Race Report: Xterra Lake Las Vegas 21k

Xterra Lake Las Vegas is awesome. If you want a hot, fast, challenging, fun race...go to Vegas! There really isn't anything too technical about the course, it is mostly hard packed rocks/sand, with a couple loose sandy spots. There were a few longer climbs, some short and steep climbs, and steep descents. Oh, and a lot of sun!

I really don't have any complains/regrets about my race or race experience. I flew into Vegas on Wednesday night and my friend Kendal picked me up. For the next couple days, all I had to run was run, eat, sleep, and relax.

Race morning was pretty easy. It was just a short 20 minute drive to the race site. Check in was quick and easy, and I was ready to go.

The mini cannon went off. There was already a pack of 5-7 that had separated from the field in the first 400m with one guy leading. In the first mile we were down to a chase group of 4 with one guy extending his lead out front.

I wasn't wearing my Garmin, so I had no idea what pace I was running. The goal was just to get from start to finish as quick as possible. I found myself going back in forth with 2-5 on the up hill and downhill and finally in 4th with about 1000m left in the first loop. I bridged the gap and tried to use the group for a min. As one of the guys went to grab water, I made the decision to skip that aid station and try to put a gap on him before starting the climbing on the second loop. It seemed to be working, but unfortunately he caught me on one of the steeper climbs. I was in 4th.

With about 3 miles left, another guy passed putting me in 5th. At that point the sun was baking me enough that I was just hoping to finish. I could still clearly see 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, but I knew it would be hard to catch them.

I ended up finishing 5th in 1:24:34 and a big trail half marathon PR. I don't know that I could have put together much better of a race. Living at 10,200ft is great, and I *should* have altitude on my side, but I was not fully ready for the Vegas heat. The only thing I would do different next time is wear a visor to keep the sun off of my face.

Other than racing, I got to actually see things in Vegas this time. Fremont Street, Vegas the Show, different casinos, good food, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. I also decided that since it was still snowing in Leadville, I would stay in Vegas a few extra days. Fortunately it was cheap to switch my flight, so the decision to stay in the sun was pretty easy.

I also got to train in the heat for a few more days. I even had a crew van on one of my longer runs - how exciting! I think the crew was having fun while watching me back in the sun.

Here are more pictures from the week.

Valley of Fire State Park

The Riveria won't be there next time!

I won! (One can wish)

Cats.

Leaving Vegas :(

Thanks for reading. Happy training!

Xterra Lake Las Vegas Pre-Race

Training has been interesting. I had a good four week stretch, then it caught up with me with about a week left in the ski season. I took a few extra shifts at work and I found myself putting in fifty hour "weeks" in four days. There are only so many nights you can get four to five hours of sleep before it catches up with you. I still managed to put in 30-40 mile weeks (I am a very low mileage runner) so my mileage really didn't suffer.

I would say that my first real race of the season is on Sunday -- Xterra Lake Las Vegas Trail 21k. This is a good chance to test trail fitness and see how my body reacts going from 10,200ft to 5400ft to 1800ft. But, the most important thing is to have fun.

As many of you know, I started being coached by Brad Hudson of Hudson Training Systems in April. So far I have been happy and challenge with the workouts. I realized I really didn't know that much about training at 10,200ft, but I still want to get fast! The great thing about ski season being over is I now have more options to come down for his group speed workout. I am starting to lose some leg speed by doing most of my training in Leadville, so it is nice to go down to Boulder have a quick group to train with.

My friend Anthony asked me how training has changed since moving to 10,200ft. I think there are a few big changes. The first change is that pace is slower on everything. You can put forth the same effort, but still be running slower than Boulder or sea level. That can start to mess with your mind and make you wonder if you're slow, lacking fitness, or if it is just the altitude. The second biggest change is there is always snow on the ground. The cushioning from the snow is nice, but that also slows you down. Just another thing to factor into the workout. And, the third thing is that to do speed work, you need to find something downhill. You learn to become good at downhill running.

I had a quick trip to California in late March, and this is probably my favorite picture from the trip.

College friends also came to visit in March. Running at 10,200ft is fun... Right, Ross and Ben?

And....one Vegas pic.

I hope training/racing is going well for y'all, and good luck to those getting ready to race.

