Soul Food: Red Rock Canyon

EVERY single time I run at Red Rock Canyon I think to myself, say to my companions, or to Sydney, "We live here!!"  That may not seem significant to you, but this place feeds my soul. It's something to do with the way it's nestled up against the mountains, is part of the geologic line that includes Garden of the Gods (my other favorite place to run) and so every view you have is stunning - regardless of the time of day.

A few weeks ago I skipped a track workout - 18 2oo's on the track - I'm not "in training" right now and Syd certainly doesn't need to run on the track - and opted for a run at Red Rock instead.  Stunning sunrise that morning made it clear to me I'd made the RIGHT decision.  That was, incidentally, the last good run I've had in about 10 days.  

Until last Saturday, when the Herizon's group opted to run there and I convinced Jane that she, Syd and I should start at Red Rock and then run Section 16 - that WOULD have been a LONG and HARD run.  Instead we played - we ran Red Rock - a new trail called Contemplative which is SO often how I feel at Red Rock - and the up the BFN hill that my group does hill repeats on (how nice to do it only once)  - and then we explored.  We did find our way up to Section 16 and after a short uphill stint decided to head down Intemann trail - a few detours including a frozen spring and the ALMOST missed frozen waterfall (I've never seen water there in the summer) made the exploration so much fun.  We laughed at having missed the trail only to discover we were standing at the hairpin turn that kept us on the right track.  

And today we did hill repeats up the BFN hill.  They were hard; they hurt.  But after Tuesday's miserable tempo when I couldn't even keep up for the warmup, much less get my heart rate into a tempo zone or my pace much below 9 minutes (I really CAN run much faster than that) I was feeling pretty discouraged.  But Red Rock ALWAYS lifts my spirits.  Always.  Hill Repeats or not!  And today I felt okay, maybe not great, but I felt like I belonged again.

It was the run I needed during 3 weeks of constant work to help me come out of my funk.  Now it's back to the work.  

And if you don't know Red Rock Canyon, www.redrockcanyonopenspace.org

A snowy day

What the he**!

My cheeks hurt.  Nothing like being surrounded by good friends and good food.  And lots of laughter.  But I'm tired now.  I think it must have been the scrumptious pumpkin parfait (chocolate, pumpkin, ginger, gingersnaps) all beautifully composed.  Or maybe it was the 5 am wake up (the alarm was set for 5:30, really) followed by the run and the stunning sunrise. Today's sunrise was exceptional.  And the best part, a few of my non-running friends saw it too!

I know that my energy has shifted.  Last year I ran a marathon on my birthday.  It was a good way to de-emphasize the day, though I did get to spend it with my folks and some friends.  But the marathon was the point more than the birthday.  But this year, I let the birthday be.  It wasn't a big deal, but I did what I wanted to (okay, maybe with the exception of reading files).  I ran with my dog (who is nursing a sore knee because she's a dog and doesn't always think about what she does - she lives by the motto "What the hell?" whereas I rarely live by it).  Maybe this next year I'll try and live my life they way Sydney does.  It can't hurt, and who knows what it might bring. 

My niece and nephew each sang me their Happy Birthday song - oh if they would only call back and leave those songs on my voicemail.  Nothing can make you smile like a 3 year old and a 5 year old singing Happy Birthday (or anything for that matter)!  None of the adults in my family sang (parents, brother, aunt - they all declined to put me through that :).  Maybe their wishes came without a tune, but I felt them and heard them loudly and gratefully.

And the day ended with good friends and good food and lots of laughter.  I'm going to ride this wave and hope it's a big one and a long one because I like where it's taking me at the moment.

Winter Wonderland

There is nothing I love more than running in the snow.  Okay, I would have loved today's run even more had Sydney and Jane been with me, but it doesn't get any closer to heaven.  Remind me of this day on those days when I think about leaving Colorado. 

It hasn't snowed or rained for the entire month of November.  We've had some cold snaps, a day or two, but it has been unseasonably warm.  I've appreciated those warm days but it didn't feel like Thanksgiving.  But with the dawn of Thanksgiving day came real cold.  It was a grey day - not my favorite, but it finally felt like Thanksgiving, like November, so I didn't care that it was grey.  

I started the day on the Manitou Incline - what better way to justify the Thanksgiving tradition. The incline itself was really hard for me, but I slogged on without stopping until I got to the top.  It was great to see so many people from my running group hanging around (how they didn't freeze waiting around for the slow folks like me I'll never understand).  I flew down Barr Trail - hadn't been up there since the Marathon and then I wasn't flying at all.  Instead, I was in a state of disbelief that I was so close to finishing 26.2 up and down Pikes Peak and I was fighting my cramping legs.  It was so good to be back on the mountain.  When I got home, I spent some time cooking and watching the Macy's Parade in preparation for the glory of spending the afternoon with good friends.  Kat and Zach and I made a good dent in that 12-14 pound turkey and we indulged in both apple and pumpkin pie.  So grateful for good friends and my family - though this year we were all in different places.

I drove home under the first of several snows this weekend.  Thanksgiving night didn't bring much snow, but it was a wonderful end to a wonderful day.  Friday night brought more flurries and so did Saturday night.  

Saturday nights' flurries actually accumulated more than a 1/4".  I awoke on Sunday to a couple of inches, with snow still falling.  I smiled to myself and though I didn't need to be up for another 45 minutes, I couldn't sleep.  I embarked on a new adventure today:  running with the Incline club.  I've avoided this group for fear that they were all hard-core athletes, much faster and infinitely stronger than me.  But I wanted to find a new trail and I wanted to try something new.  Turns out I know quite a few of the runners from my other running groups.  And some good girlfriends were there too.  We represented the range of talent, speed and ability and I was not the slowest.  No one cared how fast or how far I ran; they were just glad to be out and happy to see familiar faces.  

