Pacing at the Javalina Jundred 100 Miler

The Javelina Jundred 100 mile race is staged out of the Pemberton Trailhead at McDowell Mountain Regional Park north of Fountain Hills, Arizona. The 100 Mile distance is comprised of six full loops on the popular Pemberton Trail with an additional half-a-loop on the Pemberton and Tonto Tank Trails. Runners reverse directions each lap of the race and are supported by four on course aid stations per loop (Javelina Jeadquarters, Coyote Camp, Jackass Junction & Rattlesnake Ranch). 

- From the Javelina Jundred Race Info Page

I recently had the opportunity to pace my friend at the Javalina Jundred 100 miler at the beginning of November. I have always had a fascination with this race, but the distance has always scared me away. Thankfully, my friend Kathryn decided she wanted to give it a go, and thus I became a pacer. :)

She created a schedule of all the laps and who would accompany her on each lap. I would accompany her on a nighttime lap, from 8pm-about 11PM. I didn't start driving out to Phoenix until about 5pm, so I was cutting it really close. I finally made it to McDowell Mountain Park and took the shuttle to the start line up the road. I literally made it within minutes!! And we were off!

Kathryn is getting ready to run another
night loop! 

Before our 15 mile
night loop together. 

I tried to keep her entertained and focused. We ran some, and walked some. She got through the aid stations so fast. I mainly drank Coke and munched on salted potatoes (both are my favorites during ultras!) Near the end of the 15 mile loop, we both started to tire, so I tried hard to keep the pace up so we could get to the finish in the time she estimated.

The Hot Chocolate 5k Race Recap

This was a fun run #2 for me!

My sister and I heard of this race through the grapevine (aka Facebook). We decided to do it, and take it slow, because my sister has to keep her heartbeat below 150 RPM.

Two easy weekend 5k's in a row! Love it! I'm usually not a fan of 5k's because it's usually 30 minutes of pain lol. If you read my blog periodically, you should know by now that I'm not at all fast (although that would be AWESOME). I'm more about enjoying the experience that is running. :)

The race packet told us to be at the race at 6:00AM!! WTH?

The race started at 7:30am. Joann and I were like, "no. way.".
We showed up around 6:50am-7am and even THAT was too early.

We jumped out of the car only to realize that it was freezing.

Okay, not freezing but too darn freaking cold. |
Please.We are Arizona babies. Give us 110 degree heat any day.

Okay, maybe just me. Whatever. It was too cold.

What to do? We did what pretty much everyone else was doing: got back in the car and blasted the heater! Ahh, warmth.

7:20an came around and we got out of the comfortable car, ran to the portapotties and got in our corral!

This was Joann's first race in a looooong time so she was really excited! And I got to run another race with my sister, so I was excited too!

3, 2, 1...RUN!

A little crowded in some spots.
You can see the faster runners coming down along the side. 

Plenty of water and sports drinks. No complaints here. 

We kept to a slow pace and stopped whenever her Garmin told us her pulse reached 150 BPM.

It was a great day for a run! It was definitely cold in the beginning, and thankfully it didn't warm up too much once the sun came up. I would have hated to have shed all those layers.

I don't expect much scenery-wise whenever I run a race in Phoenix. Especially when you compare it to Tucson. But it wasn't bad this time around. We were out on Indian Reservation (as far as I know) so it was really open. We only ran past a few buildings. And there were some nice hills in the distance.

I never saw that cameraman. Thankfully, we made up for it. :)

The finish line!

And then finally...we finished!

Finally, hot chocolate! What this race is all about! 

It was a great race and I may get some more people to run it with us next year!

Maybe, a little faster. ;)

Joann had some trepidations about the race in the beginning.

Apparently, the Hot Chocolate 5k in Washington, D.C. was disastrous!

Read the article. It sounds like it was awful. I would definitely be upset if that happened during a race. However, I understand that races are run by people and people aren't perfect. They make mistakes too! I think we all need to remember that.

The treats afterward were delicious! I loved that part the most. Although, I wish there was some more stuff to do afterward. I don't want to go home yet! I'm thinking other races should set up booths and get the word out! Ragnar Relay already does it at some events, but more races should do this! I would sign up for a ton of races!




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This weekend I am planning on running my first 20 miler!

As you know, I'm training for my first marathon. Unfortunately, I had to take two weeks off. :(
Too much grading at the end of the school semester and the holidays got to me. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I'm sick.
I've been dizzy for the past few days. Trying to drink a lot of water and hope for the best this weekend.
*crossing my fingers*

RNR AZ Official Photos

I love these photos! I had so much fun at this half! :)

RNR AZ Half Marathon Recap!

I'm a half marathoner! :D

The weekend began with the RNR AZ Expo in downtown Phoenix. My sister drove us there (thankfully, otherwise I would have been very lost) and took us around the expo.

