Standng on top of the world!

Okay, so maybe just 14,081 feet in the air. However you want to look at it, it was spectacular, although windy and cold.

My friend Yuri and I decided to go backpacking while I was in CO over Labor Day. After checking the weather forecast and changing our minds several times throughout the week (and even the morning of), we decided to tackle Challenger Point (unofficial 14er) and Kit Carson. It is south of Buena Vista outside the little town of Crestone in the San Luis Valley.

My morning started bright and early at 3 am. Anyone who knows me will understand how rough that was! I had stayed up the night before packing and repacking everything, so I felt reasonably comfortable that I had everything I would need for a 2-3 day backpacking excursion. I settled in for a melon medley breakfast followed up by a Dr. Pepper. Hey, at that time in the morning, I'll take anything I can get to stay awake.

Yuri, surprisingly, got a late start, so we didn't leave my house until 4:30ish. We made it about 10 minutes from my house when I realized I had forgotten to give Yuri his GU and the quad map of the area. Back to the house we went - take II on heading out for an early start.

After an extremely bumpy ride up to the trailhead, we arrived around 9am and settled in for our 3.5-4 mile packing excursion. It didn't take very long for the altitude to hit me like a ton of bricks. I guess I am officially a sea level gal now! It was a glorious day, so the hike, although very slow, was gorgeous.. The valley up to the lakes is amazing. Yuri wouldn't let me take any pictures on the way up but I did manage to snap a few on the way out. Just wandering through the trails would have made the trip worth it for me. I love the Rocky Mountains - the Cascades are beautiful but in an entirely different way.

We arrived at our campsite about 3.5 hours after leaving the trailhead - 4.25 miles into the back country. After setting up my tent and Yuri's hammock, we decided to nosh a bit. That honey & peanut butter sandwich tasted like gold! :) We then took off to snap some pictures and explore the area around the lake. It sure was nice to shed that heavy backpack!! My shoulders were the only sore muscles in my body - I was extremely pleased by this as my shin, as always these days, was a question mark. I did put my compression socks on to make sure I would be ready for the next day.

After exploring for a bit, I decided I needed to take a nap. Only getting 2.5 hours of sleep the night before was starting to catch up to me. It turns out to be a very fortuitous decision. It started snowing/sleeting sometime after I had fallen asleep. I awoke to my tent roof dipping down and my vestibule hovering periously close to my pack! I was warm and dry snuggled in my sleeping bag. Hearing Yuri's voice outside the tent was a very welcome sound as I needed a good shake....err....rather my tent did. The weather cleared out and it was a beautiful evening!

We had to filter some water so I could cook dinner and to be prepared to hike the 14er pair. The filtration process turned into a bit of a comedy of errors! Having forgotten the directions, it was fail and repeat until we finally got a safe reading. I imagine the guys trying to fish across the lake were wondering what the heck we were doing!! Full water bottles and cooking pot in hand, we headed back to camp for a quick dinner before turning in early.

I slept well - for camping. Apparently Yuri didn't get a lick of sleep; too cold and windy for sleeping in a hammock - not to mention forgetting his shell. We were up and around by 5am, ready to go hiking at 6am. The sun was just starting to come out as we started towards the waterfall and the easiest part of the hike. I has feeling much better than I had the day before, altitude-wise. I definitely wasn't sprinting up the hillside but not too bad for 11,000+ feet. After stopping at the waterfall for some pics, we headed out following 2 groups of hikers on the trail.

The peaks were covered in fog and we were hoping it would burn off by the time we made it up to the top. Weather is always a factor when attempting 14er summits. We kept slogging away...up the class 3 route we discovered later! I had to slow my pace way down as we crossed into the 13,000+ altitude range - I was struggling to breathe and didn't want to get altitude sickness. Yuri got a bloody noise about 200-300 feet from the crest of the trail - not the best news ever when hiking at that altitude. It was also discovered that he had run out of liquids, so we had to share from that point on. Thank goodness I always bring extra Gatorade!

