So Far So Good: Training Update

Less than four weeks to go until my marathon of racing. First up is the U.S. Mountain Running Championships in Lincoln, New Hampshire on July 6^th. Then, two weeks later, the NACAC Mountain Running Championships in Ajijic, Mexico July 20^th. Then, two weeks later, the Jupiter Peak Steeple chase in Park City, Utah on August 2^nd. Then, one week later, the Angels Staircase 35k in Carlton, Washington on August 10^th. (This race is pending, dependent upon fatigue, physical ailments or just plain tired of traveling, but it is one of the epic events put on by Rainshadow Running and just a few hours’ drive away.)

My Chuckanut workout elevation profile.

Trying not to fall off the bench.

I am healthy and fit. This makes me excited and nervous and sometimes I find myself holding my breath because I am scared of the imminent disaster that is to afflict me days before I board the plane to New Hampshire. My mid-week workouts have been solid, alternating between hill climbs and shorter tempos. The big ball-buster workout is, starting at the bottom of Fragrance Lake Trail, running 4 minutes hard up then jogging 90 seconds down until I make it to the top of Cypress Gates Overlook.

Tonia continues to work me hard at Terrain Gym. We have been doing an intense mix of core, strength and work capactiy which includes step-ups, elevated planks and Mr. Spectacular's with a 25# vest.

Ferry selfie.

Now that Tad is back running again, we have been able to take a couple day trips to explore new trails. Finally, we were able to check out Orcas Island. We hopped on the 7:15am ferry and in an hour were running around the Mountain Lake Loop in Moran State Park. After an over-priced and under-fed lunch, we took a hike up to Mount Constitution to see Vancouver Island, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier in the distance with limited crowds to obstruct our views. By 5:30pm we were back in Bellingham making dinner.

A second adventure was to North Vancouver, another picturesque part of the world that looks like it came out of a page of The Lord of the Rings. We went over to Deep Cove where there is a 15km and 21km trail race in a couple weeks called the Buckin’ Hell. The name should have been an omen as to what was to come, but I didn’t think anything of it because this was supposed to be an easy recovery day for me. We printed off the course map, laminated it and were confident that we would be able to follow along. Well, to make a long story short: we never did find the course despite our map; the trail we ran was unrunnable due to snow and massive rocks and steep climbs; I cried 3 times. I guess that’s why you call it an adventure.

One of the many well-maintained bridge crossings on the Mountain Lake Loop on Orcas Island.

After that disaster and a ho-hum lunch, we went to Porteau CoveProvincial Park, which is along the coast on the way to Whistler. We pulled some mats out of the car and napped. This was the best part of the day; our trip was salvaged. As Carrie Snow said, “No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap.”

My mom said I looked like a beached mermaid.

I feel very lucky that I have access to so many beautiful places. In a couple hours we can be at the most remote locations and still be home for dinner.

The Bellingham Distance Project (BDP) was excited to have a cheer section for the spring Girls on the Run 5k. Girls on the Run is such an awesome program, empowering girls and teaching them how to be confident, strong young women. The BDP represented in the best way we know how—as wieners and condiments.

The BDP: Alyson Klein, Courtney Olsen, Amber Morrison, Me 

Honored to be representing U.S.A. in Mexico.

The support I have received during this intensive training phase has been overwhelming. For anyone who has sent an encouraging message, said hello as we passed on the trails or sent good luck wishes-- please know that it really means a lot to me. I have worked as hard as my body allows without risking injury or sickness. With all of the traveling and racing coming up, my goal is to roll with the flow and to try not to get worked up and stressed out over factors that are beyond my control. Rather, I will focus on being thankful for the opportunities that I have and enjoying the experience. Isn't that what this is all about anyways?

I will do my best and we shall see what happens.

Don’t Fence Me In

To set the mood, please play the song above,.


The Don't Fence Me In Trail Run is the 6th race in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup. The race is put on by the great folks of Prickly Pear Land Trust, who work to maintain and expand the trail system on which the race is run. The 30k is billed as “unsupported”, with just two water stops on the circuitous route through the Helena mountains.

Bird's Eye View

I knew going into the race that competition was going to be fierce. Fierce speaking of the talent, not personality, as my competitors are some of the nicest, most genuine people I have the pleasure to be around. There was Megan Kimmel who has won this race 3 years in a row, Paige Pattillo, fellow Washingtonian, local Sarah Kjorstad and college track stand-out Megan Deakins.

