Cold Winds are Rising
May they catch my sail and help me fly…
“Where would we be if we couldn’t dream?” -Jo Bros
February was a rather quiet month for me. The unusual warmth and lack of snow out west and up high made it easy to dream of a picturesque summer running and playing in the mountains. Besides a small sickness towards the end of the month, I was fortunate enough to get to train and frolic around outside practically everyday and consider my goals, plans and future in this silly sport that I love more than anything.
In January I opened up my 14th season of competitive running at the Rock’n‘Roll Arizona half marathon with my family to celebrate my sister’s 21st birthday. With so many unknowns going into this race (moving across the country two weeks prior, training and attempting to “coach” myself, and debuting at a new, highly competitive distance to name a few), I kept the expectations low and only had goals to go out there, have fun and run hard. As long as I was able to come away with a good, hard effort, I would be happy.
I felt confident and smooth through the first 7 miles, working with a couple of fellow New Mexican’s around 5th place, keeping the leaders in sight. As I took my second gel, I inhaled a bit too hard I suppose, and immediately starting choking and decided it would be best to just empty myself as quickly as possible and reset (it’s basically just 2x6.5 miles at that point). Luckily for me, the crew at that water station was very quick and supportive in getting me water and back on the roads. They never really tell you how hard it is to get literally any fuel or hydration down efficiently when you’re running 5 minute miles…
The second half of R’n’R turned out to be some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a race scenario. I felt strong and fast, moving through the field and feeding on the energy of the community that came to support basically every step of the way. I finished in 4th place over all 1:11. Nothing record breaking or super flashy, but I was reminded of exactly what I had needed from that race; I can do hard things, and it is so much fun to race and compete. Plus any attempt at a new distance is an automatic personal best, a major win, worth celebrating in my book.
Tomorrow morning I will be opening up my trail season at the Run Through Time Mountain Marathon in Salida, CO. This will be my first of three trail races, and the second of those in regards to personal importance. I choose this race primarily for the local competition that has shown out here in previous years. This is also a highly recommended early spring race by others who have shared similar goals and racing schedules as mine this year. Salida is warm enough (especially this year) that most of the course and trails are fast and runnable. But with over 3500 ft of climbing, topping just around 9000 ft, this is not a quick OTQ kind of road marathon. With the difficulty of this first marathon, not only will I get a fresh PB but, in theory, they should all be easier and faster after this! The current course record set last year is just under three hours set by Jeshrun Small, a legit pro running for Adidas Terrex. I don’t expect this year’s winner to be too far off from that.
I expect the race to get out relatively hot in the first couple of miles while things are “flat”, before getting onto the major climb and single track for the next ten miles to the top. The good news is it’s basically all down hill from there. It should give me a chance to recover a bit and then let it flow with a little extra help from gravity. There are a couple other smaller climbs between 20 and 24 miles, as if miles 20 and 24 aren’t hard enough in the marathon. As hard as I expect the end of the race to feel, I trust the work and miles I have put in not just this year and in this block, but everything I’ve done for the later half of my life at this point. My strength in the later parts of races has always been a confidence of mine. I may not be a sub 4 miler, but I feel like I can run sub 7 minute miles forever if I had to.
My goals for tomorrow are to race, and to risk. Give myself a shot.
In eighth grade I was a JV caliber athlete until my coach showed me otherwise. “Run with the top guys as long as you can, as often as you can.” he said. The next year I led my team to our first state title in school history, placing third overall. Nothing much changed for me that summer, I didn’t hit any major growth spurts, my voice probably hadn’t even dropped. But what did change was my headspace. I believed that I belonged. And sometimes I stuck my head where it didn’t. That is what I will be thinking of tomorrow when things get hard. I‘ve learned how to slay a dragon before. I will try ferociously to take down another beast in the morning. (we’ve been watching a lot of Game of Throne’s this month)
My “A” race for they year is once again the San Juan Solstice 50 miler, here in Lake City. This will be my third time running the Solstice and now that I am living here, I think is my best opportunity to really go after it. I want to win the race, and just between you and I, I think the CR is breakable. But we will revisit that in June.
San Juan Solstice final descent while it’s still ‘winter’
My official season will wrap up at the Mt Taylor 50k. A race I have been thinking about without realizing my entire life. Growing up, I would drive past Mt. Taylor on my way to my grandparents house time after time, especially often in the summer. I remember running my fingers along the passing skyline in the backseat of my moms mini van, imagining being out there, on top of the world. I am excited to put those thoughts into action and do what I love, where I love!
Below are more images from February, if that is the reason you are here. Thank you for checking out my POV. I am glad to start connecting my two worlds on here and maybe help in understanding my language of expression. Wish me Luck tomorrow, and I hope to talk again soon. :)
Thank you for being here! Along with each post will always be my related playlist! This one is full of music that keeps me moving and getting through training! Get hyped and crush your next workout with it!
