Snow Finally!

Fox Run Trailhead - those are my
footprints coming down (there no snow
here when I went up it earlier)

Fox Run Park

December 30, 2010

4.5 miles
11:47 min/mile

Christmas in Colorado and we had no snow in the Springs;  therefore, the family went to Grand Lake spending Monday - Wednesday playing in the snow.

With the winter activities in Grand Lake behind me, I really wanted to get out and run today, despite the dire forecasts.  I'll admit, I've been a bit lazy and have slept in longer than normal this week.  I am on vacation after all and will not have this chance again for quite some time.  So, I did not set foot outside until noon today.

The sun had been shining all morning and despite the cold temperatures, looked to be a very nice day.  However, after gearing up for my run, the clouds pressed down upon us and the sky became leaden and heavy with the promise of snow.

As soon as my garmin caught a passing satellite, I was up the trail.  I had not trod 50 paces before a single snow flake fell.  This solitary flake was then lazily followed by a few more.   As I continued, more  flakes fell and promised to be a nice little snow storm.  I had no fear and actually looked forward to running in the fresh snow.  It is amazing how being prepared for the weather lets you embrace it and enjoy it so much more.

As I continued up to Fox Run park, the snow increased; but unfortunately, my speed did not.  I felt heavy from all the Christmas goodies and massive over-eating of late.  As much as I love the holidays, I dread the extra five pounds I invariably gain due to fudge, cookies, cakes, coconut joys, candied coated pretzels ... ah, the list goes on!

The park was quiet as I ran through it today, very few people in it and the snow continued to fall.   I love how the snow blankets and quiets everything, even when it is spitting tiny pellets at you instead of fluffy, white flakes.   I was warm and my fleece whitened with the snow as I ran along the trails.  Two hikers came toward me and I gauged how fast the snow was falling by how rapidly I lost their tracks in it.   Fairly fast, I surmised as it did not take long to lose their prints.

After the run with snow!

With my fatigue and the snow falling faster, I decided to shorten my run by hitting a favorite single track and cut about a half mile off of my regular park rimming loop.  None too soon either; as I crossed Baptist Road on the return, it was obvious how quickly the weather changed with the formally clear road now covered in white.  Seven-tenths of a mile later I ran in front of my house and called it day.  A hot shower awaited with errands to run in the afternoon!

Snow Shoeing & Sleigh Ride

Green Mountain Trail

Rocky Mountain National Park
December 29, 2010
Green Mountain Trail
3.7 miles

Second day in Grand Lake and I really wanted all of us to go snow shoeing.  I'm a glutton for punishment, I know.  But I love to snow shoe and want my girls to enjoy the same things as I do.  I never know if they really do enjoy these outings, or if they've just come to accept them as part of the deal -- children of a fanatic who loves the outdoors.

We rented snow shoes for them downtown in the morning and then drove into Rocky Mountain National Park and stopped at the visitor's center for a trail recommendation.  Green Mountain Trail goes up about 600 feet in elevation and tops out at a big meadow was the choice for us.  Okay, the one I chose for the family, I'll be honest here.  It also hooked onto other trails and we could do a long loop if all were okay with that.  Hmm, found out later I would certainly be pressing my luck if we did that - I can only ask so much from my family before they retort, "Hey, not all of us runs ultras Mom!" 

With that, we drove to the trailhead.  Weather, sunny and freakin' freezin' cold!  Temps in the morning were registering minus 8 degrees when we went to breakfast; however, we had the proper clothing and all was well.

Jessica and Whitney snow shoeing!

After getting everyone geared up, we headed up the trail with Jessica and Whitney alternating the lead.  I was in the middle and then dropped back about half way up to take pictures and make sure we didn't leave Rick behind!

The trail climbed very steadily and soon all of us were breathing hard.  The elevation started at over 8500' and topped out at 9300+'.  Jess made sure we all knew the park ranger lied about the elevation gain.  I told her not necessarily; I did not check the elevation at the trailhead, rather at the visitor center!  Jess was not mollified and continued to insist he lied.

Family going up Green Mtn Trail 

Whitney also had her demons to deal with during the trek up to the big meadow -- she claimed she pulled both her groins!  She also insists she's Jewish so I never know when to believe her.  However, after watching her later that night walk down the streets of Grand Lake, I know she pulled something while snow shoeing.  Oh my goodness!  What a sight to see -- Whit walking slow and bow-legged as if she just got off a horse over the icy streets of Grand Lake.  I almost died laughing!

But, back to the trek.  Man!  What a gorgeous day and great outing!  It was absolutely beautiful and we only came across two others as we headed down the trail on our way back.   At the top of the trail (1.8 miles), we were rewarded with the great view of the mountain range on the opposite side of a very large meadow.  At the top, there is a hitching post for horses; however, with the snow, it is now a bench for snow-shoers and cross-country skiers.  We made ourselves comfortable there while we ate our granola bars and rested.

Top of Green Mtn Trail - Big Meadow 

After a brief rest and pictures of the meadow - Whitney is standing almost in the middle of my picture of the meadow taking her own pictures - we headed back down the trail.  It was cooler on the return for us for two reasons, the sun had passed its apex and we were not working nearly as hard as we did on the way up.   As I looked around me at the forest, snow and my family, I just felt so lucky once again.  To be out and enjoying the beauty with my family ... can anyone ask for more?

Once we reached the car, and divested ourselves of snow shoes, it was a short drive back to Winding River Resort and our room.  We changed out of the wet clothes and "chillaxed" for about an hour before heading out for our second jaunt of the day ... a sleigh ride!  

I saw read about Windy River Resort and their sleigh rides in my Sunset magazine and thought what a wonderful way to end the day.  It was a fun time shared with two other families and the owner and operator of the Ranch and Resort.  Our two horses, Belgium draft horses, were named Charlie and Spike.  The barn dog was Nugget and he accompanied us on the sleigh ride by sitting next to Cory, our driver.

The sleigh was filled with pillows and blankets and was pretty comfortable until the sun went down about two-thirds of the way into the ride, then it became very cold with steam rising from Charlie and Spike's bodies as they pulled the sleigh.  But, oh what fun it is to laugh and sit in a sleigh - Hey!

Whitney and Jess in Sleigh!

After petting Charlie and Spike, getting a family photo with them and giving Nugget a final farewell pat on the head, we departed for a well-deserved dinner at the end of a glorious day!

Falcon Loop

December 26, 2010
Falcon Loop - USAFA
13 miles (12.71 on Garmin)
2:36:19
12:17 min/mile pace

It is the day after Christmas and the temperature is 49 degrees with sun high in the sky.  What a gorgeous day to run the Falcon Trail Loop.  13 miles on the map; however, my Garmin always comes up short.  I don't know if this is due to the trees on the trail giving me an incorrect reading or the fact that the trail is actually shorter than it says.  We'll go with Chris miles and say I ran 13 today!

I really wanted to get some distance in while I was in Colorado and today was the day for me to do it.  And where else would I run but the Falcon Trail?  I started at noon and parked across from the stadium as usual and ran toward the commissary and BX.  Less than 1.5 miles into the run and I passed a runner.  This makes me look over my shoulder for the next 2 miles before I can tell myself to let it go and not worry even if he does retake me.  I am not running for speed, for any particular time other than less than 3 hours, so why do this to myself?   After passing the commissary and the fire station at the bottom of the hill, I head into the trees again and finally relax to enjoy running the next ten miles.

For the 3rd week of December, the trails are in absolutely excellent condition with one exception, a crossing of the creek in the midst of the trees.
This crossing I did twice. The wooden plank across the creek (seen in photo) led to a small island.  Once I crossed it, I could not ford the creek ahead without getting my feet wet so I went back across the plank and stepped/jumped across the rocks that jutted out of the water.  I only got one foot wet this way and nothing really to speak of.

