And they were never heard from again... Indian Creek 50k Course Preview

Indian Creek 50's Course

The title of this post is a little ominous but with trail running, it sometimes feels like you’re flirting with the edge. Generally, everything is fine and dandy but one wrong turn, one twist of the ankle, one stray storm, one mistake in your gear, and you could find yourself in a tough situation.

A few weekends ago, Becky, Anna and I headed down for a preview of the Indian Creeks 50(ish)K course in Sedalia, Colorado. I had never been to, or heard of, Sedalia before signing up for the race. I think that’s true of most people because when I tell them where my race is, they cock their heads to the side and say “Oh?” But the people who know about Sedalia all say the same thing, “it’s beautiful.” And they are all totally right.

I’m glad I was able to run a little bit of the course for a few reasons. The obvious reason is that I was able to get a feel for what I’m in for. The less obvious reasons are that the course is really amazing, and it was also nice to run on some trails that looked and felt different than the Boulder/Indian Peaks variety.  

From what I saw of the course, it’s a lot of beautiful single track that makes me miss having a mountain bike. It weaves through pine forests and aspen groves, and once you come out of the forest, there are amazing views and some really fascinating rock formations.

Beautiful stuff 

The trail isn’t too technical, (i.e. no stair master sections or fields of rocky annoyingness), but it’s. Essentially, it’s either up or down, with not a whole lot of anything in between. I guess they have to get that 7,600 feet of elevation gain in somehow.

The course for the 50k is made up of two loops, a bigger loop and a smaller loop. Since we only had a 3.5 hour run on our schedule, we decided to tackle the smaller loop, which is about 15 miles. (Yes, I just said “only” 3.5 hours.)  

Our run was completely wonderful. It was beautiful and low key, with wild raspberry sampling, some nice chats with locals, and a four leaf clover sighting. So why the title of my post? Well:

• When we got to the trailhead early Saturday morning, there was no one around. Then, as we were getting ready, a fairly awkward looking guy in khaki pants showed up, ostensibly to hike. He was on the same trail as us and, even though he was just some dude out to enjoy nature on his own, he could have been a creepy dude and, after running into him on the trail … they were never heard from again. 

• At the beginning of our run, we made a wrong turn. We corrected ourselves pretty quickly but still ended up adding an extra mile to our run. Had it not been as obvious of a mistake, in theory, we could have gotten lost out there and… never been heard from again.

• Early in our run we came across some wild raspberry bushes with the most lovely, juicy looking, raspberries. It took me back to my childhood in Pennsylvania when my sister and I would pick blackberries in the woods behind our house. Becky and Anna were hesitant but I insisted each one of us have some. The berries were wonderful and we were fine, but, had I been mistaken about the berries, we would have eaten them and… they were never heard from again

• We came across a creepy looking shack in the woods that had a very Blair Witch vibe too it. Seriously, it was creepy. Becky and Anna were brave enough to peek their heads inside and… they were never heard from again.

Creepy shack

"And Becky and Anna were never heard from again..."

Creepy shack #2

• Around the halfway point of the loop, we ran into a ranger and a mountain biker who gave us some info on the rest of our route. The ranger told us that he had recently had several rescues in the area that we were heading– people who just got turned around and couldn’t find their way and needed help getting out. He called these SARs, for Search And Resuce, but we thought he said “sorry’s” as in “I’m sorry you had to come and get me in the woods.” As we headed off, we promised him we wouldn’t be a “sorry call” but you could tell he was kind of thinking, “…and they were never heard from again.”

• Right after we left the ranger, we stopped a random woman to ask her about one of the rock formations. She asked us where we came from and when we told her the Indian Creeks Campground she said, not hiding her shock, “you’re like 10 miles from your car!” Then she said, “wow… good for you,” but not in an overly enthusiastic way. It was like she was saying, “If I don’t hear about you on the evening news, I’ll be impressed,” which means a part of her was thinking, “…and they were never heard from again.” 

• Our 3.5 hour run turned into 4.5 and it was a hot day. I was starting to run a little low on water but had enough to get me through. Becky, however, was totally out. We shared our water with her but, if we had all be running low, perhaps we would have… never been heard from again.  

