No Reservations: Midwestern Meander

Thursday night, May 31...it all began.

We got home late from work...who works late on their last day ever?!  We do :)  After putting the finishing touches on the apartment and put the final bag into the back of the truck, we were finally off, headed for Wisconsin to spend time with Geof's dad and stepmom.  Wisconsin was completely relaxing and, as always, a great time.  We stayed through Tuesday morning, and in the meantime we also made our way over to La Grange, WI to hang out and watch the Kettle Moraine 100.  It was a beautiful day and probably record great weather for that race.  

Showing the Brelly our set-up in the back of the truck

We ate a few meals at our favorite place in southern Wisconsin...the La Grange General Store

Our first night sleeping in the truck was a mild success.  Not bad, but not 100% ideal.  We parked in the Nordic parking lot so that we could roll out of bed in the morning and watch the finish of the race, so there was a fair bit of noise throughout the night.  Lesson learned :)  Otherwise, it was pretty comfortable! We put our self-inflating camp beds in the bed of the truck, made our bed, shut the tailgate and that was that.  Of course, if helped that most of our stuff was back at the Dunmore's house and we didn't have to jostle a bunch of stuff around  :)

After watching the last of the runners cross the finish line, we headed back to Janesville, got in a few great speedy runs along the bike path in town, caught a triple A baseball game in Beloit (complete with hot dogs and cheap beer).

Geof and his dad worked on the lock on the tailgate (and fixed it!!)...

Then we headed downtown to watch a show put on by the Rock Aqua Jays...my first water ski show since I was a little tot and it was really cool!

Tuesday morning we packed up, said our goodbyes and then headed south to spend the evening with two of my sisters down in Bloomington, IL.  I gave Geof the grand tour of my alma mater, Illinois State University, and even was able to get down to the student radio station I worked for all through college.  A stroll down memory lane :)  I spent A LOT of time in that station.

Back at Holms and Conan's house, Holms whipped up a fantastic dinner of BLTs with avocado and a crazy delicious goat cheese and tomato salad...

My sister has a bit of a green thumb...plants are everywhere!

Relaxation...

Wednesday afternoon we packed up again and headed for Clinton, IA to spend time with more family.  We took Geof's grandparents out for dinner at the surprisingly awesome Candlelight Inn on the Mississippi River.  Delicious, great company, and a fantastic spot on the outdoor patio.  We then ate our weight in carrot cake and homemade ice cream at Geof's mom and stepdad's house :)

Thursday afternoon, we finally hit the road and headed west!

We didn't have a plan at first, but we knew we wanted to end up in Flagstaff before heading to Salt Lake City by the 14th, so we aimed the truck in that general direction.

Due to a slight lack of planning on our part, we ended up delirious and badly in need of sleep around midnight, deep in the bowels of western Kansas...i.e. the land of no rest stops, "wide load" trucks, and slaughter houses.  I was reaching crazy laugh status quickly, and we eyed everything as a potential sleep spot.  We finally pulled into the dark parking lot of the Kingman Community Hospital around 1:00 in the morning, put the sunshade in the windshield, reclined our seats and slept like kings until about 5:00 a.m.  A couple of coffees from a Casey's General Store up the road, and a quick teeth brushing and we were outta there.  Blech!

We wanted to check out Greensburg, KS to see the town that was leveled by a tornado earlier in the decade and re-built as a "green" town.  It was okay...not quite what their website made them out to be, but still a neat place to see, however verrrrrry small and still in the re-building phase.

After Greensburg, we headed for Dodge City, KS.  I lovelovelove cowboy tales and the old west and this place completely tickled me.  We toured the Boot Hill Museum, watched a gunfight reenactment,  and roamed the replica Main Street for a short while, which is a living exhibit.  It was awesome!!

Geof walking down Main Street at the Boot Hill Museum.  All he needed were his cowboy boots and Stetson :)

After satiating my old west craving, we saddled up and made the final descent out of the Midwest and into the real West...and set up camp in a beautiful little state park in the sex change capital of the world.  Can you guess which town we were in?

Paige, out.

No Reservations: Beginnings

This is hard. 

It's scary.  It's wildly intimidating.  It's like jumping into dark water unable to see the bottom and unsure when or if you'll hit it (who jumps into dark water? that's creepy!).  Think of standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down, waaaaay down to the water and then jumping after a countdown (countdowns always make me more nervous, and then I can't do it).  You hope you land safely, and most likely you will, but there's a chance you might not.  It's like that. 

It's like walking through an obstacle course blindfolded. 

