9/3/06
Drove to Kamloops, BC Saturday and stayed with Diane McKelvey, the same woman I stayed with for my trip to Blackfoot 100K. We had more time to chat and I found out that she is a vet who specializes in felines. She has four cats. I also met her son Alec, who at the age of 17, ran from Merritt to Kamloops, a 104K distance, in 2 days.
The race started at 7:45AM on Sunday, September 3. It was pretty warm already and the temps got into the upper 90s. We had to run 3 very difficult 11 mile loops. All told, there was 7700’ of elevation gain. The title for the race is a misnomer! It was definitely not a walk in the park! For those who have run at Lake Youngs, imagine that steep hill near the start but more technically challenging and about 50 of them for this entire run. It was craaaazy! Then add to that increasing warmth as the day goes on. I was soooo thirsty the entire run, even though I drank profusely. Everything tasted so good, except my Gatorade. But I wanted to make sure that I didn’t become hyponatremic, so that’s what I tried to drink mostly instead of water. At the last aid station with 7K to go, I downed a ton of water and Coke. I wanted to just stay there and drink and drink, but I had to get going. I passed a woman at the start of the second loop who finished the first loop before me, but she was fading fast. At the start of the third loop, she was quite a bit behind me, and I knew that all I needed to do to clinch third place was to keep moving forward. It took me 7 hours and 7 minutes. The first man was 6:12, followed by the first woman in 6:29, then the next woman with 6:55, then me. There were people there doing 1 and 2 laps. At the start, 30 runners had intended to do the whole thing, but when I left, 50% had what they call an honorable exit (HE), where they bailed after 1 or 2 loops. They don’t believe in DNFs there. Alec managed to finish 2 loops stating that he had not trained enough to run the whole thing. Boy, did I wish that I could have quit after two loops. By the third loop, my shins started to cramp. This was the only place that didn’t cramp at Eagle. I guess they felt left out and decided to cramp. That slowed me down enough that I couldn’t manage a sub-7hr finish. But no matter, I still came in 3rd woman to earn extra points for the Trophy Series. Plus, I have a 100 miler in 6 days. I needed to hold back a little. Maniac Al Harmon was there. He recently completed the Canadian Death 125K Race. I didn’t have time to stick around and see him finish, but it was good to see him. Diane finished despite little training after a torn meniscus in May.
This is low cost, low key event that I thoroughly enjoyed. Because it is in the Trail Runner Trophy Series, I decided to make the trip. The run itself would definitely beckon me to go back, but the distance to travel is significant. I was so wired after the run that I had no trouble with the 5 hour drive back home. Then I didn’t sleep a wink all night!
Monday, September 4, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
DNF at Where’s Waldo 100K
8/19/06
DNF (Did Not Finish). The three most dreaded letters for an ultrarunner. It’s worse than DFL (Dead F---ing Last). At least with that it means that you finished. My first DNF after 39 marathons and 50 ultras, courtesy of my asthma.
I felt pretty recovered from my double the weekend before at Crater and Haulin. My legs were not sore, and my blister had almost completely healed. I thought I had recovered from my asthma attack after Haulin, but a few warning signs still lingered. I did not tend to them as I should have.
I drove down Friday, set up my tent at the Odell Lake camp site, and attended the mandatory pre-race meeting at 7PM at the Willamette Ski Area Lodge after gorging myself with a great pasta feed. We were briefed about the course and other activities were done such as giving of gifts to key volunteers as well as the announcement of past winners and 5-year participants since the inception of the race. But, the most anticipated announcement was regarding the actual length of the course. This year, it was wheeled a couple times! There was also a contest for the nearest guess by entrants. It turned out to be a little over 66 miles! Next year, the race directors are going to place this race in the bid for the USATF 100K Trail Championships, and it has to be more accurate, so they’ll have to cut out that extra 4 miles. But for our race, it would be the longer distance, the same course ran in the first 4 years.
I decided to go for the early start with my goal only to finish this race, which I avoided in past years as I heard it is considered one of the tougher 100Ks. Actually, over 1/3 of solo and relay runners opted for the early 3AM start. I’ve never started this early, and the timing threw me off a little. My sleep was interrupted by a train that ran behind the lodge resort next to the camp sites! Plus I had this dream that I woke up to late to make the start. Perhaps that was a sign that I should not have even started. But off we went into the darkness with our headlamps and flashlights. The race starts at 5000 feet, never drops below that point, and climbs to nearly 8000 feet. It was pretty warm at the start, but as we got higher, it became a little cooler and I was glad to have my long sleeve shirt. No hats or gloves were needed. I didn’t have any problems with the altitude at the Crater run that got almost up to 8000 feet, so I did not have any concerns about that. My healed blister did not bother me as I was wearing a different pair of shoes. My breathing was fine at the start.
I ran with two others at the start behind them. I could see in my headlamp light that there was a lot of dust being kicked up. But there was not much I could do since I didn’t want to run alone in the dark and I didn’t want to run a faster or slower pace. So I sucked in a lot of dust at the start, which I feel eventually was the cause for my DNF. In addition, there was a fire on the other side of Waldo Lake and I did smell smoke at one point. Someone said later they did too and that there may have been particles just too small to see. People who did not have asthma complained that they were wheezing even without running.
We topped out on Mt. Fuji at approximately 15.5 miles with incredible views, including Waldo Lake, Twin Peaks, and Maiden Peak, the last two climbs of the race. They seemed very far away. As I continued running, I had more difficulty with my breathing. I used my inhaler before starting and during the run. But I started to get passed by people at about 19 miles because I was having a hard time even with the rolling terrain, most of which I felt was very runnable. The regular starters passed me just before the Charlton Lake at 33 mile aid station, including a guy named Gus from Salinas, California who passed me asking, “Are you Van Phan? You’re an internet superstar!” When I talked to him later, he said there were pictures of me he had seen. He was referring to the “Beer shot” of me laying on the ground with empty beer cans strewn all around me taken by Glenn T. on a CCC training run. That picture is also on the web site for Dirty Girl Gaiters with the caption reading “Van Phan, who leads the points total in the TrailRunner Trophy Series.” I guess my training secret is out!
At Charlton Lake, I had to sit down. I left that aid station thinking that it was not so dire yet and that I could tough it out, since I have been in this situation one or two times before. Hal Koerner passed me asking, “What’s this with the early start?” Krissy Moehl passed me looking very strong. The next section was long and hot. I was passed by even more people who were concerned about me. I was able to run most of the downhill but had to walk in between spurts of running. I was having difficulty with the flats and uphills. I arrived at the 38.2 mile aid station where the last access to get a ride out was available. This was where the race directors told us the night before that if you leave this aid station, you need to be sure you can finish. I debated whether to go on. In that last stretch, I knew that I could at least run the downhills. So I left with the plan to walk the flats and uphills and run the downhills. The only problem was that the following 8 miles before the next aid station was 4 miles of flat and rolling, then 2 miles up before 2 miles down.
I switched from hand held bottles to a hydration pack with all my needed preferences since no personal drop bags were available beyond this point. As soon as I tried to run a short downhill, the pack compressed my lungs enough for me to feel that perhaps I should have kept the hand helds and my waist pack, but then I couldn’t carry everything that I needed with me. By now, I was really having problems with even the flats. I passed three people sitting in the shade. I later found out they were the rescuers on horseback, but I didn’t see the horses because they were tied up in a nearby meadow. I kept using my inhaler like candy, but I was not gaining any ground, literally. I was moving so slow that I was in jeopardy of not making the final cut-off at the next aid station at 46.2 miles, even with my early start. I finally hit the climb to Twin Peaks, and after only a few steps of climbing, I knew I was done. It felt like I was climbing Mt. Everest without oxygen and carrying a 50 pound pack. (I’ve never done this, so what do I know?) Step. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Step. Pant, pant, pant. I had to stop several times to lean on a rock or tree. All I was trying to do was to get to the next aid station to tell them that I was dropping. But the truth of the matter was that I still needed to hike out 1.5 miles after I got to that point. I could barely walk 10 feet.
All this time, I was getting eaten by mosquitoes and biting flies because I could not move fast enough. I got so mad at them that eventually I let them make contact long enough so that I could squish them, even if it meant that I would be left with a bite. How dare these things make my life even more miserable that it already was. They were taking the oxygen-carrying blood I needed to help me breath. I later counted over 20 bites. Finally, a gal named Laurie, who was part of the Willamette Ski Patrol running the 2nd half of the race came upon me. She had a HAM radio and tried to contact the next aid station about me to get the horse rescuers to come get me. She was not able to get a good connection and had me sit while she hiked up to them. A few more people passed me and I asked where the horse people were. They were only 5 minutes back. So I hiked down to them.
I met Curtis, a firefighter/paramedic and the leader of the group, his wife Judy, an ER nurse, and their friend Steve. They said that they were expecting to see me again. I guess I did look as bad as I felt. I was to ride on Curtis’ horse, Andy, who was very big. I had to stand on a log to get on. He had to adjust the stirrups to reach my feet. I was instructed to hold onto the pommel and lean back when we went downhill and lean forward on the uphills. Andy was very skittish and stopped frequently without any apparent reason. He walked off trail several times where my leg almost got caught between a tree and him. I asked right off the bat if horses fall over frequently, concerned that I would get a broken leg trapped under a horse. Curtis said no, that they usually are able to right themselves when they get off balance. The ride out took 2 hours on some very technical terrain that I would have preferred to stand on solid ground rather than sitting up high on a large horse. However, my asthma improved as soon as I stopped trying to run, walk, or hike. And I got to know some good people. Only one other person had to be carried off the mountain in the history of the race, and that was last year because he was dehydrated. I now belong to a very exclusive group.
I came back to the finish area and was checked by the doctor there. Surprisingly, he didn’t hear any wheezing, even though I still felt pretty tight in my chest. He released me. But when I entered the medical tent, Hal Koerner was there with an IV. His stomach didn’t do too well and I guess that anyone who had stomach problems during the race had to get an IV, even if they finished and were doing okay. Hal was not so lucky. Like me, he did not finish either. In fact, I ran into a lot of people who dropped, all guys. I don’t know yet if another woman had to drop. I know it sounds bad, but I was relieved to hear that others did not finish. It’s not like I relished it, but I think there was some comfort in knowing that you were not the only one. I felt less isolated.
Some highlights of the run included Krissy Moehl, who took the overall win in a time of 11:18, shattering the women’s course record, set my Kami Semick in 2005 who had a time of 12:02. Also, Krissy’s time was only 9 minutes off the men’s course record set in 2005 by Andy Jones-Wilkins of 11:09. Maniac Sean Meissner set a new record for the Wet Waldo contest of just under 14 hours. This required him to completely submerge in 6 lakes during the run. He actually did not win the contest this year since he had to compete against relay runners that also got into all 6 lakes who had a better total time. That doesn’t seem fair. I think they should have prizes for both.
So overall, I was able to complete 44 miles. Other than a bruised ego and tired lungs, I felt fine afterwards. I’ve heard other runners say that a DNF is not such a big deal. That may be true if you did it early in your running career. But after such a long streak without one, it made it all the more difficult. I’ve toughed out hypothermia, frozen hands and feet, and muscle cramps, but when you can’t breathe, there’s not much else you can do. I’ll be back next year with a face mask!
DNF (Did Not Finish). The three most dreaded letters for an ultrarunner. It’s worse than DFL (Dead F---ing Last). At least with that it means that you finished. My first DNF after 39 marathons and 50 ultras, courtesy of my asthma.
I felt pretty recovered from my double the weekend before at Crater and Haulin. My legs were not sore, and my blister had almost completely healed. I thought I had recovered from my asthma attack after Haulin, but a few warning signs still lingered. I did not tend to them as I should have.
I drove down Friday, set up my tent at the Odell Lake camp site, and attended the mandatory pre-race meeting at 7PM at the Willamette Ski Area Lodge after gorging myself with a great pasta feed. We were briefed about the course and other activities were done such as giving of gifts to key volunteers as well as the announcement of past winners and 5-year participants since the inception of the race. But, the most anticipated announcement was regarding the actual length of the course. This year, it was wheeled a couple times! There was also a contest for the nearest guess by entrants. It turned out to be a little over 66 miles! Next year, the race directors are going to place this race in the bid for the USATF 100K Trail Championships, and it has to be more accurate, so they’ll have to cut out that extra 4 miles. But for our race, it would be the longer distance, the same course ran in the first 4 years.
I decided to go for the early start with my goal only to finish this race, which I avoided in past years as I heard it is considered one of the tougher 100Ks. Actually, over 1/3 of solo and relay runners opted for the early 3AM start. I’ve never started this early, and the timing threw me off a little. My sleep was interrupted by a train that ran behind the lodge resort next to the camp sites! Plus I had this dream that I woke up to late to make the start. Perhaps that was a sign that I should not have even started. But off we went into the darkness with our headlamps and flashlights. The race starts at 5000 feet, never drops below that point, and climbs to nearly 8000 feet. It was pretty warm at the start, but as we got higher, it became a little cooler and I was glad to have my long sleeve shirt. No hats or gloves were needed. I didn’t have any problems with the altitude at the Crater run that got almost up to 8000 feet, so I did not have any concerns about that. My healed blister did not bother me as I was wearing a different pair of shoes. My breathing was fine at the start.
