No KNEEd to Worry

As most of you already know, I ran the Chicago Marathon this passed October and had one hell of a race. For those of you that don't know, I joined the Sub-3 Club by finishing with a time of 2:58 and also finished 53rd female over all. Results I am very pleased with! (Toot toot!)

After Chicago I took about a week off of running to let my legs rest and recover before starting training for The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K on December 1st. My plan was to use my fitness from the marathon to carry me through and apply the specificity principle and do most of my runs on the trails. I made it a point to take it easy and not push the pace and/or distance on any of my runs and to listen to my legs. If I wasn't feeling it or was pretty sore, I took a rest day. I wanted to avoid any injury with the quick turn around between the marathon to the 50K. As much as I tried, it didn't work! About two weeks before race day I planned on doing a back-to-back weekend with 22 miles Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday. I started to feel some knee pain at about mile 19 of 22. I assumed it to be attributed to fatigue from the thousands of feet of climbing I had already done. I knew it was much more than that when I went out for 10 miles the next day and it hurt from step #1. I pushed through 8 miles of pain. (Probably not the smartest decision I've ever made!) The following week I kept my runs to every other day and came damn close to an overdose on Ibuprofen and frostbite from icing. The following Sunday I headed out for 15 miles. Around six miles in I started to feel some pain and decided to turn around just to be safe. Turns out this was a good call because at mile 10.5 my knee exploded with sharp, intense, bite-your-tongue pain. I walked/ran/hobbled back to my car, fighting back tears and the urge to scream a very specific four-letter swearword that would have my mom washing my mouth out with soap. I drove home, threw on some ice and called Coach Dad. (Insert loud sobbing here.)

That was November 17th and was the last time I ran; until today. I was recommended to see a chiropractor who was well known and worked with a lot of Olympians. But, because it was the week before Thanksgiving, I wasn't able to get in to see a recommended chiropractor until the following week. Turns out I should have taken that as a sign as to not waist my time with him. After two visits I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere and was still not sure what the problem was. So I decided to switch it up and see another local sports injury hero, Kelly Haddock. Within 5 minutes (probably less) she had pin-pointed my issue. However, she didn't stop there. She examined from my neck down to my ankles and came to the conclusion that I am pretty screwed up! An hour and twenty minutes later I walked out of there after being cracked, jabbed, stretched, yanked and stabbed with needles, but I couldn't have been happier. I now knew what was going on and I now knew how to fix it. I saw Kelly again yesterday and she repeated the cracking, jabbing, yanking and stabbing with needles and threw in a little stem/ultra-sound combo as the cherry on top. It was all just as worth it, because unlike the first time, this time she said I could run! Music to my happy little ears. I wanted to bolt right out of there and hit the bike path. However, she left me a little sore and I decided to let things settle down a bit before running. So I waited one more day. (I also figured I should be good and rested, just in case I needed to outrun any Zombies. HA!) Today after work I headed out for 3 miles and am happy to report: ZERO KNEE PAIN!

It was a short run, but it was a run! I am just happy to being doing what I love again.

Having been running since the age of  nine (that's 15 years!)  you would think I would have a resume littered with injuries. However, I have been EXTREMELY fortunate when it comes to injuries. Of course I have had nagging pains here and aching joints there, but I think it is uncommon for a runner to be able say that this is the first injury in 15 years where I have had to take off more than 3-5 days to recover. It was really hard for me mentally, to deal with this injury. Especially having to attend a race that I was supposed to be running ( and was also supposed to be my first ultra!). My days felt incomplete and riding the bike or swimming didn't give me the same feeling I got after a run. I struggled to feel happy and my days didn't feel complete. I even told one of my clients that having my running taken away, was like taking somebody's puppy away. WHO DOES THAT!?

Although this was tough, I consider myself really lucky to have been so injury free in my career and have to give a lot of that credit to an awesome coach. Injuries are part of this sport and many have had to take off much more time than I did and have suffered from many more injuries than I have. It is almost as if it was my turn to be on the injured list. Let's just hope that it is behind me and I am on the road to high mileage weeks!

Not So Hip

I like to try to write my posts with a pretty positive tone. This post, however, not so much.

