A Running Girl's Blog

Archive for the ‘all things work out related’ Category

Well, I did it… I finished the 2010 Pikes Peak Ascent (PPA), the final leg of the Triple Crown of Running.  My facebook status on Saturday after the race read:

I had some good moments, I threw up, I cried… I finished.

And really, that about sums it up.   My PPA race report in a nutshell.

the weather

Saturday was sunny and warm with no surprises!   I had heard the stories, particularly of the 2008 race, enough times to be anxious about what might happen on the mountain but as far as the weather went, this weekend, I lucked out.   I know some runners would have preferred cooler weather, not so much heat  - but I was happy . I didn’t carry much with me – a pair of gloves pinned to my fuel belt that I never used and some sleeves that I used off and on above tree line.    So after a week of compulsive weather.com visits, I breathed a sigh of relief heading out to Manitou in the morning.

pre –race

Nerves… I was full of nerves glancing out the window at Pikes Peak during the ride to the start.  My brother –in-law dropped me, Mark and Joe off near the start at Memorial Park just as wave 1 runners were getting ready to begin their journey up the Peak.   So with a half hour to go before our wave 2 start and the quickest gear check that I have ever experienced, I spent my time pee and re-peeing.  Yes, I went, got back in line, went again until it was only 6 minutes to start.  nerves.

start

Like most races, after the gun went off and I began my run, the nerves started to disappear.  I felt pretty strong running to Ruxton and up the hill… things were looking good and I was upbeat as I finished the paved portion of the race and entered the trail.

I felt great for the next 2 hours and 20 minutes… really great!  I shuffled my way up the Ws feeling strong, picking up my pace on the ‘flatter’ sections and made it to Barr Camp about 5 minutes ahead of schedule. I had written down some splits on my arm for a 4:45 Ascent – it was a reach but I thought do-able.  I was feeling particularly good about my goal with the 5 minutes to bank for the 2^nd half of the race!

Barr Camp to A-Frame

I started this section feeling strong and optimistic.   Unfortunately, this elation lasted for only about 30 more minutes before some major nausea set in.  I was fueling with tried and tested Gu gels but something wasn’t settling well with me.    I eventually gave in and tossed my cookies  (well, my gels) about a mile after Barr Camp.  The nausea came and went after this point but I only lost it like that once.   I started to slow down – I slowly made my way through the remaining 1.6 miles to A-Frame and realized I had lost my 5 minute gain plus another 5 minutes – and I wasn’t feeling so strong or optimistic anymore.  I kept my water bottles filled – one Gatorade, one water and kept hydrated but I wasn’t able to eat any significant calories after this point.

A-Frame to Summit

What can I say?  I was starting to hurt – my legs were heavy, my back was killing me and I was feeling beat down.  As I trudged my way toward the summit, I could hear the announcer at the top, cheering in the finishers.  I still had over an hour to go – the first threat of tears started.  I sucked it up, willed myself to hold it together.  Every time I stumbled (which happened quite a few times), the tears would start again – but I finally pulled it together at the Cirque (1.5 mile to go) aid station.  I am very glad that I had completed a full Ascent during training because there were too many times during these last three miles where I questioned whether or not I could finish the race.  As much as I was hurting, I kept moving… slowly.  Many other runners had pulled off onto rocks – sitting down.   I managed to eat a few grapes at Cirque and focused on conquering the next mile and half – counting off each tenth of a mile on my Garmin.   Finally I saw the 16 Golden Stairs sign – and I felt I was going to make it.   With the finish in sight – I heard my friends Julie and Kathleen cheering me on.   Fellow springs runner, Jim took my picture, capturing a surprisingly upbeat snap of me.

closing in on the finish

with the end in sight

Finish

I crossed the finish line, got my medal and then I saw my husband and I let it go – flood gates opened for a moment and I just cried.   I dried my eyes and turned to Julie and the first thing I said was “I am never doing that again.”     5:14:59 – I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with my time.  Maybe my 4:45 goal was a bit of a reach, but I honestly thought I had a good shot for under 5 hours.   The second half of the race just didn’t go my way this year.   It’s ok  – I am ok about it now…the Ascent is the hardest thing that I have ever done and I simply didn’t have any more to give on Saturday.

A big congratulations to both Joe and Mark who finished in 4:11:18 and 4:12:36 respectively – both of them qualifying for wave 1 next year if they choose to run again!

just barely holding it together

tears

my wonderful friends Julie and Kathleen at the top

Mark and me @ the top

Next year?

