Race report: Leadville Trail 100

Hey there RunGeeRun and Ultrarunning fans.....are you ready for one exciting blog? This may take a while to read, rest assured, my Leadville 2009 has that Western States style of suspence.

The Slammers had a 4 week hiatus between Vermont and Leadville. I rested at Whitefish Lake, Montana and then trained on a tapering schedule per Coach Weber. I was an active Volleyball mom and was very happy to focus on Sophie’s endeavor. No boo-boos, no excuses, I was nervous but ready to tackle Leadzilla, my love-hate term for the Leadville 100.

Peter and I headed to Leadville on Thursday morning. We took a scenic route thru Grand Junction and then Gunnison (where Peter attended school at Western State College), then headed north up Taylor Creek road and up to Cottonwood Pass. We hung out on the pass and enjoyed the gorgeous views and then continued down to Buena Vista and north to Leadville. Sophie stayed behind a day to attend Freshman orientation at West High School Friday morning. She joined Moira and Dan Kryger and their two boys Declan (4) and Collin (8mos) and then arrived in Leadville Friday evening.

Friday morning Peter and I shot videos and then headed into town for the pre-race activities including medical check and instructions. I guess I wasn’t too surprised that downtown Leadville (elevation 10,000+ ft.) my oxygen saturations were only 91%, although I was hoping for more, and my blood pressure was normal. There was helpful medical information given by a physician who was in charge of the race medical support. The race director explained that one section of the course was changed because of a helicopter crash on Mount Massive just days prior. Apparently it was a military blackhawk and 4 servicemen were killed, they were now conducting a search and recovery mission, very sad. Then the topic of the pre-race talk lead to the subject of cutoffs. This is when I started hyperventilating and becoming aggitated..... and I told Peter that we had to leave "NOW" so we slipped out and went for lunch.

My alarm went off @ 2:40, I left the hotel at 3:30 and was taking photos at the race start 10 minutes later. The weather was a tiche brisk, but much warmer than I thought. I didn’t see any familiar runners (among the pack of 500+), Peter gave me a good luck kiss, and the race was off. The first song on my tunes was Rock the Casbah by the Clash, I was pumped.

I will now describe my version of the Leadville 100 course. Start downtown Leadville, run 13.5 miles west, then run south until mile 50, turn around and run exactly the same route back to downtown Leadville. The course is mostly trail, some gravel roads, and some paved roads, nothing too technical but there are a few short technical sections. There is one river crossing ~50 ft., last year I walked on my toes to keep my bum dry and this year it was below my knees. Oh, and I must mention that there is a “hill” ~mile 14, and another “hill” not so bad ~ mile 33, and then a big (~3,000 ft.) hill ~mile 42, and when you turn around, that hill you just climbed, well you have to climb it again.... a mere 2,600 ft this time but this side seems steeper, and the middle hill that wasn’t so bad is a lot steeper on the way back, and then the last hill (and you placate yourself that it is the last hill) is so disorienting because it is climbed in the dark and the sparkling stars make the summit appear to be so far up there, AND THEN you get within a mile of the finish, you realize that the reason why you started off at a good pace because you were running like the wind downhill.....which means that you are now sucking wind going uphill to the finish.

***note the times I am reporting are elapsed time on the course, this is a 30 hour race, and I calculated my Aid Station goals for a 28 hour finish***

So I had a good start, I saw my friends Paul and Charlie ~ 4 miles into the race. My nerves were calm and I was got into my groove pretty quickly. The only thing going wrong was the fact that I dropped the red lightweight gloves that Sophie had let me borrow with the terms of “OK, but DON’T lose these”. I had lost my exact ones during Western States. I worried about losing her gloves for many miles, thought it was bad Karma and a bad Omen, and even saw a guy with red gloves and was desperate enough to ask if he had found them. Right before the MayQueen AS mile 13.5 I was able to turn off my headlamp and that always makes for faster running. I arrived at MQ mile 13.5 @ 02:34 which was 6 minutes ahead of my goal for this AS and 12 minutes faster than last year...yeah! and I felt comfortable, not pushing too hard. No crew here I just had the AS folks help me put my headlamp in my pack.

Out of MQ the course heads up a short road to trailhead parking and a fun (I say this on the way out but on the return trip it escalates to technical) rocky trail and then short steep climb up to a gravel road. The gravel road up to Sugarloaf pass is a low grade climb and I knew I really needed to run as much as possible, and I did. Cresting the summit, the trail is close to power lines that make this eerie crackling electrical sound. Last year during this section there was a lightening storm close by and the powerline noise made it seem as if the lightening was closer. Charlie’s long legs strided right past me on the downhill but I tried not to let him out of my sight to Fish Hatchery (FH)..... he may have been a blip on the paved road horizen coming into FH, but I could see him! It was great to see Peter and Sophie at FH mile 23.5, I arrived at 04:58, 13 minutes behind my goal. My great crew helped me with a quick turnover.

The next section from FH to Twin Lakes was rerouted because of the helicopter crash recovery. It starts out the same on a boring small hilly paved road (and all the crew vehicles pass you and I found that annoying) to Treeline and then instead of continuing on a gravel road to Half Moon camp, the course swung east on a softer dirt and less traveled road to what was called Box Creek (BC) pass. My GPS recorded a longer distance from FH to BC, and then a shorter distance from BC to Twin Lakes so I am thinking overall the course was not too far off the 100 mile distance. Anyway, I was having a nice run to BC until I came upon these two younger guys - I don’t think they were necessarily running together. One of them took out a goo packet, ate it, then very intentionally threw the wrapper to the side of the trail. I came up to him close, and said “that was soooo not cool”. I think I scared him... probably not too pleasant to have a sweaty red-faced older woman nagging him. His only defense was that “ I run marathons and that is what they do”. I, well, gave him a ultra-etiquette lesson, then passed him, then never saw him again. I should say that when I arrived at BC, I was really bummed out because of the longer distance I was way behind my goal. I was frantic at the AS, grabbed a Coke to settle my stomach, and LEFT Sponge Bob. I realized this ~10 minutes down the trail but I thought I would retrieve my friend on the return. When I arrived at Twin Lakes mile 39.5 @ 08:42 I was 3 minutes ahead of my goal! The course from BC to TL was nice. There is a section similar to what I refer to as the “neverending aspens” on the Wasatch course, and then a steep gravel road downhill to the AS. The whole way I was trying to do a memory check on this section because I knew it would be tough on the return.

