A night in the desert with the Moon and Jupiter
Three weeks after the Zane Grey 50, I found myself back in Arizona following a visit with my parents to our (large) extended family in Alabama. The day we got back to Arizona was also the day that online registration was closing for an Aravaipa night run, Adrenaline- part of their Insomniac Night Series. So, to celebrate my return to the arid desert from the muggy embrace of the south, I signed up for the 54k race. I was determined to have a successful race under my belt before I started my journey back to the Northeast.
Before I get to the race report, I want to give a little space to my running experience down south. As I mentioned, post Zane Grey my folks and I drove out to Alabama, and I quickly found some country roads to run on. As easy as it would have been to use the combination of family and work time as excuses to take a break from running, I just couldn’t. Aside from wanting and needing to continue training for the Vermont 100, I knew that utilizing the meditative piece of running was going to be critical to my enjoyment of our visit. Running for me encompasses so much; it is a release, it is a reward, it is a challenge, it is a friend. My uncle who we were staying with showed me the dirt access road that started just beyond their backyard, and informed me that it was about half a mile long. For me, that begged the question, what was beyond the gate where that road ended? I took a look at google maps to get my bearings, proposed a potential route in my head, and ran out into the soggy, humid arms of the Alabama afternoon. The dirt road was great, with some mild up and downs, and then I reached the gate, which I climbed over and started out on a paved road. As I ran along it and up the hill, I passed a house with a large Auburn flag and a bunch of people on the front porch, who yelled ‘Hey, yeah, War Eagle runner!’ as I went past. At this I had to laugh, thinking initially ‘How did they know I was an Auburn fan?’ and then laughing as I realized I was wearing blue shorts and an orange shirt...Auburn colors. Well, hell yeah, War Damn Eagle! This made me smile and I was thus far quite satisfied with my route. As I crested the hill and started a mild descent, I was even more stoked to discover that the pavement dissolved into well packed dirt and gravel. Yes. My little trail running heart was so happy.
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| packed red dirt roads |
As I ran along the country roads, some dogs barked, but none chased. The trees provided shade, and it was beautiful. At one point the wind carried a large whiff of the paper mill, causing my olfactory system to quickly conjure up so many summertime childhood memories from visits down south. I watched patches of kudzu wind around yellow pine and anything else around it.
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| Alabama sunset |
I listened to the subtle sound of moving water as a brook ran under the road. I got into a good rhythm, was happy to find that my route was full of many ups and downs and not just flat. After about 3.5miles I made it out to the Old Prattville Rd, and turned around to come back the same way on the (mostly) dirt roads. Feeling satisfied and very happy to have already figured out a good running route on our first day there, I watched the sky go from blue to soft oranges and pinks. This would be my escape route nearly every day that we were out there. An escape from my work duties, from social time, from sitting down...it was glorious, and I’m extremely grateful that is was waiting for me just beyond my uncle’s back porch. Also, the family visit was great, and it was really nice to see some kin that I hadn't seen in over two decades.
After about two weeks away, we returned to Arizona, making the whole drive in just two long days. Looking at my calendar and trying to figure out when my drive across the country to the Northeast was going to have to start and devising some route options, I decided to look on Aravaipa’s website to see if they had any of their night races happening before I hit the road. To my delight, they did! The Adrenaline night runs had distance options of 10km, 27km, or 54km. I chose the 54km, and got myself registered. This felt like something that I not just wanted, but needed to do. Getting in my longer runs while out in the desert has been a bit more challenging logistically, simply in the sense of needing to plan ahead with water drops and things like that. I'd gotten a couple runs in out at Estrella, but neither had been much more than 10miles.
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| Warm morning runs out in Estrella Mountain Park |
Having aid stations and water available that I didn’t have to plan was awesome, and having time cut-offs gave me motivation to keep my pace up. The race itself was out in the McDowell Mountain Park, home of the Javelina Jundred, Pemberton 50k, and other races. I was looking forward to exploring some new trails in the park and also running some familiar ones.
The Race Report:
The day of the race was pretty warm, with a high around 99degrees, but the forecast had predicted that it would cool down to the mid-60’s with some wind/breeze. There were a few clouds lingering in the sky, but not too many. I was looking forward to seeing the Moon and Jupiter as they made their way across the sky during the night, so I was glad that they wouldn’t be obscured by clouds. The 54km start was at 7pm, which meant we’d be running into the sunset and through the night. By the time we were lining up and getting ready to start, there was a pretty good breeze and it already felt much cooler, probably somewhere in the 80s. The 54k race consisted of 2 loops, each to be run twice. The first loop (the blue loop) was a 10k, the second loop (the yellow loop) was 10miles. I wasn’t sure how many people would be running the 54k, there were plenty of people milling about waiting for the staggered starts of the two shorter distances, but our motley crew of ultrarunners felt pretty small, which was kind of nice. (Truly it was a pretty small field, with 39 starters) I knew this would be a pretty runnable course, but I also knew that I wanted to keep a relatively slow and steady pace. My primary goal was to finish under 8hours. Not particularly ambitious, I know, but honestly, I’ve been wanting more time on my feet, on trails, so going a bit slower and maxing that out wasn’t a problem.
