Marathon number 15 in the can, or as I’ve heard mentioned on the TalkUltra podcast “done and dusted.” A fitting description as I ended the race about as filthy as I’ve ever finished a run. On to the race report…
For a while I planned on Sedona being my Arizona marathon; however knowing that I would be spending some of the summer training on trails and using my hypoxic tent in preparation for supporting Michelle at the Leadville 100 trail run, I saw an opportunity to put the training to work for my marathon goals and signed up for Flagstaff. In the universe that sees running 3 marathons in about 5 weeks as a reasonable goal, it fit nicely with my fall plans. With OH (The Red White and Blue Marathon in Findlay, OH) two weeks later and VA (the Marine Corps Marathon) three weeks after that I viewed this race is as my last long run before the road marathons. After studying previous year’s results on Marathon Guide, I realized if I had a decent run I could probably win. I wasn’t as tuned up as I would want to be for a road marathon but I was ready to be on my feet and grind it out for a few hours, hopefully I would finish in four. My only real concern is that I’m not a fast trail runner. When I hit the trails my body just goes into slow mo. However I knew with a little luck I could pull off a win which would be pretty cool for a rower turned runner like me.
By the way I LOVE Flagstaff. I had only been there once before over 14 years ago with my husband as we drove across country. For some reason we both have always thought fondly of the town and keep it on that short list of places you dream about someday living. I flew in Friday and was able to mill around the old section of town checking things out and even bought a few pieces of art from a local photographer. Packet pick-up was in a cute little coffee shop/café and I got a chance to speak to one of the volunteers about the size of the field, whether trail shoes were appropriate (YES), etc.
Saturday morning I headed out Rt. 180 (the road that leads to the Grand Canyon) for the 8:00 start. With only 350 participants total between a 10k, half marathon & marathon, it was a super mellow scene. I had my waist pack on with some gels, my iPod, my rental car keys and an extra piece of gum. At the last second I ditched the lip gloss I usually take on trail runs. Mostly out of concern that I would look like poser if I started glossing on the trail :o) I didn’t bother taking a water bottle as it looked like all the aid stations were about 2 miles apart so I figured I would be o.k. without and I didn’t need to carry that extra weight. The course is what I would call two flower petals – two different loops of about 6 -7 miles each going through the start/finish area. One time through the loops is 13.1 so the marathoners do it twice. I was happy about the loop course as I knew I could use the information gathered on the first round to prepare for the second round.
The start/finish line - very low key
Off we went promptly at 8:00 with the half marathoners and 10K-ers starting 5 – 10 minutes after the marathon. Perfect, there would be no crowds on the trail and I never even saw other racers until almost halfway where the leaders of the half caught up to us. My plan was to go out with the lead women and run my own pace hoping it would be enough to stay in the game and make something happen near the end. I wasn’t sure how narrow the trail was so I didn’t want to get stuck behind a conga line. The course has about 2200’ of elevation gain (not crazy but more than 2x any marathon I’ve ever run other than Pikes Peak) so I did not want to over exert myself. I figured I would stay calm and controlled until miles 18-19 then start reeling in the finish line. I consider myself a good “closer” - I typically know my limits and can run a patient pace and negative split my marathons. With that said, with the altitude and elevation gain I knew this race would be less about having a negative split than managing how not to slow down too much in the second half.
As planned I started by hanging a few paces behind the lead woman (“the girl in the blue shirt”). Soon enough - around mile 2 - she was running a little slower than I thought I needed to go. I didn’t really want to run in the lead but the pace was a little too comfortable. I edged past her determined to do my own thing. This required a quick change on the mental plan as I wanted to continue to run comfortably but hopefully put distance on the women.
Trying to get my head wrapped around running in the lead it was bugging me that I didn’t know where anyone else was. There was no way I was going to try to turn around to see how close the next woman was. First, it’s a trail and you can’t see that far anyway, second I might fall trying to look around and third and most important, if she was really close and saw me looking she would know I was concerned. Can’t have that. We climbed for what seemed like forever and every so often would hit a flat or descending portion. Through here I chatted with and passed a guy wearing Luna sandals – made in Seattle by Barefoot Ted, named after Manuel Luna in the spirit of the sandals worn by the Tarahumara Indians. Craziness, his feet had to get really beat up on this trail. By my standards it is a technical course – loose lava rocks (sharp! And when was the last volcanic activity? A million years ago? Apparently those rocks stick around!), sticks and other trail debris and the occasional packed dirt. Nothing groomed and at times I swear it looked like debris was trucked in and dropped on the trail just to keep things fun! Many times we would turn off the trail and just follow landscape flags through the forest. It was true off road running and simply wonderful. The climbing continued to seem endless but I reminded myself that it had to come down eventually since the finish line was the same as the start.
I kept plugging away, running easy but as strong as possible. There was a good section of descents and flat areas before coming into the start/finish and I tried to use it to run a pace more similar to my road pace. I didn’t look at my Garmin much, but when I was moving “fast” I was anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30. I knew this wouldn’t be the area that made or broke my race, but I figured (with absolutely no evidence) I probably had one of the faster road times of the women and shouldn’t waste the opportunity to get my cadence on. We finished the first loop (approx 10k) passed a few cheering spectators and headed out to the second loop.