I was so HOT when I arrived at TL. My crew had ice cold Ginger Ale and I couldn’t help but drink the whole can, not being cautious to fill up my tummy. I did sit in the shade for a bit and it was fun to see the Kryger family, Declan told me about his dogs, and then off I went for the big climb. It was very nice to have my GPS for the climb. This section starts off by crossing a flat field with a river crossing, I was surprised that it is a full 2 mile section. The river was low this year, below my knees and running pretty slow. Right after I crossed, I was facing the lead runner Anton Kruprika..... on his return......my goodness he was not only 20 miles ahead of me but 20 miles PLUS 2 trips over Hope Pass. I could tell that my climbing wasn’t spectacular but at least I never had to stop. I drank small sips of water or GU20, tried to remember my electrolytes and took in maybe a little food - after last years experience I was leery of pushing my stomach. I don’t think I really stopped at the AS, just enough to see the Llamas and I decided to just get that last brutal push over with. I also didn’t look at my watch, but now I know that I was 19 minutes behind my goal at Hopeless AS. I wish I would have had a video cam as I could see Charlie as he powered over the pass. I wasn’t as elegant, but I got the job done, and there were people hanging out on the pass..... and I engaged them in a “Whooopie” as I summited. I had a great downhill on my nice Western States trained downhill quads. I saw the first woman near the beginning of the downhill. Last year it seemed tough to pass by people on my downhill and their uphill but this year the uphillers were very kind and even some of the lead runners even got off the trail for me - wow! The road into Winfield was a dust cloud. Other runners were yelling at the cars to slow down but I don’t know if it made that much difference. All I know it that this is a yucky hot and miserable less than 3 mile section. The cool thing was that I came into Winfield right behind Charlie. Peter has a photo (posted on his Picasa site) of us coming in. He looks like serious business, I am smiling because I felt so much better than last year - when I came in crying. I came into Winfield mile 50 at 12:46, 26 minutes behind my goal, and nearly ONE HOUR earlier than last year. My weight was down 3 lbs. My very experienced ultra friend Deb told me last year that you need to get to Winfield by 12 hours, so even though I was looking good on my terms, Deb knows and I knew there couldn’t be any monkey business on the way back.

Peter had first pacing duty from Winfield back to Twin Lakes, the second trip over Hope Pass. I tried my best to run as much as possible from Winfield to the trailhead, I knew I needed to make up as much as possible. I warned Peter that I was going to be slow on the climb. Sure enough, I was a complete weenie on the uphill. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like our entire climb was like this: take 10 steps, stand and catch breath, and repeat. I didn’t sit down, I just held up aspen trees. I was passed by I couldn’t count how many people, I didn’t care, I couldn’t breathe. Charlie and Eve powered passed me and I didn’t see them again until downtown Leadville. I did settle in with a group of fellow wind suckers and we yo-yo’d and ecouraged each other to the pass. I must point out though that later on in the race I passed numerous of those speedy climbers and most certainly some of them DNF’d. Near the top I released Peter to go ahead and take photos. He didn’t capture my brief dry heave, but he did get a video of my slow and steady climb over Hope Pass. To be honest, near the top I wanted to stop and catch my breath but I knew he was taping video and, yes, purely out of vanity I kept on walking so I wouldn’t look weak on the video. Over the pass I came back to life. I did have a minor ‘feet slide out and fall on the butt’ crash but only a bruise on the butt and boo-boo on the elbow. I stopped at the Hopeless AS for Ramen Noodles and this became the staple of my diet for the last 45 miles. We absolutely cruised on the downhill. I knew I lost a bunch of time on the climb (took 30 minutes more than my goal) and I wanted to get as far as possible before I had to put on my headlamp. My goal was to get back to TL before nightfall and we had a grand idea to video the river crossing....but we had to put on headlamps near the bottom of the downhill, too dark to video. I tried to run the flats but now even that made me breathe hard. The night was warm and the stars were bright. I had a nice run-walk system going and was able to catch a couple runners. I arrived at TL mile 50.5 at 9pm, 17:00 into the race, a whole hour off my goal.....but at least I ran the Hopeless AS to TL section in 1:30 which was my exact split goal for that section. Quick calculation: my goal was based on a 28 hour finish....fully knowing that wasn’t going to happen, but a good goal.....so, now, here at Twin Lakes, I knew all wasn’t in despair because my new target was now a 29 hour finish!

Moira was ready for pacing duty. I had some yummy (sarcastic) Ramen noodles, stomach felt good, and off we went. The first 50 ft. is so steep I needed a ladder. Then the course climbs a long uphill and I was going at a pretty pathetic pace, and to add salt to the wound, we kept on getting passed by these runners who looked fresh, yes fresh - how did they look so good? Finally we crested and I attempted my run-walk cycle and we made it to BC for more Ramen noodles. NO ONE at the AS station claimed to have seen Sponge Bob, hmmmm. I looked at the clock and we were 45 minutes now in front of the cutoff - Rats, lost 15 more minutes, but I was glad that I built in extra time on my split goal for that section.

My fatigue became apparent from BC back to FH. I had no giddy-up and I just wanted to sleep. Moira so patiently put up with me while I was developing an attitude. My mind was mush....wandering..... and I began to concoct a plan to cheat, yes I admit, I was scheming to cheat. Bottom line, the entire race I was in despair about climbing Sugarloaf the second time, how could I do it?....maybe someone else could do it.......My plan: I would check in and out of FH and in the dark night Moira and I would switch, Moira would go over Sugarloaf pass with Peter and I would drive the van around to MQ, hike up and we would switch back. I revealed my plan to Moira and she placated me, ignored me, gave a tiche of an ethical talk...she knew I was delirious, then she continued to be SURE that I would be fine, and last resort she just kept on changing the subject. After we hit Treeline the night grew chilly and the road back to FH took forEVER, let alone running on that paved road hurt. As I came into FH 76.5, I was distracted enough that I forgot about “The Plan”. I was sick of doing math, all I knew is that I had to fix myself and get out of there. Looking back, I arrived at 22:32, which was 28 minutes before the cutoff, and blah blah blah 1 hour and 37 minutes slower than my goal. However, Scott Weber says that if you can make it out of FH, you can finish......unfortunately, I tend to prove people wrong, but that thought did bring encouragement. Moira informed Peter that I had a bad attitude that needed to change. I was chilled and I went into the AS building, had a few bites of Ramen noodles but the stomach was really going south. I had a huge coughing fit (end of last weeks cold + pulmonary edema + Winfield road dust), I coughed so hard I got the heaves pretty bad. As I was heaving I looked up at a table in front of me and saw a sign “Found at Start of Race”.... and there they were....... Sophie’s Red Gloves!!!!! Things started to look up, the red glove were a sign. I devoured a PopTart, put a pair of running pants over my shorts and Peter and I hit the trail...um, paved road.