We won some awesome Brooks beanies and posed for some photos. Check out our awesome time! 

They also had wine at the expo. Great idea! 

I also met Lauren from When I get a little, run run run. It's so cool to meet other bloggers!  I swear I looked around for you Adam, but you weren't anywhere to be found! :p

It was great meeting you! We'll have to meet up again next time I'm in Phoenix. 

And I got some free stuff and my RNR t-shirt, of course. 

 

The next morning was the big day. I'll admit I hit the snooze button a few times. I didn't have to be there until 8:54am technically, so why wake up so early? 

Joann was trying to convince me that getting there early would be a good idea. It probably would have been. Considering I ended up in the wrong corral. 

The race begun at 8:30am and my corral (20) was set to leave at 8:54am. I was dropped off at about 8:25-ish and then I stood in the horrendously loooong line to the smelly port-a-potties. 

And that took a few minutes. I jogged down along the fence that held the runners (like cattle, seriously) and had to jump the fence because there was no way to get in. 

I stood among the other runners for about 10 minutes, getting very antsy. I decided at that point I came too early and the waiting was driving me crazy. That's when I started to look around and I noticed a sign that said Corral 22. Oops.
So, I darted through the crowd and under some ropes and I was finally in the right corral. Yay.


The beginning was in sight and we were off!

My family was waiting for me up the road, which meant that they got to see Kara Goucher! Jealous.

It's a little blurry, but she's behind that guy. And she has pink shoes.

Unfortunately, I am not elite enough to run at Kara's speed so I was not able to meet her. Sorry.
But I can give you a mile by mile recap. 

Mile 1: It was very cold and since I didn't want to wear my sweatshirt, I was freezing in the beginning. I remember my hands being very stiff and cold. I kept shaking them out and it probably looked like I was dancing.

Mile 2: I saw my parents, my sister and Chance here! I loved that they came out to support me! :)

Mile 3: This was somewhere in a neighborhood and this is when the muscles/tendons/I'm not exactly sure what it was above my ankles started to hurt. I felt both sides pulling and I was freaking out that I may have injured them. 

Mile 4-5: Just cruising along to my music. Taking in the sights of Phoenix.

Mile 6: I was eating a Gu when I saw my family at the 10k mark! I had texted them at mile 6 (yes, I was running and texting, but only a little and off to the side of the road, promise) and I wasn't sure when I would see them again. Apparently they got there a few seconds before I did. Great timing!

Mile 7: Zoning out to my music.

Mile 8-9: At this point, all of the  cytomax drinks they were handing out (and I'm sure the Gu too) kicked in and I got this weird energy boost. I was speeding down the road, passing people like crazy! I felt really good and unstoppable. I also saw my family again at mile 9-ish. I was in a little pain, but nothing too bad.

Mile 10-11: At the end of mile 10, I really started to feel the pain creeping up my legs. I never felt this pain before! It totally freaked me out but I just kept running. It was really hot at this point and I remembered I didn't put on any sunscreen.

Mile 12: We ran over the bridge over the lake. It was beautiful! Best part of the course in my opinion.  Near the end of this mile, I saw people wearing medals. That gave me a kick in the butt to keep moving! I also saw the more photographers. I took off my sunglasses and flashed a few smiles. :)

Mile 13-13.1: I remember seeing so many people with medals along the side of the road and I knew I was close! My legs were screaming at me and I'm sure my finishing photo is a look of pain. I saw my family a few seconds before I crossed the finish line. Wow, I saw them 4 times!  They were really running around! And I finished!!!!

Time: 2:41:22
Overall Place: 13141
Sex Place: 7212
Division Place: 712
Avg Pace: 12:19

I got in line to get my photo with my medal, got some snacks (they had Mojo frozen yogurt!) and went painfully in search of my family. Thankfully, Joann found me wandering (I had NO idea where I was going) and we took some photos (again, pain face Jamie).

Overall, I had an awesome time! At some parts of the race, I wished I had someone to run with, but it was also nice at some parts to enjoy it by myself. I wish I wore sunscreen. I have added some more weird tan lines to my collection. And I wish I trained harder. I would have been in less pain at the end had I done that. But it was fun, and I'd like to do the marathon someday. I wasn't particularly fond of the scenery at the beginning of the race (at least up to mile 9). How is the scenery with the marathon? Any different? I know it's not all about the scenery, but it's sure a plus! 

This recap was very detailed, but there was a lot to say! I would totally recommended running this half at least once. It's a nice tour of downtown Phoenix and some surrounding areas, and the views at the end + party are well worth it. :)

Muddy Buddy 2010 Ride & Run Recap!

