I recently sat down to read the April 2013 edition of Trail Runner magazine and came across an article called "The Heart of the Matter." It was about Amy Sproston, Meghan Arbogast and Pam Smith. They all live in Oregon and are have helped lead the US Women's 100k team to silver and gold in the 2011 and 2012 World Championships. It was a great article discussing how they are all extremely busy and have a lot going on in their personal lives but they still manage to fit in running and be great at it. I had heard of Meghan before because she was the winner of the 2013 Way Too Cool 50k that I just ran in March. I just looked her up on Ultrasignup.com and she finished this years race in 4:06:45 and is 51 years old. That's about 25 minutes faster than her first WTC finish of 4:31 in 2006. Sever years older and she keeps getting faster. Ultrarunners blow me away time and time again.
I hadn't heard of Pam Smith prior to reading the article but I just ran the American River 50M on Saturday and low and behold, Pam Smith was the female winner finishing in a time of 6:54. (That's almost 4 hours faster than my finish and only 44 minutes longer than it took me to run WTC this year.) I decided to look her up on Ultrasignup and see how she usually performs in her races. I noticed that while she is usually a strong runner, it took her 28 hours to finish Western States last year. For any average human this would be a tremendous feat but for an elite ultrarunner this is SLOW. So I googled "Pam Smith 2012 Western States" to see if I could find out what happened to her to cause such a slow finishing time. I came across her blog and found her race report titled "my Crazy-Ass Western States" and she fully explained her time. She has been blogging about her races since 2008 and I've barely scratched the surface of what she has in there. I really look forward to reading more of her race reports.
But I wanted to share one of her reports that I found really inspiring. She did a 24 hour race last month with her 8 year old daughter. It was an interesting story for me because I have never seen the attraction of completing 6, 12, or 24 hour races. I like having a set distance and trying to get myself there in one piece as quickly as I can. But these timed races are typically run on a small course. Runners complete lap after lap after lap and see how many they can complete in the 24 hours. Anyway, the blog featured Pam's race review as well as her daughters. It was pretty awesome and inspiring to read about an 8 year old girl pushing herself to complete 27 miles in one day. This made me think of a few of my friends/family members in particular who think its crazy to go run 50 miles. Maybe I can't convince them to run 50 miles, but maybe I can get them to push themselves for 12 hours to see how far they can get. I liked the idea of having a car to go rest in when you need it, and even a mattress, and then getting back up and back on the course when you feel ready. Hmmm... could be a fun girl's weekend sometime???? Anyone interested?
Here is the link to Pam Smith's blog if you'd like to read it yourself - http://www.theturtlepath.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=11
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
It happens... (some dirty runs humor)
If I've talked to you much about my personal experiences with running, you will know that I can relate to this article. It's a very humorous look at something that most runners have dealt with at one time or another. Enjoy! :)
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5651802
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5651802
Friday, April 5, 2013
Way Too Cool 50 K - March 9, 2013
This is late, but better late than never right?
Way Too Cool is one of the most sought after 50k runs in the area. It takes place in the Auburn State Recreation area near Cool, CA and while I really haven't donemuch any trail running outside of ASRA, I feel like WTC is run on some of the most gorgeous trails that park has to offer. You can read the history of the race here. We are lucky enough to live close to the course and were able to get some nice 20 mile training runs in before the race. I ran the same course the three weekends preceding the race and each time I could feel myself getting stronger and faster on the course. Another advantage of running the race course is that by race day, I knew the course well and knew when I could push myself or needed to pull back.
Jason picked up our packets on Friday before the race. They were filled with the usual good swag offered by NorCalUltras. We ate a simple spaghetti with meat sauce dinner, laid out our gear for the morning and tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour. We were up early the next morning, eat a egg/bagel sandwich, and headed up the hill with Ashley Doyle. This was going to be her first ultra - in fact her first run over 20 miles- and we were all nervous/excited. The usual race day stomach issues were affecting all of us. This is a good thing though because you'd rather get that part of the day offer with before the run starts, its not nearly as fun to have to pull off the side of the trail to handle your business.