We reached the "top" of the trail and realized that we were actually in a saddle between Challenger Point and Kit Carson. The skies were completely black and a cold wind was whipping by. Yuri wasn't prepared for the cold without his shell and I wasn't feeling comfortable with continuing in the current weather conditions. We decided to turn to the north and only summit Challenger Point. We knew there was a class 2 trail down the other side of it and figured that would be our safest and fastest way off the mountain. The alley between the two was a bit sketchy - in reality we did the hardest part of the doing both the peaks on our way out. I even managed to hit my shin directly on the bruise while klinging to the rock face. I might have cleared the skies a bit with that blue streak!!

The hike back out was an exercise in impossible cairn siting. It was not very well marked and since we had summited on a different trail we didn't know exactly where to look. Another group of hikers was close to us, so we all made our way down together. My knees were quite grateful to reach the willows and relatively flat terrain! We made it back to camp with a 6 hour roundtrip time. Very slow but considering the weather and the trail we picked, not too shabby. I was happy with it as I got to stand on top of a 14er - my goal for the trip!

We broke down our camp, grabbed something to eat prior to heading back down the mountain. While we were eating a friendly little deer wandered up next to the camp. I just *had* to snap a few pictures!! It is always fun to see wildlife although I'm not convinced he was so wild. Several hikers came down by us and he just stood there munching away.

My shoulders were protesting the pack as we set out. It was pretty funny, Yuri and I were discussing our contrasting styles of hiking. He likes to power up the hill without stopping and then take his time on the way back out. I am the opposite in that I like to stop and take pictures on the way up, soaking in everything and then nose-to-grindstone on the way out. As I was saying that I still enjoy the outdoors even though I am going quickly down the mountain, I manage to misstep on a log and do my best turtle imitation in the river! Score one for Yuri although I was nice and cool hiking out as I was soaked from my waist down. My first words were "Is my camera okay?" You have to have your priorities, right? ;)

About 1/4 mile from the trailhead there was a fork in the trail. I was positive we needed to head to the left. My right foot was an unhappy camper as a blister that had formed while wearing heels to the office was screaming at me. All I wanted to do was get back to the truck, put on my 'flops and head out for a burger! After hiking 1/4 mile, we found a trailhead, just not the one we parked out. So, back up the hill we headed to make the correct turn and get to the "real" trailhead. Yikes, I was not very happy with myself. I can tell you nothing felt better than taking off those bloody hiking shoes and putting on my flipflops!

We ended the trip with a burger in Buena Vista. We should have driven the extra miles to Leadville to the place Yuri knew about. Oh well, it definitely replenished the calories and it was nice to sit in a chair in air conditioning! It was a fantastic weekend! A lot of exhausting fun in a beautiful part of Colorado! Thanks, Yuri! It's always a pleasure "suffering" with you. ;)

RAGNAR Relay - Northwest Passage 2009

Running on Fumes crossed the finish line in 30 hours and 23 minutes after running a combined 185 miles! WE KICK BUTT!! :) Oh the adventures we had a long the way to reach that 30+ hour mark.

My adventure started a little early. Thursday night I went to pick up the rental van, assuming this would be a quick and easy transaction as I had reserved said van several months in advance. After almost 2 hours of shuttling and waiting, I arrived at the counter to discover that "we have no more mini vans". WHAT?!?! To top it off, the rental car agent just stood there looking at me when I asked him how this could happen and what could they do for me. He didn't blink, didn't answer, just stood there. I finally asked him if he even cared that they had left me high and dry. His response? "I don't like to argue so I'm just going to stand here until you are done." Wow...let me tell you, I will never rent from them again...period. For the record, I was being extremely polite considering how frustrated I was.

