street (and Every Damn Trail), I was intrigued. You can read more about it here. I was immediately attracted to the idea of running in my community. I love the idea the race was built on. I also love first time experiences.
From the Aravaipa website:
“inspired by Ricky Gates’ Every Single Street project where he toured the streets of San Francisco, we are asking runners everywhere to connect to each other by sharing their hometown with this virtual community.”
If you know me, you know I am not a big fan of road running. However, I had a plan to run my first 100 mile race over 2 days on 12/30 & 12/31 at Across The Years as we entered 2021 (the year I turn 50!) This race is flat, mostly road and a 1 mile loop. I figured Every Damn Street would be a great way for me to get road miles in as training for my 100 miler. Bonus: the logo and feel of the race swag was Sesame Street, which was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. It was a 3 month challenge and my goal was to run my 85283 zip code. I started out not thinking that I would do the whole thing because it looked like A LOT. But the more I kept chipping away at each section of my zip code, I could start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of November, I decided I was going to run every damn street in my zip code.
Love the swag!
I decided to document my journey via Instagram Stories. I actually had to create a Part 2 in my Highlights because apparently you can only have 100 stories in each one.🤪 I may have got a bit carried away with them but this was a fun part of the challenge for me. Not sure if you need to have an Instagram account to view them or not but here is EDS Part 1 and EDS Part 2 (you can use your arrow keys to scroll forward).
Here are some things I learned in the last few months while doing this race:
Strategy was more important than I anticipated: From Day 1, this was all about strategy. My first run was Labor Day weekend and I wasn’t sure what the best way to start was. Greg (my BF), suggest to start out with the perimeter of the 85283 zip code.
My first run for this race
And so it began…
Tools: Aravaipa suggested using the Caltopo app. After every run, I could upload my Garmin file and it would continue to add my mileage as I went (see pic below). I would keep this open in my browser on my phone so I could tell what I had done on previous runs. I couldn’t see what I was doing real time though. I finally figured out to use my All Trails app and record as I was running so it would capture what I had just done. It sounds crazy but when you start going in and out of streets, it’s easy to lose track of what you did. I had to keep taking out my phone to see what I had done and where I was going next. This was much more mentally challenging than I expected.
Brought to you by:
I was an Altra sponsored athlete last year so every shoe I wore was theirs (they are the only brand I wear and love)
My Noxgear Tracer 360 vest for early morning and evenings helped me be visible and safe. My Noxgear 39G Bluetooth speaker kept me company with music, podcasts and audiobooks. I am also an Ambassador for them: use code RUNNINGU1 for 35% off
I am always focused on my technique and there is no way I would’ve been able to do all that mileage without ChiRunning and ChiWalking. No injuries in 7 years because of it! (and I walk/run a lot of miles! I averaged 31 miles a week in 2020! I never say this to brag but to really point out how much I avoid injuries because of good technique).
Miles flew by: I was really surprised at how quickly I could get mileage done in a small space. I would assume 3-4 miles and it would end up being double. As much as I don’t like street running, I know I will use this in the future because time went by quickly.
I did anywhere from a 2 mile run to a 22 mile run for this project.
Speed work goes by faster this way than on a track
I did 20 miles on Christmas Day since my family had decided to not get together
My boyfriend Greg joined me a few times for exercise dates!
In the last month, I felt like a drug addict having to get a fix. I was obsessed and have never been that motivated to go out for runs on the road in my life before.
It was awesome to finish my last run on 12/31/20 with a rainbow!
I love my neighborhood: when I first moved to AZ as a freshman in HS, we were in Tempe. I went to McClintock High School and I am an ASU alumni. I have always loved this city but I have a much bigger appreciation for it after this experience.
Ironically Sesame Street was in my zip code and I loved seeing it every time. The theme song would come in my head and it would always make me smile.
So many treasures found! From beautiful lakes and houses to funny election signs. In one neighborhood I was staring at house all decked out with human rights signs and across the street there was a house full of Trump signs. My favorite election sign was “In Dogs We Trust” “Dogs 2020 Because Humans Suck”🤣 From election signs to fun Halloween decorations to Christmas ones. At one point I even found a purple house! (you all know this is my favorite color!). I had no idea Mission chips was local and also found The Early Bird (have not checked them out) yet but I saw their cart parked in a driveway so I had to google it. I love supporting local businesses.
I challenge you to try something like this out. Pick your immediate neighborhood and/or zip code and just start chipping away at it. This blog post and my Instagram Stories don’t even do my experience justice. As I rewatched my IG stories, I got fuzzy feelings of the memories I created with this event. As a matter of fact, it ended 13 days ago and I still have weird withdrawals. I know I can go out and run in the neighborhood (I am about to as soon as I get done writing this!) but it’s not the same without the deadline of the “finish line.” This has given me a new appreciation for road running for training as canals get old after awhile.
Huge thank you to Aravaipa Running for giving me something new and fun to do in the crazy 2020 year. I just thought this was going to be another virtual race but I had no idea that it would impact me the way it did. 🥰
I still can’t believe that I did it! In retrospect, I realize that this is the most miles I’ve ever done in this short period of time and the longest I’ve gone without taking a day off! It’s one of the hardest things I’ve done and yesterday I turned 49 and 1/2! GO ME!
