Week(s) in Review (June 9 - June 22)

Tuesday, June 9 (19,412 steps) - I really cannot remember this far back and looking at Strava doesn't do much to refresh my memory. I wrote that I did a mile and a half, but I have no idea if that was on the treadmill at home or at the gym. I think I vaguely recall doing it at home.

Wednesday, June 10 (18,450 steps) - A finally FINALLY got her (second) cast off. However... she is now in a brace, at least through the end of July, which means one more doctor's visit and another set of x-rays. Run club!! Traffic was a wretched horrible mess so it took forever to get there. We ended up missing starting the run with the group but walked about a mile with Heather, who injured her collarbone and can't run anyway. I ran a mile loop when I got home.

 

Thursday, June 11 (16,562 steps) - Again, it says I ran about a mile on the treadmill. No recollection. Things kicked into high gear with the packing - fast tracking the sale of the house to two weeks earlier than planned - sign (hopefully) going in the yard on Tuesday, June 23.

Friday, June 12 (8,396 steps) - No exercise. More packing. Dinner and hanging out with Jessa.

Saturday, June 13 (13,659 steps) - Jessa was so kind as to spend most of the day with me and A packing and cleaning. Turns out there was a bit of water damage from when the basement flooded in the spare room so we had to rip out the carpet and padding. Bought fans to dry the flooring. Smells a bit musty but caught it all before there was any lasting damage. The most progress was in A's room. Wish she always kept it this clean and uncluttered!

Sunday, June 14 (17,592 steps) - Skirt Sports 5k with A and then driving to Moab.

Monday, June 15 (51,044 steps) - Desert RATS Stage 1.

Tuesday, June 16 (77,537 steps) - Desert RATS Stage 2.

Wednesday, June 17 (32,030 steps) - Desert RATS Stage 3.

Thursday, June 18 (99,377 steps) - Desert RATS Stage 4.

Friday, June 19 (15,236 steps) - Sleeping. Drinking beer. Tending to blisters.

Saturday, June 20 (63,235 steps) - Desert RATS Stage 5.

Sunday, June 21 (12,825 steps) - Long, long, LONG drive back to Denver. Lots of cleaning and continued packing.

Monday, June 22 (13,928 steps) - Back to work. More cleaning, more packing. House 85-90% packed. My realtor offered to have cleaners come in so that I didn't have to make time for that as well, thankfully. We weren't able to get the carpet shampooed (and honestly, anyone who purchases this home will want to replace all the carpet anyway), but the place looked good enough for interior pictures for the online listing.

 

Week Ending 6/15

• 145,115 steps
• 28 miles run
• No cross training
• No strength/stretching

Week Ending 6/22

• 314,168 steps
• 113.75 miles run
• No cross training (although, let's be real, I did a LOT of hiking/walking)
• No strength/stretching (I had two 30 minute massages though!)

Everything Else

• As of the last date in this blog the house was mostly in selling condition, just waiting for some cleaners to come in and do things that I did not have time for. That's the big thing going on in my life right now!

Desert RATS Random Tidbits

Had some questions regarding some of the more "logistical" aspects of the race.

Transportation

After getting myself to Moab, all transportation was included in my entry. The race is a point to point from Loma-ish, Colorado to just outside of Moab, Utah. All our gear was hauled in a U-Haul trailer and the runners were transported in big vans.

Lodging

We were told we could bring our own tent if we wanted to. I chose not to because I hate putting up/taking down a tent and I didn't want to have to do that every night. We were provided with big tents - I shared a tent with four other women. There were volunteers that put up the tent and took it down for us - which was fantastic.

Food

Gemini Adventures uses the services of John Graham for food. This man is fantastic. He has many years experience in "back country cooking" and we had plenty of food every single day. He was happy to take special dietary requests, including vegetarian and gluten free options. I enjoyed food ranging from pasta to grilled cheese to burgers. There was always more food than could even be consumed, no one went hungry. All meals were provided, and on the long days we were able to make sandwiches to pick up at an aid station for lunch.

Charging

There was a charging station available every day at base camp where we could charge our phone and Garmins. I believe this was powered through one of the trucks, but I'm not positive. I do also have a small battery powered charger that I brought with me and used only one time to charge my watch. The charging station was VERY cool and very appreciated!

