Go West young (old) man!!

So, I had some extra vacation days at work that I needed to burn before the end of the year and I needed to find a somewhat cheap "vacation".  I had never been out to visit my uncle in Arizona so that seemed like a good choice.  And it was! It's a short stay, but very nice.  My uncle lives in Scottsdale, which is a very nice suburb of Phoenix.  We had plans for dinner, and then a day up to visit my cousin at Northern Arizona University and then to continue on up to the Grand Canyon.

Friday morning we left the house at 8am and took the scenic route up to Flagstaff.  The direct drive is usually only about 2 hours, especially with a 75 MPH speed limit!!  NICE!  Except we took the scenic route, and I'm so glad that we did.  The landscape and vegetation changed as we gained altitude, eventually reaching 8,000 feet.  Along the way we stopped in Jerome for coffee, and took a quick drive through Sedona which is known for its "new age" vibe with all the crystals and incense.  We picked up my cousin, and headed straight to the Grand Canyon, about an hour away.  I haven't been to the Canyon since I was about 14, and I know the whole experience back then did not have the same impact as it did this time.  I won't go into further detail, but it was just magnificent.  Check out this picture that I took!

Annnnnnd this one that my cousin took.

If you haven't been, and you're contemplating... just go. 

Now on to the fun stuff!  ;-)
When I booked the trip, of course I had to check to see if there were any local races going on over the weekend of my stay.  A road race would be good, but a trail race is always preferable for me.  Whaddyaknow, a trail race in the Sonoran Desert and it's only 30 minutes away!! Winner!  the McDowell Mountain Frenzy is part of the Aravaipa Running Club's DRT Series and offers distances of 5M, 10M, 25k, 50k, and 50M.  Something for everyone.  I signed up for the 25k as a "sightseeing" race since I'm still not 100% after the Philadelphia debacle.  I'm almost there, but I certainly was NOT prepared for a 50k. 

Up before the sun and over to McDowell Mountain for the 8am start.  I'm there with plenty of time to spare and I get to watch the 50k start at 7:30a.  It's about 50 degrees, but as the sun creeps higher in the sky it will land around 65 degrees by the time I finish.  At 8a I'm off with about 150 or so other runners.  We're in a pretty tight group for the first 2 or 3 miles, with a few people already trying to make moves by passing "on your left".

About the trail...  the terrain is mostly single track, hard packed dirt that is very dusty, and loose rocks about the size of golf ball strewn throughout.  The other added bonus is cactus... everywhere... and not just off in the distance but literally right next to the trail itself.  If you're not paying attention you're gonna be pulling needles out of your shin, or possibly your arm!  It's not a very technical course, I would give it 2.5 stars out of 5.  The elevation also is not too difficult as the trail pretty much rolls up and down for the entire loop.  Climbs of only 30 to 40 feet, but they are constant!  Everything is runnable so there's no opportunity to walk unless you just decide "I need a break"... and I did.  :-)  I would also give the elevation 2.5 stars out 5 just for the constant up and down, but they did manage to stick in one serious climb around mile 12 or 13 which sucked because I was NOT expecting this at all.  The silver lining is that once I got to the top of the ridge I could see the start finish area and it was all downhill from there, literally. I bombed down the descent, as I love to do, and enjoyed the quick pace and the zig zag lines around the switchbacks. 

The desert is, well... a desert.  There are no trees, and because the course is rolling hills the whole way, you can see other runners way ahead (or behind) for almost the entire race.  During the times that I walked for a bit, I took the opportunity to actually look up and soak in the surroundings.  That's a drawback when you're trail running.  You're so focused on where your foot is going that you don't see the majesty that's around you.  The saguaro cactus that dotted the landscape set against the mountains in the distance were gorgeous.  Much different than the trail races I'm used to in the East where everything is in a forest with single track trail and big climbs.  I think I like the trails back home better, but this was definitely an enjoyable experience.  Because the terrain was so odd, or foreign, it felt at times as though I was running on the moon.  The moon has cacti, right?!

I finished in 2:58:10, unofficial.  This is actually my first 25k sooooooo PR!!!  Winner!  The photo on the left was taken right after the race.  It was pretty dusty out there.  Also, I wore a pair gaiters for the first time, and I'm glad I did.  The dust was everywhere, obviously, but a lot of runners were complaining about tiny rocks in their shoes.  These worked great, and I actually forgot that I had them on after a while. 

So in summation, the race was great and the trail was beautiful.  I had a great time with my uncle and my cousin and I'd love to come back out here again soon.  Maybe I can give the 50k a go next time?