So, I fired off a call to fellow RAGNAR teammate to discuss options while taking the shuttle back to the airport. Upon arriving at the airport, I went to every single car counter to see if they had anything to offer us. This was the complete antithesis of the experience a few minutes earlier - all of the agents, from different companies, were working together to see if they could find me anything. Finally they found one, 12 passenger van that was available! Thank goodness - we may be in a boat but a boat is always preferable to the tin can :)

This was almost 4 hours later and I was behind the wheel of the van, waiting in line to leave the rental car lot, when my cell phone rings. On the other end? Brant, the guy from AZ on the team. Apparently he had missed his flight and was going to have to catch one in the morning. He had it all worked out - catch an early flight, jump on Amtrak to Bellingham and arrive there just in time to run his first set of legs. Okay, not the curve ball I needed right then but seemed like a solid plan and the only option at this point. He said he would call when he landed - should be around the time we would be kicking off the relay from Blaine. At this point, it's 9:30pm and I still have grocery shopping, van packing and my personal crap packing to do, so I agreed and headed off to finish up my tasks in hopes of getting a few hours of sleep!

Friday morning I arrived at the LVB without incident and it was shaping up to be a nice day - a little overcast so maybe, just maybe we would avoid the predicted 80+ degree weather! Bryan and I loaded up the van with the coolers and our stuff. As I was early, we "decorated" the van while waiting for Matt. Now, keep in mind that I knew Matt and Bryan, but they hadn't met each other and none of us had met Rod, Robert or Brant. It was going to be a collection of virtual strangers bonding for 36+ hours! :)

The drive up to Blaine went by very quickly although I must admit that driving a 12 passenger van is a bit of an experience in and of itself. I have driven some large vehicles before, even towed trailers, and this was a bit unnerving at times on the interstate. :) Or maybe it was just the road construction! We arrived at the start line right on time, picked up our race packet and shirts and headed back to the van to start getting ready. Rod and Robert were both meeting us here and they both found us within minutes! Easy, peasy! Okay, now it feels like everything is falling into place.

The van next to our was themed with Reno 911! It was hilarious! They had great costumes, a dummy strapped to the front of their van and a "sexy" driver to boot. We took some pictures - it was great. I have to admit, I wouldn't have wanted to run in those polyester shirts and shorts!

Bryan kicked us off hula style - complete with hula dance when our team was announced. We all cheered him off and then jumped in the van to meet him at the first "exchange" to cheer him on. At this point, I hadn't heard from Brant and I was getting a little nervous. I called him while the guys grabbed some coffee. I'm sure y'all have guessed it by now - he was still in AZ and "it wasn't looking good" for him to show up at all. Okay, now to figure out how to do this thing with 5 people instead of 6! We were officially the Ultra+ team! :) We changed everyone around so that we could divide up the shortest leg between us. Now we were all running over 30 miles (at the low end)!

Bryan was running strong and kicking some tail so we let him cruise through the first exchange without any indication that he was going to be running 7 legs instead of only 6. We thought it would be better to let him finish his first 1/2 marathon in peace! :D We headed off to the exchange point where Rod would take over running - his extra leg.

Rod blazed through his 8.2 miles and handed off to Robert for his 1st extra leg (he somehow drew the short straw and was assigned 2 shorter legs). We had actually caught up with another ultra team that had started out an hour before us - of course, we had just had 2 of our fastest runners on the course!

Robert cruised on in after 4.4 and I was off for my first set of legs - 11.1. By this time is was heating up and sunblock and liquids were high on the agenda. I was the weak link on the team - I am still trying to recover from my deep bone bruise injury on my right shin. I knew that I could gut through my original legs however I was honestly concerned about picking up the extra leg - even though it was relatively short. My first "leg" went well - I was under my predicted pace despite the heat. The second "leg" was a bit more of a gut check. It went through town, so I lost about 6-7 minutes waiting at stop lights. I supposed the rest felt good - but it did nothing for my pacing nor overall time. I came in only a few minutes behind and just over 30 seconds per mile over my predicted. I blame the stop lights! :D

Rod was off on his first set of legs - his shortest for the entire race - 7.5. He had a killer hill and some serious heat! It is also an interesting mental challenge as the other runners coming out of the middle exchange are fresh and gunning for it at this point! Rod passed off the snap bracelet to Matt and his first set of legs. Matt tore up his 9.3! We were at exchange 10 and everyone had already completed at least one leg! Phew!

