Scorched Sole 50km Ultra

What a great weekend I had in Vernon/Kelowna! It's such a beautiful spot and the weather is awesome this time of year. I was very lucky to escape the cold and snow that Calgary had this weekend. One word sums that up...Retarded.

After work on Thursday I packed up my dog Logan and my gear and headed out on the long drive. I'm usually not great at driving for long distances as I often get extremely sleepy. I thought it might be worse going out after work but I was pretty excited for the weekend and didn't have much of a problem. It was a 6 hour drive and I made one stop in Golden which is about halfway in between. One really great thing about driving to BC after work is the 1 hour time change in your favour so while it was 10:30 in Calgary when I got there, it was only 9:30 in Vernon and still nice and light out!


My brother Steve and Kira (his wife) were both working on friday so I had the day to myself to relax and of course do a little shopping! I know, it's weird that i'm going to a small place like Vernon to shop but they have some great stores there as well as a great gear store that my brother manages...Valhalla Pure Outfitters! Of course I spent a huge amount of time (and money) there as I get a family deal through him! I also bought a super thick kick ass thermarest that is going to be amazing for Transrockies. It's definitely not one you'd bring on a backpacking trip as it weighs a ton but it'll be perfect for Transrockies!


Friday night Steve whipped up an awesome pasta meal and we followed that up with some ice cream which made me very happy :) I was like hey...i'm running 50km tomorrow, i'm going to eat whatever I want leading up to it...and I did!


Anyhow, we had an early rise as my race started at 7am, Steve's at 7:30 and it would be around 45 mins to get there. I slept quite well until my alarm went off at 4:45am...my first thoughts when that happens on race day is always "I do not want to do this today!" It's what happens to me every single race day...I never wake up stoked...not even at Boston! I'm just not a morning person and I don't feel good to go until I get to the race and see all of the other excited runner buzz going on! Plus I was also starting to realize that uh oh..50km is a long way and who knows how long it'll take me to do! I've never run longer than 4hours in my life and that's on the road which is much quicker!


Steve and I pulled into the parking lot and I started to get more excited as I saw runners around. The 50 miler runners had already left at 6am for their long day! It was about 6:30 and I had time to pick up my bib, pee, slap on sunscreen and all that fun stuff. Here are a couple of pics of my brother and me before the race.

Unfortunately the picture of me doesn't show my legs and what i'm wearing...my skins! I decided today was the day I was going to try running in compression socks! I know a bunch of people that have done it and saw tons of people doing it at Boston and the Calgary marathon last weekend. I have to say, I thought they were great!!! There's a bunch more pics that'll be posted on the race website and hopefully I can show em off he he. I got a lot of funny looks from others and some questions but I thought what the hell, if this is going to make me feel better running 50km then why not!

I didn't get a chance to warm up much before the race aside from a little stretching. When the horn blew at 7am and the race started I was not too pleased at the steady climbing that began immediately...even though I did read a previous race report that the first 11km was uphill...ugh...and it was! After a couple of kilometres I felt much better as I was finally warmed up. Starting a race uphill really sucks! The whole time I was thinking to myself...I really hope my brother doesn't catch up to me before our courses separate. He started a half hour after me and we shared the same course for the first 12km. He's a super quick runner and wasn't planning on holding anything back! And guess what...he didn't catch me, wahoo! My course went off on another direction for some more hill climbing that I wasn't starting to mind quite so much. The first 25km of this race was quite tough as there was 3500 ft of elevation to gain, yikes. I met an awesome "ironman" that I ran about 12km with in the first half and we chatted about everything and after finding out he did ironman the last 3 years in a row of course I had to pick his brain :) I got a little tired and he took off just before we reached the midway point of the race.

After the first 2 aid stations the volunteers knew who I was from then on which was pretty cool. THey'd see me coming and say hey Deb...you're the girl that woke up this morning and decided to switch from 25km to 50km lol (the race director didn't change my registration as promised so everyone thought it was a last minute thing). And everyone I met from then on would say "You're the first 50km woman through" which still continued to surprise me the more I heard it!