On Wednesday I headed out for my run in the pouring rain. I was actually kind of excited to have my first rainy run of the season. At about mile 6.5 of 8 miles I started to feel a weird pressure sensation in my lower left leg. It went away for about a minute or two and came back with about a mile to go and stayed. It was really uncomfortable and kind of intense. I have never felt a pressure like this. So I finished the run and decided to see how the next few days went.

The next morning I decided to switch my runs around and do my easy run first and tempo run second due to a much later than planned bed time. I ran an easy four miles and felt nothing. GREAT! It was just some freak pain. Then, I started my warm up for my tempo and had the same pressure feeling but this time in the right leg and accompanied by some sharp shooting pain. It stayed for a few steps then went away. GREAT! again. Things really plummeted when I started my tempo and got MAYBE 10 steps in and had searing pain in my lower leg. I was doing my tempo on the treadmill at work between clients (all the local tracks were locked). Out of instinct, I didn't land normally to avoid the crazy pains. This did not workout well on a treadmill and I pulled/strained/aggravated/did something to my right hip. It hurt the rest of the day and hurt about a 7 of 10 on Friday just to walk. I called Coach Dad and was told no run Friday and no run Saturday.  Not the words you want to hear on the weekend of your last 23 miler with only 3 weeks left until race day. So I did as ordered and did no run but swam 2000yds this morning to keep the cardio up and maintain my sanity.

Today (Saturday), I have been feeling more tightness than pain in the hip and am able to walk normal without/minimal pain. Certain movements still bother it more than others but overall I would say it's down to about a 2 or 3 of 10 on the pain scale. So tomorrow I will "attempt" my 23 miler but will proceed with caution!

WISH ME LUCK!

Holy Crags!

Yesterday Chris and I both ended up having the day off so we decided to go for a "little" hike. We decided since we have already done Barr Trail to the top of Pikes Peak, that we should do the Crags trail which is the backside of Pikes Peak. Good god were we in for a tough day! It is definitely one of the prettiest hikes that I have ever done, but also THE hardest.

Oh, hello 4200ft climb in only 6.7 miles! Now, I understand that 4200ft is quite a bit of elevation change. However, in my mind when I compared it to the 7000ft change from Barr Trail I thought that 4000ft would not be so bad. WRONG. There were certain sections that were so steep I felt like I could stick out my tongue and lick the dirt! Once we crested the first peak, it made it all worth it. SUCH an amazing view!

This was taken about half way up the first peak.

A little further up we sort of "lost the trail". ( I blame Chris for this one!) We ended up having to scramble up some very loose sand/gravel until we found the trail again. Minus the ample amount of gravel I kicked into my shoe, it was actually kind of fun! We debated scrambling up the rocky patch that the switchbacks went through but decided against it.

The sandy patch and where we debated taking a short cut!

The switchbacks.




The switchbacks were, in my opinion, the hardest part of the whole hike. (This was the dirt licking section I mentioned! haha) These pictures don't do it much justice but trust me, it was steep!

Once we got through the switchbacks the trail continued up but at a much lesser grade as we passed the Devil's Playground. Inviting, right!? It was actually a really awesome canyon that we both agreed we would like to hike (or run) one day. After we crossed the Pikes Peak Tollway, we again  found ourselves going straight up! My quads were absolutely screaaaaaaming at me! I silently rejoiced when Chris said he was starving and wanted to stop and eat.

Devil's Playground

Our lunch time view!

Past our fantastic lunch spot, the trail sort of ended and we had to look for and follow man made caims that marked the trail. To throw a little cherry onto the already hellacious cake, the final climb was a pile of boulders that covered the side of the peak. Although it was tough, it was pretty fun to finish the hike with some climbing!

Thanks, Nature!

Alas, we made it to the top! As tough as the trail was and how ready I was to be done, it's always a bummer when it's over. Well, I was done with the hike at the top because we had a minor detour that made the hike a little longer than expected and I had to get home to babysit. So as Chris hiked back to the truck, I got to ride the good ol' Cog Rail with the screaming babies, smokers and ill-prepared persons back down the mountain. It sort of ended up being a blessing in disguise because I had to follow the hike with a 22 mile run today!

It was a tough two days for the legs but I wouldn't take a single second of it back!

Some other pics from throughout the hike:

Recovery shmovery?

