What Happens on the Trail Stays on the Trail... Unless You Blog About It

So the plan for this weekend was 20 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday, all on trail. However, last weekend I had just come off an awful week and managed only 9 / 5, all on pavement. Previous weekend I was happy though to have done double 12.3 milers.

I had no takers and planned to go out to Erwin Park in McKinney all alone. They have an 8 mile loop. But I woke up this morning to one of the coldest mornings I've ever run. And so this run soon turned into a case of "back in my day" when "we walked uphill both ways" sort of stories, LOL:

• Wind chills of 11 at the start and 21 when I finished. My Pearl Izumi gloves work great for 35-40 degree weather, but they were not adequate for those temps, and my fingers were frozen 15 minutes in. In fact, I never felt that cold except for how cold and numb my hands were.
• Winds about 20 mph. This was awful at Erwin Park where it's surrounded by open pastures, and the park itself has lots of open fields to run through between wooded sections. Those fields were the worst, and a big gust would yield the occasional squeal.
• Essentially ran completely alone for 4 hours. I saw maybe 8 people out there the whole time. A couple guys from DORBA fixing up the trail, a couple guys clearing tree limbs, two mountain bikers, and two guys running trails that would have let me pass but I had only a couple miles left and begged for them to let me hang out with them for half a mile. Raised my spirits immensely.
• An extra 5 pounds on my back. I tried out my UltraSpire Surge hydration pack for the first time. Note I really never wear a pack and usually run with a handheld. I filled the pack's bladder almost completely up since I didn't know how much I'd drink. So that meant I carried about 5 pounds the whole 16 miles that I wouldn't be used to.

And then I lost another part of my trail virginity, hence, the title of this blog post. It's just a part of trailrunning that while you are out there, nature is your restroom. However, for my dozens of trail runs and a few races, I have NEVER had to potty out on the trail. I pride myself on a strong bladder and a good tendency to balance sweating and hydrating pretty decently. Until today. The combo of super cold and staying hydrating meant I wasn't sweating enough. About 11 miles in, I had to pee. I thought I might as well get this first time over with, on the day the trails were completely desolate. I took only a step off the trail and dropped my drawers. Wow, it was cold out. Of course, then I feel like I'm going forever and someone's going to happen upon me. No one did.

For me, who HATES even using public restrooms and tries to avoid needing a portalet at races, this was a big step. Naturally though, "Trail Priss" here hopes she doesn't have to do this too often!

My goals were more about time out on the trails than miles, so I tried not to fret about miles and would tweet out my status each hour on the hour to track progress. In the end, I completed 2 loops of the Park, which is 8 miles each, for 16 miles in 3 hours, 40 minutes!

Tomorrow, 10 miles in Plano on Oak Point Nature Preserve trails with a bunch of great friends! I haven't checked the weather, but I really hope it's a little warmer!!

Obsessive much?

I've been slowly collecting pictures and course data for the Gorge Waterfalls 50K. And then relooking at it constantly. I finally decided I needed to amalgamate these obsessions instead of keeping 30 tabs open on my internet browser. Now I can revisit it all through this post whenever I need to.

Photographer's Pics of the Gorge Area (Not Exact Race Route)
The race finish, also where we park, is at Wyeth Campground, Exit 51 off of I-84. Then, they shuttle you a 40 minute drive west to the Wahkenna Falls Trailhead, which is Exit 35 off of I-84. This is the start, and then we begin our point-to-point 31(plus) miles. It's been said that the race director, James Varner, always ends up with courses that are long, and this one is rumored to have been more like 32+ miles per GPS. Hmm.

A friend sent me this link titled "Long Winter Walk with Friends" to understanding the beauty, and treacherous terrain, of the region, minus hopefully a vast majority of the snow when I'm there! Definite freaky moments of "I'm going to run or powerwalk where?" Again, these pics aren't from the actual course. They were taken at Eagle Creek Trail which is located off Exit 41 of I-84. So it's a side trail from right where we'll be going through it seems like, even just from the exit ramp number.

A couple of the pictures from the photographer's blog post...

Walking along the side of a mountain, just a normal Sunday, LOL

Um, I heard there were cliffs. Yikes. But look at that view!

Look at the size of those trees!

Videos That Capture The Beauty
Then I keep reading and rereading @RunnerTeri's blog post from last year's Gorge Waterfalls 50K. It was a good write-up with some great pictures. Also, she has a link to this video of Elowah Falls from the race company, which is so cool and gets me psyched up! Listen to the thunderous sound of the falls!

Speaking of videos, this video actually shows the race start too!

And this video was taken by one of the actual race participants. Because he's running, it's pretty shaky at times, but he captured video during the race of a waterfall that we actually get to run BEHIND!!!