As I pass the midway point of any race I do, I get happier and happier from then on as you don't have this overwhelming amount of mileage left to do. I started to feel great after 25km...plus most of the hills were overwith and there were some great flats to cover! I felt great and was running quite fast which really surprised me at this point...after all of that climbing I could still do sub 5 min kilometres! Sweet! I caught up to the guy I had spent a long time running with at around the 38 km mark. He was super surprised when he saw me and told me he took off too early and he was starting to fade. We stuck together for a while and passed some of the 50 milers we caught up to...they were so funny and yelled out to me "way to go, you're the first 50km woman to go by". All of this cheering definitely helped to push me along!

At about 39km the trail took a sharp right down into the trees for some fast and steep single track. I'm not good with those type of downhills but the guy I was with insisted I go first. I was good for about 4km and then there was an aid station at the marathon point. It was a good sight to see and I downed some orange slices (my new favorite thing while trail running!) and dumped some water on my head. It was starting to get warm! My buddy was like, ok let's go! And we took off again. I told him to go first and he was a rockstar on the downhills and after about a kilometre I totally bailed! Haha...god, are you surprised after last weeks result? Too funny. At least I made it to 43km before crashing. This time I skinned my left knee pretty bad but all was good. He stopped for me and asked if I was ok and I told him to keep going but he totally waited. God I wish I had gotten his name! Funny how you can spend so much time running with someone in a race and chatting about your entire lives and you forget to introduce yourselves and never see them again!

Anyway, he pulled away as it was pretty much all downhill from here on out and I was left by myself for the last 5km. It was pretty cool to think to myself that every step from here on in was the furthest I had ever run before. It was so satisfying! With about 500m or so to go there are people on the course hiking or riding their bikes. I'm running behind this couple and their dog and I think, I hope they turn around and let me pass before I have to yell out to them. THey turn around as I approach and it's Steve and Kira! We all look at each other in surprise and they're like holy shit, way to go and start yelling and cheering out for me all the way down. It was sooo awesome and I actually think it was cooler seeing them at that point than it would be if they were at the finish line! Based on my time from the 25km last week and what I thought I could do, they did not think I would finish the race so early...yeah I broke 5 hours...I finished my first 50km in 4:50!! That's way off from the 6 hour time I predicted hahaha. And I was indeed the first woman to cross the line :) Here is a link to the results...my brother kicked butt and came 3rd overall in his 25km race. Not a bad start to training for Transrockies by Team Pine Line!!!


What did I get for my hard work besides total satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in my first 50km?! I got a pretty cool plaque for my age group win...and for my overall win I got a bottle of red wine from one of the local wineries in the Okanagan as well as free entry into next years race! Not too shabby :) I'll post some race pics when they show up on the race website.

After the race there was a bbq which I thoroughly enjoyed. Nothing better than a big burger after something like that! We drove back to Vernon and took the dogs to pet beach...what an awesome spot! The water wasn't too bad for wading either. If only it had been there at the end of the race. I would have jumped right in! My hip was quite sore yesterday and I was stiff and moving a little slow but today i'm feeling pretty great. I can't believe how incredible I feel in comparison to 2 days after Boston. Trail running really is a gazillion times better on the body than road running. I'm not sure when I'll run this week as I still want to rest. But i'm super happy how good i'm feeling 2 days later!

Well that's it for now! Sorry about the super long post :)
Deb

Nipika Crazy Soles 25km

Finally...some kind of race report from me! Guess this'll be my first one since I totally dropped the ball with Boston and didn't really do any kind of report. What kind of a lazy a$$ blogger am I?!

So, yeah this saturday past was to be my first trail race ever...very exciting! I had no idea what to expect, how to pace myself, what to do...I was a total newbie out of my element! I've kind of got the pacing thing down with road racing but with trailrunning it's a whole new world!

