A trip to Alaska & Mt Marathon

"When it comes to bears, if you don't have a .357, .44 mag or 12 gauge shotgun, be sure to have someone with you that you can outrun." 
- Sage advice from an Alaskan Sourdough

Prettiest mountain on earth.

Now that I'm back from Hardrock, I can finally get caught up on the blog and bring y'all up to date. I'll blog about Hardrock separately, as it will be a long one. First things first, however...

After four long years, we were able to cash in some unused mileage and fly back to Anchorage for a 9-day trip. My goals, besides seeing family and friends, was to hit some of the local trails, eat Moose's Tooth pizza, drink Kaladi's coffee, visit my favorite REI store and hang out in Seward for the 86th running of the Mt. Marathon race.

Off to a good start.

My parents still live in the house that I grew up in, near the airport and Spenard Lake. Dad has lived in Alaska since 1948, when his family moved from Mobile, AL to Homer, AK to homestead. My 96 year old grandmother still lives there, now a funky little town of about 5,000 where the folks are both outdoorsy and artsy and which prides itself in its Halibut fishing. Go there. 

Halibut Cove, a boat ride across Kachemak Bay

I managed to get out on two long runs while I was home; however, by the time I went to upload my pictures, they had mysteriously disappeared. GAH! My first run was with my friend Jeremy (aka AK Worm), which started after 8pm. The plan was to run up Near Point Summit, one of the many peaks in the Chugach Mountains that surround Anchorage. 

Running from Jeremy's house to the peak and back was around 14 miles and about 3k of gain. While the trails were rolling at first, once you get to the TH, they get steep. I wasn't a mountain runner last time I visited and I got a quick education in the difference between Alaska trails and Colorado trails. In Colorado, the trails were made for burros, mules & horses with endless switchbacks that eventually get you to the top. In Alaska, they go straight UP for the most part. I actually like that better, but I'm not as good at it.

Got some great pics on the way up and at the top; unfortunately, the only one that survived was the blurry phone cam shot I took at the summit. I estimated the winds up there to be 40-50 mph. 

Taken at 10:30 pm

Going down steep trails are only a problem if a) my knees are unhappy or b) I've got toenail bruising. My knees were fine, but as I lost my first toenail the day before, it was a bit tender. That made for an uncomfortable descent, despite being bandaged. Since it got bruised in mid-Feb and again in April, I suppose it was time for it to finally die. 

This run also reminded me of the need for bug dope with plenty of deet as the mosquitoes had a feast on my legs. Running in the woods at dusk didn't help matters... oy vey. J-man counted 27 bites just on my calves alone.

The second run I went on was on the Bird Ridge Trail, which is a 2.5 mile trail just off the Seward Hwy about 15 miles south of Anchorage. While it's a short hike, my Garmin registered 3,200 ft of gain. Alaskans like their hill climbs, folks. Once again, the only surviving snap from that run was this one:

Running along the spine of the ridge

If you look down to where Turnagain Arm meets the road, you'll see how far I came in those 2.5 miles. Too bad the clouds were low, or you'd see the complete view of the Kenai Mountains. I took another shot of Penguin Peak that was posted to Instagram too. Great place for hill training, despite being only 5 miles roundtrip.

I always plan my Alaska trips around July 4th so I can watch our premier race, the 1.75 mile hill climb up 3,022 foot Mt Marathon and back down. One of the oldest footraces in the country, it started as a bar bet in 1908 with the first organized race held in 1915. With the lottery system allowing finishers to gain automatic entry into the next year's race, it has been very difficult for never-rans to get in to. (They changed the lottery rules in 2013 to allow more first-timers in... yea!) This year, former USATF Mountain Runner of the Year, Rickey Gates was given an entry, adding some eliteness to the competition. Now in it's 86th year, thousands of people descend on the little coastal town of Seward to enjoy the race, the parade, the food and fun.

J and I headed down to meet up with the Rinner clan, dear family friends of ours whose kids grew up with us. Their eldest son Shane is my age and though we fought as kids, we became friends as teens and now look forward to hanging out when I manage to get up to AK. On a side note, Jeremy (Worm) is married to Shane's sister, Tiff. Another sibling, Brandon, is a runner who specializes in hill climbs and his wife Shani and kids run their respective races, so there's several Rinners to cheer for.

Got an all-day date with the huz, thanks to Grammy & Poppa

We got there just in time to see the junior race, which takes kids 7 - 17 halfway up the mountain and back. Both of Brandon's kids finished well, but I didn't get a pic of either of them that turned out. The women's race was next and after the start, I planted myself at the base of the mountain so I could see them on the final stretch before the finish in downtown Seward. A rookie named Christy Marvin won the race in a time of 53:20.