I was so nervous for the climb up Sugarloaf, I was nervous for this before the race. I didn’t make it this far last year, I really didn’t know what to expect, the downhill on the way out seemed steep but I was so tired and disoriented by now, We got into a rhythm, no talk, just business, and we even held hands. Silly me, before the race all I was so very nervous for Peter to pace me, I worried that it could be disasterous for our relationship..... but on the contrary, it turned out to be really good. I know that Peter really liked the Hope Pass section. The plan was for Dan to pace me over Sugarloaf but unfortunately he was preoccupied with Collin....who just wanted to breastfeed and Moira had been with me, poor Dan and Collin. Peter was clearly on a mission now to get me to the finish....and if you have been so priviledged to experience “Peter on a mission”, you know that the job will get done. As we climbed Sugarloaf I kept on looking for headlamps to track the top of the climb but all I kept on seeing was the stars, very disorienting. Finally we reached the flat top and Peter commented on the eerie electrical noise from the Powerline, it was fun for him to experience the same weird thoughts that run thru my head during a run. I did my best to run the downhill and we started to play the catch the headlamp game (quite simple, see headlamp in distance and try to catch and pass it). We saw Search and Rescue driving up the road. I of course had a flashback of last year when I saw their headlights....the wrist band cutting crew came looking for us and made us get in the back of the truck, fortunately the S&R guys just wanted to make sure we were OK. Like I said, the last section before the MQ AS was fun on the way out, but quite technical on the return. Down the road we had been going at a good pace, but this section really slowed us down. Finally, as we came out to the trail head parking lot, there they were..... ready with scissors...... the wrist band cutter dude. He must have seen the sheer panic on my face because he immediately assured me “You are fine, just keep up the pace”. We turned the corner and saw the van that would pick up the runners who got clipped, all I could do was look down, silence. I arrived at the MQ AS mile 86.5 within 5 minutes of the cutoff (they have my times posted wrong), rats - lost another 20 minutes, 26:25 into the race, and Quick Math: Eons past my &#@%ing goal. I went right thru the AS and as I left the guy directing traffic wished me luck, I started to cry.

I started down the road to the lake sobbing, and then I thought “you can’t cry, you will waste too much energy”. I remembered from the race booklet that if you left MQ by 0630, you had to run the last 13.5 miles at a 15.5 mile pace to get in by the cutoff of 10:00. Crap, that 2 hour buffer I built into my goal was whittled down to 5 minutes. Peter lightened my load by carrying my pack. This was nice, but risky in the fact that I don’t drink as well if I don’t have my pack. Instead, Peter gave me sips off his pack while in forward motion. The thing I really needed to do but didn’t want to take ~2 minutes for the task, was to remove my running pants.... they were hot but I would just have to engage my hot yoga Bengal Tiger strength. Before we arrived at the boat ramp my GPS ran out of battery.....bummer....but then again, I really needed to stop doing math, it was just plaguing my brain... and bottom line: all I needed to do was to go one speed, and that was, as you can guess “as fast as I can go”. When we arrived at the boat ramp, a race committee looking person reported “7 miles to go”, he didn’t have a watch but some lady who was looking for her runner reported that it was 8:00 am. Quick math: 6.5 miles in 1 h 35 minutes = 14.6 minute miles, I was doing it! Ok, I couldn’t help but do math. Then again, I was relying on the accuracy of some ladies’ wristwatch and being the “think worst case scenario” type person that I am, I was suspicious that her watch was off. As we continued around the lake we were cheered on by groups of campers. Believe it or not, I did not have the desire to jump in their tents.... but I did want to use their kayak to paddle to the end of the lake. Peter got this bright idea that I needed some giddy-up in the form of calories. He stopped me and gave me a split second to agree on taking in a GU vanilla. I said OK, knowing quite well what was going to happen....and .....sure enough my husband witnessed my response to taking a any type of a sport goo. I appologize in advance for this description: as soon as the gel hits my tongue I instantaneously start to forcefully hurk that is concerning for my intestines to be shot out my nose, I force a drink and then it goes down pretty. Sure enough, I got it down and I know they are good quick energy, thank you honey. We had a bit of difficulty with trail markings near the end of the lake, which was frustrating, but as we climbed out from the shore and up to the road, there was, shining in all its glory, lit up by the morning sun, my silver Trojan horse....our Eurovan. Can’t you just hear the sound of the Lone Ranger?!!!! Out jumps Dan and Peter hands me off to him, pretty much like “tag, you’re it!”. The Search and Rescue guys sitting on their ATVs informed me that I had 5 miles to go and it was 8:50. Quick Math: we did the last 2 miles in 50 minutes, I think not... I knew it, that lady’s wristwatch was wrong. OK, so 5 miles to go in 70 minutes = 14 minute miles..... OMG, we had to pull out 14 minute miles for the next 5 miles. I got fired up stewing over the wristwatch false reassurance. The course took a short steep downhill and then a low rolling hilly gravel road to the campground. I could see a white Eurovan in the distance, thought it was Eve and Charlie....and I thought Eve jumped out of the van to help run me in.....but it was Sophie! with an ice cold flask of GU20! At that point there 4 miles to go, but I didn’t want to know the time. We had to cross the railroad tracks and then parallel the tracks, pretty flat terrain, and then turned left to climb....big hill first and then rolling hills but overall going uphill all on a gravel road - painful hardpack. We passed race official looking people who offered water, didn’t need any plus DUH, no time to stop. This was the 3 mile mark and I know we asked the time but I can’t remember the answer. I do remember Dan trying to bargain with the finish time “we have until 11 right?, how about 10:30?”, and the reply was “NO, 10am”. What a good pacer, trying to haggle some more time for me. Dan was working me so hard, we were dripping wet, the skies were clear and sunny with morning sun baking us. He grabbed his visor, offered it to me but I admit that it was kinda better in full blown misery. I was focused with Dan absolutely encouraging me, pushing me, pulling me, and doing everything to make me move. I was so hot, still wanted the pants off, internally chanting Bengal Tiger strength. We were one and we were determined. We pulled up from the gravel road to the pavement, made it to mile 99. There were 3 old guys at that turn and I wanted to ask the time, but I didn’t. Some gal was out directing traffic and ran up to me yelling “we want you to finish but you have to RUN”. I could see Moira about a block away cheering me on.... why wasn’t she coming to me, why did she wait at the turn? When I reach Moira I grabbed her hand and Dans hand and said “you have to get me up the hill”. We powered up the hill and as the road flattened out, all the residents who were up at 4 am partying and cheering us on at the start were now partying and cheering me to the finish. One gal ran out to me and offered to pour water on my head, I said no because again, blah blah blah no time for anything but forward motion. This gal took my hand and ran with us for a bit. She said “I just walked to here from the finish and it took me 10 minutes, and you only have 8 minutes, you HAVE TO RUN the downhill”. The downhill was ~ a block and I was miserable the entire way, I wanted to stop halfway but Moira wouldn’t let me. I could see the finish line and I could see people lining both sides of the street and behind the finish. I tried to walk but she made me run and people began filtering out from the crowd to bring me in, like a posse, including my friend Karen who stopped her run at Winfield. About a block from the finish I asked “how much time” and they said “3 minutes” I said, “oh great, I can walk it” but no, this girl from my posse said “You can’t, the crowd won’t let you, listen to the energy of the crowd, you have to run it in”. Peter came out of the crowd and grabbed my left hand. The noise reverberated. I put my head down, closed my eyes, soaked up the energy from the crowd, and I ran up the red carpet to the finish line.....I was an official finisher at 29 hours 58 minutes and 8 seconds. I gave the race director a big hug and thanked her. Then I looked thru the crowd for Sophie, she had Collin in a Baby Bjorn and was watching the Kryger boys while Dan and Moira were with me. She said that Collin was so excited with the noise of the crowd that he was clapping and making noises. Sophie was cheering me in and the people around her treated her like a celebrity....the runner is her Mom! We both laughed at the fact that Sophie looked like a teenmom carrying around Collin and watching Declan.

