Blog

Download the #Chuckanut50k race map!

Last year Runner Girl Races teamed up with Maps for Good to create a new Chuckanut 50k race course map and Community Trails map of the Chuckanuts. The amazing (to me) thing is you can download the race map to your smartphone to see your location along the trail—no wifi or cell service needed! 

Here is how: In the App Store (Apple) or Google Play (Android) on your smartphone, download a free app called PDF Maps made by Avenza Systems. Once it has downloaded, open the app and look at the bottom of the screen for Store (with a shopping cart icon). In the search bar, where it says find maps, type Chuckanut. It will default to a map view, which is nice but not as easy to use. Click List at the top of the screen to switch to list view. There you'll see our two maps: Chuckanut 50k Race Map and Chuckanut Trails (not specific to the race). Purchase one or both! All proceeds support future map updates.

Once you've acquired your maps, they will be in your maps collection inside the PDF Maps app. You can find them by tapping on Maps in the bottom left corner of the app. Tap on any one of the maps to open it and see your location. You can pinch to zoom in and out and drag your finger to pan across the map—just like you would in any other map on your phone. You can also mark waypoints, make notes, record your tracks, and measure distances. When you have the map open on your screen, you can find all those tools by tapping on the wrench tool in the bottom right of the screen. 

You can see the map HERE on our website and download a printable PDF if that better suits you.

Krissy's Concoction

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1/4 - 1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt (depending on how hungry you are)

2-3 T 7 Sources Oil

1 tsp Maca powder

1/2- 1 Cup granola or favorite cereal

Fruit options: sliced banana, apricots, dried cranberries, raisins and cherries, diced mango, fresh raspberries, blueberries, strawberries

Optional: Milk

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Mix the first three ingredients until smooth and combined. Pour on cereal and fruit to desired consistency. If the concoction is too thick/dense, adding milk will help.

Sweet Potato, Acorn Squash Stew

Like most of my kitchen creations, recipes start with random ingredients. I love grocery shopping and often fill my basket without an end game in mind. Cleaning off the top of the fridge I found an acorn squash and 3 sweet potatoes. In the cupboard a can of coconut milk and fire roasted tomatoes. In the fridge, mushrooms, onion, and an apple. I did not use any spices other than salt and pepper, so I'm sure this has plenty of options to enhance flavors. I like the simplicity of the veggies showing off their individual flavors. 

The cooking process took a little longer than my belly hoped, and my final goal of pureeing the whole thing failed as I ended up eating the chunky stew. The stew evolved the next day to include protein, moose meat (thanks MONICA!), veggie broth & sriracha to make it a bit heartier and feed a few guests. 

Making it was pretty easy. There is just a bit of prep time.

Preheat oven to 400-425degrees F.

1 acorn squash - cut in half and seeded. Cut side down on a cookie sheet. Fill the bottom of the cookie sheet with water.

3 sweet potatoes - cut into 1/2-1 inch chunks. Spread the pieces on to a different cookie sheet (I needed 2) and drizzle with olive oil.

Put the above items in the oven at 400-425degrees F until cooked through (about 35 minutes). Flip the potatoes at about 20 minutes.

Sautee:

1 onion - sliced and diced

3-6 cloves of garlic, either pressed or sliced and diced

with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then add

1 dozen (or more) sliced Crimini mushrooms

1-2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

In a large stock pot on medium-low heat add:

1 can coconut milk

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

Combine:

Add the sautéed veggies to the stock pot when they are cooked, but still crunchy (I don't like over cooked veggies.) Add the potatoes from the oven when they are cooked through. You might want to cut them into smaller pieces. To add the squash, scoop out tablespoon size portions from the peel and add. Stir everything and simmer on low until ready to serve.

Possible Additions:

1-2 cans of beans (kidney, pinto, black, garbanzo)

1 lb of sautéed protein (I did moose meat hamburger)

1 box of veggie broth

Serve with sriracha or other hot sauce so people can adjust to their own taste. If you like sour cream or other stew toppers (cheese, chives, seeds) I'm sure they would go well with this.

Enjoy!

Mending

I did not tear my meniscus (thankfully!). Seems I was a bit dramatic on my last blog post sharing all of the thoughts that plagued my mind during the onset of my hip injury. Sorry to those of you that I confused. The fear of a torn meniscus was just one of the worrisome thoughts that filled my head while I lived in the unknown.