As we came out of Auburn and dropped down to the confluence area, we were greeted with an amazing view. The valley was filled with fog coming off the river and a bright, clear sunrise filled the sky. We admit that we are all sort of lazy runners and rarely make it out to the trails before 9:00 so seeing this before the race was really exciting. But it also looked COLD. When you get to about mile 13 in the race, you are running on the Quarry trail alongside the river. Its gorgeous but its always cold in the morning because the hillside shades that entire area from the sun. We knew it would be cold when we got up to Cool too.
View as we entered the valley
Cool was COLD, as we'd expected and I decided to start the run with my Trail Runner Nation arm warmers. I loved them and kept them on until I got to Quarry trail - ironically the coldest section of the run was when I felt the most warmed up. Wave 1 runners took off at 8:00 and we followed in Wave 2 at 8:05. Mike started out in the front of Wave 2 ( I think he wanted the photo ops) and we hung back mid pack. The first section of the race is an 8 mile loop through the fields/meadows near Cool. Jason, Ashley and I ran the first mile together, slowed down at the Knickerbocker Creek crossing and opted to tiptoe across on the rocks rather than get our feet wet this early in the race. Several runners just went for it and plowed across but I can't see the point of getting your feet wet to save 30 seconds, at least not this early in a race. The next few miles were on narrow single track with lots of congestion. We ran at a slow 12 minute mile pace but had lots of entertaining conversation. Around mile 4 Jason took off in front of me, passing people on the outside of the trail. I did the same and tried to keep up but he pulled ahead. I finished the last few miles of the loop at an 11:30 pace, slower than I would have liked but I knew that I needed to hold back and save my legs. I was happy to hear the bells and screams coming back to the fire station parking lot and into Aid station 1. I quickly drank some Gu Brew, ate an Oreo and grabbed some Gu Chomps. On my way out of the parking lot I asked some random stranger to help me out and grab my bag of salt caps and ibuprofen out of my pack. I headed through the finishing chute and out of Cool.
As I rounded the corner getting out of Cool, I could see about a hundred runners ahead of me running though the meadow toward the Western States trail. About a half mile ahead I saw Jason. I figured that would be the last time that I saw him. About this time my IT band started to feel tight and twinge. I had decided to run with my pack for this specific reason. I had figured out a lightweight option to roll out my quad and IT band - an empty pill bottle. After about a half mile of trying to shake my leg out, I pulled over to the side and got out my bottle. I few quick rolls and it was already feeling better. I dropped down the trail toward the confluence. It was still pretty crowded but soon I heard someone coming up behind me saying "on your left." This is runner speak for "I want to pass." I decided that I wanted to do the same and started asking to pass people. I was worried because this downhill section toward the confluence can be hard on your quads - but it can be SOOOOO fun to run fast. I felt like I was flying down the hill, though I really wasn't going that fast, and came out at the bottom feeling great. I stopped at the 2nd aid station, grabbed a couple brownie bites and more Gu chomps and was out. I rounded the corner and just ahead of me was Jason. I called out to him and he was more than surprised to see me. We ran the next mile, talking about how the race was going, and both decided we would make a pit stop at the upcoming porta-potties. This is sometimes a hard decision to make because you are sacrificing time in your run, but its usually worth it. I was out faster than him and he said he'd catch up to me. The next three miles or so I played leap frog (figuratively, not literally) with a couple guys as we made our way toward Maine Bar. This was the hardest part of the run for me. I felt tired, my legs felt heavy, and I had some doubts about my ability to finish. Jason caught up to us around mile 15, ran with me for a bit and then was of. I didn't see him again until the finish line. This was completely ok. As much as I love to run with him, I love to complain to him more. I will bitch and moan about this or that hurting if he is with me. If I'm by myself, there is no one to listen and I'll just deal with it and push on.
