a cool weekend

This past weekend was not only cool in temperature, but very cool indeed.  It was the weekend of the San Juan Solstice 50 mile run.  Above, you see the top 3 winners.  The guy on the left was first place, and this was his first ever ultrarun.  He described coming down into a meadow as he got near the end of the race and being surrounded by bull elk, all running along with him. 
 
The race begins in our little town and meanders up and over very rough terrain, across creeks, up steep rocky slopes...for FIFTY miles.  The coolest part?  I had a friend running it.  

I hung out at the park eavesdropping as the EMT's received radio reports about who had passed each checkpoint.  It was invigorating.  What a great way to mentally prepare for my 13 miles.  Some other gals and I decorated tee-shirts and went up to the next to last check point to cheer Mandy on.  While there, we watched many runners come through, change shoes and socks, eat some soup and carry on.  We got word that Mandy had dropped from the race, but we were still stoked that she had the courage to try!  And she ran 40 miles!  I plan to wear my "Go Mandy!" tee shirt for my Half just because she inspires me.

Fifty miles.  How cool is that?  I wanted to know, so yesterday I went to the first trail that the racers took as they made the ascent up and up.  My plan was to run that trail for a mile and then run back home to a total of 5 miles.  I got about a half mile up the trail (completely loving it...beautiful!) and then couldn't figure out where the trail went from there????  I climbed up a rocky embankment and still couldn't tell.  Climbed back down, scouted around, still...where did the trail go?  So I climbed back up another route...nope, no trail.  Hmmm...so I ran back the half mile to the road and ran home for a total of 4 miles instead of 5.  Oh well, it was a fun adventure, and I loved seeing the footprints of the 50 milers from the day before.  

I looked up some blog posts about the big race.  Here is one with some video.  There was a huge blizzard and about 50 runners dropped from fear of hypothermia.  My friend, Mandy, simply didn't go prepared for the weather.  She could have finished if she'd had tights.  

FIFTY miles...  I'll be running my 13.1 with new perspective and vigor.

Comments

Ruthie said…
OH MY GOODNESS>> HOW DID MISS THIS POST! ..
wow.
can I meet Mandy?
wow. she needs a blog.... so i can learn from her...
wow.

:)
I watched the video too on that guys site... oh my goodness... it was COLD AND really really high! .. two things I might have the guts to conquer someday...

inspirational for sure!
5:10 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More Than One Way

Knowing that the initial weight loss starts out with loss of water weight, I set a goal for the first week, to lose 5 pounds. I lost 6.6 pounds. Yay! Weight isn't everything, but this week, I have gained a pound, which is discouraging for sure. So- I measured instead, and I've lost an inch in my waist. Plus, I wore my belt a notch smaller this week. There is more than one way to measure success! A goal for this second week has been to eat more of the good, healthy fats. I think that my downfall is a repeated one from the past. I don't eat enough to support my activity. My adrenals kick in and I lose ground. I haven't accomplished my dietary goal, so I will re-focus!
Read more

Head in the Game

Image
The challenge of keeping my head in the game is REAL! It seems lately, that with every attempt to re-gain my health, I get injured. I'm unable to go to fitness classes or runs right now, so I got excited about jumprope, thinking my foot (broken about 2 YEARS AGO) could take it. I was wrong. Now, I have almost constant pain in my foot/ankle/leg. I am back to 'only' yoga, which I love, but can I lose the weight and gain the strength with yoga alone? I think I can! So now, as I search for medical answers about my foot, I am excited again about yoga. So, here are my 5 Ways to Keep Your Head In The Game: Nix Negativity. Speak only to yourself and into the universe, what brings peace. (thanks, Ruthie) Review your goals. Keep pictures at the ready that represent your aspirations. Go to sleep with the vision of yourself having achieved your goals firmly in your mind. Cut yourself some slack.  Practice makes practice, not perfection. Get a friend in on the journey w...
Read more

Old and New

Image
I'm so grateful that I kept this blog as I lost weight and gained strength the first time. Looking back through old posts, I am reminded to be patient and to persevere. I am reminded of my personal inner strength and of the ability to start over every day, as needed. I had gained 70 pounds in the course of the years of trying desperately to teach my autistic son. I poured myself into him and my other 2 homeschooled children. The story of this blog goes that I awakened to the realization that I had to re-learn how to care for myself, and these chapters describe the successful journey of losing 70 pounds and gaining confidence and strength. It's a wonderful story. I loved it as I lived it, and I managed to keep the weight off for 10 years as my children grew up and graduated my tutorship. Many factors slipped in to define the recent few magical years in which my autistic son became able to communicate and I devoted my all to him and to teaching others like him... and re-gained ...
Read more