Hitting the trails

I wanted 2012 to be about more trail running and I'm working hard at keeping to that goal.  Out of necessity my mid-week runs need to be on the roads. But I have every intention of getting to the trails each and every weekend if at all possible.

Some of my recent trail running adventures include:

Tuesday, February 21st

I did manage to get in a trail run on this mid-week day.  I took the day off because it just so happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary.  And doesn't every couple celebrate their anniversary by going on a trail run?  After coffee at one of our old haunts, we parked at Pittock Mansion and ran to the zoo and back for just under 8 miles.  We had so much fun.  We don't usually celebrate our anniversary (and didn't even exchange gifts or cards for this one), but I can say that this was one of the best days ever.

Saturday February 25

At the end of this month I'm crewing my friends Desiree and Jeff as they take on the Badger Mountain Challenge 100.  They planned a night time trail run in Forest Park and asked me if I wanted to join in.  Yes!  I've done plenty of night and darkness running where I've had ambient light and didn't need a head or flashlight.  But I've done little night running on trails where I needed a light.  Since I know I'll be in the dark for a good 2 hours at Waldo I definitely wanted the practice.  Plus it sounded like a lot of fun. 

We (Desiree, Jeff and other friends Sarah and Adam) got started at about 10:30 pm from the Thurman gate of Leif Erickson trail/road.  Our plan was to head up to Wildwood via Wild Cherry to the zoo and back for a first loop of about 17.5 miles.   After that, more friends would join and Sarah and Adam would likely call it a night.  I was waiting to see how I felt before deciding to stop or go out for a second loop.  I was the slowest of the group and most tentative in the dark so I was quickly at the back of the pack.  With recent rains the trail was really muddy. After trying to keep up I finally settled a bit behind the group and was sometimes as far as a tenth of a mile back.  Having been a little anxious about the dark, I surprisingly felt in total peace and harmony alone in the night time forest.  Knowing the trail and where I was helped.  But it was still a happy revelation to me and gave me the confidence to commit and register for Waldo when it opened the next week on March 1.

It was a wild night with snow and sleet up by Pittock Mansion.  At the zoo we were supposed to meet Mike but he wasn't there.  It was so windy and cold at the zoo we didn't want to linger.  Somehow he had missed us in the winding trails of the arboretum and was back by Burnside.  As soon as we discovered that we quickly headed back the way we came.  I felt pretty good, but the slip sliding in the mud was pulling on my left adductor just a bit.  So I decided to call it a night after just one loop.  Jeff and Desiree went out for another loop for a total of 33 hours.

Saturday March 3

I've been running in Forest Park since 2006 and have been on every section of Wildwood trail numerous times.  But I've yet to run the full length of Wildwood in one shot.  So when my friend Teri invited me to join her to run the full trail I jumped at the chance.  After taking most of January off from running, I spent February doing a pretty quick ramp so I was a little nervous about completing 30 miles.  I needn't have worried.  Despite the mud, that was one of the easiest and most enjoyable (almost) 50k's I've completed.  Teri and I had a great time chatting and the miles just flew by.  We walked some hills but ran some too.  The weather was perfect - no rain and in the high 40's or 50 the whole time.  We originally thought it would take us at least 7 hours and I though maybe even 8.  But we finished in 6:37, which included about 3 breaks.

Recovery went very well too.  The next day my muscles weren't sore, but my feet were a little achy.  I had 50+ miles for the week and didn't feel the need to push too much so opted for an enjoyable 4 mile coffee walk instead of a recovery run.

So I'm very pleased with my ability lately to get out on the trails. Despite that my upcoming race on St. Patrick's Day, the Pacific Rim One Day, is more of a road run.  I guess you could call it a gravel run.  I'm going in to this race with a very casual attitude.  Aside from hitting 50k, I have no goals.  It's just part of my Feb, March,  April base building.  I want to get in some miles, have fun and see all my friends.

Happy Trails!

