tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20598068546204037462024-03-11T02:49:30.948-06:00Kate Runs ColoradoThe running and hiking adventures of a mid-pack road runner and back-of-the-pack trail runner...taking a lot of photos along the way!KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-12853781974366592132020-08-02T15:40:00.000-06:002020-08-02T15:45:57.147-06:00Flattop Mountain & Hallett Peak<div>
I've been wanting to hike to the top of Hallett Peak ever since I found out it was the gorgeous mountain towering above Dream and Emerald Lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. I first hiked to Dream Lake in 2015, when we spent the weekend in Estes Park after I ran the Loveland Marathon. It's a really nice 3 mile round trip hike, but definitely one of the more crowded hikes in the park. Then again, this past January, I did a winter hike to Dream Lake again, this time also getting up to Emerald Lake (Emerald is just a little past Dream Lake) which was even more stunning and super fun hiking in the snow.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallett Peak is the left peak towering over Dream Lake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking to Dream & Emerald Lakes in the winter.</td></tr>
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So, when I got a permit to go into Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, July 11th, I decided it would be a great time to try to hike to Hallett Peak. However, as I was researching, it appeared there isn't an actual trail to Hallett Peak - there's a trail to Flattop Mountain, which is next to it. From what I read, it sounded like a lot of people did still go up to Hallett Peak, but it just wasn't a designated trail and wasn't shown on the Rocky Mountain National Park maps. I like hiking, but I'm not much for route finding, so I figured we would hike to Flattop and then decide if it looked like Hallett was doable or not.</div>
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The hike up Flattop Mountain starts from the Bear Lake Trailhead - the busiest trailhead in the park. I had a permit to enter RMNP between 6am-8am. After thinking it through though, we decided it would probably be best to actually get to the park before 6am so we wouldn't have to worry about getting a parking spot. This turned out to be our best decision of the day because when we entered the park at 5:30, there were already lots of cars in front of us, and when we got to the Bear Lake Trailhead around 5:45, there were probably about 10 spots left out of the hundred or so there. This had me a little worried about crowds on the trail, but thankfully there are tons of different trails that jut off from Bear Lake Trailhead, so at least everyone wouldn't be on the same trail.</div>
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We started on the trail right around 6:00am and made our way from Bear Lake north to the Flattop Mountain Trail. There's a couple other trails that split off from here, but not any of the really popular ones, so thankfully we didn't have to navigate through too many crowds. The distance from Bear Lake to Flattop Mountain was 4.4 miles one-way with about 3000 feet of gain which honestly made for a really nice hike. It was a nice uphill workout without being too challenging and before we even knew it, we were above treeline.</div>
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Shortly after making it to treeline, we did have some heavy traffic as about 5 different groups seemed to all catch up at the same time. So that instance required a lot of getting off the trail to let people pass, but after that, the traffic really wasn't bad for the rest of the day. As we got above treeline, I started stopping for lots of pictures (if I haven't said it before, being above treeline is my absolute favorite thing about hiking in the summer), so we slowed down a bit as we kept making our way up.</div>
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Along the way, there were several overlooks to see Dream and Emerald Lake from above. We also saw lots of Marmots and Wildflowers, and then we had one snowfield to cross before finally making to the top of Flattop Mountain. As it's named, it was pretty flat at the top, so we found a nice rock to have a snack break and decide what we wanted to do about Hallett Peak. From what I could gather, it would be about 3/4 of a mile one-way and about 400' of gain to make it to the top. It didn't sound too bad, but it looked a lot higher than that. But after our break, we decided we might as well give it a shot since we had already made it this far.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at Hallett Peak from Flattop Mountain</td></tr>
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I'm so glad we did, because it really wasn't that bad at all. The longest part was getting from the junction of Flattop Mountain to the start of the ascent. It was pretty rocky, so it just took awhile, but once the ascent started it went quicker than I thought and in no time we were at the summit! We also found a perfect spot to sit down that was blocked from the wind which actually made it warmer at the top of Hallett than it had been when we were on Flattop Mountain. The views from the summit were awesome - including some incredible views of Long's Peak.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the summit of Hallett Peak from the start of the ascent from Flattop Mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyndall Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at Long's Peak from the summit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgjG8jbfP0X8AgfVRdJ1x3AjPE-y1N9EYLfe6VfmVyORBs3TuTUWJQKNF6j96i1BQXccjw0GIw2L09GpgzNWaVvroLzj0Ta_7_BRSTslYzulSMn0VeQoR6s2oWWNd6E7byl3YGxh0m60/s1600/DSC_0225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgjG8jbfP0X8AgfVRdJ1x3AjPE-y1N9EYLfe6VfmVyORBs3TuTUWJQKNF6j96i1BQXccjw0GIw2L09GpgzNWaVvroLzj0Ta_7_BRSTslYzulSMn0VeQoR6s2oWWNd6E7byl3YGxh0m60/s400/DSC_0225.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at Flattop Mountain from the Summit of Hallett Peak</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this section that jutted out below us is the "pointy" part you see from Dream Lake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREsw4wY1wUAWqsW74J1gCTCMVz3_fvqfMA9dRK1ezx6GAdNwoSvf6zNBqoHQBrytrKJNX3KFOvMQqM3Go0vVBHhdHU2IeauYdenvDRosXw1Ka5GvJOIlvLW7sL_D2Mu6tWQy8i3fp5Ug/s1600/IMG_9007+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREsw4wY1wUAWqsW74J1gCTCMVz3_fvqfMA9dRK1ezx6GAdNwoSvf6zNBqoHQBrytrKJNX3KFOvMQqM3Go0vVBHhdHU2IeauYdenvDRosXw1Ka5GvJOIlvLW7sL_D2Mu6tWQy8i3fp5Ug/s400/IMG_9007+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proof we made it to the top (with Long's Peak in the background)</td></tr>
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After enjoying the views for awhile, we made the journey back! It ended up being a SUPER hot day on the way back down, but overall this was a really nice hike. It was hard, but not overall hard by any means. Our total distance with Hallett Peak ended up to be about 11 miles round trip, with about 3100' of elevation gain. I definitely recommend this one and would do it again sometime.<br />
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STATS:</div>
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Hike: Flattop Mountain to Hallett Peak</div>
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Location: Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park, Colorado)</div>
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Date: July 11, 2020</div>
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Round Trip Distance: 11.15 Miles</div>
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Starting Elevation: 9,479 Feet</div>
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Flattop Mountain Summit: 12,324 Feet</div>
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Hallett Peak Summit: 12,713 Feet</div>
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Total Elevation Gain: 3,234 Feet</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-29208030760261306042019-11-19T18:11:00.001-07:002019-11-19T18:14:47.469-07:00Zion National Park Trip 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On November 19, 1919, Zion National Park was established as the first national park in Utah, so in honor of it's 100 year anniversary today, I've decided to post an extremely belated post about our trip we took here in September 2017 that I never got around to sharing. Two years later you're probably wondering why even bother to post, but my primary purpose of this blog is a to provide myself with a way to quickly find my photos from memorable trips and it has always bugged me that I never had a chance to get this trip up since it was one of my favorites.<br />
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This post will mostly just be photos since it's been over 2 years, but a quick little recap explaining what we did: </div>
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We visited over Labor Day weekend in 2017... now normally I would avoid visiting one of the countries most popular national parks on a holiday weekend...but I had won a lottery slot to hike "The Subway", so a holiday weekend it was! We drove there, so it was 2 days of driving and 2 days in the park. Day 1 was our hike to The Subway, which was awesome. Since it's a hike only accessible by lottery we were able to really enjoy it without the any crowds. The next day, when we went into the main portion of the park was a completely different story with SO many people we had to wait over an hour get on a shuttle (shuttles are required to access most of Zion during peak season), but nevertheless, we did still enjoy hiking to Observation Point (honestly this hike was probably the best choice for how crowded it was - the views are actually better than Angel's Landing but less people hike it because 1.) it's longer, and 2.) it doesn't have the "thrill factor" with drop offs on both sides that Angel's Landing has. </div>
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Another goal had been to at least hike a short section of The Narrows, but with the lines for the buses, we ran out of time... however, I honestly think with the amount of crowds, it wouldn't have been that enjoyable anyways... so on my bucket list is to return in the off season sometime to do The Narrows and Angels Landing.<br />
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So now for the fun part...photos from the trip:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the "Kolob Canyons" portion of the park on our drive in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was right at the start of hiking to the Subway, and one of my favorite pictures from the trip!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the hike to the Subway was spent hiking in and out of water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to "The Subway"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was such a cool place!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This water fall was at the very end of the hike and required swimming to get to it - so we left the DSLR and I just took my phone for a couple more pictures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the areas you had to swim through. It was SO cold.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewEXgUlP3mizIIfza149lOA-jFuZ-dqoLvElo-kTIueDv8h-eJlyF5naCzKYGbQC1mO4sAeFVDnXHV3UgO1R_vvVCuhZUUKDv1EVbgyp-rCWoCN_okxXD44abss0YF6qKVzur45PW4NI/s1600/IMG_2105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewEXgUlP3mizIIfza149lOA-jFuZ-dqoLvElo-kTIueDv8h-eJlyF5naCzKYGbQC1mO4sAeFVDnXHV3UgO1R_vvVCuhZUUKDv1EVbgyp-rCWoCN_okxXD44abss0YF6qKVzur45PW4NI/s640/IMG_2105.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After finishing up The Subway, we checked out the road that went up to Kolob Reservoir.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsZj5dIRHxFtbb9OrF9UbgbEUOvHPNrd1677LYGgvxWJfC3NXynDBV1G1JEPqzpBmt_mcPZ9Jo5LCMrppP-enO598C_e83PmYaUT_OTR_c4W5YFfGw4Cwsp5X1RQxcVh2es3MyD2Qg-8/s1600/IMG_2206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsZj5dIRHxFtbb9OrF9UbgbEUOvHPNrd1677LYGgvxWJfC3NXynDBV1G1JEPqzpBmt_mcPZ9Jo5LCMrppP-enO598C_e83PmYaUT_OTR_c4W5YFfGw4Cwsp5X1RQxcVh2es3MyD2Qg-8/s640/IMG_2206.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking to Observation Point the next day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Observation Point</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail to Observation Point - not quite as "thrilling" as hiking to Angels Landing</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOKic1txW290NGeR3Ysdt3Ahv13bMYW0YucqDiXd3rYbFUJbW40nF7KzLJ0TsSY65-zBR7QB82GN8UlYVk9aCVNLhtyLnX9tvzKYG8Efy5Y6EeW_jnMppGlLh9M7w4vHr3C1KRw_HZLA/s1600/IMG_2200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOKic1txW290NGeR3Ysdt3Ahv13bMYW0YucqDiXd3rYbFUJbW40nF7KzLJ0TsSY65-zBR7QB82GN8UlYVk9aCVNLhtyLnX9tvzKYG8Efy5Y6EeW_jnMppGlLh9M7w4vHr3C1KRw_HZLA/s640/IMG_2200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that was our trip! I know people say this is an over rated park with the crowds, and yes, the crowds are A LOT, but it's SUCH a beautiful and unique place. I seriously can't wait to get back to this park someday. If there is one thing I am most bummed about since we moved back to the Front Range, it is how far all of these amazing places in Utah and Northern Arizona are now... but despite that, I am so thankful for our time on the Western Slope that allowed me to discover these beautiful places!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Until next time Zion....</td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-51125214123262521632019-05-26T15:34:00.003-06:002019-05-26T20:46:07.565-06:00"THE" Boston Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLQtXAnkNWydGi4GBg3KIyBuOfnqMHfN198M6kma9XucgQEpn5Pig9kJ1-S72jLqth5XjORIkY10B5WQqJieace9pcrm5O3XONNLwM7a-e8k8ugfREKYUuRdo-lUdNZ4TXKVSMMlTcyE/s1600/IMG_2948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLQtXAnkNWydGi4GBg3KIyBuOfnqMHfN198M6kma9XucgQEpn5Pig9kJ1-S72jLqth5XjORIkY10B5WQqJieace9pcrm5O3XONNLwM7a-e8k8ugfREKYUuRdo-lUdNZ4TXKVSMMlTcyE/s400/IMG_2948.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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How to even begin recapping my Boston Marathon trip...? Honestly, I don't know, which is why I've been putting it off for the past month (honestly I can't even believe it's already been that long...). Nevertheless, as one of my two biggest running goals, I must get it done, so here we are. It's a little long, so if you make it through color me impressed!<br />
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As you may recall, I qualified for Boston almost a year before the race (after 3 1/2 years of trying), at the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/05/revel-mt-charleston-marathon.html" target="_blank">Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon</a> where I ran 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 28 minutes. I still can't really believe I finally did it because I am NOT a fast runner and that was HARD. It took lots of dedicated training and hard work to say the least. When I qualified I had every intention of training hard again for the actual Boston race. I knew I wasn't going to try and PR, but because it's "Boston" (and most of the running field at Boston is seriously hardcore) I wanted to have a "good" time (and yes I do realize the term "good" when describing a race time is very relative), but life had other plans for me and my training was less than stellar this past winter. I got in all of my long runs, but my weekday running was virtually non existent. And while I will say the long runs are probably the most important for preparing you to finish a marathon, speedwork would be what helps you finish fast...and that I did not do. I was hoping to still be able to run a sub-4:00 marathon, but even going into the race I knew that was probably a long shot given my lack of overall mileage. So as I packed up and headed to the race, I decided that instead of a goal for a "good" time, I would instead have a goal to have a "good time" (as in have fun!).</div>
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I flew into Boston on the Friday before Marathon Monday (the Boston Marathon is held on Patriot's Day, a holiday celebrated in New England, always on a Monday, and thus the Boston Marathon has gotten the name, "Marathon Monday"). With the two hour time change and four hour flight, we didn't get into Boston until dinner time, so once we made it to our hotel, we met my parents for dinner, and then called it a night before we would all be running the 5K the next morning.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimosa's at the airport to celebrate finally being "Boston Bound!"</td></tr>
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The B.A.A. (Boston Athletic Association) puts on a 5K the Saturday before the race. It's a great opportunity for family members to also participate in the fun, so we all signed up to run which was great! The race started at 8:00am, but with the amount of people doing it, it wasn't until closer to 8:30 by the time we started (the top finishers actually finished before we even got to the starting line). Scott and I ran together and it was a lot of fun - it was raining out but still pretty warm overall. We had fun running the streets of downtown Boston and crossing the marathon finish line!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My family and I getting ready to run the 5K!</td></tr>
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After the race we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the rest of the day where we leisurely walked the couple miles to the marathon expo so I could get my bib for Monday and browse all of the various vendors. I have to say, although the expo was big, it wasn't quite as big as I was expecting - in my opinion, it didn't feel any bigger than the expo for the Disney or Houston Marathons, so in that sense I was a little unimpressed. Don't worry though, that did not stop me from buying #allthethings... (and waiting in line for an hour to get my official marathon gear!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through the Boston Public Garden on our way to the expo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the expo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All my swag!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous "right on Hereford, left on Boylston" intersection!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to try the new "26.2 Brew"!</td></tr>
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After the expo, we walked back down Boylston street and stopped for some pictures at the finish line. Later, Scott and I went to Trident Booksellers where Ryan Hall (American record holder in the Half Marathon and fastest Boston Marathon by an American) was having a book signing for his new book which was exciting! After that we headed back to our hotel by way of Beacon Hill before calling it a night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Boston Marathon finish line!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the finish line!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting Ryan Hall and getting an autographed copy of his new book!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the famous "Acorn Street" in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.</td></tr>
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After the pre-race excitement on Saturday, Sunday was our main day for sight seeing the city of Boston. With only one day to really see a lot of it, we decided to walk the famous Freedom Trail. I was glad I was not planning to run the marathon for time because we walked ALL DAY. It was a lot of fun though and we had great weather! We started with The USS Constitution, then made our way to Bunker Hill, then Paul Revere's House and back to the hotel around 3:00. This gave us a little bit of time to rest before we got an early dinner and then I got ready for the marathon the next day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsy5Aj8AlOCaTqdi-Mmr6JjmgtGGG97gqxUHO3Are76PNJ9H2mZ3fnndwFDUfthXtSQdYWLjV8D-ESwaHVHF2FElLR1ymemjCB1xIjvFF9rWZpyRbcZT4VSX09AbZBqBrf9eWAesLxVk/s1600/DSC_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1443" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsy5Aj8AlOCaTqdi-Mmr6JjmgtGGG97gqxUHO3Are76PNJ9H2mZ3fnndwFDUfthXtSQdYWLjV8D-ESwaHVHF2FElLR1ymemjCB1xIjvFF9rWZpyRbcZT4VSX09AbZBqBrf9eWAesLxVk/s400/DSC_0005.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire route of the freedom trail is marked by a red brick line!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv-1_LMUIDAS-fgcPW53WcPfvoeZKPjTzfIpj5YfhGp8-_IKIWv8H0mff3eScdRNqA0WzHsk9KwI1tsRr1uvsBdTOvA6XF5zL0QoT2igMI4WQoG5IKtBuOGbMSlbe-3uzmJUKUjt_3sWk/s400/DSC_0007.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The U.S.S. Constitution</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyikho3wfC4Qj80a_c28Ezn11V8Pf6w9BuGQWl73-ova0O5lPvR8h5pSJw9VPCDHQoHaZWd1p6wmcaT4kuerY4QUj9MIz2uaWuYeYCTC6p1yJXjcXH7H3QWdBglgQ9on3IYHowJBYuEEs/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyikho3wfC4Qj80a_c28Ezn11V8Pf6w9BuGQWl73-ova0O5lPvR8h5pSJw9VPCDHQoHaZWd1p6wmcaT4kuerY4QUj9MIz2uaWuYeYCTC6p1yJXjcXH7H3QWdBglgQ9on3IYHowJBYuEEs/s400/DSC_0018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunker Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Revere's House</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the signs welcoming runners all over the city!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting my flat runner ready for one of my biggest races ever!</td></tr>
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This was by-far the latest marathon I've ever ran with my wave scheduled to start at 10:50am. Per the race instructions, Wave 3 runners were supposed to show up to the buses between 8:00 and 8:45am. Well FYI if you ever run Boston - show up earlier than they tell you! I ended up getting to the bus pick-up around 8:20 - right in the middle of the time they mentioned. After waiting in line for probably 20 minutes or so, I got on a bus that left a little before 9:00. We didn't get to the drop off until AFTER 10:00. By the time I finally made it to Athlete's Village I had less than 40 minutes until my official start. I immediately got into the porta-potty line... which took until 10:40.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhufDr1WakMDNgobBpUyJ7Ue-n_xFI9OFmVAPHmhjV7k1eZ04cfc2XfZh8J_HQLPiR6vQ4xJ5MfRL-ULq_zd-LelKMfF5lng-Z9kpVwIDm8zefCg-9aTpOQMY9m1_QMPTq81XDaLKBUYM/s1600/GONC6228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhufDr1WakMDNgobBpUyJ7Ue-n_xFI9OFmVAPHmhjV7k1eZ04cfc2XfZh8J_HQLPiR6vQ4xJ5MfRL-ULq_zd-LelKMfF5lng-Z9kpVwIDm8zefCg-9aTpOQMY9m1_QMPTq81XDaLKBUYM/s400/GONC6228.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After over an hour on the bus, I finally made it to Athlete's Village!</td></tr>
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By the time I got through the porta-potty line, I was super stressed - I was totally going to miss my start, which I was super bummed about! Not only did I still need to take off all of my extra layers (it had been raining when I walked to the bus, and the forecast was very iffy, so I had about 5 layers on that I still needed to peal off, including changing my shoes... I quickly found a spot to sit down and change and then starting running to the start line. Because of the weird weather forecast, the race had decided to start Wave 4 at the same time was Wave 3... this meant that I couldn't even get to my start wave because all of Wave 4 was already in front of me... so I ended up just weaving my way here and there until finally getting to the starting line. This whole part was a blur honestly because I was super stressed about missing the start. I had been so excited to be in Wave 3, Corral 1 because it meant I would be at the very start of Wave 3 going off...but I <b>completely</b> missed it. So I don't even know if they had a gun go off or anything for the separate waves...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcv9Qzs2tBh9HmenXIj_Z7nXuJV6uyGh840DrNMXFOSIrldjJ6q3gYBYY6jyixBchwtE_ceUlQ9S9GXY4C7gPj6tCpTZbrdaGRLplNT6ZRd4aDqbghOIC2ZoBfxmy56FRhcOCv0CSFlw/s1600/833830_1045_0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcv9Qzs2tBh9HmenXIj_Z7nXuJV6uyGh840DrNMXFOSIrldjJ6q3gYBYY6jyixBchwtE_ceUlQ9S9GXY4C7gPj6tCpTZbrdaGRLplNT6ZRd4aDqbghOIC2ZoBfxmy56FRhcOCv0CSFlw/s400/833830_1045_0031.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making my way to the start line!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-da5dl-nAQ8KOslo81WM5c4Qr1LvxjgPkZXa9O2c9TT6zQ8g8GjQ5cnbmbdi6vptNQ5JjIwb9o0rz0Cu_5jWfY_n6OFqsf3qyFaN7I4ykUojV6c6wX93UfA9DAhf92CAwLeOqd5v5ZA/s1600/IMG_7286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-da5dl-nAQ8KOslo81WM5c4Qr1LvxjgPkZXa9O2c9TT6zQ8g8GjQ5cnbmbdi6vptNQ5JjIwb9o0rz0Cu_5jWfY_n6OFqsf3qyFaN7I4ykUojV6c6wX93UfA9DAhf92CAwLeOqd5v5ZA/s400/IMG_7286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to make my way from Athlete's Village to the starting line!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pLJacvdBIsEppN9HGARDzLucEUgu91b5g9FkRpJ5j14Jh0AWRMtqiXjqHfhCUVL7ElmmvxqxyjHMHJ79_QDK-9bmlY_u7syMNEBQHeb3vpIHTbXyJtWmI9j3yiHHANakzSSWosHgaqc/s1600/img_833870_1004_0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pLJacvdBIsEppN9HGARDzLucEUgu91b5g9FkRpJ5j14Jh0AWRMtqiXjqHfhCUVL7ElmmvxqxyjHMHJ79_QDK-9bmlY_u7syMNEBQHeb3vpIHTbXyJtWmI9j3yiHHANakzSSWosHgaqc/s400/img_833870_1004_0035.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently this is what the starting line looked like! (I was too stressed about missing my start time to notice!)</td></tr>
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Despite all of that pre-race stress and having no time to really take in the fact that I was "THERE" at the start of the Boston Marathon... I did finally start sometime around 10:55am. And once I did finally get going, my frustration, anxiety, and nerves finally calmed themselves and I started to enjoy the experience! From the very get-go, there were crowds on all sides of the course and I soaked it all in by running along one side of the course and high-fiving as many people as I could for miles and miles and miles... (this actually ended up being a blessing and a curse because, while I was LOVING it - seriously, it makes you feel like a rockstar, my arms ended up so tired from constantly having my arm out to high-five people! I also realized that by NOT paying attention to my watch, I ended up going out WAY too fast. My first couple miles were 8:15-8:30's, which I was NOT in shape to be able to keep up for the long haul.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0tHZJyHNMhlzr7McK-0ZI9SFQU7KY0a9XqScNz0nx9JObHPHw5g7RvW9EwGz4K13c_XUbw6x8R4NM143BkGUPcl5P14agEVw8-IaYZgv3baS-tPhcGaWatPTxCxphT7dVMK50QMAMH8/s1600/IMG_7288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0tHZJyHNMhlzr7McK-0ZI9SFQU7KY0a9XqScNz0nx9JObHPHw5g7RvW9EwGz4K13c_XUbw6x8R4NM143BkGUPcl5P14agEVw8-IaYZgv3baS-tPhcGaWatPTxCxphT7dVMK50QMAMH8/s400/IMG_7288.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometime during the first couple of miles - one of the few spots where there weren't tons of spectators along the side.</td></tr>
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Nevertheless, I kept at my fairly fast pace because I still felt good. I ran next to a Skirt Sports ambassador from the Denver area within the first couple of miles. Then around Mile 6 I ran into another Skirt Ambassador Cary, from Hawaii. The crowds has spread out a little by the time I ran into her, so I snapped a picture of us, which turned out to be one of my favorite pictures I took on the course!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWmrWHjsOTYmqcOPaIPdQjyvSu_1OqqYIdMMkaDT39-4F_O4eIzxH15FSkSZEsNqnuJbCrcXyzn7BslfqI7x6E-z3QKheGAcmTh4gOE5pgSy16El0M-vDKHqhN1wzHPRK9An4cUIJY5g/s1600/IMG_7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWmrWHjsOTYmqcOPaIPdQjyvSu_1OqqYIdMMkaDT39-4F_O4eIzxH15FSkSZEsNqnuJbCrcXyzn7BslfqI7x6E-z3QKheGAcmTh4gOE5pgSy16El0M-vDKHqhN1wzHPRK9An4cUIJY5g/s400/IMG_7290.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running by Skirt Ambassador Cary - we were wearing the same skirt!</td></tr>
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Around Mile 10 is when it really sank in that I went out too fast and that I needed to slow it down. From then on I focused on slowing a little and started to shift my focus towards some of the different landmarks I knew about. I knew the Wellesly Scream Tunnel would be around the halfway mark, and it ended up being about 12.5 miles. I had so much fun giving high fives to everyone in the Scream Tunnel - although I will say I was super surprised that the Scream Tunnel was only on one side of the road - I had just assumed it would be both sides since they call it a "tunnel", but it was just on the right side!). I tried looking for my sign that they had made me (you can request the Wellesly girls make you sign - which they then post on facebook), but I never did find it. I really did have a blast through this section though - the cheers and excitement is such a crazy, unique, memorable experience!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving high fives to everyone in the Scream Tunnel (my arm was SO tired after that section!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp82K2Fr40S8s0noO_VJIeo-3Gf1CRG6HDFkbWIjzH3B_TMUYEqssiRWK2fbFXbts27IzGapemZhpuptLR5S-ZYGk_WkjnqAhe1gox8pbmKs-BbMOCCgaKcn3weQkUMHIvfMfP6CZneM/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCp82K2Fr40S8s0noO_VJIeo-3Gf1CRG6HDFkbWIjzH3B_TMUYEqssiRWK2fbFXbts27IzGapemZhpuptLR5S-ZYGk_WkjnqAhe1gox8pbmKs-BbMOCCgaKcn3weQkUMHIvfMfP6CZneM/s400/IMG_7261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My scream tunnel poster! (I did not see it on the course though - they posted them all on facebook).</td></tr>
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I'm not going to lie...after the scream tunnel I was starting to get seriously exhausted. I honestly think that the whole "don't look at your watch" thing hindered me more than helped. Had I looked at my watch, I probably would've reigned in my first several miles... so here I was only half way through and exhausted... this was going to make my "have fun and just enjoy it" mentality a little more of a challenge. Nevertheless, I told myself to just try and not care what my splits were showing up as when people tracked me.. it wasn't about that... it was about having fun and enjoying the experience like I had said. So I just tried to focus on having fun and kept at it!<br />
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Meanwhile, it had really gotten seriously HOT out. Not to mention all of the rain made it extremely HUMID, and if there's one thing this Colorado gal is not used to or good at, it's running in the humidity (just take a look at Houston Marathon 2017...). Then of course around mile 16ish, the hills start... and so yes, I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, but I totally let myself walk through a lot of the Newton Hills. On one hand I'm upset with myself for that, but on the other hand, it was part of my "try to enjoy it" mentally... I figured giving myself some walk breaks would allow me to enjoy it more. Plus, at the end of the day I am still a Boston Marathoner whether I walked a few sections or not, right? So that's what I did - I took turns between walking and running as I made my way through those infamous Newton Hills.<br />
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Another Skirt Ambassador, Deb, was volunteering at Mile 17, so I made sure to keep my eye out for her and was so happy to see a familiar face along the route!<br />
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If you look at the course profile, you'll see that there are four major hills starting at Mile 16 and ending with Heartbreak Hill around Mile 21. I tried to count them as I was on them, but they were kind of rolling as you were on them, so I totally thought I was on Heartbreak Hill earlier than I was... nevertheless I eventually made it through (this whole section I was mentally wanting it to be over, but at the same time I had waited to run this race for SO long that I didn't want to be finished... it was an interesting experience for sure!).</div>
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Once I finally crested Heartbreak Hill I knew it was mostly downhill from here so I tried to pick up my pace a bit. It was still really hot out and I was SO thankful that most aid stations as well as spectators along the course were offering ice to runners. I kept taking handfuls of ice and putting it in my sports bra and on the back of my neck. The sun had come out around the half-way mark, and it was around 70 degrees out. That may not seem that hot, but with the high humidity and winter, it feels seriously HOT when running this kind of distance... Because of this, I was actually grateful when the rain started around Mile 23 or so.</div>
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At first the rain started slowly, but as I started making my way into downtown Boston it really started picking up. Despite this, I still tried my best to keep enjoying the experience, and made sure to snap a few pictures (including the famous CITGO sign). I knew Scott and my parents were spectating about a mile out from the finish so I set my sights on looking for them.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy2UIUh8yhiFlwRddmpabMAc_lmL9-6C8EQGhoNITcKDeU0zazNjvKQZV56YEjERIyF1Mnd4HDyHyyRD4eBq2PvKdwiqqgg68XXrPa-KySlmLrcmoOOtw6ef4IVvXt1f-iZiKuKIvrjA/s1600/IMG_7293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsy2UIUh8yhiFlwRddmpabMAc_lmL9-6C8EQGhoNITcKDeU0zazNjvKQZV56YEjERIyF1Mnd4HDyHyyRD4eBq2PvKdwiqqgg68XXrPa-KySlmLrcmoOOtw6ef4IVvXt1f-iZiKuKIvrjA/s400/IMG_7293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved this view of the city as I made my way into downtown Boston!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course I had to get a selfie with the CITGO sign!</td></tr>
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Finally I was on part of the course that overlapped with the 5K from the day before so I knew I was really close! My family was right on the other side of an underpass, before the turn onto Hereford, so I made sure to look for them despite the rain which was now coming down even harder. They were a little ways off the course, so I just waved rather than going up to them, but it was good to see them nevertheless!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MytGuJODKFqq0AQhlF8h0Ft1E_KDhJhHwPLqgSNMuK-Rl3cJgCIjM1SezGlCkWGi_L1n3H2YMx2wIIPMulUmffw-gfDm5ZibiJjU5Eb1YouGxANOh3-OEPazJwyG9hkmhRUAFB3U8ck/s1600/KPYAE3424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6MytGuJODKFqq0AQhlF8h0Ft1E_KDhJhHwPLqgSNMuK-Rl3cJgCIjM1SezGlCkWGi_L1n3H2YMx2wIIPMulUmffw-gfDm5ZibiJjU5Eb1YouGxANOh3-OEPazJwyG9hkmhRUAFB3U8ck/s400/KPYAE3424.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Right after passing them it was time for the famous "Right on Hereford, Left on Boylston"! This was, of course, the most exciting part of the race. I was almost to the finish line of THE BOSTON MARATHON. Hereford is a super short stretch, but after you turn onto Boylston you have about a third of a mile to the finish line, so I truly tried to soak this stretch in - the rain was pouring but the cheers were<b> so loud </b>- it was amazing! And before I knew it I had finished... I was a Boston Marathoner!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>RACE STATS:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Race: The 123rd Boston Marathon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Distance - 26.2 Miles (my garmin came in at 26.47 miles)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Date: April 15, 2019</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Location: Boston, Massachusetts </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Temperature: 60's - cloudy and humid at the start, sunny in the middle, pouring rain at the end!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Elevation Gain: 889'</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Bib Number: 16596</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Official Time: 4:17:29</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Average Pace: 9:50 per mile</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Overall Place: 19764 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Gender Place: 8217 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Age Group (F18-34): 4175 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Splits: 8:15, 8:24, 8:37, 8:28, 8:53, 8:47, 8:37, 8:55, 8:53, 9:04, 9:14, 9:18, 9:38, 9:30, 9:58, 9:39, 10:40, 11:47, 9:51, 11:07, 12:34, 10:39:10:26, 11:05, 10:33, 10:19, 9:19 (last .2)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWE7GZQOSsEQG2Zm_bXwSuiFwMxw7wqo2FjSCYq5El1EZCxCdRK5ZmYtlJ9LN3LqjncAbCCTwLfEZ6Rs2ZTaeG0rcnunA9Sa2wL0VGapEogj9VC7n08daoV83JDeraJ0KnA-1D0SNpg8/s1600/Map1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1157" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWE7GZQOSsEQG2Zm_bXwSuiFwMxw7wqo2FjSCYq5El1EZCxCdRK5ZmYtlJ9LN3LqjncAbCCTwLfEZ6Rs2ZTaeG0rcnunA9Sa2wL0VGapEogj9VC7n08daoV83JDeraJ0KnA-1D0SNpg8/s400/Map1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0lYw5PVnG8ieT-cOMT7JsI9o0shjRU96qAVs2CJG6PEZnT6irEWI2Yst9CeLzvrwzImNlNS5yxPQvKDOXCpleFheWdXKNB-c30ed-HqD8KgR5KeP_1dLNYQzmSp6w3vDtNyZjvhG8yU/s1600/2019_elevation_chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="207" data-original-width="1600" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0lYw5PVnG8ieT-cOMT7JsI9o0shjRU96qAVs2CJG6PEZnT6irEWI2Yst9CeLzvrwzImNlNS5yxPQvKDOXCpleFheWdXKNB-c30ed-HqD8KgR5KeP_1dLNYQzmSp6w3vDtNyZjvhG8yU/s640/2019_elevation_chart.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The first few minutes after crossing the finish line I was still in post-marathon bliss... taking pictures and enjoying myself. But then of course the fact that it was pouring rain and the temperatures had dropped significantly left me freezing in a matter of minutes and I was so thankful for the typical post-marathon space blanket. It's kind of funny though - I have gotten tons of these at races but this was the first time I truly needed it and noticed how much they really do help when you are freezing and don't have any warm clothes on. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXGAabH-fbadsiXgmvmexLqgvFGC-1rIzdJa4dkerIFdZAKvL_t9Dx2Yv5Ym2i5zAo4Knr9j1FNrPCMNhZdmX6Bk4SIoG4gkMwQq7daefLSI4Wq5Yn2L8XfDksH9uBXB8jiNLNsn-Ank/s1600/PWXI6824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXGAabH-fbadsiXgmvmexLqgvFGC-1rIzdJa4dkerIFdZAKvL_t9Dx2Yv5Ym2i5zAo4Knr9j1FNrPCMNhZdmX6Bk4SIoG4gkMwQq7daefLSI4Wq5Yn2L8XfDksH9uBXB8jiNLNsn-Ank/s320/PWXI6824.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my "I just finished the Boston-Freakin-Marathon" face!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">After getting my post-race snacks and medal, it took awhile to get in touch with Scott and my parents, but I finally did and we decided the best course of action was for me to find them since they were stuck behind crowds and I needed to go that direction anyways... so about a half hour or so after finishing we finally met up at the corner of Boylston and Arlington by the entrance to the Boston Public Garden. We took a few minutes to get pictures before making our way back - by way of Dunkin Donuts (the cold weather had me seriously craving a hot chocolate... which is so funny considering how HOT I was for most of this race).</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How cool are these signs that they had at Dunkin Donuts!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">After the race we headed back to our hotels to shower and rest for a bit before we had a celebratory dinner later that evening!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race dinner!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>POST-RACE THOUGHTS:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Honestly, I loved<b> <i>everything </i></b>about this experience. My absolute favorite part was how the ENTIRE city of Boston is into the marathon and excited about it. I've done some fairly big marathons before but outside of the race itself and the expo, no one else really pays much attention to the fact that there is a race going on. Boston however goes ALL out. All of the street signs are decorated with marathon banners, people at the airport are talking about it (you can even get a shorter line through security if you're wearing your medal), the downtown hotels all had Boston Marathon banners and some perks if you were doing the race, waiters at restaurants we went to would ask if we were doing it... It just makes you feel like an elite runner (despite most definitely NOT being one)! As far as the race goes, I'll be honest, the course itself was just okay... it's the crowds, the hype, and the history that make this race truly AMAZING and truly one of a kind! So much course support, so many spectators and people out. I just loved it all. Just experiencing the city of Boston was great too - I liked walking the freedom trail and loved the city itself.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">So will I do it again? I definitely hope so! I know it won't be an "all the time" thing like it is for a lot of people just because A.) It's HARD for me to qualify and B.) It was VERY expensive... but I do hope to go back SOMEDAY. It probably won't be anytime soon, but maybe in 10-20 years if I'm (hopefully) still running, I would love to come experience this again. There's just so much excitement surrounding this race, I would love to be a part of it again. Of course, you never know what life has in store, so whether or not I get to come back someday, I'm just so grateful I got to experience it once. I truly did have an amazing time! I'm so glad I got to share it with Scott and my parents - thanks to all of them for coming along as I achieved one of my dreams!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>POST-RACE TRIP TO BERMUDA:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "lora" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Scott and I hadn't done a "big" trip in awhile, so I knew I wanted to combine this Boston trip with something else as well. I had originally looked into going to Cape Cod, but the weather can be pretty iffy this time of year (and a lot of places aren't even open), so when I discovered that Bermuda is only a two hour flight from Boston, I figured it would be the perfect post-race getaway! So on Tuesday after the race we made our way to Bermuda for the rest of the week!</span></span><br />
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-80940953232008124192019-05-26T12:44:00.000-06:002019-05-26T12:44:06.688-06:00Moab in March - Canyonlands and Behind The Rocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My blogging has been lacking to say the least, but I wanted to get a brief recap up of what has now become my tradition of racing in Moab every March. Since my first half marathon in 2013, I have ran a Moab race in March every year since - so I couldn't miss this year... not only that, but decided this year to go big and actually do back-to-back weekends racing in Moab with Canyonlands Half Marathon one weekend, followed by Behind The Rocks 30K the following weekend. It was a bit of a crazy couple of weeks but ended up being a lot of fun as always! So without further ado...<br />
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<b>Canyonlands Half Marathon</b><br />