The second of the loops was more formidable than the first. I hadn’t really picked up on this looking at the course maps - mostly because the elevation map made me want to throw up so I didn’t really look at it. While the first loop had more ups and downs, the second had a steady climb starting about the seven mile mark. I took advantage of the early flat sections then settled in as we started to climb. I really felt the altitude on this climb even though the highest point was only ~8,600 ft. but I guess it’s that much worse when you’re pushing your body. Somewhere in here I took my first fall. Just a little trip while going up I landed with my hands and knees on the trail. No apparent damage, I was up quickly and back to moving forward. I noticed that my hands were blue and bloated, it’s funny how altitude does that. It was good that I didn’t have any idea how long the climb would be or I might have hiked/walked it, but I ran the whole thing. I was able to control my heart rate and breathing rate fairly well by staying calm. We finally reached the top a little before the 11 mile mark then started descending. It was almost 2 miles of descents back to the start/finish area. It was in here the lead half-marathoners passed us and I can honestly report that I didn’t even feel jealous that they would get to stop soon. I felt great and was having fun. As much as this first round was tough I was thrilled that I was still leading and I knew exactly what I would be facing in the second half and knew I could handle it. It would be tough, but I only needed to not slow down as much as my competitors and I would stay ahead.
I passed a volunteer I had spoken to the day before and as I was passing the third time she said “you’re still in first!” to which I replied “that was really fun, I think I’ll do it again!” A young guy passed me right at the halfway point and asked if I knew the elapsed time. I looked down and saw 2:01. I hadn’t thought to look so I was glad he asked. I would have liked it to be under 2 hours as I knew the second round would be slower, but there was no reason to fret, I was in the lead.
Through all of this I was trying to catch a glimpse of who was behind me but the course didn’t have switchbacks, just gradually winding turns. At aid stations I would stop to suck down some water and look back and whenever the trail would make a sharp turn I would try to steal a peek at who was behind me. I kept seeing the “girl in the blue shirt” and was a little bummed I couldn’t shake her so I just tried to stay consistent - not pushing too hard, trying not to slow down. Unfortunately more than a few times I lamented being the one chased and really wished I was doing the chasing. I pushed those thoughts out and continued to focus on my running knowing it is the only thing I can control. Going the through the first loop for the second time, I ended up falling twice. This time I whacked my left knee badly. I was on the ground for a few seconds assessing the pain then popped up thinking I would just run it out and I’d know soon enough if it would be problematic. The pain slowly eased up and after a mile I felt nothing. Then on a downhill section I took my 3rd and biggest fall. As always, it happened fast and I basically body slammed my left side then slid a bit. It happened as I was going past someone walking (maybe a half-marathon walker?). Once again I popped up, this time with no sharp pains but bleeding from my left elbow & shoulder and my right hand. I was a real mess but felt fine. I didn’t want to waste any time!
I continued on and finished this 3rd quarter of the race blazing through the start/finish area still concerned about getting chased down. I headed out for the 4th loop and final quarter of the race. As mentioned, I knew the last quarter of the race would be the hardest. A steady and steep climb with a couple mile downhill to the finish as a reward. There is not much to report here other than I started getting paranoid about the girl in the blue shirt catching up to me. A few times I would catch a peek back and I would see a blue shirted person. I was pretty sure that person was closing the gap. I was still having fun but definitely running for my life. I had spurts of alternating power hiking but I kept powering up and up. A few times I let my mind go a little dark and thought how embarrassing it would be to get passed in the last 10k after leading for so long.
I was at an aid station grabbing water (maybe around mile 23?) and the blue shirted person finally caught me. Turns out it was a man NOT A WOMAN! I immediately said “I thought you were a woman!” He was momentarily confused and we exchanged a few sentences as I explained. He finally said “there isn’t a woman anywhere near you.” I was relieved and so for the last few miles I ran much smoother. I still wasn’t comfortable not knowing what was going on behind me but I figured there shouldn’t be anyone in striking distance. I finally plowed to the tippy top of the hill and started the descent into the finish. I passed a few guys in here – some were having trouble with rocks in their shoes or had cramping or simply ran out of steam. I didn’t care much about my overall pacing, but I was energized to be running well.
I reached the finish in 4:10:14. Well off my goal of 4:00 but that was really just a swag number, I had no idea how long it would take me. It was good enough for a women’s division win and 13th place overall. The 2nd place woman was over 40 minutes behind - it would have been nice to know that while I was out there! On the other hand, I am sure I stayed stronger thinking she was catching me. There were 62 finishers. I am not sure how many started but the field was full at 100 entries. I heard afterward that they let you drop down to the half distance after the first round and more than a few people took the option.
Overall I really enjoyed this race. I enjoyed visiting Flagstaff, even if it was a quick one. Unfortunately I really banged myself up badly on the falls. I looked like I survived a bear attack. That concerns me a little with regard to future trail racing, but I am thankful it wasn’t worse.
Happy to get the win!!
I didn't get a picture of the massive bruise on my thigh which was still visable 10 weeks later.
Now I will rest up for a few days then get my head wrapped around my next race. In two weeks I head to Ohio!
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