Miracles Happen

The Silver Rush 50 mountain bike was an explosion of awesome. Gorgeous scenery in every direction, and explosion of wildflowers and flowing streams. Maybe the week I spent off my ankle recuperating made me appreciate the outdoor beauty all the more. I found the mountains breath taking, could also have been the altitude. My ankle held up and I crossed the finish line in race 2 of the 5 race Leadman series.  I had such an amazing day out there. The night before the race the universe sent me a message on my tea bag. It said 'when the mind is backed by will, miracles happen'. It was a miraculous day:)

Thanks to everyone who got me to the start and finish lines. Believe in miracles:)

Trust and Fall Back

You know that team building game where you stand with your arms crossed and your eyes closed and fall backwards? The one where you are suppose to trust that the people standing below you will attempt to catch you and are strong enough to not drop you. I'm playing that game this Saturday when I line up for the Silver Rush 50 mile mountain bike. My ankle is improving, I can walk without a limp, the swelling has come down and with a bit of tape I have pedaled a bike. I loosened the cleat so that I can easily unclip on that side. (note to self, try substituting a few choice words for that F one now so you don't get disqualified when they hear you cursing on course). Saturday morning I will close my eyes, cross my arms and trust that the fitness I am falling back on will catch me and carry me to the finish line in under the 8 hour cutoff. 

"All the world is made of faith, and trust and pixie dust."- Peter Pan

This little piggy went to market, yes I realize that putting polish on this foot is about equivalent to applying lipstick to a pig- but my mother was appalled by the condition of my toenails. 

Bring on the pixie dust!

We Are Family

One of the greatest things about my experience in 2010 riding the LT 100 was all the fantastic like minded people that I met. I was sure that if I came back and did the ride I would be disappointed after such an amazing experience. Well, magnify that by 282.4 (the number of miles I need to cover to be a Leadwoman). The fellow Leadman competitors that I have had the privilege to meet and get to spend time with are all great people. 

We have only done one race so far but the camaraderie out on the course was immeasurable.  Sure we are all here for ourselves and our own goals but we all want each other to be successful as well. Everyone out there is there for a personal reason but that doesn't mean that we have forgotten how to by caring empathetic human beings. During the marathon I was relieved to see and hear that each of my Leadman friends were doing well. I wasn't able to rest easy until we were all across the finish line safe and sound. 

There are lots of athletes around but the Leadmen are a special group. We don't just get to run or bike, we are doing both. We need the fitness to do the 100 miles on a bike and turn around one week later and do 100 miles on the run. Our training is different than a single sport athlete. Things we do seem crazy to even people who are crazy enough to run 100 miles above 10,000ft. It is great when we can coordinate some group training and I have been fortunate to do it several times.

First trip up Hope Pass with Fellow Leadmen Chris and Swamp

Night run after the marathon with Pitbull and Swamp

Hammer fest on the 100 course with Catherine and Pitbull

There isn't much time for socializing and just hanging out when you are training for Leadman (unless you are Co Scotsman who does the majority of his training in the coffee shop) so most of our socializing is done on the trail. 

"You discover more about a person in a hour of play than in a year of conversation'. 

On Saturday while I was out training on the 100 mile run course, this happened to my ankle

 Not exactly what you want your ankle to look like a week out from a 50 mile Mt bike race. Peoples actions speak volumes above words. Yesterday I had 5 different Leadman competitors drop by to help me with walking the dog, visiting me, brining me ankle braces, dropping off ibuprofen, offering to get groceries for me, providing me words of wisdom and just checking up on me and keeping me company while I convalesced. I feel very blessed to be part of this group of people. We are not competitors we are family and although we all have individual goals, we are all in this together. Thanks for being in my Leadman family to Chris, Andy, Catherine, Willie and Stephen. I hope our family keeps growing and on August 18th we are having a big family reunion at the finish line! 

Braxton Hicks Marathon

The Leadville Trail marathon was the first race of five in the journey to becoming a Leadwoman. It was a spectacular course with amazing scenery. Everything looks sharper when you have limited oxygen reaching your brain. With the stunning views came lots of climbing and descending. I didn't take a camera with me so I don't have pictures of the actual day. I was cruising along enjoying myself. Around mile 20 Mother Nature had enough of my moseying and decided to cattle prod me. I was on an exposed single track on top of a mountain when lightening struck. I heeded the warning and sprinted off the mountain. Prior to actually going into labor women begin to experience practice contractions. This race was my Braxton Hicks marathon. The real work is still to come and I am no where near ready to push yet. One down, four to go.

on race course prior to race, this is close to the lightening strike location

so many wildflowers on the course

The Labor Begins

Tomorrow it all begins. The first race in the series that will make me a Leadwoman. Lots of people have been asking for my plan. Truthfully, I think having a plan right now is about as useful as most womens birth plans. The  races will unfold as they unfold and I will have to adapt. Not saying that I am winging it and haven't been to any prenatal classes or anything. No, I know what I want to happen but in reality I just want to have a healthy happy Leadwoman at the end of all of this. That is the main objective and whatever it takes to get there I am willing to do. 

