JUT blogger day

Once again, it’s been a bit lengthy since my last blog post but once agin life has gotten in the way.  Since my last post, I was offered and accepted a full time job at a new hospital in the university of Colorado system.  I was already working on an as needed basis at one of their other hospitals and loving it.  I saw this as a unique and great opportunity to get to set up the rehab department in a brand new place and be part of building this new hospital community.  So there’s been that and there’s also been my dad.  Unfortunately, at the very end of April, he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. It was very shocking as he was not a smoker and he was at the time, still a very active man playing softball, golf and going to yoga.  There’s been so many ups and downs the last few months with him going through harsh chemo.  It’s a daily worry and stressor for me.   I even was very worried about leaving to go on our trip to Bosnia and Croatia because he was admitted to the hospital a few days before we were leaving.  He had a blood clot in his lung which they treated him for and he went back home so I felt better about leaving.  He was still very much on my mind while on the trip which was why it was so great to have this special Jahorina blogger day to attend.   It gave me a day to relax, get to know other people and learn more about a country I love so much.  So here’s my recap of the day.

had to leave this to go to Jahorina ;-)

Emir didn’t arrive until Wednesday evening so we had a 6 hour drive from the island to Jahorina. We did manage to get there before midnight and breakfast for the bloggers wasn’t scheduled until 9 so all in all it worked out well.





Breakfast was an impressive spread that included many of my favorite Bosnian dishes.  There were introductions, talks from the organizers and they outlined the itinerary for the day.  Then it was time to load up in the van and head out.  In total Bosnian fashion, we jammed all of us in probably an 8 person van including 3 people up front but that's what makes these adventures fun for me.  I love experiencing life the way the people in that country live it.

catching up with Sanja!

First stop was the ski lift that takes you to the top of Jahorina Mountain.  While I have rode this before, it's always an enjoyable time.  The views riding up and down the mountain are fantastic.  When we reached the top we saw there was some construction taking place.  Our host for the day, Mladen, explained how they were creating a lake and also some additional ski routes.  I like seeing how much work has been done on this mountain the last few years.  It's such a beautiful place with an awesome olympic history that I think many people would enjoy visiting so hopefully all these things will attract more visitors.

Next Stop was Ravna Planina.  On the itinerary it said something about zip lining but all I saw when we first got there was a gondola so I assumed something was lost in translation ;-).  And I didn't mind because they said there was a lake and restaurant at the top so I figured it was pretty.  Then Mladen came around asking if we wanted to zip line or ride the gondola or do both.  If you are going to offer me both then of course I will do both.  I love trying new things and I had never zip lined before so I was all for it.  The zip line was fairly short but for my first time, I really enjoyed it.  I was only slightly nervous after watching one of the other bloggers get stuck in the middle.  The person helping us get on the zip line explained how to hold our legs and feet so that wouldn't happen.  I did what he said and I actually flew past the landing platform but it was easy for them to help me to the spot to dismount.

After that, we loaded into the gondolas.  The views on the way up and down were awesome.  Up at the top was a lake and a restaurant with even better views.  Mladen explained how they would like to connect the ski slopes at Jahorina to this one at Ravna Planina for one huge, long ski run.  He also told us that there was night skiing there as well.   Our final activity was sitting down and having lunch together at the restaurant at the base of Ravna Planina.  It was a very nice place and the food was delicious.  It was nice to sit and chat with Mladen and some of the other bloggers, who as the day progressed spoke more and more English ;-).

lake at the top

After lunch we piled in the van to head to Sarajevo.  Mladen had plans for us to walk through the old part of town which Ive been to several times and it would be great for everyone to experience however the weather had other plans.  Instead we were dropped off where the race packet pick up was so we could collect our stuff. 

