Our summer is over and the race season is just beginning.  Another October is upon us and I've already been completely taken over by the incredible weather and forgotten completely that it was 110 degrees just a month ago.  

What miserably hot summer?

It's perfect out.

And running has never been easier.

No water bottle.

No dry mouth.  

No getting back to your car after the run feeling destroyed and then five minutes later your body catches up and sweats through the cloth seats.  

No more strategically planning your week of training around the sunrise because once it comes up it's like the Chronicles of Riddick...it's overbearing and ever present in the rest of the run.  A monkey on your back waiting to pop you in the ear with those stupid symbols (that can't be spelled right....)  I can run in the heat and I know many that actually enjoy it.  Many go out at noon in August.  But that doesn't mean it's smart or fun.  In fact...I hate it.  It's bearable through mid-July but the last month plus is always rough for me.  

Now, you can run at any time of the day or night and it's perfect.  I ran this morning at 5am without a shirt on, just a headlamp, shoes, shorts and the Disco Biscuits.  It was incredible.  Running up hills I've always walked in the past, cruising along at a solid pace without the interruption of walking to get my core temperature down to under 201 degrees.  Running the the fall in Phoenix is a rejuvenation.  

To test the rejuvenation I'm running my first race since the Mesquite Canyon 50K way back in March.  March.  Seven months ago.

It seems odd that I haven't raced since then, but I skipped Zane Grey this year, didn't run a 100 all summer and was focused on the Monster up until a few weeks ago.  I ran a ton of marathon or longer training runs on the Mogollon Rim and a 85 mile jaunt on the Mogollon Monster course in May but nothing with competition.  

So this will be fun.  18 miles up in Cave Creek Regional Park at the Cave Creek Thriller 30K, the first of the Aravaipa Running DRT Trail Series here in the Phoenix area.  It has some trails I know, some I don't.  But it's 18 miles and it'll be a good test of my fitness after putting in a couple decent runs the last couple weeks and one strong week last week.  I'm still way short on training and being where I want to be in having a focused training plan but comfortable enough that I'm ready to head up north, run a few trails and hang with the fast guys.  We'll see how long it lasts.  Bret Sarnquist, Jay Danek, Tony Delogne, Jules Miller, Jeremy Schmuki and as usual in running and ultrarunning...a whole bunch of people that will come out of the group and crush a bunch of us.  It's not a Dark Horse in running, it's a Dark Herd.  So many unknowns that can pop up and put down a fast time. Which is part of the intrigue in running a race, especially one where it's around 50-100 runners.  Just enough to know who is going into this with you and not so many you have zero chance of competing for a respectable place.  

So I'll for the first time give it a shot up front of the pack and see where that takes me.  I'll shoot for a spot in file behind Jay Danek as I know he's in the fastest shape of his life and after 10 miles see where each of us are and go from there.  Eighteen miles is a perfect distance but I've never ran it without thinking I had another 13 to go.  But as my races typically go, 18-20 miles is usually where I have a low spot before rebounding for the last ten miles of a 50K.  Maybe for 18 I can hold a much faster pace and remain up front.  If not...

I'm sure my ego will survive it.

www.aravaiparunning.com  

November 2nd I'll be taking another trek down to the Canyon for a Bright Angel>North Rim>Bright Angel Double Crossing.  I haven't done it since last fall and aside from a trip this February for a 50K route off the Tanner trail I haven't seen the Canyon since.  So I'm totally oblivious again as to just how difficult and challenging this trip can be and always is.  Jay Danek is going for his first go of the Double Crossing and of course Honey Albrecht who always makes it when it involves the Grand Canyon.  It'll be my 5th double and probably Honey's twentieth or something.  It's great to have done it and a once a year trip.  Not sure I'd be up for multiple attempts in a calendar year.  It's a lot like Zane Grey.  Always sounds like a great idea until you hit about 30 miles and you're staring down 8 miles of switchbacks...

Either way...really looking forward to it and starting out at night Friday night we'll be up over 24 hours before we even start climbing back up.  And we'll catch the sunrise which is worth a thousand gels.