Back on February 15, which feels like a lifetime and a whole other world ago, I ran my first ultra marathon - Black Canyon 60K - outside of Phoenix, AZ. I was still processing it all and preparing to write up my race story when the world came undone and my mind shifted to processing other things like living and working in the mist of a global pandemic. At long last, I have circled back around to writing up my Black Canyon 60K race story.
I had many worries and frustrations in last month or so leading into the race as I developed a raging case of poison ivy (thanks, Knob Hills) and a doozy of a sinus infection. I had to dial my training back in the final weeks because I did not want to go into race week with any lingering illness. Thankfully I was feeling pretty normal by the time we flew out to Phoenix early Thursday morning. We flew out with Ninja, Baha, and Karen - Ninja and Baha were running the 100K and Karen served as crew extraordinaire.
As we drove north towards Prescott Valley, we climbed up to elevation and eventually we began to see leftover snow on the ground. After we settled into our Air BnB, we headed up the road a little more to visit Prescott. Erik and I once ran the Whiskey Row Half Marathon and it was fun to revisit the little shops and restaurants on Whiskey Row. There is nothing like a small mountain town and I was soaking up the crisp air and the laid back vibe.
Friday was filled with a short shake-out run and packet pick-up. We continued to marvel at the scenery as we drove down to Black Canyon City for packet pick-up. This is also where the finish line is for the 60K so we took a moment to scope it out and take a few pictures. I was feeling such a mix of excitement and maybe a little bit of dread as I knew that it was going to be a long day of constant motion. The longest I'd run before this was a marathon and the longest I'd gone on trails was the 22 miler that I did a few weeks before at Running the Rose in Tyler. I love the anticipation that comes with triathlon: tired of swimming? great, you can ride your bike! tired of your bike? awesome, time to run! But ultra running was a whole new game for me - nothing but running for a long, time.
The alarm was early, but not too crazy early as the 60K did not start until 9:00. We parked our cars at the finish line and they shuttled us back up to Mayer High School for the race start. Aravaipa Running (the race company) handled this like a well-oiled machine. In fact, Aravaipa Running puts on a terrific race - a well-marked course that never left me questioning and amazing volunteers and aide stations. Highly recommend! Karen was waiting for us at the high school as she had dropped the 100K runners off there and saw them off for their race start a couple hours earlier. It was nice to have a friendly face there with us as we waited in the high school for our turn to start. I appreciate the laid back vibe of a trail race, it is like no other race start.
When it was time we headed out to the high school track where we took a lap before heading off towards the road that led to the trail at the beginning of our adventure. Erik was just ahead of me in the first few miles of the race and while we did not have a plan to stay together, it became apparent that we would, it would have been a lonely day out there all alone. I felt so winded in the first couple of miles - before we even got to the trails - and I hoped that I would settle in and find a rhythm. Maybe I was nervous, maybe there was a little bit of altitude, eventually it went away and breathing felt a little more normal.
Start to Antelope Mesa (7.7 miles)
My rough plan for the day was to make it from aide station to aide station - there were five of them, between 5-7 miles apart - and then the finish line. The air was so much drier than home, so I made sure to drink plenty and to eat my Spring Energy gels on schedule. Once we got off of the road, the trial became single track and I felt some pressure to hold my pace because the trail was still a little bit crowded at this point. It did open up after a few miles and runners were able to spread out more. There were some pretty big ruts from horses in this section and I focused on picking up my feet. The horizon really began to open up and the views were breathtaking - lots of people stopping for pictures in here. It was at this aide station that I discovered bean dip rolled up in tortillas was the equivalent of gourmet food. I'd never tasted anything so delicious!
Antelope Mesa to Hidden Treasure Mine (12.9 miles)
This section felt like a runaway rollercoaster at times - winding and narrow single track with a drop off on one side and a mesa on the other. As luck would have it, Erik and I ended up in the front of a long train of runners. Again, I felt the pressure to keep up the pace as there was not much room for runners to go around if they wanted to go faster. Erik was particularly tested by this section as he has a fear of heights and the drop off was just enough to make him feel pretty nervous. We were able to pull over when the trail widened out and several runners thanked Erik for the pull. We got into the aide station at Hidden Treasure Mine at just under 3 hours and I was beginning to feel a bit "over it." I might have run that last section a little faster than necessary, considering the long day ahead of us.
Hidden Treasure Mine to Bumble Bee Ranch (19.4 miles)
I rallied and focused on keeping a steady pace into Bumble Bee Ranch - the biggest aide station and essentially the halfway mark. The first half of this race is a big net downhill and I'd read several race reports from runners past who said it is like two different races and also warning not to take the first half too fast. They were not incorrect in these statements. I got past my low spot and I felt really good coming into Bumble Bee Ranch. I planned to take a longer break here and to restock my pack from my drop bag that was waiting here for me. This aide station was a buzz with people and activity (see what I did here). As I got the flashlight from my drop bag, Erik said "I'll bet you won't even need that!" but I wanted to be prepared just in case (a bit of foreshadowing there).