After this, the trail was once again perfect as seen below.

Falcon Trail going up toward Eagle Peak parking lot

 There were a few mountain bikers on the trail; however, not too many and all were very nice.  One even apologized for using his bell to notify me of his existence behind me.  I saw four other runners out and a family of three - grandfather, father, and son - hiking up a trail I was heading down around mile 10.  Other than that, not very many people out enjoying the unseasonably warm weather and great trail conditions.

After 13 miles, I was tired but very happy about my progress.  It took me far less time than I anticipated given the fact that I have not run longer than six miles in four months!  Bob said my base would still be with me after Leadville and I believe he's right.  I am tired; however, I ate well, drank enough; but probably could have drunk more; and nothing really hurting except my left IT band up by my hip and down to the knee.  But this is most likely due to my lack of real stretching last week and the influx of miles since I've been down here.

My food of choice today included pretzel sticks, red vines, and protein peanut butter balls.  Each offered me something I needed - carbs, salt and protein!  I only took two electrolyte tablets since I did not push the effort and the temperature stayed around 49 degrees for the entire run.

Tomorrow, Grand Lake and snow!  Hopefully some snow shoeing as well!

Merry Christmas~

December 25, 2010
Garden of the Gods
Family Hike
2.38 miles

It's Christmas in Colorado!  But what weather we are having!  The snow is hitting the east coast - my mother and brother had a white Christmas in Kentucky and here I am, at the base of the Rocky Mountains with nary a flake to be seen!

Since the family did not get out for a hike on Thanksgiving due to me stabbing my foot with a knife chopping celery for stuffing, I was able to convince them that a hike today would make up for it and was still due.  

Garden of the Gods

I call it a hike, my girls reckon it  more to be a forced march!  However, with the temperatures in the forties and a beautiful sunny sky, not too much muttering was heard from them when we stepped outside after opening our gifts to take advantage of the gorgeous day.   Unlike the time I had them hike up the hill behind our house two Thanksgivings ago in snow above the knee!  That was a true labor of love on their part and one we'll never forget ~ at least they won't let me forget it.

I love spending time with my family and spending it out-of-doors whenever possible.  So, of course, I always vote for a family hike if an opportunity arises.  I can hold sway usually only 3 times a year - Mother's Day, my birthday and Thanksgiving.  But since we did not hike this Thanksgiving, I begged for a Christmas hike.  Neither Whitney nor Jess wanted to be accused of being a Scrooge so a hike was accepted.   Jess and Rick chose Garden of the Gods and that was that.

We parked in the main parking lot and crossed the street to catch the Palmer Trail and turned left to go up the trail.  Once on this, we skirted the outside of the main rock formations with Whitney getting some great photos.  She is the shutterbug in the family.  Me, I just use my phone!

From there, we re-crossed the road and hit the Scotsman Trail heading back toward the main parking lot until we connected to the paved trails that weave through the rock formations in the center of the park.   Once on the paved portions, we were surrounded by loads of other families doing the same thing - spending quality time with their loved ones outside, enjoying nature.

My new gloves!  Christmas gift
from Whitney and Robin!

All in all, an outstanding hike with the family in a beautiful park.  Even better, I got to wear the new gloves I got for Christmas!  Aunt Robin and Whitney both bought me a pair of these gloves!  Robin lives in Virginia and Whit goes to school in Spokane, amazing that they could both find skull and crossed bones gloves!  Better watch out, BA mom is back in training!

Christmas Eve Run with the Guys

Santa Fe Trail
December 24, 2010
6.1 miles
56:14 min
9:13min/mile pace

Running with the guys is great!  Even when I haven't been doing the mileage and I feel it in my legs.  The emails went out and it was decided we needed to run Christmas Eve morning.  Chris, Bob, Dano, Me, Scooter, and Mike and Felix.

We started at Palmer Lake and headed down the Santa Fe except for Scooter who told me he would pass up on his way up to Palmer Lake and his 12 mile run and the catch us on the way down -- which of course he did!

The run was easy, the banter fun, and the morning perfect!  Even better when I found out Scooter made it into Boston!

Merry Christmas everyone and have a great day!

Jess Fox Run Part Duex

Jess Before Running

Fox Run Park
December 22, 2010
2.1 miles
26:18 minutes
13:09 min/mile

One look outside this morning revealed a frost covered world.  The temperatures have dropped over 20 degrees since yesterday and a grey, icy fog hangs over everything.   The day is not inviting to anyone.

Jess makes her way up stairs at 9 am.  "Are we still running this morning Mom?" she asks sleepily.  Of course we are I respond.  We just need to dress appropriately.  Hat, gloves, double layer and pants.  "Okay," Jess responds and heads back downstairs to make our appointed 9:30 am start.

We drive to the park and take a peek at the outside temperature reading on the car's dash -- 23 degrees.  It's not freakin' freezin' cold I tell Jess, just cold.  Out we dash for a quick photo and then we begin our run.

We warm up and start just as we did on Monday and make our way around the loop.  Jess is doing quite well and neither of us are suffering from the cold.  Yes, it's cold; however, there is no wind and we feel great.  One loop around and I look at my garmin and tell Jess we ran it 20 seconds faster than we did on Monday.  Yay.  Not a whole lot of whoopla coming from Jess this morning; but she readily agrees to a second loop.

This morning I see the tree decorated with ornaments and Christmas stockings as well as the fruit tree for the animals.  Almost all of the apple slices are gone and only a few oranges hang from the boughs.  Jess and I run by it and head onto the single track again instead of completing the second loop.  Jess takes the lead and determines when we walk and when we run.  She does a great job of only walking when necessary.  The single track gives us more distance and we hit 2 miles before we make it back to the parking lot.  Once at the 2 mile point, we elect to have a cool down walk and not push ourselves.

Overall, we've run almost 20 seconds faster a mile than Monday and we are both happy.  This calls for a reward so Jess and I head to the coffee shop for a much deserved treat!

Mom & Jess Starting the Day off right!

Jess and Fox Run

December 20, 2010
Fox Run Park
1.56 miles
20:42 minutes
13:19 min/mile

I'm home in Colorado!  I work and live in Casper, WY during the week and truly love my job; however, my youngest kiddo is here in Colorado and I miss her!  I went out and ran yesterday in Fox Run (3.32 miles @11:45 pace) and told Jess about it.  "Mom, I'll run with you tomorrow."  Yeah!

So, today is tomorrow and Jess and I have parked at Fox Run to run the almost mile loop.  We walk through the parking lot and begin the loop. It is uphill and I tell Jess let's take it easy and begin a brisk walk.  Most people go out way too fast and run too hard and then never repeat it.  I don't want my family to hate running.  While they may never enjoy it as much as I do, why push too hard and have them despise it?

Jess and I pick it up on the flat stretch and break into a nice slow jog.  Jess has been running at school and can pump out a mile pretty quickly on the old gym floor; however, running on trails about 1000 feet higher in elevation is a tad different and she begins to feel it pretty quickly.  As do I!  I have not run solidly for over three months and have felt the pounds creep up on me.  I work long days and then am loathe to hit city streets paved in darkness.

Jess and I slow to a walk at another uphill stretch and we chat a bit before rounding our first turn.  Once we hit this new trail, it is mostly downhill and a lovely stretch to run.  I tell her to let gravity do the work, breathe deeply and relax.  I hear her breathing even out and I resist the urge to fly.