Don't mess with these tough gals

You can see the runners going up the middle and down the right side

The wet and rocky chute at the base of the mountain

18 year old Ann Spencer was 3rd. Her dad Bill held the CR for 32 yrs

Shani Rinner in full-on hammer mode

There was a parade prior to the start of the men's race and I took the opportunity to jump on the open course and hike up the mountain to get some shots from the turnaround point. After reaching the half-way point about 20 min before the start, I thought I might be able to make it all the way to the summit before they did. I managed to get there with about 10 minutes to spare, which was good 'cause it was cold up there and I was looking forward to some downhillin' on the shale field.

The half-way point

The turnaround point, overlooking a foggy Resurrection Bay

Me and my Salomons waiting for the first runners to arrive

Rickey Gates came first

2011 champ Eric Strabel  was about to close the gap

Brandon Rinner came in with the front runners and set a PR

The descent looked scarier than it was

Runners going up and down

I had a ball going down this as I tucked myself into the gaps

I took a bit more time going down the little waterfall (aka "The Gut")

Eric Strabel went on to win and take down the 32 year old course record held by Bill Spencer with a time of 42:55, with Rickey coming in only 9 seconds behind him. I hope we'll see more elite mountain runners participating in this race to add some spice to things. 

Had me a spicy Reindeer Dog... Alaska food!

This race is always a highlight of my trip back home. This time, after going up and down the mountain myself, I realized that I'd love to get in some year and run it too. Maybe our next trip will be the year I get in? We'll see...

If you get a chance to go to Anchorage, the must eat place is Moose's Tooth. We ate there no less than three times. We enjoyed the Rockefeller, Apricot, Spicy Thai, Brewhouse, & the Avalanche pizzas. We also had an early anniversary dinner (8 years!) at their sister eatery, Bear Tooth Grill where I had the best salad of my life, the El Oso, and some delicious Alaskan blackened fish tacos. I sampled J's seafood chowder and it was really good. The Midtown Brown was my ale of choice, while J's was the Smokin' Willie Porter, courtesy of Broken Tooth Brewing. As if it wasn't obvious, the guys that started all three were rock climbers...

The only downer was that it was cloudy the entire time, so there were never any great views of the surrounding mountains. To have more than a week of clouds is unusual, but Alaska weather can be similar to the PacNW. I realized once again, how much I need to live in a sunny place. Clouds just drag me down after a few days. I totally lost my will to get out and run after about 5 days of that. Word on the street is that it's been sunny every day since we've left.  Boo hiss.

Anyway...it's a busy week with company coming and a house to still unpack, so expect a Hardrock report this coming weekend.

Happy Trails,

Shelby

Bighorn 100 Pacing Report

 “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” 

- Tim Cahill

Date: June 14 - 15

Location: Bighorn National Forest, Dayton, WY

Distance: 52 miles 
Time: 17-ish hours

I'm happy to report that my first pacing experience was full of awesomeness. Obstacles were overcome, blisters and soreness were managed and while we commiserated during the final 10 miles, Sheila and I otherwise shared happy miles together. It was a great day of mountain running.

I was thrilled that the out and back course allowed me to see the whole thing by picking Sheila up at the turnaround point (48 miles). The second half is mostly downhill with a few climbing sections, including one long, memorable stretch out of the Footbridge aid station at mile 66. Good thing it was beautiful. I had fun running the technical parts, tho' Sheila prefers courses that are a bit more runable for her.

Joey Luther's elevation profile sums it up well.

The race started at 11am, which was a nice change from the usual stupid o'clock wake-up that's required at most races. I joined Sheila's husband John (our crew chief) and her daughter Araina to see her off at the start.

All smiles as the anticipation grows

Huss family

The singing of The Star Spangled Banner

Familiar faces at the front: Brendan Trimboli, Timmy Parr, Matt Hart & Gary Gellin

Sheila had a great start to her race. She kept her HR in zone 2/3 and was looking good when John saw her at Footbridge and her dad joined her for the next 18 miles.

Sheila & her dad at Footbridge (Mile 30)

Normally Sheila would have stomach issues between mile 18 - 25 and she had none of that this time. Her new strategy of eating fewer calories and less solid food seemed to be working. She continued to have a really good run until around mile 40. That's when she began the downward spiral -- as the sun was setting and temps dropped into the 20's due to headwinds. As her stomach went south for the next 7 miles, her pace slowed and both Sheila and her dad battled hypothermia as they made their way to the Jaws aid station at mile 48, where John and I were waiting for them.

