My 14 Mile Killer Run

So yes, I'm finally back. I should back up though and recap some of the past month. I'll pick up where I last wrote, almost a month ago. I'm very sad it's been so long, but I just haven't felt up to it.

The week after my 12 mile run went well. My Dad and step-mother, whom I was visiting in CO, and I went for a "float" trip down the Colorado River. We put in the water around 8am and took out around 7pm. Of that time, we figured we paddled for almost 9 hours!!!! So much for floating! I have to say though, the trip was beautiful and when it ended, we were thankful that it was over, but we are all very happy that we went, even if it turned out to be a terribly long day. The views from the river up at all the canyon walls was ah inspiring! You just don't get those views and the wilderness anywhere else; not to mention we were alone on the river for almost the entire trip. It was simply spectacular. As the hours wore on and the sun was dropping, we weren't sure if we were going to make it off the river and so we started discussing what we would do if we had to spend the night somewhere along the way. We didn't, but it sure crossed our minds.

I'm writing about my amazing paddle trip to take into account all the activity of the week leading up to my 14 mile run. My week began with 6 miles on Monday and 4 on Tuesday morning before packing up for our trip. Wednesday we paddled ALL day. Thursday we headed back to Lake City on a scenic drive. It was beautiful. We were looking for a good place to run, but after such a long day paddling, I wanted to run only on something flat and we could never find a stretch of road that was flat. So I didn't run until we returned to Lake City at almost 9 pm. We had picnicked along the way and had eaten a few snacks on the drive home, but I was still hungry. However, I went and completed my 4 miles that night around 10 pm.

It was actually the best run I had the entire time I was in CO. It was chilly, but not freezing and there are NO lights in Lake City and thankfully very few cars. So that night, I set out, in the dark. Before walking out the door however, I was asked 2 things: 1) Where's your flashlight? and 2) Where's your bear spray? Neither of which I had or intended to carry. So I left. I ran on the only paved road in town and because it was so dark, I couldn't even see my feet; to avoid tripping, I ran in the middle of the road. Yep, right in the center of oncoming traffic. Traffic is such a relative term. I think maybe 2-3 cars moved the entire time I was on the road. I made 2 laps through town and was finished. I spotted lots of deer and enjoyed my quiet run under the stars. My time wasn't great compared to that of FL, but none the less, I ran a 10:30 pace (quite a bit faster than most of my runs at almost 9000 ft).

Following the run, we had a nice pasta dinner and then hit the bed. I was up early, knowing I had a long run ahead of me. I walked to their house from my cosy cabin and had a quick snack before setting out to my starting point. That morning we decided the best route for me was not the one we had mapped out previously and so we set out, driving south of town clocking the miles.

At last we were 12 miles past the lake and this was a good starting point; besides, the road became more of a steep trail past this point. I got out and started running. The miles seemed to pass very slowly on this day. I'm not sure why. The scenery was great and I was quite relaxed. The sun was out, so it was warm for a change. Luckily I had put on tons of sunblock because I knew this was going to be a long run. Then, like I had begun in recent times, applied my body glide. I think it was around mile 6 that I realized sunblock and body glide don't mix! My arms began chafing and I was not happy. I continued running, feeling great except for my arms :(


I was nearing the lake with the mountains surrounding and all was well. I had just passed 9 miles and was feeling great. As the next few miles came and went, I grew more and more tired and by mile 12, my legs hurt, my knees hurt and I was no longer "feeling good". I pushed on, but by 12.5, I had to walk. No big deal (although this was the first time I walked). I walked for another 0.15 miles and then gathered myself up and ran to mile 13.

Then it hit with a force I have never felt before. As I passed mile 13, I felt like I had been stone walled. I walked, but was in so much pain, walking seemed impossible. I kept moving, but very slowly. I rounded the corner where my step mother wast waiting for me. She thought surely I must be finished, but I told her I stilled has almost a mile to walk. She had already walked several miles while I was running so she was relaxing in the shade, just waiting for me finish.

I walked around the bend in the lake and turned back. How does this happen. I just ran 13 miles and now I can barely walk 10 feet! I pushed on, inching back towards the car. I couldn't go on. I couldn't even walk the last mile. I was finished. Joanne, being the strong supporter, leapt eagerly from the car and helped motivate me by walking with me. At last, there was just 0.1 miles to go. We walked in a large circle in front of the car. As my gps turned to 14.00, I was finished! I fell into the car having taken not 1 step more than 14 miles, but now I could say, "I finished!"