But at least we have our arms free.

Our arms, heart, minds, and our legs; they are free and we have absolutely No Reservations!

Literally, we don't have any reservations, except for a hotel in June for a wedding.  But seriously, that's it.  Everything else...will fly by the seat of our pants.

This here mini-series of posts will aim to chronicle the journey that Geof and I are about to take.  We aren't just taking a long vacation and then returning to the grind.  We are leaving it pretty much all behind and just making it happen.  We are jumping the tracks, as Chuck said in a note on a prevous post. 

I'd like to call this here new series on Serious Case of the Runs: No Reservations. 

Thoughts and photos from the open road...

...and, of course, the trail.  I want to capture all the good stuff, the not-so-good stuff and everything in between.  I want to remember this experience always and I want to share it with our future someday, too.  I joke about saying one day, "Kids, did I ever tell you about the time your father and I spent the summer touring the country in that old truck and then moved 1700 miles away because it felt right?"  One day.  And, it's not a joke, it's f'real.

It's a slight break from the usual here on Serious Case of the Runs, but not by much.  There will still be plenty of running banter, because, let's face it, that's just who I am.  And hopefully we can jump in on a couple of races if the timing works out.  Otherwise we'll mostly be preparing our legs and lungs for their new home at a much higher elevation (Utah is "Life Elevated"), flanked by gorgeous peaks and canyons.  So fear not, I am still here :)

No Reservations: Beginnings

I ask myself constantly, 'is this a good idea?', 'should we stay? It would be so much easier,' 'what if I don't get into school?', 'what if we can't find jobs?', 'what if we can't find fresh kale anywhere?', and most of all, 'what are we going to do without Trader Joe's?!'  (That last one keeps me awake at night.  We are Trader Joe fiends.  Like f'real.  Goodbye delicious and cheap almond butter, goodbye crumbled goat cheese, goodbye multigrain pilaf in the microwavable bag, goodbye...*SIGH*)

But life goes on once I get through each question and realize this one thing: Everything always works out.  It's just a matter of how that "works out" with what you had envisioned.  So it's a good reminder to be flexible.  Be mindful, and be thankful.  Thankful that we are in the position to make this kind of change, to take the summer off, to move somewhere beautiful and amazing, to not feel stuck on the tracks.  Disgustingly thankful.

And I just have a really, really good feeling about all of it.

The night before the big move, over Memorial Day weekend, the entire apartment packed neatly in boxes and crammed into the living room...

...I walked into the bedroom to grab something and out of habit flipped the switch to turn the lights on, but nothing happened.  Oh, that's right, we even packed the lights already.  It suddenly hit me and I stood there frozen for a moment...  We sat on the couch eating ice cream out of our camping bowls, no TV on as it was already packed, and I suddenly started crying/laughing; that sort of crazy sounding combination.  I was happy, but holy crap I was also really sad..."I tried to turn on the lights, but they're already packed...and I already miss it here and we haven't even left!! ...and who cries while eating ice cream?!?"  I was overcome by this intense melancholy and in the same instant I wanted Geof to call my bluff so we could unpack everything and return to life as we knew it, but at the same time I wanted to just leave it all behind, hop in the truck and get the hell outta Dodge.   It was a strange and confusing set of feelings, but expected all the same.

It was really happening.  Finally.

Packing up the moving truck the next day with Geof and two of my brothers I didn't give myself a chance to let anything else sink in; there was just too much to do.  And suddenly things looked like this...

We ate dinner on our last night in the apartment by the light of an old set 

of Christmas lights.  Livin' the rock star life :)

We hit the road and continued on for nearly 28 hours.  Through the flat congestion of Illinois, rolling pastoral farmland of Iowa, the wind tunnel that is Nebraska and Wyoming, and finally made it to our new home state, coasting mightily from Evanston, Wyoming all the way into Salt Lake City, Utah.  

We made it.

The evening before we vacated Chicago for good, we headed to Logan Square to meet up with some of my family at Dunlay's on the Square.  We sat around a huge table in the middle of the pub, 10-12 of us in all, with about 15 different conversations going simultaneously, kids playing Go Fish at one end, an animated speech by my older brother at the other end, playing musical chairs around the table throughout the night as conversations evolved and changed...it was pure chaos, purely Troelstrup, purely my family as I've always known it.  And I loved it.  

It was a good reminder: that life isn't about the work-a-day, about where you live or what you do, how much you make, or what you own.  It's about doing what you love, making it happen rather than waiting for it to happen, and, above all, family.

