Surviving the Treadmill

I'm training for an ultra so the most important thing for me...

are the LONG RUNS. 

However, I live in the Southwest and long runs either happen at 4AM in the morning,

after 6PM, 

in the mountains, 

on a treadmill,

or not at all. 

In fact, many runners that live here tend to take their off season

during the the summer months. 

It's just too darn hot. 

A typical summer morning. 

But I don't have that option. 

I'm running my first ultra in a month. 

A MONTH. 

(Oh boy)

Anyway, I had this plan.

I was going to wake up early on a Sunday morning and go for a 10 mile run. 

But then Sunday morning came around

and I just happened to hit the snooze button....

6 times. 

I woke up, angry with myself for not being a morning person

and realized that I cannot get out of this. 

I have to do my long run! 

I decided I would go to the gym and give the treadmill another try. 

Whelp. 

I Hate the treadmill. 

I am sorry to all those treadmill loving runners out there. 

I do not mean to offend you. 

But. I. Can't. 

I can't. 

I just can't do it. 

It makes me crazy. 

Super crazy. 

Running in one spot. 

Craziness. 

The longest I have ever run on a treadmill is 6 miles. 

That's it. 

And I just about went insane. 

So knowing I had to give it another try = whelp. 

I got to the gym, put on a smiley face

put positive thoughts in my head 

and got on the treadmill. 

Positive thoughts. I can do this!

 Thank goodness the gym has treadmills with TVs in them. 

I think that is the most important thing for keeping your sanity on a treadmill:

DISTRACT YOURSELF!

This kept me sane.
Don't mind the woman in the cowboy hat,
I was watching the travel channel. 

Distraction is key when running on the treadmill. 

You have to get your mind focused on something else. 

TVs are great because there is something to look at. 

Treadmills without TVs are another story. 

I would recommend you listen to music 

or hope that your treadmill has a nice view out of a window. 

Some people I know hang a photo up

of their goal or of people that are nice to look at. 

I only got about 2.5 miles into my run when the treadmill read, "Cool Down". 

Excuse me?

Don't tell me when I need to cool down. 

I'm running here. 

Apparently, the treadmill (and I assume the gym) doesn't want you running for more than 25 minutes. 

I had to take a long walking break to start it back up again. 

And then it did it again, 0.3 miles later. 

WTH?

Skip to the end of the story....I said screw this, and went to the weight room.
I got in about 3.2 miles total. 

So, no long run for me. Sad? Eh. Frustrated with the treadmill. As usual. 

Moral of the story: I will use a treadmill again...if I have to. Otherwise, I'll just stick to the roads and trails.  Oh, and I'll learn to wake up on time and forget about that snooze button. :)

I must have caught a bug...a RAGNAR bug!

I'm a Ragnatic!!!
I've signed up for 2 more Ragnars!

While it may not sound crazy to you, it definitely does to me.
After my most recent Ragnar in February, I told myself I would never run a Ragnar ever again.
I was in a mood that race weekend and I was feeling extra stressed and homesick for some weird reason.

 It was also my worst Ragnar ever.

I felt slow, sluggish, hungry, and extremely tired. I was in a bad place and I should not have run a Ragnar that weekend. My mistake. :/ (Sorry teammates, I know I was a moody monster!)

So, when I found myself wanting to create an ultra team for the new Ragnar Trail Relay, I surprised myself.  I guess, as endurance athletes, we forgot about the pain and go back to things we told ourselves we would never do again.

I remember when I completed my first marathon, I was in so much pain and I thought it was way too long. I had second thoughts about training for a second one. But you know how things go, give it a few months and those memories of pain and suffering will disappear. :)
I'm hoping my next marathon will be in December.
But back to Ragnar -------> I signed up for TWO Ragnars!

In the span of one month...and they are both ultra teams! I am definitely challenging myself with this...considering my training my not be ready for an ultra. I am taking that problem on a day-to-day basis. You'll definitely hear about it later.

On Sept. 20th, I will be running across Northern California (Napa Valley) with an ultra team comprised of 6 runners/mostly strangers all crammed in a van.


And on Oct. 18th, I will be traversing the McDowell Mountain Region and it's trails in Northern Phoenix with an ultra team comprised of 4 runners.




I am definitely......SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!

And a little nervous.
I may possibly be the slowest runner on my team.
My training may not yet be at ultra level but mentally, I am ready for this.

Training posts to come..........................

