Lyons St. Vrain Road Hall Ranch Apple Vally Loop

As much as I said I didn't like Hall Ranch, after my first run there in the hot baking sun, it warmed up to me this time (thanks to the shade along the Old St. Vrain roads. I left the parking lot at the Lyons access to the St Vrain River and made my way along the old South river road, had great shade and scenery of the river and bluffs. When I got off the road and onto Hwy 7, I took a wrong turn thinking Hall Ranch was to my left so I eventually turned around and got back on track. Hall Ranch was much easier, probably just because I knew what I was getting into. I then  went down the antelope trail which hooked up to Apple Valley Road. It was a pretty  run, a nice combination of easy flat roads and rocky hilly trails and a great way to run around my neighboring town of Lyons. Total distance 9.3 miles, gaining 1703 in elevation in 1:49. GPS map

Hot and sunny Hall Ranch, Lyons, CO

This is pretty much my first real trail run. And I say real because it was rocky and hilly. Top that off with hardly having any shade on a hot summer day making it even more not pleasant. There were hundreds of thousands of grasshoppers on the trail as well, but for the most part don't think I squished too many because they all flee as I approach. A scorching 6.5 miles climbing 1459 feet in a very slow 1:28. GPS map

First high elevation run

I really don't know how I chose this as my first high elevation run, but it was a pretty good one: Milner Pass up to Fall River Pass. The run started out very challenging because I was mostly running up steps. I thought I was actually not going to make it the first half mile from getting used to the elevation as well as the strenuous use of leg muscles. Once I made it above the steps, the grade was a lot easier and I was able to get my breath back. There were a decent amount of people on the trail and I realized then that as a person running is going to get a lot of positive comments from people along the way. I consider myself fortunate to be able to do this and tend to keep that in my mind when doing this and to keep me humble. But it was a lot of fun briefly chatting with people along the trail when I went by. The run overall was surprisingly easy: 4 miles up and a much quicker 4 miles back starting at 10,758 feet going up to 11,800 feet.

My running Time-warp dance

After running the Chicago marathon I moved to France for 3 years (and of course, blogging about it) and that pretty much consumed my time aside from a short 3-4 mile run here and there. Fast forward to winter 2010 I moved to Colorado (first Boulder and now Lyons) and this summer have finally become acclimated and inspired to do some running. I decided to stop boring my facebook friends with my experiences and get back to posting on my blog (with new name/focus/etc) here. Hopefully this will keep me occupied and slightly creative while giving me an outlet to keep track of any progress!

Chicago Marathon

 

So this is it...I finished my first marathon. I have to say that it wasn't that bad for someone who has never ran more than a mile on a treadmill at the gym. The temperature was a high of 44 degrees and misty rain most of the morning. I think the last mile I felt like I was running on stumps, but for the most part, it was pretty gentle. I had a great pace group which kept us entertained along the way. I finished my time at 4:49...just shy of the number one person who finished at 2:07. There's always next year.

Three miles shy of a marathon!

This morning I woke up to the sound of rain outside; I have always dreaded the day I would have to run in the rain. So far I've been lucky to have had perfect weather all summer. But not today. Once I got moving out on my bike to go to the starting point with my hoodie on, it wasn't that bad but there was a definite damp chill in the air. In April, 60 degrees would have felt like a heat wave. The picture on the left was taken on my way up to Foster...note that there is NO ONE on the path. It was one of those Sunday morning that normal people just stayed in bed. For those locally, 23 miles is about the same distance as going from Foster to 31st Street Beach (on the Southside) and back.

There was a pretty strong wind, but it wasn't dehabilitating. The rain wasn't too hard that it felt like it was piercing the skin, but it was constant numbingness most of the 4 hr and 43 minutes that we were running. After a while, my hands were just beat cold and wrinkled like I've been soaking in a tub. Mind you, we are running in shorts and t-shirts, so there wasn't much protection, but the temperature elsewhere (like the body) was pretty comfortable. Half of the distance we run on are along gravel paths just for runners. The mixture of water and gravel equals a grey mucky and splashable obstacle course that was just begging for a twisted foot from dodging the deeper puddles. By the end, my feet were so squishy and wet, I really didn't care and my legs were covered in this grey caked on mud. Now that I finished, I can say that the run actually was pretty painless, but there were many times when I was wondering "what the hell am I doing here?"