I ran with two others at the start behind them. I could see in my headlamp light that there was a lot of dust being kicked up. But there was not much I could do since I didn’t want to run alone in the dark and I didn’t want to run a faster or slower pace. So I sucked in a lot of dust at the start, which I feel eventually was the cause for my DNF. In addition, there was a fire on the other side of Waldo Lake and I did smell smoke at one point. Someone said later they did too and that there may have been particles just too small to see. People who did not have asthma complained that they were wheezing even without running.
We topped out on Mt. Fuji at approximately 15.5 miles with incredible views, including Waldo Lake, Twin Peaks, and Maiden Peak, the last two climbs of the race. They seemed very far away. As I continued running, I had more difficulty with my breathing. I used my inhaler before starting and during the run. But I started to get passed by people at about 19 miles because I was having a hard time even with the rolling terrain, most of which I felt was very runnable. The regular starters passed me just before the Charlton Lake at 33 mile aid station, including a guy named Gus from Salinas, California who passed me asking, “Are you Van Phan? You’re an internet superstar!” When I talked to him later, he said there were pictures of me he had seen. He was referring to the “Beer shot” of me laying on the ground with empty beer cans strewn all around me taken by Glenn T. on a CCC training run. That picture is also on the web site for Dirty Girl Gaiters with the caption reading “Van Phan, who leads the points total in the TrailRunner Trophy Series.” I guess my training secret is out!
At Charlton Lake, I had to sit down. I left that aid station thinking that it was not so dire yet and that I could tough it out, since I have been in this situation one or two times before. Hal Koerner passed me asking, “What’s this with the early start?” Krissy Moehl passed me looking very strong. The next section was long and hot. I was passed by even more people who were concerned about me. I was able to run most of the downhill but had to walk in between spurts of running. I was having difficulty with the flats and uphills. I arrived at the 38.2 mile aid station where the last access to get a ride out was available. This was where the race directors told us the night before that if you leave this aid station, you need to be sure you can finish. I debated whether to go on. In that last stretch, I knew that I could at least run the downhills. So I left with the plan to walk the flats and uphills and run the downhills. The only problem was that the following 8 miles before the next aid station was 4 miles of flat and rolling, then 2 miles up before 2 miles down.
I switched from hand held bottles to a hydration pack with all my needed preferences since no personal drop bags were available beyond this point. As soon as I tried to run a short downhill, the pack compressed my lungs enough for me to feel that perhaps I should have kept the hand helds and my waist pack, but then I couldn’t carry everything that I needed with me. By now, I was really having problems with even the flats. I passed three people sitting in the shade. I later found out they were the rescuers on horseback, but I didn’t see the horses because they were tied up in a nearby meadow. I kept using my inhaler like candy, but I was not gaining any ground, literally. I was moving so slow that I was in jeopardy of not making the final cut-off at the next aid station at 46.2 miles, even with my early start. I finally hit the climb to Twin Peaks, and after only a few steps of climbing, I knew I was done. It felt like I was climbing Mt. Everest without oxygen and carrying a 50 pound pack. (I’ve never done this, so what do I know?) Step. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Step. Pant, pant, pant. I had to stop several times to lean on a rock or tree. All I was trying to do was to get to the next aid station to tell them that I was dropping. But the truth of the matter was that I still needed to hike out 1.5 miles after I got to that point. I could barely walk 10 feet.
All this time, I was getting eaten by mosquitoes and biting flies because I could not move fast enough. I got so mad at them that eventually I let them make contact long enough so that I could squish them, even if it meant that I would be left with a bite. How dare these things make my life even more miserable that it already was. They were taking the oxygen-carrying blood I needed to help me breath. I later counted over 20 bites. Finally, a gal named Laurie, who was part of the Willamette Ski Patrol running the 2nd half of the race came upon me. She had a HAM radio and tried to contact the next aid station about me to get the horse rescuers to come get me. She was not able to get a good connection and had me sit while she hiked up to them. A few more people passed me and I asked where the horse people were. They were only 5 minutes back. So I hiked down to them.
I met Curtis, a firefighter/paramedic and the leader of the group, his wife Judy, an ER nurse, and their friend Steve. They said that they were expecting to see me again. I guess I did look as bad as I felt. I was to ride on Curtis’ horse, Andy, who was very big. I had to stand on a log to get on. He had to adjust the stirrups to reach my feet. I was instructed to hold onto the pommel and lean back when we went downhill and lean forward on the uphills. Andy was very skittish and stopped frequently without any apparent reason. He walked off trail several times where my leg almost got caught between a tree and him. I asked right off the bat if horses fall over frequently, concerned that I would get a broken leg trapped under a horse. Curtis said no, that they usually are able to right themselves when they get off balance. The ride out took 2 hours on some very technical terrain that I would have preferred to stand on solid ground rather than sitting up high on a large horse. However, my asthma improved as soon as I stopped trying to run, walk, or hike. And I got to know some good people. Only one other person had to be carried off the mountain in the history of the race, and that was last year because he was dehydrated. I now belong to a very exclusive group.
I came back to the finish area and was checked by the doctor there. Surprisingly, he didn’t hear any wheezing, even though I still felt pretty tight in my chest. He released me. But when I entered the medical tent, Hal Koerner was there with an IV. His stomach didn’t do too well and I guess that anyone who had stomach problems during the race had to get an IV, even if they finished and were doing okay. Hal was not so lucky. Like me, he did not finish either. In fact, I ran into a lot of people who dropped, all guys. I don’t know yet if another woman had to drop. I know it sounds bad, but I was relieved to hear that others did not finish. It’s not like I relished it, but I think there was some comfort in knowing that you were not the only one. I felt less isolated.
Some highlights of the run included Krissy Moehl, who took the overall win in a time of 11:18, shattering the women’s course record, set my Kami Semick in 2005 who had a time of 12:02. Also, Krissy’s time was only 9 minutes off the men’s course record set in 2005 by Andy Jones-Wilkins of 11:09. Maniac Sean Meissner set a new record for the Wet Waldo contest of just under 14 hours. This required him to completely submerge in 6 lakes during the run. He actually did not win the contest this year since he had to compete against relay runners that also got into all 6 lakes who had a better total time. That doesn’t seem fair. I think they should have prizes for both.
So overall, I was able to complete 44 miles. Other than a bruised ego and tired lungs, I felt fine afterwards. I’ve heard other runners say that a DNF is not such a big deal. That may be true if you did it early in your running career. But after such a long streak without one, it made it all the more difficult. I’ve toughed out hypothermia, frozen hands and feet, and muscle cramps, but when you can’t breathe, there’s not much else you can do. I’ll be back next year with a face mask!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Crater and Haulin 2006 Race Report
8/12/06 and 8/13/06
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this sore from a weekend of running. The day after, I was walking down the stairs one step at a time. Perhaps it is finally the cumulative effect of all of my racing, but I think it is more that my body does not do well with road marathons. I had planned on signing up for the Super Triple (26, 26,72) instead of the Tahoe Triple, but after this weekend, it was apparent that I need to minimize my time on the roads. But I need them to get to my 52 this year. I plan on racing very few road marathons next year.
Our original group of five (Karen Wiggins, Chris Warren, Gayle Zorilla and her husband Ruben, and me) dwindled down to two. Unfortunately, Gayle’s father passed away and Chris did not sign up in time for Crater. So Karen and I drove down Friday 8/11 to Crater Lake. We had a nice stop for lunch at a thai restaurant before arriving at 4:30pm. We checked into the Whispering Pines Motel, a scary place right off of the busy highway 97. I don’t recommend staying there unless you don’t mind water coming out of the faucet that smells like urine. We did not shower there. We drove the course and knew that the next day was going to be a tough one. There was very little flat on the course. It was either up or down. We did not get to drive the last 4 miles that included the dreaded uphill climb on trails. The park was spectacular, however. Since there was no decent place to eat, Karen was kind enough to share with me her sandwich fixings for dinner. We were in bed by 9:30, but there was traffic all night on the highway. That night I dreamed that I had a DNF at Crater, a road marathon of all things! Not a 50 mile, 100K, or 100 mile, but a measly marathon! I woke up with that sense of relief that only comes with, “Oh, it was just a dream!”
Because our bib numbers were higher for not signing up early, we were required to catch the early shuttle to the start. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the pick up spot, no bathrooms were open or honey buckets present for all the runners scrambling to go. We boarded the buses and were dropped off in the clear morning with temperatures in the 30’s and a decent wind. The race did not start for another hour and twenty minutes and we were all frozen by then. Many maniacs were present to share in the misery. Finally we got moving on our numb feet with a reasonable uphill start for ½ a mile. Then it was downhill for 1.5 miles. After that it was up and down until mile 9.6. Then it was just up and up and up for the next five miles. I alternated running and walking by picking a rock or a tree to run or walk to. It worked out great because I finally caught up with Any Yanni. I believe that there is a 35-year-old body trapped in 52-year-old Amy. This woman is amazing. I don’t think I have finished before her in a marathon, at least not lately. We pretty much stuck near each other until the turn around at mile 14.5. Then she took off on the downhill. I stopped to tighten my shoes for the downhill and before I knew it, she was just a spot on the horizon. Already, my knees and quads were aching, and I wanted to scream down the hills, but I also knew that I needed to hold back for Haulin the next day. I passed one gal at the beginning of the downhill and another gal passed me a little later. I passed a few guys. There were these two guys that I was closing in at mile 19. Black shirt guy was in front of me and red shirt guy was in front of him. Red shirt guy stopped abruptly to massage his calves, I presume because they were cramping and black shirt guy and I passed him. Then I passed black shirt guy. Next thing you know, I hear someone huffing and puffing behind us and it’s red shirt guy trying to catch us. He passed us right before the aid station. He stopped to get a drink as I cruised through with my hand held water bottle and splashed some water on my head. I could hear him behind me coughing then dry-heaving. He obviously went out too fast and did not want to get passed. He later finished almost 20 minutes after me. Anyway, at 22.5 miles, we ran past the finish before the climb up a hill for 2 miles on trail. It seems almost cruel that the finish is right there and even crueler that this part of the race is in the end. Yes, the last 2 miles are downhill and is wonderful if you have anything left in you, which most people didn’t. I passed that girl who passed me on the downhill part. At the turn around, there was a girl up ahead almost a minute before I got to the turn around. But as soon as I reached it, I was on a mission to get under 4 hours. As I was running past her, I yelled, “Come on, you can get sub-4! Let’s go!” I could tell that she tried to follow me, but I’m a pretty fast downhill runner and I eventually lost her. She did go on to finish sub-4 and thanked me later for pushing her. I finished in 3:56 and 3rd in my age group. Amy was 3rd woman. Terry Sentinella was the first Maniac to finish even after coming back from an injury. I think his time was 3:18. For the most part, the Maniacs performed well, but we all agreed that Crater is a pretty brutal course. After all that uphill for 5 miles, your legs are pretty much mush for the downhill section. I had some post race food then soaked in the little stream at the end for 10 minutes in very, very cold water that made my toes ache so severely that I could barely stand on them after getting out. But I needed to for the next day.
Karen and I left Crater at about 1:30 and drove to Bend. We went to Foot Zone for our packets and saw Slug and Bill Barmore. We told them that we were headed for Sean Meissner’s house for a pasta feed, but they already had plans. Karen and I checked into the Red Lion Inn, much better than the Whispering Pines and showered. We arrived at Sean’s at 6:30. Maniac Phil DeYoung was already there. It was just the four of us, but we had a nice cozy dinner chez Sean’s. He prepared a wonderful meal of whole wheat linguine with his mother’s special sauce, spinach salad, and bread. Sean agreed that Crater is the hardest marathon that he has ever run. Good, I didn’t feel so bad about my time. The party broke up at 8:30 since we needed to rest up. Karen and I were again in bed by 9:30 with sleep a little easier from wasting ourselves earlier in the day. No DNF dreams this time.
