It has been a long time since my last post. I haven't been writing, because I have been focusing on teaching, coaching and scaling back my mileage. I raced the Fall Series with the goal of finishing in the top 3, but faster girls showed up, and I ended at 6th overall finishing 1st in my age group.
My times were slowing for a couple of reasons. I've been trying to gain fat to get pregnant. I have plenty of weight, but was at 16% body fat (DEXA scan, super accurate) with amenorrhea for a couple of years. My doctor recommended getting to 20%, which was only a few pounds but it was actually quite difficult. I know that sounds trivial, but I'm pretty sure that gaining a few pounds for me was just as challenging as any person losing a few pounds. I like to eat healthy and feel good when I am satisfied. Sure, why not eat a doughnut a day? Well, I hate doughnuts, and any food like doughnuts with a passion. You really are what you eat. And I am not a doughnut, nor do I want the molecules of one to become any part of my body.
My other reason for slowing down (though I wasn't aware at the time) was pregnancy. Being pregnant with Aspen slowed me down instantly. I noticed that I was breathing really heavy during the series and wasn't able to really compete as a racer. I thought it was the extra pounds. Before the pregnancy happened, I was put on some drug cocktail to get a cycle, again. When the cycles stopped, I took a bjillion negative pregnancy tests. A few weeks later, before scheduling a doctor appointment for amenorrhea, I took two more tests. Both were positive.
This past Monday, at my 8 week appointment, my blood work and ultrasound looked like I was really early. I did the math, and it wasn't possible. Everything was there, except for the baby. I showed up for some follow-up blood work only to hear that it wasn't viable and here are your options: wah, wah, wah, wah. I knew it wasn't viable before I walked in the door. I somehow made it through the week at work with a field trip, guest speakers, and dynamic classes. I'm not quite sure how. I have more appointments next week, because nothing is actually happening. You see, the worst part is that I have morning sickness and a symptomatic pregnancy, but I am not actually pregnant and I haven't yet miscarried. It's a constant reminder.
This might be slightly faux pas to write about and share. Most people don't talk about this stuff, but I'm just one person and this happens about 30% of the time (15% knowingly...much of the rest of the percentage is too early to recognize...though, different people will give different numbers). Many women experience this and move on. Most women move on to have happy healthy pregnancies within six months. I'm sad for this loss, and I'm sad to wait longer. But, I know that it will happen in time.
In the midst of all of this, I had already planned to run and win the Stocking Shuffle, even if I had been pregnant. The results over the last few years were misleadingly slow, because I had underestimated a few hills in the course. I can keep a solid 7 minute per mile pace (again, I've slowed a bit), and the previous overall winners finished around 22-24. Today, I finished at 22:59. It was a really small event and about half of the race was on concrete sidewalk, so I don't think I will race this one in the future. My goal, before getting pregnant, was to win a race. Well, I did it.
We will be waiting for about two or three months to get pregnant, again (doctor's orders). In that time, I plan to race the short Winter Series (haven't competed in the short before), continue to work towards my 100 Jack Quinns runs (40 to go...hopefully many of them will be during a pregnancy), and do a lot of healing and restorative yoga and reading.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
James' Peak: A solo summit
I spent a week at the Shoshoni ashram in Rollinsville, taking an excellent class on yoga for healing. Duane, Gary and Aspen spent four days camping at Kelly Dahl, while I was
studying yoga. I commuted via mountain bike for those days. When they
left on Friday, I was on my own camping on the Shoshoni property. It
was my first experience camping alone. I enjoyed my moments of quiet
and reading in my tent.
The training duration was nine days, with one day off. On my day off, I decided to hike James' Peak. I'll be honest, that I didn't really think my summit would be a reality. I figured that I would hike until something turned me around. After all, I've always relied on Duane to guide me and make the decisions when my brain gets fuzzy around 12,000 feet. While at home, I used Google Earth to map out and virtually hike the mountain. This helped a TON. Above treeline, I was able to recall land features on the ascent. It wasn't as much help below treeline, because the visibility on Google Earth wasn't as clear.
At the start of my morning, I was really alarmed by poor weather. The clouds were low, the visibility was reduced to about 80 yards, the temperature was cold, and rain or snow was falling. I was nearly ready to crawl back into my tent, when I thought to myself, "What would Duane do?" He would do exactly what I wanted to avoid, which was to start the hike.
I stopped at the kitchen to get a little zucchini bread and fruit before my trip, and I headed on my way. I figured that I would hike until I couldn't go any further. The weather was very similar to the Pikes Peak Ascent in 2008, so I assumed that it was probably pretty ugly above treeline.
When I arrived at Moffatt Tunnel, the clouds were beginning to clear and the peak had become visible. I was pretty happy that I hadn't wimped out on this journey. I began my hike pretty close to some other people, but was able to gain some distance within the first mile. I was really alone on this trail. I'm pretty sure I was the first person to hike that morning.
As I continued on my journey, I recognized the beauty and secrecy of this area in the state. The ground was green and lush with life. Very little pine beetle infestation had begun, but I'm sure it isn't far off. A few years ago, when I visited, the area was free of infestation. Now, Rollinsville appears to be doing a lot to eradicate infected trees, but it is only a matter of time that it spreads more profusely in the area. Some trees were marked, but little work was done on the trail.
Recent rains created very muddy conditions. The mud was thick and deep. I was fortunate enough to take some of it home after a few slips and sinks. The rain had also caused some flooding in the South Boulder Creek. The trail follows parallel to the creek, and flooding was evident by the muddy banks and bent grasses. I began wondering what a flash flood on the mountain might look like.
The creek is fantastic. There are a few bridge crossings, a couple of rock crossings, and one difficult tree crossing. The waterfalls along the trail were magnificent. As I approached the lakes, I witnessed the most beautiful of the falls. It cascaded over rocks in multiple directions and glistened with the now shining sun. The lakes were stunning. The water is clear and still, with the occasional, visible ripple from mountain winds, creating a glistening surface from higher elevations.
The James' Peak Wilderness Area has an amazing diversity of wildlife. Maybe many mountains that I have climbed do, but I've been too busy talking during the hike. I noticed about five different species of mushrooms, dozens of moth species, and the usual peppering of Colorado wildflowers. I did not encounter any four legged friends, except for the pika and marmots. At the lakes, I encountered quite a few other people that had backpacked into the area on the previous day.
After hiking a few steep switchbacks to the ridge line, I became a little confused about the trail. I also struggled to decide which peak was actually James' Peak. I recalled my virtual hike via Google Earth and redirected myself to the correct route after a short diversion. The ridge appears rocky and dangerous, but the trail drops below the ridge line. As I rounded the ridge, I saw a sharper peak in the distance and thought it might be James'. It was quite a distance out, making me a little nervous. I decided to trust the journey and follow along wholeheartedly, letting the end result unfold as it would. I was on a trail, and it had to end somewhere.
It turned out that the peak directly in front of me was James'. As I followed the last bit of switchbacks, I realized that my brain was becoming fuzzy and airy. I took a few pauses along the way to clear my head and make sure that I was following the correct route. Just below the summit, at a large boulder field, I spied the last cairn. I assumed that the last of my hike must climb the boulder field. I looked around to double check, but couldn't see the trail off to my left. Again, my brain was becoming fuzzy. I began climbing with all fours up the boulder field, realizing that this was one of the toughest that I've had to traverse on a mountain, I knew there had to be an easier way.
