Last Week: July 21-27

Sunday:  Run 22 mi on trails in Humboldt Redwoods.
It was hot and dehydrating, but the river swim at the end made it all worth it.

Monday:  Rest, mostly so I could rehydrate myself.  This girl is so not use to being barbequed for five hours.

Tuesday: Run 10 mi. Easy. 1:30:14, 9:02/mi.
Strength: Core, legs.

Wednesday:  Run 8.5 mi. in 1:14:06, 8:43/mi.

Thursday: AM: Run 5 mi. very easy.  I didn't allow myself to bring the average below a 9:00/mi.  It was surprisingly hard to keep my run that slow.  I promised my legs we'd go faster in the evening workout.

PM: Run 6.25 mi, 4x1 mi. @ 7:40.  Legs wanted to go faster, so we did descending miles to 7:15 instead.  This workout felt moderately hard and was one of the most enjoyable in a long time.

Friday:
Rest and driving day.

Saturday:  Run 31 mi on the Skyline to the Sea Trail. 7:34:00, 14:39/mi.

We planned for this long to be 25 miles, but it had been a while since we'd gotten lost, so we decided to do that instead.  I was just happy this occurred on my highest mileage week and not a few long runs ago.  Horray for an extra six bonus miles.  I'll write more about this run soon. :)

TOTAL MILES:  82.75 mi.

Notes: This week has two long runs, one technically from last week and one for this one.  Since it worked out that way, I knew the week would be pretty high mileage.  I decided to go for a new weekly PR (previous Sun-Sat high was 65.5 mi set back in 2011).  In order to minimize the risk for injury, I did the majority of these miles at an easy pace.  With the final long run on Saturday, I now begin a taper.  Since Matt and I are running our club's half marathon the weekend before Marquette, we decided to stick with the three week taper once more.

I've got a few sore spots from the accidental 50K run on Saturday, but other than that, I'm no worse for the wear.  

Do you ever experiment with your training mileage?  How does that work out for you?

Tour of Grasshopper Peak 22 mi

What I love most about running in our local area is that if I travel just a little, I can almost choose the weather I want to run in.  Of course, that relinquishes all control over terrain, but for most of the year, I can decide if I want a cool run or a toasty one.  For Sunday's long run, we opted for toasty.  After all, Marquette has the potential to be just that on race day.

Meet my new shoes, another pair of the Brooks Cascadia.

Our run began gently as we moved through across the rolling hills of the River Trail.  At first, I convinced myself that the 5K race the previous day had little effect on my running.  That was until I hit my first incline, a baby hill for what we'd be facing later in the day.  My heart raced and I broke out into a drenching sweat.  It was barely 70F at the start.  The damp and stagnant air in the Redwood forest was cooling and I wished for it to be this way for the entire day.  I sweat through the layer of sunscreen and wiped it from my brow.  This is usually how it goes and explains why I have a permanent tan line across my forehead.  Ahh the burdens of being a runner.

Super glossy only two miles in.

This roadblock wasn't there last time!

Danny took little convincing when we approached him with this particular run. "Some of my favorite trails (esp the river trail)....I'll be there! (after torturous 5 min internal debate)," he replied.  He's become one of our favorite running buddies, always up for an adventure, and turns things into a game.  The first few miles, he and Matt took turns almost falling down on the trail.  "Whoever falls down the most today wins," he instructed.  Matt was up for the challenge, I said I didn't want to play.  Danny ended up winning when he took a chunk out of his leg. 

No matter how many times I run through the Redwoods along the Bull Creek Flats Trail, it never gets old.  The perfect dirt path, lined with needles weaving through the giant canopy.  I get to run here.  That is awesome!  These majestic giants creak like an old house while they wave gently in the breeze.  Despite the heat the ridges will experience today, it remains cool and shady here no matter the temperature elsewhere.

