Farmdale Jubilee

After Howl, I wasn't sure what my next race would be.  Farmdale was a logical choice, but I was apprehensive after what I had experienced there last year during a 7 hour thunderstorm and what ended up being the most terrifying 30 miles of my life.  Also, I wasn't wild about doing the same set of races for the second year in a row.  What I like about ultras is that everything is fresh and new, every race is bound to be a PR. I didn't want to do the same races over again and get frustrated/burned out like I did with marathons.  

I looked around for other ultras, but couldn't come up with much.  I got it into my head that (in the spirit of keeping things new and wanting to be a badass), maybe I would do the 50 mile race at Farmdale this year instead of the 30.  I started running an insane (for me) amount of miles per week-- 8 or 9 miles every day before work and reaching 50-60 miles [actutally, 62.7 miles one week] for 3 weeks in a row.  It was intense, particularly given that I was unable to reduce any of the other time/energy expenditures in my life.  

The main thing that was holding me back from committing to the 50 mile race was that it started at 5am, meaning that the first 2 hours would be in complete darkness on a rugged, rocky, rooty, uneven, hilly, single-track trail.  Rob and I actually visited the Farmdale course a couple weeks before the event, and I tried to run on it in the dark (with a headlamp). It was horrifying.  I felt completely dejected and worried that I would have to give up trail running and ultras in general, but eventually I dusted myself off and went ahead and signed up for the 30 miler.  It might not be pretty, but at least it would be in the daylight.

I do a lot better on trail runs if the sun is shining.

 

Then, about a week before the race, the government shut down, and the race directors notified us that as a result, the Farmdale Reservoir (managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers) was shut down as well.  The race was off.  Sort of.  They were looking for an alternate location and would keep us updated.  On the Thursday before the race, they confirmed that we were good to go at Jubilee College State Park in Brimfield.  Game on.

The calories in these 4 bags of Tailwind Nutrition should be enough to fuel the average runner for ~43 hours. (Or 86 hours for me)

 

We stayed with my parents the night before and left for Jubilee at 4 in the morning.  Rob, being the true badass of the family, was doing 50 miles.  A motley group of seriously hardcore runners lined up at the start and took off in the darkness at 5am.  I finished getting my stuff ready and then huddled in our tent--wearing every item of clothing I own, plus a few extra scarves and hats--until about quarter till 7, when the sun finally came up.  I put on my anti-nausea wrist bands and grabbed a bottle of Tailwind Nutrition (my strategy to avoid throwing up during/after the race, as is typical for me). I chatted with a  few of the Buffalo runners from C-U who had arrived by then, and soon it was time to start.

Rob, mixing up some Tailwind at 4am.

 

Me, waiting in the dark with my brand new Petzl.

Start/finish area.

It was good.  The trail was fairly wide at the beginning and I never felt like I was in a traffic jam.  I started towards the back and just took it nice and easy.  Running alongside a friend from C-U helped keep me calm and take the edge off.  An early section of the course involved a root-infested downhill, where decent footing was very limited.  But it was okay.  The trail was still wide enough that it didn't get too congested.  I could go my own pace on the technical sections and feel strong.

About 8 or 9 minutes into the race, the trail widened even more into a rocky, fire-road section.  It was a gradual uphill, and everybody around me started walking.  I wasn't ready to walk on that gentle of a grade, that early in the race.  I kept going, and soon I was on my own.  I was fine with that.  It was nice to be out in the open.  Most of the first half of the loop was wide, with gently rolling hills.

There was an aid station near the 3 mile mark, and after that, the trail was mainly single track, and a bit more technical.  I still felt strong.  My pace was slow, but by the end of the first loop, I was confident.  I had seen the entire course and it was a trail I could do.  

Back at the start/finish area, I replenished my bottle of Tailwind.  So far so good.  A lot of ultra runners swear by Tailwind, and the company motto is: "All you need, all day.  Really."  This is good news for someone who cannot eat solid food or gels during a race and typically becomes so depleted that she pukes for hours on end.  The first time I tried Tailwind, it reminded me of the suero that a pregnant Chilean girl gave me in Nicaragua when I was dying of The Vortex.  But then Rob ordered some of their "unflavored" powder, and that went down much easier.  I was really hoping that Tailwind, along with my anti-nausea wrist bands, would be the panacea I'd been looking for to finally break my habit of vomiting on the run.

