The desert is HOT. Especially for a northern dweller who
hasn’t run in shorts yet this year. Yes, I was that runner who was glowing
white amongst all the bronzed legs of more ‘acclimatized runners’. So what was
I doing in the desert? Well, a last-minute decision to pull out of Chuckanut
and a need to get a race under my belt sent me packing my bags to Phoenix for
the Mesquite Canyon 50k. What? Yeah, and it was awesome!

To back up as to how I ended up in Arizona, running through
cacti, this is what happened:

Data collection for my dissertation

I was planning to race Chuckanut this year and was psyched
because in the past couple years I’d missed the registration and it was full. But,
my body had slightly other plans. What was wrong? Well good question. A couple
weeks before the race I came down with the crud. Ugh. I felt like I was hit
with a brick wall. I would be out for a run and it felt like every step was so
much effort that I was just dragging my body around the trails. NOT a good
feeling. So I did what any runner would do…..I totally freaked out and called
my coach! After talking me through that this wasn’t the end of the world, I was
told to rest. And I did. Physically anyway. It actually wasn’t hard; the
thought of running was totally overwhelming. I did squeeze in a few walks that
exhausted me way more than they should of. Hmm. As the days went on and race
week approached I wasn’t feeling any better. What the %^*? I saw my Dr. only to
find out that everything was normal. I was healthy. But I didn’t feel good! I
made the decision to pull out of Chuckanut a few days before the race. So
frustrating! But I was still just feeling shitty. I could hardly jog a couple
miles without having to walk.

So what was the problem then? Well, as probably most people
know I’m working on my dissertation study right now. I’m actually in the data
collection phase- which means lots of long hours at the lab and worrying about
every little thing despite it being out of my control. I was a mess. For a
detailed account, consult Zach: he’s had to put up with a zombie-like, freaking
out, stress case, otherwise known as Stephanie for the past few months. It was
not good. (NOTE: at the time I’m writing this I’m done with 99% of my data
collection) So when your mom told you not to worry so much or you’d make yourself
sick……she was right J

ANYWAY, on to happier things. Mesquite Canyon 50k. What a
great race! I was feeling better the following week so decided to try my luck
racing a 50k in the heat. The course was just outside of Phoenix at the White
Tank regional park. It had it all- long climbs, technical sections, and some
great smooth, single track. I had a great time racing and was humbled by the
challenging course. The 50k started at 7:30am, and I showed up wearing arm
warmers. I’m pretty sure people were giggling at me and I jogged around before
the start. I wised up shortly before the race started and ditched them. At 7:30
it was a very pleasant temperature. I wasn’t cold…..that never happens.

The first couple miles were pretty flat, rolling through
cacti studded sand. It was a nice warm-up. From there we began a 7-8ish mile
climb up 1,500 ft to the top of the hills. The uphill actually wasn’t as steep
as I was expecting and I was able to get in a good rhythm and
make good time up
the hill. At the top of the climb we took a sharp right hand turn and descended
down a very rocky, technical section for 2-3 miles. It was rough. The heat was
also just starting to become apparent, adding to the difficulty. I didn’t move
very fast down this section. In fact, I was passed by a few men, whizzing by me
like billy goats. Oh well. I was trying to stay within myself because I wasn’t
sure how my body was going to handle 31 miles.

Start of the Mesquite Canyon 50k

At the bottom of the hill was an aid station and the
turnaround point. Yep, we were heading right back up that hill. I actually
enjoyed the 3 miles uphill much more than the downhill. Sure it was tough and I
was sweating balls, but it was fun J
At the top of the hill we took a slightly different way back, which was nice,
smooth single track for the next several miles. I felt good and was having fun
cruising down the trail. My hydration and nutrition were going pretty well too
(yeah Clif shot gels!). Just a few more miles to go!

Somewhere around mile 25 though the wheels came off. I was
no longer feeling good and I was really hot and tired. Even though I was
suffering greatly, I was present. There is something about being on that edge
that makes me feel alive, and I embrace it. The last 5 miles descended through
another canyon with yet more technical sections and some fun ‘sandy bottoms’
running. I didn’t really run very well here. I still wasn’t feeling 100%
healthy and it was apparent. Nothing to do but keep running though.

Finally I saw the glorious site of the last aid station at mile
29. Not much further to go! I put on my happy face and braced myself for the
last few minutes of pain. Honestly, the last two miles were a wonderful way to
finish a race. The trail was pretty flat and fast. It was nice to run after the
last few miles of 15+ min miles. I breezed on by and passed my sister on the
side of the trail just before the finish. That made me smile! I knew she was
coming to watch (she lives in Tucson), but I hadn’t seen her for months.

As I ran across the finish line I smiled. What a tough 50k!
It wasn’t expecting that much of a kick in the butt. I have some tough, hot
races on the horizon though, so this was great practice! PLUS, I was greeted by
delicious food AND a skull trophy at the finish. Does it get any better than
that?!

Skulls!

Thanks to Jamil Coury for putting on a great race and giving me the opportunity to race last minute! I’ll be back!

My sister and I.

Shorts!