Sawtooth 2008 (in pictures)

Thank you to everyone who donated to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. It meant a lot to me running this race knowing how many people had supported this cause.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't dreamed of winning this race. And anyway, no one would believe me...

But the past few days were about so much more than realizing that dream. In the company of old and new friends, and with the help of the best crew I could have asked for, I had one of the most incredible journeys of my life. I have so many memories to share but my (swollen) feet are submerged in ice as I write this and can only handle another few minutes so I'll upload some pics and tell the rest of the story soon.

But first I have to mention Larry, John and all of the volunteers - these people don't just make the event possible, they make it what it is. Thank you for all the hard work before, during and after the race. Your friendly faces and kind words throughout the day and night made such a difference. The only downside of coming into an aid station was enquiring about how folks were doing and hearing of those who had to drop. I was especially sorry when it was some of the guys I have raced and trained with over the past few months - Adam, Wynn, Duke, Matt, Steve, Pierre and Molly - all top notch athletes that had various things go wrong on the day. Though I think in Pierre's case it was a well planned 50 miler! Recover well. I have no doubt you'll all be back stronger.

102.6 miles in pictures...

The day had come



The hour had come

There was time for a few pics with friends

And then it was time to run



We could have sat by the lake



And enjoyed the view from the shore


But we chose to run some trails



And some hills


And enjoyed the view from up here instead



We got to run a little of this



And a LOT of this


And even some of this. In the dark...


We weren't meant to run on this. But some of us did anyway. Despite excellent course marking!

We got to run across lots of bridges

Even a few real ones

And see waterfalls

Our crew even got to sit by them (I guess they deserved a break...)

We got to run with cool people



And have a laugh along the way (kinda hard not to laugh at Doug's stories!)


We got to pose for the camera


Even when we didn't want to :)




We got to change socks MANY times

But we had friends to help


We sometimes ran too fast for the camera



And sometimes not


But mostly we sat on our ass



And got treated like royalty!



And FINALLY...


We got to cross the FINISH line



And take off those damn shoes




And grin like a champion :)



And relax in the sunshine enjoying an ice cold beer. Ooups, hallucinating again! Except for the ice cold...

We got to hang out with cool people

And watch our friends finish


We got to shake Larry's hand



And scream in horror at the mention of next year's race



We got to watch our friends pick up awards


And then we got to pose some more



And once more


And the prize for best crew goes to...


Thanks sis!

Congrats to Chris on a phenomenal race winning in just under 22 hours. And to Joe and Brent who came in under 24 and 26 hours respectively. Full results for all of the races available at http://uppermidwesttrailrunners.com/superior/fall/index.html.

End of post.

Countdown...

During a final easy 5 mile run on the Luce Line last night the guys were asking how I was feeling - scared? nervous? excited? No, No and Yes! Don't worry I will be freaking out a little come tomorrow night but right now I just want to get up there and do it!

A little worried about the conditions. Definitely need to pack some warmer clothing. I started on my drop bags Monday night. Whoa - this is nothing like a 50 miler!! My time estaimates vary so wildly that I ended up packing every cart with tons of stuff. All EIGHT of them. Is that overkill? 8 drop bags? It seems excessive but I just don't know what I'll want when. I just feel bad for the volunteers lugging them all around the place...

I will have crew but don't want to be putting them under pressure to carry stuff either. Teresa will have my car and then Pam & Tanya are coming up also. It will be really great to have them there. I am undecided if I'll want them to pace me at all. I know they are both willing and prepared to help Kami and/or I as needed but I have a feeling I'll just want to run by myself. But then what do I know about mile 51, 52, 53...99... ok, maybe the nerves are starting to set in early!

BEST of LUCK to everyone heading up there for the 26.2, 50 or 100. Part of the reason I am so excited is seeing so many familar faces on Thursday night, throughout the run and most especially during the celebrations!! It's been an awesome few months getting to know so many local trail runners and it truly makes these races all the more memorable.

end of post.

Taos

After a few days in southwestern Colorado we crossed back into New Mexico yesterday. Before leaving CO we had a very relaxing time in Pagosa Springs where we soaked for hours in the hot springs, treated ourselves to a hot stone massage ('treated' might actually be too generous a word as the lady doing my massage seemed to be going for the speed record in zipping her hands up and down my back... slooooowly does it thank you very much). But anyway, between that and the 110F pools alternated with dips in the freezing San Juan river my body probably felt as different as it possibly could from what it'll be feeling this time next week!

Also enjoyed a lovely run through the trails along the edge of the San Juan National Forest. Including a little venture onto private property. Wasn't spotted trespassing. Well, expect by the deer.

After leaving Pagosa we detoured east to Wolf Creek Pass along the Continental Divide Trail.

Hiked for an hour or more on the trail from the Lobo outlook. Wow - what fantastic views. This is definitely a trail for running!!

Taos is a cool spot. There's an Arts Festival on for the weekend so we're going to check that out now and then head out to one of the ski areas for some hiking. And then Santa Fe before home on Monday... but that's TWO whole days away so no need to think about it just yet. And anyway, home means just a few short days until Sawtooth. I am ridiculously excited about it. It literally is the first and last thing I think of each day and hundreds of time throughout the day. I had better not end up falling 10 miles into the race and have to pull out as I might just not ever get over it :)

end of post.

