Couch to (ultra) Marathon

It's been a while...I took some time to recover and that included a break from writing about running too I suppose - though a much longer break from writing than running. I guess writing doesn't give me the same life giving thing that running does.

In my absence online a lot has happened in real life! For one, my mom has started running again. I grew up with two fanatical runners for parents. Two original ultra runners. Two WESTERN STATES QUALIFIERS! Two running book authors. A mom that ran the Bolder Boulder 8mo pregnant with me...and ran it in 1:06! Yeah...I'm really proud of them! Too bad that running bug didn't hit me until I was almost 30...but it has hit now and that's all that matters. So back to my mom. She is a champ. She's already clocking miles faster than me and she just took the sport back up a few weeks ago. It's been really awesome seeing her get excited to get out and run and walk and explore her neighborhood. She's suffered a bit of a set back with some foot pain, but is working through it and is KILLING it! She says that I inspired her to start up again, but I think she is the one who inspired me in utero and beyond!

I think running is making a resurgence. I think that an increase in intense physical activity tends to follow somewhat negative life events. The economy tanked...race entrants increased. I lost my job...I started running. Physically demanding activity gives you a way to deal with negative emotions and situations in a healthier way than say the bottle or binge eating. There's just something about pounding the pavement that gives order to otherwise irrational thoughts.

A few weeks ago my friends Lisa and Anthony and I decided to run a marathon...you know just 'cause. If you would have told me in March that I would run a marathon 6 months later I wouldn't have thought it possible. It was the hardest run of my life. The one with the most ups and downs and the most highs and lows. I meticulously planned out the perfect route complete with built in aid stations at mile 10 and 20. Of course it was 100 degrees that day and the route had to be all uphill and a little bit grueling and of course we deviated from the plan and ran a few extra miles turning our marathon into a ultra marathon...whoops.

Around mile 18 - my long run max mileage at the time - I started to tank. I tanked hard till about mile 22 and then something deeper kicked in. Our altered route serendipitously led us past Betsy's grave and I got to visit it for the first time in 6 years. It was wonderful to say "hello" and see her name. Maybe that is what gave me a boost at the end...I dunno. But those last few miles felt like nothing and I felt like I could conquer anything. That's what I like most about running. When you've conquered another milestone, you feel like every other trial in life can be handled with more grace and patience. You endure pain and come out stronger for it. We ended our run hand in hand breaking through a Dollar Store "congratulations" banner and the sound of party noise makers. It was the best finish line party I've been to!

I want to say a special special thank you to my hubby Shane. He is my biggest supporter. He always believes in me. He is my everything. He met us at mile 10, 20 and the end with the best aid station goodies a girl could ask for! He even provided kisses and ice cold wet towels to wash off a bit. Well the kisses we only for me ;) I want to say thank you to Lisa who never once complained about the unexpected hilliness of the course or my slow pace...she was awarded Star Performer at the end by the way.  Thank you to Anthony for being so encouraging and confident in my ability. And thank you to all of you who have "liked" my runs and said encouraging words. Thank you for boosting my confidence and sharing your successes with me too!

THANK YOU!

A Trailside Intervention

Perhaps I've been going too hard. Maybe too long. Maybe I'm anemic or have low B12 levels. Maybe I need to eat more, eat less. Maybe I need more sleep. Whatever the case, I've been in a week long rapid decline. So on Friday on the most beautiful trail I've ever had the blessing to be on, three of my best buddies waited for me in the rain and told me to take a break. To take a real rest. So here I am resting. And I hate it.

All kinds of irrational thoughts are in my head right now and fits of crying have been taking over my quiet moments. If that's not a sign of overtraining/overreaching I don't know what is! What if even after I legitimately rest I'm still not improving? What if I will never be able to do the things I want to do? What if everyone thinks I'm a wuss, weak, lame...insert any other negative adjective here. See what I mean?

As my dear friend Lisa told me today, "You have to talk reason to yourself and seriously try mindfulness...find yourself without trying so hard."

So now I sit and try to rest my body that says, "Be still now. Rest a bit. Stop." and try to quiet my mind that says, "Go, go, go! Don't stop! GO!"

Leadville Silver Rush 50: An Ultra First Taste

Setting: 
Leadville, CO - 10,152' above sea level 
Mid summer
Just before sunrise


We sit in the car packed full to the brim with gear under a sliver of a moon as the race staff for the Leadville Silver Rush 50 begin preparations for the big event. The giant screen flickers on and assaults us in our sleep deprived states and we have to employ the use of the windshield sunscreen to block its blinding glow. We try to sleep the last few minutes before registration begins, but excitement wins and we sit quietly but restless. It's been a long night of checking and double-checking gear, practicing aid station hand offs, laughing, speculating, and not sleeping.