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I had debated doing Canyonlands this year just because I really wanted to do Behind The Rocks 30K, but when my friend and fellow Skirt Sports Ambassador Jayme reached out to see if I wanted to join her and some friends renting a condo, I couldn't pass it up! Additionally, I ended up snagging the 2:00 hour pacing slot - something I've wanted to do for several years now, so it was perfect!<br />
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Since it's now been several months, I'll keep the recap short, but essentially I had a blast pacing this race. My co-pacer and I took turns holding the sign and setting the pace, and we ended up finishing just over the 2:00 mark. We had been on pace the entire race but since we had a little extra time, decided to hold back a little and encourage some runners in...but by doing that we actually missed being under 2:00 and came in around 2:20. I was a little bummed to miss it, since I finished my last two pacing gigs about 10 seconds under, which is kind of perfect, but if we encouraged some runners to pick it up at the end then I think we still did our job!<br />
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This was my first time in several years that I've stayed in Moab post-race, which meant I could actually enjoy a couple of beers in the beer garden, which was a blast! It was a little chillier than most years, but thankfully I had warm clothes in my drop bag! Later that afternoon we enjoyed hanging at the hot tub in our condo and then Margarita's for dinner! On Sunday we hiked to Corona Arch before heading back home.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">RACE STATS:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Race: Canyonlands Half Marathon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Distance - 13.1 Miles (my garmin came in at 13.29 miles)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Date: March 16, 2019</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Location: Moab, Utah</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Temperature: 34 at the start, into the 40's (this was the coldest year I've ran this race)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Elevation Gain: 174'</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Bib Number:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Official Time: 2:00:28 (2:00:06 garmin time - this race is gun time).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Average Pace: 9:03/mile</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Overall Place: 349 of 1015</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Gender Place: 123 of 575</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Age Group (F30-39): </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Splits: 8:57, 8:54, 9:07, 8:58, 9:07, 9:02, 8:45, 8:51, 9:01, 9:11, 9:23, 9:17, 9:07, 8:26 (last .1)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race picture with the gals I stayed with!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to my co-pacer for this picture!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skirt Sports Ambassadors representing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking to Corona Arch the next day.</td></tr>
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<b>Behind The Rocks 30K</b><br />
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For Behind The Rocks I decided to come back Saturday after the race because I had a lot going on, so I ended up driving to this one myself. I had some things to do Friday morning, but I was still able to get to Moab with enough time to go for a short run/hike. After trying to decide which trail to do, I remembered that I have always wanted to check out the Park Avenue Trail in Arches National Park and figured it would be a good length. It's only 2 miles round trip and isn't very far into Arches, so wouldn't take too much extra driving time either. Well it ended up being perfect - while it would normally probably be a very pleasant hike, it was extra special this time because of all the precipitation the area has gotten - a lot of the hike is along slick rock that actually had tons of water run off going across it - it was really neat. I spent too long enjoying myself and taking pictures before finally heading into town for packet pick-up.<br />
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After getting my packet, I met up with the group I was staying with - fellow Moose Herd Ambassador Lynne and a bunch of her friends from Colorado Springs. After we stopped by City Market and then checked out our Condo, we headed back into town for dinner at the Blue Pig - one of the few restaurants in Moab I hadn't been to yet. After that, it was back to the condo for an early night so we could get ready for the race the next day.<br />
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There were two people doing the 50K, two people volunteering, and four of us doing the 30K. The 50K and volunteers headed out a little after 5:00 and then those of us doing the 30K left around 6:30. The race didn't start until 8:00am, but it requires navigating a rough dirt road that's pretty slow going and takes about a half hour. We still got there with plenty of time though and mostly hung out in the car where it was nice and warm.<br />
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Finally the race started and I warmed up a bit. I had heard the 30K is pretty runnable for most sections, and so with this being on my longest training runs for Boston I decided to try and keep my pace up for as much as I could despite this being a trail race (I'm not fast on trails). Once again, since it's been a couple months, I'll let my pictures tell more of the story, but overall I think the race went pretty well. There were a couple of technical sections, but overall I'd agree that the 30K is pretty runnable (however, if you sign up for the 50K or 50M there are definitely some big technical sections) and I had a pretty good time overall, finishing in just under 3-1/2 hours. The mileage came in at 18.8 miles, so I ran an extra 1.2 when I got done, so I could have a 20 miler pre-boston!<br />
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Post race I just hung out and waited for all of our group to get done. This weekend was once again a little chilly (it was great running weather, just a bit cold for hanging out outside after), so I was pretty grateful that they had a couple firepits out to hang around at! Once everyone else got done and we had some time to relax, we headed back to the condo and I hit the road back home.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">RACE STATS:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Race: Behind The Rocks 30K (Also has 50K & 50 Mile Distances)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Distance - 30K (my garmin came in at 18.8 miles)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Date: March 23, 2019</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Location: Moab, Utah</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Temperature: High 40's at the start into the 50's</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Elevation Gain: 1663'</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Bib Number:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Official Time: 3:29:34</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Average Pace: 11:09 per mile</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Overall Place: 100 of 225</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Gender Place: 34 of 118</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Age Group (F30-39): 16 of 40</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Splits: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 16px;">9:22, 11:07, 10:37, 10:26, 9:59, 10:03, 13:54, 13:10, 12:12, 14:35, 9:44, 11:09, 10:05, 10:26, 15:01, 11:05, 9:24, 9:23, 7:56</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run/hiking the Park Avenue Trail in Arches National Park the night before the race.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freezing before the start!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful views of the La Sal Mountains on the course!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completing Behind The Rocks, Dead Horse, and Arches gets you the Triple Crown of Moab award!</td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-65904187678611938252019-03-08T18:14:00.004-07:002019-03-08T18:14:38.815-07:00Arches {Ultra} Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the end of January I ran the Arches Half Marathon as my first race of 2019. This is a trail half marathon put on my Mad Moose Events and is part of the <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/arches-ultra" target="_blank">Arches Ultra</a> races (so not to be confused with the road "Arches Half Marathon" that Mad Moose Events puts on in October). After having a great race at the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/11/dead-horse-50-miler.html" target="_blank">Dead Horse 50 Miler</a> in November, I had every intention to run the 50K here...but life got a little busy and my training fell by the wayside, so I settled on dropping to the Half Marathon instead. I also figured the Half Marathon would be a good way to jump start my training for Boston as well.<br />
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I drove out to Moab on Friday afternoon with friends Rochelle and Karla. Because January is the off season in Moab, we got an amazing deal on the Fairfield by Marriot there ($65/night and it was nice!). When we got into town we stopped by packet pick-up and then had a casual evening, getting dinner at a new Italian place - Antica Forma (I actually went to this same place for Winter Sun 10K as well - their pizza is very good). Back at the hotel we enjoyed a few minutes in the hot tub before heading to bed.<br />
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Karla was doing the 50K which started an hour before Rochelle and I's Half Marathon did - so we needed to be at the start line around 7:30 for her 8:00am start. Getting there early actually worked out well because I really wanted to do closer to 15 miles for the day, so I did a two mile warm-up right before we started the Half Marathon. It worked out perfectly because I would not have wanted to add any mileage after the race!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over the La Sal Mountains while we waited for the start!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTALBHsogk_VHibdsLVglVXASAB0T0hLozRvonHV1CPjBc4hnY6Lgx3jITuPfa13r3YQSslTZMRjxdMoTzB1Y88AcMdHvak_bUnrn5c40ZnkYjaHSCwmrqedexnD0JxDjrwn4XnTBQJW8/s1600/IMG_5159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTALBHsogk_VHibdsLVglVXASAB0T0hLozRvonHV1CPjBc4hnY6Lgx3jITuPfa13r3YQSslTZMRjxdMoTzB1Y88AcMdHvak_bUnrn5c40ZnkYjaHSCwmrqedexnD0JxDjrwn4XnTBQJW8/s320/IMG_5159.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rochelle and I during our 2 mile warm-up!</td></tr>
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Right at 9:00am the Half Marathon started. The first mile and a half were on the bike path heading southeast from the Gemini Bridges parking area (start line). From the get-go my legs felt super heavy and I could tell I had not been running much...but nevertheless, I settled into a steady pace behind some other runners as we got off the bike path and onto the trail. From about 1.5 to 4.5 we had some rolling hills as we made our way to the first aid station. Because this was just a half marathon and I had a handheld water bottle already, I opted not to stop at the aid station and just continue on past it around Mile 4.5.<br />
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We had another mile or so of uphill before the course profile made it look like it would be downhill for a couple miles. Prior to the race I had decided I would run the first 7 miles easy and then try to pick up the pace on this downhill stretch... Well, that was a naive thought because around Mile 6 the slick rock started through Mile 11.5... and it was hard slick rock to run on. Don't get me wrong - it was beautiful and definitely my favorite part of the course for scenery but it was tough to run on. When I did Dead Horse last fall I remembered thinking the slick rock really wasn't too bad... well this slick rock was. It was extremely uneven and I almost tripped about 10 times... so I threw out my plans to pick up the pace and just went back to enjoying the views.<br />
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Around Mile 11 1/2 we finally got off the slick rock and headed back to the aid station at Mile 12, followed by a mile on the bike path back to the start. I did try to pick up my pace for this last mile but given my lack of running and the 2 mile warm-up from before the race and I was exhausted... nevertheless I did meet my goal of running under 2 1/2 hours, finishing in 2:25:17.<br />
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RACE STATS:<br />
Race: <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/arches-ultra" target="_blank">Arches Ultra</a> - Half Marathon (also offered: 50 Mile, 50K, 9K)<br />
Distance - Half Marathon (my garmin came in at 13.22 miles)<br />
Date: January 26, 2019<br />
Location: Moab, Utah<br />
Temperature: 20's at the start, 30's at the finish - sunny<br />
Elevation Gain: 850 Feet<br />
Bib Number:<br />
Official Time: 2:25:17<br />
Average Pace: 10:59/mile<br />
Overall Place: 100 of 238<br />
Gender Place: 35 of 130<br />
Age Group (F30-39): 11 of 40<br />
Splits: 9:34, 9:41, 11:25, 10:18, 10:24, 10:45, 10:31, 11:56, 12:21, 12:22, 12:30, 11:09, 10:16, 8:55 (last .1)<br />
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After the race we actually went back to the hotel and enjoyed the hot tub one more time before we went to wait for Karla to finish the 50K. This is one of the few times that I've been running the shorter distance than friends and I have to say, it was kind of nice to be able to just relax and wait for them to finish as opposed to the other way around - I might be doing this more often!<br />
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As far as the race goes - I did enjoy this course a lot, but it was much more challenging than I expected. The views on the slick rock section were awesome but it was a challenge to run. The trail was well marked (although being in the Half Marathon, I was never alone - there were always people in front and behind me). I did hear for the 50K and 50 Milers had a fair amount of mud to deal with, but on the Half Marathon course we were fine and had no issues. Overall I did like the course and I always enjoy Moab, so I recommend coming out for this race!<br />
<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-64202679141393856112018-12-28T19:54:00.004-07:002018-12-28T19:54:44.845-07:002018 Running, Racing & Adventuring RecapWith January quickly approaching it looks like it's time to recap yet another great year! Some highlights for 2018 include finally qualifying for the Boston Marathon (a goal I set way back in 2014), Spending my 30th Birthday running from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the North Rim and back, going to Paris for the first time, running through a slot canyon and seeing Horseshoe Bend, and getting a PR for the 50 Mile Distance. It was definitely another adventure-filled year and I can't wait to see what's in store for 2019!<br />
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<u><b>JANUARY</b></u><br />
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Surprisingly I didn't run a single race in January... but you know what I did do? I went to <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/02/parisian-getaway.html" target="_blank">Paris</a>! The trip was only a week, but it summed up my month pretty well. The other three weeks of the month were spent getting back into a good training routine for Revel Mt. Charleston at the end of April.<br />
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<b><u>FEBRUARY</u></b><br />
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I spent February continuing to ramp up marathon training with the exception of an Ultra Marathon thrown in - <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/03/antelope-canyon-55k.html" target="_blank">Antelope Canyon 55K</a>. I've wanted to do this race for several years now but I'm always road training this time of year so I've never done it...but I decided to just go ahead and go for it this year! Between a brief taper and recovery, it did take a couple weeks away from marathon training, but it was an awesome race and definitely worth it!<br />
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<b><u>MARCH</u></b><br />
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March continued with more marathon training (can you tell I was really serious about this one!) with a tune up race at <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/04/canyonlands-half-marathon-2018.html" target="_blank">Canyonlands Half Marathon</a> on St. Patrick's Day. The wind was pretty brutal for race day, but I still managed a course PR - coming in at 1:44:41.<br />
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<b><u>APRIL</u></b><br />
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After 3 1/2 years of trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I am SO happy to say I FINALLY did it at <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/05/revel-mt-charleston-marathon.html" target="_blank">Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon</a> in Las Vegas, running a marathon PR time of 3:28:33. This was by far my racing highlight of the year. The course was beautiful, I trained well, I raced well, and I FINALLY did it! It took a lot longer than I thought when I initially set this goal back in late 2014, but to finally reach it was amazing! I was also so happy Scott got to be there with me - we spent the rest of the weekend enjoying Vegas (although I think we've determined we're not big Vegas people, but it was fun for a weekend!).<br />
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<u><b>MAY</b></u><br />
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While finally getting my BQ was definitely my racing highlight of the year, running the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/05/grand-canyon-rim-to-rim-to-rim.html" target="_blank">Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim</a> on my 30th Birthday was definitely a top running highlight for the year! It was a quick trip but so, so awesome despite how incredibly difficult it was (especially the heat - topping out at over 100 degrees on the canyon floor). I wanted to do something memorable for my 30th Birthday...and I think it's safe to say I managed it!<br />
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<b><u>JUNE</u></b><br />
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June was my crazy month. It started with the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/06/skirt-sports-ambassador-retreat-2018.html" target="_blank">Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat</a> (where I also ran the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/06/boulder-skyline-traverse.html" target="_blank">Boulder Skyline Traverse</a>), followed by a 5 day work trip to Chicago, then Country Jam (a 4 day music festival outside of Grand Junction), then a trip to Alaska to run the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/07/anchorage-mayors-marathon.html" target="_blank">Anchorage Mayor's Marathon</a>! It was awesome but crazy to say the least.<br />
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<b><u>JULY</u></b><br />
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After running the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/08/2018-leadville-silver-rush-50-miler.html" target="_blank">Leadville Silver Rush 50 Miler</a> for my second time and walking (running) away with a huge course PR - finishing in 11:54:28, I ended up with a hip injury that sidelined me for the rest of the month. It was kind of a welcome break though as I got to spend some weekends doing something other than running - such as paddleboarding, spectating at Hardrock 100, and camping with Scott and the dogs.<br />
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<b><u>AUGUST</u></b><br />
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After my month off in July, I spent August playing catch-up with training for my upcoming attempt at Crested Butte 105K in mid-September. This meant every weekend was spent doing some sort of big run - starting with pacing Rocky Mountain Half, running the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/09/telluride-mountain-run-22-miler.html" target="_blank">Telluride Mountain Run 22 Miler</a> (which I DNF'd because the course was INSANE), and some long runs at home. I also went backpacking for the first time, where we camped at 12,000' and checked off the stunning Bear Creek Trail in Ouray from my hiking bucket list!<br />
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<b><u>SEPTEMBER</u></b><br />
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September was another crazy month. Starting with Labor Day weekend where I hiked my one 14er for the year (Quandary Peak), ran High Lonesome Loop above Nederland with Friends, and ran the Fortitude 10K (yep, that was all over Labor Day weekend). The next weekend I checked off another bucket list item - completing the Telluride Via Ferrata which was awesome and terrifying at the same time (center top picture)! The next weekend was <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/09/crested-butte-105k-dnf.html" target="_blank">Crested Butte 105K</a> which I'm sad to say I DNF'd after having a terrible day. I know my short training was definitely a huge factor as I missed the Mile 42 time cutoff by a solid hour and a half... but it was a beautiful day nonetheless (the fall foliage was OUTSTANDING). The following weekend Scott and I did a fall drive of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway (Rigway -> Ouray -> Silverton -> Durango -> Telluride) which was beautiful!<br />
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<b><u>OCTOBER</u></b><br />
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After my DNF at Crested Butte 105K, I knew I wanted to do another long ultra attempt before the season was over. I was already signed up for the Dead Horse 50K in November so I decided to just bump that up to the 50 Miler. This meant October was pretty much just spent training. The training went pretty well though - running several long runs around town, as well as running the entire perimeter of Lake Dillon in Silverthorne for a total of 23 miles, and ending the month running to Rattlesnake Arches - a local trail in Fruita that I've done before, but at the time didn't realize you could actually hike up to the top of the last arch and run across it - which was AWESOME!<br />
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<b><u>NOVEMBER</u></b><br />
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November was once again another crazy month (I always have a few of these every year). It started with my last minute decision to run <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/11/double-marathons-rim-rock-broomfield.html" target="_blank">Back-to-Back Marathons</a> - running Rim Rock Marathon on November 3, followed by the Broomfield Trails Marathon on November 4. It was definitely a hard feat especially about half-way through Day 2 when my legs were wondering what the heck I was doing... But I got it done and thus moved up a level in Marathon Maniacs! I then spent the next 2 weeks doing as little as possible in an attempt to recover/taper for <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/11/dead-horse-50-miler.html" target="_blank">Dead Horse 50</a> on November 17th. I'm happy to say those 2 weeks of nothing worked because I managed a huge 50 mile PR at Dead Horse finishing in 10:26:57 (previous best 50 miler time was 11:16).<br />
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<b><u>DECEMBER</u></b><br />
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I ended my racing season for the year running the Winter Sun 10K in Moab for the 6th year in a row, and much to my surprise walked away with my second fastest time - finishing in 46:46. The rest of December was spent taking it easy before I start ramping up my mileage in the new year for Boston!<br />
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So that concludes 2018.... For 2019 I am happy to announce I am once again representing <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> and <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/" target="_blank">Mad Moose Events</a> as part of their ambassador programs again! I am keeping my racing schedule for 2019 pretty open right now with the Boston Marathon being my only set race right now, which I'll run on April 15, 2019 (followed by a post-race trip to Bermuda!). My plan is to train well for Boston, but I have no intention of running it "for time". This is going to be a once or twice in a lifetime trip for me and I want to enjoy it to the fullest!</div>
<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-50305974612216738352018-11-25T16:50:00.002-07:002018-11-25T17:16:50.166-07:00Dead Horse 50 Miler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1fxsSTUnEmWxw0LhtDbZU-_wUg_YH2WcnLTehs3FsmFvhlhHO82i0meeXNdXbYQy4csmf54Xif2gTFdRILKVfB9B3LVs6m_V8tlQg2q6LuUx1fLlkplBVKCRwL5uqQZBQG1zlOQ5r2Y/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25282%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1fxsSTUnEmWxw0LhtDbZU-_wUg_YH2WcnLTehs3FsmFvhlhHO82i0meeXNdXbYQy4csmf54Xif2gTFdRILKVfB9B3LVs6m_V8tlQg2q6LuUx1fLlkplBVKCRwL5uqQZBQG1zlOQ5r2Y/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25282%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After my DNF at <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/09/crested-butte-105k-dnf.html" target="_blank">Crested Butte 105K</a> earlier this year I knew I had to give another long race a shot before the end of the year. I had already planned to do the 50K at Dead Horse Ultra, so I figured I would just bump it up to the 50 Miler. Despite Crested Butte not going so well, I knew it left me with a great base to build upon, and I was happy to get in some really great training runs over the next two months including multiple 20-23 milers and concluding with my weekend of <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/11/double-marathons-rim-rock-broomfield.html" target="_blank">back-to-back marathons</a> the first weekend of November. Given how those went and the fact that I had been told this was a pretty runnable course, I decided to set my sights on going for a 50 Mile PR. My previous PR was from <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2016/10/the-bear-chase-100k.html" target="_blank">The Bear Chase</a> in 2016 when I ran 50 miles in 11 hours and 16 minutes. The Dead Horse course would be slightly more difficult in elevation gain and technicality but I really felt like I had a couple of strong months of training going into this and that it was doable if I had a good day - so I went into the race cautiously optimistic...knowing that no matter how trained you are for something, you can never really predict how your day is going to go!<br />
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I got into Moab on Friday afternoon and immediately went straight to packet pick-up where I was helping check people in from 3:45 to 7pm. After that I met some friends for dinner at The Moab Brewery before heading to my hotel where I was staying with two Skirt Sports Ambassador sisters (the three of us were each doing the three different distances in the morning too which was kind of fun!).<br />
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After heading to bed around 10 or so, I was up at 4:45 the next morning, and on the road just before 5:30 to make my way to the start. The race started at 6, but wasn't too far of a drive, so I got there with just enough time to drop off my drop bag, use the restroom, and then spend the last 10 minutes deciding how many layers to wear. It was a chilly 25(ish) degrees, which felt even colder in the dark (and the temperature would only continue to drop for another hour or two before the sun started coming up for the day).<br />
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After finally settling on both a long sleeve and light jacket, we were officially off and going at 6:00am sharp. I settled into an easy paced run for the first mile, followed by a run/walk over the second mile as we gained several hundred feet heading up to our first climb. After this short climb, it was a steady downhill mile followed by several flat miles as we made our way along a sandy road to the first aid station just before Mile 5.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-idtKU5fq2M98hSrcqQ2xOs9TNdrPx5670B4IFzM1S0Ee_EYSRMWYPOjU-1jKKEqWaZl3-Bx5UTkRxTUOdBBfzwWaGzHh11o8Y37EXGf8nhFlO-H39E-ZsYQUFqNU-hVRqVZMVG9Qp14/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+6+23+19+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-idtKU5fq2M98hSrcqQ2xOs9TNdrPx5670B4IFzM1S0Ee_EYSRMWYPOjU-1jKKEqWaZl3-Bx5UTkRxTUOdBBfzwWaGzHh11o8Y37EXGf8nhFlO-H39E-ZsYQUFqNU-hVRqVZMVG9Qp14/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+6+23+19+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headlamps in the distance!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhUNbJEhPugrFb9oeaY9_GOdk_SIY3vfjPK_IMQk3S_FI6lSeHd36fm_03j6Ck8NV7fXrlsGl2eddVEgHxRO-maJ9O9nawjieqpeOLdDWrO3F5j9vavAdUC7WAmJz28R1xIP4DfVyK90/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+6+56+16+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at the sandy road we had just ran for a few miles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37q-9-WIHnp4AxZf3L-FqgVqSBL1iYGa3tHJXIDxkgelcR3KjjZCMBQUNbk1RrLbNd7kahmGGbGgvj2FkZbJhyySRT3L9_dLliOvGt-iIYP6DipTxFn2oNFiu9pXSqbpFdb4u12kK2AA/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25285%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37q-9-WIHnp4AxZf3L-FqgVqSBL1iYGa3tHJXIDxkgelcR3KjjZCMBQUNbk1RrLbNd7kahmGGbGgvj2FkZbJhyySRT3L9_dLliOvGt-iIYP6DipTxFn2oNFiu9pXSqbpFdb4u12kK2AA/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25285%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over the La Sal Mountains!</td></tr>
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I quickly grabbed a banana and headed up the next big climb. The sun had started to come up by this point and we were treated to some beautiful morning light. Once we got up the major climb, I settled into a nice steady pace of easy running. It was gradual uphill from here until the Mile 15 aid station. I knew with it being uphill, it wouldn't be fast, but I also knew I needed to run most of this in order to have a shot at a 50 mile PR.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMNXtKRM4uE9hkC4WyplIWmlWZti25-YArPQhxf6vo_EbwDxYVhiVbJLUL8L707detaks3qprzVKIQnjv2v_uYRzeNDbc6utOI4MDmWhN-BGyXmNJSiOubMNVUurz31TJ49SDqtcYT5c/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25283%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMNXtKRM4uE9hkC4WyplIWmlWZti25-YArPQhxf6vo_EbwDxYVhiVbJLUL8L707detaks3qprzVKIQnjv2v_uYRzeNDbc6utOI4MDmWhN-BGyXmNJSiOubMNVUurz31TJ49SDqtcYT5c/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25283%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun!!!</td></tr>
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Over these next 10 or so miles I really tried to focus on keeping my pace slow and steady but still running the majority. Ultra's can be difficult to pace - I knew going out too hard this early would be detrimental, but I also didn't want to go too slow and have too much time to make up later. Finding that perfect balance of "not too slow, but not too fast" would be the trick to a good day today...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sa_38jk9vUIRMArzoL6x8Npl_sIMwu6FhTZbJcTcbqGihZlZMERSIsOzwCyqjWgSDZcCAZDBiYamCgY1jEa-B7ijANw3PXGnpExunmniagD6VTWE0AktpX_8CRIB4RWXxe6WG_M9VRo/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25286%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Sa_38jk9vUIRMArzoL6x8Npl_sIMwu6FhTZbJcTcbqGihZlZMERSIsOzwCyqjWgSDZcCAZDBiYamCgY1jEa-B7ijANw3PXGnpExunmniagD6VTWE0AktpX_8CRIB4RWXxe6WG_M9VRo/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25286%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first half only gave us a small glimpse into how much slick rock we would run on later!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WYtx2i7ADWltQHKS0F6SWAG0NB2NahfzIpo2Q2-e_sfeBT5aPuTrLimDn3Pm12KAA5ZCytK7W-QUCnxi5W3QOyWLp73N7hlQQa_0xelohVNrqSzwk0Mh2fatC3cOGrgZi1yhkfdV3tE/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25285%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WYtx2i7ADWltQHKS0F6SWAG0NB2NahfzIpo2Q2-e_sfeBT5aPuTrLimDn3Pm12KAA5ZCytK7W-QUCnxi5W3QOyWLp73N7hlQQa_0xelohVNrqSzwk0Mh2fatC3cOGrgZi1yhkfdV3tE/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25285%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After what felt like no time at all, I was to the Mile 15 aid station. I quickly had some soda and a PB&J and headed out. We had a tiny bit more uphill and then it was downhill until the turnaround point. Shortly after leaving this aid station I started chatting with a guy named Clark from the Salt Lake City area. Chatting with him made the next 3 miles go really fast and before I knew it we were at the Mile 18 aid station.<br />
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I quickly grabbed another snack as I headed out. One of my goals for the day was to spend as little time as possible at aid stations so as not to waste too much time. After I left this aid station, there was some really nice non-technical double track for about 3 more miles. I chatted with another guy during this section who had ran this last year in just under 11 hours and was hoping to beat his previous time. This had me slightly worried I went out too fast, since my goal was only under 11:16, but I did my best to not worry too much about it. He was running pretty quick though so after it became a little more technical I let him go ahead as I slowed down for the next several miles to the turn around aid station just before Mile 25.<br />
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Despite the last couple of miles to the turnaround feeling like they took forever (I think just the mental aspect of having all of the faster runners coming back towards you), I finally reached the turnaround aid station right around the 5 hour mark. This left me with a little over 6 hours to complete the second half which I felt pretty good about. I usually slow a lot in the second half, and so I wanted to have some extra time later on. I also knew the way out to this turn around had been mostly downhill, which meant we had about 9 miles of gradual uphill after this.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsc7Oul_iQgGgOMYb6OFkb-clAl1T8SjfJzci68fESQAKN_EOh7Bh_ILsYcexaBRjFZMEeV0SRCU7SgXMX8DxtHfa7JXaLod00_q4Hw0evCBlWPeJgMc_IB9X1MAJ9S-cMa-yZJ_cbak/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+11+16+15+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsc7Oul_iQgGgOMYb6OFkb-clAl1T8SjfJzci68fESQAKN_EOh7Bh_ILsYcexaBRjFZMEeV0SRCU7SgXMX8DxtHfa7JXaLod00_q4Hw0evCBlWPeJgMc_IB9X1MAJ9S-cMa-yZJ_cbak/s320/Photo+Nov+17%252C+11+16+15+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture with fellow Moose Herd member Lynne - who feel into a cactus and still managed to finish the race!</td></tr>
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The first several miles headed back uphill weren't too bad, but the longer the gradual uphill went on the tougher it got for me to keep my pace up. I had been trying to keep my pace in the 12 minute mile range, but it started creeping up the longer it took. After the Mile 31 aid station, my pace really crept up - into 13-15 minute miles as the trail got more technical and more uphill until I finally made it to the Mile 35 aid station where my drop bag was.</div>
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I tried my best not to stay too long at this aid station but still ended up with my longest mile of the day - 17:00 and change as I munched on some food for a few minutes, got a few things out of my drop bag, and used the restroom. Despite this being my longest stop, everyone said it was downhill for the next 12 or so miles, so I left the aid station determined to run the majority of the race from hereon out.</div>
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This next section was my favorite of the entire course. The views were beautiful and it was just a slight downhill as we made our way down slick rock with great views of the La Sal Mountains over the beautiful rock formations that Moab is famous for! I was happy to find myself being pretty consistent with all of my miles back in the 12:00 range. Clark, who I had chatted with awhile back caught up with me again on this section so we chatted once again as we ran into the Mile 40 aid station.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuGwdtqS0PiKfZuoyc__9bN51RVXpS7xeUVwWjkD8FQvMSAXLz79PrOLkznr3XCZkMidI4bHwjegcElB-C8P44-gwrw86BPemJb6BlWXm0QpW_ankf6GsQC_jTPmAKmrkZ8bJ1eqKtho/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25281%2529+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuGwdtqS0PiKfZuoyc__9bN51RVXpS7xeUVwWjkD8FQvMSAXLz79PrOLkznr3XCZkMidI4bHwjegcElB-C8P44-gwrw86BPemJb6BlWXm0QpW_ankf6GsQC_jTPmAKmrkZ8bJ1eqKtho/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25281%2529+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was in-and-out of this aid station extremely quick so I didn't lose my motivation to keep running. I was also happy to see I hit 40 miles in about 8 1/2 hours - which left me fairly confident that I could PR at this point given that I still felt pretty good. </div>
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Not too long after the last aid station was the turn off to view "Gemini Bridges" (a famous arch formation). The race had put out a sign saying "If you don't care about your time, turn here to see Gemini Bridges". Well, it didn't say how far it was to view it, so I was slightly hesitant since I did care about my time, but I also wanted to see it... After a few seconds of internal debate, I decided I was here to enjoy the views, so I might as well go see it! And I'm thankful I did, as it was literally only a couple of steps off the trail (I was worried it was going to add an extra half mile or something!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gemini Bridges</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUo8WcdriDuDqZJ_cpgyEjkGfSu3nvZCXfvAJDabI3G6pbVaHVmQIHQ-VMfHgw3MACYtCaOfcZ957fOxtmqUr3E_Be1sB-5VixXa5urkhBep9Gn4qABIplCotrwI0x2Z5l0k7LRhsiHw/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUo8WcdriDuDqZJ_cpgyEjkGfSu3nvZCXfvAJDabI3G6pbVaHVmQIHQ-VMfHgw3MACYtCaOfcZ957fOxtmqUr3E_Be1sB-5VixXa5urkhBep9Gn4qABIplCotrwI0x2Z5l0k7LRhsiHw/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+03+26+PM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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From here I had a few more miles of slick rock before we would get back onto the sandy dirt road from the beginning of the race. If you've never ran on slick rock before, it definitely starts to beat you up after awhile, so needless to say I was very happy to see that road around Mile 44! Just a mile left until the last aid station now...</div>
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I was happy to see some fellow Mesa Monument Striders (our local run club) volunteering as I made my way into the Mile 45 aid station in just about 10 1/2 hours. I now felt extremely confident that I could not only PR, but also run sub-11:00! Because of this I once again didn't stay long at this aid station, determined to keep my pace and motivation up. </div>
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I now only had about 3 miles of sandy road, then a mile of uphill followed by a mile of downhill to the finish. The sandy road, however, which I swear had been "flat" this morning, now felt uphill because I was seriously struggling to keep my pace up. Nevertheless, I kept at it until finally reaching the hill. I told myself I could walk this hill but once I made it to the top I had to run the entire rest of the race in to the finish line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Y96CtBHaQQMYtIUKdFVcBauFnGdsMkSx6wCd0VSBJW4kSOoDTD_VTk78uJgRUdUHTzNR5RadQAUxRRDEZ3Fj7YNad1G9KwKzwlvYGQ2kQgqw9CEgPDzXYNmLqYNL_G0FeYLUj1PPn0/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25283%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_Y96CtBHaQQMYtIUKdFVcBauFnGdsMkSx6wCd0VSBJW4kSOoDTD_VTk78uJgRUdUHTzNR5RadQAUxRRDEZ3Fj7YNad1G9KwKzwlvYGQ2kQgqw9CEgPDzXYNmLqYNL_G0FeYLUj1PPn0/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25283%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSirpLUv1pK9_B_DDlzjUEtRU7L9NoWO2ICMQFtLLSq64i5A-w4gdWi8FtF_86K1YodTEHefix9CpOp6MIRMFT5K2taJHkd3w-PXKkLT8KzQtusG9K3QtFWT17uRXya5tF6Zfmgn4zi2o/s1600/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25284%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSirpLUv1pK9_B_DDlzjUEtRU7L9NoWO2ICMQFtLLSq64i5A-w4gdWi8FtF_86K1YodTEHefix9CpOp6MIRMFT5K2taJHkd3w-PXKkLT8KzQtusG9K3QtFWT17uRXya5tF6Zfmgn4zi2o/s400/Photo+Nov+17%252C+9+16+08+PM+%25284%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the last climb.</td></tr>
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After what felt like a never ending climb, I finally reached the summit, snapped a picture, and then did my best to run down the other side. My 48+ mile legs though were seriously struggling with how steep of a downhill it was, so it wasn't my fastest downhill mile, but I made it before our final long flat stretch to the finish line, where I finished in 10 Hours, 26 Minutes and 57 seconds - a PR by over 45 minutes!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing and SO happy about my PR! <br />
(Photo credit: Skirt Sister, Amy Michael)</td></tr>
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<u>RACE STATS:</u></div>
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<b>Race:</b> <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/dead-horse-ultra" target="_blank">Dead Horse Ultra</a> (50 Mile, 50K, 30K options)</div>
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<b>Distance: </b>50 Miles (my garmin came in at 49.2 miles)</div>
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<b>Date: </b>November 17, 2018</div>
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<b>Temperature: </b>I thought it was around 28 at the start, but my Garmin actually says 21, and then 50's for a high, but overcast so it never felt overly warm.</div>
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<b>Elevation Gain: </b>4,767'</div>
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<b>Bib Number</b>: 67</div>
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<b>Official Time: </b>10:26:57</div>
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<b>Average Pace:</b> 12:32 per mile</div>
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<b>Overall Place</b>: 98 of 169</div>
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<b>Gender Place:</b> 24 of 54</div>
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<b>Age Group (F30-39):</b> 9 of 17</div>
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<b>Splits:</b></div>
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1-10: 11:06, 14:15, 10:19, 10:19, 12:33, 12:41, 12:29, 14:14, 11:34, 11:28</div>
