Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Insomnia
Anyone suffer from it? Since I was young, I've struggled with sleep. My brain has never been able to shut off. I learned early on that I didn't need the amount of sleep that others do. However, I need SOME now and my body is not cooperating. For the past three weeks, I've tried everything - home remedies, reading in another room, lowering room temperature, avoiding caffeine, avoiding exercise too late at night, writing down my worries, etc. I've tried running less mileage. I've tried running more. I seem to finally drift off around 2am, but my sleep is still restless. I don't sleep in on the weekends, so my schedule stays about the same. This goes on for several days, then I'll hit one night where I actually sleep a full 6-7 hours. Unfortunately, that one night doesn't make up for the last ten nights. I'm soooooo tired. Any ideas - at least ones that do not include drugs, prescription or any other kind?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Girl Power!
In previous posts, I've mentioned the Foys to Blacktail Trail development. The plan is to develop a well marked trail system from Herron Park to Blacktail Ski Resort. Last year, a group of us ran/hiked our way up to Blacktail, about 13 miles. At the time, none of us, except probably Jandy, our guide, were well-prepared in terms of fitness or fueling. A few of us were nauseous, especially during the last climb, and pretty wiped out at the end.
Saturday, Danni and I decided to repeat the adventure, but this time round trip. Leanne wanted to do one way, so we all left at 7am to drive up to Blacktail in order to leave her car (and aid station) at our turn around point. We drove back down and left Herron Park not entirely certain of the exact trail or mileage.
The first 7 miles were familiar, but after that, it was a bit confusing to figure out which trails and logging roads to take. Leanne was nice enough to leave markers for her husband, who was going to follow us up by bike. Around mile 8, we ran into some women on horseback, who attempted to help us with directions. These were not the only people to warn us about the potential for snow higher up. We continued to follow a logging road until it completely dead-ended. Blacktail was on the other side of the ridge, so we decided to head straight up to "see what we could see." At this point, (see picture below) Leanne's phone rang with a clear - I am so lost - message from her husband (His actual message used more powerful words and captured the frustration much better than I can write here). He had also reached the dead end, but turned around to head back the same way.
At this point, I think Leanne and I were a bit concerned about a) being lost, b) running out of water, c) ending up in Lakeside rather than Blacktail and needing to hitch a ride back to town, but also really wanting to reach our goal. Danni, as usual, was optimistic that we would figure it out, so we kept trying. That's when we saw a trail buried under a logging mess. We climbed over trees, lost the trail, went back down to the logging road, followed that awhile again, realized it wasn't taking us anywhere closer to Blacktail, and reconvened to discuss the options which were now, turn around and go back another 10 miles or try again to find the darn trail. The next picture shows Blacktail teasing us in the distance.
Again, we attempted to follow sporadic trails, more determined and this time successful. Eventually, we hit a familiar sight - a yellow property boundary sign for national forest service land. As you can tell from the picture, we were very excited. 
We continued on, carefully maneuvering over the winter's many fallen trees (another picture below), finally ending up on logging roads heading straight for the radio towers at Blacktail. It kept going and going and going. By this point, we had already gone 15 miles, and I had to break it to Danni that I would not be able to do a return trip. I wasn't prepared physically or mentally to do a full thirty some miles. She was still determined to make a solo return trip. 
Danni and I knew from last year, that the last mile or two would be singletrack trail straight up to Blacktail. And that's where we hit the snow. In all fairness, we had been warned. Naively or hopefully, we expected a little snow, but not the deep field of snow.
It was tough at times to see any trail, so I tried to envision where one would probably go, looking ahead for clearing in the trees that might indicate a trail. Honestly, if I hadn't been on the trail before, I would have been really discouraged and possibly fearful. Not only was it steep, but the snow was so deep in places that I'd posthole to my hips. By this time, my shoes and socks were soaked, my legs were starting to hurt from being scraped by hard snow, and we were all out of water. I kept watching my Garmin, moving forward, knowing that at 6700 feet we should reach the top. I was so happy to see the flags and gravel road when it appeared out of nowhere. I let out a series of WooHoo's to alert Danni and Leanne, and got to take a rest and pictures as they too reached the top. The first picture is of my cold, dirty and bruised legs after the snow. The next ones are of Leanne and Danni reaching the top. 
