MS Run The US Recap - Day 7 Part 1- Miles 169-174

June 11, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in MS Run The US Training, MS Run The US

"Miles For Bernard" ~Day 7 Mantra

Miles 169-174 ; Lakewood -> Civic Center Park

We woke at 6am in the hotel and I can't even begin to describe to you the grittiness and pure disbelief that I had less than 6 miles left. Mom and I were going to run the 4.85 miles this morning together to celebrate my journey and grandpa/her father, Bernard, who inspired me to take on this crazy fundraising/ running goal in the first place. It was Sunday morning (and the day before Memorial Day), so traffic was exceptionally quiet as we drove to where we finished yesterday. The road crew met us and I began the final run into Denver.

It was so odd to not have my Ultimate Direction pack with me or water or really anything. I was actually wearing just a regular t-shirt because I had only brought along one outfit for the last day (I wanted to wear it for my "final" mile later that morning). I think my legs felt heavy, but honestly everything felt so surreal that I didn't even notice.

Mom met me along less than mile into it (when she found a safe place to leave her rental for a bit) and we began our journey along side streets into the heart of Denver. A few smalls hills made us both wince, but the views of the city in front of us were stunning. We looked to our left and saw the Mile High Stadium, which was amazing.

you can't really see it, but it's Hazel St (which was my Grandfather's Mother's (my g-grandmother) name)- a definite sign!

The weather stayed cool for the hour that we were there and I just kept thinking how bad I had to pee (ha), but no restrooms in sight! Oh well, guess I really was in the city. We started making our final descent into the city and before I knew it, we had arrived at Civic Center Park! A perfect spot to meet everyone that wanted to run my final mile with me later than morning. We planned to meet the crew back here at 11:45 and had the morning free! Our hotel was within 2 blocks of the finish, so we walked back there to meet Alex and then went to VooDoo Donuts / to retrieve mom's rental.

It was really odd to have a mile left to still run, so I still never felt like I was "finished" because my job wasn't yet completed. I celebrated with a donut and a breakfast sandwich at Corner Bakery and some coffee and showered ready to run it home!

MS Run The US Recap - Day 6 - Miles 143-169

June 10, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in MS Run The US, MS Run The US Training

"Run When You Can. Walk If You Must. No Matter What- Just Keep Going" ~ Day 6 mantra

Miles 143-169 ; US 40 East -> Colfax Avenue -> Lakewood

The heat was expected to get really hot after 11am in Denver, so that was my cut-off time. I had no idea how far I'd get (ideally less than 7 miles as the remainder for Sunday), but knew I had a time limit today. We awoke at 4:15am and left before 5am. We were around an hour from where I left off the day before, so with a long drive I brought along my pillows & pop tart in the car. Rob was in the jeep and I rode with my mom in the rental car. We did one pit stop in Idaho Springs at a gas station because I really had to pee and arrived at my starting point at 5:45. I didn't sleep well the night before and was pretty exhausted, but knew I just had to power through the morning and I would have a nice and comfy bed awaiting me that night. Alex was planning to drive down in the afternoon and mom had booked a room at the Sheraton Downtown for all of us to stay at. It's definitely one of my favorite hotels to stay at downtown (great location/ comfy beds/ fantastic shower), so I was pretty pumped.

I began with my 5 miles on US 40 and maybe met 2 cars, but I turned the corner as I got into my groove and music only to find that a fellow past relay Alum runner, Kaitlyn, and her friend, Nancy were there to surprise me/ run with me! Kaitlyn and I had been messaging via Facebook for a few months about running a part with me, but this was a total surprise! She had previously ran my segment twice, so I genuinely looked up to her (and she's also a total badass ultra runner). We took off and luckily she was pretty familiar with the route, so I didn't have to spend extra energy wondering where we were going next. They ran with me for the next 9 miles and it seriously flew by. Around mile 13, we parted ways and I was off on my own heading towards Golden!