I headed out for Lap 2.  The course was an approximately 7.5 mile loop that the 30-milers would run 4 times, and the 50-milers would run 7.  Rob and I saw each other briefly around that time, as he began (I think) his 4th lap.  He looked strong, and he was up near the front of the 50 mile race.  

Lap 2 was comfortable for me. There were hills, rocks, and roots, but overall, it was my kind of trail.  I relaxed into the course.  I chatted with other runners as we came into contact, and I enjoyed the sections where I was on my own.  Tailwind was working well, but I knew I wasn't drinking enough of it to completely supply all the calories/electrolytes I needed, so I ate some Fig-Newmans, orange slices, and watermelon at the aid station.

The hillier, more rugged back half of the course was a little more difficult the second time around.  Just as I was thinking how lucky I was not to have fallen thus far, I wiped out on a tree root and hit the ground.  No damage done.  I kept running, but I walked more of the hills this time.  My legs were beginning to feel fatigued, and I was very glad I was doing 30 miles instead of 50.

Time for Lap 3.  I knew this would be the hardest one.  The first lap was all about observing/learning the course, the second was about relaxing and knowing that the terrain was within my comfort zone, but the third was where an inkling of despair might creep in. 

I started to lose my optimism.  My quads were killing me.  My socks felt like sandpaper, and I could envision the blisters forming on the bottoms of my feet.  Out of the blue, I fell again.  I started to become annoyed with the course.  I told myself that this was really the last loop of the race.  Loop 4 would be a "victory lap"-- I could walk it in if I had to.  All I had to do was finish Loop 3.

When I made it back to the start/finish area, I took off my socks, applied more Body Glide to my raw, blistered feet, and put on a fresh pair of Injinjis.  That ate away at my time.  Injinjis go on quite slowly when your feet are wet with sweat.

I knew I needed something to perk me up, so I drank a cup of Coke before I headed back out for Lap 4.  It was like night and day.  My mood shifted almost instantaneously.  The tiny bits of negativity that had seeped into my brain during Lap 3 were nothing like the full on paranoia and panic I've experienced in some ultras, but after I drank the Coke, they were gone completely.  I flew around the course, or at least if felt like I was flying.  Only 7.5 miles to go!  I met struggling runners along the way, and I cheered them on as I went.  

At some point on the back half of the loop, I saw a snake-- just lying across the trail like a tree root.  It looked like it was smiling at me. For some reason I found this hilarious.  I stopped to take a picture of it, but then I remembered I didn't have my phone/camera with me. 

So close to the end.  I was tired and a little weak, but the euphoria of being nearly finished overshadowed all of that.  I felt something snap on my toe, and was pretty sure that it was a toenail popping off.  I looked down and saw a spot of blood blossoming on my shoe.  It hurt but not as bad as childbirth.  I could get through this.  There was only a mile to go.

I came across a guy who was sitting on the side of the trail and looking pretty out of it.  As I approached I asked him how he was doing, and he could barely speak.  He said he was so tired, he just couldn't move anymore.  He was out of food and water.  I gave him some Tailwind and a caffeinated Gu.  My friend from C-U (who I had begun the race with), and a 50-mile runner (who I'd seen several times throughout the day) caught up with us.  We stayed with the guy until he was feeling better, and then we picked up and ran.  

The finish line was so close.  I wondered if Rob was done with the 50-mile or if he was still out there.  I flew to the end.  It was the most amazing feeling in the world to see the start/finish area come into view and to hear the volunteers ring cowbells as they shouted "Runner in!"

I was done.  By my watch: 6 hours, 40 minutes, and 31 seconds. Or, according to the official results: 6:37:19.  Either way, almost 40 minutes faster than last year at Farmdale, during a thunderstorm.  And the best thing by far was that I had not thrown up!  I hadn't even felt nauseated!  It has been at least 4 years since I've done a long-distance run and not gotten sick!

The race director told me I was second in my age group and handed me my prize--a beer glass with the Farmdale logo printed on it.  I was thrilled!  They ushered me over to a keg and filled my new glass with beer.  First time I have ever been able to drink after a race!  Is this what it's like for other people-- not to get sick from running?  It was great!  I clinked glasses with my C-U friend and enjoyed the moment.

