Race Report & Training Update

M2F 15k 

by: Jesse Armijo 

I’ve had this race marked on my training schedule for quite some time. It’s a fairly competitive road race in the suburbs of Phoenix that rolls downhill on a wonderful point to point course. The prize purse is usually pretty nice and the race generally offers plenty of elite runners an opportunity to race hard and earn some extra cash for their travel to such a nice climate for early March.  Sunny skies and mild weather make race day competition ideal, and by looking at the net downhill course, you could say the course is perfect for a pr, however some hills deter that from happening even the Olympians that have toed the line.  But, all in all, it’s a great race and I was looking to run this as a solid gauge of fitness leading towards the Carlsbad 5000 at the end of the month.

It was a lovely road trip from Albuquerque as a nice crew of Dukes Track Club members headed out to M2F.  Once we got in Friday night, and relaxed around Saturday, race day was already here. I wasn’t too concerned about who was racing, as I was going to race within myself and set a solid pace for my fitness, and once I started to realize there weren’t many elites at this race, I slightly thought I could make the podium. I saw Daniel Tapia, who is a good running friend of mine, and we warm-up together and caught up since we last saw each other at Cal International Marathon. But besides him and Stephen Kersh from Flagstaff, I was hoping to race smart and make the podium. 

I could go on and on about how the race turn out, but I’ll keep it short and sweet - I finished 3rd and in the money! The last time I raced M2F I really sucked it up. But, I knew I was fitter this time around and wanted to run strong. I knew I couldn’t keep up with either Daniel or Stephen so I ran my race and had a nice 1st 5k of 15:30...ish. Which bodes well for Carlsbad 5000 at the end of the month. Then I ran solid through the next 10k and finished with a smile. Now the reflection… was I really happy? I had 3 goals going into this race and accomplished 2 of them. First, I wanted to run faster than my abysmal time from 2016, then I wanted to place higher than that, and lastly I 

wanted to run under 49 minutes for 15k. I managed to accomplish 2 out of the 3 goals, and was fairly happy with that.

Mountain to Fountain 15k

Now, what to do next…? I had a small conversation with Arlene and some teammates about holding off on a spring marathon this season. I haven’t felt too into the whole marathon vibe right now. And after a sweet track session where I felt some speed burrowing out of those old muscles of mine, I’ve been contemplating what to do next. I know Carlsbad 5000 is uber high on my list this season, which is why I’ve added a little bit of speed into my regime, but once that race is over, I’ll be in lala land trying to figure out what to do next? One option that I am excited about would be to hit the trails. I’ve already signed up for a 50 miler this summer in July, but that’s beyond my short term goals. And to stay healthy and excited, I think I am going to focus on some local races and attempt the elusive Jemez 50k in May. Trails are fun and with the weather getting warmer, it’ll be nice to sweat and grind some mountain races. Cheers!