After almost ten miles, we stop for a snack and then begin the warm part of our day.  As if we were magically transported elsewhere, the terrain and landscape changed dramatically.  Gone were the giants and their lush forest floor.  Now we climbed the rocky fire road to the Grasshopper Peak lookout tower through smaller Redwoods and Tanoak thickets.  As we pass through a sunny spot on the trail, Matt remarks, "It even smells hot".  The air is now warm and filled with the smell of baking leaves and needles.  It is either that or the smell of three really sweaty runners.

How to cool off on a hot day.

Much of the 3,200 ft. climb to Grasshopper Peak is done at a walk.  My glutes scream for mercy and I have to take my first official break and actually stop.  The fire roads around here are steeper than the trails and always feel more difficult than they should because they don't level off enough for me to recover.  We climb higher and higher into the sky.  The air heats up further and I become convinced that I will meet the actual sun atop the mountain.  Thankfully, this trail is heavily shaded and occasionally a breeze blows through the trees.  Otherwise it would be much more brutal in full sunlight.

Matt sees a stump alongside the road and calls out, "hey look! There's a water tank!"  Danny and I look at each other, wondering what he's talking about.  Great, Matt's imagining things.  We take turns asking each other, "are we to the top yet?"  This really is one monster of a hill.  No matter how fast I go on the flat parts, my overall pace is always murdered when our run includes the word Grasshopper.

Just fourteen miles into the run and I realize that I'm already out of water.  I suck the last out and am met by nothing but air.  Half an hour later, I begin fumbling dizzily, thankfully just for a few moments.  Matt offers up some of his water to share and that small bit of water helps stave off a full on bonk.  Then I begin thinking about the beers we have stashed in the car.  I dream of the beach.  Most importantly, I remember that I brought this on myself.  I could be at home running through the fog, but a little bit of suffering is better sometimes.

When we reach a trail junction just below the actual summit, we decide that since we're all nearly out of water, we will forgo the summit and continue back down the other side, completing the entire Grasshopper road.

For the first time in almost two hours, I'm able to run again.  I eat the rest of my food, including a caffeinated GU, and suddenly feel refreshed.  It is well over 85F in the sunshine, but now that my internal furnace isn't working so hard, it feels tolerable.  We descend the remainder of the day and I run mostly alone at my own pace, quietly occupied by the thoughts in my own head.  After about five hours on the trail, my head always goes to this place.  A feeling of calm washes over me.  I no longer feel the trail beneath my feet, my senses are dampened.  I float down the trail.  Suddenly, my brain is flooded with so many good chemicals I feel stoned.  I think this is what I love the most about going long on the trails.

The boys zip ahead down the hillside as I take short tentative steps on the steep downhill to the Eel River.  They wait for me at the trail junction (a good idea when you run with a group, makes sure nobody takes a wrong turn or gets too far behind) and then they continue along ahead.  A cool breeze replaces the stagnant air.  Wind off the ocean has made it up the valley and the moist air feels great.  I run along at my own pace, taking in the birds and noticing the way the ground feels underfoot.  I should trail run alone more often, it is even more meditative than solo on the road!

Soon I reach the river, drop my pack and watch on the shore and go in.  The Eel River is particularly low this year and I sit in the water, letting the current wash over me.  After almost four hours of being too warm, I begin to cool and feel normal again.  I let the current wash me downstream, wishing we had parked the car a mile away instead and I could drift there.

Back at the car, we enjoy the well-deserved beers and a bag of chips.  If I could do this every Sunday, it would be perfect.

22 mi. 5:30:28
about 4,500 ft of climbing

Fortuna Rodeo 5K Race Report

Clouds hung low in the sky and a light mist speckled the windshield as we drove to the start of the race.  While most of the country was suffering in a heatwave, we were sitting here comfortably under a cloud.  I'm not usually a morning runner, but during the warmup jog, I found myself enjoying the peace and low blanket of clouds.  It was comforting.  I'd spent most of the week nursing a slight twinge in my right hamstring and during the few strides I did, it felt great.  Perfect.  Let's race.

