Thursday 11/26/09 - Road Bike Ride (27 miles)
Friday 11/27/09 - Road Bike Ride (62 miles) !!
Friday morning at 8:30am, we departed William's parent's house to circle the Corpus Christi Bay on our bikes. We got in the car and parked on the Padre Island side of the JFK Causeway as there is no shoulder on the Causeway, so it is impossible to cross with a bike. We headed down Park Road 53 into Port Aransas - this was a long ride on a chip and seal surface which made for a bumpy ride. We were lucky as there was little wind which is very unusual for Corpus. Once in Port Aransas we headed to the Ferry crossing to go to Aransas Pass. The picture of me below (with my new bike!) is on the ferry. We exited the ferry in Aransas Pass and headed for Ingelside. From Ingelside we went to Gregory. The ride through Ingelside and Gregory was all on chip and seal again.... I was getting pretty tired of the rough road surface, but other than that - the ride was going great.
In Gregory, William informed me that we would have to get on the shoulder of State Highway 181 to cross the bay into Portland. This was a wide shoulder, but it was scary as traffic was moving really fast. It was a harrowing 2 miles on 181. We finally arrived in Portland - now to cross the Harbor Bridge (The big tall Bridge over the Bay of Corpus Christi). William remembered that there is a pedestrian walkway on the bridge, but we could not figure out how to get on it without getting on the highway. We stopped to ask a police officer who was parked under the bridge. He told us the only time he has ever seen a pedestrian on that bridge was when they were threatening to jump - and did not know how to enter the bridge other than to lift our bikes over the barrier. Our only options were to add another 25 miles to our ride or cross the bridge. We lifted our bikes over the barrier onto the pedestrian walkway - the walkway was so narrow, we had to walk our bikes. It was very scary. We were both pretty shook up after that. At this point we were about 50 miles into the bike ride and in downtown Corpus. We decided to stop at the Executive Surf Club and split a veggie burger and have a beer. After regrouping, we headed up Ocean Drive towards the house.
I had a great ride! My knees were a bit sore towards the end, and we both decided that we would not do that route again. The whole State Highway 181 and Harbor Bridge bit was fairly unsafe .... If we want to circle the bay again, we are going to have to make the ride 100 miles and take the detour around the bridge.
- Mood:
cheerful
Saturday 11/21 - 20 mile road run 3hrs, 22mins
Sunday 11/22 - 10 mile road hill run
Tuesday 11/24 - Dynamic Strength, 1 hour
Saturday I met the group on a cold and slightly rainy morning for my 20 mile road run. We ran the first half of the Austin Marathon course (the long part down South Congress and then back North on 1st street leaves much to be desired). My goal for the day was to go out easy the first 10 miles then to pick up the pace the next 10 miles. I took a look at the map and made note of the 10 mile marker on this loop course. I was pretty slow to start off as I have been having some issues with my left foot. Usually after about 15 - 20 mins into the run - the issues resolve themselves and luckily this happened.
I felt significantly better on this run than I have on any of my other road runs. I managed my food intake better - it seems to work better for me to take a gummy or sport bean product and eat them slowly over the run than to take a gu gel. I had plenty of energy the second half and was able to pick up the pace. I also took an Alleve at about 10 miles which I think helped significantly. I improved my second half time by 4 minutes! Hooray for negative splits. When I finished the run; I felt better than I ever have on any of my road runs and was not totally wiped out. I remember the first 20 mile road run that I did - it basically took me out of commission for the rest of the day. I did not even need a nap after this one! So, it is good to see that I am making progress and that my body is adjusting to the abuse of the road. I am not even as sore as I usually am after my long road run. My last two 20 milers took me 3 hrs 25 mins. So I was happy to shave a few minutes off this one - 3 hrs 22 mins. If my foot had not been acting up at the beginning I think I could have gone faster overall - hopefully the rest weekend will do it some good.
Sunday I met a group of friends for our 10 mile road hill run. I felt really good this week and had a great run. This was further evidence that my body is finally adjusting to the road. After the run, we met for Thanksgiving pizza and beer - it was a wonderful evening (except that one of the runners fell and twisted his ankle).
Tuesday I finally made it to the gym. I went to Dynamic Strength and Mallory kicked my butt. My hands were shaking a good hour after the class. I think I am finally to a place in my job where I can make it at least 2 if not three times a week to the gym. It felt really good to get back to strength training, and I know it helps my running and helps prevent injury.
Next weekend is my off weekend - I am planning a long bike ride with William! HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Friday 11/13/09 - road bike ride, 35 miles - hilly!
Saturday 11/14/09 - road run, 20 miles - Mt. Bonnell Route - hilly!
Sunday 11/15/09 - road run, 10 miles - NW Hills!
Friday I took the day off from work to recover from my busy week with our accreditors on site. William and I went for a road bike ride out Ronald Regan Blvd after riding Ethan to school. I felt great and it was a lot of fun. I am loving my new bike - but I am really slow for some reason. I figure I just need more practice to get faster - once a week is probably not enough (I need to get back to spin class). I will note that this was my longest bike ride yet!! Saturday morning at 6:30am I met my running group for an old favorite route (Mt. Bonell). This is a great route as it runs right by the house we used to live at in central Austin and is really a beautiful neighborhood. I have not done this run in ages and enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
Due to our accreditation agency being on site at work last week - I ended up at the office past 7:00pm and missed my Tuesday group workout. I am looking forward to doing the workout this Tuesday, so I can meet some of the other runners. So far I have not really met anyone in the group and do the runs by myself. Well... there are all kinds of people around me, but I do not know them. It is sort of like running a race - you are a stranger in a crowd. I am fine with this though as it is good for training - this means I am running my own pace and not someone else's pace. Speaking of pace ...
