Trail Adventure in Utah

After two trail marathons on northern Minnesota's Superior Hiking Trail it was time to seek out new dirt. That and knowing I would need to escape the mid-west's sub-zero temperatures led me to check out spring races in warmers climates a few months back. I found myself with a long list of marathons, 50k's and a few more ambitious events in the western and south western states but it didn't take long to decide on the Moab Red Hot 50k+. Utah, challenging and fifty degree weather all in the one paragraph… the check was in the mail before I finished reading the race description! It wasn't until a week before the race that I realized what they meant by challenging when Kami (who didn't take much convincing to join me) pointed out the 4500/3500ft elevation gain/loss. And it wasn't until we landed in Moab that I realized the entire state of Utah is at least 4000ft above sea level. Oh well, it's not like altitude training would have been an option around here. 50k+ translates into 55k (34mi) for those of you wondering. At least this was one piece of info we did know in advance! But the fun started way before we reached Utah. We decided to fly to Denver (cheap flights) and hire a car for the 6 hour drive (according to mapquest) to Moab. I knew Colorado had mountains but I guess it didn't register that we would be driving through, and across, them until a week before the trip. So we watched the weather every day and it was looking good right up until the moment the lady at the car rental desk asked where we were traveling to (in our little red Chevy Cobalt) and then proceeded to tell us about the storm watch up in the mountains. Oh well, no turning back now. We were on the road at 8:30am and by 12:30pm, when we were eventually forced off the road, we had traveled all of 100 miles, the last hour stop and go through snow and whiteouts somehow managing to stay on the road and not end up in the ditch like so many others. So when they finally closed the road ahead of us (just east of Vail), along with all the other roads we could potentially have taken, we found ourselves sat in a Starbucks for the afternoon. I guess it could have been worse (Caribou) but as the hours ticked by we were beginning to wonder if we'd even make the race which started at 8am the next morning. We agreed that so long as we got there we would run - sleep was not a requirement at this stage. Gallons of coffee, lots of text messages, a few chapters of my book, and 4 hours later we heard those glorious words… "road is open". Despite having just struck up a conversation with three very cute Italians we were out that door faster than we planned on moving our legs the next day. And back on the road… Woo hoo! It wasn't all plain sailing though. After a quick food stop in Grand Junction around 7pm we were headed for the Utah border. Checked the gas level and figured we'd fill up at the next exit. And then we crossed the border and suddenly there were no exits every 10 miles with gas/Starbucks/McDonalds. After driving for 40 miles with the gas light on, at 45mph and with the heat off, and with higher heart rates than we'd experience the next day, we finally rolled into a lonely gas station in the middle of nowhere. That Shell sign was more welcome that the Citgo sign on the Boston marathon course ever could be! Finally made it to Moab at 10pm and fell into bed shortly thereafter, though not before ringing Kami's hubby Chris to have him check the race website to find out where it started… so much for my organization skills. Saturday morning we were up bright and early and at the Gemini Bridges trailhead a little before 7am. We signed in and got our numbers (I was number 4 – guess I was pretty enthusiastic with that entry form!). We had drop-bags for three of the aid stations, which included everything from gu to socks to sunscreen, so we dropped them off and then back to our warm car. It was just around freezing at that time in the morning but we knew it would warm up before long so we dressed pretty light with long pants over our shorts which we left at the first aid station. There was a race briefing at 7.30am during which the race director confirmed our suspicions - the high rims we could see all around us… oh yes, we would be on top of them several times during the race. There were about 100 runners, probably a 3:1 ratio of guys to girls. 