Leadville Heavy Half-Jeno Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 9:36am

Heavy because it’s not really a half its 15.4 to 15.7 miles depending on who you talk to. We arrived in Leadville late Friday night. Roberta and I were wondering if the food we ate at Hill daddy’s was going to make us sick because neither one of us felt well after we ate. Even though we both got off work early it did us no good because of the holiday traffic. We pulled into town and there was a faint rainbow in the sky, I thought maybe a good omen. (Something my mom believed strongly in) Roberta and I both lost our mothers in the past few years and often we do things or see things that remind us of our moms. Running is the way I started to cope with the loss. On the way up we saw a bumper sticker that said, God bless Johnny Cash! Roberta said her mother loved Johnny Cash. I always bring a handkerchief to my events because my mother used to collect them and I got her collection when she passed away. My mom died of IPF, which is a lung disease, and I have trouble breathing during exercise but I can't stand the medication because it makes me feel too amped up. (Sometimes I get paranoid its hereditary)

The hotel was a bit dark and kind of depressing but Roberta makes the best of things no matter what the circumstances and is always extremely optimistic which rubs off on me. Turns out there was no thermostat either. We got up early and we were both trying to decide what to wear and what kind of hydration to carry. I’m usually very simplistic in my approach to things but for running I always want more water than I need and more food…just in case I get lost and need to spend the night and with me that is entirely possible. We wake up get ready and I can’t find my sunglasses and start to panic. Roberta is trying to calm me down and we go to a gas station and buy some. We get to the gym to pick up our packets and it seems like it's taking forever to get our bibs and timing chips. We are ready to start and we meet a guy who is a member of my running club. I recognized the name but not until after we talked for a little while. He said you’re missing your sat run. Then I figured it out. He over heard Roberta and I talking about the race and contemplating weather of not we had trained enough and he said just think of it as training, lol. It was funny because I was looking at breaking it down to two 8-mile runs. In my mind if I can break something down to a manageable chunk I can tackle just about anything.
The Gun goes off!!! We start heading up the road in town and I’m running. My plan was to walk but I could not help myself. This is a mistake for me because what works best for me is to start slow and ease my way into something. The road then turns into a dirt road but its still pretty steep. I’m thinking to myself … are you crazy you can’t do this, your not trained properly, this is further than you have ever gone before, you will not make it. Crazy I know! Its not like any of that is helpful. So I get to the aid station and, David the coach at one of the running clubs I belong to, said there would be coke and junk food at the aid stations and I thought to myself how unhealthy! Well I got there and remembered I’m a coffee drinker and have not had any coffee yet today. This is not a good idea as I can get a headache if I skip it so I slammed some cola, jellybeans, and salty chips and was on my way. Still telling myself “ I’m at the end of the pack…what am I thinking, I’m crazy to think I can do this but this is fading due to the sugar and caffeine in my system and for a couple of miles I feel right with the world again. Then I start looking up at the mountains not really knowing which one was mosquito pass is and freaking myself out a bit. Then I remembered what my friend Laura said, “ don’t live at the finish line or at the top ….be where you are. Feel it, and take it in. Bill added look to the sides the scenery and take in what you see to get back in the moment. This turns out to be a great strategy for someone like me whose brain each morning is waiting at the foot of the bed saying “get up we have work to do!” So then the terrain gets really rocky, rocks the size of grapefruits…I hate that comparison but it fits. Rocks of all shapes and sizes scattered about a trail that does not at all look suitable for a vehicle or a runner. I’m slowly walking ….yes walking up this mountain and I do not want to look at the top but just take it one step at a time. I kept popping electrolyte pills that my friend Norma recommended and they are working pretty well with water of course. At one point I started to wonder if I was getting enough oxygen and my Garmin I think I accidentally reset it and did not punch start again so it's pretty much useless and I have no idea how far I’ve gone or how far I have to go. Plus the chest strap is uncomfortable and I don’t think I'll wear for things like this because it feels like it impairs my