Monday, July 30, 2012

Training Journal 7/23-7/29

Monday July 23-Sunday July 29: Recovery from 100 mile race week, with a major emphasis on biking mostly due to the painful blister and toe nail loss from the race
This nastiness kept me from running early in the week.  As the pain reduced I was able to run on Sat/Sun
Monday: 17 mile bike ride at Lake Tahoe.  1 hour 500 feet of climbing.
Tuesday: 67 mile bike ride, most the way around lake Tahoe.  Stopped a little short due to severe knee pain that I sometimes get with a lot of biking.  3,600 feet of climbing
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: 22.6 mile bike ride in Bellingham, 1 hr. 20 min. 1000 feet of climbing
Friday: 32.7 mile bike ride, 2:02 hr Chuckanut Drive/Lake Samish. 2,500 feet of climbing.  A little knee pain.
Saturday: 6.5 mile run, 1000 feet of climbing. Urban trails and road, Sehome/Fairhaven area.
Sunday: 5 mile run at night all road 500 feet of climbing.  Sehome hill area, 45 minutes, easy pace. 

Totals:
Biking miles: 139 miles
Biking elevation gain: 7,600 feet
Running miles: 11.5 (I was only able to run toward the end of the week as the blister/toenail pain diminished)
Running gain: 1,500 feet



Training Journal 7/16-7/22

Monday July 16- Sunday July 22: Full on taper mode and race weekend.  I was really grumpy this week.  I've never been so ornery before a race.  I was telling James how stupid racing is and how i don't want to run the race I just want to run where ever I want to run.  Taper-tantrums full out.  I even managed to get only 3 hours of sleep the night before the race.  Despite all that, I did alright :)

Monday: Easy 3 mile run.  Stopped in Utah on our way to Lake tahoe.  500 feet of climbing at 7,000 feet
Tuesday: 12.5 mile run.  An out and back at the start of the TRT100 course.  Gained 2,600 feet
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: 9 miles biking
Friday: 30 minute run with 500 feet of climbing. 3 miles
Saturday: Race day!  22:50:47 for 100 miles on Tahoe Rim Trail 100 race with ~20,000 feet of climbing.  Finished 7th overall and 2nd female.  First 50 miles in 10:08.  James paced last 50 miles. We finished at 3:50 in the morning.
Sunday: Felt like I was hit by a fast moving car.  Recovery day, no run just lots of sleep.

Totals:
Running miles:  118.5
Elevation gain: 23,600 feet
Biking miles: 9
biking gain: insignificant

Sub 24 buckle!


Feeling great at mile 50!

I lost a toenail in the deal.  A large blister formed under the nail and popped the nail up and off the nail bed.  I had to remove the nail 4 days later due to the pain.  It looks better now.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Pics from 2012 Hardrock 100

Race directors, James of Rainshadow Running and Jamil of Aravaipa Running

James is excited to start!

James and Max

Start Line


River Crossing, mile 2.5


Monday, July 16, 2012

Training Journal 7/9-7/15


Running in Durango for an easy, lower altitude run, still 7,000+ feet!  Good heat training for Tahoe though.
Monday 7/9-Sunday 7/15: Taper week.  Turned out to be an even bigger taper than I expected as I barely paced James at Hardrock before he dropped (we made it 3.5 miles total, good pacer I am...).  This week would've been 64 miles, instead it was 34.  This is going to be to my advantage this weekend at Tahoe 100.  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to pace in such a cool race, and would've done too much, I know it!


Monday: Crazy 42 mile bike ride from Silverton--->Ouray--->almost back to Silverton 42 miles, 5,800 feet of climbing(!) and one very popped tire.
Tuesday: Day off.  knees were so sore from biking two mountain passes the day before I figured I earned it.
Wednesday: Ran in Durango, lower elevation easy pace in heat 1500 gain, 8 miles
Thursday: 3.5 mile 2000 foot gain run.  Taking it easy in anticipation for my pacing duties....
Friday: 6 mile run out of Telluride, moderate pace 1000 feet gain.
Saturday: Nice easy 3.5 mile 1,500 gain climb from Grouse Aid at an ungodly hour, 6 mile afternoon run on Continental Divide Trail out of Cunningham Gulch 1:30 2,500 feet gain.
Sunday: Moderate 7 mile Bear Creek Ouray run.  2,310 gain.  1 hr. 40

Totals: 
Run Miles: 34 miles run
Running elevation gain: 10,815
Biking Miles: 42
Biking Elevation Gain: 5,800 feet


Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Some pictures from this week's adventures in paradise

The marmot and I check each other out
View from Grouse/American Pass toward Grouse

Handies Peak, 14,000 and some change



trail work just outside of KT section of Hardrock.  We worked all day clipping willow



There are some serious insects in Colorado

Training Journal 7/2-7/8

Climbing up to Grouse/American Pass on my way up Handies, in the rain
Monday 7/2- Sunday 7/8: Acclimating to 9,000-13,000ft and building still
Monday: 17.5 mile run, Maggie to Cataract Lake and back to Maggie. 3,600 feet gain
Tuesday: 11 mile total, up Kendall Mt.  and back.  3hr, 3,600 feet gain
Wednesday: 14.5 mile from Silverton to top of ridge above KT.  4,000 gain
Thursday: 9 miles up Grant's Swamp Pass and back, 3,000 gain
Friday: 7 mile bike up Red Mt. Pass with 1200 gain. Trail work, 5 miles w/2,000ft. 5 mile run up from Ouray to Bear Creek. 1,126 gain
Saturday: 4hr. 14 miles up bear Creek to Engineer pass and back.  5,711 feet of gain. 
Sunday: Up most of the way to Handies Peak (13,500).  9 miles easy pace. 3 hr. 4031 gain.
Totals: 85 running miles, 27,068 feet of ascent, 7 miles biking, 1,200 feet biking climbing. 


