I was looking for a new 100 mile race to run in 2016. I came across the Joshua Tree 100 miler one day, and decided that I would put it on my list for 2016. It was just 4 weeks after the Headlands 100 miler, and I felt like that was enough time between races to recover and still run a decent race.
My parents and I headed over to the race on Friday morning so that we could camp out at the Start/Finish area that night. We got to Joshua Tree around 5:00pm and set up our camp site. My parents set up their 2 person tent, and I decided I wanted to sleep outside under the start and see the beauty desert sky.
The race started early Saturday morning at 6:00am, and consisted of running 5 miles out to an aid station, and then running 5 miles back to the start/finish area. We had to do this 10 times to cover 100 miles. The first 5 miles were at a slight rolling decline, and of course that means that the 5 miles back were at a slight rolling incline back to the start/finish area. The weather was going to be hot, the trail was 100% exposed, and I wanted to be smart and not burn myself out at the beginning of the race. The weather was about 90-100 degrees during the hotter parts of the day depending on what part of the course you were on. I was being smart and not running too fast because I figured that I would run harder in the evening once the weather cooled off.Around mile 60 the sun was down, and I was taking a fast dinner break. My parents had a hamburger and Dr Pepper waiting for me at the start/finish area... and it was delicious!! It was nice taking a break from eating gels, and I prefer to eat food during races.
I kept expecting the weather to cool off in the evening, but it didn't. I'm not sure what the exact temperature was in the evening, but it was warm. I ran the entire race in my Fleet Feet Racing singlet and I never got cold during the evening portion of the race.
There were parts of the course where the footing was like running on the beach. Even with wearing debris gaiters I still had to stop every 10 miles to get the dirt out of my shoes. This was driving me crazy because I hate stopping during races to take off my shoes.
During much of the race I was questioning why I was even out there. I was starting to feel like maybe I wasn't recovered enough from the Headlands 100 race that I had ran 4 week prior to this race. My legs were feeling a little heavy, and I had a few battles going through my head.
Even with all the 100 mile races that I have completed, I still have moments of self-doubt at events. This race wasn't as bad as some others that I've done, but I did have some pretty dark moments that I had to battle back from. I always walk away from a 100 mile race learning a little bit about myself. There were many times during this race where I questioned why I even do these events, if I really wanted to be out there running, and if these were even fun anymore. I have enough experience doing these events that I know these moments will pass, because they always do. I know that if I keep pushing through the self-doubt and the voices inside my head that say I should pack it up and quit, I can push through and finish.
When all was said and done, I was able to finish the race just under 24 hours. My finishing time was 23 hours and 40 mins. This finishing time was good enough to put me in 2nd place overall when I crossed the finish line. I really wanted to finish a little faster, but in the end I was honestly just happy to finish in under 24 hours. While a faster finishing time was what I really wanted, a sub 24 hour finish was the main goal, and I was able to walk away with a silver sub 24 hour buckle.
I love running 100 mile races... for some reason. I appreciate the hard work that goes into finishing this distance. You can't "fake" a 100 mile race. There's so much that goes into it... mentally and physically. I won't have a chance to run another 100 mile race until March of next year (2017) when I run the Barn Burner 24 hour race that is held just outside of my hometown of Fresno. I plan on trying to break my 100 mile pr of 20 hours and 45 mins at this 24 hour event, and then just running more and more until I it the 24 hour mark.
My next event will be the 2 Cities Marathon in Fresno. I'm pacing the 4 hour group, like I do every year, and Samantha will be running as well. This will be her very first marathon and I'm super excited to see how she does.
Until next time...
KEEP RUNNING!!!!
