Plan B: Trading Phoenix for..... Phoenix.

We'd been in the car four hours, winding through the coastal mountains on country roads leading to the interstate. It's been one exhausting day with many quick last-minute decisions, but as we pass the exit for Phoenix, we realize we've made it to our original destination all along.

It's hard to imagine that this waterfall exists only in the wintertime.

Two months ago, Matt and I booked plane tickets to Phoenix, hoping for five days of desert sunshine running and obnoxious new tan lines. We got up early on the day of our flight, ran, packed lunches, and secured our house sitter. All we had left was to check that our flight was on time and settle into that airplane seat for a snooze.

I got hosed on my run that morning. What got me through the sideways downpour was the thought of the desert sunshine.

When we realized our flight was not only delayed but cancelled altogether due to the weather in San Francisco, the only place our airport flights go, Matt got on the phone. He tried to rebook our mileage award flights, but the next availability wasn't for another twenty-four hours, cutting our already short trip down by an entire day.

We decided to skip it altogether and stay home. Just as Matt was ready to call work and tell them he'd be available, I proposed another idea: snow. We looked at a few places: Tahoe and Mt. Shasta, but eventually settled on the Rogue Valley, which would coincidentally include the small town of Phoenix, Oregon.

My long run route even took me to the outskirts of Phoenix. It wasn't sunny or particularly warm but I loved that it had a total of two stoplights.

When making last-minute changes, it really is easiest to go with the familiar. We swapped out tank tops and shorts for ski pants and down jackets. We loaded the car with skis, snowshoes, and all the requisite winter travel gear (shovel, chains, camp stove), and not two hours after we got off the phone with our airline were we packed up and on the road.

On the off season, we can afford the swanky hotel! Yay!

That night, instead of settling into Isaiah's guest bed, we were snuggled on the couch next to the gas fireplace. So far, it was turning into a pretty solid Plan B if you ask me.

I even found a use for the hotel room iron! Don't worry, I was careful not to clog the steam holes with wax and ruin the next person's dress shirt or pants.

January Running and PT

It wasn't until I was on mile ten of my long run last week that I realized I hadn't shared any of my training yet this year. When this blog goes untouched for more than a week, it's safe to assume I've been out on an adventure somewhere. At least that's the excuse I like to give. Sometimes training isn't all that interesting too. *Shrug*

The first few weeks of training are always an adjustment. Whether it's that my legs don't remember how to run fast or my head has forgotten what it feels like to push the pace, I always struggle the most with the first several weeks of training. Speed workouts give me anxiety and it's sometimes hard to get back into a rhythm. Once I'm out there, my legs and head snap back into training mode and it's fine.

While training for Boston has officially begun, I've turned the first eight weeks into a microcycle leading up to a half marathon on February 18th. Speed workouts have been shorter and faster and half marathon pace replaces marathon pace. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual around here:

January 1-7: 45 miles

 Long Run:

•  14 miles, 2:01, 8:42/mi.: Light, easy. My legs thoroughly enjoyed this run and it was great to have my running posse back, even if some angry crow tried to kill Rachel by apple bombing her.

Speed:

• 6 miles, 53:07, middle three fartlek, 2min:2min.:Ouch. This is my least favorite kind of fartlek run. Two minutes near top speed feels like an eternity.

Notes: Everything this week went smoothly. The week got away from me before I could run a half marathon pace workout.


January 8-14: 49.5 miles

Long Run:

•  12 miles, 1:43:17, 8:36/mi.: Got period that morning and intense cramps kept me from wanting to do the fifteen planned miles.

Speed:

•  6 miles, 47:57, 3 miles @ 7:10/mi.: Ran this one with a tail wind on the three fast miles. Just as I began to slow, a gust pushed me along. It was awesome!  
• 6 miles, 49:16, 4x880yds and 2x440yds.: I ran this instead of the 5K race I had planned. After talking to Trevor about it, I decided that the twisting and turning on trail would only prolong my injury. Rachel and I went to the track instead. Since I'm still in a lighter mileage phase, I pushed the pace a little bit. My PR 880 time is 3:15, so I was pleased with the consistency and result.
  
  

XT:

• Swim: 650yds, 30 minutes: After getting some advice from a local triathlete, I've been experimenting where to put the swim. She suggested the same day as speed workouts, so this one was in the afternoon after the first speed session. My back sure was sore and I could tell I'd used up most of my daily energy already.

Notes: Week two definitely improved on the first week. I hit all my workouts and paces. I even got a swim in.

