Reaching New Heights…

As I was running on the treadmill yesterday, I watched the documentary movie called Spirit of the Marathon. This film chronicles a handful of runners that are training for the Chicago Marathon. I love that race. It made me think of my very first marathon, which was Chicago, back in 1997. I recall passing by the mile 26 marker, then around the corner with the finish line in view, I started hyperventilating. Um, yeah, can’t really “sprint” in for the finish if I can’t breathe! I was just so….excited, overwhelmed, and so full of accomplishment and pride that I did it! As I calmed down enough to breathe, I crossed the finish line with my arms in the air in victory and a big smile plastered on my face with tears of happiness starting to flow. Yesterday, I ended up having a great 10 mile run on the treadmill, thinking about that amazing moment back in 1997, and how I will feel crossing the finish line on Day 6 of TransRockies, with Brian, my best friend and love, at my side. I suspect that I will channel those feelings from my first marathon...it is going to be epic and amazing!

So, what is the TransRockies Run? Well, it is quite a bump up from a single day marathon. It is a stage run that is held in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. There are six point-to-point stages of varying distances on each of the six days. Brian and I run the race together as a team. The race organizers feed us breakfast and dinner, with the race in between. At night, we'll be sleeping in race-provided tents. We will take showers via a shower truck, dry our wet shoes with provided shoe driers, even stay "connected" by having charging stations for our techie devices. Granted, there may be a few stages where having a cell phone won't matter much! Here is the breakdown of each stage:

Sunday, August 23 - Stage 1
Buena Vista to Railroad Bridge
Distance: 20.4 miles
Climbing: 2721 feet / Descending: -2398 feet
Min/Max Elevation: 7919/9329

Monday, August 24 - Stage 2
Vicksburg to Twin Lakes
Distance: 10 miles
Climbing: 3098 feet / Descending: -3570 feet
Min/Max Elevation: 9203/12538

Tuesday, August 25 - Stage 3
Leadville to Nova Guides at Camp Hale
Distance: 24.3 miles
Climbing: 2930 feet / Descending: -3833 feet
Min/Max Elevation: 9200/10945

Wednesday, August 26 - Stage 4
Nova Guides at Camp Hale to Red Cliff
Distance: 14.2 miles
Climbing: 3009 feet / Descending: -3580 feet
Min/Max Elevation: 8650/11668

Thursday, August 27 - Stage 5
Red Cliff to Vail
Distance: 23.4 miles
Climbing: 4407 feet / Descending: -4868 feet
Min/Max Elevation: 8191/11787

Friday, August 28 - Stage 6
Vail to Beaver Creek
Distance: 20.2 miles
Climbing: 4623 feet / Descending: -4718 feet
Min/Max: 7420/10512

Total Miles - 113.5

View Elevation Profile (PDF)

Gosh, I look at that elevation profile and I still can't believe that I'm about to run it! I've been training for this event since about mid-May. Unfortunately, after the Elgin Valley Fox Trot 10mi on Memorial Day, I started to feel quad pain. I went to a sports med doc and he diagnosed a mild quad strain. I believe it was from going down that nasty, steep downhill around mile 5 without using proper form. I had to modify my training by reducing my mileage and doing physical therapy for until July. Luckily I managed to run the long runs on the weekend, but we unfortunately had to avoid hilly trails because my quad could not handle too much downhill. Ugh, talk about demoralizing -- training for a mountain race and having to avoid hills during training!

So, training brought ups and downs. The quad injury was definitely a down moment, but I'm grateful that it was minor and I was able to continue to run. I witnessed my body being able to handle bigger weekly mileage -- 40 miles, 60 miles, topping out at 72 miles. Quite a bit more than my 20-30 average over the last 12 years!

I recall a "character-building" 17 mile run, long run #3 of the weekend, and just feeling completely burnt out early in the run. I was near tears, feeling sorry for myself and really hating every step, wishing the miles would go by faster. Thankfully Brian was there, patient and supportive, to get me out of that nasty rough patch. It wasn't pretty that day, but we got it done!

There were many more highlights. I ran most of the long runs with Brian, my awesome training partner. :-) Most of the runs flew by, especially my 27-mile run at Sunburn Six in the Stix, which was part of the penultimate weekend of TransRockies training. That day, long run #2 of 3 for the weekend, had only 20 miles on the schedule, but it was so much fun to run with other CHUGs that I ran until the six hours was up, earning a mileage PR! I felt so strong and really acknowledged the results of the last few months of training. I know that TransRockies will bring much more challenging terrain at much higher elevations than where I've been training here in Chicagoland, but we will finish!

