A Breath of Fresh Air!

This weekend was a celebration of many things. July 5th is Isabelle's birthday, it was Fourth of July and our first Fourth of July in Como since we got the cabin 6 years ago. We didn't know it before, but now we do, that we can watch the fireworks display close-up from our futon in the cabin, through the screen door. How cool is that?

But equally it was a celebration of my new job! I am leaving ICU within the next month to work in the oncology department, in outpatient infusion. It's something I've been wanting to do for quite some time and it couldn't have happened at a better time. I found out just before leaving the house to drive up to Como for the weekend.

Sometimes waiting for change is almost as stressful as the thing you're wanting to change.

While we were in Florida a job was posted in the oncology outpatient infusion clinic for relief hours only. Those are minimal hours and I would keep my ICU job until I could get the same number of hours as I have in ICU. With the relief job, I applied, got an interview, and then heard I got it, except that there might be some real jobs like what I wanted(not relief, but guaranteed hours), soon, and if I was interested I should apply.

And it was supposed to happen soon. How soon, I didn't know. So I went into the checking the job postings 6 times a day mode, checking my email, checking for voice messages, and generally being on hyper-alert and realizing just how ready I am for this change.

After 3 weeks of touch and go, knowing I have a job in the department I want but not the job I want, but the job I want will be available, maybe soon, and then waiting for the job to materialize on the job postings, so I can apply for it, then applying, and waiting to find out if I got it, and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

All of which went really fast in retrospect but while I was waiting it seemed like

F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

Dennis told me there is a reason I'm having to wait, that it will be a good thing.

When I didn't hear by Friday of this week, I decided I needed to just leave town for the weekend according to my original plan, to run the Leadville marathon, hang out at the cabin, and not stress about it. I packed up the car, got the Buffaloes in the back seat, and was on my last trip back into the house before locking up and leaving, when I saw the message light on the phone. I thought it might be Dennis since we just got off the phone making plans for when he followed us up to the cabin later after work.

I checked the message and it was the manager of the oncology department asking me to call her.

I did.

It was the job offer!!!

I asked if there was anything I needed to do right away, but since we were going into a holiday weekend, we decided we would work on it next week and enjoy the holiday.

So I stuck to my plans, but there was an extra reason to celebrate!

Dennis arrived at the cabin in the middle of the night. I woke up at 4:45 am and had to drive to Leadville, over an hour away.

I arrived at the Sixth Street Gym by 7 am and picked up my race packet, ate my sandwich, drank a lot of water and gatorade, and packed my pack full of warm clothes. I talked with some people I hadn't seen in ages, since I rarely come up to Leadville anymore.

Finally it was time for the start. I was blown away when I saw that they were using timing chips for the event. I can't believe this little race that started in 1992 when there were a few dozen of us, now has hundreds of runners and chip timing!

I was in tourist mode. I had my butt pack that was bigger than my butt loaded with warm clothes, food, camera, batteries, and drinks. I might as well have brought my AAA card, a credit card and a toothbrush.

I took my time, I planned to get a lot of walking in and didn't care to push it. I got plenty of miles in the past two weeks and all I needed was the vertical. I was in pedestrian mode and I had told Dennis it might be 5:00 before I got back to the cabin, because the marathon might take me 7 hours or longer.

And it did. I socialized at the aid stations, talked to old friends, more people from Leadville I haven't seen in years, people from ultras I haven't seen in months. I ran most of the first half with Dale Perry, he will be at Badwater next week crewing for Paul Grimm. Dale got to the top just ahead of me and then he pushed a little faster than I did going back, so we didn't see each other again until the finish.



On the way back I caught up to the crazy dude with Ultimate Butt, the term we use for those old Ultimate Direction packs that ride up with your shorts, exposing your cheeks to everyone running behind you. I tried to avoid him, he was chattering about who knows what. I didn't want to get stuck with Mr. U.B. because he never would have shut up and he probably could keep up with me if I tried to run ahead. So I kept him in sight, but not close enough to see the details, and with enough cushion so he couldn't recognize me if he turned around.

And there was this woman who was behind me on the way up the pass and just ahead of me on the way down. I was trying to avoid her because of her annoying voice. One of those nails on chalkboard voices. She had to be all perky and cheer for every single person on their way down the pass as we were climbing up. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Driving me crazy.

About a mile from the top I wanted to turn around and yell back at her, if you would use your breath to climb the @#$%&*! pass, you'd be done in half the time! But I didn't. I got ahead of her enough so I couldn't hear her anymore, and I talked with Pat at the aid station on top of the pass for a long time even though I was freezing, and took pictures and gave Miss Perky Squeaky Voice plenty of time to get far ahead of me. Unfortunately I caught up to her soon after the aid station at the bottom.

I think I just needed to be alone and look at the scenery. I think I was emotionally fried. My work week was pretty miserable last week, and I was so excited and hopeful about the new job that it was stressful waiting. There's always the fear that you didn't get the job. What if.