Working with Heather at Red Hammer PT, we found the diagnosis and the treatment to the problem, a pinched nerve in my hip that referred pain to my knee. Over the last couple of weeks I have gradually increased my running in addition to a ton of hip openers, yoga, massage, e-stim, and focused strengthening. On today's #wednesdaygirlsrun I finally experienced running without any painful symptoms. On a sunny, cool morning in the company of good running buds, my smile couldn't have been brighter. It's awesome to feel like I'm coming through this (I will continue my treatment plan to ensure this does not return) and to look ahead at the calendar, filled with races and adventures, and start planning.

Nerves. New to me.

I’ve torn my meniscus. I’m grinding away my tibia and fibia. There is a piece of bone floating in my knee. Well, at least I’m in Mexico.

I wish I had the ability to block these thoughts from my mind, especially while in Mexico, when pain creeps in to my body. The gift and the curse of ultrarunning is an intense physical body awareness. We know when all systems are working fluidly. It feels amazing to cover long distances while managing our bodies perfectly. And I feel, if we stay in tune, we also know when something is not right. Depending at what point we are in our season or training, we might try to ignore pain, or write it off as nothing too serious. Until it is.

Since the holidays I have battled a stride altering, sharp pain in my left knee. My training right now is about daily fitness and nothing more. I do not need to run everyday, but I choose to stay fit through a variety of exercises including swimming, climbing, body weight core exercises and group training classes. Running is one activity I obviously love to include as an option and my frustration of not being able to incorporate it drove me in to see my PT, Heather North, RPT. My knee pain baffled us both. It only hurt while running. It moved around. I could not palpate it. She adjusted, needled, massaged and e-stemmed to the point of my exhaustion and sent me off with advice to run daily and pay attention to all sensation.

While in Mexico to celebrate Darcy’s birthday I followed the doctor’s orders and reported back to Heather via email. I had the luxury of enjoying a fun girls weekend, soaking up sun and even rode a wave for a split second. Meanwhile her brain was smoking trying to figure it out and had a nervous wonderment if my pain could be bone related (femur stress fracture).

When I returned to Boulder and sat on her table once again we charged through my symptoms, pulled out anatomy books, and reviewed all possibilities. She, thankfully, ruled out the stress fracture for now, and we moved on to a new-to-me injury reality. Nerve. Of course nerves have been involved in previous injuries; nerves tell us pain. In this case, my femoral nerve, the one that flows through a small channel in my hip along with a lot of other anatomy, is pinched. Heather offered that this could be compared to the common Sciatica, where the pain refers to the low back and butt. Mine is on the front in the periphery femoral nerve and refers to my knee.

This all likely started in June. For two weeks after the Cayuga 50mile championships I had to manually lift my left leg to lasso my underwear around my foot. My hip flexor was kaput. It is my belief that scar tissue is taking up some of the valuable, limited space in that region between my hip and pelvic bones and possibly binding the nerve. I’ve managed the hip through some amazing summer (JMT and Kings Trails) and fall (Conservacion Patagonica) adventures. Now it is time to heal it knowing that the injury is in my hip, not my knee.

This incredible shift in my mental view of this injury has been a huge adjustment in my treatment and recovery. Now when I run, I am not thinking that my knee is grinding away bone on bone as the pain builds. Instead I think about my hip, visualize that nerve bound up in there. I work to open my stride behind me, keep my feet from reaching, tuck my pelvis and give space to that otherwise limited area. And wouldn’t you know it, the pain in my knee subsides.

Our treatment plan includes more running, tweaking my form, hip opening stretches, no squats, lunges or other quad builders (she doesn’t want me to maintain or increase muscle mass in that area for now). Instead, I am to focus on strengthening my glutes (all runners should) and stabilizing muscles. E-stem a couple times a day and nerve flossing will probably be the biggest aids to my recovery.

I feel like I’m having another in-body learning experience. To gain an understanding of nerve injuries as compared to tissue (ligaments, tendons, muscle) feels like a whole new ballgame. I love this sport for all that it teaches me. And I’m thankful for all of the insight gained by going through these experiences.

Grounding Salad

I don't post recipes all that often, but there is something about this salad that made me want to share.  I feel like it may give you a little insight to how important food and fueling is to me.  The name for this particular dish hit me tonight when I was shredding collards and kale.  It is my Grounding Salad.  After long travels, eating out every meal, or when life seems a bit upside down, I long to pull as many ingredients as I can out of the refrigerator, and pile them in a bowl.  The process of washing, slicing and working with food grounds me.  It takes time to prep a bunch of veggies, quiet time, working with my hands, preparing good food.  It is the best way that I know to reconnection and feel at home.

