Refocusing Perspective - Bridger Ridge Run Report



Unmarked Course = Pocket Sized Maps

Back from Montana, I have had a couple of days to re-evaluate my late season attitude towards racing. In short, I returned home on Saturday exhausted with a longing to remain in the mountains. This wasn't a new feeling and is typically the short lull that follows any great adventure involving backpacking, fly fishing, and weeks spent living in a tent. What was missing however, was my long to return running. In short, I was and in some ways, still am completely sick of running. Bridger Ridge Run set me back in more ways than one both physically and mentally, marking my second lackluster performance of the season. After a week of post race blues, I have come to realize that it is time to move on and get healthy again! In hindsight, it is funny to even look at the race negatively. I knew my chances of actually "racing" were limited given I completed an all out 50-mile effort two weeks prior, had never run on such exposed and technical terrain, and was coming from sea-level a day prior to run a course that was mostly at 9k feet of elevation or beyond, cresting 4 major peaks in the Bridgers. Ok...being competitive sometimes sets you up for unrealistic expectations. With one look at the majority of the top 30 competitors in the medical tent post-race, I actually came out pretty unscathed minus a couple flesh wounds.

Upon reaching Montana last Friday, my brother and I had the pleasure of fly fishing for most of the day with my uncle who lives in Missoula. He drove up to meet us for the first half of the week, catching up over camp fires, fishing, and microbrews. In the later half of the day, I went to a required pre-race meeting in hopes to ease my nervous energy and look at aerial photos of the course. Unfortunately, learning the course was mostly unmarked and being surrounded by only local mountain runners, didn't quite do the trick. I felt like a fish out of water as everyone knew each other by name and there was only about 6 people that had not previewed the course. I left a bit antsy but some canyon fishing and camping calmed my jitters.



Hand after one week

Race morning as usual blew by. I woke up at 5 am to eat and break down camp with Josh, catching a glimpse of the sun rise prior to start. Wave 1 participants looked intense and I put myself near the back knowing that I wanted to start out easy, evaluating my climbing legs and unprimed lungs during the first of 4 summits. In hindsight, this was pretty dumb, because I had to waste a lot of energy getting around people within the first half mile. Upon stumbling to the top of Sacajewea at a little under 10k of vertical, I felt ok as I went into the first of many hairy descents. I realized quickly that this wasn't built for the clumsy as a path didn't exist and I was left to pick a route through the 50% slope and sharp shale. I would mark myself as "good" at descending, but this left me to re-evaluate. As I aggressively descended, pushing to maintain a position within the top 15 runners, I fell on a steeper pitch, ripping open my leg, both hands, and hip. This woke me up and instantly made me question what the hell I was doing prior to a week long backpacking trip! With blood running off both hands and down my race number, I decided to tame the pace and just survive the rest of the race only 5 miles into the game. After a little cost vs. benefits mental analysis, I was fine with the decision that a) today was going to be brutal and b) I am not wrecking an entire week in the wilderness for a better performance! Although I look at the choice as smart, the results weren't any easier to claim! Not to mention, I still couldn't enjoy most of the views, because the course was too technical to look up from.

 

Cresting Bridger

Up until mile 7, the course was mostly winding switch backs and steep descents as the trail headed towards Ross Peak. At Ross, AS2 finally arrived where someone hesitantly handed me water and Gatorade despite my bloodied appearance. After a quick wash of the hands, I hit the "wall" of a climb up Ross. The wall was like nothing I have ever endured. It consisted of less than a half mile and more than 1,000ft of climbing. It was a hike, a suffer fest, and an all out scramble that included grabbing trees to keep the momentum moving forward. After cresting the summit, I figured from the map that most of the climbing was complete. That couldn't have been further from reality. Bridger Bowl (AS3) was the highlight of the entire day as my brother, Josh, scrambled to the summit to watch, cheer and take photographs. Bridger was an entire village of people wildly cheering and standing on surrounding peaks as the 300+ runners passed. After, one peak remained and I hit the only stretch of what I would view as runnable terrain. Once through AS5, the route turned quickly to 40%-50+% descents that sent me wildly through loose scree and rocky outcroppings. Beyond through with the day, I was just looking forward to the finish and praying that I would stay upright as just about everything was throbbing. The last couple of miles were hot as it was close to noon. I was trying to capture a couple of positive reflections and gladly let two last minute heroes pass on the descent. I somewhat looked in spite and pure amazement as these two older guys were willing to risk any resemblance of health and safety to bomb the last descent. I found it funny and proceeded to grab the loose brush surrounding the trail as I skied into the finish.



