Posted on Apr 9, 2012
The chaos duo
“It’s not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.” Lena Horne
This could not better describe my thoughts heading into the month of March. The highs and lows of life were all culmunating the week I was due to race Antelope Island 50 Mile. Let me back up just a tad and give some light as to why I would even make the trip to Salt Lake to race this in the first place, when my original race schedule had given me plenty of good chances to run within a few hours of my house. It’s pretty simple really- when family is in need, you figure out how to get there and help. JB and I found this race as a good “excuse” to see my Aunt (sick with Stage 4 non-small cell Lung cancer) and Uncle who live in Park City. We told them we would be in town and could come by and help with anything they needed- household chores, cheering up, running errands, etc. So plans went into play to get out there and accomplish as much as we could.
We decided to take a road trip and use an R.V. as our home on wheels for 5 days to be out in Utah. This was mistake number 3 in the line up of decisions. Mistakes 1 and 2 were my complete ignorance for my own health- anemia (extremely low ferritin levels and fatigue that I mistook for dieting) and a sinus infection (I popped day 3 of the Z-pack on the morning of the race). I would have just bailed on the whole thing, but knew that my family was looking forward to our help. So onward we went, with our 18 month old in the Griswold family R.V. Turns out Eva gets car sick- she puked on me and on JB about 3 times on our 8 hour drive to Salt Lake. She also doesn’t sleep well in R.V.’s. as Thursday evening’s total of 2 hours of sleep proved. Did I mention how much I love R.V.’s? They are pure joy machines.
Anyway, I literally picked up my race packet on Friday in Leighton, Utah (about 30 minutes from SLC) smelling like vomit and on the verge of calling the whole thing off. But, as stubborn as I am, that would never happen.
JB insisted we get a hotel so I had a chance of getting some sleep before the run. An ambien-induced 6 hours of sleep later, it was race morning. We packed up Eva, the dog Luna and got into the Griswold machine at 5:00am to get out the race start. I gave Eva a bottle, handed her to JB and told him I was most definitely dropping by mile 19 as I knew I would see him there in a few hours. He said okay, have a good run, and we both laughed a good one.
I lined up next to a thin blonde runner, who turned out to be unbelivably fast. Bethany Lewis, the Grand Canyon R2R2R FKT holder and apparently just the nicest lady ever, gave me a hello and good morning and then proceeded to kick my ass for the next 7 hours. I’d like to say I could have hung with her, but this day was doomed from the get go and I just breathed in what I could, when I could.
The race takes you all around the most gorgeous, picturesque landscape of rolling hills, a few sharp peaks, long tall grasses and of course, views of roaming buffalo set against the still Salt Lake. The climbing is done all in the front of the race- you get a good 3500 feet within 18 miles and then just little rollers and inclinations from there with an out and back for about 19 miles. This is a fast, fairly flat course, that is good for someone who likes this sort of running. And by that I mean, someone who wants to run non-stop for the whole 50 miles. I am a climber and haven’t run so much in a race, ever. I certainly thought I was capable of about 7:15-7:25 for this course, but as the aid station manager at mile 25 will tell you, I spent about 10 minutes with him trying to drop out. I tried this antic again at the next aid station at mile 32, until I saw JB hanging out with Roch Horton, who just cheered me up enough to keep me going. I knew Bethany was pulling away from me and I had no desire to chase her down. I truly was just hanging on. I found strength from all these outside sources and that was unusual for me. And no, JB wasn’t going to let me quit anyway. I could see it on his face. He met me at mile 44 with Eva in the jogging stroller and Luna to pace me for a mile and gave me enough of a boost to get to the end. The guilt alone was enough to keep going.
Mile 44
It was a day of grit. I learned a ton about myself and ended up with a decent finish. 2nd woman in 7:42, 5th overall. I went under the old course record and felt okay about that, until I talked with Bethany (who just blazed to a new course record in 6:55) only 20 minutes off her husband’s (Ben Lewis) winning time of 6:34ish. They are super nice people with a darling little girl, Ada, born only a day apart from Eva- isn’t that funny. Mommy power on the trails- I love it. She and I will meet up again at Miwok, where I hope to have a better day.
The following day after the race, Eva ended up in urgent care as she got my sinus infection but it went to her lungs. So while we did get to see my Aunt, who is probably the most courageous woman I know, it was shortened by a few days to get Eva home to get her well.
The light at the end
I have recovered from the sinus infection and took it very easy on my recovery from this race. I am taking Floradix iron supplement and will just listen to my body until my iron stores build up a bit more. I also got some exciting news that Drymax Socks and GU Energy Labs will be sponsoring mer. Thank God because I love using both brands, spend loads of money on that stuff and they are really second to none.
Now I will focus on Miwok and getting back to really hilly training and just balancing health and sleep which to me, are just as important as the running itself.
Posted on Mar 7, 2012
It seems that lately, many decisions to run certain races have been focused on 2 factors: 1) how much fun can we have with friends and 2) location, location, location. Ray Miller 50K satisfied those requirements in a big way. So off to LA we went.
Hal and Carly picked us up from LAX and to my disapointment did not have a minivan and a six pack of Stella as requested since it worked so well in Hawaii just a month prior. But nonetheless, we knew it was going to be a good weekend- sunny LA, warm temps and a whole day of hanging out with no real agenda. We grabbed a quick bite and proceeded to do a little Hollywood reminscing by driving to our former Hollywood Hills home and then taking a quick tour of the Hollywood Resevoir before heading off to the pre-Oscar madness assembling over at Hollywood and Highland shopping area. We finally found ourselves in need of a reprieve of crazy tourists and so clearly the decision was – drinks at the Tropicana Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel. All four of us were running the following day and so we took it easy only alllowing ourselves one (strong) cocktail sitting poolside at the Roosevelt. A masquerade of actor types and hotel guests allowed us to distract our racing nerves with good old fashioned people watching. Finally we decided we had better get ourselves out of the spectacle and into a more appropriate place conducive for pre-race preparations. So after some driving we ended up at Chipotle in the valley and meal 3 of 4 for the day commenced. Finally night was upon us, a very enjoyable day had by all and it was time to get some sleep for the early wake up call.