I got up at 5am Saturday morning so I could eat, do last minute packing and leave my house by 6am. Surprisingly enough I managed to leave on time! I was tired but actually kind of excited to do this mini road trip by myself! People told me I could do the drive in 2.5 hours but probably allow for 3 hours to be safe. It took me about 2 hours and 40 mins...and it was actually a super pleasant trip and I didn't mind the drive at all! I had the music going and sang along the entire way :) Nipika Mountain Resort is a beautiful spot hidden away about 14km down a dirt road off of the main Highway 93 that takes you to the fabulous Radium Hot Springs in BC.

So I get there before 9am...one of the first people there...and the race isn't until 11! There's lots of time for me to get my sh!t together and get organized! It was supposed to be around 15ºC so I wasn't sure if I'd wear a T or tank...stuff like that. I wandered around, chatted with a few people I recognized from the Trail Trash running group in Calgary but was mostly on my own just chilling out. It was great! Well it warmed up super quick and was probably 20ºC by the time the race started. So as we were getting called to the race meeting at 10:45 I quickly changed to a tank, slapped on some sunscreen and was ready to go. One of the ultramarathon girls had recommended her favorite choice in hydration packs...one made by Nathan which is more like a vest and it has pockets in the front for your gels, camera and whatever else you feel like bringing! I had the bladder filled with Nuun...my favorite form of hydration and electrolyte replacement on the run! I was good to go!


I had wondered how well marked this trail would be and if I'd get lost at all. This being my first trail race I really had no idea what to expect. At our pre-race meeting the race director said that it was marked by orange flagging tape and before a turn off there is added blue flagging tape. If the blue tape is on your right, you're going right...on the left, you're going left! It made sense to me and I was happy to find it very well marked and I didn't get confused! Fewf!


So the race began at 11am sharp...about 35 of us running the 25km started from a meadow and that ended very quickly as we made our way into the trees and onto some fun single track for most of the race. My first 10km were pretty tough as I had no idea how to pace myself, I wasn't skilled in single track, and I didn't want to be alone right from the beginning as people took off. I settled behind a group of 3 other runners for a bit and didn't mind the pace but was a little worried it might be too quick. As the pace slowed a bit I decided it was slower than I liked so I decided to pass and keep going. I may as well see what I can do on this thing and not worry about being on my own for much of the run. While I noticed that very few people carried bear spray...I on the other hand was terrified so I did have it attached to the back of my hydration pack. People were even wearing ipods which shocked me as that's the last thing I want to do in the middle of the forest...I want to be able to hear people coming up behind me and/or the bears that are out there!!


The first aid station came quick at almost the 7km mark and I was super happy when I saw it as I was getting hot already and wanted to dump water on my head which I did. I grabbed a couple of orange slices, said Thanks to the people manning the station, and kept going. Instantly I felt better! The first 10km loop was pretty tough with a couple of steep drops down and climbs up from the river but oh what beautiful scenery! I wish I didn't have to pay as much attention to all of the roots and rocks I was racing around and look up more often! I think more people are skilled at this but I am not!



The 10km loop ended back where we started at the meadow and I wasn't feeling that great again but as I made my way to the next aid station, dumped on more water, I felt much better pretty quick! I was ready for my 15km loop! I didn't spend a ton of time at the aid stations and found I would always catch some people there and stick with them for a bit after. I caught up to a man around the 13th km and we chatted for a bit and then we got to a bit of a hill and he said have a great race and dropped back. I was disappointed as I really enjoyed the company and was hoping he'd be around for a bit longer. I was by myself yet again! Kilometer 15 was the last aid station! I was disappointed as I thought, I can't believe how hot it's gotten today...must be well over 20 by now?! Again the water on my head felt great...I ate some more orange slices and some yummy salty chips! Sigh, so good!


After this station I had caught up to a younger guy which I stuck to his heals as best I could for the next 5km I would say. Hopefully I wasn't pissing him off too much as I was loving the company. We didn't chat at all and I did have the feeling I was a bit annoying with my heavy stalker breathing going on behind him lol. He was INCREDIBLE on the downhills...there was super steep stuff leading us down to the river and he'd take off and leave me in his dust but as soon as we got back to the flats and hills I would immediately catch him again. I'm super nervous about those crazy downhills and I don't know if I'll ever get over that.


