Monday Mojo, Volume 16, Running Up For Air Recap

On a training run up Grandeur Peak with little Roo.

Was super looking forward to participating in the 24-hour version of the Running Up For Air (RUFA) race this past Saturday so I was really bummed to come down with the for reals flu 10 days before race day. I have never felt so exhausted in my entire life and it took me all week to work up to staying at work for the full 8 hours. I took an entire seven days off of physical activity and tried to hike up a short peak two days before and almost cried, so hard! My legs, my lungs – nothing was working!

Come the morning of the race I had zero expectations, I just wanted to survive and not make myself any sicker. I told myself if I did 2 summits that would be a huge accomplishment for how terrible I had been feeling and I somehow managed to slog up 4 summits for a total of 25ish miles and 10,000+ feet of vert. The first and second summits were the hardest and I almost called it after the second, but a strong cup of coffee at the base aid station got me moving for the third lap and all of a sudden I was having so much fun.

The amazing volunteers, all the crazy other runners out on the trails that you would see again and again and again since it was an out and back course, the ever-changing weather conditions (one minute sunshine, next sideways blowing ice chunks…), plus the snowy, icy, muddy, sloppy trail conditions made this event a total blast!

I had a tough time calling it after the 4th lap, because I had previously set a six lap goal for myself. But I decided to quit while I felt good and concentrate on getting over this lung funk. I was worried that slogging up and down a mountain breathing in cold and wind and rain and snow wasn’t the best thing for my body at the moment and well then I would have the energy to go up my other favorite peak the next morning with my dog and address my 100 plus wedding invitations 🙂

Running like a crazy person, trying not to slip on the ice!