We turn again and this time all the downhill that we just enjoyed disappears as well face a steep uphill for a bit.  nothing wrong with that, what goes down must come up and we run to a stump then walk to another.     We continue this practice until I see the end in sight and we run over the bridge.  We do not quite have a mile so I tell Jess we'll walk it out.  At a little over a mile we turn and jog back.

How do you feel? I ask Jess.  Okay is her reply.  Do you want to run a bit more?  Sure.  So we decide to go up the trail we just ran down, this time, walking briskly.  I spy a favorite single track that will take us almost to where we want to go and jump on it.  As I make my way onto the track a low branch snags my hat and it falls off.  I stop to pick it up and look at the tree.  It is covered with slices of apples and tiny oranges!  Someone has left a goody tree for the deer and other animals in Fox Run.  What a cool sight and one I would have missed if we stopped at a mile.  Jess tells me I missed another with a stocking in it back a little ways.  Darn it!

We run down the single track and turn right to return to the parking lot.  At 1.5 miles, we stop and walk the rest as a cool down.  What great mother daughter time.  Not a single other runner was out today - it was quite windy and we congratulated ourselves that a 50mph wind did not stop us from getting out.  Jess tells me she'll run again with me during the Christmas break. I'm excited; I know that running is not her sport so I won't push too hard.  I'll just take what I can get and enjoy it for all it's worth!

Casper Running

Platte River Parkway and Tails
November 7, 2010
4.06 miles
39:13 minutes
9:40 pace

Sunday and I had to work in Casper; therefore this weekend I stayed in my adopted city and ran Friday, biked Saturday and wanted to get out for a run today before my presentation at noon.

What great weather, albeit windy! Nothing new with the wind. Everytime I hit wind now, I think of running in Mountain Home, Idaho -- I don't know if that's the worst (no, Greenland Open Space on a bad day is worse) or if it is just because it was the first time I hit horrible wind -- in either case, I don't hate/dislike the wind as much here as I thought I would.

Mike told me there were side trails off the Platte River Parkway, I just had not seen them as yet. Today I did and today, and I took advantage of them.  I do believe I will like running those instead of the wide, paved, pathway that beckons to most. Single track through tall bushes along the river versus the parkway; really, is there any doubt which one I'll take?

The trails meander from the paved path to the river and back again, never following a straight, true line and this is perfect for me. However, sometimes when the single track is hidden from view, I should be a little smarter and take my pepper spray that my police friend keeps telling me to do ... yes sir, next time, I promise!

A nice little run over four miles in a not-so-fast pace and I enjoyed it very much. Another good run in the books and I was happy and ready for a shower.

Continuation of Blog and Running!

September and October Running

Where in the world did the time fly?   I needed the rest of August off to repair the damage I did to myself at Leadville; but did I really need most of September off? According to Bob, that's normal behavior after a 100 mile run. Yes, I ran in September and October; however, I did not blog any of them.  

I finished Leadville and that was the purpose of the blog.  So, what to do after accomplishing that?  Well, I've decided in hindsight to continue blogging my runs.  Below is the short list of runs I did since Leadville -- whew!  That makes me feel less of a dirtbag! When I can see in black and white that, yes, I did in fact run.  Thank goodness for Garmin!

Let's group all of September together:  I ran four times in September for a grand total  of:  

Sept - 14 miles

Yeah, I was a little slow on the recovery after Leadville.  However, for October, I did a little better:

Oct 3   - 5.01 miles (Fox Run)

Oct 5   - 3.35

Oct 9   - 5.04 (Fox Run)

Oct 10 - 15.10 miles (bike ride)

Oct 12 - 4.00 (this was with Mike at work to show me the trail in town

Oct 17 - 4.01

Oct 18 - 4.16

Oct 23 - 5.51 (Fox Run)

Total for October plus a little run with the guys on next blog (Oct. 30 - 6.85 miles)  ~ 35 miles -- still nothing to brag about; but, twice as much as September!  Ah, the slow road back to running normally and consistently; it is slow but continuous progress!

Waldo Canyon & continuation of blog

Waldo Canyon
October 30, 2010
6.84 miles
1:23:05 time
12:07 min/mil pace

First run with my Colorado guys after Leadville!  Okay, I may have had a small one in there earlier in the month; but since I didn't stick with my blogging and have just decided to pick it up, it's my first!
Waldo Canyon; what a great run at elevation, with hills, and rocks, and roots, and ... well, you name it, this trail has it.  It also has some gorgeous scenery of Pikes Peak, the Front Range, and pine-filled canyons.  I love how C-Springs has so many wonderful trails like this that not only challenge you; but also give you great views.

My run today is atypical of what I was able to accomplish before Leadville.  I am so much slower and my hill running ability is practically nil with all the power hiking training I put in for Leadville.  Even so, a wonderful run with my core group of guys is all I need to lift the spirits.  So what if they are always waiting for me?  So what if I am breathing doubly hard?  I'm out and running and living the life!

Part of the canyon section

We started at a little past 8 am and ran up the steps from the parking lot off of Hwy 24.  For those out-of-towners this trail does have a decent parking lot and you just have to look on the right hand side of the road for one of those brown trailhead markers with a picture of a hiker on it. The parking lot is right around the next bend so slow down!

The elevation for this run starts at 7,041' and rises to 8,140'.  As I stated, it's a pretty decent workout all the way around.  It is a lollipop - meaning you run down the trail to a loop, go around the loop and then head back the way you came.  We stop at the loop on the way out and back to catch stragglers in our group -- today that was me -- both stops!

Just a great run and one to motivate me to get out more and think about my running goals for next year ....hmmm.

Leadville Trail 100 - Second 50 miles

August 21-22, 2010
100 miles
50 left to go!
Winfield to Leadville
Chris and I head down the dirt and gravel road that I just ran walked up leaving Winfield and my pit crew.  He is carrying all our water and all my fuel for me.  I feel wonderful not having my pockets loaded with stuff; not having my camelback on anymore.  Chris has paced 15 other runners at Leadville and he told me before the race not one runners who made it to Winfield on their own failed to finish Leadville with him pacing.  Now you know why I wanted him to get me over Hope Pass.  Little did I know though that he injured his toe just days before the race.  So much so, that he had to slice his running shoe open on top in order to keep the pain at bay.  Never said one word the entire day about it until we had crested Hope and were heading down.

On the road I explain to Chris how I am having difficulty running down hill.  So we run/walk it down to the best of my ability.  The going is a lot slower than either of us anticipated; but we finally see the turn off the road and up the side of the mountain.  Once we hit the trail on the left, the steep up hill section into the trees is staring down at me and I take a deep breath as I stare up it.  Chris tells me to take the lead and with that, we begin the climb up Hope Pass.

Behind me, Chris keeps up a great thread of advice, tells me when to drink, looks ahead of me and warns me of runners coming down the trail.  Now, it is my turn to trudge up and over Hope with other runners moving to the side.  Once we make it through the treeline, Chris and I see the switchbacks and he tells me, "piece of cake."  Okay Chris, if you say so.  I'm not as confident as he is; but he keeps telling me I'm doing great.  It is during this stretch on the exposed switchbacks that we see a runner flat on his back almost in the middle of the trail.  He has stopped on his way up to Hope Pass and is in visible distress.  We ask if we can offer assistance.  His pacer is there and tells us his brother has already DNF'd; but this runner thinks he can continue.  We all shake our heads and Chris says he'll relay the information to the aid station volunteers at the top and give them a heads up on the runner's status.

We continue on past and as we near the top, Chris says I need to stop and place my foot on the marker.  I'm tired, a little out of it; but I do as told as the wind hits me full in the face.  Once again the yellow jacket comes on.  I put my foot on the marker at the top of Hope Pass, look down and smile.  Chris smiles - we've summited Hope Pass, a feat I am proud to that I've done twice today!  With that, we head down to Hopeless aid station.

