Jemez Trail Ultra

To live is the rarest thing in the world.  Most people exist, that is all.  ~Oscar Wilde

My beer cap the night before the race.

I'm so overwhelmed with emotions from this race, I don't know where to begin.  I traveled to Los Alamos, New Mexico with Troy and Beth.  We left at 5:30 on Friday morning.  We were all really focused on our hydration and eating so we had quite a few stops but the drive was easy and went by fast.  I have done the drive to Santa Fe a number of times with Evan so it was familiar and brought back fun memories.  We met Alan and Helene at the hotel and went to packet pick-up.  

One thing that made this race awesome is the people!!!  First person I saw was Steve from Dailymile.  He recognized me immediately and was so awesome.  His wife is from Ft Worth and they now live in Los Alamos.  He had posted a ton of pictures from when they marked the course so I had in my mind what to expect.  He and his wife were also manning the "Last Chance" aid station.  (Where I had a bite of pumpkin pie!)

Lots of fun sponsors were there like Nuun and Montrail (two products I love) and I bought last year's race shirt also.  This is the only frustrating thing about races (not just this race, it's always unpredictable)...what the heck size shirt do you need? Beth and I needed XS sizes in last years shirt but Large in this years shirt! Unfortunately, I had asked for Medium and it doesn't fit me at all.  I forgot to bring it after the race to exchange.  Thinking I might email them because it's a great shirt with a map of the elevation on the back.

Helene and Alan Walker, Beth Hyland, Troy Pruett, Me
(Helene's photo, thanks!)

Spaghetti dinner...saw David Hanenburg and David Pearson from Dallas.  We saw them twice on the trail too!! Also ran into friends that we met at Cross Timbers trail race this year.  Mustache Man (Dave) and his Amarillo friends (Erik and Seth)!  We ran with Erik for awhile on the third major climbing section and he was super supportive and optimistic.  The food was great and we filled up on noodles and cookies.  Took a drive to the race start and then a stop at the grocery store for some bagels and beer. (of course!)

After a very long day it was finally time for bed.  4:30 wake up call, 6:30 race start.  I had a tough time actually falling asleep, I felt like my heart was beating really fast and I was stressing about the altitude.  Focused on deep breaths and once I was asleep I didn't wake up a single time until 4:05.   Got at least 7 uninterrupted hours of sleep, I was more than pleased with that.  

I had eaten a bagel with almond butter right before bed and I ate the same thing when I woke up.  Also had some coconut water and coffee in the morning.  I felt like a whale but my stomach had settled perfectly and I was confident in my nutrition to start the race. 

With Brenda before the start

Ok...finally the race.  It was in the low 40's at the start with expected high's in the low 70's.  PERFECT.  I wore short sleeves and gloves.  I kept the gloves on until my drop bag at mile 19.2.  Beth and I met Dailymile friends Brenda and Ellen right before the start and then we were off! The first mile is on the road and we took it nice and slow.  It's 4 miles until the first aid station and the first major climb.  This first climb to Guaje Ridge is what the half marathoners do.  Beth and I got separated at the first aid station because I pulled off the trail to get my poles ready and take a GU.  I was really, really focused on running my own race and at this point I was really struggling with the altitude.  It became very apparent that this race was not about having a time goal or even focusing on the mileage.  I only focused on 5 things:

1.  Never stop moving forward, ever.

2.  Big lungs, big, steady breathing.

3.  Drink and drink some more.

4.  Eat and salt, eat and salt. 

5.  Smile

Beth hung with a big group of folks from Ft Collins and she quickly got 5-10 minutes ahead of me.  It was never a plan to run together and I knew that I could not hold that pace for 33 miles.  I found myself with some fellow flat-landers, they were from Phoenix and we learned about the fire in 2000 from a local that was in our pack.

The fire in 2000 was a controlled fire by the fire department that got out of hand. 

So from the start to the first aid station was 4.2 miles: 721 ft elevation gain, 555 ft elevation lost.

