You tried so hard

-

 And got so far…

But it wasn’t far enough. It seems like when I have a big dream, it always takes two tries to get it right. My FKT attempt to be the first person to thru-run the entire Tabeguache trail looks to be on the same trajectory. I had high hopes when I started my watch Thursday at 0400 that we would be able to work with the narrow weather window and reach the Lunch Loop trail head some time on Friday. Was I concerned about how fatigued I had been for the two weeks after the Grand Mesa 50? Absolutely. That race had taken a lot more out of me then I’d anticipated. I was hopeful that the recovery from after the race had pulled me back from the brink a little, but… There were signs that it hadn’t. Regardless, I was committed and felt that I was ready. There was only one way to find out and that was to start. 

Heading to Montrose on Wednesday was a quick shift in plans. Originally, Nick and I had every set up for Friday so that I would have a day to finish last minute packing and prep without feeling rushed. But looking at the weather, we both felt that it was either start Thursday or push back a week. The monsoon surges were coming close and hard  - there was a short break Thursday into Friday and then another one forecasted for Monday into Tuesday. After much discussion, we packed everything up when I got home from work on Wednesday. We would take the chance on starting early. Would I have done better had we waited the extra few days and made the attempt Monday? I don’t know. It’s too late to second guess that choice. Looking back, I can honestly say I may have gotten further starting Monday, but the cumulative stress between two hard 50s and the loss of my cat was more then I realized. Yes, saying goodby to Sasha wasn’t training stress, but that hit me much harder then I realized even a few months later. 

I will freely admit that the training between May and August wasn’t even close to what I wanted. I missed so many thing that would have helped the run, from overnight camping trips on the Plateau to steady running in the heat and then just hiking, working on the turnover. Not making any excuses - the things I wanted to do didn’t happen for a number of reasons. And then there were the races. Bears Ears 50 was a solid ass kicking - maybe the hardest 50 I’ve done. I did not bounce back after that like I’d anticipated when planning events. The hole was deep and instead pay attention I just kept digging. I should have listened to Nick when he told me to drop from the Grand Mesa 50 miler and do the 55k instead. That race was another ass kicking - not due to the course, but the conditions. There was no recovering from that race in two weeks, which I only discovered after the fact. I was both over trained and under trained at the same time when I started Tabeguache. Overstrained from the hard races and the overwhelming stress and then undertrained from struggling to recover from everything. That is the simple reality of the fact.

So there will be another attempt. This was just the dress rehearsal for 2023, taking all the things that we learned over the 75 miles covered. There’s always areas to refine, and I have plenty. From not doing two hard 50s to other training errors, this was a solid learning year. Next August though, I have a date with the Uncompaghe Plateau. The trail calls me, pulls at me. It’s driving my dreams and singing in my soul. And next time…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A long way on foot - Sheep Mountain Endurance Run

-
Image
Fifty miles is a long way - regardless of how you travel. As I was training and preparing for Sheep Mountain Endurance Run, I knew that it would be a long day - I knew that there would be ups and downs, that the plan would have to be fluid and goals adjusted mid-race. That is the nature of endurance sports and the people who achieve are the ones who can go with the flow and find the ability to turn things around if they do go south. Obviously, for my first 50, I was hoping for nothing but smooth sailing - with no dark spots, no demons and smiling the whole way. A girl can always hope, right? Runners assembled for the start Photo - Human Potential Running The sun was just starting to brighten the clouds as we walked to the starting line with nearly 100 other runners. The race director went through a few things, noting that there had already been some DNS's due to the elevation and to be smart. Smart... Most people would say smart would mean not doing something like a 50 mile ...
the full story...

Mortality

-
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well preserved body; but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!'” - Hunter S. Thompson It seems such a trite quote, but true at the same time. Life is about the journey - the adventures along the way, the failures and successes. A life well lived is a person with stories to tell, taking the chances along the way that will provide fulfillment. You don't realize how close we are teatering to the edge until something happens that affirms our mortality.  In eleven years of practicing physical therapy in a nursing home setting, I've had my share of experiences with death. Never close though - far enough removed to be touched by the passing but not affected. Sometimes it's expected and everyone says "it's for the best. They are happier now." Other times, it's not and we are all shocked...
the full story...

Regaining my mojo

-
Image
I'll be honest. The two months between the middle of July and middle of September just about crushed me. Tired all the time, unable to muster more then a slug pace for most rides, and shuffling my way through my runs. It was the worst two month I've had - made worse by my continuing to try to push through the fatigue. So after Vapor I made sure that I would listen to my body and not pressure myself into training until I felt ready. No matter how long it would take, I would take the recovery I needed. Two weeks of minimal activity - short swims that were mostly just paddling around, very short runs where I didn't look at my watch at all and the easiest of rides imaginable. After those two weeks, I was still tired, but feeling better. Getting more like myself again, with a little more energy. That meant I needed at least another week of easy recovery! It was not the time to succumb to FOMO and start up with the big rides and hard runs again. So I behaved even more, knowing ev...
the full story...

Friends with the Monsters..

-
And the voices inside of my head.  As Saturday approaches, the voices - the demons - have begun talking to me. Sometimes a whisper, sometimes a scream. 54 miles. It's the distance from Colorado Springs to Lake Pueblo State Park. Or the top of Wilkerson Pass... A long bloody way to cover on two wheels, let along two feet! Yet that is my goal. Traverse the trails and roads west and east of Fairplay, covering more then the distance of two marathons. Theoretically, it should be nothing. After all, I've run back to back marathons many times - once getting both under 3:10. Fifty two miles, in just shy of 24 hours at a pace much faster then I'm planning. But in this ventures, I had time to recover between races and took the recovery seriously. Here, nothing but continuous forward movement. One step in front of the other, no breaks between efforts and the the clock doesn't stop ticking.  As Saturday approaches, those voices are getting louder. Ever doubting, ever questioning - ...
the full story...