Durango

Greetings from Durango, CO!

We started off the day with a return visit to Arches NP to see Delicate Arch - I'd been there during my trip last February but Teresa didn't get to see it on Monday as it was getting late and the sky was no longer blue. Wow - equally worthwhile second time around! We scrambled all the way around the far side to get some excellent views with nothing but blue sky in the background...

Ended up spending way longer out there than we'd planned so it was well past check-out time but the hotel folks were very pleasant - they knew us by now as our 1 night stay turned into 2 and then 3! Before getting on the road for Durango we indulged in a scrumptious brunch at the Eklectic Cafe. The drive here took just over 3hrs including a stop enroute in Cortez (for a Haagen Daz lunch). We debated stopping in Mesa Verde NP but decided we'd were a little NP'd out at this stage and had seen pretty spectacular 13th century ruins in Canyon de Chelly so we were good on the culture side of things.

Arrived in Durango a little before 5pm to be told 'no vacanies' at hotel after hotel due to a motorcycle rally in town this week! Shucks - didn't exactly plan that well. But thankfully we found a place a short walk from town center after some more searching. As we'd driven through town we were delighted to see so many cute stores, neat looking restaurants and coffee shops. And lots of bookshops. This would definitely be a place to wander about for a morning. Teresa was going to do some exploring while I went for a run so we made plans to meet up downtown for dinner later.

I set off expecting to run for an hour through some neighborhoods. But before long I found myself on a road named 'Mount View Ave' that seemed to be heading straight up into the hills. After about 5 minutes I spotted what looked like a trail and then a sign for 'Durango Mountain Park'. Super! What an unexpected treat. But it got better. I ran through a maze of gravel/earthen hilly trails for about 10 minutes and then found myself ascending a pretty steep climb behind 2 guys. They seemed to know where they were going so I figured I'd follow them. That lasted all of 2 minutes as I overtook them and saw there was only one trail and it was going all the way to the top. 10 minutes later I was atop a 7,484 peak!! So much for an easy 6 mile run. I'd just climbed almost 1000ft in 30 minutes. Does this mean Steve was correct in his prediction of me not being able to avoid a tough workout?? Maybe not, my calves ached but it was short. The run down was kinda rough but fun!

What a delight to happen upon such beautiful trail. I only wish I had more time in this area. I think the San Juan Solstice race in June will be added to the calendar! Looking forward to exploring the town a little more in the morning. We had a delicious pasta dinner at Guido's accompanied by a nice Italian red. I was going to abstain for the 2 weeks before the race but that seemed altogther too much like hard work.

End of post.

Moab: Adventure Capital of the Southwest

They were not joking when they gave Moab this tagline. No end of activities... yesterday morning I ran the first section of the Moab Red Hot 50K+ starting at Gemini Bridges trailhead - it was just as beautiful as I remembered from last year, and this morning we chose to start the day with a few hours rock climbing! It was a lot of fun... check out the wall - how could this not be fun?

Our guide Chris was excellent (very low key guy but a bit of a legend in the rock climbing world) and it was just Teresa and I so we had loads of time on the wall. We started off with a 5.7 climb and the next 4 included a 5.9 and 5.10, one of them involving crack climbing which I'd never done before. Not that we actually used any crack techniques but there was a bit of wedging between walls...! Teresa did excellent - time well spent out at Dalkey quarry with the climbing club. I didn't make it to the top of the 5.10 - my feet were pretty sore by that stage so I had to give in after about 10 minutes. This is me before giving in :) ...

And if I ever get to master rock climbing I'll try bouldering next - yes, people 'climb' these... some routes involve circling the boulder - I can't imagine the mess one's fingers would be in after that journey!

After our exertions on the wall we picked up some lunch and had a picnic along the Colorado River just north of town. And then a dip in the ~60F water. It felt so good given the heat of the day. We've had temps well in the 90's most days - real summer weather at last!

Yesterday afternoon we toured around Arches NP and this evening we headed up to Canyonlands NP. I'd been to Arches last year but Canyonlands was all new. And equally spectacular. Difficult to know what direction to look in - everything is worth taking in! Mesa Arch was definitely one of the highlights...

Next time I come here I want to run this trail! It curves right around the edge of the canyon several hundred feet above the base. The only problem is the views across the valley are so beautiful I may have difficulty staying on trail. Steve mentioned in his Sawtooth predictions that I have a tendancy to fall when tired. It's not even when I'm tired - I just like to take in the views (and have a tendancy to daydream) and forget that I need to focus more on where my feet should be!

Sunset at "Island in The Sky" was glorious...



And after dark we chilled out for a while in this serene setting. It was so peaceful lying on the rock looking up at the stars. In contrast, sitting on the edge peering down into nothingness was a little unnerving...

And then on the drive back we were treated to a lightening show. It was pretty amazing, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Tried to capture it on video with my camera...



end of post.