Lost Dutchman Marathon

4:30 a.m. and it was time to get ready for my 3rd running of the Lost Dutchman Marathon! My legs felt fresh and full of life as I tried my hardest to eat a muffin and drink some coffee. I had no appetite, but I managed to get some food down.
I donned the same running outfit that I had on yesterday (but freshly laundered), slipped on my road shoes and headed out to meet the bus. 30 bumpy minutes after getting on the bus, we rounded the corner and saw the magical campfires blazing against the Superstitious Mountains. After letting my eyes adjust to the darkness, I found the Seattle Maniacs huddled around one of the 20 or so fires. I knew most of them, and introduced myself to those that I didn’t. We talked about goals for the race… Mary was there to win, another woman was there to qualify for the Maniacs, Lesa was running her 50th marathon the first day of being 50 years old (and after running Pemberton with me the day before). I was there just to have a good time and finish. We were all laughing about the fact I had the same running clothes as yesterday when it occurred to me that last time I ran the Dutchman I didn’t have my suitcase either (Hmmm, maybe the Lost Dutchman has put some kind of jinx on me.)

We lined up for a shotgun start and soon were flying down the dirt road. The downhill start actually felt good and I decided to let myself flow with it. There would be plenty of time to adjust my pace later (or pay for early miles run too fast!)
A little ITBand soreness flared up in the first 5 miles, but by the time we hit the flat, paved highway I was fine. I forced myself to eat a gel at mile 8 and made a vow to eat something every 5 miles or I knew I would crash hard. I caught up to Lesa at mile 9, she stated that she wanted to finish in 5 hours: we agreed to do our best to make that goal. As runners know, a lot can happen over the course of a marathon and soon I was running by myself, legs tiring and starting to feel the effects of too little food yesterday. I still had almost 17 miles to run.

Mile 10 brought an unexpected blessing in the form of Maniac McGyver. He was running his trademark 11 mpm pace with a 3 minute run/1 minute walk ratio. I decided to join him and within a mile I was feeling refreshed. We ran together the next 5 miles, then I decided to continue on my own as he took a rest break. Even though I was now running by myself, I continued the walk/run ratio. I wasn’t totally alone either. Fred and Char Thompson from Texas, whom I met yesterday during the Pemberton came out to the course to cheer me on. They were at every spectator point, sending me high fives and encouragement. Every time I saw them I was surprised and touched that they came out to watch my effort. The last time I saw them on the course was at mile 22. Fred brought an assortment of goodies for me in case I was in need. He had gels, gummies and most importantly electrolytes that I needed badly. After downing an electrolyte and a bag of sports beans I headed down the dirt road to conquer the final and toughest rolling miles, including the hill known as the Dutchman’s Revenge. Reaching the top, I found myself a little teary-eyed. 3 more miles and I would complete my 39th race of 26.2 or greater, 3 years after completing my first marathon on this very same course.

Just the thought gave me extra energy, helped along by a nice cool cross wind on what can be a miserably hot final 3 miles. I crossed the line with more energy than I would have thought possible in 4:45:00. Lesa was waiting for me, suggesting that I run the Yours Truly 50k with her next Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson were also there, encouraging me to join them in Texas for a 50/100 miler or fixed time race. Mary was in the picnic shelter waiting for the awards. She had in fact won the Women’s race, an inspiring accomplishment for the 47 year old Maniac runner.

Mr. Hawk found me after completing his own training run on the desert trails. We made our way back to the hotel, sat on the lawn with a recovery beer and assessed the damage: one blistered pinky and a very happy Maniac impatiently waiting for her next race.

Pemberton Trail 50k

I’ve heard about the Pemberton Trail for years. It is the site of a 100 mile desert race known as the Javalina Jundred in October. There also happens to be a 50k held on the same trail in February. Since I was planning on being in Arizona anyway and running the Lost Dutchman Marathon, I decided to make it a double weekend and do the Pemberton Trail 50k the day before. It seemed like a good way to preview the trail should I ever decide to do the Javalina Jundred, and I want to do more doubles in 2009, this was the perfect opportunity.

Ric and I went up to McDowell Mountain Park on Thursday with the intention of running a few miles on the trails to better prepare for Saturday. Through a series of unfortunate events (basically I lost my car keys), I had to leave my suitcase in Seattle with most of my running stuff. A 7 mile run on the trails confirmed that I needed to wear my trail shoes, carry a water bottle, find a hat and some gaiters if possible. Ric was surprised at how difficult trail running can be….. I wasn’t, I’ve done enough to know that a course can vary from easy bike paths to hand-over-fist mountain scrabbles. During our preview run we encountered deep sand washes, jagged and loose “rock gardens” and beautifully packed sandy trails. Ric asked me how long I thought it would take to run 31 miles on this course. I answered “6 hours” he replied “I’ll give you 6 and a half” and we left it at that.