Butterfly me ASAP!

Josh and plenty of others were there to congratulate me and fellow finishers. People were crossing the line in punctuated bursts as time carried on. The first two ladies were actually only a few minutes behind. I quickly made my way to the medical tent to get both hands and legs washed and dressed. My finger was still bleeding quite profusely. The list of injuries was the most impressive (and horrific) I have ever seen within the top finishers. The fellow next to me ripped his entire heel off, a couple others clearly didn't pace appropriately and were en-route to proper medical care, and there was plenty of skin that was lost. After some scrubbing and bandages, I exited feeling lucky and smart. Josh later told me that someone within the top 5 completely broke a hand in multiple places and that there were plenty of medical encounters along the entire course!

In short, my attitude is coming around. Currently, this type of running just isn't for me. Minnesota has absolutely nothing that could replicate a course like this and I was frustrated by the lack of fast running that I could do. I love flying through descents and running single track, but this was frankly above my skill-level and ability at the moment. With that being said, I have also realized how far I have come in the past year. This year is only my second season on trails and really, only my first (Last year I did one 50k and one 50 miler). I am by no means an expert and I didn't grow up running. In reality, I have only been at this endurance game for 6 years post-college.

Right now, I am dealing with a couple of injuries that may determine the rest of my season. I have fairly bad tendonitis in my knee from Bridger and a left foot that has been slow to heal since Voyageur 50. With a lot of racing in a short stretch, I want to find my training rhythm and regain some health before tackling anything else. With Superior 100 in 3 weeks, I would say it is highly unlikely that I will give that distance a try this year. My competitive spirit won't allow me to participate unless I am healthy, in peak shape, and near the top come finish line. Stranger things have happened, but I will likely wait until late fall to run either Twin Cities Marathon or a last minute 50 miler to close out what has been a "learning" year of racing. Although it is easy to lose perspective, I couldn't be happier with how far I have come or the adventures that I have completed thanks to the blessings of good health, a supportive wife, and hard work. It has paid off and I look forward to pursuing this journey further.

Post race backpacking

The Arctic Grayling...Very Rare and Somewhat Ugly

The Vast Terrain - I am in there...

 



Voyageur 50: Triumphs, Challenges & Slippery Rocks

The approach of Voyageur 50 this year was met with much anticipation and less anxiety than last year. It was nice to feel prepared. I knew what to expect and had a general idea of what the course would entail. I had high hopes to improve upon my performance (8:36, 8th last year) and marked it as an "A" race on my calendar. However, I have always learned to prepare for the unexpected in ultra distance running and this race wasn't any different. I should have known when I struggled to locate a room within an hour radius of Duluth, that this year would be unique. Alas, I had completely overlooked that thousands of people would transcend Duluth for a weekend of "Tall Ships" gazing,  Master and Commander style if you will. Luckily, I was able to reserve the last spot in Banning State Park to camp a mere 45 minutes away from Carlton.

Upon reaching Banning State Park on Friday evening with Mallory, my anxiety for race day was settled by a hike near the Kettle River and a calming self guided walk to check out the history surrounding limestone mining in the area. We ended up walking more than two miles in the woods, taking in the sights and interesting surroundings that 16 plaques of history had to offer. I even learned something new. Not about the land, but my wife. Mallory is a history nerd! Overall, the night was relaxing and I fell asleep to the setting of the sun and chirp of birds. I couldn't think of a better way to prepare. Mentally, I committed to camping prior to every race. It seems counterintuitive, but there is something calming about sleeping outside.