Finally, it's time and Anthony and I walk down in the cold mountain air to collect the goodies, bib, and timing chip. The volunteers are chipper in the wee hours of the morning and a young girl about 7 years old takes her job of giving out safety pins very seriously. We head back to the car to wait out the remaining hour til race time. We marvel at some of the runners already warming up doing laps around the start area. Then I realize, they're anxious. They've all tapered and simply cannot wait any longer to run. They need to run like they need to breathe and the breath isn't coming as easily two miles high. So running is what they have to do.

The minutes tick by slowly. Excitement, anticipation, nerves, anxiety, they all come and go, ebb and flow. As the sky lightens the announcer gives the runners a 10 minute warning. We exit the car ready to see this thing through. We join the 500 racers and their crew, the supporters, and spectators at the starting line at the base of Dutch Henri Hill. The national anthem is played and the gun goes off. And with that crack of the gun I knew I had to be a part of this ultra world.

Bears, Bees, & Dropped Sandwiches

Yesterday was a great day. Definitely not my typical Friday! This weekend is the Silver Rush 50 mile race in Leadville. As I've mentioned before, our friend Anthony is running it and I'm going up to help crew and just experience a big and prestigious ultra event. He's been texting me his "diva" requirements (his word!) and I can tell I'm going to learn A LOT just being there...and I cannot wait!

Since a long Sunday run won't be possible, I got up early Friday to do one. Really early. The night before I filled my water bottles, grabbed a couple chews, made a piece peanut butter toast, laid out all my clothes and gear, and set a 4 am alarm to make sure I was out the door with plenty of time to get back before school time. It was a good plan! I went to bed so early that I wasn't exhausted when my alarm went off and I was out the door in about 10 minutes, even with having to scramble for a working flashlight. I somehow forgot it's DARK at 4 am.

This week's training schedule called for a smaller distance recovery run of 12 miles. I had mapped out the route so I knew where to turn around and head back. I was feeling so good that went past my turn around spot a bit and ended up doing 13 miles instead.

It was a really unique run. First, it was my first "long run" without Lisa so it was much more quiet and introspective. Second, the first 1/3 was pitch black with only moonlight and my dinky LED flashlight. Just after my turn around spot the sun started to peek above the horizon and I got run in the beautiful pink and orange light of that magical hour.

I saw very few people (less than 5) before this point so imagine my surprise when I came upon a group of about 15 railroad workers getting ready for a day of putting in new rail ties. Um, and did I mention that this was the first day I ran in SHORTS? Mortifying. For the past week or so the new ties have been sitting by the train track that hugs the LoBo trail for a 2 mile stretch just past Longmont. They STINK. The sun heats them up and the tar just creates the grossest cloud of fumes. Hopefully with use of trains on them the stink will go away more quickly now.

I got back home with plenty of time before school starts for Eisley and got to rest for about an hour. I kissed Shane and my boo boo goodbye and got ready for the day's next big adventure. Lisa and I wanted to hike the full loop at Heil Valley up in Lefthand Canyon. Well, it was all Lisa's idea and I was just tagging along. We reached the trailhead about 9 am ready for a long day and hoping to catch some of the famous wild turkeys that frequent the area on camera.

We started out on the mild mannered Lichen Loop and then headed up the hill on the Wapiti Trail (I've included the map so you can "see" where I'm talking about). Along the way you see several strange rock structures and sadly there aren't any placards that give you the history. So we looked around a bit and made up our own stories of how they were used. The Heil Valley trail system is used by mountain bikers mostly and is one of the most beautiful and uniquely created trails I've ever been on. Lots of natural Rick paving and rock bridge work.

