The park has over 50 miles of diverse trails that we will be running on. The area supplies runners with majestic mountain views and desert flora and fauna. The relay race site says that we will be experiencing "swooping descents, rocky climbs, and smooth star-lit nights." We might even have a chance to run into the Javelina hog while running or be serenaded by howling coyotes. They say that the sunrise we will experience during our run is not to be rivaled anywhere. Best of all, since the race is being run in the "winter", we will enjoy cool desert air at night followed by warm, clear sunny skies during the day. What more could we ask for?
It sounds great. However, I have only run a few miles on trails out here in Scottsdale. The only other trail run I have experienced was the 2012 Busa Bushwack Trail Race back in Massachusetts (see blog entry dated Nov. 6, 2012). I know I can handle the mileage of this race as each runner only has to run 15.5 miles total. The part I am not certain of is how easy that mileage will be on a trail. What I have heard is that trail running is a whole different running experience especially when the trails are rocky like here in Arizona. Knowing this, I know that the best thing I can do is train hard for this race and in the conditions that I will encounter out there.
I have wanted to run a trail race again because I want to be considered a bad ass runner. I want to run like a wild man through the desert mountains so that I can nurture my inner soul. They say that trail running satisfies that primal urge a running man needs. The urge to move through nature unbridled is something I want to experience. It will bring me back to my ancestors hunter/gatherer days so many centuries past. I want to lock back into that part of my nature and find that primal urge to run like they did back in the prehistoric days.
I know that the transition from road to trail isn’t easy. I have done some research and found some common advice for the beginner. First and foremost... a trail runner needs to slow down. A road runner cannot assume that his times and pace on the road will have any bearing on what happens on the trail. Trail running means running with a different form and focus. Whenever I jump onto a trail (even for a short distance), I find that my pace immediately slows down due to the rocky uneven nature of the desert trails. Trail runners advise the beginner to adjust his speed to what feels comfortable and appropriate for the trail conditions. They say that even at a slower speed, the trail runner is using equal to or more energy than when they are running on the road. Focus is key. This ensures that you will not trip over an unseen hazard and cause injury that will impede your ability to finish the race.
The second piece of advice is to walk when necessary. As a road runner, this ideas seems to be a sacrilege. Turns out that walking during a trail run is perfectly acceptable if not advisable. Trails often include much steeper sections than any road (even Heartbreak Hill). Therefore it is more efficient to walk up the steep hills to conserve energy and to make up the time on the way down. So I will grab my knees and power hike up the hills in the McDowell Mountains.
The final piece of advice ties back to the need to be focused when running on a trail. Obviously a trail is much different terrain than the pavement. Trail running requires you to pick up your feet more than you would on the road. According to what I have read, most bruises, cuts, wounds and twisted ankles all come from not lifting your feet properly. I try to consciously lift my feet when I run on the trails near my house. When I don't, the next thing I know I am stretched out on the trail and bleeding somewhere on my lower extremities. They also advise runners to continuously scan the ground a few yards ahead of you while. This will allow you to do whatever is necessary to clear any obstacles you may encounter. The few times I have fallen are always associated with my lack of attention where I quit lifting my feet high enough to avoid the obstacle. Most falls happen due to simple complacency.
I am so happy to find that so many trail runners agree on the things a road runner needs to think about when switching over to trails. What I am hoping for in this relay is to have the chance to focus on the experience and not my pace. I am going to have a chance to run through some beautiful sections of the McDowell Mountains. My team and I will have a chance to escape from our daily routine in order to experience nature in a way only a runner can. When it is all over and our last runner comes in and we cross the finish line as a team, we will know that we have accomplished something completely different. And then we will all know deep down inside that we are truly bad ass runners!
July 20 – 6.20 miles (56:06, 9:03 pace)
July 21 – 6.20 miles (56:57, 9:11 pace)
July 23 – 6.20 miles (58:39, 9:23 pace)
July 24 – 6.10 miles (54:27, 8:55 pace)
July 25 – 7.10 miles (1:24:28, 11:54 pace) - Trail Run
July 26 – 6.50 miles (1:02:47, 9:40 pace)
July 27 – 4.10 miles (36:14, 8:50 pace)
July 28 – 4.20 miles (45:00, 10:43 pace)
July 29 – 5.00 miles (50:00, 10:00 pace)
July 30 – 6.20 miles (58:37, 9:27 pace)
Aug. 1 – 8.10 miles (1:17:07, 9:24 pace)
Aug. 2 – 3.60 miles (49:15, 13:39 pace)
Total Miles: 69.5 miles
2015 Total Miles: 1,196.8 miles
