A Short and Sweet XC Season

My cross country season opened and closed at the Canadian Cross Country National Championships in Vancouver, BC. Due to the big move across country I wasn’t able to plan a complete season this year and so specific training leading up to this race was minimal. Regardless, it was fun to jump into this race, especially because three of my ex-Mountaineer teammates were on the line with me. All Canadians, Stephanie Aldea, Kate Harrison and Jessica O’Connell all showed up to vie for a spot on the team to represent their country at the world championship in Poland. The clouds opened up and we were treated to quintessential cross country weather: mid-40’s and sunny skies. The course, however, was 75% mud pit due to the rain storms that came through at the beginning of the week.

Kate Harrison

Steph Aldea

Jess O'Connell

All three had spectacular races with Kate finishing in 2^nd, Jess 13^th and Steph 14^th. I finished the 7k course in 25:58, good for 36^th place. The cool thing was I was just a couple heads behind ultra-running phenom, Ellie Greenwood, who just won and broke the JFK 50 miler record last weekend. I had the opportunity to speak to her at the finish line; she was as nice as could be and I was exciting to take a picture with her. 

Wishing everyone would slow down!

Ellie and me at the finish line

My feet and legs are definitely feeling the spikes this morning as I prepare to do my long run. We are heading to Deception Pass State Park to prepare for my final race of the year, the Deception Pass 25k on December 8th. I'm confident that this race won't go out in 5:20-pace so I will be feeling much more in my element.

Me and Steph celebrating at Boundary Bay Brewery

Hello, Bellingham

Before loading up the Escape to embark on the journey across country, I braced myself for what I thought was going to be a miserable experience, highlighted by cheap hotels and crappy food and lots of Marc Maron. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by beautiful landscapes, gorgeous weather, great deals from Hotwire and Expedia and meals that fit my picky needs. We took advantage of the trip and stopped at many cool places to run including Dowdy Draw in Boulder, Colorado, the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction Colorado, Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake and Cowiche Canyon in Yakima, Washington. 

Our "POD" loaded up and ready to go.

Hays, Kansas sunset.

Passing through the Rockies at 12,000 feet.

View of the Flatirons from Boulder, Colorado.

Down in the Cowiche, Canyon.

Living on the edge in the Colorado National Monument.



Top of Frary Peak Trail on Antelope Island, SLC.

After the 7 day drive, we decided to get initiated into the Bellingham running scene by competing in the Padden Mudfest, a 10k trail run around Lake Padden. Temperatures were in the upper 50’s with a light drizzle. I wore my old-school Inov-8 F-lite 335’s, as my other pairs are still in transit. The race was put on by the Greater Bellingham Running Club and many locals showed up to get up, down and dirty as the course had two big climbs and constant rolling and turning. Luckily I tied my shoes tight enough to prevent them from getting sucked off into the 6-inch deep mud pits. I started conservative, as I usually do, and passed 3 women before the first hill and then the first place woman at mile 2. From then on it was me and the boys. I finished first female and 8^th overall in 47:29. The post-race spread was organic roasted red pepper soup or chili and fresh-baked bread donated from the local bakery, Great Harvest. This was a great start to my Pacific Northwest racing career and I look forward to the many opportunities it has to offer. 

Lovin' the Pacific Northwest.

Good Bye, Morgantown

Mount Baker: the view from my new back door. 

After 24 years of growing up in Morgantown, West Virginia, I am packing up my bike and running shoes and heading out to the Pacific Northwest- Bellingham, Washington to be exact. Why Bellingham? It is an hour and a half north of Seattle, an hour south of Vancouver, a two hour drive to North Cascades National Park and a ferry ride to the Olympic Mountains. 

My Chevy Cavalier 

Morgantown is a great place to live, and I am truly going to miss it. I am going to miss not only my family and friends, but also the one-of-a-kind places to eat like Black Bear, Richwood Grill and New Day Bakery. I am going to miss the energy that escalates through the town on football Saturday and the hometown pride expressed by every native. I am going to miss my silver Chevy Cavalier, my trusty station wagon of 7 ½ years.  A big thanks to my dad for keeping her running and picking me up when she left me stranded. Leaving Morgantown has made my realize how many special people I have in my life and how lucky I am to be a part of this community.

View from Cooper's Rock State Forest, WV

Even though I am trading in the musket for a horned helmet (Western Washington Vikings), I will always be a Mountaineer. I promise to be a positive representative of our state in whatever I do. I realize that Washington will be a big change, and I am certain homesickness is inevitable.  It will be an adventure and a true test of growth and maturity. And if I don’t like it, I know the country roads will be here to take me home.

Run for the Hills!

