Win a Salomon S-Lab Pack!

I love this pack so much, I'm going to give a brand new one to one of you! The Salomon S-Lab 12L is perfect for long distance adventures. I used it for my FKT of the 93-mile Wonderland Trail and for countless other unsupported adventures. To enter to win all you have to do is to share this update on your Facebook page. Go HERE, check out my running page, and share the update that has the picture of the s-lab pack.  That's all you need to do to enter in the contest. Drawing on March 31, to be announced on said facebook page. Happy adventuring!! 

The Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 12L

Me wearing the pack during my FKT around Mt. Rainier

Some of my gear for the Mt. Rainier 93-mile circumnavigation

Training Journal 2/25-3/3

Monday, February 25- Sunday, March 3, 2013: This week was tough. I race directed the second race in the BTRS and struggled to have enough energy to run. My long run was foiled by extreme low energy on Wednesday, severe enough that I took Thursday off (save for a core workout).  Thursday marked the first day of altitude training.  Quickly coming up is my trip to New Zealand (leave on the 6th of March).  Life is busy!

Me in the middle in the green jacket with runners of the Stewart Mountain 5k/15k

Monday: 5 mile recovery run at Ft. Ebey State Park. 600 ft/climb.
Tuesday: Ran the Stewart Mountain 15k course, 9.5 miles with 1,200 ft/climb. 1hr 30 min. Felt tired.  Lungs were working hard. Core work, 30 min.
Wednesday: 4,300 ft/climbing in 16.5 miles on first half of the Lost Lake 50k course. I was going to do all 31 miles, but was very tired.
Thursday: day off due to unusual fatigue. 45 min core work.
Friday: 6.5 mile run sehome hill trails & sehome hill urban loop. 1,400 ft/climbing. 30 min core work.
Saturday: 10 miles, part course marking Stewart and part as a hill workout. (20 second Hill sprints x10). 1,200 ft/climb.
Sunday: Race directed Stewart Mt. & did 2 runs-- 3 miles easy in afternoon w/girls 500 ft/climb.  7 mile tempo on Connoly creek/Boulevard loop. 400 ft/climb. 57 mins.

Totals
Running Miles: 57 miles
Running Elevation Gain: 9,600 feet/climbing
Cross training: 3 days of core work for 30/45 min each day.
Time Exercising: 12.25hrs

Longest Plane Ride Ever

Today I leave on the longest plane ride I have ever taken.  I'll be heading to New Zealand to join some of the Salomon team as we explore Anna Frost's backyard.  The trip will conclude with the Tarawera Trail Race.  François and I will run the 100k.  Anna, Greg, Emelie, and Ricky will all run the 60k.  I am very excited for this new adventure but completely lost in what to pack.  For example, Anna says the leaves are turning yellow and the wind is starting to blow from Antarctica so I will need warm clothes, but I look at the weather report and it says 75F as a high and 53F as a low.  That is summer here in the Pacific Northwest!  Being that we will be in the mountains, it will be colder for sure.  So I have packed a variety for varied conditions!  I will be posting as I am able the adventures of our trip with photos.  The trip is still a bit of a mystery to me, so I am unsure when I will be able to get online.

The 100k course. The race organizers just posted that we will likely be doing the Fire Route as the area has received little/no rain for a long while.

See you on the other side!

Strange Symptoms

I've been struggling for about 3 weeks with some weird symptoms that seemed to be all over the board despite my mileage and training intensity being lower than normal. Looking back, it seems like I have been dealing with these symptoms in a more minor way, since mid-December.  The symptoms hit a peak last week when I tried to run the Lost Lake 50k course as a training run and could barely get up the hills, I stopped short with only 16.5 miles. I took the next day off and struggled to even walk from room to room without feeling breathless. How could this be?  I was as well trained as I have ever been in my life.  I had a month of lower mileage (60-70 mile weeks) compared to my favored 90 mile weeks. Some of the symptoms I was feeling:

Elevating my legs after a long and really slow workout this past week.

1. Low energy so severe at times I can't run a simple hill or get work done on the computer after a hard workout.
2. Creepy skin/nerve feeling like an itching on skin, especially on arms. Along with this I was feeling some weird crawling going up my legs that felt less painful than the arm itching and more jumpy feeling.
3. Shortness of breath: I'd have to stop to catch my breath just walking into the kitchen.
4. Heart palpitations daily
5. Trouble maintaining my usual speed on the trails and road, even on an easy day
6. Regular headaches

I was starting to think I was going crazy or something was more seriously wrong than I realized.  Doing a little research on my symptoms (and with some medical knowlegdge to begin with) I began to suspect that I had developed an iron deficiency.

Apparently this is quite common in runners. Based on my symptoms, I got pretty deficient!  I am finally feeling better after almost a week of supplementation. I've included a few articles on iron deficiency, but beware of supplementing without getting tested, too much of a good thing can be dangerous.

Iron Deficiency Anemia
Iron Deficiency in Runners
Athletes and Iron Deficiency Anemia
Iron and the Endurance Athlete
Iron Deficiency in Runners