It was starting to get really warm (especially with all the concrete) as I ran along Colfax Ave for a bit then started to get onto more side streets (much preferred from a pretty busy road like Colfax). I ran by Stevinson Toyota, where Alex & I had spent several hours at several various times over the years, and stopped every 2-3 miles to keep up with my hydration/ s-tabs / pickle intake / sunscreen application. I came across another hill *ugh* and definitely thought to myself I would be happy to not see any more hills for a bit!

Most of this section was pretty residential and I hit mile 21 before my energy really started to fade. I asked to go another 2 miles, then my mom would join me for a 3 mile walking cool-down. I passed by Moe's Barbecue (we have one here in Steamboat) and was somewhere in the heart of Lakewood (I think). I ran a mile on a bike path, then mom was dropped off and we began our cool down before 11am. I was so excited that this would leave me with less than 5.75 miles tomorrow! I had basically done it! Surreal.

Legs were definitely a bit heavy by this point...ha

I had been dreaming of a Jimmy Johns' sub since early that morning and let me tell you- it did NOT disappoint! Ha. It's funny when something not so great for you tastes like the best thing in the world. Rob left shortly after that to return to the RV Park (less than 10 minutes from where I finished) and my mom and I headed off to do some errands (I badly needed allergy meds at Target) before we came to the RV to meet the MS Run The US founder, Ashley (who is just as sweet and genuine as I imagined), and grab my clothes.

After chatting for a while, we left to check in at the hotel and had the most fantastic shower ever. Alex arrived shortly afterwards and we headed to the Woods Boss Brewery (where I'd finish tomorrow!) for the joint-fundraiser of MS4MS & MS Run The US. We hung out for a bit then headed to dinner at Grimaldi's (I was craving a giant pizza). It was so crazy to feel like this was basically "it", but I didn't want to accept it yet because I still had 5.75 miles left to cover before I could really celebrate.

We were all in bed by 8:30pm (apparently my bedtime the trip) and planned to get up at 6am. My mom and I planned to meet the road crew at where I left off in Lakewood (15 minutes from the hotel) at 7am to run 4.75 miles and leave the remaining for later in the morning for my finish line mile. ONE DAY LEFT!

MS Run The US Recap- Day 5 - Miles 116-143

June 09, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in MS Run The US, MS Run The US Training

"I am DOING this!" ~Day 5 Mantra

Miles 116-143; Continental Divide Trail -> Georgetown -> Idaho Springs -> US 40 East

Another 5am wake-up and 6am departure was in front of us. I surprisingly felt spry and nothing was sore. The pads of my feet were a tad bit sore, but that felt good- a reminder of all the miles that were beyond me and the little that were in front of me. Plus- my mom was arriving into Denver at 10am today, so I wanted to get through as many miles as I could before she arrived! I knew as I continued to descend into Denver that it would get hot, so that also pushed me to run a bit faster than my previous days' paces. We were around 30 minutes away from where I left off the day before, so I began my run shortly after 6:30am. Tayler was my road crew for the day- it was Rob's day off.

My first 5 miles began just passed the CDT bike path and continued along Frontage Road, which paralleled I-70. It was chilly to start (40's), but so beautiful. I was so happy to have my iPod recharged and no traffic to contend with. A nice bush helped cover me as I made my first pee stop for the day. I only saw one animal along my journey and at first, I thought it was a bear or fox and as I came closer it was the cutest Australian Shepherd. The dog was so sweet and did not want me to leave him/her. I kept trying to run and it would plop down and block me, "forcing" me to pet it. Ha. This gave me a nice little laugh and I finally was able to move around it and as I looked back, the dog headed back to his/her home.

Tayler met me at my first turn just before Georgetown (where the train station is) and we were slightly confused as to where the trail went. On the Map My Run route, it showed a small gap then the trail continued on. Luckily, there was an employee just arriving at the train station that day and I asked him where the bike path went. He pointed across the tracks (opposite from where we were looking) and said "I think over there". Hm. Not so helpful. We both couldn't be certain where it was and the highway was right there, so Tayler said she'd drive me ahead to find it. As we were merging onto I-70, I noticed he bike path was RIGHT next to us and she was able to go maybe 1/2 mile to a pull-off/ overlook where I was able to rejoin the path. Success!