3:45am - My internal alarm got me up a couple of minutes before the cricket chirp of my alarm. It was game time and I was quickly wrestling to pack up camp. The moon was fairly bright, so we kept the disturbances minimal and we were in the car within 15 minutes. The drive to Carlton was uneventful and I mostly filled the time by mentally prepping for the day. Upon arrival, the rest of the morning was a blur, punctuated by the fact that it was only 48 degrees out....in July! The crisp air was welcoming as I remember fondly getting cooked in the latter half of last year's race.


Still Early and Crowded

6:00am - Minimal small talk was made and the gun went off. As expected, the pack immediately splintered into small groups and I found myself out front with around 8 others. The first mile felt great as it was on pavement, fast, and an easy mindless warm-up to a long day. Prior to hitting AS1, we crested a gorgeous overlook of the St. Louis River and glimpsed at the sun peeking over the horizon. This was probably one of the most scenic sights I encountered during the day. Miles 1-3 were quick, technical, and entertaining.
The pace during the morning was steady and somewhat stunning as we made our way to AS3 across the St. Louis River and through an area called Chambers Grove. I continued to look at my watch in disbelief as we would take the non-technical and a longer pavement section at 6 min/miles. Although I was comfortably within my limit, I wondered multiple times how the day was going to play out. By mile 9, I was already acutely aware that my stomach problems from Friday were going to resurface. What I had written off as nerves, clearly wasn't. Chambers ultimately marked the end of mellow terrain and the end of my ability to eat for many hours. With a succession of climbs, the pain in my stomach worsened and I would have to waste time locating a place to crouch more than 7 times during the rest of the day. At first, this wasn't concerning, but as the day continued, I wondered how my body was going to respond in the later half of the race without nutrition.

Powerline Section 2

Different from last year was the addition of another powerlines section earlier in the course. For those that have not done Voyageur before, the powerlines are a succession of extremely steep ravines, comprised mostly of thick clay. As the name entails, runners follow the path of the high voltage lines through this exposed area in fatiguing fashion. With two sections of this terrain, my goal was to limit wasted time and energy in this area as this year's race contained an out and back trip through both sections. I made a conscious effort to hike each steep section and run the crests as we were still less than 20 miles into the race. Overall, I gave up a small portion of time but controlled my stomach and energy level appropriately.

By AS5 I was feeling terrible and my stomach was mentally breaking me. Although it was still early, I honestly had doubts that I would finish the day. I quickly exchanged my empty hydration pack for a bottle and slowly made my way towards the course's next large obstacle, Jarrow's Beach. The beach was my marked nemesis from last year as it contains over a mile of jagged moss covered boulders. This section is barely walk-able in areas, let alone run-able. Once again, the goal was limit wasted time and limit injuries. Within the first half mile, I slipped and fell twice as I tried to navigate the rocks, wet from the mornings mist. Eventually I exited unscathed. Shortly thereafter, I hit the turn-around sitting in 7th position. I hadn't looked at my watch for over an hour due to my stomach, so I was surprised to see we hit 25 miles in a little over 3 hrs and 30 minutes. I was immediately stunned because the winning time for the marathon (on the same course two weeks prior) was 4 hrs. I knew we were going quickly, but I had no idea. By turn around, I was committed to re-evaluating my health at each aid station. Instead of the planned 300 calories per hour (1 gel every 30 minutes + electrolyte drink), I had only taken down 2 gels total and was mostly operating off of whatever liquid I could hold down.

Trip 2 through Jarrow's was uneventful. We passed the next 15 runners leading up to the entrance of