March 1-7, 2015

I feel old. I turned 25 on Saturday. After reading many articles about "the aging athlete" and "speed training as you age" or... Okay, so maybe I'm not quite there yet, and I guess the only real difference now is that I am in the 25-29AG...and car insurance goes down. Wootwoo! I spent my birthday watching a weekend of ski joring. If you don't know what that is, look it up on YouTube.

I'm so mature ^

Anyway, I had somebody ask, "What did mono and the setback with injury teach you? Do you think you came out of both having learned something important?"

This is was a difficult question for me since I tend to be a pretty stubborn person. The biggest thing I learned from mono (and probably injury too) is that recovery is important. I knew recovering from mono would be a long process, but I'm not sure I actually understood how long.

The bone bruise (foot) came from a bad step, followed by 12 miles of pounding. I had already finished 13 miles, but still had 12 to go. Looking back on it, should I have been running 25 miles only 3 weeks after being cleared to run again? But, like I said a few weeks ago, I wanted to go down to FL on my 25th birthday and lay down a solid 50 miler. I do not regret that I didn't get to race, but I definitely think I next time I will make a better choice.

Also, living and training at altitude requires much more recovery. I have a feeling that by living a 10,200ft and still getting over mono, recovery is going to be a huge factor for me. If I want to have any chance at a successful late spring, summer, or fall, then I need to pay attention now.

The other takeaway is that good shoes are key. I realized that I had over 800 miles on my Brooks Ghosts when I injured myself. Normally I am ~400 miles per pair of shoes before I get new shoes. A weakened body + old shoes probably was not the best mix. Right now I am running in the Hoka Clifton and they have been wonderful in getting me back out there.

Training

Workout #1: 1x3, 1x2 @ MP

Warm up, 3 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile easy, 2 miles at marathon pace, cool down. I was going to try 2x3, but the wind and ice broke me down. I still had 5 miles of quality for the day, so it's not like I had a bad workout.

Workout #2 - 3x[2:1/1:2] Fartlek

The purpose of this workout was just to get the legs out and moving fast. The hard sections were hard and the easy was easy. We also filmed part of this workout. There is a short clip of it on IG, and a longer video will be coming later.

Total ~35 miles for the week.

Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy training!

February 15-28, 2015

I had somebody ask me what race I think I have the best chance of running to my peak fitness in 2015. I think there are 2 sides to this question - road and trail. I wasn't exactly sure how to answer this since I will be doing more trail stuff early, and road stuff later. So, here are my two picks.

My road pick is the Indinapolis Monumental Marathon in November. I have only heard great things about this race, and there are always some fast times. Flat course, cool weather, and a good mix of competition should make for an exciting race. Also, with the race being in November, it gives me time to build upon spring/summer/fall fitness. The one downside to a November race is I will have been racing all spring, summer, and fall -- will that leave me flat in Novmeber, or ready to PR.

I had a hard time picking a trail race. So many things can come into play -- elevation gain, temperature, humidity, technicality of the course, etc. It will be my first 50 miler, but I think Silver Rush 50 is my best chance of racing at peak fitness. Why would I say a 50M at 10,200ft? I live at 10,200ft and can train on the course, so that is a plus. I will also be racing the trail marathon a month before, so there will hopefully be a fitness bump from that. I am really not sure how my body will react to racing that length, but I think that will be my best chance.

Training Update

Feb 15-21

I was finally able to start running again thanks to acupuncture, and the Hoka Clifton. I was shocked at how cushioned and light they are. Nothing too exciting, 20 miles of running and 9k of swimming.

Feb 22-28

I took a quick trip down to NM hoping to find warmer weather and less snow... Unfortunately I found snow and cold. Oh well.

The 2 main workouts of the week were:

A) 1x3mile at Marathon Effort

B) 10x:60/:60 fartlek

I'm not really sure how pace/effort for a marathon feel at 10,000ft compared to sea level, so this will be a leaving period. Either way, the workouts went well, and I was pleased with the week. ~30 miles.

Have a great week, y'all. Happy training!

Feb 12 Update

Green Swamp 50M Update

I said I would do a weekly update while training for the Green Swamp 50 mile. Unfortunately I do not have much to say as I am currently out with a bone bruise/IT Band issues. I have not been running in about 3 weeks. I am not too upset about it, but I think my husky is!

