Western States Training Run - Day 2

After the great day of running that we had on Saturday, we were all looking forward to Sunday. We were running the section that Allen will pace me in WS. We got a chance to see this section in the daylight, as next time we run it will be in the dark. This time we were running it in the correct direction- which essentially meant that it was a downhill day. Downhill was a welcome change after the first day of climbs. Denise decided to do this run- so we all set off on Sunday morning.

I was not feeling too bad from the previous days run. Although I did notice that my calves were pretty tight. Later I realized that this was from powering up the uphill sections so aggressively. Of course I discovered that much much too late to actually do anything about it.

This time we started at Foresthill elementary and we were going to be bused back to the start at the end of the run. I wisely left a drop bag of dry clothes at the finish- the weather was still pretty cool most of the day. It warmed up to the 70s but when you finished you would get really cold if you were standing around in wet clothes. Also, due to the mountainous terrain, the weather fluctuated- it would be cold one minute and hot the next and go back to cold without any real warning. Not to mention that Saturday and Sunday it rained in the afternoon (unexpectedly) and the temps dropped like a rock.

This was certainly a downhill section. I tried to run it well, without overdoing it. I tried to concentrate on leaning forward and really attacking the downhills. My plan was to try to save my quads- as this was so runnable. I managed to keep a pretty steady pace for most of the run. The scenery was simply gorgeous. I am so sorry that I will not get to enjoy it as much next time- but at least I had it this time. I met and talked to a lot of runners along the way some of them were running WS but a fair number of locals were just out enjoying the course. I finished the 19 miles in just under 4 hours. Not bad at all- considering I was going to catch the first shuttle bus of the day. Oh yeah- there was also a very steep 3 miles uphill to the finish. So you are having this great day of running downhill, only to have a 3 miles section up at the end. Tough!!!

I went to get the car and followed the bus back- just in time to grab Bruce and Allen who had finished. They were looking great and had already chowed down on the hot dogs at the finish line. We sat in the car and waited for Denise. We did not know if she was going to be happy after that 3 miles uphill- but as usual she came in with a huge smile and a bunch of new trail friends. Denise is an angel on the trails to runners who are feeling down- she cheers and coaxes them to the end. I am counting on her to do the same for me at WS.

Just as we were pulling out to leave, the RD (Greg) asked if we could give a runner a ride to the school- so he would not have to wait for the bus. We told him we were going the opposite direction and we started to leave-- thought about it and told the runner to jump in. Turns out that he is running WS this year, his name is Carson. He is.... let's say a senior runner....70+ years old- trying to finish again. He was a wealth of information. Mainly he helped bolster my argument that Bruce and Allen were not taking in enough nutrition. I had been telling them that they were not taking enough gel and Carson agreed. We dropped him off and headed back to the hotel.

My legs were pretty tired, but the thought of an ice bath was more than I could handle. Bruce took an ice bath after the first two days of running. I took a warm soak with epsom salt. I was really cold at the end of these runs and it took forever for my body temperature to regulate. I was also starting to feel the beginnings of poison ivy/oak starting to irritate my skin. More on that later.....

Western states training runs - Memorial weekend Day 1

So, last week we headed to California to run the Western States training runs. By "we" I mean Bruce, Allen, Denise, and me. We were running 30 miles on Saturday, 20 miles on Sunday and another 20 on Monday. We were doing all of this on the actual race course for Western States. This run gives runners an idea of what to expect on race day. Also, you get to run the portions of the trail that you will be doing in the dark on race day.

Bruce and I arrived at about 8:30 pm and met Denise and Allen at the car rental counter. We then made a quick stop at the grocery for running supplies. We finally got to the hotel and ready for bed at about 11 pm. The buses for the next day's run left at 7:30 - so we still got a fair amount of rest.

First morning! Excitement in the air. It was a chilly 48 degrees. We were informed that due to the large quantities of snow in the high country, we would have to run an alternate route that did not include "Devil's Thumb." Devil's thumb is the hardest climb and the place where most people drop out of the race. It is a psychological advantage to do it in training. I will not have that luxury.