We were up again early (4:45) to catch the shuttle to the start. Again it was cold in the 30s. But this time, the wait was not as long for the start. Everyone kept coming up to me and saying, “You must be Pigtails!” I wonder if they know my real name. Even a guy from Canada recognized me from Blackfoot and told me that I was even the talk of the town where he lived! The marathoners started at 7AM and the half would not start until 9:30. I saw lots more maniacs glowing in their bright yellow jackets and hats. We started out with numb feet and hands again on a short section of road until it turned into trail for the rest of the run. Although I was stiff, I felt I was running pretty well. I was surprised to see a couple maniacs dash out in front. Lesa Overfield looked strong. Monte Fus took off after telling me before the start that he hurt his ankle and was going to see how things went. Eric Barnes was gone and I never saw him again. I ran with my friend and age group competitor Wendy Jacobs for the first 5 miles, then she took off on the uphill like always. I never saw her again either until the end. It was about then that I caught up with Lesa. She had a good race. I caught Monte at about mile 10. One girl passed me on the uphill and I passed at least 2. I passed a couple of guys, too. I was feeling surprisingly strong after all the pounding the day before and ran most of the uphill before the descent. As soon as I started down, I took off, but already I was starting to feel that my tank was becoming empty. I just could not replenish myself fast enough. I was still burning calories from Crater. Although I did pass one girl on the downhill, I told her as I was passing her that she would catch me on the flats, and sure enough she did. I knew that I could not sustain that pace needed to stay in front of her. In addition, at the 17 mile aid station, I was disappointed to learn that I still had 9 miles to go. I thought I was closer than that. So I scaled back a little and let her go to avoid bonking too early before the finish. But then I arrived at the 20 mile aid station earlier than expected and realized that the 17 mile aid station was probably more like 18.5. By then, I had lost some ground on her. Every time I took in a GU, it disintegrated in 5 minutes. So I had to just dig deep to keep moving. The downhill helped, but there was still plenty of flat and a few short sections of up. Was there any pain? Absolutely! Although on trail, my quads were pummeled at Crater and were still betting a beating. I came upon this guy, and after seeing me behind him, he picked up the pace. But, eventually, I caught him in 10 minutes. Again, here was another guy who did not want to be passed by a girl. I remembered him taking off in the beginning and knew that I would see him again. The half marathoners joined us with 5 miles to go and it was unnerving to hear foot steps behind me. But they were moving at a much faster pace and it was fairly easy to know it was them and not worry that it was another marathoner. The last 2 miles brought more pain as I could feel a sharp pain from a blister on the bottom surface of my left 4th toe. I maintained my position for the rest of the race until I passed another girl with less than 2 miles to go. With a few hundred feet to go, I saw a different girl behind me and ran in as fast as I could. Turned out she was in the half. That last sprint at the end sent me into an asthma attack. I came in 10th woman and 2nd in my age group with a time of 4:07. Last year, my time was 3:57, but I had not run Crater the day before. I think I was the first maniac finisher of those who did the double. Eric Barnes was the first Maniac to finish Haulin in a time of 3:58. Karen finished both races in 4:50. I told her that at least she was consistent and probably ran a better second race than most of us who had longer times at Haulin. We received cowbells for our finishers medal and a one-liter Nalgene bottle with the Haulin insignia on it, the best schwag I’ve received for a marathon lately. I just love this race! Great post-race food and atmosphere. After I caught my breath, I was interviewed by the local paper. I mentioned the Marathon Maniacs but he did not include that little bit of information in his report. Check out www.bendbulletin.com. Then after that, I ate and sat in the stream for 10 minutes, which was slightly warmer than at Crater. Karen and I hit the road at 1:30 and did not get back to Tacoma until 8 due to all the traffic. What a weekend!
I’m still ahead of schedule with 34 marathons/ultras. Next weekend (8/19) is Where’s Waldo 100K, then 8/26 I’ll be pacing someone 50+ miles at CCC, then 9/3 Walk in the Park 50K, then 9/8 Lost Soul 100 mile, then 9/16 Cle Elum 50K, then I have a week-end off, then the quad with Tahoe Triple and Auburn marathon the week-end of 9/28-10/1. Whew!
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this sore from a weekend of running. The day after, I was walking down the stairs one step at a time. Perhaps it is finally the cumulative effect of all of my racing, but I think it is more that my body does not do well with road marathons. I had planned on signing up for the Super Triple (26, 26,72) instead of the Tahoe Triple, but after this weekend, it was apparent that I need to minimize my time on the roads. But I need them to get to my 52 this year. I plan on racing very few road marathons next year.
Our original group of five (Karen Wiggins, Chris Warren, Gayle Zorilla and her husband Ruben, and me) dwindled down to two. Unfortunately, Gayle’s father passed away and Chris did not sign up in time for Crater. So Karen and I drove down Friday 8/11 to Crater Lake. We had a nice stop for lunch at a thai restaurant before arriving at 4:30pm. We checked into the Whispering Pines Motel, a scary place right off of the busy highway 97. I don’t recommend staying there unless you don’t mind water coming out of the faucet that smells like urine. We did not shower there. We drove the course and knew that the next day was going to be a tough one. There was very little flat on the course. It was either up or down. We did not get to drive the last 4 miles that included the dreaded uphill climb on trails. The park was spectacular, however. Since there was no decent place to eat, Karen was kind enough to share with me her sandwich fixings for dinner. We were in bed by 9:30, but there was traffic all night on the highway. That night I dreamed that I had a DNF at Crater, a road marathon of all things! Not a 50 mile, 100K, or 100 mile, but a measly marathon! I woke up with that sense of relief that only comes with, “Oh, it was just a dream!”
Because our bib numbers were higher for not signing up early, we were required to catch the early shuttle to the start. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the pick up spot, no bathrooms were open or honey buckets present for all the runners scrambling to go. We boarded the buses and were dropped off in the clear morning with temperatures in the 30’s and a decent wind. The race did not start for another hour and twenty minutes and we were all frozen by then. Many maniacs were present to share in the misery. Finally we got moving on our numb feet with a reasonable uphill start for ½ a mile. Then it was downhill for 1.5 miles. After that it was up and down until mile 9.6. Then it was just up and up and up for the next five miles. I alternated running and walking by picking a rock or a tree to run or walk to. It worked out great because I finally caught up with Any Yanni. I believe that there is a 35-year-old body trapped in 52-year-old Amy. This woman is amazing. I don’t think I have finished before her in a marathon, at least not lately. We pretty much stuck near each other until the turn around at mile 14.5. Then she took off on the downhill. I stopped to tighten my shoes for the downhill and before I knew it, she was just a spot on the horizon. Already, my knees and quads were aching, and I wanted to scream down the hills, but I also knew that I needed to hold back for Haulin the next day. I passed one gal at the beginning of the downhill and another gal passed me a little later. I passed a few guys. There were these two guys that I was closing in at mile 19. Black shirt guy was in front of me and red shirt guy was in front of him. Red shirt guy stopped abruptly to massage his calves, I presume because they were cramping and black shirt guy and I passed him. Then I passed black shirt guy. Next thing you know, I hear someone huffing and puffing behind us and it’s red shirt guy trying to catch us. He passed us right before the aid station. He stopped to get a drink as I cruised through with my hand held water bottle and splashed some water on my head. I could hear him behind me coughing then dry-heaving. He obviously went out too fast and did not want to get passed. He later finished almost 20 minutes after me. Anyway, at 22.5 miles, we ran past the finish before the climb up a hill for 2 miles on trail. It seems almost cruel that the finish is right there and even crueler that this part of the race is in the end. Yes, the last 2 miles are downhill and is wonderful if you have anything left in you, which most people didn’t. I passed that girl who passed me on the downhill part. At the turn around, there was a girl up ahead almost a minute before I got to the turn around. But as soon as I reached it, I was on a mission to get under 4 hours. As I was running past her, I yelled, “Come on, you can get sub-4! Let’s go!” I could tell that she tried to follow me, but I’m a pretty fast downhill runner and I eventually lost her. She did go on to finish sub-4 and thanked me later for pushing her. I finished in 3:56 and 3rd in my age group. Amy was 3rd woman. Terry Sentinella was the first Maniac to finish even after coming back from an injury. I think his time was 3:18. For the most part, the Maniacs performed well, but we all agreed that Crater is a pretty brutal course. After all that uphill for 5 miles, your legs are pretty much mush for the downhill section. I had some post race food then soaked in the little stream at the end for 10 minutes in very, very cold water that made my toes ache so severely that I could barely stand on them after getting out. But I needed to for the next day.
Karen and I left Crater at about 1:30 and drove to Bend. We went to Foot Zone for our packets and saw Slug and Bill Barmore. We told them that we were headed for Sean Meissner’s house for a pasta feed, but they already had plans. Karen and I checked into the Red Lion Inn, much better than the Whispering Pines and showered. We arrived at Sean’s at 6:30. Maniac Phil DeYoung was already there. It was just the four of us, but we had a nice cozy dinner chez Sean’s. He prepared a wonderful meal of whole wheat linguine with his mother’s special sauce, spinach salad, and bread. Sean agreed that Crater is the hardest marathon that he has ever run. Good, I didn’t feel so bad about my time. The party broke up at 8:30 since we needed to rest up. Karen and I were again in bed by 9:30 with sleep a little easier from wasting ourselves earlier in the day. No DNF dreams this time.
We were up again early (4:45) to catch the shuttle to the start. Again it was cold in the 30s. But this time, the wait was not as long for the start. Everyone kept coming up to me and saying, “You must be Pigtails!” I wonder if they know my real name. Even a guy from Canada recognized me from Blackfoot and told me that I was even the talk of the town where he lived! The marathoners started at 7AM and the half would not start until 9:30. I saw lots more maniacs glowing in their bright yellow jackets and hats. We started out with numb feet and hands again on a short section of road until it turned into trail for the rest of the run. Although I was stiff, I felt I was running pretty well. I was surprised to see a couple maniacs dash out in front. Lesa Overfield looked strong. Monte Fus took off after telling me before the start that he hurt his ankle and was going to see how things went. Eric Barnes was gone and I never saw him again. I ran with my friend and age group competitor Wendy Jacobs for the first 5 miles, then she took off on the uphill like always. I never saw her again either until the end. It was about then that I caught up with Lesa. She had a good race. I caught Monte at about mile 10. One girl passed me on the uphill and I passed at least 2. I passed a couple of guys, too. I was feeling surprisingly strong after all the pounding the day before and ran most of the uphill before the descent. As soon as I started down, I took off, but already I was starting to feel that my tank was becoming empty. I just could not replenish myself fast enough. I was still burning calories from Crater. Although I did pass one girl on the downhill, I told her as I was passing her that she would catch me on the flats, and sure enough she did. I knew that I could not sustain that pace needed to stay in front of her. In addition, at the 17 mile aid station, I was disappointed to learn that I still had 9 miles to go. I thought I was closer than that. So I scaled back a little and let her go to avoid bonking too early before the finish. But then I arrived at the 20 mile aid station earlier than expected and realized that the 17 mile aid station was probably more like 18.5. By then, I had lost some ground on her. Every time I took in a GU, it disintegrated in 5 minutes. So I had to just dig deep to keep moving. The downhill helped, but there was still plenty of flat and a few short sections of up. Was there any pain? Absolutely! Although on trail, my quads were pummeled at Crater and were still betting a beating. I came upon this guy, and after seeing me behind him, he picked up the pace. But, eventually, I caught him in 10 minutes. Again, here was another guy who did not want to be passed by a girl. I remembered him taking off in the beginning and knew that I would see him again. The half marathoners joined us with 5 miles to go and it was unnerving to hear foot steps behind me. But they were moving at a much faster pace and it was fairly easy to know it was them and not worry that it was another marathoner. The last 2 miles brought more pain as I could feel a sharp pain from a blister on the bottom surface of my left 4th toe. I maintained my position for the rest of the race until I passed another girl with less than 2 miles to go. With a few hundred feet to go, I saw a different girl behind me and ran in as fast as I could. Turned out she was in the half. That last sprint at the end sent me into an asthma attack. I came in 10th woman and 2nd in my age group with a time of 4:07. Last year, my time was 3:57, but I had not run Crater the day before. I think I was the first maniac finisher of those who did the double. Eric Barnes was the first Maniac to finish Haulin in a time of 3:58. Karen finished both races in 4:50. I told her that at least she was consistent and probably ran a better second race than most of us who had longer times at Haulin. We received cowbells for our finishers medal and a one-liter Nalgene bottle with the Haulin insignia on it, the best schwag I’ve received for a marathon lately. I just love this race! Great post-race food and atmosphere. After I caught my breath, I was interviewed by the local paper. I mentioned the Marathon Maniacs but he did not include that little bit of information in his report. Check out www.bendbulletin.com. Then after that, I ate and sat in the stream for 10 minutes, which was slightly warmer than at Crater. Karen and I hit the road at 1:30 and did not get back to Tacoma until 8 due to all the traffic. What a weekend!
I’m still ahead of schedule with 34 marathons/ultras. Next weekend (8/19) is Where’s Waldo 100K, then 8/26 I’ll be pacing someone 50+ miles at CCC, then 9/3 Walk in the Park 50K, then 9/8 Lost Soul 100 mile, then 9/16 Cle Elum 50K, then I have a week-end off, then the quad with Tahoe Triple and Auburn marathon the week-end of 9/28-10/1. Whew!
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Pacific Crest Trail 50 Mile
7/29/06
Short Version:
8:42:22, 5th woman. First woman new CR 8:24, the next four women all within 10 minutes of each other (8:32, 8:34, 8:38, and 8:42). Perfect weather. Trail 99% single track, some dusty, some rocky and rooty, some sandy.
Longer version:
Drove down Friday, 7/28. Was to stay with Vicki Griffiths and Barb Macklow, ages 62 and 72, both running the 50 mile race. Many people that age can’t run 50 feet let alone 50 miles. These women are MY heroes. But the room in the historic Timberline Lodge was very small. Hardly any room to walk around in. Fortunately, I had a back up plan and had brought my large tent and cot to share a camp site with Wendy Jacobs and her husband in a campground ¼ mile from the start at Clackamas Campground.
