Monthly Archives: March 2013

What began as a forwarded NY Times article from 2 different friends, has morphed into my newest sport obsession.

Kilian Jornet of Spain is a 3-time World Champion of Skyrunning – a sport which combines endurance running with high altitude climbing. SIGN ME UP!   Yeah, yeah I’m too old to be competitive but give me 2 more years – started hiking 14ers last year, then added marathon running as this year’s goal.  ANYTHING is possible!

Hopefully my newest sports hero won’t go down the same path as Lance Armstrong or Oscar Pistorius 🙁

 

My Life – Kilian Jornet Burgada (blog site)

‘Summits of my Life’ – new Kilian Jornet film

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Spring starts right after Easter in Colorado – so technically I rushed the season by a day to enjoy my first Spring hike of 2013.

Had already logged in 12 hikes by this time last year but also didn’t have a marathon goal in 2012.  All said, after this day’s hike I realized what’s recently been missing from life – HIKING!  I 1000% expect to add some extreme hiking into this summer, right after Alaska.  Humbled & centered again – LOVE the mountains!

Ro & I left early for Shanahan Trailhead in South Boulder.  Today’s hike goal: Devils Thumb.   Warm sunny Easter eve.  Goal was to hike the 7 mile trail (roundtrip) in approx 3 hours to beat the forecasted rain.

Hooked Ro to the bungee leash this day – expected him to be super excited & didn’t want to feel like I was the one being taken for a walk 🙂 Done and done.  Good decision.

Almost 2 miles of slow steady incline before we reached snow and any true climbing.  Passed a guy left behind by a group of 12 hikers who were soon in my sights.  Nope, I wasn’t late for the group hike – but instead a last minute tag-along.  Altitude was approx 7,000ft for most of today’s hike so a GREAT first burst back onto the hiking scene.

Stopped for a few minutes at a false summit where we shared some stories & introduced ourselves.  Lotta questions about Ro of course – what breed? has he ever hiked before? does he shed?  Doesn’t take long around Ro before you fall in love with Ro. 🙂

The last half-mile took a crazy amount of time to summit.  Crampons are best used outside of my hall closet.  Icy climb to a tree where I’d hold on and catch a foothold before progressing higher.  Any sudden moment by Ro would cause me to lose ground fast.  LOVED the camaraderie of the group of 12 Boulderites!  Kept hearing – are we there yet?  HA!

Unfortunately Ro got spooked during the final scramble so watchfully waited a few feet back while I summited.

So was it worth it?  Heck yeah!  Needed to feel small in the enormity of my outdoor Colorado surroundings.  Put life back into perspective. Expect to see a few 14er hikes again this summer.

Have been super inspired these days by skyrunner Kilian Jornet (subject of tomorrow’s post) so said goodbye to the group & decided to run down the mountain via Fern Canyon…adding another 7 miles to my journey with an elevation change of 3400 feet.  Ro did GREAT!  I’ve been dogging Ro for a year on how bad a runner he is…but this day, he did FANTASTIC!  Will take another year for my body to manage combining trail running & hiking like Kilian Jornet.  Of course he is 25 and I am….well, not 🙂

ROCKSTAR kickoff to Spring season!  (Snow forecasted for Monday…but it won’t last long.)

 

 

Like they say: ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you Stronger’  🙂

  • Completed my first half marathon of 2013 AND surpassed 400 miles YTD
  • BANGED UP BODY:
    • right knee ligament strain
    • blister/calluses on left foot
    • dropped a toe nail on right foot &
    • needed a Benadryl shot after an unexpected food allergy to Kashi bars

UPDATE: Woke up mentally strong today and ready to hit it hard for April.  Adding only minimal mileage next month, focused on hill running, pace & consistency.  Might even add an April fitness goal – xx push-ups a day?

 

Movie(s) of the Week

“Argo” (2012 Oscar Best Picture winner) – Iranian hostage thriller

“Doctor Zhivago” (2002 British mini-series & 1965 Golden Globe Best Picture winner) – WOW!

Thought this was strictly a love story so previously never made the attempt.  Typical Russian novel: intense love/hopeless heartache, artistic beauty/graphic conflict & of course, concludes with a death.  Having lived in Russia for 3 years (albeit not during the Revolution), I appreciated this dark rollercoaster drama.

 

Book-a-Month Goal/March

‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ by Garth Stein – written from a dog’s point-of-view; my favourite book YTD

 

Runner Log

Sat Mar 16th – RACE DAY (Canyonlands Half Marathon 13.1 miles, Moab UT)

Wed Mar 20th – 4 miles

Thu Mar 21st – 10 miles

Sat Mar 23rd – 2.25 miles

Sun Mar 24th – 10.65 miles

Mon Mar 25th – 11 miles

Wed Mar 27th – 10 miles

YTD total – 446 miles

2013.0328 'Stronger'