Desert Classic 30K Race Recap

I knew I wanted to do a race in December- there are so many fun ones right before the holidays and I wanted to get in a least 1 more race before my next full marathon in January. I started going through all the upcoming races: Santa Shuffle 5K, 12 K's of Christmas, Reindeer Run, etc. They all seemed EXTREMELY fun, but were really short and a bit pricey. Then I stumbled upon the Arizona Road Racers Desert Classic 30K for $35 dollars- SOLD! 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I immediately signed up for it!

Us after the race in our race shirts

The race started at 8:00am and we got there about 7:30. We got our shirts, chips, and race numbers and still had plenty of time to spare. Everything was VERY organized, and the shirts were pretty cool. All the girls got pink and the boys got blue. I was SO cold when we first got there that I put the shirt on over my tank top to try and keep warm and ended up keeping it on for the entire race. 

Since it was a smaller race, the 5K, 10K, Relay, and 30K all started at the same time. It was an out and back course along a canal- which meant it was a very flat and easy course. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded at all! And the small group of people I did see around me, got smaller and smaller as we passed the 5K turn-around point and then the 10K turn-around point. 

I absolutely LOVED this race! (I seriously think I did so well because of the massive amounts of cupcakes I consumed the night before while celebrating National Cupcake Day. I may need to start including a cupcake or three in my pre-race meals! ;)

The weather was beyond perfect once the race started- it was cool with a slight breeze. The course was great- since it was along a canal you didn't have to worry about cars or anything and could really just zone out and run.

Something that I really think made this run so great (besides the cupcakes) was my pre-race dinner the night before. The last few races I've done I've eaten a steak with a baked potato- since it's what 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' eats before a race and he LOVES it- it really works for him. Well, the night before this race we went out on a date to the Italian restaurant we both used to work at and I ended up getting what I used to get before all my races: rigatoni pasta with broccoli and chicken- no sauce. I will be sticking with this from now on. It really works for me. I never felt tired or like I wanted to quit and didn't have any issues like I did in Las Vegas.

I was shocked at how great I felt during the entire race. Usually, as I'm running and I pass the mile markers I think 'Oh my gosh.... I'm ONLY at mile 5?!?!'  but during this race, every time I looked down at my watch (there were no mile markers) I was shocked at how far I was and thought 'I'm already at mile 7?! What?!' The miles seriously were flying by and I was on cloud 9. Since it was an out and back course, I was able to pass our friend, Brady and Jasen and give them both high 5's! Once I hit 13 miles, I knew I only had a little over 5 miles to go and decided to pick up the pace. (I have no idea how fast I was going because my watch went crazy for this race with the pace and just kept increasing my pace 5 seconds every mile I ran... and it had me starting out with an 8:06 minute mile-which doesn't happen except for in my dreams.) 

What sucked is that when I was coming up on mile 16, I was running head first for the finish line. I thought there was no way I already ran 18.6 miles and was already done. But as I got closer and closer, I began to think maybe my watch was wrong on the mileage and time too and I really was done..? Boy that was that a real funny joke! Right when I was about 10 yards from the finish line about to start waving my hands in the air like I just don't care I see 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and he tells me we make a sharp turn and we still have 2 miles to go. (Yes, that's right, 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' finishes the race himself and then waited for me and ran the last 2 miles with me- he is amazing!!) I still was feeling great and told 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' that so he began to push the pace. We talked about how his race went and he continued to pick up the race. Once we were less than a mile away from the finish line 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' told me to finish with nothing left in me and to try and push a sub-8 minute pace. I felt like I was sprinting the entire time but just tried to stay beside him, it felt AMAZING! 

Once it was over, I seriously wished it was a marathon because I wanted to keep running and felt SO great. 'Mr. Sprinkles and Glitter' and I made our way to some chips and water and left. We stopped and got some food at a Four Peaks and headed home. 

I wish I would have picked up the pace before mile 13. I have a tendency to go out really slow and conservative until I am almost done because I'm scared I will run out of energy and not be able to finish. I have no idea why- I've never not finished a race?

I will be doing this run again! It was great- cheap, flat, easy, amazing weather, and not too crowded... what else could you ask for in a race?! 

Do you prefer smaller or bigger races? 

Have you ever done a fun run? Like the 'Santa Shuffle'?