Waiting is the hardest part

Enjoying some friendly convo with another pacer & the local track coach

We were expecting Sheila and her dad between 11:30p - 1a and they rolled in around 1:15a, looking pretty rough. The medical folks had their hands full with runners who were hypothermic and Sheila was immediately given blankets and hot packs to warm up her core. They also removed her shoes and socks set a heater directly on her. We offered her broth and ginger ale, but she couldn't stomach either. She just sat with her head down by her knees and kept her words to a minimum. It was tough seeing her like that, but I knew that she would take whatever time she needed to recover and finish the race. 

After 30 minutes of warming up but still feeling nauseous, she decided to sit up and try to keep moving in hopes that things would start to improve. Once she sat up straight, she immediately felt the need to vomit. The doc grabbed a bucket and she quietly (daintily, I might add) threw up. Immediately, she felt better and asked for food and drink, giving me a high five. It was like someone had flipped a switch and she was back to her cheery, chatty self. Within 5 minutes she had a bag of saltines and chips in hand and we were on our way.

Ready to roll

We headed out about 2am layered up, expecting to be pretty cold for the first couple of hours. As it turned out, it was warmer on the descent and we were both peeling layers off, despite the slow pace. I realized about a mile down the trail that I had left without my water bottle with my Osmo energy drink, so I had to share Sheila's 70 oz on her back. Bad pacer! Along with her water, I had enough gels/chews and aid station food to suffice, thankfully.

I presumed that starting at night might be better since I'd already be hyped on adrenaline so that by the time I got tired, I'd have the sun to help keep me awake. I was right... sleepiness was never an issue. I absolutely loved running at night. At one point, I looked up and the stars were so brilliant and the Big Dipper seemed so big and close. I had Sheila turn off her headlamp to see it and enjoy. This is one thing I intend to do at each race -- stop and drink in the scenery, capturing it in our memory if not on camera.

We hit the shoe-sucking mud about 2 miles out and both of us managed not to fall or lose a shoe. I can see how after battling that section in 20 degree temps that someone would be tempted to drop at Jaws, knowing that they had to endure it again on the way back. Kudos to every runner that kept going, especially those that had no pacer to keep them company in the night.

As we continued to run through the night, Sheila said her legs were feeling fine and that her stomach was continuing to feel better. I remember running down an open field singing songs from the Sound of Music and feeling so incredibly grateful to be there with her. We jabbered like a couple of schoolgirls for hours. I amazes me that Sheila can talk that much after 50+ miles as I go into my introverted cave at about mile 35. 

As the morning light arrived around 5am, I was able to snap some pictures for the remaining 40 miles or so. 

Who needs an iPod when you have rushing water?

Super Pacer clad in her striped compression socks

Beautiful wildflowers on the climb out of Footbridge

We were able to change out of our muddy shoes at Footbridge and enjoy some pancakes and sausage. Boy howdy, was that delicious. The aid stations were awesome and I particularly enjoyed the soup/broth and cantaloupe that was available at most of them. Really hit the spot.

We met some amazing runners along the way. One gal named Jeanne, caught us on the climb to Dry Fork (mile 82.5). She recognized Sheila from the Jaws aid station as she was recovering from the cold and contemplating whether or not to drop. She had fallen face first in the soul-sucking mud 7 miles earlier and was battling hypothermia. She saw Sheila's amazing transformation after vomiting and decided that if Sheila could keep going, so could she. Jeanne went on sans pacer to finish about 45 min ahead of us. What a rock star!

Araina meeting her mom as we approached Dry Fork

I was hoping to pick up a couple of water bottles at Dry Fork, but apparently aid station folks had brought our drop bag back to the finish line. Good thing that John still had my forgotten water bottle in the cooler and I had something ice cold of my own for the final stretch.

Climb out of Dry Fork

Things didn't start to get hard until we hit the last 1-mile climb out of Upper Sheep (Mile 87.5). It was hands-on-knees, grunting and panting all the way up. Sheila, the climbing pro, kept the lead, knowing I'd catch her on the descent. The four miles downhill to TR TH was hard on both of us. She had cracks between her toes, which I sought to manage with band aids and Tylenol. This is when Sheila's happy demeanor went into hibernation as we anxiously sought out the next aid station at Lower Sheep (mile 92.5). I had two large blisters despite the change of socks/shoes and sport stick and my knees were starting to complain about all the downhillin' we had done. I kept this to myself however, as she didn't need to hear about my issues. Buck up and shut up is my motto and especially necessary as a pacer.