Oh! And I also applied to be an Ragnar Ambassador!
*Crossing my fingers!*

Going a little Ragnar crazy over here... ;)

Santa Catalina Ascent

Back in May, I decided to run up Mt. Lemmon. We would start in Sabino Canyon and end at the beginning of the Mt. Bigelow Trailhead at Catalina Highway, at least 14 miles up. The hard thing about this run obviously wasn't the mileage, it was the elevation climb: Almost 6000 feet of change! And had I completed the entire challenge (26 miles to the top) it would have been a lot more. 

We started out at 6:00 am at the Sabino Canyon Parking lot. I signed in, grabbed a map and dropped off my drop bag (Mt. Lemmon can get cold at the top, especially after all the sweating I would be doing) with the run director. I recognized some people, but I'm still too shy to say hello. I'm always the youngest on the runs and I feel as if I am not yet fully accepted. It's just a feeling, but I usually have good instincts about things, as silly as that sounds.  

We walked down the road together so we could all start together at milepost 0. And then we were off!
I will be honest, I wasn't keeping up my fitness, so I was really slow.
My goal was to make it to the top, alive, and not beat any records. That's it.
So, when the TTR group took off in front of me, I wasn't surprised. I was worried that I would be the last one, but I knew they wouldn't leave me out there alone. :)

Starting out early in Sabino Canyon, TTR runners out in front. 

A little farther down the road,
Thimble Peak in the background. 

Feeling slow, but good. 

 I finally reached the end of the road. I looked up and saw how far ahead the other runners were (there are a few switchbacks on the trail above the road). And they were booking it! They were running at such a great pace uphill I was amazed as to how they were doing it! I guess I need to train on hills more. :)

The end of the road and heading up Sabino Canyon Trail.

Looking back down at the road.

 I was already winded going up the trail so I had to slow it down and power hike it for awhile.
I knew how far I had to go (and how high) so I didn't want to completely wear myself out).

Heading up the trail. The blue mountains in the background
are where I need to be. 

I kept trucking along and finally got some energy from the gel I had eaten. I crossed paths with another trail runner (I think she was part of TTR) going the opposite direction and I wondered where she ran to. Did she make it to the top and she's coming back down!?! Holy crap!

I'm pretty sure that's not the case, but I have to keep myself entertained on these runs. :)

Take the East Fork!

I finally reached another trail sign after worrying that I may have missed it and was going in the wrong direction.  I looked at the map and decided the East Fork was the way to go. I had almost taken West Fork. Ugh, that would have made me really sad, with the way I was already feeling. 

Rounding another corner, going deeper into Sabino Canyon. 

 Sometime after the trail sign, I started freaking out. I had remembered reading about all those recent deaths from africanized bees here in Tucson and my mind started to race:
What if I get attacked today? I'm alone, no one would know until later. It's almost summer so no one is hiking this far back in Sabino Canyon because of the heat. And I'm the back of the pack of the TTR runners. Thankfully they would come look for me. But it'd be too late. I can't outrun bees when I'm this tired! Ugh, RUN FASTER! 
Seriously. This was what I was thinking. I am so paranoid sometimes!

 And then...I started thinking about mountain lions and mountain lion attacks. I was not doing a good job of motivating myself to run faster. I was slowing down, looking behind me, trying to be as quiet as possible, etc.
So, I didn't get any photos during this part of my run. And it was actually really pretty! There were large, shady trees and lots of green-ish plants (a big deal here in the southwest). But I was too busy thinking off mountain lions...

You should have seen my face when I heard noises some distance behind me. I literally froze.
Thankfully, I wasn't the last TTR runner!
Two women had taken the West Fork trail and go backtracked. So they were coming up behind me.
I was thankful because it gave me a reason to go faster...I didn't want to be passed!

Out of the canyon, heading
up some steep hills. 

 After I got another energy boost from the women behind me, I left the cool, shady trees of the canyon and started by ascent uphill. And it wasn't an easy uphill. It was some serious uphill trail. 

I kept pushing myself, and continually looking back to make sure I was still far ahead of them.
Unfortunately, they were going pretty fast. And those uphills were killing me!

So, I had to let them pass. We all stopped on an overlook of the city and chatted for a little bit. I asked them about mountain lions. They said they never saw one...ever. I think they thought I was a little crazy for my paranoia but they definitely helped ease my worry. 

However, it was too late. I was already drained from all the worrying I was doing.
Like...sleepy drained. I literally wanted to go to sleep. 

My drained self, wanting to take a nap. 

