FIRST VISIT OF 2010 TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

On Saturday a friend and I did a 14 mile trail run in the park. The trails were relatively flat and very soft -- a perfect running surface. The trail meanders through lush green forest until Avalanche Campground, where we headed to Avalanche Lake. This is, evidently, a Glacier Lily. I thought it was a pretty yellow flower, whatever it was.
Avalanche Lake is a great early-season destination. It is always a great view though I haven't actually seen any avalanches there yet.
Today I flaked out on a planned trail run with the running group. I feel really guilty about it since I wanted to see my friends but I really felt like I needed to sleep. I slept until 11 -- I honestly can't remember the last time I slept that ridiculously late. I also feel guilty because I feel like I lost a substantial part of my weekend by sleeping so late. Ted and I did hike 6 miles in Herron Park with the dogs, which was a really nice way to spend the afternoon. It was sunny, warm and snowing, all at the same time. It was like June snow in April! :-)

RUNNING FASHION

I am a big fan of running skirts. However, I can't say I personally would want an "elkommando" skirt. My personal favorites are from http://www.runningskirts.com/. Anyhow, I recieved my Mountain Gear catalog yesterday and "read" it before bed. I was delighted to see that there are similar offerings for men. Behold the "Mountain Hardwear Elkommando Kilt."

The description states that this kilt "frees you from the restraints of shorts and pants so you can enjoy your outdoor adventure to its fullest." (Source: REI.com). I'm curious to know whether men's adventures are restrained by shorts or pants. Chris O'Connor, who paced me at Hundred in the Hood, has worn a kilt running, but I think it was meant to be funny. I'm curious to know what men think about running in a kilt and whether they would try it -- not to be funny but to avoid the restraints of pants and shorts. Me, personally, when it's hot out a skirt is much more comfortable than shorts for a variety of reasons. I wonder if this will catch on for men though?

SPOKANE RIVER RUN - 50K

Yesterday I ran the Spokane River Run 50k. I set an aggressive goal of sub-6 hours, which was silly considering I haven’t been running much all winter, but thought it would be fun to see what I could do on no training. I finished in 6:15, which included a bonus .5 mile for getting off course after some signs were moved (or something). I finished 54/70 total.

The race was really well organized and the trails were quite pretty. I had no idea that the area around Spokane was so nice. Not that I’m prejudiced against Spokane like some people are, but I never thought of it as a great trail running place. There is a large system of trails along and near the Spokane River and some interesting terrain. The course was primarily runnable though there were some climbs and some really rocky portions that were difficult to run. On the whole it is a fairly fast course for trails.

The 50k course consists of two separate 25k loops, and the loops are marked every mile. I have never done an ultra where every single mile is marked. I actually like it and it seemed to make the race go faster, even though I was also wearing my Garmin and knew my distance. There was some sort of military practice thing going on in the woods and the soliders readily allowed me to take their pictures. I thought this was weird.

It was sunny and hot, maybe in the 70s, which made me feel especially drained. Our dinner Saturday night left much to be desired, as did my choice of breakfast. I decided against using the Caffe Latte Perpetuem for the race and decided to bring my camera rather than gels. I would consume whatever was available at aid stations, which ended up being primarily fig newtons and potatos. Normally I can do fine on anything for this distance but all of these things combined left me with a really upset and sporadically painful stomach. I finished the first loop in 2:45 feeling pretty tired but still optimistic that I could finish under 6 hours.

Early into the second loop there was a fork in the trail that was marked “10k” one direction and just arrows the other. I, along with these other guys, decided we should go the “other” way (since we were not running the 10k), and quickly realized we were going the wrong way. This course is so well marked that there are arrows every few feet it seems like – it became apparent once we reached another fork, that was unmarked, that we had gone the wrong direction. I was upset at first but thought of all the people I know who have gotten lost and run many bonus miles – and realized an extra half mile was nothing. So, no big deal. But, it was a half mile extra and would make it that much more difficult to run under 6 hours.
The second loop had many pretty sections and the miles ticked down. Eventually I made it to the finish in 6:15 and was sad to learn that all the people I went to Spokane with (and my new friend I was hoping would be the women’s winner like last year) had horrible races. The heat combined with the fact that it is APRIL, which means Montanans haven’t had a lot of opportunity to do long trail runs, made it difficult for the high-achievers to achieve characteristically high. They all still had to wait 2 or more hours for me though :p

I am pleased that I have some sort of endurance-memory that allows me to run 50k on little running. I’m increasingly appreciating the fact that keeping generally active can be enough to allow me to participate in stuff like this, though it would be more fun and I would do better if I were specifically trained. On the whole I enjoyed myself thoroughly and would definitely do this race again.

