​March is the month with some of the most diverse weather in Colorado. We had it all…sun, snow, blizzards, extreme cold and then warm enough to wear shorts. I ran with the Striders all month doing tempo runs at Bear Creek Park, track workouts at the CC track, and intervals at Prospect Lake and on the Santa Fe trail. I managed to get in a long run with Caryn and Emma one weekend and a snowy fun run after the big blizzard. The weather was warm enough at times to go outside and get in a ride on the bike. I tried coupling my temple days with bike rides after up in Denver as the weather was a tad warmer up there. I rode the Bear Lake loop a few times as I started to prepare for Duathlon Nationals in June. Of course, I kept lifting this month as much as I could, so I didn’t lost progress after finishing Mike’s 45-day weight lifting program. It was a solid month of training.

​I love running with the Striders in the winter months because it gives me a reason to keep running when it is cold outside. We did several standard winter runs this month including hill repeats and tempo runs at Bear Creek Park, intervals on the CC track, tempo runs and mile repeats on the Santa Fe trail, and some fartlek’s around Prospect Lake. I even managed to sneak in a longer run on the Santa Fe trail from Woodmen with the Kokopelli run club while Emma did her long run with her clubmates. While I ran mostly outside with maybe one run on the treadmill, I managed to keep up with my 45-day weight lifting program and biking on the Peloton. Mike and I managed to sneak way up to Denver to bike during a warmer day on the Bear Creek Trail loop, which is a 30-mile loop.  

​We started the New Year with a 24-mile ride down the Cottonwood and Santa Fe trail. It was a relatively warmer day for the winter and so we put on our layers and headed out. The good weather didn’t stick around for very long. Most of my runs this month were on snow covered trails or really cold mornings. We did hill repeats at Bear Creek Park, hill repeats and tempo runs along the Santa Fe trail, a hill endurance run up Rampart Range Road, and a tempo loop at Bear Creek Park. I was extremely proud of myself for staying on task with the 45-day weight program that Mike and I started last month. I was consistent and started to see real results by the end of this month.

​Most of this month found us with relatively decent weather which made running in the cold not so bad. I ran plenty of times with the Striders and was even able to go outside for a ride at Garden of the Gods. One of the biggest changes this month was working in more cross fit workouts into my routine. For most of the month Mike worked on developing a lifting program for us to do in the new year. We actually decided to start our 45-day program on Christmas day. It was fun to start something new and to be able to do it together.  

After quite a big year of racing and endurance events, I took 9 days off of any real running or biking. Once I was ready I slowly started adding back in Peloton rides and running with the Striders during the weekdays. I was amazed at how strong I was during my first two running days back with the group. The first workout was fartleks on the Shooks Run loop and I was able to hold a pretty good pace. The next workout was the Bear Creek tempo loop where I think I actually hit one of my best times, but I will never for sure know because my watch started the segment before I even started. After training mostly uphill on trails, it was good to know that my fast, flat pace wasn't all that bad. The following week we hit 4 min tempos on the MVP mile loop which turned out to be harder than expected. It was a relief to have a fun run the next meeting up Section 16 and the Palmer trail. I'm not sure Section 16 is ever that much fun since it is a grueling 3/4 mile up some pretty narly steep sections. However, the group was pretty big that morning and I enjoyed keeping up with people that I deem pretty fast. The first 3 weeks of this month were pretty awesome but then I got sick and was forced to take 11 days off all exercise. My first run back was the last day of this month, and it was only 3 miles, but it felt good to be back on my feet again doing what I love.

BEST COACH EVER

This month started out with some last preparatory runs before R2R2R followed by a taper week, our big adventure in the Grand Canyon (see post HERE), and finally some recovery time. One of our last big runs was running some downhill trail miles on Rampart Range Road. Dionne and I had her brother drive us 6 miles up so we could run down to simulate the first part of R2R2R. I was also able to do some hill repeats with the Striders at Red Rocks. By the time I hit my taper week I was so relieved! After we got back from the Grand Canyon we took some time off and then got back out there slowly by riding bikes with Madeline. We took her to ride both on the Santa Fe gravel trail and the paved section up by Costco. She had more fun on the paved section and enjoyed playing at the park at MVP. After 10 days of resting and riding bikes or the peloton, I decided to jump back into the Striders run. I did some intervals at the CC track and felt surprisingly good. 

​Running Rim to Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon was so incredible. It was my first ultra, and Mike's first time running anything over a half marathon. This was one of the most exciting adventures ever! There were so many good moments. The atmosphere, views, and people were awesome. Dionne, who is our good friend, was our ultimate guide as this was her 7th time running this. She knew the tricks to ultra-running, and she gladly shared them with us. Those things were truly lifesaving. Here is a breakdown of our adventure:

Total Distance: 43.68 miles
Total Running Time: 6:14:52
Total Hiking Time: 7:23:07 
Total Ascent: 11,405
Total Descent: 11,429
 
