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Chuckanut 50k Reflection

April 12, 2013

I've posted the Chuckanut 50 k article on the race updates page, this is also the article that will appear in the next Ultrarunning Magazine issue. Written on the North Shore beach of Oahu, this RD planned her recovery long before the race even took place. While in Tanzania last October I met a super fun couple that offered up their place as a visit. I warned Steve & Kate on the spot that I am the type of person that will take someone up on an offer like that and once again I did. I got to enjoy a couple of days with my family in Washington amidst wrapping up final race details with Heather & Ma. Then, using miles to make the jump across the pond, I landed in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon.

Upon arrival, I was promptly lei'ed and whisked out to Hali'ewa and their sailboat for our first activity, a whale tour under sail. It was a sunny afternoon and the whales did not disappoint. After several spottings we were treated to a baby showing off; constant breaches and rolls above the surf just 100m off the port side. It was a beautiful sight. The long weekend was filled with good miles, good eats, some downtime on the beach and early nights to bed to catch up on lost sleep. The adventures kept each day exciting including learning to fly an Ultra-Lite with Paradise Air, jet-skiing, farmers market, visits with HURT friends and exploring the north shore trails.

Always good to plan the recovery, time for reflection & downtime as much as the event, training and prep. It is easy to jump right into the next thing (the story of 2012 for me) and not take the time to create the memories and stories of the accomplishment. On my way to the airport the morning of my departure I took part in the tradition of spreading the flowers of my lei in the ocean (careful to remove the bow and string) signifying my return not only to Hawaii but to this place of reflection.

Run Around the Roof of Africa, Day 6

February 24, 2013

Started the day leaving the cozy river camp after another filling breakfast. It was nice to visit with Simon's family this morning. They came up to camp with us for the night, but we were too tired to catch up last night. Before we started back running, we had to drive back to where we had left off so an hour of bouncing around in the car was our warm up. We enjoyed great views of Kili for most of the morning after a photo in from of Meru (the opposing peak). From this point we were running closer to the high villages and a majority of the ribbons had been taken down by the children (was the guess). Because of this, we took a while to cover the first 12k (like 3 hours). We were mostly hiking today as the terrain was not forgiving. We are back in the canyons of the south side with dramatic ups & downs.

We had some cool descents & hot climbs, and moved slow. At one point we even had to use a rope to climb a steep embankment and rejoin the trail. As the sun made it's way through the sky we got the feeling it was going to be another long day. We had to keep moving on the last section as the sun was going down. Iddy, Jerry, Steve, Jake and I stuck together. I found myself running just enough ahead so that I could keep my eyes out for markers. That worked well until the markers ran out. Made for an interesting evening & wrap up to the day. Turns out the marker guy took us lower (away from the mountain, more into the towns) when we were supposed to stay high (closer to Kili and skirt the top of town). Iddy didn't have a phone because he had put it in the car to charge. There was a loud sermon being broadcast over the village as we were descending into town and into the sunset, now making our way on Iddy's guess. It was an eery feeling to be moving into the night amidst the bellows of the microphone and the looks from the village people as we passed through. We obviously stuck out and their question of us running through town was as obvious as our loss for where we were. We caught up to Menase who had been marking the course. He had Simon on the phone working out a plan. Simon had waited for Tim and then taken the planned high route trying to catch up to us. Tim was back a ways so after coordinating a meeting spot the Menase hung up the phone and started talking to the locals.

From the helpful bit of Swahili that Steve understood we were basically trying to make our way to the church. Funny thing was there are multiple churches and unlike home, the streets are not named, directions are given by landmarks. Was it the one back up on the hill with the bellowing speaker? What about the one down near the school house. We had guys in jeans and bling running along with us trying to help find our way. It was uncomfortable in the moment not knowing where we were, but looking back on the experience I am in awe and have to giggle a bit at the thought of all these foreigners running through town. Guys running alongside convinced they knew where to lead us. Us following blindly. Then making it to another corner of town and being handed off to the next local expert. We eventually popped out from a side street and saw the team Land Cruiser that would take us to pick up Tim and then up to camp. It was a welcome site! 2+hours driving in the car to finally land at camp, another mini-adventure to wrap up the day. A super sweet spot, at the Kilmanjaro Mountain Huts and a burly drive to get there. Next year, the route will stay high :) We got to enjoy a hot shower, which was a welcome treat and a yummy dinner of beef stew, rice & veggies, hot chocolate & fried bananas for dessert. The camp hosts performed their Kilimanjaro songs for our tired group. It was hard not to smile, but mustering the energy to join their dance didn't happen amongst the sleepy runners. It's after 11pm as I write. Long day.