Most people think that training programs are all about the workouts and only the workouts. However, there is so much more to training than just doing workouts. Along with workouts, a good training program should incorporate things like strength training, drills, eating habits, stretching/massage and recovery. Each element is important to keep an athlete healthy, injury free and constantly improving.

One of the more important elements, second to the workouts, is proper recovery. If the body isn't able to take time to adapt to the training efforts, then they are pretty much rendered useless. Injury and illness can also occur in the absence of proper recovery time. However, for some athletes the recovery aspect is the hardest to do. The 5:00 a.m. wake ups, the double days, the sore and tight muscles, are all easier to deal with than to have to take a day off.

The past 3-4 days I have been having some tightness in my chest and labored breathing. After Tuesday and Wednesdays' workouts I was coughing and bringing up phlem. So Thursday I went to the doctor to check things out. Four hours, an  EKG, blood tests and an X-ray later I finally left with a possible viral bronchitis infection. Awesome. Six weeks before my marathon and I'm breathing like a 300lb man getting up from the couch to go to the kitchen. What's the point of telling you all of this? I have basically been forced (yes, FORCED) to back off and take some recovery this week. Thursday I tried to run 10 miles and at three miles I had to bag it because my breathing was so bad. I planned on postponing my track workout until Friday night after work. All day I was battling myself on whether or not to do the workout or take another day off and focus on doing my long run. After work, I called Coach Dad and told him how I was feeling (and that I couldn't even read Ellie a book without getting winded. BLAH!) and this is where I was forced to take a day off. I get really frustrated  when things like this happen because it makes me feel like I am being weak and I want to do the workout but know I shouldn't do the workout. I would be able to get through the workout, but at what costs? So I listened to Coach Dad and cut out the workout and focus on  the long run instead. Of course it didn't come without a few tears and some turmoil that the marathon is so close and I am missing  big workouts.

So I slept in this morning to get a little extra rest before my long run. I decided to run on the trails to keep the pace down and, if needed, hike the steeper parts to keep my breathing under control. I ended up having a great run! I only had to hike a few times and a few of the climbs I ran on when I first got to the Springs even felt easy as I ran up them. I would get to the top and have not even realized I was running up. Although my legs were feeling fantastic, my breathing still wasn't 100% but it was better than I thought it was going to be. My chest is starting to loosen up and my breathing isn't quite so labored. Tomorrow I will take an already scheduled recovery day, hydrate and relax and hopefully come back Monday feeling even better.

Moral of the story: RECOVERY WORKS.

I don't know why recovery is so hard. This looks great! 

This one is for YOU.

In my last post I talked about people doubting me and my reasons for moving to Colorado. But I think I need to recognize another group of people who have my back. Recently, I have been receiving messages about my posts that talk about my running. Some say I should stop because they make them tired (haha) but most of them tell me how my posts inspire them.What most of you don't realize, is that you are the ones inspiring ME. Yes, YOU are inspiring ME.

I have Coach Dad to push me, and I have me to push me. But sometimes it takes more than what either of us can do. That is where you come in. In the past I have posted links to 'Athlete Tracking' for my various races. I have gotten an overwhelming number of people replying to those posts saying that they have signed up to track me during the race. People that I didn't even know cared about running let alone MY running! It puts such a big smile on my face to know that I have so much support from my friends and my family. It brings tears to my eyes. (Yes, I am a little misty eyed right now. Don't judge me!) Then to follow it up I post my race results, and whether they be good or bad, my phone is on the brink of exploding from the notifications I receive from the 75+ people "Liking" my status.  Every single one of those "Likes" means so much to me. Not to mention the number of individual posts people leave with their congratulations. It all makes me feel that you are proud of what I did. It also holds me accountable to give 100% every day in training and 120% in every race because I don't want to let my "fans" down. I want all of you to be just as proud of me, as I am for myself when I get a new PR, or win a race, or even have a a bad day and am still able push to the finish. I don't think I can say enough to show how much it means to me to have all of your support.

