running, life and living the dream

On Saturday January 19, 2013 I participated in my second Coldwater Rumble 50K trail run.   The event is put on by Aravaipa Running and is run through the desert trails of The Sierra Estrella Mountain range, located southwest of Phoenix, AZ.   There were a few course changes and even a new distance option this year. This year a 50 mile run was added to an already solid list of options including 4 miles, 19k, 31k, and 50k.   I toyed with the idea of attempting the 50 mile run, but decided on the 50k, based on my training plan and goal to complete the Zane Grey 50 Mile Endurance run in April.   I had a few goals for this run, but the one that fueled me most, was to beat my time of 5 hours 58 minutes from last year. The 50k began at 7:30 and I immediately stuck to my plan of being conservative early; it can be hard to ignore the adrenaline that takes over at the start of a race.   The first few miles flew by, as I approached the first aid station...

My buddy Giles sent out a text inquiring who would be interested in a long run on Saturday. After a few texts, the discussion turned to where? I had seen a post on the Arizona Road Runners’ Face book page about the Castle Hot Springs 22 Miler on January 5, 2013. This was a run I had my eyes on and was excited that we would be taking on this challenge. The Run began at a cowboy camp/ranch and home of Betty’s Trail Rides. This is located near Lake Pleasant, off of Highway 74. Thirty-Six of us stood at an imaginary starting line just out side the gates of the camp listening to last minute instructions; a little after 8:00 am we took off on our 22 mile journey. The website said this was a casual, fun, and scenic run. I started off at a casual pace, staying on the right side of the Jeep road as instructed. I chatted with my friend Tim and asked some questions about the run, since he had completed it twice before. One thing I love about running is discovering new roads, trails, ...