Saturday morning I was up at 4:30, fueled up with a banana muffin and a cup of coffee, then headed for the race. When I arrived I was greeted by a nice camp fire and the sound of coyotes in the very near darkness. 200 hundred runners were milling around getting ready to race, nearly half were women (unusual for the male dominated sport of ultra-running) . I found a few of my friends from Across the Years and had a quick catch-up conversation. At 7:00, a little before dawn, we were sent off down the trail to complete the first of 2 laps. The first mile rolled lazily up and down, through soft washes. Then we started to climb. The climbing was difficult… not because it was steep, but because the loose, sharp rocks threatened to turn the ankles of the unaware. The climbing continued, interrupted by little rolling downhills every once in awhile. We hit the first aid-station at mile 5, I grabbed a few pretzels, thought about emptying the rocks out of my shoes, but instead just continued down the trail. After the aid station we continued to climb until mile 7, then rode a series of rolling hills along the ridge overlooking the green desert below. Mile 8 opened up onto a jeep road that was smooth and flat until we hit the next aid station at mile 10. From then on to the start/finish/halfway point the trail slowly descended and tired legs found renewed energy. I hit the half way point in 2:45, found my drop bag, stashed my long sleeve shirt and slathered on more sunscreen. A deep breath and I was headed down the trail again for loop two.

By now the sun was out and I noticed how exposed the course was. No shade anywhere. This time, as I approached the rock garden climb, I decided to walk and not risk turning an ankle. Most people seemed to employ the same strategy. Once I hit the ridge I became aware of a stiff, cool breeze hitting me in the face. It was cold enough that I was encouraged to keep up a good pace in an effort to stay warm, but it also made for very pleasant running. Right then and there I decided that the Javalina Jundred would not be on my race schedule: running in winter with a cool breeze through the exposed desert is one thing… having to do this same course in October with temps in the high 80’s or 90’s would not be so fun.

I continued to move forward, sometimes walking, mostly running, through the final aid station at mile 25 and on to the finish. I was a little tired at the end, but generally feeling great. I grabbed a few cookies, found Ric and some Maniac’s and just soaked in the wonderful feeling of a nice, challenging run among good friends. On the way back to the hotel, I did a mental tally of how I did: finish time of 6:06… would have been faster if I hadn’t wasted so much time at the half way point so I need to get more efficient at the aid stations. Consumed one pack of sports beans and one gel, a handful of pretzels and a few potato chips: not much in the way of calories but I felt like I had plenty of energy. I may pay the price later for not staying sufficiently fueled. Sore ankles, but everything else felt good. An ice bath followed by plenty of food and sleep should set me up well for tomorrow.

West Seattle Fat Ass 50k

The morning started out dark and cool, but not nearly as cold as previous mornings. I arrived at the shelter along Alki beach a few minutes before 7. A few runners had already gathered by the fire and I was surprised that half a dozen or so congratulated me on my Across the Years race. I didn’t think anyone would have noticed… after all we are a bunch of Maniacs and running long distances is what we do. We were issued small numbers to pin to our clothing, given a few quick instructions (including “track your own time in case we get it wrong” and sent off into the dark.

I ran the first 8 miles of the double out and back with Jill Hudson and Linda Walters. We were running at a good clip and I became a little concerned that the pace would wear me down too early in the 31 mile race. At the turn around, Linda developed hip problems and dropped back. Jill and I pressed on around a 9:30 minutes per mile pace, but kept forcing ourselves to try and slow down. We decided that running together may not be in our best interest since we kept pushing the pace and both of us wanted long, slow training runs… not PR attempts. We made an agreement that we would make it back to the start line together, then go out on our own for the second leg.

I hung around the start area for a few minutes: chatting, eating a little and letting Jill get enough ahead of me that I wouldn’t be tempted to run with her. By the time I set out, the sun was warming up the course nicely but a breeze off the water kept a chill in the air. 20 miles into the run I noticed that I hadn’t eaten much, nor was I hungry. My pace was still good, but not blazing so I decided a PR might just be in the cards for the day. I pushed through any desire for long walk breaks, instead just slowing my running pace for a quarter mile or so. I focused on the scenery, the architecture and the Sunday morning athletes with their dogs, roller blades or baby strollers. The last 8 miles became more difficult as the headwind started to increase. I made it back to the start line and a welcoming fire in 5:34. A new PR by about 6 minutes.

I loved this race and hope it becomes a Maniac tradition in the years to come.