I think I can speak for all of us that we were excited about the ups and downs of our day and proud to have continued on despite the series of setbacks. The entire trip one way ended up being 18.3 miles, a whole lot of elevation gain, and took us over 6 hours. Danni too, decided that it was enough of an adventure, choosing to ride back with us. My hope is that we'll figure out where we got off track, and be able to complete the full out and back at another point this summer. Thanks Leanne and Danni - it really was a great adventure!
Saturday, Danni and I decided to repeat the adventure, but this time round trip. Leanne wanted to do one way, so we all left at 7am to drive up to Blacktail in order to leave her car (and aid station) at our turn around point. We drove back down and left Herron Park not entirely certain of the exact trail or mileage.
The first 7 miles were familiar, but after that, it was a bit confusing to figure out which trails and logging roads to take. Leanne was nice enough to leave markers for her husband, who was going to follow us up by bike. Around mile 8, we ran into some women on horseback, who attempted to help us with directions. These were not the only people to warn us about the potential for snow higher up. We continued to follow a logging road until it completely dead-ended. Blacktail was on the other side of the ridge, so we decided to head straight up to "see what we could see." At this point, (see picture below) Leanne's phone rang with a clear - I am so lost - message from her husband (His actual message used more powerful words and captured the frustration much better than I can write here). He had also reached the dead end, but turned around to head back the same way.
At this point, I think Leanne and I were a bit concerned about a) being lost, b) running out of water, c) ending up in Lakeside rather than Blacktail and needing to hitch a ride back to town, but also really wanting to reach our goal. Danni, as usual, was optimistic that we would figure it out, so we kept trying. That's when we saw a trail buried under a logging mess. We climbed over trees, lost the trail, went back down to the logging road, followed that awhile again, realized it wasn't taking us anywhere closer to Blacktail, and reconvened to discuss the options which were now, turn around and go back another 10 miles or try again to find the darn trail. The next picture shows Blacktail teasing us in the distance. Again, we attempted to follow sporadic trails, more determined and this time successful. Eventually, we hit a familiar sight - a yellow property boundary sign for national forest service land. As you can tell from the picture, we were very excited. We continued on, carefully maneuvering over the winter's many fallen trees (another picture below), finally ending up on logging roads heading straight for the radio towers at Blacktail. It kept going and going and going. By this point, we had already gone 15 miles, and I had to break it to Danni that I would not be able to do a return trip. I wasn't prepared physically or mentally to do a full thirty some miles. She was still determined to make a solo return trip. Danni and I knew from last year, that the last mile or two would be singletrack trail straight up to Blacktail. And that's where we hit the snow. In all fairness, we had been warned. Naively or hopefully, we expected a little snow, but not the deep field of snow.It was tough at times to see any trail, so I tried to envision where one would probably go, looking ahead for clearing in the trees that might indicate a trail. Honestly, if I hadn't been on the trail before, I would have been really discouraged and possibly fearful. Not only was it steep, but the snow was so deep in places that I'd posthole to my hips. By this time, my shoes and socks were soaked, my legs were starting to hurt from being scraped by hard snow, and we were all out of water. I kept watching my Garmin, moving forward, knowing that at 6700 feet we should reach the top. I was so happy to see the flags and gravel road when it appeared out of nowhere. I let out a series of WooHoo's to alert Danni and Leanne, and got to take a rest and pictures as they too reached the top. The first picture is of my cold, dirty and bruised legs after the snow. The next ones are of Leanne and Danni reaching the top. I think I can speak for all of us that we were excited about the ups and downs of our day and proud to have continued on despite the series of setbacks. The entire trip one way ended up being 18.3 miles, a whole lot of elevation gain, and took us over 6 hours. Danni too, decided that it was enough of an adventure, choosing to ride back with us. My hope is that we'll figure out where we got off track, and be able to complete the full out and back at another point this summer. Thanks Leanne and Danni - it really was a great adventure!Sunday, May 25, 2008
Mental games
***I had to add this - Way to go Chris on your new PR at the Madison Half Marathon - You are on your way to the next Ironman!!!!***
Since Steve had to go to a conference this week, I made plans to get caught up on sleep, food, and peace. I was a little bummed not to be joining my family in ND (Amy and my niece flew in from Wisconsin), but it's probably a good thing. I'm mentally tired. That's the nature of the career I've chosen. Some days and/or weeks are just chaotic and heartbreaking, made worse when there's not a lot of time in the day to process what is happening. It was good timing for a three day respite for the mind and body...