After a great night of sleep, an iced espresso, Vespa and oatmeal for breakfast, we made our way to the start in Pt. Mugu. In usual fashion we arrived just in time to tie our laces, say our hellos to friends Jimmy Dean and Kate Freeman and line up for the 6:00am start. My plan was to run with and ahead of most all the ladies to test this early season fitness- super fasties Amy Sproston, Shawna Tompkins and Meghan Arborgast were in the 50mile race and so I thought I should at least hang with them and probably even be in front of them considering I was running 19 miles less than they. So the fact that Amy passed me only about 3 miles into the race tells you what incredible shape she is in right now. She had a great race and won in a smoking time of 8:09 I think.
JB and I just ran together all day. Mile 0-10 were warm up miles, me dealing with a yucky stomach, popping immodium like candy and finally relaxing enough to look around me and enjoy cool temps, very runnable climbs and good conversations with Jimmy Dean and others. Miles 10-20 brought the realization that I had better start running if I was going to keep my lead as I could see the other ladies behind me a bit coming into the climb at Hell Hill at mile 11. Miles 20-31 were actually my favorite- I finally felt like we were in a groove, pace was good, the climbs kept coming and my stomach had recovered somewhat. JB and I enjoyed each other’s company and I was seriously impressed that he stuck with me all day considering he is just getting back his fitness after a good 6 month break due to finishing “Unbreakable.” What’s nice is that after all these years and miles together, we didn’t feel the need to talk much or check in all that often with one another. Because we are so crazy busy, having hours togther on the trail is bascially our date night equivalent. It’s just good to share that time. I, of course, thought lots about Eva and lots about my aunt Patricia, who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer at age 49. When I was struggling up climbs, these two ladies occupied my mind, prompting me to push a little harder.
Coming into the last aid station at mile 26.5, I grabbed a quick gel and just kept rolling. One last big climb was ahead of us and I wanted to really push it. I ran most of the 1000 foot climb and could see I was gaining on JB. I didn’t wait for him as I didn’t want any last minute suprises. Cresting the top of the climb at mile 28.5, I could see JB was trying to catch up and we began a glorious 3.5 mile decent on the Ray Miller trail into the finish. Views of the Pacific Ocean were as good as barn fever and crossing that finish line was fantastic. 4:52 and 1st woman, 6th overall and a finish with JB who had to manage 5:30 pace on the way down to catch up with me. Nice event for sure- Keira did a great job with this race. It was a really tough course with about 6100 ft of climbing and an equal amount of decent. I think it will quickly become a popular and sought out event for years to come.
Posted on Jan 6, 2012
In typical fashion these days, I am just getting around to writing up this blog a whole 7 days after the new year greeted the world. That’s about right for me- I am a week late for everything- work expense reports, paying bills, reading news, etc.
What a beautiful year! 2011 brought me the most amazing gift of watching Eva grow from a teeny tiny baby into her now toddler and little girl-esque self. It is true what they say- there is nothing quite like having a child and watching her grow and be fasicinated by the world around her. What’s even more ironic, Eva and I seemed to live in parallel worlds this year as I also had to start from the ground up in learning how to run again. As I raced Tahoe Rim 100 in July, Eva began taking her first steps at 9.5 months old. It was really perfect.
Learning how to be a mom and to simultaneously be an ultrarunner has come with some very steep learning curves. I now look around me in line at Starbucks watching for the tell-tell dark cirlces that only a parent can have. The tired eyes that say, Yep, I was up from 2-4 and finally fell asleep at 5:00 and then the baby decided morning was upon us. That look is priceless.
Here’s what I learned this year:
1) You can run well tired. You can even run well when delirious- not everytime of course. But sleep might never be the same and your love for running is absoluletly worth getting out there.
2) Coffee and wine are now part of my basic food groups, kinda like fats and proteins are. Hey I gave up dairy okay, so I am going to have wine and coffee instead.
3) The first three months of running were pure hell. I thought I would never get back to being fit. I learned to have patience for the first time in my life.
4) There is no need to pull over at an aid station and waste precious minutes pumping if you are a nursing ultrarunning mom. I also learned that pumping every 6 hours while racing 100 miles is best when you have a steep climb ahead of you. Downhill running and pumping is out of the question.
5) I learned to not feel guilty about loving running. I really am a better mother and wife if I have gotten my run in for the day.
6) Being a mom is so much harder than I ever thought it would be. It’s also more rewarding, too.
7) Scheduling your daily run and your long runs are key when you have goal races. I used to run whenever I wanted before the baby, but now, I have to line up babysitters and make sure it all works with Eva’s schedule.
Making a full length feature documentary when you and your spouse have full time jobs, race schedule and a small child is about as wise as Hal Koerner not bringing body glide to UTMB. I can safely say, JB and I are happy to be done with a movie we are so proud of.
9) I learned this year that a mind that sufferred through labor can do almost anything.
10) I learned to be grateful for everyday on the trail, every night I give Eva a bath and every laugh I share with my husband, my family and friends, as life is a gift.
I am so looking forward to what 2012 will bring. I have a vigourous first half of the year planned with regards to racing-
Way Too Cool on March 10th, Lake Sonoma on April 14th, Miwok on May5th and the big track meet, Western States 100 on June 23rd.
I hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start!
