Canyonlands Half Marathon (Moab, UT)

Jaclyn writes: 

As our first true destination race, things went pretty smoothly.  This was Aspen's longest trip.  I imagine that her ears were popping as we drove through the mountain passes.  Regardless, she was a trooper.  Our one room cabin was crowded with four adults and two babies, but we all slept well (except for me nursing much of the night...I think Aspen figured,"We're in the same bed?!  Why the hell not!") 

The race itself was fun.  I have some mixed feelings about the experience, which makes me realize that our local race volunteers and directors are awesome.  I was really concerned about waking, nursing, eating, getting dressed, changing diapers, picking up our race bibs, parking, using the restroom and making it to the event on time.  These were needless concerns.  As Duane put it...it was a lot of,"Hurry up and wait...hurry up and wait...etc."  Getting ready at the cabin and heading to the bib pickup was simple.  If we had arrived in town earlier on Friday, I would have picked up our bibs then, instead.  There was a good amount of waiting, but there are a lot of people in this race.  Parking was a lot better than we had anticipated, finding a spot immediately outside of the bib pickup, then again only two blocks from the shuttle.  The shuttle wait was long but this was a plus for two reasons.  One, we discovered, while waiting (at 8am), that the race was actually at 10am, but that it was better to wait in the loading zone than at the race start, which was colder and windier.  Secondly, I realized that I didn't have any food and was already hungry.  I had plenty of time to run back to the car for an energy bar. 

The start was a cold, windy wait.  But, Duane, myself and a friend huddled and waited for the run to begin.  I decided to start pretty close to the front.  Once learning the topography of the race, a slight, rolling downhill, I was pretty confident that I could get a solid time.  I figured that I would aim high and accept what ever results came about.  I started with a 7 minute pace, and questioned myself the entire time.  I figured I was going to crash and had gone out too hard, but I never go out hard, so I stuck with it.  I finished with a 7:39 minute pace and a finish time of 1:40:19.  Pretty astounding for a "9 minute pace" runner.  I think the altitude and the slight downhill helped, but Duane's time was close to his PR.  I might just have to raise my game.  After all, I finished 27th out of 2021 females!  Duane had a fantastic race, as well, even while fighting a monster cold.  He finished third in his age group and 28th overall with a time of 1:23 and change.  

The race is beautiful, especially if you have never seen the Colorado River and its surrounding canyons.  We've rafted the Colorado over past Spring Breaks, and it has always had an incredible headwind.  Race day was no different.  I wonder what my time would have been without the headwind.  The race name, Canyonlands, is misleading.  It doesn't run through Canyonlands, and even though it is adjacent to Arches, it doesn't actually run through Arches, either.  That would've been incredible...though there is probably no way to permit a race through a national park.  Regardless, we enjoyed a little of Arches on the Sunday after the race and headed out of Moab on Monday. 

Run Through Time Half Marathon

Jaclyn writes:

A race day in Salida had its challenges with bringing Aspen along.  We were prepared for a world of adventure with a pack full of diapers, two strollers, and three changes of clothes.  Two strollers was a little excessive, but the weather is just getting nice enough to use our umbrella stroller.  The Bob has the added benefit of keeping her warm when used with the infant adapter piece.  We definitely need to start remembering sunscreen with all of these beautiful days we've been having.  In addition to her gear, I needed to be well prepared for nursing on race day.  La Leche League makes an awesome nursing sports bra that's a "must have" if you intend to race while nursing.  I needed to be prepared for nursing after, as well, since we returned home around 4 pm.  Nursing tank, zip up fleece and nursing cover...check, and we were on our way.  Aspen did amazing, sleeping in the car both ways and keeping Grandpa Gary on his toes during the race.

Aspen keeps Grandpa busy during the race!

The race was awesome, as well.  I loved this course, which began with a steady slow uphill at the start, followed by a slight downhill road until the second mile.  At this point, the course became single track trail that rolled uphill.  At around mile six, the trail became really steep, similar to what you would find along Ute Pass Trail.  This continued until mile 8 or so, which was followed with a fast rolling downhill.  My time was 2:11:30.  The overall race was slower than in past years because of the terrain, and I have yet to see how I performed in comparison to other runners, because the results aren't posted.