Surprisingly I did not collapse at the end. Maybe if I would have had to run another mile I would have, but I was able to stand erect on my own and thank my family and my friends for bringing me in. This was a true team effort and I absolutely couldn’t have crossed the finish line without them. Many people in the crowd came up to me and congratulated me. It was very sad to see others behind me cross the finish line after the cutoff. I was in their shoes at the 2004 Wasatch when I finished 15 minutes past the cutoff, and I very much applauded their effort to persevere and finish the course. I had to undergo a weight check and my final weight was +4 lbs from my starting weight.....where was the weight? My hands were quite puffy, Sophie said they looked like Mickey Mouse hands, my legs were thick with fluid, and I think I had a lot of fluid in my lungs. We headed back to the hotel to clean up for the awards assembly.

The awards ceremony was led by the race founder Kenneth Chlouber clad in dress-up cowboy gear, black pants with boots, red jacket with white piping, black cowboy hat, and one of those enormous belt buckles. The gym was near capacity. He started out by recognizing those runners who started the race but did not finish (huge round of applause for them). Then he recognized the girl who finished 1 minute 2 seconds after the cutoff time, and he said that she deserved a buckle but she wasn’t in attendence. Then he called up the last official finisher of the Leadville 2009 “in 29 hours 58 minutes and 8 seconds, Carolyn Luckett from Salt Lake City”. For the first time, my name was called at the beginning of the ceremony, when audience was fresh with applause, they weren’t leaving the building, bored with the awards, tired of clapping, not paying attention.... I felt like a winner. I walked up to the front with Kenneth Chlouber and the race director Merilee, and as I neared them I realized that she was holding a trophy. I WON A TROPHY......there, in all its glory.... in the shape of the back half of a mule, with the inscription “Last Ass Up the Pass” was the first trophy I have ever won. I was completely shocked, I didn’t know about this category. I held my trophy up high as the audience roared. At that moment, it was better than the buckle.....but I really like the buckle too. Oh, and every female finisher receives a silver and gold necklace with the Leadville 100 logo on the pendant. Sophie and Peter were thrilled....just think, I wouldn’t have won the trophy if I had come in second to last :)

We didn’t stay for the whole assembly, we had a long drive home and opted to get on the road. The best part of the drive home was stopping at Dairy Queen for cherry dipped ice cream in a cup.

For photos of this adventure, click on "Peter's photo Gallery" on the left side of the screen under Cool Stuff.

Leadzilla

Headed to Leadville, CO this weekend..... All of you have suffered a year of me whining about timing out @ mile 70 last year. It is time to redeem what I now refer to as Leadzilla.

It has been 4 weeks since Vermont, what have I been up to? Sophie, Stella and I spendt a fabulous 10 days at the cabin on Whitefish Lake, MT with friends Ben, Tina, 2 poodles, and Annah. We spent most of the time in or near the water. The only time we had to run into town for more provisions was when we ran out of Hershey bars for the beach fire S’mores. Since we have been home, I have been Volleyball mom. Sophie attended a camp and the past 2 weeks she had been involved in tryouts at West High School. She will be a freshman but is aspiring to be on the Sophomore team. We also attended registration and have mastered the public transport TRAXX + bus from West High to home.

I continue to train, still relatively injury free. I am babying the tendonitis on my anterior ankle, doesn’t bother me when I run but I just don’t have much range of motion. It took awhile for the swelling to go down after Vermont, and my ankles seem to be my limiting factor in yoga.....I am sure my back bends are weak because of my ankles! I am also trying to ruff-up my feet, the skin on my pads and both 2nd toes is thin after the blisters healed. I am going to try this blister powder stuff for Leadville and I hope not to have to resort to taping.

Every race seems to have some crisis, and Leadville 2009 already has had its drama. My pacer Julie, who was going to pace me 40 miles, fractured a rib. Poor Julie, she is training for Wasatch and did the unspectacular trip on a twig and fall on her water bottle just on the wrong spot. We have all fallen with all levels of consequences. I just hope she heals well. So, I figure that is enough drama for my Leadzilla 2009 and hopefully there won’t be anymore glitches until after I cross the finish line.

My crew/pacers will consist of the Luckett-Thurston & Kryger families. Of course Peter and Sophie will be there in our Eurovan, and Sophie warned me that she doesn’t want as much drama and excitement as there was at Western States. Clan Kryger include Moira, Dan and boys Declan (4) and Collin (8 mos-ish). Moira and I were introduced by a mutual friend who set her up to pace me my first Wasatch in 2004..... and believe it or not but we have remained friends and she has continued to offer to pace me.

The current plan is that Peter will take me from Winfield mile 50 over Hope Pass and down and across the river to Twin Lakes mile 60. Then Moira will pick me up for Twin Lakes to Fish Hatchery (20 miles that I am really going to have to push and Moira is perfect because she can be very motivating.....and sometimes MEAN - and she knows when she needs to be mean). Dan will take me from Fish Hatchery mile 80 over SugarLoaf mtn and down to May Queen mile 87. And, then it will be a group effort for the last 13.5 miles. I can see Moira and Peter playing rock-paper-scissors.... not really but it would be funny. If time allows Sophie could be dropped off for the last 5 or so miles and that would be fun. I just hope that it doesn’t turn into the big stressful finish like Western States. Anyway......I am sure there will be a fabulous story to tell after this adventure....

Could never catch her doing the nose thump or paw slap that bounced the door to open it enough for her nose.... but this is pretty cute. Stella would let herself in and out of the cabin all day long.

Vermont 09

Taftsville bridge mile 15

My goal was the coveted sub-24 hour buckle, but truly I was happy to just get the blasted plaque. There were some really muddy trail spots and I did lose my shoe once, but overall the trails were in good shape. The weather was ideal: 70’s, partly cloudy, low humidity and very minimal rain. Peter and I had a great crew plan regarding quick exchanges and all my favorite power foods. Looking at my times from last year and times of those who ran sub-24, I knew I had to start out fast and then just maintain. I was mentally prepared not to use my iPod, silly rule they don’t let you listen to tunes, and I was going to be keeping track of my pace on my Garmin geek-o-meter (GPS that I can track my pace and splits). Everything seemed to be in place.

