From Single Digits To Desert Trails: Coldwater Rumble 52k

It didn't take much convincing from my dear friend Jessica to get me to sign up for Coldwater Rumble. We had just settled back in from the hospital visit after the events that happened at Hitchcock 100. I put down my gear and laid on the bed thinking I needed the next thing on the calendar to look forward to and to keep up my fitness. I remember messaging my coach ready to plan the next race, hoping I could do the 52 mile with Jess, but was advised to do the 52k. With already having a place to stay, I booked a flight, registered for the race, and was writing it down on the calendar. I was looking forward to warmth and to try my hand at a desert race and taking in a new landscape. I have only heard positive and beaming experiences at Araviapa Running events. I had seen and heard how much fun these events are through social media and people's stories.

Post Hitchcock was spent recovering and being sick for the month of January. I caught some sort of nasty virus that made post race recovery feel like it was dragging out forever, and trying to slowly and surely build back up for another race. From the times I did run they were mostly all in microspikes and layers. I was happy to have a weekend where I could escape the cold and see Jess, since we go through stretches where we don't see each other for a month or so and that does not fly well with us, ha!

Thursday rolled around and I was mostly packed and ready for my chiropractor appointment, I figured a good adjustment would do me good before sitting around in the airport and taking on my first race of the year and to be realigned after putting myself through the wringer at Hitchcock. Afterwards I finished up some packing and was ready for my 6:00 a.m. flight that morning.

I got to the airport at 3:45 in the morning and my stomach turned at seeing how long the line was for TSA. I waited in line for over 45 minutes and have never seen this many people so early in the morning! The flight to Phoenix was the most turbulent flight I had ever been on that I almost got sick. I joked when I got off the plane that I needed Advil and a dry martini. Jess picked me up from the airport and we headed to her dad's place. I hadn't been to Arizona since I was a kid visiting the Grand Canyon as a family road trip years ago. I took in the new scenes and the sun as I was still trying to keep my stomach and head calm. When we got to her dad's I ate and had amazing fresh squeezed orange juice with the soothing sounds of what I can only categorize as smooth jazz playing in the background. I had the pleasure of staying with John (Jess' dad), Maggie, and Doug that weekend. They had the best stories from their travels, and overall were very funny and calm people to be around. after I started to feel better I spent some time outside soaking in the sun by the pool with their two dogs Ally and Pecker who just absolutely LOVED to be on anyone's lap. Kenai got a little jealous of the attention.

Pure happiness is dogs and sunshine.. NO those are not my cigarettes- no smoking!!  (pic: Jessica Arnett) 

From there, we decided to check out the Fleet Feet in Scottsdale, eat lunch, pick up our bibs at the Estrella Mountain Regional Park where the race would be held the next day, and do a little shakeout run to get a feel for the trails we would be running on. We then found the nearest Trader Joes to pick up last minute running food and post race snacks. I think if Trader Joes ever had an athlete sponsorship I would be the first person to sign up.

We ate a delicious spaghetti dinner that night, and we prepared our things for tomorrow. I was very calm and didn't have the same pre-race anxiety I usually do, mostly because this felt like a fun weekend vacation where I got to spend time with one of my best friends! I fell asleep early as I had been awake since 2:30 that morning.

Driving to packet pick up with amazing views and Mepe (mee pee? the stuffed bird) 

I can't remember if Jess got up the following morning at 4:00 or 4:30 but all I knew was it was too damn early to be awake so I went to sleep for another 30 minutes. After coffee and last minute packing we were ready to head to the starting line to watch the 100 milers start at 7:00. The morning was cold for out in the desert, but Araviapa Running knows how to heat things up even on the cold desert mornings. There was already someone spinning music, the food trucks and vendors were all ready to go, and so were the runners! Shortly after the 100 mile start, it was time for Jess to get ready. we went back to the car to stay warm and to gather our last minute things. Soon enough she was ready to go and she was off! I did my dynamic warmup that my coach had scheduled me to do before my race. I was planning on bringing my phone with me to take pictures of the scenery and take pictures of Fig (my little deer companion) along the way. I went to pick up my phone after warming up and it had died. Oh well, one less thing to carry. I checked my vest one last time and headed to the start. I noticed at the start/finish aid station someone was applying sunscreen.

Speedy speedy Jess is off! 

"Shoot! I didn't have any sunscreen on me!" I thought. I headed over to also put some on because this translucent ghost can't afford to get scorched by the desert sun.

