Trail Running




We Santa Feans have been so blessed this season (knock on wood) to not have any fires in our area of the National Forest.  We've had more rain and moisture this year than previous years, and the wilderness is so lush and green right now, with wild flowers in bloom and colorful, tiny butterflies fluttering about.  I took Kua on a run up to Puerto Nambe yesterday, a clearing in the woods on the way to Santa Fe Baldy.  It was such a beautiful day!  
View of Baldy

Queen of the Mountain

Winsor Trail

Kua admiring the wildflowers
I remember hiking La Luz last year and feeling so impressed with all the people running to the top of the mountain.  I also thought they were crazy.  It's challenging enough to hike up a mountain, and I couldn't imagine running the trail!  Well I guess now I've become one of the crazies.  A lot of my hikes have turned into trail runs.  And I love it!  (In my defense, I'm not crazy enough YET to run to the top of Wheeler, or Santa Fe Baldy, or Deception Peak.  I do have my limits.)

 "The key is to understand that though running on trails is technically running, it's entirely different than running on roads. Similar to road cycling and mountain biking, running on trails is skill-based and requires a level of strength, balance, and focus that is greater than running on a smooth road." - Runners World

 It's a great workout to run the steep hills, especially at 10,000 feet elevation in the mountains.  Also, if I can hike a trail in 4 hours, then I can probably run it in 2.5 and have the rest of the day to do something else!  (I watched a documentary a few years ago about the race to scale El Capitan, and one of the climbers was quoted saying something very similar.  That totally hit home for me!  As much as I love hiking, wouldn't it be great to be done before noon and have time for a bike ride, dip in the pool, or happy hour later on??)

 I've moved up to #37 on the wait list for the La Luz ultra trail race next weekend, and I'm terrified that I'm going to get in (and hence feel obligated to actually participate)!  The La Luz race is a 9 mile trail run that starts at the foothills of the mountains in Albuquerque and ends at Sandia Crest, an elevation gain of more than 4,000 feet.  The crazy devil on my shoulder is telling me: No Excuses, If Your Friends Can Do It Then So Can You, Wouldn't It Be Great To Say You Did It, and If People Can Do 100 Mile Ultra Marathons Then You Have No Excuse To Not Do A Measly Nine Miles!  But the more intelligent and rational angel on my other shoulder is reminding me that a) I have never run even close to that distance of continuous uphill before, b) I have a difficult off-road triathlon the following weekend that I really should be focusing on, and c) there are much more enjoyable ways to spend a Sunday morning, often involving mimosas.

 So we'll see what happens, but if I get into the race then I just may end up doing it.

 Link to a Runners World article about getting faster at trail running!: Trail Running

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pacific Northwest Bachelorette Party

Image
I just returned home from a memorable weekend in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, celebrating my sister, Katie, who is getting married in just a few short weeks.  Four years ago she, as my Maid of Honor, planned the most unforgettable and fun-filled bachelorette weekend for me:  San Francisco and Sonoma Bachelorette , and now it was my turn to do the same for her!  We gathered together a group of twelve women from Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Manchester, Santa Fe, Denver, and Seattle to celebrate the Bride to Be.  I wanted to have some organized, pre-planned group activities, but also plenty of down time for games, lounging, and drinking wine.  While we wanted most of the weekend to be spent at a cozy cabin overlooking the serene water of Puget Sound, we wanted one exciting night out on the town, and I think we achieved that balance.  Here's the breakdown of our weekend events: 1)  Night Out in Capitol Hill We arrived...
Read more

High Altitude Baking: Coffee Cake

Image
Happy January!  I have two weeks left of my maternity leave and I'm trying to make the most of it by spending lots of quality time with Baby Ady before she starts daycare.  It's going by so fast!  While I'm home I've been using my crock pot a lot, working on some yarn projects, taking long walks with Ady and Kua, reading, and doing some baking.  I have struggled with high altitude baking since moving to Santa Fe 5 1/2 years ago.  Cookies turn out okay, but I usually have to make some adjustments with cakes, and my breads are often mushy in the middle and crispy on the ends.  I can get by okay with a few of my favorite recipes that I have practiced multiple times, but it's often hit or miss.  For Christmas, my secret santa got me this amazing cook book, Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes, that explains the chemistry behind high altitude baking and gives suggestions for adjustments to make at various altitudes.  Ingenious!  ...
Read more

My Bachelorette Party: San Francisco and Sonoma

Image
I have the best Maid of Honor in the world!   Between grad school, work, and preparing to move into a new apartment, she miraculously found time to plan THE BEST bachelorette party ever (and 3 time zones away, I might add).  I had such a fabulous time being surrounded by (and loved and adored by!) all my best friends for four days. The weekend started at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when my Santa Fe friends and I drove to Albuquerque (a 50 mile trip made possible by Panera breakfast) to catch our early flight to the Bay Area.  After a 2 1/2 trip (complete with Bloody Maries, Tequilla Sunrises, Coffees with Baileys, gossip and a few bridal magazines) we landed in Oakland!  One of my dear bridesmaids from Chicago who had arrived a few days earlier picked us up and we headed into San Francisco.  We met up with the other gals, checked in early to our hotel (Parc 55 Wyndahm in Union Square) and set out to explore the city by foot.  Som...
Read more