The course is simply..... rolling hills, 14,000 ft of elevation gain same amount of loss. I sorta remembered the terrain and some of the landmarks were switched around in my mind, but it was really nice to see the beautiful course again. There is one hill out of Lincoln Bridge that seems to go on forever, and the one out of Camp 10 Bear mile 70 also seems long but nothing is too steep or technical. The tough part of the course is that most of it is on hardpacked gravel roads. I overheard runners saying “I am saving myself for the last 30 miles”. What I now understand is that this means the climbs/descents don’t get tougher, but this is the point of the course when your body really starts to feel the impact of the roads and every part of your body just hurts.

From the starting line I felt strong, fast, light on my feet...... yet I arrived at Taftsville mile 15 a full 20 minutes BEHIND last years split. I couldn’t believe it, my goal was to run 20 minutes faster. Rats, I couldn’t hardly believe it. I tried to shake it off and carry on, however my split to mile 20 was not that much better. All I could think was that this is not the first time I have set out to run a faster speed only to realize that I am slower. There are times when I have runs where I am miserable and think I am pathetically slow and then I look at the watch and am way faster. So, I decided after mile 20 that I just need to run my run and quit worrying about the times. Although I quit watching the pace I did glance at the splits.... and I started to run my goal splits on time or sometimes a bit faster. I kept my Garmin on primarily because I could also track the distance, it was really nice knowing distance between AS.

Seasoned slammer Nick chooses pizza as a power fuel.... maybe that is what I need

I did meet people on the trail and I tried not to chat so much, distracting. Most notably was one of three young fit guys who were running their first 100. Two were ahead and the third I yoyo’d with for most of the day. I forgot his name but he asked me for advise and I told him that he would hate life and be so tempted to quit between 3am and 5am, but I assured him that if he hangs with it, when the sun comes up life all of a sudden feels better. At this time I don’t know if he finished but I sure hope so. I also saw several of the Slammers, Paul from CO, Charlie from UT; and then John from CO and Allan from MN both those guys didn’t make it thru Western States but I was glad to see them at Vermont. Paul was running with his girlfriend Karla who was a ton of fun, happy, had a great laugh, and was a strong runner. It was so cool to see a couple doing this together and amazingly 1 mile from the finish when I passed them they were still making the best of the situation..... wow, I think Peter and I would have battle scars by then.....not really, I actually think we would win the Amazing Race or couples Survivor.

I diverted off the trail for a quick splash in the river..... boy did I miss the WS rivers

Last year I met my pacer at Camp 10 Bear mile 70 ~8pm. This year my pacer planned to meet me at West Winds mile 77. I left Camp 10 Bear ~8:20 (note, 20 min. later than last year), right behind Paul and Karla. They were chatting about a clear strategy for a sub-24 and I just thought great, I would stick with them and all would be fine. Well, they smoked me on the climb. I ran ~ the next 6 miles alone with my headlamp. There was a beautiful sunset and I enjoyed every section of soft trail. Last year these trails were moist, misty and slippery and this time they were delux. It was really fun running thru the woods.... all alone.... at night..... chasing the glow sticks.

My pacer was Laura, a local from Claremont, NH. Laura works with the youth conservation programs and her husband has a bike shop, he was pacing too. She was exactly what I needed. By the time I got to her I was hurting, we pretty much walked the roads, but I was able to run the trails and the steeper road downhills. I was starting to get a bad attitude and she kept me going. The night was clear, there was a new moon and the stars were bright. The only glowing eyes we saw turned out to be a farmcat who was out on the prowl. We also enjoyed the frog noises when passing by the ponds.

I finished the Vermont 100 just a few minutes faster than last year..... yipee, a PR! I was very happy with my finish, sure I got plaqued and denied the buckle but I always, always, always keep in mind that first and foremost.... I have the ability to endure 100 miles. I am also grateful that my husband and daughter support my nasty habit, and I have seen some fabulous places and met really interesting people during these ultra runs.

There was definately group energy with the handful of slammers I have now met. And it is encouraging that they all had similar thoughts about Western and Vermont.....oh, and we are all nervous for Leadville. Charlie’s fiance Eve said it right with the comment that the Vermont 100 is for runners who train or do other races on roads or hardpack.

Peter seemed to enjoy his time in Vermont. The VT100 website does not have a map and each runner receives a not so good map at the check-in. So, Peter worked hard on making course maps (including AS and roads for crew) prior to our departure. Experiencing the course he will make some changes to the maps, and we will send the race committee a copy. Peter’s brother Jim lives in Maine and he drove over for the weekend. I tried to appoligize in advance for what Jim may witness during an Ultra. It was nice for the brothers to hang out. Peter’s friend Stork also joined him for an afternoon of crew duty on Saturday. He lives in Utah but has family in VT. His daughter Katie made me a couple of signs that they placed on the course “Go Carolyn, runnin’ Ute”....... totally brightened my day! I was sooooo excited, I have never had signs!

Stork with my signs

Oooo, and fun things we did in Vermont: strolled around in Burlington...what a nice city, and visited Ben and Jerry’s, Stowe (ski resort), and the von Trapp family Lodge. We stayed at the On the Hill B&B in Burlington, which I highly recommend. Kay is the Innkeeper and has a very comfy home, the best sheets I ever slept in, a great breakfast and we just wanted to stay and chat with her all morning.

Paul and Karla at the finish line

Again, more photos on Peter's picassa link....enjoy

by the hair of my chinny chin chin

...by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin

I have 10 little piggy toes who will attest the fact that I completed Western States 100 by the hair of my chiny-chin-chin. A great text from Moira “it would have been boring without all the drama”

Sophie, Peter, and I drove out to Truckee, CA and were very lucky to stay at Dave and Kimberly’s cabin (Dave and Peter skied together years ago when Peter lived in Reno). The cabin was ~20 minutes from the start and it provided a nice, quiet, cool place to stay out of the way of all the hype at Squaw Valley.

Friday was check-in day. It was fun to see all the runners, some that I knew and some I have only read about. I had volunteered to be in a research study on cardiac function, so I had some blood work done plus an echocardiogram. Check-in was a long slow line - mostly for all the loot they give each runner like shirts, fleece pullover, backpack.....was this part of the entry fee? The pre-race meeting was full of introductions and awards and the only take home message from the pure “race information” was that the weather would be nothing but HOT.... be prepared.

Slept well, thanks again D & K, and arrived at the start early - which is not so common for me. LOTS of energy at the start. The course begins on a service road up thru the ski resort of Squaw Valley. The ski lights defined the course, which was nice because we didn’t have to start with headlamps. The first climb up to the top of the resort is the longest on the course and definately not as tough as climbing up Snowbird. There were a few snow patches still on the trail. I arrived at the first AS (aid station) in good time however after we crested the pass, the downhill single track was a big congo line and was slower than I would have liked to run....and it was hard to pass. So I just enjoyed the scenery and made my way thru the boggy areas without falling. It was easy to see that we were headed deep into the wilderness.......a wilderness with aid stations, if only the Donner Party was so lucky.

