I knew if I didn't get my cramping issue worked out, I was in for a very painful awakening at the Javelina Jundred. Since my race at Vertigo I have amped up my mileage and practiced various fueling techniques. I feel like a good part of the cramping I suffered can be chalked up to under training. I hadn't done very many long runs going into Vertigo and that ultimately was my "Achilles' heel".
I have had some very solid 'back to backs' over the last 7 weeks, including 2 more TTR PR's. I really wanted to see if I could have a good race, free from the cramps. What better of an opportunity than to do a race on the very same course that the Javelina Jundred takes place on!
Aravaipa Running's final night race of the series was exactly what I needed. Javelina Jangover Night Races take place on the Pemperton Trail. It is the very same 15.5 mile loop that I will get to know "all to well" during the Jundred. Aravaipa loves to offer up lots of choices in terms of distance, a little something for everyone.
The choices for Jangover were 25k (one loop), 50k (2 loops), 75k (3 loops) or 100k (4 loops). They even had a short 7k course for those more "sane" type of runners. My first thought was to jump into the almighty 100k race, ya know, the more the merrier. But as I thought things through, I realized that 60 miles may actually do more damage than benefit. At that distance I have more of a chance of getting hurt or burning out and with 6 weeks to the Jundred, I didn't want to risk it. I settled on 3 loops.
Before I registered I had to convince Kristi on how important the really race is. "C'mon babe, I need to get these cramps under control" I told her. I didn't get the response I wanted right away. Racing can be pretty expensive and I have to say, Kristi has sacrificed quite a bit to allow me to follow my dreams. On I went, "I think it is really important to get to run on the course, it is really going to help me in the 100." Finally she caved. Not only did she cave, she got us a hotel room just 4 miles from the start. What a gal!
My excitement and anticipation for the race was sky high. I felt like my training was going as good as it possibly could. I felt more fit than I had in quite some time. And in terms of aches and pains, I had very few. I had been focusing on long slow paced runs while also mixing in some good tempo. I felt confident that I was going to have a solid race, even with all the variables a race of this distance holds.
On a hot Saturday morning Kristi and I set off to Fountain Hills. On our way out there we were both exceedingly proud of how well we had planned this out. There has been a few different trips that were not planned well, causing more stress than excitement. After stopping at Cracker Barrel for a little pre-race fuel we arrived at our hotel and checked in.
We had over an hour to relax before we had to leave. I meticulously went over my running gear as if I were about to perform heart surgery. It was a foreign, albeit wonderful feeling to have everything so perfectly in order. I kinda felt like everything was falling into place!
"Well" Kristi said, "let's get going, I guess.." You see, Kristi's excitement is a bit different than my excitement. While she is genuinely excited for me and my love to run, she is a little less excited about waiting for me while I run for hours. Completely understandable. But she does it and I love her for that (among many other things).
We arrived at the McDowell Mountain Regional Park about 30 minutes prior to the start. I usually have at least an hour to get my crap together, all of a sudden I got stressed out. "I have to hurry and get my bib. Where are my water bottles? What time is it?" I was like a broken record. "Relax" Kristi told me, "you have a half hour, just relax".
A few of my running friends were also there to run the 75k. Tucson Trail Runners were representing. Renee, Dallas, Craig, Ken, Bruce and myself. It was cool that there was friendly faces around, I relaxed and got my mind prepared for the adventure. After Kristi applied an 'Aravaipa Running' tattoo to my neck and snapped a few group pictures, it was time to party.
A group of about 20 of us lined up and wished each other luck. I looked over to my left and noticed a table holding the awards for the nights races. They do a great job with the awards, all unique to each race. These particular ones were Indian Warrior statues. Very cool. I scanned over them until I saw the "First Place Male 75k" award. I stared at him for a moment and thought to myself, "I kinda like you. I think I want to take you home.."
We did the usual countdown and slow shuffle out of the gate. I smiled at Kristi as I ran off. Jamil ran ahead of us with a video camera rolling. He is amazingly gifted at running backwards while balancing a video camera on a poll. After a hundred yards or so he moved to the side and the race was underway!