As I found things getting on my nerves I stuck close to the back of the pack and strategically passed people only if I knew I could go past them fast enough to avoid getting in a conversation.

I could feel my toes jamming into the front of my shoes on the way down. The Leadville marathon is almost all straight up or straight down, there are only a few miles where the road is fairly level, in the middle section by the mines. I was wondering how many toenails I might lose after this one, now that I have ten again, they won't last long.

I always forget just how hard this marathon is. It takes way longer than it needs to, to do 26 miles. I could get the same vertical in my back yard on Horsetooth Rock, in a lot less time, just not the altitude. I'm to the point with Leadville where I think I'm over it. I spent so much time up there in the past. I still think it's beautiful up there but I feel like I could find new places to explore.

It's really a suffer fest at this point, since I don't train for cold and I don't train for high altitude anymore. Actually though since I was going so slow I felt surprisingly good even on top of Mosquito Pass. I had no problems with my stomach or my appetite. Usually I'm queasy above 12,000 feet. This time I was just lightheaded, probably would have sounded like a Gooney Bird except I wasn't being very sociable.

I did tell one older runner I was close to the whole race, that as you get older you forget how painful it was the year before. That's why we come back. This time it took me 3 years to forget. If I go back to run it again in less time than that, I'm in trouble.

I got back to the Sixth Street Gym seven hours and thirty three minutes, long, torturous, lost in thought, but scenic hours and minutes after the start. I thanked Ken and Merilee, said goodbye to Dale and Ron, and took off for Como before Dennis started worrying.

I stopped at the KOA in Buena Vista and got a shower for $8.00 from a pipe sticking out of the wall, but at least it was warm water. I forgot how everyone up there in those campgrounds, both the visitors and the workers, all sound like they're from Texas or Arkansas. It's been a long time since my days of doing forestry work in the summers, living in the back of my truck, and coming into town once a week for a shower.





On Sunday we took the girls for a hike on the ditch trail and then went back to the cabin. The town of Como swelled to several hundred people, there was a parade with a float, and live music, booths, nasty greasy-looking food wagons, and lots of large people walking around aimlessly, holding nasty greasy-looking things, dressed in red, white, and blue.

For a town of 20 permanent residents and maybe 100 in the summer, it was a big crowd. We waited all day for the fireworks, as the sun went down it got cold and windy. For while we thought it would either rain us out or it would be too windy to have fireworks, but there was a steady stream of headlights driving into town, hundreds of cars were arriving.



The fireworks started and Isabelle got scared. Poor thing, she was trembling. We had to talk to her and comfort her the whole time. Iris didn't seem to be bothered at all. We poured some beer in Isabelle's bowl hoping she might drink it and it would calm her down, but she was too scared. Iris drank it instead and then feel asleep, snoring on the futon.

Finally it was over. We watched the stream of red tailights proceeding out of town and along Highway 285. Monday morning when we woke up, town was dead quiet again. You would never know that a thousand people and their cars were there just a few hours ago.

It was cold and windy in the morning too. We left to drive back to Fort Collins late in the morning. As soon as I got home I wrote my letter of resignation, and I'm on my way to a big, welcome, healthy, much-needed change within the next few weeks.

A BIG breath of fresh air!

Houska Houska!

Memorial Day in Fort Collins would not be complete without the Houska Houska 5k, the best Memorial Day running event ever.

Down the road is the Bolder Boulder 10K, but 50,000 people don't know what they're missing. You can't get root beer floats, bloody marys, poker hands, popcorn, cotton candy, face painting and petting zoos for the kids, or costume contests and live music for everyone in Boulder on Memorial Day. And you would miss out on an opportunity to raise money for PVH Cancer Center and the Bone Marrow Donor Program.




The Houska Houska starts on Riverside Ave. in the grassy area next to the railroad tracks, across the street from Houska Automotive, owned by Dennis & Noreen Houska, who started this event. Dennis Houska is a bone marrow donor, among his many other contributions to the bone marrow program, the PVH Foundation, and the community.

It's a low-key event and every year there is a slightly different theme, this year's was "Full House" where runners were dealt a poker hand at five different points during the race, and the runner with the best hand won the event.



The race is attended by runners, walkers, dogs, people on roller blades, scooters, baby joggers, and some other creative modes of transportation.















I am two weeks beyond my Keys 100 race and I felt pretty good in the 5K. I didn't push hard but I do feel recovered. I'm looking forward to summer.











I'm signed up to run the Estes Park Marathon in 2 weeks, I'm running the Leadville Marathon which goes up to 13,000 feet on July 3, and the following week I go out to Badwater to be a medical volunteer at the race again this year, with a visit to Phoenix to see my dad and stepmom on the way out to Las Vegas. At the end of August I plan to run the Lean Horse Hundred.

