Teva Mountain Games Mud Run

June 4th I headed up to Vail, Colorado for the Teva Mountain Games!  Perfect place for anyone who loves competing in or watching outdoor sports:  kayaking, mountain bike racing, rock climbing, running (half marathon went up Vail pass), even fishing, and events for your dog!  It's also at an elevation of 8150 ft!

So doing a race there was an experience!  Because of the strain in my calf all I signed up for was the 2 mile Mud Run, short and sweet, you made three loops along an course with a decent hill and ~10 yard mud pit to run through.  The majority of the people doing the mud run do it to get dirty!! - so only a few women were actually competing in it.  The announcer was kind enough to point out who the defending champ was before the race so I decided to just let her (Jax Swartz) pace the race and not run harder than I had to - in case my calf started to hurt.
 

Completing the first loop stride for stride with defending "Mud Queen" , Jax Swartz.

Racing at 8150 feet was nothing like sea level, though it was a comfortable 6:15 pace, my lungs were burning from the thin air.  But it was really fun!  The mud didn't slow either of us down and I managed to pull away on the last hill.  

Some pics following the race, To clean off we were sprayed with a fire hose, brrr!

 I went on the complete the course in about 12:30.  Edging out Jax and capturing the 2011 Teva Games "Mud Queen" title.  Check out her website as she is using running to raise money for cancer research and awareness. 

Disappointing Bolder Boulder Scratch

Sadly, the reality of training as hard and often as I do now, is that injuries happen.  Thursday May 26, I was in Boulder, CO out on a run gearing up for the 33rd annual Memorial Day Bolder Boulder 10k when I got a sharp and sudden pain in my calf. 

On Friday - I tried Acupuncture for the first time with Eric Meleney at Jade Mountain Health, what an experience!  I don't like needles, so that it didn't hurt and actually helped relieve some of the tightness and pain was a pleasant surprise.  Next, I saw Physical Therapist, Bob Cranny (Altitude Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine), who works with triathlons' top athletes, including Chrissie Wellington, 3 time Ironman World Champion. What felt like a bad cramp turned out to be a small strain to the muscle and aggravation of an existing injury that never healed.  His diagnosis requires about 10 days off from running and I had to drop out of the Bolder Boulder.  Oh well, I'll get it next year!  For now, I'll focus on my weaknesses - the swim and the bike.

PT Bob Cranny working on my strained calf - ouch!

But I did go walk the Bolder Boulder Course - and got to see the race in a way I never do when I'm up front racing it.  Walking the course I got to see the bands, the festivities, the kegs, the slip-n-slides, Popsicles, Doritos, marshmellows all over the road (it was sticky for nearly a half mile), the costumes, all the characters, and the cups!  SO many water cups!

Stopping to hula-hoop along the Bolder Boulder course with some costumed runners

Just a few water cups