I'm going to miss my family so much, but luckily we're not too far away :)  And our Salt Lake family awaits with open arms.

Let the adventure begin!

Paige, out.

Drop and Gimme Ten!

That's more or less what we've been doing of late.  We decided our training for Zane Grey did us well (despite any appearances to the contrary...i.e. the slow finish time) and have opted to continue on with it, and play around and tweak it here and there.  We don't have anything on the immediate horizon as far as racing goes, but Geof does have Wasatch 100 come early September.  I, however, have no races scheduled for the rest of the year...but that won't last very long :)  I wanted to wait until we knew where we were moving before I made any racing plans.  Now that that's squared away, I really want to race...like now.

What to do, what to do?  Well, until I figure that out, I'll just keep on training like I've got something coming up :)  Besides, racing is merely a vehicle for training.  I really love the training part.  Hopefully we'll happen upon some dandy looking race in our travels this summer and can drop in on it.  We'll see!

Meantime, the training.  It's very complicated and filled with numbers and formulas and big words that sound like they're made up, and lots and lots of weird runnery stuff and crazy sounding nutrition plans. 

Not.

Here it is: Run 10 miles.  Often.

There you have it!  We did maybe four actual long runs (20+ miles and one 31 mile run) leading up to Zane Grey this year, and the rest of the time it was 3-4 runs of at least 10 miles, and 1-2 runs of 3-4 miles.  The key?  Pushing the pace.  These were more often than not pretty fast runs.  Even the long runs were fast by my standards.  The 3-4 mile runs were our version of speed work and usually left me gasping for air.  The 10 mile runs started out very mildly paced back in February, and we've now dropped about a minute per mile off our former typical pace, and always end with a negative split in the second half. 

Generally, I'm running based on feel.  I try not to glance at the ol' watch too much, but it happens.  Curiosity and what not :)  But here and there I'll purposefully push it, or Geof will drag me along.  So it feels good to see such massive improvement on my part without really aiming for it.  It just happens.  You run a lot, and eventually you adapt and get better and better.  Put in the work, reap the rewards.  One of the many things I love about running!

Last week, we decided to run 10 milers every day.  My legs wanted a break bad by Wednesday, but we kept on keeping on and closed out the week with six 10 mile runs, taking Sunday off to rest and start again this week.  It was fun, and a little bit tough for some reason.  I felt the absolute best on Saturday, with 50 miles already in the tank.  Each run got a little better throughout the week, thus driving home the fact that I'm made for this stuff :)  But all this road running is making me ache. 

I love the 10 mile distance.  We haven't really been craving long runs lately, so this is a great way to still get in the miles and it allows for quicker recovery (as opposed to long runs).  A 60 mile week is solid for me as I haven't hit that mileage much in the past, but I am embarking on a new chapter and it includes higher mileage.  Time to remind my legs who's boss!  I aim to make 60 mpw the new 40-50 mpw :)

Hey, remember that time I ran my first 100 mile race on less than 30 mpw?  Yea, that was silly, and I can't believe I did that.  It works for some (like you, Brian!) but boy is it more fun to run more nowadays, and very rewarding.  My how I've grown.

Today, I am pooped!  I think the moving stress/anxiety/awesomeness is wreaking a bit of havoc on my running/general mental state so this week has been a little hard on the bod, but I have faith it'll bounce back just fine.  Just this morning I was lamenting my aching legs and body, to which Geof said to speed it up and everything will feel better (I think his exact words were,"we're going too slow and not running far enough."  True story.)...my head was trying to take the reigns.  So, I did just that, I sped it up, and I found my groove. 

Paige got her groove back.  At least for this morning :)

I sorta wish I were running Kettle Moraine 100 now, but not really.  I'd want to crush it and I'm not feeling totally crushy right now.  So, we'll settle for watching other people crush it out there next Saturday instead :)

Paige, out.

Choosing Our Own Adventure

All has been quiet on the bloggy front, but have no fear...we still have a very Serious Case of the Runs here, packing away the miles each day, and I hope to finally get around to writing about that soon :)  But, we've also been doing some other packing of late because...

We're moving!

If you haven't already picked up on this little tidbit, Geof and I are not-so-closet desert rats :)  We love the desert, and we love the mountains, and we lovelovelove being surrounded by like-minded folks who find nothing unusual about spending most of ones free time in the mountains/running/communing with nature.  We hmmm'd and hawww'd for a good long while, weighing all the options, dreaming up all sorts of places we think we'd quite enjoy (talk about a long list!), and we've finally picked our new backdrop:

Salt Lake City, Utah!