The weather looked foreboding days leading up to the race, everything from rain to snow to temperatures in the low 30's. We lucked out though, and started under partly sunny skies and a comfortable 41 degrees at 7:30 in the morning. Helena sits at 4,200 feet so our first climb of the day pushed us up to 5,200 feet. From there the course bounced up and down between 4,600 and 5,500 feet. My laborious breathing never ceased, but the elevation never hindered my performance as it has done in the past. I owe this strength to all the work I have been doing at Terrain. (Thank you , Tonia!)

~0.5m to go!

Megan D. took it out hard and never looked back. I ran with Megan K. for the first 3 miles and then began to pull away on a short scramble up to Mt. Ascension. She just raced a tough 12 miler last weekend and was still feeling it in her legs. For the next 16 miles I was pretty much alone other than the volunteers at pivotal crossings in the course. Tad had programed the course into my watch so when I couldn't see ribbons in the trees or people on course, I looked to my Garmin for reassurance.

Me and Paige. Can my smile get any bigger?

I held on to my second place and finished the ~19.3m course in 2:38:14. This race was another big learning experience for me. Navigating the trails alone and pushing yourself when no one is around is not easy to do for 2.5+ hours. I managed to keep the voices in my head positive and my focus never wandered. 

Thank you to Kelli Butenko and the rest of the Prickly Pear Land Trust staff. You know how to put on a well run (pun intended), scenic, challenging and rewarding event.

As always, thank you La Sportiva for all of your support and for making really awesome shoes. I can't help but notice all the people around me in races slipping and falling and I think to myself, "well, you should be wearing Sportiva's..."

I have to give a really special thank you to Dr. Chris Lockwood for taking heavy duty care of me leading up to this race. This past week I had some nagging hamstring/piriformis/glute pain which prevented me from being able to extend my left leg fully. Dr. Lockwood worked tirelessly to help relieve the pain and based on today's results, his efforts were a success!

Ian, of La Sportiva, and Me Post-race

Before the race I had my usual bagel with Trail Butter, this time with Mountaineer Maple. I had sustained energy throughout the race and my blood sugar never dipped. Tad and I are spending a couple extra days to explore the Montana mountains with Trail Butter in tow, of course.

I am ready and excited to spend the next 6-7 weeks training hard and preparing for the U.S. Mountain Running Championships on July 7th in Lincoln, New Hampshire. I don't know what is harder: 30k trail run at altitude or 5 miles up Loon Mountain. We'll see.

1	Megan Deakins	Mountain View CA	35	23	F	1 overall	2:30:48.49	8:05/M
2	Maria Dalzot	Bellingham WA	33	26	F	1 20-29	2:38:14.16	8:29/M
3	Paige Pattillo	Ellensburg WA	107	25	F	2 20-29	2:49:29.13	9:06/M
4	Sarah Kjorstad	Helena MT	74	38	F	1 30-39	2:49:36.84	9:06/M
5	Megan Kimmel	Silverton CO	73	34	F	2 30-39	2:52:02.16	9:14/M

Up and Down (and Up and Down) Alger Alp

I am going to West Virginia for two weeks to visit family and friends for the Easter holiday so I decided last minute to jump into the Alger Alp Half Marathon to see some good friends, enjoy the beautiful spring weather and get in a solid effort before switching coasts.

1st Place Female, 3rd Overall

The Alger Alp Half Marathon is part of the Bellingham TrailRunning Series and is directed by Candice Burt, who has just returned from winning The Zion 100. If you are interested in checking out some of Washington's finest trails, Candice's races are hard to beat. 

I have run up Alger, which is 15 minutes south of Bellingham, only once and it was when I had just moved to Bellingham. I forgot how brutal it can be. The Half distance is a double climb up to the peak and has an elevation gain of about 2,900 feet. My plan going into the race was to run the climbs fairly hard and relax on the down hills so as not to beat up my legs. I didn't want too much pounding on my legs as I am finishing up a tough training week and heading into another one.

Finishing strong thanks to La Sportiva, Align Chiropractic,
Terrain Gym and Bogg's Trail Butter.