First Ultra of 2010 Tomorrow!

I have impulsively decided to run the Spokane River Run 50k tomorrow since I know some others who are driving over to do this race and I can tag along. Every year I want to do this race and then I forget or am too lazy to make the trip.

This will be an interesting experiment since I haven't been running a whole lot. I am unsure how this will go. I think it's two 25k loops, so if it's a disaster and I know it soon enough I can bail half way. But I'm optimistic that I will have some sort of endurance-memory. I don't really know what a reasonable goal is for this race since I haven't been running, so I'm going to set a somewhat agressive goal and try to run sub-6 hours. Plus, I will be the last one finishing among the guys I'm riding over with so hopefully the motivation of not having people wait around for me all day will help me run faster.

Another interesting experiment is that I plan to use a totally new fueling approach and use coffee flavored beverage during the race. Since I don't really run much any more I haven't had the need/opportunity to test it out. I'm sure it will be fine -- I think race day is a FUN time to try new things.

The final interesting experiment will be to see if I can even remember what I need to pack for an ultra.

Ying/Yang Weekend

Saturday was warm and gorgeous so Sonja and I did a 9 mile trail run on some lower-elevation trails that were mostly clear of snow. It was so wonderful to be outside.
I don't have pictures yet, but Sunday I skinned up Big Mountain with friends and it was cold, blizzardy and icy. It was hard to ski down the chopped up ice. Realizing how unfun it was, although I could manage it (slowly), I took my skis off and walked down the last third. There was glare ice mixed with chunks of ice mixed with other manner of ice. Blech. Not awesome at all.

Where are the plows?

It's that time of year folks -- the workers are plowing Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park. You can track their progress here. Their progress is frequently hindered by snow storms and avalanches, but the worker bees dutifully keep plowing best they are able.

There's a period of time where the road is closed to cars but is open to cyclists and foot traffic. Biking in the park in the springtime is really great, especially on a sunny day. Below is a picture from a few years ago when my friend Cat (who moved to Hawaii, boo hoo) and I biked to Avalanche Campground (which it appears will be cleared very soon!) and hiked to Avalanche Lake. I am anxious to get back there.

I have spring fever!

CLOSING WEEKEND

so sad

Today was closing day on Big Mountain. It snowed and then the sun came out. It was pretty great and the skiing was actually pretty good. I'm a little sad that this fun winter is drawing to a close, and am especially not thrilled about the "shoulder"season of melt. Not enough snow to ski but not enough melt to get into the high country for hiking.
Above, left to right, are Corey, Shawn and me. They were my ski buddies all winter, although they actually snowboard. Shawn basically taught me to ski. He is a ski instructer technically though he mostly teaches snowboarding.

Sonja will be really sad to see the snow melt. She loves snow. Yesterday we went on a trail run in Herron Park and she was pleased to find some remaining snow.

This was a really fun winter. I truly think that having a winter sport is critical living in a winter wonderland like northwestern Montana. It makes living here that much more incredibly fun. There's really just so much to do. Even if you're not into exercise, snowmobiling is probably fun (though it's stinky and loud). But what seems important is being able to get out there and enjoy this incredibly beautiful place and take full advantage of each season. Yay!

SPRING IS SPRINGING (early)

My friend Angie, pictured above, and I hiked to Bond Lake on Sunday. The trail, Bond Creek, is 12 miles round trip and meets up with the Alpine #7 trail 2 miles from Bond Lake where we turned around.
There was plenty of snow still but things seemed to be turning green and the world beneath the snow is slowly emerging. It makes me so excited about trail running! I'm glad I've essentially taken the winter off from running because I'm genuinely excited to get back out there.

Also, this was a new trail for me and I'm pretty sure I will want to get back out there. Perhaps on a hot day I will take a little swim. . .

CHICAGO!

