Avalon 50

30. Jan, 2009 5 Comments

2009 is off and so is our very own Ashley Nordell-who took on the teams first 50 of the year.

Great run Ashley! Here is the race in her own words.

Avalon 50 Miler Race Report

 

Avalon 50 miler is a perfect destination race. It begins in the small town of Avalon, on Catalina Island, and takes you for an up-close tour of the island. I first did the race two year ago and it snowed, something that hadn’t happened on the island in about twenty years. This time around, the weather was as different as you could get- clear, blue skies, and HOT. It made for spectacular views, but warm running in the breezeless canyons.

 Other than a nagging piriformis issue, I felt pretty good leading up to the run. I hoped to at least PR, and ideally run under 7:40. Unfortunately, the race didn’t go quite as I had anticipated. Maybe I started the day off wrong when I accidentally locked my race number in my hotel room. Lucky for me, I had an easy number to remember- #100.

 I ran the first eighteen miles mostly with my good friend Michelle Barton. We chatted and caught up on stories, but the pace seemed fast. By the mile 18 aid station I was feeling spent, and on the next long climb even got the chills despite the warm weather. I was hoping I had built enough of a time cushion early on for a slower second half.  When I got to the turn-around I was discouraged to see my time was already behind than what I had hoped for, and I felt horrible. It was going to be a long day.  To make it worse, it seemed the slower I ran, the more painful my hip and piriformis felt. I had some long stretches of lows, where the side of the trail in the shade looked like a much better option than the hot trail. I had carried two Nathan hand-held bottles, and still ran out of water several tines between aid stations. As much as I wanted to just sit down, I knew I would be berating myself later, so it was a mental and physical battle to the finish. On a positive note, I got to see beautiful scenery, a baby fox, and a herd of buffalo. I also had no stomach issues, which is rare for me, especially when it is hot. Best of all, there is always the fun and wonderful people that come to these races, which I think is the main reason I do them, no matter how many times I tell myself during a race that I am NEVER doing this again =)

Finishing Time- 8:11- 1st age group, 3rd woman, 8th overall

 

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Ashley Nordell, Results

5 Responses to “Avalon 50”

  1. Lori 31. Jan, 2009 at 7:34 am

    We filmed the 50 Mile Run and have some great footage. You can watch the streaming video here:
    http://www.ecatalina.com/video-gallery.cfm/get/131

  2. Scott Jaime 31. Jan, 2009 at 8:33 am

    Nice job Ashley! Welcome to the team! I look forward to meeting you soon…

  3. Josh Brimhall 31. Jan, 2009 at 9:37 am

    Nice work Ashley! Hopefully I see you at Pemberton this year.

  4. Jeff L 02. Feb, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    Great job for sticking with it! It WAS very hot that day. The weather has been very unusual in Catalina this winter– very hot some days, very cold the next.

    You are incredibly lucky to have seen a baby fox. Most islanders haven’t seen a fox at all, let alone a baby.

  5. Andrew 08. Mar, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    Ashley,
    You are awesome. I look forward to running with Josh and you soon. Avalon was SO MUCH FUN!! AC is looming