Dead Horse Ultra

I decided clear back in January that I wanted to attempt a 50 miler this year. It took me awhile to find the perfect one to sign up for. I finally decided on the Dead Horse Ultra in Moab. It was scheduled for November, so it would be perfect weather down there, and the elevation was only 4,300 feet, and that's not bad at all compared to the races I usually do. Plus, there was a big group of friends that were signing up for various distances as well, so that was a bonus. We all honestly thought COVID would be calmed down by that point. I was so nervous to sign up! 50 miles is a long ways, and I honestly wasn't sure if my back could handle that kind of distance. I guess there was only one way to find out. My heart was racing when I hit the register button, but I did it! All I had left to do was train my butt off, so that's exactly what I did! I trained and trained, and then trained some more. I've never run so many miles in a year or conquered so much elevation in all my life. I was totally confident about it at the beginning of October. Then, I got COVID. I didn't have bad symptoms at all, but I still took some time off running, just to make sure I was totally better before the race. Taking time off was probably not a big deal physically, but it messed with me mentally. All of a sudden, I felt totally unprepared, and started doubting myself. COVID cases rose significantly in Utah a few weeks before the race too, so it was touch and go on if the race would even be held. The race director had to operate under really strict guidelines to have the race, and risked jail time and a $10,000 fine if the runners didn't comply. I was totally fine with all the restrictions, as long as I would get to run! I had put in WAY too much time and effort to not see this through. 

Most of our friends opted to roll their registrations over to the following year. It ended up being just Mark, Jenn, and I that went to run. Jenn was planning on the 50 miler with me, but with the restrictions, we wouldn't have even been able to run together, so she dropped her distance down to the 30k. I was having major anxiety the two weeks leading up to the race; just short of full blown panic attacks. Once we actually got in the car and starting driving down to Moab, I chilled out a lot. There was nothing I could change at that point, so I relaxed and just decided to enjoy the experience.

We got to Moab on Thursday night, checked into our hotel, and went to bed. We had all day Friday to explore Canyonlands, and loosen up our legs. It ended up being a great day! The park wasn't very crowded, the weather was awesome, the company great, and you can't beat that scenery.

Canyonlands:

Yay!

Our first stop was the Aztec Buttes.

The granaries built into the sides of the buttes are really cool!

The view from the top of the bigger butte.

There is a big granary on top of one of the buttes.

Next we did the Upheaval Dome hike. I think this is such a cool area in the park. 

Upheaval Dome

Tricia & Jenn

Tricia & Mark

We stopped at a viewpoint to recreate this picture from our trip to the park the year before. 

We were laughing so hard when we were taking these!

Next was the White Rim Trail. It's one of my favorites!

We recreated this selfie too. We have one just like it from last year.

Mark has gotten brave! There is no way he would have walked out to this point last year.

Opps! Hahaha, I tripped and this was the result. Good thing these aren't the shoes I was planning on running the race in. I just tucked my toes back in and hiked another 4 miles. 😂

Grand View Point is such a cool hike! The views along the rim are so cool, and the end point is spectacular.

The turn-around point.

I love how Mark stands when he's anywhere close to an edge. Look how he's bracing himself. 😂

So pretty!

Enjoying the view.

Tricia & Jenn

Mesa Arch is always great, and way less crowded when you're not there at sunrise.

Mesa Arch

So fun!

Our last stop was a viewpoint across from the visitor's center. It was a good one!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

This view was amazing!

When we got done in the park, we were starving, so we went to dinner at Pasta Jays. Then we had a drive by packet pick up. The rest of the evening was spent in the hotel getting everything ready for the race, and relaxing before an early bedtime. I didn't sleep great because of nerves, but I woke up feeling excited and ready to go!

Dead Horse Ultra:

I'm grateful for a race director who was brave enough to take a stand and realized that it is possible to still go on living life safely without hiding in our houses and living in fear.

Here are some of the COVID race rules-

*Start line- you could only get out of your car and go to the start line 5 minutes before your assigned start time. They started 10 runners every 60 seconds. Temperatures were taken at the start, masks were worn, and cones were set up so people could be spread out. No spectators!

*On course- Masks needed to be pulled up when you were passing people, or running within 6 feet of someone else. Masks were mandatory at all aid stations. They took extra precautions with food and drinks at all aid stations. No one could be taken off the course. If for some reason you couldn't finish, you had to have your own way out, or be taken out by ambulance.

*Finish line- Each runner could only have a couple spectators at the finish line, and they could only enter the area a few minutes before the runners projected finish time. Masks worn at all times. No results were posted and no awards ceremony, to keep people from trying to congregate.

It wasn't ideal, but every runner out there was just thrilled to be running, so we were more than happy to comply. 

My start time was 6:05, and everything went totally smooth. It was dark, and I was running by headlamp until the first aid station.

Start line picture!

It was getting light right as I was leaving the first aid station.

This was the awesome view I had of the sunrise between the first and second aid stations.

