January 31, 2019

Arches Ultra Half Marathon Race Report

On Saturday I ran the Arches Ultra Half Marathon put on by Mad Moose Events. Admittedly the title is a bit confusing, the race is called Arches Ultra they have a 50 mile, 50k, half marathon and 9k distances to choose from.

The race site describes the race as:

Arches Ultra is Moab’s newest trail race, and it travels along the border of Arches National Park, using Bar M, Klonzo, and Klondike Trail Systems. The trails are smooth and easy at points, technical slick rock at others, and there’s even some sand to shake things up. Winter is a great time to be in Moab running, and we’ve chosen a lower elevation run, that will give you views of the towering Moab cliffs, Arches National Park, and the snow covered La Sals.

There was packet pick-up available Friday night as well as race morning. We didn’t arrive in time on Friday so we opted for race morning.

We arrived at the race start just 10 miles outside of Moab about 45 minutes before the start of the race. It was plenty of time to grab my packet, visit the porta potty and get ready, I love the relaxed vibe of trail races.

The half marathon didn’t start until 9am so there was plenty of time to get ready in the morning. The kids came along to see me off, they were warm in the Thule with their down blanket.

We lined up at the start and heard a few tips on following course markers on slick rock and a gentle reminder to be kind to the environment by staying on the trail.

The first mile or so of the race is on a paved bike path. I think we all prefer trails but this was a nice chance to find a rhythm and warm up.

We then crossed onto trails for my favorite part of the race. We had a 4.5ish mile loop on some traditional trails.

It would have been muddy but the trails were still frozen so footing was good and the scenery was amazing.

Why are all the trails in Moab named like this? LOL

I was having so much fun talking to the other runners and enjoying the views.

You could see Arches National Park in the distance and the La Sal Mountains.

After the first loop there was an aid station well stocked with all the goodies you could want. My only complaint would be that if you needed the restroom you would have to run pretty far down to the parking lot and back up. Luckily I didn’t need it but it would not have been fun if I did.

The second loop was about 7 miles and mostly on slick rock. We still had incredible views but the terrain gets a lot more difficult.

Running on slick rock is definitely a Moab experience that shouldn’t be missed but it’s not easy. The rolling up and down makes it hard to find a rhythm and running so much on rock was hard on my joints.

I was so glad it wasn’t icy, that would have been extra challenging! The course was well marked so while there isn’t a “trail” on slick rock it was easy to not get lost. Plus there were lovely runners ahead of me that I followed =)

When you finish the second loop you drop back under the highway then run about half a mile on the bike path back to the race start.

It was so fun seeing my family and finishing, my legs were ready to be done. The finish line was well stocked and was a great atmosphere. They let Cannon cross the finish line with me.

Race swag was pretty great including a tech shirt, technical trucker and a medal in the shape of Delicate Arch.

I would for sure run this race again in the future. Doing one of the longer distances would be fun but I would have to figure out how to prepare to run on even more slick rock!

May 19, 2017

Desert Rats Trail Marathon – Trail Running Festival Race Report

In April I ran my first marathon since having Cannon. I worked hard and got on as many trails as possible during the winter months in Boulder. When searching for an early season trail race Desert Rats Trail Marathon seemed like a good fit. I came in feeling ready for the distance but I was a little fearful of the hills and the heat.

We packed up the car, with what seemed like everything we own (9 months old need a lot when traveling!) on Friday morning and started heading west to Fruita, Colorado.

Fruita is a really cute small town with a big focus on mountain biking, it reminded me a lot of Moab. We rolled into Fruita in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Fruita Comfort Inn which was everything we needed for a place to crash before a race and was really affordable. I particularly liked that the room had a microwave and a refrigerator, this was great for traveling with a baby. Cannon was stoked on the king sized bed.

After checking in we headed to packet pick-up at the Fruita Community Center. In true trail race form packet pick-up was low-key and easy to get in and out of. After we had my shirt and bib we went to The Hot Tomato for pre-race pizza. The Hot Tomato was really cute but it was standing room only on a Friday evening so we put in our order and took Cannon back to the hotel so we could relax and get his dinner. We ate in our hotel room, got Cannon ready for bed and all turned in early.

Race morning was really easy, the trail head was just 15 minutes outside of town with plenty of parking. We got to the start line before the sun was up.

The start was nice and low key with plenty of bathrooms which is key to a successful race start! The race director reminded us to carry water as the aid stations were 5-7 miles apart. The marathon and 50k started together, there was only about 70 runners in each race so the start was easy to navigate and find your pace group. You also run the first 2 miles on a jeep road before turning onto single track so there was no worry of getting caught in the wrong place in a conga line. The first climb was pretty long but afforded us a great view at the top.

