For the past two years on the first weekend of August, I've run the La Luz Trail Run. Billed as one of the most grueling trail runs in North America, it's a nine-mile, straight up hill at a 12 percent grade trudge up the craggy west face of the Sandia Mountains.Because the Sandia Mountains is also part of the Cibola National Forest, the run is limited to 400 people. So entry is done entirely by lottery.
I guess my luck had to fail sometime. I didn't get picked this year. I am, however, a top-of-the-list alternate. Which means if a handful of people come to their senses and fail to send in their entry ballots by mid May, I will most likely win a spot.
Still. There's something about not being picked in the first go round that tells me I might outta fuggedabout it and train instead for something that won't kick my ass so hard. Like the New Mexico Half Marathon. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Tourette Syndrome Association and nothing makes me more happy in my misery than knowing that my pain is going to a worthy cause.
Still, I'm pretty bummed. Because, darn it, La Luz holds special meaning for me. Besides being breathtakingly beautiful and a little scary (my favorite combination), it also almost always falls on the weekend of my mother's birthday (it was her favorite trail, too.) So it's not just a run, it's a kind of pilgrimage. Albeit with a lot of cursing.
18 comments:
oh no!! i hate that for you; and i know youve worked hard. dammit. no wonder your mood has gone cloudy.
good you are running the benefit race -isnt tourettes what iamnots son has?
whatever you run, im pro-moi.
Beautiful and scary...I dated her a few times.
Thanks for efforts for TSA...a cause near to my heart and home.
Bummer. I hope you'll come up as alternate. I know this is spayshul.
I'm sorry. I just can't rationalize the idea of actually running up a mountain. I won't even run to catch a bus.
More power to you. I hope someone joins me on the potato couch and you get your spot.
12 Degree Grade? How do you get back down? Anyhay, if you don't get picked, you can run it on your own the day after. Might even be better. More beauty, same amount of pain, probably more scary.
She: Thanks for da support. Well my mood has gone cloudy primarily because the weather has. I'm a sun bunny and get grumpy in wet, dark weather. This didn't help. But I'll be fine in about 5.89 seconds.
Iamnot: Bet it was fun :o) Your son has Tourette's? Then I'll keep him in my thoughts . . .
Doris Rose: Thanks, spayshul indeed.
NYD: Dude, you crack me up. Did you see below, you are now my official ambassador to Japan? So you'll at least have to get off the couch and bring Moi da sushi!
Troll: The super duper fit run back down. Others take the Tram, which is an awesome ride. Longest in the World. I love my superlative city.
Anyway. In my case, my spousal unit meets me at the top and we drive down and have a hugemous breakfast. Then I lie on the sofa for the rest of the day and watch golf. Sniff. I miss it already.
Oooh, look at the trail! Boo! I'd love to take that on myself, but I think I'd be crying about 10 minutes into it. I'm holding out hope that you'll get that important spot because it IS so near and dear to you.
There is NOTHING better than that feeling AFTER something like this is finished. *sniff* I'm already missing it for you. :-(
Ha! No no no!!! TRAIN HARDER, Sweet Thang, 'cause yore Aunty's gone to prayin' fer ya! I thinks youse goin'! Somebody will have to drop out, an' youse goin---be prepared, darlin'.
Send us the photo of Moi after the la Luz run--I'se all fer pilgrimages, an' this one is fer yore Mama. Youse goin.
Boo, I'm sorry to hear you didn't get the call. Howevuh, I feel 98% confident that someone--many someones, in fact--will drop out and leave you the perfect space for your crazyass-up-the-mountain run. Howevuh, I can't help voting for the Tourette's benefit because I know a kiddo who was just diagnosed with it (for some reason this makes his teacher think that he also has autism AND is gifted. But that's another subject for another time.). Run on, sista, run on!
p.s. and *that* was a lot of "howevuhs."
AB: You can always enter next year, and shadow box your way up, too!
Aunty: Alrighty then – the Aunty has spoken and I cannot refute the logic of that!
Wicked: Well, shhhh, and don't tell this to my butt, but I'm considering doing them both.
That sucks - plain and simple. Still, I am one of those sickening optimists and I believe you will still get chosen for the run. Fingers crossed, darling. If not, that whole breakfast and watching golf thing still sounds like a good plan. That's about my speed right now!
Moi it looks beautiful, if scary. What do your knees feel like after that - speaking as one who had to give up road running?
Meghan: Well, most of my summer Sundays are breakfast and golf, so at least there's that.
Ms R: Crap knees run in my family, but so far, as long as I keep the mileage low and stay on dirt as much as possible (which is getting harder to do around here), I'm okay. My problem with La Luz is that the slope makes me hunch down when I run – not good for the lower back. Need to make a concerted effort to stand tall and tuck in the hips.
You've got balls gal! May your wish come true. You can usually rely on other people's incompetance unless they are all equally passionate about it of course.
I'm not doing it - so I didn't have to be depressed about not making the rottery...but you're 4th on the wait list -- that means you're in!
but if you're looking for something else to do on the same day, there's this little race I'll be doing...
pee ess - I'll probably do the training either way -- wanna join me?
Pirate: Remind my addled brain? What race is that? And yes, I'll train wiff ya! Wuh, wait, so long as it doesn't involve meeting you at 4:00 in the morning. You scare me.
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