Posted on Dec 5, 2011
Photo courtesy of Brett Rivers
I can say that I did race my heart out, but the conditions leading into race day were far from ideal. Training was very lackluster after Firetrails 50, mostly due to my continual battle with a cold or flu or both. I kept losing bits of weight due to low appetite, wasn’t too motivated to push hard on workouts and felt pretty tired for days at a time. Our bodies take stress, whether it be high mileage or life stress, the same way and the result is a classic example of overtraining syndrome. I took a few days off – some by choice and some by default due to the “Unbreakable” film work or my own real job or of course because Eva needed me, which ultimately trumps everything. I got in a few good training runs of 10-20 miles, but not the hard push I was hoping to give week after week to prepare. So I threw my hands in the air and just decided that I had one thing going for me- mental toughness. I would race this 50 on whatever I could muster from legs and then my mind would take over from there. I am not a professional athlete, but I am an athlete, a mommy and a wife. I cannot train 6-8 hours a day like Anna Frost who I have such a great respect for. She did a great job of working her tail off to get ready for TNF50. I hope to learn how to push training even harder while balancing my crazy life. That’s not a complaint, its just a fact and I bet one that many people can relate to. AJW talks very eloquently on life/running balance here.
The night before the race, and ultimately weeks and months before the race, all efforts went into the “Unbreakable: The Western States 100″ film premiere. I will blog about the film separately as it deserves its own platform. The film showing at the Presidio Sports Basement was a huge success and I was astounded at the audience cheering and clapping. Over 360 people were in attendance with about 100 others turned away due to capacity limits. I was beyond proud of JB, who really poured his heart and soul into making this film. I know I am biased, of course, but I really think its one of the best running films I’ve ever seen. As JB said the night of the premiere, “I really wanted to watch this film, so I had to make it.”
Maybe 4 hours of sleep later, it was race morning. High winds and cool temps greeted us all and off we went into darkness. The trails were dry, although strewn with debris from the wind storms. So extra focus was needed not to fall and during the descent into Tennessee Valley, I watched a runner fall really hard onto his head and hands, blood everywhere. Turns out he was okay, but shaken. People were running mad crazy fast those first 13 miles. Once I had a moment and looked at my garmin, I realized I had 13 miles in about 107 minutes . It was furious but fun and so far all systems were firing well, no issues brewing.
The day unfolded fairly consistenly, with two main sections of darkness for me- 1)the climb up to cardiac the first time was slower than I had wanted and I didn’t have any power and 2)the climb out of Muir beach at mile 42 was painfully slow and with little more than a power hike. Other than that I tried to focus on patience, fueling and being in the moment. I never really had any horribly bad patches and actually the day went by pretty quickly- mostly due to some stellar pacing company….
My saving grace during the day was Jimmy Dean Freeman, picking me up as my pacer outside of Stinson Beach up the Dipsea trail where we proceeded to reel in about 4 women with stellar running resumes over the course of the next 20+ miles. I took energy from the time I was gaining as I am always a second half runner. I was pumped to have Jimmy as my light throught the forest and with such positive energy. He even forgot about himself- quite literally running most of th0se 22 miles without food or water. He always knew what to say and when to tell me to push. Thank you Jimmy Dean.
The race was amazing and I was happy to see one of the most clear, glorious days ever in the Marin Headlands that I could remember. It was certainly the most competitive race I have ever been fortunate enough to partake in. I really loved it. I placed 10th in 8:34. Anna Frost won in 6:56- which is just astounding.
I have learned so much this year, its amazing to me. Its so inspiring to watch both your friends and people you don’t know well, run a great race. In the end, professionals or not, its all about running hard in beautiful places with one another. The ultra running community is the best around. Humble, amazing and friendly athletes kicking up some dirt with one another is always a good day.
Now, its a full push on the work front and being a mom to Eva. I will take a few weeks off of running as I always do at the end of the year to reset for next year. I hope to get into Western States and then make my race plans around that. We shall see, the lottery is next week!
Posted on Oct 18, 2011
Running happy. That’s what its all about. I can’t say I’ve had too many miserable races in my life, thanks in part to many years of leading Team Slacker. Only since 2009, have I come to see that maybe all that smiling means I am not pushing hard enough and realizing my potential. For years prior, I looked to endurance running as a social happy hour. Just ask Chris Scott of Coyote Two Moon… I needed no convincing during the annual Coyote 4 Play to take the aid station offering of a shot (usually tequilla or some other pungent alcohol) at mile 15 at the bottom of Cozy Dell and then grab some chips and keep going, albeit with tingly legs. In those years of my mid to late twenties, training was inconsistent and shotty at best. I didn’t care much to be competitive, just look at my sandbagging efforts on Ultrasignup. I call those the wonder years. I loved showing up at a race kind of wondering what the day would be like and where I was headed. Yep, I was on the short bus of ultrarunning, complete with a helmet and a chin strap.
Then I realized I might be shorting myself a little by not trying to give running a bit more. I met, Scott Jurek, who with his coaching, whipped my out of shape self into a better version of my potential. I finally got a glimpse of disciplined training and how fun that could be too. It’s still a work in progress of course, but competition is motivating.
Fast forward to Dick Collins Firetrails 50 and a day of striking a balance. Unlike TRT100, where I couldn’t find my happy vein, this day was different. The trip was as low key as one could imagine. No hubby, no pacer, no crew, no drop bags, no nada. Just me, solo (as much as one can be in a race setting) in an effort to just be simple and enjoy a day of running on trails.
I got to line up alongside the familiar faces of Bree Lambert and Roxanne Woodhouse whom I got to know at TRT100 just this past summer. After some smiles and well wishes to one another, and a quick glance of Dave Mackey towering over all of us in his Hoka platforms, we all set off into the morning glow.
The day moved along quite well. I ran conservative in the first half as I like to do. Fueling was a little challenging due to some gut issues. Beyond that, I was able to move well and stayed close to Bree until the turn around. We managed to take turns running 2nd and 3rd. She would pass on the downhills and then I would catch her on the uphills. Finally on the climb back up from the half way point, I was feeling good and didn’t look back. At that point I started to reel in some time.
