Dead Horse 50K (Race Recap)

Moab, UT
Saturday, November 19
Ultra Marathon #20
Weather - Sunny and chilly

I signed up for Mad Moose's Dead Horse 50K sort of spur of the moment. Everyone knows how much I love Moab, and when I saw the trucker hat I could be getting I was sold. I know, a HAT convinced me to race... I was still unsure which distance I wanted to run, but once the race director said it was "easier" than Behind the Rocks, I decided to sign up for the 50K instead of the 30K.

Our hotel was only about 10 minutes from the start line, so I didn't need to get up until 5:30 to be out the door and at the start at 6 for a 7 a.m. start. It was PITCH BLACK when I first pulled up. I used the bathroom and then went over to the start tent, grabbed a Noosa and then went back to sit in the car. I always forget just how cold it can be in the desert. Sat in the warmth until about 10 minutes before the start. Used the bathroom one more time, said a quick hello to Milan, and then off we went.

The course started on a wide dirt road that ran parallel to 191 for about 3/4 of a mile before we turned west and headed UP... a lot of walking in this section. About mile two we got a nice downhill for awhile, arriving at the first aid station around mile 4.5. I stopped long enough for a small cup of coke, headed up the hill for more climbing.

The glorious downhill running!

The climb leaving the aid station

I spent a few minutes chatting with a guy named John, who spent a while trying to convince me to register for Squaw Peak 50. We managed to miss a turn because we weren't paying attention, but luckily realized it after a minute and didn't get too off track. We arrived at the next aid station at mile 7.5, where the 50K runners would do a big 13.5 mile loop.

I guess I really like pictures of dead trees?

I had worn my team jacket because it was REALLY chilly at the start, and I actually kept it on for probably the first ten miles, then I shoved it in the back of my pack. I remember none of this. There was some single track, there was some climbing. There was a LOT of slick rock. Hit the "halfway" aid station at Gemini Bridges, stopping for nothing, and then down the Magnificent 7 trail. Took lots of pictures. Lots of run/walk intervals. Shortly before arriving back at the aid station at Arth's Corner, I rolled my ankle a bit on a downhill - which hurt A LOT. Sadly more walking than I would have liked.

The raven

The  course then merged with the 30K course. Loop around until we got back to the "first" aid station. And then I remembered that there was going to be a LOT of climbing for the next couple miles. It was also a lot colder on the way back. This section was now in the shade and I had to put my gloves back on. On the descent I ran (a bit slower than I would have liked, but it was pretty rocky). Run/walk on the flat road part to the finish.

Free race pic - as I'm leaving the last aid station

Very pleased with my time, third fastest 50K, and had I been paying more attention (and not rolled my ankle), probably could have taken ten or so minutes off my time. Looked around for teammates, but didn't see anyone. Got a random person to take a finisher pic with my cowbell (sadly, the same one as I got at Behind the Rocks).

Official Time - 7:12:54 (must just be gun time)
Overall Place - 140/162
Garmin Time - 7:12:31
Garmin Distance - 29.44 miles
Elevation Gain - 2,818 feet
Miles 1-5 - 12:36, 16:14, 10:38, 11:09, 13:37
Miles 6-10 - 14:26, 14:51, 15:36, 14:34, 12:34
Miles 11-15 - 13:2, 16:13, 14:05, 16:18, 16:05
Miles 16-20 - 14:30, 13:45, 15:17, 14:52, 15:56
Miles 21-25 - 14:31, 15:30, 116:12, 15:41, 17:16
Miles 26-finish - 15:25, 16:32, 15:34, 13:18, 13:25

Thoughts:

• Aid stations seemed well-stocked, but to be honest, all I took was coke or mountain dew. For the first time, I took ZERO food from an aid station. I had brought my own food (peanut butter filled pretzels, beef jerky, Lara Bar bites and Honey Stinger chews), and had no desire for anything else. I used Nuun in my new Orange Mud endurance pack. The 2L bladder held plenty of fluids, and I could carry all my junk in the front pockets. There were plenty of volunteers, and they all seemed to know where we were on the course, which was helpful to me since I had looked at NOTHING course related prior to running.
• The shirt is a cotton tee, but it is pretty nifty and I'll wear it again. We also got the super cool trucker hat - which I've probably already worn a half-dozen times.
• I kinda wish there was a medal, but I suppose I "win" having a gorgeous course to run on for that long.
• As for the course - DEFINITELY easier and less technical than Behind the Rocks. Maybe 500 feet less of climbing, but nothing as sketch as Jacob's Ladder. I personally would all this almost 100% runnable. (If I were the type of person to actually RUN an entire ultra).
• Finish line had enchiladas and rice, and was delicious. Other than that - pretty low key for a finish area.
• Free race pics that were posted within a few days on Facebook.
• I know this is a painfully sparse recap, but it was over a week ago - I shouldn't wait so long! Really what I remember the most is that behind my ears really hurt. I was wearing an ear warmer AND a trucker hat, and I think the combination with sunglasses was squishing something. But I can't live without sunglasses!
• Would I run this again? Heck yeah.