I was relieved to finally reach the top. Duane figured it was about 4 miles and would take me 3.5 hours. According to my Garmin, it was 6.6 miles and took 3 hours and 20 minutes. I was happy to have a little battery power left in my camera to get some "first solo ascent" shots. I was also fortunate to enjoy the summit alone for awhile. After soaking in the beauty, enjoying a snack, and taking a few more pictures, I began my descent. I quickly found the trail I had missed on the way up.
I realized quite a few things along this hike, but the most valuable was remembering myself. As we begin to plan having another baby, this was a valuable time for me to reconnect with myself and remember that I am more than just a mom. Don't get me wrong. Being a mom is awesome, amazing, inspiring, and valuable. But, it's nice to remember that I am a person, capable of so much, and full of wonder, curiosity and adventure. Sometimes it is nice to take some time and be alone. It can be a fruitful moment to remember the mystery of the self and appreciate the richness of human bonds.
We are so lucky to have such beauty surrounding us in Colorado. On my descent, I recognized many roles: a father and sons camping at the lakes; the father teaching his children how to fish, a family of three generations exploring beauty, a botany class classifying various plants, a young couple gossiping about young things, friends lost and reading a map. The protected lands are beyond discernible value. They shelter so much beauty in geology and pulse with the heart of our great rivers. They nourish diversity, curiosity and wonder. They provide the grounds where we discover ourselves and develop lasting, deep bonds with our family. We are lucky to have them protected, and it is vital that we continue that legacy.
The training duration was nine days, with one day off. On my day off, I decided to hike James' Peak. I'll be honest, that I didn't really think my summit would be a reality. I figured that I would hike until something turned me around. After all, I've always relied on Duane to guide me and make the decisions when my brain gets fuzzy around 12,000 feet. While at home, I used Google Earth to map out and virtually hike the mountain. This helped a TON. Above treeline, I was able to recall land features on the ascent. It wasn't as much help below treeline, because the visibility on Google Earth wasn't as clear.
 |
| Google Earth snapshot showing Rollinsville, Moffat Tunnel start and James' Peak. Roundtrip = 13.2 miles |
 |
| Google Earth image of James' Peak from the ridge line. |
I stopped at the kitchen to get a little zucchini bread and fruit before my trip, and I headed on my way. I figured that I would hike until I couldn't go any further. The weather was very similar to the Pikes Peak Ascent in 2008, so I assumed that it was probably pretty ugly above treeline.
When I arrived at Moffatt Tunnel, the clouds were beginning to clear and the peak had become visible. I was pretty happy that I hadn't wimped out on this journey. I began my hike pretty close to some other people, but was able to gain some distance within the first mile. I was really alone on this trail. I'm pretty sure I was the first person to hike that morning.
As I continued on my journey, I recognized the beauty and secrecy of this area in the state. The ground was green and lush with life. Very little pine beetle infestation had begun, but I'm sure it isn't far off. A few years ago, when I visited, the area was free of infestation. Now, Rollinsville appears to be doing a lot to eradicate infected trees, but it is only a matter of time that it spreads more profusely in the area. Some trees were marked, but little work was done on the trail.
Recent rains created very muddy conditions. The mud was thick and deep. I was fortunate enough to take some of it home after a few slips and sinks. The rain had also caused some flooding in the South Boulder Creek. The trail follows parallel to the creek, and flooding was evident by the muddy banks and bent grasses. I began wondering what a flash flood on the mountain might look like.
The creek is fantastic. There are a few bridge crossings, a couple of rock crossings, and one difficult tree crossing. The waterfalls along the trail were magnificent. As I approached the lakes, I witnessed the most beautiful of the falls. It cascaded over rocks in multiple directions and glistened with the now shining sun. The lakes were stunning. The water is clear and still, with the occasional, visible ripple from mountain winds, creating a glistening surface from higher elevations.
The James' Peak Wilderness Area has an amazing diversity of wildlife. Maybe many mountains that I have climbed do, but I've been too busy talking during the hike. I noticed about five different species of mushrooms, dozens of moth species, and the usual peppering of Colorado wildflowers. I did not encounter any four legged friends, except for the pika and marmots. At the lakes, I encountered quite a few other people that had backpacked into the area on the previous day.
After hiking a few steep switchbacks to the ridge line, I became a little confused about the trail. I also struggled to decide which peak was actually James' Peak. I recalled my virtual hike via Google Earth and redirected myself to the correct route after a short diversion. The ridge appears rocky and dangerous, but the trail drops below the ridge line. As I rounded the ridge, I saw a sharper peak in the distance and thought it might be James'. It was quite a distance out, making me a little nervous. I decided to trust the journey and follow along wholeheartedly, letting the end result unfold as it would. I was on a trail, and it had to end somewhere.
It turned out that the peak directly in front of me was James'. As I followed the last bit of switchbacks, I realized that my brain was becoming fuzzy and airy. I took a few pauses along the way to clear my head and make sure that I was following the correct route. Just below the summit, at a large boulder field, I spied the last cairn. I assumed that the last of my hike must climb the boulder field. I looked around to double check, but couldn't see the trail off to my left. Again, my brain was becoming fuzzy. I began climbing with all fours up the boulder field, realizing that this was one of the toughest that I've had to traverse on a mountain, I knew there had to be an easier way.
I was relieved to finally reach the top. Duane figured it was about 4 miles and would take me 3.5 hours. According to my Garmin, it was 6.6 miles and took 3 hours and 20 minutes. I was happy to have a little battery power left in my camera to get some "first solo ascent" shots. I was also fortunate to enjoy the summit alone for awhile. After soaking in the beauty, enjoying a snack, and taking a few more pictures, I began my descent. I quickly found the trail I had missed on the way up.
I realized quite a few things along this hike, but the most valuable was remembering myself. As we begin to plan having another baby, this was a valuable time for me to reconnect with myself and remember that I am more than just a mom. Don't get me wrong. Being a mom is awesome, amazing, inspiring, and valuable. But, it's nice to remember that I am a person, capable of so much, and full of wonder, curiosity and adventure. Sometimes it is nice to take some time and be alone. It can be a fruitful moment to remember the mystery of the self and appreciate the richness of human bonds.
We are so lucky to have such beauty surrounding us in Colorado. On my descent, I recognized many roles: a father and sons camping at the lakes; the father teaching his children how to fish, a family of three generations exploring beauty, a botany class classifying various plants, a young couple gossiping about young things, friends lost and reading a map. The protected lands are beyond discernible value. They shelter so much beauty in geology and pulse with the heart of our great rivers. They nourish diversity, curiosity and wonder. They provide the grounds where we discover ourselves and develop lasting, deep bonds with our family. We are lucky to have them protected, and it is vital that we continue that legacy.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
All Things Geek: A solar oven experiment
The garden is going strong right now, and I decided to bake some
rhubarb bread. Our meals tend to revolve around rhubarb and squash all
summer, so I thought I would change it up a bit and bake my regular
rhubarb bread in a solar oven. Conveniently, I had one lying around.