...until I saw our credit card statement. Someone got our information and charged thousands of dollars on flights out of this country. It's been reported, the account is closed, an investigation will be started, but the experience is frustrating and scary.
We also found out the owners of our cabin decided to sell the place. We're not entirely certain it would be worth buying, especially for what they are asking, but we were hoping we could at least continue to rent until we figure things out. Steve is still working in a community four hours away, continuing to search for a family practice position here. That leaves us on some shaky ground. We love this area, want to stay, but would actually like to live in the same place someday and do away with the whole "commuter" relationship. Lots of decisions again.
Saturday morning, I decided to manage (or ignore?) my stress, by doing a 20 mile trail run. My route took me on a 7.5 mile out and back on trails and old logging roads. It was perfect running weather for me. Overcast, 50's, with a cool breeze. I brought two bottles of Heed, GU, a protein bar and set off. There were way more people than I had anticipated, primarily families hiking, mountain bikers and people with horses. I got several remarks along the way - from the "are you crazy - I wouldn't even walk this" from a guy on horseback to "a little too much energy today?" from a guy hiking with his family. From the looks of him, he seemed pretty fit, so I think he was just jealous not to be running too.
I finally hit quiet trail about four miles up at 4300 feet. I stuck to the plan of eating every 30 minutes and the protein bar definitely helped. Since adding these to my long runs, I've been able to control the blood sugar issues and avoid the sudden bonk. I was able to spend some time exploring new areas along the ridge, but knew I had to go back down to the car for more Heed. The picture below I took at the highest point of the run, around 5100 feet. The logging road in the distance is where I had come from and where I'd be going back.
Since Steve had to go to a conference this week, I made plans to get caught up on sleep, food, and peace. I was a little bummed not to be joining my family in ND (Amy and my niece flew in from Wisconsin), but it's probably a good thing. I'm mentally tired. That's the nature of the career I've chosen. Some days and/or weeks are just chaotic and heartbreaking, made worse when there's not a lot of time in the day to process what is happening. It was good timing for a three day respite for the mind and body...
...until I saw our credit card statement. Someone got our information and charged thousands of dollars on flights out of this country. It's been reported, the account is closed, an investigation will be started, but the experience is frustrating and scary.
We also found out the owners of our cabin decided to sell the place. We're not entirely certain it would be worth buying, especially for what they are asking, but we were hoping we could at least continue to rent until we figure things out. Steve is still working in a community four hours away, continuing to search for a family practice position here. That leaves us on some shaky ground. We love this area, want to stay, but would actually like to live in the same place someday and do away with the whole "commuter" relationship. Lots of decisions again.
Saturday morning, I decided to manage (or ignore?) my stress, by doing a 20 mile trail run. My route took me on a 7.5 mile out and back on trails and old logging roads. It was perfect running weather for me. Overcast, 50's, with a cool breeze. I brought two bottles of Heed, GU, a protein bar and set off. There were way more people than I had anticipated, primarily families hiking, mountain bikers and people with horses. I got several remarks along the way - from the "are you crazy - I wouldn't even walk this" from a guy on horseback to "a little too much energy today?" from a guy hiking with his family. From the looks of him, he seemed pretty fit, so I think he was just jealous not to be running too.
I finally hit quiet trail about four miles up at 4300 feet. I stuck to the plan of eating every 30 minutes and the protein bar definitely helped. Since adding these to my long runs, I've been able to control the blood sugar issues and avoid the sudden bonk. I was able to spend some time exploring new areas along the ridge, but knew I had to go back down to the car for more Heed. The picture below I took at the highest point of the run, around 5100 feet. The logging road in the distance is where I had come from and where I'd be going back.