It always starts with my rice cooker.  Two cups of rice and four cups of water with a good bit of salt. I'll eat the excess rice for a couple of days. If I time my preparations right, the rice cooker light flips to "warm" just as I finish slicing and dicing.  Next I clean and shred as many greens as my Miwok dish can hold.  (Tia gave super functional, handmade bowls one year I placed at Miwok).  After that, it is all about what came out of the fridge.  On a particularly good night, the recipe might look like what I've listed below.  Also, I've listed measurements, but lets be honest, I rarely measure anything, so these are just estimates.  There are so many great alternatives and opportunities for creative flavor mixing that my Grounding Salad often takes on many appearances.

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HAVE TOs:

3 C shredded greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach, arugula...)

1/4 C chopped red cabbage

1/4 C sliced carrots

3/4 - 1 C cooked white Basmati rice (you can do brown too)

1-2 T sunflower seeds

A heavy helping (2-4 T?) of Nutritional Yeast

2-3 T Flora's 7 Sources Oil

1-2 T some fancy balsamic vinegar (I've got Fig right now)

Other possibilities:

1/2- 1 C cooked ground meat, or other protein (I'm using moose right now - Thanks Monica & Christian!) Cottage cheese, tofu, shredded chicken have all made separate appearances.

1/4 C sliced bell peppers

1/2 Avocado (this really should be a have to, but I don't always have them around)

1 chopped Roma or other Tomato

1/2 chopped nectarine or peach

1/4 C dried cranberries, raisins, cherries

I like to pile in this order - greens first, then cabbage, carrots (heartier veggies), then protein and hot rice, right out of the cooker.  Then, top with more of the fragile veggies or fruits, like tomatoes, avocados, nectarines, etc.  I am a huge nutritional yeast fan for the flavor and the thought of all of those good B vitamins, so I am not shy about a heavy dusting complimented with sunflower seeds. After that, drizzle the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  Some of the simplest things together bring me home!

#JMTFKT attempt

To write about a personal goal that wasn't quite complete is more of a task than I would have thought.  While on the trail I had so many thoughts and ideas about the experience, what my body was going through and more what my mind was going through.  I wish I'd had a voice recorder, but then again, perhaps none of those thoughts would have made sense.  

There are now nine pages of thoughts typed into Word on my screen, some of them flow, others just pieces of the story.  Not all of those words are included here, but this post is longer than I typically share.  Eventually the chapter will come together and hopefully published for others to read.  My hope that readers will find the humor and challenge captured in the stories.  

In the meantime I feel somewhat of an obligation to share some of the story of our JMTFKT attempt.  We tweeted and facebook'ed and talked it up on the front end, which was fun to share the excitement with so many people.  Knowing that people were watching our SPOT leave a trail through the Sierra meant a lot out there, especially as it got tough.  Now that we are on the flip side sharing a few thoughts of what happened out there seem appropriate.

July 22nd was on my radar for months.  The plan of running the 220 mile John Muir Trail with Jenn Shelton was on my mind for about a year.  Yet suddenly and not so suddenly we were laying horizontal in the Dow Villa Motel with only hours until our chosen start of 7am.  A fitful night found me glancing at the digital clock nearly every hour.  I felt so warm.  Was the air conditioning working?  My head hurts.  Am I hungry?

When the alarm sounded at 5am I was asleep and as I reached to silence the chirping phone my movement went from my arm extending to the nightstand, to my whole body leaping from bed and running for the bathroom.  Am I really this nervous?  Soaked head to toe in a full body sweat, my guts emptied into the unexpecting porcelain bowl I sat with my head heavy in my hands wondering what was wrong.  Then I quickly convinced myself it was just nerves.

… I couldn't have been more wrong.

We piled into the truck, Jenn was the last out of the hotel room and she bounced over, trucker hat turned backwards and her two thin braids framing her smiling face.  That hat, red tank top, black shorts and blue running pack would be her uniform for the entire trail.  A sight I didn’t see much, only when I looked over my shoulder if I didn’t hear her footsteps any longer.

Climbing up Whitney our excitement initially set the pace, but my morning experience eventually took hold and slowed us to a powerhike.  I told Jenn about my serious stress response and we joked that after this many years in the sport it I once again found something at made me that nervous, although I don’t ever remember a reaction quite like I’d had that morning.  We worked our way up through the beautiful granite blasted switchbacks littered with lakes and hikers breaking camp.  I wished aloud that I had my phone to take pictures.  Jenn let me know that if I’d brought my phone to take pictures she would have taken it, hucked it and owed me $700.  We laughed.  Point taken.  We weren’t here to take pictures.