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| A gorgeous end to the day out in McDowell Mountain Regional Park |
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| Almost ready to start! |
7:00pm and the race started, we made our way out of the start/finish staging area and out towards Scenic trail. After about a mile of relatively flat we started the first/main climb of the course and my legs felt great. Again, knowing I wouldn’t be setting any course records, I took the time to snap a few pictures here and there, as the sun was making its way out of the sky and changing the colors of the horizon. The leaders were gone and away, and I found myself running around and behind a handful of guys, like a quail train, making our way up and down and over rocks. Near the top of Scenic, there’s a great vantage point and a bench with a dedication plaque on it.
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| pretty fantastic way to be remembered. |
Just know, dear universe, if anyone wants to honor my life once I’m gone, this is how I’d like to be remembered, as a bench or a sitting rock in a beautiful spot, inviting folks to slow down and take the time to enjoy everything that we have around us. Not long after the bench some runners ahead of me had slowed down and some even stopped. It turned out there was a diamondback on the edge of the trail, so we each waited for those behind us to be close enough to pass along the warning. The snake was stretched out and pretty still, probably curious as to why we were running around and disturbing its sunset warming hour, but it wasn’t coiled, warning with a rattle or otherwise noticeably perturbed, and for that I was grateful.
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The squiggly line by the bush is our reptilian
friend, hanging out for the meet and greet. |
Making my way down the trail the sunset was incredible. The desert rarely disappoints, and I found myself smiling and letting my arms fly out like wings as a crow flew above me, playing on the vents, showing that I could play too as the breeze wrapped around me and my feet found their way among the rocks and dirt.
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| sunset approaching |
As the sun set and the dusk settled in I continued to run without my headlamp, encouraging my eyes to get ready for the approaching dark, and just loving running through the cooling desert.
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| The quail train (of runners) moving away from me |
With a mile or so to go before reaching the start/finish area for my first loop I finally turned on my headlamp. Soon enough I was running towards a very large group of headlamps as the 10k runners got on their way. It was fun to run through such a large group, and to cheer them on. Then I made it to the staging area, 1 of 4 loops done. I refilled my waters, drank half of my protein shake I’d brought with me, and headed out for loop two.
Now it was officially dark, the quail train that I had been running with had since moved on, and I didn’t worry about it. I just planned to keep my pace, slow and steady, and to not make any stupid mistakes. With my headlamp on I seemed to be having more trouble than usual getting comfortable in the light, and my depth perception felt really off. This was definitely slowing me down more than I wanted, but I just tried to shake it off and keep moving. When I got to downhill sections that I felt were even smoother and more runnable than pieces of the 10k loop, I was still having trouble seeing well enough to confidently move with any speed. This was starting to bum me out, but I just tried to shake it off and keep moving. Once I got to the aid station about halfway through the 10mile loop I stopped to fill my water again and ate a potato in salt. I didn’t waste much time there and kept moving. Within a few yards of leaving the aid station, my eyes finally seemed to have gotten in the game, and I was able to move with a little more speed for the last 5miles of the loop, which was a huge relief. As I got closer to the end of the loop, the courses converged again and I was running around both 10k and 27k runners and 54k runners heading back out for their remaining loops. Headlamps reduced faces to bright shiny orbs moving atop semi-invisible bodies. I told people ‘nice job, and good work’ and other things you say to folks you don’t necessarily know but feel happy to share a community with.
Both loops under my belt, I made my way through the start/finish checkpoint, ready to refill waters, finish that protein shake, and eat another potato in salt or two. Also, having realized about 2 miles into the race that I’d forgotten my trail gaiters, I also took the time on this aid visit to empty the tiny rocks from both of my shoes. As I headed back out for my second round with the 10k loop, a runner coming in informed me that there was a diamondback about a tenth of a mile up the trail. Someone who was not running the race was there, with a light on the snake, and this one was not as chill as the first. This snake was actively irritated, moving, considering coiling, and rattling steadily. I quickly moved past it, and continued to share encouraging words with the runners coming in towards the start/finish area. Being that it was dark, and I had no way of knowing if folks were in the middle of their race or nearing the end of it, I just kept it simple with ‘good jobs’ and such. As I said ‘Hey, nice work!’ to a headlamp moving towards me, the body encapsulated by the glowing orb said ‘Knuckles!’ and fortunately my brain registered before it was too late, and we gave each other a pound as we moved in opposite directions on the trail. To whomever this runner was, I want you to know, this totally made my night. My night vision finally seemed to have kicked in, and for this I was grateful. I was certainly slower on the climbs this second time around, but in general I felt I was moving well. I kept taking chances at looking up into the night sky to see the stars and the Moon and Jupiter. The thing is, the Moon and Jupiter were in conjunction with one another, and I’m just a super geek for that sort of thing. It’s like they are traveling across the sky together, on their own little ultra, having moments of quiet and long conversations throughout the night. Although it was a waxing gibbous moon, it was still quite bright, and Jupiter sparkled just 1*54’ minutes away. It certainly would have been a lovely night to stare up through a telescope, but alas, I was running! The third loop went smoothly. I saw no more snakes, but I did see a tarantula, many heteromyids- kangaroo rats and pocket mice, flitting across the trail and either intrigued, confused, or disturbed by my headlamp. I also saw a jackrabbit, 2 millipedes, a very large scorpion, and a very tiny baby snake (no more than 2inches long). I heard something run along the side of the trail and below me, as my headlamp swiveled with my head to investigate I saw two glowing eyes about 100yards away, probably a coyote. Still, in the unlikely event that it were a mountain lion, I entertained myself for the next half a mile or so waving my arms about and making myself appear larger than life (and perhaps a bit crazy) to discourage any chance of predation. I heard an owl and saw its shadow by a large saguaro, but truthfully didn’t see it clearly in any way. This is just part of the ‘why’ I love this sport. And amidst all this enjoyment, stargazing, and wildlife observation, I found myself nearing the end of my third loop. I was moving slowly, but steadily, and felt pretty good.