Arrived at the campground at 6:00pm. Maniac Karen Wiggins was in the next site and helped me set up my tent; otherwise it would have been a show to see me deal with the tent rods. Met Maniacs Rob Cowen and Stephanie Day as well. They were all attempting their first 50 mile. Karen and Rob went on to finish. Before I left the race, I heard that Stephanie tripped over a rock or root and had an open fracture of one of her pinkie fingers according to Karen. They were on their way to the emergency room. Now, there’s a story for you. Hope she’s doing okay. I can just see the look on the ER doc’s face when he or she asked her how she did it. “Well, you see, I was running this 50 mile race when…” Spent some time with Bill Davenport, whom I met at March Mudness 100K. I also saw him at the Lake Youngs Ultra directed by Arthur. He ran the PCT last year as his first 50 mile and came back to better his time. He also is planning on running CCC in August. I’ll probably be pacing him at that race. Finally got to bed at about 10pm. Wendy and her husband arrived at 11. Was cold most of the night. Sleep was intermittent.
Woke at 5am. Broke down my tent figuring I would be too tired and sore to do it after the race. Looked like at least 50 starters at the 6:30 time. Early starters were at 5:30. Less than ½ mile start on road, then the rest was single track. Broke out to the front (about 10 in front of me) to avoid breathing in dusty trails and jockeying for a position once the trails started. Maniac Christel Elliot caught me at mile 5 and ran ahead to the first aid station. I never caught her and she finished strong in a time of 8:38. From mile 6-19, I did not do well. My legs were telling me that I had been racing too much and felt heavy. As a result, I tripped on a root. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I saw that I was going to land on a rock, so with my other leg, I pushed off of it to allow me to fly over the rock and travel a longer distance. In the process, I tucked my right shoulder in and did a somersault roll. Other than a road rash on my right palm, it didn’t look like I had fallen at all due to the dry trail. No dirt clung to my shirt and there were no witnesses to see my wonderful falling technique. Stephanie’s broken finger makes my fall seem like child’s play. That fall took a lot of gas out of me and Wendy caught me at the mile 14 aid station. I never caught up to her either, and she finished second woman in 8:32. My stomach was not feeling well during that stretch. I used the sani-can at the mile 19 aid station and from then on, I felt much better. (Some advice-if you are having stomach problems and have a chance to use a sani-can, even if by the time you get there you feel better, I suggest using it. It will almost always be worth the stop. It’s like stopping to get a rock out of your shoe. Yes, it will take some time and you may lose your position at the time, but in the end, it will save you valuable minutes. Okay, enough grossness).
My second half went much better than the first. After that stop, I was able to pick up the pace. I was following a 9:00 finish. The web site had a race specific pace chart, and in the first 19 miles, I was struggling to stay on track. But by the 25 mile turn-around, I was 2 minutes ahead of schedule. Mile 19-25 was faster than the chart. This race is supposed to have a negative split because the first half has about 3300 up and the second half 1800 up. I think few people were able to do that. It is an out and back, so the second half is mostly down, although I would describe the last 19 miles as mostly rolling. The 9:00 pace suggested 4:33 in the first half and 4:27 in the second, a negative split of 7 minutes. My first half was 4:31 and second 4:11, a negative split of 20 minutes. Now, that may mean that I could have run faster, but I didn’t want to push myself. I still have many more races to run this year. Although I never caught any of the girls in front of me, I had fun passing many of the guys who were in front of me at the turn-around. I’m pretty sure that Vicki and Barb finished because before I left, I had heard that they had gone through the last aid station with 6.1 miles to go and 2 hours to do it in.
I would recommend this as a great first 50 mile “trail” run. The setting is beautiful. There are only a few negatives. It could get very hot as it did last year where it was in the 90’s in the shade. We were fortunate with this year’s cool temps. The trail is mostly shaded, but can be dusty. The last mile up to Timberline Lodge is sandy and tiring to get up, but running down it was easy on the joints and fairly fast. There are a few major road crossings, and hopefully in the future they will place cross-guards at them. At one point, I heard a car slam on its brakes after I had crossed the road and was above the trail, but at the time that I crossed, there were also a lot of bikers on the road.
I want to thank everyone for their support in my leading the TrailRunner Magazine Trophy Series. But I learned about three weeks ago when I read the fine print that the person who wins the Grand Prize goes to the runner who has entered the most races, not for the most points. Believe me, I have gone over this in my mind many times and get more frustrated each time. When the magazine sent out e-mails early in the season tallying all the points, the emphasis was on points accrued, not the number of races run. In the results page on their web site, they also only list total points. If the prize was all about number of races, they should have included that statistic as well. Only in their last newsletter did they mention that this guy named Adam Blum is leading the number of races run. I never even thought about reading the fine print because it only seems logical that the reward should go to the person who runs more miles and places well. So my trip to Edmonton, Alberta will not help me to win the grand Prize. Yes I set a new women’s CR and a PR for that distance, and I will cherish those memories. I am still going to stick to my original plan: run 52 marathon/ultras this year and go for as many points as possible in the Trophy series. I will not be traveling to distant places to run a 5K and get another race in just to try to satisfy a rule that I don’t think makes sense. Well that’s enough rambling. Thanks for listening.
Short Version:
8:42:22, 5th woman. First woman new CR 8:24, the next four women all within 10 minutes of each other (8:32, 8:34, 8:38, and 8:42). Perfect weather. Trail 99% single track, some dusty, some rocky and rooty, some sandy.
Longer version:
Drove down Friday, 7/28. Was to stay with Vicki Griffiths and Barb Macklow, ages 62 and 72, both running the 50 mile race. Many people that age can’t run 50 feet let alone 50 miles. These women are MY heroes. But the room in the historic Timberline Lodge was very small. Hardly any room to walk around in. Fortunately, I had a back up plan and had brought my large tent and cot to share a camp site with Wendy Jacobs and her husband in a campground ¼ mile from the start at Clackamas Campground.
Arrived at the campground at 6:00pm. Maniac Karen Wiggins was in the next site and helped me set up my tent; otherwise it would have been a show to see me deal with the tent rods. Met Maniacs Rob Cowen and Stephanie Day as well. They were all attempting their first 50 mile. Karen and Rob went on to finish. Before I left the race, I heard that Stephanie tripped over a rock or root and had an open fracture of one of her pinkie fingers according to Karen. They were on their way to the emergency room. Now, there’s a story for you. Hope she’s doing okay. I can just see the look on the ER doc’s face when he or she asked her how she did it. “Well, you see, I was running this 50 mile race when…” Spent some time with Bill Davenport, whom I met at March Mudness 100K. I also saw him at the Lake Youngs Ultra directed by Arthur. He ran the PCT last year as his first 50 mile and came back to better his time. He also is planning on running CCC in August. I’ll probably be pacing him at that race. Finally got to bed at about 10pm. Wendy and her husband arrived at 11. Was cold most of the night. Sleep was intermittent.
Woke at 5am. Broke down my tent figuring I would be too tired and sore to do it after the race. Looked like at least 50 starters at the 6:30 time. Early starters were at 5:30. Less than ½ mile start on road, then the rest was single track. Broke out to the front (about 10 in front of me) to avoid breathing in dusty trails and jockeying for a position once the trails started. Maniac Christel Elliot caught me at mile 5 and ran ahead to the first aid station. I never caught her and she finished strong in a time of 8:38. From mile 6-19, I did not do well. My legs were telling me that I had been racing too much and felt heavy. As a result, I tripped on a root. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I saw that I was going to land on a rock, so with my other leg, I pushed off of it to allow me to fly over the rock and travel a longer distance. In the process, I tucked my right shoulder in and did a somersault roll. Other than a road rash on my right palm, it didn’t look like I had fallen at all due to the dry trail. No dirt clung to my shirt and there were no witnesses to see my wonderful falling technique. Stephanie’s broken finger makes my fall seem like child’s play. That fall took a lot of gas out of me and Wendy caught me at the mile 14 aid station. I never caught up to her either, and she finished second woman in 8:32. My stomach was not feeling well during that stretch. I used the sani-can at the mile 19 aid station and from then on, I felt much better. (Some advice-if you are having stomach problems and have a chance to use a sani-can, even if by the time you get there you feel better, I suggest using it. It will almost always be worth the stop. It’s like stopping to get a rock out of your shoe. Yes, it will take some time and you may lose your position at the time, but in the end, it will save you valuable minutes. Okay, enough grossness).
My second half went much better than the first. After that stop, I was able to pick up the pace. I was following a 9:00 finish. The web site had a race specific pace chart, and in the first 19 miles, I was struggling to stay on track. But by the 25 mile turn-around, I was 2 minutes ahead of schedule. Mile 19-25 was faster than the chart. This race is supposed to have a negative split because the first half has about 3300 up and the second half 1800 up. I think few people were able to do that. It is an out and back, so the second half is mostly down, although I would describe the last 19 miles as mostly rolling. The 9:00 pace suggested 4:33 in the first half and 4:27 in the second, a negative split of 7 minutes. My first half was 4:31 and second 4:11, a negative split of 20 minutes. Now, that may mean that I could have run faster, but I didn’t want to push myself. I still have many more races to run this year. Although I never caught any of the girls in front of me, I had fun passing many of the guys who were in front of me at the turn-around. I’m pretty sure that Vicki and Barb finished because before I left, I had heard that they had gone through the last aid station with 6.1 miles to go and 2 hours to do it in.
I would recommend this as a great first 50 mile “trail” run. The setting is beautiful. There are only a few negatives. It could get very hot as it did last year where it was in the 90’s in the shade. We were fortunate with this year’s cool temps. The trail is mostly shaded, but can be dusty. The last mile up to Timberline Lodge is sandy and tiring to get up, but running down it was easy on the joints and fairly fast. There are a few major road crossings, and hopefully in the future they will place cross-guards at them. At one point, I heard a car slam on its brakes after I had crossed the road and was above the trail, but at the time that I crossed, there were also a lot of bikers on the road.
I want to thank everyone for their support in my leading the TrailRunner Magazine Trophy Series. But I learned about three weeks ago when I read the fine print that the person who wins the Grand Prize goes to the runner who has entered the most races, not for the most points. Believe me, I have gone over this in my mind many times and get more frustrated each time. When the magazine sent out e-mails early in the season tallying all the points, the emphasis was on points accrued, not the number of races run. In the results page on their web site, they also only list total points. If the prize was all about number of races, they should have included that statistic as well. Only in their last newsletter did they mention that this guy named Adam Blum is leading the number of races run. I never even thought about reading the fine print because it only seems logical that the reward should go to the person who runs more miles and places well. So my trip to Edmonton, Alberta will not help me to win the grand Prize. Yes I set a new women’s CR and a PR for that distance, and I will cherish those memories. I am still going to stick to my original plan: run 52 marathon/ultras this year and go for as many points as possible in the Trophy series. I will not be traveling to distant places to run a 5K and get another race in just to try to satisfy a rule that I don’t think makes sense. Well that’s enough rambling. Thanks for listening.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
LAKE YOUNGS AND GATEWAY REPORT
7/22/06 and 7/23/06
I wasn’t planning on writing a report for this week-end’s races, but the story of this week-end was all about people, maniacs, courage, endurance, and HEAT! GAWD! Us PNWers just are not made for this kind of weather!
It started with the Lake Youngs Fund Raiser on Saturday, 7/22, put on by Tony Covarrubias to raise money for the Auburn Mountainview High School X-country team. They were able to raise over $1000! Yoohoo! It was a great turn-out with a lot of great people. Maniacs included Mary Hanna (maniac #299, her second ultra), Dave Murray (maniac #287, his second ultra, too, I think), tc (maniac #11, stud), tp! (main maniac #3, another stud), Nathan Greene (maniac #159, who did 4 loops, each 9.6 miles), Barb Blumenthal (maniac #268, who did great with a tight hamstring), Bill Barmore (maniac #215, who kept Barb company), Rick Haase (maniac #115, who has been dealing with sciatica I think), Robert “srlopez” Lopez (maniac # 111, who did his first ultra), Arthur Martineau (maniac #177 but not sure if he finished the whole distance-he was pushing a jogger with two of his kids!), Steve Yee (main maniac #1, the Prez!), Sue Fauerbach (maniac #7, Steve’s girl and better half), Stan Nakashima (maniac #176, always encouraging), Joe Tompkins ( maniac #292, nice to meet you!), Gayle Zorilla (maniac #235, studette), Rich Nelly (maniac # 321, who ran a fast time), and Karen Wiggens (maniac #296, who ran SOB 50K last week with her husband, who had severe muscle cramps and was forced by Karen to read my Eagle 100 mile report about my cramps). Maniac-wanna-be Cliff Richards (my very fast brother-in-law), kept Mary company and also ran his first ultra. I think Valerie Beyer is a maniac, but I couldn’t find her on the list, or my eyes were getting tired. Bill Ball was there (maniac?). Danielle, tc’s daughter ran one loop and looked like she was having way too much fun. I’m sure there were many more, and I’m sorry if I can’t remember you right now.