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11-20: 11:22, 13:06, 11:49, 13:47, 14:31, 12:00, 12:09, 12:48, 11:02, 11:11</div>
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21-30: 11:48, 10:41, 12:14, 12:19, 15:06, 12:07, 13:20, 12:05, 13:13, 15:43</div>
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31-40: 15:08, 13:41, 13:47, 15:03, 17:52, 12:28, 12:43, 12:25, 13:07, 12:43</div>
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41-50: 12:12, 12:17, 12:54, 12:52, 11:56, 11:41, 15:01, 12:46, 10:58, 9:46 (moving pace for last .2)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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<b>Post-Race Thoughts:</b></div>
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Overall, this race went really well for me. Given this race and <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/08/2018-leadville-silver-rush-50-miler.html" target="_blank">Silver Rush 50</a> earlier this year, I can definitely tell that the more ultras I run, the better I get at keeping my pace up in the second half! The fact that this race was pretty runnable helped immensely and I think my training method of running half of my long runs on trails and half of them on roads worked out really nicely for this race (the road runs definitely helped me get better at running consistently vs. walking too much, while the trail runs obviously helped just being used to running trails/picking up my feet etc.).</div>
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My fueling went really well this race - I actually didn't feel like I ate that much, but still had enough - throughout the race I had a couple of PB&J slices throughout the day, two packages of shot blocks, coke (I actually kept a small coke bottle in my pack), and electrolyte tablets along with some other small things here and there at aid stations. </div>
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Course wise, I really liked this course, especially Miles 30-45 as you ran along the slick rock and had great views of the La Sal Mountains. As mentioned, it is definitely a very runnable course. My garmin clocked the elevation gain in at just under 5000', but it honestly didn't even feel like that much since there were only a few steeper climbs where you couldn't run. Most of them were very gradual so you could still run or run/walk them. There were varying degrees of technicality for the trail - most of it was very runnable, the slick rock sections do start to hurt towards the end if you're not used to it but it's nothing too bad. The only sandy section was a couple of miles on Gemini Bridges Road, but only a very small section was deep sand that was more difficult to run on.</div>
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Overall, this is a great late season Ultra. November is the beginning of the off season in Moab, so it makes a great time to come visit the area without too many crowds, and the weather is typically still pretty good (although it can be pretty chilly in the morning and evening). I highly recommend this one from <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/" target="_blank">Mad Moose Events</a> (and I swear I'm not just saying that because I'm an ambassador!).</div>
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<b>Post-Race Fun:</b></div>
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Finishing earlier than expected meant I was back in time to shower and go to dinner at the Moab Diner with Becky and Heather (who I stayed with), along with a couple other runners Becky knew from Fort Collins! It was fun meeting new runners and this was my first time checking out the Moab Diner which was pretty good. The next day we all went into Arches National Park for a bit where we hiked around the Windows Area for a couple of miles to stretch the legs before heading home!</div>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-71842913062476252552018-11-09T21:49:00.001-07:002018-11-09T22:01:33.081-07:00Double Marathons – Rim Rock & Broomfield Trails Marathons <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Running back-to-back marathons has always intrigued me and I knew I wanted to do it someday… I wasn’t sure that “someday” would come this past weekend until a few days before. You see, I signed up for the inaugural Broomfield Trails Marathon last spring when they first announced it. A new marathon in my hometown sounded like something I needed to be a part of, at least for the inaugural year. However, it also fell on the same weekend as one of my all time favorite races (and favorite local race) – Rim Rock Marathon. <br />
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I immediately had the <i>thought</i> of making the two races into a “Doubler”… I mean it was kind of perfect in many ways – running marathons in both my old home and my new home on the same weekend. A symbolic journey of where I’d come from and where I was now (cheesy I know)… however, there were some serious complications with deciding to do this. On one hand, the two races are over four hours drive apart from one another. That’s a lot of sitting to do after running a marathon… On top of that, they were both in November. And driving over the Rocky Mountains in November isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Because of this, I decided not to commit to the second race (Rim Rock) until closer out when I knew more about where my fitness level was and depending on what the weather was looking like...<br />
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The week before rolled around and while weather didn't look ideal, it wasn't looking horrible either. Plus a friend offered to transfer her entry to me for a reduced price... so I was officially set on doing it... (I pretty much knew in the back of my mind that I would have regretted it had I not anyways!). So there I was, preparing for 2 marathons in 2 days...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My #FlatRunners all ready to go!</td></tr>
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Day 1: Rim Rock Marathon - Saturday, November 3rd 2018</h3>
Let me start by saying that Rim Rock is no cake walk of a marathon. In fact, it’s one of the hardest “road” marathons I have ever done… so having it as Marathon #1 probably wasn’t the smartest plan from a logistical / recovery standpoint… but that’s how the race dates fell, so it was what it was. <br />
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You see, the race starts in Grand Junction (about 4600’), then runs up into the Colorado National Monument (6600’), before dropping down into Fruita (4500’). That being said, at least I had done this course before and was able to come up with a race plan: slow and steady. Especially on the uphill. The last time I ran the full marathon back in 2015 I went too hard on the uphill and paid for it immensely in the second half. I was too dead to really enjoy and embrace the downhill. So I was settled – I would take the uphill very easy, and be sure to mix in walking as well, so as to keep myself from getting overly sore (not sure the “not getting sore” really worked out for me). <br />
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Right at 8:00am we were off with a gradual first mile and a half before the major climbing came in from Miles 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 as you climb close to 2000’ over these miles. This is where I immediately started adding in walk breaks. The trick to adding in walk breaks is to not let yourself walk for too long, so I would always point out a starting and stopping marker on the road and tell myself I could only walk from here to there (such as a sign, tree, etc). This worked pretty well and in no time I had made it to Cold Shivers Point and the end of the major climbing (there was still gradual climbing for quite a while though). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after the start!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And up we go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the Colorado National Monument - 22 of the 26 Miles are spent in the Monument!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back from where we came.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6IjVpPD5-cUoWRfBpJpEDgcaHwjAbUiMR9TUlGr9Y_dPmhyz62jCbfj5nWKsX2t4r_m2e_OSR1n51vpedRLGG39w3T2ADmhGt4G5V4u7JMoRAmt4dNlgtCH_zTfj3ERjw8WNW9yqDxk/s1600/45374097_2120664031584329_8105604543212945408_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg6IjVpPD5-cUoWRfBpJpEDgcaHwjAbUiMR9TUlGr9Y_dPmhyz62jCbfj5nWKsX2t4r_m2e_OSR1n51vpedRLGG39w3T2ADmhGt4G5V4u7JMoRAmt4dNlgtCH_zTfj3ERjw8WNW9yqDxk/s320/45374097_2120664031584329_8105604543212945408_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel #1 of 3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjfT654Cp0hHvwrvlL35KmZ4mj2k4fjgi6YX66wI8Gw3qFr0neZ5Q-mL7Dhxsw102ON9FhYvB6uv1PEOG-SzgrN-AyzX8Xons-8N9vdcG8xcN3lOq5eL_mAHMTv5SyT6jnqmkz_56dwE/s1600/45433164_2120663794917686_8696765783159603200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjfT654Cp0hHvwrvlL35KmZ4mj2k4fjgi6YX66wI8Gw3qFr0neZ5Q-mL7Dhxsw102ON9FhYvB6uv1PEOG-SzgrN-AyzX8Xons-8N9vdcG8xcN3lOq5eL_mAHMTv5SyT6jnqmkz_56dwE/s320/45433164_2120663794917686_8696765783159603200_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite pictures I took - I love how small the two runners look.</td></tr>
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From here on out since the climbing wasn’t as extreme, I didn’t add in as much walking, but still some here and there as I continued gradually heading up towards the high point around Mile 9. Meanwhile, since this is a small race, I was pretty much alone now for the remainder of the day, with the occasional passing of people (or being passed – although I’m proud to say it was more of the former – guess I paced myself well on the uphill after all). After I hit the high point, I decided to put my headphones on for the remainder of the race and just zone out to some tunes while enjoying the views.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeecVmimDq6fVpDvzGr6lRS68iU-JKpwUPcSM0GWpK4JsgzE94mBgTeGIZrMzDrPXJynEU6Koo2PP72isqDSaG-8ciZ2IuKlB5dxeUEomqXMHJ2IY-B6e4Cs8I59xOvwEZwcOB-wfte0/s1600/45340726_2120663988251000_7884422424777719808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeecVmimDq6fVpDvzGr6lRS68iU-JKpwUPcSM0GWpK4JsgzE94mBgTeGIZrMzDrPXJynEU6Koo2PP72isqDSaG-8ciZ2IuKlB5dxeUEomqXMHJ2IY-B6e4Cs8I59xOvwEZwcOB-wfte0/s320/45340726_2120663988251000_7884422424777719808_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I still felt pretty good mentally as I reached the half-way mark, but honestly my legs were hurting a bit already and I was starting to wonder how I was going to run another marathon the next day… but I tried not to let myself worry too much about that yet. The good news about making it to the halfway point is that it really is mostly downhill from here on out. Just like the first half though, it’s a relatively gradual downhill for most of it, with about 4 miles of steep downhill later in the race. So I embraced the gentle downhill for the next 5 miles or so until reaching the visitor’s center at Mile 19 – which is when the major downhill (and what I call the “fun part”) starts. The years I run the half marathon, I seriously CRUSH this section (we’re talking low-7:00 miles)… however when doing the full, I don’t seem to have that kind of speed left in me by this point (no idea why…). So I had a few high-8:00’s and a lot of 9:00’s through this section, just trying to enjoy it and let gravity pull me downhill. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIJTaVIXz3k0sAylZh3n29OwpxZnSqoS2iIdF5BJXiA-WJ3z_9kJUtb8HA-WIbfQE60INNHJwJPDjTYYzu6S9ebZ72FyvuoNvyvx875K-I_37dLyw-wNPq96kpQlfG2j7kKjbjJB1eWI/s1600/45416219_2120663834917682_2654905077352890368_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwIJTaVIXz3k0sAylZh3n29OwpxZnSqoS2iIdF5BJXiA-WJ3z_9kJUtb8HA-WIbfQE60INNHJwJPDjTYYzu6S9ebZ72FyvuoNvyvx875K-I_37dLyw-wNPq96kpQlfG2j7kKjbjJB1eWI/s320/45416219_2120663834917682_2654905077352890368_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite sections of the course!</td></tr>
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Now, despite thinking I had paced the uphill well, I was starting to get tired by Mile 22… great, tomorrow was going to be interesting… Nevertheless I kept at it. At Mile 23 you exit the Colorado National Monument leaving you with a somewhat boring couple of miles leading to downtown Fruita. In the scheme of things, I really don’t find these last 3 miles “that” bad, but compared to what you were running before it doesn’t exactly compete. Finally I hit Mile 25 which meant I just had to run the final stretch up and over the interstate and down towards Circle Park, which I did, finishing in 4:33:xx. Missing my course PR (I’ve only done the full marathon here once before) by about 4 minutes… but given that I wasn’t going for any specific time goals I was pretty happy with it (my only goal was sub-5:00). <br />
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After I finished, I got my medal, walked around Circle Park for a few minutes to get my pint glass and finisher’s picture before quickly hitting the road to make the 4 ½ hour trek over the mountains to get ready for Day #2...<br />
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<h3>
<b>Day 2 – Broomfield Trails Marathon</b></h3>
After a very last minute decision to take the bus from Glenwood Springs to Denver (which I was very thankful for given my exhausted legs and the fact that it was blizzarding over Vail Pass on Sunday night), I made it into Denver on Saturday night around 6:30pm. My mom picked me up from the bus station in Lakewood where we had dinner before heading to their house. I was thankful for their hot tub so I could soak my somewhat stiff legs to hopefully help them out before Marathon #2 of the weekend. After that it was an early bed time before getting up the next day. <br />
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It was daylight savings on Sunday morning so while I was really looking forward to an extra hour of sleep, I, of course, woke up an hour before my alarm… nevertheless at least this meant I could leisurely wake-up and enjoy my coffee before we made our way to the start. My dad was doing the Half Marathon and my mom was doing the 10K. The half started at the same time as the full, but the 10K was an hour later, so my mom was able to take our coats just before the start time (which I was very grateful for because it was COLD out). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94wiheGZFNiyVj5kCp0twpukBZ-8UlX7yfSEB5QuOuGfrzgdhMY-LO8IuB2yRSmdZgerYYYXHz97XTo08pxda9eqcE7Gbbb2ICWjrkgTO3O_fE18VlQyfiRksFM7bffYJ9GXVZHqduxk/s1600/Photo+Nov+04%252C+7+59+24+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94wiheGZFNiyVj5kCp0twpukBZ-8UlX7yfSEB5QuOuGfrzgdhMY-LO8IuB2yRSmdZgerYYYXHz97XTo08pxda9eqcE7Gbbb2ICWjrkgTO3O_fE18VlQyfiRksFM7bffYJ9GXVZHqduxk/s320/Photo+Nov+04%252C+7+59+24+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After lining up towards the middle of the pack, they played the National Anthem, and then right at 8:00am we were off. The course started near the library and civic center (the civic center which was not around back in my day – Broomfield has really grown since I left home!) and headed north over to Main Street where we actually ran several blocks up Main Street, past my old High School, and then headed west where we hopped onto The Outlook Trail around Mile 3 – the beginning of my favorite section of the course. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwN6N7j8ueYvVpyUQNlKXbCxlLhOkqpl7qOXk-FeUaGz-7lMtzTHwqUg3uD5NDQ6Csnef342abZKL3lLO43jsEYHPKeOYoplvOgvnwev3ieLiBmWglwkZPBvX4Hdt0SV-r0a2pdfX6Ko/s1600/Photo+Nov+04%252C+8+13+01+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwN6N7j8ueYvVpyUQNlKXbCxlLhOkqpl7qOXk-FeUaGz-7lMtzTHwqUg3uD5NDQ6Csnef342abZKL3lLO43jsEYHPKeOYoplvOgvnwev3ieLiBmWglwkZPBvX4Hdt0SV-r0a2pdfX6Ko/s320/Photo+Nov+04%252C+8+13+01+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running down Main Street around Mile 2</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkd7zm-mG8j9ZNzkvxifaQRmHrVeB5W9eBZr7DCbChKqjgvBRFlIQIb01ynAK2bCmmzHDjXbCaPDcFhqCS4FW5NftNYzIaBuAZjCNOXVhiot4FSpR3Xu3GjclTNSN8aZUDQogU48nDYs/s1600/45517261_2120664128250986_8059085859804151808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkd7zm-mG8j9ZNzkvxifaQRmHrVeB5W9eBZr7DCbChKqjgvBRFlIQIb01ynAK2bCmmzHDjXbCaPDcFhqCS4FW5NftNYzIaBuAZjCNOXVhiot4FSpR3Xu3GjclTNSN8aZUDQogU48nDYs/s320/45517261_2120664128250986_8059085859804151808_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting onto Outlook Trail</td></tr>
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I’ve ran the Outlook Trail before and it’s pretty hilly if you do the whole thing, but we were only on a small portion of it as we ran around the west side of the Outlook neighborhood before dropping down to get onto Rock Creek Trail (note – these “trails” are a very well maintained crushed gravel, not a “trail” trail). We were on Rock Creek Trail for until about Mile 7 when we reached the Flatirons Mall area. As mentioned this section (Mile 3-7) was the best part of the course. It was on the nice maintained trail, away from traffic with nice views of the Front Range in front of you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23h5wQC6bJwrU7osOJNoL2LyYEXj-DorC4shhblouAcmsIVBkgNHqrdjLKz5vfbJqKDsMBPYRlk-oEPW_bMdEvr9sp3kTb2PBGEJyeIw4G_-kkfso3Fz3M5ZKyIciPl4g9BcLhmNfyO4/s1600/45450039_2120664038250995_7742200664444370944_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23h5wQC6bJwrU7osOJNoL2LyYEXj-DorC4shhblouAcmsIVBkgNHqrdjLKz5vfbJqKDsMBPYRlk-oEPW_bMdEvr9sp3kTb2PBGEJyeIw4G_-kkfso3Fz3M5ZKyIciPl4g9BcLhmNfyO4/s320/45450039_2120664038250995_7742200664444370944_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mountains always look better in person!</td></tr>
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After we reached Flatirons Mall, the course atmosphere dropped quite a bit. You ran around the mall which was okay given it was Sunday morning and there weren’t too many people out, but then, you got onto the US36 Bike Path… which is a concrete bike path that hugs US 36 – the major highway connecting Denver and Boulder. On top of having to run right next to tons of traffic, you’re headed uphill and away from the mountains (so no views either). This section was by far the worst part of the course. I get that it works well to make the course into a loop, but running right alongside a major highway is never very fun. The uphill was pretty gentle though and since I was taking it easy today I didn’t mind it too much – I just kept chugging along (now, had this section been at Mile 20, I would have been cursing). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfMeLneX7tRIy6j3p6HWnuVJ_IEQPePWQy2Nt4E_8FvoPOyhfMEWoIPIyCZkgorvIuPRJfXlACkMFcpvAy9jFN2kNC-lZ3pOU_4TL-Je6KFLYmQGmI9JCQ04bQfHhbL54sYAfjYw68hA/s1600/Photo+Nov+04%252C+9+46+37+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfMeLneX7tRIy6j3p6HWnuVJ_IEQPePWQy2Nt4E_8FvoPOyhfMEWoIPIyCZkgorvIuPRJfXlACkMFcpvAy9jFN2kNC-lZ3pOU_4TL-Je6KFLYmQGmI9JCQ04bQfHhbL54sYAfjYw68hA/s320/Photo+Nov+04%252C+9+46+37+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this picture solely to document this horrible section.</td></tr>
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Around Mile 10 we were still running along US 36, but the half marathoners split away from us as they went over the highway and on to finish up their race. Us marathoners keep on straight for another half mile or so until we cut over to a couple of smaller roads before making our way onto Big Dry Creek Trail right around the half-way mark. Big Dry Creek is a paved bike path with many sections of it having a soft shoulder if you prefer to not run on pavement.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsbV9g52Sd654jiYpPqBTWbCJTsAGdHYDeWpyj0bLeL6ocdLO6w_tfJXEm3ySMEJXowDO4aOLDe2vVVbsUFW8Jd3egwkGQ7Yf5bSiy4zLTbaoDa4K0v7zN0fNHENwe-94yX4aziAy-uQ/s1600/45355405_2120664074917658_5909941270641377280_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsbV9g52Sd654jiYpPqBTWbCJTsAGdHYDeWpyj0bLeL6ocdLO6w_tfJXEm3ySMEJXowDO4aOLDe2vVVbsUFW8Jd3egwkGQ7Yf5bSiy4zLTbaoDa4K0v7zN0fNHENwe-94yX4aziAy-uQ/s320/45355405_2120664074917658_5909941270641377280_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A random barn somewhere along the route that I thought was neat.</td></tr>
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Now, I just remembered I haven’t mentioned at all yet how I was actually feeling given I had ran a marathon the day before… well truth be told, the first half actually felt okay. I felt tired, but like I could run slow and steady and definitely finish this thing no problem… that was until just after the half-way point. I think my body all of a sudden realized this wasn’t a short recovery run I was doing anymore... After that half-way point, my right shin started majorly hurting every time there was a slight downhill (shin splints??)… and guess what? Big Dry Creek Trail (the 7 mile stretch I had just started) is <i>entirely </i>downhill. (Fair warning in case you’re reading this for feedback for next year, yes it’s downhill but it’s very gentle downhill - had my shin not been hurting I would have barely even noticed it was downhill). I know this pain was caused by the downhill from Rim Rock the day before because extreme downhill like that always makes things sore in weird places… so here I was, over half-way and yet I knew I still had a LONG way to go. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq9WCckIqHEO0acSbcISQxwaLRsdCapqjrnfaAeEE30LmttGXxTmsTfXz4Kl2vCp99lA3aO4oVxZWW_Bkhm8BprwFsMjm26PnXPoDJTNAkMltoN6s2n_3g0j_J3lFEJtxO6xxQSqFDVA/s1600/Photo+Oct+13%252C+7+10+40+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq9WCckIqHEO0acSbcISQxwaLRsdCapqjrnfaAeEE30LmttGXxTmsTfXz4Kl2vCp99lA3aO4oVxZWW_Bkhm8BprwFsMjm26PnXPoDJTNAkMltoN6s2n_3g0j_J3lFEJtxO6xxQSqFDVA/s320/Photo+Oct+13%252C+7+10+40+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was NOT taken during the race, but just showing what Big Dry Creek Trail looks like since I didn't get any pictures.</td></tr>
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<br />
So the next 7 miles were spent alternating between running and walking… I had ran the first half in 2:20 and at that point had still felt okay and felt confident I could definitely run Day 2 under 5 hours. Now I wasn’t so sure. No matter what my time though, I knew I just needed to keep going. One foot in front of the other. Relentless forward progress…. My focus became to just get to the next aid station. Meanwhile, several people had caught up and passed me. Around Mile 18 a couple of people passed me, but then they were also doing a run/walk routine as well, so I made it a personal goal to try and stay somewhat near them (leapfrogging a bit). This worked out well for a while and kept me motivated to run more. <br />
<br />
At Mile 20 we got off of Big Dry Creek Trail and made our way through some neighborhoods for what felt like forever. I didn’t love this section either, but I did my best to just keep running until FINALLY we made it to Broomfield Commons just before Mile 23 – a park that I know well and thus knew I was getting close. Something about getting here motivated me, so from here on out I actually ran the entire remaining miles. We ran through a couple more neighborhoods where my Garmin decided to die at Mile 25 (seriously??). I told myself at least I only had a mile to go and picked up my pace as best as I could, passing two people before finishing in 4 hours and 55 minutes. Definitely not my fastest marathon (by an hour and a half), but hey I got it done and can now check “back-to-back marathons” off the bucket list! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbaVk4rMj3rHOhcsssbEwxDM7isr7cuKxRUmJzb95qCC6eU9YIxY8ziPh3tvuCuKgbkboKtNpVTA8ZDv3wVl-8Em66gyneTjfUyumLyh1_-iJAkgkSIgRHx_qPGf3EBF5VzI1s5HXlzQ/s1600/Broomfield+Marathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVbaVk4rMj3rHOhcsssbEwxDM7isr7cuKxRUmJzb95qCC6eU9YIxY8ziPh3tvuCuKgbkboKtNpVTA8ZDv3wVl-8Em66gyneTjfUyumLyh1_-iJAkgkSIgRHx_qPGf3EBF5VzI1s5HXlzQ/s400/Broomfield+Marathon.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing!</td></tr>
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<br />
The finish line was pretty anticlimactic as it was still seriously cold out (it was apparently 50 by now, but it was windy and cloudy and did not feel anywhere near that warm - I actually didn't even take my longsleeve off until Mile 23!) and there was hardly anyone around. They handed me a water bottle and my medal and I met up with my parents who had finished hours before (and gone home and come back). I got a couple pictures with my two medals and then we went to Panera for lunch before calling it a day! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIku8T4-ZHplsO77l9eE1sKS6QGfc0iVLuGr6da5w9kQAsLChZiziv7fpuPSAJZmmSZNVH7vewHezkIr0d6G3363HdvHhPweInobbFgWI3PTzy_J5ekiBnhL4vRj4VLFXftqxBb8-Ii4/s1600/45418653_2120663804917685_5684513864796864512_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIku8T4-ZHplsO77l9eE1sKS6QGfc0iVLuGr6da5w9kQAsLChZiziv7fpuPSAJZmmSZNVH7vewHezkIr0d6G3363HdvHhPweInobbFgWI3PTzy_J5ekiBnhL4vRj4VLFXftqxBb8-Ii4/s320/45418653_2120663804917685_5684513864796864512_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SO Happy to be done with my Two Marathons!</td></tr>
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<h3>
Post-Race Thoughts on Double Marathons:</h3>
Right when I finished I said “never again”, and while I have no desire to ever run two back-to-backs again I’m not going to officially say “never” just because looking at it now, I know I could have a more enjoyable time doing this had I done things differently. For starters, having the two races over four hours apart (which turned into 5 on Saturday, 6 on Sunday given the bad weather) was not ideal, and having the Day 1 Marathon be a seriously hard marathon with 2500’ of elevation gain and loss did not help the situation. So, if for some reason I were to come across the opportunity to do flat races close to each other where I could just take my time, I would probably would enjoy it much more! (That all being said, I have no regrets for doing it the one time - I loved that I got to do these two races!).<br />
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<h3>
Overall Review/Thoughts on Rim Rock Marathon (Day 1):</h3>
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love this race. I think it’s the best race we have in the Grand Junction area. While I’ll still agree that the half is more “fun” because it’s less exhausting and there are more people, I really enjoyed running the full marathon this year. Taking my time and even walking some on the early climb must have made all the difference because my 4:33 time felt comfortable and for the most part, I felt good the entire race.<br />
<br />
For a more detailed recap check out some of the other years I’ve ran this, but this was once again well put on. It’s definitely a small town race and if you do the full marathon you will probably be alone for a lot of it (the half is large enough that you are not alone), but the views are seriously phenomenal and make the race.<br />
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<b><u>RACE STATS:</u></b><br />
Race: Rim Rock Marathon<br />
Date: November 3, 2018<br />
Distance: Marathon (26.2 Miles)<br />
Weather: 40's at the start, 50's at the end. Sunny and beautiful running weather!<br />
Bib: 502<br />
Gun Time: 4:33:14<br />
Average Pace: 10:26<br />
Overall Place: 49 of 83<br />
Gender Place: 14 of 32<br />
Age Group Place: Unknown<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKTvNbTgvU2U8LYGEUJ90NmxT7oBVN_hh5TS8ND5Uc1Hss8jorhQb42xoc-9dNOiKqwGGX5mbs4rmgadBJ1Tpkx5FPFFbDjKNc-R2fxrbajXu7jpt_96PI1YymM393OhI-ibTo0m-QBE/s1600/Rim+Rock+Map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1328" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKTvNbTgvU2U8LYGEUJ90NmxT7oBVN_hh5TS8ND5Uc1Hss8jorhQb42xoc-9dNOiKqwGGX5mbs4rmgadBJ1Tpkx5FPFFbDjKNc-R2fxrbajXu7jpt_96PI1YymM393OhI-ibTo0m-QBE/s400/Rim+Rock+Map.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2iDglvTKdmh_d-SDSwI3Mf8durbAUK6UcHyNW6GeBCKanqz7v_ErJbHRsMA5OJbUCpBXGdErBt7BApWEqxzK3dIKj2xy7S2U1oO09yqVRnmirlLlwuJb1p5lzFAaEKoeARQ-nQQ2H34/s1600/Rim+Rock+Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2iDglvTKdmh_d-SDSwI3Mf8durbAUK6UcHyNW6GeBCKanqz7v_ErJbHRsMA5OJbUCpBXGdErBt7BApWEqxzK3dIKj2xy7S2U1oO09yqVRnmirlLlwuJb1p5lzFAaEKoeARQ-nQQ2H34/s400/Rim+Rock+Elevation.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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<h3>
Overall Review/Thoughts on Broomfield Trails Marathon (Day 2):</h3>
This was the inaugural year for the Broomfield Trails Marathon. Given the amount of advertising and hype they had for this race I was expecting a lot. In some ways I think they delivered and in some ways I don’t. They had a great turnout for the event, so I think it has a lot of potential. The volunteers were by far the number one best thing about this race. They had SO many volunteers out on the course. The aid stations were often and well stocked (they had coke at every aid station, which was awesome and something I have only seen at trail races – I feel like someone googled “what to have at trail races” when they came up with that…which is funny since it’s not really a trail race, but I loved it). I’m pretty sure I saw more volunteers than runners out on the course! <br />
<br />
That all being said, some of the negatives: overall I just didn’t love the course. I’m still kind of scratching my head as to how you could make it better…but essentially, it just felt very discombobulated. There were so many intersections to cross and different sections spent cutting from one area to the next area etc. It just didn’t “flow”. There were some great sections too… so again I feel like it could be made better, but I just can’t figure out the “how” yet.<br />
<br />
Last, I briefly touched on this already, but the finish line atmosphere was seriously lacking. Now, I will be the first to admit that a lot of this had to do with the weather. It was cold out and people don’t like to stick around after a race when it’s cold out. I totally get that… but there was hardly anything at the finish line – I didn't see any food, which after finishing 26.2 miles is kind of weird (I did find out later that there was some over at a tent further away). Last, I was kind of expecting a really cool medal given all of the advertising they did and the high price tag of the race, but it was kind of lame compared to a lot of races these days…(seriously just 5 years ago it would have been awesome, but medals have come a long way!).<br />
<br />
Overall, it was well put on and well attended, I think it just needs a little feedback from runners to get it on par with other races in the area! (Also, I wish they would just call it Broomfield Marathon because putting "trails" in the name has got to confuse people!).<br />
<br />
<b><u>RACE STATS:</u></b><br />
Race: Broomfield Trails Marathon<br />
Date: November 4, 2018<br />
Distance: Marathon (26.2 Miles)<br />
Weather: 30's at the start, maybe 50's at the end, but overcast and COLD<br />
Bib: 1003<br />
Gun Time: 4:55:36<br />
Chip Time: 4:55:17<br />
Average Pace: 11:17<br />
Overall Place: 61 of 93<br />
Gender Place: 30 of 46<br />
Age Group Place (F21-30): 10 of 16<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflsEx1jMvEPRHEw01R2ziJxfEVYFvYfK0R_4S0A-v1FaxHs__pUyS5RwvxXcSgL6xGYei4elbBS5eC-s-1ySoU_nnln0GCzt_0u1TLBdeHuvu6e1RRL1PCTvOaQzIJW4Z_AvPYUyO15A/s1600/Broomfield+Marathon+MAP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1387" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflsEx1jMvEPRHEw01R2ziJxfEVYFvYfK0R_4S0A-v1FaxHs__pUyS5RwvxXcSgL6xGYei4elbBS5eC-s-1ySoU_nnln0GCzt_0u1TLBdeHuvu6e1RRL1PCTvOaQzIJW4Z_AvPYUyO15A/s400/Broomfield+Marathon+MAP.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map (except my GPS died - it should finish at the start)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28y2mi3vuSiDBVyh6f96maDf_MaiWLS_qYEQZa6ZqjgHl4KMavUXFbfYjwkbi-vl38kmYCpr_KcButSYvFUEo1KJZXBqYrfLAbqgxXsTJH1N8Li9XZP9Kt70JDIybMx-PAL4ZSPEYMmg/s1600/Broomfield+Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="1600" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28y2mi3vuSiDBVyh6f96maDf_MaiWLS_qYEQZa6ZqjgHl4KMavUXFbfYjwkbi-vl38kmYCpr_KcButSYvFUEo1KJZXBqYrfLAbqgxXsTJH1N8Li9XZP9Kt70JDIybMx-PAL4ZSPEYMmg/s400/Broomfield+Elevation.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-66151843270329590102018-09-16T20:49:00.003-06:002018-09-17T14:33:06.232-06:00Crested Butte 105K (DNF)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sBCTohIqbHz1l-bhTU2BInxEl0MkbfQgiO_oV-yPFTnUwjT1c6UkCEfmC9n36K3m559CjA0aOiFuwNMdO5W0LWuYrhxfHxBUD4GLPdNGcyI0gq4lZUUL2qp5e-o3vYx1Qp1EQfTy6I4/s1600/Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sBCTohIqbHz1l-bhTU2BInxEl0MkbfQgiO_oV-yPFTnUwjT1c6UkCEfmC9n36K3m559CjA0aOiFuwNMdO5W0LWuYrhxfHxBUD4GLPdNGcyI0gq4lZUUL2qp5e-o3vYx1Qp1EQfTy6I4/s400/Quote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After loving the Crested Butte 55K <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/crested-butte-55k-race-recap.html" target="_blank">last year</a>, I knew I wanted to give the 105K a shot this year. It is a beautiful course, and an absolutely <b><i>perfect</i></b> time to be in the mountains during the peak of fall color. Plus, after I decided not to try another 100 miler this year, I knew I still wanted to do a "big" trail race for the year so I figured the 105K would be perfect!<br />
<br />
However, as the race got closer and the more I started looking into the details of the course, the more I realized this course was going to be a serious challenge for me. At 15,000' of elevation gain, this would by-far be the hardest ultra I'd done, especially of this length. I knew from doing the 55K, that it would be no joke of a course, but the time cutoffs for the shorter distance are pretty generous that most people should be able to complete the course, albeit it may be a long day. The 105K course on the other hand, has much stricter cut-off times - meaning that if you are a back-of-the-packer like myself, you have the added stress of not being sure if you can make the time cutoffs...<br />
<br />
In the week before the race, I did some pace calculations and the only time cut-off I was really worried about was the 42.5 mile / 4:00pm (12 hours overall). By my calculations (which are really such a loose estimate because you never know how race day is going to go), if all went well, I would make it to 42.5 at 3:50pm... that did not give me much room for error throughout the day. Nevertheless, I hoped for the best and was determined to give it a go!<br />
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The race started Saturday morning at 4:00am and so after have a leisurely Friday morning packing, I finally hit the road a little after 1:00, getting into Crested Butte just before 4pm. I met up with Lynne, a fellow Moose Herd Ambassador who I was sharing a room with, and we went over to packet pick-up where we got all of our swag (a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, and socks!). I later went and met up with Colleen, a friend who used to live in Grand Junction, and we got dinner in downtown Crested Butte, before I headed back to TRY and get some sleep before my 3:00am alarm clock went off the next morning!<br />
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After one of the worst nights of sleep ever, I was up way too early to get ready for the race! I quickly got up and ready, had coffee and my bagel, and then Lynne and I slowly made our way over the start line. We were actually a little pressed on time, but I didn't have too much time to stress about it because as soon as we arrived, checked in, and handed our drop bags off, the race officially started! There were only 25 starters in the 105K, but in the dark it didn't feel overly small at the time, as I watched headlamps run off into the distance in front of me, and I settled into a nice groove in the back of the pack.<br />
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The first 7 miles were the same as the first 7 of the 55K from the year before, but being the dark it was a whole different experience! The race starts at the ski lift, as you then run along the base of the Mt. Crested Butte for 5 miles, mostly through gorgeous aspen trees (not that I could see much of them in the dark)! While some of the trail is smooth, a lot of these first 5 miles are extremely rocky, which made navigating them in the dark that much more difficult.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocFKbVQLcdBHVJxNiPyGIG7iVdzm57STxGcAcbdgjUL4cAjGdSdnnrY9S8AQtYkShr1jyTLn0n7CQOIoE28uqkB2y6758bHEBE_GmkAbZmkJe_dT2mIAIdE8NV6RX04tDsqxHEcVoyys/s1600/IMG_0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjocFKbVQLcdBHVJxNiPyGIG7iVdzm57STxGcAcbdgjUL4cAjGdSdnnrY9S8AQtYkShr1jyTLn0n7CQOIoE28uqkB2y6758bHEBE_GmkAbZmkJe_dT2mIAIdE8NV6RX04tDsqxHEcVoyys/s400/IMG_0393.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to document running in the dark!</td></tr>
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At about mile 4-1/2, you head down several switchbacks before dropping onto Brush Creek Road for a little over a mile, before leaving the well trafficked road to head up to the first aid station at around 7.5 miles. I quickly stopped into this aid station and grabbed a few snacks before heading back out. I was about an hour and 40 minutes in to the race at this point and had about another hour before the sun would finally make it's way up. About a quarter mile after leaving the aid station, the course finally made it's split between the two courses, as the 105K course headed right.<br />
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We had a couple miles of winding trail through trees. After a mile or so of uphill, I decided to get out my trekking poles just in time for the course to flatten out so I didn't' actually need them (figures). Since the 105K had so few runners, I was pretty much alone from here on out (I had been mostly alone from the beginning, but at least then I could see headlamps in front of me, now I couldn't see anyone).<br />
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Finally, about 2-1/2 hours into the race, I could see the horizon lightening! It would still be another hour or so before the sun actually made it all the way up, but it was still a welcome site nonetheless! I kept making my way uphill for several more miles before finally getting a couple of incredibly awesome downhill miles into the Walrod Aid Station at Mile 14.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNAzsSwMeCPYhQggvVPP6xUbMakPhd1d0EutyuQTjhSP6pbtq1qFnoYMkihZSj51TdJKHU7UL_RGZO4fk0Fh26YgpvS06cTQI40Sbh4qoRwYZwJk-5souRixoawleAXGlMy2_uUoIkaM/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNAzsSwMeCPYhQggvVPP6xUbMakPhd1d0EutyuQTjhSP6pbtq1qFnoYMkihZSj51TdJKHU7UL_RGZO4fk0Fh26YgpvS06cTQI40Sbh4qoRwYZwJk-5souRixoawleAXGlMy2_uUoIkaM/s400/IMG_0396.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first signs of daylight!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunshine!</td></tr>
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As I arrived to the Walrod Aid Station, I was just a little ahead of my pace calculations and feeling good at this point. After having some really good tater tots (seriously, they were delicious - I think because they were hot and it was still really chilly out given that the sun wasn't all the way up yet) and grabbing a few things from my drop bag, I headed out and started to make my way up the second climb of the day (there are 5 total climbs on this course - with the last 2 being the hardest). Even though we had had one small climb earlier on, this one was definitely steeper and I immediately started getting worried about my pace. I felt like my legs just did not want to go uphill. When I had done my pace calculations I had really expected to be able to do 18-20 minute uphill miles, and here I was doing over 20 minute miles...and I was only in the second climb of the day...<br />
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Nevertheless, I just kept at it, trying really hard not to get too worried about the time cutoffs. There was no use stressing over them now, and on a race of this distance I didn't want to be over working this early on and end up blowing up later... so I tried as hard as I could to put it from my mind and just keeping moving! After a couple miles, we finally had some nice downhill to the aid station which I had thought was at Mile 20, but right as my watch hit 20 miles, I started seeing some of the runners ahead of me coming back up towards me... apparently we had an out-and-back to this aid station, which really ended up being at Mile 21.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fall colors really were AMAZING!</td></tr>
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I ran into the Cement Creek Aid Station (Mile 21) and said hello to Vale who was going to pace me for the last 10 miles later that day (assuming I made it that far). I told her I was worried about making the cutoffs, but we would just see what happened. I had 9 miles to the next aid station, so I filled my pack, had some coke, and grabbed some chips and cookie before heading back on the out-and-back section. We were now heading into climb #3 - which was once again harder than the climb before it. My second mile into this climb was a 29 minute mile... seriously? What was going on with me today? I should NOT be hiking a 29 minute mile! It was steep, but it wasn't THAT steep. I could try and over analyze a million reasons why, but I'm just going to chalk it up to simply having an off day...<br />
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I spent the next couple miles being a serious Debbie Downer... until finally I reached the top of the third climb where I got a much needed slap in the face by the views... They were incredible and they so quickly reminded me that THIS is why I was out here... It wasn't to run a certain time... I was here to enjoy being in the mountains. To enjoy the fall scenery. To enjoy running. This is why I do this. This is why I get out here. Not to do well at a race, but to enjoy being here. No one cares about my finish time but me, so why was I getting so worked up about having an off day? It reminded me to be thankful that I am fit enough to be able to get out and do things like this!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The views that gave me a much needed slap in the face to remind me why I do this!</td></tr>
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I spent the next several miles truly taking in the views and just enjoying it. At this point I was 90% sure that yes, I was going to miss the 4:00 cut-off... but I would not let that ruin my day. I would still run up until that point and I would enjoy it in the process!<br />
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And so that's what I did. We had several miles of downhill running back down to the Mile 29 aid station. I filled up on coke and a PB&J before heading out again. We had just 3 miles of gradual uphill along a road before reaching the Crystal Peak Aid Station. Here I had an awesome Nutella sandwich and some more coke before heading out from this aid station - and into my last section of the course before my day would be over - what I thought was a 10 mile stretch from here to the Teocalli Aid Station (it ended up being more like 12, which totally threw me off mentally at the end).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, these fall colors!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura took this of me running into the Mile 29 Aid Station!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought this mountain was so cool looking!</td></tr>
