Antelope Canyon 50 Miler Recap Part 2

We were lucky that the race start was only a 15 minute drive from our hotel, so we were able to sleep until the very last minute.  Race start was at 5:45, we left our hotel at 5:15 and made it to the start with ample time.

It was still dark as all the runners were gathering. There were half marathon, 50 miler and 100 miler runners all gathered around bon fires that were set up to keep us warm. We had ideal temperature in the low teens.  After the announcements and Navajo blessing was made, the buzzer went off and off we went into the darkness.

Start Line Selfie

The 50 mile racers were off first. There were probably about 300 people who were running this distance. The course starts out in a flat section in the desert for 5 miles on a sandy double track with a little slick rock and a slot canyon mixed in. The sun came up pretty quickly after we started.   Around mile 4 we go down into the first slot canyon which leads to the lower Antelope Canyon.

First of Many Aid Stations

You can see from the photo the other runners coming down behind the aid station.

Yummy Food

We knew that we would come back to this aid station, so we continued running into a very sandy open wash for about 3 miles before we got to the entrance of Upper Antelope Canyon.

This was the first of of a few canyons the we would be running through.  The sun was still coming up so the lighting was not the best for photos, and we were technically racing, so we had to keep on moving and parts of the slot canyons were so narrow that we had to run in single file.

Once we came out of the slot canyons we went back to the Antelope aid station for the second time.  This section was quite flat and mostly soft sand.  After stopping at Antelope aid station for a quick washroom break and to grab some food we headed back in the direction to where we had started. After about 4 miles of the running we split off from the where we had come from and head towards Horseshoe Bend/Waterholes Canyon leg.  

Not Even close to being done

Horseshoe Canyon

Running towards the famous Horseshoe Bend was the highlight of the race. We were all looking forward to seeing this magical place.  On our way there we stopped by Slickrock Aid station which was a mile into the desert running through more soft sand.  Like many runners, we stopped and spent some time taking photos and trying to take in the views of the canyon and the Colorado River below.

Jumping for Joy!

The next section had us weaving through slickrock, which is like sandpaper along the rim of the Colorado River.  This area is usually not travelled much by people and was challenging due to the constant elevation changes and change in the terrain that we were running in, from slickrock to soft sand.

Heading down into a Slot

After crossing back over the highway we fuelled up at Waterholes, we headed down into another slot canyon we we continued to run for about a mile before we exit and head back towards the city of Page on a LONG, exposed and sandy traverse which took us along Horseshoe Bend and Slickrock Aid stations for a second time. 

Climbing out of the many Slots

Once we enter Page, we climb up a plateau where the city is built. This route ties into the  single track  of the Page Rim Trail.  This is a 10 mile loop with beautiful views of the city, Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam.

This is final 10 mile leg offered us great views as the sun was setting.  My buddies and I watched the sunset as we headed towards the finish line.

What an amazing race with some of the best friends a gal can ask for.  Overall, the race was very well organized. Nutrition was good and the support crew were great.  Looking forward to the next race.

Week 14 - 11/02/2019 - Peak Week

After taking a nice rest on Sunday, we were back at it Monday with some speed work.  This week our buddy had some 400m repeats for us. The work out was essentially 4x400 with decreasing rests.  Running fast has never been my strong point, but I have to keep reminding myself that it SHOULD help me.

Tuesday morning we wake up to some more snow fall and to find out all the school buses in our region have been cancelled.  After, we dropped the kids off at school, I was off to meet up with the run crew for a road run. We ran for 1 hour and 4 minutes and covered 9.01 km.  As I am checking my Garmin statistics,  I see that the day before at speed we ran 1 hour 4 minutes and covered 9.02 km.   I'm going to assume that I should have covered more distance the day before.  I'm going to assume that it was because of the snow that had accumulated  on the roads.  Can anyone shed light on this?

Wednesday ended up being another snowy day,  so I decided to take it inside on my beloved treadmill. I was also keen on catching up with my latest addiction of watching Game of Thrones.  After 1:45 and 2 episodes of the show, I was off to run some errands before the kids got home.

Valentine's Day was on Thursday and it was also the day before our longest run of the training cycle. I decided to take it easy and really rest the legs, but all I could think about was how LONG the run was going to take and if I could survive.  I took full advantage of the day off and rested and enjoyed a nice dinner with hubs and tried my best to sleep early.

Valentine's Meal with Hubs

After dropping off the kids at the bus stop,  I hurried home to pack up my stuff for the long run and was out to door to meet up with my friends for our long run.  30 miles was planned for the day or whatever we could get in before I had to be home to pick up the kids from the bus stop.

New Altras for the Long Run

My girlfriend had planned our route.  The run was going to be on road as we were limited on time.  We ran locally and then onto some country roads before heading out to our pit stop at the school where my training partner's husband is a teacher.   She had sent him to school with extra supplies for us to refill and refuel.  Her planning was perfect as we arrived at the time she had told him and we were able to refill all our bottles, use the washrooms and change out whatever we wanted to drop off.  We had probably run around 35 kms at this point.

Pit Stop

The road down to the school was exposed with no trees to block any wind and it had been quite windy for a lot of this section. I was happy to have this pit stop but looking at the time, I knew we had to get moving.  We were supposed to head back up to my girlfriends place where my car was, but I had to cut the run short and run to the bus stop to pick up the kiddies and finish my run on the treadmill after the kids got home.  My watch had died around the 40 km mark so I had no idea how much or how far I actually finished with.  My Garmin has been dying lately.   After a full charge, it will only last at maximum 4 and a half hours. I'm pretty bummed as I know it will not be able to last the race.  I had hoped to get the battery changed but it doesn't seem to be an option for this model, the Garmin 620.

I was surprised that I was not dead after the long run.  But, as a mom, there's never really any breaks. Back to wife and mom duties.  

My friend and fellow runner from Rochester had come up to celebrate Chinese New Year with us for the weekend.  I asked her to join us for our second long run on Saturday.  Hubs had made plans with the other dads to take the kids to the Toronto International Show which meant I had more time than I usually have on Saturdays to run.  I was able to sleep in a little and have a nice long run catching up with my buddy.  It was such a treat.  We met up with some of our other girlfriends for a lovely brunch.  It was a great way to end this week.  I finished the week with 94 kms.  Hoping this is enough for the race.

All Smiles after 18 km

Brunch

How was your week?