Start 9:19am Run: 9:13:25 Climb: 7031

Descent: 7149 High Point: 6125 Low Point: 4764

Syncro Blog - Ceremonies, Rituals & Romance

February 14, 2013

Thoughtfulness Trumps Going-Thru-the-Motions

In high school, especially in the spring during track season, my list of routines and prerace rituals was long and perhaps a bit obsessive. On race day I wore the same clothing to school - a red hooded sweatshirt, baggie boys jeans that had tons of decorative patches, a ball cap with a snail embroidered on the front... all the way down to the same underwear. I drank from the same water bottle (a mickey mouse one for whatever reason) and likely ate the exact same meals (although I don't recall those as clearly). For our racing, we had team uniforms, so I wore the same yellow-gold tank with navy TIGERS screen-print tank and shiny navy, shorty split shorts. I did add a special scrunchie, sports bra, socks and shoes that I wore no matter the weather -which is a huge variable in Washington in the spring. I always, always painted my toenails before a race... that is a tradition that I still carry with me.

Hardrock, 2007 (Ma & Pa's shoulder in the photo)

More recently, in 2005 (which is a long time ago now!) while amidst the Grand Slam, my old habits creeped back into life. Taking on the four 100 milers in 11 weeks was a bit daunting at 27 years old and perhaps the comfort of my rituals helped process. I wore the same Buff, tank, shorts, socks, shoes and yes underwear & sports bra for each race. If needed a yellow dragonfly (now called Houdini) was added to the kit. I also went as far as requesting the same bib number from each race director. Western States had assigned me bib 28 and I loved the fact that I would turn 28 after this series was over - each following race I contacted the race director and managed to secure bib #28 for each Grand Slam race. It went well. Amazing in fact. My Ma was at each of the races and Pa came to two. We got into a bit of routine as far as travel, race check-in (she would always crumple my number for me) and other aspects to keep things familiar and seemingly more possible. It seemed to pay off for both of us as we thoroughly enjoyed the summer together. We got to travel the country, and our time together & these rituals helped me not only manage the four races, but also to cope and deal with a lot of personal "stuff" that I was dealing with at home. And heck, the results weren't half bad either. 4th at Western, 1st at Vermont, 2nd at Leadville and 3rd at Wasatch. I think there is a baseball term that sums that up... but I don't know it... and I am youngest female to have run those four races and hold the second fastest accumulative time.

The process of putting time into something, anything, making it important, studying it, loving it and creating ritual and ceremony around it simply adds value and importance to any task. As these running examples show in prepping for a race or adventure, when we choose to dedicate time to training, studying the route, asking questions of others, reading stories, prepping food and even creating a costume or kit for the occasion we are dedicating our energy, intent and purpose to a goal. Committing to the goal and putting your hopes, energies and desire is exciting! It is a choice to challenge yourself to your biggest potential. It can also be a scary thing - it may not turn out the way you dreamed. But if you do not dive in and give it your all, you will never know what may have been had you tried. You will never regret giving it your all.

These are two examples of periods in my life where ritual has played an important part - these stand out in my mind, but I also know that these carry over in to every day life. Life is a series of choices and prioritization. When we choose to put our energies into something, anything we often amaze - ourselves and others.

