10k @ 10,000 feet

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This definitely the most scenic race I've ever done. Not that I've done tons but it still counts! My hip flexors have been bugging me a lot lately and since I've become wiser I know I can't just keep running and have them fix themselves (sadly those days are gone :( ). So going into this race I hadn't really run more than a few times in the previous few weeks. I took an extremely nonchalant attitude into the race and ended up finishing in okay time for not really having run at all and having my hips hurt to the point I had to walk when I wanted to be running.

To set the scene for you I didn't even know what time the race started when I left my house to go run it :) Our internet hadn't really been working and I didn't know anyone else running it so I figured I'd just show up at 7:45am because the race shouldn't be starting before that. As I walked to the gondola (you take the gondola to the 'top' of Vail and start up there) I asked a dude who was decked out in hardcore trailing running gear what time the race started. He said you had to be up the gondola by 8:30 because it started at 9am... perfect! He was extremely surprised, yet not so amused, that I didn't even know when the race started (had I been in better form it'd have been my goal to beat him :) ).

The course is really cool yet pretty rough. It goes from the top of the gondola steadily downhill to Mid-Vail then back up next to the top of the gondola then up (and up) to the top of Chair 3. Only then do you actually get to go downhill again back to the top of the gondy. The views are incredible and the weather was ridiculous- literally not ONE cloud in the sky (and this is from the unobstructed view at 10,200 feet!). On the way to Mid-Vail we enjoyed views of the Gore Range and town of Vail. On the way to the top of Chair 3 it was ridiculously clear views of Holy Cross (the closest 14,000+ ft. peak) and wildflowers galore covering Game Creek Bowl.

Oh yeah, the day before I had decided it was a good idea to run up Paulies (I know there's a topo on here somewhere, I've done it before) :) So for the first half of the race I was actually feeling really good and strong (Paulies is a steep hike so compared to that it was cake) and then my muscles decided they were tired from running up a mountain the day before and it was pretty tough going after that. At about mile 4.5 my hip flexors started flaring up pretty badly and I was reduced to walking a section I would have rather run. (Note: Unless you are a super elite runner there is actually a lot of walking that takes place, more so at 10,000+ feet :) )

I managed to finish w/ a pretty good kick which is always leaves me feeling better about the race as a whole. Had the flexors not been bugging me and had I been able to run more the past few weeks I could have been below the 1h mark, but as it was I finished in 1:07:54.

Time: 1:07:54

Elevation (min/max): 10,127 / 10,937 ft

Trail Type: Mostly single-track, some dirt road

Scenery: Ridiculous. Worth making a trip out here to do the race just to check it out!

Swag Bag: WORST one ever! Fruit loops, Oreos, rice crispy treat (did a 6 year old pick out the stuff?!) And the t-shirt? I think everyone is giving it to their mother

How I Felt Overall: We'll give it a 6.5

umm... wow... okay!

25:36! I don't know what I was expecting to run but I went into this thinking I would just get a nice short & flat run in. I haven't run much recently due to sore knees and tight hip flexors but I'd already signed up for the Angels in Action 5k Fun Run so I figured I'd go, take it easy and enjoy the summer morning.

As with most events in The Valley every other person seemed to have their dog so I brought Lucy. Many of the dogs participated (one of which stopped for a long poo session about 1 mile in :) ) but Lucy's too young to be running a 5k (though she probably ran more than that while playing with all the other dogs pre- and post-run). Lucy hung out with a friend of mine who was helping with the event while I ran. As the gun went off I was literally talking to my friend and had to jump into the start and just go... and go... and go...

About a mile in I realized that I hadn't run a timed 5k since high school cross country and that I wasn't sure at all how to pace myself. So I decided to just go at a slightly quicker pace than was probably what I'd have chosen and adjust as I went. My legs felt good, my lungs were hanging in there and though my hip flexors were tight my stride wasn't doing too terribly. With about half a mile to go I got to the point I needed to slow down because I was starting to feel funny in the head and my stomach wasn't helping me out (I didn't have breakfast). I held on until I had only a 1/4 mile left and I had no choice (fainting wasn't an option) so I walked for about 15 seconds. Meanwhile, this being an out and back course I knew I was in 3rd place among women so I wanted to hold on. About 4 chicks passed me while I walked but they weren't kicking and I knew I was going to kick the rest of the way. So I got back on the horse and kicked the last 1/4 mile. It was the worst I'd ever felt finishing a race, I thought I was going to hurl/pass out but it was all worth it realizing I passed all those other chicks and somehow managed to finish 3rd among chicks (Jordan, if you're reading this, now I know how you felt after all those XC races).

So I was pretty pumped about my time/place (certainly not a life-time best, but it was much better than I thought I'd be doing right now, especially at 8,000 feet!). It makes me stoked to think about how well I can run when I get my hip flexor back to normal and get rid of my pesky muscle imbalance left over from my ITB injury a few years ago!

