Frosty Mtn and the TNF Dirty Feet Tunnel Run

Frosty Mountain 50k

By the time September comes around, I'm usually too busy and excited about the race that we put on (insert utterly shameless plug for the Mighty Quail Trail 100k here) to do more than get in a few runs and, if I'm lucky, maybe even a race. 

Race reports, though, never seem to get written which means outstanding events like Frosty Mountain are overlooked. Why this race isn't more popular and doesn't sell out like so many less scenic and more expensive events, I'll never understand. Frosty Mountain rocks! If you haven't done it, do it! Let 2019 be your year to discover this gem of a race. Both the 27k and 50k courses offer a satisfying challenge and lots of stellar views. There's a 10k too but I haven't done it so can't vouch for its awesomeness.

There's something about Frosty that attracts kooky people and I think I met most of them this year. (And, just to clarify, I mean fun kooky, not if I met them alone in a dark alley I would run away screaming kind of kooky.) For example, there was the fleece jacket guy, who, despite mild temperatures, claimed he didn't need to ditch his fuzzy sweater because he was getting enough air circulation through the pit zips. I figured he must have been at least a little uncomfortable as I was wearing far less and feeling quite toasty. Then I met another runner who wanted to tell me about his chaffed balls and I decided that he deserved the prize for the worst race day outfit. And perhaps the biggest overshare to a stranger...

Anyway, I finished the race first woman and second overall in a time of 5:28:26 - just over a minute behind the top man and less than three minutes off the women's course record. Will I be back? You betcha!

Results here.

The North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel Run 20k

This was my fourth - and fastest! - TNF Dirty Feet Tunnel Run. I was sort of using it to test my fitness for the Tucson Marathon next month where I'm aiming for a PR. Having met my goal of going under 1:25 at the Tunnel Run, I'm hoping that will boost my confidence for the marathon, which I'm still expecting to be hard AF!?

This is THE tunnel!

My Dirty Feet friends, Phil, Grace and Pickles (the dog), put on this great race and I try to do it every year if we're in town. Out and back runs on the KVR trail are the bread-and-butter of my workouts so it's a surface and grade that I'm very comfortable with. And being a local race usually means I'll see lots of people I know. 

Because the race is held around Halloween, costumes are encouraged and there are some great ones! I'm always amazed by what some people are willing to run 10k/20k in (the race can be done solo or as a relay in teams of two) and also curious about how these outfits are cleaned afterwards. I dressed up one year but didn't find wearing what was essentially a gigantic polyester tent very conducive to running fast so have stuck with my usual race kit ever since. So boring, I know.

Results here.

Less than 4k to the finish.

Based on these two write-ups, it would seem that I'm preoccupied with "proper" race attire. I'm really not, but I have done my share of overheating and chaffing in the past and would happily help others avoid making the mistakes I've made. However, as most people don't appreciate unsolicited advice, I'll just keep my thoughts on race day fashions to myself...and my blog. ;)

9 Months, 8 Races Later

I'm back! Now before I start making excuses for essentially abandoning this blog, I'd like to say this...I love running again! It's true. For awhile (hmm, like most of 2014-2016) I didn't, which really sucked because running has always been my thing, my go-to happy place. Except when it wasn't. Those times when my hamstring throbbed after every run and my stomach revolted during every race just left me feeling sad, frustrated and empty.

But I kept on running (and occasionally racing) partly out of habit but mostly because I thought I could force happiness. It didn't work - shocking, I know! However, things have finally turned around. My hamstring is nearly back to normal and I am getting some speed back in these old legs thanks to Coach David. (I never expected to be posting some of my fastest times at almost 40!!?)

I've done eight races since my last blog entry and as I have neither the memory nor patience to write that many recaps, I'm going to be lazy and simply add a few pics and words about some of them.

Sun Mountain 25km
I think my face says it all: I love this race! This photo was taken just past the halfway point of one of my all-time favourite trail running events. Put on by Race Director extraordinaire James Varner of Rainshadow Running, the Sun Mountain 50km was my first ever ultra (and blog post!) and will forever hold a special place in my heart. I have been to this race four times now, having also run the 50-mile and 100km distances, and always had a blast. I thrive on these trails and this course has been kind to me. This year, I was second woman and sixth overall. So much fun!