Jarrow's Beach Borrowed from Jordan Hanlon

the "beach" and ran into many more clamoring through it. At this point, I was alone and falling into a nice groove somewhere around 8th place. Once out of the beach I immediately slowed down my pace to try and ward off excruciating stomach cramps leading into the next A.S. There, I was able to drop my hand bottle for a filled pack and begin the journey back through the powerlines. The second trip through the powerlines were really a turning point mentally for my race. After exiting, my stomach was still an issue, but I honestly believed that I could close out the last 20 miles. My legs moved efficiently and I found a groove that was easy to maintain. Prior to coming into Chambers AS (11 miles out from the finish), I caught site of a runner in the distance, which boosted my energy. I worked hard to pass as quickly as possible on an uphill section, putting forth the appearance that I had plenty of energy left. Upon reaching Chambers, I filled up my pack quickly and exited onto the pavement for a gradual climb that felt like an eternity.
What was a fast descent to Chambers became the late round of a street fight coming back. The rain
started to fall and the grade of the hill ramped up, challenging my burning legs late in the game. My only motivation was the soft ground ahead upon exiting the pavement for a gradual buffed out ski trail. After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, the entrance gate came into sight and my feet were relieved to be back on soft ground. By AS 2 on the way back, all I wanted was the finish. Mentally, I kept myself sharp by constantly thinking that someone was catching up. I instilled a fear of being chased to the finish which kept walking to a minimum. In all honesty, I ended up having more than a 20 minute gap on the 7th place runner. Between AS 2 and AS 1, I struggled to maintain pace as my energy faded. I counted every last yard to AS 1 as I longed for the strong energy that this station would put out. With luck, AS 1 came as a surprise given my GPS watch was off by exactly one mile due to dense forest in sections. The volunteers were enthusiastic and I saw my wife for one last time before turning to finish the last 2.9 miles. It was a blur, but I fondly remember trying not to puke as my wife offered up a Starburst.
Leading back to Carlton, I tried to savor the last section of the course. I took in the energy of the St. Louis River, stopped to look over the crest seen early in the morning, and watch as two large deer pranced effortlessly through a densely wooded section. Soon enough, I was to the last mile of pavement. As I looked once more at my watch, I was overjoyed to see that I was within my goal time (7:30 - 8:00). I closed out the last mile in 7 minutes, draining the last bit of energy that I had for the day. Rounding the corner to the finish has never felt so good. A small crowd had gathered as the rain fell and the day ended just as it started, casual.



Best Summary of my "I have to shit face"

Take-Aways: Voyageur 50 was a huge win for me on a number of levels. Mentally, I survived 50 miles and ran well while my body constantly tried to break my will to succeed. Consuming a total of 3 gels, 2 cookies and 2 Shot Bloks in over 7 hours was an extreme test of mental courage as I literally had very little energy to operate off of due to sickness. Physically, I subtracted 55 minutes from last year's time and closed the day in 6th place, missing 4th place by a mere amount of time. Overall, my issues were likely less GI based and more virus based as I was sick Friday through Sunday. Being able to run, finish, and PR to such an extent only highlights how powerful a strong mindset is come race day. It would have been easy to fold at any time after mile 15.

Voyageur is one of my favorite ultra's for so many reasons. The race director and committee put forth a highly organized classic ultra that is well marked, extremely challenging and full of amazing volunteers. Each aid station is top notch and the people are awesome. Additionally, Voyageur is even more casual than the typical ultra. People roll up in flannels, the cost of the race is 1/2 what you will pay elsewhere, and the start quietly rolls out of a yet-to-wake Carlton, MN. Although I will continue to explorer other race venues, Voyageur 50 will always be on my radar for years to come.

Thank you to my wife for being the best crew personnel ever, Fitsok for blister free feet, and TCRC for shoes, clothing, and sage advice. Additionally, a special thanks to Coach D of Beyond Performance for getting me to the start race ready!

Coming Next: Next week I travel to Bozeman, Montana to run the Bridger Ridge Run. I just caught word that I am in the 1st wave, meaning I will be up front with the crazies. Right now, I am waiting for a large blister under my big toe nail to subside before I put together a goal for that race. I may just use it as a "bucket list" event if my body can't heal in time. After all, it is ranked as one of the Top 10 Most Gorgeous Trail Runs.

Really, my mind is on Superior Sawtooth 100. This will be my first attempt at the distance and the course is beyond difficult. With over 29,000ft of elevation change, it is obvious I won't be throwing down a 7:44 50 split. I look forward to capping the season with Sawtooth and reaching the finish in under 24 hours (stiff goal).

