Windy Pass

So today Jeff turned 36, 4 years away from 40. That is a little bit freaking me out cause I don't feel like we are getting older. In fact we are probably more active and extreme then we were when we got married. It has been almost 14 years ago that we met. Strange.

So yesterday we went to the Utah Symphony, and it was good, but damn, I hate sitting for long periods of time! So it felt like a message today to go for a 8.5 mile run up part of the Squaw Peak 50 course! We ran from the Big Springs parking lot up toward Windy Pass. I wanted to get a feel for how the snow was going to be this year. I was hearing report of anywhere from 5 to 10 miles! I wanted to go all the way up to the pass, but I was running out of time today, so we only got about 4.25 miles up from the parking lot, about 1.75 short of the top. We started up the snow fields, which were big and slick starting past Shingle Mill, and it was just going to take too long to get up and down it, for the amount of time we had before we needed to be back. Bummer :(

But the trail up to Shingle Mill, is wayyyy better then last year! It is mostly smooth, and not rutty, and not as rocky! It was nice. On the way back down Jeff almost ran into a big bull moose! That was exciting! Luckily we didn't pull a Meltzer and have a moose start running after us! Also I figured out how to make the SD card work in my GoPro Hero camera, a little micro running camera that I bought for R2R2R, but the SD card wouldn't work! Then I looked online and figured out how stupid I was! I was not pushing the card in far enough to lock it into place.

It takes OK pictures, but you have to be close and still to hear and see the video. But I am taking it on Squaw Peak with me next week! I felt encouraged that I did not get sick in the heat. Elena told me I am probably getting hyponatremic. I thought I only needed between 300-500 mg per hour, and it turns out that I really need about 971mg per hour. This probably is the cause of my energy problems, absorption problems, and I am dehydrating by retaining water but not utilizing it, which also is probably messing with my carb absorption. Today I took 6 Scaps (about 2000mg) and desolved them into a 72 once bladder. I did not get sick, I felt fine in the heat, and I was moving a lot faster up and down hills! And I did not replace carbs at a high rate, so I am thinking that electrolyte imbalance is my main problem. This would probably also explain why I get breathing problems and feel like I have fluid in my lungs during the last part of a lot of races. The fluid is storing in my tissues, which means in my lungs, and it is horrible!

So next week, to avoid any problems, I plan on carrying my 72 oz of water, and desolving Scaps into it. It seems to work well, and I think I absorb them better directly in my fluids! Elena is a genius! I hope this shows in my time for Squaw Peak! Today I was strong and felt like killing the course!