C'mon, we're also a little bit city folk at heart, so we wanted to make sure we'd still have some of the access and convenience of a city, but with the ability to hop into the mountains at the drop of a hat.  Not to mention being within five hours in any direction of some of the most beautiful places in the entire country.  And, can we say world class trail running?  Hello Wasatch Mountains, you are my new friends! :)  (Heck, I may even learn to really enjoy downhill skiing and not be such a scaredy-cat.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves.)  And, we've got such a great network of wonderfully amazing friends already in the area, so what's not to love? 

May 31st we are leaving the Chicago skyline in our rearview mirror for good.  That's gonna be weird...and totally thrilling, exciting, terrifying and motherloving awesome.  I'm pretty sure I'll cry.  It happens  This has been my home for sooooooo long.  But, it's time.

That's not all.

June and July will be spent taking in every last bit of some of the magnificient west's greatest treasures.  We'll be modern day vagabonds, but not quite as drifty...and with much better hygiene :)  We do have some places to be at certain points, including crewing/pacing for Gretchen at Hardrock in July, so we do have a very blurry plan.

But otherwise, we'll be residents of the road; choosing our own adventure along the way.  We do have a soft spot for americana, small towns off the beaten path, coffee shops with funky names and mismatched furniture, book stores, folks who still wear overalls, folks who call themselves 'folks', brick streets, towns with names that make you giggle, red rock formations and trails that go for hours.  Where will the road take us?  We shall see!

And, it gets better...

I'm going back to school!  I've just missed those textbooks and A & P flashcards too much ;)  Nothing too exciting yet, just catching up on some prerequsites before applying into a program for 2013.  This was really the main boot-kick to the pants.  We knew school was a big priority...but we also knew relocating west was another big priority.  So, why not do both at the same time?  That's just how we Dunmores roll.

It was hard giving notice at work...I have three completely awesome attorneys that I've been working for for the last five years (no, they don't read this blog as far as I know so I'm being honest, for the record :)), so it's hard leaving a truly wonderful professional environment...one which I would have easily retired from many many years from now.  But, we cannot ignore the call of the mountains.  It is loud, persistent, and quite lovely!  It could be a flop, but I sincerely doubt it.  We just aren't 'flop' people :)  We are make it happen people.  There have been just a couple naysayers (expected), but otherwise peeps have been enormously supportive and encouraging.  And for that, I say thank you!

Think on how often in life you have an opportunity like this.  I bet it's not often.  So when we saw it approaching we decided to take the leap (a huge long-jump-over-our-universe-landing-in-unknown-territory kind of leap...over burning coals, spikey things, naysayers and steaming piles of lima beans).  It's intense.  And downright cool. 

This is a wildly awesome adventure we are about to embark on, and I'm tickled pink to have the greatest sidekick in the universe to share the ride with!  And, of course, the greatest readers ever known to man to share our adventures with right here :)

So that's the skinny.

And now back to our regularly scheduled running excitement.

Paige, out.

(Bet you weren't expecting this one, lol!)

Zane Grey 50M: InZane in the Membrane...

InZane in the brain!

Sorry, I couldn't pass that one up. That was bad, even for me :)

Oh snap!  We did it!  Our street cred pretty much doubled as soon as we crossed the finish line of this beast, as well as for anyone else who has managed to stumble upon a finish at the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50 Mile Run.  And I mean stumble, because that's mostly what we did on the trail.

I've been trying to think of ways to describe our Zane Grey experience without sounding dramatic, but honestly that's just how it's going to sound because that s*** was crazy!  "How hard can it be?"  THAT FREAKING HARD.  This is one of the myriad things I love about this sport: it's ability to put life into perspective.  Nothing off trail is that bad.  Life is a dream my friends.  Battling through a really tough course reminds me of how wonderful daily life really is...not that I was in need of reminding.  The Highline Trail is a nightmare.  A beautiful, rugged, delicious nightmare.

And I look forward to returning to it.

Well, Brian, Kelly, baby Caleb, Geof and I headed down to Payson, Arizona for a day of running, followed by a few days of enjoying the northern Arizona sun and warm weather.  We arrived at the Best Western Payson Inn, where we were staying Friday and Saturday, in time for packet pick-up.  It was by far the most low key pick-up I've ever experienced, but I was expecting as much.  We sat out on the patio of Brelly's room relaxing before deciding to head to Wal-Mart for some supplies and refreshments for the weekend ahead. 