Once you hit Maine Bar, you take a left onto the American Canyon trail. This is my favorite section of the trail. It narrows into lush, green single track that crisscrosses over the creek. As you you head toward Auburn Lake Trail, there is a rather long hill that seemingly goes on forever, at least that is how I felt last year. There is also a group of people who park and are able to walk down to that part of the trail to cheer on runners. Last year I was deceived by their cheers and cowbells into thinking it was an aid station. That was frustrating to down your water and come around the corner to see two guys in lawn chairs with no food or water for you. Grrrr. So this year I wasn't tricked and didn't fall for their mind games :) I actually enjoyed their spirit and it helped get me up the hill. I started talking to some other runners and met a woman who had traveled from Canada for the race. We talked about how she was doing a gluten diet and that it was difficult to eat out in restaurants and even from aid stations if you are watching what you are eating. As we pulled into the aid station I was relieved to see some Vaseline and reapplied to prevent chafing. I down a delicious cup of luke warm chicken noodle and rice soup and was off. Within a mile I joined a couple other runners and made a train. The three of us were moving together at an 11:00 mile pace. The miles just ticked off. My legs felt tired but strong still. They were entertaining to talk with and since neither of them had run this course before, I was sort of the expert on what was coming up. As they started slowing down, I felt stronger. We came to the top of Brown's Bar and I pulled away. Goat Hill was challenging, as usual, but nothing compared to our training runs on K2. I was so thankful for those runs.
Pictures from a training run on American Canyon
Reaching the top of Goat Hill always feels great because it is the marathon mark in the race. You only have about 5 miles left in the race. I felt strong and was elated that my body wasn't hurting. I had been in so much pain last year when I ran Way Too Cool. I couldn't believe how strong I felt and how good it felt to be running without pain. I pushed hard over the next few miles. Around mile 28 I passed the ultrarunning legend, Gordy Ainsleigh along with several other runners. I hit the Highway 49 crossing wanting to scream because it felt so good to be running strong so close to the finish. I grabbed a cup of Gu Brew at the aid station and kept on going. The last mile toward the finish is largely uphill and I surprised myself by still being able to run a lot of it. I passed several runners going up the hill. I know I had a fat smile on my face because as I rounded the last corner toward Cool, a spectator shouted out "Now, that's the kind of smile we should be seeing." I pushed strong for the last half mile and contemplated the difference between this year's run and last year's run. The last mile was horrible for me last year. Some sweet man had finished it with me, encouraging me to push through my pain and finish strong. I was literally on the brink of tears when I finished. This year I felt great and could have kept on running, although I was grateful not to have to! I finished in 6:10 and took 1:10 off last years time. I couldn't have asked for a better run!
About to cross the finish line!
Way Too Cool is one of the most sought after 50k runs in the area. It takes place in the Auburn State Recreation area near Cool, CA and while I really haven't done
Jason picked up our packets on Friday before the race. They were filled with the usual good swag offered by NorCalUltras. We ate a simple spaghetti with meat sauce dinner, laid out our gear for the morning and tried to get to bed at a reasonable hour. We were up early the next morning, eat a egg/bagel sandwich, and headed up the hill with Ashley Doyle. This was going to be her first ultra - in fact her first run over 20 miles- and we were all nervous/excited. The usual race day stomach issues were affecting all of us. This is a good thing though because you'd rather get that part of the day offer with before the run starts, its not nearly as fun to have to pull off the side of the trail to handle your business.
As we came out of Auburn and dropped down to the confluence area, we were greeted with an amazing view. The valley was filled with fog coming off the river and a bright, clear sunrise filled the sky. We admit that we are all sort of lazy runners and rarely make it out to the trails before 9:00 so seeing this before the race was really exciting. But it also looked COLD. When you get to about mile 13 in the race, you are running on the Quarry trail alongside the river. Its gorgeous but its always cold in the morning because the hillside shades that entire area from the sun. We knew it would be cold when we got up to Cool too.