Very start of the race

 The course was amazing, but so was all the "shwag".  The female shirts were great.  They aren't technical shirts, which I suppose would turn off some women, but they are fashionably cut t-shirts.  I thought this was a nice surprise.  Men received rather large technical shirts.  The post race food was excellent.  Homemade soups, breads and baked goodies welcomed us all at the finish line.

We enjoyed lunch at Amica's, which I guess was (and pretty much still is) an Il Vicino, similar to the one in downtown Colorado Springs.  That is our favorite restaurant, so despite our long wait, we enjoyed a great salad and IPA.  Aspen enjoyed teething on her first taste of bread...

And enjoyed her first bite!

We've since started her on solids...it's banana week!

Duane writes:

We started the race as one large pack, both the marathoners, which my friend Sean calls "varsity" and the halfers, which I suppose by default are the jv. Well so be it, but after a little more than a mile when the varsity split from the rest of us jv, I found myself in a place that I've never been before. Myself and a friend of mine from the Winter Series, Joseph, were the vanguard for the half marathon. Suddenly I was wondering what was going on and the race took on a whole new outlook.

The next two miles were a steady climb encircling the large hill on the north of Salida, the one with the giant S. By mile 4 Joseph and another young runner broke away and took the lead where they would remain for the next 8 miles. Pretty soon, the trails climbed higher and at about mile 6 we dropped of the back side of a ridge and into some crazy tight single track that twisted through thick brush, across sand traps, and up super steep slopes. For 5 or so miles we were out of contact from the race support. The route crisscrossed other trails a number of times and I was often totally confused. Joseph was just far enough ahead that I rarely glimpsed him through trees and up ridges. At one point, one runner came at me from the opposite direction and I felt totally lost. But I figured one of us was wrong and I knew I was at the front of the race, so I kept on and trusted my trail sense.

At mile 11 or so, we broke out of the backwoods and onto familiar trails. I worked the next mile and a half at closing the gap and finally caught Joseph and the other runner at just over 12 miles. We kept a tight group down the last of the steep single track and just when the trail opened up I jumped up to second, behind the younger runner, but he had too much in reserve and pulled away and never looked back. I finished second. It was the best finish I've had since I started racing almost 10 years ago. I was most proud of myself for not settling and pushing to the end. I didn't have to. No one was behind me. That's the thing about running. No matter how flat or rugged the terrain, the real race in always in your head.

I loved the rail and the race was well organized, even if a little light on the markings, and I can't wait to run it again. I'll spend the next year running it over and over in my head, and so, in a way, I've already started the next race.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the awesome support of Jaclyn who manages all our race entries and gets us there on time and dad who watched Aspen so we can run and everyone else who supports us so we can train so hard. Thanks.

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

Free Yoga

Jaclyn writes:

I've been struggling with the idea of getting back to teaching yoga.  On one level, I feel like I'm challenged to keep a routine outside of work and I'm unsure about committing to helping others in their practice.  It's actually quite a weight to lead others into a yoga practice and do it consciously.  But, I've found a pretty stable personal practice at this point.  When teaching yoga, it's key to have your own time to explore yourself and your breath within a personal practice.  I feel that I am finally at a point to confidently provide that for myself. 

I've also struggled with trying to find a place to teach and practice where I feel balance.  In teacher trainings at Shoshoni, so many of us talk about not being able to maintain the peace we find there at home.  My goal is to create that, somewhere, locally.  Many local studios seem to stress a competitive practice and to generally promote elements of yoga that are not in alignment with my own studies.  While I still feel like I haven't found the perfect balance, I have felt closer.  Another struggle with local yoga is the price tag that goes along with it.  I'll admit that I have an issue paying some of the steep prices at local studios and feel that this turns a lot of people away.  So, I've decided to offer a free class, at least for now, to offset some of these frustrations. 

Today was my first class taught in a little over a year.  Though I was clearing some cobwebs while teaching, I really felt right at home.  I'm using this year to find many pieces of myself that I left behind, somewhere.  I've returned to dancing once a week.  For some reason that was the scariest thing I've done in a long time.  While I spent my first class tripping around on two left feet, I eventually found what I once loved so much sneaking a few glances in the mirror at, what was once, a dancer.  I quit dance for a lot of complex and irrational reasons, but I'm happy to reclaim it once again.  I also quit climbing awhile back, for much less dramatic reasons.  But, I look forward to some indoor climbing this week.  My next challenges are to find time for a little swimming to complete a triathlon this year and to figure out how rafting fits into my summer. 

