onepinkfuzzy

Tonight was just phenomenal.

I'll start way before the race, since it was a night (!) race. I spent the entire day totally nervous - could not focus on anything. So worried about everything - my ITB, fueling right, hydrating right, gastrointestinal issues, feminine issues, speed issues, dressing issues. You name it, I was freaking out about it. After coming back from a 17-miler, Johnny was laying on the living room floor stretching, and asked me to tell him everything I was worried about. So I did. Then he says, "now count on all that happening." Oh. Okay. I could finally move forward and actually prepare myself!

We arrived at Sabino Canyon early, for a wedding of two Tucson Trail Runners. It was the awesomest wedding I ever attended. We had to walk about .5 mile up the road to the picnic area, where fellow trail runners and family mingled. The bride wore her running clothes with a white visor that had beads and a veil tucked into the back, and the groom wore his running clothes, with a tuxedo shirt (a tuxedo silk-screened on the running shirt). Everone ate pre-race munchies, and a brief, gorgeous ceremony was held with the red canyon walls rising behind the bride and groom.

Then we headed back down the road to the starting line (great warm-up!). While waiting for Paki to arrive, I stretched and mentally prepped. There's no super-official starting time to this race; the directors wait for the last tram to come down the road and leave the staging area, then they send up the water truck. After giving the water truck a few minutes for a head start, they call the runners to the starting line (the walkers start about 30 minutes prior). I ate a crank e-gel, thinking the race was about to start, but had to wait an additional 15 minutes, oops! (I think I would have done even better had I waited 15 minutes to take that gel).

Finally, we were off! Even positioned at the back of the pack, people were flying by Paki and I. I knew I needed to take it easy, because this is a very hilly course, and it was a little warm. Suddenly, I heard Johnny behind me - Ash had told him he needed to run! Johnny ran in front of Paki and I to get a few photos on our way up, which I thought was very cool. We did the first mile in 11:30 - oops! Too fast! Paki felt it was slow, but I slowed down even more. The second mile we did in 12:34. Much better.

This was the quietest run I've ever done with Paki. Usually it's non-stop conversation, but tonight, we were so focused on the race, we barely spoke. I know I didn't have enough breath to speak!

Things got better when the front runners starting passing back by us. It was fun to notice and comment on the people coming down. Then I started seeing some of my friends, so we hollered back and forth, which was a blast. Having distractions caused me to speed up - mile 3 was completed in 11:04, yikes! No wonder my ITB was starting to ache. We hit the bottom of the big hill, and I sent Paki on her way. (She had a goal - if she could run the entire thing, she was going to reward herself by buying her first "real" running outfit, a very cute outfit we spotted at Fleet Feet earlier in the week when we picked up our race packets.)

I trudged up the hill, discouraged, before I realized that I had already set a PR for going up the tram road! Then I got excited, confident and determined. I hit the turnaround spot (which was not a full mile from mile 3 - it was .75 mile) in exactly 46 minutes. Sweet!

I took a gel, and headed back down. I had passed a few people on the way up, and they all flew by me now. I was just jogging down the hill, because I did not want to injure myself. I traded places with a pregnant woman and her husband a few times before passing them for good. I paused at the bottom of the hill to get some water (not an official aid station), and then continued down. For the next mile, there was no one I could see in front or behind me. It was so freaky - kind of like twilight zone! Where did all the people go? Did they evaporate? I was too busy wondering where the people were that I missed the next mile marker, so I did 1.75 in 18:43.

Finally, I realized I was just jogging. Jogging! I was probably going faster on the way up! Without Paki to keep me going, I was slowing down. So I sped up. I focused on quick turnover, sucking my abs in and picking my feet up, up, up. I finally started catching up to people. Whew, I wasn't alone! Next mile: 10:19, nice! Good, quick, downhill pace. I had noticed Paki up ahead, and dammit! I was going to catch her!

Only one mile to go. Generally downhill to flat, but with a wicked steep hill in the middle. I was picking people off left and right. Headed up the hill the fastest ever. And just kept going. I was watching Paki a ways in front of me. I focused, and picked up the pace. I took a sip of water, and almost vomited, so I decided - no more water! I passed three people who said, "way to go!" then began talking about how I was racing all the way to the end, and how cool that was :)

I heard a friend call to me as I sprinted to the finish, almost catching Paki. I was shaky and disoriented, but I didn't vomit. I finished in 1:24:54 - a personal best for Sabino Canyon!

And...the last mile?

9:49

My very first, REAL, sub-10-minute mile. Yes, it was mostly downhill, but it had a wicked steep uphill in the middle :)

This race was awesome. At the finish line was Paki with the BF (her nickname for her boyfriend), Johnny, Ash, and many of my trail-running friends. It was such great community, such great fun. Turns out there was a cutoff time for the race (I didn't know!) - 90 minutes. I beat the cutoff time!

We hit up Starbucks on the way home, and then feasted on my fat-free chocolate (and quite delicious) birthday cake Johnny and Ash had made for me earlier in the day. I am so happy, I had to post tonight, I couldn't wait for tomorrow! I'm off to stretch now, and probably eat some more, since I'm running 8 miles in the morning :)