An occasional 5K or short race is good for a little speedwork and fun, to re-connect with the local running community. Members of the local running clubs also attend the Houska Houska. This year I saw Jance and Tom from the Fort Collins Running Club, Morgan and Melinda finishing together, Steve Cathcart from Runner's Roost, Dave Cranor, local physician and runner.










































Dennis was there too, but he couldn't run because he has a calf injury, so he had a Bloody Mary instead. The Bloody Marys at Houska Houska are rumored to be the best. I don't drink them, but that's what I've heard. I had the root beer float instead.













The girls are getting re-adjusted to us being back from the Keys. We got a sea
turtle for Isabelle and she uses it as a pillow. Iris has a leopard shark and a gator that squeaks.






After the Houska Houska Dennis and I went out to get a new pool for the girls, so they can cool off after their morning run.





















It seemed like it was never going to happen this year, but summer is finally here. It was 109 in Death Valley on Memorial Day! Only 6 weeks until I get to go out to Badwater again!

Horsetooth Half Marathon

Today I ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon, one of the popular local races that's been around for a million years, or at least as long as I've been running. It's a hilly course that starts by Hughes Stadium and climbs over 500 feet in the first 2 miles. It continues north passing over the dams of Horsetooth Reservoir, along Centennial Drive with views of the foothills, Horsetooth Rock, and Fort Collins, with plenty of challenging climbs until the big descent toward the town of Bellvue.

Then it takes a right over Bingham Hill road, more hills to climb, then turns north on Overland Trail, followed by a turn onto the Poudre Trail bike path for the last 5 miles of fairly flat concrete into Old Town Fort Collins, and ends at New Belgium Brewery (where they brew Fat Tire Ale).

I ran well, I didn't expect to cover the course in much less than 2 hours but I ended up with 1:49 and a few seconds. I powerwalked up all the hills, which was a big advantage for me to pass all the people who went anaerobic trying to run up the big climbs. I flew by them without working very hard on the way down. Then on the bike path I was able to manage sub-8 minute miles without working too hard, leaving me with a feeling of confidence for the upcoming Keys 100 race. I'm feeling a little more fit than I expected to.

I was also happy to beat my time from last November at Boyd Lake, since this is a much tougher course. I did make some progress over the winter. I was sort of dreading the run all weekend and this morning, I'm really not into mass humanity and fast running, but it turned out to be perfect weather, cool and sunny after the fog burned off, and I enjoyed my run.

This afternoon I took advantage of the sunny day to plant the wildflower seeds in the rock garden.

Only four weeks to the Keys!

Back to Running

I ran two races over the past week. In the midst of feeling so bad lately, I have decided to make a goal run for the spring. I've all but decided on the Keys 100 in Florida in mid-May. November 1st is the beginning of training. Most years January 1st is the first day of spring for me when it comes to training. I needed a head start this year!

Sunday I ran the Tortoise & Hare 5K, a local Ft. Collins Running Club event, and felt horrible. The Tortoise & Hare running series is a handicap event, so everyone starts based on their predicted time, which results in everyone finishing close together. My predicted time for the series is based on what I was running 3 years ago. Not much comparison at all. This time I ran 27:26, which I think is my slowest time ever, for any 5K. As I dragged myself across the finish line, a good 2 minutes behind everyone else, I felt like for sure there is something wrong with me.

Monday through Wednesday I worked three days in a row, which I never do, and was completely exhausted by the third day, which turned into a 14 hour day, and had major brain fog and no energy for two days afterwards. I finally dragged myself out for a run with Cat Friday and we went slow.

Saturday morning I was signed up for the Heart Center of the Rockies half marathon, that finishes at Boyd Lake. I hoped it was a fluke that I ran so slow last Sunday and I felt like I should at least be able to manage that pace for a half marathon. I figured I could finish the half in less than 2 hours, and if I didn't, then I'd know for sure I am toast. Two years ago I ran it in 1:37. I didn't expect to be anywhere close to that time now.

I started the race with a co-worker who was running in his first race in many years. He used to run and compete in college and is about eight years younger than me. Last summer when he told me he wanted to sign up for the race I encouraged him to run it. He had been training well this fall until he hurt his foot and got the flu like so many other people. He hadn't run more than about 8 miles leading up to the race, and he was thinking around two hours for a finishing time.

He asked if I minded if he started with me, and I said sure, run with me as long as you like. I figured at some point he would get way ahead of me. We ran together the first 5 miles and I told him I was going to drop back because I needed to slow the pace down so I'd have something left in the last few miles. We started far back from the starting line, it took us 20 seconds to get to the actual start line, and two miles to get through the crowds of people so we could run with our normal strides.

He was running about 8 minute miles comfortably and I felt better at about 8:30 pace. I could see him ahead of me the whole time from 5 miles on, and he got quite a lead on me by about 9 miles. But then as we headed uphill after 9 miles, I could see I was gaining on him again and I passed him soon after 11 miles. I stuck with him for a short time, trying to encourage him to stay with me, but he was fading. Around 12 miles I took off ahead and ended up finishing a couple of minutes ahead of him.

