Hot Red Hot 55K

New year, new goals, new dreams.

Moab's Red Hot 55k

As this race approached I was excited like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Last year this was my first Ultra and I wanted to go back and and see what I could do after a year of running Ultra's.  I didn't have huge goals, but I had some. I always set three goals for each race I do. First goal for this race was a little far reached, but hey you never know. The second goal is what I should have hit if I was having a good day going off my times from other races and the third goal was just to beat my last year time.

The morning of the race I was experiencing some stomach issues, not sure if it was food I ate, my kids sickness passed on to me, or just nerves. It was very uncomfortable though. The morning was beautiful and I was going to race no matter what.

The hubbs and I ready to go.

At the beginning of most races I feel like I have to tell myself to control my speed and go my own pace. It's hard to do when everyone takes off so fast. A mile into the race my body reminded me that I need to slow down a bit. My breathing was already becoming very labored and wheezy. I have asthma. Cold air, anxiety (pre-race jitters) and running fast before my lungs are warm is and can be disastrous for me. By the time I hit mile 4 my lungs were burning still even though I had slowed down a bit. I then knew I needed to walk the steeper hills.  So I did. It was hard to do with people passing me but I know my body and I needed to be smart, it is a long race I kept reminding myself over and over.  As I approached the first aid station I was still struggling and actually walked for a good 1/4 mile. Then the miracle happened! I could breath again, so off I went. Feeling good I knew it was time to move. I had time to make up and that was when my stomach so kindly reminded me that it was still not feeling well. Over the next 10 miles and 4 stops in the bushes (sorry, too much info) the stomach got better. However, in between stops I was still moving good.
As I started the second half of the race, which is very technical I was feeling much better. I was climbing strong and moving about as fast as I could to try and reach my goals. The mind and body were cooperating finally and I was fully enjoying the beautiful country I was in.

At the beginning of the race there were some girls I was running with that I told myself I would find again when I had lost them with all my stops. Around mile 26 I saw them. They were quite a bit ahead of me, but I slowly gained back on them and ended passing them at the last aid station. One sure gave me a run for the money and this is what kept me going strong. I call it healthy competition. Feeding off other runners helps me keep going when I am feeling uncomfortable. A couple miles from the finish I knew goals one and two were not going to be met and I realized that goal three wouldn't be met either unless I pushed harder. Pushing myself down the technical downhill and rounding the corner to the finish line I was almost in a full sprint and it felt good. I saw the clock and I knew I made it! Goal three accomplished and I was finished! 14th female and 100th place overall made me very happy with the field of runners I was running against and the physical struggles I had the beginning of the race. 

Finish Line Push

I just love this race and I will be back next year to hopefully accomplish goal one or two. Happy Running!