Superior Trail Races: 50k Recap

It has been a little over a week now since Superior 50k came and went. Quite honestly, I still haven't been able to set aside my longing for the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) after 8-days. Prior to my first experience with this race, I heard about the "steep climbs, endless roots, and jagged rocks" that supposedly make this race "slower" to navigate. I quickly found out how well this course played to my strengths!

While I waited for the pre-race directions to finish, I was reminded why I love the atmosphere surrounding trail racing more than road running. The crowd was jovial and it was a pleasure catching up with many of the same top guys that showed up to Chippewa 50k a few weeks prior. The morning warm-up rushed by and soon we were cruising down the only stretch of pavement that would be seen for the next 30 miles. The pace within the first mile was aggressive, but I knew that would change quickly as we hit the single track. The journey to Aid Station 1 was probably the most technical with a few sharp climbs and a couple gorgeous look outs as we ran across the top of a few surrounding overlooks. In sections, the trail had mud holes that could honestly swallow ankles and shins with endless muck. Pine forests, rushing rivers, and steep ravines reminded me a lot of time spent backpacking Colorado and Montana. Repetitively, I kept telling myself that this was the most amazing course I had ever run! I was absolutely loving the more sustained climbs and descents, instead of the repetitive quad busters that are seen in the typical Midwest race! AS1 came and went with no aid as I was carrying gels and hydration of my own. It was a pleasure to run with two others that I have raced against for a couple years now. It made the time pass as we exchanged stories and kept the pace consistent. After passing the first aid, the trail was less technical allowing us to push the pace and put some time between those that were following for a while. The rain began before the second aid station, but it wasn't troublesome as it was mostly a mist.

After AS2 we started the final climb to Oberg Mountain. The top 4 men rushed past during this climb, creating a bit of concern that we were way behind them already. We ratcheted the pace up as we scurried through the fog to reach the top of Oberg. To my surprise, we were greeted by a spectator cheering in a full Indian head dress. Not only was this hilarious, but the guy had a stash of cookies, Gatorade and beer for those interested. We exchanged high fives and started wildly descending back to AS2 with haste. In this section the pace was low to sub 6 min/miles once the technical part of the descent was finished. I was happy to still feel energized and comfortable at mile 20 as Chippewa happened to be a disaster just a few weeks prior.

Passing through AS2 I was able to grab more fuel and what happened to be frozen nutrition from Mallory. This kept the mood light and energetic as I love that she crews for me every race! It was mildly hard to eat at this point as the cold set into my hands making them extremely immobile. I worried a touch about it, but crossed it out as there was work to be done to stay attached to the two guys I was running with. The approach to the last A.S went quickly as the path was mostly in great shape still, even with a couple hundred runners. I maintained focus, continued eating, and pushed to make progress. Just shy of the last aid opportunity, we passed a runner that fell out of the top 5. This was energizing as I was hoping to make up ground.

The last few climbs were some of the most challenging of the day. With the rain came slick rock, roots and mud, making some of the steepest inclines simply challenging to speed hike. I took a hard fall down a descent while trying to avoid the heard of 25k runners going the opposite direction. This split open my knee and left numbness in my hand for the rest of the race. Luckily, the last climb put us in a dense fog that was entertaining and preoccupying for the remainder of the race. I focused on the pine needled trail along with runners appearing and then vanishing into the fog. It was quite the site. At this point I was solidly in 8th and just hoping to finish strong. Like every 50k, I struggled the most between miles 26-28 and then finished feeling amazing.



Although my Suunto watch was off on mileage (likely from the dense forest areas), the boom of the river welcomed me back into Lutsen. I hastily ran up the last hill, trashed quads and all, to be spit out onto the asphalt for one last mile. As I ran, I looked down at my watch to see that I was closing out right at 6 min pace. Once again, a testimony that 50k's are just a touch too short! I finished the race 8th overall, running much stronger than at Chippewa. Overall, I counted this performance as a personal victory. I was hoping to finish in a better position, but forward progress is truly all that matters within these first two races. I stuck to my plan this race, consuming 200-300 calories an hour of gel and fluid, took 4 salt tabs to avoid cramping, dropped my 50k time by 17 minutes, and gave up only 4 minutes on my 25k splits. All of these were huge victories that proved my training and earlier learnings are paying dividends.