Me, Tim, Bruce and Allen (in back)

We are all standing around and we see Tim Twietmeyer standing at the start. Bruce is his FB friend and Tim knew we were coming. We got some photos, training tips, and we were off on the buses. Denise opted to volunteer that day (which would turn out to be a fabulous choice- she was a mover and shaker and made lots of important contacts. Not to mention all the training, crewing and running tips.) When we got off of the bus, it was just go whenever you want. Bruce, Allen, and I take off. Next thing I know, we are running with Tim Twietmeyer!! I know that I am a trail running geek- but it was really fun to run next to one of the best for the first two miles. Bruce and Allen decided to run together and I headed off on my own. I met a lot of great people on the trail- everyone has a tip or two about running "States."

We ran from Green gate to Foresthill, then up to Michigan Bluff, turned around and came back to Foresthill. Essentially, we ran part of the course In the reverse direction and then came back. At least we got a lot of climbing! Allen claims that it was 80/20 climbing to downhill (of course for the rest of the weekend everything was 80/20 or 20/80 according to Allen). I don't know about all that- but it was a LOT of climbing. I came in at 6:33, 30.5 tough miles; I even finished in front of Tim! (Of course he stopped for over an hour at aid stations....but still). :).

We all spotted Gordy Ainsliegh (founder of the race) on the trails going in the opposite direction.  Bruce and Allen stopped to chat and pose for photos on the trail (see photo on right).  Bruce finished in 8:30- Allen decided to stop at 18 (which may not have been such a bad idea when considering it as only the first day.) In all- an excellent run.

Course: Mountainous/ very hilly
Terrain: Moderate to very technical
Mistakes: Not washing off poison ivy right away (this will bite later- literally)
Lessons: My running coach's hill workouts do pay off. I passed tons of people on the uphills. Thanks Tim Neckar!!

Bel Monte 50 Mile 03/26/11

This race report could be filed under the heading, "What the hell was I thinking?"  This 50 mile race boasted over 11,000 feet of elevation change in the 50 mile and just over 7,000 feet for the 50K.  I thought this would be a good way to get some mountain miles in while not dealing with the altitude issues. I was certainly right about that.

Since I was complaining about my last race at Seneca Creek being a 'flat' course-- I had nothing to complain about in this race.  I did the 50 mile race and Bruce did the 50K.  The time limit for the 50 mile was 13 hours (changed the week of the race to 13.5) and the 50K had a 9 hour cut off.  This alone should have been a clue.

The course was the same for 50K and 50 mile people for about 17 miles, but Bruce and I were doing our own thing on race day, so after a quick kiss at the start we were on our way. I started the race with my buddy Casey, but I knew that he would be leaving me soon. (Casey chose this as his 50 mile debut-- what a freaking animal.)  We started out on the top of the dam. We headed out into the woods and I knew from reading the elevation chart that .78 miles in we would hit the first significant climb.  It was definitely significant. I determined that although I had done some other "difficult" races, I would be in for a new experience with this one.

There were times that the hills lasted over 4+ miles.  That is right, 4+ miles of walking straight uphill!  Some of the grades were as much as 7%!  Yikes, this was one tough race.  But the views, my God the views were iincredible-- so worth the effort.  This time, instead of wishing for more walking, I could not wait to get some good downhills going and get a break from walking.  I was amazed after so many miles of trudging up a mountain, that I could start running again and even run at a decent pace!   There were actually times in the later stages of the race that I was keeping a sub 10 minute mile.  I would have been able to keep a better pace if the trail was not so technical. Of all of the trail races that I have completed, I would have to say that this was definitely the most technical.  There were areas where you should have been able to run, but it was not runnable, there were so many rocks.  I learned to tackle some of these technical downhills - I was passing a lot of people on the downhills.  I could not believe it- I am a flat-lander!

The weather was another issue to overcome.  It was very cold in the morning (30s) and it warmed up quite a bit during the day.  I wore tights, a L/S tech shirt and S/S tech shirt, gloves, and a BB hat.  I felt perfectly dressed until much later in the afternoon/evening.  One of the last aid stations was at the top of a mountain.  I had placed a light jacket in my drop bag.  I picked it up on my way to the finish line (7 miles away).  What a great move- it got so cold, then it started sleeting, then it started snowing! Snowing....I decided it was time to kick it in gear and get off of this mountain, so I took off for the finish.