I guess I am ready to start thinking about next year despite my initial post race denials.  I don’t know if I will do it but I can at least think about it now.   Even more than the pain experience, I need to think about whether I want to spend another summer training for such a unique race.   Ascent training can be logistically difficult because it is ideal to train on the mountain – but you gotta get there, get up the mountain and figure out how to get down … not as easy as running out the front door of your house for a long run.  Anyway, we’ll see.  For now I am satisfied.  I did it.  Every once in a while I look out my window at the mountain in awe and wonder… humbled.  I don’t think I will look at Pikes Peak in quite the same way ever again.

It’s all down to the last week. One week.  Taper week.   The last few weeks and months of training will have to be enough.  It’s time to shorten the runs and take it a bit easier. A recent message from the Incline Club advised that now is not the time to push it…  including the simple summation: “the hay is in the barn.”

One more day on the Peak and then I will spend the next week anxious, nervous, and excited.  Of course I will look back at the past few weeks and second-guess some of the training days.  Should I have spent more time on the trail, skipping some of the road runs?  I know I should’ve spent more time on the Incline.  I will repeatedly check the extended weather forecast…plan and re-plan my clothing strategy.

Pikes Peak has humbled me.  I have shelved my original goals.   My prediction time of 4:30 is unlikely. .. even as I’ve felt stronger with each run on the Peak, I’ve modified my goals while tackling various portions of the trail:  4:30 went to 4:45 during a particularly painful jaunt from Barr Camp to A-Frame.  4:45 to just under 5:00 was my next concession during the last 2 miles of my first (and only) full training Ascent.  And finally, last week, running top down from the summit, I concluded that I just hope that I can have a solid performance and feel strong on my first attempt at the Pikes Peak Ascent.

Update: current weather forecast for next Saturday – sunny and warm!  I will be checking summit conditions daily!

another run, not so perfect day.. but in all, we've been lucky. I know things can and have been worse. much worse.

I’ve made the journey halfway up to the Pikes Peak summit a few times now, including last week’s Barr Trail Mountain Race.   This weekend I wanted to see what is in store for me after the halfway point (Barr Camp) to the summit of Pikes Peak when I run the Pikes Peak Ascent on August 21st.

I’ve been having some minor pains and some nagging intense foot pain since last week, so I wanted to avoid coming back down after running up to the peak.   It wasn’t a cheap option, but Mark and I decided to take the Cog Railway (Manitou Springs) up to Mt. View which is about 1.5 miles from Barr Camp, go up to the summit and take the cog back down. .. ends up about 7.5 miles overall.

The mile and a half to Barr from the Mt. View drop off was lovely.. gentle hills, nice trail.  We were the only two people on it though and I am glad we didn’t run into any wildlife!

We had to wait a while at the top – our train was scheduled to leave at 2 pm and we reached the peak at around 11:30.  So Mark and I split a soy nut butter and jelly sandwich that we’d packed and took some pretty pictures from the top:

Cog back down...

So yes – now I know what to expect for the second half of the Ascent…

When my alarm went off this morning, it was cool and dark outside.  My bed was warm and cozy.  As I struggled against hitting the snooze button, dragging my tired body out of bed and through my early morning, pre-run routine,  I thought of this quote from Nike… I thought I would post it for anyone else who might be in need of some motivation  - particularly on this cloudy Colorado day.

“You pretended the snooze button didn’t exist. You dragged your butt out of bed while others slept. While others ate their pancakes you had a feast of protein, glucose and electrolytes. You double-knotted.  You left the porch light on and locked the door behind you.  You ran 5Ks, 10Ks, 26.2 miles.  Some days more, some days less.  You rewarded a long run with a short run.  And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow you.  Sun tried to microwave you.  Snow made you feel like a warrior.  You cramped.  You bonked. You paid no mind to comfort. On weekends.  On holidays.  You made excuses to keep going. Questioned yourself. Played mind games.  Put your heart before your knees.  Listened to your breathing.  Sweat sunscreen into your eyes.  Worked on your farmer’s tan. You hit the wall. You went through it. You decided to be man about it.  You decided to be woman about it.  Finished what you started.  Proved what you were made of.  Just kept putting mile after mile on your interval odometer… and we ran with you. How much farther will we go?  As far as you will.”  - - Nike

so it’s not Socrates or  Confucius, but I’ll admit that I find the Nike advertisements to be pretty inspirational.