Back in our room, Geof and I set about getting everything ready for the next morning.  We decided to forego drop bags and instead carry everything we thought we'd want.  Drop bags are a P.I.T.A. and it's less stressful to be fully self-sufficient.  I stuffed a change of Injinji liner socks, enough Honey Stinger Waffles and Chews for 12 hours, extra batteries, my headlamp, ginger, S!Caps, sunblock, a bandanna, long sleeve shirt, and my iPod Shuffle into my hydration pack.  Then add in 70 ounces of water and I had one hefty pack to carry around all day!  I also opted to carry one water bottle so that I could put electrolyte drink (provided at aid stations) or extra water in it if needed.  Thank goodness I had that bottle...I needed it. 

Race morning came fast, but luckily we slept pretty good.  The weather forecast was calling for near record high temperatures...90 degrees and a totally cloudless sky, and that is exactly what we got.  But of course it's the mountains so that means it's a little chilly when the sun is down, a brisk 43 degrees.  I decided to wear a short sleeve shirt with my North Face arm warmers underneath a totally unnecessary long sleeve shirt.  I, of course, wore a trusty old pair of my La Sportiva Wildcats (Sporty Cats) and they did not disappoint.  I knew it was going to be rocky and thus mean possible shifting of my feet in my shoes, so I wore some Hydropel on my tootsies and Injinji liner socks (the super thin ones). 

The start is 20 minutes from the hotel in Payson and we arrived in plenty of time for check-in, a pit stop and a few minutes to quietly freak out inside my own head.  As we lined up at the start I glanced around and confirmed my initial assumption coming into this experience: I am a fish out of water.  Completely out of my element.  This terrified and excited me all at once.  You could see muscles rippling on the mountain worn legs of the chicks around me, and the guys were just as ripped.  They all seemed to have that hungry "I eat rocks and mountains for breakfast" look in their eyes.  I want to eat mountains and rocks for breakfast one day, too :)  After a simple countdown, 126 watches beeped to a start in unison and we headed up the trail.  After a grueling 20 yards we had to pull to the side of the trail...and link up Geof's Garmin.  Oops.  His GPS would become a beacon of hope throughout the day.  I didn't realize how helpful that thing was going to be mentally.

Before I get to far in, here's a really good map showing where we were running: http://hikearizona.com/images/maps/pay/HTC4.png.  The dark squiggly line is the Mogollon Rim, and we were running on the trail marked with the number 31, just below the Rim.  The race begins around 5,300 feet and ends somewhere close to 7,000 feet, and between those two points we were going to rack up nearly 11,500 feet of elevation GAIN.  Forget elevation loss, this was an uphill race and while there was more than enough descent to keep you focused, climbing was going to be the movement of the day.  Oh, here's a nice shot of the Mogollon Rim from a fellow runner:

Photo: Brian Ricketts

That's pretty snazzy, no?  I had no idea we were actually ON the Mogollon Rim.  It was pretty amazing.  Looking at the map above, and matching it with memory is a fun little exercise.  I am pretty surprised by how much I remember of the day and the trail.  It was one of those incredibly lucid experiences.  I am going to assume the high level of lucidity was due in a big way to the fact that you COULD NOT space out even for a moment...'cuz that would be really stupid on this trail.  I was hoping to keep all my teeth intact and my bones nice and not broken, so intense focus was in high demand.  How exhausting!

Once the Garmin linked up, we were back at it, focusing on the dim orb of light cast by our headlamps.  The trail is entirely singletrack, and we quickly began to see what all the fuss is about.  It's singletrack rocks with a little bit of dirt or sand mixed in here and there.  With climbing, and downhilling, and stream crossings every few miles (but these were all easily crossed without getting wet), and the steadily rising temperature I got to work lowering my expectations and preparing myself for a very slow day.  There was no way we could have been prepared for this given our geography and lack of real trails.  It was intense!  But, when we're given lemons...we make lemon electrolyte drink :)

Around 1:45 into the race we pulled into the 8 mile aid station, Camp Geronimo.  Kelly was there with Caleb ready to help out however she could.  Brian had come through about 20 minutes before us.  I peeled off my long sleeve shirt, packed my headlamp back in my pack, topped off my bottle and opened a Waffle for my first meal of the day. 

Geronimo Aid Station, Mi 8...I had food in my mouth

Photo: Kelly Gaines 

And like that we were out of there.  We kept our aid stops pretty short and sweet throughout the day, but that was easy because there were only five stops and we were riding cutoffs a little too close for comfort :)  I haven't done that in ages, so it was a little alarming at first.

