I have no idea what it means. And really, no desire to learn. But it's my favourite thing about American Football. It sounds... kind of rough and thoughtful all at the same time. I won't claim to know anything about the game and after watching tonight (well, the 4th quarter and now OT), I won't know anything more. But I've come to have a little more respect for the game over the past few years. Well, most of the time I think it's just a lot of overpaid and overweight guys jumping on top of each other (except Peyton Manning - babe!), but I know there is an immense amount of strategy to the game. Or so I'm told. Then again, these are people who don't get why soccer is such a great game.
Ohhhh... it's all over. OK - so I thought 15 minutes of overtime meant 15 minutes of overtime but I guess it's like the golden goal rule. Oh well, that's too bad. Just as I was beginning to get into it.
Back to what I know best...
Had a great run around the lakes this evening. I had meant to leave the house by 3pm but had some work to do that ended up taking longer than planned so it was after 4pm which meant I had exactly an hour if I was to get done in time for a Hot Yoga class which I wanted to take as it's the perfect way to finish off the weekend. That sentence was way too long. So instead of a leisurely 10-12 miles I decided I'd try for a bit of speed and get in 7 miles in the hour to make it a 70 mile week... 8:30 min miles not exactly speedy but after a 20 miler yesterday and a 90 minute spin class this morning I wasn't sure how the legs would feel. Well, about a minute after starting out a guy passes me on a hill and what does Helen do... of course, I try to keep up. With much success. After a while I realize we're running sub-6:30 pace. A few minutes later I pass the guy. So then of course I have to keep up the pace (and cannot possibly look back to see if he's still behind me!) - 5K in 21:30 - over to Lake Calhoun, ease off a bit after crossing at the lights when I realize speedster is not chasing me (obviously, seeing as I'm the only one "racing")... then step on it again and decide I'll see how fast I can make it to the 10K mark. Somewhere along the way I realize the 10K I was meant to do over Christmas at home that had to be postponed due to the weather was actually being run this morning - ah, the sub-conscious mind! 10K in 43:35. Not bad for tired legs. Eased off and finished up the 7 miles in 50 minutes flat. 7:08 pace. That'll do nicely. And plenty of time to make yoga... felt so good to stretch out after that!
A 70 mile week and it's still January. Feeling good about that. My calves were super tight during the long run yesterday which is unusual as I rarely have calf issues. But for the most part the running is going just fine. Aiming to keep it around 60-70 miles the next 2 weeks and then ease off a little before the 50K. Though I won't really taper as it's more of a fun race to kick off the season. Though I am hoping for sub-6hrs and therefore a cash prize!!
Still having blog issues - seems that I can only post on certain blogs and sometimes only when using the iPhone (further proof that my life would be totally miserable without it).
Chris S - I think the biggest hassle for all the runners yesterday was getting out of their driveway! The race conditions were actually perfect - or at least much more favourable than any other year I've ran it. I didn't look up race results yet but I'm assuming some pretty fast times. I love the out and back course and seeing how fast the leaders are going.
Steve - we only ran 3.5 miles before so my excuse is simply that it was intended to be a long easy run... except it didn't feel all that easy!!
Chris - Are you psychic or tracking your blog visitors?! I found your blog the other day and was trying to post regarding running routes in the city... so here's what I was trying to post:
I'm guessing if you know the lakes you've taken the Minnehaha parkway down to Nokomis? That is a nice out and back route and a change from circling the lakes. Or head over to Cedar Lake and up to Theodore Wirth parkway. Probably a bit icy now but in general the paths are pretty good in the winter. Most of the rail trails around the cities are not cleared in winter but if there's a lot of traffic they are quite runnable - maybe check the websites - the new Dakota trail heads west from Wayzata; the new section of Luce Line from Theodore Wirth parkway links up with Medicine Lake and miles and miles west - if the trail is not cleared there is still a nice 8 miles loop around Medicine Lake that is usually ok in winter.
Excited for next weekend - if the weather freezes up nicely... check out Joel's blog! He posted on fb recently about running on the river so I was asking him about where he runs. Others were asking to join sometime also - and then I saw it was going to be a full moon next weekend... perfect! Just need many many inches of thick ice.
Who dat? All day? Is he going to cry? Aw...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Time to get Screwed
My shoes, that is.
Had a nice run at Lebanon Hills late this afternoon - had hoped to finish up work earlier but ended up starting out around 4pm so ran the last few miles in the dark but it wasn't so bad as the trails there are well packed. Not as good condition as last week but that's to be expected with the weather... and the ice showers due tonight won't help much! But hopefully we get some fresh snow soon. Thanks to Maria for the screw advice - picked up 3/8in screws this morning - there were 14 per pack so I put them all in - probably overkill but no point in keeping spares as they'd be lost in some box in the basement... I don't have anything resembling a toolbox. Though Pam is working on me.
I have a few random things to talk about...
First off, these blog issues are a pain in the ass - now I can't post a comment on anyone's blog! Thomas - it was great to read your blog - I had planned to run Connemara as my sister is getting married the following weekend but then my brother decided to get baby christened the weekend after that and don't think I can stretch the trip to 2 full weeks. Though it probably wouldn't surprise anyone if I ditched the christening in favour of a 39.3 mile run! But anyway, I was beginning to wonder the wisdom of that far on the roads a month out from a 100K trail race in California that I've sort of set as my "goal race" for the spring. I'm moving away from roads as much as possible. So I'm on the lookout for a 50 mile trail race in the US that weekend instead - much more sensible! Also, Thomas - in case you are reading this... our paths have crossed... Dublin 2004 was my first marathon and then I did Connemara in 06! Good luck with the training - sounds like you have some nice hilly training routes. One of my fav training runs ever was in the summer of 2007 around Slea Head. A beautiful part of the country.
A black bear giving birth is pretty damn cool - check out Kel's blog for the link and some more info on black bears - the sound of the baby cub is just amazing!
Days off? Some say they are necessary for recovery etc. I don't know. As you can tell from my side bar activities I tend to work out every day and usually twice a day. Call me an addict but I just can't stand doing nothing and if I wasn't working out I'd be working - and there's no thanks for that! Anyway, yesterday I ended up not doing anything as I felt like sleeping in and then in the evening I was late for my Acupuncture apt so didn't get out of that on time and missed yoga. And this morning I felt soooo tight at yoga. Went to the chiro then for my weekly adjustment and he was asking how much I'd been running as I was tight all over. I told him not enough clearly. I'd say he doesn't know what to make of me but he's good at what he does and I think this preventative measure is good for me. Then, mid-shoulder adjustment he asks when I'm going to find the time to get married and have kids. I said I didn't know, that maybe it wasn't part of my plan - not meaning I was doing any life planning (hardly) but rather meaning God's grand plan for me except I wasn't really feeling all that philosophical as I was really thinking f**k off and mind your own business. But anyway, the adjustment felt good. And running this afternoon felt great - and then I went to yoga again (I know, I know) and felt so loose compared to this morning. So there you go, scientific evidence that days off are completely detrimental to one's training. Or at least to my training.
Acupuncture - I've had chronic shoulder pain for a few years now - the sort of pain that goes from nagging background aches to preventing you from sleeping - mostly the former until recently. So I've never really done much about it. Well, I saw a chiro for a few months back in 07 but when she asked me after about 3 months how I was doing and I said my shoulder was still pretty bad at times and she said oh I didn't know you had shoulder issues... yeah, you know how that one ended. Put me off the profession for a wee bit but then a friend recommended Dr. Pete and I think he knows his stuff and is helping me stay out of trouble. Even since doing my lower back in during TCM 2005 I've had right sciatic issues where my right leg pulls up and "gets shorter" and if I don't get adjustments to correct it or better still prevent it happening I end up feeling pretty rough and very off kilter. I know I should probably be doing all sorts of strengthening exercises that would ultimately negate the need for regular adjustments but that just sounds like too much work altogether. Anyway, back to acupuncture - the first apt on Monday was pretty non-eventful, the needles are so tiny I hardly felt them, then the half hour chilling out with them all over my shoulder, neck, and back was very relaxing. But last night when he put one in somewhere on the left side of my back serious pain radiated out from my right shoulder (the dodgy one)... I guess we'll see if that was a sign of a good release! I'll go for a few weeks and see if there's any improvement. I know the recent surge in pain and discomfort is mostly from work, pretty busy lately... being right-handed and constantly on my laptop or phone, using the mouse, texting etc - it all adds up.
Speaking of things all adding up... it must be pure misery in Haiti these days. I can't imagine. I was reading Stones Into Schools recently (excellent book) and Greg Mortenson describes the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan - the impact is just devastating for places that are so under resourced to begin with. He focused a lot of the "places at the end of the road" as that is where they build their schools and are of course the last places where help reaches. I expect it's the same in Haiti. All the talk is about Port au Prince which was certainly hit hard but I'm sure there are so many other areas that are still without proper aid. Anyway, hopefully my lack of interest in biking helps someone there - I have an indoor bike trainer for years that I have used about 3 times so when a friend of Shelley's was interested I thought that was a good way to provide a donation - not to mention that asking for $200 and saying it was going to the Red Cross helped avoid any bargaining :) It was a bargain anyway as they are almost $400 new and mine wasn't far off new. There's been a lot of talk about what charities to support etc but I figured they as good as any when it comes to the larger organizations and I already support Médecins Sans Frontières (who I think do some of the best work in sub-Saharan Africa) - though I think if I took the time to research there are probably some smaller local organizations who may do a better job in putting more of the money directly to use on the ground. Another way to help for anyone interested: Feed My Starving Children has 4 local centers where you can pack food - they have a neat sign up schedule on the website.
Now, it's bedtime. Frozen Half in the morning. Kami and I and hopefully a few others are meeting at 7:30AM so we can get in 7 before the race which starts at 9AM for a nice 20 miler... just hope those ice showers decide to miss St. Paul!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bits and Pieces
Life in 2010 has been pretty busy which is the main reason for lack of posts recently. But I am also having weird blog issues whereby I cannot sign into my own blog directly - I have to comment on someone elses and then "I'm in" and can go to my own - but still have to open everything in a new window vs being able to just click on "new post" at the top on my page. Odd...
I have thrown together (aka spent way too much time planning) my list of 2010 races on the sidebar but am doing a little refining so will come back to that soon and add some more detail. Running is going well - I think the Christmas break did me good. I am not feeling terribly fit and all of my running clothes are tighter than I would like. But 3 longs runs in a row over the long weekend reassured me that I have not lost much endurance/fitness so that made me very happy. The additional inches will take care of themselves over the coming months (assuming I can stay away from the candy jar at work and the coffee shop muffins/scones... ahh sugar is evil!).
Finally ran at Lebanon Hills last weekend - what an awesome park! And only 30 mins from my house. Thanks for the tour Zach. I will be back again soon. The Friday morning run has moved to T Wirth so I'm discovering a few new trails there also. Well, I mostly haven't a clue where I am at so that just means I need to keep up with the guys. And if that doesn't get me fit, nothing will!
Looking forward to the first trail race of the year in a few weeks time in KC - I expect it'll be a snow/ice turn into mud-fest by the last of the 3 loops - fun, right?
My new nephew in Perth is doing well. Skype is the business! The little guy is unbelieveably strong for a new baby - he was looking around non stop and thrashing his skinny little arms about like crazy. I can't wait to see them in April (the whole family will be in Ireland for the first time in a few years). Meanwhile, I'll be over there for work at the end of next month. I think it'll be a busy year for work travel given the projects I have going on. I like travel, love airports, but will be trying to keep it to a minimum during the summer so I can be here as much as possible.
Planning to do the frozen half in St. Paul Saturday. I have run it every year since 2005 except for last year - which wasn't a bad one to miss seeing as it was cut short. It's a nice low key race and we usually fit it into a longer run by running for an hour beforehand.