I also love the fact that I can inspire you, too. It makes me feel good that if I never make it to the Olympics or win a major race, my running has still done something bigger than that. It's messages like these that let me know I am doing something right:

Even if you do one race or just go out for a nightly run, I am happy that I had some influence in a positive way. So many people never try because they think they can't do it. But how do you know you can't if you don't try? And even if you can't, who cares! You tried, it didn't work, you move on and you try something else. I don't know if I will make my goal of the Olympic Trials. But I am still going to try like hell. If I don't  I will be sad for a bit, then I will have to reevaluate my running, and create a new goal. (and hope that you wont stop supporting me! Haha) I know that is way easier said than done, but I hate to see people limit themselves from experiencing so many good feelings because they are afraid of failure. Failure is inevitable. You will fail at something at lease once in your life because you are human. But you are also good at something, you just have to figure out what that is.

 I saw this video today and I think everyone should see this at least once. It made me feel inspired.

"To try is to risk failure. But risk must me taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing." 
- Felice Leonardo Buscaglia

Thank you family, friends and especially my Coach, for pushing and inspiring me to be a better me. And thank you all, for letting me inspire you!

Do I Have to?

To answer the question: YES. Not because I'll get in trouble if I don't, but because if I want what I say I want, then it needs to be done.

To explain the question: Every athlete goes through a period in their training where the hardest part of their program is getting their ass out of the door and doing their workout. It's those few days, or more, where your body feels like crap, you don't want to do your workout and you play a mental game of tug-of-war with yourself of why not to workout versus going out and getting it done. This was how my week went this week. I had one hell of a time trying to stay motivated. I felt very depleted and tired this week and twice couldn't get out of bed in the morning to do my workout and had to do them in the afternoon.  The last 4 weeks I have worked 50+ hours a week and last week was the biggest week (in mileage and intensity) that I have had in a long time. Naturally, a crappy week should be expected. However, it was more than just heavy feeling legs. I really just did not want to do my runs. Like I said, every athlete goes through this at some point. The difference between those that want it and those that don't, is that you figure out ways to get your ass out of your pitty-party and get the job done. This could be finding people to run with or find ways to trick yourself into feeling better. For me, I know that long out-and-backs can be more mentally draining when I am already having motivation troubles. So I broke all of my runs up into smaller segments to make it seem like the run was going by faster. For example, doing a loop + an out-and-back or going out and back one direction then out and back another direction. By doing this, I can focus on one segment at a time instead of looking at one big segment and feeling like the run is dragging on. This helped me to feel better about my runs when they were done, even if my legs didn't feel particularly great. It turned out that two of my runs this week turned out being better than how I felt going into them.

This week being a down week (lower mileage), I also changed my overall focus for the week. Instead of making my main focus on my pace, I focused more on my cadence. Don't get me wrong I still gave 100% to hit my pace, but when you don't feel great and you are focusing on how fast you should be going, it doesn't help you feel any better about your runs to stress about your pace. So I re-directed my focus to something that was having a more positive affect on me mentally and worked on improving my running form. It helped me feel more fluid and relaxed during my runs. It is a win-win situation if you think about it: I am improving my form while being distracted from feeling crappy.

All in all, I can say it wasn't one of my best weeks when it comes to how I felt. But, it is another week in the books and another week that I am getting closer to my goal. It couldn't have come at a better time (well, it actually would have been better to not have come at all!) with my week ending at the start of the Olympics. Watching the athlete bios on TV and seeing the amount of work they put in to get there, is a great reminder that "Yes, you have to do it." I may never be as good as them and may never make it to the Olympics, but I'll be damned if I don't work just as hard as they do to reach my goals.

Weekly Summary:
Monday: OFF

Tuesday: 4 x 400m hills ( 2:04), 4 x 200m hills FAST ( :46), 4 x 400m hills (2:00-2:04)
               10 miles total

Wednesday: 6 miles easy

Thursday: OFF

Friday: 5 mile tempo 6:47, 6:47,6:57, 6:43, 6:34, 10 miles total
            PM: 4 miles easy
            **This was a particularly hard day for me.(Tempo runs are what I struggle with the most at this altitude.) I had to change up my route 3 times during the run to make myself get all 5 miles in. I planned on doing 1 mile loops and after 2 miles I knew I was going to struggle mentally. After 3 miles I was ready to call it quits so I changed my route and did the two loops, out 1 mile, and back 2 miles,**

Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 12 mile with last 3 fast: 6:39, 6:43 (short steep hill), 6:31

Weekly total: 42 miles (down 25% from last week at 56)

A Mental Note

Upon moving to Colorado, I received some funny looks when I told people my reasons for moving. "Wait, you are moving where you have no job and you aren't going for school?" EXACTLY. I moved to better myself by bettering my running. Some feel having multiple degrees or becoming the best lawyer or the best doctor or having lots of money means you are successful . For me, success is being the best runner and the best person I can be. Yes, I realize it is really hard to make a living from running and it takes a shit ton of training. But isn't med school hard? Isn't the Bar Exam hard? Isn't it all relative? If you are willing to put in the work for anything, why not do it?? I am enjoying my life by revolving it around running. They can enjoy their life by revolving it around work.


