Signed up for today’s trail run almost a year ago. Sells out every year, marked my calendar.
Why Death Valley? Fave of my 50 State runs: Crater Lake [Oregon]. fave Half: Rocky Mountain [Colorado]. Opportunities to race in a National Park come far & few between. Not letting this opportunity pass.
biggest concern? Intense HEAT. Cracked dirt, sand, salt flats & record 130+ degree summer highs. Ya’ll know I’m not a hot weather runner…but the quest to ‘park-run’ overruled any worry. It’s December, how hot could it be?
Chilly morning wake-up. Ironic, huh? Cap, gloves, hydration pack. Hydration pack? Yep, trail run. Park rangers trucked in water at miles 7, 15 & 23. Oatmeal breakfast; backpacked Fritos & an apple.
Race Director provided last minute instructions (& a few laughs), then boarded chartered buses to the Start. Probably a 60/40 split marathoners/halfers. Hour-15 minute drive; soaked in the desert landscape. Lucky in life.
Steady climb in elevation, steady drop in temps. Folks piled off the bus, I stayed behind. Not leaving ‘til I’m forced outside. 33 degrees & blowing wind. Over the next half hour, bus slowly refilled with weather-beaten runners. Not my first rodeo 🙂
8:30am start. Popped off the bus & trekked dirt road for 4 miles. Sand, gusting wind. Kept my head down while I pushed thru the long stretch of flat. Neck gaiter pulled over my mouth. Adapted well.
Looped thru Titus Canyon, would spend remainder of the day here. Tall canyon walls provided protection from the wind. Shade (gloves on), sunshine (gloves off). Desert climate created insta- 10-15 degree temp swings.
Miles 8-10: WOW whatta climb! 1700ft to 5400ft elevation. Didn’t even attempt to maintain pace. Unpacked Fritos, slow-ate my Gala [apple], and hiked UP a series of switchbacks…Colorado style. Whatta view! LOVE LOVE our National Parks!
Posted a 2:47 first Half – maybe an all-time worst. But then…I grew STRONG. Down, down, down multiple miles of dirt & boulders – felt like home. Runner ahead, I’d lock him/her in, match pace, speed up, barrel by. Began passing tens of runners.
Refueled at mile 15. Popped 2 anti-nausea pills & quickly re-tagged 3 runners who caught me at the water stop.
At mile 17, passed my first Halfer. Entered the most memorable stretch of course in many a month. Trail no more than 20 feet wide, path’d thru high rock 6 continuous miles. Canyon exited at 23; met rangers equipped with water & a porta-john (first all race).
Stopped, regrouped. Restarted slow, last 2 miles re-upped my pace. Caught sight of the Finish & kept pushing. Marathon #77, just under 5 hours – my 2nd best trail time. Hour later, back in Furnace Creek: shower, dunes & dinner.
One more Nat’l Park day & maybe Hoover Dam 🙂 #noregretlife
2016 Death Valley Trail Start List
Saturday, December 3, 2016 8:29 AM (GMT-8) – Final results
Bib Racer name Finish time
204 K R HAGA, Louisville CO 4:56:28.3
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- pre-race JOY
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- cap, gloves & hydration pack — ready, ready to run!
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- Titus Canyon
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- STRONG 2nd Half FINISH
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- marathon #77, 3rd in California
Death Valley (Race Director quip)
Run the Year Motto: Run, Crawl, Walk, Conquer, Dominate 2,016 miles in 2016
November 2016 update: 2 steps forward, one step back. After completing my greatest # of miles in October, followed that with my weakest run month of 2016 – only 98.7 miles total. Shared time with family in Orlando, then again during Thanksgiving week. No regrets. Struggled accumulating miles during the later stages of chemo (3 remaining treatments in December).
Checking-in mid-month December (& again at year-end), in an attempt to stay motivated/push hard/& finish 2,016 miles in 2016. Will have to bang out > 200 miles one-last-time to meet the challenge. Can’t fail if you don’t try 🙂
2 month focus (November & December): FINISH STRONG
Race ReCap: two East Coast marathons: sub-4 miss (by mere minutes) at Marshall University in Huntington WV, just over 5 hours the following weekend in Orlando…but won my Age Group 🙂 36th consecutive month marathoning – 3 solid YEARS!
Mileage ReCap: weakest month of the year, ended November at 1,771.7 miles (76 short, one month to go).
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- ended November at 1,771.7 miles
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- whatta CHARMER!
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- Milestone 1700
Happy December, KEENAN
This is it! You are in the final stretch and it is time to Finish Strong! How many miles can you add to your total before December 31st? What will the benchmark be for 2017?
Re-commit to running/walking your way through the holiday season. Keep the miles coming and prepare yourself for your best year yet when the clock strikes 12:00am on January 1st.
You have come a long way this year. Hold your head high and be proud of your progress. Finish the year strong and healthy and ready for more in the new year ahead. You’ve got this!
5 consecutive weeks marathoning – hey, didn’t I already finish my 50 State Quest last May? Healthy addiction 🙂 Takes the mind off health issues/negative thoughts, provides daily goals – proving I can still marathon, even thru chemo.
After family invited [me] to join their Disney World vacation, I did what all Marathon Maniacs do: Calendar-checked for a nearby marathon. AND as luck would have, YES – the Orlando Marathon, a Veterans Day run in Winter Park.
Jetted work 2 hours early. Friday nite flight, Florida arrival just before midnight. Hotel, rental car, 5 hours shut-eye. Bib check-in at American Legion Post 112, an hour before race start. Post Commander gave a rousing speech about the importance of Veterans Day & serving our country. Hats off for the National Anthem. Air horn start…2 laps on Cady Way Trail.
Flat neighborhood trek, not super scenic – but ALL proceeds (100%) support War Veterans. Course not a BQ qualifier either…who cares, right? 27 miles – that’s .8 [miles] too much folks. Guess what’s another mile, bigger bang for your buck. LOL>
Miles 8 & 9 (21 & 22) looped a local shopping mall…bit odd. Weather however stayed fair. Sure it topped 80 degrees…but running in Florida, could’ve been far worse. Dropped pace on my 2nd lap – higher temps & lack of water – but stayed focused on the Finish.
Orlando Marathon
Bib # Name Time
254 Haga, K R 5:05:48
Keenan – You just finished your 76th marathon, what are you going to do next? I’m going to Disney World!! Yep, that’s exactly what I did. Ok, showered first but then, Disney-shuttled to MGM Studios. But that’s a story for another day 🙂
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- Veterans Day run in Winter Park
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- marathon SUCCESS & won my Age Group — FAAANNNTASTIC!
Thursday nite pre-race activity – Jersey Boys, my first in Denver’s Buell Theatre. Orchestra, Row C – FAAANNNTASTIC!
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- Broadway hit, Jersey Boys!!
Orlando Marathon (Veterans Day start)
