As one of the more veteran members of the PikesPeakSports.us TripleCrown Runner team members, I am honored  to share perspectives that an older runner/ racer might have after over 34 years experience in this community as well as overseas.

          Maybe it was a mid-life crisis thing (I turn 50 this year) or because I hate cluttler, or perhaps it was because I spent most of last year wondering if I'd ever run again and I needed some closure.  It was probably a little bit of all of that, but I tackled the job of cleaning out the family trophy case earlier this year. 

        All of the kids' awards stayed (I have a 14 year old boy and 18 year old girl), even those from the smallest of fun runs, soccer games, and swim meets to the larger ones, like city track meets, talent shows, even some JO events.   Many of these awards were received while living overseas, a big chapter of the kids' childhood. How exciting that they have so much of life in front of them, I think to myself.

         Most of my awards, however, ended up in the charity bin. I saved a few from high school, when few girls ran and I was one of two girls on the cross country team my first year out in 1978. I saved a Garden of Gods 10 Mile Run award from that time frame, remembering icon Gail Barron coming from Georgia to win that year. She was one of those pioneer runners around in my early teen years, known for her beauty and speed, and breaking some stereotypes for competitive women back then (particularly for the southern belles from her state).  I saved all of my Pikes Peak Ascent awards, including from my first at age 15 (now you have to be 16 to run) and remembered my first long training run up there - I was literally crying because I had gotten lost and went to bottomless pit instead of the top with my junior high gym teacher!

        I saved everything from college, where things were so competitive that walking away with anything at all was good.  I was so invincible back then, or so I thought. With those awards I remember what it was like to peak and be quite fast, and I remember my famous coach, Dr. Joe Vigil, and all of my teammates who I just saw at a reunion in 2011.

I ran lots and lots of mileage back then, tried to pile it on, but now as an older runner I try to do as little as possible to get the job done.  Last week I ran 29 miles, the biggest mileage week of the year so far where last year I had to walk most of the Triple Crown races and most certainly walked the training.  I am so grateful to be running again.  Will this year be the last?  I hope not but I will treat it as if it is as last year taught me to take nothing for granted. Most of the teammates at my college reunion were no longer running as they went  "over the hill"  and into their 50s.  I feel so lucky.

      With this all said, I most certainly saved every single Pikes Peak Award (all 24!) and all Triple Crown awards---why those?  Well, with age you get a bit more nostalgic I guess.  I look forward to another year of training on the mountain.  The bus ride down and the awards ceremonies after the Ascent and Triple Crown races feel more like a reunion now versus a competition, more like a celebration of health and of life again for another passing year of being able to complete this feat.

       I thank Ron Ilgin  Tim Bergsten, and Mike Mazzola for letting me be a part of the PikesPeakSportsTripleCrownRunners Team and for their support.  I think this is going to be a BLAST!