8am and off we went. There was a climb to start with and it sort of winded us a little – probably the altitude though once we settled in we really weren't affected by it at all. Which surprised just about everyone we met as most people were from Utah or Colorado and the surrounding high in the sky states – with just us two lowly sea level residents. Perhaps the 8 hours above 8,000 feet on Friday got us acclimatized. After the initial climb the next few miles were mostly flat. The terrain was a mix of sand, rock and scrub and made for pretty easy running at this stage. Sand, I was later to learn is a tired runner's no. 1 enemy! We got chatting to Kristen from Boulder, CO, a few miles into it and ended up running together for most of the race. I had overheard her talking about her journey which was pretty similar to ours – turns out many of our fellow runners had got held up along I-70 and a few people didn't make it to Moab until after midnight so I guess we didn't do so badly after all. Kristen's friend Larry, a pretty serious mountain biker, rode alongside us for the early part of the race. I have to say as hard as some of the running was I was happier keeping my 2 feet on the ground. We were pretty relaxed through the first and second aid station, at approximately miles 6 and 13, chatting to these guys and a few others including Wayne who we also ran with for a lot of the race. Wayne is training for his first 100 mile event so we chatted about training plans for the summer and the different events we are doing… our planned Ironman in September pales in comparison to 100 miles through the Utah desert! Somehow Wayne managed to carry a digital camera/camcorder the entire way so we will have evidence of the amazing beauty all around us. It really was very scenic and several times throughout the race, mostly while climbing bare rock inclines at a moderate walking pace, we stopped to take it all in. You could see for miles with huge canyons in every direction, views across to Arches National Park and farther away the snowcapped peaks of the La Sal range. We had arrived at the first aid station in about 55 minutes and as planned took off our outer layer so we just had shorts and a short and long sleeve top. It got pretty warm at times and I could probably have taken off the long sleeve but every so often there were gusts of cold wind when we rounded corners and were exposed on the upper rims. The aid stations were very well stocked as is the case at all trail races – gu, chips, trail mix, bananas, chocolate, nuts, pretzels and flat coke – which we both loved even though we wouldn't normally drink it! From aid station 1 we completed a loop that started with a climb up to the first rim at around mile 10. The view from here across to Arches NP was spectacular but with a couple hundred meter drop off we didn't get too close to the edge. This was followed by a quick descent towards aid station 2 which was manned by a few guys from the Moab 4x4 Jeep club (the course was a mix of Jeep, ATV and mountain bike trails) who clearly thought we were nuts to be traversing these trails on 2 legs. But they happily served us up flat coke and salty chips and we were on our way again. After a mile of up and down the next part of the course was the flattest we would encounter and we picked up the pace a few times along here to stretch out our legs. The surface was a mix of scrub and sand but the sand was only an inch or two in depth and made for a nice soft running surface without feeling like we were sinking with every step. We completed the loop and arrived back at aid station 1 which also served as number 3 (mile 17) at exactly 3 hours which was well under our planned pace. Although we really had no idea what to expect we had figured about 8 hours would get us home. So while we knew the second half of the course had much tougher climbs we were very pleased with progress so far. After filling up on snacks we took a few more goodies from our drop-bag and put on sunscreen. This turned out to be a great idea (thanks Kami!) except that I missed the line along the top of my forehead which resulted in a lot of funny looks the following week at work. Must remember the mirror next time. Or not. From aid station 3 we retraced about a mile of trail and then crossed to the southern part of the course. A lot of descent here and we encountered our first ATVs. Being a holiday weekend we expected some traffic but for the most part it didn't bother us at all. Most of the Jeeps and ATVs pulled over or drove very slowly to avoid blowing up the dust. It wasn't long before we were climbing again. Kristen was familiar with the trails from mountain biking trips so she was able tell us about the remaining 15 miles. This was both good and bad – good because we could pace ourselves accordingly but bad because we knew how much climbing we had yet to do! It was around noon by now and the sun was shining straight down on us from a bright blue sky. So even though it was probably still in the 40's it got pretty hot running across the huge expanses of rock that covered most of this section of the course. There was 4-7 miles between the aid stations but because we were drinking more than usual, as people had advised us it would counter some of the altitude effects, our water bottles were empty every time. We arrived at aid station 4, which was at mile 21 and perched atop a rim with a clear view across to Arches NP, happy to replenish and even happier that the worst of the climbing was behind us. As usual we took our time devouring all manner of goodies and chatting to the aid station crew while