The Colfax Half Marathon is behind us and this weekend we began our focus on Triple Crown/Ascent training with a rather challenging run this morning.   The 10.5 mile mountain run was as mentally challenging for me as it was physically.  We met some runners that my friend, Julie knows through a local running group around 7:00 a.m. at Soda Springs.

click on the pic for the full map. we ran Soda Springs Park up Ute Pass Trail, Longs Ranch Road and finally down Barr Trail back to Soda Springs

We started up Ruxton Avenue which connected to the trail adjacent to the Incline.  Almost immediately after the first little climb on the trail, I could feel the back of my legs, from the Achilles up through my calves tightening up.  This cramp/pain stayed with me for the rest of the run…guess that is my clue to work on strengthening some of my lesser used muscles.  The next 2-3 miles were a steady run/walk combo (esp. the steeper areas).  Then the real climb began and I slowed down quite a bit.  Julie, fellow running peep Sam and a runner I met today, Regina were running strong.  I was slower and I made my husband slow his pace to stay in sight because I was scared of creatures particularly in the area called Rattlesnake Gulch.  After the longest 6 miles of my life, we finally hit a peak at 9187 ft elevation.  I am not going to lie, the last couple of steep stretches of trail almost had me in tears and I was so happy when we headed back down Barr Trail.  Soon we were on familiar territory as the latter part of the trail is our regular way down after the Incline.

Mark, me, Julie and Sam

Mark on the mountain

The weather was overall very nice, it got a bit hot and I ran out of water/Gatorade by the time we reached our peak.  I am glad we started relatively early in the morning when it wasn’t as warm. The 2 – 6 oz bottles that I have on my fuel belt work great for cooler weather and shorter runs, but I think I need to carry more in the future.  On the way down, I was taking hits off of my husband’s Camel Back.  It was also crazy windy today – a couple of gusts were powerful enough to cause me to loose my footing.

Ok – today was really tough but I am keeping a positive attitude.  It is intimidating to think about the 13.34 journey up Pikes Peak especially after today’s run.  I was hurting, but then again, I hung in there.  This was my first real challenging mountain run on the TCR training journey and I survived, I will get stronger… right??

Run done, we made a quick stop at 7-11 for some hydration and a lotto ticket (will let you know ) and then headed over to Colorado Running Company pick up our race packets for tomorrow’s Reach Your Peak 4 Mile Run/Walk.  I am happy to support the Junior League and plan to take tomorrow as an easy recovery run.

Yesterday’s Colfax Half Marathon was my first race of 2010.  It was a relatively last minute decision – my running peeps were all running it and I wanted to play, so I signed up Mark and myself last week.

We drove up to Denver on Saturday and hit the expo to pick up our packets (quite small compared to the Rock n’ Roll expos), and headed over to meet everyone at Tokyo Joes for dinner.   Love the Boulder Veggie bowl and I wish we had a local restaurant here in the Springs!

Weather conditions were perfect – after a week of rain and snow (yes snow), we woke up to relatively warm temps, and sunny, blue skies.  We arrived to the start, hit the port -o-potties and got in line to start the race… we were pretty much at the end of the line so navigating slower runners/walkers after the start took quite some time.   I think it wasn’t until after mile 2 that it cleared up and I could focus on just running.

Once we got through the crowd, I ran in my typical style – the exact opposite of the elusive negative split – keeping a pace between 8:00-8:30 for the next several miles in an effort to keep up with my hubby until I could no longer see him in the crowd.   I stopped at one aid station sometime before the turnaround (mile 7) and grabbed a Gatorade which was way too concentrated.  I gulped down the entire cup and felt a bit queasy for the next two miles.  It was around this time that I was starting to slow down as well…once the nausea passed around mile 9, I was wishing I had a gel or something – my energy was pretty low and I was giving myself the pep talk: “it’s only 4 more miles,”, “just 36 minutes, a half hour” – that sort of thing.  I had to keep talking to myself because I really felt like stopping at this point.     I grabbed a water from a generous spectator who was handing out little bottles and paced myself with a runner who was running just under a 9 minute mile.  I lost him a couple of miles later as he gained speed and I continued to chug along.    My last three miles were slow,  mile 11 in particular, but I managed to rally after 12 –  I finished strong for a final time of 1:55:51… not a PR race but felt like I ran one – it was tough…and I am feeling a bit creaky today.