Warm potato soup, a refill of water bottles and we are out of there just as quickly as we came.  Chris wants me to run the downhill.  He runs with me all the time and he knows how well I do it.  I try two times to begin and make it into a painful shuffle.  Something Chris doesn't like at all and tells me to powerhike since I'm faster that way.  When the pain subsides, I try again; but I do not get too far before I once again have to stop.  I'm not worn out; just in a world of hurt and this upsets me.  Chris does a great job telling me that I can walk all the way back if I have to and I believe him and feel better.

We hit the meadow as the light fades from the sky and Chris pushes me through it.  His goal was to make it to Twin Lakes before dark.  Unfortunately this is not going to happen and as I apologize to him I ask him if I can have a flashlight since I can't see the trail anymore.  This puts all things in perspective and we continue through the meadow in better spirits as he turns on the flashlight for us.

As we near the town of Twin Lakes, Chris yells out in the darkness for Jess and she responds.  Yes!  I've made it through the meadow, through the five water crossings again and now I can change my wet shoes for dry ones!

As I cross the road and head into Twin Lakes, I see Zach, one of our USAFA cadets and greet him with a great big smile!  Wow!  He drove up to Leadville to cheer me as well as a friend of his (a USAFA cadet who finished!) with some other cadets!  I motor into the aid station telling Rick I need first aid to take care of my heels before anything.  I quickly made my way to the medical staff and took off my shoes and removed the duct tape and mole skin that was applied over 20  miles ago.  The first aid guru here says nothing doing.  I'm confused and don't understand until I see him take two pieces of duct tape and plaster them right over my blisters -- no padding, nothing, just duct tape on raw, chewed-up skin.  Rick must have asked for a bandaid or mole skin.  Whew!  I was worried there for a minute - when he said "nothing doing," I was afraid he was referring to me continuing.  Zach is there and Rick shoves my wet, stinky shoes into his hands and he takes it like a champ while I try as quickly as I can to put the fresh, clean socks and shoes on for the last 39.5 miles of this race.

Unfortunately, my inserts are in those shoes and we have to yell at Zach to bring them back to me.  This causes more of delay getting me out of the aid station and F and I are anxious to hit the trail.  It is now 16 hours and 48 minutes into the race for me or 8:48 pm.  It took me 4 hours 1 minute and 57 seconds to make it from Winfield to Twin Lakes - believe it or not, I did this stretch 5.5 minutes faster on the return than I did on the way out.  Way to go Chris!

Finally, dry shoes, dry socks and a good stop overall and F and I step out of the aid station and head up the steep trail to begin our leg in the ever-increasing night.  F and his wife Kelly has postponed their trip to Hawaii by one week so he can pace me at Leadville, and I really appreciated it!  F and I paced this exact stretch two years ago with Felix and Justin.  Both are runners in our ad hoc group out of C-Springs and both finishered in 2008.  It was cold, drizzly, and hailed that night but man, what an experience!  When the moon peeked out of the clouds through the trees - I fell in love with trail running and knew I had to experience Leadville for myself.  I loved that feeling so much - being out in the middle of the night doing something that taxes you to your ultimate limits and still, able to enjoy a beautiful moon.

So naturally, when deciding who should pace me on this stretch, it had to be F.  He and I have trained together quite a bit.  He asked me to help him train for his first marathon.  I asked him to help me train for my first 50 miler.  He's a great runner and a great friend; but he's a tad quiet ... usually.  Not tonight.  Tonight, F kept a steady stream of chatter and kept me focused on the course.   I learned about his new car, what they wanted to do in Hawaii, his progress on his master's degree ... all good stuff to keep me awake.

F aslo did a great job picking me up when I was weary after Hope and pushed me in a very gentle; but persistent, fashion.  This is the stretch that seemed so wonderful except for leg pain on the way out -- now it was abundantly clear that it was slightly downhill the first time I hit it today.  F and I remarked numerous times that we did not remember it being so steep, with so many uphill sections 2 years ago.   I am feeling a bit tired now and the pain is almost with me constantly so I take another batch of pain killers.

As the night grew longer and darker, we continued along the trail and finally popped out, almost as a surprise, at the Half Moon aid station.  It was lit up with lights; however, it wasn't very visible until almost on top of it due to the terrain.  This section took me 2 hours, 26 minutes, 26 seconds and is the first section I lost time on.  Chris told me that this would be the first leg I would really be tired on and I was prepared for it -- this Good thing I had built up such a lead on the cut off times on the way out.  I am now 19 hours and 14 minutes in the race and I have to make it to Fish Hatchery by 3:00 am.  (It is now 11:19 pm).  That seems pretty doable; however, the evening is getting colder, I am in constant pain anytime I try to run and I have the horrible exposed road section ahead of me.

All of this is on F's mind and we cruised through the aid station pretty quick -- F didn't even stop for food like he did two years ago and we continued on down to Tree Line and our waiting crew.  During this stretch F told me that my crew had a surprise for me when I got there. I could not fathom what it was.  However, once we pushed through the trees and saw the pacer vehicles lined up, I could see what F was talking about. Our Ford Ranger was lit up better than a Christmas Tree!  Christmas lights are strung from one end to the other and back again!  It is such a welcomed sight in the middle of the night!  I cannot believe what my family and friends have done to pick my spirits up and get into the spirit of the race!  (It was so lit up, that another runner mistook it for the aid station!).  F has finished his leg, got me through another stretch and now breaks away for Rick's Dad to pick me up for the next stretch - the four miles along the road in the middle of the night and exposed to to the cold Colorado wind that has kicked up.

Rick's dad, Jim, has trained for this section; almost as long as I have.  In his late sixties, Dad is fit and toned and ready to go.  We head down the gravel, dirt road and Dad is ready to run.  However, once again, I have to sadly tell another pacer how bad my legs are doing but I'll try.  I take a couple of stabs at running and it is painfully obvious that I cannot run as fast as I can powerhike.  He is good with that and we begin to eat the miles away that way instead.  As we hit the road, I tell Dad I need to pee.  Okay, we'll find a bush.  No, Dad, right now and I pull my shorts down on the side of the road.  I think this shocked my father-in-law but he rolled with the punches so well!  It was funny, watching him trying to shield me from oncoming headlights while I did my business.  I've told a lot of non-runner friends that ultra running is like giving birth, you don't care who see what, you just want to get what needs to be done, done! I was happy that I was so well hydrated that I needed to relieve myself.  Relieve myself I did ... three more times on that stretch.  I believe I was relieving myself of the excess water-retention. 

The night is freezing and I'm getting colder and colder.  But we press on and after my other pit stops we make it into Fish Hatchery before the cut-off.  This was a very difficult leg due to the freezing temperatures and the wind.  I wish I had put more clothes on at Treeline and I am now so cold I am almost shaking.    
I'm in the aid station at Fish Hatchery and I'm freezing cold.  Whitney throws Josh's blanket over me and I pull it over my head and tuck into myself to warm up.  I start mumbling, 'I don't know if I can do this," thinking about Sugarloaf Pass ahead of me.  Rick quickly gets my attention and sharply; but simply, states, "Yes, you can."  Okay. He's right, I can.  Sometimes that's all you need, someone who believes in you to give you a wake up call, or kick in the pants.

During this cold, lonely stretch, I had one runner pass me during and it was a 70 year man!  How humbling.

