The Challenge

Matthew-Winters from the hogback

People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.'There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron... If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for. ― George Mallory

As I debated my race schedule this year I thought a lot about if I had to do another 100 this year. Dan was debating it, Sandra wasn't doing one, Allisa wasn't doing one. So why do I need to do one? Or do I? It was a decision that circled around my head for quite some time before I finally decided to do it. I'm still not sure what was the final deciding factor. Maybe it's all the Leadville videos James has been insisting on making us watch every night. Or maybe it's the challenge I'm seeking. Can I do it one more time? You can gut through most races if you have to, but a 100. That's a different beast. If your head isn't there, if you're training isn't there, if you don't really want it then it's not going to happen. In the end I decided to run Run Rabbit Run again which means I'll face that challenge of if I can will my body to keep moving a little bit longer, a little bit farther. I may not have a good answer as to why I want to run another 100 and why I'm actually really excited for it and am loving the training, so I guess it comes down to loving the challenge. I've never backed down to the question Do you think you can do it?

Red Rocks

This week my training seemed right on track. I was excited and ready to go. I also managed my fourth week in a row of hill/speed work. That must be some sort of new record. But I can feel each work out getting easier, so I suppose I'll just keep doing it. I also got in my first long run of the year. My legs felt great afterwards, but the run itself felt like a struggle. It wasn't the most scenic route out there and I was running by myself so maybe that was part of it. But overall I felt good and was glad to get back at the miles. 

James decided he had apparently had enough of being healthy for a few months which meant Monday was a quick trip to the pediatrician for more antibiotics for a 'nasty bacterial infection' and a bad ear infection. Just as we were on the mend from that Saturday James started getting really clingy which is never a good sign. I knew deep down that it would likely be a long night. The stomach bug hit around 7:30 that night so Sunday ended up being a long day sitting on the couch snuggling and watching Leadville videos, but hey if nothing else I was extremely motivated to run by the end of the day. Here's to hoping we just got all the nastiness out of our systems in just a condensed time and now we can move to spring! One can always dream!

Pre-stomach bug cookie making

Week January 26 - February 1

Miles Running: 53.8

Hours Hiking and Running: 8.0

Monday: 7.3 miles, easy effort Apex run. Front side trails in great shape, but Enchanted Forest and shady parts on top pretty icy.

Tuesday: 6 miles, warmup 8x30 sec hill sprints, cool down, felt so much easier and faster paced than the first time I did this workout a couple weeks ago.

Wednesday: 5.5 miles, super crazy windy run with Dan and James at Bear Creek. Pretty tough workout pushing the stroller in the wind.

Thursday: 6 miles, fast treadmill miles in the early morning.

Friday: 18 miles, Green Mountain and Matt-Winters for a little elevation and mostly dry trails. Legs were heavier than expected on climbs, but overall felt good and no tiredness after. Must mean it's time to step it up.

Saturday: 4 miles, Flying J, was going to take the day off, but had a feeling that Sunday might get crazy, which it did.

Sunday: 7 miles, Flying J, felt great and glad to get the miles in.

Green Mountain summit

our lil baker!