We had a little time to kill so myself and a few of the other bloggers went to this coffee shop that I had been to last year, so good.  After that, we walked to the new gondola that takes you up to Trebevic Mountain.  It actually originally opened in 1959 and was a source of great pride during the '84 Olympics.  Then during the war of the '90s, Trebevic Mountain was known as sniper alley and obviously the gondola didn't run and was destroyed.  It's taken a long time to get the gondola and Trebevic back up and running however I can totally understand the memories that this area must bring to people.  The re-done gondola is beautiful with the Bosnian flag on the cars which are all the colors of the '84 Olympics.  The view as you ride up, is just spectacular.  You can see so many of the cities special sights and all the surrounding mountains.  This was definitely my favorite part of the day.

walking in Sarajevo

one of the old gondola cars...those things hold a lot of bloggers

The last part of our day took place at Sunnyland.  Sunnyland is an amusement park up on Trebevic Mountain that opened a couple of years ago.  Our family has told us about it but we had yet to get the chance to go.  The highlight of the park is the alpine roller coaster which I rode twice ;-)  I had never been on a coaster where you basically drive it yourself so I did find that to be entertaining.  There was also play structures and courts for kids. 

We then had dinner together in the restaurant there called Oxygen.  It was super nice and the views were fantastic.  At the end of dinner, Emir showed up with his step sister Bjanka and her fiancé Dario.  It was so great to see them so at that point I said goodbye to Mladen and the fellow bloggers. 

view from Sunnyland

I want to thank Sanja and Mladen for hosting us bloggers on that day.  And to Dinko Bažulić for all the AMAZING pictures which are what helped to fill this blog post!  It was a lot of work that went into planning that day for us.  I truly enjoyed meeting the other bloggers and learning of their trail running experiences as they all came from other countries.  I also LOVED exploring the mountains and Sarajevo.  I understand more now of exactly what happened and why in the past, we as a family had not really gone up into those mountains.  The tons of mines, remnants of war and just the horrible memories.  That said, I am so glad to see this area being re-born.  There are new hotels and restaurants.  New places for activities.  It's such a beautiful area for locals and tourists alike to enjoy hiking/outdoor activities in the summer and great skiing in the winter as well as to see all the historical sights from the Olympics, it would be a shame for it to continue unused as it was.  I saw many people up on Trebevic that day which is a great sign that this is what people want and as more people come, I am sure they will continue to build and bring the mountains back to life :-)

sign of a very fulfilling day ;-)

JUT 2018

It's been a long time since I blogged, 6 months to be exact.  Other than Chicago marathon, I haven't run any other races.  I've also just been focused on getting adjusted to life here in Boulder.   We love it here but being new somewhere takes up more time.  I find I am always spending time figuring things out, like finding new doctors, sports teams etc.  There are also SO MANY things to do here, which we love but that leaves little time for things that I don't really need to do, for example blogging.  And lastly, I've been spending more time working and running.  Since the kids are both in school full time now, there's no reason for me not to pick up more shifts.  I enjoy my work and I found out being home alone on a regular basis wasn't all it's cracked up to be.  I've found that I am much happier being productive at work.  I'll enjoy a day or two off here or there during the week to get errands, chores and a nice relaxing mid day run done but my work definitely gives me a good sense of fulfillment that I need on a regular basis which I feel so lucky that I found a career that does that for me.  And on the running front, running here can be way more time consuming than back East.   There are so many amazing trails here that I just cannot resist.  But I am much slower than on flat, sea level trails so my runs tend to take much longer.  Even the "flat" bike path or roads take me longer.  I mean usually they are not nearly as flat as what I was used to plus there is the added altitude factor.  The moral of the story is, I just haven't had time to fit blogging in and to be honest, it was nice to have a little break.

So why? you might ask, am I writing this blog?  Well it's because one of my favorite events is back for it's 4th edition, the Jahorina Ultra Trail (see any familiar faces on the website???).  Emir and I have participated in 2 of the 3 past editions.  we had already committed to another race in 2015.  In 2016 we ran the 125K.  It was quite an adventure, nothing like any ultra we had ever run before.  It didn't go exactly as we would have hoped, but we still ran about 110K and had an experience that we will never forget.  Last year, 2017, we opted to run the two shorter distance races, one Saturday and one Sunday.  We had the best time!  We brought my sister and our two kids with us for the weekend and they loved it as well.  It's still up in the air what 2018 will bring, but you better believe we will be there!