We were fortunate to have easy weather, a bit hot, but worth it to keep the nights warmer and skies clear of storms that have plagued Jenn in her previous three attempts.  We made a quick tag of the Whitney summit and kept moving, mostly to ensure we wouldn’t have to use the wag bag.  The obviously named Guitar Lake splayed out before us and Jenn noted that we couldn’t even see where we were headed next.  Twenty something miles before our next pass, Forester Pass, where we would see photographer Ken again.  We moved through the terrain keeping a steady manageable pace, halted by my frequent visits to the bushes not long after consuming calories.

The granite of the Sierra disguises the trail.  Looking ahead at the craggy peaks it is difficult to tell where the trail winds up, yet when you are on it you wonder how you couldn’t see it.  The work done to blast the trail into the boulder fields is immense.  The path well worn by hundreds of hikers each summer.  So many stories captured in the rocks that make up the path from Whitney to Yosemite.

The ups were slow going but steady.  The downs more consistent running, broken up with forced walking breaks to ensure we didn’t trash our feet and ankles early on the rocky path and large steps on the long descent.  Ken bounded along like a mountain goat capturing countless photos of that magical descent off of Forester.  Each time I looked up to see what he was shooting I couldn’t help but smile or even gasp at the beauty around us – often pointing it out to Jenn as if she’d never been there before.  She probably knows the views better than anyone.

Our first crew point near Kersarge Pass was a dialed machine of mac-n-cheese with salmon, emptying and resupplying our packs, plenty of humor between the tired bodies and an hour of sleep right at sunset.  Jenn stirred early and Aaron and Beth scrambled to make hot drinks before we set off into the night.  We hiked past countless waterfalls and the cool air from the water kept us alert.  Jenn ensured me that I would definitely want to come back to see that section in the daylight. 

Just before sunrise we crawled into the tent of our second crew point near Sawmill Pass and slept the hour before sunrise. Hoping the sleep would completely reset my system I ate heartily of the mac-n-cheese served in the bear canister by Kevin and Monica.  As we surfaced and made to leave our system was little less dialed as we were groggy from our nap.  Packing up to leave took longer than hoped and I definitely carried too much food out of that spot.  Monica made sure we had wiped our dusty faces and sent us off with big hugs.  Kevin snapped the photo now on my home page and we moved along feeling somewhat refreshed as the sun rose on the second day.

Day two found us in hours of conversation about life, relationships, and topics that will forever stay on the trail.  Jenn insisted I set the pace and that she wasn’t in any hurry day one or day two.  Inwardly I was incredibly frustrated at my weakened state and slowed pace, especially on the climbs.  I was forced to use my poles since the first climb up Whitney and couldn’t stop the vicious cycle of diving into the bushes each time I tried to eat.  As the time between input and output shortened, my frustration built.  It was hugely demoralizing and hard not to associate that I was not gaining the needed energy from my calories.  Jenn assured me another crew stop, a big meal and rest would help.  And we trudged on through the heat of the day.

Ken met us a few miles from the Le Conte camp.  For miles we had longingly looked at the creek just off the trail to our left to cool off.  Ken said there was a great pool just ahead that we should take advantage of and we easily warranted the down time by wandering off the trail to fully dunk in the cold stream.  Just cold enough that I couldn’t force myself to dunk I hesitated.  Jenn seeing my hesitation counted out loud.  “Krissy! One! Two! Three!” and without resistance  we plunged under and popped up to the sound of Ken’s camera clicking through shot after shot. 

The long walk up to camp with the constant “it’s just up ahead" from Ken got in our heads a little bit and we let him know it.  Jeff and Rick were ready for us with separate tents, gear laid out, encouraging conversation and water boiling for mac-n-cheese.

When it was time, Jeff led us out of camp ready for the rest of his mini-adventure.  He’d backpacked in our gear, set up camp, fed us and then set off to take us over Muir Pass and down to where the trail split.  We went on to Seldon Pass and he diverted out over Pinchot Pass.  It ended up being a solid 12 hours together complete with a couple hour bivvy in our mylar emergency bags somewhere past our Evolution Creek crossing.  After he left us he still had an 18 mile hike out to his pre-planted truck and a drive back to Bishop. 