The first 20 miler I did last week took me 3 hrs, 25 mins. The 20 miler yesterday which was considerably more hilly than the one last week also took me 3 hours, 25 mins. Since the run yesterday more hilly than the first 20 miler I did, I know my pace was faster yesterday which is a good sign. I am improving my speed with only a little practice. This is going to be super good for my trail running - it is good to remember what it is like to turn your legs over quickly - I am really happy that I have chosen to go back to roads for two months. I am on track right now for a 4 hr 30 min marathon (I think) ... with practice I will be able to improve this time, but I would be happy with a 4:30 ...we shall see what the future holds.
One final note on all this road running - IT HURTS. I could barely walk after the first 20 miler I did on the road - man, I forgot how much the roads abuse you. This last week, it was not as bad - my body is quickly adjusting to the abuse... but it still hurts. My hope is to exceed 20 miles on the road this coming weekend and then take Thanksgiving weekend off for recovery. William and I are planning a long bike ride in Corpus Thanksgiving weekend.
Sunday night at 5:00 pm I met the hill tribe for our regular Sunday 10 mile hill run. I was really dragging on this tough hill run. My quads were sore from the start and did not get better. This was my wake-up call that it takes longer to recover with road running and that a shorter distance on the road just takes more out of you than your typical trail run. I still finished the run and am glad that I did it. I just hope I can walk tomorrow....
- Mood: happy
Wednesday, Nov 4th, Road Run (Hills 4.5 miles)
Saturday, Nov 7th, 20 mile Road Run AND 20 mile road bike ride
Sunday Road Hills Aborted Due to Heavy Rain
I decided I needed a break from the rigors and time commitment of training for a trail race particularly during the holiday months of November and December. I have been itching to run a road marathon for a while now, and the perfect opportunity has come up. I have a business trip to Phoenix the week of the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon. I did not even realize this, but I mentioned to my dad (who lives there) the dates I was coming up, and he provided the inspiration by sending me the link to the marathon. Training for Phoenix is a great opportunity for me to relax from the longer trail distances, do my runs closer to home, regain some speed, and scratch that road marathon itch. Since I like to train with a group, I decided to join a local running group that offers a month by month training program for road running. I have signed up for November and December, and this morning was my first run. The group meets on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings.
When I arrived Saturday morning, there was a huge group of road runners (like 200 of them) milling about. All were training for various races and the route provided three distances 16 miles, 18 miles, and 20 miles .... being the ultra runner that I am - I opted for the 20 mile route. I had a great run and was home and showered by 11:00 am which was a nice change. I think I made the right choice and know that I will be missing the trail come January when I start training for the Jemez Mountain Trail Race with my regular trail group. I was telling my husband this morning that what I need is to miss the trail -- I did notice that I was pretty sore later in the day after the run. The roads do tend to abuse the body.
I other sporting news, I just got a new road bike! My husband brought it home on Friday. It is the nicest and the lightest bike I have ever owned. It has a frame made from carbon and aluminum. The opportunity came up for me and William to get out and ride Saturday afternoon. We did 20 miles. It was great and a good way to loosen up my legs afer the long run.
- Mood: happy
Palo Duro 50K race, Canyon Texas, October 17th, 2009
Well I am finally getting around to writing about the Palo Duro 50K race. This year for the first time in 3 times to run this race I opted for the 50K instead of the 50 miler. I definitely made the right choice. I also camped with a bunch of other runners from my training group near the start/finish line which turned out to be a lot of fun. The race went fine. It was not my fastest 50K, but not my slowest either. I was really just doing this race for fun, and I had a great time. One of my coaches was helping out with the race, so he got all of the land near the start/finish line reserved for himself and his crew. This meant that a big group of us set up tents and camped out for two nights. Crash the running chef was with us to make an excellent dinner and gourmet breakfast the morning after the race.
I was a little apprehensive about how camping and racing would work, but it was nice (for a 50K - 50 milers will still require a real bed). I rolled out of my tent at 6am for the 7am start - getting up with only an hour to spare before the race is unheard of for me, but with the start line in sight of my tent - no problem. I even brought my single burner camp stove and brewed a fresh, hot cup of coffee before the start in my tent!! It was fun finishing the race and then having time to enjoy a post race veggie burger and cheer my friends in as they finished. There were at least 30 people from Austin doing the race - this made the race really special.
I am pretty sure I am going to take the next two months (November and December) off from heavy distance training and then start back fresh in January looking towards Jemez and Tahoe again. I am still going to run - I am even thinking about doing some local road races. I just want to take a break from the demands of constantly being in training. This is a good time for me to break, because I am more of a spring/summer runner than a fall runner. In addition, it is always difficult to train around the holidays.
- Mood: happy
Wednesday, 9/30, Spin Class 45min
Saturday, 10/3, Trail Run, Barton Creek Greenbelt, 13 miles
Sunday, 10/4, Road Hill Run, 10 miles
I actually got away from work one day this week to go to spin class! It really improved my day and felt great. Unfortunately next week, I have a series of noon meetings .... But I think I will be able get one or two lunchtime workouts in.
My trail run on Saturday was lots of fun. A group of us met at Spyglass and ran to Hill of Life and back and then headed to Taco Deli for post run tacos. I really pushed the pace on the second half of the run, and it felt great. It was short, because it is my last training run before Palo Duro 50K. Next weekend is a rest weekend and the following weekend, I head to Canyon, TX for Palo Duro 50K. Sunday night I met some friends for what is becoming a regular run for me - Sunday Road Hills. We had the biggest group ever - 6 people- It was tons of fun! We are now officially the "hill tribe."