One of the things I love most about the Jahorina races is how committed the race directors are to making this event a great experience for the participants.  Despite their best efforts, in 2016 some things happened that led to aid stations falling through and not the best conditions for runners safety.  You can read more specific details here in my race report.  However, Emir and I were asked for our input and feedback as were all the other runners.  The RDs were watching and listening all weekend long so they knew there were issues and wanted us who actually were out there on the course to give suggestions.  We were able to recognize these major changes as soon as the 2017 editions were announced.  We also then saw first hand at the 2017 races all the big and little changes that were made.  And we were asked again what we thought and if we would want them to make any other changes.  It's just so refreshing to see a race so committed to the runners' safety and their enjoyment of the event.

The other thing I love most about this race is that it's in Bosnia.  I've been traveling to Bosnia with Emir for 20 years now.  It's such a beautiful country filled with beautiful people and I love seeing as much of it as I can.  It also means so much to me as it's where my husband was born and it's a huge part of my children's history.  I started running in 2010 and ran my first ever marathon in 2011 in Croatia.  Ever since, I always wished Bosnia had running events.  I've realized how much deeper you can get to know a place when you explore it by running.  That's why when we saw the announcement about the first Jahorina, we were SO excited but also disappointed that we could not participate in that first edition especially since knowing Bosnia so well, we knew there was a good chance it might be the only edition.  Lucky for us, it was not the only edition and despite all the political barriers that lie in Bosnia, it's still going stronger and better than ever.  Running the 125K in 2016 gave me such an appreciation for life in parts of Bosnia that I had never explored.  I also had never been to Jahorina or the other mountains surrounding Sarajevo which are beautiful places with such a rich history.  Last year, we ran two of the shorter courses but we experienced parts of the mountains we had not seen the year before including running the ridge of Mount Trebevic and on the Olympic bobsled track which was a huge highlight.  The race also gave us an opportunity to bring our children and my sister with us for a weekend getaway.  Jahorina is just outside Sarajevo so we took the opportunity to show our family around this historic city.  It was also the first time Emir and I had been back to Sarajevo in at least 13 years.   This race is just another example of how running has enriched our lives and it makes me so happy that the RDs are so committed to keeping it going and making it the best they can.

Now for some details on this year's edition.  There are 4 distances to choose from : 104 km, 69 km, 34 km and 14 km.  With all the changes between 2016 to 2017, all of the courses now include amazing views, various olympic sites and well stocked aid stations.  The 3 longer distances have ITRA and UTMB points.  Don't let the short distance fool you, it is not easy!  It actually may have been more difficult than the 34 km race but it was worth it.  Some of the extras for doing any of the races are are gift vouchers for a panoramic sightseeing of Jahorina, a zip line flight on Ski centar "Ravna planina", and Alpine roller coaster ride at Sunnyland Trebević.  We took a ride on the ski lift last year and it was awesome.  Also I know most important is the beer and hot meal that is included after the races.  

This event has really evolved into something special.  It's a wonderful opportunity to explores places in Bosnia often missed by visitors.  It's also a top notch running event that is quickly becoming popular with runners from over 200 countries.  It's the perfect addition to any summer vacation trip.  

UA Mountain Series: Copper Mountain 50K

Disclaimer: I received entry to UA Mountain Running Series--Copper Mountain as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

We all know that moving to Colorado, I would be super eager to do a race here.  So when Bibrave was offering entry to the UA Mountain Series and one of the location was Copper Mountain, without thinking I registered for the 50K.  Well I did google Copper Mountain to make sure it was reasonable driving distance from Boulder but otherwise not a thought went into registering.

As it grew closer to race day, I figured I should look at the details.  It was only then that I realized how difficult this race was going to be for me.  The stats went something like this: 7500 feet of gain, average elevation of 10000 feet, reaching 12,000 feet twice and time limit of 8 hours.  Woah.  I mean I'm sure 8 hours is generous for a lot of people but given this would be my first race at this kind of altitude I was pretty worried I would not make 8 hours.  I had two long runs here in Boulder leading up to the race.  Neither one went particularly well, but they were my longest runs at Boulder Altitude and I had only been here a couple weeks or so.  The first one I had tummy issues which could have been one of several issues I had going on that day.  The second one, I felt reasonably well but my speed just wasn't good.  I think over 20 miles I had maybe 2500 feet of gain but it took me 5 hours and that was doing the last 4 or so miles on road so I could make it to pick up the kids on time.  It didn't really give me good confidence that I could make the 31 miles with all that climbing at that altitude in the 8 hours.