The race began in a crosswalk in Fortuna's downtown district, but we quickly moved out onto the long and straight Fortuna Boulevard.  As our club's fastest and flattest 5K course, I was hoping for a PR.  I had done a few sets of 200m repeats in previous weeks, but I was still getting over a cold and only on day five of a ten day course of antibiotics for a sinus infection.  Anything could happen.

Just after the first (and only) turn on the course, Lanore, the race director sped by.  "C'mon Karen!  Let's have a great race!"  I knew I couldn't stick with her because she's been getting too fast lately (finished under 21 min this day), but I hung on.  From that first step, it really didn't feel good.  The extra phlegm lodged in my sinuses began to drop and I felt like I was breathing through a straw while I coughed at the same time.

Mile 1: 6:49.

After my first mile split, I knew to slow down just a little.  In 5Ks, I have the toughest time mentally.  It is even worse when I'm still sick.  I slowed significantly and had to bargain with myself to keep on running.  Body, we don't walk in 5Ks.  You have plenty of room to slow down and still run, so let's do that.

Mile 2: 7:33.

By now, I was chilled from sweating in the high moisture and my back and arms were cold enough that it affected my breathing.  I know that 5Ks are supposed to hurt in an intense way, but this was a bit further than that.  My head swirled and my vision blurred a little.  My form felt strong but more like I was running through pudding than asphalt.

I soon caught up to a fading runner, a man that I routinely catch at the late stages of a race.  We ran together stride for stride for almost a quarter of a mile.  His left foot hit the ground as mine did.  Then his right.  It almost feels like he's always there to be my rabbit in our club races.

We sped through the final turn and met the first of the 10K runners doing their second loop.  I quickly jumped out of the way to let them by then focused on the red lights of the timing clock. In my fatigued haze, I saw the clock and believed that I would PR, remembering it as over 23 min rather than 22, even though I had determined at mile 2 that it wouldn't be.  So tired.

Mile 3: 7:12.

I crossed the line in 22:25, a 7:15/mi and seven seconds slower than my PR race back in November.  I was happy with that time.  When I'm sick, the first thing to disappear from my running is mental power to run hard, I realized that during this race.  On a good day, I think I could have held close to that 6:49 first mile for the entire race.  I was just glad for it to be over.  In the finish chute, I hunched over to catch my breath and the woman that tried to chase me down at the line passed me.  They took her tag first and officially listed her ahead of me although she wasn't.  It only bothers me because she was bragging to her friends about her awesome kick and how she took down two people, one right at the finish line.  Girl ALMOST caught me but she didn't, she just cut in line in the chute. Grrr.

Matt ran the inaugural 10K version of this race.  As a result, it only had about 20 people but was far more competitive.  He finished third overall in 37:24, a 6:03/mi.  a new PR by over two minutes.  In the 5K race, his 10K pace would have won the race overall.

We both won our age group.  I also won a 30 day trial pass to a local gym as a door prize.  I haven't figured out how to use it exactly, but it might put swimming back on the schedule.

All photos: Y. Kim, SRRC credit.

Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Contamines to Les Houches

By morning, my legs were recovered and they begged me to run the nice flat trail out of Les Contamines and along the valley floor toward St. Gervais.  Although the pack was lighter than previous days (I skipped the water and Matt shared his instead), it weighed the most when I tried to run, carrying along just about 100 miles worth of fatigue inside.

The route was mostly along country roads for today, our final day of the ten day trek.  We enjoyed the minutiae of alpine life.  Of course, as a farmer, Matt was most intrigued by the machinery and techniques.  We both were impressed by the hydraulic bale lifter for the hay barn and how broken ski poles were used as electric fence poles.

 
After we reached a viewpoint at the small village of Le Champel, we stopped for a "photo break".  That's what I have come to calling my "oh my gosh, I'm going to die, need a break" stops.  Of course I'm just stopping for photos.  From this particular spot, we could see the power pole towers atop the Col du Bonhomme from almost ten miles away.  We were there yesterday!  Looking back up at the snow-capped skyline, it was impressive to think of how we were on top of that thing!