Distance: 5km

Course: Out-and-back, paved, mostly flat with a few rolling hills

Time: 25m36s

Pace: 8m15s per mile

Temp: 75degF and sunny

Misc: Wish I'd have had more water before the run

teva mountain games 10k

course map... note the elevation chart!

Isn't it awesome how endorphins make even the most brutal of physical challenges seem like the best thing ever?! I love endorphins... I think it's safe to say I'm addicted.

Seriously, the only way you could have been ready for this race was if you ran straight up and down mountains at 8,500+ feet every day. So it was nice to see that the incremental benefit of practical additional training would've meant only an extra few minutes.

Since I had no real clue what to expect I wasn't sure how to ration my energy and just kind of ran the way I normally would. We hit a short steep climb about 5mins into the race and there was literally a single-file line walking up it. I thought that was a bit ridiculous and ran up the face next to the line... rookie mistake! After that steep face was a long slow incline and I was pretty much dead from running up the face and most people I passed on the face passed me on that next stretch. The middle of my race was pretty strong... and by strong I ran steadily on the flat/down hill areas and survived the steep hikes (grown, fit men were stopping on them!). I felt really, really good the last mile and a half (not good as in fresh, my legs were wasted, but good as in tired but still pushing and going at a good clip) and was able to finish looking pretty strong.

Overall winner's time: 45m48s

Me: 1h23m33s (raw time, so probably subtract another 45s for the time it took me to get to the start line)

Lessons:

- I learned how to run quickly down hill!!! I realized I was previously standing up too straight which wasn't letting me use my momentum (making me slower and more tired). I got my butt lower, almost like I was skiing, and that made a world of difference. All of a sudden I was flying down hill while expending much less effort, not having as much impact on the knees and not slipping on the dirt/rocks as much. Yay for skiing!

- I need to get better at pacing myself section by section. I got better as the race went on but I need to learn to be more efficient in each section of the race. Unlike the flatter races you can't expect to pace evenly, you need to adjust to each section and run/hike optimally so you're not over-expending energy on some of the uphills and not under-expending on the downhills.

Taking a day-off to recover today but can't wait to get back on the trails tomorrow!

what on earth did i sign up for?!

I saw the trail map for the race tomorrow..... ummmm... yeah. The elevation chart looks like a silhouette of the Alps!

"This course will truly test your fitness with its constant elevation changes and mountainous terrain. No matter how hard you train, this remains one of the most challenging 10k races in the nation."

It sounds like I'm signed up for the MIT of 10k trail running... and I feel pretty much the same way I felt as I did showing up at MIT :) I have no clue what to expect except for relentless toughness. I know everyone else is probably more qualified to be there than I am. I'm determined to do well enough that people actually think I'm supposed to be there... while having good time. And, I'm curious and excited to see how I end up doing!

Goal: to finish and feel like I put up a good fight

Wishful thinking: finish with a respectable time (I don't even know what that is for this type of thing!)

this is why i live in vail

I was able to bike the entire way up the initial steeps of the Stone Creek loop (see a few posts before for topo map)! (maybe it was the fact I hydrated with a Coors original an hour before...)

This morning I was up with the sun (and I was excited about it) to volunteer at the Teva Mountain Games. I spent the morning helping out at the VIP tent before chilling in the sun watching the Bouldering World Cup. The boulder-ers are insane! These dudes/chicks were upside-down, legs-over-arms and, at times, full-on leaping and grabbing onto holds. I was in awe of their spidy skills and was addicted to watching them tackle each 'problem' in different ways by mixing strength, flexibility and strategery.

At various points throughout the day I ran into friends I hadn't seen since ski season ended. It's funny, we're not used to seeing each other out of ski clothes so we almost don't recognize each other. You wouldn't think it's that different, but it really is especially since you're no longer wearing your winter work uniform (i.e. ski school and ski patrol unis) and you generally only have one or two ski outfits. So really, you're used to seeing the same people in the same thing every day and now... SKIN. You're seeing (nice) legs... (nice) arms... (funky, ski boot) feet... it's pretty funny realizing how little you really knew what a person looked like :)

After the Teva Games... and my hydrating beverage w/ peeps... I hopped on my mountain bike and did the Stone Creek loop plus about 4 more miles on the flat road just before the sun set. I was pumped. It was a really good ride. I'm getting used to my bike; getting overall better control and being able to go a lot faster than when I started. I'm loving mountain biking and can't wait to get on more trails.

P.S. I got a Black Diamond koozie today all because I asked the dude reping it at the Black Diamond tent nicely :) They weren't actually giving them away so that made me more pumped about it since no one else will have one! I've been on the hunt for a sweet and unique koozie for some time now (You need a koozie in the summer otherwise your beverage of choice gets warm. Not something I'm used to but I definitely embrace it!) so I'm pumped and wanted to share :) Good story, huh?! :)