None of the 50-milers had finished yet, and it was nearly 9 hours into their event.  I figured they would be coming soon, and I wanted to see Rob cross the line.  Our friend Chris M told me that he'd seen Rob on the course, and he said he wasn't feeling well.  I wondered if I should head back out and try to find him, to run it in with him.  But I figured even if Rob wasn't feeling well, he would still be running at a much faster pace than I could manage now.  While I thought I still had time, I started gathering up some of our stuff from the tent to load it back in the car.  Then I stood by the finish line and waited.  Still, none of the 50-milers crossed.

I realized how cold I was now that I was done running and wearing just shorts and a tank top in the breeze.  I tried to run back to the car and grab a sweatshirt, but as soon as I stepped away from the finish line, that was the moment that Rob crossed.  Damn!  I saw him finish, but it was from a distance.

He had hung on to second place overall (!), but he had a really, really tough race-- especially in those last few laps.  He didn't feel very good, so we waited around until he stabilized, and then I drove us home.

Farmdale/Jubilee was a really great experience for me this year--so much better than last year--but I am really glad I did the 30 instead of the 50. I think it would have been a much different story if I'd run an extra 20 miles.  I don't know how anybody did that.

What I learned from this race:

1. Some combination of Tailwind/anti-nausea wristbands works for me.  Or maybe it was the cooler temperatures and shorter distance, particularly compared to my last race (Howl).

2. I don't think I need 250 calories per hour (i.e., the recommendation for "average" runners).  I probably consumed about 700-800 calories during the entire race, far less than the ~1600 I "should" have needed.  I think I would have had a lot of trouble had the race been longer, but at this distance, I was okay.

3. There are certain trails that I am well suited for.  Such as this one.  Jubilee had a lot of rolling hills and a lot of tree roots, but it wasn't terribly technical.  No terrifyingly narrow descents with a cliff face on one side.  This trail was relatively wide for the most part.  Rob, and some of the other trail runners I heard talking, do better on the more technical courses, with steep downhills where they can build up speed.  But as for me-- give me as many "rollers" as you want, I'll get by (for 30 miles at least).  Maybe even manage to smile at the end.

4. Downhills are what scare me, but every time I fell (tripped on a tree root), it was when I was going uphill.

5. I think I like "doula-ing" other runners (like the guy who was struggling so close to the end) as much as I like running myself.  I would really like to crew/pace/volunteer at an ultra sometime.

6. Despite the numerous things I just listed above, you don't learn as much when you have a good day.  The tough races are the ones that teach you lessons.

Would I do this race again?

Yes, on the Jubiliee course.  Presumably it will be on the actual Farmdale course next year, which is harder for me (particularly in the rain).  If we are still living in the area next year at this time, I suppose I will feel compelled to give it another go.  

Splits:

Lap 1 - 1:32:57

Lap 2 - 1:36:15

Lap 3 - 1:52:39 (sock change!)

Lap 4 - 1:38:39

Finish: 6:40:31

 

One more thing:

A very big thank you to my parents who watched Will while we ran and also to the race directors who managed to pull this together in spite of the government shut down and massive change of plans!

 

Dear William (50 months)

Dear William,

You are 50 months old today!  

We did some hiking this month.  You and Mommy hiked together on the trails inside Kennedy Forest at Forest Park, and we picked up some trash as we went along.

 

The whole family went hiking at Castlewood:

 

You experimented with a few different ways of wearing a Buff Headband:

 

You drew a picture of an Interrupting Cow (pictured here in purple).

 

You gave me a stern look because I told you that you couldn't eat chocolate animal crackers for dinner.

 

We have cuddle time before bed.  You arrange pillows into a "house," and then invite me in to play.  You fix me pretend food, like carrots and pizza.

 

Sometimes you really do eat carrots and pizza.

 

We took a trip up to Aunt Michelle's and Uncle Mark's, and you got to play with your cousins Logan and Mackenna.  Logan was so nice about sharing his toys with you!

 

Sometimes I had trouble telling you and Logan apart:

Identical cousins!

 

Sometimes you had trouble telling me and Aunt Michelle apart.  My short hair helped distinguish us, though.

 

We took a family portrait.