More Examples of Brutal But Beautiful Terrain
Laura K's blog entry from last year has some amazing pictures. Example: a slope talus crossing. I had to look up what this even means. Basically, the mountain has a trail going through it, but it doesn't really level off, it's just there in the middle of this large slope down the mountain. See Laura's picture.

See the rocky trail crossing the side of this mountain? I'll be running that!

Here's a picture from one of the official photographers. Look at the little people and the cliffs!

Photo credit: Candace Burt

A look at a steep switchback. Note the height of the surrounding walls next to the trail to see steepness!

Photo credit: Tom Riley

Course and Elevation Profile
I found this page of someone's Garmin data who ran it last year. Here's a snapshot of the course and elevation profile...

Travel Plans
I guess it's getting real, because I've finally started looking at travel plans. It looks like there are two nearby towns.

1) Cascade Locks, 20 minutes away. There are two types of hotels, $60 a night really cheap ones and $250 a night resorts. The more affordable ones have reviewed where it's described that they give you earplugs for the trains that go right by them in the middle of the night. Um, no thank you.

2) Hood River, 15 minutes away. Good standard hotels here. Looks like I'll stay there!

Staying at a hotel in Hood River is 1 hr, 15 min from Portland.

I'm thinking about flying in late Friday to Portland Airport, getting my rental car, and staying Friday night at an airport hotel.

Saturday: I could spend a couple hours in Portland, then drive the little over an hour to the Hood River hotel, stopping to make sure I can find the race parking along the way. Rest, maybe a nap, dinner, lay out gear, bedtime.

Sunday: run the race.

Monday afternoon: fly back home!

A Shocking Total in January's Running Report Card

It's that time where every runner tallies up their miles and blogs about it. Well, after directing a race and a sinus surgery, in January, I didn't even have my first run back until January 12th. While I have been going through an intense ramp-up, I assumed my miles wouldn't be too high - it was just too little of the month. But I went ahead and added it up this morning.

January 2012: 100.1 miles! Yes, over 100 miles! And that's 22 1/2 hours of running, and another 7 hours of strength training sessions with my trainer!

No wonder I'm sore today. So I will start February with no running today, but an hour strength training this evening, so it's not a day completely "off".

This last 5 days, I've hit 41.2 miles. And with tomorrow night's intended run, I should have my highest 7-day mileage total ever. 

The hard miles won't stop there... February goal: about 140 miles!

Garmin Forerunner 910XT - Product Review

As soon as I saw the Running Warehouse blog entry titled 9.1 Reasons You Need a Garmin Forerunner 910XT, I was sold, and I bought one immediately.

Some would say, "But it's so expensive." And some would say, "But do you need all those features if you aren't a triathlete."

Well, I don't routinely buy a bunch of running outfits like other friends. I'm a very practical runner and will wear and rewear the same set of 5 running tops because I know they won't chafe and will keep me cool or warm exactly as needed. So it's an easier thing to budget money for this. And if I use it for just one year, that's maybe 1200 miles this year, so that's 33 cents per mile. Easy decision.

Here's what I loved in the write-up, and what I have further confirmed that I love now that I've gotten to use it 2 times since it arrived in the mail.

• It has a 20 hour battery life.
My Forerunner 405 would only last about 7 1/2 hours into a 50K, which takes me about 8 1/2 hours to run. And someday I may move from the 50K to the 50 Mile, so having a 305 or 310XT with a 12 hour battery life would not be enough for my 50 mile time based on my pace. So I wanted something that would grow with whatever my eventual goals were.
• Location and design of buttons is awesome. I am a left-hander, and Garmin people did not consider left-handers in my opinion when they designed my 405. It's awkward to hold down the lap button on the side and press the Enter/Start/Stop button with another finger. And the touch bezel was just annoying and, while I don't consider myself a heavy sweater, you put us in any humidity at all and Texas summer heat, and it would get "wonky" and on the fritz 10 miles into a run! So I was so done with touch screens. These new buttons are so easy to use, and it's no longer a pain to switch data screens right in the middle of running.
• So...Much...Data! Yes, I have a math degree, and I'm very analytical. The more data the better, for me. With the 405, I could only have 3 data fields per screen and 3 total screens. But with the new 910XT, I could customize up to 4 fields on each of 4 screens! I have fields for things that seem silly but I'm loving. I set up mine as follows: 
SCREEN 1 - Lap Pace, Lap Time, Lap Distance.

SCREEN 2 - Avg Pace, Total Time, Total Distance.

SCREEN 3 - Time of Day, Sunrise, Sunset.  (Because when you can show this many fields, why not?)

SCREEN 4 - Total Ascent, Total Descent, HR, Calories.

• Increased Elevation Accuracy. Since running 50Ks is my current love, and I seem to be picking some hilly ones, and might be increasingly doing that, I think this is an important feature. Best explained by Running Warehouse's blog entry: " For real-time, highly accurate elevation data, a barometric altimeter leaves GPS measurement in the dust. GPS can get pretty inaccurate in mountainous terrain – the barometric altimeter is ideal for ultra runners who want to know exactly where they are on a climb or descent, along with their total elevation gain and loss."
• Great fit! The new 910XT is sleek and thinner, the notches on the strap are well done. It's just a comfier fit!