On the way down, it started to sprinkle, and two miles from the car, downpour. I passed the family of hikers again, dashed the last mile to the car and debated whether or not to continue. I really wanted 20 miles. Not sure why that number stuck in my head, but it did. One thing you should know is that I'm NOT a mental runner. I don't set many goals, and I don't purposely inflict pain upon myself. Because of this, I don't race much either. I usually stick out a long run with the group, but tend to set easy goals when I'm by myself, or cut runs short if I don't feel up to it. Today, I wanted to test myself. It really ended up being a mental game.
So, I grabbed my handheld bottle, and headed back up. Again, I approached the same family who was looking at me like I was absolutely nuts. The youngest girl stopped and said, "you aren't going back up there, are you?" The "up there" sounded like she thought I was going to do battle in some horror movie. My reply - "just a little of the way."
By now, it was a steady rain, but still not cold. I told myself I'd go back up until I hit mile 17 even if I had to hike it, then turn around. My earlier plan was to go really slow with a goal of 5 hours. Primarily because I've only done one 20 miler since last fall, and because I was tired (see how easy I am on myself?).
I realized on my way back up that I could finish in 4:30 if I could maintain a decent pace. The main problem at this point was the mud. Trail shoes are awesome except when it comes to mud. The lugs were attracting it in gobs, until I felt like I was running on 2 additional inches of shoe. Plus, it was sticky enough, sucking me to the ground, that I thought my foot was going to come right out of the shoe. I tightened my laces and trudged on. I was thrilled to reach mile 17. Turning around though, I realized the downhill might be more painful. Sure enough, it was. My hips were aching at this point, and my calves threatening to cramp up. I ran though, concentrating on the absolute brilliance of my surroundings. I was again reminded of how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. I won the mental game in 4:27 with wet, muddy clothes and shoes, and a much more peaceful mind.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
My apologies
Just a quick post to apologize to the many friends who have texted and left phone messages this past week. I haven't been ignoring you! Due to work related travels and a currently way too intense caseload, I'm a frantic mess of energy. It should soon (hopefully) settle down and I'll get back to a somewhat normal schedule - and yes, return the calls.
A few well-wishes before I go...
Frank - good for you for getting out there and running a 5k with no training,
Chris - good luck at the Madison Half and plans to kill the old PR,
Danni - have a blast at WS training weekend!
A few well-wishes before I go...
Frank - good for you for getting out there and running a 5k with no training,
Chris - good luck at the Madison Half and plans to kill the old PR,
Danni - have a blast at WS training weekend!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Race Report - Don't Fence Me In 12k
This past Saturday, I ran the Don't Fence Me In Trail 12k in Helena. This was the first trail race I did after moving back to Montana from sea level. Even though it's only 7.5 miles long, it proves to be challenging to me. Last year, I was not prepared at all for the climbs and just wanted to finish. I believe my words to Steve at the mile 6 water station were "This sucks." My goal this year was to see if I was in any better condition and to average a below 12 minute mile pace (yes, I'm slow and I'm OK with that).
The race starts uphill on pavement, takes you to the Davis Gulch trail head where you are immediately hit with a series of switchbacks. Most of these are runnable if you've been doing hills at all. I have a tendency to freak out at the start of any race, so my heart rate is always out of control the first mile. This, combined with the hills can make anyone panic from the start. However, this year I was mentally prepared. I knew if I stayed calm, let people pass, run an even effort, walk the big hills, I'd be OK. Sure enough, after the switchbacks, I got to a flat section and cruised. I was able to run much more of the course than last year, while enjoying the scenery, and was actually smiling when I saw Steve at mile 6. I was also happy that my new Garmin was telling me I was averaging an 11 minute pace. I played a sort of leap frog with another runner, exchanging our horror stories from last year's race, and really flew the last mile. My average pace ended up being a 10:54/mile and a 7 minute PR. I was thrilled. I probably could have pushed it more, but I really wanted to finish feeling good.
It really is a beautiful course and a way to get to know local trails. The volunteers are awesome as was the food at the end - Great Harvest bread with honey and butter! I'll either keep the 12k as my annual spring test or try the new 30k option for next year.
As usual though, I was immediately hit with "what's next?" Since I've been putting in longer miles as Danni trains for Western States, I'm playing with the idea of doing the HURL Elkhorn 50k in August. I know it's a challenging course, but I think I could prepare for it. Any thoughts from those of you who have completed HURL?
