Winter Series IV: Black Forest (20K)

Jaclyn writes:

This race was the last of four in the PPRR Winter Series.  Every year I approach this race with the confidence that I've been training hard and am beyond prepared, and every year I am wrong.  I seem to forget how difficult the Black Forest course is.  I think it's quite literally "uphill both ways".  The course is riddled with rolling hills, and I thought my long runs in the Garden of the Gods had me more than ready.  Quite simply, I think the Garden has hills, but they are long and steady.  Comparably, the Black Forest race has more hills that are short, sometimes steady and sometimes steep.  The hills were only part of my demise.  I think the wind is what killed my spirit.

During the first four miles or so, I regretted wearing pants and thought about the possibility of removing them.  This, obviously, was not an option.  The chaffing would be unbearable.  After four miles, the exposed dirt roads allowed for the winds to stop me in my tracks.  I, soon, was grateful for the pants.  Resistance training might've improved my pace, like pushing the stroller uphill...with Duane in it.  It was tough, but every racer deals with the same conditions.  I did not PR in this race finishing at 1:55:11 and 3rd in my age division.  I honestly don't know that I could've done anything differently.  I was sick all week and was a little too physical during our all school fitness day on Friday.  I felt defeated during the final 1.5 miles today.  Realistically, I've accomplished a lot getting back to running after the baby and pulling out of the Athena division because I've lost so much weight (I've competed in the division for the past three years).  I'm happy about my accomplishment and will be celebrating with a fine bottle of wine and a steak.  We are looking forward to A Run Through Time in Salida and Canyonlands in Moab for next month.

Winter Series III (10 miles)

Jaclyn writes:

The Winter Series III race typically has the worst weather.  A couple of years ago, it was a cold and windy ice storm.  This year was quite different.  The day was a beautiful 50 degrees or so, but the trail was covered in about six inches of snow from the previous week.  The snow didn't pose much of a problem until the second half of the race, where the five mile racers turn around.  I slipped a lot and might've benefited from screw shoes.  The combination of snow and sunshine gave me a nasty little sunburn by the end of the race.

At the finish.  Picture from pprrun.org

The course is another out and back, going north, on the Santa Fe trail from Baptist Road.  I've run it a few times, but I always forget how uphill it really is going out.  It seems really flat, but the hill is enough to give a lot of slide in combination with the snow.  My race was pretty good.  I was hoping to PR, and I did at 1:28.  However, I was also hoping to run an average mile pace of 8 minutes.  I'm blaming it on the snow.  I had a solid race and it looks as if I might place in my age group this year.  The age group is pretty tight and it's hard to tell where I might fall after the next race.  Excitingly, anything is possible. 

The weather was nice enough to bring Aspen along.  Her smile is the greatest finish line after a tough race.  She can't cheer for me, but it feels like she is every time I come home after a long run.  I enjoyed doing yoga with her after my 12.7 mile training run in the Garden, today.  I held her for a few stretches, then put her in the exersaucer to watch a few stretches.  We played "peek-a-boo" yoga, as I would stretch in a pose, then glance back up to see her curiously looking back at me and giggling.  These training moments are priceless and important, including her in our active lifestyle.  I can't wait to start her swim lessons and run with her in the Bob all summer long. 

Duane writes:

The thick snow of this race posed the same problem for everyone, but since the conditions were the same for all, so were the results, namely a slower race than expected.

Picture from pprrun.org

 I came into the race exactly 26 seconds behind the 4th place runner in the overall rankings. After watching him pull away from me the past two races, I was determined to make this a tougher competition. I beat him this race and caught up 25 seconds. We go into the fourth and final race nearly dead even. The most interesting development, though, is that one of the top three runners dropped out of the series. All three of the top runners were minutes ahead of me and the 4th place guy, so it didn't look like either of us would have stood a chance to move up, but now our race will probably decide who takes 3rd in the overall. That's the thing about a series of races with a cumulative time; avoiding training injury and the fortune to be present for every race are just as important as a PR and a strong finish.  Probably, there's two guys looking at the results, one in each of our age groups (mine 35-39, his 25-29) secretly rooting for one or the other of us because if we move up into the top three, then a whole opens in the age group awards and they could move up.  That's one of the beast parts of the fall and winter series; you never give up because you never know when the standings may shift in your favor.

Winter Training - Breaking dawn, breaking trail

Breaking dawn, breaking trail in 4 inches of fresh powder is why I run. This morning I ran 14.2 miles on the Sante Fe trail. I ran north from Woodman until a little way past the Welcome to Colorado Springs sandstone sign on I-25. I saw two coyote the size of german shepherds, a herd of white tail deer and a falcon. I ran through snow flurries and moments of sunshine and more snow flurries and always, it seems, into the wind. Trudging might describe my pace since running on powder is like running through thick sand.  Still, the moments of training when the conditions are most challenging are also the most sublime.

I didn't take a camera today, but the past couple of weekends have given me some early morning stop-in-your-tracks moments. Here's a few:

Frosty Chin

 

Garden of the Gods

 

Moon setting in early morning