I didn't want to go out fast, one of my usual mistakes. So I just eased into a reasonable pace and relaxed. I was in front but was trying to stay somewhat with the group. After about 3 minutes I looked over my shoulder, I was already well ahead of everyone. "Don't go out too fast!" I barked at myself. Truth is, I was actually going pretty slow.
About a mile into the race I had made good separation from everyone. I could see a guy in a green shirt a little ways back. "Maybe he will give me some competition later" I began to think. I was really enjoying the Pemperton Trail. I had been told how "runnable" it was and that was not a lie. I enjoyed watching the sun setting behind the mountains, spraying pink pastel over the rocks. A light breeze caressed my skin and I felt it begin to cool down a little. "This race is going to be epic" I said aloud.
The sun had disappeared behind the mountain range as I rolled into the Granite Tank Aid Station. I popped a couple S-Caps and got my bottles refilled. I wasn't going to repeat the same mistakes I made at Vertigo, so I made sure to eat. I did realize I had nearly run out of water prior to the AS and was a little concerned that that may become an issue later on. A little girl sprayed me down with a water-mister and I took off.
The next section was super fast. A slight descent on single track had me constantly checking myself, making sure I wasn't going too fast. I began passing some of the 100k runners, who had started their race 30 minutes before the 75k. It was a breath of fresh air to see some other runners out there. I got a burst of adrenaline and before I knew it I was running sub-8's. "Cool it down, Sion" I told myself as I eased back into an 8:30 pace.
Darkness had replaced light and I turned on my headlamp. The temperature had dipped, I felt blissful. As I neared the finish of my first loop I could see a bunch of headlamps in the distance. "What the heck is that?" I wondered. "Maybe it's the 100k racers coming back my way..?"
Pretty soon I reached an intersection with runners coming off a trail and connecting to the Pemperton. A guy was standing there directing the runners. "What's going on? Where do I go?" I asked him while already knowing the answer. "Keep going straight on the Pemperton Trail. These are the 7k runners." His voice sounded familiar. "Dude, what's up Walker! I shouted. "Hey, man! I thought I would surprise you guys. I'm just out here sweeping the course and helping out. Point eight miles to aid, you are kicking ass!" He sounded ecstatic. I laughed, gave him five and took off.
I rolled into Aravaipa's Ultracity feeling so fresh and so clean, clean. I munched some food and swallowed a handful of salt. Mmmmmm salty-licious! I finished up at the AS and made my way over to Kristi. "You are doing awesome, Baby" she told me. "I feel fickin' phenomenal!" I eagerly responded. I grabbed my phone, popped in my headphones and cranked the techno. "Bye, Babe. See you soon!" I said as I began loop 2, this time in the opposite direction.
I was feeling full of energy and downright beastly. There were tons of runners going the opposite direction as me and it added to my adrenaline. "Good job" one would shout, "you too, keep it up" I would shout back. I soon approached another runner going the same direction as me. "What up, man?" I asked while running beside him. "Are you running the 100k?" He responded "yeah, what are you running?" I sensed he was concerned I was going to pull ahead of him. "The 75k" I said. "Oh, nice!" He seemed relieved. His name is David Bloom and he crushed a hundred k in a time of 10:31:26 for the win that evening. Nice work David!
I continued on and saw all of my fellow Tucsonans running through the darkness, sending them regards along the way. My water bottles were draining rather quickly and I was forced to be aware of how much I was drinking. "Damn, I was certain 40 ounces would be enough between aid stations" I thought, getting frustrated about the mistake. There was nothing I could do about it other than accept it. As I approached Granite Tank AS, I twisted the cap off my handheld and gulped down the last savory drops.