As we continued on the trail and switched over to the Ponderosa Trail things got rockier and rockier. Not a "normal" rocky where your footing is sure and you have jump or step from stone to stone but instead smaller loose rock just big enough to help you twist your ankles every which way. It got a little old...especially after having ran 13 miles before this. But we continued and marveled at how beautiful it was regardless of sure footing. As we got close to our lunch spot and scenic overlook, we saw and heard two ladies whistling loudly and talking to someone. They were talking to us? "Did you see? Two black bears!" After hearing Kami Semick's scary account of encountering a mama black bear and cubs at Western States a few years back my first reaction was to rather rudely blurt out "WELL?! ARE THERE CUBS!?!?!?" No, no cubs. Whew. Ok let's get pics or it didn't happen...right? So we spent about 5 minutes snapping pics until one bear seemed to find the sound of the shutter interesting and changed course toward us. We stopped the photo shoot and started making noise and talking loudly to each other and the parted ways with the other ladies. I've seen other black bears here in Colorado and only once more besides this when I wasn't in a car. This was by far the closest I've been and the most remote if something were to happen. I think I'll invest in bear mace.

We ate lunch on a beautiful overlook of Highway 7 snaking it's way toward Allenspark and Estes Park. The bench we sat on actually gave us a birds eye view of Hall Ranch where we ran the other day. We felt so high that day and here we were looking down on it. It was surreal. I was going to wrap up the second half of my sandwich when I dropped it. Gah! I rinsed it off and decided I better just eat it all then...grit and all.

We came to two roads diverged in a wood and we took the one less rocky and that made all the difference. Instead of staying on Ponderosa we took the outer Wild Turkey Trail back down the mountain. The trail takes you through several meadows and there are tons of wild flowers. If you have 5 hours and want to see some beautiful country, check out Heil Valley!

It was a beautiful albeit long hike. Lisa parked herself at the trailhead picnic area to eat the second half of her undropped sandwich. Earlier on the trail she remarked that there were no bees up here and that she had an irrational fear of them thinking they would swarm her. So of course a few bees, probably attracted to the sweetness of her Gatorade, started to hang around. Lisa flew from the bench and dropped her sandwich too. She picked it up to throw it away and the bees came again and she dropped the sandwich a second time. I had to save the day and toss the sandwich for her.

So after 5 hours of no turkeys, bears, loose rock, and bees we headed back to civilization and Starbucks.

Running Redemption

Yesterday was one of those weird days where I kept waking up thinking it was later than it was...3.30 am had to be 5.30-6...fall back asleep...4 am...sleep...4.20 am...lay awake till 5...ok fine I'll get up! I figured since I was already up that I better go run. So off I set intent on doing 4 miles of fartleks.

Intentions are one thing, reality is often different. I forgot in my sleep deprived state to eat anything before heading out and boy did I feel it. My feet felt like lumps of lead and my "sprints" might as well have been slower than my "recovery" rate! It was a struggle to even finish. It was a bad run overall, but at least I got out and ran at all.

Fast forward to 8 am. Lisa was ready for a trail run as her new trail running shoes had just come in the day before and she was itching to try them out. I figured it would be good for us to do a trail I'd done and knew what to expect. We drove up to Hall Ranch and after a small photo shoot to rub our easy access to amazing trails in Lisa's sister's face we were running on the Nighthawk trail. What a gem this trail is! It's limited to hikers and horses only so we never have to worry about mountain bikers going too fast down some of the blind switchbacks. It was great knowing which hills to power hike over trying to run them and we made great time! We were only a minute off my original pace out there. After another staged photo shoot to yet again prove Colorado's superiority and Lisa's excellent running form, we headed back home excitedly proclaiming that this was by far the best thing EVER. My running was redeemed.

16 Weeks, 16 Miles, and Unacknowledged Goals

Thanks to "monsoon" season here in Colorful Colorado, things are actually colorful...and rather soggy.  We had some pretty massive rain and thunderstorms last night so things were pretty damp this morning when Lisa and I set off on our weekly long run.  A slight drizzle kept with us for the first few miles before the sun managed to peek out for a few minutes creating quite the steam room experience in my rain jacket.  The rest of the run was relatively cool for this time of year and very overcast. Such a nice change to the blazing 100+ temps we've been having! It was also pretty cool to see the creek our path follows so full and fast.

After yesterday's trail run, the first mile of today's run felt pretty rough.  I even voiced that maybe we wouldn't be able to complete this week's goal of 16 miles and would have to "settle" for 12. Thankfully that feeling passed after about 20 minutes as we settled into a slow but comfortable rhythm.  This past week I've been working on training my body to not need as much on my shorter (anything under 10 miles) runs...less water, no chews, etc. I'm trying to get my body to use its stores more efficiently for times when I really need it.  So for this week's long run I was able to carry half the normal amount of water. I'm still figuring out what my body needs nutritionally and when it needs it on these runs.  I'm not fast so a distance that takes a speedy runner 2 hours or less to complete may take me 3.5 hours. It seems like as soon as I cross that 3 hour mark, I'm absolutely desperate for something if I haven't been "fueling" along the way. This week I think I found a good plan (for a cool day at least).  After last week's horrible experience with a Clif Shot gel, I was in NO hurry to try that again! At the 7 mile mark I ate a Clif Shot Blok and 15 minutes later had half a Balance bar, 2 S!Caps, and some Gatorade. I only ate one more chew after that and finished my water and Gatorade.  I felt so good that I ran the last mile pretty hard. I paid for that push though and got pretty nauseous and had to eat the other half of my Balance bar praying with each bite that I wouldn't be "that girl" who pukes in someone's yard.