The course was beautiful and kept us entertained with views and varying terrain.

Lots of smooth single track and rocky technical sections.

[Source] – Race photos were free with entry!

There is over 3000 feet of climbing and basically no flat sections to this course so if you are looking for a fast time, this race is not for you.

My favorite part of the course was where you run along the edge of a cliff above the river.

Then you get to run along the ridge above and see where you just were.

I took my time on the course, for me this was not about setting a PR, the course was difficult and it was hot!!! I just wanted to have fun so I did just that and took lots of pictures along the way.

My least favorite part of the race came right at the end, there is a really steep long climb along the highway on a jeep road, it’s not as pretty as the rest of the course. I was also cooked and ready to be done. Running in 70-80 degree heat after training all winter is a shock to the system.

The finish was fun, with lots of good food, Gemini Events knows we want more than a stale bagel and half a banana. They had the grills going and everyone was having a party.

I was tired and SO SO SO happy to be reunited with my boys.

Finisher medals were dog tags, nice little reminder of the race. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone looking for an early season trail race. They have the marathon and 50k on Saturday and a 10k or half marathon on Sunday.

August 28, 2016

Breck Crest 10K Trail Race Report

On Saturday I was super excited to run at Breck Crest again! The last two years I have run the half marathon and loved it. Knowing that this is a difficult course all above 9000 feet there was no way I would be ready to run the half marathon 4 weeks after starting to run again. The 10K was still a bit of a stretch but I love this race so much I wanted to give it a go. I won’t go too much in this post on how I did and focus more on just the race and how it was run.

The race starts and ends on the River Walk in Breckenridge. This is an ideal place as it is scenic and also has many clean, flushing(!!!) toilets and free parking. Because the race is small the start is low key and relaxed. The marathon, half and 10k all have separate starts with bike lead outs to wind racers out of town, to the ski hills and finally onto single track. The trails are smooth and wind through forested mountain hillside.

[Source]

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the course because I decided to not carry my phone. As I was running I really wished I had grabbed our GoPro. Both the half and full marathons run around the back and over the top of the Ten Mile Range. The 10K runs about half way up then cuts around front and then rejoins the half marathon course.

THe first half of the course is mainly up hill on single track in the forest. After about two and a half miles you end up running out onto the ski runs and follow some jeep roads. This part has amazing views of the surrounding peaks and the town of Breckenridge.

[Source]

There is one aid station for the 10K well stocked with water, Gatorade and Honey Stinger products. Just when you reach the aid station you are back on single track to wind your way down the mountain. Most of the trails were smooth but there was a couple sections that were on very technical terrain covered in loose rocks. I believe in the past years we ran on the jeep roads instead of the trail but this year the Spartan Race was on the road.

I was a little worried when I heard that a Spartan race was running on the same day on some of the same trails. The Spartan Race has over 10,000 participants! I am all for people getting out and doing whatever activity makes them happy and keeps them moving but I worried how it might impact my little race. I was happily surprise that there was very little impact. There was plenty of parking when we arrived and we got a spot close the the race start. Our race had to be rerouted a little to not be on the same trails as the Spartan competitors. The only tricky bit was where we had to cross the road the Spartan races were running up. There were SO MANY people it looked like a big city marathon! Luckily I didn’t have to wait too long before darting across and continuing on my way back into town.

The race ends back at the river walk in town, it’s a little short of 10K at about 5.8ish miles in true trail race fashion. The finish area is a great low-key party atmosphere at the finish. There is a large grassy area and access to a small creek so it is a nice area for families to wait for their racers. There is also a Starbucks about a hundred yards away for a convenient caffeine fix. The tech t-shirt is nice and I like the design but it is the same design every year so I have one in three colors. The half and full marathon finishers received medals that looked really nice.

Overall I think this is a great race and I was really impressed at how the dealt with the challenge of the conflicting time of the Spartan race.

June 19, 2015

Ironman Boulder 70.3 // 2015 Race Report

First triathlon of the season…..check! This one will be remembered for lessons learned.

Ironman Boulder 70.3 is a great race, I participated in it in 2013 as well back when it was held in August. It was a perfect tune up for Ironman Lake Tahoe. In 2013 it was a huge PR for me, too bad I didn’t write a report!

This year there was no PR for me but I didn’t really expect one. I knew that I had a slightly better build up to Tahoe given that I had all summer and this spring has not been kind to us in Colorado. Also this was my first triathlon in over a year so I went in expecting to shake off some cobwebs and pretty much “train through”. Also I decided to not take any time off for the race since it was local, bad choice! With a Friday mandatory bike drop off and lots of logistics that I am clearly rusty on, prep was a bit stressful.