From Half Moon to Fish Hatchery it took me 2 hours 15 minutes and 59 seconds (almost 30 minutes slower than on the way out).  It is 21.5 hours into the run.  I've covered 76.5 miles and it's about 1:30 am in the middle of the night.  However, I've made the cut-off with and hour and a half cushion.  As I leave the aid station, I hit a porta-pottie to put my pants on (this takes an extraordinary amount of time) and then continue up the road with my new pacer, Woody, to tackle power line, Sugarloaf Pass, and the fireroad down to May Queen.

Woody is my husband's cousin's husband!  I had to say it that way, they're from North Carolina and that's how it's done!  Woody is also in phenomenal shape and is a great at motivating.  We have the steep, washed-out powerline section to tackle first and he steadily, but gently, pushes me up this with encouraging words and non-stop chatter.  I tell you, if you are in the middle of the desert and want someone to convince you are not dying of thirst, Woody is your man! 

Sugarloaf is a mean little mountain on the way back due to all the false summits.  Every time you think you've crested it; you look up and see the trail of tiny headlamps far ahead of you ... still climbing.  But what a neat sight.  You look up and see the spots of light and finally, after cresting, you can look down and see them behind and below you.  Truly a neat experience, despite all the bad-mouthing that Sugarloaf took that night from us and from all the runners we pass.  Yes, my powerhiking is paying off.  I am passing runners on the uphill section of Sugarloaf and am just astounded.  I passed two runners who beat me at the Golden Gate Dirty Thirty during this leg and cannot believe it.  Neither one retook me the rest of the race -- this is what powerhiking can do for you!

Back to the race.  Woody and I finally crest Sugarloaf and that windy fireroad that I wanted to run down so badly earlier in the day is there.  Unfortunately, I cannot run downhill.  I try to take another pain killer and my stomach revolts.  This is the first time I cannot swallow anything without gagging and spitting it up.  My ability to eat has just flown out the window and I still have over 16 miles left to go.

We powerhike down the fireroad, hit the trail into the woods and I feel like I am slowing rapidly due to the amount of tree roots I have to traverse, along with all the other things taht poke up on the trail in the middle of the night.  However, we finally make it to the paved road and I know that soon, this leg will to be over. 

As we near the aid station, a total stranger appears on my left and simply states, "You've made it. You can finish now."  I tear up and almost cry, it's the first time that it dawns on me that I truly can make it.  That I can finish in time, despite my pain and fading strength.  This gives me a boost and we pick up the pace into the aid station, powerhiking right by my crazy daughter Jess and Aunt Robin, who, truth be told, are looking mighty fine in mis-matched socks, feather boas, New Year's hats, and now, lighted necklaces! 

Fish Hatchery is a welcomed sight and I hear my crew and family cheering us on as I go up to the check-in station.  Woody breaks off to let them know how I am doing and I come back down to them and hit the porta-pottie.  This last leg took me 3 hours, 40 minutes and 8 seconds.  That is almost 1 hour and 20 minutes slower than the way out yesterday morning; however, I'm not complaining and I give all the credit to Woody!  I am now 25 hours and 10 minutes into the race -- yes, I've been running for over a solid day now and I still have 13.5 miles left.  I have run 86.5 miles and made it into the aid station at 5:10 am -- the cut-off is 6:30 am -- so unbelievably, Woody has pushed me so hard that I have only lost 10 minutes in my padding that I built up yesterday.  What a fantastic job Woody did to get me here with that much time in my pocket.

Michelle takes me out of May Queen ready to pace me for the majority of the 13.5 mile stretch into Leadville.  She is my husband Rick's cousin and a great person.  Michelle is ready and willing to push me to my max and as we head up the road to catch the trail around Turquoise Lake and the waiting sunrise, we are optimistic.  Until I crash, physically and almost emotionally. 

Chris has told my crew I look good, that I'm strong and not to worry; however, during Michelle's leg, all of the pushing I've done to my legs past the point of pain starts to catch up and I am getting very, very weary.  I try to eat, nope, I gag instead. I try to drink and the same thing happens - almost immediately I have to spit it out or risk throwing up.  I try to suck on some candy and I can do that for bit before my stomach revolts on that as well.  The only thing left to do is shut up, grit my teeth, and push those legs for just 13 more miles.  So that's what we do. 

I tell Michelle that I feel like I am going fast; however, it is painfully obvious I am not as runners begin to pass me now.  As the sun rises across the lake, this is the time I am supposed to get a boost of energy, smell the finish line and go for it; but I cannot.  I have nothing left in the tank and I feel the pain more and more and I cannot block it as I have done earlier in the race.

We near the boat ramp and my crew, who has expected me so much earlier, is shocked.  This is not the strong Teri they saw just 6 miles ago; this is a whole new animal.  Michelle leaves me and I am joined by Josh, my daughter's boyfriend for a few miles.  I have no idea what my crew is thinking, I can only focus on putting one foot in front of the other, to try and respond to questions, and continue to grit my teeth.  I pump my arms as much as I can, trying to extract energy and motion from other parts of my body and just continue -- to put one foot in front of the other. 

We pop off the trail around Turquoise Lake and I only have the boulevard left to traverse to make it to the finish line about 5 miles away.  Josh leaves me and Rick is here to take me into town.  This has always been the plan and I am ready for him, he's my husband and I wanted him to take me the final part.  Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.  By now, Chris has conferred with Rick and expressed his concerns about me not finishing.  He promised to take the final leg if he felt I was in danger of not making it; however, he feels that Rick will have a better shot of getting me to put out in the manner I need to cross the finish line in under 30 hours.

I've lost so much of my padded time; however, no one tells me just how bad it is.  As soon as Josh peels off, Rick is right there to push me on, no stop, no hi, how are you, we just continue past everyone and hit the horribly steep trail down to the gravel/dirt road of the boulevard.  This is not a trail, it is an access path for telephone poles and I don't remember it from the previous morning.  I must have scrambled up it, I know I did; but it is unfamiliar to me and I protest most strongly.  Nope, this is it Teri, now get down it. 

I look down it and I almost cry.  Each step is agony.  Each one is accompanied by a grunt of expressed air as I force each of my aching legs to move, one painful step at a time, down this terrible route.  Rick is ahead of me all the time, encouraging me using his military command voice.  This is not the sweet, nice Rick I am used to; I did not bargain for this and in my wearied state, I ask if he cannot be nice to me.  Nothing doing. 

Finally, I make it down this section.  It is probably only a tenth of a mile but it takes such a toll on my legs that I am barely moving once we hit the road.  Rick is now getting me involved emotionally.  He tells me to run this mile for Jessica.  Jessica, my younger daughter who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes last year. Think of all she's had to push through.  The next mile is for Whitney, our older daughter, who will be a college senior and has taken time out of her schedule to film me during this.  Rick persistenly, and not so gently forces me to continue, to pick up the pace and to try to focus on something other than my own pain.



On the Boulevard - focused on just
moving.  Woody, Chris, Me, Rick

About half way through this seciton Rick tells me he has a surprise for me up ahead.  This is processed vaguely in my mind as I try to focus on pushing my legs to work.  he tells me to look up and as I obey, I watch him grab a US flag from our dad and proceed to carry it with us as we continue.  What a great sight!  My husband sure knows what buttons to push, and I am motivated once again by the sight of Old Glory next to me.

After what seems like an eternity, we hit the final gravel/dirt road before the streets of town and I look up once again.  This time I see Zach ahead of me in a John Deere green shirt!  That gives me another great image to focus on and we continue my slow, painful progress into town.

Finally!  The streets of Leadville; however, I am demoralized.  I hear, almost as soon as I hit pavement, the church bell ring 9 bells.  It's 9:00 am and I have less than an hour to finish this race or miss the cut-off.  My goal was 26-28 hours and I now know that I will not make it.  It was my personal 2nd goal; my final goal of finishing is the only one left -- the only one that truly matters now.


