To the Top of Mt. Wrightson!

Last Sunday, I got the chance to finally explore the Santa Rita Mountains. 

TTR hosted a run called Mt. Wrightson Massacre. The goal is to do more than one ascent and descent. My goal was to make it to the top and back down without twisting an ankle or getting lost (which I almost did). 

I drove to the base of the Santa Rita's for a 7AM start. I was amazed at how different it looked from the rest of Southern Arizona! It was so shaded and forested. There were a few cute cabins and B&B's along the road. It made me think of what Oregon would look like (it was also pretty cloudy in the morning). 

I got out of the car and it was freezing! Okay, maybe not freezing but darn chilly because of the wind! I definitely wasn't prepared for it. Thankfully I had a jacket in my car! Way to be prepared. ;)

There were only 2 others starting with me. I signed in and got a map of the route. (This is why I love running with TTR. You have to sign in just in case you never return to the finish line and they usually provide you with a map so you hopefully don't get lost.) Another runner, Ken, started with me and showed me the way. He told me he ran Mt. Wrightson 6 times in one day! That's about 60 miles; And a whole lot of elevation!

We chatted and power-hiked for a while until I needed to stop and use my inhaler. Then we went at our own speeds (mine being a whole lot slower). Although, sometimes it's nice to run alone. It gives me time to think. :)

The beginning of the trail with Mt. Wrightson in the background. 

Starting out!

A beautiful trail, but the inclines are rough. 

     

I climbed for about an hour and then came upon a bunch of people camping. They were scattered everywhere and I tried to find the trail. I headed in what I thought was the right direction. At this point, I was looking for Josephine Saddle. I found a sign pointing down and north but it didn't have Josephine's Saddle on it; it just said Josephine's road or something like that. So I took it for about half a mile. It went down and down and down and it turned into a footpath. I got really worried when it split and there was no sign. Both trails went farther down. But Mt. Wrightson should still be going up, I thought. What also started to worry me was the amount of stashed water bottles in the bushes. With labels in Spanish. 

That's when I realized I must be on a trail that illegal immigrants use. The Santa Ritas are smack dab between the Mexican border and Tucson. A perfect crossing location. It's only about 30 minutes to the border from where I was. I asked about it later and some of the TTR members had actually run into some people who were crossing. 

I finally realized that I was definitely on the wrong path so I trekked back up the footpath and tried to find someone to ask. At that point, all the campers had left. Thankfully, there was one woman who was reading one of the signs. I asked her for the way to Josephine Saddle. She told me I was standing on it. Oh.

She pointed me in the right direction. The campers had been camping so close to the trail (basically on it) and I didn't bother to go in that direction. Hmph. 

I learned Josephine's Saddle has some sad history. In 1958, 3 boy scouts went camping and ended up setting up camp here. There was a freak snowstorm and unfortunately they did not survive the night. Another troop put up a plaque for them and some people seem to add small trinkets as they pass by. 

Josephine's Saddle - in remembrance of the 3 boy scouts that died. 

Super Trail is another way to get down the mountain.
I will have to try that one next time. 

 I continued on. The vegetation changed from scrub oak to more woodland. It got colder as I sweated more and the wind continued to blow. A few runners ran past me, down the mountain. I wondered if they were with TTR too. Some people started at 5AM. And some even earlier, like midnight. 

I started to climb out of the trees and I got some nice views of Mt. Hopkins. 

...and some great views of the valley as well.

Getting close to the switchbacks...

Finally, I got to Bellows Spring (which was another checkpoint on my map). I wasn't expecting much. And of course, there wasn't anything exciting. I don't even know if someone would actually drink out of this spring. Unless I was dying, then I definitely wouldn't. 

A sad, sad little spring. 

 

It got a little rocky after that...
this is about where the pain in the a$$ switchbacks started. 

 The switchbacks started to climb up and twist and turn. My legs hurt. I was tired of climbing. I got a little delirious. I usually talk to myself when this happens. 

And then I finally got to the top of the switchbacks!

Looking up towards the top...almost there. :)

At the next saddle, at the top of the first set of switchbacks. 

Almost there!!!

Finally! I made it to the top! In under 3 hours! 

Looking north, towards Tucson.
The dust/smog was unfortunately bad that day, but it's still a fantastic view.

Looking south, towards Mexico. Only about a half hour away...

There is a box at the top with notebooks to register in.
They kept them from a few years back!
It was pretty cool looking at the old entries. 

I made it to the top after a tough "run". I power-hiked a good part of it. ;) 

I sat down for about 10 minutes and ate an energy bar.. It was super windy at the top and I had to hold onto my hat pretty tightly. It was also really cold because of the wind and my dried sweat. I kept my hands stuffed in my pockets because they were hurting pretty bad. They swelled (maybe from lack of electrolytes or the elevation). And the wind sure wasn't helping. 

They don't look too swollen, but I could definitely feel the difference. 

I decided to head back down the mountain.
I was so fast running down that I came around a few corners sometimes and almost fell over!

I used trees to stop me if I felt like I was running too fast. I didn't want to trip and land on my face.

Done! 

My final time.
Pretty good time coming down since it took me about 3 hours to get to the top. 