Enough about logistical stuff...let me talk about the mind game side of today's run. I forgot to start the GPS when we set off...well actually I DID start it, but somehow managed to pause things and didn't realize it till 7 miles in. I was pissed...really really pissed especially since we were going off Lisa's time warp GPS that always has us running a 1-2 min slower pace and about a half mile less! About a mile later a little past the halfway mark it hit me. I have some weird unacknowledged and most likely unattainable goals in my mind that I wasn't aware of.  Some goal, pace, or distance that I need to reach in order to have some kind of validation. Every time Lisa's GPS would proclaim a distance or pace that I knew was wrong, I'd either mutter under my breath or yell quite loudly about it. I'll admit it's stupid and unrealistic to think that I can PR each run, but I seem to be trying to. I think it stems a lot from the fact that I still don't look like I can run double digit miles. I'm still in transformation and it hurts when people that I've known for years don't believe me when they ask how far I ran today. It's a vanity thing and I'm going to work on it. Lisa was kind enough to help me talk through it all for a couple miles and by the time we got to our familiar "home stretch" I was grooving without thinking of pace and distance...simply enjoying the act of running. It's been approximately 16 weeks (4 months) since I started running and here I am running 16 miles no problem with a solid plan in place to run 2 marathons before the end of the year and a 50k in the spring.  That's not half bad...not bad at all! 

16 miles-ish - maybe a little bit further but who's counting?
12'40" avg. pace  - slow but understandable after yesterday's trail run.

Hall Ranch Trail Run aka My First

The day's original plan was to head up to Leadville for the day to help our buddy Anthony get a feel for the town, the Silver Rush 50 mi course, and of course the altitude. We may live a mile high but Leadville is 2 miles high and you can feel the elevation no matter where you're from! But plans change due to a number of reasons...forgotten obligations, injury, "monsoon" season etc.

Colorado is experiencing some heavy and much needed rain so to avoid a.) being miserable and b.) any possible injury before Anthony's race we opted out of heading up them thar hills and stuck closer to home (and shelter if needed).

Last Saturday we took our daughter on a hike at Hall Ranch near Lyons and thought "boy this would be FUN to run." So bright and early we headed up there again. We met Anthony and his friend and biking enthusiast Nathan who's visiting from California at the trailhead. Hall Ranch is only about a mile from Lyons proper but you really get a sense of being "out there" once you get out of sight of the trail marker for the Nighthawk trail.

Shane's knees have been giving him grief so we did about 10 min of warm up before opening up and running. This being my first true trail run I was not prepared for the inclines. I tried to run as much as I could but there came a point where hiking was as fast as running but with a lot less energy output. I'm told this is normal and you don't wanna blow up half way and have nothing left for the return. It was hard but invigorating! The flats and downhills were amazing albeit on the scary side with mud and loose rocks to navigate. With practice I'll get more confident. Thankfully the boys weren't upset that I was slowing the pace down!

Shane and I got to really try out our new Altra Lone Peaks and they did not disappoint. Perfectly grippy and supportive. The little "mud rudder" on the heel didn't give me any problems but Shane thought it was contributing to a large amount of dirt and debris collecting in his shoes (I had none). All in all we were both really pleased with them and can't wait to break them in more!

It was really nice running with a "bigger" group. I usually run alone or with one other person so running in a pack was a fun new experience. It never ceases to amaze me how good the conversation can be on a long run. The morning was filled with lots of laughter, potty humor, life lessons, and lots and lots of inspiration.

Anthony said he run "any" 50 miler with me that I signed up for so I'm on the hunt for one to do in late summer or autumn next year. With a promise like that, how can I say no?!

Tomorrow is my long run with Lisa. I'm not sure where the wind will blow us, but I'm sure we will love every minute of it!


1h46m
7.26mi
14:41min/mil avg
elev. gain/loss 1264ft