Winter Series II (8 mile)

Jaclyn writes:

Let's be honest.  I love this race.  If you aren't from the area, it isn't the best scenery, mostly a wide trail that runs along a dirty creek (unfortunately, that "trail" is now concrete).  However, if you are from the area, the out and back course is flat with a very slight uphill on the way out and slight downhill on the return.  I consistently do well on this race, probably making it my favorite.  The day was really windy, too.  Hoping for a PR, the wind was strong enough to make me slightly nervous (though, maybe a little relieved that I might have an excuse for not achieving my goal).  My previous PR from 2009 was 1:08:28.  I trained really hard with a great coach during that season.  So, I was a little unsure about my goal to maintain between a 1:04 and 1:06.  I thought this was a reasonable objective, given my training times.  Nonetheless, I was intimidated, because I haven't had time to train consistently and seriously from a "coaching" standpoint.  My finishing time was 1:05:12, and I clocked my distance at 8.1 miles.  Overall, I'm really happy about this.

The race and my performance got me thinking about my training and running goals.  I'm either setting really reasonable goals, or I'm not setting my expectations high enough.  So, here I am in a conundrum regarding what I would like to do in these next two races.

The Baptist Road race is also flat and can be fast if the weather is agreeable.  But, the weather is never agreeable.  It's always seemed to be the "are you tough enough" race, where people drop out because there is an ice storm, or something of the like.  The Black Forest race is long, lonely and hilly.  I know my long distance trail training will give me a better time than I had in 2009.

I'm unsure how to use the next three weeks to prep myself for these races.  Maybe I should be setting my expected mile times lower in my workouts and in my races.  The approach I have had seems to be working; but, maybe I'm really not challenging myself hard enough.  I'm fifth in my age group, and might be able to take the two runners above me.  I smoked them in today's race, but they really had me by a long shot in the Cheyenne Mountain race.  On one hand, they might not be distance runners.  On the other, they might've had a bad day.  It's really the game we all play when it comes to stats, races, and a running series.  I don't even know what these girls look like, but I'd love to beat 'em.     

Duane writes:

I'm so grateful to be having the best season of my life. I credit Aspen. Really. We go to bed earlier than ever before and last night she slept through the night (except for a 3 a.m. feeding, but I mostly sleep through those except for the diaper change) and she even slept in this morning until 7:30ish. We don't drink casually anymore or go to clubs. We eat in and eat well. So when people say that I've gotten really fast this season I joke and just say I don't know why... but it's because I'm finally behaving like a runner in training. Thanks Aspen.

This race was rough. The wind hit like a hammer and I made a rookie mistake which I totally knew was going to happen. Early in the run, I was bantering with a great local runner named Sean. We were hanging back in the middle of the front pack and we were just cheering the 4 milers who were on the return and talking about the race and stuff. I said it felt like at almost 40 years old I was finally learning about running. Before the race Sean had said I was getting fast. He's a really good runner and that was a great compliment. He also said he was going to just train this race, cruising the ebb and pushing the flow. I wanted to push now, so in the next mile, I pushed to the front of the pack and became the wind break for everyone who wanted to tuck in behind. And there I stayed for the next two and a half miles, right up until the turn around.

Then the two guys who had stayed right behind me, drafting like smart, experienced racers, jumped in front of me and took off with the wind at their back. I was 4th at the turn around and twenty steps later I was 6th. Sean was still hanging out with the pack at, I don't know, 12th or something.

I got into my head and drove myself. I knew both racers, a little. The first guy was the same person who caught me in the last 100 yards at the last race. The second guy, Joe, and I had talked a little after the last race and even though I had beaten him at Cheyenne Mountain, he was ahead of me now and looked strong. At mile six, when he dropped his pace a little, I advanced and gained the spot back, but there was too much distance left to feel comfortable. The fourth place guy was still in my sights so I pushed to keep within 20 seconds.

I pushed harder than I can remember ever pushing in a race, talking to myself a lot, and when I was almost at 7 miles I was getting comfortable with finishing 5th.  Suddenly, and this is important, because it was sudden, another runner was on my right shoulder, close enough to talk quietly. And then Sean said great job, sort of over his shoulder, as he passed me. I chased him to the finish, but never closed the distance. I guess I still have a lot to learn about running.