This weekend I was the first female to finish and was second overall at the Run for the Hills! Half Marathon put on by the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners and The Mountain Institute in the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.  For the Ultras (not me!) the half was Day 3 of the West Virginia Trilogy, a three day stage race that included a 50 kilometer run on day one, 50 miles on day two and 13.1 miles on day three. I have lived in West Virginia all my life, but have never been to Spruce Knob which, at 4,863 feet, is the highest point in the state and the summit of Spruce Mountain, the highest peak in the Allegheny Mountains. 

We stayed in Canaan Valley the night before so had a good hour’s drive the morning of the race. The weather was perfect in the upper 40’s and sunny. After a quick 2-mile warm up and a hug from my good friend, Phil, the race was off at 9:00 am.

The race itself was a lonely one, not having anyone close by in front of me or behind me. I battled leaf-covered rocks and branches, climbed four barbed-wire fences and traversed four streams in my Inov-8 Roclite 285’s all while looking for orange ribbons located sporadically throughout the course. There were two out and backs during the race that allowed for encouragement from fellow racers and reassurance that I was not out there alone. I crossed the finish line in just over one hour and 40 minutes, which is 7 minutes faster than the previous course record. Having won the race, I was awarded with an awesome hand-crafted mug that was made by local artists.

I am very happy with my race, but also glad that I had the opportunity to visit such a beautiful part of West Virginia that I had not seen before. I will be leaving West Virginia in two weeks so this was a perfect opportunity for me to really appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of where I came from.  Having deprived myself during training and now having earned it, I get to celebrate with my last peanut butter and chocolate chip biscotti at New Day!

A gorgeous fall day presented West Virginia at its best.

*Tad Davis Photos

Home Court Advantage

This morning I got to wake up in my own bed and drive 20 minutes to Cooper’s Rock State Forest (http://www.coopersrockstateforest.com/) for the third annual Coopers Rock Stump Jump! 10K Trail Run.

Tad and I previewed the course on Wednesday, thanks to race director Nathan Kile’s great course directions. Part of the course was on a trail where I do many training runs so it was nice to be on familiar territory. What a difference it makes going into a race confident of the footing and knowing where all of the twists, turns and climbs are located.

The race start was at 8:30am so I got up before 5:30am to try to get my body awake and moving. It was so nice to prepare in my apartment rather than a hotel room. We got to the course; I registered and then started my warm-up of 2.5miles. It was very humid this morning with temperatures in the mid-70’s. There was a solid turn-out for the race, considering we were sharing the day with WVU’s first home football game against in-state rival Marshall. After the chaos of the start, I found my rhythm sandwiched between two men that helped me keep an honest pace throughout the race. I felt very strong today and was able to keep pushing it. Because the course was so close to home, I was able to have a small fan base that included my mom and dad and Tad’s parents. The cheers of my family definitely made a difference and put an extra skip in my step each time I ran by them. I wore the Inov-8 Roclite 285’s, as did a handful of other competitors. They held up extremely well over the rocky singletrack terrain. I finished first female, third overall and broke the women’s course record by almost 7 minutes.

I am very pleased with my performance today coming off of last week’s 10k trail championship. I felt a lot better and I’m glad I had the opportunity to support a local trail race. Thanks to Nathan Kile and the race volunteers for organizing a great event and to all of the race sponsors. I look forward to visiting Morgantown Running (http://morgantownrunning.com/) with my $50 gift certificate soon and buying a new pair of Inov-8's!

Conquering the Continental Divide

Going into the USATF 10k trail championships in Laurel Springs, NC my body was feeling pretty good. I have been running between 40-50 miles a week (gradually building up after weeks of injury) with 2-3 bike rides and intense yoga practice. I had been receiving a technique called Bowenwork for the past several months. It is a holistic, soft-tissue technique that relaxes and returns the body to homeostasis. Melita Mollohan, a certified Bowenwork practitioner, has her own practice in Morgantown called Zen from Within (https://www.facebook.com/zenfromwithin). Melita applies light pressure over tendons, muscles and nerve bundles that allows the brain to connect with your body promoting restoration and healing. Since Bowenwork I am not as beat up after hard workouts and am able to recovery more quickly.  Even when my muscles are fatigued, my stride has full range of motion.  Melita is very passionate in all that she does and it really comes across in her efforts to heal. If you are ever in the Morgantown area, I recommend that you check her out or find a local Bowenwork practitioner near you!

Tad and I left for Laurel Springs early on Friday morning and got to the course around 3:00pm. A hard rain just let up leaving rocks and roots nice and slippery. Every running course, be it cross country, trail or mountain is tough if you put in your maximum effort, but this course is TOUGH. It shows no mercy as it either snakes violently downhill, climbs uphill or transitions to cross country racing. Admittedly, I was especially nervous going into this race because the memory of running it last year still stung in my muscles. We jogged the entire course and walked the tough climbs to make sure I remembered where I was going. We stayed in Sparta, NC which was about 20 minutes away from the course. There isn’t much going on in Sparta other than a really nice Food Lion and a hip coffee joint called Backwoods Bean.  I got a perfectly brewed (3 minutes) green tea from a barista who apparently has studied British brewing techniques. Little did I know that this tea would keep me wide awake until the wee hours of the night. Ugh. Rather than eating at one of the local fast food eateries, Tad and I brought our camping stove and cooked up the perfect pre-race pasta in the comfort of our hotel room. Delicious!