So yes, I can totally recommend the Garmin Forerunner 910XT. Now if your pocketbook just won't allow it, I will say I have many friends with the 310XT that they love as well!

What do you love or hate most about your GPS device?

Bought a Hydration Pack - the new UltraSpire Surge

I have a big race I'm shooting for in 9 weeks, the Gorge Waterfalls 50K.

I planned to use my 20 oz Amphipod handheld that I LOVE. I had sent friends Fiona (@theasgwifey) and Alicia (@trailscaredycat) someone's race report about the 50K. I was telling them I contemplated converting to Ultimate Direction's Wink hydration pack because so many girlfriends have it and really like it (even referred to as #bestpackever in my twitter frunner girl circles). But it was so expensive, $90, and I'd already missed out on the sale when they were changing out an older version of the Wink. And did I need to spend $90 when I had something that worked? And I'd just gotten a good deal on a running vest, so did I need the couple pockets?

From Ultimate Direction's website - the Wink that my friends all love using (older version was lighter blue and grey)

But then Fiona brought up from the race report I'd sent them that there were rock climbing and slippery conditions all over this race course. And it might not be a bad idea to have both hands free! Such a good point, Fi!

I went online again yesterday. Because of the change over into a new version of the Wink, I was finding a lot of stores were generally out of stock right now. Boo. But in looking around, I happened upon the UltraSpire Surge. It just came out on the market December 15, so it's brand new. I was happy to find that iRunFar had a detailed video review of the Surge.

From the UltraSpire website - a picture of the Surge pack in purple. I ordered it in Blue!

I watched it, read the tons of comments after the review, and then Googled around some more. I was worried it wouldn't fit well on a woman so wanted to check, since it's gender neutral. But the two sternum straps are lower than most. I'm more on the flat-chested side, so that's less of a issue. At the same time, I'm bigger than the average woman, both in height and weight. 5'8" and 153 pounds. Reading more and more, it appeared I'd be okay. They have lots of room in their cinch straps.

This pack is constructed by some longtime ultra trailrunners, so I loved the little details. The pulls for the pockets and the clips are even thought through as something you should be able to do with cold numb fingers or while wearing gloves! Love!

So I ordered it, and while supplies are limited until February, I'm hoping I get the email shortly that they are shipping it! I'll post how I like it once I get to try it out!

First Long Run Post-Surgery - Trailrunning with Friends

After sinus surgery January 5, I was cleared to start easy running again Thursday, January 12. So 4 miles that Thursday with a walk/run with Alicia, 5 miles Saturday again walk/running with Alicia, and then decided to join dear frunner girls Alicia, Catherine, and Fiona on a trail run Sunday at Brockdale Park by Lake Lavon - a new location for me.

Picture by Alicia. Out on the trails with my frunner girls!

I was told it was 5 miles south to the dead-end at the next park, and I thought I probably wasn't up for 10 miles roundtrip. But I would see how I felt and do what I could. I could always turn around and walk back so the girls would catch me when they came back running.

This trail is heavily traveled by horseback riders. And with rain early the previous week, the trail had turned into soft deep black clay. And then cover it completely in the pockmarks of 8 inch deep sunk-in hoofmarks. I passed some riders late in the run and asked them about the trail, and they said it's NEVER that bad. Yippee. Welcome to Lake Lavon.

See all the divots!

It was an ankle-turning nightmare of a trail. Welcome back to running too!!! We all managed to get through in good health.

Divot closeup

I actually felt really good, never felt like I really pushed too hard. At 5.07 miles on the Garmin, we weren't at the southernmost park yet. I was nervous about how far I'd gone and how much further it would be, so I said I would turn back and probably be walking a lot of it, so they would catch me soon anyway.

I still felt great on the return trip. All my complaining that I thought it was uphill most of the way on the out portion came true, I wasn't hallucinating, because I was able to try to ride some of the gentle downhill. I had run 1 hour, 19 minutes on the "out" portion of the course and decided it would be cool to negative split the "back" portion. Of course, feeling chased, as I tried to stay ahead of the girls - I didn't want them to have to wait for me by passing me on the way back - that didn't hurt my determination and pace either. So I took less walk breaks than I expected. I finished 4 minutes faster than the out at 1 hour, 15 minutes. And I beat the girls back by a few minutes - that park ended up being another 0.15 or so further from where I'd turned around.

Beautiful view! Beautiful day!

So my third run back was a 10 mile trail run in harsh terrain for 2 1/2 hours. I hope my return to running continues to go this smooth, but we will see! You take it day by day, and you never take an active day for granted!