So, I did. I think. I can't really remember. I was so tried!
I remember sitting down on a rock and I think i put my head down for what seemed like a few minutes.
And I'm pretty sure it was a few minutes. Because I remember frantically texting my boyfriend telling him I may die and I needed to be saved. But I eventually just settled with telling him to meet me at the Mt. Bigelow trail-head on Catalina Highway. 

I forced myself to get up and walk to the end if I had to. I wasn't going to stay out there. 

So I pushed myself. I ate a gel, hoping to get some energy. I mostly walked, and sometime I got a minute of jogging in. But it was mostly an uphill battle, literally. 

Looking out over Tucson.

Thimble Peak, from the other side. You can even see Phoneline Trail if you look close enough. 

 I started to climb even more. I passed some fairly high cliffs and if there was running water, I'm sure there would be waterfalls. 

Looking over some cliffs on the Palisades Trail.  

Thimble Peak disappearing in the background
as go farther up the trail. 

 My next goal was to make it to Mud Springs, the farthest point I had been coming down the Palisades trail from the other direction. I was going to cover the entire trail today, something I had been wanting to do for a very long time! 

The second I hit the mud, I was ecstatic! I was so happy I got another burst of energy. I was impressed with what I had just accomplished. I never thought I would be doing anything like this 2 years ago.

I was almost there!!!

The mud from Mud Springs. The name doesn't fool you. :)

It was actually full today! If I needed some water, I may actually drink it too.
It didn't look nasty as usual. 

So, I was almost there.

I knew I had to keep going.
And I still had to keep pushing myself to get there.

Just after Mud Springs.
I knew this part of the trail well. 

 I was so happy when I saw the pine tree line up ahead!!

PINE TREES!!!! 

 I was a little delirious at this point. I was elated to be so close and so happy to be outdoors and doing what I love to do most! 

A few more uphills to go. 

 This part of the trail was really tough for me because I knew exactly how much more ground I needed to cover. My childhood summer camp is just above this trail I hiked it a lot as a kid and as a counselor a few years ago.
When I got to the top of a particularly tough climb, I met two elderly rangers sitting down and enjoying the view. They were so cute! The woman was asking where I had come from and she was amazed at my answer. I was too. :)

Looking back from where I came from, feeling
impressed with myself. 

 I came near an intersection in the trail that I used a lot as a camp counselor and I saw Shower's Point.
I have probably hiked there over a hundred times in the past 15 years. It brought back a lot of good memories.

Shower's Point! Oh, how happy I am to see you!

I was getting really tired again. My legs were cramping up and I just ran out of water. I hoping to see Chance out on the trail somewhere (not sure why I thought that, but I did) so I was disappointed when he wasn't there. I finally reached the end of the Palisades Trail and I guess who was there?? Chance! He was waiting for me!  

He gave me some Gatorade to finish the last mile and he drove alongside me for a few feet until I told him to meet me at the aid station. 

Organization Ridge Road: The final mile.

 I made myself jog even though I hurt. I rounded the corner and there was the aid station!
The TTR volunteers were happy to see me. They said they were getting worried. They were so welcoming and happy to see me. What a nice thing to arrive to. I ate some snacks, picked up my bag and told them I wouldn't be going any farther. They told me the women who passed me had quit early too. Well, at leat I wasn't the only one. :)

I jumped in Chance's truck and we went home. I felt so sick on the drive down the mountain! I wanted to throw up! Thankfully, that feeling passed and I arrived home sleepy and ready for a nap. 

The elevation gain. 

As soon as I finished, I told Chance I would never run this trail again.
But to be honest, it was quite an adventure! I hope to run it again next year! :D

We always seem to forget about the pain, don't we?

"We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping us."

Missing Races

I was browsing through Facebook and I happened to come across this fun photo from the Color Vibe last year! I just had to post it. :)

That was a fun race! It could have been better in my opinion, but you'll have read about that HERE if you're interested. I won't bore you with race complaints today. ;)

Although....there is one thing I hate about races...

Missing them!

This will have been the 2nd race I missed this year!!!

What is wrong with me?!?

Back in February, I missed the Fleet Feet Arizona Trail Race, but I was really sick for that one. 

I had been waiting a few years to run it (it always sells out) so I was determined to run it. But come race morning, I felt like crap. So, no race. :(

Fast forward to this morning. I never got to race Run with the Roosters because for the past 8 years I have worked at camp during the summer and there was no way to fit in my schedule. But now, since I have Sunday mornings free, I was totally available! I paid for it, I went to bed at 8pm (to wake up at 3:30am, run with the roosters, remember?) and I was not sick. 