Week in Review (November 15 - November 21)

Tuesday (13,997) - Up early to take A to student council. Went to barre during lunch. Heather also came, and I gotta say, as much as I am going to miss Fuzed, there were definitely more people in this class with it just being "regular" barre. After work/school A had gymnastics. After A went to bed I did a mile walk on the treadmill to get more steps in. With being sick I really haven't been moving that much.
Wednesday (24,297 steps) - The last day of "summer" in Colorado. Got up for a short taper run - I can't even believe that I was able to run before sunrise in a tank top and skirt IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER. Just crazy.

Took A to her annual well-child appointment. The kid grew FOUR inches this year and is now only two inches shorter than me?? Ugh!! How has this happened? Run club after work - the employees did a little birthday celebration for A. Ran about 2 miles with Heather and A.
Thursday (15,832 steps) - Barre before work - first time I have been to a 6 am class for a while. By 11 am, it was the first snow of the season!! Traffic, thankfully, was not as bad as I feared. We made it to Runners Roost in Lakewood for run club. Heather and I ran a very short loop with Colfax, and A ran with Eric.

Rocko's afterwards. Home for final packing!
Friday (7,930 steps) - Left the house around 8. We first stopped at the post office in Arvada (per the hours on the website) to get A's passport... turns out the office didn't open until 11, so headed out towards Utah. The roads were not great in the mountains. We pulled over at Vail Pass to use the bathroom and to buy our NKOTB tickets!

By the time we were on the other side of the pass the road conditions improved a ton. We stopped in Grand Junction to see if we could get a passport at THAT post office, only to find out that they were closed and would reopen in 45 minutes. We went to get lunch at a cute diner, then went back. The line wasn't very long, but only one person was working so it still took about 45 minutes - but it is on order! A didn't want to take the scenic route into Moab. As soon as we arrived we checked in at the Motel 6 and then went to pick up my packet. Decided to stop and get food/beer at the Moab Brewery.

Got everything laid out for morning, in bed fairly early.
Saturday (69,128 steps) - Dead Horse 50k.

Headed back to the hotel right away for a shower. Margo sent me a message inviting us to a BBQ in the evening. Spent the next few hours resting and napping. Stopped at City Market to get some groceries and then went to Milan and Oza's house rental. It was great spending time with them (and Phil and Kery) - we watched a cool documentary about Iditarod and stayed until about 9:30.
Sunday (13,672 steps) - We wanted to get breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe, but it was apparently closed for the season, so we went to Eddie McStiff's. I got a delicious french toast sandwich and A got a giant burrito.

Then we headed out onto Potash Road for our drive to Corona Arch. Oza had recommend the hike as "the best arch outside of the park." The lot was not very full and it was not crowded on the hike. Once we headed out, A told me that she had done the hike before, but we still had a great time, taking lots of pictures.

We went back to the hotel and lounged around a bit before we went to the Moab Rec center to go swimming. We had a fun time fooling around in the pool, and of course A made me go off the high dive again. We were some of the only people there, so that was nice. We did takeout from Milt's for burgers and shakes for dinner. In bed late-ish.
Monday (17,081 steps) - Went into town to get a quick breakfast at Eklecticafe. A got a huge cinnamon roll and I got a bagel sandwich.

We took the scenic way back, stopping at Fisher Towers for a hike. It was lightly raining, but we still got in another really scenic (new to me) hike on the way out of town.

The drive back was pretty uneventful, we stopped at Chili's in Glenwood Springs for a late lunch. Hit some rain/sleet in the mountains, but it was warm enough that the roads stayed dry. Unpacked, started laundry.

Stats:

• 162,027 steps
• 36.3 miles run
• 2 barre classes and 7+ hours of hiking
• Current weight ??? - Didn't remember to weigh in this week... probably for the best.