The race starts uphill on pavement, takes you to the Davis Gulch trail head where you are immediately hit with a series of switchbacks. Most of these are runnable if you've been doing hills at all. I have a tendency to freak out at the start of any race, so my heart rate is always out of control the first mile. This, combined with the hills can make anyone panic from the start. However, this year I was mentally prepared. I knew if I stayed calm, let people pass, run an even effort, walk the big hills, I'd be OK. Sure enough, after the switchbacks, I got to a flat section and cruised. I was able to run much more of the course than last year, while enjoying the scenery, and was actually smiling when I saw Steve at mile 6. I was also happy that my new Garmin was telling me I was averaging an 11 minute pace. I played a sort of leap frog with another runner, exchanging our horror stories from last year's race, and really flew the last mile. My average pace ended up being a 10:54/mile and a 7 minute PR. I was thrilled. I probably could have pushed it more, but I really wanted to finish feeling good.
It really is a beautiful course and a way to get to know local trails. The volunteers are awesome as was the food at the end - Great Harvest bread with honey and butter! I'll either keep the 12k as my annual spring test or try the new 30k option for next year.
As usual though, I was immediately hit with "what's next?" Since I've been putting in longer miles as Danni trains for Western States, I'm playing with the idea of doing the HURL Elkhorn 50k in August. I know it's a challenging course, but I think I could prepare for it. Any thoughts from those of you who have completed HURL?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Attention Frank - this post is for you!
Last week, I was pulled over on a county road by a "dust regulation" officer. At first, I looked around for the candid camera crew. Then, the former paranoid city person took over and thought maybe it was someone trying to impersonate an officer. That was when I noticed the specially marked patrol car. When the officer asked for my license and registration, I was both irked and curious. I guess you don't get a ticket unless you are going at least 5 mph over the speed limit, and I was sent on my way with a verbal warning to drive slowly on county roads to minimize dust. Are you kidding me? A person actually gets paid for this - and gets a gun. Nothing personally against this particular officer or efforts to improve our environment, but based on my experiences this week, I could think of a few ways to better utilize this guy and the gun he was carrying. You can read more here...
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Will Travel to Run
Saturday, Danni and I traveled to Missoula to put in a 20 miler in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. I had planned to stick with the main corridor trail for an out and back. We quickly realized that the wide path was a bit monotonous and not nearly as fun as single track. We diverted to a side trail that led us to a very steep uphill with a lot of remaining snow pack. It was a lot of work, but the view was spectacular. We planned to make up time down the other side, but ended up having to traverse a lot of snow.Once we got down to the valley, we encountered a stream too wide to jump across. We spent some time trying to figure out a way to cross with dry feet. I found a place to jump across, only to find a swampy mess on the other side. I gave up, plowed on through, with very wet shoes. Danni followed and we were off again.
The next obstacle was in map reading. We discovered we were on the Wallman Trail (different from what we originally thought), so spent some time trying to figure out how to use the Garmin's compass. It could have been a safety advertisement labeled "Learn some backcountry skills BEFORE heading into the wilderness." Between the compass and intuition, we got back on track. We did find some other side trails, but did the last 6 miles on the main path. Click here to see more pictures.
Our reward was a shopping trip to REI where Danni cleaned out the store and I got my Garmin Forerunner 305!
Our consensus for the day - we both are lucky to be married to great guys who support this crazy obsession of trail running. I must add that Steve spent the day fly fishing the Missouri - a happy day for us both!
Our consensus for the day - we both are lucky to be married to great guys who support this crazy obsession of trail running. I must add that Steve spent the day fly fishing the Missouri - a happy day for us both!This morning, my running group did 8 miles in Herron Park. Notice my lean in the picture below - I almost fell over and toppled the whole group trying to join the picture after setting the timer. We missed Tom (hope your foot is recovering), Ruth and Deb (we sent you both positive vibes for a good marathon day) Leanne was nice enough to bring me birthday balloons and a yummy cookie too pretty to eat on behalf of the group.
Steve and I are "officially" celebrating our birthdays next weekend with a getaway, but thank you to all the friends and family who sent birthday wishes and made the weekend so great!
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