January 15-21: 48.75 running miles, 11.75 snowy XT miles

Long Run: 

• 15 miles, 2:04:35, 8:18/mi.: A long run on the Bear Creek Greenway. Contrary to my home long run route with about twenty stoplights, it was so nice to have only two traffic light crossings, within the first and last half mile of my run. It's surprising how much easier it is to find a rhythm when I'm not constantly stopping for a light to change. 

Speed:

• 6.75 miles, with 3.3 @ 7:02/mi.: Went out for same tempo run as previous week, only added a little bit to nab Strava segment. I was very surprised to be able to run an even faster pace without a tailwind aiding me! It's cool that Matt and I have both the male and female record on this stretch of trail.
• 6 miles, 47:07, with 4 @ 7:25/mi.:  Half marathon pace workout at precisely the right speed. I'm not sure I would have had the energy to go any faster. Probably burned too many of my speed matches for the week on the previous run.

 XT:

• 4.75 mile classic ski: Skiing on six inches of fresh new powder was so nice. We got out late enough in the afternoon that there were great tracks to follow. I'd forgotten what a joy it is to glide along after someone else has done the work of breaking trail.
• 4.5 mile classic ski: We had to return the favor today and broke trail through another dumping of snow ourselves. Southern Oregon sure is gorgeous.
• 2.5 mile snowshoe: Through fresh powder. Crater Lake got dumped on and the last half mile was breaking trail up a steep hill through almost two feet of new snow. Incredibly beautiful.

Notes: No swim this week, but I more than made up for it with all the snow adventures. I want to move to southern Oregon. Pretty please Uncle Sam?

About a week ago, I met again with Trevor to assess my progress. My hip has been improving and the discomfort has retreated back to its original spot. He said this is a sign that the exercises are working as they should. I'm still restricted from doing core strengthening work. I haven't really missed them because he's added enough one legged squats into my life that I'm plenty distracted both on my yoga mat and by the lingering soreness from working muscles I've neglected. I must be doing them often enough because I already wore out and broke the therapy band he gave me.

He also looked over my training plan and had a couple of concerns (namely the easy run volume). We talked it over and if I want to do them for the mental freedom it brings me, I should keep them, just bearing in mind that they're not bringing any added benefit to my training. He added that if I see any any regression in my hip, I need to cut the easy miles down. Since I never half qualms about subbing hikes and ski days in for my easy runs, I think we were already on the same page before our talk. It was nice to have a professional assessment to make sure I'm not doing something in my training to cause my injury.

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As for the snowy photos scattered throughout this post, I plan to recap those adventures in a separate post. Stay tuned! :)

Rain and Snow

Google searches don't normally get me excited, but this one sure does. As I peruse each page, I become more giddy. I have an adventure buddy willing to go anywhere. Anywhere you say? Hmmmm.... I scan traffic webcams, weather forecasts, and elevation charts. Then I pack the car with all my warm things and head inland.

I heart Cal Trans webcams!

Wintertime on the coast means rain. Lots and lots of rain. It takes an especially cold pattern to get snow here and happens only once every ten years or so. Inland is a different story. The coastal mountains rise up tall and swiftly just ten miles inland. The forecast says anything above two thousand feet would be snow. Anything below will be rain. A lot of each.

The day before: Rain and hail on the coast. We are not pleased.

The key is finding not only that special snow globe location but one that is plowed regularly enough that I don't get stuck out there. In an area with a shortage of snow plows for big events, it's common for locals to wait until it melts rather than wait for a plow.

A mountaintop several miles off the main highway is where all the locals go for snow. They build snowmen, forts, and sled til that icy chill sets in. It's not great to run because there's nothing at the top but a parking lot. I don't think we'd get that far up the curvy mountain road, not with the eight inches predicted to fall while we were out, but assume a run on the road will be worth the drive. We have the place to ourselves as we pull onto a wide parking area already buried six inches in the snow. Ruby Sue the Subaru has never gone through snow like that before and handles it like a champ. Good Girl. Now wait for us here, please!

When it's 40 degrees on the coast, it feels so cold. Out here, thirty feels about the same. As Lanore and I pull on our layers, mittens and hats, I realize something: the only difference is how I dress. I'm never dress warm enough on the coast because the grass is green. Green Grass=warm. There's no way it's going to be cold. But in the snow, a different part of my brain lights up: Snow=cold. Of course you want mittens. I know to point the car downhill toward the road in case I get snowed up and need gravity's help; there's a shovel in the back. This is the kind of winter I know how to do! :) Today, I'm finally back where winter makes sense!

By coincidence, both of us wore Boston Marathon jackets too.