The trail turned to dirt road and we meandered up a valley and through the forest.  Matt and I chatted as we took our morning snack break.  The last day.  When he asked what my favorite thing about our trip was, I held up my pain aux raisins, and replied, gurgling with a face stuffed full of pastry, "this!!"  On our previous trip to France, this was my favorite pastry.  Here on our final day on the trail, I had finally made a point to find one and hit the patisserie (where all the yummy things are found, if you learn no other word for your trip to France, this would be the one to focus on) in the morning.  We had found many other patisseries when we visited towns, but it was often too late in the day to have these delicious pieces of heaven left.  I'm pretty sure he was hoping I'd say something about the views, not the food.

Soon we found ourselves on an exposed paved road that led straight to the top of our final summit.  You know the mountainside is intense when the road has switchbacks up the side.

When we finally reached the top of Col de Voza, I was surprised to find hoards of people. There was a mini resort village up here!  We stopped for lunch at Hotel du Prarion and enjoyed the sunshine and the close-up view of Mt. Blanc and the Bionassy glacier spilling out along her sides.

Then we did something that I had spent most of the week convincing Matt I wanted to try: the télécabine.  We had passed several of these cable cars along the way and Matt always said, "no, that's cheating".  Somehow I had convinced him that if we took one down, it wouldn't be cheating.  I just knew that if we returned home without trying one, I'd regret it.

The car spun around the staging area and we jumped on.  Barely sitting down, the cabin sprung free from the stage and shook violently.  I almost fell out of my seat.  The ride down provided incredible panoramic views of nearly one third of our total trip.  We traced our route along the hillsides and up snowy mountains.  This has been an incredible journey.  

We had about a three mile walk to our hotel in Les Houches, the same place we stayed at the beginning of our trek.  The hotel desk keeper allowed us to check in early.  We caught a quick shower and then headed for the bus into Chamonix.  We spent the remainder of the day perusing the shops, eating ice cream, and grabbing snacks for our trip back to Geneva.  

Back at the hotel, we dined on local cheese, dried ham, bread, and local blueberry wine.  The evening was warm and we watched the mountains light up as the sun faded away.  The views were intoxicating.  Either that or it was the bottle of wine we split.  Tomorrow it will feel odd to return to the city.

I ate most of that thing myself. I think that my digestive system enjoyed that I paired it with wine to keep things a movin'.

13 km (8 mi)
633m (2076 ft) gain
646(2120 ft) loss (pretty sure most of this was done in the cable car)

Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Chapieux to Les Contamines

 

After the soggy day we had yesterday, we were pleased to wake up to crisp clear skies and a chilly morning.  We climbed high above the village and were stopped by an electric livestock fence in our path.  Previous fences included a gate, but not this one.  We assumed we made a wrong turn.  It took nearly twenty minutes of going in circles through cow pastures (just after a rain, you can imagine how AWESOME that was) to realize we had the right path all along.

We scaled the same mountainside all morning, climbing up streams, snowy patches, and mud.  I was thankful when we finally reached the top, especially on this beautiful morning.  Matt and I propped our bags up on a trail marker sign and enjoyed our picnic lunch atop Col de la Croix.  It was the first summit to have little enough wind that we were tempted to linger at all.

Descending off the summit was slow and tricky.  The path was easy to follow but skirting the snowy mountainside at a 45 degree angle while that snowy trail melted underfoot was not.  It was very slow.  Below, a marmot danced effortlessly up the hillside.  Show off!

Soon we reached the lower summit, Col du Bonhomme.  here the path included either a slow mud/rock descent or the still snowy slopes.  We chose the latter and ran down.  Arms flailing in the air, it looked more like controlled falling than actual running.  I took long, heavy steps, the snow absorbing the impact.  It felt like running on a field of pillows.  We continued running for nearly an hour after the trail turned back to dirt and rocks--our longest running stretch at one time.  This trip turned out to be more what people call fast-packing than trail running.  We did learn you could hire bag transport from each night's stay.  That would have made the trip easier to run, we thought, but we weren't sure how much we'd really want to go without each day.  Mountain weather is fickle and one never knows what layers will be needed.