Clothing

So as you could probably see from my pictures, I had my arms covered every day. All of my long sleeve apparel is YMX by Yellowman. I first discovered this brand about 3.5 years ago when I was training for my first 100. The fabric is so silky and thin it is almost like wearing nothing at all. I have worn these tops for years as a base layer to keep warm, but had never considered wearing them to "keep cool." This fabric was pretty much designed for running in all climates, per the website "as perfect as base layer on the winter slopes as it is for sun protection on a high desert run. With a UPF of 30+, it also serves as a lightweight rash guard that feels like a second skin, light as silk, but totally fuss-free." I did notice that I "felt" hot when I first started each day but within a few miles I didn't feel "as hot" or "any hotter" than if I had bare arms. Not to mention, no sunburns on my arms or shoulders, which I am VERY prone to as I'm very fair-skinned.

In addition to the long sleeve tops, I was using a buff - in the early miles just to protect my neck from the sun, but as the day wore on I would tie off each end and fill with ice - that was HUGE in keeping me "cool."

I normally wear the compression socks for all races, but with the blisters I had I wanted easier access to my feet so I wore the lower socks, and it was fine. Considering this was a lot more hiking than running, my legs felt abnormally "good" after everything was done.

Nutrition/Hydration

There was plenty of "snacks" at the aid stations, although I found that my appetite was greatly diminished with the heat. For pretty much the first time ever, I had to force myself to eat. I fueled with a handful of gels, but primarily used Honey Stinger waffles. By the end of the week they tasted "too sweet" and it was a little rough getting them down. For electrolytes I was putting Nuun in my handheld, taking Endurolytes (by Hammer) and using BASE electrolyte salt. I'm a firm believer that BASE saved me on my last day when I was so hot and feeling pretty dizzy and sick - a few licks of that and I for real felt like a new person. As for hydration, I was back to using my Nathan hydration vest that holds a 70 ounce bladder. I was also using my Orange Mud handheld which holds 21 ounces.

Other Supplies

We had mandatory supplies that had to be carried at all times, and we were subject to random checks to ensure we had them on us. Among the supplies were 1000 calories, a safety blanket, whistle, compass, knife, salt tabs, emergency strobe, emergency mirror, disinfectant spray and at least 80 ounces of water upon leaving each aid station. Carrying all these supplies was definitely tough with the pack I had and it was a bit uncomfortable to carry, especially when the bladder was full.

Course and Trail Markings

The course was NOT marked by the race director. Each evening we were prepped with special instructions regarding any hard to follow turns and given a map of the course. The issue is that the Kokopelli trail IS marked... but the markings are very old, some of them are not clear at all, and there are no "confidence" markers of every kind. We also were told we could purchase a Gaia app that had an interactive GPS map that we could use. The two people that had this app were the only ones (I think) that made no wrong turns. After the first day I contemplated purchasing but didn't have the internet connection (or my debit card) to buy. Using the printed out map was not ideal but it did give a pretty good idea of where to go. We had an "expedition journal" with a handful of instructions, but these were problematic as they didn't seem to match up to the miles on my Garmin. It was good as a "suggestion" and warning to look for certain sections.

Everything Else

This was not for the faint of heart. In addition to the heat and the remoteness of the course, this experience required some "out of my comfort zone" situations. No running water, showering, shaving, etc. for a week. And being in such close quarters with strangers meant a lack of privacy and learning to get along and deal with uncomfortable situations. With THAT said, I had the pleasure of running with some of the most amazing people EVER, and I would not have traded this group for anyone else. I don't know that I will ever tackle something like this again, but I am glad I did this.

Desert RATS Stage Race, Day 2 (Race Recap)

Tuesday, Day 2

 

Having never really been asleep, I was out of my sleeping bag EARLY. Thankfully, there was instant coffee and hoped I would be able to get more alert before heading out for the second longest day. We found out at our meeting the night before that due to flooding (in the desert, who knew?) that we would not be running the "normal" course and what was supposed to be 39 miles was "only" going to be about 34. We were also told that day 2 is sort of the "make it or break it" stage and that if you could complete THIS day, chances were pretty darn good that you would be able to complete the entire distance.

 

Can you see how hot it is going to be? Millions of degrees, at least

I had NO idea what to expect. I didn't know if my legs were going to rebel completely and if I was even going to be able to run. The "fast" people started out... fast. I figured I would start with a run/walk (no set interval times) to conserve energy. I knew it was (obviously) going to be hot and I had tons of time on the course so I figured I would just take it easy and hopefully not bonk. The first section of the course was relatively flat on dirt roads.



 

There were some amazing views early on and we had a short jaunt through a small canyon where I made sure to take a selfie.



 

I got passed by a huge group of kids on their bikes (we think it was a Boy Scout troop) and one of them yelled "we think you are awesome!" In fact, I think I am awesome too! There was a decent amount of climbing on this day as well, but nothing that took my breath away like that steep climb on the first day. Unfortunately, as time has passed I already cannot remember a lot of what happened on that second day.