From the first aid station to the top of Guaje Ridge was 2.2 miles, 1,540 ft elevation gain, 170 ft elevation lost.

Top of Guaje Ridge (Helene's Photo)

The next part of the trail was beautiful.  It was marshy, really green, and we had a lot of creek crossings which makes me smile.  Just back and forth over the same creek.  Then we came up on the ladder! What? Love stuff like that.  I was moving really slow at this point.  I was a little frustrated because it didn't seem like we were climbing that much but I knew I was probably around 8,000 ft and so just kept focusing on #2...breathing.  Turns out we did gain 835 ft in this part.  From then on I just always assumed I was running up or I was running down.  There were ZERO flat sections.

Top of Guaje Ridge down...1,050 ft elevation lost.  To Caballo Base 835 ft elevation gain.

The ladder!

Almost my turn to climb the ladder.  It was kinda tough with poles. :)

Aid Station #2! Caballo Base and the biggest climb of the day.  It is 2 miles to the top of Caballo Mountain and we gained 1,771 ft of elevation in those two miles.  It was so steep.  17.2% grade...your treadmill won't even go that high.  I'm in really good spirits though because this is why I'm here! I love climbing mountains!! I get in a groove and I think a lot about my brother and I channel his climbing strength.  He is a hiking beast and just last year we had taken a trip to New Mexico to climb Mt. Wheeler.  Beth, Dad, and myself had left our heavy packs at our camp to summit...Mitchell put his on for the training to get stronger.  Seriously, the boy can climb.  I though about how he would approach it and just went hard, took a quick break, went hard, took a break, and slowly made my way up.  All of a sudden I see Troy flying toward me!  Troy in his crazy tye-dye shorts!!  We stopped and talked for a bit and it was really motivating to see him.  I continue on with my hard, rest plan.  Then on a switch back I see a bright pink top! It's Beth! I yell, "Beth!!! I can see you!!!" I thought she was way ahead of me and was probably about to be on her way down the mountain.  

Turns out she was in a pretty bad way at this point.  We talked and she explained what was going on with her stomach and fatigue and I got pretty worried.  I had never seen her like this and I was starting to think she would need a medic and might not be able to finish.  We just kept talking though and inching our way up the mountain.  I cannot explain to you the joy I felt when we reached the top.  I even got sad thinking this was already our last huge summit and there wouldn't be any more. (I know, I'm crazy.)  I was running with such childlike happiness and we were taking pictures and we saw Brenda at the top.  Just awesome.

I was also so excited because being at the top meant we got to turn around and run down.  My absolute favorite part of mountain trail running.  Things are going well for awhile and I'm passing people until my first big wipe-out of the day.  My left leg ended up underneath me as my torso kept moving forward.  I felt a little knee tweak but did a full body check and knew I was fine.  It slowed me up a little though and I was more cautious the rest of the way down.  Unlike running down Hope's Pass in Colorado, this terrain was steeper with sand and gravel that made slipping very real. 

Back at the Caballo Base aid station, Beth and I refill our packs with water and keep focused on #1...always moving forward.  I had a mental picture of what the elevation was like but somehow I forgot that IMMEDIATELY after Caballo Moutain was the 3rd biggest climb of the day.  And hence, my first real low point.  We just kept climbing and climbing and climbing and I was getting pissed and tired and so I kept eating and drinking and we were still climbing and I had no idea when it would end because there was no summit in my head that I knew we would reach.  Beth was starting to feel a lot better which was a huge relief and I was starting to think we might be together for awhile which would be awesome.  We're with Erik from Amarillo at this point and he is the voice of reason for us.  He's done it twice before and tells us when it will end and that we're doing awesome.  He was so positive and nice and it really helped me to focus on being strong.  Once the major climb was over there was a great stretch of open trail with a slight downhill and I was able to get into a running groove.  I yelled to Erik, "Look! I'm running!!" Haha, it felt amazing to actually run.

Caballo Base to Pipeline:  2.8 miles 1,169 ft elevation gain, 222 ft elevation lost.

