Monday, January 20, 2014

Race Report: Wilson Creek Frozen 50k

It is a beautiful thing when the conditions on race day are perfect. A cold January day in the Owyhee mountains may not be what some people consider perfect, but this weekend, everything came together in what turned out to be a fabulous day. To put things into perspective: 2012 saw the course covered in mud after a huge dump of snow followed by a thaw and 2013 saw negative temperatures for much of the day while we were caught in a nasty inversion.

I have been working with the Pickled Feet Ultra Running team as the outreach coordinator, which basically means that I help with communication with sponsors and making sure that the name is out there and that runners get good swag in their bags. The RDs were also kind enough to allow me to run the race, so I got to see both sides of the event world for this one, and I will take you through a few bits of it:


Course Marking


We are course-marking goddesses.
Christine!
Don't get lost.
There are few worse feelings during a race than jogging along for a while and realizing with a sinking feeling in the stomach that you haven't seen a flag for a looooong time. When my friend Christine and I set out to mark the 10-mile loop of the course on the Wednesday before the race, our goal was to ensure that no one got that feeling. We wanted to make sure that our corners were well-marked and that there were enough confidence markers along the way so that no one would be second-guessing themselves. I always knew that this had to be a time-consuming task, but it was good to experience that for myself and develop a bit more appreciation for the course-markers of the other races I run. It took Christine and I about five hours to mark eight or nine miles. Now, we were catching up and laughing and being silly along the way, but all while moving along the trail and putting up flags. Knowing that the 10-miler would be hosting some newbies to trail running, we tried to make sure that there was a flag at least every tenth of a mile. We had a great time out there and were very optimistic about the course conditions- no ice and no MUD!



Packet Pickup


Pretty self-explanatory. I hung out at The Pulse Running and Fitness for a while on Friday before the race and gave people their packets. It's fun to touch base with lots of runners before the event- lots of friends and lots of people trying out something new.











RACE DAY!
My pre-race outfit
Photo Credit: Tempus Photo Design

Christine picked me up about 4:45am so that we could deliver the leftover packets to the start line by 6am for the 7:30 race start. Whew! It was an early wakeup day, but the 7:30 start was really nice. We hung out and watched the huge heated tent fill with runners as the start got closer. We listened to the pre-race briefing and headed out the the starting line, where we counted down and started out the day. I chose not to bring a headlamp since it was so close to sunrise, and I was glad to have left it. Between course marking on Wednesday and the race morning, an inversion had settled into the valley that left all of the sage and grass around us
My normal serious look.
Photo Credit: Tempus Photo Design
covered in a beautiful layer of frost. The shine on the plants and the fog settled thickly around us made for an eerily stunning first few miles. The group of runners transitioned from road to single track until about mile 2 or 3 when we began our climb to the summit- the highest point of the day coming early.

It wasn't long until we broke from the fog and were afforded the sight of a spectacular sunrise. Although I had told myself that I was not going to snap a lot of photos during this race, I couldn't help myself. Many other runners shared the sentiment, and I have noticed many photos of the sunrise springing up on facebook, all from different heights on the course. It is a great thing to see- that so many of us were moved by the same sight. Some things just hit close to the heart for all of us. I didn't dawdle long and continued on my trek up to the summit, which is situated around mile 7 on the course. The short out-and-back from saddle to summit gave me a chance to see some friendly faces along their way, many of whom I recognized from our nice group of local runners. There is a definite community feel to the Wilson Creek event.
Sunrise.

Dawn.
Out of the foggy inversion, I was getting warm. I carried on down the hill to the second aid station (about mile 13), and I was getting HOT. I was running in a tank top with arm sleeves, having already tied my jacket and my long sleeve around my waist. At mile 14, I sat on the trail to pull off my tights (I had prepared for warm weather and had a running skirt underneath). I had a gloriously comfortable two miles, and at mile 16, I hit a wall of fog and was suddenly in the dreamy, frost-covered, FREEZING world again. I didn't want to stop and sit again, so I just used the cold as motivation to keep running to mile 20 where I could regroup at an aid station.
Heading back into the inversion at mile 16.

I arrived in four hours and twenty-something minutes- which put me way ahead of schedule for the anticipated finish time of 7.5 or 8 hours. I realized when I had reached the summit in under 2 hours that I could possibly pull out a sub-7, so I had been minding my walking and aid station times. Even at mile 20 when I had to redress myself, I don't think that I spent more than 2 or 3 minutes, with all my other stops being less than a minute. Something that I think really helped with this was my switch to the new Ultimate Direction Jenny Vest (I am going to write a review later this week). Instead of using a bladder, I had a quick water bottle refill and was on my way back onto the trail.