It has been only two months and I am already seeing benefits. I think so far, the move has most affected my confidence and mental toughness. Which is indirectly making me a better runner because I am pushing myself  a lot harder. Don't get me wrong, I have always pushed myself, but there is a definite difference in my focus and drive now. Even though I still struggle with breathing, I think my mental power is way above what it used to be. When I am in the middle of a repeat and my legs are on fire, I can't breathe and I'm pushing as hard as I can and not going faster, it makes me push even harder! I really don't like to be beat; whether it be by a human being or some inanimate object like altitude or a hill. I want to see how bad I can make it hurt because I want to see how fast I can get. I believe I have barely tapped my potential and I am determined to break in and find it.

***

With only 76 days until the Chicago marathon my training is really starting to ramp up. I am getting in a lot of hill repeats, tempo runs and long intervals. The intensity of my quality workouts has picked up and so has my mileage. The mileage is still a little lower than it should be (Just under 60 this week) but with the altitude and a hefty work schedule, I am being a little extra cautious. I don't feel like I recover as quickly as I did at sea level and don't want to push it too much and end up hurt. As far as my individual runs go, I am feeling pretty damn good. Coach Dad came to visit earlier this week and we hit the track from a 3x2 mile @ 6:20 workout. It has by far been the hardest workout I've done since moving here. Even though I struggled a little during the workout, I walked away feeling a lot more confident about where I am at fitness wise. It is the fastest pace I have run for consecutive miles since being here and also the fastest mile (6:10). It feels great getting back to doing the workouts where I can say: "That was f**king hard!".


THE END.


:)

2 Month Check-up

It has been almost two months since I moved to Colorado with the idea of bettering our running. I came out here with this vision of me running swiftly down the trails with the sun shining and the sound of wind in my ears, cresting the hills with ease and sipping out of my hand held; and all the while having this giant smile on my face. Let's be real, this is NOT Hollywood. However, I do think my running has/is dramatically improving, and parts of my run do feel like I look that way, but it has been nothing short of a hard transition.

Moving from 25ft elevation to 6300ft elevation is going to have it's obvious effects on my running. Obviously less air to my muscles = more labored running. Of course I was fully aware of this moving here, but it's a totally different game mentally when it's actually effecting you. The fatiguing in your legs is more of a maxed-out feeling than it is a this-f**king-hurts feeling, that I'm used to. It can get a little frustrating, and sometimes discouraging, when I am trying to push myself to go faster and my legs just can't/won't respond! Not to mention, there is rarely a  "flat" place to run out here. With so many different and new trails to explore, we have been hitting up the trail heads for the majority of our runs. Living at the base of the mountains, the trails naturally go nowhere but up. So you can imagine running up a hill, sans oxygen, is not going to produce a decent pace. This is what has been the hardest part of me. (I actually wouldn't even wear my Garmin for a lot of my runs because I didn't want to know the pace.) Now, I know pace on trails is pretty irrelevant but perceived effort is all the same. Feeling that I was working so hard and barely getting up these damn hills was really starting to get to me. I felt like every run was one of those rare, but necessary, runs where you finish and say to yourself "Why do I run again!?" It was more defeating than anything. I actually got to a point where I didn't really enjoy doing my runs. I had very little motivation to get out and do them and even the site of a hill had me frustrated and cursing under my breath. (mostly at Chris for cruising up the hills as if they weren't even there. haha he will usually slow down and wait for me at the top. Which pisses me off even more because then I feel like the weak link! But I don't tell him that =) )

  