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As I left the Crystal Peak Aid Station, I knew we had 3 more pretty steep miles to the top of a pass. Since uphill was not working for me well today, I was dreading these, but I knew that after those 3 miles, it was a really long downhill stretch which was going to be awesome... So I headed out and up.. After about 2 miles we came to the top of what seemed like a mountain pass, and what ended up being my absolute favorite section of the entire day. The mountains were so incredibly stunning! As we reached this section, we headed down for about a quarter of a mile, before heading back up for another half of a mile to another pass (not sure if they were both passes, or part of the same). Now we were officially at the end of the climbing (for this section), and at the high point of the course - at 12,300'.<br />
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I soaked up the views as best as I could, had a quick snack break, and then got ready for the long descent down. It was about 3:30pm at this point, so I knew making the 4:00 cutoff wasn't going to happen. I had what I thought was 7 miles back down (turned out to be more like 9), so I set a little personal goal to try and make it to the aid station by 5pm. This goal actually seemed to get my spirits up and I was actually running a lot, passing 2 people along this section... until mile 7 came and went and the aid station felt like it was never going to arrive. My 5:00pm goal also came and went...and still no aid station.<br />
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Nevertheless, I kept at it... (although, not going to lie, the longer that aid station took to arrive, the slower I got...) one of the runners I had passed earlier ended up passing me again. I said I would try to keep up with him, but it didn't work. My spirits just kind of died in that 2 mile stretch of miles I wasn't expecting... Finally, we got onto a short section of single-track that I recognized from the 55K last year which did have me thinking I actually was close to the aid station this time - and sure enough, about 1/3 mile later I made it in... about 1-1/2 hours AFTER the 4pm cut-off.<br />
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Obviously I had already known my race was going to be over for awhile now, but getting here and realizing it was officially over was a combination of disappointment and sadness but also a little bit of relief given how tired I was and how "off" I had felt all day...<br />
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So there you have it... my 13.5 hour / 42.5 mile day. It was definitely not what I had planned and looking back on it, I still cannot believe how much I missed the time cutoff by. I would like to come back another year and try to redeem myself, but knowing I need to knock off an entire 90 minutes is a little daunting... I know I was having an off day, and I know my training was not what I wanted it to be given an injury in July that had me sidelined for 4 weeks during peak training season... but if I come back I am going to have to work extremely hard. That being said, I did take an hour and 20 minutes off of my <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/08/2018-leadville-silver-rush-50-miler.html" target="_blank">Leadville 50 Miler</a> time this year, so anything is possible, right?<br />
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<b><u>RACE STATS</u></b><br />
Race: <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/crested-butte-ultra" target="_blank">Crested Butte Ultras</a> - 105K<br />
Date: September 15, 2018<br />
Distance: 105K (65ish miles) - I completed 42.5 of those miles.<br />
Weather: 40's at the start, high 70's in the afternoon (it was HOT during the exposed sections)<br />
Elevation Gain: Website says 15,000, Trail Run Project Profile says 12,329'. I got a little under 9000' in my 42.5 miles.<br />
General Race Stats: 25 Starters / 13 Finishers (the 55K is much more popular - over 100 in that race)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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<b><u>POST-RACE THOUGHTS:</u></b><br />
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Even though I only ran the first 42.5 miles of this course, I feel like I can comment on the entirely of the course because the last 22.5 miles that I missed all overlap in the 55K that I did last year... and while last year I said I loved this course, I can honestly say now that the 105K course is even better! It was so beautiful and covered such a wide variety of terrain and views. It was challenging, but in an awesome way. While the DNF is of course disappointing, I don't regret it at all. I'm glad I gave it go and I'm glad I ran those 42.5 miles.<br />
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In general, this is a hard course. The low finishers rate clearly shows that, so just be prepared going into this (and not just in elevation gain - also a lot of the terrain in general is technical and tough). Also, with only 25 starters you are essentially alone the entire race - so be prepared for that...but hopefully as the event continues and gains more recognition the overall numbers will go up!<br />
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-61897187130059169672018-09-14T08:30:00.002-06:002018-09-16T14:15:41.682-06:00Telluride Mountain Run 22 Miler (DNF)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend I attempted the <a href="https://www.runtelluride.com/" target="_blank">Telluride Mountain Run</a> 22 Miler... I say "attempted" because I ended the day with my second ever "DNF" (did not finish). I knew going into this race that it was going to be a seriously tough mountain run... but it was "only" 22 miles. I run 50 milers, I've done a 100... surely it will be no problem (well I don't know about "no problem", but at least "doable" right?). Boy was I mistaken... this was by-far the most unique, difficult, insane trail race I've ever done...<br />
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning...<br />
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I signed up for the Telluride Mountain Run just a few weeks prior to the race. I knew I needed a long training run with a lot of elevation gain that day and my friend Heather offered to let me stay with her before the race - meaning I wouldn't have to pay for lodging. I also LOVE the San Juan Mountains (if you haven't seen me post about that All. The. Time.) and I hadn't been to Telluride in awhile, so I figured this would be perfect! The website did have a few scary disclaimers such as:<br />
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<i><b><span style="color: #1f1f1f;">"You should know</span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f1f1f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "europa"; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">... there are sections of this course that are </span><strong style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f1f1f; font-family: europa; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">extremely technical, steep and loose</strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1f1f1f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "europa"; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">. This is a MOUNTAIN RUN- participants will be running to altitudes of over 13,000 ft on exposed ridgelines and steep, rocky summits. The trails are extremely rocky and at times there are no trails at all. There are many sections of this course that will be exposed to falls, potential rockfall and hazardous weather. There will be safety personnel along sections of the route monitoring these hazards but all participants should be responsible for their own safety. THIS IS NOT AN EVENT FOR BEGINNERS."</span></i></div>
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So yes, I saw all of this...and was prepared (or so I thought). I knew the majority of this rocky/exposed section was just during the ascent of 13,320' Palmyra Peak - which was only about 2 miles of the entire race (1 mile up and 1 mile back down). Yes it would be difficult, but I'd just have a slow 2 miles of the race and the rest of it would be great...right??<br />
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I got into Telluride around 5pm on Friday night. Heather had already picked up my packet for me so we all just had a relaxing evening at her place (her and I were doing the 22 miler, and her friends Ben and Amber were doing the 38 Miler) complete with a super fancy meal cooked by her husband, Josh (thanks!). We all headed to bed at a decent hour to try and get some sleep before the 7am race start (5am for the 38 miler). I actually woke up pretty early and after some tossing and turning finally decided to get up for a leisurely breakfast as we slowly made our way to the race start!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready for the next days race (or so we thought!)</td></tr>
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There were a little over 40 starters for the race and we all gathered as the race director told us a few last minute things before the start, such as "there are ropes to help you get to the top of Palmyra Peak"... (um... what? ropes... the website did not mention ropes... what are we getting into??). Nevertheless, I didn't have much time to worry about this, as we were off right at 7:00am... it was a constant uphill grind for the first 5 miles as we made our way from the town of Telluride (8,700') up to Gold Hill (12,700'). Going into the race I was wondering what type of people would be signed up for this (really hardcore local runners who are used to crazy mountain climbs or a mix with some normal people thrown in). Sure enough, it was mostly all super hardcore runners because from the get-go I was in the back... ohwell, I still felt confident at this point that I'd have no problem finishing this race (it wasn't going to be fast by any means, but surely I'd finish).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful morning sunrise as we made our way to the start line!</td></tr>
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As expected, the first 5 miles were basically just slow and steady as we made our way up, up, and more up. I was glad to have my trekking poles and just get into a steady uphill grind. While it was a LOT of elevation gain, I was thankful that this was on the "Telluride Trail", which was basically a jeep road, which meant it wasn't overly technical and I could maintain a decent hiking pace - getting to the 4.2 mile aid station (and first cut-off) in 1 hour and 40 minutes (cut-off was 2.5 hours). I felt pretty good about this as I had half of a PB&J and headed out and up yet another giant hill...which would take me to my absolute favorite views of the whole course... Seriously, I could've just stopped racing and hung out here for the rest of the day (which had I known the outcome of this race...just might have...). After stopping for way too many pictures, I then saw a sign pointing us to a turn which took us to our first downhill of the day...and my first taste of what was to come in the day...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaaS2A6WLliO6VX3jpCoi02g0Sj3oSUySRmjIx-eaNmHZjSYOQR7PxeXlrtUlQwf3pimUaeZ4xt_XVntP_KE6_flA23tPu2gA0Jfpj75gC0e8Rg7WD1g28fG_2Pa7Pb-5vN4CgplpUXE/s1600/IMG_9272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaaS2A6WLliO6VX3jpCoi02g0Sj3oSUySRmjIx-eaNmHZjSYOQR7PxeXlrtUlQwf3pimUaeZ4xt_XVntP_KE6_flA23tPu2gA0Jfpj75gC0e8Rg7WD1g28fG_2Pa7Pb-5vN4CgplpUXE/s400/IMG_9272.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perspective on some of these hills!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlISYZw5BSs9U8bz9mLXFMNvqRi-x7dPQvx77jhnIeKhFQigP00yqZPXJPL2goCT5z2CCE4lIh2M3Dpr3B3Uof_mejnTBNMEjwVNhYF6LiIBZsX6GX3xAK6bAJNjZiulPs1_m6hiOdbo/s1600/IMG_9281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlISYZw5BSs9U8bz9mLXFMNvqRi-x7dPQvx77jhnIeKhFQigP00yqZPXJPL2goCT5z2CCE4lIh2M3Dpr3B3Uof_mejnTBNMEjwVNhYF6LiIBZsX6GX3xAK6bAJNjZiulPs1_m6hiOdbo/s400/IMG_9281.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next time I'm taking a ride up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnLonA0iCnHG8O8nF4Vy746ZMKhK_OSkpgoXJ0-4jVzGPzNG7Uw_XsQnH1EbScAyZw6FuBkjS47_V1xUQJnM5Cv8zmWY6bxUCraMPn7SxxoDZy8FOKPUpaRQQLSyxWP7JiRoZ7YHr6jk/s1600/IMG_9297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnLonA0iCnHG8O8nF4Vy746ZMKhK_OSkpgoXJ0-4jVzGPzNG7Uw_XsQnH1EbScAyZw6FuBkjS47_V1xUQJnM5Cv8zmWY6bxUCraMPn7SxxoDZy8FOKPUpaRQQLSyxWP7JiRoZ7YHr6jk/s400/IMG_9297.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite section of the course! (Palmyra Peak to the right - we would go way back down before going up again to reach the summit).</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aIZlOR8P1txeQeeMzeqHGCPurcdfhXqTYZ_ng8_6BKVKdyy6sSv-yM4PNtRLRlnQv93D-P7zwhyphenhyphen-JBJjCYbjLMrDJo_LwVjHpRx_BM3RbHGdQm4PtRMIaS2C24b7J2aCzq7J6y8Zfgs/s1600/IMG_9298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aIZlOR8P1txeQeeMzeqHGCPurcdfhXqTYZ_ng8_6BKVKdyy6sSv-yM4PNtRLRlnQv93D-P7zwhyphenhyphen-JBJjCYbjLMrDJo_LwVjHpRx_BM3RbHGdQm4PtRMIaS2C24b7J2aCzq7J6y8Zfgs/s320/IMG_9298.JPG" width="286" /></a></div>
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The trail going down the side of Gold Hill was so steep and so incredibly rocky I started to get a little worried about the Palmyra Peak section that would be coming up from miles 5.5 - 7.5.... that worrying picked up drastically when I saw our fellow racers up ahead and realized we were going down what looked like about 1000 feet (although was really only about 500' - didn't feel like that as we headed BACK UP IT a short while later though), before we would then cross a gully and then head back up the side of Palmyra Peak... ohwell, it is what it is right? So I started the trek down. I had been chatting with a fellow runner, Lauren, and we were both clearly not huge fans of the technical down so we stuck together a bit on this section, as Heather who I was in front of on the climbs, came speeding past me on the downs. I like non-technical downhill running, but technical, rocky downhill running...not so much...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_k6Y4gA2yl317-J-6qfTcTJzKMwjAxBIOqjLCfzCfzBliBiQI6VFpSqzpiKzlFwvvhkDXPwciksBT8S2dXx5BnJeSK_QdlwkSQAgsspJeVk_kl1vna4Bsr1bcDBSVzGZ22VLE9GVzCzw/s1600/IMG_9311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_k6Y4gA2yl317-J-6qfTcTJzKMwjAxBIOqjLCfzCfzBliBiQI6VFpSqzpiKzlFwvvhkDXPwciksBT8S2dXx5BnJeSK_QdlwkSQAgsspJeVk_kl1vna4Bsr1bcDBSVzGZ22VLE9GVzCzw/s400/IMG_9311.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to head back down before going back up - if you zoom in, you can see runners heading up the side of the peak!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilywaTefi9HGpn6yGyGyYAnO_Gsu_e5dwFrQorvftZfXlU84HxzdMAZ6hdZciQzlB9GViGtN6B34SBkTQ1_r3ihCsfhyAwJ7UbcGbzPTIQHEHWuYBYSYRFz_BcUOz_YNqxfqSY7wBBi7A/s1600/IMG_9312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilywaTefi9HGpn6yGyGyYAnO_Gsu_e5dwFrQorvftZfXlU84HxzdMAZ6hdZciQzlB9GViGtN6B34SBkTQ1_r3ihCsfhyAwJ7UbcGbzPTIQHEHWuYBYSYRFz_BcUOz_YNqxfqSY7wBBi7A/s320/IMG_9312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading down from Gold Hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it to the gully, before we went right back up towards the peak!</td></tr>
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We finally made our way to the bottom of this gully before we crossed and then started heading up the side of Palmyra Peak... on what was most definitely NOT a trail at all, and what felt like a 60% minimum grade... It was so steep I felt like I would fall backwards if I didn't lean forward enough. At this point, we had about 1000' of climbing to reach the top of Palmyra Peak. On a definied trail that would probably take about 30-45 minutes depending on how technical it was... on "no trail"...it seriously took forever. I finally reached the top of this one side of the peak, and then we turned and had to go up the ridgeline. You could see people up ahead and but it seriously felt never ending. I kept going up, up and more up but it didn't feel like I was making progress. Finally, I left the grassy section and started up the rocky, loose dirt/scree mix. About 1/3 mile from the top I reached the first rope. The rope was very helpful but unfortunately it wasn't very long and I quickly surpassed that section, and kept going up. There was one more rope on another section but this section had some actual climbing which was pretty tough. They had two race personal watching this section as well and as I was climbing up it I hear one of them speak into his walkie, "can we get a status report on lighting - the peak is in the way and we can't see." This was what I wanted to hear as I made my way to the summit.... (thankfully there wasn't any lightning yet...).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNM6hQGwTrOnN3jJcB-R6Re1q3TjXYH0u1xRp1l3b_Tts7cRWGArsk7nrse2q0_A45aphD0b0JsYHMgW65-8hXx29VIFvPFqZ6PCtjqqy5P8blCPGiik2luraZWoOMvdSvVgOG70_dCw/s1600/IMG_9317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNM6hQGwTrOnN3jJcB-R6Re1q3TjXYH0u1xRp1l3b_Tts7cRWGArsk7nrse2q0_A45aphD0b0JsYHMgW65-8hXx29VIFvPFqZ6PCtjqqy5P8blCPGiik2luraZWoOMvdSvVgOG70_dCw/s400/IMG_9317.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going up the "no trail, insanely steep section - I am not holding the camera low to get this angle - it was THAT steep!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpphCcdDcxmuPhVf1lK6NC7wW8nWMVg58T6eGq5C7j93sBcJ6aBrZogISorzD-G7Y_5eLlwZX46faVpg1JUKmEfpKIvg2LiO3P4rKWMSnTHKI2ZsyQIVMuXD6cSDjM-PgWTG8Wn6Tpt4/s1600/IMG_9334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpphCcdDcxmuPhVf1lK6NC7wW8nWMVg58T6eGq5C7j93sBcJ6aBrZogISorzD-G7Y_5eLlwZX46faVpg1JUKmEfpKIvg2LiO3P4rKWMSnTHKI2ZsyQIVMuXD6cSDjM-PgWTG8Wn6Tpt4/s400/IMG_9334.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They aren't kidding...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjwKLLS8kiSU_QnS_inmAqQWQup9yEKyMAlTV0QgzOdvPd2lsV2iQtsmfNR37XM84qNbDIWPNaFEfj0ONfQWryTQW6O-QY_iQQH2iXJeVaTx33l8s2YDAUVjjyuNSbVRDKqm_TNjhMqs/s1600/IMG_9338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjwKLLS8kiSU_QnS_inmAqQWQup9yEKyMAlTV0QgzOdvPd2lsV2iQtsmfNR37XM84qNbDIWPNaFEfj0ONfQWryTQW6O-QY_iQQH2iXJeVaTx33l8s2YDAUVjjyuNSbVRDKqm_TNjhMqs/s400/IMG_9338.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting past the grassy sections to the loose, rocky, scree...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraVb5THiyyKYCgJhtmJuF9r5R48wR2tloIfXe5kbg1vJX6ne4AVPtSBO3_hZA0D-QWWRjwbGI1STevlH1AK-joavgNMqpdEVLot-Uf6gcAn1G49GaKR5TrgQHY5GuCOZBCXlaugIPX7Y/s1600/IMG_9342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhraVb5THiyyKYCgJhtmJuF9r5R48wR2tloIfXe5kbg1vJX6ne4AVPtSBO3_hZA0D-QWWRjwbGI1STevlH1AK-joavgNMqpdEVLot-Uf6gcAn1G49GaKR5TrgQHY5GuCOZBCXlaugIPX7Y/s400/IMG_9342.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ropes!</td></tr>
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After this section I just had a little ways to go and then I finally reached the summit (well kind of - we technically weren't all the way on the summit, but it was the official turnaround for the race which was FINE with me!). After all of that constant uphill I did take a short break at the top for some pictures and to let a couple faster people start the descent before me (the fast people from the 13 miler which had started an hour later were catching up with us). Then I tried as best as I could and braced myself for the downhill (this is what I was DREADING. I can handle uphill, steep, loose, rocky, scary downhill is NOT my forte by a long shot). The downhill started with a short rope which helped but then it was gone all too soon... I SO, so, so slowly made my way down, down and more down. Honestly this downhill section should be like 5 paragraphs because of how long it took me, but there's not much to say other than I seriously struggled this whole section and could not WAIT to get done...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjHGptMeP3LiVN3f0pHTiSPc_PvxxDq6UJPYcn_UlFu6-bXAH_nYCgArpvm0mOGe0yU_ti7dZ15orHzNfKg-ujLj_RH99pyIKnyYF0t68cKAtKr5km10TOHNRp1OI_BaQervwKylfUt8/s1600/IMG_9362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjHGptMeP3LiVN3f0pHTiSPc_PvxxDq6UJPYcn_UlFu6-bXAH_nYCgArpvm0mOGe0yU_ti7dZ15orHzNfKg-ujLj_RH99pyIKnyYF0t68cKAtKr5km10TOHNRp1OI_BaQervwKylfUt8/s400/IMG_9362.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_OsrmnAYoBr0OLC3RjJLSzpw538jR0NNfOFoIIhRxIho0h7srLK87NLqaKN3EEV6SfUinDMrq2ockHzoxZZ6lijD4t5vBtcVIrvQMeNtSzL4Pw7UdxOMhoQICTTKRB5XdIBaZX9QooU/s1600/IMG_9371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_OsrmnAYoBr0OLC3RjJLSzpw538jR0NNfOFoIIhRxIho0h7srLK87NLqaKN3EEV6SfUinDMrq2ockHzoxZZ6lijD4t5vBtcVIrvQMeNtSzL4Pw7UdxOMhoQICTTKRB5XdIBaZX9QooU/s400/IMG_9371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJyy6tmxsRsO-aoHeEc5019FKmewkrZIbIy-uAS6y-_OyPB91c0HM2914NGNemVA2pmbnxlVyqHALjkKGALU-CrWShVgtoVpHHYWg_WhyphenhyphennL64fEsfjy2R4FtYUbJ-T_-Ov_5DJiiPPjs/s1600/IMG_9372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJyy6tmxsRsO-aoHeEc5019FKmewkrZIbIy-uAS6y-_OyPB91c0HM2914NGNemVA2pmbnxlVyqHALjkKGALU-CrWShVgtoVpHHYWg_WhyphenhyphennL64fEsfjy2R4FtYUbJ-T_-Ov_5DJiiPPjs/s400/IMG_9372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading back down - that's Heather still going up (don't worry, she caught up to me on the down!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn526KLvx1tKojr2hPklHl1zKRlnrDCiSdvtzAWagwBzfpqhpLTZLE7YD5da9HWSXkBmCoT6m1G9bwskPcbwibc8dQ1TjHfwCEPXOfkeKfKs91AgZjmtPUnnAbiQDfaPeDDqGETDbvqE/s1600/IMG_9376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn526KLvx1tKojr2hPklHl1zKRlnrDCiSdvtzAWagwBzfpqhpLTZLE7YD5da9HWSXkBmCoT6m1G9bwskPcbwibc8dQ1TjHfwCEPXOfkeKfKs91AgZjmtPUnnAbiQDfaPeDDqGETDbvqE/s400/IMG_9376.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back up at what we had just done after FINALLY making it most of the way down.</td></tr>
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Finally, about 2.5 hours AFTER I started the 2 mile climb up and down Palmyra, I had FINALLY made it down (you have NO idea how happy I was to be done with this section!). Unfortunately, I was now starting to worry that this section had taken me so long that I was now going to be seriously pressed to make the remaining time cutoffs for the race. I was only a little over 7 miles in at this point and it was about 11:30am. I had to get to Mile 15.5 by 1:30pm. 2 hours to go 8 miles. On road, no problem. A seriously tough mountain run... this was going to be tough. The first few miles were downhill (and not crazy downhill anymore like before), so I was able to make up a little time, running some 10:00-12:00 minute miles... but I knew we were going to be doing some major uphill again, because that 15.5 cutoff was back at Goldhill (12,700').<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out towards Alta Lakes after almost being done with Palmyra Peak!</td></tr>
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I rolled into the Mile 7.5 aid station (4.5 hours in mind you - for ONLY 7.5 miles!) - grabbed some coke and PB&J as quickly as I could (since I was now chasing cutoffs) and headed out. This was honestly one of the first times I've really had to "chase" cutoffs and it was stressful... Heather had gotten ahead of me on the downhill again, so I was determined to catch her as I tried my best to pick up my pace on the "non technical" downhill stretch. After about 3 miles, I reached an open ski run when I caught her, just in time to officially lose the trail. We decided to go up the ski run which we weren't sure was right but did anyways... After awhile, we started down again but then weren't sure this was right, so stopped for a bit to try and figure it out... we didn't have time for this, we were already chasing the cutoff to get back to Gold Hill.... after deliberating for awhile, we saw a road up ahead and decided to get to that and see where it took us. We got on the road and eventually saw some course markings so we were pretty sure we were back on course and had just added some extra mileage somewhere (still not really sure what we did wrong - one major complaint I had was the course markings - they were not clear, and they were the same color that the Ski resort used....which just added to the confusion).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running through the Alta Lakes section.</td></tr>
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Nevertheless, we thought we were back on trail now, so we remained on this - through a rolling section of ups and downs. I kept wondering WHEN the climb would appear... we were at 10,000' something and we needed to get back up to 12,800'... when was that going to happen?? FINALLY, we seemed to be going in an uphill direction and we eventually saw another runner up ahead. We headed up a dirt road for awhile... and then the all of a sudden the course went off the road and just straight up a seriously steep ski run without a trail... Seriously? Again? It's like they were trying to torture us. We headed up it and then saw some volunteers at the top of the run. By this point it was after the 1:30 cutoff, so I figured they were here to officially stop us (especially because it was thundering at this point and the aid station was above treeline). We still had to make it to them at the top though which was FINALLY did.<br />
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I didn't ever ask if we could officially finish (something I regret now), I just assumed since they were here that meant we were done. We were at about 17 miles by now (because of getting off course - would've been 15 or so had we not). We could've gotten a ride down but we had to wait for 6 more people on the course, so I opted to run the Telluride Trail back to down (which was a dirt road). Heather opted to join me, especially since we had no idea how long we would have to wait for the other people on the course. Meanwhile it started raining, so we got out our rain jackets and made our way the 3 miles back down to the finish area... feeling defeated, soaking wet, seriously bummed, but also very happy to be done at that point...even if it was a DNF.<br />
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Thankfully there was a nice warm bar at the finish that Josh and Amber had a table at (Josh was waiting for us - with dry clothes which was super nice given the weather!) and Amber had DNF'd the 38 miler after not feeling well), so we enjoyed some drinks in the warm bar while we waited for Ben to finish the 38 miler.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather and I so happy to be done!</td></tr>
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POST RACE THOUGHTS:<br />
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This was an absolutely gorgeous race. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the San Juan Mountains are the most beautiful, amazing mountains in Colorado...so if you ever get an opportunity to race here, do it... That being said, this was a seriously HARDCORE race. The website had some disclaimers, but not enough in my opinion. It said "this is not a race for beginners." I think they should change that to "this is a race for ADVANCED mountain runners," as I don't consider myself a beginner and I felt like I was in way over my head on the Palmyra Peak section. I also think they need to extend the time cutoffs. I've never missed a time cutoff in a race before and I did here. The Palmyra Peak section just took so long, I did not have enough time to complete the next 8 mile section before the time cutoff. I think the time cutoffs as they stand now, are not friendly towards mid-to-back of the pack runners like myself given the technicality of this race.<br />
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Looking at the results now, they gave 4 people an official finish even though they finished after the 8 hour cut-off time. This has me regretting not at least asking if we could continue on. Given the rain and how defeated we felt, I don't know if I would have continued on (especially with thunder/lightning), but I would have at least liked the option.<br />
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Overall, despite the craziness of this race, I'm glad I did it. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone which is always a good thing (even if it doesn't feel like it at the time). It left me thinking that perhaps I could do some of the hardcore races in the San Juans that have intimidated me before (cough, Ouray 50, cough).<br />
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To make the most of my weekend in Telluride, I headed out for another run the next day before heading home - running 8 miles on Bear Creek and Wasatch Trail. Thanks so much to Heather and Josh for letting me stay the weekend - it was great, and I will definitely be back next summer for more!<br />
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-66295260201789651332018-08-18T15:32:00.003-06:002018-08-18T15:37:06.284-06:002018 Leadville Silver Rush 50 Miler<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I first ran the Leadville Silver Rush 50 Miler <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2016/07/leadville-silver-rush-50-run.html" target="_blank">two years ago</a>. It my only my second 50 miler, but I was extremely motivated that summer training for my <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2016/09/lean-horse-100-my-first-dnf.html" target="_blank">first 100 miler attempt</a>. Silver Rush overall went pretty well despite being fairly slow - I finished it in 13 hours and 20 minutes - 40 minutes shy of the 14 hour overall cutoff time. Overall I felt okay that race, it was more just the mental aspect of it only being my second race of this kind of distance that was tough.<br />
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So, when I signed up this year, I knew I really wanted to beat that time. I had multiple 50 milers under my belt by now including a <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2016/10/the-bear-chase-100k.html" target="_blank">100K</a> and a <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/flagstaff-to-grand-canyon-stagecoach.html" target="_blank">100 miler</a>. I figured, I could easily improve my time... Well that was my thought until I found out that the course, which was previously a "short course" at about 48 miles, had been changed to 50.5 miles. Now, 2-1/2 miles may not sound like much but when you're talking about a trail 50 miler all above 10,000 feet in elevation, 2-1/2 miles is going to add a<b style="font-style: italic;"> minimum </b>of<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>25 minutes - but probably closer to 40+ minutes depending on terrain and elevation... Nevertheless, I was determined to at least give it a try. If I was lucky, maybe I could even beat 13 hours....<br />
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Then, in late June I ran the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/07/anchorage-mayors-marathon.html" target="_blank">Anchorage Mayor's Marathon</a>. I had a great time, but the next day I could tell I had done something to one of my hip flexor muscles. Going up stairs hurt significantly more than usual. After a couple days though, the pain went away... until the following Friday when I did a hill workout and it popped up again... Hmmm... maybe running a 50 miler in a couple of days wasn't going to be the best idea... But I had already paid for the race and I had my goal 100K in September... I really wanted to do this race... So I decided to go ahead and give it a go. If my hip was really hurting, I would just drop at 25 miles... and I would still get a nice training run in.<br />
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So I was set. I was going to go ahead and run the race. The race was on Sunday, July 8th (the one thing I don't like about this race is that it's on a Sunday - that means a late night / rough morning if you don't want to take off work) so I drove up to Leadville on Saturday afternoon, getting into town around 7:30pm. After reading for a little bit until it got dark, I finally decided to head to bed in the back of my Subaru. I set my alarm for 4:40am and attempted to get some sleep...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home Sweet Home!</td></tr>
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After a not-so-great night of sleep, I woke up to my alarm and slowly made my way up and about to get ready for the day. My original plan was to try and find a gas station with coffee, but I did not set my alarm early enough and was worried about time, so I decided to forego that idea, which ended up to be a good idea (well, if "no coffee" can EVER be a good idea!) because this turned into one of those most rushed race mornings I've had. By the time I got to the start and parked, it was about 5:25am. According to the race rules, drop bags needed to be turned in by 5:30...I quickly tried to get ready and then rushed down to the start for packet pick-up, and then dropped my drop bag off. Unfortunately, since I did race morning packet pick-up too, that meant I had to go back to my car, which was a decent 1/3+ mile away up a big hill, so I rushed back up to drop all of that off, and by the time I got back to the start, I literally had about 3 minutes until go time.... Like I said, the most rushed I've been....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful sunrise as I scrambled to get to the start on time!</td></tr>
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Nevertheless, I made it back just in time for the official start of the race. This race starts up an old ski hill which is the worst part of the race....but a good way to thin out the runners before we got onto the narrow trail. I walked up the hill and then settled into a nice slow run for the early miles. The first half of the race was just like it was two years ago so I knew what to expect - the first 11 miles are a gradual uphill - with 1-7 being very mild, making it fairly easy to do a run/walk/jog for a majority of these miles, especially being early on. I brought my trekking poles this year (as opposed to 2016), but since I remembered this as gradual, decided not to get them out until after the first aid station at Mile 7.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading up the steel hill at the start!</td></tr>
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At the Mile 7 Aid Station, I grabbed a banana, got out my poles and then quickly headed out. I remembered the next 3 miles is where you start to get some more elevation gain, although this really ended up being more like 8-10 that was the rough part as we made our way up to the top of the first major climb Along this section I started to notice my hip was in pain again in the same spot that had been bugging me after Mayor's Marathon... hmm I might be dropping at the halfway point after all…<br />
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Miles 10-14 marks the "4 miles of heaven" section (a term I came up with). It is this awesome, gradual downhill that's not too overly technical...(it also becomes the "4 miles of hell" on the return...but we'll get to that later). You run down a dirt road for what will probably be some of your fastest miles of the day before getting to the Mile 14 aid station. I had a piece of PB&J, some coke, and took 1 ibuprofen to help my hip before heading out from this aid station for another mile or so of blissful downhill before the next major climb started.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The awesome downhill 4 mile section!</td></tr>
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Around Mile 16 you start climbing again up to the Mile 18 Aid Station. At this aid station, I had a few more snacks before heading out. My hip was still bugging me a bit, but the ibuprofin definitely kicked in after a couple mles and it felt a lot better... nevertheless, I was still really considering dropping. I wasn't all that prepared to be doing a 50 miler today anyways... I should drop I kept telling myself... Meanwhile, while contemplating whether or not to drop, there's a little more uphill followed by some downhill, and then one final uphill push to the next high point at Mile 21 before descending down to the turnaround point at 24.5. This section from 18 to 21 is mostly all above treeline, and being above treeline (when the weather is nice) is one of my favorite things about summer in Colorado, so it's basically the best part of the course! After taking way too many pictures, I started the big descent down... normally for a big descent, I'll put my camera away so I can make up some time...but the wildflowers were absolutely stunning this year, so of course I had to stop a couple more times for pictures along the way...<br />
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As I kept heading down to the Mile 25 aid station / turn around, I kept debating if I should drop or not. My hip was hurting... dropping would probably be the smart thing to do... but the ibuprofen was helping and I was going to have to figure out how to get a ride back if quit... What to do, what to do?<br />
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As I made it into the aid station, I quickly grabbed my drop bag to get my second garmin, headphones, and some food before heading out (and completely forgetting AGAIN to put on sunscreen...I would regret that the next day!). For the time being, I had decided not to drop... I decided I at least wanted to get an ultra distance in today, so I would for sure at least make it to the next aid station... So I headed back out and started making my way back up, up and more up.<br />
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After about a mile heading back out, the course diverted so as not to be a "true" out-and-back. This was the major change from when I ran this two years ago. We continued up a jeep road for a bit longer until getting almost to the next aid station which confused me. We shouldn't be to that aid station until closer to 31 miles... but right before getting there, they diverted us another direction to head back out for another loop. This loop though ended up being my absolute favorite part of the course. You went up for a bit more and then had this beautiful mile of single track. Best mile of the entire course - I loved it! I stopped for too many pictures (as always), before we then got back onto another section we had been on before and looping it back around towards the aid station. About a mile out from this aid station it started raining... and boy did it get really cold, really fast. I picked up my pace a bit before heading into the aid station.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The amazing section of single track - best part of the entire course, by far!</td></tr>
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As I ran into the aid station, one of the volunteers was checking to see if everyone had rain gear and recommending we put it on. Seeing as how cold I had gotten, stopping to put my jacket on was no problem for me. I quickly put the jacket on, had some food, and then headed out. We had several miles of downhill - so with that and the rain, I really picked up my pace. Between the rain, and picking up my pace, I really didn't have a chance to think about dropping at the previous aid station... and the more I was able to pick up my pace, the better I felt, and so I started to lean towards not dropping… it looked like I might be finishing this race afterall…<br />
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I kept at it - heading back down, down and more down before we got to a road that cut over to our next big climb up to the mile 37 aid station. I headed up on this, deciding to take another ibuprofen. My hip was still doing okay but I could feel the ibuprofen wearing off, so I had one more as I kept heading up - making it into the next aid station where I took off my rain jacket (it was still sparadically sprinkling but not enough to keep it on), got some more food and coke, and grabbed my headphones before heading out onto the four miles of hell section....<br />
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The four miles of hell are the return of the mornings four miles of heaven. They're not that bad if you were say to just go and do this 4 miles on fresh legs...but 37+ miles in when it's your last big climb of the day makes them horrible. Add to the fact that it's a dirt road that looks the same the entire time you're on it makes it feel seriously never ending. Thankfully, since I've done this race before, I was prepared for it, so I put on my music, got out my trekking poles, and set out for a nice long uphill walk... I used to not listen to music in races, but I've found in ultra's, it can really help when the going gets tough...and I also tend to find it amusing how sometimes a song will come on that fits perfectly with the course... Sure enough just as I start this grueling, never ending climb, Toby Mac's "Keep Walking" song comes on... the lyrics talk about having nothing left and to just lift your head and keep moving on... which is what I did forever and ever and ever... until FINALLY making it to the start of the downhill!<br />
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As I started my final descent, another perfect song came on - I'm Born to Run by American Authors (I'm born to run, down rocky cliffs - right as I start running downhill... I loved it). This put quite the pep to my step as I picked up my pace again and made my way to the Mile 43 aid station. As I rolled into this aid station I was feeling great. I quickly had some snacks and asked someone what time it was... about 4:30pm... this really surprised me... this meant, if I could run the last 7 miles in an hour and half I could run this race in sub-12:00.... what?!? The 7 miles were<i> mostly </i>downhill, so I thought I might have a chance...but still, this is the last 7 miles of a 50 mile ultra.... you never really know how fast you're going to move... Either way though, I was leaving with the motivation to at least give it a shot! What did I have to lose?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCDcvWs4aFroK0QW_ET3IAJUXl9NFjsfD5BsdlM-wgeDvEa93QTO1lGYKAPvkvMxabTyoWukL8xNNLrWMVglBiTif0dd6BYslzoXJ4zLlJ4M_Bt0AJyceitALszE8iydryKqT6ncnXUE/s1600/IMG_5877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1080" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCDcvWs4aFroK0QW_ET3IAJUXl9NFjsfD5BsdlM-wgeDvEa93QTO1lGYKAPvkvMxabTyoWukL8xNNLrWMVglBiTif0dd6BYslzoXJ4zLlJ4M_Bt0AJyceitALszE8iydryKqT6ncnXUE/s400/IMG_5877.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So I put away my trekking poles (shouldn't need them with the last 7 being mostly downhill) and headed out running as much as I could - all of the downhills and most of the flats, and walking the uphills. In general, I was surprised at how good I still felt for being 45+ miles in... so I made sure to embrace and just do what I could to keep the pace moving. In general, I only got passed by one person the entire 7 miles back - the rest of the time was spent passing other people. It was awesome! With about a mile or so to go, you turn and go around the back side of the finish line doing this curvy single track section that's miserable because you can hear the finish line... but overall I still felt okay so I kept moving as fast as I could. When I started the section I had about 15 minutes to spare to make it under 12 hours.... just keep moving I told myself. Finally I made it to the top of the hill, went around to this really steep descent to get to the finish line and ran as fast as I could, finishing 50+ miles in 11:54:28! Not only had I beat my time from two years ago, but I ran sub-12 (beating my time by an hour and 25 minutes) AND the course was 2-1/2 miles longer! I was pretty stoked!!! To add fuel to the fire, the race founders Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin were at the finish line so I got a picture with them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxrmZ9TNw5BODdt1Ux_qn-Pgv-5Ny2_kdK9kp8BiM4xmjQz8NEAdahg_TaMXGmeXTzjYVA-b0MSjODXaMiFIWhEKBEQ9UeyJJY8GSacciVeX9fHE-Sxr8QynJ8SXo3RQb11VdwXmvXR8/s1600/IMG_5883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxrmZ9TNw5BODdt1Ux_qn-Pgv-5Ny2_kdK9kp8BiM4xmjQz8NEAdahg_TaMXGmeXTzjYVA-b0MSjODXaMiFIWhEKBEQ9UeyJJY8GSacciVeX9fHE-Sxr8QynJ8SXo3RQb11VdwXmvXR8/s400/IMG_5883.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Leadville red carpet finish line!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ClP0TEfnncqT_i5FZi8Uoos109U2OS7YUTF5DvLF1wgR-cIBGLMayq-vd2zxmF30JVRXN7KzZCB2ht6O6eWYxJLKxv9khS1wdkEpwDO_4f2pIFCcSpMegZ5O5cxvPvmYONXy911wEFQ/s1600/IMG_5921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ClP0TEfnncqT_i5FZi8Uoos109U2OS7YUTF5DvLF1wgR-cIBGLMayq-vd2zxmF30JVRXN7KzZCB2ht6O6eWYxJLKxv9khS1wdkEpwDO_4f2pIFCcSpMegZ5O5cxvPvmYONXy911wEFQ/s400/IMG_5921.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mftbAKBC1LoTK6GRyqm-zCg_dPB8UxqhhWhMNo__oEbnKB7sSwc5Wt74wpvgzEWQC4li0XwCmnSf_cFwss-KxJv1LTXISiZX9VZZ8WSJN5VTn8KYT8qDt9GWj2xp3Xxs49KS3kMd-Js/s1600/IMG_5861B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mftbAKBC1LoTK6GRyqm-zCg_dPB8UxqhhWhMNo__oEbnKB7sSwc5Wt74wpvgzEWQC4li0XwCmnSf_cFwss-KxJv1LTXISiZX9VZZ8WSJN5VTn8KYT8qDt9GWj2xp3Xxs49KS3kMd-Js/s400/IMG_5861B.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling a little too much (that's how happy I was about sub-12) with race founders Ken Chlouber & Merilee Maupin!</td></tr>