This was my slowest 50 mile finish at 12:19- but I was well within the 13.5 cut off and the 5th female overall. I was happy with my performance- plus this was a training run and I treated it as such.  I was also very happy to see that Bruce was waiting for me at the finish line (with his finisher medal around his neck!).  He finished the 50K in 8:30, which is incredible for the difficulty of the course.  Casey finished strong at 11:45- quite a feat for your first 50.  It was a great day, beautiful course, well-marked course, well-stocked aid stations and well organized. We enjoyed it so much, we are thinking of returning for the 100K in September!

Course: Mountainous, hilly, technical
Weather: Very cold at start, mild in afternoon, very cold in evening
Nutrition: No issues- but did not take in a lot of calories considering the length of the race
Hydration: No issues- but probably dehydrated due to minimal intake of fluid
Aches/Pains/Injuries: none 

Sencea Creek Trail 50K 03/05/11

So, when you are training for the biggest 100 miler of your life, running two 50Ks on back-to-back weekends does not sound like a bad idea.  In fact, it sounds like a pretty darn good idea--- at the time. We headed out for another local race, this time in Damascus, MD.  This is the same trail that I ran the Stone Mill 50 on back in November 2010.  I remember that when I ran Stone Mill people were commenting that the course was flat.  I thought that it was anything but flat.  What a difference a few months make!

I ran the race with Bob the whole time.  All I kept thinking is "WHY is this so flat? Where are the hills? Are we ever going to get to walk?"  This course was killing me.  I think it really is a flat course and there are not a lot of opportunities for walking.  The first time that I did this course, I used a run/walk plan and I do not do that anymore, so it seemed like we were never getting a chance to walk.  Bob and I ran along grumbling as we would switch off leading and following.  We finished in a respectable 6:23.  We were not trying to "race" just going along and chatting.  Casey finished in 5:20; Rob in 6:00 and Sara 6:14.  We stayed around for some after race snacks and headed back to Virginia.

Certainly a different experience than the first time I ran this race, but an enjoyable "training run" none-the-less. No injuries, no hydration or nutrition issues.

Hashawha Hills 50 km Trail Run- 02/25/11

A large contingency of runners- nicknamed "Team Gaylord" left from northern Virginia for the Hashawha Hills 50K in Westminster, MD, in the wee hours of the morning of February 25, 2011.  We had so many runners, that we needed two cars for the car pool to the race.  Rob, Sara, Jen and I met up in Arlington, and Toni, Bob, Denise and Casey met in Burke. We arrived at the race site, parked and headed into the heated Nature Center for the trail briefing. It was a good thing that we attended the briefing, as we learned important aspects of the race. For instance, there was one section that was "out and back"- on the first loop you had to pick up a thick rubber band, on the second loop you needed to get a skinny rubber band.  This ensured that you did the entire course and did not cut off any sections.  Good to know. 

The plan was for me to run with Bob and keep my pace under control.  As soon as we started, I found myself with Denise (we told Casey to go ahead-- and Rob was already gone) a little in front of the others.  Denise and I kept the pace, chatted, laughed, and generally had a good time.  Slowly we pulled ahead of the other group.  I decided that this was an easy pace and it would not negatively alter my race plan.  When we would see Bob, Toni and Sara- we would shout and yell our hellos then get going again.  Denise is a runner much like me in that she runs extremely consistently- we just loped along just living it up.  We did the first loop in 3:15- and headed out for the second. We ran the second at about the same pace as the first.  We finished in 6:40. We headed inside and found Casey and Rob hanging out.  We changed our clothes, ate some chili (even vegetarian for me!) and waited for the others to come in. Bob, Sara and Toni came in and we all sat around sipping cocktails and eating.  Nice run in a different location.

Course:  The course was runnable for the most part, small rolling hills and a couple of very steep ones thrown in.  There was one water crossing (we balanced on a log the first loop and went through it on the second....water was COLD).  There was a lot of ice and snow on some sections. Some sections were boggy and muddy - even more so on the second loop. You ran through the woods, in open fields, through bogs and along a creek. 

PS- I have been strong-armed into signing up for another 50K next Saturday. It is in Damascus, MD- some of the trails that I ran in the Stone Mill 50.  I will be curious to see how "hilly" I perceive it to be this time.