taking in the view. By now there were five of us running together and we left the aid station taking turns leading the way through the next section of the course. We started out with some fun downhill which called for quick footwork and intense concentration while trying not to go all out since we would need our quads for whatever climbing was left. The next few miles were pretty relaxed, a mix of up and down, mostly over rock. And then we hit what I found to be the hardest section of the course. We were at about mile 25 now and even though my legs felt much stronger than they typically would at this stage of a road marathon we encountered a lot of sand for a few miles and all I can say is I will never be entering any of those crazy treks across the Sahara! As soon as we came to a section of rock my legs felt instantly refreshed even if it was at a 45 degree angle. But I can't deny the surroundings made it worthwhile, we were running through a canyon with walls a few hundred feet high and it felt like a million miles from civilization. Then came a section of pretty steep climbs followed by similarly steep descents over rock to get to the final aid station. Lots of walking here but it just felt good to be out of the sand. It seemed longer than 7 miles by the time we reached the aid station at mile 28. I would guess it was closer to mile 29 as the final section of the course seemed shorter than 6 miles. We were long out of water and it had gotten warmer. Kami had felt a twinge in her calf so she opted for the electrolyte drink mixed with water. Salt tablets was the one thing I forgot for this race but they did have little sachets of table salt at the aid stations so I got in the habit of pouring one over a few chips. I think this helped keep things balanced – it's easy to forget how much salt you're losing when not actually sweating intensely. We left the aid station at just under 6 hours and had some uphill initially but Kristen assured us we would soon be going down. I ran part of the next section with a guy from Utah who runs a trail marathon or ultra every month and has tried a few hundred milers but not yet completed one. He made it to 87 miles the last time - how painful to get to within 13 miles of the finish and have to drop out after all that work. We talked a little about the Bighorn Trail 50 in Wyoming which he has ran a few times and is on my to do list for next year as well as a few others which might have to wait a while longer. I guess I won't be going back to Ireland any time soon! I was feeling much stronger than expected at this stage and decided I would continue to push along this nice flat stretch with soft but not sandy trail underfoot. I guess I picked up the pace fairly well as I was soon on my own and passing a few people I had seen leave the last aid station as we were arriving. This section of the course was definitely the least technical and allowed me to look around and enjoy the scenery while not having to worry about my footing. And it was beautiful. Not to sound too soppy but I felt truly privileged to be fit and healthy enough to take part in something like this, running through as scenic a landscape you're likely to find anywhere. And then my thoughts were broken by a friendly cheer. Larry had taken a different route and was biking back up to meet Kristen for the final section. It was such a boost to have someone call my name and cheer me on out here in the middle of nowhere when I least expected it. The real downhill soon started and I was flying around the switchbacks trying my best to pick what looked like a solid footing and avoid a twisted ankle. I passed a few more people and then I hit a flat section of sand which caused a barrage of swear words. But at this stage I knew it had to be less than 3 miles to go so I continued crashing down the trail not really knowing how much longer I could keep going at this pace. And then all of a sudden around a few more turns and there was the river. I knew the finish had to be very near now and sure enough another half mile, around a turn and there it was! I raced down the final fifty meters with a big smile on my face and across the finish line in 6:37. The race director was on hand to greet all the finishers and I thanked him for an amazing experience. I felt on top of the world. Every trail is different and there's always some quirky twist that makes comparing races difficult (like when a 50k race becomes 55k!) but I won't pretend I'm not competitive so finishing 7th female and in the top half overall felt pretty good. Most of all finishing strong is a real buzz and those last five miles running downhill to the finish were intense - I have never felt so alive in all my life. Kristen, Kami and Wayne finished a few minutes later with smiles all around. Although Kristen was not quite finished. A popular idea among thirty something and above runners is to "run your age" so at 37 Kristen actually kept going and ran 3 more miles. And you thought I was crazy.