At mile 37, I was told I was 6 minutes back from Roxanne, so I was motivated, and kept trying to close the gap. At mile 43, I was still right there but not seeming to make up any more time. I knew she would probably be hard to catch even while watching the 7:30 pace on my Garmin and realizing it wouldn’t be enough.
My goal was to finish under 8 hours, but as the RD told us at the start, the course had been modified at the end to add 500 feet of climbing and about 1.5 miles over the normal course due to the week’s bad weather. Oh well, that stuff happens. So I crossed the line in 8:08 and 8 minutes behind Roxanne, who ran very well. It was great to catch up with some friends, enjoy the BBQ, and then caffeinate up for the 4 hour drive back to my baby girl and hubby. On a side note, JB has not been able to run much lately because he is on deadline editing a film about Western States, the race that he will have to qualify for in a few weeks by running a 50 miler off the couch. Oh the irony… But yes, home I did find safely and a kiss I snuck to a sleeping Eva who had no idea her mommy was running some sweet trails in the East Bay earlier that day.
Next up, TNF Championships in December.
Posted on Aug 24, 2011
Its not that I haven’t been thinking about writing this race report for the last month, let’s just say that I have been reliving every moment of the 2011 Tahoe Rim 100 over and over. Not really looking for answers, but instead feeling the high moments again and allowing myself to be okay with the low times too . Even though the outcome wasn’t what I hoped, I really love that it left a fire burning in me.
Spooner Lake pre-start
After a lot of buzz about my race, I feel it poignant to mention that it was certainly in my mind before the race that I wanted to be on the podium. I mentally put myself there during those long training runs and envisioned it happening. I am not much a believer in luck. I don’t think that’s how the world of ultrarunning goes these days. Obviously someone is going to to have a better day out there than the next runner, but overall, ultrarunning is different now. More and more runners are training hard and they work to be at the top. I was hoping my hard work would also get me there too.
The starting tent
Without a doubt, The 2011 Tahoe Rim Trail 100 was the best, and most trying race I have ever run. It seemed as though life converged into one moment where everything slowed down and the reality of being a new mom, an ultrarunner, a wife, and a professional, was my burden to carry for the 100 miles . The race gave me a chance to reflect. I think Roch Horton describes running a 100 miles best when he says- “You live your life in one day.”
Ready to run
Prerace
About 10 days prior to the run, I was struggling with a pretty concerning inner adductor (groin) strain most likely that occured during the snow running and subsequent falling I did while filming at Western States a few weeks prior. I actually couldn’t run at all for two weeks prior to the race. After a very good chiropractic session in Ashland (Thank you Kelly Lange), I just tried to remain hopeful my leg would hold out. It seems to be my luck to get an injury so close to big races (see hamstring pull circa Cascade Crest 2009), but I usually count on them to go numb in the first 20 miles. Either way, I would just have to wait and see how it did.
I was so excited to have my hubby, my dad and one of my closest friends, Carly Koerner, as my assembled team and crew for the day. Not to mention my mom, who took Eva for the weekend to let us focus on the task at hand. They were truly my rock to stand on throughout and I am always amazed when people give so much to see one runner get across that line. This is very selfless and much appreciated.
Start to mile 30.
I was cold as the race directors sent us on our way promptly at 5:00am from Spooner Lake. I found myself running with Jon Olson and Thomas Reiss for a mile or so and Jon commented that it was good I was not trying to chase down the two ladies ahead of me. He was refering to the very talented and fast Bree Lambert and Roxanne Woodhouse- the two previous year’s defending female winners. I remember watching them sprint out of the start and thought it was incredibly early for that kind of running. I got myself into a comfortable pace for the climbing that would take us to Tunnel at mile 12. Early on, mostly from lack of sleep and not enough of my usual morning coffee, I was dealing with a bit of a headache and was slow to wake up. Other than that, my leg was feeling good and the air was super nice. We hit the much anticpated snow on our way to Tunnel after the first aid station. While it wasn’t too long, it was pretty slick and annoying more than anything. Descending into Tunnel aid station, I got to chat with Mark Tanaka and of all things, we talked about my “pumping on the run” strategy for the day. Since I am still breastfeeding, I get to add in timed pumping sessions to my list of eating gels, and taking salt tabs. Yes, Mark is an ER doc and a father himself, so it felt like I was telling a trusted friend about this whole added component to my race . It made him laugh and well, me too. I was happy to entertain someone for a few miles. I was feeling good as I arrived at Tunnel. I got to see my dad, who would be stationed there for the entire race. He would be manning my drop bag and helping me with everything he could. The Red House loop isa section of the course you have to learn to love. Its steep and a grind and every runner deals with it differntly. In 2008 another runner found it motivating to yellover and over at the top of his lungs “I LOVE THE RED HOUSE LOOP”, but this year, I really did love it. During the first loop I took note of things I would use to help me later in the race (streams and the terrain where I could make up time.)
Diamond peak Climb numero uno
My dad told me I was about 15 minutes behind the lead women, who were running close together on the way to Diamond Peak. I was happy to hear I wasn’t too far out and I was definitely ahead of my projected splits. I promised my dad I was going to slow down a bit to conserve for later. But pounded the downhill pretty hard and got to Diamond Peak feeling a bit flat- super tired, sleepy and in a low point. But I saw Carly and JB waiting for me, and I couldn’t help but smile. That inspiration helped to get me started on the climb to the top of Diamond Peak ski resort. On the way up, I got to hike with Nathan Yanko and Devon Crosby-Helms who were out cheering us on. I was so grateful to both of them for the awesome and distracting conversation about the Hardrock 100, of which Nathan had just run the week prior. Its definitely a race I want to do and so hearing about it while climbing 2,000ft in 1.7 miles helps put it all in perspective.