I was definitely limping by the time I got back to the car. Another wonderful thing about TTR is that there is a run director who brings delicious food for every run. :) Raoul was the RD this time, and he brought pizza and Eegees! I was a happy runner (despite the leg cramps, of course).

I always forget to take photos of people afterwards, so I'll have to remember to do that for the next run! 

The climb was pretty intense and I could feel it in my legs.
I looked at the elevation profile when I got home and was amazed at how high I went!

 I can't wait until the next Mt. Wrightson run. Hopefully, I'll be able to beat my time!
What a great run!

“Try not to fight the trail. Instead, try to feel the natural rhythm, the flow… and rather than attempting to conquer it, practice becoming one with it. Begin each run with Shoshin – A Beginners Mind.             --- (Zen Running)

My Top 10 Tips to Get Motivated to Run Again

I have been struggling with starting to run again. Ever since I ran my first marathon in January and got sick (I also got sick after past long runs as well), I had to take a hiatus from running. I was becoming frustrated from missing work and missing races I'd had been waiting years to run. 

Honestly, I gave up. I kept telling myself that one day running will magically come back to me. 

Thankfully, I knew that was a big fat lie. 

I am realizing now that I need to get back to it. 

It keeps me fit, alert and most importantly, it keeps me happy. :)

So, I have been researching some ways to get motivated again. 

I found my top ten based on what has helped me in the past and what is helping me today. 

1. Find a new trail. This one doesn't only apply to trail runners. If you usually run on paved roads and need some motivation, try trail running. For us trail runners, go check out a map of your area and see what you'd like to try out. Or go run that trail that you've been dying to run. There's this one run that I have had my eye on for awhile now. It's a trail that starts in Sabino Canyon and makes its way up to the top of Mt. Bigelow (about a 20 mile run! about 40 if it's round trip). It's on the schedule for TTR (the Tucson Trail Runners) in April so I know I need to train for it.
2. Read a book about running. My most recent running reads were Ultramarathon Man and Born To Run (absolute favorite). I only had to read a few paragraphs and I was ready to go. Reading about someone else's adventures makes you want to have your own. You can even read blogs! Those are awesome motivators. Find a local runners blog, those always motivate me the most especially when I know the trails and races they run. It helps me make a connection. And it's always cool if you run into them!
                                                  
   
3. Start a blog. That's what got me started in the first place back in 2010. I was browsing some blogs and I came across this woman's blog from California. She wrote about running and I thought that was really strange. But then I started to really get into it. She seemed like she was having a lot of fun! I started my blog the very same day, even before I got a run in. I wrote on Heat Runner for a few years until I realized my interests changed. I have evolved from a 5k road runner who wanted to be fast into a trail runner, wannabe ultramarathon runner who wants to go farther. :) But I still blog.
4. Get a new playlist. Sometimes, it may be boredom that's stopping you. When I lived elsewhere in Tucson (near the University of Arizona) and I had no easy access to trails or interesting roads, I would refuse to go outside and run when I got home. It was too boring! The only thing that would push me out the door would be my music. I would buy new music every so often and it really pumped up my runs. Lately, I've been running with my phone which has Pandora Radio on it. I love the fact that I don't know what song will come on next. Keeps me guessing. However, it doesn't really work on the trails (no signal) so I have to revert back to my ancient iPod. I have a feeling I will need to update soon.
5. Sign up for a race. If you have a race looming in your future, you will be more likely to train for it. But make sure it's a big race. I have missed a few 5k's that I've signed up for. They obviously were not important enough to me. Now a marathon...that is something I would NOT miss.
6. Try a new workout. You can try a fartlek (Swedish for "speed play") workout or a cross fit workout. I get a WOD (Workout of the Day) email in my inbox every day. I may not do all of them, but it's nice to have a back-up plan for those days that you need to shake it up.
7. Join a running group. Or even a running buddy. I usually like to run alone for various reasons. Sometimes, I need time to think and sometimes, it's because I want to run slow and I don't like slowing others down. But once in awhile, it's nice to run with others. Even if you're not running next to them. TTR is focused on trail running and ultras. I joined the group to meet other runners and motivate myself to run some new trails. It worked! I found some new friends who don't think I'm crazy when I want to run a marathon. I found some new favorite trails that I would never have run had it not been for this group. I have their entire schedule in my planner. There's a run coming up this Sunday in the Rincon Mountains that I'm hoping to attend.
            You can even try to encourage a friend to start running. Hopefully, it's not like pulling teeth, because that's no fun. Start out slow with them and get them interested in some races. That's what Warrior Dash and those color runs are for.
8. Run with your dog. My German Shepard/Chow-chow mix LOVES to run. My time is always faster when I have to keep up with her. And when we run on trails, I let her off her leash so she can run free. She reminds me that running is so natural and we should do it often.
   
9.  Try cross training. Swimming, hiking, biking...snowshoeing. Anything else that's exercise that isn't running. It makes me feel like a well rounded athlete and it makes me feel a little guilty for not running instead. :)
                                
10. Walk more. You don't need to run the whole time. Don't be pressured to think that you have to. Enjoy the scenery. Stretch out your sore muscles. Take time to refuel. 

I hope these gave you some motivation!
They definitely got me motivated! I think I'll go for a run. :)