I had planned on meeting Dave at 6AM and run with him. He was planning on running 4 loops, me 3. But he got there at 5:30. I ran in the opposite direction that he took off on and met up with him, Lesa Overfield (maniac #49), and Dick Decker (maniac #307) in 25 minutes. Turned around with them and had a very humid warm up. I was able to keep cool with a wet bandanna wrapped on my head for the next three loops. Fortunately, it was overcast and remained relatively “cool” in the 80s. Dave decided to finish it with 3 loops as the heat was getting to him. Can’t blame him. He ran a good race and his splits were fairly consistent. But I needed to continue as I had only run 2 ½ loops at that point. So I took off and in about 5 minutes, I ran into tc, who was planning on going out for his third loop. So I went back to the start/finish area with him and ran the last loop with him. Good thing, too. He saved me from a barking dog that growled and showed his teeth to me halfway through. You’re my hero! (Eyes batting). So I ended up running 35 miles, which had me worried for my marathon the next day. My legs just ached! But Mary, Cliff, and I went and iced in the Cedar River and they felt as good as new.
Sunday, 7/23, drove to Elma for an 8AM start. But as I was pulling in on the last road, I saw that some runners had taken off at 7:30 due to the heat. I saw Cheri Gillis (maniac #12 and ever present) in that group. I also saw a woman that I did not recognize, but she looked strong. I wasn’t sure if she was running the full or half. There were many maniacs there. What would Bob Green do without us? We started at 8AM with clear skies and an already warm morning. I exchanged a few pleasantries with Greg Walchli (maniac #40) and Chuck Engle (maniac # 250 and also going for 50+ marathons in sub-2:50 or something crazy like that). Instead of an out-and-back, it was an out-and-back twice due to a “heat advisory.” Bob did not want runners to get stuck out there too far away. At the start of the race, I was very disappointed, but when I finished, I thought it was the right decision because it allowed the aid stations to be placed closer together, every 1.5 miles. Plus, you got to see everyone. The course was mostly flat with some slight inclines, although they were fairly long. I ran the first ¼ with srlopez (maniac #111) and we chatted about marathons and work. He is also going for 52+ this year. I thought our time was a little long for 6.5 miles (58+ minutes, I think). A woman accidentally erased my splits because she was taking the pulse of someone at the end to make sure he was okay. She was a paramedic, so it was okay. I decided to pick up the pace. Then I hooked up with Dave Conger (maniac #193) and Bruce Quam (maniac #195). They were from Port Orchard and are attempting to do all the marathons in Washington State this year (at least the ones recognized by Marathon Maniacs and MarathonGuide.com.) Because they stopped longer at the aid stations, I only ran with them for about 2-3 miles. I ran the second ¼ in 56 minutes, but I still felt my pace was faster than that, even with the heat. I started to pick up the early starters and noticed that the strong woman I that started ½ hour earlier was still looking strong and running my pace. I tried to look strong too and kept the same pace because my 3rd ¼ was about 56 minutes. However, according to my watch, I was not gaining on her. I saw the famous Larry Macon (maniac # 120, who did 70+ marathons last year, but didn’t get to talk to him). Jim Boyd (maniac # 122) was as chipper as always. I finished the last ¼ in about 56 minutes, so my splits were consistent. Not bad for temperatures that reached 95, but more like 100 on the roads. There was very little shade and my last 5 miles were scorchers. I was really starting to worry about the people still out there, some with over 10 miles to go and mostly walking, making there time out there even longer. I finished 3:46, first woman. I was able to gain on Jo, I found out her name in the results. She finished 3:51. Still a great time under those conditions.
After I finished, I hydrated, ate some strawberries, and soaked in the somewhat murky lake (I’m very spoiled by our crystal clear Cedar River and perfect temperature for “icing”), that was teeming with kids and probably urine. Next time you see me, you’ll think I look like a raccoon. At least I know my sunglasses block out the UV rays and protect my eyes. I’ll just get skin cancer, that’s all.
I decided to drive out and check up on the rest of the runners. I grabbed a couple cold water bottles and headed out. Dave Bridgeman (maniac #170), who I met after the race, was approaching an aid station and still looking okay, so I didn’t stop for him. I next saw Jason ? (maniac #?), who puts on the United We Run marathon from Kent to Alki in November, and gave him one of the cold water bottles. He was thankful. I then stopped for David Jones (maniac # 56), who is over 60 and ran in the Rainier to Pacific relay on Friday and Saturday, and gave him the other cold water bottle. He said I was a lifesaver. Then it was Barefoot Todd (maniac # 210). He was not running barefoot, but who could on the hot asphalt that could fry an egg? The night before I had frozen 2 water bottles and placed them in my cooler to enjoy on the ride home. But he needed it more now and I gave him one of them. The look on was face was worth it. Finally, I ran into two girls at one of the aid stations. I asked if they had any problems cramping and offered them salt capsules, but they weren’t and declined. But I gave one of them the other ice bottle and the other girl a bottle that we filled with cold water there at the aid station. They were so cute! Christina Bruce (maniac #322), I heard, is only 13 years old. With her was her sister (I don’t know how old she was, but she couldn’t have been far from 13), who was trying to qualify for the maniacs, I think with this race, but not sure. I later passed their father Tim Bruce (maniac #249) who said that Christina doubled back and did an extra three miles to run her sister in! What a great kid. You just can’t teach kids that kind of character these days. It has to do with good parenting, too, I’m sure. Later I was worried that they might have only hydrated with water, but hopefully their father had taught them to take in Gatorade as well. My intention with the water bottles was for them to use them to cool their skin. Hyponatremia is a concern in the hot weather. But when I checked with them with 7 miles to go, they were in good spirits, smiling, and walking rather than pushing it with running. Finally, I saw Barefoot Jon (maniac #209), who was not running barefoot as well but running in flip-flops! He had a couple water bottles and was well-prepared. Good thing, I had run out of water bottles. The rest of the people on the course had crew with them, so I was less worried about them. Just out of curiosity, I started my odometer at the turn around point and drove back to the start. It seemed a little long. I think the slower times reflected more the heat than the extra distance.
I stuck around to see David and Jason finish, but then I left. I hope everyone made it back safely. Way to gut it out you maniacs! See you at the races! By the way, that made it 31 for the year. I’m ahead of schedule!
I wasn’t planning on writing a report for this week-end’s races, but the story of this week-end was all about people, maniacs, courage, endurance, and HEAT! GAWD! Us PNWers just are not made for this kind of weather!
It started with the Lake Youngs Fund Raiser on Saturday, 7/22, put on by Tony Covarrubias to raise money for the Auburn Mountainview High School X-country team. They were able to raise over $1000! Yoohoo! It was a great turn-out with a lot of great people. Maniacs included Mary Hanna (maniac #299, her second ultra), Dave Murray (maniac #287, his second ultra, too, I think), tc (maniac #11, stud), tp! (main maniac #3, another stud), Nathan Greene (maniac #159, who did 4 loops, each 9.6 miles), Barb Blumenthal (maniac #268, who did great with a tight hamstring), Bill Barmore (maniac #215, who kept Barb company), Rick Haase (maniac #115, who has been dealing with sciatica I think), Robert “srlopez” Lopez (maniac # 111, who did his first ultra), Arthur Martineau (maniac #177 but not sure if he finished the whole distance-he was pushing a jogger with two of his kids!), Steve Yee (main maniac #1, the Prez!), Sue Fauerbach (maniac #7, Steve’s girl and better half), Stan Nakashima (maniac #176, always encouraging), Joe Tompkins ( maniac #292, nice to meet you!), Gayle Zorilla (maniac #235, studette), Rich Nelly (maniac # 321, who ran a fast time), and Karen Wiggens (maniac #296, who ran SOB 50K last week with her husband, who had severe muscle cramps and was forced by Karen to read my Eagle 100 mile report about my cramps). Maniac-wanna-be Cliff Richards (my very fast brother-in-law), kept Mary company and also ran his first ultra. I think Valerie Beyer is a maniac, but I couldn’t find her on the list, or my eyes were getting tired. Bill Ball was there (maniac?). Danielle, tc’s daughter ran one loop and looked like she was having way too much fun. I’m sure there were many more, and I’m sorry if I can’t remember you right now.
I had planned on meeting Dave at 6AM and run with him. He was planning on running 4 loops, me 3. But he got there at 5:30. I ran in the opposite direction that he took off on and met up with him, Lesa Overfield (maniac #49), and Dick Decker (maniac #307) in 25 minutes. Turned around with them and had a very humid warm up. I was able to keep cool with a wet bandanna wrapped on my head for the next three loops. Fortunately, it was overcast and remained relatively “cool” in the 80s. Dave decided to finish it with 3 loops as the heat was getting to him. Can’t blame him. He ran a good race and his splits were fairly consistent. But I needed to continue as I had only run 2 ½ loops at that point. So I took off and in about 5 minutes, I ran into tc, who was planning on going out for his third loop. So I went back to the start/finish area with him and ran the last loop with him. Good thing, too. He saved me from a barking dog that growled and showed his teeth to me halfway through. You’re my hero! (Eyes batting). So I ended up running 35 miles, which had me worried for my marathon the next day. My legs just ached! But Mary, Cliff, and I went and iced in the Cedar River and they felt as good as new.
Sunday, 7/23, drove to Elma for an 8AM start. But as I was pulling in on the last road, I saw that some runners had taken off at 7:30 due to the heat. I saw Cheri Gillis (maniac #12 and ever present) in that group. I also saw a woman that I did not recognize, but she looked strong. I wasn’t sure if she was running the full or half. There were many maniacs there. What would Bob Green do without us? We started at 8AM with clear skies and an already warm morning. I exchanged a few pleasantries with Greg Walchli (maniac #40) and Chuck Engle (maniac # 250 and also going for 50+ marathons in sub-2:50 or something crazy like that). Instead of an out-and-back, it was an out-and-back twice due to a “heat advisory.” Bob did not want runners to get stuck out there too far away. At the start of the race, I was very disappointed, but when I finished, I thought it was the right decision because it allowed the aid stations to be placed closer together, every 1.5 miles. Plus, you got to see everyone. The course was mostly flat with some slight inclines, although they were fairly long. I ran the first ¼ with srlopez (maniac #111) and we chatted about marathons and work. He is also going for 52+ this year. I thought our time was a little long for 6.5 miles (58+ minutes, I think). A woman accidentally erased my splits because she was taking the pulse of someone at the end to make sure he was okay. She was a paramedic, so it was okay. I decided to pick up the pace. Then I hooked up with Dave Conger (maniac #193) and Bruce Quam (maniac #195). They were from Port Orchard and are attempting to do all the marathons in Washington State this year (at least the ones recognized by Marathon Maniacs and MarathonGuide.com.) Because they stopped longer at the aid stations, I only ran with them for about 2-3 miles. I ran the second ¼ in 56 minutes, but I still felt my pace was faster than that, even with the heat. I started to pick up the early starters and noticed that the strong woman I that started ½ hour earlier was still looking strong and running my pace. I tried to look strong too and kept the same pace because my 3rd ¼ was about 56 minutes. However, according to my watch, I was not gaining on her. I saw the famous Larry Macon (maniac # 120, who did 70+ marathons last year, but didn’t get to talk to him). Jim Boyd (maniac # 122) was as chipper as always. I finished the last ¼ in about 56 minutes, so my splits were consistent. Not bad for temperatures that reached 95, but more like 100 on the roads. There was very little shade and my last 5 miles were scorchers. I was really starting to worry about the people still out there, some with over 10 miles to go and mostly walking, making there time out there even longer. I finished 3:46, first woman. I was able to gain on Jo, I found out her name in the results. She finished 3:51. Still a great time under those conditions.
After I finished, I hydrated, ate some strawberries, and soaked in the somewhat murky lake (I’m very spoiled by our crystal clear Cedar River and perfect temperature for “icing”), that was teeming with kids and probably urine. Next time you see me, you’ll think I look like a raccoon. At least I know my sunglasses block out the UV rays and protect my eyes. I’ll just get skin cancer, that’s all.
I decided to drive out and check up on the rest of the runners. I grabbed a couple cold water bottles and headed out. Dave Bridgeman (maniac #170), who I met after the race, was approaching an aid station and still looking okay, so I didn’t stop for him. I next saw Jason ? (maniac #?), who puts on the United We Run marathon from Kent to Alki in November, and gave him one of the cold water bottles. He was thankful. I then stopped for David Jones (maniac # 56), who is over 60 and ran in the Rainier to Pacific relay on Friday and Saturday, and gave him the other cold water bottle. He said I was a lifesaver. Then it was Barefoot Todd (maniac # 210). He was not running barefoot, but who could on the hot asphalt that could fry an egg? The night before I had frozen 2 water bottles and placed them in my cooler to enjoy on the ride home. But he needed it more now and I gave him one of them. The look on was face was worth it. Finally, I ran into two girls at one of the aid stations. I asked if they had any problems cramping and offered them salt capsules, but they weren’t and declined. But I gave one of them the other ice bottle and the other girl a bottle that we filled with cold water there at the aid station. They were so cute! Christina Bruce (maniac #322), I heard, is only 13 years old. With her was her sister (I don’t know how old she was, but she couldn’t have been far from 13), who was trying to qualify for the maniacs, I think with this race, but not sure. I later passed their father Tim Bruce (maniac #249) who said that Christina doubled back and did an extra three miles to run her sister in! What a great kid. You just can’t teach kids that kind of character these days. It has to do with good parenting, too, I’m sure. Later I was worried that they might have only hydrated with water, but hopefully their father had taught them to take in Gatorade as well. My intention with the water bottles was for them to use them to cool their skin. Hyponatremia is a concern in the hot weather. But when I checked with them with 7 miles to go, they were in good spirits, smiling, and walking rather than pushing it with running. Finally, I saw Barefoot Jon (maniac #209), who was not running barefoot as well but running in flip-flops! He had a couple water bottles and was well-prepared. Good thing, I had run out of water bottles. The rest of the people on the course had crew with them, so I was less worried about them. Just out of curiosity, I started my odometer at the turn around point and drove back to the start. It seemed a little long. I think the slower times reflected more the heat than the extra distance.