I finally took a step back and said no more trails for a bit. We found a paved trail that runs through out Colorado Springs that is relatively flat. I did some runs there and let my legs take a little break. This has helped a lot and I can feel what the hills have done to my strength. My paces on the "flats" have almost gotten back down to where they were at sea level and I  feel a lot stronger all around. I have been  running on the trails again and still feel a little defeated on some of the climbs, but overall I feel like I am really improving. (Which was the goal, right!?) I've decided, along with Coach Dad, that I need to do at least one, if not two, runs a week on the flats. I think I need this more mentally than I do physically. I need it to prove to myself each week that it's the hills and not being fully acclimated to the altitude that has my struggling, and not my level of  fitness. I'm on my second week speed and hill workouts and they have gone great so far, They have really boosted my confidence in my fitness and my ability to run at altitude. I even pulled out a 9 mile trail race last minute ( Hellacious Trail Challenge ) in which I feel pretty good about the way I ran and how I placed. (I even won a little money, again. WAHOO!)

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being here and don't regret the move at all. With that said, don't mistake my feelings for me bitching about being here. Trust me, it's probably worse where you are. ;)

 All in all, life is good! Coach Dad comes to visit next Saturday and I am looking forward to his visit!

Thanks for reading :)

Pikes Peak Summit

This passed Sunday Chris and I both had the day off and decided to put hiking to the top Pikes Peak under our belt. We got up somewhat early to get a good start on the heat, and the possibility of getting hit with a storm. We decided to take the Barr Trail route to the top. We got to the trail head around 7:30 am and were greeted with this nice little sign.

Eight hours to the top?! What the hell am I getting into! Right from the start you are climbing some pretty steep switchbacks. This part was actually pretty crowded with people who were running down the trail towards the parking lot. The entire way up this had us puzzled. The people running down didn't look exactly like experienced trail runners and the trail was far from not being technical. We found out later that there is a group that will run up another trail, called the Incline, that is much shorter but steep and then connect to Barr Trail and run down. As we got higher the congestion got thinner. We still saw a decent number of people coming down the trail, but not too many that were heading our direction. This could be why:

Barr Trail elevation (taken from www.mymarathonpace.com)

As you can see, it's not easy! The trail head elevation is at about 6300 feet of elevation and the top of Pikes Peak is at 14,115 feet. As the sign said earlier, about 7300 feet of climbing! To add to that, this is the the course elevation for the infamous Pikes Peak Marathon. People actually RUN this. (Which, I will most likely be added to that list of people one day! hehe) We even passed a guy multiple times who ran to the top and back TWICE! The trail is definitely tough. It is literally going up the entire way. (Crazy thought, right?!) At about half way up the trail is Barr Camp. It is a small camp that provides shelter for those who want to do the trip in two days, or just want to hike in and camp for a night and then head back. We stopped here to eat a little snack, use the restroom and rest our legs. At this point we were at  10,200 feet elevation. 

The host at Barr Camp welcomed us and told us about the camp. She also told us that however long it took us to get to the camp, we should take that time and add one hour to get the time it would take us to get from there to the top. For us that would be 2 hours and 15 minutes + 1 hour = 3 hours and 15 minutes to the top. Of course, having the competitive nature that we do, we decided we would not be a statistic and would make it to the top faster than 3 hours and 15 minutes. 

After Barr Camp, the trail becomes a little more steep  for the next three or four miles. It was my favorite part of the hike, though. The trail winds through a very wooded area until you get to tree line. Once you are to tree line, the real challenge begins. The trail is at it's steepest  and you are walking through switch back after switch back. The trail gets very loose and there are a lot of bigger rocks you have to maneuver through.  The final climb is actually called The 16 Golden Steps. Its the last set of switch backs you have to hike until you reach the top. At this point I really started to feel the affects of the altitude. My breathing actually felt okay, but my movements were getting very slow and our pace slowed down quite a bit.[ Maybe the camp host was going to be right!] The wind was also blowing pretty hard and we had to put on a warm layer. Some of the loose gravel and sand would pelt your legs and leave a nice little sting.  We were still pushing pretty hard though and it felt like we were never going to actually reach the top! I even said to Chris that I was convinced that they had played a trick on us and that we were just going in circles. (haha)  

Part of the 16 Golden Steps

The Cirque sign that you see marked in this picture is where the rock is a sheer drop off down 1500 feet to a pit that was made by glaciers. I got a good picture of the rocks jetting up, but was sure as hell not going to get close enough to actually look down! 