Moments before the halfway point
Mile 30-50
This was actually the toughest section for me in the whole race, and maybe in any of my races. I have never had a low that lasted for 20 miles, ever. I contemplated dropping out, but couldn’t find any legitimate excuse. My legs were fine and I was able to eat and drink. I realized I was thinking about Eva, missing her. Unlike most ultras I do, I wasn’t smiling. Even a month later, I still don’t know why this happened to me. Maybe because I was pushing so hard, or maybe because the sleep deprivation was taking effect. I came into the 50 mile mark in 10:25, which looking back would have put me on the podium for the 50 mile race. I guess pushing that pace does mentally take a toll. The good news was that Carly was there to pace me and as soon as I saw her I knew dropping out was not an option. JB also was waiting for me with a Red Bull to get me out of my funk. I learned that Roxanne was at the aid station contemplating dropping. Apparently Bree was about 35-40 minutes ahead of me at that point.
Gotta love your crew
Mile50-80
As soon as Carly picked me up, I could feel her energy and it gave me a great boost. She was chatting with me about things we would always talk about and the familiar back and forth took my mind off the race for a bit. She helped set a great pace and let me complain when I needed to, but re-focused me on eating and drinking and having fun. We made great time to Tunnel Aid station and after seeing my dad again, we dropped in for a second go at the Red House loop. At the bottom the creek crossing called out for me to sit in it for a bit. That was the smartest 3 minutes I spent. It completely refreshed my legs and then Carly and I starting cranking the pace. We got to the top of the climb and my dad informed me that I was only15-20 minutes back on Bree. We picked up at least 15 minutes in the Red House loop. My mental focus became crystal clear for me at that moment. I was compelled to run my race and not worry too much about how things were going to play out. Carly and I ran our hearts out down the long decent to Diamond peak. I certainly remember moments of peace as I watched the full moon hover overhead and moments where I kept muttering, okay, okay and feeling not okay at all. But all in all, everything was still working very well for me. Despite hurting at times, I felt strong and still pretty fast. Carly was amazing and she handed me off to JB at Diamond peak in great form. We were now only 5-10 minutes back from the lead woman.
I just loved starting the loop again
Mile80 to the Finish
After picking up JB and a full can of coke at the aid station, we began the climb for the second time up to the top of the ski resort. JB was in great spirits and had me excited to try to get into pole position. We could see the headlamps ahead of us and knew we were pretty close. But the climb is quite deceiving, especially late at night. After we crested the top, it was time to use the rolling terrain to run smoothly and quickly back into Tunnel. JB got me into a good rythym as we charged towards the aid station.
Little did I know, the crux of the race was upon us. As we entered Tunnel Creek aid sation, I glanced to my right and locked eyes with my competition. I felt my heart flutter and I was silently screaming in my head.. “I can do this.” Bree’s eyes showed me both determintation and fear. My dad’s eyes showed me astonishment and hope. We both scrambled to eat, get our bottles filled and I changed my shoes for the snow section that lie ahead. I yelled to my dad as I left, powering down a grilled ham and cheese, ”its going to boil down to who’s hurting the least.” JB and I talked about our strategy as we left Tunnel. Since Bree was seemingly in the hurt locker and my legs at that moment were feeling good, we thought it best to just stay behind her and make her work up until Snow Valley peak at mile 92. She would eventually wear down and I could pass her and then run ever so effortlessly into the finish in first place where I would be carried away by singing male models to the VIP tent. I mean isn’t that what happens, usually? Admittedly, this decision made sense at the time and then it didn’t about 3 miles up the climb. As I continued a power hike that felt good, within 3 miles that same pace started to feel laborious and I couldn’t see the headlamps anymore. I was just slipping, mentally. JB was doing his best to run a pace I wanted to keep up, but then I would get angry at him for getting too far ahead. Poor guy. I have never been a cranky runner until we started up to Snow Valley Peak and then I turned into a real sweetheart. JB would tell me to run faster and I would yell, “No.” JB would tell me that this chance only comes along every so often and I would yell back, ” that’s good, I can’t go any faster.” At this point, Bree and her pacer were running with headlamps dimmed so we couldn’t see them. It was a smart move as it began to extinguish my desire to put the hammer down. We made it to Snow Valley peak and I was worked. I grabbed some more coke and hoped gravity would help me with speed as we worked to catch up. About a quarter of a mile out of the aid, I tripped on a rock and pulled my injured groin. I yelled out and it was excruciating. I had to stop, breathe and swear a few times. It was not what I needed to get me down the mountain. The next 8 miles were a grind and I was hurting. We did pick up the pace and got moving fairly well, but it wasn’t enough. I knew it wasn’t going to be my night, my win. As JB and I rounded the last turn and heard Carly and my dad call out, I felt a bit of joy and sadness all at once. Yes, I was happy with my efforts, but when you get so close to something special, walking away with anything less was a bit unsatisfactory.
Happy to be done
I learned so much during this experience. From a strategic standpoint, I wish I would have made the decision to pass Bree when I caught her. I could have used that fear as a motivator to not let her pass me again, but instead she used that to her advantage. But despite that and a second place finish, I am so happy with the result in light of the crazy year I have had thus far. I found out later that it was good enough for the 4th fastest time by a woman and to that end I can’t complain. The race directors, volunteers, my friends on the course and my crew were just awesome and my gratitude can’t be expressed enough. Congratulations to Bree on a well fought win and I can’t wait to see you on the trails again.
And in the famous words of JayZ, “I’m on to the next one.”