breathing. Maybe that’s not true but that’s how it feels. I started to feel defeated and like I’m pretty sure I’m not going to make it and here comes Roberta at just the right time down the hill saying it's just around the corner! This was a boost for me she gave me a big hug and was on her way. By the way just around the corner was the lie I needed to hear. Kind of like when others around you say looking good and that sort of thing. I have never been to and event where so many people around me were so encouraging. At first I thought the people saying you can do it, great job, nice work, were full of crap and just being facetious. I said “thank you” to every person that said something encouraging to me. It turns out I started to really need to hear that because I was still not sure and had myself pretty convinced I would not make it. I felt a little dizzy but I just stopped and got my bearings and some oxygen and kept moving forward. One guy said something about relentless forward motion…he had a cape on and it made me laugh, I have heard that saying before or something like that from some ultra runners. Then this guy came up behind me and said, “ It’s yours! You got this! Take it!” Those were my magic words I guess and I cruised to the top. I felt like bawling!!! I said “mosquito pass bitchezzzzzz!” It’s the thing I say, lol. I could not believe I made it. I needed a picture and I didn’t want to hang out too long but I did want to savor that feeling for a few minutes for sure. I snapped a few pictures and noticed that even though trees don’t live that high up lots of flowers and other beautiful plants do so it can’t be all that bad for you, right? I started heading down the mountain and thought I could run some of it. I think eventually I can learn the skill of running down very rocky terrain but at this point I’m still getting my sea legs. I do remember running on trails when I was about 9 and down rocky terrain when I lived up on a hill in NSL and I was thinking it must be somewhat instinctual but I have not recaptured that skill to a level I’m satisfied with as of yet. I did see runners fall and injure themselves and I was determined not to do the same but that meant putting on the breaks a little which is not that helpful when your going downhill. This guy said, ”Use gravity girl!” I kept thinking I could probably do it faster next time now that I know what I’m dealing with. OK so now I’m cruising a little and I need to find a potty because I’m feeling a little sick. I will not go into the details of this too much but about 4 miles out I was having some painful cramping. This surprises me a little because usually I do well with any form of nutrition on a race or run and have never had problems like this. I kept trying to get back to feeling good but the last 4 miles, which should have been the easiest because it was road and downhill turned out to be the hardest because of this. I kept hearing Marshall Ulrich saying, “When challenged the human spirit will soar!” Finally I could see the town and my friend Roberta! She snapped a picture of me and ran with me to the finish I gave it one last push because that’s what I do at the finish! It felt so rewarding! I wonder if it would have felt so good if it were something I was certain I would finish. I’m not really sure. I do like to flirt with my edge, which means risking failure and not living in or near my comfort zone at all. I kept telling Roberta I want to go back and beat my time and she started to get a little mad at me for not enjoying my accomplishment. She was right! My ego can screw with me a lot. She thought it was going to take me much longer than it did. She did so well! It comes quite naturally to her. We headed over to a coffee shop to get a chi latte and Roberta turned to me and said, “ That race broke me!” I fell out laughing hysterically! That just sounded so funny to me. We waited for the awards and the diverse age group at this race impressed me! It seemed that the older runners got tougher with age. This guy sitting next to me who ran the marathon just for practice because he is pacing someone at the Leadville 100 said, “That wasn't a marathon it was an endurance freak show at altitude!” He said the last 3 miles was the only point where he got into a rhythm. I did not catch his name but he said he’d be the Georgetown to Idaho springs half and I’m sure we will run into him. He was smart, I told him about my thoughts and he said everyone has them you just need to block them out. We also recognized the old guy who cruised up the incline the day before my birthday. I personally thanked the race director for such a wonderful event. We ate then had ice cream and headed home. What a great time! I would recommend this race or any of the races in Leadville. Even though I cant shake the idea that I want to go back and beat my time next year it was a huge accomplishment for me personally. The spirit in that little mountain town is wonderful!