Just to brag on my husband a bit - Sunday morning he went out for his regular bike ride and came home later than usual having rode 100 miles - WOW! I hope to get some biking in next weekend when we are in Corpus.
- Mood: happy
Saturday 9/26/09, Trail Run, Barton Creek Greenbelt, 27 miles
Sunday 9/27/09, Road Hill Run, 10 miles
Saturday the Palo Duro training group met at 7:00 am at the Barton Creek Greenbelt for our last long run before the race. The distance for those training for the 50K was 27 miles. We started at Spyglass and ran to the top of the Hill of Life and back two times. I ran with my friend Jeanette. I felt good Saturday morning, and we kept a steady pace and made good time on the first out and back. After a brief stop back at our cars, we quickly set out for the second out and back. I was still feeling strong. My legs were a bit sore, but this is to be expected. About two miles from the finish of the run, I started feeling really nauseous and light headed. I was a bit worried - I realized a bit later this was due to my poor nutrition on the run. All I consumed was 1 Gu packet and 1 pack of Luna Moons about 170 calories, plus whatever calories I got from the Gatoraid water mix I drank during the second out and back. I know better than this .... I had a breakfast taco after the run and immediately felt better....
Sunday I met three friends for a 10 mile hilly road run. This run has become my favorite run of the week. The course is very, very hilly, but provides some beautiful views of the city and the sunset. It is a perfect way to end the week and prepare for Monday. I always feel great after this run.
- Mood: happy
Wednesday, Sept 9th - Spin Class, 45 mins
Thursday, Sept 10th - Pure Pump 1 hour
Rest Weekend!!
Monday, Sept 14th - Spin Class 45 mins
Tuesday, Sept 15th - Road Hills 10 Miles; 1hr, 45 mins
Saturday, Sept 19th - Trail Run, Bastrop State Park, 23 miles
Sunday, Sept 20th - Road Hills 10 miles!
I have a new position at work, and so far I love it! It is lots more responsibility and demands a lot more of my time. I find that I am so busy, I could easily work straight through lunch every day. However, I have decided that I am not going to let myself do that. It is important that I get my lunchtime workouts in - this a good time of day for me to do it. I know I am going to have lots of meetings that are going to interfere with these workouts, but on the days that I don't have meetings I have decided to do my workout knowing that the work will still be there when I return and the sky will not have fallen in the 1.5 hours I am away from the office. So off to spin class I went today. I had a great workout and felt great when I returned to the office! On Tuesday, I met my friend Dawn to do a 10 mile road hill workout. I was feeling pretty sluggish during the workout and was surprised that we had made such good time when it was all said and done!
Saturday I met the group for my long run at Bastrop State Park. I decided that I was going to start off a bit slower this time. I ran with some gals I don't usually run with and chatted and had a good time for the first 16 miles. I felt great on this run. On my last loop I decided that I need to take off. I was ready to really run - I kept a strong pace the entire last loop and had a great time. This is probably the best long run I have had since Tahoe. I could have easily kept going. I think the key was that I let myself enjoy the first part of the run, warm up, and then I was ready to take off. I plan to do that more often.
I capped off the week with my regular Sunday night 10 mile road hill run. Ten miles of climbing and descending on the road. Four people showed up on Sunday (some new faces). It was a great way to end a full week of workouts!
Tuesday, September 1st, Dynamic Strength (1 hour)
Thursday, September 3rd, Pure Pump (1 hour)
Saturday, Trail Run, Bastrop State Park (18-20 miles)
Sunday, Road Run, Hills - 10 miles
Monday, Road Bike Ride - 22 Miles
I have been training for one goal race or another for over a year now. Here is the list of what I have done in the past year -
October 2008 - Palo Duro 50 miler, January 2009 Bandera 52 miler, February 2009 Rocky Racoon 50 miler, March 2009 Waco 50K, June 2009 (three 30K races plus Hells Hills 50K), July 2009 Tahoe Rim 50 miler ... This is a list of races that I trained hard for and ran hard... I think this is simply catching up with me. That is 318 miles of racing alone - not counting training miles and my 20 mile adventure at Kapt Karls last weekend!
I have noticed that my desire to train the longer distances is simply not there - I need a break. So on Saturday, I went out to Bastrop State Park for my training run for the Palo Duro 50 miler. I was supposed to do 30 miles (training distance for the 50 mile race). My plan was to do the first 10 mile loop and see how I felt. I did not feel stellar (in terms of desire to be running) on the first loop - but it was not terrible. I got lost and ended up doing some bonus miles on that first loop which was frustrating, but for the most part I was running alone and this gave me some time to think. It occured to me that rather than dropping off the map, I need to back off. After I finished my first loop, I told my coach that I was going to switch to the 50K distance at Palo Duro. Verbalizing this decision to my coach made me feel instantly better as if a weight had been lifted off of me. He agreed and thought his was a good idea. I had a much better second loop and enjoyed ending my day with the shorter 50K training distance of 20 miles. I feel very good about my decision, because I know that it is the right decision for me. I am also looking forward to finishing the 50K at Palo Duro and sitting around with friends, enjoying the post race meal and beer, and cheering on the 50 milers (which will be a nice change of pace from the vomit fest I had after I finished last year).