Our descent of over 1300m (almost 4,000 ft) was all at once and by the time we reached the valley floor, my knees were exceptionally angry.  The trail became a flat, runnable path along a the Bon Nant river, but my legs were pretty much fried for the day.  No wishing for a run when we got to the hotel tonight.

In the resort town of Les Contamines, we washed all of our clothes for the day and dried those still soggy items on our large balcony.  They dried quickly in the midday sun!  Horray for dry undies!

Most hotels on our trip offered us a demi-pension (half board), meaning we got dinner and breakfast included in our room.  The hotel this night had the nicest provisions.  All of the other nights have similar setup: soup, salad/pasta salad/rice, main course, cheese, and dessert.  After a few nights of these meals, we learned that this allowed us to sample local specialties without even knowing it.  I came to love the cheese the best: Tomme de Savoie, a regional mountain cheese.  This dinner had foie gras (soooo not a fan) and fondant (meringue floating in sweat cream) as well as leg of lamb and a really yummy cheese selection.

Foie gras. Do people really eat the whole thing?

We explored the town more, scoping out where the patisserie (bakery!) was and noting the hour it opened.  We also checked out the tourist office.  That night, we watched a bit of the second stage of the Tour de France and episodes of CSI Miami and Lie to Me with French subtitles.  I enjoyed comparing translations and Matt liked watching something he could understand.

17km (10.5 mi.)
440 m (1443 ft.) gain
1316 m (4317 ft) loss

Last Week: July 7-13

Sunday: Walk 5 mi.

Monday: 8x220yds @40-44. Total of 5 mi. 
Matt accidentally began one of his repeats a bit behind mine and almost caught me. We did my final 3 that way and it really helped me hold the pace when he chased me down, I’m not sure I could have done it otherwise.

They were flanked by warmup and cooldown miles and then finishing the rest of my mom’s walk with her.

Tuesday: Run 6mi. Strength: Core, legs.

 I spent the last half mile picking berries.  Now I've got a year's worth of blackberry jam.

Wednesday: Hike 4.5 mi in Prairie Creek Redwoods park.

Thursday: 8.25mi with 3 mi @ 7:40/mi. Modified to 8 mi. progression run with 0.5 mi. walk at the end (to pick berries, I’m not going to lie..hehe…).

Used Matt’s Soleus watch, so no Garmin charts, and I made my own pretty one in Excel.

I felt pretty good about this run, even though I had coughing fits at stoplights and when we stopped at the end. I got rid of a lot of phlegm and felt great afterward.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Run 19.5mi. in 3 hrs.  That's just short of 80 laps on a 0.25 mi track. 
We ran for three hours for our running club's Relay for Life team.  It wasn't as bad as it sounds with the laps.  We got entertainment, free Girl Scout cookies, and lots of weaving between the cones and people.  It was kinda fun.  I do have a sore spot on the inside of one of my thighs, which I think is from all the turning.  Hopefully that goes away soon.

YAY! Go Matt!

It was a happy accident that I wore purple that day (survivors wear purple shirts), I swear.

And we timed the end of our run perfectly with dinnertime. That was also another happy accident.

TOTAL: 48.5 miles 

Notes: About three days after returning home from the Alps, I came down with a really nasty cold. I wasn’t feeling awesome most of this week, so I only ran hard when I felt like I should. Most days were easy walks with my mom or running easy to clear the wad of yellow snot from the far reaches of my sinuses. I did complete the speedier workouts, modified for the illness I had, but I was still happy with them, all things considered.

Saturday, I have what I had planned to be a goal 5K race.  I went to the doctor yesterday and got some cough syrup to help me sleep through the night (I've scared Matt away from our room each night for the last several. He can't sleep when I'm hacking all night, hrm..).  We'll see how the race goes. I have been doing speed work, so I might be surprised even if I'm a little sick.  Goal is to run fast and try not to die.

(I've got a couple more TMB posts to write, but I have missed these for a few weeks, so I decided to throw one in now rather than be another week behind.)