This was the year of unexpected occurrences! It taught me how to bounce back and how to turn ugly twists in my plans in to something positive.
One highlight of 2013 was running the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim run with my husband. We saw so many of the most beautiful sights of our lives and had one of the biggest physical challenges of our lives. The elevation and temperature were brutal. The temps were about 10 degrees above normal and normal is pretty hot! Neither of us has spent any time running at altitude, and part of the run was above 6000 feet. We're both good climbers, but miles upon miles of steep grades, especially in the late miles was really tough. Here's a picture of me taking a break at the bottom of the canyon.
One highlight of 2013 was running the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim run with my husband. We saw so many of the most beautiful sights of our lives and had one of the biggest physical challenges of our lives. The elevation and temperature were brutal. The temps were about 10 degrees above normal and normal is pretty hot! Neither of us has spent any time running at altitude, and part of the run was above 6000 feet. We're both good climbers, but miles upon miles of steep grades, especially in the late miles was really tough. Here's a picture of me taking a break at the bottom of the canyon.
Another highlight of the year was doing some running on the Maine Appalachian trail. I did some running with my husband and some with one of my dogs. The trail in Maine is always muddy, but this year it would be more appropriate to call it flooded than muddy. Going was very slow and uncomfortable. We also finally made it up Mount Katahdin (though that was a hike, not a run!). The views on the Knife's Edge are incredible!
During my competitive season, I had far more things go wrong than right. I was prepared for a very fast run at Pineland Farms 50 mile trail ultra run. But the trail was literally flooded. Some parts were so slippery there was no choice but to walk. Other places I waded through water above my ankles. Few people finished, and I'm proud that I was one of them, but disappointed to have such a slow pace. Over mountain bike season I learned about nearly every technical difficulty a bike can have. I had no idea derailers could bend in such strange ways! I also took the worst fall of my mountain bike career, and got a knee injury on a separate occasion. My placements in every single race were impacted greatly by these occurrences. While that is extremely frustrating, I was heartened by how much my fellow bikers were willing to help me. People stopped and attempted to fix my bike enough so I could at least continue riding (though single speeding it up and down mountains is not fun!). It was kind of others to take time out of their races to help me.
Below is me on a training ride at sugarloaf, on a fully functioning bike!
Below is me on a training ride at sugarloaf, on a fully functioning bike!
I was happy to end the season with a successful race at the 12 mile Mountain Epic race at Sunday River. This race goes over 8 mountain peaks. Nothing went wrong, and I placed second!
As the season ended I realized I had learned how to handle a lot of things, and that the odds are in my favor for next year to go much smoother.
As the season ended I realized I had learned how to handle a lot of things, and that the odds are in my favor for next year to go much smoother.