I am also itching to do some road events ... I cannot do the San Antonio Marathon due to a conflict, so I am seriously considering Dallas White Rock Marathon .. I love Dallas, so it would be fun! I might also throw in some local road 10Ks as well. I would also like to get more road biking into my schedule; I am currently borrowing a bike from my good friend
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leahruns . Now that I know that I like biking, I have been actively looking for a good used road bike. As far as trail races after Palo Duro... I am not sure yet. I need to see how I feel and go from there.I had an awesome, fun hilly 10 mile road run on Sunday night with a group of friends and an even more awesome 22 mile road bike ride with a rag tag crew of trail runners wearing biking outfits. It was a good long weekend of satisfying workouts, and I enjoyed mixing it up a bit. HAPPY LABOR DAY!
Here is a picture my coach took of me after finishing my trail run on Saturday - sweaty, but happy!
- Mood: content
60K Trail Race (which turned into 20 miles for me)
I signed up for the 60K night race at the last minute wanting to 1) get some bonus miles in my training plan and 2) to see what it was like to run all night. I intended to treat this as a training run, get the miles in, take it easy. I have to admit that I just was not that into the idea of doing the race. At about 2:00 on Saturday afternoon, I mentioned to William that I really did not want to go (of course, I was going, but I was just not that into Kapt Karl). When I arrived at the race, I quickly met up with friends, and we were all chatting about our goals for the day and our feelings about the race. Two of my buddies who were also using the race as a training run and planned to do 4 of the 6 laps and then stop. I did not take this enlightened approach. Instead, I decided that if I signed up for the event, I needed to finish it (or that was my plan anyhow). I am the type of person that likes to finish what I start, do more rather than less ... better to be over than under prepared. I suppose it is these qualities mixed with a healthy dose of bullheadedness that makes me a decent ultra runner. These qualities also tend to get me into trouble.
In reflecting on the days leading up to the race, I was not the least bit concerned about the fact that this race was at night. In fact, I thought it was pretty cool and was looking forward to seeing what night racing was all about. The weather was just beautiful at the start and the first loop was AMAZING. The sunset was reflecting on the rocks making the runners seem to glow pink. The beautiful vistas over the lake were unbelievable. The course was really awesome. I was feeling great and enjoying the scenery. I was also going at a pretty good/quick pace, but felt completely comfortable. I was having a good race. I headed out with Dawn and Jon on the second loop. We were all staying together moving quickly. Dawn had to stop at some point before the mid-way aid station to help Jon. I was feeling good and kept going. I quickly lost them. Oh - I forgot to mention that it was already dark at this point. I made it to the half way aid station and was disappointed to see that it was still unmanned. I had been alone in the dark for a while and it was getting to me. After a quick stop at the aid station I was off.
The dark was really starting to freak me out. I am afraid of the dark in general. Pretty much all my life I have been a scaredy cat. Running has actually helped me with this, but I am sill afraid of the dark. Some chemical or something in me was really elevated. I felt extremely alert and really anxious. I was hearing every noise in the bushes. I was also getting really frustrated - just wanting to finish the loop and see some people. I was not having fun. I finally rolled into the start/finish aid station. Physically I was feeling just fine, but mentally I was struggling. However, I decided to soldier on. I did not waste much time at the aid station quickly heading off by myself into the woods. Then I fell. It was minor, but it pissed me off, so I spent some time feeling sorry for myself. I finally made it to the middle aid station. In a stupid move, I decided to drink some Pepsi and eat 3 peanut butter crackers. This just made me feel nauseous. I can truly say that I was at an extremely low mental low point after leaving that aid station. To top things off - I saw a large cat in crossing the trail heading for the brush. The cat was halfway into the brush, when I saw him, so I just saw the middle and tail end of him. He had a smallish bushy tail, but this was not house cat. It scared me ... I started running really fast - my heart was beating really fast. All I wanted to do was get back to the start finish and call it a night.
I had actually planned on throwing in the towel when I got to the start/finish aid station. I was not having fun. I was terrified and all I wanted to do was go home and put an end to my misery. Of course, there are all my coaches, friends, and mentors at the start/finish whose job is to get my butt back out on the trail. I did not want to let anyone down, so I decided to go out for my 4th loop. I was having this mental dialogue with myself - how am I going to run 100 miles if I cannot do this?; maybe I should just stop running all together; I am crazy - why in the hell am I even out here? In the middle of my self inquiry, I heard a loud pack of coyotes and their babies howling in the woods around me. I was alone again. THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW. I turned right around (not having reached the middle aid station yet) and high tailed it back to the start. I ran into this woman who was just finishing her third loop and needed company.
She offered to run with me - DAMN, I had already decided to quit - now what do I do? I thought about it for a while, but I knew that if I ran with her or anyone else behind me it would take forever. I was not about to let this "TRAINING RUN FROM HELL" go on any longer. The life was sucked out of me; I was afraid to wear my IPOD (my go to device for soul sucking moments), because I thought it was too risky with all of the wildlife. I quit ... and I did the right thing. I can think of all kinds of nice ways to put it, but I quit and that is exactly what happened. This was not my day, my run, my time - I did not need to continue.
So what now. I am questioning everything today - why am I doing this? can't I just have a normal relationship with exercise? do I really have to run 20 miles a weekend to feel like I had a good workout? who am I running for? am I crazy? do I really want to put myself through what it will take to run a 100 miler? After a nice conversation with my husband and some contemplation this afternoon, I have decided that 1) I do enjoy running ultras - running has changed my life for the better - it has made me a better person in many ways; 2) I really enjoy the company of ultra runners and have made some of my best friends through running; 3) I enjoy pushing myself to the limit - to that place where all that is left is the raw essence of life - the sensory rather than the cerebral; 4) I do run for myself, but I also run for others and after some discussion about this I have decided that this is OK too.