By AS Lyon Ridge mile 10.5 I was behind. I really tried to crank up the speed but the next section was fun and beautiful terrain down a ridge line that it was hard to keep too seriously focused. Plus at mile 12 is the well-known picturesque Cougar Rock.....a short scramble up a rocky top and they even have a photographer strategically placed. The course continued downhill, but I still had a hard time making up time on that downhill. It was very dusty which was worse if a runner was in front of you, so it became a game of pass or be passed, just get away from other runners. I must have a lot of nose hairs because I think the majority of the dust was trapped before it hit my lungs.... although I did have a bit of a cough near the end.

I reached Red Star Ridge mile 16 in 350th place (399 started).....fortunately I did not know my placement until after the race as I am sure it would have played a detrimental head game. I knew that I wasn’t making up much time and soon after this AS I began to worry about the possiblity of making the time cutoff.....so again, tried to pick up the pace as the temperatures were starting to climb.

As I came into Duncan Canyon AS mile 23.8 I was greeted by Pierre, a volunteer who iced down my drinks, brought me over to the water misting station, and he pulled out “Sponge Bob” from my pack..... after check-in, Sophie and I went to the Western States store. We found these sponges with a shammy covering (Ben thinks it is Sham-Wow) and I chose bright yellow. Tina told me that the Tevis Cup (Western States Endurance horse ride) riders have sponges hanging from ropes and dip them to water cool the horses. Sophie and I promptly named it Sponge Bob and let me just say that Sponge Bob saved my life. When moistened, it says incredibly cool. I held it in my hand and frequently wiped down my face and neck and also held it to my mouth to breath the cool moisture. Sponge Bob made me so happy that I just started motoring on this section and passed quite a few people. There were a couple of small river crossings, walk thru to wet feet and fillup Sponge Bob, divine! I was able to really motor up the next few climbs but then I started to see the Safety Patrol. Each AS has Safety Patrol runners who come out onto the trail when there is a runner in trouble. I tried to look real strong so the Safety Patrol wouldn’t get me. There were lots of puking going on - not surprised with the temps. As I came into Robinson flat I was passed by a very chipper Australian gal. We passed each other throughout the rest of the race. At one point I thought she was done and toasted....but then she revived, passed me very strong and finished! Peter said that she carried her national flag around the stadium.

I saw Peter and Sophie for the first time at Robinson Flat mile 29.7. They are a great crew, they had everything layed out so I could choose what I would take with me. I just wanted to stay and hang out with them but no time, I had to go. I headed out and quickly realized I forgot Sponge Bob and I frantically called out to Sophie who ran it too me....I was headed into the hottest part of the day and that would have been a critical mistake. I knew the course from Robinson Flat. I had come out to “Western States camp” over Memorial Day weekend and over three days we ran the last 70 miles of the course. I admit that it is comforting when you know the trail.

The next section is ~15 miles of downhill. The first part to Last Chance mile 43.3 is mild on soft dirt and gravel roads. Then it seems to turn into a steep single track with a kajillion switchbacks to a river, cross the river on a cool old bridge and then a steep climb out to Devils Thumb. I had a great climb, felt strong, passed a bunch of people..... but when I reached the Devils Thumb AS mile 47.8 I was overheated....felt febrile. A volunteer grabbed me and took me over to the ice buckets and he sponged and cleaned my legs - sweet. Another volunteer brought me popcicles - heaven. Then they told me I had to leave.

The second canyon, 8 miles worth, is pretty much the same but not so steep: down, down, down, cross river, up, up, up. There was even an AS at the bottom, El Dorado Creek mile 52.9 and they had ice cold Ginger Ale - yum! This climb was not as spectacular as the first, but I knew I had Sophie and Peter waiting at Michigan Bluff mile 55.7 so I really tried to push it. I was doing better with the cutoffs, still close but better, still off my goal, but I had moved up into 245 place! - but only because of dropouts. I brushed my teeth at Michigan Bluff (one of my favorite things to do half way). As I was leaving the crew area I saw a sign that said “Chuck Norris never ran 100 miles” - yaah.

I tried to push it to Foresthill mile 62 to get as much running in before the sun went down. Overall at this point I felt good, I was busy calculating times and cutoffs, etc in my mind - as I would until the very last mile. I knew if I could just get to my pacer Bob, then things may speed up. I arrived at 10:15 pm. At the WS camp I overheard that you can finish if you leave Foresthill by 10pm. A critical maneuver at Foresthill crew exchange was Peter finding my second bottle of Perpetuum. My stomach felt ok but I definitely had a hard time choking down solid foods, so the liquid fuel was key through the night. It was a big exchange, I changed my upper clothing, but we were pretty swift. I wouldn’t see my crew until the morning.

I met Bob thru Anne who is connected with Sophie’s Alta ski group. The day Anne and I met, we dropped our kids off at their Freeride group and both joined another parent Lane for a fresh powder ski day....on the ski lift Ultras came up....and, Anne paced me for Wasatch the following September. Bob is her brother inlaw and lives near the Western States course, and that is how I connected with Bob. Anyway, Bob, Anne, another friend Pat, and I ran the Grand Canyon rim-rim-rim this spring. Bob has volunteered for Safety Patrol several years but this would be his first time pacing.

We started out well and then we went thru a long section where we didn’t see any other runners, it was eery. We were having a great time together. I knew there were 2 short but steep climbs, the first not so bad, the second just a bugger. The good thing though was that for a ways before the second climb, we could hear music playing from the Ford’s Bar mile 73 AS. At the top of the ugly climb the AS just around the corner....and boy were the AS volunteers having a good time here. We arrived at the Rucky Chuck river crossing at 3:30 and I was very please with our time and it seemed like we were gaining. At this point I truly thought WS was in the bag. The river crossing was not only fun but very therapeutic, cooled my body and I didn’t want to get out. Here, the American River is ~100 ft. or so wide. The flow can be controlled and when I crossed, it was up to my arm pits and fortunately very moderate flow. There is a cable across for runners to hold onto and ~ 6 volunteers are spaced out along the rope to guide you. Oh, and they put glow sticks in the water to identify boulders and other obsticles. About 3/4 the way across I noticed a familiar shadow of Peter! How fun, he hiked down to meet us. We probably chatted too long and then he hiked up to the Green Gate 1.7 miles with us, it was fun but I nearly regretted it later.

