When Ultra's Don't Go to Plan - My Leadville 100 Trail Run Story

It's been 2 weeks post-Leadville and I can finally sit down and finish this. I started it a couple days after but I just didn't have the energy to complete my thoughts. I know a lot of other things have happened in the Ultra world but I know I would regret it if I didn't get my thoughts out about this race.

It had been 5 years since toeing the line in a 100 Mile race. Going into Leadville, I knew a couple of things...it was going to hurt, it was going to be hard and it would challenge me in ways that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I was prepared for all of that, the pain, the challenge but what I wasn't prepared for was the puking...that's right, the puking. It got me and it got me early....2.5hrs early. I didn't do anything I hadn't done on long training runs or even in other races that I ran to help prepare me for Leadville and it happened SO early that you can't blame it on lack of fitness...I hadn't even really gotten to test my fitness at this point. And just to be clear, I'm ok with puking...later in a race, I almost expect it... but in the first couple hours...that was just hard to deal with. The reason it was so hard is after many hours of it, I started to deteriorate, I had no energy, my mind weakened, my body weakened and my race became a suffer-fest to the end. Here's how it went down...

The weeks leading up to the race were pretty stressful, not because of the race itself but, more because I felt a struggle at home with balancing my passion for running and training and keeping members of the family happy. I had to be careful not to talk about Leadville too much and I needed to make sure my training was done when it would least affect others so I could be present. If you are not an ultrarunner it may be hard to understand our passion for the sport. To me, it is part of who I am...I love running and I love how fun and exciting ultra running is but I also understand that it is not for everyone...just like baseball isn't for everyone. I only mention this because when preparing for a 100 you really need to be in the right mindset and I don't think I went into this race at my best.

modeling the CTS buff in her own way

Addie and I got to Leadville on Thursday with a friend Samantha Wood, and by the way, she ended up placing 3rd Place Female behind Magda Boulet and Cat Bradley...so pretty damn impressive! So happy for her. On Friday, my crew all got into town...so once everyone was there we had a team meeting at my hotel room. My team consisted of some pretty awesome people. I had Amanda Pevoteaux as the Crew Chief/Pacer,  and pacers Chris Sipe (who had just finished the Western States 100), and Josh Holer (local runner and also 2020 Western States runner). My Coach, Adam St. Pierre also swung by to tell us how it should all go down. My pacers would run in front, block oncoming traffic, be the ones to tell others they are doing great and allow me to just do my thing and run.

Pacers Chris and Josh

Prerace meeting

Headed out of Outward Bound

I thought I was fit, I thought I had done the training and I thought my race would turn out a different way. But, As I mentioned before, I knew pretty early on that things were NOT going to plan. My friend Brooks and I were running together for the first 5ish miles but I had to let him go as I had to stop for a potty break...no big deal I thought, I'm sure I'll catch back up...then I had to stop again and finally a third time. Ugh, this bothered me as I could see so many runners passing me by while I handled my business in the bushes. I arrived at the first Aid Station May Queen and didn't stop as I had everything I needed with me. I was running well but my stomach just didn't feel right. As I was running on the Powerline section I had to stop and puke...oh no, I thought, this is too early for that! Once I stopped I got back to running and Dave Mackey was next to me. I told him how awesome I thought he was and that I had really enjoyed hearing him speak about his accident at the Colorado Running Company. He asked me how I was doing and I told him that I just finished puking so I'm not sure...that's when he said well, it probably won't be the last time today...and boy was he right. I was running on pace or a little ahead when I got to the Aid Station Outward Bound. I informed my team of how I was feeling...my coach told me to "slow the F down" and they sent me on my way. I didn't feel like I was running too fast, it didn't feel like my stomach issues were because I was pushing too hard.

Probably telling me to slow the F down

Leaving Twin Lakes for Hope Pass

I took it fairly easy on the next section but still had bouts of nausea...my stomach just felt like the food wasn't digesting at all. I say this because of the sloshing I felt and because of the amount of liquid food that was coming up...it was a lot! When I got to Twin Lakes, my crew was there waiting and they worked me like a racecar in pit stop...they made sure I had everything I needed (which was amazing) and sent me on my way. I ran through the marshy section, trudged through the stream crossings and started hiking once I started the climb up to Hope Pass. I felt good, I passed people on the way up to include 6 women (Yes, I was counting). When I got to the Hope Pass Aid Station, I didn't stay too long, I sipped a cup of Ramen and then continued up the Pass for another 3/4 of a mile before descending down the other side to Winfield. I was feeling pretty good at this point and thought things were turning around until about 4 miles later the vomiting returned. When I got to Winfield, I started to feel it. I started to feel the loss of nutrition... I know this because my mind had suddenly taken a turn down negative-lane. I was starting to doubt if I could continue feeling the way I was. I was happy to see my pacer Chris who was donning the best pacer outfit ever...a pair of short shorts that were Mexican themed with what I think were tacos (if I'm remembering correctly) and a matching tank. At the time, all I could say was "wow, those are great"...It was hard to really appreciate how fun they were with how bad I was feeling! My coach was also there at Winfield and dumped a bunch of cold water and ice on me...he gave me some words of encouragement and sent me on on my way with Chris leading us out and holding some soup and chips for me. As we made the climb back up lots of people gave Chris props for his fun pacer outfit...I was glad someone was showing him the appreciation because I felt so bad I'm not sure I really said much to him.

Smiling because the worst was over
(or so I thought)...back to Twin Lakes

As we continued up to Hope Pass, I was continuing to feel rough...I was moving very slowly and had some more vomit sessions...when we got to the top, I sat down for a second while Chris got me some ramen and crackers. I sipped and ate the crackers and then we were on the way. He told me after a few minutes of letting the food settle we should pick up the pace. This solidified that fact that things were not looking good for me...normally, I love bombing it down mountains but at this point all I could do I was shuffle down...my stomach bouncing and sloshing with each step. When we got back to Twin Lakes, my crew was there along with Coach Duncan Callahan who is a previous Leadville winner (twice). I was having another low mental moment and I needed to hear that I could do it. I just remember saying that it seemed impossible...another 40 miles at that point!!! After about 10 mins I was on my way with a new pacer, Amanda. I knew she was looking forward to having some fun with me so I felt bad that I was not going to be able to give her the experience she was hoping to have. Not only was I struggling with not being able to keep any food down but I was also dealing with not being able to breathe properly...this happens to me in long races...after a while, I feel so congested and have a shortness of breath. Amanda tried to get me to take deeper breaths but when I did it would trigger coughing. It was so nice to have her with me because I felt like poo. I felt so bad physically that I couldn't help but be a Negative Nancy at this point...which I really didn't want to do. I wanted to be happy even if I was suffering but this just felt different. I still couldn't keep food down which made me feel so drained of energy that my mind weakened. Amanda led us back to Outward Bound Aid station...And, I guess I was a little loopy because after the race Amanda mentioned that the green reflective lights that I saw near the road were not, in fact moving like I had expressed. She also thought it was funny that for whatever reason when she said we were pretty close to the Aid Station I had asked who was going to be there...kind of a weird question when I knew all along who was going to be there. My mind was just not working right!

At Outward Bound my pacers swapped out. I picked up Josh Holer...poor Josh because the next 25 miles took us 7 hours!!! I complained, whined, apologized for being so slow...I asked to nap, to quit, I asked him to stop asking me to eat. He was just doing his job as a pacer but I was so sick of puking that I didn't want to put another thing in my mouth. I'm not sure if I said it or was just thinking it but I think I told him something along the lines that he had no idea how bad I felt and that if he did he would stop nagging me...it was probably just a thought because he's still talking to me which means I most likely didn't say it out loud!

28:01:22

The morning hours seemed to tick by in slow motion, the final climb went on forever and I only ran (more like a shuffle) when Josh would tell me to. He would point to a place on the side of the road, see that rock, run to there and then we can walk...see that sign, run to that and then we walk...he did this and I would do what he asked but it was definitely not a run...I felt like I couldn't physically bend my legs in a way that would allow me to run so I just did what I could. I moved forward. As I was about to round the corner for the final climb to the finish line my coach drove up, slammed the car in park, jumped out and gave me some final words of encouragement...he told me if he opened the dictionary to tough, my picture would be there...that made me feel super happy even though I may not have shown it. I finished the Leadville 100 with my crew and family beside me in 28:01:22, 4 hours longer than I wanted it to. I am not stoked about my time but I am so proud that I stuck it out and crossed that finish line. 100's are hard...so much can go wrong, it's not all about checking every block, things can happen that shake up your plan but it's about pushing on through the darkness, it's about friends that help you on your journey, it's about community and it's about finding things out about yourself that you can't in those moments when you are sitting on your couch watching a movie. You have to DIG DEEP in 100's and that's what I did. I didn't do it alone, if it wasn't for my crew, pacers, and coach, I may not be able to call myself  Leadville 100 finisher!

