I had another disastrous trail run last summer.\u00a0 I joined my darling for a training run on the first half of the White River<\/a> 50 course, but it ended up being a long, slow hike (9 hours to cover approximately 25 miles).\u00a0 I was still recovering from two fast road marathons in the two weeks prior, plus I hadn’t eaten enough that morning.\u00a0 I was sucking wind on the uphills and far too timid on the downhills.\u00a0 By the end I was stumbling along in a daze.\u00a0 I somewhat redeemed myself, however, as two weeks later I swept the first half of the course during the race.\u00a0 It still took 8 hours, but I was responsible for removing the plentiful course marker ribbons, which added at least 45 minutes to my time.<\/p>\n That’s when I decided to make 2011 “The Year of the Ultra.”<\/p>\n My primary goal is to run White River, but I vowed to build up my experience and confidence on the trails in preparation.\u00a0 First up was the Carkeek 12-hour.\u00a0 You may recall I managed to get in a 50K<\/a> (16 loops) in just over 9 hours in 2009.\u00a0 My goal for 2010 was to run at least 18 loops in the same timeframe.\u00a0 By reducing the time spent at the aid station after each loop I accomplished my goal: 34.75 miles in just under 9 hours.\u00a0 While one could argue Carkeek is a “big girl” race, the fact it’s a loop course (and therefore one knows what to expect) and just 5 miles from home makes it seem “easier.”<\/p>\n As I was planning out my 2011 race schedule I included more challenging races that would best prepare me for White River.\u00a0 However, I decided to start with shorter distances since I figured it’d be a good way to practice my skills without totally wiping me out.\u00a0 First up was the Orcas 25K<\/a>; as with any James Varner\/Rainshadow Running venture, it was a doozy.\u00a0 My calves were screaming at me on the long steep ascents, soon to be replaced by the howling of my quads on the rocky, technical descents.\u00a0 But I was encouraged by the fact that while I was passed by several runners on these sections, I ended up passing THEM during the last three miles where the trail was relatively flat, albeit still somewhat technical.\u00a0 I crossed the finish line in 3:48.<\/p>\n Next up was the Fishline 25K.\u00a0 Last year I ran the 50K, again with disastrous results.\u00a0 It took me 4 hours to finish the first half, so this year I vowed to beat that time.\u00a0 I was a tad nervous given how much rain had fallen that week (I remembered how much the slipping and sliding had aggravated my hip flexors the prior year), but I managed to maneuver through it just fine.\u00a0 It ended up being a glorious day for running, and I sprinted to the finish in just under 3 hours.\u00a0 HUZZAH!<\/p>\n It was now time to kick it up a notch and tackle the Chuckanut 50K<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite having great races at Orcas and Fishline, I approached Chuckanut with great trepidation.\u00a0 I had primarily focused my training on running a fast road marathon in April, so I hadn’t gotten in as much trail running as I should.\u00a0 I managed to get in a few loops at Discovery Park, adding in the tougher section down to the water.\u00a0 But I had no idea what to expect at Chuckanut.<\/p>\n I perused the results from past years, looking for people I knew who ran similar paces.\u00a0 I decided I’d shoot for a stretch goal of 6:30, figuring 7 hours would be more likely.\u00a0 The race starts and ends with 10K on the flat, well-groomed Interurban trail, so I figured I wouldn’t even think about a finish time until I reached the final 10K.\u00a0 Given endurance is my strength, I thought I might be able to make up some time there, unless, of course, my quads were completely thrashed.<\/p>\n My darling and I decided to drive up the morning of, which meant waking up at the ungodly hour of 3:30 a.m.\u00a0 He brewed up some strong coffee while I prepared a couple of bagel, egg and ham sandwiches for the ride up.\u00a0 While the weather had been pretty pissy during the week, it was rather clear and dry that morning.\u00a0 Thank goodness!<\/p>\n We arrived at Fairhaven Park about 6:45 (the race started at 8 ) and scored a parking spot close by.\u00a0 There were already a large handful or runners milling about, but rather than staying to chat we grabbed our packets and headed back to the car to chill out.\u00a0 My darling and I held our typical pre-race huddle — wear a hydration pack or just carry a bottle?\u00a0 Jacket or not?\u00a0 Wool beanie or running cap?\u00a0 I wasn’t going for a fast time so I decided to carry a pack (hubby went with a handheld).\u00a0 We both threw on our lightweight Brooks jackets because of the wind, but he ditched his at the first aid station and I tucked mine into my pack within the first three miles.<\/p>\n We headed back down to the park about 20 minutes before the start to find the place teeming with runners.