Race: Aravaipa Insomniac Virtual – Adrenaline Series (6k, 10k, 15k, 25k, 50k)
Runner: Nathan McBride
Race Date: 5/17/2021
Location: Stow, MA (But it’s globally virtual)
Results: 25:45, 44:22, 1:06, 1:55:20, 4:46:26
3 Bests – What aspects of the race did you like the most?
1 – I get to do all of the races starting from my driveway
2 – I started the series with my weakest link, the 25k, and rocked it so got that out of the way early
3 – They are using Ultrasignup now for results submission which makes life much easier
Not so much – Aspects of the race that didn’t do it for you
Racing alone is always difficult but it helps that I’m basically running against myself from last year’s series – otherwise there is nothing to complain about since I get to pick all of my own courses!
Weird factor – What’s the weirdest thing about this race?
The pollen season just kicked off in New England…no escaping it so your best chance of running hard is very early in the morning when the world is still dewy.
Highlights of your race – What did you do well and enjoy about your race in particular?
Compared to the Adrenaline series last year, I pr’ed four out of five races and dropped my cumulative time by an hour and 6 minutes. Totally stoked about that.
Lessons for others – Share your pro-tips on the race to help the next runner
When your coach says rest, rest. I also did a lot of longer warm down runs this week which paid off.
Lessons you learned that will help you next time around
Don’t do a half marathon race on the Sunday before your race series week!
Most important course specific knowledge to know about the race
Well I kept the elevation moderate this week, about 1800 feet over the 68 miles, so that helped things but since I designed all of my courses there is not much else to say.
Aesthetics – Is it a pretty course?
Only my 50k was a scenic course, the rest were all road grinders.
Difficulty – Is it a tough course?
The hardest of the five races was the 25k course – I did about 1.3 mile start and then 7 2-mile loops for some mental time before finishing up.
Organized and well run – Did it feel like a well-oiled machine or were they flying by the seat of their pants?
Aravaipa does a great job with this series. The rest is up to the runner!
Competition – Is there a strong field?
It looks like this specific series has a pretty deep field so I won’t know how I did until all of the results are in.
Logistics – Does it require a special handshake, registration a year in advance, hotels all booked? Give us the low down on the nuts and bolts of making the race happen.
Nope! Just register online and you can do the remaining four series!
Aid Stations – Standard fare or anything special to know about the aid stations in terms of what’s available or when?
I just run with a credit card and either a beer or tailwind or both depending on the distance.
Weather and typical race conditions
Every day this week was hot and dry but because I run in the early am I also get a relatively decent air quality condition.
Gear – Did you need anything special or is there anything you’d recommend for the next runner?
I love my Naked Belt…can’t live without it.
Spectators – Is this a friendly course for your friends?
Oh yeah – if any of my friends cared enough to come watch. 🙂
How’s the Swag?
Aravaipa does a great job with the swag and they send you the shirts and hats as part of your race fee. Love the trucker hats!
The Overall Score – How many stars do you give this race and do you recommend that others run it?
Five out of five. If you have the desire and drive to run your butt off by yourself, this series is for you.