Kilimanjaro pictures

Wifi has been spotty- but here are a few pictures from my trip so far! Details to come- headed out on day one of the safari now! 

Summit picture! 

After the safari, I'll be spending a day or two in Zanzibar. Cannot wait for white sandy beaches and turquoise water! 

I'm dying to write out details about my climb up Kilimanjaro but haven't had much free time/wifi connection. Cannot wait to sit and write- hopefully soon! 

Mt. Kilimanjaro summit success!

Finally connected to wifi for the first time since arriving in Africa! Will post more later, but thought I'd try for a quick update on here. 

Summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,340ft! 

I have more pictures, but on my camera that I'm not sure yet if I can transfer to my laptop and/or phone. Will try my best!

Sunrise from atop Kili. I have to admit- it beat every single Colorado sunrise and sunset! 

More to come!

June 19th/20th

Departure day finally came! Seemed like I would never stop working early mornings and waiting for the days to pass!

Packed pretty much all day Thursday with lots of last minute errands. It was a lot packing for my first overseas trip/climb, but I feel confident that I brought everything I will need.

Yep thats everything!

First flight to Washington D.C. left yesterday at midnight. We arrived in D.C. around 5:10am, 3:10am Denver time. I tried to sleep during the flight (put the table down in front of me and tried to use that to rest my head!) but really didn't get any good sleep, if any at all. First challenge of the trip- no sleep the first night! This should be fun.

Sitting here in the D.C. airport with a 6 hr. layover, next up is the 14 hr flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! I think the best $2.50 I've spent to date is on this Dunkin' Donuts coffee….

Dr. Jon Kedrowski, the guide for this trip, will have service on our climb up Kilimanjaro, and will be posting updates for the whole group on the mountain. Once we descend and get back to the hotel I will be sure and post lots, but as far as updates during the hike, here is the link to Jon's blog:

http://www.jonkeverest.org/blog.html

Mt. Evans Ascent, 6/14

What a fun day on Mt. Evans! I ran this race for the first time last year (2013), and absolutely loved it. I'm going to try and continue running this race every year. Make it a tradition, so to say! The Mt. Evans Ascent is a 14.5 mile road race up the road to the summit of Mt. Evans (14,264ft). You gain almost 4,000 ft in elevation, and sometimes you get some nasty weather the last few miles at the top (in this year's case- nasty wind!).

Left the house at around 5am, a little early so we'd have time to stop for coffee. Before almost all of my races, I like to sip on black coffee on my drive to the race. Gets me going! Got to the race at 6:30am for packet pickup, and was ready to go at 7am. 

The first 3 miles are always the hardest for me. I seem to get stronger the further into the race I get. I've never been the runner to take off from the start line! 

Treeline is around mile 4, and I started to feel better around then. I'd gotten into a good rhythm and the weather was still cooperating. I still didn't feel my best, so I grabbed some coke and downed some sport beans at the mile 6 aid station, and felt better from miles 7-9. 

Mile 9 marked summit lake, and I was well underneath the cut-off time of 2 hr. 30 min. Here is where the winds started picking up! The last 4-5 miles to the summit are already harder due to altitude, and today I got wind mixed into the equation! There were times I had to lean into the wind, or brace myself from side gusts. It definitely drained my fuel tank and made me work just that much harder for the summit.

Finished with a 3:37, which I'll take. I remind myself I'm using these races as training, and not placings.  Ended up 3rd out of 7. I am very pleased with my effort and will continue resting up for my trip to Kilimanjaro and the Leadville 50.

Love the finisher shirts and medal! 

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -- Thomas Jefferson

One Week

One week till departure date! I pulled out my duffel and have it sitting in my room. I'll slowly start putting stuff in and checking off my list. I've been to REI almost everyday this week (buying, returning, looking, etc.)! I've been checking over my own gear and re-reading the itinerary. Seems like it will never get here!

Last minute REI purchases!

I've been resting up this week with little to no running. Trusting my training is always hard for me, and I learned the importance of tapering the hard way. (I've had a few ugly races!)

My last big training run was here this last Saturday, which consisted of 30 miles up and down the Mt. Evans road. Being able to do this showed me that I have put in the work, and that I should give myself more credit than I think I actually do. I think I am ready to go physically, as I have ever felt more fit than I am today. I still am a little unsure, but I continually remind myself, 'Can you really know whether or not you are ready to climb a 19k ft mountain?' So as I mentioned before- there is almost nothing I can do at this point besides trust my training and rest up! 

Sunrise on Mt. Evans!

Who Needs Oxygen?

It was a great weekend of training both mentally and physically! Started off with a 25 mile long run in Leadville on Friday. The weather was gloomy and the rain was spotty- just enough to make it questionable whether to take off or leave on your rain coat. The moisture left my gloves damp, though still dry enough to capture a tiny bit of warmth. At 10,000ft elevation, anywhere you run is great training- which is exactly what I did! Dirt roads, paved roads, sidewalks and trails. I was lucky and got into 'the zone' early and stayed there pretty much the whole time. It was great to work on keeping my mind occupied!

Not the best weather for motivation!

Sunday was 13 miles on the treadmill with an altitude training mask. It is supposed to simulate high-altitude training, but I beg to differ as it does not have the same effect on your red blood cells at altitude. However, it helps me immensily with focusing on my breathing. It makes me practice big, deep, slow breaths.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” -- Thomas Jefferson