Everyone: “You’re going all the way to Colorado … for a HALF marathon?!”
Me: “You betcha! I am not going to miss the Trail Sisters inaugural race! Besides, who doesn’t want to go adventure in Colorado!?” 🙂
With that, I boarded a plane on a Thursday and flew two hours to Denver ready to have my own little momventure in the mountains.
I have been supporting and following Trail Sisters since it started in 2016. Gina, the founder, is one of the most motivating and encouraging people on the planet. She has inspired so many women to get out on the trails and run.
I was fortunate enough to meet Gina for the first time at Western States a few years back and then again the following year. She’s pretty incredible. It was a no brainer when I saw that this dream of hers was about to come to fruition. I was going to make the trek and be part of it.
The flight from NorCal to Denver was about two hours. It was uneventful (minus the airborne pacifier that hit me in the head from a kid who was terribly unhappy on the plane).
Once I landed, I navigated my way to my rental car and made the 2.5 to 3 hour drive to Buena Vista, Colorado.
Buena Vista sits at about 8,000 feet, something that will come into play later during the race.
It is a beautiful little town situated between the Collegiate Peaks and the Arkansas River in south central Colorado. I had never been there before this trip.
The drive started out with some Denver rush-hour traffic but luckily, I think I caught the tail end of it. Once I left the Denver area, it was smooth sailing until I reached my tiny AirBnB studio.
I grabbed some dinner from House Rock, which came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. I actually ate there twice during my visit I enjoyed it that much.
Friday morning I woke up bright and early (despite the 1 hour time difference). I had been given some hiking/running recommendations as a “must see” pre-race adventure, so I hopped in my little Jeep Compass rental and headed 20 minutes or so out of Buena Vista.
Hello 12,000 feet of elevation! Words cannot express how incredible these views were. I am inclined to let the photos do the talking. I hiked a total of 5 miles here. I would have gone more but I kept reminding myself that I had a race the next morning.
There were a few people on the trail at the start but other than that, I was pretty much solo my entire hike out and back.
If you are ever in the area, this is definitely 100% worth the stop. The altitude wasn’t really bothering me too much either but I also wasn’t running a ton. I was hiking because I was afraid I would trip as I was trying to soak up all that was around me.
When I finally got to the top of the mountain, or one of the many mountains there, I decided I should probably call it a day so as not to tire myself out too much.
One thing I did not take into consideration however, was the sun and how close I was to it and how powerful it is. I wore a hat, but typical Pam, I wore it mostly backwards. So be warned, the sun is strong up here … my red face later that day was evidence enough.
After the hike, it was time to head to packet pickup and grab my race schwag which, as you’ll see was pretty awesome.
The packet pickup was located at this park in an area called South Main. I walked there from my studio. It is also the location of the start and finish. I am glad that I walked as it made me realize that the next morning, I should definitely drive to the start vs walking as it was a tad farther than I realized.
Gina, founder and race director extraordinaire, was handing out the race packets and bibs. She was excited to see me and was happy I was in her town. I grabbed my sweet canvas Trail Sisters bag and headed over to this adorable little spot in the park and just relaxed and watched the women interact with Gina as they picked up their bags.
To say Gina has touched a lot of women is an understatement. Just hearing the joy emanating from the women she greeted was amazing.
As I was sitting there, I received a text from my coach (and friend) Sandi. She had headed into town from her home 2.5 hours away, just to see me! I’ve “known” Sandi since 2017 but I had never met her in person.
We agreed to meet for dinner and for her to play tour guide around Buena Vista (she lived here quite a few years ago).
She drove to a trail head where we could see Mount Antero and the Chalk Cliffs and then we hiked a little bit to see the Agnes Vaille Waterfall. Sandi is a great tour guide. She explained that Agnes Vaille was a mountain climber/expolorer in the 1920’s who attempted the ascent of the east face of Long’s Peak (in 1925). Apparently she summited but on the descent, she fell and died and her training partner named the waterfall after her.
We had dinner at the Simple Eatery on East Main Street. We both had the Carrot Coconut Soup. It was too dark to take a photo but believe me when I say it was delicious and ended up being the perfect (for me) pre race meal.
She dropped me off at my AirBnB and the activity of the day hit me, I was ready for bed and excited to run the Trail Sisters Half Marathon, the very next morning.
I woke up rested and ready. I had my cup of coffee and my pre race Picky Bars Can’t Beet Chocolate Oatmeal in the pop-up cup which made it easy.
I drove to the start and parked in the super convenient dirt lot just steps away from the starting line.
Being that this was an all women’s race … I was worried the porta potty lines would be long but nope, all was good! Everyone was smiling and in good spirits. It was chilly but not cold and it was predicted to warm up mid race. I went with shorts and a tank top and I was really glad that I did.
Since the race fell on September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the Twin Tower attacks, we had a moment of silence at the start, followed by the National Anthem.
Everyone was super polite. No one wanted to start too close to the starting line or get in anyone’s way.