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<b>RACE STATS:</b></div>
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Race: Leadville Silver Rush 50 Miler</div>
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Date: July 8, 2018</div>
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Distance: 50 Miles (the race maps say 50.5)</div>
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Weather: 50's-60's. </div>
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Elevation Gain: 7641'</div>
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Official Time: 11:54:28</div>
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Average Pace: 14:18 per mile</div>
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Overall Place: 207 of 478 (top half, what?)</div>
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Gender Place: 43 of 143 (top third!)</div>
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Age Group (F30-39): 17 of 51</div>
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Splits:</div>
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Miles 1-10: 12:04, 11:07, 9:45, 12:04, 13:12, 12:33, 13:30, 16:27, 14:10, 16:59</div>
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Miles 11-20: 18:38, 9:14, 10:16, 9:59, 14:23, 13:40, 15:04, 20:42, 19:39, 17:05</div>
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Miles 21-30: 19:37, 14:20, 11:47, 11:49, 22:23, 14:45, 16:10, 19:09, 19:29, 13:36</div>
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Miles 31-40: 17:13, 12:20, 9:21, 12;19, 13:23, 19:54, 15:28, 16:42, 18:56, 15:23</div>
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Miles 41-50: 10:33, 11:01, 14:00, 9:57, 12:18, 9:57, 10:06, 13:19,11:58, 14:45, 11:20<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5yzFReUoYR-ljY4g_fWOW5NITg6zRkMsDAN3bkbV4x4HX4cf8pjRKDSq6YbUmuSdBxwBJpAONNNOC7phyphenhyphenFLM-jbrtvZlOccUbwJtpudPhDfMmPxeaeTV_YsKsni01akIFpiYz6u7YtI/s1600/MAP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5yzFReUoYR-ljY4g_fWOW5NITg6zRkMsDAN3bkbV4x4HX4cf8pjRKDSq6YbUmuSdBxwBJpAONNNOC7phyphenhyphenFLM-jbrtvZlOccUbwJtpudPhDfMmPxeaeTV_YsKsni01akIFpiYz6u7YtI/s400/MAP.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuQGfNjq6T2YIMxqIyRN0Ntb41HXsculQocZeT_3XiW5GKwNy2jlYh-X56s6x2SV5FQGWOMWGTgPZoB18rn_LPZk68w2cjS1o7QPqSnftbtNnpamj1MG13A-vYgcsnZJnMlYWljzQabM/s1600/Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="1240" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuQGfNjq6T2YIMxqIyRN0Ntb41HXsculQocZeT_3XiW5GKwNy2jlYh-X56s6x2SV5FQGWOMWGTgPZoB18rn_LPZk68w2cjS1o7QPqSnftbtNnpamj1MG13A-vYgcsnZJnMlYWljzQabM/s400/Elevation.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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So overall, this was obviously a great race for me... Finishing in sub-12:00 also left me hopeful that someday I could maybe do Leadville 100 (the 30 hour cutoff is what intimidates me most). It's just funny, I literally thought about dropping for the entire first half of this race, and then ended up having an amazing race overall. I've never had that much energy at the end of a 50 miler... it was similar to finishing Antelope Canyon 55K earlier this year - but this was way longer! I don't know if it's that I'm just getting better at running ultras, getting better at fueling, or just having great days.... but in general I'm extremely happy with how my last several ultra's have gone! I definitely hope I'm able to keep this up in my coming ultra's this fall.... My hip did end up in a lot of pain the following days, so I decided to take the remainder of July off to let it heal up so I can hopefully have a great race at Crested Butte 105K in September!<br />
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WHAT WORKED:<br />
1. Trekking poles - I just started bringing trekking poles on my last couple hard runs (this one and <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/05/grand-canyon-rim-to-rim-to-rim.html" target="_blank">Grand Canyon</a> in May) and they really do make a positive difference in races with a lot climbing! I will definitely be bringing them to Crested Butte in September!<br />
2. Ibuprofin - let me preface but saying I do not recommend / condone using ibuprofen in endurance events... I know there's a lot of controversy surrounding this and it can be dangerous. However, it has worked for me in the past and worked for me today to keep my hip pain at bay. That being said, I only took one at a time (2 throughout the entire 12 hour day) and never take more than the recommended dosage. I also make sure I'm hydrating a lot when I take it.<br />
3. Fueling - I actually didn't feel like I fueled that much in this race which is interesting... but I felt good throughout - I think I'm finding the balance of "enough" but not "too much."<br />
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WHAT DIDN'T WORK:<br />
1. Camping before the race: I've done this a couple times, but it's kind of stressful... I think I've decided I'd rather just get a hotel room before any "big" races.... too stressful otherwise!<br />
2. Forgetting to apply sunscreen: I'm so mad at myself for this - I forgot beforehand and when I got to my drop bag... I got SO burned. I don't even usually burn... so I must be better about this in future races!<br />
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Food for thought... what would my time be if I didn't stop for 5 million pictures...? But then, where's the fun in that? ;)KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-78433550407185731252018-07-07T13:10:00.002-06:002018-07-07T15:05:07.120-06:00Anchorage Mayor's Marathon<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMPuS4Fl8QPCLwB5MY-HA_9aMKsPZqcmpaScsDUGyOmgaaBiU9EzKoGtY3zZ9TmS00d3Xu6WtqZ6pIq1EK31hx1EPOT3sX9ZrNfHGhKIEDMbBVo2L-Am18zMAIEuTpCfUP5cPrbyVJJ4/s1600/IMG_4385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMPuS4Fl8QPCLwB5MY-HA_9aMKsPZqcmpaScsDUGyOmgaaBiU9EzKoGtY3zZ9TmS00d3Xu6WtqZ6pIq1EK31hx1EPOT3sX9ZrNfHGhKIEDMbBVo2L-Am18zMAIEuTpCfUP5cPrbyVJJ4/s320/IMG_4385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two weeks ago I checked off my tenth state by running the Anchorage Mayor's Marathon. My in-laws live in Alaska, so it wasn't my first trip up there, but it was my first time racing! This is one of the most popular marathons in the state, and has a reputation for seeing wildlife along the course (moose and even bears!), so I was pretty excited about it. Plus, with our temperatures at home starting to creep into the low 100's, I was really looking forward to running in some cooler weather!<br />
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The race was on Saturday, so we headed up there Thursday evening, getting in around midnight on the summer solstice - where it was still very much light outside! On Friday, we headed to the race expo to pick up my bib, and then spent the day with family - including my cousin-in-law and his wife, Shella, who was also running the marathon the next day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You just can't beat the views on the flight to Alaska!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what midnight in Anchorage on the summer solstice looks like.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting my bib at the race expo!</td></tr>
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I was up at 5:30 on Saturday morning to leisurely get ready for the 7:30am start. We left around 6:30 but since it was pretty cool out (high 40's), I stayed in the car until 7 when I decided to get out and make my way through the bathroom line before lining up for the start. I was happy to see <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> Ambassador Jennifer, who was doing the relay, and get a quick picture with her!<br />
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As I lined up for the start I found Shella and we chatted a bit in the few minutes before the start. Right at 7:30 we were off - I was hoping for sub-4 hours, but overall, I didn't have any major goals for this race. With some ultra's coming up, I really just wanted to just use this as a long run and enjoy myself while taking TONS of pictures (mission accomplished)!<br />
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The race started at a high school northeast of Anchorage and we had about 1/2 mile on the road around the school before getting onto a bike path for the next couple of miles. The bike path ran right along the Glenn Highway and felt pretty congested since we were still early on in the race and not very spread out yet. Despite the highway traffic, the views of the surrounding Chugach Mountains were great as we made our way northeast before turning off the bike path and heading southeast around Mile 3 1/2.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining up at the start line.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this sign sums up running a race in Alaska pretty well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running along the bike path next to the highway.</td></tr>
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We ran over the highway and on a paved road for a couple more miles before getting onto a dirt road from from miles 6-13ish (if my memory serves me right - I need to start typing up my race reports earlier so I can remember this stuff!). This dirt road was great though and offered some views of the mountains with a lot of trees as well.<br />
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Around 13, we went over a bridge before getting onto an actual trail for the next couple of miles. This was definitely my favorite section - it was gorgeous with lush green trees everywhere and lots of wildflowers. I made sure to keep my eyes and ears open for wildlife but never ended up seeing any!<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">My miles might have slowed significantly through here because I kept stopping for pictures…</span><br />
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We got off the trail around 16 and made our way down a paved road and then back onto another bike path for a short section before running along some roads for a few miles. This section was my least favorite because after being secluded on trails and in the trees we were back in an open, urban environment with traffic. Thankfully that section was short and we eventually made our way back onto another bike path that took us almost the rest of the way to the finish line.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite pictures I took - the trees were so dense!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the more "urban" sections I didn't enjoy too much.</td></tr>
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Finally, around Mile 25, we ran by a pretty lake (I wanted to get a picture, but being at Mile 25, I didn't want to stop), where we joined in with the Half Marathon runners before having 3 short but steep hills (had I been on fresh legs they wouldn't have seemed so bad, but being 25+ miles into a marathon made them rough). My watch had been a little off from the mile markers, so I wasn't sure how much more we had to go and as such, I didn't push the hills as much as I probably could have because when we got to the top of the last hill, the finsiher's shoot was right there - I ran across it - finishing in 3:58:27. Shella ended up finishing right behind me by only a couple of seconds!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shella and I at the finish - she did really good especially for her first marathon!</td></tr>
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<b><u>RACE STATS:</u></b><br />
Race: Anchorage Mayor's Marathon<br />
Date: June 23, 2018<br />
Distance: Marathon (26.2 Miles - my garmin clocked it at 26.47)<br />
Weather: Low 50's at the start, high 50's at the end, and fairly humid<br />
Gun Time: 3:58:40<br />
Chip Time: 3:58:27<br />
Average Pace: 9:06 per mile<br />
Overall Place: 154 of 613<br />
Gender Place: 28 of 235<br />
Age Group Place (F30-39): 7 of 38<br />
Splits: 9:09, 8:44, 8:32, 8:33, 8:31, 8:48, 8:52, 8:20, 8:52,8:43, 9:37, 8:24, 9:42, 10:24, 9:29, 8:43, 9:01, 8:57, 9:26, 8:55, 9:03,8:58, 9:09, 8:56, 8:58, 9:12<br />
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Overall, I really liked this marathon. It offered a nice variety of running surfaces - from paved road, to paved bike path, some minimal concrete, about 6 miles of dirt road, and 3-4 miles of actual trail. I would say the course would be slightly challenging to try and PR on due to the mixture of terrain and the fact that there were quite a few significant hills throughout, with an overall elevation gain of about 800 feet. The one thing I was surprised by was that there actually weren't that many mountain views since the majority of the race was ran through a lot of treed areas. However, if you head up here to do this race, I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of other exploring to get your mountain views in! I personally did not end up seeing any wildlife, but I heard that a couple of people did see a bear (I think I'm grateful I wasn't one of them). I think the race was well organized and well marked, my only complain was that their website information was a little lacking.<br />
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The rest of our visit was mostly spent relaxing and spending time with family, with a couple short trips to scenic areas, including seeing a moose (always a highlight). Thanks as usual to my in-laws for hosting us - it is always fun to visit such a beautiful place! If interested in hearing about any of my other trips to Alaska, check out the bottom of my <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/p/scenic-drives.html" target="_blank">Scenic Trips</a> page.<br />
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-1282863242131369972018-06-30T18:32:00.000-06:002018-06-30T18:32:24.313-06:00Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first weekend in June was the annual <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> Ambassador Retreat - a weekend of camaraderie, inspirational talks, yoga, hiking, and culminating in a Half Marathon, 10K or 5K race. I missed it my very first year as an ambassador and was so bummed that I've made sure to make it a priority these past couple of years (and I'm so thankful to live within driving distance!). This year marked year three of being able to attend and it was once again a blast and a reminder (not that I need one!) of what it is I love about this company and the community they have created!</div>
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I drove over on Thursday night because I knew I wanted to attempt the Boulder Skyline Traverse on Friday morning before the festivities began. That was an epic adventure of its own right which I posted about <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/06/boulder-skyline-traverse.html" target="_blank">separately</a> if interested. I ran it with a fellow ambassador, Dawn (one of the reasons I love this community - I always have friends to run with wherever I go!), and we finished mid-afternoon, giving us just enough time to head our separate ways for showering and getting dressed up (Skirt Sports style!) for the first retreat event of the weekend - the Friday evening cocktail party. As an added bonus, this year, my mom also became an ambassador, so we got to go to all of the festivities together!</div>
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The Friday Cocktail Reception is basically just a fun time to shop, meet new ambassadors and catch up with old, hear fun stories about the company from founder, Nicole DeBoom, and get a glimpse at the upcoming seasons attire coming out later in the year (via fashion show that I've had the privilege to be in the past couple years despite definitely proving that being a runway model is not my forte). It's the first event of the weekend and always goes by so fast - there are so many new and old faces I swear by the end of the night I haven't even had a chance to catch up with half of the people there! It's a lot of fun though and this year was no exception. Many thanks to our sponsors of the night for the wonderful food and drink - Ska Brewing, Jackson Wineries, Kim & Jakes Gluten Free Bakery, Illegal Pete's and Justin's Nut Butter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: JoAnn Vaughn</td></tr>
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Having fun modeling some of the Fall 2018 product!</div>
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Photo Credit: Jenn Allen</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Jenn Allen</td></tr>
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Day #2 consists of a slightly more formal event with speakers, yoga, break out sessions, and a hike. Our speakers this year were Kara Burns, Mirna Valerio, and Colleen Cannon. They all had very different but all incredible stories and talks. Kara and Mirna have actually been on Nicole DeBoom's podcast "Run This World" and both have some great stories - you can check them out <a href="https://www.nicoledeboom.com/category/run-this-world-podcast/" target="_blank">here</a>. Colleen is a former professional triathlete who now puts on women's retreats which sound AMAZING). After the morning's event, we had a grab-and-go lunch from Mad Green's before venturing to Davidson Mesa in Louisville for a short hike and ending the day mid-afternoon. Many thanks to our Saturday sponsors: Alpine Start (the best instant coffee around!), The Tea Spot, Noosa Yoghurt and Mad Greens.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: JoAnne Vaughn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: JoAnne Vaughn</td></tr>
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Sunday was race day. I did a lot of speedwork earlier in the year leading up to my BQ at <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/05/revel-mt-charleston-marathon.html" target="_blank">Revel Mt Charleston Marathon</a>, but hadn't been maintaining it, so I decided to see if I could "race" this Half at that same pace and see how it went. While I'm not training for speed right now, I have a lot of ultras coming up and I would like to try and keep some of my speed just because it helps keep my "easy" pace up, which is good for ultras! The half marathon course changed a bit this year from one larger loop with a big hill at Mile 9 to two smaller loops on Davidson Mesa (a crushed gravel trail) with a slightly smaller hill at the beginning of each loop (although it did not feel smaller for the second loop, that's for sure!). Loop #1 started out great and I was definitely on pace to run the entire thing at 8:00 pace as planned, but by a Loop #2 that second uphill followed by the crushed gravel trail made it a little difficult to maintain and my paced slipped a little...but I still managed to run a 1:46:28 which is pretty good for me and to my surprise, was good enough for 1st place in my age group as well!<br />
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After I finished I decided to head back out again and see if I could find my mom who was walking the Half. This is also a great race to head back out on since there were so many ambassadors to cheer on - so I spent the time cheering on and taking pictures of ambassadors as I made my way back out, eventually catching my mom and then walking it in with her and the other two ladies she was walking with.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleasantly surprised to win my age group!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ETyHV5-fG-qxBzX04vOQMY4GmQC8w9MJpyvrcoeOtXCbp4jTtcCr_GSLQ7YHWH-Egi_Nfw43hvtC4tZOUJpTbsJ4xS-aMj8b9CCf3wvfJ9ekKsCs5s2okDy0seinfRxHIbWY9i9gBR0/s1600/13er+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1600" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ETyHV5-fG-qxBzX04vOQMY4GmQC8w9MJpyvrcoeOtXCbp4jTtcCr_GSLQ7YHWH-Egi_Nfw43hvtC4tZOUJpTbsJ4xS-aMj8b9CCf3wvfJ9ekKsCs5s2okDy0seinfRxHIbWY9i9gBR0/s640/13er+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the many pictures I took!</td></tr>
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THIS is what it's all about! Supporting everyone from the first runner to the last runner!</div>
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Photo Credit: Jenn Allen</div>
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After we made it in to the finish line, we cheered on the remaining runners still on the course before heading to brunch. The brunch is always a great way to finish off the weekend, and I enjoyed chatting with a few other ambassadors I hadn't had much chance to see thus far in the weekend!</div>
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Normally post-brunch would have been my time to head back home, but this year I had the awesome opportunity to stay one additional day and be part of a photo shoot for the company with a couple other ambassadors! I had a such a fun time at this, although I once again am not sure I can pull off the whole "model" thing very well (it's a good thing Skirt Sports is all about using "real" people). This day was a blast though and a great opportunity to get to know (or know better) some ambassadors I hadn't had a chance to meet yet or spend much time with. We had six of us at the photo shoot coming from all different backgrounds, abilities, and sports - Emily, who just finished her first full Ironman with one leg, Mirna Valerio - author, teacher, ultrarunner, and the 2018 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year (NBD), Dyenna - ultrarunner and triathlete, Latoya - blogger, chef, and ultrarunner, and Sam - ultrarunner and running coach who just ran 80 miles of Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Honestly I felt a little out of my league, but thankfully everyone there was awesome and didn't make me feel that way (just my own insecurities tugging at me :)! Overall, it was a lot of fun and the point of our shoot was to show that Skirt Sports is for EVERYONE no matter what walk in life you're on! Here's a few of the awesome pictures taken by <a href="https://www.5280fotos.com/" target="_blank">Bobbie Turner Photography</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We might've been having a little fun!</td></tr>
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So, overall this was once again an AMAZING weekend. I know I say it all the time, but I just love being a part of this company and community. While the retreat was almost a month ago, I also find it fitting that I'm finishing this post up today because tomorrow, July 1st, marks #31DaysofSkirtSports and #31DaysofMoving! These are great challenges throughout the month of July to get yourself moving everyday and experience a little of what this community has to offer. If you're interested in joining - check out the hashtags on Instagram and join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/REALwomenmoveChallenge/" target="_blank">#REALWomenMove Challenge Group</a> on facebook - a completely free group for women looking for inspiration and motivation. It is run by Nicole DeBoom, founder of Skirt Sports, but you don't have to have any Skirt Sports to join this group - it's just about women supporting women and encouraging you to lead a healthy and active life! The #31DaysofMoving challenge is to encourage you to get at least 15 minutes of "moving" per day - open to whatever that looks like for you - running, walking, biking, yoga, strength training, swimming, ANYTHING!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stopped off at Vail Pass on my way home for a short run to these views!</td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-13501843296076743362018-06-30T15:40:00.001-06:002018-07-02T13:25:33.737-06:00Boulder Skyline TraverseThe Boulder Skyline Traverse makes for a great trail run traversing the five major peaks above Boulder in one go: South Boulder Peak, Bear Peak, Green Mountain, Flagstaff Mountain, and Mount Sanitas. Coming in at just under 18 miles with almost 6000' of elevation gain (my garmin clocked 5,947') - much on technical, rocky, steep trails, it is no easy feat, however, and will probably take you significantly longer than anticipated. Nevertheless, it's an excellent run and provides for a great way to see all that Boulder has to offer in terms of mountain running!<br />
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If you only know me from social media, you may not know I actually grew up in a small (at the time) town right outside of Boulder. However, I didn't find a joy for running until after I moved away, so whenever I come back to visit, I try to explore a little bit more of these awesome trails that people come all over the world for! When I first heard about "The Traverse", I just knew I had to do it sometime! 5 peaks with tons of elevation gain over 18 miles was right up my alley... now it was just a matter of finding a time I could do it... I knew I would be visiting the area the weekend of June 1st-3rd for the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/06/skirt-sports-ambassador-retreat-2018.html" target="_blank">Skirt Sports Ambassador Retreat</a>, so I decided to try and fit it in. This weekend is always crazy busy, but I figured if I drove over Thursday night, Friday morning could be a perfect opportunity (plus going Friday would mean WAY less crowds than trying to do it on a weekend - if there's one thing I don't miss about moving to the Western Slope, it's how crowded the trails are on the Front Range!).<br />
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As mentioned, I made my drive over the mountains on Thursday night, went straight to bed, and was up just before 5:00am the next day. I was meeting my friend Dawn in Boulder a little before 6am, to drop her car at the finish area (Mt. Sanitas), and then we drove my car over to the South Mesa Trailhead where we would begin our day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sunset on the drive over!</td></tr>
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Around 6:15 we set off for what would be about an 8 hour day. The route starts out on Mesa Trail, which is a smooth, non-technical trail, but with some nice elevation gain right from the get-go. We ran/walked the first couple miles on Mesa Trail before getting onto Shadow Canyon Trail and beginning what would be the biggest climb of the day - up to Peak #1 - South Boulder Peak. It also changed from a nice smooth trail, to a very technical, rocky climb, part of which involved climbing up over large boulders. I have actually done this route a couple years back though, so I was mentally prepared to know it would be slow going - and it was - as we gained close to 3000' of elevation from Miles 1-4 - and 2000' of it over 3 & 4 alone. After continuing up, up, and more up, we finally reached the saddle between South Boulder and Bear Peak.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views as we started our journey!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the trail was still nice and non-technical!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to get into the technical steep section!</td></tr>
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From the saddle, we turned left to head towards South Boulder Peak first. The trail started out nice and defined for a quarter mile or so before turning into just a big pile of boulders leading up to the summit. We climbed over the large rocks and made it to the top - reaching Peak #1 of 5 for the day - right at the 4 mile mark!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peak 1 down!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west from South Boulder Peak (Long's Peak in the top right).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back towards Bear Peak - where we would be going next!</td></tr>
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After snapping a picture, we turned around and headed back down towards the saddle, and then where we went left before, we now went right to head up to Bear Peak. We had dropped down a couple hundred feet, so we now had to go back up another few hundred, but compared to the 3000' from before it wasn't too bad, and we reached Bear Peak around Mile 4.8. This peak has a bunch of large boulders to climb over to reach the summit, so we slowly made our way up for our Peak #2 pictures before climbing back down and then starting our first major descent down Bear Canyon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at South Boulder Peak as we made our way up to Bear Peak.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapj9PHF1AGP5ggTltCmnrPKP_5CcdCu59ioOrd3RvcFALLbZ-lFAjB8W7ulJyyyjS4VAIclebs63U3ormOH7BLv5_ha8lyTScacXFTc-kPqEjKWj3lBt4HZxzxZONm2H4hlpqWfkKLbA/s1600/IMG_3258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapj9PHF1AGP5ggTltCmnrPKP_5CcdCu59ioOrd3RvcFALLbZ-lFAjB8W7ulJyyyjS4VAIclebs63U3ormOH7BLv5_ha8lyTScacXFTc-kPqEjKWj3lBt4HZxzxZONm2H4hlpqWfkKLbA/s400/IMG_3258.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peak #2 down!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking north towards Green Mountain and down at the Flatirons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at the Flatirons and the city of Boulder from above.</td></tr>
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The first half mile or so down Bear Canyon was steep and technical, but after that it opened up to more runnable trails and we were finally able to make up some time for a few miles as we continued down the northwest side of Bear Peak, dropping about 1200' before crossing Bear Creek and turning left to start heading up to Green Mountain. We were now around 6.75 miles total and had about 2 miles with 1000' of gain to the summit of Green Mountain. Once again, after the earlier morning climb, 1000' over 2 miles didn't seem to bad as we started heading up. And it wasn't for the first 1 and 1/2 miles. The last 1/2 mile to the top however, it once again got rocky and steep, and we were back to going nice and slow! As we got later in the day, we were also starting to see a lot more people (I had been very surprised to only see 2 other people up to Bear Peak). After a slow going last half mile, we made it to the summit of Green Mountain - about 8.75 miles into our traverse!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at Bear Peak (left) and South Boulder Peak (right)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvM-1tW2xVdmYoMhTRPkAiRdVQaV0YZEXsYMnkgCnBTEVoGxScNQXqyO1HCnye4gXvrwVFYOaMV1o8F7u5diBdUaRFGiNsPQd20UX29BPkvD6h9in1lT2WLFUBU9EqGjxqfemBfL23kw/s1600/IMG_3083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvM-1tW2xVdmYoMhTRPkAiRdVQaV0YZEXsYMnkgCnBTEVoGxScNQXqyO1HCnye4gXvrwVFYOaMV1o8F7u5diBdUaRFGiNsPQd20UX29BPkvD6h9in1lT2WLFUBU9EqGjxqfemBfL23kw/s400/IMG_3083.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally getting to a runnable section!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQNrERM2Kt4uH-TUUr96zUiVsEKxzIV8bZC2xAUtdd8LZnrIM3-cPhuAQLgNF-PSMk4t1ch-uu0Tomn33amaow4Iqd1cpJZfujU9jXQ23SFFkM4gwS75NbbLbFZCx9ucEqgSiTqAM_lw/s1600/IMG_3091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQNrERM2Kt4uH-TUUr96zUiVsEKxzIV8bZC2xAUtdd8LZnrIM3-cPhuAQLgNF-PSMk4t1ch-uu0Tomn33amaow4Iqd1cpJZfujU9jXQ23SFFkM4gwS75NbbLbFZCx9ucEqgSiTqAM_lw/s400/IMG_3091.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So green going up Green Mountain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxCR61EGfWxEis2uUKZejdbp6DtFPSwEP0uy4nBqMcPJXhHw5WVUzH28Bk0eFdaYKM9hUTfFYgHvQIhfCdj6_2O2JUVEUpPGk-MkpJaCDC9XY0hR8rdFPGFF4APqpSKldRdUnwkv4GLQ/s1600/IMG_3263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxCR61EGfWxEis2uUKZejdbp6DtFPSwEP0uy4nBqMcPJXhHw5WVUzH28Bk0eFdaYKM9hUTfFYgHvQIhfCdj6_2O2JUVEUpPGk-MkpJaCDC9XY0hR8rdFPGFF4APqpSKldRdUnwkv4GLQ/s400/IMG_3263.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Peaks Down, 2 to go!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E8-APxNkHdcTicrsX4j_DkK9v2m3GCHfUMd-MTEQgx76NqQVpjsoIxid6b6VAjMuBd1x0sU6VvnnhI1Y8DnbjnTtlNxSJoefZ0LAvDHmtYvPwUVLdz1r9D-9ExYZ3zWfnYUedEIPMFw/s1600/IMG_3108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E8-APxNkHdcTicrsX4j_DkK9v2m3GCHfUMd-MTEQgx76NqQVpjsoIxid6b6VAjMuBd1x0sU6VvnnhI1Y8DnbjnTtlNxSJoefZ0LAvDHmtYvPwUVLdz1r9D-9ExYZ3zWfnYUedEIPMFw/s400/IMG_3108.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back towards Bear Peak from Green Mountain.</td></tr>
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After our Peak #3 picture, we headed back out and started to make our way to Flagstaff Mountain. This section was pretty runable, and I really enjoyed the next mile and a half or so as we descended down pretty green single track making our way towards Flagstaff Mountain! After a couple miles of down, we crossed a road over to the Flagstaff Parking area. After getting slightly mixed up as to which trail we wanted to be on, we ascended a couple hundred feet before making it to what we <i>think</i> was the summit. The information I had read from "Trail Run Project" just said that, "To tag the true summit of Flagstaff, head off trail to the left of the highest point you can find"... so not very descriptive. This peak was also covered in trees, so it was kind of hard to tell whether or not we were actually at the summit...but we felt it was close enough to call it good and take our Peak 4 Selfies!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OPHoCSG5A0-aEnPAKSoTOMkSlMZZaRqusgnS1D40GTzZ8IGxSnTorFmsiufixuax8ym1nEr_fBzqiWLSP_vFPYRhDNi-DJ6CdEsanzVaPrixsHfsHBqx2x5mx1tmuuDqPr-Tdj3mC44/s1600/IMG_3112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OPHoCSG5A0-aEnPAKSoTOMkSlMZZaRqusgnS1D40GTzZ8IGxSnTorFmsiufixuax8ym1nEr_fBzqiWLSP_vFPYRhDNi-DJ6CdEsanzVaPrixsHfsHBqx2x5mx1tmuuDqPr-Tdj3mC44/s400/IMG_3112.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running down from Green Mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th Peak down!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from Flagstaff Mountain.</td></tr>
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You'd think with 4 peaks down and only 1 to go, it would be easy-peasy from here on out, right? Well, it wasn't. This was the longest stretch by far between peaks and it felt like it took forever to make it from Flagstaff (mile 11) just to base/start of Mt. Sanitas (mile 15). We had to go down Flagstaff Mountain all the way back into the town of Boulder, and this "going down" section, while on trail, required you to cross Flagstaff Road multiple times. It also got confusing in a couple of spots, but thankfully the Trail Run Project app shows your location and makes it easy to get back on course if you get lost. Around mile 14, we finally reached "Eben G Fine Park" - the only place to fill up water (unless you want to filter some in Bear Canyon around Mile 6.75). We stopped here for a bit to fill up water before getting on a short section of a paved bike trail which took us underneath Canyon Blvd in Boulder and then through the Settler's Park area of trails (which required a short and steep ascent), before heading back down to cross Mapleton Ave / Sunshine Canyon Drive where we finally got onto the trail up to Mt. Sanitas!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back towards Green Mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making our way back down into town.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH2hyphenhyphenTRsqp4_eFrYuTZnq43JnsRQ2JQ_XBksf0lOi-fsIIOEe7SsCVp_Sf8wOvLNbHAMsr4kcBHHInFEoprHqgFK1cRPDMSS0xJXWjrRPvbSjQmK-SeZmsPcY58cfckNma6oeXZVS8hA/s1600/IMG_3174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEH2hyphenhyphenTRsqp4_eFrYuTZnq43JnsRQ2JQ_XBksf0lOi-fsIIOEe7SsCVp_Sf8wOvLNbHAMsr4kcBHHInFEoprHqgFK1cRPDMSS0xJXWjrRPvbSjQmK-SeZmsPcY58cfckNma6oeXZVS8hA/s400/IMG_3174.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking towards our last peak - Mt. Sanitas (on the right).</td></tr>
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Finally...our last ascent of the day. That all being said, the hike up Mt. Sanitas is no joke. 1300' of elevation gain in 1.5 miles in the heat of the day... yeah it wasn't fun. Nevertheless, we kept at it - one foot in front of the other as we inched our way up the rocky trail. After what felt like the longest mile and a half ever, we finally reached Summit #5 of the day - Mt. Sanitas at 6,863' - right at 16.3 miles in (by the way, the Trail Run Project app listed the traverse as 16.3 miles...which when I did my initial research I did not realize meant 16.3 to the last summit...not including the mileage needed to get back down - so expect closer to 18 miles!). After taking our Peak 5 summit picture along with our usual peak photos, it was time for our final descent back to the car! I got down right around 17.7 miles, so of course I added an extra quarter mile to make it an even 18 before calling it a day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVt-tFCElPf9K8DahPQHDgUQXTf68ngkOgZ3rLU3XtV0S4PZGOw7LQ-RwXC728kQP6F2rj80sABGSEEe41DHfqQgzKNXfyEn5XKOYLpqcolC7PkDH3cb3pjBFrG7jyKogSuq4hKyEVaGE/s1600/IMG_3185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVt-tFCElPf9K8DahPQHDgUQXTf68ngkOgZ3rLU3XtV0S4PZGOw7LQ-RwXC728kQP6F2rj80sABGSEEe41DHfqQgzKNXfyEn5XKOYLpqcolC7PkDH3cb3pjBFrG7jyKogSuq4hKyEVaGE/s400/IMG_3185.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making the ascent up Mt. Sanitas (Flagstaff and Green Mountain in the background)</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2SrtAnRwGhA5LZCsS2wNPE8QRRM8HtfI3y5ixdGfRtgcfH0_naD3VrcMdwVvHLlRjsWnudfsJtwm7kd9-jU8cyhEg6LiBj8Nvztsd73sxQ2y3zKPCILEqXOxaHXZEyIMx1xy05ptNfE/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2SrtAnRwGhA5LZCsS2wNPE8QRRM8HtfI3y5ixdGfRtgcfH0_naD3VrcMdwVvHLlRjsWnudfsJtwm7kd9-jU8cyhEg6LiBj8Nvztsd73sxQ2y3zKPCILEqXOxaHXZEyIMx1xy05ptNfE/s400/IMG_3259.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poppies on the way up Sanitas!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRkmSpkHwD0FUbA7NzSiPkwXiz8DmnpmJMubNrbMPu0KsOjG-N1twZG9CcEigm011RWiQoE24xIc_UkgQRKg1umHdF1FeKPf4nF0aoo5V_BHUZjLBGHYpQME68a8mIsDjAo9TrlXuUxY/s1600/IMG_3192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRkmSpkHwD0FUbA7NzSiPkwXiz8DmnpmJMubNrbMPu0KsOjG-N1twZG9CcEigm011RWiQoE24xIc_UkgQRKg1umHdF1FeKPf4nF0aoo5V_BHUZjLBGHYpQME68a8mIsDjAo9TrlXuUxY/s400/IMG_3192.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZB7OkGSKy9_AJYUJtrYpVTkhHo3o3y-6yk3QdRIcgLwBbprRxZRWPAPJuCsQkegCKvT8G0obJnRFzm3pXPnEveRf5L51hKGXXeq4M4UA1JEMXM_K6-VjKILo9cEs_fppwbIga1k8Zhk/s1600/IMG_3257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZB7OkGSKy9_AJYUJtrYpVTkhHo3o3y-6yk3QdRIcgLwBbprRxZRWPAPJuCsQkegCKvT8G0obJnRFzm3pXPnEveRf5L51hKGXXeq4M4UA1JEMXM_K6-VjKILo9cEs_fppwbIga1k8Zhk/s400/IMG_3257.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making it to the 5th Peak requires a sock picture ;) !</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WE DID IT! 5 Peaks, 18 Miles and almost 6000' of elevation gain in one day!</td></tr>
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STATS:<br />
<b>Mileage:</b> 18 Miles (17.7, but I added a little at the end to hit 18)<br />
<b>Elevation Gain:</b> 5417' according to Trail Run Project, 5941' according to my Garmin.<br />
<b>Overall Time:</b> 7:55:04 (moving time: 5:27:07 - we might have taken a lot of picture breaks!)<br />
<b>Pace:</b> 27:21 average overall pace, 18:49 average moving pace<br />
<b>Weather:</b> 60's at the start, high 70's at the end and a bit windy all day!<br />
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<b><i>So, would I do this again?</i></b><br />
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Yes! Overall this was definitely one of my favorite long runs I've done along the Front Range foothills. There were a few minor challenges - it can get very hot depending on when you do it (I would not recommend this for mid-summer!), and the route can be a little tricky to follow, especially in the section between Flagstaff Mountain and Mount Sanitas. The views, however, are awesome, and running it in May or early June is a phenomenal time because it is so green! I highly recommend this if you're wanting a challenging long run (with a lot of hiking thrown in) in the Boulder area!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKZQBo2mPFIxoK2rZx3EfYN2MC6y1paybK6XS7jpYBdmTHcGJ9hyUm_RjGQQyAje6qlR_LcxngYvq2ItXkYhZ4VXtczF9PDaes2VpBeVhKkzH7Y1xZgSl6SxqlWYdoLMP91zNvG89VS4/s1600/IMG_3260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKZQBo2mPFIxoK2rZx3EfYN2MC6y1paybK6XS7jpYBdmTHcGJ9hyUm_RjGQQyAje6qlR_LcxngYvq2ItXkYhZ4VXtczF9PDaes2VpBeVhKkzH7Y1xZgSl6SxqlWYdoLMP91zNvG89VS4/s400/IMG_3260.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-65902773965918527132018-05-25T18:43:00.005-06:002018-05-25T21:04:24.451-06:00Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (30th Birthday Run!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXT346-Z-bl5_Jh0mk0HBpeeWNCmZSzMPl8-oOzxI9NSyV3z0Kitp9c7NkoLSq6489uAUmWMot8QOppVAazQ_bVKlfV7ub6qcHmw5SkDJKo3SbjsWcmbknmJcK5oVMD8dZhBFCWPH7d0/s1600/IMG_2683B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXT346-Z-bl5_Jh0mk0HBpeeWNCmZSzMPl8-oOzxI9NSyV3z0Kitp9c7NkoLSq6489uAUmWMot8QOppVAazQ_bVKlfV7ub6qcHmw5SkDJKo3SbjsWcmbknmJcK5oVMD8dZhBFCWPH7d0/s640/IMG_2683B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I realized my 30th Birthday landed on a Saturday, I knew I had to do something big for it. I toyed around with the idea of a few races (back to back marathons, or some sort of epic ultra marathon), but nothing was really sounding perfect. I would have loved to do some epic mountain run, but May is really too early to get up high into the mountains... which is when the idea of running the Grand Canyon first struck me. Spring and Fall are the ideal times to run the Grand Canyon, and running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim is a bucket list item for many ultra runners... it sounded like the perfect idea! Now I just needed to find some crazy people to join me... I posted in my usual facebook groups and was excited to find two friends, Karla and Laura, who were ready to take on this epic challenge! My friend Taryn wanted to come along as well, but not to run, just to see the park and do some shorter hiking, and, as an added bonus, she agreed to drive us around (I did offer to help...).<br />