I have decided to soldier on, but I think I am wiser now. Each failure, experiment gone awry, moment of self doubt, brings us closer to the truth about ourselves and provides valuable information for how we need to proceed. For me, if I plan to run a 100 miler in February, I need to conquer my fear of night running (or at least get it under control). I know that I can have a pacer, but I really need to be able to control my fear and mental down turns when it is dark. I need to be able to remain positive, to find that place that will allow me to continue. Only time will tell - at this point, I am going to take it one run at a time and see what the future brings.
- Mood:
contemplative
Monday 8/24 - Circuit Training (1 hour)
Wednesday 8/26 - Spin Class (45mins) and Wednesday Night Club Trail Run; 5.4 miles
Thursday 8/27 - Palo Duro Quality workout; 6 miles
In Circuit Training class we did all of our exercises using a medicine ball. My ball was 6 pounds which was plenty heavy for me. We did lots of lunges and squats with the ball lifting it in different ways to work shoulders, chest, and tricepts. It was a fun new workout. The Wednesday evening club run was lots of fun as usual with 20 members attending. Thursday for our quality workout, we did a warmup on the Greenbelt to our workout location where we did a hilly 1.7 mile loop (x3) that include two hill repeats each loop focusing on downhill speed. It was lots of fun and muddy on the trail due to 20 mins of heavy rain prior to the run. Saturday is my 60K night race which I am using as a training run - report to follow.
Activities
Saturday, August 22nd - Trail Run, McKinney Roughs State Park, 21 miles, (5 hours, 21mins)
Sunday, August 23rd - Road Hill Run, 9.54 miles - little under 2 hours
Saturday I met my training group at 7:00 am at McKinney Roughs State Park for what was supposed to be a 26 miler. My plan was three 8.5 mile loops. I started running with a friend (John K) and we quickly realized that the trail markings were less than optimal. In fact, we could not find one trail we were supposed to turn left on ... at one point we realized that we had missed it, so we decided to look on the map and jump back on the route as soon as possible. We did get back on the route, but before we knew it, we were near the start of the route and had only covered 4.6 miles in a relatively long time as we had to keep stopping to check the map. So we decided to start over again and figure out where we messed up. Basically the whole first loop was 12.6 miles ...
I decided to head out for a second 8.5 mile loop on my own - now that I knew what the route was. The second loop went much faster since I knew exactly what turns to take, etc... by the time I finished it was around noon. It was boiling hot outside and according to my schedule I had 5 more miles to go... I talked with my coach and decided in that heat - 5 miles was not worth it and really not that important as far as I my training .... I had done 21 total and that was good enough.
I also talked with my coach about doing the 60K race next weekend, and we decided that would be a good idea to use the race as a training run (not to race it). So I am signing up for that race today.
Knowing that I have a long couple of months of training ahead of me (especially if I decide to do the 100 miler in February), I decided that I just cannot sustain getting up at 5am or earlier on both Saturday and Sunday to train. I have to get up at 6:15 for work every day as it is ... I need at least one day where I can catch up a little sleep. So I did my first Sunday evening road hill run with Dawn last night. We met at 6:30 pm and in a bit less than two hours covered the 9.4 miles - It was hot ...about 102 at the 6:30pm start and 99 by the time we fnished around 8:30pm. This made the run a bit slower, but it was a great workout! I am looking forward to more of these Sunday evening runs! By the way, I did enjoy sleeping till 7:00am on Sunday :-)
- Mood: cheerful
Tuesday 8/19 - Dynamic Strength 1 hour AND 6.3 mile road hill workout
Wednesday 8/20 - Wednesday Club Trail Run, BCGB approx. 6 miles
Thursday 8/21 - Pure Pump 1 hour
Friday 8/22 - spin class 45 mins.
I have been feeling better this week than I did last week. I think my body needed a week to start to re-adjust to this heat. I had a great road hill workout on Tuesday and am enjoying being back in my routine. I was not nearly as sore from Dynamic Strength this week as I was last week. I have a 26 mile training run on Saturday and that will be the longest I have run since Tahoe. I am looking forward to the challenge (but not the 5am wake up call)!
Monday 8/10/09, Spin Class, 45 mins.
Tuesday 8/11/09, Dynamic Strength, 1 hour
Wednesday 8/12/09, Trail Run 7 miles, Barton Creek Green Belt
Thursday 8/13/09 - Pure Pump, 1 hour AND Palo Duro Training Group Trail Run (Upper Bull Creek Greenbelt) 6 miles
I started back into my regular workout Monday with an awesome spin class, followed on Tuesday by a killer dynamic strenghth class. When I say killer - I mean killer. I was so sore on Wednesday it hurt to walk - and I mean it really hurt. This made the run on Wednesday evening a bit more challenging ... but it was great to be back at the Wednesday Club Run and to catch up with friends I have not seen in a few weeks. The Wednesday run was also wonderful because of the brief but light showers that cooled things down a bit. Thursday during lunch I went to Pure Pump even though I was sore. I was hoping that this would help relieve some of the pain from my Tuesday workout - plus I am eager to get back into my weight training routine.
Tuesday evening I met the Palo Duro training group at Upper Bull Creek Park for a 6 mile trail agility workout. Our coach picked a section of trail with lots of rocks and tree limbs to climb over and under. It was a fun workout, but the best part was seeing all of my friends! It was great to see almost everyone from Palo Duro training last year. It is going to be a big group with lots of fun people. I am really looking forward to the race! Also, I am not nearly as sore this morning as I was earlier in the week :-)!!!
