On the Road to the Rim Rock Run

I was looking for a way to mark the three-month anniversary of my running adventures. I came across a 9.6 mile run on Turkey Flats hosted by the Mesa Monument Striders on June 29. I looked at the trail map and thought, “I’m not too worried about the 9.6 miles. That’ll be a huge challenge, and the elevation gain is close to 1,000 feet in the first 5 miles. But I’ve been running lots of hills so I’ll give it a try.” Here's a map just in case you want one! We met up with a couple dozen other people at the trail head on a bright sunny day. The first thing I noticed about this group was that they all had gorgeous legs. Runner’s legs with muscled calves, perfect thighs, male and female alike. That should have been my first clue that I was a tad out of my league. My second clue came when we lined up at the start and it occurred to me that the elevation gain was 1,000 feet but we were starting at 8,800 feet. Good grief - that meant we’d be climbing to almost 10,000 feet! I'm somewhere near the very end. Within the first 100 yards I was sucking what little oxygen there was available into my laboring lungs. The trail was beautiful, quite steep in some parts, pretty muddy in others and very lonely since I was last in line the whole way followed only by the poor soul who got stuck picking up marker flags behind me. This was my favorite part because it was three miles down hill! As it turned out I finished 24th out of 30 because some other folks started a couple hours before the rest of us. Had it not been for a wrong turn around one of the reservoirs and at least three stops to um, dehydrate, I could have shaved at least eight minutes off my time! And if I hadn’t been spied by a couple Daily Sentinel colleagues riding their mountain bikes up there I could have embellished my story and finished third, but I’m sure they would have busted me. So happy to be done! It was a wonderful way to mark my anniversary and a great group of people. They even saved a beer for me at the end. If you want to know more about the Mesa Monument Striders visit their Web site here. June marked the first time that the current Team Tiara got together. Team Tiara is the fund-raising and group-training arm for Girls on the Run. Our first group run happens after I turn this column in but I can tell you this group of ladies is awesome and will be lots of fun as we train for the Other Half Marathon in Moab. Who can resist a tiara? To learn more about Team Tiara and Girls on the Run (including how you can help support them) go to their Web site here. July has been a ground-breaking and eye-opening month for me. I am a woman obsessed with running. That’s not to say I run obsessively. But I think about running constantly. I think about when and where my next run will be, what route I’ll take, what time of day I’ll run and, yes, even what I’ll wear. (I said I was a woman.) Now when people politely inquire, “Hey, how’s the running going?” they’re held captive with their eyes glazing over while I tell them, in detail and at length, how it’s going. I tell them how I’m now doing 7, 8 and 9 mile runs. How it’s getting hard to find time to do them and I run mostly at 5:15 a.m. because it’s the only time of day that’s cool enough. How I question my ability to see this through. Mostly what I want to tell people is that if it weren’t for the amazing level of support and their heart-felt good wishes this journey would be a lot harder than it is. There’s a lot of great company out there on the roads and the trails. I just wish I wasn’t always the one running at the end of the line behind them, but at least I get to admire their legs! These belong to me and they're nothing to admire, yet.