My Crew surrounding me for
the final mile of Leadville! 



Ten minutes later, I round the corner and hit sixth street.  Chris stated if I wasn't here by 9:00 am I would not finish; it's 9:10.  Whitney has overheard him and stands up for me stating I always save something for the finish, the final push.  What faith my daughter has in me! 

I have my head down and I am working as hard as I can to keep the legs moving one in front of the other.  IWhen my family sees me. I am pumping my tired arms, not listening to anything until Whitney says, "Mom! Run to that grey building."  I look up to the right and see the grey building and I powerhike as fast as I can to it.  Once again Whitney's voice is able to pierce my fog "Mom! Look Up!"  And I look up and I can see the finish line down the hill and up the final one. 

I zone in on that, lock my eyes on the red banner above it and move.  Incredibly, I pick up the pace.  My mother-in-law is running next to me telling me how proud she is and falls back due to my new found speed.  My family shouts encouragement to me as I powerhike the fastest I ever have in my life to that lovely, little tape stretched out in front of me!  What a great feeling to break that tape!  I have finished the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run in 29 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds. 

The last leg, from May Queen to the finish took me 4 hours and 9 minutes compared to the 2 hours and 41 minutes on the way out yesterday.  However, I did it!  I did it with the help of 15 people in the past two days and countless others throughout the year.  Each person who encourageed me during a race; who ran with me, who volunteered at an aid station got me to this place and I thank each and everyone of you!

After the finish, hugs and tears for Rick, Whitney, Jessica, the rest of my family and friends; a finisher medal around my neck, flowers in my hand and a quick trip to the medical tent where I almost pass out from an oxygen depleted body.  I can hardly move and am dizzy everytime I stand up. Rick and Robin help me into the back seat of the car where I lay down for the trip back to the RV.  I am so light-headed I ask them to go the ceremony without me and pick up my silver buckle for me.  Pain infuses my body and I am oh, so tired. But that is only temporary.  The sense of accomplishment and all the love that was proven to me throughout the last two days will stay with me forever. 

I can now say I am a Leadville Finisher!

Leadville Trail 100 - First 50 miles

Before the start, double checking gear
Jess, Me, Whitney and Rick

Leadville

August 21, 2010

100 miles

29 hours 20 minutes 27.5 seconds
847 registered runners
363 finishers

The day is here before I know it.  Last night it was a little noisy in the cabin and I had to get out to clear my head. I walked down to the end of the campground road and looked at the mountains that I would be traversing the next day.  In front of me I saw the gravel, dirt road that we runners would be on in the morning heading out of Leadville toward Winfield. A deep breath of fresh, clean cool mountain air and I relax.  I am quietly joined by Rick who must have sensed I was getting a bit overwhelmed inside.

I tell him I just needed some peace and quiet and as we head back to the cabin, we pass a few other runners making their way to their tents or cabins.  No salutation is needed, a slight tilt of the head at the green medical wrist band acknowleging each other and our own personal demons or desires, is all that is required or desired.  Each of us is heading into the race tomorrow with our own goals in mind.  We are beginning our preparations, going over and over in our minds our pre race check list - what will the weather be?  Shorts or running pants?  Do I have enough gus/gels/aspirin in my pockets?  Where is my flashlight?  Whatever it is, each of us is doing it and we all need that peace and quiet and silence.

On our return to the cabin, all of the family and friends must have realized that I needed quiet and those not staying with us have returned to their cabins or rvs.  It is now time to say goodnight and try to get some sleep.  The demons will have to wait until tomorrow.  

It's 2:30 am and I roll out of bed as quietly as I can so I do not wake Rick, Whitney, Jess, or Josh on the sofa. I turn on the light in the bathroom, gather my running clothes that I prepared the night before, brush my teeth and make sure the coffee is on.   Now begins the questioning that precedes each race - the same questions I faced alone the night before.  It is never about my training.  I trained hard.  I trained long and I put in the miles of trials.  It is about what to wear, what to take, does my crew understand how vitally important they are to my ultimate success or failure?  Can those who do not run 25 miles alone each Sunday possibly understand?

Dad pops in a little before 3:00 am and I rouse my sleepy girls.  It's almost time to drive to the start, check in, and begin this little race.  Rick and Jess jump into car with me and we're off.  Whitney and Josh follow along and I lose track of all the others.  I am focusing on the race. I am running around Turquoise Lake in my head, power hiking up Hope Pass and sloshing through the meadow.  Run it; run it; run it a thousand times in your head before ever putting toe to line.

Waiting to start at 4:00 am

I arrive at the start in plenty of time.   Rick, the girls, Josh, Dad, Robin, Mom, Woody, and I think Michelle are all here.  I'm really only aware of Rick and Jess and Whit.  After checking in, I tell them which side of the road I'm going to line up on so they can see me as I start.  "You're Stronger than you Think you Are" booms from the co- race directors and the count down begins.

Strangely, I am not nervous, I have no doubts, I just want this race to begin.  I know I can't afford pre-race jitters as they'll take too much of my energy and I'm jealously guarding my energy today.  It's 4:00 am on the dot and the gun goes off.  The line surges forward down 6th street heading out of town; however, as far back as I am, I begin to slowly shuffle at first and hope my family sees me as I pass them.

We make our way down the dirt/gravel road known as the boulevard and my first miles are at 11:43 and 11:29 respectively.  I don't know this since I've vowed not to look at my garmin too much and race too much against myself during Leadville.  It would be insane for me to do so.  All I am worried about is making it to each checkpoint with time to spare before the cut-offs.  I've given Rick a preliminary estimate of how long I think each segment will take me.  Turns out, I was spot on the first 50 miles, even added some padding to my rough estimates; but after 50 miles, all bets are off.  However, I digress, let's get back to the first leg of Leadville - from the start to May Queen aid station on Turquoise Lake at 13.5 miles into the race.

Before I jump onto the single track around Turquoise Lake, I realize I am passing my own campground and trodding on the very same road I stood at last night.  I look to my left and spy one of the pirate flags I passed out to my crew, friends and family.  It is Gloria waving her flag and shouting encouragements to strangers as if they were her own children.  What a glorious sight!  I yell to her and she sees me and smiles as she now has a target for her frantic well wishes!  I pass her my long sleeve shirt and tell her to give it to Rick when she sees him.  Wow.  What great friends.  It is freezing cold for her (mild 30s CO) and she is out in the pre-dawn hours watching, in her mind - a bunch of lunatics, run 100 miles.

Continuing around the lake in the early morning mist, I hit traffic.  I am about 8th line behind someone picking their way around the lake and my blood pressure begins to rise.  Just pull over I scream in my head; but nothing doing.  I hate it when runners ignore those piling up behind them.  I know it's dawn and it's a single track; however, it is a race you bloody fool I want to yell at her.  Finally, after what seems to be miles and miles, I cannot take it anymore and when the trail widens a bit, I pass all 7 in front of me.  I am quickly followed by, it seems, 6 others.  Ha!  I wasn't the only runner silently swearing in the safety of my own head.

Coming into May Queen

After the single track, we hit road and I can hear May Queen before I see it.  2 hours 41 minutes and 25 seconds and I'm in May Queen!  The cut off is 7:15 am and I am here at 6:41.  Good, over 30 minutes ahead of the cut off.  I hope to keep that up as I continue.  As I come in, Jess and Robin are there cheering me on before I hit the aid station.  Jess runs alongside me with walkie talkie in hand.  She asks me what I need and relays it to Rick.