- Mood: happy
Activity
Backpacking
Location: San Juan, National Forest - Stony Pass on Continental Divide Trail (12,650 ft) to Colorado Trail to Little Molas Lake 22 miles ( 3 days, 2 nights) (August 2nd - 4th, 2009)
Location: Uncompahgre National Forest, Hope Lake Trail, 7 miles out and back (August 7th, 2009)
We took our first backpacking trip ever this summer with our son Ethan who is 8 now. We did not know exactly what we were getting into, but we are pretty resourceful people with some decent car camping experience, so figured we could handle it. We picked the San Juan National Forest after talking to lots of people for suggested trails in Colorado. We decided to do a segment hike on the Colorado Trail (a 500 mile trail that runs from Denver to Durango. Our hike began near Silverton Colorado, in the San Juan National Forest at Stony Pass and ended at Little Molas Lake just beyond Molas Pass. We borrowed a pack from a friend (so we would have two), and bought some light weight camping gear... boy did I learn a lot on this trip about preparing for a backpacking trip... more on that later.
Day 1; (9 Miles); Stony Pass to campsite near Elk Creek - Continental Divide Trail to the Colorado Trail
We had been relying on the seeming knowledge and kindness of our inkeeper in Silverton to help us drop our car at the end point of our hike based on a prior phone conversation with him (Big Mistake). Our inkeeper was a young guy with other things on his mind - he did not even arrive at the Inn till around 7:00 pm the day before our hike (people were actually standing around waiting to check in). William quickly assessed the situation and realized that we were going to have to figure out something else. We went to a local 4x4 Jeep Tour place that was more than happy to take us to drop our car and the end point and drive us to the start point the next day. These people were very friendly and really improved our day. At 5:45 am the following morning, the jeep company arrived at our Inn to follow William to the drop off point and then returnted to the Inn to pick up me and Ethan for the 1.5 hour drive up the mountain to Stony Pass. Lesson#1 - Don't rely on the kindness of strangers when needing to do something important - cash works best.
We knew that 9 miles was an ambitious first day - especially carrying heavy packs and with Ethan along at such high elevations. Given our starting point, we did not really have any choice. We needed to get to a campsite that was off of the Continental Divide and at lower elevations in case of bad weather. What we did not know is how heavy our packs were and how it was going to feel carrying them. We were extremely busy up till the point that we were to leave for our vacation. I had only put the pack on one time before we left - HUGE mistake. William said my pack was 32 pounds - This is close to a third of my weight - Lesson #2 - Go light weight! This is really my fault. I wanted to be prepared for the worst, so I insisted on packing too much food which is really heavy. Also, all that lightweight camping stuff is really expensive. We bought some of it, but most of it I just thought "we don't need all that stuff - it is overpriced stuff for camping yuppies." Boy was I wrong - those "camping yuppies" really know what they are talking about! By the end of the first day, I had the worst upper back and shoulder pain that I have ever experienced - it was so bad I could barely move my left shoulder. The hike iteself was amazing and beautiful - the route was perfect - the widlflowers were in full bloom - the scenery was perfect - I loved it!
Within the first three hours of the hike when we were still on top of the Continental Divide, we saw some grey thunder heads building and the wind was picking up in our direction. We knew that this storm was coming for us, so we picked up the pace. Unfortunately, we got stuck in the middle of what started as wind, a little thunder, and rain and turned into being pelted by pea sized hail. We got stuck in two small storms like this which lasted only about 10 mins each, but felt like an eternity. Ethan was scared at first, but somehow he just calmed down and walked through the storm without complaint. He kept making sure that me and William were OK - it was like he was taking care of us. I am truly amazed by Ethan - We are really blessed to have such a child.
We finally approched a long series of switchbacks that would lead us off the Divide into the Elk Creek Drainage. This section of the hike was my favorite as it was amazing. The storms cleared and we descended into this beautiful canyon with a stream running through a field of wildflowers and greenery. The magnificence of the sheer canyon walls is beyond words .... We were all re-energized at this point and moved to find our campsite in the area suggested by the trail guide book were were using. We found our camping area and called it a day. We camped on Elk Creek and took all the precautions for bear safety such as setting up our kitchen away from our tent, etc... It was a wonderful first day and evening. Both William and I were very sore from our heavy packs and knew that next time we would do things differently. 
Day 2 ; (7 miles) - Elk Creek Drainage to Animas River Valley
We woke early in our tents to the voice of Ethan telling us we had to get started hiking to beat the rain. We slowly emerged from the tent, made our first camp coffee, had a big breakfast of tortillas, egg beaters and veggie sausages and hit the trail a bit late around 9:30 am. Lesson #3-Camp coffee - both me and William are big coffee drinkers. The little one cup strainer that we bought is not going to cut it ... it took too long! We are going to have to get a camp french press - coffee is imporant! Our hike was completely different the second day as we were in the trees and flowers hiking along the stream most of the way. We also crossed a huge field of boulders and had lunch at a nice beaver pond. My shoulders and upper back were killing me during the entire time of this hike. I was moving slowly and to top it all off I lost my balance due to the heavy pack as we were crossing a creek and ended up with a big bruise on my leg! We made it to the camp site along side the Animas River (right near the tracks for the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge rail). This was a beautiful setting with great places to camp! We realized after the second night of camping that we could fix the tarp over the kitchen so we can slide it back and forth in the even of rain. Lesson #4 - No need to crouch under the kitchen tarp if it is not raining!
