www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_recreation/article -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 8/13/2007
Last Visited: 8/14/2007
An unyielding determination is helpful, but so is having a husband such as Mike Ortiz, the executive director of the Vail Recreation District, who's willing to cook, clean and share the chauffeuring duties.
Still, the intense dedication required to maintain that type of regimen began to take its toll on Ortiz during portions of the past two years.A ruptured plantar fascia and a severe bout with anemia hampered her race results and left her confused and frustrated.She missed a berth on last year's U.S. Mountain Running Team and thought her days of competitive trail running were over.
But that bit of adversity turned out to have a silver lining.She adjusted her diet, toned down her training by removing intense speed work sessions and gained a fresh, low-key perspective.Instead of hammering herself in training, she has listened to her body and backed off when necessary.She's learned to start races slower, figured out a way to put less pressure on herself and generally savored the joy of running healthy again.
"The anemia thing just flattened me, and when I started back after I got over that, I was just so thankful to be running," said Ortiz, who will be running the Pikes Peak Ascent on Saturday in Manitou Springs.
...
Ortiz won a 25-miler at the Spring Desert Ultra in Fruita and the 10K at the Teva Mountain Games in June, then won the 8.6K U.S. Mountain Running Championships on June 24 in New Hampshire.
She finished second among women in the White River 50-Mile Trail Run (which doubled as a U.S. national championship) July 28 in the mountains east of Seattle and might have found a new calling as an ultrarunner.
"I'm running a lot smarter because I've learned where my limits are," she said.