After the race I got several questions as to why I had bright pink masking tape on my knee. I visited my chiropractor, Dr. Chris Lockwood at Align Chiropractic, on Friday and he put the kinesio tape on my knee to help support the surrounding muscles and tendons for injury prevention. Due to the combination of his adjustments, mobility exercises and tricks like the tape, I felt great the entire run.

Every finisher received this sweet pint glass!

Thank you to Candice and all of the many volunteers who were out on the course today.

I also want to thank Seven Hills Running Shop for the generous prize of a $100 gift card for their store in Seattle, WA. I will be coming by soon to pick out a hydration pack! Thanks!

Burpees, Fartleks and Graston: Training Update

I am in the thick of an aggressive training period in preparation for my next cluster of races starting with the Don’t Fence Me In 30k in Helena, Montana on May 10^th. I am averaging 70 miles a week exclusively on trails (which is like 10-20 miles more on roads) and 2-3 workouts at Terrain Gym. My weekly running workouts are a variation of tempos, progressions and fartleks.

The cool kids.

My long run is a 30k in the Chuckanuts with two of Bellingham’s most passionate trail runners. Nichole and Mark (and Reuben!) have taken me under their wing while Tad has been out nursing a hamstring injury for the past several weeks. Four hours in the mountains fly by in the presence of their company.

I feel as though I have had a mini breakthrough at Terrain. I no longer feel like the clueless new kid and can walk into the gym with more confidence now thanks to Tonia’s guidance and expertise.

500 step-ups with a weighted 25# vest.

Fun Fact: Tonia’s mentor, Rob Shaul, trains Mike Wolfe who runs for The North Face and is one of the best ultra-runners in the country.

She has me doing a mix of work capacity, strength, and core and mobility workouts. A work capacity focus is a circuit of intense exertion for a certain amount of time or repetitions. An example would be X amount of burpees, box-jumps, suicide sprints and pull-ups and repeat for 10 minutes. It is tough! I am used to my heart rate gradually increasing. With work capacity, my heart jumps overwhelmingly from 0 to 200 in seconds.

I am about a quarter of the way up the strength learning curve. Push-press, hang-cleans and Curtis P’s were not previously in my vocabulary. Slowly but surely I am getting better with technique and breathing. I have to admit, the calluses on my hands make me feel pretty bad-ass. 

Core and mobility is far from just abdominal work. It targets everything from pelvic floor muscles to the diaphragm. Muscles are popping up out of nowhere and I have had soreness in some of the oddest places. It has really been eye-opening realizing all of the muscles that I have been neglecting to strengthen in all my years of running.

Dr. Lockwood putting me back together.

I am able to do all of this work with the much appreciated help of Dr. Chris Lockwood from Align Chiropractic. Thanks to his sponsorship, I have been seeing him weekly to tend to minor aches and pains and to keep the “mojo flowing,” as he likes to say. Knee pain after my long run last week was gone in just two adjustments and Dr. Lockwood has helped me keep my hamstring tightness under control by showing me some specific exercises and stretches that teach the body how to mobilize the muscles and respond appropriately. I have had tightness around my knee that causes a “clicking” sound when I extend and then bend my leg. We have been treating it with some light Graston work to help break up any adhesions that are causing restricted muscle movement and reduced flexibility.

Mountaineer Maple..Mmmm

Trail Butter continues to fuel all of my efforts. My current favorite application of TB is to spread it on brown rice cakes and serve it with plain Greek yogurt. The TB gives the yogurt just enough sweetness and the nuts add a nice crunch. I go through about a jar of week –good thing Brad and Jeff are so good to me!

"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best."

-Tim Duncan

Hillbilly Half: Second Stop in the Sportiva Mountain Cup

My level of anxiety was considerably less going into this race than for the Moab Red Hot three weeks ago. For one, no extensive traveling was involved. Flying to a race comes with its own repertoire of worries: carry-on versus check in, lost luggage preparation, liquids in baggies, delays, germs…the list goes on. No, for this race, just a 2 ½ hour drive south the day before. Can’t decide what to pack? Bring everything. No problem.

I also had the opportunity to check out the course two weeks ago. Knowing the course prior to a race always relieves a significant amount of nerves for me.  And, to be honest, I was so worked up over the Moab Red Hot that I was still too tired to be that emotionally strained.