Leaving us was no easy task.  I was convinced I was done.  Our pace had slowed so dramatically due to my faltering energy and ridiculously frequent pit stops.  It stressed me more to think that I was slowing Jenn from finishing her goal and I wanted her to continue on without me.  I thought I should hike out with Jeff.  She convinced me to go one more stop.  It was a tough conversation, our group of three completely sleep-deprived and my body depleted even more than I realized.  Jeff made coffee, we traded food for options that might work better for my guts and Jenn and I wandered down the trail waiting for the sun of day three to warm us once again.

The climb up Seldon Pass was the final stake in my run. Our pace was so incredibly slow, the 6 miles up took us nearly five and a half hours.  The entire climb I had multiple conversations with Jenn that she needed to leave me.  Some were outloud with her, others were in my head.  She repeatedly said she couldn’t live with herself if she left.  She believed I would come around.  What if we made it to the next crew point, ate and slept and I felt better?  She wanted that chance and believed in it more than I did.  At one point I was trying to yell at her to leave.  Just freakin leave me!  But those words were never uttered.  I’m not one to yell.  And when I told her my idea she said she would have laughed at me. 

At the top of Seldon Pass she easily convinced me to sit on a rock with her. It was 11:30am and she looked right into my eyes and told me she didn’t have enough food to continue at this pace.  I honestly felt relief.  I wanted her to go.  We looked at the maps, we fought over who would take the SPOT, we swapped a few calories and I stood to give her a huge hug.  I caught a glimpse of the bracelet we each wore, given to us hours before we started by Deena.  Destiny is what the bead says.  She’d done everything she could to get me this far.  Now she needed to take care of herself and get herself to Yosemite.  I would leap ahead and jump in as crew.  This was her project now, really always had been.

After watching Jenn pick up her pace and lope down the switchbacks off the top of Seldon Pass, I gave a whoop and marveled as the red tank top and off-kilter trucker cap disappeared from sight.  11:30am.  I had 14 miles to hike out and I could make the most of it, or be depressed by how slowly I had covered the previous 6 (one mile an hour).  With that I looked up.  I was surrounded by some of California’s most beautiful terrain, little lakes pooled as the stream running through backed up in places.  The sun was beating down making everything glisten.  The green grasses contrasted with the massive granite boulders and wildflowers dotted the landscape adding color and depth to the whole visual experience.  All I had to do was hike out.  I was no longer stressed about getting Jenn to the next crew spot, she was to take care of her and I needed to deal with only myself. 

I wish I could say that I kept a positive attitude for the next seven and a half hours that it took me to descend Seldon Pass to Edison Lake.  A highlight was stripping down to only my shorts and jumping in the creek a couple hundred yards off of the trail.  The cool water was a bit startling, and necessary.  I only gave myself 10 minutes time off the trail, and was sure to soak head to toe.  As I hiked back to the trail buckling the straps of my pack around my chest, I let my wet hair hang on my shoulders under my trucker cap, both to cool and protect me from the beating sun.  The fierce rays burned my already toasted skin and I decided to use my chapstick all over my arms to hopefully prevent further damage.  The mosquitoes indulged in my slow moving figure, an easy lunch even though I put up a valiant effort swatting and smashing too many insects to count.  It was easy to transcend from pure bliss to utter despair and back again. 

Many of the hikers approaching knew my name.  Tonya, our crew person at Edison, had let nearly everyone know what we were up to.  People cheered, and even took pictures.  I was thankful to be wearing my sunglasses so they didn't see the defeat in my eyes.  Those that were chatty learned about Jenn going all the way to Yosemite and my end at Lake Edison.  Others offered trail mix and their already filtered water.  JMT hikers are a great group of people.   

The hallucinations were by far the most entertaining piece for my final hours on the trail.  While still with Jenn I asked her what plant/low bush was framing the trail.  We thought maybe Manzanita.  I was able to piece together that the round, brown, dried leaves from that scrubby bush were what my eyes made into all of the heads-up pennies that littered the trail.  I saw a man on the switchbacks above us struggling to make a deep step down from one rock to another.  He was using trekking poles and my mind marveled that someone out here was hiking with a prosthetic.  But as soon as I blinked I realized he had two normal legs and his heavy backpack made the descending steps difficult.  There were beautiful trout in the lakes as we neared the top of the pass… those might actually have been there, but its hard to say looking back now.  None of my hallucinations scared me, I was coherent enough to know that I was hallucinating and even if I couldn’t make the joker in the rock go away, I could at least be entertained by his funny face. 