Day 3; (6 miles) - Animas River Valley to Little Molas Lake
It had been really cold the previous night - the coldest yet. It was difficult to emerge from the tent to make that first cup of coffee! We started with some oatmeal which was a great breakfast (especially on such a cold morning). We multitasked and got on the road a bit earlier knowing that we had to go from the river valley to Molas Pass up a series of 33 switch backs. We figured this section would be difficult, warm, and exposed. Knowing it was going to be a challenge really helped - mentally we were all prepared for it. We counted each switchback as we made our ascent. Oh - one thing I forgot to mention is that to our suprise there were mosquitoes - we had off wipes to save on weight, but really there is no substitute for a can of OFF. They were biting through our shirts when we would stop to have a snack. Lesson#5 bring a can of bug spray! We made it to the top of the switchbacks and had lunch in a beautiful alpine valley just under Molas Pass. The intial plan when we made it to our car at Little Molas Lake was to camp at the lake that night, but all we could think about was taking a shower. We were all pretty tired and it seemed so much easier to jump in the car and check into a hotel in Durango rather than setting up camp again ... so that is exactly what we did. A few hours later we were clean, well rested, and headed off for a nice meal!
We are already talking about what trail we are taking for our backpacking trip next summer! Our initial thoughs are to stay in the town of Ouray where they have a beautiful hot springs pool and do a multi-day loop trip from there ...
Friday 7/24/09 - Spin Class (45 mins); Ab work
Saturday 7/25/09 - 10 mile trail run (Town Lake Trail); 1 hr, 38 mins
Sunday 7/26/09 - 19 mile road bike ride (Southwest Parkway)
Monday 7/27/09 - Circut Training Class with Chelsea - 1 hr
Last Saturday, 7/18/09, I did the Tahoe Rim 50 miler. I took 5 days of complete rest after the race to allow my body some quality healing time. My plan is to work my way back into my fitness regime in a stepwise fashion. Today I did spin class and felt awesome. Next week I will start back with my regular gym schedule. One thing that is amazing about the Tahoe Race is that even though it was the hardest race I have done, I am not injured! This is a first for me. I usually come out of these sorts of events with an injury. This proves that the cross training (cycling, spinning, weight, and core training) is really making me a stronger, healthier runner. I am pleased.
Saturday I met some members of the trail club for what was billed as an "easy" 10 mile taper run around Tonw Lake. This sounded perfect for me as I am still trying not to go all out yet. Well - we took off at an 8 - 8:20 min pace. If I were not in recovery, this pace would have been fast (tempo pace) but do-able. However, my legs just did not like this - they felt like jelly - I struggled. Finally at mile 8 - I sent the group ahead so I could jog it in. I survived and it was a great workout ... While I am mostly recovered, I am clearly not back in business quite yet.
Sunday, I met a few trail runners for an inagural road bike ride on Southwest Parkway. We did a 19 mile ride full of hills. It was quite a bit of fun! I am still get used to being on a real bike instead of on a spin class bike - changing gears, clipping in and out, etc... As a friend pointed out, I am really just overthinking the gear shifting. I think with more practice, I will be able to go by feel. I would like to make this a regular Sunday event. Oh - I did fall. I was trying to clip in going up a hill - I am just not talented enough to do that yet. Anyhow, I was basically at a stop when I fell, so I got away with only a bruise on my shin - that was lucky.
Monday was circuit training with Chelsea. As far as my weight training classes go, this is one of the easier classes - however, I was struggling today and felt a bit "out of it." I am not sure if it was because I was hungry or that I am just not fully recovered yet (probably the latter). It was still nice to be back at the gym and doing weights. We will see what the rest of the week brings - Friday we leave for our backpacking trip in Colorado, so I need to be careful about pushing it too much or I am going to struggle with that pack over our 6-9 mile days.
Next Goal Race - Palo Duro Trail 50 Miler in Canyon Texas, October 17th - Registration form and check are in the mail!
This trail race was a unique, hard, and fun experience for me. My dad was there along with William and Ethan to send me off on race morning. Having family there to support me really made this event special and especially my dad who I don't get to see often enough.
It really was not cold at the start. Tahoe was having a sort of warm summer. I arrived with a long sleeve top and that was not even necessary. As soon as I got to the race site, I saw Kurt and Melissa. It was great to see friends at the start. We visited with them for a while and then headed over to line up. The race director indicated that it would be a hot day - he was right. It was in the high 80's and most of the course is in the direct sunlight. Something about the elevation and lack of humidity makes that direct sun feel like it is just burning your skin. I decided to stay in my long sleeves for sun protection.
The race director yelled "go" at 6:00am and we were off. The first 45 mins we were climbing, and it was really discouraging. I was huffing and puffing. The worst thing was that it felt like my heart was just going to beat out of my chest. I think the start was around 6,500 ft and I felt it. I knew from my experience at the Guadalupe Mountains that I needed to keep on and not get discouraged - that it would pass. Sure enough about 1 hr and 10 mins into the race, I started to feel much better - my breathing and heart rate slowed and I settled into a steady pace. The course was beautiful, but extremely dusty. My plan was to walk briskly up the inclines and take the downhills at a reasonable pace as to not blow my knees or quads out.
At about 3 hours into the race mild nausea set in. This stayed with me throughout the entire course and ranged from mild to moderate - this was my main problem in the race. I am not sure what caused this, but my best guess is the elevation as I have never had nausea during an entire race. I know I managed my nutrition well. I took a gu every hour and supplemented with various food at the aid stations - mainly potato chips to start with. Aid station volunteers suggested I have chicken broth to counter the nausea - which I did and maybe it helped a bit. The course was really beautiful but much more exposed than I had expected (little shade).