I thought he did awesome, I'm not sure how he felt about his run but I was very impressed, considering he chose this as a first race. He could have picked something like a 5K. I know that if he had more training, I wouldn't be anywhere close to him. Great job, Eric!

I finished in 1:51. About 8:30 pace overall, but I felt better and ran faster the second half. Around 7 miles was when I felt myself starting to pick it up. And I ran the last 5K two minutes faster than last week's abysmal 5K, so that must have been a fluke.

It's good to have a baseline so you can measure your progress. A 1:51 half-marathon is my baseline. I have some work to do.

The Keys 100 will be hot and humid, and it's all asphalt, with little elevation gain and loss except for bridges. It goes from Key Largo to Key West. I'll have to prepare for the humidity by training in the steam room. Perfect for getting things primed for another run at Badwater the following year.

Sharpei'd!

Here I am finishing the Estes Park marathon, with lousy form, after suffering through the second half of yet another one of these things I said I wouldn't do until the second half of this year. I've already run 4 marathon-length races this year and haven't felt good at one of them.

Katy and I drove up together. We saw Wayne and his friend Al at the start. Al and Wayne are from New Jersey. Katy ended up running the whole marathon with Wayne. Al was close to me at times early in the race, but I slowed way down in the second half. Dennis drove up later and watched us all finish.

With Wayne's help, I invented a new word. Sharpei'd. Middle-aged male runners, I feel your pain. It's like getting chicked, except by someone older than you, with a lot of wrinkles. Wayne was celebrating his upcoming 50th birthday this week and said he's in a new age group, the Sharpei group. That's what I'll be in next, now that I'm halfway through the Geezer Lite age group.

I was probably in the top 5 women while my legs were still fresh, and then in the last 8 miles I got passed multiple times. My butt got sharpei'd. By a woman with WAY more wrinkles than I have!

Usuaully I feel great coming down from Devil's Gulch on the McGregor Ranch side of the final loop. This time I had nothing left, I was mostly walking. At one point I looked to my right as I heard another person flying past me, and all I could see were wrinkly arms. Old lady arms. Much older than mine. Passed me like I was standing still.

I love this run, I would do it anyway even if I ran nothing else during the year, it's close to home and the scenery can't be beat. I am an idiot for running it without my camera, but I was trying to run fast. I wanted to.

The truth is, I ran a great first half. I am not used to running fast for a long time, in long ultras I don't do that, and my recent training has consisted of only two 10 mile runs where I ran fast for that distance. I'm not surprised I pooped out after 15 in Estes. But I felt great until my legs died!
Wayne and Katy finishing on the track.

Coming up the last hill before the finish. I was running with a younger ultrarunner from Denver. She is not the one who Sharpei'd me. We finished together, so I guess by ultra standards, I sharpei'd her!

Sitting on the grass after we all finished, we talked about how getting old is not pretty, it's not for those who are weak or vain. Wrinkles, hairs that grow in places you didn't know could grow hair, increasing girth around your waist, gray hairs or hair falling out, slowing down, jiggling skin that you can see when you look down at your legs...DON'T LOOK DOWN!

Sitting on the grass afterwards, Wayne's tongue still hanging out, and he's not even in the Sharpei division yet!

Katy on the grass after the finish.

Follow the Blue Hole

This weekend we went to Fruita to visit our friends Kirk & Keith (aka Horace and Towanda), and I was signed up to run the Spring Desert 25 mile race. Towanda was also running the 25, and Horace was running the 50.

Driving from Fort Collins Friday morning, we left early knowing I-70 could get bad. The visibility was horrible from just outside of Golden to the top of Eisenhower tunnel. It took 2 hours to get from Idaho Springs to Vail, which is only 60 miles. Once we went down the other side from Eisenhower the roads were fine, even on Vail Pass. They must have closed I-70 soon after we got over Eisenhower because we heard there were a ton of people who were supposed to show up including some of the race staff and volunteers who were stuck in Denver.

It was a long drive but the Buffaloes needed a weekend out of town and they wanted to see their friends Boy and Bella, who own Kirk and Keith. By the time we got out of Glenwood Canyon and could see the cliffs above Grand Junction, there was one blue hole in the sky. Promising.


We saw Nick at the pre-race packet pickup in Fruita, and we introduced him to Kirk & Keith. They invited Nick to stay at the house. Nick had planned on camping out near the start. The weather wasn't great for camping, it looked like anything could happen over night with the thick dark clouds everywhere.


Maybe I should re-title this post, "I am an idiot". Before the race that morning I was thinking I'd be able to run the 25 in less than 5 hours and the sky looked dark and cloudy, even with the small amount of light there were not too many breaks in the clouds. I didn't want to carry the camera if it was raining and I thought, I won't want the weight in my pack.