Penne with Veggies

After only a couple hours of sleep, I woke to my 6:15am alarm, ate my breakfast and got packed up. We got to the course in time to pick up my packet and watch the men’s race. As the runners waited for the women’s 10:15am start, I was able to chat with fellow competitors, friends and racing staff. One thing that I love about this race in particular is the very kind people that come to it. Everyone is always extremely friendly, supportive and enthusiastic. We are all able to bond over this brutal course. Misery loves company.

Almost to 4 miles

After “On your mark, go!” we took off downhill for ¾ mile before starting to climb and meander through the woods. Right away the leaders, Megan Kimmel and Amber Moran, took off out of sight. After the mile I was left to navigate the woods alone for the remainder of the race. Luckily I had the supportive cheers of the race staff that were strategically located at critical junctures on the course to prevent wrong-ways. I wore the most trusted Inov-8 X-talon 190’s. They kept me on my feet when the trails started to slope down the mountain from the wear and tear of runners. At about 4.5 miles my body really started to fatigue so I just tried to run strong to the finish. I ran a solid race, 52:58, placing third behind Megan (1^st) and Amber (2^nd). My time was over a minute slower than last year, but that is not surprising given the setbacks I have had this spring and early summer.


After a 1.5 mile crawl for a cool down, we enjoyed the awards ceremony over complimentary blueberry smoothies courtesy of Sheetz. After pictures and goodbyes we headed back to Morgantown exhausted, pleased and content. Thank you to Jason and Alison Bryant for doing such a fantastic job organizing this event. The day was a success and I will reluctantly, given the tough course, look forward to next year.

Megan Kimmel, Amber Moran, Maria Dalzot

Pictures courtesy of Tad Davis

A Runner Again

After a 6 hour delay in Minnesota, Tad and I made it to our hotel just north of Seattle at 3:30am eastern time. We got up the next morning and had a lovely run on the trails of Japanese Gulch in Mukilteo. We got to Vancouver just in time for dinner due to the horrendous city traffic.

The next morning we found fellow teammate and 2:38 marathoner Michelle Suszek. The three of us drove up to Cypress Mountain Ski Area, site of the 2010 winter Olympics, to check out the last 2 miles of the NACAC Mountain Running Championship course. We were in for a doozey: 1200 meters of a boulder-field climb, slick granite faces, chimney cracks, a waste-deep mud pit and a screaming technical downhill finish.

We had dinner with Amber and Chris, who we got to know and love at last year's NACAC championship. We had a delicious dinner at a little Italian place, Carmelo's, and then stopped at Whole Food's to pick up our pre-race breakfasts.

The morning of the race, we woke to overcast skies and a steady rain. Our caravan left the hotel at 7:30am and proceeding to the starting line at Horseshoe Bay. We were lucky enough to get a spot at the trail-head parking lot, as it was only capable of holding a dozen cars. The race began just after 9:00am with about 45 participants. Up we went for approximately 3,000 feet elevation gain. Given the last race (Loon Mountain) and having only been able to run healthy for 2 weeks, I wasn't sure what to expect. I started out following close behind Amber and we soon caught Michelle. I figured she was having a bad race due to her bed bug nightmare (http://dreamliverun.com). I stayed within eye-shot of Brandy (2012 Mountain Running World Team member) for about 2 miles and then Amber and I took turns leading and watching out for trail markings. I felt very happy to be close to Amber (3rd at 2011 NACAC and just missed making the world team last year). She was a huge comfort for me; given the technical course and how hard it is to watch for markers, I definitely didn't want to be on my own.

Tad caught up to us at the top of the boulder field and then took off all the way to the finish. I was able to keep up with Amber until the steep descent to the finish and then she bolted. Coming around the final turns, I felt like a runner again. I felt strong in my stride and proud of my performance.

Brandy finished as the1st overall woman just over 2 minutes ahead of us, Tad was 45 seconds ahead of me and I was 15 seconds behind Amber (2nd) finishing as 3rd overall woman. We took home the gold and the U.S. men took second to Canada again this year. I wore the Inov8 Roclite 285's that never let me falter despite the mud and slippery rocks.

Our post-race celebration was on the outside patio of Earl's, a hip restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. I had such a nice time relaxing and breaking bread with such a great group of people. I am very thankful to be a part of this team and this experience. These men and women have such positive influence on me and really appreciate and enjoy their lives. Thanks to USATF team managers Nancy Hobbs and Richard Bolt-looking forward to next time!

Nancy Hobbs & Richard Bolt Photos