The excitement is building, the anticipation of what is to come in the next seven weeks. I know it is going to be painful, but before I have experienced it, I really don't know how painful. I know that there are no epidurals available to aid in delivering me to the final finish line. Therefore, I have spent the last months becoming comfortable with uncomfortable. I am going to be gasping for air, my legs and lungs are going to be burning, that is a given. How I am able to deal with it is the unknown. 

Yes tomorrow it officially begins but I have been in gestation since last August when I decided to embark on the adventure. Even though the marathon is just the first of 5 races, I am going to be celebrating getting to the start line healthy and happy. Still loving the training and preparation. It is a gorgeous course and I plan to soak up the scenery and fill my well with happiness all day. I need that well to be overflowing come the big races in August.

sometime tomorrow I'll be on my way up that road to the top of Mosquito pass and the turn around point. 

there was another new beginning recently up on the marathon course

view from the course

Squat Messenger

I have been doing a fair bit of my training alone on the trails. I have maps, I tell someone where I am going and when I will be done. Still, people worried about me. The Todd being on the injured reserve list felt that I would benefit from use of his Spot Messenger in case I need to be rescued. Little does he know (well, he'll know now) I have a built in system to bring someone onto the trail with me. I have been having trouble getting the Spot to send messages when I want it to, but my Squat system works perfectly every time.

Squat system you say, how do I get myself one? Well, they don't have it at REI! Let me give you an example of how it works. I am riding along the trail. Haven't seen a soul all day. I have the increasing urge to pee. I stop the bike. Hang my pack and clothes off the bike that is leaned up on a tree. I usually ride in bib shorts so this means taking off my jersey and my outer layers. I then proceed off the trail into the bushes. Sure enough, I pull down the shorts and am mid stream when someone appears. The first time my Squat tracker worked I heard a truck approaching. I hadn't seen anyone in hours and now a truck is coming up the dirt road. Of course, I can't stop now, I've been holding it too long already. The truck slows when it sees my trail side garage sale going on. The driver looks over to me and it is none less than the founder of the Leadville Races Ken Chlouber. I give a casual wave from my squat position and he moves on. 

This is not a one time phenomenon, it has happened repeatedly. I'll check to make sure there is no one in sight. Haven't seen anyone in ages. Seems safe to go, so I proceed to commence the routine. Sure enough, I met my new friend and fellow Leadman Andy( http://bdtu.blogspot.com/ )right after I pulled up my shorts. He came running around the corner. Yesterday, I was out on a long run. Hadn't seen a soul on the trail all day. Had to pee, thought to myself just before I did the deed, 'well the lonely streak is about to end'. Was walking along the trail pulling up my shorts, rearranging my drawstring and once again the Squat messenger worked perfectly, a husband and wife came around the corner. They might have wondered why I was giggling. I know that even though I can't always get the Spot messenger to work the old fashioned technology of the Squat messenger is fool proof:)

Hoka One One

My first impression of the Hoka One One shoes was 'how does anyone run in those moon boots?'. Looking at the shoe they seem cumbersome and bulky, nothing could be further from actuality. I have now been using the Hoka Stinson Evo shoe for two months. 

The women's Stinson Evo

The first big test I had for the shoes was after I ran a 100km race in another pair of shoes and my feet were trashed. I wanted to complete a 100 mile week and my feet were in pain laying in bed. Once I laced up the Hokas and started running, I couldn't feel a single blister or the swelling that was in my feet. I even had a cacti needle wedged into one toe and it didn't phase me in the 40 miles I ran in 4 days. I had another friend who could barely walk around on a broken toe but he could run in his pair of Hokas. Extreme testing but positive results.

This book should have a chapter on using Hokas!

As far as fit, it fits me true to size. It has a very roomy toe box but I haven't experienced any front slippage. I did have to use the top eyelet to lace the shoe and that is one fault I found with the Hoka. It came pre laced with the quick laces however, it was not to the top eyelet. In order to prevent heel movement I needed to lace it up to there for my narrow foot. The laces were not adjustable and I had to cut them off. Hoka did supply a pair of standard laces. Laced to the top my feet are very stable inside of the shoe.

Looking at the shoe it appears to have your foot very elevated and this is another illusion. The heel is not raised and the shoe does not cause instability while running. For the amount of cushioning you feel with this shoe it is amazing how much trail feel you also have. If you were a princess you could feel the pea but it wouldn't bother you at all. Hoka provides two choices for insoles for those that are particular. I am not but I do know people who have done modifications for hammer toes and other ailments and are very satisfied. 

For how big the shoe appears it is remarkably light. If you want to know the specifics check out the website but I can attest that they are feather light. This is something you appreciate the further into a run you go. 

Prior to wearing the Stinson Evo I was unable to run downhill as fast as one of my training partners. He was wearing Hokas. Once I got myself a pair, he no longer could gap me on a descent. These shoes promise that is time to fly, and they deliver descending. The traction on loose gravel and dirt is fantastic and you don't feel disconnected from the trail but you don't feel like the trail is hammering itself into your legs. 

At the beginning of a recent run we crossed a river up to mid-thigh. Needless to say, my shoes were drenched. I was amazed at how light they still felt and how quickly they dried out. No rubbing problems when wet and great drainage.

I haven't taken flight in my Hoka Stinson Evos yet, but they have taken me to the top of the world. I will be using these shoes in my quest to be a Leadwoman this summer. Dorothy had her red slippers to take her home, I'll have my Hokas!