\u00a0 However, I was surprised I didn’t see more familiar faces; obviously I was not yet part of the in-crowd.\u00a0 But just as we were heading to the start line I heard my name being called; I turned to see my friend Laura who was also running her first big girl race.\u00a0 She too had no idea how she’d fare, but we decided to run together, at least at the start.<\/p>\n Because the race was chipped timed I didn’t start my Garmin as Krissy yelled “Go!” assuming I’d hit it as I crossed the start timing mat.\u00a0 Turns out there wasn’t one; Doh!\u00a0 Laura and I quickly settled into a steady yet easy pace and chatted a bit.\u00a0 I warned her I normally don’t talk during a race since I get more fatigued, but the run felt so effortless at that point it didn’t make a difference.\u00a0 We hit the first aid station at the 10K mark in about 1:15 where I made a quick pit stop.\u00a0 Laura and I also took a walk break to take in a gel.<\/p>\n The course double-backs on the Interurban for about a quarter mile before turning onto the Fragrance Lake single-track trail.\u00a0 For me, this is where the “real” race started.\u00a0 Although I walked most of the uphill sections, I tried to run as much of the flatter spots as possible.\u00a0 At mile 10 we hit Cleater Road, roughly 3 miles of relatively steep forest service road.\u00a0 Laura and I walked much of it, although a couple sections were runnable.\u00a0 About 2 miles up I found my second wind and started running again.\u00a0 However, Laura had to take a walk break and she bid me adieu.\u00a0 I had hoped she’d catch up with me at some point, but alas I wasn’t to see her again until the finish.<\/p>\n The third aid station was at the top of Cleater Road and one of the aid workers assured us the steepest climbs were over.\u00a0 I asked about the infamous “Chinscraper,” upon which he replied, “Oh, it’s not that bad.”\u00a0 I found one should never trust things the aid station workers say.<\/p>\n It would be almost 7 miles before we’d hit the next aid station, and this was the most technical and challenging section.\u00a0 I was still pretty timid on the technical descents, but I was having a ton of fun.\u00a0 By now several of us were leapfrogging each other; I’d pass a few on the uphills, they’d bomb pass me on the downhills.\u00a0 A few seemed to get so far ahead I didn’t think I’d see them again.\u00a0 We hit the muddiest section about mile 17-18; it actually wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated.\u00a0 Besides, I figured I needed to properly christen my new Cascadia 6s.<\/p>\n I got into a nice pacing groove with another gal right in front of me.\u00a0 But when we hit a particularly nasty patch of mud she went down and unfortunately her knee hit a rock pretty hard.\u00a0 I tried to stay with her but she assured me she was fine; she just needed to shake it off.\u00a0 I offered her some Tylenol but she said she had some and would take it if she needed it.\u00a0 I begrudgingly left her, reassured by the fact her friend wasn’t far behind.<\/p>\n About a mile later I heard several voices, but I knew I couldn’t be at the aid station yet.\u00a0 Turns out it was another friend of mine, Stacy, who was running with three other friends, one of whom was suffering from intense stomach pain.\u00a0 Just like the gal I had been running with, Stacy’s friend assured them she’d be fine.\u00a0 They had managed to call her husband who was planning on picking her up at the next aid station about 2 miles away.\u00a0 I got ahead of them, but knew it would be a brief lead as Stacy was a much faster runner.\u00a0 Sure enough, within half a mile they overtook their lead.<\/p>\n By now any trepidation I had was gone, but I knew I had one more challenge to tackle: Chinscraper.\u00a0 It started just after the mile 20 aid station.\u00a0 I asked the aid workers how long it was; one said a mile, another said a mile and a half.\u00a0 Did I mention one can never trust what they say?\u00a0 I soldiered up the trail, regretting each time I looked up to see how much farther I had to go.\u00a0 About halfway up I caught up to another runner; I didn’t want to pass him immediately so I settled into his pace, joking that this is what builds character.\u00a0 But as he slowed even more I decided to make my move.\u00a0 Mind you, I still wasn’t running, but at least I could power hike.\u00a0\u00a0 Soon after passing him I looked up to see Glenn Tachiyama poised to take my picture; however, there was NO WAY I’d be able to muster up a run.\u00a0 I settled for a smile, asking him how much farther to the top.\u00a0 “About half a mile.”\u00a0 Turns out he was right!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/eatdrinkrunwoman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Chuckanut-300x278.jpg\" "\\"Chuckanut\\"")
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