The next 6 miles took forever....I just couldn’t get going and the people were passing me looking fresh. What???? I played a game of trying to keep up with every person that passed me, but I couldn’t. From the WS training camp runs I knew how long it would take me from Green Gate, but I hadn’t factored in the additional 1.7 mile uphill from the river to the Gate. As we were in the 6 mile abyss enroute to ALT, my thoughts went something like “maybe Peter and I will instead have a romantic vacation in VT”. Finally, we arrived and we scurried thru ALT mile 85.2 AS, I wanted to brush my teeth and Bob schussed me to get going. A few hundred feet down the trail I heard the sound that every WS runner fears..... the air horn. There are several air horn codes.... 20 minutes to closure, or just closure. Just hearing it put the fear in me. My thoughts scrambled..... I thought of Charlie who timed out at mile 85 and I thought of Colleen - who always has great stories of how she got herself out of a situation and comes thru to cross the finish line. So, I said to Bob “I have got to pull a trick out of the hat”, it was time for Ibuprofen. Motrin is discouraged by the WS crew because of renal issues. I rationalized that I was peeing great, had only mid-mod hand swelling, was drinking and taking electrolyte replacements religiously so I felt it was time..... not too long after that I really felt like I was picking up the pace.

We flew thru Browns Bar mile 89.9 @ 0745, which was unfortunate that we didn’t have time to hang out because they also had the music cranked and seemed to be having a blast. A solo runner passed us and asked if I was going to quit at this AS or the next....WHAT???? QUIT???? ARe you NUTs???? poor guy had a bad attitude and he passed me with a speed that made me believe that he would make the final cutoff before me. This clearly showed me the value of the pacer....keeping the faith... I could have talked myself into the romantic VT weekend with Peter but Bob clearly intended for me to finish WS and stick to the Grand Slam quest. I remember somewhere along here we passed by the memorial for Barbara who was a local runner killed by a cougar on the trail. We were so close to Hwy 49 when we encountered a horse, taking up the whole trail on a bit of a grassy slope. The woman wouldn’t move - even with my plea that I had just run over 90 miles.....somehow we crawled up and around the horse without getting kicked.

As we crossed Hwy 49 to the AS mile 93.5 @ 0859, traffic control cleared us to cross and I just slowed to a walk. Bob promptly turned and told me to “RUN”, the funny thing is that Peter caught this interaction in a pic. Bob took my pack to restock, I weighed in, and I started running thru the AS. I looked right and there was Sophie standing with the most sullen face behind the taped off crew area, I panned next to Peter..... who yelled at me in the meanest tone I have ever hear from that man “you NEED to RUN”. Of course I responded back “you DON’T know how bad my body HURTS” There was a bit more bantering between us as I ran away and the poor AS check out ladies just sat there quietly stunned by our interaction.

I knew this next section was 3.3 miles, first uphill and then fairly flat, and mostly shaded by trees. I could hardly breath on the uphill. I needed to run a 45 minute split, I really wanted to get to the next AS by 0930 and no later than 0945. Funny thing is that I really felt like I was doing it and No Hands Bridge AS mile 96.8 seemed to come quickly....however the clock said 0950. I ran straight thru, passing Sophie and Peter on the left, looking at their shoes, couldn’t look at their faces, no words exchanged.

The sun blared on the bridge, the next ~mile is pretty flat but the heat made any slight uphill elevation seem like a mountain. I was more effective power walking...and anyone who walks with me knows that I am slow but I was really cranking those arms and hips. I could see where we turned up to Robie point and I was completely focused. The next thing I saw was the WS race president Tim Twietmeyer and some other guy running towards me. It was surreal, and no I wasn’t hallucinating. These guys ran up to me and gave me the best coach/father encouragement and pep talk EVER, I absolutely dug deep and rose to a new level. We were surrounded by other runners at the end of this section and just had to power past them to climb the switchbacks up to Robie point. Two things were going for me, first the climb was shaded by trees, and second, it was a climb and not a downhill....at this point I would choose a climb up thru the trees over a flat hot or downhill section. We climbed well and I didn’t check my watch until crossing the gate to Robie point....it was just almost 10:25..... we had 35 minutes to do the last 1.2 miles.....I was going to make it!!!! As I crossed thru the Robie point gate Tim Twietmeyer came running up to me with 4 cups of ice water... he said “I am going to get you wet, lift your chin” he completely soaked me, felt great, and then he said “get going and run it like you only have 25 minutes left”.

The last 1.2 miles is on pavement and most of it is uphill, then a short downhill to enter the stadium and then run 3/4 the way around the track to the finish line. Bob tried to get me to run and I could finally look at him and say “NO” , I’ve made it. He told me I could officially tell him to F#@&-off. We did do some running, certainly the last quarter mile and right before we entered the stadium Bob said to me “I have to tell you that 3 hours ago I didn’t think we were going to make it” I beamed and agreed. I am fully aware that if it wasn’t for Bob, Peter, Sophie I probably wouldn’t have made it. On our lap around the track.... I just soaked in the happiness and energy. We ran it in comfortably. The announcer called out my name and he also recognized Bob. We crossed the finish line 29 hours 50 minutes and 11 seconds. Our whole team was just beaming with joy.... and some disbelief! I had my blood drawn again for the study and I chatted a bit with Charlie - the other slammer from Utah. He finished just before me. There was a kiddie pool filled with water to soak feet, it was dirty but it was cool and felt great and I commented that right now, it was just like the Carribean. As I was sitting there 2 guys who I have met crossed the finish line after the 30 hour limit, Allan and Andy. The crowd cheered for them and I could empathize their heartache with my experience of finishing the 2004 Wasatch 100 after the cutoff time. Good for them to complete the distance.

I cleaned up and the awards assembly started. Because of the heat, it felt painfully long... 2 hours I think and we thought about leaving. After all the leader and special awards and introductions and photos with each award, and then the buckles for all the finishers under 29 hours had been given out.... there was a special acknowledgement for the runners who came in within the final hour. This was very nice and it made me feel special, just as if I had won the race. It is so true that if I could go faster I would, but I am so pleased and proud to just finish these races. I received my bronze buckle from a past winner and then I had a photo taken with Skip, the first woman to earn a buckle WS. I also saw Gordy, the first runner of WS, on our way to the van and I had a photo with him too. They also acknowldeged those runners who made it thru the last AS but did not finish before the cutoff, they received a spirit award and I was very happy that they were recognized.

After the race we drove back to Truckee and went out to dinner with Dave and Kimberly and cute little Keaton, age 16 mos. We had a nice drive back in the Eurovan the following day and the highlight was stopping at the In&Out Burger in Reno.....burger, fries, and a shake - we all deserved the extra calories!

To view Photos please go to Peters photo gallery under the Cool Stuff link on this blog

Road trip

Ahhhhh the Grand Teton

Sophie and I are at Targhee for a freeride competition.  She skis with the Alta Freeride Division AFD, and part of that group is the comp team.  The comp team has traveled to other resorts for events and this weekend Sophie and Mackenzie decided to step it up and try a competition.  So Sophie, Mac and her dad Lane and I are on a ski weekend roadtrip.