Eva's first buckle
Posted on May 26, 2011
Friday night before Silver State 50K I stood over the stove pouring brown rice pasta into my yummy little tomato sauce/chicken concoction while having a glass of wine. In my mind, I was only cooking dinner to serve to the two runners racing a 50 miler in the morning- my husband, JB and our friend, Tim Olson. I even scaled down my portion as I thought the likelihood of 1) getting a babysitter was not favorable and 2)my runner body seemed a little beat down from Miwok only two weeks prior. As we ate dinner and enjoyed a casual evening, the thought of not running Silver State 50k, which was in my backyard afterall, just worked on me little by little. I made a phone call to my sister, who after hearing she would need to be to my house by 6:00am, reluctantly, but sweetly agreed to watch Eva. I told her I promised I would be home by 1:00pm which would give me about 6 hours or less to run the race and drive home. Okay, what had I done? Did I really need to go race again. Yes, it seemed I did.
Morning came, Eva and I were up early as usual and I hurried to get myself to the race. I arrived and signed up with only 2 minutes to spare. I found my new running friend, Gretchen Brugman, who I just met at Miwok and said a quick hello. We both agreed our legs were tired from Miwok and then off we went as the RD told us “Go!!” I settled in to a nice pace and saw that rain was threatening in the distance. After I shook my legs out for about 4 miles, I realized I didn’t feel all that bad. I looked down at my Garmin and found I was moving at a decent clip, so onward I went. As the real climbing towards Peavine began, the better I felt. Climbing is kind of my comfort zone and I can usually catch up or pass on the hill. I just got into the zone and did exactly that.
I won’t bore you with the details of every aid station, mileage, what I ate,ect. Mostly because I don’t really remember it all. I just ran that day and pretty mindlessly at that. I turned up my music, tried to keep a steady pace, drank my water and enjoyed some new trails. What I do remember is how I used my pseudo-jedi mind tricks to get over the fact that my body was hurting at times, not nearly recovered from 11hours at Miwok. I think I realized after all these years that I can push pain out of my mind even if only for moments at a time. I enjoy overcoming the lows and just riding out the highs. At least this was the case for this race.
I crested the last hill and saw Rancho San Rafael park in the near distance and just pushed to get across the line. Someways back a few people had told me I was running as 2nd woman and so I was hoping that would be the case upon arrival at the finish. A 5:15 finish time and yeah, good enough for 2nd women and 7th overall. My dad and JB were waiting for me with an ice cold coke (I was hoping for a beer) and I was all smiles, happy to be done. I quickly got in the car and got home by 12:45, where Eva was squealing in delight.
Only 6 weeks to Tahoe Rim Trail 100 and so time to ramp up training just a bit more in hopes the lows will be even fewer and the highs will be really high.
That sweet finish line
Posted on May 20, 2011
I was so excited to get into Miwok. Despite it being my backyard until recently, I never had the chance to run this 100K race that might also be billed as the most competitive and prestigious 100k in the country. For good reason too, its a great primer race for Western States, or any other 100 mile summer race, it has completely runnable trails, great scenery, an immensely deep field of runners, first class race organization and aid stations that are pretty much spot on.
Standing on Rodeo Beach moments before the start, I had only a few thoughts- that of my baby girl and also reminding myself to take my time on the first half. My plan was to just enjoy the run, see how my training was coming along and answer the question of how my 7.5 month post partum body would respond to this distance. We were quickly sent running at 5:40am, just as dawn decided to peak out from behind the San Francisco skyline onto the bay. The morning was cool, crisp and with a light tailwind to help push us up Conzelman road, the first of a few nice climbs all stacked in the front of the race. I felt good and settled in with my wingman, Carly Koerner.
We chatted and laughed and just generally had a nice easy rythym going. We met other runners and then found ourselves to some single track and then down to the first aid station at mile 7. Then began another climb to the top of Wolf Ridge. Then a super fun and speedy descent to Tennessee Valley where my little Eva and JB were waiting for me with smiles and waves. I even got to give Eva a kiss as I grabbed my Nathan pack. Now here’s where I can say my race plan was different than anybody else’s. See, I had to devise a plan to take care of a ticking time bomb that most would not have to worry about- lactation. So I found the lightest, smallest manual breast pump on the market and took it along for the climb to Pan Toll, where I would walk and pump. It was pretty hilarious as I warned the runners around me as I began this exercise. Luckily for me, I was surrounded by understanding and awesome women runners- Carly, Larissa Polishuck, Betsy Nye and Sarah Crosby-Helms. I am sure it was a pretty rediculous sight for them all to see. But it worked so well and when I say I felt lighter, I am not kidding.
Pan Toll aid station came quickly and brought another chance to see Eva and JB. As we cruised out to Bolinas Ridge, around mile 27, I was feeling still quite good and was just having a steady run. I remember thinking that the way back to Pan Toll on that somewhat monotonous single track would be possibly a mental killer for me as it seemed to take forever. Leaving Bolinas aid station and heading the 5.5 miles down to Randall Aid station I was trying to focus on my race, but I loved seeing the front runners coming back. Watching the sizable lead men’s pack of 5 or 6 was just insane, and I cheered them on as they passed by. I also couldn’t help but notice where I was in the women’s pack. By the time I got down the hill I was postioned into 16th place. I felt a little discouraged, but again, I reminded myself this was just me running to my music, my thoughts and working back into big distance. “Chill out girl,” was my mantra until the turnaround.
Then something happened. It was as if a magnet was on my chest pulling me home. I realized I was asking a lot of my legs to pick up the pace after already having run 33 miles, but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Scott (Jurek) and I talked pre-race about me trying to run a negative split and just reel it in after Randall and well, I guess I decided to listen. That’s when I pretended I was fresh, even invincible. I clicked the volume up on my ipod, took some deep breaths and just cranked up the speed.
I must have passed 12 or more runners after Randall aid station on the way to Pan Toll. I was reminded of a line David Horton would always say- “there isn’t much better then being in shape, cruising in the mountains.” That seemed to be true for me until mile 51. when I was hit with a major low point due to GI issues and losing my breastpump. I was reduced to a couple minutes of walking to deal with both issues, neither of which need to be discussed in any detail. LOL.
