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FSocks Mesquite Canyon 50K (Read 109 times)

FSocks


KillJoyFuckStick

    Mesquite Canyon 50KM Trail Run 3/23/2013

    Cliff Notes: 7:21:32 on a 30 mile technical trail course (technically a mile short of a 50K) with 11,500 feet of change and one swarm of bees.

     

     

    tl:dr:  Over the past couple of years I’ve had several running friends ask when I was going to run an ultra.  My line of thinking was I had yet to run a “good” marathon so why would I even think about an ultra.  However, this reasoning no longer applied after a successful “good” marathon at the Arizona IMS Marathon back in February.  About 3 weeks after IMS I am feeling fully recovered and I hear some of my running buds discussing the next upcoming ultra, Mesquite Canyon in the White Tank Mountains which is only a 15 minute drive for me. My interest is piqued.  If I was going to run an ultra I had better do it soon before the Phoenix temperatures reach triple digits.  I waited to sign up until 5 days before hand to verify the weather would be tolerable.

     

    Up to this point I could count on one hand the number of times I had been trail running.  I really didn’t “get” the draw of it.  I didn’t have trail shoes so the feeling of any minute I could fall and crack my skull just didn’t excite me.  A friend of mine is a New Balance sales rep and he loaned me a pair of their trail shoes to try out.  What a difference they make!  A week before the ultra I buy me a pair.

     

    Race Day:  Goals? My goals were simple for this event:

    1) Don’t get hurt

    2) Finish and preferably not DFL.

    Aravapai Running (of Javalina Jundred, and Across The Years 24/48,72 hour run fame) hosts the event and this race is the last one of their Desert Running Trail series.  As their web page for the event states, “This is a very touch, rocky, mountainous trail run!” I had been on 2 of the three primary trails used for the course.  Aide stations were limited due to limited access on the course.  It was recommended to always run with a minimum of 2 bottles of water so that’s what I did.

    I line up towards the back of the pack knowing that I had no real time goal in mind (secretly I thought I could do 7 hours).  The horn sounds and we’re off.  The first few miles are relatively flat and smooth; piece of cake stuff.  As we head up Mesquite canyon the climb begins but the trail is well groomed.  We hit 4 mile aide station where my running club is working and they give me a bunch of encouragement.  Onwards and upwards we trek until we reach the top of the peaks where I can set a decent pace again.  The air is cool and I think to myself, “This isn't so bad at all.”  But I know Goat Canyon is coming soon and it’s a bitch.

     

    Mesquite Canyon:

     

     

    Running the peaks:

     

     

    Radio towers at the top:

     

     

    Goat Camp trail: The course has us go down Goat Camp hit an aide station and then turn around and go right back up Goat Camp. No fun at all. I wish I could find some decent pictures of this trail.  It is a bitch of a trail as it is not only steep but the amount of loose melon sized rocks makes it darn tough hiking much less running.  Going down isn’t too bad and the last couple of miles are very runnable and I make some good time to the aide station.  Don, my 70 year old running buddy, is manning the aide station.  I refill the water bottles and I take a drink of what I think is Gatorade but it is warm Mountain Dew.  Blech!  One of Don’s aide crew poured Mt. Dew, warm!  MORON! I’m off to go get the shit kicked out of me by Goat Camp.  It takes me 90 minutes to go the four miles back up Goat Camp.  FML!  But as I reach the top I’m confident that the worst part of the day is over.

     

    The next 5 miles are a combination of ridge running and some downhill to the next aide station at Mesquite.  I have been trying to regulate my nutrition with gels, Cliff Bars and pretzels but my stomach is starting to rebel.  I choked down some more food and it chills out for a while.  I make good time into the Mesquite aide station and as I look at my Garmin I think I’ve got a real shot at that sub 7 finish time.  I confirm with the aide station volunteers that I’ve got about 9 miles total to go with about 2 of them being up and then virtually all downhill.  WAHOO!!

     

    As I leave the aide station and do my 2 mile trek up I am getting sick of the uphill shit.  I’m at mile 23ish and I can feel my legs starting to get tight from all of the climbing on Goat Camp.  I have to be careful because if I stretch too much to take a step I can feel a cramp forming.  I finally reach the top of my last climb and as I start the decent into Ford Canyon I soon realize this is not walk in the park.  It is similar to Goat Camp with loose rocks everywhere just not quite as steep.

