2019 Pikes Peak Ascent race recap/ report

Finally, it was race day. My first (and possibly only) race of all of 2019. Yes, I normally run at least a few casual races each year, but this year I tried to dial it in on only the Pikes Peak Ascent. 

I started off a bit incorrectly as I didn't sleep well at all the night before. Still, I was excited and bouncing and ready to go in the morning when Alex dropped me off at Memorial Park.

I tried not to show up excessively early (I hate waiting around forever for the race start), but I probably was a bit too late and should have warmed up more. Mistake two!

The buzz and excitement was apparent at the start!

The mountain peaked out from behind layers of cool clouds.

I was off to a good start and I tried to stay steady throughout the Ws. I didn't pass too many people, but every once in a while if someone passed me, I'd cling to them for a little while and take advantage of easily overtaking a few of the slower climbers through this section. 

At the top of the Ws, the sea of clouds below was gorgeous!

Around Bob's Road, Lori was hanging out and she snapped this photo of me!

I can't remember where exactly, but at some point I caught up with and briefly passed Sharon. I was still very focused on my race at Barr Camp, crossing the timing mats around 1:56. Soon after, Sharon caught back up to me! We stayed together for the segment from Bottomless Pit until almost A-frame.

It was tons of fun keeping pace with my friend and primary training partner! Unfortunately, close to treeline, my left calf seized up and I had to stop for a moment. I lost at least 45 to 60 seconds while I stretched and waiting for my calf to become movable again. A friendly guy saw my muscle cramp and offered me a salt tab, which I accepted and took immediately, hoping it would remedy the situation.

I was able to start moving again, but I had to slow down a little to prevent my calf from cramping again.

As I neared the 2 miles to go sign, a huge gust of wind knocked the wind out of me! The conditions above treeline had cleared out the clouds down below, but overcast skies above brought cooler temps and breezy bursts.

I soon donned my long sleeve shirt.

Above that point, my muscles did not want to cooperate. I felt a general sense of fatigue, tightness and "I just want to be done" syndrome.

I kept pushing as best as I could, although I feel that the cramping in my calves had now resulted in making my hips tight and sore as well.

I kept up the death march with the other participants until I FINALLY crested the last ridge of the trail, the wide open switchback where the race time is visible.

I saw the time and did the quick math for my wave, and I saw that I still had a chance of getting a PR! I wasn't sure how, as my time above treeline was about equivalent to a crawl, but I went for it.

I crossed the line in 4:24:04 total, a 31-second PR from my 2016 time of 4:24:35!

Although I felt pretty tired and unable to get my legs to comply, I still barely made a PR. I wish I'd had a better day, as I felt I had the training necessary to be at least about 4:15, but I cannot complain too much about a PR. I was just glad to be done, and at least be able to make a small claim from the day.

And that is a wrap on the racing season for me this year! During the autumn, I plan to just explore the mountains and do tons of adventure runs with friends. I have to thank everyone I ran with this season for helping push me towards this goal for the year! And my husband and family for supporting my running endeavours.

See you out on the trail, very soon!