The path decided me right below the Railroad (SO cool) and to the other end (beginning) of the train station and then I proceeded onto a small road to lead into the town itself (Georgetown). Tayler said she'd meet me at my next turn, so she zoomed off and then I came to a turn. One where town proceeded infront of me and one where it was just residental homes. I had no idea which way to go, so I continued through the town (whoops, wrong turn as I looked on my google maps to find the road I wanted to be on), took a left at the end of the road, then took another left to make a block and then found the correct road. Guess I made up for that 1/2 mile section we missed earlier!

I ran past some cute diners and gas stations, it was still early (8am) so most were heading to work or getting ready to head off for the Holiday weekend I assumed. The rest of the day I was basically in the sun with little-to-no shade. The next 5 miles treated me to country roads and beautiful old homes and cemetaries. Tayler met me around mile 11 and I had an s-tab (it was getting warmer out already), banana, pretzels, ginger ale (i loved carbonation), and some cold water. She went Facebook Live as I headed off to do the next 3 miles of slightly downhill.

My playlist was spot.on. for this day! Queens' Don't Stop Me Now came on (this song definitely played multiple times throughout my segment- I LOVED it) and I sang out-loud as I passed under I-70 and began entering Idaho Springs. I ran through the quant town and decided that I wanted to eat at Tommyknockers' brewery for lunch post-run. It was a bit after 10am and I'd hit mile 18. It was getting really warm. I had another s-tab, pretzels, cold water, and Tayler filled my Ultimate Direction bottles with iced water (such a great idea). I knew my mom would be landed and getting the rental by now, which got me so excited. I switched out my socks (extra cushioning was needed after putting so many miles on my feet) and shoes.

Mom called me around mile 20 (where Tayler ended up taking a wrong turn as she tried to navigate my tough section) so I stayed off to the side of the road on the other end of Idaho Springs chatting with her. We were getting ready to head on another road for what looked like 5 miles, which I thought was perfect for my mom to find us. I gave her directions, Tayler met me and we found the road I needed to be on (passed over I-70 again). I proceeded for another 3 miles on a beautiful canyon road. Bikers passed by and waved. I watched workers tend to the obstacle course/ zip line beside the road and stared in awe as rafters paddled along Clear Creek. It was beautiful. Around mile 21, I came to the end of the road and was expected to then enter a bike path for the next 2-3 miles it looked like. Well, so much for my mom easily finding us! I had to call her back and let her know to meet us on the other side of the bike path, which Tayler wasn't even exactly sure where it came out. My mom had just passed the exit to US-6/Golden (which would have been perfect), so she ended up going up further, turning around at the next exit and eventually finding us on the beginning US-40East where it intersects with 6. This was just after mile 24 for me and perfect for a 2 mile cool down walk with mom!

The last two miles ended up being a giant hill (I thought it was all downhill after Loveland, but I guess not), so we both got in a pretty great workout ; ) ! I ended the day with 26.83 miles, gained 1, 295' of elevation, and 12:01 pace with the last two walking. Pretty great for what turned out to be really warm (80's) by my finish!

I refueled with some fresh cold water and we got back on 70 to stop at the Brewery for lunch (we were an hour way from our campsite for the night back in Breckenridge). I couldn't believe tomorrow was Saturday! I ate my entire burger and sweet potato fries and beer and it was delicious! The staff was so great there and was so in awe of what I was doing that they comp'd my beer! So great.

Mom & I stopped to grab Iced Coffees back in Silverthorne before heading to the RV campsite (where we'd met up with Tayler) and I did a bunch of stretching/ foam rolling/ shin exercises/ feet up the wall once we got back (then refreshed with a shower).

I had Salmon / Asparagus/ Quinoa for dinner before getting a restless nights sleep. I was way too excited to have only one full day of running left tomorrow and also planned to start early as it was expected to be 90 degrees in Denver!