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We made the 7 1/2 hour drive to Tusayan on Friday, leaving around 9am and getting to the park in the early afternoon. After stopping off at a couple of overlooks, we stopped by the Visitor's Center to talk with the Park Ranger's and make sure water was on in all areas (which it was, except for Roaring Springs - which was a detour off trail anyways). The Park Ranger had to give us their warning that attempting to do this in one day is dangerous, not recommended, and<b> could lead to death</b> (the best thing to hear, right?!). After that, we headed to our hotel to check in and then went and got dinner before heading back to the hotel and making sure we had everything packed before attempting to get some sleep prior to our 2:30am wake-up call.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road Trip!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All packed and ready for the next day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're running down to the bottom and then up to the other side of that...and then coming BACK?!?</td></tr>
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After what was seriously, the worst, night of sleep in my entire life, we were up and ready to go. Taryn drove us into the park and dropped us off at the South Kaibab Trail Head around 3:20am. After a quick bathroom and selfie stop, we started our 16 hour day...<br />
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<b>PART 1 - South Kaibab Trail Descent</b><br />
<b><i>The South Rim (7200') down to the Phantom Ranch (2500') - 7.2 Miles</i></b><br />
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Since we started just before 3:30am, it was obviously still pitch black out, and therefore our first several miles were pretty slow going despite being downhill. In the long run (no pun intended), this was actually probably for the best - we were going to be out for a long day, and it was probably better to start off slow and easy anyways! Around 1.5 miles, we got to "Cedar Ridge" an wide overlook area with restrooms. As we were trying to find where the trail went from here, we ran into another runner named Jorge who had started just before us. He decided to run with us for the next couple of miles down (and who we would run on and off with the rest of the day!). Around mile 4 or so, as the sun was just coming up over the horizon, we decided to pick the pace up a little and mix a little running into our power hiking that we had been doing. Finally around 5 or 6 miles in, it was finally light enough to take our headlamps off and run the majority of the way down to the river. This part was truly phenomenal and probably my favorite section of the entire day - we were still on fresh legs, and running was easy and smooth, and the views as the sun came up were just incredible. I think I took about 100 pictures during these last couple miles down to the river!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdr5wWQg-l3xo3BkNHA4ycxFD6ygOYnEUxsypCL9njYRjcdb4YuMBTKv_Uei5IZwPgH8BYxnRd-IgUeijJ0PkcjimmdYWgzmm29I3eBngWL3NBRQWXVNq-IVfgqlrH0bNtT4Zj1Yesg/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfdr5wWQg-l3xo3BkNHA4ycxFD6ygOYnEUxsypCL9njYRjcdb4YuMBTKv_Uei5IZwPgH8BYxnRd-IgUeijJ0PkcjimmdYWgzmm29I3eBngWL3NBRQWXVNq-IVfgqlrH0bNtT4Zj1Yesg/s640/IMG_2754.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to start our day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooh, Aah... I can only imagine the views from here during the daylight!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGQaKGsijp9906Gmea4670F4tA89MpfJ1Egf2kbXrvLyFk69gnhWm_quXDaPhaveq4SpXsYtVxBKa_q_dAtEJZTf_wiKO9MSUlk9pIjN7CRTUEGN4P6qDWMCmPZg8NA0mFAUzDo59bO8/s1600/IMG_2318B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGQaKGsijp9906Gmea4670F4tA89MpfJ1Egf2kbXrvLyFk69gnhWm_quXDaPhaveq4SpXsYtVxBKa_q_dAtEJZTf_wiKO9MSUlk9pIjN7CRTUEGN4P6qDWMCmPZg8NA0mFAUzDo59bO8/s640/IMG_2318B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light on the horizon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura took this picture of me!</td></tr>
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Around mile 7 we made it to the river and crossed our first bridge of the day over the magnificent Colorado River! It's crazy to think that the river I run next to all year in Grand Junction is the exact same river that carved this canyon! After crossing the river, it was just a short trek to Phantom Ranch - the main "camp" within the Grand Canyon (there are other campgrounds, but this is the biggest and the only one with a canteen!). We stopped for a bathroom break and filled up our packs at Phantom Ranch before starting the next section - the first ascent of the day up to the North Rim.<br />
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<b>PART 2 - North Kaibab Trail Ascent </b><br />
<b><i>Phantom Ranch (2500') up to the North Rim (8241') - 13.7 Miles</i></b><br />
<b> </b>
We were in and out of Phantom Ranch pretty quickly as we started to head north on the North Kaibab Trail. The map makes this section look fairly straight, but it was actually pretty curvy as we weaved through canyons and over bridges following the Bight Angel Creek upwards. The next 5-7 miles were mostly runnable, with a gradual elevation gain on the way out. It was still very early in the morning at this point, and we were able to make some pretty good time up the trail since it was still fairly cool. It was interesting to watch the sun make it's way down the canyon walls though as it rose higher and higher throughout the morning. After 5.7 miles we passed the turn off for Ribbon Falls - a detour that would add a little under a mile to our journey - I had kind of wanted to go but I also knew it was going to be a long day, so we decided to wait until the way back to decide if we would add the extra mileage. Another mile and a half after that we passed through Cottonwood Campgound. I could tell we were starting to climb a little more than before so I decided to get out my trekking poles here. One more mile + later and we were at Manzanita, our last major stop before the North Rim. It was starting to get hot by this point so we made sure to really fill our packs, put on sunscreen and eat before we hit the trail for what would be the longest and hardest climb of the day (in my opinion).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Yucca!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing how giant the Yucca is compared to Laura!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun was getting closer and closer...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More giant Yucca!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAUqd2Irk1XOQ9fcXeb0IhnAIIgGHyI6pMZ8HCfNXyO3ZiO4BH42l_mSFSIi0QVQ2DIjucEg-rpjbnW-S-_2mgiQR5lH6T7-4qQ_mZWA3VLI4JckRw2j5i8EyKYsDYNDtQ_9g5iUjzSw/s1600/IMG_2465B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAUqd2Irk1XOQ9fcXeb0IhnAIIgGHyI6pMZ8HCfNXyO3ZiO4BH42l_mSFSIi0QVQ2DIjucEg-rpjbnW-S-_2mgiQR5lH6T7-4qQ_mZWA3VLI4JckRw2j5i8EyKYsDYNDtQ_9g5iUjzSw/s640/IMG_2465B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And then came the sun!</td></tr>
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Right after Manzanita, the climbing really began! I was glad I had my trekking poles as we started ascending a lot. The first few miles were fine, but after that, it got really hot, really fast, and I went from feeling great to wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. This was going to be a LONG day. We had been running back and forth with Jorge, and as we got further into the climb, Laura and Jorge took off while Karla and I lagged behind a bit going at a much slower pace then them. I wanted to try and keep up at first, but I knew it wasn't smart - we had a long way to go still and pushing too hard on this uphill was not a great idea. Nevertheless, we kept at it, going our own pace, and still making decent time. By this point we were passing a ton of people who were coming down from the North Rim while we were going up it.<br />
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These next few miles up were pretty but uneventful as we just kept making our way up and up and up. The sun was seriously beating down on us by this point which was making me more and more tired and thus more and more nervous as to how we were going to turn around and come back! That being said, I'd like to say I have a decent amount of experience now to know that a lot of times you can feel this way, and most of the time you still end up getting it done! So I just kept hoping that once we made it to the top, I'd be able to recover a bit and get a second wind on the downhill... that still didn't make it less challenging though as I continued feeling exhausted going up. Karla and I saw a snake cross the trail at one point, but I was very happy to see it was NOT a rattler (I read some race reports of people seeing Rattlers which left me terrified of that happening!). About 2 miles to the top we came to the Supai Tunnel water stop where we topped off our water before continuing up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9gddBBhn8V3GXPeS9T_XnOJN8xPavIQro0iNVHgBDylqH2k5VtBq-xSpDV9o_ysjH3ARbuH5COSvhyrK15OFF_zJXwY8IgywUjyn9JvdMOHNXpeH6lVs6fcBpyFx5H9Bf_sKg7d-C7U/s1600/Group+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1246" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9gddBBhn8V3GXPeS9T_XnOJN8xPavIQro0iNVHgBDylqH2k5VtBq-xSpDV9o_ysjH3ARbuH5COSvhyrK15OFF_zJXwY8IgywUjyn9JvdMOHNXpeH6lVs6fcBpyFx5H9Bf_sKg7d-C7U/s640/Group+Pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us with Jorge on the climb!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got us all Carpe Diem tattoos!</td></tr>
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Another mile later we came to the Coconino Overlook where a lot of North Rim day hikers were leisurely enjoying the views. We continued on and on. Karla had the elevation gain showing on her watch and I think I asked her every 5 minutes what our elevation was to know how much further we had to go. As we got higher and higher, we did start to have more tree coverage which was nice. FINALLY, after was felt like forever, we saw the road, and cars, and we were THERE! We had made it to the North Rim - 8,241' (climbing up from 2500' at Phantom Ranch)!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it!</td></tr>
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<b>PART 3 - North Kaibab Trail Descent </b><br />
<b><i>North Rim (8241') back down to Phantom Ranch (2500') - 13.7 Miles</i></b><br />
<b><i></i><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">We stayed at the North Rim for about 10 minutes, recovering and enjoying the most delicious cold water ever! Our arrival time to the North Rim was just over 7 hours - getting there at 10:40am. Our only goal from here on out was to get back to Phantom Ranch before the canteen closed at 4:00 for some Lemonade (everyone talks about how you have to get lemonade from Phantom Ranch!). Since it was mostly downhill, I felt pretty confident we could make it in time, however, it was still getting hotter and hotter, and we would only be getting more tired as the day went on, so I knew we still had to keep our pace up! As we started the descent down, Laura took off again, but Karla and I stayed together running as much as we could on the downhills. As I had expected, the rest break at the top combined with now downhill running made a huge difference and I felt a lot better for the first couple miles down North Kaibab. That being said, the heat was also really starting to get to me, and even though we were headed downhill, the miles still felt like they were taking forever. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This gal had a vintage Skirt Sports skirt on, so I had to get a picture!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVpcfROMmLWPqG3K4X7NkF_ECq9HqzU7znfYSE9an21m1wbUs2IsgR6BFURVcGon0i8b0Pm9rH83vMiTOhGc9U4S2T9XTi7CXVRdvM3fRtNrJzAqBeT5YecA35pPsxgnPfhEHjIz03ek/s1600/IMG_2519B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVpcfROMmLWPqG3K4X7NkF_ECq9HqzU7znfYSE9an21m1wbUs2IsgR6BFURVcGon0i8b0Pm9rH83vMiTOhGc9U4S2T9XTi7CXVRdvM3fRtNrJzAqBeT5YecA35pPsxgnPfhEHjIz03ek/s640/IMG_2519B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Finally, after what felt like forever, we made it back to Manzanita again. It was nice and shady, so we stopped here for a few minutes to use the restroom, fill up our packs, and I tried to eat a little. I was actually having trouble eating due to the heat. I usually like salty foods, but all of the salty food I brought was so hard to chew because my mouth was so dry. The only thing working for me were Clif Shot Blocks, my Tailwind (although I was SO sick of it by this point), and my candy bars (despite being very melted!). I tried to eat as best as I could and we continued on.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any water I saw, even if it was just a tiny bit like this, I was stopping to soak my hat - it was SO hot!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMIGZIK4cTd9BzURxuBuiC6SYmnjbxXapiXl4UNeGo8YBGsQ8B1Z8NM55_97GtgUhoRtLD7JPoEqlRlZkCRxQF9ytBGWdFyoT1D5xaum9OP76b1089rvN5-9xKRrT6BRMc7bPMqu7-94/s1600/IMG_2526B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMIGZIK4cTd9BzURxuBuiC6SYmnjbxXapiXl4UNeGo8YBGsQ8B1Z8NM55_97GtgUhoRtLD7JPoEqlRlZkCRxQF9ytBGWdFyoT1D5xaum9OP76b1089rvN5-9xKRrT6BRMc7bPMqu7-94/s640/IMG_2526B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">In another mile and a half we were back to the Cottonwood Campground. This would be our last water stop until Phantom Ranch, which was about 7 miles away. That might not sound like much, but when it's 100 degrees out and you're about 30 miles in, 7 miles can take a LONG time. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Meanwhile, the thermometer at the campground showed OVER 100 degrees in the shade... yikes (I so wish I had gotten a picture of it, but I didn't think about it until after!). We</span> topped our water off again, I soaked my hat, and we continued on. </span><br />
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From Cottonwood to Phantom Ranch was really, really hard. It was runnable, and honestly, we ran more than I thought we would given the heat...but this was such a long, HOT section. I was seriously dying in this heat. I have done short runs in 90 degree heat, but nothing like this. It was a struggle. Not to mention the fact that this is the main section of the course where GPS gets really messed up because you're on the bottom of the canyon floor, so we had no idea how much longer it would be until we got to Phantom. It was definitely one of those "just put your head down and keep moving" sections. I was hot, miserable, and wondering why in the world I decided this was a good way to spend my birthday....<br />
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We did run back by the turnoff for Ribbon Falls during this trek. Karla and I were too tried and worried about making it back to Phantom Ranch by 4pm, so we decided not too go, but told Laura she should go check it out if she wanted. She did and I saw the pictures and it does look pretty awesome... maybe next time (and by "next time" I mean maybe if I'm not doing R2R2R, but just R2R, or just down from the North Rim etc.).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXX3lpyybi38t-DnPOGqj-gD9-7-tnkQBrNAgWHOx0SbMbVpCNzsvucQr5Ns3ZQe5Aq2mDWe4Gk8tuV42jpIlByxclxIg9DEoLkh_QgsY8fiXYgHjIYKZ5yUhyv_mpOGP-FfLAecmPlw/s1600/IMG_2544B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXX3lpyybi38t-DnPOGqj-gD9-7-tnkQBrNAgWHOx0SbMbVpCNzsvucQr5Ns3ZQe5Aq2mDWe4Gk8tuV42jpIlByxclxIg9DEoLkh_QgsY8fiXYgHjIYKZ5yUhyv_mpOGP-FfLAecmPlw/s640/IMG_2544B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Meanwhile, we continued on... about a half mile out we saw a sign... we were ALMOST there (to Phantom Ranch)! We picked it up and FINALLY made it. Getting to the Phantom Ranch Canteen was quite possibly the BEST feeling all day - it was nice and cool, and we all got Arnold Palmer's (Lemonade/Iced Tea mix - this was actually PERFECT because a Lemonade alone actually sounded way too sweet to me at this point). The best part about it was the ICE! I prepaid for a refill just so I could have a second cup of ice! I also bought a little "Phantom Ranch" pin because I needed something to commemorate this crazy adventure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pA8_wJC35yeLlGiftzmgQeTt8A7pf3dQEjniYidfToX7yYgByh-9nfM7jcZi3bLLboSp6-uomi6yKXdz75rA7bi4tF_GFPW14ju3VqR4GvxCxrmDoDZ5JSQAOG3Ot-7_MDgEz5gK1D0/s1600/IMG_2547B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1193" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pA8_wJC35yeLlGiftzmgQeTt8A7pf3dQEjniYidfToX7yYgByh-9nfM7jcZi3bLLboSp6-uomi6yKXdz75rA7bi4tF_GFPW14ju3VqR4GvxCxrmDoDZ5JSQAOG3Ot-7_MDgEz5gK1D0/s640/IMG_2547B.jpg" width="475" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite possibly the best thing ever!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this little guy as we were leaving Phantom Ranch!</td></tr>
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<b>PART 4 - Bright Angel Trail Ascent </b><br />
<b><i>Phantom Ranch (2500') back up to the South Rim (6840') - 9.5 Miles</i></b><br />
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After 15-20 minutes at Phantom Ranch we figured we better head out and start the ascent up Bright Angel Trail. I was honestly really worried about this. We had about 4500' of climbing to do to get out of the canyon over the course of 9 miles - however, I knew from looking at the profile that the majority of the climbing would take place in the last 4 miles. The first few miles started with going over the Silver Bridge (this bridge was actually pretty scary - it was really long with just metal slats along the base that you could see through, and it felt like it moved the entire time you were on it!), then following the Colorado River for about a mile before turning south. I had read in some other blog posts that this mile along the river would be sandy, so I was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't nearly as sandy as I expected. There were definitely sandy sections, but the entire thing wasn't sandy. After that mile, we turned off and meandered into a canyon before starting the climb up towards Indian Garden campground.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So we came down South Kaibab, but would go up Bright Angel - Bright Angel is longer, but has water stops, so most people do this one on the way "out".</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to the Canyon floor!</td></tr>
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Bright Angel Trail is the most popular trail that people hike down in the park, so as we made our way further and further up the trail, the more and more people we saw and the more and more people we passed. Laura had once again continued ahead of us (can you tell she's way faster than us!), so it was just Karla and I trucking along slow and steady. As we made our way into Indian Garden campground we stopped for a few minutes to rest and try to eat for a bit. From this point we had 4.5 miles to go. We had thankfully gotten some cloud cover in these later miles which was seriously a godsend. It had been SO incredibly hot on the floor of the canyon, I wasn't sure how we were going to do this climb out, but the cloud cover made a WORLD of difference and I was surprised to not feel completely miserable. Yes, I was tired, still hot, and ready to be done, but I wasn't miserable like I had felt going up North Kaibab!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright Angel Trail consists of SO many switchbacks - it's actually kind of cool to see what you come up so easily!</td></tr>
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From Indian Garden on up, there were water stops about every 1.5 miles, which was actually very helpful. Unlike the last few miles into Phantom Ranch where we had no idea "how much longer", this gave us a nice way to break up the final climb into short sections. From Indian Garden, we headed up to the 3 Mile Resthouse where we filled up our packs and headed out again. After that point, our next and last major stop was the 1.5 Mile Resthouse. At this point, I was finally able to get some cell service so I texted Laura and Taryn from here letting them know where we were. We had 1.5 miles and about 1000' of elevation gain to go. We could totally do this. Meanwhile, we kept passing more and more people as we made our way up. It seemed funny because we felt like we were moving SO SLOW...but compared to all of the tourists who were just easy dayhiking, we were apparently going fast. We actually only ended up getting passed by 1 person the entire ascent up Bright Angel, by a guy who had come one-way from the North Rim.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 90 degrees - this was 1000' UP from Phantom Ranch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to get one "contemplating the meaning of life" picture!</td></tr>
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After what felt like forever, we passed a guy who told us we had about 10 minutes to the top...this was amazing. We were going to finish BEFORE 8pm. When she dropped us off at 3:30am, I had told Taryn to tentatively expect us around 8pm, but as the day had gone on, I wasn't sure it would be possible to make it by then...but we did! We could finally see the top, and more and more people, and finally, we were at the last switchback! Thanks to Karla, we decided to run up the last tenth of mile (I totally would've walked it if it had been just me!) which was awesome and meant we had MADE IT! 16 hours and about 15 minutes after we started, with 11,000' of elevation gain and 11,000' of loss, over the course about 45 miles we had made it back to the South Rim!!! The sun was just starting to go down too - perfect timing! Karla and I had a fireball shot to celebrate finishing and then we headed back to the hotel.<br />
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<b>Post-Adventure Thoughts:</b><br />
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Overall, this was an AMAZING experience, and definitely a bucket list item for anyone (whether you do an out-and-back like us, or even just a one-way). It was so beautiful and such a different experience than just seeing the Canyon from the top. Even though it was incredibly hard, looking back on it now, it wasn't "as" hard as I was expecting. I honestly had a LOT of anxiety in the weeks leading up to this. Reading other peoples race reports, and the National Park Service "warning" against going to the river and back in one way left me really nervous and scared for it, and because of that I actually had trouble sleeping in the few days leading up to the trip... That being said, it is a seriously hard endeavor that you need to be prepared for. The heat was BY FAR the hardest factor for me. I've done long ultra's, I've done races with a lot of climbing...but what I had not done before is run in this kind of heat for this amount of time. It was hard...and as I briefly mentioned, I struggled eating which was new for me. So if you're thinking about doing this, definitely be prepared and understand that it is hard, but if you're an ultra runner who has done 50 milers with a lot of climbing, you will be fine - just know it's going to be a long, hot, and tiring day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taryn took this picture from another overlook - showing a bunch of the Bright Angel Trail switchbacks!</td></tr>
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<b>WHAT WORKED</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Trekking Poles: I had debated in the weeks before whether to bring Trekking Poles, but I am so glad I did. They help me significantly on the uphills (they keep me from "hunching" over as I hike uphill), and in the later miles going up Bright Angel they really helped on some of the sections with "steps" to push off from. I would most definitely recommend poles when doing this!</li>
<li>My Salomon Advanced Skin 12L Pack: Scott got me this new pack as an early birthday present and it was great for this trek. It holds so much stuff. I honestly know that I packed too much, but I'm the kind of person that would rather have more than enough than not enough so I was glad I had this pack that will hold a crap ton of stuff (I had a light rain jacket, bolero, gloves, buff, extra socks, tons of food (that I didn't eat nearly enough of), and some basic emergency supplies (space blanket, poncho, matches, extra contacts, whistle, bandaids), along with a full 1.5 Liter reservoir and a 20oz collapsible water bottle.</li>
<li>Our hotel: we stayed at the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan - just minutes from the entrance to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It wasn't anything fancy but they had 24/7 coffee in the lobby AND a Mexican restaurant in the parking lot that was open until 10:00pm - perfect for my post-run birthday meal and margarita!</li>
</ul>
<b></b><br />
<b>WHAT DIDN'T WORK</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Fueling: I really struggled eating on this run. It wasn't the "keeping it down" that was an issue (which I've had one bad experience on), it was more actually wanting and feeling okay to eat. I think this had to have been the heat. My mouth felt so dry and gross the entire run, which I think was a combination of the heat and how incredibly dusty it was. What I did end up eating was 3 packages of Clif Shot Blocks (I would say these worked the best because they were so soft in the heat, they were really easy to eat), 3 packages of Tailwind, and some small candy bars. I also had quite a few electrolyte tablets which I think also helped a lot since I wasn't eating a ton.</li>
<li>Cooling Bandana's: okay, these didn't not work... I just forgot them! I was so mad at myself, I swore I had packed them, but I apparently didn't. Since I didn't have these, I ended up just using my buff and hat and wetting both of those everytime we had access to water.</li>
<li>My watches: no surprise here since they are both getting pretty old, but both of my Gamin Forerunner 220's did not last the entire trek. Thankfully Karla's watch did last, so she let me steal all of her Strava data!</li>
</ul>
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<b>STATS & DATA</b></div>
<ul>
<li><b>Mileage:</b> I've read different reports on what the actual mileage is. According to the National Park maps, it should be about 43.9 miles. Karla's garmin clocked it at over 48 so if you do this be mentally prepared to think you're a lot further than you actually are! If you go up South Kaibab instead of Bright Angel, it will be shorter, but with no water, that would be extremely hard to do this time of year!</li>
<li><b>Elevation Gain:</b> I've also ready varying things on this, but I believe it's in the high 10,000's (so lets just round up to 11,000').</li>
<li><b>Weather</b>: The temperature was in the high 30's when we started at 3:30am, and got up to over 100 on the canyon floor in the heat of the day. Be prepared to be HOT on this run unless you do it in the late fall or early spring (but then you have other things to deal with - such as less water stops and less daylight!).</li>
<li><b>Pace:</b> We finished in 16 hours and 18 minutes, which at a 43.9 miles is about a 22 minute pace. Not fast by any means, but given the amount of elevation gain and stops, I'm pretty happy with this!</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYMEwiW43XHgr-NCSVazsoJXSVFOixBcLhChhBhcYYGRaCCHB018T5GgZFW4Wpmbk9DhM_JEbMnViRzcorBMqMLt2Jg3_8XuAESyhAfPAZO89DIhD0jHzUalssbsJpfXB5qLFi1WtP_8/s1600/map.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="740" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYMEwiW43XHgr-NCSVazsoJXSVFOixBcLhChhBhcYYGRaCCHB018T5GgZFW4Wpmbk9DhM_JEbMnViRzcorBMqMLt2Jg3_8XuAESyhAfPAZO89DIhD0jHzUalssbsJpfXB5qLFi1WtP_8/s640/map.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfouUGv_iJmrQGQiRC5pi2fNSW4-nzUo_TAnnwlPP1DrsbWe8zqRHzzIXY7FKK-Sv3Z9HUtCWnVGsJSZHEJMDzMxUz3N-RwlAzslXawyfAlD78riuKe1VX9aHl4nfD3RKUB5zqv9PEXhw/s1600/Elevation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="1282" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfouUGv_iJmrQGQiRC5pi2fNSW4-nzUo_TAnnwlPP1DrsbWe8zqRHzzIXY7FKK-Sv3Z9HUtCWnVGsJSZHEJMDzMxUz3N-RwlAzslXawyfAlD78riuKe1VX9aHl4nfD3RKUB5zqv9PEXhw/s640/Elevation.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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Overall, this was an incredible experience and definitely a unique way to spend my 30th Birthday! I'm really glad I did it and it left me extremely thankful for friends who want to do crazy things, my husband who is supportive and doesn't mind me running off to do crazy adventures, and for a healthy, working body that can endure some pretty hardcore stuff to see some pretty amazing things in this beautiful world! I know a lot of people make a big deal out of turning 30... I mean I'm a "real" adult now...but I'm honestly pretty grateful to be where I am and ready to bring on the next 30 years!<br />
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-44762385972549149472018-05-02T22:56:00.003-06:002018-05-17T13:49:32.967-06:00Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon (my first BQ!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviYx_fkFhU7gHUeTyA55W-x6b1voQNBOdiuSb2bnk5_D-WFpQIEqlmE8nUHef08kznQXR4vdmW05vD6uI1MpRNfq2GfEzGIw7fNUuK0uucK6Btq_S8XK1JXPCKbBRskH0tE2oxefoJw/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEviYx_fkFhU7gHUeTyA55W-x6b1voQNBOdiuSb2bnk5_D-WFpQIEqlmE8nUHef08kznQXR4vdmW05vD6uI1MpRNfq2GfEzGIw7fNUuK0uucK6Btq_S8XK1JXPCKbBRskH0tE2oxefoJw/s400/IMG_1698.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the race start.</td></tr>
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<br />
In late 2014 I set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I was still a fairly newbie marathoner at the time - less than a year out from <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2014/01/walt-disney-world-marathon.html" target="_blank">my first marathon</a>... but the marathon bug had spiraled quickly for me, running 8 more marathons that year and having fun along the way. The Boston Qualifying time for Women ages 18-35 is 3 hours and 35 minutes. My first marathon had been 4:26:45, but I had progressed up to a 4:03:10 within just a few months, so I felt that with consistent training I could get there.<br />
<br />
Long story short, it ended up being a lot harder to get there than I thought. Right after I set the goal, I trained extremely hard for my first couple of attempts in 2015. I ran an amazing first race of the year in <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2015/03/the-phoenix-marathon.html" target="_blank">3:41:35</a> and figured that meant I could get my time down to sub-3:35 in no time... boy was I mistaken. In my target race later that year, I ended up on the side of the road puking at Mile 21 and finishing in 3:59:10... In 2016 I trained okay (not as strong as the year before, but I had put in the miles) and thought surely I could at least PR... another bad race. 2017 was a pretty good training cycle but I still ended up missing a PR by 40 seconds...<br />
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Nevertheless it remained a goal I would continue to work towards, while also pursuing other running goals and races along the way (like <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/flagstaff-to-grand-canyon-stagecoach.html" target="_blank">my first 100 miler</a>). Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon is put on by the same company that does Revel Rockies, a race I had now ran twice and mostly enjoyed. They specialize in scenic, downhill races, which can be fast and fun and which I actually do pretty well at. Mt. Charleston, just outside of Las Vegas, is considered one of their faster courses and at only a 7 hour drive from home I thought it would be fun to try, and a make for a nice mini vacation. It had sold out in past years so I registered early, last June, and put it on the back burner until late December when my training plan would start.<br />
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While I knew this was a fast course, I also knew that I still needed to put in the work. A downhill course might help you out, but it's definitely not going to get you all the way there unless you put in the training to be able to sustain the effort. Therefore, I decided to use Hal Higdon's Advanced training plan, modifying it just slightly to meet my needs. I wrote out my plan, focusing on my hardest workouts being Friday (marathon paced runs getting up to 12 miles) and Saturday (long runs getting up to 22 miles). I knew my biggest advantages would be to get comfortable running 8:00 minute miles again and to train my quads to be able to endure the downhill, so my plan was to do my Marathon Paced runs on flat ground (in a hope that when I ran them on the downhill on race day they would feel much easier), and then to do my easy paced long runs on a downhill route to get my quads ready. Aside from one week off that I took to go to <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2018/02/parisian-getaway.html" target="_blank">Paris</a> in January, I did a pretty good job consistently following my plan and could definitely tell I was making serious progress.<br />
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Nevertheless my past marathon failings still left me pretty nervous throughout my taper and going into race weekend. I did my best to stay off social media as much as I could (it just makes me more nervous when people tell me "oh you'll for sure do it!" - because there are no guarantees in a race!), and ended up instead spending my time reading. In the three taper weeks leading up to the race, I read several books including "Boston Bound" by Elizbeth Clor (the story of someone who spent 7 years trying to qualify) and "Let Your Mind Run" by legendary Deena Kastor. She touches on how much your attitude can effect your running and I couldn't put it down. I also turned to my bible, really drawing to a specific verse as my mantra for this race - "Have I not commanded You? Be Strong and Courageous" (Joshua 1:9). Even though I've heard this verse many times, something about it struck a cord with me this time around and I definitely pulled from it in the later miles of this marathon.<br />
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We headed to the race on Friday morning, leaving around 8:30am and rolling into Las Vegas around 3:30pm - just in time to sit in about an hour of traffic! Nevertheless, we eventually made it to the race expo where I picked up my race packet, pre-paid for Medal Engraving (hoping that would keep me motivated to keep my pace up when the going got tough), and then headed to an early dinner for some carb loading at Olive Garden. After that, we headed to our hotel (New York New York on the Strip) to attempt to get some sleep before my 2:00am alarm went off (yep, you read that right...2 AM!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EuW8nh_qMmRTMWLXlq4ZPam5vautA8clxOyHCu26vUEwTO4krxE4JkGj7kaqQEU58U25rkXmb3L7QwhtRetouEYYCGGMc6dKfX6b4oVf76s53wMvWcquLy_DqDnIF7h0WHZt09gATEM/s1600/IMG_1702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EuW8nh_qMmRTMWLXlq4ZPam5vautA8clxOyHCu26vUEwTO4krxE4JkGj7kaqQEU58U25rkXmb3L7QwhtRetouEYYCGGMc6dKfX6b4oVf76s53wMvWcquLy_DqDnIF7h0WHZt09gATEM/s400/IMG_1702.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through the San Rafael Swell in Utah along the way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My #FlatRunner all ready for race morning!</td></tr>
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I got an extremely restless night of sleep before getting up a few minutes after 2:00, quickly got ready, and left the hotel around 2:45, stopping at the Starbucks in the Casino for my $4.50 tall black coffee. We had around a 30 minute drive to the race start and got there right at 3:30am when the buses started loading (they loaded from 3:30 to 4:30 but since I wasn't familiar with the area I wanted to give us plenty of time to get there). After sitting in the car for a few minutes, I hopped on the second or third bus and started nervously eating my bagel and drinking my coffee as we made the 45 minute bus ride to the race start at the Mt. Charleston Lodge. One of the best things about this race was that the lodge actually allowed us to wait inside and out of the cold before the start which was extremely nice of them. They also had coffee, hot chocolate and banana's for sale which was amazing! I actually had wanted to buy a banana for my pre-race snack but forgot, so I of course bought one and made sure to tip generously since they were putting up with all of us runners at 4:30 in the morning! After nervously chatting with some people and cycling through the bathroom multiple times, it was finally time to head outside and make my way towards the start line<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love these tattoos by "Conscious Ink"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful sunrise as we waited for the start!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcLEiF_BZe4J_E2yucy7mTtzQg3QY1l4U5fQGOwGdyoMLP_x2noWNNN2t6KNaFKJqtnowh7UjfU1_Ml0oabHMIl2KZoErm7Nw5J-NJxNupBp5PIdVw6BJjPyWWbk0QdtgXMeMz_Qj7Bw/s1600/IMG_1700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcLEiF_BZe4J_E2yucy7mTtzQg3QY1l4U5fQGOwGdyoMLP_x2noWNNN2t6KNaFKJqtnowh7UjfU1_Ml0oabHMIl2KZoErm7Nw5J-NJxNupBp5PIdVw6BJjPyWWbk0QdtgXMeMz_Qj7Bw/s400/IMG_1700.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making our way to the start line.</td></tr>
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The start line was fairly narrow and the pacers were lined up a little odd - with the 3:35 pacer next to the 3:15 pacer. I figured, I might as well play it safe and push myself pretty far up so I could hopefully run freely from the get-go. I was planning on Mile 1 being one of my slowest due to a short uphill section, but I still didn't want to also have to expend extra energy weaving around people as well. A few minutes after 6:00, the gun went off and I crossed the mat a few seconds later.<br />
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As expected, Mile 1 was slow as I warmed up and made sure to take the first hill extremely easy. I knew there was absolutely no reason to push any uphills in the early miles. This was a fast course and I had plenty of downhill to make up for the uphills. My pace band had said to run Mile 1 in 8:23. I ran it in 8:26.<br />
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After the uphill of Mile 1, I settled into what felt like a good, sustainable pace - not too easy, but nothing to where I felt like I was working hard... this left me surprised to see Mile 2 come in at 7:36. That seemed very fast...but I wasn't working hard - it was obviously the effect of having gravity on my side (combined with race day adrenaline I'm sure!). I've heard a lot of differing opinions on how to pace this course and whether or not it was smart to "bank time". Most races you don't want to rely on this method, however, this course got significantly harder towards the end with the heat and a flat / uphill finish (mostly flat, with 1 uphill at Mile 24). Therefore, I decided to focus not on the mile times, but instead on how I was feeling. I would only "bank time" if it felt easy and would mostly focus on making sure I wasn't pushing too hard. This led to some variety in my splits as the course ebbed and flowed in how steep the downhills were as well as mixed in a few short uphills. Miles 3-6 came in at 7:38, 7:37, 7:55, 7:48, and I crossed the 1st Quarter Timing Mat in 51:42, with an average pace of 7:53. I had a feeling anyone tracking me would think I was going too fast, but I knew I physically felt very relaxed and in control so I just maintained it running 7-10 in 7:39, 7:37, 7:42, 8:04.<br />
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The aid stations were located approximately every 2 miles, and I knew I needed to make sure to drink Poweraid and not just water since it was going to be a hot day. I decided my strategy would be to alternate between drinking water and Poweraid at every other station. I usually like to mix the two together (to help water down the Poweraid), but that adds a bit of time, especially with how congested the aid stations seemed to be, so this new solution of every other seemed to work out okay. I had my first gel at Mile 5, followed by a banana at 9, and another gel at 11. Overall I still felt very good as I ran the next few miles in 7:55, 7:57, 7:57, crossing the half way mat in 1:43:31.<br />
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I was now half-way through the race and definitely on pace to BQ... that being said, I knew I still had a long ways to go and anything can happen (my big BQ attempt in 2015 went amazing until mile 18.5!). I tried to mentally tell myself that this was a brand new Half Marathon that I was just starting. All I had to do was 13.1 at 8:00 pace. My lungs felt like they could handle this but I'm not sure my legs were convinced after 13.1 miles of downhill pounding. Nevertheless, I kept at it, running miles 14 through 17 in 7:38, 7:49, 7:54, 7:49. Meanwhile, the temperatures had really started to increase, especially as we got lower in elevation. I started the race in a T-Shirt, Gloves, and Arm Warmers, although I really didn't even need the gloves or arm warmers as I shed them only a mile in. By now I could definitely feel the heat creeping up. There was also quite a bit of wind, but thanks to the downhill gravity, I didn't feel like it was hindering me too much, and more that it was actually helping me from getting too hot.<br />
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Around Mile 18 I still felt really good with the exception of my quads which were starting to burn from all of the downhill. I've done a lot of downhill races though and had been expecting this, so I just focused on holding my pace, running 18-21 in 7:43, 7:43, 7:46, 7:43 (and crossing the third quarter timing mat in 2:34:12). At mile 21, we turned off of Kyle Canyon Road, the main road we had been running, and started our last 5 miles into town.<br />
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I knew from reading the race description and past runners' reports that these last 5 were going to be hard. The course really flattens out and then you have an uphill section at Mile 24. However, as I turned off at Mile 21, I still felt really good. My effort was getting a little harder, but we only had 5 miles to go so I picked it up running Mile 22 as one of my fastest splits of the day at 7:38. Unfortunately, the adrenaline of making it to the turn only lasted so long. Right after 22, things got really hard, really fast. All of a sudden it was STIFLING hot. I went from being okay to just sweating buckets. I've always been really self conscious about my stomach but I decided I didn't care - I took off my shirt and ran the last few miles in my sports bra. I figured, while, yes I would probably still cringe at the race photos down the road, I also wanted to be proud of this body that was getting me to the finish line of my first BQ.<br />