What have I been doing to heal?

There isn't really much you can do for a bone bruise, except stay off of it. I have been going to acupuncture, and that seems to be helping. I have walked into the office in pain, and walked out pain free many times. I am also swimming again, and I am really enjoying it.

The other thing I have been doing is strength training. (See below)

I lost ~15 pounds during mono. Although I don't feel like I am weak, I can definitely tell that I lost a little strength. I just do simple things that can be done in the living room and takes less than 30 minutes.

How does that change 2015?

I had to DNS at Piney Woods 50k in Feb, and I will be doing the same for Green Swamp 50M in March. I am going to try and make it to the start line for the Illinois Marathon on April 25, and actually race.

Recovering from mono.

If I were smart, I would have decided to just try to complete the Green Swamp 50 in March... But, I wanted to race. Not only did I want to race, but I wanted to win...and set the course record. I felt that I would have the altitude advantage on my side and FL is a flat/fast course. I think I pushed just a little too much too soon. Do I regret it? No.

Other news.

Leadville weather has been weird. It is warm and the sun is melting. I was able to ride 33 miles outside on Feb 7. It was 40 and sunny. It felt gret to jut enjoy the outdoors.

Have a great day!

Favorite Race Moments of 2014

2014 was a year of growth, change, and new experiences. I am very happy with the year overall, and these are my top 5 race moments.

5. Ironman 70.3 NOLA

Just about everything wet wrong nutritionally in NOLA, but somehow I still snagged a spot to Worlds. I went into the race prepared to have a great race. I felt fresh and peppy. A great swim (for me) set me up to have a great day. Unfortunately I dropped my fluids early in the bike, and I was never able to recover from it. I ended up walking and sitting down quite a bit on the run, but I fought through it. Keeping a positive attitude can go a long way in endurance sports - a great lesson to learn.

4. 50k debut

I took a road trip out to California with a new German friend and raced the Malibu Canyon 50k. 6300ft of elevation gain. Set the 25k course record during the 50k. Finished 3rd OA. All of tha was exciting, but so was the actually road trip. He is in the states traveling for a few months and wanted to go from Denver to LA. We left Denver in a snow storm and made it to Vegas that night. It was great to see his reaction as we were driving through to CO mountains, UT canyons, and all of the lights of Vegas. It definitely made time fly by.

3. Marathon Debut - 2:37

Road trip back to IL.

Seeing family and friends.

Elite Athlete meeting with some studs.

Marathon debut.

2:37

I mean what more could I ask for?

2. 70.3 Worlds - 4:28

I had made my retirement from triathlon public the week before. I honestly believe that was the best thing I could have done. There was not any pressure on me to perform and I felt like I could just go and soak in the experience. During the swim something inside me said, "no,you're here to compete - get it done." I ended up with a PR swim and bike, along with a 10 minute overall PR. I couldn't have had a better ending. I still get people that tell me, "you're wasting your talent by not racing tri" or, "it's a shame you quit so young." I may come back to it someday, but I don't have plans to at the moment. New adventures await.

1. Clermont AG Sprint Tri

Giving Jack a high five at the finish of the Clermont AG Sprint Tri is hands down my favorite moment. I could have picked a race win or course record as my favorite moment, but this trumps them all. It was one of those days where things just kind of clicked and then I got to give a buddy a high five. People were like "you just made his day," but really, he made mine. Those are the moments I love about racing.

Thanks for reading. What was your favorite race moment of 2014?

This & That

Rather than bore you with the details of mono, here are some pictures of my move to Leadville, CO.

We are pretty high

Sleepy little Leadville

Looks like great snowshoeing territory

The snowstorm

Mineral Belt Trail

Twin Lakes

More from Twin Lakes

Almost a Christmas card photo

Seriously...I love Colorado

Oh look, my new training partner!

Hot yoga studio or living room?

Tuesday night bingo in Leadville.

So, what's your goal for 2015?

If you were wondering, mono recovery has been going well. I am finally not sleeping 14-16 hours a day. I am also able to go for some light jogs and do some yoga. Sure, it is probably going to be a long time before I feel "normal" but that is okay.

Thanks for reading.