Lanore and I set out at a slow jog, which becomes a walk, and finally turns into a lot of gawking at the snow. It's snowing hard and we're on the protected side of the mountain so it all collects on every branch and blade of grass. It's amazing. No rushing today.

She stops and asks, "did you hear that?" My ears perk up, searching for a sound. There have been several loose dogs nearby so I'm cautious to listen for one, but nothing is there. "That sound the snow makes when I run on it, it's so cool!" she finally says. I'm not sure Lanore has ever run on this much snow. How fun.

We test the snow depth as we climb higher up the road. We pass several groups of people out sledding on the hillsides. Since we've chosen to run up the road, a few people stop to ask if we need help, assuming the only reason we're outside of a car is because ours is stranded somewhere. The snow is now almost six inches deep and punchy in spots. It's fun to find a route through the web of tire tracks.

After an hour of steady elevation gain, we decide to turn around. Now headed downhill to the car, I can see partway down the valley. Beneath a thin layer of cloud, everything is white. Rare for this area to have such widespread snow, I try to pick out a lower elevation spot where it's still green. There isn't one.

About knee deep at 4,100 ft.

We're pulled from our happy place when Lanore loses traction and slips. She lands on her back, the wind knocked from her lungs. Ouch. We walk a few steps past a group of sledders. As we pass, one mentions that it was quite a fall. Of course they all saw that. Slightly embarrassed, we trot away slowly.

Once we're back to the car, I fire up the stove. I brought hot cocoa and coffee to brew up before we head home. Lanore surprises me with some homemade vegetable beef soup.

Wintertime edition of: "My Life is a Subaru Ad."

Oh yeah.

We heat everything up as we throw on a dry layer. We dine like princesses. It is divine. Then we make a few snow angels before we jump back in the car to head home.

The best part about this sort of adventure is that I can leave the snow behind. I go home to my ice-free sidewalk, clear driveway, and safe pavement. I might get hosed by the rain on a regular basis, but my running routes don't have to match the plow routes or avoid icy sidewalks. If it weren't for my terrible seasonal year-round allergies, I'd say that the microclimates and "choose your own adventure" opportunities available here offer the best of everything.

Home: Green again, with a little bit of small hail on the patio.

Spring Marathon Training and Racing

About four times a year, I enter the magical place where dreams come true and I explore exotic lands. I run as much as I please, as slow or as fast as I please, and if I'm lucky there's a lot of dirt involved. I climb mountains, run through groves of trees hundreds of feet tall, and make snow angels. Enjoying running free from a training plan is liberating at first, but I know I tend to overdo it when left to my own devices, so it's good this time is limited. As of last week, my spring marathon training has begun.

Snow mountain playtime with Lanore.

Until I started writing this post that I realized I didn't share which race I was running in the spring. I assure you it wasn't intentional. I spent most of the fall caught up in training for CIM (ie- worrying about allergies first, then my hip) and other assorted adventures that forgot to blog about it. Here's a hint:

This girl found some SNOW!!!!!!!!!!

The North Pole Marathon! Okay, just kidding.

It's Boston. :) I'm not sure how many more marathons I'm willing to train and race hard, but I'd like another Boston Marathon before I decide. I'd like to go for a 3:25.  I know I've got a low 3:20s time in me, but we'll see if I can manage to coax it out in four months with an injury.

Had to dig back all the way to October to find this photo. I still can't believe I never posted it here!

I know, I know. Sounds ridiculous. The good thing is that my PT exercises have been working. Instead of tightness throughout my entire right side as it was in November, it's now localized to the place it began: my hip flexors. Through regular PT strength exercises and sports massages (ouch), I expect that I'll get this to go away, at least enough to train hard.

My current list of PT, oh so fun.

I'm using the same training style as before: 60-70 miles/week, peaking at 75. Six running days: three easy days and three focused training days (marathon pace, track, and long runs). I'm trying to add swimming in there, probably on one of the speed days. If it wears me out too much, I'll cut it. The main change will be to the paces.

Click to see a larger version.

I admit that I'm slightly afraid. I usually race a little slower than I train so I need my training paces to align more with a 3:23 time than 3:25 and holy crap that sounds fast. If the weather looks good (like Boston 2015, all rainy and 40 degrees is my idea of good), I'm goin' fast.

Then if the New England spring weather decides to crap on my racing plans, I'll stuff my pockets with Oreos and have a jolly happy time in Boston, restart the taper, and hit my local spring marathon instead. If you've been following long enough, you know that I've had more than enough really bad weather race days so it's always comforting to have a Plan B. (a few examples: 1, 2, 3.) It's three weeks after Boston so Avenue of the Giants would fit nicely as a backup plan.I'd probably go with a more conservative time there.