Cool was COLD, as we'd expected and I decided to start the run with my Trail Runner Nation arm warmers. I loved them and kept them on until I got to Quarry trail - ironically the coldest section of the run was when I felt the most warmed up. Wave 1 runners took off at 8:00 and we followed in Wave 2 at 8:05. Mike started out in the front of Wave 2 ( I think he wanted the photo ops) and we hung back mid pack. The first section of the race is an 8 mile loop through the fields/meadows near Cool. Jason, Ashley and I ran the first mile together, slowed down at the Knickerbocker Creek crossing and opted to tiptoe across on the rocks rather than get our feet wet this early in the race. Several runners just went for it and plowed across but I can't see the point of getting your feet wet to save 30 seconds, at least not this early in a race. The next few miles were on narrow single track with lots of congestion. We ran at a slow 12 minute mile pace but had lots of entertaining conversation. Around mile 4 Jason took off in front of me, passing people on the outside of the trail. I did the same and tried to keep up but he pulled ahead. I finished the last few miles of the loop at an 11:30 pace, slower than I would have liked but I knew that I needed to hold back and save my legs. I was happy to hear the bells and screams coming back to the fire station parking lot and into Aid station 1. I quickly drank some Gu Brew, ate an Oreo and grabbed some Gu Chomps. On my way out of the parking lot I asked some random stranger to help me out and grab my bag of salt caps and ibuprofen out of my pack. I headed through the finishing chute and out of Cool.
As I rounded the corner getting out of Cool, I could see about a hundred runners ahead of me running though the meadow toward the Western States trail. About a half mile ahead I saw Jason. I figured that would be the last time that I saw him. About this time my IT band started to feel tight and twinge. I had decided to run with my pack for this specific reason. I had figured out a lightweight option to roll out my quad and IT band - an empty pill bottle. After about a half mile of trying to shake my leg out, I pulled over to the side and got out my bottle. I few quick rolls and it was already feeling better. I dropped down the trail toward the confluence. It was still pretty crowded but soon I heard someone coming up behind me saying "on your left." This is runner speak for "I want to pass." I decided that I wanted to do the same and started asking to pass people. I was worried because this downhill section toward the confluence can be hard on your quads - but it can be SOOOOO fun to run fast. I felt like I was flying down the hill, though I really wasn't going that fast, and came out at the bottom feeling great. I stopped at the 2nd aid station, grabbed a couple brownie bites and more Gu chomps and was out. I rounded the corner and just ahead of me was Jason. I called out to him and he was more than surprised to see me. We ran the next mile, talking about how the race was going, and both decided we would make a pit stop at the upcoming porta-potties. This is sometimes a hard decision to make because you are sacrificing time in your run, but its usually worth it. I was out faster than him and he said he'd catch up to me. The next three miles or so I played leap frog (figuratively, not literally) with a couple guys as we made our way toward Maine Bar. This was the hardest part of the run for me. I felt tired, my legs felt heavy, and I had some doubts about my ability to finish. Jason caught up to us around mile 15, ran with me for a bit and then was of. I didn't see him again until the finish line. This was completely ok. As much as I love to run with him, I love to complain to him more. I will bitch and moan about this or that hurting if he is with me. If I'm by myself, there is no one to listen and I'll just deal with it and push on.