It’s been on my bucket list for about 5 years. When I heard about it and saw the pictures, I wanted to do it. It’s not a cheap race though so I wasn’t sure when I’d ever have the chance.
This was my bucket list and A race this year. (While I absolutely love what I do for a living as a running coach, I have learned that I need at least one major event a year for me). But then COVID19 happened…and of course they had to cancel the event.
They announced a virtual option for either 60 or 120 miles to be completed in the 15 days and I had to sign up!
My original plan was to do the 60 miles because I’m in the middle of a few big projects and I knew it would be hard for me to try to make 8 miles a day happen with the 120 miles. However, the AZ Girls (last year’s volunteer crew) were all doing 120 miles and twisted my arm pretty quickly. I also had been averaging 25 miles weeks and I wanted this to be a challenge….and IT WAS!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I posted an IG Story for just about every walk/run of the challenge. You can see the highlights here if you’re on IG.(tap on each story to move forward faster).
What did I learn while doing one of the? Here are a few of my key takeaways….
I will be forever grateful for ChiRunning/ChiWalking. I never recommend doing mileage you are not trained for…but if you do, having good technique under your belt makes a HUGE difference. Although I walked about 60% of the mileage, I doubled my weekly mileage for 2 weeks. While I could feel a bit of tension (I stretched just about every day too) and fatigue in my legs, my body felt great the entire time.
FOMO is real. I’ve blogged about this before too. Many of my TRU TRIBE teammates had signed up for the Great Race Across Tennessee (1000k to be finished from 5/1-8/31). I really really wanted to join them but I knew it would not be a good decision. I had too much on my plate and I really didn’t want to burn myself out (which I’ve done before and learned from that experience!) before this virtual race as it was my priority this year and I didn’t want to get distracted. I was planning on the 60 miles but as I mentioned before, between some arm twisting and a wee bit of FOMO, I decided to go for it. I don’t regret it even though I had a breakdown on social media in the middle of the challenge. (more on that below)
I had a plan and followed it. As much as I would’ve liked to simulate the real race and do the 120 miles in 6 days, I knew that was unrealistic for many reasons. I planned to do 8 miles a day which was the daily average necessary to complete the challenge. I looked at my calendar for the 2 weeks and saw some days where I’d get more in and vice versa. I started tracking on my Fit Bit but that was using passive workouts which were not intentional and didn’t count. I switched to tracking with my Garmin mid race to get more accurate results. I was adding and averaging daily to see how much I had left as I progressed. This worked well for me. Although apparently on the TRR page, my totals ended at 118.3 because someone messaged me late on the last day to let me know this. I get in freak out mode but checked my Fitness Rankings totals. I sent a FB message to Houda (the race director) with pics and he said I was fine! Phew!
Multi tasking and getting creative was necessary to get mileage done! Managing my time was probably my biggest obstacle. I had to get creative to get my mileage in:
while I was walking, I used some of that time making phone calls and listening to podcasts
I was able to schedule some of my mileage with friends and my TRU TRIBE. Some days I got one walk done and on some days I broke it up into 3 different workouts.
I woke up before my “work” group runs a few times and ran 1/4 mile loops in my apartment parking lot just so I could get it done before it was a bazillion degrees
It always boils down to mindset! While I am not a believer of mind over body (I’ve seen too many people get injured with this mind frame), I do believe in mind with body. Another principle I’ve embraced from ChiRunning. There is a big difference between ignoring your body and pushing through until you get injured VS. pushing through to overcome your mental setbacks.
We’ve had the hottest summer on record in Arizona and this challenge was from 8/3-8/17: prime summer heat. I had to try and schedule runs early morning or after the sun went down. This was not always possible. Although I could not make the heat disappear with my mindset, I could certainly embrace it and know that “it is what it is.”. I had several days that I had to go out when the sun was beating down but I was safe by minimizing that time and being prepared for it and I embraced it. Constantly repeating how hot it is will not make it go away, as a matter of fact, it makes it worst. Accepting the heat and driving to my runs with my windows down rather than going from the AC cold car to the blazing heat really helped me acclimate. Here is my recent blog about how and why to run in the heat.
Once I had my mid race melt down, I was able to dig deep and remind myself of my Why. This is a question I ask all the athletes before they start training for a race with me. Even more important now that we don’t know if races are happening. This was going to be my big bucket list A race this year and I would’ve been training for 4 months leading up to it. That opportunity was taken away from me by COVID19 so I replaced it with the virtual event. I was going to finish this race no matter what it was going to take. Here is my IG post about my meltdown and the IGTV video that I did later that day.
One of the things I loved/hated about the challenge was trying to figure how I was going to get it all done. It was so rewarding at the end to know that it all came together although I doubted myself several times!
Yesterday was 8/19, my half birthday. I turned 49 1/2 and I’ve never felt better! I know too many people that keep repeating how old they are, and how much harder things are….while some of this is fact that I can’t deny, mindset and how you take care of your body have a lot to do with this as well.
As I age, I keep surprising myself by doing things I never thought possible. This is a first time experience for me as far as number of miles in this short of time, without taking a day off….I have some pretty big goals as I prepare for my 50th year around the sun in 2021, and the real TransRockies Run is definitely on the list among a few other crazy endeavors…..stay tuned!