Bumble Bee Ranch to Gloriana Mine (24 miles)
Less than 5 miles to the next aide station! I knew that there had to be a catch here and there was in the form of a big climb directly out of Bumble Bee Ranch. That paired with tons of rocks on the trail made for slow going. I just didn't trust my feet or my technical running skills and took it much slower in this section. I ran when I could and walked when I didn't feel confident. The views were stunning and I enjoyed looking around and just seeing the giant cactus, blue skies, and rock mesas. During this section Erik and I noticed a runner near us and Erik started talking to him. He was recently retired and traveled the country running or volunteering at ultras. Talk about living the dream! As we journeyed on together, the aide station seemed like a mirage peeking out from around a bend and then disappearing. When we made it there, our new friend sat down and pulled a tuna fish sandwich from his pack. I can't eat a tuna fish sandwich on a regular day and I can't imagine eating one after it had been in a pack for 24 miles, but he seemed perfectly happy - like it was the normal thing to do. Erik and I left him there, eating his sandwich and headed off on our way.
Gloriana Mine to Soap Creek (31.2 miles)
As we headed off towards our next stop, things got a little tense as Erik had an incredibly strong cramp and we both got grumpy with each other. It wasn't long before Mr Tuna Fish passed by us, looking stronger than ever. This section might have been one of the toughest for me as well, as I began to walk more and run less. I had an unusual pain in my right knee and running made it feel as if it might buckle. It was also aggravated by some of the long, downhill stretches that we encountered. I suspect that it was related to fatigue from the downhill pounding in the earlier parts of the race. I think that there were some creek crossings in this part, but it is a blur at this point. Erik was super patient as I gingerly made it through the long descent before mile 30. I know that he was regaining strength with the cooling temperatures and was able to start to run again. Another steep uphill and we found ourselves at the Soap Creek aide station.
Soap Creek to Finish (37.4 miles)
The volunteers at the aide station were very nice, but things were getting more sparse as we were bringing up the rear. I was hoping that I could get a taste of Coke here, but there was none left. No more delicious bean dip roll-ups either. My heart sank a little when the volunteer mentioned that it would be dark and getting colder when we finished in 2 hours. A 2 hour 10K - that seemed like an eternity at this point and I was not encouraged, but I kept moving. I found running to be difficult by this point, but walking felt fine. I have no doubt that Erik could have gone on, he had found his second wind and was running ahead of me a bit, but he did not leave me. It was getting dark and I reached for that flashlight that I didn't think I would need. Come to find out, Erik did not pack a flashlight in his bag so it was one light for the two of us. About three miles from the end we came to a huge river crossing - in the pitch dark - I had no idea how I was going to make this happen, but there was no way I was stopping now. As luck would have it, we ran into a very enthusiastic fellow runner who had a spare light for Erik. I'm beyond thankful for that and for him because I'm not sure how we get through the river crossing without his light. So there I am, calf deep in a cold river in the pitch dark laughing my head off because how did I even get here and can I be done now? The mile with that river crossing took 28:00 - quite possibly the slowest mile of my life - but also the one filled with the most adventure.
The final couple of miles following the river were filled with climbing and switchbacks. I could see lights behind us and up (literally up) ahead of us and I wondered what the scenery looked like in the light. I'll bet it was as beautiful as the rest of the sights we'd seen that day. I could see the lights of Black Canyon City in the distance, but they looked so far away. Just keep moving forward, MK.
A quarter mile or so from the finish I hear a familiar voice from the darkness - it was Drum! I was so surprised because I wasn't expecting her to be there, she'd just moved to Arizona a few weeks before Black Canyon but she did not think she would make it to the race, I wanted to burst into tears. It is such a relief to see a familiar face when you are so tired after doing something so hard. We ran the last little bit to the finish line despite my leg feeling like it might fall off and 10 hours 58 minutes and 43 seconds after we started we crossed the finish line.
Black Canyon 60K was so hard and it seemed impossible at times. It took me over 2 hours longer to finish than my goal and initially I felt a lot of disappointment in myself. Do I enjoy ultra running? The jury is still out on that one. I would like another shot at the 50K - 60K distance, a do-over, before I consider anything longer. I learned a lot of lessons and I have some ideas for how I'd change my training for another one. But at the end of the day (the very long day), I enjoyed an adventure with Erik on an amazing trail, in a beautiful state, and I did something I'd never done before. These are the adventures that keep me coming back for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment