Sometimes Things Don't Go As Expected

-

This year I haven't done much racing and it's been kind of nice just running and enjoying myself.  I did Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in South Africa in April.  For fun weekend getaway I signed up for a trail 50k in Lake Tahoe.  I am not much of a trail runner but I looked at race photo's and this didn't look like it was very technical.  Looks can be very deceiving because I did it last weekend and it was extremely technical.  A few months prior to the race I had a pretty bad fall on a trail and gashed my hand pretty bad.  Since I am a massage therapist it put me out of work for about a week.  I decided to stay away from trails and just run the road but still wanted to do the race in Tahoe.  I figured I had the fitness and if the trails were easy I would be OK. I trained on roads before for a 50 miler in San Francisco that was on mostly gravel trails.  This run in Tahoe turned out to have very technical trails with lots and lots of climbing and rocks and roots on the trail.  I was so worried about falling again I mostly hiked the trails. I ran when I felt comfortable enough to run and honestly I felt great I could have ran if I had more confidence on the trail.  Since I wasn't doing much running I thought about stopping at mile 20 and calling my boyfriend to come get me.  I got past that thought and talked myself into finishing the 50k even though it was extremely slow.  I was glad I decided to finish because that last 10 miles was some of the most scenic miles of the entire course.  They had a butterfly invasion so butterflies were everywhere and it was amazing!  It was really beautiful and I'm glad I stuck with it and finished even though I mostly hiked 31 miles instead of running.  We had 4,600 feet of elevation gain and topped out at almost 9,000 ft.  The elevation didn't bother me and I didn't get winded at all but I did have a headache most of the time I was in Tahoe.  I noticed the same thing when I was in Flagstaff which was about 7,000 ft.  Everyone is affected by the elevation differently and apparently I get headaches.  I'm not sure if I was up there longer than a few days if it would get better but I seemed to have a headache the entire 3 days I was there.   Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place and I would love to visit again.  I don't think I would ever do this race again but if your into trail running it might be for you!








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Triathletes - to spin or not to spin?

-
You would think being a spin instructor I would tell everyone to take spin classes. Well the triathlon coach side of me will tell you something different. Spin classes are great for some people but not triathletes. There are many different reasons why triathletes should not take spin classes to improve their bike endurance. Some important reasons are listed below: Most spin instructors NEVER ride outside and would not know how to design a workout specifically for a triathlete. Even if they did most people would find it really boring. Spin classes are typically fast, high intensity, high aerobic effort. When you are just beginning to build your endurance on the bike you should do some training at a lower intensity. People flock to spin classes because they love the fast pace, group environment, specific music each instructor chooses, and they love to sweat. You will get ZERO bike handling skills. How will you learn to maneuver your bike if you are never outside on it? You need to get th
Read more

The Ironman Tattoo

-
Image
I wanted to talk about the Ironman Tattoo . I am a fan of tattoos and actually have a few. I have completed 4 Ironman races and DON'T have an Ironman tattoo. I hope I don't offend anyone reading this who does have the tattoo. I feel the need to express my opinion (that is surely a surprise)! If you are one of the many with the tattoo please keep in mind I say all this in fun and I will still like you even if you have one. I might make fun of you but I like you. You might ask, what I have against the Ironman tattoo? I think there should be a disclaimer that a person has to sign when they get an Ironman tattoo. They should have to agree to complete an Ironman at least every five years for the rest of their life. If they don't agree to that they should not be able to get one! Too many people get the tattoo and then suddenly stop training and get fat. If you do one Ironman and get the tattoo then suddenly don't workout are you still an Ironman ? Then some people
Read more

Los Cabos 70.3 Relay Recap

-
Image
I can't believe in my 20+ years of racing I had never done a relay.  I haven't been training for a triathlon for over a year. I've been doing some running, swimming and teaching spin classes to stay fit. We decided to do the a vacation/relay race.  We thought it would be good to get away and race but not be too serious about it.  I like swimming and running so I decided to do that portion and my boyfriend said he would do the bike.  We got there a few days early and booked a fun day at Flora Farms.  They grow their own food, have a few shops, you can tour the farm and they also have a spa.  Being mostly vegan is hard when you travel to certain areas and the two times I've traveled to Mexico it's hard to find good places for me to eat.  This place however was fantastic! The food was super fresh and great!  The specialty cocktails were amazing!  This is the good thing about doing a relay is you don't have to be really serious and can have fun a few days before the
Read more