I did my best to eat and drink as much as I could at the AS. I felt great still and my mood was very positive. At 22.3 miles into the race my legs felt great and I had no signs of cramping. I didn't waste much time before I bolted out of there. I was jamming music and having a blast running up and down the single track trail. I hit 26.2 miles at 3:42 minutes. I thought back to my first marathon where I had run a 4:01 and crawled to the finish. "You've come a long way!" I felt invigorated.
Water became an issue again, I had just a few drops left with over 3 miles to aid. I was able to run this last section amazingly fast. I began daydreaming of gulping ice water. I wanted to get to the AS as fast as I could and began to disregard keeping my pace conservative. It was a gradual descent into Javelina Jeadquarters and my pace was proving it. I cruised into Ultracity smiling from ear to ear.
I gulped cup after cup of that magic liquid known as H2O. I couldn't get enough. I was fully aware that this next stretch to the Granite Tank AS would be the toughest of the evening. After my water intake extravaganza, I walked over to Kristi. "You are doing great, babe. How do you feel? She asked. "I feel like I wanna quit running" I said with a slight laugh. "You can't quit now, you still have fifteen miles to go.." She was serious. "See you when I'm done!" I scampered away in the same direction as the first loop of the evening.
I headed off and began thinking. I thought about my life and where I've been. The misery I once had has been replaced with a passion for life. A beautiful life. I knew that I was due for some suffering. I was ready. This is what I live for. I want to feel the burn. I want to be challenged physically and mentally. At one point I had no direction, no importance. This is my direction. I am important!
It had been around 2 miles since I made the turnaround to begin the last loop and I finally saw the second place 75k runner. We exchanged quick grunts and continued on. I was sitting comfortably about 4 miles in front. On the other hand, I was really beginning to feel fatigued. All of a sudden the "runnable" trail felt a little less runnable. There was a headwind and it felt like it was a constant ascent. "Man oh man, I don't remember this section being this hard on the first loop.." I said aloud. I made sure to keep my legs moving. Perpetual forward motion.
I was really starting to hurt when I ran into Dallas and Renee. "What's up guys?!" I shouted at them. We exchanged a few words and some encouragement. It was back to the task at hand and I knew I was going to run out of water prior to aid. I envisioned gulping buckets of water. I became a little dazed.
As I neared Granite Tank AS my attitude plummeted. At one point a runner ecstatically pointed out a rattlesnake. I was too drained to care, hell, maybe seeing a rattler would put a little more pep in my step. I continued on.
I got a little spirit when I saw the AS and came rumbling in. "Can you fill these with ice water please?" I asked. I was struck with nausea. "I feel sick, do you guys have any Tums?" I whimpered. I had never tried using Tums and the thought of eating those chalk tablets made me want to spill my insides. I needed to try something. "Yeah, we have some" he eagerly answered. I grabbed a couple and chewed them up. They tasted like shit.
I became faint. "Do you want to sit down for a minute?" he asked. "If I sit, I may never get up" I mumbled half-lucidly as I staggered back down the trail. I forced myself back into running. I still felt ill but managed to settle back into a solid pace. Slowly but steadily my nausea subsided. "Wouldn't you know it, tum tum tum tum TUMS worked!" I shrieked like a maniac.
Everything became beautiful once again. The wind was at my back as I took advantage of the gradual descent, picking up my pace again. I had a blast running full steam ahead and began realizing I was in the drivers seat to a solid first place overall!
I had about a mile to go. I still had water and was holding onto a sub-9 pace. I was finally going to get a win. When I saw the lights I got that "oh so wonderful" last jolt of adrenaline and flew around the corner. "Yeah Baby!" I shouted as I shot through the finish line. I did it!!
46.6 miles completed in 6 hours 46 minutes and 56 seconds. The realization that I had just run a nearly perfect race began to dawn on me. This is what I work for. This is what I live for. These are my dreams.
I basked in the moment. I accepted congratulations. There is something so special about this sport that I can't even put into words. It is sacred.
After sharing the moment with my beautiful girlfriend, there was only one last thing to do...
Go get that award!
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| Inked |
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| Long Live TTR! |
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| Get Some! |
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| Gimme The Loot! |