So what happened??

I'm actually not sure. I woke up at 3:30am, stumbled around the kitchen making breakfast for a few minutes, killed a HUGE ant in the bathroom, sat on the floor sleepily tying my shoes, and then I guess I just decided to go to bed. I remeber my head hurting a little, and I kept telling my myself I didn't train for it (which is completely true), but it's only 5 miles! 

I may have chickened out. I didn't actually train (no time to run and when there is time, it's at least 100 degrees outside). I think I didn't want to get a bad time. Which is a new feeling for me! I'm actually proud of myself for feeling that way. I never cared about my time before, but maybe I'm beginning to develop somewhat of a competitive side. I have had so many dreams about winning my age group and sometimes even a race. How amazing would that be if I could actually do it!?

We'll see. :)

I'm signing up for a ultra team for the Rangar Trail Relay in October. 

And I definitely won't be able to miss that with a team backing me up. :)

What are your thoughts on missing races? Have you missed one before?

Guess Who's Back, Back Again?

Cue the Eminem song. 

So, I got derailed. I had a great thing going here, on HeatRunner, and then I had to completely stop it and do something different, at Running 'Round the Campfire. It was a fun detour, with the 13 posts that I created.

But then I realized something important: This is something that I do from time to time. I start something, get engrossed with it and then all of a sudden, I stop. I switch gears and go with something new. ADD much? Possibly. 

OR it could be that I was overwhelmed and I didn't want to ruin what I had going.

But I can't ruin this! It's MY blog. It's not like I need to impress anyone.
I'm only here to impress myself. I think I was afraid of disappointing ME.
Weird, right?

Okay, so I'm back.
I'm really excited about what's to come! I've had a few offers from places like Sof Sole and Spartan Race.
And I'd love to do a few giveaways to connect with my readers. 

Happy Running!!

"Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes". -Buddha

Douglas Springs Trail to (not quite) Mica Mountain

This post is long overdue!

But I have been super busy and I'm sad to say that I had to put my blog on the back burner. :(

After my last post, I got a job as a lifeguard.

Yes! I finally chose to be a lifeguard! After all the deliberating between camp and lifeguarding...I went with the latter. I have worked as a camp counselor for 8 years. It was time to move on.

While I am still in love with camp, I am trying something new for awhile.

But you never know, since I am a teacher I will have my summers off every year. I may get back into it...maaaybe. ;)

I am also taking three online classes for my certification. My college let me know that next summer they will cancel all classes (WHAT?!?) so I have to add some more this year to make up for it. So, I am lifeguarding (pretty much everyday), teaching swim lessons (part of lifeguarding), taking 3 online classes, and planning curriculum for next year. UGH. I washoping for a relaxing summer....maybe next year. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time for the Douglas Springs Trail recap!

Kathryn and I decided to run this trail together in May. We were planning on going to the top but when I woke up that morning, I was feeling like crap and I had a feeling I may not make it. 

But I wanted to try because I had never run in the Rincon Mountains before. I haven't even been over there, even though I've lived here my whole life! 

We started out around 7am, hoping to beat the heat. 

In Southern AZ, you have to be careful about the heat; especially if you are from out of town. A few summers ago, two hikers died from heat stoke and they didn't even have enough water on them for a normal hike. They were from Europe.  Just be careful!

So, I am always nervous about running anywhere lower than Mt. Lemmon during the summer in Tucson.

We started along a fairly even dirt trail. I was keeping a good pace, the last long run I ran (up Mt. Wrightson) helped with that. ;)

I could feel my lungs burning and I had to pull out my inhaler at least once. Sometimes I think it's more mental than physical, especially when I'm running with someone. I feel as if I need to match their pace and if they are faster, then I really start to push it. However, my lungs don't necessarily agree with that logic. 

Then, we started to climb into the Rincon mountains. 

Kathryn leading the way.

Going higher into the Rincons. 

I love trail running, but sometimes it is so painful when you are out of shape!! 

But I guess that's part of the fun, right? :)

The views were, of course, amazing. 

The trail was great! The temperature was perfect in the morning...not too hot and not at all cold. 

There were not very many people on the trail which was nice.
The trail itself was easy enough in the first mile or so, but then it rose up with small inclines. There were some switchbacks later on but nothing like the ones in the Santa Rita mountains....much more manageable.

The views were great too. I love trying out new trails!!

A view of Tucson, looking southwest. 