The final loop!! After refilling with Ice Water (so cold, so delicious, so appreciated, its in the details folks) I headed out for my final loop. I was hoping that my seemingly improved night vision would not be completely negated by my moderately fatigued legs. I felt like I was moving well, and the miles continued to pass. The night was pretty quiet, but the breeze kept it from being too still. I surprised myself when I was in view of the aid station, marking the halfway point of the loop and meaning I only had five or six miles to go. My stomach had been feeling a bit off for the last couple miles, but I wasn’t letting it get to me, and I certainly was not to the point of puking, which was great. When I reached the aid station I chatted with the folks there for a bit, we talked about the weather, how it was so much cooler than it had been at the start, and how I don’t feel like people in Vermont, where I’m currently living, get the extreme difference between our highs and lows out here in the desert. This launched into a random tangent about how cold it gets there, frozen blood (which I’ve already written about in a previous post and am apparently a bit fascinated by) and other things. I had eaten some candied ginger in the hopes of getting my stomach to settle for the last stretch, and was just about to leave the aid station...when their generator went out. The three volunteers who were there were awesome, but they didn’t have a headlamp, so I loaned them mine so that they could refill the generator and get the lights back on, both for themselves and the handful of runners who were still behind me. This added more time to my break, but it wasn’t like I was going to win this race, so what was an extra 3-5minutes? I think it was worth it. The generator successfully refilled with fuel, my headlamp returned, I headed out for the last bit of my race, happy and moving pretty well. The Moon and Jupiter were starting to set at this point, and it was plastering the goofiest of grins on my face. Perhaps this fascination with the beauty of the Moon and Jupiter has all been amplified by the fact that I’m reading Simon Singh’s book ‘Big Bang’ right now and the section I’m reading is currently talking of the magic, inspiration and innovation that went into the creation of some of the first large telescopes of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. That, or it’s just the fact that I remember watching Haley’s comet streak across the desert sky through a telescope as a kid and that fascination with the night sky has never left me. I let the magic of the desert surround me, I let my feet continue to carry me through the night, and I ran it in. Not an ultra shuffle, not for the last half mile, that was definitely more of a run. My breath came faster, my turnover increased, and I moved towards the sound of the dj and the lights of the start/finish staging area. I crossed under the finish sign and shared many high fives with the awesome volunteers who were still there into the wee hours of the morning. Dave, who was helping to orchestrate the magic of the timing and other technological components came to inform me that he was glad I had made it through and that there might be some texts/voicemails from him on my phone; apparently something went awry and my third loop didn’t register, so there was a slight question mark hanging over my name in their system, wondering if I’d bailed and just not told anyone, or worse- out wandering the desert. I assured him I’d done all the loops, and the volunteers vouched for me, and we had a good laugh about it. Honestly, the only aspect of this snafu that bummed me out was I was curious what the time difference between my first 10 mile loop and second 10 mile loop was. Fortunately, the technology on my wrist would allow me to go back and figure that out for myself if I truly felt so inclined. My final time was 7:27.12, and I was happy enough with that.
All in all, this was another spectacular race put on by Aravaipa Running. I have come to expect nothing less from this group of folks, both those employed by Aravaipa and all of the volunteers who show up to help make it happen. So many familiar faces, and fun to have random catch-up conversations while getting a water bottle topped off or shoving a salted boiled potato or a pickle into my mouth. This is a crazy community of folks, but it always feels like a community, and for that I am grateful.
Up next: much driving across the country, finding places to run along the way, teaching some Workskills sessions for the SCA, and generally gearing up for the Vermont 100! I’m still working on meeting my fundraising goal for this race, so if you have even $1 to put towards that effort, it would be greatly appreciated! All the money goes to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sport, an incredible organization providing folks who wouldn’t traditionally have access to sports and outdoor recreation the opportunity to enrich their lives through sport and adventure.
As always, thanks for reading!