Doing tons of hot yoga - loving it - and think it will remain part of the plan through the year. Lots of running, lots of yoga, spin classes at least through the winter. That is the grand training plan!
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Helen's comments:
So now I can sign in to my account by just opening "sign in" in a new window - but I cannot comment on my own posts!
And I just have to let Matt know that hot yoga is a 90 minute sweat fest that include many precarious positions, little periods of rest in between, following the instructor, and feeling completely wiped out at the end. So yes, it's exactly what you think it is...
Olga - it's funny, as much as I enjoyed my one 100 miler when I started to plan the year I found there were so many 50M (& 100K) races that I really want to do... but a 100 is still in the back of my mind! Grindstone would be the most likely choice if I do decide to go for it.
Steve - yes, I am still going to beat you at Superior.
Chris - I loved your treehouse pic - what a treat that would be for a vacation!
I have thrown together (aka spent way too much time planning) my list of 2010 races on the sidebar but am doing a little refining so will come back to that soon and add some more detail. Running is going well - I think the Christmas break did me good. I am not feeling terribly fit and all of my running clothes are tighter than I would like. But 3 longs runs in a row over the long weekend reassured me that I have not lost much endurance/fitness so that made me very happy. The additional inches will take care of themselves over the coming months (assuming I can stay away from the candy jar at work and the coffee shop muffins/scones... ahh sugar is evil!).
Finally ran at Lebanon Hills last weekend - what an awesome park! And only 30 mins from my house. Thanks for the tour Zach. I will be back again soon. The Friday morning run has moved to T Wirth so I'm discovering a few new trails there also. Well, I mostly haven't a clue where I am at so that just means I need to keep up with the guys. And if that doesn't get me fit, nothing will!
Looking forward to the first trail race of the year in a few weeks time in KC - I expect it'll be a snow/ice turn into mud-fest by the last of the 3 loops - fun, right?
My new nephew in Perth is doing well. Skype is the business! The little guy is unbelieveably strong for a new baby - he was looking around non stop and thrashing his skinny little arms about like crazy. I can't wait to see them in April (the whole family will be in Ireland for the first time in a few years). Meanwhile, I'll be over there for work at the end of next month. I think it'll be a busy year for work travel given the projects I have going on. I like travel, love airports, but will be trying to keep it to a minimum during the summer so I can be here as much as possible.
Planning to do the frozen half in St. Paul Saturday. I have run it every year since 2005 except for last year - which wasn't a bad one to miss seeing as it was cut short. It's a nice low key race and we usually fit it into a longer run by running for an hour beforehand.
Doing tons of hot yoga - loving it - and think it will remain part of the plan through the year. Lots of running, lots of yoga, spin classes at least through the winter. That is the grand training plan!
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Helen's comments:
So now I can sign in to my account by just opening "sign in" in a new window - but I cannot comment on my own posts!
And I just have to let Matt know that hot yoga is a 90 minute sweat fest that include many precarious positions, little periods of rest in between, following the instructor, and feeling completely wiped out at the end. So yes, it's exactly what you think it is...
Olga - it's funny, as much as I enjoyed my one 100 miler when I started to plan the year I found there were so many 50M (& 100K) races that I really want to do... but a 100 is still in the back of my mind! Grindstone would be the most likely choice if I do decide to go for it.
Steve - yes, I am still going to beat you at Superior.
Chris - I loved your treehouse pic - what a treat that would be for a vacation!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
2009 - The Year in Review
Before 2009 has disappeared from view I thought I'd post a few random thoughts from the year...
No question it was an amazing year for me. Great results certainly, but what I cherish most are the hours and hours of training, both alone and with friends, the opportunities to take part in some of the best races the mid-west has to offer, running and racing with friends (sometimes involving a little friendly competition), meeting a ton of new people and generally having the time of my life. And on top of that I got to travel to a few races including two trips to Virginia where I just love to run for reasons that are hard to define.
Next up... 2010 plans & goals - which are changing by the minute and it's only January 3rd!
- Best race performance (according to me!): Voyageur 50M
- Best "race shape": Leanhorse 50M
- Most fun racing: Leanhorse 50M - correleted to above I am sure!
- Most memorable training run: Eagle Mountain - a 10K return trip to Minnesota's highest point complete with a swim in pristine Whale Lake - try it sometime!
- Toughest race: Hellgate 100K
- Best organized race: Afton 50K
- Best course finish: TFH at Chippewa 50K – I will miss it!
- Smartest race: Hellgate 100K; Leanhorse also - both were negative splits which I guess says it all
- Best fueling experience: That can of red bull at Oberg (Thanks Eric!)
- Best supporters: Superior Trail Races (being among them all day Friday and going by them Saturday morning – it’s an amazingly well supported event considering the location)
- Most awful race experience: Grandma’s Marathon; the race itself is still my fav marathon, it was just a very very rough one for me this year!
- Smartest training decision: Going back to Hot Yoga after the most awful race - with the result that 2 months later at Leanhorse 90F felt like 70
- Best race shirt: Afton 50K
- Best pre race: Hellgate 100K. No doubt the midnight start helps. The pre-race dinner, briefing etc in the hours before the start make for a pretty intense build up.
- Best post race: A tie - Hellgate for the cosy, warm surroundings, and getting to know new people; Afton for the fab sunshine, great food and good times catching up with training and racing buddies.
- Best winner’s schwag: This is a tough one – I’ve amassed a rather wonderful collection of art courtesy of Wynn, John and Larry – but on a purely materialistic basis, the $225 Patagonia jacket from Hellgate is hard to beat.
- Most fun event: Surf the Murph – as much as I love to race (and I do love to race), doing an AS at this race was so much fun. I suspect I will be making it an annual gig. Wild Duluth and FANS were other great volunteering opportunities – I will def be back to volunteer at FANS next year – but I may just have to run Wild Duluth!! Among your many New Year’s running resolutions make sure one of them is to volunteer at an event in 2010. It’s not just a way to give back; it truly is a very enjoyable experience.
- Worst racing decision: Moose Mountain Marathon - racing with an injury is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Do I regret it? Nah...
- Best finish line feeling: Moose Mountain Marathon (‘Best’ as in “I’m done”, but definitely worst as in “What have I done?”)
- Wisest RD words: A toss up between David Horton's "Keep your nose out of the dirt Helen" and John Storkamp's "Run as fast as you can for as long as you can"
- Best volunteers: ALL of them!
No question it was an amazing year for me. Great results certainly, but what I cherish most are the hours and hours of training, both alone and with friends, the opportunities to take part in some of the best races the mid-west has to offer, running and racing with friends (sometimes involving a little friendly competition), meeting a ton of new people and generally having the time of my life. And on top of that I got to travel to a few races including two trips to Virginia where I just love to run for reasons that are hard to define.
Next up... 2010 plans & goals - which are changing by the minute and it's only January 3rd!
New year, new baby!
No, not me. Though with the extra lbs one would be perfectly within their rights to wonder...
I have a new nephew! A year ago I had 2 nieces and now I also have 2 nephews - a busy time for the Lavin clan!! Baby Patrick Brian was born to Sandi & Patrick (my little brother, well - I guess he's not so little anymore...) - in Perth, Western Australia, yesterday January 2, 2010. Welcome Patrick Jnr!! I just got to see him 'live' on Skype. A very healthy pair of lungs he has. I guess he was just excited to hear his favourite Auntie's voice.
P.S. Written in the US date format that DOB is 0102 2010 - I'm sure that is auspicious in some way...
I have a new nephew! A year ago I had 2 nieces and now I also have 2 nephews - a busy time for the Lavin clan!! Baby Patrick Brian was born to Sandi & Patrick (my little brother, well - I guess he's not so little anymore...) - in Perth, Western Australia, yesterday January 2, 2010. Welcome Patrick Jnr!! I just got to see him 'live' on Skype. A very healthy pair of lungs he has. I guess he was just excited to hear his favourite Auntie's voice.
P.S. Written in the US date format that DOB is 0102 2010 - I'm sure that is auspicious in some way...
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Day
My favourite day of the year. And New Year's Day 2010 was a good one! I have never cared much for New Year's Eve (I was in bed by 11pm last night) but I do love the first day of the new year. Bit of a cliche I suppose but I love the idea of starting over, new beginnings, new hopes and dreams. Not so much new expectations as new possibilities.
Despite no running for over a week it felt great to start the day/year with a run around the lakes - thanks Paula for the invite! 9 miles in 1 degree weather. Little wind thankfully and even some warm-ish sunshine. Body felt like it had not run in a while. And it certainly felt like it had taken in waay too much crap food recently. But good all the same...
Then it was off to yoga at noon for 108 Sun Salutations. Why 108? The number 108 is considered sacred in many near and far eastern religions. From http://www.sunfloweryogastudio.com/:
The Hindu prayer necklaces contain 108 beads, each one representing an individual mantra or prayer. Chinese Buddhists and Taoists also use a 108 bead mala. In yoga, it is believed that our heart center is where the soul resides. From the heart center 108 channels, called Nadis, radiate out to all parts of the subtle body. By changing a mantra 108 times, the energy of the mantra enters each of those channels so that it reaches all parts of the body.
It was fun, if a little tough going by the ninetieth chaturanga... my arms will be s o r e tomorrow! The instructor closed with a quote within a quote that I thought was pretty neat. The 14th century poet Hafiz: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth ‘you owe me.’” Expanded upon by one Dr. Wayne Dyer*... “Just think of what a love like that can do. It lights up the whole world.”
To finish off the day I spent some time at my favourite place. A hike on the snow covered trails as the sun was setting. Perfect.
---------------------------------------------------------------
What would a New Year's Day post be without a few resolutions...
1. Run more
2. Run faster
3. Eat healthier
4. Volunteer more
5. Rediscover job satisfaction
Here's to a wonderful 2010! Happy New Year everyone.
* I haven't read anything further but I expect plenty more inspiration can be found at Dyer's website.
Despite no running for over a week it felt great to start the day/year with a run around the lakes - thanks Paula for the invite! 9 miles in 1 degree weather. Little wind thankfully and even some warm-ish sunshine. Body felt like it had not run in a while. And it certainly felt like it had taken in waay too much crap food recently. But good all the same...
Then it was off to yoga at noon for 108 Sun Salutations. Why 108? The number 108 is considered sacred in many near and far eastern religions. From http://www.sunfloweryogastudio.com/:
The Hindu prayer necklaces contain 108 beads, each one representing an individual mantra or prayer. Chinese Buddhists and Taoists also use a 108 bead mala. In yoga, it is believed that our heart center is where the soul resides. From the heart center 108 channels, called Nadis, radiate out to all parts of the subtle body. By changing a mantra 108 times, the energy of the mantra enters each of those channels so that it reaches all parts of the body.
It was fun, if a little tough going by the ninetieth chaturanga... my arms will be s o r e tomorrow! The instructor closed with a quote within a quote that I thought was pretty neat. The 14th century poet Hafiz: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth ‘you owe me.’” Expanded upon by one Dr. Wayne Dyer*... “Just think of what a love like that can do. It lights up the whole world.”
To finish off the day I spent some time at my favourite place. A hike on the snow covered trails as the sun was setting. Perfect.
---------------------------------------------------------------
What would a New Year's Day post be without a few resolutions...
1. Run more
2. Run faster
3. Eat healthier
4. Volunteer more
5. Rediscover job satisfaction
Here's to a wonderful 2010! Happy New Year everyone.
* I haven't read anything further but I expect plenty more inspiration can be found at Dyer's website.
What Year is it again?
I happened to spot this magazine while waiting in line at the store today. I had to share. People actually buy this shit?
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Adding to the Portfolio...
AS 5 Jennings Creek - about an hour after hitting the dirt. I thought at the time I heard a little crunch - turns out I broke cartilage in my nose. But no real injuries from the race... I mean, who needs their nose to run?