The SYNCRO part - Some other thoughts on Ceremony, Ritual and Romance:

around love, Valentines Day and romance: Mac Smith's post

around the runners high and the love of running : Jimmy Dean Freeman's post

Run Around the Roof of Africa, Day 5

February 4, 2013

We started off from the Simba farm this morning after a yummy breakfast, signing the guestbook and saying goodbye to John & Heather - a couple from Vancouver B.C. that were setting of on their own SENE adventure to climb Kili in 8 days. Super insiring couple in all of their travels. A bit of climbing to start the morning and traversing the tree plantations up high near the National Park boundary. We knew we were in for a long day and everyone was really pushing to make it all the way to camp. We didn't really stop for breaks or to regroup like we have been the last couple of days. The crew did a great job of navigating the backroads to meet us frequently with water and snacks which was much appreciated as the day grew hotter. We cruised through dry high-desert like conditions, farmland and then back down in elevation to the towns. As the sun dipped in the sky we found ourselves back to the the canyons that make up the terrain on the south side of the mountain. We didn't interact as much with people today other than a wave and a friendly Jambo! when we could muster it. The heat definitely got to me. 5pm snuck up on us and we started to worry about how to wrap up the day. Fortunately Simon has a great, great team and they were arranging everything on the back end. When we popped on this beautiful meadow, which was still an hours drive away from camp, the team had rallied the Land Cruiser to pick up up and deliver us to our camp buy the river. They are going to haul us back up to the high meadow tomorrow to restart. We were all hoping to camp right on the meadow plateau, but arrangements for land use are really important. The Land Cruiser and Willy's mad driving skills delivered us safely to camp and myself included each runner went into preservation mode - eat, bathe, set up the tent to be ready for a good sleep. Dinner and bed quickly followed - a quiet group at dinner tonight. Understandable after the long day.

47k, 6000ft gain. start 8:34am. run 8:40.44. 5863 gain. 5801 loss. high point 6831. low point 4459

Run Around the Roof of Africa, Day 4

January 13, 2013

The second title to this blog post is "Everything is Purple"

We started the day watching the children start theirs with songs, drumming and running around "campus" and around the block (which was a good distance for these kids, especially the little ones). There is something about their voices that reaches me at an emotional level and if I let it go tears would easily be possible. Even the thought of staying to teach and learn from them crossed my mind. The power of their song is incredible.

All of the blooms on the jacaranda trees, the sweaters of the school kids, most flowering plants seemed to be purple both yesterday and today. It was supposed to be a short day running, but we ended up covering 37 or so kilometers, 3000ft of gain and a bit less loss. We made our way back up near the forest, running along the fire line mostly, and near the massive farms that border the park. On the west side of the mountain now we are where more westerners have settled. They originally settled here and then there was a resurgence in the 80's bringing more whites to the region. Tonight we are staying on a 6,000 acre Dutch Farm. I wrote this entry upon returning from a farm tour where we picked corn, cabbage & carrots for dinner and got to see a bit of the land. Willem (the owner) added a bit of fun farm driving to get our mellowed bodies a bit pumping with adrenaline. It was fun and we were still laughing as we piled out of the mud covered jeep back at the farm.

The finishing miles into the farm felt fast and challenging. Simon and Iddy were turning on the speed over the open dirt road that led to the farm and I was doing my best to keep up. There was promise of a hot shower (my first since arriving in Tanzania) and good food so I found motivation in the bit of speed work to get there faster. After finishing I ran back out on the course to cheer in the rest of our crew and we all piled on the front patio while waiting for our gear. The shower was better than promised and the lunch that followed was an unexpected hearty and filling meal. Nap time would have been smart after all of that, but by day 4 I had made my way through all of my clean clothes and took the opportunity to do some laundry in the sink.

I can feel the training taking effect. Mostly just being out 5-8 hours a day, my metabolism is going like crazy and the knees & hips & ankles seem to be stabilizing more and more. Thankfully we are not likely to get any skinnier for all of the eating we are doing :)

** that was the end of this journal entry, written in route to an amazing dinner hosted by the Simba Farm.

start 8:22am, 37km, 3337ft gain, 2808ft loss, high point 6962, low point 5171, run time 6:47

Run Around the Roof of Africa, Day 3

January 8, 2013

A very different day as we ran mostly on road after leaving the Snow Cap camp. Lots of sun, burnt legs, wide open view and amazing, amazing interactions with people all day long. We are on the Kenyan border, and the Chagga people (Simon's people) and the Masai start to blend here. The villages are built with the houses closer together (like on "main street") the dress is much fancier, with bright clothing draped - more like sheets of fabric wrapped and the older the people the more jewelry they wore. The ear piercings were incredible with lobes stretched like you wouldn't believe. I also noticed burn marks, or perhaps cutting for facial scarring. I can only imagine the stories that go with that.