I used the Cook-it from Solar Cookers International. It's a panel cooker that folds up small from a company that promotes solar cooking in Kenya to decrease issues associated with deforestation and personal safety. The black pan helps to absorb heat. It's cover and oven safe bag help to retain heat. And, obviously, the reflective surface helps to collect and condense sunlight.
I cut some rhubarb, mixed my usual recipe, and set the cooker out for the day. The cooker was set at 9:20 a.m. I chose to put it on top of our popup camper to decreases any possible issues with shading. It was a really sunny and hot day with a high of 88 degrees.
I checked on the bread around 2:30 p.m., but the center appeared to be pretty moist, so I returned the cooker to its place. Around 4:30 p.m., the clouds began to roll in and my experiment had to end. The outside of the bread was thoroughly cooked, but the center still needed some work. With 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, the bread was cooked.
I have two general observations. First of all, the bread itself still appears doughy, even though the toothpick came out clean and it appears to be cooked. I am thinking that the baking soda is the issue. I am guessing that the bread couldn't rise properly because it cooked at a low heat for a long time. I probably should include an oven thermometer, next time. I might also research some slow cooker bad recipes. Secondly, the bread has a strange sweet smell. It is a sweet bread, but the sugar smell is really pungent and a little irritating. The flavor is different, too. The sugar taste is almost stale. I have successfully cooked many chocolate chip cookies, but this bread is nauseating. I am glad that I didn't try making my coconut sweet bread or walnut maple syrup bread, because rhubarb is cheap and plentiful.
I used the Cook-it from Solar Cookers International. It's a panel cooker that folds up small from a company that promotes solar cooking in Kenya to decrease issues associated with deforestation and personal safety. The black pan helps to absorb heat. It's cover and oven safe bag help to retain heat. And, obviously, the reflective surface helps to collect and condense sunlight.
I cut some rhubarb, mixed my usual recipe, and set the cooker out for the day. The cooker was set at 9:20 a.m. I chose to put it on top of our popup camper to decreases any possible issues with shading. It was a really sunny and hot day with a high of 88 degrees.
I checked on the bread around 2:30 p.m., but the center appeared to be pretty moist, so I returned the cooker to its place. Around 4:30 p.m., the clouds began to roll in and my experiment had to end. The outside of the bread was thoroughly cooked, but the center still needed some work. With 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, the bread was cooked.
I have two general observations. First of all, the bread itself still appears doughy, even though the toothpick came out clean and it appears to be cooked. I am thinking that the baking soda is the issue. I am guessing that the bread couldn't rise properly because it cooked at a low heat for a long time. I probably should include an oven thermometer, next time. I might also research some slow cooker bad recipes. Secondly, the bread has a strange sweet smell. It is a sweet bread, but the sugar smell is really pungent and a little irritating. The flavor is different, too. The sugar taste is almost stale. I have successfully cooked many chocolate chip cookies, but this bread is nauseating. I am glad that I didn't try making my coconut sweet bread or walnut maple syrup bread, because rhubarb is cheap and plentiful.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
ER and Franti and Bears, Oh My!
We had planned to leave town for the Taos Solar Music Festival when the Waldo Canyon Fire was blazing in the Springs. We decided to go on with our journey, since there wasn't really anything that we could do, besides moving important stuff out of the house. With that complete, we headed to New Mexico for a bit of camping and music with Aspen, our camper, and a bunch of diapers in tow.
Camping with a 2 year old is a great way to introduce Aspen to a life as an outdoor steward of the environment. She'll learn a deep appreciation for a variety of ecosystems and learn about the diversity of western wildlife, right? Eh, she'll more likely skip meals and naps, endo backwards off a picnic table after countless other falls and shovel a lot of dirt. I did good bringing a box of cute band aids, knowing that she'd fall a million times. Band aids seem to make every boo boo better.
The three hour drive was mostly fantastic, because we bought a minivan. Not just a minivan, mind you, but a minivan with a tow package for our popup camper and rooftop racks for our bikes. The best part, however, is the backseat DVD player complete with Bluetooth headphones so that Aspen can watch Winni the Pooh a million times while we listen to various podcasts and tunes. The only moment of discontent was during my effort to replace Pooh with another kids movie. Shame on me. Apparently, Pooh gets better every time.
Aspen didn't nap today, which made us feel like we were just killing time until we got a break with bedtime. She didn't eat, either, making her a complete joy to be around. I'm kidding, really, because we did have some fun around camp. She took some time playing by the lake, using a stick to pretend fish. Casting the stick back and forth, she shouted, "Fish! Fish!". She was terribly disturbed when I stopped doing the same.
We also took a hike around the lake. She's quite the little hiker, because Duane has been taking her since she's been able to walk. It was difficult to get her going, since she was so enthralled with fishing, but Duane convinced her that we were looking for a moose. She'll be looking for a moose on every hike for the next two weeks, now.
Getting her to sleep is getting easier every time. We have a camper that allows us to have a few beds. On our first night in the camper, sleeping in the driveway, we all tried to sleep in the same bed. This was a major fail. We put her to sleep, watched a movie on our iPad, and tried to discreetly creep into bed when the movie was finished. She had been out, completely dead asleep, before we went to bed. With the three of us, it became a party of prying eyes, patting bellies and petting hair, with a constant chorus of "Momma? Momma?". After a couple hours, I gave up and brought her into the house.
We tried again a few nights later, with complete success. We put her down in the other bed, with dividers drawn and our own quiet game of iPad backgammon. She woke up with a few hours of sleep left in the night, and I climbed in with her. A couple of nights later, we did the same before my triathlon and she and Duane slept in until 8. She fell asleep easily on the first night of camping with a little fussing, leaving some much deserved mommy and daddy camp chair wine and reading/writing time.
Aspen began stirring at 630 a.m and I made the mistake of crawling into bed with her, waking her up completely and telling me, "Shhh, moose!". We started the morning with a warm breakfast and headed out for a long hike. We chose a trail that claimed to have waterfalls and ample wildlife viewing opportunities. The trails in Cimmaron State Park are poorly marked, lacking any information about destination and distance. The hike began with a pretty beautiful log feature that we debated as to whether it was nature or man made. I think we settled on both. We continued with a couple of fun bridge crossings, and Aspen made her way through the trail confidently searching for a moose. We began hearing some loud rustling just off of the trail, and assumed that a hiker was finding a spot to pee. It isn't uncommon for Duane and I to out hike people, though it is strange with Aspen out of the pack. Duane and I discussed the noise as I continued on behind him, awaiting to see the brightly colored gear of a hiker. After a few steps, Duane confirmed that it was a bear. I scooped up Aspen, as he decided to stay and take some pictures. I rushed off and waited for him with Aspen in my arms. Duane returned, after taking a few decent shots and scarring the bear up a ridge. As we began hiking out, we encountered a group with a dog that decided to continue their hike. We decided to follow a ways after them with Aspen in the pack. We approached the original site and tried to look at what the bear was feeding upon, but heard some noise off to our right. Sure enough, the bear was hiding in some grass off of the trail. We backed up, sang songs, and gave up on the waterfall hike.