 

It will be a while before we see Aunt Michelle, Uncle Mark, and Cousins Logan and Mackenna again.  They are moving to Ireland.  We are happy for them, but sad that they will be so far away.  I guess we'd better find your passport and dust it off.  Maybe we can take a trip to go visit them sometime!  Won't that be fun?

You got to see Grandma Barb and Grandpa Bruce this month too.  You showed them some of your new tats.

 

You were really excited about riding your bike to a friend's birthday party last weekend.

 

At the party, you got to pick out your own super-hero cupcake.  You chose the Incredible Hulk.

 

William, we've had an incredible month.  You just get sweeter and sweeter.  The other day you said, "Mama, I have a secret to tell you," and I asked you what it was.  You ran over to me, cupped your hands over my ear, and whispered, "I love you very much."  I am pretty sure that right there was the best moment of my life.

Looking forward to more cuddles and hugs.

Love,

Mama

You're a Vegan, What Do You Eat (Mediterranean Lentil and Chickpea Edition)

For several weeks now, the first hour of my morning run has been in the dark, but yesterday I actually had to wear long sleeves for the first time.  It sucked.  I will not feel warm again for another seven months.  I miss July.

In defiance of the impending winter, we had another one of our favorite summer dinners tonight: Mediterranean Lentils and Chickpeas, my version of a recipe from the fantastic people of Plant Based on a Budget.

 

 

 

Like most meals that I make, it requires foresight and planning ahead but comes together pretty quickly in the end.  

It started off on Sunday, when I soaked both lentils and chickpeas, then boiled them, skimmed the foam, and boiled them some more.  You could probably avoid this by using canned beans if you don't have the time to soak and boil (but really, it is pretty easy to do and only takes a few minutes of real, actual effort).

I put the cooked beans in the fridge, and then on Monday when I got home from work, I chopped up tomato (from my sister's garden!), red onion, cucumber, and parsley (note: the original version calls for dill).  Then I drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar, shake on some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix it all up.

This dish is really easy, fresh, and filling.  I usually use only half the batch of chickpeas and lentils to make this, and I freeze the other half for the next time.  Sometimes I make couscous to go along with it.  The couscous kind of soaks up the olive oil and red wine vinegar, which tastes really good.  We eat this for 2 nights, and I still have some left over to take to work for lunch.  It is one of the few things that actually fills me up when I am running 50-60 miles per week, and that is a plus.  Oftentimes when I am training so hard, I have trouble bringing enough food to work to keep me from feeling like I will keel over due to hunger during the day, but these lentils and chickpeas seem to do the trick.  

One drawback to this dish is that William will not eat it.  I told him he absolutely had to take a bite of it before he proclaimed that he didn't like it (otherwise, how would he know?), and he made a big production about how horrifying the process was for him.  He at least ate some of the couscous, along with some raw broccoli and an apple, so I guess that is better than nothing.  Here's to hoping that the next time I make this, he will eat more than one bite.

Thanks for reading.

You're A Vegan, What Do You Eat? (Adzuki Bean Edition)

It is almost October.  The mornings are cold (and dark) when I get up to run, and even though the temperature still rises to the mid-to-high seventies during the afternoons, it is time to face the facts: summer is coming to an end.

This is difficult for me to come to terms with.  There is not a whole lot in this world that I dislike more than winter.  So while the sun still shines, I figured I might as well write a post about adzuki beans, the main ingredient of one of our favorite summer meals.

 Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Azuki_Beans.jpg

Adzukis are small red beans, originating in East Asia, and often used in both sweet and savory dishes.  They are pretty easy to cook; that is, they seem to require less soaking and cooking time than do other beans I prepare.  Still, the creation of our summer adzuki bean dish requires a fair amount of planning ahead.

I start by soaking the beans, usually overnight, even though most websites say you don't actually need to soak them that long.  Then I rinse and boil them.  I use my patented foam skimming technique to make them digestive-system friendly, but that is probably not really necessary.  These beans rarely have much in the way of foam on top.

I cook them until they are tender, which probably takes 45 minutes give or take.  After rinsing them and letting them cool a bit, it is time to add the stuff that makes it delicious.

I add a ton of chili powder and some sea salt.  I stir that up and then go for the vegetables: chopped tomatoes, peppers, green onions, cilantro, and avocado.  Avocado is key.