Our bags are all packed now and we are leaving to go to Colorado tomorrow morning. The first week we'll be getting used to the altitude and relaxing near Colorado Springs, staying with Brian's sister and her family. I'm looking forward to spending time with them, getting to know them! Then, on Saturday, we'll be hopping on a shuttle for Buena Vista for the race start on the following morning.

After these last couple of weeks of much-needed and much-enjoyed taper :-), I am excited and nervous. With this race, I am reaching new heights both figuratively and quite literally! I am going to enjoy every moment, with Brian, as we experience this amazing adventure. I predict some hyperventilation, a healthy dose of tears, and some major smiles, hugs, and kisses when we cross that finish line on Day 6, August 28! Go Team New Leaf Ultra! :-)

If you'd like to follow our progress throughout the race, Brian will be carrying the SPOT device with him:

Track Team New Leaf Ultra via SPOT

2009 Running Goals

It's already March, but I think it's better late than never to make an official 2009 Goals blog posting. It also gives me a reason to actually post to my blog! After a fun time at the Milwaukee Marathon, I got a bit lazy in November, and even lazier in December. Luckily I bounced back a little in January, but this winter had really zapped my motivation, so I was still slacking on my training. As February started, being that it's a short month and still in the dead of winter, I decided to run every day of the month. In the nearly 13 years I've been running, I have never done a "running streak" before. I think I have only run about 5-6 days in a row, so this would definitely be a challenge. The rules were that I needed to run at least 2 miles each day and that if I ever felt any pain other than sore muscles that I would stop the streak, knowing that it's just plain dumb to get injured doing this when I have other, bigger goals this year!

I am happy to report that I was able to complete my 28-day February running streak and impressed with how my body held up. Yay!


It involved a lot of treadmill running (I have turned into a winter wimp), but also a fun week of trail running in Arizona. I liked that I dismissed any excuse I've had in the past and just RAN. After all, 2 miles -- 20 minutes -- is not that much of a commitment. I am so glad I did it!

Now it's time to resume a normal training schedule and incorporate more formal, quality workouts. I have the March Madness Half Marathon coming up in a couple of weeks. While I don't expect a PR, I now feel prepared for it. This month I'd like to just run consistently (not that hard now that I ran every day last month!), lose 5 lbs, and try for a new 8k PR at the Shamrock Shuffle at the end of the month. It will be crowded and I unfortunately don't have a seeded number in the first wave this year, but I am in "Corral D" of the second wave, so hopefully I will be able to maintain my goal pace. We'll see!

Here is what the rest of the year looks like so far:

May 25 - Elgin Valley Fox Trot 10 Mile
I just love this race. This will be the 7th time I've run it. It's too early to tell if I will be able to PR here. By then I will have started a new training schedule so this may just be more for training and fun purposes.

June 12-13 - Madison to Chicago Relay
It was such a fun race last year, I am sure this year will be as fun! Hopefully without massive downpours and tornado warnings. ;-) Last year I ran 10-11 mpm average. I am hoping this year to run 9-10 mpm.

July 9 - Bastille Day 5k
Maybe a 5k PR? This race is sponsored by my company -- I organize a corporate team. Hopefully the weather will be better than it was last year and that the course is marked properly (2007 was .2mi short and it would have been a PR for me).

August 23-28 - TransRockies Run
This is the BIG ONE of this year...it's the BIG ONE of my 13 years of running! It is a 6-day stage race -- running in the mountains anywhere from 12-25 miles each day, from Buena Vista, CO, to Beaver Creek, CO, for a total of 113 miles(!!!). Brian and I will be running this together as Team New Leaf Ultra. We start training in May. I am excited and a little terrified at the same time... :-) After running marathons almost every year for the last 12 years, now is as good of a time as any to up the ante a bit!

October 11 - Chicago Marathon
I should be recovered from TransRockies to run well at Chicago. Running Chicago is always a party (well, maybe not Heathathon 2007...), I figured, why not? After all the TransRockies training, maybe I'll PR!

There may be other races I decide to do, but that's all for now. Aside from that, I'll continue having a blast crewing Brian at his races this year, I just love the trail ultra scene. :-)

Here's to a fun 2009!