Moose Mountain Marathon #2

I didn’t need much convincing when registration opened for the 2006 Superior Trail Race series – the only question was which event… Moose Mountain Marathon, Superior Trail 50 Mile, or Superior Sawtooth 100 Mile… much as I’d like to say either of the latter two, I went for the safe option and entered the marathon. I had run this last year and enjoyed it so much I knew I would be back. I contemplated the 50 miler but decided to leave that for another day (or decade). As for the 100 miler – no explanation needed. Plymouth team mate Erik also signed up along with a mate of his and I was looking forward to seeing some other familiar faces from the Minnesota Trail Running series of events which take place from April through October. Committed road runners Check It Out! So the journey started on Friday evening, well on Thursday night really – getting to bed at 2am after the usual last minute packing. After a crazy day at work on Friday I eventually got on the road at 6pm and headed for I-35. Base camp for the races is the Caribou Highlands Lodge near Lutsen, approx. 250 miles from the Twin Cities (it continues to amaze me how I can drive 250 miles and still be in the same state – driving that distance in Ireland would take you pretty much anywhere in the country). Despite the late start I was looking forward to the 4 hour journey with just my favourite music for company as it seemed like my work week had been a series of endless meetings. That was until I realized I’d left the CDs I spent a half hour picking out sitting on my table at home… so with no option but the radio I tried out NPR, Cities 97 and the rather uplifting if bizarre (Christian) Life 98 and then settled on Hot Country for most of the journey – not usually a country fan I have to say it made for good road music - though I don’t quite get the “hot” part. It was a pretty smooth drive without much traffic. But it got more interesting towards the end… I’ve had problems with my right glute for a while now so after a few hours I was getting restless and needed to stretch it out. Not wanting to stop and having no clue how to use cruise-control (I know, kind of sad) I drove the last 60 miles or so with my left foot on the pedal and my right leg… well, it’s kind of hard to describe but it was a comfortable if not-to-be-recommended driving position. I got to the hotel soon after 10pm. Knowing that race packet pick-up was long over I checked with the reception and they said it would be open again at 5am. The marathon race start was 9am but I knew from last year we would be bused to the start as it’s a point-to-point race finishing at the hotel but not knowing what time the bus would be leaving I set the alarm for 5am and headed downstairs with a very sleepy head. Thankfully the buses weren’t leaving until 7:45 so it was back to bed for another 2 hours. Breakfast consisted of brown bread, a banana and raspberry tea. Having entered a few long course triathlons this year I’ve been trying to figure out how best to eat for longer events so I like to experiment… as you will see. Luckily, after years of terrible eating habits my stomach can handle pretty much anything (except for straight vodka, though I haven’t given up on that just yet). Onto the bus with the other runners, more than a few of who I recognized from last year, and off we went to the start. It was cooler than last year so the open fire at the start was most welcome. I was getting a bit worried that I was wearing just a vest top for the run as lots of people seemed to be in sleeves but as it turned out it warmed up before long. Pre-race grub included a pack of gummi-bears, bunch of grapes, handful of M&Ms, a trail mix bar and 1 Advil. Our race start was an aid station for the 100 miler which was also a point-to-point race, starting in Finland (a town in northern Minnesota, not the country, though it might as well have been) and it was the turn-around for the 50 miler which starts and finishes at the hotel. To make the full 26.2 miles for us there was a 1.2 mile loop at the start of the course – on flat ground which made a nice change from last year when the loop was around a mountain top. 9am and off we went. As it turned out Erik’s mate Jim was feeling a little worse for wear after a climb in the Tetons last week so he decided not to race. Probably a wise decision but we gave him a hard time all the same. Anyway Erik and I decided to run together – he is a faster road runner than me but being that it was his first trail race (may as well just start with a marathon I guess) he was happy to run with me – or just behind me since it’s mostly single track. As Erik easily won the “how many times can you fall in one race” competition (details below) I’m glad I stayed in front! The first part of the course is pretty nice with just a few hills requiring us to walk. Lots of spectacular scenery including a gorge crossing (by bridge) just a little before the first aid station. Aid stations are a little less frequent on trail races given the terrain. We had 3 on the marathon course, at approx 8, 13 and 19 miles. I was carrying a water bottle so got that re-filled, munched on potato chips, grapes, jelly beans (yum), and coke to wash down 2 salt tablets. Once on the trail again I had my first gu (double-latte, my fav). The next part of the course was more challenging with a little rock climbing thrown in for good measure. It was getting warmer though probably still in the low 60s. The sun was out but we were under tree