I stuck around to see David and Jason finish, but then I left. I hope everyone made it back safely. Way to gut it out you maniacs! See you at the races! By the way, that made it 31 for the year. I’m ahead of schedule!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The Eagle 100 Mile Endurance Run
6/24/06
Short Version:
27:17:36. 3rd female, fourth overall. Fourteen starters, 6 finishers. Temps up to the low 100s. Severe muscle cramps of all the major muscles (yes, all) at mile 32. First 100 miler. Still no DNF. 27th marathon/ultra this year.
Very, very long version:
Longer race, longer report. This was my toughest physical and mental challenge yet. I know, I’ve said this before. Maybe I can re-phrase it to say “my toughest hot-weather challenge.” I did not have any training in the heat prior to running this race. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Negative.
I was planning on running the Cascade Crest 100mile in August as my first. But because I was still leading the Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series (and still am, I think), I decided to enter the Eagle 100mile run since it was in the series and CCC was not. It was advertised as a great runner for novices. How could it not be with only 4400’ of elevation gain for the entire distance?
My husband Ken and I drove up Friday, June 23, at a leisurely pace. We visited some friends in Omak and went through the border crossing at Nighthawk, the smallest crossing either of us has been through. We arrived in Keremeos, BC past 5PM and set up camp at the Pow-Wow Ashnola campground. It was warm during the day, and I was worried about running in the heat. We drove the course, since 75 miles of it was on a forest service road and 20 miles was on paved road. The forest service road was gravel and for the most part followed the Similkameen River. It was a beautiful place and I was glad to find that the course on the forest service road was undulating. I had worried that it was going to be too flat. The road section was flat. It took us longer to drive the course than we thought and ended up finding the only open place for food was a carry-out pizza place. Keremeos is apparently a retirement city and everything closes at 6PM, even the grocery store. Got to bed at 10PM and slept fairly well to my surprise.
Woke up 5AM. Checked in at the race start at 6:30. At the start, there were fourteen 100 milers, eleven 50 milers, five 50K, and seven 25K. The race started at 7AM at the Tourism Office in town. There had been a few changes regarding the rules. One of them was that no crew persons would be allowed past the Lakeview Station at the 15.7 mile mark. This affected the 100 miles only since that would mean a long stretch before crew could meet up with their runners. So I had to give my drop bag to Moe, the race director, who was going to drive it up. Roughly the course was: run out 32 miles, run 25 miles partway back to the 7.5 mile mark, run out again 18 miles, then turn around and run back the last 25 miles to the start. I got my race number: 69. Now, I think that there are certain numbers that should not be allowed on the bibs like 13, 666, and 69. Ken said that he would not have any problems remembering that number.
We started on a 2.5 mile old rail bed that had very poor footing and I was thinking that it would be hard to not trip running this last section after having run 97 miles. There was a 10-15mph headwind. I thought I went out fairly conservatively, but this being my first 100 miler, apparently not slow enough for the heat that was to come. The next 5 miles was on a flat road that took us to the forest service road. There was an aid station at 7.5 miles at the Pow-Wow campground that I found many runners stayed at as well. Ken met me at the next two aid stations at 11.5 miles (Ewart) and Lakeview (15.7 miles). Originally, crew was allowed to meet their runners at the 25.7 mile SAR (Search and Rescue) aid station, since that was a long stretch. But due to the dusty road conditions, no crew was allowed past that point. I left Ken at the 15.7 mile mark smiling, feeling good, and leading the 100 mile race. That there should tell you that I had gone out too fast.
I arrived at SAR-25.7 miles before Moe could get there with my drop bag and left it with less electrolytes tablets than I needed. So I was trying to conserve them before I got to the next station 6.4 miles away at the turn around at 32 miles, which meant that it was going to be 12.8 miles until I could get back to SAR where I was hoping my drop bag would be when I returned. I was starting to get a few small twitches in my calves and with the sun directly above with little shade, my e-cap supply was looking bleak. Moe then showed up in his Jeep 3 miles from the turn around and had my drop bag with him. I took the supplies I needed, but I’m afraid the damage had already been done unbeknownst to me. By that point in the race, Peter from Vancouver, BC was a little ahead of me and was leaving the 32 mile station as I was arriving. I asked him if he was having any problems with cramping yet. He said no. That had me worried. I was offered soup and all the salt that came with it, but I could not fathom eating something hot in 90 degree weather. In hindsight, I don’t know if eating that soup would have made any difference in what was to happen to me next.
I left the aid station hoping to catch up with Peter so that we could run together. Chad, another runner from Vancouver was coming in as I was leaving and also said he was not having any problems cramping. I got a quarter mile up the road and had another twitch in my right calf. Then before I knew it, the entire calf muscle cramped-full Charlie horse, drop me to the ground cramp. “Aaaaargh!” I screamed in agony towards the mountain. I grabbed it immediately and tried to massage out the cramp. It took over two minutes to relax enough for the pain to improve. The muscle was still twitching and threatening to cramp again. Now, I’ve never been though labor, passed a kidney stone, or broken anything major, but this was one of the most severe pains I have had. I laid there with my legs sprawled on the ground as Chad passed by. He asked if I was okay, and I said no. I told him I just needed to drink more and take some more e-caps. He moved on, but within another couple minutes, my other calf did a full Charlie horse and I screamed even louder.
As I laid there massaging the left calf muscle and afraid to move any other parts in my body, I was thinking it was over for me. Most of the rest of the 100 milers rolled in. Barb Owen, the eventual winner, told me that she was going to the aid station but when she got back, she was going to get me and we would finish together. How? I couldn’t even stand up. More runners arrived, including June Gessner, the second finisher, and a couple guys who unfortunately did not finish but were very nice and helpful. June helped me take another 2 e-caps. Barb returned and the four of them were telling me what I needed to do. First, I needed to get out of the sun and into some shade. Next, I needed to get some cold water on me to cool me and my legs down. The only problem was I could not stand up for fear that I would cramp. My right calf cramped a second time and June and I were to trying to massage it out as the others found a small area of water to soak my bandanna. In addition, a few muscles in my back and my forearms cramped. Finally, they decided to ignore my protests and stood me up. As soon as they did that, my left quad did a full Charlie horse. They tried to massage it out but to no avail and marched forward. The four of them lifted me off my feet and carried me to the nearest shade across the road and laid me there. I was screaming and trying to apologize and thank them all at once. I was worried one of them would cramp just picking me up. When they lifted me up, the non-weight bearing helped my right quad relax.
After they got me into the shade, Peter from the 32 mile aid station (not to be confused with the one who was running and in front of me) pulled up in his van and suggested the other runners move on with their race. As Barb was leaving, she said, “It’s not over. I’ve crewed at Badwater before and seen this happen to many runners and they recover and finish the race.” Wow, “You mean it’s not over for me?” I thought. As Peter was trying to get me to stand up to get into the van, my right calf cramped up again. He grabbed my foot immediately and pointed my toes towards me and the cramp went away. Somehow, I remembered then that that is what you are supposed to do when a muscle cramps. Stretch it, don’t massage it. But in my pain, I was not thinking straight. However, stretching my calf tightened my right quad and that started to cramp. When everything seemed to be relaxed enough, we attempted to stand me up. But as soon as we did, both of my hamstrings cramped and he had to pick me off the ground and put me in the front passenger seat. He said that there was no way I would be able to run again. He drove me a quarter mile back to the aid station. But I was stubborn and told him that I was not ready to quit yet. He was not able to radio search and rescue about my situation and had to drive down to SAR to call Ken. They allowed Ken to drive out there to meet me and decide what to do. During that time it took for Ken to get to me, I hydrated and took more salt and e-caps in. I was able to gently walk around slowly. Each step I took had to be very controlled because my calves were twitching. I had no further problems with my quads, hamstrings, arms, or back. My calves were the limiting factor. At one point, I told Renata, the other aid station worker there and Peter’s wife, that I saw two runners approaching the aid station. But she looked and saw no one. Great, I was hallucinating now.
From the time I cramped to the time I left that aid station, 2 hours had passed. Now I had the arduous task of finishing the last 68 miles. Could I do it? The sun was still shining brightly and shade was scarce. As I was hobbling down the road to meet Ken, I started crying, but it was short lived since I was losing fluids and salt at the same time with my tears. When Ken arrived in our car, I told him, “I don’t want to quit.” At first he thought I said that I wanted to quit, but I corrected him, which fits my style more anyway. I’ve never quit in the middle of a race. For the next 6.4 miles to the next aid station at SAR, Ken drove ahead a couple miles and waited until I caught up to make sure I did not cramp up again and collapse on the ground. I walked the first few miles, feeling cramps coming on in my calves and stopping to stretch them frequently. Then I realized that I had to start running again or else it would take me forever to finish. The 33 hour cut off was generous, but I wanted to spend as little time out there as possible. So I started trotting, barely getting my feet off the ground but making more distance than walking. I’d have to stop to stretch, but jogging seemed to stretch it out too as long as the grade was flat or slightly downhill. The uphill sections tightened my calves up more.
I finally arrived at the SAR station, now at mile 38.4. It had taken me 4 hours to cover that last 6.4 miles. The people at that aid station were surprised to see me. There were rumors that I had quit. I had some salty soup, got my supplies, soaked my handkerchief and hat in cold water and was on my way. Ken would drive to the next aid station and meet me there. All the while, I was taking in my GU, downing e-caps like they were pain pills, and hydrating. But my cramping sensation never let up. My stomach was very bloated and I felt like I was not absorbing my fluids. Like Meghan at Western, I felt I was gaining weight. However, I was able to continue the rest of the race without a Charlie horse, so I guess something was working. I actually was running all the downhills and most of the flats. I was gaining on the people in front of me, something I did not expect after having lost all that time.
At about mile 50, I was at the top of a hill and saw a cougar cross the road at the bottom of it 50 yards away. Great, I thought. Just what I need. Here I am just barely moving along. What a better target than a slow ultrarunner my size? It did not see me, but I saw it very clearly. I know I was not hallucinating this time. I saw its long tail and cat-like body. It crossed the road at a very leisurely pace. So I was not sure if it kept going into the woods or just stopped next to it. I hid myself in the bushes and tried to see if it climbed up the hill. There were too many bushes and I never spotted it again. But I just stood there for at least 5 minutes wondering what to do. I had my pepper spray, but it would have to get pretty close to me before I could get it in the face. I started to panic thinking I had nowhere to go. I was hoping a car would drive by and would see if they could escort me across the part of the road where it had crossed. Just as I was about to slowly go down the road, Ron, who was manning a small aid station before the next major one, was running towards me. I waved my arms frantically to motion him to stop, lest the cougar would run out after a moving object. We finally met up and I told him my description of the big cat. “Yep, that sure sounds like a cougar to me.” Ron was taking a little break from the aid station since there were so few people running the 100 miles and so far apart. He was planning on running about 4 miles but was happy to escort me to the next aid station. He was a really great guy and was so supportive for the rest of the race as we returned to the same aid stations 3 more times. He dropped me off at mile 52.5 (Ewart station) where Ken was waiting. I told them about my cougar encounter and they said that there had been some sightings recently.
Now I was more than halfway done. The next leg was more runnable. That was when I started seeing those in front of me because there was another turn around about 9 miles ahead of me. Frankly, I was surprised I had not seen someone sooner. Apparently, the two guys in front, Peter and Chad, had dropped out. I’m not sure why. I heard that Chad had gotten to 56.5 miles at the Pow-Wow campground and just couldn’t go on. Besides, that station was also where I think he was camping and I can see that it would be hard to resist the temptation of quitting and crawling into your tent. So the first person that I saw was Barb Owen, the woman who told me I could still do it. She was about 9 miles in front of me. Then June Gessner was next, about 1-2 miles after Barb. I encountered a few others, but it became clear to me that they were slowing down and I was catching them.