Eventually the 2 of us caught up to another couple...this guy had a bear bell on his pack...I have to say right now that I hate those things soooo much. Has anyone else besides me heard of bear bells being referred to as "dinner bells"? Yeah that's right...I don't trust them, and I don't use them...plus they're annoying as hell! The guy I was with stepped aside for me to pass and then I passed the dinner bell folks as well and quickly got away so I wouldn't have to hear that anymore!


So i'm motoring along by myself...thinking about bears unfortunately...I get to around 22km and what do I do? I trip and fall! I'm like WTF...did that just happen? I don't even know if there was any real roots there, what did I trip on? I laughed at myself as it was obvious I was just getting tired at this point and dragging my feet! I managed to maneuver around the other crazy roots and rocks up to this point and now I trip on next to nothing. Too funny. A couple of minutes later, I go down hard AGAIN! This time I did trip on a giant root...just me being tired and stupid! Now i'm just angry...and I drew blood LOL. I've been wearing skirts to work all week and don't my legs look damn sexy with my battle wounds he he. Anyhow, I kept looking back as I was sure someone would catch me while I was being stupid but there was still nobody around.


2 kilometres to go and guess what I see... a new aid station! I was like, I'm so happy to see you, I thought the last station was it?!? He said, it was but the finishers that have come in said it was soooo hot out there that they really wished there would have been something. I could have kissed him. I said you made my day, you've no idea! :) Then I look back and somebody has caught up to me...a guy that I passed probably back at 8km or something. Damn! Anyways, we leave at the same time and he takes off and I just can't catch him. I briefly slow down to chat with someone and then I hear dinner bells in the distance...ooohh i've gotta go, the bear bell guy is driving me nuts!


At around the last kilometre or so, I see the Nipika Lodge...there's a ton of people there cheering and everything and i'm so relieved to be done. Then I realize there's this detour that's taking us away from the lodge and loops around before going back to the meadow to add on the last kilometre. It was a nasty little trick but my Garmin told me that it ended up pretty much dead on at 25km. I was impressed. I get to the end very satisfied with my first trail race! I enjoy lots of oranges and lots of chips!


I chat with someone who informs me that there's a little "wading" type pool that has been made behind the cabins from a stream that flows by. I'm thinking, hell yeah! It was quite cold but not unbearable as it was fairly shallow and the sun was heating it up. I slowly walked in up to my waist and it felt phenomenal. I've never been able to do an ice bath after a race as it's just too darn cold to sit in a tub like that but standing in this water was amazing. I'm sure it definitely contributed huge to me feeling little soreness the next day! They should have wading pools at the end of every marathon...can you imagine? That would be awesome! :)

So how did I do? I finished in a time of 2:38...better than the 3 hours I predicted! I think I mentioned previously that I came 3rd in my age group...yay...oh wait, that's 3rd out of 5. Damn. But wait...the official results are up and I came 4th out of the 20 females that did it, wahoo! Not too shabby for my first trail race :)


Well that's about it...I feel like the race was mostly a blur now and I probably should try and blog about it in the same day! I brought my camera along but really enjoyed running along and had no real desire to take pictures that day unfortunately. Here are a couple I snagged from Hugh of the Trail Trash group. They are of the meadow at the start...and a fun little bridge we had to cross in the first 10km.







So what's next for me? Remember I said I was debating between the 25km and the 50km race this weekend in Kelowna? Well I emailed the race director yesterday and asked if they wouldn't mind changing my registration from 25km to 50km. She said not a problem and was I sure I didn't want to do the 50 miler?! Hahahaha. I said thank you very much but the 50km will be jusssst fine. Wish me luck, i'm terrified! Lucky for me the forecast for Kelowna on saturday is a very nice 19ºC...down from the 30ºC it's been every day this week!
My dog Logan and I are packing up and heading out on the 6 hour drive to Vernon tomorrow night after work where my brother, sister in-law, and dog Milo live. The race starts at 7am saturday morning so we've got an early rise to drive the half hour to Kelowna and get ready for 7am! I'm getting nervous about this race already.