Taking coach @imbethgerdes advice and doing some race week organization 2 sleeps! #ironmanboulder70point3

Pre Race – I just bought a new Xterra Vector Pro wetsuit I took it for a test spin and realized it was much too big 3 days before the race. Jackie from Xterra was awesome and rushed me a new suit that got to my house Friday afternoon. So much for nothing new on race day!

I was a little worried about the forecast the days leading up to the race, it was stormy and cold. It was supposed to be sunny most of the day race day which was good but I was not at all heat acclimated so I assumed it may be a challenge.

These pics do not do the weather justice. Hoping for a better day on Saturday #ironmanboulder70point3

Even though prep was a little rushed things went pretty well and it was nice to sleep in our own bed the night of a race. We work up at 3:15 am, drank lots of coffee and scarfed down a bagel with peanut butter. After that I stuck to Gatorade until after the swim (full sugar), this was possibly a mistake.

We got to Boulder Reservoir with plenty of time, it is nice not have to wrangle a bike in the morning and just have a transition bag. I was a little nervous setting up transition since it had been so long and I was worried that I had forgotten something important. I met up with Cory and my mom (who was racing the sprint) and headed to warm up. I got into my wetsuit and waded into the swim area. It’s always nice when you can get into the water before the race. The water felt good, not cold at all, a sleeveless wetsuit would have been perfect given that temps. Cory’s wave went off 30 minutes before mine so I wished him good luck then stood around chatting to other ladies as we waited. In 2013 they used the “swim smart” start, this year it was age group waves. I don’t think either was much different than the other. After waiting what felt like forever we waded into the water and waited for the gun.

Hello sunshine!!! #Boulder70point3

Swim – 42:45 // Was really hoping for sub 40, maybe next time. Luckily the swim course was pointing just enough to the north that we weren’t sighting directly into the sun. I have had to do that before at Boulder Reservoir and it’s blinding.

The start was smooth, I took an outside line given the angle and had clean water to swim. I tried to find feet to latch onto but they just seemed to be either too fast or too slow. So I Goldilocks’ed all by myself for most of the swim. Things went well even when I hit traffic at the two turn buoys.

Things took a bad turn when I got half way back on the third leg. Ironman decided to run their sprint race at the same time as the half. Their swim started after all the 70.3 racers had started their swim. This meant that people racing the sprint would run directly into people trying to finish their half swim. It was a giant cluster as swimmers of all different speeds combined for the last stretch. What made me really mad was thinking about how the men racing the 70.3 didn’t have to deal with the jumble, they all started before the women in the 70.3 so were out of the water before the sprint even started. It took me a significant amount to time to wind my way through the mess of people. I also was dunked, kicked and punched a lot. I also felt bad for the people racing the sprint who had to deal with all of us. This was not a great move by WTC, I was slowed a little and annoyed, but people who are nervous swimmers in the sprint were traumatized. I wish they would have waited longer before starting the sprint race, my mom did not have fun on her swim.

T1 – 4:09 // Moving into T1, I felt ok, a little dizzy from swimming so long then moving to running, I also felt really hungry. I saw my dad, and headed to my bike. I put sun block in my transition area knowing this was one of the first days of sun for the season and my skin was still winter white. I did the best job I could (not good enough, ouch!), threw on my helmet, glasses and shoes. On the way out I ran into a wall of sprinters trying to exit transition.

Bike – 56 miles 3:11// One loop course, some climbs, mostly rolling.

Leaving the reservoir was super tricky because there was a ton of us trying to get going at the same time. It was impossible not to draft for at least the first half of the bike there was just too many people getting out on the course at the same time. After getting out of the crush I settled in and started riding as best I could. I struggle to keep my heart rate up on the bike, I guess I am just distracted and lazy. I was near a group of girls and just tried to stay with them, sometimes leading and sometimes falling back and just trying to keep them in my sights. It helps a lot to say something positive to anyone that passes me or that I pass. I had an eating plan and even created bags of nutrition for each hour on the bike, I thought I was doing well, until I got home and pulled a bunch of leftover food out of my bento box, how I missed it, I don’t know. I felt great until the last 10 miles of the bike, I am guess it was because of the heat and the missed food. Note to be more careful about my calories and keeping cool for the future.

T2 4:54// Not sure what all I was doing. T2 was much easier than T1 so I cruised in tried to be quick, put on more sunscreen and cruised out to the run course.