Photo credit: Glenn Tachiyama Photography

Leona Divide 50km
My first big race of 2018 and the kick-off to our California road trip. I lucked out with great weather and a beautiful course, consisting mostly of the Pacific Crest Trail. My favourite takeaway from Leona Divide is running almost 40 kilometres with this amazing gal. Not only an incredibly talented runner, but also an absolute sweetheart and it was wonderful to share the trails with her. We were both aiming for a sub-5 hour finish and decided to work together to make it happen. Even if my stomach hadn't started turning during the final 5 miles of the race forcing me to drop back, I would still have been rooting for Emma to take the win. She's just that nice. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to catch the 1st place lady but finished strong in 2nd and I was about 5 minutes behind her in 3rd. (Three ladies in the top 10 - woo hoo!!) We both easily broke 5 hours and made the list of top 10 fastest times ever.

Photo credit: Rudy (Emma's man)

Interior Running Association (IRA) Races
I'm pretty sure at some point I said (with a sneer) there's no way I'd ever go back to road racing. Well, never say never. I've done two IRA road races this year (the Oliver 10km and Blossom 10-miler) and enjoyed them way more than I was expecting. Shifting focus from 50-plus mile events to mostly 25- and 50-kilometre races means racing shorter distances more often and at a faster pace. I find both of those things kind of scary, but that's probably why it's good for me to do them. It's also nice to occasionally be social (as an introvert I struggle with this) and to support the local running community. Plus, there are good prizes like wine!

Photo credit: Vlad Zamecnik

Dirty Feet 20km Tunnel Run
This is always a fun end-of-year race to do. Phil and Grace Hiom of Dirty Feet have it dialed in terms of putting on a well organized and attended event with a fun, low-key vibe. I've done this race at least three times and what makes this one memorable is that I decided to run to and from the race, almost doubling the distance. My intent wasn't to be heroic. Quite the opposite actually. As you can see from the photo below, conditions were not ideal and since I hate winter driving, I decided it would be safer to run to the race.

Photo credit: Phil Hiom

Frosty Mountain 27km

I don't know why I didn't do a write-up for this one - it was my best race of the year! Maybe that's why. I think bad races are easier to write about because inevitably something funny and/or embarrassing happens that you're going to want to share with a bunch of random strangers on the Internet. Good races are just plain boring. On this occasion, though, I'll take boring.

A former coach used to encourage me to "go Kamikaze" in races, but it's just not in my DNA to go all out. My self-preservation instincts are too strong. I've probably done more than 100 races over the past two decades and can recall exactly three times when this crazy competitive drive kicked in and it was both terrifying and exhilarating. Anyway, Frosty was one of those times when I decided to go for it. I had a perfect race, winning outright and setting a new women's course record. (My father-in-law is still in disbelief that I, a girl, could beat ALL the boys. Every time he brings it up, it makes me smile.)

Photo credit: Daryl Spencer

Mighty Quail 100km

Frosty might have been my best race of 2017, but the Mighty Quail 100km was by far my favourite. I didn't run it, but instead helped organize it, along with Dave and our friends Andrew and Magda. It was probably one of the most stressful and satisfying things I've ever been involved with and I am so proud of what we created. Find out more at: www.mightyquail.com.

Photo credit: Aaron Barry Photography

Since the theme of this post seems to be love, friendship and gratitude, I'm going to wrap things up by thanking my husband Dave for his support through all my racing highs and lows. I think my struggles with running and injuries have often been harder on him as I have a selective memory and forget the really bad times. I'm pretty sure all he wants is for me to retire from racing and yet he knows how happy it makes me when things are going well so he's willing to stay up late scrolling through event calendars with me and planning all our holidays around my race schedule. What a guy!

I'm also grateful for my wonderful friends who put up with me even though I often can't do anything with them because I'm going for a run, recovering from a run or going to bed early because I have to run in the morning. And they refrain from making piggy noises when I eat twice as much as everyone else at the table!

The North Face Dirty Feet 50k (or "What the hell happened out there?!")

Was it just a bad race or is it time to accept that my days of "fast" running are behind me? That's what I'm asking myself today after a horrendous 5 hour and 40 minute sufferfest at the Dirty Feet 50km in Vernon yesterday.