Avenue 2016: Course was kind to me then, maybe one more time?

I've got several races built into the schedule, with just one serving as a goal race, a half marathon on February 18th. Instead of marathon pace runs, I'll be doing half marathon pace runs between now and then to prepare for it. We'll see how it all works out.

I'm considering an additional tuneup race, either Foggy Bottom 10 Miler on March 12 or Redwood Wild River Run 15K on March 25. If I see that the weather looks good for either of these runs, I'll adjust the plan, taper for one of them, and race for time. If not, I'll aim to survive instead like I did last year.

Foggy Bottom 2016: 
Sopping wet finish kick vs. Mike, about the only guy my speed in the club who can start his kick half
a mile from the finish line and not lose steam.

My first race is on Saturday, a cross country style 5K in the local state park. I'll be thrilled if I can manage marathon pace for it. :)

Farewell to 2016: A Grasshopper Summit

Wintertime on the north coast is rainy. Contrary to last year's El Nino pattern of perpetual light rain, I welcomed a La Nina year with open arms. Instead of constant rain, it comes in drenching bursts. Our original plan was to begin 2017 with this run, but when the forecast looked dry and sunny for December 31st and absolutely drenched for January 1st, we called everybody up, changed plans, and packed our snacks one day early.

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From left: Matthew, Drake, Jeff, Dave, Mike, Rachel, Lanore, and moi.

Gathering shortly after sunrise, our group of brightly colored runners disappears into the hills. Despite the temperature being well below freezing, we warm up quickly. Grasshopper is always good to us like that.

Less than a mile into the run, I stop to take a photo. As of this moment, I've run 2,400 miles this year. The group pulls away as Matt and I commemorate the occasion with a photo. It takes us awhile to catch up, but we eventually do.

The air is crisp and frosty. We've had several chilly mornings on the coast lately and each one makes me smile. Frosty days mean no allergies and that is always something I appreciate. I expect the rare sunny spot to bring warmth, but it never does. Not this time of year.

We climb and climb. Then we climb some more. As creator and race director of a punishing 30K race on this route, I still maintain directing is more fun than actually racing it. I understand when all my friends say that they have a love-hate relationship with it. I move at a leisurely pace and often have that same feeling.

Six miles in, we are treated to the first views of the day. I remember back to the course walk/ride through with the ranger last May. Everything I can see from this spot is part of this park, the third largest in the California State Parks system and largest in Northern California.

As if we haven't had enough climbing, the trail treats us to even more. Yay! This is Rachel's first trip on the 30K course and I think she's a bit horrified by how hard it is and she says that she would like to sign up to be on my permanent list of finish line volunteers.

New to this trip is a burn area. In October, several prescribed burns were done in order to protect the lookout tower atop Grasshopper Peak. The area looks remarkably different and there's much more sunshine. Downed trees are everywhere too.

 

As we move along Grasshopper's very sunny and picturesque backside, we note dozens of downed trees and boulders. Another spot has a two foot deep trench where a clogged culvert washed down the hillside.

My running buddies think this is cool, but it makes me concerned for the race. Vehicle access is already limited. If I can't get a truck through here by June, there may not be a 30K. I snap a few photos of the debris and damage to send to the ranger. Surely he'll be able to fix it if I give enough notice. This is the only remaining road to the tower, I only hope more of it doesn't wash down the hillside.

View from the top, looking down onto the burn area.

Buddies huddled in the sun and away from the wind.

Soon we reach the shiny green lookout tower atop the mountain. Panoramic views reward us as we sit down for our snacks. Not one to take an actual seated break during my long run, I always do when I make a visit to the summit. There's no point in rushing back especially when it's nice out.

Rachel sure knows how to party shows off her aid kit.

The ladies.

The fellas, minus Drake who had to rush home and get to work.

Once a chill sets in, we agree it's time to head back down. We continue along the race course, bombing down the steep twenty percent descent. The discomfort in my hip lights up and I take smaller steps to alleviate it. Just as I'm about to wonder if I need a walk break, we reach our turn off the fire road and onto gently meandering singletrack. The trail loses elevation more slowly and passes through several small redwood groves.

Now tucked away on the northern side of the mountain, we encounter small patches of ice. Our breath creates a plume of steam with every exhale. This side has not seen any sunshine today. It's chilly and remarkably dark for two o'clock in the afternoon. Sunset isn't for another three hours but it's still too dark to take any photos.

We drop into the granddaddy of all redwood groves, those along Bull Creek. The largest continuous grove of old growth redwoods in the world resides here. I'm so lucky to be able to visit whenever I want.

