Kids, don't try this at home.

I'm currently gearing up for the Colorado Relay.

And by "gearing up" I mean I just remembered last week that OMG it's NEXT WEEK! GAAA!

So I am serenely and calmly working as many last miles into the bank in preparation for the 170 mile running race and competition in who can smell the most athletic, whilst crammed into a 12 passenger van and running with 9 of your best friends and some total strangers for 29 straight hours.

Really and truly, the Colorado Relay is a blast.

I can remember last year feeling distinctly un-prepared, though I deliberately over-packed (I packed pretty much everything I owned into my transition bag and took it with me). Turns out I still didn't have enough clothing, because it rained the entire weekend. Also, it was quite a shock going from the warm Albuquerque high desert to the sub-arctic Rocky Mountain Range. I had to stop in Breckenridge and buy a pair of tights. The experience was so critical that pretty much every piece of warm athletic clothing I have purchased since then I have thought to myself, "Yeah, I should make sure I pack this for the Relay." Every long-sleeved top, capri tights, warm socks, you name it.

Sushi hat is definitely going.

With the impending relay in mind, I made a few adjustments to my weekly plan to get the right kind of miles into the bank. Last Thursday I was scheduled to do 6 miles - so I ran up the hill near my office for 3 and back down. Except I did it with no nutrition (because, you know, that's always a good idea). By mile 2 (uphill) my stomach started to cramp - it's still pretty warm here, I was losing a lot of water. I had to stop into my friendly neighborhood Trader Joe's to tank up before I finished my pathetically slow run (it's nice that they put one on my running route for me).

Hrm. Maybe I'm still recovering from Chips and Salsa...

Saturday's plan called for 10 miles of running on terrain like I would expect to find in the Relay. So a dear (and blazingly talented) co-relay friend took me up for a run up the Pino Trail.

The data I found on the Pino trail says it gains ~2700 ft in elevation in about 4.5 miles (and it took those poor souls 7.5 hours). Garmin says we got over 4.5 miles (and still didn't get to the top) but we gained 3500 ft, in a little over 1.5 hours. I say "run" but in truth I was mostly huffing and puffing and pointing at squirrels and birds. It was truly beautiful up there, nice and cool. The flora totally changes when you get that high. Plus, I'm convinced that hypoxia makes you happy.

It was worth the pain.

Since I didn't summit, the Pino Trail and I have un-finished business, and now I feel I'll have to return. I would totally have finished the trail, if I had not had a date to come watch GeekGirl get inked (HOW EFFING COOL IS THAT TAT???). And a birthday party to take the Pikachus to in the afternoon.

Though I was hurting today the plan called for 50 miles of riding with some hills. So the Iron Maiden and I suited up and headed out. Initially I had said I wanted to ride to Jemez Dam, but I wussed. My legs, they are trashed. No Dam-age for me.

Instead, we did the Algodones Loop backward. Good hills (about 2000 ft worth), fast flats and great company.

Currently, however, it hurts to sit down. It hurts to stand up. Just looking at my legs makes them growl at me. I feel like a cardboard cutout of a person. Hrm. Maybe all that last minute preparation wasn't too smart...

Bring on the relay. Oof!