My final hallucination came after my last water refill and head dunk.  Two rounded granite rocks sat perched on the slope between me and the last switchback.  I saw them and then the sun flashed through the trees and in their place was Mark, my boyfriend.  He sat clear as day, smiling at me in a long-sleeved white linen shirt, sleeves rolled up (funny thing, I've never seen him in a linen shirt). His elbows rested on his splayed knees, feet close together fingers dangling somewhere around his shins…. And then he was gone.  I had this reassuring sense that everything was going to be okay.  I knew it was a hallucination, but it was the most familiar thing I’d seen all day.  The most confirming and reassuring sight that everything would be alright.  I continued my slow walk, completely dependent on my trekking poles, calm face and far-off gaze, blinking now and again to bring me back to reality.  Two switchbacks later Tonya and her dog Journey were hiking up towards me and I crumpled against my poles, uncontrollable tears streaming down my face, body quaking.  An overwhelming realization that it was over.  Well at least this part.

We hiked the final mile down to camp, spent another night in the woods, - literally I was running from the tent multiple times - a 2 mile hike and a boat ride across Edison Lake to Tonya's car the next morning.  I had the good luck of joining two doctors, a father and daughter, on our hike out.  I was unable to keep pace with the backpackers, but Tonya ran my current state by them.  When we clamered out of the boat on the other side, Father Doc was pretty certain I had giardia and dug in his pack to give me 4 days worth of doxycycline.  He promised I should see immediate results.  Anything to help the long car drive around.  Pretty amazing to meet up with the right people just when you need them the most.

After an 8 hour drive around we finally landed in Yosemite.   It was a long trip around to the east side, I was in and out of sleep while Tonya managed the miles.  As soon as we found cell service I was madly texting crew people from Tonya’s phone to find out how Jenn was doing.  Did she keep going?  Did Jeff find someone to run back on the trail and meet her?  Jenning had crewed Jenn through Reds Meadow and she was moving well.  She also let me know that Scott was on the trail with her.  Scott who?  Jeff must have found someone in Bishop to run with her.  “Scott Jurek!”  she texted back and I could hardly believe it.  Jenny and Scott had flown out to surprise us and they had perfect timing to help Jenn through her fourth night on the trail. 

I marvel at how people come together to help others shoot for the stars.  It had amazed me the last three days that we would be hiking along in the middle of nowhere, no road access and we would come across our crew people, all of our prepacked gear, tents, sleeping bags, hot food and mostly warm hugs from these friends that were psyched to have adventures of their own in order to help ours along.  Absolutely unreal when you think about what each person put into our being out there on the JMT.  From sponsors supporting the effort through cash, special products and last minute shipments, to friends following along refreshing the SPOT link madly at home.  All of the energy in our immediate presence to those wishing us well from thousands of miles away, there is a lot of love to be felt.  I am a lucky girl.

We landed back in Yosemite and I was hanging out the car window waving at Jenny, Toph and Kim.  All had come to surprise us on the trail and all were amazing support even when I arrived in a car rather than on foot as planned.  I became familiar with the overwhelming emotions that rocked me the next few days, and these three were the first to witness just how raw I was.  We made food and shared stories.  Toph had just run the High Sierra Trail through some wicked storms.  As night fell we found a place on the trail to crew Jenn and waited for Scott’s familiar ‘whoop’ when they arrived around 3am.  We all slept till sunrise and then made a group effort to feed Jenn and send her down the trail.  She was loopy and tired and absolutely determined.  It was awesome to see.  We set up one more meeting spot about 5 miles down the trail and fortunately Beth and Aaron from our very first crew spot had made their way around.  Aaron, ready to run, loaded up my pack and signed on to bring Jenn down the final 20 miles to the valley floor.

Writing now the wait for Jenn’s descent seems minimal.  I slept with my feet up on a log for a while.  We paced around a bit.  When we finally met up with the rest of the crew it all happened fast.  We wandered a short distance up the trail and I spotted that off-kilter trucker camp and red tank bouncing along through the mass of people.  With a stride that would impress most 5k runners, Jenn loped down the final stretch with all of us in tow.  We made a bit of a scene running amidst all of the walkers and hikers as one might imagine after four plus days.  The girl finally got to sit down for good, 4days, 9hours & 30some minutes after starting with me up out of Whitney Tuesday morning.