Once you hit Maine Bar, you take a left onto the American Canyon trail. This is my favorite section of the trail. It narrows into lush, green single track that crisscrosses over the creek. As you you head toward Auburn Lake Trail, there is a rather long hill that seemingly goes on forever, at least that is how I felt last year. There is also a group of people who park and are able to walk down to that part of the trail to cheer on runners. Last year I was deceived by their cheers and cowbells into thinking it was an aid station. That was frustrating to down your water and come around the corner to see two guys in lawn chairs with no food or water for you. Grrrr. So this year I wasn't tricked and didn't fall for their mind games :) I actually enjoyed their spirit and it helped get me up the hill. I started talking to some other runners and met a woman who had traveled from Canada for the race. We talked about how she was doing a gluten diet and that it was difficult to eat out in restaurants and even from aid stations if you are watching what you are eating. As we pulled into the aid station I was relieved to see some Vaseline and reapplied to prevent chafing. I down a delicious cup of luke warm chicken noodle and rice soup and was off. Within a mile I joined a couple other runners and made a train. The three of us were moving together at an 11:00 mile pace. The miles just ticked off. My legs felt tired but strong still. They were entertaining to talk with and since neither of them had run this course before, I was sort of the expert on what was coming up. As they started slowing down, I felt stronger. We came to the top of Brown's Bar and I pulled away. Goat Hill was challenging, as usual, but nothing compared to our training runs on K2. I was so thankful for those runs.
Reaching the top of Goat Hill always feels great because it is the marathon mark in the race. You only have about 5 miles left in the race. I felt strong and was elated that my body wasn't hurting. I had been in so much pain last year when I ran Way Too Cool. I couldn't believe how strong I felt and how good it felt to be running without pain. I pushed hard over the next few miles. Around mile 28 I passed the ultrarunning legend, Gordy Ainsleigh along with several other runners. I hit the Highway 49 crossing wanting to scream because it felt so good to be running strong so close to the finish. I grabbed a cup of Gu Brew at the aid station and kept on going. The last mile toward the finish is largely uphill and I surprised myself by still being able to run a lot of it. I passed several runners going up the hill. I know I had a fat smile on my face because as I rounded the last corner toward Cool, a spectator shouted out "Now, that's the kind of smile we should be seeing." I pushed strong for the last half mile and contemplated the difference between this year's run and last year's run. The last mile was horrible for me last year. Some sweet man had finished it with me, encouraging me to push through my pain and finish strong. I was literally on the brink of tears when I finished. This year I felt great and could have kept on running, although I was grateful not to have to! I finished in 6:10 and took 1:10 off last years time. I couldn't have asked for a better run!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
March Race Updates coming soon......
I've been waiting for some pictures but now that I have them I have no excuse for not blogging. I'll put my race reports up soon.
Here are some words that have been on my mind lately. I'm super nervous/anxious/excited not knowing how my body will respond to running 50 miles. But I've put in some good miles lately and have had my biggest month of running ever this month so I think that I am as ready as I am going to get. :) Time to go for the great!
Here are some words that have been on my mind lately. I'm super nervous/anxious/excited not knowing how my body will respond to running 50 miles. But I've put in some good miles lately and have had my biggest month of running ever this month so I think that I am as ready as I am going to get. :) Time to go for the great!
Monday, February 25, 2013
No perfect runners...
No one is born a perfect runner. And none of us will become one. But through incremental steps, we can become better runners. And that’s the beauty of our sport: There are no shortcuts, nothing is given to us; we earn every mile, and we earn every result.
- Peter Magill
- Peter Magill
I can across this quote today and it really rang true to me. I am definitely not a perfect runner and I know that but I have come a long way from where I once was. I think people get discouraged from running because it seems too hard, and honestly - it is hard. And it doesn't get easier. That mile doesn't get any shorter. But I've come to realize that I get stronger which makes it feel as if it is easier.
I got some great runs in this past week and thought I'd share a few pictures with you. The first picture is from a 4.6 mile loop up K2 and down the Western States trail in Auburn. This is one of our favorite week night runs because we can get it done in about an hour. The first mile and a half is very steep with about a 1000 ft elevation gain in a mile. You come up the top of the mountain near Cool, cut across some flat, open meadows and start a gentle decline back to No Hands Bridge. Last week Jason and I picked up our friend Ashley and headed up for a quick run. It was getting dark as we headed up the hill and as took me off the trail real quick to snap a shot of the sunset. Too bad we hadn't gotten to the lookout point about 10 minutes earlier because it was an absolutely gorgeous sunset to watch through the trees as we headed up the hill. I'm pretty sure Jason rolled his eyes at us because of course we were slowing him down.... but it was to dark to see!