Robert was off for his 13.8 at 6:30pm! It was starting to look like it might cool off a bit for the evening/night runs. The rest of us hopped in the van and headed off to meet Robert at his mid-point. Well, that was the plan until we missed a turn and got "lost"! Fortuitous for the hungry set of runners in the van, we figured it out right next to a local sub shop. We all grabbed a quick sub and headed back to see catch up with Robert. He was looking strong after killing a pretty good hill when we passed him a mile before the middle exchange.

As Robert shouted "Hill? What hill?" cruising through the exchange, one of the official race people was telling us that thunderstorms were expected. They said we could mark our spot and time and pull over if we wanted. I think this might give you all a true sense of our team spirit - none of us wanted to stop even if it was raining! :)

Robert finished his 1/2 marathon+ in great time and Bryan was off to tackle this 3 legs! It ended up that Bryan and I picked up our extra leg back-to-back with our regular sets. We actually ran all 6 legs of Van 1's second set of legs. (For those non-running relay people - that means the 2 of us ran what is normally divided up over 6 people!) Bryan nailed his 10.9 and I was off for my 1/2 marathon!

It was HUMID! Holy cow, I thought a night 1/2 might be better because it wouldn't be as hot. Boy was I wrong! I was on pace through my first 4.1 but I was seriously hot. I was carrying Gatorade but I really needed both it and water. The guys stopped about a mile into my 2nd leg to give me a quick drink of water. I was still feeling fairly good coming through after the next 3.2, but needed the guys to plan to meet me 3 miles into the 5.8 to rehydrate. If you haven't run in the middle of the night, then it's hard to explain why it is so difficult. There is a real mental challenge to it - you have to play mind games to keep yourself going - especially over unfamiliar terrain. I finished up in about 15 minutes behind my predicted time but still felt good about it. At this point I was 24.2 miles into my personal mileage on a shin that probably shouldn't have had more than a 5K on it!

Rod took off on the longest set of legs for then entire race - 16.5. Bryan, Robert and I grabbed a spaghetti dinner while Matt tried to get a little sleep. Sleep is a very rare commodity in an event like this - even when you aren't trying to run it with 5 people! The dinner hit the spot - I was flagging and it gave me a much needed boost! Robert took over driving so Bryan could also try to catch some ZZs.

We took off to meet Rod at the mid-point. He was looking great as we passed him. I don't think we had made it more than a mile when the sky just opened up and started dumping rain. We pulled over so we could double-check with Rod to make sure he didn't want a rain jacket or something. He just waved us on. He handed us his water bottle to refill at the halfway point, still looking strong and cruising along. We stopped to give him his bottle back and motored to the next exchange point.

Matt was "fresh" off of a 90 minute nap and ready to tackle his second set of legs - 6.9. I swapped places with him and laid down to try to get a few minutes of sleep myself before my last set of legs. While I was sleeping, Matt handed off to Robert for his 9.9 miles over Deception Pass. Apparently this was absolutely gorgeous! I'm sorry I missed it however I think the sleep was probably more necessary! :)

The sun rose during Robert's run and Bryan took off in a full blaze of light! Oh boy, the 80+ weather was on it's way EARLY! Bryan pushed through his 10.9 in great time and handed it off to Matt for a quick 2.8 (his extra leg). Meanwhile the guys grabbed some Starbucks to refuel on caffeine. Robert was getting ready for this second extra leg - 2.9.

Once we collected Matt at the exchange, we headed to a Safeway so I could grab a Dr. Pepper for my post 12 mile run celebration and Matt could grab some coffee to refuel as well. I decided to go with compression sleeves on both of my legs for this set. I was feeling tired, obviously, but just off in general. I had taken some Advil to help with the shin pain but it just wasn't doing anything this time. I had been really careful to ice my shin after every set and tried to do everything I could to combat the injury as much as possible. I know Bryan knew I was hurting but I was determined to do my part and gut it out. After all, all of us were tired and hurting by then.