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As I figured, I had slowed slightly in Mile 23, running an 8:06, but the next mile is where it really started taking a turn for the worse. Mile 24 was the last uphill and as I started up it I officially wanted to die... Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic... The uphill was gradual but felt so, so long and never ending. I had grabbed Poweraid at the last aid station and it had left my mouth so incredibly dry. That combined with the torturous, stifling heat, and the uphill left me wanting to stop and walk so, so bad... that being said, I really suck at math and figuring out how my pace is going to effect my finish time when I'm this far into a race... I was actually fairly confident I could BQ at this point even if I did slow a little...but I wasn't sure by how much. I mostly just knew that if I lost out on a BQ because I walked this hill, I would never, ever forgive myself. Not to mention the fact that you don't automatically get into Boston just because you reach the qualifying time. Nope - they actually only accept the top qualifiers. For example, last year you had to be faster than your qualifying time by 3 minutes and 23 seconds. Therefore I kept telling myself to just keep pushing as hard as you could so you didn't waste anymore time...<br />
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As much as I wanted to keep my pace up, my legs felt like they weren't moving. I ran Mile 24 in 9:00 even, my slowest mile of the race. 2.2 miles to go I told myself. Just. Keep. Moving. One foot in front of the other. Mile 25 was 8:46...At the "one mile to go" timing mat I finally took a good hard look at my watch (because the pace for 1 mile was the only thing my brain could calculate at that point). 3 hours, 20 minutes and change.... Wow, I was going to do it. I was ACTUALLY going to qualify... that all being said, my brain still couldn't really focus on that yet. It was like I was in survival mode to get to the finish line... A couple miles earlier when I was still feeling good around Mile 21 I had these grand plans that I was going to run the last mile hard but energized, motivating everyone else and telling any ladies around me that we were all going to be Boston Qualifiers (because I'm in the youngest age group - so any women running under 3:35 would have qualified). I played it all out in my head.... So what actually happened this last mile? Well aside from it being the absolute LONGEST mile of my life (seriously), I don't even remember. All I could focus on was getting to that finish line. I was so mentally dead. My dream self was going to put my arms up as I crossed the finish line...but no, I crossed the finish line and the only thing I remember was the announcer saying something about how "here comes someone in their underwear" (because I was just wearing a sports bra)... my thoughts were, "Seriously?" People run in sports bras all the time... But aside from that small annoyance (that of course I'll never forget), I was too worn out to really care all that much. I crossed the line in 3:28:33 and immediately just pulled off to the side of the finishers chute to catch my breath.<br />
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I knew I had done it...but the reality of it still didn't sink in. I grabbed my medal, an ice soaked towel (seriously the BEST thing ever after a hot race), and a water bottle and made my way over to a curb in the shade where I sat down. It wasn't until I sat down that I was truly able to think straight and let it sink in that I had done it... I had Qualified for the Boston Marathon! And not just qualified... I had finished with OVER 6 minutes to spare!!! Leading up to this race it was always a possibility. I had trained really hard this season and only missed a couple of workouts over the span of 20 weeks. I put in the long marathon paced runs, I put in 3 x 20+ milers, and speedwork almost every week. I had lost 12 pounds. I had gotten a really good taper in and was running on fresh legs. I knew it was a possibility... but I've also had so many races where I trained hard and walked away without the outcome I had wanted. I didn't want that to happen again so I started this race extremely cautious. But finally for the first time in 3 1/2 years I got the outcome I had been after. People say that the harder something is to achieve, the sweeter the reward. I'd say a PR by 13 minutes and BQ by 6 minutes and 27 seconds was a pretty sweet reward!<br />
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<b><u>Race Stats:</u></b><br />
Race: <a href="https://www.runrevel.com/rmc" target="_blank">Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon</a><br />
Date: 04/28/2018<br />
Distance: 26.2 Miles (my Garmin clocked it at 26.32)<br />
Weather: Warm - high 40's at the start, high 70's by the end<br />
Gun Time: 3:28:50<br />
Chip Time: 3:28:33<br />
Overall Place: 244 of 1467<br />
Gender Place: 53 of 757<br />
Age Group (F25-29) Place: 6 of 29<br />
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<b>Race Splits / Placement: </b>I am honestly so proud of my placement progress, even though I slowed in the last 4 miles. I continued to make progress in terms of my placement throughout the entire race, which means other people were clearly fading too! I went from 475th placed in the first quarter to 244 at the finish!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ehWCb0uxjxB4D-JuEXI8O4HoEObPiAvWL-YObUe2cYrNRHMUi3YMomKs4KxRpgJlMeFSz31uCEp4B-PV8cDTxvPUDA-OPmZKjCmjysUShTULFkFtvZtZPl_SofvCjQXriqTPRMmNUWs/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="861" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ehWCb0uxjxB4D-JuEXI8O4HoEObPiAvWL-YObUe2cYrNRHMUi3YMomKs4KxRpgJlMeFSz31uCEp4B-PV8cDTxvPUDA-OPmZKjCmjysUShTULFkFtvZtZPl_SofvCjQXriqTPRMmNUWs/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<b><u>What I liked and What Worked:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Course:</b> This was a beautiful course. I had no idea before signing up for this race that there were 11,000' peaks outside of Las Vegas. The starting line was beautiful. The race course progressed from gorgeous alpine scenery to a gorgeous desert scene with cacti and palm trees. I really did love it. The downhill was great as well - a very nice descent, not overly steep, and there weren't even a lot of curves/switchbacks like Revel Rockies has in Colorado (that being said - be prepared for your quads to start burning from the repeated pounding).</li>
<li><b>Fueling: </b>I started using "Huma" gels and I LOVE them. I feel like I finally found a gel I can stomach during races! (I'll still probably stick to "real" food in ultra's, but finding a good gel for fast road races makes me very happy!).</li>
<li><b>Training: </b>I think it's safe to say my training plan worked. I used Hal Higdon's Advanced 1 (I also added in speedwork every week instead of alternating as it suggests). Not only did I have a fast race, but in general I know I've gotten faster. My easy pace has increased by about a minute per mile.</li>
<li><b>Revel Races</b>: This was my third race I've ran put on by Revel and I once again was impressed. They really do a great job - lots of communication up front about logistics, beautiful courses, great swag (this year we got a shirt, hat, free race pictures), and a great finish line area with real food and beer. My only complaint was that I wish they had more shady areas for runners to recover since it was SO hot when we got done.</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Dislikes / What Didn't Work:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Weather:</b> it was HOT this year. They started the race an hour earlier than previous years and thank goodness! It was 75 degrees when I got done without a single cloud in the sky. Also, the entire race is ran directly into the direct sun, so be prepared for that! </li>
<li><b>Lodging: </b>If I were to do this race again, I don't know that I'd stay on the Las Vegas Strip. It was just such a hassle driving from there and I had to drive to the Expo and the race start. I'm also not a huge "Vegas" person in general, so I could see if I did it again staying somewhere further out and making it more of a relaxing trip, separate from the traditional Las Vegas atmosphere.</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How cool are the "Boston Bound" luggage tags that they gave out to anyone who qualified!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-tFfnTJdrwYTGK3UNB62oixJl3qPmM48qyVz5ygXdS6Z_b7eg5Q0LLBgxcGzDvooytwJwabI3IdM_z6dTmVxgKPw98BeIfsapWlf7v1SeG5J7oWXNn7Xx_FCV3s7dYQFwRFf9PQGYCc/s1600/IMG_1583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-tFfnTJdrwYTGK3UNB62oixJl3qPmM48qyVz5ygXdS6Z_b7eg5Q0LLBgxcGzDvooytwJwabI3IdM_z6dTmVxgKPw98BeIfsapWlf7v1SeG5J7oWXNn7Xx_FCV3s7dYQFwRFf9PQGYCc/s400/IMG_1583.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race Shaved Ice with the hubs - this was AMAZING after the race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only medal I've had engraved :) </td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-2052814584480937552018-04-12T00:54:00.002-06:002018-04-12T11:42:57.148-06:00Canyonlands Half Marathon 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3gBwzWDQbszhTfoFA3DK0iB8RIOwK3wYRHBDTIpQyfgEIALjt2dsS5pYmz1cRi11Mh3fFat3hB3_NQvIr_qeJzs6uzAGeSI6LVaStBl9YG-Yp-xXQbmHkL_CQ5MRUumwoAYlYGm-5es/s1600/Photo+Mar+16%252C+1+30+04+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3gBwzWDQbszhTfoFA3DK0iB8RIOwK3wYRHBDTIpQyfgEIALjt2dsS5pYmz1cRi11Mh3fFat3hB3_NQvIr_qeJzs6uzAGeSI6LVaStBl9YG-Yp-xXQbmHkL_CQ5MRUumwoAYlYGm-5es/s400/Photo+Mar+16%252C+1+30+04+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Canyonlands Half Marathon has pretty much become my March tradition, so I was of course, in for another year - especially since I knew I'd be in the heart of marathon training and it makes a great tune-up race. Even better was the fact that <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/" target="_blank">Mad Moose Events</a> took over as the Race Directors for all Moab Half Marathon road events, which made this even more perfect since I'm an ambassador for them and know they do a great job!<br />
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With Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon coming up in late April, I figured this would also be a perfect opportunity to go for a Course PR. My fastest time running this race was in <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2015/03/race-recap-canyonlands-half-marathon.html" target="_blank">2015</a> when I ran a 1:45:43, and I knew with my training for Revel I would have a good shot at beating that if the weather was decent!<br />
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My friend Rochelle also decided to race this one with me, so we headed down on Friday to enjoy some Moab time before staying with a friend (thank you for letting us stay!) in Moab that night. We spent the day hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, hitting the race expo, having an early dinner at Pasta Jay's, and then another evening hike to check out Courthouse Panel (some really neat Petroglyphs not too far out of town) before calling it a night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love getting a picture under the arch - it gives a much better idea of scale!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Packet Pick-up!</td></tr>
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We were up the next morning dark and early and I immediately noticed how windy it seemed outsite... This was going to make my PR attempt a little more of a challenge! Nevertheless, I got ready for the race and we hit the road at about 6:45, stopping for coffee (of course!) before making our way to the bus pickup.<br />
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One nice thing about the new race directors, is that in the past, they've always bused you up the canyon extremely early and you have to wait for HOURS (literally) before the 10am race start. Well, the new race directors decided to eliminate that long wait and start the race at 8:45am instead! So, after getting bused to the start line, we had just a little less than 45 minutes until the start - perfect for meeting up with a few other friends for pictures, cycling through the bathroom line and getting in a warm-up before the race start!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_wmUZyLWQqQt9oAEb-g1dvigmXGyTOw1haXBfaSYH8KgxYG8sgWqgFH8MQjQwucsRxd0NsdKRNyVxnc1AUf7POWpHtb7oSqeCospplAKLMilZQ8TGPjbvbKPfl91fmS-_ysNJW6xeHo/s1600/Photo+Mar+17%252C+8+35+53+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_wmUZyLWQqQt9oAEb-g1dvigmXGyTOw1haXBfaSYH8KgxYG8sgWqgFH8MQjQwucsRxd0NsdKRNyVxnc1AUf7POWpHtb7oSqeCospplAKLMilZQ8TGPjbvbKPfl91fmS-_ysNJW6xeHo/s400/Photo+Mar+17%252C+8+35+53+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Rochelle and friend/Skirt Ambassador Jayme before the race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Ridgway friend Jan and Rochelle (again :) !)</td></tr>
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The weather was cool, especially with the wind blowing through the canyon, but after much deliberation I decided to just wear my tank top but add gloves before throwing my drop bag into the truck and lining up at the start line. Barely after getting myself situated at the starting line, the race started! My only slight disappointment this time around was that there was no starting mat, which meant times were going to be gun times and not chip times - so no letting up in the final miles as my time would be several seconds off since I started back a little bit. Hopefully I could still manage my course PR!<br />
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The first couple miles of this race are some of the fastest as you get some nice gentle downhill - but right from the start I knew we were going to be battling a headwind (which didn't let up the entire race). Nevertheless I took advantage of the slight downhill and ran my first three miles in 7:43, 7:45, 7:58. Mile 4 slipped to 8:05 but I did my best to keep my head in the game and not start worrying (that's my downfall - one bad mile and then I start to derail mentally). Thankfully I picked it up for 7:52, 7:46 for 5 and 6.<br />
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I took a gel around Mile 6 and kept at it, running 8:00 even. The wind was still persistent but we would occasionally get a small break from it as we curved around certain bends in the canyon. I tried to take advantage of those occasions and I had a few faster miles for 8 & 9 - 7:55, 7:47.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't take any pictures on the course this year, but here's one from last year!</td></tr>
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By mile 10, 8:03, I could tell my pace was slipping and I was worried for the first time about getting my PR. At Mile 11 you exit the canyon and get onto what I like to call "the horrible stretch." It's really not <b><i>that </i></b>horrible, but I always call it this - 1 mile along the main road leading into Moab with traffic right next to you (there are cones for the race) at the same time that you're getting tired and ready to be done. I had really hoped since we'd had the headwind in the canyon that once I turned onto the horrible section the wind would die down.... but unfortunately it was even worse (should I have expected anything less since it is "the horrible section?"). Nevertheless I did the best I could to keep up my pace running 11 & 12 in 8:07 and 8:12.<br />
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Finally - one mile to go - I ran as fast as I could (which wasn't that fast), finishing Mile 13 right at 8:00, before finally hitting the last tenth of a mile, into the finisher's shoot, and finishing WITH A PR of 1:44:30 per my watch (1:44:41 official gun time)!<br />
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RACE STATS:<br />
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Race: Canyonlands Half Marathon</div>
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Date: 3/17/2018 (St. Patricks Day this year!)<br />
Weather: WINDY and overcast - high's in the 50's</div>
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Distance: 13.1 Miles</div>
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Official Time: 1:44:41</div>
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Overall Place: 126 of 1172</div>
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Gender Place: 35 of 687</div>
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Age Division Place F(25-29): 6 of 95<br />
Garmin Splits: 7:43, 7:45, 7:58, 8:05, 7:52, 7:46, 8:00, 7:55, 7:47, 8:03, 8:07, 8:12, 8:00, 7:13 (last .1)<br />
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Overall, I'm happy with how this race went. The wind was mentally tough for me but I'm glad I was able to push through it and still get my course PR. It also makes me think I could've ran faster in better conditions which leaves me feeling more confident for Revel next month! I think Mad Moose Events did a great job for their first year taking over this race. It was already a top notch event and I think they did a good job preserving the good things about the event while also changing some of the not-so-good things such as the earlier start time, and giving out socks instead of drop bags (I actually used to like the drop bags, but now that I have a million - changing it up with socks was a welcome change!).<br />
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After the race, I enjoyed some time in the beer garden celebrating some awesome wins by friends - Skirt Ambassador Jayme for getting 2nd Masters Female (and 1st Age Group) and Rochelle for getting 1st in her age group!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race Beer and Medal shot! (Also, my calf sleeves had shamrocks on the back side for St. Patty's Day - of course I forgot to get a picture showing those!)<br />
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-38729704901008220722018-03-31T17:50:00.000-06:002018-03-31T17:50:50.281-06:00Antelope Canyon 55K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Antelope Canyon Ultra's have been on my bucket list for at least 3 years now, so I was super excited to finally commit to it this year! The reason I haven't done it in the past is that I'm typically always road training during the winter, but I decided last summer to sign up anyways. Low and behold, I am once again, in the middle of road training for Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon in April, but I still had to do it! I mean, it was on my bucket list, and #YOLO right?<br />
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This was my first race of 2018 and my first race in almost 3 months, so I was more anxious and excited than I would normally be for a race (since I'm usually doing at least one a month, if not more) and started packing and planning my race outfit a week out...of course the weather forecast kept getting colder and colder the closer we got and my skirt/tanktop outfit turned into capri's and long sleeves! Nevertheless, I was still pretty excited...<br />
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We dropped the dogs off at the kennel on Friday morning and then hit the road! I knew the forecast wasn't looking great but I was hopeful the "snow" it showed would just be light flurries, and we'd make the 6 hour drive in plenty of time to get to our scheduled Antelope Canyon Tour that afternoon. While called "Antelope Canyon Ultra's", the 55K does not actually go through Antelope Canyon, it only goes through Waterholes Canyon, so I thought it would be fun for Scott and I to go do a Tour of the actual Antelope Canyon on Friday afternoon before the race (you can only see it via guided tour or special event)! Unfortunately, our 6 hour drive turned into a 7.5+ hour drive as we hit snowstorm after snowstorm, after snowstorm (I seriously think we went through 5 snowstorms including white out conditions from Monticello to Blanding, UT). I eventually had to call the Tour Guide and let them know that we wouldn't be arriving in time for our 3pm tour...to which they informed me that they had to close the canyon anyways due to snow... so I guess it just wasn't in the cards for this trip after all!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving through a snowy Monument Valley on the way to Page, AZ</td></tr>
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Well, with no tour to get to, we had a nice leisurely afternoon, arriving into Page, Arizona a little after 3:00. After stopping by the expo to get my race packet, then checking into our hotel, we opted for an early dinner at a local pizza and pasta place, before making our way to see Horseshoe Bend a little before sunset. I would see Horseshoe Bend during the race the next day, but I was still really looking froward to going on Friday since I would have my DSLR camera and get to enjoy it with Scott. It was freezing cold, and the sunset wasn't all that spectacular, but Horseshoe Bend on the other hand, definitely was incredible and well worth the trip!<br />
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Saturday morning I was up a little after 5:00 to get ready for the race! After waiting around for the hotel breakfast to open at 6:00, we made our way to the start line with plenty of time before the 7:00am start. It was about 25 degrees out so I sat in the car as long as I possibly could before we ventured over to the start line, I said good-bye to Scott (and to plan on me finishing in about 8-9 hours) and then was off right at 7:00am!<br />
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The first few miles were spent numb to the cold as I attempted to warm up. We were very packed together as we made our way out a couple of miles along a very sandy trail before passing by the Slickrock Aid Station at Mile 2. It was so early in the race, I ran right passed it and continued on 3 more miles to the Horseshoe Aid Station. This station was where my drop bag was (which I would access at Mile 5 and again at 18). I had accidently put all of my fuel in the drop bag (so I had none to pack for the race), so I quickly grabbed that from my bag, had some water (since my hydration tube had frozen), snapped a quick picture with Skirt Sports Ambassador Heather who I had a chance to chat with for a mile or so at the beginning, and then headed out. We had to cross a highway, and then we made our way uphill to the Horseshoe Bend Overlook - the same spot we had hiked to the night before. It was once again beautiful, but I was sure glad we had gone the night before because the sun was so low in the sky that it made for some extremely harsh shadows which preventing me from getting any good pictures of the river!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8ZXBHs23u3409voXFu7EXN662yyu2hMJMHkDBvA_qdzHojyYgsS0IZpkBWLZ-1myZl8B6884pTBPsvZJSGf1VMStIuQr5d5o6kW0h5vJNjl-Au0JAJFnBWzgbSqoNCH8bQ8tnlXfx2k/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+19+55+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8ZXBHs23u3409voXFu7EXN662yyu2hMJMHkDBvA_qdzHojyYgsS0IZpkBWLZ-1myZl8B6884pTBPsvZJSGf1VMStIuQr5d5o6kW0h5vJNjl-Au0JAJFnBWzgbSqoNCH8bQ8tnlXfx2k/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+19+55+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after the mile 2 Slickrock Aid Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAIfLrBZWSfLceCouxUb6zvezEvz2chE6kys-ZZUTW2hbbGIHgH3TCQj0e3zdvzm4YXNeluQ1DnV4_rGv67P5uEH9aZT4XmaUzCqkjRyWuYmXIzGBslnBKDeqpTMEVgUqqhsv3SPfYIk/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+5+57+36+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAIfLrBZWSfLceCouxUb6zvezEvz2chE6kys-ZZUTW2hbbGIHgH3TCQj0e3zdvzm4YXNeluQ1DnV4_rGv67P5uEH9aZT4XmaUzCqkjRyWuYmXIzGBslnBKDeqpTMEVgUqqhsv3SPfYIk/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+5+57+36+PM.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love meeting Skirt Sports Ambassadors at races!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNvn1JPFjAnMhibMGN5IAL3_AbDEL9NxtJgQRhFROLH8p7kY3D4aevfTxXwDL3zotY477-_jjXxbOrYeQzYY4uLfWDFPG7riWpXxwEXjSLgr9ZqDKucERIUtlTWczWBFByBPYOyoM0sY/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+06+35+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNvn1JPFjAnMhibMGN5IAL3_AbDEL9NxtJgQRhFROLH8p7kY3D4aevfTxXwDL3zotY477-_jjXxbOrYeQzYY4uLfWDFPG7riWpXxwEXjSLgr9ZqDKucERIUtlTWczWBFByBPYOyoM0sY/s640/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+06+35+AM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horseshoe Bend again - definitely not as dramatic with the harsh morning shadows!</td></tr>
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Despite not getting great photos, I still took a bunch anyways, as I continued on for several miles along slickrock overlooking the river in many places. Overall I'd say this course was very runnable, but this was definitely one of the slower portions of the course, as my pace slowed to around 15 minute miles as we made out way up, down and around the slickrock. I ran back and forth with a bunch of the same runners from here until reaching the Mile 13 Aid Station, which was right before we would head down into Waterholes Canyon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVlpaofwvXO1cAldKNNb1Y76eKvLbvNmjIg6hxkKkuvCn_0VCfxxkqqBaup2YQJ1WF37w8PgnRVrb2i9L5xbapuP2tkn0Kmm27e8Iht6unCTDVvwL8Wu1v7kfR8Tmkrplij2NgQ4fj5k/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+20+01+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVlpaofwvXO1cAldKNNb1Y76eKvLbvNmjIg6hxkKkuvCn_0VCfxxkqqBaup2YQJ1WF37w8PgnRVrb2i9L5xbapuP2tkn0Kmm27e8Iht6unCTDVvwL8Wu1v7kfR8Tmkrplij2NgQ4fj5k/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+8+20+01+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lighting here isn't great but I love how it shows the dramatic drop-off of the cliffs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running on slickrock!</td></tr>
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Waterholes Canyon was the part of the course I was most looking forward too. Afterall, it was the only slot canyon we ran through and that was why I signed up for this race. We had a very steep, technical descent downhill that I timidly made my way down, before ending up in the canyon. I knew from the course description that we would be in the cnayon for about 1 mile. I was feeling really good and definitely could have ran most of this...but, as previously mentioned, I came here to see this one mile...so instead this was my slowest mile of the entire race (by a lot) because I just kept stopping for pictures and having a blast with it! When I saw I missed 3rd in my age group by less than 5 minutes, I knew this caused it, but I still didn't care... I had a blast. I think about 50 people passed me as I just enjoyed this section! It was so cool and so beautiful... I mean, THIS IS WHY I RUN! I love seeing the amazing places we have in nature!<br />
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We had to ascend a ladder to officially exit the canyon, which was pretty cool! Once we did that, we still had some awesome wider canyon walls around us, but we were mostly out, as we continued on. After one more steep ascent, we topped out onto a sandy road that stretched for about 3 miles back to the horseshoe aid station. It was very runnable (despite being sandy - I think the moisture from the day before helped with that), so I did my best to make up some of my time and had a few of my faster miles of the day along this section.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsCaUiUyGaX2Ny8h3TkYlgd6j0usmkhBeuaW58WhiW8UAl6GQaAOdFqj726UH1qFjRxiiIp72TM21wEo1EhHMdbNtLfjlabmUVQkdZRucTkwHOZnTKJzfsbZf6GpiuvzZiRDSJxSAfL0/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+10+23+06+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1281" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsCaUiUyGaX2Ny8h3TkYlgd6j0usmkhBeuaW58WhiW8UAl6GQaAOdFqj726UH1qFjRxiiIp72TM21wEo1EhHMdbNtLfjlabmUVQkdZRucTkwHOZnTKJzfsbZf6GpiuvzZiRDSJxSAfL0/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+10+23+06+AM+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladder to exit the canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QK5TPKxiRdEXxBE9PizbD4_4d1xLfV3aRXarEgP3oXaDEN8Rg5LQN1zWkGg9aMqA8E39TFMoz0VRlD2xHRH9WQGzbY2mA3bAQTjf-W_exZ_aE9rBz1c3MG6vH6sTyJ1JtIl-uIp3S_8/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+10+32+52+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QK5TPKxiRdEXxBE9PizbD4_4d1xLfV3aRXarEgP3oXaDEN8Rg5LQN1zWkGg9aMqA8E39TFMoz0VRlD2xHRH9WQGzbY2mA3bAQTjf-W_exZ_aE9rBz1c3MG6vH6sTyJ1JtIl-uIp3S_8/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+10+32+52+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of the last major climb to get out of the canyon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimH-J-Nqnht1f23IMenV1jV8Qk0cYZ448JV7lvajLzq_bYCSqqM-8uvAsHNegp4BGJOifz_KKw2ZwnP1VL7ifGzyjavHaLvlP3d8Ye84cOGyN8XZmi_BgBA7qDCZCycVOadSqfusTZMgE/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+11+00+12+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimH-J-Nqnht1f23IMenV1jV8Qk0cYZ448JV7lvajLzq_bYCSqqM-8uvAsHNegp4BGJOifz_KKw2ZwnP1VL7ifGzyjavHaLvlP3d8Ye84cOGyN8XZmi_BgBA7qDCZCycVOadSqfusTZMgE/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+11+00+12+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dirt road we on for several miles back to the Horsehoe Aid Station</td></tr>
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Once back at the Horseshoe Aid Station I had some snacks and coke and then made my way onward - back towards the start/finish area. We would retrace the first 5 miles from the morning, before turning off to do a loop around the Page Rim Trail. These 5 miles weren't overly technical, but they were slightly uphill and in sand, so that made it a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, I kept at it, until we crossed another major roadway, then made our way up a short, steep ascent to get onto the Page Rim Trail where an aid station was awaiting us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYllEL9zq6h1ke8mzj4Sg7pjP0SexLZtpRAH9tP-VlMuUpiI7fvlS_puVTKN6GcNORSJSDA4oi243TiXrRJPStw6MK-rF9OhJW0Tr-pTvqYFK1PHpHeyF17ZeKWNn5Z_YYXiSFlfay3w/s1600/Photo+Feb+24%252C+11+46+56+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYllEL9zq6h1ke8mzj4Sg7pjP0SexLZtpRAH9tP-VlMuUpiI7fvlS_puVTKN6GcNORSJSDA4oi243TiXrRJPStw6MK-rF9OhJW0Tr-pTvqYFK1PHpHeyF17ZeKWNn5Z_YYXiSFlfay3w/s400/Photo+Feb+24%252C+11+46+56+AM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sand!</td></tr>
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After getting some snacks, I headed out. I had read that this loop around the town was very runnable, so I decided to try and keep my pace up as best as I could. Well - they definitely weren't lying when they said that, especially on the first half because not only was it runnable, but it also seemed to be at a slight descent, so I really picked up my pace through here, passing a few runners. About half-way through this loop, you have to do an out and back to an aid station. I grabbed some more food and then took a look at my watch. They said I only had about 6.9 miles to go and I was only a little over 6 hours in... that meant I would be finishing way quicker than the 8-9 hours I had told Scott. So I gave him a quick call as I headed out from the aid station and told him to expect me under 8 hours, possibly much closer to 7 1/2.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views from the Page Rim Trail</td></tr>
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Overall, I still felt really good too. I was just over 26 miles in and still feeling like I could run a lot. Despite the course not being quite as fast as it had been on the first half, I was still able to run a lot and started passing even more people. I felt good knowing I was passing a lot of the people who had passed me while I was meandering in the slot canyon. In all honesty though, I couldn't figure out how I felt so good - I was running around 10-11 minute miles, which for trails, is pretty quick for me! We had several road crossings, as the trail made it's way through town, including one that went really close to our hotel. Finally, I was back at the Page Rim Aid Station where I just ran straight through, then dropped down from the rim and made my way the last 3/4 of a mile to the finish line, finishing in 7:16:52 - way faster than I had expected!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finisher mugs!</td></tr>
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Race: <a href="https://www.grandcircletrails.com/antelope-canyon-general-info/" target="_blank">Antelope Canyon Ultramarathons</a><br />
Distance: 55K (my garmin clocked it at 33.2 miles)<br />
Weather: COLD (25 degrees at the start, maybe 40 at the end? But I never took off my arm sleeves!)<br />
Bib Number: 774<br />
Gun Time: 7:17:27<br />
Chip Time: 7:16:52<br />
Average Pace: 12:47 per mile<br />
Overall Place: 55 of 254<br />
Gender Place: 17 of 131! (proud of this one!)<br />
Age Group (F25-29): 4 of 9<br />
Splits: 10:54, 10:51, 12:54, 10:03, 15:34, 16:39, 16:32, 16:39, 15:21, 15:56, 14:54, 20:52, 24:18, 16:22, 16:22, 9:22, 9:33, 9:27, 18:30, 13:12, 13:24, 11:29, 13:53, 10:17, 9:35, 11:10, 11:23, 12:20, 9:37, 11:04, 11:32, 10:36, 10:24, 10:36<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Map</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation Profile</td></tr>
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Overall, I really did enjoy this race. I had heard to be prepared for a ton of sand that was difficult to run in, but I really didn't feel like it was bad at all. I think the snow and rain that Page had gotten in the days leading up to the race kept the sand nice and packed down. I spent the first half enjoying the views and running nice and slow and then was able to really pick things up in the back half - which I think might be one of my first times to negative split an ultra marathon! I was also surprised at how good I felt over the entire course of the race - which I really think has more to do with my road training I've been doing this spring - I've really been working hard and getting faster so I think my slow and steady mentality at the beginning of the race helped me to be able to really pick it up later on.<br />
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As far as the race logistics went - this was my first Ultra I've ran by Vacation Races, but I've done some of their other events (Grand Teton Half Marathon, Grand Circle Trail Fest, and Rocky Mountain Half), and they once again did a great job. The aid stations all seemed to have a lot of great options. The finish line had great food and I got a really yummy freshly made Pizza after finishing. Parking, directions, and course markings were great. I would definitely consider doing one of their Ultra's again sometime! <br />
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Overall I'm glad I had the opportunity to check out this unique and beautiful area and definitely hope to come back someday to see the actual Antelope Canyon!<br />
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-28326005951793908772018-03-11T21:54:00.001-06:002018-03-11T22:09:27.319-06:00Why I RunI've been challenged to write about "why I run"... it's such a simple question and yet there are so many reasons. Therefore, I'd like to start with one of my all time favorite quotes about running simply for the fact that everything she says hits home (it's almost like I could have written it myself, except I'm not that eloquent of a writer)...<br />
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You see, I wasn't always a runner (yep...another one of these stories!). In fact, I wasn't athletic AT ALL. Like none, zip, zero. I hated gym class growing up. I absolutely dreaded sports and running the dreaded "mile" once a year. I was full of excuses and completely content with staying put in my comfort zone on the couch with a bag of Cheetos.<br />
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Nevertheless, my reasons for initially getting into running are probably similar to most given our current society, in that they were purely vein. I wanted to lose weight. And honestly, I actually lost 30 lbs before ever even finding running. I was motivated by my 2011 wedding, so I went to the gym a couple times a week while counting calories. Did it work? Yes... the problem with this solution was that it was only a temporary fix and I didn't "love" any part of it. And let's be honest, no one wants to count calories for the rest of their life...<br />
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So, in 2012, after I started gaining some of the weight back, I once again joined a gym. This time, however, instead of just doing the elliptical, I decided to start run/walking on the treadmill. That run/walking slowly turned into more running and less walking and on July 14, 2012 I ran my first ever race - the Komen for the Cure 5K in Aspen, Colorado. I definitely wasn't setting any records or winning my age group, but I accomplished my one goal - running the entire thing without walking. Looking back at it now it seems funny, but truth be told, I was so incredibly proud of myself. No, I wasn't fast, but for the first time in my entire life, I just felt like I had accomplished something athletic and it was A. BIG. DEAL.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first 5K!</td></tr>
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After that 5K I started moving my treadmill workouts outside. One morning before work I ran a route around some neighborhoods, having no idea the distance. When I mapped it out later that day, I found out it was 5 Miles!!! 5 Miles?!? Me?! I didn't even know who I was anymore. After that day, I was completely hooked. It had finally hit me that when I wasn't focused on "speed", I could actually run pretty darn far... and ENJOY it too!<br />
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The rest is pretty much history - my first Half Marathon, followed by my first Full Marathon, and eventually Ultra Marathons on up to finishing my first 100 Miler last September! If I'm able to run 100 miles straight, I think it's safe to say I really do LOVE to run!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 85 miles into my first 100 Miler!</td></tr>
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So, back to the question at hand - "WHY" I run? Well truth be told, it is still everything Chrissie Wellington says in that quote I started with:<br />
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<i><b>"I run to feel complete, to feel alive, to feel happy, and to feel free..."</b></i></div>
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ALL of these emotions come to light when thinking about why I run. Never before in my life have I been more proud of myself, happier with myself, confident in myself until I started running. It just completes me. It brings peace and happiness to my soul. Do I<i> always </i>want to run? No...but pretty darn often and I think that's what's important! There's nothing like running outside in fresh air to feel more alive and free - the sights, the sounds, the smells. Everything is more vibrant and real when you're experiencing it on your own two feet.<br />
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<b><i>"...I run to visit beautiful places..."</i></b></div>
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Running has taken me to SO many amazing places - through fresh snow and pine trees. Aspen trees with falling golden leaves. To the tops of mountains and into canyons. I've truly ran in some incredible places that I never would have experienced had I not found this sport (which brings be back to "everything is more vibrant when your experiencing it on your own two feet - the sights, the sounds the smells...").<br />
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>"...to overcome my fears, and to remind myself - and others - that our limits may not be where we think they are."</b></i></div>
<i><b><br /></b></i>
As mentioned in the beginning, I used to just make excuses. "I can't do this." "I'm not good at that..." "There's no way someone like ME could do that..." Running truly has helped me overcome my fears and teach me that I am capable of more than I EVER imagined. My first mountain run - Imogene Pass Run - was a 17.1 mile point-to-point race from Ouray, Colorado to Telluride, Colorado via 13,114' Imogene Pass... when I first heard about it, I thought it was a race for crazy people. There was no way "I" could do that...but then, you know what - I DID IT. This race was one of my defining early races that taught me I can do anything I set my mind to. It was because of this race that I knew I could run ultra marathons. It was because of that race that I signed up for, and completed my first 100 Mile Ultra Marathons. Because running isn't just for super human, crazy people. It's for everyone, and any one. Does that mean it's going to be easy? Most definitely not - big goals take time, dedication, perseverance and seriously hard work, but I still believe you can and will get there!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of Imogene Pass - 13,114'!</td></tr>
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So there you have it - I know some people have much more exciting stories, but it's how I got here and that's why I run. If you've never really tried running, or, more specifically, never stuck with it longer than a couple of days, I can't encourage you enough to give it another go. As someone who used to just assume I hated running, I can't emphasize enough that you have to stick with it, because YES, it will be hard at the beginning...(as all new things usually are!), but once you get passed the initial few weeks, (and remember to keep it SLOW), it really is a truly amazing sport that can take you so many places!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/realwomenmove/" target="_blank">#REALwomenmove</a></td></tr>
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-40131963950643515502018-02-18T11:38:00.002-07:002018-02-18T12:03:59.164-07:00Parisian Getaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClVAHghnqKaaoyRwZJe7hhbJiWhcUofHFbWon4f2DNxh1X22wBAT6GXDcTLdinYn0T_4nS0N_qE8HYqDMadMz72o5Z4o0XfV3E5ojNIBKSdrsXJ_9zh4XydH1qhEuYcswaHr38rNjocg/s1600/IMG_7953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClVAHghnqKaaoyRwZJe7hhbJiWhcUofHFbWon4f2DNxh1X22wBAT6GXDcTLdinYn0T_4nS0N_qE8HYqDMadMz72o5Z4o0XfV3E5ojNIBKSdrsXJ_9zh4XydH1qhEuYcswaHr38rNjocg/s400/IMG_7953.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last month I had the incredible opportunity to go to Paris for a week! It all started in late November when I came across an amazing Black Friday deal that Icelandair was offering - round trip tickets from Denver to Paris for $335! I always see these deals and wonder how people can just "go" on a spur of the moment trip...but here I was thinking, "why not?!" You had to travel in January, which was a mere 6 weeks away, but thankfully my passport was still valid and good to go and I had a friend who wanted to join - so that's it, I was set!</div>
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The 6 weeks went by crazy fast and before I knew it the trip had arrived! It wasn't a long trip, but at 3 1/2 days (after travel time), we figured it was enough time to see all of the major sites in the city! And I wasn't wrong - yes it was a quick trip, but I feel very happy with everything we got to see and do in a short time. Weather also wasn't ideal - it rained every day but 1 (and that 1 day was super windy!), but with less than ideal weather comes less tourists, which made visiting all of the sites a breeze - we didn't have to wait in any lines which was awesome! So without further ado - pictures from this awesome trip!</div>
