A little over a year ago, in December 2014, I decided to put my name in the lottery for the Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile out-and-back trail run that had peaked my interest and been on my radar for a little while. It is a $15 non-refundable fee to enter the lottery and if you are picked from the hundreds of entrants, the fee for the race (~$315) is automatically charged to you. Unfortunately - or fortunately? - I received my "Sorry, you were not chosen" email about a month later. I was a little disappointed, but decided it wasn't meant to be.
Fast forward through 2015, a year that included four marathons, a few 5k and 10k runs, a sprint triathlon, and a long course tri relay, and I took a couple of months off toward the end of the year to recuperate and heal. Lots of time to think about whether or not I would be throwing my name in the Leadville lottery again. I waited for the morning of December 1st, when the lottery opened again, before I made the decision to go for it.
And so the month-long wait for notification began - I wasn't overly optimistic about my chances. My ultra-runner friend and mentor, Brad, said that there are about 3,000 hopefuls that throw their names in the lottery and around 600 are chosen to participate. Again, I doubted the odds would be in my favor. Imagine my surprise...excitement...panic...."oh, crap" moment....when I received the following:
And there it was - my official acceptance from Leadville - and from Chronotrack, informing me that my credit card used for the lottery fee would now be charged the race fee. Whether I had buyer's regret or not. Whether I will be ready or not. Whether I will be physically and mentally strong enough to finish the "race across the sky". August 20th was a mere 7+ months away.
My first order of business was to start researching everything trail running and utilizing all the resources I have. In Iowa, our hills are "sorta" hills. Nothing even possibly close to what I and my pacers will face near Hope Pass. So how to train and not over-train and risk injury? How many miles is enough miles? How to change my hydration and nutrition during long runs?? Critical issues I MUST figure out. There is so much to consider, my head is spinning.
Training started immediately - in January, in Iowa. I readily admit, I am NOT a cold-weather runner. I have Raynaud's syndrome, which is more of an annoyance than anything else - but sub 20 degree temps have an immediate impact on my hands and feet. So....on those cold-cold days, I head to the Wellmark Y with Brian to knock off miles on the indoor track and rack up the flights on the Stair Master. My direction and goals have inevitably changed - triathlons will be on the back burner for the time-being, although swimming will be a component of my Leadville plan on cross-training and "rest" days. Core work, upper body strength workouts and endurance will all be critical leading up to what is ahead:
It's intimidating to look at the elevation map, but I have to admit - I'm excited and ready to take on the challenge. I believe that there is a reason why my name was picked from the pool of entrants. This race will no doubt be a race of a lifetime for me - a race against no one but myself and the clock.
And there it was - my official acceptance from Leadville - and from Chronotrack, informing me that my credit card used for the lottery fee would now be charged the race fee. Whether I had buyer's regret or not. Whether I will be ready or not. Whether I will be physically and mentally strong enough to finish the "race across the sky". August 20th was a mere 7+ months away.
My first order of business was to start researching everything trail running and utilizing all the resources I have. In Iowa, our hills are "sorta" hills. Nothing even possibly close to what I and my pacers will face near Hope Pass. So how to train and not over-train and risk injury? How many miles is enough miles? How to change my hydration and nutrition during long runs?? Critical issues I MUST figure out. There is so much to consider, my head is spinning.
Training started immediately - in January, in Iowa. I readily admit, I am NOT a cold-weather runner. I have Raynaud's syndrome, which is more of an annoyance than anything else - but sub 20 degree temps have an immediate impact on my hands and feet. So....on those cold-cold days, I head to the Wellmark Y with Brian to knock off miles on the indoor track and rack up the flights on the Stair Master. My direction and goals have inevitably changed - triathlons will be on the back burner for the time-being, although swimming will be a component of my Leadville plan on cross-training and "rest" days. Core work, upper body strength workouts and endurance will all be critical leading up to what is ahead:
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