I took the torch from Robert and started off on my first set of 4 5Ks. That was the way I had broken it down mentally to keep myself moving. I felt really good, all things considered, through the first 3 miles. I was keeping the pace I wanted to, the run-walk strategy was working for me and I was feeling like I could do it. Then, I hit 1.5 miles of pretty much steady climbing - not steep mind you, just steady. That pretty much did it for the running. I just couldn't even force myself to run more than a few steps because it hurt so badly. The guys came back to check on me (I had just over a mile left) and Bryan told me he was putting on his running shoes and taking my last leg for me. My initial reaction was to refuse - there was no reason why he should be picking up my slack after already having to pick up an extra leg. After arguing with myself (and okay, I'll admit it, a few tears), I finally conceded about 1/2 mile from the exchange that I had better just pack it in. It would be better for the team and for me as well.

Bryan met me in full pirate gear a few 100 yards from the exchange point. He was trying to make me feel better about the decision to let him take over. I knew it was the right thing to do and I'm so appreciative to have such an awesome friend. How many people do you know that would volunteer to run 5.5 miles for you, never mind that he had already completed 35? Thanks, Bry - I owe you! (I later discovered that he had a couple of beers and chips & salsa while I was running - yikes!)

Bryan powered through the next 5.5 and handed off to Rod for his final set of legs. Rod was in his own backyard at this point - Whidby Island. He, once again, ran an impressive 12.6 miles to finish up his day. Matt took over from him in a full heat. All of the final legs were HOT! We were going through water and Gatorade like mad.

Matt did fantastic on his final 11.1 miles. Bryan, Rod and I grabbed a burger and fries before cheering Robert off to finish out the race. I have to tell you, that might have been the best burger ever! :) Seriously, when you are that tired and have expended that many calories, everything tastes like heaven. We took Matt back to grab one as well after he finished up his leg.

We followed Robert along his set of legs. It was brutally hot AND both of this legs were rated as "Hard". He did awesome! He came flying up to the meeting place and we had to slow him down. We all hobbled across the finish line together! They handed us our medals, took our picture and we headed to the beer garden for a celebratory drink. In reality, Matt and Bryan had a drink and the rest of us just tried to keep our heads off the table.

My hat goes off to my incredible teammates. You guys are amazing! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to do this crazy event with.

Rod - you are a machine, seriously! You cranked out those 45 miles like it was a walk in the park.

Robert - you went from being a little nervous about biting off 25 miles to killing 40 miles! Awesome job!

Bryan - now you can do that ultra with Col! 40 miles was nothing! ;)

Matt - as always you came through with flying colors. 30 miles of running - check!

We started out as strangers and ended up as friends. We met a lot of cool people along the way! The other teams were amazing - we were all out there supporting each other. It was so much fun! I'm ready for next year...anyone else? (Let's make sure we have 6 runners this time!)

STP 2009

It has been awhile since I updated my blog - I suppose suffering a season ending injury will do that to a person. I thought I was going to be able to bounce back from my deep bone bruise calamity on 14 February however it doesn't seem to be in the cards. I can do short jaunts without too much pain but anytime I try to push it to where I would like to be, I experience a lot of pain. I have come to the difficult conclusion that I am going to take some time off to allow my shin to heal and work on my core strength and flexibility.

This past weekend was the 2009 STP ride, the 30th anniversary of the ride from Seattle to Portland. It is 2 day event in which 10,000 riders pedal 202 miles through the backroads of Washington and ending in the town of Portland. My friend Matt and a group of his friends asked me to join them on this adventure back in the fall and I happily agreed! Who am I to pass up something like this?

We started our adventure on Saturday morning at 7:20 am from the University of WA campus. It was a bright, sunny morning and promised to be a hot one! I have to admit, in all of the years of participating in and and attending bike/tri/running races, I have never experienced anything quite like this. Imagine basically having a steady train of bicyclist stretching for 60 or 70 miles. It was incredible!!

My leg ended my adventure much earlier than I had hoped however I had a great experience. I made it through 71.5 miles to the city of Yelm. (Apparently there is a large "cult" based in Yelm! Who knew that this tiny little town would have a real, live reincarnation of an Atlantian warrior! ;) ) Many thanks to Craig for rescuing me. Thanks also to Brad for organizing everything so well. Awesomeness!