You can just get a glimpse of Lake Moraine in the background. 

Alas, they did not play a trick on us and we did actually reach the top! Just to give you an idea of how tough the last climb was, from the sign that said 2 miles to go it took us 45 minutes. That's a 23:30 miles pace! Although we slowed a considerable amount, we managed to beat the predicted 3 hours and 15 minutes from Barr Camp to the top. We made it in 2 hours and 30 minutes and total time of 4 hours and 45 minutes!

As you crest the top you have this feeling of accomplishment and excitement that you just hiked 12.6 miles to the top of a 14,000ft mountain. However, some of that is taken away when you see the gobs of people that either drove or took the train to the top. You lose that time where you get to look out, take a quiet moment to yourself and really take in what you just did. When Chris and I climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls there was only one other guy who was at the top, who also hiked. We stood their in silence enjoying the view. Here, you are distracted by those who are commenting on how cold they are (maybe you shouldn't have worn a tank top and sandals at 14,000ft!), a crying baby or the guy who is puffing on his cigarette. 

I was happy to reach the top and take a little break. My legs were screaming at me and so was my stomach We stopped in the cafe/gift shop and ate our home made PB&J, refilled our hydration packs and took a quick look around before escaping the crowds to head back down. The hike down to tree line was no easier going down, than it was going up. Well, that is not entirely true. We were moving at a quicker pace but it was still a tough two miles to go down. Once we got to tree line, we at least had some shielding from the sun by all of the trees. The rest of the hike felt like a long waiting game to the parking lot. Our legs were starting to get pretty trashed. However, one look out at the view and you are instantly reminded of how amazing this trip really is. 

I would still recommend to anyone that they, at least once, hike to the top of Pikes Peak. (notice is said "hike"!) It was well worth the long day, the sunburn (Yes, MOM, I used sunscreen) and the very sore legs! 

The Rock arch

Getting close to tree line!

Part of the trail with Pikes Peak in the background

Just above tree line!

One of the many good views!

Quick Cliff Bar and photo opp 

View on the hike down. 

Until next time! :)

The Good, The Bad, The Pretty

Since my last post, I have had some life changing events come about.  April and May have been somewhat of a whirlwind, to say the least. I have received the absolute worst news of my life; but also a very exciting opportunity.

THE BAD NEWS:
On April 13Th, as I am sitting in my hotel room, my family surprisingly shows up there to tell me that my older sister, Megan, had suddenly passed away. It was only 3 days after her 27Th birthday. There is no way to describe, at that very instant, the feeling(s) that took over me. Dread. Sickness. Guilt. Shock. In situations like these you  hear so often: "I don't know what I would do." And they are absolutely right. You don't know what to do. You don't know what to think. You don't know what to say. You don't know how to react. You almost want to laugh because it's so unexpected that your first instinct says it's a joke. But it wasn't a joke. It was real. The most real thing I have ever felt. You go through your young life thinking that a break up with the boy that you thought was "the one", or a friend moving away, or losing a pet is the most sadness you will ever feel. And although all of those do hurt and are never easy, it is a completely different feeling to lose a sibling. It penetrates right down to your core and in every bone in your body. And I think it is even safe to say that being a parent and losing a daughter hurts 100 times worse than losing a sibling.
I MISS YOU, MEGAN. I LOVE YOU.

THE GOOD NEWS:

With my sister's passing being only two weeks out from my marathon, it was hard to decide whether to run it or not. I had no appetite and was really having a hard time getting any sleep. This affected me wanting to even go out and get a run in. I did my best, pushed through my last hard workout (10 X Yasso's) and decided to do it. I still wanted to break 3 hours but told myself that if I was going to do this race, I needed to be OK with whatever happens race day.