 



 



 

 

 

The first aid station cut off of the day was at mile 17.5. I was never so happy to arrive at an aid station. I was SO DAMN HOT. I filled my buff with ice and draped it around my neck. It cooled me down substantially. We had four miles to the water drop at mile 21. Then we had a LONG stretch until the next aid station around mile 28. I was behind Tara (who power hiked with poles) and I was DYING of heat. It was for real so hot. We were on a boring stretch of road that paralleled the railroad tracks. And it just went on and on and on and on. While the aid station cut off for Westwater at 17.5 had been generous (1:45 pm, allowing almost 7 hours to arrive), the one at Cottonwood at mile 28 was 3:30 pm. I did NOT want to miss that cutoff. I passed Tara with a few miles to go and did a lot of walking to get to that aid station. I made the cutoff by about 15 minutes (although we found out later the cutoff was a misprint in our journal and really had until 5 pm to get there). Leaving the aid station and the bottoms of my feet felt like they were ON FIRE. I walked almost the entire last 6 miles to the finish. On the longest road EVER.

 

Coming into the finish line for this one was AMAZING to me. I was so happy that with completing this day that I had an excellent chance of finishing the whole thing. It really put me at ease for the rest of the week.

Day 2 was unfortunately NOT the day for everyone. There were quite a few drops, including Traci (a super talented runner from Florida that was having difficulty with the altitude and the dry climate), Anita (who got lost very early on) and Jane.

Garmin Time - 9:47:01
Garmin Distance - 34.43 miles
Elevation Gain - 2,172 feet
Mile 1 - 12:58
Mile 2 - 12:54
Mile 3 - 14:23
Mile 4 - 14:22
Mile 5 - 16:50
Mile 6 - 17:39
Mile 7 - 14:34
Mile 8 - 15:08
Mile 9 - 14:04
Mile 10 - 16:48
Mile 11 - 16:32
Mile 12 - 17:12
Mile 13 - 24:28 (climb to the top of the mesa)
Mile 14 - 14:53
Mile 15 - 17:06
Mile 16 - 15:07
Mile 17 - 15:12
Mile 18 - 14:52
Mile 19 - 26:09
Mile 20 - 15:13
Mile 21 - 16:09
Mile 22 - 16:02
Mile 23 - 18:00
Mile 24 - 17:57
Mile 25 - 17:29
Mile 26 - 16:23
Mile 27 - 16:52
Mile 28 - 16:43
Mile 29 - 22:29
Mile 30 - 19:03
Mile 31 - 18:45
Mile 32 - 19:14
Mile 33 - 19:11
Mile 34 - 19:18
Mile 34.43 - 16:14

The end of the day did NOT go well for me. My feet hurt SO bad when I got back to camp. After taking off my shoes I discovered I had the biggest blisters, on both feet, in matching places - on the ball of my foot. It felt REALLY good to sit in the shade. While I hadn't been exceptionally bothered by the heat on the first day, THIS day seemed insanely hot. I was drinking and drinking and drinking and my body was just soaking it up. It was also a bit disconcerting that I was not that hungry. Maybe that can be the new diet plan? Exert myself on the surface of the sun to reduce my appetite?

The other issue I was having was with my contacts. My right eye felt like I was going blind. Over the course of the day my vision got cloudier and more blurry. By the time I took out my contacts my right eye couldn't see color or focus on anything. While my contacts had also bothered me the day before, it was not this bad. I was seriously concerned. Even closing my eyes hurt. I made the decision that I would have to run the next day in my glasses - which was not going to be fun, especially with how bright and sunny it was. Boo.

At the nightly meeting we were told that our short "9" mile day was going to be closer to 12 to make up for some of the distance we were missing from current day due to the course changing. I was really dreading trying to run on my torn up feet.

Sheri's awesome husband, Pete, loaned me a sleeping pad. I still did not sleep great but at least every rock in the desert wasn't jabbing me in the back.

Desert RATS Stage Race, Day 1 (Race Recap)

Sunday

 

I had to be in Moab by 6:00 pm to pick up my packet. My dad was planning on volunteering at the race for the first three days, so we were taking separate cars. I had a few hours with A before dropping her off with my mom around 10:45 am. I met up with my dad in Dillon for lunch at the Smiling Moose. Drive was mostly uneventful with very little traffic and some rain near Vail.