By the time I got to the 56.5 mile mark, it was getting dark and I took my headlamp out. We headed out for the last out and back section. When I arrived at the Ewart station again, now 60.5 miles, a father and daughter team decided to drop out. He was not feeling well. I had not entertained the idea of quitting any time after I decided to continue from mile 32. I was mostly thinking about breaking 24 hours, but that became less realistic as the hours passed away. I then started to wonder if I could catch some of the girls left and try to place 3rd. I knew I could not catch Barb or June, unless they had a major meltdown. I made good time during the night, mostly because I could not tell if I was running uphill, downhill, or flat if the grade was not too steep. So I did a fair amount of running. I finally made it to the SAR station, the last turn around point, now at 74.4 miles. I couldn’t believe that I only had a marathon distance to go. Every time I stopped at an aid station, I would get chilled and start shivering. So strange after dying of heat exhaustion for most of the day. I even saw my breath in my headlamp. By the time I got to that aid station, I had learned that a couple from Chicago had quit a while back. Now I was the third woman and all I needed to do was finish. There was a man and a woman behind me, but very far back. I had some very good hot soup there and headed out, counting my landmarks on the way to the finish, mostly the markers on the road that were one kilometer apart. Again, like Meghan, I started to pee like crazy and it was crystal clear. I didn’t quite understand what my body was doing.
I still had over 15 miles to go when the sun came up. I had to put my hat and glasses on again and it got hot fairly quickly. Before I knew it, I had to soak my bandanna again. The last 8-9 miles was back on the road. This was a very difficult part since there was no shade. The sun was already scorching again by 9AM. I left the last aid station running towards the sun on pavement that was already radiating heat, especially the recently re-paved section that was fresh black asphalt and very hot. From the aid station, it was five miles to the Red Bridge. I kept looking for it down the road, and every time I turned a corner and did not see it, my energy level would just drop. However, I must have been moving along pretty good because it looked like I was going to finish not long after 27 hours. After crossing the Red Bridge, the last 2.5 mile section was on that rail bed with very poor footing. But I kept chugging along, walking only a little of that section. I was so hot, but I knew the end was near. It was over 90 degrees by then.
I finally came into the finish line 27 hours and 17 minutes after I had started to the cheers of a fairly large crowd that had gathered there. I didn’t cry, I had nothing left. I sat down in a chair and was bombarded with people wanting to talk to me. I was not out of it. I had known for the last 19 hours after I had cramped that I was going to finish. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel proud or embarrassed about my run. On the one hand, I made the typical 100 mile novice mistake by going out too fast and paying for it dearly with cramps and a time that was slower than I had planned. On the other hand, I had a major setback and still was able to dig down deep and finish the race in a decent time.
We stayed for 30 minutes before heading back to the campground. We showered but could not even think about sleeping since it was over 100 degrees outside and our tent was just a sauna. The last two runners came through that last aid station at the campground with 7.5 miles to go after we finished our showers. Ken and I returned to the finish area for the awards ceremony and to watch them finish. Only one person got the coveted gold 24 hour buckle, Barb Owen, the overall winner. She ran 24:01:48, but was given the buckle since she spent about 10 minutes helping me through my cramps. The rest of us got a silver buckle, still very cool. The last two made it just under the cut-off with 30 and 15 minutes to spare. They deserve the most respect for being out there so long and enduring two days of heat. The second day was definitely hotter. As they were finishing the last 7.5 miles, the temperature was 97 in the shade, so well over 100 in the open. Out of 14 starters, there were only 6 finishers. I’m proud to have been one of them. I even got the “Sheer Guts” Award.
Ken and I drove 30 miles to Penticton since Keremeos had no decent place to eat, rather than going back to our tent, which was still hot. I did not have enough energy to finish my dinner and we had to leave because Ken said I looked like I was going to pass out at the restaurant. He said that on the drive back, I was delirious, saying strange things and freaking out. By the time we got back to the campsite and headed for our tent to go to sleep, both of us had been awake for over 36 hours. To me, we both did an ultra. I could not have done it without Ken and I owe him big time!
So there you have it. Now my count is 27 marathons/ultras this year. I have graduated to the 8 stars since the Last Chance Marathon helped me get 28 in 183 days. I’m still going to keep working towards 10 stars. Hope I have it in me!
Short Version:
27:17:36. 3rd female, fourth overall. Fourteen starters, 6 finishers. Temps up to the low 100s. Severe muscle cramps of all the major muscles (yes, all) at mile 32. First 100 miler. Still no DNF. 27th marathon/ultra this year.
Very, very long version:
Longer race, longer report. This was my toughest physical and mental challenge yet. I know, I’ve said this before. Maybe I can re-phrase it to say “my toughest hot-weather challenge.” I did not have any training in the heat prior to running this race. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Negative.
I was planning on running the Cascade Crest 100mile in August as my first. But because I was still leading the Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series (and still am, I think), I decided to enter the Eagle 100mile run since it was in the series and CCC was not. It was advertised as a great runner for novices. How could it not be with only 4400’ of elevation gain for the entire distance?
My husband Ken and I drove up Friday, June 23, at a leisurely pace. We visited some friends in Omak and went through the border crossing at Nighthawk, the smallest crossing either of us has been through. We arrived in Keremeos, BC past 5PM and set up camp at the Pow-Wow Ashnola campground. It was warm during the day, and I was worried about running in the heat. We drove the course, since 75 miles of it was on a forest service road and 20 miles was on paved road. The forest service road was gravel and for the most part followed the Similkameen River. It was a beautiful place and I was glad to find that the course on the forest service road was undulating. I had worried that it was going to be too flat. The road section was flat. It took us longer to drive the course than we thought and ended up finding the only open place for food was a carry-out pizza place. Keremeos is apparently a retirement city and everything closes at 6PM, even the grocery store. Got to bed at 10PM and slept fairly well to my surprise.
Woke up 5AM. Checked in at the race start at 6:30. At the start, there were fourteen 100 milers, eleven 50 milers, five 50K, and seven 25K. The race started at 7AM at the Tourism Office in town. There had been a few changes regarding the rules. One of them was that no crew persons would be allowed past the Lakeview Station at the 15.7 mile mark. This affected the 100 miles only since that would mean a long stretch before crew could meet up with their runners. So I had to give my drop bag to Moe, the race director, who was going to drive it up. Roughly the course was: run out 32 miles, run 25 miles partway back to the 7.5 mile mark, run out again 18 miles, then turn around and run back the last 25 miles to the start. I got my race number: 69. Now, I think that there are certain numbers that should not be allowed on the bibs like 13, 666, and 69. Ken said that he would not have any problems remembering that number.
We started on a 2.5 mile old rail bed that had very poor footing and I was thinking that it would be hard to not trip running this last section after having run 97 miles. There was a 10-15mph headwind. I thought I went out fairly conservatively, but this being my first 100 miler, apparently not slow enough for the heat that was to come. The next 5 miles was on a flat road that took us to the forest service road. There was an aid station at 7.5 miles at the Pow-Wow campground that I found many runners stayed at as well. Ken met me at the next two aid stations at 11.5 miles (Ewart) and Lakeview (15.7 miles). Originally, crew was allowed to meet their runners at the 25.7 mile SAR (Search and Rescue) aid station, since that was a long stretch. But due to the dusty road conditions, no crew was allowed past that point. I left Ken at the 15.7 mile mark smiling, feeling good, and leading the 100 mile race. That there should tell you that I had gone out too fast.
I arrived at SAR-25.7 miles before Moe could get there with my drop bag and left it with less electrolytes tablets than I needed. So I was trying to conserve them before I got to the next station 6.4 miles away at the turn around at 32 miles, which meant that it was going to be 12.8 miles until I could get back to SAR where I was hoping my drop bag would be when I returned. I was starting to get a few small twitches in my calves and with the sun directly above with little shade, my e-cap supply was looking bleak. Moe then showed up in his Jeep 3 miles from the turn around and had my drop bag with him. I took the supplies I needed, but I’m afraid the damage had already been done unbeknownst to me. By that point in the race, Peter from Vancouver, BC was a little ahead of me and was leaving the 32 mile station as I was arriving. I asked him if he was having any problems with cramping yet. He said no. That had me worried. I was offered soup and all the salt that came with it, but I could not fathom eating something hot in 90 degree weather. In hindsight, I don’t know if eating that soup would have made any difference in what was to happen to me next.
I left the aid station hoping to catch up with Peter so that we could run together. Chad, another runner from Vancouver was coming in as I was leaving and also said he was not having any problems cramping. I got a quarter mile up the road and had another twitch in my right calf. Then before I knew it, the entire calf muscle cramped-full Charlie horse, drop me to the ground cramp. “Aaaaargh!” I screamed in agony towards the mountain. I grabbed it immediately and tried to massage out the cramp. It took over two minutes to relax enough for the pain to improve. The muscle was still twitching and threatening to cramp again. Now, I’ve never been though labor, passed a kidney stone, or broken anything major, but this was one of the most severe pains I have had. I laid there with my legs sprawled on the ground as Chad passed by. He asked if I was okay, and I said no. I told him I just needed to drink more and take some more e-caps. He moved on, but within another couple minutes, my other calf did a full Charlie horse and I screamed even louder.
As I laid there massaging the left calf muscle and afraid to move any other parts in my body, I was thinking it was over for me. Most of the rest of the 100 milers rolled in. Barb Owen, the eventual winner, told me that she was going to the aid station but when she got back, she was going to get me and we would finish together. How? I couldn’t even stand up. More runners arrived, including June Gessner, the second finisher, and a couple guys who unfortunately did not finish but were very nice and helpful. June helped me take another 2 e-caps. Barb returned and the four of them were telling me what I needed to do. First, I needed to get out of the sun and into some shade. Next, I needed to get some cold water on me to cool me and my legs down. The only problem was I could not stand up for fear that I would cramp. My right calf cramped a second time and June and I were to trying to massage it out as the others found a small area of water to soak my bandanna. In addition, a few muscles in my back and my forearms cramped. Finally, they decided to ignore my protests and stood me up. As soon as they did that, my left quad did a full Charlie horse. They tried to massage it out but to no avail and marched forward. The four of them lifted me off my feet and carried me to the nearest shade across the road and laid me there. I was screaming and trying to apologize and thank them all at once. I was worried one of them would cramp just picking me up. When they lifted me up, the non-weight bearing helped my right quad relax.
After they got me into the shade, Peter from the 32 mile aid station (not to be confused with the one who was running and in front of me) pulled up in his van and suggested the other runners move on with their race. As Barb was leaving, she said, “It’s not over. I’ve crewed at Badwater before and seen this happen to many runners and they recover and finish the race.” Wow, “You mean it’s not over for me?” I thought. As Peter was trying to get me to stand up to get into the van, my right calf cramped up again. He grabbed my foot immediately and pointed my toes towards me and the cramp went away. Somehow, I remembered then that that is what you are supposed to do when a muscle cramps. Stretch it, don’t massage it. But in my pain, I was not thinking straight. However, stretching my calf tightened my right quad and that started to cramp. When everything seemed to be relaxed enough, we attempted to stand me up. But as soon as we did, both of my hamstrings cramped and he had to pick me off the ground and put me in the front passenger seat. He said that there was no way I would be able to run again. He drove me a quarter mile back to the aid station. But I was stubborn and told him that I was not ready to quit yet. He was not able to radio search and rescue about my situation and had to drive down to SAR to call Ken. They allowed Ken to drive out there to meet me and decide what to do. During that time it took for Ken to get to me, I hydrated and took more salt and e-caps in. I was able to gently walk around slowly. Each step I took had to be very controlled because my calves were twitching. I had no further problems with my quads, hamstrings, arms, or back. My calves were the limiting factor. At one point, I told Renata, the other aid station worker there and Peter’s wife, that I saw two runners approaching the aid station. But she looked and saw no one. Great, I was hallucinating now.
From the time I cramped to the time I left that aid station, 2 hours had passed. Now I had the arduous task of finishing the last 68 miles. Could I do it? The sun was still shining brightly and shade was scarce. As I was hobbling down the road to meet Ken, I started crying, but it was short lived since I was losing fluids and salt at the same time with my tears. When Ken arrived in our car, I told him, “I don’t want to quit.” At first he thought I said that I wanted to quit, but I corrected him, which fits my style more anyway. I’ve never quit in the middle of a race. For the next 6.4 miles to the next aid station at SAR, Ken drove ahead a couple miles and waited until I caught up to make sure I did not cramp up again and collapse on the ground. I walked the first few miles, feeling cramps coming on in my calves and stopping to stretch them frequently. Then I realized that I had to start running again or else it would take me forever to finish. The 33 hour cut off was generous, but I wanted to spend as little time out there as possible. So I started trotting, barely getting my feet off the ground but making more distance than walking. I’d have to stop to stretch, but jogging seemed to stretch it out too as long as the grade was flat or slightly downhill. The uphill sections tightened my calves up more.
I finally arrived at the SAR station, now at mile 38.4. It had taken me 4 hours to cover that last 6.4 miles. The people at that aid station were surprised to see me. There were rumors that I had quit. I had some salty soup, got my supplies, soaked my handkerchief and hat in cold water and was on my way. Ken would drive to the next aid station and meet me there. All the while, I was taking in my GU, downing e-caps like they were pain pills, and hydrating. But my cramping sensation never let up. My stomach was very bloated and I felt like I was not absorbing my fluids. Like Meghan at Western, I felt I was gaining weight. However, I was able to continue the rest of the race without a Charlie horse, so I guess something was working. I actually was running all the downhills and most of the flats. I was gaining on the people in front of me, something I did not expect after having lost all that time.