Most of the course was on slick rock, and that can be really hard on your body. I fell at a spot that looks similar to this at mile 7.5. I'm talking a superman fall! It stunned me for a second. I peeled myself off the ground, caught my breath, looked around to make sure nobody saw me, and had to regroup. I got a small pebble lodged under my fingernail, scraped and bruised my knee, but otherwise was all in one piece, so I carried on.

The 3rd aid station was at mile 15 and that's where my drop bag was. I forced myself to not blow through it. I took the time I needed to do the stuff on my list. I dropped off my headlamp and long sleeve shirt, reapplied body glide, filled water bottles, got some food, texted my group chat to let my people know how I was doing, and then continued on. I was feeling really good at this point, and was well ahead of the cut off point.

More fun views.

There were lots of cool rock formations along the course.

After the mile 15 aid station, we had a long out and back section. It was about 10 miles out to the turn around point. It was mostly a slight downhill grade, and was smooth sailing. I made really good time through here. Then I realized on the way back that it was now a slight uphill grade, it was hot, and it wasn't quite as smooth sailing. This was the hardest part of the race for me. I was starting to worry about my time, and started to feel a little bit depleted. I didn't have a signal through here either, so I couldn't even text my people for a pick me up. I just plugged along one mile at a time, and eventually I had made it back to where my drop bag was.

 I realized I had just finished a 50k, and it was the fastest one I'd ever run! That was the boost I needed. When I got to the aid station, I spent a lot of time there, but I knew it was important to do all the things on my list. I drank a ton, ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich, reapplied body glide, refilled my water bottles, went to the bathroom, and then carried on. Miles 35-40 were fantastic! I felt replenished from the aid station, I passed the farthest point I had ever run before and I was still able to run 90% of the time, I was getting lots of encouraging text, the views were awesome, and it was just a physical and mental high point of the race.

So pretty!

At about mile 44ish my back decided it was done. I could tell it was on edge, because it was shooting zingers clear down my butt and legs. I could not have a disc rupture at this point! I took ibuprofen, sent a text to my peeps telling them it might be slow going from this point on, said a prayer, and just kept moving forward. It's so frustrating, because other than that I felt really great. Way better than I expected to at this point. Instead of getting discouraged, I reminded myself that when I had my back surgery years back, the doctor told me I shouldn't run very much anymore. That was never an option for me. It hasn't all been easy, but I just had to best running year of my life, and I was on my way to finishing a 50 miler, something I thought would never be possible for me. I decided to just count my blessing, and finish this thing one way or another. 

When I reached these rocks, I had a very large climb ahead of me. That was fine, because I needed to walk anyways.

At the top of the hill I could see the road, and I knew I was almost done. Mark had texted me and told me I had a couple miles of downhill, and then about .75 miles on a flat dirt road to go. He was watching me through binoculars.

I wasn't about to finish this thing walking. I was very careful, but I ran down the hill, and kept running along the dirt road. I could hear Mark and Jenn cheering for me, and I really just wanted to cry. It was very emotional for me.

The final stretch!

I did it!

I realized with 5 miles to go that the course was going to be short. I texted Mark and said I was not stopping until my watch hit 50 miles. I stopped after I crossed the finish line, had a moment, then kept running. 😂 I had a mile and a half to go, and Mark and Jenn did it with me. People who run ultras will totally get this. Just in case I decide to never do something like this again, I was still gonna make sure I could say I ran 50 miles.

Finishing the distance!

I was physically, mentally, and emotionally spent, but that smile shows how I felt about all of this. I felt like I had a huge weight lifted off my chest. All the training, all the stress, worry, uncertainty, etc. were all worth it!

Mark ran the 50k, and got a huge PR! The slick rock beat up his legs, but he did so good! He doesn't take pictures like I do, so luckily Jenn took one of him crossing the finish line.

Yay Mark!

Jenn ran the 30K and did great too. I felt bad, because she was the last of us to start and the first of us to finish, so she had nobody to take her picture, plus she had to wait forever for me to finish. She was a huge help to me though. She has run two 100 milers, so she was great at giving me advice and reassuring me when my doubts crept in. 

I'm proud of all of us!

Results:

Tricia

Time: 10hrs, 35min.

Overall: 86th out of 139 runners

Mark

Time: 5hrs, 57min.

Overall: 128th out of 253 runners

I had a great support system through this whole journey! Mark always goes along with all my crazy ideas, and although he had no desire to run this with me, he never doubted that I could do it. I had him, and so many great friends to train with leading up to this. On race day we had a group text of friends and family that wanted updates along the way, and who, in tern encouraged us all along the course. It was so fun! I'm grateful for the people I have in my life. I also say it all the time, but I'm in awe of the human body and what it can accomplish when the mind is on board.

I'm happy to report that this race did not destroy me like I thought it would. With the exception of my back, I had some miles left in me. If my back can handle it, I would like to try another one someday in a non-covid situation. I ran that whole thing solo, and I can't help thinking how much more fun it would be to have friends to chat with along the way.