Closing Time
Closing time...
Time for you to go out into the world.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
Last Call. This was always on my plan for 2019 - a real return to ultras after what I thought might be the end of my running. A new beginning for ultras and the step towards my first 100. Ah, how things have changed...
Time for you to go back to the places you will be from.
Last Call. A midnight start, running into the sunrise. The challenge of covering 50 miles on foot. I’ve done it before at Sheep Mountain. But I didn’t feel satisfied with Sheep Mountain. I felt like I still had a lot to learn - both for training and for racing that kind of distance. Those were things I couldn’t really learn while still focusing on the ultra distance mountain biking. Any long race would have to be weighed against the mountain bike events like Growler and Vapor Trail 125. And then the eye in 2017. Running, even riding became uncertain without drugs. I was just happy to be able to run after that. Even happier to be able run decently at the Pikes Peak Ultra 50k last year. A rebirth as a runner. Something that I wasn’t sure would happen.
Running into the sunrise is the part I am most looking forward to. There is something to the dawn of new day that brings hope, brings joy into the world. I’ve seen the sunrise from atop Granite Mountain during the Vapor Trail 125 - it’s a vision that sticks with you. There is nothing like an alpine sunrise to inspire. Maybe that’s why Last Call drew me in last year. The challenge of the darkness of night, the coldest time of the day only on foot, not on wheels. But when Last Call was announced last year, I was planning on Vapor Trail 125 - seeking to become the only woman to finish 5 times. We know how that went... It was about this time last year that the announcement came through. Due to a rock slide on the north side of Tomichi Pass, there would be no 15th anniversary of the legendary race. Was that the primary driver in going back to my past as a runner? I don’t know. But all of a sudden, the entire year was opened up for new adventures. I was still hoping for 2019 and a new Vapor Trail 125, but again - with the road closed and no good way to reroute it was no to be. The call was made early that there would be no 2019 Vapor Trail 125. But I digress, as I tend to!
Now Last Call is more then just the goal race, the return to a distance I don’t know. It’s part of the entire year of challenge, of exploring my limits and transcending to a new place. Race three of my Transcendence Series, following up with the Stories 30 Hour and the Tommyknocker 12. Last call is one of the longer races of the six I have planned, getting into the distance where there is no certainty. Finishing is not a guarantee for any of the races, but as the distances progress it becomes more questionable. There’s a lot I still don’t know about running - let alone racing! - a 50 mile race. Time to find out if the training and miles have made the difference to enjoy covering 50 miles on foot.
I will admit to feeling less then confident about the race. Unlike at Sheep Mountain, we haven’t gotten a chance to check out any of the course. Between work, other races and the snow levels there hasn’t been a chance to go exploring up in Fairplay. I know exactly 3 miles of the course! The short little jaunt on Gold Dust Trail prior to the Tarryall Aid Station. And even then, it’s been a few years since I’ve ridden that chunk and I have never run it. So into the unknown and the darkness of night. Running for the daylight and the sunrise. There is a beauty in the unknown I will experience, the kind of challenge that draws me. What will have changed when the sun rises and I reach the finish line? I will not be the same person - that is the only certainty when you attempt something of this nature.
Time for you to go out into the world.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
 |
| Sunrise - the only true beginning we see |
Last Call. This was always on my plan for 2019 - a real return to ultras after what I thought might be the end of my running. A new beginning for ultras and the step towards my first 100. Ah, how things have changed...
Time for you to go back to the places you will be from.
 |
| Lost in the mountains - the place I always want to be |
Last Call. A midnight start, running into the sunrise. The challenge of covering 50 miles on foot. I’ve done it before at Sheep Mountain. But I didn’t feel satisfied with Sheep Mountain. I felt like I still had a lot to learn - both for training and for racing that kind of distance. Those were things I couldn’t really learn while still focusing on the ultra distance mountain biking. Any long race would have to be weighed against the mountain bike events like Growler and Vapor Trail 125. And then the eye in 2017. Running, even riding became uncertain without drugs. I was just happy to be able to run after that. Even happier to be able run decently at the Pikes Peak Ultra 50k last year. A rebirth as a runner. Something that I wasn’t sure would happen.
Running into the sunrise is the part I am most looking forward to. There is something to the dawn of new day that brings hope, brings joy into the world. I’ve seen the sunrise from atop Granite Mountain during the Vapor Trail 125 - it’s a vision that sticks with you. There is nothing like an alpine sunrise to inspire. Maybe that’s why Last Call drew me in last year. The challenge of the darkness of night, the coldest time of the day only on foot, not on wheels. But when Last Call was announced last year, I was planning on Vapor Trail 125 - seeking to become the only woman to finish 5 times. We know how that went... It was about this time last year that the announcement came through. Due to a rock slide on the north side of Tomichi Pass, there would be no 15th anniversary of the legendary race. Was that the primary driver in going back to my past as a runner? I don’t know. But all of a sudden, the entire year was opened up for new adventures. I was still hoping for 2019 and a new Vapor Trail 125, but again - with the road closed and no good way to reroute it was no to be. The call was made early that there would be no 2019 Vapor Trail 125. But I digress, as I tend to!
 |
| It's not the alpine sunrise from the roof of the mountains, but the joy is the same. |
Now Last Call is more then just the goal race, the return to a distance I don’t know. It’s part of the entire year of challenge, of exploring my limits and transcending to a new place. Race three of my Transcendence Series, following up with the Stories 30 Hour and the Tommyknocker 12. Last call is one of the longer races of the six I have planned, getting into the distance where there is no certainty. Finishing is not a guarantee for any of the races, but as the distances progress it becomes more questionable. There’s a lot I still don’t know about running - let alone racing! - a 50 mile race. Time to find out if the training and miles have made the difference to enjoy covering 50 miles on foot.
I will admit to feeling less then confident about the race. Unlike at Sheep Mountain, we haven’t gotten a chance to check out any of the course. Between work, other races and the snow levels there hasn’t been a chance to go exploring up in Fairplay. I know exactly 3 miles of the course! The short little jaunt on Gold Dust Trail prior to the Tarryall Aid Station. And even then, it’s been a few years since I’ve ridden that chunk and I have never run it. So into the unknown and the darkness of night. Running for the daylight and the sunrise. There is a beauty in the unknown I will experience, the kind of challenge that draws me. What will have changed when the sun rises and I reach the finish line? I will not be the same person - that is the only certainty when you attempt something of this nature.
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