But none of these things happened. We had a great run and when we got back to the parking lot, the mountain biker we had met at the bottom was still packing up his car. He looked stunned to see us and said, “You ladies made amazing time!!!!!” Although that wasn’t exactly true, it probably helped him feel a little better about the fact that it took him almost as long to do the loop as it took us.

Even though none of these things happened, they all could have happened. I’m not saying that to be dramatic or to make it sound like I’m doing more extreme things than I actually am. Aside from running for what most people would consider a long time, there’s nothing too extreme happening, except for the amount of food I eat when I’m done. And there's a certain amount of risk that comes from just living, day today. 

But, trail running has taught me to always be prepared because, more than with other endeavors, your own your own out there and a slight turn of events can turn your day. Over the last few months, I’ve learned to:  

It's easy to make a wrong turn
when there are trail markers
that point to... nowhere

• Be prepared for anything. That means any kind of weather or conditions or time or  hunger levels or hydration levels or whatever. It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.  

• Always physically prepare to be out there longer than you think (i.e. bring extra food/water).  Think you’re only heading out for a three hour run? Think again. If you underestimate your trail, or make a wrong turn, you could be out there for a good bit longer than you think.  

• Always mentally prepare to be out there longer than you think. There’s nothing worse than mentally pacing yourself for a 1.5 hour run that turns into a 3 hour run. If you’re three hours into a two hour run and the car is nowhere in sight, don’t freak out. You’ll get there eventually.  

• Don’t make big plans after a big run. Or, if you do, make sure you pretty much don’t have anything going on the next day, and maybe the day after that. God invented Netflix and couches for a reason.  

• Make sure you stop and take it all in. Don’t be so concerned about where you’re going that you don’t think about where you are. It’s really beautiful and amazing out there. If you’re not going to take some time to appreciate it, what’s the point?

After the course preview, I’m even more excited about this race than I was before! In fact, I think I’m more excited about this race than I’ve been about any other race in my life. Ever. When I did my Ironman a few years ago, I had a lot of energy around around that race but it was a lot of nervous, yucky energy. For this race, at least at the moment, it’s giddiness and excitement. It may not last but, for now, I’m rolling with it.

I can't quite pin down why I'm so excited. Maybe it’s because the older I get, I’m less concerned with the outcome of a race than I am with the experience. Or maybe it’s because I’ve done so many races so far this year that it’s hard to take any of them too seriously. Or maybe it’s because trail running is just seriously freakin fun. I think it’s a little bit of all of those things.  

Trail running - Super, freakin fun

Four leaf clovers - for real. 

Dark and Funky

Over. It. 

I wish that “dark and funky” were a cocktail, kind of like a dark and stormy only with root beer and Pimm’s? But it’s not. Dark and funky refers to my race attitude these days.

This picture pretty much sums up how I feel about racing right now. I’m tired, I’m worn down, and no post-race buffet, tech shirt, goodie bag, or whatever, is enough to get me out of my funk. The fatigue is partially from my excessive racing and partially from my excessive training. The training from my 50k has started to really ramp up, which means I’m doing more running and recovering, which leaves less time for things like racing, blogging, sleeping, doing laundry, going to the grocery store, eradicating the vole that has taken over my backyard, etc.

The training would be enough on its own but, with the added pressure of racing, I’m feeling it a bit. Unfortunately, races have started to feel like a little bit of a burden, instead of the celebration that I want them to be. Races typically mean that I have to wake up at 4:00 am. And I have to write a blog. And, also, my t-shirt drawer is getting maxed out. 