Back in the Groove

It took me 6 weeks but I'm finally feeling ready to take on 2012 and I'm excited about my running plans.  I wanted this year to be about getting back to the trails more consistently and building my base.  I thought I might not race as much as I often have in the past.  But you know what? Racing is FUN.   So  last weekend I found myself building my schedule and registered for four of my planned races that were open.  Here's how my schedule looks month by month:

February

No races this month.  Hagg 50k is tomorrow.  As of last week it still had a few open slots and I briefly considered toeing the line.  But I really don't like this race that much and feel like I earned my trail cred in 2007 when it poured cold rain the whole time.  I'm glad I came to my senses because it's been raining for the past 48 hours and it looks like the weather will be just like 2007.

March

I'm in for Pacific Rim One Day in mid March.  This is a tradition and one of the last races that the Little Guy gladly attends.   If I don't run I'd feel obligated to volunteer, so run it will be!  The LG will come along to take pictures and keep the Wildman in line.   The next weekend after that I'll volunteer at Rainshadow Running's Gorge Waterfalls 50k.  Last year I worked the 20 mile aid station.  This year I asked to be at the finish so I can see everyone come in and join in the party.  Then the weekend after that I'm crewing for some friends at the Badger Mountain Challenge 100M in Washington.

April

I really wanted to run the Peterson Ridge Rumble 40M this year.  I had to DNS in 2008 so this is one I really want to do eventually.  But it's on a weekend that isn't good for me to travel out of town.  So instead, I'm staying local and running the Vernonia Marathon.  It's on pavement, but rails to trails, and is supposed to be very pretty.

May

In May I'm going back to the McDonald Forest 50k, which I last completed in 2007.  I want to work on improving my hill running and this one fits the bill.  And it's the quintessential Oregon Trail Series race.  We'll also make a trip out to Central Oregon for the Pole, Pedal, Paddle relay.  Two years ago Marc and I were on a full team -- Marc did the nordic ski leg  and the sprint and I did the 5 mile run. Last year Marc was on a two person team with his buddy -  he did the bike, run and the sprint.  They came in 2nd in the old guy age group, missing first by just 29 seconds.  This year he plans to solo the race so will sprint uphill in the snow, then alpine ski, nordic ski, bike, run, kayak and sprint.  The LG and I will crew.  It should be a lot of fun!

June

June will be a big month.  The first weekend I've registered for the Timberline Marathon.  I ran this in 2007 when it still started at Timberline Lodge and finished at the Clackamas Lake Ranger Station.  With changes in the laws governing races on Wilderness lands, it now starts at the ranger station and loops twice around Timothy Lake.  It will be a nice opportunity to run on some of the same trails as the Mt Hood 50M.    The next weekend I succumbed to a half price deal and signed up for the Helvetia Half Marathon in the countryside west of Portland.  I haven't run a half since 2006, but this race (on a different course) was my first ever half in 2001.  It's on pavement but hilly so will be good training  too.  The following weekend I've registered for yet another half, the White Salmon Backyard Half on the Washington side of the Gorge.  More hills!  Then the next day on that same weekend I plan to run the Beacon Rock 50k, also on the Washington side of the Gorge.  Last year I ran the 25k and that was plenty.  Hopefully I'm up to the challenge of the 50k this year.

July

On July 7th I plan to run the Grey Rock 50k outside of Yakima, WA.  It has -- you guessed it -- a lot of killer hills. It's a small race and last year there were no women finishers.  I could win a race like that! ;-) I'd consider the Siskiyou Outback 50k the next weekend, but I think it may be too close to the Mt Hood 50M, which is the last weekend in July.  At Mt Hood this year I hope to get closer to an 11 hour finish.  I think I can do it.  Considering my lack of training last year I have a lot of room for improvement.  The campsite has been reserved and the boys are already looking forward to making this annual trip.  Also this month Marc will likely do the Xterra LaGrande off road triathlon, which will be another fun family trip.