The last mile of the knee-acher section

We caught up with Matt, one of the guys that we had leap-frogged with after Jaws and he was leaning sideways, obviously in a lot of back pain. We offered to help in any way we could think of, but he just brushed it off saying that finishing would give him relief. He finished second from last, just before the cutoff. What a badass. Sheila and I were both inspired to press on after seeing him suffer and continue to get after it. 

After Lower Sheep, we had mostly flat trails for the final 7.5 miles. The hardest part of that final stretch was the 5 miles of dirt road we had to endure before the finish. Unlike the other painful miles, we didn't have amazing scenery to distract us. 

(The previous three pictures were taken during that 4 miles of downhillin' that had us in so much pain. My antidote was to take pictures of the beauty we were surrounded by. It helped me feel better.) 

We both really enjoyed this 2 mile section leading to TR TH.

Though the road section was easy, our feet hurt like hell. When we hit that last half mile of pavement, Sheila took off like she had stole something. Since my services were no longer needed, I took my sweet ol' time walking/running and joined her at the finish.

Araina paced Sheila for the final stretch

Sheila finished strong in 32:49, 17th out of women. I'm proud of the way she recovered herself from her stomach issues and pressed on despite the painful foot ailments in the final 10 miles. 

Post-race Margaritas

I'm in awe of the accomplishments of the front runners but it's the back-of-the-packers that inspire me the most. When you think about the amount of time they spend out on their feet and that they are doing it for something intangible -- such as the joy of the trails, achieving a hard-earned goal -- it's hard not to be impressed. I'm so grateful to be able to experience even a portion of these hundos so that I can meet and be inspired by these runners. Though pacing is thought of as a selfless act, I feel like I gained so much from my time at Bighorn. I certainly received way more than I gave and Sheila was as expected, a fantastic person to pace. 

This has been a good warm-up to the next race, which will challenge both of us a whole lot more... Hardrock 100. I'll be pacing Sheila the final 27 miles there, which will probably feel like 50 on any other course. 

In other news, our family was spared an evacuation due to the Black Forest fire and successfully moved into our new home, which we are enjoying immensely. I'm already feeling the cortisol drain from my body. We're getting ourselves settled in prior to our trip to Alaska next Friday. I'm looking forward to running some beautiful hometown trails and sharing them with you all!

Happy Trails,

Shelby

'Twas the night before Bighorn...

 “Adventures do occur, but not punctually” 

- E.M. Forster

As if pacing my first hundo and moving were not enough excitement for the next 5 days, the Black Forest fire erupted 4 miles from our home yesterday:

Taken a couple of hours after the fire started

92 homes have been lost in less than 36 hours, 12,000 acres burned and with 0% containment. With the dry conditions and high winds expected to return tomorrow morning, anything can happen. Tonight, the eve of my leaving for Bighorn, we are on pre-evac notice so I'm packing up two suitcases, one for me and one for J and the kids:

Important papers are being left at Sheila's house before we leave for Wyoming early tomorrow. J and the kids will stay at Sheila's, if they need to evacuate:

With the rapidly deteriorating situation Wednesday, I wasn't sure whether it would alter my plans to go to Bighorn. J-man said to go, so after making sure he had what was needed in case of an evac order, I finished packing and loaded up the car. It will be good to get away and run off some of the enormous stress I'm feeling right now. 

I'll feel even happier wearing my new stripy compression socks. There's something about wearing bright, happy colors that makes everything better. 

After the devastation last year from the Waldo Canyon fire, it's hard to see so many family's homes going up in flames yet again. My heart and prayers go out to each of them as they recover and rebuild their lives. The kids and I are already planning to donate some of our clothing and toys to the families affected once our boxes are unpacked. I hope we'll have something to donate next week, but if not, I know that the loss won't matter. It's just stuff. Having my family safe and well is what matters most.

I'm not sure if I'll return on Sunday to my current home or a friend's home or whether I'll buy a home on Monday and have stuff to bring to it or not. I suspect however, that I may be off the grid for a little while. I invite you to follow me on Twitter or Facebook as I'll be micro-posting there in the meantime. 

Thanks to you all for reading and coming back -- I'm glad you've found something here that you have enjoyed. I look forward to being back in full-on blog mode later on in the month.

Please keep the folks affected by the Black Forest fire in your thoughts and prayers, they've got a long road ahead of them. If you wish to help out in a more tangible way, here's how you can help.

