About 6 months ago, the leader of Trail Sisters Chicago Northwest asked me if I wanted to join her for Leadville Silver. She was planning on running the 50 mile race but told me there was a 15 mile option. Several of the other women were considering it as well. Since I'm writing this recap, you know what I decided. I asked my youngest son if he would be interested in running with me and to my surprise, he said yes! My oldest son and his girlfriend also joined us for a fun weekend in Colorado.
I ran this race a year ago and after being humbled and beat up by the hills, I vowed never to run it again. Yet, here I was, lined up for the 15 miler again. It's funny how time can dull the memory of pain. I knew what to expect and I was wiser this time. I had my fueling plan in place. I had logged lots of hilly miles on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. It was cold and it was windy, but I figured the trees would provide shelter from the wind. I wore one of my Inknburn fleece pullovers and my Brooks Moment tights. My plan was to run the three 5.2 mile loops consistently and not let that last loop crush me as it did last year.
Last year, I optimistically signed up for the Frozen Gnome 10k, thinking that since it was outdoors on the trails, it wouldn't be canceled. Covid had other ideas and the race was made virtual. The organizers encouraged runners to come and run on the course anyways, which I did. It was so much fun and you can read that race recap here.
With everything opening back up in late 2021, I again optimistically signed up for the race. This year, it wasn't canceled! Early on a cold but sunny Saturday morning, I drove out to the park where the race would take place. I was excited to run it and cross the actual finish line!