I enjoyed meeting new friends, camping next to the hungry cows and experiencing the craziness of the finish line. It was also very cool to see a good friend's elation and adreneline rush upon completion of the ride. There is nothing like riding through a chute of cheering people at the end of race/ride. It was almost as cool as having finished myself. Way to go Matt, Heather, Jill, Brad, Fred, Leslie and all the others out there! I can't wait until next year!

Zone Run

Tonight was run with an exercise in keeping my HR in specific zones for specific time periods. I did 20 minutes in zone 1, 25 minutes zone 2 and 25 minutes zone 3. I was able to hold the zones for the most part. It was a good, if somewhat slow, run. I am finally able keep myself in zone 1 without walking - which I am totally psyched about.

Distance: 6.39 miles
HR: 164/183

I-90 Biking Excursion

My workout for the day was to be an easy 2 1/2-3 hour bike ride. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to discover how to get to the I-90 Floating Bridge bike path. (When someone first told me to bike on I-90 I thought they were crazy! Who bikes on an interstate - then I discovered there is this cool multi-use path that goes from Seattle to Mercer Island along I-90.) I memorized some basic directions to get me there and then set off. I figured that I could either find the entrance on my own or there would be enough other crazy cyclists out there I could ask them. I should probably mention that it was only in the low 40s today.

I clipped right on through my usual route to downtown - even cruised over the West Seattle bridge in good time. From there I headed up S. Jackson through the ID (International District for the non-Seattlites). This, in and of itself, is a bit of an adventure. I seem to be quite the bum magnet on a normal day, then add a bike and stoplights and it can be just a smidge unnerving. I made to through unscathed and headed up the hill towards my destination of 18th Ave. My "instructions" told me to take this to Dearborn and then Dearborn to Hiawatha Place to hit the trail. Other than biking up a decent hill only to ride back down it 2 blocks later, this worked out swimmingly.

I took off on the trail and realized that I had no idea where to go on it - there were several Ts. I asked a kind gentleman who was out for a Sunday afternoon cruise how to get to the bridge path. He reminded me to cross 23rd Ave and MLK and then I would see the entrance to the tunnel. Ah yes, I had been enjoying myself so much I had momentarily forgotten my instructions. Off I went and arrived onto the bridge path without any further incident.

The path has hills at both ends and levels off in the middle! It was great fun to come down the hill and start speeding across the bridge. It is a bit chilly right now as the breeze off the water definitely brought down the temperature. I was loving it though - felt very freeing as it was the first path I had been on all day that I could just fly and not worry about cars, stoplights, etc. I met a couple of cyclists heading back to Seattle and a woman out running with her lab. (Why is it that labs are always running with a ball in their mouths?)

Once I came up the other side and officially arrived on Mercer Island, I checked my watch to discover that it had only taken me 50 minutes to get out there. I asked another cyclist who was stopped where the path went and he gave me some basic directions - although his trail would have taken me on a 50 mile loop! I don't think I can bike 50 miles in under 2 hours *just* yet! :) A good goal for later! I did bike for another 20 minutes on the island and then turned around to head back to West Seattle.

The trip back was great as well! I came out of the tunnel, back in Seattle, with a huge grin on my face. I'm certain the other cyclist were wondering what was up with me - I was giving everyone a big ol' smile as I met them! I arrived back in West Seattle with only 1:40 on the watch. I grabbed a gel to give me a boost and ended up with my only PowerBar Gel. It was an experiment to see how my body would react in comparison with my typical GU gels. Suffice to say, I will *not* be consuming any more PowerBar Gels. One it tasted horrible and two, about 15-20 minutes later my body apparently agreed with my taste bud assessment.

I had headed out to Alki Beach to add some miles and time. I pushed until I reached the 2 hour mark and then turned around to head back to the house. It is a steady climb back to our neighborhood and then one quite gnarly hill up to our street. I needed to bring my HR back down to zone 1/2, so I took it easy all the way back. I ended up doing 33.61 miles in 2:41:24. Not fast, by any stretch, but this was to be a zone 1/2 spin kind of workout plus an exploration ride.

Below is my attempt to trick Google Maps into drawing my route. It is only off in mileage by about 1 mile and it gives one the basic idea. I *need* a Garmin! ;)


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