August

All this talk of hills can only mean one thing.......yes, my mid year goal race is the Waldo 100k!  I'm scared and excited at the same time.   Registration opens March 1st and I plan to sign up right away before I change my mind.  I hope with my race choices and smart training I'll be prepared.  Aside from the distance and tough climbs, I know that the elevation will be a challenge for me.  In early August I plan to spend a lot of time up on Mt Hood and perhaps some of the other Cascade peaks to get some acclimatization.   If Marc can do it, I can, right?

Sept and beyond

If I survive Waldo I'll take stock and consider Across the Years 72 hour.  That race really beats me up but I love it so.  If I do it again, next year I will definitely take ALL of January off.  This year I got nervous and started back a little early, probably two weeks before I should have.  But I've discovered as I've eased back into training that my aerobic capacity is really high.  Completing 131 miles and then taking time for recovery resulted in a pretty good training effect. 

I'm really happy and excited about what's ahead this year.  I feel like I have a good balance of races with room for some fun training adventures and last minute entries. (And maybe some house projects and chores...haha!)  I can't wait!

Some final ATY thoughts and on to 2012

The final results for Across the Years have been posted.  My final mileage was 131.226 and I placed 4th woman out of 19 and 11th out of 45 overall.  So I guess that's a sold top 25%.  Pretty unheard of for me.

The official results were about the same as the unofficial so no surprises there.  I was most interested in seeing my splits. I copied them into a google document...you can see them here. I suspected that I didn't have any big chunks of time off the course, but it was really great to see that was true!  I only had five laps over an hour and my longest lap was 1:28, the time I overslept, but maybe by not as much as I thought. Those times include one lap and my rest time. I had two more laps that were nearly an hour and can see that I really did waste a lot of time around New Year's midnight.  Great to be able to learn where I can improve.  Also nice to look at other racer's lap times.  I can clearly see that many of the experts are rarely off the track. 

Recovery has been going okay.  I started back up with weights last week and put myself in a world of hurt.  I think I was more sore from the weights than I was in the days after ATY.  Serves me right for slacking on the weights all fall.  I'm determined to keep it up, even if I end up doing an easier workout. I need to stick to twice a week.  The muscle soreness really made my motivation to run take a nose dive.  But I did get out for a few short runs this week for a total weekly mileage of 16 miles. Woohoo!  I'm still having trouble with my feet.  The initial continual aching went away in one to two weeks. But since then I've had good days and bad days.  They'll feel fine one day, but then I'll wake up with really stiff and aching feet the next.  And my legs and feet have been cramping randomly.  I think my electrolytes are off so I've been working on that.  Also had one massage which really helped so I should probably get another one soon.  I'll keep my running mileage low for the next few weeks.  I know some people can bounce right back, but apparently that's not true for me.

Which brings me to my running plans for 2012.   I registered for the Mt Hood 50 Mile at the end of July since it looked like it would fill.  This will be the 6th year we've gone as a family and made it a weekend camping trip, so it's become a tradition, I guess.  And I think I can do a lot better with the proper training.  I'd like to finally run the Peterson Ridge 40 Mile in April and am thinking of MacDonald Forest 50k in May and Beacon Rock 50k in June.  McKenzie River 50k in September is on my birthday and I'm thinking that might be a fun birthday run. However I might rather stay closer to home and run Bunker to Bonneville 50k the week before (which I had to DNS this year). 

But honestly, right now I'm not really excited about any races this year.  My general plan is to finish recovering and work on my trail running for the first half of the year.  Then switch gears mid-year and work toward Across the Years (either 48 or 72 hour) with more walk training again.  But I don't care at the moment about doing a lot of racing.  If those other races I mentioned above fill before I decide to register, I won't be crushed.

So maybe I just need to get my mojo back, or perhaps I'm just feeling like running how and when I want without the pressure of racing or traveling too far out of town.  

Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure 2012 will be a good year.

P.S.  Guess who's not so little any more......