On race morning I could definitely tell that I was a little off mentally. I was really anxious and a little irritated before the race. I then made the BIGGEST ROOKIE mistake: I forgot my D-Tag. I realized this as I was toeing the line and panic rushed over me. I couldn't believe it. All the work I had done, the last two weeks of struggle and now I forget my chip?! I sprinted back to the Elite Area only to find they had already sent my bag to the finish line. This is when I really start freak out. I get back to the line and tell the official, who just brushed me off. Another official comes up, and by that time Coach Dad had arrived and he too is yelling to the officials about my tag. The second official said it was alright and that they will track me because of my bib number (which was F1). I calmed a little but still wasn't convinced (I eventually asked my cyclist to double check for me!). At this point, I really had no choice though. I would run the race and deal with it later. The gun goes off and I start. My first few miles were WAY too fast due to a downhill start. This threw me off and I never really settled into a rhythm. I would hit a 6:45 then down to 6:35 and back to a 6:50 then back to a 6:38. I felt as if I was holding a steady rhythm but every mile brought a surprise split. I was still feeling pretty strong and just tried to do my best at holding a pace. I went through the half around 1:26 and change. I was feeling good through about mile 17, when I started up a hill and got a huge wave of nausea. I knew then it was going to be a rough 9 miles. And it was! The temperature started to get high and the humidity was really getting thick. I think it was somewhere in the mid-80s with 65-70% humidity when I finished. Looking back I don't think I drank enough water in the first half of the race to prepare for the second. It didn't help that the last miles were almost entirely in the sun also. Only a small section where we went through a spectatorless park, did I finally get a little relief from the blaze. At mile 21 or 22 I really hit the wall. Actually, crashed into the wall. My pace dropped somewhere to around 7:30s to 7:40s and I stuck there until the finish. As I crested the hill at about 25.5 and made the left turn down towards the finish, I could see people finishing their half-marathons and all the spectators awaiting our arrival. It was what I needed to really give me a final push to the finish. I think I even dropped my pace back down to sub 7:00(Ha!). As I cross mile 26, I could see that the clock was right around 2:59:xx. One of my goals was to qualify for Elite Development in the Chicago Marathon, which meant I had to run under 3:01 to do so. Right past mile 26, Coach Dad, his fiance and her daughter were there waiting and cheering my on. I hit whatever gear I had left and gave it all into the finish (my last .2 was 1:25!). I finished just barely making the qualifying time by running 3:00:56. It was a small PR, but still a PR. Especially on a VERY hilly and hot course. Although I missed breaking the three hour mark (AGAIN!), I placed the highest I ever had in a marathon placing 12Th overall and  finishing the 3rd woman. I even got a little chunk of the prize purse!

Coming down the final stretch!

Coach Dad and I post race. 

(He ran the half-marathon a week after running the London Marathon!)

Her initials barely hung on, as did I!

Coach Dad and I after the awards ceremony.

 THE PRETTY:

 So, to get to that exciting opportunity I had. I moved back to California in 2011 after living in Wyoming for about a year. While I was there, I frequently visited Colorado and LOVED it. I have wanted move to Colorado since then and now officially have! My boyfriend, Chris, and I decided to move to Colorado Springs to better our training. We are both young and have no major commitments and decided: Why the hell not!? The altitude here is right around 6,300 ft and there are more trails than one can imagine! Can you say more red blood cells!?

Gorgeous.  

From the trail head at Red Rock Open Space.

Hello, Pikes Peak! 

Just leaving the grocery store :)

 I am really excited about the move. We had some major difficulties getting out here, but that is a story for later. I am glad to finally be here and have met some great people already (Hi Caroline and Clayton!). I do miss my family and friends back home in good ol' California! Running has been a bit of a struggle because 1.) you are either gasping for oxygen or 2.) going straight up. Usually it's a combo of both for me. It is getting better and I am feeling my strength developing already.

I don't have any races planned in the near future (until Chicago) and am out of things to report. So, until next time!

Happy trails!

Race Report: Shamrock'n and me pot o' gold

So it's been about two weeks now since the Shamrock'n half-marathon and I am having a hard time trying to find the words to describe the race. (I have been without internet due to an impulse to decision to cancel it because of our shitty service.) I thought I would keep it short and sweet and let you enjoy a fun photo blog :)

 Right around mile 2

 Surprise MOM sighting at mile 9 1/2! :)

 My lead cyclist pulling me at around mile 12.5

Rounding 3rd base. . . 

...and heading for home! 

Crossing the line FIRST FEMALE and a NEW PR!!

1:21:35 

Chris, first male, and I with our new bats :)

Results are in!

TOOT! TOOT!

Having a little fun enjoying my first big win!

To sum it up: It's a day for the books for this gal!