So it was a magical morning - heavenly really.  Wooded trail, several inches of fresh snow, the first spill of the season (and I'm now the proud owner of a pair of Yaxtrax, as a result).  As I ran along, early on with friends and then as we all fell into our own paces, mostly on my own, I marveled at where I was.  

Peaceful.  Stunningly beautiful.  Everything coated in snow - like icing on the trees.  The sun made a few appearances and then everything sparkled.  So clean and so fresh and so magical.

I wanted a camera to capture the glory of this run.  Instead I just kept reminding myself of how I didn't want to be any other place than this.  I thought about Syd, home resting her sore knee (and not really welcome on a run with so many people).  I will take her back to run and play in the snow.  This beautiful run will only become even more incredible with her by my side. 

Today, I feel strong.  Today my energy was good.  Today, I couldn't stop smiling as I ran - even as hard as it was.  Today I could see the possibility.  

A whirlwind Fall

I've been absent from these pages for a while.  But trying hard to be present in my life even amidst the long days and travel.

I promised myself time off running, or at least running with a purpose.  So I haven't done much running of note.  In September I did join a team of friends, old and new, for the Colorado Relay - some 170 miles beginning in Georgetown, Colorado and ending in Carbondale.  Each of us had 3 legs to run - varying lengths and varying difficulty - all on little to no sleep.  Talk about hilarity and smelly! I think I will be known from now on as she who summons snow for running races - as our first van started in the twilight of a Friday morning and were almost immediately snowed upon.  I had a beautiful run mid-day - brisk, but not snowy.  It was mostly single-track trail (after the ugly uphill on the jeep road) and I loved nearly every minute of it (photo)!  My middle of the night run was less fun, but we all had one.  And my last run was a short one, just after sunrise as we headed up into the Roaring Fork Valley.  Good fun, good friends, and a fun visit with Stefan who provided SAG for our team. 

After that there was little time for anything but work.  A week in the DC area did bring a visit with the Raab family - always a fun time.  The highlight this time was running with Katie-bug. We found a local 2k (I think that was the distance) and Stefan and I alternated between running with her and snapping photos.  She ran the WHOLE thing - and she had a great time. The first photo is pre-race and the second, all smiles post-race!

Besides DC, my travels took me to San Francisco and a day off to spend with mom and dad, and finally to Hawaii (sunset in Kona).  The latter trip, I think I really earned this year because I also spent nearly two weeks on a jury - the only two weeks I had at home and in the office. Needless to say I am finally surfacing from the fall.

And running again.  With a little purpose, but mostly just loving the feeling of pushing myself again (and nearly everything is a struggle given my much diminished fitness).  I ran 10 miles last weekend - up Gold Camp road - well, okay only half was up.  It was hard.  I hadn't planned on 10 miles, but I had good company the the need to motivate and be motivated.  Then it was up Cheyenne Canyon on a COLD morning, with snow, or maybe it was sleet spitting from the sky.  Syd and I nearly took out our friend - who offered her arm to stop the momentum, as we slipped and slid down the road.  But it was beautiful.  And it was hard.  And it was why I love running.  And I finally got to run with my Friday group again.  And then I got smart and only went to yoga on Saturday - I needed grounding and some good stretching.  Today's run was smart - just under 8 miles, but again with good company on a stunning day that hardly makes it seem like Thanksgiving is this week.

I'm glad to be home and finding time with Syd and friends and my running shoes again.

It's a Beautiful Day

It's been my pre-race song since I ran the Grandma's race that got me to Boston.  I've listened to the song over and over and over - on long runs and of course, pre-race.  But it wasn't until I was listening today in the car - that's the best place to really hear the lyrics to a song - that I actually heard "what you don't have you, you don't need it now....it was a beautiful day..."

I'm on a new path right now.  I've got time, more time than I've had in a long time.  That's because I'm giving my body a break from the constant training and therefore I have time. Which has felt like emptiness.   But I got new perspective today.  The Chinese call it yin - it's the void - a place that seems scary to most of us.  But instead of being scary why not go into it & look at it as a place of possibility? 

Think of all the ways I can spend my new found time.  It's time to step outside my box and rediscover some of the other things I love to do and possibly, find new ways to spend my time. It's also time to be grateful for the fact that I'm smart enough to take a break, rather than being forced to take a break because of injury.  And I can look forward to what it will feel like when I do pick the next goal and I start training again - there will be new and refreshed energy and excitement and even more possibility...

And then I played my song in the car.  

So what does U2 have to do with all this, it's part of seeing that void as a place of possibility and recognizing that if today is a beautiful day then everything is as it should be.  Regardless of what I think I want in my life or what I should have or what I should be doing or what I have done.

A little less running

I know it's time for a break.  I've made a promise to myself that I won't sign up for any race longer than 13.1 miles until January 1.  I know in my heart that this is what I need to do.  I know that my muscles, my body, need time away from the constant distance.  

But there is a part of me that is terrified of all the time that I will have.  Without a big running goal, will I stay motivated?  Will I have a purpose?  Right now I'm feel purposeless and I can't say I like it.  My running has defined so much of what I do and so much of who I am these last couple of years, that I already feel a vacancy.  I won't stop running.  3-4 times a week is still in my cards, but what will I be running for, other than just to run?  And is that enough of a reason to run?