At about mile 50, I was at the top of a hill and saw a cougar cross the road at the bottom of it 50 yards away. Great, I thought. Just what I need. Here I am just barely moving along. What a better target than a slow ultrarunner my size? It did not see me, but I saw it very clearly. I know I was not hallucinating this time. I saw its long tail and cat-like body. It crossed the road at a very leisurely pace. So I was not sure if it kept going into the woods or just stopped next to it. I hid myself in the bushes and tried to see if it climbed up the hill. There were too many bushes and I never spotted it again. But I just stood there for at least 5 minutes wondering what to do. I had my pepper spray, but it would have to get pretty close to me before I could get it in the face. I started to panic thinking I had nowhere to go. I was hoping a car would drive by and would see if they could escort me across the part of the road where it had crossed. Just as I was about to slowly go down the road, Ron, who was manning a small aid station before the next major one, was running towards me. I waved my arms frantically to motion him to stop, lest the cougar would run out after a moving object. We finally met up and I told him my description of the big cat. “Yep, that sure sounds like a cougar to me.” Ron was taking a little break from the aid station since there were so few people running the 100 miles and so far apart. He was planning on running about 4 miles but was happy to escort me to the next aid station. He was a really great guy and was so supportive for the rest of the race as we returned to the same aid stations 3 more times. He dropped me off at mile 52.5 (Ewart station) where Ken was waiting. I told them about my cougar encounter and they said that there had been some sightings recently.
Now I was more than halfway done. The next leg was more runnable. That was when I started seeing those in front of me because there was another turn around about 9 miles ahead of me. Frankly, I was surprised I had not seen someone sooner. Apparently, the two guys in front, Peter and Chad, had dropped out. I’m not sure why. I heard that Chad had gotten to 56.5 miles at the Pow-Wow campground and just couldn’t go on. Besides, that station was also where I think he was camping and I can see that it would be hard to resist the temptation of quitting and crawling into your tent. So the first person that I saw was Barb Owen, the woman who told me I could still do it. She was about 9 miles in front of me. Then June Gessner was next, about 1-2 miles after Barb. I encountered a few others, but it became clear to me that they were slowing down and I was catching them.
By the time I got to the 56.5 mile mark, it was getting dark and I took my headlamp out. We headed out for the last out and back section. When I arrived at the Ewart station again, now 60.5 miles, a father and daughter team decided to drop out. He was not feeling well. I had not entertained the idea of quitting any time after I decided to continue from mile 32. I was mostly thinking about breaking 24 hours, but that became less realistic as the hours passed away. I then started to wonder if I could catch some of the girls left and try to place 3rd. I knew I could not catch Barb or June, unless they had a major meltdown. I made good time during the night, mostly because I could not tell if I was running uphill, downhill, or flat if the grade was not too steep. So I did a fair amount of running. I finally made it to the SAR station, the last turn around point, now at 74.4 miles. I couldn’t believe that I only had a marathon distance to go. Every time I stopped at an aid station, I would get chilled and start shivering. So strange after dying of heat exhaustion for most of the day. I even saw my breath in my headlamp. By the time I got to that aid station, I had learned that a couple from Chicago had quit a while back. Now I was the third woman and all I needed to do was finish. There was a man and a woman behind me, but very far back. I had some very good hot soup there and headed out, counting my landmarks on the way to the finish, mostly the markers on the road that were one kilometer apart. Again, like Meghan, I started to pee like crazy and it was crystal clear. I didn’t quite understand what my body was doing.
I still had over 15 miles to go when the sun came up. I had to put my hat and glasses on again and it got hot fairly quickly. Before I knew it, I had to soak my bandanna again. The last 8-9 miles was back on the road. This was a very difficult part since there was no shade. The sun was already scorching again by 9AM. I left the last aid station running towards the sun on pavement that was already radiating heat, especially the recently re-paved section that was fresh black asphalt and very hot. From the aid station, it was five miles to the Red Bridge. I kept looking for it down the road, and every time I turned a corner and did not see it, my energy level would just drop. However, I must have been moving along pretty good because it looked like I was going to finish not long after 27 hours. After crossing the Red Bridge, the last 2.5 mile section was on that rail bed with very poor footing. But I kept chugging along, walking only a little of that section. I was so hot, but I knew the end was near. It was over 90 degrees by then.
I finally came into the finish line 27 hours and 17 minutes after I had started to the cheers of a fairly large crowd that had gathered there. I didn’t cry, I had nothing left. I sat down in a chair and was bombarded with people wanting to talk to me. I was not out of it. I had known for the last 19 hours after I had cramped that I was going to finish. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel proud or embarrassed about my run. On the one hand, I made the typical 100 mile novice mistake by going out too fast and paying for it dearly with cramps and a time that was slower than I had planned. On the other hand, I had a major setback and still was able to dig down deep and finish the race in a decent time.
We stayed for 30 minutes before heading back to the campground. We showered but could not even think about sleeping since it was over 100 degrees outside and our tent was just a sauna. The last two runners came through that last aid station at the campground with 7.5 miles to go after we finished our showers. Ken and I returned to the finish area for the awards ceremony and to watch them finish. Only one person got the coveted gold 24 hour buckle, Barb Owen, the overall winner. She ran 24:01:48, but was given the buckle since she spent about 10 minutes helping me through my cramps. The rest of us got a silver buckle, still very cool. The last two made it just under the cut-off with 30 and 15 minutes to spare. They deserve the most respect for being out there so long and enduring two days of heat. The second day was definitely hotter. As they were finishing the last 7.5 miles, the temperature was 97 in the shade, so well over 100 in the open. Out of 14 starters, there were only 6 finishers. I’m proud to have been one of them. I even got the “Sheer Guts” Award.
Ken and I drove 30 miles to Penticton since Keremeos had no decent place to eat, rather than going back to our tent, which was still hot. I did not have enough energy to finish my dinner and we had to leave because Ken said I looked like I was going to pass out at the restaurant. He said that on the drive back, I was delirious, saying strange things and freaking out. By the time we got back to the campsite and headed for our tent to go to sleep, both of us had been awake for over 36 hours. To me, we both did an ultra. I could not have done it without Ken and I owe him big time!
So there you have it. Now my count is 27 marathons/ultras this year. I have graduated to the 8 stars since the Last Chance Marathon helped me get 28 in 183 days. I’m still going to keep working towards 10 stars. Hope I have it in me!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Blackfoot 100K Ultra Report
5/27/06
Okay, so I’ve done some crazy things in the past, but this may have been the most insane. Leading the TrailRunner Magazine Trophy Series has been playing with my mind. So, ten days before this race, I decided to enter it after I had gotten permission from the race director. Mind you, this race is in Edmonton, Alberta, 15 hours from my home in Maple Valley, WA. I didn’t fly, and my carpool for half the trip did not work out. So I drove the entire distance there and back by myself. Here is as short a report as I can come up with:
Thursday, 5/25, full day at work. Oil change. Drove to Kamloops, BC, six hours. Stayed with Diane M., who ran the 50K. (My original carpool, but she had friends to visit in Edmonton, so drove separate.)
Friday, 5/26, drove 9 ½ hours to Edmonton, Alberta. Went to packet pick-up. Met up with Ravi D. and his wife and child. Went to dinner. Spent the night at their house. Time change, lost one hour. Slept well.
Saturday, 5/27, woke at 3:15am. Arrived at start 4:30 at Blackfoot Cooking Lake Provincial Recreation Area. Checked competition out. Six other girls, two looked strong. Race ran on 15mile (25K) loop four times. Surface was grass and soft dirt. Rolling (like Lake Youngs). Mud on first loop packed down by next loops. Beautiful course. Not too technical, but hills were physically and mentally challenging. Not much flat areas on course. Weather overcast with sunbreaks. Temp mid-40’s to maybe 60’s. No rain. Perfect. First loop, thought I went out conservative. Time about 2:32. Too fast. Stomach problems. Took care of “business” before going out second loop. Felt fine rest of race. Next girl only 5 minutes back (saw her at the out and back near the start). Second loop, about 2:40 (included the 4-minute pit stop). So about the same pace. Calves tight, but better with electrolytes. No girls seen at out and back, so at least 10 minutes back now. Third loop, still running (had not yet walked any of the hills) and still feeling good. Time was about 2:35, so maintained pace. (Results may show different splits than mine depending on when time was taken-on arrival or departure from checkpoint). Next girl at least 30 minutes back. Relaxed the last loop. Knew I was going to win and break the course record. Plus asthma was kicking in, so did not push it. Walked half of the hills. Time of last loop around 2:50. Finished strong: 10:37, 1st female, 6th overall with 43 starters and 31 finishers. New women’s course record by 31 minutes. Next woman was over 1 hour after me. Post race meal-sausage hot dog and Dairy Queen Dilly Bar! (22 marathon/ultras to date this year, 17 ultras and 5 marathons, 3rd 100K or longer race this month). Didn’t sleep very well that night. Too wired from the win. Same thing happened after Redmond Watershed 12hr.
Sunday, 5/28, felt great. Wanted to go run one more loop on that trail, but did not know anyone in Edmonton to join me. (Mary I needed you!) Went to awards ceremony for 50mile and 100K racers. Prize-water color painting of the trail we ran on next to the lake and free entry for next year. Great spread of food. Couldn’t stay for whole thing. Had to hit the road. Drove back to Kamloops.
Monday, 5/29, drove home. Border crossing. Got full search. I know, I look a little shady. I guess they couldn’t accept that a person would drive that far just to run a race. I must have had some deal going down. All they found were some stinky shoes!
So was it worth it? Yes. Winning that race will give me 248 more points. Breaking the course record was just icing on the cake. It was all supposed to be a secret that I’m going for the Trophy Series win. But after people realize that I traveled 15 hours one way to race, my intentions will become clear to my potential competitors. I say: bring it on!
Okay, so I’ve done some crazy things in the past, but this may have been the most insane. Leading the TrailRunner Magazine Trophy Series has been playing with my mind. So, ten days before this race, I decided to enter it after I had gotten permission from the race director. Mind you, this race is in Edmonton, Alberta, 15 hours from my home in Maple Valley, WA. I didn’t fly, and my carpool for half the trip did not work out. So I drove the entire distance there and back by myself. Here is as short a report as I can come up with:
Thursday, 5/25, full day at work. Oil change. Drove to Kamloops, BC, six hours. Stayed with Diane M., who ran the 50K. (My original carpool, but she had friends to visit in Edmonton, so drove separate.)
Friday, 5/26, drove 9 ½ hours to Edmonton, Alberta. Went to packet pick-up. Met up with Ravi D. and his wife and child. Went to dinner. Spent the night at their house. Time change, lost one hour. Slept well.
Saturday, 5/27, woke at 3:15am. Arrived at start 4:30 at Blackfoot Cooking Lake Provincial Recreation Area. Checked competition out. Six other girls, two looked strong. Race ran on 15mile (25K) loop four times. Surface was grass and soft dirt. Rolling (like Lake Youngs). Mud on first loop packed down by next loops. Beautiful course. Not too technical, but hills were physically and mentally challenging. Not much flat areas on course. Weather overcast with sunbreaks. Temp mid-40’s to maybe 60’s. No rain. Perfect. First loop, thought I went out conservative. Time about 2:32. Too fast. Stomach problems. Took care of “business” before going out second loop. Felt fine rest of race. Next girl only 5 minutes back (saw her at the out and back near the start). Second loop, about 2:40 (included the 4-minute pit stop). So about the same pace. Calves tight, but better with electrolytes. No girls seen at out and back, so at least 10 minutes back now. Third loop, still running (had not yet walked any of the hills) and still feeling good. Time was about 2:35, so maintained pace. (Results may show different splits than mine depending on when time was taken-on arrival or departure from checkpoint). Next girl at least 30 minutes back. Relaxed the last loop. Knew I was going to win and break the course record. Plus asthma was kicking in, so did not push it. Walked half of the hills. Time of last loop around 2:50. Finished strong: 10:37, 1st female, 6th overall with 43 starters and 31 finishers. New women’s course record by 31 minutes. Next woman was over 1 hour after me. Post race meal-sausage hot dog and Dairy Queen Dilly Bar! (22 marathon/ultras to date this year, 17 ultras and 5 marathons, 3rd 100K or longer race this month). Didn’t sleep very well that night. Too wired from the win. Same thing happened after Redmond Watershed 12hr.
Sunday, 5/28, felt great. Wanted to go run one more loop on that trail, but did not know anyone in Edmonton to join me. (Mary I needed you!) Went to awards ceremony for 50mile and 100K racers. Prize-water color painting of the trail we ran on next to the lake and free entry for next year. Great spread of food. Couldn’t stay for whole thing. Had to hit the road. Drove back to Kamloops.
Monday, 5/29, drove home. Border crossing. Got full search. I know, I look a little shady. I guess they couldn’t accept that a person would drive that far just to run a race. I must have had some deal going down. All they found were some stinky shoes!
So was it worth it? Yes. Winning that race will give me 248 more points. Breaking the course record was just icing on the cake. It was all supposed to be a secret that I’m going for the Trophy Series win. But after people realize that I traveled 15 hours one way to race, my intentions will become clear to my potential competitors. I say: bring it on!
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