I remember around mile 20 I had a real downturn. I was on a 9.5 mile climb to the next aid station. The climb was so long and slow that it seemed that the aid station would never appear. I saw Allen on this section who was doing the 100 miler. We stopped and took a photo. He gave me some great advice which I took - he suggested washing off in the cold stream right before the aid station. Seeing a friendly face really helped me through the end of that section. The cold water was really refreshing and really helped me. After I reached the aid station at mile 26.5 - I had a burst of energy. I just powered through the next 10 miles and felt great ... that is the thing about ultras - just when you think you can't take another step you take 10,000 more.
Once I got to the 35 mile aid station, I knew the race was in the bag. However - the last section after Snow Valley Peak (7.5 miles) seemed to drag on forever. I did not have a lot of energy - the nausea really set in with an accompanying mild headache and I was ready to be done. At the next aid station I told the guy "I am having trouble making myself run." He told me "just lean forward and let gravity carry you in." That is exactly what I needed to hear!
When I rounded the corner to the final stretch I saw William and Ethan waiting for me. Ethan ran through the finish line with me, and we held hands. My dad was there snapping pictures. It was really just pure joy.
Parting Thoughts
That race was extremely challenging. The persistant nausea was a major factor in how I felt, and I was not used to the elevation and how hard it makes you work. I was also not used to all of that climbing and descending. Luckily, I was in good shape, so my legs were able to handle it. I am not sure what I think about mountain races - the scenery was beautiful, but when you are suffering the scenery becomes insignificant. So I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I would like to do the course again to see if I could improve (and Tahoe is awesome, so it would be a good excuse to get back there). On the other hand, I am anxious to compare this race experience to Palo Duro and really see what type of shape I am in.
One thing I know for sure is that I trained very, very hard and I struggled more than I had expected. I was sure this was going to be a tough race, but spectulation and experience are two different things. I had a decent race - finished 2 hrs and 40 mins ahead of the cut off, but from a physical stand point - I never really felt super. This is the longest I have ever been on my feet; I cannot even imagine doing that course twice for the 100 miler. I have learned that a mountain race is a whole different ball game (compared to a lot of the mountain races out there - this one was not even that high in terms of elevation)... this does give me pause.
Things to do again
1. Light weight long sleeves really helped with sun exposure
2. Packets of electromix in my drop bags helped me maintain hydration
3. This is a good race to carry a Camelbak - there is one 9.5 mile stretch between aid stations
4. GU every hour helped me maintain energy levels and run when others were walking
5. Next time come in a day before, do the race, and then take my vacation - it is difficult to get mentally ready for a hard effort during vacation.
6. This course is dusty; bring something to put over my mouth for the dusty sections.
7. YIPEE - NO BLISTERS OR BLACK TOENAILS!!! Thanks to body glide and gaiters over my shoes - this is my new magic formula!
- Mood: content
Tuesday, 7/7/09 - Dynamic Strength Class, 1 sweaty hour
Wednesday, 7/8/09 - Yoga, 1 hour
Thursday, 7/9/09 - Pure Pump, 1 hour
Friday, 7/10/09 - Taco Deli to Hill of Life and Back (13 miles (2hrs, 21mins)
Coming Soon: Saturday July 18th, Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Mile Endurance Run! !
Tuesday was dynamic strength with Mallory. We do lots of plyometrics in this class - I think this has had a positive impact on my running. I noticed today that I can jump farther than I used to, and I am not a good jumper. Wednesday was yoga. I am not a huge fan of the Wednesday yoga class, but it is good for stretching. Pure Pump with Chelsea on Thursday was a great class, and I did 7 old school style normal push ups. This is a big deal for me as I am pretty much an upper body weakling. Friday morning I started at the Sypglass/Taco Deli entrance to the greenbelt and whet to the top of the Hill of Life and back for about 13 miles. It was a humid, hot run; I also realized during this run that it is time to rest. I will probably do yoga on Tuesday before I leave and maybe a 4 miler just to stay loose, but that is pretty much it for me till the race. I need to let my body rebuild glycogen stores and for my muscles to rest.
One week from today!!!!!!!! Race report is next post!!
Monday, July 6th - Spin Class (45 mins) (ab work 10 mins)
"Know When to Say When" Easier said then done .... I am sure millions of addicts of all types could attest to that one (including endorphine junkies like myself).
Well I am 9 days away from getting on a plane for Lake Tahoe and 12 days away from my race. One of my first running coaches, Steve, used to tell us during this time period "the hay is in the barn." I think that is a good way of putting it. At this point in race preparation, you are either ready or you are not. Good advice - I really need to internalize this. I know I am ready, but I still have moments of doubt. For some reason, I just feel the need to keep pushing all the way up till I go to the airport. I think these workouts just help reassure me that I am ready. I also know that what I can do between now and then is get sick or injured ... so I need to be careful.
I do plan to start backing off this week. You probably would not believe that if you had seen me in spin class today (I felt good - I decided to go with it) ... but the week is not over yet :-). I have decided for one to go to yoga during lunch on Wednesday instead of spin class. I am also debating about whether or not I should do hill repeats on Tuesday in addition to my dynamic strength class.
As far as this weekend I am thinking 7 to 10 miles on Saturday - and maybe something short again on Sunday. Then I have the big sit ... nothing really too active until race day. Tapering is nice because you get to back off a bit, sleep in, act like one of those normal people who seem like all they have to do on the weekends is sit around, drink coffee, and read the paper. Sometimes I envy those people when I have to get up at 4:00 am and run for 6 to 8 hours, but a day or two of lounging usually leaves me wrestless.
Well - enough soul searching for one day - we will see what the week brings!
- Mood: thoughtful