Finally, after leaving Muir beach aid station at mile 52 and heading to Pirates Cove, and up those damn steep stairs, I was kind of in the hurt locker. I crested the hill and standing there was JB, and Eva in her jogging stroller. I could see Tennesse Valley was only about 2 miles below. Seeing Eva with her big blue eyes and JB pushing her, giving me encouraging words was just the trick. As we descended together down the trail, and heading into Tennesse Valley, a very sleek bobcat was cruising the paved road, seemingly oblivious to the crowd that had formed around it. JB snapped some pictures and I just took in the cat from a distance as I kept running by. The only thing I could focus on was the 5.5 miles to the finish line.
And a fast 5 miles they were. I cruised up Old Springs trail and down my favorite steep Miwok trail trying to catch the always fast, Clare Abram ahead of me. I just couldn’t close the distance, but sure had fun trying. I crossed the line in 11:03, good enough for 12th female overall. I ran almost an hour faster on the second half of the course and was just thrilled with the day. I was so happy to hold Eva in my arms and eat a chicken sausage hot dog, I thought things couldn’t get any better. But I guess they did, because my first Mother’s Day was celebrated the following day at brunch with my family and the Koerners. A mimosa toast to the mamas, the runners and the crew.
Thanks to Tia for an amazing race and to JB and Eva, my awesome crew and now my new, mini-pacer. I can’t wait to run that one again. Maybe next time Eva can run me into the finish.
Posted on Apr 27, 2011
Boston church sign
JB, Eva and I hopped on a plane that would take us to Boston (via Denver) on Thursday late afternoon. The plan was to get to Boston, enjoy the city, run the marathon and then fly to Palm Springs the day after the run for a yearly family gathering in the desert and more training. Oh it seemed so simple when we talked about it. We’re crazy like that. We are claiming rookie parents all the way. About two days before we left, it dawned on me- we are going to have only two seats with a very active child to pass back and forth on our lap and no where to move about. What if she starts crying unconsolably. What happens if she blows out her diaper. What if she insists on using her little toy hammer on the passenger in front of us. Instantly, I started tearing around my office looking for solace- 10 minutes later I breathed a sigh of relief upon spotting those free drink coupons that I had gotten from Southwest airlines. Once I found them and put them away for safe keeping, I realized we would be okay. I then proceeded to gather about 7 one gallon freezer bags and find every cool toy in the house to put in them. That and diapers, food, snacks, clothes,pacifiers, teething cookies ect., ect., ect. The outbound flight to Boston went incredibly well. Eva in essence helped “upgrade” our entire travel situation. The flight attendants felt sorry for us and gave us three seats and a mighty strong gin and tonic. The hotel decided we needed a bigger room with a view of the harbor to accomodate the kiddo and her crib. Now if only the Maybach would have been on time to pick us up from the airport. Well, you can’t have it all, I suppose.
Rolling in Boston
On our way to the convention center to pick up our race packets and bibs, we found a lonely stranger by the exit of the subway. The curly hair, the Brooks jacket, the Amy’s burrito in hand… yep, I knew this guy. Scott Jurek raised his head from the furious text conversation he was having and smiled. In town for some “Born to Run” talks with Chris McDougal, he walked with us to the convention center and that’s when we realized we were in a runner’s den. Every 2 minutes we had to pause to let some stranger introduce themself to Scott and take a picture with him. After the convention center hoopla and fanfare, the four of us got a yummy vegan meal and said our goodbyes. The baby was getting tired and the weather was getting cooler and breezy.
The following day JB, Eva and I went to Fenway park and took in a Red Sox game. It was the coolest thing ever- quite literaly, I could see my breath and bungled Eva up in as many layers as possible. We had seats right behind home plate and watched Dustin Pedroia hit a home run. What a great way to spend a Saturday.
Sunday was a day of shaking the legs out with a little 5 mile run and eating yummy cannoli’s and fresh apple pastry from Mike’s Pastry in North End. After a few bites of the pastry, I knew that this was why I run- to eat dessert. Carb loading is not hard to do in Boston.
The morning of the race, JB and I kissed Eva goodbye and left her with her cousin who happens to live in Boston and a babysitter and off we went to board the buses to get to Athlete’s village. I was much more nervous about leaving Eva than I was about the run. I even insisted JB run with his phone just in case.
Buses for miles
The train of yellow school buses driving out to Hopkinton was something to remember. I would say the majority of the 27,000 runners use this transportation method to get out to the start. While on the bus, a nice British guy leaned over and said, “Feels a bit like we are waiting on death row, doesn’t it?” We laughed for a while on that comment alone.
See you at the finish!
The organization of this race is the best I have ever seen. Tents, bathrooms, bagels and waters for the runners… I guess they have been doing it a while, but it was appreciated. JB was in the first wave that started at 10:00am, since his B.Q. was sub-3. I, on the other hand, was in the slow group, wave-2 which started 20 minutes later. JB said goodbye and went to walk the .7 miles to the start corrals, while I lugged around my very necessary breastpump and went and hovered around a corner to get rid of unnecessary weight. I think you will notice this is a constant issue for me at every run- just wait till you hear about my pumping plan for Miwok. Watch out fellow runners, I can only warn you about my pumping on the run strategy.