Everything Else:

• Another lovely trip to Moab. I just love it out there.

Week in Review (November 8 - November 14)

Tuesday (3,959 steps) - Dead from the plague. I got up to take A to Student Council / school and then promptly went back home to lie on the couch, where I would remain all day. During the day I got caught up on my American Horror Story and watched a bunch of episodes of Snapped until it was time to start watching the election. Right off the bat I had a bad feeling about it (which later, of course, turned out to be true). I picked A up at school at 5, went to the library to return a book and then went to gymnastics. I streamed the election on the CNN app the entire time. When we got home, A made breakfast for dinner (which was awesome, since I wasn't feeling well). Went to bed before Trump was announced the winner.

Wednesday (15,010 steps) - Feeling a lot better, but not happy about going back to work. I left work to pick A up at school and she came to hang out with me for the last hour. At 5 we headed down to the Denver store for the Cookie Cook-off! A and I ran a few miles with Colfax and then ate cookies until we could eat no more. Well, to be fair, I really only had a few since I still was feeling icky. Bed early.

Thursday (11,997) - Went to Laura's barre class during lunch since I missed on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the Fuzed class wasn't a big hit, so it has been eliminated. It is still a great workout with Laura. Left work about a half hour early for A's first orchestra concert!

We got there early enough that I was able to get a front row seat and she was able to be in the front on the end. The kids were super cute and A did a great job. I, however, sat next to the most RUDE family on the planet, and they talked throughout the entire performance. The big surprise of the night was that each kid got to bring someone on stage and "teach" them a song that we then had to perform. It was actually a lot of fun. Picked up some groceries on the way home. After dinner we made mini oreo cheesecakes for A's party.

Friday (10,742 steps) - Took A to the dentist before work, and of course she had a fantastic check up.

After work we met up with Amy, her son and her son's friend at Old Chicago for dinner.

All this means is that 12 years ago, I drank 110 different beers

Then we went to the Denver Escape Room. We had picked the room "Grim Stacks" - which to me was kind of Harry Potter themed. We were on a roll solving the puzzles until we got held up with a lock that none of us apparently knew how to reset. Technically we failed, although I feel like if we had known how the lock worked that we probably could have solved it. So much fun, we have been talking about wanting to do another one.

Saturday (28,122 steps) - Drove down to Greenwood Village for Runners Edge. In my head, I initially thought I might run 12. Then I thought I better not, needing more time to get home and shower and get ready for A's party. Turns out that I was still feeling kind of icky, so I only did 8.

Drove home to shower and get ready. We were on time to the pool party, yay! A bit of a misunderstanding regarding what I actually PAID for ensued, as I didn't realize that I had to pay for every single person that came, regardless if they were swimming or not. We ended up having cake and presents on the patio (IN NOVEMBER) to get around the whole fire code thing.

A had invited her friend over to spend the night, so when we got home they each showered and then played around on the Wii until about 5, when we headed down to Heather's house for "game night" aka, Ariel's surprise birthday party. It took her a LOT longer to realize that we were having a party for HER than I expected.

It was an amazing night and it was great to see so many people gathering for A, and knowing there are a lot of people that love her as much as I do. It was after 11 before we got home, and the kids fell asleep immediately.

Sunday (13,312) - Managed to sleep in until 8 or so. Ariel made us all breakfast, and while the girls played around on the Wii, I did chores. Rachelle's mom picked her up around 10:30. A and I went to the grocery store, watched the Broncos win, and made MORE cookies (for the work charity bake sale and for A to take to school). We went to barre at 4:15 and then went to the Ale House at Amato's for dinner with Mo. Walking Dead and then bed.

Monday (steps) - A's 11th birthday!

Got up early to open her gift from me and share coffee/hot chocolate before school. Left work early to pick A up from school.

We went to see Trolls, which was super cute, and then dinner at Sweet Tomatoes - which A got for free since it was her birthday! A's soccer coach sent their end of season pictures - so cute!

Stats:

• 93,581 steps (lowest ever, I think!)
• 11.1 miles run
• 2 barre classes
• Current weight 123.0 - Seriously helps when you are dying of the plague.

Everything Else:

• Worked really hard to give A a good birthday. She says she had a great time, so I must have done my job!
• It really sucked being sick for a week. Just been "off" feeling and really tired. Hopefully I kick this soon!