I told Kathryn that I wasn't feeling too great, so she said we should run up the trail to a campground.
I heard 9 miles roundtrip so I figured it would only be a few more miles up the trail (since it was only 4.5 miles one way). I said sure let's go!
I remember that I kept checking my watch to make sure we wouldn't miss 4.5 miles. When we did pass it, I stopped and wondered where the campground was. She corrected me and told me 9 miles total. 9 miles  normally would not have bothered me, but I really wasn't in the correct mindset that day. I think my mouth dropped. :)

Me and Kathryn

So, we snapped a picture together, and I headed off down the mountain. I felt pretty defeated.
I knew I could have gone farther than 9 miles total that day, but I know not to push myself when I am feeling sick (or injured). This is probably why I am never been injured from running. 

 The next weekend, I planned to run up the Catalina's and I wanted to be injury free. 

Looking towards the Catalinas. 

I ran back down the trail alone.
I felt like I was slowing Kathryn down (she is so fast!) so I was glad she could pick up some speed and get to the top. It was getting hot and I was worried she would run out of water.
But she texted me later and told me she made it back down in one piece!
However, she said she couldn't find Mica Mountain (our destination) so we have a reason to go back in the fall and look for it. :)

I will be ready next time!

Some parts of the trail were flat thank goodness!

On my way back to my car...I had to take a break. 

On my way back, I took a break on a rock. I was so incredibly tired all of a sudden.

I was not sure what was going on with me. I sat and looked at the view for awhile. It was hard just to stand up! Perhaps the run last weekend wore me out...

After finally convincing myself that I had to get back to my car, I stood up and ran down the trail. Running down is, of course, so much easier. :)

As I sped up, I started to wake up. Running fast was nice. 

I came to a sign that said Bridal Wreath Falls was really close!

I had to check it out. I heard the falls are really nice and there is a fairly large waterfall.

I was hoping there would at least be some water. 

Checking out Bridal Wreath Falls on my way back. 

The trail to the falls were shaded and flat. But the falls were completely dried up. No waterfall. No water. 

Not even a drop. Typical. 

It looked as if it would be a nice place to be when it was flowing. I made a promise to myself that I would come back here when it rained. 

Watch out: Mountain Lions!

Not sure if you pick this up from my other posts, but I am freaked out when I run alone. 

I am always stopping, making sure that sound behind me was not a mountain lion. 

I have lived here my entire life and I have never seen one...but I am still terrified of them! 

I have heard stories, and I think that's what fueled my fear.
They are out there, I know, so I wasn't surprised when I saw the sign above. 

A few weeks ago, a trail in Sabino Canyon was shut down for a few days because of a mountain lion that was acting weird. It wasn't afraid of humans and it was hanging around in one place. Not typical of them. They are said to move....when they aren't stalking something...which is what I think they are doing to me every time I run alone.

I will have to get over my fear one day...right? lol

Douglas Springs was great! Glad I had a running buddy to go with.
I wish I had run farther, but I just wasn't feeling it.
Next time I try this trail, I hope my body agrees that day! *crossing my fingers*

To the Top of Mt. Wrightson!

Last Sunday, I got the chance to finally explore the Santa Rita Mountains. 

TTR hosted a run called Mt. Wrightson Massacre. The goal is to do more than one ascent and descent. My goal was to make it to the top and back down without twisting an ankle or getting lost (which I almost did). 

I drove to the base of the Santa Rita's for a 7AM start. I was amazed at how different it looked from the rest of Southern Arizona! It was so shaded and forested. There were a few cute cabins and B&B's along the road. It made me think of what Oregon would look like (it was also pretty cloudy in the morning). 

I got out of the car and it was freezing! Okay, maybe not freezing but darn chilly because of the wind! I definitely wasn't prepared for it. Thankfully I had a jacket in my car! Way to be prepared. ;)

There were only 2 others starting with me. I signed in and got a map of the route. (This is why I love running with TTR. You have to sign in just in case you never return to the finish line and they usually provide you with a map so you hopefully don't get lost.) Another runner, Ken, started with me and showed me the way. He told me he ran Mt. Wrightson 6 times in one day! That's about 60 miles; And a whole lot of elevation!

We chatted and power-hiked for a while until I needed to stop and use my inhaler. Then we went at our own speeds (mine being a whole lot slower). Although, sometimes it's nice to run alone. It gives me time to think. :)

The beginning of the trail with Mt. Wrightson in the background. 

Starting out!

A beautiful trail, but the inclines are rough. 