Have a great weekend everybody! Oh and a big shout out to my best friend Jeff on his first half ironman race of the season on Sunday in Oliver! He's gonna kick some major butt! :)

Deb

Team Pine Line! :)

My brother and I have settled on our team name for Transrockies....Team Pine Line! We hadn't come up with anything very good and we needed to sort it out soon as we had to finish our registration this weekend and wanted to finally have a name! Anyhow, as the name of my blog is "Pine Line Runner" I decided to throw it out there and see what he'd think. None of you would have any idea why my blog is even called that...it's nothing really imaginative but the name of the street we grew up on and that my parents still live on is called "Pine Line" :). Pretty simple eh? So that's where my blog name comes from and now our Transrockies team name!

I ran my first ever 25km trail race this weekend...and it went very well and I had awesome fun...not sure if I was running quick to avoid people passing me or just cuz I was terrified of bears and wanting to get the heck out of there lol. Anyhow, I'll give you a race report soon.

I'm just trying to figure out if I'm going to do the 25km trail race in Kelowna next weekend or the 50km. The longest i've ever run is a marathon obviously...and it's on a road...and it doesn't take nearly as long. The longest training run i've done is 4 hours and again it was on the road. I feel like a reasonable time for a 50km trail run for me would be 6 hours? but I really have no idea. Guess it depends on how hilly it is and all that too. That seems long and seeing as how i've never run that long on the road or the trail I'm a bit reluctant. But wouldn't it be fun!!!

I had decided for a while that 50km was nuts and was definitely sticking with 25km...so this morning I register for 25km...and then I start thinking, damn, 50km would be really cool...I should be doing that instead. So I guess we'll see! It'll be a surprise and I might not make up my mind till race day. :)

Oh and from my lack of talk about the Calgary half marathon I planned on doing yesterday...obviously I didn't do it! While I wasn't really that sore overall from Saturday's run...my hip and IT band that has been giving me some grief were not happy on Sunday morning. I woke up 5am on sunday still planning on running it but when I hobbled to the bathroom I thought to myself...this half marathon is probably a very bad idea whether I go slow or not. I don't want to get seriously injured before the summer has barely started!

Despite the enormous guilt I was feeling (I don't really know why), I decided to go back to bed for a couple of hours. I got up in time to take my dog out for a walk and watch the marathoners all run by my house on their way back to the finish. My house is at about the 33km mark and I did see a couple of runners I knew that looked awesome at that point...including you Cam...I totally saw you!! You looked great and hopefully you had a great race! I look forward to your race report!

Ok that's it for now folks! I'll blog about my race soon :)

Opinions wanted...

So as most of you know I'm running the 6 day Transrockies Trail race at the end of August with my brother as my partner. On June 6th there is the Scorched Sole Ultra taking place in Kelowna. My brother lives in Vernon which is only about a half hour from Kelowna so it's kind of perfect for us to help us with our training! There is a 25km, a 50km, and a 50mi and while I had originally planned on doing the 25km, my brother informs me this week that he's doing the 50km!

That got me thinking that I want to do the 50km too! I've never done a 50km and I think it would be fun. I'm just wondering if that distance is maybe a bit much for me after just finishing a marathon and feeling how I do right now? I don't really know how much recovery time you're supposed to have after running a marathon. I do know that this wouldn't exactly be a race for me as i'm just new to the trailrunning thing so I'd just be taking it pretty easy and using it as a training run.

Hmm....just not sure what to do. What do you guys think? It would be my first 50km which makes me pretty excited! Anyhow, i'm not going to do anything rash and sign up for it just yet but i've definitely got some thinking to do!

Tonight i'm having a party which I'm pretty excited about. I haven't drank in a very long time so it's going to be good but it'll possibly be a rough day tomorrow depending on what i drink and how much! I just can't decide what i'm in the mood for...i'm loving the idea of some good beer right now but i'm still unsure! It's also going to be a nice payback to my crappy neighbors for their brutal party last friday night before I left town. Yeah!

And yes I know, i'm slack with my Boston race report, trust me it's coming soon!

Have a great weekend everybody!