What is freeride?  Well it is not racing but just being proficient on all areas of the ski hill..... and especially on the ungroomed slopes with little rock formations to launch off of.  Here is a video, certainly if these kids had a helicopter I am sure they would look like this..... but they try to do the same kinda thing at the resort.  So, for this competition they ride to the top of a lift and then hike up further on the hill to an area that is pretty steep and has lots of terrain features.   When they ski, they are judged on style, speed but I am not sure if they are timed, control, and using the terrain features.  They basically just have to ski like rock stars down a gnarly pitch.

This is the first glance at the course

We arrived Thursday night and Friday morning was check in and then the girls skied with their coach to inspect their lines.   I skied with Lane and another Alta dad Tek.  The weather was warm and pure sun in the afternoon.  We did some boot hikes in the afternoon and the clouds broke away for a spectacular view of the Grand Teton.

Unfortunately Sophie didn't feel well by the end of the day and felt feverish.  Tylenol and early to bed and hopefully she will wake up ready to ski hard...... at least for one run.

Moab Red Hot 50K

Went down to Moab this weekend for the first race of the season.  Undertrained mentally more than physically, I had nothing to lose.  Peter had planned on joining me for the Valentines weekend, however the Wasatch mountains were being blanketed by that fluffy white powder that drew us both to Utah and keeps us here.  Alas, Peter got a free pass to stay and ski "for the team"..... he will pay his crew dues later.  Sophie stayed in SLC because she had Science Fair Friday night and planned to stay with her friend Haley.

So I joined Colleen and Lori for our 2nd annual Red Hot 50 K and Susan planned to run the 33K and help us with the finish line shuttle.  The forecast was threatening rain and snow.  I packed my drop bags like I was in Leadville.  Starting the race is a low grade hill.  Last year I was able to run pretty much the entire hill.  This year I have been having hamstring issues (Stiff Ass Syndrome) and I just couldn't move it.  I thought about it, tried to work it out by stopping and stretching on the redrocks, but resolved myself that I just can't expect to come into a race with minimal preparation and perform.  I am blaming my SAS on skiing but that is a whole other discussion.

So, I shifted into cruise and continued to enjoy the day with the only goal of finishing.  Oh, and I started out with Perpetuem which I haven't been able to stomach since my violent puking sessions at Leadville, and it went down great!

The weather turned out to be ideal, a bit breezy at times but no precipitation.  From ~mile 5 to AS 4 at mile 22 I ran alone, hardly a person in site.  The people at AS 3 and 4 even told me that I was the last runner.... I didn't care as I was having a great time and my hamstrings were starting to work for me.  Before AS 4 I started to see signs of Lori and Colleen - Cheetoes on the route- and I saw Colleen in the distance, her purple coat stands out.  Right after AS 4 I heard this pathetic cry from the bushes and it was my friend Deb.  She was running the 33K and was..... well..... in the bushes a lot.  She didn't look too good and sounded wiped out and was moving slow.  Her husband was running the 50 K but I told her that the AS people thought I was last.  I just didn't feel good about leaving her, so we walked together and caught up on life.  You may remember in a previous blog that Deb was the first Ultrarunner person that I met (we were both nurses in the burn unit 1989).  I must say that I was completely ok to walk slowly with my friend, I would have been ok to get to the ne

xt AS and DNF with her and ride back to the finish line in a jeep.  However, after ~30 minutes here comes another runner.  At first we thought that he was running sweep, but he said that there were ~6 runners behind him.  We looked and looked and thought that we saw her husband Lee and so Deb released me to run.  I was pretty cold by then and so I was happy to start....of course that meant getting the SAS warmed up too.  When I got to AS 5 I warned them about Deb and asked, well pretty much told them that she needed a ride.  My SAS then turned to left IT band tightness, which was a bummer but not too bad as I discovered the technique of "skiprunning".  Skiprunning can be used with unilateral IT band tightness (when it hurts to bend that knee on the downhill).  It works best on uneven terrain when you can pick a high spot for your running good foot and a lower spot for your screaming skipping foot.  Also, it works great if you only do this for the last half mile of the race as I am sure it is not a good long term solution.

Susan, Colleen, me and Lori.....why no photo in our running gear or outside in the beautiful area around Moab, don't know

I finished the race in great shape, well everything above the pelvis and below the knee.  I had a great day and overall the day flew by.  My time was slow, who cares:

1.   I helped out a friend

2.  Endurance wise I felt great

3.  I ran 50 K (33 miles) with minimal training and an awesome ski season 

4.  I can stomach Perpetuem again, and FYI string cheese is my favorite trail running snack. 

5.  Peter had a great Valentines ski day and got up for dawn patrol on Sunday for a fabulous ski tour (as documented by his video of Dave blasting thru a slide path of deep fluffy powder - yes it hurts that I wasn't there)

6.  Sophie won 3rd place at the Science Fair!  very proud of her.  Now she gets to go to the all Catholic schools competition.  And, she had a fun sleepover and ski day with Haley.

I won the lottery!!!!!

Along with 282 other runners, I secured a spot for the Wasatch 100.  Apparently in the early years  (1980ish) the Wasatch 100 committee sent out notices to sign up for their race.  When I first applied in 2004, it was first 320ish number of applicants got in (the Forest service caps off 320ish runners).  So, I would diligently mail my application early the first day, I got in no problem.  By 2007 there were so many applicants, and really it was not so fair to out of towners so they went to the lottery system.   Now each applicant fills out the form the first week of January, and the persons who have won in the past or have 6 finishes are automatic entries.  The automatics are subtracted from the max. allowed and this year that left 283 spots.  The first year of the lottery (2007) I went to watch and I was the 3rd from last pick (yikes).  Oh, and if a person does not make it in one year, then they get 2 tickets for the next year.

This year on the day of the lottery, I started up at Alta (Sophie with her ski group and I was with friends) and the snow was not that fabulous (yes, I am a spoiled Utah skier) so I took the long drive around the mountain and over to Midway.  I arrived ~15 minutes late and my friend Jodie was there..... she was keeping stats on the lottery.  Good news was that I was picked, bad new was that I wasn't present so I wasn't able to let out the celebratory cheer.  Oh well, I did cheer as all of my other friends made it...... I think that everyone that I know made it!!!!!  I am soooooo happy for everyone and hope for the best for all.

Here is a shot of pre-running season training.... ski touring with Peter.  We are headed up Gods Lawnmower (I love that name).  It is located in Big Cottonwood Canyon at the mouth of Mill D (south side of the road and just west of the tubing park).  Anyway, UDOT has to do avalanche control of this slope..... several years ago it went BIG along with Argenta, which is lookers right around the ridge, and it covered Big Cottonwood canyon road for a couple of days.  Anyway, we climb up on the right hand side of the trees and ski down the nice slide path that mother nature provided.

Oh, and that is one of my crochet beanie creations!