Many thanks to John Storkamp and all the volunteers that put on a top notch race. If you haven't done a Storkamp directed event, you are missing out! The organization and execution is flawless each time making me always put these events at the top of my list (RockSteadyRunning). Additionally, thanks to TCRC and FitSok for providing me with support, apparel and the correct gear to run without unneeded distractions!

 

Going Forward:

The next six weeks for me are going to be the highest mileage I have ever run in preparation for the Afton 50k and Voyageur 50 mile races in July. I am shooting to peak correctly for Voyageur and continue to improve at the 50k distance as well. After a couple days of cycling, I was back and fully recovered by Wednesday, looking forward to continuing on this wild journey! Thank you for following me!

Chippewa 50k Race Recap - Learning from Errors

Photo Courtesy of Mike Wheeler

It has been over a week now since I completed Chippewa 50k. Leading up to Chippewa, I had some reservations after a course preview the week prior. I knew coming into it that it was going to be an extremely tough race with over 12+ inches of snow in sections, a lot of water, and some good portions of ice. Sometimes, ignorance would be better or, maybe just easier coming in to the first ultra of the season. In the end, I chose to race because backing out would start a poor mental trend that could affect the rest of the year.

 

On a normal year, I would recommend this race to anyone looking for a scenic ultra that is well supported, easy to travel to, and not extremely rugged like Superior from a rocks/roots perspective. Not to mention, the field of athletes is some of the better that I have seen at a single event. The course rolls through deep forests, passes lakes, Blue Heron nesting zones and crosses a few streams (via bridge). You are bound to see hawks, eagles and maybe a stray beaver over a dammed area. For the majority of the race, you would never know you are in the middle of corn-field strewn Wisconsin!

 

For the first half of the race, I sat anywhere between 4th and 6th place, not feeling phenomenal. Once I hit the snow, I just felt like I was wasting a lot of energy slipping one way or another. Between the constant battle to stay upright and the constant water flowing through my shoes, I was just happy to see sections of little snow where the speed could increase and my legs could find a rhythm. By the turn around, I was able to run with another TCRC teammate which eased my mind from the conditions. In the excitement of being in a good position, I breezed through the aid station, re-hydrated, and turned for home. This is where it all started to come apart. What felt a little crampy was within full lock down by mile 25. With 7 miles left, I was cursing myself for not taking additional hydration and salt tabs in the first half of the race where I felt great and assumed I wouldn't need them. With 75 degree heat (the first of the year), this was a poor judgement that in hindsight wrecked my race.

 

With an 8th place finish, I didn't know whether to be elated or terribly disappointed. It was fun racing such a good field of competitors, but I ultimately expected better from my training and preparation.

Although the conditions caused multiple great runners to DNF, I was humbly reminded that this was only my 3rd ever ultra distance race. I misjudged my hydration and nutrition which cost me a better performance. With each race comes a lot of learning. Unfortunately, the curve can be sharp and painful at times! Hopefully soon, I will transfer my fast marathon speed to trail stuff. In the end, I love the adventure and the people that make up trail running. Hats off to Jeff Allen for directing a great race in challenging conditions.

 

This Week's Training:

I recovered quickly from Chippewa and was able to get in 63 miles with three stout workouts. Between Friday and today (Sunday) I packed on 43 miles with a hard 19 mile trail tempo workout that was followed by a 14 mile run at a brisk clip. I was also able to hit the ski hills around Hyland for some repeats, packing on much needed hill training! With warmer weather, I am looking forward to boosting the fitness prior to Superior in 13 days.