I spent the past week and a half in Chicago, where I previously lived (for 5+ years). And Montana is doing a huge ad campaign in Chicago -- many of the busses scream MONTANA! When I think of Chicago, I normally feel unsettled and not altogether positive about my former home. I now realize, however, that the stress of work and such influenced my feelings about the city a lot. Even though my time in Chicago this past week was incredibly busy and, at times, stressful, I enjoyed being back and think it's a great city afterall. I suppose it was a little like seeing an old friend you've totally lost touch with. I felt nostalgic, and at times a little sad. I left behind such great friends, and it was nice to spend a wee bit of time with them. Cheryl and Chris were nice enough to let me stay with them, and I got to see Joe and Kate, in addition to my friends Julie, Jen and Kimber. There were a lot of people I would have liked to see, but was unable to see. I attended a trials skills workshop and it was pretty time consuming and intense. But very helpful.

About that workshop. I've been reflecting on the experience on my way home, and what struck me is how I came across as totally lacking confidence. I learned ways to speak that remedy this impression, which was very helpful. The truth is, I don't lack confidence. I'm not over-confident, but I think I have the right amount of confidence. What I realized is I'm too embarassed to *act* confident and assertive, and I've developed a shtick that I thought would be usefully disarming and endearing. It just comes across as being unconfident which is poor advocacy. I'm glad I realize that now and will practice all the skills I've learned. I think I will be a better lawyer.


Finally, back to running, I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8k and finished in 38:34, which is around a 7:4x pace, and was 2775 out of 25,561. Considering we jumped in the corral as the gun went off, and were just planning to jog and have fun, I was pretty impressed. Cheryl and I ran together and it was sort of fun spending the whole time weaving through the masses and pretending to be fast. It seems fast when you're passing people, even if you're not really running fast. It was a great way to end the week -- finishing the goofy race hand-in-hand with my buddy Cheryl.

FANTASTICAL WEEKEND!

Shawn took Corey and me up to Hellroaring Peak, which involved a lovely hike. I wore my skins and they carried their boards.
The sun was shining and the sky was blue. Does life get better than this? I am embarassed to admit though that at one point on the way down I took my skis off and carried them. I'm really not good in the trees. . . but it was really fun to get into the "slackcountry." Yesterday was similarly gorgeous. I got up early, hiked up the mountain, took a few turns and enjoyed some beer. Have I mentioned that life is good?

This week I head to Chicago for "trial school" and will be there for about a week and a half. I miss my friends and am looking forward to seeing them, but I can't say I think we made a bad choice with the relocation thing.

I think ski season is winding down with all this sun and warm weather we've been getting. I'm looking forward to trail running! Wheeeeeeee!!!

I ran a half marathon

Saturday I ran the Snow Joke half marathon in Seeley Lake for, I believe, the fourth time. I finished, according to my watch, in 1:53:29. Last year I finished in 1:52:59 (I think). So, pretty close. The differences were that 1) I haven't been running this year hardly, 2) I ran without Sonja this year and 3) I kept an even pace for almost the whole race. I made it my goal to maintain an 8:30 pace start to finish, and I stayed on pace until around mile 10 or 11 when I slowed a bit. The race is hilly and at 4,000 feet so I actually feel pretty good about my run. Especially given the fact that I've been running about 10-15 miles per week on average. So, I'm not sure what the take away is, but maybe it won't be so much work to re-qualify for Boston, especially now that I only need a 3:45 (I turn 35 this summer and will be bumped into the next age group). Or, maybe, running more miles doesn't help me especially. Who knows.

Yesterday I skiied and it was another great day. I made it down the moguled black run and fell only once. The snow was really soft which helped on the moguls but made it really hard to ski the normal slopes. It was like wet cement. Ouch.

MORE SUNSHINE

Yesterday I spent the day on the ski hill with friends and the sunny awesome weather made me really brave. I skiied the above and the below. I fell down a lot. But it was so much fun.
It was even more beautiful than Saturday. It's amazing what some blue sky and sunshine can do for the soul. Evidently, this is why so many people live in places like California.

But when the sun does come out here it's a step above the unbelievable it is anyhow.

CONFESSIONS OF THE SUN-STARVED

I knew it was supposed to be a sunny day, so I planned to get up early and skin up Big Mountain before running errands for Leanne's baby shower, and going to said baby shower. The first clue that I needed some sun was that I stuck with my plan and got up BEFORE the alarm, despite having thrown back a few beers last night. I couldn't wait.
As I drove up to Big Mountain I was almost frenzied. I said out loud "please sun hold tight I'm ALMOST THERE! DON'T GO ANYWHERE!" I was so scared the sun would decide it had enough already and leave me. I drove a little faster than I should have (or needed to) up the road and almost got goosebumps as I ascended in elevation and saw nothing but sparkly snow and bluebird sky.