This is probably one of my all-time favorite meals, though unfortunately, William will not eat it.  

I guess it doesn't look all that pretty, but it tastes really good.  As you can see, it makes a gigantic quantity, so we usually eat it for 2-3 nights in a row (and there's enough for me to take for lunch as well).  I douse mine with hot sauce.  I try to remember to take out some of the beans before I add all the vegetables and set them aside for William.  He will eat adzuki beans if I mix them up with rice or quinoa, just not once I've added all the chopped vegetables to them.

I did not invent this recipe on my own.  The inspiration for this dish comes from Healthy Green Kitchen.  The original recipe has a lot of other suggestions for how to prepare adzuki beans, but I've never tried anything other than the chili powder, avocado, peppers/tomatoes/onions creation.  Just about the perfect thing to eat on a hot day.

Thanks for reading!

Dear William (49 months)

Dear William,

Today you are 49 months old!

We started off the month with a trip to Colorado.  It was the greatest trip ever!  You can read about it here and here.  And you can look at a slideshow of our photos below.

After we got back from Colorado, I returned to work full time, and you moved up to the Big Kid Room at school. For the most part, you have been thrilled about it. Several of your friends moved up at the same time too, so the transition was smooth.  In the Big Kid Room you do fun things like have Show and Tell on Fridays.  You really enjoy choosing what toy you are going to bring each week.

You are very interested in planes right now, and for Show and Tell you have been bringing toy planes that you got for your birthday.

You have continued riding bikes this month, and you've even begun riding the "ride behind" bike to school with daddy.  You call this your "one wheel bike," I guess because your section of the bike has one wheel, which is attached to the back of daddy's bike.  You are thrilled to be able to ride this bike to and from school.  You are equally thrilled that you get to show off to your friends a little bit when they see you arriving or leaving school this way.  Their parents are not as imaginative or adventurous as us, and so they get picked up in cars (or SUVs) every day.  You are kind of the cool guy on campus.

We don't have as much time as we did when I was not working over the summer, but every once and a while, there is still enough daylight left when you finish your dinner that we can go have bike races in the church parking lot up the street from us.

 

Your dad signed you up for the Lego Jr. Club, and this month you got your first magazine.  It arrived, addressed to you and everything.  You have read that magazine cover to cover so many times that it is literally falling apart.  You love legos so much.  Your daddy does too, and you and he have enjoyed building some of the things that were in the magazine.

A plane, of course!

This month, you briefly helped mommy and daddy take care of some orphan baby squirrels we found in our yard.  They were really cute.  We named them Romulus and Remus.  We loved them, but we didn't really know what to do for them.  We took them to a wildlife rehabilitation center, and they told us that the squirrels had a very good chance of survival.

 

We had some record breaking heat this month, even reaching 100 degrees a few times.  You cooled off by playing with your Slip-n-Slide.

You went to a birthday party this month for one of your friends at school.  You had so much fun.  And I had so much fun too.  I got to see you running around and playing with your friends.  You introduced me to your (new) BFF.  When he arrived at the party, both of you squealed, ran towards each other, embraced, and then joined hands and skipped around the gym.  I had never before seen anything so adorable in my whole life.

You and K and K's mom.

You were served pizza and cake at the party.  When the server came around the table to you, you announced (very loudly): "I AM A VEGETARIAN."  So she gave you a slice of cheese pizza.  You started to cry.  You are terrified of both melted cheese and red sauce, and for these reasons, you have never eaten pizza before.  I asked you to please, please, just try it.  You kept crying and shook your head.  Your little friend K was sitting next to you, enjoying his slice of pizza, and he said, "Try it, Will.  It's yummy!"  So you very gingerly picked up your slice of pizza and took the tiniest bite possible.  You seemed completely amazed that it didn't kill you.  With a bit more coaxing, you eventually took a few more bites.  I was so proud of you!  Getting you to eat food is the biggest challenge we face, and it meant so much to me that you were brave enough to try something new.

William, you have been so very sweet this month.  You hug and kiss me, and all the time you are telling me, "Mommy, I love you," or even, "Mommy, I love you so much."  It is the best feeling in the world, when you say that to me.  You have so much love.  We cuddle every chance we get.