cover for the most part and there was a cool breeze so it was really perfect running conditions. At the second aid station I ate pretty much the same, with a few M&Ms for dessert. Oh and another Advil, just in case the glute started to bother me. Thankfully it didn’t – must be that inventive in-car stretch. Having made it to half way feeling really good I felt pretty confident I would have a better run than last year but I knew the worst part was yet to come. With less than 6 miles until the next aid station this section passed pretty quickly. Took another gu along the way, tangerine flavour this time. Lots of up and down on this part of the course. There’s nothing like racing down a steep trail to get the heart-rate going, especially knowing that one wrong footing can send you headfirst into a rock or pine tree. So it was almost a relief when the first fall came, especially when it wasn’t me! But it wasn’t long before I hit the dirt myself, though no sign of blood so I’m not sure it counts. Amazingly I had just one fall this year while Erik celebrated his first trail adventure with another three – getting the better of an obstructing branch the last time (but almost spraining his finger in the process so perhaps the branch won after all). At the last aid station we filled up again, more coke, sweet treats and a banana. Refueled, if not refreshed, we set off for the finish, 7 miles to go – anyone can run that right? Yeah, not on these hills… but we did a pretty good walk/run combo. The second half of the course is definitely tougher, especially with tired legs. But thankfully that last section didn’t seem as long this year, for whatever reason I must be better trained this year – probably the biking all summer helped – in any case despite thinking there were several ups and downs ahead of us we soon passed a guy we knew who said it was just over 2 miles to go. And almost all downhill or flat – hooray! Now I am always saying that trail running is less competitive than road running but you know that feeling when the finish is near and you see a few people just up ahead… oh yes, especially when they are guys. So with less than a mile to go and despite my legs begging me not to I picked up the pace and passed three guys who probably thought I was a bit mad but hey, I felt good! The run to the finish line is such a buzz – after hours of no more than a few supporters at the aid stations you are greeted with this big cheer as you come around the hotel to the finish line. And then I was done! I don’t think I stopped smiling for the entire evening. I was totally jazzed to have improved on last year’s time while feeling ten times better. And Erik was delighted with his first trail race. The BBQ started up and we spent the next few hours watching runners finish, including the 50 mile winner who made it look far too easy. The 100 miler had started at 8am Friday so the top guys had finished that morning just as we were starting out. Most of the runners came in throughout the afternoon – it was amazing to see them smile, laugh and cry as they crossed the finish line and hugged their families and friends. I wondered briefly what it would feel like to be finally done after 30 hours on the go… before taking another sip of beer and deciding I don’t really need to know. Another great trail running experience for me and I am sure the first of many for Erik. The trail definitely had a positive effect on him… 5 hours out there and he didn’t once mention internet dating! The best part about trail running… it’s less about finishing times and more about the smile on your face the whole way through the run. Think of the smell of fresh pine needles, the carpet of orange-red leaves underfoot, and the breathtaking views of Lake Superior from several hundred feet above (and forget about the hills, falls and general all over body pain). And here is Erik's report! Hi Peter, Helen and I finished the Moose Mountain Marathon on Saturday. Without Helen's support and tenacity, I would not have had such a successful race. She gave me two salt pills at the water stops. The pills helped me from cramping. At one water stop, I grabbed a jelly sandwich. I was so tired, that I could barely chew the sandwich. I sucked on that jelly sandwich like a cowboy with a Copenhagen chew. I carried that sandwich just as baby carrys a rattle, but after two miles and one measly bite, I fell and the sandwich ended up in the dirt. After the last water stop at 19 miles, Helen started picking up the pace. By 22 miles, she was running down the hills at break-neck speed. Her forehead was all wrinkled up with determination; like a bulldog that's ready to bite the mailman! Since I had already twisted my ankles and fallen several times, I was doing everything I could to hang with her. I was like PeeWee Herman hanging on to Wonderwoman's cape! At around mile 23 we passed several people from the Bloomington club, and they were dumbfounded by Helen's speed. At 25 miles, I started halucinating, and Helen started looking blurry to me. I told her to leave me behind and she pulled into the gates at 4:49:56. I pulled in at 4:50:50. Helen took third place! She cut one hour and 20 minutes off of her last years time! I believe I took 15th place. I actually finished a marathon running! There's hope for me yet! Afterwards, we stayed around and watched the marathoners, 50 milers, and 100 milers finish. Those 100 milers are truly amazing. Thanks Helen and Peter, Erik Now go sign-up for 2007! http://www.superiortrailrace.com/