This little guy was born three weeks early and took a while to gain enough weight at a rate that the lactation people were comfortable with. This mama went from being a happy new mom expecting little sleep to having a deep gut feeling of being very unhappy. Anxiety over his weight gain, sleep deprivation, added to a little thing called post-part-um depression which rocked my world and took me away from my old self. I was even having a hard time appreciating this new little creature that needed me 100%.
It took my a while to recognize how I was feeling. I was sure that it was the IUD. I had 20 pounds on me that was not just melting away with breast feeding and it had to be the IUD. Especially after the quick internet search that said so. That might be the case for some women, but I think for many, it is not. I finally got on some antidepressants and over the next few weeks spent some time figuring out how to live for the rest of my life with this new child and returning to feeling normal.
I think it was around when Ivan was seven months old I decided I needed to do something. I was swimming, biking (a little), running, and doing some strength classes at the gym. It wasn't enough though. My neighbor was doing a marathon and I saw her come home from her 16 mile run. I was jealous. I wanted that feeling of a long run. The shower and the laziness that comes with the rest of the day. the sore muscles, and the sleep that comes with training (ha, that probably wouldn't happen). That afternoon I talked with Erik and looked up races. We had a Delta companion ticket to use before the end of the year, so why not fly somewhere, with a 10 month old to run a marathon? An idea my parents are still refusing to acknowledge. It's not that crazy, is it? A little online searching and Erik being excited about an adventure led me to the Death Valley Trail Marathon. The race was staged at Furnace Creek Ranch. A hotel in Death Valley National Park. First, there was a sweet pool. I won't stay anywhere without a pool this pool was even better because it was from a fresh warm spring. Secondly, I could walk to race check in, get on a bus, and go run a marathon while Ivan and Erik slept. No hassle and a fun little vacation.
Before I could actually go and "race" I needed to get ready to run 26.2 miles. And actually, the race and the little trip were the reward. The training was really why I was doing all this. The time to work on getting my body back to what it was before Ivan. An excuse to really get in the miles. An excuse to put in those headphones and go and figure out life. I was stoked.
Highlights of that training. I ran from Bozeman Creek Trailhead to Moser. I ran from the bottom of Flathead pass to the top and back again. I ran 10x800 with a 400 in between on a 3:45. I pushed Ivan for over 100 miles in the Bob. I ran an hour here, an hour there, I doubled up one day. I did long runs on the weekends. I worked up from 15 miles a week to 50. It was fun to do the work. It was fun to write my own plans and watch the effort and the mileage increase each week. It was really cool to see my fitness progress.
Finally race week came. We flew to St. George. A very small airport and were given a very big car. The King Ranch!
We drove to Death Valley and spent Friday checking out this very cool national park.
The Devil's golfcourse. These mounds are infused with salt. They are very sharp.
Badwater Basin. We are a few hundred feet below sea level here. Erik liked to taste the salt. Ivan thought it was a pretty crazy texture.
These two had so a really good time together. Ivan loves his daddy.
Sand dunes. We ran around them as the sun set upon us. Ivan got a little cold but I think he liked exploring.
Race morning came and I walked (two minutes) from our hotel over to breakfast and check-in. I cannot stress enough how low anxiety this race was. We had a little pre race meeting where we sang God Bless America and realized the race director won Alcatraz Triathlon. Sweet! This guy now makes a living running these awesome races. We loaded onto the buses.
Ironman really needs to upgrade your transportation. These things were sweet!
The start was beautiful but cold and windy.
That up there is the top of the 12 mile climb.
I made some friends and took pictures at the top of the final climb
14 miles downhill. A 6-7% grade average. It was tough.
I felt good during the first 10 miles. Some guy had a really good pace going and I comfortably pushed myself to stay on his heels. After 10 miles we descended a bit and made the final climb and then it was all downhill from there. Without a pacer I ran pretty slow. Stroller running, maybe? I also don't do good with downhill and didn't want to cramp. The footing was not great and got kind of annoying after a while. I lost a couple of toenails. I came out of the box canyon and had three miles to the finish. You could see the buses. Erik and Ivan had come up a couple of miles and it was a special treat to see them. I felt pretty good finishing. Final results. AG 3rd and overall 8th out of 56 women. With a slow time of 3:48, this race must be pretty slow for everyone.
I fell apart at the halfway point, need more fitness, more core work, and the downhill just wasn't the best for me. However, I did it and didn't do so bad. Happy to have made the adventure with Ivan and Erik. Looking for more to come.
Next Beaverhead 55k. 34 miles. To be continued....
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