October went by too fast! Looking back on last month, Denver’s Sarah Pizzo won the Altra U.S. Skyrunner Series. The series outcome went down to the very end with Pizzo needing every point from the finale at the Flagstaff Sky Race. Pizzo answers some questions here about her adventure into Skyrunning, and we celebrate her success with the October “The Runner Box” Colorado Runner of the Month prize.
Sarah, congrats on winning the Altra U.S. Skyrunning “Sky” division! It went down to the wire with you in front by only a few points after the Flagstaff Sky Race. You also raced in Silverton at the Kendall Mountain Run and in Montana at The Rut 25k. Of the three, what was your favorite?
Thank you! Each Skyrunning race was unique so it’s difficult to choose a favorite. The course format at the Kendall Mountain Run – one long ascent followed by one long descent – played to my strengths and I had a great race there. The Rut was an extremely challenging course and had the most competitive field. And Flagstaff was a tight race on a beautiful course that really highlighted the reasons Flagstaff is a running mecca. If I had to choose, I’d say Kendall Mountain was my favorite because it’s in my home state and I love spending time in the San Juan Mountains.
I think you used to run track and cross country at the University of Michigan, so that’s a long ways away from Skyrunning. How’d you come to be the Altra U.S. Skyrunning “Sky” division champ?
My roots are in trail running. I grew up in the foothills west of Denver, where my house was surrounded by open space and an amazing trail system. And my dad was an avid trail runner and mountaineer so I started climbing 14ers with him when I was young. After I graduated from U of M and moved home, I dabbled in trail racing but it wasn’t until I was a close runner-up at the 2012 Imogene Pass Run that I realized I had some potential in high altitude trail racing. In mid-2015, I set my sights on the 2016 US Skyrunning Series. I was drawn to the challenge of staying fit and healthy for a 4-month series and to the extreme nature of the race courses. I think my series win was simply a result of hard work, sacrifice, the support of good people, and a little bit of luck.
With your running history, obviously you understand basic training principles. But, you sought out a coach this year, I think. Other than just running on trails more than you otherwise would have, what kinds of things changed in your training to get you to this point?
I’ve been coaching myself since college but I wanted to take my running to the next level this year so I hired Michael Aish to coach me. Since I had been injured for almost two years prior to meeting Mike, he took a relatively cautious approach to my training. The biggest change he made was to decrease my running frequency from six days per week to five days, while keeping my mileage the same. The extra day off was a nice treat and accomplished our goal of keeping me injury-free. Mike also had me do a lot of long hill repeats (up to 2.5 miles) and a few back-to-back long runs (such as 18 miles on Saturday followed by 14 miles on Sunday).
And next year plans – a repeat of the series, or something different?
I earned a free entry to each of the 2017 Skyrunning “Sky” distance races, so I’m tempted to go for the series win again. But I always seek new adventures and I’ve been wanting to try my hand at some ultras. I would love to do Red Hot 55K, Speedgoat 50K and TNF50, just to name a few. I’ll see how my winter training goes and decide in early spring which path to take.
What’s your favorite thing in the Runner Box?
Everything is delicious! I have a sweet tooth so I went straight for the Unreal dark chocolate crisp quinoa peanut butter cup.
Thanks Sarah, and congrats again!
“Leave the research to us, and we’ll leave the training to you,” says Runner Box. The Runner Box is a subscription-based service that delivers a “box” of runner-friendly goodies to you every other month, items like gels, bars, and other accessories hand-picked to add to your running. Many items are new to the market, and new items are expected with each box. A great service for yourself, the boxes also make great gifts and are often themed around holidays.
Previous “The Runner Box” Colorado Runners of the Month:
September 16 – Clare Gallagher
July 16 – Addie Bracy
May 16 – Tabor Scholl
April 16 – Amanda Basham
February 16 – Alia Gray
November 15 – Ali Williams
October 15 – Neely Gracey
September 15 – Timmy Parr
August 15 – Andy Wacker
July 15 – Lanie Szuch
June 15 – Joe Gray
May 15 – Brittni Hutton
April 15 – Andy Rinne
March 15 – Justin Ricks
February 15 – Laura Thweatt