A few miles on the trail, and I was into the canyon- my favorite part of the course. The effect of the fog was astounding; I couldn't see the tops of the rock formations that make up the canyon walls. Again,
Emerging from the canyon.
Photo Credit: Tempus Photo Design
Foggy out there!
Photo Credit: Tempus Photo Design
very surreal. Then, I ventured up and out of the canyon where Tony- our beloved race photographer- was camped out and waiting to snap some photos. (Check out all of his photos from the event at this link.) From there, it was just rolling hills through two aid stations and the finish line. Even though I had run the course many times and marked it myself, the
fog was so thick that I was unsure of how far I had between aid stations and where I really was on the course. In hardly any time, I reached Stinson Station at mile 25ish. I told Jenny that I thought I was going to go sub-7, and she told me that I had better pick up the pace! I had over an hour, but that certainly put a boot in my butt and I kept at it for the next few miles. I passed in and out of the last aid station, knowing that I basically had a nice gentle downhill for the final miles. Before I was expecting, I reached the sign (that Christine and I had staked into the ground) that indicated only a mile to the finish. I was at 6:30, so decided to allow myself a moment to walk up the final hill before running it in. Another runner came up behind me and said "You know, if you push a little, you can break 6:40." Damn it! I was happy with my sub-7. I followed him in for the last bit and finished in 6:40:03.

I was, and am, ecstatic with my finishing time. I was about an hour faster than I was expecting, and although my previous race on this course was in debilitating mud and was only my second ultra, I PRed by THREE HOURS. I am typically sort of a tourist on my runs. I don't push myself too hard, I stop to take photos, I meander. I experimented this weekend with giving it a little more focus and drive. I didn't run myself into the ground, but I gave a solid effort for the entire race and was very mindful of what I was doing. I want to carry this mentality over into my 2014 year, so I am excited to see what I can do if I try to race a little bit differently.

I enjoyed some nice down time with lots of other runners at the finish for the remainder of the day. Christine and I stuck around until the last runners finished. I have been that last runner myself (on more than one occasion), so I understand how great it feels to get to the end and know that friends are waiting for you. It was amazing to see so many runners conquering new distances, finishing with smiling faces, or even smashing personal bests on part of the course if they were not able to complete the whole distance. With every race I run, I fall more in love with this sport. Part of it is for the running, but so much is the community that comes with it.

Happy post-race team.
Photo Credit: Allen Sandquist


It seemed to be a great day for all the runners, not just me. I am so happy to have not only run the race, but been part of the team who works so hard to make it happen. When you run a race, be sure to thank the race directors, the volunteers, the emergency response, and all the spectators that are there to make these events happen for you. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to pull off a good race, and it's good to let folks know that you appreciate them! I may be biased, but I think it's a pretty great group of people that come out to the Owyhees and freeze their butts off to make this happen for us crazy runners.

If you want more info, check it out the race's website.





Recovery


Graaaacie!
Frosty!
You'd better believe that my dogs were antsy after going a whole day with no walk or run. We're still caught in the inversion, but it makes for pretty photos. I appreciate that I still have the ability to hike and walk around so normally the day after a long run. Part of it is my legs getting used to the distance, part of it is the ability to be blister-free for teh long haul. (Thanks to my Altras!) The pups certainly appreciate it too. :) We meandered around the foothills for a while, after which I went home and laid in bed all day. Ahhhhh...

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

When a Cold Strikes..

I just had an article posted to the Marathon & Beyond blogs a few days ago about running through the winter and how to talk yourself through wanting to stay in bed. Well, I have not been the best example of that the last few days as I have been laid up with one of those energy-sapping colds that seem to go around this time of year. I am often caught in the conflicted feelings of wanting to get out on the trails in spite of my congestion and ickiness and wanting to lay around and give my body a chance to recover.

So what to do?

I think that it is a common feeling amongst athletes that if you miss a week of your regular regimen that you will enter into a downward spiral of laying around. In reality, that is just not true. A day off (or three days, or a week, or even two weeks) is not going to render you incapable of doing the things that you can do when you are on top of your training. I fight with myself internally when I miss a few days for whatever reason, but ultimately, as long as I get back out there, my running will be just fine. I don't know if it is a fear that I will lose my training or just that I am in a better headspace when I have a few hours on the trail to decompress, but I know this is a struggle for a lot of other runners as well.

I haven't retired myself entirely for the past few days. My brother is in town, and we have gone out on some good hikes and gotten some of that fresh air that I love. I haven't been running, but I've still been out there. And today, my cold feels mostly better. I know that I'll be ready to be back at it tomorrow.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Excitement

I just registered for the Vermont 100! I set my alarm so that I could register quickly as soon as registration opened up, since this one fills fast. That's sort of a new experience for me since the IMTUF 100 has only had about 30 runners for the past two years. I am super excited to have a new hundred on my calendar for 2014. Also, 29 aid stations in 100 miles?? Sounds dreamy. Looking forward to training hard for this one and having a blast!




Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Thoughts on the New Year

"Because in the end, you won’t remember the time 
you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. 
Climb that goddamn mountain." 
                                                              -Jack Kerouac 


Today consisted of a 6 mile run in the morning and a 4ish mile hike in the afternoon. This is the view from our hike.

Don't waste your time and energy on things that won't matter to you in the future. Make memories. Explore. Make the days count.