So there you have it. Now I can truly believe that I am going to be able to do the marathon. The organizers said we could do it. And sure enough all we have left to look for is the fabled "wall" where the body supposedly breaks down after 23 miles. For the mean time, I think I will just concentrate on those short runs for a couple more weeks and be glad that I am not too sore or injured. Picture above and to the right was taken just before we started our run. You could hear the waves from blocks away.

The latest update

I have not been running for the past couple weeks because I had another minor foot injury (on the other foot) so I kept off it for a week. Then, I got strep so that kept me out of the loop for even more time. I am a bit worried the upcoming 23 miles, but talked to my coach and she said I shouldn't have any problems. So tonight, I ran my first maintenance run (4 miles) and felt fine except for my chest and lungs: was wheezing for the second half. I felt good to actually get out and run. It was one of those perfect evenings, a gigantic red moon was over the lake, the air was perfect, and I was relieved not to be sick anymore. Here's hoping that it is all out of my system by Sunday!

The big two oh!

Well, I just finished our 20 mile run this am, which we did in just under 4 hours. For the 20, 23 and 26 mile runs, we cut our pace down by 2 minute per mile, so it was kinda strange to go from running 18 in just over 3 to two miles more for one hour longer. I guess the main goal is to make sure everyone finishes it without injuries, which I had none...just a bit tight. But now I am home, all I am craving is a huge lunch.

18 miles

So this was a pretty important run. People were a bit stressed because its kinda a tipping point in marathon training. I was stressed because of my injury. I got some inserts in my shoes, but did not get to break them in. So basically, I started getting blisters on my feet at about 3 miles as well as the pain coming back into my foot. So the entire run was hardly pleasant. But after a while, I realized that the pain in my foot wasn't getting any worse. Though I though, sure, it will come back! Anyways. We made our run from Foster Beach to the Field museum at the other end of downtown. It was pretty amazing to get back. I was relieved I didn't have to get carried away on a stretcher. So now it seems that this is completely doable. It wont be easy, but it will be good for me to go though. This picture was taken just after turning around at the half way point...you can see a bit of the Field Museum in the distance, Lake Shore Drive is to my left.

16 Miles: Ok, I finally feel it

We ran 8 miles from Foster beach to, as you can see in the picture, downtown. And back. We ran for 3 hours. Kinda amazing, some good moments of just feeling like I’m floating . It was a great run, really perfect temperature, sun was out, but not too hot. About 14 miles into it, my right ankle was giving me problems, but I was able to work with it and run “thoughtfully”. It wasn’t until going home, I could really feel it and it was difficult to walk on. So I went home and iced it, took some ibuprofen and it was the same. Took a three hour nap and now in the eve, it feels a lot better. So thankfully, its hopefully just a little thing. This week, I had a cold and only was able to run once, so I am assuming that is why. Anyways, next week, its back down to 8 mile run.

I lived through the 14 mile run

So moving right along, we had a “break” last week and ran six miles which actually was kinda tough because I ate too much for breakfast. This weekend, I ran with the group from Foster to Navy Pier! Yes, that is 14 miles round trip. It was just right and am now seeing that this is totally possible. Granted this is a little more than a half marathon, but it I never thought I could even run six miles a few months ago. In fact, my knees didn’t even start tightening up until ten or 12 miles and usually it is at six miles. I was pretty sore, but it was all good pain. So next week, we take a breather and run only 7 miles and then the next week we run 16. So there’s where I am!

Thanks for the great party

So I had a great time and didn’t totally over do it, but there were dozens of people who showed up to T’s to have a drink (or few). I have been meaning to thank people personally, but this week has been kinda crazy trying to sell my car and condo and run, etc. Anyways, I raised $300 from the donations and proceeds from the drinks (that’s $1400 in drinks, crazy huh?) So thanks again for the support and fun, (and thanks again to T’s) and it’s always just great to hang out with friends and meet new ones. There are more photos by clicking on the picture above.