After taking a year and half off from any trail races after my DNF at Crown King (healing not only physical injuries, but the mental ones), I hit the “restart” button last night at the Javelina Jangover 7k. Appropriate, as it was my first trail race two years ago.

I hadn’t planned on going. My running fitness is not the strongest it has been, although my overall body fitness is better. It’s a long drive (about an hour) up to McDowell for a short race. But a friend was planning to go, and I could hitch a ride with her, so I made the impulse decision on Friday to go. And then some Saturday morning Facebook conversations resulted in another friend coming down from the Prescott area to run with me in her first trail race.

We had a blast. Finished about 2 minutes slower than I did two years ago, but felt way stronger, nothing hurt, and I could have gone further. Goal: Finish without injury and not looking like roadkill. Goal more than met.

The shorter distance meant I could be a little more minimalist (yay, just a handheld bottle!), but still gave me a good platform for things like shoes. I’m going to tentatively go with two thumbs up for the Pearl Izumis, one of the few I’ve found to have a wide forefoot, narrow heel, and a rock plate. Now to stock up on a ton of them before they discontinue them or change the style.

Nothing changed from 2014 on the course, save for no pre-race monsoon storm, which meant it was a little bit warmer. It’s even more popular than two years ago, with over 300 over the four distances offered. (125 in the 7k. And we still  managed to find a decent little space bubble for ourselves.)

Since it was night, and I wasn’t running with my phone, I have no photos…once they have race photos online, I’ll add them here.

Gear Rundown:
– InkNBurn “Run or Tie Die” singlet
– InkNBurn Healing Mandala shorts
– Anita DynamiXstar sports bra
– Pearl Izumi EM Trail N2v2 shoes (with SuperFeet insoles)
– Keen merino wool socks
– copycat “Buff” headband + “can’t be bothered with my hair” ponytail
– Black Diamond Spot headlamp
– Amphipod handheld
– a couple of preventative strips of RockTape on my pesky hamstring area (that didn’t end up bothering me one bit)

No gear issues, no rubs, no chafing, no blisters. Love it when things work out.

It felt really good to be back on the run trail again, and to get the mental confidence back from a successful finish. Interestingly enough, I feel like I came off my hiatus stronger, and certainly with an appreciation of how to train smarter (and the value of cross-training), not necessarily harder.

I got another glass to add to my drinkware collection, and another race shirt…theoretically, I shouldn’t have to buy too many clothes or drinking glasses between my trail runs and endurance rides and the various completion awards.