Run 13.1 3:14 // The run was a two “loop” out and back

Oh man, I was pretty disappointed by the run. I felt terrible when I got off the bike! I just told myself to do everything I could to feel better and keep moving forward even if it was walking. And there was a lot of walking. I started by taking a lot of water, coke, and a salt pill. I kept moving forward and keep trying to make myself feel better. It took most of the first lap but eventually the nausea and dizziness left. At I negative split the run. I was so happy that I was able to stick it out and turn things around, that is what you need in a full Ironman! I still wasn’t moving great in the heat but I was moving and the second lap flew by much faster than the first. I shared kind words to all that I could. I tried to finish strong and then find a place to sit as quickly as possible.

Overall I feel okay about this race, it wasn’t my best or my worst….but it was a great way to make some mistakes and learn some lessons before the big show in Whistler! Just over 5 weeks!

Big thanks to Cory and my parents for all their support, Team SOAS for keeping me comfortable on race day and Xterra for rushing me a new wetsuit that was amazing! And of course my AMAZING coach Beth Gerdes who puts up with me.

It’s go time! #teamsoas2015 #weareSOAS #IMBoulder70point3 #triathlon

September 30, 2014

Rocky Mountain High-est Leadville Marathon Race Report

I haven’t been able to get in any races longer than a half marathon on trails so I caved and signed up for a road marathon. Leadville’s marathon seemed like a good idea since it was at high elevation and I {heart} Leadville

The race claims to be the highest road marathon in the world, so I figured I might be good training for possible ultra marathons in Leadville next summer.

This was the first year for the race, it was small and low key much like the trail races I have been racing lately. If you get energy from crowds and lots of aid stations this race isn’t for you.

It does offer friendly volunteers and incredible views.

Since the course had only a handful of aid stations I decided to run with my hydration pack and carry everything I might need. I was completely fine with this since I will be rocking my pack for my 50k so I might as well get used to it.

I had a great day and enjoyed my time in Leadville. My only real complaint about the race was the lack of amenities. There were no restrooms along the course. For a full marathon I was disappointed. And frankly uncomfortable for quite a long time. Luckily there was a golf course pro-shop along the way that let me use their restrooms, a little more support would be great.

Not the races fault by any means but I did learn that when you train on nothing but trails, 26.2 miles of pavement hurts.

The best part was the the race support the nonprofit GECKO

Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors (GECKO). The premise sounds simple enough. Yet study after study shows that our children aren’t getting enough outdoor play. And this trend isn’t improving. The latest information shows that less than 25% of children are active outdoors more than twice per week. Does this statistic worry you? Because it definitely worries us.

The finishers medals were made by local school kids with the elevation stamped on it.

Overall it was a good race and I would run it again for sure.

October 3, 2013

Ironman Lake Tahoe Race Report – The Run

Ironman Lake Tahoe Race Report – The Run
In case you missed it you can read about Race Prep here the Swim here and the Bike here.

Once I got off the bike I was greeted with very helpful encouraging volunteers. I was very shaky and could barely walk at first, luckily I had support from a very bossy volunteer that rushed me thought T2 like the tent was on fire, she didn’t give me time to consider what I was about to go attempt to do. She helped me get out of all my gear and get back into run clothes. I couldn’t think about what I might want to wear on the run so I just ended up putting everything on, this ended up being another thing that turned out well for me. It feels a bit like there were a lot of happy accidents that helped get me out running the marathon before I had time to think about what I was doing.

I was still feeling pretty horrible and run down the first mile. I hadn’t had a chance to grab anything to eat in transition while being rushed so I was still bonking pretty badly. I told myself to just jog to the first aid station and figure it out from there. My legs started to loosen up a little I couldn’t be believe how tight they were from being so cold and riding for so long (that is the longest I have EVER been on my bike!). I made it to the first aid station and grabbed chicken broth, coke and a cup of chips. They all tasted SO good, I was obviously craving salt and very calorie deficient. After eating everything I started to feel a little better and was motivated to run to the next station, so I could eat more. I did the same thing at the next aid station. And started to feel like I was getting a little full so even though I wanted to keep eating a bunch I figured I would have different issues if I didn’t slow down my consumption. At this point a couple miles in and some food in my stomach I was feeling ok again. At that point I knew that if nothing else went wrong I could finish the race. I also started talking to people again, thanking volunteers and staying in the moment and enjoying the experience of doing an ironman.
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Cory was great support on the run, he brought his bike and leap frogged me often to check in on me and see if I needed anything. He also had a few items in his backpack in case I needed them on the run (gloves, ear covers, gels, head lamp, etc) you aren’t supposed to get outside support during the race but they made it very clear to us that we weren’t getting our special needs bag back and I didn’t want to lose gear that I like. So I broke the rules a bit, sorry Ironman, hope I don’t have to give my shirt back! (lots of people were getting warm gear from family and friends at this race and the officials didn’t say anything, I think they were more worried about people going hypothermic)

