best. valentine gift. ever.
Valentine’s day… it’s usually associated with flowers, chocolate, hallmark… love… I’m not a huge subscriber to the holiday as a one-day celebration of love. I’d much rather enjoy the day-to-day journey and celebrate the general idea of love. The love for family, friends, the human race…
So running a 50k(+) trail running race didn’t seem like such a strange way for me to spend the day. What was surprising was I received one of the best Valentine’s gift I’ve ever experienced. At mile 29, I was approaching the 4th aid station, running up a rocky slab, and there’s Bracken—standing there with his camera and smiling.
To see him there, knowing he’d biked from the 33k route to meet me here… it’s the best description of how “actions speak louder than words” that I can think of. Really. Such a simple gesture, but I smiled and grinned the final 5 miles just thinking of how special that moment was.
Now, on to the actual race report… Bear with me as this is my very first one!
I signed up for the race a few months ago as a training race for my first 50-miler (the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run). I started my focused training in the fall, but I’m not sure I trained as well as I would’ve liked. (Is this just me, or do most athletes feel they could’ve trained better?)
Friday afternoon, Bracken and I drove out to Moab, arriving around 7:30. It’s always interesting to me to think about my food intake prior to a race. Especially since this is only my second ultra. I want to make sure I have enough energy, yet I don’t fill up too much and have problems during the race.
We stopped for some thai noodles in Glenwood Springs and settled on some light hummus and pita chips (and, um… chocolate chip cookies, of course!) for the evening. I woke up the next morning at 6:00am, warmed up, and began to contemplate my wardrobe options. Tights? Knickers? Warm hoodie? Windbreaker with light shirt? The weather report predicted snow and wind for most of the day, so I opted for the tights, light shirt with windbreaker, which turned out to be perfect.
We picked up my friends at the City Market Starbucks and headed to the start line. We arrived an hour ahead of time… plenty of time to get our race numbers, visit the port-a-potty and warm up.
cold and windy before the start
lined up and ready: 10... 9... 8...
And then… we were off! I was heading into a full day of pure running. The wind was strong, air cool and snow was wafting down.
3... 2... 1... GO!
Normally, when a race has a lot of vertical, I find I’m far more efficient walking up the inclines and running the descents. This season however, I have been running strong on the inclines around town. So I set a personal goal to run as far as I could without stopping—up, down, flat and through the aid stations.
the first mile
For the first 17 miles, I ran slow and steady, not wanting to blow myself up too early. At the third aid station (the halfway point), I finally stopped, adjusting my jacket and making sure my fuel was easily accessible. It was just after this point that my body started breaking down… not a good sign with a full half marathon (plus) left to go.
heading into the first loop
I was slowing down and I was worried. I hadn’t run more than 22 miles in training. My knee was hurting on the downs. I was tired.
At the fourth aid station, I overheard another runner mention ibuprofen and asked if he had any extra… Hallelujah, he did! I took 600mg and it seemed to kick in pretty immediately. With my knee and quads feeling better, I felt a second wind fill me up and off I went.
magical views of the La Sals
Instead of pushing myself and running through the hills, I walked the inclines and ran the downhills… my energy and body responded to the new plan quite well. I actually welcomed the inclines as it allowed me to stretch my muscles and switch things up a bit. I actually think I was walking faster than I would’ve run them.
following the pink ribbons
Navigating the trail was a fun challenge. Following pink ribbons blowing in the breeze, hanging from trees and wrapped around rocks reminded me of scavenger hunts as a child. It kept me alert and watchful. And immensely thankful that the course was marked so well. Even on the trail maps, there is a section marked with caution as it’s difficult to follow. I saw a few people running towards me a few times, coming back on trail after having gotten turned around. It was pretty easy to do if you weren’t paying attention.
I am an interesting runner in terms of speed and strengths. Some days I feel like a mini-metronome… all those years of practicing the violin seem to kick in and I often run the same pace whether it’s up or down (or whether it’s a 5k or a 50k!). And then the flat sections… you know, those sections where most folks breathe a sigh of relief when they happen upon them in a tough race and are able to somehow, magically, pick up speed and make up time?
Not me. I see a flat section of paved or dirt road and my body immediately begins to plod along and I slow down. I haven’t yet figured out what it is about the flats… I think I just get bored, or my body struggles with the repetitiveness.
relishing the inclines
There were more flat sections throughout this course than I had anticipated, but enough cool and interesting rocky jeep trails to keep it interesting. And Moab is simply a magical place. I felt privileged to be running there for the day.
zen in the desert
The 6 – 7 miles between the fourth and fifth aid stations felt loooong (roughly miles 22 – 29). I was really thankful I am pretty self-supportive with my water and fuel rather than dependent on the aid stations. (I’m really glad they’re there and it’s a great morale boost, but I like knowing that I can eat and drink when I need to.) I needed the additional sustenance.
As I approached the final aid station at mile 29, I saw a man standing at the top of the rock I was climbing up. He kept watching me and smiling. I knew Bracken had planned to bike part of the course, but I had no idea he’d decided to wait for me at this aid station… but there he was. It was such an amazing feeling to be running strong, proud of myself for being there, and to see Bracken cheering me on in full support and encouragement… my heart was full.
smiles and grins
He biked alongside me for a couple of minutes (stopping to take pictures) and then took off to be at the finish.
As I was nearing the final stretch and heading downhill, a spectator cheered me on and said the magic words: “just a quarter mile to go.” That was all I needed… I’d been looking at the river below, thinking the finish was a lot further away, but nope… just a few more minutes and I’d be done. And the faster I ran, the sooner I’d be there, so I took off and found my flow. The final moments felt so fun and so good, I almost kept on running past the finish. Oops.
7:14:42
I finished the 34(ish) miles in 7:14:42, placing 13th out of 22 in my age group. Not too shabby for a girl whose first-ever mile was run just 9 years ago!