It was hard but I am glad I jumped in and started my races for the year.  Next up:  Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day!

results

race picture

I am not always good at trying new things.  I often fall into a routine (or rut some might say) and stick to it.  Until today I have completed all my speed /interval workouts on the treadmill.   In fact, it’s the one workout where I find the treadmill to be quite handy.  My regular MO includes quarter-mile intervals at 5K or better speed, quarter-mile jog in between – 6-10 X 400 depending on the week.  Sometime last summer, I realized I needed to add interval training to my training, I did some googling, found this speed routine in a half marathon training plan and added it to my regular schedule.  And with that, the speed work box was checked off my training list.  I do mix it up sometimes – run .50 mi intervals or employ the fartlek approach during an easy run. 

Today I joined my running peeps for a track work out.  I am not gonna lie – I went into this venture feeling pretty intimidated.  I am not particularly fast.  In fact, often my 5K pace is not that much faster than my half marathon pace…(I guess my check-box speed work outs aren’t really the most effective ones).

today’s workout:

1 mile warm up run to the track

1 mile at 5K pace

1 lap jog

2 x800 m with a 1 lap jog in between

3 x 400 m with a half lap jog in between

1.5 mile cool down

total: 6.58 @ 58:52 total time

I assumed a few things:  running on a track would be tedious and consequently, I would be slower.  Running on a treadmill is easier so my pace would be slower.  This morning, I was pleasantly surprised.  I didn’t effectively track laps on my Garmin, so my times aren’t exact but I completed the mile at about an 8 minute pace and kept the subsequent intervals at least as fast as my treadmill pace (8.0 -8.5 or a 7-7:30 minute mile pace).  Running the track was way less tedious than the treadmill.  And I was fortunate to have the company some great ladies – fast runners that kept me motivated to keep up the pace.   I am looking forward to hitting the track again – working outside of the [check] box is good for me.  I’ve also been running more hills (at least not avoiding them) and I recently broke in a pair of new trail shoes… all part of this summer’s Triple Crown/Ascent journey…

A couple of weeks ago, I came down with a basic cold: runny nose, slightly sore throat… run down but not so much that I wanted to skip my run.  As a runner, these in-between or slight illnesses are so much harder navigate than the full blown flu.  So I did what I do when making most decisions:  I googled it.    I think I typed in “running with a cold” or some variation and was rewarded with numerous hits included many forums filled testimonies from hardcore runners claiming they will run though anything – a cold, flu whatever.  The forums were making me feel somewhat lame for even considering skipping my run, so I moved on and found several sites documenting the “neck check” rule:

“According to Women’s Running magazine, when in doubt, follow the “neck-up rule.” If your symptoms are most felt from the neck up, such as nasal congestion, headaches, sneezing, or a runny nose, and your energy levels are good, then it’s perfectly fine to do a moderate workout. On the other hand, if your symptoms are below the neck, and include achiness, chest congestion, or nausea, skip the workout. Definitely forgo the sweat session if you have a fever.”

(Resource: www.fitsugar.com:  “Too Sick to Exercise?  “Neck up Rule”)

At this point, I stopped googling and took a quick assessment.  I seemed to fit the neck up rule I told myself.  The problem is that I ignored certain words – in particular the word “moderate.”   Clearly moderate will vary from person to person but for me a 10-miler at pace on a particular wintery day was not moderate.   So while my cold seemed to be sticking with me, I stuck with my regular routine (adding tissues and cough drops to my fuel arsenal).  Until I woke up one morning, 4 days after my original symptoms began with new ones – this time neck down symptoms including chest congestion and a fever.  Long story short, I worked myself into a sinus infection, chest cold and 3 days of no workouts followed by a week of indoor workouts.  Just this week I was able to lace up and get back outside.

As a runner, I don’t like to skip my regular work outs.  But by ignoring some sound advice, I ended up forced out of my regular routine for a lot longer than if I’d listened to my original symptoms.  Using my 20/20 hindsight, I should’ve cut back on miles, slowed down my pace – moderated my workouts – lesson learned.  I am just glad to be back at it!!