MS Run The Us Recap- Day #4 - Miles 89-116

June 08, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in MS Run The US, MS Run The US Training

"Step by Step and the Thing is Done"~ Day 4 mantra

Miles 89-116. Silverthorne -> up & over Loveland Pass -> CDT bike path

We left the RV park at 6am again (I guess you can say that I'm a creature of habit.... ; ) .....) and I began my run in the heart of Silverthorne at 6:50 in the morning. I was so EXCITED / nervous / anxious about tackling Loveland Pass! I had dreamed about cresting over the top of the pass basically since I began training for the relay, so I was ready to get there. I taped my shin with KT Tape and it felt 100% better than the day before. My feet weren't swollen and when I woke up, I honestly felt like I didn't even do anything the day prior - I was really thankful that I took it easy on day 3 and think it really set me up for success for the remaining days of the relay.

Rob was my crew for the day and he met me at the 5 mile marker. I had some coconut water, a banana, and a honey stinger caffeinated strawberry kiwi gel. We were looking over the Dillion Reservoir and it was so beautiful. I was surprised at how much traffic there was early this morning and it definitely made it a bit more slow-going when I had to wait for all of the street lights in town itself. Once I got past the Reservoir, I started heading uphill towards Keystone Resort. Traffic started to clear up and I just remember thinking how beautiful it was and how strong I felt on the uphill climb already. I was getting excited!

My next check-in point was just before the base of Loveland Pass (just past Keystone Resort), a bit before mile 10. The crew normally tried to meet me at my requested mileage check-points, but they also found safe spots to pull off and sometimes it didn't always equate to exactly 3 or 5 miles. Safety first! I had half of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, reapplied sunscreen, took an s-tab, and some water then I was off! I had been listening to podcasts, but wanted to switch over to my playlist on my nano to get pumped up. I turned it on and found out it was dead. Womp. Womp. Oh well! More opportunities to see and experience and really take in the scenery around me.

The climb began and I knew it would continue for the next 7 or so miles. I was ready.

I had Rob meet me every 3 miles just so I can check in and make sure I was well-hydrated. I was climbing to almost 12,000' today! The next stop I had a pickle (soooo tasty - they quickly became my "go to" snack over the next 3 days), some pretzels, ginger ale, and coconut water. I headed on my way and continued to climb. I remember looking around and thinking how beautiful it was. Traffic was light and small snow piles started to make an appearance. Creeks were raging and the sound of the water was so beautiful and peaceful. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. I knew I would be approaching A-Basin Ski Resort by mile 14 or so and was excited to still see skiers on the mountain!

Rob had parked the car off to the side of the road and ran down to meet me just before I came up to A-Basin. Because the pass had really started to get pretty steep, I had switched to running .25 miles / walking .25 miles. The switch really helped push me along and made me feel like I was moving faster than I would be if I were just walking. It was so fun to still see the ski lifts going and at this point, I could look up and see at least 2-3 switchback that I'd be climbing to! The jeep was parked around mile 15 and I knew I had less than 3 miles to go before I hit the summit! This was my moment. I was ready and told Rob I'd meet him up at the top.

Last time seeing the jeep before I made my final push to the summit!

A biker passed by me (going down) and I thought how much faster I'd be if I were running down rather than up! By the last mile, my quads were burning a bit so I switched to fast hiking and embraced the GIANT snowbanks around me. I was above tree line and was so happy. I thought back to my training runs on ice and long runs on the treadmill and couldn't believe I was finally doing this!

The last 1/4 mile or so I could see the summit and also saw people just walking around on the snow/ taking photos/ enjoying a snack. It was just past 11am and I couldn't stop smiling.

I felt like one of those children in a candy store - just in awe of everything around them.

I got to the top and I'm pretty sure I pumped my fists. F*CK YES! I thought to myself. I DID IT! I proved everyone wrong who thought that getting up Loveland Pass seemed impossible. I came all the way from Steamboat on my own two legs. This was the moment that I will always cherish. This was the moment where my confidence soared and my body honestly surprised myself. I never truly wanted to believe that I would get over the pass until I actually did it because I dislike being let-down, but now it was real- I did it!