Miles 8 -17 were nice, but I no longer had the pleasant distraction of Honey Albrecht and Jon Roig behind me.  They left us behind at Camp Geronimo.  They were a lot of fun to listen to those early miles and kept my mind off of anything negative.  They went on to have great races from what I can tell!  Not much stands out at this point, other than a lot of head down running/hiking.  I knew the worst was yet to come so I was working on keeping up on my hydration and calories in order to avoid any mental dips or bonks.  Those are pretty much completely ruled by nutrition so I kept on top of that stuff even more than normal.  A good day on this trail was going to be fricking hard, but a bad day on this trail could kill.  I also made sure I was peeing enough.  I was drinking so much water that I wanted to make sure I was processing it enough before taking in more salt.  Lots of peeps were having very visible issues with over/under hydration and I did not want to be one of them.  My routine worked out great.

Typical Trail...
Photo: Brian Ricketts 

Hey, it's some smooth trail!
Photo: Brian Ricketts

Pulling into the Washington Park AS (mile 17) with only 30 minutes on the cutoff we were surprised to see Brian still there, sitting with Kelly and Caleb, and we made our way to the table down below.  Greeted by the always awesome Coury brothers (Jamil and Nick) we loaded up more water in our packs, I downed a cup of Coke, got some ice in my bra and hat, and grabbed Brian to head back out on the trail.  Nick told us to smile at the river crossing for our trail portrait.  We had been warned that miles 17-33 were going to be some of the worst miles, and the aid stop at mile 23 was the only stop in there.  We had taken to dunking our hats, bandannas and arm sleeves in each of the creek crossings and I quietly hoped we'd have more of those coming up as I wasn't sure how well I'd fare in the now blazing heat on nearly totally exposed trail for the next 16 miles.  

This is basically what miles 17-33 were...hot, rocky, exposed, HOT.  In other words, a very near replica of my version of hell.  But dang it was beautiful!

Photo: Brian Ricketts

Miles 17-23 were tough with a LOT of hiking and slow moving as the climbing grew ever steeper and erratic.  Downhilling was getting harder due to the influx of rock on the trail.  Where does all that come from?!  Everyone ahead of and behind us was moving at a molasses slow pace.  That's all we could muster.  Creek crossings were the only thing pulling me forward at points and I could feel myself becoming very indifferent towards the whole day.  Not negative or down, in fact I never felt like that at any point during the race (thankfully!), but just...indifferent.  Geof was getting worried about cutoffs and with about a mile out from Hell's Gate Canyon he asked me, "Are you committed to this?"  My mind flashed quickly to Leadville and that loser-ish breakdown I had right before my DNF.  There was no way I was going to do that again.  No way.  We had plenty of time.  "Yes, let's do it."  And that was that.  We picked it up just enough to pull into Hell's Gate/Mi 23 with 30 minutes to spare.  Brian decided he was calling it a day there, and hung back as we made quick business of packing ice into everything we could.  I downed more coke and swapped out the Gu Brew in my bottle for plain water and ice.  When I asked what to expect in the next section the volunteer said very seriously, "It's a very HOT, very EXPOSED, very SOLID 10 miles."  Okay then, bring it!

We said our goodbyes to Brian and got out of there quickly.  We had 3.5 hours now to make it the next 10 miles...and we weren't sure if that was going to be enough!  Good grief, this was the theme of the day!  It was very quickly obvious that the volunteer's description was spot on.  The hard part about 23-33 was how exposed and rocky it was.  There was almost no shade the entire way, but lots of creek crossings that we very happily dunked in.  Jim from Texas was with us the whole way and it was nice to have the extra company.  We swapped spots depending on who was feeling stronger at any point, and waited for each other at creek crossings.  We had a nice little rhythm going and it made the time fly.  Of course, the miles nearly stood still, but the hours went by in an instant :)  At some point I pulled my bandanna off my neck, dunked it in a cold creek crossing and placed it on my head, under my hat, so that it would shade the sides of my face and neck.  What a difference that made!  I've never tried it before, but have seen plenty of runners do it in hot races.  I looked like a goof but I sure was comfortable :)

Precisely three hours later we made it into Fish Hatchery/Mi 33, maintaining our 30 minute cushion.  I immediately sat and changed my socks (avoiding looking at my feet because they both felt like giant blisters), then refilled my hydration pack, which I drained all but 10 ounces of on that last stretch, and my bottle.  I grabbed a full cup of Coke as we walked our way out of the aid station.  It was here that I had what has got to be one of the more defining moments in my running career.  The Belch Heard 'Round the World.  Don't even bother trying to compete because I win.  That Coke does wonders for the gastrointestinal tract, and I'm pretty sure leaves far above my head quivered as I let out that rumbling burp.  I think my gut became concave after releasing it.  Unbeknownst to me, Joe Grant was walking beside and behind me as this happened.  I turned to apologize and the look on his face was absolutely priceless.  My bad :)  But boy did I feel better!