Don’t worry; I was plenty nervous the morning of the race. The Hillbilly Half is a tour of Capitol Forest, just outside of Olympia, WA. Runners, volunteers and support crews gathered at the Rock Candy Mountain Trail-head in mild weather conditions. The Mountain Marathon took off at 8:00 a.m. and the Hillbilly Half thirty minutes after. During my warm up it started to rain a little, then a lot.

Into the woods. Photo from race volunteers.

We took off, climbing up and down a gravel service road for the first mile and a half before disappearing into the woods. Within the first half mile, I was alone. A group of La Sportiva men took off ahead and I had dropped everyone behind. Being alone in a race is always a tough spot. You have to be careful to not become complacent and lulled into a pace that you only think is ‘fast.’ You must constantly check in and monitor your effort. Luckily just before 4 miles I started to catch up to the marathoners and their encouragement pushed me onward. That is, until I came up to one woman.

The encounter was on a single-track trail with a foot deep of mud water on one side. I approached the woman and said “coming by!” I don’t know if she heard me, but she didn't budge. I came up on her, put my hand lightly on her shoulder and said excuse me with no hostility at all. Her response was shocking, completely baffling and made me question humanity. She dropped a couple F-bombs in conjunction with some name calling. I told her there was a race going on (which I thought was obvious?). Apparently she was f***ing jogging and I disturbed her peace and tranquility. Maybe she just started and her endorphins had not kicked in yet. Whatever the case, she scared the crap out of me and I ran the next mile in disbelief of what just happened. I was scared she was going to get me disqualified, spread rumors about what an awful human being I was or trap me into a dark corner after the race.

I came to the turnaround which opened back up on to a service road. Within seconds of the 180 degree turn, I saw that there was a woman right on my heels. I immediately ditched the idea of having a GU and took off for the 6.5 mile sprint down the mountain. Then as fate would have it, the crazy woman was coming up the road. As I passed, she called me the worst name in the history of vulgar language. I am too embarrassed to even insinuate what it was. Just think about the worst name you could call somebody and then kick it up a notch. I couldn't believe the hostility of this woman. It was a definite ‘Curb your Enthusiasm’ moment. I never got angry. I think I was too stunned and hurt. For a moment I felt tears well up into my eyes, but shook it off because I had a race on my hands for crying out loud.

In the heat of the chase.

I ran as hard and as fast as I could. Terrified of another traumatizing encounter, I apologized profusely for getting in the way of runners coming up the mountain and thanked those who stepped out of my way. When I popped back out on the service road for the final mile and half descent, I knew the 2^nd place was right on my heels. Unfortunately, I didn't have the speed or the strength to hold her off. Sigh. Well done, Paige!

Regardless of the psycho woman and getting passed with a mile to go, I am happy with my performance. I was only 2 minutes off Megan Kimmel’s course record and I just felt good. Now I have a solid 6 weeks of training before my next race; plenty of time to get in quality miles, become stronger and faster and hopefully be able to hold off my competitors in the last mile.

Stereotypical Pacific Northwest weather continued to rear its ugly head after the race. The wind was blowing sideways, tents were being blown over and everything and everybody was soaked. But that didn't stop all of the wonderful volunteers from feeding us deliciously warm food and cheering in the finishers. Thank you!

I ran to the car and changed into a completely different outfit hoping to disguise myself from the profane spewing monster should she show up at the finish line.

A big thank you to Guerilla Running and race directors, Rachael Jamison and Craig Dickson, for staying calm, cool and collected in the midst of chaos. (See their FB page for stories of flying bullets, confused logging trucks and a stolen car chase.)

Thank you to everyone at La Sportiva, Ian and Everett for all of your support. Congratulations to all of the fine performances by the La Sportiva ambassadors; way to represent!

Thank you to Seven Hills Running Shop for helping to sponsor the race and for the $50 gift certificate- awesome!

Thank you to all of my other sponsors: Trail Butter, Terrain Gym and Align Chiropractic. 

Trail Butter Give-a-Way!

Are you trail ready? You can be by entering to win THREE 4.5 ounce pouches of Bogg's Trail Butter. LIKE my Facebook page and RE-SHARE the announcement on FB. When I reach 250 page likes, I will have a random drawing and announce the winner. 

Mountaineer Maple Trail Butter relaxing at Arches National Park.