AS 7 Bearhollow Gap - I don't know why I look this happy - I'm sure I wasn't at all!
But I was definitely happy here!!!
Hard to believe this race was just 2 weeks ago. In the time since then I've ran about 10 miles... gained at least as many pounds... drank 10 times as many glasses of wine... and eaten about 100 times as many chocolates. Recovery + Christmas = 1/Fitness.
My sister and I did get a little active on Christmas Day - it's not exactly Lake Minnetonka on New Year's Day - but Ireland's had record lows all week so it was a little more intimidating than last year...
Lough Arrow, Co. Sligo. Post dip - warming up with a hot whiskey...
Now, back to 2010 planning... as I sit here with the feet up, glass of red wine within reach, box of chocolates just out of reach (but not for long) - I am having fun checking out the long long list of potential races for 2010 and trying to come up with a reasonable plan. It's not easy!Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Nollaig Shona
Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoying some time back in Ireland with family and friends. Freezing conditions - not as cold as MN but roads are treacherous so we're housebound. Had to leave my car at the end of our road and walk the 3/4 mile home... beautiful night out - snow covered fields, bright stars and a half moon! Only problem is I had to leave all the Christmas presents in the car :)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Stories from Hell
Here is a link to stories from other particpants in this year's race, as well as the race director's report:
http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2009_hellgate/2009%20stories%20from%20hell.html
I particularly love this quote from Jenny Anderson:
"There are several common threads that bind ultrarunners but the core of who we are is seeking a life full of passion, enjoying God’s playground and challenging ourselves to do more than we think to be possible."
I could not agree more.
http://www.extremeultrarunning.com/2009_hellgate/2009%20stories%20from%20hell.html
I particularly love this quote from Jenny Anderson:
"There are several common threads that bind ultrarunners but the core of who we are is seeking a life full of passion, enjoying God’s playground and challenging ourselves to do more than we think to be possible."
I could not agree more.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hellgate 100K
12:01AM, December 12, 2009
No matter how you look at it, there is something fundamentally unfair about starting a race at one minute past midnight. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the starting time was the kindest part of this race.
The Road to Hell
... is generally portrayed as pretty daunting. For me, it began with my first visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains for the 2007 Promise Land 50K. I was joined by my good friend Kami for what was our second 50K adventure (the first being Moab 50K+ a month earlier). We had the pleasure of running with Dorothy Hunter during that race and got to hear all about the Lynchburg series of races. I already knew about Mountain Masochist as I’d hoped that would be my first 50M (it was, in November 2007) but I hadn’t gotten as far as thinking of anything beyond that... and when I heard the descriptions of Hellgate I decided I didn’t need to. A few years of ultra experience later, including my first 100 miler in September 2008 (Sawtooth) and I figured I could tackle it. A month after entering I gave myself a shin injury that I stupidly continued to run with so that I finally had to pull out a few weeks before the race. Fast forward a year and the road had taken a few more twists and turns. The annual shin injury hit a little earlier this year and resulted in many changes of plan... I missed out on Grindstone, which I’d entered after AC-100 was cancelled, and decided to abandon other races, volunteer at a few, and focus on Hellgate. And so it was that I found myself on a flight from Minneapolis to DC Friday morning, reading Aaron Schwartzbard’s course description that I’d printed from the website (if I knew anything it was to not believe a word of the description provided by Horton!). It had been a busy month of traveling, a long weekend in Vegas the previous weekend and before that a trip back to Ireland, with long work hours in between. But the training had gone pretty well. I’d had a really good summer of running and racing, and after taking three weeks off in September with the shin I’d built it back up and made the most of the unusually pleasant November weather. I didn’t feel like I had enough hill training given the climbs I’d become familiar with in these mountains, but it was too late to worry about that now.
I arrived at Camp Bethel a little before 6pm. The daylight had mostly faded and made me wonder how I might be feeling come sunrise the following morning. I was hoping to be halfway done. Though “halfway” in this race was a little hard to predict. I had picked up a turkey sandwich at Subway having forgotten about the pre-race dinner. I was thinking I’d check in, get my stuff organized, and get a few hours sleep. I went inside to be greeted by a lovely warm fire - a very cosy setting to perfectly contrast what lay ahead, got my number, and chatted to David for a few minutes. I told him how thrilled I was to be here and he assured me I was about to take part in a very special event. I wasn’t going to argue with that.
Having been reminded of dinner I headed back out to the car to get organized, still thinking I would get my sleep time later. Considering this was my second longest ultra I surprised myself by not being terribly organized coming up to it. Mostly due to lack of time, but I wasn’t real worried about it either. Not that I take any race for granted but I think the more races I do the simpler I try to keep things. Especially when traveling to races. Having said that I still ended up with enough supplies for a two week expedition to Antarctica. I turned up the heat in the car and set about the task of dividing up my food between my Nathan pack and drop bag - which would be at AS4 and again at AS7. I put my second set of gloves/mitts/neck gaiter in the drop bag and also my spare shoes. I decided to stick with my regular Montrail Masochist shoes and put the Gortex version in the drop bag - I started to wear the Masochists earlier this year and absolutely love them. I picked up a pair of the GTX ones a month ago and while they feel good I think they are a little stiffer and I knew that despite the waterproof claim there’d be no keeping my feet dry at the creek crossing. I headed back inside around 6:45PM for dinner - the air was chilly. Not as bad as the 4F I’d left behind in Minnesota, but definitely not ideal running temperatures. I spotted Dorothy immediately and chatted with her and Todd before joining fellow Midwesterners Robert Wehner and Brad Birkholz at the next table. I knew both these guys had run the race several times though I wasn’t sure than a few hours before race start was the time to be looking for advice from veterans! The spaghetti dinner was good and after hanging out for a bit we all headed over to the building where the race briefing would be. Another comfy setting - a main gathering area with bunk rooms off to each side and best of all - hot showers! I would be dreaming about that later. The finish line was right outside the door.
At dinner, David had interrupted proceedings to ask if anyone had spare shoes as one of the girls had left hers behind - size 10? Montrails? Masochists? - I did a quick size check on the pair I was wearing which I had in addition to the ones I planned to run in and the GTX pair (most of my running shoes are 10.5 but I remembered these being different) - and told Beth I had a pair for her. The poor thing, she had packed 3 pairs in a bag but had left it behind, 3hrs drive away! I caught up with her before the race briefing and gave her the choice of my “old” regular ones, which had about 200+ miles, or the GTX ones which are pretty new. She opted for the regular version. So I repacked the drop bag and was all set.
I don’t remember too much about the race briefing other than the suggestion that we might hit a record low. I think Horton said that meant single digits but I am not sure. I had mentally prepared myself that the race would be colder than anything I had done before so I figured I wasn’t going to worry about it now. The good news was that there was much less ice than some years. A few questions here and there and then it was time to ensure everyone had a ride to the start about 15 miles away (amazing how one finds a way to run 100KM when you can drive it in 15 miles). I secured a seat in JJ’s jeep with a departure time of 11PM. It was now approaching 9PM. When was I going to get my few hours sleep? I chatted to a few people and headed back to the car. A few final checks and set my alarm for 10:50. I figured I got about 40 minutes kip. Good enough.
No matter how you look at it, there is something fundamentally unfair about starting a race at one minute past midnight. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the starting time was the kindest part of this race.
The Road to Hell
... is generally portrayed as pretty daunting. For me, it began with my first visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains for the 2007 Promise Land 50K. I was joined by my good friend Kami for what was our second 50K adventure (the first being Moab 50K+ a month earlier). We had the pleasure of running with Dorothy Hunter during that race and got to hear all about the Lynchburg series of races. I already knew about Mountain Masochist as I’d hoped that would be my first 50M (it was, in November 2007) but I hadn’t gotten as far as thinking of anything beyond that... and when I heard the descriptions of Hellgate I decided I didn’t need to. A few years of ultra experience later, including my first 100 miler in September 2008 (Sawtooth) and I figured I could tackle it. A month after entering I gave myself a shin injury that I stupidly continued to run with so that I finally had to pull out a few weeks before the race. Fast forward a year and the road had taken a few more twists and turns. The annual shin injury hit a little earlier this year and resulted in many changes of plan... I missed out on Grindstone, which I’d entered after AC-100 was cancelled, and decided to abandon other races, volunteer at a few, and focus on Hellgate. And so it was that I found myself on a flight from Minneapolis to DC Friday morning, reading Aaron Schwartzbard’s course description that I’d printed from the website (if I knew anything it was to not believe a word of the description provided by Horton!). It had been a busy month of traveling, a long weekend in Vegas the previous weekend and before that a trip back to Ireland, with long work hours in between. But the training had gone pretty well. I’d had a really good summer of running and racing, and after taking three weeks off in September with the shin I’d built it back up and made the most of the unusually pleasant November weather. I didn’t feel like I had enough hill training given the climbs I’d become familiar with in these mountains, but it was too late to worry about that now.
I arrived at Camp Bethel a little before 6pm. The daylight had mostly faded and made me wonder how I might be feeling come sunrise the following morning. I was hoping to be halfway done. Though “halfway” in this race was a little hard to predict. I had picked up a turkey sandwich at Subway having forgotten about the pre-race dinner. I was thinking I’d check in, get my stuff organized, and get a few hours sleep. I went inside to be greeted by a lovely warm fire - a very cosy setting to perfectly contrast what lay ahead, got my number, and chatted to David for a few minutes. I told him how thrilled I was to be here and he assured me I was about to take part in a very special event. I wasn’t going to argue with that.
Having been reminded of dinner I headed back out to the car to get organized, still thinking I would get my sleep time later. Considering this was my second longest ultra I surprised myself by not being terribly organized coming up to it. Mostly due to lack of time, but I wasn’t real worried about it either. Not that I take any race for granted but I think the more races I do the simpler I try to keep things. Especially when traveling to races. Having said that I still ended up with enough supplies for a two week expedition to Antarctica. I turned up the heat in the car and set about the task of dividing up my food between my Nathan pack and drop bag - which would be at AS4 and again at AS7. I put my second set of gloves/mitts/neck gaiter in the drop bag and also my spare shoes. I decided to stick with my regular Montrail Masochist shoes and put the Gortex version in the drop bag - I started to wear the Masochists earlier this year and absolutely love them. I picked up a pair of the GTX ones a month ago and while they feel good I think they are a little stiffer and I knew that despite the waterproof claim there’d be no keeping my feet dry at the creek crossing. I headed back inside around 6:45PM for dinner - the air was chilly. Not as bad as the 4F I’d left behind in Minnesota, but definitely not ideal running temperatures. I spotted Dorothy immediately and chatted with her and Todd before joining fellow Midwesterners Robert Wehner and Brad Birkholz at the next table. I knew both these guys had run the race several times though I wasn’t sure than a few hours before race start was the time to be looking for advice from veterans! The spaghetti dinner was good and after hanging out for a bit we all headed over to the building where the race briefing would be. Another comfy setting - a main gathering area with bunk rooms off to each side and best of all - hot showers! I would be dreaming about that later. The finish line was right outside the door.
At dinner, David had interrupted proceedings to ask if anyone had spare shoes as one of the girls had left hers behind - size 10? Montrails? Masochists? - I did a quick size check on the pair I was wearing which I had in addition to the ones I planned to run in and the GTX pair (most of my running shoes are 10.5 but I remembered these being different) - and told Beth I had a pair for her. The poor thing, she had packed 3 pairs in a bag but had left it behind, 3hrs drive away! I caught up with her before the race briefing and gave her the choice of my “old” regular ones, which had about 200+ miles, or the GTX ones which are pretty new. She opted for the regular version. So I repacked the drop bag and was all set.