Going up Moore Fun, the first part of the trail, the sunrise was outrageous, shades of blue and orange peeking through the edges of the dark clouds above the cliffs south of the river. I got to the first aid station only 3 minutes faster than last year when I ran the 50, and at that moment I was furious with myself for not bringing the damn camera!

And then on the second section of the course the juniper-dotted cliffs and mesas were lit up and the usual incredible views over the river were as incredible as ever. The day turned out to be perfect, the sky cleared out for the whole morning, and we stayed dry. Next year I will bring the camera, no matter what, no excuses.

I actually ran pretty fast on the trail in the whole middle section of the course, from about 6 to 19 miles. I powered up the steep long climb above Mack and when I got to the top, that was where I saw Nick in third place headed back on his second loop, and it was soon after that, my legs said, "We're done!". I was careful not to bite the trail in the rocky sections on the way down. I guess I was delusional, thinking I could finish faster this year when I haven't done anything remotely like speed training yet this year.

Nick finished the 50 in 7:44, in 2nd place, Kirk finished the 50 in 9:40 something, Towanda finished the 25 about an hour ahead of me, and I finished the 25 in 5:23 something. Slower than dog snot, again. I am so pissed about the camera! And Dennis says he's going to run the 25 next year. I need to get that in writing.
We waited around in the cold wind for Kirk to finish, it was blowing and getting dark again, like there was more rain waiting to dump out of the sky.

Kirk wore his pink gaiters, which did brighten things considerably.


Iris & Isabelle had fun playing with Boy and Bella.









After the race all of us went out for pizza and beer with two of Kirk & Keith's friends from Crested Butte. The pizza was amazingly good for being in Fruita, which as far as I can tell, is an evolving, formerly extreme redneck town that has given up resistance to a huge influx of yuppie visitors with SUVs, mountain bikes, and disposable income.

On the way home the road was clear the whole way. Looked like about a foot or more of snow in the foothills and some in Denver, but Fort Collins looked like it didn't get much. Maybe it rained here.

I am not at all looking forward to the Colorado Marathon in two weeks. I am hoping I am just tired from my tough 2 weeks of rock repeats and being in my usual state of exhaustion from work. I'll take it easy this week and see how I feel. But I doubt I will want to get up at 3 am and catch a bus up Poudre Canyon, plus get nauseated from fumes, just to run downhill on pavement for what is looking like at least 4 hours. I'd rather sleep in and do a long trail run.

Maybe I'll hit the sauna this week and get myself in Death Valley mode.

Dog Breath

This morning it's raining a light mist and I took the Buffaloes for an hour brisk walk first thing. All the leaves are falling on the ground and the streets are lined with orange and yellow. Perfect fall weather, not too cold to walk in the rain, but cool enough to see dog breath.

Boulder turned out to be fun and a good workout. I wasn't feeling great at first. I only got 6 hours of sleep because for some reason I woke up at 4 am when I could have slept until 6. My stomach wasn't happy for the first few hours either, probably due to drinking Heed.

It took me about 30 miles before I felt warmed up enough to do anything, and having not slept well the night before, I got into that weaving, inefficient zone around midnight and decided to make it through one more out & back before I called it good. I got 70 miles in before I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

The weather was perfect, warm and not windy, which is unusual for Boulder. There wasn't a big turnout for the race, seemed like a smaller crowd than last year. There was plenty of hot food at night, and it never got too cold. I wore shorts until 10 pm.

The other nice thing was I wore Drymax maximum protection running socks and got no blisters, which is good because this course is on the perfect blister surfaces, loose dirt, rocks and gravel with uneven footing, on a dry, dusty, warm day. My feet had very little heat rash, too, which is amazing for me because I usually look like I have some nasty foot disease.

My feet feel different since Badwater. I have this one persistent hot spot in the middle of my left foot, which is where I got my most painful blisters during Badwater. Now I can feel the callus wanting to build up agan. I think the only remedy for that will be taping at Across the Years. It didn't become an issue at Boulder since I wasn't on my feet more than 16 hours.

Drymax sent me some cold weather socks last week. I didn't use them in the race since it was so warm, but I wore them today. Very comfortable, and they'll be great when the snow starts falling, which could be any day. They look like something Santa might wear. Perfect for Christmas.


My only regret about the Boulder run was that I didn't bring my camera on any of the loops, and the sunset was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. Unfortunately the peak colors hit in the middle of my loop and I was 3.5 miles from my camera! The sky turned hot pink and reflected off the reservoir, and the water was smooth and looked like pink glass.

The other memorable thing that happened on the run for me was coming around a corner and seeing this woman out for a walk with her baby stroller and her dog, a yellow lab. She was sitting down on the edge of the trail, hugging her dog. I love that image of her and the dog sitting there, looking so content.

Dennis came down and did a lap with me and brought me more ice. He did the whole 7 miles with me while I walked. He said it was hard to keep that pace. Since I haven't been walking much in training lately, I needed practice. Once I got back into my powerwalk, I was passing people who were running, and I was getting comments on how fast my walk was. It's my secret weapon.

