Thru Endurance We Conquer!

 Black Canyon 100k was just a few weekends ago and the big news with the race (other then the speedy times...) was the snow over night. It's Arizona - snow down near Phoenix isn't a common occurrence. Combined with rain prior to snow and the potential for icy roads, the call was made to delay the start from 7:00 to 9:00. And then it was pushed back another 30 minutes to allow for a late bus to get there. In the post race podcasts, the big story with the delay was the effect it had on the preparations of the pointy end of the field. The runners there trying to win golden tickets and would be finished well before sunset. Every podcast discussed the flexibility needed to adjust breakfast, warm ups and mental prep for the delay. And while that effected everyone, there was one thing that the commentators never even mentioned. It wasn't a factor for anyone they were talking about - and since most of the commentators either are or used to be pro runners - not something they would ...

 After the one day of trying to do as much course recon as possible, I was more than a little nervous about the race. There were some super fast women on ultra signup and most of them were local. They would have prepared much better and maybe even have gotten on the course a few times. Except for a few miles in the middle, it was all a huge mystery as to what the next 50 miles would bring. The biggest key would be trying to run those first trending downhill miles smart so I would have something left for all the hills in the middle and end.  The bus ride out to the start was long. Any time they have you loading the busses at 0530 for an 0730 start, you know it’s gonna be long! And it was - from Oracle State Park, all the way out Willow Springs road to Freeman Road. If you’ve done the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo mountain bike race, you know how long and bumpy Willow Springs can be! Now go even further and do it on a school bus. There was no napping at all on that drive. Instead I lis...