I don’t remember too much about the race briefing other than the suggestion that we might hit a record low. I think Horton said that meant single digits but I am not sure. I had mentally prepared myself that the race would be colder than anything I had done before so I figured I wasn’t going to worry about it now. The good news was that there was much less ice than some years. A few questions here and there and then it was time to ensure everyone had a ride to the start about 15 miles away (amazing how one finds a way to run 100KM when you can drive it in 15 miles). I secured a seat in JJ’s jeep with a departure time of 11PM. It was now approaching 9PM. When was I going to get my few hours sleep? I chatted to a few people and headed back to the car. A few final checks and set my alarm for 10:50. I figured I got about 40 minutes kip. Good enough.
I was SO READY TO RUN! I had been looking forward to this race for months. Nothing like a few injury-enforced cancellations (NF Madison 50M as well as Grindstone) to juice up the competitive spirit!
That Midnight Start
The drive to the start was eerily quiet. Funnily enough I was riding in the same car as Aaron so that was neat that I got to thank him for his postings. But we were waiting for another girl who must have taken a ride with someone else and ended up leaving a few minutes after everyone else. And since no one was entirely sure of the start location we were just a little nervous. As much as I was afraid of what was to come I really didn't want to miss the race start! Thankfully between JJ and Aaron we made it there after just one wrong turn. Still, I only had enough time for a quick bio break, check-in, and walk over to the start line. In the car over I realized I had forgotten my iPod. It didn’t bother me too much – I hadn’t planned to use it during the night but thought it might be nice later on. In hindsight it was definitely a blessing that I forgot it. Considering the number of spills I took due to lack of concentration I can only imagine the mess I’d be in if I was listening to music too. I had also forgot to put any Nuun tabs in my hydration pack – as in, into the water - I was carrying a full tube of tabs. I figured I’d do it at the first AS. At the start line I chatted briefly to Sean Andrish whom I’d met at the Wild Duluth 100K in October. It didn’t feel terribly cold at the start though I shivered when I saw a few guys in shorts. A few reports I’ve read say 10-15F. Either way I felt like I had the right amount of clothing – a Smartwool layer, longsleeve hooded top, thin vest, thin wind shirt; tights; gloves and mitts – with handwarmers (a.k.a lifesavers) in between.
11:59PM – National Anthem; 12:00AM – David leads us all with a short prayer for a safe journey in the woods; 12:01AM – we’re off... 100K in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia.
Start to AS1 Forest Service Road 35 (3.5 miles)
I was wearing a watch but had decided not to look at it for several hours. I wanted to take the first few sections relatively easy and not get caught up with times. I knew this section was among the shortest but was more concerned about the creek than the distance. My goals going into this race were to finish in under 14 hours and to place in the top 5 women. Not terribly scientific I just know that I usually run better with a goal in mind and from a review of the results and a look through Horton’s seedings that seemed to make sense. I figured Donna Utakis (2008 winner and 2009 Grindstone winner) and Justine Morrison (previous winner and many great races in her resume) would be vying for the top spot and I knew Jenny Anderson’s name from other races and had just read in UR mag about a 50K she’d recently won.
We did some climbing through the woods on wide trails but it was pretty gentle. As we approached the creek a group were coming in the opposite direction having missed the turn off. They didn’t seem too concerned so I expect they hadn’t gone far. The creek was deeper than I had envisioned but I didn’t take any time to think about it as I ploughed ahead. I remembered reading Aaron’s advice to not try to use the rocks as they’d be icy. I suppose I still could have actually taken a moment to assess the depth. Water up to my knees wasn’t so bad but almost falling forward so that I had to put my hands down on a rock was so not a good idea. My mitts got soaked half way up. They froze instantly. Oh dear. This was going to be a long night. Thank goodness for those handwarmers. I let the mitts slip down a bit and had the handwarmers in each palm. Not perfect but it’ll work. AS1 came a few minutes later. I don’t remember stopping. It was too cold.
According to Keith Knipling’s records this section is actually 4 miles long. No surprise there.
AS1 to AS2 Petites Gap (4.0 miles)
Overall, this was probably my favorite section of the race. Most of it was a steady climb on a gravel road. I was glad for the climb as it got me warmed up quickly after the creek crossing. My feet didn’t actually feel that bad at all. And apart from my wet mitts I was sort of glad that I’d gotten quite wet – just to, you know, see how bad it might really be. I had on a pair of Teko wool socks that worked great - they seemed to dry out pretty well. And they had to – several times. With so much talk about the creek crossing you’d be forgiven for thinking there was just the one. Ha! If only. That was just the one where you were 100% guaranteed to get wet. For all the others, it was merely a 99.9% chance. About half way up the climb I was completely alone as the field had spread out nicely. No moon was visible at this point but the stars were so bright. I shut off my headlamp for a few hundred yards and once my eyes adjusted it was so beautiful. My legs felt fresh, the air was cool but not awful. There was no wind along this stretch. I felt so lucky to be able to do this. It has been a great year of running for me and what better way to bring it to a close than running in the mountains under a starlit sky. Unfortunately, a few of those stars were not stars at all but headlamps. High, high above me. Holy crap, this really is a mountain. There was quite a bit of ice towards the top of the climb where it got steeper but for the most part it was possible to find dirt tracts to follow. I hiked alongside a guy for several minutes. Neither of us speaking a word but nice to have company to keep the pace steady. About 50 yards from AS2 I slipped and went down on my right knee. I didn’t even look down so I am not sure if the eventual damage was done at that point but several falls later and the knee didn’t look so pretty. The tube to my hydration pack had frozen solid somewhere along this section so I was a bit worried about that but got it going at the aid station and then tucked it into my shirt. I had planned to wear the wind jacket outside my pack but it proved too much of a squeeze so the tube had been exposed. Silly me. A cup of coke and I was off again. I had not taken any food at this point but I was doing fine. I’d ended up eating the turkey sandwich around 9pm so I knew I wasn’t short on calories. No fear.
3.9 miles according to Keith. A short one?
AS2 to AS3 Camping Gap (5.6 miles)
I left the aid station feeling pretty good. But knowing it was still very early. We encountered the first significant stretch of downhill in the next few miles – first on a rocky trail and then a few miles on a wider grassy trail where it felt good to stretch out a little. This was followed by the first of my ‘nightmare’ sections... rocks and more rocks. It was no fun. But eventually we hit another dirt road and despite the upward slope it felt good to be on secure ground again. Don’t get me wrong, I love technical trail but loose icy rocks combined with sloping ground, in the dark, nah... Back out on the road it was a l-o-n-g climb to Camping Gap. I decided it was time for a gel. I had several gels and other good stuff in my pack though I didn’t use half of it. Along here I saw that the moon had come out. It was beautiful. Not a full moon like other years but a golden crescent low in the sky. Looking at the profile* this really was a long climb so it’s no wonder I was thrilled to hear the girls at AS3 had HOT COFFEE. Nice! These ladies were awesome and I would later see them at AS 6 and 9 – if that were me there wouldn’t have been any coffee left for the runners. I took some coke also and a few quarters of grilled cheese sandwiches. I am not sure but I don’t think I refilled my water here which meant I was still running on my original 70oz or so. I was well hydrated going into the race but knew I should have been drinking more.
That Midnight Start
The drive to the start was eerily quiet. Funnily enough I was riding in the same car as Aaron so that was neat that I got to thank him for his postings. But we were waiting for another girl who must have taken a ride with someone else and ended up leaving a few minutes after everyone else. And since no one was entirely sure of the start location we were just a little nervous. As much as I was afraid of what was to come I really didn't want to miss the race start! Thankfully between JJ and Aaron we made it there after just one wrong turn. Still, I only had enough time for a quick bio break, check-in, and walk over to the start line. In the car over I realized I had forgotten my iPod. It didn’t bother me too much – I hadn’t planned to use it during the night but thought it might be nice later on. In hindsight it was definitely a blessing that I forgot it. Considering the number of spills I took due to lack of concentration I can only imagine the mess I’d be in if I was listening to music too. I had also forgot to put any Nuun tabs in my hydration pack – as in, into the water - I was carrying a full tube of tabs. I figured I’d do it at the first AS. At the start line I chatted briefly to Sean Andrish whom I’d met at the Wild Duluth 100K in October. It didn’t feel terribly cold at the start though I shivered when I saw a few guys in shorts. A few reports I’ve read say 10-15F. Either way I felt like I had the right amount of clothing – a Smartwool layer, longsleeve hooded top, thin vest, thin wind shirt; tights; gloves and mitts – with handwarmers (a.k.a lifesavers) in between.
11:59PM – National Anthem; 12:00AM – David leads us all with a short prayer for a safe journey in the woods; 12:01AM – we’re off... 100K in the Jefferson National Forest, Virginia.
Start to AS1 Forest Service Road 35 (3.5 miles)
I was wearing a watch but had decided not to look at it for several hours. I wanted to take the first few sections relatively easy and not get caught up with times. I knew this section was among the shortest but was more concerned about the creek than the distance. My goals going into this race were to finish in under 14 hours and to place in the top 5 women. Not terribly scientific I just know that I usually run better with a goal in mind and from a review of the results and a look through Horton’s seedings that seemed to make sense. I figured Donna Utakis (2008 winner and 2009 Grindstone winner) and Justine Morrison (previous winner and many great races in her resume) would be vying for the top spot and I knew Jenny Anderson’s name from other races and had just read in UR mag about a 50K she’d recently won.
We did some climbing through the woods on wide trails but it was pretty gentle. As we approached the creek a group were coming in the opposite direction having missed the turn off. They didn’t seem too concerned so I expect they hadn’t gone far. The creek was deeper than I had envisioned but I didn’t take any time to think about it as I ploughed ahead. I remembered reading Aaron’s advice to not try to use the rocks as they’d be icy. I suppose I still could have actually taken a moment to assess the depth. Water up to my knees wasn’t so bad but almost falling forward so that I had to put my hands down on a rock was so not a good idea. My mitts got soaked half way up. They froze instantly. Oh dear. This was going to be a long night. Thank goodness for those handwarmers. I let the mitts slip down a bit and had the handwarmers in each palm. Not perfect but it’ll work. AS1 came a few minutes later. I don’t remember stopping. It was too cold.
According to Keith Knipling’s records this section is actually 4 miles long. No surprise there.
AS1 to AS2 Petites Gap (4.0 miles)
Overall, this was probably my favorite section of the race. Most of it was a steady climb on a gravel road. I was glad for the climb as it got me warmed up quickly after the creek crossing. My feet didn’t actually feel that bad at all. And apart from my wet mitts I was sort of glad that I’d gotten quite wet – just to, you know, see how bad it might really be. I had on a pair of Teko wool socks that worked great - they seemed to dry out pretty well. And they had to – several times. With so much talk about the creek crossing you’d be forgiven for thinking there was just the one. Ha! If only. That was just the one where you were 100% guaranteed to get wet. For all the others, it was merely a 99.9% chance. About half way up the climb I was completely alone as the field had spread out nicely. No moon was visible at this point but the stars were so bright. I shut off my headlamp for a few hundred yards and once my eyes adjusted it was so beautiful. My legs felt fresh, the air was cool but not awful. There was no wind along this stretch. I felt so lucky to be able to do this. It has been a great year of running for me and what better way to bring it to a close than running in the mountains under a starlit sky. Unfortunately, a few of those stars were not stars at all but headlamps. High, high above me. Holy crap, this really is a mountain. There was quite a bit of ice towards the top of the climb where it got steeper but for the most part it was possible to find dirt tracts to follow. I hiked alongside a guy for several minutes. Neither of us speaking a word but nice to have company to keep the pace steady. About 50 yards from AS2 I slipped and went down on my right knee. I didn’t even look down so I am not sure if the eventual damage was done at that point but several falls later and the knee didn’t look so pretty. The tube to my hydration pack had frozen solid somewhere along this section so I was a bit worried about that but got it going at the aid station and then tucked it into my shirt. I had planned to wear the wind jacket outside my pack but it proved too much of a squeeze so the tube had been exposed. Silly me. A cup of coke and I was off again. I had not taken any food at this point but I was doing fine. I’d ended up eating the turkey sandwich around 9pm so I knew I wasn’t short on calories. No fear.