Let me be very clear that my bad day is in no way a reflection on the event, which is extremely well organized by a couple of race directing pros (and my friends) Grace and Phil Hiom, who go out of their way to create fun races in beautiful places with lots of local support, and this race is no exception. (My 2013 race report sums up the highlights nicely.)

The fact that it's probably one of my all-time favourite 50km races is one of the reasons I gutted it out to finish when all I really wanted to do was drop out after the first 25km lap.

I knew from the word go that my body didn't feel quite right but I blamed it on a chilly start and the fact that the first 4k or so were all uphill. I figured once the day and I warmed up, my body would loosen up but that never happened. Instead, my back and hips went from feeling tight to seizing right up making running both uncomfortable and awkward.

I'm still not entirely sure why this happened. My training has been consistent and I've had some solid workouts with lots of good quality miles - but not so many that I should be over-trained. I have 2, or possibly 3, theories to explain my implosion...

#1. I'd been fighting a bug for several days leading up to the race so had been doing a lot of lying on the couch and not much else. A couple of midweek runs were aborted due to intense feelings of crappiness. Being an occasional optimist, my hope was that this enhanced taper would leave me well-rested and ready to go hard by the weekend. Perhaps, that was unrealistic.

#2. I had a hard fall last weekend. Not running, but doing trail maintenance. True story. I was lunging uphill with my pruners towards a wayward branch, tripped over a root and fell on a large jagged rock bruising my right thigh and forearm. Also possibly jarring my hips/back and precipitating my lower torso stiffening on race day??

#3. Sh*t happens. Just like everyone has good days and bad days, runners have good races and bad races. I guess I've been lucky in the past that when I've felt lousy before a race, I've still generally been able to pull out at least a decent effort on the day. So maybe my luck has run out; think what I'll save on lotto tickets knowing this.

On the upside, I'm glad I made myself finish even though I was fairly miserable. I'm quite certain that if I had quit the blow to my confidence for future races would have been shattered to the extent that there may not have been future races. That sounds melodramatic, I know, but I'm not exaggerating.

I also think I did a pretty good job of masking my mental and physical struggles out on the course. I made an effort to smile and say hello when I passed other park users and tried to be cheerful when I came through the aid stations. It might not sound like much but I think it helped offset the inner negativity I was experiencing. In short: No one likes a self-pitying ass so don't be one! ;)

Okay, moving on to the technical details of this "report"...

With longer races coming up, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try out some gear and fuelling options. I chose to wear The North Face Ultra Endurance shoes even though I had only done one 2 hour run in them previously. Fortunately, they were great - comfortable, grippy and supportive. I stuck with my standard race kit of a short sleeve technical tee and The North Face Better Than Naked split shorts. My Ultimate Direction Jenny race vest was a good choice since I knew it would be a warm day and I didn't want to be low on fluids.

I'd give myself a solid B+ in the hydration department. I maintained a consistent intake of water (in the bladder) and electrolytes (in my small flasks which I refilled at aid stations along the way) supplemented with a few salt tabs as needed.

Unfortunately, I earned a big fat F for food so I'm definitely going to have to focus on that before my next race. I knew I was going to be fighting my stomach when I could barely choke down my pre race breakfast of oatmeal and a banana. During the race, all I was able to take in was: 8 dates, 2 gels and a small handful of chips. About 500 calories total when I should have been consuming 200 or more an hour. Ugh - I must do better!

Well, that about sums it up. I'm going to take a few recovery days now and then I've got a 100km race coming up in a few weeks. Hopefully, this back problem settles down with some rest and massage. 

Congrats to everyone who participated in the 8/25/50km races - there were so many amazing runners on the trails this weekend (including my husband who placed 3rd in the 25km!). And it was nice to see lots of familiar faces from the local running scene as well as reconnect with old friends from the Canadian Mountain Running team and TransRockies, and even my home town. Huge thanks to Phil and Grace at Dirty Feet Trail Racing and their super volunteers for a memorable day! ;)

****

Going through my emails a few days after the race, I came across one from Competitor.com that seemed quite timely "Pro Tips for Bouncing Back from a Disappointing Race." Coincidence? Yeah, probably.  