100 mile start! Beautiful morning

Afterwards I was hanging around the starting line and was somewhat looking for Adam from Runners High Herbals who had mentioned in an Instagram post that he was going to be running the 52k. We chatted at the start for a bit and we both had the mindset of just having a fun long run. 3-2-1 we were off! The course started on a little bit of grass/dirt that veered to the left on a small section of road before heading up the first section of single track switch back that went up. While I was climbing, a runner behind me said under their breath, "this shit sucks" My first reaction, whenever surrounded by negativity, is to get out of that same space! I picked up my hiking pace and continued to scoot on. For some reason I love to get out of the initial large herd of runners and anticipate us all being spread out. Bottlenecking at races is inevitable at times but the quicker I can get out the more I can breathe and relax.

I was blown away by the views the whole time. It was so nice to have a cool breeze, a clear sky, and variations of colors on the ground as well as the sky. The sunrises are breathtaking and the variation of color in the rocks, plant life, and sky made me so happy. I loved looking at the different cacti and how the quartz sparkled. What an incredible place to run! Soon enough I was at the first aid station. I remember grabbing a banana, peanut butter pretzels, and pickle slices. I would NEVER eat this combo in my daily life, but for some reason I was craving those foods at that moment. After leaving that aid station, I remember that the next stretch was potentially going to be the long one, 8 or so miles. I tucked some of those pretzels and two gummy worms in my pocket for later. I continued to scoot past runners as I was simultaneously thinking about how runnable this course was! Soon enough, the zippy and speedy 20 milers were cruising by!

Desert crusin' 

While the 8 mile stretch was long, it didn't phase me. I was conserving my fluids and eating often. I will say that I had never been this thirsty in my running before!

Soon enough, I was at the next aid station. I needed to refill fluids badly! I was dumping my tailwind into my bottle as I was walking up to the aid station, and one of the volunteers said I had "the good stuff" and I joked it was hummingbird water: sweet but effective. The volunteers got a kick out of that! I grabbed some more food as i was also eating the peanut butter pretzels from time to time as the salt was amazing! I tucked more away and continued on. I was feeling amazing on this large 20 mile loop and was feeling consistent and confident.

At this point, the runners of various distances were running past each other, from behind and from the opposite direction. Depending on the runner's distance, they are instructed to run certain loops in certain directions, so there were runners every which way! I thought at one point I saw Jess up ahead of me, which made me pick up my pace because as I got closer, I knew it was her. She was doing amazing! Taking her times on the uphills and staying consistent. I ran past and then stopped to tell her that my phone had died and that I planned on asking someone at the finish line if they could charge it so I could communicate with her parents about her progress. I got to the last aid station before the start/finish and my stomach was starting to remind me that it was lunch time. I have a hard time balancing stomach aches vs. being hungry, then I always remember what my dear friend Kari says, "eat early, eat often, and if you throw up it's a time to reset". I got to the start/finish and to my complete surprise, had probably the most amazing aid station VEGAN sandwiches in the entire world. I was so happy I think I might have started to tear up as I was eating the sandwich. I washed it down with some ginger ale (which is my absolute favorite pick me up when things get rough and tough during races), I dumped some ice in my shirt and hat as the wonderful cool breeze was gone and the heat was starting to pick up fast. One more small loop and that was it! This time, I veered to the right to do the small loop in a counter clock-wise direction, as the larger loop was clockwise. Jess and I crossed paths as she was finishing up her first big loop. She was doing amazing! I was happy to be this consistent during this race, but the heat and the small loop had other plans for me that afternoon. I was pretty naive about the climbs in the smaller loop, as they were long and rocky. The stretches between aid stations seemed to drag on forever, but at no point was I in a negative headspace. The fact that I have the opportunity to race in a new state and a new area in a completely different and new setting was all the fuel I needed to finish this race.

Those huuuuge juts of quartz!! (Pic: Jessica Arnett)

As I was completing the final stretch from the last aid station to the finish, I had to pull over on the side of the trail for a group who was horseback riding. "How far are you running?" one of them asked. At first I thought they were asking "Why are you running" but responded with "52k".

I'm not one to have a race goal in mind besides finishing before the cutoff. For one reason or another, I really wanted to get in the 5-6 hour range. Because of how technical and hot the smaller loop was, that goal seemed farther away than I had suspected. I was still in the 6 hour range and knew if I wanted to finish under 7 I needed to get myself together. There as a woman hiking with her dog and pulled off the side of the trail for me. I thanked her and said hi to her dog. She asked me where she could get a pack like mine, and said that Salomon was the title sponsor of the event and that the rep working there would tell her where she could get one, and that if we wanted to try on some shoes and demo them they were doing that as well *shameless Salomon plug while running*.

more gorgeous desert running views! (pic: Jessica Arnett) 

