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| Okay, so I guess I should have said "run then write." |
I'll begin by detailing the races I've done so far, and since I injured myself at the last race (shouldn't have been trying to write while running, I know), I won't add another running blog until the end of April. I'm hoping that by detailing my physical adventures (no, not those kind of physical adventures--dirty mind), I'll be more disciplined to write more often and you'll get to hear more of my awesome stuff instead of just my running stuff. Because honestly, who wants to read about running all the time? It's just one foot in front of the other, right?
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| Totally; I'm just lying here because that race was so boring.... |
About five months ago, my cousin Kris and his family up and moved to Denver, Colorado. No job waiting for them, no real plan, just an apartment and a dream. How American of them! Exactly what I have always wanted to do with me life! As it were, there were rumblings in my family that they wouldn't make it; they wouldn't find a job; they wouldn't like the cold and snow; they'd be homesick. I wanted to visit them to make sure my family was wrong and they were okay, and because it was cheaper to go there and stay with them than go to another state and get a hotel.
Let me begin by saying: I'm from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which is below sea level. The lowest temperature it has ever gotten here in my entire 28 years of life has been, maybe, 27 F, and that was at 1:00 AM. While "snowing." To say I wasn't accustomed to single digit temperatures and 5000+ feet elevation of Denver would be an understatement.
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| "I'm ready to play in the snow! If I could just figure out how to move...." |
Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little (little-LOT). I had already checked the Weather Channel for the weekend's projected forecast (well, actually, Weather Underground; weather.com is like asking a New Orleans street gypsy) and had packed accordingly. I had done my research on running in cold weather last year while training for my full marathon (because it gets soooo cold in New Orleans in March :P), so I already knew what I should wear and how to protect myself. My only hurdle--the elevation.
Here I am before the race:
Close enough to A Christmas Story with three layers,
gloves, and a face mask (not pictured because I looked stupid)
I'm smiling like that because I was in physical pain: I couldn't feel my nose, chin, or toes. It was 27 F outside and projected to get colder while I was running. I had already driven through the snow, so I was pretty sure I would be running in it. The first time I have ever seen real snow, and I have to trample it instead of making a snow angel. I wanted to throw a temper tantrum, but then I remembered that I was 28 and people would start staring at me (again).
The elevation actually wasn't too bad. I could breathe fairly well and felt good while running. It was around mile 4 that I realized what my true hurdle would be--the hills. Oh, those damn hills. Damn you, South Mississippi for being so flat and beautiful! I came around the corner and just exclaimed (I hope not too loudly), "Oh, fuck me." I made it up a third of the hill and had to start walking. I just couldn't do it. My body was screaming "go, go, GO!" but my legs and lungs just said "No, we're not gonna. We're gonna go have a sandwich."
At least it was a pretty day to take pictures.
I don't want to make this post too long, so I'll put the other runs in their own posts. But, I will have to say that luckily, the rest of the way was downhill and I made up my time: 2:17:05. Up one of the highest hills I've ever run, in the highest elevation I've ever run, and I still did it under 2:20. Rock on, me.