In any case, I was still really looking forward to the race.  It was my first Colorado race and it was an awesome mountain race, pretty exciting.  We also had made plans as a family to go together, they would support me and enjoy all the fun activities at the mountain.  Emir had also registered for the vertical race which didn't start until after mine.  I was really looking forward to our first Colorado road trip as a family.

Unfortunately, life happens and sometimes really really sucks.  One week before the race we got some pretty awful news.  Emir's aunt had passed away, pretty unexpectedly.  Literally, 2-3 hours later we received a call saying that Emir's mom was not going to survive her illness that she was going through.  It was all so much at once and we were faced with making a very difficult decision within the hour and that was whether Emir should fly to Bosnia.  Obviously, if there were no other factors, he would have just left that second but last minute airfare from Denver to Bosnia is not reasonable by any means.  But in the end, we knew he had to go or he would never forgive himself.  So there we were speeding to the airport so he could make a 4pm flight that afternoon.  It was pretty awful.  I was an absolute mess.  It was hard enough to have no forewarning that we wouldn't have my husband and their father for two weeks but I just wished I could go to be with our family so bad.  Emir's family has been part of my life since I was 18, they are my family.  It broke my heart so bad to be potentially losing two of our closest members and also not to be able to be there with Emir to support him through one of the most difficult times.   I'll fast forward through the Loooooong two weeks that he was gone to say that his mom somehow has recovered, what an amazingly strong woman.  She's still in the hospital but she's off the ventilator, awake, stable and doing well now :-)

Luckily for me, my mom knew exactly how hard this was for me and the kids.  They were all out of sorts.  They are old enough now, so we had to explain why daddy was suddenly going to Bosnia and it majorly affected them.  My mom came out that Monday and stayed until Sunday.  And even though my neighbors are amazing and I actually could have gotten by without her being here, I just needed her presence and so did the kids.  So for that we are so grateful.  And her being here, meant that I could still do my race which was super important to Emir.  He still wanted me to do it, he knew how worried and upset I was over everything and that skipping it would just be another reminder of what was going on.  He was right.  After finishing the race, the immense struggle that it was, I felt better.  It was some much needed, mountain, ultra, running therapy.

Now, finally, we can talk about the actual race.  The 50K started at 8 so it was easy for me to leave around 5:30 and make it to Copper Mountain around 7.  It was a beautiful drive through and around so many mountains.  I could tell once I got there it was not going to be a big race but that didn't matter to me.  They had signs everywhere so it was super easy to get my bib and UA half zip.  That area was also where bag check was so I knew exactly where to go when I was ready to drop that off.  Copper Mountain has a super cute village including a Starbucks so I totally hit that up while getting ready for the race.  I'm sure a lot of the ski mountains out here have cute little villages and stuff but it's just so different than anything I've seen so to me, it was really awesome.  I also saw how many fun activities there were that the kids would have enjoyed but no time to dwell on that, just focus on what I needed to do.

Standing in the village at the base of the mountain was very intimidating.  I don't think I've ever really stood at the bottom of a 12,000 foot mountain before.  I knew it was going to be so challenging for me but I was just going to give it my best shot.  Before I knew it, we were taking off, basically straight up the mountain.

Those climbs behind me, looked super intimidating

I took my time, hiking mostly, mixing in some jogging when it would flatten out a bit or even a slight decline.  I was towards the back of the 35-40 people.  I chatted with a few people that were towards the back with me.  It seemed like most people had some experience training and racing at these altitudes and they were pretty surprised I had JUST moved here and was doing this race.  The race was two 15.5 mile loops (closer to 16 miles) so the first loop I was super happy with how I did.

It was 7.5 miles up to the top and I was just about 17min/mile pace overall.  I was able to make up a decent amount of time on the back half and came in just under 4 hours.  I was pleased with my time but knew that it was unlikely that I could make the second lap in 4 hours.

There was a group of us that all came in similar time to the halfway point.  The race people told us to hit up the aid station and get moving back up the mountain.  That was one fear off my list that they wouldn't let me go on for the second lap.  I'm guessing there was enough of us and we all were moving so they figured they would let us go.