3.9 miles according to Keith. A short one?
AS2 to AS3 Camping Gap (5.6 miles)
I left the aid station feeling pretty good. But knowing it was still very early. We encountered the first significant stretch of downhill in the next few miles – first on a rocky trail and then a few miles on a wider grassy trail where it felt good to stretch out a little. This was followed by the first of my ‘nightmare’ sections... rocks and more rocks. It was no fun. But eventually we hit another dirt road and despite the upward slope it felt good to be on secure ground again. Don’t get me wrong, I love technical trail but loose icy rocks combined with sloping ground, in the dark, nah... Back out on the road it was a l-o-n-g climb to Camping Gap. I decided it was time for a gel. I had several gels and other good stuff in my pack though I didn’t use half of it. Along here I saw that the moon had come out. It was beautiful. Not a full moon like other years but a golden crescent low in the sky. Looking at the profile* this really was a long climb so it’s no wonder I was thrilled to hear the girls at AS3 had HOT COFFEE. Nice! These ladies were awesome and I would later see them at AS 6 and 9 – if that were me there wouldn’t have been any coffee left for the runners. I took some coke also and a few quarters of grilled cheese sandwiches. I am not sure but I don’t think I refilled my water here which meant I was still running on my original 70oz or so. I was well hydrated going into the race but knew I should have been drinking more.
6.1 miles according to Keith. I believe it.
* It’s very unusual for me but I am just looking at the elevation profile for the first time now (13,500ft of climbing!) – stealing it from Keith’s blog. I don’t think I’ve ever run an ultra where I hadn’t studied the profile, the course, the distance between aid stations etc in great detail... all I can say is, it was definitely fear and not complacency!
Copied (w/o permission) from Keith Knipling's blog
AS3 to AS4 Headforemost Mountain (8.8 miles)
I left the AS just ahead of a few guys that had arrived around the same time as me. The girls at the aid station had warned us this next section was a tough one. 8.8 miles though I only remember hearing the first 8. Either way, after a few hours of running, and heading into that cold, windy section, I was quickly reminded that easy was never mentioned in any of the reports I’d read. But I had my drop bag to look forward to... and nice dry gloves and mitts. My hands weren’t cold but the frozen mitts were a bit of a pain all the same. The first mile or so was very runnable though at one point I got worried I had missed a turn as I hadn’t seen a glow stick for a while. A guy came along behind me and we continued for a bit and then spotted one in the distance. Phew. At no point in this race did I want to have to backtrack. The course was very well marked but there were stretches every so often where the markings were spread out as there were no turns – which induced a mild panic attack thinking I’d missed a turn. After the road stretch we turned onto grassy trail which was pretty runnable and I think mostly downhill. I am pretty sure this is where we encountered the snow. I was not expecting it as I’d read in one of David’s emails that they’d been marking part of the course on Wednesday and it was clear. I guess he didn’t mean the entire course was clear. Along here I took my first bio break. It would be the first of many. I think between falls and bio breaks I set a few new records in this race. Somewhere along here you could see across the valley to the highest section of the course – it was fun to see headlights bobbing in the distance – at this stage I was not bitter about how far I had to go versus the leaders. That would come later. About 2 miles later.
We hit a section of single track – which I later recognized as the Promise Land course. It was technical and quite rocky. I rolled my left ankle at one point and very nearly went careening off the trail which would not have been a good idea given the steep grade. There was a little ice along here also which made things interesting. I slipped at one point and went down awkwardly but just about managed to avoid smashing my right knee on a rock. At this point the fun was all but gone. I was very jealous of those headlamps in the distance that had no doubt danced through this section. And here I was clunking along. Not even at mile 20 and I feel wrecked. My last race had been 3 months earlier. And it was a trail marathon. I hadn’t run 50 miles since August. I wasn’t ready for this race. WHAT was I thinking? AS4 could not arrive soon enough. Out onto road again and up we went. It was steep but I didn’t mind. I felt like we had to be close. Finally, after what seemed like altogether too many miles I could see the AS lights ahead.
I was not a happy camper. I found my drop bag and changed my gloves, mitts, neck gaiter. Got a new pack of handwarmers. I checked my watch for the first time and was hugely disappointed to see 4:49AM. I don’t know what I was expecting but I thought for 20 miles I should be closer to 4 hours. Of course if I had looked at the sign I would have seen that it read mile 21.9 – and in reality was probably closer to 24 miles – but at that moment I was not thinking so clearly. I drank the can of red bull from my drop bag, got my water filled and added a few Nuun tabs. I had some chicken and rice soup which tasted good. Clark Zealand was there and he said the next section was pretty nice with lots of downhill. He was trying to help but so far the downhill experience had been far too rocky for my liking so I wasn’t at all appreciative of his kindness! But I did hear him tell someone that 24 runners had come through. I knew that at least 100 had started. Suddenly the world was a better place! I didn’t even care how many were women. I just knew I need to get out of there and on the road again.
9.8 miles according to Keith. Wow – that’s rough even by Horton’s standards!
AS4 to AS5 Jennings Creek (5.7 miles)
I was F R E E Z I N G. Especially my hands. I knew they would warm up soon but trudging along that dirt road I needed to get myself focused again. Well, let me tell you, there’s nothing like a face plant in frozen dirt to do the job. Whatever I was doing with my hands I didn’t get them down quickly enough and my nose hit at exactly the same time as my hands. Crunch! The noise of the impact registered before the pain - holy crap, I thought, I’ve broken my nose. Immediately followed by, maybe I can drop? Because quite honestly, at that point in the race – a broken nose would have been a welcome alternative to another 40 miles. I quickly got up, thinking I might have to go back to the aid station but remembering I’d just passed a car 20 yards back – I am sure I gave the guy quite a fright. I am not sure how he was connected to the race as he was a ways down from the AS but I did see him later at the finish line - but did not get over to thank him before he had disappeared again. So thank you whoever you are! He took a look, gave me some tissue to clean up the blood and told me I’d be fine. Damn.
Off I went, still sobbing a little – the shock I am sure!! Feeling COMPLETELY sorry for myself. But also thinking that if I have to fall in a race I may as well have a few scars to show for it... not to mention a few photos. More on that later. First, I had to run some. The next section was all a bit of a blur. On balance, the fall was a great thing as the adrenaline instantly heated my body and the pain in my nose caused me to forget all the other aching body parts. Clark was right though, there was significant downhill in the next section. As first, I was thinking it couldn’t all be downhill but then I remembered the name of the aid station was Jennings Creek so I figured if there was a creek it would be low down. The middle section where we climbed an icy road was a bit tricky though – and even the cars had trouble as we came across a guy being pulled out by a truck. I think I passed one guy along here but for the most part was running by myself. Towards the end of this section we wound our way down the mountain through pretty runnable trail and into AS 5 where I was greeted by... the paparazzi! Horton was sitting over by the fire and upon hearing shouts of “Best Blood Award” wanted evidence... no, he didn’t rush over to check was I ok – in fact I don’t recall anyone asking if I was hurt or offering to clean me up. I loved it! Honestly, this aid station cheered me up no end. These people are nuts I thought as I was leaving. And I’m one of them!
I did get offered some bacon and eggs though – this being the Breakfast aid station – but decided it was time to get going again. With a handful of pretzels for breakfast. I forgot to ask how long to the next AS.
6.4 miles according to Keith. But not the worst of the “Horton miles”
AS5 to AS6 Little Cove Mountain (6.9 miles)
Not having done very well with studying the course pre-race I had a vague recollection that Aaron had said AS6 was at 35 miles – and according to him the “halfway” point, with 31 miles remaining. I didn’t know if that meant it was officially marked as mile 35 or not. But then again I didn’t know what mile I had just passed at AS5. Despite this, and having looked at my watch at the aid station to see 6:10AM, I still told myself I would get to Little Cove Mountain by sunrise. Now, one would think that the fact that I was leaving a “creek” and heading to a “mountain” and knowing that after the first two sections all the others were over 5 miles (I remembered that at least), would cause me to be a little less ambitious. I did start to recalculate as the road crept up and up and up. This section in summary: big climb, big descent, big climb. It was on the second big climb that I started to wonder (again) what on earth I was doing here. It was daylight now but rather than take in the amazing views of the valleys below and mountains in the distance, I just trundled along muttering to myself. This is probably one of the few places where the iPod might have helped as the terrain was very runnable. But instead I spotted two guys up ahead... ah yes, nothing like a few “targets” to get Helen going again. Heading up the gravel road that would eventually lead to the aid station, I realized I was moving relatively well as I chatted a little to one of the guys before continuing on. A mix of running and hiking here. And lots of cars going by which was a pain as it was so dusty. I didn’t look at my watch in this section. I didn’t need to. I knew it was long past 7AM. 7:49 to be exact when I finally asked the volunteer recording the times how far behind the other women I was. But I learned that the next girl was only 2 minutes ahead of me. And the “two Canadians” had gone through at 7:25AM. Ok, so my original goal for the first half had been way ambitious. I didn’t feel so bad. I was pleased to be in 4th. And just like that, things were looking up again...
Especially since this was the aid station where my coffee ladies were again! And despite the warning that the next 8 miles were “Horton miles” – aren’t they all I said – I left in pretty good form.
7.6 miles according to Keith. No wonder it took so bloody long.
AS6 to AS7 Bearwallow Gap (8.0 miles)
This section started off well. A nice grassy downhill that lasted for maybe two miles. It was just what I needed. The sun was up and I wasn’t doing as bad as I thought. I felt like I had run within myself to this point and knew that if I could just maintain this progress I had a good chance of being able to finish strong. I wasn’t sure if 14 hours was still a possibility but I figured no point in worrying about that now. I had a little chasing to do...
And then it was back to technical trail with rolling hills. And I do mean technical – this was killer stuff – rock and more rocks, all covered by leaves. I soon spotted Jenny ahead through the trees. And just as soon as I set my sights on her – splat! I knocked my left ankle off a rock and went down. No serious damage. Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate. Without doubt this race requires more concentration than any other I have done. Dusted myself off and continued on. I passed Jenny a few minutes later and soon after we both passed two guys. And a while later another one. We were making progress! A mix of up and down but the downhill was pure misery in my book – rock strewn switchbacks with very little room for error. Despite the nice start to this section it was definitely my least favourite. So far.
We crossed a road, some more trail, and then we came out of the woods to the aid station. Now that it was bright the (same?) group decided they needed more photos. But I couldn’t stay long... Jenny arrived into the AS just behind me and was gone through before I had time to drink a cup of coke! Refilled my water, added a few more Nuun tabs (love this stuff), grabbed a few gels from my drop bag, and my baggie of chocolate covered espresso beans (there is no such thing as bad caffeine), and hit the trail again. 9:30AM. Not bad. Not bad at all.
I haven’t been mentioning the temperatures much. I suppose it was cold enough – teens perhaps in the early morning – I really have no idea but it didn’t bother me much. I was keeping my hands warm and my feet would get wet every so often between creek crossings and the odd soggy patch of ground, but they seemed to dry up pretty quick. As the morning wore on it became quite sunny and I think if I’d had shorts in my drop bag (I hadn’t even brought any on the trip not considering this a possibility), I would have been tempted to change.
8.6 miles according to Keith. Well, I can’t say I wasn’t warned.