In the corrals
After checking my bags at the buses, I too went and lined up. I took a Vespa and a vanilla Gu and gulped them both down. With only 2 minutes to spare, I made it into my corral and off we went. Walking at first and then a slow shuffle and 6 minutes later we finally reached the timed start line where a sea of people hit “start” on their GPS watches. Instantly I took in what the Boston marathon is known for- the amazing crowds of people and a downhill start on narrow streets. Now here’s where I screwed up my race plan and let other people freak me out: “Don’t go out too fast at Boston or you will pay for it later in the race.” Ok, I am an ultrarunner that runs hills every day. I am not a road marathoner with untrained downhill legs. Despite knowing myself, I started relatively easy for the first 5 miles and downhill section. Why I didn’t push it hard the way I like to run the downhills is beyond me. So after finding a rythym and a groove, I basically tried to keep my pace at a comfortable 7:50 minute mile for pretty much the whole run, give or take on some miles. I was having a blast considering how I really don’t like road marathons and I focused on enjoying the scenery, the costumes, the crowds cheering and the energy. I felt myself slowing down on a few of the uphills near mile 17 and near mile 21. I can’t even tell you what Heartbreak hill is, because I though it was the larger hill at mile 17 … who knows. What I do know is that generally speaking I felt really great throughout the entire race but couldn’t push much more speed into my legs near the end when I wanted to. Coupling the legs that wouldn’t turn over any faster and a bit of a longer than 26.2 mile course and well, there went my goal time of 3:25. I crossed the line in 3:29 and was okay with it. People were buzzing at the finish line with word that the world record had been broken by Geoffery Mutai from Kenyan just a bit earlier. It was so thrilling to be there that day with that record breaking run. Also, major cheers to the two USA women runners-Desiree Davilla, who nearly won and Kara Goucher who also is a new mom as our babies were just born just one day apart.
Video Running Past Famous Wellesley College Girls
The main focus here was to use Boston to work on getting speed back into my legs overall. Speed is what I lost the most while taking last year off. JB gave me solid advice and told me to make my easy pace or recovery pace faster for every run. I did that and then encorporated a few more focused speed workouts after Way Too Cool. After Boston we turned right around in Palm springs and ran another hilly 20 miler, to prep for the longer and hillier Miwok 100k.
Boston also served to give me a base fitness test going into May and June which are my peak training months leading into Tahoe Rim Trail 100 in July. I am feeling more fit and able to handle more volume which is all I can ask for, especially with still very little sleep and lots of work!
Next up is Miwok in less than two weeks. Woohoo!
Posted on Mar 14, 2011
“We’re all in… Looks like we have some planning to do…” email from Carly Koerner after Way too Cool and Miwok lottery, December 2010.
Way Too Cool 50k is for many (600+ runners) the first ultra of the season. For me it was such, but it was also my first ultra since well, forever it seemed like. Real time translation: first ultra since November 2009 having been pregnant since December 2009 and then this whole having a child thing which easily added on 5 months of digging out a cave of sleep deprivation, plus moving, new jobs and lots and lots of diapers. Correction: sleep deprivation continues, but somehow we are figuring out how to function.
The weekend started early and good friends, Hal and Carly Koerner took advantage of the impending ultra to swing through Reno to come visit us and meet little Eva. 24 hours later, we were on the road to Auburn and Eva was settling in for her first night at Grandma’s house…
After all the classic pre-race details- bib pickup at Auburn Running Company, dinner with the Oregon crew at Il Fornaio, and manic kit preparation by all, it was time to sleep. Sleep should be easy when you don’t have to worry about your 5 1/2 month old several times a night, but for me it was not. I still thought about her lots. I saw a glowing 11:15pm on the clock which prompted me to go on the search for the Ambien I somehow knew I would need.
3 amigos pre-race
Finally, morning came and the four of us managed to hit Starbucks for our caffeine needs and arrive on time to a very busy Cool parking lot. JB, suffering bruised ribs and a shoulder injury from a snowboard crash the weekend before was not sure how the day would shake out for him. Carly, with lots of race miles on the legs and battling illness, also felt out of sorts. Hal, having just destroyed his own 100PR at Rocky Raccoon a month before was all smiles and jokes like usual. Then there was me… I felt ready, I felt happy to be part of the running community I loved so much, but was I really ready to re-enter ultraville ? We all toasted our Americano’s and headed to the start line to see what would play out.
Amongst a sea of runners
The new course was fast and pretty sweet, albeit lots of mud and wet feet for the duration of the run. The race pretty much broke down into two sections for me. Miles 1-26 and then 26-31. For the first 26 miles, I felt pretty damn good. I kept thinking about how awesome it was to be running and how fast time had gone by since the last Way too Cool I ran, over 3 years ago. My leg speed was decent and other than my ipod dying at mile 2, I didn’t have any mental blips or major physical issues, minus that left hamstring tightness that has continued to plague me since 2009. That’s when I, head down and plodding along, went right past the uphill turn for Goat Hill aid station. I took 3 runners with me and after about 5 or so minutes, ended up near another stream crossing and with 3 possible trails to go on. After we all chatted about the obvious lack of trail markers in front of us, we heard some whistling and realized someone was trying to tell us of our misstep. After another 5 or so minutes back to where we left the course and the obvious pink ribbons, a few expletives left my lips and I started the climb to Goat Hill. Before that point, I was on track for a sub-5 hour finish. I knew I was and I was determined to get it. But quickly it hit me that 1) my fitness was not where I wanted it to be at this distance (shocking I know ,after a whole 6 weeks of training) and 2) I was not going to make my time goal after getting lost. The rest of the race was a bit of a battle but enjoyable nonetheless.
I crossed the line in 5:10, which was a minute slower than my last finish at this race, 3 years ago. Admittedly, not horrible for 5.5 months post-partum. It was good to understand where I need to work and what my demons will be for the year. Left hamstring tightness, check. Overinflated breasts from needing to feed my infant, check. Work on hill climbing, check. Yep, the usual stuff.
Oh and one other great piece of information I learned- moms who are ultrarunners do not get recovery days. Yeah, you know the sleep that you so desperately need after running around the woods for 5 hours. Well my little girl didn’t understand that when I put her down for the night- “Now Eva, mommy really needs to sleep tonight, so maybe you can too…” The second lesson is that nothing is the same now, and no expectations should be set. Its all a crap shoot, which I love. My priorities are totally different. I love running, but I love my little lady and so there you go.
Thanks to Hal and Carly for a fun weekend and for all the laughs… BOY-EEEEE!
Hal, 5th overall