When I pull through and find my crew, they swarm me and all begin asking me what I need.  This overwhelms me and I cannot process anything.

May Queen and Crew

I am not used to having any crew in an ultra and this ... wow, all this with good intentions; but I cannot think, let alone process.  Fortunately, I do get the essentials and I grab what I need from willing hands and hit the trail again with Rick jogging along side me for a bit.  I know I must have been a bit short with them; but I'm in a race now, I'm not there to socialize and every second I stay there is one less I have to run.  (I found out later that the walkie talkies were not working).

Back out on the course and I feel great.  I have no issues right now, I am running at a nice pace and the weather is absolutely gorgeous.  I begin to notice those around me and talk to a few as I pass them or they pass me.  What a great day!

This section takes me over my first major climb - Sugarloaf Pass at 11,071 elevation.  I begin climbing the fire road that winds up to Sugarloaf pass with my power hiking that I've honed all summer long and I trudge up the road in grand style passing people.  Once I hit the top, I spy Barefoot Bob and a runner with him.  I tell Bob I don't know who is crazier, him or me.  He is wearing rubber sandals and I already see blood on his right foot.  Geesh, what a glutton for punishment I think before I realize who it is and that he's run with the Tarahumara.  The runner next to him begins to talk to me and I find out he's run Leadville numerous times so I ask him for advice.  "Virgin," he says, "take it easy on the downhills."  Good advice for me, since this is someone I really need to listen to and I must make sure I don't blow out my quads.  Also, I love running downhills and have counted on my ability on the downhill sections to make up time.

I am having a problem now.  It started before May Queen and I elected to ignore it.  The heels of my running shoes are rubbing my own heels raw.  I've never had this problem before and I run through my pre-race week.  Darn it!  It occurs to me I put new insoles in my shoes about two weeks prior and this little bit of extra padding is wrecking havoc on my heels.  I shove this pain to the back of my brain.  It's not intense, just annoying and what am I going to do?  Stop?  Ha!  I read a story earlier this year and one of the runners in it had his pacer tell him, "Blisters?!  You can't die from blisters! Get up!"  So, with that running through my mind, I press on and begin the descent down to Fish Hatchery.

There is a horrible stretch downhill called power line here and I pick my way gingerly down the washed out section with power lines buzzing above me.  It's a steep downhill and the words of wisdom given to me miles ago play back in my head.  My right IT band twinges a bit down here and I take some fast acting tylenol to knock it out.  Little did I know this was a precursor of things to come.

I make it down this section a lot slower than I thought it would take and then get back into a groove again as the course levels out.  That's a funny statement! I'm running in the Rocky Mountains and I consider a stretch without a major climb or descent, level!

Once again Jess and Robin are yards in front of the aid station waving a sign and yelling at me!  A big smile spreads across my face and I relay through Jess to Rick what I think I need.  I cruise into the aid station with a total elapsed time of 5 hours 5 minutes and 2 seconds.  This second stage of 10 miles has taken me 2 hours 23 minutes and 36 seconds to accomplish -- not bad considering Sugarloaf Pass.  The cut off time is 10 am and I am here at 5 past nine. I have added another 25 minutes to my padding on the cut-off time (total of 55 minutes ahead now) and I am very happy.

Working on blisters at Fish Hatchery
Michelle, Woody (red), Chris and Mom 

Going through the aid station, I spy my crew and tell Rick my heels are killing me and he, Chris and Whit quickly take my shoes off to put mole skin on them.  The whole time they do this, I am complaining about all the time I am losing. Those poor guys, trying to help me and all I want to do is get back out there and run!

This aid station pit crew stop is a lot smoother than the first. Rick realized what happened and had a talk with them I guess.  He walks me out of the aid station as I eat a banana and hold a peanut butter sandwich.  Silly things like not having the banana peeled are bothering me and I tell Rick.  Once again, they've never seen me so demanding!

When I went through the aid station I picked up some power bars.  Now I spy F on the way out and tell him I picked them up for him!  F, Chris and Diane have driven up and made it to Fish Hatchery before me!  I tell F what a great stretch that was and that I cannot wait to run the Sugarloaf fire road on the way back!

I'm off on the third leg with 23.5 miles down, only 76.5 miles left to go!  This section starts with 4 miles of asphalt road with no cover and it is a place where good flat runners can make up time.

Heels are the only thing really bothering me now.  The mole skin helps a bit until my sweat causes it to move around, now it is just getting annoying and I have more difficulty pushing it to the back of my mind.  However, during this stretch I meet a wonderful racer.  In the middle of Rick and Whit trying to fix my heels, I forgot to pick up my seal bag of salt tablets for this stretch!  The road is warming up with the sun getting higher and hotter as I run.  I pass by a runner with a British flag on her backpack and strike up a conversation.  She and her husband are running Leadville!  Her name is Nicole Brown and she and I talk a bit as we run on the road.  I tell her how upset I am and how silly it is, over salt tablets.  She reaches into her pocket and says, "here, take some of mine."  I thank her profusely as I do take 3 to tied me over to the next crew stop.  She confides in me that she is not feeling well and we run together a bit more as I try to reassure her and give her confidence.  My pace is a bit faster and I ask her if she wants to go along, no thank you.   So I continue up to Treeline and my crew.

This section goes by quickly for the crews, it is a dash to get to the aid station and set up before the runners come in.  The runners cannot be crewed at Half Moon aid station, so we get what we can before then at Treeline.  This is important since we won't see them again until mile 39.5 and Twin Lakes.  I am noticing a phenomena before each aid station.  Jessica and Robin's clothing is getting a little more crazy each time I see them!  It takes awhile for this to dawn on me and when it does, I finally realize why they were late getting to Leadville the night before.  And I yelled at them at the time.  Sorry guys!!

Leaving Tree Line heading up to Half Moon -
Rick and Michelle walking next to me.

Now, my crew is working so well together.  I spy Woody and tell him about Nicole behind me and that she may need a pacer out of Winfield.  She didn't bring any with her.  He nods and tells me he will talk to her as she goes through.  It's sunny, I'm doing well and I'm running in the Rockies with my family all there ... does it get any better?

Out of Treeline and up to Half Moon.  This section seems to go on forever.  Two years ago, I thought it was just a couple of miles from Half Moon down to Treeline when I paced Felix; I must have been mistaken.  I spy Nicole ahead of me; she passed me as I was getting crewed.  I slowly catch up to her and ask her how she is doing.  Not so hot Nicole says.  I don't know what else to do so I give her a piece of my candied ginger and tell her it really helps settle my stomach.  I hope it works for her.  We talk a bit more and Nicole once again tells me to push on and with a smile I do just that.

It seems this section is all uphill so I end up powerhiking a good deal of this section.  In addition, the moving mole skin is now killing me.  Finally, I see the tent for Half Moon.  It is a quiet aid station and I quickly pass through looking for first aid for my heels.  I am directed to the first aid tent and I am flipped on my back on the cot for them to see my heels.  This feels pretty good as it stretches my core.

The first aid gurus ask me how many miles I logged in my shoes ... but they're my lucky shoes!  Not today they aren't they respond as they chide me for wearing my shoes through my 4th ultra of the year.  After repositioning the mole skin, they apply duct tape to the whole thing and I quickly lace up my shoes and head out the door.  Not so fast, they tell me.  I quickly find out, anyone requiring medical attention needs to jump on the scale. Sure, not a problem.  The scale tells me I've gained weight.  Good!  This means I'm hydrating well, eating enough and not bonking.  Good also, because no digits are swollen - I don't feel like I am retaining a bunch of water either.  However, the total time in the aid station kills me, it's at least 10 minutes and I hate it.  Total time elapsed to this point, 6 hours 53 minutes and 11 seconds.  This leg (from Fish Hatchery to Half Moon) took 1 hour 48 minutes and 9 seconds.  It is 10:53 am and I'm doing fine.