Rob took some photos of me with the Loveland Pass sign, I had some water and a banana and an s-cap and asked him to meet me 5 miles down (it was all downhill from here)! I remember soaring down and loving the downhill. These were some of my fastest miles. They felt incredible. I met him around mile 22.5 and knew I wanted to get maybe 2-3 more miles in then a cool-down. It turned out that the next part I would go on the the bike path and he wouldn't be able to meet me until 5 more miles on the other side of the path. I said that was OK and I'd run 3 more miles and then do a 2 mile walking cool down.

The beginning part of the path was SO quiet. I ran through some snow patches and hurdled over some downed trees. It was a bit eerie to think that I wasn't meeting anyone and I also *hoped* I wouldn't come across any animals. I was also thankful for the quietness because I could go pee behind some bushes without worrying about a car passing by. It was nice to be off the main highway finally. I soared through 3 miles (it was still pretty downhill) and kept on running. It was only with a little under 1/2 mile left that I finally told my body that I should really walk or else I'd be pretty stiff for the ride back to the campsite. The temperature was perfect (low 60's in the high country) and I was so excited! Only 3 days left (2 days left of longer runs).

Second time I came across the CDT! First time was descending Rabbit Ears Pass

Because it was Memorial Day weekend, the crew had a lot of trouble finding a campsite (they don't book the sites ahead of time) and we ended up staying in Breckenridge (around 30 minutes away from where I stopped for the day), which was fine because it was so beautiful there! I refueled with a burger for lunch (along with my tart cherry extract/ water mix) and did my shin exercises/ foam rolling/ stretching before laying down for a nap for the afternoon.

I was really looking forward to seeing my mom tomorrow and couldn't believe that Day 4 was done. I slept really well that night knowing all that I had accomplished thus far ; )

I climbed 3, 555' and ran a total of 27.5 miles at 12:16 pace (which I'm pretty happy with considering the amount of elevation I gained)!

MS Run the US Recap- Day #3 - miles 60-89

June 07, 2018 by Stacy McAllister in MS Run The US, MS Run The US Training

"Just Keep Running" - Day 3 mantra

Miles 60-89 ; outside of Kremmling, CO to Silverthorne, CO

I awake at 5:15am again, got dressed, put on sunscreen, had a glass of Water with Nuun Active, Pop Tarts and we were out the door by 6. Our campsite was only 10 minutes away from where I left off the day before, so I got many early morning miles in before it got too warm. The big problem with starting so early? It was extremely foggy. Tayler went live on Facebook when I began my segment and I remember receiving MANY messages that morning asking if I was "ok" because of the fog! Ha. I survived ; )

This was the first morning where I started to feel a bit of fatigue. I didn't sleep too well the night before and my feet were definitely pretty swollen/ pads of my feet were enlarged. Before I began, I was already ready for the day to be over with! The first 5 miles flew by with the fog surrounding me in and a nice little pit-stop behind some bushes to relieve myself of the coffee I this morning (#noshame). I met the crew, had a Honey Stinger gel and some coconut water and let them know that there would be a section coming up that had no shoulder over a windy curvy bridge (just past cow creek campground entrance). Another 3 miles, they met me and let me "ride along" that 1 mile stretch and dropped me off just past the bridge.

This next section I also knew would be a bit difficult (if there were traffic) because there's cliffs on the side of the road and it's pretty curvy. Traffic was picking up as we were getting closer to Memorial Day and at one point, there was no where for oncoming traffic to go so I had to get off the road and managed to stumble right into a giant pile of mud. It had stormed the night before and my sneaker sunk right in. Before I had time to pull it out, mud had encased my sneakers and a moment later, I had successfully freed my shoes (but not without at least a nice extra pound of mud stuck to it).