Best crew ever!

Gettin’ Down and Dirty at the Dirty 30

Really happy with how my Golden Gate Dirty 30 race went yesterday. At this race, you could choose the time you start based on the time you expect to finish. Since I was shooting for a 6:18-6:30 I started at 8am which meant I was with the really fast peeps! We all started off pretty fast considering we immediately started going up a decent sized climb. After a couple miles I decided if I were going to have a good day I just needed to do my own thing and slow it down a bit up the climbs....which meant I let a lot of people pass me. I think I may have been last in that group, as I passed the first aid station without stopping, I looked back and couldn’t see anyone behind me. 

At one of the intersections, a woman told me I was in 10th place but I tried not to be concerned with it and just did my thing. The course was so pretty so I made sure that I enjoyed the trail time! It was also a really rocky course so it took a lot of concentration not to fall. At this point, I was in my groove and started passing people that were in the 7 hour start time and then some that started with me at 8am. I passed a couple girls that I thought started at my time which meant I was moving up in the field. As I passed one woman that had started with me, I told her to come with me and I asked where she was from, what she was training for....we ran the sketchy section together and all the way to the 17mile checkpoint. I was in and out of there in about a minute. I looked for her before leaving and was going to see if she still wanted to come with me and continue to share some miles but I didn’t see her and didn’t want to waste time so I just took off. On my way out I saw Courtney Dauwalter cheering folks on and got a high five from her. 

We immediately hit another climb so I made sure to eat my nutrition (M&M’s) on the way up since I didn’t really spend much time at the aid station. It felt good to pass people on the uphills and even better to reel them in on the downhills. I love downhill running because I just go for it. It’s more technical running where you have to fast turnover. It takes a lot of concentration because you are always looking ahead and acting fast on your feet!

On the last BIG climb up to Windy Peak, I saw two of my friends Sam and Melissa. They were a little ahead of me on the climb - on the way down I passed but soon after Sam came with me and since she too is a really really strong downhill runner she got in front and led us to the finish. There was a woman in front of her that I had passed a little earlier in the race but then she passed me again but that I had my eye on. I wanted to pass her and it was like Sam read my mind because right at the last corner Sam stepped off and let me go by and I was right on that woman’s heals, I asked to pass and she said there was no room so as soon as we got on the flat ground with the finish line ahead of us, I kicked it in and put 5 seconds on her for a 7th place finish! I kind of felt bad passing her in the end but we had been back and forth already and after all, it is a race. 

Pic Cred: Wendy Stalnaker 

Overall it was a really good day, no stomach issues, no real breathing issues...and I just felt strong! It was fun afterward too because we had a lot of friends there :) Good times!

Pic cred: Bj Howell

Pic Cred: Melissa Renee

Pic Cred: Wendy Stalnaker

Race stats:

32.2 miles

7250ft of Vertical Gain

6:37:40hrs

7th Place woman/2nd Age-group 

Quads Rocked at the Quad Rock 50 Miler

This past weekend I ran the Quad Rock 50 Miler. It was, as many had told me, a difficult race. With about 11,000ft of vertical gain/loss, it slowed me down a lot. All was good, I was feeling strong and happy and in 6th place. However, a little after mile 14 I was bombing down a loose, rocky section and my left toe caught a rock and before I knew what was happening I was skidding down the path on my belly, hands out in front in Superman style, my legs taking the brunt of the fall. I got up to make sure I was ok, I was bleeding and my right knee felt a little funny. Soon after as I was trying to analyze my situation, a woman ran up and asked if I was ok, she offered to stay with me but I told her I was fine and to go on ahead. I followed her but my pace had slowed...I was both a little shaken up and still feeling some pain. The first thing that went through my head was, just quit at the 25mile point (the halfway checkpoint), at this checkpoint, you could evidently stop and it would not count as a DNF but as if you finished the 25 miler. But after a couple more miles the pain I had felt seemed to disappear...but since I was already feeling negativity from the fall, I had to fight the DNF demons that kept telling me I had a reason to drop. Just drop, people would understand...but then the fighter in my brain said no way, you’re not even really hurt, don’t quit...nobody else will know but you will. You cannot live with that! So as I reached the 25mile turn around point and people made a big deal about my blood and offered a chair, I simply said, no way...I’m not sitting. I grabbed some more fluids and was on my way. I “ran” or shuffled almost the entire climb, only power-hiking on the super steep sections.