Camp came earlier than expected and we found our tents down in the school yard of Kitendeni. Not long after we arrived the nearly 200 students filed out of school and into formation under the Tanzanian flag post. Three of the older boys carried their heavily used drums to the center of their circle formation and began the beat that led the rest of the children into song. Their matching sweaters resembled a school uniform, no matter the condition they were in, and I guessed that their ages ranged from 4 to 12. Thanks to our driver Willy and his translation I was able to understand a few of the words to their two songs. One was their national anthem and one was about their flag. They did not confront us or even glance our way during their performance and only a few of the little ones snuck a peak over their shoulder as they marched back into class. We were still sweaty and dirty from our hot, dusty, dry run, but their their voices singing in Swahili captured all of hearts and made us take pause before heading to our tents to clean up and rest. The moment was incredibly endearing and made for a wonderful start to our third evening in camp.

Another favorite moment happened early in the day. We were running along the tar and about ten girls in purple sweaters were suddenly running alongside me. Our group was stretched out along the road with Simon, Iddy, Steve and I out front. One moment it was me and the guys and another we were being followed by ten school girls. We took photos & videos and just as our group was pulling away I ran back at the girls in a playful gesture of chase. They first ran away looking over their shoulders wondering what I was doing. As soon as I turned around to run away and looked back at them they got the point and gave chase. We did this a couple of times with both of us laughing. I then gave Steve a hi-five and went to them to do the same. Again they looked at me wide-eyed, but as soon as the first gave me a hi-five the rest were gathering around to do the same. We waved goodbye and wished the group of giggling girls bidai, certain that they thought I was a crazy white girl.

That evening I helped out in the kitchen learning more of Kiplet's secrets to backcountry cooking. Dinner consisted of pea soup, beef stew, rice, bread, cauliflower & carrots with tons of garlic. I basically acted as a helper chef cutting up veggies and fruit (for the fruit salad dessert). It is a fun part of the evening to hang out among the crew listening to them banter in Swahili, picking up a few words here & there and asking them to share more stories with me.

After dinner we rallied around Andrew's fancy camera and played with long exposures and lighting. Kate wrote her name. I attempted my runner girl. We then lit a tent and I wrote SENE. They all turned out pretty cool and it was a fun way to stay up a little later than 7:30pm.

Day's stats: 8:42am start, about 31k, run time 4:48, 1266ft gain, 2405ft loss, high point 6752ft, low point 5302

Final 2012 travel...

December 27, 2012

Direct from San Francisco I flew to Austin with Jenny as we both needed to be there for The Running Event. TRE is a trade show focused on specialty running stores. A little stiff and sore from the 46 mile race and a morning flight, I was encouraged by the warm weather and word of the local natural springs. Jenny and Scott introduced me to a few of their Austin favorites which included the Barton Springs. A complete highlight for anytime and especially this one for my sore, raced legs.

Set Up.  photo: my iPhone — Set Up. photo: my iPhone

The show was much larger in terms of vendors on site this year and as a result the halls felt more quiet, perhaps because the store representatives and buyers that normally fill the smaller space were more spread out. Our UltrAspire, Patagonia Footwear and Black Diamond booths looked great all lined up together and entertained some great meetings. There was a more relaxed vibe compared to last year when we were first launched the UltrAspire brand, but still effective time for the brands. Touring around the hall it was fun to check out some of the other vendors' products and connect with friends from around the industry.