The next leg is a nice leg of running on nice soft trails through trees.  It doesn't seem to be all downhill but let me tell you, on the way back, I'll realize it!  I enjoy this stretch in the cool trees but I have a new issue pop up.  That right IT band, or what I thought was the IT band, turns out to be my right knee.

I am experiencing a sharp, stabbing pain on the outside of my right knee anytime I run downhill.  It started as a sporadic pain but is now flaring up each time I hit a fairly steep downhill section.  My one true strength, running downhills has just been chewed up and spit out on the course.  I am not happy as I frantically run through my mind all of the aches and pains I've had running to date to figure out what this is.  If it is something I've experienced before, then I'll know what to do; how to treat it and how to repress it.  Familiar pain is just that, familiar.  You can block it by treating it like an not-so-nice old friend.  Yeah, I hear ya, I know you're there; but I'm going to ignore you 'cause I know you.  You don't scare me.  That's how I deal with pain - a familiar pain.  Unfamiliar pain is scary and more difficult to ignore and make go away.  I pop an 800mg pain killer and hope that it blocks the pain for me since I can't seem to do it on my own.

After about 30 minutes, I can run but I am running very gingerly downhill now.  The uphill, I am good, the flats, they don't bother me as long as I am wary.  Overall, I can't decide if I need to tell anyone or not.  I don't want my crew to worry needlessly and as I told them before the race, I'd have to have a broken bone sticking out of the skin before I stop running.

After what seems to be a very long time, I hear Twin Lakes and the crews cheering their runners on long before I ever see it.  This gives me a great boost and not so long after that, there are Jessica and Robin again!  I glance at them and try to tell Jess what I need but the trail dropping down to Twin Lakes is steep and I need to pay attention to it.

Twin Lakes and working on the blisters ... again.
Michelle, Woody, F,  Rick and Chris

Once again my crew is there and waiting for me.  They direct me to the truck and I sit on the tailgate while they adjust my heels and shoes again.  I don't want them to do too much since I have the water and the meadow next before Hope.  They've also thoughtfully set up a lawn chair; however, I shy away from it like the plague -- I'm afraid if I sit down in it I'll never rise up.  

39.5 miles into the race and I've been out for 8 hours 39 minutes and 48 seconds and I'm not even halfway through the race.  This section took me 1 hour 46 minutes and 36 seconds.  Overall, it's 12:40 pm and the cut-off is for 2 pm.  I'm making time.  I'll need this since the hardest part is staring right up at me ... Hope Pass and a 10.5 mile stretch to Winfield.

Leaving Twin Lakes - Hope Pass ahead

I get off the tailgate and head out into the open meadow while eating and drinking.  I'm taking it slow as I push into the meadow, I have a lot of climbing ahead of me.  Not quite half way through the meadow, I hit the first of 5 water crossings with the last the deepest.  The water is freezing but feels great on my burning heels and as I go through the last one, I stop in the middle for a second since it is up to my knees and I want the water to cool off my right knee a bit.

It is during this stretch that I look up and see Tony Krupicka running towards me with his pacer.  I yell at him good luck and marvel that he has already climbed Hope Pass twice while I'm still on this side of the meadow.  Note: Tony was an hour ahead of the next runner but dropped at Twin Lakes or Half Moon, not sure where.

Once through the meadow, I begin the long uphill to Hope Pass.  I force myself into a slow, mile crunching slog up this mountain.  As I slowly make my way up Hope, I am astonished to see so many runners on the side of the trail. As I pass them, I ask them if they are alright. One responded, "yup, just stopped for a picnic."  I pass 12 runners that have stepped to the side to catch their breath and numerous others that were moving, just a tad slower than I.

Don't get the impression that this section was easy; it was by far the most difficult stretch I ran (excluding Windy Peak at Golden Gate Dirty Thirty which probably prepared me for this); I invoked my Gimli the Dwarf saying numerous times, "Keep breathing, just keep breathing."  I had to continue, I dared not stop and not be able to start again.  I saw a runner ahead of me place her hands behind her back in Apollo Ohno speed skating style and so I tried this technique and found it worked well.  Head bent down, don't look up, one foot in front of the other, breathe, and do it again, and again, and a thousand times again.

After what seems ages, the trees broke and I was above treeline looking up and seeing a tent.  It was the aid station below Hope Pass and I only had about a mile (or so it seemed) to go to get to it.  It was windy and cool and I was happy I had my yellow jacket tied around my waist.  I zipped it up and trudged onward and upward until I was greeted by smiling volunteers who took my camelback and filled it up for me.  At 11,836' in elevation, this aid station was a welcomed sight.  Whew! Only need to go to the top, crest, run down to Winfield, turn around and do it all again.  Llamas graced the field around the aid station - they are the pack mules who make this aid station happen and I felt like Heidi or Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music seeing them grazing with the Rockies in the background.

After refueling, I continued on to the crest of Hope Pass at 12,526'.  My goodness!  That stretch took its toll on me!  I knew it would be grueling; but until you do it, you just can't imagine climbing from 9,200' in the meadow to 12,500' atop of Hope Pass.

After cresting Hope, I looked down and saw a very rocky stretch of switchbacks that I needed to head down.  I was deflated.  I don't mind switchbacks, was looking forward to the downhill; but rocky and with a right knee stabbing me every time I stepped down; I was not happy.  However, I got to it as fast as I could and gritted my teeth.

This was also the first section where I encountered runners en masse on the return leg.  This made the descent good and bad.  I was happy for those runners, cheered them on; however, I had to step aside and let them pass so any rhythm I would get into was quickly lost by moving over.  But this is also the beauty of Leadville.  As I congratulated them, they also cheered me on and congratulated me.  Wow.  Ultra runners are great.

Getting back into the tree line meant an even steeper downhill section and more pain.  By now, my left leg was bothering me with all the extra work I was inflicting upon it.  Not good, but not life threatening or too bad too quit -- no bones sticking out!

I hit the dirt road finally and turned right up toward Winfield for the last 2.5 miles.  On this stretch, I forced myself into a jog and held it as long as I could before walking and beginning the process again.  This, combined with the dust from vehicles going up to Winfield and leaving the aid station was not pleasant.  I felt like I was choking on dust and envied those who had something over their noses.

Yes! On the left!  I spied Jessica and Robin!!  Oh my!  Winfield and the 50 mile mark and finally, a pacer!  I smile at my crew as I powerhiked past them to the check in and weigh in.  Hope Pass took a lot out of me, but thankfully, my weight was still above my check in weight from Friday.  6 pm was the cut-off at Winfield - I made it there at  4:46 pm.  Total time elapsed:  12 hours 46 minutes and 43 seconds.  The section from Twin Lakes to Winfield took me 4 hours 6 minutes and 55 seconds.  Yeah, 10.5 miles in 5 hours ... what a speed demon.  But I did it.

I left the aid station, found my crew, brushed my teeth, had my camelback taken from me and felt great!  I greeted Chris, my first pacer and great running friend and he said, "Here's the deal."  I almost choked on laughter -- that's Chris, always with the plan and always starts it with, Here's the deal!"  I was so excited and pumped to finally have someone run with me I felt great -- despite the raw heels with blisters on top of blisters, a stabbing right knee and the back of my left knee hurting.  "Let's go Teri," Chris said.  Okay.  And off we went retracing the steps I just took for the last 50 miles heading into a Colorado evening and night.

The next post will have the next 50 miles ...  :)