Leadville Week 14: Testing My Limits

This 'writing a blog post each week until Silver Rush' is going well, as you can see, since I'm half way into week 13 and writing about week 14, and having trouble recalling most of.  It could have something to do with the balmy 8 degrees this morning and thus my brain is frozen.  The trails I need to hit are covered in white evil, again - on April 10th - and my motivation to get outside and get-'er-done is well below the minimum motivation requirement to get out today and my thoughts are following suit.

My once gorgeous hyacinths in my garden - now frozen dead

It could also be the fact I was certain I came down with the bubonic plague last week and am still feeling a bit like crap (turns out, it was just a sinus and ear infection) and everything I eat has this awesome metallic flavor from the "aggressive" antibiotic I'm on, so I just opt not to eat, which is leaving me feeling rather chipper (I hope you noted my facetious tone).  I also haven't fully rekindled my blogging love affair....but I'm going to give this documenting-my-way-to-Leadville thing a try; I want my kids to see how much "fun" I'm having in this journey when I'm dead - which will probably on be those Leadville mountains.  Mostly though, I want them them to see how I'm not going to give up on a pretty gigantuous goal, despite how hard it is for someone like me.

It really wasn't a bad week, as far as the numbers go, if you enjoy some cringe-worthy headaches, barfing, and shivering uncontrollably torture running.  I sure do.

Brendan returned home from NYC late Tuesday night, much later than planned, and tired.  Hard to imagine that a 17-year old spending 5 days in NYC touring the entire city would leave him exhausted, but apparently it did.  He had a great time playing at Carneige though, and said it was the highlight of all the incredible things they did there....

Brendan: first guy, last row on the left

So with one fatigued kid, another bailing so he could run with the track team (I'm starting to see where his priorities are, the nerve), and one on Spring Break and not organized mother, our plans to head somewhere warm to backpack for a few days never materialized last week.  Stuff goes bad.  It rots, it breaks, you grow out of it, you get sick of it, you change your mind, you move on, or you want more stuff.  But memories are timeless, priceless and untouchable, and especially memories with my soon-to-be senior twins, who will soon-to-be gone. I was a bit bummed, in one of those I-really-don't-like-to-backpack-anyway ways.

This failure of a trip turned out well for me Wednesday and allowed me to get to the track and preform a little MAF (maximum aerobic function) run test, to gauge if there's been any pace improvements in the same HR zone, since I started back running in October; followed by a little negative split tempo run.  Give me a track and I'm happier than a Slinky on an escalator.  Well, if things go right - which, surprisingly they did, in my headachy, sinus congested-y state:

2013
January 3rd	March 1st	April 1st
Mile 1:  9:59 Mile 2:  9:49 Mile 3:  9:47 Mile 4:  9:47 Mile 5:  9:39 Avg Pace: 9:47 Max HR: 145	Mile 1: 9:37 Mile 2:  9:34 Mile 3:  9:32 Mile 4:  9:21 Mile 5:  9:33 Avg Pace: 9:29 Max HR: 146	Mile 1:  9:08 Mile 2:  9:19 Mile 3:  9:18 Mile 4:  9:21 Avg Pace: 9:16 Max HR: 145 *Only did 4 mile test because I had a tempo run after

Hey, lookie, I'm getting faster!!!  I suspect my rate of speed will drastically slow down now, and if I see any more gains, they will be less significant.  But you can't argue with factual data that I have made progress.  I immediately went into full tempo mode post MAF run (meaning I didn't dilly-dally at the porta-pottie or procrastinate by checking my watch or getting more water or .... ) and knocked out a negative split 3 miler with an 8:08, 7:47, and 7:24 respectively.  Oh yeah!

Thursday I woke up feeling like a truck ran me over - twice (just to make sure I felt extra miserable) so of course that meant Brendan decided he wanted to head down to Colorado Springs to climb 4000' up to Barr Camp and spend the night.  In sub-freezing temps.  Whatever prior thoughts I had yesterday about spending quality time with my boys before they abandoned me went out the window and my once "I needed experiences and people, not things" thoughts were leaning more towards material objects, like my warm flannel sheets.  But I went, because that's what magnificent mothers do.  So I hear.

Glad you're carrying 40 lbs, Brendan, so I can "run" up this dang thing with nothing but my water

Not long after this last picture (don't let the smile fool you), around mile 3 and 2200' of climbing (that's some steep shit!), I suddenly started shaking and just before I could yell at Brendan to stop, I barfed.  On my sparkly new trail shoes (the ones I'm praying will not fight with my feet and stop the blistering madness).  That was kinda cool, in a not so fun sort of way.  We climbed another half mile before I finally had to start crying, because it's really cool to cry when you're frustrated and feel like hell.  And have a long way to go until you get to camp (4 more miles and another 2000' of climbing).  Brendan wasn't feeling that wonderful himself, having been at sea level for the past few days.  I eased into the conversation the notion that perhaps downshifting and returning to the car was a really good idea, in light of, well, everything; my limits were tapped.  My tears were of frustration that I was disappointing him, but hell, if he gave me the A-okay to abandon ship, then I'm not going to argue, especially since my stomach was in knots. So that day ended with 7ish miles and  ~2200' elevation, not anywhere close to the 3-4 hours of vertical climbing I had on my plan.  But damn if memories of adventure weren't just what I asked for :).

