PJ's Run: Just where did that February go?!?

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Just where did that February go?!?

Taz the weather dog - yes, it's snowing!

My blog seems to have leapt right over February. I've been a busy girl.

Mom, settled in at Rehab. (She has since returned home. Yahoo!)

After my last post, I got an emergency call from Michigan that prompted a frenzy of booking flights, renting cars, many phone calls, and a trip to see my mom in the hospital. I am happy - and very much relieved - to report that all is well. As her baby brother reports of his 94-year-old sister: "She's a tough old broad." Apparently I have inherited my stubbornness from both of my parents!

Little Traverse Bay near sunset, January 2015

While in Michigan, I treated myself to a few pre-dawn runs along Bear River and the lake shore. No sun to brighten the run - but the snow along the trails and the ice out on the lake lit my way. And, unlike Boulder, Petoskey knows how to deal with the snow: roads were cleanly plowed and trails had tracks packed both for skiers and runners/walkers. Beautiful!

We also happened to be in Petoskey

while a snow sculpting competition

was taking place. An excellent diversion!

This photo is of an ice sculptor from

Longmont, Colorado who was taking

part in this competition in northern Michigan!

Boulder Road Runner teammates

After life settled down in Petoskey, we returned to Boulder where training for the USATF Cross-Country Championships resumed. The race was quickly upon us. What an amazing experience to be part of a team competing in a national championship - on home turf!

pjv mid-race

Icing on the cake: I ran a race I'm really proud of. 6k in 34:06, quite even splits for me (2k's in 11:14, 11:33, 11:20), passed two runners on competing 60+ teams during the 2nd loop and held off a mighty charge by one of them to cross the finish 3 seconds ahead of my competitor. (I was lucky she had so many teammates cheering along the sideline - it helped me keep track of how close she was getting.) Rumor has it I even had a kick! If true, I'm sure it made its oh-so-rare appearance only because of my determination that I was not going to lose a point for our team. And, speaking of our team, we finished second for the 60+ women and I placed fourth individually for 60-64 year-old women. A very satisfying day indeed!

With the Big Race behind us, our training could be a bit more free-form. Just my style! And, given that February brought the most snow that February has ever brought in Boulder, it's been a good thing that we could be somewhat loosey-goosey with our running. I'm still running every day but where and how fast has frequently been dictated by snow, ice, cars and plows. Runners in Boulder are a lucky lot, though: the trails have provided a spectacular venue for getting out on foot. Today, for example, I spent most of the morning out there, seeing just one other person as I high-stepped and post-holed my way up over down and up again on the trails on the west side of town. A most glorious way to bring in the month of March!