After that, we found another trail that summited Blackjack Peak. We tried summiting, but the trail was poorly marked and less travelled. The area was evidently affected by wildfire years ago, and the trails were rather washed out. We settled on turning around at a grassy field below the summit.
The remainder of our day centered on wrangling a two year old to sleep, which failed at nap time, but was finally a success at 830 pm. Also, a couple of downloaded movies on the iPad are essential for some downtime in the camper. I love Barney.
We left camp for Taos on Saturday morning. Packing up camp was a two person job, one on the trailer and one on the baby. Once we were ready for the road, we popped in a DVD and ventured on our way. The drive between Cimmaron and Taos is beautiful. We wouldn't visit the same camping area, again, because it's great if you want to drink, party and fish...but not if you enjoy quiet time with scenic hikes. There was a ton of traffic through our site by adults and kids, alike.
In Taos, we had a few errands to run before heading to the music festival. After the errands, Aspen ended up falling asleep, and we were stoked. We delayed going to the concert to sit in a parking lot, pack our concert bags and gloat about nap time. Duane assumed that she was zonked, and tried to grab a few things from below her seat. This, of course, woke the sleeping dragon, so we drove to our favorite lunch spot where Aspen finally ate something. Afterwords, we headed to the festival, where we ran around with Aspen for awhile, then walked back to the hotel to check in, swim, and nap. We didn't have any luck on the napping portion. Back at the festival, she had a lot of ups and downs, so we returned early. We didn't see or miss any musicians that we were excited about today. Hopefully she behaves tomorrow for Franti.
Our second day of the festival was more successful. We roamed Taos in the early morning hours with Aspen in my Boba carrier, stopping for a juice along the way at a local coffee shop. We swam for a bit, but having gotten sunscreen in her eyes, Aspen wasn't much fun in the pool. It tired her out, nonetheless, so that she fell asleep in the carrier on the way to the concert. Luckily her ear plugs were already in place, because she slept through the first thirty minutes.
Upon waking, we shared some lunch, played with the "water tree", danced, and kicked around a beach ball. This wore her out enough to fall asleep in the hotel room for an afternoon nap. After the nap, we walked to Eske's for a smothered burrito and local brew, then schlepped over to the concert. Matt Kearney was excellent. Aspen enjoyed dancing, playing and eating ice cream. She became a little restless before Franti, but I was able to put her in the Boba and dance the night away with her in my arms and Duane at my side.
We all slept in this morning. I woke up the earliest and enjoyed a bit of Mockingjay. Once everyone woke, we headed to breakfast and enjoyed a swim, before driving to the sand dunes. The dunes are awesome. There is no river, which wasn't much of a surprise with this drought, but Duane dug a hole and I built a sand castle, and Aspen found little jobs in both creations. I told Aspen that daddy was digging to China. If you still ask her, "Aspen, where is daddy digging to?". She'll exclaim, "China!"
The camping here is much better for us, because you can hike into the Dunes and do a ton of other hikes straight from the campsite. The site is covered in red ants (encouraging us to get out and hike), and it has a lot of warnings about an active bear in the area. Each site is equipped with its own bear box for food, and the dumpsters are across the park, but with any luck, the bear will bug the yahoos down the hill and leave us alone.
This evening, we left for a quick pre-dinner hike into the Dunes. Aspen wanted to climb to the top. That is a pretty long hike for a 2 year old, and we had only planned on something short, because it was dinner and we hadn't brought water. We told her that we would hike to the top of the first big hill. I ran up, as her and Duane crawled. Once she saw me, she ran to me with opened arms. I'm so proud of her hiking abilities. We watched Duane roll down the steep side of the dune, a move he soon regretted, having lost the brain cells left in his head in the process. When we decided that it was time to leave, Aspen became upset pointing and shouting, "top, top!". She wasn't quite finished, and began running up the dunes. I chased her, grabbed her arm, and swept her up to head back to camp. She was unusually upset and grabbing her arm, when I realized that something wasn't right. I gave it some time, but she kept exclaiming, "boo boo!". She cried the whole way back, completely out of character even if she is tired. So, at camp, I asked her to give me a high five, put her hand in mine, put her arms up high and so on. She refused, so I began my inspection. Both arms are the same length, but I palpated and this caused her a lot of pain. I was sure it was nurse maids elbow, and couldn't for the life of me remember how to reset it. We headed in to Alamosa, because what is a vacation without an emergency room visit? The doctor set it in a second, and I'm sure we'll need to get a bank loan to pay for all of the excitement. It was a relief to see her pain subside so easily, as she exclaimed, "fixed it!". That has to feel good as a doctor. The adventure was a great excuse to visit the San Luis Brewery for dinner and an IPA. The food wasnt worth the price, but the beer was a nice end to the evening. It was good to be back at camp to view the stars and full moon shining upon the monstrous Dunes.
We had planned to hike on the next morning, then pack up camp. Aspen, however, was not willing to hike and threw a major fit within the first 20 yards of the trail. We decided to pack up early and head back. She was really tired and fell asleep immediately in the van. We drove straight for the Gator Farm in Alamosa, which was awesome. She enjoyed holding a gator, petting a tortoise, and seeing a variety of strange animals that people once thought would make great pets. Clearly, they were incorrect.
After the Gator Farm, we hit up some hot springs and headed back for Colorado Springs. All in all, the trip was excellent, but I wouldn't consider traveling with a two year old much of a "vacation" at all. We all had some amazing learning experiences, and I'm sure our week at Shoshoni will be just as fun.
Camping with a 2 year old is a great way to introduce Aspen to a life as an outdoor steward of the environment. She'll learn a deep appreciation for a variety of ecosystems and learn about the diversity of western wildlife, right? Eh, she'll more likely skip meals and naps, endo backwards off a picnic table after countless other falls and shovel a lot of dirt. I did good bringing a box of cute band aids, knowing that she'd fall a million times. Band aids seem to make every boo boo better.
The three hour drive was mostly fantastic, because we bought a minivan. Not just a minivan, mind you, but a minivan with a tow package for our popup camper and rooftop racks for our bikes. The best part, however, is the backseat DVD player complete with Bluetooth headphones so that Aspen can watch Winni the Pooh a million times while we listen to various podcasts and tunes. The only moment of discontent was during my effort to replace Pooh with another kids movie. Shame on me. Apparently, Pooh gets better every time.
Aspen didn't nap today, which made us feel like we were just killing time until we got a break with bedtime. She didn't eat, either, making her a complete joy to be around. I'm kidding, really, because we did have some fun around camp. She took some time playing by the lake, using a stick to pretend fish. Casting the stick back and forth, she shouted, "Fish! Fish!". She was terribly disturbed when I stopped doing the same.
We also took a hike around the lake. She's quite the little hiker, because Duane has been taking her since she's been able to walk. It was difficult to get her going, since she was so enthralled with fishing, but Duane convinced her that we were looking for a moose. She'll be looking for a moose on every hike for the next two weeks, now.