Pipeline aid station was a full aid station with tons of goodies.  The volunteers for this race are just ridiculously amazing.  There were so many of them and they all were attentive to whatever you needed.  I was really feeling oranges and gold fish crackers for some reason.  Not my normal food.  I was in high spirits again, having conquered that third climb and found my running legs.  My breathing was really figuring out the altitude and it was starting to take second stage to eating and drinking and enjoying my day in the mountains.  Our next check point is now getting to Ski Lodge where our drop bags are.  This is the second and last out-and-back part of the race so I was hoping we would see Troy again.  Knowing that there are zero flat sections of this race I figured that if the people coming towards me were running then that meant it was downhill for them and uphill for me.  Down to Ski Lodge was mostly a gentle downhill though so I picked up some speed and enjoyed saying hi to everyone we passed.  We saw Troy and the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'M SO SORRY!!!" Hahahaha!! This race was his idea and he was so sorry that he had told us to come out here with him.  I told him he was crazy and that I was having the time of my life.  Although, Beth and I did feel some relief to know that he was struggling out there too.

Pipeline to Ski Lodge:  2.9 miles (total mileage at this point 19.2), 293 ft elevation gain, 629 ft elevation lost.

Running into the Pajarito Ski Lodge I almost started crying because there were so many people there cheering.  They were cheering for you like you had already finished the dang thing.  It always bugs me at road races when you run by spectators who just stare at you and don't cheer because you're not the runner they are there to cheer for.  Beth and I make a pit stop at the real bathrooms and I washed all the salt and dirt off my face.  We get our drop bags and sit our butts down and enjoy the moment.  There was a runner there who drank two beers and then went back out to finish! 14 miles left to run and the guy drinks 2 beers.  (We did pass him and beat him...there's no way we were going to let him beat us.) :D

Back up to Pipeline (629 ft gain) was a little bit more of a struggle so I started to really get inside my head.  I was really focused on moving forward and running.  Even if my run felt like a walk, I knew it was faster than a walk and I had to just keep moving.  Beth and I had a heart to heart about how we were feeling and what we needed and used our energy to get up to Pipeline.  There was never a moment in this race that I was really sad or low or had negative thoughts.  I felt very strong the whole way.  Sometimes my strength resulted in a very slow 13 minute mile run and sometimes it was a 23 minute per mile hike up a 22% grade.  Having Beth behind me kept me constantly motivated and optimistic.  I was having an adventure in the woods with a great friend, there were times when I didn't want it to end.  This race never ended up being about the mileage, it was just a great day of never-ending challenging moments.

Back up to Pipeline Aid Station:  2.9 miles, 629 ft elevation gain, 293 ft elevation lost.

Just after Pipeline Aid the second time before the hill. 

Our last climb (so very naive)...the volunteers said it was just around the corner.  I get my camera out because what is before us is a HUGE hill.  Looking at it though we knew it was going to be our easiest climb of the day.  Amazing how quickly our perspective of a hill changed.  Still scooting along and then we hit another one just like it.  We're on jeep roads at this point and I'm not really feeling it.  I tell Beth, "I could really use a second wind, I'm starting to fall."  Within 3 minutes of saying that, we reach the top and are greeted with a beautiful sight.  Singletrack in the woods.  "This will help."  And it did.  We're running downhill and jumping over fallen trees and I'm feeling back to normal. My quads are completely thrashed and I'm starting to really get a headache but I'm loving the terrain.

Pajarito Ski Lodge in the background

Pipeline to Guaje Ridge 3.7 miles: 316 ft elevation gain, 1,048 ft elevation lost.