***Coming this Spring, single serve 1.15 ounces of Trail Butter to make eating well on the go even easier! Trail Butter is launching a campaign that is seeking to raise funds that will cover enough squeeze packs to supply their current locations, as well as pursue new retail and online opportunities. If you want delicious, convenient nutrition to fuel your lifestyle, show your support and help spread the word.

Please visit http://www.crowdsupply.com/boggs-trail-foods/trail-butter for more information and to pledge your donation.

Moab's Red Hot 33k

The Moab Red Hot 33k kicks off the 2014 La Sportiva Mountain Cup series. The 33k is held in conjunction with the Red Hot 55k. Both races are point to point, starting at the Gemini Bridges Trail Head and ending hours later at the Poison Spider Trail Head. 

I joined Megan Kimmel (Asics), 5 time La Sportiva Mountain Cup winner and Brandy Erholtz, (New Balance) 5 time member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team on the starting line. After a few words from race director, Chris Martinez, we were off at 8:30 am sharp climbing 300 feet in the first mile. Brandy took it out and I stayed comfortably behind. Once we crested the top and started down to a fast flat section, Megan and Sarah Kjorstad passed by. I didn't feel comfortable going with them so I let them go, unfazed. After all, we were at mile 2.

Up and over the first climb.

I soon found myself right in the middle of a conversation between iRunFar's Bryon Powell and another guy, literally. I listened to them chat back and forth across me until we caught up with the pack of 3 women at the start of the technical portion of the race. Megan pulled away at mile 5 and Sarah dropped off soon after. It was then up to Brandy and me to navigate the "Hot" portion of the Red Hot: the infamous Gold Bar and Golden Spike Trails. Fortunately though, we were not alone. I am very thankful to have had Bryon Powell and two other men's eyes looking out for the strategically placed stripped pink ribbon. The bare desert landscape does not lend itself to easy marking. Everyone had to keep their eyes peeled for ribbons tied to dead branches on the ground or wrapped around large rocks.

Three miles to go!

I am used to running the wet, slick terrain of the Pacific Northwest, not through deep sandy washes. But it was fun to be able to scurry up and down the slickrock in my Helios; I stuck like a spider. I pulled away from Brandy approaching the last aid station at mile 14. I continued to run with three men, one of whom was very encouraging and cheered me on. Thank for your kind words; I am sorry to have missed you at the finish line. I crossed the line in 2:35:16 several minutes behind Megan and with Brandy not far behind.

Brandy (& baby), Megan and me.

Congratulations to fellow Bellingham-ster, Jodee Adams-Moore, who placed 1^st in the women's 55k.

Bellingham representin'!

The most painful part of the day was the 0.3m walk to the car. Every inch of my legs ached and I had to forego the cool down. Instead I went back to the hotel and sat in the tub. We returned to the Poison Spider Trailhead for the awards ceremony. Tad and I got to hang out with Everett, the La Sportiva Representative. He had bushels of Bushido's available for everyone to try.

Resting on my laurels at the La Sportiva tent.

Those of you who know me are aware that I am a pretty anxious person. To say I was nervous for this race would be an understatement. Fear of the distance, fear of taking a wrong turn, of getting lost, of falling into a canyon and having to cut my arm off with a dull razor blade... yeah, you get the idea of what goes on in my head. I am so happy that I achieved what I set out to do: be competitive, gain experience and have fun. Because I have been able to train injury-free for 8 months now, I am finally to the point where I can be among the women that I look up to and aspire to emulate in my running career.

Thank you to race director, Chris Martinez, co-race director, Justin Ricks (who also won the men's 33k!) and GrassRoots events for putting on such a great race that showcases the beauty of Moab. If you are interested in running a trail race in the Moab area, check out some of the other Grass Roots events. 

Thank you to La Sportiva for sponsoring the race and me. My Helios were AWESOME!

Thank you to Brad and Jeff and all the folks at Trail Butter for fueling me before and after the race.

Ozark Original enjoying the sights at Arches National Park.

Thank you to Terrain Gym for making me strong enough to hang tough up and down the slickrock at altitude.

Thank you to Align Chiropractic for making my body feel awesome from start to finish. (It needs some work now!)

Thank you, Tad, for putting up with me on this trip. I know it wasn't easy!

Next up for me in the series is the Hillbilly Half-Marathon, down the road in Olympia, Washington on March 8^th. 

Until next time, Moab.