     

    Ford Canyon:

     

     

     

    (ALL PICTURES COURTESY OF ARAVAIPA RUNNING)

     

    About a half mile into Ford Canyon we hit a river bed that the trail goes into for the next couple of miles.  Bedrock, boulders, boulder hopping, boulder climbing, yeah, fun stuff.  About a mile into the river bed I hear the bees buzzing and swarming.  I stop and try to focus on where they are coming from.  I finally see them right in the middle of the trail that I have to run through.  The sky where they are it is practically dark from all of them swarming.  They are obviously pissed off.  What the f/ck am I supposed to do?  My first thought was to bust right them but then my brain started to work again and I decided f that!  If they were the Africanized bees I would be hurting, bad, real bad.  So I finally find a way around that took me about 50 yards off of the trail.  More boulders; more hopping from one rock to another; more leg cramps from stretching too far.  I am so ready for this race to be over.  And I fully realize my sub 7 secret goal is completely out of the door.

     

    The last couple of miles are smooth to the finish line and as I cross I raise my hands in triumph feeling like I had just defeated an army.  My first 50K is completed.  Or is it?  I ask the race director about the mileage and he confirms it is short of a true 50K by a mile.  His words, “This course is tough enough that we don’t worry too much about that last mile.”

    You people have issues 

    gusgordon


      FIST!

       

      MTA: Awesome job & great pics!  Did you talk to other runners about what they did about the bees?


      Village people

        Damn, Gus beat me. I did read the whole thing, though.

         

        Great race! I think going around the bees was a wise move. Congrats on finishing your first ultra. Will there be more?

        katarama


        Tribal Elder

          Wow!  That is BAD ASS! Congratulations FS!

          "Keep doing things." - Jim Martin, 93 year-old paratrooper and badass.


          No more marathons

            You're my new hero.Wink

            Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey

            Lordy,  I hope there are tapes. 

            He's a leaker!

            Comrade Red


            Intimidating

              Nice, nice!!  I too read the whole thing (well, most of it.  I did notice some typos so I must've actually read it Wink  )

               

              That's a hell of a run.  Pretty too.  Congratulations.  Next time find a mud hole and you can run through the bees. 

              Disclaimer: I reserve the right to not respond to your follow-up post If you become dumb.  The resulting silence should in no way be taken as a sign of agreement.

              yeoldefatguy


                Nice race Jason. Nice job avoiding the killer bees, broken ankles and falling into cacti.

                BIS


                High Horse

                  Nice race Jason! FSocks!

                  I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member ~ Groucho Marx.

                  FSocks


                  KillJoyFuckStick

                    Gus: When I reached the next aide station the bees were the talk of the camp.  The volunteers were on the phone discussing it with the race organizers.  Everyone I spoke to just went around them like I did.

                     

                    DJJan: Will there be more ultras?  No clue at this point.  But now that I've got some legitimate trail shoes I will be doing some more trail running.

                    You people have issues 

                    Goorun


                      Excellent timing of this RR as I'll be running my first ultra (also 30 miles and also crazy elevation changes, hopefully no bees, maybe bears) in a few month.

                      I'll be looking for some trail shoes, hand held bottle and possibly even camelback (not for this first ultra, but for my second one The Canadian Death Race in August). I've never ran caring anything in my life. This is a new territory for me.

                      Did you do any specific training for this race ? Hills, downhills, trails ?

                      Slow and steady never wins anything.


                      ...listen to the thunder

                        Nice going!  Glad you didn't get eaten by the bees...

                        Run, Eat, Repeat.

                        Tar Heel Mom


                        kween

                          Dude, awesome job! Glad you avoided the bees. How are you feeling now?

                          Nolite te bastardes carborundum.

                          NZgal


                            I can't view the pics at work but I did read the entire RR.

                             

                            Excellent effort Mr Socks!!

                               

                            Anybody want a peanut?

                            cookiemonster


                            Connoisseur of Cookies

                              Strong work!

                              ***************************************************************************************

                               

                              "C" is for cookie.  That's good enough for me.

                              MadisonMandy


                              Refurbished Hip

                                N00b.  Mountain Dew is sweet, sweet nectar.  Gatorade?  Blech.

                                 

                                Nice job on your first ultra, FS.  Don't worry about the distance being off - that's pretty normal.

                                Running is dumb.

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