South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch:
This 7-mile section was done mostly in the dark as we started at 4:20am. We ran the entire downhill section, and it was way more technical than even Barr trail that I trained on for the Ascent. I was so happy to follow Dionne on this section.
Phantom Ranch to Manzanita:
This 9-mile section was amazing. We ran 90% of the canyon floor as it was a flowy trail with a gradual ascent of almost 2000ft. We stopped plenty of times for photos and once to apply moleskin to my toe.
Manzanita to North Rim:
Manzanita was a zoo. There were so many people who were coming from the North Rim and South Rim since this was the last weekend before they turn off the water at the North Rim. This 5-mile ascent was relatively easy, and we hiked the entire thing except for a few flatter sections that we ran. We even got to see the solar eclipse. The only tough part was the last 2 miles. When we got to the top we were floored to see Mike wander up there only 15 min after us. We thought he was going to turn around at Manzanita! He’s a beast and even did a few pushups at the top to prove it!
North Rim to Cottonwood:
We thoroughly enjoyed running down this section and spent some time admiring the amazing rock formations and cliff views. We blew past Manzanita and filled our water at Cottonwood. Then it was time for the hot box.
Cottonwood to Phantom Ranch:
I had been warned about the hot box (Canyon floor in the afternoon) on the way back. Most people do not realize but the canyon floor is 15-20 degrees hotter than it is at the rim. We were extremely blessed with magical wind and shadier sections when we got to the canyon walls. After a few miles I knew we weren’t going to make it in time for the lemonade before it closed at 4pm. Dionne encouraged me to keep going and since I had legs left I booked it for 5 miles down the canyon floor. I flew and it was fun. I got to the lemonade stand at 3:58pm and then saw it was open until 8pm. They had changed the time. Oof. Either way, we got our lemonade. We waited around for an hour but didn’t see Mike, so we made our way out of the canyon.
Phantom Ranch to South Kaibab:
First 2.5 miles were spectacular with great views. We even saw Mike making his way up and he was fast. He is such a good hiker. As the sun was setting we put our headlamps back on. We eventually waited for Mike at Ooh Ahh point and made the most horrible 4 miles out of the canyon in the dark together. Those were truly grueling miles that tested everything I had. I didn’t think I was going to make it. It truly was one of the hardest things I’ve done in terms of endurance. I’m so glad we all finished this amazing adventure together!

I found myself doing a good mix of biking and running this month. This month started out with a quick two loops around the Black Forest Section 16 loop, a fun ride with Madeline on her new bike, and a family bike ride up to Denver. The rest of the month was focused mostly on running and preparing for and recovering from the Ascent. Mike and I headed to the top of Pikes Peak to do the 3,2,1 run which was absolutely brutal. I ended up only doing the 3,2 which is 3 miles down, 3 miles up, 2 miles down, 2 miles up. Mike ended up doing 4 down, 4 up and broke a rib along the way when he fell. Another fun workout was cruise intervals on the track in Manitou with the Striders. This was intended to be a race tune up for the Ascent. After I recovered from the Ascent I jumped back in with Striders and did short fartleks at Prospect Lake and the Cheyenne Canyon climb where I got a PR (43:29). The run down on the Cheyenne Canyon climb was the most beautiful I had ever seen the canyon. The fall colors were still out and I kept wanting to turn around just to see the beautiful colors against the backdrop of the mountains. 

This was an exciting month of training for the Ascent and getting ready to go hike in Switzerland. I spent the first part of the month training on Barr Trail, Red Mountain, and Iron Mountain to help my body get accustomed to running up for an extended period of time. I was able to sneak in some mountain bike days at Section 16 in Black Forest and Red Rocks. On one particular run coming down the backside of Red Mountain I slipped and cut up my leg pretty bad. It didn't hurt all that much but startled me more than anything. My pride was a little hurt after that though. So glad Caryn was with me and had a wipe in her water bottle holder so I could clean myself up a bit. Other than that, I had no falls coming down Barr Trail during the many extended runs I did on that trail. By the end of the month, I made it all the way to Barr Camp on one of my runs and did it in record time.

​In preparation for cross-country in the fall, Madeline and I headed out on several runs this month to get her body ready for running with the Kokopelli run club. Her goal was to be able to run 1-1.5 miles without stopping. We spent a few different times working up to that. She amazed me with her incredible endurance at such a young age. I could see that she had fight in her just like Emma. At the end of our training sessions this month we decided that we would wait one more year before starting with Kokopelli. One more year would give her more time to grow and mature before handling the rigors of more intense running. The goal, after all, is for running to be fun.

This summer marked Emma’s third and final high altitude cross-country camp with Kokopelli. She was a little nervous about her fitness after taking 3 weeks off in June and then another 4 days after her car accident. However, she later told me that although this camp was the hardest in terms of mileage, it was also the most chill of all the times she had been at Kokopelli. Her weekly mileage reached 50 miles which was the most she had run in one week ever. She recounted one of the hardest runs where they warmed up the first few miles all uphill. She learned the importance of hard work, comradery, and fueling properly. The food was delicious, and the other athletes were fun to be around. One of her favorite night activities was when they choose to watch a horror film. For some reason it had become tradition after last year’s camp. What makes these camps spectacular is her coach, Lisa, and the other counselors that Lisa recruited to be at camp. We will forever be grateful to Lisa for the amazing things she has taught Emma about running and life.