At this point, I really had to get back in the game mentally. I felt defeated and traffic was heavy (they were going well-above the 55 mph speed limit, I'm sure) and the sun had come out and it was HOT. My foot felt so heavy and I knew I had around a mile to go before I would see that lovely jeep and be able to switch my sneakers. It was a longgggg 1 mile. You'd think that after traveling 70+ miles, one mile wouldn't seem so long, but I honestly never thought it would come. I walked/ jogged that mile trying to kick off the mud and hug the white line to force traffic to go around me (I found this was the best strategy to get cars to move over, but it didn't always work). Finally, the jeep was in sight! I switched my socks and shoes, had some banana and an s-cap (salt caps - these were my savoir when running long in the heat they helped keep the swelling in my fingers down) and some pretzels. I reapplied sunscreen and mentally prepared for the next 3 mile section. I was ready to get this day over with.

I started to run again after leaving the jeep (around mile 11 or so), but felt a tightness in the front part of my left shin. No stretching could release it. I never let myself think that I wouldn't finish the day or my segment, but immediately started brainstorming what may be producing this pain and how I can make it better. I knew that I would be tackling the hardest section of my segment tomorrow and accepted that walking off the shoulder (with the tilt of the road) would be my best bet to subside the pain for the remaining miles of the day. I hardly ever walked during my training (only really if I just was "over it" and ready be done with the day), so accepting that the next 10+ miles I would be mainly walking was definitely hard to swollow, BUT I thought of all the bonuses of walking - I would be able to look around more, take in the scenery, talk more with the horses beside the road, take pictures and rest my body to be ready for the next 4 days of running. After listing-off all the positive aspects of this, I was content with my plan to take it slower and just get to Silverthorne (where there is a Dunkin Donuts and I could celebrate with an iced coffee)!

As the middle miles ticked by, I kept up with meeting the road crew every 3 miles to eat something (pb & j / pretzels / s-caps / coconut water / ginger ale). The traffic started to subside and I got more excited as I knew I was nearing the end point of my day (to just get into the town, however far in I didn't know). I passed by the Blue River and listened to the raging water. I kept hoping to see a bald eagle, but no luck today! The clouds started to get really dark and a few sprinkles helped wash off the sweat that had piled up on me over the morning. I knew I had around 5-6 miles left and that seemed do-able. I left the road crew around mile 22 and was informed that I would get pass by the halfway point of my section shortly! That was REALLY exciting to hit it after just 3 days of running.

I met the crew at mile 24.5 and let them know to meet me in around 3 miles (this would be my cool down). It was shortly after I left them that the clouds cleared, but the wind REALLY picked up. A tractor trailer blew by me and my visor flew off onto the side of the road. Ugh. That was pretty terrible, but with less than 3 miles left I didn't even care. I was going to hit my goal and with a mile left to go I hit the Silverthorne town limit sign! Victory! I wanted to run that last mile because I was so excited, but reeled myself in and knew that walking the remaining mile would set myself up for success tomorrow and the next few days (where it'd be DOWNHILL).

I managed to get in 27.2 miles for the day and finished just before mile marker 89 of my segment. My overall pace was much slower than I wanted, but I hit my goal of getting to town (along with also gaining 1, 812' of elevation) so that's all that mattered. Tayler met me at the finish of my segment with an Iced Coffee (she was so amazing) and that was sooo needed after the day I had. We were around an hour from the RV campsite (still back in Kremmling), so we got Chipotle and then made the trek back.

An hour of stretching, foam rolling, shin strengthening exercises, and the best shower in the world (it was actually just a mediocre shower, but felt amazing after being soaked in sweat for the past 6 hours) refreshed me. I settled in for a nap and a feeling of accomplishment washed over me. I had reached my goal destination for the day and overcame some mentally challenges. I knew at this point, that I was going to make it to Denver. Alex and Stella made the 50-minute drive down to meet me after dinner and visit for a bit. This was nice to kinda just feel "normal" for the evening and take a break from the grind of relay-life. He brought along some more tart cherry extract for me and took home my already large pile of laundry. I went to bed again around 8:30pm and fell fast asleep. Excited/ nervous to tackle Loveland Pass the next day!