Getting her to sleep is getting easier every time. We have a camper that allows us to have a few beds. On our first night in the camper, sleeping in the driveway, we all tried to sleep in the same bed. This was a major fail. We put her to sleep, watched a movie on our iPad, and tried to discreetly creep into bed when the movie was finished. She had been out, completely dead asleep, before we went to bed. With the three of us, it became a party of prying eyes, patting bellies and petting hair, with a constant chorus of "Momma? Momma?". After a couple hours, I gave up and brought her into the house.
We tried again a few nights later, with complete success. We put her down in the other bed, with dividers drawn and our own quiet game of iPad backgammon. She woke up with a few hours of sleep left in the night, and I climbed in with her. A couple of nights later, we did the same before my triathlon and she and Duane slept in until 8. She fell asleep easily on the first night of camping with a little fussing, leaving some much deserved mommy and daddy camp chair wine and reading/writing time.
Aspen began stirring at 630 a.m and I made the mistake of crawling into bed with her, waking her up completely and telling me, "Shhh, moose!". We started the morning with a warm breakfast and headed out for a long hike. We chose a trail that claimed to have waterfalls and ample wildlife viewing opportunities. The trails in Cimmaron State Park are poorly marked, lacking any information about destination and distance. The hike began with a pretty beautiful log feature that we debated as to whether it was nature or man made. I think we settled on both. We continued with a couple of fun bridge crossings, and Aspen made her way through the trail confidently searching for a moose. We began hearing some loud rustling just off of the trail, and assumed that a hiker was finding a spot to pee. It isn't uncommon for Duane and I to out hike people, though it is strange with Aspen out of the pack. Duane and I discussed the noise as I continued on behind him, awaiting to see the brightly colored gear of a hiker. After a few steps, Duane confirmed that it was a bear. I scooped up Aspen, as he decided to stay and take some pictures. I rushed off and waited for him with Aspen in my arms. Duane returned, after taking a few decent shots and scarring the bear up a ridge. As we began hiking out, we encountered a group with a dog that decided to continue their hike. We decided to follow a ways after them with Aspen in the pack. We approached the original site and tried to look at what the bear was feeding upon, but heard some noise off to our right. Sure enough, the bear was hiding in some grass off of the trail. We backed up, sang songs, and gave up on the waterfall hike.
After that, we found another trail that summited Blackjack Peak. We tried summiting, but the trail was poorly marked and less travelled. The area was evidently affected by wildfire years ago, and the trails were rather washed out. We settled on turning around at a grassy field below the summit.
The remainder of our day centered on wrangling a two year old to sleep, which failed at nap time, but was finally a success at 830 pm. Also, a couple of downloaded movies on the iPad are essential for some downtime in the camper. I love Barney.
We left camp for Taos on Saturday morning. Packing up camp was a two person job, one on the trailer and one on the baby. Once we were ready for the road, we popped in a DVD and ventured on our way. The drive between Cimmaron and Taos is beautiful. We wouldn't visit the same camping area, again, because it's great if you want to drink, party and fish...but not if you enjoy quiet time with scenic hikes. There was a ton of traffic through our site by adults and kids, alike.
In Taos, we had a few errands to run before heading to the music festival. After the errands, Aspen ended up falling asleep, and we were stoked. We delayed going to the concert to sit in a parking lot, pack our concert bags and gloat about nap time. Duane assumed that she was zonked, and tried to grab a few things from below her seat. This, of course, woke the sleeping dragon, so we drove to our favorite lunch spot where Aspen finally ate something. Afterwords, we headed to the festival, where we ran around with Aspen for awhile, then walked back to the hotel to check in, swim, and nap. We didn't have any luck on the napping portion. Back at the festival, she had a lot of ups and downs, so we returned early. We didn't see or miss any musicians that we were excited about today. Hopefully she behaves tomorrow for Franti.
Our second day of the festival was more successful. We roamed Taos in the early morning hours with Aspen in my Boba carrier, stopping for a juice along the way at a local coffee shop. We swam for a bit, but having gotten sunscreen in her eyes, Aspen wasn't much fun in the pool. It tired her out, nonetheless, so that she fell asleep in the carrier on the way to the concert. Luckily her ear plugs were already in place, because she slept through the first thirty minutes.
Upon waking, we shared some lunch, played with the "water tree", danced, and kicked around a beach ball. This wore her out enough to fall asleep in the hotel room for an afternoon nap. After the nap, we walked to Eske's for a smothered burrito and local brew, then schlepped over to the concert. Matt Kearney was excellent. Aspen enjoyed dancing, playing and eating ice cream. She became a little restless before Franti, but I was able to put her in the Boba and dance the night away with her in my arms and Duane at my side.
We all slept in this morning. I woke up the earliest and enjoyed a bit of Mockingjay. Once everyone woke, we headed to breakfast and enjoyed a swim, before driving to the sand dunes. The dunes are awesome. There is no river, which wasn't much of a surprise with this drought, but Duane dug a hole and I built a sand castle, and Aspen found little jobs in both creations. I told Aspen that daddy was digging to China. If you still ask her, "Aspen, where is daddy digging to?". She'll exclaim, "China!"
The camping here is much better for us, because you can hike into the Dunes and do a ton of other hikes straight from the campsite. The site is covered in red ants (encouraging us to get out and hike), and it has a lot of warnings about an active bear in the area. Each site is equipped with its own bear box for food, and the dumpsters are across the park, but with any luck, the bear will bug the yahoos down the hill and leave us alone.
We had planned to hike on the next morning, then pack up camp. Aspen, however, was not willing to hike and threw a major fit within the first 20 yards of the trail. We decided to pack up early and head back. She was really tired and fell asleep immediately in the van. We drove straight for the Gator Farm in Alamosa, which was awesome. She enjoyed holding a gator, petting a tortoise, and seeing a variety of strange animals that people once thought would make great pets. Clearly, they were incorrect.
After the Gator Farm, we hit up some hot springs and headed back for Colorado Springs. All in all, the trip was excellent, but I wouldn't consider traveling with a two year old much of a "vacation" at all. We all had some amazing learning experiences, and I'm sure our week at Shoshoni will be just as fun.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon...and the space in between
I haven't updated this blog in awhile for many reasons, but mostly because coaching track stole a lot of my free time. I didn't really race during the spring, and used most of my time to train for Lake to Lake. I competed in a few short events after placing 2nd in the long Winter Series. I ran the Take 5 in the Garden, finishing 7th, 4 for Mom finishing 2nd and Sailin' Shoes finishing 11th. I was hoping to break 20 minutes during Sailin' Shoes, but I truthfully hadn't worked on my speed enough, being that my focus was finishing Lake to Lake. I finished in 21:12, rather disappointing considering I thought breaking 21 was a given.
For the summer, I've decided to focus on getting fast. I'd really like to break 20 minutes in a 5k, even though that goal makes me feel overwhelmed because it means a lot of hot track workouts...which are mostly painful and frustrating. In addition to working on speed, I'm going to slow down with a stronger yoga practice and end the summer with a stay at Shoshoni.
I felt really prepared for Lake to Lake this year. Having many multisport days, I would swim in the early a.m. and immediately take off on a distance ride or run. I also had a long ride day followed by a 5 mile run about three times before the event. My longest day was a 30 mile ride on the USAFA and a 5 mile flat run two weeks before the event. One week before the event, I mostly practiced yoga and had a short swim, ride and run all on separate days.