I was a little fuzzy here, but the caffeine perked me right back up, and I had grabbed a caffeinated gel from the aid station as the next stretch was 11 miles of steep climbing and rocking descents.  Technically, this was the most difficult stretch of the race.  We climbed, we ran, we hiked, we kept quiet.  We lost Jim at the aid station, so it was just Geof and I now.  The climbs took us straight up to hot exposed ridges, then dropped us straight back down into the cool and lush valleys of green.  

Around mile 36 we came to the biggest creek crossing of the day.  It was a rapid and rushing stream, and I made my way down to it immediately, peeled off my shirt hat and bandanna and dunked them all in.  I actually got a chill for a moment :)  It felt amazing, and the area was incredibly beautiful, green and mossy.  We had to balance our way across a few logs to get to the other side.  The miles ticked by so amazingly slowly.  The climbs and descents were so steep that you barely gained any horizontal forward progress, but they took forever to get up and down because we were so physically exhausted.  It could have been incredibly deflating, but I managed to keep my head on straight and remind myself this was not a race against anything but a ticking clock.  I didn't care how long it took as long as it was under the cutoff, even by a second.  We were going to finish this thing, we just had to keep moving forward. 

The two miles bringing us into See Canyon/Mi 44 were awesomely smooth downhill-ish running and we managed to pass a handful of people who looked rather corpse-like.  It was nice to know that given the opportunity to run we still had the legs to do it, and rather quickly.  Brian, Kelly and Caleb greeted us at the aid station; I could not have been happier to see them.  And we made it with 30 minutes to spare...again!  Talk about consistent :)  Brian grabbed my handheld from the car, and we dropped our sunglasses with them.  I downed another cup of coke, a caffeine gel and topped off my water.  The sun would be setting soon and we wanted to get in as much of the final 7 miles as we could before using our headlamps.  As we made our way out of the station we both breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank goodness we made that cutoff!"

"Holy s*** we're actually going to finish this thing!" 

A huge weight was lifted.  We now had three hours to cover the final 7 miles.  I had heard Honey explain earlier that the initial three miles had two very big climbs, but the last 4 miles were great downhill running.

See Canyon Aid Station, Mi 44
Photo: Kelly Gaines

This section was amazingly beautiful...really, the entire course is amazingly beautiful.  Have I mentioned that?  I was in awe of it all.  It was even better than I had imagined it being.  These last 7 miles were higher up and had slightly different flora, a little greener, and a little cooler as we dipped down into valleys before making the final two big climbs (and they were big!).  I could smell the barn though so I laid down the hammer.  When we reached the crest of the final climb, we began the nice and (relatively) easy run down towards the finish.  The trail was now slightly less rocky, and very gently undulating.  It was super runnable compared to the rest of the day, and after walking for a short stretch behind a runner and his pacer, we decided to git 'er done.  We passed them and took off.  Headlamps now on, we had just a couple miles more to go.  It was pitch black...so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face.  I was glad to have my headlamp and a handheld :)  A red flashing light was ahead and as we pulled up to it we read the sign below it, "One Mile To Go!"

Oh sweet relief!  We really really  are going to finish this thing!!

The sound of the finishline generator never sounded so sweet.  We held hands and made our way across the finishline.  Brian was there smiling and congratulating us.  It was such a perfect finish.  I was so dang happy.  Our official time was 15h:05m:53s.  Every step, every second of that was hard earned and happily gained. 

Wow.  So it's all true.  Everything you read or hear about this race is true.  We both agreed this was the hardest race we had ever done, and it felt like we ran 100 miles.  It's pretty incredible.  I really can't imagine moving any faster than we did on that course.  But I hope to return one day with a whole lot more specific training under my feet.  You just can't properly train for that on the flat Chicago bike paths :)  I am super happy with how it all went, though, and that we were able to pull out a finish.  It's a great feeling overcoming a course like that.  It's also a good reminder that I really enjoy running at this point in my life.  Flat out running is so gratifying.  And this is not a runners' course.  It's a hiker's course :)

One day...

Nutrition, emotional health, physical health, everything went so well.  I will return one day!  I loved the organization, the course, the weather, the people, the extremely low key experience.  All of it.