This was something else, an experience I will not soon forget and my body continues to remind me as I recover.  Returning home, reconnecting and writing being the most helpful pieces in processing the time away.  I am left with a few bigger thoughts to ponder, mostly about my own direction.  But one thing is for certain, seeing myself that raw I know what is important to me and that is the people that I surround myself with.  I am so thankful for the voices of family and friends, hugs and checking in.  Cheering us on and supporting no matter the outcome.  Spending time on the trail with my #polarduo and finding a friendship that many rocky JMT miles solidified.  Of all the things to be reminded of, lessons to learn, I am the most thankful for relationships.

JMT Gear

Ultraspire Titan 2.0 Pack, Patagonia M10 Rain Jacket, Patagonia Houdini Pants, Black Diamond UltraDistance trekking poles, 12 pair Patagonia lightweight merino anklet socks with Blistershield in each one, Patagonia Tsali 3.0 shoes, Julbo Access Sunglasses, Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts, Patagonia Merino 1 tank, Patagonia Velocity Running Tights, Patagonia Wool 2 quarter zip long-sleeve, Patagonia Nano Puff half zip, Black Diamond Icon, extra lithium batteries, SPOT device & extra batteries, Ultraspire fast draw handheld, Patagonia R1 beanie, Patagonia lightweight merino gloves, Raidlight waterproof mittens, Emergency bivvy, baggie of Desitin, TP, baby wipes.

JMT Nutrition

First Endurance EFS Gel, Trail Butter, Bearded Brothers Bars, Clif Bloks, Clif Kids Fruit Twists, Annie's Deluxe Mac-n-Cheese, Patagonia's Salmon Provisions, Epic Bars, Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes, Starbucks Via's (hot & cold), moose meat summer sausage (courtesy of Monica at Sawmill), pizza (courtesy of Jeff & Rick at Le Conte), Rice balls (courtesy Deena's kitchen)

Transvulcania 73km

Travel is hectic.  I seem to feel, think and say that a lot especially with my recent travels.  Fortunately the experiences enjoyed while in these new locations are exciting, memorable and community building.  My recent trip to La Palma Spain shone great examples of each.  As we hopped across the continent and eventually over the great Atlantic, our group of running friends grew from three (Denver to Chicago), nine (Chicago to Madrid) and nearly half the plane (Madrid to La Palma).  The long flights and layovers allowed time for catching up, chatter, photos and sharing with the world on social media.


I had been told prior to registering for this race that I was in for an experience of a lifetime.  Thanks for fellow Patagonia teammate Luke Nelson and the race organization I was granted a spot and a bit of support to make the long journey to join in the 6th annual Transvulcania.  With a promise of ridge line views of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean and a punishing altitude profile, the 45 mile course (originally thought to be 50 miles) engaged all of the senses.  Upon crossing the finish line my Suunto T3 recorded over 13,000 ft of gain and over 12,000 ft of loss, but I didn't need my altimeter to tell me so, my body well understood.

race start

race start


The weary, jet-lagged group was split up upon arrival between two resorts.  Luke, Ty, Jodee and I quickly jumped into the spanish language and maintained a view of the horizon as we snaked along the winding road for nearly an hour to the Princess Resort.  The all inclusive affair surrounded by banana plantations was only six miles from our race start and secluded enough to encourage lots of downtime.  Happy to shed the layer of travel clothes and change to running shoes and shorts, the sun on our shoulders and air off the ocean were the final welcome I needed. 

The sleep that follows long travels, a run, shower and good meal is usually drawn out and heavy and for me full of crazy dreams.  It was no wonder we startled to the phone ringing to tell us we needed to be in the lobby in 20 minutes for a ride to the news conference.  The week jockeyed between complete relaxation resort style by the pool and shuttling back and forth to the host hotel an hour away for new conferences, race briefings and packet pick up.  This stretch of road became our exposure to the island, a worn path in our minds and an opportunity to practice Spanish with our drivers.


Alarm. Lights. Excitement!  The energy that oozed off of Jodee race morning was contagious.  With motivation to slurp coffee and down a few calories before our shuttle arrived we excitedly buzzed around the room, dressed quickly, finished braids and secured bib numbers.

2000+ runners lined up for the 2014 Transvulcania

2000+ runners lined up for the 2014 Transvulcania


The winds shook the van as we sat parked staring down the start line.  Over 2000 people in shorts and flashing lights piled behind the race start corral illuminating the shoreline and likely startling any local sea life.  We emerged from the van about 20 minutes before the start to empty bladders and join the field. We were positioned in front and "manos arriba" we cheered in unison in the final countdown.  