One final climb just about unravels me. "Thank you for the walk break!" I shout up ahead to Rachel who is leading our runner train at the moment. My legs aren't tired, but my arms are. It's always surprising how sore my arms get on long trail runs. Is it the pack? Or do I hold them differently to balance myself?

Back at the car, we make quick work of assembling our snack area. It's almost an hour drive back to town, we'll need snacks, right? Each of us has something to share. I love that my friends aren't the type of runner to eschew junk food. A treat now and again won't kill us. I take one of Dave's peanut butter brownies, Lanore's cookies, and a handful of chips from Rachel's stash and then wash it all down with some (still hot, yay!) peppermint tea.

We're good at changing clothes immediately too. Not pictured: our comfy booties. Rachel C.photo.

Before we part ways and climb into the car, we say we'll run again together next year.

19.5 miles, 4:25 moving time, and 4,165 ft. gain.

The Numbers: Looking Back at 2016, Looking Forward to 2017

Twenty-fifteen was a big year. I ran a personal best at every distance except one. I knew it would be tough to top that. One never knows when a plateau will hit so I kept reaching higher and higher until I broke. Little did I know how early in the year that would come.

The day I gave up on training for a 50 miler. Lost Creek Lake, Oregon.

When my allergies became too overwhelming to continue training for a fifty mile race, I became frustrated. I almost decided to give up all my goals for the year.... in January. I ran mostly easy mileage until March, when I began to feel better. It wasn't all bad. If there's one thing I love, it's running slow through the forest. I've never been one of those Type-A runners who runs too fast every time. This girl likes to stop and count the kitties, of which I spotted 1,663 this year, if you're wondering. :)

Despite a slow start to the training year, I was able to realize many of my goals. One was to get better acquainted with the 5K. Embrace the pain. Oh, and embrace it, I did. I'm one who always chooses the longer race distance, but this year, I confused all my friends and hit the 5K races. They hurt. One in particular was during 50K training peak week. It hurt from the very first step.

Arcata Marsh 5K XC Race, 22:53. Ouch ouch ouch. Y. Kim photo.

I modeled my subsequent race plan on that run. I can make it hurt and I can like it (okay, really, that last part is a lie). The interesting thing is that, despite a varying level of rested legs, my road times all fell within a twenty-second range, probably indicating I am still hitting a mental barrier somewhere.

My best 5K of the year: Fortuna Rodeo, 22:10.

It's no surprise that my mileage base continued to grow. More mileage means more fun and as long as the bulk of my training is slow, it doesn't tire me out too much. Sometimes I wonder if tracking only running miles discourages me from cross-training, but when I look at all the photos I took this year, I realize it doesn't. Hiking is still my second favorite activity and I seem to have no problem subbing hikes in for long runs, which I did more often in 2016 than ever before.

Seven Lakes Basin, Oregon.

I was sick for more of my races in 2016. Then El Nino crapped on several of my races, which here in NW California means very heavy sideways rain or winds that almost knock you over. My results were all over the place, but I was able to have several fast race results in the marathon (3:28 and 3:27) and half marathon (1:39 and 1:38). By the end of the year, I had edged my times down enough to produce a PR at both distances.

By the end of February, my daily yoga practice had worn out my left hand. My index finger hurt all the time and I'm pretty sure I had a stress fracture. I kept to seated poses and stretching until it felt better....which was some four months later. I'm still cautious and no longer practice every day. In the interim, I took up squats and additional body weight core exercises. Ouch. I could tell the inequalities between my right and left side were growing, but I didn't think much of it until my physical therapist pointed it out in December. That's probably contributing to my hip issues.

This is the circuit I started doing.

In 2017, I'd like to take a different approach to total body strength. Instead of growing the inequalities with real weight, I'm going to try and balance with resistance in the pool. I don't know quite how I'll work that into a training schedule, but I'd like to swim once a week. Maybe with a triathlon planned for this year, I will actually follow through with that goal. ;)

As for running races, I don't have a lot on the calendar yet. I've got a half marathon and marathon set for the spring, but after that, I'd like to see where my hip is at before I commit to anything else. I'm still working out the details of the training plan, but I'll share it once everything is finalized.

Overall, I enjoyed 2016. All the poor race results helped me appreciate those days that did go well. Each up and down helps make me a more balanced and level-headed athlete and for that I'm grateful.

Avenue of the Giants Marathon, THIRD PLACE!!! and 3:28. :) :) :)

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What were the best/worst days of your running in 2016? What do you have planned for 2017?