2015!? Where did you come from?

It may not be obvious from the lack of blog activity, but I have been keeping busy. I'll try to summarize the past few months as briefly as possible so as not to bore you...

After the Cascade Crest 100 in August, I took a six-week break from training. Physically I probably didn't need it because - other than my GI tract - I didn't tax my body too much and recovered quite quickly, but mentally I like to take some time off at the end of my racing year to reflect, regroup and relax. During this time, I enjoyed some low key adventures with friends and just chilled.

Peak bagging in WA with Dave and Dora.

Dave and I took a little road trip down to Moab, Utah in October for an adventure race that he was doing. I took full advantage of being the support crew (i.e. non racer) and enjoyed spicy foods, extra pints and later than usual bedtimes. So naughty - I could get use to it!? :)

Checking out trails near Park City, Utah en route to Moab.

Mountain biking in the desert.

In November, I did The North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel Run in Naramata. Having only been back running for a couple of weeks prior to the race (literally), I didn't feel very fit, but I really like the Dirty Feet races and the couple who puts them on, Phil and Grace, so I decided to go for it. Costumes are encouraged so I pulled one out of the tickle trunk and had some fun.

Photo credit: Jerry Mitchell

I was pleased and surprised to finish first woman and fourth overall (even though I was two minutes slower than when I'd run it two years ago).

The rest of my winter has been filled with lots of yoga and cross country skiing. I've haven't done a lot of either in the past, but am really enjoying both activities and think they nicely complement all the running. I feel stronger and more balanced for both sport and life in general. It's a good feeling.

I've also been training hard for the Phoenix Marathon in February. Fortunately, it's been a very mild winter so I've been able to do much of my training outdoors. (As opposed to other years when the snow and ice have forced me to log many miles on the treadmill.) My training has been going well and after my last long run, I started to believe that I might actually be able to pull off a sub-3 hour marathon, which has been a goal of mine for some time. 

Look - it's me on a Caution sign! :)

Unfortunately, due to a fall on the ice last week that resulted in a fractured sacrum, I may have to pull out of the marathon in order to allow my body to fully heal. I'm hoping it won't come to that, but I have to be sensible. I have a couple of really big, exciting races planned for 2015 and I don't want to jeopardize them by rushing my recovery. It's not easy, but I'm taking my injury a day at a time and I'll just have to wait and see how I feel over the next few weeks.

One of the races that I'm wildly excited about is the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). I got in through the lottery and I have no doubt it'll be a highlight of this year. It's a race that I've wanted to do since I knew it existed and I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in mountains this summer preparing for it.

Last but definitely not least is that I've been invited to join The North Face Canada running team again this year. After a lackluster 2014, I wasn't sure that they'd want me back, but they've been incredibly supportive through my injury highs and lows and I'm grateful to know that they've got my back (and will keep it clothed in sweet, technical gear!). 

Happy 2015!

The North Face Dirty Feet 50k Race Report

If someone asked me to design a race course that not only played to my strengths but was also stunningly beautiful, I don't think I could do much better than The North Face Dirty Feet 50k course in Kalamalka Park near Vernon. With long, runnable climbs and fun, flowy descents that were more interesting than technical, this race was perfect for me. I even encountered a big brown bear along the way - how cool is that?!

With the 50k race starting at 7am, Dave and I decided to drive our new VW van Betty White up to Vernon on Saturday to camp out. This was partially for practical reasons and partially because we wanted an excuse to take BW on her first road trip.

Our drive up valley went smoothly and we tootled around a bit once we got to Vernon trying to decided where to camp for the night. After checking out a few forest rec sites and one rather unappealing private campground, we ended up at the lovely Kekuli Bay Provincial Park located on Kalamalka Lake.


Here we are...Dora, Dave, me and Betty White

We relaxed for a bit, had an early dinner and caught up with our friend Neil who was doing the Dirty Feet 25k race (along with Dave) and was camping nearby. Then we set multiple alarms for 5am and went to bed. I had an okay but not great night of sleep, which isn't uncommon for me before a race, and awoke before any of the alarms went off. Getting up at the crack of dawn isn't so bad when the day breaks as beautifully as it did on Sunday.

