Guest Post by Aravaipa’s Social Media Manager, Jen Laughlin.
Spring is the season for rebirth. It’s nature’s way of starting over. This anticipated life cycle is obvious in the sights, sounds and scents in the outside world, especially to those who’ve experienced a long, cold winter.
Though the turn in season isn’t as dramatic for us Phoenicians, there’s still something especially distinct about springtime in the desert.
The air feels different. The temperature is still incredible, yet there’s a subtle sting of lingering heat that hasn’t been felt since the fall. The angle of the sun in the sky has started to shift; the saguaro shadows on the ground are less elongated and their arms extend in eagerness for the change in season that’s approaching. The smell in the air is an infusion of wildflowers and freshly warmed dirt as the inevitable inferno slowly and strategically waits to pounce on the desert like a mountain lion on its prey.
It’s a gorgeous time of year in Phoenix and usually the most colorful, as the aforementioned desert wildflowers embellish the mountainsides with pops of vibrance. But for me personally, these sights and smells signify something much bigger than spring…they mean it’s time for Mesquite Canyon Trail Runs.
I have quite the history with Mesquite Canyon. Back in 2014 I barely became an “ultra runner” in the 50k. The course chewed me up, spit me out, kicked dirt on me AND laughed in my face. It was by far the hardest thing I had ever done at that point in my life and took everything I had to not quit. It was in a word, humbling.
In the years that followed, I have taken on all the distances offered sans the half marathon. I have shed tears, donated blood, and had some of my best races and a few of my worst on those trails, including a 50k DNF due to injury, a fall during the 30k that left a permanent indentation in my left quadricep, and a 50 miler with 10 miles of such extreme stomach issues I’ll spare the details.
From pity parties to temper tantrums to looking for a boulder in Ford Canyon to live under and call “home,” I’ve experienced myself at my worst on these trails. However, time and time again, I’ve won the mental and physical tug of war and pulled myself out of the depths of despair to reset, refresh, start over, and push through.
So, does the arrival of spring and all that entails trigger some not so fond and downright brutal memories? Yes.
Does it evoke a sense of fear and a little anxiety? Absolutely.
But, it also reminds me of the times I’ve been up in the White Tank Mountains during those horrific lows of each race where I’ve fallen, gotten up, dusted myself off, wiped away the tears and finished despite every voice in my head telling me to quit. It reminds me of pushing all of my fears and self doubt aside, re-evaluating my situation and forcing myself to begin again with a clean slate; forget about everything that’s gone wrong and focus on what’s gone right, starting with putting one foot in front of the other.
As hokey as it sounds, if spring is the season for rebirth, it happens to me annually at Mesquite Canyon in some way, shape or form.
Will I be out there again this year?
Of course I will.
It will be absolutely beautiful and so, so hard. However I know as soon as I catch that smell of the desert spring in the breeze, see the wildflowers dance in the shadows and feel the gentle tap of an imminent summer sun on my shoulders, I’ll be taken back to 2014 and to every struggle and victory I’ve had on that mountain since, and be grateful for the opportunity to be out there doing it all again, metaphorically starting fresh once I cross that finish line.
See you on March 6th!