These last few weeks, when people ask me how my races are going, my response has generally been, “I’m kind of over it right now.” But the “right now" is the key. I know this dark and funky time won’t last. With any epic adventure story, the hero inevitably goes through a dark phase, where everything looks bleak and the pressures of the quest seem insurmountable. This is a necessity in the narrative arc. (Empire Strikes Back, anyone?) Without this time of darkness, the light at the end of this tunnel would be less bright, the good tech shirts wouldn’t seem as good, the doughnut at the end of the Honolulu Marathon wouldn’t taste so sweet… at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

The good news is that, despite my horrible attitude, I’ve managed to get in three more races in the last few weeks, which means I’ve officially hit the big 3-0. I only have ten more to go, and six of them are already planned.  Soon these dark and funky times will all be a distant memory and I’ll be looking back with nostalgia on those dog days of summer when I kept going, even though I wanted to quit.

But for now, I’m getting through by cataloging the number of men’s deodorant samples I’ve gotten so far this year (four) and trying to figure out how to cram a few more t-shirts into my drawer. Here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post:

Race 28 – The Final Stroke and Stride of the Season

Date: July 29^th

Type: Run and Swim

Distance: 800 meters/5k

Shwag: Nada

The Stroke and Strides are over already? How did that happen? For me, this series marks the beginning of summer and the beginning of the end of summer, so it was sad to see the last S&S arrive. I managed to do the first S&S of the year in June and I want to say that I planned to do the last S&S, as a nice bookend. But, I basically did this race because I felt like I HAD to get a race in, especially since I hadn’t done a race in almost four weeks. (Side note: my alternative title to this post was “28 Days Later” and I was going to talk about how I pretty much felt like I was in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, or whatever it was that happened in that movie, since that's kind of how I feel.)

Goodbye, Stroke and Strides.
We'll see you next summer!

The final S&S fell in the middle of a rest week and I really needed the rest. Still, I signed up for the race and made myself go because these races aren’t going to do themselves. Despite not being able to remember the last time I swam, I had a decent swim. Then came the run. Terrible. Had it not been a race, I would have stopped running and gone home for the rest I so desperately needed. But I didn’t. I plodded along in shear misery and only got through it by promising myself as much pizza as I wanted at the end. I knew that this probably wasn’t the best decision for my body - the race or the pizza - but now that I think about it, this race was sort of symbolic of being 28. You’re old enough to know better, but you still make a lot of stupid decisions. You get through it though, and hopefully you learn. And there are still some nice moments, like this picture of the sky.  

Race #29 – the 800 Meter Challenge at Shoes and Brews  

Date: August 5

Type: Run

Distance: 800 meters

Shwag: Cheap beer and the sweet taste of victory

What is the Shoes and Brews 800 meter challenge? Pretty much the best running event ever.

It involves running an 800 meter course through an office park in Longmont vs whoever else wants to do it. Whatever your time, that’s what you pay for your beer. For real.

While this may not seem like an official race, it’s timed by a third party and there’s an official record so it totally counts. Plus, I’m making up the rules to this thing so, not to be too bossy, but what I say goes.

Cool pic of some cool kids
from S&B's Instagram

We had a great turnout for this event and I was thrilled to have Barb F, Doug W, Bob M, Jenny B, and Andrew S join me for what turned out to be a super fun, but super painful event. Even though the 800 meters went by relatively quickly, especially compared to something like a half marathon, it’s one of those situations when you feel every second of suffering. And when you run as “fast” as me, you have a lot of seconds to feel.

Yes, I could have run slower and it would have felt less miserable, and I would have still gotten a discount on my beer. BUT, they have a board at the bar where they keep track of the top 20 male and female times. And I wanted to get on the board.

Here’s how it went down: we rolled into Shoes and Brews around 6:00 pm on a Wednesday, went up to the bar and said “We want to do the 800 meter challenge.” They said “Great! We’ll get the cone.” They then proceeded to put an orange traffic cone into a Prius and drive it out to the end of a cul-de-sac and said, “We’re ready when you are!”

We headed out into the sweltering heat to get a rundown of the course. The Shoes and Brews people pointed out the start line (a crack in the pavement) and the cone, which seemed really far away. We had a brief group discussion about whether or not we should warmup and decided we should at least jog around for a minute or two to make sure that no one pulled anything. After a quick jog and some questioning of our sanity, we were ready to go. We lined up at the crack. The S&B crew gave us a very official “Ready, Set, Go!” and we were off.