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Training Journal 6/18-7/1

Biking from Silverton is either up or down.  A pic from the top of Red Mt. Pass around 11,000 feet
Mon 6/18-sun 6/24: coming back from calf injury (strain?).  Target 50-70 miles
Monday: 14 mile recovery bike ride in Bham
Tuesday: 3 reps Pine and Cedar trail: 12 miles with 4,800 feet of elevation gain
Wed: 5 miles at Japanese Gulch trail, Mukilteo 1,100 feet of gain
Thur: 6 miles in Boise, ID 90F plus.  HOT! 1,300 foot gain
Fri: 7 mile out and back on San Juan Solstice course 2,278 feet gain
Sat: 19.5 mi on San Juan Solstice course, 5hr, 4729 feet of gain
Sun: 15.6 mi by Lakwe City (loop in mtns) 5hr (easy/slow)3864 feet of gain.
Totals: 64.6 mi running; 18,071 feet of climbing; 24 miles of biking

Mon 6/25-Sun 7/1: Training on Target!  Week at Altitude, feeling good by end. Still in building up phase.
Mon: 10 mile run on Alpine Loop road outside of Lake City8-11 min pace, 1,000 feet gain.  20 mile bike ride. Altitude still feeling difficult
Tue: 6.6 mile run at 11,000 feet.  Felt tired and slow.  1,000 feet gain
Wed: 17 mile run aroudn Engineer Mountain near Durango/Silverton. 4hrs, 3,500 feet of gain. 13 mile bike, half of which was up the pass, tough!  1,000 feet climbing on bike.
Thurs: Run up Gulch from Cunningham, 5 miles, 1,500 feet of gain.  Easy pace.  6.5 mile bike up Molas Pass (no downhill), 1900 feet climbing on bike.
Fri: 2 mile easy run loops on 12hr course
Sat: 12hr race.  48 miles, 12,000 feet of climbing in 11 hr 51 min.
Sun: 21 mile bike with 2,500 feet climbing up Red mt pass out of Silverton.  A run perhaps?  We'll see...
Totals: 92 miles running, 20,300 feet of gain for running; 60.5 miles of biking with 4,400 feet of gain for biking.

12 hours, 12,000 feet climbing, 48 miles

All photos by James Varner
I  made the mistake of getting a little too confident as the leaders slowly, but surely dropped from the lead and I became the leader with just 3 hours left in the 12 hour race.  I'd strategized very well, paced myself and maintained a good rhythm despite stomach problems that had me drinking almost entirely coke most of the race.  When my friend Billy told me the 1st place man was within reach, I slowly worked toward closing in on him until I lapped him on the 1 mile course, then lapped him again.  He ended up stopping at 41 miles. The course was a way of doing that to people. 

Now I was in the lead and it felt good.  I was confident that I could let up my pace, maybe even slack off a little, and still win.  I could not have been more wrong.  James suddenly told me that there was a woman who was closing in, a little less than a lap behind me.  I had thought she was doing the 24 hour race, but I realized as she passed me, that the race was not over until it was over.  Mentally I was crushed and I almost stopped racing at that point.  I was 40 miles into the 12hour, with 2.5 hours to go. 

My crew of Billy and James convinced me to do another lap, I put on my ipod, and headed out, trying to get into a rhythm.  I knew there was still enough time to catch her, but I didn't have much fight left in me.  The day had been hot, long, and my stomach still hurt, with lots of cramping that killed on the downhills.  The only calories I could get down were from coke and a ginger ale here and there. 

I had hit a low and my pace was slipping.  I was walking more and more.  Then the woman caught me again, meaning that she was now 2 miles ahead of me.  That woke me up and I followed her closely up the hill, passed her at the top and maintained my pace.  Yet she was still a mile ahead of me.   As the 11th hour came, I gave up trying to catch her.  I held on to the thought that perhaps she would bonk hard, but I was happy to just get in 4 miles during that hour.  I finished 48 miles in 11 hr. 51 minutes with 12,000 feet of elevation gain.  My competitor finished with just 1 minute to spare and 50 miles. 

This race was a great lesson in racing: you cannot control how anyone else runs.  you can have a great day, which I truly feel like I did, and still not win the race.  I am also well aware that I am capable of more than 48 miles on that course.  I ran the race with just a day off and only a week at altitude, coming from sea level, that's pretty significant.  But this race was not my A race, so a taper would have been silly.  All said, the race was a great last big run before Tahoe Rim 100 in 3 weeks, excellent heat and hill training, and even better mental training.   Tahoe, bring it on!

The setting: at the base of Kendall Mountain (not pictured, but out of view on the right).  This big tent was the "Aid Station" and timing for the 6hr/12hr/24hr.  

My first hour-measured event, rather than mileage/kilometer measured race.  I signed up to run 12 hours at 9,300-9,500 feet with 250 feet gain per 1 mile loop.  The course is 1/3 climb to the top of the ski lift, 1/3 downhill, and 1/3 flat run around the Beaver pond and back to the tent only to repeat this sequence however many times we could or desired to do in the number of hours that we'd signed up for. 
Inside the tent
See my WA flag?

Not a bad backdrop...



It was HOT out.