I completed the same triathlon, last year, finishing in about 3:10 and somewhere over the 100th female. I loved the bike course, that wound around Horsetooth Reservoir for a grueling climb and speedy downhill. The course was completely different this year, because of the High Park Fire, but the ride was still beautiful. The ride was reduced to 24 miles, while the run was reduced (because of construction) to 5.1 miles. I finished the race in 2:23:58. A significant amount of the time difference is because of the shorter course, but I think I also made a great improvement athletically, which is evident from comparing my paces and places. I swam the 1500 m. in 35:17 compared to 38:54 a year ago. This was the greatest surprise and biggest focus of the year...now if I could just get below 30 minutes. My ride was 18 mph last year, and improved to 21 mph this year. I'm attributing this to Velma (my bike). Finally, I ran a 7:19 pace this year and a 7:42 pace last year. Overall, I finished 45th, which is a significant improvement.
Before the race, I thought to myself, "I love being a triathlete, but I hate triathlons." I really like to swim, bike and run in any combination at any time of day, but waking up on a cold morning to endlessly swim in a lake towards buoys that I can't even see in the glare of the rising sun makes my nerves tingle. I felt great immediately after the race (especially after running straight for the lake to cool off). I even considered competing, again, this summer. Truthfully, I would if someone would pay my entry fee :) I still feel great and never felt sore or tired from the event, which is alarming. I think I could have pushed harder on the bike course, while still maintaining my pace for the run. I was mostly riding within my comfort zone during the ride, and being that my swim was so slow, I was trying to pass without being overly aggressive.
I won't compete in a triathlon, again, this season, and I'm hoping to be pregnant for next season. I'll continue being a multisport athlete, but I will be sticking to running races for the upcoming year.
For the summer, I've decided to focus on getting fast. I'd really like to break 20 minutes in a 5k, even though that goal makes me feel overwhelmed because it means a lot of hot track workouts...which are mostly painful and frustrating. In addition to working on speed, I'm going to slow down with a stronger yoga practice and end the summer with a stay at Shoshoni.
I felt really prepared for Lake to Lake this year. Having many multisport days, I would swim in the early a.m. and immediately take off on a distance ride or run. I also had a long ride day followed by a 5 mile run about three times before the event. My longest day was a 30 mile ride on the USAFA and a 5 mile flat run two weeks before the event. One week before the event, I mostly practiced yoga and had a short swim, ride and run all on separate days.
I completed the same triathlon, last year, finishing in about 3:10 and somewhere over the 100th female. I loved the bike course, that wound around Horsetooth Reservoir for a grueling climb and speedy downhill. The course was completely different this year, because of the High Park Fire, but the ride was still beautiful. The ride was reduced to 24 miles, while the run was reduced (because of construction) to 5.1 miles. I finished the race in 2:23:58. A significant amount of the time difference is because of the shorter course, but I think I also made a great improvement athletically, which is evident from comparing my paces and places. I swam the 1500 m. in 35:17 compared to 38:54 a year ago. This was the greatest surprise and biggest focus of the year...now if I could just get below 30 minutes. My ride was 18 mph last year, and improved to 21 mph this year. I'm attributing this to Velma (my bike). Finally, I ran a 7:19 pace this year and a 7:42 pace last year. Overall, I finished 45th, which is a significant improvement.
Before the race, I thought to myself, "I love being a triathlete, but I hate triathlons." I really like to swim, bike and run in any combination at any time of day, but waking up on a cold morning to endlessly swim in a lake towards buoys that I can't even see in the glare of the rising sun makes my nerves tingle. I felt great immediately after the race (especially after running straight for the lake to cool off). I even considered competing, again, this summer. Truthfully, I would if someone would pay my entry fee :) I still feel great and never felt sore or tired from the event, which is alarming. I think I could have pushed harder on the bike course, while still maintaining my pace for the run. I was mostly riding within my comfort zone during the ride, and being that my swim was so slow, I was trying to pass without being overly aggressive.
I won't compete in a triathlon, again, this season, and I'm hoping to be pregnant for next season. I'll continue being a multisport athlete, but I will be sticking to running races for the upcoming year.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Winter Series III (shoulda been 10, weather made it 5)
I was SO ready for 10 grueling miles. In truth, the weather wasn't too bad at the house. When I set off for Baptist Road, I wasn't prepared for quite as much cold, snow and wind. I wore 30 degree running clothes in 10 degree weather, with a 0 degree wind chill. Sitting in my car with the heat cranked to 90 and the seat warmer full blast, I thought to myself, "We're all freakin' crazy."
On my walk to get my bib, I regretted leaving my warmer running jacket at home, but tried hard to convince myself that it wouldn't feel so bad after my warm up. Frozen fingers pinned my bib to my shirt, as I hopped in line for the restroom. A few times, I wondered if anyone would notice if I hid from the wind in the porta-potty, but I decided to take a jog, instead. I ran north, and after 0.5 miles, I could feel the cold peeling away from my body. Then, I turned around. The wind was brutal. I couldn't see or breathe, but fought to run. Upon my return to the start, a volunteer looked at my face with fright. "I hope you brought a face mask," he stated while peeling ice off of my face. I almost hadn't brought a jacket. I most certainly didn't have a face mask.
A few moments later, a friend mentioned that the race was reduced from 10 miles to 5 miles. I guess Search and Rescue encouraged the change. A weight lifted off my shoulders. Five miles was easy. On a normal day, so is ten. Today, not so much.
I raced pretty hard and finished in 3rd place with 38:01. This is definitely a 5 mile PR, though I don't think I've ever raced 5 miles before. I'm now a solid second, overall, in the series. I'll never catch first, but I've never seen second, so I'm feeling pretty accomplished. First place is out of my league. Over three races, she is ten minutes faster.
This has me questioning the difference between those runners and the rest of us. Part of it is mass. I didn't have the body of a dancer as a kid, and I don't have the body of a runner as an adult. But a big chunk of it is discipline. I'm a pretty disciplined athlete. I wake up at 4:15 a.m. to swim or spin, and I typically end the day with running, riding or yoga. (I do have rest days worked in) The difference is that my workouts aren't focused. I have incorporated some speed work on a treadmill, which I moved to the track this week (motivated by these thoughts). But, most of the time, I'm just out there. Today, my run didn't have a destination, focus or plan. I just hit the trail and started running. I'm not sure that I'm ready for a change.
On my walk to get my bib, I regretted leaving my warmer running jacket at home, but tried hard to convince myself that it wouldn't feel so bad after my warm up. Frozen fingers pinned my bib to my shirt, as I hopped in line for the restroom. A few times, I wondered if anyone would notice if I hid from the wind in the porta-potty, but I decided to take a jog, instead. I ran north, and after 0.5 miles, I could feel the cold peeling away from my body. Then, I turned around. The wind was brutal. I couldn't see or breathe, but fought to run. Upon my return to the start, a volunteer looked at my face with fright. "I hope you brought a face mask," he stated while peeling ice off of my face. I almost hadn't brought a jacket. I most certainly didn't have a face mask.