 As I reached the top of that “first climb in the second half” I started to develop a cough, this is something that has happened in many races before so I just thought, no big deal...just super annoying. Lots of runners asked if I were ok because every couple feet I was coughing. As the miles ticked by this also messed with my head...maybe another reason to drop? But, I didn’t let those thoughts stay in my head. My pace had slowed but I was still running. Several women passed me at this point and I guessed that I was somewhere around 10th place. 

The last 10 miles are kind of a blur. I did come into the final checkpoint at mile 49, took one last swig of cola to get me to the finish, however, soon after leaving that checkpoint, I got a wave of nausea (first of the race so I’d say that was a win) and vomited up everything that was in my stomach. I didn’t care because I could see the finish. As soon as I crossed the finish-line I couldn’t stop coughing and actually wasn’t able to catch my breath. There were some EMT’s there that brought me into the ambulance and gave me a breathing treatment which really seemed to help. They also had me go to the ER where they took an X-ray of me and prescribed an inhaler and told me I should see a pulmonary doc. Not the best way to end the race but I’m so happy I stuck it out and didn’t let the negative talk win! 

This is why I love Ultrarunning...your brain has to fight with your brain to push through and finish what you started. Now, I can’t help but wonder, how the hell am I going to run a 100 miler in a couple months?!?! 

My Stats:
50 Miles
11,000Ft of Vert Gain/Loss
11:33:31 hours
11th Place Woman

May and June Update

The past couple months have been crazy...First, I started a new job. Like with any new job, there's a learning curve but this one is especially difficult. I'll be happy with it once I really got all the pieces down and I'm comfortable with the environment.

Momma & Addie in Tahoe

Addie is amazing me every day. She speaks so well now. She's remembering things and talking about them and able to express herself so much more than she used to. She's also super lovable and sweet. It's the best feeling in the world to have her come up to me, grab me by the face and kiss me. I know I've said this before but, I'm so lucky to be her mother!

Coach AJW w/Athletes Becky & Dreama

I've also been working with my coach, AJW, which has been awesome! I had teetered with the thought of a coach for a while and I'm so happy I made the decision and commitment. Training has been much more structured and consistent, which really is the key. I am especially glad that I joined the CTS team, they are a group of true professionals and I feel I'm in good hands with them! I'm putting all my trust in the process and trying very hard to do exactly as I'm supposed to. I believe that if I do my part, I will see results. People have told me, when working with a coach, I really need to give it a year before I see a difference, so I'm being patient but excited for the future at the same time.

Day 2 - CTS High Altitude Training Camp

Last month, I attended a 3 day High Altitude Training Camp over Memorial Day Weekend, which was a ton of fun and very educational. It was my first running camp but definitely not my last. Even though a lot of what we discussed is stuff we all kind of know, it was really nice to hear it all again and reinforce the importance of certain things like nutrition and hydration. There was also stuff I had never heard of, like different training methodologies and how there are new ways that have been proven to produce better results in athlete's performance. I also really enjoyed the camp because I got in a lot of mileage with some pretty awesome people. Many of those people made a lasting impression on me and I'm really happy I got the chance to share some miles with them. I also got to run on some trails in my area that I hadn't been on yet, which was great. On the last day of camp we ran up to Mt. Rosa (11,500ft) and I was able to get this beautiful panoramic photo (see below).

Mt. Rosa Summit

LT & VO2 Max Testing - CTS

After the training camp I got the privilege to have my VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold tested at the CTS facility in Colorado Springs. I was so nervous both for the results and for the actual act of testing. I had done it one time before in Germany and so I kind of knew what to expect. Although, this test was much better quality. For example, during the test for LT they prick your finger every 3 mins to determine how much lactate is in your blood while continually increasing the workload. That part of the test was the easy part...the VO2 max portion however is what had me so nervous. Basically, you run until you see stars. What I primarily remember from those last few minutes were Coach Koop saying "This is where it gets hard", lots of "Go, Go Go" and "Push 30 more seconds"...but I heard that one a couple of times :) The VO2 Max part of the test went on for 9 minutes. I was a little disappointed with the results but I guess it just means I need to work a little harder to have the best engine I can. I can't THANK the CTS team enough for giving me this opportunity!!! You guys are AWESOME!