 

Finisher awards are decorated rocks from the trail; I love this idea!  I named mine Dot.  Doesn't the bird poop look like a Sunday hat?

We also got a framed photo of ourselves taken at a river crossing, and a nifty finisher's sweater...unexpected little treats at the finish!

Sunday, we grabbed breakfast at Cafe 260 in Payson before we drove up to Sedona to spend a few days in the sun.  The food was crazy good!  I love little mom n' pop restaurants and this one did not disappoint in any way.  We did some hiking, a lot of eating, some rehydrating, and lots of relaxing once in Sedona. 

Bell Rock Trail - Sedona, AZ 

Photo: Brian Gaines

Taking a stroll after a big breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe in Sedona

Photo: Brian Gaines

On Monday we did a three hour hike along the West Fork Trail...beautiful!  It was the perfect way to get the legs moving post-race.  A nice easy hike with lots of cooling stream crossings and amazing views.  Check it out if you're ever in the area.  The Barking Frog had a killer happy hour that we enjoyed out on the patio in the setting sun afterward.  It was an awesome day.

We ended the feeding frenzy with an amazing breakfast at Red Rock Cafe, in Sedona on Tuesday.  Hands down the best huevos rancheros I have ever had.  The waitress said they are known for it and I totally get it.  I am currently re-craving said meal.

All in all, a very successful runcation! 

I still can't believe we made it through Zane Grey...it sorta blows my mind.  If you're ever seeking a ridiculously humbing experience, give it a go...but don't say I didn't warn ya'!

Check out Geof's take on our Zane Grey adventure HERE.

Paige, out.

Downright Zaney

Holla, Zane Grey 50M is in four days!  First race for us in since November when we ran Javelina.  We're heading back to more or less the same area once again.  We must really enjoy Arizona, or maybe it's just the whole deserty wilderness thing that we love.  Yea, I think it's that.
I feel like we are pretty gosh darn ready, physically. Maybe mentally.  I guess we'll see.  This has been the best 50 mile training I've ever done.  It has very closely mimicked the training I did for Javelina 100, but with more hills, and longer daily runs, and less racing, and just three months of training rather than four. 

But otherwise it's the same :)

Neither of us really have any expectations for this race given that we have not a clue what to expect, other than it's technical and really, really hard.  But what does that mean?  I'm guessing that just means a sorta long day on the trail :)  Basically, we just want to enjoy ourselves and live to tell the tale of the Zane Grey Highline Trail 50M. 

And I want the shirt that proves I did it :)

I've been out of the Blogger loop of late.  I check in once in a little while on folks, but otherwise my brain has been completely fogged by life.  And training.  Oh, and lots of reading.  It's all good life things and I look forward to writing about them sometime soon :)  Hopefully I haven't missed any good stuff out there! 

I have some really big decisions to make in the next handful of days, like do I wear my hydration pack from the start, or do I start with two bottles and upgrade to my pack  at mile 18? Or do I make the switch at mile 33?  Do I wear my older pair of Sporty Cats and run them out, or wear my newer pair and introduce them to some gnar?  Jacket, or vest with long sleeve shirt?  Local brew or mass produced watery beer afterward?  I guess, whichever is colder will be best :)

These are the things that would keep me up at night if I weren't already so doggone tired :)

Downright zaney I tell ya.

Paige, out.

Cloudy with a Chance of Hills

I noticed something different on the walk to work this morning.  Big poofy cotton ball clouds had entered the atmosphere and hung completely motionless in the sky.  The sun was shining, and the sky was otherwise blue.  The clouds, though, they just sat there.  No movement whatsoever.  I stood at a stoplight and stared up at the sky.  Nothing.  Stood outside my office building to check once more; still no movement.  Cool. 

I have never noticed that before.  It seems like clouds here are always on the go, kind of like most of the inhabitants of this fair city :)

It was a good reminder...to stop and take it all in; enjoy the scenery.  Clearly, even the clouds know to do that :)

That said, we took it all in this morning and knocked out another great T10 with some added spice to make it interesting: 4 miles of hill repeats.  I definitely could have worked it a little more, but I was going easy on myself today...after last week's awesome set of runs I'm easing up a bit this week (but not too much ;)).  I have to play a head game so as not to get bored with the workout, and so far so good.  I break it up into smaller numbers, sets and repetitions and boom, 40 minutes go by like nothing.  The run back was too easy, so that's how I know I didn't work hard enough on the hill.  Next time.

Geof, on the other hand, made that hill his %$*&# today. 

Zane Grey 50M = 18 days away.

Paige, out.