Saturday was another fabulous run. Ashley and I got up early and headed back to Auburn. Have I told you how much I love Auburn State Recreation area??? I do! We parked at the Quarry parking lot, headed down Quarry trail, up American Canyon trail, down Maine Bar, and back along Quarry for a 16 mile lollipop route. We stopped to enjoy a beautiful scenery a few times, ate some snacks overlooking the valley, and overall just had a good time.
Here are a few pics from the day.
.JPG)
So back to the quote that I started with..... this past week wasn't about being a perfect runner or even running a perfect race next weekend. It was about putting in the effort, earning the miles, and enjoying along the way.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Slacker blogger
I admit it.. I am a slacker blogger. I'm not very good at this whole blogging thing! I think about blogging... I've even intentionally taken my phone on runs with me to take pictures, I then leave it in my pack and carry around the extra weight for 10 or so miles before heading home and realizing I didn't take any pictures.
Anyway... Way Too Cool 50k is quickly approaching and per usual, I haven't trained enough. Ugh!! Not again! At least this year I am not injured - I've got that going for me at least. AR50 is less than two months away. I still can't really fathom that I will be running 50 miles... but it will come and I will do it. (I think I can... I think I can... I think I can....)
I've about done with my current read so I think I will revisit Born to Run by Chris McDougall. If you haven't read this book - and you are a runner or are thinking about being a runner- get it asap. For me, this book was actually life changing in a way. I read it just as I was getting in to running and it made me believe that my body could run far and push beyond limits that I had set for myself. I am starting to get to that point of doubting my decision to run these next two races because I am undertrained and I feel that this book will help me push through and complete 50 miles.
Born to Run is a book for runners, but for readers as well. It skillfully intertwines running talk, anatomy, physiology, and history with tales of several interesting characters who eventually end up in the middle of the Mexican canyons racing against the Tarahumara tribe. It discusses specific aspects of human anatomy that give humans advantages over other running species and how to run more efficiently without the need for fancy, over-cushioned running shoes.
Here are a few videos from the author, Chris McDougall -
This one is a little bit long... but good nonetheless.
Let me know if you are interested in reading it, we can talk about it as we go!
Anyway... Way Too Cool 50k is quickly approaching and per usual, I haven't trained enough. Ugh!! Not again! At least this year I am not injured - I've got that going for me at least. AR50 is less than two months away. I still can't really fathom that I will be running 50 miles... but it will come and I will do it. (I think I can... I think I can... I think I can....)
I've about done with my current read so I think I will revisit Born to Run by Chris McDougall. If you haven't read this book - and you are a runner or are thinking about being a runner- get it asap. For me, this book was actually life changing in a way. I read it just as I was getting in to running and it made me believe that my body could run far and push beyond limits that I had set for myself. I am starting to get to that point of doubting my decision to run these next two races because I am undertrained and I feel that this book will help me push through and complete 50 miles.
Born to Run is a book for runners, but for readers as well. It skillfully intertwines running talk, anatomy, physiology, and history with tales of several interesting characters who eventually end up in the middle of the Mexican canyons racing against the Tarahumara tribe. It discusses specific aspects of human anatomy that give humans advantages over other running species and how to run more efficiently without the need for fancy, over-cushioned running shoes.
Here are a few videos from the author, Chris McDougall -
This one is a little bit long... but good nonetheless.
Let me know if you are interested in reading it, we can talk about it as we go!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
75 miles while on vacation
I set a goal of 75 miles while on my 3 week vacation and I met it tonight finishing with 75.6 miles. Just barely, but I made it. I would have gone further today but I literally felt like my nose was going to fall off so I did the minimum needed to meet my goal. BRRRRR. Bundle up and go for a run!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)