A few times this month you've woken in the night with a leg-ache.  It hurts so bad and you cry.  I rub your leg and hug and kiss you.  But you are still scared because your leg hurts.  I let you sleep in bed with us when that happens.  But one night when you had a leg-ache, your daddy was going to be running a big trail race in the morning.  I didn't want to disturb him, so instead of letting you come to bed with us, I climbed in your little bed with you.  You giggled because it was funny that there was hardly room for me.  Your leg still hurt, so I got you a tylenol and at first you didn't want to take it, but eventually you did, and you realized it tasted like candy.  You wrapped your arms around me and said, "Thank you for the tylenol, Mommy.  I love you so much."  We stayed that way, with our arms around each other.  It was the middle of the night, but now that you had me all to yourself, you kept whispering to me.  You told me all about your day and everything you had done, and then you made up stories about your toys and animals.  I was tired and my back hurt from being squished into your little bed, but I was as happy as I could be.

William, you are the best thing on this earth.  You are such a good, sweet, and wonderful child.  I look forward to every minute I get to spend with you.  I am the luckiest mom in the world.

Love to you always,   Mama

Colorado, part 2

(Continued from Part 1)

Leaving Rocky Mountain National Park was sad, but it was hard to stay sad as we drove through Estes Park-- the town that borders the park on the east side.

The main street through Estes Park has zillions of shops with every kind of souvenir you could imagine, and although it is strange considering how much I loathe clutter, I do love souvenir shopping.

As we drove through the congested tourist hot-spot, Will called out from the back seat, "STOP THE CAR!"  He had seen some people walking down the road while eating ice cream cones, and informed us that he had to have one.

Will-- who typically doesn't eat food and has refused ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and sherbet any time we've offered it to him.

Rob miraculously found a place to park in an extremely crowded public lot, and we walked the densely packed streets until we found an ice cream shop.

Out of the 32 flavors that the store boasted, Will chose Bubble Gum, and he wanted a sugar cone dipped in chocolate and coated with sprinkles.

Check out the cool necklace we got for him in Rocky Mountain National Park.  He picked it out.

As you might imagine, he ate two bites, complained that the ice cream was too cold, and pronounced, with finality, that he was done.

We got back in the car and kept on driving to Boulder, with no particular destination in mind once we got there.

Boulder was nice.  It was more actually in the mountains than Fort Collins was, and the mountains were greener.  

Will was crying because he wanted a playground, so we found him one.  Then he was happy.

I kind of loved Boulder, even though it was 90 degrees out and there were no clouds to take the edge off the harshness of the sun.  I started Zillow-ing real estate, and realized that the only way we could ever afford to live in Boulder was if we lived in our car.  This was distressing.

We also had trouble finding a motel/hotel to stay in for the night, which may have been because it appeared to be University of Colorado's move-in weekend.  But finally we found a place (that seemed to be halfway to Denver), and ended up planning out the next couple days of our trip, which we had never managed to do before.

We found a Native Foods Café in some open air mall type place that reminded me a little too much of the Galleria (and shops across from it) in St. Louis.

As we headed over there, I noticed that the people in Boulder drove kind of stupidly, and it may have just been because I was overheated, unshowered, and a little bit carsick, but Boulder went way, way down on my Places I Want To Move List.

Dinner at Native Foods was pretty nice though.

Rob, dislocating his jaw to eat his vegan Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger, which also came with fried dill pickle chips.

We finally checked in to our way too fancy, way too expensive hotel, and at long last, I got to shower.  It was so nice.

The next morning, Rob got up early and drove back into Boulder so he could run/climb up Green Mountain.  I haven't seen him quite so happy in years.  Or ever.

When Rob got back from his run, we checked out of the hotel and headed over to see a friend/colleague of mine who recently moved to Boulder. She has two kids, one of whom is the same age as Will, and the three littles had a blast playing together.  We all went to a playground for a while and then had lunch at a semi-vegetarian restaurant.

It was great catching up with friends, but by this point, I was not feeling so well.  My head felt like it was splitting in two, my throat hurt, and my nose was stuffed up.  I didn't know if I was just having altitude issues or if I was actually getting sick.  I tried to drink as much water as I could (I knew I was pretty dehydrated) and hoped for the best.

After lunch, Rob, Will and I hit the road again, bound for Leadville.  Why did we choose this bustling mountain metropolis of 2,600 people, situated 2 miles (>10,000 feet) into the sky?