Walk like you're possessed.

The day was warm and I was using plenty of ice in my bottles. I found that Heed didn't work for me for very long, my stomach didn't like it. It's weird, I used it all last year in racing and training and it never bothered me. Now it upsets my stomach. I had my backup supply of gatorade and I stuck to that, 1/2 gatorade, 1/2 water, ice and a salt stick capsule in every bottle.

After my 9th out & back, I could start to feel my hamstring, in the same place that's been bothering me since Badwater. Not bad to get through 64 miles without feeling it, but once I did, I knew I'd have to be careful.

Today I'm slightly stiff and sore behind my knees, my upper hamstrings and butt, and the front of my ankles. Walking muscles. I needed to do more stretching during the run.

I feel like if I can do a 70 mile training run and bounce back from that, I'm where I need to be for the 48 hour run. One more long training run this fall should be all I need. Ten weeks to Across the Years!

Relentless Forward Motion

Busy week.

Today I ran the Colorado Marathon which starts up Poudre Canyon and finishes in Old Town Ft. Collins.

Runners take the bus up the canyon to get to the start, and that means catching the bus at 4 something in the morning. I woke up at 3:15, had coffee and ate breakfast before driving downtown to catch the bus.

When you get off the bus, it's cold outside, the campground where it starts is right next to the river and the air is cold. This year didn't seem as cold as last year, but I froze the whole morning, I didn't even warm up until I hit the bike path in LaPorte around 21 miles.

I headed for the portapotty line which was long and moving fast (young crowd again?) and heard someone call my name. I turned around and in line behind me was Donnalee, I haven't seen her in 10 years. I knew her and her family through the running club. She moved away to Montana about the time we moved to Arizona, we used to run together back then and today she was running her first marathon in a long time, since law school, getting married, having two kids, etc. They moved back to Fort Collins recently too.

We ran the first two miles together and her plan was to run about the pace I ran last year. I had no idea how I was going to feel, and we started out together for the first two miles, but I couldn't stay up with her. I never saw her again which means she must have had a great run. I haven't seen the results yet.

I started out at about an 8:45 per mile pace but backed off of that when I realized how flat my legs felt. My legs weren't tired or sore, they just feel like they have no turnover, no spring. I settled into a 9 minute pace and stayed there. I went through halfway in exactly 9 minute pace. In the early second half I did two long powerwalking stretches of about a mile each and that helped a lot, after those I'd bounce back and pass dozens of people.

I felt good again around 18 miles and ran with Ron from the running club for a while until I had to take another pee break. He was trying to get in under 4 hours and I didn't feel like pushing myself that hard, I wanted to stay strong. I had told Dennis I'd be done between 3 and a half and four hours, so I told Ron before he got ahead of me if he saw Dennis to tell him not to worry about me, I was upright and moving forward.

At one point on the bike path I passed this guy who was having problems, probably in his first marathon. He was bent over, then he'd stand up and look around behind him, not moving forward. I yelled, "Relentless Forward Motion! You can finish!" One of the spectators out there on the course started echoing me. I hope it sunk in and the guy finished. At that point he had enough time to crawl and still make it under the cutoff time.

When I got to the finish line I couldn't see the clock but I shut off my watch. Dennis saw me and called to me. I looked at my watch after a minute or so and it was still running, so I don't know what my finish time was, but it was 4 hours and change. Probably 4:02 or something, but I'll find out when I see the results. I ran fairly even splits the first and second half, with those two powerwalking miles.


After I finished, I saw a co-worker who finished her first half marathon, and told me that another one of our co-workers finished the half marathon in a fast time. We didn't stick around long, we picked up my drop bag and talked to a few people. We went home and took the Buffaloes for a few miles and got 32 for the day. Then I took a nap. Not a bad week, 60 miles, no breaks. Unfortunately, I neglected my sauna training this week, there were not enough hours to do everything. I can't get away with that anymore after this. The race is only 10 weeks away.

Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm I was at the Expo at the Hilton for the Colorado Marathon. I had a display set up to call attention to my fundraiser for the Foundation. I was located outside the main room so everyone saw me on their way in and out. I got a lot of interest and got a donation, and quite a few people picked up flyers after I talked to them about why I'm doing the fundraiser. I also gave flyers to everyone I knew.

I had my foam board display with the powerpoint slides on it, my laptop set up with the video of "Running on the Sun" the whole time, and a big basket of candy. People are fascinated by the idea of running Badwater, but most of them say they would never do it, they think it's crazy. I talked to maybe half a dozen people who said they might want to do it someday.

My location was ideal except at the times when things got busy and the place was packed with people. I ended up being the greeter all day as a result of my location, which was good, but exhausting. At 5 pm sharp, Dennis helped me break everything down and we ordered a pizza and took it home. I was too tired to think of cooking.