Friday was spent at the doctors office, for the 2nd time that week (let's take a minute to remember the arm amputation earlier in the week from the last post) where I was given that super tasty antibiotic and as a bonus, got to spend $148 on some Nasonex (I want into the pharmacy industry, seriously!). Saturday, I finally felt enough marginal relief that I could go ride my bike.  In 25mph headwinds for 25 miles. With symptoms that somewhat mimicked seasickness (oh what fond memories on a boat in the Alaskan Peninsula, hanging my head over the side of a boat - for hours). If today wasn't a test mental perseverance, then tomorrow would be.

I ended the week on Monday with a little 16.5 mile, 3000' climb - on dead legs from the day's before race - up Deer Creek Canyon, hitting the trails before the spring storm that rolled in hours later (yippee).  I was tired and dragging my ass feet and fell, twice.  The first time was minor and I got up quickly and rolled with it.  Fall #2, about 15 minutes later,  left some skin on the rocks and worse, shook my confidence, leaving me skittish descending the massive amounts of time I still had left to get down.

It's nothing really, I know I'll have many more falls before I end this Leadville gig on July 14th, so I'll just look at this little scab as a badge of honor and tell all my co-workers how badass I was when I ran away, fast, from some mountain lion.  I think what the fall solidified for me, is that when my legs are fatigued, tested, and sore, as they will be suffering in Leadville somewhere along those 50 miles, so I need to be dutifully aware of my acrimony ... and pick up my feet to finish that thing in one piece.  But my overall pace was about a minute faster than when I did this same route a few weeks ago, so progress is happening.

Sometimes we have to try to take what we have rather than have what it takes – and go.  I may not have felt good this week, but damn if it wasn't a good week none-the-less.

Miles: 47.52
Vertical: 5451'

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...."

Run strong,
Jill

Come run my long birthday run with me / Shoe winner

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 

Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Yep, today's the big day.  I'm not off to great places, at least not today, 

but that big mountain's waiting ... so a long run's in order, no time to play.

55 degrees and mostly cloudy to start

Springtime blooms brought watery eyes and dripping nose waaaay off the chart

Had to leave in angry green coat woman on the right in the picture; she told me to stop hogging the whole bike
lane while I took a picture.  Didn't she know it was my birthday and I am allowed to hog the lane?

One of my favorite urban long runs along the Cherry Creek path

Where I can sometimes hop on some dirt to give my legs a brisk relief from concrete's angry wrath

A little recent rain left the creek water high

But dead legs from too much weight training the day before left my destination point a wee-bit shy

But downtown I made it and then turned around

Miles cut short, only 17 done.  Last 6 were absolutely no fun.  

Legs dead.  Feet shred.

Head hurt.  Shoulders burnt.

But it was my birthday

And if you remember this post from last year (HERE)....

I am RUNNING

So I absolutely shed NO NO NO frown

Okay, well I suck at rhyming, obviously, but I wanted to turn what was not a very good long run today into something a bit more fun, so there ya go.  I am a bit discouraged that I continue my streak of miserable long runs, but truly, I am really grateful to be running.  And not only running, but running pain-free.  A year ago I wasn't. I'll keep plugging away.

And since I'm on roll of really horrible long runs, I just so happened to have a one at the half marathon last weekend.

A few of the more memorable highlights:

• Weather forecast the night before called for 5" of snow and freezing rain at the start.  I packed at least 20 different layers of clothes in my car the night before so I could assess what to wear when I got there, dreading how cold it was going to be.
• Stood at the start line in shorts and short sleeves with 55 degree sunny skies.

Ran into this lovely blogger, Julie, before the start

• Didn't wear my Garmin, which I normally don't do in a race.  I felt "off" from the start and couldn't find the first 2 mile markers to get my pace and I feared I was going too fast.
• Mile 3 confirmed I was going not only too fast, but way too fast.
• Mile 5 the winds picked up and it was insane.  And hard!  I started hovering behind a guy for a couple miles (I am really good at doing this :)) until I knew I was annoying him, indicative of how many times he turned around and looked over his shoulder at me.  Gave him up at mile 7 and repeated the hovering with someone else.  
• Repeat above every mile.
• Thought constantly how this would be my last race in my 40's and how good it would be to turn 50 and get out of this highly competitive age group I'm in.
• Got home and realized I'm only 48 (49 today).
• Started the dreaded death march about mile 9.
• I lost my hat at one point.  Did I mention how windy it was?
• Finished with a micro-hair sub-9 minute mile (1:57:32).    
• 6 minutes slower than last October on almost no training.  13 and a half minutes slower than my 1:44 PR. BLEH!!
• Almost froze to dead waiting a half hour for the "F" train back to the start area, because that's what my ticket said:

• There is no F train.  Really.  
• So this where my current fitness level is right now, apparently.  Not where I want it, so I just gotta shut the heck up and make the time to and get my 50-year old body :) in gear!

Lastly, the winner of the Ahnu shoe giveaway is... (I so wish I could give you all a pair, seriously!  I don't like to do giveaways often because I always enter these things and never ever win and it's NO fun at all and you all deserve them!):

Raina: Small Town Runner

Congrats girl.  Email me!!

Congratulations, too, to all those Boston runners who endured such horrific weather conditions, I salute you guys!  One day I'll write about my Boston experiences, perhaps; they definitely had their challenges for each I ran, but nothing like the heat of 2012!

Okay, that's a wrap!  I have a big 5k this weekend.  Let's see if the suckfest can continue.

And seriously guys, did everyone's birthday present to me get lost in the mail?  I will have to go have a little chat with the mailman.  In the meantime...

Run strong, my friends!