A few moments later, a friend mentioned that the race was reduced from 10 miles to 5 miles. I guess Search and Rescue encouraged the change. A weight lifted off my shoulders. Five miles was easy. On a normal day, so is ten. Today, not so much.
I raced pretty hard and finished in 3rd place with 38:01. This is definitely a 5 mile PR, though I don't think I've ever raced 5 miles before. I'm now a solid second, overall, in the series. I'll never catch first, but I've never seen second, so I'm feeling pretty accomplished. First place is out of my league. Over three races, she is ten minutes faster.
This has me questioning the difference between those runners and the rest of us. Part of it is mass. I didn't have the body of a dancer as a kid, and I don't have the body of a runner as an adult. But a big chunk of it is discipline. I'm a pretty disciplined athlete. I wake up at 4:15 a.m. to swim or spin, and I typically end the day with running, riding or yoga. (I do have rest days worked in) The difference is that my workouts aren't focused. I have incorporated some speed work on a treadmill, which I moved to the track this week (motivated by these thoughts). But, most of the time, I'm just out there. Today, my run didn't have a destination, focus or plan. I just hit the trail and started running. I'm not sure that I'm ready for a change.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Winter Series II (8 mi)
My goal for today's race was to beat 1:00:34, my 6.5 mile time on the first race of the series. The first race is mostly grueling trail, but today's race is flat, slightly uphill on the way out and slightly downhill on the way back. I anticipated running a 7:30 pace out and 7:00 pace back, without worrying about place. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised.
I ran a comfortable 6:30 for the first mile, and let my body decide when to fall into pace on subsequent miles. Watching my Garmin, I was continually faster than my anticipated mile times. While I was nervous about burning out early, my body felt good at the current pace, so I decided to go with it. I had no idea where I was in the standings for females. I really hadn't paid any attention to the people around me. Though, I began falling into place with a couple of younger guys at the third mile. As we approached the 4 mile turnaround, I became aware that we hadn't seen a female, yet. I knew one woman was in front of me, and I was becoming aware that this put me in second place. I wasn't ready for that much pressure, but quickly began to change my thinking. Many women were close behind, and now was my opportunity to create a larger gap in the race and the series.
I picked up my speed to 6:30 again for a couple of miles. The two young men kept close behind. After about two miles, they passed me at a 6:50 pace. We ran shoulder to shoulder for the remainder of the race. I didn't care about beating them, I just knew that if I gave up a cascade would begin: my pace would dwindle and the girls behind would catch me. My mantras became, "don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me" and "don't lose 'em, don't lose 'em, don't lose 'em." In truth, I was probably quite annoying. At a 6:50 pace, they were clearly just clocking some miles for the USAFA Track and Field team. They held a casual conversation with each other the entire way. I kept my best to stay out of it, but I was an uncomfortably close third wheel. I lost them with about 1/2 mile to finish, when they began pushing their pace.
I finished at 56:38, about 9 minutes faster than last year, in 2nd place overall. I owe my finish to the cadets that brought me in. I was sure to thank them in the end. I've moved from 8th to 3rd in the series, and I'm confident that I can keep my standing. People ask me how I've improved my running so much all the time. I'm really not sure. There are so many variables to consider. Perhaps it's the large amount of cross training, allowing my body more adequate recovery for the few runs that I do during the week. Maybe it's that my few runs are long distance, hills or speed. I never do a recovery run. I save recovery days for swimming, cycling and yoga. I'm also listening to my body and am more apt to take breaks. I plan on taking March, April and May off from running and racing to allow for minor repairs and rest. I think it's also the positive mental attitude. I had a taste of speed and a year of PR's. Now, I am testing my limits only to find that the human body is truly limitless.
I ran a comfortable 6:30 for the first mile, and let my body decide when to fall into pace on subsequent miles. Watching my Garmin, I was continually faster than my anticipated mile times. While I was nervous about burning out early, my body felt good at the current pace, so I decided to go with it. I had no idea where I was in the standings for females. I really hadn't paid any attention to the people around me. Though, I began falling into place with a couple of younger guys at the third mile. As we approached the 4 mile turnaround, I became aware that we hadn't seen a female, yet. I knew one woman was in front of me, and I was becoming aware that this put me in second place. I wasn't ready for that much pressure, but quickly began to change my thinking. Many women were close behind, and now was my opportunity to create a larger gap in the race and the series.
I picked up my speed to 6:30 again for a couple of miles. The two young men kept close behind. After about two miles, they passed me at a 6:50 pace. We ran shoulder to shoulder for the remainder of the race. I didn't care about beating them, I just knew that if I gave up a cascade would begin: my pace would dwindle and the girls behind would catch me. My mantras became, "don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me" and "don't lose 'em, don't lose 'em, don't lose 'em." In truth, I was probably quite annoying. At a 6:50 pace, they were clearly just clocking some miles for the USAFA Track and Field team. They held a casual conversation with each other the entire way. I kept my best to stay out of it, but I was an uncomfortably close third wheel. I lost them with about 1/2 mile to finish, when they began pushing their pace.
I finished at 56:38, about 9 minutes faster than last year, in 2nd place overall. I owe my finish to the cadets that brought me in. I was sure to thank them in the end. I've moved from 8th to 3rd in the series, and I'm confident that I can keep my standing. People ask me how I've improved my running so much all the time. I'm really not sure. There are so many variables to consider. Perhaps it's the large amount of cross training, allowing my body more adequate recovery for the few runs that I do during the week. Maybe it's that my few runs are long distance, hills or speed. I never do a recovery run. I save recovery days for swimming, cycling and yoga. I'm also listening to my body and am more apt to take breaks. I plan on taking March, April and May off from running and racing to allow for minor repairs and rest. I think it's also the positive mental attitude. I had a taste of speed and a year of PR's. Now, I am testing my limits only to find that the human body is truly limitless.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Winter Series I (6.5ish)
My Winter Series experience began with a bout of food poisoning on Friday night. It turns out that root vegetables sitting in the fridge for a month eventually go bad. Come Saturday morning, I convinced myself that I was feeling fine. Mile 3 told a different story.
Cheyenne Canyon State Park was in its full beauty on Saturday morning. The sun was shining, and I was wearing a running skirt and short sleeves in January. The cloudless skies and dusty earth at the start didn't tell the story of the icy trails awaiting us in the hills. Luckily, I had many encounters with slick ice without screw shoes this season, so I planned ahead and wore them for the race. I had read the trails were 30% covered, only to discover that they were probably 50-60%. The ice is sneaky this season, melting during our warm winter days only to form an ice luge during the cold mountainous nights.
At the starting line, I didn't recognize any familiar female faces, but began discussing training and Duane's injuries with a guy that races and trains with Duane. This was not a wise place to start. I found myself pacing with males that are usually finishing while I'm at the 3/4 point. Though this wasn't a bad start, it definitely left me feeling embarrassed as the front women left me in the dust. I didn't hold first for long (which was not a goal...as this race tends to draw faster shorter distance girls). However, when I lost fifth, I was getting frustrated. When I ended up seventh, then finally eighth, I just didn't care anymore. I think I would have competed a lot better if it wasn't for fighting food poisoning around 3.5 miles. I can't begin to explain the discomfort that I felt during this event. Keeping myself from vomiting, or worse, was consuming my focus.