We had been warned by our Amarillo friends that when we got to the Guaje Ridge aid station to drink as much as we could and fill our bags to the top.  One of the volunteers gave me his personal stash of Advil for my headache and we ate a bowl full of Cheez-It's.  We knew we had a lot of downhill ahead of us and it was wide open in the section really impacted by the fire.  It's all dirt and dust and rocks and dead trees and it's the longest section without an aid station, 5.3 miles.  Talking with friends afterwards, they really hated this part and had a hard time staying motivated.  Because Beth and I were together though we kept talking and talking and just making our way down.  We passed a lot of people in this part.  I took my second and last fall here.  I've been using trekking poles the whole time which I love but as I get tired they become a bit of a liability.  I knew this from TransRockies though so I tried to be careful.  Wasn't quite careful enough, I slipped and my arm and pole went way behind the rest of my body, oops. With about 2 miles to go to the next and last aid station we bottomed out a little and it reminded me of my favorite part of Palo Duro.  This is weird but the chant that kept going in my head was, "You're a good little runner Michelle.  Keep running.  You're a good runner, run Michelle."  I focused on my pole plants and got that rhythm in my head.  I actually ran up some of the speed-bump hills in this part because I was so focused on running. 

Guaje Ridge to Rendija Canyon:  5.3 miles (total mileage 31.0), 36 ft elevation gain, 1,792 ft elevation lost.

Last aid station!!!! 1.9 miles to go!!! Steve and his wife were there and took our picture and I had some pumpkin pie and then they told us to get out of there. So we're climbing again and walking and then running and then we see the pedestrian tunnel that we had entered at the very beginning.  Two fast 50 milers pass us and I tell Beth I'm motivated to pick up the pace.  We have a mile left and I say, "We can run a mile."  She says, "It's cool if we crawl or walk too." Haha, I totally agreed and thought I should have said, "We can do a mile."  We get another 1/2 mile down and I say, "Two laps around the track!!" I get back, "Michelle, I don't normally run 32.5 miles before my track workout." See, we're having so much fun!!  We are beyond miserable and tired but we're a little sad the day is about to end. 

Last Aid Station! Dailymiler Steve and his wife. Thanks for the treats! (Helene's photo)

Tunnel...about a mile left. (Helene's photo)

Then we enter what is every trail race director's idea of a funny joke.  A hand over hand climb up to the finish.  I just ran as hard as my legs could run after having ran more than 32 miles and then I had to climb these rocks.  My spirit took a drastic dive south and I heard people cheering my name and couldn't even look up or smile....I was in shock, where was that damn finish line?!?

Rendija Canyon to Finish: 1.9 miles (total distance 32.9), 426 ft elevation gain, 206 ft elevation lost.

Beth and I cross the line together and she said, "What do we do now?" We had just spend 9 hours and 38 minutes with only one thought....move forward, never stop moving forward.  And then it was over.  I walked to a shaded tree and laid down and tried not to cry.  She went and got our bags.  

Spent two hours drinking beer and eating delicious green chile enchiladas and visiting with Dallas friends, Mike and Melissa, and getting to see Dailymile friend Amy finish the 50 mile.  We've never met in person and she's just ran for 12 hours and 21 minutes.  As she's about to cross the finish line I realize it's her and point and yell, "AMY!!" She looks at me, smiles and says, "MICHELLE!"  Can you imagine running for 12:21 and seeing someone you've only ever seen a thumbnail picture of and recognize them?? Amazing.  She was 5th overall female and my hero. 

Met Alan and Helene for dinner and shared stories of our day.  They had ran the half marathon and had an awesome time.  We (the 50k'ers) all agreed it was the hardest thing we'd ever done.  After that 3rd climb at mile 15 Beth and I said it was already harder than all 3 days of TransRockies combined. 

Post race dinner (Helene's photo)

There isn't a single thing that I would change about this race.  I'm so proud of myself I can't hardly stand it. :D  I think my nutrition leading up to the race was great and my nutrition during the race was great.  I listened to my body and pushed as hard as I could the whole time while correctly pacing myself.   I hope it comes across that I just loved being out there and sharing it with friends and strangers.  I have a 3 day stage race (20 miles each day) in Chattanooga in 4 weeks.  Should be just enough time to recover and taper! 

Finishers award