AS7 to AS8 Bobblets Gap (7.0 miles)
Jenny had picked up her pacer at this AS so I chatted to the girls briefly and asked her pacer how far ahead the leaders were. 10 minutes. Wow. Now I was really feeling good. There was some climbing at the start but I was feeling strong and no question I had my sights on “the Canadians”! Still, it was only mile 42, or 45 or something like that, still a long way to go. But driving down the day before I had told myself the race would start after this aid station so I was pleased that I’d not gotten caught up in times and position early in the race. It’s amazing how the mood swings in an ultra. I’d gone from feeling like crap to thinking things were going just great. I felt like I had a good chance of keeping 3rd place, 14 hours was back on track and who knows, the ladies up front might be feeling more tired than me.
I enjoyed this section. Or at least I enjoyed it more than other sections. After 40 miles, it’s all relative. Mentally I was doing well, and it was a very pretty section of the course as the trail swung in and out of the mountain to the left with views out across the valley to the right. Once again, I remembered Aaron’s posting on this section – I recalled he hadn’t been too happy with the repetitive nature of this section but it seemed to be what I needed at this point. Still, even flat, fairly runnable trail gets old after a while – especially when your legs don’t really want to run all that much. This was where I developed a new mantra - each time I would feel like walking I told myself – “I bet the Canadians didn’t walk this”. As it turns out, I guess they did. But it helped me to keep moving forward. A short descent and then out onto a dirt road for the one mile climb to the aid station. The climbing was actually a welcome change. And I was hiking pretty well. Still, I was very surprised to turn the corner a hundred yards from the aid station and see the two girls just arriving to it. It pleased the aid station workers no end to have a bit of front runner excitement happening on their watch!
A very quick stop here. I didn’t need a refill. Just a cup of coke and a handful of pretzels and I was off. After “the Canadians” for what I hoped would be the last time! 10:45AM.
6.1 miles according to Keith. Short = good, right? Not exactly, not when I was expecting more of the same in the next section.
AS8 to AS9 Day Creek (6.6 miles)
This section started out deceptively well. After I caught up with the girls and chatted for a bit, I continued to descend along the dirt road. The road goes down for quite a ways, I think 2 miles or more, turning into a gravel road about half way down. It was nice to feel like I was making progress. And hopefully opening up a bit of a lead. I didn’t come here thinking I could win. Not that I didn’t dream about it but I honestly didn’t think it was within my reach. I’d had some good races this year and felt good about my recent training, but I was up against girls that I believe are simply more talented than me. Having said that, I know a course like this plays to my strengths. Patience and persistence. Mind you, this section would definitely test the former!
If I had thought about it I might have remembered reading about a section that “seems to go on FOREVER” but for the first hour or so I blissfully assumed that it even if it was a bit longer than advertised it surely wouldn’t be much different from the previous section. So I set my goal of reading the final aid station at 12 noon. Sorted. I’d be home by 13:30 if the final section panned out. If I should have learned one lesson in ultras by now it’s that when things start to look really good... something ain’t right.
The downhill came to an abrupt end with a turn onto single track and up we went. The rest of this section was just awful. Meandering aimlessly through the woods seemingly going nowhere fast. Don’t get me wrong – it was beautiful trail, the sunshine filtering in through the forest – and on any other day I’d feel like I was in heaven. But after 50+ miles, kicking leaves had lost its appeal. Along here I met up with Robert. He witnessed a rather spectacular fall as I swung off a tree and landed in a heap. Luckily, just leaves underneath. I thought for sure once we emerged from this section we’d be close. The vegetation started to change and I started to get excited. 11:50 on the clock. And then, along comes a runner from the opposite direction. I knew I hadn’t gone wrong but he had me worried all the same. He confirmed he was a pacer heading out to meet his runner. I asked him how far to the next aid station. Not far, was the reply, it took me 18 minutes, and I was taking it easy. Now, I’m sorry, maybe we’re all ultra runners and everything but “not far” does not equal 18 minutes. More like 8 or even 10 would have been ok. It was 11:57 on my watch. This sucked. Big time. But he did add that I’d be going downhill soon.. However, it became apparent that we had different definitions of “soon”. Five minutes passed, more up and down. I crossed a creek and headed up the other side and actually said (whined) out loud “Why did he lie to me?” God, what a baby! Another five minutes and finally some downhill. I was never so pleased as to see that aid station. Not least because I knew there’d be a cup of coffee waiting for me!
Funnily enough, I arrived at exactly 12:15PM.
7.8 miles according to Keith. Now, that’s just mean.
AS9 to The Finish (6.3 miles)
Horton had said at the race briefing that it was a short section – 6 miles – 3 up and 3 down. That part I remembered clearly. The sign on the gate said “6 easy miles”. I wasn’t so sure about that. But at least I finally felt like I knew what to expect. I got my water half filled, downed the coffee, and set off up the road. A guy had come into the aid station just ahead of me and headed off at a steady jog. I had no intention of even trying to run. My hamstrings were so tight I was worried what might happen. I figured even an hour to the top and I should still get down the other side in under 30 minutes. My 14 hour goal was well intact. Hiking up the road I took a look off to the left and saw a clearing high up in the trees. I sincerely hoped we were not going over there. It seemed farther than 3 miles. A lot farther. We weren’t. But the road did twist and turn and continue to climb at a grade beyond what my legs were asking for. Still, after a while I realized I’d passed the gate and so I checked my watch. Yet another part of Aaron’s story I’d remembered was his estimate for this climb – the gate was about 1/3 of the way. I’d gone 16 minutes. I figured I should see the parkway by 13:10. This pleased me no end. And I guess inspired me to push a little harder. Before I knew it I was at the gate and the guy in the truck was asking for my number. Is this the top I asked? It sure is, came the reply. 12:58. Seriously? Sweeeet!
Off I went at a gentle trot down the dirt trail. For some reason I was convinced that there was a technical section ahead and so I didn’t want to get too excited. But next thing I knew I was out on the road. Wow – I must be close. I couldn’t remember how long on the road but 1.6 miles came into my head for some reason. 13:15. I can do this in under 13:30... I was searching for the mile marker. I knew that Brad and Robert had marked it the previous day while they helped with the course marking – so I figured (prayed) it was likely to be accurate. “1 mile to go” – there is nothing so sweet! Especially when it came quicker than expected. 13:19. I can do this. YAY. I wanted to see how fast I could run the last mile. I remembered at Terrapin Mountain 50K that I had really hammered it to the finish. And here we had a similar, mostly downhill grade. I could see the guy ahead of me. I knew he was too far ahead and anyway I had no need to catch anyone else. I checked the watch again and then I saw him make a left turn which I knew had to be into Camp Bethel. I soon followed. The road curved around, and finally, FINALLY, the finish line was in sight. David and a few others were outside. The guy ahead finished, the clock ticked over the 13:25 mark. Onto the grass and up through the orange flags. DONE. 13:25:18. A happy camper once again! My last mile – 6:30. There was a time not too long ago when it took me 6:30 to do a 1 mile road race.
5.7 miles according to Keith. Making the final section shorter than advertised almost made up for the rest. Almost.
The Aftermath
A few finish line photos and then off to the car to grab my stuff. I had spotted the icy stream as I was running into the camp but all thoughts of that quickly evaporated as I got chilled immediately after finishing. I headed for the hot shower. Glorious. Cleaned up my face. It didn't look much better. And then chilled out on the sofa for several hours. With multiple trips to the soup and chilli pots at the back of the room. This was the perfect finish line setting. Runners would arrive and people would run outside to greet them. Back inside for warmth and chatter. Awards being given out constantly – Patagonia finisher shirts, 5 year awards, BEAST series awards... I came away with an entry shirt, a Patagonia technical shirt and for winning David showed me the Patagonia jacket that he’ll get printed with the race name/date - there is some serious schwag to be got here! Robert finished shortly after me for a PR and Brad also set a PR – by something over an hour I think! I got to chat with Jenny, and later Donna and Sophie – who broke her goal of 15 hours by just over a minute – nice one! It was such a pleasure to get to know these ladies and to meet so many new people. I watched Dorothy finish becoming the only woman to get the BEAST series this year – huge congrats!! That is 6 tough races throughout the year. I enjoyed chatting some more to Aaron and also to Keith who’s Dad I had met while crewing at Sawtooth in September. And in between all that I enjoyed a very relaxing massage! I could have stayed for hours but had a flight from DC early Sunday morning so I headed off around 6pm. Sad to bring the event to a close but knowing for sure I’d be back again.
Something Special
The word David Horton uses most to describe this race is “special”. And there is no doubt about that. Be it the challenging conditions, the night sky illuminated by a million stars, the beauty of the trails, the community of runners, the incredible volunteers, the intimacy of the pre and post race festivities, a race director like no other, this is indeed a special race. Thanks to everyone who makes it possible.
The Stats
100K (a.k.a 66 miles)
13,500ft of climbing
13:25:18
1st female
8th overall
116 starters
89 finishers (18 women)
8 Nuun tabs
6 Vanilla Power Gels
9 Succeed tabs
1 Stinger Chews
3 Coffees
1 Can Red Bull
Chocolate covered espresso beans
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Soup
Pretzels
7 bio breaks
5 falls
1 bloody nose
1 even bloodier knee
1 bruised ankle
0 blisters
0 lost toe nails (so far)
The Epilogue
More so than any other race, and perhaps due to my lack of knowlegde of the course going into the race, I would say that running it again would be a completely different experience. It might be better, it might be worse. But definitely it would be interesting to see how things would change. Of course, no two years are ever the same in terms of race night/day conditions so that is a key factor, especially with this race.
With knowledge of the course, could I improve my times on certain sections? Would it help me mentally to know what's ahead? Or would it be distracting?
In writing my race report several things came to mind...
- I didn't consume nearly as many calories as I had planned; I had divided up my gels and clif bloks so that I'd have about 200 calories an hour - as well as whatever I felt like at the aid stations - but I averaged less than 100 calories an hour, not even touching the bloks; certainly, having eaten well in the preceeding days (and weeks) meant I had plenty of reserves to draw on and I don't feel like it negatively affected my performance - but it's something I would probably try to be more diligent about next time.
- More hill training never hurt anyone! To be honest I hiked better than I expected but given how awful my hamstrings felt on the last uphill climb I know that I have some work to do there.
- The fact that I could run a 6:30 mile to finish makes me wonder how much I had left in the tank? If I had pushed it sooner, could I have gotten closer to the CR (13:01)? Or would it have had the opposite effect?
I guess there's only one way to find out if running Hellgate once makes the second time any easier. Though I fear I already know the answer...
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Short Version of Hell(gate)
I will be having nightmares about rocks for weeks. Rocks covered with leaves. And by all accounts this was a pretty good year with the leaves more packed down than usual. And the ice wasn't near as bad as other years. And even the temperatures seemed okay - at least by recent MN standards. I suppose all this means I'll have to go back again to experience Hellgate in truly hellish conditions...
100K (+ 4 "Horton miles")
13:25
1st Female
8th Overall
The long version will be... long.
100K (+ 4 "Horton miles")
13:25
1st Female
8th Overall
The long version will be... long.
Monday, December 7, 2009
From Vegas. The Road. To Hellgate.