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Day 1 - Arrival / Louvre</h3>
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We got into Paris around 12pm on Monday. The original plan was to head to our Airbnb that we rented, and then walk down to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately it was raining pretty hard and at a 20 minute walk we weren't sure we wanted to endure the rain, so we decided to switch our plans and head to the Louvre instead. By the time we figured out the train system, got to our flat, and then walked to the Louvre, it was already after 3 - but that still left us with several hours to explore the museum which closed at 6. After the museum we walked around for awhile exploring before calling it a night.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musee du Louvre</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to get a picture of the Mona Lisa!</td></tr>
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Day 2 - Versailles & Eiffel Tower at Night</h3>
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We took the train out to Versailles for Day 2. I knew to plan for a full day at Versailles, and we weren't wrong - touring this place took forever (but in a good way). There's the main palace, the Grand Trianon, The Petit Trianon, plus all of the gardens and the Queen's Hamlet. To say it was extravagant would be an understatement! After our full day in Versailles, we took the train back but got off one stop early so we could see the Eiffel Tower at night before walking back and getting dinner.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Palace of Versailles</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out at the gardens.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hall of Mirrors</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Day 3 - Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, Notre Dame at Night</h3>
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Wednesday was the only day it wasn't supposed to rain so we spent it walking EVERYWHERE. We started the day off with some delicious crepes for breakfast before walking to the Eiffel Tower again - but this time to see it in the day and head to the top. After a leisurely stroll with a few detours to explore side streets, we finally made it to the Eiffel Tower! Much to my dismay, the very top was closed, so we could only go as far as the second story. The views were still excellent from here though - we decided to walk the stairs rather than take the elevator which was kind of fun. After leisurely exploring we had a nice lunch on the first level of the tower before heading back down and making our way to the Arc de Triomphe. Once we made it here we also walked the stairs to the top of this one as well which made for some more great views. After the Arc de Triomphe, we walked the Champs-Elysees back to the Louvre and then on towards Notre Dame, so we could see it lit up at night. This was our first time on the "ile de la cite" - the island in the Siene River which houses Notre Dame. After this we headed back to the Louvre again to see a few areas we missed on Day 1 (this was the day it was open late), before heading back to our flat for bread, cheese and wine for dinner.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairwell going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over the Ile de la Cite'</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notre dame at Night (everything here was so pretty at night!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well earned bread, cheese, and wine after a long day of walking!</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Day 4 - Notre Dame and Exploring<b><u><br /></u></b></h3>
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I was glad we had packed Day 3 pretty full because that left us with time to just explore and enjoy the city for our last full day. Our only "must" was the inside of Notre Dame and Musee D'Orsay - other than that, we could just explore and enjoy. We started the day off walking down to the Ile de la Cite again where we had breakfast at one of the cute cafe's we had seen the night before, before heading into Notre Dame to see the interior. After that we made our way over to Sainte Chappelle - which is famous for it's stained glass. Unfortunately we found out it was closed, so weren't able to go in, but instead found some cute little areas to walk around and enjoy. As we started looking for a lunch spot we ended up stumbling upon the Latin Quarter which was a really unique street with a ton of restaurants. After lunch we headed back down the Latin Quarter and found a few other unique and quirky places (such as the skinniest flat in Paris (the width of a door), before heading onto Musee' D'Orsay. We spent several hours in Musee D'Orsay checking out all of the great impressionist's before having dinner to end our last night in Paris!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris Love Locks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Notre Dame</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sainte Chapelle (famous for its Stained Glass, but the inside was unfortunately closed!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LZZgQUvYempc34wgDlEfp9oLTNnBBHYYMv489OI75xY9RLrph_1c23T8ic9QETJ1jt_OHLDE2E9w4bAi-AWSGTu3teGnQFK-2e-B-kbpqAqO9NqyhuEMGyKdMhsuksaukEQJYpBvyMc/s1600/IMG_7840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LZZgQUvYempc34wgDlEfp9oLTNnBBHYYMv489OI75xY9RLrph_1c23T8ic9QETJ1jt_OHLDE2E9w4bAi-AWSGTu3teGnQFK-2e-B-kbpqAqO9NqyhuEMGyKdMhsuksaukEQJYpBvyMc/s400/IMG_7840.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Point Zero - where all places in Paris are measured from.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1rBAwjBfvrxC93Nn1w95l-tUQW1a-ydwdIMiHFCTtSZyyR2bQTMFKWsxesUYxwpLm8sov-kS7IBAqBIREPbKTdLtacSwi44PsdZNDwdr2eTB6yCc4tx0TBJwmRfHviscQHFGLCP9VIA/s1600/IMG_7934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1rBAwjBfvrxC93Nn1w95l-tUQW1a-ydwdIMiHFCTtSZyyR2bQTMFKWsxesUYxwpLm8sov-kS7IBAqBIREPbKTdLtacSwi44PsdZNDwdr2eTB6yCc4tx0TBJwmRfHviscQHFGLCP9VIA/s640/IMG_7934.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Latin Quarter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWfrAzE9z-qBiqBmzdfP169aga3oTg70iKTfC_6jpXziddxpxmf9HUql46bxINo8fdNKhUfJD0i9uO1JQNNHeeVf1uphQJaw4UWd0kF1ttLSFdnm2JMBTNDA8LRWEOSe7iL7Ss4BsiCo/s1600/DSC_0921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWfrAzE9z-qBiqBmzdfP169aga3oTg70iKTfC_6jpXziddxpxmf9HUql46bxINo8fdNKhUfJD0i9uO1JQNNHeeVf1uphQJaw4UWd0kF1ttLSFdnm2JMBTNDA8LRWEOSe7iL7Ss4BsiCo/s640/DSC_0921.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musee D'Orsay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJL15_mW2Eop7IbXHXAnUZuhfkp2eChzw2BZ8XTm-nFtOsgrhp-TvZkCYJLBOwPFYtZwY9hJ96CXict2yoTRXNv3ceB7wMW6agYlJkByuKK-n-qUyhZabfkg-_yMOYh5Qm6EGH56Oukg/s1600/DSC_0932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJL15_mW2Eop7IbXHXAnUZuhfkp2eChzw2BZ8XTm-nFtOsgrhp-TvZkCYJLBOwPFYtZwY9hJ96CXict2yoTRXNv3ceB7wMW6agYlJkByuKK-n-qUyhZabfkg-_yMOYh5Qm6EGH56Oukg/s640/DSC_0932.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved seeing all of the Van Gogh and Monet pieces!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtktzN0vZyEu_-nOroV7YWFw8eBdQO0_bY42-MF1GZRObUj3fT-9-TEYXud5Vaihopb8nHxRL7lxMmuP3ABcoJwHZalKIpQlgTMXAmWqP77HWN16pDUw_AgrVqjCxarPg1lSU1wJ5ONA/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtktzN0vZyEu_-nOroV7YWFw8eBdQO0_bY42-MF1GZRObUj3fT-9-TEYXud5Vaihopb8nHxRL7lxMmuP3ABcoJwHZalKIpQlgTMXAmWqP77HWN16pDUw_AgrVqjCxarPg1lSU1wJ5ONA/s400/IMG_8030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macaroons & Wine to celebrate our last night in Paris!</td></tr>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-67386367981605925672018-02-03T14:18:00.001-07:002018-02-03T14:18:04.690-07:002017 RecapSo... I promise that I actually started this post in December, and then, I don't know, this thing called life happened, so here I am posting my 2017 recap in February of 2018... Could be worse I guess?!<br />
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I had a good chunk of it done and I like to recap on the year for my own records, so am finishing it up despite not much point several months late. The TL,DR version would be that I finished my first 100 miler! And the longer version is below... (and still not actually "that" long because, well... February??).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>JANUARY</b></div>
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I started off the year with a pretty awesome trip to Houston to run the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/01/the-houston-marathon-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Chevron Houston Marathon</a>. The race itself went kind of horrible (thanks to 75 degree temperatures with 95 percent humidity), but I had a blast meeting a bunch of my "online internet stranger friends" in real life!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTcamHcyZnGT-O8FnHrYC9UTqCgdwUOx_Q6qT0j27yLZoBRB_z96wg0aNpSzViI-Jd6Pa3WI2DaaHzXMEyhktCc052I0Ith4CZn0bJz_QsfXfGPN_NZ3vvdS5VDvn6I0fbYdQ-itnE8g/s1600/JANUARY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTcamHcyZnGT-O8FnHrYC9UTqCgdwUOx_Q6qT0j27yLZoBRB_z96wg0aNpSzViI-Jd6Pa3WI2DaaHzXMEyhktCc052I0Ith4CZn0bJz_QsfXfGPN_NZ3vvdS5VDvn6I0fbYdQ-itnE8g/s640/JANUARY.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>FEBRUARY</b></div>
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My winter months are typically fairly slower paced and February definitely reflected that. The one major highlight of the month was <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/02/course-sweeping-moabs-red-hot-race.html" target="_blank">running a good chunk of the Moab Red Hot 55K</a> course as the course "sweeper".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8uOJsqg-k3GW4kLlg3ztzzRtQXXXGvlnusrPb76VXTBBZvyrQKqjZecW88tExTyys8UD8I2y1SzMavC9eM0Mim8x_iDmW7NhL23E5IMhh_4oGihZw-CEuL20cYSVNpO9vq86XjQ_W9s/s1600/FEBRUARY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8uOJsqg-k3GW4kLlg3ztzzRtQXXXGvlnusrPb76VXTBBZvyrQKqjZecW88tExTyys8UD8I2y1SzMavC9eM0Mim8x_iDmW7NhL23E5IMhh_4oGihZw-CEuL20cYSVNpO9vq86XjQ_W9s/s640/FEBRUARY.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>MARCH</b></div>
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In March I ran <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/04/canyonlands-half-marathon-2017.html" target="_blank">Canyonlands Half Marathon</a> for another year, as well as started training for June's Revel Rockies Marathon.<br />
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<b>APRIL</b><br />
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I ran a new race in April - the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/05/amasa-trail-race-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Amasa 15.5 mile trail race</a> in Moab. It was a beautiful course and I had a blast exploring a new trail in Moab!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQU-jBQPfe7397ZyRxQwDXLlFsEU8ReV7R-bLLvmLmDE-36hY38Lm7M37SRI96Hy4gKBsh12sAW6CB8tLf6GUvgdGFzob3VPH9rlXRfkZ1RxhhWwN3LDdlRtcJcO38d6r9OBBzoYrnzw/s1600/APRIL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQU-jBQPfe7397ZyRxQwDXLlFsEU8ReV7R-bLLvmLmDE-36hY38Lm7M37SRI96Hy4gKBsh12sAW6CB8tLf6GUvgdGFzob3VPH9rlXRfkZ1RxhhWwN3LDdlRtcJcO38d6r9OBBzoYrnzw/s640/APRIL.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>MAY</b></div>
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While I usually end up with a jam packed May, this year was actually much more laid back (with June being my "crazy" month). My only race was the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/06/black-canyon-ascent-2017-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Black Canyon Ascent.</a> Then for memorial day weekend, Scott and I drove down to the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/06/southwest-colorado-road-trip-great-sand.html" target="_blank">Great Sand Dunes</a> for a long weekend.<br />
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<b>JUNE</b></div>
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As mentioned previously, June was a CRAZY month. It started off with the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/06/skirt-sports-13er-ambassador-retreat.html" target="_blank">Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat and 13er</a> (Half Marathon). This is always such a fun weekend meeting and connecting with all of the other ambassadors and I loved it. The very next week was my goal marathon for the year - <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/06/revel-rockies-marathon-2017-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Revel Rockies Marathon</a>. I trained pretty hard for this with a goal to hopefully PR. I ended up falling short by a mere 40 seconds, running a 3:42. I was a little bummed to miss the PR, but still happy to have my second fastest marathon time and my first sub-3:45 in 2 years.<br />
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Yet another weekend later I ended up spending the weekend in Frisco with some friends before running <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/07/mt-evans-ascent.html" target="_blank">Mt. Evan's Ascent</a>. This race was beautiful and so challenging - it definitely kicked my a$$, so I'll be back another year to redeem myself. The next weekend, Scott and I headed down to the Cimarrons for a great weekend of camping and enjoying our new Kayak and Paddle Board.<br />
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<b>JULY</b></div>
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July was another busy month starting with a Vegas girls trip the first weekend. A week later, Scott and I road tripped to Oklahoma to spend the week at Lake Tenkiller with my family. Another week later, I had the awesome opportunity to participate in the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/12/skirt-sports-fall-2017-photo-shoot.html" target="_blank">Skirt Sports Fall Photoshoot.</a> Then, at the end of the month I ran the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/08/grand-mesa-55k-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Grand Mesa 55K</a> - my first Ultra of the year. It is always tough mentally running my first ultra in awhile and this was no different. I struggled getting through the last 10 miles, but eventually finished and remembered what I love about ultras!<br />
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<b>AUGUST</b></div>
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I spent August enjoying as much mountain time as I could get in before summer ended. I spent one weekend in Estes Park enjoying some great trails and pacing the 2:20 group at the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon. This was my first pacing gig and I LOVED it, I definitely hope to do more pacing in the future!<br />
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My other major August adventure was running <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/10/four-pass-loop.html" target="_blank">Four Pass Loop</a> with some friends and IT. WAS. AMAZING. Seriously, this trail is one of the absolute best in Colorado and one of my major highlights of the year. If you did not see my blog post on it, definitely check it out.<br />
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<b>SEPTEMBER</b></div>
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September, September, September... what a crazy, awesome, incredible month. To start, Scott and I took a trip to Zion National Park for Labor Day weekend. The crowds in the main portion of the park were a little nuts (almost unbearably so), but, I scored us a lottery pass to hike The Subway. This is a hike that is restricted to people with permits (which you attain via a lottery), so the crowds are low, and it was seriously an epic hike. The next day we braved the crowds in the park and hiked to Observation Point. I loved this trip, but hope to go back during the off season to do Angels Landing and The Narrows.<br />
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The next big trip of September was meeting my mom and sister in Crested Butte to spend the weekend and run the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/crested-butte-55k-race-recap.html" target="_blank">Crested Butte 55K</a> by Mad Moose Events. This race was SO beautiful, definitely one of my favorites for the year.<br />
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And last, but most definitely not least in the month of September was <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/flagstaff-to-grand-canyon-stagecoach.html" target="_blank">MY FIRST 100 MILER!!!</a> In late August, about a month out from said 100 miler, I decided I wanted to attempt one again this year. I spent a lot of time trying to decide which one before finally just taking the plunge and picking The Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100. The second I hit "register" I had a big "oh $hit" moment.... what did I just do? I had only ran ONE ultra (at the time of registration) this year and it was only a 55K....and now I was about to embark on a 100 miler attempt!?! Thankfully it all went as planned and I FINISHED!!! Was it the hardest thing I've ever done (by a longshot)? Heck yes... but I did it! This was by far my #1 highlight of the year.<br />
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<b>OCTOBER</b></div>
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The rest of the year after the 100 miler really slowed down in terms of running. I decided to give myself a running break and only run what and if I wanted to. Highlights from October include taking a day trip to <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/10/san-juan-fall-2017.html" target="_blank">Ouray</a> to enjoy the fall color and Scott and I headed over to Denver for a weekend where we ran the Global Hope Apple Cider 10K and attended a friends wedding!<br />
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<b>NOVEMBER</b></div>
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November started off by running <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/12/rim-rock-run-2017.html" target="_blank">Rim Rock Half Marathon</a>. I had originally signed up for the full, but just wasn't feeling ready for that kind of distance after the 100 yet, so decided to drop to the half, which was perfect. I also volunteered at the Dead Horse Ultra in Moab.<br />
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<b>DECEMBER</b></div>
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I spent the first weekend in December in Moab running the <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/12/moab-winter-sun-10k-weekend.html" target="_blank">Winter Sun 10K</a> for the 5th year in a row. While we were there we also enjoyed some great hiking - I absolutely loved checking out Slickrock Trail!<br />
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So that was 2017! I usually keep track of all of my mileage for the year, but after the 100 I just fell off the wagon in terms of logging all of that... and I am 100% okay with that. It gets a little mundane logging every single mile and I know the break was good for me! I'm now feeling refreshed and ready to get back into racing!<br />
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My 2018 race schedule is still being decided (especially the latter half), but here's what it's looking like so far:<br />
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Antelope Canyon 55K, Page AZ - 2/24/18</div>
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Canyonlands Half Marathon, Moab UT - 3/17/18</div>
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Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon, Las Vegas NV - 4/28/18</div>
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Skirt Sports 13er, Louisville CO - 6/3/18</div>
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San Juan Solstice 50, Lake City CO - 6/23/18 (Waitlisted)</div>
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Grand Mesa Ultra, CO - 7/28/18</div>
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Crested Butte 105K, Crested Butte CO - 9/15/18</div>
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Late Fall and Winter TBD....</div>
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I am also excited to be representing the following companies as a 2018 ambassador for:<br />
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<a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a></div>
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(Save 15% with code 36Aver)</div>
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<a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/" target="_blank">Mad Moose Events</a></div>
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(Check out their running events in Utah and Colorado!)</div>
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<a href="https://www.balega.com/" target="_blank">Balega</a></div>
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<u><span style="color: #000120;"></span></u>(The best running socks on the market!)</div>
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KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-10536184763154556422017-12-22T14:59:00.003-07:002017-12-22T15:08:33.317-07:00Moab Winter Sun 10K Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Moab Winter Sun 10K has become my December tradition - it's a fun speedy course and a great way to end my racing year. 2017 marked Year #5 for me and I was excited to also make a weekend out of it this year, as opposed to just driving over for the day. December is also a fun time to be in Moab because the fall crowds have disappeared but the weather is still usually fairly nice.<br />
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I drove over on Saturday morning and we arrived into Moab with a nice amount of time to get our race packets and get ready for the 10am start. This was my first race since joining the <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/ambassadors" target="_blank">Moose Herd</a> - which is the <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/" target="_blank">Mad Moose Events</a> Ambassador Program, so I had to change into my new Mad Moose Jersey that I received that morning (Winter Sun 10K is now put on by Mad Moose Events).<br />
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As we got off the bus that took us to the start line, I was surprised at how warm it was! I did a quick warm-up, said hello to a few people and then it was time to line up at the start. In all honesty I wasn't sure how this was going to go this year. Ever since my 100, I've been spending my time without any structured training and some very low mileage weeks. This race is downhill and pretty speedy, so I was hoping I could still pull off a sub-50 minute 10K, but I knew it was going to be some work!<br />
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Mile 1 started off okay, but I could tell from the get-go that I had been taking time off from running, and specifically any form of speedwork. The first mile is mostly flat and I ran it in 7:53 but it wasn't easy... going sub-50:00 was going to be tougher than I thought. Mile two is where the downhill starts and I was able to pick up a little bit of speed, running this one in 7:47.<br />
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Right after Mile 2 is the biggest hill of the course - about 1/4 mile long and is always the hardest part of the race - but I always tell myself I just have to get over the hill and then it's smooth sailing downhill until the end. With the hill slowing me down, Mile 3 was an 8:29, but as expected, the nice gentle downhill began after that and I was able to pick up miles 4 and 5 running 7:46 and 7:45.<br />
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Right around Mile 5 you turn into a neighborhood and then onto a bike path until exiting near the Moab High School, where you run a short section across the grass (this is always though when you're tying to keep your speed up), and then onto the high school track for the last 400 meters. I always tell myself to pick it up on this section but my legs don't ever seem to want to listen... I finally finished in 48:38 - my second slowest time on this course, but still pretty good for me, especially given my lack of training lately!<br />
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<b>RACE STATS</b>:<br />
Race: Moab Winter Sun 10K<br />
Distance: 10K (6.2 Miles)<br />
Date: December 2, 2017<br />
Bib Number: 4<br />
Weather: Warm - 50's and sunny<br />
Official Time:48:38<br />
Average Pace: 7:50<br />
Overall Rank: 51 of 287<br />
Gender Rank: 20 of 194<br />
Age Division Rank (F25-29): 1 of 10 (this was a HUGE surprise!)<br />
Splits: 7:53, 7:47, 8:29, 7:46, 7:45, 7:53<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Age Group Award!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the Grand Junction runners!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZCzdro_pvvgYvNmhi6lNRS4N718XKrMYjO9-00cQtlu0gdRfNDZJviYDZQUHcie9fAF1zzTKRz9bUBPctix-F0D380ziCHRPt7EBF52rfHuxIyYC4ef9UKKuhjT6j6n6iZ9LPexEcho/s1600/24231785_1997375680509509_2697255354247588991_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="641" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZCzdro_pvvgYvNmhi6lNRS4N718XKrMYjO9-00cQtlu0gdRfNDZJviYDZQUHcie9fAF1zzTKRz9bUBPctix-F0D380ziCHRPt7EBF52rfHuxIyYC4ef9UKKuhjT6j6n6iZ9LPexEcho/s400/24231785_1997375680509509_2697255354247588991_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Rick Ahern</td></tr>
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After the race, we went and had lunch at Zak's (one of my favorite restaurants in Moab), and then went for a hike on Slickrock Trail. This trail is a well known mountain bike trail that I had never been on, and it was awesome! Right from the get-go you are on this vast expanse of slick rock with great views of the La Sal Mountains. We hiked about 3 miles just enjoying our incredible surroundings before heading back to our hotel.<br />
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The next day we enjoyed an incredible sunrise, went for a short run, and then made our way to Fisher Towers for a great final hike before heading back. This was my third time hiking Fisher Towers and it remains one of my absolute favorite hikes:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible Moab Sunrise from our hotel!</td></tr>
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So overall, this was a great weekend in Moab! I just love living so close to this incredible place - it makes for some AMAZING weekends. I'm also super excited to be a Mad Moose Ambassador this year because that means I'll be heading there more than usual, starting with their newest race,<a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/arches-ultra" target="_blank"> Arches Ultra</a> in January (I'll actually be volunteering at this one!), and then following it up with some road running for my 5th time running <a href="https://www.madmooseevents.com/canyonlands-half-marathon" target="_blank">Canyonlands Half Marathon</a> in March. If you want to enjoy some epic running in Moab, definitely check out their events!</div>
<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-65479758839152606142017-12-06T07:57:00.001-07:002017-12-06T08:08:08.958-07:00Skirt Sports Fall 2017 Photo Shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past summer I had the AWESOME privilege to participate in the <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> Fall 2017 photo shoot! If you have ever read my blog, I'm sure you've heard me rave about Skirt Sports. Not only do they have great clothing (I fell in love with them when I first started wearing their <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product/gym-girl-ultra-skirt/" target="_blank">Gym Girl Ultra</a> skirts back in 2014 - in addition to their clothes being super comfortable, they are also practical - what sold me was that they have leg pockets to carry your phone, so I no longer had to worry about how to bring it with me on a run), but what's even better, is that this company is founded on the idea to encourage ALL women of all sizes, ages, and abilities, in all walks of life, to lead a healthy and active life. They work hard to spread this message with their #REALwomenmove campaign! This is just so cool to me, because I know when I first started running, it was pretty intimidating! I truly feel that Skirt Sports does a great job providing a genuine, real, inclusive environment for anyone, whether they are just starting to get into fitness, have been an athlete their whole lives, or are even elite level (after all, the founder, <a href="http://nicoledeboom.com/" target="_blank">Nicole DeBoom</a> is a former Pro-Triathlete). Everyone I have met at Skirt Sports and within their ambassador program is so nice, it creates a real sense of community.<br />
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So, when I had an opportunity to participate in their photoshoot (because they always use "real", every day people for their models), I just knew I had to do it! The shoot was two days long with Day 1 in an urban setting in downtown Denver, and Day 2 in a mountain setting up in the mountains above Boulder. As is every event I go to with Skirt Sports, it was a ton of fun and I met some great new people in the process! Below are some of the fantastic photo's by photographer Kim Cook with some descriptions of their clothing.<br />
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And as always, if you want to try out <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">Skirt Sports</a> - you can use my ambassador discount code for 20% off: FALL20WIN (this code changes every so often, so feel free to reach out if it doesn't work so I can hook you up!). And please note that while I do receive some incentives for being an ambassador, I do not make any commission from "selling" their clothes. I truly just believe in the product and want to share my love for it! And if you want to be a part of this awesome community, the application for 2018 Ambassador's is currently open until December 20th - <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AMBSEARCH18" target="_blank">APPLY HERE</a>.<br />
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<b><u>DAY 1 Photo Shoot: Downtown Denver</u></b><br />
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As mentioned before, Day 1 was shot in downtown Denver. We mostly wore more of their warmer weather clothing - the <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/skirts/" target="_blank">skirts</a> (Gym Girl Ultra, Lioness, Jette, Hover, Happy Girl), <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/bottoms/capris/" target="_blank">Capris</a> (Pocketopia Capri, Lotta Breeze Capri, Hover Capri), and <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/tops/tanks/" target="_blank">Tank Tops</a> (Wondergirl Tank, Take Five Tank). We did mix in a little of their new <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/wonder-wool-collection/" target="_blank">Wonder Wool Collection</a> with the Wonder Wool Tee and Wonder Wool Long Sleeve.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoxYSOObzVgUI0F75qEE9nZl9qon3OZbVcDBdWgYJ40GsMQ3PjJDoHgJ5Fb0ZXinCBMyiMLKSQjxXuqf0sDNp8WSja4-M7IlNQU9mWItObLuhd5zuZpGz5ePo_rPugnv44Kd1eNvmR40/s1600/A74I1945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoxYSOObzVgUI0F75qEE9nZl9qon3OZbVcDBdWgYJ40GsMQ3PjJDoHgJ5Fb0ZXinCBMyiMLKSQjxXuqf0sDNp8WSja4-M7IlNQU9mWItObLuhd5zuZpGz5ePo_rPugnv44Kd1eNvmR40/s640/A74I1945.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you find my butt? ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still kind of suck at jumping shots, but that doesn't make them any less fun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHMIba7uG9H7tchf97p0Ol8Z_JaYT7IIDO2ZbITdvWkw8hjTUhL5ZE4H2TvE6-gqhBUL0zg3qvzR97zZGBSZmf4FLPxS41YsdLXq_absnEEzoMCQVr31pkX1i_k7uEYiy9otjN168ACU/s1600/A74I3643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHMIba7uG9H7tchf97p0Ol8Z_JaYT7IIDO2ZbITdvWkw8hjTUhL5ZE4H2TvE6-gqhBUL0zg3qvzR97zZGBSZmf4FLPxS41YsdLXq_absnEEzoMCQVr31pkX1i_k7uEYiy9otjN168ACU/s640/A74I3643.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their Happy Girl skirt (pictured) is their most popular selling skirt!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">DAY 2 Photo Shoot: Gold Hill, Colorado</span><br />
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Day two was shot in the mountains above Boulder - mostly in a small town I had never been to before - Gold Hill. We had a great time shooting more of the "winter" line of clothing with their <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/bottoms/tights-and-pants/" target="_blank">tights and pants</a> (triple pocket tight, wonder wool tight), <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/tops/long-sleeve-tops/" target="_blank">long sleeves</a> (tough chick top, wonder wool long sleeve), the <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-category/press-play-collection/" target="_blank">press play collection</a> (sanita's pant, dakota capri, and magnolia skirt) and their new, fabulous <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product/hangout-pants/" target="_blank">lounge collection</a> (hangout hoodie and hangout pants).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XIiTa97jfH304nglXclzW0fP3WJdphm1mumhBcW2H5m1BqnF8HBh3lipJxMiRDVXmPdD_30lNQWML8S4VwQNU-_GjuNQhP2AjfCpns1Uhzexhcwi132y-_00vpIhNKGlrSF0uqMCLVE/s1600/A74I5209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XIiTa97jfH304nglXclzW0fP3WJdphm1mumhBcW2H5m1BqnF8HBh3lipJxMiRDVXmPdD_30lNQWML8S4VwQNU-_GjuNQhP2AjfCpns1Uhzexhcwi132y-_00vpIhNKGlrSF0uqMCLVE/s640/A74I5209.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of my favorite shots!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just frolicking in the woods in my ever so soft Hangout Hoodie!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduTjmycZfhHh1vlBKK4ncb039u3hb7flVh4qAgz6GdZQYtb4XDZiYKSscDFeqFVM1qHJh8gdCcnve0v_Nhyphenhyphena3QE8D_FKI9S8vpoaGEC49_v9YVk7WXg3ifx1JqysdOD1_k2RoApyEnh0/s1600/A74I7710_preview.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduTjmycZfhHh1vlBKK4ncb039u3hb7flVh4qAgz6GdZQYtb4XDZiYKSscDFeqFVM1qHJh8gdCcnve0v_Nhyphenhyphena3QE8D_FKI9S8vpoaGEC49_v9YVk7WXg3ifx1JqysdOD1_k2RoApyEnh0/s640/A74I7710_preview.jpeg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sanita's Pant are my favorite hiking pants!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is their "Gotta Go" Collection...see why it's called that <a href="https://www.skirtsports.com/product-tag/gotta-go-styles/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That backdrop though...?!?</td></tr>
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Overall, I had a blast at this... and again, if you have any questions about Skirt Sports - be it their clothing, their ambassador program, or the awesome 13er/10K/5K women's only race they put on every June, please reach out!<br />
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-Kate<br />
<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-5617871009661147722017-12-01T11:10:00.000-07:002017-12-01T11:12:24.556-07:00Rim Rock Run 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rim Rock is my absolute favorite local race, so I was of course, in for another year. I had hoped to do the full marathon again, but recovery from my <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/flagstaff-to-grand-canyon-stagecoach.html" target="_blank">100</a> was taking a lot longer than I had anticipated so I decided about a week before to drop to the Half Marathon. Not only is the Half Marathon half the distance, but it also takes out the hardest part of the course (over 2000' of elevation gain), and instead gives you the easiest and BEST part of the race (2000' of elevation loss!). If you like downhill racing, this Half Marathon is seriously, for you. It's SO. MUCH. FUN. If you just like scenic road racing in general, either the half or full is also for you (the full is great - but it is really hard).<br />
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Last year was the first year they added the Half Marathon, and I think it was a great idea. I ran it in a super speedy (for me) 1:41:44 - which goes to show how fast this course is (I couldn't run this time on flat ground without months of dedicated speed work). As mentioned previously, I was still recovering from the 100, so I wasn't really sure how this would go. I had only done one run over 7 miles in the past 6 weeks. I personally LOVE downhill running, so I knew I would enjoy it and run fast (for me), but I also had a feeling I wouldn't be able to beat my time from last year... so I decided to just have fun with it and run fast but also to still enjoy it and take pictures. I love taking pictures on beautiful courses, and that was one thing I didn't do last year, so I figured, I might as well!<br />
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I headed to Fruita around 6:45 on Saturday Morning, making it in time for the short pre-race briefing before we all loaded up on the buses that took us to the start. They dropped us off at the Highland View pull out right around 8:00am, giving us just shy of an an hour before the start. At 9:00am we were off. I started out at a hard but sustainable pace, but right away started stopping for quick pictures. In fact, I took SO many that I'll mostly let those tell the rest of the race for me. The first 6 miles are downhill, but not too steep, with the occasional short uphill sections, as you make your way from the start line to the visitor's center.<br />
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Passing by the visitor's center marks the start of the steepest (and for me, most fun) section of the course. I would guess the gradient is about 4-6% and you can just fly down it. This accounts for Miles 6-10, and has a lot of switchbacks as well as the two tunnels which are super fun to go through, especially since it's the only day of the year that pedestrians are allowed through the tunnels.<br />
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Around mile 10 you exit the Colorado National Monument and have 3 miles to go along the highway shoulder as you make your way to downtown Fruita. I find the first mile of this doesn't bother me because you still have some steep downhill, but the last 2 miles can be tough mentally. The course flattens out and you're tired as you're finishing up your final miles. But nevertheless, you make your way to the I-70 over pass, run up and over it, turn the corner and finish in Circle Park! Since the scenery dissipates as you get into town, I put my phone away for these last miles and concentrated on making up some time I had lost for pictures, and finished in 1:45:54 - not too shabby considering the amount of photos I took!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Monument - the most well known rock formation in the Colorado National Monument.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race Photo - ignore my terrible running form ;) !</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning the steepest section of the course as you make your way down and out of the Monument!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the switchbacks and eventually onto Fruita!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering Tunnel #1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel #2</td></tr>
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<b>RACE STATS:</b><br />
Race: <a href="http://www.rimrockmarathon.com/index.html" target="_blank">Rim Rock Half Marathon</a><br />
Date: November 4, 2017<br />
Distance: Half Marathon / 13.1 Miles (although this course has run short the past 2 years, closer to 12.8)<br />
Weather: 50's (PERFECT)<br />
Official Time: 1:45:54<br />
Average Pace: 8:05/mile<br />
Overall Place: 63 of 358<br />
Gender Place: Unknown (I can't figure out a way to sort results)<br />
Division Place (F 29 & Under): Unknown<br />
Splits: Unknown - I ran without a watch again this year - and honestly, I kind of love it on this course!<br />
Swag: Race shirt, finisher's medal, pint glass with free beer, free photos<br />
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After the race I stuck around cheering on local friends finishing up while enjoying some free beer, and then went over to <a href="http://hottomatocafe.com/" target="_blank">Hot Tomato</a> for some post-race lunch (they have THE BEST pizza if you are ever in Fruita!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had a free photo booth after the race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finisher's Medal!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Race Beers with the Half Winner (in the dark blue jacket - he finished in 1:11 and change!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best way to top off this race is with Pizza at Hot Tomato!</td></tr>
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<br />KateRunsColoradohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10068571463662419920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059806854620403746.post-25512678447329905682017-10-11T19:49:00.002-06:002017-10-11T19:49:25.707-06:00San Juan Fall 2017Every year I try to dedicate at least one solid day to driving around a mountain destination soaking in the Fall Foliage and catching up on my photography hobby that I seem to abandon 75% of the year (I love it, it's just so hard to find the time for it with everything else going on! I really don't know how people have multiple hobbies! Working and running pretty much sum up my entire life).<br />
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Will all of the crazy things happening in September (like <a href="http://www.katerunscolorado.com/2017/09/flagstaff-to-grand-canyon-stagecoach.html" target="_blank">running a 100 miler</a>... did I mention that I did that?) I wasn't sure it was going to happen this year. I did end up with the weekend of September 30/October 1 available, but Scott was out of town and with my still-dead legs, and a gloomy forecast, I wasn't sure I was up for going out on my own... Which is why it was perfect when a friend posted about a fall photography meet-up in Ouray on Sunday, October 1. I immediately jumped on board and joined some great people for a beautiful, albeit a bit cold, fall day!<br />
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We started out with a meet up at Mouse's Chocolates for some coffee (of course I splurged on a delicious white chocolate mocha) before heading up Red Mountain Pass, stopping off at Crystal Lake, and then onto some jeep roads over to Yankee Girl Mine (this was<b> </b>really neat - I had only ever seen this famous mine from afar), and onto some more jeep roads before turning back due to snow. After we turned back, we ended up heading over to Last Dollar Road for the rest of the day which had some spectacular scenery. I'm not going to delve into many more details, other than to just post my favorite pictures below. Thank you to Suzy for driving us from Grand Junction for the day (and bringing the greatest smorgasbord for lunch) and Markus and Annette for letting us ride in your Jeep and showing us some really cool places (and check out some of Markus' great photography <a href="http://www.markvanmeter.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.)<br />
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