When I got home from the marathon, Dennis had the article in the Coloradoan spread out on the table in the kitchen. I saw Miles before the start and he told me a few things got edited out, but Dennis and I both thought it was good and he got a good laugh out of it.

I need to start this week making heat training a big priority. The weather has been too cool for Badwater training. I'll have to start overdressing on my runs and hitting the sauna every day I'm not at work. I have 6 weeks of training left before the taper, and 9 weeks to heat train. I feel like at this point, I could run the Badwater distance if I had a few weeks to taper. But I don't feel ready for the heat.

One of the articles I read about heat training said that if you're short on time at this point in your training, it's better to hit the sauna and spend time baking in the heat than running. Good advice.

Time to eat again...

Grrrrr...

This weekend we went to Grand Junction for the Spring Desert Ultra 50 mile race. We stayed with Kirk and Keith, who just moved from Crested Butte to Grand Junction, and we took the Buffaloes along for the road trip. It's been a while since we did a family trip, since last summer.

I ran the 25 mile version of this race last year, and I remembered thinking how hard the 50 would have been. I made a note to myself to run the 50 this year as a training run for Badwater.

I made myself as tired as I could possibly get in the week before. Last week I did 40 miles before leaving for Grand Junction, including 4 Rock Repeats. Add that to 3 long days at work, one of my shifts was 14-plus hours. My one day off before the race was Friday and I packed, ran 5 miles in the morning, and then we drove to Grand Junction. I didn't sleep much the night before the race, only about 5 hours.

I woke up about 3 am because I had to use the bathroom and then I didn't get back to sleep. Keith, Kirk, and I got our stuff together and left to drive out to the race at 5:30. This race starts at 6:30 am. Dennis wasn't running, he planned to take care of the dogs in the morning and then meet us all at the halfway point of the race. Keith was running the 25 mile race so she only had to do one loop. Kirk & I were both doing the 50.

It was still dark when we parked at the starting area. There was a long line for the portapotties, and I got in line, hoping there would be enough time. But I was amazed at the speed of the line, it went so fast. I was trying to figure out why, and then I realized I was one of the oldest people there. Looking around, the race was full of 20 and 30 year olds. At most of the ultras I'm used to, the average age is more like 50 to 60, sometimes older.

I finally figured out the answer to the problem of long waits in the lines for the portapotties at ultras! Start handing out Flomax and prune juice!

I felt exceptionally good in the first few hours of the race, I took off at a decent pace and felt strong running all morning. It was clear and warm, and by the time we got over the big first climb and dropped down to the shelf above the Colorado River, the sun was coming up over the mesa.

It was completely quiet except for the vultures and hawks flying around above us. The morning light was shining on the different shades of red in the sandstone cliffs, there was a lining of spring green leaves along the both sides of the river 500 feet below us, and there were dots of dark green juniper on the sides of the mesa. The light was falling on the river between the canyons and I had to keep stopping to look.

After the third aid station there is a long stretch of the Kokopelli trail that I remembered from last year to bring extra capacity for water. I remembered it being hot and a long way. I ran out of water on this stretch but I'd been well-hydrated, I was peeing every half hour. I got to the fourth aid station and started thinking through what I'd need to get out of my drop bags at the turnaround at 25 miles. It was getting warm.

Then I remembered that Dennis would be there, maybe he would have ice in the cooler. As I approached the turnaround I started to feel tired. My legs felt fine but my head felt fuzzy, I think it was sleep deprivation. I was having a hard time concentrating and remembering what I needed.

I arrived at the turnaround at 5 hours and 27 minutes, a half hour faster than I ran the 25 last year. Dennis was there with the cooler, and he had ice and COLD gatorade! I sat down and went through my drop bag, trying to remember the mental list I'd made on the way in. Then it seemed like all these people wanted to talk to me. I was afraid I'd leave the aid station without something important for the second half.

I felt super crabby and I snapped at everyone. I need to get my stuff and get out. I can't talk to you now. I felt like the biggest bitch but I was mad, tired, and I needed to concentrate on what I was doing and here comes everyone wanting to chat, distracting me. I thought, they're finished with their race but I'm only halfway. I felt super irritable, I was thinking, get out of my face! Keith told me later that I wasn't bad at all, but I felt like I was. I did thank Dennis for bringing the stuff, that was a lifesaver. I only spent 10 minutes in the aid station but it felt like forever.

Stuffing my face with crackers at the halfway point. I was hungry, tired and mean.

I ended up taking three iced water bottles with me, which was important. I forgot my carb boom gel, which was also important. I did remember to take some magnesium capsules and salty crackers. But I forgot to bring a lightweight shirt in case I was out late and it got cool. The best thing I did was to fill my ice bandana with ice cubes and wrapped it around my neck before I took off.

I took off and and ran down the road, the ice crunching and bouncing on my shoulders. By the time I got to the first climb I realized I had forgotten my gels. Damn! The variety of hammer gel flavors available at the aid stations gets worse as the race goes on. Vanilla hammer gel tastes like liquid cardboard, and I can only deal with so much chocolate and espresso flavored gel. My poor stomach. I was eating wind-dried, dust coated bananas, pretzels, and gel.