Vegas
Had a really fun long weekend in Las Vegas with the girls. Pam, Kami, Susan and I flew down Friday... my first trip there... all of the girls had been several times but not all recently so much had changed. Seems like 3 or 4 old hotels get torn down every year and 1 mega hotel goes up in it's place! I had a great time hanging out with the girls... gambling, partying, shopping... and cheering them on in the marathon yesterday. And then partying some more. We left the gambling to Susan at that point who was the only one having any luck. I ran a few miles of the marathon with Kami, tried to find Susan but missed her... and then watched Pam cruise by at mile 23 a few yards behind the 3:10 pace group - only to pass them soon after and finish in 3:07 and change. Holy crap! Way to PR having run a then PR of ~3:15 at TCM just two months ago! It's been a stellar year for Pam and I look forward to more of the same next year. No pressure :)
Las Vegas was pretty much what I expected. I thought Caesar's was the neatest of all the hotels we were at. The Luxor pyramid too - that light is pretty cool. The fountains at the Bellagio were beautiful. We had some great food, finishing up with a fab meal at Sushi Samba last night. No end of places to spend money but I managed to not lose too much in the slot machines... and if I hadn't just switched from playing 10 cent to 2 cent when I hit five 7s I would have actually came out on top. By quite a bit! Yeah - that's the kind of money I'm talking. If I have to part with serious cash I'd better be walking away with some goods. Typically in the form of yet another completely unessential purse. But THIS one's from Vegas and so I'll always think of the fun time I had hanging out with the girls when I wear it. There's no purse I cannot justify...
Happy to have seen what The Strip is all about (or at least the 1/10th of it that we covered). A total feast for the eyes. But I can safely say not a town I need to rush back to. And it probably feels much the same way about me.
The Road
If you only ever read one more book please choose The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I started it almost a year ago but only made it to about page 50. I was enjoying it (though it doesn't seem the right word to use) but I ended up not bringing it on my trip to Argentina, opting for a few lighter books instead. And I just never got back to it. I picked it up again Friday morning as I was packing my bag and decided it was coming to Vegas - quite the antidote.
It is a phenomenal book in my opinion. But don't take my word for it. Read it. It's not so much the actual story - many books have covered similar ground. The storytelling is faultless. A father-son relationship at it's very purest "... each the other's world entire." The language simple for the most part, mirroring the bleakness of the landscape, but interspersed with biblical vocabulary that captures the immenseness of the story. To quote the Bookforum's review - "The Road is a deeply imagined work."
McCarthy's style of writing can take a bit of getting used to but having read No Country for Old Men last year I knew I would be adding his other books to my collection at some point. The Road was number two. They made a movie (of course) that came out a few months ago though I have not talked to anyone who has seen it. I probably will not go to see it. But I think I will watch No Country for Old Men over the winter. And at some point I'll start on book number 3 - All the Pretty Horses - which will then lead to number 4 and 5 - a trilogy set in the southwest spanning a century or so. But first I want to read a book I got for Christmas last year (seems rude not to read it before the next Christmas don't you think?) - The Angel of Grozny (Inside Chechnya) - by Asne Seierstad, the Norwegian journalist who also wrote The Bookseller of Kabul - another good read. My sister gave me a signed copy that she got after a lecture the author had given at her college. I'll bring it on my trip to Virginia this coming weekend. Given the story it will probably make Hellgate seem like heaven. Speaking of which...
Hellgate
I am so excited about this race. I have wanted to run it ever since hearing about it while running Mountain Masochist in Nov 2007. I entered last year but couldn't go when I injured my shin. Luckily the annual shin injury happened back in September this year. October and November were solid training months so I'm feeling as ready as I'll be. Of course, I could have done with more hills given the long climbs ahead of me. No injuries though my right ankle is still a bit weak since the Duluth run. And I am probably about 8lbs over what I'd like to be. Maybe more - I've stopped talking to the scales. Hardly surprising given the last few weeks of late evenings in the office which resulted in many many trips to the candy jar. Along with all of the travel in the past two months - and associated eating habits - the many miles logged were just not enough to keep things in check! But not to worry - I tell myself I'll need the reserves for a 100K...
My goal is 14 hours. We shall see.
Had a really fun long weekend in Las Vegas with the girls. Pam, Kami, Susan and I flew down Friday... my first trip there... all of the girls had been several times but not all recently so much had changed. Seems like 3 or 4 old hotels get torn down every year and 1 mega hotel goes up in it's place! I had a great time hanging out with the girls... gambling, partying, shopping... and cheering them on in the marathon yesterday. And then partying some more. We left the gambling to Susan at that point who was the only one having any luck. I ran a few miles of the marathon with Kami, tried to find Susan but missed her... and then watched Pam cruise by at mile 23 a few yards behind the 3:10 pace group - only to pass them soon after and finish in 3:07 and change. Holy crap! Way to PR having run a then PR of ~3:15 at TCM just two months ago! It's been a stellar year for Pam and I look forward to more of the same next year. No pressure :)
Las Vegas was pretty much what I expected. I thought Caesar's was the neatest of all the hotels we were at. The Luxor pyramid too - that light is pretty cool. The fountains at the Bellagio were beautiful. We had some great food, finishing up with a fab meal at Sushi Samba last night. No end of places to spend money but I managed to not lose too much in the slot machines... and if I hadn't just switched from playing 10 cent to 2 cent when I hit five 7s I would have actually came out on top. By quite a bit! Yeah - that's the kind of money I'm talking. If I have to part with serious cash I'd better be walking away with some goods. Typically in the form of yet another completely unessential purse. But THIS one's from Vegas and so I'll always think of the fun time I had hanging out with the girls when I wear it. There's no purse I cannot justify...
Happy to have seen what The Strip is all about (or at least the 1/10th of it that we covered). A total feast for the eyes. But I can safely say not a town I need to rush back to. And it probably feels much the same way about me.
The Road
If you only ever read one more book please choose The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I started it almost a year ago but only made it to about page 50. I was enjoying it (though it doesn't seem the right word to use) but I ended up not bringing it on my trip to Argentina, opting for a few lighter books instead. And I just never got back to it. I picked it up again Friday morning as I was packing my bag and decided it was coming to Vegas - quite the antidote.
It is a phenomenal book in my opinion. But don't take my word for it. Read it. It's not so much the actual story - many books have covered similar ground. The storytelling is faultless. A father-son relationship at it's very purest "... each the other's world entire." The language simple for the most part, mirroring the bleakness of the landscape, but interspersed with biblical vocabulary that captures the immenseness of the story. To quote the Bookforum's review - "The Road is a deeply imagined work."
McCarthy's style of writing can take a bit of getting used to but having read No Country for Old Men last year I knew I would be adding his other books to my collection at some point. The Road was number two. They made a movie (of course) that came out a few months ago though I have not talked to anyone who has seen it. I probably will not go to see it. But I think I will watch No Country for Old Men over the winter. And at some point I'll start on book number 3 - All the Pretty Horses - which will then lead to number 4 and 5 - a trilogy set in the southwest spanning a century or so. But first I want to read a book I got for Christmas last year (seems rude not to read it before the next Christmas don't you think?) - The Angel of Grozny (Inside Chechnya) - by Asne Seierstad, the Norwegian journalist who also wrote The Bookseller of Kabul - another good read. My sister gave me a signed copy that she got after a lecture the author had given at her college. I'll bring it on my trip to Virginia this coming weekend. Given the story it will probably make Hellgate seem like heaven. Speaking of which...
Hellgate
I am so excited about this race. I have wanted to run it ever since hearing about it while running Mountain Masochist in Nov 2007. I entered last year but couldn't go when I injured my shin. Luckily the annual shin injury happened back in September this year. October and November were solid training months so I'm feeling as ready as I'll be. Of course, I could have done with more hills given the long climbs ahead of me. No injuries though my right ankle is still a bit weak since the Duluth run. And I am probably about 8lbs over what I'd like to be. Maybe more - I've stopped talking to the scales. Hardly surprising given the last few weeks of late evenings in the office which resulted in many many trips to the candy jar. Along with all of the travel in the past two months - and associated eating habits - the many miles logged were just not enough to keep things in check! But not to worry - I tell myself I'll need the reserves for a 100K...
My goal is 14 hours. We shall see.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
SHT, Hyland, Afton, MN River Bottoms... all in a week's work!!
Hard to believe December is almost upon us - but what a great month November proved to be for running in the midwest!! I was so lucky to be able to get my heavy training for Hellgate in while the weather stayed decent. Of course, I could be faced with very different conditions in the mountains of Virginia in 2 weeks time but I think the ability to train well beats freezing my ass off for hours in miserable conditions simulating a 'worst case' scenario!
SHT
"Gotta love the SHT" was Connie's comment after I posted photos of last Saturday's run on fb. And that pretty much summed it up! The trip up north started with picking up my mother at MSP Friday afternoon... we headed straight up to Duluth. I could tell she was wondering (yet again) where she'd gone wrong with me as we took a detour along a lonely Skyline Drive to the Magney-Snively parking lot to drop some aid for the morning - it was pitch black, cold and windy - just as it would be when I planned to get there at 6AM the next morning.
After getting to see some of the trail during the Wild Duluth race weekend I'd really wanted to get back up there for a training run for Hellgate and figured it would be a good spot for the long one. So I'd made arrangements to run the SHT-Duluth section point-to-point starting at Grand Portage (in Jay Cooke state park) at 4AM, meeting up with folks along the way who wanted to run shorter distances. Starting this early gave me some more night running experience (Hellgate starts at midnight) - and it meant I would be done at a decent time so as not to completely abandon mother!
So, after a few hours of fitfull sleep (sort of like pre-race nerves!) - I woke at 3AM and drove out to Grand Portage. Lisa was going to be meeting me at 6AM at Magney-Snively so I hoped I hadn't underestimated the early sections. I started running at exactly one minute to four and everything was going well for the first hour when next thing I'm lost in my thoughts... and roll my right ankle. OW. Followed by many other choice words. I couldn't believe it. Well, I could. But I was pissed. It was just getting back to normal after rolling it a few weeks earlier at Hyland. That morning I'd continued to run on it but it had swelled up quite a bit by the time I finished the run. The right one's always been a bit weaker having pulled ligaments years ago (while doing some distinctly non-running activity) and I've rolled it badly several times over the years but I have to say the white hot pain I experienced this time around was new. A few moments of thinking I needed to turn around, feeling very shaky, followed by some tip-toeing forward, then walking, then very tenatively beginning to run. Hmmm... this doesn't seem so bad after all. But maybe it's just the shock and it's all numb? I'd say I was in shock alright but I knew I needed to keep moving or I'd freeze and I decided I was closer to Lisa's car than mine. So off I went. Soon I was at the Munger Trail and then hiking up towards Ely's Peak. Remarkably the ankle didn't give me much trouble the rest of the run. At one point I rolled it just slightly but no pain. I couldn't believe it after the initial pain being much worse than usual. Maybe finally, the 'dodgy' ankle has given up complaining!
I got to Magney at around 6:10 with Lisa waiting for me. Another car had pulled into the parking lot a few minutes before and was over at the far side. It's this sort of creepy shit that scares me more than anything I might meet out on the trail. I was glad I hadn't been there on my own rummaging through my drop box with my headlamp...
We set off for Spirit Mountain and beyond. It was fun running with Lisa who knows this trail well. As the sun came up the views over Duluth were fabulous. And running down along Kingsbury Creek was just gorgeous. It was dark when I covered that section sweeping at WD. Just thinking about it makes me want to run there again soon! Got to Highland & Getchell just before 8AM where we met Kami, Eric, Vale, Guy and Jenny. They had all driven up that morning. The next few sections are a lot of fun, some nice rolling hills and technical trail. We met up with Leslie Semlar along the way which was very cool. Unfortunately Eric's achilles didn't hold up well so he headed back to the car and planned to meet us at the end. What a bummer after coming all the way up. But it's not a tendon to mess with. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the run. I'd gotten a bit chilly standing around for the few minutes before we left H&G but was well wamped up within a few miles. Lisa jumped off close to her house at Enger Tower and then Leslie turned around as we hit the pavement just before the footbridge. Myself, Vale and Kami continued down towards the Canal Park area to the Lakewalk and over to the Rose Garden. Guy & Jenny had left a drop bag there complete with a can of sf red bull for moi - awseome!! As we headed up towards Chester Creek I called Andy - he ran down towards us and then as we headed up towards UMD we detoured over to their house to say hello to Kim and make use of the facilities! Nothing like a home-AS at that point in a run...
