Old Pueblo 50

[LongStoryShort]

Maggie and I left Phoenix at around 1000 and we headed down to good ol’ Sonoita, AZ. The town is so small that I didn’t even really see it, but somehow we made the turn off onto an old dirt road. We took this road for about 5 miles to the race start/check-in. Once we got to Kentucky Camp (an old farm from probably at least 150 years ago), the scenery became absolutely beautiful. The race took place in the Santa Rita mountains, and you could clearly see the snow on top of the peaks. We checked in and we went off to set up base camp for the day/night. We found a little spot and we made camp, it was now about 1400 hours. We sat around, made lunch, and basically did nothing until the sun started going down, then I made a fire. Night brought below freezing temperatures, so we had a sleeping bag to sleep on, another one as a cover, a thing fleece sleeping bag as a second cover and a fleece blanket as a third cover. We were nice and toasty in our little cocoon, but it was 20F anywhere outside of that.

Wake up time was 0400 and I actually felt pretty good, I went to bed early and I didn’t booze it up or eat a bunch of spicy food. ? I had about five layers on and I felt pretty good as we walked down to the race start. I grabbed some hot coffee and we went back to the car to warm up and relax for a bit. After about 15 minutes, we headed down for a last minute bathroom stop and the race began promptly at 0600. I ditched a couple layers and I was off (in the dark)!

Mile two, I took of my outer layer and tied it around my waist, I was already sweating. I had the guy at the mile 3 aid station top off my water bottle and I continued on to the mile 7 aid station. Maggie, aka “Spicy Enchilada Crew”, was at mile 7 and I have her my headlamp and outer layer in exchange for my second hand bottle, this one filled with Accelerade. I had some snacks from the great folks at the aid station and off I went. The course switched from dirt roads to single track trails, which I do so much better on, since I train on them. The mile 13 aid station was not available to crew members, so I just got a refill on water and ade and continued on. From mile 13 began a sick, sick climb followed by a brutal, quad thrashing descent. Yeah, this course was not easy, I don’t know who told me that, but I was cursing them. I guess what they meant is that it’s an easy course to THEM, guys that run ultras all the time. Sheesh. I was already hurting by the time I got to mile 20, which made me very annoyed because it was only 20 miles and I already felt like crap. I stopped at the aid station and had some PB&J and some bean burritos. I got a refill on fluids and started towards the next mini-goal. Within minutes my stomach went downhill, adding to my suffering. Crikey! I felt horrible!! This was not good, so early on in the race. After a little bit of flat on dirt roads, I started up another climb and slogged it out to the mile 25 aid station. No matter how bad I felt, it was always nice to see people and talk to them at the aid stations, especially Maggie, my awesome crew! She grabbed my bottles and went to fill them up and my friend Liz was working the aid station. I asked her about my stomach and she said to drink half a cup of Coke, diluted with water, so I did, and I felt better. Maggie gave me my secret weapon, my iPod, and I ran off with earfuls of Metallica, Scorpions, and Dream Theater. At the end of this climb was, you guessed it, another climb (how is that possible?). I kept on and I felt a little better. The next stop was 33 and I knew by then I’d have the 50K mark down. The course became more scenic and I got some great views of the mountains. I saw a lot of cows grazing and a lot of random junk. It’s amazing what you find in the middle of nowhere. I arrived at mile 33 feeling slightly better, but still not 100%. I didn’t eat at 25, but I knew I HAD to eat at 33, I was burning a lot of calories and I needed to keep the tank filled. I figured I would grab a sandwich and walk for a little while as I snacked on it and the guy working there said, “Sure go ahead and grab one.” I was slightly out of it by this point and I was sort of talking to myself. “God my stomach has been hell all day!” I asked them if there was a cutoff and they said there was, but I was 1.5 hours ahead. Whew! I was stressing out! The people at the aid stations were great, they were very attentive and they always seemed to know everything. I got a RedBull from them and I drank that along with a few chips. I was about to head out, but it was time for some tough love. “What are you doing for salt,” the guy said. I replied, “Um, sports drink.” Here it comes, “Uh, no. Give me those. He’s just using sports drink! No wonder your stomach hurts!” He dug around while lecturing me on salt and sodium. I was loving it because he knew what he was talking about and he was going to help me. He told me I was supposed to be taking these things called E-caps every hour, and he gave me one and a few for the road. He was firm, yet helpful, and he sent me on my way. Wow, those really work! I felt better immediately, and I pressed on. The course became more scenic, crossing through streams and pretty trails. My attitude improved, as I knew that once I hit 40, it was all “downhill” from there.