About 10-15 minutes into the second lap, I heard thunder.  I started to feel something hitting me.  It wasn't rain, what was it??  Then it started pouring hail pellets.  Yup nice sharp little daggers pounding us from the sky.  It also started to get way colder since the sun went away.  I had to dig my long sleeve back out of my pack.  I was freezing and my hands were so swollen I thought they would burst.  I thought for sure at the next aid station they would stop us due to the storm.  Nope.  "everyone ok? keep going!"  That was pretty much how the whole second lap went for me.  

Everytime I came to an aid station, I thought for sure they would stop me because I was definitely not making 8 hours.  But no one said a single thing about time, just asked if I was ok, what I needed and sent me on my way.  I did ask at one aid station about 2 miles from the top, about my swelling.  I've swelled a million times before during ultras but this was WAY worse.  It wasn't just my fingers, it was my whole arms and probably other parts that I wasn't focused on.  I don't think my fingers have ever swelled that big other than my first pregnancy when I had preclampsia so I just wanted to make sure that it was safe to continue like that.  There were medics at every aid station so I went over to them.  They informed me that indeed I had the medical condition "sausage fingers" but that it was fine, drink as much as I could during the rest of the race and take off my Qalo ring.  I really didn't think it could be ok to be that swollen but as I started descending down a bit later, it did start to improve.  My other ailments that were significantly affecting my second loop were headache and nausea.  I knew it was all due to the altitude.  I even felt pretty lightheaded after a significant climb around 28-29 miles.  I had to stop at the aid station a few minutes and they gave me some electrolyte stuff and informed me how altitude takes it out of you much faster and more fuel and fluid is needed at higher altitudes and then said "go finish!"  At the time I felt a bit shocked how there seemed to be no concern for my condition however looking back, obviously they know the red flags to look for and I didn't have any of those.  I was just suffering and pitying myself but if they babied me and I dropped, I probably would have been mad at them, so yes they did the right things.

So I crawled my way to the finish.  I finished in 9 hours and 2 minutes.   If I had to, I probably could have finished a bit faster but with about 4-5 miles left, knowing I was not making 8 hours and also realizing that they were just going to let us finish, I did a lot more walking.   I was feeling pretty bad and didn't see the point in punishing myself more for no reason.  After I finished I really felt like I had done way more than a 50K.  It was hard to eat much that night and I didn't sleep particularly well.  Both of these usually are a result of 100K - 100 mile distance not 50K but this was like no 50K I've ever done.

Even though the second half of this race was a true sufferfest for me, I'm so glad I did it.  All too often I've stuck to things in my comfort zone.  This was definitely WAY out of that zone.  I've often thought that I'm not capable of mountain races and that's back east with much lower altitude.  I know what it feels like now and I know it will get better with more training out here.  I also think it really jolted my body into adjusting more to the Boulder altitude which is a lot lower than Copper Mountain but still way more than anything I'm used to.  All my runs felt pretty hard here but since doing Copper Mountain things have felt better, I've even been hitting some paces that are reminiscent of runs at sea level.

The race itself was well organized and had so many distance options so if you just wanted a little taste of the mountain you could do that as well.  It was definitely a beautiful race.  I wanted to just take pictures of everything.  I also was impressed with how many aid stations there were, all well stocked and plenty of volunteers and safety people.  High altitude is no joke and it was good to see they realize that as well.  I also want to thank the race officials for letting all of us go that finished after 8 hours.  It was a super hard course even at 8-9 hours and we all appreciated being allowed to get our finish.  We were all announced coming in and given our medals and an official finish time.  I would have understood if we were given DNFs but since this was the first year for the race, I appreciate them giving leeway after seeing a chunk of the racers needing a bit more time.  A sign of a good race and good RD is one that makes reasonable adjustments.  This is a race I would definitely do again.

Now, next up for me, complete opposite end of the spectrum is the Chicago marathon in a couple weeks.  Completely flat road race.  It's been a long time since I raced a marathon and I don't feel that I particularly trained for a fast marathon but I have been doing lots of tough training at altitude and people claim that makes a huge difference.  When you are running every day at 5000-6000 feet, it's hard to imagine yourself feeling so much different at sea level especially when you have never had that experience yet.  I can only imagine myself feeling like I feel right now when I run.  But I am looking forward to getting out there and giving it my best shot.