The course is pretty scenic for the first few miles as you make your way from Squaw Valley to HW 89 and there is a lot of spectator support so that was nice. I knew I had dug myself a hole on the bike so I was conservative and methodical about the run. I walked every aid station and any hill that was “steep” I made sure to run all downhills, flats and shallow up hills. By the third mile I had settled in for the long-haul. It was nice to see Cory periodically so I could look forward to seeing him and that really broke up the run.
IMLT Run.png
The run is made up of two out and backs with the first significantly longer than the second you run about 17 miles in the first loop and 9 in the second . The most scenic part of the run was the portion that you run on the Truckee River Bike Trail right next to the Truckee River. It was beautiful in this section but also very hard for spectators to get to, so it was pretty quite along there. I did get to see a lot of friends due to the out and backs so it was fun to see how great they were doing and cheer them on a bit.

When I got to the first turn around it was starting to get dark, they had been handing out headlights but had ran out so some runners were out in the complete dark. Cory was able to get down to the trail fairly close after the turn around so I was able to pick up my head lamp, ear warmers and gloves from him. I was still feeling pretty good but the temperatures were starting to drop and I was getting cold again. As I started to get colder my stomach started to feel off again. I tried hard to take in coke and broth every station but that was a challenge, I did take one gel during the race because I wanted the caffeine, I should have taken more.
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The volunteers were handing out mylar blankets to runners and people were wearing them as capes and even wrapped around their legs. I was warm enough to go without but I felt so bad for the runners who looked miserable and cold. The volunteers were great, making sure people were ok and handing out steaming cups of chicken broth. It was scary to see people laid out on stretchers being taken off the course because of hypothermia. Around this time I passed a friend of mine who was just wearing a tri-kit she was shivering and looked miserable. I knew Cory had another jacket of mine and some hand warmers so I told her to keep an eye out for him and I would send him back for her. It made me feel good that we might be able to help a little and not just leave her miserable. The rest of loop one trudged on, it was dark so I couldn’t enjoy the view anymore but I did talk a lot to other athletes and everyone was very encouraging. As I got back into the village at Squaw Valley I spotted my parents in the crowd, I knew they had been worried about me so I took a minute to give them hugs and let them know I was alright and would see them at the finish line.

It was a little painful to have to run right by the finish line but turn the other way and head back out into the darkness. I was feeling good that the long loop was done and I knew what I had to do. I stuck to my walk/run plan although my definition of “steep” hill was a little looser at this point. By the time I was heading back for the last time I knew that I was going to make it and was ready to be done, it was getting colder and a mist was coming off the lake that hurt my lungs at every breath. Ironman projected a giant M-dot shaped light on the mountain, I could see it from a couple miles out, it was a great reminder that I just needed to get it done.

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Running into the village the last time I started to get the elated, happy, energized feeling, I knew I was almost there and I couldn’t believe I had stuck with it all day. I saw Mike Riley even gave him a high five but just like at Coeur d’Alene I couldn’t hear him call me an ironman. Guess I will just have to keep doing these things until I actually hear it! There really is nothing else in the world like the finish line of an Ironman.

This post is already really long so I will save post race and reflections for later.

May 14, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Happy Mother’s day to all the mamas out there! I had a great day with my mom. This is the first year in many that we have been able celebrate with mom on mother’s day, it’s so nice having my mom and dad in the same state.

When I suggested a mother’s day race my mom was all in. After going over a few choices we decided on the Title 9K in Boulder. I have to say it was an AWESOME choice, this was a great race. We had a great time.

We arrived early so packet pickup was easy, I just wish they had some coffee.

The race started at Boulder Reservoir, this morning the reservoir was calm and beautiful. The race even personalized our bibs.

We were pretty excited about the race, it’s been too long since we have ran together.

My brother, dad and husband came to cheer us on.

The race was set up nicely with time corrals, unfortunately a lot of people lined up incorrectly and we were stuck behind a slow crowd for the first half mile. Luckily this was just a fun run and we got to see the boys all over the course.

Caught mom zooming past some other racers!

The course was beautiful, mom and I had the best time running and chatting

We averaged a 10 minute mile and mom’s longest run since she was injured last year. I am so happy for her and her progress knowing how much she loves running. Also she took third in her age group out of 25, my mom kicks ass!

After the race we headed back to mom and dad’s house for brunch including waffles and mimosas. It was a great day and I am so happy I got to spend it with my mom.

How was your mother’s day? I hope you all had a chance to celebrate or be celebrated!