Andy ran with us through the next section past Hartley Nature Center (really loved this part) and showed us a route through the woods rather than running along Vermillion road which was very cool. Kami had stopped at the Nature Center - she'd rolled her ankle recently as well and didn't need to push it so Eric met her there and then myself and Vale continue on to the finish at Martin Rd. Some lovely wooded sections and singletrack to get us there. The full trail distance with all the spurs to parking lots etc is 39M but I figure I did about 36M. Good enough!!
Got cleaned up, heated up (aka coffee) and then met up with Mum in Canal Park for a look around the shops. Back to the hotel to relax for a bit and then we went for a lovely dinner at Thai Krathong and later met up with Kim and Andy at the Thirsty Pagan (where I would definitely have devoured the tasty looking pizza if I wasn't already full!). Next morning I did an hour out-and-back from Highland & Getchell to top off a great weekend.
Hyland
Lots of running at Hyland these days. For some reason I had rarely trained there until this year but it really is a great park and since the summer the Friday mornings with the guys have been a real treat. Good company, great runners... and always entertaining conversation!
Wednesday evening I headed out there for a run a bit later than planned. But they had the ski trails around the lake lit so it was fun to do some loops of that section. Though I have to wonder why the park is lighting the trails given that I didn't see another soul on my 11 mile run! The following morning I was out there again as Val and I hit the ski hill at 6AM... with the day that it was I decided to dedicate a hill to the many people in my life I owe Thanks to... 10 hills later I figured it was time to start multiple dedications... and hill number 20 ended up being a general catch all Thank You!
Home, shower, church, visited friends and enjoyed yummy pre-feed Irish Coffees - and then off to Kami's for a fabulous meal and afternoon of fun with her family. It was a great way to spend the day. Of course, we all ate plenty... everything was so scrumptous. Finished off with a few board games where the competitive spirits came out in full force!!
Hyland again Friday morning with those who'd stayed in town for the holiday - ran off some of the damage with 2 loops. And then did some damage to the wallet for the afternoon...
Friday night we went to the MN Orchestra to see Hansel and Gretal - Wow! It was a fabulous production. I'd been to a few performances at the Bascilia previously but never to Orchestra Hall and not to a staged production. It was really well done and the music and singing were unreal.
Afton
Saturday the trail fun moved east for the annual FA at Afton. Great to see everyone out there. I'd planned an early loop and ended up with company meeting John and Matt at 6AM. After Friday's 17 miles I wasn't so sure about their 2:15-ish plans so I let them off as we hit the Africa loop... Matt PR'd for the 25K! I rolled in about ten minutes later and we added on a bit before meeting everyone else for the 9AM start. Mum had come out with Vale so she hung out with Alicia while we all headed out in the sunshine... it was yet another beautiful Fall day and we knew it could well be the last one... off we went meandering through the park, chatting, laughing, enjoying the trails. I headed back to visitor center around 11AM to finish with 24+ miles. And then proceeded to feast - it is a wonderful thing that many trail runners are also awesome cooks!
I crashed pretty early last night with the few long days catching up with me. Hot Yoga this morning felt so good. I hadn't been in a week so it was nice to stretch out and let the heat soak in. With the running easing off now I hope make it a few times a week.
MN River Bottoms
For a while now I have been meaning to check out two local trails - Lebanon Hills and the River Bottoms. And finally I made it to one of them today! And better still I got to run with Pam - we figured it had been several months since we'd run together which is yet another reminder how quickly this year has flown by! We started out at the parking lot just off Old Shakopee Raod in Bloomington and headed east. It was a perfect end to a few weeks of hard training with a nice 10 mile run on flat soft trail. I definitely have to come back here on snow shoes this winter - it will be perfect to work on technique before tackling the hills! The trail was quiet with just a few bikers. So peaceful - hard to believe a city lies atop the bluffs!
Two weeks until Hellgate. But first a long weekend in Vegas with the girls. Talk about two completely different weekends - but I am looking forward to them both!
SHT
"Gotta love the SHT" was Connie's comment after I posted photos of last Saturday's run on fb. And that pretty much summed it up! The trip up north started with picking up my mother at MSP Friday afternoon... we headed straight up to Duluth. I could tell she was wondering (yet again) where she'd gone wrong with me as we took a detour along a lonely Skyline Drive to the Magney-Snively parking lot to drop some aid for the morning - it was pitch black, cold and windy - just as it would be when I planned to get there at 6AM the next morning.
After getting to see some of the trail during the Wild Duluth race weekend I'd really wanted to get back up there for a training run for Hellgate and figured it would be a good spot for the long one. So I'd made arrangements to run the SHT-Duluth section point-to-point starting at Grand Portage (in Jay Cooke state park) at 4AM, meeting up with folks along the way who wanted to run shorter distances. Starting this early gave me some more night running experience (Hellgate starts at midnight) - and it meant I would be done at a decent time so as not to completely abandon mother!
So, after a few hours of fitfull sleep (sort of like pre-race nerves!) - I woke at 3AM and drove out to Grand Portage. Lisa was going to be meeting me at 6AM at Magney-Snively so I hoped I hadn't underestimated the early sections. I started running at exactly one minute to four and everything was going well for the first hour when next thing I'm lost in my thoughts... and roll my right ankle. OW. Followed by many other choice words. I couldn't believe it. Well, I could. But I was pissed. It was just getting back to normal after rolling it a few weeks earlier at Hyland. That morning I'd continued to run on it but it had swelled up quite a bit by the time I finished the run. The right one's always been a bit weaker having pulled ligaments years ago (while doing some distinctly non-running activity) and I've rolled it badly several times over the years but I have to say the white hot pain I experienced this time around was new. A few moments of thinking I needed to turn around, feeling very shaky, followed by some tip-toeing forward, then walking, then very tenatively beginning to run. Hmmm... this doesn't seem so bad after all. But maybe it's just the shock and it's all numb? I'd say I was in shock alright but I knew I needed to keep moving or I'd freeze and I decided I was closer to Lisa's car than mine. So off I went. Soon I was at the Munger Trail and then hiking up towards Ely's Peak. Remarkably the ankle didn't give me much trouble the rest of the run. At one point I rolled it just slightly but no pain. I couldn't believe it after the initial pain being much worse than usual. Maybe finally, the 'dodgy' ankle has given up complaining!
I got to Magney at around 6:10 with Lisa waiting for me. Another car had pulled into the parking lot a few minutes before and was over at the far side. It's this sort of creepy shit that scares me more than anything I might meet out on the trail. I was glad I hadn't been there on my own rummaging through my drop box with my headlamp...
We set off for Spirit Mountain and beyond. It was fun running with Lisa who knows this trail well. As the sun came up the views over Duluth were fabulous. And running down along Kingsbury Creek was just gorgeous. It was dark when I covered that section sweeping at WD. Just thinking about it makes me want to run there again soon! Got to Highland & Getchell just before 8AM where we met Kami, Eric, Vale, Guy and Jenny. They had all driven up that morning. The next few sections are a lot of fun, some nice rolling hills and technical trail. We met up with Leslie Semlar along the way which was very cool. Unfortunately Eric's achilles didn't hold up well so he headed back to the car and planned to meet us at the end. What a bummer after coming all the way up. But it's not a tendon to mess with. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the run. I'd gotten a bit chilly standing around for the few minutes before we left H&G but was well wamped up within a few miles. Lisa jumped off close to her house at Enger Tower and then Leslie turned around as we hit the pavement just before the footbridge. Myself, Vale and Kami continued down towards the Canal Park area to the Lakewalk and over to the Rose Garden. Guy & Jenny had left a drop bag there complete with a can of sf red bull for moi - awseome!! As we headed up towards Chester Creek I called Andy - he ran down towards us and then as we headed up towards UMD we detoured over to their house to say hello to Kim and make use of the facilities! Nothing like a home-AS at that point in a run...
Andy ran with us through the next section past Hartley Nature Center (really loved this part) and showed us a route through the woods rather than running along Vermillion road which was very cool. Kami had stopped at the Nature Center - she'd rolled her ankle recently as well and didn't need to push it so Eric met her there and then myself and Vale continue on to the finish at Martin Rd. Some lovely wooded sections and singletrack to get us there. The full trail distance with all the spurs to parking lots etc is 39M but I figure I did about 36M. Good enough!!
Got cleaned up, heated up (aka coffee) and then met up with Mum in Canal Park for a look around the shops. Back to the hotel to relax for a bit and then we went for a lovely dinner at Thai Krathong and later met up with Kim and Andy at the Thirsty Pagan (where I would definitely have devoured the tasty looking pizza if I wasn't already full!). Next morning I did an hour out-and-back from Highland & Getchell to top off a great weekend.
Hyland
Lots of running at Hyland these days. For some reason I had rarely trained there until this year but it really is a great park and since the summer the Friday mornings with the guys have been a real treat. Good company, great runners... and always entertaining conversation!
Wednesday evening I headed out there for a run a bit later than planned. But they had the ski trails around the lake lit so it was fun to do some loops of that section. Though I have to wonder why the park is lighting the trails given that I didn't see another soul on my 11 mile run! The following morning I was out there again as Val and I hit the ski hill at 6AM... with the day that it was I decided to dedicate a hill to the many people in my life I owe Thanks to... 10 hills later I figured it was time to start multiple dedications... and hill number 20 ended up being a general catch all Thank You!
Home, shower, church, visited friends and enjoyed yummy pre-feed Irish Coffees - and then off to Kami's for a fabulous meal and afternoon of fun with her family. It was a great way to spend the day. Of course, we all ate plenty... everything was so scrumptous. Finished off with a few board games where the competitive spirits came out in full force!!
Hyland again Friday morning with those who'd stayed in town for the holiday - ran off some of the damage with 2 loops. And then did some damage to the wallet for the afternoon...
Friday night we went to the MN Orchestra to see Hansel and Gretal - Wow! It was a fabulous production. I'd been to a few performances at the Bascilia previously but never to Orchestra Hall and not to a staged production. It was really well done and the music and singing were unreal.
Afton
Saturday the trail fun moved east for the annual FA at Afton. Great to see everyone out there. I'd planned an early loop and ended up with company meeting John and Matt at 6AM. After Friday's 17 miles I wasn't so sure about their 2:15-ish plans so I let them off as we hit the Africa loop... Matt PR'd for the 25K! I rolled in about ten minutes later and we added on a bit before meeting everyone else for the 9AM start. Mum had come out with Vale so she hung out with Alicia while we all headed out in the sunshine... it was yet another beautiful Fall day and we knew it could well be the last one... off we went meandering through the park, chatting, laughing, enjoying the trails. I headed back to visitor center around 11AM to finish with 24+ miles. And then proceeded to feast - it is a wonderful thing that many trail runners are also awesome cooks!
I crashed pretty early last night with the few long days catching up with me. Hot Yoga this morning felt so good. I hadn't been in a week so it was nice to stretch out and let the heat soak in. With the running easing off now I hope make it a few times a week.
MN River Bottoms
For a while now I have been meaning to check out two local trails - Lebanon Hills and the River Bottoms. And finally I made it to one of them today! And better still I got to run with Pam - we figured it had been several months since we'd run together which is yet another reminder how quickly this year has flown by! We started out at the parking lot just off Old Shakopee Raod in Bloomington and headed east. It was a perfect end to a few weeks of hard training with a nice 10 mile run on flat soft trail. I definitely have to come back here on snow shoes this winter - it will be perfect to work on technique before tackling the hills! The trail was quiet with just a few bikers. So peaceful - hard to believe a city lies atop the bluffs!
Two weeks until Hellgate. But first a long weekend in Vegas with the girls. Talk about two completely different weekends - but I am looking forward to them both!
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