     

I climbed for about an hour and then came upon a bunch of people camping. They were scattered everywhere and I tried to find the trail. I headed in what I thought was the right direction. At this point, I was looking for Josephine Saddle. I found a sign pointing down and north but it didn't have Josephine's Saddle on it; it just said Josephine's road or something like that. So I took it for about half a mile. It went down and down and down and it turned into a footpath. I got really worried when it split and there was no sign. Both trails went farther down. But Mt. Wrightson should still be going up, I thought. What also started to worry me was the amount of stashed water bottles in the bushes. With labels in Spanish. 

That's when I realized I must be on a trail that illegal immigrants use. The Santa Ritas are smack dab between the Mexican border and Tucson. A perfect crossing location. It's only about 30 minutes to the border from where I was. I asked about it later and some of the TTR members had actually run into some people who were crossing. 

I finally realized that I was definitely on the wrong path so I trekked back up the footpath and tried to find someone to ask. At that point, all the campers had left. Thankfully, there was one woman who was reading one of the signs. I asked her for the way to Josephine Saddle. She told me I was standing on it. Oh.

She pointed me in the right direction. The campers had been camping so close to the trail (basically on it) and I didn't bother to go in that direction. Hmph. 

I learned Josephine's Saddle has some sad history. In 1958, 3 boy scouts went camping and ended up setting up camp here. There was a freak snowstorm and unfortunately they did not survive the night. Another troop put up a plaque for them and some people seem to add small trinkets as they pass by. 

Josephine's Saddle - in remembrance of the 3 boy scouts that died. 

Super Trail is another way to get down the mountain.
I will have to try that one next time. 

 I continued on. The vegetation changed from scrub oak to more woodland. It got colder as I sweated more and the wind continued to blow. A few runners ran past me, down the mountain. I wondered if they were with TTR too. Some people started at 5AM. And some even earlier, like midnight. 

I started to climb out of the trees and I got some nice views of Mt. Hopkins. 

...and some great views of the valley as well.

Getting close to the switchbacks...

Finally, I got to Bellows Spring (which was another checkpoint on my map). I wasn't expecting much. And of course, there wasn't anything exciting. I don't even know if someone would actually drink out of this spring. Unless I was dying, then I definitely wouldn't. 

A sad, sad little spring. 

 

It got a little rocky after that...
this is about where the pain in the a$$ switchbacks started. 

 The switchbacks started to climb up and twist and turn. My legs hurt. I was tired of climbing. I got a little delirious. I usually talk to myself when this happens. 

And then I finally got to the top of the switchbacks!

Looking up towards the top...almost there. :)

At the next saddle, at the top of the first set of switchbacks. 

Almost there!!!

Finally! I made it to the top! In under 3 hours! 

Looking north, towards Tucson.
The dust/smog was unfortunately bad that day, but it's still a fantastic view.

Looking south, towards Mexico. Only about a half hour away...

There is a box at the top with notebooks to register in.
They kept them from a few years back!
It was pretty cool looking at the old entries. 

I made it to the top after a tough "run". I power-hiked a good part of it. ;) 

I sat down for about 10 minutes and ate an energy bar.. It was super windy at the top and I had to hold onto my hat pretty tightly. It was also really cold because of the wind and my dried sweat. I kept my hands stuffed in my pockets because they were hurting pretty bad. They swelled (maybe from lack of electrolytes or the elevation). And the wind sure wasn't helping. 

They don't look too swollen, but I could definitely feel the difference. 

I decided to head back down the mountain.
I was so fast running down that I came around a few corners sometimes and almost fell over!

I used trees to stop me if I felt like I was running too fast. I didn't want to trip and land on my face.

Done! 

My final time.
Pretty good time coming down since it took me about 3 hours to get to the top. 

I was definitely limping by the time I got back to the car. Another wonderful thing about TTR is that there is a run director who brings delicious food for every run. :) Raoul was the RD this time, and he brought pizza and Eegees! I was a happy runner (despite the leg cramps, of course).

I always forget to take photos of people afterwards, so I'll have to remember to do that for the next run! 

The climb was pretty intense and I could feel it in my legs.
I looked at the elevation profile when I got home and was amazed at how high I went!

 I can't wait until the next Mt. Wrightson run. Hopefully, I'll be able to beat my time!
What a great run!

“Try not to fight the trail. Instead, try to feel the natural rhythm, the flow… and rather than attempting to conquer it, practice becoming one with it. Begin each run with Shoshin – A Beginners Mind.             --- (Zen Running)