Outside of the show we enjoyed the eats, sights and sounds. The restaurants in Austin are amazing and it seems hard to go wrong. Connecting with the Terranovas and the Rivers for dinner one night was a treat as well as cruising around near our hotel back to some favorites from last year. HopDoddy being my favorite followed by hot chocolate at Amy's. On our final night there we had the opportunity to experience a small taste of the Austin music scene. Austin City Limits was filming the Neon Trees and Sue had a connection that got us tickets into the Moody Theatre. Not quite my music taste, but fun to see a live show. I also got to see James McMurtry at The Continental Club, a definite Austin experience.

Before I knew it I was back at the Austin airport. My only travel mistake of the year corrected I hopped on an afternoon flight to Denver, was scooped up by my sister and delivered to Boulder. We enjoyed a few hours of the evening before I had to unpack and repack. The next morning I was delivered back to the airport for a flight to Rochester, NY. Fortunately the flights went smoothly and I landed in good hands on the other end. A quick weekend event to speak at the MedVed Running and Walking Center, preceded by the morning Oven Door run and brunch at Sherry and Dave's made for a full Saturday morning and afternoon. I enjoyed the runners and running community that is strong and familiar. The trails available right from town are a lot of fun and with the leaves covering most of the trail it made for a beautiful morning run.

Good time with good friends made for a relaxing evening of learning recipes, watching movies and some much needed down time before the Sunday morning run and my flight home. Perhaps the personal highlight of the weekend was the opportunity to feed the chickadees during the middle of our Sunday run.

The first of many to land on my hand.  photo: Sherry Kessler — The first of many to land on my hand. photo: Sherry Kessler

Note the chickadee on my head!! photo: Sherry Kessler

After nearly two weeks at home (a record amount of time in the last couple of months) I am now in Salt Lake to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. More time at home is on the horizon and something I look forward to filling with grounding, regrouping, settling and maybe a bit of planning for what 2013 will hold.

TNF 50...

December 26, 2012

A crazy couple of weeks leading up to this wonderful time at home. I have been playing catch up around the house, on the computer and out and about with friends and family, but not yet on my blog. Sometimes somethings have to give. I had grand plans of writing an Africa post each week... and I hope to get back on that schedule.

My thoughts now are about my final whirlwind of travel starting in San Francisco at Campsite 222 (really our friend's amazing home, not a campsite as many people at the race thought :)). The North Face 50 miler ended up changing routes and the once 50 mile course showing off some of the best trails in Marin ended up being limited to two 23 mile loops on the south end of the park, mostly double track trail. The early 5am start had us running with headlamps for the first 2 hours. The start happened while I was still connecting with Jen and I gave her a hug and chased after the pack of speedsters. I was amazed at how quickly everyone took off and rather than killing myself to catch up, I settled into my music and my own pace. Before I was through one song I teamed up with similarly paced Peter, shut off the Shuffle and we chatted each other through the darkness and stuck together nearly the entire first loop. It was so nice to run with someone and comment, laugh and complain a bit about the rain. I really didn't think it was possible to be that wet. Soaked through we would turn a corner, into the wind and then realize that it was indeed possible to be a bit wetter. I thought for sure my face would be pruned by the end of the first loop. The trails were quickly churning up under our feet and we could only imagine what loop 2 would feel like after so many runners (not only 50 milers, but also 50k'ers, and marathoners) had added their impressions to the trails.

On the first major descent we came across a down runner gasping for air. Ashley had twisted her ankle and was trying to weight it only to find that the effort to stand took her breath away. We stopped to try to help, told her to zip up her jacket to keep warm. She insisted that we carry on. We tried to help her stand, but saw that it wasn't the best just yet. We looked at our time and ran down the hill to the aid station to let someone know how far up the trail she was. Fortunately someone else had already alerted the aid station and people were headed up to gather Ashley. Not too much later, Jenny, Jen, Kelly and Topher were huddled under an umbrella when we came through Tennessee Valley. Certain that I would be freezing they offered a great selection of hats and clothing, but I traded water bottles, gave them a shrug and carried on. It really wasn't that cold when you were moving, just stupid wet.