Elated, I marched up the mountain. I chit chatted with the sun the whole way. I wonder if it visits rarely because I talk to it like a dog. "You're such a good sunshine..." Yes I'm sure it has to do with me. The entire hike up was pure bliss and I really didn't want it to end. This is unusual because skinning up the mountain is pretty laborious. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time doing this and my average was about 30 bpm higher than when I run normally. It took me 80 minutes to get to the top, including stops for view-drinking and picture-taking. Others hiked past me like I was standing still. I guess I'm not really good/fast despite my heart rate. It's not a race of course. Anyhow, it was just so blissfully wonderful I had an ear-to-ear grin the entire time. And then whoooosh I skiied down and tried to hold on to the high as I headed to consumption junction for shower prep. The moral of the story is that I really needed some sun. I needed bluebird sky. I felt like junkie getting a much-needed fix. I think tomorrow's going to be this way too. I love you sun.

THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE AND SPRING FEVER

Photo lifted from blog of Jeffery Rogers from Oakland, CA, whose photos I've been drooling over all week. . . thanks JR from O and sorry I shamelessly stole this pic :-)

While the south has been pummeled (sp?) with unusual quantities of snow, we here in the great white north have received little snow and have instead enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures. This is frustrating for someone with her first ski pass and love of snow. The snow is almost melted in town. I guess I'm still a runner deep down in my heart because I'm developing spring-fever and a longing for dry runnable trails. I've been sitting at work fantasizing about the Alpine 7 and Glacier NP. So, what's a girl to do but register for a race so that the longing can be channeled into some planning and preparation? I registered for the Devil's Backbone 50 near Bozeman. My goal is to finally, for the first time in awhile, be semi-serious about training properly. I know this isn't really the type of race where finish time will make logical sense or be comparable to anything else, but I want to be in shape for this and not dragging along at the back-of-the-pack like I normally do. I'm actually excited about the process of training again. I lost that but I think it's back. At least for now ;)

P.S. A sweet blog you should check out is Steve and Kathleen's. I've been "tagged" by them in some honorable bloggy way that I don't understand but am delighted by.

SKI TOURING IN BANFF

For the long weekend (yeah, for some reason we got President's Day off) I went to Banff to visit friends Keith and Leslie and get in some ski touring. I've been working hard this winter learning to ski for the very purpose of being able to ski tour.
On Saturday we did a 4 hour or so tour out of bounds at Sunshine. I quickly became frustrated by 1) how different powder skiing is and how I still had to make pizza turns and 2) how turning on ascents was still difficult for me. As Keith pointed out, I haven't ski toured since last year when I went with them, and this was my second time ever. . . but it seems like it will take a lifetime for me to aquire all the skills I need. I guess that's why they make life relatively long. So you can learn your skills.
The views were, of course, beautiful and it was a wonderful day. Keith and Leslie are patient and good teachers. I required extra patience due to how quickly I would get upset with myself for not magically being better.
On Sunday Leslie and Keith (along with a group of their friends) took me to Ptarmigan Valley near Lake Louise for a long long ski tour (6 hours?). This was fantastic though I had some blisters and was, again, frustrated early on. Once it became evident that the discomfort wouldn't increase, I was able to enjoy the experience for what it was -- fantastic filled with awesomeness. See all my pictures here.

More on the Grand Canyon

Doing a "rim-to-rim-to-rim" (R2R2R) run, or a variation thereof, is a hugely popular thing in the ultrarunning community it seems. So, I'll offer some thoughts that may or may not be helpful to someone planning a winter R2R2R or Grand Canyon trip. First though, a summary of the trip.

A summary of the trip

I met Cheryl, my good friend from Chicago and 2 Jenns I've had the pleasure of knowing through running at the Las Vegas airport on Wedensday. One Jenn is preggo and was called "Pregolas" which made it easier to keep track of the Jenns. We went to Whole Paycheck and bought a ton of food and drove to the Grand Canyon.


It was fun driving over the Hoover Dam and generally enjoying a girly roadtrip replete with lots of snacks.

