Friendly Pines (Mile 71.2) to Whiskey Row (Mile 78.3)
Jack, Jason, and I entered the aid station building together and my eyes immediately noticed all the couches on the back wall. Jason read my mind and directed me to sit in a plastic folding chair. Jacked grabbed me some potato soup while Jason worked on getting my hydration pack ready for the next section. I was eager for the soup until I realized how sensitive my tongue and taste buds were. The salt and pepper in the soup lit up my tongue, so much so that I couldn’t tolerate eating it. This was the point where I realized that not only was my tongue sensitive as it developed sores, but also my taste buds were way off. This was annoying but it wasn’t a deal breaker as maple syrup was still going down just fine.
Jack and I ventured out into the darkness and quickly were both startled by a javelina, which neither of us had ever encountered before. He faced us and I said in a stern voice “Go Home!” Clearly a bit tired to tell the javelina to go home, but he continued to stand his ground. Not knowing a javelina's tendencies we weren’t aware if he would charge us. We continued to try to get him to budge and then realized that there wasn’t just one but seven or eight of them. Finally, I just yelled at Jack “RUN!”
We laughed at ourselves as we ran down the trail. We were feeling brave and riding high, but then as I looked ahead I saw more eyes reflecting back at us. I slowed to a walk and said “EYES”. My eyes couldn’t make out what eyes were staring back at me. We slowly approached and then realized it was a pack of deer. They were easier to convince to move off the course than the javelinas.
Now that we were a few miles in I was back on terrain that I had previewed in February during my time in Arizona. Some nice single flowing single track trails through trees and then some urban running into Whiskey Row. Coming into the Whiskey Row Aid Station my body was still feeling good, but my mind was starting to spacey. I stared into the fire in the courtyard as I enjoyed the warmth. I made sure to stay just long enough to get my parents to get my next pack ready.
Whiskey Row (Mile 78.3) to Iron King (Mile 92.9)
This next section was mostly pavement as we navigated through commercial and residential areas working our way to the Dells. It wasn’t as bad as I remembered as I had done it in the heat of the day and during rush hour traffic in training. About a mile or so out from mile Highway 89 Jack and I shared some time with Michael Greer and his pacer. We had run together very early on in the race together so it was nice to see him again. I noticed the pep in his step, he still had his bounce. We stayed together until the Watson Woods Preserve where he ran off into the distance. Jack and I continued to do our thing and then once arriving Watson Park I opted to use the indoor bathroom.
In my pre-race calculations, I thought I would be hitting the Granite Dells around sunrise but it was still dark. I was happy to be ahead of my time predictions although had also wanted Jack to see this section in the light. We worked to follow the white blazes on the rocks that were a combination of part granite slick rock, part boulder hopping, and part scrambling. It felt very similar terrain to what Jack and I have at home on some of the mountain trails. Very slow going, but a good change of pace and a good way to use some different muscles.
(The "Dells" in February and in the Daylight)
As we moved out of the rock formations we could city lights off in the distance. We then cruised the 4-mile easy downhill grade on the crushed granite road which then connected us with a sidewalk that lead to the Iron King Aid Station and to my surprise it was in a residential area. Between the lights of the city and the time of day, we were able to turn off our headlamps which signified to me I was now on day 2 of this journey.
Iron King (Mile 92.9) to Fain Ranch (Mile 97.3)
On paper this section is a “nice easy cruiser” but in reality, for me, it was a long walk. The Fain Ranch had high desert grass, ankle-rolling holes, and rocks and cacti hiding ready to leave their mark. I was okay with the change of pace and could see that the pacer and runner not far in front of us were walking as well, this gave me some validation that it was a solid choice to just walk. Through this section I could see Mingus off in the distance so I tried to stay focused on getting to the next aid station before focusing on tackling the Mingus climb. My mind was kept occupied trying to avoid an ankle roll or fall. Jason was kind enough to help pull cactus needles out of my calf and hands during this traverse.
I believe this Fain Ranch field was about 5 miles and just my luck this open field was the one section where I really had to go to the bathroom. There wasn’t much besides high grass and an occasional odd-looking scraggly bush, the other thing to note is it paralleled a road that had a fair amount of cars zipping past. Finally, I couldn’t wait and convinced myself to tuck behind the bush and just close my eyes tight because if I couldn’t see people, they couldn’t see me?
After emptying my bladder there was yet another A-Frame ladder over fencing with barbed wire and then it was time to do some running as we made our way into the Fain Ranch Aid Station. We ran in and this station was pimped out with white couches, comfy chairs, coffee tables and fancy food choices.
Being the focused coach that he is Jason prompted me to not sit on a comfy spot so we made our way to a medical cot to sit on while my crew attended to my needs. As I sat, I asked for bland foods which the aid station sadly didn’t have, but what they did have was Floda. Excuse me what? Yes, Floda which is flat soda in a can. I don’t normally drink soda, but it was exactly what I needed. It went down easy and of course, gave me the sugar energy to get my butt up and moving.
Fain Ranch (Mile 97.3) to Mingus Mountain Camp (Mile 109.7)
Looking out in the distance we were making progress reaching the base of the Mingus Mountain climb. I was ready to be out of the valley vegetation and away from the vast openness where we were exposed to the gusty winds and blowing sand. Jason and I passed the hundred-mile mark with no eye contact or verbal exchange. It certainly was a milestone, nevertheless, the focus remained on the moment and what was still to come.
As we approached the base of the climb, I internally caught myself worrying about what it had in store. I had not been able to do this climb in February because of the amount of snow, but Jason did a great job dictating the pace and as we started up the incline, he prompted me to get out my poles and dig in. The grade and terrain felt very doable, and as we continued along the prompts kept coming, but these focused on hydration and calories. The pine, juniper, and pinon trees helped provide some shade from the sun which was intensifying. The 2 miles of climbing passed quickly and the gusty wind and altitude made the temperature feel more reasonable.
Entering into the aid station building I caught my first glimpse of Mika Thewes who I had not seen since the start. After checking in with the aid personnel we ventured outside to find my crew. I did another shoe sock change and reapplied Squirrels Nut Butter. I still wasn't feeling able to eat real food, shaking my head "no" at everything my mom offered.
Mingus Mountain Camp (Mile 109.7) to Jerome (Mile 126.5)
I slowed for a moment to take in the view atop Mingus, we could see across the Verde Valley to the red rock walls of Sedona. Then further in the distance, we could see the peaks of Flagstaff and that was a bit daunting given how far away they seemed. As we made our way along the cliff edge on a tight single track I was glowing, from behind Mika approached and Jason picked up the pace a tad and I followed as I felt comfortable doing so. The terrain reminded me of home, a little technical, a little hairy, and just fun!
After a mile, we made a hard left-hand turn where two curious hikers asked us where we were headed. Jason said "Flagstaff" and they looked at he was speaking a different language. We didn't slow and now had put a little distance between ourselves and Mika. We no longer had the shade of the trees and the air felt stagnant and hot. There was no escaping the sun as now we just had the scrub oak and sage. Then when I saw the structure known as Sensemen's Rest I know I needed a photo. Eric Sensemen's story documented in film "The Long Way Home" was one of the reasons I wanted to run this race.
Photo Credit: Jason Koop (who was super thrilled to stop and take photos)
Despite being double track and mostly downhill it wasn't the fastest running given the softball sized rocks. I could see the mine off in the distance and focused on getting down lower to where the road was smoother and friendlier. My mind seemed blank over the remaining miles, the sun, being low on calories, and not sleeping yet was catching up with me. Jason texted my crew with my request for gelato or a popsicle at the aid station.
コメント