This was a really great training month for both running and biking. There were many runs up Barr Trail, one in the Pineries, Red and Iron Mountains, Ute Trail, MVP, and High Drive. One of my favorite runs was the first day of the month running up Barr trail and seeing all the purple wild flowers along the trail. It was also this day that I made it to Barr Camp for the first time this season. Mike and I spent a few long biking days up in Denver riding the trails up there as well as taking advantage of Garden of the Gods and Gold Camp Road in preparation for our Triple Bypass ride. We really do live in such a beautiful place for training in the summer. It’s never too hot or too cold. Most days it is absolutely perfect weather!

This was a big month of training both on the bike and with running. Mike and I spent most of our time on the bike doing some intense hill training as well as some endurance rides. We started with our typical loop to Garden of the Gods and back home. I got my first flat in a long time and learned how to change it on my own. We attempted the 719 loop again and just did it casually, It was still a beast even though we weren’t biking hard, We also rode up in Denver a few times and did some rides up Cheyenne Canyon. On the running side of things, we spent most of the time at Bear Creek Park doing tempo loops on the “dirt” track, hill repeats, and intervals on the flatter garden side of the park. Dionne and I ventured one day and did Section 16 to the Palmer trail. The short but steep section up Section 16 is never an easy one and I was breathing hard the entire time. However, the effort is worth it after you crest the top and run down the flowy Palmer trail. Overall, training this month was really awesome!

​Mike and I headed up to Denver the day before the race with hope that our race would go well after an extremely stressful week for both of us. We did all the things that would help us have a successful race the next day. When we got to the drop off point and headed on the bus to get to the starting line, we quickly realized that the bus driver didn’t know where he was going. We eventually made it there but not without some anxiety. That should have been a sign to me that the day would not turn out like I had expected. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a running race. I started at the front with all of the other fools and when the gun went off I went out at my intended pace and was able to hold that even through the crazy first 2.5 miles of rolling hills. The uphills were not insignificant and by the time I made it to mile 4 I was already a little tired. It was the first time that I had no umph or energy at the beginning of a race. It was all I could do to hold a 7 min pace. As I descended down the course, I noticed how horrible the road was with a bank at every turn. This did not pose well for someone like me who already struggles with a testy SI joint. Despite all of this, I gave it my best and just tried to hold a somewhat decent pace so I could finish. Somehow I still managed to place 2nd in my age group even though I only ran this race in 1:33.37. It would have been easy to be disappointed in my time that was 6 minutes slower than my last revel half marathon, but I knew deep down that my efforts were truly the best I could have done that day. 

Exercise this month was almost exclusively in the Garden, at least all of my weekday runs. The weather was warmer and with that were some epic runs with the Striders doing intervals around the dirt track in the Garden, another RRR downhill tempo, another clockwise tempo loop where I PR’d, and a fun run around the trails. Most of my long runs were done running down the Cottonwood Creek Trail and the Santa Fe trail. Mike and I even did one last downhill run down the backside of Woodmen and Blodgett. It was a month of highs and lows as I ran some of my fastest runs only to get sick and have to slow things down. I’m not sure I ever fully recovered physically between getting sick and my body shutting down from stress. However, I tried to just keep going through the end of the month in preparation for my upcoming half marathon. 

Madeline had another fun running season participating in the Landsharks track program. She was able to run in 2 of the 3 meets this season and made it to all of the practices. She loved running with her friends after school. For the two meets she ran in, she did the 50m for the first meet and the 100m dash for the second meet followed by a 400m race. Madeline is definitely a better runner the longer she has to run but this season she just wanted to run the shortest race. I was definitely ok with that since the shortest race finishes first. She loved running her one lap around the track and then getting her ribbon. I am so happy that Madeline loves to run. She has real potential to be an amazing runner. I hope she continues to love running as she gets older!

​It snowed a ton in April which made it hard to train for my half marathon. I did, however, love running up Rampart Range Road twice, working on pushing the downhill sections. Emma joined one of our Striders runs and enjoyed running with the faster guys and leaving the rest of us girls in the dust. We did have some nice days mid-April and Mike and I took advantage of that and headed on a longer bike ride to Criterium and back. I also took my mountain bike and headed to Pineries to do the loop there. I spent one morning by myself and ran an easy loop in the Garden after the kids were in school and that was so rejuvenating. Some of the hardest runs this month were in the Garden running the clockwise trail tempo loop, hill repeats up the Strausenback hill, hill repeats on Ridge Road, and the road tempo to balanced rock. This month ended with a beautiful, snowy climb up the Incline with Dionne. You never know what you are going to get in April, but one thing is for sure, you are bound to get both snow and at least a few short-sleeved running days. 
 

​The nice thing about March are the random warmer days. This was a month full of epic runs with the Striders. Between intervals around Monument Lake, speedwork on the CC track, hill repeats up BFNH at Bear Creek Park, fun runs at Red Rocks, and tempos and long runs on the Santa Fe, it was a really great month of training and working hard. My favorite workout of the month was probably the intervals around Monument Lake because I felt really strong on that run. We had super cold mornings as well as a few warm short sleeved days.