In an instant we went from shoulder-to-shoulder stand still to a massive rapid forward force.  Elbows and hands reached out for balance, all sorts of body parts bounced off of each other, the blur of lights and legs sprinted off the line, up the incline, around the lighthouse and scrambled to the narrowing path leading up the climb.  At about the lighthouse I realized I was holding my breath (something I used to do in high school track running the 800m into the first turn) and let out a big sigh.  My inner voice repeated "Todo esta bien."  With the chaos around me the words helped me relax, breathe and deal with the flying elbows and close quarters with my fellow runners.  The climb was a steady grade and I was happy to feel my legs turning over confidently when trail space allowed.  Knowing that things would open up in a few kilometers I kept my mantra and marveled at the stream of white lights flowing like water up the hill behind me.  

photo saved from social media

photo saved from social media


The obscured darkness did not afford me the opportunity to count ponytails.  This did encourage me to run my own race, take in the terrain and fall in love with the island.  The sun rose over a blanket of clouds. Only the top of Mount Teide on the neighboring island of Tenerife visible catching the rays and colors of the early sun and reflecting back beautiful alpine glow pinks, oranges and purples.  It was all I could do not to stop.  Instead I zig-zagged up the trail as I rubber-necked over my right shoulder much like someone would slow and weave when trying to drive past a car wreck or wild animal spotted in a national park.  The climb and the beauty both took my breath away and gave me energy in the same instant.  If this was all I saw for the rest of the day I felt the long travels were worth it.

Up. Up. Up we climbed above the clouds.  Higher into the warming sun.  Our goal the ridge line of the volcano, to bop along the northern lip and then scream down the western side, a nearly 8,000ft drop back to sea level.  The miles flew by and the temps climbed in sync with our increasing altitude.  

Upon reaching the top the race took an impressive change.  Our ascent spread out over 25+ miles was now countered with a nearly 8,000ft drop in about 8 miles… maybe 10.  Trying to explain that much altitude loss in such a short distance involves grand hand gestures and adding up local runs to help understand.  "It's like descending Green Mountain twice!  And maybe a bit steeper in parts" for those local to Boulder, Colorado.  This descent and the heat that accompanied it were two aspects I had not prepped for and exasperated my share of grunts, groans and choice words to aid in my continued forward, downward motion.  I felt as though "todo el mundo estaba pasandome."  At the bottom, one is nearly to the meta (finish line) as it is only a few miles up to the finish.  The climbing was a welcome change as far as my toe nails were concerned.

A final turn on to the main street through the town of Los Llanos and the volunteer told me "un kilometer mas."  The road stretched out perfectly straight in front of me and reveled hundreds if not thousands of people lining the street to hi-five and cheer on the runners making their way through that toasty last kilometer.  Happy to be in these final paces I enjoyed the interactions and stole as many hi-fives as I could reach for.  Not too far from the archways marking the final meters a girl no more than eight years old took up stride next to me.  I reached down and she grasped my hand to run a few strides together.  My legs felt lighter, as if she'd wiped away the burly miles of the morning and we shared a smile before she let go and ran back to her parents.  

A final bend in the road before crossing under the finish arch and receiving a finishers medal.  I could only imagine the grandiose affair for those finishing top in the field as the welcome at the Transvulcania finish line is worthy of rockstar status.  A handler made sure I moved through the awaiting amenities: beverages, snacks, gear check, chip return, finishers shirt, shower, massage and finally off to collect my finish line bag.  A well thought out receiving area for all nearly 2000 finishers.

Tezacorte - lowest point on the course (after the start)… Some beach time with Patagonia teammates before race day.

Tezacorte - lowest point on the course (after the start)… Some beach time with Patagonia teammates before race day.

We wrapped up our final hours on the island by enjoying the finish line, awards ceremony and a late night ride back to the Princess Resort.  A hearty breakfast and pool time the next morning capped off the trip before the long travels home began.  We reassembled our crew in the La Palma airport and as the flights ticketed off we sent members on their respective routes.  Coming together and easing apart, more stories, memories and community.

Gear List:

UltrAspire prototype pack
Patagonia Duckbill hat
Julbo Access sunglasses
Patagonia Forerunner Tank
Patagonia Strider Skirt

Patagonia Turnaround sports bra
Patagonia l/w merino wool ankle socks
Patagonia Tsali 3 shoes
chapstick
sunscreen

Black Diamond Sprinter headlamp

Fuel:
First Endurance EFS liquid shot
Clif bloks and Honey Stinger chews
Clif Z-bars & Fruit Twists (both kids food)
Endurolytes
cola

Training fuel:

Flora 7 Sources in Krissy's Concoction and in Smoothies!