When we arrived we walked a short ways down the Bright Angel trail and were pretty silly excited. I wanted to just head down right there and then! Instead we packed up our stuff, made plans for the morning and tried to sleep. The first shuttle to the South Kaibab (or Kabob) trail left at 8:oo or so -- and we didn't want to go downhill on slippery snowy trail in the dark -- so we got a somewhat late start.

The run down to the river was pretty much awesome. I was completely "blissed out" as some say. The views, the light, the vibe and pretty much everything was fabulous. We hit Phantom Ranch and had coffee and snacks. The others wrote postcards -- they are carried out by mules. Cheryl was feeling awful due to the altitude but we made her press on anyhow. We hiked to Ribbon Falls, which is about 5.5-6 miles from Phantom Ranch. We turned around and headed out. We took the Bright Angel trail up, which is longer but less steep. It finishes right at the Bright Angel lodge, where we were staying. Good recommendation from superstar ultra runner Devon.

My favorite time to be out running is when dusk turns to night. It's the most peaceful and soul-warming feeling to me. Everything turned pink before turning to dark. We were treated with a full moon and hardly needed headlamps. Everything was perfect except Cheryl wasn't feeling great. In part, perhaps, because she was racing far ahead of us thinking she was slowing us down. Silly Cheryl!

After we finished we had beer and pizza and then crashed. Friday we headed to Vegas and so it stays in Vegas yadda yadda. My blackjack money stayed in Vegas at least.



OK, some thoughts:

The Grand Canyon in the winter

The Grand Canyon area was hit with a relatively big snow storm just prior to our arrival, so I'm not sure it's always so snowy. Nonetheless, the trails on the South Rim are so heavily travelled, even in the winter, that the snow is packed. Definitely glad I had traction. I used kahtoola microspikes, but the Jenns had YakTrax and those worked well too. We didn't make it far enough to find out, but we were told snow was waist high somewhere around Supai Tunnel (I think) on the North Rim. Obviously, a R2R2R would require postholing or worse. I'm not sure it would have been possible (or it would have been pretty dangerous if the snow was that deep). The entire North Rim is closed in the winter so it's not like you can drive over there or get food once at the North Rim. Just something to keep in mind.

The weather was absolutely awesome. It was 30s on the South Rim when we left, and warmish and sunny (50?) in the Canyon. We remarked often that we picked a great time of year to play in the Grand Canyon, even though a full R2R2R wasn't in the cards.

It's high(ish) altitude

I don't know the science behind it, but someone did tell me that some people can get altitude sickness at 5,000 feet. Different people are affected differently by elevation, and the South Rim is somewhere around 7,000 feet. Just another thing to keep in mind. The North Rim is closer to 9,000 feet, which is starting to approach "high" even for those who aren't sensitive. (Obviously having gobs of time to acclimate before setting off on an adventure is ideal for those who are sensitive to elevation, but who has that much time.)

Water

Given the cool temperatures, we didn't need as much water as one might need in the warmer months. There was water at the South Rim of course, Bright Angel campground, Phantom Ranch and at a Caretaker Cabin near Roaring Falls. You could do a R2R2R I think in cool temps in the winter, even with most of the normal water sources turned off for winter (assuming snow didn't stop you on the North Rim). I carried a 3L pack (GoLite Rush) and never came even close to running out of water. Always better to carry more than less of course, especially in the Grand Canyon.

If anyone has more specific questions, feel free to ask. I know that wasn't really very detailed.

GRAND CANYON

Last Thursday my friends Cheryl, Jenn and Jennifer joined me for a frolick in the Grand Canyon.
We ran down the South Kaibab trail, through Phantom Ranch to Ribbon Falls and back up the Bright Angel trail. We actually hiked more than ran -- completing somewhere in the 30 mile range -- and did it in a reasonable length of time considering our extroardinarily plentiful and leisurely breaks.

I think January is a good time to go though there is definitely snow. The South Rim trails are packed but we were told the North Rim would be impossibly snowy for us. There were reports of waist high snow 5 miles from hte North Rim. So really, a R2R2R was out of the question for us and we decided to just have fun and have a good day.


I will post more of a report when I settle down enough to organize my thoughts into coherent sentences. The upshot of it was that this was a sweet adventure. I had so much fun and am sort of feeling the post-awesome-time malaise that sets in after doing something really fabulous.