This month I ran in the Broken Arrow Skyrace. I chose this race because they claimed it was just like European Skyrace and because it had 10,000 feet of elevation gain in just 52km. It was also in a part of the U.S. I had not been to yet.  I was hoping to place better than I did but, all I can do is keep trying. The day before the race we arrived in Squaw Valley. Actually, we almost didn't make it. We were at the Denver Airport waiting to board, talking with a fellow trail runner, Amanda P. who was also running the race. As we were talking Addie was being silly, laying on the ground. Bj grabbed her by the arm to pick her up and right then, we all heard a pop. She was immediately crying and couldn't move her arm. I swore it was out of socket! It was so scary, we grabbed everything and took off to find medical assistance. On our way to get help, Addie stopped crying but was still holding her arm as if it hurt. After a few minutes a medic came and inspected Addie, she determined that her shoulder was not out of socket and that it probably just got over extended. So, with minutes to spare we ran back to our gate and were the last to board the plane. We got lucky on so many levels!  After we landed in Reno, we went straight from the airport to grab lunch with Amanda at a local brewery since we were all starving.

Broken Arrow Skyrace Race Brief

After lunch we drove about 45 mins to the campground where we would stay for the next 4 days. Addie loved it. I told her that the tent was our home and from that point on she called it her "yellow home". After we got the tent set up, we headed over to the packet pickup and race brief. In the brief they said many, many times..."there's lots of snow". What they should have said was "There is more snow than most of you have probably ever ran on". That is definitely the case for me, at least. After the brief, I took in the beauty around me. This was my first time in California and although I heard it was beautiful, it was nice to see it for myself. The mountains were rocky with lots of pines and trees scattered throughout and since they had a very heavy snow year (900+cm) there was still lots of snow on top, which made it very magical looking.

The Yellow Home

The race started at a very practical 0700 on Saturday, which was great because getting ready in a tent with a toddler requires a little bit of extra time...it was a little chilly in the morning so after I got dressed, I started the car and tuned on the heat so I could wake and change Addie in the warmth. Fortunately, I was able to get enough sleep the night before with the normal interruptions because either myself or Addie would fall off of the "one person" mat. She is becoming quite the camping pro though. She didn't even cry when she fell off, she just says "momma, I fall". I would still be kind of sleeping as I grabbed her and pulled her back on. I did notice a little bit of stiffness in my body since I could really only sleep on my left side but, I figured that would be the least of my problems in a couple hours. We arrived at the start just in time for me to drop my drop bag off and get to the starting line. I really wanted to get a coffee but with 10 mins to the start of the race, I decided trying to find a place to sell me coffee wasn't the best idea. 

Stairway to Heaven - Ascending Squaw Peak

The course was beautiful, harder than I thought, mainly because of all the snow. Where there wasn't snow (in the lower sections), there was mud from the melted snow so we went from wet muddy feet to wet snowy feet pretty much all day. Prior to the race, I thought I would be able to make up some lost time on the downhills but since the downhills were covered in snow, it was more like skiing without skis which meant lots of falling and inconsistent stride. It was hard to keep a pace because every couple feet I would either fall or sink deep into the snow, sometimes all the way up to my knees! This was also pretty exhausting because so much physical and mental effort went into trying to stay up and moving forward. The race DID remind me of a European skyrace, lots of cheering, amazing volunteers, steep climbs in the snow, beautiful views and a festive atmosphere. This was only the second year of the race but it was so well organized that it seemed like a more mature event. It was awesome, I highly recommend it and I definitely want to go back and run it again!

1st Summit of Pikes Peak - June 24th, 2017

This past weekend I finally got to summit Pikes Peak, my first 14'er! I didn't get to run it except towards the end because I was hiking with Bj, but it was actually good because I got to pick up a lot of stones that I had been wanting to stop and grab on some of my runs. It was also good because I was able to scope out the route we take during the Pikes Peak Marathon which I'm doing in August. Now, I just need to run up and down it many times before the race!

So, what now? Well, I'm training to run the Silver Rush 50 miler in the beginning of July. I haven't done that distance in over a year now so we'll see how it goes. 

I'm so thankful for everything that is going on in my life. I feel happy and grateful with all that is happening. I'm just going to continue to work hard and play hard. Life is too short to let it pass us by with doubts of what could have been...I choose to live life!