I could see and hear the finish line from the view I had, and it seemed so small and far away! I knew I had three more climbs to do before I could run down a switchback, hit the road and swing a right to the finish line. "You are almost there, get at it!" a passerby runner said, and I knew that I was not "almost there" but gave me that semi-rage-y fuel to pick it up to keep it under 7 hours. I took a wrong turn on the descent that made me trip and almost have a Killian-like fall off a rocky cliff. I wildly flung my arms to re-align myself on the trail to make a sharp U-turn to get back on track and head down the switchback to the finish line. OnceI hit the road, I was immediately disoriented as to which way to go. "This way!!!" a group of people in a car were pointing out their windows. I thanked them and was 'sprinting' towards the finish (sprinting for me at that point was just a faster shuffle). I crossed the finish line, and the same woman who was taking finish line pictures was also handing out the finisher's glasses. I was happy and hot at the same time, and knew I needed to hydrate like crazy. I took my glass and filled it up with endless Arnold Palmers and headed back to the car to change out shoes and clothes. My phone decided to return back to life and I called my mom to talk to her about the race, and then I tried calling Long to see how his South Dakota adventures were. After gathering myself a bit in the car, I headed back out to grab another amazing vegan aid station sandwich, more Arnold Palmers and water and enjoyed the sunshine, food, and atmosphere. This race felt like a party! I also claimed my free Freak Brothers Pizza that they were making for runners at the finish line. A personal pizza was just what I needed post race. I ate my vegan pizza and enjoyed music, sunshine, and watching runners finish this race.

Happy, Hot, Hungry 

Between refilling it with water/Arnold Palmers 

Waiting for my pizza!

My personal vegan Freak Bros Pizza- yum! 

I was communicating with Jess' parents, assuming she was out on her second large loop, saying she looked great the two times I saw her and that she should be coming in from her second loop any minute. Hours went by and it was starting to get dark. Her mom was saying the heat had got to her and that she was taking her time out there. I started to slowly layer up as the sun was setting and the temperature was quickly dropping. I continued to cheer on runners and ended up talking to the crew of the only Minnesotan doing the 100 miler. I learned that he did Superior 100 last year and dropped at the last aid station from the finish. They also let me know that he got in again for this year. He ended up coming in as we were talking and when he took off his shoes, he had the biggest blood blister I had ever seen! He ended up changing his socks, headed back to the aid station, and shuffled off. All I could think of was how that blister was gonna pop at any given moment and it would hurt like hell. Ouch. Ultra runners must be the toughest group of people on the plant, and they can do it all with a smile on their face and gummy worms in their hand.

Sunset at the start/finish 

I got a text from Jess saying that she had run out of fluids during the second loop on the long stretch between aid stations and wasn't doing so well. She was going to drop at the aid station and I know how hard it is to make those decisions. I told her she has time to recoup at the aid station and to take her time. Between talking to her and her mom, she was going to call it. She got a ride back to the start/finish area and I grabbed her drop bin and met her at the car. She was happy to make the call as she was not doing well, and thinking in the big picture, would have come with a heavy cost with spending two long days driving back home post-race.

Sunset over the Estrella Mountain Regional Park

We drove back home to have more amazing delicious pizza. Wherever the pizza was from had to have the best vegan cheese I had ever had on a pizza. It was amazing I kept second guessing in my head that it was real cheese. We dipped our feet in the cold pool which felt amazing and shocking to the system. We cleaned up and went to bed.

I didn't get much sleep as my body was aching and overheating, but I knew I had time to sleep in the afternoon/early evening while waiting for my flight. We all went out to breakfast at this amazing local spot, and from there we all parted ways. Since Jess was driving back to Minnesota, I rented a car until it was time to check in for my flight. I checked out some local spots per the recommendation of a friend I knew who lives in Phoenix. I enjoyed walking around and soaking in more sunshine. I walked around shops and ate my way through Phoenix until it was time to return the car. I wish I would have spent more time in the Arts District there, but I have a feeling this won't be my only time visiting there.

Some takeaways and final thoughts:

• If you ever get a chance to do an Araviapa Running event, do it! They are very fun and feel like a very well organized party. I have heard from friends of mine the exact same sentiments. However, I guess if you are crewing at Javelina and need to sleep, possibly bring noise-canceling headphones and earplugs as the music is very loud and if you need sleep, you'll need to cancel out the music. 
• I had "What A Girl Wants" stuck in my head for 6 hours, I ended up singing and adding "Desert Running and Gummy Worms" in my own rendition of the song 
• Slather your feet in Squirrels Nut Butter before running in the heat, or I guess just in general because I shuffled away from the race with no blisters! Win! 
• Whatever that sandwich was at the aid station should have one the first overall winner award because that was the most amazing sandwich I have ever ate
• According to Jess, Cactus water is amazing. 
• Phoenix is a cool city but everywhere you go in Phoenix feels like it's big city. 
• Phoenix is a very beige/tan/eggshell city
• There was a lot of horse poop on the trail 
• I did not encounter any danger noodles, scorpions, or large spiders - just one adorable chipmunk and people on horse back.
• You need to reapply sunscreen when desert running or you will get sunburnt- I only did at the start and regret this.