Happy Trails,

Shelby

Life Exaggerated

“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” 

- A.A. Milne

Ahh, the taper. The descent into insanity that lasts for a week or two from which you finally emerge at the start line, or in my case, at the Jaws TH, 48 miles into Bighorn 100. I’m realizing that not only do I need to practice smarter recovery, but I need to work on smarter tapering. While I’m not overdoing the mileage by any means, I’m feeling like a fat lump, struggling with my eating and spending too much time on the computer while stressing about everything I have coming up in the next 5 weeks: 

June 13 – 16          Bighorn 100

June 17                  Closing on our new house

June 18                  MOVING!!

June 19 – 21          Cleaning old house, unpacking/setting up new one

June 24 – 25          Telluride - Silverton training run

June 29 – July 8     Alaska trip

July 11 – 14           Hardrock 100

I hate schedules like this. I’m a routine-loving kind of gal who deliberately keeps life low-stress as much as possible. Right now, I have way too much life on my plate. Since pacing is new to me and I don’t know either of the courses, I’m spending a lot more time obsessing over them. 

I'm a stress eater, so I've been craving my favorite cookies lately. Someday, if you find me fat and broke, sitting on the side of the road, it will likely be due to my addiction to these:

Australia's National Cookie

If you've had them, you understand. If you haven't, you've missed this little bit of heaven in chocolate-coated malted biscuits with chocolate cream filling. Fortunately, Pepperidge Farm got the rights to distribute them between October and March so I don't have to pay $25 for an imported pack. But I neglected to stock up this past Spring, which is probably better as to avoid increasing the junk in my trunk.

I’m excited about Bighorn, but aware that there will be a learning curve. There’s a lot to think about as a pacer! I hope to channel my inner Sam Gamgee to bring Sheila safely to the finish. I'm glad that she's done this before and can articulate what she needs from me. I'm glad that she's tough and determined, so no need for inspirational speeches about what's worth fighting for. I'm glad that we've been running together for three months and our personalities are well suited for this sort of thing. 

My job will be easier than his, thank God

As J-man has been packing up the house, I’ve been busy picking up the last of the items needed for the upcoming races. Found most of them on sale too! Got myself a pair of Salomon Speedcross 3 and Montrail Bajadas as well as a Black Diamond Icon headlamp so those overnight runs will be well illuminated.

When it comes to my gear, I’m pretty much a faithless whore, however Mountain Hardware has the corner on my jackets. I wore the Ghost Whisperer Anorak throughout the winter with two thin layers underneath and used the Effusion when it was below 10 degrees or so. This week, I added a waterproof Epic jacket that will round out my collection.

The other thing I did in the past week was run an aid station for a 50k/50M charity race held in Roxborough State Park. It was my first time ever doing that and I had a blast taking care of the 40+ runners as they came around 3-5 times, depending on the race distance. The RD, Claire Dorotik, gave me everything I needed to keep them supplied with ice cold water, Heed, electrolytes and yummy snacks. Met some awesome runners too, such as Letitia Dusich (50k winner), Rick Scott (50 M winner) and Elizabeth Gold (50 M runner up), some of which I hope to see again at Leadville, such as Chris Boyack. I love ultrarunners! I also discovered that I love M&M Pretzels and my recent weight gain can be attributed in part to finishing off the rest of the 30 oz bag after the race. Holy crap, those were addicting.

Sweet and salty in one delicious bite

I only had one runner that I wanted to smack on the side of the head. Why, you ask? He wanted to drop half-way through the 50 miler for NO GOOD REASON. He wasn’t injured, dehydrated, nauseous or bonking (the latter three which are fixable); he just didn’t feel like running anymore. And he’s training for Leadville! I tried to remind him that he would likely regret it later and that if he trains himself to quit now, he’ll never finish a longer race. He just shrugged his shoulders. 

When he left, Emily and I turned to each other and said in unison, “He’ll never make it to Winfield”. At first, I couldn't figure out why it ticked me off, when I have nothing personally invested in his race. I think it bugged me because there are injured trail runners who would give anything to be in his place, racing in beautiful park and in near ideal weather conditions. While there are legitimate reasons to DNF, I think we owe it to them at least to try our damndest to finish.

 "You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

Nevertheless, it was an awesome day and so much fun and I’ll totally do it again when I get a chance. It's great to give back to the trail running community this way.

Me and my fab helper, Emily

The backdrop wasn't too shabby

Like Red Rocks, without the crowds

We were missing the knife, so I improvised.

I just came across this in the past week and I'm totally saying these things to Sheila next week to keep things light until she goes loopy on me:

Happy Trails,

Shelby