On the board! (For now)

The Shoes & Brews people seem like pretty legit folks, so I’m sure that they measured the course properly. But, man, that was the longest 800 meters of my life! I think I probably lost a few seconds on a poorly executed turn at the cone but, regardless, three minutes and twenty-some seconds later, I crossed the finish line with burning lungs and legs. I think I kept coughing for three hours and twenty-some minutes after that race was over. 

But you know what? It was worth the pain and suffering because I made the board!!!!!!! I’m sure that I’ll get knocked off the board soon, if I haven’t already, but for now, I’m savoring it. Our motely crew spent the rest of the evening hanging out at S&B and enjoying the beer we had earned.

Part of me wants to tell you this is an awful event because the more people that do it, the faster I’ll get knocked off the board. But, the thing is, it’s such a great event at such a great place that you really need to go check it out. However, maybe go on a day that’s not 90 degrees with 15% humidity.   

Shwag

Race #30 – Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon

Date: August 8

Type: Run

Distance 13.1miles

Shwag: A tech tank top (a first!), a pint glass, another one of those bag things, some kind of leg crap stuff, and… men’s deodorant. Seriously, again.

A downhill half-marathon road race. After all the trail running I’ve been doing, this should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong. This race was not kind to me this year, which was disappointing considering I had a mega PR last year. This year, I ran hard, it hurt, and my time wasn’t so hot. I can’t say that did a lot for my race enthusiasm.   

Kate trying some liquified pizza. 

Luckily I wasn’t alone in this one: JenSki, Kate B. and Russ joined me and thank god for that. Without them, I’m not sure I would have gone through with it. The race starts at Georgetown Lake with a loop up to Georgetown and back down to the start. Then you run down the access road next to I-70 until you get to Idaho Springs. Had I been alone, I would have been tempted to start the race and then drop out when I made it back to the car. (Hey, I said 40 races, not 40 finishes!) But that’s not what happened.

Since I had an extra hour of running on my schedule, I did a 20 minute warmup with Kate before the race. Then, my plan was to run the 13.1 miles as fast as I could, cross the finish line, top off my water bottle, and head back out for another 40 minutes. God help me.  

My enthusiasm is contagious.

It’s not that I felt completely horrible during the race. It’s that I just felt so bad when it was over. My legs were more tired than they had been in a long time and I still had 40 more minutes to go. Having already run about 15 miles, I really didn’t want to do more but I had told Jennifer I would jog back on the course and then run the rest of the race with her. And so I did.

Heading back on the course was an uphill battle, literally. As I slowly (slooooowly) made my way back on the course, people were looking at me like I was nuts. That’s because I was. Just as I was wondering whether or not I could get a ride back to the finish, I saw Jennifer and gathered all of my strength to run it in with her.

My first few steps with Jennifer were rough but after that, it was the best I had felt all day. Unlike every other mile, the mile or so I ran with Jen went by really fast, especially since she totally picked it up when we got into town. Seriously, she was running faster in the last .25 miles than I was. I could barely keep up.

I was thrilled to cross the finish line a second time and finally be done for the day. As an added bonus, we ran into Bob and Debby T. at the finish line. It’s always nice to have a little hit of that Monkey Love!

With #30 in the bag, it’s hard not to think about what comes next. But, one thing that I’ve always struggled with as an athlete is knowing when to push through the pain/fatigue and when to back off. At this point, I think I’m seasoned enough to know that I need a little bit of a break. So, I’m taking a few weeks off from racing to regroup and recharge. I have another race planned at the end of the month but, until then, I’m going to lay low. After all, I only have ten more races to go, and I want to give them all everything that I’ve got.

Hopefully I’ll feel better after a break but, I still need you, people! I’ve updated my race schedule. Take a look and let me know if you want to join me for anything. (Having people helps a ton.) I’m also open to suggestions for the four races that aren’t planned yet. But, be aware that I’m probably not up for anything super-zany right now, unless it’s a 5k run in a gorilla suit. It’s expensive, but you get to keep the gorilla suit. Think about it…  

Pic of the sky in Georgetown, because
that's just what I'm doing right now.