People sometimes die during long distances races – marathons, half marathons.  It’s sad and scary.  It makes headlines – validate the decision of non-runners not to run and makes runners take pause.  I used to assume that these poor runners had underlying problems that put them at risk.  But recently it seems like there have been more sudden deaths among otherwise healthy and young runners.  These runners are in the headlines more and more… or I’ve become hyper-aware since joining the long distance running crowd – either way, the news certainly does give me (and all runners) something to ponder.

A recent review by the IMMDA (International Marathon Medical Directors) indicates there might be a culprit in our morning drinks, sports gels and energy beverages:  caffeine.

The cases include the following:

• A 33-year-old male running a half-marathon dropped at the 12-mile mark, at 3:10 into his race. The morning of the race, he had drunk two energy drinks and a Starbucks Grande coffee, and used two caffeinated gels. Cardiac catherization revealed a small lesion (less than 20%) but otherwise clean coronaries.

• A 42-year-old woman running a marathon dropped at the 24.5-mile mark, 4:10 into her run. She had drunk two large coffees and had three caffeinated gels. Her cardiac cath also showed clean coronaries.

• A 26-year-old male also running a marathon dropped at the 25.5-mile mark, 3:25 into his run. He had taken two caffeine pills plus coffee the morning of his race, and also had clean arteries on cardiac cath.

(source: Please Limit Caffeine on Race Morning!, Runner’s World, Ask the Running Doctor blog)

Interviewing and examining the habits of otherwise healthy runners who’ve collapsed and been successfully revived, seems to point to a trend in excessive caffeine consumption in many cases.  The current recommendation according to the Runner’s World article is no more than 200 mg of caffeine if you’re headed out for a long run or a race.  200 mg is about 2 cups of coffee.  I know energy gels, chews etc… give the caffeine amount right on the package because those are the ones I normally go for. …I have read the studies lauding the benefits of caffeine for performance athletes and have a typical Pavlovian runner’s reaction – reaching for the caffeinated gel or chew when I am refueling.

While this is not an official research study, (the IMMDA is planning one), I still took a few minutes to examine my caffeine habits.  I usually have a cup of coffee in the morning.  That is about it.  Unless I am running a long distance or racing, in which case I grab the above mentioned caffeinated gel(s) (Clif Shot products are vegan depending on flavor)… each contain about 25 mg of caffeine. So it seems that I usually stay well under 200 mg.  However, I can see how one could easily exceed this amount.   The Running Doctor asked runners to get the word out, so I am.  I am also going to add caffeine free fuel to my long run routines – better safe than sorry.

I often feel like if I can run here in Colorado, I can run almost anywhere.  Now I am sure there are folks in places like say Alaska or North Dakota laughing at me right now … but Colorado offers some challenging elements.   For one thing, we are running at 6200 feet above sea level.  The Bolder Boulder race says it best with their “Sea Level is for Sissies” gear.   So naturally, traveling to a lower altitude immediately turns you into a super hero runner.  

Colorado is cold.  I know we boast something like 300+ days of sun but when it is 15 degrees outside with some unfathomable wind chill, it’s just cold!  Now granted most days aren’t that cold but temps in the 30s are common during the winter.  Most of us have an array of gloves, hats, jackets, vests, pants in our winter running arsenal.  There is nothing like chilly sweat icicles or trying to suck water out of a frozen water bottle …

And about that sun – it can be intense at this altitude.  I always slather on the SPF 50+ , dependent on that UVA and UVB protection, trying in vain not to end up looking like a sun weather, high altitude Coloradoan runner – you’ve all seen them, you know what I am talking about.

Snow is another fun one.  Just start training for a marathon and it will suddenly start snowing every single weekend.   I am not lying.  This happened to me last spring when I was training for the Colorado Marathon.  I ran many long runs while it was snowing, on snow packed trails/roads, over snow drifts – you know, snow.  I have since made peace with the snow – at least the snow that comes in peace and not with my #1 nemesis – the wind.  

In my opinion, the wind is the worst weather enemy for a runner.  There have been a few particularly windy when I’ve really questioned my sanity.   The feeling of being forced back while trying to move forward, gasping to catch your breath during a particularly powerful gust running backwards for a moment of relief… I hate it.  

Of course there are other elements we enjoy as well including icy roads and magnificent thunder/lightening and hail storms – these are the ones that definitely keep me indoors.  The rest of the elements I battle as the mood strikes – more often taking the challenge but also relying on the treadmill when my weather battling mojo is low.