After the first loop runners were able to pick up their pacers. There was a bit of an out and back so, amongst others, I got to see Bethany come back with Ben, Lizzy come back with Devon and as I rounded the corner into the starting field I saw Jen waiting for me with a big smile ready to roll and slip and slide. SO much fun to join up with Jen! She checked in with how things were going and we got to chat as we continued to move. On our way out we saw Joelle and Rory and Tina... most of these girls were definitely ahead of me and were now somehow behind me. Jen confirmed that people had gotten lost on some of the earlier loops in the dark. Bummer.

Kelly and Jenny were ready for us at Tennessee Valley again with another bottle swap and good cheers and as I recall now the second loop started and finished well, but I definitely had my lull for more than a few of the middle miles. Jen stayed on me, kept me moving and when we were within the single digits (miles left to run) my momentum picked up again and we were able to make up some ground. After passing through for the 4th and final time at Tennessee Valley Jenny and Kelly ran a few steps with me to trade a bottle and take my long sleeve shirt. In spite of the rain, it really was warm. I made it my goal to run the final hill while doing so on the first loop with Peter and Jen helped me achieve that with a steady clip up and over the crest. With the finish pretty much all downhill we let go for what were the last few miles of the year. Why not? Last race for 2013, slipping and sliding with a good friend, laughing a bit now that I was feeling a bit better. It was a great way to finish out a fun summer and fall of running and racing.

Fun muddy finish photos and a great greeting from friends who had endured the rain and mud all day to be there for myself and other runners. Special hot chocolate and a dry top were good for a bit, but with the weather as it was it didn't take much to tear me and our group away from the finish and back to Campsite 222 for a hot shower, hot soup and some time by the fire.

Perhaps my favorite part to the weekend was the opportunity to hang out at a runner party hosted by Dean followed up by dinner with a smaller group at a great mexican eatery. The end of the racing year felt complete having run a few hard miles followed by time away from the trails with people I love to spend time with on the trails.

VO2Max and TNF 50 thoughts

November 27, 2012

It is pouring. It is funny, the last time I think I listened to the rain pound down like this was the nights leading up to UTMB this summer. Now we sit cozied up at Campsite 222 waiting to hear the decisions around TNF's Endurance Challenge races this weekend. Jenny and I are signed up for the 50 miler. Our girls weekend in San Francisco inbetween other travels to Austin and New York.

Earlier this week on my last full day in Seattle, after a fun 12 days visiting family and friends around the Thanksgiving Holiday, I checked in with the awesome peops at Seattle Performance Medicine. July 2011 was the last time I'd suffered through on their treadmill for a VO2max and Lactate Threshold test. It was a great test, in fact the best test I'd ever run. 65 marked my VO2max, 185 max heart rate and my Lactate Threshold was right up there as well. Good numbers to ride on and always great information for understanding where the body is at in training. Since my LT was right up against my VO2max Dr. Cooper prescribed some short sprint (like 30 seconds) repeats to help put some distance between the two, giving me another gear when it came time to dig deep during a race. I learned a lot about my nutrition and how that was aiding my great numbers and ability to access my endurance capability. All positive. All helpful.

Also helpful, but not nearly as positive were the numbers I got back Monday after suffering on the treadmill in the SPM office once again. Brady did a great job executing the test and I really felt like I'd reached my max. Not so. Significant decreases in all stats, I wondered if it was the same person running. I feel pretty fit after all of the miles racked up while overseas last month and considering all of the travel and bouncing around I feel like my energy is relatively good. My body fat% is low, but lean and mean is good, right? Not always. This test was a good reality check, big miles and travel wear you down.

As I said, all helpful. Also good to keep in mind is that these are just numbers. At this point there is not much I can do between now and this weekend to change the numbers, all I can do is keep my mind. I am excited to line up with the amazing group of men and women that have decided to journey to San Francisco and give the TNF50 miler a go. With $10,000 on the line, why not? My parents asked me if the money changes the feel of the race. For me, I feel like this late in the season to add on another 50 miler the money makes it a "heck, might as well try." It draws in a great group of people for a last hoorah of the year and puts us on some great California trails to enjoy for one last race of the season. So here we are, rain or shine.