My goal was to compete in and around 1 hour. I finished in 1:00:34. I'm satisfied with my performance, and I'm hoping to beat this time in my 8 mile race next weekend. My "secret" goal is to finish in the top 3 of the Series. Though, I know this is somewhat dependent on who continues to fight through the drudgery ahead. I also know that this isn't a likely goal, since I'm typically 4 or 5. However, I'm interested in seeing what I'm capable of when my goal is outside of my safety net and I push myself to limits that seem impossible. It's time I step out of my comfort zone.
Cheyenne Canyon State Park was in its full beauty on Saturday morning. The sun was shining, and I was wearing a running skirt and short sleeves in January. The cloudless skies and dusty earth at the start didn't tell the story of the icy trails awaiting us in the hills. Luckily, I had many encounters with slick ice without screw shoes this season, so I planned ahead and wore them for the race. I had read the trails were 30% covered, only to discover that they were probably 50-60%. The ice is sneaky this season, melting during our warm winter days only to form an ice luge during the cold mountainous nights.
At the starting line, I didn't recognize any familiar female faces, but began discussing training and Duane's injuries with a guy that races and trains with Duane. This was not a wise place to start. I found myself pacing with males that are usually finishing while I'm at the 3/4 point. Though this wasn't a bad start, it definitely left me feeling embarrassed as the front women left me in the dust. I didn't hold first for long (which was not a goal...as this race tends to draw faster shorter distance girls). However, when I lost fifth, I was getting frustrated. When I ended up seventh, then finally eighth, I just didn't care anymore. I think I would have competed a lot better if it wasn't for fighting food poisoning around 3.5 miles. I can't begin to explain the discomfort that I felt during this event. Keeping myself from vomiting, or worse, was consuming my focus.
My goal was to compete in and around 1 hour. I finished in 1:00:34. I'm satisfied with my performance, and I'm hoping to beat this time in my 8 mile race next weekend. My "secret" goal is to finish in the top 3 of the Series. Though, I know this is somewhat dependent on who continues to fight through the drudgery ahead. I also know that this isn't a likely goal, since I'm typically 4 or 5. However, I'm interested in seeing what I'm capable of when my goal is outside of my safety net and I push myself to limits that seem impossible. It's time I step out of my comfort zone.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Rescue Run 10K: Setting the stage for 2012
I had a rough week, to say the least. Tackling the holidays with a toddler should be enough to sum it up, but I also had the flu for my birthday on Friday. I tried hitting the spinning bike, yesterday, to make sure I was well enough to race and I had a tough, sucking wind kinda ride. So, I set off to race today with the intent to run, have fun and bring in the new year right. In the back of my head, I knew I would run my hardest, but I certainly wasn't going to kill myself over it. Besides, I had two glasses of wine yesterday, so I wasn't expecting much.
Aspen had the right idea, this morning. We intended to have her run the Diaper Derby with Duane, but she was fast asleep and when the baby sleeps, we are in full support of her deep slumber. I'm pretty sure she and Duane planned to sleep in somehow. Duane was happy to stay home, but only because he has fallen victim to the dreaded plantar fasciitis. We had registered him for the Rescue Run and the Winter Series, but I think he'll be taking a break from running entirely, at least until the spring. Though this is a frustrating time for him, it has helped us devote more time to multisport adventures. We've enjoyed a couple of great Falcon trail rides and have explored gym equipment beyond treadmills.
As I prepared myself for today's race, I was a little nervous that I had just gotten over the flu and haven't been running as much. I was nearly ready to back out of the event and curl up with a good book or run the Garden, instead. Let's face it, racing is intimidating now that I'm actually racing. Nonetheless, I rounded up my spirit and my things and headed out the door.
It was a surprisingly cold morning. But the kind of cold that makes you leave your hat in the car, because it doesn't look that bad, only to wind up diverting your warmup run back to your car to get said hat. I'm glad I did this. I continued a great warmup jog up and down the first hill of the race (a total mile) and hit the starting line with seven minutes to spare. At the start, I encountered the usual suspects: the really fast girl, the girls that run around my pace, the girls that will try to pace with me and die on the hill, and the girls that are vaguely familiar (they also race everything).
I had a solid first mile. I'm really comfortable pacing on an uphill start, being that most of my training runs begin with a long hill. My place was pretty set after the first mile. Like I said, some women tried to pace with me, but I lost them on the hill. And the women in front of me were out of sight. Around mile 3, I was passed by a woman with so much gusto, that it made me wonder why she was behind me in the first place, like she started the race with her much slower male counterpart. The final 1.5 miles are downhill. At this point I was passed by a few men, who most likely gave it their all to not be beat by a girl. They probably went home and took a nap, afterwords.
In the end, I finished at 46:53 as the 5th overall and 1st in my age group. Last year's finish was 54:43. I was most excited that I was ahead of women and men that typically pace with or beat me. Either they partied too hard last night, or my cross training is paying off. Either way, look out Winter Series!
Aspen had the right idea, this morning. We intended to have her run the Diaper Derby with Duane, but she was fast asleep and when the baby sleeps, we are in full support of her deep slumber. I'm pretty sure she and Duane planned to sleep in somehow. Duane was happy to stay home, but only because he has fallen victim to the dreaded plantar fasciitis. We had registered him for the Rescue Run and the Winter Series, but I think he'll be taking a break from running entirely, at least until the spring. Though this is a frustrating time for him, it has helped us devote more time to multisport adventures. We've enjoyed a couple of great Falcon trail rides and have explored gym equipment beyond treadmills.
As I prepared myself for today's race, I was a little nervous that I had just gotten over the flu and haven't been running as much. I was nearly ready to back out of the event and curl up with a good book or run the Garden, instead. Let's face it, racing is intimidating now that I'm actually racing. Nonetheless, I rounded up my spirit and my things and headed out the door.
It was a surprisingly cold morning. But the kind of cold that makes you leave your hat in the car, because it doesn't look that bad, only to wind up diverting your warmup run back to your car to get said hat. I'm glad I did this. I continued a great warmup jog up and down the first hill of the race (a total mile) and hit the starting line with seven minutes to spare. At the start, I encountered the usual suspects: the really fast girl, the girls that run around my pace, the girls that will try to pace with me and die on the hill, and the girls that are vaguely familiar (they also race everything).
I had a solid first mile. I'm really comfortable pacing on an uphill start, being that most of my training runs begin with a long hill. My place was pretty set after the first mile. Like I said, some women tried to pace with me, but I lost them on the hill. And the women in front of me were out of sight. Around mile 3, I was passed by a woman with so much gusto, that it made me wonder why she was behind me in the first place, like she started the race with her much slower male counterpart. The final 1.5 miles are downhill. At this point I was passed by a few men, who most likely gave it their all to not be beat by a girl. They probably went home and took a nap, afterwords.
In the end, I finished at 46:53 as the 5th overall and 1st in my age group. Last year's finish was 54:43. I was most excited that I was ahead of women and men that typically pace with or beat me. Either they partied too hard last night, or my cross training is paying off. Either way, look out Winter Series!
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