My lofty goals of qualifying for the Western States and breaking x hours went out the window early on in the race and I was now there to finish and enjoy myself. I got to mile 40 and Maggie was there to greet me. She said I looked fresh and that there were folks dropping out, vomiting and what not. I felt bad for them, since 40 is so close to the end. The fine folks had soup at the aid station and it was delicious! I had another E-tab, some RedBull, and some awesome turkey wraps! If I didn’t have to run that day I would have just stayed there and gorged myself. Maggie walked with my about ¼ mile up the road and bade me farewell. Off I went, with a full, happy belly. I ran conservatively for the next six miles, and the course featured more, surprise surprise, climbs. Slowly but surely, I pushed on. As I ran, a long, black colored log turned its head and looked over at me. I shook it off and kept going. Somewhere at mile 42-42, my Garmin died. Oh well, I kind of knew where I was. After the scenic, but tough, climbs, the course changed into single track through some meadows, and two guys passed me. At that point, I wouldn’t have cared if everyone passed me. I told them “great job” and they were very nice and encouraging. “We’ve got the buckle!” they told me. After what seemed like forever, I arrived the mile 46 aid station. At this point, I was glad there was only four miles left, tired, hungry, delusional, hungry, and in A LOT of pain. The kind sir at the station asked me, “What are you looking for?” “Random food.” They all burst out laughing. I’m glad they got a kick out of it, but I was serious as I stuffed my face with chips, trail mix, and more SOUP! I couldn’t get enough of that stuff. I threw down my last E-tab and off I went. I pushed a little harder, knowing I was close. I couldn’t believe I was so close, it was all gonna be over soon. I laughed at myself as my run looked like a hobble/shuffle at this point. The rest of the course was the same single track trail, which I scurried down. I enjoyed the sun setting and the moon lighting up the mountains as it rose. After an eternity, I heard voices and saw a light! I turned a corner and saw a girl on a glow in the dark unicycle playing the triangle. Wow, my best hallucination ever! Wait a minute, I wasn’t hallucinating! I followed her to the finish line where everyone cheered including my wonderful crew. Duane, the race director, shook my hand and handed me a velvet bag, which contained a beautiful belt buckle. We cheered the next few finishers and I started to get extremely cold so we headed out. When I got a signal, my cell phone received a bunch of good luck texts from all my friends and family! We stopped in Tucson for my reward of a Big Mac meal and an ice cold 24 oz. can of Coors Light. They never tasted so good. I went through highs and lows, ups and downs, and saw a ton of cool scenery, all in such a short period of time that seemed like forever. The Santa Ritas now have a special place in my heart.
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Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[evenstar]

Way to go! Awesome run and glad you survived and came out with a sense of humor!
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John Richardson and Richie Rich, El Perro de Playero
http://members.tripod.com/~evenstar/index.html
http://www.arizonahikers.com
When the Man waked up he said, "What is Wild Dog doing here?" And the Woman said, "His name is not Wild Dog anymore, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting."
--Rudyard Kipling, from Just So Stories, 1902

[MChiker]

I believed in you from start to finish, honey! :X

MWAH!!!
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"Make it happen."

[IGO]

Sounds like a good run. I'm happy for you.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[azhiker96]

Well done JC! Sounds like a great adventure.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[LongStoryShort]

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[Hikngrl]

JC! That is SO cool! You are amazing! You learn something new each and every time you run...keep it up my friend!
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~~~Diane~~~

I want to shine!

[LongStoryShort]

Thanks Diane!
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Happiness is being high on the food chain.

[threedogz]

Wow, sounds like a lot of hard work and fun for you. Glad you had all the support on the way, it makes a world of difference. Awesome job!I'm fatigued just reading your adventure.
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You can never eat too much candy...

[Desert-Boonie]

[Matt Hoffman]

[Arizonaheat]

JC sorry I missed you at the OLD PUEBLO, didn't know you were running it.

I may have saw you and not even known it.

I was the dude with trekking poles if you happened to see me. What an awesome time.

That moonrise was among the most awesome I have ever seen.

Took me about 13 hours again this year. Glad you know what they are all about now. That elevation is brutal.