Race Recap - Gettin' Rowdy in Mesquite Canyon

So I am late, about a month late to be exact! On March 23rd, I had the opportunity to run in my first mountain race while visiting Arizona, the Mesquite Canyon 30K. I was looking to treat it as a good fitness gauge and an early season challenge to get prepared for an aggressive spring schedule of back to back 50k races in MN. One thing I consistently do as each race approaches is lay out a game plan of goals, threats, and success measures. I think whether competitive or not, this is great way to frame your mental game before a race. For me, I knew my threats were hot weather conditions, limited aid opportunities, and sustained climbing. With limited early season trail exposure, running conservative at the beginning and pushing hard during the descents were my key goals. Ultimately, I wanted to run as aggressively as I could. For me, my measures of success were intake adequate hydration, attack the climb with consistency, and gain ground on the competition during flat and descending sections.

With that said, the race went extremely well on all levels. The course was gorgeous with the start being relatively flat to rolling for the first 5 miles. After reaching aid station one, the climbing began, scaling over 2700ft in 4 miles. During the first portion of the race I ensured that I was up in the lead section of the chase pack. When the gun went off, I knew immediately that pushing in the lead pack was a dumb idea for my level of heat and altitude acclimation. After reaching AS1, the distance to the next aid zone was 9 miles. During the 9 miles of no aid, we slowly made our way from the base to the top of the White Tank Mountain Range, with gorgeous views of the Phoenix Valley and some cactus blooms. The trail called for a decent mix of speed hiking and running as the grade and amount of steep rock dictated the pace. Luckily, it wasn't extremely warm yet and the climb had two decent little breaks in the action where the grade mellowed (maybe 5-7% grade). Even after studying the map, I really didn't comprehend when the descent would actually start into the valley. This may have been my only error (though minor). When I reached what I thought was the top, I assumed I needed to save a bit of energy for the dreaded next ascent. After a mile, I threw that idea out the window and start on a sub 5:30/mile free fall down to the valley. Here I was able to close my time gap, regain my lungs, and pass a few runners. Unfortunately, during this time, I really couldn't take in any views as there was a decent amount of exposure and risk to actually racing the trail.

AS2 approached quicker than I actually assumed. At this point, the race was more than 3/4 of the way over and I was feeling pretty good, minus a bit of wear to my flat lander quads that aren't too familiar with endless mountain descents. At this point I was mostly interested in closing the gap on the runners I could see ahead. The rest of the race (4 miles) featured mostly rolling desert vegetation and loose sand. Unfortunately, I ran out of miles to catch runners 3-7, finishing 8th with a gap of under 3 minutes between those in front of me. Although I was slightly disheartened by learning how close the race really was, I was elated to finish strong and amongst mostly local and western based trail runners!

Coming out of the race, I learned a few things that anyone can keep in mind while training for a race.

• First, familiarize yourself with the terrain - know the course profile and where you can play to your strengths. This is key to a strong finish and your best performance.
• Stick to the Plan - Coming into AS1 I knew it was important to top off my fluids and maintain my hydration plan. When I rolled into the station, they messed up and didn't have electrolyte drink ready. Instead of skipping it and/or drinking soda, I waited to get my bottle filled. Had I not, I would have had a major disaster going into 9 miles of unaided tough terrain. Overall, it made me lose contact with the chase pack, but I regained it steadily on the climb.
• Never underestimate the time to acclimate - I came in feeling fit and ready to lead. What I forgot was how tough heat acclimation can be. In the three days leading up to the race, I did my best to acclimate, but in the end you need many weeks of training at a much higher heat index in order for your heart rate and perceived exertion to go down. If you are going into a race that really matters, remember to train in the environment you will be racing in. Even though this was more of a "training race" for me, the temperature difference from MN was more than a 60 degree swing from what I was used to!

Props to Aravaipa Running for putting on an awesome race. The aid stations, logistics, and overall race day organization could not have been better. If you happen to be in Arizona, check to see if these guys have a race coming up. They do a ton around the Phoenix area and are a top notch outfit! I hope to be back next year, schedule permitting.

Coming up next, I will review 2 new products (Mountain Might and Tailwind). I will be racing Chippewa 50k on April 27th and will do a local race review shortly there after. Excited for Chippewa as I have heard great things and the competition will feature some of the best Midwest trail runners!