This race was especially important for me to do well in. Ranked 3rd in the series, things had to play out perfectly for me to finish the series in second. First place was already secured by the ever strong and talented Megan Kimmel.  In order for me to take 2nd, I not only had to beat Alison Bryant, but I had to finish at least 2 places ahead of her to get enough points to surpass her 7 point lead over me.

I made the decision and knew somehow this would happen. Toeing the line, I was calm. Amazing, as I was right next to the ever talented Suzan Nuzam whom is a sponsored athlete for La Sportiva with speed and an incredible resume to go with it. With other strong runners at the line, I considered Alison and Suzan my greatest competition for the day.

When the shotgun (literally) sounded, We all took off up the mountain face. Although the course was only a 10k distance, it was very steep and technical. Loose rocks galore greeted us along with 270o feet of climbing over 3 miles and then descending similar grades and terrain the last 3.2 miles.

At the top of the climb, I proved to be the strongest female of the day at 12,000 feet.  I knew it would be a challenge for me to stay in the lead as my descending skills when it is steep and technical are still in the works. By mile 4 I was passed first by Alison and then Suzan. This has happened in other races so many times.

I made the decision that my day was not going to end that way. I sped up. Mile five I caught Suzan. Alison was just ahead. Putting fear aside I made an aggressive move to catch Alison. From that point on, I didn’t let up. I literally felt as though I was flying down the hill. My Newton running shoes keeping me light on my toes. Crossing the finish line as the first female overall, I felt so excited and happy. The miracle had happened. I let go of the fear of downhill racing and won! I beat Suzan by seconds. Alison was almost 2 minutes back!

Goal accomplished I tied Alison for points in the La Sportiva series. Official results have not been posted, but because I beat her head to head in each race we went against each other this year, I finished as second female in the La Sportiva Mtn running cup for 2010. I am so pleased and excited!

The weekend didn’t end there. I was lucky to meet some Taos locals whom were kind enough to show me their town and a great time.

Sunday morning I awakened early and took a final high elevation trail run. I meant to run up 45 min and then head back. The morning was so peaceful and serene and beautiful, I couldn’t stop. I ended up running 3,000 feet up and then back in 14 miles of heaven. I LOVE running!

After, I stopped at a cold creek to ice my legs. Then I showered, packed up and drove 230 miles to Colorado Springs to see some of my friends finish their Pike’s Peak Marathon. Two of my dear friends Tom Lekhan and Megan Kimmel finished within seconds of each other. Another, Bernie whom won overall the Taos race and then showed up and finished 9th overall male at Pikes Peak (wow!) is such an inspiration.

I celebrated the weekend with my friends and then drove to the airport in time to catch my fight back home to Salt Lake City. Looking forward to my next race!

Podium Shot

Two Words:  I’m back!  Finally after 11 weeks of frustration with an injured hip and foot, I raced Jupiter Peaks in my own back yard and loved it! I finished 2nd female overall and took almost 8 minutes off last year’s time. Best yet with over 3,000 feet of climbing and descent over 16+ miles of steep mountain grades, I feel fabulous. Thanks to the best chiropractor ever, Greg Freebairn, my good doctor, and several talented massage therapists for putting me back together again! It helped also that I had a brand new beautiful pair of Newtons to race in.

I also loved the people. Not that I don’t everywhere I go. But there is something about being in a familiar place with many friends from home as well as those I see only at races. It brings so much happiness to me.  I even met a few new friends. Martin Gaffuri is one such friend from France. I ran into him at the OR show in Salt Lake the day before the race. He is my friend Caitlin Smith’s racing partner for Transrockies.  How cool! He is a great sport. He even came with me after the race and sat in the creek to ice our legs before heading home.  Love it!When the race was over, I was thrilled place 2nd female behind Megan Kimmel. Holly Merriman was 3rd. Bryon Powell. A talented runner himself, has an outstanding blog which is a huge link for the trail running community world wide he was there to interview a few of us a wrote a great story about the Jupiter Peaks race As for me, I am so excited to race my next event!

Prep FOR XTERRA 2010

Note. This coming week will be the 3rd of 6 clinics. If you are interested in coming to 1 or all of the final 3, let me know and I will prorate your cost of clinic. They have been so much fun and educational. Otherwise next clinic I offer will be early spring!

Are you a road runner longing to hit the trails but don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you run trails, but can’t quite figure out how to find your grove? Luckily for you, there is now the perfect solution!

National trail running champion Rachel Cieslewicz WILL teach you all of her secrets to off road running. How? She is offering a 6 week clinic starting soon!

Within the 6 week clinic, we will meet once a week at a different trail each time along the Wasatch Front (TBD). From Corner Canyon to Snowbasin, the location the race.

Clinics will be Thursdays 6:30-8:00 PM beginning August 12^th - September 16th. 2010.

Price for entire series is only $189.00! Space is limited to 20 lucky runners

You will learn and master:

• General off road running technique
• Trail etiquette
• Proper warm-up/cool down
• How to love hills, going up and down J
• What to bring/what to wear
• Injury prevention
• Nutrition
• Core/breath integration
• Race strategy

Best yet, Rachel has teamed up with Team Unlimited to end the clinic with final goal race held in conjunction with XTERRA National Championships at Snowbasin Utah. This race is an amazing Xduro Wheeler Canyon (21K) off road trail run. To Sign up, please contact Rachel at rcanyon1@gmail.com. Details for the race can be found at http://www.xterraplanet.com/utah/index.html

Act fast!  First clinic is August 12th, 6:30-8PM. Meet at the trail head of Bonneville Shoreline across from the NE Parking lot of Hogle Zoo and the SE end of This is the Place Heritage Park. The skills you will master will forever improve your running abilities forever!

So whether you need an edge on your off road triathlon run split or want to improve your general trail running experience, come on out. Rachel is excited to teach you.

What if I live out of town? No worries, you can contact Rachel through this website or rcanyon1@gmail.com. with questions or interest in Rachel’s coaching.

via Do you know what the one flaw in women is?.

Pete Peters and I post race. Had to get a shot next to the no hitch hiking or biking sign. Two things I have a huge history of!

Although I have raced many races in the last while that had over 4,000 ft climbing, I have never experienced anything with such a history, let alone so much contiuous climbing in such a short period of 7.6 miles with 4,650 feet gain. Wow!

I am so fortunate and thank the race director and his amazing crew for allowing me an elite entry. Otherwise I would have had to take my chances with almost 3,000 entrants vying for 900 entry slots in the lottery.  Once I found out I was in, I started my training. Luckily I was already doing much of what it takes to be ready. Plenty of base mileage, some good fast trail and road racing under my belt. I was also healthy and light. I knew I simply needed to do the right amount of uphill training, flat speedwork and rest to pull off a best possible performance.

I thought I was well on my way. I even had a local runner from Maine who won a lottery slot  find me on facebook and ask for training help. How exciting. I gave him what I was doing, asked him what terrain he had to work with and where he was right then in his training. I was more than happy to give him a training plan.  What I wasn’t expecting was this amazing indivual to give back 1,000 fold to me.

As an elite athlete and being a single mom, it is a challenge to take care of my son and his needs, work, train and also come up with enough money to get to my races. Often once I get there, getting lost (pretty much everytime!) sleeping in hotels, not knowing anyone can be draining. Oh ya, and then I have to race!?!

This fellow, Pete Peters extended the offer to me to pick me up from the airport. He also let me stay in his home literally right on beautiful Lake Sebago in Maine. Wow!  I wonder if he still would have been so excited to be my host and chauffeur if he knew what he was in for?  First off, I flew into Portland literally at midnight. He was there to greet me with a big kiss and hug.  From that point forward, he took care of every detail of my trip. Drove me everywhere, took me to Crescent Beach so I could experience the ocean in Maine, introduced me to many new beautiful friends and his family. The poor guy even got to take me bra shopping when I realized I had packed my running shorts twice and almost nothing else, with 6 pair total and exactly one bra. Sweet. I love packing! He never lost his smile.

Back to the racing, with one month until race day, I had some rough news at work. So sad for me that I allowed it to take away my ability to eat or sleep right in the midst of my racing and training. I paid a heavy price for this as I injured my hip and SI joint during another fabulous race for one of  La Sportiva Mountain Cup I also love so much.  With the help of Greg Freebairn, the most amazing Chiropractor and Acupuncturist I have ever experienced, my natural doc, massage therapy, yoga, icing, and trust in my body, I made it through to Mount Washington.  My races at the Teva Mtn Games and Mt. Washington unfortunately didn’t allow me to race at my full ability, but I made it through.

On race morning, we were greeted with one of  the warmest most beautfully days I could ever imagine. The race crew and volunteers were fully organized and all smiles. I met and shared a few kind words, jokes and laughs with some of my running friends I look forward to seeing at many of my races. Pre race warm up went well. I could still feel my hips and pain clear down my left leg. But I knew I would race at my very best for that day. The field was tough. It was the most stacked elite field I have ever raced against in the trail running world.  Truly at least 30 women were capable of presenting our United States well at worlds. Yet with only 4 female slots, it would be whoever came with the perfect training, rest, mindset, and strength to make it up to the top first.

I started the race holding back a bit as I have never been on the course. All I knew is it was steep and long. By mile five I wished I had gone faster.  I was able to increase the intensity but too late. I finished the race in 18th place. 10 minutes off my projected time and placing. I feel so lucky despite that to have raced such a magnificent event and am looking forward to next year. I have officially caught the bug! Much gratitude to my new friends in New England and friends back home, the Mt Washington race director and crew as well as Newton Running. I am looking forward to my next big one at Barr Mtn in Colorado!

Caitlin Smith & Pamela Tapley with heat sheets. Bit chilly up there!

Pete & a little friend heading out to the water at Crescent Beach, ME

Special Church of the Big Ring socks.

Here was my solution to the perfect training weekend in preparation for my bigger races coming up.

On Saturday morning I woke up and felt as though I was preparing for a triathlon minus the swim. I got my bike and gear in my 4 runner and grabbed my Newtons and running clothes. First stop of my morning was the Law day 5k held on the University of Utah campus. I was invited onto a 5 man team to race it. I decided to rename the race the “Ego 5k!”  The team competition I found out was serious business. The different Law Firms in the valley had recruited the fastest of the fast distance track stars from up and down the Wasatch front! Lining up for the race I felt as though I was back in college toeing the line. Only this time 10 years older and a child later.

The course was hilly and twisty and a lot of fun. I did my best to go fast, but it is amazing when you train distance, the leg speed isn’t always there. When my race was over, I finished 5th female overall in the mix of a lot of talent. Time was 18:26. It is funny to me how I can manage to run a 6 min/mile pace for a 5k,10k and half marathon?  Pretty wild.

After the race I jumped into my vehicle, met up with a friend, transported all of my biking gear into his car and drove to the Uintah mountain range for a climbing day on road bikes. Typically my forte’ I was excited. Today was not to be my day though. It was many miles and several hours of everything I had to stay with the guys.

Sunday morning I woke up, this time thankful to be only trail running. I met up with two pro XTERRA friends, Renata Bucher and Emma Gerrard. We had planned a two hour run. Wow! They are so strong and fast right now. It didn’t help that my legs were a bit tired from the day before. But I held on as we passed on foot many surprised mountain bikers up and down the mountain trails of Park City, UT. I was exceptionally relieved 22 miles later to finally get back to the car.

I am looking forward to recovery this week and a great half marathon distance La Sportiva Mountain Cup series race in New Mexico next Saturday!

I showed up to the race in Reading the evening before to check out the venue. I was met and instantly befriended the amazing Pagoda race club. Even though they were there to set up the course and race, a new friend Phil and a couple of others took me out onto the course for little pre-race run. I was delighted to find rooted, rocky, twisty, muddy trails full of many elevation changes. I had wondered how they would have a mountain run in flat (ya right) PA. Now educated, I must say that it was a technical and hilly, yet an absolute blast to run–my Newton running shoes liked it too! One of the things I love the most is I was given yet another nick name. The race director forgot my name and called me Utah girl over the loud speaker. For the entire run and after, that was my name!  Loved it.

This video from La Sportiva pretty much sums up what a fantastic beautiful day it was. Including an interview of me!  Looking forward to the next race in New Mexico. Until then, happy running!

Kaaawa Valley, Kualoa Ranch

Put together my favorite trail run distance, arguably the best race promoters (Team Unlimited) out there, a beautiful Hawaiian setting, and over 300 of the worlds most talented trail run racers.  What does this equate to?  Hands down, one of the most difficult, beautiful, hot, humid, amazing trail run races I have ever been honored to compete in!

I knew based on my experiences racing in Hawaii before, that proper hydration, clothing, and footwear would be of utmost importance.  Not to mention the preparation that came well before I even made the trip to beautiful Kualoa Ranch.

My race preparations went like this:  My last big race was the end of September.  To this point, I had done a lot of racing and needed a break!  I took a few weeks with easy runs and bike rides.  I also included about 8 hours a week of yoga and 3 of Pilates to bring balance back to my muscles and allow an active recovery.  I began a build period in the middle of October each week increasing the intensity of my hill and speed work outs.  I also either raced my cyclo cross bike or a short running race most of the weekends.  During November since it was getting incredibly cold in Salt Lake City and my race would be hot and humid, I practiced Bikram yoga several times a week to get used to intense exercise in those conditions.  Thanksgiving weekend I backed off considerably.

I wouldn’t have backed off quite as much as I did, but I abscessed a tooth and had to make an emergency holiday trip to my amazing dentist.  Thank you Dr. Jennings.  Also many thank yous  to Dr. Freebairn, a chiropractor whom is hands down the best I have ever had work on me.  He also does great acupuncture.  Without these two and my natural doc. Dr. Harkins, I wouldn’t be alive right now.  In my personal blog, there is more on this. They continually come to my rescue and are the key reasons I am back racing. I hold much love and gratitude for them all. The residual that came from my tooth infection is that I had to go on antibiotics up until the day before my race.  My body was drained from that, but my mind and heart were not.

Sometimes we can’t control when hard things happen.  No matter how much we try to have everything work out in our favor.  To remedy the toll the  infection and antibiotics took on my body, I ate a high quality diet consisting of herbal teas, fish, good eggs, nuts, lots of veggies, quinoa, and fruit.  I also drank coconut water for electrolyte balance each day several times.  I took probiotics to work on rebuilding proper flora in my digestive system and first endurance multivitamins and my Optygen.  The only other things I could do were focus on how I wanted my race to go.  Positive thoughts, intentions, and lots of smiling and laughing.  I don’t care what people believe, but when I feel happy, I get healthier.  When I feel negative stress, I watch my body fall apart.  I choose to be positive and happy and healthy!

The final two days before my race, I did some short hard (less than 20 minutes each) workouts.  I swam about 500 meters in the ocean to loosen up my joints and a short tempo run with wind sprints at the end to open my lungs.  I drank lots of coconut water and tried to stay off my feet as much as possible (that one is hard for me as I love to move all day long!)

Then came the footwear choice.  Shoes were easy.  Of course I was going to race my favorite ever pink Newton Racing shoes.  Socks were the other issue.  I often don’t wear socks as I have pretty hard skin on my feet.  I think that comes from years of dancing ballet growing up and my recent love affair with triathlons.  For this race I had concerns with the climate as my feet were swelling a bit since arriving to Hawaii and I had a couple of hot spots just from my short  runs. After some thought, I decided that before my race I would lube my feet with Neosporin in the areas of friction and wear a very light sock from asics for a barrier.  We would be crossing several streams and due to a heavy rain storm a couple days before, I knew we would also find lots of mud.  The choice was perfect and during my race, my feet comfort was the last thing on my mind as they felt great!

Start line of Xduro 21k

Race morning, I again drank about 12 ounces of coconut water and a very simple protein shake.  I warmed up and included some yoga sun salutes, about 10 minutes of easy running and again some wind sprints to get the blood flowing.  At this point I had done all I possibly could.

Toeing the line, I looked around a bit, but mainly breathed and thought about how lucky I was to be at this race.  How does a single mom with very little income and a pretty crazy life in general get to have so many amazing adventures as I do?  I believe and work hard and do all I can to make my aspirations and dreams come to fruition.  Often there are many bumps along the way, but it only makes it all that much sweeter and worth it in the end.  Somehow the universe and people in my life pull their magic in many ways. They help me put the pieces together I am unable to, and then I am there.  I love it! Always reminds me how much I need others and they need me.

When the canon went off, a miracle I was hoping for didn’t quite happen.  I was hoping that the effects of my tooth infection and antibiotics would somehow magically wear off for this race.  I didn’t have the snap to my legs or the lightness to my gait I am so well known for.   Luckily, I know that when my physical body is struggling, I have other things I can focus on.  I focused the entire race on deeply breathing, listening to my body to keep a pace that it could handle today, and my running form.  Although, the race leaders left me behind, it didn’t mean I was out of the race.  With the way my body felt, I easily could have given up, or walked, or developed a bad attitude.  No way!  I smiled and thanked every volunteer, thanked the universe for making this race possible to me, and enjoyed every moment of heat infused scenery, rugged footing, and often steep terrain.

Me post race

At the finish line, I ran joyfully home to a 7th place overall female finish.  I was still in the money. A top 10 finish at a world championship is super awesome!  I know that if I can place that well when my body is still on the mend from some health issues, I can’t wait to see how I do when I am well.  I rewarded myself as part of my cool down by running the short distance to the ocean and jumping in shoes, clothes, and all.  I realized then how tired I was as I got pummeled by several waves and couldn’t even begin to stay upright.  I rubbed the mud off my Newtons and legs and exchanged my salty sweat for the ocean salt.  I then removed my shoes and ran barefoot back to the race venue to enjoy the company of all.

Congratulations to everyone at the Xduro World Championship.  Especially congratulations to my fellow Newton runner and multiple Ironman champion Heather Fuhr for an incredible third place finish.  I am looking forward to such a fabulous 2010 season!