 

I arrived at the Gonzo Inn for packet pick up around 5. Showed the staff all my required emergency equipment, spoke briefly with the doctors and picked up my bib and "journal." My dad showed up right as I was finishing up and we went to the Moab Brewery for burgers and a beer. My dad was attending the volunteer meeting at 6:30 and my pre-race meeting was at 7:30.We had a LOT of information to absorb - mostly from the medical staff. Bed around 9:30.

 

Monday, Day 1

 

We were staying at the Super 8 down the street and had a quick breakfast before meeting up at the Gonzo Inn at 7:30 am to load up the trucks. Shuttles to the start line near Loma, Colorado left the hotel around 8:00. It was a nervous ride out that took close to 2 hours. I sat next to a woman, Becky, who WON the Trans Rockies stage race, and she brushed it off like it was no big deal. Um, yes it is!!!

 

We arrived at the start line just before 10:00 am. It was already pretty warm. We took a few pictures and then after a few words from the race director, we were off. I spent the first six or so miles running with Cindy. The first miles were roughly on the course that we ran in April at the Trail Running Festival (only in reverse). We were told to use our daily course maps and journals to avoid making any wrong turns. We nearly made a wrong turn fairly early on, but luckily I double checked my map and crisis was averted.



Me and Cindy



After the first aid station around mile 6 Cindy started to hang back a bit and I figured I should run as long as I was feeling ok so I pulled ahead a bit. We almost missed another turn and were saved by Gene who was using the GPS Gaia app. (Looking back, this may have been worth the $20 investment).

 

I was doing mostly ok - running the flats and downhills and hiking the climbs. The heat was actually not bothering me too much. If I had to guess, we maybe hit high temperatures in the upper 80's or low 90's.

 

The views were amazing. There were some switchbacks around mile 11 that took us all the way down to a bridge... and then we had to climb back up. By this time it was FREAKING HOT and I was struggling to get air on the climb. I felt like I was working crazy hard, it was hot and I was tired. After many false summits, I arrived at the top with Sheri in front of me and Cindy and Trish somewhere behind me. I was super happy to see the second aid station around mile 13. We moved off trails and onto a gravel road. There was a lot of downhill and flats and I didn't find this section too awful.

 

And then I made a STUPID rookie mistake. I was assuming that we were running about 20 miles. Somewhere around mile 18 I could see the flag for camp. I turned to the left as it looked like that was where the trail marking was pointing. After about a half mile I was starting to wonder if I had gone the right way. I could see the flag to my right and the road I was on was kind of winding away from it. when I realized the road was NOT going to connect on that end I realized that I should not have turned off the main road. D'oh! I called the race director to confirm that I was NOT on the correct path and then headed back. I still made it into camp with almost an hour to spare before the cut off but I was pretty annoyed that I had made the wrong turn about a quarter of a mile from the finish and logged over 2 extra miles.

Garmin Time - 6:02:21

Garmin Distance - 21.20 miles

Elevation Gain - 2,175 feet

Mile 1 - 14:46

Mile 2 - 15:28

Mile 3 - 12:48

Mile 4 - 16:38

Mile 5 - 14:46

Mile 6 - 20:59

Mile 7 - 16:00

Mile 8 - 19:21

Mile 9 - 17:15

Mile 10 - 15:43

Mile 11 - 17:26

Mile 12 - 19:03

Mile 13 - 25:30 (the hill that almost killed me)

Mile 14 - 19:47

Mile 15 - 16:46

Mile 16 - 17:33

Mile 17 - 15:42

Mile 18 - 15:37

Mile 19 - 15:13

Mile 20 - 17:30

Mile 21 - 14:57

Mile 22 - 17:28

 

Turns out, I wasn't the only one who got lost. I think close to half the people were "lost" at some point during the day. Lucky for me, it didn't cause me to miss a cutoff. For our two international racers though, it did. Leira (from Spain) and Jim from Canada made a wrong turn very early on and ended up doing MILES AND MILES extra. They both missed the cutoff for the day and would not be official finishers for the event even if they were to complete the entire distance.

 

The confusing nature of the trail markings and people getting lost and making wrong turns sort of set the race off on a sour note. We were told during our nightly meeting that we were all responsible for paying attention and following the markings and that no exceptions would be made for missing cut off times. Ok then.

 

The volunteers set up the tents for us and we got all our things ready for the next day. I did not have a sleeping pad as I didn't have room in my bag and did NOT have a good nights sleep. I had ended up in the middle of the tent and being a light sleeper I woke up every time someone got up to use the bathroom. Every rock in the desert was jabbing into my back. And THEN there was a freak storm. Around 4 in the morning there was a thunder/lightning storm and RAIN (which caused the tent to leak as we had not put up the rain flaps). Going into day 2 I was NOT going to be well rested.