Arizona Trail Race 8 mile - DONE!

Laurie, Renee, and Sheryl after the race

Okay, I didn't exactly set the world on fire at today's race, but I did finish! Here is the recap of today's Arizona Trail Race at Colossal Cave Park:

1. One fall (in a sandy spot - no harm done). It was really more of a controlled trip. :)

2. Two seriously sore and tight shins and calves that did not allow me to run very fast. Not that I'm really fast normally. I was just hoping to do as well as last year, which I didn't.

3. One very twisted Nathan hydration vest (not sure what I did, but I didn't catch it before the race and tried to stop once to fix it, to no avail). I was able to drink out of it, but it was difficult.

4. One bad night's sleep (I had a nightmare I woke up late for the race and after that, I didn't get much sleep). Good thing I slept well the night before last. Although, the night before last, I had a weird dream that the race was held in a mall and I was lost...

5. At the finish, glad to be done, I inhaled too much smoke from the pit fire that was built to keep participants warm before the race. Still coughing up stuff!

6. I saw my friends Sheryl and Steve Felde. I haven't run with Sheryl for some time, since I have been doing all the trail races!

7. I also saw my friend Martinho, who I haven't seen in a while! Remember, he was the one who helped me when I had my injury at Phoneline Trail back in November. Nice guy.

8. Great food - tortillas, eggs and beans. Could have used something sweet, but still good, nonetheless.

9. Technical t-shirts. And this year, they had men's extra-small sizes, so us smaller women had shirts that actually fit!

10. Total race distance - 8.05 miles. Today, it felt like 15.

11. Total time - 1:24 and some change for a 10:30 min/mile average. Last year my min/mile average was 10:17. And I wasn't even in as good of shape last year! I attribute most of this year's increase to the sore shins/calves, which are a result of a lot of training, lately, especially on trails. I rested a little more the week of the race last year (skipped my weight workout, didn't run as much). I didn't do that this year. Other than that, no excuses. I was just slow. :( I came in 107 out of 211 participants overall and 8th out of 30 in my age group (women 40-49).

12. Elevation profile. 1,487 feet of climbing in 8.05 miles. The trail is mostly single track, fairly runnable, with some rocky areas. Lots of up and down.

13. Quote that best sums it up: "For all the hardship, I was still excited to be on the trail, testing my endurance, feeling especially alive as strength and fatigue flowed alternately through my limbs."~ Colin Powell

Update:

Finally got my race picture from Everyone Runs: