4 Weeks and Counting...... :-)

In exactly one month's time, I will be in Buena Vista, Colorado, and I'll be all set for 6 days of trail running, covering 120 miles with 20,000 ft of ascent. The TransRockies Run is one of my main goals this year and the nerves are already starting to set in, but it's also exciting to know that I get to spend some time with Andy after almost 3 months apart, as well as a week of camping and running in a part of the world I've not yet been to. The course looks amazing and we get to pass through some spectacular locations at high altitude and I know for sure that if all goes to plan, it is going to be an amazing adventure.

Training towards the event has been going really well, and thanks to the expert guidance of my fantastic coach Laura, I've been running lots of hills recently - and I mean, LOTS of hills! - as well as increasing my mileage to get my body used to running tired.

To help prepare for 6 days of racing, this past weekend I did my first ever back to back long run. Even when I was in training for my first 100 mile race a couple of years ago, I never did "back-to-backs" - the only time I have ever done something similar was at the Kananaskis Triple last year. That was a 3 day stage event consisting of 16km, 45km and 25km over consecutive days. I actually found that more difficult than running 100 miles in one go - it's hard to know how to pace yourself when you have another race the following day - you have to race hard enough to be competitive, but also leave some in reserve ready for the following days to ensure you maintain that competitiveness.

This past weekend though, I did 30km both Saturday and Sunday, with instructions for Sunday being "lots of elevation". It was tough, not only because of the distance and climbs that I was doing, but also because it was so hot.

Saturday I ran locally and hit the trails and pathways at nearby Fish Creek Park. With temperatures at 30+ degrees by lunch time, I was careful to make sure I had been drinking plenty of fluids, and whilst I wouldn't normally run with a Camelbak around town so to speak, I was sure to take a 2 litre pack with me as I knew I was going to need it. By 20km, I'd drank pretty much all of my water, and with 10k still to go, the latter part of the run was tough going as I tried to drink sparingly whilst the sun was beating down on me, and my legs were starting to tighten up due to dehydration.

Thankfully I got home ok and spent the next few hours drinking copious amounts of water and energy drink just to get my pee back to the normal colour and to make sure I was properly fuelled and hydrated for the following day's 30km run.

On the Sunday morning, we had a pretty severe storm move through Calgary with very intense lightning and heavy rain. Nearby Chestermere got 9 inches of rain in just a couple of hours which caused some flooding, whilst a few houses in the South East of Calgary had been struck by lightning. I'm the first to admit that I am terrified of lightning and will hide away in a dark corner with my eyes closed praying for it to go away, but on Sunday I had planned to meet some friends for a run in the mountains which didn't seem like such a good idea considering the ongoing storm.

Driving westwards, the skies didn't seem quite as dark and I despite the lightning still flashing away in the skies above, I figured that by the time I got to Dead Mans Flats, the storm would have cleared and we would be ok going higher up on a mountain side. 

Thanks to Kim and Adam, along with new friend Stephanie, we had an awesome run on Sunday across Centennial Ridge which included around 5000ft of climbs. The start of the run followed the trails through a lush green forest, before entering a beautiful meadow, and then the real climb started as the gradient got steeper and we made our way up the rocky pathway to the summit. 

Start of the climb up Centennial Ridge

The views were spectacular despite the still mainly cloudy skies, and although the wind picked up in parts , it brought some relief to the muggy and warm conditions. Where it was too steep to run, we hiked as quickly as possible and although I was starting to feel the effects of the previous day's exertions, I was still having a great time and managing to keep up with the rest of the group.

Amazing views up high :-)

The route was a point to point, and so the descent was different from the way we'd come up. It was a very steep downhill on shale and loose rock with some amazing rock formations guiding our way, and then as we dropped lower down into the valley, we were greeted by the stunning colours of summer flowers in deep green meadows as the trail twisted and turned down the steep mountainside. I knew that with such a steep descent my quads would be suffering the following day, but I also knew that it was great preparation for the TransRockies in a few weeks time and I really didn't mind too much.

Heading down the other side of Centennial Ridge

After around 20km, we arrived at the car but I still had to do a further 10km so headed back out on a trail by myself, conscious that I was going against all the safety advice they give out when hitting the trails around here - travel in groups, make lots of noise and carry bear spray - ummm.....!! It's amazing how much more alert you are when you're on your own out there - every snap of a twig, every rustle in a bush had my heart pounding but thankfully it was just birds and squirrels going about their business. I was very aware of my breathing, very aware of my footfall, and I also found that  my pace had quickened - whether it was due to being more undulating than hilly now, or whether it was due to the fear of running into a huge grizzly or something, I have no idea, but that last 10km passed by pretty quickly and I finished feeling tired but very happy that I had completed another 30km run.

Of course one of the things that I cannot fully prepare for when it comes to race day is the altitude. The entire course is run at over 7,000 ft with almost 40% of it at elevations of 10,000 ft or more. I remember doing a training run last year at higher altitudes - my breathing was far more laboured, I was getting palpitations and throbbing in my head, and I was conscious that I needed to drink far more fluids to keep the effects at bay. Putting one foot in front of the other was far more difficult, but we covered around 50km that day and it was awesome. I guess after that, I know what to expect and how the altitude may affect my runing but so long as I am prepared and I respect the conditions, I should be ok.

Last year's "higher altitude" run - top of Wonder Pass at around 8,000ft
and still just enough oxygen to jump :-)

So with another week of even more back to back runs coming up, I can honestly say that I am feeling great at the moment and really looking forward to the race in a month's time. I feel as though this will be the best prepared I have ever been for a trail race - I'm feeling fit, strong and healthy at the minute - and I'm looking forward to having a good race. I'm sure there will be highs and lows, I'm sure there will be times when I question what I 'm doing and times when I am completely wowed by my surroundings, I'm sure I will meet many new friends along the way, but one thing  I am definitely planning on is having a good time and enjoying the entire experience.