Nothing else sounded good. I tried a PBJ on a tortilla and it gave me the chills, I spit it out. I can do PBJ all day long on bread at work, but on a warm, dried out tortilla sitting for hours in the sun and wind at the aid station, UGH! I was still mad about forgetting my gels and a shirt for the evening. I felt extremely irritable. I stayed away from the other runners, passing them and running ahead, or purposely following them at good distance so I wouldn't have to interact.

It was getting warm and windy, and the dust was picking up with little dust devils. I had my hazmat hat on which has a chinstrap, fortunately, or I would have lost my hat. Everyone on the turnaround was complaining about the heat. I felt great, plus I had that little sack of ice around my neck. The temperatures were in the mid-70 range, but the rocks and dirt were hot. The ice on my neck lasted two and a half hours. In Badwater it would have lasted 5 minutes.

My legs felt fine and I ran a good portion of the second half. After I got through the aid station after the long stretch, I started to feel less irritable and started conversations with a few runners along the middle section. The wind was getting stronger and it was hard to run against it. Walking was easier above the river. I saw a lot of lizards. There were these cool looking lizards with brown heads, turquoise green bodies, and yellow feet. I saw a big one, and I thought maybe I was hallucinating, but then I saw another one later that looked just like it, so I'm pretty sure my head was still working.

I was concerned that I wouldn't make the time cutoff of 13 hours at the finish. I had told Dennis at the turnaround not to worry about me if I was pushing the time cutoff. I told Keith not to wait for me if they were hungry, that they should go get dinner and then come back to get me at the finish.

By ten hours into the race, the sun was starting to get lower and I knew I could make it in 13 hours, but I was worried that it would start to get cool and dark. I kept moving. When I got through the last aid station just before 11 hours, it was still warm. I had a good hour's worth of climbing ahead of me before the final descent. It's about a 2000 foot climb and descent in the last 6 miles. It felt like the never ending climb.

I was strong the whole way but I started to feel grumpy again. My stomach felt funny. I wasn't nauseated, on my well-balanced diet of vanilla, banana and chocolate hammer gel. Every time I thought I was at the top, I came around a bend and there were more switchbacks. I was ready for it to be over! Finally, I hit the top and I was on top of the mesa, on the cliff, looking down over a thousand feet below to more layers of cliffs and the river, and the wind was howling, blowing me from the side. Fortunately it was blowing me into the rocks instead of over the cliff!

I was in a bad mood again and I had to run down about a thousand feet on rocky switchbacks and loose dirt. I am not the greatest trail runner to begin with, and I was tired and having a hard time concentrating. I didn't trip too many times, but I was cautious, and that made my descent slower.

I figured I'd make the 13 hour cutoff just barely, and I didn't even care at that point if I officially finished under the cutoff, I was going to finish the distance anyway. I thought about what I accomplished this week and felt good. I got what I asked for. I wanted a tough, long race to make me push through my fatigue. I ran 90 miles, got 12,000 feet each of vertical climb and descent, I worked three long shifts, and didn't get any rest before the race. I thought about how tough Badwater will be, how tired I'll be at 90 miles, and how glad I will be that I did this in training.

That was enough to snap me out of my bad mood. My friend Snakebite always said when you finish a race close to the time cutoff, you're getting your money's worth.

As it turned out the descent was really fast. I finished in 12 hours, 30 minutes, and 18 seconds. Kirk, Keith and Dennis were at the finish line, yelling TOWANDA! and doing the wave. They had more cold gatorade and pizza.

finishing in 12 and a half hours, my slowest and toughest 50 mile race ever.

A few minutes after my finish, a cold gatorade and I'm ready for another loop. Kirk (center) finished a couple of hours earlier.

I didn't take any foot pictures this time, because my feet were good. No blisters. Just a little heat rash, but I had no pain and my muscles feel good. When I got out of the car at Kirk & Keith's house in Grand Junction, I was sunburned, dusty, and exhausted, but I could easily do more miles, I just needed some sleep. This is easy, compared to Badwater.

I did get elbow pictures. I completely fried my arms, this was the first time all year I haven't had my arms covered up, and only the third time I've run in shorts all year.

I can't be in bad shape after a week like this if the only things that hurt are my elbows. I feel ready to go out and hit the road again, but I'm forcing myself to take Sunday off.

Sunday on our way back we stopped in Glenwood Springs to see Ken. He is doing well since his move there from Grand Junction in January, and he's charged up about Badwater. I called Steph when we got home and we did some strategizing on the phone. Things are falling into place, I feel like I'm where I need to be with three months to go.

In May I'll be in the sauna four days a week, I have some long runs and races planned, some fundraising-related events, and I'll be busy. Right now anything that doesn't have to do with Badwater is "A.B."

That's After Badwater.