Leadville is the site of the Leadville Trail 100--the largest and one of the oldest (dating back to 1983) trail 100's in the US.  It is therefore a site of pilgrimage for our people.  But beyond just being a point of interest, the annual race was actually going on that weekend, and we would arrive just in time to see the winners cross the finish line!

As soon as we arrived in Leadville, I thought, This is it, I am home.  I loved it that much.  

Leadville was once a silver mining town, and the place still has this wild west feel to it.  That and and a thousand ultra runners plus their crews.  Everyone was both chill and extreme.  I'd be curious to see what Leadville is like on a weekend when the nations biggest 100-mile trail race is not taking place.  

We cobbled together some dinner from leftovers and snacks and headed to the finish line to wait, and wait.

Will passed the time by grabbing my phone and taking pictures.

 

We were all very excited.

 

The race was neck-and-neck between the two front runners, Ian Sharman and Nick Clark.  Both of them are also competing in the Grand Slam, which involves doing not just this race, but four (4!) of the nation's most prestigious hundred milers throughout an approximately 10 week period over the summer.  This is some major endurance.

At last, we heard the race officials say that Sharman was coming up the hill.  It was amazing to watch the completely raw emotion on his face as he crossed the finish line after having covered 100 miles in just over 16 and a half hours.

Clark struggled late in the race but still looked strong when he (and his son, who ran with him during the final stretch) came in around a half an hour later.

I don't really know Nick Clark, but I did meet him briefly in Nicaragua when he ran (and won) the 100K Fuego y Agua last February.  I actually sat across from him on the plane ride home, but I was too star struck to say anything besides something kind of dumb like, "How did you like the race?" He seemed like a really nice, down to earth guy, and I've been a big fan of him ever since.  Wishing him well as he finishes out the Grand Slam.

I really wanted to stay longer at the finish line, but Will was tired and flat out demanded to be taken back to the motel so he could go to bed.  Highly unusual for him.  The thing about hundreds is that they are very spread out.  The third place guy was probably more than an hour behind, and Scott Jurek (vegan ultra running legend) wouldn't end up finishing until after midnight.  As much as I wanted to stay all night long and watch as other runners trickled in, it was time for all of us to go back to the motel and get some sleep.

The next morning I got up early and headed out into the cold to run (Rob got Boulder, I got Leadville).  I had looked on the map and found a footpath (paved, but at least it was asphalt instead of concrete) called the Mineral Belt Trail that looped right by our motel.  It was beautiful.  

Running at 10,000 feet didn't really seem to bother me at all.  I took it easy and managed to go 5.6 miles.  I felt like I could have kept running forever, but we needed to check out of the hotel and get ready for a long day of driving ahead of us.

I didn't really want to leave Leadville, and in fact I would like to move there for good.  I wonder if they need any doulas?

On our way back through the mountains, we stopped in Georgetown to take a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad-- a working old-timey steam engine.  William is still completely obsessed with trains, and because so much of the trip had been about doing what Rob and Melissa wanted, we thought it was only fair to do something that was 100% for Will's enjoyment.

 

Will was mainly very silent on the train, and I'm not sure if that meant he was so overwhelmed with joy that he couldn't speak, or he wasn't paying attention.  In case of the latter, we tried to just take a lot of pictures so he could remember it someday if he wanted to.

We drove east for the rest of the day, and as we descended out of Denver, my ears filled up with fluid and I could barely hear anything.  It was actually kind of painful, and it lasted that way for about 24 hours--well beyond the mountains.

On the drive back, we learned a couple of things.

First: the border town between Kansas and Colorado is named Kansorado.  Not kidding, couldn't make this up.

Also: there is nothing between Denver and Kansas City.  As in, billboards would advertise steak houses that were 150 miles away.  Because that was the closest thing.

We took two days to make the trip back, and as we descended into the gridlock of traffic on I-64, I couldn't help but start bawling.  During the trip, people we met would ask us where we were from, and we never said we were from St. Louis.  We'd say, we're living in St. Louis, which is different than being from here.  We'll never be from here.  No matter how long we live in this place, I doubt it will ever be home.

One thing I'm starting to wonder though, is if it might actually be the gateway to the west for us?

Call me if you need a doula, Leadville.

Thanks for reading.