Gina counted us down and we were off!
Only the first few yards were on pavement and then we turned onto this bridge and headed towards the hills and mountains.
The course was uphill after you crossed the bridge. Everyone was super excited and running at a pretty good pace. One woman behind me yelled, “Um, this is typically a walking hill!” Which created a wave of laughter … but yet no one stopped to walk!
My legs, despite my marathon of hiking and walking the day before, felt great but it was my lungs that hit me. It immediately felt like I was breathing through a straw. Never mind the fact, that having come from northern California, my lungs had been inundated with smoke from the local fires we’ve been facing. I had not run much leading up to this race either because of our terrible and dangerous air quality. Boy, I felt it.
I did power hike my way up quite a bit trying to get my breathing under control. For me, it really helps to breathe in through my nose and out my mouth and just focus on calming myself and my breath down. Sorry to those women around me who must have thought I was going through labor! 🙂
It worked though and I was able to sort of regulate myself to a pace that allowed me to run more than hike.
The trails were gorgeous. There were a lot of rollers up and down, some climbing over boulders and some amazing single track. The course was also really well marked with orange ribbons and yellow flags. I would say, that there were only a few times where I had to pause and look for the ribbon/flag and most of those times, it was up and over a rock.
All the runners eventually spread out pretty well that I did find myself running alone or just slightly behind one or two runners. It was fun to hear some of the stories. For quite a few, this was their first trail race and first half!
My favorite story of the race is one woman apparently dropped her phone on course. Another runner not only picked it up and brought it to the finish, they took PHOTOS for this person of the course along the way so she’d have a memory of the race! How sweet is that? Only in an all women’s race do I think that would happen.
I was feeling pretty good and it was getting quite warm. The entire race I had been sipping on Unived’s Elite Wild Watermelon drink mix. It’s my favorite and tends sit well in my stomach.
Around mile 6 or so I took a Spring Energy Awesome Sauce gel. I will say, I’ve never been a gel person having really ruined my stomach years ago when gels first hit the running scene. I had never even taken a Spring Energy gel in a race before this.
This (and no, I am not sponsored) was really good! I think if I had the forethought to toss it in the freezer before the race, it would have been even better. This gel tasted great but also had a texture that I could handle (one of my issues with gels). Best of all, it never upset my stomach, not even post race (my other issue with gels – um hello gu poo!) Definitely a fan so far and look forward to longer miles/races to see if it continues to work for me. At some point (I forget when), I also took a salt tab.
With some new found energy (thanks to some fuel), I started running a bit faster and passed a few people here and there. Most times, they caught up with me again later but always pleasant, always cheering and encouraging myself or the other runners. I am pretty sure that almost everyone, despite how they were feeling in the heat and altitude, were smiling while they were running.
Finally we hit the long dirt road stretch that Gina had warned us about. I was actually excited to get here so that I could finally find a stride. The course really is a bit technical with a lot of up and down that finding a smooth stride was hard for me. Prior to this race, I’ve recovered from a calf tear and then more recently, an ankle sprain just the week before. This nice gravel road made it so that could run more evenly and consistently. It lasted about a mile and a quarter before we turned left and headed down towards the finish.
I was really excited thinking that the final miles were mostly downhill. There were a few rollers but not enough to kick the wind out of my sail knowing that I would be crossing that finish line in a short while.
The finish was perfect. You crossed a bridge, made a right turn and had lots of people cheering you towards that finish line where Gina, the race director and founder of Trail Sisters greeted every.single.finisher with a high-five or a hug.
What a race! What an adventure! Seriously could not have asked for a more beautiful day either.
Because she is awesome and the sweetest, Sandi came to watch me finish and we sat near the finish chatting and cheering on the runners as they came in.
Even though this is the first time we’ve met in person, I feel like I’ve known Sandi forever. We have a lot of similarities and both really enjoy being outside, adventuring and most of all we both love animals.
I am so grateful that she came to meet up with me and cheer me on during the race. Truly, the core of the meaning behind Trail Sisters. Thank you Sandi!
After the race, right near the finish, we had an awards ceremony and a raffle! I am the worst when it comes to raffles and in classic Pam style, didn’t win a darn thing. It’s okay, my heart was already full. Nothing could have taken away from that.
After the raffle, I made sure to refuel and stopped yet again to get the House Rock Salad with a side of quinoa.
The final piece of Gina’s dream for this event, was a post race social. She made it happen.
We gathered at a place near her home, in front of a nice fire pit and enjoyed some snacks and drinks. It was perfect. Gina was glowing, as she should be. She had just put on a stellar event, one that I think will only get bigger and better next year.
Thank you Gina and thank you Trail Sisters! And ladies, if you are looking for an adventure or a momventure, this race is it! It was all parts exciting, relaxing, breath taking and fun. Keep an eye out for the race in 2022 and mark your calendars, believe me, you won’t want to miss it!
Happy Trails!
~Trailmomma
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