Running with Tonks

The Rattler 50k is located at Palmer Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The race website states, “Even though the course does not have much vertical gain, it will test runners with its technical trails.” This description I find incredibly subjective. It's like meeting up with a new run friend for the first time and they say I'm so sorry I'm so slow right now: I am only running about ** minute miles… when in reality that's your Tempo pace and you panic a little wondering if you will be able to keep up.  “Not much vertical gain” …sheesh!!! The Rattler covers 3838 feet of gain in 31 miles. Yes, I have done other races similar and I have even completed Bears Ears 50k which had almost 7000 ft of gain. The problem is, I like to tell people that I am “emotionally allergic” to climbing.  Often I will break out in cries about make-believe hives while going uphill.  Well December Erica, who we will now refer to as BERICA, decided it would be a good idea to tackle climbing th...

I was told that recovery gets easier with each hundred but wow.  From the moment I crossed the finish line, everything was different compared to last time.  At Hennepin, we hung out for a while cheering people in as they finished, went shopping for gear and took team pictures at the finish line.  I got a ride up the hill to the car but it was for convenience and fun not because I literally could not walk.  I did start to fall asleep in the car but I did not have any waves of pain like last time. (Figured out that at Yeti, I had disassociated from most of the pain so the pains in the car was my body/brain letting it in.  This year, I felt ALL the pain the entire time.)   I was able to slowly walk myself into the VRBO just fine. Lisa did help me with getting into the shower but it was a lot easier this time.  Also, not a single hallucination this year.  I find this one a little disappointing to be honest.   Crew at the brewery next do...

The Hennepin Hundred starts in Sterling, Illinois, makes a giant, 100 mile upside-down T following Rock River and the Hennepin Canal, finishing in Colona, Illinois in front of the Colona Fire Department. When I run ultras, I imagine myself as a little Pacman running along the course map in a birds-eye view.  The upside down T made for easy segmentation.  Although not exact, each segment was approximately a 50k.  The race started at 7am Saturday morning October 1, 2022 and the course cutoff was at 1pm on Sunday.    sisters pacers packet pick up Good news: I managed to sleep more the night before than last time. Wahoooo! Bad news: I got about two hours. This time I was actually shocked.  I was pretty chill going to bed. I feel like I set myself up for success. Sadly, my brain had other plans.  Ah well, I guess it is something I can count on in the future. In the morning, I caught the bus from the finish line at 5am. It was an hour drive to the start. ...

Beautiful night at Peak One Campground Dillon Reservoir Perimeter Trail This is a tough experience to process. It was just so ridiculous.  Wait, I am getting ahead of myself.  First, the drive out to Grand Mesa..... I was making the drive to Grand Mesa by myself in a camper van I rented; so, I decided to break it up. Thursday I drove to Dillon Reservoir and camped at Peak One Campground. It was a super nice place with clean bathrooms. I had a site with views of the reservoir.  To be fair if I was in a tent, I would not have been happy because normally I go camping to get away from people.  However, this was a different kind of trip. I stayed only about 15 hours and had a van to sleep in for the night.  In the morning, I did my shake out along the perimeter trail. It was beautiful and I was happy. From Dillon, I drove to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and made a mandatory stop at Sweet Coloradough for donuts and a bagel sandwich. This place is worth the trip! T...