As I dug into a steaming bowl of oatmeal, I admired the clear blue skies and listened to the cheerful chirping of some little birdies. It was very peaceful and I had a good feeling about the day. Having recently had a couple of blah weeks of running when I struggled to mentally and physically commit to my training, I wasn't sure how I'd make out in the race, but in this one happy moment, I knew that it would be okay. Whatever happened.

Once BW the VW was all packed up, we headed to the race site. We were running a bit late so I had to forgo my warm up. Oh well. The race started with nearly 4k of gentle climbing so I bypassed warm altogether and went right to hot and sweaty. I went out with the lead men at what I felt was quite a conservative and comfortable pace. By the time we started descending, I was in third place and held that position for the duration of the race. (I finished the race in second overall so either I got by one of the lead men without noticing it or someone dropped out. I'm still not entirely sure what happened.)

The 50k course was two laps of the 25k course and there were two substantial climbs per loop followed by sweet, single-track descents. There were few flat sections of the course - it was very rolly polly, swirly twirly and tons of fun! And the views - wow - just amazing! Every direction you looked, it was picture worthy. (See for yourself on the BC Race Review website.)
 

Photo credit: BC Race Review

Photo credit: Furlan Fotography

Fortunately, much of the course offered some shade because it was hot..really hot. I'm guessing high 20s and maybe even in the low 30s. I had packed along some salt pills and thank goodness I did. I think I would have been in serious trouble otherwise. Even after taking all my salt tabs and as much eLoad as I could get my hands on at the aid stations, I still felt pretty dehydrated.
I wasn't even close to a negative split for my two laps, but I felt like time flew by on the second loop and before I knew it, I was cruising down the finishing chute and then, after a brief stop to grab some food, I continued down to the lake for my first - brief - dip of the year. Ahhhh...so refreshing!

Now I don't want to cherry pick my races and I don't expect to love every trail I run, but it feels really good to find a course that you're excited about on a day when you're feeling good and conditions are favourable. That doesn't happen every race so I really value the times when everything falls so perfectly into place.

For more info on the Dirty Feet trail series (plus all that good stuff like results and upcoming events), go to their website: www.dirtyfeet.ca.

Kamloops Dirty Feet Race Report

My race report from the Kamloops Dirty Feet trail half marathon has been posted on the TrailRunner.ca website. Click here to read it.

And they're off! Photo credit: Phil Hiom (Dirty Feet)

The North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel Run

After a two-month hiatus from racing (thanks to my DNF at Flagline), I was itching to pin on a race number and find a starting line somewhere. Fortunately, I didn't have to look far as there happened to be a race taking place just a few miles down the road from my house. The North Face Dirty Feet Tunnel Run proved to be the perfect fix for my race withdrawal.

A straightforward out-and-back 20km course along the stunningly beautiful Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) trail that rises above Okanagan Lake, offering spectacular views of the valley. With a gentle 2-3% grade and a hard-packed mixed gravel surface, it's really more road than trail but who really cares.

Having participated in a Dirty Feet race in Kelowna last year, I knew it was going to be fun and well organized (two things I look for in an event) and I wasn't disappointed. The course was ridiculously well marked (and re-marked the morning of after 3kms of flagging went "missing" overnight!?), there were happy, smiling runners and volunteers everywhere and the post-race refreshments included a vat of hot veggie soup. And there were tons of draw prizes. What more could you want?

The race was split between solo racers and relay teams (two runners x 10km) and there were about 120 participants. It was a mass start but because the trail is wide and there weren't hordes of runners, elbow room wasn't an issue. I ran near the front for most of the race and tried to keep the top two men in sight. I lost a bit of time on them at the halfway point but was able to maintain my third place position and finish in 1:27 as the top woman. Full results are available here.

It was a good day to be hanging out with some new and long lost runner friends. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with more runner friends at the Bellingham Trail Marathon next weekend (which I'm doing strictly as a training run as I don't want to jeopardize my build up for TNF San Francisco...or piss off my coach - ha, ha!).

So for this race, I wore:

• Brooks Pure Grits (my new fav "go to" race shoe for shorter distances)
• old New Balance split shorts
• new SmartWool tee
• mid-weight Injinji toesocks

I also carried an Ultimate Direction handheld bottle with water to wash down a couple of gels during the race.