Up the mountain

I'm not one to run with things in my hands, but I really wish I'd brought my camera along today.

Last week I got ready for my Ragnar distance run, and today was the day to get ready for my 3.2 uphill climb (they changed the course a bit because of some road damage we've had after LOADS of rain this Spring and my hill got cut by .4 mile! YES!!).

So I drove wayyy over to the East side so I could run up Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Okay, it's only about 10 minutes away, but it feels like another world.

I parked in a neighborhood just outside of the canyon and as soon as I looked in front of me, I knew why people pay big bucks to live that far East.

It was a bit overcast but the sun's rays were breaking through clouds and shining onto green mountains spotted with misty clouds nestled into nooks and crannies.

Just breathtaking.

The birds were in heaven and singing loud and clear and the river was coming down next to the road with whitewater force. 

It was runner's paradise.

I went about 4.2 miles up and straight back down.

I was aiming for 3.6 up but I missed the landmark I had chosen on mapmyrun. It got to the point where I was pretty sure I had already been 3.6 so I ran to the first landmark I could find (some fancy shmancy house) and then mapped it when I got home. And 4.2 uphill was just fine, I feel a lot more prepared for Ragnar now.

 I was surprised that the hill really didn't seem that intimidating. I wish it had been more steep like the hill in Ragnar will be, but this was the best I could do.

There were moments where it got steep but mostly it was just a long, gradual uphill run.

Here's the breakdown: this run had a 1050 ft. elevation gain in 4.2 miles and the Ragnar hill has a 1400 ft. elevation gain in only 3.2 miles. So it's a lot more steep, but I'm hoping I can handle it. 

My ankle worries are dissolving. It is stiff and bothering me a bit, but I think with ice and ibuprofen I'll be just fine.

Alright, three weeks to go!

Going the distance

I have to admit, I wish I had trained a little harder for the Ragnar. It's in 4 weeks, so that only leaves 3 more Saturdays for long runs or hills. 

So today I got out there and ran 10 miles to make sure I was ready for my 9.6 mile leg.

Mentally, I was fine. It actually didn't feel as long as I thought it would. But around mile 7, my legs started to fatigue a bit. I took a gel but it didn't really help. My legs just aren't used to this much distance right now.  But they made it through just fine. I have no idea what my pace was. I really should be tracking it, but we lost the foot sensor to our Nike+ and I just haven't put any effort into tracking my pace since. I really hope I'm under 10 minute miles. Please, please let me be faster than that by now.

Only problem is some ankle pain. I took some ibuprofen and I'm icing it and crossing my fingers it doesn't become a problem. It started on Thursday when I tried to be all gung ho and set the treadmill to a 7.0 incline and ran 2.25 miles. DANG that was hard!! My ipod was dead, too, and honestly, it was miserable! I think I was going like a 12-13 minute pace and it was still crazy challenging! And I got the beginnings of a nice little ankle injury as a souvenir. Why do I do these things to myself? And maybe the better question is:

Why did I sign up for that crazy hill in the Ragnar?

I'm seriously getting nervous about it.

I can just see my team cheering me on as I shamefully walk up the hill.

NICE!

So yeah, the good news is I ran 10 miles, woo hoo! Furthest I've gone since having Kyle.

Bad news is I may be injured... please let the bad news go away.