Well hello there. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

I’ve been busy, of course, with school, work and running. I recently did Muddy Buddy and the race recap will follow shortly (yes, that means you have to be patient). I am currently in training for the RNR Phoenix Half Marathon in January. So, hopefully, I will have some great posts about my exciting training. But, I have to remind everyone that finals are approaching (way too fast) and I may be out of the blog scene from time to time and unless I can muster up some sort of decent post (in my soon to be sleep deprived state), you may not see me until winter break. I hope it does not come to this! I love reading your blogs and posting comments and letting you know I’m still here. So don’t lose faith in me! I am still here. Just a little less, until school is out.

Okay, here you go. The Muddy Buddy 2010 Race Recap!!!

The photos were taken with a disposal camera and then scanned. So they aren't the best quality!

Joann (my sister), her husband Josh, his little brother Nick and I headed out to the McDowell Mountain park at around 6:30 am. It was pretty much freezing (to an Arizonian). We walked down to the start to pick up our packets and I got a first glance of the mud pit. It was quiet and still...for now.

We walked back to the car and got our gear ready. Bikes, helmets, and a waist pack (to hold my camera and chap stick). It warmed up to the point that I was able to take off my jacket. 

Muddy Buddies!

We headed down to the start and watched the costume contest. There were some pretty great ideas! We are thinking about doing it next year. I think it'd be fun to get muddy in a costume. :)

Joann and Josh....Looking like they're ready for some mud

After the costume contest, we headed over to the start where we got into our wave groups. We were in the second wave. The bikes were separated from the runners, and they got to go first. Nick was off! and then I waited in the runner group, a little cold, and then I was off! 

Running made me colder for about the first mile. Wind doesn't help when your body in not warmed up. But then I warmed up and I felt pretty good. I passed a few people (who started out way too fast. See, that's what you get...) and kept a pretty decent pace. The McDowell mountain park is very pretty...for Phoenix. No offence to my Phoenix peeps, I just love my Tucson home. :)

About 10 minutes after this photo, I got to the first obstacle. It was basically some nets we had to crawl under. Not too exciting. I finished it pretty quickly and went to look for the bike. 

At the first obstacle...looking for bikes

As soon as I got on my bike, I knew I got stuck with the WORST part of the course. As were all the other runners who were stuck with this part of the course on the bike. What a dirty little trick Muddy Buddy race directors. Or WHOEVER decided a WASH would be a good place to ride a bike. WTH!?!

 

NOT A GOOD PLACE TO RIDE A BIKE

Looks easy...in this photo. But no. Most of time people were walking their bikes. Or trying to ride...and failing. I just walked it through most of the wash. At the end of it there was a nice dirt trail. Thank god.
The next obstacle we came up on was a small rock wall and a net on the other side. It was a little more challenging considering it required more balance. I met Nick at this one, right before we set off again. I told him how much a pain in the ass that last ride was. And he said...Yeah, we thought we shouldn't tell you about that. Wow. Where's the family love?? You know, watching out for each other and what not...

And we were off again!  





The next obstacle was walking across balancing beams. This seemed very hard...to everyone else. This was by far definitely the easiest! (Yay for gymnastics classes!!)



I grabbed the bike and took a few seconds for a photo op.  :)





This was my second (and last) time on the bike, and it definitely scary. I don't do a whole of mountain biking, so the downhills pretty much scared the crap out of me! Plus, having cholla on the trail didn't help much either.

Finally, I got to the last obstacle before the mud pit. The inflatable slide!



This one was tricky. There was too many people on it at once and it kept moving from side to side=not helpful. But I got over it and down the other side!



I grabbed some water and I off to run the last leg! As some point, Nick passed me. He was slowing down a little (this part was really hilly...which means hard!) so we chatted for a few seconds. He kept peddling and he was gone. I was alone for a little while, no one seemed to be anywhere around me. It was kinda peaceful, except for the fact that I was pretty much dying! I was so tired at this point and just wanted to walk. I ended up doing that a few times, but I kept remembering Nick had to wait for me before we crossed the mud pit. And then I saw all the white tents and heard the music and knew I was close!








The last hill before the finish!

Finally, I made it to the end of the running portion! Up next: The famous mud pit!


Right before we head into the mud pit!

The mud was so cold!! I crawled in and remembered the how gravel-y (a word now) it was. Glad my pants were long enough to cover my knees!

The official finishing photo:

Our finishing time- 1:11:34

Joann and Josh in the mud pit!

Finally, we saw Joann and Josh come in. I tried to wave them into the lane closest to us so I could get a good photo, but I guess they didn't get it.

And that was my last photo. :(

I'm sad I didn't get a photo of us all at the end, all muddy, or a photo of the hose showers or everything else! Maybe I'll use my photos more wisely next time. :)

I had a great time at this race!! It was so much fun! I really don't think I can wait until next year to do it again.

And I may not have to.

My friend Maggie clued me in on a race in April called Warrior Dash.
I may be jumping ahead....but I don't think so. :)
Planning for races is waaaay too much fun. And a little addicting.
More on this Warrior Dash later....and my run tonight. This post is a little lengthy already...